February 2023

Hi-Fi Rush is superb. Announced at Microsoft's Developer_Direct showcase last week and released immediately thereafter, the game is a wildly creative effort from developer Tango Gameworks. There are elements of action, platformer, rhythm and side-scroller games, all held together by an incredible sense of style and bold visual choices.

This is a wild, courageous game that succeeds on just about every level - and it's an eye-popping visual treat as well. It's also the first major first-party Microsoft title in over a year, ending a prolonged drought for exclusive Xbox software. Today, we'll be taking a look at Hi-Fi Rush's daring flair and beat-matching brawling action, and try to get a sense of what makes this game tick.

Let's explain how the game works, before we get into the technical nuance. It's really a thrill ride from the get-go, a snappy character action game where you dodge, attack, parry, jump, grapple, and unleash a host of special abilities, all actions beautifully animated and super responsive. On a basic level, it's not so different from something like Devil May Cry, but the key is that most in-game actions work better when timed to match the background beat. For example, attacks get a bonus when they're done to the beat, which is conveyed through the idle animations, game environment and UI as well as the music. Similarly, enemies moves correspond to musical moments, helping you anticipate their actions. The system never feels overwhelming and quickly becomes natural.

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Square Enix has detailed its financial results for the current financial year up to 31st December 2022, and recorded an annual fall in sales and income.

The Final Fantasy publisher recorded net sales of 255bn yen (£1.6bn), down nearly seven percent on the same nine-month time period year-on-year. Operating income was 41bn yen (£258m), down nearly 18 percent on the same time period year-on-year.

Over the nine months ending 31st December 2022, Square Enix launched a large number of games but lacked a major Final Fantasy release. Instead, between April and December 2022, Square Enix released Nintendo Switch exclusive Live a Live, fantasy farming sim Harvestella, The Diofield Chronicle, Valkyrie Elysium, Tactics Ogre: Reborn, and Star Ocean: The Divine Force, among others.

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Since the remake of Resident Evil 4 graces Game Informer’s cover this month, we thought it’d be fitting to revisit the game that kicked off Capcom’s remake craze: Resident Evil 2. 

Capcom renovated Resident Evil 2 from the ground up into a modernized third-person action game. Led by directors Yasuhiro Ampo and Kazunori Kadoi, who now sit at the helm of Resident Evil 4, the game revitalized the 1998 classic, introducded it to a new generation of fans, and paved the way for the RE3 and 4 remakes to come after. Join me, Marcus Stewart, as I revisit my personal Game of the Year for 2019 to see how it holds up while discussing my Resident Evil 4 cover story.

If you enjoy our livestreams but haven’t subscribed to our Twitch channel, know that doing so not only gives you notifications and access to special emotes. You’ll also be granted entry to the official Game Informer Discord channel, where our welcoming community members, moderators, and staff gather to talk games, entertainment, food, and organize hangouts! Be sure to also follow our second YouTube channel, Game Informer Shows, for to watch other Replay episodes as well as Twitch archives such as Replay, GI Live, and more. 

The PC launch of The Last of Us Part I has been delayed by a few weeks. Instead of releasing on March 3, the game now arrives on March 28.

Naughty Dog wants more time to polish up the PC port, as stated in a message posted to Twitter that you can read in full below (click the image to enlarge). 

The Last of Us Part I launched for PlayStation 5 last fall and serves as a ground-up remake of the 2013 title. It features improved graphics, reworked controls, improved enemy A.I., and a remade version of the Left Behind DLC chapter. The remake helped usher in the premiere of The Last of Us HBO series last month, which has been heavily watched and received heaps of praise thus far. The show’s second season has already been confirmed.

Update 2/6/2023 10:05 a.m. ET: Netflix, Studio Lambert, and The Garden issued a comment to Kotaku about Squid Game: The Challenge contestants claiming the show was rigged and subjected them to unsafe working conditions.

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Activision Blizzard will pay the Securities Exchange Commission $35 million to settle charges that it violated workplace misconduct reporting rules and whistleblower protections. The Call of Duty publisher admits no wrongdoing in the case, which comes less than two years after a bombshell lawsuit by California…

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Blizzard announced in a February 1 update blog that it’s taking a new, more aggressive approach to Overwatch 2 cheating. The developer will no longer ban just cheaters themselves—though it boasts already wiping out “over 50,000 accounts that we found to be cheating since the launch of Overwatch 2”—but also anyone that…

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People will be able to jump into all of the early Chainsaw Man part 1 manga at once with a box set. Among the Viz Media February 3, 2023 announcements was a bundle of volumes 1-11. There’s no price for it yet. However, we do know it will appear in Fall 2023.

Here’s the official announcement. It also noted there will be a bonus double-sided poster when someone gets the 11 volume Chainsaw Man part 1 manga box set. However, it didn’t show what the art for it will look like.

Announcement: The first arc of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man, all in one jaw-dropping box set! This box set contains the first 11 manga volumes of Chainsaw Man as well as an exclusive double-sided poster. Releases Fall 2023! pic.twitter.com/jLgl3cBj8k

— VIZ (@VIZMedia) February 3, 2023

The first volume of the manga appeared in English back in October 2020. New books appeared as chapters released. Volume 11, which closed out the Public Safety Saga, appeared in June 2022.

The Demon Slayer To the Swordsmith Village world tour kicked off with the Japanese theatrical debut on February 3, 2023. As such, there’s new information about the upcoming season. This is due to the presentation including the 10th and 11th episodes of season 2 and first episode of season 3. Among the reveals is the announcement of the Demon Slayer season 3 opening theme song “Kizuna no Kiseki” by milet and MAN WITH A MISSION (MWAM).

Here’s the official clip showing off scenes from Demon Slayer season 3 while the MWAM and Milet “Kizuna no Kiseki” opening theme song plays.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEae_HOlUAU&ab_channel=%E3%82%A2%E3%83%8B%E3%83%97%E3%83%AC%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B9%E3%83%81%E3%83%A3%E3%83%B3%E3%83%8D%E3%83%AB
People might remember MWAM from their Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier appearance. Cosmetics inspired by the group showed up in-game and their song "The Soldiers From The Start” appeared in it.

A new Naruto Shippuden: The Official Coloring Book release is on the way, ready to offer pages of familiar faces to draw on. Among Viz Media's February 3, 2023 announcements was one noting that it is adding the series to its line of all-ages coloring books. There's no exact release date yet, but it is expected to appear sometime in Fall 2023.

Here's the official announcement. There's a tentative cover shared. However, outside of the release window, Viz didn't offer too many details. For example, we don't know how many pages long the Naruto Shippuden: The Official Coloring Book will be.

Announcement: Color over seventy dynamic images from the anime NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: The Official Coloring Book releases Fall 2023! pic.twitter.com/acUquEGgy0

— VIZ (@VIZMedia) February 3, 2023

People will soon be able to read JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean in English, rather than just watch it, as the manga localization is on the way. On February 3, 2023, Viz Media kicked off an array of announcements. Among them is the confirmation that starting in Fall 2023, people will be able to find English volumes of Jolyne Cujoh.

Here's the official JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean English manga announcement. It also shows the Japanese cover, which shows Jolyne handcuffed and in jail at Green Dolphin Street Prison.

Announcement: Hirohiko Araki’s legendary multigenerational tale of the heroic Joestar family continues with Jolyne in the manga series JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 6–Stone Ocean. Releases Fall 2023! pic.twitter.com/o104FjIED0

— VIZ (@VIZMedia) February 3, 2023

The fifth episode of the Final Chapter of Pokemon will bring back the Squirtle Squad. Early screenshots of the episode also show Bulbasaur and Charizard, as well as Team Rocket’s Wobbuffet. Oddly, even though Wobbuffet is not a Squirtle, they are also wearing the Squad’s signature sunglasses. [Thanks, Oricon!]

Pokemon: Aim to Be a Pokemon Master is the last adventure that Pokemon protagonist Ash will go on before his retirement. It depicts his adventures with Brock and Misty. In the original series, the Squirtle Squad caused trouble in Kanto until they had to team up with Ash to fend off Team Rocket. The Squirtle Squad ended up becoming firefighters for the town, and the leader of the gang joined Ash’s team as his Squirtle.

https://twitter.com/oricon_anime_/status/1621454699659403264

Not only does the Squirtle Squad fight fires now, but it also performs shows. However, Team Rocket seems to be planning something as their managers. In the screenshots you can see them wearing the Squad's sunglasses just like their Wobbuffet. Because Ash’s Squirtle returned to the Squad during his Johto journey, this episode will also mark the return of this individual Pokemon since Ruby and Sapphire.

Pokemon: Aim to Be a Pokemon Master airs on Fridays, and the episode featuring the Squirtle Squad will air on February 10, 2023.

A 25th anniversary figure of Ryza from Atelier Ryza is now available to pre-order via AmiAmi. Toridamono, the character designer for the Atelier series, drew the art for this figure. Including tax, the Ryza figure will cost 31,900 JPY ($248.40) for the DX version and 24,200 JPY ($188.40) for the regular version. Both will come out in February 2024.

The DX version comes with a detachable door behind Ryza. Legacy items from the Atelier series are popping out of it, and the open doors create a frame around Ryza. The rest of the figure is the same for both versions. It contains small details, such as Ryza’s starfish necklace and the flasks on her her belt. As well, Toridamono wanted to express Ryza’s energetic, innocent, and cute personality with her pose.

This figure is not the only way that Koei Tecmo and Gust plan on celebrating the 25th anniversary. They will also sell an art collection of framed prints, with each print costing about 20,000 JPY each. You can also purchase art plates or standees from the same storefront.

HoYoverse issued a warning to Genshin Impact, Tears of Themis, and Honkai Impact 3rd players who use the Twitter login option. Due to upcoming Twitter API changes, it warned of relying on the account to login. On both the Genshin Impact, Tears of Themis, and Honkai Impact 3rd Twitter accounts in multiple languages, it recommended binding an email address to HoYoVerse accounts.

The announcements on both accounts noted that HoYoVerse isn't entirely sure yet how the API change will affect the Genshin Impact and Honkai Impact 3rd Twitter login options. However, it noted that it is better to err on the side of caution and add an email. Here's one of the notices.

"Login With Twitter Account" Service Adjustment Notice

We are in the process of confirming the impact of the Twitter API adjustments on game account login and the corresponding resolutions.
Please stay tuned for further announcements regarding this situation~#HonkaiImpact3rd pic.twitter.com/FlPNFuCfFf

A new FFXIV anime commercial from Korea promotes the game's multifaceted job system. Posted to the official Final Fantasy XIV Korean-language YouTube channel, the new promotion is done up in 2D animation. It's a contrast to the usual style for FFXIV promos, which typically use in-game graphics, CG cinematics, or real-life actors.

Check out the FFXIV anime commercial below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxzkwf7unxw

Consisting of a brief clip, the FFXIV anime commercial traces the origins of a powerful sword. First found as a rare bit of ore by a Lalafell Miner, the item is brought into being by a Hrothgar Blackmith. It then ends up in the hands of a high-level Paladin, leading a party of characters in what looks to be the Final Coil of Bahamut raid encounter.

The commercial touches briefly on the many roles a player can take while playing Final Fantasy XIV. Gathering jobs in the Disciple of the Land track, like Miners, Botanists, and Fishers gather up raw materials from gathering spots all over the game world. Then players with Crafting Jobs in the Disciple of the Hand track, like Blacksmiths, Armorers, and Leatherworkers turn the materials into everything from weapons and armoreto potions, food, and accessories. Then the Disciples of War and Magic, the game's combat classes, take their crafted gear into battle, using them directly or for cosmetic glamour.

February 2023 is a big month for the MCU as it is when Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the first project of Phase 5, releases. Given that this is a comic book franchise, there are rumors swirling around involving many Phase 5 projects beyond even the third Ant-Man installment.

Of course, given the sheer volume of rumors, most end up being just hopes and speculation, though there are definitely the rumors that slip through the crack and turn out to be true. That being said, let’s take a look at six of the more prominent MCU Phase 5 rumors that have some credibility behind them and if they may, in fact, become a reality.

Warning: Possible spoiler alert below. Some, if not all, of these rumors, may be true, which would mean that these are spoilers, so keep that in mind before proceeding.

The second season of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 saw an unfortunate delay, as mounting tension in the community sparked developer Infinity Ward to rethink its approach to both titles. The second season is set to launch on Feb. 15, headlined by the Resurgence Mode making a return with an all-new map, Ashika Island.

The road ahead is a long one, and over the past few weeks, Infinity Ward has detailed what lies ahead in the form of smaller blog posts. One post, in particular, caught the ire of DMZ players who enjoy the new extraction-based mode, as the new season will lock certain content behind a paywall by forcing players to purchase Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. 

According to the blog post:

“Modern Warfare® II owners will also have access to mission orders from a brand new fourth faction, Crown. This British group is shrouded in mystery, but they have certainly piqued the interest of Black Mous….

Again, this Faction will only be available to Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® II owners.”

The content in question involves the extraction mode’s factions, in particular, the brand-new faction called the Crown. Currently, there are three factions, but with the new faction joining, players who do not own the full game will not be able to access the faction’s missions or the benefits that come with completing them.

It could be said that music holds the ability to ignite the human spirit. It transcends language boundaries, connecting people to one another and inspiring many. Often, a suitable song can serve as a motivating force, helping to overcome mental adversity and achieve seemingly impossible goals. Moreover, with an uplifting beat or the calming sounds of a symphony, music can unlock our inner potential and propel us forward — wherever forward may be.

This is exactly what makes the latest rhythm-action entry from Tango Gameworks and Bethesda, Hi-Fi Rush, so unique. It is a music lover’s dream. This game combines the best elements of two worlds: the adrenaline-pumping excitement of a fast-paced action experience and the power of music.

The story follows the life of Chai, a self-proclaimed future rock star who gains a robotic arm and the ability to sense the world’s rhythm after becoming a defect in an evil corporate experiment. Chai and his friends use this power to face off against the conglomerate responsible for the experiments and its leaders. Throughout the story, you will utilize the help of each and every one of your unlikely friends to accomplish your goals and topple the villains who stand in your way.

Harry Potter fans are highly anticipating next Friday, as it means they’ll finally be able to get their hands on the newest game in the franchise, Hogwarts Legacy. However, some lucky magicians are already working on their magic spells, as it seems some copies have already arrived.

On the game’s official subreddit, a German player has shared the fact that he received and was able to start playing an Xbox Series X version of the game a week before it even came out.

He’s not the only one who already has his copy of the game, generating some envy among players who are still waiting for it. The lucky Harry Potter fans who have already played the game are giving it rave reviews, especially about the graphics and the fantastic cutscenes. They also praise the character’s facial animations, the game’s map, and the game’s classes.

Even those who cringe at the thought of shelling out hard-earned money for often exorbitantly priced in-game cosmetics can surely appreciate Valorant’s incredible weapon skins. They’ve arguably set the high standard for design in an FPS. Clearly, there’s a huge amount of work that goes into the concept, artwork, and sound effects that have created some of the coolest and most elaborate weapons seen over the past two years.

At this point, it’s obvious that when it comes to designing new Valorant skins, Riot Games’ art team is a well-oiled machine that knows the key to success. It’s become such a popular feature of the game that I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to speak with VFX artist Nicolas Ceriani, who has come through Riot Games’ internship program to work on some of Valorant’s most popular skins ever.

Senior editor Alex Gibson: Breaking into the games industry in any capacity as a developer is tricky; how does Riot Games differ in its approach to providing opportunities to those who don’t have the prerequisite experience to get involved — which is so often a hurdle for aspiring young graduates?

VFX artist Nicolas Ceriani: I feel like Riot’s internship program is such a valuable system, both for young students facing the challenge of having to secure a job, and for companies in need of talent. Anyone is welcome to apply – the requirements for the type of education, duration of education, and experience are broad enough to encourage a large range of individuals to apply. I was especially excited about the fact that I was able to apply as a European student, which is not always the case for some US-based companies. 

Developer Innersloth has shared its development plans for the next 12 months of social deduction hit Among Us, confirming the year ahead will bring the likes of improved matchmaking and a brand-new map.

Innersloth's roadmap is a little light in terms of ETAs, but it's first order of business - user interface and user experience updates for Among Us - are said to be "coming soon".

"We want to make playing Among Us an easier, more intuitive experience," the developer explained in a post accompanying its new roadmap. "This means big focus on adding multiple updates to the UI and UX...of the game. Cleaning up the account merging flow, updating the store to be easier to navigate, making it easier to see how you can report a toxic player... these are all things we want to work on, and more."

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The Last of Us: Part 1 will arrive on PC a little later than expected, with Naughty Dog announcing a new 28th March release date to ensure the game arrives "in the best possible shape".

The Last of Us Part 1 - Naughty Dog's new-gen spruce-up of the acclaimed 2013 stealth survival horror - initially launched for PlayStation 5 last September, and the long-promised PC version was eventually confirmed to be arriving on 3rd March this year.

With a month to go until its originally planned launch date, however, Naughty Dog has confirmed a 25-day delay. "Let's get right to it," the studio wrote in a statement shared on Twitter. "We initially announced The Last of Us Part 1 PC release would be 3rd March, but we've decided to push its launch date out by just a few week; it will now be released on 28th March."

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Microsoft has responded to the European Union's now-formalised antitrust warning, slapped down to contest its attempt at an Activision Blizzard acquistion.

The EU's intent to object to Microsoft's proposed $68.7bn deal was first reported last month. Now it has been finalised - and Microsoft has said it was "confident" it could address the issues raised.

As expected, the EU has intervened over a percieved risk in Microsoft owning Call of Duty, something it fears could reduce competition in the video games industry, Politico reported today.

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When Duke Nukem 3D burst onto the FPS scene in the Nineties, young CJ was a bit confused. This Duke wasn't the purple-shirted acrobat I'd known from Apogee Software's pair of platformers earlier that decade. He was brash, crude, and and didn't side-scroll anymore. It wasn't for me, so I moved on to other games. I still occasionally loaded up those earlier platformers though, wistfully remembering a time when Duke presumably used actual toilets when he needed to answer a call of nature.

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Gather round, children, and I’ll tell you of something magical: the NZXT Source 340 compact mid-tower PC case with side window, product code CA-S340W-B1. Good gravy, did I love that case. Tightly proportioned without being too cramped for a full-size graphics card, maturely designed without looking dull, and hewn from some of most gorgeously textured matte steel I’ve seen on a piece of computing hardware. Don’t even get me started on the upgraded Source 340 Elite. It’s been years since these cases disappeared from sale and ascended to Component Heaven, and although it’s taken a few tries, there’s finally a new chassis that’s worthy of the legacy: the NZXT H5 Flow.

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Hello folks. Earlier this week, we unveiled some of the cool things coming up for RPS this year - many of which revolve around you, our lovely readers and supporters. If you haven't had a chance to check that post out yet, I'd love to hear what you think of it. And yes, fixing our comments nesting is still very much on the agenda as well. Our tech team have a lot of websites to take care of these days, and they're working as fast as they can to sort things out. As soon as I have an update I can share, I'll let you know.

But enough about techy bits. I wanted to use this Letter From The Editor to talk about some of the more supporter-oriented things mentioned in that 'What's coming up' post. Specifically, I want to kick off the inaugural Ask RPS - your chance to ask us, the editorial team, questions about games, the site, the way we do things, and other things we like.

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You might recognise developer Octavi Navorro’s pixel art in Thimbleweed Park, 2017’s detective point-and-clicker. But since then, Navorro has been releasing surreal 2D horror games on an almost annual basis. Navarro’s series Midnight Scenes has been the highlight, having disturbing premises and Twilight Zone creepiness. The newest episode, Midnight Scenes: From The Woods is due on February 9th and it looks as chilling as ever.

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I really do not play enough visual novels these days. Raptor Boyfriend has been sat on my hard drive for at least a year, and it won't be the last. Historically, I have fallen hard for two kinds of VN: emotionally probing character dramas like Eliza and Watch Me Jump, or gentle and slightly silly comedies like Laura Silver and Camp W. The jokey dating-sim-but-everyone's-a-talking-table type vein never quite grabbed me. Unless Monster Prom counts? Hmm.

Raptor Boyfriend is more the lighthearted comedy kind, but with through lines on social anxiety and navigating confusing coming-of-age relationships. It is also not actually about having a raptor boyfriend.

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This year, I decided to make a New Year’s Resolution for the first time in my life. I’m 21 and my knees click, which means I must be turning into stone faster than someone having a staring contest with Medusa. So, I vowed to exercise a few times a week. Then, during my first week back at work, vid bud Liam told me to try Age Of Empires II. Never before has a New Year’s Resolution been abandoned so fast. I really wanted to stick with it. Promise.

But! After my first match, the following 30 hours vanished quicker than the Galaxy Caramels in a box of Celebrations. I became obsessed. I mastered AOE II's low AI difficulties and quickly used the Advanced Techniques tutorial to learn build orders. Before I knew it, I had a Google Doc filled with step-by-step plans for various playstyles, the perfect strategies for any scenario. But that Google Doc ended up ruining everything for me. If that recent Xbox release with the good gamepad controls has you tempted to revisit Age Of Empires II on PC, do not make a Google Doc. You’ve been warned.

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Overwatch 2’s third season is right around the corner and, as always, that means we’re getting a new map. Blizzard have treated us to our first look at the Antarctic Peninsula, an icy-themed control map launching alongside Season 3 on February 7th. The Antarctic Peninsula is a big deal since it’ll delve into Mei’s backstory, it’s the first natural environment in an OW map, and it lets you fish. As in catching fish. At an ice hole. As in, you can catch fish at an ice hole in Overwatch 2.

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The last few weeks have been messy for The Day Before, the survival MMO that was Steam’s most wishlisted game for much of 2022. Last month, The Day Before’s Steam page was quietly removed from the storefront following a trademark dispute. Developer Fntastic also delayed the game from March 1st to November 10th at the same time, just days before they promised to show some raw gameplay footage of it in action. The whole debacle led to accusations on Reddit and Discord that the game didn’t even exist, but at long last, that promised gameplay video has arrived. And... it’s merely fine.

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The makers of Command & Conquered Remastered have announced their new WW1 RTS The Great War: Western Front will be releasing on March 30th 2023. It's also getting a Steam Next Fest demo next week on February 6th, which gives you access to its chunky tutorial and the early portion of its campaign, plus the Historic Battle of The Battle Of Passchendaele, which is the mission I got a chance to play at the end of last year. As it turns out, I've also had a sneak peek at the Next Fest build, too, and there's a heck of a lot to sink your teeth into. Here's a small glimpse of what to expect.

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Fishing mini-games make just about any game better. There’s something meditative about being close to the water, waiting in silence for a catch, and mashing buttons to reel them in - plus I don’t need to deal with the horrendous smell from behind the safety of my desk. The indie game Dredge subverts what I like about fishing games, with an eerie eldritch horror waiting beneath the ocean’s surface. We won’t need to wait long before we see what's under there as Dredge releases on March 30th.

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The remake of Resident Evil 4 is Game Informer’s cover story for February, and as part of our ongoing features, we’re sharing extended footage of the game’s fifth chapter, set right after Leon meets Ashley.  

I, Marcus Stewart, and video editor Alex Van Aken played this chapter at Capcom’s headquarters for our cover story. You'll get a great look at the section we played as well as our commentary for added context. The footage includes extended looks at the church and cemetery sequences, a demonstration of combat and exploration, capping off with a larger slice of the chaotic cabin battle with Luis Serra. 

To keep up with our ongoing Resident Evil 4 cover story coverage, click the banner below to find more exclusive features and videos such as our video interview with the game's art director and an extended breakdown of Ashley's revised gameplay. Be sure to subscribe to the Game Informer YouTube channel if you enjoy watching this video and to keep up with upcoming video content in the coming weeks. 

There’s a phenomenon in the Overwatch community that has persisted through the original game’s 2016 release, its gradual decline, and the launch of the sequel. This phenomenon is an interesting one, a sort of “IYKYK” situation that requires membership in a specific community in order to recognize its members: in …

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