Game Informer

This week on All Things Nintendo, Brian is joined (in his dining room) by Atari CEO Wade Rosen. The two chat about the past, present, and future of the legendary gaming company, as well as Wade's lifelong love of video games. Wade sticks around to take part in Definitive Ranking and gives his eShop Gem of the Week. There isn't a video version this week, but we'll be back with the recently introduced video format next week! 

If you'd like to follow Brian on social media, you can do so on his Instagram/Threads @BrianPShea or Twitter @BrianPShea. You can follow Wade on Twitter: @WadeRosen. You can also find all the latest Atari news at Atari.com.

The All Things Nintendo podcast is a weekly show where we 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!

With Mortal Kombat 1 on the horizon, we're revisiting the entry that set the series on its current trajectory: 2011's Mortal Kombat (aka MK 9). Join us today on Twitch at 2:00 p.m. Central as we take a bloody journey through the game's genre-defining story campaign. Episodes will be uploaded to our Game Informer Shows YouTube channel the following Saturday morning. 

After 2006's Mortal Kombat: Armageddon seemingly concluded the franchise's main narrative, 2011's entry picked up the bloody pieces. It moved the saga forward by resetting the timeline, serving as a soft reboot that brought Mortal Kombat back to its 2D fighting roots and ushering in the return of the classic roster. MK 9's cinematic story mode served as an epiphany for the series and fighting games as a whole, establishing the blueprint for narrative fighting campaigns still utilized today. MK9's story also serves as the first chapter of the modern trilogy of games that Mortal Kombat 1 builds upon. For a whole lot more on MK9 and its development, you can read this feature on how the reboot saved the franchise.

Join editors Marcus Stewart and Kyle Hilliard as they battle their way through MK 9 to see how its reimagined tournament holds up. 

Tales of the Shire is a cozy new game set in The Lord of the Rings universe and it's coming out sometime next year. Developed by Wētā Workshop, the New Zealand-based special effects and props company that worked on Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, and published by Private Division, Tales of the Shire promises to let players live their best cozy Hobbit life. 

Private Division revealed little about the game with its announcement yesterday, although it did release a teaser trailer that captures the vibes of living on The Shire. Check out the Tales of the Shire teaser trailer for yourself below: 

"Your cosy Hobbit life awaits in Tales of the Shire, a heart-warming new Lord of the Rings game by Wētā Workshop and Private Division," the teaser's YouTube description reads. "Coming 2024." 

And that's all we know about the game. Here's hoping we learn more soon because it sounds like a great premise. 

In the meantime, read Game Informer's review of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. 

Last month, Microsoft submitted a new deal to the U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority regulatory agency that proposes Ubisoft get the rights to Activision Blizzard game streaming for 15 years. Microsoft did this to get its acquisition of Activision Blizzard approved by the CMA after the regulator previously blocked it over cloud gaming concerns. One month later, the CMA has granted preliminary approval to Microsoft due to its new Ubisoft deal. 

The CMA says it has "identified limited residual concerns with the new deal" but that Microsoft has put forward remedies (see: Ubisoft's role) that the CMA "has provisionally concluded should address these issues." The CMA is now consulting on those remedies before making a final official decision ahead of the October 18 deadline to do so. 

In this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, we gather for a long conversation about this week's Microsoft leaks and details of leaked Xbox consoles and discuss our hands-on time with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Marvel's Spider-Man 2. Later in the show, we dive into Wesley's Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty review before highlighting how game technology company Unity betrayed thousands of game developers' trust. 

Watch Our Weekly Gaming Podcast:

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

We played Marvel's Spider-Man 2 In Los Angeles and came away with a ton of new info about developer Insomniac Games' open-world action game. In this episode of New Gameplay Today, we showcase publisher-provided footage — reflective of our recent hands-on session — and share our reactions from fighting Lizard, changes to the series' web-swinging mechanics, and Peter Parker and Miles Morales' new Web Wings, which allows the heroes to glide throughout New York City.

See Marvel's Spider-Man 2 In Action: 

Subscribe to Game Informer's YouTube channel if you enjoy watching New Gameplay Today, because we are always publishing new episodes. Thanks for your support! 

We all assumed the Resident Evil 4 remake would be getting the Ada Wong-focused Separate Ways DLC that was added to the PlayStation 2 version of the game in 2005 at some point. But were all surprised when it was announced to be coming very soon. Join Game Informer's Kyle Hilliard and Marcus Stewart as they play through the first hour or so of the DLC, which is available now!

Follow the link for Game Informer's Resident Evil 4 Remake review.

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, to watch other Replay episodes as well as Twitch archives such as Replay, GI Live, and more.

Octopath Traveler II is one of the year’s most celebrated RPGs, and now Xbox fans have been invited to join the party. The game is coming to Microsoft’s consoles and Windows PC early next year.

The RPG was first released to PlayStation consoles, Switch, and PC in February. Octopath Traveler II, like its predecessor, sees players guide eight adventurers across a sprawling adventure in an HD-2D rendered world. Though similar on the surface, the sequel has been praised for its improvements in storytelling, character development, progression, and navigation. 

In our review, we scored Octopath Traveler II an 8.5 out of 10, with guest writer Josh Broadwell writing that “Octopath Traveler II does what an excellent sequel should. Instead of breaking new ground left and right, it improves on the original in nearly every way and feels more confident about the stories it tells.”

Assassin's Creed Nexus VR hits Meta Quest devices in less than two months on November 16. This release date was revealed in a new gameplay trailer from IGN for Assassin's Creed Nexus VR, which gives us another look at the game's three protagonist assassins: Ezio from Assassin's Creed II, Connor from Assassin's Creed III, and Kassandra from Assassin's Creed Odyssey. 

In the trailer, we get a look at how combat and parkour will work in the game. As expected, given the game is a VR exclusive title, everything happens from a first-person perspective. As Connor, players will explore 18th Century America during the American Revolution. As Ezio, players will parkour through 15th Century Italy during the Italian Renaissance, and as Kassandra, players will fight as a mercenary assassin through ancient Greece. 

Check out the Assassin's Creed Nexus VR gameplay trailer for yourself below: 

Ubisoft has announced Tom Clancy's The Division 3 and Massive Entertainment, the Sweden-based company behind the first two Division games and the upcoming Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, is developing it. The studio announced this in a new post on Twitter today, linking to a blog discussing the threequel. In it, Ubisoft reveals that Star Wars Outlaws creative director Julian Gerighty will take over as The Division brand's executive producer once Outlaws ships. 

Gerighty joined The Division team as an associate creative director in 2014. After Massive shipped the first Division game, Gerighty moved onto Tom Clancy's The Division 2 as creative director. As executive producer of the brand, Gerighty will work on The Division 3 and other projects set in The Division universe like Tom Clancy's The Division Resurgence on mobile and the survival-action shooter, Tom Clancy's The Division Heartland. 

We took a trip to Los Angeles last week to play two sections of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. You can get an in-depth breakdown of our impressions by reading this preview, but you can also watch what we played in this episode of New Gameplay Today! Join Wesley LeBlanc and Marcus Stewart as they take a look at the Mt. Nibel mission and the open world on the outskirts of Junon that shows off plenty of combat, side missions, and spectacular boss fights.

Head over to Game Informer's YouTube channel for more previews, reviews, and discussions of new and upcoming games. Watch other episodes of New Gameplay Today right here.

Baldur's Gate 3 is one of the biggest games of the year, but it launched with its fair share of bugs. Luckily, developer Larian Studios has released two major patches to the game, and while the third was set to release today, it's been delayed to tomorrow. In a post on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, the developers announced the patch would be delayed "to ensure thorough testing." This is likely done to avoid the issue they ran into when they had to roll back a hotfix last month.

While we know the patch has been delayed, before now we didn't have much of an idea of what that patch included. While specific bug fixes are still unknown, Larian tweeted about a new feature to expect tomorrow: the ability to change your character's appearance. This includes details like pronouns, voice actor, and specific facial features, but notably does not allow you to change your race, which could alter the story depending on your choice. 

With Patch 3 comes the Magic Mirror, which lives in your camp and allows you to change your Tav’s appearance whenever you’d like!

💄 Change appearance, voice, pronouns
🧝‍♀️ Race & body type can’t be changed
🪞 Can’t alter Origins — they’re all *very* particular about their hair pic.twitter.com/LJ6y9CZ58F

Swery-led studio White Owls Inc. and Suda51 of Grasshopper Manufacture, the studio behind the No More Heroes Series, have teamed up to develop Hotel Barcelona. Revealed during Xbox's 2023 Tokyo Game Show broadcast, the team describes Hotel Barcelona as a "2.5D slasher film parodic action" game, and it's out next year. 

In Hotel Barcelona, serial killers from all over the United States gather to do serial killer things, presumably. The player must defeat them all and check out of Hotel Barcelona before "all the blood is spilled." It's due out in 2024 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam.

Check out the Hotel Barcelona reveal trailer for yourself below: 

In an Xbox Wire blog post, Swery says the idea was born during a Suda51-hosted event called "Travis Monday Nitro 2" in Shibuya, Tokyo, in October 2019. The two discussed creating a game together, announcing then and there that it'd be called Hotel Barcelona. Later that year, the two worked out the plan and game details "in one fell swoop over dinner, together in Canada." 

Ahead of Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, which we just learned will be released in January, Ryu Ga Gotoku (RGG) Studio will release Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. Announced in September, The Man Who Erased His Name stars longtime Yakuza series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu and focuses on his life after Yakuza 6: The Song of Life before he appears in Infinite Wealth. And now, thanks to Xbox's 2023 Tokyo Game Show broadcast, we know we'll be hanging with Kiryu on Xbox Game Pass on the game's November 9 launch day.

The Man Who Erased His Name will also hit Windows PC as part of Xbox's PC Game Pass program on day one as well. 

After playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for the first time (check out my full impressions here), I then spoke with director Naoki Hamaguchi, producer Yoshinori Kitase, and creative director Tetsuya Nomura to seek answers to some burning questions. That includes how much narrative ground Rebirth covers, the decision behind splitting it between two discs, and if there’s any form of data transfer between Remake and Rebirth.

How Did Rebirth's Development Compare To Remake's? 

Rebirth launches on February 29, a couple of months shy of Remake’s fourth anniversary. According to Hamaguchi, Remake’s development cycle was around four years, making the turnaround for Rebirth, a much larger game, seem relatively quick. It’s especially impressive since Square developed and released the PlayStation 5-exclusive Intermission story expansion and Intergrade upgrade in between. 

Hamaguchi credits working on Intermission/Intergrade for the smoother dev cycle, as it allowed the designers to become more intimately familiar with the PS5 (which Rebirth is exclusive to) and finish Rebirth within a similar timeframe despite its larger scope.  

“But at the same time, we were able to keep the development time [down] and be able to release in sort of this normal or standard time while having this immense volume of content,” Hamaguchi says through a translator. “So that's something that we're very confident about and very proud of.”

Platform: PlayStation 5
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Square Enix
Release: February 29, 2024

Final Fantasy VII Remake felt like the realization of an impossible dream when it launched in 2020. Not only did it feel willed into existence after years of fan requests, but it largely lived up to sky-high expectations based on its generally positive reception. Tack on a good story expansion with the Yuffie-focused Intermission, and the series is riding a wave of momentum into its second chapter, Rebirth. To learn how the sequel is shaping up, I visited Square Enix’s Los Angeles studio to play two slices of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: a flashback sequence of the ill-fated Mt. Nibel mission and an open-world segment on the outskirts of Junon. 

Glen Schofield, founder of Striking Distance Studios and director of its first game, The Callisto Protocol, has announced he is departing the company. Schofield is perhaps best known as the co-creator of the Dead Space franchise and the co-founder of Call of Duty developer Sledgehammer Games. Steve Papoutsis, who previously served as chief development officer and general manager for Striking Distance Studios, has been appointed as the new CEO.

Insomniac's Spider-Man sequel has gone gold! If you're not familiar with the "gold" term, it means the game is complete and ready to be submitted to Sony's online services and be printed to discs. It doesn't mean the game is completely done – Insomniac will continue to update the game and bug squash in the coming weeks and months – but the version that you will be able to play when the game releases October 20 is ready.

To celebrate the news, the game's cast celebrated by shouting and throwing their hands in the air among other celebrations.

WE ARE GOLD! We're thrilled to share the news ahead of #SpiderMan2PS5's launch on October 20, 2023 with a few words from the game's cast! #BeGreaterTogether pic.twitter.com/ChitBfTREM

— Insomniac Games (@insomniacgames) September 20, 2023

For a whole lot more on Spider-Man 2, check out our recent hands-on impressions where we got to spend 90 minutes with the game.

In an announcement I personally never could have predicted, the 2001 PlayStation 2 Capcom video game Onimusha: Warlords (and subsequent sequels) is getting an anime adaption for Netflix. The reveal is surprising for a number of reasons. The franchise is not one that is particularly well-known or currently popular. Also, the anime seems to have little to do with the original game. Protagonist Samanosuke Akechi does not make an appearance in the trailer. But, like Samanosuke, who was modeled after Japanese actor Kaneshiro Takeshi, the anime's protagonist, Miyamoto Musashi, is modeled after the late Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune. Coincidentally, Onimusha 2's protagonist, Jubei Yagyu, was modeled after Japanese actor Yūsaku Matsuda, who had also passed away well before the game released. It's an odd throughline for the series but is a key element.

The other surprise for the adaptation is it is being co-directed by Takashi Miike. Miike is known for films like Ichi The Killer and Audition, but he also has another big Capcom franchise under his directorial belt with Ace Attorney, a film adaption of the Phoenix Wright games.

I played Onimusha for the first time in earnest when it released on Switch and enjoyed revisiting it and finally beating it. You can find more of my thoughts on that topic here.

The anime premieres November 2 on Netflix.

Reviewed on: Xbox Series X/S
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Publisher: CD Projekt
Developer: CD Projekt Red
Release: September 26, 2023
Rating: Mature

Assassin’s Creed Mirage arrives in less than a month, and Ubisoft has released the game’s PC specs while also showcasing some platform-specific features in a new trailer.

While Mirage runs at 4K 60fps with HDR, it features increased performance with Intel XeSS on PC. The game is also optimized for Intel ARC GPUs and 13th gen Intel Core CPUs. You can see some of the game's PC gameplay in the trailer below. 

PC Specifications (All require DirectX 12)
1080p, Low Preset, 30 FPS

• CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K (Intel Core i5-8400 for Intel Arc with ReBAR)/AMD Ryzen 5 1600
• GPU: Intel Arc A380 6GB/NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB/AMD Radeon RX 570 4GB
• RAM: 8GB (dual-channel mode)
• OS: Windows 10/11
• SSD Storage: 40 GB

1080p, High Preset, 60 FPS

• CPU: Intel Core i7-8700K/AMD Ryzen 5 3600
• GPU: Intel Arc A750 8GB/NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB/AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT 6GB
• RAM: 16GB (dual-channel mode)
• OS: Windows 10/11
• SSD Storage: 40 GB

1440p (2K), High Preset, 60 FPS

Sega and Like a Dragon series developer Ryu Ga Gotoku (RGG) Studio held a presentation this morning sharing all kinds of new details for its upcoming games, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.

First up, it shared a 10-minute story trailer for Infinite Wealth, which shared so many details that I am hesitant to write them all here in fear of spoiling potentially major plot beats in the game. The summary is that Ichiban Kasuga is offered the opportunity to find his mother, which means he must travel to Honolulu, Hawaii. Returning characters make an appearance, Ichiban will apparently be fighting sharks and giant squids, taking part in fun Hawaii activities like surfing, and, expectedly, will be getting into all kinds of trouble with the local gangs. Kazamu Kiryu's role also gets somewhat defined in the trailer.

Development of new content for Evil Dead: The Game has ceased, developer Saber Interactive has announced. The game’s planned Switch version has also been canceled.

In a statement posted to X (formerly known as Twitter), Saber explains that despite only releasing the game last May, it’s effectively moving on from it. Saber doesn't give a reason behind the decision, but states that it still plans to fix any major bugs and will keep the servers running “for the foreseeable future.” Check out its full statement below. 

Earlier this morning, various Xbox and Microsoft documents leaked online: emails, in-development plans, internal details, and more. It's how we learned Xbox head Phil Spencer considered acquiring Nintendo and Warner Bros. Games at one point, that Xbox is planning an Xbox Series X/S refresher for next year, that it might be working on remasters of Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and that Microsoft has plans for a next-gen hybrid console in 2028. 

September gets its second batch of new Xbox Game Pass games this week, kicking off with today’s launch of the well-received Lies of P. The long-awaited Payday 3 invites players to its world of multiplayer heists, the promising and mysterious indie game Cocoon arrives, and the multiplayer DC action game Gotham Knights lands on the service for the first time.

Check out the list of what’s joining and what’s exiting the library as well as links to our reviews of applicable titles.

What's Coming To Xbox Game Pass

Party Animals (Console, Cloud) - September 20

Payday 3 (Console, PC, Cloud) - September 21

Cocoon (Console, PC) - September 29

Gotham Knights (Xbox Series X/S, PC, Cloud) - October 3 | Our Review

The Lamplighter’s League (Xbox Series X/S, PC, Cloud) - October 3

What’s Leaving On September 30

Beacon Pines (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Despot’s Game (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Last Call BBS (PC)

Moonscars (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Microsoft and Xbox appeared in court earlier this year over its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Various previously unseen documents from those court proceedings have leaked, revealing Xbox head Phil Spencer considered acquiring Nintendo and Warner Bros. Games at one point, an Xbox Series X/S refresh and a new Xbox controller planned for 2024, and potential remasters of Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Another leaked document details the company's plans for a next-gen hybrid console in 2028, as reported by The Verge.

This document stops short of revealing what the console is, what it could be called, and what it might look like one day. However, it reveals some key details about its architecture and how Xbox views it as a hybrid game platform that uses the cloud. 

Microsoft and Xbox representatives appeared in court earlier this year to get its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard legally greenlit. Per usual court proceedings, various emails, documents, and more were sealed away from the public and press, but many unseen documents leaked this morning. It's how we learned Xbox head Phil Spencer considered acquiring Nintendo and Warner Bros. Games at one point, and that Microsoft is planning an Xbox Series X/S refresh with a new controller for next year. Other documents point to potential remasters of Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, alongside other games. 

Microsoft and Xbox representatives appeared in court various times earlier this year to get its colossal $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard legally approved. As usual, specific documents, emails, and more were sealed away from the public and press during court proceedings. However, various unseen documents have leaked, which is how we learned Xbox head Phil Spencer considered acquiring Nintendo and Warner Bros. Games at one point. Other documents point to Microsoft's plans for an Xbox Series X/S refresh next year alongside a new controller that features gyro, haptic feedback, and more, as reported by The Verge.

The Xbox Series X refresh is known as "Brooklin" and, most notably, does not have a disc drive, much like Sony's PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, which costs less than the disc version of the PS5. Microsoft's internal documents state, "Brooklin will deliver 4K Gen9 console gaming with more internal storage, faster Wi-Fi, reduced power, a more immersive controller and a beautiful redesign that elevates the all-digital experience of the Xbox ecosystem."

Xbox has made significant acquisitions this generation, like its $7.5 billion purchase of ZeniMax Media and its colossal $69 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition. Xbox and Microsoft spent a lot of time this year in courts working to get its purchase of Activision Blizzard legally approved, and many documents were sealed away from the public and press during these proceedings. However, various unseen documents from those court proceedings have leaked. One email reveals Xbox head Phil Spencer was considering an acquisition of Mario maker Nintendo and Mortal Kombat 1 publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (now known as Warner Bros. Games) at one point. 

Lies of P is finally out for everyone. It’s a tough game – it’s a Soulslike, after all – and will test your skills in various ways. Bosses will enrage you, hidden secrets will delight you, and even the weakest puppet enemies will get the best of you sometimes. But we’ve beaten the game with more than 40 hours in it and have some tips we think will help you, Pinocchio, Geppetto, and everyone else survive the nightmare city that is Krat and its surrounding areas.

Starfield is Bethesda's big new release, but now that it’s finally out in the wild, some have already turned their attention toward any incoming news on The Elder Scrolls VI. While some always assumed the game was a good way off, we now know not to expect it for another two to three years at the earliest. 

Per The Verge, as a part of the ongoing FTC vs. Microsoft case over the latter’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft released a document to the court featuring a chart illustrating its approach to releasing Bethesda games since purchasing the publisher. It lists each title released under the Microsoft banner with details such as its release window and targeted platforms. 

The Elder Scrolls VI’s section confirms two big things. One, it’s definitely not coming to PlayStation (which was the assumption based on previous statements from Xbox head Phil Spencer) and is listed as launching for Xbox and PC. Two, the game has no concrete release window but is expected to arrive "2026 or later." 

Neowiz's self-described soulslike is nearing release and as you can read in Game Informer's Lies of P review... we're fans. Join Wesley LeBlanc, who reviewed the game, and me as we pick up the game at about the halfway point. You won't encounter any major spoilers in the live stream archive, but you will get to see what the game looks like a little deeper in.

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, to watch other Replay episodes as well as Twitch archives such as Replay, GI Live, and more.

Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC
Publisher: Warner Bros. Games
Developer: NetherRealm Studios
Release: September 19, 2023

Following the apocalyptic events of Mortal Kombat 11 and its story-based expansion, Mortal Kombat 1 represents a new era for the franchise’s characters. While it purports to do the same for the video game series, the more I played Mortal Kombat 1, the more familiar the latest entry felt, but that’s far from a bad thing.

Mortal Kombat 1 brings the tight gameplay of its predecessors to the next level. Every punch, kick, throw, and special move feels impactful in the dances of death in which its characters participate. Once you get a few fights under your belt with your character of choice, the gameplay really starts to sing as you learn how to chain together combos, specials, and this entry’s new addition, Kameo Fighters.

This week on All Things Nintendo, we react to all of the news coming out of this week's Nintendo Direct. We talk Princess Peach: Showtime!, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Super Mario RPG, Splatoon 3: Side Order, and plenty of other announcements. Then, Brian and Kyle end the show talking about Mortal Kombat 1. 

If you'd like to follow Brian on social media, you can do so on his Instagram/Threads @BrianPShea or Twitter @BrianPShea. You can follow Kyle on Twitter: @KyleMHilliard and BlueSky: @KyleHilliard.

The All Things Nintendo podcast is a weekly show where we 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!

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a fantastic game, largely due to the fact that it does such a good job of mimicking the Star Wars cinematic style. Whether it's the rush of stars streaking past a ship going into hyperspace or the distinct hum of a lightsaber, Respawn really went all out to match the aesthetic of one of the world's biggest movie franchises. One of the most important elements in achieving that is through music, and while the Star Wars sound is iconic and well-known, a good video game score has to be more than just an imitation of what came before. The music for Jedi: Survivor was written by Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab, and when I ask them what makes a good video game soundtrack, they answer in unison.

"Emotional weight."

Our interview is done on a video call with each composer in a different location, so the act of them responding with the exact answer at the same time is especially surprising and notable – they later explain that it's a philosophy they've shared while working on the scores for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Survivor.

Platform: PlayStation 5
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Insomniac Games
Release: October 20, 2023

With two fantastic Spider-Man games under Insomniac’s belt, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 feels like the culmination of the 2018 game and 2020’s Miles Morales in all the best ways. At a recent preview event, I spent roughly 90 minutes swinging and gliding across its new and improved New York City, taking down scores of bad guys and even challenging the Lizard. When my session concluded, I walked away thinking one thing: The first two games swung so that this third act could soar. 

This preview contains spoilers for Spider-Man (2018) and Spider-Man: Miles Morales. 

Assassin's Creed Mirage brings players to 9th Century Baghdad during the city’s Golden Age. More specifically, the year 861 is when protagonist Basim Ibn Is'haq's journey begins in this city, the technological and cultural epicenter of the region at the time. After playing more than two hours of Assassin's Creed Mirage in developer Ubisoft Bordeaux's France-based office, I was impressed with its take on Baghdad. 

In this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, the crew breaks down our Lies of P review and discusses why the game is much more than a Bloodborne clone. Afterward, Blake talks about why he likes Armored Core VI and also why the hesitations from our cover story still ring true. Lastly, we chat about the games that continue to bring us joy: Fortnite and Nour: Play With Your Food.

Watch The Podcast Here:

Follow us on social media: Alex Van Aken (@itsVanAken), Kyle Hilliard (@KyleMHilliard), Blake Hester (@MetallicaIsRad), Wesley LeBlanc (@LeBlancWes)

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the sequel to 2020's Final Fantasy VII Remake, will hit PlayStation 5 on February 29, 2024. This follows news from Summer Game Fest back in June where Square Enix announced Rebirth will require two discs and launch in "early 2024." 

Alongside news of Rebirth's release date, Square Enix and PlayStation also released a new and expansive trailer during today's State of Play. In it, we get our first looks at characters like Cait Sith, Vincent Valentine, and more. We also get to see The Gold Saucer, some fun minigames inspired by the visual style of Final Fantasy VII on PS1, and more of the game's open area exploration, which features ridable chocobos, vehicles, and segways. 

Check out the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth release date trailer for yourself below: 

Here are some screenshots from today's trailer: 

Today’s State of Play offered our latest look at Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. The new trailer doubles down on the impressive visuals we’ve already come to expect from the game, with a colorful natural palette that looks like a gorgeous place to explore.

We also got a glimpse of a player’s ability to ride and interact with a variety of Pandora’s alien creatures – clearly a highlight of the gameplay.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is developed by Massive Entertainment and published by Ubisoft, and is headed for release in just a few months, on December 7 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.