Game Informer

This week on All Things Nintendo, the episode is devoted to celebrating the anniversary of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Not only is it one of the most important and influential video games ever made, but it happens to be in both Brian and Kyle's top two games of all time. It's safe to say there is plenty of love for Ocarina of Time in this episode. We also briefly touch on the release of the game's 3DS remake, as well as the anniversaries of The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and Super Mario 3D World.

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!

Three words come to mind when looking at Palworld: Pokémon, absurdity, and ambition.

Since its official reveal in June 2021, Palworld has raised eyebrows with its vibrant, expansive world teeming with dozens of monsters ripe for catching but in greater fidelity than Pokémon’s recent entries. In addition to capturing them and harnessing their abilities in battle, you can also wield realistic firearms and other weapons to blast them apart or, more hilariously, arm your cuddly critters with some serious heat.

“Pokémon with guns” has become the shorthand description of Palworld, but the experience packs in survival mechanics, base-building, a central narrative, and other bells and whistles. With so many promises, some have deemed Palworld too good to be true, a sentiment its Tokyo-based developer Pocketpair finds puzzling.

Chief Dev Hiroto Matsutani (right), Founder/CEO Takuro Mizobe (middle), Chief Artist Daiki Kizu (left)

“Palworld is not a ‘fake game,’” Pocketpair founder and CEO Takuro Mizobe tells me over email. “We are really surprised that some people say that.”

This article contains spoilers for the Harlem Cultural Museum side quest in Marvel's Spider-Man 2.

Miles Morales is a comic book character created to represent people of color.

Leading up to the 2008 election, which resulted in the United States’ first African American president, Barack Obama, Marvel wanted to "take a good look" at one of their icons to reimagine as African American. A few years later, when an internet campaign pushed Community actor Donald Glover to play Spider-Man, the icon was chosen, and writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Sara Pichelli created Miles. Every iteration of the character continues this legacy of representation, and Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man 2 is no different. You can read our full review of the game here, but I want to focus on one specific part: a series of jazz-themed side quests.

It is admittedly unfair of me, but any time a video game reveals itself as free-to-play, my interest immediately dissipates. Free-to-play games are not universally bad; plenty of brilliant design ideas, engaging stories, and fun mechanics can be found in games with no upfront admission fee. But once a game’s goal shifts from singular experience to long-term engagement, any excitement I may have folds in on itself and disappears like Pac-Man.

It all stems from my desire for experiences, not obligations.

In free-to-play and comparable models, success is marked by player engagement. The more rounds a player queues into and the longer they play, the more likely they are to engage with the monetized elements. And the best way to encourage that engagement is to incentivize players to return. Daily check-in unlocks and numerical goals related to how often you use certain mechanics – those are obligations without a finish line. I’ve fallen into the trap a few times with mobile games and online shooters, but I no longer have the patience to engage.

Video games are a medium of artistic expression. My favorites have something insightful to say with their story, force you to reconsider basic mechanics in new ways, make me laugh, and have proper conclusions. I don’t want to be distracted with goals outside the canon of the world I’m trying to lose myself in.

It’s a story that likely sounds familiar to anyone who works in video games, or even plays a lot of games. Every year around this time, a few friends and family members ask for game-buying advice. That’s great, as I love having the opportunity to help someone find gaming experiences that will lead to a great time. But it can be especially challenging if the giftee in question is a younger child who wants to play games, but is perhaps too young or inexperienced with the hobby to know what they might enjoy. We’re here to help with a brief rundown of some foolproof suggestions for parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, or anyone looking to find the perfect holiday gift for the young game player. 

Their First Gaming Console

One of the most common questions that comes my way, especially from parents who might not be into gaming themselves, is which gaming console to give as a first way to play games. 

There’s no fundamentally wrong answer here. But if you’re looking for the most straightforward and surefire way to get this right in the year 2023? The answer is a Nintendo Switch. 

The Switch is a fantastic first gaming console for a lot of reasons. One of the most important reasons is that its library of games has standout options targeted for family play, including big franchises like Mario and Zelda. 

Earlier this month, developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio released its second – and not to mention best – game of 2023, the hilariously longly titled Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. One of the most notable features is how RGG rethought its classic brawler combat. Protagonist Kazuma Kiryu now has two fighting stances, Yakuza and Agent, the latter of which comes with a host of new secret-agent tools, such as an exploding cigarette, a Spider-Man-like cable he can use to whip enemies around, and so on. 

We recently had a chat with RGG series chief producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto – who we spoke with last year about the future of the studio – to learn how Gaiden's new combat together, maintaining the series' identity despite how much has changed over the years, and why RGG doesn't look to other games for inspiration.

This interview has been lightly edited for brevity.

GAME INFORMER: Can you walk me through the early conversations about expanding Kiryu's fighting styles with the Agent stance?

Hiroyuki Sakamoto: We had discussed two points: what gadgets to use and whether they could be put together in such a way that they could be considered "a style."

On this special Thanksgiving episode of The Game Informer Show Podcast, we discuss which fictional video games birds would taste the best. We talk about some video games, too. Charles Harte talks about Chants of Sennaar, a puzzle game about language, and Kyle Hilliard talks about Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, a game about beating up people on the streets of a fictional Japanese city. Kyle also touches on Assassin's Creed VR before the duo moves on to the main course: ranking fictional video game birds on criteria like how tasty do they look and how bad would we feel about eating them. After that, we finish out the show with some gestures of gratitude and reader questions.

Watch The Video Podcast Here:

Follow us on social media: Kyle Hilliard (@KyleMHilliard) and Charles Harte (@chuckduck365).

Ah, Thanksgiving. It's a time of year for gratitude, togetherness, repeatedly attempting to explain my job to older relatives, and most importantly, a time when a lot of people come together to eat one really big bird. But here's the thing. Why do we always eat the same kind of bird? I mean, turkey is fine and all, but why not branch out a bit? Why not chicken, or quail, or pheasant?

And that got me thinking – why limit my daydreaming to real-life birds when there's so much delicious-looking poultry in video games? Sure, not every video game bird would be tasty, but it's worth assessing in case I ever get Jumanji-ed into a game one day.

Here's my rating of video game birds based on how good they'd be for Thanksgiving dinner.

Final Fantasy is a staple in JRPGs and video games as a whole. It might have more entries in it than any other series out there and it won’t be slowing down anytime soon. On top of that, thanks to its anthology-like nature, if one Final Fantasy game doesn’t click for you, there’s a good chance another one will. As a result, ranking the Final Fantasy series can be highly contentious. Everyone has a lot of love for the first entry they played, and then there are heavy hitters like Final Fantasy X and VII, too. 

However, the staff here at Game Informer did the seemingly impossible: we ranked all 19 mainline numbered Final Fantasy games, including their direct sequels, from worst to best. As a reminder, this ranking is the sum of collective thoughts of the Game Informer staff and your own personal ranking will almost certainly be different. We’d love to know your ranking, though, so after checking out ours, drop your own in the comments below!

Probably-acclaimed-music-artist-I-discovered-while-writing-this-intro Jerry Breiner once sang that the best things come in twos. In Spider-Man’s case, that’s only true some of the time. But the web-slinger has had so many video games (and series of games) that he’s racked up an alarming number of “Spider-Man 2” games, so with the latest iteration currently printing money for PlayStation, it’s time to finally reflect on and rank all of them. What’s the best second Spider-Man game? The answer may mildly surprise you.

Nintendo ended a recent live stream sharing the final trailer for The Super Mario Bros. Movie with a strange and unexpected announcement. Alongside animation studio Illumination, it had teamed up with Red Wing Shoes to make Mario’s shoes from the movie, not as a line of shoes for sale, but rather a hyper-realistic version of the boots – odd proportions and all – to be displayed at the official Nintendo Store in New York City.

Subscribers to Nintendo Switch Online's highest tier, the expansion pack, have access to an ever-growing catalog of modern and classic games, including a small library of N64 games. In December, that expansion pack is expanding a little more, as Jet Force Gemini is coming to the service.

First released in 1999, Jet Force Gemini is a third-person shooter developed by Rare, the studio originally known for the Banjo-Kazooie games, but most recently known for Sea of Thieves. It's set on a sci-fi alien world, where players blast through hordes of insect-like creatures.

The most recent way players could experience the game on modern consoles was through Rare Replay, a compilation of classic Rare games released on the Xbox One in 2015.  For a refresher on the game, check out this 60-second rundown Rare put out a few years back.

The Switch Online currently includes 26 other N64 games, including the recently added Excitebike 64. It also includes Game Boy Advance games, Sega Genesis games, and DLC content for popular Switch titles, like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing. For the full list, check out our rundown here.

As we wind down another year, many of us turn our thoughts to family and friends and how we might brighten their seasons with a memorable gift. While the rest of this issue offers a wealth of awesome video game gift ideas, we’ve also curated a collection of tech, tabletop games, toys, and other fun stuff specifically targeted to put a smile on the face of the gamer on your list. From simple fun to extravagant big-ticket items, we hope you find something that brightens the holidays. Read the full story...

One of the first ways Fortnite was able to prove its mainstream success was by introducing popular real-world people into the game. Whether it's Travis Scott, Lebron James, or Patrick Mahomes, it's become a sort of Hollywood Star of Fame to be featured in Epic Games' hit shooter. Today. Marshall Mathers joins the club – Eminem is coming to Fortnite. 

The Grammy winner will be added to the game's item shop on November 29. The image above shows the three versions of the rapper that will be available for purchase. From left to right, they're called Rap Boy, Slim Shady, and Marshall Never More. This release comes a few days ahead of Fortnite's Big Bang event, which is set to happen on December 2 at 2 PM Eastern. Alongside whatever world-altering event phenomena Epic plans to introduce, Eminem will be performing a live concert. Attendees will receive the Big Bang loading screen, featured at the head of this article.

After four seasons of brand new content, Epic Games injected a healthy dose of nostalgia into Fornite Chapter 4's fifth season, officially called Season OG, by bringing back the Chapter 1 map for players to experience once more. Season OG has included weekly updates to add items from Chapter 1's various seasons, too, making it a fun romp through what Fortnite was like years ago. However, Season OG ends on December 2, which is also when Fortnite's next live event, The Big Bang, goes live. 

The Big Bang begins on Saturday, December 2, at 11 a.m. PT/2 p.m. ET, and Epic says, "This event marks a new beginning for Fortnite." 

✅ Unforgettable event
✅ Evolving all things as you know them
✅ Memorable reveal toward the end

December 2, 2023. 2pm ET. pic.twitter.com/xAhMKtmwiG

— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) November 21, 2023

Before the event begins, Epic says players will see The Big Bang in the Battle Royale tile in the Discover section of Fortnite 30 minutes prior to its start; that way, you can jump in before the event starts to link up with friends and get your cosmetics in order. And speaking of friends, The Big Bang will support parties of up to four players. 

CD Projekt Red released Phantom Liberty, the first and last expansion for its 2020 RPG, Cyberpunk 2077, in September. We loved it – find out why in Game Informer's Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty review here – and if you enjoyed the base game, it's not an expansion to miss. Currently, it's only available for purchase as an add-on to Cyberpunk 2077, but if you haven't yet picked it up, it might be worth waiting just a couple more weeks. That's because CDPR has revealed Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, which includes the base game and the Phantom Liberty expansion in one single package.

Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition hits PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on December 5, and will be released in both a digital format and physical. Check out the box art below: 

Yakuza: Like A Dragon was a very silly game in spite of its dramatic narrative, but its follow-up, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, looks to give it a run for its money. Between letting Ichiban ride a dolphin and its Animal Crossing-style city-building mode, fans of the franchise’s goofball nature should be in for a treat, and a new batch of screenshots highlight this.

The images provide looks at Ichiban, Kiryu Joryu, and their returning friends, such as Nanba, Adachi, and Saeko, kicking butt in a variety of classes and looking absurd doing so. Other familiar faces will be playable party members for the first time, such as Seonhee, who is shown brutalizing opponents with a whip in the images. It's clear that Hawaii will never be the same once these guys are done with it. 

<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2023/11/19/7f022174/the_last_of_us_2_remastered_announced_release_date.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="The Last of Us Part II 2 Remastered Release Date PS4 PS5 Upgrade Option" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" /></p> <p>PlayStation and developer Naughty Dog have revealed The Last of Us Part II Remastered, and it hits PlayStation 5 exclusively on January 19, 2024. It includes all the visual and performance upgrades you'd expect, like 4K resolution and an unlocked frame rate option for TVs that support variable refresh rate, as well as a new roguelike mode and more. </p> <p>"The engrossing campaign returns alongside technological improvements, new modes, and new behind-the-scenes features that will deepen your understanding of Part II's creation," a Naughty Dog <a href="https://www.naughtydog.com/blog/the_last_of_us_part_ii_remastered_announcement?sf183942367=1" target="_blank">blog post</a> reads. </p> <p><strong>Check out what The Last of Us Part II Remastered looks like in the announcement trailer below</strong>: </p> <iframe width="560" height="315" frameBorder="0" allow="autoplay" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ye3st9z6jQY" width=""></iframe> <p>Perhaps the biggest surprise of this remaster is a new mode called No Return. Naughty Dog describes it as a roguelike survival mode "designed to let players prove their mettle in randomized encounters" and experience the game's combat in new ways.

<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2023/11/09/68c712cf/allthingsnintendo_110.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" /></p> <p>The holiday release schedule is starting to slow down, but we still have two high-profile titles out on Switch this week. Brian and Kyle give final thoughts on the Super Mario RPG remake, while Brian gives his early thoughts on Persona 5 Tactica, the new turn-based strategy spin-off of Persona 5.</p> <p>If you'd like to follow Brian on social media, you can do so on his Instagram/Threads&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/brianpshea/" target="_blank">@BrianPShea</a>&nbsp;or Twitter&nbsp;<a href="http://www.twitter.com/brianpshea" target="_blank">@BrianPShea</a>.&nbsp;You can follow Kyle on Twitter:&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/KyleMHilliard" target="_blank">@KyleMHilliard</a>&nbsp;and BlueSky:&nbsp;<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/kylehilliard.bsky.social">@KyleHilliard</a>.</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" frameBorder="0" allow="autoplay" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zZDuWSLTucg" width=""></iframe> <p>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!</p> <p>Be sure to subscribe to All Things Nintendo on your favorite podcast platform.

The year is coming to a close, which means it's time to lock ourselves in a room and decide, unequivocally, what the best games of 2023 were and crown one ultimate champion. Will it be The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom? Or maybe Baldur's Gate 3? What about Jusant, the charming climbing game the really surprised us? We will be sharing our picks for game of the year and other end-of-year awards like Best Horror in the next issue of Game Informer magazine with [redacted] on the cover, but we also want to hear from our readers and share your favorites of 2023.

To do that, we ask that you fill out the poll below. Send us your personal list of 2023's five best games and we will gather everyone's information and share the result early. You have until the end of the day on Sunday, December 10 to submit your list. We can't wait to see how your picks compare to ours!

Before Insomniac created its stellar Spider-Man trilogy and before Treyarch redefined web-swinging with the 2004 Spider-Man 2 movie tie-in game, the folks at Neversoft gave Spidey fans the best example of wall-crawling video game excellence with its 2000 take on the character. Spider-Man sees the friendly neighborhood hero battle a star-studded gallery of villains in an original adventure chock full of comic book goodness. As Spider-Man's first fully 3D action-adventure game, it laid the groundwork for mechanics such as web-swinging, a variety of web shooter attacks, and wall-crawling stealth gameplay. Join Marcus Stewart and Kyle Hilliard as they find out how Spider-Man holds up 23 years later. 

Reviewed on: PC
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Developer: Croteam
Release: November 2, 2023
Rating: Teen

The Talos Principle II often left me staring at my screen in awe. Sometimes, from sheer intimidation in the face of a seemingly formidable puzzle. Other times,  from my incredulous pride after unraveling said problem. But most of all, the experience regularly gave me pause as I pondered a philosophical idea or argument that challenged my viewpoints on the nature of existence and humanity’s place in the cosmos. These moments spurred me to solve the game’s 100+ puzzles in search of answers, and I’m largely satisfied with what I discovered. 

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth arrives in February, which isn’t too far on the horizon, so Square Enix is getting players prepared with a cinematic refresher of its predecessor, Final Fantasy VII Remake. The company pairs that with a batch of fresh screenshots and art, including the first glimpse of the Highwind airship. 

The video sees Red XIII narrate the broad strokes of the 2020 adventure. While it doesn’t touch on the finer details and background of the characters, it provides a decent summary that's perhaps better served as a reminder for fans who played Remake rather than someone coming into Rebirth completely fresh. Unfortunately, the recap doesn’t touch on the events of the Intermission expansion that introduces Yuffie, who joins the party in Rebirth, so unfamiliar players will have to do their own homework on that. 

Square has released some new images, including a piece of art depicting Aerith in front of the Highwind. The screenshots show off the town of Kalm, the summon Kujata, the abandoned Mythril Mine, and a few side characters. Oh, and Chadley is there too. 

Update, 11/20/23:

Last week, developer Epic Games updated Fortnite to include a new rating restriction that applies to certain skins. Depending on a Fortnite skin, it might only be useable on a creative island with a T rating, meaning the Resident Evil Claire Redfield skin, which features a pistol in a holster on her thigh, can't be used on islands rated less than Teen. Players were upset with this change as it made skins they paid real money for (often $10 to $20 per skin) unusable in all the ways they might have previously been usable. 

Epic said only 7 percent of Fortnite skins are only usable on Teen-rated islands, at the time, but it's clear enough skins are affected to have the community unhappy with this update.

Over the weekend, Epic released a statement through the official Fortnite Twitter account stating it missed the mark with the changes: 

Platform: Switch
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Release: November 17, 2023
Rating: Everyone

Super Mario RPG, the original and the remake, is full of secrets, references to other video game franchises, and a whole lot more. Arguably the most interesting secret boss of the original game was Culex. He is not a Final Fantasy character, but he looks and feels like one and features Final Fantasy music and sound effects.

Culex appears in Super Mario RPG remake as he did in the original game, which is to say he is a pixelated, 2D creature. He also features the original throwback soundtrack and sound effects. You access him the same way, too – by buying fireworks and trading them with the little girl nearby in Moletown for a shiny stone. You then use that shiny stone in Monstro Town on the locked door.

However, upon defeat, Culex teases another encounter in the future, which is where things in the remake get interesting.

The Steam Deck OLED releases today, providing a new avenue for game players (especially those with big Steam libraries) to take their gaming experience on the go. The new OLED models (one at 512 GB and another at 1TB storage) effectively replace the original release as the new Steam Deck flagship hardware. The older 64 GB and 512 GB LCD models are being phased out, while the 256 GB LCD will remain available at a reduced price.

Steam Deck OLED is not a fundamentally new platform. In many ways that matter, our review of the original still stands, and snagging one of the older LCD screen models is now an even more substantial value at the lower price. However, several of the concerns that surfaced in that review have been remedied by the new model – enough that a new evaluation is warranted.

In this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, the crew discusses our predictions for The Game Awards' category winners and game reveals, Alex's unofficial Modern Warfare III multiplayer review, Kyle's Super Mario RPG remake review, and what it's like starting the Like A Dragon series with The Man Who Erased His Name. Before diving into this week's listener questions, which spark discussions about gaming room must-haves and the secret to long-lasting game franchises, Marcus tells us about The Last Faith, another Castlevania-inspired action game worth trying if you have time. 

Watch The Video Podcast Here:

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

Earlier this month, we launched a documentary called "Violence Is Inevitable: The Making of Humanity." And then, in a bit of a meta twist, we hung out with Humanity co-developer and publisher Enhance and discussed how we made our making-of documentary. Even cooler, we made a Game Informer level within Humanity – and you can play it now.

All this happened on the "HUMANITY Hub Community Stream," where myself (Blake) and Alex Van Aken discussed why we decided to make a documentary on Humanity, how we crafted the video, and even cutting-room floor content that didn't make the final product. We closed the show by putting our collective brains together to make a level based on the GI logo.

You can check out an archived version of the stream below:

By no means is our Humanity level an official partnership between Enhance and GI, but it's certainly a fun way to end a project that was a months-long labor of love. To play for yourself, either search via the name "GAME INFORMER FUN!" in the game's User Stages options or the stage ID: 013-020-5453. 

Today marks the release of the PlayStation Portal, Sony’s $200 remote player specifically built to accommodate players looking to enjoy their existing PS5 console and its library of games at home but while away from your main gaming display.

By any measure, the PlayStation Portal is a very targeted and specific-use product, and it’s worth clarifying out of the gate: This is not a standalone console in any way. Rather, the Portal allows you to connect to a PS5 you already have in your home over your Wi-Fi network (or any Wi-Fi network) and play the games you have downloaded on that PS5 from other places around your home. You can also connect the Portal to other Wi-Fi networks outside of your home, though our testing found inconsistent results when doing so. Regardless of where you connect from, remote play of this nature is not a new capability. For some time, you’ve been able to use existing devices like a smartphone to do the same, and if you have chosen to invest in a good connected controller interface (we’ve previously recommended the Backbone), you can already do much of what the Portal is offering.

So, who is this product for, exactly? And why might it be worth a buy?

Rocksteady Studios, the team behind Batman: Arkham Asylum, City, and Knight, has released the first installment of its Suicide Squad Insider series, which will break down aspects of Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League from now until the game's launch in February of next year. Today's episode is all about story and gameplay and features more than 20 minutes of new gameplay and behind-the-scenes details about the upcoming third-person action shooter. 

Before jumping into the action, we see the Suicide Squad make its way through a Hall of Heroes-style exhibition for the Justice League. After playing around with various Justice League tools like speedster braces, jetpacks, and other oddities like Riddler's hat of invisibility, the team learns the threat it's up against isn't just Braniac, who has taken over Metropolis, but a Braniac-controlled Justice League as well. 

The Last Faith is a new gothic action game that blends Castlevania's exploration and platforming with Soulslike challenge and progression to create a promising blend. Players control Eryk, an amnesiac warrior afflicted with a mysterious ailment corrupting his body and mind. His quest becomes a race for time as he searches for a cure, pitting him against an unholy suite of monsters looking to cut him down. 

Join Marcus Stewart and Kyle Hilliard as they explore an early slice of the game, take on the first boss, and show off some of the deadly weapons at Eryk's disposal. 

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.

Video game analyst group Circana has released its October 2023 U.S. Video Game Market Highlights report and in it, the company reveals that Marvel's Spider-Man 2 was the best-selling game of the month. The PlayStation 5 was the best-selling console of the month, too. 

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 taking the top slot last month isn't surprising – it's the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game ever and sold through 5 million copies in just 11 days.

It's been a big year for Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt developer CD Projekt Red. It released Phantom Liberty, the first and only expansion for Cyberpunk 2077, debuted its soundtrack on streaming services, revealed plans for a live-action Cyberpunk project, and just this week, nabbed four nominations for The Game Awards 2023. Now, CDPR has announced it is working on a mod editor for The Witcher 3 that will hit PC sometime next year for free. 

Reviewed on: Switch
Platform: Switch
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Release: November 17, 2023
Rating: Everyone

The original Super Mario RPG, released for Super Nintendo in 1996, felt like it was meant to be your first RPG. In an era when Final Fantasy tried its best to tell mature stories within the medium's limitations and Dragon Quest demanded hours and hours of your time, Mario’s adventure felt much brighter and more manageable. Familiar characters, a lighthearted story, a reasonable length, and timed button-pressing during combat made it stand out against the competition. Revisiting the game more than 25 years later in this new remade shape shows the original formula did not need much tweaking to deliver an engaging and enjoyable journey. Super Mario RPG is not entirely innocent of the sins of video games past, but old fans will relish the chance to see the game in a new light, and I’m confident newcomers will find something to love.

Lies of P launched back in September and turned out to be a Soulslike favorite amongst critics and fans alike this year – we gave it one of our highest scores of 2023 and you can read about why in Game Informer's Lies of P review. To celebrate the game's reception, director Jiwon Choi released a Director's Letter video earlier this month to tease some images of Lies of P's DLC and reveal details about an upcoming update. That update is now out and it includes free cosmetic items, some bug fixes, and balance changes that should make the game easier. 

Plus, alongside this update, developer Neowiz has officially released the Lies of P soundtrack; it's available for purchase on Steam for $9.99 and hits digital music streaming platforms later today. 

Digital Bros Group, the parent company to publisher 505 Games, has announced plans to lay off 30 percent of its staff. It says it is doing so to align with "the new competitive market." 505 Games is the publisher behind games like Ghostrunner 2, Control, Payday 2, the PC version of Death Stranding, and more; it's unclear how much of that team will be affected by Digital Bros' overall plan. 

"Digital Bros has reviewed its projects to align with the new competitive environment," it writes in a press release. "This is expected to represent a reduction of approximately 30 percent of the global workforce, but no significant effect of restructuring costs is expected on the annual project results for [Fiscal Year 2024]."

Nintendo shared its latest Indie World showcase this morning and has become typical with these showcases, we learned about a number of new exciting indie games coming to Switch and Switch first, as well as some hit already-released games that will be making their way to Nintendo's platform.

Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution was arguably the most interesting title. Developer WayForward began development on the game 20 years ago, but never completed it. Next year, the game will finally make its way to Switch, but retain the Game Boy Advance aesthetic it was always meant to have.

Outer Wilds: Archaeologist Edition is bringing the excellent space-exploring mystery game to the handheld console and will include the Echoes of the Eye expansion. The game releases December 7 and a physical version of the game is planned.

On Your Tail from Memorable Games and Humble Games is coming to Switch first next year and is a mystery adventure starring anthropomorphic animals.

A Highland Song is a beautiful narrative platfomer taking place in the Scottish Highlands. The game will also apparently include some rhythm elements. The game will be available December 5 on Switch.

Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Atlus
Release: November 17, 2023
Rating: Teen

Persona 5 has become its own sort of mini-franchise within the Persona series. With many spin-off titles released over the years, such as Persona 5 Strikers, Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, and Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, Atlus seems to love using Persona 5’s popularity to explore new stories and gameplay ideas. However, I applaud Atlus for making all of these spin-offs in completely different genres from each other. The latest, Persona 5 Tactica, delivers an entertaining story, a colorful cast of characters, and fun combat mechanics within the context of a strategy RPG. Longtime Phantom Thieves can look forward to an enjoyable side adventure, but its uneven pacing and low enemy variety hold it back from being a true revolution.

Another month, another batch of fresh games set to hit Xbox Game Pass. This time around, you can expect new games like Persona 5 Tactica and the console version of Dune: Spice Wars, as well as DLC and updates, and more. And, per usual, some games are leaving Xbox Game Pass this month. Let's break it all down below. 

Available starting today is Coral Island for Xbox Series X/S and Xbox Cloud gaming. Coral Island "invites players to be who they want and experience enchanting island living at their own pace – living off the land, nurturing animals, building relationships with a diverse cast of townsfolk, making the world around them a more vital and harmonious place." Check out a trailer for Coral Island below: 

Coming Soon

While Coral Island is available starting today, the rest of this month's Xbox Game Pass titles don't hit the service until later. The first out after Coral Island's debut today is Persona 5 Tactica, which hits Xbox Game Pass on the game's launch day, November 17. It will also be available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC that day.