Game Informer

After a year of silence, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga was shown off during Gamescom Opening Night Live. Two minutes of footage was revealed along with gameplay depicting scenes from all over the mainline Star Wars films.

The trailer starts with a serious montage of footage from Episode I and through time with each cut. We see the Duel of the Fates battle between Darth Maul and the forces of Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon which switches to shots of young Anakin, then to a fight against Count Dooku. Obi-Wan and Anakin are seen mid-scuffle on Mustafar, balancing precariously over the lava field below.

It’s not all prequel trilogy content, though. We get a hilarious reaction from Obi-Wan when Luke asks how his father died before moving into the newest set of films. Finn can be seen hopping over barricades and shooting at Sith Troopers. There are also Luke’s training sessions with Rey on the deserted oceanic planet of Ahch-To.

Pearl Abyss, the South Korea-based studio behind the MMORPG Black Desert Online, is working on a monster-collecting MMO game called DokeV, and it looks wild. Today's gameplay trailer was an exclusive first look for Gamescom Opening Night Live, and though it did show off the world and characters, there are still plenty of questions remaining about what the moment-to-moment action in DokeV will look like in practice.

Similar to Pokémon, the game will be about gathering up adorable creatures around the world, called Dokebi. These creatures are all about dreams. Dokebi motivate the people around them to believe in their dreams and the creatures then gain strength from those powered-up passions. If today's gameplay trailer is anything to go off of, DokeV is unleashing those creative desires in a way that will make the open-world feel like a hectic kaleidoscope of imagination.

Gamescom 2021's Opening Night Live ceremony rung in a ton of new announcements, including what else Joel "Deadmau5" Zimmerman has been up to. Zimmerman is utilizing his creative spirit for a different kind of adventure, this time developing Oberhasli, a new virtual world created on Core, a platform that offers unlimited creativity for users to produce their own breathtaking virtual worlds and multiplayer games.

“Creating a world like Oberhasli has been a vision of mine for years now, but I quickly discovered how daunting it can be to create a multiplayer experience as a solo developer,” said Zimmerman. “The amazing thing about Core is that anyone can jump in and create content regardless of experience or resources. We’ve seen virtual concerts in the past, but after making a splash, they fizzle out; there’s no shelf life to them. With Oberhasli, I want to create a permanent mainstay for the artists’ metaverse, regularly updating it over time, switching things up, and keeping it cohesive with real-world news and ancillary events.”

Who is Far Cry 6’s Antón Castillo? An extended story trailer that premiered at Gamescom today attempts to answer the question, but armed guards cut the answer short. Castillo, played by Emmy-nominated actor Giancarlo Esposito, kills without question for the greater good of the Yaran people and to set an example for his young son, Diego.

An in-game interviewer brings up the slave labor camps that Castillo uses to mass-produce a commodity called Viviro, the most effective cancer treatment. And when that same interviewer reminds Castillo of his adolescent imprisonment and a decade-long stint of hard labor, this enrages him, “When Yara becomes paradise, my methods – no one will care.” It’s safe to say that the casting team was lucky to get out of there alive.

Get ready to take flight because Jett: The Far Shore has an official release date set for early October. Developed by Superbrothers, co-creators behind Sword and Sworcery, and Pine Scented Software, Jett: The Far Shore is an aeronautic journey that shies away from combat and steers towards exploration. The creators describe their upcoming title as a "cinematic action adventure" and announced that the title had gone gold only the day before today's launch reveal.

The indie title first appeared in the PlayStation 5 reveal event last summer. Though the original trailer didn't divulge much, it caught the attention of many indie lovers with its appealing visuals and cosmic premise. This was no small feat in a showcase absolutely brimming with fantastic-looking independent titles, including the neon-drenched Stray, which shared its own launch information recently. The initial release window for Jett: The Far Shore was holiday 2020, meaning the game is releasing almost a year later than its initial target date.

Theme park builders have a rich history in the video game landscape. Whether you're talking about the classic RollerCoaster Tycoon games or the modernized Planet Coaster, it's always fun to think up zany new layouts for theme parks and awesome new designs for rides and rollercoasters. Park Beyond, a new game from Tropico 6 studio Limbic Entertainment, looks to take many of those joys to the next level.

Park Beyond puts a keen emphasis on creativity and imagination, coining the term "impossify" to describe the kinds of brainstorming sessions you have as a Visioneer on the Cloudstormers team. Whether you're looking to whip people with octopus tentacles or blast parkgoers across a canyon, Park Beyond hopes to defy any limits you think are in place when it comes to creating the amusement park of your dreams. 

You can see the announcement trailer for Park Beyond below.

Park Beyond launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC in 2022. 

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Aloy is back and ready for action ... on February 18, 2022! After Guerrilla Games didn't put an official release date on the title at its gameplay reveal, many fans were concerned. But as the team told us, it didn't want to announce a release date until it was sure it could hit it. Today, on Gamescom's Opening Night stream, Guerrilla Games made the official announcement for the release date of the highly anticipated sequel. You'll be able to play the action/RPG on February 18 for PS5 and PS4. Pre-orders will start next week.

The news didn't stop there, however, Guerrilla Games also revealed the patch for 60 FPS support for Horizon Zero Dawn on PS5 is live right now. Time to get reacquainted with Aloy's world before the sequel hits in a few months. 

Forbidden West picks up six months after Zero Dawn. A disease called the Red Blight is sweeping the land, and Aloy must travel westward to this mysterious frontier for answers. She'll meet new tribes, new enemies, and new machines, but she's also come across some familar faces along the way.

Companion shooting in a futuristic setting is ready to roll with Synced: Off-Planet, coming in 2022. At Gamescom 2021, we got a look at a new trailer for Synced. What do we mean by companion shooting? That’s a great question. Essentially, in Synced you are working with Nano companions, and you can actually take control of defeated Nanos to sync up with your own – giving you new options and abilities. 

How does it play? Synced: Off-Planet is a squad game played in teams of three, where you need to rely on your teammates and Nano capabilities to succeed. You can upgrade your loadout and other tools outside of matches in your Haven, and work on a skill set and weapon assortment that suits your personal playstyle. Play is match-based, so you’re in-and-out battling opponents, collecting resources, and upgrading your kit.

There’s an overarching story of course, something about the Nanos turning on humanity and such. You can get a look at that, and more importantly, how Nanos look in action in the trailer right here. What do you think about the concept of bringing your Nano into battle? Does the playstyle with a giant, somewhat robo-companion seem cool? 

During Gamescom 2021's Opening Night Live's ceremony, Red Barrels showed off our first The Outlast Trials gameplay trailer, giving interested horror fans a closer look at what this new experience will have to offer. 

The Outlast Trials aims to put a different spin on the traditional Outlast experience, a survival co-op journey that brings the horror and the terror we know and love, just now at the expense of your friendships. 

Kidding.

“After years of development, we’re excited to collaborate with Geoff Keighley and the Opening Night Live team to debut the first gameplay teaser trailer for The Outlast Trials,” said David Chateauneuf, Red Barrels co-founder and designer. “This is a huge moment for us and we’re extremely proud to be in a position to give our fans and community just a dark taste of what’s to come in The Outlast Trials during 2022.”

The Outlast Trials is set in the same universe as the previous games, during the height of the Cold War era. Players will take on the role of test subjects that were kidnapped by Murkoff Corporation and imprisoned in a secret facility. Players must overcome physical and mental obstacles in order to survive while trying to outlive some of the more iconic monsters in the franchise's history. 

Curious about Ubisoft Annecy's outdoor sports game hitting on October 28? You can get a taste of the open air ahead of release, thanks to a beta that's now live worldwide.

Today, during Gamescom's opening night stream with Geoff Keighley, Ubisoft revealed that a beta is now available until August 28 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PlayStation 4, and PC via the Ubisoft Store and Epic Games Store. The beta will have cross-play support, allowing you to group up with five friends. 

The beta gives players access to three careers, such as Bike Races, Snow Tricks, and Air Sports (Rocketwing and Wingsuit). Multiplayer modes will unlock throughout the beta. According to the press release, you can expect the following rollout of modes:

If you like FPS games as much as I do, you’ve surely heard of Splitgate, the new competitive shooter that mixes Halo-like gunplay and visuals with mind-boggling portal mechanics. Two Stanford University students started working on Splitgate from their humble dorm room. Many years later, the arena shooter has broken records with 10 million open beta downloads across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. Today, at Gamescom, a Season 0 trailer showcased new content, including a map, some fan-favorite game modes, and more. You can watch the gameplay below.

Carmen Station 3 looks to continue the vertical level design that Splitgate is known for with optimal ledges, a bevy of portal-placement spots, and across-the-map angles for players that prefer long-distance kills. The trailer shows frenetic capture the flag battles, alien-inspired avatar cosmetics, and that same split-second action that all run-and-gunners love to see. 

Announced at Gamescom last year, Midnight Fight Express throws back to the brawlers of yesteryear while implementing several new additions to the formula. Developed by Jacob Dzwinel, a one-person development team, Midnight Fight Express features motion-captured combat, modern visuals, and different gameplay featuring multiple combat systems, accessible-but-deep combat, and gameplay on foot, in cars, on boats, and more.

Today, during Gamescom's Opening Night Live stream, we received a new trailer for the exciting isometric brawler. The fluid combat looks reminiscent of films like John Wick or Kingsman: The Secret Service. The trailer shows brawls taking place everywhere from trains and clubs to back alleys and office buildings. While all of the action is excessive (in all the right ways), we also get glimpses of what appears to be supernatural elements. The gameplay looks fun, but I'm also interested to learn more about the world in which Midnight Fight Express takes place.

You can see the full trailer for yourself below.

The brawler genre has been receiving a little bit of a shot in the arm as of late, with the likes of Streets of Rage 4 and garnering critical acclaim and titles like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge on the horizon. Hopefully, Midnight Fight Express adds to that when it releases.

SNK’s comprehensive fighting game King of Fighters XV kicked off the Opening Night Live preshow with a spirited trailer full of new information. New characters have been revealed, and so was the structure of team battles. SNK even dropped the anticipated release date, which isn’t far off!

Trailers for KOF15 have been telling players how it looks to “shatter all expectations,” and while my expectations are firmly intact still, what was shown today was still exciting. The boisterous announcer boasted that the ”new visuals and gameplay systems deliver a new level of speed and excitement,” and  the new title sports “the most comprehensive battle system in KOF history.” This entry in the long-running fighting game franchise is going to feature 39 characters at launch from all across SNK’s fighting game series. All of the KOF series protagonists have been brought back for the tourney. That includes K’ and Ash Crimson, who have not been revealed in-game before today.

We can’t wait to get our hands on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, and we’re even more excited now that April O’Neil is joining the fray. A new trailer revealed during Gamescom Opening Night Live revealed the reporter as a playable character that can kick foot soldier butt as effectively as her amphibian buddies. 

Anyone who grew up watching the classic ‘80s cartoon already knows that April is no damsel. She can throw hands when the going gets tough and isn’t shy about using her reporting equipment such as a microphone and light stand to lay the smackdown. Check her out in action below. 

Shredder's Revenge is being developed by Tribute Games (Panzer Paladin, Mercenary Kings) and published by Streets of Rage 4 developer, Dotemu. The game serves as a Turtles In Time-inspired arcade throwback, with up to four players battling together to take down Shredder and his goons. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge launches in 2022, and so far, it’s only been confirmed for Switch and PC. Check out our deep dive preview to learn more about how the project game into existence. 

Today’s Opening Night Live showcase gave us a look at several Halo related things, including our first look at a brand-new limited edition of the Xbox Series X. Built to celebrate the 20th anniversary of both Xbox and the first release of Halo: Combat Evolved back in 2001, the new edition of the console features the same functionality as the existing new Xbox platform, but comes with the console and controller featuring a snazzy new gray, black, and gold color scheme, very much in keeping with the graphic design direction of Halo Infinite. Supposedly, the custom starfield matches what players can see from the surface of the Zeta Halo that players will be exploring in Halo Infinite. There’s also a blue fan vent “inspired by Cortana,” though after several adventures at her side, we can’t say she’d be thrilled by her inclusion as a place to push hot air through.

The limited-edition Xbox console is as available for pre-order now, through participating retailers, including directly through Microsoft. The Halo console will sell for $549.99. If you’ve yet to make the jump to Microsoft’s new console, you can check out our review of the console from when it initially released back in 2020.

Today during Geoff Keighley's Opening Night Live, on top of a slew of new information about Halo Infinite's upcoming free-to-play multilayer, and an announcement about the game's December 8 release date, developer 343 Industries revealed a brand new Halo-themed Xbox Elite Wireless Controller celebrating the series 20th anniversary. 

In terms of aesthetics, the controller is modeled closely after protagonist Master Chief's body armor, featuring the same iconic pea-green color scheme and ridgid breastplates. The controller is part of the Elite Series 2, originally revealed back in 2019. On top of all the bells and whistles the Elite controller is already known for, one of the big selling points behind the Series 2 line is its 40 hours of game time per charge.  

The controller is available for pre-order now on Xbox's website. It costs $199.99 USD.

The announcement of Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania, a modern remake of the first three games, delighted fans of the series' heyday when the news broke in June. Not only is Sega paying loving homage to the most well-liked entries in the Super Monkey Ball series, but the team has rolled out announcements of guest characters that include other Sega icons like Sonic, Tails, Kazuma Kiryu from Yakuza, and Beat from Jet Set Radio. During today's Gamescom Opening Night Live stream, Sega unveiled that it's adding another beloved Sega character to the mix as post-launch DLC.

Morgana, the cat-like Phantom Thief from Persona 5, is the latest character to be announced for the remake compilation. The treasure-obsessed heart-taker joins the roster of playable characters that includes the six core members of the monkey gang – AiAi, MeeMee, GonGon, Baby, Doctor, and YanYan. Morgana, who will be paid, post-launch DLC, is playable in every main game mode, but instead of collecting bananas, he collects treasure chests. Morgana will be $4.99 when he releases as DLC on November 2, just under a month after the game launches.

At Gamescom 2021, Call of Duty: Vanguard treated players to a look at the “birth of special forces” focus that the campaign features. Think of it sort of like an Inglourious Basterds take on a small crew heading into Berlin to foil plans for a successor to Hitler and the Reich. Can they stop Project Phoenix? We’ll know on November 5th, but today we got to see a slice of campaign play.

I'm always ready for a roguelike indie title with a beautiful hand-drawn look, but the recently revealed Cult of the Lamb has a whole new twist on the concept. You'll play as a bright-eyed and fluffy-tailed cult leader shepherding a flock of adorable woodland creatures. Your goal is to build up your precious community of followers and spread the word of your dark lord. The game is being made by indie developer Massive Monster and published by Devolver Digital. The publisher is known for its unique titles, like Death's Door, a game about a soul-collecting organization of crows that scored high marks in our review.

"What is a Spartan? A Spartan is a symbol, hope where there is none. In times of darkness, we are hope," opens the latest Halo Infinite cinematic trailer that shows off the upcoming game's multiplayer from a deeper perspective. What does it take to be a Spartan? Everything and these fighters are ready to answer the call. The Gamescom 2021 Opening Night Live ceremony also confirmed the release date for Halo Infinite, though it has been confirmed that there will be no campaign co-op or Forge at launch. 

The gameplay shows off a key character from the Spartan camp, a significant name that players will get to know. Spartan Laurette Agryna is tasked with training a new generation of Spartan super soldiers, a journey that we get just a small glimpse of during the most recent showcase. Check out the latest look at the multiplayer trailer in the video above. 

Dolmen is an upcoming sci-fi action RPG we last saw during the Koch Media showcase at E3. The game offers its take on Souls-like combat and takes Lovecraftian horror to deep space. While we've seen the action, we got a look at the game's story in a new trailer that premiered during Gamescom Opening Night Live. 

You arrive on a planet called Revlon Prime on a mission to retrieve the Dolmen, a crystal possessing the power to interact with different realities. That’s easier said than done as Revlon Prime is inhabited by hostile alien creatures. Combat consists of hacking apart monsters with melee weapons while defending with a shield. While that may sound familiar, activating an Energy Mode grants elemental effects to your weaponry. Take a look at the new trailer below. You'll need to employ every trick in the book because Dolmen likely isn't a walk in the park. 

Dolmen launches in 2022 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Check out our Gamescom coverage hub to read more news coming out of the event. 

You probably knew this was coming, but it’s exciting, nonetheless. Saints Row kicked off today’s Gamescom stream. Volition has essentially rebooted the beloved series – an interesting mix of Grand Theft Auto’s crime-filled sandbox and wacky, explosive combat scenarios. Some things, however, have thankfully remained the same. As The Boss, you’ll lead your own gang alongside a small group of new characters: Nina, Kevin, and Eli. You’ll take on rival gangs and probably the authorities too to hustle to the top and claim ownership of the city, Santo Illeso. 

Firaxis pulled the curtain back on its next project, the surprising, though heavily rumored, Marvel’s Midnight Suns. Yes, that’s Suns even though it’s based on the Midnight Sons comic team (and not to be confused with the character, Midnight Sun). This marks the first licensed project for the makers of Civilization and XCOM who offers a bold take on one of the more unique yet lesser-known groups in the Marvel Mythos. 

The Midnight Sons made their debut in the early ‘90s and is a team of supernatural-centric heroes. Basically, think of them as a more occult version of the Avengers. Core members have included Ghost Rider (both Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch), Doctor Strange, Morbius the Living Vampire, and Blade. The line-up for the Firaxis version keeps several of those names while tossing in mainstream heavy-hitters such as Iron Man, Captain America, Wolverine, and Captain Marvel. 

Players control The Hunter, a fully customizable character that leads the other heroes against the villainous sorceress, Lilith. Given that this is a Firaxis title, Midnight Suns' is a tactics RPG but the studio also emphasizes building relationships with your superpowered comrades. 

Marvel's Midnight Suns launches in March 2022 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. 2K will show off the first gameplay footage on September 1.

Drinkbox Studios has good news and mildly disappointing bad news regarding its upcoming action RPG, Nobody Saves The World. Bad news: it won’t be launching this year as expected and is coming in early 2022 instead. The good news is that the game will support online co-op.

The makers of Guacamelee and Severed revealed Nobody Saves The World back in March. You play as Nobody, a literal blank slate of a character who gets a hold of a magic wand that can turn him into somebody. Anybody, actually. The wand allows him to take over 15 forms, such as a magician, mouse, ranger, robot, dragon. Each form comes sporting its own gameplay mechanics and special abilities – over 80, in fact – and even has side missions tied to them. 

The dungeon crawling action looked fun playing alone, but you can tag a friend for online co-op. This makes Nobody Saves The World Drinkbox’s first multiplayer title, and, as in single-player, partners can combine form abilities to take down enemies and solve puzzles. Since the game is coming to Xbox ecosystems, it supports both cross-save support and cross-play between consoles, cloud, and Windows 10 thanks to Xbox Play Anywhere. Unfortunately, the same features do not extend to the Steam version. 

The Dark Pictures Anthology from Supermassive Games continues with House of Ashes and we got a new look at what's ahead during the Gamescom 2021 Opening Night Live ceremony. The latest gameplay shows off the tensions of war when paired against a supernatural element. When the real threat is a sinister being steeped in historic evil, House of Ashes tasks players with trying to survive while learning how to fight the seemingly unfightable. 

The story is set within Iraq circa 2003 in the shadows of the Zagros mountains. The military unit deployed in this area finds a threat they weren't expecting when both sides of the war fall through the ruins of a decremented Sumerian temple. When all communication goes completely dark, a terrifying fight for survival begins. Those trapped must figure out how to escape the ancient evil that lurks below, a being that has been woken from its slumber by the disturbance and is looking for new prey to devour. 

The latest gameplay trailer seen at the top of the article shows off the tensions between our protagonists as the situation continues to devolve into one filled with uncertainty. Like previous entries from the Dark Pictures Anthology, choices matter, and how you play the game will determine the outcome. Can you make it through to the end with minimal deaths? That's for you to decide, but the latest trailer promises a dark thrill for those seeking a new horror adventure. 

It's that time of year again. Geoff Keighley is gracing our streaming platforms with another edition of Gamescom Opening Night Live, and the stage is set for a massive show. We at Game Informer are big fans of massive shows, and we're excited to watch along with the rest of the community! Join Alex Stadnik as he reacts live to all the day's reveals and gameplay trailers starting at 12:45 p.m. CT!

So we know Alex will be there, and you'll be there, but who on the developer side will be joining us? One of the big teases from last week was that the Saints Row franchise is potentially making a comeback, with our host Geoff tweeting about a possible return to the wild open-world series.

Speaking of wild open worlds, we also know Far Cry 6 will possibly make one of its final appearances ahead of its October 6th release date. Finally, while there's no confirmation on the Xbox side, we know Microsoft will be at the day's show, and a certain green Spartan was absent from yesterday's showcase.

The first Halo Infinite "flight" test, essentially a beta, was met with wildly positive feedback, which means there are a lot of Master Chief fans eager to see when the next early play period would be. 343 live producer Sam Hanshaw has confirmed what the next beta stage will entail, including a focus on Big Team Battle and 4v4 Slayer. That makes this the first beta access period to involve actual player vs. player combat, considering the first flight test was centered around combating bots. 

"Another big scale flight like this, with even more people invited. We're going to include the same content we had this time — the bots, and the weapon drills — but we're also targeting a full release of 4v4 PvP action and we want to go even bigger and have Big Team Battle," Hanshaw said in the video seen at the top of the article. "So, those are our targets for the next flight to come."

As we inch closer to the release of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Eidos Montreal is slowly revealing more characters our misfit team of heroes will encounter on their adventures. Earlier this month, we got a look at Lady Hellbender and Drax’s, um… unique way of flirting. Today, we get an introduction to Grand Unifier Raker, a foil for the Guardians who doesn’t seem vulnerable to sweet-talk like Hellbender. Still, that doesn’t stop Starlord from attempting to stall by flapping his gums.

The new trailer starts with the whole Guardians team being caught off guard by a door opening behind them. From behind the cover of a blinding light emerges Raker and a pair of humongous cloaked minions. The Grand Unifier is a humanoid-like alien with arms that look like an unfortunate round of Tetris. Starlord had his blasters trained on the intruders but decides to greet them instead. Rocket, on the other hand, tries blasting Raker, who effortlessly deflects the shots. Knowing he can't shoot his way out, Peter Quill tries to butter him up while Groot is tapping a green button, trying to contact an unknown ally who doesn’t show.

Dating isn’t something we often talk about fondly. Sure, there’s excitement in getting to know new people and the hope that we'll all find that special someone. Still, the process is exhausting and anxiety-provoking, full of awkward exchanges and embarrassing moments. Figuring out if you’re compatible with someone takes time, and that time rarely turns into an actual love connection. That’s part of what I find really fascinating about Boyfriend Dungeon. It doesn’t romanticize dating. Every potential love interest is an imperfect being, complete with flaws and their own baggage. You simply have to decide what you can put up with.

The dating sim genre often presents picture-perfect love. The process takes an idealized form, just like we see in romance novels and romantic comedies.  A wonderful person shows up and says all the right things, and even if they make a mistake, they make up for it with some grand gesture that makes us swoon so hard that all is forgotten. In video games, we get more choice and agency in our narratives, making them a bit more personal when we decide which romance to pursue. People have their reasons for choosing one person over another. Some like pining for those who play hard to get, while others want a kindhearted soul. And sometimes, it really is just about the muscles.

Bungie promised a big reveal for Destiny 2: The Witch Queen, but we got so much more than that. Not only can Guardians jump into Season of the Lost starting today, the studio also shared what the Witch Queen expansion will bring to the table, including the best darn weapon from Destiny 1 in existence. Since there is so much to discuss, we figured we'd break down our top 5 features revealed during the Witch Queen showcase. 

The bulk of the showcase centered around Witch Queen and the seasons that it will encompass, though there were some 30-year celebrations thrown in as well! The Witch Queen will be a new campaign that aims to bring the narrative full circle when reflecting back on the lore around the Hive god and her siblings in their bid for power on Fundament, the Hive home world. With Mara Sov's return and Osiris being... hmm, you know - Season of the Lost will lead into the new expansion, continuing on the incredible storytelling that truly hit its stride with Season of the Chosen and Splicer. 

So what are we most excited about with Witch Queen and Season of the Lost? Let's dive in!

Xbox has kicked off Gamescom with a 90-minute showcase featuring in-depth looks at several of its upcoming games. Right in the middle of the action, co-hosts Parris Lilly and Kate Yeager got a little Medieval, showing off a quick trailer for Crusader Kings III. The short, new look at the game revealed the wildly popular, PC exclusive strategy role-playing game by Paradox Development Studio is coming soon to Xbox Series X/S. The video emphasized Crusader Kings III's dramatic tones while also giving us a little glimpse of how the mechanics have been adapted for Xbox controllers. You can watch the full reveal above.

InXile’s David Rogers took the stage at today’s Xbox Gamescom showcase to talk about the second expansion for Wasteland 3. Dubbed Cult of the Holy Detonation, this new experience will bring players within Cheyenne Mountain to access a secret military base designed to survive nuclear winter and harbors a powerful weapon that locals are fighting over.

Two warring factions of cultists are trying to take hold of “the Holy Detonation,” a prewar science experiment these groups worship as a god. Like any other Wasteland experience, you’re free to choose how to interact with the scenario. “You decide who lives, who dies, who’s gets screwed over, who takes charge,” said Rogers when describing choices players can make in the expansion.

Rogers describes the new expansion as a dungeon crawl, and something players haven't seen so far in Wasteland 3. It’s an experience built with mystery and exploration in mind and has some of the biggest boss battles InXile has made for the series. These boss encounters bring a different kind of gameplay than previous Wasteland experiences by prioritizing finishing specific objectives while in combat. Rogers describes it as “not about killing. It’s about getting the job done.” Conflicts will not end until the mission objectives have been satisfied.

Today’s Xbox Showcase brought news on a number of games, but near its conclusion, we also got a look at a new accessory on the way to the market. The new Forza Horizon 5 Limited Edition Controller was announced, and it looks positively vivacious.

The new controller features a mix of pink, blue, and yellow colors, applied to look like paint splashes on the floor of a particularly active car shop. The left thumbstick picks up the light blue color, while the right thumbstick pops with pink. The controller is said to have custom grips inspired by racing wheels, and it also features a transparent yellow finish – a first for the Xbox controller.

A purchase of the new controller also brings with it some exclusive content for the upcoming game, including a Forza edition car, a cosmetic item, and a victory emote.

“It just feels like it’s a part of the Horizon festival,” says Forza Horizon 5’s creative director Mike Brown. "Like it just dropped out of the game into your lap.”

During today's Xbox Gamescom 2021 stream, The Gunk re-emerged, showing off gameplay and revealing plans for a December launch.

The Gunk comes from the creators of the SteamWorld series. You play as Rani, one half of a space-hauling duo mining the galaxy for whatever resources to survive. However, when she lands on a seemingly barren planet, she gets more than she bargained for with the gunk, which could mean a big payout. However, there's just one problem. The Gunk is also harming the planet, leading her and her partner to question if they should interfere with something they don't understand. 

Exploration is a big part of the experience, as you'll make new discoveries about the world by scanning the area and stumble on various biomes, from a rocky canyon region to a dense jungle. Once you eliminate the gunk using Rani's trusty upgradeable prosthetic power-glove, these different biomes retain their beauty. You can watch the trailer above, which showcases the breathtaking sights of the planet when the gunk is gone, and how much darker and bleak things look when it's around. 

The Gunk is set to launch this December for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC. It is also set to appear on Game Pass on day one. 

Wizards of the Coast hosted a showcase this morning highlighting what 2022 will look like for its flagship card game, Magic: The Gathering. Not only will Planeswalkers be returning to a couple of beloved worlds, but Wizards is also rolling out the red carpet for the first Universes Beyond sets, including some new partnerships with big games like Fortnite and Street Fighter.

Universes Beyond is a way to bring fan-favorite franchises into the Magic ecosystem, and Wizards has grabbed some big names to incorporate over the next year and beyond. Fortnite will make its debut in Magic through a Secret Lair drop, a limited-time mini-set that can be purchased directly from Wizards of the Coast. Unlike some other Universes Beyond cards, the Fortnite game pieces will be reprints of existing Magic cards, but with art from the battle royale behemoth. You can check out the first art shown from this set at the top of the article. No expected timeframe was given for the release of the Fortnite Secret Lair.

Into the Pit is a new retro-inspired first-person roguelite that premiered during today's Xbox Gamescom presentation. Instead of shooting guns, you control a mystic warrior dual-wielding magic to blast apart supernatural foes in search of a demonic portal and a missing relative. 

You and your cousin are part of a family of mystics constantly searching for magical lore. Your cousin travels to a land cursed with occult energy and seemingly vanishes upon discovering a village plagued by a demonic pit. It's up to you to find out what terrors this village has unleashed and the fate of your cousin. 

The premiere trailer showed off the old-school 3D visuals, which appear inspired by early first-person shooters but shined up considerably. In that footage, we see spells can be mixed and matched in various ways to battle through ever-shifting dungeons. Along the way, you'll rescue villagers to unlock shops used to purchase permanent upgrades. 

Into the Pit launches October 19 for Xbox consoles and PC and will arrive day one on Game Pass. To keep up with other announcements coming out of Gamescom, be sure to visit our special coverage hub. 

Age of Empires IV showed off the trebuchet today in epic fashion, with a bit of a history lesson during the Xbox Gamescom 2021 presentation. I don't mean the in-game unit, I mean the actual historical trebuchet up close and personal. We got to see the pivoted arm, the sling, and of course, the big freaking projectile. While we've all fired trebuchets at castles in Age of Empires titles, it was a strange sort of History-channel pivot to see one on-screen hyping up the upcoming Age of Empires IV release.

Oddly enough, I kind of enjoyed it instead of traditional E3 and Gamescom antics like trotting out a celebrity. Instead, we got to see an actual trebuchet and got a little bit of a history lesson on top. Did you know trebuchets were used to throw pretty much everything into enemy territory, including beehives? Yeah. Weaponized bees. Okay, that's kind of scary. 

But wait! You don't have to listen to me talk about how cool (and slightly strange) it is to fork a video game marketing event into a history reel. You can watch it right here in this episode of Hands-On History. They should put these episodes into the game whenever you dig into a unit. That would be cool, right?

Age of Empires IV arrives on October 28.

Microsoft has revealed even more games coming to Xbox Game Pass as part of Team Green's Gamescom 2021 showcase that opened up a weeklong celebration, starting today. Whether you like action or are looking for something a little mellow, here are the latest titles joining the ever-evolving Xbox Game Pass library. 

Before we dive into the new titles coming to the Microsoft service, here's what you need to know: The Xbox Game Pass library continues to change with new titles being added, including new titles coming in and older ones leaving. From day one launches of hit games to indie treasures that deserve their stage time just as any other game, the Game Pass membership allows Xbox fans a chance to have instant access to an eclectic library without having to shell out $60 for each experience. For those curious, here is what else is on the way to sweeten the deal: