Game Informer

Sometimes, developers share some really cool things about favorite games from the past. That's exactly what level designer Brett Johnson is doing by sharing some early Half-Life prototypes over on TikTok, and we love him for it. Johnson also has more experience than just Half-Life under his belt too. He's a designer that has over 20 years of experience, including working for companies like Valve, Sony, EA, Take-Two, Microsoft, and more, making his developer deep dives even more interesting to watch.

I'm not the most versed in TikTok, sorry, but @TheTaxGoblin (thanks, PC Gamer!) on Twitter spotted the developer drops over on the Vine Lite platform, and if you're interested in seeing early concepts of a game that flipped the industry on its head, it's an awesome account to follow. Johnson shared a variety of looks at the Valve staple when it was very early on in its development. Because of how early on in the timeline it is, some of the prototypes shared look nothing like the Half-Life we know today.

My favorite part about the Nintendo Switch OLED reveal wasn't necessarily its flashier screen, improved kickstand, or ethernet port (side note: I never noticed the original Switch dock lacked an ethernet port until that video). It was watching a new, highly produced montage of cheerful actors enjoying their Switch in various locales. These delightfully goofy clips are, of course, meant to show off the Switch's portability. Whether it's at your friend's house our within the mouth of an active volcano, you can – and should – take Mario and friends everywhere you go. 

Monster Hunter Stories 2 is one of the most accessible entries in the franchise. However, there are still some tricks I learned while reviewing the game which might help those just starting. For those starting their journeys fresh, here are five helpful tips for Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin.

You thought The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ride was over? Think again, because WitcherCon just confirmed that in addition to the next-gen update for the fantasy game, it's also getting new DLC inspired by the Netflix series adaptation of the books that inspired the fantasy adventure from CD Projekt RED. 

The Witcher 3 is getting next-gen upgrades for the open-world video game on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, which we've known about for a while, but what we didn't know is that there is added content to dive back into. The official The Witcher Twitter account offered up a sneak peek at the cover art for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition alongside the promise that more information about the added content will be "coming soon."

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt next-gen update is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC this year! Here’s a sneak peek of our updated cover art.

Spoiler alert: we also prepared some free DLCs inspired by @witchernetflix 🤭

More info coming soon! pic.twitter.com/Hs7LwWzUAt

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last couple of decades, you know that for every great superhero, there's a compelling origin story. While Marvel and DC typically explore these humble and not-so-humble beginnings (looking at you, Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne) in great detail in the films they release, video games have a tendency to speed right past them for the established heroes. Instead, games like Marvel's Spider-Man and Marvel's Avengers focus on the origins of newer, lesser-known heroes like Miles Morales and Kamala Khan.

While we don't know if Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is planning on moving any less iconic characters into the spotlight over the course of the story, Eidos-Montréal is assuming players have a baseline of familiarity with the core members of the team. However, since these are distinct takes on the versions we know from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we spoke to the development team about how this ragtag group of Guardians came together.

Netflix's The Witcher season 2 officially has a release date and to celebrate, the first-ever WitcherCon also shared a few teasers about what's to come with the cast reveling in all things The Witcher. Even better? We've got our first look at Ciri at Kaer Morhen, the childhood home of Geralt, as well as Lambert and Jaskier. 

The second season of The Witcher is slated to arrive on December 17, the perfect show to binge-watch during holiday. During a panel that featured the actresses that play both Yennefer and Ciri, as well as showrunner Lauren Hissrich and even more cast surprises, a new image was shared showing off Ciri and Lambert together in Kaer Morhen. We already knew we were going back to Geralt of Rivia's childhood home from previous teasers, but the minds behind the series adaptation have warned that it gets so much darker than fans might expect. 

So, to prepare for said darkness, let's have a ray of sunshine instead with everyone's favorite bard: Jaskier: 

Your wishes (and demands) for new Jaskier content have been granted. Here's a preview of the bard in Season 2. #WitcherCon pic.twitter.com/E0UYw2qpaz

The Expanded Galaxy mod was one of the most beloved mods for BioWare's original Mass Effect trilogy. With the remaster out now, and with so many enjoying it, the modding community (from the user side) has wondered if it will be back in its full glory. With the recent coding change, modders now have access to the assets and tools needed to bring their vision to life, including bringing back the Expanded Galaxy Mod for Mass Effect Legendary Edition. While it's not back in its full form currently, here's a breakdown of what you can access now and what plans down the road look like. 

In its original iteration, the Expanded Galaxy mod allowed for instant access to the entire galaxy map right from the get-go; it also carried over certain weapons into the corresponding games, customizing the Normandy, new missions, and so much more. It was an expansive experience that enriched the story told by BioWare immensely, and now it's available for the remaster as an evolving project. 

According to Kinkojiro, the modder that uploaded the remaster's EGM, "This mod will gradually become more like the full EGM experience, as more content is added." In its current state, however, there are a few quality of life improvements that carried over from the original mod version that players can utilize when playing through the Legendary Edition

So what's available now? According to the mod listing: 

The makers of Genshin Impact jumped from update 1.6 and went right into 2.0, and after seeing the newest updates contents? We're not mad at that decision. MiHoYo revealed update 2.0 in a recent live stream and an accompanying PlayStation post about the new characters, the new island location, and more that players can enjoy. 

Genshin Impact 2.0 arrives on July 21. Called The Immovable God and the Eternal Euthymia, studio technical director for Genshin Impact, Zhenzhong Yi, revealed more about what players can expect from the massive content drop on the way later this month. "While Mondstadt believes in freedom and Liyue honors contracts, Inazuma and its ruler, Raiden Shogun, the Electro Archon, pursues eternity," said Yi when revealing more about the new locations. "But what makes the Archon with the power of the fleeting lightning seek eternity? As the story unfolds, this will be a theme that runs through your adventure in Inazuma."

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Deathloop is a stylistic shooter from Arkane Lyon that blends a wild tale peppered with western and cyberpunk flair. The studio has shown us a lot about the game ahead of its launch later this year, including the most recent gameplay walkthrough during this week's PlayStation State of Play. One thing that every trailer and gameplay session has had in common that there are no shortages of neck snaps. As such a prominent combat style, a question emerges: can you play as Colt to end the time loops without snapping anyone's neck? The answer? Yes! 

I had been trying to confirm this for a little bit now but never could get a real answer until this week. When I just went the public route and asked the studio via Twitter, Deathloop game director Dinga Bakaba kindly responded with the confirmation that neck-snapping as a means of submission is not mandatory. However, he later clarified that this does not mean that a passive run is possible. 

No necksnap is mandatory @DirtyEffinHippy :)

Sandboarding game Alto's Odyssey is getting its first major expansion next week in the form of The Lost City, publisher Snowman announced today. The expansion will be available exclusively through the Apple Arcade subscription service on July 16 and will add a new biome, gameplay challenges, and music.

You can see a trailer for The Lost City below:

One interesting thing to note about The Lost City – while it's a new expansion for Alto's Odyssey, according to the developer, it actually makes use of scrapped ideas from the original launch of the game. While the base game largely remains intact, players are invited to explore the Lost City, an entirely new biome that expands the visual palette, soundscape, and challenges of Odyssey, all seamlessly integrated into the game's core experience. 

"Being able to pick some of those ideas back up and bring them to life, in a way that wasn’t possible during the original development process, feels like realising the truest vision of the project today," producer Jair McBain tells Game Informer in a statement about the project. 

In this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, we discuss a handful of games we've been digging recently, including Griftlands, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, Shape of the World, Oxenfree, and more. After talking about what we've been enjoying, we then spend a good part of the show talking about the games we're most excited to play for the rest of the year, including Metroid Dread, Battlefield 2042, Back 4 Blood, and Halo Infinite.

Today’s PlayStation State of Play provided a look at the changes coming to Death Stranding Director's Cut as well as a release date of September 24. The new trailer didn’t tease like the one at the Summer Game Fest kickoff, and instead got right to the point showing off gameplay enhancements and additions all while leaning into some classic Kojima quirkiness.  

Showing the game running at a buttery-smooth 60fps, this new look at Death Stranding’s enhancements for PlayStation 5 calls this version “the definitive edition.” Kojima Productions is adding a little more action with new advanced combat mechanics. This includes a flashy melee maneuvers like high knee strikes, cross-body dives and drop kicks. Sam’s weapon variety is also growing. He was shown stunning enemies from afar with a new electricity spewing Maser Gun and mowing down foes with an armored mounted machine gun. There’s even a new firing range to practice with the slate of new and existing weaponry.

I’ve been following the Demon Slayer video game – now known as The Hinokami Chronicles – for a while, mainly because I’m such a huge fan of the anime. During today’s State of Play, more gameplay and narrative footage was shown, this time, chronicling (see what I did there?) the Tsuzumi Mansion arc when Tanjiro first meets the hot-tempered Inosuke. The artwork is pretty spot on, but the in-game location looks barren and the English voice acting is lackluster (real anime fans only watch/play the sub!). Jokes aside, this latest trailer lacks the magic that the anime is known for. You can watch the trailer from the State of Play below. 

Remember the Knight Rider Car Pack that dropped a little over a year ago? Guess what: it’s back...well, the vehicle at least! Now, you can relive your inner David Hasselhoff fantasies while taking to the arena against unsuspecting opponents. The famous KITT vehicle is a customized Pontiac Trans Am, and in-game, you’ll spot the midnight-black paint job and flashing red siren lights to boot. Unfortunately KITT’s arch-nemesis KARR is nowhere to be found, but that would still be a pretty cool addition (hopefully someone over at Psyonix sees this article!). You can get a good look at KITT in the Twitter post below as well as its apparent in-game price that someone kindly threw up in the comments. 

Hello Knight Rider. Welcome back! #SummerRoadtrip pic.twitter.com/0Pnya4ffIz

— Rocket League (@RocketLeague) July 8, 2021

pic.twitter.com/y2d5Sty4K6

The Yakuza spin-off, Judgment, is getting a sequel, titled Lost Judgment. During today’s State of Play, we got a new trailer that showcases what players can expect to see and do in the game, including parkour exploration and a bevy of Yakuza-inspired wacky minigames.

While exploring the underbelly of Kamurocho and Ijincho, you’ll correspond with several friends and enemies, investigate crime scenes for clues to piece together multi-layered mysteries, intensely jump from rooftop-to-rooftop to chase perpetrators, man-handle said perpetrators with wild martial arts combos, and partake in fun extracurricular activities like skateboarding or street motorcycle racing. Despite the ludicrousness of Lost Judgment’s minigames and characters, there still seems to be a relatively dark story to play through. 

If Arcadegeddon were an animal (roll with me here), it'd be a hip-hop banging phoenix rising from the ashes of a near disaster. After releasing Friday: The 13th and Predator: Hunting Grounds, developer IllFonic moved on to a new licensed multiplayer project that, unfortunately, was cancelled while deep in development – the day after last year's Christmas, no less. 

"I'm pretty sure I was looking in the mirror … and I was like 'Oh s***,'" says IllFonic Art Director Izaak Moody while discussing the cancelation. 

It was a major blow, but IllFonic's creative head, Jarred Gerritzen, saw an opportunity to turn tragedy into triumph. He hunkered down in the solitary of quarantine and concocted the concept for a new, original game built upon the framework they'd already created. This new project would incorporate the team's love of electronic hip hop and punk-rock culture as well as employ their multiplayer expertise to form a game they couldn't get enough of playing. With a deadline that didn't change despite the massive directional shift, IllFonic pulled together to create Arcadegeddon, a fresh blend of cooperative and competitive multiplayer that hopes to wow players with its unique gameplay and stylish presentation.

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Arkane Lyon has been hard at work on Deathloop, its new IP that offers a stylistic shooter experience with a western/cyberpunk twist. Originally slated to release this May, the ongoing global pandemic, among other contributing factors, has caused the team to delay. With Deathloop on the horizon for September, Arkane is showing off even more footage courtesy of PlayStation's latest State of Play showcase. 

In Deathoop, players will be able to assassinate foes in style. It's a tale that centers around a secret society on the cusp of an eternal timeloop within Northern Europe. Those that are trapped within the timeloop don't remember previous loops, entrapping those poor souls in a seemingly incapable prison. Not Colt, though. Colt wants to escape and he's ready to do anything he has to in order to do just that. Turns out, he must use the fact that he can remember previous loops to his advantage and kill each of the eight leaders of the mysterious and illusive Aeon program. 

Before you ask: yes, I do have a folder of Mass Effect mods solely with the purpose of writing up in an effort to keep geeking out with the Mass Effect fans in our community. Moving on: after I shared the weirdest of the weird mods with a "Juicy" sexy Hanar mod, I found another modding project that I knew would be a big hit with some of readers based on the way too many comments we get about it. In various scenes in the Mass Effect remaster, shifts in camera angles can be seen, including one infamous scene regarding Cerberus' Miranda Lawson. This mod restores the original Mass Effect trilogy Miranda "butt shots" but with an added joke twist.

Miranda Buttgate 2021, the new Puddlegate of a generation. There was a scene, in particular, that was addressed in the Mass Effect Legendary Edition where Commander Shepard and Miranda are discussing the fate of her twin sister, a sister that her father is looking to kidnap. It's a very emotional scene and it's a discussion that lets the player see a more vulnerable side to this character throughout the events of the second game. So when almost the entire heartfelt convo happens, the camera panned to the below angle, and the angle that BioWare's Kevin Meek says was not originally intended, but it wasn't addressed either.

It's been a hot minute since we've covered Baldur's Gate 3 news. Luckily, the latest Panel From Hell showcase gives us a reason to break that silence because Larian Studios just gave fans an update on what they can expect from a new Baldur's Gate 3 update dropping next week. 

The latest Panel From Hell is the third entry into this video series, and it's a solid place to give the D&D community an update on what's being done behind the scenes to get Baldur's Gate 3 out of Early Access. The newest update for the role-playing game is set to go live on July 13 and will include notable changes to the gameplay experience in several key ways. 

From a bigger focus on roleplaying to changes to the AI, here is a brief overview of what players can expect come next week.

The Active Roll System

According to Larian, the upcoming update will give players more agency regarding their skill checks. Active Roll allows players to utilize certain spells and apply particular buffs to their rolls in order to increase the odds of passing a skill check. In conjunction with other UI updates, the Active Roll will also let players see any modifiers and status effects directly through the game's UI. 

Hot off the tail end of Apex Legends’ Genesis Collection Event, comes a new spectacle that’ll be directly focused on Season 9’s most interesting game mode: Arenas. Not only will there be a new map to play on, there will also be weekly challenges to unlock exclusive cosmetics for legends as well as firearms. 

Called the “Thrillseekers Event,” the latest locale to come to the Apex Games is a perilous lava-pumping factory: “Overflow.” As the post on the official website says, “The floor is lava! Well, some of it, anyway.” Overflow is so different from other battlefields because it prioritizes lanes. And with larger mechanical pillars, small rooms, and looming structures obstructing numerous sightlines, it can be hard to capitalize on early mistakes. Long-range appears to be a no-go, but let's be honest, Apex Legends is all about close quarters combat anyway. You can learn more from the trailer below. 

Just because E3 is in the rearview doesn't mean the video game industry is done rolling out the news. Nintendo took over the headlines earlier this week with the announcement of the new Switch OLED model, setting the internet ablaze with takes on the new additions (and lack thereof). But the Big N isn't the only company looking to make a splash. Sony has announced the company's latest State of Play, this time featuring the PS5-exclusive Deathloop, plus looks at more third-party titles!

But what fun is a live stream without friends to talk over it? That's right folks, if you couldn't get enough of them during all the E3 coverage, the Council of Alexes (Stadnik and Van Aken) is back to geek out over the new look at Deathloop and hopefully a few surprises along the way as well! The crew will be going live at 3:45 p.m. Central exclusively on Twitch to talk about their hopes and dreams for the show before Sony officially kicks the video off at 4 p.m. Central!

Bloober Team was very quick to deny Silent Hill rumors, but the verbiage is very much about the specific concepts leaked, not the fact that the game itself is rumored to be in development with the Polish studio at the helm. Bloober CMO Tomasz Gawlikowski also confirmed that it has two other projects they are working on, each even more ambitious than The Medium. 

But first, let's talk the leak. A leak by EU's Creative Europe website shared three projects under the Bloober helm, one many believed being in relation to Silent Hill. Three projects were noted in the leak, all with codenames. Here's a quick breakdown of what's what: 

It’s Thursday, which means a Game Informer Live stream! Join us at 2 p.m. CT on Twitch as we’ll be braving Dark Souls III and its new-gen update on Xbox consoles. The incredible Alex Stadnik will be on the sticks while I, the amazing Marcus Stewart, will provide commentary, moral support, as well as interacting with you, the viewer at home. 

Today, the game received a performance update for Xbox Series X/S that bumps the framerate up to a smooth 60 fps. If you’re an Xbox owner, there’s never been a better time to either revisit Dark Souls III or tackle it for the first time.

There’s nothing worse than getting yourself a fancy next-gen console like the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5, only to take it home and realize that your home audio solution is primitive in comparison to your new set.

If it's time to boost your audio game, then it's time to upgrade to some high-quality, high-performance Turtle Beach headphones.

Stealth Gen 2 600

The Stealth Gen 2 600 (MSRP $99.99) features powerful, amplified audio via expertly tuned 50mm speakers paired with refined ear cup acoustics. Basically, that means the Gen 2 600 sounds fantastic and keeps unwanted noises out of your headphones. It also includes advanced audio features like Variable Mic Monitoring that lets you hear your own voice when you speak to ensure that you sound okay in the microphone.

The included high-performance flip-to-mute mic lets you flip the microphone up in order to mute yourself. It slots right into the design of the headset when flipped up, making it a super neat and space-efficient feature.

The Stealth Gen 2 600 also features a robust construction value, with a strengthened headband and hinge design to ensure that it doesn't break down over time and with repeated use within normal parameters. Its 15-hour battery life ensures that you can get a solid 15 hours of gaming between charges, after which you simply need to plug in the USB-C charging cable.

EA Play Live kicked off today with “The Future of FPS” Spotlight. We got a look at some highly-anticipated Battlefield 2042 content as well as a lot of new details about Apex Legends from Chad Grenier, the game’s director. As we all know, Apex Legends has garnered overwhelming success since its release in 2019. Javy Gwaltney loved the battle royale when he reviewed it, and I continue to play it every day. With 100 million total players worldwide, it’s only natural that the game would get its own slot during the Spotlight. 

Battlefield 2042 is an FPS experience set in the near future that challenges players to become something called a Non-Patrioted after a refugee crisis overtakes what we know to be everyday life. The multiplayer experience is also going back to what Battlefield has done best in the past: giving players ultimate freedom with map verticality. 2042 is bringing the series back to its roots, now with weaponized tornadoes, and during the EA Play Future of FPS showcase, we got a closer look at what the FPS has in store. 

When asked by IGN's Stella Chung "what's the secret to making a good FPS," Respawn founder Vince Zampella replied with a simple yet effective: "A good team." This is also the driving strategy behind the recent rebranding of DICE LA to Ripple Effect Studios. Once called DICE LA, Ripple Effect will take that same team and make it even bigger with members from all sorts of creative backgrounds. This fresh perspective on game development is perfect given that Ripple Effect has confirmed that it is working on another project in conjunction with Battlefield 2042, adding a multitude of voices to creatively drive new experiences for the future. 

If you’re a horror fan looking for a new experience to give you the heebie jeebies, Madison may be worth putting on your radar. This newly revealed psychological horror game comes from Nosebleed Games, a two-person team based in Argentina. If you enjoy unnerving adventures that mess with your mind like Fatal Frame, P.T., or Devotion, Madison appears to be striking similar chords. 

As protagonist Luca, you awaken in a dark room covered in blood. You’re not sure what’s up other than you’re at the mercy of a demon named Madison who tortures Luca to force him into finishing a bloody ritual that began decades prior. What’s the nature of this ceremony and why are you the unlucky soul tasked with conducting it? Unfortunately, getting those answers will be easier said than done.

Armed with just a Polaroid camera, you’ll capture photos to solve puzzles and explore the unsettling surroundings while being stalked by seemingly all manner of malevolent phenomena. Madison doesn’t appear to be for the faint of heart, but you can judge for yourself by watching the debut trailer below. Be warned, it does contain a couple of jump scares. 

Madison is currently slated to launch for PC sometime this year. 

The release for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD on Nintendo Switch is just around the corner, and to celebrate, Nintendo just dropped a brand new trailer showing off what Zelda fans can expect. The latest trailer features Link front and center, as he takes on all of the various enemies that can be encountered. It also shows off even more of the updated visuals for the HD version of the game and what sort of changes players can experience in the world of Hyrule. 

The previous trailer we received for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD was a detailed video showcasing the various enhancements made to the game, specifically going into the most overt changes that will be seen. It also showed off more Quality of Life changes like skippable cutscenes, Fi support, and more. This new trailer is more of a "be excited; it's one week away" type of look, which is A-okay for those amped up to see what else looks different. 

At the tail-end of June, River, the real-life dog inspiration behind Fallout 4's Dogmeat, passed away. We wrote up our own tribute to the fallen puppers, but Xbox and Bethesda are taking celebrating River's life to a whole new level by raising money for the Humane Society.

We learned of River's passing through a post on Twitter shared by Fallout 4 senior designer Joel Burgess. Burgess offered a sweet, heartfelt thread that gave us a look into River's eventful life, a life filled with inspiring games, all the treats she could ever want, and the belly rubs that this good puppers deserved. River was loved and well cared for, but that's, unfortunately, not the case for all animals. Many are left abandoned in shelters, hoping to be picked up by a loving family to show them what being cared for means. Sometimes, these animals find their forever homes but others? Not so much. It's heartbreaking to think about, which is why Xbox and Bethesda teamed up to help by raising money for the Humane Society to give all animals a shot at the love that animals like River received. 

Netflix's The Witcher TV series called Blood Origin continues to add to its cast of characters bringing this prequel show to life. With the recent confirmation that Michelle Yeoh joined the cast, Netflix has revealed yet another actress lending her talents to this adaptation. Meet Éile, a warrior-turned-musician that will be played by Sophia Brown. 

You may know Brown from 2017's Beauty and the Beast and 2019's The Capture, but now she's joining the world of Witchers as the latest character revealed for the upcoming show. According to Netflix, Éile is an "elite warrior-turned-nomadic musician who is forced to return to the way of the blade after a grand reckoning on the Continent sends her on a quest for vengeance and redemption. 

The cast for prequel series THE WITCHER: BLOOD ORIGIN continues to grow

Sophia Brown joins as Éile, an elite warrior-turned-nomadic musician who is forced to return to the way of the blade after a grand reckoning on the Continent sends her on a quest for vengeance and redemption pic.twitter.com/mjlhqH4gIM

DICE LA has been hard at work on Battlefield 2042 and with a new project also in the works, it's time for a fresh start for a bright future. That's why the studio has officially rebranded to become Ripple Effect Studios under the leadership of Christian Grass. In addition to the news of the new name, it was also confirmed that the studio will be sharing a first look at the "highly-anticipated next major experience" during EA Play on July 22. 

The studio itself is one that wants to encourage more ideas, more innovation. With Battlefield 2042 bringing back the series to what fans loved most -- freedom -- this team wants to explore new ways to bring creative gaming experiences to the world. “At Ripple Effect Studios, innovation and quality are at the forefront of every project as even the smallest idea can change the world. This is the defining characteristic behind the studio’s new name,” said Grass. “We’re so proud of our work as DICE LA and the DICE team will forever be a part of our DNA, but over the past eight years, we’ve developed our own culture and our own way of doing things. We’re excited to look towards the future, expand the team and establish our own identity.” 

One of several Resident Evil adaptations is now available for all to enjoy. For those excited about Netflix's Resident Evil TV series called Infinite Darkness, now is the time to don those comfy sweatpants once more because the anime is now available to watch on the streaming platform.

Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness is set in the year 2006, two years post-Resident Evil 4. The new show starts off with the U.S. President, Ashley's father, having to evacuate the White House after yet another hostile takeover takes place. In the universe that can't seem to find its chill, fans of the iconic horror series from Capcom have a new adventure to partake in starting today. 

Another event is coming to Red Dead Online with a bevy of features that have been anticipated for quite some time. With new crimes and opportunities, “Blood Money” looks to round out the American cowboy fantasies that players have been yearning for since taking to the American frontier with their posse members. If it wasn’t already obvious, the new event focuses on deviance and criminology as you’ll be helping notorious villains in and around Saint Denis. The available crimes (or new activities) include debt collection, kidnapping, cloak-and-dagger coach holdups, multi-stage robberies, and more. Here’s a synopsis of the backstory:

When Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy was revealed by Eidos-Montréal and Square Enix in June, the trailer made it clear the development team was forging its own path with the story, character design, and gameplay. However, certain elements of the tone many fans know and love from the Marvel Cinematic Universe films are present, including the action, humor, and, perhaps most importantly, the way licensed music from the past permeates the experience. 

As players blast their way through the cosmos, they can expect to hear a fully orchestrated soundtrack. The recording happened at the famed Abbey Road Studios in London, England, with inspiration drawn from John Williams' scores in the Star Wars movies. The notion was to create an accompaniment akin to what you'd hear in a popcorn-style action/adventure movie.

While every track we heard during our gameplay demo was fitting for the action on screen, the licensed tracks are simultaneously show-stealing attention grabbers and perfect complements to the action. Senior audio director Steve Szczepkowski was largely responsible for the licensed tracks appearing in the game. Just as Peter Quill (AKA Star-Lord) makes his own mixtapes in the Marvel Universe, Szczepkowski was essentially able to do the same for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy – with a few caveats.

Genshin Impact update 2.0 will be revealed in an upcoming stream this Friday, July 9. Despite the numbering, this is the direct follow-up to the 1.6 update that went live last month. The announcement will confirm or deny the leaks and rumors surrounding the update’s content, which suggests that fans could be some major additions. 

There’s no official word on what the stream will showcase but the biggest leak points to the introduction of the lnazuma region to the game. Other reports suggest that cross-saving across all platforms is also incoming, a feature currently available between PC and mobile only. Take all of that with a few grains of salt because, again, nothing has been confirmed officially, though it’s probably safe to expect some quality-of-life additions in the general sense. In terms of things we do know about, the Switch version of Genshin Impact is currently in the works (and was recently delayed). There’s a decent chance we could get an update on its status as well.  

According to the Genshin Impact Twitter account, you’ll have to tune into their official Twitch channel to watch the presentation. Those of us in the States will need to set an early alarm because the stream begins at 5 a.m. Pacific/8 a.m. Eastern. If you can’t watch it live, the video will be uploaded to the game’s YouTube channel at 9 a.m. Pacific/12 p.m. Eastern. 

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen and its release date will be fully revealed next month, which is great considering Season of the Splicer is absolutely driving me insane with where the heck the story is going to go next. With Osiris being suspicious as all heck and Lakshmi being ... well, Lakshmi, things in the Last City are far from calm and with the blight taking over the Tower? It's far from over. We're getting ready to take the fight to Savathum it seems. But are we really? 

Bungie took to the Destiny 2 Twitter account to announce when fans can get their first look at the upcoming expansion, the follow up to the current storyline being told in Beyond Light. The showcase is set to go live on August 24, with our first look at expansion artwork below: 

pic.twitter.com/MJatd9B1Vk

Both Titanfall games have become a mainstay in the competitive shooter space. Fluid physics and tight gunplay have kept the servers active long after the incredibly popular Apex Legends catapulted to stardom. However, DDoS attacks constantly plague the Titanfall experience and a group of hackers took it upon themselves to make Respawn more aware of the issue. 

Nobody wants to hear devs complain when DDoS attacks are still a problem we haven't solved. But this article is right.

I was holding my newborn nephew when I found out about the Apex hack. Had to hand him back, go work, and miss out on a day with family.https://t.co/i3sZkrZ760

Why seek human comfort when you could have a gigantic Mountain Dew body pillow instead? That's right; Mountain Dew is taking its marketing to a new, comfortable level with a humongous body pillow modeled after the sugary, high-fueled soft drink. Do you need one? No. Should you get one anyway? Absolutely. And you can do just that now because these comfy pieces of art are going on sale today through the Mountain Dew store (yes, the drink has a store). 

We're nearing the end of a global pandemic, hopefully, and you know what that means? We deserve good things. If the Tali from Mass Effect body pillow that we shared yesterday isn't your thing, do the dew instead: 

Given that this is one of the unofficial-yet-official Gamer Drinks Of Choice™, this meme-able piece of merch is actually kind of cool. Even if not for canoodling like the nice gentleman above. Wrap it around you like a pillow burrito while gaming for comfort, or mount it up on your front door to let your neighbors know you're completely off your rocker. Dealer's choice!