Game Informer

A new Game & Watch system from Nintendo collects the original NES titles The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. But that’s not all! The system also includes the original green-toned Game Boy title The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. But that’s not all! It also includes an original Game & Watch game called Vermin, which looks a lot like Whac-A-Mole; however, this time around Link is the playable character. But that’s not all! It also looks adorable.

Okay, that’s all.

This special Game & Watch is Nintendo’s way of celebrating the Zelda series, which turns 35 this year. The system also has a couple of neat time-keeping features – after all, it’s called a watch for a reason. In addition to playing four games, this Game & Watch features a playtime clock themed after The Legend of Zelda and an interactive timer based on Zelda II. Nintendo did something similar with Mario last year, so it’s cool to see this trend continue.

The Legend of the Zelda is one of Nintendo’s marquee franchises. Not only was it one of the earliest open-world games, but it helped pioneer the action/RPG genre. If you haven’t played these early titles, they might be worth a look, and this new Game & Watch makes them incredibly easy to pick up and play wherever you are.

Ready to fight some more of the hordes of Hell? Of course you are! For those that have lovefor the Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods - Part One DLC, you can now take this adventure on the go with Nintendo Switch. Even better? It arrives today. The E3 2021 Nintendo Showcase showed off a little bit of how this expansion plays on the hybrid console, confirming its arrival.

Arriving today, Doom fans can jump right into the action on the Nintendo Switch. At the time this article was written, The Ancient Gods DLC wasn't showing up in the eShop quite yet, but Nintendo promises that it will be arriving later today. 

Doom Eternal joined the Nintendo Switch library back in December of last year, and it runs pretty well on the portable system. The Switch has continued to surprise fans, in the best way, with its performance and impressive third-party support, so to be able to play the next step in the hellish franchise, and its DLC, is pretty darn cool. 

Need a little refresher on what The Ancient Gods has to offer? Check out the full announcement trailer below from when it was first revealed: 

Players have been clamoring for more info on the Breath of the Wild sequel, and today’s E3 Nintendo Direct finally answered that need. The latest look at the game showed off new powers, curious locations, and lots of action. We still haven't seen an official logo or title, but we certainly have now seen more of the game in motion.

The trailer opens with Link tumbling, skydiver-style, through an open sky, before breaking to a variety of action scenes of Link moving through the game world. Several of the powers shown are especially intriguing, such as one in which he seems to pull himself through the bottom part of a rockface with some sort of portal. We see Link use a flamethrower device against one of his monstrous opponents. In another sequence, he seems to take control of a vast tumbling spiked ball rolling downhill toward him and alter its trajectory. Finally, as the trailer comes to an end, we are treated to a menacing floating citadel in the distance, almost certainly the home of some challenging boss battle we have yet to learn about.

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Wario Ware has made its glorious return in Nintendo’s E3 Direct this morning. WarioWare: Get It Together! features the garlic-eating antagonist along with a ton of “chumps” from previous games in the series. Wario himself narrated the trailer, announcing the game and release date.

Framed as a brand-new game from Wario’s own development company, this new title continues to focus on the micro-games it made famous all the way back on the Game Boy Advance. Classic scenarios are shown, like squeezing a tube of toothpaste, avoiding bird poop, and hitting a Mario Land question-mark block.

A twist this time around brings the WarioWare characters into the micro-games where players must use their different abilities to complete fast-paced objectives. Wario is shown jumping and flying around to complete the various micro-objectives, instead of having to perform simple one or two-button solutions. Each of the playable characters has its own mobility and projectile options based on their personal style and quirks.

Recent games have brought multiplayer into the series and Get It Together! will also allow for friends and family to play along. A two-player mode was demonstrated, with each player controlling a different character in the cast. Whether the mode is designed to be cooperative or competitive is unclear, but the gameplay presented looked like both were possible.

The Danganronpa series is finally making its way to Switch. Danganronpa Decadence bundles four games in one neat, twisted package to celebrate the franchise’s 10th anniversary. Now Switch owners can indulge in the fun of watching an evil bear force high school students into murdering each other. 

The collection includes the three main games in the Danganronpa series. You can also find our original reviews for each right next to them, in case you’d like an idea of what you’re in for and how they stack up. If you're only interested in one or two of these games, Nintendo states that each title in the collection will be sold individually sometime later this year. 

At today’s E3 Nintendo Direct presentation, we finally got a release date for Shin Megami Tensei V. On November 12, players can finally catch a collection of demons all over again. Save the world? Doom it to chaos? Create a bold new order of law? If the other Shin Megami Tensei games are any indicator, we’ll have many of the same systems and structures coming back for another go, this time on the Nintendo Switch.

The Shin Megami Tensei series is actually the parent franchise to Persona, which over the years became more popular. Shin Megami Tensei titles eschew the high-school time mechanics and relationship building of Persona and are more about hardcore dungeon crawling. Fans of Persona will recognize aspects similar to the Velvet Room with things like the Cathedral of Shadows, where players can collect, combine, and assemble a perfect demonic composition in order to take on challenging and often unforgiving battles. The difficulty level of Shin Megami Tensei games is often on the top end of JRPGs, which has led to a bit of a notorious reputation. Clever use of buffs, debuffs, and correct demons for the job makes things easier, but you can’t just mash the attack button to get through them in most cases. 

For years, gamers have grumbled about the dearth of 2D Metroid experiences on home Nintendo consoles. At times, it has seemed like Nintendo simply isn’t paying attention to how much its players love the classic 2D experience of navigating Samus through a vast interconnected 2D world. But all that is set to change this October, when the newly announced Metroid Dread is set to release.

The surprise announcement was part of today's E3 2021 Nintendo Direct, and we saw an extensive trailer showing off some of Samus’ adventures in this new game, which was also informally introduced as “Metroid 5.”

In the game, a focus appeared to be on Samus’ flight away from a large multipedal robotic nemesis, name E.M.M.I., who chases her through the tunnels and pits of the game world. In addition to an increased focus on the fear element implied by the title, the video showed a number of different moves from Samus, from sliding underneath low overhangs, to melee uppercuts against enemies, a wall-climbing ability, and even a black camouflage that hides her from the robot’s scanners. We also saw a variety of big and scary monsters to fight.

The reveal of Metroid Dread is notable on a number of counts. For several years, Nintendo has seemed reticent to put a brand-new, mainline entry in the series on its flagship home console, but Metroid Dread seems to reverse that trend, bringing us the first brand-new story based in a 2D game in approximately 19 years, and it's being built for the Switch.

Today during Nintendo's E3 Direct presentation, the publisher revealed an expansion pass for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, which first released back in 2020. The expansion becomes available in just three days on June 18, Nintendo revealed. 

Called "Pulse Of The Ancients," this is the first wave of two expansions planned for Hyrule Warriors, developer Koei Tecmo's musou game set in the Legend of Zelda universe. A brief trailer unveiled during the Direct showed the expected large-scale battles but also provided glimpses at controllable guardians, new weapons, and even Zelda riding a motorcycle – much like the one added in Breath of the Wild. A splash screen after the trailer expanded on the new additions, revealing the expansion would bring an "Apocalyptic" difficulty, new challenges in the Royal Ancient Lab, and new enemies, such as higher-ranking Wizzrobes and a Giant Chuchu.

Check out the new trailer in full below:

Today’s Nintendo Direct kicked off with the announcement of a new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fighter. Kazuya Mishima of Tekken fame is making his way into the crossover fighter, and he’s got a volcano big enough to toss all of his victims into. 

Kazuya is one of Tekken’s most popular and longest tenured characters, appearing in most of the mainline entries. He’s generally regarded as a villain, and if you don’t think he is, his menacing red eye, evil cackle, and ability to transform into a literal demon would prove otherwise. His moveset appears largely identical to his Tekken arsenal but has been translated to fit the style of Smash, of course. Kazuya can also utilize his powerful devil form to wipe the floor with his opponents. Check out the trailer below.

The reveal trailer shows him taking his iron fist to Smash’s many opponents, including his own father, the equally villainous Heihachi Mishima. This likely confirms that Heihachi will serve as an echo fighter to Kazuya. I’m most excited to pit Kazuya against Ryu and Ken to renew their Street Fighter X Tekken rivalry (but not Tekken X Street Fighter. That would be ridiculous). 

Today during Nintendo's E3 Direct presentation, it was revealed that Marvel's Guardians of The Galaxy would also be coming to Nintendo Switch alongside other platforms. The game was first revealed just two days ago on June 13 at Square Enix's E3 presentation and is Game Informer's newest cover story. 

Guardians of the Galaxy made only a brief appearance during Nintendo's presentation, but we do know that the game is launching on the Switch the same day and date as other consoles and platforms – October 26. There was no word on whether or not the game would be available via cloud streaming or not – as has been the case with some other triple-A games released on the system, such as IO Interactive's recent Hitman trilogy and Remedy Entertainment's Control. 

Get ready to get that competitive spirit out, friends, because Nintendo's E3 2021 showcase has revealed that Mario Party Superstars is set to arrive later this year. Revealed during the Nintendo showcase, Mario Party Superstars delivers an experience that respects the franchise's past in the best way possible. 

The upcoming Mario Party title will include over 100 minigames from the entire catalog. Mario Party Superstars arrives on October 29, and we got our first look with the clip below: 

#MarioParty Superstars arrives on #NintendoSwitch, 10/29! Enjoy 5 boards from the Nintendo 64 era & 100 minigames from the series catalog – all of which can be played with button controls. Plus, all game modes work with online play!

Pre-order: https://t.co/4HJ3nStiWW pic.twitter.com/ocw1Z407Qe

Just in time for Super Monkey Ball’s 20th anniversary, Sega is releasing a collection of Super Monkey Ball games for the Switch. This collection includes remastered versions of Super Monkey Ball, Super Monkey Ball 2, and Super Monkey Ball Deluxe. These are widely considered some of the best games featuring monkeys in balls.

If you’re not familiar with the series, the original Super Monkey Ball was originally released for arcades in Japan but was ported to the Nintendo GameCube in 2001. The game is fairly simple: you control a monkey who is trapped in a clear ball and you must navigate them across a series of odd stages and help them collect bananas (if I know anything about monkeys it’s that when they see a banana they must run after it). That first game, and its sequel, were both surprise hits. They were also surprisingly engrossing and packed with fun minigames, which made them great for groups of friends.

Interestingly, this isn’t the first time that Sega has bundled the first two games together. In 2005, the company released Super Monkey Ball Deluxe for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. However, this bundle also included a handful of original levels. Sega is marketing Banana Mania as a collection of the first three Monkey Ball games, but it’s worth noting that Deluxe wasn’t wholly original. Thankfully, Banana Mania will also include the additional content originally featured in Deluxe.

Everybody's favorite blueberry is back and by the goddess, this is a nifty collectible. The BioWare Store officially debuted two versions of the Liara T'Soni collectible figure, much like it did with Garrus Vakarian. Fans of the space franchise can opt into the fully colored version or the prototype version, the latter being limited to just 250 units. 

BioWare teased this statue prior to the launch of the Mass Effect Legendary Edition earlier this year, giving fans of the wide-eyed Asari a chance to celebrate their love for this character: 

Welcome an Asari archaeologist and Prothean expert to your squad with the @MassEffect Liara T’Soni Collectible Statue 💙 https://t.co/u8zlGPztOM

Limited to only 2,000 pieces worldwide. pic.twitter.com/RyAvEuIjhy

Netflix announced its new live-action Assassin's Creed TV series back in October of last year, a live-action story that goes beyond the limitations of film. With E3 2021 in full force, the streaming company has revealed quite a bit about its upcoming anime and TV line-up, including a new update about the Assassin's Creed TV series. 

Another name has been added to the Assassin's Creed TV series, this time with Jeb Stuart of Die Hard fame as the show's writer. In a new report from Variety, Stuart is joining the creative team on this new endavor, flanked by Jason Altman and Danielle Kreinik as the show's executive producers. 

Stuart is the perfect person to pen this new take, especially when looking at his work on Netflix's Vikings: Valhalla, a spinoff from the hit History Channel Vikings series. Funnily enough, the Assassin's Creed franchise itself has gone the Viking route with a game under the same name with Valhalla. 

A decade ago, Wayforward attempted to freshen up the dormant BloodRayne franchise by reimagining it as a 2D side-scrolling action game, BloodRayne: Betrayal. While it didn’t result in a comeback for a series, it offered a competent, if not challenging, reinvention (here’s our review). Fast-forward to today, and Wayforward is dusting off Rayne’s final outing to date for another chance in the spotlight. 

BloodRayne Betrayal: Fresh Bites upgrades the 2011 title in more ways than one. The vibrant 2D visuals pop even more thanks to an increased resolution up to 4K. The game will also sport other non-specific modern features, and Wayforward has squashed bugs present in the original game. Furthermore, the voice-acting has been re-recorded with original cast members Laura Bailey and Troy Baker reprising their roles as Rayne and Kagan, respectively. 

Perhaps the best news is the new difficulty rebalancing. Betrayal was commonly criticized for being too punishing for its own good, so Fresh Bites rebalances the game to make it more approachable. If you’re a skilled player/masochist that enjoyed that higher challenge, don’t worry; you can still play Betrayal with its original difficulty setting. See the remaster in action in the trailer below.

Back 4 Blood is essentially the Left 4 Dead 3 experience we've been hoping for. The same team that created Left 4 Dead is back with a new co-op experience (and no, the creator doesn't mind the constant Left 4 Dead tie-ins either, he told us himself!). We know that there are no microtransactions regarding the cards, we know about the PvP element, but now Turtle Rock is clearing up a few questions about how DLC will work, especially with a game that is reliant upon other players. 

In a recent update, the studio offered another inside look at what Back 4 Blood will have to offer. Taking to a few frequently asked questions, Turtle Rock clarified how paid content will work in relation to maps and the campaign. The short answer? "No separation, no exclusion, no split." The slightly longer answer goes a little more in-depth about this particular concern. 

Regarding DLC, Turtle Rock explains, "In PvE, if your party leader owns a paid content drop, you will be able to play that content with them - including maps, gameplay, and the campaign." 

The topic of content drops always raises some alarm within the community when looking at PvP, so the studio elaborated: 

When you are out shopping, Xbox game cases are easily identifiable from their green color, a design Microsoft has used since the first Xbox console launched in 2001. At this current time, almost every Xbox game that is released is cross generational, meaning it will work on your old Xbox One or your new Xbox Series X or S. As we move forward in time, the Xbox One will eventually be phased out by most developers and publishers.

Through a subtle box art redesign, Microsoft is making it easier to see which systems games are compatible for. On the boxes you see now, the name "Xbox" is front and center, followed by a smaller tag that lists the systems. On the new box, the name "Xbox" is gone, and the systems are now the first thing you see in a new white box.

The original box art design:

The New Box Art Design:

Well, friends, it's that time of year again. The digital convention center is closing, and while you don't have to leave, you sure as hell can't stay here. E3 2021 is almost over, but that doesn't mean we're quite done yet. Not when the Big N hasn't had its turn in the digital spotlight. Nintendo is presenting around 40 minutes of new info on its 2021 slate of games and beyond, and you bet your sweet bippy we're going to be there to react alongside you.

Join The Council of Alexes (Van Aken and Stadnik) for one last ride as they get hyped once more for one of the biggest press conferences of the year. The fun kicks off at 10:45 exclusively on Twitch, and we'd love for you to join us to react to all the reveals, news, and hopefully The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2!

So, we heard you liked games. Well, good, because Xbox is making a whopping 40 games available to play right now as Early Access demos as part of Geoff Keighley's ongoing Summer Game Fest. Thanks to ID@Xbox, the Summer Game Demo Fest highlights indie treasures that deserve some major love, including one game that features adorable kittens (who doesn't like kittens?). 

The ID@Xbox Summer Game Demo Fest is going on from now until July 21 and offers gamers a chance to check out titles that may interest them. Maybe even to step out of their box and try out something new, as well! In addition to the demo access, ID@Xbox's Jessica Ronnell also revealed 12 newly announced games that are coming to the Xbox library: 

• Arietta of Spirits (Third Spirit Games)
• BattleCakes (Volcano Bean)
• Button City (Subliminal)
• Catlateral Damage: Remeowstered (Manekoware)
• Dreamers (PlaySys)
• Faraday Protocol (Red Koi Box)
• Get Packed: Fully Loaded (Coatsink)
• Paint the Town Red (South East Games)
• Tanknarok (Polyblock Studio)
• The Strange Story Of Brian Fisher: Chapter 2 (Intetic)
• The Tale of Bistun (Black Cube Games)
• Wreck Out (Four5Six)

For the full list of new games coming to Xbox, check out the complete list below:

The Forgotten City is an intriguing project that’s garnered more and more excitement during its four years of development. The game began life as an award-winning Skyrim mod created by modder Nick Pearce that blew up into its own, standalone title. Now the game is a month away from release, and a new trailer provides an overview of its murder mystery premise while showing off how far it's come overall.   

The game’s hook centers on your custom-made protagonist being transported thousands of years into the past to a secret underground Roman city. This ancient society is governed by a mysterious “golden rule” which mandates that if just one person sins, a divine cataclysm will befall the populace. The problem: someone is about to break that rule, and it’s up to you to discover who and save the city from disaster. 

Thanks to a mysterious time loop, players will constantly relive the city’s final moments before the golden rule is inevitably broken. Nailing down the culprit depends upon using the information gleaned by interacting with the city’s 23 residents to find clues pointing towards the soon-to-be-killer. Of course, you’ll also get wrapped up in citizens' own personal troubles. When you die, you’ll use any knowledge gained to make different, hopefully better choices the next go around and alter the course of events. 

For those curious about how the Halo Infinite Battle Pass works, here is a simple breakdown of what's ahead. What immediately sticks out, and is worth noting, is that unlike other Battle Passes on the market, Infinite's never expires. With details now available, there is a hope that 343's take on the Battle Pass system will set a new standard for the industry going forward. 

Battle Passes are all the craze; a mechanic used to provide an additional incentive to keep players involved and invested within live-service games and the ecosystems they create. With an extensive new look at Halo Infinite, both in terms of a new story trailer and multiplayer gameplay, 343 Industries has also given interested players a look into how the studio is adapting Battle Pass in a way that honestly should be the norm. 

Discussion on whether or not Battle Passes should even be a thing aside, 343's approach is that access shouldn't expire. The reason this game will have a Battle Pass at all is that the multiplayer is free-to-play, so this is a monetization model for those that just opt into the online experience. In the video below, the studio outlined what Halo fans can expect from Infinite's multiplayer experience, including that of cosmetic items and access to them. 

Netflix is not messing around when it comes to its anime and gaming initiatives. With adaptations like Dota, Resident Evil, Castlevania, and more, it's clear that the streaming service is all-in on "geek culture," as it markets this branch, and that includes even more The Witcher on the horizon. With the live-action The Witcher season 2 coming soon and the prequel well underway, there is yet another Polish-inspired adaptation in the works and that's with Netflix's The Witcher anime called Nightmare of the Wolf. 

This morning, on June 15, Netflix shared more details about its upcoming anime plans with a spotlight focused on The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf. 

It can be said that many Witcher fans were made that way thanks to CD Projekt Red's gaming adaptations, the novels that inspired that series, written by Andrzej Sapkowski, offer a much bigger world beyond the games. The live-action series takes place within the book settings as a sort of prequel, but Nightmare of the Wolf aims to take a different approach, this time focuses on a different witcher beyond Geralt of Rivia. 

Shortly after the game's launch, Cyberpunk 2077 was pulled from the PlayStation Store back on December 17, 2020. The reason for the pull was that the quality of the open-world RPG was incredibly low compared to the PC version of the game. On last-gen consoles, namely the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, Cyberpunk 2077 was near unplayable for many. This caused Sony to quickly act, swiftly removing Cyberpunk 2077 from the PS Store and immediately offering refunds. Team Blue told CD Projekt Red that the game could return only when enough progress has been made to ensure the quality of the game was close to what was promised. It looks like all of those updates have finally paid off, because the CDPR staple has returned, though there are some weird stipulations surrounding its listing. 

If you search for Cyberpunk 2077, as spotted by IGN, you can find the sci-fi RPG in the PS Store. Though it has the tag "Just Announced" attached to it, this is the same game that released late last year. If you already own a digital copy of the game, you can simply redownload it. If you were among those that chose to wait until a few updates went through, you can simply add it to your wishlist .

Many of you play Pokémon Go every day; others are enchanted by Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. Later this year, Niantic is inviting you to another augmented reality experience for mobile devices. In Transformers: Heavy Metal, you team up with the Autobots to uncover hidden areas on Earth that contain valuable resources. Standing in your way are those pesky Decepticons.

Niantic and developer Very Very Spaceship aren't sharing many details about Heavy Metal at this time, but did reveal the game will have turn-based battles that you can tackle on your own or with friends. From that comment, there's a chance these battles are designed in a similar way to Pokémon Go's raid system, which allows for low-level battles to be completed by one or two people, but the harder enemies require an entire team.

All players are a part of a group called the Guardian Network, which is working with the Autobots. Optimus Prime and Bumblebee are obviously two of the characters you'll interact with in some capacity. Skywarp and Shadow Striker are two the Decepticons, which are likely led by Megatron. Niantic and Very Very Spaceship are partnering with Hasbro and TOMY to bring these beloved robots in disguise to life.

We're still riding high on the E3 2021 Elden Ring reveal. There was so much to unpack with the full gameplayer trailer, and now we're learning even more. First, we learned a little bit about the game's co-op. Then we got some new insight into the open world. Now? Now it's time for the Spirit Body companions to have their time in the spotlight. 

What are Spirit Body companions in Elden Ring? 

In a recent Famitsu interview with Hidetaka Miyazaki, he confirmed that Elden Ring players can summon what is called a Spirit Body. These spectral beings are pretty useful; they can help you when you're in a tight spot mid-combat. If this feels new to fans of Bloodborne and Dark Souls, that's because it is. These companions are completely on your side and, at least according to the translation from Japanese, can be commanded to perform certain roles. 

Miyazaki also confirmed that these spirits are actually the spirits of fallen enemies, so it's like a one-two punch of complete destruction. Not only have you killed them, but you're also making them essentially do your bidding. Nice. 

Today during Capcom's E3 presentation, Capcom confirmed it was working on DLC for the recently-released Resident Evil Village – but didn't say much else. 

VIllage's producer, Tsuyoshi Kanda, delivered the news. As of right now, aside from knowing it's being made, we know nothing about the upcoming DLC's gameplay, story, characters, setting, or otherwise. 

"By popular demand, development has just started on additional DLC for Resident Evil Village," Capcom said in the video, following Kanda's presentation. 

While we don't know anything about Village's DLC just yet, it's worth keeping in mind Resident Evil 7: Biohazard – Village's direct predecessor, released in 2017 – received numerous content drops expanding on the story and lore of the game's central narrative. It also allowed players to assume the roles of characters other than protagonist Ethan Winters, including series mainstay Chris Redfield and newcomer Joe Baker. Whether Village receives similar treatment, time will tell. 

Let us engage in the art of deduction, shall we? Capcom's E3 2021 showcase kicked off with an extensive new look at the upcoming Great Ace Attorney Chronicles collection, showing off new features, more about the characters, and the ever-present power of OBJECTION!

The newest adventure arrives on July 27, 2021, and we've got a hearty first look at what is in store. For those that may need a little catching up, Chronicles is a collection of the previous Great Ace Attorney titles that were limited to just a Japan release. This includes The Great Ace Attorney Adventures, which launched in 2015, and The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve. Between these two games, we've got ten cases to work through and eight escapades to enjoy. 

Capcom is less than a month away from releasing Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, and it had more to show off from the game in today’s E3 showcase.

First, a new trailer was unveiled for the game, different from the one shown at the Summer Game Fest opening ceremony on Thursday. It’s a great watch for a synopsis of what to expect in the story, as well as a look at the gameplay.

The big news came after the trailer, though: a trial for Monster Hunter Stories 2 is coming on June 25, which will carry over your save progress to the full game when it launches a few weeks later. It was not said whether this trial version is coming to PC as well as Switch. Capcom also revealed its first free content update for the game which brings Monster Hunter Rise’s canine companion the Palamute over as a new Monstie to use in battle.

Wings of Ruin follows the descendant of a legendary monster rider who is bestowed a special Rathalos egg. The creature inside is known as Razewing Ratha, which legends say can cause the world to burn with just the beat of its wings.

The E3 2021 announcements continue with today's Capcom Showcase, which we already know will be revealing new looks at Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin and The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. Additionally, Capcom has confirmed we'll see Resident Evil Village and Monster Hunter Rise in some regard. Of course, it wouldn't be E3 without a few surprises, so join Alex Stadnik, Marcus Stewart, and yours truly for a Capcom Showcase watch along beginning at 4:15 p.m. Central over on the Game Informer Twitch Page.

Resident Evil fans could potentially have a lot to be excited about. According to a Capcom leak back in November, the team is hard at work on several new projects related to the classic horror series. Resident Evil 4 is apparently getting the same makeover treatment as the Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes. According to the leaks, a Resident Evil Village multiplayer component is in development that could bring battle royale offerings to the game.

Gary McKay has offiically been named the permanent BioWare studio general manager following the departure of Casey Hudson. He stepped into an interim role following Hudson's departure and after careful deliberation, he's staying in this role going forward. 

McKay joined the BioWare family back in January of last year as the head of development operations. In December, he was brought in to be the acting generation manager until this point where it has become something a little more permanent. “I started my career in the industry with EA back in 1998,” he said in a statement about his new role, “and it was so exciting to see the studio and company grow in the early days. I spent the next seven years with EA before moving on. But now you could say I’ve come full circle.”

“I’m so grateful for this opportunity,” he added. “When you spend over 20 years in the industry, there are a small handful of studios on your bucket list in terms of teams you’d want to work with — and BioWare is at the top of my list. This studio is unique in that it has an incredible history of building critically successful games and universes that are truly beloved by so many fans. For me, success is all about rebuilding that reputation, and delivering on that promise of quality.” 

With the Nintendo E3 2021 showcase set for this Tuesday, June 15, I can't help but to think about what I'd want to see the Big N share. With so many Legend of Zelda fans begging for Breath of the Wild 2 news, I put together a very serious, very hardcore wish list for what I'd like to see in the sequel. And by that, I mean a chance for me to call Nintendo cowards for not letting Zelda be playable and to talk about shark himbos. 

So anyway, here's what I want from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 outside of a working title. 

Halo Infinite has a lot riding on it. 2020 was a rough year for the franchise, as the reveal of the hotly-anticipated Xbox exclusive failed to wow the internet at large, and developer 343 Industries decided it needed more time and delayed the title until 2021. But while there's still plenty to prove before we get our hands on the game later this year, Halo Infinite's re-reveal at this year's E3 has us singing a much different tune.

Xbox smartly showed off its newly announced free-to-play multiplayer suite featuring everyone's favorite 1,000 pound Spartans (look it up) in an exciting new trailer as part of its E3 Showcase. As with every trailer, there are plenty of details to pour over, and we've done just that.

Join Alex Van Aken, Liana Ruppert, and Alex Stadnik as they break down the new Halo Infinite multiplayer trailer frame by frame and highlight the details you may have missed from your first viewing! We also fill you in with some of the new updates surrounding the game, including battle pass info, how the returning equipment will work, and more!

Last year’s PC Gaming Show teased the reveal of Icarus, a new survival game by DayZ creator, Dean Hall and his team RocketWerkz. We were treated to the full reveal back in April, and during this year's PC Gaming Show we learned that Icarus is launching this August.

Icarus is a survival game with a twist. Up to eight players drop together from space on an Earth-like planet to mine exotic resources, build settlements, and complete objectives. You’ll also have to contend with local wildlife and the elements themselves. Icarus’ main hook is that it’s session-based. You can only stay on the planet for a limited time (hours, days, or weeks depending on the mission) before you and your crew have to return to orbit, bringing along any valuables you find. Stay too long, and you lose everything for good. 

Once you return, you can craft new tech and upgrade your characters to make them stronger and, thus, able to survive longer and tackle bigger challenges during the next drop. This creates a uniquely looping sense of progression. Check out the latest gameplay trailer from the PC Gaming Show below.

Bethesda is known for hiding things in plain sight. It's because of that little insight that Elder Scrolls 6 hopefuls are pouring over every detail in the recent Starfield trailer shown during the Xbox-Bethesda E3 2021 showcase. There have been many rumors and fan theories about where The Elder Scrolls 6 will take us and, according to the most recent fan theory, the previous Hammerfall predictions could be more spot-on than originally anticipated. 

Before we continue, it's important to remember that this is 'just' fan speculation. E3 is about celebrating games and new announcements, and sometimes that excitement sparks the theorizing part of the community's collective. It's all in good fun, nothing official, but worth exploring for those itching to talk about what they are most hopeful for with the next iteration of The Elder Scrolls franchise. 

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[Update]: June 15, 2021, 7:25 a.m. Central - The official Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin Twitter account has confirmed that the issue blocking access to the trial version has been resolved. Original story below. 

Stranger Of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin undoubtedly made a big splash during the Square Enix E3 showcase. The company chose to close the show by featuring several more Final Fantasy experiences following the reveal of what's new in Marvel. Whether people liked the action-focused combat or dunked on the trailer’s script, it has been a big topic on social media since the showcase ended. Square Enix wanted to get the game in the hands of fans at home, but the themes of chaos from Final Fantasy Origin have plagued these plans.

Announced in the trailer, a demo was set to hit PlayStation 5 soon after the new title was revealed. A short time later, folks were able to download the demo which clocks in at 11.39 GB. Unfortunately when going to launch the trial version, an error popped up with the following message: “can’t continue using this game or app. The data is corrupted. Delete it from your PS5, and then download it again from your library.” After uninstalling and reinstalling close to ten times over the past 18 hours, I have personally found this isn’t the fix we’re looking for.

2018’s Far: Lone Sails is getting a sequel, and it’s arriving in just a few months. Far: Changing Tides debuted during the PC Gaming Show and, as the name suggests, this time players will be sailing the seas instead of the sands. 

As Toe, you’ll pilot an abandoned ship across a flooded landscape searching for answers as to what happened to your home. Like the first game, your slapped together, Jules Verne-esque vessel doubles as your home and can be upgraded to better withstand violent storms and other threats. You can also dive into the depths in search of salvage, fuel, relics, and solutions to new types of obstacles. 

Changing Tides maintains the lonely, meditative vibe of its predecessor. That extends to the soundtrack, composed once again by Joel Schoch. Of course, fans of the first game can expect to grow attached to their ship all over again. 

We enjoyed Far: Lone Sails which is why news of a sequel is a pleasant surprise. It wasn’t perfect, but it offered a memorable and novel experience that built a great foundation for a follow-up to improve upon. As former GI editor Kyle Hilliard said in his review: 

Two Point Hospital charmed us when it launched in 2018, but there was certainly room for improvement. However, three years and 20 free updates later, the hospital-management sim is in much better shape than it was at launch. Still, Two Point Studios wanted to improve upon that formula with its next entry in the Two Point County series, Two Point Campus.

Elden Ring game director Hidetaka Mizayaki revealed some of the elements that are going into making Elden Ring From Software’s most ambitious dark fantasy action RPG to date. The realm that players explore in Elden Ring is known as The Lands Between, and was created in collaboration with George R.R. Martin of A Song of Ice and Fire fame. While Martin’s work may be best known today for the popular Game of Thrones series, he also was instrumental in crafting the history of the world of Elden Ring.

However, ever since we learned that Elden Ring would be a sort of Soulsian open world endeavor, the question remained - how on earth would that work, when the Souls games, Bloodborne, and even Sekiro have such carefully curated level design that funnels the player into carefully placed foes, traps, bosses, and breathtaking sights?

Sure, the internet was going nuts about the Big Tall Vampire with Lady Dimitrescu, but let's not also forget about poor Ethan Winters' hands. Both in Resident Evil 7 and Village, Capcom just loves putting Ethan's digits through the ringer, but modders are bringing the character (and his hands) the love that devs won't. That's right, there's a Resident Evil Village mod that gives Ethan back his hands. Lord knows he's been through enough...

In Resident Evil Village, Ethan loses his fingers, his hand, and his sanity. Maybe not so much that last part, but the former point is absolutely true. I don't know what Capcom hates about Ethan particularly, but the poor boy has gone through enough. That's where this Resident Evil Village mod comes in. 

The mod itself is simple (and just for PC, as console mods are still largely limited to just Bethesda titles). It gives back Ethan's chewed-up fingers that he loses pretty early on in the game. Is this a mind-blowing mod? Nah. Did I enjoy writing it because Ethan gets too much hate? Yah. 

For those interested, you can download this restorative experience right here through Nexus Mods. 

Xbox went into its E3 2021 swinging by kicking off its live stream event alongside Bethesda with our first real look at Starfield. The new IP from Bethesda is a fresh start for the company that gave us Fallout and Elder Scrolls, especially when looking at its use of a different engine. While the trailer shown gives us a glimpse at the exploratory scope of this new game, Bethesda had a pretty interesting comparison when describing what Starfield's experience is all about. Any Indiana Jones or Star Wars fans reading this? Yes? Good. 

In a recent interview with The Washington Post, Bethesda's Ashley Cheng mentioned that this is basically one giant Star Wars-like experience. "For me, Starfield is the Han Solo simulator. Get in a ship, explore the galaxy, do fun stuff." Bethesda's Todd Howard chimed in when chatting with The Telegraph with his own comparison, saying that it's "NASA meets Indiana Jones meets the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen." 

Nice.