Game Informer

Xbox Game Pass continues to evolve every month, and Microsoft recently detailed how Xbox is looking to expand in the future. With TV integration on the way and more development between the console and PC side of gaming, the Xbox Game Pass is another facet of the Team Green ecosystem growth. That being said, we all need more Yakuza, and that's what we have with the newest addition to Xbox Game Pass: Yakuza Like a Dragon.

Bethesda joined up with Xbox on the main stage this year after the ZeniMax acquisition to share what's store with its franchises, but Microsoft also dedicated some time to talk more about its membership service with Game Pass. For those ready to get gaming now, Yakuza: Like a Dragon joins the rest of the Yakuza mainstay titles on Xbox Game Pass today. No additional cost, no hoops to jump through. If you have Xbox Game Pass, congrats! You now have the best spinoff ever! 

We interrupt your normally scheduled podcast to talk about anything and everything that is happening during day one of E3 2021, which includes Rainbow 6 Extraction, Rocksmith+, Rider’s Republic, Rainbox Six Siege, Far Cry 6, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, and Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora. 

Brawlhalla fans, get ready to hang ten, eat pizza, and kick butt because the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are joining the fray. Ubisoft announced during today’s Forward presentation that Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo will invade the free-to-play fighter today. 

Couple today's news with the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge, and it looks like the Turtles are making a video game comeback of sorts.  TMNT serves as the latest crossover event to hit Brawlhalla, a game that has previously featured a who’s who of guest appearances from across video games, movies, TV, and comics. Hellboy, Shovel Knight, WWE, Tomb Raider, Adventure Time. You name it, odds are it’s appeared in Brawlhalla. That’s not to discount the 50 or so original fighters already present in the game.

The Smash Bros. style fighter has been a popular destination since launching in 2017 thanks to its entertaining gameplay and, of course, widespread availability.  The game pits up to eight players against each other in over-the-top battles where the goal is to send your foe flying off the stage. Ubisoft acquired Brawlhalla developer Blue Mammoth Games in 2018, bringing the game under its umbrella. Brawhalla is available now on PlayStation and Xbox consoles, Switch, PC, as well as iOS and Android. 

A new Far Cry 6 story-based trailer was showcased during the Ubisoft Forward conference today. We already know about the “Amigos For Hire” mechanics as well as how players can craft wacky gear and weapons to transform into one-person-armies. What we don’t have a lot of insight into is protagonist Dani Rojas and the menacing dictator that rules over the island of Yara with a cruel fist, Antón Castillo, who is played by Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul). 

James Cameron’s Avatar hit theaters way back in 2009, featuring some groundbreaking special effects and 3D tech, and became one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. And while it was certainly lesser known, Ubisoft partnered with the franchise to release an accompanying game that same year. Despite the long time that has passed since that original partnership, it appears that the two teams continue to be working with each other, as today brought the announcement of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.

The new game is a first-person action-adventure in which players take on the role of a Na’vi as they journey across a place in Pandora called the Western Frontier. There, you interact with a wide variety of creatures from the strange alien planet, as well as fight back against the human RDA forces that threaten to despoil the pristine wilderness.

Frontiers of Pandora is being developed by Massive Entertainment, and the game is using the latest version of the Snowdrop Engine, which makes sense, as that same engine powered The Division 2, which was also developed by Massive. With a game this big, you can bet it’s also being developed in partnership with the cinematic teams at Lightstorm Entertainment and Disney.

Earlier today, news leaked that a new Mario + Rabbids game was in the works, and Ubisoft officially announced the project during its E3 2021 showcase. The trailer shows Mario and gang flying through space before landing on a planet full of baddies, which includes a giant purple tentacle monster called Cursa.

Sparks of Hope is the sequel to Ubisoft’s 2017 release Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, a fun and approachable tactics game that released on the Switch. The franchise sounds like an April fools joke that got out of hand, but the original title was actually really fun and full of surprisingly deep strategy.

Like the original game, Sparks of Hope is a strategy game in the vein of titles like Firaxis’ XCOM: Enemy Unknown. We didn’t get a detailed look at the gameplay, but it seems like players will take turns moving their heroes across the battlefield and dishing out a variety attacks.

Rainbow Six Extraction, formerly known as Quarantine, just dropped new gameplay for fans to enjoy during E3 2021. The latest look at the upcoming Ubisoft title shows off a look at the Incursions, as well as Rainbow Six Extraction release date information. 

First things first, when is Extraction dropping? Rainbow Six Extraction will be available on September 16. That gives the title a little bit of breathing room before the holiday season boom, providing players a chance to go up against a rising threat. Take a look at the latest Rainbow Six Extraction trailer below: 

With this game, players will need to team up and work cooperatively in order to defeat the hordes of enemies that are there to stop you from completing your mission. In this instance, you're having to dive deep into the bowels of danger in order to extract (see what we did there) a missing operator. Getting to them is no easy feat, however, and it's up to players to communicate with one another to beat past various enemy types in order to recover the MIA operative in action. 

Rainbow Six Extraction has been on the minds of gamers for a long time. First revealed as Rainbow Six Quarantine, the follow-up to Siege has been a mystery as to what fans can expect from this new PvE experience. Today as part of E3 2021, publisher Ubisoft is finally pulling back the curtain on its latest project, and shooter fans worldwide should be excited.

Join the Council of Alexes (Van Aken and Stadnik) as they take you on a tour of this new three-player experience on this episode of New Gameplay Today. Players will fill the shoes of some of their favorite (or underrated) operators from the previous Siege title as they battle the dredges of this world. Fans can expect a very similar tactical experience to that of the aforementioned predecessor as your squad will be tasked with infiltrating infested maps and try to survive as long as possible.

But what happens if you fail? When you die in a match, your operator actually becomes unavailable to you. Later, at the game's discretion, that character will show up on the map, trapped and in need of a rescue. If you're successful in your extraction, operators such as Sledge will be playable once more, but if not, you'll just have to keep trying until you can get them out of harm's way.

Rainbow Six Siege is celebrating six years of operation as we head into E3 2021. While no major revelations happened today in terms of new operators, maps, equipment, or competitive play,  a few updates are likely to be highly significant for the community, both existing players and new prospects.

On June 30, Rainbow Six Siege goes cross-platform, with cross-progression on PC, Luna, and Stadia, allowing players to interact with each other on these services and platforms as well as keep their progress when they travel from one to another. This is a big deal, but the bigger deal arrives in early 2022.

Early 2022 brings cross-play between the Xbox and PlayStation platforms as well as cross-progression across all platforms. Basically, in early 2022, you can finally play Siege anywhere with almost anyone, and retain all of your progress as you move from platform to platform. While that’s a ways off, it should have a profound impact on the game and its players when it arrives.

Far Cry 6 has several different options for players to choose from, including a pretty sweet collector's edition, but what about digital bonuses for those looking for something a little extra? During E3 2021's Ubisoft forward showcase, we got our first look what the Far Cry 6 Season Pass will have to offer. 

The trailer for the Far Cry 6 Season Pass includes how Ubisoft is bringing back familiar baddies from the series' past, including Joseph from Far Cry 5, Pagan Min from Far Cry 4, and Vaas "the definition of insanity" from Far Cry 3. The kicker? You won't be fighting these foes again, you'll be playing as them. 

"The mind is dangerous," reads the above trailer, showing off an incredibly dark sequence of events when we become those we hate, the ones we've killed in the past. It's pretty wild, and honestly? Maybe I'm alone, but it gave me chills seeing Joseph and Vaas again. Take a look at the trailer below and see for yourself: 

During the E3 2021 Ubisoft Forward showcase, the studio confirmed a ton of good news for Assassin's Creed fans, including continued support well into the game's second year. With players already enjoying the current Wrath of the Druids DLC, Ubisoft also confirmed that the next expansion takes a different turn with Siege of Paris. 

The Siege of Paris expansion drops sometime this Summer and will include a new storyline and new gear to earn. Check out our first look in the video below, as well as an inside look into future content plans and more on the Discovery Tour: 

Discovery Tour will be coming this Fall, allowing players to dive deep into the history of the Viking age. Much like previous installments, players can safely transverse this world while learning all about the history that plays an important role in Assassin's Creed Valhalla's storyline. 

During Ubisoft's E3 presentation, the publisher announced it's getting back in the guitar tutorial business with Rocksmith+. This new version of the decade-old franchise was given ample spotlight during the live stream, as Ubisoft San Francisco explained how is transforming it from a standalone product into a robust subscription service.

Arthur Von Nagel, a Ubisoft producer, discussed some of the enhancements and changes coming to Rocksmith+. He noted how aspiring musicians can learn to play guitar or bass by connecting their instrument of choice to a PC, console, or mobile device. Because Rocksmith+ is able to use your phone as a microphone, acoustic guitar players and those using electric guitars with amplifiers can play without additional equipment. The appropriate app is all that’s needed to be downloaded on a mobile device and synced to whichever platform the user chooses.

The music library was described as having “a huge amount of songs at launch,” featuring master recording and will grow each week with “new, authentic arrangements.” Genres mentioned in the presentation include pop, hip-hop, country, R&B, Latin, and metal subgenres. “It’s the most diverse song library ever seen in music learning software,” claims Nagel. There’s even going to be a way for users to create and add their own arrangements using a new tool called Rocksmith Workshop.

Today during the Ubisoft E3 Showcase, the open-world action sports game Riders Republic made an appearance, showing off various game modes alongside a hub where players can take on missions, check in-game news, and more. Registration for a multiplayer beta was also announced. 

A new snowboarding game mode was also unveiled, requiring players to trick over obstacles to change their colors to correspond with the team's color. 

The trailer showcased various different terrains and sports that will be available in Riders Republic – including snow-capped snowboarding and skiing courses, deep chasms for wingsuit and parachute racing, and desert mountains for BMX races. Ubisoft closed out the trailer promising more sports, courses, and game modes, but didn't specify what they were or when we'd learn more. Registration for the game's beta was also announced, but the publisher didn't say when that would go live. 

You can see the new trailer in full below:

Xbox and Bethesda are here for E3 2021 and among the announcements is a new look at Halo Infinite. Following the previous Infinite gameplay reveal before the launch of the Xbox Series X and S, 343 Industries shared an extensive Halo Infinite gameplay trailer. Unfortunately, not everyone was happy with what they saw, so the studio decided on a delay to polish up the experience. Now, thanks to E3, we have our first look at what work has been done to make Halo Infinite something beautiful.

In the video below, we can see updated visuals from the last look we've had. The environments surrounding Master Chief look much more detailed, which was one of the critiques from the first gameplay. We also see an incredibly dramatic experience, including the confirmation that Cortana is permanently deleted. Things aren't going exactly as planned with deletion routines with A.I., and something is amiss. The mission has changed, and it's up to Master Chief to get to the bottom of it. 

We also had an extensive look into Halo Infinite's multiplayer, which can be seen here, as well as the confirmation that MP and the main story campaign will ship together, despite rumors to the contrary. 

Can you feel that excitement? E3 2021 is in full force, and the hype train continues today with the house of Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Sam Fisher crossovers no one asked for. Outside of a little bit of projection there, we are so excited to watch this year's Ubisoft Forward digital event with the GI Community.

The Council of Alexes (Van Aken and Stadnik) will be streaming the event live with you to react to all the biggest news, reveals, and hopefully a Splinter Cell game. As the party animals we are, we're kicking the show off early at 1:45 p.m. CT to give you our hopes and dreams before Yves Guillemot crushes them and doesn't give us the spy thriller that we all want.

The Xbox One generation did a lot to hinder Team Green. Under previous leadership, the gaming brand lost its identity and its meaningful contribution to the community overall. Where the original Xbox and 360 excelled, Xbox One's focus was too far-spread when looking at being an all-in-one entertainment system, something that is now commonplace. So widespread, in fact, that the vision lost one critical component: the games. Then Phil Spencer took the helm and we started to see change, but the scope of the shift in place takes time, patience, and strategic moves. We've previously broken down Xbox's strategy, which you can find here, in comparison to other big-name companies, but as we head into E3 2021's Xbox showcase, we can't help but reflect back on when Spencer first revealed a new tide for the Xbox platform. 

A few of us here at Game Informer were talking about this last night, looking back on previous Xbox showcases from Spencer's time and beyond. When looking back during the Xbox "Scorpio" talks during E3 2016, we can't help but to notice how true to the vision Spencer and his team has been through the years. Now that we're in 2021, we see the fruits of the labor he talks about in the showcase clip seen below, something that wasn't necessarily evident at the time after the burned trust over the Xbox One generation. 

Axiom Verge 2 is coming to PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. Creator Thomas Happ confirmed the news Thursday with a post on the PlayStation Blog. Since the game’s announcement in December 2019 it has only been confirmed for Switch and PC as an Epic Store Exclusive.

The game was recently delayed from its vague launch in the first half of 2021 to Q3 2021, which would place the release date between July and September. In the blog post, Thomas doesn’t have a release date to share, only stating it’s arriving “later this summer.”

Whenever Axiom Verge 2 does release, Happ states that it will arrive on PS4 on the same day as Switch and PC. However, that guarantee may not extend to the PS5 version. 

“I am going to try my best to get the PS5 version ready for launch, but that might take a bit longer since I really want to take advantage of that in-game hints system!” says Happ.

Facebook is no stranger to VR, nor is the company unfamiliar with delving into the world of gaming. With Sony and Microsoft both making big moves when it comes to acquisitions, it looks like the social media giant is gearing up to do the same. The latest move? Acquiring one of the biggest names in the VR space, BigBox VR. 

In a recent blog post over on the Oculus website, Mike Verdu, VP of content at Facebook Reality Labs, revealed the latest acquisition. In the post, he reflects on Population: One, the breakout battle royale title from BigBox VR. While there are tons of battle royale games out there, VR and non-VR alike, Population: One has been proven to be a successful endeavor, further challenging expectations of what VR can bring to gaming. 

"[Population: One] stormed onto the VR scene just nine months ago and has consistently ranked as one the top-performing titles on the Oculus platform, bringing together up to 24 people at a time to connect, play, and compete in a virtual world," said Verdu. "And while social is bringing players into POP: ONE, the quirky humor, continual updates, and pure fun of the environment keeps them coming back time and time again—we’ve even seen players scheduling time to meet in-game for a synchronous social experience. BigBox VR may be small, but they are a mighty, nimble team of game industry vets who seamlessly nail the game development duality of craft and data-driven live service."

E3 is getting into full swing this weekend with announcements coming from most major game companies. Ubisoft is set to show off their slate of upcoming games this afternoon, however one unannounced sequel featuring Nintendo’s iconic plumber and Ubi’s chaotic Rabbids has shown up before the big Ubisoft Forward live stream.

An early morning update on the Nintendo eShop revealed a new game in the tactical Mario + Rabbids series is on its way and is titled Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. A few screenshots accompanied some info on the new adventure. The store page gives this brief description of the game: “Team up with Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Rabbid Peach, Rabbid Luigi, and their friends on a galactic journey to defeat a malevolent entity and save your Spark companions. Explore planets throughout the galaxy as you uncover mysterious secrets and compelling quests!” According to the details on the eShop page, this new game is expected to release on the Nintendo Switch sometime in 2022.

At first glance, Assassin’s Creed seems like a franchise ripe for tabletop adaptation. Rich in character and story, as well as setting options spread across all of history, it would be an exciting project for any designer to bring it to life as a board game. However, like the video games themselves, it’s also a wildly ambitious concept, which demands the combination of numerous mechanics, including stealth, combat, and traversal. And where to zero in within a franchise that has ballooned into dozens of unique mini-settings, heroes, and villains? Years after its initial announcement, and no doubt numerous iterations and improvements, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood of Venice is finally here, and sure enough, the resulting release is large, ambitious, and complex. It’s also remarkably fun.

When Final Fantasy VII Remake launched last summer for PlayStation 4, I took my very first trip to Midgar. You see, my most immediate connection to Cloud and his band of companions was the Advent Children movie. And, from there, I spent what likely amounted to thousands of hours listening to Nobuo Uematsu’s incredible score and imagining what it would be like to play an upgraded version of the seventh game. It must come as no surprise that Final Fantasy VII Remake was one of my favorite experiences of 2020. With that in mind, you might be wondering where the review for Intergrade is now that the highly-anticipated title has been out for over 24 hours. I’m here to tell you that it’s definitely on the way and that I’ve been enjoying what I’ve played so far.

We've got our first look at Netflix's The Witcher series, casting news for the live-action Resident Evil movie reboot, and now we've got confirmation of a new Splinter Cell ... the TV series. Netflix's Splinter Cell TV series was revealed during the final day of the streaming company's Geeked Week and while it's not a trailer, we do have our first look at the show ahead with a poster reveal. 

A small reveal, to be sure, but exciting nonetheless, especially since fans of the Tom Clancy series have been begging for something new. While that something was hopefully a game - something we're still hoping for - at least we have something to satiate that craving. Even better? Derek Kolstad, the creator of John Wick, is at the helm: 

Here's your first look at the Splinter Cell animated series, an adaptation of the bestselling @Ubisoft game.

Derek Kolstad, creator of the John Wick franchise, is onboard to write the series.
#GeekedWeek pic.twitter.com/c3vjJV0wfR

Ever since the Oldsmobile company started the large-scale manufacturing of cars in 1901, one of the dumbest things you can do with your free time is walk anywhere. While you could easily argue cars have been abysmal for the environment and forced us all to deal with Elon Musk, you can't deny that getting behind the wheel to go anywhere is far easier and less strenuous than using your legs. Why on Earth would you walk anywhere? It's dumb. Your little legs don't have the power of a Hemi, and they definitely can't hit 85 miles-per-hour on the highway. You can't accessorize your legs, either, like you can a car. Try throwing truck nuts on anything other than an F150 and you're going to jail.

Video games know this fact of life, too. Since Mario first punched Yoshi in the back of his head to get going, developers everywhere have experimented with new ways to allow players to traverse worlds in more convenient ways. Grand Theft Auto popularized the idea of driving around an open world, using any vehicle you can get your hands on to quickly get from point A to B. And people sure do love those games; Grand Theft Auto V is one of the most successful entertainment properties of all time. It was such a hit in fact that it inspired developer Rockstar to add horses to Red Dead Redemption 2. 

Wizards of the Coast and Netflix are joining forces this year with a new partnership bringing Stranger Things into Magic: The Gathering. Announced on Wednesday as a part of Netflix's Geeked Week event, characters and locations from the 80's sci-fi/horror series will be coming in cardboard form through a new Universes Beyond Secret Lair drop.

Geeked Week hosts Rahul Kohli and Mari Takahashi showed off two pieces of art featuring the powerful telekinetic Eleven and the iconic alphabet wall in the Byers’ house. We don’t know what these cards do yet, but they’re bound to have the eldritch and otherworldly flavor Stranger Things is known for. There’s a very good chance Eleven will be a legendary creature designed for Magic’s wildly popular casual format, Commander.

An announcement in February introduced the concept of Universes Beyond, an initiative to bring worlds and characters from outside the Magic canon into the game system. Other franchises being incorporated in the near future include Warhammer 40,000 through a set of Commander decks, and The Lord of the Rings, which will get a full expansion set. Last year, the idea was piloted with alternate art cards featuring Godzilla and the first mechanically unique Secret Lair sporting characters from The Walking Dead.

Season 4 of Netflix’s Castlevania series wrapped up the show for good, but it won’t be the last time the legendary franchise graces the small screen. During Netflix’s Geeked Week livestream today, Castlevania’s principal creators confirmed that a new show is in the works and will spotlight Richter Belmont.  

Executive producer Kevin Kolde, director Sam Deats, and assistant director Adam Deats shared a brief synopsis for the yet-to-be-titled show. While we don’t know any story details, the show is set in 1792 France in the midst of the French Revolution and will also co-star Maria Renard alongside Richter. Unfortunately, there was no word on a premiere date. 

Richter is one of the more prolific Belmonts in Castlevania lore. Debuting in 1993’s Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (perhaps better known to westerners as Castlevania: Dracula X),  he’s a young but powerful descendant of Simon Belmont and a master vampire killer. During the events of Rondo of Blood he rescues Maria Renard, a 12-year old orphan, spellcaster/vampire huntress, and distant relative of the Belmont Clan, who serves as a secondary playable character. Keep in mind that Rondo of Blood also takes place in 1792. Needless to say that the series will likely take some inspiration from that game’s events the way the previous show draws its story from Castlevania III.

Get ready for some explosive action and neon-colored aesthetics! Ubisoft's Blood Dragon standalone expansion impressed back in 2013 for how it cleverly parodied action films, video games, and cartoons of the '80s and '90s. Now a new anime based on the beloved gaming experience called Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix is in the works, and it has some big talent. Adi Shankar, who was the showrunner of the Castlevania anime, is the creator, and Paris animation studio Bobbypills, best known for Peepoodo, is handling the visuals. The anime was unveiled during Netflix's Geeked Week live stream.

Shankar gave us a lot to digest while explaining his vision for Captain Laserhawk, saying it's inspired by a few different things, from Nintendo's  Saturday morning Captain N: The Game Master cartoon to DC comics imprint Elseworlds, which focused on stories that took place outside of the DC canon. Shankar also referenced his one-shot fan films called Bootleg Universe, where he did creative and dramatic reinterpretations of the biggest entertainment properties, as what brought him together with Ubisoft to create this project.

Netflix is closing out its Geeked Week today with new looks at The Witcher, Cuphead, and more. The festivities also gave us our first real look at the live-action Resident Evil TV series . With characters like Chris and Claire Redfield, Leon Kennedy, and Jill Valentine returning, the upcoming movie will be separate from the previously shared animated TV series but aims to capture the spirit of the horror franchise much in the same way. 

While not a trailer like we were hoping for, the cast line-up looks incredible. May I also take a moment to gush that Lance Reddick is included in this cast as Albert Wesker, because that's amazing! 

Been dying to announce this. Get ready to enter New Raccoon City with the cast of RESIDENT EVIL: LANCE REDDICK / ELLA BALINSKA / TAMARA SMART / SIENA AGUDONG / ADELINE RUDOLPH / PAOLA NUNEZ. #GeekedWeek pic.twitter.com/ULKEFuYdAr

— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) June 11, 2021

The primary cast is revealed in the above post, including Ella Balinska, Lance Reddick, Tamara Smart, Adeline Rudolph, Paola Nunez, Siena Agudong. 

Despite a global pandemic and numerous stops to production, Netflix's The Witcher season 2 is officially on the way. The TV series adaptation wrapped up filming back in April and now thanks to Netflix's Geeked Week, we've got our first real look at what's in store. 

Netflix's The Witcher season 2 promises to be much darker than the first season. The creative team has also poured over countless fan feedback from the first season and applying what makes sense to make the new episodes all the more enjoyable. That fan feedback has also given us an important rework, and that was regarding making the Nilfgaard armor actually resemble armor versus the weird tree testicle visage we first saw in the show's pilot episode.

The new video look isn't a whole lot, but it's more than what we've had. A small clip shows a more jaded Ciri following the events of the first series. Take a look at our first trailer for the upcoming season: 

Destiny awaits the Lion Cub of Cintra in Season 2... ⚔️ #GeekedWeek pic.twitter.com/c2MEZohrpu

Geeked Week from Netflix is coming to a close and one of the reveals has to do with our new look at the upcoming Cuphead TV series. This isn't our first look at the upcoming show adaptation, Netflix dropped a special behind-the-scenes look back in June of last year, but now it's time to actually see a little bit more about what this Cuphead experience is all about. 

The latest look confirms Wayne Brady as King Dice, take a look at our latest look below: 

Some may say his methods are quite shady, because The Cuphead Show!'s King Dice is officially voiced by @WayneBrady. #GeekedWeek pic.twitter.com/tU1gWtgfwC

Riot Games and Netflix announced a new League of Legends show coming to the streaming service called Arcane back in May, though not a lot of details were provided at that time. With Netflix's Geeked Week closing out its showcase today, one of the highlighted shows centered on the League universe.

The latest showcase is a part of Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest. Yesterday was explosive when it comes to news, including Elden Ring news. But that's not what this is about, now we're talking about League of Legends: Arcane. We've got a new trailer to dive deep into, check it out below:

Nothing like a little sibling rivalry.

Watch the first clip from #Arcane, the @LeagueofLegends animated series coming fall 2021 to Netflix. #GeekedWeek pic.twitter.com/m25ciGHr9M

With over a dozen E3-related livestreams hitting in the next few days, all eyes are on new announcements and wondering what games will get released during this holiday season, but let's not forget about the great games we can play now. One of those titles, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order just received a surprise launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, and has been updated to take advantage of these powerful machines.

In an official website posting, Respawn details the enhancements, saying both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series versions will have faster load times, and higher resolution textures and assets. You can also play the game in a new Performance Mode that delivers 60 frames-per-second action in 1440p. If you turn Performance Mode off, it runs at 30 frames-per-second with a boost to 4K. For Xbox Series S, play is locked at 60 frames-per-second in 1080p.

If you already purchased Jedi: Fallen Order on Xbox One or PlayStation 4, you'll receive the cross-generation upgrade for free, and can download it right now. You'll also be able to carry your save over from the previous generation.

For those looking to up those stats in Destiny 2: Season of the Splicer, an easy way to do that is to complete high-tier activities. This includes Legendary Lost Sectors, competitive PvP, and Raids. With Vault of Glass making its triumphant return to Destiny 2 with Season of the Splicer, it's time to make that experience just a little more rewarding. For those itching for more ways to score better drops, Vault of Glass Raid challenges are arriving next week. 

Bungie confirmed the challenge drop news over on its latest blog post, confirming that whatever encounter has a unique Challenge Mode active will come with an additional chest as a reward. The catch? You actually have to complete the challenge successfully, so no dipping out, Guardians. 

Vault of Glass is arguably one of the best Raids that Destiny has ever offered between the two games in the franchise. If you had asked me before Beyond Light's release, I would have said it was my favorite, but I think that crown has been taken by the beautiful Deep Stone Crypt Raid instead. 

E3 2021 kicks off this weekend in its all-digital event. Xbox and Bethesda are tag-teaming this year's showcase to jumpstart the acquisition of ZeniMax, Bethesda's parent company, that solidified earlier this year. With the showcase looming on the horizon, Microsoft wanted to share a few small details with fans, including how and when to watch, before the live stream starts. 

The Xbox and Bethesda E3 2021 showcase will run about 90 minutes and will include new Xbox Game Pass information, new titles releasing just in time for the holiday, and possibly even a full Starfield reveal? Maybe? Halo Infinite will also be there, with 343 Industries showing off revamped gameplay after the negative feedback following the original reveal. 

The unthinkable happened on June 10, 2021. We finally got an Elden Ring trailer! During Summer Game Fest, we not only got an extensive new look at the upcoming FromSoftware game, but we also got a release date as well! January 21, 2022, is the date to remember, but that doesn't mean the revelations are quite done. In addition to the amazing gameplay video revealed earlier this week, new details have emerged to reveal that Elden Ring will offer co-op. 

If you look at the official Bandai Namco website for the game, seen here, the publisher confirmed the ability to play with friends under the "world exploration in the lands between" section. On the game's listing, it says, "Traverse the breathtaking world on foot or on horseback, alone or online with other players, and fully immerse yourself in the grassy plains, suffocating swamps, spiraling mountains, foreboding castles, and other sites of grandeur on a scale never seen before in a FromSoftware title."

When I think of the battle royale genre, a few things come to mind: PUBG, Fortnite, Apex Legends, boredom. It's not a bad genre, but not one I've ever really felt super connected to. What I do feel connected to, however, is Vampire: The Masquerade, so when Sharkmob approached me with a new game that is literally battle royale with vampires, I was too intrigued to say no. Surprisingly enough? It works! Here's my Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodhunt preview. 

For those that may not be the biggest of tabletop fans, Vampire: The Masquerade is a stunningly expansive RPG experience that has evolved so much through the years. Numerous adaptations have come and gone to expand upon this world, including video game takes that breathe fresh life (or unlife?) into the characters we know and those we can create. I've tanked years into this universe and used the very rules of The Masquerade to build so many fan-creations of my own, so imagine my surprise when the latest game to be announced under this umbrella was a PvP battle royale adventure. Now take that surprise, and imagine how that tripled when I found myself really enjoying my time with Bloodhunt. 

Right? 

Let's not beat around the bush, shall we? In what has to be a new dimension we've slipped into, the Summer Game Fest 2021 happened and concluded in a big way. To close the show, Geoff Keighley, clad with a gigantic grin and thankful demeanor, showed us our first look at Elden Ring, FromSoftware's hotly-anticipated title, and as far as I can tell, the world has never been the same. 

The day wasn't just reserved for the return of Elden Ring, though. There was a huge celebration of games ranging from darling indie titles to updates on some of the biggest projects in the industry. From the announcement of Sable's release date to a look a the new season of Call of Duty: Warzone, and news on the Back 4 Blood beta, there was plenty for gamers of all kinds to enjoy.

 FromSoftware fans have spent the last two years repeatedly saying the name "Elden Ring" in front of a mirror, and it finally paid off today. The much-anticipated collaboration between the makers of Dark Souls and Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin reemerged from the abyss during today’s Summer Games Fest. We were treated to a flashy new trailer that showed off tons of gameplay, some tantalizing plot foreshadowing, not to mention a firm release date.

I’m excited to play it too, despite not being what I’d consider a FromSoftware "expert". Sure, I beat Bloodborne and have played various amounts Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, and Sekiro (not finished, mind you) but I couldn’t tell you a thing about the lore or story about those games. That obviously makes me the perfect person to break down this trailer almost scene for scene. Enjoy my stream-of-consciousness style thoughts and reactions to Elden Ring’s latest gameplay showing, and I apologize in advance for what you are about to read.  

Holy crap, that’s got to be Elden Ring! No other game could have a horse sniffing a knight’s hand.

Just in time for the theatrical release of F9, Rocket League players can compete in a variety of cars from the film, including another chance to drive Dominic Toretto's Dodge Charger. This is the third time that this movie franchise has been featured in the game. In early 2017, Dom's "The Ice Charger" from Fate of the Furious was added to the virtual store, and later that year, another batch of this film franchise's iconic rides arrived, giving players control of Dom's classic Charger and a Nissan Skyline GT-R R34.

Announced during today's Summer Game Fest livestream, Rocket League players can purchase a Fast & Furious three pack of cars on June 17. The Dodge Charger and Nissan Skyline are being pulled out of the garage for a second run, and are joined by a new addition: a Pontiac Fiero (based on the hybrid hitbox).

Supermassive Games just recently pulled back the curtain on the third entry in its Dark Pictures Anthology, but it saved some surprises for Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest. During the live stream, a trailer showcased more of the tension and horrors awaiting a military group that gets trapped in an underground temple with a nest of monsters hungry for blood. 

Up until this point, we didn't have a release date, let alone any idea what these monsters even looked like in House of Ashes. Supermassive unveiled the horrifying creatures at the end of the trailer above, but not before revealing an October 22 release date alongside "The Pazuzu" collector's edition (pictured below), which offers a figurine of the creepy creature (10 cm), exclusive art print, stickers of the cast, eclipse pin, collector's box, and more. The Pazuzu edition is a Bandai Namco store exclusive.   

Previously, director Will Doyle said: “The creatures in House of Ashes are some of the most complicated we’ve ever made. But through hand animation and motion capture, we’ve created a monster that is very believable, very threatening, and very dangerous."

Earlier this year, CD Projekt Red fell victim to a massive data breach that resulted in source code being sold and other information being pandered. While some in the gaming community made jokes about this following the release of Cyberpunk 2077, many failed to understand another dangerous side of this type of hack: employee personal information being sold, including home addresses. The Polish studio is far from the only studio to be hit with this kind of breach, and now another major company is reporting stolen data. 

In a report that broke from Motherboard, EA is the latest company that has been hacked. Of the data stolen, there is source code to FIFA 21 as well as a plethora of valuable developer tools not limited to just the Frostbite engine. According to the initial report, the hackers are looking to sell the source code – not unlike what happened to CD Projetk Red – for an undisclosed dollar amount. The total amount of data is reportedly up to 780GB's worth.