Game Informer

Whether you're an avid fan or not, Fortnite continues to be an intrinsic part of contemporary video game culture. With a plethora of popular events - like the recent Galactus battle - to bonus cosmetics, Fortnite's playerbase always has new content to explore and enjoy. A new update, however, optimized the popular battle royale's framerate on next-gen consoles. Fortnite already runs in 4K and 60 FPS on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, but now the 120FPS Mode, which can be enabled in the video settings tab, enhances the moment-to-moment action that the game is known for.

120FPS Mode, however, takes a toll on Fortnite's resolution. If you've been enjoying the game in 4K, you'll have to make due with 1440p if you plan on amplifying the framerate. Additionally, shadows, post-processing, and streaming distances will be noticeably reduced. According to The Verge, the Xbox Series S locks in at 1080p if the 120FPS Mode is switched on. And if you're playing Fortnite on a monitor - the best way to play competitive shooters in my honest opinion! - 120FPS Mode will only be compatible with 120Hz displays. 

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Valve has left Half-Life fans in the lurch for nearly 13 years; the cliffhanger ending of Half-Life 2: Episode Two in 2007 set up an epic confrontation that still hasn’t been fully resolved. After all that time, we wondered if Valve had forgotten what made Half-Life special in the first place, but once you explore the virtual world of Half-Life: Alyx, it’s clear that Valve hasn't lost its magic touch.

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A new Mass Effect game is in the works as confirmed by a teaser trailer shown off during the recent Game Awards. We saw our blueberry Liara once more within a cryptic trailer that closed the bridge between two galaxies with the messaging that Mass Effect "will continue." The older Liara had fans spinning with ideas about where the story will go next but the recent news of Mark Darrah and Casey Hudson's departure still weighed heavily on minds. For those worried about the teams coming together for the future of such an iconic franchise, BioWare's Michael Gamble did recently confirm a few returning faces specifically for this project. 

In a recent string of tweets, Gamble revealed a few Mass Effect veterans returning for the new game, including Dusty Everman, Parish Ley, Brenon Holmes, and Derek Watts. 

If some of these names don't sound familiar, here's a quick breakdown of who is who: 

Some might say Overwatch’s Winter Wonderland event has become as much of a holiday tradition as rewatching Home Alone, choking sipping on eggnog, and debating Die Hard’s status as a Christmas film. If you believe that, then you’ll probably be happy to know the 5th annual event kicks off today. As usual, it comes with a fresh wardrobe of holiday-themed cosmetics just aching to be unlocked. 

This year’s event introduces a new arcade brawl, the Freezethaw Elimination. In this 4v4 battle, victory comes when one team is able to completely freeze the other. Getting frozen acts the same as dying, but teammates can thaw each other to get back in the game. It’s like playing freeze tag, but more literal. Freethaw Elimination joins existing arcade brawls Mei’s Snowball Offensive, Yeti Hunt, and Snowball Deathmatch. 

Cyber Shadow’s blend of classic Ninja Gaiden and Contra has impressed us in the past (check our hands-on impressions from Gamescom 2019), so it’s exciting to learn that it finally releases January 26th. Cyber Shadow comes from developer Mechanical Games and is published by Yacht Club, best known as the developer of Shovel Knight. Players control Shadow, a ninja who is the last of his clan in a world overtaken by an evil scientist’s synthetic army. 

Players must nimbly traverse the hazard-filled environments using precise air dashes and wall-jumps, all while slashing the robotic foes into ribbons using their sword. Recusing captive ninjas bestows permanent ninjutsu skills, such as a charge slash, parry, fireballs, and, of course, good old fashioned shurikens. You’ll need all the help you can get to take down 12 challenging bosses. Thankfully, Switch owners can get an assist by scanning any of the Shovel Knight amiibos to summon fairy-like versions of those characters. 

Cyber Shadow will be available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC.

Armed with only one word—Tenet—and fighting for the survival of the entire world, the Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.
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We have 10 digital copies ready to give away, all you have to do is enter below by 12/29/2020 for your chance to win one. You can enter once per day. Winners will be selected by random drawing from all eligible entries on or after 12/30/2020. Movies is rated PG-13. Full rules available with each entry method below. Good Luck!

Mossmouth's two beloved roguelike platformers are coming to Switch. The announcement comes as part of Nintendo's Indie World Showcase, which brought a bevy of new and exciting announcements, including surprise launches like Among Us and Grindstone. Unfortunately, Spelunky and Spelunky 2 were not among the "available now" crowd, so those hoping to add them to their Switch libraries will have to wait until summer.

These two titles challenge you to dive into ever-shifting caverns and tunnels that change every time you play, delivering lava pits, aggressive spiders, deadly booby traps, and plenty more. Spelunky 2 takes all the excitement and challenge of the first, while adding new mechanics like mounts, online multiplayer, and branching world paths.

We've enjoyed both entries of the Spelunky series. In 2012, we gave the original an 8 out of 10, while this year saw us award a 9 out of 10 to Spelunky 2. To this point, Spelunky 2 is only available on PS4 and PC, but that changes when both games arrive on Switch this summer.

Among Us is a "whodunnit" indie title that had an incredible second lease on life in 2020. A game featuring sus little jelly bean astronauts all trying to prove they aren't the ones murdering their friends, the 2018 hidden gem has been the talk of the gaming community over the past several months; and for good reason. Now even more players can get in on that suspicious action because during the IndieWorld showcase it was confirmed that Among Us is arriving on Nintendo Switch later today. 

No set time release was given other than "later today" but it is pretty nifty to see Among Us make the jump to the Nintendo Switch platform. While originally the team over at InnerSloth were planning on a sequel, the rapid onslaught of success had the small crew rethinking that plan, instead making the decision to make the original title more fruitful for players to dive into. 

Also confirmed is that this will require Switch Online to play, but the good news is that it is cross-platform compatible with mobile and PC versions!

The Pokémon Company has unveiled a new gameplay mechanic called Battle Styles. Drawing inspiration from Urshifu, the new Legendary Pokémon from the Pokémon Sword & Shield Isle of Armor expansion, Battle Styles allows Pokémon cards to carry either Single Strike Style or Rapid Strike Style. The mechanic will be implemented as a part of the newly announced Pokémon Trading Card Game: Sword & Shield – Battle Styles expansion.

Much like Urshifu's styles in the Isle of Armor expansion, Single Strike cards have a tiny bit of red and deliver single, powerful attacks with the ability to knock out opponents in one shot. Meanwhile, Rapid Strike cards feature blue decoration with attacks that are a bit sneakier and more technical and let them attack their opponents when they least expect it. These styles are also available as Trainer and Energy cards, which assist Pokémon of the corresponding style to allow you to build decks centered around Single Strike or Rapid Strike.

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Resident Evil Village (or Resident Evil 8, just don't call it that) is the highly anticipated continuation of the beloved Capcom horror series. While we don't have a new trailer, the company did reveal a few new screenshots about the latest Resident Evil game, in addition to a few small details about what fans can expect. 

In a recent interview with IGN, producer Peter Fabiano opened up about what gamers can expect when the newest Resident Evil game makes its debut next year. He told the site that longtime fans of the series can feel the familiarity of the franchise within Village, taking all of the "best elements" and bringing them to an apex with this new experience. But just because there will be familiarity doesn't mean this game will be copy+paste. 

While much of Village will pull from various aspects of Resident Evil, Fabiano was quick to assure fans that there will still be a few surprises within the new game. Without going too much into detail, the Village producer opened up about how "new technologies" of gaming will improve the Resident Evil experience in an impactful way. 

Kojima Productions is celebrating its five-year anniversary on December 16 and to celebrate, Hideo Kojima's own studio is teasing some special announcements on the horizon. 

Could we be seeing what's next for Kojima Productions post Death Stranding? Unclear, but entirely possible! There have been many rumors regarding what Kojima-san will be doing next. From Death Stranding DLC to a newly found ownership of Silent Hill to continue on his horror legacy, speculation about the next step for his studio has been high. 

In a recent Twitter post, Kojima Productions outlines when fans can tune in as it delivers "some exciting updates you won't want to miss." 

December 16ᵗʰ marks the 5ᵗʰ Anniversary of #KojimaProductions !

Keep an eye out tomorrow on our social channels at 12AM (NYC), 5AM (UK), 6AM (CET) and 2PM (JP) as we'll be delivering some exciting updates you won't want to miss! #KJP5 pic.twitter.com/WZ3WP9q2Qp

Not that you need an excuse to binge-watch your favorite anime, but Funimation just made that decision easier to justify because the anime-only streaming app is available on Nintendo Switch starting today. 

Following a previous tease that anime and the Switch would be combining their powers, the streaming service confirmed that it would be arriving this week; today, in fact. 

You’ll never put it down again. Anime arrives on the Nintendo Switch for the very first time via the refreshing new look of the Funimation App. Coming tomorrow! @NintendoAmerica

Read on: https://t.co/TetOe3OP18 pic.twitter.com/x5rC5b0Wm1

— Funimation (@FUNimation) December 14, 2020

This is the first streaming app for anime to arrive on the hybrid console if you don't include Hulu's limited lineup (and the fact that it's not anime-exclusive). In addition to the new home, Funimation also made some key changes to how its app functions and its overall design. According to the company, this new update includes the following: 

Following a delay due to COVID-19, the Mortal Kombat movie reboot officially has a new release date. Warner Bros. Pictures and director Simon McQuoid confirmed that the new live-action take will be releasing this April.

First announced back in 2018, the upcoming reboot is led by producers Todd Garner and James Wan starring names like Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, Joe Taslim, Mehcad Brooks, Tadanabu Asano, and more. Garner confirms that a trailer for the film will be arriving early next year ahead of the movie's April 16, 2021 release date. 

Trailer in the new year. Sorry it took so long to get this out. pic.twitter.com/Jku86FYKo2

— Todd Garner (@Todd_Garner) December 14, 2020

The upcoming reboot is based on the popular fighting game series, making it the third live-action Mortal Kombat movie that began its legacy back in 1995. This movie will mark the first time director for Sim McQuiod, with James Wan bringing his The Conjuring and Insidious magic to the fighting genre. 

As far as the cast goes, here are the names we know of at this time: 

Cyberpunk 2077 went from being the most talked-about game in gaming to being the most talked-about game in gaming in a span of a week, the only difference being the former in a more positive light and the latter being a harsh juxtaposition. Following the news that stock has seen an noticeable decrease since the perceived 'failed' last-gen launch of the game, a conference call at CD Projekt RED has gone public revealing no plans in place to actually deliver the promised refunds, and how the oversight happened with such a dramatic decrease in performance on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 systems, despite numerous promises to the contrary. 

The call begins with joint-CEO of CDPR, Adam Kicinski, talking about the post-launch decline of the game's standing with consumers. Joined by Piotr Neilubowicz, the studio's CFRO, co-founder Marcin Iwinski, and board member Michal Nowakowski, the conference call covered an array of topics, including how there is no actual plan in place to deliver the promised refunds that the studio offered on Monday. 

Regaridng how "it is even possible that it has come to this" regarding fan perception, the call opened up by saying: 

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Cyberpunk 2077's release has been anything but a smooth ride. The hotly-anticipated title from developer CD Projekt Red has had its fair share of problems, from its initial lack of a warning for people who are sensitive to flashing lights to having a plethora of glitches on even PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Players booting up the game on last-gen hardware, though, have had the hardest time, with crashing frame-rates and rampant glitches spoiling an otherwise fun RPG experience on PC.

In light of the massing list of Cyberpunk woes, CD Projekt Red has put out a statement today letting fans know it is aware of the game's issues and working to issue patches in the coming weeks and months. But with the lack of specificity in the developer's statement, does it ring hollow, or is this the right step forward for Cyberpunk 2077? 

Night City is full of intrigue and wonder from the moment you step foot in it. CD Projekt Red crafted a dark, tech-obsessed world, oozing with excess consumerism and a jaded society overindulging in all facets of life. My curiosity kept pulling me in, even though I was often horrified by what I found. Whether it was someone suffering from cyberpsychosis going off the deep end or watching a married couple fight over giving in to the sexual temptation this place breeds, Night City revels in its sinister brand of madness. A big part of Cyberpunk 2077 is experiencing this fascinating futuristic world’s overwhelming, fast-paced allure firsthand. Everything is vying for your attention at every moment. It’s a sensory overload that both helps and hinders the game.

I’ll never complain about having too much to do in an open-world game, but Cyberpunk 2077 has a way of constantly inundating you with side quests. Every time I finish a mission, the in-game cell phone alerts me of a handful more I can do. There is no stopping to just take in the moment; I’m constantly reminded that things are happening and I’m not experiencing them. It’s distracting when I finally do select a quest to focus on and my cell phone alert pops up as I’m in the middle of dialogue, a cutscene, or interacting with something, only for it to be another character telling me to call them. If I don’t have to hear about another car that’s on the market, I’ll be happy. 

When you're picking your stylized action/RPG titles these days, you have a wealth of choices, including a whole slew of 2Dish options that fit the bill of challenging and atmospheric fare. These range from the highly acclaimed Hollow Knight to Morbid: The Seven Acolytes, but there's often fun to be had across the board. You can even get into some Salt & Sanctuary!  Well, Live Wire and Binary Haze Interactive are bringing Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights to Steam Early Access on January 21, 2021. It's next year, yeah, but it's really only about a month away! A new trailer shows off the game with a multitude of short segments that tell us a lot about the game. First, watch the trailer below!

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First, it looks like there's plenty of platforming and platforming-related abilities for zooming around the environment. There are likely to be some Metroidvania-style world exploration unlocks related to these. There's a ton of dodging big freakish undead creatures and their associated attacks. Yes, it's got a bit of Bloodborne flair to it, and that's pretty sweet.

Stylish fighter Granblue Fantasy Versus has a brand new fighter coming this month alongside the introduction of its very own battle pass. New character Yule joins the fray as the third fighter in the Character Pass 2 DLC pack and looks to pack one heck of a wallop. 

Yule steps into the ring and is described as an “energetic Erune girl”. She and her life-long pal (and fellow Granblue roster mate) Societte were tasked with the burden of recovering an ancient treasure for their clan. Given Yule’s spunky attitude, she doesn’t seem to sweat the magnitude of her responsibility all that much. Yule slices and dices foes with her twin swords, which she can ignite into blue foxflames to dish out some sick cyclone attacks. If the trailer below tickles your fancy, Yuel can be purchased individually for $6.99 or as part of the Character Pass 2 DLC pack for $34.99. Arc has also teased that the Eternal Anre, will be the next fighter and arrives in early 2021. 

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Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond is a VR experience rooted in real-life World War II history. Immersive and highly interactive, the game on its own is an enjoyable experience, but what many might not know is how positive of an impact it has for veterans and shining a truthful light on American history. 

For those that may not know, the VR Medal of Honor experience from Respawn Entertainment allows players to step into the role of an agent of the Office of Strategic Services during WWII in a ravished European setting. It offers an enjoyable multiplayer experience alongside a stunningly fleshed-out single-player campaign that offers an honest representation of those moments in war not often explored; the quiet before a mission, the realization that "we're at war" that many soldiers feel in and out of moments of reality — even the easy camaraderie that comes with knowing the person beside you will defend you with their life, even when sometimes the price is just that. 

I recently sat down with game director Peter Hirschmann to learn more about the game after playing through the campaign and some of the PvP. As a veteran myself, hearing how the team went 'above and beyond' for veterans and their stories, while also providing meaningful experiences meant to educate without romanticization meant more than many will ever know. 

It's always great to see big forces working together for common goals. Today Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo have pledged a commitment to safer gaming. While the industry has made many steps forward over the last decade in terms of protecting players from each other, with some inherent losses to social gaming as a result in some respects (People can't be toxic in chat if there is no chat, now can they?), it's pleasant to see three major gaming titans come together in the unified interest of player safety. 

"At Xbox, we are aligned with both Nintendo, on behalf of the community of Nintendo Switch players, and PlayStation in our belief that protecting players online requires a multidisciplinary approach – one that combines the benefits of advanced technology, a supportive community, and skilled human oversight," said corporate vice president of Xbox operations Dave MCarthy. "We can accomplish more when we work toward the same goal, and so we will each continue investing in, evolving, and amplifying our approaches to user safety. As we continue this work, we will prioritize protecting the safety of our players, especially those most vulnerable."

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With its remake of Final Fantasy VII, Square Enix pulled of a seemingly impossible feat: It put a fresh spin on the classic story and characters, all while completely reinventing the gameplay for modern audiences. The result is an adventure that taps into Final Fantasy VII’s deep well of nostalgia, but still offers plenty of delightful surprises for old and new players alike.

Cloud and his mercenary friends still fight against the evil Shinra corporation, but the world has been beautifully reconstructed to give the cast and environments new life. From to your battle in a ruined church to your first haunting glimpse of Sephiroth, Final Fantasy VII Remake recreates the important events that fans remember, but adds enough new content to make the experience feel fresh.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s first seasonal event of its post-launch DLC roadmap, the Yule Festival, kicks off this month. To prepare, Ubisoft is launching update 1.1.0 tomorrow which lays the groundwork for the holiday event while squashing a ton of bugs along the way.

The update adds in-game support for Yule Festival, a festive event taking place at the settlement. Once the update hits, players will start seeing revellers arrive east of their homestead. Ubisoft hasn’t yet detailed what the Yule Festival entails other than the promise of rewards to obtain and various, festival-related activities.  Additionally, Legendary animal trophies will finally appear in the longhouse. The update doesn’t remove that darn annoying paper chase minigame but hey, we’ll take what we can get. 

In terms of balancing, NPC power level will max out at a difference of 51 below the player. Anyone below that threshold will now be highlighted green. World bosses will also match the player’s power level when the power exceeds the world bosses’ base level, which includes Zealots and Alpha animals. 

Nintendo's Indie World Showcase has always been an awesome platform for indie studios to reveal upcoming projects with extensive gameplay footage, cinematic trailers, and even words from the developers themselves. Previous Indie Worlds have highlighted fan-favorite titles like Super Hot, Ori and the Blind Forest, and this year's award-winning Hades. This morning, Nintendo announced that their next Indie World Showcase will go live tomorrow at 9 a.m. PT. The stream will only be 15 minutes (the shortest Indie World Showcase as of yet). You can watch it here. 

Ring in the holidays with a new #IndieWorld Showcase on Tuesday, Dec. 15 at 9 a.m. PT!

Tune in for roughly 15 minutes of updates and new announcements on indie games coming to #NintendoSwitch from our global partners.

Watch it here: https://t.co/N3Dhh3zIU8 pic.twitter.com/X7k2M6Ke0V

According to IGN, EA outbid Take-Two Interactive to acquire Codemasters, the development studio behind the racing franchises, Dirt and F1. Take-Two has been looking to buy Codemasters since November and offered $994 million with plans to complete the deal in the first quarter of 2021. EA, however, proposed a whopping $1.2 billion for the acquisition ($7.98 per share). 

Chairman of Codemasters Gerhard Florin stated, "We feel this union would provide an exciting and prosperous future for Codemasters, allowing our teams to create, launch and service bigger and better games to an extremely passionate audience." Like the Take-Two deal that would've happened if EA didn't place their bid, the acquisition of Codemasters will happen in 2021.

Cyberpunk 2077 is a fun game that, unfortunately, runs less than ideal pretty much across all platforms. The base PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions have been especially egregious, and that’s left a legion of players rightfully up in arms. After enduring a weekend filled with videos, screenshots, and memes of the game’s many performance issues, CD Projekt Red has issued a formal apology and a roadmap of fixes for the coming months. 

The studio opens the letter by apologizing for not showcasing the game on base PS4/Xbox One prior to launch, thus preventing players on those platforms from making an informed purchase. “We should have paid more attention to making it play better on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One”, says CDPR. Remember that Cyberpunk 2077 had always been billed as a last-gen title, and CDPR had repeatedly assured players over the years that the game would perform fine on base hardware.

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What do you get when the team that made Assassin’s Creed Odyssey creates a game inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Portal, and movies like The Princess Bride and The Naked Gun? The answer is Immortals Fenyx Rising, a lighthearted adventure steeped in Greek mythology, full of endearing characters, epic encounters, and creative puzzles.

Immortals Fenyx Rising is one of the year’s biggest surprises. It sees Ubisoft Quebec stretch its wings and soar to exciting heights. No longer bound by the lore and style of Ubisoft’s long-running Assassin’s Creed franchise, the studio inserts everything from massive puzzle rooms to humorous (and unreliable) narrators, all while delivering the rewarding exploration in a sprawling open world.

The world itself is gorgeous, drawing visual inspiration from Studio Ghibli’s watercolor aesthetic, and exploring it is an utter delight. Around every corner is a mountain to climb, a challenge to confront, a monster to battle, or a chest to loot.

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Alba: A Wildlife Adventure is the newest project from ustwo games, the BAFTA-Award winning studio behind the Monument Valley series and Assemble with Care. Alba is out today on Apple Arcade and Steam, so Jeff Cork, Marcus Stewart, and I sat down to see the game for ourselves. 

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure takes place on a Mediterranean island that's covered in trash, and it's Alba's job to clean it up. The game is self-described as "a feel-good game about running around and doing good deeds," and players will spend the majority of their time tidying up the environment and photographing the wildlife that subsequently returns to the island. 

Did you enjoy this episode of New Gameplay Today? Be sure to check out more episodes here.

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After eight long years, Cyberpunk 2077 is here, and with it comes an ... interesting week of discussion and analysis. The game drew high praise from the Game Informer EIC himself, Andrew Reiner, saying CD Projekt Red's new open-world adventure is an incredible, yet imperfect, exercise in world-building and role-playing.

But as console fans start to experience the game for themselves, it has become clear that the Xbox and PlayStation version of Cyberpunk is quite different from the PC entry (which was used for the GI review). By now, you've probably seen a plethora of bugged-out characters and silly glitches throughout the neon-soaked streets of Night City, but how bad are the technical problems in practice?

Join Andrew Reiner, Matt Miller, Blake Hester, and me as we set out to answer that question and discuss our time playing the game on Sony and Microsoft's machines. We discuss the visual hitches, NPC glitches, and more, while also letting you know if you should wait to play the game on your console of choice.

A reminder: the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 versions of Cyberpunk 2077 are backward-compatible entries of the game, and the optimized entries won't be out until sometime next year.

Earlier this week, I opened up about how one of the more dangerous aspects in the game - the braindance sequences - was incidentally designed in a way that medical professionals use to trigger seizures for diagnostic purposes. That design caused me a grand mal seizure, which inspired me to write a small guide about how epileptics and neurologically sensitive players could navigate around that and still enjoy Night City. Since then, I've spoken with CDPR in conjunction with the Epilepsy of Foundation about how a small change can make a huge difference. With the new Cyberpunk 2077 update, that change is reflected inside of the new patch notes. 

The epilepsy fix: 

The patch notes address quite a few issues, including quest bugs, but here is the part that tackles the braindance sequence specifically: 

"Modified the flashing effect on braindances to reduce the risk of inducing epileptic symptoms. The effect has been smoothed out and the flashes reduced in frequency and magnitude."

This is a huge win for both the industry and gamers because these changes to make games safer don't have to mean that total removal like many assume. This is work I've been doing for years and to see studios respond productively and kindly means the absolute world. 

The first decision I made as Game Informer's new editor-in-chief was to shake up how we handled our Game of the Year lists. As much as I loved giving people the annual Top 50 Games of the Year roundup, I felt it was too wide of a shotgun blast, and didn't fully represent the interesting discussions we had about the sole Game of the Year. In any given year, a handful of games would be in the running for that hallowed spot, but readers never knew that. We just told you what the Game of the Year was, along with the genre winners and that massive list of 50 games that were presented in order of release date.

This year, we've narrowed the focus to the Top 10 Games of 2020. You will now see where each game ended up in our ranking. In the past, our Game of the Year lists would first appear in print, but not this year; this Sunday at 2:00 p.m. CT, we are going to start counting down our list, beginning with number 10. A new entry will follow every day, leading up to number one (our official Game of the Year) being revealed on December 22 – the day our next issue launches. This means readers of the digital magazine and our website will see the culmination of the list at the same time.

Destiny players have grown accustomed to the arrival of The Dawning around this time every year. Bungie’s in-game holiday celebration may not mention things like Hannukkah, Christmas, or New Years in any direct way, but it nonetheless is certainly an opportunity for snowy themes, gifts, and frolicking.

Every year brings a few twists on expectation, and this latest iteration of The Dawning is no exception. Bungie has announced what’s on the way for event, and these are the three most compelling reasons you might want to log in.

Tower Decorations

Even if you don’t’ decide to go crazy playing in the event, it’s almost always worth flying your jumpship down into The Tower for a quick look around. Without fail, Destiny 2’s holiday events see a visual overhaul of the Tower, and based on the screenshot above, this year is no exception. As a bonus, these same events usually feature new musical scores to enjoy while you toast marshmallows with Zavala and Shaxx.

Sega has announced that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's beloved Yakuza franchise will soon be nearly complete on Xbox and PC. Starting in January, players will be able to add The Yakuza Remastered Collection, which gathers Yakuza 3, 4, and 5 to their Game Pass libraries. Then, two months later, Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, joins that collection to round out the saga starring Kazuma Kiryu.

Following years of PlayStation exclusivity and relative obscurity in the West, the Yakuza series experienced an explosion of popularity following the release of Yakuza 0 in 2017. Following that, Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio rapid-fire released Yakuza Kiwami (a remaster of the original), Yakuza Kiwami 2 (a remaster of Yakuza 2), the Yakuza Remastered Collection (remasters of Yakuza 3, 4, and 5), Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (the final chapter in Kiryu's saga), and Yakuza: Like a Dragon (the first entry starring Ichiban Kasuga). Yakuza 0, Kiwami, and Kiwami 2 have already made their way to Xbox and PC, while Yakuza: Like a Dragon released last month on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Following the climactic conclusion of Avengers: Endgame and the fitting epilogue of Spider-Man: Far from Home, 2019 served as the end of an era for the long-running Marvel Cinematic Universe; it was a fitting place to take a break from the onslaught of entertainment the superheroes had brought us over the last decade. However, that wasn't the plan, as we were supposed to see the next stage set for the connected universe through films like Black Widow and Eternals (and maybe Venom 2, depending on how the multiverse theories play out), but as we all learned this year, our plans don't mean a thing.

The slate of films were put on hold as the world's movie theaters were affected by the lockdown, and the MCU was essentially put on ice for the duration of 2020. Now, Disney and Marvel Studios are ready to rev the engines once more as the calendars turn to 2021. During The Walt Disney Company's 2020 Investor Day presentation, president of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige gave us an update to the slate of movies and Disney+ shows we can expect in the near future.

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In this live episode of Replay, join the Game Informer crew as we visit with our old friend Gomez in the hit indie puzzle-platform video game, Fez. 

Watch live and chat with us starting at 2:00 P.M. Central!

Cyberpunk 2077 was originally revealed back in 2012, which means it was eight years in development. That's a very long time in this industry, so it stands to reason that the game was not cheap to make from start to finish. Well, according to CD Project, all of that time is now fully paid off; the company revealed today that Cyberpunk 2077 has not only recouped its development costs, but has also made back the money spent on marketing. 

The news comes via CD Projekt's site, in the form of a "current report." Here's the most relevant excerpt:

The Management Board of CD PROJEKT S.A. with a registered office in Warsaw (hereinafter referred to as “the Company”) hereby announces that the estimated licensing royalties receivable by the Company in association with pre-order sales of Cyberpunk 2077 across all of its digital distribution channels have exceeded the sum of the following: – total development expenditures related to the game, and – the game’s marketing and promotional costs borne by the Company – either already incurred or anticipated for the remainder of 2020.

News of big successes like this normally comes in the form of more polished announcements, but according to the report, CD Projekt's management "decided to disclose the above information in the form of a current report due to its potential impact on investment-related decisions."

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The aggressive microtransactions of Star Wars Battlefront II left a bad impression on some players, which may be why EA's next foray into the Star Wars universe left them behind. However, that isn't to say that Star Wars: Squadrons has stopped evolving since its launch; the team at Motive Studios has continued to update the game with new features and options – all available to players for free.

The latest content drop – first discussed last month – adds two classic starfighters to the game: one for the Rebel Alliance, and one for the Empire. The good guys get the B-Wing, which appeared in Return of the Jedi. The bad guys get the TIE Defender, a powerful Imperial ship that was introduced in the original TIE Fighter PC game. You can see these two new starfighters (alongside other features) in the video above.

Even though it couldn't be held with an audience present, The Game Awards was still a spectacle this year.  With celebrity appearances, new game reveals, and (of course) awards, viewers had a lot to take in over the event's three-hour runtime. But for those who didn't watch the live broadcast online – or don't have several hours to devote to catching up –  we've compiled the biggest stories of the night into this single, handy list.

But if you're more interested in the awards than the gaming news, then you should check out our full rundown of the winners! 

Against all odds, The Game Awards went off without a hitch, and that means a lot of folks now have shiny new trophies to hold on to. Who walked away with the silver winged statues? In case you missed the show, here's a full recap of all of the winners.

The Last of Us Part II wound up being the game of the show, capturing the coveted Game of the Year trophy and beating out worthy contenders in Hades, Ghost of Tsushima, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Doom Eternal, and Final Fantasy VII Remake. Naughty Dog’s acclaimed (and controversial) sequel cleaned up big, scooping up Best Game Direction, Best Action/Adventure, Best Narrative, and the Innovation in Accessibility award. Voice actress Laura Bailey also won Best Performance for her portrayal of Abby.

That doesn’t mean other titles didn’t earn some shine. Hades picked up Best Indie Game while Among Us (complete with teary-eyed developers) snagged Best Multiplayer and Best Mobile Game. Best Role-Playing and Best Score and Music went to Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Ghost of Tsushima walked away with Best Art Direction. No Man’s Sky’s Best Ongoing Games win might have been the upset of the show, beating out heavyweights like Fortnite and Apex Legends. 

Another new experience is on the horizon for The Elder Scrolls Online players following the immense success seen with Greymoor, Morrowind, Elswyr, and Summerset. While the MMORPG had a rough launch, the online game quickly found its sea legs as each expansion released. Now, we're going into the gates of hell. Or, Oblivion. Same thing. 

The latest adventure for ESO was revealed during this year's Game Awards showcase and it began with a trailer that lept right into trouble. From a sleeping Argonian to a creepy spellbook and an elf, the reveal trailer brought back Oblivion baddie Mehrunes Dagon once more in all of his Daedric Prince glory. 

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While the teaser was an awesome first look at a returning protagonist and a new storyline for The Elder Scrolls Online, it was just that: a teaser. Luckily, we'll be learning more here soon when Bethesda hosts a special event on January 21 at 5 PM ET. 

League of Legends fans were bummed to hear that spin-off game Ruined King: A League of Legends story was delayed further into 2021. Hopefully, getting a first look at gameplay might help ease the pain? That's just what we got during The Game Awards, and it looks like the game is shaping up into quite the RPG. 

Riot provided a deep dive into the dungeon-crawler meets turn-based gameplay. The game is a single-player RPG set in Runeterra, specifically Bilgewater and the Shadow Isles. Players can freely explore the world, chatting with NPC's as well as solving puzzles and dodging traps. While exploring dungeons, Champions have two Dungeon Skills that can be used to initiate combat or interacting with creatures and the environment. Some puzzles and obstacles can only be overcome with a certain Champions' skills, like using Braum's shield to shatter walls. 

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