Game Informer

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In Halo: Combat Evolved, Bungie proved to the world that a console first-person shooter could not only work, but could elevate the medium past what many thought possible. In Halo 2, the team refined that formula and produced one of the greatest shooters of all-time.

Join Andrew Reiner, Brian Shea, Matt Miller, and me as we revel in the swelling score from Marty O'Donnell and his amazing team, bask in the glow of the energy sword, and play one of the best multiplayer matches you'll ever lay eyes on at the end of the show.

If you liked this week's show, be sure to tune in each Friday at 2 p.m. CT for a new episode of Replay. Remember to also subscribe on YouTube, Twitch, Mixer, Twitter, or Facebook to get notified when we go live each week! Thanks and enjoy the show!

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As I discovered earlier this week, games with Twitch integration can be pretty fun. So much so that Leo Vader and Jeff Cork also wanted to get in on the action. What's a better way to do so than by playing one of Leo's favorite games of last year?

We were live earlier, but fear not as you can watch the archive above. Enjoying the streams? You can subscribe over on YouTube, Twitch, Mixer, Twitter, or Facebook to get notified when we go live in the future! Thanks for watching!

PlayStation cancelled its PAX East presence completely a few days ago, and now other consequences of COVID-19, aka coronavirus, are rippling across the industry.

Square Enix has announced that many of their developers are no longer making the journey to PAX, via a post on the Final Fantasy XIV lodestone website. Some of Capcom's developers have pulled out as well, with a tweet mentioning their Monster Hunter event planned for PAX East.

An update on MH Festa: Boston 2020:

Unfortunately, our guests from the MH dev team will no longer be able to attend the event. We will no longer have an autograph session but are still planning to share #Iceborne news.

Our sincere apologies for inconvenience! pic.twitter.com/DVpQugYieS

— Capcom USA (@CapcomUSA_) February 20, 2020

While both these companies are still expected to have a presence at or around the show, it looks like their staff from Japan won't be making the journey.

Borderlands is coming to a movie theater near you, and it has some big names attached to it. The upcoming film, which Lionsgate teased five years ago, will be directed by Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, Hostel). It's based on a script from Craig Mazin, the writer behind The Hangover Part II and HBO's Chernobyl miniseries.

Gearbox president Randy Pitchford, who is also an executive producer on the project, revealed Roth's involvement in a tweet, in which he also said more info was coming in a week at PAX.

https://twitter.com/DuvalMagic/status/1230567293324795904

“I’m so excited to dive into the world of Borderlands and I could not be doing it with a better script, producing team, and studio,” Roth said in a statement. “I have a long, successful history with Lionsgate — I feel like we have grown up together and that everything in my directing career has led to a project of this scale and ambition. I look forward to bringing my own energy, ideas, and vision to the wild, fun, and endlessly creative world of the game. Randy Pitchford and everyone at Gearbox have been incredibly supportive of my ideas — it really feels like a perfect storm of creators coming together. We are out to make a new classic, one which the fans of the game will love, but also one which will find new audiences globally."

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On this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, I am joined by Joe Juba, Matt Miller, and Alex Stadnik to discuss what we want from next-generation hardware. After we handle some hot topics, we jump into the always entertaining and enlightening community emails, including a new game experiment that we hope you all enjoy.

Thanks for listening! Please make sure to leave feedback below, share the episode if you enjoyed it, and follow me @therealandymc to let me know what you think. 

You can watch the video above, subscribe and listen to the audio on iTunes or Google Play, listen on SoundCloud, stream it on Spotify, or download the MP3 at the bottom of the page. Also, be sure to send your questions to podcast@gameinformer.com for a chance to have them answered on the show.

Our thanks to the talented Super Marcato Bros. for The Game Informer Show's intro song. You can hear more of their original tunes and awesome video game music podcast at their website.

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A loot game is only as good as its loot, so for today's exclusive Outriders video we're showing off three of the game's unique legendaries. Warped by The Anomaly, these almost organic-looking weapons are as fun to look at as they are to play with. Watch the video above for an up close view of three of them, as well as a showcase of the weapons in action.

Click the banner below for more exclusive coverage of Outriders, including our rapid-fire interview and the full cover story available for free!

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The latest season of Fortnite has started, and the spy-themed Top Secret backdrop for battle royale includes ways to change the island permanently.

Players choose sides and complete missions as part of the Ghost or Shadow sides. The Battle Pass contains agents such as Meowscles, skin-changing Maya, Marvel's Deadpool, and others, and you'll complete weekly missions for each character for variant skins.

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Animal Crossing is one of those series without much middle ground; people are either really into it, or they struggle to see the appeal. I’ve been a fan of the weird little village simulators since the GameCube days, and have been looking forward to a fully realized new entry for years. New Horizons is almost here, and I got about 40 minutes of hands-on time with it, from the opening until the moment the Nintendo reps wrenched the controller from my hands. Here’s a small slice of what you can expect to see for yourself in about a month.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons starts off as you’re preparing to book your trip via Tom Nook’s Island getaway service. Timmy and Tommy Nook ask you for your name and birthday, and then have you pose for your passport photo. In a departure from past games, I’m then dropped into a simple character creator, where I’m able to pick my hair style and color, skin tone, and eye shape and color. The options are limited, but it’s nice to be able to choose exactly what I want instead of being surprised with how I look after answering a series of questions, as has been the case in the past.

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While there have been other entries in the series since its 2005 release, Devil May Cry 3 remains a fan favorite and thus has received a plethora of different ports throughout the console generations. Now it's the Nintendo Switch's turn and we have (mostly) good news for fans of the long-running franchise. Join Joe Juba, Leo Vader, Matt Miller, and me as we explore all the newest additions to Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition, including its co-op mode, made exclusively for the Switch.

If you're watching this and feel the urge to jump back into the Capcom classic, you're in luck as the game is out now on Nintendo Switch. Happy demon-hunting!

If you're like me, you probably go back and play Shovel Knight all the time. It's pretty fun! But hey, we like new stuff too, so Yacht Club Games is potentially revealing some shiny, fun things next Wednesday at 12 PM EST.

The new info is going to be livestreamed on both YouTube and Twitch, so you can watch for new info on Shovel Knight, Cyber Shadow, and "some surprises we promise you've never seen!"

If you missed our review of Shovel Knight, you can check it out here

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Fire Emblem: Three Houses went big by providing three different perspectives to see its larger story unfold. Now we have one more in the Ashen Wolves, but it comes with its own self-contained story. Cindered Shadows is the final piece of the Fire Emblem: Three Houses expansion pass, providing the most substantial piece of content (previously, we got smaller scale updates, such as new attire, items, and adding everyone’s favorite secret shopkeeper, Anna, as a recruitable character). The new DLC provides an interesting story and characters, but holds the most allure in the new missions and classes.

PlayStation has announced it is withdrawing from its scheduled appearance at PAX East next week due to concerns surrounding COVID-19 (known as novel coronavirus). The slate of playable games was originally set to include The Last of Us Part II, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Persona 5 Royal, Iron Man VR, and more.

You can see PlayStation's full statement surrounding its decision below as posted on PlayStation Blog.

"Today, Sony Interactive Entertainment made the decision to cancel its participation at PAX East in Boston this year due to increasing concerns related to COVID-19 (also known as “novel coronavirus”). We felt this was the safest option as the situation is changing daily. We are disappointed to cancel our participation in this event, but the health and safety of our global workforce is our highest concern."

The Last of Us Part II developer Naughty Dog also released the following statement on Twitter:

Embracer Group, the parent company of THQ Nordic, has purchased Saber Interactive – the studio behind World War Z and the Switch port of The Witcher 3.

The deal could hit a maximum of $375 million, and Saber's past success as an independent studio – World War Z sold more than three million units according to Embracer – was one of the reasons Embracer purchased the New Jersey studio.

Embracer founder and CEO Lars Wingefors says that Saber will remain independent, which he notes has been a key ingredient in the developer's story so far. "Their ambitious moves towards self-funding projects in recent years have been particularly impressive," he says.

Tim Willits, former id Software studio director and current CCO of Saber, in a tweet said he is "thrilled" at the move, adding it "puts Saber on a much bigger world stage. Good times ahead."

[Source: Embracer Group, (2), Tim Willits]

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In the first exclusive video from our month of Outriders coverage, Game Informer's Jeff Cork sits down with game director Bartek Kmita and lead writer Joshua Rubin for repeated shallow dives into looting, shooting, Polish history and more. If anyone out there has any leads as to where Cork has been, please let us know.

Click the banner below for more exclusive coverage of Outriders, including the full cover story available now for free!

If you're like me, you've been wondering what shape Baldur's Gate 3 is going to take. Will it be a traditional isometric PC-oriented RPG like the classic titles of ages past, much like the games that inspired Divinity: Original Sin 2?

Or will it be something else? Third-person action perhaps? Well, we're going to get our first look at actual gameplay quite soon, on February 27.

The reveal kicks off at 3:30 PM ET, with Larian creative director Swen Vincke taking the stage at PAX East. Not going to be in Boston? No problem - the reveal will be streamed on YouTube. Check out the announcement trailer below and feel free to wonder what shape this next exciting iteration of one of gaming's most revered franchises will take!

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Fortnite chapter 2 – season 2 is fast approaching, and Epic Games isn't wasting time giving players a taste of what to expect. The teases began on Fortnite's official Twitter feed today with a series of images that embrace the color gold and a February 20 launch date.

Players are now noticing that ordinary items within the game world – be it a couch or filing cabinet – are made entirely of gold, almost like someone is walking around with the Midas touch. The teases will likely continue from now up until the season's official start.

Until we learn more, behold a gold couch viewed by a banana:

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With the advent of Twitch streams comes a way for chat to influence the game a streamer is playing, and we're giving you that opportunity today. Join me as I play through a collection of Dead Cells, Clustertruck, and Choice Chamber and try to outwit the GI Community!

In order to help change the direction of the games I'm playing, be sure to join us in the Twitch chat and follow the prompts.

We went live earlier, but be sure to check out the stream archive above. Enjoying the show? You can subscribe over on YouTube, Twitch, Mixer, Twitter, or Facebook to get notified when we go live in the future! Thanks for watching!

Nick van Dyk, the president of Activision Blizzard's film and television division, may have leaked the development of Overwatch and Diablo animated series on his LinkedIn profile, which GameSpot uncovered. According to his profile, the Diablo animated series is "rendered in anime style" and is in pre-production for Netflix. The Overwatch information isn't as detailed, and simply reads, "With my creative partner, developed and sold an animated series based on Blizzzard's Overwatch franchise." The buyer of the rights for this popular competitive shooter is not listed. You can see the profile listing below:

Since Overwatch's release in 2015, fans have wanted to learn more about the game's story. Blizzard hopes to deliver on this request in Overwatch 2's new story modes. Hearing a show is on the way too lessens the excitement for the mode a little bit, but this game's universe is overflowing with plot threads and there's likely room for both of them to exist. Here's hoping the show is done by Blizzard's team behind the awesome animated shorts.

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The expanded version of Persona 5 is coming to North America next month, and Brian Shea recently got a chance to sit down and play this stylish RPG ahead of release. In today's NGT, he shows off some of the new moves, features, and more.

Shea is joined by fellow Persona fan Joe Juba, as well as me and Alex Stadnik. There's a lot to unpack, but you'll be able to see a new grappling-hook mechanic (okay), one of the revamped boss battles (hmm!), and a look at the new customizable Thieves Den (huh?!). Check it out, OK?

Persona 5 Royal is coming to PlayStation 4 on March 31.

Pokémon's anniversary is February 27, a day that will likely be filled with news and events for most of the active Pokémon games. For Sword and Shield, Game Freak has stated that it will reveal a new mythical Pokémon that will likely appear in the game at the same time. The official Pokémon Twitter account shared what is believed to be the silhouette of this new critter.

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I've been incredibly lucky to be flown out by Ubisoft to some excellent Siege preview events over the last two years. I always have a good time, but I can say with complete confidence that they've never given me more exciting content to look forward to then they have here at the Six Invitational.

Join me and some very special guests in the video above as I show off the two new operators, the Kool-Aid Man defender and the astral-projecting attacker. This incredibly strong duo are just a taste of what's to come, so come back tomorrow for more big reveals about the next year of Siege!

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For as long as there have been video games, fans of the medium have been clamoring for a hot, horrible representation of their favorite characters on the big screen, and lovers of Sonic the Hedgehog are no different (Looking at you, Brian Shea).

After a complete design overhaul of the titular character, the Sonic movie is finally here, but is it any good? Join Andrew Reiner, Brian Shea, and me as we dissect the Blue Blur's film debut and discuss what the future holds for the future of Sega on the silver screen.

If you enjoyed this debate, be sure to check out our Spoiled discussion on Star Wars Episode IX, and how you can grab some official Sonic merchandise from the new movie.

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At one time not long ago, Fable was synonymous with video game excellence and was a staple of Microsoft's first-party lineup. While I pray those days return soon, Fable fans such as myself still have the old games to look back on for a shot of quirky British humor, simple and fun combat, and the amazing fantasy world of Albion. Join Andrew Reiner, Joe Juba, Ben Reeves and me as we return to Fable and rediscover what made this fantasy world so enticing.

We went live earlier today, but be sure to check out the archive of the stream above. If you can't get enough Replay and our other shows, remember to subscribe on YouTube, Twitch, Mixer, Twitter, or Facebook to get notified when we go live each week! Thanks and enjoy the show!

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With the tagline "From Russia with love," Netflix's teaser for Stranger Things' upcoming fourth season gives fans a reveal that will warm their hearts. We don't know exactly where this season is going yet, but part of it will be set outside of Hawkins, Indiana. We expect to return to Hawkins to catch up with the kids, but it looks like we'll be spending some time in Russia as well. There's also that pesky Upside Down that will probably become a factor again. The teaser sadly doesn't give us the one thing we want most: a start date.

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After the success of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, many wondered what Ninja Theory had up its collective sleeves next. Most of us wouldn't have said a team-based multiplayer game in the same vein as Overwatch, but that's what makes life fun, right? Join Andrew Reiner and me as we dive headfirst into the Bleeding Edge beta and finally get our hands on this colorful character brawler.

We went live earlier, but if you missed it you can watch the replay of the show in the archive above. Enjoying the streams? You can subscribe over on YouTube, Twitch, Mixer, Twitter, or Facebook to get notified when we go live in the future! Thanks for watching!

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Square Enix today released the opening cinematic for Final Fantasy VII Remake. This gorgeous sequence takes you on a tour of Midgar and also gives you an idea of how the narrative is going to kick off. Final Fantasy VII Remake is right around the corner with an April 10 release date exclusively for PlayStation 4.

Square Enix is expanding greatly on the content from the original 1997 PlayStation game, and is turning Final Fantasy VII into a series of games. This first game is mostly contained within Midgar, and while the main story beats will likely be the same, Square is expanding on them and will give fans a deeper look at this world. We don't know how many games Square is planning or what the release schedule will be like, but there's a chance we'll be playing Final Fantasy VII for years to come.

Are you excited for this remake? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Welcome to the newest episode of The Game Informer Show aka the Leocast! This week, Leo Vader takes the reins and is joined by Jeff Cork, Joe Juba, and I to chat about why the new third-person shooter Outriders had them buzzing after visiting People Can Fly's studio in Poland.

After dissecting Outrider's gaming goodness, we examine the latest Anthem news out of Bioware and discuss if it can become the game we were all hoping it would with the studio going dark to create a clearer vision of the sci-fi shooter.

Wrapping up the show, we rope Dan Tack into the madness and tackle a huge community email section that had us in stitches and questioning our sanity all the way through.

Thanks for listening! Please make sure to leave feedback below, share the episode if you enjoyed it, and follow @therealandymc, @leovader, or me at @Studnik76 to let us know what you think. 

Half-Life: Alyx, Valve's VR title set between Half-Life and Half-Life 2, is set to come out on March 23.

Although Valve has its own Valve Index VR headset, the game is compatible with all PC VR headsets such as the Vive and Oculus Rift.

As the name states, players control Alyx Vance in order to fight alongside her father Eli against the alien Combine.

Half-Life: Alyx, available March 23, 2020 https://t.co/NCOLWqSp3e pic.twitter.com/Q04EZwNfBt

— Valve (@valvesoftware) February 13, 2020

[Source: Valve]

Everything I've ever loved is gone.

Family. Friends. Home. It’s all back on a planet that can no longer sustain human life, a planet that we lost contact with 15 years ago. Earth is a distant memory, but there is hope: Our ship orbits Enoch, a planet that could give the 500 thousand souls on the S.S. Flores a chance at redemption. Perhaps this time we won’t fail.

The probes have given us cause for celebration: Enoch is a rare breed of “Goldilocks” planets, which is neither too hot nor too cold to sustain human life, with a breathable atmosphere and gravitational pull that won’t instantly crush us. Before we can colonize this rich new home, there’s one final formality: The Outriders have to make a quick landfall and ensure that it is, indeed, the paradise scientists have promised us all. What could possibly go wrong?

Continue reading...

Digital subscribers to Game Informer are now able to learn all about Outriders! Following this week's cover reveal, our digital issue is now live to subscribers on web browsers, iPad/iPhone and Android devices. Individual issues will be available for purchase later today. You can download the apps to view the issue by following this link. All of these digital options are included in a standard subscription.

The issue launches later this week on our third-party subscription apps including Kindle and Nook.

Not a digital subscriber yet? Convert your existing print subscription here or start a new subscription here.

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With the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's newest season comes a bounty of new maps, guns, and more fun for fans looking to extend their time with Infinity Ward's multiplayer suite. Join me as I test out all the new additions to Season 2 and attempt to balance killstreaks with talking with the chat.

We went live earlier today, but fear not, for you can still watch the archive of the show above. Enjoying the streams? You can subscribe over on YouTube, Twitch, Mixer, Twitter, or Facebook to get notified when we go live in the future! Thanks for watching!

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Crystal Dynamics' Avengers game was recently on the receiving end of a delay from May to September, but those excited to suit up as Earth's Mightiest Heroes can now pre-order a few different versions and set themselves up to receive various bonuses. While both the PS4 and Xbox One versions have different editions to choose from that come with several bonuses, PS4 players get a few extra things, including first access to a beta test.

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This isn't the new Prince of Persia game you were hoping for, but at least Ubisoft is still dreaming up new adventures in this popular universe. Prince of Persia: The Dagger of Time is a virtual reality escape room designed for teams of up to four players. Developer Ubisoft Düsseldorf hopes to have this Sands of Time-based experience out in the wild this spring.

Your goal as a team is to escape the Fortress of Time wielding the magical dagger of note to solve puzzles, some requiring you to rewind time, others pushing you to speed it up, and you may event need to stop it completely. You'll also need to keep an eye on Kaileena, the Empress of Time, and her army of sand monsters. Using room-scale VR, you'll need your team to move around the room to explore and solve puzzles.

Developer Ubisoft Düsseldorf is no stranger to VR escape rooms, having already made two others: Assassin's Creed: Medusa's Gate and Assassin's Creed: Escape the Lost Pyramid.

Since the beginning of the franchise, Game Freak has expressed a desire for the ability to bring your Pokémon forward into future games. While that process has not been without its hiccups and headaches, apps like the Poké Transporter and the Pokémon Bank for 3DS were designed with that function in mind. Now, Switch users finally have a way to bring creatures forward into Sword & Shield, as well as future mainline Pokémon RPGs through Pokémon Home, which is now available.

Pokémon Home links to Pokémon Bank to allow you to carry forward stored creatures into current games. While a free version exists, players who are serious about bringing their Pocket Monsters forward are probably going to want to look at the $15.99/year (or $2.99/month if you just want to do this once) Premium plan, which bumps your storage capacity up from 30 Pokémon to 6,000, as well as higher capacity in Wonder Box and GTS.

Nvidia's GeForce Now streaming service exited beta last week with hundreds of games, but users will find some of the titles they may have been playing have suddenly been removed. Activision Blizzard abruptly removed all of its games (like Overwatch and World of Warcraft) from the service yesterday with no real explanation.

The news comes from a Nvidia representative in GeForce Now's official forum. The representative said wrote, "Per their request, please be advised Activision Blizzard games will be removed from the service. While unfortunate, we hope to work together with Activision Blizzard to reenable these games and more in the future."

In the same post, Nvidia says that over 1,500 games are being on-boarded and will be added to the service in the future. If you purchased the Activision Blizzard games, you can still play them, just not through GeForce Now.

This shift away from GeForce Now comes on the heels of Activision Blizzard inking a deal with Google to exclusively stream esports matches for Overwatch League and Call of Duty League. We've reached out to Activision Blizzard for a statement on GeForce Now.

The immensely popular farming game Stardew Valley will be revisited in the future through two new games, but neither are what you would expect. The news comes from Stardew Valley's creator Eric Barone while answering a Twitter question about the future of the game's universe.

When asked if new games would be on the way, Barone replied "I'm actually working on a couple of new projects. One takes place in the world of Stardew Valley, but is not a farming game. The other, I'm not 100 percent sure about the world yet, but it will tie into Stardew Valley in some way."

When the news began to spread across social media and into news stories like the one you are reading now, Barone added "all I ask is please don't get too hyped at this stage. I want to avoid too much hype or speculation. I'd like to just make whatever game comes naturally to me without too much pressure or expectation."

The big takeaway from Barone's response is that Stardew Valley will live on, but will expand beyond the farm. We can't wait to see what's in the pipeline, but until these projects are revealed, we have fields to tend to.