Game Informer

Platform: Switch
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Milan, Ubisoft Paris
Release: October 20, 2022

2017's Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle pleasantly surprised players by deftly combining two very different universes and utilizing the unexpected template of a turn-based tactics game. Five years later, a sequel, Sparks of Hope, launches on October 20 and builds upon the winning formula while also shaking up the foundation to make it more than a retread.

Speaking to the game's associate producer Christina Nava, Ubisoft was pleased as punch at Kingdom Battle's success and how it entertained turn-based strategy fans and non-fans alike. 

"We were particularly happy by the fact that we saw many players who were not too used to the tactical genre tackling the genre and enjoying it, even if at first they wouldn't have believed that," says Nava. 

Tri-Ace and Square Enix have largely kept quiet about Star Ocean The Divine Force since its reveal last fall, but that changed in a big way today. In addition to dropping not one, not two, but three videos fleshing out the game's narrative, characters, and combat, we now know the JRPG launches in October. 

The Divine Force arrives on October 27, exactly one year after it was first announced. The first trailer showcases the plot with a montage of out-of-context story clips that sets the tone for what's to come in the sci-fi action RPG. 

The second video provides a more thorough walkthrough of Star Ocean's characters and combat. Players assume the role of one of two protagonists: Raymond Lawrence, a hot-headed merchant ship captain searching for his lost crew, and Laeticia Aucerius, a princess fighting to save her kingdom from destruction. The story unfolds differently depending on your chosen hero, and a ragtag party of allies accompanies each. The action-focused combat utilizes four party members players can swap between on the fly. You can battle in real-time or pause the action using Stop Mode to allow time to change tactics.  

Matrioshka Games and V Publishing’s fast-paced action RPG, Fallen Angel, hits Switch next month after a successful launch on Steam in 2020. 

More specifically, Fallen Angel will hit Switch on July 19, meaning there’s already less than a month left until you can take the archangel experience with you on the go. If you aren’t familiar with Fallen Angel, you can get a look at what awaits you in it in the special Switch announcement trailer below: 

As you can see in the trailer above, there are a lot of hellacious things going on, which makes sense considering you control Lucifer as he attempts to ascend from hell to get revenge on those who banished him from heaven. 

“With no god in place, heaven is up for grabs, and it’s up to Lucifer to reclaim his birthright and battle fearsome archangels,” a press release reads. “The pearly gates aren’t what they seem, as Lucifer must venture through a variety of 2D locations from cyberpunk nightclubs to crumbling ruins. Utilize a vast arsenal of weapons in fast-paced combat from chain claws, blades, and guns.” 

Yesterday, Spellbreak developer Proletariat released a blog post detailing the future of its spell-based battle royale that launched years ago. In it, the studio revealed that the servers for Spellbreak will shut down in early 2023, effectively ending the run of this battle royale. 

This shutdown likely had to do with the game’s low player count. Still, there might be more to it than that: Blizzard Entertainment, the studio behind franchises like Overwatch and Warcraft, is acquiring Proletariat and using its force of roughly 100 employees to staff up its World of Warcraft team, according to a new report from GamesBeat. 

“We are putting players at the forefront of everything we do, and we are working hard to both meet and exceed their expectations,” Blizzard president Mike Ybarra told the publication in a statement. “A big part of caring for our teams is making sure we have the resources to produce experiences our communities will love while giving our teams space to explore even more creative opportunities within their projects. Proletariat is a perfect fit for supporting Blizzard’s mission in bringing high-quality content to our players more often.” 

With Atari's 50th anniversary happening this week, the company has revealed Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration. This classic compilation of games stretches beyond the standard game-collection bundles we've seen in the past, with aspirations of serving as a virtual, interactive museum to paint a picture of just how influential and important Atari was, particularly through the nascent years of the video game industry. I went hands-on with Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration to see how well it accomplishes that lofty goal.

At its core, Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration delivers more than 90 playable games in one $40 package. Players can expect classic and retro titles from six hardware platforms (Atari 2600, 5200, 7800, ST, Jaguar, and Lynx), all with emulation created by renowned retro revivalists Digital Eclipse; this is the first time Jaguar and Lynx games will be playable on modern consoles. The team at Digital Eclipse, best known recently for its work on Mega Man Legacy Collection, Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, The Disney Afternoon Collection, and the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, has plenty of experience bringing forward the classics of yesteryear.

You’ve probably heard of or played Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, the character-collecting adventure set in a galaxy far, far away. The mobile game launched in 2015 and, in the years that followed, amassed a substantial fanbase that continues to get support from sizeable roster updates. The creators behind Galaxy of Heroes recently formed Azra Games. And the studios’ debut title will appropriately be a collectible and combat RPG called Legions & Legends. 

Azra Games CEO and co-founder Mark Otero excitedly spoke about the announcement of the new game:

“This will be my ninth collectible and combat RPG, one that builds upon and perfects the genre I’ve spent my entire career developing. I truly believe that we’ve cracked the code for a captivating gameplay experience built around the joys of collecting toys and taking them to battle against each other, just as we used to do when we were kids. At Azra, we’re looking to bring back that excitement of the toy box and playing with friends – remastered for a new generation of players.”

Azra Games is a blockchain games company. Legions & Legends launches this summer (an exact date wasn’t specified) with the release of the “Genesis Collection” NFTs which generate in-game resources through Ethereum. But what exactly is Legions & Legends? A press release/blog post penned by Otero gives us a brief look into the Legions & Legends’ “uncharted galaxy where magic and technology collide.”

The Mighty Thor, Jane Foster’s godly alter ego, swoops into Marvel’s Avengers today. Crystal Dynamics released a pair of videos showcasing her thunder-based abilities, giving fans a look at how she compares to her original male counterpart.

Jane arrives as a free character in all versions of Marvel’s Avengers. The narrative explains that Jane was torn from an alternate reality in which she is the one and only Thor. Odinson renounced Mjolnir following A-Day, and though Jane developed cancer, her transformation into the Goddess of Thunder halted the disease as she battled to protect Inhumans from persecution. One day, a Tachyon Strom caused by AIM opened a portal that dropped Jane into the game’s universe. She joins up with the Avengers to uncover the cause of the rifts and figure out how to return home. 

The Mighty Thor wields Mjolnir with more precision than Odinson and sports new abilities that highlight her increased finesse. You can watch the War Table video below for a complete breakdown of her skills or watch the video below for a non-commentary gameplay demonstration.

Harvestella is Square Enix’s new RPG meets farming sim announced during today’s Nintendo Direct Mini. 

The game takes place in a world where the four seasons are dictated by four giant crystals called Seaslight. But the cycle is interrupted due to an abnormal event that creates a “season of death” called the Quietus, which causes crops to wither and threatens all life.

Harvestella’s gameplay splits time between action-focused dungeon crawling and laid-back farm management. Players globetrot to areas representing the four seasons to battle monsters and explore dungeons. You can even hop in a submarine to traverse the oceans. Combat involves executing team maneuvers with party members, and each character can be outfitted with different jobs that grant unique characteristics, skills, and combat styles. 

When you’re not fighting for the world’s survival, you’ll return to your village to tend to your farm. Raising crops and livestock lets you harvest ingredients for crafting. When the work is done, socializing with townsfolk is another key diversion. Along the way, you’ll meet a cast of characters such as a time traveler from the future, and completing tasks for them grants rewards and improves your bonds with them. 

Harvestella looks intriguing and we can’t wait to see more of it. It’s also not terribly far away, launching November 4 for Switch and PC via Steam.

With Gotham Knights exploring what life is like in a post-Bruce Wayne world, his iconic sidekick is wondering what a Robin is without a Batman. Apparently, he's unleashing his full potential and hacking advanced superhero bases to level up his vigilanteism.

In a new character trailer, Robin shows off how he disposes of Gotham's thugs. His standard melee combat is centered around quick attacks and the use of his quarterstaff for leverage and mid-range beatdowns. Robin also has a stealthy element, enabling active camouflage to mask his presence and sneak up on unsuspecting suspects. The most surprising reveal in the trailer is that the Boy Wonder has tapped into the Justice League satellite to enable short-range teleportation to zip around Gotham to get the drop on enemies or make impossible leaps a reality. He's also using holograms to deploy decoys to deceive dummies in combat.

Over the last 31 years, the Sonic the Hedgehog fan base has dashed through several distinct eras. The Classic Era let fans platform through brilliantly designed 2D stages, while the Modern Era gave us the Adventure games and Boost games, and that's not even counting the Sonic Boom titles. Now, with the movies setting box office records and reinserting everyone's favorite blue hedgehog back into the mainstream consciousness, a new era for Sonic the Hedgehog games could very well be upon us. With Sonic Frontiers, Sega and Sonic Team could hope to welcome fans to the Open-Zone Era of the franchise.

Sonic Frontiers’ “open zone” format has been the centerpiece of discussion, and for a good reason. Dropping Sonic in an open-world style environment gives fans a new, bigger arena to roam around and go fast in. However, traditionalists may be happy to learn that Frontiers includes standard, linear platforming stages hidden in unlockable areas called Cyber Space. I got to play one of these stages during my demo during Summer Game Fest Play Days a couple of weeks ago to get a handle on how these self-contained levels compliment Frontiers' exploration-heavy gameplay. 

As seen during today's Nintendo Direct Mini, while exploring the open world (which you can read about in my previous preview), I collected special items called Portal Gears. You can obtain these gears by solving puzzles and completing other types of challenges throughout Starfall Islands. Presenting them at stone landmarks resembling a throne establishes a connection to the Cyber Space, a digital dimension Sega describes as a “game within a game.” Cyber Space treats players to fast-paced platforming stages fans of 3D Sonic games will be intimately familiar with, providing a more focused diversion to open zone wandering.  

After years of the fan base begging Atlus to bring its mainline Persona games to Switch, the publisher finally satisfies that request. Hot on the heels of the announcement of Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal coming to PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, Atlus announced during today's Nintendo Direct Mini presentation that the three upgraded versions of its beloved Persona games will also arrive on Nintendo Switch.

Persona 5 Royal, the 2020 upgraded version of the 2017 base game, comes to PlayStation 5, Xbox, Switch, and PC on October 21. Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden are also coming to PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, though they'll do so later. 

Only Persona 5 Strikers, the spin-off/follow-up to Persona 5, and Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, a fighting-game follow-up to Persona 4, have appeared on Switch platforms. For our review of Persona 5 Royal, head here. To learn more about Persona 5 Strikers, head here.

The previously announced Portal: Companion Collection gathers the two acclaimed first-person puzzle games into one bundle for Switch. While we already knew it was coming sometime this year, today's Nintendo Direct Mini presentation news revealed that we'll be able to play two of the greatest puzzle games of all time on Switch beginning today.

Portal was released in 2007 as a part of The Orange Box, a bundle that gathered Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2, and Portal. Initially considered a unique side dish to the main courses that populated the rest of the bundle, Portal quickly gained popularity for its clever design, mind-bending puzzles, and dark humor. In 2011, Valve released a full-fledged sequel, Portal 2. This standalone title added several new mechanics, extended playtime, a more involved story exploring the backstories of Aperture Science and GlaDOS, and a separate co-op multiplayer campaign.

Both Portal titles are considered among the greatest video games ever made and are available today on Nintendo Switch.

Square Enix has pulled back the curtains on Dragon Quest Treasures, a new spin-off entry in the legendary Dragon Quest franchise that was first teased in May 2021. This game focuses on the childhoods of Mia and Erik, two siblings from Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age. As these two characters, players embark on hunts for treasure in Draconia before the events of Dragon Quest XI.

As Mia and Erik travel through Draconia, they can recruit monsters to locate loot, explore the world, and fight enemies. Your recruited monsters are more helpful than just battling, it turns out: Using Slimes, you can bounce up to higher ledges, while grabbing onto a Dracky while you're exploring can allow you to glide like Breath of the Wild's paraglider. Once you complete your treasure hunt and obtain your prize, you can bring it back to your base to see how much it's worth. Using the funds you obtain from your hunts, you can improve your base and increase your treasure hunting level. 

Dragon Quest Treasures launches on December 9 for Switch. 

Live A Live is just over three weeks from release, but Nintendo and Square Enix are ready to rev the hype engine. During today's Nintendo Direct Mini, we received an update on the exciting, beautiful HD2D title that remakes the 1994 Super Famicom RPG that never came to Western markets. However, the big news from the presentation is that if you want to see what the buzz is all about, you can get a taste starting today.

The game puts you in the roles of multiple stories and multiple protagonists across different eras. The demo that hits the eShop today allows you to play three chapters from three different eras to get an idea of what to expect. Not only that but the save data transfers to the full game if you decide to buy it; it's always nice to know your time in a demo is productive when it comes to the final release.

Live A Live comes to Switch on July 22.

When Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle arrived on Switch in 2017, it was an unlikely success that blended the worlds of Nintendo's Super Mario franchise with Ubisoft's zany Rabbids. The result was a turn-based tactical title starring the Mushroom Kingdom's finest and the most unpredictable characters in Ubisoft's stable. Announced during Nintendo's E3 2021 Direct, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope promises to carry forward the legacy of that fan-favorite title, but it's been a while since we've heard anything about that game. That changed today during the Nintendo Direct Mini, which shined the spotlight on the company's third-party partners.

Otherworldly enemies have suddenly appeared, trying to take the energy possessed by Sparks, who appear to be Rabbid versions of the Lumas from Super Mario Galaxy; this would make sense seeing as how Rosalina appears to play a big role in this sequel. To combat this, Mario and his friends once again join forces with the Rabbids.

Bandai Namco has announced a new remake of Pac-Man World called Pac-Man World: Re-Pac. This throwback to the 1999 PlayStation 1 title features revamped graphics and more, and is scheduled to release this August.

Pac-Man World puts you in the shoes of Pac-Man as he platforms through six worlds on Ghost Island to rescue his friends. Each world consists of five levels, with each world's final level featuring a boss battle. In the game, Pac-Man can use a variety of skills, including the ability to Rev Roll, Butt Bounce, and turn into Giant Pac-Man. When the original title was first released on PS1, Game Informer liked the title, scoring it an 8 out of 10 in 1999.

This is the second remake the original 1999 title has received, the first of which was in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance. The game also appeared on PlayStation Network beginning in 2013 under the PSOne Classics branding. However, the original PS1 version is not among the classic titles currently included in the PlayStation Plus Premium tier's classic catalog.

Pac-Man World: Re-Pac launches on August 26 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. 

When the first Mega Man Legacy Collection launched in 2015, players hoped there was more to follow. Sure enough, there was, as Mega Man Legacy Collection 2, Mega Man X Legacy Collection, Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2, and Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection followed in subsequent years. However, one pain point among the fan base is the lack of a modern way to enjoy the myriad Mega Man Battle Network titles.

Today, Capcom finally gave that segment of the fan base what it's been clamoring for with the Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection. Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection gathers 10 games from the series, along with over 1,000 illustrations and a music mode featuring more than 150 songs. The collection includes:

• Mega Man Battle Network
• Mega Man Battle Network 2
• Mega Man Battle Network 3 White
• Mega Man Battle Network 3 Blue
• Mega Man Battle Network 4 Red Sun
• Mega Man Battle Network 4 Blue Moon
• Mega Man Battle Network 5 Team Protoman
• Mega Man Battle Network 5 Team Colonel
• Mega Man Battle Network 6 Cybeast Gregar
• Mega Man Battle Network 6 Cybeast Falzar

Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection is slated for PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC and launches in 2023. 

Konami announced Super Bomberman R 2, a successor to the Switch launch title Super Bomberman R. In addition to announcing the game, we also got our first look at a promising new way to play called Castle Mode and a release window.

In the asymmetric multiplayer Castle Mode, a team of 15 players must blast their way to treasure chests scattered across the battlefield. Meanwhile, a solo player tries their best to hold them off. On top of what sounds like a wild mess of action, players can create and share their own battle stages for the mode, adding a ton to the replayability potential of this new form of play.

When the first Super Bomberman R launched in 2017, I heavily criticized it for poor network performance, frustrating level design, and an overall lack of content. However, in the years since, the developers have improved the title through various updates and expanded the Switch-exclusive game to also appear on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. Hopefully, the development team learned from its mistakes with Super Bomberman R 2 and delivers a stronger product at launch. The aforementioned Castle Mode looks like a good time, so I'm hopeful. Super Bomberman R 2 arrives in 2023. It will be available on PlayStation and Xbox consoles as well as Switch and PC. 

One of the most requested titles is finally coming to Switch later this year. Nier: Automata quickly found a large fan base when it launched in 2017, with many praising the storytelling, action, and soundtrack of the Platinum Games-developed title. Now, more than five years later, the heartfelt story of 2B and 9S comes to Nintendo Switch.

Nier: Automata The End of Yorha Edition includes previously released content and new costumes that will be available at launch. We don't know much else about what appears to be an "ultimate" or "game of the year" edition of the title, but the game's inclusion in the Switch library is noteworthy. When Nier: Automata launched in 2017, it received critical and fan acclaim, with the PlayStation 4 version garnering an 88 out of 100 score on reviews aggregate website Metacritic.

Nier: Automata The End of Yorha Edition arrives on Nintendo Switch on October 6. For one Game Informer's opinion on why you need to play Nier: Automata in some form, head here.

Nintendo kicked off its Direct Mini presentation today with a new trailer for Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak. The expansion, available this week, delivers a hearty amount of content by adding new biomes to explore and creatures to track down/battle. However, Capcom isn't stopping there, as the new trailer gave way to a roadmap of free title updates for players over the next several months.

The first title update hits in August, adding Seething Bazelgeuse, Lucent Nargacuga, and several other monsters. That update also adds rare species monsters, special species monsters, and a new locale in the Forlorn Arena. Later this fall, a second free title update adds more rare species monsters, subspecies monsters, and powered-up monsters. A third free title update is scheduled for this winter, promising several special species monsters and powered-up monsters. Finally, Capcom says a fourth free title update will arrive in 2023, but it isn't ready to say anything about what to expect with that one.

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is available June 30 on Switch and PC. For more on the base game, check out our review from 2021 when it first hit Switch. For more on the Sunbreak expansion, get caught up on every monster confirmed right here.

Last year, the team behind Fallout: London, a “DLC-sized mod” for Bethesda’s Fallout 4, released a reveal trailer that showcased what to expect across the pond in the world of Fallout, and it looked great. Today, the team released another video spanning almost five minutes that highlights some of the well-worn and lesser-known locales of London that players can visit when the mod is released. 

And speaking of release, today’s trailer revealed that Fallout: London will be released in 2023, as reported by IGN. The release window comes after a stunning four minutes of in-game footage. Had I not known Fallout: London was a mod, I probably would have assumed it was a brand-new chapter in the franchise – that’s how good this looks! Check it out for yourself below: 

As you can see in the trailer, players can expect to see Tower Bridge, Big Ben, and more. Plus, the trailer hints that players won’t win every battle with bullets – they might be going medieval in some quests, donning a knight’s armor and taking down enemies with a sword. Everything about this trailer is exciting. Fortunately, Fallout: London is releasing sometime next year. 

Hearthstone is taking a trip to the Shadowlands for a fancy dinner party hosted by the definitely-not-nefarious Sire Denathrius. "Hosted" is appropriate in the past tense because someone has murdered the now-former leader of Revendreth and the Venthyr. Now there's a soiree full of suspects and locations to investigate to find out who did the dirty deed in Murder at Castle Nathria.

During its annual Spark 2022 conference, Tencent Games unveiled Code: To Jin Yong, a new open-world action title steeped in wuxia literature and created in Unreal Engine 5.

The upcoming game comes from LightSpeed Studio, a Chinese team most notable for developing Apex Legends Mobile and PUBG Mobile. Code: To Jin Yong is an adaptation of a series of wuxia (a genre of fantasy martial arts) novels by acclaimed author Jin Yong, whose works have been extremely popular in China since the 1950s. The game features heroes from Yong’s novels and leverages Unreal 5’s power, such as photogrammetry technology, to create dazzling martial arts combat and physics that fans of wuxia films should appreciate. Check out the gameplay demo below to see it in action. 

Code: To Jin Yong has no release date or confirmed platforms, but Tencent’s press release states it will be available globally “in the near future.” What do you think of this first look at the title? Let us know in the comments!

Gamescom returns as a hybrid in-person/online event this August, and the pieces have begun falling into – and in several cases, out of – place. Although several big publishers have already pulled out of what’s arguably the biggest convention in gaming, Ubisoft has confirmed it will have a presence at the show.

See you at @gamescom!

August 24-28, stay tuned for more news... pic.twitter.com/lPQDovmc1e

— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) June 27, 2022

Ubisoft’s attendance is noteworthy because other heavy-hitters such as Nintendo, Sony, Take-Two, and Activision are skipping the show this year. Although there’s no confirmed list of attendees, THQ Nordic will also attend and plans to reveal four unannounced games. 

Valve’s handheld PC and most successful Steam Machine to date is wrapping up its Q2 2022 reservation fulfillment today and will be moving on the Q3 preorders starting next week. The devices will also be manufactured at an increased pace, so those who thought they might have to wait a while longer to pick one up may be in luck.

Valve tweeted today from its Steam Deck account that those who preordered the Steam Deck and have an expected Q3 2022 fulfillment date should check their email inboxes starting on June 30. The announcement of the latest group of preorder shipments comes paired with the reveal that Valve is increasing production of the handheld, essentially doubling the previous quarter’s output. 

“Hello! Some great news on the production front. We just sent the last batch of Q2 emails, and we’ll start sending Q3 reservation emails on the 30th,” says the @OnDeck tweet. “Production has picked up, and after today we’ll be shipping more than double the number of Steam Decks every week!”

Hello! Some great news on the production front. We just sent the last batch of Q2 emails, and we’ll start sending Q3 reservation emails on the 30th.
Production has picked up, and after today we'll be shipping more than double the number of Steam Decks every week! pic.twitter.com/kAHE0zRrV7

Former Sega of America president and Sony Computer Entertainment America founder Bernie Stolar has died at 75.

Below is an obituary written by Steven L. Kent, author and gaming journalist, sent to Game Informer for use, in full: 

Bernard “Bernie” Stolar, a former top executive at Atari, Sony Computer Entertainment America, and Sega of America, passed away at the age of 75.

“Bernie was a low-key guy. He kept his ego in check,” remembers Vince Desi, founder of Running with Scissors. “I’ve known Bernie for a long time, and I’ve never heard him raise his voice. He was a gentleman in an industry where there really aren’t many.” 

Stolar’s introduction to the video game business came with the 1981 release of an arcade game called Shark Attack. Created by Pacific Novelty and manufactured by Game Plan—an Illinois-based pinball manufacturer, Shark Attack was a game in which players controlled a white shark as it ate its way through groups of skindivers. 

Stolar was given the unenviable task of informing Universal Studios CEO Sid Sheinberg about the project. After released the movie Jaws in 1975, Universal claimed a certain ownership on shark-themed entertainment, and Sheinberg was notorious for suing companies he felt had infringed on his studio’s intellectual properties. (In 1982, Sheinberg would unsuccessfully take Nintendo to court claiming Donkey Kong infringed on his studio’s version of the movie King Kong.)  

After negotiating for permission to manufacture 1,000 Shark Attack machines without paying royalties, Stolar built 990 machines and pulled the plug on the project. 

Nintendo has revealed that a Direct Mini: Partner Showcase is happening tomorrow. 

As many have predicted and expected, Nintendo is hosting a Direct tomorrow, but it's not the typical Direct many were hoping to see happen sometime this month to coincide with the rest of the big June gaming showcases. That's because it's a Direct Mini that's also a partner showcase. This means it will be a smaller-scale Direct (see: mini) focused on third-party titles. However, this doesn't necessarily mean we won't see anything from Nintendo's first-party studios because surprises can happen – just don't go in expecting it. 

"A new Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase is on the way! Watch on-demand via our YouTube channel beginning Tuesday, June 28 at 6am PT for roughly 25 minutes of info on upcoming third-party Nintendo Switch games." 

A new #NintendoDirectMini: Partner Showcase is on the way! Watch on-demand via our YouTube channel beginning Tuesday, June 28 at 6am PT for roughly 25 minutes of info on upcoming third-party #NintendoSwitch games.

Subscribe & turn on notifications here: https://t.co/SZA1P3RSHS pic.twitter.com/8hmCJ1p5EX

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is a beloved game in the long-running Zelda series, but when it was first revealed, the reception was mixed. Some were completely on board, ready for this new take on the franchise, while others weren’t too happy about the visual style of the game. The latter party apparently included Legend of Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto. 

According to a translation of an old issue of Nintendo Dream Magazine by DidYouKnowGaming, Wind Waker director Eiji Aonuma said Miyamoto “literally cringed” when he first saw the game’s visual style, as reported by Video Games Chronicle. 

“If I had gone and talked to him from the very beginning, I think he would’ve said ‘How is that Zelda?'." Aonuma said in the magazine. “Miyamoto had trouble letting go of the realistic Link art style until the very end.

“At some point, he had to give a presentation against his will. That’s when he said something to me like, ‘You know, it’s not too late to change course and make a realistic Zelda.'” 

Miyamoto is a legend, obviously, but it might’ve been a good thing that Aonuma trusted he and his team’s instinct and continued forward with Wind Waker’s art style – the game’s all the more memorable for it. 

The Boys is one of the most popular shows on television right now, with Season 3 currently underway. It’s a brutal show, with hilarious satire and multiple wild characters, but it seemingly didn’t hold the interest of Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding director Hideo Kojima. 

That’s because he quit after watching three episodes of Season 1, but the reason might have to do with more than just interest in the series. In a new series of tweets first spotted by Video Games Chronicle, Kojima has revealed that at one point in the past (likely 2019, which is when the first season of The Boys aired), he was making something similar in concept to The Boys. In fact, he put it on hold because of its similarity. 

With its approachable gameplay and chess-like complexity, Into the Breach has been an incredible strategy option for PC and Switch owners. With its upcoming Advanced Edition expansion, new content is getting pumped into the mech tactics games where it can already be played. Even better still, mobile versions are landing the same day with the new DLC bolted right in from the start.

Subset Games, which also developed the space-faring rogue-lite FTL, is releasing the Advanced edition on July 19. It comes new units, weapons, pilots, abilities, and more. For expert players, there will be a more challenging difficulty mode to contend with, along with new bosses and enemies to learn to defeat efficiently and effectively. Here are some bullet points of what to expect in Into the Breach's Advanced Edition Update:

In the movie Jurassic World Dominion, we see a company called Biosyn operating at full capacity, creating dinosaurs and other dangerous critters at an alarming pace. In Jurassic World Evolution 2's new expansion, Dominion Biosyn, you play through this corporation's first days and learn how its hunger to bring back never-before-seen dinosaurs takes a turn for the worse.

My time in Biosyn's sprawling dinosaur sanctuary was short yet rewarding. The new campaign flows harmlessly from mission to mission, allowing for success with little pushback. Some dinosaurs get sick or may misbehave, but this is essentially a stress-free playthrough that lets you interact with a handful of fantastic new dinosaurs within just an hour or two.

All of the Biosyn dinosaurs are fantastic additions, bringing the rage of the Pyroraptor and the odd shuffling grace of the Dimetrodon to your parks. The Giganotosaurus and Quetzalcoatlus also bring some size to the hunting trails and are animated in terrifying ways.

The campaign missions don't ask much of the player and don't lean too heavily into juggling scientist duties (although they are always required). You don't have to worry about guest satisfaction and mainly focus on building habitats for your new dinosaurs. The new invisible fence is a great way to view them, especially when applied to other maps, but it can be a bit difficult to work with when the map is heavily wooded. You'll have to check your overhead heatmap to see the perimeter before applying ranger posts and feeding stations. The underground railway system is also a bit of a pain to chain together.

This week's episode of All Things Nintendo is jam-packed with news, a review, and a fun interview. First up, Brian is joined by Marcus Stewart to discuss news pertaining to games like Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Overwatch 2, Pokémon Snap, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. The two then talk about Sonic Origins to wrap up the segment. Then, renowned Sonic Mania and TMNT: Shredder's Revenge composer Tee Lopes joins the show to talk about his path into the industry.

If you'd like to follow the people from this episode on Twitter, hit the following links: Brian Shea (@brianpshea), Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7), Tee Lopes (@TeeLopes)

The All Things Nintendo podcast is a weekly show where we celebrate, discuss, and break down all the latest games, news, and announcements from the industry's most recognizable name. Each week, Brian is joined by different guests to talk about what's happening in the world of Nintendo. Along the way, they'll share personal stories, uncover hidden gems in the eShop, and even look back on the classics we all grew up with. A new episode hits every Friday!

Jupiter looms large, serving as an imposing backdrop as cargo ship pilot Jacob Lee crashes on the Gas Giant’s second-biggest moon. Our solar system’s largest planet may play host to a seemingly eternal storm, but something far fiercer is brewing on Callisto. It’s here that the creator of the Dead Space series, Glen Schofield, stages perhaps his most horrifying project yet.

Set 300 years in the future, The Callisto Protocol unmistakably carries Schofield’s creative DNA, but through innovative technology, an uncompromised vision, and lessons learned from decades of development experience, Striking Distance Studios feels it has something more than a spiritual successor on its hands. The Callisto Protocol challenges players to face their fears as they descend into the depths of a lunar prison overrun by monstrous, infected humans and uncover what happened to one of our great hopes for life beyond Earth. We witnessed never-before-seen gameplay and spent hours picking the brains of Striking Distance Studios’ veteran developers to learn how this team is creating one of the scariest, most intense games of 2022.

In 2019, Schofield took a trip out to the desert to get away from the hustle and bustle of the game industry. Just months prior, he had left Activision, a publisher with whom he had worked for nearly a decade. While there, he helped lead a studio he cofounded, Sledgehammer Games, as it worked on three mainline Call of Duty titles: Modern Warfare 3, Advanced Warfare, and WWII. Schofield eventually transitioned to an executive role within Activision before leaving the company less than a year later. He decided to take some time off and plot his next move.

It is important to keep in mind what is going on within Activision Blizzard at this time regarding ongoing allegations about the work culture. The ongoing lawsuit from the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) against the company is over-reported toxic workplace culture. The bulk of the suit focuses on "violations of the state's civil rights and equal pay laws," specifically regarding the treatment of women and other marginalized groups. To learn more about the proceedings thus far, including details listed in the lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, please check out our previous coverage here.

In a recent Reddit AMA, the Overwatch 2 team from Blizzard Entertainment took questions from the community regarding the state of the franchise and the upcoming pseudo-sequel to its popular hero shooter. In one answer, the folks from Blizz confirm an interesting detail about OW2 when it hits Early Access in the first week of October: it’ll replace the original Overwatch entirely.

Along with the debut of Tiny Tina's Wonderlands on Steam this week, a brand new DLC has landed for the Bunkers & Badasses-themed shooter. You can check out the trailer for Molten Mirrors below.

Those who venture into the Molten Mirrors DLC will face off against the Fyodor, the Soul Warden who digs holes and hordes souls, probably. In the trailer, there's plenty of footage of the bullet-hell elements added to Molten Mirrors that will surely put players' abilities at dipping and dodging to the test. 

However, taking on the challenges of the Soul Worden and the Molten Mirrors content isn't free. You can join in on the fresh mayhem if you own the Wonderlands with the $29.99 Season Pass or purchase the DLC on its own for $9.99.

If you're still on the fence about whether to check out Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, read our review to better inform your potential purchasing decision.

In an interview with 4Gamer.net, Elden Ring director and president of From Software, Hidetaka Miyazaki, revealed some information about the studio's next project and even left some room for the possibility of an Elden Ring sequel. Translations of the interview are courtesy of Google translate, so please forgive if they are a little rough.

Regarding the next From Software project, 4Gamer inquired about three games that were in the pipeline when Sekiro was in development. At the time, two of the titles were unknown to the public, with one ending up being this year's smash hit Elden Ring. As for the other, we seemingly don't have to wait too long to see what it is. When asked whether that other game was still in development, Miyazaki responded, "Yes. Development is in its final stages." 

Miyazaki doesn't show his cards on what the game may be, but rumblings in the industry point towards a resurgence of another From Software franchise, Armored Core. Trading the steel of medieval armor for the steel plating of a high-tech mecha would be a refreshing change of pace for the studio after its run of magic and melee-centric Souls titles. It will also be interesting to see if the long-running robot series will take any design philosophies from its From Soft sister series. Whether the Armored Core rumors turn out to be true will hopefully be revealed in the near future.

Illumination’s upcoming animated Mario movie was recently delayed to next spring. Perhaps the biggest downside to that news is the fact that we have to go even longer before hearing what Chris Pratt’s Mario voice sounds like. Today, Variety caught up with Pratt to ask about the film, with the actor describing his take on Mario as “unlike anything you’ve heard in the Mario world before.”

For those unaware, Pratt portrays Mario in the film and much the biggest buzz around the film has centered on his voice. Some have expressed concern about a non-Italian playing an Italian character and the voice potentially being offensive while the film’s co-producer described Pratt’s performance as “phenomenal.” 

Speaking to Variety, Pratt discusses how he experimented with the voice and worked closely with directors to find a unique take on Mario that he felt proud of, saying in part “It’s an animated voiceover narrative. It’s not a live-action movie. I’m not gonna be wearing a plumber suit running all over. I’m providing a voice for an animated character, and it is updated and unlike anything you’ve heard in the Mario world before.”

Despite being heavily criticized for his role in Activision Blizzard’s ongoing employee sexual abuse scandal, CEO Bobby Kotick will remain on the company’s board of directors for another year.

The publisher held its annual meeting of stockholders, who voted on five proposals, such as its list of ten directors, including Kotick, to serve one-year terms. The document detailing the results shows that an overwhelming 533,703,580 investors voted in Kotick’s favor against 62,597,199 who voted against him. 2,162,178 shareholders abstained from voting.

Crystal Dynamics announced in April that Marvel's Avengers' next hero would be Jane Foster as the Mighty Thor. A new War Table blog post names the date fans will see the Goddess of Thunder in action.

Mark Monday, June 27 on your calendar as the date to watch a War Table Deep Dive detailing Jane's powers and abilities. Jane will become available as part of the 2.5 update, which arrives just a day later on June 28. That should whet fans' appetite for the character's Norse-powered return in the upcoming Thor: Love & Thunder, which hits theaters on July 8. 

It'll be interesting to see how Crystal Dynamics differentiates Jane's moveset from Thor's. In the comics, Jane possessed all of the abilities of Thor during her time as the Goddess of Thunder. The only notable difference was her ability to manipulate Mjolnir with greater control and creativity (especially when throwing it) than her predecessors, so that's something the studio can certainly hone in and expand upon. 

For more on Marvel's Avengers, check out our evolving list of every playable hero in the game.