Game Informer

Platform: PC
Publisher: NCSoft
Developer: ArenaNet
Release: 2012
Rating: Teen

Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons, the third expansion for the critically acclaimed MMORPG, launches on February 28, 2022 and we would like to celebrate!

From the Studio
Originally released in 2012, Guild Wars 2 is lauded as one of the top MMORPGs. End of Dragons is the third expansion for the game and will take players to the mysterious continent of Cantha, a region of the world shrouded in secrecy and intrigue for more than 200 years. On their journey, players will discover the secrets behind the mysterious substance known as dragonjade and its ability to power the unique technology of Canthan civilization.

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: From Software
Release: February 25, 2022

Margit The Fell Omen is the first mandatory boss you’ll encounter in Elden Ring. You’ll find his fog gate inside the Castleward Tunnel, which begins at the top of Stormhill, the wind-swept lands northeast of the starting area called Limgrave. The hammer-wielding steward is old but quick on his feet and poses a more significant threat to slower melee-focused players, especially those of a lower level. If you’re still trying to figure out how to beat Margit The Fell Omen, we’ve got you covered. In this Elden Ring boss guide, we’ll show you how to find a unique item to make the fight much more effortless.

Platform: Switch
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Release: October 27, 2017
Rating: Everyone 10+

This week's episode of All Things Nintendo is all about celebrating the first five years of the Nintendo Switch. The anniversary is right around the corner, so Brian invites Game Informer online content director Ben Reeves back to talk about the biggest milestones of the Switch's first half-decade, as well as share some stories from the last five years covering the system.

Note: Brian is out on assignment this week, so this episode was recorded a week early. If any noteworthy news hit over the last week, All Things Nintendo will cover it next week.

Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Publisher: EA Originals
Developer: Velan Studios
Release: May 21, 2021
Rating: Everyone 10+

Knockout City, the popular EA Originals dodgeball game developed by Velan Studios, is officially going free-to-play with the start of Year 2. 

This news comes by way of a new post by Velan on EA’s Knockout City page. In it, the studio reveals that following the conclusion of the current Season 5, Season 6 will kick off Year 2, which will in turn kick off the game’s transition into a free-to-play title. What’s more is that Velan will be saying goodbye to its publishing partner, EA, to self-publish future content for the title. 

Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Publisher: THQ Nordic
Developer: Airship Syndicate
Release: October 3, 2017
Rating: Teen

Valve’s Steam Deck launches today, meaning its first wave of customers will soon be gaming on a shiny (and very large) handheld PC and looking for things to play. The device can’t play every title and Steam recently rolled out new library categories to better label which of your games work on the Deck and which don’t. Publisher THQ Nordic has assisted on this front by revealing which of its many titles are playable on Steam Deck at launch.  

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: From Software
Release: February 25, 2022

Super Replay is taking another backseat this week (we promise Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order will continue soon!) because the Replay crew is tackling the newly-released and critically acclaimed Elden Ring! Souls expert Dan Tack shall help guide me, “Souls Expert In Training” Marcus Stewart, as I roam the game’s dangerous open world for two hours. Senior editor Blake Hester will also be on hand for what should be a raucous journey. Join us on Twitch at 2 p.m. Central as we tackle the game Dan scored a perfect 10 and described as "one of the best games ever made." 

Valve’s long-awaited Steam Deck is finally here, offering up a portable gaming solution with broad appeal. The nature of that appeal is quite different depending on your perspective. Some primarily console-focused gamers may find a low-cost entry into at least part of the PC gaming experience. For more dedicated PC players, it provides a chance to take what may already be an extensive Steam library on the go – albeit with only specific titles optimized right now. Either way, the Steam Deck is an impressive first step into a promising future of portable PC play – with some significant issues holding it back from greatness.

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The Steam Deck is big. At nearly a foot in width and weighing in at about 1.5 pounds, it’s a bit surprising the first time you pick it up – even knowing ahead of time about its bulk. However, the advantages of that heft are immediately apparent, with spacious controls, a myriad of inputs, and most importantly, an impressive 7-inch display.

The LCD screen is touch-sensitive, primarily for navigating the user interface, and the 1280x800 visuals are more than enough to make games like Deathloop and Horizon Zero Dawn pop. And while most will likely plug in a headset or connect a compatible Bluetooth option, I was pleasantly surprised by the onboard stereo speakers, which offer crisp percussive sound, even at limited volume.

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: From Software
Release: February 25, 2022

Elden Ring is doing very well – its Steam numbers are already nearly six times greater than From Software’s previous all-time high – but some players have criticized the game’s performance, particularly on PC. 

Platform: Xbox One, PC
Publisher: The Molasses Flood
Developer: The Molasses Flood
Release: February 24, 2016
Rating: Teen

With February soon coming to a close, it’s time for another round of Xbox Games With Gold and Microsoft has announced the four games subscribers will be getting starting next week. 

As is usual, players will be getting two Xbox One/Xbox Series X/S games and two Xbox 360 games. They are The Flame in the Flood, Street Power Soccer, Sacred 2 Fallen Angel, and SpongeBob’s Truth or Square. 

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: From Software
Release: February 25, 2022

There's something to be said about witnessing a historic moment firsthand.

From Software's Hidetaka Miyazaki pioneered the Soulsborne genre, a smart subversion of conventional action RPG mechanics brimming with marvelous setpieces, writhing horrors, and certain death. After Demon's Souls' triumphant launch in 2009, From Software's rise to prominence was all but guaranteed … or so I've been told. You see, I don't doubt the reported brilliance of the studio's catalog; I've just never experienced it for myself. Until now, that is. 

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: From Software
Release: February 25, 2022

Elden Ring is the largest From Software game to date, certainly the studio’s best work, and full of secrets and challenges around literally every corner. I understand how intimidating the renowned developer’s releases are to a newcomer, so I’ve created an Elden Ring beginner’s guide containing nine essential tips for new players to help make the most of your journey to The Lands Between.

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Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: From Software
Release: February 25, 2022

Elden Ring is finally out after years of anticipation and it seems the hype that’s been building since its announcement in 2019 has paid off for From Software. 

That’s because less than 24 hours after release, Elden Ring’s Steam numbers (courtesy of SteamDB, which tracks the numbers of players in a game) are already nearly six times greater than From Software’s previous all-time high. That previous high resides with Dark Souls III, which has a peak playerbase of 129,975. Elden Ring’s current all-time high is a whopping 764,835, which is roughly 5.9 times higher than that of Dark Souls III. 

Platform: PlayStation 5
Publisher: PlayStation Studios
Developer: Insomniac Games
Release: June 11, 2021
Rating: Everyone 10+

The 25th annual DICE Awards is in the books following tonight's ceremony co-hosted by Jessica Chobot and Greg Miller. The nominee pack was led by Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart with nine nominations, followed by Deathloop with eight nominations, and Inscryption and It Takes Two each earning five. A total of 59 games released in 2021 received nominations in this year's awards. To see the full categorical nominee list, head here.

Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, Stadia, PC
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive
Developer: NetherRealm Studios
Release: <time datetime="2019-04-23T12:00:00Z" class="datetime">April 23, 2019</time>
Rating: Mature

Platform: Xbox One, PC
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Developer: 343 Industries
Release: <time datetime="2021-12-08T12:00:00Z" class="datetime">December 8, 2021</time>
Rating: Teen

Being a hero is no easy task, and it’s doubly hard when you’re the new savior on the block. With every new console generation comes new franchises and returning favorites. Everyone knows characters like Master Chief and Samus are great heroes – some of our favorites, even – but what about the new faces donning a mask for the first time, or those who have found themselves fighting for good against all odds? What about the ones who have simply fallen into a bad situation but have come out better for it? 

The first batch of Steam Decks will be released tomorrow and if you’re one of the lucky people who were able to secure one of the first preorders for this new device, you might be looking to see which games you can play on it. 

Fortunately, thanks to a new Steam page, you can sign in to your account and quickly see what’s verified for Steam Deck, what’s playable, and what won’t work on it. It takes less than a minute and you’ll see four different categories for your Steam Library games: Deck Verified Games From Your Library, Deck Playable Games From Your Library, Unsupported Deck Games From Your Library, and Untested Deck Games From Your Library. 

Here’s what each means, according to Valve: 

Platform: Wii U
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Release: 2013
Rating: Rating Pending

Today's new episode of The Game Informer Show is bursting with everything you need to know about Elden Ring as we discuss why we think developer FromSoftware's latest adventure lives up to the hype. That's not all though, as we're also wishing longtime GI vet Ben Reeves a fond farewell as he sails off to great things at his new position, along with another great round of Listener Questions.

Production Note: Our recording software cut out during the episode, so we apologize for any audio hitches you may encounter. We'll have everything taken care of next week. We appreciate your understanding.

Platform: PlayStation 5, Switch, PC
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Developer: Massive Monster
Release: 2022
Rating: Teen

Cult of the Lamb is a delightfully demented-looking title by Massive Monster and Devolver Digital that became one of our most anticipated indie titles when it was first unveiled last August. The game lets you control a cute lamb and form a demonic cult. Fun! PC had been the only confirmed platform, but a new update has announced that Cult of the Lamb will spread its influence to consoles.

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Publisher: Curve Digital
Developer: Neon Giant
Release: July 29, 2021 (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC), March 24, 2022 (PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4)
Rating: Mature

Cyberpunk twin-stick shooter The Ascent finds a new home on PlayStation next month. Since its launch last July, the game has only been available on Xbox consoles and PC. 

Sony has asked a court to dismiss a class-action lawsuit against it first filed in November of last year that alleges gender discrimination within the company. 

Former Sony IT security analyst, Emma Majo, sought court approval to turn her case into a class-action lawsuit last year on behalf of other women who worked for the company in the past. She alleged that “Sony discriminates against female employees, including those who are female and those who identify as female, in compensation and promotion and subjects them to a work culture predominated by men,” as reported by Axios last year. 

Now, Sony is asking a court to dismiss Majo’s class-action case against it, citing a lack of facts to support the claims presented in the lawsuit, Axios reports. 

“Despite the sweeping breadth of her lawsuit, the allegations in which [Sony Interactive Entertainment] categorically denies, she fails to plead facts to support either her individual claims or the claims of the broad-based classes of women she seeks to represent,” Sony’s lawyer wrote, according to court documents. 

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: From Software
Release: February 25, 2022

Elden Ring finally hits consoles and PC tomorrow, and today, one day before its release, Bandai Namco and From Software have released the patch notes for Patch 1.02, which is essentially the game’s day-one patch. 

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: From Software
Release: February 25, 2022

Elden Ring launches this Friday, February 25 though it may unlock a few hours earlier or later depending on which part of the world you live in. If you’re looking to fire up your adventure the second the game becomes available, Bandai Namco tweeted a helpful map listing Elden Ring’s global release timings. We've shared it below, but you'll need to open the image in a new tab to view it in a larger, more readable format. Otherwise, we've listed the unlock times for each timezone below. 

Developer: Nintendo

Nintendo has announced that it is acquiring SRD Co. LTD., a long-time development partner that has worked on titles within franchises like The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario.

If you’ve been paying attention to the video game industry as of late, you likely already know that 2022 has so far been defined by one word: acquisitions. 

It started with Take-Two Interactive, the parent company behind the Grand Theft Auto series, announcing back in January that it was acquiring mobile giant Zynga for nearly $13 billion. Then, a week later, Microsoft announced that it was acquiring Activision Blizzard, the company behind Overwatch and Call of Duty, for a colossal $68.7 billion, and then two weeks later, Sony revealed it was buying Bungie, the developer behind Destiny 2, for $3.6 billion.

Nintendo revealed earlier this month that despite acquisitions happening throughout the industry, it wasn’t going to change its investment plans. It also revealed that it’s not against acquisitions they deem necessary and it seems acquiring SRD was the next necessary move for the Kyoto-based company. 

Developer: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Since the previous PlayStation 4 and Xbox One generation of consoles, game captures such as screenshots and videos have become more and more popular. With the start of this current generation back in 2020, it was clear that PlayStation and Xbox were going to encourage us even more to share our best captures. 

Doing so on Xbox Series X/S, and even Xbox One, has been relatively easy when it comes to getting images and videos off of the hard drive and onto your phone, for example. You simply capture what you want and in a few minutes, it’ll be automatically uploaded to the official Xbox app. From there, you can save and download the image to your phone, which makes sharing it on social media a breeze. However, that wasn’t possible on PlayStation, despite how much players wanted this feature…until now. 

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As you can see in the video above, PlayStation has rolled this feature out for PS5 players. You’ll need to enable it in your console’s settings and the PlayStation App first, of course, but after that, screenshots and videos under three minutes long will be automatically uploaded to the PlayStation App. They’ll remain there for 14 days and during that time you can save and download any images or videos you want to your mobile device. And, much like with Xbox game captures, this makes it much easier to share your captures with friends and others on social media. 

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, Stadia, PC
Publisher: WayForward Technologies
Developer: 13AM Games
Release: 2022

Look out, monsters are attacking the city! Except it’s you! If the idea of stomping through cities as massive kaiju or giant robots gets your blood pumping, then the upcoming Dawn of the Monsters may be up your alley.

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Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: Visual Concepts
Release: March 11, 2022
Rating: Teen

Rapper Machine Gun Kelly has hopped aboard the hype train for WWE 2K22, severing as an official partner by providing his music and shaping the game's soundtrack. He’s also set to become a playable superstar himself. 

2K has announced that MGK will arrive as part of a post-launch content pack (which has no release date), so don’t expect to do this to him on release day:

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Kelly serves as executive producers on 2K22's soundtrack, helping curate its tunes which include the following:

Platform: PlayStation 5
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Insomniac Games

They did it. They did the thing. And it’s awesome. 

If you’ve seen Spider-Man: No Way Home, then you know of its biggest secrets (which is one of the movie industry’s worst-kept secrets): there are three Spider-Mans, err, Spider-Men, in it and accompanying Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is Andrew Garfield and Toby Maguire’s own iteration of the character. In the movie, they kind of allude to the most infamous Spider-Man meme out there – the three Spider-Man pointing at each other, surprised to see other iterations of themselves – but now, Marvel has released a better, official version of it. 

This interview was conducted by Andrew Reiner and Suriel Vazquez, and transcribed by Michael Leri. It was originally published on December 1, 2016.

Ed Boon has likely been making video games longer than you’ve been alive. Years before he became the steward of the Mortal Kombat franchise, Boon was programming pinball and arcade games for companies that no longer exist. But despite his over 30-year history in the industry, he’s only ever really had one job.

To get a full view of what such a storied career looks like, we talked with Boon about his early days at Williams Electronics, some of the names Mortal Kombat could have had, and what it’s like working on the same series for over two decades.

Andrew Reiner: Let’s go all the way back, way back to first time you saw some kind of interactive entertainment like this. Take us through that day.

Ed Boon: I think my first interaction with any kind of interactive game, per se, would probably be pinball machines. From way, way back in the days of grade school. Our bowling alley had a bunch of pinball machines and we would play them. At the time, there was a concept called winning a free game. So you would get good at a game and the whole theory was “play on this for long a time with a quarter.”

Reiner: The bowling alley. Do you remember the name of that?

Platform: PlayStation 5, Switch, PC
Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
Developer: Asobo Studio
Release: 2022
Rating: Mature

A Plague Tale: Requiem doesn’t have a release date yet, but that hasn’t stopped publisher Focus Entertainment from unveiling a rather cool Collector’s Edition.

The centerpiece of this bundle, pictured above, is a resin statue of protagonists Amicia and Hugo. Standing 8.3 inches tall, Amicia takes aim with her new crossbow. 

The bundle also includes the following items (none of which are supernatural rats, thankfully):

Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: BioWare

Last month, Bioware shared a blog post updating fans on the status of the studio while promising a future update on the next Dragon Age title. Today, a new post makes good on that promise by giving fans a better idea of where it is on the development pipeline and the designers leading the project.

According to Bioware GM Gary McKay, the unofficially titled Dragon Age 4 is currently in the middle of full production, writing “Our blueprint was completed last year, so we’re now focused on building out our vision: creating amazing environments, deep characters, strong gameplay, impactful writing, emotional cinematics – and much more. The blueprint for the game is well understood and the team is focused.” 

Bioware says this update is part of an initiative to better communicate with fans more often on its upcoming projects. The studio says to expect more information about Dragon Age in the form of blog posts and social media "later this year". The post also bids farewell to Dragon Age 4’s executive producer, Christian Dailey who joined Bioware in 2018. The game's remaining leadership consists of Game Director and EA veteran Corrine Busche, Production Director and former Mass Effect Legendary Edition lead Mac Walters, and Dragon Age veteran Benoit Houle as Director of Product Development. 

Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Release: May 24, 2016 (PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4), October 15, 2019 (Switch)
Rating: Teen

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4
Publisher: PlayStation Studios
Developer: Guerrilla Games
Release: February 18, 2022
Rating: Teen

Horizon Forbidden West was released this past Friday and after a weekend where likely millions of players began Aloy’s latest journey, Guerrilla Games has released Patch 1.05, the game’s first. 

This patch takes aim at several issues in the game, such as an oversharpening of the screen image when HDR is on, and it fixes dozens of them while also listing out known issues the team is working on. It’s par for the course as far as post-launch patches go but if you’ve held off on playing, Horizon Forbidden West is now an even better game as a result. And if you have been playing it and are looking for some fixes to issues you run into, there’s a good chance Patch 1.05 addresses your problem. 

Platform: PlayStation 4, PC
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Platinum Games
Release: March 7, 2017
Rating: Mature

Platinum Games’ Nier: Automata is getting an anime. 

This was revealed by publisher Square Enix during the game’s fifth anniversary livestream today by way of a new teaser trailer that you can watch below. The teaser, which is quite brief clocking in at just 31 seconds, doesn’t reveal too much at all. It showcases what could perhaps be the anime’s animation style, although it could just be concept art of 2B and her Pod companion bot. 

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Reviewed on: PC
Also on: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: From Software
Release: February 25, 2022

Once in a great while, a game comes along that seamlessly combines impeccable gameplay, a wondrous world, incredible tone-setting music, and unparalleled art direction. That game is From Software’s Elden Ring, an action RPG that channels the best aspects of the studio’s last decade of work into one enormous package. This absurdly ambitious open world captivated my curiosity, enticed me with puzzles, secrets, and mysteries, and served up unbelievably satisfying moments as I experienced one of the most extraordinary adventures of all time. From my initial foray into the world to the final moments, every step of the journey is a note in a personalized epic that kept me coming back for more. This trek through dark and twisted fantasy is an endless exploration, continually serving up sensational sights that only get more enthralling and fantastic as the voyage goes on.

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Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Sledgehammer Games
Release: November 5, 2021
Rating: Mature

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC, Mac
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Square Enix
Release: December 7, 2021

Update, 2/22/22:

After being suspended for more than two months, the free trial for Final Fantasy XIV is back and open to any and all players. 

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, PC
Publisher: Bungie
Developer: Bungie
Release: February 22, 2022
Rating: Teen

Bungie’s latest expansion for Destiny 2, The Witch Queen, is now live and so is the accompanying Season of the Risen that will run until May 24. 

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Eidos Montreal
Release: October 26, 2021
Rating: Teen

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, PC
Publisher: Bungie
Developer: Bungie
Release: February 22, 2022
Rating: Teen

Eyes up, Guardians! Savathûn, the Hive god and Witch Queen has harnessed the Light to do her bidding. With it, she has molded part of her throne world into an opulent white cathedral and has gifted her Lucent Brood with powers, not unlike those the Guardians wield. Survival for Earth's champions is a must, and doing so means taking the fight to Savathûn's home turf and facing her terrifying Light-wielding forces head-on.

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