Game Informer

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Insomniac Games
Release: November 12, 2020
Rating: Teen

Great gameplay and stellar graphics always impress, but the best moments often stick with us most. Sometimes that is a surprising plot twist; other times, it’s a hilarious character exchange or a jaw-dropping action segment. Regardless of their form, these experiences can turn a fun game into a memorable one.   

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

Aloy and company are finally back after five long years in Horizon Forbidden West, and we're streaming the beginning of the game live on Twitch starting at 2:15 p.m. CT!

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Anime streaming app Crunchyroll has launched on Switch today. 

That's noteworthy for two reasons. One, it adds another streaming service to Switch, a platform with minimal options for watching TV and movies. Switch owners still only have Hulu, YouTube, Funimation, and Pokémon TV to turn to. There’s also Twitch if you prefer watching streamers. Two, it comes after Sony’s billion-dollar acquisition of the service in December 2020, showing that the company has no intention to prevent Crunchyroll from further spreading its wings to other platforms. 

Crunchyroll on Switch, which is powered by Unreal Engine, is the first video app on the console to offer offline viewing. That means you won’t need an internet connection to catch up on Demon Slayer should you decide to fire up the app at the park or on a car ride. Crunchyroll is a subscription service boasting one of the largest anime libraries, even letting fans stream shows the same day they premiere in Japan. 

While a nice addition, the Switch still lacks streaming heavyweights like Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, and others which has been frustrating for owners who want to take advantage of its portability to watch their favorite shows anywhere. If you’re not into anime, that leaves Hulu as the only real option. Hopefully, that changes, but given that the Switch has gone five years without even Netflix, it's probably best not to get your hopes up. 

Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Publisher: Deep Silver
Developer: Yager
Release: TBA
Rating: Mature

Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Release: TBA

Platform: Stadia, PC
Developer: Larian Studios

Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 will likely be released in 2023 after years of development, including time spent in Early Access. 

This news comes by way of PCGamesN, which recently spoke to Larian head Swen Vincke about the status of the RPG. According to Vincke, the team needs another year of development, but this year will be the last full year required for work on the game. 

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“We’re going to release it when it’s ready,” Vincke said. “I mean, the main goal here is quality: getting the game at the quality level that it needs to be. That said, we do think we still need a year to do that. But it will be the last year. We’re getting to the end of it.”

Platform: PlayStation Vita, PC
Publisher: Atlus
Developer: Atlus
Release: November 20, 2012 (PlayStation Vita), June 13, 2020 (PC)
Rating: Mature

Platform: Xbox One, PC
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Rare
Release: March 20, 2018 (PC, Xbox One), November 10, 2020 (Xbox Series X/S)
Rating: Teen

Rare is bringing more content to Sea of Thieves in 2022 than any year prior, it seems, and it’s mostly doing that by adding new live events called Adventures to keep players enthralled in an ongoing story each month. The first one, Shrouded Islands, is now live in-game and players have from now until March 3 to complete it. 

While it feels like we've been hearing about the TV series based on The Last of Us for quite some time, it looks like the show is further down the road than we realized. In an interview with Deadline, HBO and HBO Max chief content officer Casey Bloys revealed the show is set to debut as early as next year.

“It’s not going to air in 2022 — they are still shooting in Canada. I imagine you will see it in ’23,” said Bloys to Deadline. "Craig [Mazin] did Chernobyl for us, he is a fantastic writer and director. What I’ve seen looks amazing, so I’m excited for it, but it will not be in ’22." While it's unfortunate that we won't see The Last of Us adapted this year, it sounds like everything is very much still in production and on track to be completed by sometime in 2023.

Another interesting quote from the interview came from Deadline asking whether The Last of Us was seen internally as the next Game of Thrones. To which Bloys replied, "There is no next Game of Thrones. I’ve been here long enough that I’ve been through, what’s the next Sopranos, what’s next Game of Thrones, now what’s next Succession. There is no next Game of Thrones.” 

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

Horizon Forbidden West is one of the most highly-anticipated games of the year, and it releases everywhere on Friday. An unexpected Lego Set announcement already amplified the hype this week for Horizon fanatics, but players might also be surprised to learn that their excitement contributes to a greater cause. By unlocking an early-game trophy, Horizon Forbidden West players can help the environment. 

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Koei Tecmo
Release: <time datetime="2022-03-18T12:00:00Z" class="datetime">March 18, 2022</time>

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin may be a weird spin for the series, but one traditional staple remains present: the Job system. 

Jobs are basically roles you can assign to each party member that determine what abilities and weapons they utilize. Stranger of Paradise boasts 27 jobs and three of them are brand new to the series. The PlayStation Blog provides a rundown of what some of these jobs entail, including the ones exclusive to the title.

The jobs unique to Stranger of Paradise are Breaker, Void Knight, and Tyrant.  

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch
Publisher: PlayStation Studios
Developer: Sony Interactive Entertainment San Diego Studio
Release: April 5, 2022
Rating: Everyone

Sony San Diego has revealed that its upcoming baseball game, MLB The Show 22, will be getting a technical test starting tomorrow, February 17, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Switch. 

It’ll begin at 10 a.m. PST and will last until February 23 at 10 a.m. PST giving players in the U.S. and Canada a week to try out the game ahead of its April 5 release. As for what to expect, the technical test seems primarily focused on stress testing MLB The Show 22’s online servers and functions. 

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Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Publisher: Hello Games
Developer: Hello Games
Release: August 9, 2016 (PlayStation 4, PC), July 24, 2018 (Xbox One), November 10, 2020 (Xbox Series X/S), November 12, 2020 (PlayStation 5), 2022 (Switch)
Rating: Teen

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Publisher: Hello Games
Developer: Hello Games
Release: August 9, 2016 (PlayStation 4, PC), July 24, 2018 (Xbox One), November 10, 2020 (Xbox Series X/S), November 12, 2020 (PlayStation 5), 2022 (Switch)
Rating: Teen

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

Studio animations that play before movies are nothing new. Popularized by the likes of Marvel Studios (although who could forget the build-up of Fox 20th Century’s snare-centric intro animation), it’s not uncommon to see some flashy animation from a studio that lets you know, “Hey, this is a movie made by us.” 

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive
Developer: CD Projekt Red
Release: May 19, 2015 (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC), October 15, 2019 (Switch), 2022 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S)
Rating: Mature

A new studio called Rebel Wolves has been formed by multiple former Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 developers and its first game will be, not surprisingly, an RPG. 

Nintendo has revealed that eShop purchases on the Wii U and 3DS will come to an end next year. 

More specifically, it will no longer be possible to make eShop purchases on these two consoles after late March 2023. A blow to digital game preservation, once this goes into effect, the only way to purchase games on both the Wii U and 3DS will be physically, and if previous digital storefront shutdowns like this are any indication, those physical game prices are about to skyrocket. 

As of late March 2023, it will no longer be possible to make Nintendo eShop purchases for the Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.

More info: https://t.co/uGoxCcDZ70

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 16, 2022

“It will also no longer be possible to download free content, including game demos,” Nintendo writes on its website. “As of August 29, 2022, it will no longer be possible to use a Nintendo eShop Card to add funds to an account in Nintendo eShop on Wii U or the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. However, it will still be possible to redeem download codes until late March 2023.” 

No changes are planned for the eShop on Switch consoles as a result of this, of course (although wouldn’t it be nice if Nintendo could bring Wii U games and 3DS games to the Switch eShop somehow). 

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 doesn’t premiere in theaters until April 8, but Sega and Paramount Pictures have confirmed that a third film is in the works along with TV spin-off series for Paramount+. 

In a press release, the companies revealed that development of Sonic 3 (or whatever it winds up being called) has already begun. There’s no word on who will be involved, but one would imagine the main cast will stick around along with director Jeff Fowler. Sega and Paramount did not share a release window. 

The live-action TV series features Idris Elba’s Knuckles, who makes his debut in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and will premiere in 2023. It’s unclear if Knuckles is the star of this show or is just the first character confirmed for it but the former sounds more likely. This adds another video game series to Paramount+'s line-up alongside its soon-to-premiere Halo. To avoid potential confusion, this Sonic TV show is a separate project from Sonic Prime, the animated series that debuts on Netflix sometime this year. 

Variety is reporting that Paramount Plus has a few more missions for Master Chief to go on for the streaming network. The television adaptation Halo, based on the game franchise of the same name, is getting a second season prior to the airing of its first season. 

Along with the early renewal of the series, a new showrunner is taking over for the sophomore suite of episodes. According to Variety, Brave New World creator and Fear the Walking Dead co-executive producer, David Wiener will be helming the show moving forward. He'll be taking the place of former showrunners Kyle Killen (who left partway through season one) and Steven Kane. Kane reportedly departed the project after completing the first season due to the "massive scope of the series" and the two years of production it took the first set of episodes to film due to COVID complications. 

Funko can't stop, won't stop making new figures based on your favorite brands and properties. This week, we get to take a look at some upcoming game-related products set for release sometime in 2022.

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First up is a collection of four Funko Pop figures featuring characters from the upcoming Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. Of course, Tiny Tina herself is represented, but so is her trusty diamond unicorn, Butt Stallion. Unfortunately, it's probably not possible to have Tina ride on Butt Stallion's back. Joining that dynamic duo is the big baddie from Wonderlands, Will Arnett's Dragon Lord, along with Paladin Mike, an elite guard sworn to protect Queen Butt Stallion. 

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Apex Legends already has eight figurines in the Pop collection, and it looks like at least four more are being added in the near future. Slated to hit sometime this year are Wattson, Octane, Revenant, and Crypto. Given that these were the first four additions to the Apex roster, the following eight are likely to show up down the line. Or at least, anyone collecting this set would hope so. 

Which other characters would you like to see get the Funko Pop treatment? Let us know in the comments! 

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

Guardians will soon face off against Savathûn and her Lucent Brood in just one week and to prepare you for the upcoming fight, Bungie has released a new launch trailer for Destiny 2: The Witch Queen. 

Platform: PlayStation 5, PC
Publisher: PlayStation Studios
Developer: Naughty Dog
Release: January 28, 2022
Rating: Teen

Many have attempted the impossible task of bringing our favorite video game characters to the silver screen with varying degrees of success. Tom Holland is next in line to try his hand as the iconic Nathan Drake in the Uncharted movie, and we're sitting down with him today to hear all about it!

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Netflix has been rather successful with TV adaptations of popular video games like Castlevania and The Witcher. Now the streaming goliath's sights are set on 2K Game's gene-splicing Bioshock series, only this time, it's being developed as a movie.

The Hollywood Reporter states that Netflix is partnering with 2K's parent company Take-Two Interactive and Vertigo Entertainment to bring the series to life. The THR report calls this an effort to "develop a potential cinematic universe," which is fitting considering the multiversal events of Bioshock Infinite. Currently, there are no names attached to the project for writing or directing, nor is there any word of which era of Bioshock we'll be seeing on film. 

"We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us."

Netflix + BioShock. Would you kindly stay tuned? pic.twitter.com/Ke1oJQileX

Platform: PC
Publisher: Funcom
Developer: Shiro Games

Dune: Spice Wars is an exciting prospect for real-time strategy fans and enthusiasts of the popular books (and recent Oscar-nominated film). The game takes the series back to its RTS roots, though we hadn't seen much of it beyond cinematic teases. However, a new trailer provides the first look at its tactical gameplay.

The trailer shows off how players can command units on Arrakis. You’ll lead your chosen faction using several methods, whether it be flexing political influence, having deep economic pockets, or just pure open warfare. As you travel the world and meet/capture villages, you gather resources and set up spice harvesters to keep the money flowing while using armies to keep attackers at bay. In addition to a single-player campaign, developer Shiro Games previously confirmed multiplayer. 

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, PC
Publisher: CD Projekt
Developer: CD Projekt Red
Release: December 10, 2020 (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Stadia), February 15, 2022 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S)
Rating: Mature

If you were waiting to play CD Projekt Red's latest RPG, 2020's Cyberpunk 2077, on new-gen consoles, now is your time because Patch 1.5 is the game's new-gen update, and it's out now on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. 

Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Spicy Horse
Release: 2011
Rating: Mature

Another day, another opportunity for Microsoft to add even more games to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service and today, the company seized the opportunity. Microsoft has revealed eight new additions to the service in a new Xbox Wire post today, including Madden NFL 22 and more. 

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

Horizon Forbidden West, the long-awaited sequel to 2018’s acclaimed Zero Dawn, drops this Friday. Today, Lego revealed a tie-in “Tallneck” set for any avid collectors out there. The set comes with 1222 pieces and features a detailed Aloy minifigure along with the titular Tallneck robo-dinosaur (see gallery below).

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This episode kicks off with another rave review of Something is Killing the Children, and then transitions to the latest books you should be reading this week and what you should have on your radar for the next couple of months.

We then dive into the world of video games to dream up games we would like to see. We break down their designs, pick a developer that would fit the project, and discuss what they would play like. As always, we end the show with a list of comics that will be releasing this week.

If you would like to follow us on Twitter: Andrew Reiner (@Andrew_Reiner) and Philip Hoff (@bnow23).

From Panel to Podcast is a weekly show created by two lifelong comic book readers who offer suggestions on which comic books you should be reading each week. Each episode also dives into the latest developments for comics in video games, movies, and television shows. We'll even discuss comic book collectibles and anything we think you should know about that pertains to this entertainment medium.

Be sure to subscribe to From Panel to Podcast on your favorite podcast platform. The show is available on Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

Over the course of five games, players have gotten to know Nathan Drake as a fearless, debonair, and experienced explorer who laughs in the face of danger seemingly at every turn. Despite the ground crumbling beneath his feet on a regular basis, Nate always survives and keeps pressing towards the ultimate goal. While Nate's mission is typically treasure, the film based on his adventures aptly translates the series' characters to the silver screen while showing viewers a good time along the way. Just like its main character, Uncharted loses its footing a few times en route to its destination. However, once the credits rolled, I couldn't help but feel that it accomplished its mission.

Warning: While I try to remain as spoiler-free as possible, certain elements of the narrative and characters are mentioned throughout this article.

Uncharted follows a younger Nathan Drake than we've seen in the main games (save for some flashbacks). The film starts with a scene from Nate's time at Saint Francis' Boys' Home with his brother, Sam, but this movie largely takes place in the present day. We pick up the modern thread with Nate (Tom Holland), who is bartending in New York. After he sneakily demonstrates his smooth-talking and pickpocketing skill, he's approached by a man named Victor "Sully" Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) and asked to help retrieve a special artifact needed to access a treasure.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Tomb Raider franchise, Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix have launched a special charity initiative. The companies have partnered with Girls Make Games, a fundraiser that educates girls on game design, to produce a limited edition set of reimagined box art prints from the entire Tomb Raider series created by renowned artists. Not only can you own over a dozen of beautifully drawn pieces featuring the iconic explorer, but the proceeds go towards a worthy cause. 

Girls Make Games is a charity fundraiser that encourages young women interested in working in the game industry by holding summer camps (in-person and virtual), workshops, and other classes designed to teach the ins and outs of game development. Given that women are still underrepresented in many major studios despite the growing influx of female players, Girls Makes Games has worked to help young ladies interested in creating their own titles get a head start towards entering the industry. 

If that sounds like a program you want to support and you enjoy Tomb Raider, spending $49.99 gets you 15 physical prints from a diverse array of professional artists. 100 percent of the proceeds go to Girls Make Games. Whether you prefer a surrealist take on Lara, something more anime-inspired, or a more comic-book style approach, odds are there’s a piece that suits your style. Square says this will be a limited-time promotion, so better to jump on it sooner than later if your interest is piqued. 

Being 16 years old is hard enough. There’s school as well as dynamic changes in friendships and other relationships. For some, it’s when you get a job and start making money. Parker Anderson, the one-man show behind PlugWorld, took on all of that and began developing a game that you can play with one hand all by himself. He’s now 17 years old, and Weaponeer is nearing its big (paid) re-release on February 14. 

While Anderson developed the game exclusively by himself, its re-release features a few extra helping hands in the form of VoxPop Games and charity AbleGamers. VoxPop was founded during the COVID-19 pandemic by current CEO Charles Yu and COO Marc Rodriguez. Yu jumped into game development shortly after college, working in quality assurance in the Apple App Store ecosystem and elsewhere. Rodriguez also has a history in the game industry, having worked at Capcom and Rockstar Games, amongst others companies. 

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The two created VoxPop to help projects like Weaponeer and developers like Anderson. 

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, PC
Publisher: CD Projekt
Developer: CD Projekt Red
Release: December 10, 2020 (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Stadia), February 15, 2022 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S)
Rating: Mature

Uncharted arrives in theaters on February 18, but if you’d rather read the cinematic adaptation instead, a novelization of the film releases tomorrow. And if you’d rather listen to your books based on blockbuster films based on triple-A video games, Variety reports that the audiobook version has an added dose of authenticity since it’ll be narrated by the original Nathan Drake himself, Nolan North. 

Uncharted: The Official Movie Novelization goes on sale on February 15 and puts the exploits of Tom Holland's Nathan Drake and Mark Wahlberg's Victor “Sully” Sullivan from screen to page. The book is written by sci-fi and horror author S.D. Perry, who previously penned a series of books based on Resident Evil, Alien, Star Trek, and other properties. North, who brought Nathan Drake to life throughout the Uncharted video game series, will lend his talent to the film’s younger spin on the hero. Per Variety, North says he won’t be imitating Holland’s performance one-to-one, saying “I kind of just did me. I tried to young him up a little bit.” North also provides his spins on Walhberg’s Sully as well as its other characters including Antonio Banderas' villain, Moncada.  

Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Developer: Rockstar Games
Release: October 26, 2018 (PlayStation 4, Xbox One), November 5, 2019 (PC)
Rating: Mature

In recognition of some of the diverse narratives in gaming, we present this list of complex black characters that have graced our television screens and PC monitors. After lengthy discussions on the topic, we decided to highlight characters played by and modeled after black talent. In this way, we hope to recognize the staff members who work behind the scenes in conjunction with the characters presented here.

Sure, the Super Bowl is awesome, but if you’re a comic book nerd like me, last night was all about the commercials. We got a quick glimpse at the upcoming Disney Plus show, Moon Knight, which looks great, but more importantly, we were treated to a two-minute Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer. And what a trailer it was. 

Before we head into a discussion of that trailer, we should note that things could get spoilery, especially if you’re not caught up on the current state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So if that’s you, maybe avoid reading the rest of this story. However, you can watch the trailer below before heading out: 

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As you can see in that trailer, there’s a lot going on so we’ll just hit some of the highlights:

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Publisher: Wired Productions
Developer: LKA
Release: February 24, 2022

Wired Productions, the publisher for LKA’s upcoming horror game Martha Is Dead, has revealed that one of the game’s controversial scenes has been edited ahead of its PlayStation console release. The scene will remain intact and unaltered on PC and Xbox versions of the game. 

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Platinum Games
Release: March 3, 2022
Rating: Teen

Babylon’s Fall, Platinum Games’ upcoming multiplayer action RPG, is getting a free demo on February 25. 

The free demo will only be available on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 (sorry, PC players) and lets players roam the game’s opening section. Publisher Square Enix states the demo features “multiple hours” of story content that you can tackle alone or alongside buddies in four-player co-op (with cross-play enabled). Demo progress carries over to the full game, which launches on March 3. 

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

Horizon Forbidden West hits PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 this Friday – you can read Game Informer’s review of it right now – and in the leadup to its launch, Guerrilla Games has released a detailed look at its accessibility settings. 

Fortunately, there are a lot of them too ranging from general accessibility to controller-specific settings as well as audio and visual options, too. The game even includes multiple difficulty settings so that you can tailor Aloy’s latest journey to be perfect for you.