Game Informer

We debuted exclusive Elden Ring gameplay earlier today as part of our cover story on From Software's upcoming Soulslike title. The footage showcased Castle Mourne, a never-before-seen area nestled in southern Limgrave on the Weeping Penninsula, featuring gargantuan armor-clad archers, grizzly chimeric monsters, and an optional boss fight.

In the video below, Dan Tack and Alex Van Aken analyze everything showcased in Game Informer's Castle Mourne walkthrough in an exclusive Elden Ring gameplay breakdown. Thanks for watching!

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Elden Ring features numerous mini-dungeons like caves and catacombs to explore alongside giant sprawling dungeon crawls like Stormveil Castle. Castle Mourne, nestled in southern Limgrave on the Weeping Penninsula, is a place where horrors abound. Chimeric leonine creatures and other surprises await the player should they dare approach. While this locale would fall into the mini-dungeon classification, it's substantially larger than any of the minor offerings that I experienced during my 10 hours of gameplay, with a dangerous approach and several checkpoints. 

Watch our exclusive Elden Ring gameplay in the video below. Afterward, check out our commentated breakdown of the footage here.

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Subscribe to the Game Informer YouTube channel and Twitch channel so you don't miss future videos. Find all of our exclusive coverage, including the 18-page magazine cover story, right here. 

Legendary writer George R.R. Martin collaborated with From Software and Hidetaka Miyazaki to essentially create the mythology of the world of Elden Ring before the catastrophic Shattering event. The characters involved were often crafted as humans, heroic but flawed in their journeys and adventures. However, as From Software took on the task of converting these characters to entities that would fit into Elden Ring, these mythic heroes and personalities got broken down into something twisted and more suited to occupying a “boss monster” role.

“When Martin wrote these characters, and when he provided that origin story that mythos for the world of Elden Ring, these demigods were much closer to their original form, and maybe closer to human form back then, before the Shattering, before it all started. So it was more up to us to interpret this and say, ‘how did they become such inhuman monsters? And how did the mad taint of the shattered shards of the Elden Ring and its power affect them?’ So that was our job to take these grand heroes and sort of misshape them and distort them into something they were not,” says game director Hidetaka Miyazaki. “And I think if we get a chance to show Martin and if he gets a chance to see the game and see these characters, I think he might be a bit shocked. When he wrote them, he was really envisioning something a little bit more human, a little bit more traditional human drama and fantasy characters. So I hope he gets a kick out of that.” 

After months of waiting, we finally got our hands on Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Not only has Brian played it, but he's beaten it and is ready to give his final verdict on the title. Brian is joined this week by Game Informer's Alex Stadnik, who has also been playing the latest Game Freak title and is raring to share his thoughts on the first major game release of 2022.

If you'd like to follow the people from this episode on Twitter: Brian Shea (@brianpshea), Alex Stadnik (@Studnik76)

The All Things Nintendo podcast is a weekly show where we can 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!

Be sure to subscribe to All Things Nintendo on your favorite podcast platform. The show is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

Players that have been enjoying From Software’s last decade of action/RPG fare have discovered recurring characters, themes, and weaponry to be found in various forms across the games. While they don’t always make an explicit appearance, sometimes they’re found as shimmering surprises that delight (and terrify). This is the case during Ludwig’s phase two battle, where he decides to pull out the Moonlight Greatsword and attempt to dunk on the player with some incredibly flashy power moves. In Elden Ring, players will be able to interact with the duplicitous traitor Patches as well as acquire both the Storm Ruler and Moonlight Greatsword. 

“I can confidently say yes, this time. Elden Ring is the sort of game that forgives a massive sense of volume and bulk,” says game director Hidetaka Miyazaki. “And so I felt like I was entitled to include these things this time. So yes, you will find them if you look hard enough.”

Of course, with Elden Ring being a vast open-world full of secrets and exploration, it’s likely that some of these items will be tucked away and hidden behind mysteries. While we probably won’t be taking down a manta ray Storm King with the Storm Ruler this time around, since Patches will be there, it’s possible that some other pieces of King’s Field and From Software history will be around somewhere. Since we’ve seen multiple dragons as part of this world, it wouldn’t shock me to see something akin to Seath the Scaleless slithering around.

If you’ve played one of the From Software action/RPG titles from Souls to Bloodborne, chances are you’re used to coming face to face with an area where the environment itself can feel like a major boss encounter. These oppressive poisonous swamp areas really got their stride in the Valley of Defilement all the way back in Demon’s Souls, but have continued to plague players to various degrees through the notorious Blighttown to other poisonous pits, caves, and muck. Speaking with Elden Ring game director Hidetaka Miyazaki, he relays that in this game, he rekindled his love for creating these horrific environments.

“In terms of how the player feels when they encounter this area that is a different story,” says Miyazaki. “But when making the game I rediscovered my love for making poison swamps. I know how people feel about them, but you know, suddenly I realize I'm in the middle of making one and I just can't help myself. It just happens.”

And happen it will in Elden Ring, where players will once again battle challenging environments alongside titanic bosses. In the past, players have had to deal with poison and toxic, with toxic being a more virulent and deadly version of the standard poison that often just ticks down at the player until they die. However, Elden Ring is bigger all over, and there may be even worse status effects to deal with here as part of the poison swamp package. 

The digital edition of the Elden Ring issue goes live tomorrow at 2 PM CST. At the exact same time, I’ll be heading to the official Game Informer Twitch channel to do a live discussion about everything we saw and played during our nearly 10 hours of hands-on time with From Software’s upcoming dark action RPG. While this obviously comes with a spoiler warning, even with our extensive play session, there are many, many secrets left to discover in Elden Ring – even with the marathon session, I feel like I’ve barely begun to scratch the surface of what Elden Ring has to offer. 

We’ll be talking about mechanics, features, gameplay, environments, and some other big surprises, but From Software has always been quite reserved in what they choose to show off early compared to what’s available in the final game – remember Bloodborne? No one was ready for where that journey would take us! So come hang out, chat, and ask your questions about Elden Ring. While I won’t be able to answer every question, I’ll do my best to facilitate some great conversations about what you can expect diving into Elden Ring. 

In addition to the stream, look forward to a deluge of coverage to hit GameInformer.com soon, including some exclusive video.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is finally here, and with it comes the biggest evolution the iconic series has seen in a long time. With that kind of change comes new mechanics and concepts that fans may not be familiar with. Whether it’s the addition of crafting, the streamlined battle system, or traversing the semi-open world biomes, there’s plenty to discover and learn. Consider us your Professor Oak as we give you 10 tips for Pokémon Legends: Arceus to get your journey off to a swimming start!

While The Elder Scrolls VI might be years and years away, there’s still plenty of Elder Scrolls fun to be had in ZeniMax Online Studios’ MMO.

The Elder Scrolls Online has received multiple expansions since its launch years ago and its next one has been announced. Titled Legacy of the Bretons, ZeniMax Online says it’s a “year-long saga” that will begin with "High Isle." 

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“We chose High Isle as the location for our next chapter because it’s a large departure from anything we’ve done over the last few years,” ESO creative director Rich Lambert writes in a new blog post. “High Isle is the epitome of the chivalric Breton culture – a resort-like island known for their nobility, with towering cliffs, pristine beaches, and loads of ancient ruins to explore. In addition to unique biomes and aesthetics, this island chain has never been explored in any Elder Scrolls game, so having the opportunity to add to the rich lore of Elder Scrolls and explore a completely new location is really exciting.” 

Rare has announced that it is shutting down its PvP Arena in Sea of Thieves. 

Revealed during the Sea of Thieves 2022 Preview Event, The Arena is officially coming to an end as it simply isn’t a mode played by most players. Rare says it was a tough decision to come to, but the right one for the future of the open-world pirate game. 

“Firstly, this was an extremely tough decision, but we firmly believe it’s the right one to allow us to focus on our plans for the central free-roaming Adventure mode,” Rare writes in a blog post. “Despite the efforts of a hugely talented team, The Arena unfortunately never met the goals we originally had for it – either in creating a genuine alternative way to play Sea of Thieves with a competitive spin, or a short session experience if you didn’t have the time to commit to an open-ended Adventure session.” 

The Arena will officially close at the start of Season Six, which is slated to begin on March 10, 2022. Those who have played in The Arena before and have reached or passed Sea Dogs rank 5 will receive the following ship cosmetics: 

If you’ve been paying attention to Sega for the last couple of years, then you likely know that it has been slowly shuttering its massive Japan-based arcade centers. Now, Sega has announced that it is leaving the business of arcades entirely, ending a 50-year era defined by claw machines, fighters, and more. 

This news comes by way of Destructoid, which translated a statement released by Sega this morning. In it, the company reveals that it intends to sell the remaining 14.9% of shares it holds within its arcade division to another company named Genda Inc., which Destructoid reports is the same company that Sega has been selling its arcade centers to over the last few years. 

“Sega stores across the country will be switching their store names to GiGO, to express our gratitude for Sega’s 56 years of history and our desire to be an oasis that quenches people’s thirst for real entertainment,” Genda chairman Hisashi Kataoka said in regards to the news, according to Video Games Chronicle. “We will start with Ikebukuro, Akihabara, and Shinjuku. Then to the whole country.” 

The day Pokémon fans have been anxiously awaiting is finally here. Pokémon Legends: Arceus is out on the Nintendo Switch, and we're celebrating by playing it live on stream starting at 12 p.m. CT only on Twitch! Join John Carson and Alex Stadnik as they traverse the realm of Hisui and show off all the new additions to the iconic series.

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With Legends, Game Freak has taken the most significant series leap in quite some time, but did the risk pay off? Our own Brian Shea seems to think so. In his review, he said:

Ubisoft is shutting Hyper Scape down this year less than two years after its release. 

First revealed in the summer of 2020, and released shortly after its reveal as a free-to-play battle royale, Hyper Scape put players in a futuristic city to fight against 100 players in squads of three. To differentiate itself from just another battle royale, Hyper Scape attempted to do things a little differently. It kept loadouts small, traversal extremely fast-paced, and it even gave viewers on streaming platforms the ability to vote on in-game events that changed the ongoing match. 

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However, it wasn’t enough to keep the battle royale afloat and now, Ubisoft has announced that Hyper Space will be shutting down in a couple of months. 

One of the biggest surprises of Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 1 is the inclusion of everyone’s favorite web-slinger, Spider-Man. Plus, everyone in the game can utilize his web-slinging abilities thanks to the web shooters item. Well, it seems Spider-Man’s existence in Fortnite has attracted one of his greatest foes to the battle royale because Green Goblin is now available in the Fortnite Item Shop. 

Now live, you can purchase the Green Goblin outfit to play as the infamous villain or you can purchase the entire Green Goblin set to be fully prepared to take down New York's, err, Fortnite Island’s masked menace. If you’re looking to be fully decked out with Green Goblin bling, though, here’s what you’ll find in the set: 

• Pumpkin Bomb Back Bling (included with the outfit)
• Pumpkin P’axe
• Goblin Glider
• Arm the Pumpkin! Emote

“Players can purchase the Outfit (plus Back Bling), Pickaxe, Glider, and Emote individually or as part of the Green Goblin Bundle,” Epic Games writes in a press release. “This bundle additionally includes the Attack of the Goblin Loading Screen.” 

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) has announced that Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon will be inducted into its Hall of Fame. 

To ring in the celebration, Boon will be honored at the 25th Annual D.I.C.E Awards ceremony happening on February 24 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty will present Boon with the 2022 Hall of Fame Award. 

“We are thrilled to have Ed be inducted into our Hall of Fame,” AIAS president Meggan Scavio writes in a press release. “From his early work on pinball machines to his monumental achievements co-creating the Mortal Kombat franchise, Ed’s dedication and perseverance to the craft and art of games has left an incredible legacy for fans and game developers alike.” 

Booty said he met Boon on his very first day in the games industry, at Midway, and from there, he watched Boon go on to create Mortal Kombat, one of the most renowned (and goriest, of course) fighting games out there. 

“Ed epitomizes the best of what a game designer can be: big ideas, a great sense of humor, clear focus, and the ability to bring people together as a team,” Booty said. “He has created not only a string of hit games, but has also supported countless people on their own paths in the game industry.” 

Before No Man’s Sky, Hello Games made its name with Joe Danger. The series put players atop the motorcycle of the titular daredevil to perform death-defying stunts in the name of scoring points and having a good time. In addition to the mainline console games, Joe Danger had a couple of mobile entries, such as Joe Danger Infinity, which released in 2014 but was later rendered incompatible with modern Apple devices. However, it looks like Infinity is making a comeback thanks to a touching request by a concerned parent. 

Hello Games head Sean Murray took to Twitter to announce Joe Danger Infinity’s upcoming return, stating the reason is due to a letter he received from a fan. This person stated his child Jack, who has autism, adored the Joe Danger series and was particularly enamored with Infinity. The game helped both him and Jack cope with many of the daily challenges autistic children encounter. Whether it was having fun in clinic waiting rooms or even serving as a reward incentive for enduring therapy sessions, noisy crowds, and other challenging situations those not on the spectrum take for granted.

When Infinity became incompatible, Jack had a hard time readjusting, so the father took a long shot by contacting Hello Games directly to politely ask if anything could be done to update Joe Danger Infinity for current devices. According to Sean Murray, this made a strong impression on the studio, saying, “it broke our hearts and made us want to set things right.” 

It was revealed earlier this month that Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding Director’s Cut would be coming to PC sometime this Spring. Now, we know exactly when we can trek across North America once more with our BB on PC. 

505 Games, which is publishing the title on PC, has revealed that Death Stranding Director’s Cut will hit Steam and the Epic Games Store on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. It will cost $39.99, which is $10 more than it costs on PlayStation 5 where this edition of the game was first released. However, if you already own Death Stranding on PC, you’ll be able to upgrade for a much lower price. 

“Owners of Death Stranding can upgrade to the Director’s Cut for the discounted price of $9.99 by installing the current game and purchasing through the in-game storefront,” 505 Games writes in a press release. “Those who still need a copy of the base game can find it at a discounted rate of 70% off during Steam’s Lunar Sales (Thursday, January 27 through Thursday, February 3). 

As for what to expect, the Director’s Cut on PC brings higher frame rates, ultrawide monitor support, and a “feature-rich photo mode” to the game. 

Star Wars 1313 is basically a relic of the past now. It was first announced way back in 2012, and at E3 that year, we got a glimpse of what to expect in the Uncharted-esque bounty hunter title. It looked great, too. 

However, anyone familiar with the history of 1313 knows that 2012 was also the last year that we officially saw the title. Of course, gameplay and details from it have continued to leak over the years and today is another one of those days where we learn something new about it. That’s because new and unseen 1313 footage has leaked online, just a day after the latest episode of The Book of Boba Fett, no less, which held a surprise for Star Wars video game fans. 

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In this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, we break down our Pokémon Legends: Arceus review and tell you whether or not Game Freak nailed the series' most significant departure to date. We also discuss Blizzard's new survival game and the title's weird announcement via a public job listing. Lastly, Alex Van Aken shares his impressions of Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, which sparks a discussion on the series' prestige in PlayStation's line-up of video games.

Follow the crew on Twitter: Alex Stadnik (@Studnik76), Alex Van Aken (@itsVanAken), Brian Shea (@BrianPShea), and Wesley LeBlanc (@LeBlancWes)

The year has only just begun, and we're already in a fighting mood. Good thing there are plenty of games lined up in 2022 to compete in and throw down in some brutal battles with friends. From sequels to long-running franchises to surprise newcomers and even some old favorites, the slate of fighting games confirmed for this year are looking great so far. We've put together a list of the best-looking brawlers we know of coming in 2022, organized conveniently in release date order. Without further ado, these are the fighting games we can't wait to play over the next 12 months.

Iron Galaxy’s upcoming wrestling-flavored battle royale Rumbleverse has been delayed. The first season was slated to launch on February 15, with an open beta taking place a week prior. 

A new release date has not been announced. Iron Galaxy’s blog post states that the game needs a bit more work, saying, “there’s more we want to do to perfect the experience.” Those who purchased the Early Access Pack will receive refunds. In the meantime, Iron Galaxy does plan to hold a tech test on February 12 that PC players can participate in. 

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Rumbleverse debuted during The Game Awards 2021 and is a brawling-centric take on the battle royale. Players control customizable fighters that throw fists, swing steel chairs, and perform wrestling moves such as suplexes and elbow drops instead of using firearms. These grapplers can also scale buildings for added verticality. Rumbleverse is scheduled to launch on PlayStation and Xbox consoles and is an Epic Store exclusive on PC.

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It’s about time. The women’s game of hockey is finally making its way to EA’s NHL series. The latest NHL 22 patch introduces playable women’s teams and full IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) rosters to the game, just in time to generate hype for the Winter Olympics in Beijing. This means you’ll be able to take the ice as some of the great icons making a name for themselves in the sport, from Team USA’s speedy Kendall Coyne-Schofield to Team Canada’s “Captain Clutch” Marie-Philip Poulin. 

This is a great moment for the women’s game, and the impact isn’t lost on the players. Marie-Philip Poulin said in an EA Sports press release that “It has been such a privilege to lace up my digital skates for the very first time in NHL
22, and to get to do so while playing for my country makes it all the more surreal." She continued, "Representation matters, and I’m thrilled that every young girl who picks up a controller to play NHL 22 can feel like hockey is a sport for her, too.”

With Dying Light 2 Stay Human right around the corner – it hits PlayStation and Xbox consoles and PC on February 4 – we thought now (or rather, 2 p.m. CT) was the perfect time to brush up on our parkour skills. We might kill a couple dozen zombies while we’re at it, too. 

Dying Light was released on January 27, 2015, and in many ways, it took gamers by surprise. It was a new entry in a franchise, which is exciting enough, but it was also released in a period of the year where not many games do. That’s not necessarily the case anymore, but that’s because Techland and Dying Light popularized (or at least strengthened the idea of) the January release, and they did so to great success. 

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Today marks the first day of Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty preview season for Magic: The Gathering, and it’s looking to be an exciting start of the year for the trading card game. Neon Dynasty marks the first return to a fan-favorite plane in 20 years, but instead of working with the same tropes used back in the day, Kamigawa has received a bit of a glow-up.

Set in the present day, 1200 years after our previous visit, Kamigawa is now home to a cybernetic civilization full of robotics, body modifications, and of course, plenty of neon lights. It’s now Magic’s most high-tech plane, a Japanese-inspired cyberpunk realm that I never thought we’d ever see. However, the Kamigawa of old is not lost, as this advanced society lives in balance with the kami, spirits, and nature we know and love.

Fans of 2000s platformers may remember Kao the Kangaroo. The punching marsupial first graced North American audiences in 2001 on Dreamcast, PC, and Game Boy Advance and starred in three subsequent titles in the following years. Though the series never reached the heights of a Crash Bandicoot or Ratchet & Clank, that hasn’t stopped Tate Multimedia from resurrecting the forgotten mascot for a brand new adventure.

Kao the Kangaroo is a brand-new title coming this summer that lets players jump, swing, climb, and pummel their way through a variety of colorful worlds. If you’ve caught yourself reminiscing about Kao asking, "wonder if they'll ever make a new one of those?" this is your day. Take a look at how Kao is being modernized in the trailer below. 

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Kao the Kangaroo doesn’t have a firm release date, but it’s coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. It won’t be the only platformer from yesteryear making a comeback. Joe & Mac is also getting a remake which you can read about here. 

The Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practice in Singapore launched an investigation into Ubisoft Singapore last year following reports of harassment and workplace misconduct at the studio. TAFEP, which is a third-party agency, has concluded that these reports were handled appropriately by the studio, as reported by IGN. 

TAFEP says Ubisoft Singapore has a proper system in place to handle reports of harassment and workplace misconduct and that past reports were handled correctly. The agency also concluded that differences in pay are based on performance, in terms of experience and time at the company, rather than other biases. 

“We’ve put best practices in place at Ubisoft Singapore to ensure a safe, respectful, inclusive, and equitable workplace for every member of our team,” managing director Darryl Long said following the investigation’s conclusion, according to IGN. “We will continue striving to be an exemplary employer in Singapore and the region, one that attracts and retains the best talents and creates amazing games that enrich the lives of our players.” 

After years of radio silence and then a sudden, long-awaited update, Dying Light 2 Stay Human is finally launching at the start of next month. Fans of the first game are likely still in disbelief since the sequel struggled to break free from what appeared to be development hell. It's been seven years since the zombie-infested Haran was first introduced to the world, and Techland is ready to celebrate with its community as the sequel's release date grows closer. Dying Light's seven-year anniversary is kicking off with a set of free, flashy weapon skins. 

It's been 7 years since the initial release of Dying Light!
Thank you all! We prepared a small gift for you for this anniversary to make waiting for Dying Light 2 Stay Human easier.
Use the docket code "DyingLight7" at https://t.co/FoeFgmj04T to grab some golden weapons! pic.twitter.com/NOFienFYQ7

— Dying Light (@DyingLightGame) January 26, 2022

A tweet (seen above) from the official Dying Light Twitter account excitedly announced the cosmetic reward:

Fans of Two Point Hospital, rejoice! Its college-themed cousin Two Point Campus begins enrollment on May 17. 

Two Point Campus lets players build and run their own college campus from scratch. The success of your school depends on the performance of your students, which you influence by providing your personalized blend of courses and extracurricular activities. But since this is a Two Point game, everything has a humorous slant. Whether it’s offering robotics classes, hosting strange rat-themed sporting events, or designing unorthodox dormitories, Two Point Campus lets you build the silliest for-profit institution of your dreams. You can find inspiration on what to make by watching a brand-new trailer below. 

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You can find Two Point Campus on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The game will also be available on Xbox Game Pass for console and PC. Pre-ordering rewards additional items such as a U-shaped Topiary and a literal Fountain of Knowledge/Pearl of Wisdom. Two Point Hospital owners who pre-order receive a varsity jacket and suit of armor to use in the Hospital. Nabbing a physical copy gets you the Enrollment Edition that includes a fold-out Campus map and University Prospectus. 

Guerilla Games has announced that Horizon Forbidden West, the upcoming post-apocalyptic sequel to 2017’s Horizon Zero Dawn, has gone gold. To accompany the news, the studio released some new gameplay footage and screenshots from the PlayStation 4 version of the game. 

When a game goes gold, it means the version of the game being put onto discs has been finalized. However, as anyone that plays games today likely knows, Day One updates are quite a regular occurrence and while Forbidden West has gone gold, Guerilla is likely working on one for this title. That means that sure, when you pop in the disc on February 18, the game will be playable but Guerilla will likely want you to download that Day One patch for an even better launch day experience. 

We have some exciting news for your all: Horizon Forbidden West has gone GOLD! ✨#HorizonForbiddenWest #RiseAboveOurRuin pic.twitter.com/oRHDtDlxTI

Game Informer can exclusively reveal the release date for Kardboard Kings, a new game from developer Henry’s House and publisher Akupara Games. As the name implies, it’s a game about becoming, well, the Kardboard King. That means designing and running the world’s best card game shop, and you’ll be able to do this on PC (via Steam) on February 10. 

You’ll not only need to customize your game shop and continually up its customer base, but you’ll also need to keep players coming back by buying, trading, and selling the rarest and best cards. Of course, you’re free to put your favorites in your card binder just for yourself, though.

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 “You are the newest owner of a local game shop in the thriving town of Parakeet Bay,” Akupara Games tells Game Informer. “Live the ultimate card enthusiast dream. Collect, buy, and sell rare cards to drive your sales up and develop a bond with the locals to increase your reputation. Beautify your space by decorating it from a wide assortment of unlockable embellishments and awards to solidify your spot in the Kardboard Kingdom.” 

Oh, and did we mention there’s an adorable Pomeranian named Piccolo in Kardboard Kings? Because there is.

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According to a report by Deadline, the 2021 film reboot Mortal Kombat was successful enough to warrant a sequel.

Moon Knight lead writer Jeremy Slater has been tapped to write the script for Mortal Kombat 2. Slater has also been involved with the James Wan produced adaptation of Stephen King’s The Tommyknockers, and helped develop the graphic novel series The Umbrella Academy for Netflix. Outside of Slater’s involvement, not much is known about the greenlit Mortal Kombat 2 quite yet.

Mortal Kombat was released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max in April 2021, raking in $22.5 million its opening weekend, an impressive number in the early months of moviegoers returning to theaters during the ongoing pandemic. However, that strong start was a significant portion of the $83 million total it grossed worldwide after a sharp decline in the following weeks. The film stars Lewis Tan as series newcomer Cole Young along with, Jessica McNamee (Sonya Blade), Josh Lawson (Kano), Joe Talsim (Bi Han/Sub-Zero), Mehcad Brooks (Jax), and Hiroyuki Sanada (Scorpion).

The reviews for Pokémon Legends: Arceus have started to hit today, and if you haven't read Brian Shea's review yet, give it a look right here. Legends: Arceus is a significant change to the traditional Pokémon formula, which is a big deal for a series that hasn't strayed far from its roots in over 25 years. Instead of a fairly focused JRPG adventure, where you stroll from town to town, catching and building teams of Pokémon to challenge Gyms and eventually the Elite Four, Legends takes another route.

Legends: Arceus is very different, in fact. It lets trainers explore large open areas and catch monsters in the wild, a years-long dream of mine when thinking of the future of the series. I couldn't stop grinning when I first saw the player character sneaking up on an unsuspecting Wurmple and tossing a Pokéball at it. I had the same reaction when Game Freak showed you could start Pokémon battles by choosing which team member to toss out towards the target, just like Ash Ketchum would in the anime. Then I found out that gathering and crafting would be a big component of the game, and I was relieved the last few years of mastering a similar loop in Monster Hunter seems like it's going to pay off nicely. 

Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel reminded me that putting yourself out there is challenging. Whether you duel on the regular or are dusting off the deck for the first time in years, pouring your heart and soul into constructing a deck and pitting it against a stranger online is surprisingly nerve-wracking. What if my card synergy isn’t any good? Is my opponent snickering at me because my cards aren’t up to the hottest meta? What if … I lose? That fear can be surprisingly crippling and prevent you from enjoying the best aspect of the game: testing your skills against fellow duelists. Even worse, it keeps you from getting better.

Battling this mindset is something I’ve continually coped with. From 2003 to 2009, I was a competitive Yu-Gi-Oh! player. I never strutted into the hallowed halls of a world championship tourney or anything, but I was a regular at my local comic/toy stores. I remember how nervous I was testing my deck, which I only played against a small friend circle; I assumed strangers would obliterate me. Even though I was proud of what I created, I couldn’t afford all the top-tier cards, and having that exposed felt embarrassing. The anxiety almost made me want to avoid public play in the early days. But my friend’s support and my passion for the game got me over the edge.

Valve wasn't joking a few weeks ago when it said that its upcoming handheld Steam Deck was going to hit current shipping targets. Today, the company announced the first batch of Steam Decks will start to be sold to customers on February 25 and sent out shortly after.

More specifically, Valve plans to send out emails to those lucky early reservation holders starting on February 25. From there, customers will have 72 hours to respond and confirm the purchase. If that process proceeds smoothly, a shiny new Steam Deck will be delivered to its new home starting on February 28. Steam Decks held for those who fail to complete the purchase within that three-day period will be available for the next reservation in line. Valve did make it clear that the model that you reserved is locked in as the one you'll have the opportunity to buy. There won't be a way to switch when the confirmation email comes through. 

Make sure to keep an eye on your inbox if you think you'll be eligible to buy the device close to launch. Valve says it plans "to release new order email batches on a weekly cadence." 

Dying Light 2 Stay Human isn’t even out yet – it hits PlayStation and Xbox consoles as well as PC on February 4 –and while the base game offers 500 hours of gameplay, Techland is already excited to share what’s next for the game after its launch. 

Techland has revealed that it has a five-year roadmap for the first-person zombie parkour game, meaning you’ll be receiving new DLC for it until at least 2027. While that’s quite surprising to learn, fans of Techland’s first Dying Light game are likely already familiar with the studio’s DLC commitments. 

As you can see in the image above, the first bit of DLC will launch in February alongside free Factions-inspired content. Then, sometime in March, Techland will release its first set of Dying Light 2 challenges, followed by a series of events featuring mutated infected in April. Fast forward to May, and you’re looking at another set of challenges coming to the game. Then in June, you can expect the first paid story DLC. 

To probably nobody’s surprise, Halo Infinite is a hit. Not only did it review well back when it was officially released in December – Game Informer gave it a 9.25 out of 10 – but many people played it. A quick scroll through Twitter would have told you that, but thanks to Microsoft’s second-quarter earnings call, we now know just how much. 

Video Games Chronicle reports that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who is likely still riding the high of acquiring Activision Blizzard, said more than 20 million players have played halo Infinite. Halo Infinite’s multiplayer was launched as a beta back in November before the campaign was released on December 8 on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC (and on Xbox and PC Game Pass as well).

This week's The Book of Boba Fett episode is loaded with surprises and will surely delight fans who consume all of Star Wars' movies, shows, comics, books, and even video games. The focus of this article is just one of the surprises, which is relatively small compared to others in the episode, but still warrants a big SPOILER warning. I urge you all to watch the episode before continuing on, but if you have no interest in the show, or want to see if the surprise will make you watch, continue on.

It's been a big week for Respawn Entertainment. Yesterday, the developer announced three new Star Wars video game projects are in the works, including a follow-up to 2019's excellent Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The star of that game is Cal Kestis, a Jedi in training who just happens to befriend a little droid named BD-1. This new BD droid type was created by Respawn Entertainment and Lucasfilm and has since emerged in other Star Wars stories, including an issue of the Doctor Aphra comic book.