Articles

No Rest For The Wicked Developer Moon Studios On Why Remote Development Is Key To Its Success

No Rest for the Wicked is the upcoming action RPG from Moon Studios, the developer behind Ori and the Blind Forest/Will of the Wisps. It's also the game gracing the latest cover of Game Informer. Cover story writer and editor Marcus Stewart and I traveled to Vienna, Austria, to play the game and speak with two of its leads, tech and production director and studio co-founder Gennadiy Korol and studio CEO and creative director Thomas Mahler.  However, while the frosted glass of the front door of the two-story apartment we entered was engraved with the words "Moon Studios", this studio is actually just Mahler's workplace. Korol met us in Vienna for the cover story, but he actually lives in Israel. The rest of Moon Studios lives around the world, because Moon Studios is completely remote – there is no headquarters to report...
Articles

Earthblade, The Next Game From The Makers Of Celeste, Has Been Delayed

Celeste and Towerfall developer Extremely OK Games has announced its next game, Earthblade, has been delayed. The fantasy platformer was scheduled to launch sometime this year but has now been pushed to an undetermined window. Earthblade was first announced in April 2021 before getting its first trailer at The Game Awards in 2022. The fantasy "explor-action" platformer stars Névoa, a child of fate who returns to uncover the mysteries of a fractured Earth. The game appears to be inspired by the Metroidvania subgenre, with the studio stating it features "seamless exploration, challenging combat, and countless mysteries to pick apart." Outside of PC, Earthblade has no announced platforms.  In a candid blog post, Extremely OK Games’ head Maddy Thorson opens by writing, “I know, I know, this update is long overdue. We appreciate your patience as we try our best to make...
Articles

Helldivers 2 Gets Two New Stratagems That Should Help Take Down Those Annoying Automatons

Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has released two new Stratagems to help players in the fight against the Automatons and Terminids....
Articles

Yellow Brick Games Teases Reveal Of Its First Project

In 2020, indie studio Yellow Brick Games was formed by a collection of industry veterans with experience on triple-A franchises such as Dragon Age, Assassins’ Creed, and Mass Effect. After quietly working on its first project, the team is ready to show the world what it’s been cooking up. The studio released a brief teaser of their yet-to-be-titled first game. A press release states that this mysterious project is a fantasy action-adventure title targeting a 2025 release. We won’t find out more until April 2, when IGN will reveal the game as an IGN First.  The studio also included two pieces of concept art, which you can view in the gallery below.   Yellow Brick Games was founded by Thomas Giroux (co-founder/CEO), Jeff Skalski (co-founder/COO), Frédéric St-Laurent B (game director), and Mike Laidlaw (chief creative officer). The team...
Articles

Marvel Rivals Is A Team-Based Hero Shooter From NetEase Games

The Marvel Universe is expansive and chockful of some of pop culture's greatest heroes. NetEase Games is taking the word "hero" literally and placing the characters from Marvel in a free-to-play 6v6 hero shooter. Marvel Rivals promises to bring the most popular and iconic superheroes and supervillains to the arena with destructible environments, unique Team-Up skills, and more. Marvel Rivals offers 6v6 PVP action featuring arenas from across the Marvel Multiverse, including Asgard and Tokyo 2099. The title touts a deep roster of heroes and villains to choose from, including members of the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men, and more, all with unique Team-Up skills that play off various synergies between heroes. The closed alpha in May will feature more than a dozen characters, while the announce trailer (below) features 18 characters that represent the current roster. The...
Articles

Rise of the Ronin – PS5 Performance Review

Testing PS5 performance in Team Ninja's latest game....
Articles

Bethesda Gives A Small Update On The Elder Scrolls 6

If you've been paying attention to our Game Gauntlet, a bracket where our readers decide the best game of all time, you might have noticed one contender has been an unstoppable force – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It nuked Fallout 3, omnislashed Final Fantasy VII, felled Elden Ring (without using spirit ashes), and survived the hordes of The Last of Us. Skyrim was a groundbreaking open-world adventure when it was first released, and fans clearly have plenty of love for it in the 13 years since then and now, so it's no surprise the gaming community has been clamoring for news about a sequel for years now. Luckily, we do have a minor update for fans who need something to tide them over just a little longer. Thirty years ago, The Elder Scrolls series began with The Elder Scrolls: Arena,...
Articles

A Dragon’s Dogma 2 Update Is Coming In The “Near Future” But Won’t Improve Frame Rates

Last week, Dragon's Dogma 2 was released to critical acclaim followed by intense fan backlash. While the game itself is enjoyable to most, it launched with microtransactions that provide in-game currency, as well as a litany of technical issues for some players. Today, Capcom outlined some of its plans to update the game in the "near future," but specifically notes that improvements to frame rate will come in later patches. That said, these quick fixes are still useful. In addition to general text and bus fixes, there are a few significant quality-of-life improvements. For starters, the Pawn Guild now sells a lot more "Art of Metamorphosis" items, which is how you can change the appearance of a character or pawn after they've already been created. If you're dissatisfied with their appearance mid-game or want to add some changes for role-playing...
Articles

Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail Launches July 2, Collector’s Edition Revealed

Dawntrail, the fifth expansion for Final Fantasy XIV, is coming on July 2. The game is also getting a collector’s edition.   The $39.99 expansion takes players to the tropical island of Yok Tural and introduces a new storyline, two new playable classes (Pictomancer and Viper), and the level cap raised to 100, among other additions. Dawntrail will be available in all versions of the game, including the newly launched Xbox editions.  During PAX East this past weekend, FFXIV director/producer Naoki Yoshida unveiled the Dawntrail Digital Collector’s Edition and the goodies-filled physical Collector’s Box. Here’s what comes in each package:  Collector’s Box ($155.00)   Dawntrail Special Art Box  Expertly Crafted Viper Figure (H 9.65" x W 4.52" x D 5.90"/H 24.5cm x W 11.5cm x D 15cm) Adventurer’s Cloth Map (16.53" x 29.52"/42cm x 75cm) The Unending Journey Notebook (5.90"...
Articles

Stellar Blade Gets A Free Demo This Friday

Stellar Blade, the flashy action game from ShiftUp, isn't officially out until late April, but eager players can get their hands on the game as soon as this week. A free demo hits the PlayStation Store this Friday, March 29, and will throw players headfirst into the game's opening moments. To get an idea of what that gameplay looks like, check out the demo trailer below. Game director Hyung Tae Kim gave a deeper explanation on the PlayStation Blog. He writes, "This first stage will include the tutorial phase to help you familiarize yourself with basic combat features as you explore post-war Eidos 7, a human city now infested by the Naytiba, giving you an early grasp of gameplay mechanics that will serve you throughout the game’s story." Stellar Blade was quietly in development over the past few years...