2022-12

Dead Island 2 was announced just a few years after the release of the first Dead Island and a little over a year after Dead Island Riptide – the forgettable and repetitive sequel that did, at least, continue the story of the first game’s survivors. Publisher Deep Silver released some spinoffs after Riptide, like Escape Dead Island, Dead Island: Epidemic, and the 16-bit beat ‘em up Dead Island Retro Revenge, but a full-scale, numbered sequel hasn’t yet happened, despite being announced nearly a decade ago.  The first iteration of Dead Island 2 was helmed by Spec Ops: The Line developer Yager, as Dead Island developer Techland had parted ways with the property and worked on Dying Light. Deep Silver then handed over development of the game to LittleBigPlanet 3 developer Sumo Digital in 2016, but then, in 2019, Deep Silver...

Images of what appears to be a special The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Switch OLED model have leaked online, but it's currently unclear if this is a real console or a believable fake.  This news comes by way of Video Games Chronicle, which reports that the images of this console appeared on the Famiiboard forum last night from user Kysen. The user didn't provide many details about the potential special edition Switch, but as you can see in the images below, the photos are quite believable. There are pictures of the console, the packaging, the Joy-Con, and more. Check out the possible leaked images of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Switch OLED special edition for yourself below:  Alleged photos of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom themed Switch OLED. Originally posted on Tieba (reshared on resetera/reddit)....

Metal Gear Solid creator and Death Stranding director Hideo Kojima and Metal Gear Solid publisher Konami parted ways with each other back in 2015 and since then, there hasn't been a mainline entry in the famed MGS series (although there was the not-so-great Metal Gear Survive in 2018).  While there's no reason to believe Kojima and Konami are teaming up again anytime soon, it seems the latter might be preparing for some kind of return to MGS. Longtime MGS producer Noriaki Okamura wrote in a recent issue of Famitsu that "2023 will be a year of many announcements," as reported by Gematsu.  In this special end-of-the-year issue of Famitsu, multiple Japanese developers and producers wrote quick teases about what 2023 might hold for them. It's here where Okamura teased that 2023 will be a year of announcements for Konami Digital...

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is still on track to release sometime next year, and developer GSC Game World has released its first trailer in six months, showcasing gameplay with some narrative trappings along the edges. Courtesy of IGN, the new video shows that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is looking pretty darn good. The narrative-driven shooter is set in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone in a post-apocalyptic world laden with dangerous mutated monsters. Players must fight their way to the heart of the zone while steering the non-linear plot through choice-driven gameplay.  Formally confirmed in 2020 after years of start and stop announcements, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 has had a tumultuous development. After announcing and quickly canceling NFT plans due to fan backlash in December 2021, the project came to a screeching halt in February due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, where GSC is based. Many...

Two of the year’s biggest open-world games, Elden Ring and Pokémon Scarlet have been Frankensteined into one tantalizing entity thanks to the work of one talented modder. The modder in question goes by the handle Arestame, who tweeted a trailer of their handiwork that drops Scarlet assets into the Lands Between. The mod outfits the Tarnished in the significantly less protective garb of Pokémon trainers, who cruise the dangerous landscape atop the motorcycle-like Koraidon. The video highlights how Elden Ring would be an even better game if it had Lechonks and Quaxlys roaming about, though that doesn't make it any less dangerous, as evidenced by one particuarly brutal Pokémon ambush. Check out the video by clicking the embedded tweet below.  Elden Ring X Pokémon Scarlet is here! From Paldea to The Lands Between, expand your #Pokemon journey with new summons in...

Dead Island 2 will feature six playable survivors right from the jump. You might already be familiar with one, and that's Jacob, the Lenny Kravitz-inspired character featured in the re-reveal trailer for Dead Island 2. During my cover story trip, I played roughly seven hours of Dead Island 2, but I didn't go hands-on with Jacob. I did, however, play a few hours with both Dani and Ryan, two very different survivors that add their own flair to the story of this zomb-pocalypse.  I came out of this cover story trip convinced Dani is the survivor for me, but Ryan is great, too. And there are still the other four survivors I didn't get to play. Nonetheless, I want to tell you about Ryan, and Dambuster Studios does, too (read about Dani here) What's Gone Wrong In Los Angeles ...

Just in time for the new year, Sony has revealed the next batch of free games coming to PlayStation Plus. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Fallout 76, and Axiom Verge 2 will be available to download for all tiers of PS Plus starting Tuesday, January 3. PlayStation has not announced the new titles coming to the Extra and Premium tiers, but says that they'll be "announced soon." You can read the full blog post here. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is a notable inclusion because its sequel, Jedi: Survivor, is set to come out in March. This PS Plus offering is an ideal opportunity for players to check out the first before visiting the second. If you played the game at launch, this is also a chance to check out the updates that introduced upgraded graphics and performance for PS5, as well as updates that added...

...

Microsoft’s road to acquire Activision Blizzard has been a rocky one, to say the least. The most recent (and significant) roadblock comes from the American Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which filed a lawsuit a few weeks ago to prevent the deal from going through. Now, Microsoft has fired back with a response, saying the FTC is violating their fifth amendment rights to due process.  The full document (which you can read here) claims that the deal should be allowed to go through for several other reasons as well, stating that Xbox and Activision Blizzard are “just two of hundreds of game publishers.” The claims that the FTC violates the constitution are listed on page 34 and are just a handful of defenses against the lawsuit in a list of two dozen.  While the basis of the FTC’s lawsuit is that...

In today's installment of New Gameplay Today, hosts Wesley LeBlanc and Marcus Stewart discuss Clive 'N' Wrench, an upcoming 3D platformer inspired by games like Banjo-Kazooie, Spyro the Dragon, and more. You can watch roughly 15 minutes of gameplay alongside their discussion, including exploration in one of the game's multiple themed worlds and a fight against one of the early bosses. Enjoy! As you can see in the video above, Clive 'N' Wrench is shaping up to be a fun 3D platformer to keep your eyes on ahead of its release next year. Speaking of which, Clive 'N' Wrench hits PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC (via Steam and GOG) on February 24, 2023.  For more, check out this Christmas World trailer for Clive 'N' Wrench.  Are you going to check out Clive 'N' Wrench next year? Let...