2023-10

Disney and developer Dlala Studios announced Disney Illusion Island in 2022, and it immediately shot up high on my list of games to play this year. It did so for several reasons – its beautifully realized visuals, top-notch voice acting, and, of course, the potential to play as some of my favorite characters in a Metroidvania-esque adventure. That wasn't all, though; The snippets of composer David Housden's score in the reveal trailer indicated this team was on to something.  It was clear from the first listen that Housden and Dlala put a lot of effort into making Illusion Island sound like Disney. What's more, it replicated not just the broader stroke that anyone can hear and go, "Oh, that sounds like Disney music," but instead created something wholly original that simultaneously sounded like the backtrack to decades of shorts and films...

Video game analyst group Circana has released its September 2023 U.S. video game market highlights and in it, the company reveals that developer Bethesda Game Studios' Starfield was the best-selling game last month, which is the month it launched. And after just six weeks on the market, Starfield is already the seventh best-selling game of the year. February's Hogwarts Legacy remains in the top spot.  Starfield hit Xbox and PC on September 6 and while its Xbox Game Pass release surely helped it become the biggest launch ever for a Bethesda game with more than 6 million players, Circana's data tracks dollar sales. This means Starfield was the best-selling game of September despite Xbox Game Pass. Circana executive director Mat Piscatella says on Twitter that, "Starfield ranked as the best-selling title of the month across both Xbox and PC, with PC being...

Developer Blizzard Entertainment has revealed its first-ever musical collaboration for its free-to-play hero shooter, Overwatch 2, and it's with K-Pop group, Le Sserafim. The two parties have worked together for an upcoming music video for the K-Pop group as well as in-game Overwatch 2 content.  Le Sserafim is comprised of five performers: Kim Chaewon, Sakura, Huh Yunjin, Kazuha, and Hong Eunchae. The group and Blizzard are working together for a video for Le Sserafim's next single, "Perfect Night," and it will debut on October 26 at 9 p.m. PT. The collaboration also includes a Le Sserafim-inspired custom game mode for Overwatch 2 and exclusive in-game items like hero skins. More details about the in-game events will arrive on October 30, according to Blizzard, but the content goes live for players on November 1.  "We're extremely excited to be working...

More than two years after its initial reveal trailer, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is almost here. Due out October 20 exclusively on PlayStation 5, developer Insomniac Games' sequel to 2018's Marvel's Spider-Man and 2020's Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a game we thoroughly enjoyed – read Game Informer's Marvel's Spider-Man 2 review here – and we're excited for others to play it. Insomniac is too, but in a new statement, it tells players that while the game will be playable on physical discs in full, it recommends downloading the day one patch.  More specifically, the download update is Version 1.001.002 and it will be available at launch this Friday. Digital owners don't need to worry about this as the patch will be installed as part of the pre-loaded version of Marvel's Spider-Man 2.  Keep up with the latest updates for Marvel's #SpiderMan2PS5! #BeGreaterTogether pic.twitter.com/Z8ZDjscyB4 —...

Our ranking of the 10 best Metal Gear Solid boss fights....

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Remedy Entertainment is releasing Alan Wake 2 next week, on October 27, and while there's still time to replay (or play for the first time) Alan Wake before its sequel is out, October is a stacked month, and time might not be on your side. Alan Wake: Flashback might help, though, as it's a new Fortnite creative experience that gives players the chance to relive the mysteries and events of the first Alan Wake, albeit presumably in a much shorter and more streamlined fashion.  Epic Games says Alan Wake: Flashback is based on the first Alan Wake game and reimagines Remedy's 2010 action-thriller in Fortnite. "Troubled author Alan Wake embarks on a desperate search for his missing wife, Alice," a press release reads. "Following her mysterious disappearance from the Pacific Northwest town of Bright Falls, he discovers pages of a horror...

Earlier this year, developer Gamious and publisher Whitethorn Digital revealed Lake's holiday DLC, Season's Greetings. Now, Game Informer can exclusively reveal that Lake's Season's Greetings DLC goes live next month.  More specifically, Season's Greetings hits Lake on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on November 15 for free. Alongside this news, Gamious has released a new trailer for Season's Greetings that you can watch below:  As you can see in the trailer above, Season's Greetings brings players to a snow-covered Providence Oaks during 1985's holiday season, set one year before the original story of Lake. In it, players control Thomas Weiss, an amiable mail carrier and father to Lake protagonist Meredith Weiss.  "Changing the perspective from Meredith to her father, players will gain an understanding of the Weiss family dynamics and an insight into a snow-covered...

The Analogue Pocket is a retro handheld marvel, capable of playing your favorite Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games on its beautiful screen with modern sensibilities and technology – simply put, it's the best way to play a Game Boy game, assuming you can get your hands on the always-sold-out device. Now, Analogue is targeting the Nintendo 64 catalog with its next device, the Analogue 3D.  Analogue has shared an image of what appears to be the device, although the full look at it is obscured. You can view it at the top of the article, but it's below as well: An image released alongside today's news teases what appears to be a sleek, black, and faithful recreation of the Nintendo 64 controller. You can check it out below:  Analogue says the 3D device will feature 4K...

Minecraft Live returned for 2023 and brought with it some big announcements, including a new Star Wars DLC that takes players from padawan to Jedi knight, Planet Earth III DLC, a ton of new features in mid-2024's Minecraft Vanilla Update 1.21, and more!...