2023-12

After the release of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet in 2022 – read Game Informer's review here – developer Game Freak revealed that the ninth generation of Pokémon would be getting two DLC expansions, just like Pokémon Sword and Shield did. The first installment was called The Teal Mask and it hit Switch on September 13. The second expansion, The Indigo Disk, hits Pokémon Scarlet and Violet next week, on December 14, and to celebrate its arrival, Game Freak and Nintendo released a four-minute trailer today showcasing some of the DLC's highlights.  In it, we see plenty of starter Pokémon – every starter is returning in The Indigo Disk – and various legendaries, too, like the Johto dogs, the Hoenn legendaries, and much more. We also get a taste of Blueberry Academy, its special Blueberry Quests, unique Pokémon-centric minigames, and a dose of tough double battles against various...

Back in September, Nintendo revealed that the Kingdom Hearts "Sora" Amiibo for the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate line was coming sometime next year. Now, Nintendo has revealed exactly when: February 16, 2024.  Nintendo revealed the release date late last night, on December 6, with a short video on Twitter showcasing the Amiibo. As expected, it adopts the look of Sora in the first Kingdom Hearts – a fan-favorite – with his trademark smile and keyblade hoisted over the shoulder.  Check out the Sora Amiibo teaser for yourself below:  The #SmashBros #amiibo of Sora will be released on 2/16/2024! #KingdomHearts pic.twitter.com/y3zdbaLplz — Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) December 7, 2023 Sora is the last fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to get an Amiibo, meaning in February, players can finally complete their Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Amiibo lineup. Right before Sora, though, Nintendo...

Open Roads, the narrative adventure game starring Keri Russell (The Americans, Star Wars Episode IX: Rise of Skywalker) and Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End), finally has a release date, nearly three years after its initial reveal at The Game Awards 2020. It hits consoles and PC on February 22, 2024.  Publisher Annapurna Interactive announced this release date today with a new trailer that features Russell talking about the game. Check out the Open Roads release date trailer for yourself below:  A likely reason Open Roads took three years to reveal a release date after its 2020 debut is because its original creative lead, Steve Gaynor, co-founder of Fullbright and director of Gone Home, was accused of cultivating a hostile work environment in 2021, as reported by Polygon. Shortly after the allegations arose, Gaynor stepped back from his...

Everything you need to know to preorder The Last of Us Part II Remastered, including where it's available, what comes in the W.L.F edition, what's new in the game, and more....

Alongside the launch of Fortnite Chapter 5: Season 1, Epic Games revealed Lego Fortnite, a new experience that takes the familiarity of Fortnite and mashes it together with Lego for a new survival adventure experience. Today, Epic Games and Lego released a cinematic trailer for Lego Fortnite that reveals crafting, combat, multiplayer team-ups, a massive world to explore, and more.  The trailer begins with a standard Fortnite character – Brite Bomber – running into a reality-shifting rift that transports her to a Lego-fied world. There are Lego sheep, castle-like structures, rolling hills and plains, and, unfortunately for this character, a storm. She runs into the castle to discover a crafting bench of sorts where she crafts an axe, and that's where her survival adventure begins. Check out the Lego Fortnite cinematic trailer for yourself below:  As you can see,...

Mortal Kombat 1 launched back in September and became one of our favorite games of the year – read why in Game Informer's Mortal Kombat 1 review here. Since its release, developer NetherRealm Studios has released additional characters, like Invincible's Omni-Man, while teasing other new fighters like Quan Chi and DC's Peacemaker. Now, Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon has teased even more new content on the way.  During the recent CCXP23 event in Brazil, Boon revealed that story DLC is coming, as reported by IGN.  "Just like we did with [Mortal Kombat 11], we're going to release a second part with more story and we have a big surprise after that," Boon told the crowd at CCXP23.  Mentioning Mortal Kombat 11, it's likely that Boon was referring to its Aftermath DLC, which included an all-new story and more. After this story DLC release for...

Developer Rockstar Games released the first official trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI earlier this week and in 24 hours, it surpassed 100 million views while also nabbing the record for the most views in 24 hours. YouTuber Mr. Beast previously held that record before the GTA VI trailer. At the time of this writing, the trailer has 104 million views on YouTube.  If you missed it, watch the Grand Theft Auto VI reveal trailer below:  Rockstar celebrated the achievement yesterday with a quote-tweet of Mr. Beast's tweet revealing the "most views on YouTube in 24 hours" record now belongs to GTA VI. Check it out below:  🙌❤️ https://t.co/x1eKOE0Qde — Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) December 5, 2023 Elsewhere, Rockstar has spent the days since the GTA VI reveal celebrating the milestone by quote tweeting the likes of Lebron James, Tom Petty...

In September, Konami announced it was going back to Contra's 2D roots with a sort of reimagining of the NES original dubbed Contra: Operation Galuga. The game, developed by Wayforward, features six playable heroes, and a new trailer runs down each one and what they bring to the table. The trailer also provides another look at Operation Galuga’s modernized run-and-gun action, which harkens back to the classics with up to four players working together to blast apart enemies. Operation Galuga serves as a reimagining of the first Contra game with a roster of heroes bringing the fight to the Red Falcon terrorist faction, which Konami breaks down below: Bill Rizer: Field leader of the Contra unit, possessing exceptional physical strength, agility, and mental fortitude. Proficient in all manner of armaments and well-versed in military science.  Lance Bean: An expert...

Nintendo and Universal's partnership has been a fruitful one. Universal Studios Japan's version of Super Nintendo World kicked it all off in late 2020 and early 2021 with a magical experience for Nintendo fans (learn more about our experience here), then in February 2023, Universal Studios Hollywood's Super Nintendo World opened its doors (see our photo tour of that version here). The collaboration to this point culminated shortly after that with the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which garnered strong fan reactions and grossed more than $1 billion at the box office. While 2025 is the next major milestone for the collaboration, with Super Nintendo World locations opening in Singapore and Orlando, we got an announcement during a Universal Kick-Off media meeting. The big news pertaining to Super Nintendo World, as reported by Universal Parks News Today, is...

Developer Rockstar Games announced last week that it was going to release the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI on Tuesday, December 5. However, the studio released the trailer a day earlier – watch the official GTA VI reveal trailer here – after it leaked online. The trailer confirmed GTA VI will be released in 2025 and now, thanks to a new press release from Rockstar parent company, Take-Two Interactive Software, we know it's coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.  Curiously, the press release only mentions those two platforms, leaving out PC. Here's what it says:  "Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., is proud to announce that Grand Theft Auto VI is coming to PlayStation 5 computer entertainment systems and Xbox Series X/S games and entertainment systems in 2025."  Despite the popularity...