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Developer Upstream Arcade and publisher Good Shepherd Entertainment have revealed Mike Mignola's Hellboy Web of Wyrd, an upcoming roguelite action game with an art style reminiscent of classic Hellboy comics.  This news was revealed during the pre-show segment of The Game Awards 2022 by way of a fancy trailer showcasing some of the game's methodical but (literally) punchy combat. The game will hit PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC sometime in the future, but a release date was not revealed.  "Hellboy Web of Wyrd is a roguelite action adventure with an original story created in partnership with Dark Horse Comics and creator Mike Mignola," the game's Steam page reads. "When an agent goes missing, Hellboy investigates. Prepare for monstrous toe-to-toe brawling."  As you can see in the trailer above, it's clear Upstream Arcade is...

Dead Cells is getting an official Castlevania DLC crossover sometime early next year, called Dead Cells: Return To Castlevania, as announced today during The Game Awards pre-show. The news was announced via a brief animated trailer.  The trailer didn't reveal too much about the DLC, nor did it show any looks at gameplay. Though, given Dead Cells is a Castlevania-inspired indie rogue-lite, we likely assume the core formula will remain roughly the same. The game's Steam page offers a bit more info: A gateway to a striking castle has suddenly appeared, and an imposing warrior called Richter asks you to help him vanquish the great evil within. Enticed by the promise of new loot rather than a sense of moral duty, you strike out through the grounds and corridors of the gothic castle to find and kill this mysterious Dracula. ...

Among Us is getting a new hide and seek mode. The new mode was revealed with an animated trailer at The Game Awards that showed a character brazenly attacking crewmates and chopping them in half. The mode will be added to the game on December 9, though little else was shared about the game. 👁️ EMERGENCY MEETING 👁️ our official Hide n Seek mode is coming out extremely soon on all platforms Dec 9 2022 🍕 new surprises to survive from 🍕 a beanload of new cosmetics and pets 🍕 pet your pets!! 🍕 screaming and more!! it's our biggest update this year!! ok see u soon pic.twitter.com/DPfaJjtYc3 — Among Us (@AmongUsGame) December 9, 2022  It was also revealed during the show that the character Benoit Blanc, the detective character from Knives Out and its sequel, is also being added to the game. ...

As a surprise ahead of The Game Awards, Vampire Survivors has been released for free on iOS and Android. Both versions are available now. You can find the iOS version here and the Android version here. Vampire Survivors is an indie roguelike RPG where the player has to avoid hordes of monsters, undead, and (you guessed it) vampires. As you destroy enemies, you progress through a randomized skill tree to unlock new weapons and abilities. To get a better idea of the game, you can read our review, where we called it a “Single-Stick Masterpiece.” In other Vampire Survivor news, earlier this week developer Poncle announced DLC called Legacy of the Moonspell. It comes with eight new survivors, thirteen new weapons, six new music tracks, new monsters, and a new stage, which they’ve called their biggest yet. It comes...

The Federal Trade Commission is looking to block Microsoft’s pending $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.  According to a press release, the Commission, whose purpose is to protect consumers by promoting fair market competition, voted 3-1 to file a lawsuit to prevent the deal's closure. Thus, a federal judge will weigh in and make a decision. Among other reasons, the FTC cites Microsoft’s record of using previous acquisitions to “suppress competition from rival consoles" and points to the publisher's purchase of ZeniMax in 2020 as an example, stating:  “Microsoft decided to make several of Bethesda's titles including Starfield and Redfall Microsoft exclusives despite assurances it had given to European antitrust authorities that it had no incentive to withhold games from rival consoles.” The FTC adds that Activision is one of the few major third-party publishers left that offers several best-selling franchises on multiple platforms....

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Season: A Letter to the Future has made its serene presence known in the form of a new trailer revealing its release date: January 31.  The colorful adventure game was first revealed at the same event in 2020. It stars a young woman who leaves her isolated village to explore the world for the first time on her bike. Unfortunately, the world is on the brink of suffering a mysterious catastrophe, and the woman collects memories of her experiences before everything falls apart. The bulk of the gameplay, naturally, consists of cycling to different locations and meeting the colorful personalities who inhabit them. You’ll document your adventures by taking photographs and making recordings.  Season: A Letter to the Future will be available on PlayStation consoles and PC (both Steam and Epic). It's worth noting that pricing differs by platform. The game...

We used a combination of data from IGN.com and IGN's YouTube to determine which games were the most popular with our audience (that's you!) throughout the year....

Part Doom and part rhythm game, Metal: Hellsinger wowed us when it launched in September. We loved slaying Hell's fiercest demons with the backdrop of crunchy guitar riffs, double-kick-pedal drum beats, and soaring vocals from some of metal's most prolific artists. Today, developer The Outsiders and publisher Funcom have announced a wave of news, including a sales milestone, a new free title update, and the launch of the game on last-generation consoles. Starting today, Metal: Hellsinger is available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game was originally announced for these platforms at its initial reveal in 2020, but the last-gen versions were eventually canceled. Now, owners of last-gen consoles have access to this demon-slashing and beast-blasting adventure.  The studio also announced a new 1.5 patch, which adds a new top difficulty called Archdevil, as well as new weapon skins...

Update, 12/7/2022: Balan Wonderworld director Yuji Naka has been re-arrested on a second charge of insider trading, this time involving the mobile battle royale title Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier.  Last month, Naka and former Square Enix employee Taisuke Sazaki were arrested on suspicion of buying shares in developer Aiming after learning in advance about the team’s announcement of its mobile game Dragon Quest Tact (see the full original story below). Japanese outlet Asashi (thanks Video Games Chronicle) now reports that Naka and Sazaki are believed to have tried a similar scheme for the reveal of Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier. Ashai notes that in February 2021, developer Ateam and Square Enix announced a partnership to develop the mobile battle royale title. Naka and Sazaki are said to have known the details of this deal before it became public and bought shares...