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Platform: Switch Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Release: October 20, 2023 The announcement of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, which acted as the grand finale of June's Nintendo Direct , caught many off guard. Not only is Nintendo moving away from the well-worn tread of the New Super Mario Bros. franchise for the 2D side of the series, but it is taking Mario in new directions with a larger roster of playable characters, unprecedented gameplay conventions, and all-new power-ups. The result provided us with a trailer that not only garnered a massive reaction online when our favorite Italian plumber turned into an elephant, but also had us watching the footage on repeat in an attempt to ascertain as many details as we could from the limited gameplay we were shown. Thankfully, I no longer need to rely solely on that trailer and my own speculation of what exactly Super Mario Bros. Wonder is, as I was invited by Nintendo to get a hands-on session with the upcoming 2D platform...

Volition Games, the studio behind franchises such as Saints Row and Red Faction, has been shut down effectively immediately.  The news first broke on X.com, with several employees posting that they had been let go and that the studio was no more. In an official statement on the studio’s website , Volition states that Swedish holdings company Embracer Group, which acquired the studio in 2018, has forced it to cease operations as part of Embracer's company-wide restructuring. Volition’s full farewell post reads as follows: “The Volition team has proudly created world-class entertainment for fans around the globe for 30 years. We’ve been driven by a passion for our community and always worked to deliver joy, surprise, and delight. This past June, Embracer Group announced a restructuring program to strengthen Embracer and maintain its position as a leader in the video game industry. As part of that program, they evaluated strategic and operational goals and made the diffi...

Starfield is a massive, intimidating video game that, for better and worse, doesn't spend a lot of time tutorializing its gameplay and systems. It means the opening hours of the game can be particularly confusing, but the tips below, gathered by the Game Informer staff, should help alleviate at least some confusion you might be experiencing early in the game. Stay On The Main Path, At Least For Awhile Starfield lets you loose pretty quickly, and it is tempting to just start planet hopping right away, but you will do yourself a favor by sticking to the main path for at least a few hours. Our suggestion is that you play at least enough Constellation missions to find a mysterious temple. It may feel restrictive to hold yourself back, but you will be grateful to give yourself the time to learn the game, find good weapons, and build up your inventory. Fast-Travel Is The Primary (And Often Only) Way To Explore Unlike previous Bethesda games where you could quite literally see the e...

Reviewed on: Xbox Series X/S Platform: Xbox Series X/S, PC Publisher: Bethesda Softworks Developer: Bethesda Game Studios Release: September 6, 2023 Rating: Mature Even in the increasingly crowded marketplace of big, expansive games, Starfield stands out. Leveraging the gameplay Bethesda popularized with The Elder Scrolls and Fallout games, Starfield expands the breadth of exploration to a galaxy of solar systems, planets, and ships. It populates those environments with a rich palette of activities and missions that tap into the outer space fantasy. It’s a staggering span of content to wrap one’s head around. At times, that scope threatens to impair the focus and pacing, and moment-to-moment gameplay is not always a strong suit. But players can expect to uncover hundreds of hours of experimentation in a richly imagined sci-fi playground, and that thrill is worth experiencing. Your crafted character begins life as a space miner who inexplicably connects with an inscrutable...

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is right around the corner, but outside of the initial reveal trailer, we didn't know much about Nintendo's latest 2D platformer. However, today's showcase was packed to the brim with gameplay reveals and new details, and now we've got a much clearer picture of what this game will look like. Wonder no longer: here's everything we learned from the Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct. The game starts when Prince Florian, ruler of the Flower Kingdom, has his castle stolen by Bowser. After fusing with a Wonder Flower, the king of the Koopas is able to fly over this new land, populating it with his chaotic cronies. As always, it's up to Mario and friends to save the day, but this time around, he's got more buddies than usual. In addition to Luigi, Peach, and a pair of Toads, Toadette and Daisy are also along for the ride. Unlike some past games, each character here plays the same, meaning Peach has no built-in floating ability and Luigi ju...

Today’s Super Mario Bros. Wonder Nintendo Direct spilled a lot of tea on the upcoming game and concluded with the reveal of a new Switch OLED model. If you love the color red, then Nintendo has a console for you.  The Mario Red Edition Switch OLED is coated in the plumber’s classic shade of red and the dock even includes a couple of Mario silhouettes and hidden coins on the backside, as you can see in the photo below.  The console does not include a copy of Wonder, mainly because it hits store shelves a couple of weeks beforehand on October 6. Super Mario Bros. Wonder, meanwhile, launches on October 20. Still, if you're a passionate Mario fan looking for an excuse to upgrade to an OLED model, this version will set you back $349.99. Source: Game Informer

Earlier this month, Capcom teased an all-new character named A.K.I. coming to Street Fighter 6 as a DLC fighter. Now, the company has revealed that A.K.I will hit the game later next month on September 27 alongside a twisted gameplay reveal trailer.  When A.K.I. joins the fight next month, she’ll be the 20th playable character in Street Fighter 6, following the first DLC fighter, Rashid, who hit the game in July . Like Rashid and all future DLC fighters, players will encounter A.K.I. across all three modes of Street Fighter 6: World Tour, Fighting Ground, and the Battle Hub.  Check out the A.K.I. gameplay trailer for yourself below for a taste of what to expect:  As you can see, A.K.I. has quite the poisonous moveset. Capcom says she draws much of this toxic personality and moveset from her master, F.A.N.G., first introduced in Street Fighter V. "In the single player World Tour mode, players can learn more about A.K.I.’s interest in the evil Shadaloo organization an...

When Ubisoft revealed Assassin’s Creed Mirage last September during a special stream celebrating the series’ 15th anniversary, the game was up to bat as the next in the long-running series. Set to hit PlayStation, Xbox, and PC for $49.99 with a scaled-back approach and a much shorter runtime, Ubisoft indicated it was using Mirage to return to the series’ roots, serving as a spiritual successor to Altair’s adventure that started it all.  However, Mirage wasn’t always its own game; it started as DLC to 2020’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla .  “At first, we were working on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and the DLC, and the idea came up to create a specific expansion for Valhalla and go back to the Middle East,” Mirage creative director Stephane Boudon tells me in the Ubisoft Bordeaux office. “We wanted, as a longtime fan of the series, to go back to this environment [and those] vibes. And it was also near the 15th anniversary of the brand. So it was for us, something we wanted to bri...

Today, Sony announced the next slate of monthly games for the month of September. It also revealed that each subscription tier of PlayStation Plus is getting a significant price bump. The PlayStation Blog reveals that September’s free games will be 2022’s Saints Row , Black Desert - Traveler Edition, and Generation Zero . They’ll become available on September 5 and can be downloaded until October 2. On September 6, 12-month subscriptions for PlayStation Plus Essential, Extra, and Premium will be raised to the following prices: Essential - $79.99 (from $59.99) Extra - $134.99 (from $99.99) Premium - $159.99 (from $119.99) You can read this article for a refresher on the benefits of each subscription tier, which will not be changing. Current 12-month subscribers will not see these prices take effect until their next renewal date occurring on or after November 6. Changing your membership (such as buying more time or upgrading/downgrading tiers) on or after September 6 means pa...

In a February 2022 Nintendo Direct, it was announced that the first three mainline Front Mission games would get modern remakes exclusively for Switch. Front Mission 1st: Remake hit last November, and now, nearly a year later, we finally know when Front Mission 2 will arrive. That date is October 5, following a delay from it's previously announced June 12 launch. Front Mission 2’s revival is significant because it has never been released outside of Japan, originally hitting shelves in 1997. Set 12 years after Front Mission 1st, it stars Ash, an O.C.U. soldier who tries to escape the nation of Alordesh after its overrun by a revolutionary group, only to discover a broader conspiracy. Check out its story trailer below.  The remake’s features include improved loading times (addressing a big criticism of the original version), free camera movement, a revamped soundtrack, new coloring/camouflage options, and additional language support.  Front Mission 2 Remake: will be availa...

Konami has revealed that Suikoden I and II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars have been delayed out of 2023. The company did not indicate when it will now be releasing these games.  These remasters were revealed last September , packaged into the same collection and given a release window of 2023 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC via Steam. However, that was the last time we heard of these games. Yesterday evening, Konami gave us an update, stating they had been delayed out of 2023.  Important information regarding Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: https://t.co/2yjEoDi6jL pic.twitter.com/5mlAqHs0gb — @Suikoden (@Suikoden) August 30, 2023 “Regarding the planned release of Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars, we have reached the conclusion that despite the very best efforts and our dedicated development staff to release the remasters in 2023, additional time is needed to ensure the quality performance and game...

If you subscribe to the digital edition of Game Informer , you can now learn all about Assassin's Creed Mirage. Following the cover reveal , our digital issue is now live on web browsers , iPad/iPhone , and Android devices . Alongside the cover story, you will also find big features on Alan Wake II, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, a big retrospective developing the original Splinter Cell, and plenty more. Individual issues are also now available for purchase at this link or in any GameStop store. You can download the apps to view the issue by following this link . Source: Game Informer

Ubisoft revealed Assassin’s Creed Mirage last September as part of a special stream celebrating the series’ 15th anniversary. Now, one year later, and a little over one month before the game hits PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, it’s getting the Game Informer spotlight on our latest cover! We traveled to France to speak with Ubisoft Bordeaux, a relatively new studio in the worldwide company’s massive stable of studios. After opening its doors in 2017, Ubisoft Bordeaux has worked mainly as a support studio to others in the Ubisoft umbrella. But after leading development on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s Wrath of the Druids DLC, the team was given a chance to create a full game.  This cover story and our exclusive coverage on the site will bring you new details about how Assassin’s Creed Mirage began as a DLC for Valhalla before transforming into a full release, how Ubisoft Bordeaux is bringing 9th Century Golden Age Baghdad to life, why Basim Ibn Is’haq is back, and more. We played the gam...