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Housemarque is celebrating the three-year anniversary of its hit shooter roguelike Returnal by teaming up with Dark Horse Comics for a graphic novel, artbook, and a new animated adaptation you can watch right now. This news follows yesterday's tease from both Housemarque and later Dark Horse Comics about Returnal, sending fans into an understandable frenzy about what the teams had in store for players.  "Another year, another cycle," a post on X (formerly Twitter) from Housemarque reads. "The Third time around, extra loot is exposed with Dark Horse flair."  Here's what that flair brings to the Returnal universe:  Returnal: Fallen Asteria Graphic Novel Returnal Artbook Fallen Asteria Animated Adaptation Now, even with PlayStation dipping its toes into cross-media production with Amazon's God of War series and Netflix's Horizon adaptation , this Returnal adaptation isn't the same. Instead, it's an "animated version of the fir...

Starfield's first expansion, Shattered Space, is set to arrive this fall, according to director Todd Howard. Plus, a new update for Starfield is coming later this week that will make changes to ship-building mechanics and more.  Howard revealed this and more about Starfield in a new interview with Kinda Funny , which is where the Bethesda executive producer also discussed Amazon's  Fallout  TV show and the Fallout series in general, as reported by  XboxEra . As for what to expect of Shattered Space, Howard didn't say much. However, we already know it will bring new story content, locations, gear, and more to Starfield.  As noted by  XboxEra , Shattered Space will be free for all Starfield Deluxe Edition owners.  As for the update coming to Starfield later this week, Howard says it will focus on the ship-building. This lines up with what the Starfield team shared last year in its 2024 plans for the game . Here's what it said at the time: "For thos...

The Jackbox Party Packs have always allowed for adult-themed responses, but it was never solicited or directly encouraged by the games themselves. For those who have wanted a more  mature  experience, Jackbox Games is finally granting you your wish, as it has announced Jackbox Naughty Pack, a new release of three games that promises spicy prompts and dirty fun later this year. We don't know what kinds of games will be included, but Jackbox Games teases "spicy surprises and maybe even some familiar faces." Does that tease a new, mature-themed You Don't Know Jack? Will we get dirtier iterations on some classic Jackbox titles? Or will these be all new games that just so happen to include some favorite characters from past games? Unfortunately, for now, Jackbox Games is being tight-lipped with the contents of Jackbox Naughty Pack. However, the studio did release a teaser trailer, which you can view right here . Jackbox Naughty Pack will arrive sometime this year, and J...

Remedy has provided updates on its portfolio of upcoming titles via a quarterly business review. In addition to painting the overall financial health of the studio, the report shares details on the current development state of Control 2 , Max Payne 1+2 Remake, the Control multiplayer spin-off Codename Condor , and more. According to the report , the Control 2 team is “focused on finalizing the proof-of-concept stage, in which the game world, game mechanics and visual targets are proven.” The project is expected to move into the production readiness stage in Q2 of this year. Control 2 was first announced in 2022.  Max Payne 1+2 Remake, first announced in 2022 as a rebuilt version that combines both PS2 games into a single title, remains in the production readiness stage, as first announced last October . However, the game is expected to enter full production in Q2 2024. Codename Condor has entered full production. Remedy describes its core loop as “engaging” and that “the game b...

Housemarque, the developer of titles such as Returnal and Resogun, has teased some kind of announcement for tomorrow.  In a post on X, the developer simply posted a graphic of what appears to be a fractured reflection of a woman’s eyes with the word “Tomorrow.” pic.twitter.com/F4R6TYFyZ1 — Housemarque (@Housemarque) April 29, 2024 Less than two hours later, Housemarque shared a brief video clip of the same image but in animated form. pic.twitter.com/uAkzYOCjjn — Housemarque (@Housemarque) April 29, 2024 While the kneejerk reaction is to assume this announcement is related to Returnal, be it a sequel or something else, that seems unlikely. In 2022, Housemarque stated it was developing a new IP for its next title. However, that wouldn't necessarily rule out the possibility of more Returnal DLC, if nothing else. Much has changed for Housemarque since Returnal launched in April 2021, such as  being acquired by Sony just a couple of months later. Returnal launched on PC...

We've been making our way through The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask the past few weeks for our weekly Replay stream , but this week Marcus Stewart is busy on assignment, so Brian Shea joined me for a look at a different Zelda sequel. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass released in 2007 for DS and is controlled entirely by touchscreen. Back in 2017 while speaking with longtime Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma for our Breath of the Wild cover story, he cited Phantom Hourglass as his personal favorite Zelda game saying that his wife is a fan of that entry, and it was the first time he was in the role of producer. "I have a lot of sentiment for it,"Aonuma said. Check out the video below for an hour Phantom Hourglass gameplay below. If you enjoy our livestreams but haven’t subscribed to our Twitch channel, know that doing so not only gives you notifications and access to special emotes. You’ll also be granted entry to the official  Game Informer  Discord channel , where...

Reviewed on: PlayStation 5 Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC Publisher: 2K Games Developer: Hangar 13 Release: April 26, 2024 Rating: Everyone In the heyday of the tennis-sim video game genre, Top Spin and Virtua Tennis were the best players in the crowded space. However, in the time since the genre’s boom settled, the offerings have fallen off considerably, with both franchises going more than a decade without a new release. TopSpin 2K25 signals the reemergence of the critically acclaimed series, and though it’s been a while since it stepped on the court, it’s evident the franchise hasn’t lost its stroke. TopSpin 2K25 faithfully recreates the high-speed chess game of real-world tennis. Positioning, spin, timing, and angles are critical to your success. For those unfamiliar with those fundamental tennis tenets, 2K25 does a superb job of onboarding players with TopSpin Academy, which covers everything from where you should stand to how t...

Blizzard has decided to cancel this year’s BlizzCon. The company states the event will return in the future, but it plans to showcase upcoming games in a different manner over the coming months.  First announced in a blog post , Blizzard plans to share details on upcoming games like World of Warcraft: The War Within and Diablo IV’s Vessel of Hatred expansion at other trade shows, such as Gamescom. The company also plans to launch “multiple, global, in-person events” for Warcraft’s 30th anniversary, which are described as being “distinct” from BlizzCon.  “Our hope is that these experiences – alongside several live-streamed industry events where we’ll keep you up to date with what’s happening in our game universes – will capture the essence of what makes the Blizzard community so special,” Blizzard states in the blog post. A Blizzard representative tells Windows Central that Blizzard made the call to cancel BlizzCon and not Microsoft, which completed its acquisition of t...

Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble is the first brand new Monkey Ball game in years. Brian Shea recently got hands-on with the game, and you can watch his experience, and hear him talk about it, right here. You will see a few adventure mode levels, but we also show off a handful of the new multiplayer modes. You can also read Brian's written Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble impressions by following the link . Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble released exclusively for Switch on June 25. Head over to  Game Informer's  YouTube channel  for more previews, reviews, and discussions of new and upcoming games. Watch other episodes of  New Gameplay Today   right here. Source: Game Informer

Stellar Blade is heading into full release, and you can dive into the action-heavy sci-fi adventure for yourself. You can read our full review for more details about how it turned out, or read our interview with the game's creative director to learn more about how the game came together. Developer Shift Up does a good job of gradually introducing new core systems as you move through the lengthy adventure, but as we played ahead of public launch, our team discovered several things the game doesn’t tell you that can lead to a more enjoyable journey. Turn On Auto Loot While the developer made many smart decisions in creating Stellar Blade, we’re a little confused why the default choice for gathering dropped loot requires pressing and holding one of the shoulder buttons. As soon as you start the game, pause and go to Settings > Gameplay and adjust the Auto Loot option to “On,” which is not the default. Eve will begin to pick up items and currency automatically without the nee...

The Fallout franchise is in the midst of a resurgence lately, thanks to the live-action series adaptation on Amazon Prime ( which is good, by the way ). Even though it's been almost a decade since its release, Fallout 4 has rocketed to the top of sales charts like a mushroom cloud into the atmosphere, which makes today's update perfectly timed: Fallout 4 is finally getting a proper next-gen update . ICYMI: The Fallout 4 free next-gen update lands on consoles and PC April 25th! https://t.co/lFnD4X5Q3o 📺 Performance and Quality Mode 🛠️ Stability improvements and fixes 💻 PC widescreen support 🎮 Steam Deck Verified 🎁 Free Creation Club Content pic.twitter.com/JrJDqdn9tW — Bethesda Game Studios (@BethesdaStudios) April 19, 2024 The update brings major technical upgrades to console players. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S now get their own native versions of the game rather than relying on running applications made for older consoles. These new apps come with a ...

This week on The Game Informer Show podcast, it's all about reviews. We had three big reviews drop this week (on the same day [around the same time]), as well as a TV show review. Join host Kyle Hilliard as Matt Miller discusses Stellar Blade, Wesley LeBlanc chats about Another Crab's Treasure, and Brian Shea tells us what he thinks of the Knuckles TV show. Kyle also talks about his time with Sand Land and Brian shares preview impressions of the first original Monkey Ball game in years as well as the new TopSpin tennis game. Episode 704 – Stellar Blade, Sand Land, Monkey Ball, Crabs, And Knuckles: Follow us on social media: Kyle Hilliard ( @KyleMHilliard ), Brian Shea ( @BrianPShea ), Wesley LeBlanc ( @LeBlancWes ) The Game Informer Show  is a weekly gaming podcast covering the latest video game news, industry topics, exclusive reveals, and reviews. Join host  Alex Van Aken  every Thursday to chat about your favorite games – past and present – with  Game ...

Dragon's Dogma 2 launched a little over a month ago and has already managed to sell 2.5 million copies , but Capcom is still releasing updates to patch minor issues with the game. While a large volume of complaints have been about the lack of a performance mode, this update (like the last update) does not address that issue. However, it does aim to clean up a number of irritating errors involving the behavior of pawns, the player's AI companions. An update for Dragon's Dogma 2 is now live on all platforms! It includes adjustments to the dragonsplague, Pawn behavior and fixes to various issues. See details on the official website: https://t.co/waEdG0ntSv We will keep you posted for future updates. — Dragon's Dogma (@DragonsDogma) April 25, 2024 For starters, this update makes it easier to detect dragonsplague, an affliction that, if untreated, can lead to devastating consequences for your pawns and your world. It's also contagious, so it's a good idea ...

Developer Trialforge Studio and publisher Tate Multimedia revealed Deathbound, a new Soulslike with a unique class-based twist , last August. At the time, PC was its only platform but now,  Game Informer  can exclusively reveal Deathbound will also come to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S day-in-date with PC later this year.  As we learned with Deathbound's reveal last year, the game wears its Soulslike inspiration on its sleeve. However, it aims to differentiate itself within the ever-growing genre with what Trialforge calls a single-player party-based system. Players will control a single vessel that channels various heroes known as the fallen. These are individual characters, each with unique skill sets, combat styles, and lore, that share the player-controlled vessel. As such, players can switch between different characters, but they'll need to do so with caution as they aren't all necessarily in alliance with each other.  Check out the newest Deathbound tra...

Reviewed on: PC Platform: Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, PC Publisher: Aggro Crab Developer: Aggro Crab Release: April 25, 2024 Rating: Teen Another Crab's Treasure, as the name suggests, is a humorous and pun-filled world where the sea is your Soulslike oyster. A fork acts as your defacto sword, while various other remnants from above, like shot glasses, soda cans, and more, serve as your shield. With fork in hand and can on back, Kril, a shy but easygoing hermit crab, sets out into the aquatic kingdom to find his favorite shell, stolen from him by a loan shark tax collector. What follows is an adventure that excels at being an amusing and bright reprieve from the otherwise dark and terror-filled Soulslike genre. However, the action doesn’t hit the same highs; while unique and expansive in some ways, it feels too floaty, too imprecise, and too annoying too often, polluting an otherwise fun 15-hour jaunt through a trash-filled ocean.  Developer Aggro Crab smartly ...

Reviewed on: Xbox Series X/S Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PC Publisher: Bandai Namco Developer: Ilca Release: April 26, 2024 Rating: Teen Sand Land is experiencing an oddly timed resurgence. Its creator, Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball), recently passed away unexpectedly, effectively pointing a spotlight on his 24-year-old creation just as it was being adapted to film, anime, and video game. The video game has been my entry point into this world with characters, vehicles, and architecture that all resemble Dragon Ball beyond even just an art style, and I enjoyed the opportunity to live in a brand new Toriyama world and story. Other elements of the game, like its animation and performances, vacillate between high and low quality, but ultimately, Sand Land is the kind of experience I want from adaptation – the opportunity to spend time in a big, realized world with a story that pulls you all the way through. The Sand Land video game functions as bot...