We’re always on the lookout for hidden gems in every showcase. These games aren’t normally big-ticket titles but they hopefully shape up to be future favorites. During the recently concluded Gamescom Indie Showcase, Kickstarted 16-bit survival horror CONSCRIPT made the rounds and it’s looking like an atmospheric nightmare as well as an interesting premise. You can check out the 3-minute clip below which shows some gameplay: https://youtu.be/3JnNT1wX62w Set in the Battle of Verdun in France in 1916, you take the role of a lone French soldier surviving the nightmarish trench warfare while stumbling upon an unspeakable horror that lurks within. As you solve puzzles, take on different foes using weapons and the environment to your advantage, and upgrade your gear all in a classic 16-bit aesthetic. CONSCRIPT is releasing in 2022 on PC and hopefully on consoles.
2021 will see quite the battle for FPS supremacy and Call of Duty is gunning for the top spot once again with their upcoming release, Call of Duty: Vanguard. Set in the backdrop of World War II, Call of Duty: Vanguard aims to deliver the complete package to fans with a story campaign, Warzone integration, Zombies, and its tried and tested online multiplayer with the spotlight on the Champion Hill mode. Champion Hill is a round-robin tournament-style mode that pits groups of 2 or 3 to do battle against others in a 60-second no-frills shootout rotating across 4 maps. You start the battle with 12 “lives” (for duos, 18 for trios), and each time a player from your squad is killed, you lose a life. In between rounds, you earn cash to purchase equipment, weapons, and even perks to give you the edge against the competition. The last team standing…
2K has lifted the cover on another new feature for NBA 2K22 and this time, the spotlight is on the talented ladies from the WNBA. The W, which was introduced back in NBA 2K21, is making a comeback and will introduce an all-new badge progression experience, three playable off-day experiences, and continue to provide ways to connect with friends online. The latest NBA 2K22 courtside report reveals some brand new features coming to The W that will make it worth the playthrough: New Player Progression – With a new badge progression feature, players will be able to earn badges to improve their games as they embark on the journey to become WNBA legends. Competing on the court or grinding it out in practice, players will be able to equip and upgrade badges to customize their MyPLAYER builds based on their unique specialties;Off-Day Experience – The W introduces three new playable activities to…
Bravely Default II, the once Nintendo Switch exclusive and the third (yes, third) game in the series, will be coming to Steam on September 3. The Steam Page for the game is already available and you can enjoy a 10% discount starting from today until September 14, bringing the price down from its original $60. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv2Zvj49Y2g Originally released for the Nintendo Switch back in February 26, 2021 and sold 950,000 units worldwide, Bravely Defaults II is an RPG that comes from the team that brought you the Bravely series and Octopath Traveler, and features music from Revo (Sound Horizon/Linked Horizon), acclaimed composer of the Bravely Default soundtrack. We loved the game, despite its unoriginal story and trope-recycling tendencies, and it is still a worthwhile JRPG with solid foundations that will easily give you upwards of 50 hours worth of gameplay. Bravely Default II is now available on the Nintendo Switch.
Blasphemous, the surprisingly successful and outstanding metroidvania title along the likes of Ender Lilies from developers The Game Kitchen, has received a lot of post-launch DLC in the past but it seems the devs aren’t quite done just yet. Gamescom played host to a bunch of Indie announcements, with one of the bigger ones being the “Wounds of Eventide” DLC, which will come on December 9. Check out the awesome animated trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKg34fPKaQU That’s only part of the good news because if you watch the full trailer, you’ll see quite the surprise towards the end. Yep, Blasphemous II is in the works and is planned for a 2023 release! Fans of the game will surely be happy about this bit of news, even though the sequel is still a couple of years away. Blasphemous is now available for the PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC.
During the Gamescom Opening Night Live program, Bandai Namco Entertainment Asia has announced Park Beyond, the latest theme park simulation game by Limbic Entertainment, a German-based studio known for titles such as Tropico 6 and Might and Magic Heroes VII. Park Beyond is scheduled to release for the PS5, Xbox Series, and PC, and will allow the players to create “impossified” rides, which basically means that the rides you create can actually defy the laws of physics, enabling players to go unleash their creativity that expands the genre to consoles while delivering a new type of experience for PC players. Park Beyond is not just a mindless theme park builder, as it is anchored by a story mode where you’ll get the opportunity to meet a colorful cast of characters that will help you forge your own legend in the park industry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjD63_n8FNg You can also take a peek at…
Koei Tecmo has announced that the beloved Monster Rancher series will make its coming to the Nintendo Switch, PC, and iOS as Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX is coming on December 9, 2021 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the series. Monster Rancher series Executive Producer Kazumi Fujita shares a short message about bringing the series back in the announcement trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ttBeT-shVM You can see the official description below: In celebration of the magical series’ 25th anniversary, Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX brings the wildly popular simulation games to modern hardware where players raise their own monsters and train them to compete against other eccentric creatures in combat and tournaments. With hundreds of different monster types, each with their own skills and abilities, every Rancher will be able to raise and train monsters that are a perfect fit for their personality and play style.The special collection also…
During the recently concluded Gamescom 2021 Opening Night Live, a new rebooted Saints Row was just announced and to celebrate the occasion, Deep Silver and Epic Games are giving away Saints Row: The Third Remastered for free! Simply head on over to the Epic Games Store, create your free account, and redeem the game! It’s that easy, but you only have until September 2 to claim this free game, so be sure to get it before it’s gone. https://youtu.be/_j5FAX8nEy8 Automachef will be the second free game that will be available until next week, replacing Void Bastards and Yooka-Laylee.
Sifu has been quite the enigma on the game event circuit, being announced during February’s State of Play and featured in almost every pocket event that followed. Recently, it was struck with an unfortunate delay, bringing it from 2021 to 2022. As the penultimate announcement for the recently concluded Gamescom Opening Night Livestream, Sifu finally gets its release date, and it is probably one of the easiest to remember – February 22, 2022 or 2/22/22. That’s a lot of two’s. Alongside the release date is a brand-new gameplay trailer, which you can check out below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roirtJD_3fc Geoff Keighley describes it “as fluid as the Arkham games with the precision of fighting games.” If it plays like Arkham with the precision of Tekken, say no more and count us in! The game is primarily a revenge tale where the titular character is training for that final showdown to take down the…
The Gamescom Opening Night Livestream started strong with the announced Saints Row reboot for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and PC. Yep, you read right, a reboot! As the cinematic trailer opens, it sidesteps the tongue-in-cheek appeal that was the trademark of Saints Row and adapts a semi-serious tone as the featured gang is intercepting a heist in progress. The trailer ends with a launch date that is February 25, 2022, which surprisingly isn’t too far away from now! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgjzDJA1o1E The game will feature three different gangs that will battle for supremacy. While the visual panache is great, hopefully, they still kept some of their signature hilarity that made the game stand out on its own. A very short gameplay trailer was also shown and it’s looking to be quite crazy, which is a well-known franchise trademark. https://youtu.be/tmzsUeejmvY Saints Row will launch on February 25, 2022…
Firaxis fans waiting for a new outing from the team will surely get excited for this one as 2K and Marvel Entertainment have announced Marvel’s Midnight Suns, a brand new tactical RPG set in the darker side of the Marvel Universe. Scheduled for a March 2022 release, Marvel’s Midnight Suns will be available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and Epic Games. The game will see the Avengers enlist the help of the titular cast – Nico Minoru, Blade, Magik, and Ghost Rider – young heroes with powers deeply rooted in the supernatural to fight the resurrected evil master Chthon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBwMAyRW0P8 “We’re thrilled to team with Firaxis Games, who combine a history of building outstanding tactical games with an authentic love of Marvel’s supernatural side,” said Bill Rosemann, Vice President of Creative at Marvel Games. “Marvel’s Midnight Suns offers players the chance to…
Following the unfortunate announcement that Halo Infinite won’t be releasing with Campaign Co-op or Forge, some good news comes by way of a leak saying that the game will be seeing a December 8 release date. The initial leak comes from Twitter user Aggiornamenti Lumia, who posts a screenshot of the Microsoft Store that has the December 8 date marked. He notes that the listing has been live since August 26, 2020 with a placeholder date but was recently updated to reflect the correct information. https://twitter.com/ALumia_Italia/status/1430417735704629254 By no means is this an indication, but a report from The Verge corroborates the information, confirming the date from “A source familiar with Microsoft’s plans.” Senior News Editor at The Verge Tom Warren had even posted a “teaser” a couple of days ago, saying that no one even spotted it, implying that the information was already known. https://twitter.com/tomwarren/status/1430487615199920134 Halo Infinite was curiously missing…
During the recently concluded Destiny 2 livestream, it was finally announced that Destiny 2’s next major expansion, The Witch Queen, will bring in Savathun on February 22, 2022. We’ve heard about Savathun for the LONGEST time and now we finally get to see and do battle with her. Guardians will make their way through to Savathun’s Throneworld, the brand new area to explore and within it, new challenges that are shaping up to be one of the best build-ups to a boss encounter in recent memory. Among the new enemies shown, Hive Guardians are particularly interesting because of the fact that they seem to mimic some Guardian attacks, abilities, and skills, making them formidable opponents. Check out the reveal trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0IlFZ61734 Included in The Witch Queen expansion will be a new Glaive melee weapon that features combos and even projectile attacks, which makes it an awesome addition to a…
Ubisoft has released a nearly 5-minute trailer that gives players a detailed look at Rainbow Six Extraction which will feature a deep operator progression system, 4 adjustable difficulty levels, 12 ever-evolving maps, 13 dynamic mission objectives, over 90 guns and gadgets, a unique ranked mode, and extensive post-launch support for free. Rainbow Six Extraction players can enjoy a roster of 18 operators (all from Rainbow Six Siege, no new Extraction operators), each anchored with a deep progression system, and will assemble a 1-3 player squad to confront mysterious alien creatures known as Archæans. Players can gain access to more than 65 weapons, ten legacy Rainbow Six Siege tech, and 15 exclusive REACT tech, all of which are usable over multiplayer or solo modes. https://youtu.be/rvLrxnZfQVQ There will be 12 new maps in Rainbow Six Extraction over 4 regions across the United States, with each map being roughly 3 times the size…
Genshin Impact’s 2.1 update, which brings new playable characters like Raiden Shogun and Aloy, new areas to explore, and fishing (fishing!) will be available on September 1, miHoYo has announced. Following the massive 2.0 expansion, the main storyline revolving around the Traveler, the Electro Archon, various factions, and the people of Inazuma will come to an end in the final chapter of Inazuma’s Archon Quest. Players will also be able to visit Watatsumi Island and Seirai Island all while encountering new bosses like the Hydro Hypostasis, Thunder Manifestation, and the new Trounce Domain Boss Signora. Check out the brand new trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_5-i0ZJfds The 2.1 update will also see the much-awaited arrival of 3 new playable characters in Raiden Shogun, Sangonomiya Kokomi, and Kujou Sara. Raiden Shogun is a five-star Electro polearm user who can deal massive damage and provide helpful buffs to the team. Sangonomiya Kokomi, the Divine Priestess…