Bow to the King

There are many great characters in the Tekken series, but few as recognizable as King. The jaguar-masked wrestler has been a staple of Tekken since the series' beginning, delivering high-flying, devastating destruction. And King is looking absolutely fantastic in the latest Tekken 8 gameplay trailer.

Bandai Namco has been gradually spotlight each Tekken 8 combatant with a gameplay trailer of their own??, and King is the newest one in the arena. What more do I need to say? It's King. He's? got powerful punches, leaping kicks, and chain combos with grapples that seem like they do some real, real damage. I spied a taunt of some kind as well, with King baring his chest, daring the opponent to take a swing and find out what happens. The result? Not good for them.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=OII3DNh4iaE

There's something electric about the way King plays that's just fun to watch. I'm normally not a grappler player, but King feels a bit more acrobatic than his throw-happy counterparts in games like Guilty Gear or Street Fighter. In the trailer, we can see the new Paul, with much less hair product than usual, getting absolutely demolished b??y King's knee. It's fantastic.

Whether it's talking it up on the mic or delivering devastating destruction, King always brings it. If there's one constant in Tekken, as even ch??aracters like Jin start to change and adapt for Story Purposes, I'm glad it's ??King.

Tekken 8 is?? currently in development for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. No firm release date or window's been locked in yet.

Related: All Characters Confirmed for Tekken 8 on PrimaGames

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The world of Hyper Light keeps expanding

Today we got our first gameplay look at Hyper Light Breaker, the second Hyper Light game from Heart Machine. Fresh off Solar Ash, Hyper Light Breaker maintains a lot of the style and look you'd expect from th?is universe, but with a whole new set of skills for taking on enemies.

IGN got the big gameplay reveal, where it showed off the gorgeous and colorful world of Hyper Light Breaker. While the first Hyper Light Drifter was a top-down, 2D affair, Breaker moves into 3D, similar to Heart Machine's Solar Ash. The third-person action promises "endless loadouts" and "infinite open worlds", but also, ??unlimited d?eaths. Because yes, there are some intimidating foes to overcome. Check out the gameplay below:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCQb-m0RaG0

All of this makes Hyper Light Breaker look absolutely spectacular. The different weapons and style switches look great, and the world is a neon-soaked landscape that reminds me so much of Heart Machine's previous work. Other developers have shown that you can make the 2D-to-3D jump without losing your sense of style, and I'm happy to see that so far, Hyper Light Breaker is making it work.

Breaking up the light

I'm curious to see what co-op looks like, as that's supposed to be an option in this new entry. Heart Machine has also confirmed it's taking a little more time on this new Hyper Light game. When first revealed, Hyper Light Breaker was set for a spring 2023 Early Access launch ??on Steam, but today's trailer pushes it out to the fall.

Granted, this spring is already absolutely packed, so I'm not complaining about some breathing room. Hyper Light Drifter was a memorable experience, and I'm very much looking forward to Breaker. I think waiting ??a little while longer, and clearing off my backlog in the meantime, sounds like a good plan.

Hyper Light Breaker is targeting Early Access on PC?? via Steam for som?etime this fall.

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The teamfight meets the fighting game

As the year is nearing its end, Riot Games is spotlighting one of its League spin-offs. Project L, the League of Legends fighting game in development at Riot Games, got a new gameplay deep-dive today, showing off its tag system and ??battles in even more detail.

First revealed in 2019, the still-codenamed Project L looks to take the brawls of Runeterra and bring them into the 2D fighting arena. Today, executive producer Tom Cannon and game director Shaun Rivera talked a little bit about the actual systems at work in Project L.

While the project started out as a one-on-one fighter, according to Rivera, the team swapped to a tag system about two years ago. Fights in Project L are two-on-two, much like BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle or the first Marvel Vs. Capcom game.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zNqyHAP9zc

Alongside getting a new look at Illaoi, who's now playable in Riot's internal playtests and looks fearsome, the Project L team runs down the basics of their tag system. If you're already a fighting game player, you might be familiar with some of the ideas. Namely, that you always have a point character, the one playable on-scree??????????????????????????n, and an assist character, who can be called in for help or a tag-out. Here are the basic terms, which Rivera says are placeholder and could change.

Project L tag system actions

• Assist actions are the most common use-case. You call in your back-up character to execute a special assist attack. Rivera says each champion has two they can perform, and the input can be held for a charge assist.
• Next, the handshake tag lets players swap their characters. Using this tag, you can hand control over to the incoming assist character. As shown in the gameplay breakdown, this can lead to some tricky offensive options.
• Lastly, the dynamic save lets the assist character get the point out of a bad spot. It's an explosive intro to try and push back the enemy, much like the Burst in Guilty Gear Strive. If it's too predictable, though, it can be countered.

??It's a prett??y good look at what's in store for fighting game fans with Riot's entrance into the genre. No launch window has been set, but this update still has excited for what's to come in the future.

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Slash Fiction

D3 Publisher has released a 10-minute gameplay video of its anime hack 'n' slash adventure Samurai Maiden. Dev?eloped by Japa??nese studio Shade, the action-packed tale of swords and sorcery will hit PlayStation, PC and Nintendo Switch platforms in early December.

Utilizing the time-honored marriage of anime schoolgirls and time travel, Samurai Maiden sees a young lass from the 21st Century whisked back to Sengoku era Japan where, accompanied by her newfound friends, our hero takes up steel against a deathly army of monsters and ghouls. As she battles her way through the underworld, our young maiden will mastery the ancient art of the samurai, defeating u?ngodly creature??s on her journey to return to her own time.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZOnAzJOXvI&t

Despite the overall cheesiness of the characters and setup, I have to admit that I think Samurai Maiden looks pretty sharp (pun fully intended). I'm digging the super-colorful locations, the crazy-creepy enemy design, and the slick-looking combat. The visual ef??fects also aren't to be sniffed at. The action appears to move both smoothly and with precision, and overall it looks like it could be a fun, low-key, way to spend a lazy weekend... Even if you do gotta roll your eyes a little at the game's "kiss other girls to power up" mecha?nic.

I mean, that's nev??er worked for m??e, and I've tried it over three times in my life.

Samurai Maiden launches worldwide, December 8, on PlayS?tation, PC, and Nintendo Switch platforms.

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A battle for every area

Bandai Namco Entertainment has put out a new gameplay showcase for One Piece Odyssey, where we get a good glimpse of how the Straw Hat Pirates ?fig?ht their turn-based RPG battles.

Before the fighting starts, we do get a look at the locale for the new adventure. One Piece Odyssey follows Monkey D. Luffy and ?the crew in a journey after they're shipwrecked at sea.

In the trailer today, we see the city of Alabasta and some of the locales th?e pirates will run through. Each character has an overworld ability, allowing them to access certain areas or take advantage of certain resources. From being stretchy or handy with a slingshot to just being small, everyone has their own talent for navigating the island.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcBzN-BymKg

All's fair in turn-based battles

Once the fighting starts, the crew dukes it out in a traditional RPG style. It's got a traditional vibe to it, with a little bit of One Piece style.

It looks like one of Odyssey's battle mechanics is the scramble area battle, where characters are placed in different zones to duke it out. Some characters are ab?le to attack other? areas from long-range, and it looks like fighters can also move from one area to another one their own is clear.

Basically, an all-out brawl. But with type effectiveness and other factors in play, it seems like an interesting battle system that could make for fun combat encounters. I dig the idea of the crew getting split and having to fight their way back together. Plus, there are some conditions called Dramatic Scenes that give ex??tra rewards for clearing them.

I'm not a huge One Piece fan, but this look at the battle set-up has me intrigued. We'll see how Luffy and the crew's battles turn out in this new RPG when One Piece Odyssey launches for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on January 13, 2023.

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As long as yer boy's lyin' nose

One of the more intriguing titles on my (and many others) watchlist is Round8 Studio's Lies of P �this gothic retelling of the famous tale of Pinocchio is currently in development for?? PC and console platforms, and promises a dark-yet-faithful take on the story of the puppet child and his endeavor to become human.

Publisher Neowiz has taken the bold step of releasing a huge gameplay showcase, which features no less than 40+ minutes of Lies of P in action. The video spotlights the opulent but miserable architecture, grim splendor, and frightening oppression of the city of Krat, the backdrop to our you??ng hero's quest. Pinocchio must battle violent automatons, engage with what remains of the local commu??nity, and harness the power of falsehoods in order to come face to face with their ultimate destiny with humanity.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjGo-l34m18

As you can see from these two videos, Lies of P has chosen to embed itself within the Soulslike genre, with deliberately paced gameplay and challenging, rhythmic combat. Pinnochio has access to a wide array of tools and weaponry with which to defend himself and, being a doll, ??is capable of replacing and upgrading components of his own body to better stand up to the challenges that lie ahead of him.

And, speaking of lies, Pinnochio must also weaponize truth and dishonesty in order to reach his fate. During his journey, Pinocchio's moral fiber will be repeatedly tested, with his ability to speak both truthfully and untruthfully reflected in the outcome of his tale, changing the fates of himself and those around him. How effective this mechanic plays out in the final game remains to be seen, but I can't be but hugely intrigued by almost every element of Lies of P, from its characters and world to its grim adaptation of a classic fable, married to the uncompromising Soulslike genre.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mNB4pp1zjg

I can't wait to check out Lies of P for myself. Until then, just remember, What Would Gepp?etto Do?

Lies of P is currently in development f??or PlayStation, PC, and Xbox platforms with a launch scheduled for 2023. It will also be avail?able on Xbox Game Pass from day one.

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Kratos is still learning some new tricks

God of War Ragnarok is on its way, with some all-new battles for Kratos and his son Atreus to wind up in. Today, we got a quick hit of some combat, showing off new moves Kratos will have in November.

As part of Game Informer's cover story for Ragnarok, the team has already talked about changes coming? to Kratos' arsenal. Today's video shows just what that looks like in action. We see him running around an arena,? beating the daylights out of some merfolk-looking enemies.

A key component of Kratos' move set, as the video describes, is the idea o??f playing with your food. The god of war can re?ally send enemies flying and bouncing around, as well as employ some elemental moves.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QZhk4w66_8

These elemental moves are part of a new system for Kratos' weapons. The Leviathan Axe can bri?ng out frost magic, while the Blades of Chaos elicit fire. By holding or mashing the Triangle button, the weapons become infused with the elements, doing extra damage to enemies.

He's really in his element here

It's a quick little burst of gameplay, with the video coming in at under two minutes. Still, it's nice to see some gameplay of God of War Ragnarok. I've been curious as to how different the combat would feel in Ragnarok versus the 2018 itera?tion. Seems like Sony Santa Monica Studios have foun?d some ways of adding on top of what was already a pretty solid set of mechanics.

The written portion of Game Informer's cover story also talks about the shields, both the Dauntless and Stonewall versions, as well as some other granular bits of gameplay detail. It migh??????????????????????????t still seem far away, but November is inching ever closer. And with it, plenty more enemies for Kratos to smash apart.

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More news on Ubisoft's projects is on the way

The pirating world of Skull and Bones is re-emerging. Ubisoft is hosting a worldwide gameplay reveal on July 7, showcasing a new look at the seafaring multi?player? game.

This isn't quite the first-ever reveal of Skull and Bones footage. We've seen a few gameplay looks in the past, dating back several years. But Ubisoft's pirate game has been quiet for quite a while, resurfacing here and there in financial statements and reports.

On July 7 at 11 a.m. PT, Ubisoft will get a chance at making a new impression for Skull and Bones. The pre-show will st??ar??t at 10:45 a.m. PT, followed by new gameplay and a behind-the-scenes with the developers.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_c7F4PHzcc

For plunder and fortune

There was a supposedly leaked gameplay video not long ago, showcasing what Ubisoft's Skull and Bones currently looks like. The video, as a sort-of tutorial for various game mechanics, showed resource collecting, management, a?nd sailing the high seas looking for combat with other ships.

At the time, the official account shared a video, asking fans to keep their eyes on the horizon. Seems like it's time for th??e official re-reveal later this week.

Ubisoft has also locked in a new multi-game showcase later this year on September 10, at 12 p.m. PT. While this week's spotlight will focus on Skull and Bones, the upcoming September showcase will feature updates and news on multiple projects from Ubisoft's teams around the world. Considering that Ubisoft has many projects in development, ranging from a new Avatar game and Beyond Good & Evil 2 to XDefiant and Project Q, expect just about anything.

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Fly me to the moon, let me play among the Starfield

The closer to today's Xbox and Bethesda showcase was, of course, Starfield. The upcoming spacefaring RPG is hotly anticipated, and today Bethesda showed off a lengthy look at some Starfield gameplay.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmb2FJGvnAw

The Starfield gameplay starts with the player and their robot companion venturing out onto a planet. After gawking at some local wildlife? and mining some ore, they infiltrate a base and take on some space pirates.

??The gunplay looks surprisingly action-heavy, with futuristi??c but chunky versions of weapons ringing out as they blast their way through.

Space quest

Then, once the action subsides, we get a look at New Atlantis and some of the social areas the player can explore. The narrative seems to center around some mysterious alien artifact?s, and the quest to discover what secrets they hold.

Of course, there are factions to deal with and NPCs to talk to. Bethesda showcased close-up looks at plenty of NPCs, who you'll probably have to ally with or against throughout the course of Starfield's story.

This kind of role-playing obviously entails some on the player's part too, so Bethesda also showed the character creator and skill system. There are plenty o??f options for ??making your own astronaut adventurer and customizing them to your heart's content.

Life on Mars

The customization extends out even more, as Starfield also has outpost building that looks similar to Fallout 4's base building. Bethesda's Todd Howard confir??ms that you can have companions you ??meet take up life in these outposts and run them while you're away.

But isn't the sky the real home for a space-faring adventurer? Alongside your character and outposts, you can also customize your ship in Starfield. Bethesda showcased a look at the schematics-style building for Starfield's ships, which are also fully pilotable.

Soon after, the gameplay took to the vacuum of space. So yes, you can make your ship and then fly your ship in Starfield.

The vast expanse

As one last note, Bethesda showcased the size of Starfield. And yes, it's absolutely massive. The range of Starfield extends from a city and one planet out to all the planets in a system, and then out again to even more systems. Thousands of planets are waiting to be explored in Starfield, according to Todd Howard.

It seems absolutely massive. But today was honestly a pretty promising and fairly extensive gameplay showing for Starfield, which was probably the most hotly anticipated game in today's Xbox showcase lineup. While it may have been delayed, hopefully the extra time has been worth the wait—now we just have to see if the final product can pull it all off. Starfield is coming to Xbox consoles and PC in 2023.

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The Blue Blur of the Wild

Today, Sega and IGN premiered a big look at the gameplay of the next Sonic game, Sonic Frontiers. Across seven minutes it show??s plenty of rolling around at the speed of sound, but also some strong influence from other open-wor?ld games.

Sonic Frontiers is set to be the next big game for Sonic, and it's tackling the open-world genre. In today's footage, it's easy to see some influence from games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Alongside the literal tower that Sonic starts the clip out climbing, there are also big expanses to roam across. P??lus, it seems like more than a few environmental puzzles are in store too.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxJ5_ovBC_g

At one point, Sonic runs?? circles around some flames to unlock a sort-of radar ping. In another, he's walking across blocks in the correct order to light them up, without overlapping his trail. I think it's fairly safe to say this is drawing on some modern open-world conventions.

Power up the Sonic Cycle

One thing we've yet to see is what's tying all this together. Seeing Sonic run around in an open world is one thing, but I'm curious as to what the goals and structure of the game will be. Previous Sonic games usually fall into level-based formats with objectives and structure, but it seems like Sonic can just roam the open world for collectibles and puzzles in Sonic Frontiers.

This Sonic Frontiers gameplay is only a first look, though. There's likely more info to come as IGN has Sonic Frontiers as their First feature for the month of June. Hopefully we get a little more info about what sort of enemies, characters, and goals we're dealing with in the wide-open world of Sonic Frontiers soon.

Sonic Frontiers is aiming to launch this year on PC, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo ?Switch.

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Plus pot man!

Elden Ring looks to be a pretty big step for From Software. Today, the studio showed off about 15 minutes of gameplay of the upcoming action RPG, and it has a lot going on. From horse combat to stealth, ambient enemies to massive dungeons and bosses, and even a pot man, the Elden Ring game?play broadcast tod??ay showed off a fair bit of what to expect in this new world.

One of the big elements to showcase in Elden Ring is its mounted combat. Not only can you ride a horse or, seemingly, other mounts in Elden Ring, but you can also fight while galloping around. This was shown in a big bout with a roaring drago?n, that soared in as the character was roa?ming around the open world.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw-zJ3bAg08

Also, I was pretty taken with just how magical everything is. It's obviously not like magic is a new element to any of From? Software's games, but the magic here seems to be grander and more stylish than I'd usually expect. Summoning pals to back you up mid-fight, calling in a storming hail of glowing arrows, and that hyper beam all seemed pretty cool.

Bosses seem even more powerful to match, too. We got a glimpse today of a few different large encounters in this Elden Ring gameplay preview, like a massive mounted knight and a dragon, but the big one arrived at?? the end. The many-armed lord shows up at the end of a run through a castle, ready to face off with you in the arena. And if the arms weren't enough, it looks like he seizes a dragon's head part-way through the fight, adding a little fire and some more teeth to his arsenal.

Today's Elden Ring gameplay really showed off a lot of what the new From Software game will look like in the moment-to-moment, from longer gameplay segments to world activities like dungeons. And of course, massive, soul-crushing boss fights. The developer says there's more Elden Ring info to come between now and its release date of Feb. 25, 2022. But it's safe to say I'm already pretty into what they're showing righ?t now.

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The next From Software game is approaching fast

Tomorrow, Elden Ring fans will get something they've probably been waiting for: some gameplay. Bandai Namco will host a glimpse of Elden Ring gameplay on Nov. 4, 2021.

The showcase will start at 10 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. PT, and will run for 15 minutes. You can find it streaming on Bandai Namco's YouTube and Twitch channels. You can also find the Elden Ring gameplay footage through the embed below, either live or after it'??s aired.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=JldMvQMO_5U

The next game from Souls series developer From Software has had anticipations high. Of course, that's partly because it's a new From Software game, but it's also due in part to A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin collaborating on it.

The new dark fantasy adventure was set to launch in January of next year, before getting a very slight delay to February 25, 2022. And even though that's only a few months away, Bandai Namco was also recently hosting sign-ups for the Elden Ring network test, though if you're reading this now and haven't signed up, you're a little too late.

A gameplay breakdown of Elden Ring will obviously be of high interest, and getting 15 minutes of it should hopefully answer lingering questions people still have about the game. We'll find out when the Elden Ring stream goes live tomorrow at 7 a.m. PT.

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