Clear River Games has released a trailer giving us a first look at the gameplay of Gimmick 2. Brace yourself. It looks like about what you’d expect. Gimmick!-y, if you will.

The trailer opens with the 8-bit graphics of the NES version befor??e Switching to the more bubbly graphics of the sequel. The gameplay looks very reminiscent of the original, which based itself aro??und its impressive physics. It was maddening. It wasn’t easy to learn, hard to master. It was hard to learn and seemingly impossible to master.

Gimmick! 2 may ease that somewhat. There seems to be more focus on puzzles and combat than there was in the 1992 original. It obviousl??y still prides itself on punishing platforming, as there is a sequence in the trailer that shows the main character �who I’m just now learning is named Yokai Yumetaro �dying repeatedly.

The trailer also comes with the announcement that David Wise is scoring the game. Wise is best known for his work with Rare where he crafted inappropriately good music for games like Battletoads and Donkey Kong Country.

The art style shown off is? just okay. It works. It’s not awful. It isn’t stylish. It has personality in some places and lacks it in others. An alternative would have been to continue with the original’s 8-bit graphics, but I admit that might be trite and predictable. But ??between predictable and just okay, I would have leaned toward the former. But that’s me.

Gimmick! 2 is set to re??lease this ??year on PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

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If you've been following along with the development of Stalker 2, you'll be well aware of the turmoil the studio has had to endure. With GSC Game World having to flee to Prague to escape the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the futur??e of the long-awaited horror FPS remained uncertain at one point.

We know it had to be delayed for fairly obvious reasons, pushing the release date back to September 5. Now, the latest trailer has been released, and it's really whetting my appetite for Heart of Chornobyl.

The gloomy backdrop of the Exclusion Zone has never looked prettier than in the "Time of Opportunities" teaser the developer put out yesterday. While many of us strongly suspect Stalker 2 is going to be quite something, I now cannot wait for i??t to finally arrive.

Heart and soul

That's not to say I was ignorant of the game until now. Though I admit, I haven't really played any of the other entries in the series, aside from a brief stint of the first game. But that doesn't mean it hasn't intrigued me, largely because it's been fifteen years since GSC released the last installment, Call of Pripyat.

At any rate, the new trailer really shows off what's almost certainly going to be a pretty solid horror FPS. I know I'm not alone in saying that it gives me mad Chernobylite vibes, which I have played and did enjoy.

It has, indeed, been a long and worrisome road for the development team, but whatever tribulations have come their way, they've remained steadfast in their completion of Stalker 2. I truly hope it pays off for them, because it looks fantastic. Look, just go wishlist the game on Steam already.

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Dejobaan Games and Petricore Inc. have announced that the remaster of their 2009 indie classic, AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! Remastered, has launched today on PC.

For those keeping score, this is actually the second remake of AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! �A Reckless Disregard for Gravity. The first time was back in 2011 with AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! for the Awesome. AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! Remastered is? a heck of a lot shinier than the last time around, benefit?ing from over a decade of base-jumping advancements.

If you’re unfamiliar, the AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! series is about base-jumping, but rather than just pu??t you in some boring city, you’re dropped in abstract spaces populated by floating buildings and other pieces of debris. It plays a bit like a rail shooter, with gravity pulling you forward. You amass points by flying as close as possible to the structures. You need to flip some groups of fans o?ff while giving others the thumbs up. It’s neat.

I was actually there on day one for AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! �A Reckless Disregard for Gravity, having pre-ordered?? it before launch. It may be hard to believe now, but back in those days, it was a lot more feasible to keep up with new releases. Marketplaces had yet to be flooded with bad imitations and straight-up trash games. The indie market was a lot smaller, and it was easier to stand out.

I loved the game when I played it. What I found most interesting was the storyline that it built around its abstract premise. It had this weirdly cohesive absurdity that captivated me. I did, at one point long ago, try to draw inspiration from it in my writing, but it requires more of an organic approach. If you try to replicate it with intention, it just won’t work. Youâ€?™ll look like you’re trying too hard.

Anyhow, I’ll be checking out this remaster. I may have drifted away from Dejobaan’s orbit ??over the years, but I wouldn’t mind revisiting the simpler times.

AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! Remastered is available now for PC.

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As part of the ESO 2024 Global Reveal livestream, Zenimax Online gave us a look at the upcoming Elder Scrolls Online expansion, Gold Road.

The new expansion will take place just east of the Gold Coast in the Colovian Highland and West Weald regions of Cyrodiil, which was last depicted in The Elder Scrolls Oblivion. The region contains the city of Skingrad, a location that was teased in the Greymoor Expansion. The map shown off in the post-trailer discussion shows that it’s filling in a vast reg?ion just West of the PVP reg??ion of Cyrodiil.

Forgotten Prince Ithelia, the Daedric Prince of Paths, is the central antagonist of Gold Road. The deity is said to have the abilit??y to mess with fate and destiny, so Hermaeus Mora deleted the Prince from existence. They were only really mentioned in ESO, supposedly teasing their ap?pearance here. Normally, Zenimax just worked with the schemes of existing Daedric Princes, but this is the first time they really invented a new one.

The Chapter is also going to add Scribing, which is a take on spell crafting from the core series. Spellcrafting was initially planned as a feature for ESO’s release, but it was shelved, assumedly because of how difficult it would be to balance. I know a lot of players who are going to be excited to see it arrive in some form. Though, really, it seems more like it's just skill customization. You will need to own the Gold Road chapter to be able to use this system.

Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road will ??be released for?? PC on June 3, 2024, followed by a release for Xbox Series X|S and PS5 on June 18.

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I don't know what it is about the Final Fantasy 7 battle theme, but it always gets my blood pumping. Square Enix released a new trailer for the upcoming Final Fantasy VII Rebirth titled Destined for Rebirth. The trailer focuses on sh??owcasing part 2 of the series which focuses on Cloud and his crew traveling across the planet in search of Sephir??oth.

Rebirthed

Around the halfway mark of the one-minute trailer, the classic Final Fantasy 7 battle theme kicks in. Of course, it's the enhanced version from Final Fantasy 7 Remake, not the classic original FF7 version. But it still rocks, and even more so. I do??n't know if it's part nostalgia or what but I still think it's one of the best battle tracks in all of gaming.

The trailer showcases several fight scenes featuring Cloud, Barrett, Tifa, Aerith, and even Red XIII before culminating in a final showdown with Sephiroth in all his one-winged glory. Overall it's an extremely well-put-together trailer even though it's only a minute long. We see several classic locations including Junon and Costa del Sol, while also showing a glimpse of the new content coming in the sequel such as more Zack. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was already my most an??ticipated game of 2024, but this trailer dialed the hype meter up to an 11/10.

Also, all of the voice acting in Rebirth is already looking to be top-notch. But I'd like to throw a kudos to Cody Christian who voices Cloud. There's a scene in the trailer where Cloud yells out to Tifa and wow you can you really feel the emotion. Assuming that Rebirth follows most of the sto??ry from the original, it we're certainly in for a wild emotional ride. And, with the added element of voice acting that was missing when the original released back in 199??7, I'm sure it's going to be even more intense.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth launches on PlayStation 54 on February 29, 2024.

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Fans aren't happy with the Mortal Kombat 1 launch trailer for Nintendo Switch, and I don't blame them. At around the 1:53 mark in the video, a Steam achievement is clearly visible in the bottom right corner. It's not unusual for trailers t??o feature footage from the PC version of their game, however, it's a bit disingenuous in this case. There technically is a "Footage Not Final" message but I think there's a difference between not final, and simply footage from a different version altogether.

It's no secret that the Switch version of Mortal Kombat 1 appears to have some issues. Players on Switch have voiced their disappointment with the version, citing performance issues and very dated visuals. This is a situation where the PC version and the Switch version are essentially lightyears apart. In that sense, it's a?? bit misleading to be showing off a version of the game that won't look anything like the version you would be purchasing. Which, while we're on the subject, I can't believe the Switch version is $70 as well.

Good game, bad Switch port

On PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, Mortal Kombat 1 is reviewing very well so far, with between an 86-88 average. However, it appears the Switch version is just an absolute mess, and appears it simply shouldn't have even been attempted on the now-dated hardware. According to IGN, the Switch version has "numerous bugs plaguing both grap??hics and gameplay" and is "all-around aggravating to play".

Creative Director at NetherRealm Studios Ed Boon recently told BBC that the Switch version will "absolutely be getting a??n update" that will "address a number of the concerns" that players seem to be unhappy about with the port.

Look, I get it. There are some people out there who want to play Mortal Kombat ??on their Switch, so they should be given an option. But charging the same price as the far superior PS5 and Xbox Series X|S editions just feels wrong. And if it's a much different version in terms of performance and visuals, show that version.

Mortal Kombat 1 is av?ailable now on PC, Pl??ayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.

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As part of the September 14, 2023 State of Play, Sony has revealed the release date for the anticipated Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth. It will be releasing on PS5 February 29, 2024. Just a little under four years since the release of Final Fantasy VII: Remake.

The announcement comes with a new trailer that shows a nice mix of old and new. Vincent shows up, but we only see the back of his really epic mullet. We get a peak at Junon, which is looking pretty fly. Tifa also mentio??ns weapons, the optional bosses from the original version. The Golden Saucer makes an appearance alongside Chocobo Racing.

Cloud rides around on a Segway while wearing a pastel-colored polo shirt. I don't remember that happening in the PS1 title, but my memo?ry is more perforated than a tea bag. There's a bunch of other stuff that happens, but?? I don't want to say anything confidently in case I just imagined it.

It's some good stuff, nonetheless. I always felt that Final Fantasy VII got ??a lot of mileage out of its style, even when the story was sometimes a bit lacking. The remakes go a long way in preserving?? that while also making the world feel a bit more grounded.

Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth launches on PS5 on February 29, 2024.

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With the premiere of Castlevania: Nocturne quickly approaching, Netflix has released a new trailer for the animated series. In the trailer, we get a glimpse of the characters, setting, and a piece of the story coming in the new series. Following the success of the original Castelvania animated series that ended in 2021, Castlevania: Nocturne continues the gory franchise w?ith an all-new series that focuses on the origin story o??f Richter Belmont.

The trailer is a wild, bloody ride as you could imagine for Castlevania. It's also got a banger ??remix Nocturne Version of the song Divine Bloodlines.

//youtu.be/_afpwpbKPs0

Live Digital World Premiere a day early

Even though the official release date is September 28, you can check out Castlevania: Nocturne a little early. According to Netflix, fans can tune in to Netflix on Twitch on September 27 at 12 p.m. ET and watch a live stream of Castlevania: Nocturne a full day early.

I've yet to watch the final season of Castlevania but this reminds me I need to do so ASAP. Hopefully Castlevania: Nocturne is as good as the origin??al series, which sort of led to a bunch of quality animated?? series on Netflix.

Although you should definitely check out the original Castlevania, it's not necessary to watch Castlevania: Nocturne. In fact, Netflix claims "If you’ve never seen a Castlevania show, gaming adaptati??on, or ??anime before: start here."

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As of writing, Starfield is just two weeks away from release. Will the long wait finally pay off? We don't know, but until we get our collective ha?nds? on it, you can scope out this new live action trailer for Bethesda's upcoming sci-fi RPG.

Accompanied by a more "floaty" and orchestral version of Elton John's "Rocket Man" (because of course), the footage shows a heroic-looking astronaut who gifts a young girl a badge bearing the Starfield logo.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek3I6_9c58E

He then jettisons off into space, flying among the cosmos, hope and awe in his eyes. Then some brief pew-pew-pew-ing before he finds himself touching grass (or...dust, in this case) on a new?? planet.

I would have chosen Babylon Zoo's "Spaceman," personally

As if Starfield needed any more hype. This is Bethesda's newest IP in 25 years, and it's easily one of the most anticipated video games of this generation. While there's already been some criticism towards the game's main menu, many are excited about Starfield.

Still, this live action trailer does have a certain "epic" quality about it, if you'll pardon the cliché. If nothing else, it gives Microsoft a chance to flex its Big Budget muscles?.

If, for some reason, you haven't committed the date to memory, Starfield will be launching on September 6 for X?bo??x Series X|S exclusive and PC.

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GameMill Entertainment has lifted the lid off of Flu Games The Walking Dead: Destinies. And, uh, they probably should have waited until it cooked for a bit longer before showing it off.

Basing itself off the popular AMC adaptation of The Walking Dead comic book series, The Walking Dead: Destinies promises to be a narrative-focused game that lets you rewrite the events of seasons 1-4 with your actions. I guess a lot of s?tuff happened in those seasons. I don’t know, I didn’t watch the show. It sounds like if your favorite character died and you want them to stay alive, you might have the option to do so here.

//youtu.be/ARpGTkOlufQ

I’m not saying the game looks terrible, but this trailer is absolutely awful. One of the first scenes has a pair of gun-toting dudes approach some sort of compound. They look out over the field, and there’s a bunch of watch towers that don’t have any? textures. What’s funny is that the same watch tower model is shown later ??on in the trailer, but on that occasion, it has textures. There’s also compression all over the video that is so heavy that I had to double-check to make sure I didn’t have it set to 480p.

The game itself looks pretty rough. The graphics seem a couple of generations behind, which I don’t usually mind, but it’s not like the art style was adapted to make up for it. ?It ju?st looks kind of gross. It could be good, it’s just this trailer certainly doesn’t make it look that way. They probably should have, uh�framed it better.

The Walking Dead: Destinies is coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. There’s no release date, but they’re already saying ??it will be $49.99.

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Published by TinyBuild and developed by Mandragora, the cozy post-apocalyptic survival game, I Am Future, is coming to Steam Early Access on August 8. With that date fast approaching, they’ve released a new trailer highlighting all the features of it.

//youtu.be/EHwI-4IxivY

I kept getting The Sims in the post-apocalypse vibes from the trailer, and then the hot tub showed up and cemented it. And then I kept watching and thinking, like, “Oh no, this is nothing like The Sims,�but then I just realized that it’s a lot like post-apocalypse The Sims if you took away all the other Sims and l?et them travel around scavenging.

So, in I Am Future, you play as Chris, potentially the only human left on Earth. And they seem kind of all right with that. I don’t blame them. Their goal is not only to survive but also to search for other survivors and try to unravel the mystery of why the world ended. You explore the sunken city, tear things apart for building material??s, and build up your base of operations. You can even build robots to help you with all your chores.

I Am Future is launching into Early Access with “a p?art�of the main story. The goal for the team is to add new features, areas to explore, and story content over time. They state that they don’t want to keep it “in Early Access for too long,�but are unwilling to give a more detailed estimate on how long they expect it to last.

I Am Future launches???? into Steam Early Access on August 8. No other platforms have been announced.

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Horror game publisher Feardemic has revealed that the 2D psychological horror adventure game Afterdream will also be coming to consoles. Afterdream will be available on Nintendo Switch, Pla??yStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S sometime this year.

The spooky title is in development by sole developer Jesse Makkonen. Makkonen is well known for his other 2D scary titles Heal, Distraint, and Distraint 2. Afterdream is also coming to PC via Steam, through publisher Gamera Games.

To celebrate the news, Feardemic also released a creepy console reveal trailer.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=opqd5ri1_cM

Explore lucid dreams with a spooky camera

Visually, Afterdream looks great, with eerily creepy 2D stylized pixel art. Players use a special camera to navigate a ghastly mansion that blurs the line between reality and lucid dreaming. The camera?? will allow you to interact with hidden objects only visible throug?h the lens of the camera.

I love the atmosphere of Afterdream.  It's hard to pull off a scary game using pixel art, but Makkonen definitely knows what he's doing. Also, with it being somewhat of a side-scroller, Afterdream seems honestly perfect for consoles. I'm curious to see where the story can go with this one, because I know hi??s former games l??eft quite an impact.

Afterdream will release sometime in 2023 on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, ??and Xbox? Series X|S.

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There are even breakable body parts

Developers DECK13 have released a new trailer for their upcoming fantasy action RPG Atlas Fallen that primarily highlights its combat. And, I have to admit, it looks very impressive! The battles looks fast-paced and reminds me a lot of the combat in Monster Hunter. I'd say maybe even with a mix of God of War thrown in.

You can target specific body parts on larger enemies like their legs and feet in an effort to incapacitate them and cause them to fall to the ground. Also similar to Monster Hunter, breaking certain body parts can result in unique resources unlocking special crafting options. Here's the combat trailer for Atlas Fallen.

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

In Atlas Fallen, you can have two main weapons equipped at the same time and switch between them to unleash a variety of combos. Throughout the vide?o, we see several weapons with varying styles including a cleaver, whip, and even fist weapons. You evade attacks by rolling and dashing and can even jump high into the air to keep the pressure on bigger enemies.

You also build momentum with each successful attack. Momentum grants you the ability to use special att??acks and also empowers your weapon. However, the more momentum you have, the more damage you will take the next time you are hit. I'm excited to see how this risk vs. reward system actually feels in combat.

The trailer also confirmed that Atlas Fallen will be fully playable via online two-player co-op. The entire campaign can be completed with a friend, which will definitely be fun with this style of combat. I always enjoyed teaming up with friends to take down a particularly pesky beast in Monster Hunter.

Atlas Fallen releases on August 10 on PC,?? PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.

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Getting ready to embrace my inner Alexis Carrington Colby

Yesterday's stream from Limited Run Games certainly had its share of curious announcements for anyone still holding onto their GBA or who actually liked Gex. I told myself I wouldn't give it any thought this year as my backlog is already stuffed with old games LRG has resurrected over the years. But then they had to go and show off a Rose & Camellia collection. Now, they had my attention.

For anyone who forgot or is simply too young to even know about it, Rose & Camellia is a ridiculous flash game where you try to worm your way to the top of the pecking order by smacking the shit out of your competition. I remember playing this game one lonely night at work, completely enthralled by its ludicrous nature. Unbeknownst to me, it got an official sequel, and later a crossover with La-Mulana. All three of those games, as well as two new sequels, are being brought together by LRG, Nigoro, and WayForward for the Rose & Camellia Collection.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA6U2v-X9PI

With five games and more than 30 characters, your hands are going to be sore after slapping your way to the top of the household. What I'm most excited about are the motion controls. It just wouldn't feel right if you were pressing a button or flicking a control stick to Zsa-Zsa a woman. This is honestly the first time I've been excited about motion controls in a Switch game since...well, I guess the reveal of WarioWare Move It! from a couple of weeks ago.

Either way, this whole thing looks like a hoot and it's nice that a piece of my past, even if it was just for one night, is managing to make its way back into my life with this port. Rose & Camellia Collection will launch in late 2023/ear??ly 2024 for the Nintendo Switch.

Oh, I should mention it has two-player local versus. So you and your friends can stop settling it in Smash and settle it in slaps.

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Finally, metal being twisted

Sony has dropped a new trailer for their upcoming Twisted Metal show coming to Peacock on July 27th. It’s, uh, certainly a direction they’ve decided to go with it, but at the very least, it’s an improvement on their last trailer, if only in the fact that it includes cars.

The trailer establishes th?at the world has been apocalypse’d somehow, and the major cities have erected walls to protect themselves from everything else. John Doe is a courier who braves the outlaw-infested wasteland between cities to deliver things. He’s hired by a lady, who I’m guessing is Calypso, to deliver a package with the promise of his biggest wish coming true.

//youtu.be/5QNZ44zKzjo

So, that’s, like, in the same neighborhood as a typical Twisted Metal plot. I’m pretty well-versed in the series, having played it since it was taking the PlayStation by storm and kicking the vehicular combat sub-genre into its short-lived high gear. However, this trailer doesn’t look much like Twisted Metal at all.

I'm not seeing Axel anywhere

Oh, sure, I can identify some elements. Thomas Haden Church is obviously playing Outlaw, and you can see Shadow’s purple hearse getting blown up. There’s Sweet Tooth looking like his Twisted Metal Black iteration. And�that’s about it. Someone flips down the visor on a racing helmet, so that’s probably Twister. I mean, at least there are cars shooting guns at each other in various places. That’s p?retty key to the games.

However, the Twisted Metal games (at least the ones that count) have always been so grimdark that it’s goofy, whereas this show just looks goofy. Look, it could be good. It’s just not looking that way to me. On the other hand, I’d love for it to succeed so we could maybe get a new Twisted Metal game. On the other other hand, if this is t??he tone tha??t a new game would aim for, then maybe not.

If this looks like your bag, Twisted Metal is coming to Peacock on July 27th.

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Where there's Smoke...

A fan-favorite is confirmed to be returning to the Mortal Kombat grinder. Today's new trailer for Mortal Kombat 1 reveals both Rain and Smok?e will appear in the new entry.

Smoke is a well-liked member of the Lin Kuei, who fin?ally gets a human re-debut in?? Liu Kang's new era. Here, Smoke is a fellow member of the Lin Kuei who joins with Scorpion and Sub-Zero to defend Earthrealm.

Also arriving is Rain, a High Mage of Outworld who wields water magic. He's looking a bit more robed and wizard-like,?? compared to his original palette-swapped appearance.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=66opZ1Go_ZA

Some Kameo fighters also make an appearance here, too. Scorpion pops up, of course. B??ut the cyborg side of the Lin Kuei appears, too; Sektor and Cyrax are in as Kameos, as well as a human version of Frost.

For our two main roster fighters, both look pretty excellent. Smoke is obviously a highlight. His teleportation and quick jabs look fantastic, and that knife looks devastating in the X-ray attacks. Rain, meanwhile, is like a Waterbender that gets to actually do some damage with their aquatic magic. I really dig the big lightning ball attack tha?t he can call down from a raincloud.

Kombat history

The Kameo fighters bring their own flavor too, and it's nice to see the cyborgs appear. I was curious about whether they would. With a new era and re-envisioned versions of characters, having the robo-fighters reappear or not felt up in?? the air.

After playing it at SGF 2023, though, it definitely seemed like Kameos are NetherRealm's way of including more fan-favorites from its ever-expanding universe without having to make them fully fledged fighters right away. If it keeps up the nostalgia and klassic references, I could see this being a really enjoyable experience for long-time MK fans.

Mortal Kombat 1 arrives on September 19, 2023.

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As I hung up the phone, it occurred to me, he'd grown up just like me

Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life offers a slightly different take on the well-worn?? farming sim genre. As a new resident of the Forgotten Valley, you’re still here to revitalize an old farm and socialize with the townsfolk, but it’s that second aspect that takes a central role here. The point of your new life in this hamlet isn’t ??to save a farm or to stop the development of a theme park...

You’re here to make a life for yourself, one that? is filled with love, family, and friends.

[caption id="attachment_387436" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life (PC, PS5, Switch [reviewed], Xbox Series X|S)
Developer: Marvelous
Publisher: Xseed Games
Released: June 27, 2023
MSRP: $49.99

A Wonderful Life is one Story of Seasons title that genuinely lives up to its name. Prior games in the series �and when I say prior, I mean those before the release of the original version of this game back on the GameCube in 2003 �put the focus squarely on farming, with making friends and courtship positioned as side activities to keep players busy between harvests. In A Wonderful Life, those elements are the core of the experience. Yes, you'll still spend roughly half your time tending to crops and livestock as you would in any other Story of Seasons game, (and the farming system c??an get somewhat deep with hybrid crops and anima?l husbandry to consider), but nothing you do on this farm matters if you go home to an empty house and an empty bed at the end of the day.

It's your activities outside your farm that make the difference in Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life. Meeting people, making friends, falling in love; these have (mostly) always ??been elements of the franchise, but here, whether or not you've had a life well-lived will be determined by your success in these areas.

The story of A Wonderful Life is divided into several periods of your farmer's life. You'll start the first year single and hopefully ready to mingle as you'll need to be married to one of the eight eligible townsfolk—same-sex relationships are an option here as is the option to make your farmer non-binary—by the end of winter or it's on to the end credits roll. From there, you and your comp?anion will have a child, and the next several chapters will focus on how well you do as a parent, as a partner, and as a member of the community. As your child grows into an adult, you and your spouse will grow old. People in the town will age as well. Some will die. People will move, and others will make a new start in the Forgotten Valley.

I've played plenty of games in the Story of Seasons franchise over the past decade, but not one of them handles all of the stuff outside your farm as well as A Wonderful Life does.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q2qKTRydI0

Life on the farm is pretty par for the course. To accommodate the structure of the game's story, each season in A Wonderful Life lasts just 10 days. For some crops, that might mean you get one shot at growing it a season. For players who like to maximize their farm's potential, there are hybrid fruits and vegetables to discover, several different breeds of cows, each with their own milk, and machines that can help guarantee high-quality crops. With the available arable land being as small as it is, tending to your farm will likely only take up a few hours each day. That leaves plenty of time to go fishing, help out at the archaeology site, complete various requests, participate in some mini-?games, or try to strengthen your relationships with the people around town.

Or you can spend that time shaping your child into the adult they will become. In your role as a parent, you can help dictate your child's future, directing them toward one of several interests that may ultimately become their vocation. I'm not entirely s?ure how much of a difference it makes between which path your kid takes, but the destination didn't matter that much to me. It was the journey that won me over, all those nights spent playing with my daughter, buying her toys, and watching her grow from a toddler to a tween to an adult.

I don't have kids in real life. And, I'm not entirely sure if I want them. But seeing my virtual daughter grow into a young woman was something special to experience. In those moments, when time would jump ahead and I'd see how my rearing impacted her growth, I felt this sense of accomplishment no other Story of Seasons game has given me.

[caption id="attachment_387435" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

If you're already sold on Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life as a f?an of the original and are just wondering how this remaster holds up, know that this is an exceptional version of the game. The Forgotten Valley looks wonderful in HD, it runs pretty much flawlessly on Switch, I appreciate most of the new character designs, and Marvelous has added enough new elements, including new hybrid crops, new recipes, and a new bachelor in Gordy, to make this a return visit well worth making if you've played it before.

Just don't expect certain elements, like animal husbandry, to have the depth they once did as a lot of the processes have been streamlined. For those who didn't give it a try on the GameCube or PlayStation 2, the easiest way to decide if this is right for you is to ask yourself how important you consider farming in your farming sims. If there is one complaint I have that isn't just nitpicking, it's that the audio is?n't up to par with the rest of the presentation.

Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is a remarkable experience. It takes the classic farming formula and gives it a purpose beyond just seeing how many S-ranked tomatoes you can grow. With its focus on family, legacy, and living a good life, this is a farming sim where what you do away from the fields is as important as what you do when you're tilling that land. It's? a game that encourages a ?healthy work-life balance, and there is no better lesson we need in our modern era than that.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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It Has (Pre)Begun

[Update: While invites to the lucky parties invited to this week's "Stress Test" should have been received yesterday, NetherRealm Studios has konfirmed that the invites are delayed, and are to arrive later tha?n expected??.]

Life in the world of Mortal Kombat 1 sure moves fast �It was only a few weeks back that NetherRealm Studios revealed the latest release in the gory fighting franchise, and already we're? enterin??g the playable beta stages, with the game launching on PC and console platforms just three months from now.

And if the recent gameplay footage from Summer Game Fest whet your bloodthirsty appetite, you monster, then you could get the opportunity to play Mortal Kombat 1 for yourself next week, with the koming of a new "Online Stress Test", designed to put pressure on the new sequel-prequel's servers ahead of the launch period. The testing period will run from June 23-2?6 and will offer up one-on-one ??online action and limited Klassic Tower battles, obviously with something of an abridged roster.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV175rgyH0k

If you want to throw your name in Kung Lao's razor hat, then head on over to the official website and register today. Interested parties will need a Warner Bros. gaming account, (you can register at the time if necessary), and the Mortal Kombat 1 Stress Test is only open to PS5 and Xbox Series X users in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Brazil. Lucky Kombatants will then receive access kodes ?to download the beta client at some point next week, ahead of the head-ripping khaos.

Mortal Kombat 1 launches September 14 on PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch platforms. Our own Eric van Allen has already played a build of the exciting-looking scrapper, and you can read his thoughts right here.

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Coming October 20

To cap off its Nintendo Direct presentation, the legendary publisher lifted the lid on Super Mario Bros. Wonder, a brand new 2D platform adventure starring the ??iconic plumber and his friends. The new title will launch on Nintendo Switch on October 20, 2023.

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

The trailer featured what, at first, appeared to be some classic 2D Super Mario action, but soon gave way to an elastic and playable world, featuring growing pipes, talking flowers, lanky Goombas, a night-time mode, and various other strange phenomena. The trailer also showcased the "Wonder Flowers" �powerups that can change our hero in ??all manner of ways, from making him taller, to increasing his jump height, and even turning him into an elephant!

Other characters are playable, including Luigi, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, and Toad, and while the gameplay seems authentic to the 2D Super Mario style, Super Mario Bros. Wonder looks to play with the world and its characters in ways never before experienced, all daubed ?in a vibrant, "cartoon" visual style. More information will be revealed by Nintendo in the lead-up to the game's launch on October 20.

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PlayStation owners will also get it early

While hype has definitely died down for Striking Distance Studio's The Callisto Protocol, fans will be pleased to hear that some content is coming very soon. As of next week, you'll be able to download "Final Transmission," wh?ich is said, as the title denotes, to be the final chapter of the game.

A post on the official Twitter account describes the closing content as "heart-pounding," and adds that PlayStation owners can exclusively get hold of the DLC 48 hours early. This means th??ey can receive access to the title's climactic chapter on June 27, while other systems will see it release on Jun??e 29.

When it launched in December 2022, The Callisto Protocol was met with a string of negative reviews. While touted as a spiritual successor to Dead Space, Glen Schofield's latest horror outing was plagued with technical issues. The studio? did roll out upd??ates to try and patch some of the major ones out, but it was clear that fans were not impressed with the finished product on day one.

//twitter.com/Callist??oTheGame/status/16698041707343626?25

At the start of 2023, the release received a New Game+ update, but outside that, not much has happened with The Callisto Protocol for some time now. For those that were after something that could plug a Dead Space-sized hole, Striking Distance's survival horror title left some feeling rather unfulfilled. Kind of like how Back 4 Blood was supposed to be a spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead, but was, ultimately somewhat lacking.

In any case, for anyone who did enjoy The Callisto Protocol, The Final Transmission DLC is de?finitely something to look forward to. Perhaps Scho??field and his team will move onto a new project after this.

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Mars Needs Cheerleaders

Following a fortnight of run 'n' gun action and top-tier puzzling, we're going back to the stars with Hamster's favorite genre, the shmup �Available on PS4 and Nintendo Switch, it's the Arcade Archives' newest entry, Taito's Megablast!

Released to the coin-op market in 1989, Megablast is one of a tidal wave of (admittedly forgotten) shmups that filled out smoky arcade cen??ters up and down the country. While the action is fairly typical of the era, the storyline is one for the ages. Essentially, World Peace has been achieved on Earth, but the planet has been ravaged by an en masse disappearance of women. As it turns out, a dying intergalactic populace known as the Zancs cannot interbreed, and is instead abducting Earth's women in order to help it repopulate its own race. Big ol' yikes on that one, Taito.

And there's no sign of Roddy Piper anywhere.

Check out the action in the video below, courtesy of YouTuber World of Longplays.

//www.youtube.c?om/watch?v=jlaXGd-SUbY&ab_channel=WorldofLongplays

And thus, fighter pilots Dawnson and Bogey are dispatched to confront the Zancs, speed up the extinction process, and bring back the planet's ladies, one of whom is Dawnson's own gal pal. What follows is standard horizontally-scrolling shmup action, depicted in Taito's typically oversized and kinda vulgar fashion. Power-ups can be gathered in order to boost the players' weaponry. Not ??explained is how our heroes plan to bring all of the women back to Earth in their two tiny, one-man vessels. But if ask too many question?s, then the minute of this carefully crafted narrative begins to come undone. So don't.

Megablast is available ?to download now ?on PS4 and Nintendo Switch, priced at $8.

The post Rescue Earth’s women in Arcade Archives’ oddly-plotted Megablast appeared first on Destructoid.

Pivot!

Get packed, Team17, SMG Studio, and Devm Games have announced that Moving Out 2, the sequel to the?ir backbreaking?? furniture moving simulator, is coming out on August 15.

Picking up after the end of the volcanic climax of Moving Out, Moving Out 2 sends the Furniture Arrangement Relocation Technicians (FARTs) to cosmic new places. While this does still mean you’ll be lugging couches around, the??re also appears to be more abstrac??t stages where you’re loading up delicious confections.

//youtu.be/BfaDFovJ_2M

Moving Out 2 looks to be more of the same, honestly. There are new levels and more movers to jump into the pants of. However, it’s not like Moving Out was nothing more than moving refrigerators and color TVs. There were more challenging conditions in between, and that seems to be the case ag?ain in the sequel.

That’s fine with me. Moving Out is one of my favorite couch co-op games to play with my parents and husband. It’s slightly less stressful than Overcooked, which means there’s less chance that my mother w?ill stab my father. I’m lo??oking forward to another chance to push them closer to the edge.

Moving Out 2 will be droppin??g on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|?S, Switch, and PC on August 15, 2023.

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So quit the nail-bitin'

Following on from yesterday's confirmation that Persona 3 Reload is also headed to PlayStation and Steam platforms alongside its Xbox and Windows brethren, publisher Atlus has now let fans know that the intriguing �and pretty rad looking �Metaphor: ReFantazio is coming to the same platforms.

The port announcement was spotted by the eagle eyes of Gematsu over on the Korean Twitter of publi??sher Sega, though it seems both the tweet and the accompanying trailer including the port reveal have seemingly vanished.

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

Announced during the weekend's Xbox Games Showcase and developed by Studio Zero, Metaphor: ReFantazio is a brand-new fantasy franchise based around the concept of mirroring realities. While not all that much is known regarding the narrative and gameplay mechanics, the title coming from the producers of Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5 suggests that we'll get a wild, highly stylized adventure starring a cast of easily shippable and cosplay friend characters, and mucho dungeon ??crawling.

It's definitely one of the most surprising and exciting reveals of Summer Game Fest, and while its development probably means Persona 6 is on the back burner for the time being, Metaphor: ReFantazio is already turning heads with its dynamic, action-packed, and legitimately breathless trailer. I'm looking forward to Atlus lifting the curtain on this cool-looking? universe.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is scheduled to launch in 2024 on P??layStation, PC, and Xbox Series X??.

Metap??hor: ReFantazio also coming to PS5, PS4, and Steam [Gematsu]

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Knight after Knight after Knight...

Cellar Door Games has finally announced a release date for the PlayStation port of epic medieval roguelike Rogue Legacy 2 �Our brave army of knights will attempt to surmount an ever-changing kingdom of monsters on June 20, just under a week fr??om today.

Originally released on PC and Nintendo Switch in the spring of 2022, Rogue Legacy 2 once again sees players guide a plucky knight through dungeon after dungeon, battling ghosts, ghouls, and monsters, and picking their way toward an array of dangerous boss characters. As with its predecessor, d??eath is only beginning, and each fallen knight will be replaced by the next in their bloodline, many of whom carry their own unique quirks and abilities, known in-ga?me as "Traits".

//www.you??tube.com/?watch?v=kiHeilA8k4U&ab_channel=CellarDoorGames

Added to the sequel are several new features, including the Metroidvania-type "Heirlooms", allowing access to certain out-of-reach areas, and an expanded narrative that runs beyond the original run and into several New Game+ efforts. While the sequel is obviously over a year old, it's a truly golden title, and well worth checking out by all adventure fans, regardless of your experience with the roguelike genre or the Rogue Legacy franchise. Lead on, adventurer!

Rogue Legacy 2 launches on PlayStation June 20. It is a??vailable now on PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.

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Rev up your BPM July 5

One of the surprise success stories of 2022, Tango Gameworks' Hi-Fi Rush, is getting to set to unleash a fresh wave of day-glo color and block-rockin' beats, with the arrival of the Arcade Challenge? update �Available to download next month, free of cha??rge, on PC and Xbox platforms.

As revealed during yesterday's Xbox Games Showcase extension, the new update will bring two exciting new modes to the highly dynamic hack 'n' slasher. BPM Rush will task players with battling wave after wave of increasingly tough opponents, with bonus points awards for synching the battle to the beat. Stay on your toes, however, as the BPM will increase with each and every wave, and only the most rhythmi?c melee warriors will be able to keep the pace in this unique-looking endur??ance test.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1dU394xpvU

The second mode Power Up! Tower Up! is a variant of Hi-Fi Rush's Rhythm Tower mode, and adds a slew of power-ups and bugs to the battle. Chai will be able to select from a variety of buffs and nerfs b??etween ??rounds at the cost (or increase of) their score multipliers and other bonuses. Essentially, it is up to the player to increase their powers in exchange for a higher score, or to conversely reduce their own abilities for the big, big numbers.

In addition to the two modes, new challenges arrive that will reward players with clothing for Chai and Korsica, new poses and filters for Photo Mode, and all-new special attacks that see an assist from robo-friendos CNMN and Smidge. Get by with a little help from you friends indeed. You can check out all of this cool content for free when the Hi-Fi Rush Arcade Challenge update drops on July 5.

Hi-Fi Rush is available? now on PC, Xbox, and Xbox Game Pass.

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Scaling Up

Capcom rounded out its showcase with a new look at its highly anticipated sequel Dragon's Dogma 2.

Following a new story trailer, the game's director took to the stage to regale his excitement about the new title. We were introduced to some of the new characters that will populate t??his bold fantasy universe, and got a look at the new classes, or "vocations" that will be available to the title's brave heroes.

We can also expect to see some familiar villains, as well as some new iconic monste?rs, such as the fearsome Medusa. The trailer itself is not yet li??ve, but you can catch all the new details in the stream below at the 1:04:00 mark.

Dragon's Dogma 2 is in development for PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRiEUtXKozU&ab_c??????????????????????????hannel=CapcomUSA

The post Dragon’s Dogma 2 looks suitably grand and suitably exciting appeared first on Destructoid.

Who Goes There?

During yesterday's Xbox Games Showcase, publisher Secret Mode released a creepy teaser trailer for a new horror title, Still Wakes the Deep, which i??s currently in development for PC and Gen9 consoles.

Developed by The Chinese Room in Unreal 5, Still Wakes the Deep sees an offshore oil rig in the North Sea under siege by a mysterious and terrifying entity. It's 1975, a storm is raging, and something has come aboard th?e Beira D rig. With lines of communication severed and escape seemingly impossible, there may be no other option than to face terror itself if you are to survive this horrific incident.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI74BV20B7g

The teaser trailer offers little in the way of gameplay and concept, but we do get to see some very impressive visuals, as well as catch a glimpse of the foreboding, isolating atmosphere of the title. It all feels very The Thing, which is obviously a more than suitable comparison for '70s isolation horror. The Chinese Room is no stranger to horror, having developed titles such as Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, and Dear Esther, and with the power of Unreal 5 in its hands, Still Wakes the Deep coul?d eventually prove to?? be the studio's magnum opus.

Still Wakes the Deep?? is currently in development for PS5, PC, and Xbox S?eries X.

The post Still Wakes the Deep brings ’70s horror to an offshore oil rig appeared first on Destructoid.

Brum.

During Ubisoft Forward, the publisher offered an update on its dazzling-looking racing title The Crew Motorfest, which launches on PlayStation, PC, and Xbox plat??forms September 14.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGAukGxUDI8

Following a bass-heavy, rubber-burnin' new trailer, we were treated to a sizzle reel spotlighting the title's high-velocity visual effects and globe-trotting environments. We got to see various high-performance vehicles tearing through? the main streets of USA, under the neon? glow of Japan, and, for the very first time, the tropical paradise of Oahu.

We then saw a s?nazzy orange Lambo which, apparently, "You are excited about as I am".

You're not the Ubiboss of me.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuvaE7VhhjY

More importantly, it was announced that Motorfest players can import their current garages of prized vehicles into the new game absolutely free of charge. So you don't have to leave that beloved jalopy behind. The Crew Motorfest launches on PlayStation, PC, and X?box platforms Sep?tember 14. An open beta will take place between July 21-23.

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Come on, let’s go star truckin�

Raw Fury has announced that they’re bringing Monster and Monster’s star-hauling game, Star Trucker, to PC in 2024.

I know what you’re thinking, “Isn’t Elite Dangerous just another name for Star Trucker?�Yes! Except Star Trucker is a more literal version of that. It’s more like if you jammed Elite Dangerous into Euro Truck Simulator 2 and then removed all the superfluous bits. For example,? I see no mention of space pirates or combat of any kind within the walls of this press release. Nor in the twangy trailer.

//youtu.be/0ByyuI-azZs

What I do see is the kind of approach I love. There’s this slowly building philosophy in the sub-mainstream game development community where tactile gameplay is beginning to slide in. Specifically, when it comes to driving games, there’s a push to make you feel more like a person in a vehicle rather than the vehicle itself. That means having to get out and perform maintenance or take care of your meat-vessel needs. This is in contrast to games like Euro Truck Simulator 2, where you have no real existence ou?tside of your?? truck.

We're star truckin' round the stars

The trailer doesn’t show off a lot of gameplay, but it does depict things like patching holes in your truck. It looks like? you activate things within your truck by actually looking at them and interacting. Moreover, during the sequence where the player fixes the exterior of their space-truck, you get a glimpse of the interior, and it seems to be more than just a cockpit.

That’s more-or-less just speculation. What Star Trucker does promise is hauling jobs, goods of the legal and less-than-legal variety, and customization of your space-rig. There’s also a CB Radio that allows you to “interact with a fully voiced cast of characters for an authentic trucking experience.�/p>

PC is the only announced platform for Star Trucker, while the release window is for t??he wide-open road of 2024.

The post Star Trucker is assembling the spac??e convoy in 2024 appeared first on Destructoid.

Dance with the Dead

During the weekend's PC Gaming Show presentation, publisher Freedom Games raised the curtain on an intriguing new release, Mariachi Legends, which is currently in development for PC at Mexican developer Halberd Studios, the studio behind 9 Years of Shadow.

Mariachi Legends tells a tale of highly-skilled private detective Pablo Cruz, who is chosen by no less than Lady Death herself to retrieve an ancient amulet?? that has the capability of undermining her rule over the afterl?ife and bring about an end to Dia de los Muertos, The Day of the Dead. Tasked with this otherworldy case, Cruz must journey through the dark underbelly of the town of Santa Mascota, en route to a showdown with its criminally corrupt mayor, Don Emilio Obregon.

While his enemies will be both plentiful and deadly, Lady Death has imbued Cruz with the powers of La Sombra, which will enhance the hero's natural swordsmanship, while affording him additional supernatural abilities to help him navigate the environment and get the drop on those who would do him harm. You can check out the very first teaser trailer below, as featured in the PC Gaming Show.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TJcdoi4xG8&t

"We’ve put a pi?ece of our Mexican culture, and therefore our ver?y souls, within Mariachi Legends," said Miguel Hasson, Creative Director of Halberd Studios. "Infusing our love of?? video games with our beautiful history, culture, and ethnology is a dream come true. We learned countless lessons as a studio when putting the finishing touches on 9 Years of Shadows, so our fans can fully expect the bar to ?be raised with our n?ext game!"

While this early trailer is unfortunately very light on gameplay, we can see the makings of something very cool in Mariachi Legends. While the Symphony of the Night aesthetic will be lost on nobody, the implementation of timeless Spanish culture �from the locales and gen?eral atmosphere to the art design and use of Mariachi itself �is incredibly compelling. Halberd Studios is promising deep and precise combat, diverse and intriguing characters, and an adventure dripping in proud Mexican culture and, even more curiously, cuisine.

I really like what we're seeing here, and Mariachi Legends is already one of my favorite reveals of Summer Game Fest. The game looks positively dripping in cool style, culture, and personality. We could still be a long, long way from taking our first steps into Santa Mascota, given the teasing nature of this trailer, but we do know that Freedom Games aims to launch Mariachi Legends on PC at some point in 2024...

I hope so, as I do not want to keep the fair lady waiting...

The post Mariachi Legends is one of my favorite reveals this we?ek appeared first on Destructoid.