As someone who has loudly and proudly held a candle for Rebirth Island since its introduction in December 2020, the fact that I’d rather play Fortune’s Keep is a testament to the quality of the new map, which was introduced in Warzone Season 4 as the featured Resurgence experience. It’s full of beautifully designed buildings, traversal variety, and tons of places to get into tense, condensed firefights – Fortune’s Keep has reinvigorated this battle royale and reminded me of why I continue to return to it all these years later. 

Variety is the spice of fights 

At first, I found Fortune’s Keep a bit dense and overwhelming, especially since I was jumping back into Warzone after several months. My Resurgence matches would end rather quickly, offering me precious little time to explore the underground caves, ankle-deep waters, and beautiful Mediterranean-style town. But once I refamiliarized myself with Warzone’s gunplay and had some time alive to properly explore the new map, I was instantly hooked.

Fortune’s Keep is all about variety. On this rather small island there are both dense, layered networks of paths above and below ground, as well as several wide-open areas dotted with cover. The map has a level of verticality that is quite honestly unexpected, with ziplines and redeploy balloons scattered around the caves and multilevel buildings filled with ladders, balconies, and windows that open to elevated back alleys. But unlike the larger core battle royale maps of Caldera and Verdansk – and even Rebirth Island, to a lesser extent – there’s no well-covered, extra-tall monolith where snipers can camp for entire matches. Everything on Fortune’s Keep is only a few stories high, and all the better because of it. 

Gone are the wide-open sightlines of all three previous maps, and in their place are plenty of areas that funnel players into close-quarters fights – many of which unfurl as you sprint around corners desperate for cover, or as you get lost in the island’s many winding corridors and dimly lit subterranean tunnels. The Town location exemplifies Fortune Keep’s thrillingly tight combat, with several multi-level buildings that are easy to get lost in but just as easy to exploit and use against your enemies. Every time I enter Town, my heart is in my throat as I try to hop through windows and slide around corners to evade gunfire. The graveyard overlooking Town seems like it would be a place to easily spy on and pick off enemy combatants, but the varying elevations of the surrounding areas mean camping in a building’s window is just as unsafe as darting through the tombstones. 

Fortune’s Keep also looks beautiful, with a vibrant color palette and ornate Italian-inspired architecture that stands in stark contrast to the brutalism of Verdansk and the militaristic functionality of Rebirth Island. When I’m not being actively shot at, I like to think about how much fun I’d have on vacation here. I could swim in the turquoise waters of Smuggler’s Cove, get tipsy at a tasting at the winery, and stay in a little old nonna’s garlic-tinged AirBnB in Town. Fortune’s Keep feels like a real place, not a barren space moonlighting as a Russian-ish town or an island created solely to imprison people.

 A breath of fresh ocean air 

Fortune’s Keep is not for the faint of heart. Expect to be attacked no matter where you go, especially as you near the final few circles. This is not a map where you can cheesily camp for a few rounds and pop out during the waning moments to snatch a win out from another team’s grasp – and that’s part of what makes it so special. You may not have to prove your skill in a 1v1 battle just to return to the battlefield (remember, you can come back every time you die, so long as Resurgence is open) but that doesn’t mean this is a game mode and map for green players.

But what’s beautiful about Fortune’s Keep is that it never feels unfair. You may be constantly getting attacked no matter where you run, but there are so many ways for you to get out of a sticky situation that it almost always feels like you stand a chance.  All three previous maps (Verdansk, Rebirth Island, and Caldera) were limited in terms of traversal, with only a few routes available to get out of sticky situations. Verdansk became defined by snipers overlooking its many open fields, while Caldera’s layout was all about open, vulnerable spaces stretching between densely populated hubs. And even though I adore Rebirth Island, getting trapped over by the Nova 6 factory was always a nightmare, as was trying to make it to Decon Zone from the prison roof while the gas was closing in. But Fortune’s Keep plays with space in a way like no other Warzone map has before it, offering you myriad windows to jump out of, trellises to climb up, and ledges to mantle onto. 

It’s because of these traversal opportunities that Fortune’s Keep always feels fresh. Even though my squad drops into the same place three matches in a row (Town, of course), each match plays out differently because of the density of the area and the opportunities it affords. In one round, we get pinned between squads in Graveyard and Overlook, who descend upon us in the low-lying town streets, eliminating us before we even make the final 10. In another, we hold down a single building until the final circle, rotating out to different rooftops to pick off teams in surrounding areas.

In a winning match, we ran out of Town in the late game and dropped into the Grotto’s caves during a Fire Sale, raining airstrikes down on the squads above us until there were only two teams remaining. On Fortune’s Keep, I never know what’s going to happen next, and I always felt like I had a way out, which is a feeling I haven’t gotten while playing this game in ages. Thanks to Fortune’s Keep’s beautiful visuals and wildly fun layout, I’m having consistent fun again in Warzone for the first time in months.

If you haven’t already, check out our definitive ranking of the best Call of Duty games.

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Left 4 Dinosaur 

The premise for Exoprimal is every bit as campy as I’d hoped. You’re an over-eager agent working for Aibius, a company apparently Doing Science by hurling mecha soldiers at hordes of dinosaurs which literally appear out of thin air at the command of Leviathan, a plainly villainous artificial intelligence. That “science” boils down to two teams of five players competing – and sometimes collaborating – to kill dinosaurs like velociraptors, T-Rexes, and triceratops as fast as possible.

The beta had four mech suits to choose from: two DPS Assault suits named Deadeye and Zephyr, the Tank Roadblock, and a Support healer called the Witchdoctor. You can swap suits whenever you want, but as multiplayer custom dictates, nobody ever wanted to tank or heal despite on-screen warnings about team class diversity, so I spent a fair bit of time with Roadblock and Witchdoctor. That said, when I was on an Assault suit, I preferred the range focus of Deadeye to the melee attacks of Zephyr. Given the choice, I’d rather shoot a T-Rex from a distance than get in biting range. 

I could customize my loadout with one adjustable bit of gear – the choice of a small heal, a leap ability, or a piercing laser – and deploy cover with collectible barricades, but my kit was largely set by my choice of exosuit. As we’ve established, Deadeye shoots stuff and Zephyr stabs stuff. Roadblock can draw enemy attention, put up a big shield like Overwatch’s Reinhardt, and use it to bash dino skulls in. Witchdoctor can zap allies with a ranged heal, drop a big AoE heal, and paralyze monsters with a pretty wimpy-feeling stun gun. 

Every suit has its niche, but everyone on the team is on dino-killing duty first and foremost, which leads us to the game modes. My first match was basically a series of horde encounters. Leviathan would lead us to one part of a destroyed city, spawn in a bunch of dinosaurs, and tell us to kill ’em as fast as we can. Sometimes we’d have a vehicle to escort or defend, other times we were just trying not to get eaten. The goal was to clear encounters faster than the other team, which was going through the same route in another match loosely overlaid with ours, with phantoms of enemy players popping up like time trial ghosts in racing games. No real PvP, just kill dinos faster. Competitive PvE. Left 4 Dino with a timer.

Here’s an evaluation that’ll blow your mind: killing a zillion dinosaurs with an assault rifle is good, video game fun. Velociraptors are the grunt units of Exoprimal, and they pour out of the map like scarabs out of sand mounds in The Mummy. They’re fun to chew through and fall like tissue paper, but the horde is threatening enough that using abilities efficiently is important when you’re trying to clear a path to more dangerous targets like explosive or acid-spitting neosaurs. Dodging a charging triceratops or T-Rex while wading through a veritable pool of raptors sounds exciting on paper and it works pretty well here. Abilities and guns are punchy, the movement’s pretty smooth – though the jump is oddly short – and the game ran great on my PC. 

Get me out  

The problems started in match two, which began with more horde mode stuff and a T-Rex fight, but ended with the most ill-advised PvP mode I’ve encountered in some time. The goal of this mode is to collect 100 energy cartridges before the other team, except the enemy team is very much a part of the match here. You can kill enemy players to steal their cartridges and slow down their progress, so PvP quickly becomes essential – and just as quickly becomes a slog. 

This mode is so flawed and deeply unfun that I don’t know where to begin. First of all, these exosuits don’t feel built or balanced for head-on PvP. The abilities and roles that bring Exoprimal’s PvE to life just don’t work well in this environment; everything is either hilariously overpowered or completely useless. Secondly, the core objective of the mode boils down to picking up trash at designated trash zones. Zones pop in with a certain amount of cartridges around, and once you pick them up or enough time passes, it will fade out and a new zone will appear somewhere else. As an objective this is a pretty good one for community service, but it’s dramatically less good for an action multiplayer game. 

The biggest problem of all is that none of this has anything to do with killing a zillion dinosaurs. That’s what I signed up for, Exoprimal! It’s what you promised me. But now the dinosaurs are just a distraction; background noise to be ignored so that terrible PvP can take the stage. Hell, you’re encouraged not to kill a zillion dinosaurs in this mode. That’s time that could be spent picking up trash, you fool. You absolute buffoon. Stop having fun and get those cartridges. 

How do you build a dino shooter and then tell players not to shoot dinos? That’s cruel and unusual. That’s like cooking a delicious meal right in front of someone and then telling them to eat the plate. I don’t want to eat the plate, Exoprimal, and I don’t want to pick up trash either. I had infinitely more fun in the normal horde modes, not to mention the 10-man mode where our teams combined forces to kill a giga T-Rex before we ran out of time or revives. 

The mere possibility of playing that PvP mode again – and it came up twice within my first four, randomly matched games – completely kills my desire to ever revisit this game as-is. Nothing about Exoprimal struck me as gotta-play-more electrifying, but the PvE was pretty solid for such an early and limited beta. It was fun. Shooting dinosaurs is fun, and now you can do it with four friends in mech suits. Terrific. More of that, please. And racing against another team is fine, but let me opt out of the direct PvP, dramatically overhaul it, or don’t even bother. 

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Since the initial reveal, we’ve seen more of the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet starters, the introduction of new Legendaries, and part of the Gen 9 Pokedex, including the much-admired pig critter Lechonk, new professors. We also got confirmation that the latest entry will support four-player multiplayer, so there are plenty of reasons to get hyped about new Pokemon games.  

We’ve even finally gotten an official November release date for what has easily become one of the most anticipated upcoming Switch games. If you’re looking forward to what looks set to be an exciting evolution for the series, read on below to find out everything we know so far about Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. 

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet release date 

We were surprised in more ways than one when the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet reveal trailer landed. Not only do we get to go on a new adventure in the world of Pokemon, but we won’t even have to wait that long to experience it. Despite Legends: Arceus already launching this year, Nintendo has now confirmed that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are set to release on November 18, 2022. 

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Gen 9 starters are adorable 

As is tradition with the core games in the series, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will introduce us to three new Gen 9 starters we can choose between at the beginning of the adventure. And as we saw at the end of the trailer in a delightful picture surrounded by a golden frame, the three critters are all very adorable in their own way. The Pokemon Scarlet and Violet starters include the Grass type cat Sprigatito, the Fire type croc Fuecoco, and the Water type duckling Quaxly. 

The official website (opens in new tab) for the games also reveals little tidbits about their characteristics. The little croc, Feucoco, for example, is said to be laid back and does things at its own pace, while the grass kitty is capricious and the little duckling is earnest and tidy. Now the only question is: Which will you choose? 

• Here are all the Pokemon confirmed for the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Pokedex so far

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is an open-world adventure

Pokemon Sword and Shield gave us the chance to run around certain wild areas, which was then expanded upon in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. The latter release had several big open areas across a world map to explore, but it still wasn’t truly open-world. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet looks set to take this an evolutionary step further with an open world that features towns that “blend seamlessly into the wilderness with no borders”. We’ll once again be able to see Pokemon out in the wild, with the freedom to explore this new region in the skies, seas, streets, and forests. The trailer showed off various locales that we can’t wait to see for ourselves. 

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will support four-player co-op 

The second trailer for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet confirmed that the adventure will allow up to four players to explore the world together, along with returning features such as a trading and battling against your pals. We got a little taste of this in Pokemon Sword and Shield where you can traverse around the wild areas with a pal. Being able to explore the open-world of Scarlet and Violet with fellow trainers certainly sounds magical.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Legendaries

The latest trailer gave us our first look at the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Legendaries that will be featured in the new adventure. The impressive-looking Koraidon is the Legendary Pokemon of Pokemon Scarlet, while the equally eye-catching Miraidon will be the Legendary Pokemon in Violet. Fittingly, they both sport the colors of their respective versions. While there’s a lot of mystery surrounding these two Pokemon, they’re naturally said to have power that surpasses those of other critters. 

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet introduces a new friend

During our adventures in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, we’ll be meeting a new Pokemon trainer friend by the name of Nemona. We get to see a glimpse of this fresh face in the most recent trailer, and the official site says this new pal of ours has a “sunny and energetic disposition” with a fondness for Pokemon battles. As an experienced trainer, Nemona will act as a our guide. 

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet version differences

Different versions are another returning tradition for the series, and historically they will offer different Pokemon and legendaries. Alongside revealing the two new Legendary Pokemon that will be in either version, Game Freak has also confirmed some other differences between Scarlet and Violet. 

For one, your player character will be sporting a different kind of outfit depending on the version you choose. Two new professors will also be introduced in the upcoming Pokemon adventure, and who you’ll meet will depend on the version you’ve chosen. 

Trainers who choose Pokemon Scarlet will meet Professor Sada (left), while those who pick up Pokemon Violet will instead encounter Professor Turo (right). According to the official website for the game, each professor is said to be carrying out research into “certain lore passed down” in the new region. How mysterious. 

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s region could be based on Spain 

In the past, we’ve seen how real-world locations have served as inspiration for regions in the series. The Galar region, for example, is based on the UK, while the Kalos region in Pokemon X and Y is inspired by France. We’ve yet to learn officially where Scarlet and Violet are set, but there’s a lot of interesting details fans have been picking up on in the trailer that could hint towards it being based on Spain. In one Twitter thread by Antonio Demico, the architecture and names of the starters are highlighted among other details.  

Stay on top of all of the most exciting new releases coming to Nintendo’s console with our roundup of upcoming Switch games. 

The post Pokemon Scarlet and Violet: Everything we know so far about the new adventures appeared first on Game News.

Two Point Campus

Original release: May 17, 2022
Delayed until: Aug 9, 2022 

Two Point Campus – the indirect follow-up to Two Point Hospital from Two Point Studios – was originally set to open its doors on May 17, however classes will now commence on August 9, 2022. When they do, players can expect to become familiar with the student body, because, unlike the many faceless patients of Two Point Hospital, Two Point Campus aims to develop the relationship between the player and the sprites they’ll control. “You’re going to see the students develop and in some cases fail,” studio co-founder Mark Webley told GR+ earlier this year. “It’s about trying to get you to care about them so that they don’t fail and to try and see what the problem is. You’ll be able to take time to nurture and hopefully pull them through the process.”

Life is Strange: Remastered (Switch version) 

Original release: February 1, 2022
Delayed until: TBC 2022

Life is Strange: Remastered is allowing us to once again experience Max and Chloe’s adventures in the first game from Dontnod, and Life is Strange: Before the Storm from Deck Nine. Now launched on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, an announcement confirmed that the Switch release has been delayed. “We are sorry to share that the Nintendo Switch versions of the games have been a little setback,” the statement from the Life is Strange team said, “and will need a bit more time until they are ready.” While no official release date for the Switch launch has been announced, the news of the delay confirms we can expect to see the games arrive on Nintendo’s console “later this year.” 

Dying Light 2 (Switch Version)

Original Release: February 4, 2022
Delayed until: Early August 2022

Techland announced back in January that the release date for the Switch version of Dying Light 2 needed to be “moved” from its planned launch window. The announcement came by way of an official press release which stated that the Cloud version on the Switch version needs more time “in order to provide fans with the gaming experience at the level they deserve and that Techland wants to provide.” The post-apocalyptic action-adventure game arrived on other platforms on February 4. While no set release date has been announced just yet, the Cloud version currently has a tentative early August 2022 launch date. 

Rumbleverse

Original Release: February 15, 2022
Delayed until: TBC 2022

The upcoming free-to-play “brawler royale” from developer Iron Galaxy and Epic Games has been pushed back from its initial launch date of February 15. Rumbleverse was first announced during the Game Awards 2021, and it was set to go into early access on February 8. In an official post from Iron Galaxy, the development team released a statement explaining the decision, saying: “Having Grapital City filled with Rumblers taught us a lot. We’re excited about the game we’re making – and we’re glad you are, too – but there’s more we want to do to perfect the experience. More than a game, Rumbleverse will be a community that we want to support for a long time. We’re going to take the time to make sure we can get that right.” While no new release date has been revealed, the statement confirmed that players can sign up to take part in a network test of the game on PC on February 12. 

Forspoken

Original release: October 11, 2022 
Delayed until: January 24, 2023

Luminous Productions announced it is pushing back the release date for Forspoken a second time, with a new release date set for January 24, 2023. This news comes after it was delayed from its original launch date of May 25, 2022 to some months later on October 11, 2022. The studio confirmed the new release date in a statement on Twitter (opens in new tab), saying that it has made the “strategic decision” to move the launch date after discussions with key partners. The statement went on to confirm that all game elements for Forspoken are complete, and development is now “in its final polishing phase.” 

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League 

Original release: TBC 2022
Delayed until: Spring 2023

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has been pushed back from its original launch window. The upcoming action-shooter was initially slated to release sometime in 2022 but is now expected to arrive in Spring 2023. Prior to official confirmation, a report previously surfaced that pointed towards a delay. Rocksteady co-founder and creative director Sefton Hill announced the news on Twitter (opens in new tab), saying: “We’ve made the difficult decision to delay Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League to Spring 2023. I know a delay is frustrating but that time is going into making the best game we can. I look forward to bringing the chaos to Metropolis together. Thanks for your patience.” 

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Sequel

Original release: TBC 2022
Delayed until: Spring 2023

In a video from Nintendo, Legend of Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma announced that the decision to extend the development time for Breath of the Wild 2. As such, the release date for the highly anticipated Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel has now been pushed back to Spring 2023. First revealed back in 2019 with a short teaser trailer revealing it was in the works, Links return was originally set to release sometime later this year. “In order to make this game’s experience something special,” Aonuma said, “the entire development team is continuing to work diligently on this game, so please wait a while longer.” 

Starfield

Original release: November 11, 2022
Delayed until: First half of 2023

Bethesda announced in a statement on Twitter (opens in new tab) that Starfield has been officially been delayed from its original November release in order to deliver the “best, most version”. While no exact amended date was given, the studio confirmed we can expect to see the upcoming space-faring RPG launch sometime in the first half of 2023. While we’ve seen some video interviews from the team behind the project about certain aspects of the game, we’ve yet to see much of what will be the first new IP from Bethesda Game Studios in 25 years. 

Redfall

Original release: Summer 2022
Delayed until: First half of 2023

Alongside Starfield, Bethesda also confirmed that Redfall from Arkane Austin will be release sometime in the first half of 2023. Originally slated to launch as an Xbox exclusive in summer 2022, the publisher stated that the teams behind both Redfall and Starfield have “incredible ambitions for their games”, and that “we want to ensure that you recieve the best, most polished versions of them.” Redfall comes from the same team behind Dishonored and Prey, and is set to deliver an open-world co-op FPS where you play as a team of vampire slayers who go up against powerful bloodsuckers with supernatural abilities. 

Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl 

Original release: April 28, 2022
Delayed until: TBC 2023

Near the start of January, Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl was pushed back from its initial April release date in order to fulfill the team’s “vision and achieve the desired state for the game.” Then, following the Xbox and Bethesda showcase in June, an infographic for upcoming releases posted on Xbox’s official social media channels appeared to confirm that it has now been pushed back to a 2023 launch window. This comes after news came earlier this year that development was on hold due to the Russian conflict in Ukraine. During the Xbox Games showcase Extended, an update on Stalker 2 was shared of a development diary during the war from the team.  

Advance Wars 1 + 2: Reboot Camp

Original release: April 8, 2022
Delayed until: TBC

Nintendo announced it’s delaying the release of Advance 1 + 2: Reboot Camp. The decision to push back the release from its original April 8 date was confirmed in a statement posted on Twitter (opens in new tab). “In light of recent world events, we have made the decision to delay Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp” the statement reads. No new launch date has been confirmed for the game as of yet, but Nintendo said to stay tuned for updates on the new release in the future. 

Stay on top of all the latest upcoming releases on the way with our round-up of new games 2022. 

The post Every game delay announced so far in 2022 appeared first on Game News.

Below, you’ll find a roundup of all of the upcoming PS5 games on the horizon, with details on PS5 exclusives like God of War Ragnarok to third-party releases like Gotham Knights and Marvel’s Midnight Suns. We’ve also put everything in release date order so you know what to expect first.  Without further ado, here are all of the most exciting upcoming PS5 games on the way. 

• Still looking for Sony’s new console? Here’s the latest on PS5 restock updates

2022

Stray

Developer: BlueTwelve Studio
Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
Release date: July 19, 2022

In this new adventure coming to the PS5 from BlueTwelve Studio, you play as a cat in a world filled with robots. As a cat exploring this strange world, you’ll gain a unique perspective from the eyes of a feline who can sneak under cars, traverse over rooftops and go about unnoticed. Viv, the game and creative director at the studio, said, “we are inspired every day by Murtaugh and Riggs, our two cats. Most of the team are cat owners as well, giving us all a lot of helpful first-hand references. Cats are always so playful, cute, and lovingly annoying that it’s an endless stream of gameplay ideas for us.”

Two Point Campus

Developer: Two Point Studios
Publisher: SEGA
Release date: August 9, 2022

Running your own hospital was so 2020, so now it’s time for an upgrade. Two Point Campus will see you running your own college, with management including everything from building the college, running the classes, and caring for your students on a more intricate, personal level. 

Rollerdrome

Developer: Roll7
Publisher: Private Division
Release date: August 16, 2022

Following the successful launch of OlliOlli World earlier this year, Roll7 and Private Division are back on the scene with another skating game. Only, you probably haven’t seen one quite like this before. Rollerdrome is a hybrid shooter-skater, which blends high-octane third-person combat with fluid movement and tricking mechanics. Rollerdrome looks absolutely phenomenal, and it’s out later this year.  

Saints Row

Developer: Volition
Publisher: Koch Media
Release date: August 23, 2022

This is a reboot for the tongue-in-cheek Saints Row series, and we’re going all the way back to the beginning. Starting out in the city of Santo Ileso, it’ll be up to you how this crime gang takes shape, from how they build their empire to what they make their money doing. You’ll be leading them once again as the fully customizable Boss, and although it’s new faces and new names there’s plenty of the old Saints Row soul here. Just less of the dildobats.

Soul Hackers 2

Developer: Atlus
Publisher: SEGA
Release date: August 26, 2022

Soul Hackers 2 is looking like it’s going to be one of the key JRPGs of 2022, arriving from developer Atlus and publisher SEGA. This is the long-awaited sequel to Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers – the 1997 RPG for Sega Saturn. Everything has been updated, of course, with Atlus weaving in the Press Turn system from the mainline Shin Megami Tensei games, and the studio striving for a bright and neon visual style. Soul Hackers 2 is set to launch on PS4 and PS5 on August 26, 2022. 

Season

Developer: Scavengers Studio
Publisher: Scavengers Studio
Release date: Autumn 2022

Channelling almost Ghibli-esque vibes, Season is a game about riding around on a bicycle and discovering the world for the first time. You play as a young woman who’s lived in a secluded community, but for some reason is now able to explore, take photos, and make new memories. But, there’s not much time to do any of it in, as a mysterious cataclysm is about to engulf the world for good. But heck is a beautiful way to spend your last season. 

Lord of the Rings: Gollum

Developer: Daedalic Entertainment
Publisher: Daedalic Entertainment
Release date: September 1, 2022

We are all so intrigued to see what a game where you play as the dual-personalities of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum will actually be like. And thankfully, that’s exactly what Daedalic Entertainment is going to give us. The creature starts out as a prisoner in Barad-dûr, a fortress in Mordor, but eventually, you will traverse more of Middle-Earth, with the developer promising “giant, persistent environments, each harbouring several questlines and a range of friendly or unfriendly faces” in an interview with Edge Magazine in early 2020. During that interview the game is also described as a “stealth-action-adventure with an intriguing dual-personality mechanic, gigantic levels, and a densely wrought aesthetic inspired by Tolkien’s own drawings”. 

The Last of Us Part 1

Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release date: September 2, 2022

The Last of Us Part 1 is described as the definitive version of the original game, with updated visuals, facial animations, expanded accessibility options, improved combat, and more. In fact, Naughty Dog says it’s a true overhaul that will bring the journey that first introduced us to Ellie and Joel to the PS5 without “being encumbered by technology”. With a debut trailer at the Summer Game Fest, we’ve already seen glimpses of changes to the character models and more.

Overwatch 2

Developer: Blizzard
Publisher: Activision
Release date: October 4, 2022 (Early Access)

Overwatch 2 is now gunning for an October 4 early access release date – a fact confirmed during the Xbox and Bethesda Games showcase at E3 2022. There, we were treated to some new gameplay footage of the multiplayer team-based first-person shooter, and were likewise shown a new hero expected to make their debut at launch. Junker Queen, a character who’s long been rumored to enter the Overwatch fold, is indeed on their way to Overwatch 2 – packing a shotgun as their primary weapon, and a big two-handed axe as backup. As per the game’s initial reveal way back at BlizzCon 2019, Overwatch 2 is expected to lean heavier on its narrative elements by way of its new Story Missions.  

Marvel’s Midnight Suns

Developer: Firaxis Games
Publisher: 2K Games
Release date: October 7, 2022

Firaxis is bringing us a new strategy game but this time it’s not a new XCOM. Instead, we’re getting a Marvel-themed strategy game called Marvel’s Midnight Suns. Teaming up with 12 of Marvel Comics’ iconic heroes in the roster, you play as The Hunter, the very first customizable character in Marvel history. Together you’ll attempt to take down the Mother of Demons, Lillith, in a XCOM / Marvel fusion gameplay scenario. 

A Plague Tale: Requiem

Developer: Asobo Studio
Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
Release date: October 18, 2022

The Flight Simulator studio, Asobo, is going back to its original series with a sequel – A Plague Tale: Requiem. The game will follow the original heroes Amicia and Hugo in their quest to survive in the rat-infested city and The Inquisition. With literal seas of rats featured in the game’s reveal trailer, we can only imagine that things have got a lot harder for our brother and sister duo. 

Gotham Knights

Developer: WB Games Montreal
Publisher: Warner Bros
Release date: October 25, 2022

The long-awaited WB Games Montreal title is Gotham Knights; an open-world, action RPG set in what the dev is calling the “most dynamic and interactive Gotham City yet”. The big story beat is that Batman is dead, leaving the Gotham Knights (Robin, Batgirl, Nightwing, and Red Hood) to protect the city from its full roster of bad guys. This is a completely original story for the upcoming PS5 games list, rather than any kind of re-enactment of the comics. In terms of villains, we know that the Court of Owls are at least involved, but others including Mr. Freeze will also play a part in the game’s narrative. It features drop-in, drop-out co-op too, with the kind of gameplay you’d expect to see from a Batman: Arkham title. 

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Developer: Infinity Ward
Publisher: Activision
Release date: October 28, 2022

Task Force 141 from the 2019 reboot are back for a sequel in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. We’ll be back with Captain Price and co for a story that continues on from where we left them, with the looming threat of Victor Zakhaev and General Shepherd. Details are light right now, beyond those story details and a release date, so stay tuned. 

God of War Ragnarok 

Developer: Sony Santa Monica Studio
Publisher: Sony
Release date: November 9, 2022

Ragnarok is coming. Yes, a new God of War game is happening and it’s set to land on the PS5 (and PS4) at some point in 2022. During the latest PlayStation September 2021 showcase, we got a proper look at Kratos’ upcoming return in God of War: Ragnarok, and boy was it quite the trailer. Showing a slightly older Atreus, we got to see a host of different creatures, some helpings of combat, and some new characters we’ll meet. In a blog post (opens in new tab), Santa Monica Studio revealed that the realms are harsher, and we’ll be able to test our fighting prowess against new creatures from Norse mythology. It was also revealed that Cory Barlog is not directing this time around, with Eric Williams taking up the helm.  

The Callisto Protocol

Developer: Striking Distance
Publisher: Krafton
Release date: December 2, 2022

The spiritual successor to Dead Space in all but name, The Callisto Protocol is a fresh survival horror game coming from new studio Striking Distance, helmed by none other than Glen Schofield. Its aim is to deliver the most-terrifying next-gen horror experience ever, and from what we’ve seen so far of the game, it’s looking likely to deliver. Set on Jupiter’s moon in 2320, there’s a conspiracy to unfold and horrific creatures to face in this third-person story. A great addition to the upcoming PS5 games. 

Sonic Frontiers

Developer: Sonic Team
Publisher: SEGA
Release date: Holiday 2022

Sonic’s going on a brand new adventure, and this time it’s really, really big. You’ll be speeding through Starfall Islands, the location for the game which SEGA is calling ‘open-zoned’, rather than strictly open world. It’s Sonic, but more beautiful than we’ve ever seen it before. 

TBC 2022

Star Trek: Resurgence

Developer: Dramatic Labs
Release date: Spring 2022

From Dramatic Labs, a brand new studio made up of former Telltale developers, comes Star Trek: Resurgence. It’s a third-person, choice-driven adventure game set within the Star Trek Universe. You’ll play as two characters, First Officer Jara Rydek and Engineering Crewperson Carter Diaz, on the U.S.S Resolute, as they attempt to solve a sinister mystery that involves two alien races on the brink of war. You’ll meet new and returning characters in this tale too, so if you’re a Star Trek fan, this is worth paying attention to.

Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core Reunion

Developer: In-house
Publisher: Square Enix
Release date: Winter 2022

Square Enix is developing a remaster of Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core, the beloved Final Fantasy 7 prequel which released for PSP back in 2008. Set to launch later this year, Crisis Core Final Fantasy 7 Reunion is set to feature updated 3D models, HD graphics, full voiceovers, and new music arrangements. 

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed

Developer: Illfonic
Release date: TBC 2022

Illfonic – the developer behind Friday the 13th game – is delivering another co-op horror adventure, but this time it’s Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed. You’ll have to join up with other Ghostbusters to chase and trap ghosts across a variety of locations before they escape. Players will also be the ghosts, capable of hiding, sneaking, scaring, and more – including some slime action. 

Goodbye Volcano High

Developer: KO_OP
Release date: TBC 2022

The developers behind Goodbye Volcano High announced that the narrative direction of the story has had a reboot (opens in new tab) since we first saw the initial game reveal. Now pushed back to 2022 with a new team of writers, it’ll be exciting to see how the story shapes up. Described as a cinematic, choice-based experience with a non-binary protagonist called Fang and a lovely art style, Goodbye Volcano High looks like one to watch out for. 

Open Roads

Developer: Fullbright
Publisher: Annapurna
Release date: TBC 2022

The latest title from Fullbright (Gone Home, Tacoma) is Open Roads. It follows a mother and daughter who set out on a road trip adventure to discover a series of abandoned family properties to discover a mystery and secrets about their own kin long buried. Like previous Fullbright games, there’s a big emphasis on interactive narrative, but this time we’ll be exploring multiple destinations and chilling in the car en route between them too.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

Developer: Massive Entertainment
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release date: TBC 2022

After years of silence, we now have a name, a trailer, and a vague release date for Ubisoft’s Avatar title. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is coming sometime in 2022 and is a standalone story from any of the movies. This first-person, action-adventure sees you play as a Na’vi and journey across the Western Frontier, which is a part of Pandora not seen before. You’ll have to use your surroundings and try to survive against the onslaught of RDA forces.

Hogwarts Legacy

Developer: Avalanche
Publisher: Warner Bros. Games
Release date: TBC 2022

Set before the events of the books in the 1800s at the famous Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry and the world beyond, Hogwarts Legacy is described as an open-world RPG that will take you on an adventure in the Harry Potter universe. Added to the list of upcoming PS5 games for 2022 after a delay, Adrian Ropp, head of Avalance, wrote in a blog post (opens in new tab) on PlayStation’s official website that the next-gen console will let create immersive experiences that will let “a player practically feel the terror of Inferi bearing down upon them” or “sense the ground rumbling beneath them as a heard of angry centaurs surrounds them”.  

Little Devil Inside

Developer: Neostream Interactive
Release date: TBC 2022

Little Devil Inside first began life on Kickstarter back in 2015. Fast forward five years later and we see a debut trailer during the PS5 reveal stream with the news that it will be a timed exclusive. As an RPG with survival elements, Little Devil inside is set in the “Victorian-like” era in a semi-open world. The trailer showed off a whole host of monsters and also gave us brief glimpses of some of the combat elements and features. It was easily one of the biggest surprises of the recent showcase. 

Forever Skies

Developer: Far From Home
Publisher: Far From Home
Release date: TBC 2022

New studio Far From Home is coming swinging out of the gates with an ambitious project that depicts a world devastated by climate change after humanity’s inaction. Forever Skies sees the player descend into a now environmentally-hostile Earth inside an advanced zeppelin. There will be light combat, but it’s mostly about surviving through resource management, crafting, and puzzle-solving. The aircraft itself will also be key to your survival and could hold the answer to repairing the ecological damage done to Earth. The studio is made up of developers from Techland (Dying Light, Dead Island), The Farm 51 (Chernobylite), Bloober Team (Layers of Fear, Blair Witch), and Larian Studios (Divinity: Original Sin, Baldur’s Gate 3), so plenty of reputable talent is on board, making Forever Skies even more enticing.

2023

Forspoken 

Developer: Luminous Productions
Publisher: Square Enix
Release date: January 24, 2023

Where do we start with Forspoken? This game that was “designed for PlayStation 5,” is a console exclusive from Square Enix, and it looks beautiful. The protagonist is seen leaping across cliffs, attacking huge wolves with tree root-esque abilities, and overlooking a gorgeous cloud-filled landscape from the top of a mountain. What’s more is that famed screenwriter and author Gary Whitta (Star Wars: Rogue One, The Walking Dead) is in charge of a team of “A-list writers” working on the game, which means it could be something very special indeed.

Dead Space Remake

Developer: Motive
Publisher: EA
Release date: January 27, 2023

Motive Studios is bringing us a Dead Space Remake, “rebuilt” from the bones of the source material, aka one of the best horror games of all time. That includes, obviously, beautiful graphics, but also the removal of loading screens. The developer has also clarified it will remain microtransaction-free. 

Resident Evil 4 Remake

Developer: In-house
Publisher: Capcom
Release date: March 24, 2023

Resident Evil 4 is getting a remake and it’s already got a release date. It’s set to be a reimagining of the original game, rather than a like-for-like remake. According to Capcom, the developer is “reimagining the storyline of the game while keeping the essence of its direction, modernizing the graphics and updating the controls to a modern standard”. From the trailer we’ve had so far, it’s going to be stunning – and horrific. 

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn 

Developer: A44
Publisher: Kepler
Release date: Early 2023

An open-world action role-player, Flintlock is being made by Ashen developer A44. Blending up close and personal melee axe play and firearms at range, this third person adventure looked stunning during its gameplay showcase at E3 2022, and we can’t wait to see more between now and its tentative “early 2023” release date. Starring protagonist Nor and her companion, Enki, the pair are said to “embark on an epic journey of vengeance, gunpowder, and magic in humanity’s last stand.” Sound good? We think so too. 

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

Developer: Rocksteady
Publisher: Warner Bros
Release date: Spring 2023

Rocksteady is continuing its work on the Batman: Arkham series but taking a detour into Suicide Squad territory. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a brand new sotry, with 1-4 player co-op, an evil Superman, and four playable characters. These take the form of Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and King Shark, all of which come with their own unique weapons, and the option to switch between them at any time. 

Final Fantasy 16

Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Release date: Summer 2023

Yes, Final Fantasy 16 has officially been confirmed and it’s set to be a PlayStation console exclusive that will come to the PS5. Produced by Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki Yoshida and directed by Hiroshi Takai, the debut trailer was revealed during the most recent PS5 showcase, giving us our first proper look at the next installment. We don’t know too much about where it will take us just yet, but the trailer does mention how the “Crystals shaped our world.” More information is set to come in 2021. 

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Developer: In-house
Publisher: Square Enix
Release date: TBC 2023

Looking to continue the adventures of Final Fantasy 7 Remake? Cloud is set to return in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth in 2023, which is the official title for the second game in Square Enix’s ambitious remake trilogy of the beloved RPG. Information is light on the ground, but the publisher has confirmed that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will be out “Winter 2023” for PS5.

Disney Dreamlight Valley

Developer: Gameloft
Publisher: Gameloft
Release date: TBC 2023 (Early Access Beta September 6, 2022) 

Disney Dreamlight Valley is set to let us live our best Disney life as we live alongside and help a host of different characters from Disney and Pixar. With some Animal Crossing vibes to it, you’ll be able to do various activities such as fishing, discover stories, explore, take on quests, and unlock new areas as you try to help the residents who have been affected by what’s known as the ‘Forgetting’. The life sim adventure is set to launch in full as a free-to-play experience sometime in 2023, with an early access beta set to go live in September for those who purchase the Founders Pack. 

Aliens: Dark Descent

Developer: Tindalos Interactive
Publisher: Focus Interactive
Release date: TBC 2023

Aliens: Dark Descent will see you commanding a group of Colonial Marines who are trying to stop a Xenomorph outbreak on Moon Lethe. You’ll not only have to fight the titular aliens though, as you’ll also face rogue operatives from the Weyland-Yutani Corporation and entirely new terrors never-before-seen in the Alien franchise. You’ll need to be strategic with your squad, manage your resources, and weigh up your risks in this strategy game.

Diablo 4

Developer: Blizzard
Publisher: Activision
Release date: 2023

As per its gameplay outing during E3 2022, Diablo 4 looks dark, foreboding and terrifying – which is exactly everything we want from Blizzard’s upcoming dungeon crawling action role-playing game. With five classes available at launch in its Necromancers, Barbarians, Sorceresses, Rogues, and Druids, this looks every bit a sequel ten years in the making, and now with a loose 2023 launch date, we’re certain fans of the series are as excited now as ever. First officially revealed at BlizzCon 2019, expect more and more of this in the coming months as Diablo 4 marches towards launch.

Layers of Fears

Developer: Bloober Team
Publisher: Aspyr
Release date: TBC 2023

Settle in for the evening and prepare for another country retreat in the Layers of Fear universe. Layers of Fears (that’s plural) is an updated and enhanced version of Bloober Team’s OG horror venture from 2016, Layers of Fear, that folds in its ‘Inheritance’ DLC and the original’s indirect sequel, Layers of Fear 2. Built in Unreal Engine 5, the old Shining-esque mansion is more terrifying than you remember, but houses a similar number of melting paintings and mind-bending haunted hallways. Said to expand on the original game’s story, expect even more psychedelic, toe-curling horror when Layers of Fears lands at some point in 2023. 

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Developer: Insomniac Games  
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release date: TBC 2023

During the September 2021 PlayStation showcase, a surprise trailer dropped for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, coming exclusively to PS5 sometime in 2023. As a sequel that’s set to continue on the journey of both Peter Parker and Miles Morales, who could forget seeing another very familiar face. Yes, Venom is going to feature as the villain of the new web-slinging adventures. In a blog post (opens in new tab), Sony and Insomniac also confirmed that there will be shiny new suits, new abilities, and a very human story at the heart of your superhero antics. 

Street Fighter 6

Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Release date: TBC 2023

Street Fighter 6 has now had a full reveal, following on from the rather steamy teaser. It’s going to feature three different modes. Fighting Ground is your classic Street Fighter experience, but that’s going to be complimented by World Tour, which is an immersive single-player campaign. There’s also a Battle Hub too, which furthers the multiplayer experience.

Pragmata

Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Release date: TBC 2023

Capcom revealed a mysterious new game called Pragmata that leaves more questions than it answers, but certainly piqued a lot of interest when it was added to the upcoming PS5 games list. Described as a “thought-provoking game”, the trailer shows someone in what looks like a space suit in a futuristic setting, where they encounter a young girl and holo-cat. While it won’t be coming until 2022, we’re certainly eager to learn more about this rather enigmatic adventure. 

Tchia

Developer: Awaceb
Publisher: Awaceb
Release date: TBC 2023

Tchia is a charming indie gem set to arrive on PS5 sometime in 2022. From developer Awaceb, the open-world tropical adventure is inspired by New Caledonia, and includes some very interesting abilities – such a soul jumping power that lets protagonist Tchia take control of objects and animals. During the PlayStation showcase, we got to see how you can become a dog and even a coconut as you explore the sandbox world. Along with free-climbing, and playing a tune on your ukulele, Tchia certainly looks like one to watch out for. 

Alan Wake 2

Developer: Remedy Entertainment
Publisher: Epic Games
Release date: TBC 2023

Alan Wake is finally getting a sequel, and this time it’s going to be a survival horror game, but with a very familiar face and voice returning as the titular hero himself. According to Remedy, you should expect a “chilling experience with familiar psychological horror elements”. 

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Developer: Respawn Entertainment
Publisher: EA
Release date: TBC 2023

Cal Kestis and BD-1 are back in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the follow-up to the brilliant Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Set five years after the original game, it seems like something rather sinister is going down in Star Wars town. Although details are light beyond the teaser trailer, it seems Cal’s lightsaber has fallen into the wrong hands, and things aren’t great for our Jedi in hiding. 

TBC

Marvel’s Wolverine

Developer: Insomniac
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release date: TBC

Undoubtedly one of the biggest surprises of the PlayStation September 2021 showcase came in the shape of those famous adamantium claws belonging to none other than Wolverine. Yes, a new standalone Wolverine game is currently in early development. While we’re light on details for the moment, we do know Brian Horton is Wolverine’s creative director and Cameron Christian is game director. Horton was creative director on Spider-Man Miles Morales and has also worked on games such as Tomb Raider and Rise of the Tomb Raider. Christian previously worked on Spider-Man and Spider-Man Miles Morales, as well as other titles such as Sunset Overdrive.  Insomniac revealed (opens in new tab) its goal is to “respect the DNA of what makes the character so popular, but also try to make it feel fresh” and reflect the studio’s spirit.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake

Developer: Aspyr
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment and Lucasfilms Games
Release date: TBC

After many rumors began to circulate, the latest Sony showcase confirmed that a remaster of BioWare’s beloved Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is on the way and it’s coming to PS5. Aspyr and Sony Interactive Entertainment are working with Lucasfilm Games to rebuild the classic adventure, which promises (opens in new tab) to bring KOTOR to a new generation with “modern tech, features, visuals, and more, while maintaining the integrity of the story and characters” so many have come to love. 

Indiana Jones

Developer: MachineGames
Publisher: Lucasfilm Games / Bethesda
Release date: TBC

Bethesda studio MachineGames is working on a brand new Indiana Jones game, in conjunction with the newly established Lucasfilm Games. All we’ve had so far is a tiny teaser trailer, which is more matte painting than gameplay footage. But, from it, we’ve deduced that it’s probably set in Rome in 1937, which would place the game after Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Temple of Doom, and yet before The Last Crusade. It seems to involve ancient stone circles and standing stones, and potentially even a lost race of giant cyclops. Bethesda says we’ll be waiting a while for more info though – including 100% confirmation of whether it is on PS5, seeing as it’s a Bethesda game. 

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2

Developer: Hardsuit Labs
Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Release date: TBC

Looking for a game with a bit of extra bite? Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 puts you in the seedy underbelly of Seattle, which should suit you just fine as a vampire ready to test out your new fangs. Turned as an act of vampire terrorism during the ‘Mass Embrace’, you’ll soon get caught up in vampire faction politics, where you’re still just trying to deal with your new way of life. This is an RPG at its core too, filled with player choices, a strong narrative, and branching dialogue options too. 

Ubisoft’s open-world Star Wars game

Developer: Massive Entertainment
Publisher: Ubisoft / Lucasfilm Games
Release date: TBC

Another fresh title coming out of the new Lucasfilm Games, this is an open-world Star Wars title from Ubisoft’s Massive Entertainment. We don’t know much about the Ubisoft Star Wars game yet, as it’s clearly in very early stages of development, but it will run on Massive’s custom Snowdrop Engine. We’re expecting it to be a photorealistic action-adventure with sprinklings of RPG elements, a la The Division, but obviously set in Star Wars lore. No platforms have officially been confirmed, but expect it to be released on PS5 whenever it does arrive.

Project 007

Developer: IO Interactive
Publisher: IO Interactive
Release date: TBC

IO Interactive is gearing up to tell the origin story for James Bond in a brand new game currently titled Project 007. Although details are scarce, and an official name is yet to be revealed, what we do know is that it’s going to be an entirely original James Bond story – so not tied to the novels or films. Hakan Abrak, CEO of IO says that it is “the most ambitious game in the history of our studio”. Exciting times ahead. 

Elder Scrolls 6

Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher: Bethesda
Release date: TBC

Ah, the Elder Scrolls 6 (opens in new tab). The 37-second trailer that blew the world’s mind at E3 2018. The game that we know nothing about beyond this same trailer, that is in development somewhere within Bethesda Game Studios along with Starfield. Because it is so far away from release, you can bet your bottom coin that it’s going to appear – at some point – on the PS5 (although hopefully not whatever the PS6 could be). 

Dragon Age: Dreadwolf

Developer: BioWare
Publisher: EA
Release date: TBC

Although technically no platforms have been announced for Dragon Age 4 – or whatever the next Dragon Age is officially called – at this point it would seem odd not to think of it as an upcoming PS5 game. We may not have a release date yet, but at least we know that Solas and co are making a return at some point in the future. What we have seen is some glorious concept art, and the confirmation that it will continue on from where Dragon Age: Inquisition left off. 

New Mass Effect

Developer: BioWare
Publisher: EA
Release date: TBC

It might be quite a way off release, but that isn’t going to stop us being ridiculously overexcited for a brand new Mass Effect game – aka Mass Effect 5. Seemingly picking up after the events of Mass Effect 3, we’ll be seeing some old faces return and some plot lines picked back up. Of course, the big question of whether Shepard will return remains, but we’re ready for everything.

Atomic Heart

Developer: Mundfish
Publisher: Mundfish
Release date: TBC

Horror fans should rejoice to hear that Mundfish is bringing Atomic Heart to next-gen consoles. The wild-looking sci-fi horror game only rears its grotesque head every so often, but when it does, the world collectively gasps with shock and intrigue. Its monsters are unforgettable, we’ve already seen a good range of unique alien weapons, and the story already has us asking more questions than we have answers. Atomic Heart looks incredibly ambitious for a smaller studio, and we can’t wait to see if it lands the jump on PS5.

Quantum Error

Developer: TeamKill Media
Publisher: TeamKill Media
Release date: TBC

A multiple Future Games Show alum, Quantum Error is an upcoming next-gen sci-fi horror shooter coming to PS5 at an undisclosed date. With shades of Half-Life, Doom, and Dead Space, you’ll control a skilled fireman from a first-person perspective as you hack at and blast away deep space mutants. Watching the recent 4K PS5 trailer (opens in new tab) from the Future Games Show, you’d never believe a team of just four developers is working on Quantum Error.

The post Upcoming PS5 games: All the new PS5 games for 2022 and beyond appeared first on Game News.

And that’s odd given the series’ previous championing of its AI drivers. The ‘Drivatar’ system was hyped for a decade, purportedly learning gamers’ driving styles and synthesising a virtual representation of themselves to race in their stead while they were offline. The system has never been perfected, with one Drivatar often zooming off ahead of everyone else in many Forza titles, unable to be caught. 

But more than that, the disparity between car models during races made Forza Motorsport 6 a very disappointing racing experience on its release, even if everything around that core concept was dripping with high-quality Turtle Wax. The racing was way better in Forza Motorsport 7, which is the reason I gave that game a straight 5/5 at review. But even so, times have changed in the five years since then.

Drive to survive

The name of the new game is particularly telling. It’s called ‘Forza Motorsport’, eschewing nearly two decades’ worth of naming convention to deliver a concept rather than a sequel. But if Turn 10 is aiming to definitively simulate motorsport itself, it’s going to have to do a lot more than deliver dynamic time-of-day transitions, detailed scratch damage, and fuel/tyre preservation. It’s going to need to add personality to its racing. 

Why? Well, there’s a reason why Drive to Survive has been such a massive hit on Netflix. In 2022, motorsport isn’t about the cars so much as the people. Not only the drivers, but the team principals, the stewards, the medical team, and the TV presenters. Each race weekend is now a media event with cameras everywhere, social media blowouts and votes for Driver of the Day. If Forza Motorsport truly wants to one-up the sublime Gran Turismo 7, it should aim to leverage this angle too, which will be hard considering the series has always been all about the cars. 

Of course, some games have tried to do this before. GRID Legends incorporates social media feeds that change depending on race results, which is cool – as is its rivalry system, which allows in-race grudges and friendships to be carried between races. GRID Legends even goes so far as to use real actors to portray drivers that have until now only been shown as names above a computer-controlled drone. It’s imperfect, but any game that attempts to add personality to your rivals really does stick in the mind, though admittedly not always for the right reasons. 

Look back through the ages and you’ll hear soundbites from games that did this. “Get outta my way” from Destruction Derby on PS1, or Katie Justice shouting “Watch it, man!” in Dirt 2 are both ingrained into my memory. I’m not suggesting for an instant that Forza Motorsport will use soundbites and have rivals trash-talking you, but it does need something to give its races more emotional clout. Maybe an F1 2021-style engineer to talk to over your headset using voice recognition? That would be ace.

Looking ahead

In the past, Forza has been criticised by some people for being ‘simcade’, in that it presents itself as a serious simulation, yet dials down certain elements to make it more ‘arcadey’ and more appealing to the mass market who aren’t as interested in gear ratios as they are in a nice lens flare. With the new emphasis on simulation with the addition of rubbering-in, tyre management, and the new 8-point calculations for each wheel’s physics, wouldn’t it make sense to have a more serious career mode? 

That should be optional, of course – there will always be room for Forza’s traditional 5-minute races, hopping from class to class, and even between disciplines every few minutes in order to keep more casual players interested. But what about keeping everyone interested by dropping Drivatars and reintroducing named drivers? The original game had them, after all. Is it so hard to imagine a return to more defined AI for the reboot?

And if so, what about some of the drivers genuinely behaving differently on-track, with some competitors dangerously changing directions under braking, or others playing it safe in order to rack up points with the long game in mind? If the pool of names were kept small enough, you could start to learn which driver will react which way in any given situation. Will the guy ahead give you room seeing as you squeezed him out at the last race? Or will the young upstart always leave it up to you to decide whether or not you have an accident?

The AI and racing experience is the last side to Forza Motorsport that’s being kept under wraps, so I sincerely hope there’s something big yet to be announced. The climate has changed. The technology has improved. And if Microsoft really wants to reclaim the crown from Gran Turismo 7, then this is the area that carries the most untapped potential. 

Forza Motorsport is set to release in 2023 for PC and Xbox Series X. While you wait, why not jump into one of the best racing games you can play right now. 

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This series has had its ups and downs over the years – which is why you won’t find Battlefield 2042 here for the time being – but this list of the best Battlefield games shows what it is capable of when firing on all cylinders. Bigger, louder, and more destructive  than any other FPS on the market, set across some of the most stunning multiplayer battlefields ever created. So, let’s get into it: Here are the 10 best Battlefield games of all-time.

Best Battlefield games, ranked

10. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat 

Platform(s): PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360,
Release year: 2005

While PC players were enjoying the delights of 64-player all-out-warfare, console players were treated to something a little smaller. It may seem quaint now, but in 2006 Battlefield 2: Modern Combat was a truly spectacular experience. In the earliest days of online play for console, this Battlefield 2 spin-off was unlike anything else on PS2 or original Xbox – and the polished-up version that landed on Xbox 360 in 2006 wasn’t so bad either. 

While many of you may remember the gimmicky solo campaign, which allowed you to hotswap between soldiers across the battlefield, it was the 24-player online rounds of Conquest and Capture the Flag that delighted. It’s a scaled down experienced compared to what PC players were dealing with, but it was a solid conversion for the comparatively underpowered consoles, letting those of us with early PlayStation Network and Xbox Live accounts dream of bigger, bolder multiplayer experiences. It was a good time. 

9. Battlefield 1943

Platform(s): PS3, Xbox 360
Release year: 2009

In terms of content alone, Battlefield 1943 is very, very small. It features just a handful of multiplayer maps, vehicles, and weapons, with no single player experience to speak of whatsoever. But that didn’t matter, because what was there was one of the most enjoyable multiplayer FPS experiences that you could hope for, and one of the first games to exemplify the benefits of a digital market. 

1943 is the classic Battlefield experience distilled into its purest form. 24 players, three classes, one game mode, and three excellent maps – battles waged on Wake Island, Guadalcanal, and Iwo Jima have become legendary for the players who were connected to Xbox Live and PlayStation Network at the time. Battlefield 1943 makes up for its lack of content with finely-tuned balance, memorable maps, and impossibly tight skirmishes that have been lost in DICE’s efforts to increase the player count in the years since. 

8. Battlefield 4 

Platform(s): PC, PS3, PS4 Xbox 360, Xbox One
Release year: 2013

With the foundation for a new era of Battlefield outlined by Battlefield 3, DICE’s follow-up is essentially more of the same. While the campaign is an improvement, it still had plenty of room for improvement – not that you cared all much once you were knees deep into Battlefield 4’s upgraded multiplayer options. 

While DICE clearly struggled as it worked to release Battlefield 4 on PC and across two console generations, there was a lot to love here. PlayStation and Xbox owners could finally appreciate the joyous chaos of 64-player matches, while the Levolution system – in which huge parts of each map could be drastically changed by weather and player activity – is still an impressive addition. Sadly, launch day troubles soured public opinion on the game for quite some time, its best qualities blighted by crippled servers and bugs aplenty. Battlefield 4 has come a long way since then, but we can’t ignore the shadow of its false promises, hence its somewhat diminished position on this list.

7. Battlefield 5

Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One
Release year: 2018

There’s a lot to love about Battlefield 5. It’s systematic, meticulous approach to subtly reworking multiplayer leads to some of the finest gunplay experienced in an online shooter to date, while the presentation has never been better thanks to detailed animations, state of the art technology, and a rousing, monumental original soundtrack. 

But this isn’t a Battlefield for everyone. By widening the skill gap and dialling down the spectacle, Battlefield 5 obfuscates the primordial craze of its predecessors for something a little more muted and a little less distinctive against the range of other shooters on the market. Your conclusions about Battlefield 5 will ultimately depend on what you want from a Battlefield game, but it’s hard to deny this instalment lacks that special X factor compared to the higher ranking entries on this list.  

6. Battlefield: Bad Company

Platform(s): PS3, Xbox 360
Release year: 2008

Many fondly remember Bad Company 2, but few talk about the original with quite the same enthusiasm. Shame, because it was the prototype for most things that made the sequel so brilliant. It was one of the first Battlefield games with a proper story, characters who you enjoy spending time with, and it represents the first use of the now legendary Frostbite engine in the Battlefield series. 

The result was levels of destruction we simply hadn’t seen before, and that makes it a landmark game. Sadly, DICE’s lack of experience in crafting a solo campaign was exposed too, with occasionally poor AI and some strange control options marking an otherwise excellent experience. Multiplayer was a sticking point too, as the game only shipped with a mode called Gold Rush (a prototype of the new classic Rush mode). Fan requests saw Conquest added afterwards, but the real strength of Bad Company always remained the single player. 

5. Battlefield 1942 

Platform(s): PC
Release year: 2002

The first, the original and, for many, one of the best. Battlefield 1942 is a formative piece of gaming history, in which DICE first took the concept of the hardcore military sim and marketed it to a wider audience. Not just valued for its historical importance, Battlefield 1942 is a fantastic first person shooter in its own right. For its time, the open map design and record breaking 64-player limits were a jaw dropping feat of technical power that let PC players value every penny they’d invested into their gaming machine, and even today, the authenticity of the gameplay stands up well. 

All the DNA of Battlefield is here – class-based gameplay, vehicular, all-terrain combat, team-focused multiplayer modes – proving that DICE had struck gold with a formula that has maintained its appeal in the shooter genre all these years later. Oh, and it was the game which blessed us with Wake Island, a near perfect multiplayer map, which justifies its position in this list alone.

4. Battlefield 1

Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One
Release year: 2016

The biggest, wildest Battlefield game to date, Battlefield 1 turned the clock back after years of modern combat to offer a ferocious presentation of World War 1, in all its unhinged desolation. Coming off of a slew of forgettable, modern day campaigns, Battlefield 1’s War Stories took a different approach via a series of isolated vignettes, spotlighting the individuals on each side of the conflict, and paying off greatly in terms of both pace and pathos. 

As for the new multiplayer features, Behemoths were a game-changing, earth-shattering alternative to Levelution, so unfettered in their seismic power that we’re willing to forgive the tremendous competitive imbalances that they brought to almost every match. Battlefield 1 is up there not just as a definitive high point for the series, but for the FPS genre at large. 

3. Battlefield 2

Platform(s): PC
Release year: 2005

Modern Battlefield games began with Battlefield 2… and I don’t just say that because Battlefield 2 was literally the first one with a modern setting (and the first to totally disregard proper numbering conventions). It was here that the series began to move away from the mindset of players swarming around static capture points in miniature wars of attrition.

Players were encouraged to join up with one of their team’s squads, giving them both a mobile spawn point in the form of their squad leader and a way to receive more specific objectives than ‘get all the flags’. Adding the soldier-reviving defibrillator to the medic class and ammo bags to the support class also promoted a more mobile, dynamic game. Battlefield 1942 established the broad concept that all the following games would pursue, but Battlefield 2 refined and focused it in many ways that persist today.

2. Battlefield 3

Platform(s): PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Release year: 2011

EA positioned Battlefield 3 as true contender to Call of Duty’s throne in 2011. Developer DICE worked to go back to Battlefield’s roots, all as it positioned this massive sequel as a simultaneous release across PC and console. While the campaign suffered through to its linearity, lacklustre AI, and drag missions, the multiplayer side to play was truly world-class. 

What it lacked in Bad Company 2-levels of destruction and carnage, Battlefield 3 made up for with a deep multiplayer offering – a true showcase of the series’ all-out-warfare mantra with beautiful environments, great variety in vehicles and weapons, and solid rewards for team-play. Battlefield 3 set a new standard for the series in the modern era, one that DICE has struggled to match in the years since its release. 

1. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 

Platform(s): PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Release year: 2010

For all its steely eyed militarism, it turns out that Battlefield has a real personality on its off hours. Battlefield Bad Company 2 features the best campaign of the franchise to date, with funny writing, unique mission scenarios, and a cast of characters who are actually a laugh to be around. There are cliches aplenty, but the snappy pace and expert mission design were just two bonus reasons to spend more time with the titular company of vagabond heroes, and that final, completely bonkers mission is still a total hoot. 

Bad Company 2’s multiplayer was equally carefree and chaotic, with varied maps and a whole suite of impressive physics, destruction, and sound effects for experimenting with. Plus, the tragically underrated Vietnam expansion nails the historiography of its setting better than most full Battlefield games, extending the shelf life of Bad Company 2’s multiplayer with a more ferocious, claustrophobic variant on the game’s irresistible slashings of PvP. This is Battlefield unshackled, tongue firmly in its cheek, surprising all of us to still stand tall as the best Battlefield game of all time. 

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So whether you’re finding more battle royale games, crafting games, shooters or more, we’ve listed some of the best games like Fortnite below.  We’ve made sure to include a lot of variety, so it’s not only battle royale experiences (though there’s obviously a few of those), but games that can fill similar roles as a social hub, or provide similar gameplay thrills. Whatever you’re looking for, you’ll find something to enjoy in our selection of the 10 best games like Fortnite below!

Apex Legends

Price: Free
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X

This new addition comes from the developers of Titanfall 2 (opens in new tab), Respawn. But don’t expect to be piloting giant mechs or doing any wall-running in Apex Legends, as you play as one of ten Legends, each with their own special ability. Think Overwatch (opens in new tab) meets battle royale: these characters are as distinct as they get, with one that can call in an artillery strike and another that can send out a drone to heal allies. You play in groups of three, so there’s always someone to watch your back – but you don’t have to stick together if you don’t want to. The good news is if it’s just you and the people from your team left standing, you all win – no grizzly betrayal/fight to the death necessary.

Call of Duty: Warzone

Price: Free
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X

Even if you don’t own Call of Duty Modern Warfare, you can jump into Warzone; this 150-player battle royale is based on Modern Warfare’s multiplayer but with some added quirks. Killstreaks can be bought, you can 1v1 players in a small cage match to respawn, and you can even get your multiplayer loadout via an airdrop. What’s even better is that Warzone has full crossplay, so you can play with your pals no matter what platform they’re on.

PUBG: Battlegrounds

Price: Free
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X

Before Fortnite came along, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds aka PUBG, was the king of the Battle Royale genre. It has the same 99 v 1 gameplay, but it’s much more serious, realistic, and intense than Fortnite. PUBG is now free-to-play too, allowing players from all-platforms to come together and fight it out for survival across five maps. PUBG is for the crowd who like a touch of realism in their battle royale games, and don’t want enemies to build a fort whenever they’re shot at.

Halo Infinite

Price: Free
Platform(s): PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X

The long wait was largely worth it – despite some understandable quibbles about the progression system that are already being rectified, Halo Infinite has proven itself a solid spiritual successor to classics like Halo 3 and Reach. Though so far the Battle Royale mode hasn’t materialised, the multiplayer itself includes huge arenas for dozens of players, colourful weapons, and a robust multiplayer experience that’s easy to pick up after just a couple of matches. Oh and better yet, Halo Infinite’s multiplayer is free-to-play and supports cross-play.

Ring of Elysium

Price: Free
Platform(s): PC

What’s great about Ring of Elysium is that it has the seriousness and FPS quality that you’re going to find in PUBG, but with a touch of the silliness of Fortnite. Real cat in a bubble-windowed carry backpack anyone? Yes, all of us. Not only does it have a seriously amazing character creation engine (seriously, I could tweak those dials all day), but it’s also an incredibly solid battle royale game, that’ll have you running from the ash storm on your BMX across Europa or aboard a skimobile on Dione. We’re obsessed, and so should you be. 

Minecraft

Price: $19.99
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Switch

Minecraft has been doing Hunger Games/Battle Royale/Last Man Standing deathmatches for years, and there are still dozens of servers dedicated to such a mode on PC. Communities like Mineplex are the best for offering balanced and competitive rounds set in the wonderfully blocky Minecraft world. Seeing as destructibility and building are key selling points of Minecraft in general, it was only a matter of time until Battle Royale snuck in. Of course, the combat is never going to compare to the fluidity of Fortnite, but when it’s as adorable as Minecraft it’s always going to be great fun. And, it’s kid-friendly!

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout

Price: $19.99
Platform(s) PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

Wobble all you like, just don’t fall down! Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is a Total Wipeout/Takeshi’s Castle-inspired Battle Royale platformer in which dozens of players precariously totter their way to victory. A brightly-coloured obstacle course means that while you don’t always directly fight, you are in competition, either racing to the finish, trying to outlast other players, or playing sporty minigames against each other.

Worms Rumble

Price: $10.99
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Switch

Worms isn’t turn-based anymore, it’s a full-on third person multiplayer shooter. Thirty-two players, a big arena, and all the classic artillery and weapons from the original Worms games, now with the fuses burning away in real time in Worms Rumble. For those who found themselves enjoying the cartoony art style and chaotic combat of Fortnite, this feels like a natural relation. Just don’t pet the sheep!

Fortnite: Save the World

Price: $39.99
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Switch

Instead of getting a game like Fortnite, why not just get more Fortnite? Save the World is premium release that predates the battle royale side to the game. It’s a co-op tower defense, letting you and your buddies build up fortifications before flooding the zone with enemies to take down together. It’s a lot of fun, and is deserving of your time if you want to take on different adventures with Fortnite’s core art style and its shooting/building mechanics. 

Among Us

Price: Varies by Platform
Platform(s): PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, IOS, Android

Among Us isn’t a Battle Royale shooter – there’s definitely no guns beyond the occasional little animations that appear when you trigger kills, and crafting doesn’t come up either. Still, it’s a perfect substitute for the social element of Fortnite, a form of online coffee shop or soccer field to meet with friends and just have fun. Among Us is famously a game about sneaking, suspect gameplay, where a team of little astronauts are all running around to get their shuttle shipshape… but at least one of you is a secret killer, trying to murder the rest and avoid accusation by pinning the blame on others. It’s great fun, and while the price varies from console to console, it’s always pretty cheap and is even free on certain platforms.

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The last time Valve addressed the rumors was in 2020, where the company said that it isn’t developing a new Left 4 Dead game. So where does that leave us? Sadly, it leaves us with uncorroborated Left 4 Dead 3 leaks and rumors, and with a lengthy new Left 4 Dead wishlist. Still, if you want to get caught up on all the information that’s out there, you’ll find details on every whisper we’ve heard over the years about Left 4 Dead 3.  

Left 4 Dead 3 Rumours

There have been a number of rumors pertaining to Left 4 Dead 3’s development, with many credible sources teasing its existence. While Valve addressed some of the rumors, there have been some notable rumors over the years. 

The first interesting tidbit arrived in 2014 thanks to an anonymous source posting a singular image to Neogaf (opens in new tab)with the garbled caption “jU$st fel acros myd esk, mbight b a thin.g”. 

The image is a screenshot of an open Powerpoint presentation, seemingly an internal, confidential Valve document that showcases levels from Left 4 Dead 2 enhanced and rebuilt in Valve’s Source 2.0 engine. The main event appears to be the Plantation mission, the final stakeout in the Swamp Fever campaign. With no official word on the matter, we can’t be sure that this came from Valve, but given how well-made it looks, it must have been the work of some incredibly talented modders and developers if not.

If we flash-forwards to 2016 we can then address the wonderful investigative sleuthing of Tyler McVicker of Valve News Network, who collected a number of leaks from the Steam VR Performance Tool (opens in new tab), which appeared to blow Valve’s entire future development plans wide open via a number of Source 2 files. As well as a “retired engineer” character found in the Left 4 Dead 3 directory, a new Special Infected is also referenced, known as The Nocturnal, whose abilities may have been tied to a day/night cycle, one of the features of the new engine. It’s worth checking out this run-through of the leaked content on the ValveTime website (opens in new tab) if you’d like to know more, which includes a potential Left 4 Dead test map, possibly bound for VR, and containing strings referencing a Moroccan lantern.

In what appears to be a gaffe on the side of Valve, references to the game (and Half Life 3, for Pete’s sake!) were found in the file directories, which led many to assume that the game was in development. Later that year, a tutorial posted to Valve’s official developer community website contained an image that referenced a ‘l4d3’ folder before it was swiftly replaced, too. Later in 2017, user Barnz posted a discussion thread to the ValveTime forum (opens in new tab) pointing to the portfolio website of one Moby Francke (opens in new tab), an ex-Valve artist who appears to have drafted up some concept characters for a potential Left 4 Dead 3. The two characters are armed to the teeth and look fit for fighting zombies. At that time it was surmised that the previously leaked VR files matched the actual textures for the 3D models of these characters, further turning the rumor mill.

Earlier this year in April 2019 we saw perhaps the most credible leak yet in a series of woefully boring screenshots (opens in new tab) of a walled middle-eastern city. These were once more provided by Valve News Network host Tyler McVicker and despite lacking confirmation, it certainly lines up with the conceptualized character designs. The problem is that at this point, it looks like the project was probably canned, as the images are from an old 2013 build of the game. At this point, it’s probably not worth getting your hopes up about Left 4 Dead 3.

Left 4 Dead 3 wishlist

Still, we can’t help but imagine just what a Left 4 Dead 3 would be like. Below, we’ve put together a wishlist for features we’d love to see as we continue to dream about one day seeing a sequel. 

1. New and returning characters

One of the Left 4 Dead series’ best features are the interesting and diverse cast of characters available to players. Though their backstories have previously been explored via easter eggs, external media and back and forth voice lines, characters like Louis and Bill have still become beloved in the eyes of fans, even appearing in other titles. 

Given the time since the previous game, Valve will have no doubt had time to dream up an even more unlikely team of protagonists from all corners of the globe, not just America. The avenues for exploration of their moral code via in-game side missions, environmental storytelling and more have opened up significantly since the days of Left 4 Dead 2, and the concept introduced in The Sacrifice of losing a player as part of the narrative and making genuine choices mid-gameplay could certainly be expanded in the next game.

2. Intercontinental maps and biomes

As well as an even more culturally diverse cast, it’d be great to see the game spread it’s wings from North America and travel to other continents. Whilst Valve risk muddying the waters by making the campaign an international journey, perhaps a change of scene would be good for exploring different biomes and their related infected (see the clowns at the carnival and the context-specific swamp zombies.) 

Even if it was set in Europe, or as the leaks suggest, the Middle-East, it’d be a fascinating new lens to present the unique zombie apocalypse that Valve has crafted. We already know that iconic maps can come from humble beginnings like No Mercy’s claustrophobic hospital, so by taking a step back, perhaps we could be in for some even more death-defying set pieces.

3. New special infected types

As referenced in the leaks, The Nocturnal is evidence that Valve already had plans for more special infected beyond the already stacked roster of Jockeys, Tanks, Spitters and the like. It’s worth noting that zombie dog sound files have been found as cut content from the game, and more notably The Screamer was cut from the game, a special zombie that alerts the horde to its position by yelling. With enhanced logic potential and increased player-infected interaction, the gate is open for swathes of new enemy types that learn from years of iteration and play mind games with the survivors rather than being purely physical like the Tank or Hunter.

4. VR capabilities

Given Valve’s focus on VR with SteamVR, the HTC Vive and now the Valve Index, it’d make sense to see Left 4 Dead 3 offer some kind of VR support. Whether that means cross-play with PC players or a specific game mode for designated VR players, it’d be fascinating (if not nauseating) to zip around the map as a hunter, scaling buildings and leaping through the air to land on prey. It’s certainly possible to load up a VR player with the abilities of the infected, and given Valve’s rumored work on a Half Life 2 VR release, perhaps the tricky design issues of implementing shooter gameplay into VR might have been remedied by the point of its release, allowing VR players to exist in an asymmetrical map and contend with one another. It would certainly be an ambitious concept to pull off, but well worth it if it works.

5. Horde and director intelligence enhancements

Left 4 Dead’s AI director is by far and away the most impressive and ambitious part of the zombie shooter’s formula, a dynamic means to control the pacing and difficulty of each round of survival, as the players strive to get to the safe room and proceed to the next map. Even though the A.I. is still fairly unmatched as far as online asymmetrical co-op multiplayer goes, the mind boggles as to what Valve could do with the directorial systems in-game given enhancements in machine learning since the previous game’s release. 

Horde and special infected management as well as the spawning of Tanks and Witches could be even more clever and adrenaline-pumping than before. Beyond the infected, the director is also in control of items, map events like car alarms and rain and music, which is the main means to figure out if you’re about to get swarmed or not. Technically, this is the most tricky part to work on but if done correctly, even slight improvements upon Left 4 Dead 2’s already stunning A.I. base would be a welcome shock to the system for co-op shooter fans. 

The post Left 4 Dead 3: Rumours and everything wed like to see appeared first on Game News.

While the Winters’ Expansion unlocks ‘Third-Person Mode’ as an option for the core campaign, the Shadows of Rose story DLC takes place entirely in third person – it’s quite the change. Call me a cynic, but I reckon this is a deliberate and admittedly shrewd move from Capcom with an eye on its much-anticipated and recently confirmed Resident Evil 4 Remake. And call me a sell-out, but I’m totally here for it.

Shoulder charge

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I didn’t think we needed a The Last of Us remake until I saw it in motion

Given the acclaim the Resident Evil series has received since pivoting to a first-person perspective in 2017’s Resident Evil 7, the decision to revert to an over-the-shoulder POV here feels like an odd but assured move. Resident Evil Village is a continuation of Ethan Winters’ story from RE7, and likewise carried the first-person torch forward from the Baker estate to the next game’s titular European hamlet setting when it arrived last year. While mostly linear in makeup – in the same vein as its predecessors – Resident Evil Village offers players more in the way of exploration, with more optional areas and secret-laden hidden locations than anything that’s come before. Being shown all of this through the eyes of the protagonist at ground level makes a modestly-sized map feel so much bigger, a feature galvanised by the game world’s astute level design and back-and-forth objective structure. 

Moreover, scrambling monsters and half-robot zombies are generally more terrifying when forcing themselves into your personal space – a sense of frantic claustrophobia that goes hand-in-hand with a first-person point of view – and the towering Lady Dimitrescu is doubly scary when viewed from Ethan Winters’ perspective firsthand, the hero often forced to tilt his head back just to take in all nine feet and six inches of the castle countess. In the case of Resident Evil Village’s new Third Person Mode, then, I can’t see how switching camera views can improve any of the original blueprint. We won’t know until we get hands-on with it, but I suspect the map will feel smaller, the enemies less scary, and, heaven forbid, Lady Dimitrescu less imposing.

So why do it? The Rose Winters-starring Shadows of Rose expansion looks great, and, following the conclusion of the base game, is likely to be the final twist in frontman Ethan’s tale – one that I can’t wait to discover myself. I already have so many questions, not least: who is that doppelganger, and why has the otherwise helpful shopkeeper, The Duke, seemingly turned hostile? Still, given the Resident Evil Village base game incorporates a first-person perspective as standard, there was really no need to make RE8’s first slice of DLC anything different. 

As also revealed during Capcom’s E3 2022 showcase, though, the Resident Evil 2 Remake and Resident Evil 3 Remake are both getting current-gen hardware upgrades, with 4K resolution, ray tracing, higher frame rates, and 3D audio all en route to the games first launched in 2019 and 2020 respectively. For PS5 players, the upgrade – free for existing owners of the originals – also adds haptic feedback and adaptive trigger support via the console’s DualSense controller. The RE2 and RE3 remakes are, of course, third-person horror games now on the cusp of being brought in-line with modern standards – in many ways similar to Sony and Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us: Part 1. 

Shortly after announcing Resident Evil Village’s Third Person Mode and its incoming Shadows of Rose DLC, the Resident Evil 4 remake’s director Yasuhiro Anpo and producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi spent five minutes outlining what we can expect from the reimagining when it lands on March 24 next year. Hirabayashi introduced new gameplay footage with the line: “The over-the-shoulder camera returns, of course!”, while Anpo later affirmed: “We want long-time fans and people who are new to Resident Evil to enjoy this storied franchise”.

Village people

Through all of this, a short-term pivot to third-person suddenly makes perfect sense. As of last month, Resident Evil Village has sold over six million copies. That audience is locked in, and, I can only assume, raring to go for more story content, no matter how it’s framed and served. Despite being unsure of the value in a Third Person Mode myself, I’ll definitely give it a spin – if for nothing else but to see how Lady Dimitrescu stands up, and to experience Heisenberg’s industrial maze from a different point of view. If, in that process, I’m given small insight into how a modern day Resident Evil 4 might look and feel – it, of course, also set in a nameless, monster-ridden Eastern European village – then Capcom’s gamble has paid off. And whether you’re a longstanding fan or a newcomer, being able to blaze through Resident 2, Resident Evil 3, Resident Evil Village and its coinciding DLC all in third-person view on modern hardware bodes well for Capcom’s next big push towards its Resident Evil 4 remake.  

At this point, I would still expect the ninth main series Resident Evil – whatever it’s called and whenever it may arrive – to adopt a first-person camera view, as per numbers eight and nine, and there’s every chance that Capcom will eventually rework Village’s Shadows of Rose DLC through the eyes of its protagonist. When I first learned the expansion was “completely third-person”, I thought it had no business being so – but that, for me, in fact, is exactly what is driving the decision. And, while I find it an odd move, if it acts as a primer for next year’s Resident Evil 4, I am one hundred per cent on board.  

Resident Evil Village is among the best horror games out there – how many of the rest have you played? 

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