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The 2002 Star Wars: Bounty Hunter video game is being updated and making its way to modern consoles and PC, and we decided to give it a look.
The original game, now more than 20 years old, was released on GameCube and PlayStation 2, and this new version adds all kinds of interesting bells and whistles. According to developer Aspyr, this version is a native port of the GameCube version of the game, as opposed to an emulation. The game also features contemporary controls and and overhauled camera system.
You can watch the video for our full impressions and play (or replay it) on August 1 on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X/S, Switch, and PC.
Head to Game Informer's YouTube channel for more previews, reviews, and discussions of new and upcoming games. Watch other episodes of New Gameplay Todayright here.
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Bungie has announced layoffs affecting 220 employees. In a blog post, Bungie CEO Pete Parsons cites “rising costs of development and industry shifts as well as enduring economic conditions” as the primary factor while revealing some dramatic changes for the company going forward.
These layoffs represent 17 percent of the studio’s workforce and affect every department of the company, with executive and senior leadership roles impacted most. Parsons states that departing employees will receive a “generous” exit package that includes severance, bonus, and health coverage. Bungie also plans to hold employee town halls, along with team and private individual meetings over the coming weeks, to help sort out the next steps. 850 employees remain following the layoffs.
“I realize all of this is hard news, especially following the success we have seen with The Final Shape,” Parsons writes. “But as we’ve navigated the broader economic realities over the last year, and after exhausting all other mitigation options, this has become a necessary decision to refocus our studio and our business with more realistic goals and viable financials.”
Parsons also reveals plans to further integrate Bungie into Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), which acquired the studio in 2022, to leverage its strengths. Firstly, Bungie is working to integrate 155 roles (12 percent of its staff) into SIE over the next few quarters. Bungie states this has allowed them to save additional talent that would have otherwise been affected by today's layoffs.
Second, Bungie is working with PlayStation Studios to form a new, separate in-house studio that will continue developing one of its incubation projects. Bungie describes this title as “an action game set in a brand-new science-fantasy universe.”
Parsons then elaborates on how Bungie found itself in this difficult position. He explains that the team’s goal was to ship games in “three enduring, global franchises” and set up several incubation projects to achieve this aim. However, Bungie found itself stretched thin too quickly. This forced its support structures to grow larger than it could feasibly support, especially given the ongoing development of two big titles in Destiny 2 and the upcoming Marathon.
Destiny 2: The Final Shape
Parsons also cites this rapid expansion collided with a broader economic slowdown, the sharp downturn games industry, the mixed reception to Destiny 2: Lightfall, and the need to give the recently released The Final Shape expansion for Destiny 2 (which garnered critical acclaim) and Marathon more development time to ensure a high quality. “We were overly ambitious, our financial safety margins were subsequently exceeded, and we began running in the red,” Parsons states.
“After this new trajectory became clear, we knew we had to change our course and speed, and we did everything we could to avoid today’s outcome," says Parsons. "Even with exhaustive efforts undertaken across our leadership and product teams to resolve our financial challenges, these steps were simply not enough.”
Today’s layoffs come roughly 8 months after the studio cut 100 staffers last October, and the second since it was acquired by Sony. It represents another wave of game industry job cuts that have run rampant since last year, and hopefully the affected staff can land on their feet sooner than later.
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Bungie has announced layoffs affecting 220 employees. In a blog post, Bungie CEO Pete Parsons cites “rising costs of development and industry shifts as well as enduring economic conditions” as the primary factor while revealing some dramatic changes for the company going forward.
These layoffs represent 17 percent of the studio’s workforce and affect every department of the company, with executive and senior leadership roles impacted most. Parsons states that departing employees will receive a “generous” exit package that includes severance, bonus, and health coverage. Bungie also plans to hold employee town halls, along with team and private individual meetings over the coming weeks, to help sort out the next steps. 850 employees remain following the layoffs.
“I realize all of this is hard news, especially following the success we have seen with The Final Shape,” Parsons writes. “But as we’ve navigated the broader economic realities over the last year, and after exhausting all other mitigation options, this has become a necessary decision to refocus our studio and our business with more realistic goals and viable financials.”
Parsons also reveals plans to further integrate Bungie into Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), which acquired the studio in 2022, to leverage its strengths. Firstly, Bungie is working to integrate 155 roles (12 percent of its staff) into SIE over the next few quarters. Bungie states this has allowed them to save additional talent that would have otherwise been affected by today's layoffs.
Second, Bungie is working with PlayStation Studios to form a new, separate in-house studio that will continue developing one of its incubation projects. Bungie describes this title as “an action game set in a brand-new science-fantasy universe.”
Parsons then elaborates on how Bungie found itself in this difficult position. He explains that the team’s goal was to ship games in “three enduring, global franchises” and set up several incubation projects to achieve this aim. However, Bungie found itself stretched thin too quickly. This forced its support structures to grow larger than it could feasibly support, especially given the ongoing development of two big titles in Destiny 2 and the upcoming Marathon.
Destiny 2: The Final Shape
Parsons also cites this rapid expansion collided with a broader economic slowdown, the sharp downturn games industry, the mixed reception to Destiny 2: Lightfall, and the need to give the recently released The Final Shape expansion for Destiny 2 (which garnered critical acclaim) and Marathon more development time to ensure a high quality. “We were overly ambitious, our financial safety margins were subsequently exceeded, and we began running in the red,” Parsons states.
“After this new trajectory became clear, we knew we had to change our course and speed, and we did everything we could to avoid today’s outcome. Even with exhaustive efforts undertaken across our leadership and product teams to resolve our financial challenges, these steps were simply not enough,”
Today’s layoffs come roughly 8 months after the studio cut 100 staffers last October, and the second since it was acquired by Sony. It represents another wave of game industry job cuts that have run rampant since last year, and hopefully the affected staff can land on their feet sooner than later.
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Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC Publisher: Behaviour Interactive Developer: Supermassive Games Release: Rating: Mature
The Casting of Frank Stone may have new elements due to its ties to Dead by Daylight, but it remains a Supermassive horror game at its core. By that, I mean it’s a narrative-focused, choice-driven adventure that can result in numerous different outcomes based on your decisions and reaction time to sudden button prompts. Characters can be permanently killed off due to your actions, and this blueprint has given past Supermassive works like Until Dawn and especially The Quarry (which boasted 186 different outcomes) plenty of replayability for fans who wanted to see every possible route the story could take. This has typically meant restarting the entire game, but The Casting of Frank Stone eases this process thanks to a new destination called the Cutting Room Floor.
This mode opens after you’ve beaten the game once, but it will be available at the start for owners of the Deluxe Edition. The Cutting Room Floor displays the web of possible outcomes, locked and unlocked, for every narrative fork in each chapter. It also shows the number of collectibles you’ve found or can be found.
Every decision has a percentage number representing the number of players who chose it, and this statistic will continually fluctuate as more people play. You can replay any segment, which means you can preserve your choices from a previous section of the game and only change later outcomes, and vice versa. Since some outcomes can only be experienced by making a specific combination of decisions, the Cutting Room Floor seems like a great, streamlined way to witness the different story permutations and go collectible/achievement hunting without replaying unnecessary stretches or the whole game.
How many different directions can the story take? When I asked Supermassive Games this question, creative director Steve Goss told me that the sheer number of outcomes won’t be as vast as The Quarry’s. Instead, he says to compare the game to Until Dawn’s structure. The team aimed to write a more tightly written tale for The Casting of Frank Stone to facilitate more satisfying character arcs and resolutions. That said, you’ll still be making plenty of decisions, and the Cutting Room Floor will make it easier than ever to revisit those choices and make new ones.
The Casting of Frank Stone launches on September 3 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Click the banner below to visit our cover story hub for more exclusive stories and videos.
Visions of Mana is a month away from release, but anxious players can get an early taste starting today, thanks to a free demo. Available now on PlayStation consoles, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, this playable slice lets players experience the game’s first chapter and a big boss fight.
The demo begins in the middle of Chapter 1 at Rime Falls and takes players through areas such as Fallow Steppe and Rhata Harbor. The chapter’s final boss, the Kraken, awaits the playable party of Val, Careena, and Morley.
Unfortunately, save data will not transfer from the demo to the full game. Square Enix states this is because the final version of this section has been altered “for a more satisfying experience.” Instead, those with save data from the demo who purchase the full game will receive three weapons for Val upon reaching Chapter 1: Gladius, Falx, and Horn Lance.
First revealed at The Game Awards 2023, Visions of Mana marks the first original Mana entry in 15 years. Set in a vibrant, semi-open, fully 3D world, the adventure stars Val, who travels to the Mana Tree alongside his lifelong friend Hinna. You can watch the game’s most recent trailer here.
Visions of Mana launches on August 29 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, and PC.
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Visions of Mana is a month away from release, but anxious players can get an early taste starting today, thanks to a free demo. Available now on PlayStation consoles, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, this playable slice lets players experience the game’s first chapter and a big boss fight.
The demo begins in the middle of Chapter 1 at Rime Falls and takes players through areas such as Fallow Steppe and Rhata Harbor. The chapter’s final boss, the Kraken, awaits the playable party of Val, Careena, and Morley.
Unfortunately, save data will not transfer from the demo to the full game. Square Enix states this is because the final version of this section has been altered “for a more satisfying experience.” Instead, those with save data from the demo who purchase the full game will receive three weapons for Val upon reaching Chapter 1: Gladius, Falx, and Horn Lance.
First revealed at The Game Awards 2023, Visions of Mana marks the first original Mana entry in 15 years. Set in a vibrant, semi-open, fully 3D world, the adventure stars Val, who travels to the Mana Tree alongside his lifelong friend Hinna. You can watch the game’s most recent trailer here.
Visions of Mana launches on August 29 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, and PC.
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Tony Pankhurst, the UK actor who served as the face for The Curator in Supermassive Games’ The Dark Pictures Anthology, has passed away. He was 67.
Supermassive announced Pankhurst's passing on Twitter. A tribute page from Pankhurst’s family (spotted by GameSpot) reveals that he died on May 9 and his funeral was held on June 7. The family is currently accepting donations to Hospice in the Weald, who cared for Pankhurst during his final weeks.
We are all saddened to hear of Tony Pankhurst's passing. He was the face of The Curator, and we loved working with him. 🤍 pic.twitter.com/ZZQbeViE8S
Pankhurst’s career in the entertainment industry spans over 40 years across films, TV, and radio. In video games, he provided the likeness for the mysterious Curator in The Dark Pictures Anthology games Man of Madan, Little Hope, House of Ashes, and The Devil in Me, although actor Pip Torrens provided the voice and motion capture for the character. Pankhurst did portray a live-action version of The Curator in a trailer for 2021's House of Ashes, which you can watch below.
Game Informer extends its condolences to Pankhurst’s family and loved ones.
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Tony Pankhurst, the UK actor who served as the face for The Curator in Supermassive Games’ The Dark Pictures Anthology, has passed away. He was 67.
Supermassive announced Pankhurst's passing on Twitter. A tribute page from Pankhurst’s family (spotted by GameSpot) reveals that he died on May 9 and his funeral was held on June 7. The family is currently accepting donations to Hospice in the Weald, who cared for Pankhurst during his final weeks.
We are all saddened to hear of Tony Pankhurst's passing. He was the face of The Curator, and we loved working with him. 🤍 pic.twitter.com/ZZQbeViE8S
Pankhurst’s career in the entertainment industry spans over 40 years across films, TV, and radio. In video games, he provided the likeness for the mysterious Curator in The Dark Pictures Anthology games Man of Madan, Little Hope, House of Ashes, and The Devil in Me, although actor Pip Torrens provided the voice and motion capture for the character. Pankhurst did portray a live-action version of The Curator in a trailer for 2021's House of Ashes, which you can watch below.
Game Informer extends its condolences to Pankhurst’s family and loved ones.
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PlayStation has unveiled a limited edition Astro Bot DualSense controller for the PlayStation 5, and it launches September 6, the same day developer Team Asobi's Astro Bot launches. Preorders begin on Friday, August 9, at 7 a.m PT/10 a.m. ET in the U.S. and the controller will cost $79.99.
"The controller's design features Astro's signature blue accents on the handles and buttons, carved in, sci-fi lines as well as the trademark playful pair of eyes on the touch pad," a PlayStation Blog post reads.
As you can see, this limited edition controller looks a lot like the titular Astro Bot, and will pair nicely with the game when it launches September 6.
Summer Games Fest gave us the cinematic reveal of Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, an upcoming game based on the popular wizarding sport. A new trailer provides the first look at gameplay, including glimpses of a couple of modes and character customization.
Quidditch Champions features a single-player career mode that allows players to climb the ranks of the sport. Each victory takes them to larger, grander venues, from Hogwarts to the Quidditch World Cup Stadium. An online competitive mode pits teams of real-life players against each other. Playable characters include Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Draco Malfoy, but you can also create and customize your own athletes using an extensive character creator.
Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions launches digitally on September 3 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. A Switch version is planned to launch sometime this holiday.
Quidditch Champions will be available in two versions. The Digital Standard Edition ($29.99) simply includes the base game. Digital and Physical Deluxe Editions ($39.99) include the game, House Packs for Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor, and 2,000 in-game gold (earned in-game, as Quidditch Champions does not have microtransactions). The house pack includes a broom skin, travel school uniform, and crest emblem representing each house. The Physical Deluxe Edition goes on sale on November 8.
Additionally, the Standard Edition will launch as a PlayStation Plus title on day one and will be available to subscribers until September 30.
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<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://ift.tt/rpEwL4m" width="800" height="450" alt="Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions Gameplay Trailer" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" /></p> <p>Summer Games Fest gave us the <a href="https://ift.tt/KpbLHtN reveal</a> of Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, an upcoming game based on the popular wizarding sport. A new trailer provides the first look at gameplay, including glimpses of a couple of modes and character customization. </p> <p>Quidditch Champions features a single-player career mode that allows players to climb the ranks of the sport. Each victory takes them to larger, grander venues, from Hogwarts to the Quidditch World Cup Stadium. An online competitive mode pits teams of real-life players against each other. Playable characters include Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Draco Malfoy, but you can also create and customize your own athletes using an extensive character creator. </p> <iframe width="560" height="315" frameBorder="0" allow="autoplay" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ij-PX9Is1ro" width="640"></iframe> <p>Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions launches digitally on September 3 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. A Switch version is planned to launch sometime this holiday. </p> <p>Quidditch Champions will be available in two versions. The Digital Standard Edition ($29.99) simply includes the base game. Digital and Physical Deluxe Editions ($39.99) include the game, House Packs for Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor, and 2,000 in-game gold (earned in-game, as Quidditch Champions does not have microtransactions). The house pack includes a broom skin, travel school uniform, and crest emblem representing each house. The Physical Deluxe Edition goes on sale on November 8. </p> <p>Additionally, the Standard Edition will launch as a PlayStation Plus title on day one and will be available to subscribers until September 30.</p>
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Mortal Kombat 1’s much-anticipated story expansion has been revealed, and it’s called Khaos Reigns. It unfolds after the events of the story campaign and centers on the invasion of Titan Havik from an alternate reality, who seeks to spread anarchy across all timelines.
The expansion's cinematic story introduces new playable characters, Noob Saibot and the now female Sektor and Cyrax. These three fighters make up half of Kombat Pack 2 and will be available when the DLC launches on September 24.
In keeping with the tradition of prior games, the second half of Kombat Pack 2 features guest fighters from various films. Scream’s Ghostface, Terminator 2’s T-1000, and Conan the Barbarian are on the way, but there’s no release window for their arrival. Kombat Pack 2 comes included with Khaos Reigns and cannot be purchased as a standalone character bundle.
Animalities are making their return as a free content update upon Khaos Reigns’ release. First introduced in Mortal Kombat 3 and last seen in 2011's Mortal Kombat, these beastial finishing moves see fighters morph into animals to eviscerate opponents. The trailer reveals Mileena can turn into a giant, horrifying praying mantis, for example, and a press release states every playable fighter will have an Animality (which would include the movie-born guest fighters for an interesting thought).
Speaking of free content, today, owners will receive the MK95 Scorpion skin modeled after his appearance in the live-action 1995 Mortal Kombat film.
Khaos Reigns launches digitally on September 24 for all platforms MK1 is available on. It will run for $49.99 on every platform except for Switch, where it costs $39.99. You can read our review of the base game here.
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Mortal Kombat 1’s much-anticipated story expansion has been revealed, and it’s called Khaos Reigns. It unfolds after the events of the story campaign and centers on the invasion of Titan Havik from an alternate reality, who seeks to spread anarchy across all timelines.
The expansion's cinematic story introduces new playable characters, Noob Saibot and the now female Sektor and Cyrax. These three fighters make up half of Kombat Pack 2 and will be available when the DLC launches on September 24.
In keeping with the tradition of prior games, the second half of Kombat Pack 2 features guest fighters from various films. Scream’s Ghostface, Terminator 2’s T-1000, and Conan the Barbarian are on the way, but there’s no release window for their arrival. Kombat Pack 2 comes included with Khaos Reigns and cannot be purchased as a standalone character bundle.
Animalities are making their return as a free content update upon Khaos Reigns’ release. First introduced in Mortal Kombat 3 and last seen in 2011's Mortal Kombat, these beastial finishing moves see fighters morph into animals to eviscerate opponents. The trailer reveals Mileena can turn into a giant, horrifying praying mantis, for example, and a press release states every playable fighter will have an Animality (which would include the movie-born guest fighters for an interesting thought).
Speaking of free content, today, owners will receive the MK95 Scorpion skin modeled after his appearance in the live-action 1995 Mortal Kombat film.
Khaos Reigns launches digitally on September 24 for all platforms MK1 is available on. It will run for $49.99 on every platform except for Switch, where it costs $39.99. You can read our review of the base game here.
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In Date Everything, those looking for romance don’t need to look any further than their refrigerator, smoke alarm, or dining room table. That’s because this wacky sandbox dating sim by developer Sassy Chap is all about forming relationships with everyday household objects that, it turns out, are actually pretty hot.
The game bestows players with special “Dateviator” glasses that allow them to speak with objects and see them in their true, absurdly attractive forms. Dozens of objects await your affection – even elements like air and water can be courted – and branching dialogue can lead to three relationship resolutions for each character (Love, Friend, Hate). Whatever you decide will be reflected in the ever-changing 3D overworld that is your house.
Date Everything boasts over 100 voiced characters played by performers that include Felicia Day (Critical Role, Supernatural), Johnny Yong Bosch (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Bleach), and Grey DeLisle (Scooby-Doo, Avatar: The Last Airbender). Given the huge amount of speaking roles, Date Everything boasts 1.2 million words and 70,000 voiced lines.
Date Everything looks delightfully silly, but it unfortunately doesn’t have a release window. It will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and PC.
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In this week's episode of The Game Informer Show podcast, we unpack our latest cover story on The Casting of Frank Stone! After that, Marcus Stewart dives into his time playing the cyberpunk noir detective game Nobody Wants to Die. Charles Harte discusses his early impression of Arranger, and Kyle breaks down his review of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. Marcus also chats about his recent trip to Blizzard to play Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred's new Spiritborn class, and we round out the discussion with listener questions and a surprisingly long reflection on the 1995 film Powder.
The Game Informer Show is a weekly gaming podcast covering the latest video game news, industry topics, exclusive reveals, and reviews. Join us every Thursday to chat about your favorite games – past and present – with Game Informer staff, developers, and special guests from around the industry. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
Matt Storm, the freelance audio editor for The Game Informer Show, edited this episode. Matt is an experienced podcast host and producer who's been speaking into a microphone for over a decade. You should listen to Matt's shows like the "Fun" And Games Podcast and Reignite, a BioWare-focused podcast. The Game Informer Show – Podcast Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:04:02 - Cover Story: The Casting of Frank Stone
00:24:52 - Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure
00:33:44 - Nobody Wants to Die
00:51:03 - Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess Review
01:01:30 - Charles' Retro Console Corner
01:05:54 - Diablo IV Vessel of Hatred - Spiritborn Class Preview
01:14:56 - Housekeeping and Listener Questions
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Game Informer Magazine's next cover story dives into The Casting of Frank Stone, Dead by Daylight's first single-player game, and a collaboration between developer Supermassive Games and DBD masterminds Behaviour Interactive. Enjoy watching Alex Van Aken and Marcus Stewart discuss their time playing the game while watching exclusive gameplay of The Casting of Frank Stone's prologue.
The Casting of Frank Stone launches on September 3 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Be sure to visit our cover story hub for more exclusive stories and videos by clicking the banner below.
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Reviewed on: PC Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC Publisher: Plaion Developer: Critical Hit Games Release: Rating: Mature
Nobody Wants to Die’s world terrifies me. Set only a few hundred years in the future, it paints a dystopian society where humanity has unlocked the secret to immortality, but instead of eternal bliss, it paved the way for the government to have full legal control of our bodies. The world is as fascinating as it is upsetting, and a high-profile murder becomes the catalyst for a gripping (though not always actively engaging) mystery within it.
Since Blade Runner's release in 1982, renditions of a cyberpunk metropolis have been plentiful and familiar. Nobody Wants to Die’s bleak depiction of 2329 New York City stands out as one of my favorites due to its effective fusion of Art Deco. The game looks as if technology skyrocketed in the 1930s while retaining that era’s aesthetic; vintage cars soar across the polluted airways of the concrete jungle, and futuristic gadgets have a Tomorrowland-esque design. In addition to a strong art direction, the graphical fidelity is top-notch with beautiful lighting illuminating the densely detailed cityscape and interiors. Nobody Wants to Die is a gorgeous game, and a clever introductory reveal of its world ranks among my favorite moments of the year.
The visuals invited me in, and the world-building kept me. After developing the ability to transfer human consciousness to different bodies, humanity has essentially solved death. People routinely live for centuries by switching to new, more desirable bodies, engendering a terrible system where citizens must pay a subscription fee to keep their original shell after coming of age. Failing to do so results in government seizure, where your consciousness is forcibly extracted and stored in a memory bank while your body goes up for sale. The less affluent 99% may have to settle for occupying aging or medically compromised bodies. If you can’t afford a new body, your conscious mind could be trapped in a bank for decades or longer. From Orwellian government promotions of a healthy lifestyle to prevent citizens from becoming damaged goods to reintroduction parties where people familiarize loved ones with their new bodies, developer Critical Hit Games has crafted an intriguing culture around this concept. Every lore detail, whether through new paper headlines or radio broadcasts, added substance to the presentation’s sizzle.
The politics surrounding immortality means morally dubious politicians and celebrities can maintain their status and control for obscenely long periods of time. In a world where true death is a rarity, the mysterious murder of one elite figure rattles the cages. Protagonist James Karra, a 120-year-old loose-cannon detective, is tasked with finding the culprit in an off-the-books case. The first-person adventure sees James visiting crime scenes and using a small set of high-tech forensic tools to collect clues and reverse engineer sequences of events. Whether using a handheld X-ray to trace a bullet’s trajectory, shining a UV lamp on hidden blood trails, or, most often, using a time-manipulating gauntlet to rewind and scrub through a chaotic moment, I enjoy assembling the pieces of smaller puzzles to form the big picture.
Detective work isn’t difficult, relying less on deductive reasoning and more on thoroughly poking around and uncovering every intractable element available. I don’t mind this more guided approach, as finding clues can lead to insightful and entertaining conversations with James’ partner Sara, who provides remote tech support in his ear. The two share some fun, sarcasm-heavy banter, such as an optional exchange where Sara asks James to describe the smell of chocolate (which no longer exists). The performances, especially Sara’s, are strong enough to make their relationship feel genuine and endearing. Their back-and-forth also adds welcomed levity, though James’ hard-boiled noir detective act means he often spews verbose monologues with metaphors that sometimes make limited sense.
Connecting clues in a flow chart between investigations is a game of determining which piece of evidence answers the question at hand. In reality, you can cheese this by just slotting in every clue until the right one fits, but I always wanted to deduce the answer properly. That said, Nobody Wants to Die is ultimately a narrative-focused adventure that uses detective-inspired gameplay as a vehicle to tell its story. You can’t really get anything wrong, and so if you’re hoping for true agency in how you approach solving this conspiracy, you’ll be disappointed.
You can, however, steer the plot in different directions thanks to the choice-driven dialogue and significant decision-making moments, adding stakes to conversations. Some choices have timers and can be as simple as deciding whether or not to drink on the job; an inebriated James may open an additional dialogue option. Bigger decisions, like deciding whether or not to kill a suspect or to destroy or preserve incriminating evidence, alter the plot more significantly. While that provides a good incentive to replay the roughly five-hour adventure, you’ll have to trek through the entire game again since it lacks a chapter selection, which is unfortunate.
Nobody Wants to Die does an admirable job juggling three main story threads: the aforementioned murder, James’ struggle to remember and come to terms with a traumatic event surrounding his wife’s death, and a heartbreaking tale involving Sara I won’t spoil. These plot points are disjointed at times; I’d make a big breakthrough in the murder case I wanted to follow up on immediately, only for the story to shift focus on James’ problems for a period. A mysterious villain at the center of it all is menacing at first but winds up feeling too obscure by the end. Perhaps it's a result of my choices, but I’m still not entirely sure what the antagonist’s true goal was or even who they were. Though the main threat falls a bit flat, the story regularly gripped me and sprinkled a few effective twists and revelations that kept me guessing until the conclusion.
Nobody Wants to Die delivers a few hours of largely engaging storytelling, easy yet well-presented puzzle-solving, and jaw-dropping sights. It has an ideal length, as it wraps up just when the long investigation segments begin feeling repetitive since your toolset never changes. While I didn’t get to wear my detective hat as tightly as I wanted, I enjoyed my tour through this cautionary vision of the future.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl has suffered yet another delay. The long-awaited shooter was slated to arrive on September 5 but will now launch on November 20 to give developer GSC Game World more time to address technical issues.
Additionally, the studio announced it will release its first-ever Developer Deep Dive video to give a comprehensive behind-the-scenes look at the game. The video will feature new gameplay footage, overviews of its world and locations, a full walkthrough of a story quest, and developer interviews. It is being made in collaboration with Xbox and will premiere on August 12.
The delay marks another bump in the road for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. It was formally unveiled in 2020 after years of teases at the Xbox Games Showcase but has hit snags along the way, including garnering backlash for now-canceled plans for NFT implementation. The biggest disruption was Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, where GSC Game World is based, which upended development and forced the staff to relocate to Prague, Czech Republic (though some team members actively fought and sadly perished in the war). Despite all of this, the game has managed to come together, and we even played it during Summer Game Fest this year.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl launches on November 20 for Xbox Series X/S and PC. It will launch day one on Xbox Game Pass. If nothing else, this delay gives players more time to catch up with the Xbox re-release of the original games that arrived earlier this year.
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Hot Lap Racing is a “simcade” racing game powered by an in-house racing physics engine developed especially for the game. Discover the history of motorsport from GT to Formula 1 and race against your friends or compete online against more players!
Experience 15+ licensed and custom tracks for more than 70 layouts!
50+ cars: Pick from a diverse lineup of over 50 vehicles representing various motorsport categories and eras, such as Formula 1 cars from the 60s to the latest endurance releases.
Cars include the Peugeot 9×8, Alpine A110 GT4, Alfa Romeo 155 DTM, Brabham BT24, Formula Extreme created by the community, Ligier JS P320,Renault R5 Turbo 3E Tracks include Salzburgring, Jarama, Laquais, Navarra, Oschersleben, Gingerman Raceway, and more!
Challenge over 30 champions from the history of motorsports!
Software description provided by the publisher.
Ready to go for a spin?
We have ten digital codes to give away to celebrate the release of Hot Lap Racing for Nintendo Switch™ and PC. All you have to do is choose your platform below to enter for your chance to win one.
Daily entry is available until 11:59 PM CST, July 31, 2024. You will be contacted via email after the sweepstakes closes, so be sure to use an email you check frequently. Full sweepstakes rules are available with entry below. Good Luck!
Game Informer Magazine's next cover story dives into The Casting of Frank Stone, Dead by Daylight's first single-player game, and a collaboration between developer Supermassive Games and DBD masterminds Behaviour Interactive. As part of our ongoing coverage, enjoy watching this exclusive gameplay clip of The Casting of Frank Stone's prologue, which we played during our visit to Behaviour Interactive.
You can read about our impressions of this section in the digital issue, which is now live. Physical issues will arrive to subscribers in the coming weeks.
The Casting of Frank Stone launches on September 3 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Be sure to visit our cover story hub for more exclusive stories and videos by clicking the banner below.
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We’re not far off from the August 9 premiere of Borderlands, and Lionsgate is giving the final hard sell for the upcoming adaptation in the form of a new trailer.
Like the first game, Borderlands centers on a group of gun-toting Vault hunters searching for treasure on the planet Pandora. They also get roped up to save a mysterious girl who holds the key to a great power. If you’re still not sure what to make of the film after watching its first trailer, hopefully, this last preview will help you decide whether or not you’ll be making the trip to theaters in a couple of weeks to see it.
Borderlands is directed by Eli Roth and stars Cate Blanchett (Lilith), Kevin Hart (Roland), Arianna Greenblatt (Tiny Tina), Jack Black (Claptrap), Edgar Ramírez (Atlas), Florian Munteanu (Krieg), Gina Gershon (Moxxi), and Jamie Lee Curtis (Tannis).
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Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC Publisher: Behaviour Interactive Developer: Supermassive Games Release: Rating: Mature
The Casting of Frank Stone is Game Informer’s cover story this month, and we learned some exclusive details about the upcoming horror game during our trip to Behaviour Interactive’s studio in Montreal. Speaking to Supermassive creative director Steve Goss, he clued us in on the game’s most central and unique mechanic: the Super 8mm camera.
Set within the Dead by Daylight universe, the game story unfolds in the summer of 1980 in the unassuming small town of Cedar Hills. It follows a group of teenagers who set out to film a horror movie at an abandoned steel mill that has ties to a murderer named Frank Stone. At its core, The Casting of Frank Stone is a Supermassive game through and through. It’s a cinematic choice-driven horror game that sees players making decisions and executing split-second button prompts that can decide whether a character lives or dies. If you’ve enjoyed the studio’s previous works like Until Dawn or The Dark Pictures Anthology, you have a good idea of what to expect. But the experience features some intriguing new mechanics, such as the camera.
The teens buy the 8mm camera from a store called the Curiosity Shop after dropping and breaking their original Super 8. However, it later becomes apparent that this is no ordinary camera, a fact players will experience first-hand. Given how vital movie-making is to the narrative, Goss says it would have been “absurd” not to lean into the idea of letting players actively participate in filmmaking. “You actually do filming,” he stresses. “You do film. And then it becomes ‘you film’ to ‘you have to film.’”
Goss is cagey about providing too many gameplay details about the camera, and we didn’t get to see it in action during our visit. However, he does reveal that players can freely take it out and film everything around them, which unfolds in first-person view. It’s a fully functioning camera; you have to wind it to record and reload it with more film. The camera is also imbued with some kind of magical energy and will be useful for survival. For example, one section of the game features an invisible enemy that can only be spotted using the camera's viewfinder, which causes the camera to crackle with energy. The camera's capabilities evolve throughout the adventure; Goss even teases it may not be the only camera players use.
The camera is necessary for story and gameplay sequences and serves as the core intersection between the teens. Although the camera brings them together, it also becomes a point of tension. “If you've ever been engaged in a kind of a group creative exercise, people do try and vie for the leadership of the group,” Goss teases.
It’s tough not to draw parallels to the 2011 supernatural thriller movie Super 8, and that’s partially by design. The film was cited as one of the reference points for The Casting of Frank Stone more than once during our discussions. Both the game and the movie center on youths creating their own movie before spooky occurrences flip things on their head, which Goss says highlights Super 8’s producer Steven Spielberg’s penchant for creating stories about people making things, often forms of art. He hopes the theme of characters wanting to be the makers of things comes through in The Casting of Frank Stone.
“When I was a kid [...] I bothered my parents until they bought me a camera and then made terrible things that were just absolutely worthless,” Goss says. “But it was the nearest I could get to being creatively kind of significant, I suppose. That's the thread here: a bunch of kids, probably [in] not the most forward-thinking place in the universe, probably not the most economically exciting place to be, certainly it doesn't have any kind of cool stuff to do, so they're making up for themselves. So that's why this is at the heart of that story.”
The Casting of Frank Stone launches on September 3 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Be sure to visit our cover story hub for more exclusive stories and videos by clicking the banner below.
Helldivers 2 has been one of 2024’s biggest successes, and developer Arrow Head Games is prepping to launch its most substantial update yet. Escalation of Freedom is an upcoming update that adds new missions, new hazards, and, of course, new bugs.
Arriving on August 6, Escalation of Freedom challenges players with a new level 10 difficulty and introduces new mission objectives, such as locating and extracting a crying larva that attracts Terminids. The game also receives new, larger fortress-like outposts for players to capture. The swamp biome gets a spookier facelift, and acid storms can now reduce the armor for players and enemies so both sides take greater damage. New Terminids and Automatons will clash with players, and Arrow Head Games teases that Escalation of Freedom features more surprises players will have to discover on their own. Check out the trailer for a look at what's to come.
Escalation of Freedom also brings quality-of-life improvements including an update to address grief kicking. Per the PlayStation Blog, the game is getting "a system where if a player is kicked, they will spawn into a new session as the host with all of the team’s loot from their previous session. All items can now be picked up by the player before extraction. The squad doing the kicking will see a message in the chat widget that a player has been kicked, yet their loot remains unchanged."
Helldivers 2 has been one of 2024’s biggest successes, and developer Arrow Head Games is prepping to launch its most substantial update yet. Escalation of Freedom is an upcoming update that adds new missions, new hazards, and, of course, new bugs.
Arriving on August 6, Escalation of Freedom challenges players with a new level 10 difficulty and introduces new mission objectives, such as locating and extracting a crying larva that attracts Terminids. The game also receives new, larger fortress-like outposts for players to capture. The swamp biome gets a spookier facelift, and acid storms can now reduce the armor for players and enemies so both sides take greater damage. New Terminids and Automatons will clash with players, and Arrow Head Games teases that Escalation of Freedom features more surprises players will have to discover on their own. Check out the trailer for a look at what's to come.
Escalation of Freedom also brings quality-of-life improvements including an update to address grief kicking. Per the PlayStation Blog, the game is getting "a system where if a player is kicked, they will spawn into a new session as the host with all of the team’s loot from their previous session. All items can now be picked up by the player before extraction. The squad doing the kicking will see a message in the chat widget that a player has been kicked, yet their loot remains unchanged."
If you subscribe to the digital edition of Game Informer, you can now read all about our trip to learn about The Casting of Frank Stone from the universe of Dead by Daylight! Following the cover reveal our digital issue is now live on web browsers, iPad/iPhone, and Android devices.
Alongside our 10-page The Casting of Frank Stone cover story, you will also find a six-page feature on the development and success of Dead by Daylight, a deep dive into how the Splatoon 3 community developed a speedrun for the game's latest DLC, an in-depth retrospective on the creation of Vampire Survivors with its creator, six pages on Visions of Mana, a look at the success of publisher Devolver Digital on its anniversary, and lots more! We've also got previews for Avowed, Lego Horizon Adventures, Monster Hunter Wilds, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Infinity Nikki, and reviews for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, Destiny 2: The Final Shape, Still Wakes the Deep, Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble, Nintendo World Championship: NES Edition, and much more!
If you love print as much as we do, you can subscribe to the physical magazine:
You get 10 issues for $19.91, or two years and 20 issues for $34.99. Individual issues are also now available for purchase at this link or in any GameStop store.
MultiVersus has two new fighters on the way in the form of Jack from Cartoon Network/Adult Swim's beloved animated series Samurai Jack and Beetlejuice of, well, Beetlejuice and its upcoming sequel (don’t make me write it a third time). The game is also getting a ranked mode.
Samurai Jack and Beetlejuice are part of the Season 2: Back in Time content, which kicks off tomorrow, July 23. Jack becomes available at launch, letting players cut down opponents using his signature katana (as you can see in the trailer below). Beetlejuice arrives later in the season at an unknown date, so we don't get to see him in action just yet. However, Warner Bros. confirms he’ll become playable before the September 6 theatrical premiere of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Season 2 also introduces a new ranked mode, allowing players to battle for leaderboard points to earn exclusive rank-based cosmetics. A new map, the Warner Bros. Water Tower, will also be added.
MultiVersus is available now on PlayStation and Xbox consoles as well as PC. Since its return, the game has been bolstered by new fighters such as The Joker, The Matrix's Agent Smith, and Friday the 13th's Jason Voorhees.
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MultiVersus has two new fighters on the way in the form of Jack from Cartoon Network/Adult Swim's beloved animated series Samurai Jack and Beetlejuice of, well, Beetlejuice and its upcoming sequel (don’t make me write it a third time). The game is also getting a ranked mode.
Samurai Jack and Beetlejuice are part of the Season 2: Back in Time content, which kicks off tomorrow, July 23. Jack becomes available at launch, letting players cut down opponents using his signature katana (as you can see in the trailer below). Beetlejuice arrives later in the season at an unknown date, so we don't get to see him in action just yet. However, Warner Bros. confirms he’ll become playable before the September 6 theatrical premiere of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Season 2 also introduces a new ranked mode, allowing players to battle for leaderboard points to earn exclusive rank-based cosmetics. A new map, the Warner Bros. Water Tower, will also be added.
MultiVersus is available now on PlayStation and Xbox consoles as well as PC. Since its return, the game has been bolstered by new fighters such as The Joker, The Matrix's Agent Smith, and Friday the 13th's Jason Voorhees.
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On an almost weekly basis, Fortnite announces new crossover events, adding characters to its Battle Royale, Lego, and Festival modes. Whether it's a fictional character like Jack Sparrow or a real person like Ariana Grande, it's hard to find a corner of pop culture the game hasn't touched. These crossovers, however, are almost always exclusive to characters, but Fortnite players don't always have to traverse the Battle Royale map on foot – there are vehicles as well. Today's crossover comes in the form of a particularly polygonal vehicle: Tesla's Cybertruck.
For the unfamiliar, the Cybertruck is one of Tesla's latest electric vehicles, a futuristic-looking pickup truck with a distinct shape and stainless steel exterior. It's a vehicle that, quite frankly, always looked like it belonged in a video game, both because of its angular aesthetic and the word "cyber" in its name.
It's unclear exactly how the truck will be present in Fortnite, as the trailer doesn't include any actual gameplay, but it's likely a vehicle skin that can be purchased from the in-game store. With car skins attached, whenever a player enters a vehicle, it will morph into the selected skin of their choice, and it's available in Battle Royale and Rocket Racing alike. This is purely speculation, however – it's equally possible the vehicle is introduced in some other limited-time event.
The Cybertruck will be added to Fortnite tomorrow. If you drive one, just pray your opposing players aren't wielding a steel ball.
how do you feel about the Cybertruck being added to Fortnite? what other vehicles would you like to see in the game? Let us know in the comments!
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<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://ift.tt/vh0JpdU" width="800" height="450" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" /></p> <p>On an almost weekly basis, Fortnite announces new crossover events, adding characters to its Battle Royale, Lego, and Festival modes. Whether it's a fictional character like Jack Sparrow or a real person like Ariana Grande, it's hard to find a corner of pop culture the game hasn't touched. These crossovers, however, are almost always exclusive to characters, but Fortnite players don't always have to traverse the Battle Royale map on foot – there are vehicles as well. Today's crossover comes in the form of a particularly polygonal vehicle: Tesla's Cybertruck.</p> <blockquote class="tw-align-center twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Pulls ♾️<br /> <br /> Catch a ride in the <a href="https://twitter.com/Tesla?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tesla</a> Cybertruck in Fortnite tomorrow! <a href="https://t.co/CA8xuYQreS">pic.twitter.com/CA8xuYQreS</a></p> — Fortnite (@FortniteGame) <a href="https://twitter.com/FortniteGame/status/1815386568263110908?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2024</a></blockquote> <p>For the unfamiliar, the Cybertruck is one of Tesla's latest electric vehicles, a futuristic-looking pickup truck with a distinct shape and stainless steel exterior. It's a vehicle that, quite frankly, always looked like it belonged in a video game, both because of its angular aesthetic and the word "cyber" in its name.</p> <p>It's unclear exactly how the truck will be present in Fortnite, as the trailer doesn't include any actual gameplay, but it's likely a vehicle skin that can be purchased from the in-game store. With car skins attached, whenever a player enters a vehicle, it will morph into the selected skin of their choice, and it's available in Battle Royale and Rocket Racing alike. This is purely speculation, however – it's equally possible the vehicle is introduced in some other limited-time event.</p> <p>The Cybertruck will be added to Fortnite tomorrow. If you drive one, just pray your opposing players <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udxR5rBq_Vg">aren't wielding a steel ball</a>.</p> <p><em>how do you feel about the Cybertruck being added to Fortnite? what other vehicles would you like to see in the game? Let us know in the comments!</em></p>
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<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://ift.tt/V67JEW8" width="800" height="450" alt="Tekken 8 Heihachi" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" /></p> <p>Tekken 8’s next Season 1 fighter was revealed during Evo this weekend, and it’s none other than Heihachi Mishima. The mainstay villain has apparently survived his presumed death (again) and is ready to reclaim his throne. </p> <p>A cinematic trailer rolls out the red carpet for Heihachi, setting up his return after he was seemingly killed (i.e., tossed into a volcanic lava river) in Tekken 7. The video doesn’t explain how Heihachi managed not to melt into goop, but he does sport a Kazuya-esque scar on his chest now, so he didn’t walk away completely unscathed. </p> <iframe width="560" height="315" frameBorder="0" allow="autoplay" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QZWDIKKvNrc" width="640"></iframe> <p>Heihachi becomes available sometime this fall. He follows<a href="https://ift.tt/UtAqmNR"> Eddy Gordo</a> and <a href="http://sobieska">Lidia Sobieska</a>, who joined Tekken 8 in the spring and summer, respectively, leaving one fighter left for the winter season. Owners of Tekken 8’s Deluxe, Ultimate, or Collector's Editions automatically receive these fighters, and each can also be purchased individually for $7.99.</p> <p>For more on Tekken 8, check out our <a href="https://ift.tt/M1ODnA3>
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Tekken 8’s next Season 1 fighter was revealed during Evo this weekend, and it’s none other than Heihachi Mishima. The mainstay villain has apparently survived his presumed death (again) and is ready to reclaim his throne.
A cinematic trailer rolls out the red carpet for Heihachi, setting up his return after he was seemingly killed (i.e., tossed into a volcanic lava river) in Tekken 7. The video doesn’t explain how Heihachi managed not to melt into goop, but he does sport a Kazuya-esque scar on his chest now, so he didn’t walk away completely unscathed.
Heihachi becomes available sometime this fall. He follows Eddy Gordo and Lidia Sobieska, who joined Tekken 8 in the spring and summer, respectively, leaving one fighter left for the winter season. Owners of Tekken 8’s Deluxe, Ultimate, or Collector's Editions automatically receive these fighters, and each can also be purchased individually for $7.99.
After The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time reinvented the series in 3D and became its new gold standard, Nintendo followed up with a surreal sequel in Majora's Mask. Set two months after the events of Ocarina, Link finds himself transported to an alternate version of Hyrule called Termina and must prevent a very angry moon from crashing into the Earth over the course of three constantly repeating days. Majora's Mask's unique structure and bizarre tone have earned it legions of passionate defenders and detractors, and one long-time Zelda fan is going to experience it for the first time to see where he lands on that spectrum.
Join Marcus Stewart and Kyle Hilliard today and each Friday on Twitch at 1:00 p.m. CT as they gradually work their way through the entire game until Termina is saved. Archived episodes will be uploaded each Saturday on our second YouTube channel Game Informer Shows, which you can watch both above and by clicking the links below.
If you enjoy our livestreams but haven’t subscribed to our Twitch channel, know that doing so not only gives you notifications and access to special emotes. You’ll also be granted entry to the official Game Informer Discord channel, where our welcoming community members, moderators, and staff gather to talk games, entertainment, food, and organize hangouts! Be sure to also follow our second YouTube channel, Game Informer Shows, to watch other Replay episodes as well as Twitch archives of GI Live and more.
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AI Limit is an upcoming action RPG that takes clear inspiration from From Software's Dark Souls and other games of the style. Set in a post-apocalyptic world where a mysterious substance has transformed the remainder of humanity into monsters, you control a powerful lifeform called a Blader exploring mankind's last city to put an end to the devastation. Join editors Marcus Stewart and Kyle Hilliard as they show off what this intriguing action game has in store.
Head to Game Informer's YouTube channel for more previews, reviews, and discussions of new and upcoming games. Watch other episodes of New Gameplay Todayright here.
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Reviewed on: PlayStation 5 Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC Publisher: Kepler Interactive Developer: A44 Release: Rating: Mature
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn does its best to provide an epic adventure despite clear limitations. This semi-open world action game’s bright spots include an exciting premise, a unique tag-team spin on Souls-inspired combat, and an entertaining exploration mechanic. Unfortunately, it falls short of providing a wholly satisfying or polished adventure, resulting in a respectable but flawed revenge quest.
Developer A44 has crafted an intriguing world that blends a colonial aesthetic and technology (think 18th or 19th century) with magic and fantastical creatures. Soldier Nor Vanek embarks on a mission to kill all gods after they and their armies of the dead have broken into the mortal realm. She finds an unlikely ally in Enki, a small fox-like deity with mysterious reasons for helping Nor slay his kin.
As the two gather a small band of allies to take on their divine foes, Flintlock spins an adequate yarn backed by stronger performances. Meaningful character development could be more consistent, however. While the evolution of Nor and Enki’s uneasy partnership feels largely earned with a few decent revelations, the rest of the supporting cast doesn’t get the same love, making it hard to care about them. The pantheon of primary antagonists feel equally uninteresting, as little time is spent establishing their personalities or purpose in this world; they’re just cool-looking punching bags who occasionally taunt players en route to them. When I did find the narrative interesting, uneven sound mixing meant that the soundtrack often muffled dialogue.
Flintlock’s combat consists of decent melee combat emphasizing small combos while keeping distant foes at bay using a range of firearms. Hacking away at foes using Nor’s axe feels passable at best. Parrying feels equally mediocre and occasionally unreliable due to questionable timing windows that are tricky to nail even hours deep into the adventure. The action functionally works, but a thin layer of jank holds it back, including dumb-as-rocks enemies that often won’t detect you even when passing well within their view.
Hitting a button allows Enki to lend a hand by bestowing debilitating curses that weaken, stun, or poison targets. It’s a neat assist that bears greater fruit after unlocking several cool upgrades. Eventually, Enki can restrain or distract enemies, imbue your melee weapons with his power, and curse multiple foes simultaneously, among other valuable abilities. Firing Nor’s pistol from the hip to interrupt or counter an assault is a fun strategy that made it my favorite sidearm. Other ranged weapons, such as a rifle, grenade launcher, or flamethrower, don’t stand out or feel good enough to encourage regular use.
Though described as a Souls-lite and sporting familiar genre tropes, such as having to retrieve lost experience points (called Reputation) upon death, I wouldn’t call Flintlock a challenging game. Most threats can be torn right through, and none of the boss fights took more than a few attempts; the final boss, most surprisingly, is the biggest pushover of the bunch. The most interesting and effective combat twist is an experience points multiplier that builds as you execute different attacks and actions, encouraging players to creatively vary their assaults. The catch is you must manually add these points to your XP pool by holding a d-pad button; if you don’t, taking damage resets the counter to zero, meaning you can finish a full encounter and walk away with little to show for it (though bigger enemies still drop a guaranteed large amount of XP). I like how this system added more tension and intentionality to combat.
Flintlock mostly unfolds across two medium-sized landmasses sporting a small number of boilerplate sidequests (with worthwhile rewards) and collectibles such as various XP and upgrade items and lore notes. It’s not the most thrilling world to explore, save for an unlockable network of magic warp points called Rifts that let players soar through the sky to expedite travel. Rifts serve as great shortcuts and sometimes create fun platforming segments, making them one of my favorite mechanics in the game.
Flintlock’s presentation is nothing to write home about, with only a few creative creature designs piquing my interest. With two graphical options, you’re better off sticking with the default Performance mode, as Quality offers a negligible bump. Animations can be stilted and sometimes have an unfinished quality, such as the bad-looking slow-motion kill cam that saps the satisfaction from rifle headshots.
Despite my hangups, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn never plummets to being actively bad. Instead, it coasts along a solid line of mediocrity that results in a moderately good time. It often feels like it wants to say or do more but is held back by its scope and execution, not to mention some technical hiccups. Though it occasionally shows flashes of brilliance, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn falls short of achieving true godhood.
Destiny 2: The Final Shape
