“Florida Man,” Fast Cars, and Influencer Culture: What to Expect From GTA 6

“Florida Man,” Fast Cars, and Influencer Culture: What to Expect From GTA 6

Post By Science And Technology grand theft auto 6, gta 6, gta 6 trailer grand theft auto vi vice city what to expect story characters rockstar games gta 6 trailer, ps5, Rockstar Games, vice city, xbox series

The first trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI is here, finally taking the covers off of Rockstar Games’ ambitious open world title. After years of leaks, rumours and speculation, we now finally have concrete official details about GTA 6, its world, characters, and tone. The trailer itself was published hastily ahead of schedule after it was leaked on X on Tuesday. Instead of waiting and putting out the reveal Wednesday at 9am ET (7:30pm IST) — as Rockstar initially planned, the studio released the trailer early Wednesday morning. “Our trailer has leaked so please watch the real thing on YouTube,” the publisher said in its post on X.

Every Grand Theft Auto trailer is a ‘where-were-you-when?’ moment that sparks unprecedented internet frenzy, YouTube reactions, and media discourse. GTA 6 is no different. Perhaps the most anticipated reveal in gaming history, the first trailer for the game has over 54 million views and 6.7 million likes on YouTube within hours of being posted. It arrives like rain to a parched desert, as fans who have eagerly waited and manically fantasised about the game for years finally see it in the flesh. The Grand Theft Auto VI trailer doesn’t disappoint. It showcases a visually stunning Vice City, its two main crime couple protagonists, Lucia and Jason, and a wildly eccentric cast of NPCs that populate its rich, detailed world. Fans will inevitably pick up a magnifying glass and go through the grain of every little detail in every frame, but here, we’ll look at some of the interesting details from the trailer, in addition to what we can expect from GTA 6.

Welcome to Vice City

An entire generation of gamers know Vice City better than perhaps they know their own town. One of the three iconic Grand Theft Auto cities, Vice City first served as the setting in 2002’s Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and later appeared in the prequel, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, four years later. The beloved video-game version of Miami now returns in GTA 6, just as previous leaks had suggested.

The trailer gives a detailed look at the game’s neon-drenched, sun-lit and croc-infested city. From pink sunsets to the teal ocean, from its dense downtown area to its wild outskirts, and from its degenerate denizens to its fast cars, Vice City is a sight to behold. It is also packed to the brim! The streets have more cars and pedestrians than ever, with the game surely taking advantage of powerful current-gen consoles to bring as much immersive detail to its world as possible. Every generation, Rockstar sets the benchmark for bleeding edge visuals and GTA 6 bleeds all over every existing game. Leaks have suggested that the setting will be more interactive, too, with a marked jump in explorable indoor areas.

The trailer shows Vice Beach packed to the brim
Photo Credit: Rockstar Games

We also see a crowded Vice Beach, a packed nightclub, and a series staple strip club in the trailer. In addition to the city itself, the game will feature the larger state of Florida-inspired Leonida, with famous real-life areas like the marshy Everglades and coral cay archipelago of Florida Keys. “Grand Theft Auto VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet,” Rockstar promised in a press release accompanying the trailer. If the world of GTA 6 turns out to be even half as immersive and interactive as Red Dead Redemption 2, it would outdo all previous GTA games by a country mile.

Lucia and Jason

Again, unsurprisingly, the GTA 6 trailer confirms its dual protagonists, Lucia and Jason — a Bonnie and Clyde-inspired crime couple trying to make it in Vice City. The trailer gives the bulk of the attention to Lucia and utilises her voiceover to set the skeletons of the story. It begins with Lucia in prison, meeting an official, and blaming her “bad luck” for ending up in jail. While details are sparse, we can presume that Lucia gets out of prison early in the game and then, together with Jason, gets her life back in order. We also see her driving off with Jason after committing a robbery, while being on the lookout for speeding cop cars. The trailer ends with the duo kicking open the doors of a convenience store they’re about to rob, bandanas up to hide their identity.

Lucia and Jason’s dynamic will perhaps be the heart of GTA 6. Previous games in the series have been a little light on story and characters, letting their immersive open worlds do the talking. But it would be interesting to see Rockstar take on a love story and do justice to both its main protagonists. With the narrative excellence of Red Dead Redemption 2 in its rearview mirror, the studio should be eager to tell a rich and layered story of crime and passion. The song used in the trailer, Tom Petty’s “Love Is a Long Road,” also seems to be an intentional choice. Would Lucia and Jason’s relationship evolve and change over time? Will they be at odds at pivotal moments in the game? Or will they stick it out together, True Romance-style? The trailer certainly hints so. “The only way we’re gonna get through this is by sticking together, being a team,” Lucia tells Jason in bed. “Trust?” she asks Jason, looking him in the eye. “Trust,” he responds. From what it seems, it will be them against the world.

Lucia and Jason hold up a convenience store
Photo Credit: Rockstar Games

Influencer culture and social media satire

Every GTA game is also an exaggerated and distorted reflection of its time and place, maintaining a specific tone and tenor. GTA: Vice City explored the drugs and disco of the 1980s, San Andreas took on the gang culture, and GTA 4 lampooned the capitalist nightmare of the American Dream. More recently, GTA 5 satirised celebrity culture of excess and the high-flying LA lifestyle. A decade on, GTA 6 has a tricky job to do. In times of political and social turmoil, the chaos of social media, and a generational clash of values, a Grand Theft Auto game in 2023 could itself become the butt of jokes. In the years since GTA 5’s release, Rockstar, a studio often criticised for its portrayal of women in games, has had to reckon with its own culture of sexism, too.

While we’ll only know how the game navigates the current cultural climate when it comes out, the GTA 6 trailer zeroes in on influencer culture and ever-present social media. From women twerking on the roof of a moving car, to a road rager grabbing his crotch on the freeway, GTA 6 trailer takes on the madness of TikTok and Instagram Reels through an in-game social media app. GTA 5 featured Life Invader, Rockstar’s twist on Facebook. The next one seems to be going a step further to drive home the influence of social media platforms in our daily lives.

Strangers and Freaks, “Florida Man” style

GTA 5 introduced Strangers and Freaks, tailored NPC encounters that led to distinct interactions and wacky side missions throughout San Andreas state. You met strange cultists and paranoid paparazzi, coked-up rednecks and fitness freaks, scattered all around the map. GTA 6’s Vice City and its surrounding areas seem primed for the same.

In true “Florida Man” fashion, the trailer showcases the deranged denizens of Vice City in their natural habitat. GTA 6 would be clever to take advantage of its setting to provide narrative context for the crazies you could meet and do missions with in its map.

NPCs line the streets of Vice City
Photo Credit: Rockstar Games

Wildlife

While GTA 5 did feature a few animals, the next Grand Theft Auto game seems to be taking advantage of its setting to double down on wildlife. Crocodiles appear more than once in the trailer, seen being pulled out of a swimming pool and entering a store. We also see a gathering of flamingos in the marshy areas. GTA 6 is also likely to include an expanded marine wildlife, with maps featuring the sea, lakes, and multiple water bodies.

Rockstar upped the ante with Red Dead Redemption 2, bringing all variety of animals, birds, and fishes to the game, all of which could be hunted and skinned for materials. While GTA 6 will surely not dive as deep, but it could be safe to expect it to be the wildest Grand Theft Auto yet.

Too much water?
Photo Credit: Rockstar Games

GTA VI does not have a concrete release date yet, with the trailer mentioning a 2025 window. Rockstar-parent Take-Two Interactive had said in its earnings call earlier this year that it expected to see a “significant inflection point” in fiscal 2025, when it expects net bookings of over $8 billion (roughly Rs. 66,242 crore). Analysts and investors say that significant boost hints at Grand Theft Auto 6 releasing in the same time period. Keeping fiscal 2025 calendar in mind, the game could arrive before April 2025.

Rockstar has also stayed tight lipped about new gameplay features and improvements coming to GTA 6, with the first trailer focused on giving a taste of the setting and its characters. We do see a host of familiar fast cars, with a glimpse of an underground street racing ring and a dirt biker gang, and we can expect a host of tune-up and customisation options for vehicles. Subsequent trailers should break down GTA 6’s mechanical enhancements. For now, what’s evident from the first trailer are the game’s graphical upgrades. If past trailers for games from the studio are any metric for accurate representation of the final product, then GTA 6 looks set to be the most immersive and detailed entry in the franchise.

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Spider-Man 2 Preview: Insomniac’s Sequel Aims to Swing to New Heights

Post By Science And Technology insomniac games, marvels spider man 2, miles morales, playstation, ps5, sie, Sony, spider man 2 hands on preview impressions gameplay story marvel insomniac games sony ps5 spider man 2, Spider-Man

It’s perhaps difficult to grasp — especially for younger fans — how vibrant the legacy of Spider-Man, the world’s favourite web-crawler, is in video games. Over the years, we’ve come to know Spider-Man from his many incarnations in animated TV shows, films, and comic books. Sam Raimi’s take on the character propelled it to new heights of popularity. More recently, Spider-Man films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Sony Pictures’ Miles Morales animated features have established their own identity. But the web-swinging, quippy superhero has a long and illustrious history in video games, too. Before Rocksteady’s Arkham games rewrote the superhero games playbook, an iconic lineup of Spider-Man games from Activision were some of the best that the genre had to offer.

The Spider-Man mantle now resides with Insomniac Games, a studio that has proven its merit with beloved PlayStation icons like Spyro the Dragon and Ratchet & Clank. Its two Spider-Man games — 2018’s Marvel’s Spider-Man and 2020’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales — reworked and refined elements from previous Spider-Man titles to deliver highly polished Spider-Man stories that were a blast to play through. The seamless web-swinging mechanics, flowy combat, and the vast New York City playground made the two games a worthy and rewarding return for the friendly neighbourhood superhero in video games. Now, Insomniac is getting ready to bring Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on PlayStation 5, promising everything that was good in the preceding games and a lot more that’s supposed to surpass what came before.

For starters, this time, it’s Spider-Men. Spider-Man 2 lets you play as both Peter Parker and Miles Morales, charting their interweaving personal journeys as they take on new threats together. The world is bigger, too, with an expanded New York City, almost double the size of the map we saw in the previous two games. There are new additions to combat and traversal, bringing fresh and distinct ideas that try and push this sequel beyond what we’ve come to expect from an Insomniac Spider-Man game. Of course, there are technical advancements that elevate the experience — this is the first Spider-Man game that is releasing only on the PS5, taking full advantage of Sony’s current-gen console. All of these come together to tell a complex and personal Spider-Man story, building upon the narratives we saw in Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

Insomniac Games’ Mike Fitzgerald on Spider-Man 2, Collaborating With Marvel, and the Studio’s Ambitions

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, set to release October 20, comes with a burden of expectations. It’s perhaps PlayStation’s biggest exclusive title of 2023 and it has to live up to the standards set by its acclaimed predecessors. Last week, we got a chance to play a sizable early section of the game in a hands-on preview that included some heavy-hitting narrative moments, bombastic action set-pieces, and plenty of free-roaming exploration in the game’s new map. The demo allowed me to play as both Peter and Miles, inhabiting both heroes on their separate quests and experiencing their personal relationships, while also indulging in a ton of fun distractions on the side.

Some caveats first: The demo I played was based on a build created six weeks ago (roughly mid to late July, 2023) for the hands-on preview, as senior creative director Bryan Intihar informed us. So, there could be small changes in the final build. And I played the game in ‘quality mode,’ with 4K output, ray tracing and HDR enabled, at 30fps. As I mentioned before, the demo focussed on an early section, about two hours into the main story.

At PlayStation’s preview event in London, after a brief note from Intihar, I spent over two hours in Spider-Man 2, trying bits and pieces of all that the demo had to offer. From what I got to play, it is clear that Insomniac’s latest represents a considerable step up from previous games in the series. This holds true not just on a technical aspect — the game makes demonstrable visual leaps, bringing a ridiculous amount of detail to its environments, and improving facial animations for characters — but also in the way the game choses to tell its story. There are distinct flavours to playing as both Peter and Miles and the game carefully chooses to drop you in the shoes of one or the other in the middle of story moments.

The two friendly neighbourhood Spider-Men
Photo Credit: Insomniac Games/ Sony/ Marvel

In addition to the two Spider-Men, each side character — at least in the small cross section of the game I got to play — feels fleshed out, with special attention given to the villains of the story. And New York is brimming with impossible detail, somehow adding meaningfully to the already stellar rendition of the city in Spider-Man and Miles Morales. Navigating the city has improved, too, with the addition of new Web Wings which let you glide around skyscrapers like a kite. The already excellent web-swinging is here, of course, but feels ever so slightly refined than its previous iterations. The combat, while retaining its DNA from the two previous games, adds new symbiote abilities to Peter’s repertoire, while Miles gets explosive new bio-electric powers. Both bring new special skills and abilities that can be mapped to a wheel on the HUD and used in tandem with regular combos.

Visually, Spider-Man 2 represents Insomniac at the peak of their powers. While both previous Spider-Man games were stunning themselves, and 2021’s Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart upped the ante on a technical level, Insomniac’s third Spider-Man title — based on the demo I played — further takes things up a notch. The improved lighting lends almost a life-like warmth to everything in the game. Facial animations and character models are much more naturalistic and emotive. And Spider-Man 2’s New York City is one of the most impressive open-world playgrounds I’ve experienced in a long time. There’s minute and obsessive detail dripping from every grimy street corner and every shiny skyscraper. You can see airplanes and helicopters flying about in the sky, their engines and rotors echoing through the New York skyline. The ambient sounds of traffic, the distant siren of police cars, the noticeable lull of Central Park make the city come alive. What Insomniac has accomplished here is nothing short of immersive virtual tourism.

Miles and the New York skyline
Photo Credit: Insomniac Games/ Sony/ Marvel

The demo began with a cutscene — a brooding encounter between Spider-Man (Peter) and Kraven the Hunter, one of the game’s primary antagonists. By this point, Peter has already found his symbiote abilities and is wearing the black symbiote suit. After a bit of fiddling around and playing with the new Web Wings to glide around the city, I proceeded to a main story mission that involved Harry Osbourne, Peter’s best friend. The mission offered the first detailed glimpse of symbiote Spider-Man combat, letting us take on Kraven’s hunters.

Symbiote abilities are mapped to a wheel on the bottom-left side of the HUD, accessed by pressing L1 (on the Dualsense controller), while your gadgets are mapped to R1 on the right-sided wheel. The regular fighting controls for combos and moves are borrowed over from the previous Spider-Man games, so it doesn’t take long to get in the groove. The new symbiote abilities work intuitively together with Peter’s regular move-sets, and even when things get chaotic on the screen, you never lose sight of the action. Peter also gets an overpowered mode, called Symbiote Surge, where — with the press of L3 and R3 together — each attack acts like a devastative finisher, taking care of foes in a single hit.

Spider-Man’s new symbiote abilities land with a heavy punch
Photo Credit: Insomniac Games/ Sony/ Marvel

The demo then switched to Miles’ perspective, which begins with a detailed showcase of the new Web Wings during a drone chase sequence. In addition to the web shooters that lets both Spider-Man web-swing across the high-rises of New York, Spider-Man 2 adds glider-like Web Wings to the Spidey suits in the game. This lets you take to the skies and almost fly around like a bird, gliding long distances in quick time. This new mechanic feels familiar — we’ve seen similar iterations of the same in Arkham games, with Batman’s cape acting as a glider, and Far Cry titles, where players can explore the map using a hand glider.

What’s different here, though, is the synergy between gliding and web-swinging. The two ways to traverse work together like Siamese twins and you naturally understand when to swing and find momentum and then quickly switch — with the press of the triangle button — to your wings and start gliding. While gliding around skyscrapers, you can use the left stick to change directions and tilt, and when you run out of airspace, you can seamlessly go back to swinging around tight corners. The Web Wings especially come in handy when you’re navigating large flat areas like water bodies, Central Park, and residential neighbourhoods, where you don’t have an abundance of tall buildings to facilitate web-swinging.

The environments in Spider-Man 2 are designed to encourage gliding, too. There are channels of wind flowing between the city’s tall buildings, marked by glowing rings laid across their paths. Gliding inside these wind tunnels gives Spider-Man a considerable boost, allowing him to zoom through multiple city blocks in a blink. Many of the city’s low-lying buildings also feature updrafts that push Spider-Man up in the air to help him gain altitude for gliding. I also got a taste for Miles’ combat abilities. Subsequent encounters showcased his newly acquired bio-electric powers, also mapped to the L1 wheel on the left side of the HUD. These are far more devastating than any special moves we saw in Miles Morales. I also got to experience stealth gameplay with Miles, on the trail of Lizard (Dr. Curt Connors) inside a dingy warehouse. The new ability to quickly lay across a web line between gaps (another Arkham inspiration) works like a charm, allowing you to stalk your prey from above.

Spider-Man 2 Gameplay Details Open-World Experience With Fast Travel, Teases Over 65 Suits

Miles takes to the skies with Web Wings
Photo Credit: Insomniac Games/ Sony/ Marvel

After the story mission with Miles, I indulged in some wayward exploration and checked out a portion of the new areas of the map — Brooklyn and Queens. These residential boroughs establish a distinct identity from the rest of the Manhattan skyline and feature landmark locations like Peter’s high school and Miles’ Brooklyn Visions Academy. When not involved in a story mission, you can swipe left on the Dualsense touchpad to bring up the Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man app and press and hold the square button to switch between Peter or Miles. This happens at a lightening-speed — a quick fadeaway and you’re back in the shoes of the other Spider-Man in a different location halfway across the map.

The demo’s final section funnelled me into an epic boss fight with Lizard as Peter tries to reason with Dr. Connors and deliver him an antidote for his worsening condition. The boss fight, which perhaps was the highlight of the preview, took place deep inside the sewers and was very much in line with the big battles we saw in the two games that came before (Spider-Man and Miles Morales). Here, I got a chance to utilise Peter’s newfound symbiote skills and the immediate interactive environment to overpower Lizard. As we’ve come to expect from Insomniac, the encounter was thrillingly cinematic, while rarely taking away control from the player. It’s moments like these that landed so well in the first Spider-Man, and the sequel seems to have doubled down on the same. The boss fight is followed by a long-winding chase through the city, with Spider-Man on Lizard’s tail and Kraven’s minions joining the hunt as well. The demo ends at a key cliffhanger moment, when Kraven himself shows up to spoil the party.

Lizard’s story gets special attention in Spider-Man 2
Photo Credit: Insomniac Games/ Sony/ Marvel

The preview provided an extended look at Lizard, but it understandably kept details on Kraven and especially Venom tightly under wraps. While the former did show up at a couple instances, Venom was completely absent from the preview, adding to the intrigue surrounding the character in the game. Insomniac have promised their own take on the iconic villain and much of Spider-Man 2’s narrative success will depend on how well they’re able to pull it off. One thing is clear: Insomniac have treated the antagonists of Spider-Man 2 and the people in Peter and Miles’ orbits with similar care as the game’s heroes. Mike Fitzgerald, the studio’s core tech director, reiterated as much in my chat with him after the hands-on preview. Pete and Miles’ personal stories are informed and altered by those around them, be it their friends — Harry, Hailey, Ganke, and MJ, or their nemeses — Martin Li, Lizard, Kraven, and Venom. Every great superhero needs an equal supervillain, after all.

From the nearly three hours I got to spend in Spider-Man 2, it is looking like an improvement on its predecessors in every department. Insomniac Games seem to have taken everything they did right in their first two Marvel games, added fresh ingredients to further build upon that solid basement, and delivered yet another Spider-Man experience that cares about the men behind the mask. Throughout their work on the beloved web-crawler, their commitment to crafting authentic Spider-Man tales stands out. This preview demo of Spider-Man 2 puts that same commitment front and centre. During our conversation, Fitzgerald said that the demo was just a small part of the game, and that the rest of it carries on at the same thrilling pace, too. “It’s not like we picked the good chunk,” he said. If he’s right, Spider-Man 2 could comfortably sit on top of the long and iconic list of its peers.

Disclosure: Sony sponsored the correspondent’s flights and accommodation for the preview event in London, UK.

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Starfield to Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty: The Nine Biggest Games in September

Post By Science And Technology bethesda, cyberpunk 2077, cyberpunk 2077 phantom liberty, ea, ea sports fc 24, games in september 2023, lies of p, mortal kombat 1, nba 2k24, netherrealm studios, nintendo switch, party animals, payday 3, pc, playstation 4, playstation 5, ps4, ps5, september 2023 games, starfield, starfield cyberpunk 2077 phantom liberty mortal kombat 1 ea sports fc 24 payday 3 september games pc ps4 ps5 xbox series s x switch games, the crew motorfest, ubisoft, windows 10, windows 11, xbox one, xbox series s, xbox series x

September promises to be a blockbuster month for gaming, with a stellar lineup of heavy hitters set to release this month. Kicking off the show is Starfield, Bethesda’s epic sci-fi space fantasy RPG, which has been in development for eight years, apparently. The studio’s first original IP in 25 years, Starfield, as director Todd Howard puts it, is essentially Skyrim in space. Hundreds of hours of spacefaring adventure await, with a side helping of nostalgic Bethesda style. The game is out now on PC and Xbox Series S/X. It’s also a big month for RPGs, as CD Projekt Red’s much-awaited Cyberpunk 2077 expansion hits the shelves on September 26. Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty promises a ton of upgrades from the base game, including an overhauled skill tree, a new wanted system, and gameplay tweaks. There’s a brand new story, too, with Idris Elba joining the cast, and Keanu Reeves returning.

Already feeling the RPG hangover from Baldur’s Gate III? You could just kick back and boot up the two most popular sports games on the planet; both NBA 2K24 and a rebranded EA Sports FC 24 arrive this month. Fighting games fans also have cause to celebrate as Mortal Kombat 1, which resets the MK universe after the events of the last game, drops on September 19. For masochists, the Souls-like action title Lies of P arrives on the same day. Like we said, it is indeed a packed month. So, here are our picks for the biggest games coming to PC and consoles in September 2023.

Baldur’s Gate III Review

Starfield

When: September 6
Where: PC, Xbox Series S/X

Starfield is an open-world action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios. The game’s development began in 2013, making it Bethesda Game Studios’ longest-running project to date, and is set in the year 2330, during the Second Era of Space Exploration. Players take on the role of a space explorer who can join one of three factions: the United Colonies, the Freestar Collective, or the Crimson Fleet. Each faction has its own unique goals and motivations, and players will have to choose which one they want to support.

Starfield features a vast and explorable universe, with over 1,000 planets to visit, and over 1,000 different alien species to interact with, each with its own unique culture and language. Each planet has its own unique environment and inhabitants, and players will be able to land on any of them and explore them at their own pace. The universe is large enough that a player will take over 300 hours to visit every planet. There’s also a variety of different weapons and vehicles that players can use, as well as a deep crafting system that lets you customise gear.

Starfield Peaks at Over 248,000 Concurrent Players on Steam During Early Access Period

NBA 2K24

When: September 8
Where: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch

NBA 2K is one of the most profitable, popular, and self-sustaining game franchises out there. Its technically detailed and mechanically robust simulation of basketball has birthed a legion of dedicated fans, who — without fail — get their hands on every new edition. NBA 2K24 is no different. The usual polish and quality is expected, but the popular basketball sim will also include cross-play for the first time in the franchise’s history.

NBA 2K24 will also posthumously feature Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant on the cover, and introduce a ‘Mamba Moments’ mode that lets you relive some of the Lakers legend’s biggest career moments. NBA 2K24 arrives September 8 across PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, and Nintendo Switch.

The Crew Motorfest

When: September 14
Where: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X

The Crew Motorfest is a racing game that takes place in a massive open world. Players can race against each other in a variety of different vehicles, including cars, trucks, and motorcycles. The game also features a number of different game modes, including a career mode, a multiplayer mode, and a free-roam mode. One of the things that makes The Crew Motorfest so unique is its open world, which is so large that it can take hours to explore it all. There are also a number of different hidden areas and secrets to find.

Another thing that makes Crew Motorfest so enjoyable is its range of different vehicles. Players can choose from a wide range of different cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Each vehicle has its own unique strengths and weaknesses, so players will need to experiment to find the ones that work best for them. Crew Motorfest is potentially a great racing game that will likely offer a lot of variety and replayability.

Mortal Kombat 1

When: September 19
Where: PC, PS5, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch

Marking yet another reboot in the iconic bone-krunching franchise, Mortal Kombat 1 introduces a new timeline forged by the Fire God Liu Kang after his ascension into godhood. That shake-up brings some interesting twists to the canon, turning longtime rivals Scorpion and Sub-Zero into brothers, and keeping Kitana’s homeland intact for once. However, the idyllic life Kang hoped for doesn’t last long, as a familiar threat from the past, the powerful sorcerer Shang Tsung, signals his return by painting a blood-red eclipse in the sky. Fighters of the Earthrealm must now unite to perform all kinds of bloodshedding Fatalities – including skull krushes, kurb stomps, hurling icicles, slitting throats, and more – to thwart evil.

Amidst all the classic Mortal Kombat jazz, we’ve got the Kameo Fighters, who are basically a second set of allies that can be picked at the start of a match to briefly assist in combat through short bursts of damage. Netherrealm Studios also continues to innovate in film-like story modes in the fighting game scene, and this year they’ve upped the ante by adding a new RPG-like mode as well. Dubbed the Invasion mode, you pick a character and explore a board game-like map, burrowing through nodes to acquire loot, engage in battles, minigames, solve puzzles, and more — all of which are tied to the idea of different factions trying to conquer other realms. The studio plans to keep it regularly updated, so expect new locations and challenges every six weeks.

Watch the Gameplay Trailer for Mortal Kombat 1

Lies of P

When: September 19
Where: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X

While we still await any official news about a Bloodborne remake/ remaster, Lies of P appears to be a great substitute for it. Set in the plague-ridden gothic city of Krat, this upcoming Souls-like from Neowiz has you play the fabled Pinocchio, who must fight his way across its rotting streets, killing mechanised bloodthirsty puppets and tough-as-nails steampunk bosses in order to find Geppetto, the creator. True to his character, there’s also a lying mechanic in the game, where certain side quests will force you to pick between dialogue options — truthful or lie — to change the game’s ending — essentially determining whether you remain as a puppet or become a real boy.

To go along with its haunting belle époque atmosphere, Lies of P delivers fast-paced gameplay that largely relies on parries and strikes, where a minute lapse in judgment could significantly deplete your health. Drawing heavily from FromSoftware’s progression format, you’ll be met with Stargazers (checkpoints) for upgrading stats and replenishing healing pots. However, it also leverages its narrative aspects to create a unique crafting system, wherein Pinocchio the puppet can swap out body parts to augment special tools into their frame — such as a grappling hook for better vertical exploration or general evasion during scuffles.

Similar to Bloodborne, weapon durability is reduced with repeated use of armaments, albeit you won’t have to rush over to the hub world to get it repaired. Instead, your arm is fitted with a grindstone, which you can run along your entire weapon’s length to keep it in tip-top shape and prevent it from breaking — even during the heat of the battle. In case you’re sceptical about this one, feel free to try out the Lies of P demo, which is now available on all platforms.

Party Animals

When: September 20
Where: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X

Fight your friends as an adorable corgi, a blunt-toothed dino, a duck that resembles a certain Pokémon, feisty kittens, and more, in this physics-based competitive brawler. You can rely on your soft paws to deal devastating blows, squishy heads to headbutt others, or even dropkick them for good measure — or, you can pick from an assortment of solid weapons laid out across its cutesy arena to gain the upper hand and become the last person standing. It’s hard to ignore its similarities to another hit party game Gang Beasts, in the sense that you’re provided with a variety of game modes and its characters all have ragdoll physics, which makes each encounter feel overtly funny.

Beyond fist fights, you can compete to steal giant gummy bears, toss critters off running planes, and coordinate in team-based football sessions to score the highest points. Party Animals has gone through numerous rigorous playtests over the years, so we can expect it to be polished at launch. Hopefully the servers don’t get overloaded, which was a huge bummer when Fall Guys made it onto the scene in 2020. It’s also coming day one to Xbox Game Pass, which is a huge bonus if you’re looking for something more relaxing after long, intense sessions of Starfield.

Payday 3

When: September 21
Where: PC. PS5, Xbox Series S/X

Deep Silver’s third instalment in its popular first-person shooter series is set to arrive later this month, as the Payday Gang comprising Chains, Dallas, Joy, Hoxton, Pearl, and Wolf team up in New York for modern heists using the latest technology. Payday 3 was developed on Unreal Engine 4, but is expected to be upgraded to the more advanced Unreal Engine 5 after it is released.

The upcoming co-op FPS title will also support crossplay and cross-progression on all platforms. You can also expect to see four additional heists, four tailor packs, and four weapon packs within the first year, according to Deep Silver. Gamers won’t have to wait until the release date to try the game out; publisher Starbreeze has announced a three-day open beta for Payday 3 that will run from September 8 to September 11.

Payday 3 Closed Beta Impressions

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

When: September 26
Where: PC, PS5, Xbox Series S/X

The year is 2077, and the world is in chaos. Corporations rule the streets, and the rich get richer while the poor get poorer. In this world, anything goes. You can be a hero, a villain, or anything in between. The choice is yours. In Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, you play as V, a mercenary who is trying to make a name for themselves in Night City. Night City is a sprawling metropolis, full of opportunities and danger. You can choose to take on jobs for the various gangs and corporations, or you can go it alone and try to make it on your own.

The game is set in a dystopian future, and the world is full of violence and corruption, but there is also hope. There are still people who are fighting for a better future, and you can join them. You will come across sleeper intelligence agent Solomon Reed (played by Idris Elba).

This is an open-world RPG, and you can choose to play the game however you want. You can focus on the story, or you can explore the world and do side quests. You can also customize your character and choose their skills and abilities. If you are looking for a new RPG to play, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is definitely worth checking out. Who knows, you might even run into Keanu Reeves along the way!

Watch the Action-Packed Trailer for Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

EA Sports FC 24

When: September 29
Where: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch

The FIFA franchise has consistently ranked among the top-selling titles every year, with each annual edition selling like hotcakes, despite bringing only incremental improvements. This time though, big changes seem to be on the way, and it begins with the name itself. FIFA 23 will pass the baton to EA Sports FC 24 on September 29. A new brand, but much of what is loved (and hated) about the wildly popular football sim, will likely return. The game will feature Hypermotion V technology, which brings extensive match data captured from live matches via cameras in the stadiums.

The game also brings PlayStyles, adding unique attributes to in-game players in line with their real-life counterparts. The much-maligned Ultimate Team (FUT) mode returns too, but long-term fans of the franchise would be eager to see what’s fresh in the stagnating and often neglected Career Mode. EA Sports FC 24, with Manchester City forward Erling Haaland as its cover star, will be available across PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, and Nintendo Switch.

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Payday 3 Closed Beta Impressions

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If films like Heat and Sexy Beast are anything to go by, when you’re in the professional heist business, retirement does not come easily. There’s always that one last job you get called in to tie up some loose ends, rekindling greed and the drive to plan elaborate robbery schemes within you. With the old gang rounded up, Payday 3 now takes us to the bustling streets of New York City, several years after our reign of terror in Washington DC, masked-up and prepared for new challenges in a present-day environment of mass surveillance gadgets, cryptocurrency, the deep web, and more. Having spent a few hours in the internal playtest, followed by the ongoing closed beta, I must say that I’m truly impressed with how streamlined this sequel is shaping up to be.

The test version only came with one location, the SCB Bank, which is carrying an unusually big amount of cash in its vault, awaiting transport. In what feels like a familiar callback to the Payday 2 days, this is your standard bank heist mission, sticking to the four-player co-op shooter formula, that has you bring a personalised loadout of weapons and high-tech gadgets to ease your cashout. Your approach can heavily vary between sneaking in and out without triggering any alarms, or you could take the loud route and blast in with guns blazing, striking fear into the hearts of the civilians. My experience with Payday 3 was a mix of both, starting by meticulously lockpicking my way through the backdoors to eventually culminating in an all-out assault, where my team was surrounded by cops from every angle.

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Interestingly though, there’s a bit more freedom in stealth segments, where previously, simply being spotted in restricted areas would set the alarms off. But here, you can trespass in private staff areas or behind counters without wearing a mask and the guards would politely escort you to the nearest public area without ruining your stealth attempt. You only get one slip-up, though. Not to mention, it’s a more realistic depiction of how security would react in a given situation. What I did find perplexing, however, was how you could freely walk up to windows in the lobby of the bank and press a button to close the shutters without raising suspicion. While this would prevent passersby from being able to peer inside the building and watch my team take everyone hostage, its inclusion feels very off-putting — almost as if it was an oversight from developer Starbreeze Studios. Hopefully, it’s addressed in a sensible manner, closer to launch. Regardless, it’s a massive step up from Payday 2, where you mostly just avoided detection and intimidated security.

You can do more with your mask off

Well, what was I doing back there, you ask? Scouting, mostly. Keeping track of important rooms and cameras, and quietly sneaking behind guards to pickpocket keycards that would grant access to the main security control room. This allowed me to hack into and disable the security system without too much hassle — such actions are all tied to a single button press, ‘F’. Stealth is still extremely difficult to pull off though, especially once you put on heist masks to conceal your identity, whereupon being spotted, witnesses would immediately report your presence. However, I did feel a bit pressured into wearing a mask, because there were certain basic mechanics, such as vaulting over surfaces, that Payday 3 kept locked behind the mode. Without a mask, you cannot climb through windows nor can you brandish a pistol. That said, it’s still quite insane how far you can progress in the game with masks off — as opposed to Payday 2 — so with the remaining time, I’d just run around the block to look for any potential escape routes that wouldn’t draw attention.

Once you put on a mask, you can’t take it off anymore, immediately raising the stakes for the heist, as you’re finally allowed to partake in more nefarious activities. Now equipped with guns, your squad can walk around intimidating civilians into submission and tying them up, check corners for cameras and shoot them down, and snap security guards’ necks for no disruptions. I’d recommend investing in a silencer for your pistol ASAP, in order to avoid creating a ruckus, but the most important toolkit in your arsenal would be to remain alert at all times. Dropping guards triggers a small alarm on their radio/ walkie-talkie, which if left unanswered, raises suspicion among the security team. Other times, an unattended civilian might escape and pull an alarm, throwing a wet blanket over your perfect plan. Things could easily go sideways once the mask is on, so it’s best to have a team you could always rely on.

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Once you put on a mask, you can’t take it off anymore until the heist session ends
Photo Credit: Starbreeze Studios

Such nail-biting sequences are peppered throughout Payday 3, though they can be severely eased by evenly dividing tasks among you. There’s a lot more flexibility in how you approach missions, such as sifting through documents for clues on how to open the vault, intuitively following red cables to shut down power to the gates, or grabbing an executive to scan their retina on the bank’s high-tech lock system. Of course, none of this would’ve been possible without numerous failed attempts, where my team and I almost immediately set off alarms, causing the police to come barging in. That’s the beauty of Payday 3 — there’s always something new to learn through repeated tries, making it more rewarding for the experienced players.

Now, you might be wondering how the early games in Payday 3 would work for newer players. Well, usually super loud, because you have zero clue of what’s going on or how things work. So, you’ll end up drawing all kinds of unwanted attention, shooting every guard in sight, and grabbing civilians as body shields to help with negotiation, before getting bored soon enough that you let go of them and shoot them in the back of the head. Guilty as charged. I mean, no witnesses if everyone’s dead, right?

Speaking of going loud, the bank heist mission has you breaking into the vault from the floor above in an aggressive fashion, where you collect bags of thermite, pile them up, and ignite them to gradually breach through the fortified wall. Of course, there are bells and sirens going crazy all around, which just adds to the tension as more cops start storming into the place. There is some method to this madness though, as adding too much thermite to increase the rate of breaching causes the water sprinklers to turn on, effectively reducing the flames and sending you on an errand run to turn it off.

Improved combat, more unpredictability

The combat is a strong highlight in Payday 3, throwing increasingly challenging enemies at you, which gets pretty overwhelming, even with human teammates. While it might seem too daunting and overly difficult for some, the heat level perfectly ties with the premise, where you’re trying to steal a truckload’s worth of cash — it’s a pretty serious crime you’re committing here. You should get punished for making careless moves like not checking corners or standing out in the open and tanking bullets Tropic Thunder style. Taking the fight to the streets with bags of cash strapped to our shoulders is where I had the most fun, mimicking the chaos from the iconic LA shootout scene in Michael Mann’s Heat (1995).

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Taking the fight to the streets is where I had the most fun, mimicking the chaos from Michael Mann’s Heat (1995)
Photo Credit: Starbreeze Studios

As you await your getaway vehicle and run back in to grab more cash, you engage in an all-out battle with hordes of different police types, including far-away snipers who’ve got their laser sights trained on you. I’ll admit, they appear a lot more scary than they actually are — in the sense that the snipers are very slow to react to movement. So, you’ll generally have an easy time dealing with them, as long as you keep sliding around the map. Don’t completely ignore them though, as a single shot from them will instantly deplete your armour, leaving your body exposed to direct hits.

Whatever tactics you had planned at the start of a heist session are completely thrown out of the window at this stage, leaving you to rely on any armour or medic bags you brought along. In merely 10 to 15 minutes since the alarms sounded off, the tone of the game will have changed entirely to a modern-day warzone, with special enemies like the Grenadier who will chuck highly damaging poison bombs, which not only blur our vision but prevents us from sprinting until we step out of the gas. The near-indestructible Bulldozer also returns, armed with powerful firearms and occasionally charging headfirst into you. It’s best to have all four teammates focus on this behemoth at once since trying to take him down solo would result in guaranteed death or quick depletion of resources.

The Heavy SWAT team also consists of a brutish riot shield user, who would bash and stun you if you get too close. I found it super beneficial to just hurl a grenade behind them, causing them to turn around and expose their bodies to my onslaught. Another powerful unit relies on stun guns as well, though none of them seemed to be affected by the difficulty modifiers. All difficulty increments — at least in the Payday 3 closed beta — were based solely on security measures, such as indestructible cameras and a lead guard. This ensured that the enemies you faced in combat had the same health pool across the board, without turning them into mundane bullet sponges.

XDefiant Closed Beta Impressions

You can pick skills to create a personalised build, or synergise them with teammates for better success rates
Photo Credit: Screenshot/ Rahul Chettiyar

All of this is bolstered by a robust skill tree, opening room for you to experiment with various builds, whereby performing certain stealth or assault-based actions, you’ll gain bonuses in terms of movement speed, inflicted damage, faster reload speeds, and more. For instance, investing skill points into Tank stats grants defence-oriented perks such as effective armour, while favouring Hacking lets you take remote control of security cameras. You could also double down on stealth abilities to perform faster takedowns and lockpicks or gain ‘Rush’ buffs to escape into hiding quickly. In addition to working toward a setup specifically tailored for you, one could also synergise them with teammates to see which ones offer better success rates.

Just like Payday 2, cash earned from heists can be spent on new weapons and their respective attachments such as scopes, muzzles, and grips to help with heavy recoil. All changes to guns’ stats are neatly shown via a graph, and they can all be personalised with cosmetic mods like paint jobs, stickers, and charms. This forms the core gameplay loop of Payday 3, though for now, I have no idea how the larger story ties into this — after all, we reunited after years to identify and crush an undisclosed ‘new threat.’

It was cool to see Robert De Niro’s mask from Heat in Payday 3
Photo Credit: Screenshot/ Rahul Chettiyar

Further, you could customise your characters’ appearance with new suits, gloves, and a medley of creepy-looking masks, including the white, perforated hockey one that Robert De Niro wore in Heat! Not to mention, all armour and protective gear is worn underneath your suit, so you don’t need to worry about making a bad impression.

Final thoughts

Having only played one heist level, Payday 3 comes across as a remarkable evolution from its predecessor’s ethos, focusing on mechanical depth through a myriad of new high-tech toys to mess around with. The emphasis on stealth opens room for creativity, giving you the incentive to scout locations more freely and tick past an array of meticulous objectives, before donning the mask and going berserk. I also think it’s an excellent choice for this threequel to be set in a contemporary timeline, given the game is designed to grow over time with a regular flow of post-launch content, so it should hopefully feel timeless.

Payday 3’s closed beta is now live and is slated to end on August 7, across PC and Xbox. The full game will launch September 21 across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X.

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Inside ‘Alone in the Dark’: THQ’s Re-Imagining of the ‘90s Survival Horror Game

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Before Resident Evil, there was Alone in the Dark — a Lovecraftian survival horror game from Frédéric Raynal, that relied on fixed, pre-rendered backdrops upon which 3D characters would scurry about. That game design impressed visionary creator Shinji Mikami to adapt it into RE’s early model, prior to which it was planned as a first-person shooter. Arriving on the scene in 1992, Alone in the Dark spawned an entire series of compelling titles, before eventually fading into obscurity over the next decade. That is, until Swedish developer Pieces Interactive took it upon itself to dig the franchise back from its haunting grave through a modernised re-imagining — one that ironically now draws inspiration from the recent Resident Evil remakes. It forms a complete circle.

Best described as a love letter to the original, Alone in the Dark — out October 25 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X — brings back lead characters Detective Edward Carnby and Emily Hartwood to the moody Derceto Mansion, in response to a disturbing letter from the latter’s uncle Jeremy Hartwood. Unlike the original, wherein Jeremy was haunted by the ‘Dark Man’ and killed himself, this re-imaging stretches his arc further so he seeks therapy at the countryside hospital, creating a lingering fear of whether history is doomed to repeat itself.

Such minor changes and callbacks are peppered throughout the game, with writer-director Mikael Hedberg likening the development to ‘cultivating a seed that was planted 30 years ago’. For the uninitiated, Hedberg also wrote Amnesia: The Dark Descent and the deep-sea horror game Soma, and promises an atmospheric experience that’s ‘more than just jumpscares’. He believes that the scare merely releases the tension and that the anticipation of what’s about to happen is what keeps players on their toes.

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“I remember that with the first Alone in the Dark I made in 1992, we were basically doing something that nobody had done before,” creator Raynal said during the preview event. “It was the first time that we could explore a big mansion, fight monsters, and solve difficult puzzles — all in real-time 3D.” He then went on to praise Pieces Interactive for doing a great job in preserving the core feeling of the game, while adding that the closed confines of the Derceto Mansion always served as an additional, important character that really tightened up the story. At its core though, Alone in the Dark will have you play as either niece Emily Hartwood or the brooding detective Edward Carnby — whom she hired in response to being spooked by her uncle’s letter — and investigate its long passageways, tunnels, and a nearby town teeming with cosmic monstrosities.

“We knew early on that we had a character-driven story, so we needed to find some really good actors to make those characters come to life,” director Hedberg said. David Harbour of Stranger Things-fame headlines the cast as our detective character, who himself has never shied away from displaying his affection for the world of video games — specifically World of Warcraft and the horror genre. “He’s kind of a gruff detective and he’s searching for something and, you know, he’s hard-boiled, but he’s got some humour to him and stuff like that,” Harbour explained, adding that the character is a ‘bit of a trope.’ Your playthrough as Detective Carnby will vary significantly from that of Emily’s, who has a more personal, familial connection to the mystery. As the hired gun, you will learn step-by-step how the Derceto mystery is connected to you and why you keep seeing weird memories of this place.

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Jodie Comer (Killing Eve) stars as Emily Hartwood in Alone in the Dark
Photo Credit: THQ Nordic/ Pieces Interactive

Meanwhile, Emily is played by Jodie Comer — best known for Killing Eve and Free Guy — who also suffers from the strange affliction known as the ‘Hartwood Curse.’ No further explanation for the curse was provided, but judging by the original game, we can assume it has to do with some dark rituals of an occultist pirate, whose spirit wanders around looking for a suitable host.

“Yes, there is the kind of scary element, but then she still has to go on a journey and discover different things,” Comer describes her character’s traits. “There should still be room to breathe and have a funny moment or a sarcastic moment or a moment of discovery.” Both Comer and Harbour provided full voice acting and motion capture for their roles, whose ‘spellbinding performances’ were instrumental to Alone in the Dark’s psychological horror angle — one that leans into the grounded narrative aspects rather than the physical terror.

Further in the preview event, Hedberg explained that Alone in the Dark will offer a different take on the same story, depending on who you play as. Most of these will be reflected in cutscenes through differing interactions with NPCs and slight changes in the way your character navigates situations. For instance, there’s a spiteful maid in the game, who reacts more ‘nicely’ to Emily’s snooping, compared to Detective Carnby who is greeted with a kitchen knife pointed at his face. Same situations and dialogue, but different outcomes that incentivise you to play the game more than once.

“The player will get to see exclusive levels and parts of the mansion depending on your chosen protagonist,” Andreas Schmiedecker, Associate Producer, THQ Nordic told Gadgets 360. “If you go for a second playthrough with the other characters, there will be slight influences in your game depending on which items you found in your first playthrough.” Since both Emily and Carnby conduct their separate investigations, they also will often run into each other during cutscenes and offer glimpses at what they’ve been up to.

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Depending on what protagonist you choose, you’ll see exclusive levels
Photo Credit: THQ Nordic/ Pieces Interactive

Gameplay largely revolves around exploration from an over-the-shoulder perspective — much like Resident Evil 4 — where you gun down bizarre zombie-like creatures and giant roaches akin to Fallout 4. The developer describes the combat as ‘intense’, where you’ll need to conserve and make every bullet count, though there’s no word on general resource management such as healing items or a proper inventory system that needs to be planned well beforehand. I’m of course comparing it to the suitcase in Resident Evil 4, where you need to perfectly align and prioritise items you need to carry until you reach the next save point. “Careful resource management is a staple of the survival-horror-adventure genre and this game is no different. Especially on higher difficulties,” Schmiedecker said.

Alone in the Dark also comes with a backup plan in case you run out of bullets — melee attacks, which can be performed using rusty pipes and planks, or you could chuck Molotov cocktails from afar. The latter was a jarring occurrence during the preview, where you could see Emily just picking a random bottle of alcohol and hurling it towards a humanoid creature, resulting in an explosion of flames. There was no crafting menu or animation that showed her lighting a fuse to ignite it, which not only breaks immersion but reduces tension buildup when hordes charge toward you.

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Combat largely revolved around gunplay and melee attacks
Photo Credit: THQ Nordic/ Pieces Interactive

Regardless of who you choose, the goal is to figure out what happened to Jeremy Hartwood, and in pursuit of that, you’ll need to visit some unexpected places. Getting to those areas will have you rely on your wits and puzzle-solving skills, involving cyphers, odd patterns, and light switches to activate. The preview also mentioned that players will be able to choose how much help they receive with puzzles, which is ideal for those not willing or unable to do some non-linear thinking and memorising their route around the Derceto Mansion. The idea is for puzzles to not be a dead-end that discourages players from experiencing Alone in the Dark’s larger story.

As a taste of the full game, THQ Nordic has also planned a prologue demo, which is set a few weeks prior to the events of Alone in the Dark, as a segue into the narrative. In it, you step into the shoes of Grace Saunders, a young girl who is tasked with posting a letter — presumably the eerie one from Jeremy Hartwood — and in the process, explore the mansion. Dubbed ‘Grace in the Dark,’ the prologue is now available to download on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X, and does not include any combat segments. It is described as an ‘atmospheric experience’ that’s largely exploration-based and includes some rather basic puzzles.

Alone in the Dark is slated to release October 25 on the aforementioned platforms, with a pre-order bonus that grants the 1992 costume pack — the goofy, pixelated 3D model skins from the original game that can be used against modern-day HD backgrounds. The developers claimed that there’s still a lot of work ahead, therefore marking a busy summer for the team. I’m assuming a lot of this has to do with optimisation, which I hope is up to par for the PC version at launch, which has typically received the short end of the stick in recent titles. There’s a Digital Deluxe Edition as well, which comes with a digital artbook, a director’s commentary mode, and a vintage horror filter pack that lets you experience the game in Sepia, black-and-white, and other colour tones.

Alone in the Dark releases October 25 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X. A prologue demo called Grace in the Dark is now available for download on the said platforms.

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Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores Review: Flaw in the Machine

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When Horizon Forbidden West, Guerrilla Games’ sweeping post-post-apocalyptic epic sci-fi action RPG, came out in February last year, its highs and lows embodied the double-edged sword of video gaming. Its next-gen graphical fidelity, dynamic combat sandbox, and ambitious open world design were all dimmed by the lack of an emotional core. Not for a lack of trying, Forbidden West failed to ground its chaotic action with considered writing. Despite upgraded facial capture technology, fully animated cutscenes, and a crew of new support characters who all talked a lot, the game often felt bogged down by artificial clunk. While its lush flora, azure waters, and pristine mountains came to life in breathtaking visual detail, its people, more often than not, refused to do so. Even the series’ torchbearer, the redheaded huntress Aloy, remained elusive.

Fourteen months on, Horizon’s plucky protagonist returns to add another page to her saga with Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores, the game’s first expansion. It adds a sizable new map section, new tools and toys, and new stories to the base content. Released April 19 on the PS5, Burning Shores attempts to address some of these complaints made against the main game, and expands on the series’ lore as it dives deeper into science fiction territory. There are some novel mechanics at play, too. Aloy has a few new tricks up her quiver, and her aquatic adventures have received special attention in the DLC, with a focus on more ways to traverse the watery world. She’s not alone in her travels either; while previous games in the series have included companions who join Aloy on quests, this time she has a proper partner in crime.

On the whole, Burning Shores seems to be a meaty package, with a fresh set of islands to explore, secrets to uncover, and favours to complete for your friends, but the main questline itself remains a lean affair. This could be good or bad, depending on how much mileage one wants out of their DLC. The star attractions, as with all Horizon games, are the machines. There are couple creative new ones here, including a familiar and formerly dormant foe that wakes up for a big finale. Despite all this new promise though, the smoke that billows from Burning Shores smells mostly like Forbidden West. And if there’s more of the same good stuff at the core of the experience, much of the bad is carried over, too.

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Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores expands the game world to include Los Angeles — or what remains of Hollywood. Set in the ruins of LA, which is now a volcanic archipelago spitting fire and ash, the game adds a new cluster of islands south of its main map. The expansion questline can only begin if you’ve completed the main story in Forbidden West. Sylens, the voice in Aloy’s ears and perhaps the series’ most interesting character (played by the late great Lance Reddick), informs our protagonist that the Zenith threat is far from over. Zeniths, ancient humans who left Earth upon its destruction and returned to take it back in Forbidden West, were thought to have been taken care of, but one of them remained. Aloy travels to Burning Shores on the trail of Walter Londra, the surviving Zenith, and finds members of the Quen tribe washed ashore. They’ve set up a small town and find themselves separated and stuck, without the aid of marine navigators who seem to have vanished, along with some other members of the tribe.

When she crash lands on new shores, Aloy meets Seyka, a Quen marine on the trail of the lost members of her tribe. The two strike up a partnership after they quickly realise their quests might lead in the same direction. Aloy agrees to help Seyka find her people, while the Quen informs her of strange occurrences and anomalies that have plagued the Burning Shores in recent times. The two set out after Londra to stop his sinister plans, which involve the lost members of the Quen tribe. Londra, as an antagonist, is much like the Zeniths from the main game — a narcissistic superhuman whose motivations are doused in villainy. Burning Shores fails to establish him as a distinct threat, painting him with the same colour of evil as the Zeniths who came with him and served as the antagonists in Forbidden West. On the trail of Londra and his machinations, Aloy is barrelled into a bombastic final set piece that lands with Hollywood-level heft, but fizzles out with a cagey, on-the-rails boss fight. The battle is a series-high spectacle, but offers little room to stretch your legs. A little more open-ended approach would have probably served this game better.

In Burning Shores, Aloy and Seyka find themselves on the trail of a new threat
Photo Credit: Screenshot/ Manas Mitul

Aside from its villain, the only other new major character of note in Burning Shores is Sekya. She is established as Aloy’s equal, adept at hunting machines and braving the dangers of their unpredictable world. She accompanies Aloy on her excursions, driven to find her people and discover more about Londra’s threat. Up until now, across two main games and an expansion, Aloy has ventured out pretty much on her own. In fact, she has refused help, choosing to fight her battles alone. As an outcast, she never quite figured out companionship. But with Seyka, she forms an understanding as their relationship develops and they share more about themselves. Their dynamic almost seems to be a direct response to criticism about Aloy’s lack of human connections in the main game. Forever the hero set on saving the world, she seemed not to care much for the people who inhabit it.

And while her bond with Seyka tries to address her emotional reluctance to form meaningful relationships, it does feel a little contrived. There isn’t a visible chemistry between the two, and their friendship isn’t given enough time to bloom and justify what it becomes. Aloy and Seyka’s dynamic does represent a step in the right direction though, despite falling short of feeling earned. It at least attempts to ground Aloy, who until now has avoided the mess of human emotion and has preferred to stick with the clarity of her higher calling. She is still busy saving the world, but her continued march towards the next fight only makes sense if there are things and people in her life worth fighting for.

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In Seyka, Aloy finds an equal she can admire and, perhaps, even love
Photo Credit: Screenshot/ Manas Mitul

In addition to this new approach to characters, the game makes its action to feel fresh in imaginative ways too, adding more strokes to its already freeform robot dinosaur-hunting sandbox. You carry over all your upgraded armour, weapons, and abilities from the main game, and find a host of new ones in Burning Shores. It took me a little while to get back into the groove of high-level combat and recall all the right controls. It was messy at first, but once locked in, I was able to switch seamlessly between hunter and sharpshot bows, bomb slings, traps, and ropecasters to take on the game’s menacing machines. All the familiar metal monsters are here, and there are some new ones, too. The Bilegut is modelled after a colossal toad that, true to its name, has corrosive acid stored up in its gut and lashes out its long robotic tongue to deal damage and steal your resources. Then there’s the Waterwing, an amphibian cousin to the Sunwing from the main game, which, in addition to taking to the skies, can dive deep into water bodies and cover great distances in a short time. Just like the Sunwing, the Waterwing can be tamed, mounted, and taken for a dip. This machine isn’t the only way to explore the waters of Burning Shores; Aloy also has a makeshift motorboat at her disposal this time to navigate the map’s many islands.

Burning Shores has new perks for Aloy’s skill tree, which add some handy abilities to combat. The standout is Grapple Strike, which lets you quickly zip to a downed machine and strike with your spear using a context action button to energise the target for a follow-up Resonator Blast attack. You can also now use your weapons in the air while gliding down to the battlefield and rain fire down on the machines before you get up close. And you can also craft and deploy shields to act as barriers between you and your enemies. In addition to traditional bows and a selection of new armour sets, you also get a new weapon, more futuristic in both design and application, pushing the series further into sci-fi territory.

A Waterwing takes flight in Burning Shores
Photo Credit: Screenshot/ Manas Mitul

The LA of Burning Shores is barely recognisable and exists as a group of lava-spitting islands with overgrown flora. There are a couple of familiar landmarks, including the iconic Hollywood sign and the Capitol Records Building, but there is no city of angels to be found here. The only town is Fleet’s End, a bustling Quen encampment that houses the adrift members of the tribe. Fleet’s End is incredibly detailed and feels lived-in, with its denizens out and about on their daily chores, its shopkeepers calling you to peruse their wares, and its guards eyeing you with mistrust. Besides the main storyline, you can take on side quests to help out the townfolk, look for ancient collectibles scattered across the map, and clear enemy outposts. While the map of Burning Shores is bursting at the seams with detail, actual interactive tasks are few. It is a short DLC, shorter even than Frozen Wilds — the expansion to the first game, Horizon Zero Dawn. Still, it offers just about enough to warrant a dive into its waters.

And it does help that all of this arrives in a beautiful package. Horizon Forbidden West was one of the best-looking games on consoles when it came out last year; its expansion remains just as stunning. It’s full of breathtaking vistas, bathed in excellent lighting and painted in a vibrant art style. On the PS5, this game runs flawlessly, flexing the muscles of its underlying Decima Engine. You can choose to favour resolution for a crisper image, or performance for smoother gameplay. There are some technical issues — mostly related to popping — and a thin layer of video game jank that especially flares up during platforming sections. But, on the whole, Guerrilla Games’ latest DLC is a refined package that the fans of the series have come to expect from them.

How Raji: An Ancient Epic Was Ported to Mobile: In Conversation With Nodding Heads Games

The LA in Burning Shores is home to Hollywood in ruins
Photo Credit: Screenshot/ Manas Mitul

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores often feels like one long side quest, but it attempts to fill some gaps left by the main game. As an experience, it’s not very different from its parent. It presents yet another world-ending threat, riding on the back of an antagonist who doesn’t fall far from his predecessors. There is an element of repetition, not just in its open world design, but also in its closed narrative. The world keeps ending and Aloy keeps saving it — run it back a few times and it leads to an insincerity in what’s at stake. Burning Shores does try to add more shades to Aloy’s personality, but choses spectacle over what could have been a more personal story. The burgeoning scope of the Horizon series has pushed its games to tell a fascinating transhumanist tale of apocalypse and rebirth; man and machine. But perhaps a bit more of a human touch was just what it needed this time.

Pros

Excellent visuals
Improvements to machine combat
Detailed setting
New traversal mechanics

Cons

Short length
Unearned character moments
Uninspired antagonist

Rating (out of 10): 8

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores released April 19 on PS5.

Pricing starts at Rs. 1,664 on PlayStation Store for PS5.

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8 Biggest New Games on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Series S/X in March

Post By Science And Technology bayonetta origins cereza and the lost demon, crime boss rockay city, dead cells dlc, dead cells return to castlevania, ea, ea sports pga tour, games in march 2023, march 2023 games, nintendo switch, pc, playstation 4, playstation 5, ps4, ps5, resident evil 4, resident evil 4 last us part 1 wwe 2k23 wo long fallen dynasty march games pc ps4 ps5 xbox series s x one switch games, resident evil 4 remake, the last of us part 1, windows 10, windows 11, wo long fallen dynasty, wwe 2k23, xbox one, xbox series s, xbox series x

What are the biggest new games coming out in March 2023? After a jam-packed lineup last month, March 2023 continues heating things up on the AAA front, ensuring a good time for gamers this year. The survival horror genre takes the front row, starting with the Resident Evil 4 remake, transporting us back to a cultist European village on a mission to track down the President of the USA’s daughter. Developer Capcom claims that the timeless classic has been fully rebuilt keeping the original’s essence intact. The RE4 remake is out March 24 across PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X. Chase it down with The Last of Us Part I, which finally comes to PC on the 28th, letting a new array of players experience the emotional zombie apocalypse story of an unlikely duo.

Oil up, flex your muscles, and step into the ring once again in the latest wrestling showdown from 2K. Releasing March 17 — March 14 for early access — WWE 2K23 features the 16-time world champion and DC Studios’ Peacemaker, John Cena as the cover star, whose iconic career can be relived through this year’s 2K Showcase. A brand-new souls-like from the creators of Nioh is also on the menu this month. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty — out now on all major platforms — places you in the fictional dark fantastical realm of the later Han Dynasty as you take on corrupted demons in punishingly difficult combat.

Keeping with tradition, Nintendo comes in clutch with a new offering on the handheld front. Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is a take on the Umbra Witch’s early days, and understandably far less racy. This spin-off title puts the trainee witch on a quest to save her imprisoned mother, accompanied by a demonic feline, Cheshire. The game has you take control of both characters in turn and releases March 17 on the Nintendo Switch. Indie darling Dead Cells is also getting a meaty DLC on March 6, Return to Castlevania, which lets you play as vampire hunter Richter Belmont, navigating the courtyards and corridors of Dracula’s Castle. Dead Cells’ paid Return to Castlevania DLC will be available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch.

With that, here are the eight biggest titles coming to PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X in March 2023:

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

When: March 3
Where: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X

Step into a twisted, war-torn version of ancient China, with the Han Dynasty in its final days as demonic forces drag the formerly prosperous realm into collapse. As a nameless militia soldier, you’re plunged into the battlefield to eradicate the Yellow Turban Rebellion and deadly creatures in fast-paced melee combat that relies on timed parries/ deflects. Cycle between armaments, learn Wizardry Spells, and perform martial arts to overcome all odds. To ease the punishing souls-like experience, developer Team Ninja has added summonable spectral beings and a plethora of flagposts that serve as checkpoints for levelling up and resetting any afflictions.

Expect theatrical boss battles and a high-risk high-reward playstyle, with an emphasis on the Morale system. The higher your Morale, the more damage you deal. Alternatively, if you die, you lose everything until you reclaim it from your killer. Think of it as a passive buff that helps with long-drawn fights. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty also has a free demo available to download on all platforms. In our first impressions of the PC version, we noted how the mouse-based camera controls had detection and sensitivity issues — which explains the game’s negative reviews on Steam. If you’re really looking forward to playing Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty on PC, we would recommend using a controller, for the time being.

Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania

When: March 6
Where: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch

Motion Twin’s popular roguelike Metroidvania title Dead Cells is set to get a DLC that will let you embark on a new Castlevania-themed adventure. Step through a mysterious gateway into a gothic-themed castle to defeat an evil vampire, as you fight alongside the warrior Richter Belmont and Alucard.

Reaching the evil Dracula won’t be easy, though — you’ll first have to beat three bosses and several new enemies across two biomes. However, you’ll have access to 14 weapons – including a throwing axe, vampire killer, and holy water — along with 20 outfits for Richter, Trevor, Simon Belmont, Maria Reynard, Sybha Belnades, and the evil Dracula.

WWE 2K23

When: March 17
Where: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X

John Cena is the official cover superstar for the upcoming wrestling title WWE 2K23. The 16-time World Champion stars in an interactive sports documentary that lets you play through his 20-year career while taking on his biggest rivals. You can also face off with other gamers in teams of three or four to wrestle in two rings inside a steel cage with the new WarGames mode.

The game will feature iconic WWE Superstars such as Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Steve Austin, and Cody Rhodes. WWE 2K23 will also have modes called MyRISE and MyGM that let you make decisions that affect your WWE Superstar career and compete against rival general managers, respectively. MyFACTION, on the other hand, lets you collect WWE Superstar cards and upgrade them while competing with other players.

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon

When: March 17
Where: Nintendo Switch

PlatinumGames’ Bayonetta franchise stands out for its frenetic hack-and-slash combat, unique visuals, and indulgence in indecent innuendo. After three mainline games, the developers have now worked on a spinoff — one that has spun quite far away from its roots. Revealed at The Game Awards 2022, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon ditches Bayonetta’s edgy art style, third-person Devil May Cry-action, and risque aesthetics to embrace more colourful, indie-like visuals, an isometric camera perspective, and a more family-friendly theme. This game feels more at home in the Nintendo catalogue than the mainline Bayonetta games. Frankly, it’s only Bayonetta in name.

In Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, players control its two titular characters, Cereza (a younger version of the iconic and eponymous witch from the main games) and her demonic companion, Cheshire. Cereza, who is yet to become the leather-clad, corseted, and bespectacled Bayonetta, travels with Chesire through a fantastical forest, where they take on beasts and creatures. Cereza’s powers are, of course, far from fully formed, but you can utilise her magic abilities and Cheshire’s demonic strength to navigate the jungle. The game also offers puzzles and platforming, where teamwork between the two characters is key.

While the game is a departure from Bayonetta’s bawdy adventures, it might just bring new players (including those too young to play the main games) to the franchise.

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon and Beyond, Nintendo Direct February 2023 Highlights

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon embraces more colourful, indie-like visuals
Photo Credit: PlatinumGames

Resident Evil 4

When: March 24
Where: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series S/X

Six years since the biological disaster in Raccoon City, series stalwart Leon S. Kennedy has been deployed on a new mission to rescue the President of the USA’s daughter, Ashley Graham. Just like in the original 2005 game, players will be transported to a secluded, ghoulish Spanish village, teeming with hostile villagers who pledge allegiance to the Los Illuminados cult. In addition to upgraded visuals, Capcom has added new several gameplay elements to the Resident Evil 4 remake, expanding on the lore with new side quests, in-depth exploration, and a new parry mechanic that turns Leon’s knife into a limited resource. Knife durability can be upgraded in shops, though players will need to be mindful of using it to deflect attacks from minor enemies.

The captive Ashley has changed in a few key ways as well. Once rescued, Leon can order her to stay close or at a distance while he takes care of larger hordes. Alternatively, she takes charge when unlocking doors for you. Stealth mechanics have been expanded, letting you silently kill enemies with your knife or create distractions and sneak past them. The developers also have some post-launch content in store for us, including a virtual reality mode for the PS VR2. It is currently in development and will be available as free DLC to those who own the base game.

EA Sports PGA Tour

When: March 24
Where: PC, PS5, Xbox Series S/X

Featuring 30 golf courses — 28 of the most well-known ones plus two that are imaginary — EA Sports PGA Tour will feature the Masters Tournament, The Open Championship, the PGA Championship, and the US Open Championship. You can step into the shoes of pro golfers including Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Nelly Korda, Tony Finau, Im Sung-jae, and Lexi Thompson. The game features a career mode, challenges and limited-time tournaments, and live service functionality is coming at a later date.

The publisher says high-resolution visuals for EA Sports PGA Tour are only supported on the latest-generation consoles and some PCs. The upcoming EA Sports PGA Tour will feature a private match mode for friends and family, and a social mode with players at your skill level, as well as a competitive mode that matches you with other players.

The Last of Us Part I

When: March 28
Where: PC

At this point, The Last of Us, first released in June 2013, has to be one of the most-played games on PlayStation. From its first innings on the PS3, and its second life as The Last of Us Remastered on PS4, to its final form as The Last of Us Part I on the PS5, Naughty Dog’s this narrative-focused action-adventure title is a stone cold classic of the platform.

These days, it’s hard to miss the story of Joel and Ellie; those who don’t play games now know them through the hit HBO TV adaptation, which has become a phenomenon in its own right. Now, almost a decade after the original game’s release, PC gamers will finally be able to step into the shoes of the two iconic characters and journey through a post-apocalyptic America, fighting off the infected and the unhinged. The game’s PS5 remake, The Last of Us Part 1, is being ported to PC, and arrives March 28. Those who’ve played the original, or have checked out the new TV show, will know that The Last of Us is less about its undead and more about its living.

While the acclaimed story and beloved characters remain the same, the game has been rebuilt from the ground up, with shiny new visuals, quality-of-life changes, an AI overhaul, and more. All this brings it up to modern standards, closer to its sequel, The Last of Us Part II. Riding high on the buzz from its ongoing live-action adaptation starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us Part I on PC will likely attract a whole new audience, including those who don’t necessarily consider themselves gamers.

Crime Boss: Rockay City

When: March 28
Where: PC

A trailer for Crime Boss: Rockay City dropped out of the blue at The Game Awards 2022, showing off an all-star cast that includes Michael Madsen, Chuck Norris, Danny Trejo, Danny Glover, and Kim Basinger. Along with its throwback cast, Rockay City looks like it will offer throwback first-person shooter action.

Developed by In Game Studios and published by 505 Games, this action-FPS title is set in the 90s and takes place in the Miami, Florida-inspired titular city. Players take control of Madsen’s character Travis Barker and set about building their criminal enterprise. Rockay City offers single-player and up to four-player co-op experiences, letting you indulge in turf wars, heists, and all-around general madness. The game also lets you choose your crew, plan missions, and slowly build your empire.

With its Miami Vice vibes and colourful cast, Crime Boss: Rockay City arrives on PC on March 28.

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For details of the latest launches and news from Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, OnePlus, Oppo and other companies at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, visit our MWC 2023 hub.

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