There’s no more important death in video games than that of Final Fantasy VII’s flower girl, Aerith. In the 1997 game, Aerith meets her end at the hands of Sephiroth, who brutally stabs her in front of the game’s hero, Cloud Strife, and by extension the players. It was a permadeath that stayed with fans. … Read more
A new Pokémon Legends game is coming to the “Nintendo Switch family of systems” in 2025. Pokémon Legends: Z-A, announced Tuesday with a brief teaser trailer, is an “ambitious new entry” into the series that will launch simultaneously worldwide. It’s also fuel for the fire that a new Nintendo Switch console is coming next year. … Read more
The reboot cycle that began with 2020’s Final Fantasy VII Remake was a creative risk. It transformed a single PlayStation game into a trilogy meant to retell one of the most celebrated RPGs of all time. Remake was a slower, more elaborate vision of Square Enix’s beloved 1997 hit; it took the first few hours … Read more
Microsoft is gearing up for a big holiday season at the end of this year. During yesterday’s much-hyped Official Xbox Podcast, Xbox president Sarah Bond teased news regarding the company’s hardware, as well as its plans for its next-gen gaming devices. “What we’re really focused on there is delivering the largest technical leap you will … Read more
Microsoft is bringing its first Activision Blizzard title to Game Pass, following its successful multibillion-dollar acquisition of the company: The 2023 hit Diablo IV will be available on the subscription service starting March 28. Microsoft announced the news today during an episode of the Official Xbox Podcast, which also served as an attempt to clear … Read more
On January 30, X gaming account Wario64 spotted something strange: Yager’s seminal cult classic Spec Ops: The Line had been unceremoniously removed from online storefronts without warning. Developers who made the game were just as baffled as fans. “Makes no sense,” tweeted the game’s director, Cory Davis. “Especially because the themes portrayed in Spec Ops: … Read more
A handful of Xbox titles may soon lose their exclusivity status and move to platforms like PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. Good news for players who own those platforms. Not so for everyone. Rather than rejoice that more people may be able to enjoy their beloved games, parts of the Xbox community are furious about what … Read more
While every new entry stands on its own to a certain extent, the Like a Dragon series has always worked, too, as an ever-growing exploration of a cast of surprisingly pure-hearted gangsters and the elaborate conspiracies in which they’re involved. Sakamoto says this is intentional. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio makes a continual effort to provide … Read more
In the grass ahead lurks a cotton-ball puff of a creature with stubby appendages, round, yellow eyes, and a macaroni-noodle smile. Appropriately named Lamball, it is one of many island creatures that can become your pal, with the right touch: smashing it over the head with a big wooden stick (to weaken it, of course), … Read more
The first breakout video game of the year is also the most outrageous. Palworld, dubbed “Pokémon with guns” by the internet writ large, takes base elements of survival games, like Rust, and mixes them with collectible, edible little creatures for a satirical twist. (Yes, you can give your adorable companions machine guns to use.) Released … Read more