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The opening segment of Firaxis’ major Civilization 7 showcase fits the studio’s style perfectly: Ed Beach, the game’s lead designer, delivers a rapid, layered walkthrough of the historical eras that shape the City of London. Beach is also one of the uncommon cases where a lead designer stays at the helm across several releases—he steered … Read more

Pulling the rights to the IP for Savage Planet and obtaining the associated source code from Google took far more time than selling Typhoon Studios to the company. “Google is used to purchasing assets, but they are not used to giving them back,” Reid Schneider, co-founder and studio director of Racoon Logic, explains during my … Read more

I’m still a little uncertain about how Avowed’s story is laid out—mostly because I haven’t played Obsidian’s Pillars of Eternity games, even though this RPG takes place in that same setting. Still, after about an hour getting hands-on during Gamescom 2024, I walked away with a clearer picture of several key details. That’s been enough … Read more

I’m tracking down a Chatacabra, an unusual lizard–frog hybrid with a seriously impressive tongue. I’m also riding my Seikrat, a bird-like companion that carries me fast as I close in on my target. And I’m not completely by myself either: I’ve got three fellow hunter companions with me, though they’re not actual players. Monster … Read more

When Supermassive Games’ Directive 8020 arrives in 2025, it will have been three years since the studio released its most recent full entry in the horror anthology series The Dark Pictures. This upcoming sci-fi story—Supermassive’s first leap into the future setting—is positioned as the fifth major game in the franchise (or sixth, depending on whether … Read more

Metaphor: ReFantazio The music during battles in Metaphor: ReFantazio is genuinely remarkable. Pressing, recurring chants build up the stakes over sweeping string passages, and then—just when things feel at their most intense—a stunning brass climax breaks through, accompanied by choral harmonies. It has the scale and drama you’d expect from an opera, matching the game’s … Read more

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Developer: Sandfall Interactive Publisher: Kepler Interactive Availability: Scheduled for 2025 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S (including Game Pass), and PC (Steam and Epic) It’s fair to say that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 caught a lot of attention—mine included—when it was revealed during the Summer Game Fest Xbox Showcase. In a … Read more

I’m once again winding my way through the dim, shadow-filled streets of Gotham, just as I’ve done countless times over the years. This time, though, I’m physically tipping my head toward the sky to catch the street signs, the labels on closed storefronts, and the police helicopters buzzing overhead. After a roughly hour-long look at … Read more

Over three decades beyond the debut of the original Legend of Zelda, one of gaming’s most recognizable figures is finally stepping into a story built around her. Longtime fans have urged Nintendo to let them play as Zelda, but the company has often stayed cautious—leaving Link as the quiet lead in most player journeys. The … Read more

Phantom Blade Zero Publisher: S-Game Developer: S-Game Availability: TBC Platforms: PS5, PC It’s basically become a familiar running joke. The moment another action game is revealed, people quickly start drawing comparisons to FromSoftware’s catalog, usually with the same question: “Sure, it looks great, but is it a Soulslike?” That happened with Black Myth: Wukong, and … Read more