New Game Preview

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Get a sneak peek at the most anticipated games of the year. From action-packed adventures to mind-bending puzzles, we've got something for everyone. Stay ahead of the game with our exclusive previews!

Going Hands-On With Outward 2—True Grit RPGCGM took a hands-on look at Outward 2, the upcoming sequel to Nine Dot's ambitious open-world survival RPG.

Previews – CGMagazineDec 2

The Last Case of John Morley review: Rough around the edges but eerily compellingThe post The Last Case of John Morley review: Rough around the edges but eerily compelling appeared first on The Escapist .

Reviews Archives - The EscapistNov 27

Dragon Quest Reimagined Producer On Remaking A Classic: 'We Rebuilt Everything From The Ground Up' Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is the latest game to grace the cover of Game Informer , and to learn more about this game for the cover story, I traveled to Tokyo, Japan, to play two hours of the game and interview the team behind it, too. With this being the second remake of Dragon Quest VII, following the 2016 Nintendo 3DS remake, I was curious about where you even start with a project like this. So I asked producer Takeshi Ichikawa and director Masato Yagi about their thought processes behind developing the game, which elements are sacred ground in Dragon Quest VII, if there's any pressure involved, and more. Here's what I learned. "To be honest, I did feel some pressure, but for the most part, I felt the same as Ichikawa here," Yagi tells me. "I was excited with the idea of bringing these new changes." Ichikawa, on the other hand, didn't feel much pressure. “I was certainly excited with the prospect of bringing these changes,” he tells me. “When we first kicked off the project, we had in mind three main components that we really wanted to reimagine for this version; the first one being the visuals, the second one being the scenario or the story, and the third one being the battle. [...] It is one of the most popular installments in the series, but our goal was to offer a reimagined experience to players all around the world. But again, I didn’t really necessarily feel pressure.” When I ask where the team started with Reimagined, Ichikawa explains it's a remake focused on showcasing what makes Dragon Quest VII so great to modern audiences. That means keeping the story intact, although lead scenario writer Sayaka Takagi explained to me in a different interview how the team streamlined the main scenario; you can read about that here . "I really thought that the story of the original was essential to keep," Ichikawa says. "When you look at [all of the] mainline installments, Dragon Quest VII's story is quite unique and not really like the others. These characters [...] go through a lot of struggles, and it is, overall, kind of a bit darker. That [darkness] is the one thing that I wanted to retain for sure in the remake." Yagi agrees with Ichikawa, telling me in a series full of lighthearted stories with a more loving tone, Dragon Quest VII is darker. He remembers asking, "Is this actually a Dragon Quest story?" while playing the original game on PlayStation. Retaining this tone was important for Reimagined, he adds, lightly dipping into spoiler territory to discuss Prince Kiefer, a party member of the game. I won't spoil anything here, but if you're familiar with the game, Kiefer makes a crucial decision in the story, and though in the initial stages of development the team pondered keeping it (and other narrative moments) in the game, it remained. "That's definitely one thing that we were debating if we should keep or not, but in the end, we decided it's just too essential for the story," Yagi says. "There are a lot of areas where we debated to keep or not keep, but in the end, for the most part, we decided to keep [things in place]. But it's not keeping them as is. We did end up making some little adjustments and arrangements here and there." Speaking more broadly, Yagi says the team behind Reimagined "really wanted to make the overall game experience more immersive for our players [and that's why we streamlined the story. It's also why we made some adjustments to the combat." Closing out our conversation on the philosophy behind this remake, Ichikawa tells me, "Reimagined" implies everything is new. He says, "We really built everything from the ground up. We rebuilt everything, aside from the scenario, from scratch. In order to convey that sentiment, we felt that 'Reimagined' would be the most adequate title instead of 'Remake.'" Dragon Quest VII Reimagined launches February 5 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, Switch, and PC. In the meantime, check out this article breaking down everything in the Dragon Quest VII Reimagined issue of Game Informer , and be sure to subscribe here if you haven't yet so you can access the Dragon Quest VII Reimagined cover story , our deep dive into Dragon Quest history with creator Yuji Horii, and so much more.

Game Informer PreviewsNov 27

Let's Compare All Three Versions Of Dragon Quest VII, Including Reimagined Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is the latest game to grace the cover of Game Informer , and you can read all about that here. If you're familiar with the history of this specific Dragon Quest entry, then you likely already know Reimagined is the second time Square Enix has remade Dragon Quest VII. It released the original Dragon Quest VII in 2000 on PlayStation in Japan and a year later as Dragon Warrior VII in the U.S. Square Enix remade it for the Nintendo 3DS, launching Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past in 2013 in Japan before releasing it in the West in 2016. Now, Square Enix is remaking it a second time, with Reimagined launching next year on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, Switch, and PC. It's rare to see a single entry get this many remakes, so we've created two galleries to show you the differences between the original Dragon Quest VII, the 3DS remake, and Reimagined, using the same spot across the years. Gallery 1: Original vs. 3DS Remake vs. Reimagined Gallery 2: Original vs. 3DS Remake vs. Reimagined As you can see, the differences are pretty stark due to hardware limitations and varying visual styles and aesthetics. We're excited for Reimagined, though, and you can read about why in the Game Informer cover story here , and if you aren't already a subscriber, be sure to subscribe here . Which visual style for Dragon Quest VII do you like best? Let us know in the comments below!

Game Informer PreviewsNov 26

Bungie Shares Deep Dive On Star Wars-Inspired Destiny 2: Renegades Bungie today offered a deep dive look at the new Destiny 2: Renegades release, which is scheduled to arrive for players next week, on December 2. The new major release for the game is an unusual one, as it’s rooted in a partnership with Star Wars. A quick look through the early visuals of the game don’t leave much room for doubt on that, as there are lots of things that look like lightsabers, stormtroopers, and villainous Sith. But as today’s vidoc makes clear, Bungie is trying to thread a more nuanced line with this release that it first appears. While plenty of features may look like Star Wars, the team is going to great pains to make sure it remains a true and canon Destiny experience. Those aren’t lightsabers but rather Praxic Blades. Those aren’t stormtroopers but instead members of the surging Barant Imperium. And that’s not a Sith – it’s a dangerous new big bad named Dredgen Bael. Whether the developer can pull off keeping those distinctions or not will be a matter to decide once we can play the game, but the early descriptions and footage offer good reason to be excited. The storyline appears to focus strongly on Drifter as a central character, acting as a conduit into some of the criminal underworld of the solar system. With his scoundrel demeanor, Drifter pretty clearly nods a bit toward characters like Han Solo in the Star Wars fiction. We also get to know a character that has been mentioned in the past in written lore entries for Destiny. Aunor Mahal is about as close as the game is likely to have to a Jedi, with her Praxic Blade that she is using to fight against Dredgen Bael. Players will pledge to a faction and build up reputation as they fight across the Lawless Frontier, an explorable space with a dedicated social hub in the form of Tharsis Outpost. Factions include the anarchist Eliksni biker gang called The Pikers, the group of sentient Vex call the Tharsis Reformation, and the rogue Cabal called Totality Division. You’ll run jobs for these factions like smuggling, bounty hunts, and sabotage-focused missions. While Aunor is shown in some pretty slick lightsaber-esque battles, NPCs aren’t the only people getting fun new Star Wars-themed toys to play with. Players will also be able to wield Praxic Blades, and will even be able to try out different fighting styles, very much like a Jedi. With the exotic primary, kinetic Praxic Blade, you can deflect attacks, melee attack enemies, and even throw. And, just to set clear expectations, Bungie has shared that the Praxic Blade won’t be unique to this content drop; it will continue to be a relevant weapon in future expansions to the game. Renegades also introduces new Blasters inspired by Star Wars, including several distinct variants, from dynamic blasters that hit harder with brute force, to more fast-firing balanced blasters. Blasters overheat and must cool down, rather than have a traditional magazine reload. We also learned about a special solar exotic crossbow called Heirloom, inspired by Chewbacca’s weapon in the movies. Players will also be able to pick up different “renegade abilities,” that seem in some way to tie together with the faction you work for. Across all the new content Bungie showed off today, one of the features that stood out the most was the music. By drawing direct inspiration from the Star Wars scores, arguably some of the most extensively varied and beloved of all film music, the new Destiny themes that were part of this preview presentation were, quite simply, riveting. The Renegades experience may be worth returning to play if only to hear more of that great music in action. There's plenty more to learn in the complete rundown. Check out the full vidoc below to get a comprehensive look at what Bungie is cooking up. Destiny 2 continues its march into the future with Renegades on December 2.  

Game Informer PreviewsNov 25

Yuji Horii On The Secret Sauce That's Kept Dragon Quest Going For Nearly 40 Years Dragon Quest will celebrate its 40th anniversary next year in 2026, and with Dragon Quest VII Reimagined launching in February, the occasion is off to a good start. I visited Square Enix's Tokyo, Japan, offices to play two hours of Reimagined , interview the team behind it, and speak to Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii about the series' long-running history, and more. There's plenty of Reimagined content to read here, but I also took this opportunity to ask Horii about the secret sauce behind Dragon Quest. According to Horii, it's two things: warmth and ease of access. "The key concept that I really try to prioritize, or keep important to me, for Dragon Quest is that, you know, older computer games didn't really have a sense of warmth," Horii says on the games he played preceding his work creating Dragon Quest. "But [warmth] was something that I really wanted to bring for the Dragon Quest titles. That, and accessibility for the players." Horii tells me that when developing Dragon Quest, he specifically wanted to launch it on the Nintendo Famicom, recognizing its ease of access for players compared to home computers, which still carried a hefty price tag comparatively. "I think [warmth and accessibility] are pretty important in terms of what makes Dragon Quest, Dragon Quest," he continues. "But one thing that I also have in mind, one potential reason why it's been beloved for so long, for almost 40 years, is that the Dragon Quest series also serves as a sort of communication tool for players. A lot of people might have memories of playing the Dragon Quest games with friends; they might have a memory of playing the game with their older brother [...] who they might ask to play the game on their behalf so that they can grind and skip the [leveling process challenges]. "So I think that for a lot of people, Dragon Quest games just have a special place in their heart, and that's why it's been so successful for so long." An image from the Dragon Quest re-release on Nintendo Switch Seated beside Horii during this interview was Reimagined producer Takeshi Ichikawa . In my time playing it so far, Reimagined retains the warmth of the original island-hopping Dragon Quest VII adventure, and the new visual aesthetic lends itself well to those feelings. That's one of the bigger takeaways from my preview: it's cozy, warm, and invites adventure. I asked Ichikawa the same question I posed to Horii, curious about his takeaway. "I think all the RPG elements the series has to offer are the biggest strength of the Dragon Quest series, and I like to call it part of the Horii-esque elements," he says. "All the humor, the jokes in the narrative, the dialogue, and the expressions and the portrayals; It's just so adorable at times, and when you look at the story, it's an epic story but also somehow feels relevant to you at the time." Dragon Quest VII Reimagined launches on February 5 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, Switch, and PC. In the meantime, check out this article breaking down everything in the Dragon Quest VII Reimagined issue of Game Informer , and be sure to subscribe here if you haven't yet to access the Dragon Quest VII Reimagined cover story , our deep dive into Dragon Quest history with creator Yuji Horii, and so much more. What do you think the secret sauce of Dragon Quest is? Let us know in the comments below!

Game Informer PreviewsNov 24

The Witcher 3 director's new RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker is different to that classic CD Projekt Red game in one big way: it doesn't have a main quest When Konrad Tomaskiewicz, the former director of The Witcher 3 and now the director of The Blood of Dawnwalker, tells me his new role-playing game has no main quest, I have to ask him to repeat himself because that's an unusual thing for someone making an RPG to say. Read more

Eurogamer.net Previews FeedNov 24

Oneway.exe review: A love letter to lost mediaThe post Oneway.exe review: A love letter to lost media appeared first on The Escapist .

Reviews Archives - The EscapistNov 24

Terrifier: The ARTcade Game review: Simple, face-crunching funThe post Terrifier: The ARTcade Game review: Simple, face-crunching fun appeared first on The Escapist .

Reviews Archives - The EscapistNov 21

After five hours, I can confirm that the Nioh 3 alpha was not a good representation of the game: the full thing is far better I think Nioh 2 is a near-perfect game. Team Ninja, inspired by but never beholden to the Souls-like formula, has created a viable alternative to FromSoft's games with the Nioh series. Stance-based combat adds a fighting game twist, and the tight level design, commitment to historical Japanese settings, and more traditional storytelling methods allow the series to stand out from all the other contenders to the genre throne. If FromSoft is the emperor, Team Ninja is the shogun. Read more

Eurogamer.net Previews FeedNov 21