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It's another week of The Game Informer Show, and we've got plenty of games to dig into. But first, Bill from NerdNest joins us to discuss his impressions of the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X, the latest PC handheld to hit the market. Is it worth the price tag, or is a different portable PC more your speed? Alex, Marcus, and Eric also dig into Ball X Pit, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, Battlefield 6, Bye Sweet Carole, and the early hours of Pokemon Legends: Z-A. It's a packed episode, so grab a warm beverage and get cozy. The Game Informer Show is a weekly podcast covering the video game industry. Join us every Thursday for chats about your favorite titles – past and present – alongside Game Informer staff and special guests from around the industry. Watch the video version here: Listen to "Xbox Ally X vs. Steam Deck - Which Is Right For You? (Feat. NerdNest)" on Spreaker.Follow our guest and hosts on social media:Bill Fairchild (@nerdnest.tv)Alex Van Aken (@itsVanAken)Marcus Stewart (@marcusstewart7)Eric Van Allen (@seamoosi)Jump to a specific discussion using these timestamps:00:00 - Intro / ROG Xbox Ally discussion 50:13 - Ball x Pit 1:12:56 - Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 1:33:43 - Battlefield 6 1:49:24 - Bye Sweet Carole 1:58:21 - Pokemon Legends: Z-A View the full article

Can't stop, won't stop... is what I think publishers and developers are saying this month because what is going on?! There are so many games coming out this month! We're two weeks into October and we've published at least three reviews each of those weeks. We posted reviews for Double Fine's new lighthouse adventure game, Keeper, which reviewer Matt Miller calls a surrealist piece of art with light puzzle elements; we posted a review for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 (a former Game Informer cover game), which reviewer Charles Harte called a letdown but not without its fun; and finally, we published our thoughts on Ball x Pit, which Miller says is a deeply satsifying update to the ancient arcade formula of brick-breaking action. On top of all that, we also covered the week's biggest news, like Witchbrook being delayed to 2026 and 3D Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive creator Tomonobu Itagaki's death, posted a preview for Quantic Dream's new multiplayer game called Spellcasters Chronicles, and of course, posted all kinds of exclusives for The Outer Worlds 2. And so, another week has passed. With the end of this week, I've rounded up some video game thoughts from the editors here at Game Informer to help make your weekend gameplay plans a little easier. Without further ado... Games To Check Out This Weekend Dead Or Alive 4 Kyle Hilliard I am not the biggest fighting game fan, but the unexpected one that happened to break through for me was Dead or Alive 4 on Xbox 360. It was an early title for the new console, it inexplicably featured a Halo Spartan as an optional fighter at the height of my Halo fandom, and – arguably most importantly – I was living in a college dorm when it released and it was the easiest multiplayer game to pick up and play with others. Both myself, my roommate, my neighbor, and a few other folks on the same floor, all really got into it. I got skilled at pulling off Ryu Hayabusa’s most complicated moves, and have always loved its satisfying counter system that could get you out of your opponents’ combos and specific moves as long as you knew the right input. To this day, it is still my favorite traditional fighting game, and it was also the last series entry Tomonobu Itagaki directed. I was saddened to hear of his passing and had missed his bombastic quotes over the last few years. I wish his family and friends well and am redownloading Dead or Alive 4 on my Xbox right now in remembrance of his work. Ninja Gaiden II Black Marcus Stewart With this week’s passing of Tomonobu Itagaki, the former head of Team Ninja and mastermind of the modern 3D Ninja Gaiden series, there’s no better time to check out Ninja Gaiden II Black. The original iteration of the 2008 sequel was the last Ninja Gaiden title Itagaki directed, and this 2025 remaster is the definitive version of the game. It boasts improved graphics and performance, plus it restores the gore and upgrade system from the original release (which was heavily altered in the 2009 Sigma version). Itagaki once called Ninja Gaiden II “the world’s best action game,” and while I don't believe that claim holds water today, it’s still a very fun time and a nice warm-up ahead of Ninja Gaiden 4’s launch next week. Pokémon Legends: Z-A Eric Van Allen The first Pokémon Legends reignited my monster-catching fire, so it shouldn't be a surprise that Pokémon Legends: Z-A is clicking with me. I really like the battle city vibes of Z-A; though some may not be keen on a single-city adventure, I've found it to be an interesting new vantage point on the usual Pokémon excursion. Truthfully, my favorite part so far might not even be the new, real-time battle system or the actual monster catching and training itself, but the generally good vibes of Lumiose. The fashion is fantastic, the soundtrack is packed with earworms, and your hotel room in Hotel Z is the most delightfully lived-in living space from an RPG this side of Persona. Any excuse to escape to a new Pokémon frontier is a welcome one, but I appreciate how Pokémon has managed to find an avenue for innovation and a little refresh every so often with its Legends games. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 Charles Harte Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is a little disappointing, to be honest, but it's not so bad that it isn't worth checking out. The story is more linear than I expected and the open world is sparse, making the two main selling points of an open world RPG tough to swallow. That said, combat and stealth are great, and while the story isn't as malleable as it first appears, the neo noir mystery and a cast of strong performances made it worth seeing through. If you're a huge fan of Vampire: The Masquerade or want a game that's seasonally appropriate, Bloodlines 2 is worth a try. Keeper Matt Miller Double Fine's latest is an artistic tour de force, blending surreal visuals with the mechanics of an environmental puzzle adventure game. The game is best experienced firsthand, rather than having it described. But it's enough to say that you control a walking lighthouse, befriend a giant bird, and that you must journey through a psychedelic alien world of strange creatures. Even if the gameplay doesn't wow you, the gorgeous art and some of the surprises along the way make it a memorable play. Our full review has more. Ball x Pit Matt Miller If you're ready for the next game that will inexplicably hook you for dozens of hours of simple arcade play, Ball x Pit is the obvious choice. Mixing town simulation, Arkanoid-esque brick-breaking, and roguelite runs and progression, the easy-to-pick up gameplay is extremely hard to put down. Each run challenges players to select and upgrade different balls that will bounce around the playfield, poisoning, burning, exploding, or otherwise eliminating the bad guys as they slowly inch down the vertically scrolling screen. Eventually, the onscreen gets incredibly chaotic. Read our full review. Let us know what games you're checking out this weekend in the comments below! View the full article

Sucker Punch's impressive follow-up to Ghost of Tsushima has been in players' hands for about two weeks. Many have had the opportunity to see the narrative to its conclusion (ourselves included), so we caught up with the game's co-director, Jason Connell, and lead writer, Ian Miles, to talk about the game's most interesting story elements, Easter Eggs, and inquire about what might be next for Atsu. Warning: the discussion below covers the entirety of Ghost of Yōtei's story, including its ending. Do not read if you have not finished the game! Game Informer: Let’s jump right into spoilers. The scene with Atsu playing music with Oyuki is, for me, the most affecting scene in the game. It really made me cry. Can you tell me how that sequence came together and its goals? Ian Ryan: Going into that whole storyline, we really wanted to talk about and create a story where Atsu was forced to get to know a member of the Six, because typically she just wants to cut them down as quickly as possible. But we really wanted to force her to step out of her skin to see the world through, in this case, Oyuki's eyes. And also just relate to somebody on those terms and to see that other people are also victims of Lord Saito in different ways than Atsu was, even though Oyuki was complicit in the night her family was killed. So, that was the goal of that entire piece. And it really culminates in that moment when Atsu realizes who Oyuki is. And then they have the moment of training and the clash and so much of it was really we wanted to just challenge Atsu and see how far could we push her and honor her anger and her sense of betrayal. She was lied to. But we also really just wanted to explore how does she react and why? At what point will she show some mercy? And even then, we wanted to show she is willing and open to forgiveness. But maybe not fully 100% forgiving Oyuki even in this moment, but recognize that she's been through some similar pain and that she tried to help her as a child and allow Atsu to, in a way, heal a little bit and not just always reach for her sword and cross a name off her list in the name of death. In this case there was the act of mercy that got her there. So really, it was all about Atsu's journey and exploring that in a different way than we did elsewhere. Atsu’s brother, Jubei, being alive was a surprise. Did you think of that reveal as a twist? How important was he to Atsu’s broader journey and was it important for players to meet him early? Ghost of Yōtei co-director Jason Connell Jason Connell: Well, I should say, first of all, the, the type of game that we built, depending on where you go, that reveal can either be pretty fast, and in some cases, can be really, really slow. It could be quite a bit into your journey, whether you play wide or maybe you do the Kitsune story sequence first. But there is some intention to move things along if you're a [golden path] player, if you like to play the story of the game. Noshir [Dalal] does an amazing job in that role. Their relationship is very… you can feel it. Being able to show that relationship as early as possible, especially if you decided to go that way, is worthwhile, right? Because we like the way they play out together. So, there's some intention from us to try to get that to you early, if that's the area that you chose to go. Because the rest of that entire Ishikari Plain valley, that space that you go into, is this story of them reconnecting and, some of the struggles that come with the lives that they've led independently. We wanted to get the meaning of them together at the forefront of that experience so we could kind of go into depth of how far they've changed and take you on a couple turns throughout Ishikari Plain. Is there anything you did to push players toward discovering his story first? Jason Connell: Well, there might be some little stuff under the engine that has some guidance about which ones we throw out first for you. I can't recall that exact list, but I will tell you that, the number one reason that we found is just geographically, it is a bit closer. The Kitsune is pretty far up to the north. If you want to do the Kitsune story first, then you really want you want to see some snow and some ninjas because it is up there and you're going on a big journey. And I love it that people do it, but it is a trek and in a lot of cases, if you see two icons and they both seem kind of cool, if this one's a little closer, you might go to that one. But we like we like that number one, there's the freedom, but two, that the people that choose the Oni first with that relationship with Jubei? If we if we were to force some linearity, that's probably the one. Getting that relationship going so you understand it and leaving Oyuki and that turn of events and that relationship, that's quite different than the one with Jubei. I think that would be second. But we like that you can choose. We like that, and we've designed it that way. But just by the fact that it's closer, I do think that you're going to possibly see people head that way a little bit more. Jubei having daughter, Kiku, was also surprising. But you didn’t spend much time on Kiku’s mother. What was behind that decision? Ian Miles: We touch on it briefly when Atsu finally has a moment of downtime with her wolf pack with Jubei and Oyuki and Kiku in Oshima coast. I believe that's where it is. They speak about what happened to her mother and, essentially, her mother died in childbirth. So, Jubei had a very young dalliance with someone in his rise from peasant on the frontier into the life of the samurai, and it blessed him with Kiku, but, all of a sudden, he had to live with, what does this mean to be an extremely young father that he wasn't prepared to be without a wife and a mother for his child? It was one of those choices, as well, that we're constantly asking ourselves. How can we depict certain characters and bring them into the story? This was one where, because we had so many characters we were telling the stories of, we focused on the ones in front of us. So, Kiku’s mother did not make it into this one, but her absence is felt, essentially. And then that plays also into the role that Atsu begins to play in her life. Ghost of Tsushima I like Ghost of Tsushima protagonist, Jin Sakai, but I have to say… I like Atsu a lot more. Can you explain your intentions with her as a character and how you made her so endearing? Ian Miles: I think one of the early goals was we wanted to create an outsider character who players could really relate to, and also to just tell a really personal story and focus on that. There's the huge backdrop of these factions, the Matsumae samurai, and Lord Saito and his clan and that conflict slowly brewing, but we really wanted to focus first and foremost on Atsu in this tale of revenge and how she's trying to heal herself and that wounded heart she has as she's trying to cross the names off the list and get revenge. We just ultimately wanted to focus on that. And then a lot of it also came out of working with Erika Ishii, who just did a great job embodying the character and bringing her to life. We worked with her, in the recording and in shooting scenes, and doing a lot of writing work shopping of the character to make sure that we were representing the classic [archetypes] from American westerns, but also from spaghetti westerns, to Mifune from Yojimbo – that wandering warrior archetype who can stroll into a town, who is a mercenary, but also someone who has the deep heart, the compassion, who can recognize who is another victim or someone who's been through hell and back, and who might want to help them. So we were constantly trying to explore that. That tension and striking that. How was Erika Ishii cast and how much influence did they have over the character? Is there room for improvisation when you're performing for a video game character? Jason Connell: Yes, in a lot of ways. Like Ian just mentioned, writing, work shopping, and there was workshops with Erika to try to help find the character. I think that's an important part of the journey. You kind of have this idea from the very beginning. Before Ian even writes anything, maybe just [co-director] Nate [Fox] and I, we have this idea for this type of character and that gets a little bit more refined and exciting when Ian goes and writes something. And then we go through a casting process, and we were looking for somebody that could obviously depict the character that you've written, but also maybe has something else interesting that you weren't even thinking of, or that shows some of their flaws and they wear it outwardly. And then you’re like, “Oh, man. This is somebody that we think could bring something interesting to this character.” That is something we could write around. There’s a softness to it, even though we're making a wandering samurai archetype type of character, like Ian said. But seeing somebody that can show passion or comfort in a scene where maybe you didn't specifically write it in there, but they showcased that. To us, that's sort of the stuff that gets us excited. I will say that once we narrowed in on Atsu, I think we were pretty hopeful it would work out because we were all very excited about it. And then you go through a couple other stages of auditions, but once they're cast, I don't think that's like, “Okay, you know… just go shoot Atsu.” There's half a year to a year of just figuring out the relationship of Erika to Atsu and they're going to bring a lot of their own personality, a lot of their own choices. And it kind of evolves, and it's this beautiful, creative thing that you're making together. And I think Ian and the writing team and Nate [Fox], obviously he’s stage director on all of our games, did a really good job bringing such great characters out of not just Erika, but all of them. They brought their best. Ian Miles: And Nate [Fox] is a big fan of improv in general, and he really likes to bring that kind of electricity into the scenes he directs, and he would always give actors one final take after we got everything in the can and got what we needed. He would give them one just for their own to try some things out. And so often that was the take we would use. And something really interesting would come out of that, that we would then take, and it would inform the creative process from there. There is a very cool and unexpected extended sequence about Jin Sakai that explains what happened to him after the events of Ghost of Tsushima. When was sequence considered for the game? Jason Connell: I don't remember exactly when it came up. I would say it was earlier than it was late. I think once we knew that we were going to tell Atsu’s story – she’s this legend, this Ghost of Yōtei, it was really a lot of our efforts were going to be propping up this really deep, intimate story of revenge. Once we knew that and it was really in the can and we were really working hard at making that come to life, I think we all were like, “Well, okay, there is clearly a really cool opportunity here with Jin Sakai.” And I think the most common idea that got thrown around the studio was playing into our own storytelling of mythics. The last game we had these mythic legends, these stories of awesome warriors that are loosely sometimes crafted off of real people, sometimes they were completely fabricated, and, “Ah, well, we can make our own. The Ghost of Tsushima. We can celebrate him in our own game." And it was kind of fun. I think on our team we love Jin and we love that game. So, it was the people that got to work on that that were probably just delighted they got to spend that time wrapping up his story and giving him a beautiful sendoff. And we got to deliver some amazing art and music to sort of bring that to life. I think it was fun. I'm really happy we were able to make that for fans, but also for people that didn't play Tsushima. They get a little nugget of what that's like. Maybe they’ll go play it, the people that didn't play it. And for the people that did, hopefully they see that as the love that we have for that character When people like me asked about fan theories of Jin being the spirit of the wolf ahead of release, was it hard not say, “Actually, he’s more of a fox.” Jason Connell: It is hard because you get ideas all the time. And sometimes they're exactly what you're doing and you can't say it. And sometimes it's just close enough that you just smile really big. People are really clever. Tsushima had a choice of endings. Were multiple endings ever considered for Yōtei? Ian Miles: I would say we considered everything for that ending. And we definitely looked to what worked and what we wanted to carry forward from Ghost [of Tsushima]. But ultimately, just really looking at the classic ending of where we wanted Atsu’s story to go, I felt like the true ending and the culmination of everything because of what she's been through on this journey of revenge and healing. We considered that she had to get to the end of this journey, and, we saw versions of the story that were a little happier. They were less happier ones that were more and more tragic. But, it was important to us to really talk about and show Atsu having to sacrifice some things and having to lose some things out of her control as much as she might try to. So much of the game is about freedom and giving the player agency over their actions, and we really embraced that everywhere we could in the game. But we wanted to, at the very end, show that ultimately the choices along the way led to this place where with Atsu, as much as she would love to carry her brother forward and help him, she can't. And really, she's in a way brought back to where she was at the very beginning, where she thought she had lost her brother. We wanted to show her where she'd really had a moment to connect with him and have that emotional connection rebuild something that she thought she'd lost and was never going to find. And then also just putting Atsu in that position where she now is with her niece, who she never knew existed until recently. And having to carry that forward and having to also think about Jubei’s “fight for the living” mantra, how she's going to live up to her brother's standards and carry his spirit with her even as she is not with him anymore. So even though, I love Jubei, I love what Noshir [Dalal] did with the character, and in my heart of hearts, I want to see him alive at the end, but, ultimately, the story didn't lead us there, and we didn't want to create choice just for choice’s sake in that moment of all moments. Do you consider Atsu's story complete? Ian Miles: For me? I see it as a chapter is done, but she has so much more in front of her. She's just suddenly learning to live again without her brother with her niece and as a surrogate mother figure. Revenge is now fully behind her, but she's not fully healed. She's healed a lot, and she's learned to see a future beyond revenge. But what that future is? Is it just going to be smooth sailing? I think absolutely not. And that's one of the interesting things about Atsu’s story that also makes it, really relatable. By the way, that was my not-subtle-at-all way to ask if there will be single-player story DLC. Would you like to do something like that? Jason Connell: I think for us, we are at the spot in the project where we just get to put it out there and see what's resonating with people and what people love and what people feel like they wish they maybe knew more about Atsu. And I think for us, this is like the most important part of the project, in terms of making decisions like these, because same thing with Tsushima. You can listen, you can be like, “Oh, okay. People seem to want to know a little bit more about that relationship or what happened to the dad." How do you further that character? And you get this rare opportunity to actually listen to millions of people about what resonated within a story versus maybe what didn't or what are the holes. And I think that's the mode that you want to be in. And that's sort of the gift. Certainly we love Atsu, and we think it's a great character. And just like with Jin, if there's rooms to improve it or to bring some new elements to life or clarity for the narrative’s sake and it falls within what is best for Sucker Punch, then we'll certainly take a hard look at that for sure. How do you feel about the reception? Is it a relief to have the game out in the world? Jason Connell: We just had our launch party, so I think we're all feeling really great. We got to see all our colleagues and to celebrate making something together. Games are super hard to make. There's a lot of them that don't even ever get to come out, let alone one that is an improvement in so many ways. And people are loving the new choices and sure, you're going to get criticism no matter what you do. If it's worth doing, somebody's probably not going to like something. For me, I think criticism is a gift. There's some people that are going to love what you make and some people are maybe not going to like it. So, all you can do, especially if you're really proud, which I'm immensely proud of what Ian's team has done, the art team has done the music? Oh my gosh, I'm so proud of everyone on the team. There's criticism nobody ever wants to hear, “Oh, I didn't like X or I didn't like Y.” It's not fun to hear that stuff, but it makes you better creators, right? Because you think about the perspective of that player or another player. Maybe it's just okay this person didn't like this because this was maybe for this kind of player. So for me, it all evens out. It's a lot of just happiness. Having made a game that is a better game than our last in a lot of ways that is really resonating with some people. So for me, a lot of gratitude for the team and really looking forward to what we go bang on next. How about you, Ian? How do you feel about Yōtei being out in the world? Ian Miles: Very similarly, to Jason. Extreme relief, just because it was such a journey and it was such a fun one. But, I'm so glad it is out there. For the past month, I just wanted to fast forward to when players get to sink their teeth in and really have fun with it. And then pride in the team because it was such a huge effort across so many teams and so many things come on late in the last minute to really sync up and click to bring that magic to life, which is just also really exciting to myself because I'm seeing it built along the way. And I'm also just so glad that people responded so positively to a new character. I also love, love Jin. But it was really exciting to be able to bring a new character to life and think about what her journey as a Ghost, might be. And then also seeing people's reaction to the more, free and open world and how that experience stretched our muscles some. And we tried something new and I think it worked really well. But, yeah, I like seeing how we took some risks and how they're, paying off and, all the feedback, as well, like Jason mentioned. The pros and the cons. I like to see what everyone's thinking. Just to learn from. Jason Connell: You think about five years of making the game, like we've had people on the team, we make decisions sometimes and people are like, “I really hate this,” or, “I really love this.” I think on a healthy team, you’re probably used to some people disliking things and liking things. But this is another level, right? Because these are the fans, the people that spend money on it. So you listen with a different type of ear. It's a fun time. And we're really grateful to actually be able to be here. There are murals throughout the game referencing previous Sucker Punch games. How did you decided what kinds of murals to place throughout the world? Jason Connell: This is probably the least exciting answer ever. I would love to say, “Yeah, there's a process and a committee and we concept this stuff out…” Nope. There’s a person on the team who is very passionate about this. His name’s Harold and I think there are a couple other people, too, but they’re like, “Hey, this is a cool IP that we own, right? We don't have to ask anyone. This is our game. Let's go make a cool mural.” And they just go find cool places in the world and place them. I'll be honest, I didn't know about three or four of them. I just found them one day. I was saying like, “What? This is awesome.” Sword kits are the same thing. There's a couple sword kits. There's one infamous strike, I think, is what it’s called for Infamous. It's got lightning bolts all over it. To me, I think these are the true joy of a cool, creative, collaboration inside the studio where they just got cool ideas and they know that we're within our wheelhouse and abilities, and we don't need to get sign off from any other studios for this type of stuff. It's just ours. And I love that the team has fun with it. I love that. I also love that I don't know about it. I think that's my favorite part. It just happens. The one that surprised me was the Sir Raleigh the bullfrog from Sly Cooper mural. It’s one thing to have a mural about the entirety of Infamous 2, for example, but to have a mural focusing in one villain from the game really made me laugh. Jason Connell: [Harold] actually gave me the list because I don't even know where they all are. What's the one that was the most surprising to you that you didn't expect? Jason Connell: Probably that one's pretty high. But I love that somebody put Rocket in there. Rocket Robot [from the N64 game, Rocket: Robot on Wheels]. I don't know where that one is. I haven’t found it, but I've seen the picture. I've seen what it looks like. I just love that that Sucker Punch’s first [game is in there]. I wasn't here. But I love that Sucker Punch’s first game is honored. Were romantic partners ever considered for Atsu? Ian Miles: It was to some degree, but as we thought more about Atsu and the relationships she's building, essentially we always would go back to what has Atsu been through and what sort of relationship would she be willing to get into? So, as much as there are certain members of our team, myself included, who would love to have the dating simulator version with certain characters where you can pair people up… Atsu? To be true to her and what she's been through? I don't think she would open herself up to certain people too early. Maybe again, that would be for the next chapter, post-revenge. But right now, as she's going through this hunt for the Yōtei Six, and she's been through so much. She's been betrayed, she's been lied to, and physically wounded? She's really only now opening herself up and learning to let those guards down and trust people a little bit, which, I think is the first step to that. Atsu has at least one reference to some romantic dalliances. I think she's had some physical relationships, in the past, for sure. But in terms of true romance or pursuing that in depth, because Atsu and where she was in her headspace and her journey, in this story, we didn't go there now. You can read Game Informer's Ghost of Yōtei review by following the link. You can also read about how the game connects to Tsushima here, and read our previous interview with co-directors Jason Connell and Nate Fox here. View the full article

Reviewed on: Xbox Series X/S Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC Publisher: Xbox Game Studios Developer: Double Fine Productions Release: October 17, 2025 Keeper is absolutely worth playing, but not necessarily because of its gameplay. A frustrating fixed camera, a frequent sense of aimlessness, and a general lack of intention behind your actions all combine to diminish interactivity and engagement. At the same time, however, Keeper is an astonishingly beautiful visual experience, made all the more special by its unspoken narrative and wildly creative artistic presentation. You are a lighthouse, and for reasons not entirely clear, you decide to uproot yourself from your station along the coast and set forth upon spindly legs of stone and driftwood, spider-like, to crawl across the ruined and weird world before you. You are joined by a strange bird, roosting at your peak, occasionally flitting out to interact with a world of many-eyed turtles, pink puff clouds, or tentacles that dissolve at the touch of light. From the opening moments, it’s a step into the surreal and dream-induced. Art-inclined players may find themselves reminded of the likes of Salvador Dali or Max Ernst, revealing astonishing places touched by the weird or impossible. In practice, Keeper is an adventure game, filled with straightforward environmental puzzles along a linear path, many of which revolve around illuminating dark things. Place a strange ball-shaped creature here, pop a balloon-like projection there, and new paths open ahead. The most clever of these puzzles play around with time manipulation, with brief excursions into the past and future to change the shape of an object or path. But many are more nebulous, less interesting, and lack a clear directive. I often haphazardly wandered the open spaces of a level, tapping or adjusting a device without a clear idea of what I was doing, just waiting to see how it changed things around me. That absence of intention or purpose started to leave me frustrated, even if it sometimes fed into the sense of hypnagogic consciousness at the heart of Keeper’s aesthetic. As if framing individual moments of conceptual art, the fixed camera is consistently used as a guidepost and target-finder to encourage exploration. While that often leads to instances of beautiful still frames, it also left me frustrated and, at times, struggling to find my way. Without the ability to rotate and view the world around me, I was often trapped and confused by the spaces through which I was exploring. That was especially true in some mid-game sections focused on water, where I started to feel genuinely lost in a landscape of strange silhouettes and winding pathways. Besides its sumptuous visuals, the most compelling elements of Keeper are a few particularly magical moments that I’d be loath to spoil in a critique. Suffice it to say, this game explores the power of resiliency, the ability to change, and how our friendships and connection to the world around us enable both. Even acknowledging some of the things I didn’t love about my playthrough, I’d also suggest that those inspired sequences are well worth experiencing for yourself. Keeper is strange in many ways, and sometimes crosses over into genuine psychedelia. In evaluating it as a game, some things didn’t work for me. As a piece of art and creative endeavor, it fares far better. Score: 7.5 About Game Informer's review system View the full article

The second Galaxies Showcase, an indie and AA-focused digital event highlighting upcoming releases, will air on October 23rd, following a successful debut in April. The autumn event contains over 50 games, including six world premieres, and will be accompanied by new demos for select games. Read more View the full article

Reviewed on: PlayStation 5 Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC Publisher: Paradox Interactive Developer: The Chinese Room Release: October 21, 2025 Rating: Mature After over 20 years of waiting, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines finally has a sequel. Fans hoping for a deeply interactive narrative will be disappointed, however, as I was let down by my ability to affect the story until the later hours. Still, the game that remains includes decent action, stealth, and an engaging story, which I enjoyed seeing through to the end. Bloodlines 2 doesn't live up to the modern standards set by other open-world role-playing games, but once you get past that, it's an acceptable vampire experience. In Bloodlines 2, you play as a 400-year-old vampire known as Phyre or the Nomad. After waking up in Seattle after 100 years of torpor (a coma-like vampiric sleep), Phyre finds a brand on their hand that saps their powers and traps them in the city. They're also joined by Fabien, a disembodied vampire who's mysteriously ended up as a voice in Phyre's head. The game's neo-noir storyline has you investigating both of these mysteries, and it's an effective hook that kept me invested. It starts slower than I'd like, but ramps up significantly in the later hours, and I welcomed the fast-paced finish. My biggest issue with the narrative is the player's lack of impact on the story, especially with regard to factions. For example, one of the first major decisions has you choose whether to obey orders from the Camarilla Court (Seattle's main body of power) or do a favor for the Anarchs and face the consequences. I side with the Anarchs, and upon my return, the Camarilla angrily… promoted me. They said it would be a restrictive role that allows them to keep their eyes on me, but I assumed I'd be shunned and have to join the Anarchs like I wanted. As I progressed through the story, I realized this promotion was an unavoidable plot point. Much of the interactions with the Camarilla are framed as choices, but despite my constant attempts to disappoint and anger them, Phyre is locked to that faction whether they like it or not. Actions later in the game have much clearer, more tangible consequences, which is partially why I enjoyed the latter hours more. I made big swings, betraying characters and allying with others, and could easily see how it affected the story. But despite constant feedback from dialogue choices saying "Tolly loved that" or "Lou hated that," my relationship with characters never seemed to come into play. If it was subtly relevant in ways I didn't pick up on, I wish it were more telegraphed; I want to know exactly how I'm influencing the story. Ultimately, I did enjoy the twisting plot and voice performances, especially from my female version of Phyre, but I wanted more agency. The game's other main issue is its open world, which quickly reveals itself as more of an obstacle than a fun place to explore. There's no fast travel, so you'll have to move around on foot. Your vampiric super speed is thrilling, but The Masquerade, a rule that vampires must stay hidden from mortals, prevents you from using it on the streets. You can sneak onto a rooftop to move quickly instead, but they're peppered with enemies, who attack on sight and reward minimal XP, making them both hard to avoid and not worth engaging with. Most importantly, there isn't much reason to actually explore the open world; blood resonance quests are repetitive and spawn everywhere, sidequests are all given by a handful of stationary NPCs, and the few collectables you can find aren't rewarding enough to warrant dedicated searches. In flashback sequences, you play as Fabien when he still had a body, and the open world is even more of a chore. Fabien has no combat abilities or movement skills, and his portions play more like an adventure game. You talk to people, use psychic Malkavian abilities to solve simple puzzles, and try to track down a serial killer. It's tolerable, but slowly paced, and the amount of walking you have to do from one spot to another adds up. I wish his sequences were more mechanically interesting, or that fast travel had been an option here, even if Phyre couldn't do it. Bloodlines 2 does have its highlights, though. Combat, for one, is mostly a positive. By draining foes of their blood, you recharge your powerful vampire moves, and I enjoyed optimizing my feeding in aggressive combat encounters. You can also use telekinesis to wield enemies' weapons against them, which is especially exciting against one particularly well-armed faction near the end. That said, I wish there were more combat options that didn't require blood as a resource, as encounters against bloodless foes can get frustrating and tedious without the ability to recharge powers. I played as a Banu Haqim, which means I inherit stealth-focused abilities, a playstyle I enjoy. Feeding on someone makes me silent, and a high-level ability allows me to turn invisible, so I can pull off unstoppable feeding combos as an unhearable, unseeable force of chaos. I was able to unlock other clans' abilities as well, but some need a lot of resonant blood, which you have to grind for in the open world. The rewards, especially the passive perks, are too good to pass up, but I didn’t enjoy spending an hour of gameplay saying the same two voice lines dozens of times to coax NPCs into an alleyway. On PS5, Bloodlines 2 also has some distracting technical issues. In performance mode, I frequently experience stutters and dropped frames, especially in the open world. In one sequence, when the streets have more people than usual, I couldn’t use my super speed because the game crashed if I went too fast. Facial animations are also lacking. Bloodlines 2 has stellar character design and voice acting, but most characters' faces are stiff, not matching the nuanced emotions the voices convey. Bloodlines 2 is a let-down, but not irredeemable. Despite a sparse open world and a story that's inflexible until the later hours, there's fun to be had here. Action and stealth gameplay help fulfill the vampire fantasy, and strong performances from the voice cast make the noir narrative one that I didn't mind revisiting each session. My 22 hours with Bloodlines 2 were mildly entertaining, but like an insatiable vampire, I'm left feeling a little empty. Score: 7 About Game Informer's review system View the full article

Sony has dismissed Tencent's latest filing over its Horizon Zero Dawn copyright lawsuit as "nonsense," insisting "the damage is done – and it continues." Read more View the full article

Nintendo has announced hackers did not take any development or business information when they accessed its systems last week. Read more View the full article

Claim your free Lost Age Gift Pack Code and unlock in-game items before they’re gone! View the full article

The launch of The Outer Worlds 2 is right around the corner – it hits PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on October 29 (or on October 24 if you buy the more expensive Premium Edition). Ahead of that launch, and as part of Game Informer's cover story coverage for the game, we spoke to Obsidian Entertainment about the lessons it learned from the first Outer Worlds that it applied to developing this sequel. The biggest takeaway is that even before the release of The Outer Worlds, Obsidian knew that if it were to create a sequel, it wanted to go bigger in every way. Director Brandon Adler tells us, "The cool part about the reaction [to the first game] was people were really kind of enthusiastic about the world and the IP itself [and] that naturally lends itself to people wanting a sequel. "When they're talking about it, they want more. When we did user research, when we talked to people, what came back was the biggest – I wouldn't call it a complaint – but the biggest things they wanted from future products were to make bigger areas, 'make more stuff for us. We want to experience more of this, we want a little more gameplay length.' And so those were easy things for us to target as we were kind of going through it all." Adler continues, explaining that even before The Outer Worlds launched in 2019, Obsidian had a large list of things it wanted to do in a sequel. He says, "We wanted to allow for more reactivity towards either the player builds or things that were going on, in terms of role-playing things. And so for me personally, it was very important that we have very detailed, not only character creation, but character progression, as you're going through the game. That goes for our perks, our flaws, everything else you can build around your characters, and that's really important to find those cool and fun combinations and ways to role-play your character." Adler says it's not enough to have a few gameplay effects in combat and dialogue based on your build – Obsidian wants the whole world reacting to you. He says The Outer Worlds 2 will constantly be checking your RPG stats, whether that's skills, perks, your background, items held, equipment you have, and information you've discovered. "We started from the beginning, making sure we hit really, really hard on those things, and I think we've done a really good job of making that work throughout the entire process." Creative director Leonard Boyarsky responded by explaining that the lack of restrictions in The Outer Worlds 2, compared to the first game, is a big highlight. "I keep going back to, unfortunately, on the base game, we were very restricted in what we could do," he says. "We can't have a decision you make cut off 10% of the game when the game's 20 to 30 hours long. That's just not going to happen, but we couldn't make a much bigger game because of where we're at. We were like, 'If we do a sequel, we know it needs to be bigger. We know we need to go back to our roots in terms of deeper RPG reactivity.' So we had all these things we couldn't do in the base game that we were just waiting to tackle in this next one." Boyarsky remembers discussing what the team wants to do next when diving into The Outer Worlds 2 development and how easy the conversation went because Obsidian already had a laundry list of things it couldn't do in the first game it wanted to do. Adler chimes in to say that's why working on a sequel is easier in a lot of ways. "We have a base, we know what the tone of the game should be, we know basic stuff, like how to build out a level and what the player's going to be doing in them," he says. "We don't have to spend a lot of time prototyping, [so] we can instead spend a lot of our time looking at where we were, where we want to be, and figuring out how to bridge that gap." Boyarsky agrees with Adler, noting that the first game was harder because he and co-creator Tim Cain had to create the vision and tone of the universe. With that established, it no longer has to point to other properties or references to help people understand what this series is – it can point right to the first game. As Obsidian prepares for The Outer Worlds 2 to be in people's hands this month, Game Informer asked Boyarsky and Adler about their thoughts on the reception to the first game. Boyarsky says he was really hopeful that people would like The Outer Worlds, but also concerned because of its size compared to other Obsidian games. "I knew one of our goals was to ship a really polished game, which, when making a hardcore RPG, can be very difficult at times; to get that polish when you have so many paths through. "Some people were a little bit disappointed in the length or some of the lack of complexity that they associate with Obsidian games in the past, but there was a huge outpouring of love and appreciation for the game, just for what it was, and that was really heartening. I really was thinking it was going to live or die on our writing and our characters and a lot that Obsidian is known for, and people seemed to respond to that stuff really well, so it was a great reaction for us." Though Adler didn't work on The Outer Worlds, he says he's always naturally pessimistic about any game's release because it's impossible to ignore the things he couldn't do or fix in time. "We always think, 'Oh my gosh, it's the worst game in the world, how could anybody ever love this thing?' and then it comes out and you get this huge outpouring of love, and then you think, 'Oh that's right, we know how to make good [games]." Game Informer's cover story for The Outer Worlds 2 is available to read right now if you're a subscriber (and this issue is shipping to mailboxes as we speak). For more, check out this list of 8 fun facts about The Outer Worlds 2's first biome, Paradise Island, and then check out this exclusive gameplay segment showcasing Paradise Island. After that, read about how there are pets (that you can pet) in The Outer Worlds 2, and then check out this story about how third-person gameplay made its way into The Outer Worlds 2. Before heading into The Outer Worlds 2, read up on Game Informer's story about whether or not the first game's endings matter in the sequel. What's the biggest lesson you hoped Obsidian learned from The Outer Worlds? Let us know in the comments below! View the full article

Amnesia: The Bunker is free this week on Epic Games Store! Amnesia: The Bunker is a 3d first-person horror game ... View the full article

Samorost 3 is free this week on Epic Games Store! Samorost 3 is a beautiful 2d puzzle game from the award-winning creators ... View the full article

Quantic Dream, known for narrative-first titles like Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, and Detroit: Become Human, is the last studio I would expect to be behind Spellcasters Chronicles. It's a mixture of a surprisingly wide range of mechanics, including deckbuilding, real-time strategy, and third-person action, thrown into a free-to-play competitive multiplayer game. After a private demo, including a presentation and hands-off gameplay footage, I'm intrigued, though not entirely sold. Spellcasters Chronicles has you play as one of several magic users, known (unsurprisingly) as spellcasters. Like many hero-based games, including Overwatch or League of Legends, these characters form a diverse cast, pulling inspiration from magic systems and mythology from around the world. It's a great hook for the character designers; The Mystic Scribe uses a giant paintbrush as a weapon, the Swamp Witch has wooden horns growing from her head, and the Astral Monk has spectral arms protruding from her back. During a Q&A portion, I ask why the characters are identified based on their casting style rather than with a name, and the developers hint that there's more than meets the eye here. My guess is that multiple people can assume the mantle of any given role, but I'm just speculating. On that note, while Quantic Dream's presentation is gameplay first (which I prefer), the team emphasizes that the game has a lot of lore to uncover, though it'll have to wait until launch. In a match, two teams of three will battle for dominance and try to destroy the other team's lifestones, giant glowing pillars positioned around the map. To do so, they'll summon minions, construct buildings, and attack enemy spellcasters. Abilities are spellcaster-specific, but even those can vary depending on your deck, which you fill with your preferred spells and summons before joining the game. And while the game is in third person, every character can freely fly around the map, giving them an aerial view of the battlefield. Gameplay footage shows the formula in action. We see a Fire Elementalist use a magic staff to summon minions and ignite their weapons with fire damage. Summons can be a range of sizes. Some are small, roughly the size of a dog, and join the battlefield in groups of about a dozen at a time. Others are probably thirty feet tall, the size of a house. And Titans, which serve as huge, game-changing summons, are the size of skyscrapers, towering over the battlefield. In the gameplay demo, when one appears, the team has to drop everything they're doing and focus all their offense on the Titan. If it gets to their lifestone, it can destroy it extremely quickly, and since each team only has three lifestones, you don't have many to spare. As he and his minions destroy enemy units, The Fire Elementalist levels up and can quickly choose which of his character's abilities he wants to boost, be it damage, health, or something else. It's a way to adjust your build mid-game, the developers mention. Once you see the strategies your opponents are going for, it can help clarify what area you want your hero to excel in. Spellcasters Chronicles looks awesome, but like many multiplayer games, it's more important to know how it feels; it's like the great wizard Alex Russo once said: "Everything is not what it seems." There's certainly potential here, but if the flight controls are clunky or the Titans, as cool as they are, make every match end in the same way, I won't be sticking around for very long. Luckily, I should have a chance to try it soon – at the time of writing, Quantic Dream is hoping to start beta sessions imminently, and I'm hoping to sign up as soon as possible to see if it feels as magical as it looks. View the full article

Tomonobu Itagaki, the mastermind behind Dead or Alive and the modern Ninja Gaiden games, has died. He was 58 years old. According to IGN, Itagaki’s passing was confirmed by his family hours after a close friend published his final words (in Japanese) on his Facebook page at his request, along with a final photo of the creator, posted above. The translated message reads: Last Words The light of my life is finally fading. The fact that this message has been posted means that the time has finally come. I am no longer in this world. (I am entrusting this final post to someone important to me.) My life has been a series of battles. I kept winning. I have caused a lot of trouble, too. I am proud to say that I followed my beliefs and fought to the end. I have no regrets. However, I am filled with regret that I was unable to deliver a new work to all my fans. I am sorry. That's how it is. So it goes. Itagaki Tomonobu Known for his rockstar persona and outspoken, at times brash, personality, Itagaki began his career working at Tecmo in 1992. He would form the fabled Team Ninja in 1995, serving as its head until his departure in 2008. His tenure at Team Ninja is notable for his creation of the critically and commercially successful Dead or Alive fighting franchise; Itagaki directed the first four mainline entries along with its spin-off beach volleyball game. In the lead-up to the launch of Dead or Alive 3, Itagaki spoke to Game Informer in issue 101 (pg. 49) about his vision for the future of fighting games: "Fighting games need to be easier to play in order to reach a broader audience. The system isn’t the major factor, because it exists to support the games being made. Of course, developers can do more with a superior system, but it is the games that must reach out to the players." Itagaki would then lead the creative vision for the revival of the Ninja Gaiden series, which saw the side-scrolling franchise reworked with then-state-of-the-art 3D graphics, fast-paced, violent action, and brutal difficulty. "I want to bring America the true meaning of ninja," Itagaki told us in the September 2001 issue of Game Informer magazine. The new series kicked off with 2004’s Ninja Gaiden, followed by its sequel, 2008’s Ninja Gaiden II, both of which Itagaki directed and produced. Both games were well-received by critics and players. Tomonobu Itagaki being interviewed by Game Informer circa 2001. Following a contentious split from Tecmo, in which he sued the company for unpaid bonuses (settled in 2010), Itagaki formed Valhalla Studios to create the action game Devil’s Third, his final directorial credit. First announced in 2009, it underwent a lengthy development cycle before being released exclusively on the Wii U in 2015. Devil’s Third was critically panned, however, and Itagaki would leave Valhalla Games in 2017. In 2021, Valhalla’s parent company, Wake Up Interactive, was acquired by Tencent, with Wake Up later merging Valhalla’s staff with subsidiary Soleil, effectively shuttering the studio. Itagaki has been largely out of the public eye since departing Valhalla; his final video game credit is serving as “Supreme Advisor” on 2020’s Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time by Soleil. Over the last decade, he shifted his focus towards fostering younger game development talent. In January 2021, Itagaki formed a new studio called Itagaki Games, which remains in operation as of 2024. Itagaki’s death comes days before the launch of Ninja Gaiden 4, the latest installment of the series he created, though he had no involvement with this entry. The game industry is paying tributes to Itagaki on social media, including from Tekken boss Katsuhiro Harada, former Halo composer Marty O'Donnell, developer James Montagna, Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon, and his former home, Team Ninja: We are deeply saddened by the passing of Team NINJA's first leader, Tomonobu Itagaki. We will carry on the philosophy and creativity that Itagaki-san began and continue to create games that many gamers will enjoy. Our deepest condolences for his loss. From everyone at Team NINJA View the full article

Ghost of Yōtei is the biggest first-party launch for PlayStation in Europe since Marvel's Spider-Man 2, according to GSD data. Read more View the full article

2K-owned 31st Union has appointed Ben Brinkman as its studio head, who will begin leading the developer on October 20, 2025. Read more View the full article

Tomonobu Itagaki, the legendary creator of the Dead or Alive series, and creative mind behind the 2004 version of Ninja Gaiden, has passed away at the age of 58. Read more View the full article

Global games industry growth has remained chiefly "stable" over Q3 2025, with 49 mergers and acquisitions recorded across the period, including last month's shock announcement that Electronic Arts is to be acquired by a group of investors comprised Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners for $55 billion. Read more View the full article

The Outer Worlds 2 launches later this month on October 29 (or October 24, if you pre-order the more expensive Premium Edition) and you might be wondering if you should attempt to complete a playthrough of the first game before jumping into this sequel. While it certainly won't hurt to refamiliarize yourself with the universe of The Outer Worlds, don't expect any of the first game's various endings to play a role in Obsidian's second crack at this series. We spoke to The Outer Worlds 2 creative director Leonard Boyarsky about the first game's endings and whether the effects of it will appear in our playthrough of the second game, and he gave us a definitive "No". "No, not specifically, because it is a completely different colony," Boyarsky says, noting the first game takes place in the colony of Halcyon while The Outer Worlds 2 takes place in a new colony called Arcadia. "[Arcadia's] been cut off. There are references to things that happened in the first game; I don't want to mislead people though, and [have] them think there are a lot of details, but there's the story of the universe that's going on, and we're continuing that story. "So there are elements of what happened in the first game that you could find references to. I think players who played the first game and liked the first game will enjoy finding those little things that players who didn't play the first game won't." On the subject of Halcyon and Arcadia, The Outer Worlds 2 director Brandon Adler says Boyarsky and Tim Cain, who together created the Outer Worlds IP, were very clear that the idea of this series is that each game takes place in a new colony. "So we knew we wanted this to be a new colony because we have other stories we want to tell," Adler says. He adds that if The Outer Worlds 2 took place in Halycon, Obsidian would have to find a way to either canonize an ending to the first game or address all the possible endings and world states players ended, and that's something the team wanted to avoid. Game Informer's cover story for The Outer Worlds 2 is available to read right now if you're a subscriber (and this issue is shipping to mailboxes as we speak). For more, check out this list of 8 fun facts about The Outer Worlds 2's first biome, Paradise Island, and then check out this exclusive gameplay segment showcasing Paradise Island. After that, read about how there are pets (that you can pet) in The Outer Worlds 2, and then check out this story about how third-person gameplay made its way into The Outer Worlds 2. Are you glad The Outer Worlds 2 takes place in a different colony? Let us know in the comments below! View the full article

Another division of Activision Blizzard has voted to unionize under the Communications Workers of America (CWA). Read more View the full article

Witchbrook, the role-playing life sim game set in a living, breathing wizarding world, has been delayed to 2026. The game, first teased way back in 2017, was slated to release this winter. Witchbrook has been described as a mix of Stardew Valley and Harry Potter, placing players in the shoes of an aspiring witch/wizard who is a new resident in the magical city of Mossport, where they attend Witchbrook College. Here, players can form friendships, engage in romantic relationships, and interact with citizens who have fully fleshed-out daily schedules and lives. As a student at Witchbrook, you’ll attend classes, complete assignments, and sharpen your spellcasting and potion-making skills to become top of your class. Outside of classes, you can freely explore Mossport to engage in activities such as starting a business, renovating your home, and more leisurely excursions. As the school year progresses, Mossport and its residents change throughout the seasons. Witchbrook can also be played with others in four-player online co-op. Witchbrook is an ambitious game, and developer Chucklefish posted a developer update stating that, despite making good progress en route to launching this year, the team realized it needs more time to ensure Witchbrook lives up to its years-long hype. “Witchbrook is a big project – and it’s taking shape exactly as we hoped; full of charm, depth and detail! In our first blog, we shared our goal to create a living, breathing world for you to explore, and as we bring all those elements together, we’re taking the time needed to ensure the world feels rich, immersive, and alive,” reads Chucklefish’s statement. The developer update also revealed the game’s world map. Chucklefish also says a silver lining of the delay is that it allows them to explore the possibility of bringing Witchbrook to more platforms. The game is currently slated to launch on Xbox, PC, and was recently confirmed for Switch and Switch 2. The team is also looking to add additional language support and promises more developer updates in the future, including a blog post focused on character customization. View the full article

Reviewed on: PlayStation 5 Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC Publisher: Devolver Digital Developer: Kenny Sun Release: October 15, 2025 Rating: Teen If I had a dollar for every Arkanoid-inspired, roguelite, post-apocalyptic fantasy, bullet hell, town-building simulation, arcade/action game, I’d have – well, precisely one dollar. Ball x Pit triumphs by taking familiar, approachable dynamics drawn from across the history of gaming, and layering them into an instantly understandable and immersive whole. It’s one of those surprise successes of a game that is easy to recommend to almost anyone for some simple fun, following in the footsteps of titles like Vampire Survivors to present a perfect zone-out and focus-in experience. In a loose narrative intro, we see the mighty city of Ballbylon destroyed by a massive glowing interstellar sphere, leaving behind a great pit. You must rebuild a town on the edge of that pit, and send brave souls into the depths to fight monsters and retrieve resources. It’s mostly silliness, beyond the establishment of a loose fantasy setting to serve as a backdrop to the action. After establishing the “story,” Ball x Pit is split into two distinct play loops, each feeding into the other. The core activity is an arcade-style brick-breaking mode, where you control townspeople as they flit about a vertically scrolling playfield down in the pit, firing off balls with various magical, explosive, or other effects. Balls can bounce against walls, as well as brick-shaped rows of enemy creatures that are inexorably marching down-screen. Like the classic games upon which it’s based, there’s a happy thrill to charting the physics and trajectory of your fire, maximizing the number of bounces, and the satisfying pop as each enemy clears from the field. Each run into the pit allows for resource collection, but also XP gems that gradually improve your destructive brick-breaking capability with passive abilities and better balls for that stage. In turn, leveling up also allows fusions and evolutions of those balls, leading to ever more frenzied screen displays. Perhaps you’ll poison the enemies before blasting them with lasers. Maybe you’ll blind them, and then send out balls that spawn additional baby balls upon each strike. Building the perfect combo is intensely gratifying. Over time, players also unlock additional characters, and I’m amazed by how much each character changes the nature of the game. One can shoot balls through enemy bricks. Another shoots balls from the back of the field. In every case, those new characters (and the upgrades you apply to them) change up the tactics of movement and aiming, and contribute to a growing sense of delight. Enemies are often more than blocky bricks, and leverage different attacks and techniques to force a strategic shift in how you’re engaging the battlefield. That’s especially true for each level’s mini-bosses and main bosses, which often add entirely new dangers, changing the screen into a bullet hell of projectiles. That can make for a nice challenge, but the pixelated art style doesn’t really support the level of precision dodging needed, which can be frustrating at the end of a 15-minute level attempt. I appreciate that a buried settings option adds a hitbox, but even with that activated, the bullet dodging feels imprecise. After each run, it’s back to the top of the pit, and the chance to build a town with your resources – the other core loop of play. New blueprints acquired in the pit can add additional global character upgrades, add new heroes to take into the pit, or expand your resources even further. In a nod to consistency, the ball-and-brick mechanic persists here in town, as each turn above ground lets you harvest with your growing population of townspeople, sending each bouncing back and forth across the city to build, upgrade, and snag wheat, wood, and stone. Freeform rearrangement of buildings and expansion of the buildable spaces encourages experimentation with placement to maximize your harvest, and it’s almost embarrassing how much time I spent tweaking my layout. If there’s a fault to Ball x Pit, it’s only that the repetition has a danger of sapping at least some of the fun in the later game, and likely before you see credits, since all levels must be beaten multiple times (with different characters) before you can progress. Once you grasp the fundamentals of the town simulation, late-game town development also grows a tad stale. The variation in playstyle and bonkers onscreen destruction is certainly enough to keep things amusing in perpetuity, which is why the addition of a higher-challenge New Game + is still worthwhile and welcome. Still, some of the challenge and sense of discovery falls away in those later hours. Even if some fraction of the joy drops off in the endgame, Ball x Pit remains a deeply entertaining update to an ancient arcade formula. It’s easy to lose yourself in the flow of the seemingly endless bouncing balls, and I was consistently eager to unlock new characters, levels, and new balls to experiment with in battle. This is one of those “don’t judge a book by its cover” sorts of games, where the real excitement only reveals itself once the controller is in your hands. It will only take a single level to make you a believer. Score: 8.75 About Game Informer's review system View the full article

1000xResist was one of the most critically acclaimed games of 2024, and the post-apocalyptic narrative adventure is heading to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S (including Game Pass) on November 4. The game is the debut title from indie developer Sunset Visitor and was first launched on PC and Switch on May 9, 2024. Set 1000 years in the future, humanity has largely been wiped out by a disease spread by a mysterious alien race. The remaining survivors live in an underground city led by a figure called the Allmother; players control Iris, a “Watcher” who serves the Allmother alongside her six “Sisters”, the society’s leading members, each bearing specific roles. When Iris uncovers a secret that challenges everything she’s been taught by the Allmother, she must defy to get to the bottom of a conspiracy spanning generations. The largely narrative-based game was acclaimed for its storytelling, themes, and characters, winning a Peabody award for Interactive & Immersive Work and GDC 2025 nominations for Best Narrative, Best Debut, and the Social Impact Award. Game Informer scored 1000xResist a 9.5 out of 10 in our review, and it placed 6th on our Top 10 Games of 2024. In his review, editor Charles Harte writes, “It's hard to do 1000xResist justice by describing its basic attributes. Its intricate worldbuilding seems convoluted, its simple gameplay seems boring, and its ambition to tackle so many heavy narrative themes seems like developer Sunset Visitor is biting off more than it can chew. But the magic of 1000xResist is not in what the game sets out to accomplish; it's in the fact that it does so with jaw-dropping finesse. The world and its characters are unique and fascinating, the basic gameplay leaves room for thousands of lines of brilliant dialogue, and the themes are explored in ways that have reshaped the way I think about stories and their impact on the modern world. Despite minor flaws, 1000xResist has firmly established itself as one of the most groundbreaking stories in video game history." View the full article

Become the battle lamb you were born to be! Battle Ram is free this week on IndieGala, download it now! ... View the full article

Battlefield 6 has sold over seven million units across all platforms in five days, according to data shared exclusively with GamesIndustry.biz. Read more View the full article