NLG - Next Level Gaming

Click to watch embedded media Halo has always been a staple for Team Green when looking at what the Xbox experience has to offer. The sci-fi shooter has been vital to the name of Xbox and has evolved much in the years since its birth, even changing hands from Bungie over to 343 Industries. Because of that, and the initial backlash to when Halo Infinite gameplay was first revealed in 2020 , there is a lot of speculation as to whether or not Infinite will be the final "test" regarding Halo's future going forward. With Starfield, the new space IP from Bethesda, also being an Xbox-exclusive, some have even wondered if that could take the crown. According to Xboss Phil Spencer, Halo Infinite will not be a "make or break" situation, instead, it is a fresh start.  In a recent interview with  IGN ,  Spencer sat down to talk about Halo's place in the Xbox future and he weighed in on thoughts that the success of the upcoming game could be a telltale moment of its c

HBO's  The Last of Us  TV series has just added another name to its growing cast with Nico Parker ( Dumbo ) slated to play Joel's daughter. Parker is the latest casting decision revealed to star alongside Pedro Pascal ( The Mandalorian ) as Joel, Bella Ramsey ( Game of Thrones ) as Ellie, Gabriel Luna as Tommy Miller, and Merle Dandridge as Marlene.  The confirmation of the latest casting comes via  Deadline  for the upcoming adaptation that is set to take place within the timeline of the first game. Kanatemir Balagov is set to direct the pilot episode for the co-production between PlayStation Productions, Sony Pictures Television, Word Games, The Mighty Mint, and Naughty Dog itself.  The Last of Us TV series also two new directors with Jasmila Žbanić ( Aida ) and Ali Abbasi ( Border ) , revealed back in May. The pair joins  Chernobyl  creator Craig Mazin as the team works alongside Naughty Dog for creative direction.  Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann previously confirmed 

Starting today and running to July 15, Dead by Daylight is celebrating a 5th anniversary event. If you’re trying to farm up bloodpoints to unlock perks for your favorite survivor or killer, now’s probably the best time. Not only are cakes available for big bonuses during the event, but you can also take advantage of a special Shrine of Secrets rotation with reduced prices! Of course, there are all kinds of special cosmetics and other fun things to explore as well. Check out the trailer for the event below, which shows off some of the funfetti and cheer that are obviously quite at odds with the normal motif of the horror-centric Dead by Daylight. Click here to watch embedded media In addition to all the fun stuff mentioned above, Anniversary Crowns are available to collect in matches and there are some large community meta goals to achieve to unlock special skins for David King and Wraith. Giveaways, challenges, cosmetics, and more. Dead by Daylight’s 5th Anniversary event awaits

From Uldren to the Crow, this isn't the first time we've reflected on the reincarnation of Cayde-6's killer, and it won't be the last, but as the current season's story careens towards its close, we can't help but to reflect on something truly beautiful about this character. Back in March during Destiny 2's Season of the Chosen, I wrote a lengthy feature about how I hated Bungie for making me love this character as much as I did. I'm sad to report that my love has only grown stronger and is bordering on character study obsession. Them's the breaks, but I am happy to see that the trajectory I spoke of is relevant to The Crow's current standing. This week's mission for Season of the Splicer has only solidified him as one of the most humbly strong characters in the current Destiny 2 universe. The Crow was a center point in Season of the Chosen - the season that proceeded what's going on now with Splicer. There is one moment during a quest

From Uldren to the Crow, this isn't the first time we've reflected on the reincarnation of Cayde-6's killer, and it won't be the last, but as the current season's story careens towards its close, we can't help but to reflect on something truly beautiful about this character. Back in March during Destiny 2's Season of the Chosen, I wrote a lengthy feature about how I hated Bungie for making me love this character as much as I did. I'm sad to report that my love has only grown stronger and is bordering on character study obsession. Them's the breaks, but I am happy to see that the trajectory I spoke of is relevant to The Crow's current standing. This week's mission for Season of the Splicer has only solidified him as one of the most humbly strong characters in the current Destiny 2 universe. The Crow was a center point in Season of the Chosen - the season that proceeded what's going on now with Splicer. There is one moment during a quest

Acquisitions aren’t necessarily a new trend in the video games industry, but recently many studios have been parented by large conglomerates. For instance, EA recently forged a partnership with Dirt developers Codemasters , Sony has added Housemarque (and potentially Bluepoint) to their expansive list of in-house studios , and Microsoft’s multi-billion dollar purchase of Bethesda still has the community reeling, especially with the announcement of Starfield as an Xbox exclusive. Of course, some consumers have voiced concern over the surge of acquisitions, calling consolidation a negative aspect of the industry. Phil Spencer, however, feels otherwise; he thinks acquisitions are a good thing. In an interview with IGN , Spencer talked about the highs and lows of the industry’s recent shift to expanding their brands. Spencer notes the difficulty that comes with starting small businesses and turnover. When hardships do occur, Spencer stated that simply not selling can be short-sighted:

Microsoft just revealed  its Xbox Games With Gold lineup  for July, and now it's time for PlayStation to show off what it's got. Where Xbox is leaning into that Conker love, PlayStation is going in a different direction with WWE, some Call of Duty action, and rats. Lots of rats.  Just like every month, the new lineup is yours to keep as long as a PlayStation Plus membership is active.  Free PS Plus July 2021 Free Games  A Plague Tale: Innocence Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 WWE 2K Battlegrounds Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is about what you'd expect from a Call of Duty experience with the exception that the Zombies portion is so much more immersive. It also includes Blackout, which is the battle royale portion of the shooter.  WWE 2K Battlegrounds is arcade-inspired, blending Superstars and Legends together into an experience filled with interactive environments alongside a new story mode. Kick your friends' butts, become the Superstar you were always meant to be,

The "will they, won't they" concerning Konami and the future of Silent Hill is not even close to a new conversation, so much so it's almost a bore at this point. Still, with the Abandoned game inciting Hideo Kojima-related conspiracy theories and rumors of a new Silent Hill game having run rampant for years now, it looks like there might actually be some substance to the latest report. Konami and Bloober Team, the studio behind Layers of Fear and The Medium, issued a new press release to media talking about a fresh partnership between the two companies. Bloober knows a thing or two about horror and the Polish studio has not been shy in the past about a love for all things Silent Hill. The press release noted a "strategic partnership," a partnership that many insiders are steadfastly saying is "Silent Hill-related." Before we dive into that, a quick refresher course on Bloober and its own run-in with Silent Hill rumors of gaming past . Earlier th

Remedy Entertainment is keeping busy following the release of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of Control . Announced in a blog post written by Control Director Mikael Kasurinen, Remedy has inked a new deal with 505 Games to expand the Control franchise into places it hasn’t gone before including a spin-off focused on multiplayer and a new high-budget Control down the road. Kasurinen establishes why the team is bringing Control into a multiplayer experience: “Control is first and foremost a world, a place for multitudes of stories, events, and characters. A place where unexpected, strange, and extraordinary things occur. We kicked it off with Jesse’s entry into the Oldest House, but there is more to this world. Oh, so much more.” “Project Condor” is the code name for this new multiplayer title set within the Control universe, though there’s not many details on what the game actually is yet. Mikael's blog only has one image hinting at what Condor might be. The pic

Magic: Legends , the free-to-play ARPG set in the Magic: The Gathering universe, is shutting down for good on October 31, 2021. If this seems really fast to you, you’re right - the game technically never even left the beta phase for an official launch, nor did it ever get its scheduled console launches on Xbox or Playstation. On the plus side, if you did play it at all on the Epic Games Store or Arc launcher, you’re getting a full refund for any purchases made. Magic: Legends is shutting down on October 31, 2021. Read the full statement and FAQ here > https://t.co/BMQZDHTWrU pic.twitter.com/6viue1Sbs6 — Magic: Legends (@BeAMagicLegend) June 29, 2021 We can theorize endlessly about the many factors that undoubtedly shaped this decision for a shutdown before launch, but certainly, there was a lot of promise and potential in the core philosophy of taking Magic: The Gathering into an ARPG format. I was fascinated by many components of the game, including its use of an AI director

Casey Hudson announced that he was leaving BioWare once more back in December 2020 , and now we're finally getting a look at what he's been up to since then. The former BioWare boss took to Twitter to share an inside look at his new gaming company called Humanoid Studios that has a mission statement we can stand behind, "unleash the creative freedom of developers."  Hudson shared our first look at Humanoid Studios on June 29, with a sneak peek at what this new journey looks like. "I've been working with some colleagues on something awesome," he started. "And I wish I could tell you all about it! For now, though, I can say that [today] we are announcing a new independent videogame company built to unleash the creative freedom of developers - bringing innovation and artistry to players through an all-new IP."  We are Humanoid Studios. This is the first tiny step in our journey, and we hope you'll come along with us on the adventure. https

Bethesda confirmed back in October of last year that Starfield would be using an overhauled engine for the studio with Creation Engine 2. This news excited fans for obvious reasons. While Bethesda knows how to tell a solid tale, that doesn't mean that franchises like Fallout and Elder Scrolls have really done a good job at keeping up with the times in terms of tech and aesthetics. Now, following the Xbox-Bethesda E3 2021 showcase, Todd Howard is talking a little more openly about The Elder Scrolls 6, including confirming that it will utilize the same engine as Starfield.  When sitting down with  The Telegraph ,  Howard talked about a plethora of topics, including his original 2009 Indiana Jones game pitch . He also confirmed the engine news about both upcoming games, though Howard was careful to once again reiterate that The Elder Scrolls 6 is still a long way off. In fact, it's still in the "design phase."  “It’s good to think of The Elder Scrolls 6 as still bein

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks Developer: id Software Release: March 20, 2020 ( PlayStation 4 , Xbox One , PC , Stadia ), December 8, 2020 ( Switch ), June 29, 2021 ( PlayStation 5 , Xbox Series X/S ) Rating: Mature Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, Stadia, PC The next-gen update for Doom Eternal was first announced during the Xbox Games Showcase at E3. Today, the optimized game finally arrives on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X (on Game Pass as well). A post on the official Bethesda website details the performance and graphical settings that’ll be available for next-gen console owners. For Consoles, there are three different modes that can be enabled while playing: Performance Mode which focuses on frames and smoothness, Balanced Mode which is a happy medium, and Ray Tracing Mode which, unfortunately, is not available on the Series S.  Next-Gen Breakdown Xbox Series X Performance Mode: 1800p – 120 FPS Balanced Mode: 2160p – 60 FPS Ray Tra

The next-gen update for Doom Eternal was first announced during the Xbox Games Showcase at E3. Today, the optimized game finally arrives on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X (on Game Pass as well). A post on the official Bethesda website details the performance and graphical settings that’ll be available for next-gen console owners. For Consoles, there are three different modes that can be enabled while playing: Performance Mode which focuses on frames and smoothness, Balanced Mode which is a happy medium, and Ray Tracing Mode which, unfortunately, is not available on the Series S.  Next-Gen Breakdown Xbox Series X Performance Mode: 1800p – 120 FPS Balanced Mode: 2160p – 60 FPS Ray Tracing Mode: 1800p – 60 FPS Xbox Series S Performance Mode: 1080p – 120 FPS Balanced Mode: 1440p – 60 FPS Ray Tracing Mode: Not Available PlayStation 5 Performance Mode: 1584p – 120 FPS Balanced Mode: 2160p – 60 FPS Ray Tracing Mode: 1800p – 60 FPS PC Ray Tracing Mode; reliant upon th

With our latest look at The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 during this year's E3 2021 Nintendo showcase, it's easy to see why so many have this particular universe on the brain . The first open-world adventure for the Breath series was expansive, beautiful, and a joy to traverse. While we wait to see what the sequel has to offer, one Breath of the Wild cosplayer brings her Urbosa cosplay to life in stunning detail. Which, of course, sent me down the rabbit hole of looking at her previous cosplays, and now I'm just sitting here thinking about how I can't even sew a button on correctly and basking in the talent that the cosplay community continues to share.  The cosplayer in question goes by CutiePieSensei on socials, and her cosplay portfolio includes everything from Metroid to Apex Legends - even Marvel. But we're here to talk about her Urbosa take because, let's be real: it's pretty awesome.  I came to feed y’all things since I never post here. I

June is coming to a close, which means it's time to see what Xbox Games With Gold's July 2021 free games lineup has to offer. A little more niche than previous months, including June's which currently includes Injustice Gods Among Us and The King's Bird, July's offerings includes an arcade collection and a return to the Conker universe.  Just like every month , Microsoft offers a select few games to give away for free, both for Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members. Whether you want to beat the tar out of a previous high score or you're looking to explore a vast world in Planet Alpha , here's what you have to look forward to on Xbox next month.  Xbox Games With Gold July 2021 Free Games Planet Alpha: Available July 1 to 31 Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break: Available July 16 to August 15 Conker: Live & Reloaded: Available July 1 to 15 Midway Arcade Origins: Available July 16 to 31 The older titles are still playable on current-gen

With our latest look at The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 during this year's E3 2021 Nintendo showcase, it's easy to see why so many have this particular universe on the brain . The first open-world adventure for the Breath series was expansive, beautiful, and a joy to traverse. While we wait to see what the sequel has to offer, one Breath of the Wild cosplayer brings her Urbosa cosplay to life in stunning detail. Which, of course, sent me down the rabbit hole of looking at her previous cosplays, and now I'm just sitting here thinking about how I can't even sew a button on correctly and basking in the talent that the cosplay community continues to share.  The cosplayer in question goes by CutiePieSensei on socials, and her cosplay portfolio includes everything from Metroid to Apex Legends - even Marvel. But we're here to talk about her Urbosa take because, let's be real: it's pretty awesome.  I came to feed y’all things since I never post here. I

Bethesda revealed its new Indiana Jones game back in January of this year , and fans were immediately interested in what Machine Games would bring to the fandom table. Now, Bethesda's Todd Howard is opening up a little bit on the road to here with the adventurous new game, sharing that he's actually been campaigning for this since 2009.  Sitting down with  The Telegraph ,  Howard revealed that the Indiana Jones game is something he and his team are very excited about and that he's been pitching this project since 2009. Back in 2009, he first shared the idea for Indiana Jones with George Lucas, and he's been "trying to find a way to make that" since that point. Luckily, that vision is seeing fruition thanks to the efforts by MachineGames, efforts that are "phenomenal" when looking at narrative craftsmanship and game design as a whole.  "I think the work MachineGames have done, they're just phenomenal developers and storytellers," Howa

Sony has been making quite a few changes to its PlayStation website over the past few years, slowly removing features to consolidate down to the mobile app and console interface. In the latest update, Team Blue confirmed that a few more features are being slashed from the PlayStation site, including removing access to your game library, friend information, Trophies, and more. [Update]: June 29, 2021 - The removal of the web-based functionality of the below features has now gone live. The original article was written on June 2, 2021. Original story is as follows:  In a new blog update from Sony, the company confirmed that MyPlayStation will no longer be supported, which limits the following features:  Games library Parties Friends Trophies Profile information The above features will still be accessible via PlayStation 4 and 5 consoles, as well as the PS App that continues to see more modernized updates. I would love to see the app offer a way to see your screenshots like the

With WitcherCon right around the corner, many fans are gearing up to learn more about the various shows going on surrounding the witchers and their tales. This includes Netflix's  The Witcher  season 2 and the anime adaptation. What it won't have to offer, as confirmed by the fully-released schedule, is a new Witcher game announcement. This bit of clarity is needed because the rumor mill began to swirl immediately upon the revelation of the first-ever WitcherCon, and for good reason. CD Projekt RED has already confirmed that a new Witcher experience is currently in the works alongside more work being done on Cyberpunk 2077. With members of the studio in attendance at WitcherCon for some of the panels, speculation was high about if the Polish studio would have anything official to reveal. Time to reign in those expectations a little bit, because the full schedule can be seen below:  Want to know more about what we've got in store for #WitcherCon ? You've come to the

Both Sony and Microsoft are making power moves in recent years regarding studio acquisitions for the PlayStation and Xbox camps. Following E3 2021's Xbox showcase that celebrated the acquisition of Bethesda and other ZeniMax studios, Sony has just announced that it has purchased Housemarque, the studio that gave us Returnal. More than that, evidence suggests that Sony has also acquired Bluepoint. But first, let's start with what's confirmed. PlayStation's Hermen Hulst took to the  PlayStation Blog   to talk about the latest acquisition. In the post, Hulst celebrates Housemarque's most recent successes with Returnal while reflecting upon the studio's past. "I have been a fan of Housemarque since the studio's early days when they introduced Super Stardust HD to PlayStation fans," he said. Adding Housemarque to PlayStation's growing creative team is a smart move and one that the studio's co-founder couldn't wait to celebrate, as well. 

Publisher: Netmarble Developer: Netmarble Platform: iOS, Android Whether you're talking Insomniac's beloved Spider-Man games or the recently announced Guardians of the Galaxy title from Eidos-Montréal , there's never been a better time to be a gaming Marvel fan. On top of the handful of recent and upcoming triple-A console and PC titles available, those who want more quick-hit experiences can dive into the world of mobile gaming. With titles like turn-based hero collector Marvel Strike Force and ever-expanding fighting game Marvel Contest of Champions, mobile players have several options as well. Those options are expanding by one later this year, as Netmarble, the team behind action/RPG Marvel Future Fight, is back to one-up itself with an all-new open-world action/RPG for mobile devices called Marvel Future Revolution. Click here to watch embedded media Initially revealed at PAX East 2020 , Marvel Future Revolution takes the multiverse concept to new levels, wi