NLG - Next Level Gaming

Scorn was one of the most enigmatic and polarizing games when it crept to Xbox and PC last fall. Some love it, some despise it, and PlayStation fans will get to see which side of the fence they fall on when it hits PlayStation 5 this fall. Despite appearing like a shooter on its surface, Scorn is an atmospheric puzzle-focused experience. As a strange humanoid creature, you’ll explore a labyrinthian H.R. Giger-inspired alien world to unravel its mysteries. While combat is present, it’s very much secondary to deciphering the abstract story and riddles, and even those revelations will primarily be up to your interpretation .  The PlayStation 5 version features DualSense haptic feedback support and 4K/60 fps gameplay. Check out the game’s new trailer below.  

Pokémon Go developer Niantic has announced a massive restructuring, where it will be closing its Los Angeles office, terminating over 200 employees, and scaling back development on a few titles as it narrows its focus towards supporting current titles while increasing its commitment to mixed and augmented reality development. In an email sent to staff by CEO John Hanke (which you can read here ), he explains that the pandemic-era surge of recruitment and expanding pipeline of projects ballooned to the point that, once the pandemic ended, the resulting expenses outpaced its revenue.  “In the wake of the revenue surge we saw during Covid, we grew our headcount and related expenses in order to pursue growth more aggressively, expanding existing game teams, our AR platform work, new game projects and roles that support our products and our employees," Hanke writes. "Post Covid, our revenue returned to pre-Covid levels and new projects in games and platform have not delivered r

Annapurna Interactive, the publisher behind games like Stray and Neon White, held a showcase today to reveal new games, and updates for previously announced ones, shine the spotlight on new developers, and more. It even unveiled its first-ever first-party game. We have all that and more in our breakdown below.  Here’s everything announced during the 2023 Annapurna Interactive Showcase While the showcase featured plenty of updates about games we’re already excited about, it also featured four new game reveals.  Game Reveals Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth Perhaps the most significant announcement of the showcase, Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth, is a new game set in the same world as the iconic Blade Runner film franchise, and Annapurna Interactive’s in-house studio is developing it. This marks the first time the publisher has developed its own game, and its development is being led by Chelsea Hash, who previously served as the game director of Solar Ash and a technical art lead on Wh

Annapurna Interactive has revealed Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth, a new game set in the same world as the Blade Runner   film series, and it's the first game developed in-house.  Annapurna has published plenty of great games, but it announced last year that it had created a new internal studio to actually develop one. And now we know that game is Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth. As the name suggests, it takes place in 2033, which puts it between the original film and its sequel, Blade Runner 2049 . Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth takes place in a dystopian Los Angeles like its cinematic predecessors, and the game's events occur after the Blackout hits.  Not much else was revealed about the game, but you can check out its moody cinematic trailer for yourself below:  As you can see, this game looks very  Blade Runner,  and we can't wait to learn more about it. Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth's development is led by game director Chelsea Hash, who previously served as the direct

Thirsty Suitors will be released on PlayStation, Xbox (including Xbox Game Pass), Switch, and PC on November 2, it's been revealed.  This news comes by way of today's Annapurna Interactive Showcase, where developer Outerloop Games released a new trailer showing off more of what to expect in this RPG that's one part a skateboarding game, another part a cooking game, and always a game about confronting your exes and parents. It looks great – we quite enjoyed playing it recently during Summer Game Fest 2023 – and you can check it out for yourself below in the newest Thirsty Suitors trailer:  As you can see, players take on the role of protagonist Jala, who, after a bad breakup, returns to her hometown. There, she must confront her exes and try to reconcile with them, please her tough-to-please parents, and mend broken friendships in time for her sister's wedding. To do all that, Jala will skateboard, take part in turn-based combat seemingly inspired by Persona and Poké

Stray was first revealed by publisher Annapurna Interactive and developer Blue Twelve years ago, at the same event where the PlayStation 5 was revealed. It finally hit PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 last year alongside a PC release, and in two months, it's finally coming to Xbox.  Stray will launch on Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One on August 10. This was revealed with a very cute new trailer starring the stray cat that gives the game its namesake, and you can check it out for yourself below:  We enjoyed Stray last year, giving it an 8 out of 10 in our review, which you can read here .  Are you going to play Stray on Xbox this August? Let us know in the comments below!

Cocoon will be released this September.  More specifically, the upcoming sci-fi adventure game from Jeppe Carlsen , the lead gameplay designer of Playdead's Limbo and Inside, hits PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC on September 29. I recently played Cocoon during Summer Game Fest 2023 and came away extremely impressed ( read about why here ). In the game, you control a small beetle-like creature as you traverse through a mysterious alien world using strange orbs that they themselves are worlds you can dive into.  Check out Cocoon in action in the trailer below:  As you can see, Cocoon continues to look great and now we know we don't have to wait too much longer to play it.  Cocoon hits PlayStation, Xbox (including a day one launch on Xbox Game Pass), Switch, and PC via Steam on September 29.  Are you diving into Cocoon this September? Let us know in the comments below!

BlizzCon is returning to Anaheim, California, this November and Blizzard has released new details about the event, including what to expect, pricing, and when tickets go on sale.  BlizzCon 2023 will take place on November 3 and 4 in the Anaheim Convention Center and tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. ET on July 8. A second wave of tickets will go live at 10 a.m. PST/ 1 p.m. ET on July 22. General admission tickets cost $299, and that price includes a live event ticket, in-game goodies, the official BlizzCon backpack, and early access to the BlizzCon store. There will also be a $799 Portal Pass ticket available as well. It includes all general admission perks, a separate registration and security line, exclusive Portal Pass lounge access (private concessions and viewing lounges, gameplay experiences, and more), and early entrance to the convention center.  “We are so excited to be welcoming everyone back to Anaheim for BlizzCon 2023,” BlizzCon executive producer April McKee w

In the 21st century, fans of the NFL have had minimal choices when it comes to their officially licensed football games. Ever since 2004, EA Sports' annualized Madden NFL series has been the exclusive franchise for the NFL, its teams, stadiums, and players. The result was the closure of other franchises, such as the competitive NFL 2K series, as well as the arcade-focused NFL Blitz franchise (which was later acquired by EA in 2011). The recently announced Wild Card Football from Saber Interactive, part of the Playgrounds franchise, hopes to smash through the established line to give players a fresh 7-on-7 arcade-facing take on the sport starring their favorite players. Wild Card Football doesn't possess the NFL license, but rather the NFLPA license. This means the teams and stadiums of the National Football League aren't present, but many of its biggest stars are. I witness this firsthand as I scroll through the teams available. The in-game teams are centered around the q

While game delays have become commonplace, the opposite is extremely rare. Today, we learned Baldur's Gate 3 is somehow doing both at the same time. Initially planned for August 31, developer Larian Studios is advancing the PC release date to August 3 while delaying the PS5 version to September 6. According to the most recent community update , the change was done to prioritize release in order of platform readiness. More specifically, the team needed a little more time to get the PS5 version up to 60 frames per second. "The PlayStation 5 version will be released roughly a week later than its originally scheduled date of August 31st," the community update reads. "Baldur’s Gate 3 is targeting 60 frames-per-second and we’re close to achieving that on the platform but need a bit more extra time. We don’t want to compromise on quality, and feel it would be a shame to downscale to 30fps or make other compromises to hit an arbitrary date." Meanwhile, the PC versio

Disney Illusion Island is an upcoming “Mickeyvania” exclusive to Switch and after being revealed over a year ago, it’s finally out next month. Dlala Studios and Disney have released a new story trailer to prepare potential players for what’s in store on the island.  Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy mysteriously arrive on the island of Monoth and soon after find that its people need their help. This kickstarts their journey as players must platform through the various obstacles, challenges, and biomes of Monoth. Each character has the same abilities (although animated quite differently), so players can select whichever hero they want to save the day.  Check out the latest Disney Illusion Island story trailer for yourself below :  For more about Disney Illusion Island, watch the reveal trailer from last summer and then check out this gameplay trailer from February. After that, read about the game’s lack of combat and a Metroid-style map . Disney Illusion Island h

I've been excited to play Final Fantasy XVI for ages, but after hearing about Game of Thrones ' influence on the game, I was afraid I'd be overwhelmed by dense fantasy lore. While worldbuilding can be as simple as creating fictional characters and cities, some creators dive in deeply, crafting pantheons of gods, hundreds of years of wars and conflict, and even entire languages. While it makes the world more believable, it can be incredibly disorienting for an audience to be thrust headfirst into a sea of unfamiliar proper nouns, especially before they have a chance to get to know the world's characters. Lucky for me, the developers behind Final Fantasy XVI completely anticipated this and introduced a solution: the Active Time Lore mechanic. During any cutscene in FFXVI, you can hold the touchpad on the DualSense controller to conjure up a glossary of definitions and character bios relevant to that moment in the story. It's perfect for when you forget a character&#

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the ambitious follow-up to 2017’s Breath of the Wild , finally hit Switch last month. We’ve now learned, thanks to video game analyst group Circana , that it was, unsurprisingly, the best selling game of the month. However, it’s also already the second best selling game of 2023, behind Hogwarts Legacy .  What’s even more impressive is that Circana’s Tears of the Kingdom numbers do not include digital sales for the game – only physical, according to Circana executive director Mat Piscatella . That it’s the second best selling game of 2023 on just its physical numbers alone means this game sold exceptionally well. And there’s a good chance it might be the year’s best selling game if digital numbers are one day added.  Here’s a look at the top 10 best selling games of May 2023 :  The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Hogwarts Legacy Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Dead Island 2 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022) MLB: The Show 23 Fifa 2

At one point, Microsoft considered acquiring Sonic the Hedgehog developer Sega, Destiny 2 developer Bungie, and Hitman studio IO Interactive to expand and support its audience and Xbox Game Pass.  That’s according to new internal emails revealed as part of Microsoft’s ongoing court trial against the Federal Trade Commission to acquire Activision Blizzard , as reported by The Verge . In a 2020 email, Xbox head Phil Spencer writes to Microsoft chief financial officer Amy Hood and CEO Satya Nadella to request a “Strategy Approval to approach Sega Sammy regarding a potential acquisition of their Sega gaming studios.” Elsewhere in court documents, an internal 2021 Microsoft merger review document features a “watchlist” for studios Microsoft was considering acquiring and it includes both Bungie and IO Interactive for the purposes of “engagement and social interaction” and “audience expansion.” Other studios on the watchlist include Thunderful ( Planet of Lana , Steamworld Build ), Sup

Publisher Dear Villagers and developer Fallen Leaf Studios have released a new trailer on IGN for Fort Solis, the upcoming sci-fi horror game starring Roger Clark and Troy Baker.  This trailer starts with Baker discussing how he came to be involved with Fort Solis and why he’s excited about the game before he reveals it hits PlayStation 5 and PC on August 22. The trailer then cuts to new footage of the game, which you can check out for yourself below:  As you can see, Baker says he joined Fort Solis because it allowed him to work alongside Clark (whom you might recognize as Arthur Morgan from Red Dead Redemption 2 ) and because he liked the story as well. As for the new Fort Solis footage, it shows more of the spooky Martian horror featured in the game. In it, Clark’s character, Jack Leary, tries to survive “through one long and terrifying night on Mars.” Leary appears to be guided, in some way, by Baker’s Wyatt Taylor and Julia Brown’s character, Jessica Appleton.  Fort Solis hit

<p><img src="https://ift.tt/GwmqpLI" width="800" height="450" alt="Temtem Showdown new standalone game pokemon battle fast" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" /></p> <p>Publisher Humble Games and developer Crema have revealed Temtem Showdown, a new standalone battle-focused game, and it's out right now. </p> <p>This surprise reveal comes less than a year after the full 1.0 release of Temtem, the game that Showdown is based on. Similar to Pokemon Showdown, Temtem Showdown is all about battling. It's also free to everyone. </p> <img src="https://ift.tt/HQp7Ale" typeof="foaf:Image" alt="" class="image-style-body-default" /> <p>"Temtem Showdown takes the best Temtem competitive action and places it within immediate reach for everyone," a press release reads. "Get to know the colorful critters from

<p><img src="https://ift.tt/4J1io6a" width="800" height="450" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" /></p> <p>Between the&nbsp;<em>Super Mario Bros. Movie</em>&nbsp;and several announcements during last week's Nintendo Direct, Nintendo's mascot is having a great 2023. Carrying on the Mario momentum, Oreo announced a limited-edition cookie collab with the iconic Nintendo franchise.</p> <p>The cookies feature 16 unique embossments starring characters like Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Goomba, and Bowser Jr., as well as power-ups like Super Stars and Fire Flowers. Packs will be filled at random. Oreo is also holding a social media event where they're asking those who buy the cookies to stack as many of the hero-embossed cookies on the rim of a glass of milk without the cookies falling into the milk and share the video on social media in a concerted e

<p><img src="https://ift.tt/sq29OXh" width="800" height="450" alt="Starfield physical disc" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" /></p> <p>Physical editions of Starfield will not include a disc, according to a now-deleted message from the <a href="https://twitter.com/BethesdaSupport" target="_blank">Bethesda Support</a> Twitter account.</p> <p>Yesterday, a user asked the account if the Physical standard edition of the game on Xbox Series X would include a disc. The account responded, “All physical editions include a code for the chosen platform. There are no physical discs.” This tweet, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20230625141251/https://twitter.com/BethesdaSupport/status/1672948106751627269" target="_blank">posted yesterday, June 25</a>, has since been deleted, and Bethesda has yet to comment on it, but

Sonic Origins Plus arrived on every major platform today, bringing myriad updates to what I previously called "a potent pack of nostalgia." However, not every update lives up to expectations, and while it's still the better version of this bundle, Sonic Origins Plus' main attraction doesn't quite stick the landing. For the uninitiated, Sonic Origins launched one year ago today, letting players speed through Sonic the Hedgehog 1, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Sonic 3 & Knuckles from the Sega Genesis, as well as Sonic CD from Sega CD with the option to play as Sonic, Tails, or Knuckles in all of them (except Knuckles in Sonic CD, for some reason). You can play through them in Classic Mode, which retains the original aspect ratio and lives system of the games, or in Anniversary Mode, which adds native widescreen support, grants unlimited lives, implements Sonic's Drop Dash move from Sonic Mania, and gives you the option to retry Special Stages. I loved playing