The Digital Insider | Month: January 2024

New Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Trailer Promises A Destined Fight Between Cloud And Sephiroth

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is right around the corner, hitting PlayStation 5 exclusively on February 29. Game Informer has been covering it all month long as the game graced the cover of our latest magazine issue, and you can read all of our exclusive Final Fantasy VII Rebirth coverage here. But, with little over a month to go until the game’s release, Square Enix has released a new trailer that teases a climactic fight between protagonist Cloud Strife and his arch-enemy, Sephiroth.

Running exactly one minute long, this “Destined for Rebirth” trailer features new gameplay, shots of our party of characters like Tifa, Barret, Yuffie, Aerith, and more, and lots of Sephiroth. It also features the game’s excellent combat theme, and while some might call it cheesy, it’s pretty cool to see shots of Sephiroth and Cloud timed to the rhythm of said theme.

Check out the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth “Destined for Rebirth” trailer for yourself below:

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Final Fantasy VII Rebirth hits PS5 on February 29, 2024.

For more about the game, read our feature about the making of Final Fantasy VII Remake, and then read about how the chaotic development of Final Fantasy VII changed the course of the franchise. After that, check out what Square Enix told Game Informer about Zack Fair’s expanded role in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

Are you playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on day one? Let us know in the comments below!

Eddy Gordo Is Tekken 8’s First DLC Fighter, Opening Cinematic Released

Bandai Namco has released Tekken 8’s opening cinematic to whet fans’ appetite for the game as its release date draws ever closer. The publisher also confirmed that long-time favorite Eddy Gordo will kick off the roster of Season 1 DLC fighters.

The intro cinematic is impressively rendered and, in true Tekken fashion, utterly absurd. In addition to seeing the main cast throwdown with implausible displays of martial arts, we even see them engage in a full-on battle reminiscent of the Wakanda fight in Avengers: Infinity War.

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The video concludes with the reveal that Eddy Gordo is joining the roster this spring. Since his first appearance in Tekken 3, Eddy has been both beloved and reviled for his extremely effective use of Capoeira, so we’re excited to see new tricks he has up his sleeves.

In a neat behind-the-scenes twist, the trailer shows off some of the motion capture and animation that went into bringing Eddy into the current generation of Tekken. Eddy is the first of four characters that will be added to Tekken 8 throughout the year for purchasers of the Year 1 Season Pass or owners of the Deluxe, Ultimate, or Collector’s Editions of the game in which the pass is included.

Tekken 8 launches on January 26 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. You can read our impressions of the game’s Story mode and Arcade mode here.

Dawnwalker Is The Name Of An Upcoming Dark Fantasy RPG By Former CD Projekt Red Devs

In February 2022, former designers from CD Projekt Red announced the formation of a new studio called Rebel Wolves. The team revealed its first project would be, unsurprisingly, an RPG, and today, we learned a couple more details about the game, including its title.

The game is called Dawnwalker, and Rebel Wolves describes it as a “story-driven dark fantasy role-playing adventure.” Billed as being the team’s dream RPG project, the game has officially entered the alpha stage of development, and Rebel Wolves plans to share more information about it later this year.

The studio also announced another CD Projekt alumni Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz as the game’s creative director. Tomaszkiewicz work includes Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales.

“We want to craft a world that you will want to explore and dive deep into and tell stories that make you care about the characters,” said Tomaszkiewicz in a press release. “We aim to deliver an experience that will allow for a variety of choices and room for experimentation when replayed. Helping craft this experience with so many talented people will be my mission at Rebel Wolves, and I can’t wait for everyone to see what the team has been up to for quite a while now.”

Rebel Wolves didn’t share any more info on Dawnwalker, so questions about its premise, narrative, mechanics, and platforms will go unanswered until hopefully later this year. Until then, the team did release a piece of promotional art, posted above, that should help fuel imaginations of what the team is cooking.

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Frostpunk 2 Gets Stress-Inducing Gameplay Trailer, Launching Day One On PC Game Pass

Developer 11 Bit Studio has unveiled the first full look at Frostpunk 2 gameplay. First announced in August 2021, the sequel to the bleak yet popular city-builder is also coming to Xbox and PC Game Pass.

The trailer provides a look at how decision-making appears in-game. The demands you’ll receive from your citizens appear to be as stressful as the first Frostpunk, as you control a Steward overseeing life in a city situated in an unforgiving tundra where resources are precious and everyone has their own ideas about how society should function. How do you ensure everyone gets fed? What does the education system look like? How do you keep the streets clean of literal and criminal filth? Set 30 years after the original game, citizens can vote to pass laws, and these decisions steer the city’s direction toward multiple outcomes and finales.

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11 Bit also announced that Frostpunk 2 is launching on PC Game Pass, alongside Steam, The Epic Store, and GOG, in the first half of 2024. The game will also come to Game Pass on Xbox Series X/S at a later date and is targeting PlayStation 5 as well.

You can read our review of the first Frostpunk here.

Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl Finally Launches In September

Developer GSC Game World will finally release S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl on September 5. The first-person shooter will launch on Xbox Series X/S and PC.

The studio announced this release date in a quick trailer released today, which also calls September 5 the “final release date,” indicating GSC Game World is confident it won’t be delaying its long-awaited shooter any longer. The game was set to release in the first quarter of 2024 before today’s delay.

Check out the Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl final release date announcement trailer for yourself below:

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Officially confirmed in 2020, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl has taken some time to get off the ground after various starts and stops. Then, following what appeared to be smoother development, the team paused its work in February 2022 due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, where GSC Game World is based. Employees were forced to evacuate their homes in places like Kyiv, which is Ukraine’s capital. Some employees even volunteered to fight for Ukraine – developer Vladimir “Fresh” Yezhov was killed in combat in 2022, as reported by GameRant.

In December 2022, GSC Game World returned with a new S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 gameplay trailer, and we’ve been waiting on the game ever since. It was set to launch in 2023 before it was delayed to Q1 of this year, and now we know it’s coming to Xbox Series X/S and PC on September 5.

Are you going to check out Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl when it launches later this year? Let us know in the comments below!

How Another Code: Recollection Revitalizes A Cult Favorite | New Gameplay Today

Another Code: Recollection is perhaps the best kind of remake. It takes two well-liked yet obscure graphic puzzle adventures in 2005’s Trace Memory for DS, and 2009’s Another Code: R – Journey Into Lost Memories for Wii (which never launched in the U.S.) and gives them a graphical and mechanical overhaul to make them readily available to a new audience.

Join editors Marcus Stewart and Kyle Hilliard as they show off Recollection’s improvements and additions compared to the originals and discuss why you may not want to sleep on these adventures this time around.

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Head over to Game Informer’s YouTube channel for more previews, reviews, and discussions of new and upcoming games. Watch other episodes of New Gameplay Today right here.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Releases In May

Developer Ninja Theory appeared on Microsoft’s Xbox Developer Direct stream to discuss its sequel, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. The big news from the footage is the game finally has a release date: May 21. Microsoft also confirmed that the game will be a digital-only release.

The developer revealed it is in the final months of development and outlined some elements to expect from Hellblade II. Senua is not in as much fear of her voices as she was in the original game, but she is still a Celtic warrior who struggles with psychosis. Like the first game, Ninja Theory is working with professionals like Cambridge’s Paul Fletcher to ensure Senua represents an accurate version of someone struggling with complex mental issues.

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There are a number of new characters she will interact with. Some will appreciate her perspective and consider her an ally, but others will reject her and consider her an enemy. Like the original game, Hellblade II takes 10th century Iceland (which the developer visited for research), and she is fighting against Vikings who are enslaving her people. Ninja Theory is focused on making the game historically accurate but with an obvious layer of fantasy on top.

Combat has been overhauled for the sequel, with the game focusing on the fact that Senua is not a superhero. The goal of the combat is to make players feel like they barely survived each encounter, and the gameplay footage of the combat looks brutal.

Ninja Theory ended the stream saying it hopes to “craft life-changing art with game-changing tech.” We will determine if the game lives up to that lofty goal on May 21.

Visions Of Mana Gets Summer 2024 Release Window Alongside New Gameplay

During today’s Xbox Developer Direct, Square Enix made a surprise appearance to pull back the curtains on Visions of Mana, the first new mainline game in the franchise in 15 years. Square Enix also revealed Visions of Mana will hit PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC this summer.

Executive producer Masaru Oyamada discussed the franchise’s history, noting there have been 17 entries across its 30 years of existence. He also points out that what is now the Mana series today actually began as Final Fantasy Adventure in 1991.

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Mana series creator Koichi Ishii also joined this segment of the show to discuss how he has supervised the team on its work and implementation of taking what were originally pixelated monsters and converting them into the 3D monsters players will fight in the game.

Notably, Visions of Mana is the first Mana game coming to Xbox. Oyamada expressed Square Enix’s excitement about this first for the series while diving deeper into its real-time action combat. This real-time action combat is what originally separated Final Fantasy Adventure from the Final Fantasy series, which was strictly turn-based at the time.

Visions of Mana’s combat continues to look great, as does its beautifully vibrant world. Unfortunately, there’s still a few months to go until PlayStation, Xbox, and PC players can play it because it’s due out sometime this summer.

While waiting for its release, check out the Visions of Mana announcement trailer from The Game Awards 2023 last month.

Are you excited for Visions of Mana? Let us know in the comments below!

Researchers Make Breakthrough in Artificial Muscle Technology

In a world increasingly influenced by technology, soft robots, medical devices, and wearable technology have become integral parts of our daily lives. These innovations promise enhanced functionality and greater adaptability, making our interactions with technology more seamless and natural. In a significant leap forward in this…