With this week being the 4th of July in the US, it appears that we don't have too many game releases to look forward to, but we managed to dig out a few new releases regardless. This week's AA title comes from Japan, with all that that entails. The rest of this week's releases include some strategy, some shooting, some tagging, some climbing, some darkness and some fear, so make of that what you want. To our US readers, enjoy your holiday this coming week.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie / This week's AA title / Friday 7 July
What destinies await these three fateful figures? Use the Crossroads system to switch between Rean Schwarzer, Lloyd Bannings, and the masked figure "C", and determine the fates of key characters and locations within Zemuria. Dive into refined tactical combat with new features such as United Front, and discover new allies and challenges within the halls of the True Reverie Corridor!

As we are about to enter the second to last week of June, we got another packed week of new releases, with this week's AAA title being an action RTS game that may involve things exploding out of your chest. The rest of next week's release contains a mix of mostly several new FPS games, but also some Mayan action and a different take on the racing game genre.

Aliens: Dark Descent / This week's AAA title / Tuesday 20 June
Drop into the gripping journey of Aliens: Dark Descent, a squad-based, single-player action game in the iconic Alien franchise. Lead your soldiers in real-time to stop a new and terrifying kind of Xenomorph outbreak on Planet Lethe.

We at Obsidian Entertainment know players have been anticipating an updated look at Avowed and we're excited to show off what we've been working on with a first-ever gameplay trailer today at Xbox Games Showcase 2023. Expanding the universe that we created for the original Pillars of Eternity games, Avowed brings a new perspective, a new way to fight, and a new land to explore in the world of Eora. The Pillars games are near and dear to us and we can't wait to share Avowed with everyone next year.

In Avowed, you'll explore the Living Lands, a plagued, wild island set in the world of Eora. The Living Lands are full of mysteries and secrets, danger and adventure, and choice and consequences. Unique to the world of Eora, the Living Lands is home to bustling port towns and rolling hills adorned with weird and fantastical plant life. Every part of the Living Lands is home to its own ecosystem. Around every corner there are creatures, sentient mushrooms, or tribes of lizard-like Xaurips looking to make you their next meal…

Today we announced Clockwork Revolution at the Xbox Games Showcase, a fantastical, first-person action RPG, with dynamic time-bending combat, deep interconnected roleplaying systems, and the ability to create your own unique character from the ground up. The project is led by Game Director Chad Moore and Principal Designer Jason Anderson, who just happen to have created one of the greatest steampunk RPGs of all time—Arcanum.

Settings and Story
Clockwork Revolution takes place in the vibrant Victorian-era metropolis of Avalon, where steam trains fly overhead, wealthy industrialists replace their limbs with ornate clockwork prosthetics, and mechanical servants fulfill their masters' every whim. But this new age of wonders holds a dark secret—it's been carefully constructed by the ruthless Lady Ironwood. Through use of a time travel device, she's changed key moments in Avalon's history, keeping the working class struggling in the slums and factories, while bringing herself immense wealth and power. That's where you come in…

Publisher Focus Entertainment and developer Saber Interactive are thrilled to reveal John Carpenter's Toxic Commando, coming in 2024 to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via the Epic Games Store. Tag team with up to four players in this intense first-person shooter and battle massive hordes of mutated monstrosities to eradicate a supernatural outbreak before it's too late.

Watch the exhilarating reveal trailer, which premiered at the Summer Game Fest live showcase, for a first taste of the title's over-the-top gameplay and John Carpenter-inspired '80s vibes, packed with tons of action, humor and horror. "We're happy to team up once again with our historical partner Saber," said John Bert, Managing Director at Focus Entertainment. "After World War Z, Space Marine 2, Insurgency, SnowRunner, and many others, Toxic Commando is a new entry into the successful long-term relationship between Focus and Saber. We cannot wait to unveil more about this new amazing IP created by the talented teams at Saber and leverage Focus' expertise in turning new franchises into worldwide hits."

Dear Bloodlines fans, it's been quite a while between updates while we've had our heads down working on the game. We remain just as dedicated to delivering a great Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines game as we were when we announced, and are looking forward to showing you more in September this year.

We acknowledge it was a long time ago that many of you pre-ordered Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2. As development continues, we will be updating the game's editions and bonus content, and we want to provide the best value to those of you who supported us via digital pre-order after all this time. We are thus offering refunds to anyone who has pre-ordered any edition of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2. As part of this process, we are proactively refunding all pre-orders of physical products, including the Collector's Edition. The digital versions of the First Blood Edition, Unsanctioned Edition and Blood Moon Edition remain, but can be refunded if you choose.

As we're hitting the end of May and the beginning of summer, we have another week of a lot of new releases that includes version six of a once popular fighting game as this week's AAA title. We also have a remake of a popular game from 1994, pirates, horses, sports and tall buildings for you. Sounds exciting? Then read on, if not, then, well, don't waste your time.

Street Fighter 6 / This week's AAA title / Friday 2 June
Powered by Capcom's proprietary RE ENGINE, the Street Fighter 6 experience spans across three distinct game modes featuring World Tour, Fighting Ground and Battle Hub. Play legendary masters and new fan favorites like Ryu, Chun-Li, Luke, Jamie, Kimberly and more in this latest edition with each character featuring striking new redesigns and exhilarating cinematic specials.

Experience the visually stunning world of Layers of Fear, one of the first games to utilize the power of Unreal Engine 5 and advanced technological tools. Come with us on an immersive journey as we explore how we incorporated these cutting-edge features to bring you one of the most visually striking horror games out there. With the latest engine, we expedited the development process and introduced a host of technical novelties that make this game a spectacular visual treat. The Lumen, Ray Tracing, and Niagara effects helped us create visuals and effects that are beyond words and feel lifelike.

The canvas awaits its final brushstrokes. The stage calls for its lead actor. The novel needs its final chapter. It's time to face your fears. One. Last. Time. The series, which has left a mark on narrative-driven first-person psychological horror games, returns to tell its final spine-chilling story in Layers of Fear.. The series' crowning work is the definitive way to experience the critically acclaimed franchise as it features Layers of Fear and Layers of Fear 2, as well as all DLCs (including the new 'The Final Note' DLC that will give you a new perspective on the Layers of Fear storyline) and the never-before-told story of The Writer, which will tie everything together. Built on Unreal Engine 5, Layers of Fear supports Ray Tracing, HDR and 4K resolution to make the stunning visuals, and your nightmarish experience, as immersive and realistic as possible.

Summon your power, stop the Everwar, save the realms. Immortals of Aveum is a groundbreaking new single-player, first-person magic shooter, created by Ascendant Studios and released by EA Originals. Experience the story of Jak as he joins an elite order of battlemages to save a world on the edge of abyss. Made by the creators of Call of Duty and Dead Space, Immortals of Aveum is set in an original fantasy universe engulfed in magic, rife with conflict, and on the verge of oblivion. Ascendant Studios is an independent team of veteran developers with BAFTA and Game of the Year award-winning experience, and EA Originals will release the studio's debut title.

Immortals of Aveum is a new single-player shooter with magic-based combat, set in a world ravaged by war. Rich lore meets intense combat in this narrative-driven FPS game, crafted for players who wish to immerse themselves in a daring adventure. Players will take control of the protagonist, Jak (played by Darren Barnett), who unexpectedly manifests magical abilities and is reluctantly thrust into mankind's endless war for the control of magic. Under the tutelage of Grand Magnus Kirkan (Gina Torres), Jak joins the elite battlemages of the Order of the Immortals, and fights to end the Everwar—a world-spanning conflict between the nations of Lucium and Rasharn, each seeking to control access to the magic flowing across the land.

The 40th anniversary of Warhammer has been filling us with nostalgia, and the new trailer for Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is only making things better. This is a gloriously retro pulse-pounding first-person shooter, where you play a Space Marine one-man army gunning through pixelated heretic hordes. This awesome game lets you experience the ultimate homage to retro shooters, blending 80s-style visuals with fluid, modern FPS gameplay. And you won't have to wait long to play it - it's out on May 23rd!

Load up your Boltgun and plunge into battle headfirst! Experience a perfect blend of Warhammer 40,000, classic, frenetic FPS gameplay and the stylish visuals of your favourite 90's retro shooters. Play a battle-hardened Space Marine on a perilous mission across the galaxy, as they battle against the Chaos Space Marines and daemons of Chaos. In glorious boomer shooter style, unleash your devastating Space Marine arsenal as you blast through an explosion of sprites, pixels and blood. Run, jump and charge across huge levels to shoot, shred and slice the worst heretics across the galaxy!

Subject 106 breaks free from his chains to unleash mayhem - June 21st on Steam! It's time to break the cycle. Trepang2 features high-octane, first-person gun-fu gunplay and puts players in the shoes of a newly enhanced super soldier on a mission of death, destruction, and revenge.

Broken out from a government black site by unknown allies and removed of their memories, they'll be hunted by their captives and an even more otherworldly foe, and will have to arm themselves with an arsenal of devastating weapons and learn how to handle their newfound superhuman abilities to survive the onslaught, all the while unravelling a deadly conspiracy.

Microsoft is still deep into its negotiations with several international regulatory bodies regarding the buyout of Activision Blizzard, with a deadline looming it seems that tensions are rising. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) needs a lot of convincing since it regards the proposed takeover as a serious threat to Sony's ability to compete with Microsoft, with the ownership of the Call of Duty series being a main focus. Sony has expressed concern about the blockbuster franchise becoming a potential Xbox console exclusive in the future - Microsoft has pledged to continue development on PlayStation platforms for a proposed 10-year period, with no technological compromises and a promise to release all versions simultaneously on launch days.

In its latest testimony given to the UK's CMA, Microsoft has made a (slightly odd) suggestion that Sony should figure out a way to make its own answer to the Call of Duty series: "Microsoft considers that a period of 10 years is sufficient for Sony, as a leading publisher and console platform, to develop alternatives to Call of Duty.…The 10-year term will extend into the next console generation.… Moreover, the practical effect of the remedy will go beyond the 10-year period, since games downloaded in the final year of the remedy can continue to be played for the lifetime of that console (and beyond, with backwards compatibility)."

Get an exclusive first-look at the gameplay of Layers of Fear, the series' crowning work, in this 11-minute walkthrough. Follow the Painter from the original Layers of Fear, and join the Writer - a recently unveiled character - for a closer look at the latest installment in the Layers franchise.

As The Writer, enter the lone and ghastly Lighthouse - a newly-introduced location - and uncover an untold story that links all of the Layers' characters and events together. Unravel secrets, solve puzzles, and face the threats of the old Mansion that can only be solved with a lantern - a new and essential tool to confront the nightmares in the game!

Ghost Story Games, the development studio led by game creator Ken Levine, today announced that Judas, an all-new single-player, narrative first-person shooter is in development for the PlayStation 5 computer entertainment system, Xbox Series X|S console systems, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. The new project was revealed at The Game Awards 2022 as a world premiere unveiled by Geoff Keighley. In conjunction with the project reveal, Ghost Story Games has launched the official pages for Judas on Steam and the Epic Games Store where fans can now add the game to their Wishlist.

"We founded Ghost Story Games to build upon the legacy of System Shock 2, BioShock, and BioShock Infinite," said Ken Levine, President & Creative Director. "With Judas, we've created an entirely new world and set of characters while exploring different approaches to single-player, narrative first-person shooters."

Ascendant Studios, an independent team of veteran developers with BAFTA and Game of the Year award-winning experience, has partnered with Electronic Arts Inc. EA Originals Label to release the studio's debut title, Immortals of Aveum. Immortals of Aveum is a groundbreaking new single-player, first-person magic shooter that delivers a visceral, cinematic campaign experience. The game is set in an original fantasy universe engulfed in magic, rife with conflict, and on the verge of oblivion. It will release on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC in 2023. Watch the teaser trailer, which debuted at The Game Awards, on the official Immortals of Aveum YouTube channel and follow the game on Twitter and Instagram.

"I was the creative director on four big games in a row, the original Dead Space and three Call of Duty titles, and I had an amazing opportunity to start my own studio and build an incredible team that I'm lucky to work with every day," said Bret Robbins, CEO and Game Director at Ascendant Studios. "I founded Ascendant Studios to make original and epic games, and here we are, four years later, about to finish our first one. What started as a crazy, exciting idea has grown into a crazy, exciting triple-A game. I chose EA as our publishing partner because we know they'll help Immortals of Aveum reach the biggest audience possible. I'm thrilled to have the expertise and resources of EA backing us and I can't wait for everyone to play!"

BLACKTAIL, the surreal, first-person, action-adventure game set in a dark fairy tale world packed with stories and legends retold, has revealed a new gameplay overview trailer preparing players for its December 15 release on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Dive deep into the woods and pre-order BLACKTAIL today on Steam with a 20% off pre-launch discount.

BLACKTAIL is being developed by Polish indie studio THE PARASIGHT and published by Focus Entertainment. You play as Yaga, a young girl accused of witchcraft. When living memories of your past return as foul, walking spirits, you are left with no other option than to hunt them down in the hopes of unraveling your own mystery.

Following 5 years of development, MEDER Dynamics is excited to announce their factory building sim, FOUNDRY will have its Steam debut at the Next Fest October 3-10! Previously a hit on Itch.io, FOUNDRY allows players to unleash their creativity as builders and problem solvers in a procedurally generated voxel world. Play alone or with friends in the co-op multiplayer mode, available in the demo during Steam Next Fest.

Inspired by the likes of Factorio and Minecraft, FOUNDRY is a unique first person factory sim where players build, mine, research, and expand, in an infinite voxel-generated world. Landing in one of the many biomes, players start collecting various resources to build machines and craft items. The key to progression in FOUNDRY is automating everything, which begins by constructing machines like Smelters and Assemblers, that produce goods. Set up mining drones, conveyor belts, pipes, and more to accelerate progress and to scale up production!

Today, the National Football League, the National Football League Players Association and StatusPRO, Inc., a sports technology and gaming company that uses NFL game data to create authentic extended reality experiences, announced the release of NFL PRO ERA, the first-ever NFL and NFLPA-licensed virtual reality (VR) simulation gaming title. Available globally on Meta Quest 2 and PlayStation VR platforms, NFL PRO ERA will bring fans closer to NFL players' point of view with a first-person 3D immersive football gaming experience. NFL PRO ERA will feature the NFLPA group license to allow fans to play the current NFL roster in the game.

"The NFL is excited to partner with StatusPRO, which has developed cutting-edge VR technology and leveraged their expertise as former football players to create an incredibly immersive NFL experience," said Ed Kiang, VP of Video Gaming at the NFL. "NFL PRO ERA will enable fans to connect with the game and their favorite teams in a whole new way."

Today, 2K and Gearbox Software announced that Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, an all-new, fantasy-fueled looter shooter game from the unpredictable mind of Tiny Tina, is now available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC via the Epic Games Store. Tiny Tina's Wonderlands features the journey of the Fatemaker through an extraordinary tabletop realm where rules rarely apply. Joined by an all-star celebrity cast, players can create and customize their own multiclass heroes as they loot, shoot, slash, and cast their way through outlandish monsters and treasure-filled dungeons on a quest to stop the tyrannical Dragon Lord. The chaotic fantasy world is brought to life by the utterly unpredictable Tiny Tina, who makes the rules, changes the world on the fly, and guides players on their respective journeys.

"Since we founded Gearbox in 1999, it's always been a dream of ours to create a video game in a fantasy setting. Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is the result of everyone on our team pouring their hearts and souls into making a title like that a reality - it's a love letter to anyone with a passion for role playing games or looter shooters," said Randy Pitchford, founder of the Gearbox Entertainment Company. "I hope you join us and our millions of fans around the world in experiencing this impossible culmination of years and years of pent-up creativity and passion that's finally manifested in this wild, all-new, one-of-a-kind video game, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands."

Ubisoft's Far Cry series has seen a lot of installments that were remembered as very good and enjoyable experiences. Today, Ubisoft decided to surprise new gamers and invite them over to the Far Cry series by offering PC gamers the ability to purchase Far Cry 3 free of charge. On Ubisoft's Connect PC platform, gamers can obtain their digital copy of Far Cry 3, and experience the open-world first-person shooter that the game represents. The offer, to obtain the game's digital copy, is already available and you should head over to Ubisoft's Connect platform here. It will expire on September 11th, just two days from now.

Intel's Xe HPG discrete GPU made its debut in a game's system requirements list. Frictional Games, developers of "Amnesia Rebirth," put out system requirements lists for the game. Easy on graphics hardware, the first-person survival horror can make do with Intel UHD 630 integrated graphics, which features in the minimum system requirements list next to the HD 5750 from AMD and GTX 460 from NVIDIA. Things get interesting, however, with the recommended system requirements list, where we see what is possibly the first mention by a game dev of the Intel Xe HPG discrete GPU. What's even more interesting is that the Xe HPG is pitted next to the AMD Radeon RX 580 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 (which compare to the RX 5500 XT and GTX 1660 Super from the current-gen). We don't know if game devs have access to Xe HPG engineering samples, but this listing gives us a peek at what the devs expect out of the Xe HPG.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced an all-new lineup of gaming gear at the Meta Buffs online launch event. Aligning with the event theme, the new products are all meta buffs: status enhancements that are lighter, faster and more powerful for taking gaming experiences to a new level. The lineup features the new ROG Strix GeForce RTX 30 Series graphics cards, which unleash an amped-up thermal design and chart-topping performance with the NVIDIA Ampere architecture. The new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series GPUs, the 2nd generation of RTX, feature new RT Cores, Tensor Cores and streaming multiprocessors, bringing stunning visuals, amazingly fast frame rates and AI acceleration to games and creative applications. Powered by the NVIDIA Ampere architecture, which delivers increases of up to 1.9 times performance-per-watt over the previous generation, the RTX 30 Series effortlessly powers graphics experiences at all resolutions, even up to 8K at the top end. The GeForce RTX 3090, 3080 and 3070 represent the greatest GPU generational leap in the history of NVIDIA.

ROG also introduced the ROG Swift PG329Q, ROG Swift 360 Hz PG259QN and ROG Swift 360 Hz PG259QNR gaming monitors for ultrafast and ultrasmooth visuals; the ROG Strix XF 120 fan for low-noise cooling performance and versatility; ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000, the world's first Wi-Fi 6E router; the ROG Strix Scope RX gaming keyboard, which debuts the responsive, reliable and durable ROG RX Red Optical Mechanical Switches; the ROG Keris Wireless mouse for compact and nimble control; the ROG Delta S headset for crystal-clear audio; and ROG Scabbard II, an extended gaming mouse pad with a protective nano-coating that repels water, oil and dust.

Ubisoft has recently released their free to play battle royale style game Hyper Scape on console and PC. The first-person shooter offers a unique twist in the crowded market with heavy Twitch integration which affects the outcome of each match. The games technical test appeared to be a major hit topping the Twitch viewership charts for the day but has quickly dropped to just 11,000 viewers far below the likes of Fall Guys, Fortnite, Apex Legends, and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.

Ubisoft has partnered with NVIDIA to release the game on GeForce NOW with free bonus content for subscribers. GeForce NOW members can now claim an exclusive GeForce NOW Hyper Scape content pack which includes a Season One Battle Pass Token, three rare skins, and epic Boxer Shuffle Emote. This content pack is valued at ~25.00 USD. Ubisoft has considerable experience in the Esports sector with Rainbow Six Siege so it will be interesting to see if they can create that same global phenomenon with Hyper Scape.

Metro Exodus is an upcoming post-apocalyptic first-person shooter that could be a trilogy finale. Just weeks ahead of its launch on the PC platform, 4A Games made a groundbreaking announcement: that the game will not be available to order on Steam, at least from tomorrow through Feb 14, 2020, and that its PC version will be an Epic Games Store timed exclusive. The game will launch at USD $49.99 in North America, and 59.95€ in the EU.

Pre-order sales of the game have stopped on Steam, however, those who bought the pre-order on Steam have the option of either receiving the game upon launch, or canceling their pre-order for a full refund. Those who choose to stick to Steam will get their game as usual, including update patches, and support on Steam Community. Epic Games Store is vacuuming game studios in droves due to a favorable revenue sharing deal compared to Steam, when lets developers keep 88 percent of the sales.

The title could be better, it's true, but it serves to point out this particular fact: Blizzard is seemingly developing a new, first-person game. The video-game experiences that come from the studio are usually top-notch in their respective areas - be it MMORPGs like World of Warcraft, competitive FPS titles such as Overwatch, or RTS games such as Starcraft, just to name a few. The studios' quality is pervasive in any IP it touches, and the idea of a new video-game form the company should be enough to appease the soul of gamers everywhere.

Through a job listing on its site, Blizzard has made public that it's looking for "a talented gameplay engineer to help create vehicles and build vehicle handling features in a robust first-person engine for an unannounced project." whether or not this unannounced project will be placed on one of Blizzard's existing IP or not is still up for grabs, but whether it's an adaptation of one of Blizzard's IPs, or the start of something new, Blizzard knows gamers' eyes are eagerly on them. Follow the source links if you think this unannounced project is something you'd like (and have the skills) to work on.