Dragon's Dogma 2 Preview Hero Image Showing the Arisen
Preview

Dragon's Dogma 2 Preview - A Gorgeous, Wild World We Can't Wait to Explore

Fans have asked for a sequel to Dragon's Dogma for a long time, and Capcom is finally delivering. While we still don't have a release date, this week at TGS I finally got my hands on a preview build…

September 23, 2023 | 11:05 EDT

A gameplay screenshot of a reward crystal in Witchfire with the preview overlay
Preview

Witchfire Preview - I Keep Dying, But I Know It's My Fault

The Souls-like genre is booming with every permutation imaginable. Hot off the heels of Lies of P we have Witchfire, an FPS roguelite 'tough-as-nails' shooter that absolutely delivers on key elements…

September 21, 2023 | 04:42 EDT

Synduality: Echo of Ada Preview hero image showing a Cradle Coffin and a Magus
Preview

Synduality: Echo of Ada Preview - A Promising New Anime-Style Mecha IP

At last year's Tokyo Game Show, Bandai Namco revealed Synduality, a mixed media project including both a video game and an anime.  While the anime series Synduality Noir has already been made…

September 20, 2023 | 02:00 EDT

Assassin's Creed Mirage Preview Image showing Basim and Roshan Dueling against sunlight
Preview

Assassin's Creed Mirage Preview - So Long Gear Score, Hello Parry!

Assassin's Creed is reaching its 25th year, and after wading into deeper RPG territory for Odyssey and Valhalla, it is Assassin's Creed Mirage that's bringing the series back to its stealthy roots.…

September 12, 2023 | 08:00 EDT

Key art from Stronghold: Definitive Edition
Preview

Stronghold: Definitive Edition Preview - A Blast From the Past

I'm terrible -- absolutely terrible -- at real-time strategy games, but that doesn't stop me from playing them. Even if my skill is lacking, the fun they provide is more than sufficient. And while I'…

September 10, 2023 | 11:30 EDT

A header image for First Dwarf featuring the title character.
Preview

First Dwarf Preview - Dwarven Delight

I'm a simple man. I see a dwarf in a game? I play it. So obviously, I'm not skipping out on First Dwarf. It also helps that the game is quite good, if my preview session at PAX West 2023 is any…

September 10, 2023 | 11:00 EDT

Dungeons of Hinterberg featuring the title character, Luisa.
Preview

Dungeons of Hinterberg Preview - It's Time to Explore

It might not be on your radar now, but it definitely should be: Dungeons of Hinterberg combines two addicting game genres into one potent combo. Half action role-playing game, half social sim, I can…

September 8, 2023 | 10:30 EDT

The player character attacks an enemy in Enotria: The Last Song
Preview

Enotria: The Last Song Preview - The Flavors of Italy

Before PAX West, I got an email that described a game as “a Souls-like ARPG that embraces the Italian flavour.” Despite my last name, I’m not as in touch with my Italian roots, but I had to preview…

September 8, 2023 | 10:00 EDT

A station wagon modified with a lot of different materials, lit in a garage.
Preview

Pacific Drive Is A Wholly Unique Roguelike Experience

Pacific Drive is one of the more interesting games to catch me eye lately. It takes place in a supernatural version of the Pacific Northwest, full of mystery. It’s a survival roguelike with…

September 7, 2023 | 12:00 EDT

Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch title image with the main characters.
Preview

Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch Preview - Strategy Strikes Again

Last year's Lost Eidolons was an exceptional take on the turn-based tactics genre. It took what I loved most from games like Fire Emblem and XCOM and put forth a truly admirable spin on the genre. So…

September 7, 2023 | 11:00 EDT

Pieta looks into the camera during a cutscene in Lords of the Fallen
Preview

Lords of the Fallen Preview - A Soulslike Surprise

If you remember the couple years after Dark Souls’ success, a flurry of Soulslikes came out, chasing those bloodied coattails in hopes of tasting that same estus-laden success. Lords of the Fallen in…

September 7, 2023 | 10:30 EDT

Stalker 2 Heart of Chornobyl Key Art Showing a Stalker and the game's logo
Preview

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl Preview - Still Rough but Promising

While S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is still several months away I sat with a preview build of the game at Gamescom in Cologne. It provided me with the opportunity to test some of the…

September 6, 2023 | 04:00 EDT

Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore header image with the title character.
Preview

Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore - More than a CD-i Game

Call it morbid curiosity, but if you're anything like me, you'll gravitate towards the upcoming Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore due to its visual similarity to those weird, clunky, downright notorious…

September 6, 2023 | 10:00 EDT

An image of the title character for Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai.
Preview

Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai Preview - Anime Goodness

Video game adaptations of manga and anime are nothing new, but Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventures of Strash features a surprisingly refreshing game mode, showcased at PAX West 2023. But…

September 5, 2023 | 11:30 EDT

The player character approaches a dog in Animal Well
Preview

Animal Well Preview - It's Feeling Magical

One thing to know about PAX demo stations is that these games are (usually) all running on some sort of PC configuration. What stood out to me when approaching the Animal Well booth at PAX West, then…

September 5, 2023 | 10:30 EDT

Big Boy Boxing header
Preview

Big Boy Boxing Preview - A True Successor to Punch-Out

The great thing about PAX is that you often find hidden gems. To say a game is a "gem" is cliche, true, but if any game deserves that description, it's Big Boy Boxing. Since the initial debut of the…

September 3, 2023 | 09:30 EDT

Life by You Key Art - Humans enjoy their time in town as the sun sets.
Preview

Life by You Preview - The Sims May be About to Have Some Serious Competition

Life by You is the new life simulation in development at Paradox Tectonic, and it obviously positions itself as a competitor to the storied Sims franchise. At Gamescom in Cologne, TechRaptor was…

August 29, 2023 | 09:00 EDT

A spread-shot cover of Jusant, showcasing the games logo, and the main character walking towards a rocky pillar that goes off-screen.

Jusant Preview - Jus(an)t Over The Hills

If there’s one thing you have to applaud Don’t Nod for, it’s their drive to toy with how stories are told through their games. While their bread and butter reside in Telltale-styled episodic content…

August 24, 2023 | 12:00 EDT

Pepper Grinder header
Preview

Pepper Grinder Preview - It's Drillin' Time

I don't know how Devolver does it, but the publisher is an expert when it comes to scooping up simple but absurdly fun indie titles. As it so happens, one of Devolver's latest published titles,…

August 24, 2023 | 11:00 EDT

Fate Samurai Remnant Berserker Miyamoto Mushashi
Preview

Fate/Samurai Remnant Preview - Unlimited Fun Works

With impressive spin-off titles such as Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, and Persona 5: Strikers, Omega Force and Koei Tecmo might have raised the standard for…

August 18, 2023 | 09:47 EDT

Palia Preview - Cover Image Standing in Kilima Village While Delaila Walks Down the Stairs
Preview

Palia Preview - Just Shy of Greatness

The juggernauts of the cozy gaming space have a new competitor: Palia, an MMO "community sim" that has just launched into open beta. Our Palia Preview will explore how Singularity 6's inaugural game …

August 12, 2023 | 11:14 EDT

Palia First Impressions - Cover Image Standing in Kilima Town Square with Other Players Fooling Around
Preview

Palia First Impressions - Tailor-Made for Fans of Cozy Games

Cozy, casual games have grown in popularity with the resurgence of Animal Crossing, so it should come as no surprise that competitors are stepping up for a slice of the pie. In my Palia first…

August 8, 2023 | 11:25 EDT

Leroy Smith taunts his opponent during his intro scene in Tekken 8.
Preview

Tekken 8 Preview – Bringing the Heat

When I got access to the Tekken 8 preview period via the closed network beta, the code came with some character guides to help me prepare for “a weekend of good a** Tekken.” It felt like a direct…

August 2, 2023 | 10:05 EDT

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon Preview
Preview

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon Preview - An Iron-clad Resurrection

The return of Armored Core is something that continues to surprise me. How many years has it been since the last entry in the series? Far too many for such a storied franchise considering the last…

July 25, 2023 | 11:12 EDT

Carvain, one of the major characters in Blue Protocol, readies his spear against enemies
Preview

Blue Protocol Preview - Tales of Online??

Last month at Summer Game Fest, I got a chance to preview Blue Protocol, one of Amazon’s latest publishing forays into the MMO space. I got about 40 minutes of hands-on time, which was enough to see…

July 25, 2023 | 09:44 EDT

Image of looking down from the water tower on a battlebit remastered map
Preview

BattleBit Remastered Preview - Made For Battlefield Fans

I said this on the podcast this week, but BattleBit Remastered is exactly the game I wanted right now. If you're someone who misses the days of Battlefield 4, and completely bounced off Battlefield…

June 26, 2023 | 10:30 EDT

One Lonely Outpost Preview - Cover Image Using the Mining Omnitool on Some Rocks
Preview

One Lonely Outpost Preview - Farming on a Strange New World

There are more Farming RPGs coming out every year, and One Lonely Outpost aims to innovate on the standard formula by adding some new mechanics and defying the genre's conventions. Read on to see if…

June 26, 2023 | 08:17 EDT

Forever Skies Preview - Cover Image Flying the Ship Toward a Greenhouse Tower
Preview

Forever Skies Preview - Could Very Well Be the Next Raft

There aren't very many survival games that capture the fun and challenge of Raft, but developer Far From Home has a serious contender in the genre. In this preview, I'll show you why Forever Skies is…

June 23, 2023 | 10:00 EDT

A picture brought to life in Viewfinder
Preview

Viewfinder Preview

It’s not every day you run into a first-person puzzle game that frames things in a new way – and Viewfinder does that in the most literal sense. By challenging your perception of 2D photos in 3D…

June 19, 2023 | 10:35 EDT

The key art for Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior
Preview

Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior Preview

At Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest, Quantic Dream’s Spotlight label revealed Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior. The second I saw it, I knew I had to check it out, and luckily, it was at Play Days,…

June 17, 2023 | 11:45 EDT

the key art for Fae Farm
Preview

Fae Farm Preview

Cozy farming sims have had a big renaissance since Stardew Valley came along, and it’s even usurped Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons as touchpoints of the genre. Phoenix Labs, known for creating…

June 16, 2023 | 01:58 EDT

Gord art depicting a tribal shaman standing outside of pallisade walls as two villagers look on over the top. Many monsters surround the shaman.
Preview

Gord Preview - Oh My Gord!

RTS games are a heavily explored genre, so how do you make it fresh? Well, one option is to set it in medieval Europe, have it heavily feature human sacrifice, and fill it with disgusting eldritch…

June 16, 2023 | 01:40 EDT

A party in Remnant 2 exploring a stage
Preview

Remnant II Preview

In all of gaming, there’s a certain beauty in grinding for loot. Watching your damage numbers get higher so you can kill bigger things to get even better gear never really gets old, whether it’s the…

June 16, 2023 | 11:30 EDT

The kitty looking toward the camera in Little Kitty, Big City
Preview

Little Kitty, Big City Preview

Some say everybody wants to be a cat, and that’s never been truer than in recent years. Everyone remembers Stray, but it's time to move over; Little Kitty, Big City is the next cat-based game looking…

June 15, 2023 | 03:40 EDT

prince of persia the lost crown key art
Preview

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Preview

I had the opportunity to play Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown at a Ubisoft event as part of Summer Game Fest.  It’s been over a decade since we last saw an entry in the Prince of Persia franchise,…

June 13, 2023 | 10:00 EDT

cyberpunk 2077 phantom liberty key art
Preview

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Preview

Cyberpunk 2077 has a knack of knowing when and just how much it needs to be over the top without causing people to roll their eyes too much. I had the chance to check out the sole upcoming DLC,…

June 11, 2023 | 03:00 EDT

Distressed Alan Wake in background with Saga Anderson in foreground. Text of Alan Wake II logo in center of image.
Preview

Alan Wake II = Resident Evil + True Detective + Twin Peaks

It has been 13 years since Alan Wake, and Remedy Entertainment are prepared to return to the franchise in what they are calling their most ambitious game yet, Alan Wake II.  Featuring two…

June 11, 2023 | 11:45 EDT

Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy flying through the air in Sonic Superstars.
Preview

Sonic Superstars Preview

There's a certain thrill that comes from classic 2D Sonic games when you're in the groove. Spin dashing up a ramp, going through loops, effortlessly bouncing between springboards -- Sonic is at his…

June 11, 2023 | 11:00 EDT

Mileena and Kitana from Mortal Kombat 1 clash in a cutscene
Preview

Mortal Kombat 1 Preview

When you think of Mortal Kombat, it’s easy to get swept up in the brutal, gory, and decadent indulgence of it all. Mortal Kombat 1, the upcoming reboot, is no different in its approach. While I duked…

June 10, 2023 | 01:37 EDT

Lies of P Preview
Preview

Lies of P Preview - The Dark Souls of Classic Literature

There is no question that games like Dark Souls have shaped much of the modern gameplay landscape. When you have studios outside of From Software claiming their game is an “action Souls-like” title,…

June 8, 2023 | 03:55 EDT

artwork displaying a horrific creature of flesh and machine screaming in apparent pain with the words Ripout written on the left side of the image.
Preview

Ripout Preview - Gumming Up The Works

Sometimes, you can wait for something to happen for a long time, then find yourself slightly disappointed in the results. Ripout is a fascinating concept for a video game. Not only is it a body-…

May 25, 2023 | 11:00 EDT

Harmony The Fall of Reverie Harmony Standing in Front of Aspirations While Holding Necklace That Lets Her Go to Reverie
Preview

Harmony: The Fall of Reverie Preview - Aspiring Toward the Best Choices

Harmony: The Fall of Reverie has left me in a difficult position few other games could hope to accomplish. This isn't to say it's done something bad or failed to live up to the reputation of its…

May 4, 2023 | 01:00 EDT

The Planet Crafter Preview - cover
Preview

The Planet Crafter Needs Room to Grow

I've built all sorts of castles and underground bunkers in open-world survival crafting games, but The Planet Crafter offered me my first opportunity to build an entire ecosystem. I enthusiastically…

April 28, 2023 | 11:00 EDT

shadows of doubt game
Preview

Shadows of Doubt Preview - A City at Your Fingertips

Here's the thing with open-world games -- yes, you can explore vast, expansive environments, but there are so many limitations in place. Those skyscrapers you see in the distance? You might be able…

April 21, 2023 | 06:00 EDT

Ghostware
Preview

Ghostware: Arena of the Dead Preview - Ode to the Arena

Talk of LAN parties and heated matches involving Quake and Unreal Tournament back in the mid-to-late 90s sounded like way too much fun. If you handed me a mouse and keyboard in the 90s I'd have to…

April 12, 2023 | 11:00 EDT

supplice
Preview

Supplice Preview - Works Some GZDoom Magic

I'm starting to realize some of the best first-person shooters on the market are created by Doom modders. Take last year's Prodeus, for example. I called this "Doom in its primal form." That is heavy…

April 6, 2023 | 11:00 EDT

minecraft Legends
Preview

Minecraft Legends' World is a Massive Battlefield of Fun

If you're like me, you're amazed by the possibilities the world of Minecraft offers. Procedurally generated mountains and all-encompassing oceans, sprawling cave complexes and fortresses within the…

April 6, 2023 | 03:05 EDT

Key art of Trinity Fusion with all three player characters in a void-like backdrop
Preview

PAX East 2023: Trinity Fusion Preview

Trinity Fusion is an upcoming rogue-lite action platformer from Angry Mob Games that I was able to play at PAX East 2023. After a 45-minute session, I felt the hooks of the genre’s live-die-repeat…

April 5, 2023 | 11:00 EDT