Avowed is No Longer on the E3 2021 Docket – Rumor

As E3 2021 rounds the corner, rumors of which games may or may not be appearing continue to run rampant. Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed has been an interesting title to follow in this respect. GamesBeat's Jeff Grubb said that it would not be at the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase on June 13th. Verified insider sponger would then state that based on the information they had, Avowed would have a trailer and that the game "is almost fully on schedule."

Now another insider Nate Drake is claiming that it's no longer on the E3 2021 docket. On ResetEra, he said that he "Did more digging and it does appear Jeff Grubb's info was more up to date as Avowed no longer appears to be on the E3 docket. It was definitely considered for E3 but hopefully its removal means we see it sooner rather than later at another Microsoft event."

So it's possible that previous rumors of the game's appearance were either outdated or changed at the last minute. In any case, with so many big games in development at Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda, like Starfield, Psychonauts 2 and the rumored Project Typhoon, Avowed could have been left off to make room. As such, you should take all of this with a grain of salt until the show takes places.

Avowed is currently in development for Xbox Series X/S and PC with a rumored release in late 2022/early 2023. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

Scarlet Nexus Trailer Explains the Setting, OSF, Protagonists and Much More

Scarlet Nexus is out later this month with a demo being live on Xbox and PlayStation platforms. But for those who are wondering just what the heck is going on, Bandai Namco has released a new trailer that outlines the world, its setting and more. Check it out below.

Set in the brain punk future of New Himuka, Scarlet Nexus sees humanity discovering a psionic hormone in the human brain that grants extra-sensory powers. When the Others invade, it's up to the Other Suppression Force to push them back. However, it's clear that the futuristic utopia has some cracks. All of the citizens are linked to Psynet and seemingly under constant surveillance.

Furthermore, one of the protagonists Yuito Sumeragi comes from a prestigious family with his father leading the current government and his brother Kaito commanding the OSF. We'll have to wait and see what strange mysteries await in New Himuka and powerful Others like the Court Mourt ensure the journey won't be easy. Scarlet Nexus is out on June 25th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC.

Dead Island, Saints Row, Metro and TimeSplitters Won't be at Summer Games Fest

Koch Media is one of the many publishers that will showcase titles for the Summer Games Fest (with Warner Bros.' Back 4 Blood also recently being confirmed). There's plenty of speculation on what could be seen, whether it's an announcement of remasters for TimeSplitters with Free Radical Design being reformed or the next Saints Row. Unfortunately, neither will be present.

Deep Silver, a subsidiary of Koch Media, has clarified on Twitter that fans won't see Dead Island, Saints Row, Metro or TimeSplitters there "or at any other E3 2021 event." It will let fans know when it has news to share on the same. Koch Media's showcase will take place on June 11th at 12 PM PDT/9 PM CEST and Deep Silver "can't wait to see everyone's reaction to their news!"

Of course, there are other possible games that could make an appearance like Deep Silver Fishlabs' Chorus, 1C Entertainment's King's Bounty 2, Chivalry 2 (which launches on June 8th) and much more. E3 2021 will start on June 12th and end on June 15th with companies like Square Enix, Ubisoft, Nintendo, Microsoft and Bethesda hosting presentations. Check out the full schedule here and stay tuned for more details.

Back 4 Blood PvP Showcase Confirmed for June 13

Left 4 Dead fans have been starving for something similar to come along and satiate their hunger for adrenaline-fueled co-op zombie shooters. But though Valve doesn't seem to be interested in doing that just yet, that doesn't mean there's nothing to look forward to. Turtle Rock Studios has been turning heads with the upcoming Back 4 Blood, made by a team that's comprised of many who originally worked on Left 4 Dead– and soon, we're going to get to see gameplay from the upcoming shooter.

A PvP showcase for Back 4 Blood has been confirmed for next Sunday, June 13, at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET. There's no word yet about how meaty this showcase will be, or if there are also plans to show off other aspects of the game beyond PvP, but at least we know for sure we're going to get to see the game in action.

Back 4 Blood is due out on October 12 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. An open beta is also going live this Summer, though an exact launch date for that is yet to be confirmed.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night 2 is "in Very Early Planning Stages"

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night was an absolute delight, especially for fans of the Metroidvania genre, and especially for those who've been starved for a classic Castlevania game. Given how successful the game turned out to be, both critically and commercially, it wasn't much of a surprise when it was recently confirmed that a sequel was in the works. However, it seems we're going to have to wait a while to get our hands on that.

Developer ArtPlay recently took to Twitter to confirm that while a sequel to Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is being worked on, right now, it's "in the very early planning stages." Which is to say that the game is still a long way off from release, since it sounds like it's still in early pre-production right now.

That said, it's not like there's nothing for Bloodstained fans to look forward to. The developer also states that currently, the development team is largely focused on creating new upcoming content for the first game- though, of course, stops short of sharing what that content exactly is.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS, and Android.

Horizon Forbidden West Has Some Destructible Environments, But Not "Full-Scale Destructibility"

With improved traversal mechanics, better melee combat, a completely redesigned skill tree, and more, Horizon Forbidden West is shaping up to be quite the sequel, as it looks to build on the solid foundation laid down by its predecessor. We got to see many of these improvements in action during the game's recent gameplay deep dive, and one thing that was hard not to notice was the destructibility of various objects in the environment when Aloy took on a Tremortusk. So does this mean the sequel is putting a bigger focus on destructible environments.

Well, yes and no. Hardware Zone posed the question to game director Mathijs de Jonge in a recent interview, who explained that though there is some destructibility in the world, the game isn't going for "full-scale destructibility." Things such as rocks, trees, and small ruins can be destroyed during combat, but don't go in expecting a world that you can completely dismantle from top to bottom.

"This is what we call a set piece," de Jonge said, speaking about the Tremortusk fight in the recent gameplay debut, "and we have quite a few of those scattered around the game throughout the open world, in quests and certain scenarios. We also have destructibility in terms of trees and rocks, and other smaller ruins. So yes, absolutely. There's more destructibility throughout the game, but this is a really big world, so we're not going for full-scale destructibility. That's not what the game is about. We do have places to show off how powerful the machines are, where they can crash through trees or through walls. However, it's not like the entire world can be destroyed."

Horizon Forbidden West is in the works for PS5 and PS4. The open world action RPG is in the final stages of development, but though it is on track for 2021 launch, Sony doesn't want to firmly commit to that launch date just yet. It's also been confirmed that on PS5, the game will have a 60 FPS performance mode.

Guilty Gear Strive – Player Match and Mission Modes Receive New Details

A new volume of Arc System Works' Developer Backyard is now available, providing more details on Guilty Gear Strive en route to launch. This includes Player Match Mode, which can be used to create rooms with special rules. It's a means for playing only with friends and setting up tournaments. Each room can have up to nine players with eight partaking in a possible tournament.

Other features include spectating, queuing for the next match and even waiting in Training Mode. You can also practice with a friend in Online Training Mode. Then there's Mission Mode which offers more than 120 missions divided based on difficult for players to complete. While Tutorial Mode is relatively light on explaining several mechanics, Mission Mode will explore various techniques, combos and even counters for certain characters.

Arc System Works also addressed feedback from the recent open beta. It noted that connectivity errors with the Online Lobby are still being worked on and will receive more fixes leading up to release. "We are putting all of our effort into providing the best possible online environment by the release date. As major changes to the system could not be implemented in time, we are currently focusing on fixing bugs. Improvements to the features and other changes will be made after release in the form of free updates," said director Akira Katano.

Katano also noted how strong jumping was in the first open beta and how it was adjusted for the second. "It was our first time attempting to implement such extreme balance changes, such as decreasing the movement arc of jumps and adding landing recovery, before release. We were able to get extremely useful data thanks to this, paired with that from the first test.

"After considering a variety of factors such as the game concept, battle balance, and how fun it is to play as an action game, we are making final adjustments in the direction of increasing the movement arcs, while retaining the landing recovery on aerial attacks and double jumps, etc., for the final game."

Guilty Gear Strive is slated to release on June 11th for PS4, PS5 and PC. Those who pre-order the Deluxe or Ultimate Editions will gain early access on June 8th, which includes all the characters and modes. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki Teaser Features Crafts and Exploration

Falcom released a new teaser trailer for The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki, showcasing its cast of characters and their various Crafts. There's a bit of exploration weaved in as well with some new areas, like a desert, showcased. Check it all out below.

Fie Claussell from The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel also seems to appear in the teaser with her signature gun blades. It remains to be seen what her role will be but considering other members of the Bracer Guild, like Kilika Rouran from Trails in the Sky, will be appearing, it's perhaps not too surprising. Falcom also provided details on the game's Spriggan Edition which will retail for 9,800 Yen.

As Gematsu details, it includes the base game along with a mini soundtrack with BGM themed on the Calvard Republic in a tall case; a 96 page art book with concept visuals, areas, orbal cinema, enemies and more; an Arcride Solution Office Character Data File, which contains high resolution illustrations of characters over 128 pages; and the Hollow Core Voice: Latoya Hamilton. This replaces the system voice with Hamilton who is voiced by Kikuko Inoue.

The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki releases on September 30th for PS4 in Japan. It hasn't been confirmed for a Western release yet.

Horizon Forbidden West is "in the Final Stages of Development"

We've been treated to a great deal of new details on Horizon Forbidden West of late. In addition to its recent gameplay deep dive, we've learned about its weapon upgrades and improved melee combat, the new Valor Surges and the completely overhauled skill tree, its open world and traversal mechanics, new and returning characters, and much more. But when exactly are we going to get to play the game?

Well, if its current development is anything to go by, it shouldn't be too long. In an interview with Hardware Zone, game director Mathijs de Jonge confirmed that Horizon Forbidden West has entered the final leg of development. Guerrilla Games is currently focused on polishing the game and fixing bugs, and wrapping up work in some other areas that are behind schedule.

"We have just successfully completed our beta milestone, which is pretty far along," de Jonge said. "We're now in the final stages of development. So we are polishing the game and fixing bugs. We are also wrapping up certain aspects of the game, like some of the machines being behind schedule – because it takes an enormous amount of time to build them. We're working on the final cinematic. So, we're really wrapping up. There's still a lot to do with a game of this size and magnitude, but we're in the final stages."

Recently, Hermen Hulst, head of PlayStation Studios, said that Horizon Forbidden West is currently on track for a Holiday 2021 launch, but that's still not something that's set completely in stone, which means there's a chance that the game gets pushed back into 2022.

Whenever it launches, Horizon Forbidden West will be available on PS5 and PS4. On PS5, the game will feature a 60 FPS mode. Meanwhile, Guerrilla Games is also ensuring that those playing the game on PS4 will "will have a great experience."

God of War: Ragnarok Was Reportedly Always Intended as a Cross-Gen Release

PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan's comments from last year about how Sony "believes in generations" have really come back to bit the company of late. While we've definitely had PS5 exclusive releases – including the likes of Demon's Souls, Destruction AllStars, Returnal, and the upcoming Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart – the number of PlayStation first party games that have been cross-gen has surprised quite a few people.

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales released for both consoles, while Horizon Forbidden West will be playable on PS4 as well. Meanwhile, Sony recently also confirmed that both God of War: Ragnarok (or whatever the game ends up being called) and Gran Turismo 7 will both be cross-gen as well.

Interestingly enough, according a recently published VGC article, God of War: Ragnarok was always intended as a cross-gen game, same as Horizon Forbidden West- both games began development as titles that would release for both PS4 and PS5. Gran Turismo 7, on the other hand, is a different story- allegedly, the decision to make the racing sim a cross-gen release was made fairly recently.

Both these recent announcements have caught fans off-guard. While Sony remained cagey about whether or not God of War would be cross-gen, they didn't state that it would be coming to PS4 when the game was announced, similar to how they handled things with Horizon Forbidden West. Gran Turismo 7, on the other hand, was very explicitly advertised as a PS5 exclusive.

It remains to be seen how widespread Sony's cross-gen approach will be with their upcoming releases. They apparently have over two dozen games in the works, so there's a very good chance that quite a few of them will end up coming to the PS4 as well.