Century: Age of Ashes is Out on November 18th

Multiplayer title Century: Age of Ashes, which sees players riding dragons in open-air combat, will release on November 18th. It's coming to early access first and includes game modes like Carnage, a 6v6 mode; Gates of Fire, a Capture the Flag-style hybrid; and Survival which sees three teams of six players battling it out to be the last standing. Check out the latest trailer below.

From the outset, there are three classes to choose from – Winguard, which uses a shield and disorients foes; Marauder for tracking; and Phantom with its stealth and traps. More classes will be added throughout the development cycle. Players can also customize their dragon and rider with unique cosmetics unlocked through playing and via in-game purchases.

Though Century: Age of Ashes will be launching into early access, it will be free to play (with optional Founder's Packs to purchase). Developer Playwing is looking to gather feedback to help evolve the gameplay so expect more changes and updates as time rolls on.


Death Stranding Director's Cut Extended Trailer Previews New Missions, Time Attack Races and More

Closing out Gamescom Opening Night Live was a preview trailer for Death Stranding Director's Cut which showcased many of the new features coming in the enhanced version. These include new tools like the Evolved Stabilizers which reduce the impact of landing when jumping from higher areas; the Cargo Catapult which launches cargo over large distances (and can open a parachute to safely drop it somewhere); and the Buddy Bot for carrying Sam around. Check it out below.

The Firing Range was also showcased in depth and features Drills for testing weapons and Ranked Drills to compete against other players for the highest score. A new weapon, the Maser Gun, was also showcased and it's capable of stunning enemies. Boss battles can also be revisited from the comfort of one's private room and battled as many times as you wish. The Music Player has also been updated with eight new tracks.

As for new missions, Sam will venture to a "mysterious facility" which is swarming with Mules. Players can either sneak through or gun foes down en route to unearthing any secrets within. Of course, if you're keen on racing, then the Race Track has you covered with various courses and Time Attack to compete against other players. You can also set up Jump Ramps in the world to leap over crevices and perform tricks.

If all of that wasn't enough, a strange new area and massive monster were teased at the end. Death Stranding Director's Cut is out on September 24th for PS5 and will retail for $50.


Sifu Launches February 22, 2022

Sloclap's upcoming kung fu action title Sifu has been on many people's radars since the moment it was announced earlier this year, and it helps, of course, that the game has continued to look solid in all that we've seen of it since then. Sloclap promised an important update for the game at Gamescom Opening Night Live, and as promised, announced a release date for it.

Sifu launches on February 2 next year. The game's newest trailer also shows off new gameplay, with punchy combat in various environments being shown. As you'd expect, it's continuing to look quite promising. Thankfully, now we also know exactly how long we're going to have to wait until it launches. Check out its trailer below.

When Sifu launches, it will be available for PS5, PS4, and PC. There's no word yet on when (or if) the game will also arrive for Xbox some time down the line.


Valheim: Hearth and Home Update Launches September 16th

The first major content update for Iron Gate Studio's Valheim, Hearth and Home, will be going live on September 16th. Announced at Gamescom Opening Night Live, the developer premiered a sleek animated trailer showcasing combat, exploration and the warm embrace of home. Check it out below.

Over the past few weeks, Iron Gate has been detailing various changes coming to the survival sandbox title with the new update. Food is changing with different items being segregated into Health, Stamina and Mixed categories. Combat will also benefit from food buffs, like max health increasing your blocking power with shields. Furthermore, Tower Shields are getting buffed, knocking back enemies and providing a better tanking solution.

More details will be revealed next week, including some of the new recipes coming with the update. Valheim is currently available for PC in Steam Early Access and has sold nearly 8 million units thus far. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.


Age of Empires 4 Shows Another Civilization in New Gameplay Trailer

If you were disappointed by what Microsoft showed of Age of Empires 4 at the Xbox Gamescom stream yesterday, there's good news for you. It seems they were holding on to the better trailer for Gamescom Opening Night Live, where a new gameplay trailer revealed another civilization for the strategy title.

Players will be able to play as the Holy Roman Empire, with the Rise of Moscow campaign focusing on the civilization. The gameplay trailer shows many of the civilization's unique civilizations, fortifiations, and more. Check it out below. Previously, civilizations such as the Delhi Sultanate, the Chinese, and Abbasid Dynasty have also been confirmed for the game.

Age of Empires 4 launches for PC on October 28. As you'd expect from a Microsoft published game, it will also be available via Xbox Game Pass for PC on day one. Check out some more brief footage through here, and check out for continued updates in the lead-up to launch.


Tales of Luminaria Announced for Android and iOS

Bandai Namco's celebrating the Tales of series' 25th anniversary in style, clearly. Not only is the series seeing its most significant step forward with the anticipated Tales of Arise' launch in September, it's expanding into other new spaces as well.

At Gamescom Opening Night Live, for instance, Bandai Namco announced Tales of Luminaria, a brand new game in the series currently in the works for iOS and Android devices. The trailer shows a few brief snippets of the game in action, with some combat and a rather familiar visual aesthetic being shown off. Very few other details on the game are known right now (so no, we don't know what it's monetization model is going to be like yet), but it's definitely interesting to see the series branching out and trying its hand in the mobile space instead.

There's no word yet on when exactly the game will launch. You can check out its announcement trailer below.


Horizon Forbidden West Officially Delayed to February 18th, 2022

Guerrilla Games director Mathijs de Jonge appeared on Gamescom Opening Night Live to provide an update on Horizon Forbidden West. Development is currently in the final stage but due to prioritizing the health of its team during the pandemic, the release has been officially delayed to next year. Fortunately, de Jonge provided a firm release date – February 18th 2022.

Pre-orders for the title on PS4 and PS5 will begin on September 2nd. In the meantime, an update has gone live for Horizon Zero Dawn, adding 60 FPS support for PS5 in a free update. Other improvements include 4K checkboard resolution so it should be interesting to see how the title performs.

As for Horizon Forbidden West, it sees Aloy traveling to the Western frontier, exploring the ruins of San Francisco and other locations to stop a strange corruption from destroying the world. She'll encounter hostile tribes, tussle with super storms and attempt to uncover even more secrets of the old world. Stay tuned for more details and gameplay for the title in the coming months.


JETT: The Far Shore Launches October 5

Superbrothers' Jett: The Far Shore has taken longer to arrive than it was originally supposed to, but with the developer having recently confirmed that the game had gone gold, and with a recent leak suggesting that its launch was not that far away, many had been suspecting that an official release date announcement would come soon. That has indeed happened.

At Gamescom Opening Night Live, it was officially confirmed that JETT: The Far Shore will launch on October 5, which is a little later than the leaked release date, but not by much. The game's newest trailer also shows quite a bit of gameplay footage, with protagonist Mei exploring a beautiful and strange planet, which is showing quite a variety of locations and biomes. The movement is looking great as well, which is important in a game like this one. Check it out below.

When it launches, JETT: The Far Shore will release for PS5, PS4, and PC. There's currently no word on whether the game will eventually arrive for Xbox consoles and the Nintendo Switch as well. Stay tuned for more updates.


Far Cry 6 Story Trailer Reveals the Rise of the Guerrillas

Ubisoft released a new story trailer for Far Cry 6, which starts with Yara's dictator Anton Castillo being interviewed. Castillo is fairly insistent on the results justifying his methods but the guerrillas are rising up to fight back. This includes protagonist Dani Rojas – check out the trailer below.

In the last story trailer, Dani's acquaintances were revealed to been gunned down by Castillo in a boat. Washing ashore on Yara and seeking revenge, Dani will train in various kinds of resistance, creating makeshift weapons and modifying vehicles to take out Castillo's troops. With the biggest map in the series yet, there's a lot of ground to cover in setting Yara fre.

Far Cry 6 releases on October 7th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, PC and Google Stadia. Pre-ordering will gain access to the Libertad Pack which provides the Libertad Outfit and the Discos Locos, a disc launcher that fires music CDs. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.


Synced: Off Planet Re-Revealed Trailer Showcased At Gamescom ONL

Next Games' upcoming shooter Synced: Off Planet showcased a new re-reveal trailer during Gamescom Opening Night Live, and showcases a futuristic dystopia filled with machines and robots posing a life threat to humanity. Check out the trailer below for more details.

Synced: Off Planet is a co-op shooter where players assume the role of the remaining survivors of the species, and must co-operate and fend off these robots in order to get to a safe haven. Furthermore, players can utilize some special abilties which summon companions that can help defeat waves of enemies.

Details on the gameplay front remain scant for now, but tomorrow's show is supposed to shed more light on that front. Gamescom Opening Live has had a bunch of interesting announcements, including Halo Infinite's release date and a brand new gameplay section for Call of Duty: Vanguard. There's a lot more to look forward to, so stay tuned for updates.