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Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon Out This Winter for Switch, New Gameplay Revealed

Remember Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon, a roguelite puzzle title announced early last year? It re-emerged during the Nintendo Indie World Showcase and is confirmed to be releasing for Nintendo Switch. New gameplay was also revealed, showcasing just what fans can expect. Check it out below.

Much like Grindstone, Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon is a block-clearing puzzler with the twist that the blocks are enemies, obstacles that provide resources and much more. Group together foes to unleash massive combos, gather keys to unlock chests and gather artifacts while attempting to escape the dungeon. Rooms are procedurally generated and bosses, both new and old, will pop up to challenge you.

There are over 10 characters to choose from including Shovel Knight, Shield Knight, King Knight and many more. Along with a Story Mode, Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon will also have competitive multiplayer for competing against other players. The title releases this Winter so stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

Axiom Verge 2 is Out Today for Switch, PS4 and PC

When Axiom Verge 2 creator Thomas Happ promised that the sequel would be out "before you know it," he wasn't kidding. In the recent Indie World Showcase, it was announced that the Metroidvania-esque title would be out later today for the Nintendo Switch, PC (via Epic Games Store) and PS4.

Described as a sequel and prequel to the original, Axiom Verge 2 offers the same side-scrolling action platforming and exploration. However, it adds lots of new mechanics into the mix, especially when it comes to the breach map. This is an alternate dimension that can be switched to and has its own unique enemies, abilities and aesthetic while being intimately connected to the original dimension.

This is on top of new abilities and upgrade, new boss fights and tons of different secrets to discover. A release date hasn't yet been confirmed for the PS5 version (though Happ previously stated it would launch on the same day) so stay tuned for any details and updates in the coming days.

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is a Timed Console Exclusive for Nintendo Switch

Team Reptile's spiritual successor to Jet Set Radio, right down to featuring funky tunes by composer Hideki Naganuma, has received some new gameplay footage. Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is out in 2022 and will be a timed console exclusive for Nintendo Switch. Check out the trailer below.

The set-up will be very familiar to fans of Sega's franchise. As a crew with boostpacks, players will explore an alternate future city, tagging the environment with graffiti and avoiding the cops. Wall-running, grinding and various tricks will provide an edge in movement, adding on to your boost power and eventually enabling Bomb Rush Mode for infinite boost.

Once you've tagged enough spots, you can go up against a rival crew for supremacy. Along with Switch, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is also in development for PC and will launch at the same time next year. "Other platforms" will arrive a week later. Stay tuned for more details and gameplay in the coming months.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl Runs on Unreal Engine 5

Unreal Engine 5 was unveiled last year with a real-time tech demo running on PS5 that promised some stellar visuals. Since then, a number of big name titles have been confirmed to be using the engine, from Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 and Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate to new projects from The Coalition and perhaps even The Outer Worlds 2. Now, we can add S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl to the list as well.

Replying to a tweet from the Unreal Engine Twitter about more than 80 Unreal Engine-powered titles coming up, GSC Game World confirmed that its sequel was also running on Unreal Engine 5. The developer confirmed in January 2020 that development was happening on Unreal Engine, though this is the first time that it's confirming the version. As such, it's exciting due to the engine's various features like Data Layers for having different variations of the same world available in the same space and super-high polygon counts for characters.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl is in development for Xbox Series X/S and PC. It launches on April 28th 2022 and will be available day one on Xbox Game Pass. Of course, PC players will need a fairly powerful rig to run it – check out the requirements here for more details.

Halo Infinite Has Been Rated By The Australian Classification Board

343 Industries' upcoming Halo Infinite is one of the most highly-anticipated releases of the year, and fans will be glad to know that the game has recently been issued an M rating by Australian Classification Board yesterday. The story was originally reported by VGC, who also mentioned that Playground Games' upcoming Forza Horizon 5 was also rated last week.

If Forza Horizon 5's rating and release dates is anything to go by, this development gives some great insights about the potential release date of Halo Infinite. Assuming a week's difference between both these ratings, it's quite possible that Halo Infinite might be targeting for a 15 November release date – which marks the 20th anniversary of the franchise.

Halo Infinite's recent flight test has had mostly positive reception by fans and critics alike. Microsoft has also recently confirmed a conference at this year's Gamescom, and fan-speculation on the matter suggests that Halo Infinite will be a part of the presentation and might receive a release date for the same.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits Voice Actor Talks About Pixar Comparisons And Emotional Storytelling

In a recent interview with Newsweek, Kena: Bridge of Spirits' Taro voice actor Tod Fennel talks about the comparisons between Ember Lab's upcoming RPG and Pixar movies. These comparisons have been an integral part of the game's anticipation and hype, and the voice actor seems to echo this sentiment with his statements on the matter.

Fennel talks about how Kena: Bridge of Spirits certainly has the well, spirit of a Pixar movie in terms of its gorgeous visuals and storytelling. Despite seeming like a light-hearted fable about good vs bad, Fennel reveals that the game has surprising emotional depth and tackles serious issues related to pain and suffering.

"Kena is helping [the spirits] move on. It's very beautiful and these characters all have real injuries. I was really surprised by the depth of the emotional storytelling. You see how people can struggle to handle their pain and where that can go if you do not deal with it properly. I think players are going to be surprised by the level of depth, intensity and emotion here," Fennel said.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits was shaping up to be one of the biggest releases of this month, until a delay annoucement put it further along in September. The game certainly looks promising, and early previews of the game have garnered quite the positive reception.

Sonic and Tails Also Coming To Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania, SEGA Confirms

A recent trailer posted on the official YouTube channel of Sonic the Hedgehog reveals that SEGA's inconic mascott and Tails would be joining the list of playable characters in the upcoming Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania. Check out the video below for more details on the matter.

This comes shortly after the announcement of Beat from Jet Set Radio also making an appearance with the game. Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania was one of the standout highlights during Nintendo's E3 Direct, alongside other highly-anticipated titles such as Metroid Dread and the still unnamed sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Sonic is also celebrating its 30 anniversary this year, and SEGA hosted a special event to recognize the occassion. A remastered version of Sonic Colors was announced, alongside a number of other announcements including Sonic 2022. Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania releases for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Nintendo Switch on October 5th later this year.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris Gameplay Trailer Details Infiltration Missions, New Abilities, and More

Just as Wrath of Druids took Eivor to Ireland earlier this year, The Siege of Paris is going to take them to Frankia to take on Charles the Fat and raid Paris itself. New story content and a new map are, of course, the biggest highlights of this new expansion, but there's plenty else on the gameplay front to look forward to as well, some of which has been highlighted in a new gameplay trailer.

The biggest new addition is, of course, Infiltration Missions, which function a lot like the Black Box Missions of Assassin's Creed Unity, which means you'll be given a target and multiple ways to get to them and kill them, and how you do it and what path you take is up to you. There's also new abilities (you can summon a swarm of rats, and stick bombs in enemies), new scythes to use in combat, and more. Check out the video below for more details.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla is available on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Stadia. The Siege of Paris launches tomorrow, on August 12, for all platforms.

343 Industries Responds To Halo Infinite's Fruit Destruction Physics In Hilarious Fashion

Recently, a fan-made comparison video of fruit destruction physics between Call of Duty and Halo Infinite went viral and invited a lot of uncalled scrunity on the matter. In a statement issued to IGN, 343 Industries broke silence on the matter and responded in a hilarious fashion. Check out the full video below for more details.

The Halo Infinite Engineering Team responded on the matter by saying, "We can improve the fruit physics, but that means we'll have to cut the Needler." Of course, this is a sarcastic answer to a sarcastic question. Fruit physics aren't the focal point of the experience, and hence it makes all the sense in the world to put attention first and foremost to things that matter most – gunplay, balance, and the like.

Halo Infinite's journey through development has been a long one, but not without any hilarity. Halo Infinite's last year showings featured the infamous Craig the Brute, who went on to become a posterchild for the game's development status and a centerpoint attraction for fans to create memes on. 343 Industries responded with levity in a similar fashion, starting a merchandise lineup featuring the fan-favorite Jiralhanae.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite Trailer Showcases Intense New Gameplay

While Back 4 Blood's beta will return tomorrow, the full game isn't out till October. So in the meantime, Cold Iron Studios' Aliens: Fireteam Elite could prove a worthy diversion, allowing up to three players to tackle Xenomorph hordes in space when it releases in the coming weeks. Check out the latest trailer below to see some of the threats you'll be facing.

Of course, the trailer serves another purpose – to push pre-order bonuses and the Deluxe Edition. Pre-ordering either the Standard or Deluxe Edition will provide access to the Hardened Marine Pack which provides additional accessories and kit skins. The Deluxe Edition contains the base game and Endeavor Pass, providing access to four post-launch seasons of content.

Said content includes new cosmetics like emotes, armor skins, weapon paint jobs and decals, head accessories, and much more. Aliens: Fireteam Elite is out on August 24th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PS4, Xbox One and PC though it sadly won't have cross-platform play. For more extensive gameplay footage, head here.