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We are days away from Gamescom 2024, which takes place Wednesday August 21-25. On August 20th, there will be an opening night live stream starting at 11AM PT / 2PM ET / 8PM CEST. For those that don’t know, Gamescom is a yearly video game trade fair and event held in Cologne, Germany. It’s considered one of the world’s largest gaming events. Every year the games industry head to Germany to showcase some of the biggest upcoming games and developments.

Since it’s such a massive showcase, it brings about some massive rumors. We already know that Xbox will be showing off Indiana Jones and Age of Mythology, but some rumors have come up that Forza Horizon 5 or some other big Xbox title will be heading to Playstation and is set to be announced during the conference. Another rumor is that Final Fantasy 16 is going to be announced for Xbox, we already know that they have been working on a PC port of the game, so an Xbox announcement would make a lot of sense.

Xbox will be doing live coverage of their booth on August 21-23 starting at 6AM PT. Playstation has opted to skip Gamescom this year, for the third time in a row. Playstation will be at the Tokyo Game Show next month though, an event they also have skipped the last few years. It’s rumored that they will be announcing the Playstation 5 Pro during it.

Twitch and Youtube streamers will be co-streaming the event, so be sure to check if your favorite streamer will have a Gamescom livestream. Some may only do Gamescom opening night, some may do live from the floor if they are lucky to be there.

If you don’t have a favorite streamer, IGN will be live during Gamescom for you to check out all the announcements.

I am hoping that we get some release dates announced. They have said that Indiana Jones and other games will be coming this year and while there are some great games coming in the next few months, like Star Wars Outlaws and Age of Mythology, there are still games set to be released in 2024 without any official release date yet. I am hoping that will change.

What are you hoping for?

There was a point in time when movie video games, video games based on films, were pretty common. Years ago we had games like the “Disney’s The Lion King”, “Disney’s Aladdin” and “Toy Story” that used the movie to make a video game adaptation and expand on the movie’s story. As years went on, video games took longer to develop and they would be forced to be made in the same production window as the movie. This time constraint meant that the games would not always be great, while others are amazing.

Spiderman 2 is often listed as one of the best movie video games of all time. Some even list it as one of the best video games period, movie tie in or not. It was the first game that had an open world New York to swing around in. You had a combination of original elements as well as the movie plot tied in nicely together. Die hard fans of Spiderman and video game players in general loved it.

The “Superman Returns” video game had an interesting take on the movie, but even though it shared a name with the movie, it had very little to do with the movie. The game had you fighting robots and saving the city from tornadoes. Probably the most interesting aspect of that game was that you couldn’t actually die, instead Metropolis had a health bar and you had to ensure that the city didn’t take too much damage.

Some games go a different route when trying to make movie franchise games work. In “Enter the Matrix” it takes place during Matrix Reloaded and expands on the story using other characters and ships, while not changing the movie’s story at all. The game was produced alongside “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions” and features original footage written and directed by the Wachowskis. “Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora” did the same thing with James Cameron’s universe, though created separately, the game world and the movie world are one in the same. Tron Evolution was used as a prequel to Tron Legacy, using it to fill in some backstory and bridge the gap between movies.

Tron Evolution filled in backstory and events that happen between Tron and Tron Legacy

Games like “DC League of Super-pets: The Adventures of Krypto and Ace” and “Mad Max” tie into the movie’s franchise, but are not directly connected at all. These games may never be officially canon and the events may never be referenced in the movies and they don’t need to be. Not everything needs a giant universe that ties together all sorts of different media. It works for the MCU, it works for King Kong and Godzilla, but some things can just be standalone.

Speaking of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there is another type of movie game that is often not considered to be movie games. They are Lego games. Warner Bros has made Lego games out of Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and more. Star Wars had multiple games, there were prequel games, sequel games, a game with the whole saga. With Lego characters you could play from the Phantom Menace to Return of the Jedi to Rise of Skywalker. The Lego Marvel Avengers games took sound clips from Iron Man to the Avengers movies and tied it all in together. The Lego games are now branching out to make games based on video games with Horizon Zero Dawn.

Lego Star Wars the Skywalker Saga is a Lego game where you play through all the Star Wars movies

Personally, I find movie games to be a lot of fun. I love when franchises continue on and with these games I can keep playing even if a series is done. A few weeks ago I played Robocop Rogue City and absolutely loved it. I even went back and rewatched the movies after (I couldn’t get through Prime Directives though) and saw details that the game had that I didn’t even remember from the movies. I think movie games can be a great way to experience a movie again for the first time. There’s just something great about playing Lego Return of the Jedi for the first time, no matter how many times you saw the movies.

Dying Light has captivated players with its exhilarating blend of parkour and zombie horror. You might be wondering if this thrilling action-adventure game allows you to team up with friends across different platforms. In this blog post, we will explore the crossplay capabilities of Dying Light, answering your questions and helping you understand how to maximize your gaming experience. Prepare to explore the details and enhance your gameplay by knowing whether you can join your friends, regardless of their chosen platform.

Understanding Crossplay in Gaming

To grasp the concept of crossplay, it’s crucial to understand its basic definition and relevance in gaming today.

Definition of Crossplay

Crossplay refers to the capability of players on different gaming platforms—such as PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and mobile devices—to play together in the same online game. This allows you to team up or compete against friends regardless of the device they are using, breaking down the barriers that traditionally separated gaming communities.

Importance of Crossplay in Modern Gaming

Modern gaming has evolved significantly, and the importance of crossplay cannot be overstated. It enhances your gaming experience by allowing you to connect with a broader player base and fosters more inclusive communities.

This capability is critical for several reasons. First, it dramatically increases the player pool, making it easier for you to find matches and enjoy a more vibrant gaming experience. Second, crossplay promotes inclusivity by ensuring friends can play together, regardless of their chosen platform. Finally, it can prolong a game’s lifespan as developers focus on engaging a wider audience, enhancing updates, and improving game balance, ultimately benefiting you as a player.

Dying Light Overview

Little did you know that Dying Light offers a unique blend of survival horror and action-packed gameplay. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, you must navigate the treacherous urban environment while fending off hordes of zombies. With an engaging storyline and dynamic day-night cycle, the game keeps you on your toes, offering countless hours of thrilling adventures.

Game Mechanics and Features

One of the standout features of Dying Light is its fluid parkour mechanics, allowing you to traverse the city with agility and speed. You can engage in intense combat, utilize crafting systems, and develop your character through an RPG-like progression system, all while facing the ever-present threat of the undead.

Platforms Available for Dying Light

Game platforms for Dying Light include PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, making it accessible to a wide range of players. This diverse availability enables you to choose your preferred gaming device while experiencing the thrill of the game.

Plus, if you’re curious about upgrades or improvements, Dying Light has received several expansions and remastered versions on newer consoles. This means that regardless of the platform you choose, you can enjoy enhanced graphics and additional content, ensuring your experience remains fresh and exciting as you dive deep into this thrilling world.

Crossplay Capability in Dying Light

The crossplay capability in “Dying Light” has been a point of interest for many gamers wanting to join their friends despite platform differences.

Current Crossplay Status

To date, “Dying Light” does not support crossplay between different gaming platforms. This means if you’re playing on PC, you can only team up with other PC players, and the same goes for console players on Xbox or PlayStation.

Future Updates and Possibilities

Current trends suggest that crossplay functionalities are becoming increasingly popular among game developers, raising questions about whether “Dying Light” will ever incorporate this feature.

It is worth noting that Techland, the developer of “Dying Light,” has not officially announced any plans for enabling crossplay in the future. However, given the positive community feedback regarding cross-platform play in other titles, it’s possible that they might consider introducing this feature in future updates or sequels. Staying connected with community news will help you stay informed about any potential developments.

To wrap up

So, if you were hoping for crossplay functionality in Dying Light, it’s imperative to understand that while the game does provide some multiplayer options, full crossplay is not available. This means that you’ll be limited to playing with others on the same platform, whether that’s PC, PS4, or Xbox. Knowing this can help you make informed decisions about who to play with and how to maximize your gaming experience. Stay connected with your platform’s community for the best co-op sessions!

I loved gaming magazines growing up. If there was one that had a game I was interested in, I would pick it up from the super market, but a lot of times I had a subscription to one or another. Game Informer was one that I had a subscription to more often than not. Usually because it was quick to purchase or got for free when in GameStop. Those magazines are part of the inspiration for me to do content creation and this site. I loved reading all the interviews and seeing screenshots in them. They even came with demo discs so you could try out games before you bought them, which was great in a world where consoles weren’t online yet. Now the magazine industry has mainly changed to a digital front. Even Game Informer went to a mostly digital strategy. At least they did until August 2nd when GameStop abruptly ended Game Informer all together.

The staff was called into a meeting on Friday and told that effective immediately they were shutting it down and everyone was laid off. The magazine was around for 33 years, it was the longest running gaming magazine, and now the website is offline and it is no more. The company Tweeted out on Friday:

After 33 thrilling years of bringing you the latest news, reviews, and insights from the ever-evolving world of gaming, it is with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of Game Informer.

From the early days of pixelated adventures to today’s immersive virtual realms, we’ve been honored to share this incredible journey with you, our loyal readers. While our presses may stop, the passion for gaming that we’ve cultivated together will continue to live on.

Thank you for being part of our epic quest, and may your own gaming adventures never end.

Issue 367 was the final issue of the video game magazine, which featured Dragon Age: The Veilguard as its cover story. Unfortunately layoffs happen and in the gaming industry and it seems like they are happening more and more. Almost every week we hear about either a studio or something related to video games being shut down completely or having layoffs. It sucks seeing when people, especially friends lose their jobs. To everyone affected by the Game Informer Magazine shutting down, I wish you the best.

Game Informer’s last issue featured Dragon Age: The Veilguard as its cover story

Dead by Daylight has become a staple in the horror genre. With their own original killers as well as the licensed ones in the game, it can feel like playing a horror movie. Like many franchises, people love to see team ups. Freddy vs Jason, Alien vs Predator, these movies bring together franchises and can serve as fan service. When it comes to Dead by Daylight, that kind of fan service always felt like it was lacking since the killers were pretty isolated. Yes, you could have Laurie Strode face off against Leatherface or Freddy Krueger, but honestly the killers are the stars of the franchises and they were always separated in their own trials. At least they were until last week. Last week, Dead by Daylight finally released their highly anticipated limited time 2v8 game mode. In it 8 survivors face off against 8 killers. While all survivors are available, only 5 killers are able to be chosen. There’s also only 5 maps that you can be sent to. This is only the first iteration of this mode and Behaviour Interactive has said that in the future it would return with more maps and killer options and that it may eventually become a permanent game mode.

Gameplay Differences

Survivors

The survivor objective is the same, do generators and get out, but there’s a number of differences in this mode. First off, you need to do 8 generators instead of just the 5. 13 generators in total will spawn on the maps as well. When you complete all 8 generators, it powers 3 doors instead of just 2. Killers don’t need to take you to a hook, instead they just stomp on you and you’re put in a cage. You have 3 cage states, just like hooks. If a killer gets too close to a cage, you’re then transported somewhere else on the map. Unlike being hooked, you cannot try and pull yourself off out of a cage. Another change is that when there are two survivors left, 3 hatches will spawn. On each map there are 20 chests for you to get items from, which is good as you can’t bring in any items.

Items aren’t the only thing you won’t be able to bring in when playing the 2v8 mode, there are no perks in this mode. At least not in the traditional sense anyway. There are 4 classes that you can choose from: escapist, guide, medic, and scout. Each class has separate abilities. You use 3 standard perk slots with each class. The fourth perk slot is reserved for a self heal that is usable after 2 cage states (basically the same as last hook).

Killers

Trapper, Wraith, Hillbilly, Nurse, and Huntress are the 5 killers that are playable during this mode. Admittedly I have not played killer as of yet, but I am having so much fun as survivor, I don’t feel as though I am missing out on much. Killers an queue up with each other, but there can not have 2 of the same killers in a match. Killers don’t have perks either and some of their limitations are not there, such as Trappers and other killers cannot be caught in bear traps. Killers have one unique perk to them and one perk that is unique to them, but is a team perk, for example when a Trapper sets a bear trap, he and the other killer gain 150% haste.

Back to the Fog

Personally, I didn’t play Dead by Daylight for a while. I did check out some of the other limited time modifiers that Behaviour put into the game, but it still felt the same to me. I love a good horror game, I played a lot of DBD in the past, but it didn’t feel new or refreshed, even with the modifiers. This 2v8 mode feels good, it feels like the game has some new life. I really hope that it becomes permanent. Between this mode, other modifiers, plus the new cross progression features, I could see me playing more Dead by Daylight than I have in a while. Who knows, maybe I will play enough that I will want to unlock the survivors that I am missing, though Lara Croft is pretty tempting already.

It sucks that cross progression doesn’t unlock the same Achievements I unlocked on Steam in the Windows and Xbox Series X/S editions of the game, but it is nice that I have all the characters and perks that I paid for on the Windows Store edition, so now I can play and get reward points for them.

Have you tried out the new 2v8 game mode? What changes would you like to see made to it? What modes would you want to see added in the future? Do you think this is just the beginning and we might see something like a 4v16?

Microsoft has announced that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will be coming to Game Pass starting on July 24, 2024. That’s right, starting tomorrow, you can enjoy Modern Warfare 3 on Game Pass for console, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Ultimate.

After I posted about other Activision Blizzard King (ABK) games coming to Game Pass in August, rumors popped up saying that the latest Call of Duty would be hitting the service later this month. Those rumors turned out to be true, which has me excited. I personally haven’t played a COD since Black Ops 4 I think and even then I am pretty sure I just played Warzone, so I am excited to jump in on this one and try out the multiplayer. When and if the other games hit the service, I might play through the story modes too.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is the second ABK game to be announced for the service. In March, Diablo 4 came to the service. It’s anticipated, that like Diablo 4, COD will require you to have Battle.net installed on your PC to play the game.

If the other rumors are true about more ABK games coming to the service soon, then that is a welcome addition, especially after Microsoft announced a price increase for the service as well as a new tier last week. Any added value to the service is a welcome addition.

It’s already been confirmed that Call of Duty Black Ops 6 will be arriving day 1 on Game Pass on October 24, 2024. What about the other games though? Well after a claim by eXtas1s on eXputer forums and Windows Central who backed up the claim, we will start getting Activision Blizzard games in August. This is after Diablo IV came to the service months ago.

According to the report, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, which is a remaster of the original three Crash Bandicoot games, will be the next one on the service. EXtas1s also reports that Tony Hawk 1+2 Remake and Spyro Reignited Trilogy will also be coming very soon as well. They won’t say if that will be in August or in the following months though. While these are all great games, there’s no word or even rumor about when the Call of Duty games will end up on the service, though I imagine they would want to put them there before the launch of the latest one in October. Being able to play all the Back Ops games up until that point would be great, especially for me who missed a few of them and never touched the campaigns.

I am excited more for Tony Hawk as I loved those games growing up and never picked up the remake. Spyro and Crash Bandicoot I played a little bit, but never did all those games, so it could be fun to get into when they drop on the service as well. I am surprised at how slow these games are coming… I thought we would have had most games on the service by now. I understand they don’t want to drop everything at once, but I didn’t expect almost a year after closing the deal that there would only be one game on it.

Either way, I am excited for the games whenever they come, what is your favorite Activision Blizzard King game that you are hoping to see come to Game Pass?

Emergence Day or E-Day as it is commonly called in Gears of War happened on the 79th day of the year 14AE. It is when the Locusts came out from underground and began an organized surprised attack on the cities across Sera. E-Day lead to massive casualties for humanity, in 26 hours, 25%, of the human population had been killed. Up until that point the general population were unaware of the Locust, though there was some rumblings of something going on. Leading up to the attack there were reports of miners disappearing or encountering strange things underground, but these were often dismissed.

The Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) were caught off guard, like the general public. Once the initial shock subsided, the COG mobilized its military forces and deployed troops to try and repel the Locust attack. They also setup emergency evacuations and defensive perimeters.

Adam Fenix came across the Locusts accidentally due to his research on Imulsion. He was one of the first to know about them and tried his best to prevent E-Day, but despite his best efforts, he failed to prevent it. He was taken captive and believed to have died during the invasion, though it would be discovered that he was alive in captivity. His research before E-day was important to defeating the Locusts and while in captivity he learned of their motivations and about their biology. Adam’s son Marcus is a COG soldier and the main protagonist of the series.

Marcus’ whereabouts E-Day are vague and will probably be covered more in Gears of War: E-Day, but as of now we know that he was a high ranking officer in the COG army and he was teamed with Dominic Santiago to protect people in the Kalona District.

Nintendo has announced that on June 18, 2024 they will be hosting their Nintendo direct at 7AM PT, 10AM ET. As stated in a previous post, there will be no mention of the Switch successor during this time. Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa has confirmed that we will be seeing it soon though, as they plan to reveal it before April 2025.

I previously questioned if this would be showing just games coming up in the next year and it seems to be the case. They stated that this will be 40 minutes of games coming in the second half of 2024. One game a lot of people have been anticipating is Metroid Prime 4. The game was announced seven years ago and then announced a few years later that they would need more time as they were going to scrap what they had and start over again. Could we see a look at Metroid Prime 4 tomorrow?

There is a good possibility, last week Nintendo NYC showed off this gorgeous Samus statue. What a better time to show off a statue than right before we see the new game?

Will you be watching the direct live or waiting until later to watch it?

Join us for a #NintendoDirect livestream focused on #NintendoSwitch games coming in the second half of 2024! There will be no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor during this presentation.

? June 18
? 7:00 AM PT
? Roughly 40 minutes

Watch it here: https://t.co/rYjTHHpayb pic.twitter.com/uAs6JYu31A

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 17, 2024

So Summer Game Fest 2024 has come and gone and we’ve seen games from some of the biggest studios. Both Xbox and Playstation had their showcases. It’s been big and we’ve had a lot of announcements and trailers. New games, new content, new DLC, there’s a lot of stuff coming and a lot to talk about!

A Little to the Left: Seeing Stars

I played A Little to the Left recently and I liked it. Sometimes you just need a cozy puzzle game. Now there is even more game to love. A Little to the Left: Seeing Stars is all about multiple solutions. It features 33 new levels with 100 new solutions, it’s sure to keep you busy thinking for a while. It launches on June 25th, 2024.

Doom: The Dark Age

I have been playing Doom for close to 30 years at this point. In 2025 Doom: The Dark Age is set to take the battle to new places. I can’t wait to use a shield saw to take down the enemies out to kill the Slayer.

Gears of War: E-Day

The of War is back in Gears! I was expecting Gears of War 6 or the Marcus Fenix Collection, so E-Day came as a shock to me. It does look amazing though based on that trailer and we get to go back to the beginning of the war. Plus we get to hang with Dom again!

Goat Simulator 3: Multiverse of Nonsense

I love fun games with no premise and Goat Simulator fits that description pretty well I think. Multiverse of Nonsense looks to be a fun addition to the game that I will probably be checking out and playing when it drops on June 19th, 2024.

The Casting of Frank Stone

This game looks insane. I played a lot of Dead by Daylight over the years and to have content that doesn’t involve generators is something I’ve looked forward to for years. We will be running from Frank Stone later this year!

There are many more games shown and the ones here are just the ones I am most excited about. The summer is still young (hasn’t even officially started yet) and there is still lots to come. Rumors say that Gamescom in August is going to have an Xbox showcase just as big as June’s and at some point Sony is supposed to officially announce the PS5 Pro.

One company that has been silent is Nintendo. That looks to be ending come next week though, as they did announce they were doing a showcase in June. The next console is set to be revealed sometime before April 2025, but they said it won’t be during June’s showcase, which means that what they show could be coming within the next year or so.

What has been your favorite announcements been? Let us know.

Summer Game Fest is coming up fast. Though we may already be in the middle of it because Sony’s State of Play is part of it, but who’s counting? As I said, Summer Game Fest is coming up fast, it’s in 5 days. In 5 days we will hear the biggest news from the biggest publishers in the gaming world. From Microsoft to Ubisoft, there will be a lot of stuff to see, so let’s break it down to when you will be able to watch it.

As I said, May 30th was the Sony State of Play, where Sony showed off their big upcoming games. Fourteen games were shown across PS4, PS5, PC, and PSVR. I posted my thoughts on it already, you can read that here.

On Friday, June 7th at 5PM Eastern, live from the YouTube Theater, we have the official Summer Game Fest conference. We’re sure to see some exciting announcements there from all over the industry. At 7PM Eastern, we have Day of the Devs which will show off independent games. Devolver Digital will round out the day at 8PM with their annual Devolver Direct press conference.

Saturday, June 8th at 11AM Eastern we have the Future of Play Direct that is fun for the whole family. Then at 12PM we have another indie showcase, Wholesome Direct. At 1PM there is a Latin Direct which will show off games from only Latin American developers. There will be a conference showcasing games from only women lead studios at 2:30PM. At 3PM Eastern the Future Game Show Summer Showcase will happen.

On Sunday, June 9th at 1PM Eastern Xbox will take the stage and show off what they’ve been working on. Immediately following that will be a deep dive into this year’s Call of Duty and yes, COD will be day 1 on Game Pass. At 4PM we will get the usually campy, but entertaining PC Gaming Show.

Monday, June 10th has Ubisoft Direct. Expect to see big things from one of the world’s biggest studios, including possibly more info on the latest Assassin’s Creed game.

Are you excited for the upcoming conferences? Do you think this is a good replacement for E3 or do you miss that showcase? I liked the live aspect of E3, the tech fails, anything could happen, it seemed more exciting with the crowd there roaring or booing the announcements. Maybe one day we will get back to that kind of gaming conference, but for now this is a decent replacement, even if most of it is prerecorded.

I was a little underwhelmed with the State of Play. They showed off 14 games and I know a lot of people are excited about them, but personally there’s only a couple that looks interesting to me.

Silent Hill 2 Remake looks great, but I never played any other Silent Hill games. The closest I have come to having anything to do with the franchise is when Pyramid Head came to Dead by Daylight. A few years ago after streaming all the Resident Evil games, I did look into Silent Hill. I may even own some of the games, but I would want to start with the first Silent Hill game and the only way to do that is to emulate it. Maybe they will add it to Playstation Plus closer to the release of the remake, I would love to check it out.

I love the Supermassive games that I’ve played. Man of Medan and the Quarry were really well done and I’ve had Until Dawn on my list of games to play for a while. The game is coming to Playstation 5 and PC. I usually play games on my Xbox if I had the choice, but since it was a PS4 exclusive I had planned on playing it there. Now I may pick it up on PC whenever it does come out.

Marvel Rivals is a PVP team based shooter based on Marvel characters. Basically Overwatch with Marvel. It’s been on PC for a little while now and it is coming to both Playstation and Xbox. Xbox, PS5, and Steam will be having a beta in July for the game.

The rest of what was shown is pretty exciting, but personally a lot of it just isn’t for me. God of War Ragnarok I played on PS5, Conchord is another PVP game like Overwatch, and I don’t have VR to even look at those games. I will say when it comes to Marvel Rivals and Conchord, if either game decides to do a PVE mode then it could take over Overwatch. I know Overwatch’s PVE being cancelled upset a lot of people and putting out a PVE mode for those games could help draw in that audience.

There is going to be a lot more news, rumors, and leaks over the next week or so and I cannot wait for it. What was your favorite part about the State of Play?