The developers of Skate, Dead Island 2, and more look back at 2023

2023 was certainly a tumultuous year for the video game industry, for good and for bad. For consumers, it was great! For the industry itself, certainly less so. With record-breaking layoffs across the gaming and tech sectors, strike authorization for video game voice actors approved for American unions, and various companies being hacked: the gaming space has taken some serious blows this year.


We reached out to various video game developers over the past month to ask what they thought of 2023. For many, it's been a year to celebrate as new projects are thrust into the spotlight. For others, a bittersweet 12 months in which sweet highs have been bittered by worrying industry trends. As we jump into the new year, we've featured these quotes below for your reading pleasure. Here's to 2024.


“It’s impossible to think about 2023 without seeing it through the lens of the last few months where so many other passionate game makers have been impacted by the turmoil that is currently ripping through our industry, so first of all any sentiment should really acknowledge the shock, stress and uncertainly many will be struggling with and hope that it passes as swiftly as possible."


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Forget triple-A GOTYs, 2023 was year of the ‘B game’

It’s common to hear 2023 referred to as one of the best years we’ve had in a while when it comes to the quality of video games consistently releasing throughout the year. But I’d like to argue that it’s also the year many B games established themselves as more than just the stuff you skip past when you’re looking at the calendar.

The definition of what a B game is one we could spend all day arguing about, so I’m going to put forth what I believe to be a fair assessment of what a B game is. First, it’s important to keep in mind that the term has nothing to do with a game’s quality.

As I see it, a B game is a genre game. Which is to say, the game has a very clear focus on replicating something specific, delivering on a set of core mechanics, and generally favouring a limited, but tailored experience that ignores popular tropes, and sometimes even modern takes on that same genre.

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Here’s why you should play Persona 4 Golden this festive season

This year, I took my first step into the world of Persona. As someone who is into horror, with a great interest in visual novels and turn-based battling, you’d think I’d have made the plunge sooner, but no. The Persona games have sat in my ever-expanding backlog for a while now, and once Persona 4 Golden made its way to the Nintendo Switch earlier this year, I decided that it was time.

I started with Persona 4 Golden,figuring that this would set me up nicely to play both Persona 5 Royale and the upcoming Persona 3 Reload title nicely, considering they’re all self-contained stories. With that decision made, I buttoned up my school uniform and delved into the mysterious - but cosy - town of Inaba, which is inspired by Mount Fuji and riddled with constant disaster.

I didn’t quite expect to become as enthralled as I did with Persona 4 Golden, but Atlus creates deeply interesting characters and places them in a world that feels thoroughly lived in, with combat that - while repetitive - is satisfying to get right. I won’t be the first or last to mention some of the creepy jokes or dynamics that also emerge, which admittedly add to just how unnerving everything else is, but those aside, this murder-mystery oozes style and boasts a roster of characters you’ll quickly become attached to.

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Fashion Dreamer - as fun as it can be - has nothing on the 3DS’ Style Savvy

Those who love fashion simulation games as much as I do will likely remember a series for the Nintendo and 3DS known as Style Savvy (also known as Style Boutique and Girls Mode). Developed by Syn Sophia, this series of games was exceptional.

They each had their own stories as to how you came into owning a boutique of your own, you’d meet lively, memorable characters during your time as a stylist, and most importantly, you had customisation options galore. Since the release of Style Savvy: Styling Star in 2017, which featured a pop idol twist, fans have been in desire of a new dress-up game like Style Savvy for the Nintendo Switch.

Syn Sophia listened, of course, and recently dished out Fashion Dreamer for Nintendo’s hybrid handheld. That said, despite being unable to put it down for the past week or two, it was far from what I’d hoped. As much fun as it is to hand out my unwarranted fashion advice to folk, the game is dull, flat, and lifeless compared to its spiritual predecessors.

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Stalker 2: Can it ever deliver on the enormous potential built up over the years?

The history of the Stalker series, its developer, the off-shoots it spawned, and the community of players who continue to mod the games and find new ways to play them to this day, is something well worth talking about. These are all reasons why the odds against Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl are stacked.


Consider this: Heart of Chornobyl was announced in 2018 with nothing but a logo, having been initially set for release sometime in 2021. I’ll be honest, GSC Game World’s reputation made it hard to believe that a real Stalker 2 was actually in development. Indeed, the studio itself admitted it announced the game that early to find a publisher, so really, more of statement of intent. Nevertheless, I, like many fans, played along.


It would take over two years for the first-ever trailer to emerge, and it was predictably more of a tone piece than anything, and then another year for gameplay to be shown.


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The best thing about 2024's Tomb Raider 1-3 remasters? The price point is perfect

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft isn't the most succinct video game title out there, but at least it certainly lets you know what you're getting. Launching in early 2024, it collects the original Tomb Raider trilogy — as developed by Core Design and released annually between 1996-98 — but buffs out all of the angular polygons in favour of a fresh lick of graphical paint. Lara won't look quite as realistic as she does in the recent Survivor Trilogy, but her appearance will be a lot more in line with the modern mobile and spin-off games that still work off of her original character design while looking a bit less… alarming to the contemporary eye.

You can still play the '90s originals quite easily on PC via Steam or GOG, but there are a number of good reasons why this remaster appeals, even putting aside the fact that the games will be coming to current- and last-gen consoles for the first time. There'll be quality-of-life improvements like camera locking, for instance. Even if you were good at these games back in the day, it'll be nice to have the option to play them again without having to unlearn over two decades' worth of muscle memory developed since tank controls ceased to be standard.

Really though, I'm here for the nostalgia hit. Core Design's original Tomb Raiders were the first video games I ever played not aimed solely at children, and their influence on me as a young girl in the '90s can't be overstated.

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It’s about time Apollo Justice got his dues

2023 has been an incredible year for video games, but as I look forward to 2024, there’s one thing I’m particularly thrilled about: the chance for Apollo Justice to, perhaps, finally get the credit he deserves.


Apollo is like… I don’t know, Rey? In the same way that following on from bloody Luke Skywalker as a protagonist is pretty much impossible, so too is following on from Phoenix Wright. Over the course of three text-heavy games dense with characterization for its lead, Phoenix stole the show. And that meant, when Apollo arrived back in 2007, he had a mountain to climb.

It always felt to me like he never quite managed to summit it, too. Phoenix is still a huge part of Apollo’s story - a little more rugged and out-of-action, the old protagonist, now a veteran, trains the new. His adopted daughter becomes Apollo’s sidekick, filling in the Mia role. Ultimately, the main mystery of Apollo’s first game is tied up in learning about what happened to Phoenix between the the end of his trilogy and the start of Apollo’s.


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Paranormasight, one of 2023's best games, might be the best visual novel to get you into the genre

Poor old Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo. One of the best games of 2023 — it's in my personal top 10, for what it's worth, and has nearly 2,000 Overwhelmingly Positive reviews on Steam if you don't want to just take my word for it — was never going to get a look-in when it came to giving out serious recognition at the end of the year. That's because Paranormasight is such a rare beast in the industry at the moment that it's basically a cryptid: a visual novel developed in-house by a AAA company for worldwide release. Some people loved it, but most still don't quite know what to make of it.

Visual novels are a bit niche at the best of times, especially among western gamers, who have been a bit slow to get a feel for the delights of the slower-paced genre that's been a hit in Japan for a good couple of decades now. Appreciation for them is gradually picking up steam though, if you'll pardon the pun, since it's indie or AA productions distributed mainly via Steam and Itch.io that make up the bulk of the new VNs taking off at the moment.

But aside from occasionally snapping up the publication rights to a promising indie title, there are only extremely rare exceptions — and to be honest, I'm thinking almost exclusively of Capcom's Ace Attorney series here — to the rule that AAA publishers aren't doing much with visual novels right now, at least not on an international scale. When they do, it's mostly okaying remasters or sequels within existing IPs. That's what made Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo such a weird little addition to this year's extensive catalogue of truly excellent games.

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Bethesda's masterpiece is our Game of the Year 2023

Reasons why Hi-Fi Rush is GOTY by Connor aged 25:



Hi Fi Rush has the only good video game cat.



Hi Fi Rush somehow has both a good licensed and original soundtrack at the same time.


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RoboCop Rogue City was the best shooter of 2023, and it's our GOTY

What could’ve easily been a totally forgettable licensed game in the traditional style turned out to be a charmingly old-school experience in all the right ways. The kind of game where the enemies are all the same three guys on a motorcycle and the textures pop in on every frame, but you couldn’t care less as you burn through everything it has to offer.



This is the product of a focused team making a game with an achievable scope that prioritises surprising and thoughtful interactions over a reasonable length of time, rather than stretching a couple of pedestrian mechanics ad infinitum. And within that framework, it manages to be the best and frankly only worthy follow-up to the original film that's ever been produced (Yes, RoboCop 2 is bobbins, don't write in). Jim and I collaborated on the video below which sets out why Rogue City is so successful as a licensed project:



It’s a crunchy, satisfying shooter, with a well-realised cyberpunk setting that carries on and extends the themes and satire of the source material in a way that actually understands what it’s supposed to be about.


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The Best Games Ever Show Christmas Special

Well, for the six of you who kept asking, Merry Christmas. For this festive episode on VG247’s Best Games Ever Show, Tom and Jim are reunited with friends and former colleagues Simon Miller and Steve Burns.

Since they all parted ways from their infamous stint at VideoGamer.com, Simon has gone on to become a professional wrestler, in-demand presenter, and all-round online personality with seemingly endless energy for building his brand. He recently made his IMPACT! Wrestling debut and we’ve got no doubt that he’ll just keep getting bigger.

Burns sits around in a big house eating pizza and playing PES. He also co-directs a production company and regularly kicks off on Twitter about the state of Man Utd.


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One extended Avatar: The Way of Water scene has Jake and Neytiri going full Rambo

The new collector's edition of Avatar: The Way of Water in 4K comes with plenty of deleted and extended scenes, but one in particular stands out.

Things get much darker in the 'Parents From Hell & Standoff' extended scene, which sees main characters Jake Sully and his Na'vi partner Neytiri absolutely massacring the remaining RDA forces on the sinking whaling ship and Miles Quaritch's Recom team. The scene was already violent and tense enough in the final movie (big Terminator 2 and Titanic energy from James Cameron here), so it's fascinating to see that the filmmaker and his team actually toned it down quite a lot in order to avoid veering into borderline R-rated territory.

Even more shocking is how Neytiri behaves in this iteration of the scene versus the final cut. It puts so much more strain on the relationship between her and Spider, and it takes a bigger intervention from Jake to actually deactivate the situation. Considering that Neytiri remains one of the saga's 'heroic' characters and will reportedly have an even bigger role in future installments, it was wise not to go this dark with her even if her oldest son had just died and the RDA are humanity's worst.

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Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's DLC will wrap things up with an epilogue next month

Even if you've finished Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's DLC already, you're not quite done yet, as there's an epilogue coming next month.



Starting with Pokemon Sword and Shield, it seems that rather than opting to release something equivalent to a Pokemon Yellow, Game Freak is opting to release DLC to expand upon the base game. It did just that with the latest generation too, with the two part DLC The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero now out in the wild for anyone to play. However, even if you've managed to beat both bits of DLC already, there's a little bit more in store for you. As announced by The Pokemon Company, an epilogue is coming to the game in a free update on January 11.



You can check out a trailer for the epilogue above, which seems to suggest you'll be reunited with Nemona, Arven, and Penny, though just what you'll be up to isn't so clear just yet. There is a small hint that suggests it ties more into the game's first bit of DLC, but again, you'll just have to wait until it drops to find out what it will actually be about. It should be noted that you do need to "complete a certain postgame event in Pokemon Scarlet or Pokemon Violet," and that you also need to "complete the main stories of The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk" in order to experience the epilogue.


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Hungry for robo-dino steak? The official Horizon cookbook won't have that, but it does have other tasty treats

Those that have a hankering for robotic meats won't find the upcoming Horizon cookbook useful, but everyone else who likes regular food might.



Earlier this week, Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West developer Guerrilla games revealed that an official Horizon cookbook is coming next year. Titled Tastes of the Seven Tribes, a description of the book explains that "you've explored the wicked heat of the Sun Furrows, the peaks of the Longroam, and the vast, deadly wilds of the Forbidden West. These locales are filled with danger, but they’re also packed with enough strange and amazing food to make a feast fit for a Seeker! Now you can craft more than 60 delicious meals with Horizon: The Official Cookbook."



You'll be able to cook things like spicy Fireclaw stew and "mouth-watering Bitterbrew boar," neither of which are real things, obviously, but I'm sure the book will explain the real world counterparts you can substitute with. According to Amazon, the book is due out April 2, 2024, so just a few months away. The author behind the book, Victoria Rosenthal, said on Twitter that she "can't wait for everyone to get their hands on this one. This was such an incredible project to work on."


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Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes director describes the movie as "Apocalypto with apes"

Director Wes Ball's (now also attached to the live-action Legend of Zelda movie) one-line pitch for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was a surprising but enticing one.

Marketing for the next Planet of the Apes movie, which is set to kick off a new story arc for the enduring sci-fi series, is about to ramp up as we enter 2024, and Empire's latest issue includes new details about where the movie is going and how it was developed.

Their conversation with Ball and his team got off to a good start when the filmmaker revealed he "had this flood of ideas" once he figured out the basic pitch: "Apocalypto with apes." Any comparison to a historical epic would've been wild, but bringing up Mel Gibson's 2006 mercilessly bloody, one-of-a-kind movie should make everyone's ears perk up. That movie depicted "a ferocious trip through a dangerous jungle in early 1500s Yucatán." In it, a young man named Jaguar Paw, a late Mesoamerican hunter, and his fellow tribesmen are captured by an invading force and brought to a Mayan city for human sacrifice.

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Hoping for a Mario-Maker-style Zelda game? Too bad, Nintendo isn't interested

You're going to have to dash your dreams of a Mario-Maker-like Zelda game, as series producer Eiji Aonuma doesn't think it would be a good fit.



Super Mario Maker is maybe one of the best concepts for a 2D platformer ever. Making your own Mario levels, that can be as wacky or nightmarish as you want? It's perfect for a series that has a history of fanmade challenge levels, and fits within the general spirit of Mario. Of course, lots of fans have been asking for a Zelda Maker in the meantime, as the idea of making your own dungeons and world maps is pretty enticing too. Unfortunately, such a game hasn't materialised, and likely never will. As in a recent interview with Polygon, Aonuma shared why he thinks a Zelda Maker just wouldn't work.



When asked if there was any chance we could see a game that would focus on people making their own Zelda dungeons, Aonuma responded, "When we’re creating games like Tears of the Kingdom, I think it’s important that we don’t make creativity a requirement. Instead we put things into the game that encourage people to be creative, and give them the opportunity to be creative, without forcing them to.


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Silent Hill 2 remake devs join forces with The Walking Dead creators on an unnamed horror game

Bloober Team, the studio behind the upcoming Silent Hill 2 remake, is working with Skybound Entertainment on a new project.



Yesterday, via a press release, Bloober Team announced that it is developing a game based on a licensed IP from Skybound, the entertainment company founded by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman. The project is apparently a horror game, so obviously it would be fair to guess that it's a new Walking Dead game, though it's not necessarily the case. There's also titles like the supernatural series Outcast, or the medical horror Witch Doctor, so there are a few possibilities on the table.



In a statement, Bloober Team CEO Piotr Babieno said, "This project is another step in our second-party strategy, where we work with external partners to provide our horror know-how," as translated by GamesRadar. "These are titles that are meant to not only give us financial profit, but are the next steps in achieving our strategy by the end of 2027. We have known our friends from Skybound for a long time and I am sure it will be a successful cooperation."


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Kane & Lynch 2 is still the GOAT, so it's our GOTY

In a year of wall to wall bangers, with at least one genuine GOTY candidate coming along every week, it’s surely impossible to pick one overall game of the year. So you should disregard any website that tries, and just listen to us. Elevating any one entry on 2023’s golden roster would do a disservice to all the others, and we don’t want to do that. Instead, we’d rather mug them all off and give our GOTY nod to the GOAT: Kane & Lynch 2 colon Dog Days. Yes, the notoriously bad shooter from the Hitman lads. Confused? Think this is some kind of joke? It’s not, as explained in the video below, featuring special guest Steve Burns who used to be on a certain other website with a devoted cult following (no idea what happened to it, sadly).



Much maligned on release for being ugly, disorienting, and generally unpleasant, it hit the market at a time when the Gears-ification of graphics and aesthetics was pretty much at its peak. It was the era of cinematic gaming: bombastic setpieces, enormous budgets for voice acting and performance capture, and hyper-realistic visuals with a desaturated, brown-ish colour palette. Then along comes Kane & Lynch 2, which is painstakingly designed to look like recovered footage from a discarded camcorder (we had those in past, they were what we used to make videos with in lieu of the miniaturised Hollywood film studios we all carry around in our pants these days).



As a result of sticking doggedly to this aesthetic, the visuals are scratchy. Oversharpened. Low resolution. Blurry handicam lens flares flickering all over the place. The whole thing plagued with compression artefacts and encoding errors. The entire experience is frankly designed to be ugly, disorienting, and generally unpleasant in service of its narrative and overall vibe: this is not a Tarantino film. Hit men live and work in a grubby, unglamorous world where being eye-catchingly cool is liable to get you killed, where music is strictly diegetic and rarely thematically appropriate, and where you have to carry your own damn suitcase. Kane & Lynch 2 wants to disabuse you of any contradictory notions you might have about the situation its protagonists find themselves in, and it is unrelenting in that pursuit: you will be disabused. You will be abused.


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Death Stranding on iPhone walks slowly out of 2023 into 2024

Kojima Productions' Death Stranding was expected to release on Apple devices before the end of the year, but it's been delayed into 2024.



505 Games, the publisher behind the PC port of Death Stranding, and the studio handling the port to iPhone, iPad, and Mac, announced earlier today that the strange walking simulator would no longer be released in 2023 as originally promised, but sometime in "early 2024." In a short statement on Twitter, 505 Games wrote "Here at 505 Games and Kojima Productions, we are excited to launch Death Stranding Director's Cut on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. We just need a little more time! Stay tuned for a new release date in early 2024. We can't wait to welcome more Porters to Death Stranding Director's Cut."



For most of you, it's likely that this delay won't even matter, as you'll need the latest iPhone, the 15 Pro, in order to even play it in the first place. iPad and Mac users need to have an M1 chip or newer in their devices, which arrived back in 2020, so if that includes you, you might be ok on those devices at the very least.


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My 2023 GOTY? Fantasy Football remains a contender

In any given year, I play a lot of video games. It’s the nature of the job. There are a few staples, like Street Fighter, but otherwise things come and go. This year was a Zelda year and a Final Fantasy year, for instance - but not every year is. But one aspect of gaming is a constant each year: fantasy football. This year has been especially thrilling.


Some of you may already play, or have in the past. Others might be clueless. But, as an RPG head, it has to be said that this tertiary activity to real life sports has always scratched much the same itch for me as many of the best video games - which is why I wanted to give it its dues at the end of the year - even on this, one of the best

Fantasy Football is about stats. It’s about research, planning, and min-maxing. Obviously, it’s also a little bit about luck. Basically, it’s a role-playing game.


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Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender showrunner felt "intimidated" when the original creators left

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the showrunner of Netflix's live action take on Avatar: The Last Airbender felt a bit stressed out when the original show's creators left.



When it was first announced that Netflix would be making a live action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, the creators of the animated show, Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino were both attached. But a couple of years on, they both left the project due to creative differences. Now, speaking to Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Albert Kim has spoken about how it felt to continue running the show despite the original creators not being involved.



"You'd have to be an idiot not to be intimidated a little bit," Kim said. "My first reaction after 'Hell yeah!' was 'Holy s--t! Do I really want to do this? Is there a way to improve upon the original?' Whenever you tackle something that's already beloved by millions of fans, you have to ask yourself those questions." It's an understandable reaction given how beloved the animated show is to so many people, though Kim clearly stuck with it.


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Why you need to go back and play PowerWash Simulator this holiday season

PowerWash Simulator is an incredibly difficult game to justify enjoying if, like me, you're in your 30s and have a home that you have a serious adult responsibility to maintain. There's a certain awkwardness to showing this game to your Dad, sure he'll be excited — after all, what could be more of a Dad game than PowerWash Simulator? — only to watch his eyes glaze over before he silently heads out to his garage and starts using his actual power washer to actually deep-clean his actual driveway.

Alright, Dad, you've made your point; but also, here's why it's completely OK for me to play PowerWash Simulator even though I could just use that time to go outside and demoss my patio.

Look, I'll admit that I didn't understand the appeal of this game to begin with either, but it all fell into place for me once I realised what it actually is: one of those adult colouring books, but in reverse.

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Would Zack Snyder make a Fortnite movie? "Never say never" says the Rebel Moon director

Rebel Moon director Zack Snyder is apparently quite up for directing a Fortnite movie, though that doesn't mean one is in the works.



Earlier this year, Snyder revealed that he's actually quite into Fortnite, and regularly plays it with his son (and weirdly enough, he likes to play as Rick and Morty's Mr Meeseeks). Now, in a recent interview with Etalk, the director was asked if he'd be up for directing a movie adaptation of the popular battle royale, to which he had a simple reply: "Of course!" Interestingly, as it turns out, he actually wanted Fortnite to get some Rebel Moon-themed skins.



"I really wanted to make some Fortnite skins for the movie [Rebel Moon], first of all, just like, as the most obviously basic involvement. But yeah, look, Fortnite is an amazing world, and it is an amazing distraction for me. But it's really cool, and the alchemy that they've created there is really unique. When I started playing it, I thought I knew what it was, and then it was something entirely different. You definitely don't know. You definitely can never say never - that's my mantra in this business."


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Spend Christmas playing Skyrim with this festive quest mod, you know you want to

If you’ve been looking for a reason to get sucked back into Skyrim this Christmas, a new mod can provide exactly that, offering a fully-voiced adventure that’ll teach you about the spirit of Saturalia.

Yes, Saturalia. Look, without getting into a big discussion about Tamrielic culture, it’s basically the Elder Scrolls equivalent of Christmas, held on the 25th of Evening Star. Seriously, they even decorate trees and everything.

As a gift designed to celebrate this and our own holiday season, modder JaySerpa has created ‘The Gift of Saturalia’, which adds a new quest to the game that’ll see you work with a rather suspicious “bearded old trader”.

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You might want to emotionally prepare yourself, Jujutsu Kaisen is probably ending next year

It's sounding like Jujutsu Kaisen might soon be coming to an end, as the manga's creator suggests the series will be wrapped up by next year.



As someone who's currently up to date with the manga, I won't spoil anything for you, but it's safe to say that it's currently in the endgame. The final big fights are taking place, and week over week things are ramping up more and more. It's not quite clear how much is left, as there are a few loose ends that need wrapping up, but it's getting there - and over the weekend, a comment from series creator Gege Akutami at Jump Festa certainly suggested it'll likely be over by this time next year. During a panel on Jujutsu Kaisen, a handwritten note from Akutami was shared (thanks, Crunchyroll), where he said "This is probably, absolutely the last Jump Festa held while Jujutsu Kaisen is being serialised."



With Jump Festa taking place every December, that essentially means we can expect it to have wrapped up by at least November at the very latest. Akutami has previously said that they had hoped Jujutsu Kaisen would be finished in 2023, but that obviously hasn't happened yet. That doesn't really give us an indication of how close it is to finishing, as there is enough going on that it could keep releasing for a few months, so we'll just have to wait and see when it wraps up.


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Rick and Morty: The Anime gets a sneaky new teaser and a broad release window

Adult Swim has offered up a short but sweet look at its upcoming Rick and Morty anime, as well as a new release window.



With something as referential as Rick and Morty, and being animated itself, you probably won't be too surprised to hear that it's getting a spin-off anime. This isn't actually the first time the adult animated series is getting an anime adaptation, as between 2020 and 2020 five short films were released that featured the voice actors for the Japanese dub, with Yohei Tadano as Rick and Keisuke Chiba as Morty. The pair of actors will be back as the titular duo in the full-on anime sometime in 2024, the new, broad release window that Adult Swim confirmed in the latest tease for the show.



You can check out the teaser trailer above, which doesn't actually feature Morty, but it does feature a whole multiverse-load of Ricks, and a singular Summer. The trailer doesn't give all that much away, other than the fact that Rick will once again have to deal with all manner of versions of himself, at least in this one scene, but it does give a taste of what you can expect from the show. Outside of that, not too much is known about the show, other than the fact it will air on Warner Bros Discovery's streaming service Max (which also means there's no word on a UK release date just yet).


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Armored Core 6 is getting ranked online matches in its next update, so get ready to be utterly decimated

Good news, sweaty mech pilots, Armored Core 6 is getting ranked online matches as part of a fresh update tomorrow, so you can spend Christmas absolutely merking some poor fools.

Yup, FromSoft is dropping patch 1.05 for the game on December 19 and it features ranked online play with a leaderboard of some kind, which you’ll be able to climb up, assuming your tank build is still as effective as you remember. That said, if you’re in the mood to try a different configuration, you’re also in luck.

While we’re yet to get the full notes for the patch, we do know what its main highlight will be, with the new ranked online bits being accompanied by some “new AC parts” and “new PVP maps”. So at least you’ll have something to do while you put off diving into a battle and getting humiliated by someone who’s spent ages mastering their Spongebob-liveried mech.

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VG247's Games of the Year 2023: Alan Wake 2

What is our GOTY? Well, because the question is so subjective, we don't really like to just pick one. What we prefer to do instead is have one for each of our staff, so we can celebrate more of the year's most deserving games over the holiday season. And in a banner year for GOTY candidates such as this, even just whittling it down to a list of eight proved to be an agonising process.


Other websites call this "cheating", but to paraphrase Tim Blake Nelson in Syriana, cheating is how we win. So deal with it, "other websites".


First off it's our resident horror connoisseur Kelsey Raynor with an ode to Alan Wake 2, a game she liked instantly as an existing fan of Remedy's work, and which she grew to love as a uniquely modern horror experience that pushes boundaries on technical and artistic levels. It even managed to warp reality itself, in a thematically fitting twist. Bloody hell, no wonder it won big at this year's Game Awards.

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Netflix's next movie is a harrowing story that asks: what if London had a vast socioeconomic divide?

Netflix has released a trailer for an exciting Sci-fi movie - The Kitchen. It's set in a version of dystopian London in which the socioeconomic divide has never been wider, and police disrupt communities with physical force. So not much different than actual London, then.


Unlike the horrors of actual London, the events taking place in The Kitchen are written and directed by Daniel Kaluuya. Not only a star actor in Nope, Get Out and Sicario, he's also written some episodes of Skins and a great short film called The Swarm. After a stint acting in some excellent films, it looks like Kaluuya is back to flexing his skills behind the camera.


The film also stars Kano - who is brilliant! You may know him from Top Boy and of course his illustrious contributions to UK Grime music. It's worth noting that the film looks gorgeous too - it's obviously sci-fi but not too far fetched as to be unbelievable. I suppose that's kind of the point huh? To show a London that is recognisable in comparison to our own, both in terms of looks and social issues. It looks so good in fact it's award-winning - yup, the film has already won best effects and best production design from the British Independent Film Awards.


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Games you forgot came out in 2023

2023 is almost over, and there’s certainly an argument to be made that it may be one of, if not the best year in video games. That’s based on the number of quality games released over the last 12 months, of course, not the record-breaking number of layoffs - another area where it might also be a “winner.”

Because of the sheer number of game of the year contenders, thought-provoking indies, and smaller projects with unique mechanics or new perspectives, merely okay games that would’ve occupied more of our time in past years simply got overshadowed.

The list is entirely subjective, so this isn’t to say those games don’t have their fans. Some might even be playing one or more of them as they read this, but the point is that you’re more likely than not to hesitate to remember that yes, all those games did, in fact, come out in 2023.

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Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC could release as early as February, leak suggests

We’re all patiently waiting for more info on Elden Ring’s first expansion, with the recent brief appearance of a retail listing for custom controllers having potentially offered a hint as to when we might be able to expect its arrival.

Following its sudden announcement back in February of this year, it’s been pretty much radio silence on the expansion. That said, director Yasuhiro Kitao did recently reveal that it’ll feature “new battles and new characters” and is still "a little ways off", so that’s something.

While FromSoft is yet to officially put a release date on Shadow of the Erdtree, a listing that seemed to show details of a collaboration centering around the expansion was recently published and quickly taken down by gaming retailer Datablitz might have included a possible window for it. The listing looks to have centred around a custom controller collaboration with Thrustmaster and claimed that their release in February 2024 would “sync with the new Shadow of the Erdtree expansion release”.

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Even Hideo Kojima's relatives didn't agree with him going independent after leaving Konami

Acclaimed video game maker Hideo Kojima has touched on how those around him reacted after he planned to go independent following his departure from Konami.



If you know Kojima, you probably know the whole drama involving him leaving Konami, resulting in the cancellation of the highly anticipated Silent Hills. After a bit of time exploring the world, Kojima then went on to found his own studio, Kojima Productions, which has obviously gone on to make Death Stranding. Now, in a recent tweet shared to his English language Twitter, the Metal Gear Solid creator explained why he made this change. "The reason why I am independent and advocate a life-long career is because for me, 'creating things' is no longer a job," Kojima wrote.



"That's why there is no retirement. Creating things is living. One more thing. In the game industry, there are very few people who have succeeded in becoming independent from a major game production studio, whether in Japan or abroad. Even eight years ago, when I started my own company, I was opposed by everyone, including my peers, colleagues, and relatives, who said, 'It will never work!'


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Chainsaw Man anime is finally coming back with an explosive new movie

After a long wait for an update, there's finally word on when we can expect to see the Chainsaw Man anime to return; as it turns out, it's coming back as a film.



It's almost been an entire year since the last episode of Chainsaw Man's first season dropped, and there hasn't been a peep out of anyone where a season two might be. Well, it turns out there is no season two, because over the weekend at Jump Festa 2024, it was revealed that the manga's next arc will be receiving a film adaptation. Titled Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc, the film will see protagonist Denji meeting a mysterious girl called Reze as they get to know one another. It's quite a short arc, so any more than that would spoil what happens, but it's also where the series really starts to ramp up.



You can check out the teaser trailer above, but aside from confirmation that it exists, there's been no word on who will be directing, but Mappa is producing the film once again. Manga creator Tatsuki Fujimoto has previously said that the 1999 anime film Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade was a big influence on the Reze arc, and again recommended everyone watch it at this year's Jump Festa.


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Don't expect Cyberpunk 2077's uber-detailed conversations to immediately set a new standard for RPGs

Cyberpunk 2077's very detailed and immersive conversation mechanics are one of the game’s biggest strengths, but don’t expect them to immediately become industry standard going forwards.

We all love being able to take a break from exploring Night City to relax or have a natter with a friend, something the latest update CD Projekt has delivered has only made easier - thanks to its metro system and romance hangouts. That said, as outlined by a couple of developers, we might not see too many other studios be able to deliver something similar in the near future.

In response to one Twitter user suggesting: “If there's one thing RPGs in the future should copy from Cyberpunk 2077, it's the amount of detail put into the conversations”, a number of developers have noted that this might not be feasible for a lot of studios due to what’s required to bring such a system to life.

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One Piece, the show that will never end, is getting an anime remake from Netflix

One Piece fans will seemingly never have to worry about the series ending, as Netflix is now working on an anime remake starting from the very beginning.



Netflix is clearly getting serious about media from Japan, as following the absolute hit that was its live-action adaptation of the most popular manga of all time, One Piece, it's just announced over the weekend that it is currently developing an anime remake of the series. Yes, that's right, the show that has over 1000 episodes, based on the manga with over 100 volumes that still hasn't finished yet, is starting from the series' first arc, East Blue Saga once again. Just to be clear, this is a separate production of the main anime, so all you classic anime fans don't need to worry about the show ending any time soon.



Titled "The One Piece," this latest adaptation is being helmed by WIT Studio, who you'll probably best know as the animation studio behind Spy x Family, and the first three seasons of Attack on Titan. The show is apparently already in production, with Netflix saying it will be "distinct from the TV anime series," and that it will utilise "cutting-edge visual technology to reimagine Luffy’s adventures." That last line is a little concerning, as Netflix and WIT Studio actually worked on a short film together earlier this year that used AI generated backgrounds. This wasn't very well received at the time, especially considering how poorly animators are treated in the anime industry, so hopefully this won't be the case for The One Piece.


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Caught cheating in Dota 2? You're getting a permaban and a lump of coal for Frostivus

Dota 2 is celebrating Frostivus 2023 by handing out goodies to all.

You can earn goodies in matches, fill up your Frostivus Spirit Meter, and get a locked Frostivus Treasure Chest and a random Stocking Stuffer, which covers everything from sprays to emoticons to stickers. You can also buy keys to unlock chests.

You can also expect all-new item sets for your favorite heroes, plus the return of some holiday favorites. Expect a visit from the Wraith King Arcana and the Crystal Maiden Persona, too.

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Embracer layoffs hit studios 3D Realms and Slipgate Ironworks

Embracer Group has issued another round of layoffs across its studios, and this time, redundancies have hit 3D Realms and Slipgate Ironworks.

News of the layoffs were confirmed by various employees at the companies, as well as Scott Miller, the original founder of 3D Realms.

The Duke Nukem and Graven developers were acquired by Embracer Group in August 2021 through Saber Interactive.

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PS Plus expands with GTA 5, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, Metal: Hellsinger, and more

More titles are joining the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog on December 19, and this next batch is headlined by GTA 5.

Other games include the following for PS4 and PS5: Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, Moto GP23, Metal: Hellsinger, Salt and Sacrifice, and Moonscars.

PS4 and PS5 users can also grab Gigabash, Grime, Tinykin, Prodeus, Shadowrun Returns, Shadowrun: Dragonfall – Director's Cut, Shadowrun: Hong Kong – Extended Edition, Thrillville, Thrillville: Off the Rails, and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command.

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Dying Light 2 Stay Human gets festive with a winter celebration

Dying Light 2 Stay Human is kicking off a winter celebration on December 19, with the Gifts from Above event.

During this time, the city will be adorned with seasonal decorations, there will be Santa Airdrops, and you can fight Uncle Snow for presents.

There are also goals to be met and rewards to be won, including the Winter Elf gear and outfit as well as the Gingerbread Infected Charm.

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The Wheel of Time origins movie announced with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier director

On top of the ongoing Amazon series, The Wheel of Time is getting a prequel movie captained by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's Kari Skogland and the plan is to build out an epic trilogy.

The exclusive news was shared by Deadline, who confirmed that BAFTA winner and Emmy nominee Kari Skogland will direct the live-action take on the renowned fantasy universe's Age of Legends. The screenplay comes from Thor, X-Men: First Class, and Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous scribe Zack Stentz. As it stands, this new adaptation of Robert Jordan's books will exist separately from the series co-produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon Studios.

It's not like continuity will be much of a problem, as the story is set several millennia before the timeline of the main books, charting the emergence of the Dark One and the tragic tales of the Forsaken – leaders "who fell victim to the Dark One's seduction." That sounds an awful lot like The Lord of the Rings' Second Age.

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IF trailer unveils a family-friendly movie directed by John Krasinski

Wondering about John Krasinski's next directing gig after killing it with the two A Quiet Place movies released so far? Well, IF (not Imaginary Friends as originally titled) is the answer you maybe weren't expecting.

Krasinski built a career out of being a remarkably funny (and heartwarming) guy in the American remake of The Office as Jim Halpert, so maybe he was always destined to write and direct mainstream comedies, but IF is looking a bit too sugary and clean for my taste. The premise sounds trite; the jokes feel tailor-made for Ryan Reynolds' now overdone comedic style; there are underdesigned cartoony monsters causing wacky situations in familiar environments; and the cast feels like a giant checklist of whoever was available to add 'star power' to a feature that otherwise looks by-the-numbers. You can judge the first trailer for yourself here.

On top of the first look at the movie, Krasinski shared a poster also covered in names yesterday on social media:

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Destiny 2: Legacy Collection is free right now on the Epic Games Store

The Epic Games Store is offering folks the Destiny 2: Legacy Collection for free.

Yours to grab until December 20, the collection includes The Witch Queen, Beyond Light, and Shadowkeep. Along with the three campaigns, you can unlock 37 Exotic weapons, 15 Exotic pieces of armor, and the power of Stasis.

The Witch Queen takes you into Savathun’s Throne World to uncover how she and her Lucent Hive stole the Light. You will craft new weapons, learn the power of the new Glaive, and try to survive her web of lies.

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