Category: IGN

Nightdive Studios announced that System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition — its modernized edition of the 1999 classic sci-fi horror action role-playing game — has been renamed System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster and is also coming to Nintendo Switch.

System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster will soon be released on Windows PC via Steam and GOG and on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch.

Civilization 7 features some of the most significant gameplay changes the long-running strategy series has ever seen. Chief among them is the ability to, for the first time, mix leaders with civs they have nothing to do with, going by real-world history.

In previous Civ games, the civilizations themselves are tied to a specific leader, usually a famous head of state, in such a way as to make historical sense. Elizabeth I, for example, leads the English. Gandhi leads the Indians, and so on.

Civilization 7, however, lets players mix and match history for some crazy combinations, and while some players have said they are enjoying the gameplay possibilities this system unlocks, others have bemoaned what they consider to be an assault on historical accuracy — a quality the Civilization franchise is known for.

A full campaign in Civilization 7 is one that goes through all three Ages: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. Once the Age is completed, all players (and any AI opponents) experience an Age Transition simultaneously. During an Age Transition, three things happen: you select a new civilization from the new Age to represent your empire, you choose which Legacies you want to retain in the new Age, and the game world evolves. The Civilization games have never had such a system.

In an interview with IGN, Civilization 7 lead designer Ed Beach explained Firaxis’ thinking here, and defended the gameplay changes as they relate to historical accuracy.

“I think what we actually did is moved it around to a different place,” Beach said.

“So if you look at previous Civ games, you would have historical anomalies such as America existing in 4,000 BC or Sweden and Canada in 4,000 BC. And none of those things actually made any sense. They were just accepted parts of the Civ canon.

“But now if you’re going to get to America, you’re going to start somewhere else. You’re going to start with Rome and go to the Normans and then go to America. I just did a Harriet Tubman playthrough where I was trying to honor her African heritage, and so I played as Aksum and then as the Songhai and then came over to America. So these are all valid pathways through history. You can set them up so that the leaders make good sense with this one, and arguably the history is more solid this way than it was before.”

Beach acknowledged, however, that Civilization 7 opens up the possibility for players to create combinations “that seem like we’re breaking history even more than before,” but insisted its fresh take on video game history “is a healthy one.”

“There are ways you can take the game that we’re putting together with Civ 7 and mix up the history in an even more scrambled fashion than you ever had before,” Beach said. “So you can take Confucius and you can have him lead Spain, or you can take Xerxes from Persia and have him lead the Mayan civilization.

“So absolutely, there are crazy combinations that seem like we’re breaking history even more than before, but there are some problems that we fixed. So I’d like to look at as we’ve moved it around. It’s a new way for players to experience and think about history, and I think that kind of fresh take is a healthy one.”

Generally speaking, Civilization 7’s changes have divided the franchise’s fanbase, although the game’s ‘mixed’ user review rating on Steam has more to do with launch deficiencies Firaxis is working to address. Beach told IGN he never set out to deliberately cause a furore within the Civilization community, but insisted the changes came from a desire to have more players actually finish a game of Civilization 7 compared to previous titles in the series.

“Anyone who knows me, that’s really not sort of in my personality or DNA to purposely try to shake people up,” Beach said.

“There are people that do that for sure, but that’s not where I usually come from. We really just wanted to, I think, accomplish two things. One, we needed to really think about the Civ formula and what was working and what wasn’t working. And it’s not just the Civ formula, it’s the 4X strategy formula in general. There is this exponential explosion of objects in the world and decisions forced on the players. And in most 4X games that just sort of continues linearly from the beginning of the game, exploding outward in all directions. But it’s really hard to finish a 4X strategy game because the end of the game is so tedious to get through usually that it’s just a problem. So it was really that was the number one thing that we were trying to address.

“Now, I’d say the second point is that every time we do a new version of Civilization, it’s not okay for us to take the exact same gameplay that we had before, put a fresh coat of paint on it, sharpen up the units models and the way the game world looks and say, Hey, we’re done. We really want each version of Civilization to have sort of a signature element that people associate with it. And so if breaking the game up into big chapters where each chapter has a climactic finish to it and then you take a breath and reset and go into the next stage, if we felt like that was going to be an improvement to the whole 4X strategy formula, we wanted to do that. And it also gives a signature element for Civ 7.”

Executive producer Dennis Shirk chimed in to say Firaxis didn’t want to take the Madden team approach putting out an “iterative release” with Civilization 7. “We’ve got a highly polished Civilization 6 planted there right now,” Shirk said. “We’ve got a ton of players playing it. Ed and his team… every time they do a version of the game, everything is put on the table. We put everything into it as a team to make a new experience. It’s not something where we strategize over the next few iterations the kind of things that we want to do from version to version. It just gets all on the table.”

Perhaps in the shorter term, Firaxis will be working to address Civ 7’s ‘mixed’ user review rating on Steam, which stems from various community complaints around the user interface, a lack of map variety, and a feeling that the game has launched without a number of key features fans have come to expect.

In an interview with IGN ahead of the release of its third quarter financial results, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick acknowledged that Civilization 7 had received some negative reviews from press and players, but insisted that the “legacy Civ audience” will come around the more they play, and called Civilization 7’s early performance “very encouraging.” Oh, and if you’re wondering, there’s hope for Gandhi yet.

Looking for tips to help you take over the world? Check out our guide to completing every Civ 7 victory, our run down of the biggest Civ 7 changes for Civ 6 players, and the 14 crucial Civ 7 mistakes to avoid. We’ve also got explanations on all the Civ 7 map types and difficulty settings so you know what you’re getting into.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Elden Ring Nightreign’s first network test — ongoing at the time of this article’s publication — is suffering from significant server issues that have prevented many from playing.

IGN staff with access to the test reported server problems so extreme they were unable to access the game for the test’s first hour.

The issues were bad enough that FromSoftware issued a statement on social media, confirming that players were struggling to find a match due to server congestion. The developer apologized, but encouraged players to try matching again after a while.

It appears the PlayStation servers in particular are having problems, and indeed were brought down for maintenance. “The #NIGHTREIGN PlayStation servers are currently under maintenance,” FromSoftware tweeted. “Work is ongoing to restore server functionality. Further updates will be provided. Thank you for your patience and understanding.”

Exacerbating the problem is the fact the Elden Ring Nightreign network test is only available during five three-hour periods on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S from February 14 to February 17. Here’s the current schedule:

Elden Ring Nightreign network test session timings:

• February 14: 3am-6am PT / 6am-9am ET
• February 14: 7pm-10pm PT / 10pm-1am ET
• February 15: 11am-2pm PT / 2pm-5pm ET
• February 16: 3am-6am PT / 6am-9am ET
• February 16: 7pm-10pm PT / 10pm-1am ET

The network test is a “preliminary verification test in which the selected testers play a portion of the game prior to the full game launch,” Bandai Namco said.

“This large-scale Network Stress Test is designed to evaluate various aspects of the online system’s functionality and performance. We are looking forward to your cooperation to make Elden Ring Nightreign even better.”

It is of course better that Elden Ring Nightreign suffers server issues now than when it launches in May, but players who had earmarked time to try out the game now have expressed their frustration. Hopefully subsequent play sessions will run more smoothly.

Elden Ring Nightreign is FromSoftware’s standalone co-operative spin-off set in a world parallel to that of 2022’s Elden Ring. The network test will allow three players to team up and take their chosen Nightfarers to battle “against new terrors, and explore an ever-changing map to defeat increasingly challenging bosses and ultimately take on the Nightlord,” Bandai Namco added, before confirming the network test features a three day-and-night cycle squads must try to outlast.

Last year IGN had the opportunity to visit FromSoftware and go hands-on with an early build of Elden Ring Nightreign. We came away impressed, stating that Elden Ring Nightreign “takes the cautious dungeon crawls of Elden Ring and turbocharges them into propulsive, slash ‘n’ dash speedruns.”

Check out IGN’s interview with game director Junya Ishizaki for even more on Elden Ring Nightreign.

Elden Ring Nightreign launches on May 30, 2025 priced $40 across PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

What happens to GTA Online when Grand Theft Auto 6 comes out? That’s a question a lot of GTA Online players have been asking ever since GTA 6 was announced. And now, as GTA 6’s fall 2025 release date approaches, they’re no closer to an answer.

GTA Online is Rockstar’s hugely profitable live service that continues to pull in players even now, well over a decade since launch. Its enduring appeal and ability to print money is thought to have influenced Rockstar’s decision to prioritize the live service over story DLC for Grand Theft Auto 5, much to the annoyance of some fans. But there is a more pressing concern looming over the horizon.

When GTA 6 eventually comes out, it is expected to bring with it a new and improved GTA Online. Perhaps this will be GTA Online 2. Perhaps it will be called GTA Online, as before. Either way, players of the existing GTA Online have expressed concern that all their time, effort, and money spent in the current GTA Online will be left behind for a potential clean break later this year.

So, why invest time and money into GTA Online now, in early 2025, when the new GTA Online is potentially due out in perhaps eight months or so? That’s a question IGN put to Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick during a recent interview ahead of the company’s third-quarter financial report, and his answer makes for interesting reading.

While Zenick wouldn’t be drawn specifically on any new GTA Online because it has yet to be announced, he did talk generally about Take-Two’s form when it came to NBA 2K Online, a free-to-play online-focused version of 2K Sports’ hugely successful basketball franchise aimed at the Asian market.

NBA 2K Online launched all the way back in 2012, and then 2K Sports released NBA 2K Online 2 in 2017. Both games were maintained simultaneously, so fans of the first version could continue to play and invest their time and money safe in the knowledge they wouldn’t be left behind.

“I’m going to speak theoretically only because I’m not going to talk about a particular project when an announcement hasn’t been made,” Zelnick began. “But generally speaking, we support our properties when the consumers are involved with those titles. As an example, we launched NBA 2K Online in China, I think originally in 2012 if I’m not mistaken. And then we launched NBA 2K Online 2 in China in 2017. If I’m not mistaken. We did not sunset Online 1. They both are still in the market and they serve consumers and they’re alive and we have this massive audience.

“So we’ve shown a willingness to support legacy titles when a community wants to be engaged with them.”

That last line is of particular importance. It suggests — but doesn’t confirm at this stage — that if there is a GTA Online 2, it won’t come at the cost of GTA Online falling by the wayside. If people keep playing GTA Online, Zelnick is suggesting here, then Rockstar will continue to support it.

It’s worth noting that there’s still a huge amount we do now know about GTA 6, given all we’ve had so far is Trailer 1 and a release window. But if GTA 6 is definitely due out fall 2025, potentially after Borderlands 4’s just-announced September release date, Rockstar will have to reveal more sooner rather than later. In the meantime, check out Zelnick’s comments on whether skipping PC for GTA 6’s launch is a mistake.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is set for Update 3 next week, Bethesda has announced.

Ahead of the full patch notes, Bethesda released initial details on Update 3 in a tweet. It’s set to make a number of fixes and improvements, as well as add support for Nvidia DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation and DLSS Ray Reconstruction.

Players are hoping Update 3 fixes the various game-breaking bugs Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has suffered from since its launch in early December. Last month, Bethesda said the February update would add new graphical features and options, and the bug fixes would target issues that have prevented some players from 100%-ing the game and from climbing vines or squeezing through walls in Sukhothai. It’s unclear at this stage if any or all those changes have made it into next week’s patch.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle launched on PC and Xbox Series X and S and, as a Microsoft-owned game, day-one on Game Pass, and has reached 4 million players so far. MachineGames’ latest release garnered critical acclaim and multiple awards, including three at the D.I.C.E. Awards. A PlayStation 5 release is set for this spring.

Indiana Jones actor Harrison Ford has said Troy Baker playing the beloved character in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is proof “you don’t need artificial intelligence to steal my soul.”

Ford discussed alleviating control of Indy with The Wall Street Journal, saying he was very happy with the performance of The Last of Us actor Baker.

“You don’t need artificial intelligence to steal my soul,” Ford said. “You can already do it for nickels and dimes with good ideas and talent. He did a brilliant job, and it didn’t take AI to do it.”

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

The 28th D.I.C.E. Awards have arrived and have celebrated the best of the best in the world of video games from 2024. While there were a lot of winners across 23 categories, Astro Bot won the night by taking home Game of the Year alongside Outstanding Achievement in Animation, Outstanding Technical Achievement, Family Game of the Year, and Outstanding Achievement in Game Design.

There were a few other games that won multiple categories, and Helldivers 2 came in second with four wins for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition, Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design, Action Game of the Year, and Online Game of the Year. Balatro and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle also both brought home three wins.

In addition to honoring the best games of 2024, this year’s D.I.C.E. Awards also celebrated two individuals who both made a great impact on the video game industry. First up, former Executive Vice President of Operations for Nintendo of America was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for his time with the company and his support for the Starlight Children’s Foundation.

Next, Insomniac Games founder and president Ted Price, who recently announced his retirement from the studio, was given the Hall of Fame Award for all he has done for game development and “leading Insomniac Games for three decades and advocating for video game creators’ First Amendment rights.”

You can check out the full list of winners from the 28th D.I.C.E. Awards below.

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

• Astro Bot – WINNER
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH
• Neva
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

• Black Myth: Wukong – WINNER
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
• LEGO Horizon Adventures
• The Plucky Squire
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II

Outstanding Achievement in Character

• 1000xRESIST – Watcher
• FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH – Yuffie Kisaragi
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones – WINNER
• INDIKA – Indika
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II – Senua

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

• Astro Bot
• Helldivers 2 – WINNER
• Monument Valley 3
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
• Star Wars Outlaws

Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design

• Frostpunk 2
• Helldivers 2 – WINNER
• Monument Valley 3
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
• Still Wakes the Deep

Outstanding Achievement in Story

• 1000xRESIST
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – WINNER
• Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Still Wakes the Deep
• Thank Goodness You’re Here!

Outstanding Technical Achievement

• Astro Bot – WINNER
• Batman: Arkham Shadow
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Action Game of the Year

• Batman: Arkham Shadow
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Helldivers 2 – WINNER
• Stellar Blade

Adventure Game of the Year

• 1000xRESIST
• ANIMAL WELL
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – WINNER
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Family Game of the Year

• Astro Bot – WINNER
• Cat Quest III
• Little Kitty, Big City
• The Plucky Squire
• Super Mario Party Jamboree

Fighting Game of the Year

• Blazing Strike
• DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO
• Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns
• TEKKEN 8 – WINNER
• UNDERDOGS

Racing Game of the Year

• F1® 24 – WINNER
• MotoGP™24
• NIGHT-RUNNERS™ PROLOGUE

Role-Playing Game of the Year

• FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH
• Dragon Age: The Veilguard
• ELDEN RING: Shadow of the Erdtree
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
• Metaphor: ReFantazio – WINNER

Sports Game of the Year

• EA SPORTS College Football 25
• EA SPORTS FC 25
• MLB The Show 24 – WINNER
• NBA 2K25

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

• Balatro – WINNER
• Caves of Qud
• Frostpunk 2
• Tactical Breach Wizards
• Satisfactory

Immersive Reality Technical Achievement

• Alien: Rogue Incursion
• Batman: Arkham Shadow
• Skydance’s BEHEMOTH
• Starship Home – WINNER
• UNDERDOGS

Immersive Reality Game of the Year

• Alien: Rogue Incursion
• Batman: Arkham Shadow – WINNER
• Escaping Wonderland
• Skydance’s BEHEMOTH
• UNDERDOGS

Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game

• ANIMAL WELL
• Balatro – WINNER
• Grunn
• INDIKA
• Mouthwashing

Mobile Game of the Year

• Balatro – WINNER
• Halls of Torment
• Monument Valley 3
• Paper Trail
• Wuthering Waves

Online Game of the Year

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred
• Helldivers 2 – WINNER
• Marvel Rivals
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

• ANIMAL WELL
• Astro Bot – WINNER
• Balatro
• Helldivers 2
• UFO 50

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

• 1000xRESIST
• ANIMAL WELL – WINNER
• Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
• Riven
• Thank Goodness You’re Here!

Game of the Year

• Astro Bot – WINNER
• Balatro
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Helldivers 2
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on TikTok.

We just got our first PlayStation State of Play for 2025 with several big announcements from Metal Gear Solid Delta to a new game from developer Housemarque. While the best part of any new showcase is new game announcements, release dates, and trailers, we know some announcements are bigger than others.

That’s why we’re giving you a chance to rank your favorite announcements from the recent PlayStation State of Play. Was it the first look at Saros? Or the new game from the lead designer of Grand Theft Auto? With over 20 announcements from yesterday’s showcase, look back at our Everything Announced post and decide which big reveal made the most impact on you.

As for me, the Metal Gear Solid Delta release date was probably my most anticipated announcement, but it was also really cool to finally get a look at the main character of Capcom’s upcoming Onimusha: Way of the Sword. And what’s more, it’s incredible that he’ll be modeled after one of my favorite actors, Toshiro Mifune.

So let us know how the State of Play news items ranked for you below.

Matt Kim is IGN’s Senior Features Editor.

If you want a single platform to play games at home and on the go, the Nintendo Switch has got your back. Even better if you’re a fan of Sonic: Ever since the Switch arrived in 2017, Sega has worked like clockwork to consistently release Sonic games for the hybrid console. Last year we got Sonic x Shadow Generations alongside the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie, so it’s safe to say Sega’s speedster is bigger than ever.

Now that the Switch 2 has been officially announced, it’s pretty much guaranteed more Sonic games are on the way. Thankfully, the Switch 2 trailer confirms the system’s backward compatibility, so your existing Sonic games aren’t going anywhere. For anyone looking to check out the modern era of Sonic (and friends), here are all the Sonic the Hedgehog games you can play right now as well as upcoming Sonic games we expect to see on the Switch 2.

How Many Sonic Games Are There on Nintendo Switch?

A total of nine Sonic games have been released for Nintendo Switch. This spans the first year of the system back in 2017 to the most recent game, Sonic x Shadows, released in October 2024. Keep in mind that this list below does not include the games available with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.

Sonic Mania was developed by PagodaWest Games and Sonic fangame community member Christian Whitehead as a love letter to the classic Sonic the Hedgehog titles released on the Sega Genesis and Sega CD platforms. Taking place after the events of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, the game remixes eight iconic levels, including Green Hill Zone and Chemical Plant Zone, and introduces five new ones, including the glamorous Studiopolis Zone and the peaceful Press Garden Zone. This game also introduces a new troupe of Eggbots called the Hard-Boiled Heavies for Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles to beat.

Mania is considered one of the best Sonic games of the 2010s because of the experiment in allowing a group of Sonic fans to create a game other Sonic fans would love, the vivid neon graphics, and the new challenges present in every stage.

Sonic Forces (2017)

Sonic Forces makes Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic form a resistance against Dr. Eggman after he conquered most of the world alongside Infinite, a masked jackal who uses the Phantom Ruby to create doppelgangers and warp reality. The game switches gameplay modes between third-person Boost gameplay with Modern Sonic, side-scrolling gameplay with Classic Sonic, and a mode with the custom avatar character, which can be any animal you want, whose weapons use Wisp power-ups. Forces’ writing and lighting aren’t exactly the best in the series, but the game is still tolerable for some people.

Team Sonic Racing (2019)

Team Sonic Racing takes racing games to a whole new level by having players race with each other, not against each other. This game has a cooperative gameplay mechanic similar to Splatoon and Overwatch, using Sonic Heroes as a frame of reference, where you play in teams of three characters and work together to win each race, paying very close attention to your teammates’ performance and sharing Wisp power-ups with them to allow them to speed up and pull your ranks. Since most of the karts are sports cars, you can customize them with gold rims and paint your car any color you want West Coast Customs style.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 (2019)

Released a year before the real-life Tokyo Olympic Games was scheduled to begin (only to be postponed to 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic), Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 brings the platform rivalry between the jolly red plumber, the speedy blue hedgehog, and their respective friends back to the world stage with new events, like surfing, skateboarding, karate, and sport climbing, and bonus features. The game includes a story mode that takes Mario and Sonic back to the Tokyo 1964 Olympics and their early 2D sprite selves, while everyone else works to help bring them back to the real world in the present day. You get the best of both eras and some history lessons about the Olympic Games in Tokyo to go with it.

Sonic Colors: Ultimate (2021)

Sonic Colors: Ultimate is a remastered version of the original Sonic Colors developed by Blind Squirrel Games for Sonic’s 30th anniversary in 2021. The remaster enhanced the graphics to brighten up the colors of Eggman’s interplanetary amusement park and the character models, introduced a new Jade Ghost Wisp to help Sonic phase through walls and ceilings, replaced the traditional lives with rescues from Tails, and introduced mini races against Metal Sonic. You can also collect Park Tokens to customize Sonic with the wackiest designs for his shoes and gloves.

Sonic Origins (2022)

Sonic Origins compiles the first four classic Sonic games released on the Sega Genesis and Sega CD and remasters them for modern consoles and the audience that plays on them, whether they’re veteran fans seeking a nostalgia fix or young fans who want to understand Sonic’s history. Players can experience the game in Classic Mode, which is the original format presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio, or Anniversary Mode, which replaces lives with coins and allows Sonic to use Drop Dash as he did in Sonic Mania. Each game in the compilation features new animated cutscenes at the beginning and end done by the incomparable Tyson Heese to connect all four games into a cohesive story, provided you play them in the original release order.

Sonic Frontiers (2022)

Sonic Frontiers is the first open-world game in the Sonic franchise – or should we say, “open-zone”? – born out of a trend of open-world games being styled after The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Sonic explores the vast Starfall Islands to fight cybernetic enemies, solve various puzzles, and run through Cyber Space levels modeled after the levels from past Sonic titles in an effort to save his friends from the digitized dimension. Both veteran and new Sonic fans alike will enjoy running around the mysterious island set to a soundtrack that strikes a delicate balance between serenity and chaos.

Sonic Superstars (2023)

Sonic Superstars is a collaborative effort between Sega and Arzest to bring 3D graphics to a Classic Sonic game, a move that surprised everyone at the 2023 Summer Game Fest (including this author). With Classic Sonic being a CGI character on his own for the first time and classic levels getting revamped with new music and upgraded level designs, the game allows up to four people to locally play together as Sonic and his friends throughout 11 levels across the Northstar Islands and grants new powers for every Chaos Emerald they collect to overcome obstacles.

Sonic X Shadow Generations (2024)

Team Sonic’s latest is Sonic X Shadow Generations, a remastered version of 2011’s Sonic Generation that goes beyond graphical upgrades and quality-of-life improvements by including an all-new campaign comprised of reminagined Shadow stages from past Sonic games. The two campaigns combine for 15-20 hours of content across over 150 stages, leading us to say in our Shadow x Generations review that it “soars far and above previous enhanced versions we’ve gotten in the Sonic franchise.”

With so many great games coming down the pipeline, now’s a great time to hop on the Xbox Game Pass bandwagon. If some titles joining the catalog this year have caught your eye and you’re itching to join in on the fun, we have good news: You can score some savings on a three-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership right now at Amazon, which is worth taking advantage of.

You can learn more about that deal, what’s coming soon to Game Pass, and the big releases still to come below.

Navigate to:

• Best Xbox Game Pass Deals
• What’s Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass?
• What Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass?
• Biggest Games Releasing on Xbox Game Pass

Best Xbox Game Pass Deals

In an era of live services, MMOs, and generally disconnected online experiences, the idea of local multiplayer is quickly becoming a rarity. And while we have seen a handful of great couch co-op experiences pop up here and there, such as TMNT Shredders Revenge, Overcooked, and Hazelight Studios’ very own It Takes Two, I can’t think of anything I’ve played recently that resonated with me quite like Split Fiction. From its plethora of varying gameplay types, such as a twin-stick shooter, a pinball inspired puzzle platformer, and in one instance, a hot dog simulator, to its dazzling graphics and believable character dialogue, Split Fiction is looking to not only be another standout title in a year full of promising releases, but something that anyone who’s looking for a fun and unique local multiplayer game should pencil in on their gaming calendar.

In Split Fiction you play as either Mio or Zoe, two aspiring writers who are chosen to take part in an early test of a machine that will bring their stories to life. From what I saw, this plot device not only helps build the world of Split Fiction, but also provides a perfect excuse to seamlessly transition between its sci-fi and fantasy settings. During the few hours I got to play, jumping back and forth never felt forced or tedious, and while I’m admittedly not the biggest fan of fantasy unless the word “Final” is attached in some way, I never found myself getting bored of Zoe’s fantasy worlds. This was supported by Split Fiction’s well-written and believable dialogue between characters, which helped convince me that I was watching two real people who are polar opposites interact with each other in their own make-believe worlds.

If you played Hazelight’s previous games (It Takes Two and A Way Out), you probably have a pretty good idea of what’s in store for you with Split Fiction. A shared multiplayer experience on either the same or a split screen that’s full of cleverly designed puzzles that require teamwork and communication, all wrapped up in a nice-looking and well-written package. What sets Split Fiction apart from other couch co-op games is its clever integration of numerous gameplay styles, keeping the experience fresh and engaging.

In fact, the variety of gameplay styles in Split Fiction is easily its most standout feature. And during my brief time with it, it was clear that this isn’t another standard two-player puzzler or beat-’em-up experience. Hazelight obviously took its time to refine the variety of gameplay types in here, because nothing felt like it was rushed or created in order to add variety for the sake of variety. One standout moment for me was a section where Zoe and Mio have to snowboard their way out of an active warzone, which felt more like a blend of Sonic Adventure Battle and SSX than your typical on-rails downhill spectacle. In this moment, Split Fiction introduced a points mechanic where I had to compete against my partner, performing as many grinds, grabs, and flip tricks as possible while trying to avoid death. While this mechanic has been done before in more games than I can count, the fact that this instance is just one of dozens really shows the potential of fun things to do in Split Fiction.

That’s not to say they were all hits, though. One section had us playing a hybrid of a platformer and pinball where I was controlling the ball and my partner was controlling the pinball paddles. This required some precise timing on both of our ends, and it was a creative way to introduce a slower puzzle mechanic to a game that has a surprising amount of action in it. While I found myself getting a bit frustrated whenever I messed up a badly timed jump, the satisfaction I felt once my partner and I finished any of the campaign’s collaborative tasks really elevated the experience.

And just to be clear: Split Fiction is 100% a collaborative experience that keeps you on your toes throughout; single-player is not an option. But unlike most co-op games where both players need to fight a screen full of enemies or break a bunch of blocks in order to progress to the next level, Split Fiction requires a heavy amount of teamwork and critical thinking from both players in its heavy action as well as its mellower puzzle sections. Throughout my demo time, I found myself communicating more with my partner and working together to try to figure out the puzzles and bosses because, refreshingly, Split Fiction does not hold your hand whatsoever. Thats not to say this is suddenly a soulslike in terms of difficulty, but there wasn’t a moment where the UI pointed us in the right direction or gave us a hint on what to do. Which is kind of the point of Split Fiction and co-op games as a whole, and definitely made my demo a really fun and rewarding experience.

In a time where every game can either be played solo or is completely full of NPCs or people online who don’t really want to interact outside of a few words here and there, Split Fiction really looks to raise the bar in what a co-op experience can be. I appreciated everything from its interesting use of multiple gameplay styles spanning across many genres, to its cleverly written dialogue and beautiful-looking worlds, plus the fact that it requires you to actively play with someone else and think outside of the box to solve its puzzles. And in a year packed with dozens of promising releases, Split Fiction is definitely looking to set itself apart from the pack in a way that few games can.