The next Xbox Partner Preview, a showcase focused on third-party games coming to the platform, is upon us!

The latest showcase will focus entirely on games produced by studios that don't belong to Microsoft, so don't expect any updates on Halo or Gears of War here. It's going down today, March 26, so there's not long to wait.

Here’s everything you need to know, including when and where to watch.

What to expect from the Xbox Partner Preview

This will also be the first showcase under new CEO Asha Sharma; however, these showcases take a lot of preparation time, and it was most likely in the works under previous leadership at Xbox.

With that said, starting off, Xbox has confirmed the showcase will take place on Thursday, March 26, 2026, at 10am Pacific. Check the handy table below to see how that converts to where you are.

More interestingly, though, is what will actually be shown. Stranger Than Heaven is the first game we know of, developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. It is described as a detective game set in 20th-century Japan, but not much else is known so far.

Next, fans can expect an update on S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. That could mean anything at this stage, but the game launched first on Xbox and we're keen to see what's next.

Another that stands out is The Expanse: Osiris Reborn. It is one of my more anticipated titles and looks to capture the feel of games like Mass Effect, especially for fans of The Expanse TV series.

Outside of this, fans can also expect to see upcoming games from SEGA, GSC Game World and Owlcat Games, however, these are the studios involved in developing the aforementioned games, so keep your expectations in check.

Finally, Xbox says this is not all, teasing first looks and new announcements for games coming to Xbox consoles, Xbox on PC, and Game Pass.

The showcase will be streamed on YouTube and Twitch and you can watch the YouTube stream with the embedded video player above.

Chat all things Xbox March Partner Preview with us on our subreddit!

We'll be following the showcase closely and posting all the major news on the site, but we also want to hear from you!

Feel free to use the comments below to share your own thoughts, hopes, disappointments, or anything really connected to the showcase.

Additionally, come on over to our subreddit, and take part in our dedicated Xbox Partner Preview discussion thread. We'd love to hear from you!

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

It's a sad way to start a new week, but one of the most influential figures in gaming has sadly passed away. Hideki Sato, the designer behind all of Sega's consoles, has died at the age of 77.

The report comes from Japanese outlet Beep 21 (via VGC) that Sato passed away this past weekend.

Sato leaves behind a legacy that is, quite literally, the reason I call myself a gamer today. From the Master System through to Sega's swansong in the Dreamcast, Sato's team was behind it all.

Sato went on to become Sega's president from 2001 through 2003, as the company transitioned away from hardware, eventually leaving in 2008.

When Sega's earliest consoles came to market, Nintendo was already the established giant, and you could easily argue that without the competition, the landscape would look very different, today.

The arrival of PlayStation, in particular, had a lasting effect on Sega's place in the console market. The Sega Dreamcast, the final hurrah, had a partnership with Microsoft to run Windows CE software, but ultimately Xbox arrived, and the rest is history.

I feel immense sadness at this news, though. The Master System was the first console I ever played. As a youngling, my friend group were all Sega players, and at the age of eight, my parents bought me a Mega Drive (Genesis in other markets), and that set my love of gaming in motion.

Even before online gaming existed, it was this newfound, shared passion with my friends that provided many cherished childhood memories. And at eight years old, finishing Sonic the Hedgehog in one sitting — without using the level select cheat as a sort of save and quit —felt like some achievement.

To this day the Dreamcast remains my all-time favorite console. I didn't have one from new because they were expensive; it launched before I was old enough to get a job, and as I already had a PlayStation, my parents (quite rightly) weren't keen on buying another console.

But a friend had one, and I was instantly smitten with the outrageous nature of the controller and the VMU. Crazy Taxi was an instant hit, and ChuChu Rocket was ridiculously fun.

I've owned Dreamcasts since. One had technical issues, and the other sadly didn't make it through a house move. But out of every console I've ever owned from any manufacturer, nothing will ever dethrone it.

So, I pay tribute to the man that kickstarted it all. But most of all, remain eternally happy for everything he did. Legends never truly die. Do please share your own Sega memories in the comments below.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Microsoft's Minecraft is many things. It’s a community hub, a creative sandbox, and a place where millions of players build, explore, and experiment.

It’s also one of Xbox’s biggest IPs, a block-based survival game where you mine resources, craft tools, and shape the world however you like.

Since its original release, Minecraft has officially made its way to Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, 3DS, Android, iOS, and just about every modern platform imaginable. Now, thanks to some impressive homebrew work, it’s heading somewhere far less expected: the Sega Saturn.

If you’re unfamiliar, the Sega Saturn was a fifth-generation console that launched in Japan in 1994, during the height of Nintendo and SEGA’s rivalry. It was the home of franchises like Sonic, and few would have imagined it running something like Minecraft decades later.

A passion project that shouldn’t be possible

Minecraft is no stranger to strange ports. The game has appeared on the Nintendo 3DS, PS Vita, and even runs on a Raspberry Pi. Hobbyists have also managed to get rough versions running on hardware like the Nintendo GameCube and more.

Now, @FrogBull on Patreon has taken it a step further by bringing it to the Sega Saturn, and it’s actually playable.

You can currently place blocks, destroy them, and explore a basic world. That’s about the extent of it for now, but the fact that it runs at all is impressive.

It does, however, raise the obvious question: Why? The developer explains it simply:

The project is still ongoing. The developer is even considering adding optional support for the 4MB RAM expansion cartridge for the Sega Saturn, which could allow for larger worlds and further improvements.

Would you actually try Minecraft on a Sega Saturn, or is this one of those projects that is more impressive than practical? Let us know your thoughts in the comments and make sure to take part in our poll below:

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

One of the many major announcements from the Game Awards 2025 was for Total War: Warhammer 40K, the next entry in both the long-running Total War franchise and the grimdark science-fiction world of Warhammer 40,000.

This announcement serves as a massive inflection point, as not only is developer Creative Assembly collaborating with an extraordinarily popular property, but for the first time, the team is promising to bring a Total War game to consoles, as Total War: Warhammer 40K is also coming to Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5.

It's a huge opportunity, and it could see the popularity of Total War as a whole skyrocket, provided the team can nail several different major elements all at once.

So many huge possibilities

At a surface level, this game's potential speaks for itself. Warhammer 40,000 has arguably never been more popular as a brand, with numerous well-received video games over the past few years. That kind of popularity could incentivize newcomers to check the game out, in turn bringing in a larger audience more interested in Total War as a whole, not just this latest game.

That's only more true with a console release, something that's never happened before in the Total War franchise. Getting that wider audience interested and keeping them around will be challenging, especially since the dark and vast universe of Warhammer 40,000 is on a completely different scale compared to anything Total War that's come before.

Where some games focused on particular continents or landmasses, Total War: Warhammer 40K is instead taking place across the galaxy, with planetary travel and fleets confirmed from the earliest look as the developers envision a "galactic sandbox" for players to conquer and explore.

Even on the ground, early screenshots look very different from anything previously seen, with a radically different user interface, unit selection, and more. I don't envy the team at Creative Assembly in adapting to make Total War feel playable on a controller while still making sure that PC players don't lose any options or overall strategic depth.

There is plenty of more traditional Total War to look forward to

Of course, not everything rests solely on the reception to this one game, as Creative Assembly also recently announced Total War: Medieval 3. It won't be arriving any time soon — it's explicitly described as having just entered pre-production — but still, it's a game that longtime fans have begged for over the years.

Even before that game arrives, the studio isn't done updating some of its existing library, with Total War: Warhammer 3 getting a new expansion later in 2026. Dubbed Lords of the End Times, it takes after the infamous tabletop event, bringing in Nagash and other new Legendary Lords alongside a host of in-game crises and other features.

There is a huge amount of variety on the way, with something to potentially appeal to everybody. It's an exciting time to be a Total War player, and if Creative Assembly can spin all these plates appropriately, the franchise's best and brightest days may still be ahead.

The execution will be key, and it certainly won't be easy, but it's thrilling all the same. I'm looking forward to seeing what the future brings.

Are you a Total War fan, or a Warhammer enthusiast? Maybe both? Are you excited for this upcoming title, or is there something missing? Let me know!

As previously promised, developer Creative Assembly showed up to the Game Awards 2025 to reveal the next big Total War strategy game the team is working on.

As many may have guessed, the developer is staying in the realm of Games Workshop properties, with Total War: Warhammer 40K on the way. Actor David Harbour (Stranger Things) took to the stage to reveal the game, while also announcing that he'll be part of the game's cast.

You can check out the reveal trailer below:

The brief look at gameplay is quite revealing, showing a look at massed armies of humanity with Space Marines taking on Orks. Notably, it also reveals that factions will be competing across multiple planets, meaning it's war at a far greater scale than any prior Total War game.

While Total War: Warhammer 40K will be coming to Windows PC like players would expect, it'll also be coming to Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, marking a first for the long-running series.

Creative Assembly previously noted that console releases could be possible in the future, specifically namedropping Xbox and PlayStation when discussing upgrades to the game engine the studio uses.

Titled the Warcore engine, these upgrades have focused on improved physics, pathfinding, and vehicle functionality, among other features.

Looking ahead, Creative Assembly is also working on Total War: Medieval 3, though this game is explicitly extremely early in development, having just entered pre-production as the studio seeks to solicit player feedback on numerous systems.

A team is also continuing to work on Total War: Warhammer 3, with a new expansion called Lords of the End Times bringing Nagash and a variety of dangerous endgame threats to the Warhammer Fantasy world in Summer 2026.

During Creative Assembly's Total War showcase on Thursday, the studio took time to reveal an entirely new game that the team is working on with the long-requested Total War: Medieval 3.

The Total War franchise has spanned numerous settings in history over the years with the Medieval titles in Europe, the Shogun games set in Japan, Three Kingdoms in China, and more.

The series even plunged into a fantasy crossover with the Total War: Warhammer sub-series, which is still ongoing with new DLC and updates. Total War: Medieval 3 notably marks the first time one of these sub-series (outside of Warhammer) has received a third entry.

You can watch the announcement trailer below:

The developers note that Total War: Medieval 3 is currently in early pre-production, and players shouldn't expect it to launch anytime soon. The game is being revealed early on in order for the team to share behind-the-scenes details and ask for community feedback as the development process continues.

A new engine for new games

Total War: Medieval 3 is also being developed using an upgraded version of the Total War engine. Referred to as Warcore, this new version of the engine is meant to provide a better technological foundation for the future, with examples of better physics and more impressive pathfinding.

Perhaps most importantly, this engine upgrade allows Total War games to launch on Xbox and PlayStation consoles. The developers insist that the games will still be developed with PC in mind as the main focus, but the option will now be open for the future.

It's not clear at this time if that means Total War: Medieval 3 will be available on Xbox and PlayStation, so we'll have to wait to find out.

More Total War to come

Outside of the improved engine and Medieval 3, players can look forward to the Lords of the End Times DLC for Total War: Warhammer 3, which is unleashing Nagash and the titular End Times event in Summer 2026.

There is still more Total War to come, and Creative Assembly closed out the showcase by confirming that another new game is being announced during the Game Awards 2025, which is set to kick off on Dec. 11, 2025 at 4:30 p.m. PT / 7:30 p.m. ET.

What game will it be? What are you hoping for? Does the idea of maybe playing a future Total War game on a console excite you? Let me know!

Developer Creative Assembly kicked off the Total War showcase on Thursday in a big way, revealing that the next DLC coming to Total War: Warhammer 3 is at last unleashing Nagash.

The Lords of the End Times DLC is doing just that, bringing the titular event that tore apart the original Warhammer Fantasy world into the PC strategy series. You can check out the announcement trailer below:

Nagash is described as being a race unto himself, directly controlling a vast undead army that pulls on the existing Tomb Kings and Vampire Counts rosters. There are also some new powerful units, with the Khemric Titans and Morghasts added into the fray.

Nagash is the most powerful necromancer in the world, but he still seeks to delegate power for his plan through the Mortarchs, lieutenants that are giving some his power and authority.

Creative Assembly explains that Nagash will have access to the same potential Mortarchs from the original End Times, including Mannfred von Carstein and Luthor Harkon.

The End Times also brings changes to the map itself, with the world fracturing and changing through volcanic activity and Warpstone corruption. You can see a flyover of some of the changes that can happen in the video below:

Naturally, there are other Legendary Lords coming alongside Nagash, including one that'll be entirely free.

This announcement also coincides with Creative Assembly unlocking the Immortal Empires mode, meaning that anyone who owns Total War: Warhammer or Total War: Warhammer 2 can jump in and play the massive combined map without buying the third game.

We'll have to wait a bit to learn more, but for now, I'm extremely excited. Total War: Warhammer has had massive ups and downs over the years, but Nagash and the End Times are something I've hoped for since before the vision of Immortal Empires was laid out.

Total War: Warhammer 3 Lords of the End Times is slated to arrive at some point in Summer 2026, where it'll be available on Windows PC (via Epic Games Store, Steam, and the Microsoft Store).

It's time once again to round up the next batch of upcoming Xbox weekly releases. This time, we'll be highlighting a bunch of Xbox titles launching between September 22, 2025, and September 26, 2026.

There are dozens of games coming out next for Xbox Series X|S, ranging from remastered retro titles like the 3D platformer, Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac, to original indie titles like the 4-player co-op roguelite, hack n' slash, Sworn.

The biggest highlights of these upcoming Xbox titles, however, are Silent Hill f, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, and EA Sports FC 26.

EA Sports FC 26 is EA's latest entry in its long-running football simulation series, bringing in overhauled gameplay, general improvements to Career mode, and more.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is the latest entry in the Sonic Racing series. In this game, Sonic the Hedgehog, his friends, and various guest stars from other SEGA-published franchises like Persona and Like a Dragon, challenge each other in high-speed races across the multiverse.

Last but not least is Silent Hill f, a new entry in Konami's legendary horror franchise, Silent Hill.

Set in 1960s Japan, a young girl named Shimizu Hinako experiences the worst day of her life as her town of Ebisugaoka is engulfed in an oppressive fog and is suddenly infested by nightmarish creatures looking to murder her.

Now Shimizu must traverse this corrupted version of her hometown to find a means to bring it back to normal while being confronted with dark secrets that will eat away at her soul.

Here is the full list of Xbox titles launching from September 22 to 26, 2025. Don't forget to check out September 15-21, 2025's batch of Xbox titles to see if your favorite wishlisted Xbox game has been released yet.

September 22, 2025

• Baseless (Xbox Series X|S) — "Baseless is a challenging planet-jumping shooter. Blast from planet to planet with 360° gravity, creatively demolishing every enemy in your path. Fire powerful weapons, rescue cute friends, and discover a galaxy worth fighting for!"
• Brews & Bastards (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Play Anywhere) — "Brews & Bastards is an intoxicating dungeon crawler, overflowing with action-packed combat, potent brews and outlandish bosses. Select from a group of inebriated heroes and blast your way through hordes of drunken demons in search of the stolen Brew Stone."
• Endless Legend 2 (Game Preview) (Windows PC) — "A fantasy strategy game where you lead wildly varied factions as they build grand empires and wage planet-spanning wars on an ever-evolving ocean world at the brink of extinction. Cataclysmic events have wrought havoc on natural order, and the very world will change as time goes on revealing new opportunities for exploration and conquest to the bold and daring."
• SpotCat vs The Cheddar Mafia In Asia (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Play Anywhere) — "A thrilling “Find-the-Difference” game with a hidden object twist. The notorious Cheddar Mafia is spreading chaos across Asia, and only SpotCat can stop them. Explore vibrant, hand-drawn scenes from different countries, spot the subtle differences, and stay sharp—mafia rats can appear when you least expect it."

September 23, 2025

• Forgive Me Father 2 (Xbox Series X|S) — "Journey once again into a malevolent world inspired by H.P Lovecraft’s myths where madness awaits on every corner. Embark on a path to salvation as you continue the story of the Priest character from the first installment. How long can you balance on the edge of sanity? Will your sins be forgiven, or your soul consumed by madness?"
• Hyper Team Recon (Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery) — "Hyper Team Recon is an adorable 3D platformer about three aliens and their adventure across Earth! Three energetic alien slimes, Ember, Penny and Lite, are tasked to travel to Earth to learn more about the lifeforms inhabiting the planet, using their species’ unique morphing abilities to disguise themselves as girls to keep a low profile!"
• Kingdom Shell – White Temple Edition (Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery) — "The magical Shell that has protected the Kingdom for centuries has been shattered. Hordes of nightmarish creatures now overrun the Kingdom, terrorizing its inhabitants. The White Temple, which has stood guard over the Kingdom for centuries, cannot face this threat alone. Explore the lands of the Kingdom, fight hordes of nightmarish creatures and powerful bosses, find secrets, help inhabitants in distress and stop the impending catastrophe."
• Radiant: Guardians of Light (Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery) — "Radiant: Guardians of Light is a fast-paced co-op action adventure where magic, teamwork, and powerful gear come together to decide the fate of a kingdom. The kingdom of Helia is under threat, and only the Guardians can push back the darkness. Explore stunning hand-crafted worlds, face massive bosses, and master elemental powers as you fight to rescue those you love."
• Slime Rancher 2 (1.0) (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Play Anywhere) — "A sequel to the award-winning, smash-hit original that has been enjoyed by over 10 million fans worldwide. Continue the adventures of Beatrix LeBeau as she journeys to Rainbow Island, a mysterious land brimming with ancient technology, unknown natural resources, and an avalanche of wiggling, jiggling, new slimes to discover."

September 24, 2025

• Bunny Pit Stop (Xbox Series X|S) — "Get ready to hop into action in Bunny Pit Stop, a puzzle game where a clever rabbit mechanic takes center stage. Inspired by the classic push-and-place style, your mission is simple but tricky: push cars into their maintenance bays and keep the garage running smoothly."
• Edgar Poe: Hidden Objects Game (Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery) — "Do you know who pioneered the world of detective fiction and whose legacy still leaves us guessing? Discover the eerie genius of Edgar Allan Poe in The Fall of the House of Usher, reimagined as a thrilling hidden object adventure – now fully optimized for Xbox!"
• Electronics Puzzle Lab 2 (Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery) — "Learn circuitry and electronics engineering in a fun way with concepts simple enough for beginners but engaging for enthusiasts! Awaken your inner engineer once again with the brainteasing circuitry of Electronics Puzzle Lab 2! In this fun and educational 3D puzzle game, your task is to inspect circuit boards and adjust power LED lights. Take a seat at your workbench, cut wires, flip switches and more as you trace the path of the current. Start with basic puzzles and progress to advanced challenges that will test your limits in logic and electronic knowledge."
• Emerald Huntress (Xbox Series X|S) — "Precision. Speed. Survival. Dive into a deadly forest in this fast-paced action platformer. Battle fierce enemies, dodge traps, and uncover hidden emeralds across 10 challenging stages. Master melee, ranged, and aerial attacks to survive escalating threats and unlock powerful upgrades. Only the sharpest reflexes will reveal every secret."
• Full Throttle Parking (Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery, Xbox Play Anywhere) — "Full Throttle Parking is a 100% physics-based arcade racing game. Your mission is clear: speed through tricky obstacle courses, collect every checkpoint, and park your car precisely in the marked spot — all in the fastest time possible."
• Ink Enigma: Hidden Object Challenges (Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery, Xbox Play Anywhere) — "Ink Enigma: Hidden Object Challenges turns every hand-drawn puzzle page into your personal sketchbook. Scan the scene, circle each secret, and watch the artwork come alive with your own signature ink."
• Meow Moments: Celebrating Beats & Books (Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery, Xbox Play Anywhere) — "Join the Celebration! In this cozy hidden-object adventure, cats and friends gather to explore creativity, connection, and self-expression across two lively scenes. Every detail invites you to imagine stories unfolding in a world where music and learning bring everyone together."

September 25, 2025

• Agatha Christie – Death on the Nile (Xbox Series X|S) — "In Death on the Nile, a peaceful cruise on the Nile is disrupted by a terrible crime. Thankfully, famous detective Hercule Poirot is onboard. Meanwhile, a private detective is tracking a murderer, leading her from London to Majorca, New York, and finally to Egypt. The two investigations collide at Abu Simbel. The dynamic duo will solve a complex case full of twists and turns. But the story doesn’t end with the book, and it still holds many mysteries and twists, even for Agatha Christie fans."
• Endoparasitic (Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery) — "A tactical survival horror game where you must manually do every action from reloading to moving. Juggle movement and firing and plan entrances to avoid getting swarmed. Drag yourself through the corridors of a secret research lab on a remote asteroid, fight off horribly mutated monsters, inject countless syringes of vaccines, and survive at all costs."
• Extremely Powerful Cabybaras (Xbox Series X|S) — "Extremely Powerful Capybaras features multiple exciting stages, hilarious (and deadly) foes, and the action will keep you busy for a long time with epic difficulty challenges and modifiers to make each run a thrill! Brave the chaos solo or with up to 4 friends in local and online multiplayer, forge your path through hordes of enemies, gather capy-powering weapons & skills and embrace your inner capybara in this action-packed bullet heaven frenzy!"
• Frozen Rune (Xbox Series X|S) — "Frozen Rune is a challenging 2D platformer with 30 levels full of traps and obstacles designed to test your precision and skill. The goal is simple, but far from easy: collect the powerful Ice Rune to open the magic door and advance to the next level. Each stage introduces new progressive challenges, where a single mistake is costly — if you take damage, you must restart the level. This mechanic increases the intensity of the experience, turning every achievement into true overcoming."
• Mamorukuen ReCurse! (Xbox Series X|S) — "Wipe out smaller enemies and clear projectiles from the screen, or power up larger enemies, making them harder to defeat… The greater the risk the higher you’ll score, and you can even curse yourself to increase your damage to overcome more challenging enemies."
• Pilot Sports (Xbox Series X|S) — "Brilliant gaming fun for the whole family! Split screen mode for up to 4 players, over 50 different courses, the widest variety of aircraft and thrilling challenges provide for all sorts of gaming enjoyment!"
• Republic of Pirates (Xbox Series X|S) — "In the heart of the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy lies the Republic of Pirates, a powerful alliance of crews united by their shared ideology and collective ambitions. But while the early days of the confederacy were prosperous, greed and jealousy soon spread, leading to a vicious mutiny and a final bloody breakup."
• Silent Hill f (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Play Anywhere) — "In 1960s Japan, Shimizu Hinako’s secluded town of Ebisugaoka is consumed by a sudden fog, transforming her home into a haunting nightmare. As the town falls silent and the fog thickens, Hinako must navigate the twisted paths of Ebisugaoka, solving complex puzzles and confronting grotesque monsters to survive. Discover a new chapter in the Silent Hill series, blending psychological horror with a haunting Japanese setting."
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (Xbox Series X|S) — "Speed to victory solo or as a team in a variety of offline and online modes and compete against players from around the world. Build the ultimate vehicle to match your racing style, unlock gadgets to gain the upper hand, and unleash power-up items to bring home the win!"
• Super Long Cat (Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery) — "Meet the cat who loves milk… and with every sip he gets longer and longer! Mommy Cat asks you to return the lost kittens home, which means you must use your unusual talent to get through tricky puzzles, jump over traps and reach the most unexpected corners of the levels. Collect milk, become longer and help Daddy Cat reunite the whole furry family. Meow!"
• Sworn (Xbox Series X|S) — "A 1-4 player co-op action rogue-like. Explore and reclaim a fallen Camelot from the reign of a corrupted Arthur and his Knights of the round table. Play solo or unite with friends to stand off against the Knights of the Round Table. Combine the strengths of your characters in surprising ways and master abilities to become knights worthy of standing off against Arthur himself."

September 26, 2026

• Airborne Justice (Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery) — "Join pilot protagonists Rock and Stan for an arcade sky battle experience built for one or two players. Control a military helicopter capable of rapid fire and maneuver through the clouds while harnessing incredible firepower. Obtain devastating weapons and bombs, shoot down imposing bosses, and unlock 3 additional modes of play. Become an ace fighter pilot and take down five intense levels of enemy air force!"
• Crystal Veins (Xbox Series X|S) — "Crystal Veins is a charming 2D platformer adventure that blends lighthearted cartoon visuals with intense subterranean challenge. Players take control of Toby, a rookie miner who wakes up trapped deep underground after a mysterious cave-in. With only his pickaxe, helmet, and a flickering lantern, he must dig, dodge, and dash his way through a forgotten mine full of secrets and dangers."
• EA Sports FC 26 (Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery) — "The Club is Yours in EA Sports FC 26. Play your way with an overhauled gameplay experience powered by community feedback. The new Authentic Gameplay option delivers the most true-to-football experience ever in Career, while the Competitive Gameplay option—driven by refined fundamentals, added consistency, and enhanced responsiveness—is tailor-made for play in Football Ultimate Team and Clubs."
• Giant Rush (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Play Anywhere) — "Run and collect stickmen of your color to grow bigger and more powerful! Outsmart traps, avoid danger, and smash everything in your path. The bigger you grow, the more unstoppable you become!"
• Grief like a stray dog (Xbox Series X|S) — "A short interactive play about a young postwoman in a tight-knit rural community. In the outside world, WW2 rages at its apex. Nadia is thirteen. She delivers papers, letters. And death notifications to families of those killed in action."
• Hanoi Puzzles: Flip Match (Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery, Xbox Play Anywhere) — "Assemble towers by flipping pieces to get the right color on top, stack pieces of the same color to assemble a tower in a mysterious futuristic atmosphere. Use the rules of the famous Tower of Hanoi puzzle, where a larger piece cannot be on top of a smaller one."
• Hotel Barcelona (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Play Anywhere) — "Justine, a rookie U.S. Marshal, thought this was just another routine case. But when her car crashes in a freak accident at the edge of nowhere, she finds herself trapped in a twisted new world: Hotel Barcelona. In this blood-soaked 2.5D sidescroller straight from your nightmares, you’ll battle through insane horror-themed floors, face killers inspired by the nastiest corners of your local video store, and every time you die, your past-self fights beside you – like a ghost with a grudge!"
• Liquid Cat (Xbox Series X|S) — "Embrace two forms in this unique puzzle-platformer! As a solid cat, leap and run through treacherous platforming challenges. Then, dive into a pipe and transform into a liquid cat! Rotate the pipes to solve intricate puzzles and create a safe path to the exit. With 40 progressively difficult levels, Liquid Cat offers a refreshing blend of fast-paced action and brain-bending logic."
• My Horse Stories (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Play Anywhere) — "Put on those cowgirl boots, style your new horse, and start racing like a champ! You were looking forward to chilling this summer in NYC, but your plans have changed. You’re sent to middle-of-nowhere Kentucky to spend the summer with your grandma on a star-stable horse farm. Soon, you realize that this summer adventure holds untold potential! The horse farm becomes your heaven, and with each passing day, you grow closer to your loyal companion – a graceful horse with whom you’ll weave your own unique horse-riding tale!"
• Napoleon Maiden Episode.1 A maiden without the word impossible (Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery, Xbox Play Anywhere) — "Shoichi Sakikawa was a normal, second-year high school student. Or, he was, until he woke up from a car accident only to find himself trapped in mid-revolution 19th century France. What saved him from an onslaught of bullets was a girl armed with a sword. “I am Napoleon Bonaparte. And one day I shall be ruler of all France.” Having been saved by this “Napoleon” in the form of a girl, Shoichi ends up accompanying her on her quest. But in this world, not only is the past distorted, but the gods grant chosen girls the gift of greatness, who in turn fight one another using superhuman abilities known as “Apocalypse.”
• NBA Bounce (Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery, Xbox Play Anywhere) — "Ready to step onto the court with your favorite team? Choose from 30 NBA teams like the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, and more as you dribble, and dunk to victory. Play on team-themed courts with energetic mascots and crowds. Can you beat the buzzer?"
• Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac (Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery) — "Pac-Man World 2 has been modernized, enhanced, and upgraded! The Ghosts snuck into PAC-Village and stole the Golden Fruit, unwittingly freeing the all-powerful ghost king, Spooky! PAC-MAN must venture across PAC-LAND to reclaim the Golden Fruit and put a stop to the dastardly Spooky!"

And there you have the next batch of Xbox titles to close out September 2026. Out of these games, I'm putting Silent Hill f on my backlog as Silent Hill has made an epic comeback recently, thanks to the amazing Silent Hill 2 remake by Bloober Team, the creators behind the equally excellent, Cronos: The New Dawn.

Are there any other upcoming Xbox titles you're excited to see? Leave us your suggestions, and we'll be sure to highlight them in the next Xbox Weekly Release round-up.

Ryu Ga Gotoku, creators of the Yakuza series, has finally revealed the title of their upcoming game. Originally named Project Century, the game will forever be known as Stranger than Heaven going forward.

They also gifted us an amazing-looking trailer that teases us with the incredible world Ryu has been cooking up.

Starting with a setting straight out of the 40s, we're gifted with a dazzling spectacle of lights dancing across the stage of a timeless singer. Who we can assume is the protagonist, who walks out for a cigarette, showcasing the change in tons from traditional Ryu Ga Gotoku games.

After getting my hands on the likes of the last three Like a Dragon games, I have become a hardened fan of anything this studio makes. Whatever they touch has been absolute gold in terms of quality.

Their previous games have all been game mechanic-heavy, showcasing a variety of mini-games and other gameplay mechanics that are almost impossible to keep track of. Stranger than Heaven might finally be the game that takes a break from all that, focusing on other aspects instead.

Who am I kidding? It's freaking Ryu Ga Gotoku. Ryu gonna Ryu, and there's absolutely no way we don't get some sort of musky poker environment, burlesque house showcase, and other timely activities that rocked the 1940s era.

I'm more upset that we didn't learn anything about the mechanics of Stranger than Heaven. I want something to nibble on, anything! Please, Gotoku, give me something to rant about in an editorial! Wait, that was a huge self-reflection moment.

Anyways, what do you think will be in Ryu Ga Gotoku's latest game, Stranger than Heaven? Are you excited to get your hands on something darker from the makers of Yakuza? Let us know below or on social media. I'm curious to read what fan theories people can cook up.

Sega has dropped a new combat trailer for its SHINOBI revival project, SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance, highlighting the 2D action platformer's unique ninja moves. SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance, which has been under development by Sega and Lizardcube, is currently expected to launch August 29 on Xbox, Nintendo, and PlayStation consoles as well as on PC via Steam.

In the trailer, we see SHINOBI hero Joe Musashi, head of the Oboro Clan, return as the brutal Ninjutsu master locked in a battle with the paramilitary faction known as ENE Corp. We get a quick look at the types of moves that players can expect to utilize in the 2D action platformer when it releases later this year.

Platforming action requires the use of Musashi's Ningi skills, including the ability to master Ninja Claws for wall climbing and the Ninja Hook for grappling across large gaps. The Ninja Glider allows the player to go airborne briefly, before dropping in on an enemy combatant and pulling off a Shinobi execution.

Musashi's Ninpo style gives the player access to brutalizing Shuriken attacks in addition to harnessing power from Fire, Water, and the Great Serpent. If that's not enough action, there's the option to power up Dragon Ball-Z style and hit the game's evil bosses with the Ninjutsu moves, including a lightning-like Raijin attack and a twin-dragon Karyu attack.

SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance features a hand-drawn 2D art style with action platformer gameplay, reviving the classic franchise from Sega's past. The revival of Shinobi was originally revealed during The Game Awards in 2023, and details about the upcoming game have slowly begun to trickle out more in recent months as the August release date draws near.

Sega tapped Lizardcube and the creators behind Streets of Rage 4 for the revival project, which will only be available digitally on all console platforms as well as Steam on PC. SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance will feature Japanese and English voice acting.

SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance is available now for preorder with a 10% preorder discount. The game will launch on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 on August 29.

On March 2, 2006, Atlus created a new action-RPG for the PlayStation 2 called Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army. It was the third entry in Shin Megami Tensei’s Devil Summoner spin-off series, which took the player on a bizarre adventure solving crimes while battling demons in 1930s Japan.

The game was considered a cult-classic for adapting Shin Megami Tensei’s turn-based combat into a real-time format, and its unique plot was filled with twists and turns.

Now, modern gamers will get to experience Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army, but refined for current platforms as RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army.

This remastered edition will include revamped graphics, an enhanced combat system, quality-of-life improvements, and much more.

I personally never played the original Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army when it first came out, as I was more invested in playing Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne and the original Persona 3 and 4 at the time. Nearly 20 years later, I now get a chance to see what I missed out on, thanks to a PC (Steam) preview code of RAIDOU Remastered sent to me by Atlus.

Will this game hold up today with all the new additions from the remaster? Let’s find out as we delve into the first two episodes of RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army.

Learning how to be a Devil Summoner

My playthrough begins with a prologue that introduces us to the main title character, Raidou Kuzunoha XIV. Raidou is the latest member of the Kuzunoha family, an ancient bloodline of Devil Summoners sworn to defend the Capital city of Japan from demons and devils through martial arts, magic, and controlling demons in battle.

During the prologue, I was given a trial to become a fully-fledged Devil Summoner and was quickly introduced to the game’s combat system by taking on hordes of demons.

Unlike traditional Shin Megami Tensei games, which have turn-based combat, RAIDOU Remastered’s combat is a real-time action-RPG affair where you have to move around, dodge, and block enemy attacks at the right time, while interweaving light and heavy attacks to form deadly combos to defeat your opponents.

RAIDOU Remastered’s combat also features familiar Shin Megami Tensei mechanics, such as being able to recruit demons mid-battle and summon them to fight for you. Plus, using elemental magic and special physical attacks to exploit an enemy’s elemental/physical weaknesses and stun them for brief periods, so you can go to town on them.

In addition, you can pause combat at any time to command your minions to perform special attacks, analyse enemy weaknesses, and use healing items to restore your team’s health.

If you grew up playing the original Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army, then you will be in for a shock because combat has been completely overhauled in RAIDOU remastered.

You no longer fight enemies on static 2D planes with pre-rendered backgrounds but in full-blown 3D arenas where you have to use camera controls and a lock-on targeting system to keep your eyes on your opponent.

Other new combat features include being able to summon two demons at once instead of one, a reworked gun mechanic so you can stun enemies with rapid-fire shots, new special attacks for Raidou to use in battle, and much more.

As someone who never played the original game, I find RAIDOU Remastered’s combat system fairly entertaining and interesting. Commanding minions to use attacks in conjunction with my own, calling them back to avoid being wiped out by a boss’s big aoe attack, and using my team’s abilities to stun an enemy before cashing out a super move while they’re vulnerable felt satisfying to pull off.

RAIDOU Remastered’s combat from this preview alone made me feel like I was playing an action-RPG version of Pokémon, and in my opinio,n it has done a better job of giving me that experience far more than Palworld ever did (as that game felt more like Ark: Survival than Pokémon to me).

It will take demonic sleuthing to crack these cases

After completing my trials and earning my stripes as a Devil Summoner, I was sent off to the Capital to become a detective for the Narumi Detective Agency. Here, I would take on cases to earn income for my Devil Summoner activities, encounter special demons to recruit for my army, and acquire special materials to forge new weapons.

Some of these cases range from optional side-missions like clearing out areas of demons or helping random civilians solve everyday problems, to more serious cases that progress the main story, like tracking down missing people or hunting a strange creature terrorizing people known as the 'Red Cape'.

Each main storyline case gets stranger and more bizarre than the last, and as you solve more of them, you may stumble upon a greater conspiracy that threatens the safety of Japan as we know it.

Without divulging any spoilers, I was intrigued by the game’s story from my time playing the first two episodes. The scenarios were somewhat creative, the main over-arching mystery is somewhat crazy and has me itching to know the answers, and it has a couple of cool action set-pieces enhanced by the overhauled combat system.

What I also found cool was being able to use the demons you recruit in battle to help solve cases, depending on their innate abilities.

Some demons can influence the minds of NPCs you question to obtain leads, while others use more physical, investigative skills like brute force, stealth, flight, and more to help you traverse obstacles or solve puzzles while exploring dungeons.

As a seasoned Shin Megami Tensei fan, it felt weird yet refreshing to use iconic demons like Jack Frost or Oni to solve mysteries instead of purely killing enemies (it was as if I was playing an ancient precursor to The Thaumaturge).

It motivated me to recruit more demons through battle or through fusing them through Frankenstein-esque experiments to create new demons to see what kind of fancy tricks I could acquire next.

Also, it would be remiss of me if I didn’t mention RAIDOU Remastered’s presentation. There’s now voice acting both in Japanese and English (which can be turned on or off), and the graphics of the original game have been completely overhauled in the remaster with a cleaner UI, revamped character models, and all the old pre-rendered backgrounds have been replaced with new 3D backgrounds.

RAIDOU Remastered’s presentation overhaul is quite well done as it manages to remain faithful to the original game’s artistic vision while improving upon it to be more pleasing to the eye. Not to mention, the game runs extraordinarily well at a solid 1080p resolution and 60fps+ framerates thanks to my PC rig’s Intel Core i5-9400 CPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card.

Thankfully, you won’t have to buy one of the best gaming laptops to run RAIDOU Remastered and experience its overhauled presentation at its best, since this game doesn’t require high PC specs, at least according to its Steam page.

Finally, the game has several quality-of-life improvements like being able to save anywhere via Quicksaving and Autosave, fast-travel between locations you’ve visited before, and five difficulty options which appeal to casual players who want to experience the story and also to hardcore action-RPG enthusiasts looking for a challenge.

I can't wait to see what lies at the end of this dark, wild mystery.

Overall, I’ve enjoyed my time playing the preview of RAIDOU Remastered. The plot has me hooked on its wild mystery, the overhauled graphics are eye-pleasing to look at, and the reworked combat system has been enjoyable and interesting thus far, with hints of new cool features to unlock later in the game.

I’m starting to see why this was considered a cult-classic back in the day, and I can’t wait to play more of this potentially awesome Pokémon-like PC title when the full game launches on June 19, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Windows and Steam.

SEGA and ATLUS have just made a special announcement that Persona 5: The Phantom X, will be launching worldwide on PC (via Google, Apple, and Steam) and mobile devices on June 26, 2025.

This turn-based RPG is a spin-off of Persona 5, one of the most popular entries of Persona series, which is widely regarded as one of the best Xbox JRPGs in the modern era.

This game (developed by Black Wings Game Studio and P-Studio, with supervision from ATLUS) was originally only available in China, Taiwan, and North Korea in early access via mobile devices. However, the rest of the world will soon get a chance to play it themselves this Summer.

In Persona 5: The Phantom X, you play as a group of teenage vigilantes known as the Phantom Thieves. By day, you live the ordinary life of high school students. By night, you become a superheroes who infiltrate Palaces (i.e. warped cognitive realities) of evil criminals to reform their wicked ways by stealing their Treasure.

The main difference is that in this upcoming PC game, you play as an entirely different group of Phantom Thieves who are not associated with the original Phantom Thieves from Persona 5.

You not only have to steal the desires of evil crooks, but you will also need to recover lost desires of innocents as well.

Gameplay-wise, Persona 5: The Phantom X functions similarly to Persona 5 but is reformatted in a mobile-gaming format. You will take part in part-time jobs and extracurricular clubs, play recreational mini-games, explore dungeons filled with deadly Shadows, and engage in turn-based battles to level up the source of your power – Personas.

As part of the game, you will experience many side stories, NPC events, and form bonds with characters thanks to the Synergy System.

On top of that, you will get to command a cast of new exciting Phantom Thieves as well as recruit the assistance of the original Persona 5 Phantom Thieves like Joker, Ann, Morgana, Makoto, and more by signing Special Contracts (which act as this game's Gacha system).

Persona 5 continues to steal the spotlight after nearly a decade

It's honestly insane how Persona 5 continues to receive new spin-offs even after nearly a decade since its original 2016 release on PlayStation 3. I can't blame ATLUS for supporting Persona 5 this long, as it's one of the most successful JRPGs it's ever created, selling over 7 million copies in its lifetime.

I can personally vouch for that as I heaped loads of praise for Persona 5 when I reviewed Persona 5: Royal's Xbox release, and gave it 4.5/5 stars for its addictive turn-based combat and social life-sim gameplay, charming characters, and fun story.

Persona 5's other spin-off titles, like Persona 5 Strikers and Persona 5 Tactica, aren't anything to sneeze at either.

Persona 5 Strikers is an entertaining hack-and-slash that arguably has a better plot than Persona 5 itself. Meanwhile, Persona 5 Tactica is an enjoyable strategy game that perfectly blends the gameplay mechanics of Persona 5 with the tactical, turn-based combat of titles like XCOM or Wasteland.

If Persona 5: The Phantom X manages to live up to this amazing pedigree, then Persona 5's legacy will continue to soar even higher than before.

Sega was the top-rated publisher of 2024, at least according to Metacritic, the popular website used for collecting reviews and providing score averages.

Metacritic published its ranking for video game publishers in 2024 on Wednesday, with the website providing details on which companies had higher average scores for games over the course of the calendar year.

Metacritic distributed points to each tracked published based on how well games reviewed, while also giving bonuses for things like games scoring at a "90" average or above.

Sega's success was thanks to a number of titles, particularly the acclaimed role-playing games Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth and Metaphor: ReFantazio which were developed by its Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and Atlus subsidiaries, respectively.

The immediate-runner up for last year? Capcom, which Metacritic crowned the winner for 2023. Capcom's strong slate continued in 2024 with games like Dragon's Dogma 2.

Sony grabbed fourth place, bolstered heavily by the success of Team Asobi's Astro Bot, which has gone on to win Game of the Year at the Game Awards 2024 and the 28th D.I.C.E. awards.

It's worth noting that titles released under Bungie and PlayStation Studios were both counted for Sony, since Bungie is a subsidiary that still publishes games separately from PlayStation Studios.

Microsoft was in ninth place, with the company releasing a number of well-regarded games such as MachineGames' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, as well as Treyarch and Raven Software's Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

In a similar vein as Sony, Microsoft includes all of its subsidiary publishing labels, meaning Metacritic included Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda Softworks, Activision Publishing, and Blizzard Entertainment all under one banner.

Nintendo can be found at #22, with the company a fair bit lower than usual thanks to not having a ton of huge titles last year. This is almost assuredly due to the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2, for which Nintendo is likely prepping a number of larger games.

An interesting assortment to look through

I'm often cautious of reading too much into review scores — despite having to score games when I review them, I'm just not a fan of distilling things down to a pure number — but I do think this is interesting data to check out.

Sega is objectively doing extremely well with its Japanese brands right now, and the output of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio in particular is just incredible to behold, with the developer putting out new Like a Dragon games at practically a yearly clip without an apparent dip in quality.

Capcom is similarly maintaining a hot streak it's mostly kept up since 2017's Resident Evil 7: Biohazard revitalized the survival-horror franchise. That isn't likely to stop this year, especially since Monster Hunter Wilds just arrived to excellent reviews.

Will Sega and Capcom pull a double act and take the top two spots on Metacritic for 2025? I have no clue, but I'm looking forward to finding out in a year.

Football Manager is one of the most popular sports games every year, but 2025 won't be seeing a new release. Announced today by its developer, Sports Interactive, and publisher Sega, Football Manager 25 is being killed before it ever releases.

The reason? Their ambitions for reworking the franchise with this year's release simply aren't achievable in the time frame, so they're cutting it rather than release something that's simply not up to scratch.

Check out the full announcement post on X below.

Game cancellations, unfortunately, do happen, but rarely this close to release. At least in this case, it isn't related to lay-offs or studio closures. This is a HUGE franchise, though, and to make a decision like this is enormous. But also commendable. How many big games get launched anyway despite being filled with issues because "oh we can just fix it later" seems to take precedence over getting people to buy it as soon as possible? Spider-Man 2, anyone?

It does also make sense in regard to the timing. As Sports Interactive outlined, if they can't get it out by March, then there's not a lot of time left before the current season ends in most of the world. By August, transfers will have happened, and the new season will be back underway.

For Football Manager players, then, it means another year on the current title. If you're not familiar and wondering just how popular it is, currently as I write this, there are nearly 55,000 people playing it on Steam alone. Its release date of November 2023 also shows how early in the season they like to get these games out.

So, it's a disappointment, but anyone who pre-ordered will get a refund and can keep on playing Football Manager 24 until Football Manager 26 is ready. At least you won't be buying a half-baked game, and that's ultimately what matters.

What you need to know

• SEGA reveals a new trailer for the next entry in its long-running Like a Dragon franchise, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.
• This gameplay trailer gives viewers an in-depth look at the story, the characters and locales you will encounter, the beat 'em up and ship-to-ship combat systems, and the various mini-games players can indulge in.
• Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii will be released on February 21, 2025, for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

During Microsoft's Xbox Partner Preview Showcase October 2024 event, SEGA made an appearance to show off a new gameplay trailer for their newly announced action game, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. This latest installment in the Like a Dragon franchise will have players embark on an insane, over-the-top swashbuckling pirate adventure in search of ancient treasure and lost memories as the series' fan-favorite anti-hero, Goro Majima.

Here's everything you need to know about the new trailer for Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii and what exciting gameplay features this upcoming Xbox title/upcoming PC title will offer.

The trailer starts with a recap of the game's premise. You play as Gora Majima, ex-Yakuza who finds himself stranded on an island off the coast of Hawaii and losing his memories of who he was and how he got here. Your goal in this game will be to guide Goro Majima on a quest to reclaim his lost memories (and grab ancient treasure along the way) by recruiting the island's residents to form a pirate crew, building a ship to traverse the seven seas, and fighting rival pirate crews impeding your path.

The trailer then cuts to a montage of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii's general gameplay loop. You will use your ship (which you can customize the look of) to explore several locales including Hawaii, Rich Island, Madlantis, and more for clues on how to regain your memories. Along the way, you will be forced to contend with evil pirates looking to plunder your ship of treasure and taking your life while they're at it.

To combat these threats you will engage in naval battles where you will maneuver your ship to avoid cannon fire from enemy vessels and firing back at them to sink to the bottom of the ocean. Alternatively, you can ram into ships and board them to directly take on the pirates with your crew in hand-to-hand combat.

The combat system is akin to classic third-person Beat em' Up Like Dragon titles rather than more recent titles like Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth which uses turn-based combat. Except the combat will be more over-the-top than in previous games with new aerial combo attacks, mixing attacks from Goro Majima's traditional 'Mad Dog' style with the new 'Sea Dog' style that lets you fight like a pirate, and being able to summon NPCs to aid you in battle like giant monkeys.

However, it wouldn't be a Like a Dragon game without tons of side activities to unwind from the main story and the new trailer confirms that Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii will have them. The only one that's been shown off so far is the Pirate Coliseum which looks like a battle arena where you fight hordes of bad guys in naval battle and Beat 'em Up battle game modes.

There also appear to be ranking scores within the Pirate Coliseum's game mode menu which suggests that this activity will offer lucrative rewards depending on how fast you dispatch enemies and without getting hit.

The trailer then concludes with showing off various important characters you will meet on your journey and that Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii's release date has now been changed from February 28, 2025, to February 21, 2025.

• Shop all of Amazon's October Prime Day deals

🎃The best early Black Friday deals🦃

• 💻Dell XPS 16 (RTX 4060) | $2,299.99 at Best Buy (Save $750!)
• 📺LG Curved OLED Monitor (32-inches) | $898.20 at Amazon (Save $602!)
• 🎮Amazon Fire TV Xbox Game Pass bundle | $74.99 at Amazon (Save $62!)
• 🔊2.1ch Soundbar for TVs & Monitors | $44.99 at Walmart (Save $55!)
• 💻Dell G16 Gaming Laptop (RTX 4070) | $1,299.99 at Dell (Save $450!)
• 🎧Sennheiser Momentum 4 ANC | $274.95 at Amazon (Save $125!)
• 📺LG C4 OLED 4K TV (42-inches) | $949.99 at Best Buy (Save $450!)
• 💻Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge (X Elite) | $799.99 at Best Buy (Save $550!)

This could be the craziest Like a Dragon title in the franchise's history

SEGA's Like a Dragon is rather famous for mixing played-straight serious crime drama with over-the-top action scenes and with goofy, comedic sidequests as a palette cleanser for the dark moments. However, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii aims to take the series' action and twisted sense of humor to astronomical levels of insanity, which is very fitting for Goro Majima as he is one of the craziest characters in the whole franchise.

I can't wait to join Goro Majima's wacky pirate adventures and see if this wacky take on the Like a Dragon has what it takes to become one of the best Xbox games and best PC games when it sets sail on February 21, 2025.

What you need to know

• Alien: Isolation is a 2014 first-person survival-horror game developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega. 
• The game is set after the events of the original Alien move, with players stepping into the shoes of Amanda Ripley, daughter of Ellen Ripley.
• On the 10th anniversary of the game's release, Creative Assembly creative director Alistair Hope shared the news that a sequel is now early in development. 
• More details are coming at a later date.

Ten long years, but Amanda Ripley looks to be returning. 

A sequel to Creative Assembly and Sega's 2014 survival-horror game Alien: Isolation is now in the works, Creative Assembly creative director Alistair Hope shared on Monday. In a post discussing the original game, which is ten years old as of the time I'm writing this, Hope praised the community and its love for the game over the years.

"It was a dream project brought to life by a brilliant team, and the reception you have given it over the years is extraordinary," he says. "On the 10th anniversary, it seems only fitting to let you know that we have heard your distress calls loud and clear."

No platforms for the game have been announced, and there's no official title at this time. Even so, as a Sega-published game and the sequel to a multiplatform game, it seems reasonable to expect the sequel to Alien: Isolation to arrive across Xbox, PlayStation, and Windows PC.

Alien: Isolation is an underrated gem

While developer Creative Assembly is best known for its work on the strategy-focused Total War franchise, Alien: Isolation took the studio into the realm of first-person horror. 

Alien: Isolation is a game I really enjoyed, with a tense balance crafting and exploration on a space station that faithfully recreated the look, sound, and feel of the original Alien film. The Alien's AI was genuinely stellar, using complicated systems to simulate how the creature would hunt you down, learning from encounters where you managed to get away. Even for a horror veteran, it's sure to get your heart rate up.

After ten years, I certainly wasn't expecting a sequel to ever happen, but I'm thrilled to have been proven wrong. I'm sure it'll be a bit before we learn more, but I'm excited to hopefully see the story of Amanda Ripley continue. 

In the meantime, if you haven't seen it yet, I highly encourage you to watch Alien: Romulus, a movie that is also faithful to Alien and Aliens while still finding horrifying new territory for the long-running franchise. 

🎃The best early Black Friday deals🦃

• 🎮Lenovo Legion Go (Z1 Extreme) | $649.99 at Best Buy (Save $100!)
• 💻HP Victus 15.6 (Radeon RX 6550M) | $449.99 at Best Buy (Save $350!)
• 📺Amazon Fire TV Stick | $24.99 at Amazon (Save $25!)
• 💻Lenovo IdeaPad 1 (Ryzen 5) | $329.99 at Best Buy (Save $250!)
• 💻Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge (X Elite) | $849.99 at Best Buy (Save $500!)
• 💻ASUS Vivobook S 15 (X Elite) | $959 at Amazon (Save $341!)
• 💻Dell XPS 14 (Core Ultra 7) | $1,449.99 at Dell (Save $550!)
• 💻Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (Ryzen 5) | $499.99 at Best Buy (Save $230!)
• 💻Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 (Core Ultra 7) | $1,099.99 at Best Buy (Save $350!)

More Prime Day deals and anti-Prime Day deals

We at Windows Central are scouring the internet for the best Prime Day deals and anti-Prime Day deals, but there are plenty more discounts going on now. Here's where to find more savings:

• Xbox controller deals: Walmart | Target | Best Buy | Amazon | Newegg 
• Xbox SSD storage deals: Walmart | Target | Best Buy | Amazon | Newegg 
• Gaming headset deals: Walmart | Dell | Target | Best Buy | Amazon 
• MicroSD storage deals: Walmart | Target | Best Buy | Amazon | Newegg 
• Gaming handheld deals: Walmart | Target | Best Buy | Amazon | Newegg 
• Laptop deals: Walmart | Target | Best Buy | Amazon | Newegg 
• Copilot+ AI laptop deals: Walmart | Target | Best Buy | Amazon | Newegg 
• Monitor deals: Walmart | Target | Best Buy | Amazon | Newegg 
• Mini PC deals: Walmart | Target | Best Buy | Amazon | Newegg 
• Gaming keyboard deals: Walmart | Best Buy | Amazon | Dell | Newegg 
• Gaming mice deals: Walmart | Best Buy | Amazon | Dell | Newegg

What you need to know

• During RGG Summit 2024, SEGA announced a new entry in the Like a Dragon franchise titled Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.
• This game will be an action-adventure affair in which players control the series' beloved recurring character, Goro Majima, and embark on an over-the-top journey to restore his lost memories, loot buried treasure, and slice up any crook that gets in their way.
• Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii will be released on February 28, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

On September 20, 2024, SEGA hosted its latest RGG Summit live stream. This event focuses on announcing new games and updates for SEGA's Like a Dragon franchise, and it just revealed possibly one of the craziest entries in the series to date: Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is an action-adventure title starring a crazy ex-member of the yakuza named Goro Majima, one of the series' most popular characters, as its main protagonist. The premise for this title is that Goro Majima wakes up one day to find himself stranded on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean, has no idea how he got there, and has lost memories of who he is.

After being saved by a young boy named Noah, Goro Majima sets out to recover his lost memories while gathering a crew to help him on this swashbuckling adventure. However, Goro Majima will be more than he bargained for as he and his crew will have to contend with modern-day pirates and be pulled into a race to find long-lost legendary treasure.

The gameplay of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii will task players to explore various locales of the Pacific, including Hawaii, coastal islands, pirate towns, and more, to recruit potential crewmates for your ship and find buried treasure. Along the way, you will fight many cutthroat pirates in action-packed ship battles and third-person beat-em-up sections that the LIke a Dragon series is famous for.

The ship battles will have you steer your vessel to blast enemy ships with your cannons and then board them to engage in beat-em-up sections, where you will take on dozens of crooks using Goro Majima's insane fighting styles. 

Dance around foes and cut them down with Goro Majima's signature 'Mad Dog' style, where you can unleash lightning-quick attacks with a knife. Then chop them up into fish food with Goro Majima's new 'Sea Dog' style, where you unleash a whirlwind of mayhem with cutlasses, pistols, and more pirate-themed tools. You can also switch back and forth between these styles mid-attack to create devasting combo attacks that will send enemies flying overboard.

🎃The best early Black Friday deals🦃

• 🕹️Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (3-months) | $31.59 at CDKeys (Save $17!)
• 💻Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge (X Elite) | $899.99 at Best Buy (Save $450!)
• 🎮Razer Wolverine V2 Chroma (Xbox & PC) | $99.99 at Amazon (Save $50!)
• 🕹️Starfield Premium Upgrade (Xbox & PC) | $27.79 at CDKeys (Save $7!)
• 💻ASUS Vivobook S 15 (X Elite) | $899 at Amazon (Save $400!)
• 🕹️Final Fantasy XVI (PC, Steam) | $43.89 at CDKeys (Save $6!)
• 💻Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon | $1,481.48 at Lenovo (Save $1,368!)
• 🎮 Seagate Xbox Series X|S Card (2TB) | $249.99 at Best Buy (Save $110!)
• 🕹️Hi-Fi RUSH (PC, Steam) | $8.49 at CDKeys (Save $22!)
• 💻HP Victus 15.6 (RTX 4050) | $599 at Walmart (Save $380!)
• 🫙Seagate HDD Starfield Edition (2TB) | $79.99 at Best Buy (Save $30!)
• 🖱️Razer Basilisk V3 Wired Mouse | $44.99 at Best Buy (Save $25!)
• 🕹️Days Gone (PC, Steam) | $10.29 at CDKeys (Save $39!)
• 🖥️Lenovo ThinkStation P3 (Core i5 vPro) | $879.00 at Lenovo (Save $880!)

After all these years, Goro Majima finally gets his solo Like a Dragon adventure.

Longtime Like a Dragon fans are undoubtedly happy to finally see Goro Majima star in his own standalone title after all this time. For those unaware, Goro Majima has been a part of the Like a Dragon franchise since the very first game on the PlayStation 2 in 2005. 

This man has captured the hearts of many players for his wild personality, hosting memorable and crazy sidequests, over-the-top yet brutal combat style, and a dark, tragic past that will tug at your heartstrings.

However, Goro Majima has only been playable in a few Like a Dragon titles, including Yakuza 0, Yakuza 2, and the non-canon zombie-themed Yakuza: Dead Souls. Even then, Goro Majima was relegated to being a deuteragonist or, even worse, a non-playable side character for most of the series, which acts as a foil for the franchise's iconic protagonist, Kiryu Kazuma.

Now in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, Goro Majima can finally cut loose on his own wacky solo adventures without having to share the spotlight with Kiryu Kazuma or the series' new protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga, and take players along for the ride.

Will Goro Majima's very first standalone game have it takes to be one of the best Xbox titles and one of the best PC titles in the Like a Dragon franchise? Join Majima's crew next year to find out when Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii releases on February 28, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

What you need to know

• Two Point Studios, the developers behind wacky management simulators Two Point Hospital and Two Point Campus, and Sega, have announced the next game in the Two Point series.
• Two Point Museum is coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and Steam. 
• Players can send teams on adventures to recover artifacts for exhibits, enjoy deeper customization options than ever before, and cater to guests' needs to create the best Museum Two Point County has ever seen.

It's only been two years since Two Point Studios and Sega released the delightfully unusual Two Point Campus. The team has again come together to announce a brand-new management simulator for the ongoing series.

Like its predecessors, Two Point Hospital and Two Point Campus, Two Point Museum will put players in a role where they must manage a business in the wonderfully weird world of Two Point County. Two Point Museum will feature an all-new world map that will give players the opportunity to send out exploratory teams of adventurers to find new and unusual relics that can then be used to decorate your museum with exhibits.

Two Point Museum builds upon the customization options that the franchise is known for, giving players the freedom to design and create their museums as they see fit. Items found on adventures can be set up as exhibits, with players arranging guided tours, setting ambiance, and creating highlights around featured relics to generate buzz. 

Players can further cater to the whims of guests by arranging the gift shop for maximum happiness, keeping things clean, and offering the necessary goods like refreshments and restrooms. Guests will have a variety of traits and quirks, and players will need to be mindful of what will please the crowd to keep donations coming in and the lights on. Tour guides can help, but don't knock the importance of a good security team when younger guests are getting unruly. 

Two Point Museum does not yet have a release date, but the announcement trailer does say it is "coming soon". The announcement trailer also confirms that Two Point Museum will be available on Xbox Series X|S consoles, Steam for PC, and PlayStation 5. Two Point Campus launched in Xbox Game Pass on day one, and Two Point Hospital was also temporarily included in the game catalog. However, Sega has not yet announced if Two Point Museum will be included as part of the subscription service. 

🔥The hottest trending deals🔥

• 🎮 Seagate Xbox Series X|S Card (2TB) | $249.99 at Best Buy (Save $110!)
• 🕹️Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (3-months) | $29.39 at CDKeys (Save $21!)
• 🎮Lenovo Legion Go (Z1 Extreme, 512GB) | $599.99 at Best Buy (Save $100!)
• 💻HP Victus 15.6 Laptop (RTX 4050) | $599 at Walmart (Save $380!)
• 📺Amazon Fire TV Xbox Game Pass bundle | $82.85 at Amazon (Save $37!)
• ⌨️Surface Pro Keyboard + Slim Pen 2 | $112.99 at Best Buy (Save $167!)
• 🕹️Xbox Game Pass Core (12-months) | $42.19 at CDKeys (Save $18!)

What you need to know

• SEGA has announced that it has filed a new trademark for a project titled 'Yakuza Wars'.
• No detailed information is currently available about 'Yakuza Wars' however fans are speculating that this project could be a new project related to SEGA's Yakuza/Like a Dragon franchise.
• Like a Dragon (formerly localized as Yakuza in the west), is a series of action games and turn-based RPGs that follows the turbulent adventures of former members of the yakuza as they fight to survive the clutches of Japan's dark criminal underworld.

Recently, the legendary publisher SEGA announced (via @Wario64 on X) that it has filed a new trademark for an upcoming project labeled 'Yakuza Wars'. According to a report by Noisy PIxel, the trademark was officially filed on July 26, 2024, and it was publicly revealed on August 5, 2024.

Aside from the name, SEGA has not disclosed any information about what the project entails at this time.

Judging by the name, it is highly likely 'Yakuza Wars' could be a new project related SEGA's popular Like a Dragon franchise (formerly known as Yakuza in the West). Like a Dragon is a series of action-adventure games and turn-based JRPGs that follow the complicated, crazy, and tragic lives of various former members of the yakuza crime family like the stoic Kiryu Kazuma or the exuberant Ichiban Kasuga.

Fans on Reddit speculate that 'Yakuza Wars' could be a mobile game similar to Pokémon GO or Monster Hunter NOW, where you walk to collect SEGA merchandise referencing classic SEGA games and beat up yakuza, crooks, and other bad guys along the way.

Of course, trademarks don't always represent what the final product's title is going to be, so it is possible that 'Yakuza Wars' may not be a new Like a Dragon game and end up something entirely different. For example, Noisy Pixel speculates that 'Yakuza Wars' could be a new entry in SEGA's Sakura Wars franchise, a series of turn-based strategies games and actions where players wage wars in giant mechs and engage in romantic subplots. 

Noisy Pixel even goes as far as to say that 'Yakuza Wars' might end up being a crossover between Sakura Wars and Like a Dragon. It's certainly possible as both franchises are owned by SEGA and Like a Dragon has made spin-off crossover titles with other franchises before such as Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise. This game is based on the iconic Fist of the North Star anime/manga series and features the beat em' gameplay of most Like a Dragon titles and features the series' iconic protagonist, Kiryu Kazuma as a cosmetic skin. 

🔥The hottest trending deals🔥

• Seagate Xbox Series X|S Card (2TB) | $229.99 at Best Buy (Save $130!)
• Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (3-months) | $29.39 at CDKeys (Save $20.60!)
• ASUS ROG Ally (Z1) | $399.99 at Best Buy (Save $100!)
• HP Victus 15.6 Laptop (RTX 4050) | $599 at Walmart (Save $380!)
• Amazon Fire TV Xbox Game Pass bundle | $82.85 at Amazon (Save $37.13!)
• Surface Pro Keyboard + Slim Pen 2 | $112.99 at Best Buy (Save $167!)
• Lenovo Yoga 7i 16 (Core i5) | $789.99 at Lenovo (Save $350!)
• Samsung Class QLED TV (85-inch) | $1,229.99 at Samsung (Save $1,570!)
• Razer DeathAdder V3 Wired Mouse | $50.99 at Best Buy (Save $19!)
• HP Spectre x360 16 (RTX 4050) | $1,699.99 at Best Buy (Save $500!)
• Razer Basilisk V3 Wired Mouse | $49.99 at Best Buy (Save $20!)
• Lenovo ThinkStation P3 (Core i5 vPro) | $879.00 at Lenovo (Save $880!)
• HP OMEN Transcend 14 (RTX 4050) | $1,199.99 at HP (Save $400!)
• No Man's Sky (PC, Steam) | $24.29 at CDKeys (Save $35.71!)
• HP OMEN 17 Laptop (RTX 4050) | $929.99 at HP (Save $420!)

Will 'Yakuza Wars' end up being a Like a Dragon game or an entirely new IP

SEGA's Like a Dragon series has gained a huge surge in popularity over the past several years with critically acclaimed titles like Yakuza 0, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Yakuza 6: Song of Life, and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth helping the franchise achieve worldwide praise outside of Japan and selling over seven million copies. 

Some of these games like Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth have even earned a spot among our favorite Xbox JRPGs and best overall Xbox games lists here at Windows Central.

In addition, SEGA in recent months announced plans on taking the Like a Dragon franchise to the silver screen as a new upcoming live-action TV show adaptation of the franchise titled 'Yakuza: Like a Dragon' is set to premiere on Amazon Prime on October 25, 2025. 

As for what I think 'Yakuza Wars' could be. Honestly, your guess is as good as mine if it ends up being a new Like a Dragon game or a completely original title centered on the yakuza. At this point, only time will tell, and we'll keep an eye to let you know what this mysterious trademark title will ultimately turn into once the final product is revealed. 

As new guns woven with Amethyst Magic thunder across the battlefield, the undead forces of Sylvania die in droves, being ripped apart faster than they can regenerate. High above the shambling corpses, Elspeth Von Draken's Carmine Dragon unleashes deadly blasts. 

So goes one of the many, many battles I've undertaken in Thrones of Decay, the latest DLC pack for Total War: Warhammer 3. After some rough patches last year, this content drop is a strong return to form for the franchise, with some powerful new units and accompanying faction mechanics that change the game for races that have been around since 2016. Things aren't quite even across the board, however, with one faction left feeling like it needs just a bit more love. 

This review was made possible thanks to a review code provided by Sega. The company did not see the contents of this review before publishing.

What is Total War: Warhammer 3 Thrones of Decay?

Thrones of Decay is a DLC content pack for strategy title Total War: Warhammer 3. Developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega, this DLC adds new Legendary Lords, units, and gameplay mechanics for the Empire, Dwarf, and Nurgle factions. 

Elspeth von Draken, the self-proclaimed "Graveyard Rose," leads the forces of Nuln in a dark addition to the Empire's forces. Dwarf innovator Malakai Makaisson fields an expedition of Dwarfs out of the frosty northern hold of Kraka Drak. Finally, Tamurkhan, the Maggot Lord, is spreading new plagues for Nurgle from the blasted plateau of K'datha.

This DLC also coincides with the massive 5.0 patch and some free content. While these additions aren't technically paid, they are worth briefly touching on alongside everything included in Thrones of Decay since they directly impact any new playthroughs that will be started with the new characters. Epidemius is a new free Legendary Lord for Nurgle, while the Empire receives the long-awaited Gold Wizard, meaning Balthazar Gelt is no longer the sole way for Empire players to access the LORE OF METAL. 

Speaking of Gelt, he's been moved due to the addition of Elspeth, and he can now be found studying in the lands of Cathay. It's a radical change that massively shakes up how he plays, as well as creating a power vacuum in his former province of Solland that provides challenge and opportunity for anyone playing Elspeth or Sylvania. 

Total War: Warhammer 3 Thrones of Decay — What I liked

The addition of Elspeth is particularly fun, as she comes well-equipped to take advantage of new Empire units like the Nuln Ironsides and Landship. Elspeth's gunpowder units can be further improved through the Imperial Gunnery School, allowing her to spend special resources in exchange for unlocking unique modifiers and bonuses that can utterly obliterate even the strongest opponents. 

Having studied death, Elspeth also has access to Morr's Gardens, allowing her to reinforce and (for a fee) instantly travel between up to five settlements. This adds another tactical layer to the game, and I found myself choosing locations dozens of turns in advance in order to best plot out a path that would make my territory more easy to defend.

Malakai Makaisson's forces, meanwhile, take advantage of new Daemonslayer lords, Dragonslayer heroes, and mighty Thunderbarge gunships. The latter is a particularly impressive addition, raining death from above and providing sorely needed aerial cover for Dwarf armies that have been increasingly limited in options compared to the growing roster of factions over the last few years.

Makaisson also functions as a quasi-Horde-type army, upgrading a special Thunderbarge to provide unique benefits and keep his army moving. He can also embark on special adventures, taking on dangerous missions around the world in exchange for unique rewards. 

Finally, the rotting armies of Tamurkhan have been reinforced with the addition of units like Rot Knights and Toad Dragons, adding to the noxious cavalcade of bile that Nurgle's forces can unleash. Nurgle's Plagues have also been touched up, with new symptoms to unlock that make spreading diseases more beneficial for players and detrimental to enemies. All of these new units and mechanics are welcome, providing new ways to play and addressing pain points or gaps in the rosters. 

I also have to applaud the pricing model being introduced here. Thrones of Decay is $23, slightly cheaper than the last two DLC packs, Shadows of Change and Forge of the Chaos Dwarfs. Unlike prior DLC packs, there's also an option for players to just pick up leaders on an individual basis for $9 each. 

While this format would make buying all three slightly more expensive, the flexibility is appreciated. If someone has no interest in one or two of the factions, they can save money only by buying the Legendary Lord and units they actually want to use. 

Total War: Warhammer 3 Thrones of Decay — What I disliked

While most of the systems added or tweaked here are quite welcome, one particular addition, the new Dwarf Age of Reckoning, isn't quite clicking into place. This system builds on the prior iterations of Dwarf grudges, requiring the player to take vengeance and move quickly against their most hated foes in a short amount of time, just 10 turns. Settling these debts results in nice bonuses like mercenary units, while not achieving anything causes you to suffer some minor penalties. 

In theory, I love this system. Forcing the Dwarfs to at least somewhat abandon their tank role and aggressively pursue enemies is fun and makes you think in different ways as you play. In practice, it leaves a lot to be desired because Dwarf tankiness is the only real defense against the swarth of options your immediate enemies have access to. Making players play in a different way doesn't really work if that method of play isn't viable. 

The Thunderbarge was a step in the right direction, but I still firmly believe the Dwarf armies are missing a couple of bigger units like Shard Dragons or Rune Guardians. Even with strict population count limits, these would provide flexibility on the battlefield that Dwarfs simply don't have against their Chaos-infused brethren or the innumerable Daemon hosts. 

Should you buy it?

Overall, Thrones of Decay is a great DLC pack. Most of what's been added here are well worth the money, and the new option to buy a Legendary Lord and its accompanying armored accouterments on an individual basis is a fantastic choice from the developer and publisher. I'll be returning to the Lords offered here in the future, especially Elspeth von Draken. 

At the same time, it really is worth noting that the Dwarfs still need more. Some tweaks to the Age of Reckoning system to grant more time, as well as another unit or two, and this faction will be in a fantastic place. 

Total War: Warhammer 3 Thrones of Decay launches on Windows PC on April 30, 2024. With three games of content pushed into one combined map, players who pick up the trilogy of Total War: Warhammer titles can experience one of the best PC games available in the Immortal Empires mode.

What you need to know

• Sega announced not just one new game, but a number of new titles during the Game Awards 2023. 
• In a rapid-fire montage, the publisher revealed revivals of older franchises like Crazy Taxi, Shinobi, Golden Axe, Jet Set Radio, and more. 
• The games are early in development, with more information to come.

Usually, a developer or publisher showing up to the Game Awards has one or two reveals to share. 

Sega eschewed that notion entirely, completely snapping and sharing several new game revivals during the Game Awards 2023. This list of upcoming titles includes a new Crazy Taxi, Golden Axe, Jet Set Radio, Shinobi, and more. You can take a look at the announcement trailer below:

All of these appear to be part of the same "Next Level" project at Sega, implying these revivals are all connected in some capacity. We heard back in April 2022 that Sega was working on revivals of Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi, which has clearly panned out to be correct, so it'll be interesting to see exactly how the publisher is working on these revivals. 

Earlier in the year, Sega also announced layoffs at Creative Assembly, cancelling the upcoming live service shooter Hyenas as part of a shift in overall strategy. 

Analysis: An impressive display

Obviously we'll have to wait and see exactly how these revivals pan out, but I really admire how Sega announced these games all together. Hopefully we won't be waiting too long to learn more about each of the projects. 

Be sure you don't miss out on any of the other gaming news coming out tonight across the industry with our The Game Awards 2023 live blog!

The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has experienced a rollercoaster of quality for its games over the years, with extreme highs and lows. However, there is very little who would deny that Sonic's adventures on the SEGA Genesis during the 1990s are some of the greatest platformers to have ever been made in the platformer genre. 

For those wanting to relive Sonic's golden age or introduce their kids to the Blue Blur's finest titles, Black Friday is providing the best time to do so with these exclusive deals for Sonic Origins Plus. This collection of Sonic's SEGA Genesis games is currently on sale for $19.99 at Amazon and $19.99 at Best Buy.

More great Black Friday deals

• Walmart: Black Friday deals on practically everything
• Dell: Top deals on laptops, gaming PCs, accessories, and more
• Alienware: Up to $800 off gaming laptops and desktops
• Best Buy: Big savings on video games, accessories, and more
• HP: Up to 84% of select HP Windows PCs and accessories
• Lenovo: Up to 50% of gaming towers, laptops, and accessories
• Newegg: Save on PC gaming accessories, components, and more
• Razer: Up to 43% off laptops and accessories with free gifts
• More individual deals:
  • Xbox Series X + Diablo IV + free $75 Target gift card for $634.99 $449.99 at Target
  • Samsung T9 4TB Portable SSD for $439.99 $249.99 at Best Buy
  • Xbox Stereo Headset — 20th Anniversary for $69.99 $46.29 at Walmart
  • Xbox Series X + Diablo IV + Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III for $639.99 $489 at Walmart
  • TP-Link Deco X55 Wi-Fi mesh 3-pack for $229.99 $179.99 at Amazon
  • Razer Wolverine V2 Chroma for $149.99 $89.99 at Best Buy
  • Xbox Series X + $50 Best Buy gift card for $549.99 $399.99 at Best Buy for Plus/Total members
  • HP OMEN 27qs for $429.99 $299.99 at Best Buy
  • HyperX Cloud III Wireless for $169.99 $129.99 at Best Buy
  • Xbox Series S + 3-months Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $299.99 $249 at Walmart
  • Lenovo LOQ Tower (17IRB8) + 3-months Xbox Game Pass Ultimate from $1,029.99 $749.99 at Lenovo
  • HP OMEN 34c for $479.99 $329.99 at Best Buy

Why should I buy Sonic Origins Plus?

Sonic Origins Plus is a collection that brings together every major Sonic game released on the Sega Genesis including Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic CD, and Sonic 3 & Knuckles into one definitive package. These games are considered some of the finest 2D platformers ever made and still hold up even being released decades ago.

Each of these classic titles features fast-paced platforming gameplay, tight and intuitive controls, imaginative level design, catchy and memorable music, and fun bosses to beat. Not to mention, these games have balanced difficulty which is considerate for new players while providing satisfying challenges for those wishing to master the mechanics and set speed-running records.

But this collection doesn't just include Sonic's greatest Sega Genesis hits, it's packed with all sorts of bonus games and new gameplay additions. For starters, Sonic Origins Plus contains every single Sonic game released on Sega's Game Gear handheld console. While Sonic's Game Gear games aren't as famous or aged as gracefully as their Genesis cousins, they're still enjoyable in their own right. 

As for the new features: Sonic's rival, Knuckles the Echidna, has been added as a playable character in Sonic CD, complete with his unique level routes. Also, Sonic's longtime fangirl turned heroine, Amy Rose, has been added as a brand-new character for all Genesis games and features a unique gameplay style where she bashes enemies into bits with her Piko Piko Hammer.

With the help of Black Friday 2023, the Xbox version of Sonic Origins Plus' MSRP has been dramatically reduced at several retailers, the best discount deal being $19.99 at Best Buy. If you buy it from Best Buy and sign up for My Best Buy membership, you will be granted a 60-day return window to try out a product before deciding to keep it.

If you've been thinking about getting a Christmas gift for your kids or if you have a friend who grew up playing Sonic games back in the 1990s, then I highly recommend getting Sonic Origins Plus. Sonic's Genesis games are some of the best games of the 16-bit era of gaming (Sonic 3 & Knuckles is one of my personal favorite games of all time), and thanks to this collection, they're now some of the best Xbox games that 2D platformer fans of all ages should not miss out on.

War is a constant of human history, and perhaps no franchise embodies that notion quite like Total War. 

Total War: Pharaoh transports players to the lush riverbeds and scorching deserts of Bronze Age Egypt, where dark clouds are gathering, and invaders are waiting to pick at the corpse of the once-mighty kingdom of Egypt. Players can choose to revel in the carnage as a Hittite or Canaanite leader, or they can try to endure and attain the title of Pharaoh as an Egyptian faction. 

This game introduces a number of improvements to gameplay both on the campaign map and in battles, changes that breathe new life into the well-established Total War formula. Unfortunately, it's also plagued with a number of bugs. These don't ruin the experience, but they do make it more annoying than it should be overall.

Disclaimer: This review was made possible by a review code provided by Sega. The publisher did not see the contents of this review before publishing.

What is Total War: Pharaoh?

Total War: Pharaoh is a grand strategy game developed by the Creative Assembly's Sofia studio. It's also the latest mainline historical title in the long-running series, with the last historical game being 2019's Total War: Three Kingdoms. While that game still played around with flowery mythical elements, there's no sweeping embellishments or playing into grandiose larger-than-life history here.

Total War games are traditionally divided between the turn-based grand strategy sections and the real-time tactical battles, and there's no breaking the cycle here. Total War: Pharaoh is set just before the Bronze Age Collapse, with players tasked with conquering new territory and defending existing lands, engaging in trade and diplomacy with other factions, and dealing in court intrigue. 

Total War: Pharaoh is $60 on Windows PC and is launching on Oct. 11, 2023. Meanwhile a Mac port is being developed by Feral Interactive and will be available at some point in the future. 

Total War: Pharaoh — Gameplay and customization

With eight leaders to choose from — there are four Egyptians, two Hittites, and two Canaanites — there's a wide range of possible strategies for carving out your bastion in the Levant. Sometimes that means open warfare, but sometimes more subtle methods are required. 

One of the big features in Total War: Pharaoh is the court intrigue system, where players can choose to take a special position, like the Treasurer of Egypt. Each position has its own benefits and rewards, but by interacting with other members of the court and gaining favor, you can get access to their rewards for a limited time. 

As an example, while I found it useful to make Tausret the Treasurer early on, by cozying up to the Vizier, I had access to the Assassination scheme, allowing me to potentially kill off some rivals who were becoming way too powerful. This eventually meant I was able to open the court spot for the Viceroy of Kush, grabbing the position for myself and taking advantage of the flow of gold it provided. 

That ties into your approach for diplomacy, which has also gotten a big boost in this game. Building a Bronze Age kingdom that can last means shoring up defenses and ensuring you've got enough resources, and different provinces offer different rewards for building up your settlements. Buildings can require stone and wood, while units always require food. More elite recruits can take bronze and gold in order to maintain them, meaning having a steady flow of every resource is extremely tricky. 

If you find yourself suddenly lacking something, you can cut deals to trade with other factions. Some might have an overabundance of one resource while they desperately need another. Early on, I was able to vastly expand my army by trading for food I didn't have with my surplus of stone, and this new way of sweetening deals made me approach diplomacy in a way I've never had to before. 

There are some bugs present right now though. While the game is supposed to warn you if an enemy faction has become another party's vassal (and thus, you'll have to go to war with their parent state or seek peace), there were a couple of times where this didn't happen. This left me perplexed as to why I suddenly had an unreliable rating — which affects your trustworthiness and the value of deals you can make — only to realize it was due to something that happened a few turns ago. 

At its heart, this is still Total War, and that means engaging in fierce battles. Like I outlined in my preview, combat here is a war of attrition thanks to the new armor system, which means units won't immediately fall to storms of arrows and punishing charging as long as they've got enough armor. Once that armor is worn down, the fight goes from playing out slowly to happening super-quickly, and wrapping your head around this change is key to attaining victory in combat. 

You can also use the dynamic weather to your advantage. At one point, I was clearly outmatched due to my numerically-superior foe having a plethora of skilled archers. By waiting until a sandstorm rolled through, which made the archers inaccurate and unable to shoot as far, my veteran swordsmen were able to close the distance and destroy my enemy unit by unit. 

Unfortunately, these fun battles are also where I encountered a number of technical issues. Pathfinding is hard in strategy games and Total War: Pharaoh is hardly the first time I've seen some weird things happen in this series. Sometimes, units react in truly bizarre ways, with archers shifting back and forth instead of responding, or other troops ignored your queued movement commands. It's by far the game's biggest issue, sometimes messing up a strategy so badly I had to restart the fight. 

Total War: Pharaoh — Visuals and audio

While it's not as visually distinct as some past titles, especially the fantasy-laden Total War: Warhammer games, Total War: Pharaoh looks great. The rich, fertile lands along the shores of the Nile in Lower Egypt are teeming with plant life, while the blazing deserts of Upper Egypt are enough to get you dehydrated just watching your troops burn in the heat. 

Similarly, the soundtrack and audio design aren't the highlight of the series, but both sound good, with pleasant music that aids the mood as you overview your burgeoning fiefdoms. Units give feedback through yells of frustration or triumph as battles play out, letting you know when some of your troops are wavering if your attention is currently elsewhere. 

Total War: Pharaoh — Accessibility and approachability

Total War: Pharaoh includes a couple of accessibility options for players to customize their playthroughs. There are colorblindness settings that can be tweaked in order to accommodate common forms of colorblindness, as well UI scaling options that can keep tiny font details from being hard to read. 

There's also an impressive number of campaign customization options that make Total War: Pharaoh extremely approachable for series newcomers. Almost every aspect of the campaign can be made more challenging or far easier outside of standard AI difficulty levels. If you want to cap the number of factions that can be involved in a civil war, randomize starting positions, or simply begin with far more resources, you can do that.

I really appreciate being able to tweak things to this depth, and it makes it far easier to recommend Total War: Pharaoh as an entry point if someone likes the concept of strategy games but is hesitant regarding the complexity. 

Total War: Pharaoh — Final thoughts

There's definitely room for improvement in this Bronze Age epic. Unit pathfinding needs work, as do some of the UI elements that aren't functioning properly. These issues pop up enough to be annoying in a playthrough, but it's still a game that strategy fans will enjoy playing. 

Overall, Total War: Pharaoh is a worthy addition to this oft-underpraised series. The new systems of diplomacy and embodying ancient tradition are fun, and I can see myself spending dozens of more hours leading various Egyptian, Hittite, and Canaanite conquerors to victory. 

What you need to know

• Hyenas was an upcoming PvPvE shooter being developed by Creative Assembly, a team of studios under Sega known for the Total War franchise and Alien: Isolation. 
• As part of a portfolio review, publisher Sega has canceled Hyenas and some other unannounced games under the European side of its game development business. 
• Layoffs are now occurring at Creative Assembly.

One of Sega's big upcoming games is no longer in development. 

Sega shared on Thursday that Hyenas has been canceled following a portfolio review of the company's European games business. A few unannounced titles have also been canceled.

Announced back in June 2022, Hyenas was a live service game being developed by Creative Assembly, a team of studios under Sega that are best known for the Total War strategy series, but also for the first-person survival-horror game, Alien: Isolation. The game focused around different teams of players entering derelict space ships to hunt down memorabilia from the old world, such as figurines of Sonic the Hedgehog. 

While it's unclear how many jobs exactly will be affected by this game cancellation, layoffs are occurring at Creative Assembly, with Hyenas' social media manager one of the first to be let go. Hyenas had been in development for years, with multiple betas and a large presence at Gamescom 2023 just a few weeks ago.

Earlier in the year, Sega also oversaw layoffs at Relic Entertainment, another studio in the European division of the company. Some Sega of America workers have also unionized, forming the largest multi-department union in North America.

Outside of the now-defunct Hyenas, Creative Assembly is preparing to launch Total War: Pharaoh, as well as continuing support for Total War: Warhammer 3.

Analysis: A surprising change of pace

Hyenas wasn't my most anticipated game, but it was still interesting to see Creative Assembly branching outside of its strategy foundations. This cancelation is surprisingly solely because of how far along into development the game was, and I'd love to know what data led Sega to this decision. 

At the end of the day though, it'll be the developers that suffer, and I hope everyone laid off from Sega can find new jobs sooner rather than later.

What you need to know

• Like a Dragon: Ishin! launched earlier in 2023 and is a remake of a Like a Dragon spin-off game that was never released outside of Japan.
• Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is an upcoming spin-off in the franchise focused on former lead Kazuma Kiryu, and is set to launch on Nov. 9, 2023. 
• Both Like a Dragon: Ishin! and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name are coming to Xbox Game Pass in 2023.

If you just can't get enough of the Like a Dragon series, brace yourself, there's more coming soon.

During the Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2023 livestream, Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio shared that Like a Dragon: Ishin! and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name are headed to Xbox Game Pass in 2023, with the latter getting a day one Xbox Game Pass release. 

Like a Dragon: Ishin! is a remake of a spinoff of the series that takes place in the late Edo period in Japan. Players control protagonist Sakamoto Ryōma as he has to fight to clear his name. Like a Dragon: Ishin! first launched earlier this year on Feb. 21, 2023.

Meanwhile, the upcoming Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is another spinoff that follows former franchise lead Kazuma Kiryu. Operating as a secret agent, Kiryu is a still a brawler, but now has access to a variety of high-tech combat options with the Agent fighting style. Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is slated to launch on Nov. 9, 2023, meaning it joins the ranks of games launching into Xbox Game Pass on day one. 

This game is also the setup for the next mainline entry in the franchise, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, which is set to launch on Jan. 26, 2024. 

Analysis: Heck yeah

It's been really interesting to watch the Like a Dragon series (formerly known as the Yakuza franchise in the western part of the world) grow and grow from something more niche to one of the exciting franchises in critical circles. While the main series has transitioned into a turn-based RPG, these spin-offs retain the brawler aspects that fans have loved, and getting that balance is great.

For Xbox players, with Like a Dragon: Ishin! coming to Xbox Game Pass, this is a great time to jump in if you missed it before, and seeing Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name hit day one is just icing on the cake.

The sands of time come for all, but maybe you can stave off the collapse.

That's the pitch behind Total War: Pharaoh, the next mainline strategy game from developer Creative Assembly and publisher Sega. I recently had the chance to play up through the first 50 turns of a campaign with Ramesses as a leader. This large chunk of gameplay provided a fun, in-depth look at how the changes to battles and new mechanics on the campaign map are all coming together. There's a lot to love in this epic about the crash of civilization, as well as a fair bit that needs more work. 

In addition to playing this chunk of the game, I also spoke with Teodor Kozhukov, principal designer at Creative Assembly Sofia, about some of the decisions the team made — and this game is shaking up the established formula. 

Ancient escapism and war entwined

The choice of setting for Total War: Pharaoh is intriguing. Total War is no stranger to ancient history, but the Bronze Age collapse during 12th Century BCE is completely new. I asked Kozhukov about how the team went about building a game in this setting.

"We started with historical records, we had historical consultants on our side advising us along the way, we had regular meetings with them," he says. "There's this one book, Red Land, Black Land [by Barbara Meitz] that we took a lot of inspiration from."

The end of the Bronze Age marked a tumultuous time in history, with famine and drought alongside invasions from mysterious groups known as the Sea Peoples, about which little is recorded. Kozhukov mentions that it was a challenge at times to balance historical fact (or lack thereof) with elements that make for good game design, as even in recorded history, many civilizations like the Egyptians would dramatically embellish their accomplishments. 

Balance your slates carefully

When I went hands-on with some battles in Total War: Pharaoh earlier this year, I mentioned liking what I played, but that it was hard to form a full opinion without the context of the campaign map and what a playthrough actually looks like, at least early on. With this preview, I was able to see how trade and diplomacy play out in the end of Bronze Age Levant, with some neat upgrades centered around how resources work. 

While past Total War games adopted a singular primary currency — some factions in the fantasy-oriented Warhammer titles do have secondary and tertiary resources — Total War: Pharaoh eschews the idea of just managing your money. In addition to gold, you'll spend stone, wood, and food across your territories. It adds another important layer to your treaties, as well as your plans for conquest. Do you expend forces chasing an enemy army when more unprotected lands are nearby that have the gold you desperately need?

Exchanges don't have to take place all at once, and you not only can but are encouraged to make long-term trades, with resources changing hands every turn. More than once, I found myself dangerously low on food, and was able to get by through daring trades where I agreed to exchange a certain amount of wood per turn to a nearby acquaintance. I didn't have much wood, but I had a steady supply of it, and my neighbor needed it even more than I did, so they were willing to pay exorbitant amounts of food per turn for just a bit of wood.

Choosing where to expand also helps determine what gods and goddesses you can find. While you'll have a couple of gods unlocked just based on who you're playing as, there's nothing stopping an Egyptian faction led by Ramesses from worshipping Hittite and Canaanite gods. Combined with the ability to recruit units native to a region regardless of what faction you are, and you're encouraged to play around with a culture's identity in a number of ways.

Kozhukov points out that as a game designer, it was easy to find "defined" roles for Egyptian gods and goddesses, and that choosing which ones would make it in felt like a "parent picking their favorite child." The Egyptians have more gods than the Hittites and the Canaanites, simply because there are so many gods in Egyptian mythology.

All of this culminates in the Ancient Legacy mechanic, where players choose whether they aim to become the next great Pharaoh, or instead assume the throne of the Hittite King. While my play session didn't go far enough to see me claim one of these goals, I'm interested in seeing how it plays out, as well as the danger that might be on the horizon.

Court of intrigue

Another compelling feature of the grand strategy in Total War: Pharaoh is the court system. Egyptian politics were complicated, a fact that plays into the danger being faced as time goes on.

"The Bronze Age collapse happened because the very, very long-chained machines that were these empires got broken somewhere in the middle," Kozhukov says, noting that court is meant to empower the player, but also add a new layer of danger.

As you progress the game, you can vie for control of a particular position in the court, such as that of Vizier. You earn political influence by aiding and gossiping with others in the court, and you can spend this political influence through requesting favors like specialized warriors, or even enact plots of blackmail and assassination. After I made Ramesses Viceroy of Kush, I gained access to special Kushite troops and a steady income of Gold, which altered my strategy to conquer Canaanite lands.

It took most of my playtime with this preview to wrap my head around exactly how the court worked, but towards the end, I appreciated the opportunities it provided, even if the danger it also held didn't quite play out in the first 50 turns of the game. Kozhukov notes that getting this system to feel balanced wasn't easy, and that the team wanted players to feel the weight of politics without making it seem like you were filing your taxes.

"It was very tricky balancing when we let the player do it, how easy it is, how difficult can things get, will the other factions at some point gang up on the player, there's a lot of pitfalls we tried to avoid," he says, adding that "I think we got it into a good place where the player will feel [like they are] stepping into a busy system, and as soon as the player steps inside, the world sees them."

"While you're not in it, you're not targeted by it. As soon as you jump in, you see power, but power sees you."

Breaking armor and morale

Much like in the previous battles I played out, combat here doesn't open with troops immediately dying in combat. Instead, things are slow, and there's a great deal of attrition. Battles feel like neither side is winning until a unit's armor is broken, at which point troops will quickly be routed. According to Kozhukov, this is an intentional design choice.

"We wanted to give limited control to the player," he says, adding that by slowing down the early stages of a battle, players have more time to react and think when faced with changing weather conditions, such as a dry heat causing exhaustion or the rain turning the ground into mud.

These weather mechanics are "honest chaos," and are meant reinforce the idea that no plan survives first contact with the enemy, pushing players to adapt. Multiple times throughout my preview sessions, I was able to defeat a numerically superior enemy through the terrain, using mud to slow down heavier troops into choke points where arrows could deal more concentrated damage.

This dynamic in turn allows the new armor system to function as a "prelude" to the real fight, while also leaning into the idea that armor really could break on a battlefield, instead of always functioning perfectly without any issues.

Battles are also where the game definitely still needs more polish. There was nothing game-breaking, but I frequently found myself unable to check the stats on a unit card, making it hard to see which enemy troops still had armor and which didn't. 

Not long to go

When I asked Kozhukov what he found most exciting on a personal level, he points to the Ancient Legacy and campaign customization mechanics. For the former, players feel like they have a personal grand goal to build towards that they can still experiment with.

On the latter, players can fine-tune various elements of the game, from small things like recruitment slots all the way to randomizing faction start positions, something that isn't encouraged for first-time players but is a terrific way for veterans to find a challenge.

He notes that it's all about "letting the player play their way," adding that "it's our most sandbox-y game, fitting for a game full of sand."

After several hours of playing time with this early build of Total War: Pharaoh, I find myself wanting to go back and play it again. I'm much more interested in this sword-and-sandal epic than I was before, and I really want to see how all the systems come together, even if some things still need a bit more polish.

Total War: Pharaoh is currently scheduled to arrive on Oct. 11, 2023 on Windows PC via Steam and the Epic Game Store.

The latest DLC for Creative Assembly's Warhammer sandbox is here, and there's a lot to go over.

Total War: Warhammer 3 Shadows of Change adds three new Legendary Lords for players to pick from, alongside new units and campaign goals to play around with. It's solid enough for DLC, with a couple of especially monstrous units and a highlight in how fun 'The Changeling' campaign is.

These additions come at a premium price, however, one that may give pause to any players who aren't so hardcore as to need every last piece of additional content that's added. I still had a lot of fun playing through the various campaigns on offer, but players who aren't interested in the factions being buffed here may want to wait for a sale. 

Disclaimer: This review was made possible by a code provided by Sega. The company did not see the contents of this review before publishing.

Shadows of Change: What I liked

Straight away, there's a nice bit of variety in what got added through this DLC. Shadows of Change adds a single Legendary Lord to three different factions: The Changeling for Tzeentch, Yuan Bo (the Jade Dragon) for Grand Cathay, and Mother Ostankya for Kislev. 

Outside of these Legendary Lords, who all have new campaign mechanics to play around with, there are some impressive new units, like Kislev's towering Incarnate Elemental of Beasts or Tzeentch's nightmarish Vortex Mutalith Beast. Other additions like The Things in the Woods, Tzaangors, and Onyx Crowmen better flesh out the infantry options of each faction.

The Changeling, in particular, provides a fun shift from how you usually play. The Changeling's goal is to destabilize the entire realm, causing factions (both Order and Chaos aligned) to fight among each other. To do this, the Changeling has to build cults underneath existing enemy settlements, draining resources and spreading influence in order to build up your Horde-style army. Appropriately enough, the Changeling can also steal the appearance of other Legendary Lords, wading into battle as Grimgor Ironhide or Karl Franz. 

From time to time, the Changeling can also enact Schemes. These vary based on the region you're in and can have tangible effects on the final battle, causing you to gain special reinforcements or deny the enemy key support. Running around causing havoc and starting cults is a lot of fun, and combined with Tzeetch's existing Changing of the Ways mechanic, you can cause an unprecedented of problems for everyone around you. 

Meanwhile, Yuan Bo has a particularly interesting setup if you play in Immortal Empires, controlling settlements in Lustria and back in Cathay. You'll also have to choose whether to split resources between the two and develop your Cathayan settlements or take an initial payment to abandon some territory and commit to Lustria. 

This Jade Dragon, as he's called, can also empower the Great Compass with additional direction and benefits while using unique Jade and Stone resources for a variety of edicts, such as enhancing a settlement so all military buildings grant additional bonuses.

Finally, Mother Ostankya is arguably the strangest of the bunch. Isolated from the rest of Kislev, she uses special access to creatures of the forest, like spiders and bears, to overwhelm enemies in early fights. Defeating or allying with various factions unlocks ingredients for her Witch Hut, where she can craft powerful blessings to buff her own troops or curses that debilitate enemies in battle. 

There are some drawbacks to how she players (more on that below,) but I do like how her campaign encourages lighter skirmishes and guerrilla warfare early on. In general, if you're tired of the existing setup for these three factions, then the Legendary Lords in Shadows of Change provide some meaningful shake-ups. 

Shadows of Change: What I disliked

Mother Ostankya has a bit of a strange setup, where she doesn't have access to an extremely large number of Kislevite units and buildings until she directly controls (or is allied with the leader of) a handful of key settlements such as Praag. This is difficult in the Realms of Chaos campaign, where she starts in the Chaos Wastes, but it's downright grueling in Immortal Empires, where she's been moved to the Druchii coasts just north of Morathi. 

Until such a time as you can ally with other Kislevite factions, you're limited to a handful of troops like the aforementioned spiders, Kossar archers, as well as the newly-added Things in the Woods and Incarnate Elementals of Beasts. 

On paper, this makes sense, putting emphasis on her role as the hag that terrorizes the night, and she wouldn't be able to immediately put together more 'civilized' armies until she grows in strength. In practice, this is something of a pain point, and even if you're an extremely skilled player, you'll have to min-max every turn in order to beat armies that can have far, far more variety than you, even at early stages. 

Outside of this pain point, I have to mention the price of the DLC, as it's $25. This is the same price as the previous DLC, Forge of the Chaos Dwarfs, but that was a race pack that bordered on a full expansion, as it introduced a wild number of new units and animations, as well as new faction gameplay mechanics. Here, while there are certainly new units and impressive monsters, the 'core' of each faction was already set in place with the base game.

I completely understand that inflation is a thing. $15 in 2023 does not have the purchasing power that it did in 2017. Still, having a DLC that isn't focused on an entirely new race cost this much feels extremely aggressive.

Shadows of Change: Should you buy?

This DLC is a bit of a mixed bag. There's no denying the quality of the content being offered, as these lords and units do a good job of shaking things up to the point that I want to keep on playing The Changeling for the foreseeable future. 

At the same time, there's simply no ignoring the price point. Again, I absolutely understand that inflation is a thing, but this feels extremely aggressive, considering how much content is included, even if that content is quality. 

Ultimately, I do think Shadows of Change is still worth buying if you're someone who already enjoys playing Total War: Warhammer 3. With that said, the price increase can't be ignored, and if you're only truly interested in trying out one particular Legendary Lord, this is definitely a harder ask than many prior packs. If you're not huge on Kislev, Tzeentch, or Grand Cathay, then you may want to wait until a sale happens.

What you need to know

• There's a new trailer and other details for Shadows of Change, the next DLC for Total War: Warhammer 3. 
• This DLC introduces a new Legendary Lord and special units for Tzeentch, Kislev, and Grand Cathay. 
• Shadows of Change is $25 (with a discount for anyone that preorders) and is slated to launch on August 31, 2023.

Who doesn't love a good scheme?

As previously outlined in the DLC roadmap, Shadows of Change is the next DLC pack for Total War: Warhammer 3, bringing Legendary Lords and units for Tzeentch, Kislev, and Grand Cathay. You can check out the trailer for the DLC below:

Tzeentch players are getting the ever-shifting Changeling, a trickster that copies the appearance and abilities of others, using powers of illusion on the battlefield and setting up cults in enemy cities on the campaign map. Tzaangors, the Cockatrice, and the massive Mutalith Vortex Beast add a variety of heavy hitters to the army lineup. 

Grand Cathay's new Legendary Lord is the Yuan Bo, The Jade Dragon, reinforcing the innumerable armies of Cathay with Jade and Jet Lions, murders of Onyx Crowmen, and specialized Celestial Generals. 

Kislev is slipping into darker territory with Mother Ostankya. This Daughter of the Forest has brought The Things in the Woods, Akshina Rangers, and the horrifying Elemental Incarnate of Beasts. 

Shadows of Change is currently slated to arrive on August 31, 2023 and is available for preorder right now. The DLC is $25, with the usual 10% discount for anyone that preorders it.

Analysis: Exciting and expensive

This DLC has a bunch of stuff catching my eye immediately. In particular, I love the reinforcements to the Grand Cathay and Kislev rosters, and I'm looking forward to running new campaigns there. 

I'd be remiss if I didn't point out the high price tag here though. Make no mistake, Total War: Warhammer 3 gets plenty of free quality-of-life updates, and inflation is definitely a thing, but it still stings to see. 

What you need to know

• Shuji Utsumi, Sega's Co-Chief Operating Officer has debunked rumors of being bought by Microsoft during an interview with media news network, Bloomberg.
• Shuji Utsumi also states that Sega is enjoying its working relationship with Microsoft as Microsoft values the creativity and work Sega puts out.
• Sega is a massive videogame and entertainment responsible for publishing popular videogames like Sonic the Hedgehog, Like a Dragon, Persona and many more.

On June 29, 2023, the media news network Bloomberg conducted an interview with Shuji Utsumi, the Co-Chief Operating Officer for the famous videogame company, Sega. During the interview, Shuji Utsumi was informed that Microsoft was considering acquiring Sega after plans were revealed in documents presented in Microsoft's ongoing court battle with the FTC to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7bn.

When asked if Sega had intentions of being acquired by Microsoft, Shuji Utsumi said "No. Not now.", confirming that Sega plans to stay independent for now. However, Shuji Utsumi has stated Sega is enjoying a very healthy working relationship with Microsoft.

He says “We are very close with Microsoft and have a great relationship with its management team,” which is followed by “Microsoft particularly has a high regard for us. Xbox’s Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond are really serious about values that video game fans emphasize.”

Sega's working partnership with Microsoft has paid off for both companies in spades. As a result of this relationship, Sega has published some of the best Xbox games for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox Game Pass which include the likes of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Sonic Mania, and Persona 5.

Since the initial plans were revealed, it's unclear if Microsoft is still considering purchasing Sega. However, considering the amount of trouble Microsoft has been through and still is trying to acquire Activision Blizzard, it remains to be seen if they are ready to go through the same process with any further purchases of video game companies again in the near future. 

Microsoft's attempts to buy up Activision-Blizzard continues unabated, with an epic court case against the FTC in the United States. 

Microsoft is trying to pick up the makers of Call of Duty, Diablo, World of Warcraft, and Candy Crush for an astronomical $69 billion dollars. The deal has been under some intense regulatory pressure across the world, but nowhere has been as skeptical of the deal as the United States, whose Federal Trade Commission has applied for a federal injunction to stop the deal from going ahead. We should find out in the coming weeks whether or not the FTC was successful with its efforts, but the proceeding court case has led to a tranche of documents being shared publicly for the first time, exposing the inner workings of Xbox. 

Yesterday, we learned that Microsoft explored plans to buy up major game developers and publishers, including Bungie and Sega, alongside various others. The FTC will doubtless try to use this as evidence, coupled with hyperbolic internal messages that described how Microsoft had "the position" to "spend Sony out of business," in reference to its primary gaming competitor: PlayStation. Indeed, the biggest issue impacting Xbox in recent years has been the under-investment in content, owing to years of neglect from previous CEOs and organizational structuring. In 2023, though, Xbox is more profitable than ever before, but still remains in a distant third place behind PlayStation and Nintendo, and further still if you factor in platform-agnostic players like free-to-play giant Tencent. However, the evidence may not be as strong for the FTC's arguments as it might hope. 

One of the FTC's lines of questioning revolves around proving that Microsoft would seek to foreclose PlayStation by degrading, or even removing entirely Call of Duty and other gaming experiences. Call of Duty is one of the biggest video game franchises in the world, and removing it from PlayStation would undoubtedly cause a major headache for Sony — that is, if Microsoft even intended to do so. 

Microsoft has professed that isn't the case, and indeed, anyone thinking logically would agree it would be utterly stupid to remove Call of Duty from PlayStation. Even though Sony takes a 30% cut of all third-party revenue pushed through its platform, removing it from PlayStation would amount to losses in the billions for a merged Microsoft-ABK entity. Couldn't they just sell more Xbox consoles? I mean sure, if they actually had stock. We also know from the FTC court case that Microsoft is actively sacrificing Xbox Series X console footprint for Xbox Cloud Gaming servers, since they all use the same chipsets. Either way, removing Call of Duty from PlayStation arbitrarily would also do monstrous damage to the brand, and also reduce the associated studios' profitability. It would almost certainly lead to layoffs among the Call of Duty studios too, which is doubtless something else Microsoft would want to avoid. 

There are several dozen reasons why removing Call of Duty from PlayStation makes zero sense, but the FTC has plowed forward with that mentality regardless. To that end, the judge had Phil Spencer swear under oath that he wouldn't remove Call of Duty from PlayStation if Sony continues to allow it. Microsoft has also offered a ten-year contract to the firm to guarantee in writing that they will continue to get the game. Regardless, what Microsoft says publicly might differ from what they say privately, right? Well, let's look at what they said privately, then. 

There were a ton of studios Microsoft was potentially looking at for acquisition, but few are more exciting to me than Sega. Sega is responsible for the globally-recognized Sonic franchise, as well as huge series like Yakuza, Persona, Total War, and Football Manager. Sega is already heavily collaborating with Microsoft, historically on the Dreamcast, but more recently on service games and Xbox Game Pass titles. Sega also has a prominent mobile gaming presence, and a large fanbase on PC, both key areas of expansion for Xbox. 

While Microsoft has sought to make many of ZeniMax's upcoming titles like Starfield exclusive, owing to the need to actually have some high-quality exclusive content for Xbox, Microsoft seemingly wants to take a different approach to Sega. In the above email (thanks, Andre4983!), Xbox lead Phil Spencer clarified internally and privately, that it would keep Sega's franchises multiplatform, delivering them across "all gaming platforms." The email details how "previously unavailable titles" would come to Xbox — potentially in reference to Yakuza, Persona, and other Atlus games, all of which historically skipped the Xbox platform. Microsoft has since acquired access to these titles without purchasing the publisher, but it shows how serious Microsoft is at shoring up the content gap it has between itself and others. 

Cynicism squashed

While some might cynically argue that Microsoft is publicly lying about its commitment to bring Call of Duty to other platforms, the internal emails (which date back as far as 2020) heavily suggest the opposite. Microsoft recognizes the need to balance its content offering. Service-type games like Minecraft, Fallout 76, and Elder Scrolls Online work best across a broad spectrum of platforms, obtaining as many users as possible. Games without a service-level upsell (microtransactions) are probably best suited as exclusives to help grow your platform. However, the footprint of Xbox in some of Sega's core markets precludes Xbox from the equation, potentially, and Microsoft isn't vindictive — this is business. And to that end, some games just make more sense to keep multiplatform. 

Other internal documents showcase how Phil Spencer greenlit Fallout 76 hitting PlayStation's cloud service, for example, despite it being a competing platform. The above documents (via preeminent Sega expert EverbornSega) corroborate Xbox's previous assertions that it wouldn't seek to foreclose competing platforms of franchises that have existed on those platforms for years — particularly given how small Xbox's footprint is in Japan, where these franchises are synonymous with PlayStation. Microsoft would instead seek to inject value by offering them in Xbox Game Pass, hoping to beat Sony on the value proposition. It would be to the benefit of consumers — which is supposed to be within the FTC's core remit. 

The big Xbox vs. FTC court case will continue for a few more days this week, with a decision likely to come shortly after. If the FTC wins the injunction, the Xbox deal for Activision-Blizzard is as good as dead, since the deadline for closure is in mid-July. Still, Microsoft likely wouldn't take the loss sitting down. Expect fresh acquisitions to spin up shortly thereafter, whether they acquire Activision-Blizzard or not. 

What you need to know

• According to internal documents from the FTC v. Microsoft hearing, Microsoft was at one point interested in acquiring both Bungie and Sega.
• In 2020, Phil Spencer sent Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Microsoft CFO Amy Hood an email in which he requested strategy approval to approach Sega Sammy and discuss acquiring its game developers.
• Bungie, the creators of the original Halo games and the Destiny franchise, were also spotted on a Microsoft acquisition watchlist from 2021.
• Microsoft's interest in both companies was largely Xbox Game Pass related, with the firm planning to use their IP to grow Game Pass subscriptions. Reportedly, Microsoft identified Destiny 2 as one of the “highest hours generating titles on console Game Pass.”
• It's unclear what happened to Microsoft's plans for talks with Sega, though Bungie was acquired by Sony in 2022.

According to internal documents from the FTC v. Microsoft hearing over the latter's proposed $69b acquisition of Activision Blizzard King, Microsoft was considering acquiring both Bungie and Sega at one point.

As shown and reported by The Verge, Microsoft Gaming CEO and Head of Xbox Phil Spencer wrote an email to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Microsoft CFO Amy Hood in 2020 in which he requested strategy approval to explore the possibility of acquiring Sega's gaming studios from Sega Sammy. Microsoft believed that a deal with Sega would bolster and grow Xbox Game Pass subscriptions across PC, mobile, and cloud platforms.

“We believe that Sega has built a well-balanced portfolio of games across segments with global geographic appeal, and will help us accelerate Xbox Game Pass both on and off-console,” wrote Spencer in the email. "The global appeal of Sega’s beloved IP will help expand Xbox Game Pass’s reach to new audiences around the world, most notably in Asia, where localized content is critical to success.”

It's unclear what happened with these plans, but Sega was still listed as one of the firms Microsoft was looking at acquiring in an internal 2021 watchlist. Bungie — the original developers of Halo that went on to make Destiny, one of the most popular live service franchises of all time — was also on this list prior to Sony's acquisition of it in 2022.

Microsoft's document noted that “acquisition of Bungie will include securing valuable IP, Destiny (and its community) and integration of its dev & live ops infrastructure into Xbox Game Studios.” Reportedly, Microsoft identified Destiny 2 as one of the “highest hours generating titles on console Game Pass,” though the document also noted that Bungie had a “high burn-rate” risk.

Other companies on the watchlist included Hitman developer IO Interactive, along with mobile-focused companies and studios like Zynga, Thunderful, Supergiant Games, Niantic, and Playrix. Microsoft approached Zynga before opting to try and acquire Activision Blizzard King instead, and afterwards, Zynga was bought by Take-Two Interactive.

Analysis: The Destiny 2 Game Pass deal that never was

With Game Pass becoming an extremely important part of Microsoft's Xbox business over the last several years, it doesn't surprise me that the firm was considering acquiring big names like Bungie and Sega for the service. Permanent Game Pass availability for Destiny 2 expansions would no doubt attract plenty of new subscribers since they'd get access to all of the game's content, and with Microsoft aiming to grow Xbox's popularity in Japan, targeting Sega makes plenty of sense, too.

While I'm personally not opposed to Microsoft's proposed merger with Activision Blizzard, I'm not exactly rooting for further consolidation in the gaming market, either. With that said, speaking as a veteran Destiny 2 player that wants the franchise to grow, it makes me sad that we'll probably never see the game's DLCs on Game Pass again now that Bungie has been acquired by Sony.

Across the burning sands of the Levant and the rich banks of the Nile, there is only war.

Total War: Pharaoh is a strategy game that seeks to put players in pole position for the collapse of the Bronze Age. As Ramesses and other potentials heirs to the Egyptian empire ready themselves, longstanding grudges from rivals across Canaanites and Hittites are inflamed into thirsts for ambition and conquest.  

I recently had the chance to try three battles from Total War: Pharaoh through an online preview event, giving a taste of what's in store from the latest historical title in the works at Creative Assembly and Sega. After playing and winning all three over the course of an hour, I'm left more excited than before for this new strategy title, but still needing a few important questions answered before I'm completely sold on the setting. 

Earth, wind, fire, and air

The three battles were set roughly in the beginning, middle, and endgame of a playthrough, with the number of high-quality units and the overall difficulty level increasing with each fight. All three were fought from the perspective of the Egyptians using Ramesses as a leader, giving the fights a sort of rough continuity, even if lacking the dozens of hours of playtime that would almost certainly fall between each particular encounter.

Running on the latest in-house technology at Creative Assembly, Total War: Pharaoh introduces a number of new features to shake up the flow of battle. Particularly notable are some new formation options, allowing you to have your troops retreat in an organized fashion, holding their weapons forward while slowly moving back. It's a simple but excellent ability, one that has been much needed in prior games. 

Gone are the horrible moments where you realize your troops are horribly outmatched in melee but you can't have them retreat without them being further slaughtered. Now, they can hold a defensive stance while getting out of the fray. Across all three battles, I even used this stance to lure heavy troops into a trap, opening up otherwise well-defended infantry for arrow volleys and chariot charges. 

The armor system has also been reworked, with units now having a set amount of armor that slowly degrades as they take damage throughout a fight. More heavily-armored units will retain armor for a longer period of time, but they can still eventually have their defenses shattered, meaning that choosing where to place heavy infantry and which units to target with archers is now even more important than in past games.

Obviously, some heavy axes can decimate lightly-protected javelin throwers, but is it really worth pushing them up to that position if their armor integrity will be low once they've finished that skirmish and they have to fight similarly tough infantry? Combat also feels slower as a result, with stronger units taking time to cut through each other's armor before soldiers start dying.

By far the biggest addition, however, is the enhanced dynamic weather system. Past Total War games have included different types of terrain — fire could spread in Total War: Attila, while the shallows in Total War: Warhammer 3 slow down non-aquatic units — but this is far beyond anything previously included in the series.

In Total War: Pharaoh, the weather can turn suddenly, from raging sandstorms and heat drying out the land, to heavy rain and thunderstorms setting the night sky alight and turning the ground to mud. This then has an effect on the gameplay that can punish both armies, but also be exploited if you're quick and clever enough. 

Rain turns sand to mud, slowing down heavier units and making it far harder to mount an offensive charge or retreat. Sandstorms lower visibility, reducing the range and accuracy of any missiles such as archers. Finally, scorching heat will drain the stamina of soldiers and make fire catch and spread rapidly. 

In the second battle I played, I was able to use the mud to secure a far easier victory, pinning the enemy leader and their bodyguard against a marsh, which in turn blocked off their ability to reinforce any lines I hit on drier ground. In the final battle, a desperate siege in defense of the Egyptian city of Mennefer, the use of flaming arrows in the heat of the day quickly blocked passage through chunks of the city, making it easier to keep the invaders at bay as I slowly worked my chariots through the streets. 

It's worth noting that through all three battles, I maintained excellent performance on my computer, with uses an NVIDIA RTX 3070. There were no framerate drops, even when the fire effects got extremely intensive toward the end of the fight. The game should run great on any of the best gaming laptops. Running at mostly Ultra settings, Total War: Pharaoh looks alright, even good at times, but with large stretches of desert and more simple buildings (at least compared to some of the prior games in the series), nothing stood out as a big leap up graphically. Still, this wasn't a final build, and the focus is clearly on gameplay improvements, which is fine by me. 

Questions buried in the sand

While this was a satisfying preview, there are many questions that I have remaining. Will the other factions feel as satisfying to play as the Egyptians? What is the campaign map like? Is it dense enough to be meaningful but large enough to not be cramped? What does the inevitable post-launch support roadmap of DLC factions look like?

I don't expect a preview to reveal the details that resolve every single possible question, but this is the next big game, not a small "Saga" spinoff, meaning that questions of scope should be answered sooner rather than later.

Total War: Pharaoh is currently slated to launch on Windows PC in October 2023, and I hope that Creative Assembly addresses these questions in the months ahead before the game arrives. It's available for preorder on Steam right now.

What you need to know

• Relic Entertainment is a studio under Sega Europe that has worked on games like Dawn of War, as well as co-developing Age of Empires 4 with Xbox studio World's Edge. 
• Relic Entertainment's most recent game, Company of Heroes 3, was released back in February.
• Relic Entertainment is going through layoffs, with 121 employees being laid off.
• The Age of Empires team has since confirmed that development on AoE 4 will continue.

Update, May 25, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. CT — Following the devastating news that Relic Entertainment is being affected by widespread layoffs, the Age of Empires team took to Twitter to assuage player concerns. Development on Age of Empires 4 will continue as planned, according to the message.

There are no further details regarding the situation, including whether Relic Entertainment is continuing to assist with Age of Empires 4 (or if World's Edge is taking over completely), but the AoE team did confirm that they will be delivering everything that has been announced for Age of Empires 4. The next major update will apparently come in the form of a new Season, and it's right around the corner.

Our original article continues below.

If you are tired of hearing about game studios and publishers going through layoffs, brace yourself, because there's more bad news.

Relic Entertainment shared on Tuesday via Twitter that 121 employees are being let go from the studio in what was described as an "incredibly difficult" decision with blame placed on "external factors" and no other details. Prior to the layoffs, Relic Entertainment had over 300 employees.

Relic Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sega's Europe division, previously worked on a number of games such as the original Homeworld games, the Dawn of War and Company of Heroes franchises, and more. More recently, the team co-developed Age of Empires 4 with World's Edge under Xbox Game Studios. The game launched on Windows PC back in 2021, with an Xbox console version currently in development and slated to launch later this year.

Relic Entertainment and SEGA are still committed to supporting and investing in the studio's existing games like Company of Heroes 3, but it's unclear how this will be affected by the layoffs.

These layoffs come on the back of a turbulent past several months, with massive layoffs in gaming and tech across Apple, Amazon, CD Projekt RED, Deck Nine Games, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Sony, and many others. 

Windows Central's take

Obviously, my thoughts are with the 121 employees who were laid off. That is a massive cut, and I really hope everyone affected can land on their feet. 

Outside of that, I'm really, really, really tired of hearing about layoffs. I understand that sometimes there's simply no alternative because a project has gone wrong or a company isn't making money, but that hasn't been the case for a great number of the companies that have been all-too-eager to make cuts. 

What you need to know

• Developer Creative Assembly and publisher Sega revealed that Total War: Pharaoh is the next big historical game in the series.
• Total War: Pharaoh takes place at the collapse of the Bronze Age, with players choosing to play as Egyptians, Hittites, or Canaanites. 
• Total War: Pharaoh is planned to release at some point in October 2023. 

The next big game in Creative Assembly and Sega's strategy franchise is on the way, and players are going back to the sands and rivers of the Bronze Age. 

Creative Assembly and Sega revealed Total War: Pharaoh on Tuesday, with a cinematic trailer showing the powerful Egyptians on the brink of collapse. You can check the trailer out below:

"There are few periods more iconic than Ancient Egypt; fraught with political intrigue, cataclysmic events and grand war campaigns, it's the perfect setting for a Total War title," said game director Todor Nikolov. "As Pharaoh, you must save Egypt from the cusp of destruction and guide your people through the calamitous Bronze-Age collapse. It is up to you to either survive or fade into history."  

While the Total War franchise has expanded into fantasy over the last few years, most recently with the 2022 launch of Total War: Warhammer 3, the last big historical game was Total War: Three Kingdoms in 2019. 

Total War: Pharaoh features eight different choices for leaders across three factions, the Egyptians, Hittites, and Canaanites. The game also delivers new features such as dynamic weather that can change in the middle of a battle, with sandstorms, rain, heat, and more changing the terrain and how armies can fight each other. Total War: Pharaoh is slated to arrive at some point in October 2023. 

Windows Central's take

This is an intriguing choice for the series' next historical game. I'm curious to see how a lot of these ideas play out, and while I absolutely love Warhammer 3 and keep coming back to Immortal Empires, it has been long enough that I need a good history-based fix in my strategy games. 

What you need to know

• Total War: Warhammer 3 is getting more DLC and updates over the next year. 
• Developer Creative Assembly shared a roadmap, providing an overview of what the different patches and DLC packs will include. 
• One DLC is coming by the end of summer, while another will be arriving sometime in Winter 2023, and a third is planned for Spring 2024.
• The first two DLC packs are focused on existing races, instead of introducing new ones. 

If you've been eagerly wondering what's next for the ever-violent Old World of Warhammer in Creative Assembly's strategy game, there's great news. 

The developer shared a roadmap for Total War: Warhammer 3 on Tuesday, detailing an outline of what players can expect over the next year. Notably, there are three big DLC packs planned, with one dropping in Summer 2023, another in Winter 2023, and the third in Spring 2024. 

In keeping with past tradition, each DLC is also being accompanied by a major update that brings new quality of life features and bug fixes for all players. You can take a look at the full roadmap below:

The first DLC, Shadows of Change, will be focused on Tzeentch, Cathay, and Kislev, with three new Legendary Lords, a Legendary Hero, new units, and more. The second DLC, Throne of Decay, is all about Nurgle, the Empire, and the Dwarfs. In addition to three Legendary Lords, a Legendary Hero, and new units, this DLC introduces the Nemesis Crown, a powerful artifact similar to the Sword of Khaine.

The third DLC pack is currently a blank slate, though Creative Assembly confirms it will also focus on three races, with three Legendary Lords and some new units being added to the mix. The developer also shared that ideas are being formed for what'll come after this roadmap in 2024, though there's nothing specific to share right now.

Windows Central's take

Overall, this is a fairly good roadmap. After the arrival of the Chaos Dwarfs earlier this year, it makes sense to focus on the existing races, and doing three at a time helps make up for the months-long wait between each DLC pack. 

Personally, I'm most interested in just what's being cooked up for the Empire and the Dwarfs this late in the game, though for the latter, we could always see some powerful units like the Thunderbarge or Shard Dragons finally make their appearance.

What you need to know

• Sega of America employees are forming a union. 
• The unionizing workers are asking for better pay, benefits, improved ways of advancing in their careers, and more. 
• Several studios in the U.S. have already unionized, including Raven Software and Blizzard Albany under Activision Blizzard, as well as the entirety of ZeniMax Media's quality assurance team under Microsoft.

As talk of unionization continues to spread across the gaming industry, workers at more and more companies are banding together. 

Employees at Sega of America shared on Monday that they are forming the Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega (AEGIS) union. The workers — a supermajority of those employed at Japanese publisher Sega's American offices in Irvine, California — come from Sega's localization and quality assurance (QA) departments, and are asking for better pay, more ways to grow in their careers, an end to being understaffed and overworked, and for improved benefits.

"As employees at Sega, our goal is to create high quality games and cross-media experiences for our wide, devoted fanbase. Our lack of control over our own working conditions has greatly hampered this goal," the workers explained via the AEGIS Twitter account. "In the interest of delivering the best quality products to our fans, we must have the opportunity to make decisions that impact our working conditions."

Unionization, once unheard of in the gaming industry, is no longer a strange thing. QA workers at studios like Raven Software and Blizzard Albany have unionized. Earlier in the year, over 300 QA employees at ZeniMax Media unionized, forming the first union at Microsoft and the largest union in the gaming industry. Microsoft previously promised to remain neutral in any unionization efforts at its various divisions or across Activision Blizzard, if and when the acquisition goes through.

Windows Central's take

More unions in the gaming industry is a wonderful thing to see happen. It won't solve all of the issues facing employees and publishers alike, but giving workers better protection is always worth fighting for.

While Creative Assembly's fantasy strategy take on the Warhammer Fantasy realm was fully unified months ago, it's still expanding in exciting ways. 

In Forge of the Chaos Dwarfs, players get an entirely new race for the first time since Total War: Warhammer 3 was first released over a year ago. With three new leaders, this faction provides a new campaign and a great new way to experience the Brobdingnagian fantasy free-for-all of Immortal Empires. 

The roster of units and heroes is strong, and the sheer breadth of gameplay mechanics can challenge even an experienced player looking for fresh content in one of the best PC games available. If you're a veteran of the series so far, these sorcerous distant relations of the non-Chaotic Dwarfs are well worth checking out, though the price tag is a fair bit steeper than past DLC for the franchise and may give some pause. 

Disclaimer: This review was made possible by a review code provided by Sega. The company did not see the contents of this article before publishing.

Total War: Warhammer 3 - Forge of the Chaos Dwarfs — What I liked

Creative Assembly has been working on this franchise for over nine years now, and that experience is fully brought to bear with this DLC pack. The Chaos Dwarfs pack in a dizzying number of systems, with ideas pulled from across other factions like the Dark Elves and Cathay, while mixed with some new malicious concepts.

This cruel race is a dark mirror to everything the regular Dwarfs offer. They still bring heavy infantry and powerful war machines, but instead of honor and tradition, they innovate in horrifying ways, fusing daemons into suits of armor to power infernal hellcraft. 

In the Realms of Chaos campaign, the Chaos Dwarfs are focused on recovering the Blood of Hashut, constructing a powerful drill to acquire this godly resource, which will require a scavenger hunt of legendary Dwarf relics. These relics can be used to power the drill but alternatively can be used to massively boost your characters, meaning you'll have to weigh the earliest possible construction of the drill against ridiculous levels of power.

In order to get these relics (or to just wreak havoc if you're playing in Immortal Empires instead) you'll need to get the Chaos Dwarf economy kickstarted. This means balancing the number of slav—er, laborers around your empire. Instead of using population, playing the Chaos Dwarfs is a precarious balancing act between Money, Laborers, Armaments, Resources (for buildings), Conclave Favor, and total workload. 

The more mines you have extracting resources, the higher the total workload, which means more laborers. These can be traded for through caravans or captured in battle. Producing money, most buildings, and Armaments all take resources. Armaments can be sold for money, but can also be used in the Hell-Forge to empower your troops and increase the unit cap on the non-cannon fodder troops. A K'daai Destroyer is powerful, but if you've got the Armaments, you can buff it with a barrier, missile resistance, and more. Last of all, Conclave favor is spent on political machinations with or against other factions of Chaos Dwarfs.

There's a lot to take in and manage here (more on that below) but once you get things rolling, your economy can churn things out at a truly terrifying rate. As someone with around a thousand hours in this trilogy so far, I appreciated the challenge this faction provided.

Creative Assembly's care with unit details is established at this point, but it bears repeated emphasis that everything here looks and sounds great. The Chaos Dwarfs, never a huge or well-supported faction on the tabletop, have been translated to this game with ruthless beauty. Daemonic war machines lumber and grind while rockets screech and butcher enemies with ease. Across countless battles, I never got tired of watching the different animations play out, especially the chaos that's unleashed as flame cannons and blunderbuss units shred oncoming foes.

Total War: Warhammer 3 - Forge of the Chaos Dwarfs — What I disliked

This isn't a real negative per se, but the Chaos Dwarfs are decidedly not newcomer friendly. Even if you have general experience with the Total War franchise, there's a steep learning curve to making everything work here, and that's not even getting started on the challenges you'll face from your neighbors in the early game. 

Even on normal difficulty, I had to restart a few campaigns that were clearly a lost cause because I was a hair too slow in stopping a Greenskin or Skaven tide from wiping out my fledgling empire. A word of advice to any players: Prioritize getting rid of Grimgor Ironhide, or you'll be sorry. 

Outside of that, I experienced one hard crash and a couple of visual glitches, like a unit appearing strangely flickering in battle and some notifications on the campaign map not popping at the correct time on a turn. The developers are aware of some visual bugs in the DLC's pre-release state. So, hopefully, all should be fixed at or shortly after launch. 

I also have to bring up the fact that Forge of the Chaos Dwarfs is $25 in the U.S., which is more than any previous DLC produced for this trilogy. I understand the realities of inflation, and there's absolutely no denying the quality of the content in this pack, but it's still worth mentioning. 

Total War: Warhammer 3 - Forge of the Chaos Dwarfs — Should you buy it?

Ultimately, Forge of the Chaos Dwarfs is a great excuse to jump back into Total War: Warhammer 3. It's difficult and definitely geared around experienced players, but I've spent well over 30 hours with this new faction so far, and I'm sure that's just the beginning. 

If you're a newcomer curious about the game, it's worth keeping in mind that the base experience is currently available on PC Game Pass, meaning you can play the game that way and then pick up this DLC with ease.

Total War: Warhammer 3 — Forge of the Chaos Dwarfs is set to launch on April 13, 2023 across Steam, the Microsoft Store, and the Epic Games Store. 

What you need to know

• Sega released a new game called The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog. 
• This visual novel tasks players with figuring out what's going on with Sonic's apparent death. 
• The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog is available right now for free on Steam.

No, this isn't a joke. 

In celebration of April Fool's Day, Sega shared the news that there's a new visual novel called The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog available on Steam for free. This would be your usual run-of-the-mill April Fool's Day joke, except for one small detail: It's a real game. You can check out the launch trailer below:

This point-and-click adventure has you playing as Amy Rose, who is holding a murder mystery party for her birthday. When Sonic appears to die though, things take a serious turn.

Due to the low requirements — the game requires a nugatory 2 GB of RAM and 500 MB of free space — you'll hardly need one of the best gaming laptops to check out The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, just any basic Windows PC.

The game's Steam page is appropriately self-aware, noting that this isn't a Team Sonic title, but that you can believe in the power of headcanon. If you're looking for a big change of pace after playing Sonic Frontiers, The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog is available right now for free.

Windows Central's take

A large number of April Fool's jokes done by companies simply aren't funny. Every now and again there's a real gem though, and that's the case here. Well done, Sega. 

As a sidebar, because of how many companies dismissively use the genre of visual novels for their April Fool's gags, it's refreshing to see a company actually release the game in question. Visual novels can be really great and I honestly wish more companies would release small spinoffs or experimental titles using that format. 

What you need to know

• According to a report from IGN, Sega and Tencent are not planning to attend E3 2023.
• This news comes right after Ubisoft, which was planning to attend E3 2023, backed out of the event, with plans to hold a Ubisoft Forward showcase on June 12, 2023. 
• Xbox, Nintendo, and PlayStation are also not attending E3 2023. 
• Summer Game Fest from Geoff Keighley is expected to return this year.

More publishers are confirmed not to attend E3 2023, with a reported lack of information coming from the events organizers, the ESA and ReedPop.

IGN reports that Sega and Tencent, two large publishers in the gaming industry, are now confirming that they won't be in attendance at E3 2023. 

"After careful consideration, we have decided not to participate in E3 2023 as an exhibitor," a Sega spokesperson told IGN. "We look forward to sharing more information on announced and unannounced projects in the future."

Tencent told IGN that it would not be involved in E3 2023, but that regarding Play Days, the company “found it to be an ideal experience for showcasing our games to the media.”

IGN reports that other publishers are also planning to skip E3, but have not yet made the confirmation with a public statement. This news comes as Ubisoft, the one major publisher that was signed on to attend E3 2023, pulled out of the event. Ubisoft instead will hold a Ubisoft Forward event on June 12, 2023. According to IGN, this news also comes as ReedPop president Lance Fensterman announced that he is stepping down from the company.

Multiple other publishers were asked that have not yet commented, while Bandai Namco did not comment on E3 but did confirm it would be at Play Days, the media-only physical event hosted by Geoff Keighley back in 2022. Keighley also hosts Summer Game Fest, Opening Night Live at Gamescom, and the Game Awards.

Summer Game Fest is confirmed to return in 2023. There aren't many details, but the event is currently slated to be held on June 8, 2023.

Windows Central's take

If after the Ubisoft news there was somehow any hope E3 2023 could still materialize in a meaningful way, I think it's time to put that hope down. There's no company of importance attached to help push this, and I fully expect Geoff Keighley to take advantage of that. I'll just end with this tweet from Keighley, responding to the IGN report from Kat Bailey and Rebekah Valentine (both are great reporters that you should follow). 

What you need to know

• Total War: Warhammer 3 first launched for PC back on Feb. 17, 2022. 
• The game later received an update that added Immortal Empires, combining it with the previous two games into one massive map. 
• Now, the Chaos Dwarfs are being added as a new faction on April 13, 2023.

Over a year after it initially launched, developer Creative Assembly's biggest strategy game ever is continuing to grow.

Total War: Warhammer 3 will soon be getting the long-teased Chaos Dwarfs, a reclusive and truly evil faction. This dedicated DLC pack, appropriately titled Forge of the Chaos Dwarfs, is slated to launch April 13, 2023 alongside Update 3.0. You can check out the announcement trailer below:

The Chaos Dwarfs are a twisted reflection of their noble forebears, using all the ingenuity and precision engineering of the Dwarfs to craft monstrous works, binding Daemons to metal, and enslaving others. 

This faction has access to three Legendary Lords: Astragoth Ironhand, High Priest of Hashut; Drazhoath the Ashen, Sorcerer Prophet of Hashut; and Zhatan the Black, commander of the Tower of Zharr. There's also a Legendary Hero in the form of the Hobgoblin, Gorduz Backstabber.

Some of the units available for the Chaos Dwarfs to use include the powerful Bull Centaur, the Bale Taurus, and the Lammasu.

Windows Central's take

Total War: Warhammer 3 is one of the best PC games available for strategy fans like myself, and while Immortal Empires was a fantastic addition with how it combined the whole trilogy into one huge game, it's been a while since we had a new faction to play around with. I'm looking forward to giving the Chaos Dwarfs a spin when they arrive.

Growing up in the nineties revolved mainly around a long-winded battle between SEGA and Nintendo, offering fantastic games and cutting-edge technology, at least for that era. Today, both companies have an extensive library of great first and third-party games focused on preservation, but only one still manufactures consoles.

If it's not apparent which was my favorite platform as a kid, rest assured, I've tried every SEGA Genesis / Mega Drive emulator out there. Backing up your old games can be tricky, but a few options are available. Let's find the best SEGA Genesis emulator for your Steam Deck so that you can take some retro classics with you on your travels. 

Best overall: BlastEm

Designed with accuracy in mind, BlastEm is an open-source SEGA Genesis emulator that runs smoothly with even modest hardware, making it perfect for Steam Deck. With builds available for Linux, it's completely compatible with Valve's handheld and couldn't be easier to install.

Find it on Flathub via the Discover app within the Steam Deck desktop mode, or check out the official BlastEm website for links to bleeding-edge nightly builds. Generally, I recommend sticking with stable versions available to enjoy the best balance of compatibility and the fewest bugs.

BlastEm has been my SEGA Genesis emulator of choice since it was released. Taking over from Gens, a Windows-only option that I used for years, the improvements to stability and accuracy found in BlastEm make it the best overall choice for Steam Deck.

Runner-up: Kega Fusion

Kega Fusion is a worthy runner-up since it supports more than just Genesis games. If you want to expand to SEGA Master System, Mega-CD, 32X, or Game Gear titles, look no further. Accuracy is a high priority but doesn't push hardware requirements above the simplest components. Thanks to its official support for Linux, your Steam Deck will have no issues running these classic titles.

Find it on Flathub via the Discover app within the Steam Deck desktop mode, or check out the official Kega Fusion website for links to the latest build. Video plugins are already contained within the Linux .deb package, so it's super easy to get started.

Kega Fusion's SEGA CD support is excellent for playing slower-paced adventure games like Hideo Kojima's Snatcher, a cyberpunk detective game developed before his popular Metal Gear Solid series. If you're exclusively playing Genesis games, it stands tall next to BlastEm, either perfect for Steam Deck.

Third alternative: Genesis Plus GX

Starting life as a homebrew app for the Nintendo Gamecube and Wii consoles, this open-source SEGA Genesis emulator has since been ported to various other platforms and operating systems, including Linux. Boasting 100% compatibility with all Genesis, SEGA CD, Master System, and Game Gear titles, the only downside to Genesis Plus GX is its slightly more complex setup process.

You won't find it in the Discover app since it's currently missing from Flathub and acts as more of a plugin for an emulation API such as Libretro. The simplest way to access Genesis Plus GX on Steam Deck is by downloading RetroArch from the Steam Store and installing it as a SEGA Genesis core.

It offers an outstanding balance of accuracy and speed, thanks to a community effort to improve its code over time. Genesis Plus GX is an excellent alternative to Kega Fusion if you want to play SEGA CD titles with more of a manual setup via the official GitHub repository or as part of RetroArch.

User-friendly: RetroArch

RetroArch is the simplest solution to emulation on practically any platform. It acts as a GUI front-end to many 'cores' lurking behind the scenes, ready to emulate almost any retro console or arcade cabinet you can imagine. If you're a beginner looking for a simple start to emulation, it's the most straightforward option on Steam Deck.

Cores to compatible emulators can be found directly on the official Steam RetroArch page in its downloadable content section. Our top choice, BlastEm, can be installed at the touch of a button and will stick to default settings unless you tinker with the configuration files.

It'll appear as a single game in your Steam library and can consolidate thousands of games in one place. If you prefer to customize your emulators and keep games separate from one another, stick to standalone apps. Otherwise, RetroArch is a fantastic choice for SEGA Genesis emulation on Steam Deck.

Backups: SEGA Genesis Classics

To play your old-school SEGA Genesis games, you'll need a legal way to back them up. Cartridge dumping hardware exists, but many involve some DIY hustle, which is hardly a straightforward process for a novice. There have been plenty of compilations and re-releases of the Genesis library, including a physical Sega Genesis Mini console. Unfortunately, the miniature replica only comes with 40 games, which aren't accessible for backups.

Thankfully, SEGA allows you to buy over 50 games directly on your Steam Deck via the official store's SEGA Mega Drive and Genesis Classics collection. The emulation performance is lacking compared to BlastEm and its alternatives, but you can easily access the ROM files from Steam's folder directory after purchasing.

You won't find some popular titles like Sonic the Hedgehog 1-3 & Knuckles since they have been moved to the Sonic Origins collection instead. Still, plenty of great games are available in the Genesis Classics collection without wandering into legal gray areas regarding personal backups. It's currently the best way to access SEGA Genesis backups on Steam Deck, paired with your emulator of choice.

Choosing the best SEGA Genesis emulator

The Steam Deck is regularly compared to the formidable Nintendo Switch, but it reminds me more of SEGA's handheld Game Gear. Valve's portable console is a tremendous improvement over the hulking AA-battery destroyer from the nineties. Still, the games hold up, and now you can play them practically anywhere with a fantastic emulator like BlastEm.

If you plan to expand to SEGA CD games, consider picking up one of the best SD cards for Steam Deck since those backups will take up far more space than cartridge-based games. After that, check our guide to the best emulators for Steam Deck when you're ready to check out its capability for running other retro consoles.

What you need to know

• SEGA has rebranded its Yakuza franchise to "Like a Dragon," as reported in a recent interview with Digital Trends.
• This new name closely aligns with its original Japanese name, "Ryu Ga Gotoku" which translates to "Like a Dragon," and will be used across future games.
• The rebrand begins with recently announced titles in the series — Like a Dragon: Ishin!, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, and Like a Dragon 8.

When Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios announced three upcoming Xbox titles in the Yakuza series — Like a Dragon: Ishin!, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, and Like a Dragon 8, fans noticed some changes. SEGA has dropped the Yakuza branding across the board, and as per a new Digital Trends report, the change is here to stay.

The rebrand sees the Yakuza moniker dropped in favor of "Like a Dragon," set to be used across future titles, according to a SEGA of America representative. The name change falls in line with its original Japanese name "Ryu Ga Gotoku," which translates to "Like a Dragon" in English.

Starting with the original PlayStation 2 title which started the franchise, "Ryu Ga Gotoku," ports to the west have used the "Yakuza" branding. With western popularity on the rise, and new entries like Yakuza: Like a Dragon exploring stories beyond the yakuza, a name change was inevitable.

Scott Strichart, a localization producer at SEGA who worked on Yakuza: Like a Dragon, has since drawn attention to an in-game chapter, "Chapter 12: The End of Yakuza," which alluded to the wider rebrand.

Like a Dragon: Ishin! and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name will be released in 2023 while Like a Dragon 8 is scheduled to be released sometime in 2024. The three games will launch on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox One, plus various PC platforms.

In addition, the Like a Dragon spin-off titles, Lost Judgement and Judgement have just been released on PC via Steam in a double pack dubbed The Judgement Collection.

What you need to know

• Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, the developers behind the popular Yakuza franchise have recently announced three new titles that will be released between 2023 and 2024.
• Like a Dragon 8, the next mainline JRPG entry starring Ichiban Kasuga and Kiryu Kazuma. Like a Dragon: Ishin!, a spin-off title set during 1800s Japan following Ryoma Sakamoto. And, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, a side-entry that follows Kiryu Kazuma's story after Yakuza 6: The Song of Life.

Recently, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios, the development team behind the popular Yakuza franchise, unveiled three new upcoming titles for the franchise. These games are Like a Dragon: Ishin!, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, and finally, Like a Dragon 8. All these games are planned to hit Xbox consoles and PC over the next two years, adding to the sizeable upcoming games line-up for 2023 and beyond.

Here's what we know so far. 

Like a Dragon 8

Like a Dragon 8 is the next mainline entry in the Yakuza series. Not much is currently known about this title except that it will again star Ichiban Kasuga, the protagonist from Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and that it will be another turn-based JRPG adventure. Except for this time, Kazuma Kiryu, Ichiban's predecessor, will be featured as a dual protagonist with a new hairstyle, and he will get his own party members to fight alongside him.

Like a Dragon 8 is scheduled to be released on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam and Windows in 2024.

Like a Dragon: Ishin!

Like a Dragon: Ishin! is a remake of a 2014 spin-off released only in Japan on the PlayStation 3 and 4 called Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin! Set in a fictionalized version of mid-1800s Japan, you play Sakamoto Ryoma (played by Kazuma Kiryu), a real-life samurai on a quest for vengeance to find the assassin who murdered his master.

Like the original game, Like a Dragon: Ishin! will be an action-adventure game with a beat'em up combat system. The remake will feature updated graphical enhancements and several characters from the Yakuza series taking the roles of historical figures from this tumultuous time in Japan's history.

Like a Dragon: Ishin! is scheduled to be released sometime in 2023 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam and Windows.

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is an upcoming side-story focusing on Kazuma Kiryu, the long-time protagonist of the franchise before Ichiban. Not much is currently known about this title other than it will be another action-adventure game, and it will shed on what Kiryu has been up to after Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, eventually leading up to his next big appearance in Like a Dragon 8.

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is scheduled to launch in 2023 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam and Windows.

Expect to see more info on these new Yakuza titles at the Tokyo Game Show, starting this week on Sept. 15, 2022.

Lost Judgment and Judgment are also coming to PC

Yakuza spin-off titles Lost Judgment and Judgment which follows on the side of law enforcement are also confirmed to be coming to Windows PC for the first time. 

Total War: Warhammer 3 Immortal Empires is almost here, or at least the beta launch is. In a lot of ways, this is the definitive release for the third game in the series and the series as a whole, the endgame for an entire franchise that first began in 2016.

Over the last couple of weeks, I've spent dozens of hours trying out different factions in Immortal Empires, including going all the way back to some that haven't been touched since the very first game. It feels strenuous to overstate just how much is here. With all three games and dozens of DLC packs combined — and more on the way — there are now 90 Legendary Lords to choose from if you've bought everything in the series so far, alongside hundreds of settlements to take and minor factions to conquer.

Not everything is perfect, and there are a few things I hope to see addressed fairly soon, but as developer Creative Assembly continues to release updates to this self-proclaimed "Phase 1" of Immortal Empires, I can see myself spending dozens upon dozens of further hours in this playground of conquest.

One world, six years in the making

Immortal Empires is a combination of everything that's been built in all of the Total War: Warhammer games. People can play all of the playable bits from all three games in the series — from factions to races — meaning it feels like the ultimate box of toys the tabletop setting was always meant to be.

With this impressive scope, it can be a bit overwhelming to try and grab everything in sight, so the different factions of Total War: Warhammer 3 and preceding games have had their victory requirements tweaked, making shorter victories more reasonable. Of course, if you want to start on one side of the map and conquer all the way to the other, you can do that more grandly than ever before.

Like the base launch of Total War: Warhammer 3, Immortal Empires also supports simultaneous co-op, so you can bring in some friends to team up or go head-to-head across the Old World and New World combined. 

With up to eight-player support, you could even have two teams with various allegiances, or even a brawling free-for-all. It's unlikely that certain Lizardman factions will encounter Cathay, but it's no longer impossible. The possibilities here feel endless. Even in this early state, Immortal Empires is working hard to earn its name.

There have been a lot of changes, and it also coincides with a desperately-needed patch and DLC pack for the setting's forgotten harbingers of doom. At long last, the Warriors of Chaos have received a huge overhaul, and it's this faction that is also the focus of Total War: Warhammer 3's newest paid DLC, Champions of Chaos, adding four new Legendary Lords for the long-maligned group. 

At long last, the Warriors of Chaos burn bright

Naturally, each of the new Legendary Lords serves in homage to a particular Chaos god, meaning that there's now a truly mind-boggling number of possibilities. You can devote yourself to a single Daemonic god, lead that god's human followers, or attempt to wrangle the attention of all four dark primordials.

This comes by way of the new Dark Authority system, which essentially represents how the forces of Chaos hate each other almost as much as they hate anything that stands on the side of Order. 

Different leaders in the Warriors of Chaos can access different units, and even if they can summon forces from all four Chaos gods, investing in certain technologies that benefit one god's followers can alienate the others. As the forces of Khorne rise in strength in your lord's army, the forces of Slaanesh weaken. It's a delicate balancing act and one that makes for some fantastic role-playing regardless of the leader you choose.

Another big overhaul for the Warriors of Chaos is found in the Warband Upgrades system. To represent how a select few human followers can be mutated and enhanced by Chaos, you can upgrade your troops directly on the march as they gain experience.

A handful of marauders in your early battles can become champions of Chaos Undivided by the time you burn through the civilized lands. I absolutely love this system; it truly makes you feel like your army is growing alongside your chosen herald of destruction. All of this means that the Warriors of Chaos have gone from one of my least-favorite factions to one I'm constantly thinking about. 

Regardless of whether or not you step into the armored boots of Chaos, there are new challenges that weren't present in Mortal Empires, the prototype mode for Immortal Empires from Total War: Warhammer 2.

To help make things feel fresh when players inevitably do start steamrolling the map, Immortal Empires introduces new endgame scenarios. Unlike the standard Chaos invasion that's been around since the first game in 2016, these scenarios take a variety of forms, with massive Greenskin WAAAAAGHs or Dwarfs deciding to avenge the entire Book of Grudges at once. It's a neat change of pace, and I look forward to seeing more added in the future, something the developers have already indicated will happen.

A big step, not the last step

Not everything is perfect here, and there's a very good reason that Creative Assembly is referring to this mode as a beta despite it being mostly complete content-wise. There are glitches and unfinished reworks across some of the different units, which makes sense since many of the game systems have evolved massively over time and some things just don't work together. 

Usually, these are fairly minor, with now-useless or redundant bonuses, but I did encounter one particularly grating problem playing as the Warriors of Chaos. There seems to be a behavioral issue where factions you are allied to will declare war on your vassals, then immediately sue for peace. Because you are required to aid your vassals, this means war coordination and using the Outpost system to recruit units for your ally's pool can be needlessly dashed with no warning, requiring several turns to build up a trusted allegiance again. I completely understand that infighting, betrayal, and scheming are the name of the game when it comes to Chaos, but when this happens repeatedly, it just becomes exhausting.

Outside of that, the sorely-needed blood and gore effects were disabled in my game build, though Creative Assembly claims this option will be fixed by launch, alongside a bit of further polish to prevent potential crashing. 

I also noticed a strange shimmering effect on a handful of units and textures, primarily in races that originated in Total War: Warhammer 2, like the High Elves. The developers have spoken at length pre-launch about how things in the beta need further polish, so I imagine these fall into that category.

Should you play Total War: Warhammer 3 Immortal Empires?

All in all, Immortal Empires is (mostly) an excellent experience that will be one of the best PC games for strategy fans. In many ways, it's a dream come true for longtime fans. If you're already invested in these games, diving into this beta is absolutely worthwhile. 

If you're new to this series, I do think it's worth having a discussion about cost. After all, series veterans like myself have been collecting these games and DLC packs for years, but what if you're an eager and curious newcomer?

Three full games and multiple DLC packs come out to hundreds of dollars if you buy everything at full price. I strongly recommend only grabbing Total War: Warhammer 3 — or trying it through PC Game Pass —  then waiting for a sale on your chosen storefront and getting the other two main games and the many free DLC packs. From there, as you try out the different factions, you can decide if additional Legendary Lords and units are worth grabbing the corresponding paid DLC packs.

Across all these dozens of playable factions, innumerable game mechanics, tweaks, patches, and possibilities, the single word that continually comes to mind is ambition. Immortal Empires isn't perfect, but the scale of Creative Assembly has largely succeeded in pulling off remains nothing short of astounding. As that ambition continues with more updates and more DLC, both paid and free, I'll be playing for a long, long time to come.

Total War: Warhammer 3 Immortal Empires beta and the Champions of Chaos DLC are launching on Aug. 23, 2022.

What you need to know

• Total War: Warhammer 3 launched earlier in 2022. 
• The first DLC pack for the game is called Champions of Chaos, adding four new Legendary Lords and new units for the Warriors of Chaos faction. 
• The Champions of Chaos DLC is slated to launch alongside the Immortal Empires beta on Aug. 23, 2022. 

While Total War: Warhammer 3 launched back in February, the first DLC pack for the game has been revealed. 

Total War: Warhammer 3 is getting the Champions of Chaos DLC, which is all about empowering the long-neglected Warriors of Chaos faction. Unlike most Lord packs, which add two new Legendary Lords, this DLC is bringing four new Leaders for the Warriors of Chaos faction, one for each of the dark gods. The first of these four to be revealed is Azazel, a daemon that is aligned with Slaanesh.

You can watch the teaser trailer for the Champions of Chaos DLC below: 

There are over 50 new units in this DLC, greatly expanding the Warriors of Chaos lineup, while some of these units will also be available to the four Chaos God factions and the Daemon Prince. 

The Warriors of Chaos are also getting new gameplay mechanics, with powerful Dark Fortresses that make vassals of Chaos tribes, while still-human soldiers in players' armies can be ascended through the Mark of Chaos. 

Champions of Chaos will be launching on Aug. 23, 2022 alongside the Total War: Warhammer 3 Immortal Empires beta. Champions of Chaos is playable in the main campaign and Immortal Empires, ensuring that no matter where players to choose fight, the list of factions in Total War: Warhammer 3 is continuing to grow.

What you need to know

• Persona 5 Royal, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 3 are headed to Xbox consoles and Windows PC. 
• Atlus shared that Persona 5 Royal will include all the previously-released DLC packs when it launches on Xbox and PC. 
• Persona 5 Royal is slated to arrive for Xbox and PC on Oct. 21, 2022. 
• The other two Persona games are coming at a later date, and all three games are launching day one into Xbox Game Pass. 

Persona 5 Royal is headed to Xbox consoles and Windows PC later in the year, and when it does, new players won't have to pay extra for all the different DLC packs.

Atlus shared on Monday via Persona Channel that Persona 5 Royal on Xbox and Windows PC will include the myriad DLC packs that have been released so far. You can see the lengthy list of DLC below:

• Persona 4 Costume & BGM Special Set
• Persona 3 Costume & BGM Special Set
• Persona 2 Costume & BGM Special Set
• Persona Costume & BGM Special Set
• Shin Megami Tensei if. .. .. Costume & BGM Special Set
• Persona 4 Dancing All Night Costume & BGM Special Set
• Persona 4 The Ultimate Max Costume & BGM Special Set
• Shin Megami Tensei IV Costume & BGM Special Set
• Catherine Costume & BGM Special Set
• Orpheus & Orpheus / Thief God Set
• Izanagi & Izanagi / Thief God Set
• Thanatos & Thanatos / Thief God Set
• Magatsu Izanagi & Magatsu Izanagi / Thief God Set
• Kaguya & Kaguya / Thief God Set
• Ariadne & Ariadne / Thief God Set
• Asterios & Asterios / Thief God Set
• Tsukiyomi & Tsukiyomi / Thief God Set
• Messiah & Messiah / Thief God Set
• Persona 5 The Royal Recovery Item Set
• Persona 5 The Royal Skill Card Set
• Persona 5 The Royal Plain Clothes / Uniform Costume Set
• Persona 5 The Royal Phantom Thief Marked Morgana Car Sticker
• Persona 5 The Royal Swimsuit Costume Set
• Persona 5 The Royal Persona 20th Anniversary Morgana Car Sticker with Anniversary Logo
• Persona 5 The Royal Maid & Butler Costume Set
• Persona 5 The Royal Christmas Costume Set
• Persona 5 Dancing Star Night Costume & BGM Special Set
• Persona 5 The Royal Belbedroom Costume & BGM Special Set
• Persona 5 Dancing Star Night Featherman Costume & BGM Special Set
• Shin Megami Tensei DEEP STRANGE JOURNEY Costume & BGM Special Set
• Persona 5 The Royal Jersey Costume Set
• Izanagi Ogami & Izanagi Ogami / Thief God Set
• Orpheus & Orpheus / Thief God (f) Set
• Athena & Athena / Thief God Set
• Persona 5 The Royal Exploration Assistance Pack
• Persona 5 The Royal Battle Help Pack
• Persona 5 The Royal Kasumi Yoshizawa Costume Numbering Package
• Persona 5 The Royal Kasumi Yoshizawa Costume MEGAMI Package
• Persona 5 The Royal Kasumi Yoshizawa Costume Extra Package 1
• Persona 5 The Royal Kasumi Yoshizawa Costume Extra Package 2
• Persona Raoul
• Persona 5 The Royal Challenge Battle Extra Set
• Persona Q2 New Cinema Labyrinth Costume & BGM Special Set
• Persona 5 The Royal Challenge Battle Best Customer FULLMOON
• Persona 5 The Royal Challenge Battle Best Customer FOGGYDAY

Persona 3, 4, and 5 are all headed to Xbox and PC, with the announcement coming earlier in the year at the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase 2022. All three games are launching day one into Xbox Game Pass.

Persona 5 Royal is up first, with a release date of Oct. 21, 2022. Meanwhile, Persona 3 and Persona 4 Golden will be coming at a later period. 

Total War: Warhammer 3 Immortal Empires is on the way, bringing with it the largest undertaking ever by veteran strategy game development studio Creative Assembly. Immortal Empires is bringing together all three Total War: Warhammer games so far, allowing players to send factions against one another across the entirety of the Warhammer Fantasy world. 

Vampires can clash with Skaven, Lizardmen can fight rotting Daemons, and the icy warriors of Kislev may clash blades with the hedonistic Dark Elves. It's an unprecedented undertaking, not just for Creative Assembly but for strategy games as a genre. Here's everything you need to know about Total War: Warhammer 3 Immortal Empires.

What is Total War: Warhammer 3 Immortal Empires?

Total War: Warhammer 3 is the third and final entry in the Total War: Warhammer sub-franchise. While currently available as a standalone game with distinct factions and mechanics from its predecessors, the developers at Creative Assembly are working to add Immortal Empires, a mode that brings all three games together. After all, why play one of the best PC games for strategy fans when you can play three at the same time?

With Immortal Empires, players can use factions from across all three games together, as the world is combined into one massive map. This allows anyone who enjoys playing with factions from the two prior games to continue using them in the latest game. Naturally, players can only use what they've purchased, so if you want to use a faction from the first two games, you'll need to buy the games and any DLC you want to have in Immortal Empires. 

Total War: Warhammer 3 Immortal Empires — Map and gameplay details

As you can see from the game map above, saying Immortal Empires is massive is like saying Khorne gets upset about things. It's true, but it doesn't quite convey the magnitude of the situation. Immortal Empires features the largest map that Creative Assembly has ever built. It's nearly twice the size of the already-impressive Mortal Empires map from Total War: Warhammer 2. Right now, the map will not include the Realms of Chaos from the Total War: Warhammer 3 campaign, but the developers note that players should "never say never."

There are 554 Settlements, 278 starting factions (including minor non-playable factions on the map), and at launch, 86 Legendary Lords. Several Legendary Lords are getting "promotions" and will now lead their own factions, including Grombrindal, Helman Ghorst, Volkmar the Grim, and Be’Lakor.

There's also a long list of gameplay improvements on the way. Naturally, Immortal Empires is growing the list of factions in Total War: Warhammer 3 by adding in all the content from the first two games. Many of the Legendary Lords will be starting in new locations, shaking things up for anyone who is used to where everybody starts right now. 

Due to the sheer size of the map, a new feature called Sea Lanes is being introduced. Sea Lanes allow travel from one side of the map to the other via the oceans. You can see the different lanes marked on the map below:

Other big changes are on the way in the form of Corruption being reworked. While Corruption was already heavily reworked for Total War: Warhammer 3, and the developers are tweaking it further given the sheer complexity of having so many different factions on the map. 

Intriguingly, the developers are also working to add "dynamic end-game scenarios," which are randomized mid- and late-game events that can provide more challenge when one or two factions begin to steamroll the map. Examples given include the rise of undead, or a Greenskin WAAAAGH.

Finally, Immortal Empires will support 8-player multiplayer, just like the mainline campaign included at the launch of Total War: Warhammer 3. Only the host of the game will need to own all three games, though any joining players will still be limited in what content they can access based on what games and DLC they own.

Total War: Warhammer 3 Immortal Empires — Open beta

Immortal Empires is launching in an open beta format. The reason for this is that the developers want to provide Immortal Empires to fans as quickly as possible, but are also blunt about just how complicated this undertaking is. Creative Assembly says that Immortal Empires will be "content complete" at launch, but that there are countless small things that will take time to fix. 

In particular, the developers have highlighted issues with how Corruption works, lighting quality on maps from the first two games, and balancing factions across the three games to ensure there's a generally consistent playing field. These will take time, and when combined with the extensive post-launch DLC outlined in the roadmap for Total War: Warhammer 3. 

Total War: Warhammer and Total War: Warhammer 2 both had extensive post-launch support, and Total War: Warhammer 3 shouldn't be any different. 

Total War: Warhammer 3 Immortal Empires will feature the beta tag until the developers feel it no longer applies, but this won't affect how it's accessed. You won't have to opt-in or sign up for something to play it. Instead, Immortal Empires will be available at launch for everyone. 

Once the game mode launches, the developers are asking that players (respectfully) give feedback. Bugs, balancing issues, and other relevant feedback can and should be shared with Creative Assembly. This beta launch and the immediate months following it are being deemed "Phase 1" of Immortal Empires, but the mode won't be finalized for years to come.

Total War: Warhammer 3 Immortal Empires — Release date

We now have an exact release date for Total War: Warhammer 3 Immortal Empires beta, as Creative Assembly confirmed it's slated to launch on Aug. 23, 2022.

Prior to this, the developers had indicated that Immortal Empires beta was slated to launch in August, so everyone will be able to start playing at that point. From there, the game will grow with additional DLC packs, updates, tweaks, patches, and more. 

We'll be sure to provide updates here as more information on Immortal Empires (as well as future plans for the mode) become available.

What you need to know

• Hyenas is a newly-announced multiplayer shooter from Creative Assembly, with the team having previously worked on Alien: Isolation and Halo Wars 2.
• It's set in a future where billionaires wrecked Earth and colonized Mars. Players are space pirates who steal from said billionaires, hijacking ships and making off with cargo.
• Hyenas is a PvPvE game, with three teams of five players facing off against each other and AI opponents.
• Hyenas is coming to Xbox, PlayStation, and PC consoles, though the game does not currently have a release window.

While we've known for a long time that Creative Assembly and Sega were working on a new shooter, we've finally got some details on this mysterious project. Hyenas is a multiplayer game that pits players against each other and AI foes.

Hyenas is being developed by Creative Assembly, a studio under Sega that's known for its work on strategy games like the recent Total War: Warhammer 3. You can check out the announcement trailer for Hyenas below:

Hyenas is set in a version of the far future where billionaires made Earth uninhabitable and colonized Mars while making off with their treasures in huge spaceships. So, it's not that far off from what billionaires want in real life. 

Players are space pirates, working to steal treasure from these ships. At the same time, they're not the only ones with these ideas, and the ships are very well defended from enemy threats. Hyenas divides players into three teams of five players players, who will fight each other and AI opponents while trying to make off with relics like a statue of Sonic the Hedgehog.

“These ships aren’t defenseless,” explained creative director Charlie Bewsher, speaking with IGN. “They’re full of security, sensors, switches, interactive systems, and gadgets. It’s a great environment for this competitive game to take place in.”

Hyenas does not have a release date or release window, but the game is slated to launch on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC, PS5, and PS4.

What you need to know

• Total War: Warhammer 3 is getting a massive new mode called Immortal Empires, which combines the map of all three games together. 
• Creative Assembly shared a first look at the map of Immortal Empires on Tuesday, detailing what players can expect to play around in. 
• Immortal Empires is also adding a new feature called Sea Lanes, which connect ends of the map via the ocean. 
• Immortal Empires is currently slated to launch in beta in August 2022. 

Immortal Empires is on the war for Total War: Warhammer 3, combining the trilogy of games into one massive playground to explore. 

Development studio Creative Assembly shared a look at the map of Immortal Empires on Tuesday, giving players a first look at how the world of Total War: Warhammer 3 will grow. You can take a look at the map below (tap or click the upper-right corner of the image to enlarge it).

To say the Immortal Empires map is massive would be an understatement, as it's the  largest Total War map ever created, being almost twice the size of Mortal Empires in Total War: Warhammer 2. Right now, there are 554 settlements, with 278 starting factions and 86 Legendary Lords. That number is sure to change, especially as the list of factions in Total War: Warhammer 3 grows with future DLC. 

One of the many new features being introduced to Immortal Empires is Sea Lanes. Due to the sheer size of the game map, Sea Lanes provide a way for players to go from one side of the map to another without marching over land and crossing the middle of the ocean near Ulthuan. You can see the Sea Lanes below:

Total War: Warhammer 3's Immortal Empires mode is currently slated to launch in beta form in August 2022, allowing the developers to take feedback and adjusting things as needed while still letting players roam free with factions and area from all three games coming together.

Sonic's riding high. He just had an awesome movie (go see Sonic the Hedgehog 2!) thanks to Paramount taking good care of the property, and at first blush, it seemed like Sega was set to do something respectable as well with Sonic Origins, a collection of the original mainline Sonic titles from the early '90s. But the same day Sega unveiled its snazzy Origins trailer, it also unveiled a distasteful preorder and DLC scheme.

For added background: Sega has released Sonic 1, 2, and CD on an insane amount of platforms over the years. The only one that's been omitted in recent memory is 3 & Knuckles (rumors abound as to whether that's because of Michael Jackson's involvement in the game's soundtrack and disputes with his estate, or whether the troubles run deeper). So, barring 3&K, Origins really isn't a big deal between the plethora of official re-releases as well as excellent fan-produced emulations and re-releases — check out Sonic 3 Complete for proof.

Still, for new fans, a single package containing the most historically significant classic games is a nice idea. What's not nice is that Sega is injecting modern gaming industry economic policy into classic titles from a simpler, arguably better time. Sonic Origins' sales structure features some of the absolute most penny-pinching DLC practices you can imagine.

Sega can't help itself

Remember when Sega attempted to charge money for Super Sonic in Sonic Forces, a bonus that'd been free in every other Sonic game? Or when it insulted PC players for preordering Sonic Mania by delaying that version to inject last-minute DRM, thereby punishing paying customers and indirectly spurring the production of a record-speed cracked copy by pirates? Well, the company's up to its usual tricks.

This time, the gimmick is tiered preorders and DLC. If you order the Standard Edition, you get "the main game." If you order the Digital Deluxe Edition, you'll get additional music (a staple of the franchise), hard missions, "character animations," and camera controls. Yes, you read that right. You need to buy a special edition of the game if you want barebones, bog-standard, basic features such as certain camera controls and character animations.

But wait, there's more. If you buy the ill-named "Premium Fun Pack," you will also get a letterbox background. You need to buy a separate pack just to get a background for Origins, on top of paying a deluxe tax to get certain animations and camera controls.

There are additional annoying preorder options available in Sega's announcement of Origins' June 2022 launch, but those are the most egregious ones.

Cut out the funny business

In and of itself, the preorder and DLC setup for Origins is gross. Full stop. Charging players for essential building blocks of the core experience (camera controls? Animations? Really?) is not acceptable. It's even worse than Deus Ex: Mankind Divided's infamous "augment your preorder" scheme, wherein Square Enix sought to turn preorders into Kickstarter-esque communal stretch goals. At least Square Enix didn't strip players of certain camera controls if they didn't cough up extra money.

But what's more disappointing about Origins' sales structure is that Sega is foisting it on certified classics, games that came out in a time before money-grubbing preorder and DLC tactics existed in a mainstream capacity. It's one thing to tarnish modern products with corporate villainy, but to retroactively defile Sonic's origins? That ain't right, and Sega should reassess how it treats fans — even though it probably won't.