The rumors of a Horizon Forbidden West delay were true, although the wait won’t be as long as you might think. Guerilla has revealed that Forbidden West will be released on February 18th, 2022 for both PS4 and PS5 owners, with pre-orders starting on September 2nd. The developer previously promised a free upgrade to the PS5 version if you have to continue Aloy’s journey on the older console.

The open-world adventure was originally slated to arrive in holiday 2021. However, the COVID-19 pandemic “hugely impacted” development, Guerilla said. Like many game creators, the team had to rethink its work strategy while also trying to maintain a “healthy” work-life balance.

If you can’t wait that long, you’ll still have a reason to revisit Horizon Zero Dawn. Guerilla has released a free Enhanced Performance Patch for the earlier game that gives PS5 players a “targeted” 60FPS. This won’t suddenly drag the game into the next-gen console era, but the improved frame rate should make it that much easier to dodge charging robots and line up bow shots.

Source: Engadget – ‘Horizon Forbidden West’ comes to PS4 and PS5 on February 18th, 2022

Splitgate, an FPS that combines the best of classic Quake multiplayer and Portal, is an unlikely shooter success story. It reached an astounding 10 million downloads during its open beta last month, when it made its way to consoles and unveiled cross-platform play. And to celebrate that success, today developer 1047 Games launched its next beta phase: Season 0. 

“In the span of a month, our servers went from supporting 4,000 players at once to 175,000 players!” Splitgate creator and 1047 Games CEO Ian Proulx wrote on the PlayStation blog. “All in all, our servers had some growing pains, so we had to implement short-term solutions to prevent back-end crashes.”

We haven’t heard much about Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga since TT Games delayed it indefinitely back in April. At Gamescom’s Opening Night Live event, the studio and publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment showed off a new trailer that embraces the series’ trademark irreverent humor, in-jokes and sleek visuals. 

The next Marvel superhero game is reaching deeper into the comic books’ back catalog. XCOM developer Firaxis has unveiledMarvel’s Midnight Suns, a turn-based role-playing game based on the Midnight Sons team from 1990s crossover issues. The modern take has you play a new Marvel co-created superhero, The Hunter, as she fights the Mother of Demons, Lilith. Your character will have help from Midnight Sons members like Blade, Ghost Rider and Wolverine as well as Avengers mainstays like Captain America and Iron Man.

The title reaches PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch and Windows PCs in March 2022. A gameplay presentation is due on September 1st.

In case you’re wondering: no, this won’t just be an XCOM game with capes. Game lead Jake Solomon told Polygon in an interview that Midnight Suns shares “zero mechanics” with the XCOM series. You’ll play missions with up to three other heroes as you develop The Hunter’s powers. When you’re not in combat, an open-world area will help you form bonds with fellow heroes. And instead of the paranoia and fear that drive XCOM, you’re rolling into battle with confidence — there’s no permanent character death, for starters.

This is something of a gamble when many Marvel appearances have involved more conventional brawlers and fighting games. Firaxis has a strong track record, however, and dipping into the Midnight Sons catalog draw in both long-time Marvel fans as well as those who don’t want to rehash the brand’s most familiar stories.

Alongside the Halo Infinite release date, Microsoft made a couple of other Halo-related announcements at Gamescom’s Opening Night Live event. To mark the 20th anniversary of the series, the company is releasing a limited-edition Xbox Series X and Elite Series 2 Controller decked out in Halo-themed looks.

The console features dark metallic paneling with iridium gold accents, as well as a star pattern. The bundled-in controller has an iridium gold 20-year mark on the rear. Best of all, you’ll hear custom Halo-themed sounds when you switch the console on and off. 

Pre-orders are open for this special-edition Xbox Series X, which will be available on November 15th. It costs $550, which is $50 more than the standard Series X, but it comes with a copy of Halo Infinite. You’ll be able to play the game on December 8th.

Also arriving on November 15th is the Halo Infinite Limited Edition Elite Series 2 controller. The matte metallic green look is inspired by Master Chief’s armor and it boasts an iridium gold D-pad. The controller comes with a custom carrying case, laser-etched charging dock and swappable components. You’ll also be able to adjust the tension of the thumbstick using a special tool. If you pick up this controller, you’ll also receive an exclusive Halo Elite controller weapon charm to use in your Halo Infinite multiplayer games.

Pre-orders are open for the Elite Series 2 controller, which costs $200.

In addition, Microsoft revealed a Halo Infinite-inspired Razer Kaira Pro headset and Seagate Game Drive. The latter will be available in October, costing $100 for the 2TB version and $160 for the 5TB model.

Source: Engadget – Special-edition ‘Halo Infinite’ Xbox Series X and controller arrive on November 15th