It has been what feels like an eternity since we’ve had a proper boxing game. In fact, EA’s Fight Night Champions was probably the last one of note, and that was all the way back in 2011. Jump forward a mere 13 years and we’re heading back to the ring courtesy of Undisputed, from developer Steel City Interactive and publisher PLAION. It has been in the works for a while now, even releasing into early access last January, but on October 11^th it is launching 1.0 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Undisputed will feature more than 70 licensed fighters, including Tyson Fury, Canelo Alvarez, and Roy Jones Jr. More importantly, it also includes a deep career mode that lets you create your own custom fighter to climb the ranks and become a champion. Outside the ring, you’ll be able to customize the look and fighting style of your character, hire staff, negotiate contracts, and train.

The game features 60 different punches, defensive and footwork mechanics, as well as facial deformation and dynamic damage. Of course, it wouldn’t be a true sports sim without professional commentary, which is why Undisputed pulls in the announcing skills of Todd Grisham and Johnny Nelson.

Boxing is back and it feels so good. Have a look at the new announcement trailer below:

We are officially two months away from the re-launch of college football in the video game world. After months of hype, EA Sports has released the official launch trailer. Simply put: It looks and feels like a college football atmosphere.

Let's talk about what we know and where we're at.

First, this is what we wanted: A true college football game that picks up where it left off with NCAA Football 2014. Needless to say, a lot has changed in the world of college football and we'll finally have a game that has a playoff, updated schools, conferences, and all the bowl tie-ins we can ask for.

There's been a lot of speculation about what modes were going to make it into the game and if the offline single player modes were going to be properly taken care of. Thankfully, it looks like those of us who love taking the worst possible teams straight to the top of the mountain are going to get our wish. Here's a look at the modes:

Dynasty: This is the big one, and some key words are thrown in here. It looks like the transfer portal will be a big part of offseason activity and the 12-team playoff is ready to go.

Teambuilder: It's here, and that is easily the best news I've heard yet. You can build your own program from scratch on the Teambuilder website, make them as great or as bad as you want, and put them into the game. 

Road to Glory: It looks like this is not a story mode and is like the true RTG mode of the past. While it doesn't specifically say the dorm room is back from the 2006 version, it does say that you have to manage your weekly schedule, GPA, and your image. That means making decisions that will determine what your "Coach Trust" is, which is probably similar to what we see in EA FC 24 in how much playing time you get. Excellent news all around.

Ultimate Team: We knew this was going to be here, so fans of Ultimate Team can build their own legendary squad to play online.

Wear & Tear System: This appears to be a new feature as a game goes on and probably isn't too far off from what we saw in NCAA 14. If this is implemented right, it is going to mean making big decisions on how much players play and if it carries over week to week.

Homefield Advantage: The thing that made the NCAA games so iconic was that playing on the road in certain environments meant a more hostile crowd, especially in rivalry games. It looks like this is back in all its glory, including the wavy pass routes and missing icons.

There is a lot to be hyped up about! I'm sure I'm in the majority when I say I wish we got live gameplay today instead of the hype trailer, but we're officially in the endgame of the build and EA will almost certainly be releasing trailers soon enough. I was still a bit worried when all we got was the trailer, but this list of confirmed features and what goes into them has quelled my concerns quite a bit.

We will try to wait patiently for the full videos of what we can expect ahead of the July 19 release.

College Football 25 can be pre-ordered from EA's site and is available on Xbox and Playstation 5.

Jyamma Games has announced that their upcoming action-packed RPG Enotria: The Last Song will launch on September 19th for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. In Enotria: The Last Song, players will be able to adopt the masks of their defeated enemies to harness their strengths while navigating through a menacing Italian-inspired landscape. As someone who enjoys a certain franchise where you acquire the powers of defeated enemies, this is something I can get behind. Players will also utilize the Ardore to dynamically shift the world around them.

Ahead of the June Steam Next Fest, an 8-hour demo will be available on the PS5 and PC. The demo will have four distinct weapon classes, each with a variety of weapons and six unique masks to discover, and you can augment different playstyles with over twenty spells and thirty perks.  Pre-orders for the Standard and Deluxe Edition of Enotria: The Last Song are currently available on the Epic Games Store and the PS5, with Xbox Series X|S pre-orders starting soon. In the meantime, check out the latest gameplay trailer to get a closer look at what you'll be in for.

Deep Rock Galactic Survivor is a single player spin-off of the wildly popular Deep Rock Galactic game that I've never played but has been near the top of my list for so long I kick myself everytime I remember that I haven't played it. Like now... ow! Survivor is a an auto-shooter that launched into Early Access back in February. Well it just got its latest update, Hoxxes Fights Back, which introduces a new boss, enemies, and overclocks. From the press release:

• Dreadnought Twins - Prepare for trouble, and make it double. The cocoon at the end of each Deep Dive can now spawn two smaller Dreadnought Twins, with some altered abilities to keep players on their toes. What they may lack in size, they make up with some unique skills, as they are able to heal each other’s health bars, charge towards players and shoot a barrage of projectiles at them.

• New Enemies & Overclocks - To make matters worse, two new enemies have been unearthed in the depths of Hoxxes IV. Joining the fray are the Huuli Hoarders, a skittish enemy that will flee on sight, but drop precious loot if taken down in time. Additionally, the Q’ronar Shellback is an elite version of its sibling - the Q’ronar youngling - that rolls around and fires a toxic beam. To even the playing field, the R&D department has cleared over 10 new overclocks for existing weapons that dwarves can now wield against the fauna of Hoxxes IV.

• Reworked Dreadnought Boss - The iconic Dreadnought boss is getting a rework as well in an epic three-stage battle, where abilities change as the fight progresses. Dreadnoughts can now stomp the ground to send out molten spikes that trap players and open them up for a charging attack, unless they dig through and escape in time. The Dreadnought can also fire a projectile egg sack which bursts into a wave of Glyphids upon arrival.

You can find the patch notes for the Hoxxes update over on Steam. Those notes also include the regular quality of life updates as is common for Early Access games. The Deep Rock Galactic Survivor game itself is also there: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2321470/Deep_Rock_Galactic_Survivor/ 

Brazilian developer AQUIRIS and publisher Epic Games are bringing arcade racer Horizon Chase 2 to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on May 30^th, the companies announced today. It is already available on Nintendo Switch and PC. Horizon Chase 2 typically retails for $24.99 but will enjoy a 20% discount for the first two weeks after launch.

The old-school style racer features cross-platform multiplayer with multiple online modes, though all modes can be played offline, meaning local multiplayer is present as well. Horizon Chase 2 also lets you customize and upgrade your cars performance at the Garage to help you climb global leaderboards and conquer challenges. As far cars and tracks, you’ll be able to take 11 unlockable rides out on 66 tracks around the world, all while enjoying a soundtrack from Top Racer composer Barry Leitch.

Check out a new trailer below:

Blinkmoon recently announced that their upcoming Vampire Survivors-inspired bullet hell game is ready for Early Access. Necromantic becomes available on Steam next week, May 22nd. The game drops you in as a freshman in Valorborn Academy balancing your daily studies with nightly hordes of the undead and nothing to stop them but your growing arsenal of weapons and arcane magic. 

Some game highlights from the press release:

• Dive Into a Bullet Heaven Battleground: Master the art of survival against overwhelming odds in a beautifully dark world.
• Brave the Dangers and Grow in Infamy: Begin as lowly freshmen growing to to impress your legendary parents by mastering your curriculum.
• Embrace Cooperation or Solo Prowess: Complete Assignments in the town of Kathedril on your own or with a random player to help you out.
• Hit the Books, Hit Them Hard: Achieve greatness by hitting the books, unlocking powerful weapons and abilities that unlock new builds to leverage.

With Early Access just now on the horizon we are a ways from a full release, but keep an eye on the Steam page if you're eager to hop in to the early version or wanting to wait for the final cut: 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2615010/Necromantic/ 

Now, there are some snarky people on the internet oohing and ahhing at the New Season 2 balance changes trailer for Capcom's Street Fighter 6. So much so, that they're taking shots at people like us who only found a difference or 2. As I try not address the internet so much, they can be a little unforgiving. And of course I was one of those people looking at the trailer like "what am I looking at?" These changes won't be available until Akuma's May 22nd release. All the DLC characters got a 3rd outfit too, if you're into that sort of thing. 

Thankfully, there are people who make a living doing this stuff. And my favorite short and sweet version is by Youtuber Rooflemonger, who with their variety content, broke down what they saw in the trailer. It may not be as in depth as others, but I think that's the beauty of it here. Nice and easy. 10 minutes of your time. The trailer is below, and Rooflemonger's breakdown is below that one, you know, for people who need clear cut instructions like myself. "Hello and Welcome".

As promised, Ubisoft revealed the next entry in the Assassin’s Creed franchise today – Assassin’s Creed Shadows – and it’s launching November 15^th for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Amazon Luna, the Ubisoft Store and Epic Games Store. Players who purchase the Gold Edition or Ultimate Edition will get three days early access to the game.

The team behind Assassin’s Creed Odyssey – Ubisoft Quebec – is the lead studio behind Shadows, and they’re finally taking us to feudal Japan, a location that fans have begged to visit in the AC universe for years now. You will play as Naoe, a shinobi, and Yasuke, a samurai as they work for the brotherhood during a tumultuous time in Japan’s history.

Naoe and Yasuke’s playstyle complement each other, with Naoe favoring stealth and Yasuke open combat. Each character has their own progression, skills, and weapons, allowing you to approach situations however you choose. Of course, it wouldn’t be a modern AC game without a sprawling open world, and Shadows is no different. This rendition of 16^th century Japan has been built on the latest version of Ubisoft’s Anvil engine exclusively for current-gen consoles, which is music to this shinoburai’s ears.

Shadows will also tap into some other familiar franchise features, but in its own way. You will be able to establish a network of spies to provide you information on targets and parts of the map. Additionally, some allies can be recruited to help you execute missions. All of this is coordinated at your customizable hideout where you can alter the layout, accessories, and decorations to make it your own.

Pre-orders are available now across storefronts, and include the typical Standard, Gold, and Ultimate Editions for $69.99, $109.99, and $129.99, respectively. The latter two include the Season Pass, in addition to the three days early access to the game.

We still need to see gameplay, which is no doubt coming at Ubisoft Forward on June 10^th, but it would have to suffer a massive blunder at that event for me to not pick up Assassin’s Creed Shadows later this year.

The first DLC pack for WWE 2K24 is available now and it's one that a lot of people have been anxiously awaiting as it includes the return of CM Punk to the franchise. Rounding out the rest of the pack are ECW legends.

Here is who is included in the ECW Punk Pack...

• CM Punk
• Bubba Ray Dudley
• D-Von Dudley
• The Sandman
• Terry Funk

Also included is new My Faction content including cards for all the wrestlers in the pack and a Paul Heyman manager card. 

Spanish indie developer Straynus today announced that Cronela's Mansion, an open-world adventure game intended as a spiritual successor to the Lucasfilm classic Maniac Mansion, will be headed to Nintendo Switch in 2025. However, Straynus is not stopping there. Classic gaming fans will be happy to hear that the game is also coming to NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and PC. (What? No Virtual Boy?)

The above trailer shows Cronela's Mansion running on a variety of these systems, which instantly tickled the nostalgia areas in my brain. According to a recent press release, the different versions of the game are "are designed to take advantage of the different platforms' strengths to create a unique and exciting experience, no matter which platform you're playing on."

While the game is nearing completion on all systems (each programmed from scratch independently of the others), Straynus is starting a Kickstarter to be able to release the title physically. Backers will have the opportunity to fund a a variety of levels for various rewards, including a big box version of the PC/MS-DOS game on DVD and floppy disk (limited to 500 copies worldwide). For the latest updates, check out the Cronela's Mansion Kickstarter page.