The Yakuza series launched in 2005 to great success in Japan and developed a cult following in the West. Yakuza 0 introduced the series to a more mainstream audience. The games feature semi-open and faithfully recreated Japanese settings in famous Tokyo cities and their seedy underbelly. The first seven games in the series center around Kiryu and are self-contained stories in their own right. The eighth title, Yakuza: Like a Dragon , introduces a new protagonist, Ichiban, with unique motivations and a turn-based combat sys

The Skate franchise has earned just about as much of a reputation as the Tony Hawk games at this point, and it seems like a no-brainer that EA would want to capitalize on its popularity sooner rather than later. When Skate 3 was added to Xbox One Backward Compatibility , many gamers began speculating that a new game was on the way, but no announcement c

After the success of P.T. inspired psychological thriller Layers of Fear in 2016, horror Adventure game Tips extraordinaire Bloober Team followed it up with the cyberpunk-themed psychological thriller, Observer for PC, PS4, Xbox One , and Nintendo Switch earlier this year. It’s next game, Observer: System Redux is effectively a next-generation port, taking the original game and updating it with enhanced visuals and gameplay, as well as brand new story content . Observer: System Redux is coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X in the fourth quarter of 2

The Streets of Rage series returned in 2020 following an incredibly long hiatus. The long wait for a sequel proved worthwhile, as Streets of Rage 4 is one of the best beat-em-ups since the third title. Comparatively, its story is simplistic compared to Yakuza. Moreover, there is little freedom outside combat. However, the fighting system is the perfect throwback for fans of the street brawling in Yaku

Meanwhile, Microsoft can’t boast the same number of significant system sellers. Halo: Infinite is undeniably a massive draw, but it’s far from something entirely new for the franchise, especially with Microsoft continuing to pump out fairly frequent Halo titles over the past decade. Naturally, Xbox could provide followups to titles like Crackdown 3, Sea of Thieves, and Recore, but very few of these games managed to impress players or build giant fanbases when they launched during the Xbox One’s life cy

Nintendo’s surprise Smash Bros. Ultimate reveal was the addition of Banjo-Kazooie as a DLC fighter , something that seems incredible considering that Microsoft owns the license to the franchise. But many fans were hoping for more than just a cameo in a fighting game, they wanted a full-fledged Banjo-Kazooie title – something that apparently just isn’t in the cards right

Rumors have been swirling for quite some time that Microsoft has a brand new Perfect Dark game in development. According to the rumors, the new Perfect Dark will be third-person , and will be at least partially developed by Gears of War studio The Coalition. Whether or not there’s any truth to these claims remains to be seen, but it would make sense for Microsoft to take advantage of Perfect Dark ‘s popularity and leg

It has been 11 years since there was an entry in the Destroy All Humans! franchise, but according to a recent rumor, THQ Nordic stands ready to showcase a new game at E3 2019. The last anyone saw of Crypto, he was leaving the Furon Palace when Pox became the emperor. It’s unknown if a new game would serve as a sequel to the last game, a reboot, a spin-off, or what, but it’s likely to garner tons of attention nonethel

However, when looking at the long list of Microsoft and Sony franchises that could make the jump to next-generation hardware, it’s fairly evidently who has the edge. Taking star power and prominent, marketable franchises into account, Sny is packing several massive names that are each easy system sellers. Horizon, Spider-Man, God of War , The Last of Us, Ratchet and Clank, Uncharted; these are all series that are offering fresh, interesting concepts that fans are clamoring to see more of, and that’s without even mentioning all the currently dormant franchises that Sony could dip its toes back into as w

The Devil May Cry series has always been renowned for its magnificent combat. The satisfying combos where Dante effortlessly tears through large groups of enemies will resonate with fans of the Yakuza combat system. After the furious fan reaction to the reboot from Ninja Theory, Devil May Cry 5 is a return to form and arguably the best DMC game to d

From the brilliant minds at Bloober Team, developer of Layers of Fear 2, Blair Witch , and the previously mentioned Observer: System Redux comes a new original next-generation psychological horror, The Medium . Haunted by a vision of a child’s murder, players control Marianne, a medium that’s living between two different worlds: the real world and the spirit world, and must find answers in an abandoned hotel resort. For the creation of The Medium ‘s soundtrack, Bloober Team has chosen to collaborate with Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka in an effort to reflect the game’s theme of duality. The Medium will release on Xbox Series X and PC in Holiday 2

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