According to the developer on Twitter, this is across all platforms, resulting in its “most wishlisted title of all time.” “And there’s still over 4 months to go,” it added.

Built from the ground up, Stranger Than Heaven follows Makoto as he ventures to Japan in search of new beginnings. Spanning 50 years, he goes from an ordinary thug who takes on rival gangs to a music producer who, between scouting artists (including Tori Kelly, Ado, and Satoshi Fujihara) and organizing shows, takes on rival gangs. Did you really expect anything less from RGG Studio?

Thankfully, the combat system is completely fresh, with the left and right bumpers/triggers corresponding to Makoto’s limbs for different combos. There’s a rough-and-tumble feel, whether you’re pounding enemies on the ground or desperately guarding against a mounted attack. And of course, given how much more serious the setting is, there’s a lot more blood than your average Like a Dragon.

Stranger Than Heaven launches on January 15th, 2027, for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. It’s also playable on day one through Game Pass.

Investigating the wreckage of a downed spacecraft before it’s washed away, Blake ventures into the wreckage to search for survivors and salvage. After a destroyed Synthetic briefly appears, it’s not long before she’s caught by the Xenomorph and finds ways to sneak past it. That means throwing bottles and flares to catch its attention. Of course, you still need to move quietly, lest it hear your footsteps and quickly give chase.

While Blake is caught to close out the demo, the ship is dragged into the river. It’s already confirmed that the planet’s settlement gets caught up in the horror, which means the ensuing chaos could be far more devastating than the first game. As terrifying as that may sound, it only makes you wonder how things could end.

Despite lacking a release date, Alien: Isolation 2 looks to have developed well since it was announced in October 2024. It’s coming to Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.

Kokura is a display of hand-to-hand combat, and almost dramatically, crowds of NPCs will clear out when a fight is about to break out. As revealed before, players can control the left and right sides of Makoto’s body separately. This also applies to guarding, so you’ll use his right arm to block attacks from an opponent’s left and vice versa.

You can combine left and right attacks into combos, but if you time things just right, Makoto can also parry attacks. Jumping ahead to Kure, he pulls out a giant crowbar, and enemies now have weapons like shovels and blades. Players can wield these with either one or both hands – if you choose the former, then you’ll punch an opponent with the free hand. Besides the usual fodder, larger boss-style threats can appear.

Of course, it’s not always about size. In Osaka, Makoto faces a single blade-wielding foe who can close the gap quickly. This also showcases how you can parry enemy blows during ground-and-pound sequences and roll out of the way of attacks when knocked down.

Stranger Than Heaven offers a darker tone than RGG Studio’s previous works, so you shouldn’t expect as many “zany” characters this time around. Nevertheless, there is a lot of side content, and since the team created all the assets from scratch, you can expect plenty of new sights and sounds when it launches on January 15th, 2027.

It showcases the different playable drivers and what looks to be Pickup Race. In this mode, up to six players compete to pick up passengers and deliver them to their destinations as quickly as possible. The driver with the most cash wins, so it’s not just about who makes the most pickups. The usual Crazy Taxi madness is apparent – just with the prospect of a player base that either won’t show up or will quickly disappear after launch.

In the meantime, the playtest kicks off on September 11th and ends on September 13th. It features two maps, six cars and four drivers alongside another mode – Cops ‘N’ Cabbies. As you’d expect, one team commits robberies while the other must stop them in the name of the law. Ranked matchmaking will be available for both, for whatever it’s worth, though you can set up custom matches with different rules.

Crazy Taxi: World Tour launches in 2027 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. A hands-on demo is available to try at Gamescom.

While that could indicate that development is further along than expected, Creative Assembly has plainly stated, “you won’t get a release date next week” in response to a Twitter user. It even replied, “You’re welcome” when thanked for letting others know.

For what it’s worth, Sega has never indicated where Alien: Isolation 2 fits in its release schedule – something it did last year for Persona 4 Revival and Stranger Than Heaven. That doesn’t mean the development team couldn’t suddenly drop a release window at, say, The Game Awards this December. But for now and the forthcoming week at Gamescom, it’s simply not ready.

Alien: Isolation 2 is in development for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. Very little is known about the protagonist, but like many in the franchise, she’s part of a team that investigates a “mysterious vessel” that crashed on a colony-planet. It soon becomes clear that a Xenomorph is on the loose and she must do everything possible to survive. Head here for more details on how the studio wants to “expand and evolve” on the original.

It’s quite simple to learn, with the triggers and bumpers on either side of your controller serving as attack inputs for the corresponding side of your body. You’re going to want to come at your enemies from different directions, switching up combos based on the direction their defense is aimed at. Of course, they’re going to try doing the same, but parrying an attack with the right timing and in the right direction is going to set them up for a devastating counter. Factor in environmental attacks and a few other factors such as your stamina, and you’ve got the beginnings of a combat system that could be quite entertaining to engage with.

It’s a good thing, then, that the showcase’s hosts take us through the different eras of the game, giving us a good look at the world design before showing off the game’s combat in action against foes who are quite vicious, although we don’t see too many of you having trouble with mastering this system and turning the tables quite quickly.

Stranger Than Heaven launches on January 15th, 2027, for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

While those numbers are a milestone worth celebrating on their own, they are made all the more interesting when you consider that the game was at 3.2 million in April 2023 and 4.57 million units in June 2025. That showcases continued interest in the game, possibly spurred along by the Final Horizon update and the Definitive Edition which came out nearly two months ago for Nintendo Switch 2. That it brings all of the game’s content under one roof, with all of its updates and patches, makes it a tempting proposition for fans of Sonic, to be sure.

Sega’s celebrating the occasion by giving all of you a free pair of shoes that fans of Sonic Adventure 2 will appreciate. We’ve left the publisher’s wholesome tweet below, along with a peek at the new shoes if you’re interested in claiming them. If you’re thinking about trying this one out, our review should help you make up your mind one way or another, and the Definitive Edition is definitely a great choice if you’re jumping in.

https://x.com/sonic_hedgehog/status/2087932247219519711

Stranger Than Heaven is being developed for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, and is slated for release on January 15th. This latest video comes just a couple of weeks after the game’s combat was showcased with a lengthier trailer.

Focusing on protagonist Makoto, the trailer gave us a look at how players will be able to fight off groups of enemies with a variety of improvised weapons as well as martial arts. On the defensive side of things, the trailer also revealed that Stranger Than Heaven will include a parry system that will give players ways to open enemies up for more combos.

The combat system was given more explanation back in May; players can control the left and right sides of Makoto’s body independently, with each side having its own attack button. Hitting R1 or R2 (or RB and RT if you’re using an Xbox controller) will have him attack with his right arm and leg, respectively. In our coverage at the time, we noted that this was quite similar to the gameplay system in Tekken, where each face button on a controller corresponds to a specific limb for the character.

The title is shaping up to be one of the more ambitious projects taken on by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. Along with being an entirely new IP that is not connected to the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series, the game will also tell a long story that spans the course of fifty years.

In an interview from back in June, studio lead Masayoshi Yokoyama revealed that the story ended up becoming longer over the course of Stranger Than Heaven’s development process. Despite this, however, when it comes to actual gameplay, he confirmed that the maps are “roughly the same scale” as what we would see in a Yakuza title.

“We haven’t measured it precisely, but I think it’s turned out to be quite substantial. The main story, in particular, is very extensive. It just ended up getting longer as we were developing it.”

“We didn’t artificially make the maps for each historical era larger or smaller, so they each have their own distinct size. The number of buildings with interior spaces you can actually enter has increased compared to the Yakuza series. However, given the historical setting, there are no skyscrapers or similar structures. Therefore, I believe the overall scale remains comparable.”

Stranger Than Heaven is also going to feature a massive star-studded cast, which includes hip hop legend Snoop Dogg in the role of a smuggler named Orpheus, among many others. Other noteworthy inclusions in the cast are Japanese musician Ado and even another legendary hip hop artist, the late Tupac Shakur.

Participants will have two maps, six cars, four characters, and two modes to choose from. Pickup Race has up to six players trying to drop off as many passengers as they can within the time limit. The player who earns the most cash ultimately wins. Then there’s Cops ‘N’ Cabbies, where two teams compete, presumably one playing the cops who must chase down the cab drivers.

What’s interesting is that you can participate in Ranked for both modes with matchmaking available. However, if you want to set up a Custom Match with different rules, then the option is available. Unfortunately, there aren’t any single-player modes or Story content available.

The closed network test will be available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Crazy Taxi: World Tour, meanwhile, launches next year for the same platforms and Nintendo Switch 2. In the meantime, those who attend Gamescom in late August may have a chance to go hands-on, if not learn more details. Head here to check out Sega’s line-up for the show.

Protagonist Makoto is clearly proficient at surviving fights no matter the weapon he wields, countering attacks coming his way with deadly efficiency and striking back with unerring precision to ensure that he’s always a step ahead of his opponents. That doesn’t mean the threats he’s got to face are slouches – they pack quite a mean punch and are suitably nasty antagonists to make the stakes feel real at all times.

Of course, a parry mechanic that seems quite well-tuned, and some great combo potential can make this one a pleasure to understand and utilize on a deeper level. There’s a lot to like in this trailer, and things are looking pretty good for a game that spans so many years and cities that it can be a lot to take in.

But Stranger Than Heaven’s star-studded cast and systems that look like they have a lot of potential are factors that currently work in its favor as we gear up for its January 15, 2027 release on the Xbox Series, PS5, and PC.