Cielo and Pai Chan pursue him, but when the latter enters a pitched battle and knocks away his mask, she’s shocked at his identity. While we don’t get a look at his face, the fighting style does all the talking, employing Wushu for some high-impact strikes. At one point, he even slams Pai into the ground without mercy before showcasing what seem to be Fu Jow Pai techniques.

Some speculate that he may be Lau Chan, which would be impossible given the character’s age. Others believe this is Lei Fei harnessing similar moves, but seemingly falling into darkness. Perhaps the Bakunawa Killer is just a brand new character with ties to both. Time will tell, but he’s playable in Versus Mode as well.

Virtua Fighter Crossroads launches next year, and thus far, this kind of storytelling really leans into producer Riichiro Yamada’s description of an “open sandbox RPG.” Besides Cielo’s journey, players will control other characters, each with their own respective tales. Of course, fighters from previous titles also figure, especially in the side content, which is touted as more grounded than, say, Yakuza. Head here for more details.

All in all, it’s shaping up to be a large game. In fact, studio head Masayoshi Yokoyama notes that the story ended up longer as the team continued development. Speaking to Automaton Media (translation via DeepL) about the overall scope, he said, “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.”

However, when compared directly to the Yakuza series, he said the maps are “roughly the same scale.” “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.”

However, he reinforced that Stranger Than Heaven is a “completely new title” with UI, controls, and combat that are “entirely different.” That also extends to the kind of experience fans would typically be used to. For instance, side stories will play out differently, perhaps hinting at their more serious nature.

Play Spots return, but once again, they’re rooted in the specific era. “Elements like ‘Play Spots’ are fewer in number, reflecting the historical setting. After all, we haven’t done any corporate tie-ins like in the Yakuza series,” says Masayoshi, laughing.

Launching on January 15th, 2027 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, Stranger Than Heaven is about Makoto Daito, who stows away on a ship to Japan after the death of his mother. Along the way, he meets the likes of Orpheus (played by Snoop Dogg) and Yu Shinjo, whom he’ll have continued run-ins with throughout the era, especially when they get into the music business together.

However, when you look at the single-player campaign, it looks much closer to a Yakuza, Like a Dragon or Judgment (albeit with fights adhering to the series’ usual format). That’s because producer Riichiro Yamada considers it an “open sandbox RPG” instead. Speaking to GamesRadar, he revealed that many were “kind of against” a Virtua Fighter revival when he pitched it.

As for the narrative, it seems he says that newcomer Cielo’s story, described as a “kung-fu movie,” isn’t the be-all, end-all. There are other protagonists (which you can likely spot here) with their own unique narratives, from “very dark and gritty” to investigative. Of course, there’s also a “lot of side content,” including “side quests with the legendary old cast,” and mini-games, though these won’t be as over-the-top as Yakuza.

For Crossroads, the development team “wanted to really ground it in this world,” noting IP like Watchmen as an inspiration. Yamada “really felt and loved about Watchmen was how the world – even if they’re dressed as superheroes – it feels so believable.”

But don’t be fooled into thinking the studio is developing another Yakuza with the Virtua Fighter name. Yamada said that “player choice really matters” with different decisions influencing the story. Rather than something like, say, Yakuza: Like a Dragon with its linear narrative, he likens it more to Detroit: Become Human “and stuff that, where you really change the story. Depending on how you play, it becomes a whole different game.”

It’s definitely an alluring prospect and could open up the title to an audience that favors a strong single-player component. Granted, we still need to see much more of Virtua Fighter Crossroads – and learn about its platforms – but RGG Studio is seemingly on the right path.

If you never looked into the 3D platformer when it launched in November 2022, it’s a somewhat open-world approach to the series’ traditional formula. Arriving on the Starfall Islands by chance, Sonic works to free his friends by exploring the mysterious Cyberspace and taking on the Titans. The latter represent some of the most spectacular boss fights – and arguably the best power fantasy – in the series yet. Check out our review for more details.

Sega would expand on it in various ways, including The Final Horizon, which added a “true” final boss. You could also partake in a celebration of Sonic’s birthday, time trials in Cyberspace and Battle Rush to take on all threats, one after another.

Of course, if you’re picking up the physical version on Nintendo Switch 2, beware – it ships on a Game-Key Card, which means having to download all the updates. With this out of the way, it remains to be seen whether we’ll finally hear about that sequel rumored back in 2024.

Meanwhile, we get to see newcomer Cielo venturing through the city, shadow-boxing one moment and taking on real fighters in the next. Of course, for all his prowess in striking, grappling and ground-and-pound, he’s not much of a match for Pai Chan, the legendary fighter from previous titles.

Other fighters are teased throughout, both new and returning, like Hawk. There are even chase sequences featuring Cielo as you vault over objects and attempt to escape. Given RGG Studio’s experience with the same in Yakuza and Judgment, and its pedigree in melee combat systems, we’d say they’re a strong fit for the title.

Virtual Fighter Crossroads launches next year, but Sega has yet to announce its platforms. We know that it will offer two match types, Standard and Uprising, alongside a deep story, as the team aims to make it a Game of the Year-worthy title. Whether it succeeds or not, you can’t deny that Crossroads is looking mighty slick.

One of the biggest changes in Alien: Isolation 2, when compared to its predecessor, is the fact that it will take players planetside rather than keeping them confined to a spaceship. This, Hope said, opened the door for the studio to explore how it could tell an entirely new story. However, he also confirmed that this new story would still be “closely connected” with the first Alien: Isolation.

“Coming out of the tin-can-in-space experience into a new world, onto our planet’s surface, and really opening the canvas and telling a new story – which is still really closely connected to the first game,” he said. “Having this new outpost, Kurosaki Station, that we could bring to life, which would have those claustrophobic interiors where the player feels trapped – and is super familiar to anyone who’s played the first game – but now also allows us to have these hostile exteriors that you’re going to be hunted in.”

Alien: Isolation was highly praised for its effective use of audio, and Hope has noted that this aspect remains one that the studio is highly focused on. He described audio design as being a great shortcut to make players feel tension and fright. This, along with the concept of an “information war” – essentially the difference between what the player knows and what their enemy might know – will play a key role in making Alien: Isolation 2 a frightening experience.

“Audio is half the experience,” explained Hope. “It’s such a massive component of any horror experience, but for us, it’s enormous. It’s kind of our shortcut to helping steer how you’re feeling and thinking; a shortcut to your brain. One of the other ways we think about the Isolation experience is like an information war – what do I know versus what the enemy knows? And then you have all these modifiers that play with that to either enhance it or take it away. And weather is this great disruptor for all those bits of information. We’ve got so many ways we can have weather influence the experience. It really kind of gives us a really definitive way of expanding the core Isolation experience.”

Alien: Isolation 2 will be a first-person horror game. Taking place a few months after the events of the first Alien: Isolation, the title will also feature a brand-new protagonist in the form of Weyland-Yutani employee Blake. While not too many other details about Alien: Isolation 2 have been revealed yet, the game’s reveal trailer did confirm that there will once again be a Xenomorph that players will have to hide from and sneak around.

Alien: Isolation 2 is being developed for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2.

Beyond this, there was plenty of new gameplay, showcasing the Orcs and the Imperial Guard. Massive battles were promised, and Creative Assembly delivers, but even closer to the ground, the details are immaculate. It’s especially satisfying to see explosions ring out and limbs go flying everywhere.

As incredible as the battles look, the team is working hard to ensure varied environments with its planet-making system. Even if you happen upon an ice planet, various factors can significantly alter its makeup. For example, Arid conditions will ensure more craters while Temperate conditions will result in ice and rocks around settlements.

The sheer variety is pretty impressive, especially when considering architecture and verticality during combat. Total War: Warhammer 40,000 is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC, and while a release date remains unknown, a closed beta is coming. You can sign up here to note your interest, though once again, when it will go live remains to be announced. Stay tuned for updates in the meantime.

The trailer showcases the fast-paced driving gameplay of Crazy Taxi: World Tour, giving us a look at just how reckless players will be allowed to be as they ferry people to and from their pick-up points and destinations. This means that there will be plenty of opportunities for insane drifts and massive jumps as you weave in and out of traffic. The trailer also indicated that San Francisco will return as one of the core settings of the game.

However, there seemingly won’t just be a single city in Crazy Taxi: World Tour. The trailer ends with the player’s driving getting messages that their flights had been booked and that their passports better be ready. True to the game’s name, it looks like players will get to engage in Crazy Taxi gameplay in a variety of cities all around the world.

Crazy Taxi: World Tour is confirmed to be coming to PC and Xbox Series X/S. It is also likely that the title will make its way to PS5 as well. While Sega hasn’t yet confirmed a release date for the title, it has revealed that Crazy Taxi: World Tour will be coming out sometime in 2027.

It’s an unsettling walk through a dark forest, with a voice on your comms setting the stakes by telling your character that you’ve only got one chance to fix whatever has gone wrong in the time since the first game came out so long ago.

There aren’t too many details in this short look at the game, but we can confirm that there’s a Xenomorph on the loose, in case you were getting lulled into a false sense of security. We can also confirm that it cuts quite the sinister figure, hunting you from the shadows before it leaps in for the kill. It looks as menacing as you would expect it to be, and taking it on is definitely not for the weak of heart.

In case you’ve forgotten, considering just how long it’s been since the first game released, this one’s set in the same universe as the films, ẃith the first game being successful enough to fuel a long chain of rumors and speculation about this one’s existence.

We can’t wait to hear more about this one from Creative Assembly, and the trailer below should easily demonstrate why that’s the case.

That might be faraway, but the trailer did drop some interesting hints at what awaits Makoto and the rest of the cast as the story unfolds. We already knew that he flees San Francisco, but we now know that his hopes of better treatment in his homeland are dashed thanks to his mixed heritage. The word gaijin immediately comes to mind. There are also hints at a quest for revenge, probably tied to the reason his mother was in America in the first place.

This one’s had us quite eager to see more of it ever since it was announced, thanks to a combat system that looks like it brings the best of Tekken to the table, and a bevy of other activities that could have you so steeped in being the showman of Makoto’s dreams it can be easy to forget about all the threats lurking about on the road to get there.

Of course, the revelation that got the biggest reveal was Tupac walking out of the shadows in a digital avatar that has captured the likeness quite well. he joins other well-known names like Snoop Dogg and Ado in a star-studded cast that’s sure to have us all tapping our feet when they drop the beat.