Editor's Note: Spoilers ahead for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

A Time of Change

Really, it was a perfect storm. LucasArts needed to secure Star Wars' future in the video game market, a fight the company began with its restructuring in 2004 and eventually lost in 2012 when Disney bought Lucasfilm and closed LucasArts' doors for good.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed faced an uphill battle of Clone Wars proportions at its very inception. The concept for the game was first conceived in 2004, a year before Revenge of the Sith hit theaters to conclude the Prequel Trilogy. It was a time when all of Lucasfilm was mapping out the next step for the franchise. Now that the film saga was complete, how would George Lucas' company move the brand forward?

Naturally, they would now have to depend on the strong Expanded Universe that countless authors, artists, game developers, and animators had been building around the films all along. While the Dark Nest Trilogy and the Legacy of the Force series kept the prose fiction sector quite healthy, animated projects such as Genndy Tartakovsky's Clone Wars, Dave Filoni's The Clone Wars, and Family Guy's "Blue Harvest" secured Star Wars' immediate future on our screens. This time of transition also saw Dark Horse's first dive into the Legacy era -- 137 years after the Battle of Yavin -- that introduced a whole new generation of heroes to comic book fans. 

The video game part of the franchise, however, was in deep trouble. In 2004, the VP of Marketing at Lucasfilm, Jim Ward, was named President of LucasArts. Ward had been responsible for The Phantom Menace's now-infamous media blitz, which helped the film rake in over $400 million. He wished to do the same at LucasArts, which he considered a mess of a company when he was handed the keys. In 2004, LucasArts had only grossed $100 million, significantly less than its top competitor in the gaming market, Halo 2. And Ward declared himself the Rogue Leader who would put LucasArts on the map. 

Of course, numbers don't always equate to quality. From 2002 to 2004, LucasArts had entered a gaming renaissance. In the span of two years, the publisher released four well-received titles that are to this day oft-regarded as some of the finest Star Wars games ever made: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, Knights of the Old Republic, Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, and Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. All of these titles were developed by third-party studios. At that point, Raven Software, BioWare, and Obsidian were key players in LucasArts' success. Perhaps the only big hiccup was Sony Online Entertainment's GalaxiesMMO, which didn't quite meet the publisher's expectations. 

Ward saw the outsourcing of game development as a problem, and he sought to make the in-house game studio more efficient. He cut out most of the third-party developers and struck down LucasArts' staff, reducing it from 450 employees to 190. Luckily, Battlefront, Knights of the Old Republic II, and Republic Commando survived the Purge. But dead, for example, were future Rogue Squadron games from Factor 5.

Although the publisher released other third-party games, such as Empire at War, Fracture, Lego Star Wars, and Mercenaries, the developer focused in on Republic Commando and The Force Unleashed. I will revisit Republic Commando in a later entry in this series, so let's move on to The Force Unleashed. 

Unleashing the Force

If for nothing else, I'll always remember Star Wars: The Force Unleashed as the game that gave Darth Vader a badass secret apprentice and allowed me to pull a freakin' Star Destroyer out of the sky. But what else could you expect from a game whose unofficial tagline was "kicking someone's ass with the Force?"The Force Unleashed was nothing if not ambitious. And I will never fault a game for swinging for the fences.

The game's story bridged the gap between the Prequel and Original Trilogies -- something that hadn't been done in the games at all up to that point (and hasn't been since). And the bridge was built quite masterfully. Throughout the game, you see a sort of fusion between the art styles of both trilogies. The Force Unleashed was also the origin story of the Rebel Alliance, which is ultimately one of the game's more controversial aspects. Not that it matters now that all of that canon has been booted for a new one since Disney took over. 

Before LucasArts settled on Starkiller's story, there were a lot of other ideas. (Fun fact: Luke Skywalker's original name in early drafts of A New Hope was "Annikin Starkiller.") Game concepts were designed around a Wookie superhero, Darth Maul (this would've been his official re-introduction into Star Wars continuity), a bounty hunter (later, the concept of Star Wars 1313), and several other protagonists. The studio even considered making the third entry in the Knights of the Old Republic series...

But they eventually (with Lucas' approval) decided to follow the path of the dark side and tell Starkiller's story. Of course, Lucas would come to regret this decision later on. Legend has it that developers weren't even allowed to mention Starkiller's name in his presence during the final days of LucasArts.

Before I can really analyze this game, I must mention that The Force Unleashed was designed to not only unleash the Force, but also unleash huge waves of cash into the company's pocket. The game was to spearhead a multimedia project that also included a tie-in novel, reference book, action figures, comics books, a role-playing game supplement, and a "making of" book. And in 2008, very much due to Ward's excellent marketing strategy, the project was successful. The Force Unleashed sold 1.5 million copies worldwide in its first week, making it the fastest-selling Star Wars and LucasArts game of all-time, despite the mixed reviews from critics. The Force had definitely been unleashed.

Who's Scruffy Looking?

From the game's opening, it's obvious that no punches were pulled in the making of The Force Unleashed, as you walk around Kashyyyk massacring Wookies as Darth Vader. Although its not exactly stated when the assault on the Wookie homeworld takes place, it is undoubtedly during the Jedi Purge. After all, Vader has arrived to eliminate another Jedi. 

It was a great move on LucasArts' part to introduce the many gameplay mechanics and abilities at your disposal by allowing you to try them out with the all-powerful Dark Lord of the Sith. This first tutorial mission is an appetizer for all the crazy Force powers you will attain as you level up in the game. Everything short of Force Lightning (Vader canonically does not have that ability) is on display here. 

Why then is this intro such a drag? It's probably because Vader is too badass to ever even consider moving faster than a brisk walk. So you spend 10 minutes slowly making your way through the beautiful surroundings, Force pushing Wookies off cliffs. But I'm sure these first few minutes immediately sold the game to many adoring fans.

But when the smooth-operating Starkiller is sent on his first mission, the game design really takes shape. You're sent to Nar Shaddaa (constantly used in the games) to eliminate Jedi Master Kota, who's leading an assault on a TIE fighter construction facility. After spending a few minutes in the decidedly Clone Wars design of Kashyyyk, it feels good to step into Imperial dominion. Walking through the large hallways of the facility will immediately remind fans of the Death Star, which I'm sure was a desired effect, especially since the game concludes on the unfinished space station. 

Of course, during Starkiller's hunt for Jedi Masters Kota, Kazdan Paratus, and Shaak Ti, the game's big flaws begin to show their ugly Sith faces. First and foremost, this is not the game for epic lightsaber duels. With an emphasis on the very cool Force abilities, the sword play comes up very short, as you mash the same button over and over to wipe out hordes of enemies and powerful Jedi Masters alike. Yes, there are combos that you can unlock through the leveling system, but I found that they were never necessary. Learning complicated button combos is insignificant next to the power of the X button. And that dumbs down the experience a bit. It doesn't help that the camera often doesn't agree with you.

There was a moment in last-gen game development when quick time events were all the rage, and The Force Unleashed basks in the mechanic's glory during boss battles. At some point in every single fight, after weakening your enemy, you're prompted to press buttons in a specific pattern in order to slay your target. This also extends to lightsaber clashes and dodging special attacks. It all becomes quite repetitive after a couple of missions. The Force Unleashed does not find the answer to dynamic lightsaber duels. 

Playing the game years later on a gaming PC (I originally played it on a PS3), it's evident that, even when stretched to the highest quality, the graphics and audio are still quite glitchy. Textures pop in and out, and the sound leveling isn't quite on par with the games that came before. Speaking of glitches, I got stuck in between rocks and cutscenes several times during my PC playthrough and remember the PS3 experience being about the same. 

Actually, The Force Unleashed is kinda scruffy-looking, even to 2008 standards. 

Bringing Balance to the Force

So why do I ultimately classify The Force Unleashed as a "great Star Wars game?" The ambition of the storytelling is enough reason to get this game alone. And don't get me wrong, the game works well enough. The Force abilities are absolutely the best, and the sword play is entertaining if you can look past the repetition. But the game's biggest strength is undoubtedly the story it weaves in an unexplored era of the Star Warstimeline. 

The tragic stories of the remaining Jedi Masters cannot be lauded enough. In a couple snippets of gameplay and cinematics, The Force Unleashed tells a much more emotional tale of loss and suffering than Revenge of the Sithcould ever hope. Kota is a defeated man who is broken by the Purge, Shaak Ti's only goal is to protect her Padawan, Maris Brood, and Kazdan Paratus worships a shrine of the Jedi High Council he built on a junkyard planet.

In fact, Starkiller's mission to kill the latter Jedi is both the best and worst part of the game. Those Raxus missions (you visit several of the planets twice in the game -- a little lazy?) are an absolute boring mess of patchwork and last minute finagling, as you platform through a brown landscape full of garbage that's about as interesting as Bantha fodder. At least you get to pull down a Star Destroyer with the Force on your second pass through the planet.

But Paratus' introduction and the boss fight are excellent, as you smash through his makeshift junkyard temple, destroying several of the puppets he's set up to represent the Jedi Masters. This guy has obviously gone insane. And that's a balance in character development you don't quite see during the Jedi Purge. Either the survivors die or fall to the dark side. At last, we see the mental trauma of surviving the extinction of your kind. Yes, perhaps that's a bit dark for Star Wars, but The Force Unleashed, by design, was made to go to those places.

And even though the paper-thin Starkiller is a little too obviously an anti-Luke Skywalker, you're still glad to follow him in his redemption, as he forms the Rebel Alliance, even if his ending feels more like a quick resolution to make the game work with the Original Trilogy. You're glad to be along for this ride through the Empire.

The Force Unleashed could be considered the single greatest piece of Star Wars fan service ever made where the video games are concerned. If you ever wanted to feel like an all-powerful Jedi, look no further. If you ever wanted to fight Wookies as Darth Vader, this is your game. Want to know what it was like for Boba Fett to get stuck in the sarlacc pit? Starkiller dives headfirst into one. Never got the chance to fight the Emperor? He's the final boss. The only question now is: will you choose the dark side or the light?

John Saavedra is an associate editor at Den of Geek. Read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @johnsjr9. 

"Clementine, now a fierce and capable survivor, has reached the final chapter in her journey. After years on the road facing threats both living and dead, a secluded school might finally be her chance for a home. But protecting it will mean sacrifice. Clem must build a life and become a leader while still watching over AJ, an orphaned boy and the closest thing to family she has left. In this gripping, emotional final season, you will define your relationships, fight the undead, and determine how Clementine's story ends."

So reads the official description for Telltale's The Walking Dead: The Final Season. Yes, this really is the end for the series that put Telltale on the map and once won just about every game of the year award. What began as the story of a man trying to find a home in the zombie apocalypse has become the tale of a young girl whose growth was shaped by a harsh world. Soon, we'll finally know how her adventure ends. 

Here's everything else we know about Telltale's The Walking Dead: The Final Season. 

Telltale's The Walking Dead Season 4 Trailer

The trailer for the second episode of Telltale's The Walking Dead: The Final Season has arrived. Check it out below:

Telltale's The Walking Dead Season 4 Release Date

The first episode of Telltale's The Walking Dead: The Final Season has finally arrived, and we now know when the other three episodes will launch:

Episode 2, "Suffer the Children," arrived on Sept. 25; Episode 3, "Broken Toys," is out on Nov. 6; and Episode 4, "Take Us Back," will conclude Clementine's story on Dec. 18. 

Players who pre-ordered The Walking Dead: The Final Season will receive download access to each of the season's four episodes as they become available. Players who pre-order on PS4 and Xbox One will also receive immediate access to The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series Collection, which gathers all 19 existing episodes of the award-winning series into a single package.  

John Saavedra is Games Editor at Den of Geek. Read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @johnsjr9. 

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors.

Since we're never going to get an official new Half-Life game (sad as it is to say so), fans are going to keep coming up with their own takes on Valve's revolutionary first-person series. There's even a group of fans who are trying to remake the first Half-Life in the stunning Unreal Engine 4. 

Titled Project Lambda, this remake of Valve's Half-Life endeavors to retain everything that made the original game great while upgrading that game's original graphics into something that can hold its own in modern technological times. 

Based on what the team has accomplished thus far, we can help but be impressed by how great Half-Life looks when its given a graphical facelift. Truth be told, Half-Life still looks great when you compare it to other games of its era (at least in terms of the level design and certain ideas), which certainly gives the Project Lambda team plenty to work with. Still, we're not going to belittle the incredible effort that goes into a remake like this. The Project Lambda team are essentially creating a new Half-Life game while still retaining aspects key aspects from the original title.

That's also why you shouldn't expect to play Project Lambda anytime soon. Currently, the Project Lambda have only managed to remake the first chapter of the original Half-Life. In other words, it doesn't let you do anything more exciting than watching Gordon Freeman commute to his first day of work. Needless to say, the more action-heavy segments that happen after that are going to be much more difficult to recreate in Unreal Engine 4. 

Whether or not they will be able to recreate those levels isn't really the question. There's clearly a lot of talent behind this project. The real question is how long remaking the rest of this game will take. Don't forget that the Black Mesa remake of Half-Life took almost a decade to finish, and that game isn't nearly as technologically ambitious as this project. 

Still, we're rooting for the Project Lambda team if for no other reason than the fact we'll never get another Half-Life game from Valve (sorry...again). 

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014. 

Fortnite is apparently playing a part in quite a few modern divorces. 

A U.K. divorce website claims that over 200 couples have cited video game addiction as a leading cause behind their decision to get a divorce. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Fortnite (arguably the most popular game in the world) has been referenced in quite a few of those divorce proceedings. The website calculates that Fortnite and other such games account for roughly 5% of the number of official divorce requests filed in the U.K. this year. 

Of course, that's not taking into account the number of non-married couples who have split over Fortnite nor is it accounting for the number of married couples across the world who have ended it partially due to the influence of Epic's incredibly successful battle royale title. We're guessing that this isn't some anomaly limited to this specific region. 

At the same time, it's also important to remember that this is hardly the first time that an addictive video game has played its part in a divorce. What separates games like Fortnite from titles like Everquest and World of Warcraft, though, is both the fact that Fortnite is instantly accessible (in terms of its gameplay and its availability across multiple devices) and that it's possible to continue spending money on Fortnite in ways that exceed the costs of traditional subscription fees. In other words, Fortnite is capable of reaching a wider range of players and can consume a great deal of time and money. 

You're probably wondering "Why are we picking on video games when it's clear that the root problem here is an addiction?" That's a fair point. It's also the point that many cited when the WHO defined gaming dependency as its own disorder rather than simply lump it in with other addictions. 

While its hard to argue with that logic, there is something darkly amusing about Fortnite being the straw that breaks the back of so many marriages. There's also something slightly less amusing about the idea that these numbers are likely to grow before they shrink. 

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014. 

Tokyo Game Show is the biggest video game expo in Japan, bringing many of the biggest studios under one roof for a weekend jam-packed with the newest and upcoming titles. This year's showcase is no different, as beloved companies like Bandai Namco, Capcom, Konami, Sega, Sony, and Square Enix take the stage to show off all the cool projects they're working on. 

For those of you looking forward to all the big TGS 2018 announcements, we've prepared a one-stop hub to everything you need to know about Tokyo Game Show as well as where to watch all the action. 

Tokyo Game Show 2018 Date

Tokyo Game Show 2018 will run from Thursday, September 20 to Sunday, September 23. 

Tokyo Game Show 2018 Live Stream

Many of gaming's biggest companies will be streaming live from the Tokyo Game Show 2018 show floor. Starting on Sept. 20, you click on the links below to go to the live streams:

Capcom - Begins Friday, Sept. 21 at 7 am ET

D3 - Beings Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 9:45 pm ET

Koei Tecmo - Begins Thursday, Sept. 20 at 12 am ET

Konami - Begins Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 10 pm ET

Sega - Begins Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 9 pm ET

Square Enix - Begins Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 10:20 pm ET

Tokyo Game Show 2018 Games

There will be tons of games on display at Tokyo Game Show from the biggest publishers in the industry, including Sony, Capcom, Bandai Namco, Square Enix, Konami, Sega, Koei Tecmo, and more. Below are just some of the big games that will be at the show. Make sure to click on the link to learn more about these titles:

Arc System Works: Daedalus: The Awakening of Golden Jazz, Kill la Kill the Game: IF, Kunio-kun: The World Classics Collection, and The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories.

Bandai Namco: 11-11: Memories Retold, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, Billion Road, Digimon Survive, Dragon Ball FighterZ, God Eater 3, Go Vacation, Jump Force, Kamen Rider: Climax Scramble, Katamari Damacy Reroll, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker, One Piece: World Seeker, Soulcalibur VI, Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition, Tekken 7, and Tokyo Ghoul: re Call to Exist.

Capcom: Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle, Devil May Cry 5, Mega Man 11, Resident Evil 2 Remake, and Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection.

D3: Earth Defense Force 5 and Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain. 

Electronic Arts:Anthem, Battlefield V, and FIFA 19.

Koei Tecmo:Dead or Alive 6 and Dynasty Warriors: Unleashed.

Konami: Hyper Sports R, Pro Evolution Soccer 2019, and Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links. 

Sega: Catherine: Full Body, Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, Phantasy Star Online 2, Project Judge, Shenmue I & II, Team Sonic Racing, Valkyria Chronicles 4, and Yakuza Online. 

SNK: SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy.

Sony: Days Gone, Death Stranding, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

Square Enix: Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon: Every Buddy!, Dragon Quest Builders 2, Dragon Quest Rivals, Dragon Quest X Online, Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered, Final Fantasy: Record Keeper, Final Fantasy XIV, Final Fantasy XV, Just Cause 4, Kingdom Hearts 3, The Last Remnant Remastered, Left Alive, Mobius Final Fantasy, The Quiet Man, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and World of Final Fantasy Maxima.

Warner Bros:Hitman 2 and LEGO DC Super-Villains. 

Tokyo Game Show 2018 Location

Tokyo Game Show 2018 will be held at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba, Japan.

John Saavedra is Games Editor at Den of Geek. Read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @johnsjr9. 

For various reasons, a lot of games released in Japan never make their way to North America.
This could be because the game is too culturally foreign to Americans, or there’s perceived to be little international interest for the title. Sometimes publishers want to distribute games overseas, but they just don’t have the time and/or money to do it.

And then there are the cases where it’s clear there’s a large demand for the game, and maybe most of it already is in English, and it’s still passed over for localization. (Looking at you, Mother!) 

These are 25 games that originated in Japan that have never made it to our shores even though we'd love to play them:

Segagaga

2001 | Sega | Dreamcast

Ignore popular series like Shenmue and Skies of Arcadia. Crank out a half-dozen terrible Sonicgames. Sometimes it seems like Sega is run by a board of drunk chimps. If you’ve ever thought you could do a better job of running a once-powerful console manufacturer, releasing Segagagais a good way to start. Billed as an RPG full of mini-games, your goal is to increase Sega’s market share to put the evil DOGMA (Sony) out of business. It’s the type of unique game that would have drawn a lot of acclaim in the States, but apparently those chimps just couldn’t be convinced to release it here.

LSD

1998 | Asmik Ace Entertainment | PSX

LSDwas maybe a bit ahead of its time. If it were released today, it would be considered a walking simulator, but 20 years ago, the idea of just wandering through surreal landscapes baffled many players. Based on the dream journal of an artist at Asmik, the title actually doesn’t have anything to do with drugs, although a few minutes of gameplay will likely have you questioning that. Considering how little text is in the game, and that LSDhas a bit of a cult following in the west, it seems odd that it never made its way to the PSN.

Custom Robo

1999 | Nintendo | N64

While other Custom Robo games have made their way stateside, the original (which many would say is still the best) hasn’t found its way here in any form. As with other games in the series, your goal is simply to use your robo to take on robo rivals, collecting new parts and becoming ever more powerful. The original release was praised in Japan, though Nintendo oddly decided against releasing it here despite a dearth of titles in the N64’s final years. Maybe when the Switch Virtual Console is up and running more U.S. gamers will finally get the chance to try this one out.

Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic

1987 | Capcom | Famicom

So we technically did get a version of this game in North America. Doki Doki Panic was altered to become North America and Europe's version Super Mario Bros. 2 after Nintendo deemed Japan's version too difficult for international audiences. Nintendo actually developed Doki Doki Panic as a tie-in for Fuji Television's Yume Kojo 1987 festival and the game incorporates several elemants from said festival.

It tells the story of a magical land where the people have invented a dream machine so that they can always have good dreams. But then an evil toad named Mamu arrives and turns the machine into a nightmare machine. Much of the plot was changed for Super Mario Bros. 2, but there are a few elements of Doki Doki Panic that remained in the North American and European versions of Super Mario Bros. 2, including Shy Guys, Pokeys, Birdos, and Bob-ombs. They all became iconic enemies in the franchise going forward. Perhaps we'll get to see them in the original adventure one of these days.

Dynamic Slash

2010 | Nintendo | Wii

The Wii became so well-known for kiddie shovelware that it was hard for any mature titles to find success on the console. That’s likely why Nintendo passed on localizing Dynamic Slash. It’s the story of two angelic siblings fighting legions of giants during the Norse Ragnarok. Combat is extremely violent, and feels great thanks to the Wii MotionPlus. The main characters did appear as trophies in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, so maybe Nintendo will eventually bring the game (or a sequel) to the U.S. in some form.

Captain Rainbow

2008 | Nintendo | Wii

Think Animal Crossing with a twisted sense of humor. That’s the idea behind Captain Rainbow, a Wii exclusive that fans of been begging Nintendo to bring stateside for almost a decade now. As Nick, you’re the former TV star Captain Rainbow, performing good deeds on an island to try and reclaim your past fame. Admittedly, this one would need a lot of work to come to the U.S., as a lot of the humor would get lost in translation, but never say never.

Bahamut Lagoon

1996 | Square | SNES

The working title for Bahamut Lagoon was actually Final Fantasy Tactics, which should give you a good idea of what to expect. But perhaps the biggest difference is that each party entered battle with a dragon that was the source of most of its strength. Lose the largely autonomous dragon unit, and you’re as good as dead, lending quite a bit of strategy to each fight. A North American version actually was announced, but since it was released at the tail end of the SNES’s lifespan, it was canceled so Square could focus its efforts on PlayStation development.

The Firemen

1994 | Human Entertainment | SNES

Firefighting actually seems like a great concept for a game that’s been woefully neglected over the years. In this overhead SNES title, you control two firemen as they traverse a high rise putting out blazes with their hoses and rescuing civilians. It sounds simple, but there’s actually a lot of variety in the types of fires and how they need to be put out. This seems like it would have done well in the mid-90s American console market, so it’s kind of odd that we never saw it here.

Dragon Quest X

2012 | Square Enix | PS4, Switch, Wii, Wii U, 3DS

Square Enix has gotten much better about releasing Dragon Quest games in the U.S., except for the tenth entry in the storied franchise. Blame the genre. Unlike the other games in the series, Dragon Quest Xis an MMO, which means much more time needs to be put into translating text. There’s also no guarantee the game will be profitable here as Dragon Quest has never been a household name in the U.S. like Square Enix’s other big RPG series, Final Fantasy. Still, Square Enix has said it's investigating the possibility of bringing Dragon Quest X here, so an American release isn’t completely out of the question.

Jump Ultimate Stars

2006 | Ganbarion | DS

A fighting game filled with hundreds of characters from Japan’s most popular manga is a dream for many American gamers. It would also be a nightmare for any lawyers trying to get the rights for all these different manga in order to get the title released here. Legal issues ensure Jump Ultimate Stars will almost certainly never see the light of day on our shores, but at least the Japanese version is easily importable, and can be played on an American DS without any sort of hacking or peripherals.

Dragon Force II

1998 | Sega | Saturn

The original Dragon Force made it to the U.S., and it was one of the best games on the Saturn, featuring deep tactical gameplay and gorgeous sprite-based battles between dozens of enemies. The story, which saw you selecting one of eight leaders to unite a continent, was also one of the best of the ‘90s. Sadly, the complete failure of the Saturn in the U.S. killed any hopes of the sequel making its way here, and fan translations have only made their way online in the past couple of years.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner

1995 | Atlus | Saturn, PSP

Here’s a weird one: all of the sequels and prequels to Devil Summoner have been released in the west in one form or another. And while Shin Megami Tensei was virtually unknown here in the ‘90s, its reputation has only grown in the U.S., with almost all of the entries released in North America receiving wide critical acclaim. Devil Summoner may not have all of the features of the later games in the series, but many fans would still love to see where the franchise's negotiation and devil fusion systems began.

Marvelous: Mōhitotsu No Takarajima

1996| Nintendo | SNES

Marvelousis the title that laid the groundwork for the next two decades of Zelda games. The title was the first to be directed by Eiji Aonuma, who has served as either director or producer on every Zelda title since Majora’s Mask. Unsurprisingly, Marvelous plays a lot like a 16-bit Zelda game, except you take on the role of three characters simultaneously as they search for treasure. There’s also a point-and-click aspect to the game that makes it feel a bit like a PC adventure title. Marvelous features a ton of memorable characters, and an oddly dark atmosphere for a Nintendo game that would show up in Aonuma’s later titles, but sadly few American gamers have had the opportunity to see his early work.

Deep Fear

1998 | Sega | Saturn

Deep Fear was Sega’s answer to Resident Evil, a survival horror game set deep under the ocean. You fight zombies and monsters while also maintaining an oxygen supply. The controls are much more user-friendly than early Resident Evilgames though, allowing for complete 3D movement, and ready use of many items without having to pause and go into menus. In some ways, Deep Fearwas an underwater Dead Space a decade ahead of its time. Thankfully, all of the voice acting and most of the menus are in English, so this one is easily importable, and actually quite cheap online.

Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse

2008 | Koei Tecmo | Wii

The motion controls and built-in speaker of the Wii-mote were a good fit for more immersive horror games, but the family-friendly audience, unfortunately, made those games a hard sell. That’s ultimately what doomed a North American release of the fourth entry in the underrated Fatal Frameseries. And while we may never see the title here, at least the outcry from fans was enough to get Nintendo to put Mask of the Lunar Eclipse’s sequel on the eShop.

Shining Force III: Scenarios 2 and 3

1998 | Sega | Saturn

Shining Force III was an early experiment in episodic gameplay. Comprised of three scenarios, each with a separate but overlapping storyline. You had to play all three games to fully understand what’s going on and see the true ending. Unfortunately, only the first scenario was ever released in North America, and while it’s still seen as one of the best games for the underrated Saturn, the cliffhanger ending has left many American gamers forever waiting for the rest of the story.

Phantasy Star Online 2

2012 | Sega | PC, PS4, Vita

Lots of American players have fond memories of playing Phantasy Star Online on their Dreamcasts, Xboxes, and GameCubes in the early 2000s. And more than a decade later, there are few console games that capture the simple joy of grinding for loot with three other players so well. It seems like it would be easy money for Sega to bring Phantasy Star Online 2 to this side of the world. A North American build was even shown in 2012, but five years later there’s no sign of the game on our shores. Sega must really hate making money.

Policenauts

1994 | Konami | 3DO, PC, PSX, Saturn

It’s hard to imagine a Hideo Kojima game not getting a release in North America now, but this was still a few years before the success of Metal Gear Solid. It’s also a very different game. Originally released only for Japanese computers, Policenauts is a point-and-click adventure about astronaut cops, with some shooting segments on the side. It’s been praised for its detective story, which is no surprise given Kojima’s involvement. The Saturn version was actually going to be released in North America, but development was abandoned due to issues with syncing English voice acting with the game’s many FMV cutscenes.

Metal Wolf Chaos

2004 | FromSoftware | Xbox

Metal Wolf Chaos seems like a game tailor-made for a U.S. release. You play the U.S. president, a descendant of Woodrow Wilson, piloting a giant mech. Your goal is to blow a lot of stuff up as you take back portions of the country that have attempted to secede. It’s insane. It’s ridiculously patriotic. It even has full English voice acting, which would have made it super easy to bring to America, but many have speculated that FromSoftware got cold feet about its themes, given the country’s political climate following the War in Iraq. Damn politics ruin everything.

Valkyria Chronicles III

2011 | Sega | PSP

Valkyria Chronicles might be the most underrated series of the last decade. Featuring the perfect combination of strategic and real-time gameplay, it’s easy to get lost for hours in Sega’s fictionalized take on World War II. Sadly, the first two games in the series didn’t sell very well in North America, leaving Valkyria Chronicles III behind in Japan. Being a PSP exclusive also didn’t help matters. The latest game in the series, Valkyria Revolution, was released here last summer, so there’s always a chance that this one could show up here in some form.

Sweet Home

1989 | Capcom | NES

Based on a Japanese horror movie of the same name, Sweet Home is perhaps best known as the game that inspired the original Resident Evil. Players guide five characters through a massive mansion, solving puzzles, managing inventory, and battling ghosts and zombies. Violent imagery ensured the game was never released overseas during the NES era, but as few people now view video games as a hobby exclusively for kids, there’s no reason for Capcom not to release an official port here.

Tobal 2

1997 | DreamFactory | PSX

Tobal No. 1was released in the U.S. to respectable sales and critical reception, but apparently, it didn’t sell quite well enough to justify a release of the sequel here. That’s a shame because Tobal 2 is superior to the first game in every way. Its 200-character roster still hasn’t been matched by any other fighter, and modern fighters could also learn a lot from its ridiculously lengthy quest mode. Square ultimately blamed poor sales of Tobal No. 1 and translation issues for the lack of a North American version.

Seiken Densetsu 3

1995 | Square | SNES

Secret of Mana is considered one of the best games of the 16-bit era, yet its sequel, which has even better music and graphics, has never officially made it to North America. Even more heartbreaking, the official reasons for why Square never brought it here aren’t entirely clear. A U.S. release was once announced in the ‘90s, but canceled due to mysterious “programming bugs.” The first two games were previously released here, so only the third one would need to be translated for American gamers to finally enjoy this lost classic.

Terranigma

1995 | Quintet | SNES

The SNES is fondly remembered for its great RPGs, but one of its very best never left Japan. After billions of years of fighting, the Earth has been almost completely destroyed by God and the Devil. As Ark, one of the last survivors, you must resurrect the planet. Perhaps such a deep story was thought to be too risky for a release in the ‘90s. Although the game was released in Europe, so this one is a little bit easier to play in English than a lot of the other games on this list. 

Mother 3

2006 | Nintendo | GBA

There is perhaps no Japanese game that gamers want to see officially released in the States more than the sequel to Earthbound. And the sad thing is that when Mother 3 was first under development as an N64 title in the ‘90s, Nintendo talked openly about bringing it to North America. That version of the game was canceled in 2000, only to be resurrected on the GBA a few years later. Mother 3 was met with immediate acclaim in Japan for its colorful graphics, unique humor, and a battle system that requires attacking in sync with the background music.

Fan translations have been readily available online for years, and every now and then rumors make the rounds that Nintendo is bringing a port to the American Virtual Console, but that has yet to materialize. Maybe on day Nintendo will come to its senses and realize it’s just leaving easy money on the table by refusing to bring Mother 3 here.

Chris Freiberg is a freelance contributor. Read more of his work here.

Revealed by Microsoft during its E3 2018 media briefing, Halo 6 is actually called Halo Infinite. The game was announced with a cryptic two-minute trailer that doesn't really tell us what the game is. In fact, all we really know based on the first trailer is that the story could feature a Haloring. Master Chief turns up at the end of the video with what looks like a new helmet. 

We're hoping for more details soon. Of course, it's only been three years since Halo 5 was released and the game still supports a respectably large community of players on the multiplayer side. That being the case, 343 may very well choose to wait until E3 2019 to fully unveil the game.

Here's everything else we know about Halo Infinite:

Halo Infinite News

New information suggests that Halo Infinite will feature microtransactions. 

A recent job listing for the game calls for an Online Experience Design Director that will be able to focus on "social and engagement features that encourage players to return again and again with their friends." Doing so will require them to help develop "progression in- and out-of-game; microtransactions and integration of our business plan throughout the game."

This seems to confirm previous suspicions that the "Infinite" part of Halo Infinite's title is at least somewhat a reference to the idea that this game is designed to be played for a long time. This won't be the first time that a Halo game featured microtransactions, but the current belief is that Halo Infinite might be more of a "game as a service" than previous entries. Indeed, a different job ad refers to Infinite as a "live service" game.

Halo Infinite Release Date

Halo Infinite doesn't have a release date as of yet. It will arrive for Xbox One and PC.

Read the Den of Geek SDCC 2018 Special Edition Magazine Here!

Halo Infinite Trailer

Here's the first trailer for Halo Infinite:

Halo Infinite Story

Kiki Wolfkill, head of 343 Industries, and longtime Halo director Frank O'Connor recently gave an interview to GameTM magazine in which the two acknowledged the disappointment some fans felt when they realized that Master Chief wasn't the focus of Halo 5.

"We very much realized that people wanted Master Chief's story of Halo 5," said O'Connor. "We definitely marketed in a way that we hoped was going to bring surprise, but for some fans and certainly fans of Master Chief, it was a huge disappointment because they wanted more Chief."

O'Conner goes on to say that he wasn't so much surprised by the reaction of fans who wanted to see more of Master Chief, but that he perhaps didn't quite fully appreciate just how much stock fans put into wanting to play as Master Chief at the outset of a new Halo adventure. He acknowledges that Chief is "slightly more important now than he has ever been, certainly to our franchise."

Understandably, O'Connor and Wolfkill are remaining coy as it pertains to any plans they may have in place to address this issue in Halo Infinite, but they did note that they plan on dialing back on introducing more characters to this universe in favor of "making the world a little bit more realistic and compelling."

There are few ways to interpret this information. It sounds highly unlikely that Halo Infinite will echo Halo 5's format by primarily focusing on a new character who must live in the shadow of Master Chief. However, it may be a bit of a stretch to say that the next Halo game will focus solely on Master Chief. That's certainly a path that 343 can go down, but there's also the likely possibility that the developer will choose to focus on existing characters - including Chief - instead of expanding the universe's mythology even more. 

Halo Infinite Multiplayer

During a recent live stream, developer 343 revealed that Halo Infinite will not feature a battle royale mode. 

“I’ll tell you right now, the only BR we’re interested in is Battle Rifle," said Jeff Easterling, a writer for 343. "The original BR. So, calm yourself.”

That kills one popular theory about what Halo Infinite might be about. The fact that the developers definitively declared that Infinite will not feature a battle royale mode removes any possibility that it will. 

Additional details regarding Halo Infinite suggests that the game will not be a next-gen title. This information comes courtesy of a seemingly minor update to the Halo Infinite website that confirms the game will support full 4K resolution on Xbox One X and compatible Windows machines. While that is nice to hear in and of itself, the real takeaway from that announcement is that Halo Infinite is intended to be a current-gen experience. That should ease some of the concerns of gamers who thought that the next Halo game might make its first appearance on a next-gen Xbox system. 

Halo Infinite Game Details

During her speech at D.I.C.E., 343 Industries' general manager Bonnie Ross stated that the studio realizes it was a mistake to not develop split-screen functionality for Halo 5.

"When we didn't put split screen in Halo 5, it was incredibly painful for the community and for us," said Ross. "I think it erodes trust with the community, as the community is a part of our world building."

Head of Xbox Phil Spencer had previously stated that the reason 343 dropped split-screen is that studies showed most gamers preferred to play cooperatively over Xbox Live. Given the size of the discrepancy, it was decided that it was no longer worth the development resources to continue to create similar modes. However, following the release of Halo 5, it soon became clear that those who still utilized the mode felt a sense of attachment to it that simple usage metrics could not quite account for. 

Recognizing how passionate fans are about split-screen Halo gaming, Ross stated that "For any FPS, we will always have split screen support going forward." In other words, it sounds like 343 won't be releasing another Halo game that doesn't include some kind of split-screen multiplayer option. 

John Saavedra is an associate editor at Den of Geek. Read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @johnsjr9. 

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors.

The highly anticipated third installment in the main Kingdom Hearts series has been in development since at least 2012. First announced at E3 2013, it's been a long journey for this Disney-Final Fantasy mashup. There's some indication from Square Enix that Kingdom Hearts III will finally see the light of day in 2018, but only time will tell!

Until then, Square Enix hasn't been shy about slowly revealing some of the incredible Disney inspired worlds included in the upcoming game. From Toy Story to Monsters Inc., Kingdom Hearts 3 looks to explore nearly every aspect of the Disney universe while delivering an incredibly compelling RPG in the tradition of previous Kingdom Hearts adventures. 

Here's everything we know about the game:

Kingdom Hearts 3 News

The official Kingdom Hearts 3 box art has been revealed, and it is a stunning throwback to the first game's memorable cover. Take a look:

A new trailer has arrived for Kingdom Hearts 3 ahead of TGS 2018 and it reveals the new Big Hero 6 world that players will be able to traverse in the game:

Kingdom Hearts 3 Release Date 

Kingdom Hearts 3 will arrive on Jan. 29, 2019. It's coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. 

Kingdom Hearts 3 Trailer

The PlayStation E3 2018 conference included a special preview of Kingdom Hearts 3 that focuses on the game's Pirates of the Carribean world. 

This trailer for Kingdom Hearts 3 serves as a cinematic rundown of the stories and worlds that we've seen from the game thus far. Included is a brief look at a few new environments and what seems to be a glimpse at the sequel's basic plot. 

This next trailer showcases what is being referred to as Classic Kingdom. However, reports indicate that the Game and Watch footage included in the trailer doesn't pertain to an entire kingdom, but rather a collection of classic minigames featured throughout the adventure. 

This trailer introduces the world of Monsters Inc. to the series. Check it out below:

Additionally, Disney showed off a trailer that confirms a world based on the Toy Story films will make an appearance sometime during Kingdom Hearts 3's campaign. Characters like Woody and Buzz will also make an appearance as party heroes during your time in this new world. 

Here are the rest of the trailers that have been released:

This next trailer teases Rapunzel’s tower from Tangled and what looks like the streets of New Orleans from The Princess and the Frog:

Finally, here's the very first trailer from E3 2013:

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014. 

Sega is bringing the Mega Drive Classics collection to Nintendo Switch. 

Previously released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the Mega Drive Classics collection features over 50 classic Mega Drive/Genesis titles. Said titles includes true classics like Golden Axe I-III, Phantasy Star II-IV, Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and 2, Streets of Rage 1-3, Virtua Fighter 2, and many of the other games that Sega owners across the world grew up with. 

It also features some slightly more obscure titles like Shining in the Darkness, Landstalker, Gain Ground, ESWAT: City Under Siege, Beyond Oasis, and Comix Zone. It's an interesting collection of games that manages to hit most of the console's major titles while featuring some of the smaller gamers that are usually limited to the memories of those who played them. 

All things considered, this collection really does feel like what Sega would assemble if they were going to develop a Sega Mega Drive classic edition and needed to fill the retro hardware with some retro games. 

Even better, these versions of those retro games come complete with local co-op options, online multiplayer for some titles, achievements, and save state options that let you save a game at any time (and thus skirt the sometimes iffy save/password systems featured in the original versions of these retro titles). 

We're never going to stop being a little weirded out by the thought of Sega games on Nintendo consoles, and we also find it a little strange that Sega owners are giving Switch owners easier access to some of their classic games than Nintendo is giving Switch owners easy access to their own retro library. You'll be able to access Sega's library of classics when Mega Drive Classics releases for Switch sometime this winter. 

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014. 

The Hearthstone team has revealed a series of upcoming updates that will have a lasting impact on the game. 

First off, the team is adding four new cards to the game's Classic set. Why the game's Classic set? Well, as cards are rotated to the Hall of Fame and the game's Wild mode, that leaves some of the game's classes with fewer cards than other classes. As such, Blizzard is adding two mage cards, a Warlock card, and a Rogue card to the Classic set. As such, you'll be able to unpack these cards from Classic card packs or craft them in the usual way. 

That's not the only way that Blizzard is improving the Hearthstone experience for new players. An upcoming update to the game will add 25 new ranks to the game's competitive mode. When you start Hearthstone, you will start at Rank 50. Nobody but players with a new account will be able to access Rank 50. When a new player manages to climb to Rank 25 (the game's previous starting rank), they will not fall any further down than Rank 25 when a new season starts. Players will also not be able to lose stars when they are ranking from 50 to 25. The trade-off is that new players won't be able to immediately access the game's casual mode. 

The reason behind this change is fairly simple. It's not uncommon for players between the ranks of 25 and 20 to be running competitive level decks. This is either because they are intentionally staying at lower ranks to troll other players, or because they own a lot of cards and just don't rank that often. These player-only ranks should help ensure new players only compete against players on their level. The team is also adding a new welcome bundle to the game that includes 10 Classic packs at a reduced price as well as a guaranteed legendary dragon card from the Classic set. 

It's not all good news, though. The Hearthstone team has revealed that they have suspended all work on the game's highly anticipated tournament mode. A statement from the team reveals that they felt the mode seemed "tacked-on" and that they just weren't happy with the progress they were making. As such, they have postponed development on the feature "for the foreseeable future." 

Finally, a special Halloween Hearthstone event begins on October 17. It will include a special Halloween visual makeover for the game, the return of dual-class arena runs (which let you combine two classes when drafting your deck), and a special brawl featuring the Headless Hoseman. Finally, players will also be able to purchase a new Paladin hero, Sir Annoy-o. 

It's not clear when these updates will start rolling out, but it seems that you should expect to see them soon. 

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014. 

Capcom has revealed to investors that they expect to endure nearly a $40 million loss as a result of their decision to close Capcom Vancouver, lay off most of its staff, and cancel the studio's previously planned projects. 

That's a significant loss, but it sounds like Capcom was prepared to endure this particular loss. They openly disclosed not only the money that they will lose in the next financial year because of the decision to cancel Capcom Vancouver's projects - and thus eat the development costs - but stated that they don't anticipate that this recent announcement will affect the high revenue numbers they previously anticipated earlier this year. 

Why? Well, according to Capcom, "the continued robust performance of the PC version of Monster Hunter: World" has exceeded the company's expectations. As such, the success of that game and its more recent PC port should help Capcom post a very strong earnings report at the end of this financial year. 

What's even more interesting is that Capcom stated that they are continuing to review the "allocation of its development resources that support the production of world-class content." While they didn't elaborate on what, exactly, that meant, it does sound like Capcom may be interested in consolidating some of their studios based on the success of their respective projects. 

So far as that goes, it's not difficult to see why Capcom chose to close Capcom Vancouver, even if that will come of no comfort to the many who lost their jobs. Widely known as the studio that created and continue to develop the Dead Rising franchise, Capcom Vancouver's recent major projects have largely been based around that series. The problem is that Dead Rising 4 reportedly sold extremely poorly.

Those poor sales not only cast serious doubts as to the future of the Dead Rising franchise but may have led to Capcom closing Vancouver's and canceling their other major project (which was reportedly an action game set in an alternate version of New York City).

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014. 

Nintendo's NES Classic Edition retro console was a showstopper in 2016, selling 2.3 million units in less than a year, so it was only a matter of time before Sony or Microsoft jumped on the nostalgia wagon. Indeed, it's Sony who is releasing its own retro console, the PlayStation Classic, a miniature replica of the console that put the company on the gaming map. Sony announced the news in a blog post early this morning, just a few weeks shy of the revolutionary console's 23rd anniversary.

The PlayStation Classic, which is set to arrive on Dec. 3, will ship with 20 pre-loaded games, including Final Fantasy VII, Tekken 3, Jumping Flash, Ridge Racer Type 4, and Wild Arms. Sony didn't reveal the full line-up for the console but told fans to stay tuned for more announcements on that front. The games will be playable in their "original format," meaning that you won't be playing any remastered versions on the PlayStation Classic. The console will set you back $99.99.

According to Sony, the PlayStation Classic is "approximately 45% smaller" than the original console. You can see just how tiny the PlayStation Classic is in the comparison photo below:

Following Nintendo's lead, Sony won't ship its retro console with an AC adapter. Instead, a USB cable will the only way to power the console. An HDMI cable will also come in the box. Players will also have to make do with wired controllers, but at least the package will come with two so you can jump on local multiplayer with a friend. 

Sony dropped a brief trailer along with the announcement:

"Long-time fans will appreciate the nostalgia that comes with rediscovering the games they know and love, while gamers who might be new to the platform can enjoy the groundbreaking PlayStation console experience that started it all," Sony said of the mini.

Hopefully, this nostalgic look back at Sony's first console will also include seminal titles like Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Final Fantasy Tactics, Silent Hill, Tomb Raider, and a few others. We'll update you when we hear more about that line-up!

John Saavedra is an associate editor at Den of Geek. Read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @johnsjr9. 

The Nintendo Switch now lets you share your digitally downloaded games...kind of. 

The basic way this system works is easy enough to understand. If you have two Nintendo Switches (or if you want to share games with a friend's Nintendo Switch) you can use your Nintendo account to designate a primary and secondary console. The primary console functions just like your console functions now. You can use it like normal and access your own library of digital games (even if you are not connected to the internet). 

Where things get interesting is when you start to factor in the secondary console. If that secondary console is linked to your main Nintendo account on your primary console (the account you probably use all of the time) it can access your digital library so long as it remains logged in to the account associated with your games. 

Here is where the catches start to come into play. First off, the user of the secondary console must remain connected to the internet in order to play digital games from the primary console. Second, if the user of the secondary console begins using their system at the same time while logged-in to the shared account, the owner of the primary console will not be able to use their Nintendo Switch with the shared account. 

If the secondary user is playing when they are "booted" by the primary, then their game will be paused, and you will be able to access it from wherever you left off when the primary user has ended their play session. It's important to remember that this is all tied to an account, so if you download a game on the secondary console while you're logged into the primary console account, it seems like that game will "belong" to the primary user. 

There are a few things that aren't quite clear/still be figured out about this system. From what we understand, it's possible to change which console/account is your primary as long as you disable the other first. It also sounds like you will be able to designate multiple secondary consoles. Furthermore, some have speculated that if the primary user disables Wi-Fi before the secondary user accesses their account, then they should both be able to use the account at the same time. 

We're waiting to confirm some of these details, but this sounds like a pretty good deal for Switch owners. 

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014. 

Some pretty strong signs point to PUBG coming to the PS4 in the near future. 

Twitter user Nibel seems to be the first person to spot a page on a Korean rating board website that suggests a PS4 version of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds has been submitted for review. The rating board has classified the game as "not for youth," which is pretty consistent with the Western version of the game's rating. Beyond that, it does not reveal more information about the port or suggest when it will be released for Sony's console. 

If you're suddenly wondering how this could be possible when PUBG was released on Xbox One as an exclusive, it seems that the deal Bluehole made with Microsoft didn't guarantee that it would remain an Xbox exclusive forever. In fact, IGN is noting that Bluehole and Microsoft may have reached an agreement to extend the game's exclusivity beyond the initially agreed upon date. 

It's also been reported that Bluehole may have been in talks with Sony regarding the possibility of a PUBG port before their deal with Microsoft was done. That may suggest that they've been working on a port in the background so that they were ready to release it around the time that their deal with Microsoft expired. 

The question now is whether or not PUBG will find a sizeable audience on the PS4. On PC, PUBG has been losing players to Fortnite and other competitors, but the developers have remained committed to updating it and making major changes that will fix the game's lingering technical issues. On the Xbox One, though, PUBG remains in a somewhat rough state. It's not nearly as feature rich as the PC version, and the developers never really figured out how to make the game's interface feel natural on a controller. 

On top of that, you've got Fortnite dominating the world (even though that game has its own problems on PS4) and the impending arrival of Call of Duty's exceptional Blackout mode (which is honestly a more console-friendly take on the PUBG concept). 

Still, it will be interesting to see PUBG on the world's most popular console. 

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014. 

Sony is getting into the retro console business with the PlayStation Classic, a nostalgic look back at the company's very first video game platform. While we know that the mini console will be out this December, Sony is still being coy about what titles will be pre-loaded in the box. Only five of the twenty games have been announced thus far. 

The list of games includes Final Fantasy VII, Tekken 3, Jumping Flash, Ridge Racer Type 4, and Wild Arms. That leaves Sony with 15 more titles to reveal ahead of the Dec. 3 release date. What other games might the PlayStation Classic include? Well, we have some ideas and not all of them are the obvious choices.

Here are 20 other games that could make it onto the PlayStation Classic lineup:

Resident Evil

1996 | Capcom

Resident Evil is widely regarded as the game that first brought survival horror to mainstream audiences and put this very special genre on the map. The game is gripping and terrifying, thanks to a fixed camera that only allows the player to see what the developers want you to see, which allow zombies and other assorted ghouls to creep up on you at any given moment (the zombie dog scene is still one of the scariest scenes in gaming history.) Despite the questionable FMV cutscenes and voice acting, the game is still a must-play so many years later. 

Metal Gear Solid

1998 | Konami

Metal Gear Solid may be video game auteur Hideo Kojima's defining moment in the gaming industry. While not the first entry in the stealth series and arguably not even the best of the Metal Gear games, it's the title that made Snake synonymous with the PlayStation brand. Indeed, no PlayStation era has gone without a Metal Gear game and it all comes back to this installment, which brought Kojima's signature brand of stealth action to 3D and delivered the twisted story full of strange villains and soap opera melodrama that would become the formula for Metal Gear storytelling for years to come.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

1997 | Konami

Although the franchise's roots lie in the 8-bit era, it's the PlayStation's first Castlevania game that is often regarded as the very best the series has to offer. A sequel to 1993's Rondo of Blood, the game stars Alucard, the son of Dracula, and he is on a quest to bring down his father's castle once and for all. If that's not enough to make you scramble for a copy (you can find a digital copy pretty easily these days), Symphony of the Nightis also responsible for solidifying the Metroidvania genre that's still a mainstay of the gaming industry today. Oh, and there's a pretty crazy twist midway through the game that will leave new players speechless.

Silent Hill

1999 | Konami

Wow, we didn't realize how Konami-heavy this list was going to be, but Silent Hill is indeed another title from the Japanese publisher that's a cant-miss PlayStation title. While Resident Evil is the father of modern survival horror, Silent Hill offers a different kind of survival horror experience. Protagonist Harry Mason isn't a specially trained police officer out to put the dead back in their graves but a regular guy who is looking for his daughter in the world's most haunted town. The game also makes great use of a fixed camera angle as well as a radio mechanic that alerts you to the proximity of enemies. Hearing static on that radio will make anyone's heart beat faster...

Parasite Eve

1998 | Square

Square is responsible for some of the best JRPG titles released on the PlayStation, as you'll see below, but Parasite Eveis unlike anything else the famed studio put out on the console. With Parasite Eve, Square mixed elements of horror with classic JRPG gameplay, such as a time-based real-time combat system, creating a whole new kind of experience that was a departure from what the studio had put out before. The story is crazy, too. It begins with an entire audience spontaneously combusting inside of an opera house and it only gets weirder from there.

Crash Team Racing

1999 | Naughty Dog

Yes, we had to include a Crash Bandicoot game. After all, Crash was the unofficial face of PlayStation for a little while. Nintendo had Mario, Sega had Sonic, PlayStation had the whimsical Crash. But it's not the myriad Crash platformers released for the PlayStation that marks the bandicoot's best outing. It's Crash Team Racing, the kart racer that gave Mario Kart 64 a run for its money back in the '90s. The game was your standard kart racing fare but with excellent controls and graphics that helped the title become one of the most noteworthy entries in the genre. 

Twisted Metal 2

1996 | SingleTrac

Speaking of racing games, forget about them completely because Twisted Metal 2 brought a whole other brand of vehicular mayhem to the PlayStation. The game pits outrageous vehicles packed with weapons against each other in a demolition derby packed with explosions and corpses that only ends when there's only one maniac left on the road. Vehicles include Axel, an insane two-wheeled contraption held up by its driver's own body, and the killer ice cream truck driven by a mad clown. Yeah, Twisted Metal 2 is delightful, especially if you've got a friend to blow yourself up with. 

Policenauts

1996 | Konami

Policenauts is another kind of sci-fi tale from Kojima. This graphic adventure game takes place on a space colony and stars an astronaut-turned-private investigator who must find his ex-wife's murderer. Like all Kojima games, the path to the killer leads main character Jonathan Ingram to a much deeper conspiracy. Policenauts is definitely Kojima's least gameplay-heavy title, as you don't do much more than point and click, but the game's imaginative story and the beautiful art design make this another must-play from Konami. The catch is that the publisher has never released this game outside of Japan and probably isn't planning to any time soon after Kojima's rough exit from the company a few years ago. 

Spyro the Dragon

1998 | Insomniac Games

Who could forget about little Spyro? Released during the golden age of 3D platformers, Spyro the Dragon was only Insomniac Games' second outing, and it was a sign of things to come because Spyro is tons of fun. Yes, it's your standard 3D platformer fare, but that's actually a boon these days since the genre has pretty much gone the way of the dinosaur. 

Resident Evil 2

1998 | Capcom

We might be cheating by including a second Resident Evil game, but we don't care. Resident Evil 2, the installment that introduced Leon S. Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Ada Wong, and Raccoon City proper to the series, is awesome. Following up such a seminal title was never going to be easy, but Resi 2 does it in style, improving on many of the gameplay elements that made the original great while also adding branching paths that provided unique challenges for each of the two protagonists. You could play through the game twice and have very different experiences both times! If Resi 2 is a little too old for you, Capcom is putting out a remake that's absolutely spectacular. 

Syphon Filter

1999 | Sony Bend Studio

The PlayStation's “other” espionage game is often unfairly overlooked. This more action-oriented spy title has aged roughly in some areas, but the title’s odd sense of humor and fun shines through any design deficiencies. Besides, who doesn't love setting a guard on fire with a taser? Syphon Filter was surpassed by some of its sequels, but the sequel is worthy of an inclusion for historical purposes.

Final Fantasy Tactics

1998 | Square

There’s a strong argument to be made that Final Fantasy Tactics is the greatest console strategy game ever made. This classic utilized certain elements of the Final Fantasy series (like the job system and grand fantasy story) and combined them with a nearly flawless grid-based combat system. The result is a deep and satisfying strategy experience that deserves to stand tall with the PlayStation’s best.

Vagrant Story

2000 | Square

Once upon a time, we named Vagrant Story the most underrated PS1 game ever made. It’s well past time that this true gem of the PS1 library gets a second chance. This fascinating dungeon crawler RPG utilizes a revolutionary combat system, surprisingly deep story, and infamous degree of difficulty to deliver an experience that has never really been replicated or surpassed in terms of the overall package it offers.

Gran Turismo 2

1999 | Polyphony Digital

Gran Turismo was a driving simulation revolution, but Gran Turismo 2 improved upon it in just about every conceivable way. Gran Turismo 2’s collection of 650 cars is impressive to this day, and it’s courses rank among the series best. On top of that, you get some of the most devious license tests ever devised for a racing game. Anyone who has tried to take the Dodge Viper around the hairpin turn at Laguna Seca knows what I’m talking about.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2

2000 | Neversoft

As tempting as it is to include the original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater for nostalgia’s sake, our hearts belong to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2. Some have called this sequel the greatest game of all-time, and we don’t think that crowd has lost their mind. This is a fast, fun, and creative arcade-style extreme sports game that is just as addictive today as it is when it blew our minds in 2000.

Spider-Man

2000 | Neversoft

We recently referred to this as the most underrated superhero game of all-time, so why not include it with the PS1. If the obvious license issues can be resolved, then gamers everywhere will get a chance to experience a title that still stands as gaming’s greatest love letter to the comic book medium. Spider-Man is a gorgeous, silly, and genuinely fun title that feels like a somewhat unofficial adaptation of the old Spider-Man animated series.

PaRappa the Rapper

1997 | NanaOn-Sha

PaRappa the Rapper is slightly outdated, corny, and arguably inferior to its spin-off, Um Jammer Lammy. However, this is a game that you need to play if you’re trying to understand the legacy of the PlayStation. This visually appealing (at the time) and inventive rhythm title offered gamers everywhere something they probably hadn’t really seen before. PaRappa the Rapper helped sell the PlayStation as something special.

Ape Escape

1999 | Sony Japan Studio

PlayStation never featured a platformer as brilliant as Super Mario 64, but in this writer’s humble opinion, Ape Escape is as close as Sony came to hitting that historic mark. Ape Escape is a pure collect-a-thon, but its innovative analog stick controls (it was the first game to require a DualShock controller), fresh level design, and clever capture scenarios ensured that you never felt you were simply completing a digital grocery list or settling for an inferior 3D platformer.

Chrono Cross

2000 | Square

It’s utterly bizarre that there are so many people out there who forget that there is a sequel to Chrono Trigger. While some fans lament the changes that Chrono Crossmade to its almost universally beloved predecessor, Chrono Cross stands on its own as arguably the best JRPG on a console that is known for housing some of the greatest JRPG titles ever made. It’s a complicated, mature, and deep epic that you will never forget once you’ve actually played it.

Dino Crisis 2

2000 | Capcom

Undoubtedly one of the oddest inclusions on this list, Dino Crisis 2 deserves a spot on the PlayStation Classic lineup for the simple reason that it will show the world why we need another Dino Crisis game like this. Dino Crisis 2 abandoned much of the Resident Evil-lite design of its predecessor in favor of a purer arcade action experience that saw you kill as many dinosaurs as possible. It’s the Aliens of survival horror sequels.

John Saavedra is an associate editor at Den of Geek. Read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @johnsjr9. 

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014. 

Rockstar has released some of the very first details about Red Dead Redemption 2's online mode. 

First off, it doesn't sound like you'll be able to access Red Dead Redemption 2's online mode when the game launches on October 26th. Instead, a public beta for the mode will launch sometime in November. This is similar to what Rockstar did with Grand Theft Auto V's online mode. 

Additionally, it sounds like Rockstar is going to treat this mode as a pure beta. That means that they expect some "turbulence at launch" (according to a press release) and plan to work with the first group of players when it comes to perfecting the game as well as fixing any tech problems that might linger. In case you are wondering, you will be able to access Red Dead 2's online beta - and presumably the full mode - for free of charge as long as you own a copy of the game. 

As for what Red Dead Online is...well, that's still something of a mystery. Rockstar describes it as "the classic multiplayer experience in the original Red Dead Redemption, blending narrative with competitive and cooperative gameplay in fun new ways." It will use Red Dead Redemption 2"as a foundation" and will constantly be updated with new content that will allow it to "grow and evolve this experience for all players."

It's not much new information, but it does tell us quite a bit. First off, the original Red Dead's online mode was seen by many as a kind of predecessor to GTA Online. If this new online mode will indeed emulate the "classic multiplayer experience" of the original game, that means that it just might resemble GTA Online in many ways while, perhaps, placing a greater emphasis on its individual competitive modes. We also fully expect that you'll be able to form a gang at some point during the online mode's development. 

Now that we know the online mode's vague release date, we fully expect to hear more about this mode in the next few weeks.

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014. 

Square Enix is working on a new mech shooter called Left Alive, which shares certain elements with the Front Mission universe. In an interview with Weekly Famitsu, producer Shinji Hashimoto stated that "We wanted to make a Front Mission with a new lineup. We started this new title to see Front Mission in a slightly different perspective."

In that same article, Square Enix members noted that Left Alive takes place in the year 2127. That means it occurs sometime between the events of Front Mission 5 and Front Mission Evolved. Additionally, the studio said that Left Alive will feature three playable characters that players will bounce between at certain points in the game's story and that the mechs from Front Mission - called Wanzers - will be featured throughout the game.

Still, it doesn't sound like Left Alive is going to be a classic Front Mission experience. The developers noted that it's more of a third-person shooter that allows individual players to dictate a style of gameplay - as well as the direction of the story - through tactical choices. If anything, the game seems takes more gameplay cues from recent survival titles than it does from the original Front Mission games. 

However, the biggest news regarding Left Alive is the team that Square Enix has assembled to work on the project. Metal Gear Solid series artist Yoji Shinkawa has signed on as Left Alive's character designer and has already contributed some comfortably familiar characters as part of the game's promotional materials. Meanwhile, Toshifumi Nabeshima (Armored Core, Chromehounds) has been brought on to direct. It's also been noted that some members of the Front Mission development team have been brought in to work on this new project.

For those keeping count at home, that means that Square Enix has brought in ringers from studios like Konami and From Software to work on this already compelling title.

Here's everything else we know about the game:

Left Alive Release Date

Left Alive is expected to be released sometime in 2018 for Windows PC and PlayStation 4.

Left Alive Trailer

A new trailer has arrived for Left Alive ahead of Tokyo Game Show. Watch it below:

This next trailer is largely a cinematic preview, but the ending shots contain just the briefest hint of what the gameplay might look like. 

Left Aliveis billed as a survival action shooter that seems to feature some kind of mech-based combat based on a previous teaser Square released a few months back.

Here's the debut trailer:

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014.

Nintendo may have closed the shutters on its first ever mobile experiment, Miitomo, but that doesn't mean its plans for the smartphone arena are going to change any time soon. 

The company has announced via Twitter that another of its recognizable properties is going mobile. "The checkered flag has been raised and the finish line is near," the firm wrote. "A new mobile application is now in development: Mario Kart Tour!"

Mario Kart Tour continues Nintendo's theme of releasing some of its best-known properties on mobile - albeit in modified form. Mario emerged as the paid-for infinite runner, Super Mario Run, while Fire Emblem Heroes and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp offer free-to-play experiences for touch-enabled devices.

It'll be fascinating to see how Nintendo can offer a satisfying racing experience on a smartphone without cannibalizing sales on one of its most successful console titles.

Here's everything we know about this upcoming mobile game:

Mario Kart Tour Release Date

Beyond the title, Nintendo hasn't given us much else - the app isn't due to launch until "the fiscal year ending in March 2019," which could mean it's over 12 months away. Nintendo is currently handling the development of the game while DeNA will manage the server, online infrastructure, and backend issues.

Mario Kart Tour Price

In a recent interview, DeNA exec Isao Moriyasu revealed that the game will be "free to start," which pretty much means that it'll be free to play like most of Nintendo's other mobile offerings thus far.

John Saavedra is Games Editor at Den of Geek. Read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @johnsjr9. 

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is famed Castlevania director Koji Igarashi's return to the Metroidvania genre after his departure from Konami. The game was first announced through a Kickstarter campaign in 2015 that met its $500,000 goal within four hours and raised over $1 million in its first day.

“I have been gone for too long, and it’s time for a resurrection!” Igarashi said in the video introducing the Kickstarter. “Publishers of the world told me that gamers no longer care for this style of game, but I know they’re wrong!”

By the end of the campaign, Bloodstained had raised over $5.5 million, proving that fans were still hungry for this type of experience. Two years later, Bloodstained is still in development but is inching closer to a 2018 release.

The game tells the story of Miriam, an orphan who has been cursed by an alchemist and is slowly turning into crystal. The young woman must fight her way through a castle full of demons and other creatures of the night to find a cure. The plot and setting are as Gothic as it gets, and the presentation and gameplay—the side-scrolling combat, creepy monsters, and role-playing elements—all harken back to the golden age of Metroidvania.

Here's everything else we know about the game:

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Release Date

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night has been delayed again to 2019. It was originally set for a 2017 release before it was delayed to 2018. The game is currently scheduled to appear on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC. Both the Wii U and PS Vita versions of the game have been canceled.

You can watch the announcement from Koji Igarashi here:

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Trailer

This gameplay trailer emphasizes the game's art style and combat techniques by showing off large portions of a cathedral stage and even offering us a glimpse of one of the game's boss fights:

Here's gameplay footage from the E3 2016 demo:

In the pitch video below - which is quite quaint, with its low-fi special effects - Igarashi talks enthusiastically about his project. On the Kickstarter page, you'll find more of the project's plans, including its addition of crafting to the platforming mix, and the now-confirmed presence of David Hayter as one of the main voice actors.

That Bloodstained has already enjoyed a storming amount of support pretty much guarantees that we'll be hearing more about it soon.

John Saavedra is Games Editor at Den of Geek. Read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @johnsjr9. 

Hideo Kojima, the famed creator of the Metal Gear series, returns after a brief hiatus after his highly publicized exit from Konami with his strangest concept yet: Death Stranding, a game that's all about connections, according to the developer. Kojima's goal is to create a game where players interact with each other beyond just trying to kill each other. 

The game stars Norman Reedus and Mads Mikkelsen. It also features some collaboration with beloved director Guillermo del Toro, who previously worked with Kojima on the ill-fated Silent Hills project.

Here's everything else we know:

Death Stranding Release Date

Death Stranding doesn't have a release date at the moment. The game will arrive exclusively to PS4.

“It will be out before the Olympics,” said Kojima at TGS 2016, referring to the Tokyo 2020 Games. He then went on, “To go a little further, there is a movie called Akira, and it will be out before the year in which Akira is set.” (Akira was set in 2019.)

Death Stranding Trailer

E3 2018 featured the debut of Death Stranding's gameplay a few more details about its story. It's a long look at the game, but you've got to see it. 

Another Death Stranding trailer premiered at The Game Awards 2017 and it's our best look at this haunting game yet! Check out the trailer below:

The second trailer for Hideo Kojima's next game was revealed at the 2016 Game Awards. The big story here is the appearance of everyone's (at least second) favorite Hannibal Lecter, Mads Mikkelsen. Check it out:

Here's the very first trailer for the game:

Death Stranding Cast

Norman Reedus will star in the game and he will be joined by Mads Mikkelsen, who appears to play one of the antagonists. Guillermo del Toro will also appear in the game as revealed by the game's second trailer. 

Emily O'Brien posted a picture on her Instagram account that confirmed that she and Troy Baker have joined the Death Stranding cast.

Death Stranding Gameplay

Hideo Kojima continues to leak out Death Stranding information a trickle at a time. The game auteur took the stage at a Tokyo game conference today and provided the briefest of glimpses regarding Death Stranding's design intent.

Death Stranding will be an action game with open world elements, but, according to Kojima, it will be a different kind of action game that emphasizes player interactions beyond just trying to kill each other. While players will fight both computer and human-controlled enemies via the game's single-player and online modes, Kojima is also working on ways in which they can experience the game together that emphasizes non-action based cooperation. 

Kojima didn't go into further details regarding how, exactly, this will work, but there were trace elements of the Dark Souls' school of multiplayer design in his speech. 

Speaking at the Develop: Brighton conference, Hideo Kojima expressed his belief that Death Stranding represents his greatest work. 

"I'm very confident that we're working towards something completely new and that no-one has seen so far,” said Kojima. “This will be my best work so far, I'm very confident about that." 

At this same event, Kojima also spoke of how excited he is about the ability of virtual reality to convey a new range of human emotions in video games. At this time, however, there is no word on whether or not Death Stranding will have VR features. Kojima also noted that he could never stop making video games because, as technology progresses, he comes closer to being able to make the type of games he dreams of. 

In a YouTube upload by Hideo Kojima, the legendary developer also shared some information regarding the secrecy that surrounded Death Stranding's unveiling. According to Kojima, only about five people knew that the game was going to be revealed at E3 2016. In order to avoid any potential leaks, Kojima himself also avoided social media, refrained from taking photos and even stayed at an out of the way hotel during E3 just to avoid being spotted. 

Death Stranding Story

Mads Mikkelsen recently caught up with Birth.Movies.Death. to talk about Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding and what exactly the actor is doing in the game's second trailer. It seems that Mikkelsen, who plays the game's villain, is as confused as the rest of us are, even though he's sat down to talk about the enigmatic game with the auteur. 

While he can't talk about the plot of Death Stranding, Mikkelsen did say that "it's very intricate. I mean, you know [Kojima]. He's a very brilliant man. I mean, the stuff he told me? I only understood some of it. There was a lot of, 'What?' I have to see it before I understand. Because with Death Stranding, he's creating something completely new." 

As Kojima described to Red Bull, Death Stranding's story "is all about connections, that are called 'strands' in psychology." That's not much to go on at all, but then again, Kojima likes to keep story details very close to the chest. Kojima continued, "It's too early to talk about the broader details of the story or to reveal the female lead, but we have a core structure already."

With the likes of director Guillermo del Toro and actors Mikkelsen and Norman Reedus joining Kojima on this project, we're sure to be in for something very special - if only slightly confusing as well.

Death Stranding Details

In a new interview with Glixel, video game auteur Hideo Kojima confirmed that his latest helping of interactive weird, Death Stranding, "is not a horror game." Despite the dark tone of the first two trailers and his recent work on P.T., Death Stranding will not be the creator's first full foray into horror after all. 

"I don’t have a dark mindset in particular," Kojima told Glixel. "Death Stranding is not a horror game. I just wanted to make something that looks very unique, something you haven’t seen before, something with a more artistic slant to it. I’m not pursuing a dark aspect to the game."

It definitely looks unique, especially in the "using creepy babies to promote your game" department. Kojima also reassured fans that the game will still have a sense of humor - a staple of his past games, which have included running gags and breaking the fourth wall.

"Humor is a very important aspect for games. You play a game for a very long time – Death Stranding is a big game, too – and you put stress on the player and you lead them through peaks and valleys. Humor is an important aspect to make sure the player can enjoy playing across these peaks and valleys. So we’ll have humor in this game too, but to a degree that it doesn't ruin the world setting. It will be at an appropriate level."

Kojima also caught up with the BBC to talk about Death Stranding and how it's unlike anything he's created before. 

"We want this game to be something that people can get into easily but after an hour or two they'll start to notice something a little different," Kojima said. "It's not like anything they've played before."

Kojima, who's never been shy about introducing very weird new elements to his games, says he's not too worried about how the risks he's taking with Death Stranding might drive some players away.

"Bands that everyone remembers take risks," he said. "They constantly change their music from previous albums, adapting and evolving through the ages. ... They might lose some fans along the way, but they bring in new ones. That's the kind of approach I want to take with my new game."

Kojima fans are undoubtedly expecting something new and strange from Death Stranding. So far, the trailers indicate that Kojima will indeed deliver the goods.

In other news, director Guillermo del Toro, who appeared in the second trailer for the game, has confirmed that he's not involved with Death Stranding in a creative role. He's simply an actor in the game, according to an interview with IGN.

"I’m involved as a character. Kojima-san called me and said, 'I want you to be a character in the game,' and I said, 'Gladly.' He’s discussed his ideas so I could understand the character, but other than that I’m not involved, creatively, at all."

Del Toro continued, "This is entirely Kojima-san’s game. I think it’s gonna be a fantastic game, 100%. But this is him and his ideas. I’m just a puppet in his hands. My contribution is limited to being a cheerleader for his ideas and being scanned for long hours at a time. That’s about it."

Death Stranding Poster

Kojima tweeted this promotional image for Death Stranding around the time of E3 2017. The image's use of the word "Bridges" is particularly interesting because, as IGN points out, that word was also seen in the game's second trailer.

John Saavedra is Games Editor at Den of Geek. Read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @johnsjr9.