The summer of gaming news is fading into the fall of new releases, and Gamescom Opening Night Live has aired to herald the end. Today, we got a whole lot of news, trailers, reveals, and more to set the stage ahead for 2024, 2025, and beyond.

The Game Awards showrunner Geoff Keighley took the stage again, accompanied by long-time esports host Eefje "sjokz" Depoortere, to run the festivities as dozens of news and announcements aired. Some were essentially just trailers for games that are already out, or coming out soon, so we won't cover those here.

But even the Kyle Bosman-led pre-show had some fun tidbits, from Dave the Diver getting crossovers with Balatro, Potion Craft, and mxmtoon to some more Terry footage from Street Fighter 6 and a look at the next Dark Pictures horror adventure Directive 8020.

Here's all the big news and announcements from the main show at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024.

Everything shown at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024

• We open with a bang. Borderlands 4 is very real, and arriving sometime in 2025. There's not too much we can scrounge from this trailer, except for some SHIFT codes probably, but that's something for fans of the series to look forward to after a rough showing on the silver screen.
• Activision showed off some Call of Duty Black Ops 6 campaign footage, which starts out a bit surprisingly, with alternative routes and not a lot of shooting. Don't worry; once the big plan goes bad, the bullets start flying, and it starts looking familiar. Early access kicks off on August 30 for that, with an open beta due soon after.
• In one of the stranger trailers of the show, a bunch of game parodies lead into the reveal of Goat Simulator Remastered, arriving sometime in 2024. Looks like a good time to be a baaaaa-d goat? (Don't boo me, I'm trying.)

• Persona 3's Episode Aigis DLC is arriving soon, bringing The Answer to Atlus' remake. And now it looks like some challenge battles are in tow too, alongside an appearance from Persona 5's Joker. That's out on September 10.
• Dying Light: The Beast was going to be Dying Light 2 DLC, until Techland apparently spun it out into its own standalone game, starring DL1's Kyle Crane. It's neat to see the series still chugging along. No date for this, but owners of the big content pass for Dying Light 2 won't have to shell out for it.
• Lynked: Banner of the Spark is a mixture of town-building and roguelite elements, and it sure is colorful too. You can read more in our writeup here, and keep an eye out for the Early Access launch on October 22, 2024.
• Love creepy mysteries, teen angst, and a little bit of '90s nostalgia? Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, the latest from Don't Nod, looks to have it all. Read more in our hands-on preview here, as it's quickly becoming one of my more anticipated games going into 2025.

• The zombie-slaying No More Room in Hell 2 is certainly on its way, with some co-op permadeath action in store. But frankly, I just can't get over how the guy in this trailer sounds like Plankton from SpongeBob. Once you hear it, you won't be able to un-hear it.
• Arc Raiders is a game that surprised me a while ago, mostly because it seemed to involve giant, bouncing, destructive orbs. There may be more happening, but today's trailer mostly teased that sign-ups are live now.
• Around the Destructoid water cooler, Infinity Nikki has come up more than a few times. If you're not familiar with the Nikki series, you might not know how popular this series can be, but today's trailer certainly makes a case for its adorable open-world adventures. Closed beta sign-ups are also going live for Infinity Nikki.
• Paragon successor Predecessor (say that five times fast) is officially launching, and it celebrated as much during today's Opening Night Live stream. Hopefully the path ahead goes better for them than it did for Paragon.

• Dungeon-crawling action-RPG Path of Exile 2 hits Early Access on November 15, so get those loot bags ready and build-crafting spreadsheets open. At least, that's what I imagine ARPG sickos go in for, anyways.
• We got a look at some Dune Awakening gameplay, which lets you live out your dream of being a random wanderer on the planet of Arrakis. Worms, sun stroke, and enemies are all there to kill you, but maybe you can learn to survive and even thrive? Or get griefed by a dude named "Chimothée Talamet." That's set for PC in early 2025.
• Tarsier Studios, creators of Little Nightmares 1 and 2, unveiled their new project today: the very Little Nightmares-esque Reanimal, which is all about being little fellas running from giant creepy animals. It looks hauntingly gorgeous, and will head to PS5, Xbox Series consoles, and PC.

• Have you been wanting to play Genshin Impact, but only own an Xbox? Well, today, that specific crowd gets their prayers answered. Hoyoverse's massive action-RPG is coming to Microsoft's box on November 20. Also, there's a new region on the way!
• Monster Hunter Wilds showed off some monster hunting today, focusing on an especially creepy fight with a giant spider boss. I cannot wait to see what kind of armor and equipment we'll craft from this thing. Wilds is looking fantastic, and like an easy contender for one of 2025's biggest early hits.

• Lara Croft is coming to Naraka Bladepoint. That's all I really have to say on the matter. Congratulations to Naraka Bladepoint.
• In a great throwback trailer, SNK confirms one of its most recognizable fighters Mai Shiranui will appear in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, due out on April 24 ,2025.
• Monument Valley 3 looks absolutely pleasant to puzzle through, and it's coming to Netflix very soon - on December 10, 2024. Sadly, it's a Netflix exclusive. But if you check out the app, the other two Monument Valley games are also making their way there, too.
• Civilization 7 seems poised to take one more turn from you, over and over again. Firaxis has locked in a release date of February 11, 2025, and it's hard to imagine any PC owner not excited for this one.
• Holy crap, Starfield is finally getting a freaking car. The REV-8 is your very own Mass Effect Mako, carting you and your companion around the vast, open terrains of planets, and it's out today. Plus, the Shattered Space DLC is set to arrive on September 30, 2024.

• Marvel Rivals seems well-poised to make a dent in the packed hero shooter genre, and its latest trailer reaffirms it. Captain America and the Winter Soldier are both due up for the Rivals roster, with Bucky looking like a fast, mobile assassin and Cap bringing some potent shielding power to teams. NetEase's answer to Overwatch arrives on December 6, and promises to have all heroes unlocked and free-to-play, at launch and beyond.
• A sizzle reel for Amazon's anthology adaptation series Secret Level plans to bring many different franchises to the streaming side, and- wait, is that Mega Man?! You know what, I'd get a little emotional too if I was bringing the Blue Bomber back. The show premieres on December 10.
• Stoic's Towerborne, a side-scrolling action game that gives me faint Castle Crashers vibes, is set to hit Steam Early Access on September 10. Looks neat!
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 seems sharp, surprising, and definitely taking its period piece framing seriously. I love all the roaming around the countryside, though I'm maybe a little less keen on first-person swordplay. We'll have to see how it pans out when the sequel arrives on February 11, 2025. A gameplay premiere is set for August 21, 2024.

• Zenless Zone Zero and Honkai Star Rail both have new characters and content on the way. I'm not caught up enough on either to know the specifics, but the final teaser for Star Rail says a Fate/Stay Night crossover is due for Q3 2025, and that I cannot wait for. I hope it somehow leads to Geoff Keighley talking about Saber and Shirou Emiya on the Game Awards stage.
• "Da bat" is here, with the Meta Quest-exclusive Batman: Arkham Shadow, arriving in October. I wish it looked a bit weightier, but some of the character models and story scenes look pretty cool.
• Oh hey, it's Little Nightmares 3. It 's got that two-player horror adventure set-up that will look familiar to fans of the first two. Supermassive is heading this one up, as Tarsier works on Reanimal, so I'm curious to see how both turn out and where this burgeoning genre of "Nightmare-alikes" goes from here.
• Herdlings looks like a pleasant game from the makers of FAR: Lone Sails, tasking you with herding mystical animals. Seems neat!
• Good lord, that's Peter Molyneux. He's on the stage, talking about Masters of Albion, a new game that he frames as a homecoming to PC and console development. I'm assuming there won't be any cubes in this one. In fact, it seems like a god game in a style we haven't seen in a while. We'll see how it turns out?
• Meanwhile, the latest Squid Game spin-off to completely miss the point has arrived. Squid Game: Unleashed looks like a comical, Fall Guys-esque interpretation of the death-game bloodsport shown in Netflix's series. I'm normally down for a little bit of dark comedy in adaptations, but when you start doing the Terminator thumbs-up from a lava pit, you've entered brand-trying-to-meme territory. If none of that backs you away, it's out soon on the Netflix app.
• Blizzard's Johanna Faries takes the stage to show off a Sylvanas skin for Widowmaker and promote the upcoming launch of World of Warcraft: The War Within, as well as the upcoming Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred. The latter showed off some mercenary companions, which seems neat. WoW's next expansion hits on August 22 in early access, and Vessel of Hatred is due out on October 8.

• You know, The First Berserker: Khazan is looking kinda sick? It's set for an early 2025 debut, and I dig the action and raw fury we're seeing here. It's very, well, Berserk, even though it's drawing from the Dungeon & Fighter universe. It's on my radar now, though.
• Floatopia is a new chill life sim from NetEase, and looks like an Animal Crossing competitor. Not much in the way of news, but keep an eye out for that one.
• We get a confirmed date for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, hitting Xbox Series consoles and PC on December 9, 2024. Plus, we got immediate confirmation that Indy will head to PlayStation 5 in Spring 2025. Interesting to see, considering Xbox's move to put more games on other consoles.

• One last thing: It's Mafia. Yes, a new Mafia is on the way, in the form of Mafia: The Old Country. Hangar 13 is taking it all back to the roots, in a very Godfather Part 2 trailer. Not much more in the way of news here, but you know what? I'm very, very intrigued.

The post Every trailer, release date, and more from Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024 appeared first on Destructoid.

I've been struggling to determine how, exactly, I want to talk about Centum. Not in terms of basic stuff, like genre or developer or "it plays like X meets Y." Those are fairly easy to tack down. No, it's the next layer down that has had me thinking a lot about Centum since I hit the end of its preview build: the how and why.

So let's start with the easy parts. Centum is a narrative adventure, largely falling within the point-and-click genre, from developer Hack The Publisher and publisher Serenity Forge. Most of its gameplay consists of interacting with objects, selecting dialogue choices, and unlocking new interactions through flowchart-like experimentation. Move an object, find a new thing to put in your inventory, test it out on all the other interactable spots on-screen. If you've ever journeyed with Guybrush Threepwood or Putt-Putt, these parts will feel familiar.

Where it starts to feel less familiar is all the mini-games. Or the sudden art style switches. Or maybe even with the creepy ghost kid who seems helpful, for now. This is where Centum starts to make it clear that it's not just another adventure game.

Even before you're in the swing of pointing and clicking, Centum starts you out in a computer interface. It's an old-school, chunky interface that reminded me of the colorful iMacs we used to use in school. I will never be able to resist a good fake desktop; poring over files and folders is a guilty pleasure, and much like Telling Lies or Cibele, Centum leans into that. Although rather than deriving some gratification from digging through personal details, it builds a lot of terror over discovering what exactly a file or folder might contain.

Let me put it a different way: Centum imagines that you are interacting with this computer. But what does it mean that you, the player, are interacting with it? What is this computer, exactly? Where, when, and why does it exist? And what happened to the people that used this interface before?

As you read over notepad clues and hints towards your situation, it becomes a little creepier. Names start to drop, and you only have vague understandings of their importance. Also, can a machine be haunted? This one sure feels haunted. If ghosts could plague the living, what spirits can manifest in the binary ones-and-zeroes of Centum's PC?

These are the thoughts I had running through my mind as I clicked and prodded my way through Centum's first two chapters. Both are closed-room puzzles, where the player needs to discern a way out, while also running up against several different roadblocks. In the first chapter, for instance, you're trapped in a cell. A Judge berates you, asking why you're here, what you did, and who you are. It reprimands you when you answer incorrectly, and I was always wrong.

Again, these moments feel a bit familiar: a locked room, filled with philosophical and psychological quandaries surrounding how you'll get out. Hack The Publisher even has a little minigame that's similar to the Giant's Game from Ender's Game, eye-gouging and all, that feels like a little nod towards players that notice the similarities.

The ways to get out are similarly gnarly and surreal. I talked to a wall, grew a tree, and observed the city. A small box played music. And at one point, I trapped a demon with mirrors. I don't want to get too deep into the "how" of it all, as that's a big appeal of Centum's in-the-moment puzzle-solving, though I also think it's where Centum struggled a bit for me. Some solutions, like the aforementioned mirrors, felt a bit unclear at times. And you'll need a good tolerance for picking up objects and testing them on various other items; some were a bit straightforward to figure out, while others were head-scratchers.

The mini-games are also a little hit-or-miss. I enjoyed them in a few cases, and there's an element of simplicity and tedium that feels textually important. It did mean, though, that when I accidentally restarted one of the games, being locked back into beating it was a bit frustrating. Not a major gripe, just a small wrinkle.

What really, really works for Centum is its art style. Really, it's a multitude of art styles. At some points, it looks like a point-and-click classic. Then, it will introduce a creepy apparition. Then, it might peel off into a seemingly hand-drawn, winding line art of white-on-black. These segues can feel sudden and jarring in a really good way. And man, the cat-phone. I am haunted by the cat-phone.

By the end of the preview, I felt I was starting to grasp what Centum is about, and the story it's trying to tell. It's an incredibly fascinating one. I think if you like the general gist of exploring artificial intelligence, man-made horrors, and maybe a heaping helping of both guilt and family drama, you'll dig what Centum is concocting.

Really, Centum feels like a reminder of what this year is turning out to be. The usual wave of AAA releases has slowed to a trickle, and indie studios are finding a lot of room to appeal to niche interests, to eschew broad appeals in favor of making something a bit more unique.

That is Centum, to me. It might not be for everyone. But the fact that it isn't makes it all the more appealing to me. I dig its thoughts about ghosts in the machine. I vibe with its art style. Maybe I do like cat-phone, after all. But I do think, if any of this made you sit up a bit in your seat and go "hm," then Centum is worth keeping an eye on.

Centum is currently planned for Xbox Series X|S and PC sometime this summer.

The post Centum is a strange, mystifying dive into a very haunted computer appeared first on Destructoid.

Supergiant Games is one of those rare studios, whose resume of stellar games has essentially ensured I will always be interested in their next project. Bastion, Transistor, Pyre, and Hades were all excellent in their own ways. But going into Hades 2, I was curious just how this studio would tackle a sequel, a first for the team.

Turns out, I didn't really need to worry. I've hit the "end screen" of the Hades 2 Technical Test, and all I want to do is play more Hades 2.

Death to Chronos

The slice, available as the Hades 2 Technical Test, is essentially the opening of the game. And much like Supergiant's other games, it starts a bit in media res. You are Melinoë, the Princess of the Underworld. Your mission is simple: Death to Chronos. The Titan of Time has, in some way, up-ended your happy home life. So rather than escaping up and out of hell, you're diving down towards it with vengeance in mind.

There are a few returning faces here. Some of the gods, like Demeter, Poseidon, and Aphrodite are back, decked out in new designs. There's more newcomers joining the lineup of recurring gods and deities, too. Headmistress Hecate plays the "Hades" role, running the base of operations back home. Odysseus and Nemesis hang out around the Crossroads, a spritely shade named Dora hangs out in Melinoë's room, and more gods to offer their boons. Apollo and Hestia are nice surprises, and Hephasteus is already a fan-favorite for his incredible design.

And the designs really are something else. Supergiant's always had excellent character designs, but Hades 2 sees them showing off with both newcomers and revisions of old characters. Put plainly, everyone is hot. The diversity of styles and types here is more than welcome, and really, the nigh-feral reaction from fans as they share the god designs online is more than merited. Even small touches, like Melinoë donning new attire when she gets a special dress from Arachne, give Hades 2 a familiar-but-fresh visual upgrade.

Hades 2 doesn't just shift in terms of verticality, though. Melinoë doesn't have the same weapons as Zagreus, and doesn't employ the same tactics either. One major area where the former differentiates themselves from the latter, maybe the biggest difference between Hades and Hades 2, is in its magic. Or rather, witchcraft.

Witches' brew

In the first Hades, Zagreus had a simple but effective set of tools: Dash, Attack, Special, Cast. For Hades 2, Melinoë has the same button layout, but expanded thanks to her magical abilities as a witch. Basically, the three offensive buttons — Attack, Special, Cast — can be held to charge up an empowered "Omega" version, which adds effect in exchange for some of Melinoë's magic bar.

The magic bar and how it expands Melinoë's actions, compared to Zag's, is probably my favorite part of Hades 2 so far. Just with the starting weapon, a staff, Melinoë can charge up the Attack to send out a column of magic power, striking enemies ahead of and behind her. Or the magic circle Cast can be used to bind and damage foes, if you can charge and position it properly.

There's a constant risk-and-reward of how much magic you can expend and when it's safe or dangerous to do so. Launching these "Omega" versions take time to charge up and launch, so it can leave you vulnerable to enemies while you're prepping them.

Melinoë's magic means that the Boons from the Olympians can have interesting new effects, too. I was curious how, with gods like Demeter and Poseidon returning, Supergiant would make them feel different from their original versions. But adding the ability to still use tools like Aphrodite's Weaken, within the toolset of these new attacks, works super well. Build-crafting on the fly feels really fun, and I didn't really disparage seeing the returning faces among new Boon options.

A deep dive

It should go without saying, but I do need to write it at least once: Darren Korb is killing it again on the Hades 2 soundtrack. There are a lot of familiar and noticeable motifs here, but with a witchy twist. It's hard to describe, but the music has a dark twist, like you're playing Hades during a full moon and see a black cat cross your path. I really dig it.

It only took me a few runs to blast through the opening level and make it to the first boss, which marks the "end" of the Technical Test. I can still hop back in and play right now, but I'm not allowed to advance further than that first stratum. Curiously, there seems to be other options for advancing in Hades 2; a conspicuous option to "Go Up?" lies across the aisle from the "Go Out" option that starts the run. It makes me wonder if Hades 2 has quite a bit more in store for us than we currently realize.

Either way, the Technical Test has mostly assured me that Hades 2 is looking extremely good. This alternate take on the pantheon, leaning into the witches-and-magic side of Greek mythology, works extremely well. Melinoë is already compelling, as is her headmistress Hecate and the gathering of characters assembled at the Crossroads. It really speaks for itself that even now, I'm eager to dive back into another run, to test out a new weapon or find some new Boons, even if I've only got access to a slice of the eventual whole.

The first Hades felt like an impressive new spin on the roguelite formula, while also combining the strengths of every Supergiant game before it for one big slam-dunk. Hades 2 sees Supergiant returning to the well, and still finding ways to make an even more impressive version of this kind of game. I can't wait to see more of what's in store for Melinoë.

The post Hades 2 is off to a hot start, from its action and tunes to its gods appeared first on Destructoid.

Though it'll be a while before you directly deal with the more angelic characters of Unicorn Overlord, you can recruit one specific fighter quite early on. Ochlys is a Feathersword, a Flying-type unit with some excellent mobility. You'll need to gather some shards to recruit her first, though.

Where to start The Winged Knight

First, to even meet Ochlys, you'll need to head to Treyes Village to start The Winged Knight side quest. You can take the path south from Thulust Harbor and head east at the fork, past Fort Mainteneaut, to find the battle.

After speaking with Ochlys, you'll need to help her reclaim Rondmort Church from some local bandits, whose forces you might remember. It's an Enemy Level 4 fight, which shouldn't be too tough.

Should you spare or kill Mandrin?

After the fight, Ochlys will want to execute Mandrin for taking over the church and holding its cleric Sharon hostage. No matter what you decide here, it won't lock you out of recruiting Ochlys. I chose to have Mandrin executed, just to be sure, but I've seen reports from other players that indicate the decision here won't affect whether you can recruit Ochlys.

Once the fight has concluded, you'll recruit Sharon, who's a core party member for the cemeteries side quest. But you'll need to go a step further to get Ochlys. You'll need to bring her a lot of Divine Shards.

Collecting Divine Shards

The knight Ochlys has been tasked with collecting shards, and she won't be able to run off to battle alongside the Liberation forces until you've brought her enough. She'll open up shop around Cornia, where you'll be able to turn in Divine Shards for various items.

Divine Shards can be found as glittering, shimmering spots on the overworld map, so just keep your eyes peeled as you explore. I recommend just being patient and exploring Cornia as much as possible. You'll need 30 Divine Shards in total to finish Ochlys' personal quest, An Angel's Request, and you'll need to spend them buying some good stuff in the shop. I suggest the AP and PP increasing amulets, as they're pretty helpful accessories to hold early on.

Once you've spent enough in the shop, Ochlys will confirm she's gathered enough shards and can now march out with the Liberation Army. You'll get a Carnelian Pendant, Lapis Pendant, 1000G in War Funds, and 40 Renown for your efforts, alongside a new Featherwing in your army. Not a bad deal for a little collecting.

The post How to recruit Ochlys in Unicorn Overlord appeared first on Destructoid.

One of the Switch's most notable early RPGs is temporarily unavailable on its storefront. Today, users noticed that the first Octopath Traveler is unavailable to buy on the Nintendo eShop.

Visiting the eShop page for Octopath Traveler, at the time of this writing, will display a greyed-out "Not available" icon where the purchase button should be. We reached out to Nintendo to inquire about this, and were directed to a support page that explains some of the situation:

Octopath Traveler is temporarily unavailable for purchase on the Nintendo Switch eShop and My Nintendo Store as of March 1, 2024. The game will be available to purchase again soon.

If you previously purchased this game, it can still be re-downloaded from the Nintendo eShop.

Those have already purchased Octopath Traveler should still be able to redownload their game. Nintendo outlines how to redownload it from the eShop on its support page.

It's unclear why, exactly, the game has been taken down from just Nintendo's storefront. The RPG remains available on other platform storefronts like Steam, and on stores like Humble. It's worth noting that, while Nintendo was originally the publisher of Octopath Traveler, the eShop page currently lists Square Enix as the publisher, as spotted by Gematsu.

We've also reached out to Square Enix for comment, and will update if we hear back.

Traveler currently unavailable

Octopath Traveler was an early hit for the Switch, providing a big RPG exclusive for Nintendo's handheld hybrid. Though its now six years old, seeing it mysteriously disappear from the storefront is strange. I'd hope this is just a case of some back-end changes, and that the game pops back soon, as Nintendo's support page indicates.

Still, if you're seeking some gorgeous adventures, you can't really go wrong with its sequel either. Octopath Traveler 2 was a highlight of last year's RPG lineup, and remains available on the eShop. Regardless, hopefully this first entry will be readily accessible again soon.

The post Octopath Traveler is temporarily unavailable on the eShop, but it’s coming back ‘soon’ appeared first on Destructoid.