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Death Stranding is coming to PC on July 14, and at the time of writing a Steam/Epic Games Store release is just 12 hours away. The PC version is being published by 505 Games, and they’ve released a launch trailer to go over the improvements coming in the PC version, and to introduce some elements of the game to new players.

The trailer mixes together cutscenes and cinematic gameplay footage to capture the game’s tone and some of its performances, and it shows off the game at 4K, presented in Ultrawide. It also shows off the game’s new Very Hard difficulty setting and Half-Life collaborative items. It’s also seems to be more-or-less spoiler free.

You can get the PC version of Death Stranding for free with certain Nvidia cards, which is a great deal if you want to upgrade your PC for RTX. If you’re not sure if your PC can handle the game, check out the minimum and recommended specs. The PC version will be able to achieve frame rates above 100fps.

GameSpot has gone hands-on with the PC version of Death Stranding ahead of release, and came away impressed. “The quality of Death Stranding’s PC port can speak to how Sony’s first-party exclusives can get another lease on life on a new platform for a different audience,” wrote critic Michael Higham.

Deadly Premonition 2 is out now for Switch, but some players of the long-anticipated game have found themselves disappointed over one particular aspect of the game–its treatment of a transgender character. Criticisms leveled against the game have pointed out that the game’s characters, including the hero Francis, frequently misgender the character, or use their deadname (the name assigned at birth).

Because other dialog within the game positions Francis as an ally, and the game does not always explicitly frame these transphobic actions as wrong, many of the director’s fans have been disappointed–especially after trans issues were explored with sensitivity in his previous game, The Missing.

Now, Swery has taken to Twitter to apologize and to promise that he will edit “that scene,” although which scene he specifically means is unclear.

“I realized by pointed out from friends, I might have hurt transgender people in my scenario,” he writes. “It wasn’t intentional. I am really sorry for that.”

He promises that additional checks will be performed, and asks players not to hate his characters, as any offence caused is his own fault.

Deadly Premonition 2 will also hopefully receive a patch to address its appalling frame rate, which is one of the reasons why GameSpot’s 5/10 review was less-than-glowing. “Ultimately, Deadly Premonition 2 lacks the emotional resonance found in the first game,” reviewer Kurt Indovina wrote. “It’s a different brew of coffee from your favorite roaster, but one that’s more bitter than you probably hoped for.”

Crysis Remastered is coming to Switch on July 23, and considering that the original 2007 game famously required a very powerful PC to run, many players are curious about how it will translate to Nintendo’s hybrid console. Now, a new (very short) gameplay clip gives us some indication of how it will handle.

The three-second clip below, recorded directly from a Switch, shows off the Remastered edition’s improved environment destruction and vegetation bending. There’s a few other details to glean from it too–like the impressive draw distance–but three seconds isn’t much to work with. Still, it confirms that the Switch iteration of the game seeks to improve on the 2007 powerhouse, when often Switch ports are more basic.

While the Switch version is launching this month, the PC, Xbox One, and PS4 versions have been delayed, and we’ll have to wait to see what further tweaks or improvements they introduce. In a follow-up tweet, the official Crysis account has promised that more news on the other versions will be coming soon.

This is the first time the Crysis series has appeared on a Nintendo console. The Switch port is being handled by Saber Interactive, the studio behind the console’s version of The Witcher 3.

Hopefully Crysis Remastered on Switch will be another strong port.

One of the surprises from Ubisoft Forward was the launch of an open beta on PC for Ubisoft’s new battle royale game, Hyper Scape. However, fans in Oceania quickly noticed that the game offered a less-than-ideal experience–and that’s because there apparently weren’t many servers in the region.

In a bit of good news, Ubisoft has confirmed it’s added a new data center in Australia to help players in the Oceania region have a smoother experience playing the game. The tweet also confirms that players don’t need to do anything to access the Oceania servers–local players will be automatically added to them for matches.

Ubisoft has also confirmed that Hyper Scape has introduced new items, including the Javi Rebel skin and the matching Harpy and Pod skins. You can see these in the video below.

The Hyper Scape open beta includes four modes: squad and solo versions of the signature Crown Rush battle royale mode, as well as two limited-time modes, Hack Runner Squad and Turbo Mode Squad. An in-game shop is also available; it sells cosmetic items that you can purchase with Bitcrowns you’ve accrued. You can read more about the Hyper Scape open beta on Ubisoft’s website.

The Hyper Scape beta is available now for free on PC, but there is no word on if it will come to PS4 and Xbox One. Hyper Scape does not yet have a final release date, but it’s expected to release this summer.

In the meantime, you can read our Hyper Scape impressions and check out some gameplay footage to get a better feel for the new sci-fi shooter.

There’s a new pack of free Fortnite cosmetics on offer for PS4 players, provided you’re a PS Plus subscriber. The bundle includes a new glider, a contrail, and an emote. Epic has offered similar free PS4-exclusive Fortnite packs in the past, most recently in April.

The relationship between Sony and Fortnite developer Epic Games reportedly deepened last week, with Sony investing $250 million to purchase a minority stake in Epic. According to a Gamesbeat report, one of the focuses of the new partnership will be Epic’s Unreal Engine 5, which will likely provide the backbone for many next-gen games on Sony’s upcoming PS5.

Additionally, Epic Games confirmed that the terms of the deal do not prevent the company from publishing on other platforms. Sony isn’t the only big player in the games industry to purchase a slice of Epic: Tencent reportedly paid $330 million to buy a 40% stake in the company pack in 2013.

If you’re trying to complete Fortnite’s weekly challenges, we’ve got you covered, from dancing in front of a camera at Sweaty Sands to finding all the floating rings at Lazy Lake. Some members of the community have also crafted some interesting projects recently, with a group of modders recreating maps from the SOCOM series within the game, and running a competitive league through Discord. Also, July’s free PS Plus games have been revealed, so check those out if you’re interested.

The last time we saw Platinum Games’ action-adventure title Babylon’s Fall was during a somewhat-brief gameplay trailer unveiled in a December 2019 State of Play livestream. Now, after seven months of silence, the studio is back to confirm that development on the game is “continuing to progress well.”

“Thank you to all the fans who’ve been following along for updates on Babylon’s Fall,” Platinum Games said. “While we hoped to reveal more about the game this summer, we can share that development on Babylon’s Fall is continuing to progress well, with the team working safely from home. Square Enix and Platinum Games are committed to delivering an exhilarating experience and we look forward to showcasing much more on Babylon’s Fall to you as soon as we can.”

Platinum Games provided no other information about Babylon’s Fall, such as a release window or if PC and PlayStation 4 remain the intended launch platforms with the release of PlayStation 5 inching over the horizon. The studio also didn’t specify when we’ll get another look at Babylon’s Fall. However, according to a statement, the team plans to showcase “much more on Babylon’s Fall to you as soon as we can.”

Babylon’s Fall is an action-adventure game developed by Platinum Games (the studio responsible for other character-action titles like the Bayonetta series and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance) and published by Square Enix. It features some similarities to another Platinum Games-Square Enix collaboration, Nier: Automata, as well as the recently revealed Bandai Namco game Scarlet Nexus. Your character in Babylon’s Fall, like the other games mentioned, uses a sword and has access to various ephemeral weapons that swirl around and do epic-looking, screen-shaking attacks.

It remains unclear if Babylon’s Fall’s protagonist is a fixed character or if the action-adventure game features character customization. Other details, like story structure and more, have also not be divulged yet.

Horizon Forbidden West is, without a doubt, one of the most highly anticipated PlayStation 5 games announced so far. Unfortunately, the sequel to 2017’s Horizon Zero Dawn won’t be ready for the PS5’s launch as it’s planned to release sometime in 2021, but if you’re a die-hard fan in need of new Horizon stuff to spend your money on, you’re in luck, as PlayStation announced a new wave of merch that celebrates both Zero Dawn and Forbidden West. The new Horizon merch collection comes one month before Horizon Zero Dawn’s release on PC in August.

Horizon Forbidden West apparel

The new Horizon merch includes three pieces of apparel, each of which will ship in mid-August from the UK (so be prepared to pay international shipping). The first is a “Nora Brown” corduroy jacket with subtle stitched details that allude to the game, including Aloy’s Seeker symbol in the front. Both male and female sizing is available. The jacket costs $95 USD / £85 and ships to the US, Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

The Horizon collection includes another understated piece of apparel, this beanie that comes with a special pin representing Aloy’s Focus. It’s a one-size-fits-all beanie and sells for $32 USD / £28. Am I going to run around wearing this, touching my Focus pin and pretending I’m scanning the environment for intel? Maybe.

These striped tees spotlight one of Forbidden West’s new machines, the elephant-like Tremortusk, which Guerrilla has described as “part combat-class machine, part lumbering fortress.” The T-shirt has an embroidered patch featuring the Tremortusk in a “chibi style,” making it look much more adorable than the giant machine you’ll actually encounter in Forbidden West. It’s available for $27 USD / £24.

Horizon Zero Dawn comics

Horizon Zero Dawn’s story was arguably the best part of the game, and if you’re craving more of it, the upcoming comic book series will tell an original story set in the world of Horizon. Published by Titan Comics, the Horizon Zero Dawn comics take place after the events of the first game and follows Carja hunter Talanah, a close friend of Aloy’s. Issue #1 is out on August 5, but there will also be a free issue in comic book stores on July 22 to celebrate Free Comic Book Day. Digital copies will cost $4, while physical copies go for $8.

Horizon Zero Dawn board game

The Kickstarter campaign for Horizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game kicked off in 2018 and was successfully funded in less than two hours. The campaign is coming to an end as the board game nears completion, but you can still place a limited edition all-in pledge that gets you the core game, all 10 expansion packs, and the Kickstarter-exclusive miniatures. Get ready to shell out, though, as the whole bundle costs $360 USD / £280. Pre-orders are only available for the next few days, ending July 16 at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET / midnight BST. The core game will ship this November, with the additional items shipping in July 2021.

Horizon Zero Dawn vinyl soundtrack

Horizon Zero Dawn’s award-winning soundtrack is being re-released on vinyl to celebrate the game’s upcoming release on PC. The four-disc vinyl is back up for pre-order for $62 USD / £50, and this white edition is strictly limited to 500 copies. The box set ships August 21. Note that you’ll have to pay international shipping if you’re outside the UK–for me, that was $38.50, bringing the total cost up to $100. Different color variations will also be available at select retailers later this year.

If you’re looking forward to new music in Horizon Forbidden West, the track from the game’s reveal trailer, “Promise of the West,” is available to stream on Spotify or purchase now.