Eurogamer has reported that Call of Duty is returning to a WWII setting this year for its annual release, with Sledgehammer at the helm. Call of Duty "skipped" Sledgehammer in the annual studio cycle last year when Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War landed at Treyarch/Raven (with some assistance from Sledgehammer, as some degree of collaboration is not uncommon for the Call of Duty studios), so this return would not be wholly unexpected. However, if the rumors are true, this also indicates that Sledgehammer will be tackling its second WWII Call of Duty project in a row, as their last core title was Call of Duty: WWII. Game Informer had extensive coverage for Call of Duty: WWII, including a cover story, you can read more about that here. Even if you think you already know everything about Call of Duty: WWII, there are some deep dives into particularly interesting aspects of the game, right down to how Sledgehammer crafted the grenade sounds!

Other sources around the internet are also reporting and rumoring on the setting, but not all sources agree on the exact nature of the World War II setting. It's also going around that the setting could be an alternate history take on WWII, where the war never ended. That sounds like more of a Treyarch title to me, but it also might be a good deal more interesting than repeating the setting for Sledgehammer's next big outing in the Call of Duty space. The biggest question is clearly, will we get the Headquarters space back?

The implications here for associated Call of Duty products are interesting if we do in fact return to this historical backdrop that has been the source of countless stories like Band of Brothers, Saving Private Ryan, and more. How will WWII be applied to products like Warzone, for instance?

The influence of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has been significant, but Treyarch's frankly weird spin on reality lends itself toward direct infusions of bizarre and bold weapons, Saw puppets, and zombie jaunts. How do you even import the WWII setting into Warzone, when it will ostensibly retain all the guns and progress from the previous two games? That's an interesting issue to tackle moving forward, regardless of setting, as Warzone continues to expand as its own product yet retain significant tie-ins to the annual releases.

What do you think about a return to a WWII setting for Call of Duty this year? Would you prefer a grounded title or an alternate history take? Let us know in the comments!

[Source: Eurogamer]

The Ascent unveiled a new trailer today, showcasing co-op play in the tactical future dystopian title. Will your district survive? That's the big question when The Ascent lands on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC this year. The Ascent is also slated to arrive on Xbox Game Pass on day one.

Corporations are trying to take over everything in the wake of social collapse, and you and your crew have to fight back against them, mercenaries, and giant crime syndicates. Along the way you'll discover the secrets of this futuristic hellscape.

In the trailer, players are treated to core aspects of co-op gameplay. That's right, you can play with up to 3 others in the Ascent to take on the impossible odds together. Big loot chests. Color-coded character circles that ensure you can keep track of your character. And fast-paced action.

While the Ascent looks like it could easily fill the traditional turn-based CRPG space with its isometric inclinations, instead it's quite lively. The trailer is packed with explosions, gunfire, and giant suits of heavy armor. There are also plasma beams and electric things. "Electric things" is a technical term for some of the fun stuff showcased in this trailer, so be sure to check it out to see what's on deck. It looks like there are active dodges in there to go along with plenty of positioning, blasting, thrashing and crashing!

As you can see, the backdrop of Planet Veles looks like a pretty place to hold the ultimate battle for the future. Destructible environments, cyber augmentations, and a wide range of loot round out the experience. Of course, if you don't want to team up, you can tackle the world solo.

Are you interested in The Ascent? Are you looking forward to more cyberpunk-style experiences? Or is cyberpunk the new zombie/viking/vampire game and you're looking for something else? Either way, The Ascent looks pretty cool here in the pre-release stage and we're eager to see more as we plod on to release this year.

2016’s Suicide Squad didn’t exactly land with audiences, which is why we’re getting a re-do of sorts with The Suicide Squad. Besides adding “the” to the title, the film is directed by James Gunn of Guardians of the Galaxy fame and after months of anticipation, the first trailer for the wacky film has arrived. 

The Suicide Squad serves as a standalone follow-up to the first film and features returning names like Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, and Viola Davis as Amada Waller. The giant ensemble cast includes Idris Elba (Bloodsport), John Cena (Peacemaker), David Dastmalchian (Polka-Dot Man), Peter Capaldi (Thinker) and Slyvester Stallone (King Shark). The story centers on a band of supervillains who are forced by the government to work together in order to destroy a top-secret laboratory/prison. 

Gunn has previously stated that The Suicide Squad taps some the strangest/most obscure villains in the DC universe and is ultimately a war film. By that, he means viewers shouldn’t expect all of these goofballs to survive the entire adventure, and some of the fun of the film will be finding out who bites the dust and how.  I wasn’t too fond of the original Suicide Squad film, but this iteration looks like it’ll be a lot of fun. We’ll find out how it compares when The Suicide Squad premieres August 6 in theaters and HBO Max. 

This is also a good reminder that Rocksteady is working on Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, their next big game after wrapping up the Arkham series of Batman games. The game is slated to arrive in 2022. If you missed it, watch the debut trailer for that game here. For more DC movie goodness, you can also watch our reactions and impressions to Zack Snyder's Justice League here. 

What do you think of The Suicide Squad’s first trailer? Hit us up with those hot takes down in the comments!