Today, Victura and Highwire Games have announced the revival of the once-canceled game about the war in Iraq with Six Days in Fallujah. The game itself is a first-person tactical military shooter based on the true story as told by Iraqi civilians, marines, and soldiers, who were there. 

"Sometimes the only way to understand what's true is to experience reality for yourself," says former Marine Sergeant Eddie Garcia in the press release for the game, who was wounded during the Battle for Fallujah and proposed the original idea for Six Days in Fallujah in 2005. "War is filled with uncertainty and tough choices that can't be understood by watching someone on a TV or movie screen make these choices for you. Video games can help all of us understand real-world events in ways other media can't."

Six Days in Fallujah was crafted by some of the original team members behind Halo and Destiny to put their knowledge of shooting games to the test in a story that is meant to be less of a glorification of war (as seen in titles like Call of Duty, Battlefield, etc) and more of a documentary-style experience with stories told straight from the mouths of civilians and military alike. 

The war in Iraq is a controversial topic and in many ways, should never have happened. This battle began in 2004 after Al Qaeda seized control of major cities in Iraq and saw a situation that quickly spiraled out of control, killing many in an operation that went wrong. 

Atomic Games first attempted to tell this story back in 2009, but announced the game in conjunction with Konami without a trailer. Without anything to go off of, the title was rightfully criticized, and eventually, it was canned entirely, especially in relation to the work alongside the CIA and an unclear objective when telling this story. Victura is a publishing company that is helmed by Peter Tamte, the former CEO of Atomic Games, pulling from the countless interviews already done with civilians and veterans alike while adding new perspectives from those same groups with the revival. 

The studio has announced that they have spent over three years building unique technologies to overhaul the game, including using new mechanics that were not prevalent in the first iteration. The hope of the project, as stated by the studio, is to go beyond approaching a game as an entertainment means, instead taking actual stories and implementing them within an experience meant to show off the realities of war and the consequences that go with that reality. 

"It's hard to understand what combat is actually like through fake people doing fake things in fake places," said Peter Tamte, CEO of Victura. "This generation showed sacrifice and courage in Iraq as remarkable as any in history. And now they're offering the rest of us a new way to understand one of the most important events of our century. It's time to challenge outdated stereotypes about what video games can be."

Six Days in Fallujah is set to debut on consoles and PC sometime 2021. You can learn more about why the revival was a goal in the first place with a detailed statement right here. 

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is launching on PlayStation 5 on June 11. Sony dropped the news in unexpected fashion in a promotional video for the game.

Outside of a release date (which is really the best part) the trailer serves as a montage of footage that fans have already seen. That’s a bit disappointing since we still don’t know a ton about Rift Apart’s story. We do know that  Dr. Nefarious uses interdimensional technology to search for a reality where he always wins. As our heroes try to stop them, they become separated between dimensions and must find their way back to each other. Along the way they’ll encounter the mysterious female lombax that turned heads during the game’s reveal, who we know will be playable. 

Rift Apart’s gameplay centers on jumping through dimensions, utilizing the PS5’s SSD to instantly load into new areas. It’s a great showcase of the console’s tech, and Rift Apart We features a performance mode to allow players to leverage the game’s impressive-looking horsepower. The game features new planets, enemies, as well as a new arsenal of over-the-top weapons. 

Sony is taking pre-orders for Rift Apart’s two versions: the Digital Standard Edition and Digital Deluxe Edition. Pre-ordering standard (pictured above) gets you an updated version of the Carbonox armor from Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando as well as the Pixelizer gun from 2016’s Ratchet & Clank. For fans of physical media, special launch editions will be available at participating retailers that include vouchers for the same bonuses. 

The Digital Deluxe Edition runs for $79.99 and includes the game, five armor sets, a photo mode sticker pack, 20 Raritanium, and a digital soundtrack/art book. You can visit the Playstation Blog for more info on Rift Apart’s pre-order goodies. 

As you wait for June to creep ever closer, you can watch an extended look at the game by checking out its Gamescom 2020 demo. Excited to finally jump into Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart? Let us know in the comments! 

The live-action Borderlands movie was teased six years ago. Since that time, fans of the franchise have dived into the third video game installment and a number of well-known Hollywood stars were corralled to help bring shape to the film. Jack Black, a recent internet sensation and veteran actor/comedian is the latest talent to join the cast and crew. Black is set to voice everyone’s favorite annoying robot companion, Claptrap.  

In a statement, director Eli Roth, of Hostel and Cabin Fever fame, voiced his enthusiasm to work with Jack Black again. The two collaborated on 2018’s The House with a Clock in Its Walls. "I am so excited to reunite with Jack, this time in the recording booth,” said Roth. “Claptrap is the funniest character in the game, and Jack is perfect to bring him to the big screen.” 

Jack Black will be starring in the Borderlands film alongside fellow-comedian Kevin Hart who is slated to play Roland. Two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett will take on the role of Lilith, a world-class Siren. Finally, Jamie Lee Curtis  — you might remember her as the heroine from the Halloween series or from her Golden Globe-winning performance in action-comedy True Lies  — will star as archeologist Patricia Tannis and, honestly, I can see the resemblance.

The Borderlands movie begins filming in Budapest this year. Despite the many setbacks that were catalyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic, fans can rest easy knowing that they likely won’t have to wait much longer to see their favorite cast of wacky vault hunters on the silver screen. 

In other video-game-adaptation news, The Mandalorian’s Pedro Pascal and Game of Thrones’ Bella Ramsey have been cast as The Last Of Us’ Joel and Ellie respectively. Naughty Dog Creative Director Neil Druckmann will be working alongside Craig Mazin (the man behind HBO’s incredible Chernobyl)  to help bring the live-action vision of the acclaimed video game to life. 

[Source: Variety]