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Written by Taylor PittmanThe Finals, Embark Studio's Free-To-Play Shooter, Is Out Right Now
Written by Wesley LeBlanc
The Finals, the free-to-play, team-based shooter from Embark Studios, is out right now. The team surprise launched it during The Game Awards 2023, and you can download and hop into the first-person shooter action right now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam.
With tonight's surprise launch, Season 1 of The Finals has begun, sending players into the glitz, glam, and neon lights of Las Vegas. This new arena is filled with slot machines, boxers, UFOs, and more, according to a press release.
Check out The Finals surprise launch trailer for yourself below:
"We started Embark to re-imagine how games are made and what they can become," creative director Gustav Tilleby writes in a press release. "The Finals is our first game to release, and a great embodiment of that vision. The Finals isn't another battle royale, military sim, or tactical FPS – there are plenty of those out there. It's an entirely new take on shooters."
Tilleby adds that it's been amazing and humbling to see the community's response to The Finals. The team says now that the game is live, it is laser-focused on ensuring a great experience for the community while delivering surprises along the way.
The Finals is out right now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam.
Are you hopping into The Finals tonight? Let us know in the comments below!
Monster Hunter: Wilds Revealed At The Game Awards
Written by Blake Hester
Tonight during The Game Awards, Capcom revealed Monster Hunter: Wilds – the next tentpole title in the Monster Hunter series. The game is expected to be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC sometime in 2025.
The trailer shows off a slew of gameplay, including traversal and combat, as well as plenty of looks at its vast, vast world. Check it out below:
Wilds is the follow-up to 2018's Monster Hunter: World, Capcom's best-selling game.
Tales of Kenzera: Zau Is A Magical Metroidvania Inspired By Bantu Myth
Written by Charles Harte
The Game Awards are packed with eager looks at highly anticipated games, but the ceremony is full of plenty of surprises too. One of them is a flashy Metroidvania called Tales of Kenzera: Zau, the debut game from Surgent Studios.
Zau is a boy on a quest to bring his father back from the dead. Guided by Kalunga, the God of Death, he uses his ability as a warrior shaman to defeat the ancestral spirits that roam the land of Kenzera. His main tools are a pair of magical masks; with the Moon mask he can manipulate time and crystalize enemies, and the Sun mask allows him to launch fiery spears. Studio founder Abubakar Salim says that the two masks are reminiscent of the Devil May Cry series with the way they allow the player to flip between ranged and melee modes.
The world is inspired by Bantu lore and imagery, with bright colors and mythical beasts. Additionally, the game will be scored by Nainita Desai, a British composer who made the music for Half Mermaid's Telling Lies and Immortality.
Salim founded Surgent in 2019, but most gamers would currently recognize him as the voice of Bayek from Assassin's Creed Origins. According to him, the passing of his father motivated him to create a new project – he wanted to tell a story of grief in the form of a video game. With assistance from the Ridley Scott Creative Group and Critical Role, five years later, Tales of Kenzera: Zau tells that story.
The trailer ended with the news that Tales of Kenzera: Zau will be coming to PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC on April 23, 2024.
Final Fantasy XVI Is Getting Two DLCs And One Of Them Is Available Now
Written by Marcus Stewart
Despite claiming that it had no plans to release DLC for Final Fantasy XVI, Square Enix announced at The Game Awards that Final Fantasy XVI is getting not one but two pieces of DLC. They're called Echoes of the Fallen and Rising Tide, and the former is available to play right now.
Echoes of the Fallen adds new story chapters that takes place before the finale of Final Fantasy XVI. Clive and the gang follow the origins of a mysterious crystal to a strange ruin filled with deadly defenses tied to Eikons and plenty of monsters. Rising Tide is set to launch in Spring 2024 and is a bit more mysterious, but we do see Clive taking on what may be the scariest enemy in all of Final Fantasy: Tonberry King. Oh, and Leviathan pops up too.
You can purchase each DLC separately or together for a discount in an expansion pass. You can read our review of Final Fantasy XVI here.
Narrative Adventure Game As Dusk Falls Heads To PlayStation In March
Written by Wesley LeBlanc
As Dusk Falls, the narrative adventure game about two families linked together by a burglary gone wrong, hit Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC in July of last year. More than a year later, developer Interior/Night is bringing the game to PlayStation, but you'll have to wait just a bit longer to play it.
That's because As Dusk Falls hits PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 on March 7, 2024. Interior/Night announced this news during The Game Awards 2023 tonight. It will also launch on the Epic Games Store and GOG on PC the same day. The studio released a new trailer to celebrate the announcement, and you can check it out for yourself below:
This new PS5 version of As Dusk Falls includes new exclusive features like haptic feedback and touchpad controls. Plus, a new audio description accessibility feature will be available on all platforms in March.
"In this uncompromising crime drama of betrayal, sacrifice, and resilience, players explore the entangled lives of two families across decades, starting in 1998 with a robbery gone wrong in small-town Arizona," a press release reads. "The story can be replayed to discover the vastly different outcomes depending on the decisions taken. As Dusk Falls has an innovative multiplayer mode supporting up to 8 players locally, online, or as a combination of both, using controllers or the companion app for Android or iOS."
As Dusk Falls won the Games For Impact award at last year's Game Awards. For more about the game, read Game Informer's As Dusk Falls review.
Are you going to check out As Dusk Falls on PlayStation next year? Let us know in the comments below!
Battle Mechs In Battle Royale Or Alongside Friends In Mecha Break
Written by Marcus Stewart
Mecha Break is an new multiplayer co-op mech game by Seasun Games that premiered during The Game Awards tonight. Fans of games like Armored Core VI and Zone of the Enders may want to keep it on their radar.
The game puts you in the cockpit of a variety of mech suits, which you can customize the look and weapons of, to take on other players across a variety of modes. The biggest battlefield is a 48-player battle royale. If you’d rather play alongside friends, a co-op option allows three-to-six players to team up to complete specialized missions. Other destinations include a 3v3 arena mode and a 6v6 battlefield mode. See the game in action below.
Mecha Break currently has no release window or announced platforms.