Genshin Impact is bringing its fantastical world to the Xbox this fall. During Gamescom 2024, developer HoYoverse announced that the free-to-play open-world game will be available on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox Cloud Gaming beginning on November 20.With that release, Xbox players will receive all the same updates, cross-play and cross-progression as Genshin has on other platforms. It can be wishlisted today and Xbox Game Pass players can pre-install it today as well.Since its debut in September 2020, Genshin Impact has gotten many content updates, arrived on additional platforms, and even spawned an anime series. HoYoverse followed up this international success with a similar science fiction title, Honkai: Star Rail, last spring and then with Zenless Zone Zero this spring.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/genshin-impact-is-coming-to-xbox-this-fall-224105925.html?src=rss

Firaxis Games announced the release date and shared gameplay for Sid Meier's Civilization VII at Gamescom 2024. The strategy game will launch on February 11, 2025. It's been a long wait for fans since Civilization VI arrived back in 2016, and today's announcements at Gamescom mark a few departures for the storied empire-building series.For starters, the game will be released across platforms. It will be available on PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox and Nintendo Switch at launch. Past entries in the series have arrived on console much later post-release, and sometimes with very clunky ports. Hopefully this approach means a better console experience for Civ VII.There are also some big changes in gameplay that the team highlighted during a Gamescom livestream. In previous Civilization games, you'd pick one famed leader from history and stick with them for the scenario, guiding their single empire across the decades and centuries. With Civ VII, you'll pick a new civilization at the start of each age that will continue building on what you've already accomplished.Your options at the start of a new age will vary based on historical context and what you've already done with your current civilization. A full game will have three time periods the Antiquity Age, the Exploration Age and the Modern Age or you can opt to play a single-age scenario. For even more variety, players will also be able to mix and match, picking from the whole roster of potential leaders and pairing them with historically inaccurate locations. This should yield a whole new array of intriguing and entertaining situations for players to create.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/prepare-for-world-domination-when-civilization-vii-arrives-in-february-2025-213051202.html?src=rss

Don't Nod's spiritual successor to its popular video game series Life is Strange, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, is confirmed to launch in two parts, and the first gameplay trailer is being revealed. The first part, Tape 1, will launch on February 18, 2025. You can expect Tape 2 to come out exactly one month later, on March 18, 2025.Earlier this year, Don't Nod decided to delay the games release from late 2024 to early 2025. The primary reason is Square Enix and Deck Nine Games are working on Life is Strange: Double Exposure, a new game in the series. Its planned for an October release on PC, Xbox Series X/S and PS5. Gamers on the Switch will have to wait.Its safe to say that the delay of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is to prevent it from competing with the new Life is Strange title, as they would share similar audiences. Having some breathing room between the two would also allow fans to play them at comfier pace.The new trailer showcases gameplay from Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, which allows the main character, Swann, to switch between 1995 and 2022 timelines. The game will feature a dynamic dialog system, which changes dialog based on where players look or what they choose to say. Performing or ignoring actions will also affect outcomes.Lost Records: Bloom & Rage will be available on PC, Xbox Series X/S and PS5. Theres currently no word about a Switch version. Dont Nod also announced plans for physical PS5 copies, but theres no release date set for them yet.If you happen to be at Gamescom 2024, feel free to check out Don't Nod's space in the B2B and B2C areas. Besides a photo booth themed after Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, you might even bring a keepsake home.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/dont-nods-lost-records-bloom--rage-will-launch-in-two-parts-starting-february-18-2025-203015444.html?src=rss

Secret Level is a gaming-inspired anthology series coming to Prime Video on December 15. The upcoming Amazon title is from the same team behind Netflix's Love, Death and Robots. From the teaser released during Gamescom, this new project will be continuing the Blur Studio specialty for creating masterful animated works for an adult audience. The creative team was looking to inspire "nerd joy" with Love, Death and Robots and from the first glimpse, Secret Level seems like a natural progression of that goal.Each of the 15 stories in the show are inspired by a different game. The official list of inspirations is: Armored Core, Concord, Crossfire, Dungeons & Dragons, Exodus, Honor of Kings, Mega Man, New World: Aeternum, PAC-MAN, various PlayStation Studios games, Sifu, Spelunky, The Outer Worlds, Unreal Tournament and Warhammer 40,000.Games feel like a natural inspiration for this type of animation showcase. The cinematics in some contemporary AAA titles have all the polish and emotion of standalone films. Plus, game-inspired television series have been reaching new levels of success in recent years thanks to projects like Fallout, The Last of Us and Arcane.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/animated-video-game-anthology-series-secret-level-is-coming-to-prime-video-202027254.html?src=rss

Tarsier Studios, creators of the first two Little Nightmaresgames, is back with another creepy adventure and its partially disemboweled talking pig teaser video looks like it set the proper tone. Announced at Gamescom Opening Night, Reanimal takes two children on an adventure across land and sea as they work together to rescue their missing friends on an island filled with horrifying creatures.The developer helmed the first two Little Nightmares installments before Supermassive Games took over for part III. The new game promises to up the ante with a more terrifying journey than ever before.The horror-adventure game stars a brother and sister in an unsettling tale who go through hell to rescue their missing friends. The protagonists are described as broken but resilient, facing fragments of their troubled past in the guise of gruesome beasts. It will somehow explore themes of hope and redemption as they navigate the chilling environment.Tarsier Studios / THQ NordicThe game lets you play single-player or co-op (local and online). In an illustration of the creators understanding of the horror genre, it uses a shared, directed camera to maximize claustrophobia and tension.Reanimal doesnt yet have a launch date other than coming soon, but we know it will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. You can check out the announcement trailer below.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/reanimal-promises-a-more-terrifying-journey-than-little-nightmares-200457474.html?src=rss

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