Author: Trafficblast

During the May State of Play stream, PlayStation announced Predator: Hunting Grounds. The game is scheduled to release in 2020. The announcement was accompanied by a trailer, which is embedded above.

An online asymmetric shooter game, Predator: Hunting Grounds sees a group of players take on the titular hunter, who’s also controlled by a player. The game is being developed by Illfonic, the same studio behind Friday the 13th: The Game, and Fox is assisting. A new trailer for the game showcases some soldiers sneaking their way through a dense jungle, as the Predator–hidden with its cloaking technology–watches them from the tree tops.

“As the Fireteam attempt to carry out paramilitary missions–annihilating bad guys and recovering important items–the Predator will be closing in, using its advanced vision mode to track and ambush its prey,” Illfonic CEO Charles Brungardt wrote in a PlayStation blog post. Brungardt added that Predator: Hunting Grounds is “still pretty early in development” so it will probably be some time before we get a gameplay reveal.

Predator: Hunting Grounds wasn’t the only game announced during the State of Play stream. PlayStation also revealed Riverbond, a four-player couch co-op hack and slash game, is coming to PS4 this summer. Another new game, Away: The Survival Series, got a trailer as well. Away is a third-person adventure game that has you control a Sugar Glider that must find its way to safety after a series of natural disasters.

The stream also provided a release date for the previously announced MediEvil remaster–which is coming October 25. Details were released for Iceborne, the upcoming DLC expansion for Monster Hunter World, as well, including that it launches September 6. PlayStation ended the stream with the reveal of a new limited edition PS4 console and a trailer for the upcoming Final Fantasy VII remake. PlayStation announced more Final Fantasy VII details would be revealed this June. Normally that would definitely mean Sony’s PlayStation E3 press conference, but Sony is skipping out this year. Square Enix is hosting a presentation this year though, so we can expect the new details will be revealed then.

Despite being announced in 2015, Final Fantasy VII hasn’t had much of a spotlight, with very few details and trailers being provided over the past four years. The new trailer seems to showcase the bombing mission sequence that takes place right at the game’s start, and also reveals the remake’s revamped battle system and some of the voices for its characters.

During Sony’s recent State of Play, Capcom released a new trailer for the upcoming Iceborne expansion for Monster Hunter World. In addition to seeing some new monsters and locations from the expansion, which will bring the hunters to a new region on the expansive island that has its own secrets to uncover. Capcom also revealed the release date for Iceborne, which is set to launch on September 6 for PS4 and Xbox One. Unfortunately, the PC release will launch sometime after in the winter.

Capcom followed up with their own livestream as well, revealing more details about what to expect with Iceborne. Though Monster Hunter World has seen a steady flow of new content since its debut, this marks the first time the game will have a proper expansion. If you already own Monster Hunter World, you can upgrade to the expansion once it’s released. However, if you haven’t had the chance to dive into the game just yet, then you can buy the new edition of MHW in September, which includes the full game, its many updates, and the new expansion with Iceborne.

The new area you’ll travel to is called the Hoarfrost Reach, a new region on the massive island from the core game. Snow plays a big part into the core gameplay, which also ties into the existing temperature mechanics from the main game. If you find yourself walking in heavy snow, then your character’s movement will become significantly slower. To combat the cold effects, you can find herbs to boost your stamina and attributes. You can even find a hot springs, which will greatly improve your character’s status.

Iceborne will also include a whole suite of new monsters. During the livestream, the developers showed off Banbaro, an early brute wyvern that tends to use the environment to its advantage. Another new monster is the Beotodus, Iceborne’s first large-scale monster you’ll encounter. This particular beast will bury itself beneath the snow and strike from below. These two monsters, in particular, are incredibly hostile towards one another, which will result in some brutal fights between the two. Some monsters from previous games will also make a return in Iceborne, including Freedom Unite’s Nargacuga.

There’s also some new upgrades to existing Hunter gadget. The Slinger has been upgraded with the use of a new Clutch Claw, allowing you to freely grapple and mantle enemies. Another upgraded gadget is the Power Shot, which can improve the flinch rate on monsters. Some of these modified gadgets can be used in mid-combo, and even during evades.

Along with new monsters and quests, there will be all new gear and upgrades for your character to collect. This expansion is looking to be a sizeable update to an already massive game. Iceborne also introduces a new rank called Master Rank, which is similar to the G-Rank from previous games. The big bad of Iceborne is the new elder dragon Velkana, who’s you got to see in the trailer.

In our review of Monster Hunter World, Ginny Woo gave the game a 9/10:

“Ever since the title was first announced, it was clear that Capcom was gunning for something grander than Monster Hunter Generations. It has succeeded, and this is likely the biggest and best that the franchise has ever been. It’s not just the comparative depth of the narrative; it also boasts almost seamless integration between combat systems that were previously incomprehensible for amateurs. The Monster Hunter formula has definitely honed its claws, and all the above factors play their part in making Monster Hunter World a meaningful evolution for the series at large.”

For more on Monster Hunter World, be sure to check out

You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.

Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.

This video has an invalid file format.

Sorry, but you can’t access this content!

Ryan Reynolds has shared some further insight into the voice he originally wanted to do for Pikachu in the new Pokemon movie Detective Pikachu.

He told Collider that he thought about making Pikachu sound like a “hardened” detective from Brooklyn to make him sound like what people might recognize as a detective’s voice. But the movie producers told him, “Just do Ryan Reynolds,” and that was that.

We’ve seen Detective Pikachu, and Reynolds definitely nailed it in regards to his voice-acting performance as Pikachu. He is charismatic, silly, and emotional where it suits, and the end result is Reynolds’ performance being one of the strongest elements of the film.

Also in the interview, Reynolds talked about a potential Detective Pikachu sequel. He said, “The sequel doesn’t even have to have detective pikachu in it. The Pokemon universe is pretty friggin expansive. They could do a lot of stuff. I would love to do it again. I had so much fun.”

Reviews are relatively positive, though critics appear to agree that fans of the franchise will get more out of it. GameSpot’s review concluded that against all odds, live-action Pokemon works.

“Detective Pikachu should prove enjoyable for any and all Pokemon fans, young or old,” Michael Rougeau wrote. “It presents fun answers to the fantasy of what life would be like if Pokémon were real. It introduces new wrinkles to the world of Pokemon, although not all of them completely work. Still, as the first official live-action trip to the world of Pokémon, Detective Pikachu presents characters I want to see again and a setting I’d like to return to.”

The popular free-to-play Nintendo Switch game Tetris 99 is expanding. A new paid DLC, Big Block, is available today, and it adds multiple offline modes and more.

The $10 Big Block DLC adds the following modes:

• CPU Battle — Lets you play offline against 98 CPU opponents.
• Marathon — Clear as many lines as you can.

These modes are playable offline, and that’s notable because the main Tetris 99 experience is an online-only game. It also means that you no longer need to have a Nintendo Switch Online membership to play Tetris 99 (if you buy the $10 DLC).

Nintendo also announced more details on the next Maximum Cup online event for Tetris 99. Maximus Cup 3 begins May 17, and just like the previous ones, you get points for the matches you play regardless of how you finish. Those who get 100 points or more will receive a new theme modeled after the original Game Boy. The event runs until May 19 at 11:59 PM PT.

Nintendo teased that it will announce even more new modes for Tetris 99 at a later date.

Tetris 99 has been very successful. Just this week, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa talked about how the game has “helped maintain Nintendo Switch engagement” and also get more people to sign up for Nintendo Switch Online.