E3 2021 has finally kicked off, which naturally brings with it a ton of new game trailers. Pre-E3 events like Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest and Tribeca Games Spotlight have proven to be exciting platforms to see some awesome trailers for upcoming games, but now that the event has started, we’re compiling some of the season’s biggest trailer highlights for your viewing pleasure. Below you can find all the biggest and best trailers to come out of and around E3 2021 so far.
To keep up with GameSpot’s ongoing coverage of E3 2021, check out our Play For All event hub, where we’ll be posting all the latest stories the moment they get announced. You can also read our E3 2021 schedule, so you don’t miss out on all the upcoming press conferences.
Elden Ring (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC)
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Elden Ring Gameplay Premiere Trailer | Summer Game Fest 2021
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Summer Games Fest ended with a bang, revealing to the world the premiere gameplay trailer of From Software’s long-anticipated Elden Ring. Like previous reveals from the acclaimed developer, this one offered an intense look at the daunting new challenges that await players when the game finally arrives in January 2022. And yes, you read that right: Elden Ring has a release date.
Death Stranding: Director’s Cut (PS5)
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Death Stranding Director’s Cut Reveal | Summer Game Fest 2021
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In usual fashion, Hideo Kojima appeared as a special guest on Keighley’s Summer Games Fest stream to surprise folks with a trailer announcing Death Stranding: Director’s Cut. While the trailer offered no indication of what exactly this new PS5 version will offer, it was, at least, a highly entertaining callback to Kojima’s previous work on Metal Gear Solid.
Far Cry 6 (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, Stadia, Luna)
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Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is getting a sequel in the form of Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, and the debut trailer for the game reminded us again how shocking it is that this crossover works so well.
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Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora was a pleasant surprise to see at the end of the Ubisoft Forward 2021 stream. Set in the world of James Cameron’s massively popular film franchise, the upcoming game seems like one of the most ambitious movie game adaptions that Ubisoft is making yet.
Trek To Yomi (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC)
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Trek to Yomi | Devolver Digital E3 2021
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If you’re into classic samurai cinema, then Trek to Yomi may pique your curiosity. This upcoming 2.5D side-scrolling action game has an aesthetic that’s evocative of the film genre’s finest.
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During its E3 2021 presentation, Gearbox Software announced that its looter-slasher Godfall will hit PS4 on August 10 after originally being exclusive to PS5 and PC.
Godfall‘s PS4 release also comes with a free update called Lightbringer. This piece of content adds an endgame mode to the looter-slasher that offers over 40+ pieces of new gear and skills. Additionally, the PS4 release ships alongside Godfall’s Fire and Darkness expansion, which takes you to some fire realm to fight bosses and acquire, you guessed it, even more loot.
In case you don’t remember, Godfall is Gearbox’s looter-slasher that launched on PC and PlayStation 5 back in November 2020. It was one of the few PS5 exclusive games that showed the system’s graphical prowess. We scored the game a 5/10 in our Godfall review, calling it “a shallow game bolstered by decent combat that struggles to bear the weight of an entire game.”
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It appears one of Ubisoft’s announcements for its Ubisoft Forward event at E3 2021 today has leaked ahead of time. Nintendo’s own website has been updated with a listing for the unannounced game Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope for Nintendo Switch.
The sequel is coming in 2022 with characters like Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Rabbid Peach, Rabbid Luigi, and more. They’re on a “galactic journey to defeat a malevolent entity and save your Spark companions.” The game’s description adds: “Explore planets throughout the galaxy as you uncover mysterious secrets and compelling quests!”
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There will be nine characters in all (at launch, at least), along with new bosses and “some familiar enemies” to battle. Players will be tasked with rescuing “adorable Sparks” who live in the galaxy, and who give you “distinct powers” to use in battle.
You can see some of the screenshots from Sparks of Hope in the gallery above. It’s expected that Ubisoft will formally announce the game during its Ubisoft Forward event today, June 12. Keep checking back with GameSpot for more.
The first entry in the Mario + Rabbids series, Kingdom Battle, launched in August 2017.
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Over the past few years, battle royale games have become insanely popular, giving rise to more and more games being produced. Developers don’t keep churning out battle royale games just because people like to play them; there’s also a lot of money to be made in it. However, common knowledge tells you that making a new video game is something only suited for professionals with tech skills and experience in game development.
Taking your gaming to a new level can seem daunting, and expensive. Thankfully, with the advent of e-learning, that doesn’t have to be the case. Build a Battle Royale with Unity & Blender is an e-course that teaches learners to do exactly that. It takes even a complete game development newbie and teaches them the skills and techniques to create their very own battle royale game from scratch. Best of all, this incredible course is currently available for only $15, on sale from $199 (a savings of 92%).
This course is incredible. Once purchased, students will have lifetime access to more than 300 lectures and over 50 hours of online instruction. Students will learn the basics of coding and the Unity game engine as well as battle royale-specific skills, like character and weapon development.
The courses are offered through Mammoth Interactive. Mammoth is a game development studio founded by John Bura, a game developer with decades of experience in both game development and teaching. His studio, Mammoth Interactive, has produced games for the Xbox 360 as well as mobile devices. Bura’s professional credits include more than 40 games that he has contributed to.
Take your battle royale passion to the next level by crafting your very own game. Boost your understanding of video game development with this incredible course, now on sale for $15 (reg. $199).
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Jonathan Ferguson, a weapons expert and Keeper of Firearms & Artillery at the Royal Armouries, breaks down the future weaponry of Necromunda: Hired Gun, including the franchise’s iconic Boltgun, the Ironfist Stubgun, and a rifle called the Vapanther.
An early side-quest in Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade‘s Intermission DLC called The Happy Envoy tasks you with finding six flyers scattered all around the Sector 7 Slums. All you have to go off of are vague hints alluding to their locations, which might stump you if it’s been a while since you’ve played the original Final Fantasy 7 Remake. To help you complete this side-quest, we’ve detailed the location of every flyer. It’s worth noting that flyers are found near music boxes, so if you’re stumped at any point even while using this guide, follow the tune, and you’ll find the flyer in no time.
Click the image above for a closer look at each screenshot.
You’ll find this one on the south side of the Residential Area in the children’s playground. There are some boxes stacked in a corner. Run through them to reveal the Turtle flyer.
2. Floating Through the Air
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Click the image above for a closer look at each screenshot.
At the southmost point of the Residential Area (where Wedge lives), you’ll find some kids marveling at a turtle balloon floating up in the air that has a flyer attached to it. You can’t pop the balloon with your kunai from where they’re standing, so you’ll need to find a better vantage point. Move past the children, and hop over the crates to get right beside the balloon with no obstructions in the way. Look up at it and press triangle to throw your kunai. The flyer should drop to the ground nearby.
3. Near Old Snapper’s Friend’s Apartment Building
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Click the image above for a closer look at each screenshot.
As the Old Snapper’s hint indicates, you’ll find this flyer at Marle’s apartment building located at the west end of the Residential Area. You’ll need to sneak past a dog to get to the flyer, though. Keep yourself low up against the boxes for cover and move from one to the next when the dog puts its head down to sleep for a moment. When making the final approach, be wary of the bucket and broom leaning against the wall and get to the flyer quickly before the dog wakes back up.
4. A Cat Took One On Culvert Street
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Click the image above for a closer look at each screenshot.
You can find the cat who took a flyer on Culvert Street located at the northmost point of the Residential Area. You’ll spot a cat with the flyer in its mouth, but it’ll run off into a secluded area. Follow the cat, but ignore the ones immediately in front of you and go to the item chest at the northmost side of the room. You’ll find the cat there with the flyer beside it.
5. On The Town Bulletin Board
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Click the image above for a closer look at each screenshot.
This flyer is located on the east side of the Sector 7 Slums at the Pillar Plaza. Go past Roche, and you’ll some folks looking at bulletin boards. The flyer is attached to the bulletin board on the left.
6. Near The Old Talagger Factory
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Click the image above for a closer look at each screenshot.
The final flyer is located in a room on the eastern side of the Abandoned Talagger Factory. Be careful; this area is guarded by two Venomantises, who can make short work of you if you’re not careful. They’re weak to Blizzard magic, but you can take them out without any if you keep your wits about you and steadily increase their Stagger meters. Take them out, and you should find the flyer behind some boxes on the wall to the left. You can also find a First Strike materia near the wall to the right.
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Kevin Bacon is no stranger to cinematic villainy, and he’ll be playing the bad guy once again in the upcoming Toxic Avenger film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
No other information for the role is available just yet, but if it’s a Toxic Avenger character you can bet it’ll be an over-the-top performance.
Bacon joins previously cast Peter Dinklage, who will play the titular character as well as Jacob Tremblay (Good Boys). The original Toxic Avenger is a cult classic; the film bombed at initial release, but captured a huge following on the midnight movie circuit that allowed it to spawn sequels, a cartoon, toys, and even video games, and helped turn its low-budget but gory visuals into a trademark of Troma Entertainment. The original film explored environmental themes through the lens of a super-gory superhero comic.
Bacon‘s other villainous roles include X-Men: First Class, R.I.P.D., James Gunn‘s Super, Hollow Man, and more. Macon Blair is set to direct this new take on the Toxic Avenger, while Troma founders Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz are producing. Legendary has not yet set a release window for Toxic Avenger.
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Doki Doki Literature Club Plus, an updated and expanded version of the original visual novel, has been announced for Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC. The new version includes brand-new story content and sees the game come to consoles for the first time.
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus features six new side stories that take place outside the main timeline from the original game. The stories feature different pairs of the main characters, telling the stories of how they became friends. The game also features a built-in music player featuring 26 tracks: 13 from the original game, as well as songs from the new side stories and guest tracks, including music by Jason Hayes, who worked on the World of Warcraft soundtrack.
The main game also received a graphical update, giving the visuals an HD update, without changing the story and gameplay of the original story. There is also a picture gallery containing over 100 pictures of game art, wallpapers, and concept sketches, which can be unlocked by seeing everything Doki Doki Literature Club Plus has to offer.
A limited physical edition of the game is also being released for Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PS5. That edition comes with a set of two-inch physical standees, a download code for the soundtrack, a vinyl sticker sheet, a Doki Doki Literature Club membership card, and an exclusive poem written by Monika, one of the characters in the game.
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus releases on June 30 for Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, PS5, and PC for $15 USD. The physical edition costs $30 USD.
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The women of Marvel Studios’ Black Widow–Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova–are among the most elite human warriors of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But the actresses behind them are next-level, too, with both Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh having done many of their own stunts, according to director Cate Shortland in a new interview with Fandango.
The interview comes along with the release of a new clip from the upcoming movie released today by Marvel Studios, featuring a chase reminiscent more of a Bond or Bourne flick than a Marvel movie.
“We were on rooftops shooting that [scene] in Budapest,” Shortland said. “We worked with this legion of amazing stunt women. But Scarlett and Florence did a lot of their own stunts. Scarlett does as much as she can. And then Florence–say, when Florence went to Morocco, and she shot for two days–she did 90% of her own stunts. So they were both really into it. And I think because Florence was watching Scarlett and seeing how much Scarlett tries to do, it influenced her. It’s pretty cool. Scarlett does quite a lot.”
It wasn’t just about Johansson and Pugh, but all the Windows featured in the film.
“I looked at a lot of combat films and a lot of stuff where we were looking at armies and militia. And then, I put females in those roles,” Shortland continued. “So we weren’t necessarily used to seeing women in those roles. And it was really exciting. And it was exciting too because we had women from all over the world. And we had women who were African, American, French Norwegian, who not only were our stunt women, but also our widows. Because most widows had an accompany stuntwoman that looks like them. So if we’ve got 15 widows or 20 widows, we’ve got 20 stuntwomen.”
The interview talks about the film’s other inspirations, frequent delays from its initial 2020 release dates and why the delays might be a blessing in disguise for the film, too; the whole thing is worth a read.
Black Widow hits theaters and Disney+ Premiere Access on July 9. If you’re looking for a Marvel fix right now, though, the first episode of Loki premiered on Disney+ this week. Check out our list of Easter eggs and read up on the history behind the show after you check it out.
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Final Fantasy VII Remake‘s tone often slides between light, funny moments and dark, tragic drama. But from the first moments of Intermission, the DLC mission added to the game with its Intergrade PlayStation 5 upgrade, it’s clear this new episode is mostly a comedy. In jumps Yuffie, one of the original game’s optional characters, and immediately her dangerous espionage mission to infiltrate the evil Shinra Corporation in Midgar is played like a kid goofing off. It’s a vibe that really works for the DLC, trading on the fact that Remake continues to be great about establishing fun, eccentric characters.
Taking place in the middle of Remake’s story, during the portion in which Cloud is separated from his compatriots, it follows Yuffie as she embarks on a mission to steal a secret Shinra weapon on behalf of her homeland, Wutai. Though the mission is dangerous, Yuffie approaches it with all the seriousness of a kid playing pretend–even though she’s on her way to first meet with Midgar’s Shinra resistance movement, Avalanche, and then sneak into the headquarters of a company that recently concluded a full-scale war with her home.
The trouble with Intermission is that this side story doesn’t feel essential to anything going on. Sure, the DLC is providing context and backstory for a character that fans of the original Final Fantasy VII know will show up later in the story, but Yuffie’s mission is largely about her wandering around areas we’ve already seen, floating past but barely interacting with Remake’s cast, and taking part in minigames to waste some time. Yuffie’s a fun character to spend time with, even if you don’t have history with her from the first iteration of Final Fantasy VII, but it all comes off as a tease for something better down the road in FF7 Remake’s next installment. And after the remarkably deep and excellently realized version of the story that is Remake, Intermission feels like exactly that: a half-measure to fill time while we wait for the real show.
That’s not to say Intermission isn’t fun to play more often than not, though. When Yuffie is in combat, which is pretty damn often, she’s a blast to play. Like all the characters of Remake’s main cast, Yuffie has her own unique combat style that distinguishes her from how everyone else has played up to now. As a Wutai ninja, she packs a throwing star that’s good as both a close-range melee weapon and at long ranges. The options allow you to control the distance as you fight enemies–you can get in close to wail on them, bounce back to create a gap, then throw the star for distant damage that Yufife follows up with elementally charged “Ninjutsu” attacks that keep her out of harm’s way. Tap the Triangle button and you can retrieve your thrown star, not by drawing it back to you, but by sending Yuffie to it, allowing you to quickly close gaps and use enemies to maneuver around the battlefield.
Yuffie’s combat is all about controlling space and landing combos, and the string of melee attacks, star throws, and Ninjutsu allow you to absolutely lay into enemies for long barrages that can knock them off their feet and make them easy to dispatch. Once you get a rhythm down, there are times when it can be almost too easy to dismantle foes with all the options Yuffie has on-hand, especially as you add more weapons and materia to the mix. She’s a fast-paced fighter who can be devastating when you string her attacks together, and it’s a lot of fun to deftly mix all of her attacks together to dominate the battlefield.
Partway through the first chapter, Yuffie is joined by Sonon, her partner on the mission and a slightly older Wutai operative. In combat, Sonon acts as another means by which Yuffie can build out combos. You can’t control him, but you can trigger “synergy,” which has Yuffie and Sonon executing ability attacks for big damage and added effects. It’s a cool, if fairly simple, system that provides another tool for combat, while keeping the focus on Yuffie and her specific style.
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It’s in the dynamic between Yuffie and Sonon where we see shades of Remake, and Intermission at its best. Because Yuffie is technically the senior ninja despite her age, Sonon defers to her, while bouncing between exasperation for her overconfident, just-wing-it antics, and trying to give her a little helpful advice. For her part, Yuffie takes it all in stride. She knows how great a ninja she is, but she also never lets go of that air of excitedly performing “cool” for whoever happens to be looking in her direction. She’s a kid of incredible talent who’s still desperate to be taken seriously, while Sonon is a protective older brother type looking for a middle ground between annoying overbearance and risky overindulgence.
While the dynamic between Yuffie and Sonon is an interesting one, it doesn’t get tested or pushed much. That’s because the DLC neither covers an especially long time, nor puts the pair in especially impactful situations (you can wrap up the main story in four or five hours, longer if you decide to do some side content). The first chapter sees Yuffie and Sonon helping an Avalanche member avoid getting captured by Shinra by wandering through a sanitation plant in the undercity; the second has them running around the Shinra building. There aren’t any real twists or turns and there’s not much in the way of conflict except for the mission itself and the robots Shinra dispatches to try to stop you.
The same goes for what the story adds to the overall tale of Remake. Intermission plops you in the middle of Sector 7 during the tumultuous time before the story’s midpoint, but you mostly just get a few lines that flesh out the backstory of the squad of Remake. What’s more interesting are the bits in which Yuffie and Sonon have idle discussions about the political situation in Midgar and the rest of the world, as well as their ideological similarities and differences to Avalanche and its anti-Shinra operations.
Those little tidbits are where what Intermission adds to the story seems useful. It gives these little looks into both Yuffie’s character and the larger political landscape of Final Fantasy VII Remake, in a way that helps you understand the world a little better. But these small items are pretty few and far between, and while the character-building for Yuffie is nice, it’s not super clear why we’re revisiting this point in time or these places, or what revisiting them adds to the game overall.
There’s a big swing in this feeling right at the end of the DLC, where Intermission starts throwing deep-cut FF7 characters into the mix. It seems pretty clear that the idea here is to bring the wider FF7 universe, fleshed out in spin-offs like Crisis Core and Dirge of Cerberus into the main storyline, but the DLC doesn’t provide any context for what’s going on or, crucially, who these people are. Again, it plays into the idea that Intermission feels like a tease for where things are going later on, when we’re likely to get a more complete look at some of these elements. For now, it mostly adds confusion, especially if you’re not overly familiar with all that extra FF7 lore, and makes for some less than satisfying moments as the DLC wraps up.
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Apart from the main story, Intermission also adds some side content to keep you busy, but it mostly seems to exist to pad the runtime. There are a few new combat challenges and minigames, like Whack-A-Box (in which you break boxes by hitting them, earning points before a timer runs out) and Fort Condor, a sort of light strategy game. Fort Condor is the big new item in Intermission, mixing the spirit of chess with the creature summoning of Magic: The Gathering, in the broadest sense. You get a series of characters you can place on the board, who then march toward your opponent’s side and try to destroy their three forts. Your opponent can also drop characters, and who wins a fight depends on a rock-paper-scissors system that determines which types of characters get the upper hand. Its simplicity makes it very easy to pick up and play.
Fort Condor can be fun, especially as you add new pieces and boards to your repertoire, which give you a variety of options for your attacks and defenses, and the ability to use some magic spells during a match. But it’s all pretty simplistic, ultimately. You don’t control the character, you just choose where to put them, and the strategy is all about what pieces you use and when. Boards that let you get pieces out faster and in greater numbers tend to win, and there’s just not a lot of brainy options or strategic thinking that can help you to win out if you happen to have the wrong set of pieces of a particular matchup. With only a handful of matches to play during your first run through the story, it also won’t keep you busy for very long.
Altogether, Fort Condor, the story of Intermission, and all the other content in the DLC suffer from the same problem: They feel exceedingly thin. Not that an add-on chapter to a game needs to be especially enormous, but Intermission is a DLC that mostly takes place in one of the hub areas of FF7 Remake, and yet lacks meaningful character interactions or side quests to flesh out its world. Hanging out with Yuffie and Sonon is fun, but while you have run-ins with a number of important characters in key moments, the whole thing brings little to your understanding of the story of Remake as a whole.
In the end, Intermission is a pit stop, a quick jaunt into the gas station minimart of Final Fantasy VII to refuel, grab a snack, and get ready to wait some more. With its fun combat and quirky character moments, it’ll likely remind you of what you like about FF7 Remake–but it won’t be enough to hold you over.
