Safiya Llewellyn-Fayyad, or Safi, is touted as a poet and a people person keen on helping Max open up. Things take a turn for the worst, however, when she’s murdered one night out of the blue, causing Max to reawaken her time-bending powers. However, instead of rewinding, she enters a parallel timeline.

In this timeline, Safi is still alive (alongside other changes), which would be good news if her killer wasn’t still on the loose. Max hopes to solve the mystery of her friend’s death by jumping between timelines. Interestingly enough, Safi is confirmed to be the daughter of Caledon’s president, Yasmin, though how that will factor into the proceedings remains to be seen.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure launches on October 29th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC, with the Nintendo Switch version arriving later. It doesn’t support save transfer but respects the first game’s endings, allowing players to choose their desired outcome when starting.

As the trailer highlights, Reinhardt is Optimus Prime, Bastion is Bumblebee, and Sojourn is Arcee. Meanwhile, Ramattra is Megatron, Prime’s arch-nemesis (and sometimes ally). Suffice it to say that the animation work is exceptional and some of the best yet from the team at Blizzard.

The collaboration likely features a new limited-time mode and free skin (alongside the usual balance changes), so stay tuned for further details. Unfortunately, the cosmetics featured in the trailer will likely require real money to purchase. If the pricing is similar to the Cowboy Bebop skins, expect to pay $20 each per skin.

In second place was the newly released Nintendo Switch remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, though it’s worth noting that, as always with Nintendo titles in Circana charts, its digital sales are not counted here.

Other new May releases also debuted in the charts, with Homeworld 3 slotting in at No. 14 and F1 24 coming in at No. 18. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 followed behind in third place, with Helldivers 2, which remains the best-selling game of the year overall in the US, took the No. 4 slot.

On the hardware front, the PS5 was once again the best-selling console for May in the US in terms of both unit and dollar sales, with the Nintendo Switch taking second place in the former metric, and the Xbox Series X/S in the latter.

May 2024 Top 20 Best-Selling Premium Games – U.S. (Dollar Sales, Physical and Digital from digital data sharing publishers, excludes add-on content) pic.twitter.com/V751fMRtbl

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) July 8, 2024

Ghost of Tsushima generated a slightly higher consumer spending total across physical and digital game sales than did physical-only sales of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo is not a digital data sharing publisher).

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) July 8, 2024

Other new releases appearing among the top 20 best-sellers of May included Homeworld 3 (14th) and F1 24 (18th).

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) July 8, 2024

PlayStation 5 again led the month’s hardware market in unit and dollar sales. Nintendo Switch once again finished 2nd in unit sales, while Xbox Series ranked 2nd in dollars.

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) July 8, 2024

Through each console’s first 43 months in market, PlayStation 5 unit sales lead those of PlayStation 4 by 8%, while Xbox Series trails Xbox One by 13% and remains slightly behind Xbox 360.

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) July 8, 2024

Some options include a Three-Point Challenge for solo players to score as many baskets as possible in the allotted time. Up to four players can also battle it out locally in the same or participate in a Five-Streak Battle. Two-on-two matches are also available for local and online play.

Stay tuned for more details when the update is live. Nintendo Switch Sports launched in April 2022 and has sold over 13.11 million copies for the platform as of March 31st, 2024. Despite the success, it’s seen sporadic updates over the years. August 2022 saw the arrival of new moves for Volleyball and Leg Strap support.

In November 2022, Golf was added as a new Sport alongside LAN Play. Nintendo hasn’t indicated whether any more Sports or features are planned for the future, but never say never.

Ready to shoot some hoops? Basketball arrives in #NintendoSwitchSports on July 9th! pic.twitter.com/UR00BWfHJt

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) July 8, 2024

Nintendo has announced that Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is free to play for all Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, and will remain so for a week- until July 14, 11:59 PM PT, specifically.

In the aftermath of Sparks of Hope’s release, Ubisoft remarked that being available on the same platform as its predecessor had likely led to lower sales for the strategy title. However, the game’s developers remain confident that thanks to strong word of mouth, it will see consistent sales “over a number of years”, with leaks claiming earlier this year that it had sold nearly 3 million units.

In our review of the game, we awarded it a score of 9/10, saying, “Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a massive leap over its already-excellent predecessor, making a whole host of changes and improvements and delivering an utterly charming and mechanically dense tactics experience.” Read the full review through here.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is available exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.

#NintendoSwitchOnline members! From 7/8 at 10am PT to 7/14 at 11:59pm PT, you can download and try the MARIO + RABBIDS SPARKS OF HOPE game at no additional cost. https://t.co/luwlniw3yQ pic.twitter.com/4jHjL5GZWj

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) July 7, 2024

As per a tech analysis published by Digital Foundry, results are somewhat mixed. Beyond Good and Evil 20th Anniversary Edition does tend to run at 4K and 60 FPS in its resolution on PS5 and Xbox Series X for most of the time, though there are some instances where its frame rate drips noticeably- and, due to its usage of a double-buffer style v-sync, drops all the way to 30 FPS, making it that much more jarring.

The report goes on to state that the performance mode on offer, which drops the resolution down to 1440p, does see far fewer frame rate drops, but doesn’t manage to eliminate them entirely, which means it’s not a flawless upgrade from a technical perspective. On Xbox Series S, interestingly enough, the game game only runs at 1440p and 60 FPS and still suffers from occasional but drastic frame rate dips, with no 30 FPS option being present.

Beyond Good and Evil 20th Anniversary Edition is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Read our review of the remaster through here.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak 2 is releasing in the West in early 2025. A specific release date hasn’t yet been announced, but NIS America has confirmed that like its predecessor, Trails through Daybreak 2 will launch for PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC, which means Xbox players miss out once again.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak 2 launched in Japan in September 2022. Its sequel, dubbed The Legend of Heroes: Kai no Kiseki – Farewell, O Zemuria, launches in Japan this September.

In our recent review of The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak upon its Western launch, we awarded it a score of 8/10, saying, “The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak establishes its own identity in the extensive franchise, offering fun new characters, compelling combat and a relatively strong presentation despite some familiar flaws.” Read the full review through here.

Falcom and NIS America have also announced that Ys 10: Nordics will finally be coming westward this October. Read more on that through here.

Prominent leaker billbil-kun has claimed in a report on Dealabs that EA Sports FC 24 will be announced within the next 10 days, ahead of a release in September. Specifically, the game will launch on September 27, however, those who purchase the Ultimate Edition will, as is the case every year, get a week of early access, starting September 20.

Speaking of which, the game’s Ultimate Edition will be priced at $99.99, as per the leaker, while the Standard Edition will retail for $69.99. Additionally, over on Twitter, @PlaystationSize – a page that tracks the PlayStation Network backend – has said that the game will also be releasing for PS4, which means we can likely expect an Xbox One version as well. Presumably, it will still also launch on the Nintendo Switch.

Stay tuned for more information in the coming days.

🙏🏻💚

and yes, PS4 ✅

— PlayStation Game Size (@PlaystationSize) July 5, 2024

Unlike the police and Bracer Guild, Van takes on jobs which can skirt the lines of legality. When Agnès Claudel arrives at his office to look for her great-grandfather’s missing orbment, the duo undertake a journey that could determine the world’s fate. Of course, there’s also the matter of political and criminal elements in the capital city of Edith, like the ruthless Almata.

Featuring new and returning characters, The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak is the first title in the series developed on Falcom’s new engine. It also allows switching between real-time and turn-based combat (except in boss fights). Van can also harness the power of Grendel, a powerful form to unleash combo attacks.

For more details on The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak, check out our review here.

"Beyond the Ice Palace stood out to us as a beloved gem with a dedicated fan base, making it a natural choice for revival, building on and expanding the game."

What motivated the decision to make a sequel to Beyond the Ice Palace, over three-and-a-half decades on from its release?

We approached Elite with a proposal to breathe new life into one of their classic titles. Beyond the Ice Palace stood out to us as a beloved gem with a dedicated fan base, making it a natural choice for revival, building on and expanding the game!

Given the long gap between Beyond the Ice Palace 2 and its predecessor, how do you, as developers, identify which parts of the original experience you want to retain and sort of try and emulate, and which parts you need to shed and reinvent as you try and deliver a game that modern audiences will enjoy?

Retaining the essence of the original game feel was paramount to us. However, as we ventured into modernising gameplay, we carefully integrated contemporary mechanics to enrich the experience. We aimed to strike a balance between nostalgia and innovation, ensuring both old and new players find something to love!

What was the process like of defining the game’s visual identity? The pixel art style is a gorgeous look that seems like a sensible evolution of the original game, but was there ever a conversation to try and take the game in a significantly different direction where its visuals were concerned?

Crafting the visual identity was a journey of evolution. While the pixel art pays homage to the game’s roots, our vision matured as development progressed. Inspired by titles like Soul Reaver, we embraced a darker aesthetic, infusing the game with a more mature atmosphere while retaining its nostalgic charm.

"Crafting the visual identity was a journey of evolution. While the pixel art pays homage to the game’s roots, our vision matured as development progressed. Inspired by titles like Soul Reaver, we embraced a darker aesthetic, infusing the game with a more mature atmosphere while retaining its nostalgic charm."

In what ways would you say Beyond the Ice Palace 2 is most different from its predecessor?

The sequel introduces a vastly expanded world and gameplay mechanics, catering to evolved player expectations and delivering a richer, more immersive experience. Beyond the Ice Palace 2 is also darker in tone with gruesome bosses and sinister lore spread throughout the world… We wanted to create a game that felt mature and built upon the foundations of Beyond the Ice Palace, retaining the protagonist and the original lore.

How are you approaching difficulty in Beyond the Ice Palace 2 in terms of both combat and platforming?

Our approach to difficulty is to offer accessibility with layers of complexity. While the game remains challenging, level design ensures that even inexperienced players can progress through the adventure. We have aimed for simplicity in gameplay that unfolds into depth over time.

What can you tell us about the game’s boss fights and how varied these encounters will be?

All I can say is that there are a lot! There are the main bosses, which require players to use all the hero’s skills. But there are also plenty of unique mini-bosses and duels against very powerful monsters. For some of them, there are several ways to kill them, we can’t wait to see if players will find all the techniques to overcome these challenges!

"There are the main bosses, which require players to use all the hero’s skills. But there are also plenty of unique mini-bosses and duels against very powerful monsters."

Beyond the Ice Palace 2 is promising progression mechanics that will allow players finer control over their character and how they power up throughout their journey. Is build variety something that you’re looking to emphasize in the game, or are the progression mechanics meant more as additive, ancillary systems, with the primary focus being elsewhere?

Progression mechanics are central to the player’s journey. While it’s possible to complete the game without maximizing character stats, doing so enhances the gaming experience. Whether players prioritise character growth or focus on other aspects, the progression system offers flexibility and depth.

Roughly how long will an average playthrough of Beyond the Ice Palace 2 be?

The duration of a playthrough varies based on player skill and curiosity… With numerous secret passages and hidden areas to explore! A full play time is yet to be fully defined as we are still in development but we are aiming to making a content rich game that has plenty of layers for the community to enjoy!