Dragon’s Dogma 2 launches for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on March 22, and Capcom is offering exclusive in-game items for players who pre-order. Meanwhile, fans who don’t mind spending a little extra can pick up the Deluxe Edition for $79.99. The Standard Edition retails for $69.99.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 preorder bonus and Deluxe Edition explained

The preorder bonus consists of the Superior Weapons Quartet, which includes a sword and shield, daggers, staff, and bow. Capcom describes them as “a boon in the early game,” suggesting they will offer an early leg-up without unbalancing the game. Players who pre-purchase the digital editions of Capcom’s Dragon’s Dogma 2 can download it directly from the store, while the physical versions come with a voucher code. Players can then retrieve the items in their in-game storage, accessed by talking to an innkeeper. Capcom also notes that it may make the Superior Weapons Quartet available for purchase later.

Dragon’s Dogma 2: Deluxe Edition adds the Explorer’s Camping Kit, which players can purchase from in-game shops. It also comes with the Dragon’s Dogma Music & Sound Collection, adding music and sound effects from the original 2012 game. Players also get 1500 Rift Crystals, an in-game currency used to hire Pawns and purchase special items, and eight free items.

These include a Wakestone, which revives dead characters, and Art of Metamorphosis, which lets players edit their and their Pawn’s appearance. Ambivalent Rift Incense lets players change their Pawn’s Inclination and the Harpysnare Smoke Beacons attract Harpies. The Heartfelt Pendant is a Gift item. Finally, Capcom describes the Makeshift Gaol Key as a “Key to the gaol.” Presumably, Dragon’s Dogma 2 players can use it to escape from jail.

Fans who preorder Dragon’s Dogma 2: Deluxe Edition also get the exclusive Ring of Assurance along with the Superior Weapons Quartet.

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Capcom is potentially teasing sequels for some of their most iconic franchises, including Okami, Dead Rising, Mega Man, Darkstalkers, and more.

Recently, Capcom released a batch of “Super Elections” on their website (via Nintendo Life), allowing fans to vote on a variety of 10 different questions about their game franchises.

While some of the questions are relatively mundane, one specific question asks which franchise fans would most want to see a sequel or spin-off to. The list includes a ton of different fan-favorite titles, including:

• Darkstalkers
• Okami
• Onimusha
• Ace Attorney
• Street Fighter
• Sengoku Basara
• Dino Crisis
• Dead Rising
• Devil May Cry
• Dragon’s Dogma
• Toraware No Paruma
• Vs. Capcom
• Resident Evil
• Final Fight
• Breath of Fire
• Ghosts ‘n Goblins
• Monster Hunter
• Lost Planet
• Mega Man
• 1942

Capcom also asks about remakes in survey

Aside from just sequels or spin-offs, another question Capcom asks in its survey is what franchise fans would like to see “completely remade with the latest technology.” Games in this section include:

• Onimusya 1-3
• Ace Attorney 1-3
• Commando
• Rival Schools
• Nijirocho No kiseki
• Final Fight
• Breath of Fire 1-3
• Gargoyle’s Quest I and II
• Megaman 1-3

Of course, it’s important to note that Capcom is not confirming any of these games will be remade, or that any sequels will come from the results of the survey. However, Capcom does have a recent history with remakes, having remade several Resident Evil games, including the most recent, a remake of Resident Evil 4.

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The much-rumored Resident Evil 4 Gold Edition has now been announced and there’s only a short amount of time to wait as it launches as soon as next week. The new edition will include the base game as well as the extra DLC content and updates that have arrived since its release.

The Resident Evil 4 Gold Edition release date

Resident Evil 4 Gold Edition will be released on February 9 for PS5 and PS4, as well as Xbox Series X|S and Steam. The announcement confirms a previous release date leak when the game was expected to show up at December’s The Game Awards.

The new edition will include the Separate Ways story DLC and the Extra DLC Pack, the latter of which includes costumes, weapons, and accessories for Leon and Ashley. Players will also be able to access all of the game’s updates so far, including Mercenaries mode and the PSVR 2 mode. Capcom hasn’t confirmed whether all of this content will be included on the game’s disc.

Players are hoping the new version will be like the Resident Evil 7 Gold Edition that had all DLC on the disc outside of the free-to-download “Not a Hero” DLC. On the contrary, the Resident Evil Village Gold Edition only put the game on the disc alongside a download code for the DLC, a decision that proved to be quite unpopular.

The new edition will likely help Resident Evil 4 to continue to be the fastest-selling Resident Evil title ever. Capcom recently confirmed the remake had helped RE4 sell a total of 6.48 million copies, largely helped by the aforementioned PSVR 2 update. This new total means the remake sold more than 1 million copies between October and December, giving it the title of the fastest-selling Resident Evil game in history.

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Dragon’s Dogma 2 director Hideaki Itsuno has said that he’s not a fan of fast travel, and implied that games with fast traveling systems tend to be boring… at least when it comes to travel and exploration. Dragon’s Dogma 2 offers limited fast travel, with an emphasis on players stumbling upon “someone or something” while traversing.

Why Dragon’s Dogma 2 has limited fast travel

Speaking to IGN, Itsuno said that if players find normal travel boring, it’s because the game that they’re playing has made it boring. “Travel is boring? That’s not true. It’s only an issue because your game is boring,” he said. “All you have to do is make travel fun.”

Itsuno added that Capcom designed Dragon’s Dogma 2 to allow players to stumble upon various things that make their journeys enjoyable. “We’ve put a lot of work into designing a game where you can stumble across someone and something will happen, so while it’s fine if it does have fast travel, we decided to design the kind of map where players will make the decision for themselves to travel by bike or on foot in order to enjoy the journey,” he explained.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 will release on March 22, 2024 for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

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For fans of Capcom’s long-running Ace Attorney series, the last few years have been rather hit or miss. On the one hand, a collection of the first three games in the series was finally ported to modern platforms (freeing them from the shackles of mobile and handheld devices), and the two Great Ace Attorney games (which were previously Japan-exclusive) were localized and released for western audiences. On the other hand, it’s been close to a decade since we’ve seen a brand-new release in the mainline series, with Capcom going radio silent about the possibility of a seventh game.

In what we can only hope is a peace offering to tide us over, the fourth, fifth, and sixth entries have been given a fresh coat of paint and bundled together in the oddly-named Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy (more on the weird choice of name in a minute). For anyone who played the first Ace Attorney Trilogy, you’ll more or less know what to expect here: higher-res graphics, modernized UI, and a slew of quality-of-life features.

Aside from being able to jump into any game, episode, or chapter (intended play order be damned), players who only want to experience the story can turn on Story Mode, which lets you take it easy while the game plays itself for you by solving puzzles, interrogating witnesses, and collecting evidence. For those who don’t have a penchant for jamming on the X button for hours on end, you can also choose to have the game advance the dialogue for you, with a conversation log available should you want to re-read lines that you glossed over initially. Granted, these inclusions are far from revolutionary, but they are certainly leaps and bounds ahead of what was available on the original DS and 3DS versions.

While Apollo Justice appears front and center on this trilogy’s box art and name, only one of the three included titles features him as the main protagonist. Having originally released back in 2008 for the Nintendo DS, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney has more in common with the original trilogy compared to the two games that came after it. Granted, every mainline entry is split up between investigative phases and court trials, but Apollo Justice’s debut was, and still is, a 2D affair, save for a few sections where you examine evidence in 3D.

As you’d expect, the original artwork and sprites have been remastered for high-definition displays, and while I’ll always miss the pixelated look of the original, it’s hard to deny how slick this one looks when blown up on a big screen with proper support for 16:9 aspect ratios. It goes without saying; even fifteen years after its original debut, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney still impresses. Unlike its predecessors, this one throws you right into the deep end with its tutorial case, weaving together several unanswered questions that are slowly unraveled throughout the subsequent three episodes. Apollo’s ability to “perceive” when witnesses are lying makes for interesting moments, with a suspect’s nervous twitch or tick often tying directly into their testimony. And of course, this game introduced us to the iconic Papa Phoenix. What’s not to love?

The other two games in this trilogy — Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice — bring about some of the biggest changes the series has seen. For starters, the pair are the first games to feature fully-rendered 3D environments and characters, eschewing the tried-and-true sprites and fixed camera angles for a more dynamic, modern look. Having originally launched on the 3DS, this shift in visual style was met with mixed reception. The most diehard purists will likely not be swayed by these remasters, but the move to more powerful hardware lets Capcom’s artwork and animations truly shine. If you were ever put off by Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice’s low-res presentation on the 3DS, the Apollo Justice trilogy might just sway your opinion with the bump in resolution.

Speaking of Apollo Justice, while he certainly plays a key role across all three of these games, he takes a bit more of a backseat in Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice. Not only does Phoenix Wright return as a playable character, but newcomer Athena Cykes has joined the legal team. Where Phoenix and Apollo used their mystical magatama and bracelet to deduce when someone is being less than truthful, Athena makes use of an AI companion and a program dubbed the “Mood Matrix,” letting her pick up on subtle emotional cues and finding discrepancies between what a witness’ testimony and their emotional state. It’s a welcome addition (and thankfully, one that isn’t overused) that adds a new layer to the franchise’s tried-and-true trial and interrogation mechanics.

Spirit of Justice also makes use of each of the protagonist’s special abilities, while also throwing another wrinkle into the mix — Divination Séances. The original trio of Ace Attorney games had several plotlines centered around spirit mediums and communicating with the dead, but Spirit of Justice fully embraces this idea with Divination Séances, which lets you see the final moments through the eyes of the murder victim. If all of this sounds a bit off the wall, that’s because it is, though the devs do try to make it all sound plausible. While previous games in the franchise featured an interesting hodgepodge of Japanese culture thrown into an American setting, Spirit of Justice takes place abroad in the Kingdom of Khura’in, which itself is heavily inspired by the Eastern Himalayas. It took well over a decade, but Spirit of Justice does go out of its way to at least justify the series’ (sometimes) bizarre mix of criminal justice and spirit channeling.

Even though I’ve played every game in the Ace Attorney series (many of them more than once), it’s hard not to be enamored with what the Apollo Justice trilogy offers. Being able to relive the trials and tribulations (pun intended)of Phoenix and company without the friction of having to dig out aging handheld systems or emulate on PC is a godsend, and the numerous quality-of-life additions and bonus pack-ins are icing on top of the cake — along with a bevy of art assets and soundtracks to look over and listen too, all of the DLC costumes and episodes from the 3DS games are included, alongside an animation studio where you can throw together your own vignettes using character models, animations, in-game music, and voice lines.

If there’s one criticism I think will be levied against this new collection of games, it’s that, at the end of the day, it’s simply more of the same. Series diehards and more casual fans will undoubtedly find a lot to like here, and I certainly hope it’s a sign that we’ll be seeing much more of the Ace Attorney franchise in the coming years. For those who weren’t sold on the original trio of Phoenix Wright games, this second collection won’t do much to sway your opinion.

Disclosure: Review copy was provided by Capcom.

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2023 gave us two exceptionally good remakes of classic horror games with Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 and EA Motive’s Dead Space, but the approach to each was different. Both approaches were right for the game involved.

Dead to Rights

Dead Space as a series is a fascinatingly frustrating and tragic tale—a franchise slaughtered in the space of half a decade at the altar of consumerism. What began as a promising new sci-fi survival horror series in 2008 had become a dread-inducing benchmark for the general attitude towards horror games and big-budget gaming at companies like EA.

Dead Space 3 is notorious for how far removed it was from the vision of the original. Bloated by microtransactions, a heavier action emphasis and crafting mechanics detracted from the genuinely good ideas in there (the co-op perspective shift, wintry Necromorph action).

Visceral Games would end up suffering hat most undignified of studio deaths as it was folded into EA’s other projects and eventually dissolved.

2022 held the promise of two exciting alternatives to that horrible end for Dead Space. Former Visceal Developers were bringing us a spiritual successor with The Callisto protocol, while EA Motive were tackling a shiny remake of the original Dead Space. Before The Callisto Protocol’s release, you’d be forgiven for thinking the spiritual successor had a better shot at taking the sci-fi horror crown. Still, despite releasing ahead of the Dead Space remake, The Callisto Protocol flopped critically and commercially. The,n of course, Dead Space remake was released at the beginning of this year and proved to be an accomplished reinterpretation of the original.

Its secret? It knew what the original had going for it and made sure to keep that in. But EA Motive also realized there were great moves forward in the sequels, both mechanically and in world-building. So using the skeleton of what came before, EA Motive fleshed out the experience with more intuitive controls, greater freedom, and crucially, made the Ishimura feel a lot less like a set of interconnected levels and more like a massive explorable ship.

Taking God of War’s real-time schtick was a massive benefit in that regard. Dead Space remake moves seamlessly from one horrifying situation to the next and, in doing so, draws you in deeper into Isaac Clarke’s terrible time aboard the Ishimura.

It helped that EA Motive make the game look like a beautiful nightmare. The detail of the environments, the disgusting viscera splattering the walls, the Necromorph’s horrifying human body distortion, and the ship’s greasy industrial thrum. Dead Space is an audiovisual treat.

A Familiar Resident Reemerges

Meanwhile, Capcom was faced with its own tough task, albeit one it had tackled successfully before. How do you remake a beloved survival horror classic?

Resident Evil 4 has aged far better than its predecessors, so there was a lot more opportunity for griping if things about it were changed too much for the remake. But there was no point in slapping a new layer of makeup on the 2005 game’s face beyond the more cynical and obvious ones. So Capcom did not budge from the reimagining vision it had for Resident Evil 2 and 3, but clearly looked at what had been done with the best remake of a Resident Evil game (2002’s Resident Evil) and brought that level of faithful overhauling into the mix.

Resident Evil 4 remake finds the balance between faithful remake and revitalizing reimagining. The knife parry seemed like an odd idea before the game was released, but not only did it get integrated beautifully into the rejigged combat. it fed into the signature mix of the horrifying and the absurd that makes Resident Evil such a magical series.

Where improvements were needed, Capcom addressed them, and inarguably made the overall game stronger for it. While the Ashley sections were never as terrible as some made them out to be in the original, they feel so much more natural in the remake, and giving the character herself more personality and engaging moments in the story ensured this wasn’t just Leon saving the damsel in distress.

With more remakes and remasters in the genre on the way in 2024 with the likes of other classic series returning such as Silent Hill, Alone in the Dark, and Clock Tower, it will be interesting to see what approach they take in balancing fan expectations and appealing to a modern audience.

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Capcom revealed the first Monster Hunter Wilds trailer for the newest installment in the massively popular game series.

The trailer shows a hunter riding through crowds of several monsters from throughout the series, as well as soaring through a lightning storm in the sky on the same monster. Finally, it pans out to show a wide field as the hunter looks on. A large flying monster that appears to be a Rathalos then flies by. Players will be in for a bit of a wait, however, as Monster Hunter Wilds is set to release on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC in 2025.

You can view the official Monster Hunter Wilds trailer on YouTube below:

What other games were revealed at The Game Awards 2023?

New free DLC for God of War Ragnarok, titled Valhalla, was revealed to be arriving next week. Sega also announced several new installments for some of their most iconic series, including Jet Set Radio, Shinobi, and Golden Axe. A new trailer for the upcoming Suicide Squad game was also showcased, previewing the battle between the antiheroes and the Justice League.

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Resident Evil 4 Gold Edition is one of the games rumored to be announced at The Game Awards in just a few hours, but its release date has already seemingly leaked online. While the game’s VR mode is due to be released imminently, though, we’ll have to wait a bit longer for the complete collection if the rumors are true.

When is the Resident Evil 4 Gold Edition release date?

The Gold Edition of the Resident Evil 4 remake will be released on February 9, 2024, according to a listing on Metacritic. The listing has since been removed due to its premature appearance, but not before it was seen by ResetEra.

The exact contents of the Gold Edition are unknown right now. If the Gold editions of previous games in the franchise are anything to go by, players can expect to get the Separate Ways DLC, the upcoming PSVR 2 mode, and all other updates including Mercenaries mode. Of course, the PSVR 2 update is due to be released tomorrow, December 8.

Whether all of this content will be included on the game’s disc is not clear, but fans are hoping it won’t be like Resident Evil Village’s Gold Edition, which only put the game on the disc alongside a download code for the DLC. On the contrary, Resident Evil 7 Gold Edition had all DLC on the disc outside of the free-to-download “Not a Hero” DLC.

Resident Evil 4 Gold Edition is expected to be at today’s The Game Awards show according to rumors, but isn’t the only thing to have leaked out of The Game Awards ahead of time. In a post on Discord from renowned leaker Dusk Golem (thanks PC Focus), we can also expect reveals of Dishonored 3 and Monster Hunter 6, the latter of which is expected to be called Monster Hunter Wild. A demo for Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has also been revealed early.

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Capcom has no plans to stop pumping out Resident Evil remakes following the huge success of Resident Evil 2, 3, & 4 remakes.

Another Resi remake on the way

The Japanese giant confirmed it will continue to remake entries from the Resident Evil franchise in the future, but didn’t let any information slip on what games will be next for a spruce-up.

At a PlayStation partner awards event in Japan, attended and translated by IGN Japan, Yasuhiro Anpo, the director of the revered Resident Evil 4 remake, said the company will announce its next Resident Evil remake soon.

“We’ve released three remakes so far and they have all been received very well,” said Anpo at the event. ”Since it allows a modern audience to play these games, it is something I am happy to do as someone that loves these older games, and we want to continue doing more.”

Anpo then reveals the important information.

“What game we will remake in the future is something that we would like to announce in the future, so please look forward to it.”

Debate still rages on about what game deserves/needs a remake next in the Resident Evil series. Code Veronica, which is technically the real Resident Evil 3 is the favorite, but the Resident Evil 4 remake has made it appear more likely Resident Evil 5 might be next on the slate.

Maybe Capcom will swerve us all and give Umbrella Corps another crack.

“When developing a new game, there is no way to know what will be received well by the players, which makes it difficult,” Anpo said when discussing the positives of remakes. “In the case of a remake, there are already players that have played the original, which I think can be seen as an advantage. We are very grateful to users that are vocal about their opinion. It allows us to develop with the player’s opinion in mind. For example, if this is how the players feel, then maybe we can make it like this. I think this is one of the reasons why our remakes are so well received.”

Hopefully, Capcom bring news of more Resident Evil in the new year. In the meantime, the Resident Evil 4 remake will receive a PSVR2 mode next week to tide fans over, and the Separate Ways DLC is also there if it has passed you by.

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A few months back, Resident Evil 4 Remake revealed the trailer for its upcoming VR mode. Now, the wait is nearly over, as the release date for the feature has now officially been announced.

Free update for PS5 users as well

In a recent post on the official RE Twitter account, a teaser proclaimed that Resident Evil 4 Remake VR will be available starting December 8. It’ll be compatible with the PlayStation VR2 headset, which was released in February of this year.

There will be a demo available at the same time, and the tweet goes on to say that PS5 players will be entitled to the VR mode as a free update.

Launching in March, Capcom‘s modern take on the original RE4 was met with plenty of praise. Continuing the trend of successfully remaking classic Resident Evil games, this latest one retained much of what people love about the 2005 release while bringing it more up-to-date.

The Separate Ways DLC also came out, which tells the story from the perspective of Ada Wong.

And if the VR update wasn’t enough, Resident Evil 4 is also said to be coming to iOS, with it due to be released on December 20. RE Village was released to mobile recently, so it’s not surprising that the former is being given the iOS treatment as well.

Considered by many fans to be one of – if not the – best RE game of all time, Resident Evil 4 Remake was a tall order for Capcom. Luckily, the developer managed to knock it out of the park.

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