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Survival horror sequel ‘Outlast 2’ will terrify series fans in April

By Danny Cowan Published March 7, 2017

Indie developer Red Barrels announced that its survival horror sequel Outlast 2 will launch digitally for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC platforms via Steam in April.

Red Barrels additionally revealed that it has entered a partnership with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to produce a series compilation at retail, which includes the original Outlast and its Whistleblower DLC chapter alongside the full version of Outlast 2.

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Originally released in 2013, Outlast is a first-person horror game that puts players in control of a photojournalist investigating an abandoned psychiatric hospital. The plot soon takes a turn for the horrific when the hospital is revealed to be occupied by cannibalistic “variants,” who are patients that have been subjected to mind-altering experiments.

A prequel to Outlast‘s storyline launched in 2014 in the form of the DLC expansion Whistleblower. The expansion fleshes out the narrative featured in Outlast while dropping hints regarding an upcoming sequel.

Nearly two years after the launch of Whistleblower, fans will finally see a continuation of Outlast‘s storyline when Outlast 2 premieres digitally on April 28. A multiplatform retail version launching the same day, Outlast Trinity, will bundle the upcoming Outlast 2 with its predecessor and the Whistleblower DLC, making it an ideal entry point for series newcomers.

“We’ve been lucky to have such an amazing fan base, and none of this would have been possible without their support,” said Red Barrels co-founder Philippe Morin. “Ever since we released Outlast in 2013, a physical version has been one of the top requests, so we’re obviously thrilled to finally give people the entire series in one bundle of terror.”

“Red Barrels has made a name for itself in the survival horror genre with the original Outlast game,” added Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment Senior Vice President of Sales Kevin Kebodeaux. “We look forward to working closely with this great group of developers to bring Outlast Trinity to gamers around the world.”

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Soul Hackers 2 splits the difference between Persona 5 and Shin Megami Tensei V

Ringo, Arrow, and other party members stare at something in the distance in Soul Hackers 2.

Atlus has perfected the JRPG and is now reveling in it. Persona 5 is one of the best games of the 2010s, thanks to its endearing cast of characters and impeccably stylish presentation. Meanwhile, Shin Megami Tensei V was no slouch in 2021 as it provided a dark and hardcore demon-driven RPG experience. After demoing the game at Summer Game Fest Play Days, t’s clear that Atlus has found a clear sci-fi middle ground with Soul Hackers 2.
Souls Hackers 2 is a tried-and-true Atlus JRPG with dungeon crawling, casual friend hangouts and conversations, and polished weakness-driven JRPG combat. It hits many of the same notes as Persona 5 and Shin Megami Tensei V, so it won’t change what you think about the genre. Still, if Persona 5 or Shin Megami Tensei V had won you over to this new era of Atlus JRPGs, then Souls Hackers 2 will give you dozens of more hours of JRPG enjoyment.

What’s here for Persona fans?
My demo of Soul Hackers 2 began in the Hangout, where protagonist Ringo and her party can hang out and heal between dungeon-crawling escapades. Then, I proceeded to go into the futuristic sci-fi city, buy some weapons, gear, and healing items from eccentric shopkeepers, and get a drink with my party members named Arrow.
After Ringo and Arrow got to know each other better by discussing what they liked to drink, they gained Soul Levels to make them stronger. Right off the bat, this was all very reminiscent of Persona with the expectation of the futuristic sci-fi setting. The UI in and out of battles takes a cue from Persona 5 by trying to look very stylish, though Soul Hackers 2 leans more into a digitized style than Persona 5’s luscious anime-style menus.
I didn’t spend enough time with this part of the game or the small character moments within it to get a feeling of whether or not its narrative will come together as well as Persona 5. Still, that game got me to fall in love with an eccentric cast of high-school cliche characters, so Soul Hackers 2 has the potential to do the same with a cast that leans into sci-fi stereotypes.

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The Wolf Among Us 2 will launch in five parts next year

Bibgy smokes a cigarette in front of a full moon.

More than two years after its reveal at The Game Awards 2019, Telltale Games re-revealed The Wolf Among Us 2 on The Game Awards' YouTube channel today. A new trailer was released and a 2023 launch was confirmed.
The trailer follows Bigby as he discusses his tactics as a private investigator to a support group and confronts some magical criminals, including the Scarecrow and Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz. His opponents get the upper hand, but Bigby becomes a werewolf to fight back.
The Wolf Among Us 2 - OFFICIAL Full Trailer (2022)
In an interview after the trailer, the developers explained that this game takes place six months after the first game. It will follow Snow White and Bigby as they try to rebuild Fabletown in a less corrupt way. The presentation also confirmed that Adam Harrington and Erin Yvette will reprise their roles as Bigby and Snow White, respectively. The actors teased increased tensions between the two characters as Bigby is a loose cannon and Snow White doesn't want to pick favorites while she's mayor.
The whole season will last five episodes, though Telltale and developer AdHoc teased that episodes won't come out until all of them are done and can be released in quick succession. As such, it seems like all episodes will be out in 2023, and we won't have to wait several months between each piece of the story like we did with season 1.
The Wolf Among Us 2 will be released for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in 2023. The PC version will be an Epic Games Store exclusive at launch.

Gaming

Microsoft shows off S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, sets April 2022 release date

A dreary swamp in Stalker 2.

Microsoft showed off an extended gameplay trailer and revealed a release date for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl. The game will release on April 28, 2022, for Xbox Series X/S and PC, and also will be a part of Xbox Game Pass.

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