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Weekly Podcast: Arc Raiders, Dispatch, And Game Of The Year Catch-Up

Game Informer

the game informer show - arc raiders and dispatch worth the hype?

In this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, the crew dives into Arc Raiders, the highly anticipated extraction shooter making waves with its launch, and Dispatch, a superhero narrative adventure we're loving. Later in the show, we discuss the Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection and the games we're playing during our Game of the Year catch-up.

The Game Informer Show is a weekly podcast covering the video game industry. Join us every Thursday for chats about your favorite titles – past and present – alongside Game Informer staff and special guests from around the industry.

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00:00 - Introduction03:27 - ARC Raiders28:40 - MK Legacy Kollection45:39 - Dispatch01:00:24 - Game of the Year Catch-Up01:20:00 - Outro

The Video Games You Should Play This Weekend – November 7

Game Informer

It's November, which means we can all breathe a little because we survived the onslaught of games released in October (just don't look at our backlogs). Though November is a bit quieter than October, it still has some heaters, like Lumines Arise, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition, Goodnight Universe, Possessor(s), Demonschool, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. Okay, hold up – after typing all that out, November isn't as sleepy as I thought...

Anyway, it's Friday and it's time for the weekend and our usual recommendation of games and things you should check out! But before that, here's a recap of the biggest stories of the week: 

The Games You Should Check Out This Weekend

Dragon Quest

Wesley LeBlanc

With the digital launch of the Dragon Quest VII Reimagined issue this week, which I wrote the cover story for, my head continues to be in a Dragon Quest space. Yesterday, while I was writing an upcoming Dragon Quest history breakout story from my 90-minute interview with series creator Yuji Horii, I learned that the original Dragon Quest is available to purchase on Switch (and playable on Switch 2), and it's on sale for $2.99 until November 20! As someone who's been consuming a lot of Dragon Quest content this month, I was thrilled to stumble across this – I had no idea I could play the original Dragon Quest so easily on my Switch 2 (and for so cheap, too)!

Anyway, it's definitely an RPG from the 1980s, but man, if there isn't something incredibly charming about playing such a now-primitive game. It's a reminder of how important it is not only to look forward as someone who loves video games, but also sometimes to look back and dive into the past. It's been an illuminating experience so far playing this classic, and I recommend you do the same if you're looking forward to one day jumping into the recently released Dragon Quest I & II: HD-2D Remake (I still gotta finish III) and the upcoming Dragon Quest VII Reimagined. 

Dragon Quest I & II: HD-2D Remake

Matt Miller

While you could certainly go old-school and dig into an older version if you're looking for the pure experience (see Wesley's entry above), the brand-new HD-2D remake of the first two Dragon Quest games is a phenomenal way to experience these games, whether it's a return trip or a first visit. The new visuals are vibrant and exciting, the musical score feels epic and classic, and the adventure itself makes it clear why these games helped to launch the entire JRPG phenomenon. While simple and trope-filled in many ways, the storytelling is engaging and fun, while the combat and exploration establish the tone you'll recognize from many other later games that often didn't do it as well. Even as these two remakes do a great job of recalling the originals, there's also a wealth of updates across everything from dialogue to quality-of-life features and more. It's precisely what this duology should be - a fantastic rebuild of a couple of foundational classics.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment

Kyle Hilliard

I am eager to dive into Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment both for fun and for review (keep an eye out for that soon!) this weekend. I generally like musou games. I have reviewed quite a few during my time here at Game Informer, including at least one Dynasty Warriors, the first Hyrule Warriors, and both of the Dragon Quest Heroes games. I also reviewed the second Fire Emblem Warriors game for GameSpot during my time there. I am mainly just eager to be back in the world of Tears of the Kingdom, even if it's a spinoff. I will say, though, that I found the previous Hyrule Warriors game, Age of Calamity, to be a huge narrative disappointment. I really, really dislike the ending of that game. I won't spoil it here, but the developers at Omega Force (and Nintendo is to be blamed, as well) had the opportunity to create an incredible, and potentially stirring, lead-in to Breath of the Wild, one of the greatest games of all time, and they completely whiffed it. I am really hoping a similar mistake isn't made for Age of Imprisonment. I will let you know soon!

The Bazaar

Eric Van Allen

As the year winds down, I've been venturing back to The Bazaar, an auto-battling pseudo-deckbuilder I got into, then out of, throughout the course of 2025. It's been through some ups and downs in development, and I figured, why not see where it's at as we deliberate over end-of-the-year topics?

Things change and still stay the same. The Bazaar has a lot of alterations, mostly to how its progression and randomness are applied throughout runs, and what levers players have to control it as they match up against others throughout each day. The new character Jules has a fascinating mechanic where items on her board change properties depending on whether they're hot or cold, which throws a wrench (in a good way) into board-state planning. I'm not sure if I'm back at the fever pitch I was with The Bazaar compared to earlier this year, but I do think it's worth dipping back in if you fell off, just to see how Tempo has updated it over the last few months. It's made for a nice end-of-day wind-down game.

N7 Day: Amazon's Mass Effect TV Show Set After Trilogy, New Mass Effect Game Still In Development

Game Informer

It's November 7, N7 Day, a day BioWare and its community of fans celebrate the developer's sci-fi RPG series, Mass Effect. Sometimes, we get big updates; other times, small teases of things to come. This year, BioWare is using N7 day to announce that Amazon's Mass Effect TV adaptation will be a "brand-new story" set after the events of the original Mass Effect trilogy, meaning Commander Shepard likely won't be involved. 

BioWare also gave a minor update on its in-development untitled Mass Effect game, which amounts to: still working on it. 

"The next Mass Effect game is in development, and EA and BioWare remain committed to telling more stories in this universe," series executive producer Mike Gamble writes in the N7 Day blog post. "The truth is, the last few years have been an incredibly busy time at BioWare. But the team is heads-down and focused exclusively on Mass Effect. We have a lot of universe to cover, lots of features to build, and lots of romances to figure out. We're excited by what we're building, and we promise you: when we're ready, it'll be a lot of fun to show." 

On the Amazon adaptation side of Mass Effect, Gamble writes that "the show will explore a brand-new story within the universe's timeline, and will be set after the original trilogy. It won't be a retread of Commander Shepard's story – because after all... that's YOUR story, isn't it?"

Though Gamble says today's N7 Day blog post doesn't feature any hidden meaning or messages, there are various letters in the text in italics, suggesting he might be telling a little white lie. We're sure the Mass Effect community will have it figured out in no time. 

For more, check out this trailer for the in-development Mass Effect game that teases a new trilogy, Andromeda, and maybe a new protagonist. 

Are you happy that the Mass Effect TV show will be an original story? Let us know in the comments below!

Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra Release Date Delayed 'Beyond Early 2026'

Game Informer

One of the most exciting superhero games on the horizon is Marvel 1943: The Rise of Hydra. Set during World War II, it shows Captain America crossing paths with an early Black Panther (Azurri, T'Challa's grandfather) to stop the villainous Marvel faction Hydra. While we were excited to play it early next year, we've now learned that won't be the case, as it's been delayed indefinitely.

The news came via a post on developer Skydance's social media, which announces that the delay will push the game "beyond early 2026," but doesn't clarify anything more than that. It could come later next year, or be delayed even further. You can read the full message in the image below, or in plain text below that.

At Skydance Games, our goal is to deliver unforgettable, premium games that honor the characters and worlds we're fortunate to work with. MARVEL 1943: Rise of Hydra is an ambitious project, and we are committed to ensuring it meets the level of quality that our team, players, and fans expect.

To fully realize our vision for MARVEL 1943: Rise of Hydra, we've made the decision to shift our release window beyond early 2026.

We're grateful for the passion and support from the community and players around the world. The team is working hard to create something truly special, and we look forward to sharing more with you as development progresses.

Skydance Games

Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra is being developed by Skydance Games, a studio led by Amy Hennig, best known as the creator/writer of the Uncharted series. Originally set to launch this year, it was delayed to 2026 this May. For more upcoming games, check out our list of every superhero game on the horizon. For more information specifically on games set for early 2026 that had announcements about their delays released on the afternoon of November 6, I have bad news about GTA VI.

Grand Theft Auto VI Release Date Delayed To November 2026

Game Informer

Grand Theft Auto is one of the most successful franchises in the history of gaming, so it's only natural that people are eager to see the newest entry. "Eager" is putting it mildly, however, due to the fact that it's been 12 years since the series' last entry and developer Rockstar's most recent game, Red Dead Redemption 2, came out seven years ago. When the game's second trailer dropped, it took the internet by storm, and currently has over 137 million views, but was accompanied by a delay into May 2026. Today we learned it would be delayed even further.

Grand Theft Auto VI is now launching November 19, 2026, according to Bloomberg, which got a look at publisher Take Two's quarterly earnings report. The report included a statement about the delay, which Rockstar later put on their website. You can read it below.

Hi everyone,

Grand Theft Auto VI will now release on Thursday, November 19, 2026.

We are sorry for adding additional time to what we realize has been a long wait, but these extra months will allow us to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve.

We want to thank you again for your patience and support. While the wait is a little longer, we are incredibly excited for players to experience the sprawling state of Leonida and a return to modern day Vice City.

Sincerely,
Rockstar Games

This delay ultimately pushes the game a full year past its original projected release date of fall 2025.

Rockstar has been in the news for other reasons this week. According to Bloomberg, after firing between 30 and 40 employees, the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain accused the developer of union busting, claiming that all the employees involved in the incident were part of a private union Discord server. Rockstar has since claimed that the employees were fired for leaking confidential information, stating, "This was in no way related to people's right to join a union or engage in union activities." 

For more GTA VI, check out our breakdown of its characters and locations revealed in the game's second trailer earlier this year.