Platform: PlayStation 5, PC
Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
Developer: Great Ape Games

Dinosaur survival game The Lost Wild seemed, for lack of a better word, lost since its reveal in 2021. So much so, in fact, that we included the game in our recent magazine round-up of long-announced games that had more or less gone radio silent since their debuts. We like to think that article willed the game’s reemergence during this week's PlayStation’s State of Play into existence, but regardless of the reasoning, we’re happy to see it again, and I was even more intrigued to check out a 30-minute hands-off demo at Summer Game Fest Play Days

The game stars Saskia, a woman who awakens after a car accident to find herself on an island teeming with dinosaurs. The live demo begins in an impressively rendered moonlit forest, which is devoid of any static HUD elements. As Saskia carefully navigates the dense foliage in first-person, the demoer highlights one of the key elements of The Lost Wild: stealth. Moving too quickly or loudly, or using your flashlight or igniting flares, will alert nearby animals to your presence, which might include hungry carnivores. 

Saskia is apparently not a fighter, but even if she were, I doubt she could do much against the main threat of this demo: an Allosaurus. This apex predator makes its presence known when Saskia encounters a man wearing a hazmat suit near a facility. As the panicked man runs towards Sasikia, likely grateful to see someone who isn’t a prehistoric reptile, he’s promptly snatched by the jaws of the Allosaurus as Saskia quickly crawls under a nearby car. Underneath the vehicle, the man is dropped to the ground remarkably intact before Allosaurus scoops him back up and viciously chomps him in half. His bloody bottom half, entrails exposed, slumps to the ground as the Allosaurus seemingly catches a whiff of the terrified Saskia. After a few curious sniffs, it resumes devouring the remains of its prey – false alarm. Although the graphical fidelity of the dinosaur and characters leaves a bit to be desired in this in-development build, the scene gets its point across effectively; don’t get caught. 

As scary as they can be, The Lost Wild’s dinosaurs are not designed to be bloodthirsty monsters whose sole purpose is to make Saskia their lunch. Instead, developer Great Ape Games aims to depict them as real animals who behave accordingly. While I don’t get to see how nuanced this behavior can be, the Allosaurus doesn’t feel like it's actively hunting Saskia. It’s roaming the area probably because this is its territory, but when it does discover the player, they need to act fast. Creating distractions is key, such as a later sequence when Saskia enters a facility and throws a rock to knock out an outdoor light to draw the Allosaurus' attention. If distractions don’t work, the demo shows you can hide in tall grass to sneak around, slide under vehicles like a scared child cowering under a bed, or just run for it and hope for the best. That last option ended badly on two occasions for the developer playing the build for us, however.

 

As a passionate fan of the original Jurassic Park, I have a soft spot for scary yet awe-inspiring dinosaur media, so The Lost Wild’s premise strikes a few good chords. The demo was intentionally slow and a decent mood piece, but I love the premise. I'm also eager to witness the realistic dinosaur behaviors shine through beyond the Allosaurus murderizing someone. I also hope the animals and characters will be sharpened up by the time the game arrives in 2027. 

It’s also hard not to acknowledge the strange, perhaps unfortunate, coincidence of how The Lost Wild shares almost the same “run and hide from the dinosaurs” premise with another upcoming game, Jurassic Park: Survival, but without Universal’s popular license. While The Lost Wild was announced first, it’s hard not to pine for Saber Interactive's upcoming game more, given my aforementioned fandom for the franchise. I truly hope The Lost Wild can woo me on its own merits, and I’m intrigued to see how this long-awaited project sticks the landing. 

Digital Eclipse does video game collections arguably better than any other studio out there, so it's always a treat to see its latest. Following recent releases like the Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection, The Making of Karateka, Tetris Forever, Atari 50, and more, the studio is rounding up classics from Barbie history in Barbie Rewind. 

Launching November 12 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC, Barbie Rewind will let players decorate various rooms of Barbie's iconic Dreamhouse with more than 250 pieces of furniture, decor, and accessories inspired by real Barbie playsets from across the decades. Plus, Barbie has apparently left you her game collection, consisting of 16 classic Barbie games spanning 1991 to 2007. 

Check it out in the Barbie Rewind reveal trailer below: 

Digital Eclipse and publisher Atari haven't yet revealed the full list of the 16 games, but we do know one of them is the never-before-released Sega Genesis and SNES game, Barbie: Vacation Adventure. Others include the Game Boy Color's Barbie Pet Rescue and the Game Boy Advance's Barbie Horse Adventures: Blue Ribbon Race. When you're not playing through these Barbie classics, Barbie herself will call you in-game to give you quests – complete them to earn XP and unlock new items to decorate the Dreamhouse with. 

"Choose from three retro Dreamhouse designs for your exterior facade, walls, and floors," a description of the game reads. "You can even mix-and-match them from room to room. [...] Plenty of familiar friends – Ken, Teresa, and Christie – pop in to get your help with designs for them, too. You can flip through pages of Barbie history in the beautiful digital lookbook." 

A standard physical edition of Barbie Rewind will be released for PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch alongside a deluxe physical edition on those same two platforms. The deluxe edition will include a premium numbered box, an exclusive Barbie Rewind doll wearing an Atari t-shirt, a poster, and a copy of the game. Check it out below: 

Barbie Rewind launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC on November 12. 

In the meantime, read Game Informer's reviews for Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection and Atari 50. 

Cronos: The New Dawn, Bloober Team's latest original survival horror game, launched last September, but it seems the studio isn't done with the game yet. The upcoming (and newly announced) Lazarus DLC will put players in the boots of the Warden from the base game, shifting the experience from a slower survival horror game to a fast-paced action game, sometime this Fall. 

It sounds like Lazarus will be a prequel to the base story of Cronos: The New Dawn, as it will allow players to control the Warden, following his journey in his prime from pathfinder to the character we know today. His character will feature a unique set of skills, including decoys that allow you to move quickly through danger, giving Lazarus a different game feel than Cronos: The New Dawn, according to Bloober Team. 

Check it out in the Cronos: Lazarus DLC reveal trailer below:

Bloober Team describes Cronos: The New Dawn as a slower survival horror game, but says playing as the Warden will turn the experience into "a faster, more aggressive take on Cronos' survival horror formula, with combat defined by speed, pressure, and constant danger." You'll be up against the Tracker, a persistent new threat whose only objective is to hunt you down and kill you. The story is one of rebellion, inner conflict, and the cost of defying the Collective, according to the team. 

"Cronos: The New Dawn is our original IP – an ambitious risk that allows us to create something truly unique," Bloober Team CEO Piotr Babieno writes in a press release. "We're thrilled to expand the Cronos universe with Cronos: Lazarus. The Warden has resonated strongly with audiences, and we're excited to see Alan Turkington return to this iconic role." 

Cronos: Lazarus is scheduled to launch sometime this Fall on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. 

While waiting to learn more, read Game Informer's Cronos: The New Dawn review, and then check out the other game Bloober Team revealed today, Star Trek: Shadow Frontier. 

Did you play Cronos: The New Dawn? Let us know what you thought of it in the comments below!

Developer Pipeworks Studios and publisher Atari have revealed Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered, and it's launching on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC on November 3. As the name implies, it's a remaster of the original 2002 kaiju brawler hit (at least in my living room), Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee. 

When it launches this November, the remaster will bring enhanced visuals, an improved unlock system, quality-of-life improvements, and more to the original experience. It will also include the addition of online multiplayer, allowing you to duke it out in Versus or Melee modes, both online and via local couch co-op. 

Check it out in the Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered reveal trailer below: 

Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered will feature 12 monsters to unlock and choose from, including, of course, the big man himself, Godzilla, alongside King Ghidorah, Mechagodzilla, Rodan, and plenty more. 

If you're interested in a physical edition of the game, Atari is publishing one for PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2. The game will be available on November 3 digitally on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. 

Did you play this back in the early 2000s? Let us know in the comments below!

I didn't think I would be the ideal audience for Among Us, the new show that dropped yesterday on Paramount+. I've played the game but don't have a strong attachment to the brand, and I've always perceived it as intended for a middle school audience. Regardless of whether that's true for the game, it's certainly not true for the show, and I found a lot to love as someone only passively aware of Among Us' cultural significance. The show is fun, not obsessed with game references, and makes a far more earnest attempt at depicting drama and death than I could have guessed. Put simply, Among Us works.

First, a quick warning: this show probably isn't suitable for young kids. Among Us the game has permeated the PCs, consoles, and phones of people of all ages, but Among Us is aimed a little older; despite being rated TV-PG, it feels more like it's right over the cusp of PG-13. There's mild swearing, copious cartoon gore, and a pretty bleak tone in the later episodes as the body count begins to stack up.

The show's premise is roughly identical to that of the game. A spaceship is on the way to deliver a shipment of "Ore+" to the Mira corporation, and it's staffed by crewmates: round, human-like creatures each donning a different colored spacesuit, which is also their name. However, one of them is an imposter, a shapeshifting alien a la John Carpenter's The Thing, and that monster is thirsty for blood. Despite its silly, sometimes childlike tone in the opening episodes, the show is a murder mystery, and as the number of victims increases, the mood adjusts accordingly, which I appreciated. It resists the urge to make jokes about the drama and treats the stakes sincerely, which kept me invested.

A party in episode one. I'm using it as a pseudo group shot, because nobody has died yet at this point.

If you're not coming to the show as a fan of the game, you're probably coming for the star-studded cast, which is generally utilized well. Ashley Johnson (known for Critical Role and The Last of Us) gives a standout performance as Purple, a skeptical security guard who's also the most grounded crewmate. Meanwhile, Elijah Wood (known for The Lord of the Rings), Yvette Nicole Brown (known for Community), and Patton Oswalt (known for Ratatouille) are also highlights as Green, Orange, and White, respectively. That said, some characters don't get as much of a chance to shine as I'd hoped, either getting buried in the ensemble or dying too early in the show. Because of this, the latter episodes are generally stronger; by the time the crew has diminished, we've gotten to know each character well enough to fully understand their motivations and to really mourn them when they die.

While Among Us (the game) doesn't have prewritten dialogue or a traditional narrative, I'd argue that its structure creates a story every time you play, and the Among Us show adapts this well. The loop from tension to murder to trial to verdict is effective; the show's best scenes are also my favorite parts of the game, when crewmates debate whom to accuse and eject from the ship. If you're a fan of the games, you'll find it well-represented here, but if you're unfamiliar, you don't need to do any catching up.

A shot in the show's intro, where Red is playing a video game. The video game parody changes every episode.

I especially appreciate how distinct each character looks and acts, considering they all have roughly identical bodies. The outfits and personalities are distinct, and I'm amazed at how much personality the show's team of artists can imbue in a simple visor. Closer looks at the imposter are also very well done, with a disturbing, Cronenberg-like design. There are also plenty of visual nods to both Among Us and other video games, but they're unobtrusive side jokes, and you won't miss anything if you don't catch them. One of my favorite touches is that the intro sequence changes every episode to reflect who's alive and who's dead (and also changes the video game reference on Red's monitor).

I am satisfied with Among Us, and left the season finale glad that Infinity Train's Owen Dennis was the one to create the adaptation. While it's not necessarily groundbreaking storytelling, I enjoyed its various twists, animation style, and balance of respect for the source material and the medium of television. Most of all, it nails a distinct tone of drama, comedy, and light horror that defines the experience when playing the game. Among Us takes its source material seriously and succeeds because of it.