Resident Evil Requiem is right around the corner, launching next month on February 27 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC. Ahead of that, Game Informer went hands-on with the horror game for three hours, and you can read that preview here. However, as part of this preview, I interviewed Requiem director Koshi Nakanishi about what I had played. 

I'll be publishing a full Q/A of that interview later today, but curiously, Nakanishi closed out our interview asking to address something I didn't specifically talk about: the game's world and exploration, specifically as it relates to rumors of Requiem being an open world Resident Evil. Nakanishi definitely shut those rumors down. 

"[The development team] did just want to make clear one point," Nakanishi says through an interpreter. "They've seen some speculation of whether there's any open world elements in the game, and they just want to set the record straight that this isn't an open world game."

Welp, that's about as direct as it can get. Nakanishi continues, explaining, "The main concept behind this game is combining the very different gameplay of Grace and Leon into a cohesive package, and having those two gameplays represent the Resident Evil series, and I think when you play the game, you realize that, or you will find as well that the development team picked the best approach to do this." 

For more about the game, read my hands-on preview of Resident Evil Requiem here, and then check out the latest news from the Resident Evil showcase that aired last month. After that, read about Leon's custom Porsche in the game, and then check out the Resident Evil Requiem Nintendo Switch 2 Pro controller. 

Are you happy to hear that Resident Evil Requiem isn't an open world game or bummed? Let us know in the comments below!

During this weekend's Dragon Ball Genkidamatsuri event, Bandai Namco revealed a cryptic trailer announcing the next Dragon Ball game. Known only as Age 1000, it’s slated to launch next year.

The mysterious trailer focuses on a new, original character designed by the late Dragon Ball creator, Akira Toriyama. The white-haired youth’s outfit and color scheme are somewhat reminiscent of Gohan’s Great Saiyan costume, and it interestingly bears the Capsule Corp name. The trailer shows the character effortlessly battling masked goons in a seemingly digital simulation, then ends with him transforming into a Super Saiyan. And of course, it wouldn’t be a Dragon Ball game without a Goku tease, who is briefly shown in the form of a silhouette.

“The world of Dragon Ball continues to expand with a brand-new Dragon Ball world and its entirely original characters— all brought to life by Akira Toriyama. Set for 2027, the 'Age 1000' project will introduce even more unique characters as the adventure unfolds,” reads Bandai Namco’s press release.

Unfortunately, we don’t know what type of game Age 1000 is or the platforms it will be released on. However, we won’t have to wait too long to learn more details as Bandai plans to share new information during Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour, taking place April 18-19 in Los Angeles. 

Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Release: February 27, 2026
Rating: Mature

Nearly 30 years ago, a rookie cop named Leon S. Kennedy exited a vehicle and stumbled into a labyrinthine police department within Raccoon City, a metropolis in the process of being overrun by a horrific virus. In the present day, I sit within an unassuming office building in Los Angeles, watching a much older Leon do almost the same thing in Resident Evil Requiem. His hair’s longer, his sculpted jaw shaded by the remnants of an early morning shave, his jacket more stylish; he exits not a police car, but a custom Porsche this time around, and once more stumbles into a labyrinthine building. It’s not long before a mysterious virus turns humans into zombies, and the hallways of this quiet building, a therapeutic care medical facility, echo with painful groans, stumbling bodies, and a familiar chaos Leon was practically born for. 

I dispatch a few zombies before one rushes me with a chainsaw. I dodge and riddle its head with bullets. The chainsaw falls to the ground and begins spinning wildly, like it has a mind of its own. Nearby zombies walk into its path, losing legs in the process, blood painting the surrounding walls, fake plants, and expensive office chairs. As I approach the weapon, I take damage too before picking it up. Finally, Leon’s got a chainsaw. 

Resident Evil Requiem Impressions – Video Preview:

The chainsaw rips mercilessly through zombies before its use is depleted and left buzzing in the chest of what used to be a doctor. It’s exhilarating, both diegetically and as a fan of the series who’s been terrorized by this machine’s rapid-spin teeth many, many times. 

During this preview, I play as Leon for an hour and control the game’s other protagonist, Grace Ashcroft, for two. Everything I see, hear, and feel while playing as Leon speaks to the final hours of Resident Evil 4, specifically on The Island, when confidence built up over the game’s prior eight or so hours, combined with the weaponry on hand, allows you to feel like a blonde killing machine. Though Requiem’s Leon is much older, that killing machine is still ready at a moment’s notice – you need only to prime its engine with a threat and pull a cord, like the very chainsaw I just used to eviscerate the undead corpses of this facility’s patients and employees. 

Playing as Leon in Requiem during this specific preview is so clearly meant to provide the feeling of control and power that Grace’s sections strip away in favor of methodical exploration and terror. Leon is not concerned with finding every green herb and box of ammo here. Though I don’t know the details, he’s on a mission and deftly handles any obstacle before him with speed, cunning, bullets, and a nasty roundhouse kick. Compared to Grace, Leon’s movement feels like a sprint. I worry little about the room full of zombies, or the hulking, pus-filled monstrosity squeezing through attic hallways later in the preview, and what they can do to my health. I kill and kill and kill, and it feels good. 

It’s the adrenaline I need before my two hours (and after) with Grace in this very same medical facility. Separated from Leon, Grace finds herself in a similarly nostalgic and familiar situation. For some ungodly reason, this medical facility uses gems like quartz, exceedingly advanced levels of security, and old, musty hallways to create a maze-like puzzle. I can imagine employees spending hours (rightfully) complaining about this layout after work over a beer or two. Why does Grace need to find mysterious jewels, security bracelets, cast-iron keys, and more to get around this facility? Why are these items mystifyingly placed in puzzle boxes that require me to understand ritualistic poems and observe faded photographs for clues? Why, because the Raccoon City Police Station in Resident Evil 2 did. 

Capcom is not trying to hide what Grace’s section is meant to emulate. It isn’t the aforementioned police station, but, like… it is. And Grace plays like 1998’s (or 2019’s) Leon, too, boldly trying to put aside fears to confront zombies that stand before her and some key items she needs. 

After blitzing through Leon’s section in third-person, I go first-person for Grace’s section, adding some Resident Evil 7-inspired flair to this horror experience. I pass through a kitchen where a rotten behemoth of a man chops meat, scanning the room and its surrounding hallways for signs of life (presumably also to be chopped). It’s unnerving in first-person, just as it was cowering through the Baker family’s demented dinner party. Requiem plays its greatest hits here as I kill a zombie with the very last bullet in my inventory, as I reach the next typewriter to save at, as I open another drawer and locker and cabinet to find something, anything that will help me survive this god-awful night. 

It’s not all familiar tricks here, though. A new crafting system in the form of blood synthesis allows me to make use of the zombies I mar as I can now collect their ichor in an upgradable tube. I can combine it with ammunition, herbs, and more to create powerful healing vaccines and one-shot-one-kill bullets, among other things. It’s a fun addition to Resident Evil’s inventory resume, and makes me think twice before sprinting past a zombie to advance – what could its blood do for me? I can even craft a special inhibitor that Grace plunges into the backs of unaware zombies to prevent them from metastasizing into an unholy tumor of blood, muscle, and guts, a second life of sorts for zombies already brought to the ground by my bullets. 

There are some surprising, interesting, and strange (complementary) things happening narratively, but I won’t spoil them here. I’m both excited about what I see play out on that front and nervous – what’s interesting and strange in the first halves of many Resident Evil games morphs into something weaker in the second half. I hope the other hours of Requiem match the adrenaline and horror I felt in this preview’s sections. 

For more about Resident Evil Requiem, catch up on the reveals from the latest Resident Evil Showcase, and read our interview with director Koshi Nakanishi and producer Masato Kumazawa.

What questions do you have about Resident Evil Requiem? Drop them in the comments below!

It's a news-heavy week on The Game Informer Show, as Ubisoft announced some major changes to its roadmap over the coming years amid numerous delays and game cancellations. Alex, Marcus, and Eric get together to break all that down in the last half of the show, and try to make light of how the Far Cry and Assassin's Creed publisher got here.

Before that, though, the crew talks about two fascinating new indie games they've been playing. Marcus dives into MIO: Memories In Orbit, a new Metroidvania that might be Hollow Knight-levels of difficult. Eric, meanwhile, has been testing his mental mettle with TR-49, Inkle's new mystery game that tasks players with tearing their way through a strange machine.

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

Watch the video version:

Listen to "What's Going On With Ubisoft?" on Spreaker.

Follow our hosts on social media:

• Alex Van Aken (@itsvanaken)
• Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7)
• Eric Van Allen (@seamoosi)

Jump ahead to specific segments:

• 00:00 - Intro
• 05:08 - MIO: Memories In Orbit
• 18:11 - TR-49
• 39:39 - Ubisoft discussion

Sonic the Hedgehog is one of the most iconic characters in all of video games, but not all of his games were hits. Sonic and the Black Knight is allegedly one of those games, but associate editor Charles Harte remembers playing it as a nine-year-old and feeling like it might be the coolest game of all time. Nearly 17 years later, we're revisiting this medieval adventure to see whether or not he was correct.

Originally released on March 13, 2009, Sonic and the Black Knight is the second and final game in the now-abandoned Sonic Storybook Series, which began in 2007 with Sonic and the Secret Rings. Both games see Sonic get sucked into the worlds of classic folklore, with Black Knight whisking him into the world of Arthurian legend. Armed with the legendary blade Caliburn, he embarks on a quest to save the kingdom. Critics at the time of release were less than enthusiastic about the outing; Sonic and the Black Knight was released to mostly poor reviews, including a 5/10 on page 87 of issue 193 of Game Informer.

Join Charles Harte and Marcus Stewart as they wield a Wii remote and travel back in time to the mythical days of 2009. You can tune in live each Friday on Twitch or YouTube at 12 pm PT/3 pm ET, or check out past episodes below:

Part 1 - Starting a Medieval Marathon

Part 2 - Attempted Regicide

Part 3 – Merlina The Mastermind