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343 Industries has taken to offering up regular monthly check-ups on the status of Halo Infinite as it steers toward its much anticipated launch later in 2021. After earlier looks into art, graphics, and the work of the live team, this month the team is shining a spotlight on the setting itself. The Zeta Halo is a massive explorable environment that seems to dramatically outstrip the scope of many previous games in the series, especially in terms of freedom and discoverability.

One of the big focuses for creating the game world for Halo Infinite is described as focusing on two central tenets – legacy and simplicity. “For 'Legacy' we really want players to feel like they are experiencing a game that they remember fondly (Halo: Combat Evolved), but with modernized graphics of course,” says Justin Dinges, the campaign art lead on the project. “As far as 'Simplicity' is concerned, we wanted to ensure that we steer away from overly noisy designs and details which is a key takeaway for the team coming off Halo 5.” That’s a welcome message for longtime fans of the series, as Halo has always found a way to balance a modern sci-fi aesthetic with natural beauty.

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We take a look at the new mobile titles announced today by Square Enix which will continue the story of Final Fantasy VII.

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Tonight's Nintendo Direct-style PlayStation State of Play broadcast was a mix of upcoming third-party games and indie titles headed to PlayStation 4 and 5.

Many of the titles on offer were games we'd seen before, and big hitters such as Ratchet & Clank and Horizon were notable by their absence.

The show started with Crash 4, which offers 4K 60FPS gameplay, 3D Audio, faster loading times and reactive triggers on PlayStation 5:

PlayStation 5 owners will be able to enjoy an enhanced version of Final Fantasy 7 Remake starting 10th June, courtesy of Square Enix's newly announced Intergrade update - which also adds a new Yuffie Kisaragi episode.

Intergrade will freshen up Final Fantasy 7 Remake on PS5 with improved textures, lighting, and fog effects, and there's also a new Graphics Optimisation Mode, offering 4K resolution at 60fps. Additionally, Intergrade players will be able to enjoy a new Normal (Classic) difficulty option, improved loading times, and a new Photo Mode.

Owners of Final Fantasy 7 Remake on PS4 will be able to download Intergrade on their PS5s for free, bringing over their save data if need be - although a PlayStation 5 with a disc-drive is required to upgrade from a physical PS4 release.

Square Enix has announced two new Final Fantasy 7 mobile games.

Final Fantasy 7 The First Soldier is a battle royale game set in Midgar 30 years before the events of Final Fantasy 7. You play as a SOLDIER candidate and fight for survival.

The gameplay video below reveals The First Soldier to be a mix of third-person shooter action and Final Fantasy-style combat. It's due out at some point in 2021 on iOS and Android.

Final Fantasy VII Remake was one of the best RPGs of 2020, and Square Enix is building on that success by releasing a new DLC episode featuring Yuffie – one of the party members from the 1997 original who did not appear in last year’s game. And if you're excited to see what Yuffie can do, you won't have long to wait.

The new content is called Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, and as revealed during PlayStation's State of Play event, it releases this summer on June 10. That is also the same day that the PlayStation 5 version of Final Fantasy VII Remake is being released, which also leads to an interesting tidbit about Intergrade. According to the presentation, it appears as though this new content is only available on the new-gen console; amid the instructions for the free PS4-to-PS5 upgrade, text flashed on the screen that said, "New episode featuring Yuffie available for purchase after upgrading to the PlayStation 5 version." 

So, what's the big deal about Yuffie anyway? Why is this exciting? Well, if you haven't played the original Final Fantasy VII, all you need to know is that Yuffie is an energetic ninja warrior from Wutai, and she has an unstoppable desire to acquire materia – the colored orbs that give Cloud and his friends magical abilities.

Final Fantasy VII Remake was one of the best RPGs of 2020, and Square Enix is building on that success by releasing a new episode featuring Yuffie – one of the party members from the 1997 original who did not appear in last year’s game. And if you're excited to see what Yuffie can do, you won't have long to wait.

The new content is part of the PS5-enhanced version of the game, called Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade. As revealed during PlayStation's State of Play event, the whole package releases this summer on June 10. According to a Square Enix press release, Intergrade "comes bundled with the brand new episode featuring Yuffie as the main character, which introduces an exhilarating new story arc and numerous gameplay additions for players to enjoy."

That means the Yuffie episode is only available on the new-gen console. Square Enix is offering a free upgrade to the PS5 version for owners of the original, but there's a catch there: Even though you can experience all of the performance enhancements that way, users who upgrade from PS4 to PS5 still need to purchase the new Yuffie content separately. However, if you're buying the game for the first time with Intergrade on PS5, the Yuffie episode is included as part of the package.