Bandai Namco and Project Aces have confirmed the release date for Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, launching the latest entry in the hit dogfighting series on 2nd October for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

Pre-ordering will net you a fresh port of Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War from 2006, and an unlock for the F-14A.

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is a direct sequel to Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown which released all the way back in 2019. This time out, you’re a fighter pilot, adrift at sea in a rescue boat until the outdated aircraft carrier, Endurance, pulls you aboard. The ageing vessel, its decks crowded with refugees, has already retreated far from the front lines.

On this ship, you’re given a new name: “Wings of Theve”. A legendary ace, a symbol of hope, a name tied to Theve, the FCU capital. But, as it turns out, that legend was a lie; it was just a story made to keep morale alive. Now, you must carry that name and take to the skies with three new comrades at your side, fighting to reclaim your lost homeland.

Ace Combat 7 earned a hefty 9/10 when it launched, where I said, “In Ace Combat 7, dogfighting games have a new Top Gun. The VR sadly turned my stomach, but the series’ trademark action is bigger and better than ever, with the spectacular weather effects introducing a level of realism and drama that will win over any wannabe Mavericks.”

I definitely can’t wait to check out some more aerial combat, and I’ll certainly try to remember more of the story this time out, with the new first-person cutscenes looking like they’ll put you right at the centre of the action.

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If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if Jet Set Radio and a tactical RPG had a child, Canvas City might be the answer.

Announced during The MIX Summer Games Showcase, the upcoming title from Disc 2 Games drops you into a city where creativity has been suppressed. Public art is banned, music is restricted, and expression itself has become an act of rebellion.

You lead the Fire Starters, a group of skaters, artists, musicians, and dancers who fight back not through violence, but through style. Battles play out on tactical maps where movement is just as important as strategy.

Pulling off tricks, skating through urban environments, and tagging territory all contribute to building powerful abilities that can turn the tide of a mission.

The game promises more than 80 abilities, a roster of recruitable characters, crew customization, and a story centered around reclaiming a city that has lost its identity.

A demo is expected soon, while the full game is currently planned for Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam.

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Video games should investigate dabbling in product placement as heavily as some movies do, just in case it can help provide an alternative to live-service monetisation via microtransactions, former Dragon Age director has suggested. Yes! Yes, I say, because every single game should follow 007 First Light’s lead and force you to choose between seven different colour variants of the same branded timepiece.

I’m serious, this is what the industry needs. The time is now. Everyone must pick a watch!

“Is there an opportunity for games to take a step back and think about different ways that we could make money? I think there is,” Darrah said in a YouTube video discussing the topic. “Product placement is a very small part of video games right now compared to movies and television. Maybe it could be a larger part of development. Maybe there are relationships there to be formed.

“Maybe we need to change the way that games go into subscription services. Maybe it’s not forever. Maybe they go in for a while and then they leave the same way that movies leave Netflix. I think that the overreliance on microtransactions is overemphasising certain genres and preventing other genres from flourishing.”

As much as I reflexively reel at the example Darrah provides of a film which covered a huge amount of its costs via product placements and/or brand partnerships, The Smurfs 2, he’s making a salient point. If it’ll help make single player games like 007 more economically viable and isn’t too jarring, dipping more into branding might not be the worst thing in the world. Provided it fits and isn’t just being used to boost already gaudy profit margins and executive paychecks. Sadly, I fear that last bit is exactly what it’d be used for.

Wait a minute, what am I saying? I’m supposed to be arguing in favour of branded watches for everyone here. A swanky wrist ticker for Morrigan. A space age time-telling gadget for Commander Shepard. Go all out. Give the protagonist of Far Cry Primal a crude little stone sundial strapped to their arm with animal skins.

All of them available in a variety of stylish hues designed to suggest you’re a marginally different sort of person. None of them offering any tangible gameplay advantages. It’s the only way to save the video games from live-service oblivion. Speaking of which, get over here Hero of Kvatch, I’ve got a Rolex here to go with your Imperial dragon armour.

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