Marvel's Avengers showed off its War for Wakanda expansion, featuring the addition of Black Panther as a playable character, this August 2021.

Revealed during the Square Enix conference at E3 2021, we saw a trailer for the Wakanda-themed expansion, showing off much of the story, as well as a good look at T'Challa himself, and villain Ulysses Klaue.

We also saw mention of a Cosmic Cube update, which adds a new mission in which the Avengers take on the Scientist Supreme, and another update that will add a new Patrol mode, featuring randomized, replayable boss fights.

Our review of Marvel's Avengers at launch was lukewarm on the game largely because of its repetitive, unrewarding post-game content. Major additions like this may help to spice up for those looking for new experiences in the game.

Marvel's Avengers showed off its War for Wakanda expansion, featuring the addition of Black Panther as a playable character, this August 2021.

Revealed during the Square Enix conference at E3 2021, we saw a trailer for the Wakanda-themed expansion, showing off much of the story, as well as a good look at T'Challa himself, and villain Ulysses Klaue.

We also saw mention of a Cosmic Cube update, which adds a new mission in which the Avengers take on the Scientist Supreme, and another update that will add a new Patrol mode, featuring randomized, replayable boss fights.

Our review of Marvel's Avengers at launch was lukewarm on the game largely because of its repetitive, unrewarding post-game content. Major additions like this may help to spice up for those looking for new experiences in the game.

Final Fantasy VII Remake's tone often slides between light, funny moments and dark, tragic drama. But from the first moments of Intermission, the DLC mission added to the game with its Intergrade PlayStation 5 upgrade, it's clear this new episode is mostly a comedy. In jumps Yuffie, one of the original game's optional characters, and immediately her dangerous espionage mission to infiltrate the evil Shinra Corporation in Midgar is played like a kid goofing off. It's a vibe that really works for the DLC, trading on the fact that Remake continues to be great about establishing fun, eccentric characters.

Taking place in the middle of Remake's story, during the portion in which Cloud is separated from his compatriots, it follows Yuffie as she embarks on a mission to steal a secret Shinra weapon on behalf of her homeland, Wutai. Though the mission is dangerous, Yuffie approaches it with all the seriousness of a kid playing pretend--even though she's on her way to first meet with Midgar's Shinra resistance movement, Avalanche, and then sneak into the headquarters of a company that recently concluded a full-scale war with her home.

The trouble with Intermission is that this side story doesn't feel essential to anything going on. Sure, the DLC is providing context and backstory for a character that fans of the original Final Fantasy VII know will show up later in the story, but Yuffie's mission is largely about her wandering around areas we've already seen, floating past but barely interacting with Remake's cast, and taking part in minigames to waste some time. Yuffie's a fun character to spend time with, even if you don't have history with her from the first iteration of Final Fantasy VII, but it all comes off as a tease for something better down the road in FF7 Remake's next installment. And after the remarkably deep and excellently realized version of the story that is Remake, Intermission feels like exactly that: a half-measure to fill time while we wait for the real show.

Final Fantasy VII Remake's tone often slides between light, funny moments and dark, tragic drama. But from the first moments of Intermission, the DLC mission added to the game with its Intergrade PlayStation 5 upgrade, it's clear this new episode is mostly a comedy. In jumps Yuffie, one of the original game's optional characters, and immediately her dangerous espionage mission to infiltrate the evil Shinra Corporation in Midgar is played like a kid goofing off. It's a vibe that really works for the DLC, trading on the fact that Remake continues to be great about establishing fun, eccentric characters.

Taking place in the middle of Remake's story, during the portion in which Cloud is separated from his compatriots, it follows Yuffie as she embarks on a mission to steal a secret Shinra weapon on behalf of her homeland, Wutai. Though the mission is dangerous, Yuffie approaches it with all the seriousness of a kid playing pretend--even though she's on her way to first meet with Midgar's Shinra resistance movement, Avalanche, and then sneak into the headquarters of a company that recently concluded a full-scale war with her home.

The trouble with Intermission is that this side story doesn't feel essential to anything going on. Sure, the DLC is providing context and backstory for a character that fans of the original Final Fantasy VII know will show up later in the story, but Yuffie's mission is largely about her wandering around areas we've already seen, floating past but barely interacting with Remake's cast, and taking part in minigames to waste some time. Yuffie's a fun character to spend time with, even if you don't have history with her from the first iteration of Final Fantasy VII, but it all comes off as a tease for something better down the road in FF7 Remake's next installment. And after the remarkably deep and excellently realized version of the story that is Remake, Intermission feels like exactly that: a half-measure to fill time while we wait for the real show.

Guilty Gear Strive is, like so many of its predecessors, the pinnacle of a certain kind of fighting game. The series, known for its highly technical (read: complicated) set of systems, rewards players for investing time to master both its universal systems and the nuances of its individual characters in a way that few other series have. Strive maintains that tradition and throws in a couple new ideas that bolster its bold anime-inspired flash without making the game any harder to learn. While the core fighting experience has only improved, many of the game's less savory tendencies remain in place, including its non-playable story "mode" and yet another set of kludgy Arc System Works-style avatar-based matchmaking menus. As in most fighting games, those problems are secondary: Players, particularly veterans, who want to put in work will find Guilty Gear Strive to be a wild time.

If you're counting, Strive is the eighth primary entry in the Guilty Gear franchise, so its fighting style is something of a known quantity. Strive retains many of the nuances of recent entries in the series. There's the tension gauge, a special meter that increases when you attack or move towards your opponent and fills more slowly when you play defense. There's faultless defense, a strategic extra block that trades tension to prevent chip damage and help you get some distance from an opponent. For a newcomer or casual player, Strive will feel just like a Street Fighter-style fighting game. Most special moves feature quarter-circles and charge motions, and thus may feel familiar at a glance, but there are many, many small nuances for you to learn in order to get the most out of its particular mechanics.

There are two major changes that longtime players will need to adjust to. Strive removes the "Gatling system," a sort of hierarchy for canceling attacks to sustain combos, and changes the series' signature "Roman Cancel" system, which allows you to trade half of the tension meter to cut short the animation before or after an attack to more quickly recover. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not yet an expert on how to use these mechanics to great effect, but it seems that the combination of these two leads to more back-and-forth with shorter combos. I found that most of my fights, even against players way beyond my skill level, kept to a rapid tempo filled with short organic combos--flurries of light attacks anchored by a heavy or special. In theory, the Roman Cancel opens the door for high-level players to unlock longer strings with a precisely timed maneuver that keeps a combo from ending.

Guilty Gear Strive is, like so many of its predecessors, the pinnacle of a certain kind of fighting game. The series, known for its highly technical (read: complicated) set of systems, rewards players for investing time to master both its universal systems and the nuances of its individual characters in a way that few other series have. Strive maintains that tradition and throws in a couple new ideas that bolster its bold anime-inspired flash without making the game any harder to learn. While the core fighting experience has only improved, many of the game's less savory tendencies remain in place, including its non-playable story "mode" and yet another set of kludgy Arc System Works-style avatar-based matchmaking menus. As in most fighting games, those problems are secondary: Players, particularly veterans, who want to put in work will find Guilty Gear Strive to be a wild time.

If you're counting, Strive is the eighth primary entry in the Guilty Gear franchise, so its fighting style is something of a known quantity. Strive retains many of the nuances of recent entries in the series. There's the tension gauge, a special meter that increases when you attack or move towards your opponent and fills more slowly when you play defense. There's faultless defense, a strategic extra block that trades tension to prevent chip damage and help you get some distance from an opponent. For a newcomer or casual player, Strive will feel just like a Street Fighter-style fighting game. Most special moves feature quarter-circles and charge motions, and thus may feel familiar at a glance, but there are many, many small nuances for you to learn in order to get the most out of its particular mechanics.

There are two major changes that longtime players will need to adjust to. Strive removes the "Gatling system," a sort of hierarchy for canceling attacks to sustain combos, and changes the series' signature "Roman Cancel" system, which allows you to trade half of the tension meter to cut short the animation before or after an attack to more quickly recover. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not yet an expert on how to use these mechanics to great effect, but it seems that the combination of these two leads to more back-and-forth with shorter combos. I found that most of my fights, even against players way beyond my skill level, kept to a rapid tempo filled with short organic combos--flurries of light attacks anchored by a heavy or special. In theory, the Roman Cancel opens the door for high-level players to unlock longer strings with a precisely timed maneuver that keeps a combo from ending.

Netflix has unveiled the cast for its live-action Resident Evil show. 

Been dying to announce this. Get ready to enter New Raccoon City with the cast of RESIDENT EVIL: LANCE REDDICK / ELLA BALINSKA / TAMARA SMART / SIENA AGUDONG / ADELINE RUDOLPH / PAOLA NUNEZ. #GeekedWeek pic.twitter.com/ULKEFuYdAr

— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) June 11, 2021

Additionally, there is a reboot of the live-action Resident Evil films, with the first film, Welcome to Raccoon City slated to release on November 24th.

Ella Balinska, Tamara Smart, Siena Agudong, Adeline Rudolph, Paola Núñez, and Lance Reddick as Albert Wesker, who was introduced in the first Resident Evil game as the main antagonist and captain of the S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team.

Resident Evil’s live-action series is described as being set “nearly three decades after the discovery of the T-virus, an outbreak reveals the Umbrella Corporation’s dark secrets,” according to an official logline from Netflix.  

This is the second TV series Netflix is working on that is based on the popular zombie gaming series. Netflix also has a CG animated series, Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, which will premiere on its service on July 8th and includes the actors that played Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy in the Resident Evil 2 Remake reprising their roles in the series.

For more on Netflix Geeked Week, check out roundups of everything announced on each day below.

• Netflix Geeked Week Day 1 announcements

• Netflix Geeked Week Day 2 announcements

• Netflix Geeked Week Day 3 announcements

• Netflix Geeked Week Day 4 announcements

• Netflix Geeked Week Day 5 announcements

And if you’re enjoying Summer Game Fest, make sure to check out the E3 2021 schedule and everything else planned for IGN’s Summer of Gaming.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Netflix has unveiled the cast for its live-action Resident Evil show. 

Been dying to announce this. Get ready to enter New Raccoon City with the cast of RESIDENT EVIL: LANCE REDDICK / ELLA BALINSKA / TAMARA SMART / SIENA AGUDONG / ADELINE RUDOLPH / PAOLA NUNEZ. #GeekedWeek pic.twitter.com/ULKEFuYdAr

— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) June 11, 2021

Additionally, there is a reboot of the live-action Resident Evil films, with the first film, Welcome to Raccoon City slated to release on November 24th.

Ella Balinska, Tamara Smart, Siena Agudong, Adeline Rudolph, Paola Núñez, and Lance Reddick as Albert Wesker, who was introduced in the first Resident Evil game as the main antagonist and captain of the S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team.

Resident Evil’s live-action series is described as being set “nearly three decades after the discovery of the T-virus, an outbreak reveals the Umbrella Corporation’s dark secrets,” according to an official logline from Netflix.  

This is the second TV series Netflix is working on that is based on the popular zombie gaming series. Netflix also has a CG animated series, Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, which will premiere on its service on July 8th and includes the actors that played Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy in the Resident Evil 2 Remake reprising their roles in the series.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Netflix shared a first look at the second season of Netflix's The Witcher during the final day of Geeked Week.

Lost in the woods no more. Meet Ciri in #TheWitcher Season 2. #GeekedWeek pic.twitter.com/zIweEHxtYw

— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) June 11, 2021

Season 2 of The Witcher will pick up with Geralt taking Princess Cirilla to his childhood home of Kaer Morhen, where he will task himself with protecting Ciri from the mysterious power she possesses within while the Continent's kings, elves, humans, and demons strive for supremacy outside the walls of the castle, located within the Kingdom of Kaedwen.

Filming for season 2 wrapped up in April after production for more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ahead of the second season, the show announced new cast additions for the upcoming season, including Chris Ulton (Bridgerton) in the role of Rience, who is a major antagonist in the Witcher books, which the show is based on.

Alongside the live-action Witcher show, Netflix is also working on The Witcher: Blood Origin, a six-part spin-off prequel set 1,200 years before Geralt of Rivia roamed the fictional land, in addition to The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, which is an anime film focusing on Geralt's close friend and mentor, Vesemir.

The second season of The Witcher has yet to receive a release date.

For more on Netflix Geeked Week, check out roundups of everything announced on each day below.

• Netflix Geeked Week Day 1 announcements

• Netflix Geeked Week Day 2 announcements

• Netflix Geeked Week Day 3 announcements

• Netflix Geeked Week Day 4 announcements

• Netflix Geeked Week Day 5 announcements

And if you’re enjoying Summer Game Fest, make sure to check out the E3 2021 schedule and everything else planned for IGN’s Summer of Gaming.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Netflix shared a first look at the second season of Netflix's The Witcher during the final day of Geeked Week.

Lost in the woods no more. Meet Ciri in #TheWitcher Season 2. #GeekedWeek pic.twitter.com/zIweEHxtYw

— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) June 11, 2021

Season 2 of The Witcher will pick up with Geralt taking Princess Cirilla to his childhood home of Kaer Morhen, where he will task himself with protecting Ciri from the mysterious power she possesses within while the Continent's kings, elves, humans, and demons strive for supremacy outside the walls of the castle, located within the Kingdom of Kaedwen.

Filming for season 2 wrapped up in April after production for more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ahead of the second season, the show announced new cast additions for the upcoming season, including Chris Ulton (Bridgerton) in the role of Rience, who is a major antagonist in the Witcher books, which the show is based on.

Alongside the live-action Witcher show, Netflix is also working on The Witcher: Blood Origin, a six-part spin-off prequel set 1,200 years before Geralt of Rivia roamed the fictional land, in addition to The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, which is an anime film focusing on Geralt's close friend and mentor, Vesemir.

The second season of The Witcher has yet to receive a release date.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.