We’re rapidly racing towards the holidays (I know it’s only August, but in the video game world, “Fall” starts in earnest in August), and that means we’ve got a ton of big games coming our way over the next few months. Most of them aren’t named Grand Theft Auto 6, even! And so we thought we’d start a new weekly roundup of game preview coverage on IGN in case you missed anything over the course of the week. Some heavy hitters stepped up to the plate this week: Marvel’s Wolverine, Star Wars: Zero Company, Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, and Job Simulator: Human Relations. Be sure to click through for the full previews of each game below, and buckle up – it’s going to be one heck of a sprint to 2026’s finish line in the video game world!
Marvel’s Wolverine
Key Preview Takeaways:
- Combat is as violent as you’d want from Wolverine, with a cleverly implemented Rage Meter, but it doesn’t have the same ability to personalize your attacks as Spider-Man.
- The story is intriguing, offering up a pre-X-Men Logan working alongside a couple of mutants we tend to know as foes.
- The non-combat Lowtown area allows for a welcome change-of-pace and chance for character development. We hope the full game has more of these kinds of “exhale” moments.
If Insomniac has proved anything over the last eight years, it’s that they know how to make a hell of a superhero game. Spider-Man remains one of the PlayStation 4’s defining action games and a shining example of open-world design, as are both of its follow-ups. Now they’re looking to replicate that magic with Wolverine, albeit this time as a traditional linear AAA action game. I got to play about two and half hours at a recent preview event, and while my impressions are mostly glowingly positive, I did come away with a few questions and concerns.
Check out our full Wolverine preview for more.
Star Wars: Zero Company
Key Preview Takeaways:
- It’s got plenty of depth, but is also easy to pick up and play for Star Wars fans who aren’t (yet) tactics game veterans.
- Permadeath is optional in Zero Company, but we plan to leave it turned on, as it adds a whole lot more weight and consequences to your actions and strategic choices.
- We saw some bugs and technical issues, and with the release date fast approaching at the end of the month, the developers have precious little time to iron them out before launch. Hopefully they do!
As a kid, one of my favourite moments in The Empire Strikes Back was when Han Solo and Chewbacca got the drop on an Imperial probe droid on Hoth by flanking it on either side and blasting it to bits, so you can imagine I was pretty stoked when Star Wars Zero Company allowed me to pull off plenty of ice cold combat manoeuvres just like it during the first 10 hours of its campaign. When it was first revealed last year I assumed this turn-based tactics adventure would only appeal to hardcore fans of the genre, that it was merely XCOM with X-Wings, perhaps. However, after getting hands-on with a near-finished build, I’m happy to report that Zero Company’s strategic shooting seems extremely approachable for newcomers without sacrificing any of the complexity that more experienced fans might expect. It’s a bit like a Sarlacc pit: very easy to drop into, but you might be surprised at just how deep it gets.
Check out our full Star Wars: Zero Company preview for more.
Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave
Key Preview Takeaways:
- Fortune’s Weave clearly attempts to front-load more of its individual heroes’ stories, and we applaud it.
- The new Blaze Arts moves offer a fun risk/reward system in combat.
- While you can now hop between story paths, the save-game system might annoy players looking to see everything the new Fire Emblem has to offer.
After seven years, Fire Emblem is finally returning to the world introduced in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. There’s a lot of similarities to be found in the structure of Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, but there are also plenty of ways that developer Intelligent Systems is building out the features that defined Three Houses in some pretty exciting ways. Even though I was only able to get just a few chapters in with each of the main heroes, I’ve already found several new additions I’m very fond of… and maybe one that I’m not as high on.
Check out our full Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave preview for more.
Job Simulator: Human Relations
Key Preview Takeaways:
- No more VR needed, thank goodness!
- The multiplayer office shenanigans are as wild and funny as ever.
- It remains to be seen how much variety and replayability the full game has.
It was with plenty of excitement that I sat down recently to play Job Simulator: Human Relations, a non-VR version of the popular comedic multiplayer workplace sim that is played on a regular ol’ flat-screen monitor. Although ironically, your character is an anthropomorphized CRT monitor, walking around each floor of the company office building and trying to manage the increasingly more insane things happening around you.
Check out our full Job Simulator: Human Relations preview for more.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, and a co-host of Next-Gen Console Watch. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.
