Video game studios and publishers across the globe have been celebrating, announcing and showing off all their hard work this week – and its not over yet.

Summer Games Fest on Friday saw announcements from PlayStation, Activision, Warner Brothers, just to name a few. We also had an exciting showcase from indie publisher Devolver Digital.

Highlights include The Last of Us remake, The Plucky Squire, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and The Callisto Protocol.

Here's all the big announcements from Summer Games Fest 2022:

SUMMER GAMES FEST

The Last of Us (remake)

No, it's not a remaster! The Last of Us is being completely remade for PlayStation 5 and PC. The full-game, as well as the Left Behind DLC is releasing on September 2 this year.

As well as the remake, the game's director Neil Druckmann confirmed a standalone multiplayer game is on the way, highlighting a single concept image during the showcase.

We also heard new detail about the upcoming HBO series starring Pedro Pascal as Joel, and Bella Ramsay as Ellie.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare II

Gamers have had their first proper look at the next game in the Call of Duty franchise with new detail and an extended gameplay clip shown at Summer Games Fest on Friday.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare II is coming to consoles and PC on October 28.

READ MORE: Gamers get first-look at new Call of Duty game: Modern Warfare II

The Callisto Protocol

Originally announced in 2020, The Callisto Protocol is an upcoming third-person survival horror game by the creators of Dead Space. It's one of the most anticipated games on the list today. During the showcase we saw an extended gameplay trailer, outlining some of the horrors at hand.

Described as a spiritual successor to Dead Space, The Callisto Protocol is coming to PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC on December 2 this year.

Saints Row

Saints Row's "Boss Factory" is available to download free now.

This standalone demo showcases Saints Row's upcoming character creation. Development studio Volition is "removing all boundaries" to enable the player to create whoever they want.

Saints Row will launch on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and 5 and PC on August 23.

Gotham Knights

New gameplay was shown for the highly anticipated Gotham Knights video game by WB Games Montréal.

It is an upcoming action role-playing game that sees you take control of the likes of Robin, Batgirl, Nightwing and Red Hood.

Gotham Knights is coming to Xbox, PlayStation and PC on October 25.

Fort Solis

Fort Solis is a new story-rich sci-fi horror game set on Mars starring Troy Baker (The Last of Us) and Roger Clark (Red Dead Redemption).

No release date locked in for this one yet.

Warhammer 40k: Darktide

This upcoming first-person action game is set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe and is being developed video game studio Fatshark.

Darktide is coming exclusively to Xbox Series X/S and PC on 13 September 2022.

Witchfire

Like Doom, but with added magic. Witchfire is a fast-paced, FPS, rogue-lite developed by The Astronauts (Bulletstorm).

Witchfire will be available via early access on PC soon, it's full release date is to be announced.

Aliens: Dark Descent

Another Aliens game? It's one of the most successful sci-fi film franchises ever, so it only makes sense to milk it as much as possible. Coming in 2023, Aliens Dark Descent looks to be a top-down squad shooter, not too dissimilar to Aliens: Fireteam Elite.

Fireteam Elite was released last year, so it'll be interesting to see how Aliens: Dark Descent compares.

Goat Simulator 3

Who needs Goat Simulator 2 when you can go straight to number three.

The sequel to the obnoxious, senseless, sandbox goat simulator was confirmed at Summer Games Fest. It's expected to be released on PC later this year.

Marvel's Midnight Suns

After an initial delay, we're finally getting Marvel's Midnight Suns. This long-awaited game by Firaxis Games (Civilization, XCOM) is an all-new tactical RPG set in the darker side of the Marvel Universe.

Marvel's Midnight Suns is launching on October 7 this year. The Nintendo Switch version is yet to receive a release date.

Other Summer Games Fest announcements:

• Soul Hackers 2, releasing on August 26 for PlayStation, Xbox and PC.
• Honkai Star Rail, new trailer shown.
• Street Fighter 6, character Guile confirmed for release in 2023.
• Zenless Zone Zero, new gameplay shown.
• One Piece: Odyssey, new story and gameplay trailer.
• Outriders: Worldslayer, new trailer.
• Flashback 2, announced and confirmed release for later this year.
• TMNT: Shredder's Revenge, releasing June 16 on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC.
• Midnight Fight Express, releasing August 23 with a PC demo available now.
• Routine, new trailer shown.
• Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course, new DLC releasing on June 30.
• Metal Hellsinger, releasing September 15 with a PC demo available now.
• Neon White, releasing June 16 on Nintendo Switch.
• Highwater, releasing December this year.
• American Arcadia, first announcement and trailer shown.
• Stormgate, cinematic trailer show – more details coming next week.
• Xenoblade Chronicles 3, new trailer shown by Nintendo.

DEVOLVER DIGITAL SHOWCASE

Indie publisher Devolver Digital has one of the biggest showcases of the day, highlighting half-a-dozen new titles and updates coming from smaller gaming studios.

The Plucky Squire

This game was an absolute standout, one of the best looking games shown across the entire Summer Games Fest.

This upcoming game by All Possible Futures, an Aussie studio, sees a book come to life in a Toy Story-esque world.

We can't wait for this one! The Plucky Squire is coming to Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and PC next year.

Anger Foot

Smashing down doors and baddies! Anger Foot is a fast-paced action FPS in development by Free Lives (Gorn, Broforce).

Anger Foot is coming to PC next year, there's a demo available now on Steam.

Cult of the Lamb

Another fantastic Aussie-made game on the list, Cult of the Lamb. Announced last year, we finally have a release date.

Victorian gaming studio Massive Monster has confirmed the game is coming to Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and MAC on August 11.

Skate Story

Skate Story sees you take control of a demon skateboarder made entirely of glass – which sounds like an absolute disaster waiting to happen (if this was real-life).

"Skate fast to destroy demons and save other tortured souls on your journey from a fragile beginner to a hardened skater."

Skate Story is coming to PC in 2023.

More gaming news is to come from Xbox and Bethesda on Monday morning.

A major search operation is underway in Wollongong this afternoon after reports a paraglider crash landed offshore.

Emergency services were called to Woonona Beach at 2pm, however, despite searches conducted on foot, sea and air so far nobody has been found.

https://twitter.com/nswpolice/status/1535491470169640961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

NSW Police say no further information is available at this stage.

The news comes just months after a similar incident, also in Wollongong.

In December, a man crashed into a tree and became suspended above the ground near Stanwell Tops, resulting in multiple rescue resources having to be deployed to rescue him.

Search teams in Brazil found what appear to be human remains near the area where British journalist Dom Phillips and Indigenous affairs expert Bruno Pereira were headed before they went missing, police said on Friday.

"Organic material" that is "apparently human" was discovered in the river close to the Atalaia do Norte Port, located on the border of the remote Javari Valley in the far western part of Amazonas state, according to a statement from Brazil's Federal Police.

Police said that they collected genetic material from both Pereira and Phillips for comparative analysis.

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The pair were first reported missing Sunday in the Javari Valley and had allegedly received death threats just days prior.

Phillips and Pereira were conducting research for a book project on conservation efforts in the region, which authorities have described as "complicated" and "dangerous."

The area has come under increased threat from illegal miners, loggers, hunters and international drug traffickers exploiting its vast network of rivers.

On Thursday, federal police said that blood had been found in a boat owned by a suspect in the disappearance. The suspect, who was arrested after being found in possession of "a lot of drugs" and ammunition, was arrested Wednesday and remains in custody, authorities said.

Materials collected from the boat have been sent to the Amazonas state capital for forensic analysis.

Five other people have also been questioned in connection to the missing pair, according to police.

The Federal Police's Crisis Committee said it has been conducting "river search and aerial reconnaissance" over the last 24 hours in Rio Itaquaí.

Two men are due to appear in a Christchurch court on Monday after a man was shot in the face last Monday afternoon. Police say the pair would face charges of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and unlawful possession…

Police have charged another four people over a Sydney 'dial-a-dealer' drug ring, after house raids uncovered more than $80,000 worth of cash and drugs.

Search warrants at homes in Croydon, Yagoona, Punchbowl and Arncliffe saw police seize 300 plastic resealable bags containing cocaine with an estimated street value of about $90,000.

About 336g of cannabis, two vehicles and several mobile phones were also found at the properties.

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Two men – aged 31 and 43 – were arrested yesterday at a service station in Merrylands, before a 28-year-old man was arrested in Bankstown.

A 37-year-old woman was also later arrested in Greenacre.

They were each refused bail to appear at Parramatta Bail Court.

A man has been tracked down and charged after allegedly assaulting a barista in Western Sydney on Thursday.

CCTV has shown the moment Suman Dhital, 27, was serving a 31-year-old man at a Rosehill cafe, before the man became aggressive and threw two coffees at him from across from the counter.

A shaken Dhital told 9News he was verbally abused before he was doused in hot coffee.

Watch the footage in the video above.

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"I was trying to make a good day with a coffee, but he was abusing me and swearing at me," Dhital said.

Lily Semaan, the owner of the cafe, said the man had insisted to pay for a young woman's coffee and she refused.

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"Our staff member was respecting the young lady's wishes because of that he was harassed, sworn at and abused," she said.

"He grabbed the two coffees and aggressively threw them at him."

Dhital was left with burns to his face and hands.

The 31-year-old has been charged with common assault and is due to appear at Parramatta Local Court in July.

A man has tried to charge his angry neighbours a fee for chopping down trees they only gave him permission to trim.The man, identified as HL, told a recent Disputes Tribunal hearing he was entitled to an $815 payment for the time…

Sections of Auckland’s motorway network are moving at snail’s pace after two crashes this afternoon. In the latest crash, a left-bound lane heading northbound over Auckland’s Harbour Bridge is blocked after Curran St and queues…

Test your brains with the Herald’s afternoon quiz. Be sure to check back on nzherald.co.nz for the morning quiz tomorrow. To challenge yourself with more quizzes, CLICK HERE.

ANALYSIS: Reading Russian President Vladimir Putin's mind is rarely a straightforward task, but on occasion the Kremlin leader makes it easy.

Such was the case on Thursday, when Putin met with a group of young Russian entrepreneurs. Anyone looking for clues as to what Putin's endgame for Ukraine might be should read the transcript, helpfully released here in English.

Putin's words speak for themselves: What he is aiming for in Ukraine is the restoration of Russia as an imperial power.

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Many observers quickly picked up on one of Putin's more provocative lines, in which he compared himself to Peter the Great, Russia's modernising tsar and the founder of St Petersburg – Putin's own birthplace – who came to power in the late 17th century.

"Peter the Great waged the Great Northern War for 21 years," a relaxed and apparently self-satisfied Putin said. "On the face of it, he was at war with Sweden taking something away from it… He was not taking away anything, he was returning. This is how it was."

It didn't matter that European countries didn't recognise Peter the Great's seizure of territory by force, Putin added.

"When he founded the new capital, none of the European countries recognised this territory as part of Russia; everyone recognised it as part of Sweden," Putin said. "However, from time immemorial, the Slavs lived there along with the Finno-Ugric peoples, and this territory was under Russia's control. The same is true of the western direction, Narva and his first campaigns. Why would he go there? He was returning and reinforcing, that is what he was doing."

Alluding directly to his own invasion of Ukraine, Putin added: "Clearly, it fell to our lot to return and reinforce as well."

Those remarks were swiftly condemned by Ukrainians, who saw them as a naked admission of Putin's imperial ambitions.

"Putin's confession of land seizures and comparing himself with Peter the Great prove: there was no 'conflict,' only the country's bloody seizure under contrived pretexts of people's genocide," Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter. "We should not talk about 'saving [Russia's] face,' but about its immediate de-imperialisation."

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There's a lot to unpack here, in terms of both history and current affairs. Podolyak was alluding to talk in international capitals about offering Putin a face-saving way to de-escalate or halt the fighting in Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron has led that charge, saying last weekend that the world "must not humiliate Russia" in the search for a diplomatic resolution.

Those arguments may have seemed more reasonable before February 24. In the run-up to the invasion, Putin laid out a series of grievances to make the case for war, from NATO's eastward expansion to Western delivery of military assistance to Ukraine.

But read the transcript of Putin's remarks on Thursday more closely, and the facade of rational geopolitical bargaining falls away.

"In order to claim some kind of leadership – I am not even talking about global leadership, I mean leadership in any area – any country, any people, any ethnic group should ensure their sovereignty," Putin said. "Because there is no in-between, no intermediate state: either a country is sovereign, or it is a colony, no matter what the colonies are called."

In other words, there are two categories of state: The sovereign and the conquered. In Putin's imperial view, Ukraine should fall into the latter category.

Putin has long argued that Ukrainians do not have a legitimate national identity and that their state is, essentially, a puppet of the West. In other words, he thinks Ukrainians have no agency and are a subject people.

By summoning the memory of Peter the Great, it also becomes clear that Putin's aims are driven by some sense of historical destiny. And Putin's project of imperial restoration could – in theory – extend to other territories that once belonged to the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union, something that should raise alarms in all the countries that emerged from the collapse of the USSR.

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Earlier this week, a deputy from the pro-Kremlin United Russia party submitted a draft law to the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, abolishing a Soviet resolution recognising the independence of Lithuania. Lithuania may now be a NATO member and part of the European Union, but in Putin's Russia, that kind of neo-colonial posturing is the surest display of loyalty to the president.

And that does not bode well for Russia's future. If there is no reckoning with Russia's imperial past – whether in Soviet or tsarist guise – there is less chance that a Russia without Putin would abandon a pattern of subjugating its neighbours, or become a more democratic state.

Former US national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski famously asserted that Russia could only part ways with its imperial habits if it were willing to surrender its claims to Ukraine.

"It cannot be stressed strongly enough that without Ukraine, Russia ceases to be an empire, but with Ukraine suborned and then subordinated, Russia automatically becomes an empire," he wrote in 1994.

Putin, however, is counting on something of the opposite: For Russia to survive, he argues, it must remain an empire, regardless of the human cost.