Fortnite Season 6 Week 12 Challenges

Fortnite Week 12 is nearly here which means the Week 12 challenges are also just around the corner. Week 12, the final week of Season 6, is set to go live on Thursday, June 3 at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET. With it will come another full slate of Epic Quests and Legendary Quests for players to chase. As usual, they've leaked ahead of time. If you still need to hit Battle Pass tier 100--or 220 for the enlightened skins--these challenges will provide massive XP boosts to get you across the finish line. Here's the full list of Week 12 challenges.

Fortnite Week 12 Challenges

Epic Quests

• Visit the Zero Point (1) - 24,000 XP
• Craft pistols (3) - 24,000 XP
• Defeat a spire guardian (1) - 24,000 XP
• Hunt predators (3) - 24,000 XP
• Tame boars outside of Colossal Crops (1) - 24,000 XP
• Chicken Glide at Colossal Crops (1) - 24,000 XP
• Raid an artifact from Stealthy Stronghold and from Coral Castle (2) - 24,000 XP

Legendary Quests

• Spend Gold Bars (150) - 35,000 XP
• Spend Gold Bars (300) - 24,000 XP
• Spend Gold Bars (450) - 24,000 XP
• Spend Gold Bars (600) - 24,000 XP
• Spend Gold Bars (750) - 24,000 XP

Spend your Gold Bars before the end of the season. They don't carry over!

The Legendary Quest seems easy, as 750 Gold Bars is the price of roughly any two Mythic weapons, like the Marksman Six Shooter or the Grappler Bow. It should be even easier this week since the final Wild Weeks event of Season 6 is rumored to make collecting bars even faster. If you're looking to visit the Zero Point, it's the glowing metal orb at the top of The Spire, located in the very center of the map. You may recall The Foundation is currently trapped inside.

Crafting pistols is something you've been doing all season, most likely, but follow our weapon crafting guide if you're stuck. The Spire Guardians are located at any of the six mini-spires. One resides at each of the extremities of the orange parts of the map. They put up a good fight, so be careful and maybe bring a friend or three. Hunting predators (wolves and raptors), taming boar, and performing a chicken glide are all neatly addressed in our Fortnite Season 6 animal guide.

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Fortnite Season 6 Week 12 Challenges

Fortnite Week 12 is nearly here which means the Week 12 challenges are also just around the corner. Week 12, the final week of Season 6, is set to go live on Thursday, June 3 at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET. With it will come another full slate of Epic Quests and Legendary Quests for players to chase. As usual, they've leaked ahead of time. If you still need to hit Battle Pass tier 100--or 220 for the enlightened skins--these challenges will provide massive XP boosts to get you across the finish line. Here's the full list of Week 12 challenges.

Fortnite Week 12 Challenges

Epic Quests

• Visit the Zero Point (1) - 24,000 XP
• Craft pistols (3) - 24,000 XP
• Defeat a spire guardian (1) - 24,000 XP
• Hunt predators (3) - 24,000 XP
• Tame boars outside of Colossal Crops (1) - 24,000 XP
• Chicken Glide at Colossal Crops (1) - 24,000 XP
• Raid an artifact from Stealthy Stronghold and from Coral Castle (2) - 24,000 XP

Legendary Quests

• Spend Gold Bars (150) - 35,000 XP
• Spend Gold Bars (300) - 24,000 XP
• Spend Gold Bars (450) - 24,000 XP
• Spend Gold Bars (600) - 24,000 XP
• Spend Gold Bars (750) - 24,000 XP

Spend your Gold Bars before the end of the season. They don't carry over!

The Legendary Quest seems easy, as 750 Gold Bars is the price of roughly any two Mythic weapons, like the Marksman Six Shooter or the Grappler Bow. It should be even easier this week since the final Wild Weeks event of Season 6 is rumored to make collecting bars even faster. If you're looking to visit the Zero Point, it's the glowing metal orb at the top of The Spire, located in the very center of the map. You may recall The Foundation is currently trapped inside.

Crafting pistols is something you've been doing all season, most likely, but follow our weapon crafting guide if you're stuck. The Spire Guardians are located at any of the six mini-spires. One resides at each of the extremities of the orange parts of the map. They put up a good fight, so be careful and maybe bring a friend or three. Hunting predators (wolves and raptors), taming boar, and performing a chicken glide are all neatly addressed in our Fortnite Season 6 animal guide.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

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Minecraft Caves And Cliffs Part 1 Drops June 8 With New Blocks And Mobs

Both editions of Minecraft, Bedrock and Java, will get part one of the Caves & Cliffs update on June 8, developer Mojang has confirmed. The latest patch--which includes new blocks and mobs--will be available on mobile devices, Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

Three new mobs will be added with this update: the underwater creatures axolotls, the Minecraft Earth-exclusive glow squid, and goats. Though axolotls only attack Drowned, they're mostly harmless. The same goes for the glow squids. Goats, on the other hand, are the most aggressive of the three new mobs in Minecraft, headbutting players whenever possible.

That goat is just looking for some trouble.

On top of the three mobs, Caves & Cliffs brings some 91 new blocks to Minecraft. This includes amethyst, copper, and dripleaves, but Mojang said the rest "might be a bit trickier to discover." Players can switch to Creative mode to get immediate access to all of the new Minecraft content.

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Minecraft Caves And Cliffs Part 1 Drops June 8 With New Blocks And Mobs

Both editions of Minecraft, Bedrock and Java, will get part one of the Caves & Cliffs update on June 8, developer Mojang has confirmed. The latest patch--which includes new blocks and mobs--will be available on mobile devices, Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

Three new mobs will be added with this update: the underwater creatures axolotls, the Minecraft Earth-exclusive glow squid, and goats. Though axolotls only attack Drowned, they're mostly harmless. The same goes for the glow squids. Goats, on the other hand, are the most aggressive of the three new mobs in Minecraft, headbutting players whenever possible.

That goat is just looking for some trouble.

On top of the three mobs, Caves & Cliffs brings some 91 new blocks to Minecraft. This includes amethyst, copper, and dripleaves, but Mojang said the rest "might be a bit trickier to discover." Players can switch to Creative mode to get immediate access to all of the new Minecraft content.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Need For Speed Carbon, Shift, And More Getting Delisted From Digital Storefronts

Several older Need for Speed games will be removed from digital stores and have their in-game economies shuttered starting May 31, publisher EA announced. Online services for these games will cease operations in August.

Carbon, Shift, Shift 2: Unleashed, The Run, and Undercover are the Need for Speed games that are being prepared for retirement. All five games will no longer be purchasable from digital storefronts and players can't participate in their in-game economies to buy things like car parts and currencies. Online services such as leaderboards and matchmaking will stay active until August 31, at which point all five games will be relegated to strictly offline play.

Community manager Max Myrus took to the Need for Speed subreddit to deliver the news, explaining why retirement for these games has come.

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Need For Speed Carbon, Shift, And More Getting Delisted From Digital Storefronts

Several older Need for Speed games will be removed from digital stores and have their in-game economies shuttered starting May 31, publisher EA announced. Online services for these games will cease operations in August.

Carbon, Shift, Shift 2: Unleashed, The Run, and Undercover are the Need for Speed games that are being prepared for retirement. All five games will no longer be purchasable from digital storefronts and players can't participate in their in-game economies to buy things like car parts and currencies. Online services such as leaderboards and matchmaking will stay active until August 31, at which point all five games will be relegated to strictly offline play.

Community manager Max Myrus took to the Need for Speed subreddit to deliver the news, explaining why retirement for these games has come.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

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Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown Is The Franchise's Second Wind

While Sega is mostly known for the Sonic and Yakuza franchises these days, there was a time where the developer and publisher was also a fighting game powerhouse. During the 1990s, Sega launched the Virtua Fighter franchise, the first 3D fighting game that utilized the now standard polygon-based graphics and physics. The series would go on to have a dedicated following as it set the arcade scene and Sega built platforms like the Saturn and Dreamcast, carving out a fanbase that enjoyed its incredibly technical fighting mechanics. Even today, players still engage in competitive play with the previous entry, 2012's Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown, being a fixture in fan-run tournaments.

With the upcoming Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown, and its placement as a free game for PlayStation Plus members at launch on June 1, the fighting game franchise will be making a comeback in a big way. Before its release, we spent some time getting reacquainted with the game's uncompromisingly technical combat mechanics, which still manages to give way to satisfying and thrilling matches when you nail the right flow. With VF5's new look and refined combat mechanics--now running on the Dragon Engine, which powers the recent entries in the Yakuza series--Ultimate Showdown brings the franchise back in serious style. Before the reveal of Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown, we had a brief interview with chief producer Seiji Aoki about returning to Sega's original 3D fighting game series.

Editor's Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and readability.

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Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown DLC Includes OG Character Models

Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown hits PS4 (and PS5 via forward compatibility) on June 1, and with it comes an expansion pack bundling original series content like character models and background music.

The $10 Legendary Pack includes exactly what it sounds like it would. The DLC features a plethora of content from the series' past, like OG character models and various stages from 1993's Virtua Fighter and beyond. It also packages the background music and battle UI from the series' older entries.

Original series content isn't all the Legendary Pack comes with. There are also character customization items and costumes, as well as emojis and stamps that can be used in Ultimate Showdown's spectator mode.

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Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown Is The Franchise's Second Wind

While Sega is mostly known for the Sonic and Yakuza franchises these days, there was a time where the developer and publisher was also a fighting game powerhouse. During the 1990s, Sega launched the Virtua Fighter franchise, the first 3D fighting game that utilized the now standard polygon-based graphics and physics. The series would go on to have a dedicated following as it set the arcade scene and Sega built platforms like the Saturn and Dreamcast, carving out a fanbase that enjoyed its incredibly technical fighting mechanics. Even today, players still engage in competitive play with the previous entry, 2012's Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown, being a fixture in fan-run tournaments.

With the upcoming Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown, and its placement as a free game for PlayStation Plus members at launch on June 1, the fighting game franchise will be making a comeback in a big way. Before its release, we spent some time getting reacquainted with the game's uncompromisingly technical combat mechanics, which still manages to give way to satisfying and thrilling matches when you nail the right flow. With VF5's new look and refined combat mechanics--now running on the Dragon Engine, which powers the recent entries in the Yakuza series--Ultimate Showdown brings the franchise back in serious style. Before the reveal of Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown, we had a brief interview with chief producer Seiji Aoki about returning to Sega's original 3D fighting game series.

Editor's Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and readability.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

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Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown DLC Includes OG Character Models

Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown hits PS4 (and PS5 via forward compatibility) on June 1, and with it comes an expansion pack bundling original series content like character models and background music.

The $10 Legendary Pack includes exactly what it sounds like it would. The DLC features a plethora of content from the series' past, like OG character models and various stages from 1993's Virtua Fighter and beyond. It also packages the background music and battle UI from the series' older entries.

Original series content isn't all the Legendary Pack comes with. There are also character customization items and costumes, as well as emojis and stamps that can be used in Ultimate Showdown's spectator mode.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

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Dark Souls Helps My Mental Health But I Don't Know Why

During the pandemic more people have been playing games than ever before, but while it's easy to think gamers are gravitating towards the likes of Animal Crossing or Minecraft, many people instead turn to intense, difficult games like Dark Souls or Bloodborne for comfort.

Dark Souls Helps My Mental Health But I Don't Know Why

During the pandemic more people have been playing games than ever before, but while it's easy to think gamers are gravitating towards the likes of Animal Crossing or Minecraft, many people instead turn to intense, difficult games like Dark Souls or Bloodborne for comfort.

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Learn How To Build IoT Devices With ESP32 With This Expert-Led Training

Convenience has always been the driving force of human ingenuity. From its simplest forms such as hand tools, wheels, and inclined planes, technology has allowed humans to live more comfortably. Most modern technology essentially does the same thing, though it's gotten much more complicated. Your automated sprinkler systems, voice-controlled lights, and smart doorbells are just a few examples of modern conveniences that are controlled by the internet, aptly earning these devices the name "Internet of Things."

While you can spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars outfitting your home with the latest IoT devices, many people are taking matters into their own hands by learning how to make these gadgets themselves. Whether you're looking to save a buck or are simply interested in tinkering with such devices, The Internet of Things & ESP32 Arduino Beginners Course Bundle offers the opportunity to broaden your horizons in ESP32 and Arduino. Best of all, this bundle is currently available for only $24.99, less than $4 per course.

This course bundle consists of seven separate courses totaling 70 lessons across seven hours of instruction. Students will learn the fundamentals of IoT by programming ESP32 boards for creating web servers, sending email alerts, and even controlling a garden that monitors soil moisture, air moisture, and humidity. You'll also find a course that teaches you how to program ESP32 without traditional coding. By the end of these courses, total beginners will know how to use microcontrollers with confidence.

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Learn How To Build IoT Devices With ESP32 With This Expert-Led Training

Convenience has always been the driving force of human ingenuity. From its simplest forms such as hand tools, wheels, and inclined planes, technology has allowed humans to live more comfortably. Most modern technology essentially does the same thing, though it's gotten much more complicated. Your automated sprinkler systems, voice-controlled lights, and smart doorbells are just a few examples of modern conveniences that are controlled by the internet, aptly earning these devices the name "Internet of Things."

While you can spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars outfitting your home with the latest IoT devices, many people are taking matters into their own hands by learning how to make these gadgets themselves. Whether you're looking to save a buck or are simply interested in tinkering with such devices, The Internet of Things & ESP32 Arduino Beginners Course Bundle offers the opportunity to broaden your horizons in ESP32 and Arduino. Best of all, this bundle is currently available for only $24.99, less than $4 per course.

This course bundle consists of seven separate courses totaling 70 lessons across seven hours of instruction. Students will learn the fundamentals of IoT by programming ESP32 boards for creating web servers, sending email alerts, and even controlling a garden that monitors soil moisture, air moisture, and humidity. You'll also find a course that teaches you how to program ESP32 without traditional coding. By the end of these courses, total beginners will know how to use microcontrollers with confidence.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

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Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown Full Arcade Run

We fight our way through the Arcade Mode in Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown as Vanessa, We take on Lion, Sarah Bryant, El Blaze, Pai, Jacky, Jeffry, Akira Yuki and the Boss Dural. Find out if we clear the run or if the hard end boss Dural stops us in our tracks.

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Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown Full Arcade Run

We fight our way through the Arcade Mode in Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown as Vanessa, We take on Lion, Sarah Bryant, El Blaze, Pai, Jacky, Jeffry, Akira Yuki and the Boss Dural. Find out if we clear the run or if the hard end boss Dural stops us in our tracks.

Warhammer Event Gets Rebranded With A June Livestream Planned

The week-long event Warhammer Skulls (previously called Skulls for the Skull Throne) kicks off on Thursday, June 3 with a livestream dedicated to all things Warhammer, including information about new games.

The presentation goes live on June 3 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST on the official Warhammer Twitch channel. Fans can expect a bevy of announcements, from new games to updates planned for available titles. There are even opportunities to get store-specific free-to-keep games during Warhammer Skulls, though the offerings haven't been specified. In either case, fans should check storefronts across GOG, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Steam, and Xbox for various content. This includes discounts on games and DLC, preorder offerings, and free updates.

This year marks the fifth Warhammer Skulls event. Typically taking place on Steam inside various associated games, the week-long celebration inundates fans with a litany of Warhammer content. This includes things like Warhammer-themed skins for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and World of Warships, game discounts, and free in-game content such as weapons.

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Warhammer Event Gets Rebranded With A June Livestream Planned

The week-long event Warhammer Skulls (previously called Skulls for the Skull Throne) kicks off on Thursday, June 3 with a livestream dedicated to all things Warhammer, including information about new games.

The presentation goes live on June 3 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST on the official Warhammer Twitch channel. Fans can expect a bevy of announcements, from new games to updates planned for available titles. There are even opportunities to get store-specific free-to-keep games during Warhammer Skulls, though the offerings haven't been specified. In either case, fans should check storefronts across GOG, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Steam, and Xbox for various content. This includes discounts on games and DLC, preorder offerings, and free updates.

This year marks the fifth Warhammer Skulls event. Typically taking place on Steam inside various associated games, the week-long celebration inundates fans with a litany of Warhammer content. This includes things like Warhammer-themed skins for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and World of Warships, game discounts, and free in-game content such as weapons.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

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Apex Legends Lore - The Legacy Antigen Story So Far

Apex Legends Legacy introduces a brand new season of lore. Join Jordan and Persia as they go over the Legacy Antigen story so far, including the in-game comics, the social comics, and Bangalore's unfortunate news.

Apex Legends Lore - The Legacy Antigen Story So Far

Apex Legends Legacy introduces a brand new season of lore. Join Jordan and Persia as they go over the Legacy Antigen story so far, including the in-game comics, the social comics, and Bangalore's unfortunate news.

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Mass Effect Lore: Cerberus

This week on our Mass Effect lore series, we dive into the backstory of Cerberus and The Illusive Man, Jack Harper. How would The Illusive Man get his name, and what events lead to his creation of Cerberus and its strong ideals?

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Mass Effect Lore: Cerberus

This week on our Mass Effect lore series, we dive into the backstory of Cerberus and The Illusive Man, Jack Harper. How would The Illusive Man get his name, and what events lead to his creation of Cerberus and its strong ideals?

Learn Everything You Need To Know About Digital Art And Animation With This Training

Creating art is one of the most rewarding activities out there. Whether it's in pursuit of a career or just a hobby, art stimulates your creativity and fosters imaginative thinking. One of the most exciting mediums for creating art today is the world of digital art and animation. Many aspiring artists spend years honing their skills or thousands of dollars to learn techniques. While these age-old methods are still viable, e-learning has changed the way people can develop new skills.

The Digital Art & Animation Designer Learning Bundle offers students the opportunity to learn digital art and animation from leading industry professionals at a fraction of the price normally associated with art schools. Right now, the entire bundle is available for only $14.99. The combined value of all the courses in this bundle is $1,200 (a savings of 98%).

In this bundle, you'll find six courses totaling 185 individual lessons across 16 hours of instruction. The bundle covers everything from animation in Adobe XD, 2D animation, cartoon generation, after effects, and much more.

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Learn Everything You Need To Know About Digital Art And Animation With This Training

Creating art is one of the most rewarding activities out there. Whether it's in pursuit of a career or just a hobby, art stimulates your creativity and fosters imaginative thinking. One of the most exciting mediums for creating art today is the world of digital art and animation. Many aspiring artists spend years honing their skills or thousands of dollars to learn techniques. While these age-old methods are still viable, e-learning has changed the way people can develop new skills.

The Digital Art & Animation Designer Learning Bundle offers students the opportunity to learn digital art and animation from leading industry professionals at a fraction of the price normally associated with art schools. Right now, the entire bundle is available for only $14.99. The combined value of all the courses in this bundle is $1,200 (a savings of 98%).

In this bundle, you'll find six courses totaling 185 individual lessons across 16 hours of instruction. The bundle covers everything from animation in Adobe XD, 2D animation, cartoon generation, after effects, and much more.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

New Destruction Allstars Update Will Add Online Bots

Developer Lucid Games took to Reddit to outline some upcoming Destruction AllStars updates, with one specifically adding online bots to all of the PS5-exclusive vehicular combat game's modes except for Blitz.

The studio said it recognizes Destruction AllStars' peak times and how unpopulated servers can become, hence the inclusion of online bots. Whenever real players can't fill a match, online bots will step in as their replacement. This occurs on all game modes except for Blitz, with Lucid Games saying that the competitive mode "will never feature [online bots]."

Two other planned updates for Destruction AllStars include the introduction of Global Parties for players to more easily group-up with friends and a Playlist feature that lets players select the specific game mode they want.

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New Destruction Allstars Update Will Add Online Bots

Developer Lucid Games took to Reddit to outline some upcoming Destruction AllStars updates, with one specifically adding online bots to all of the PS5-exclusive vehicular combat game's modes except for Blitz.

The studio said it recognizes Destruction AllStars' peak times and how unpopulated servers can become, hence the inclusion of online bots. Whenever real players can't fill a match, online bots will step in as their replacement. This occurs on all game modes except for Blitz, with Lucid Games saying that the competitive mode "will never feature [online bots]."

Two other planned updates for Destruction AllStars include the introduction of Global Parties for players to more easily group-up with friends and a Playlist feature that lets players select the specific game mode they want.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Grounded Will Get "Larger And Slightly Less Frequent Updates" With One Coming Late June

Honey, I Shrunk The Kids-style survivor game Grounded will no longer receive frequent updates, as developer Obsidian Entertainment confirmed that the studio wants to shift its energy to tackling larger content drops.

Obsidian clarified its reasoning for "doing larger and slightly less frequent updates moving forward" on Grounded's official website. The studio said releasing monthly content while toiling on bigger tasks is difficult with a small team. As such, Obsidian is focusing on "larger features that take time." This shift will give the studio the space to work on developing "more meaningful [updates] with more and better content," Obsidian said.

The next update for Grounded is slated to drop on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S in late June. Obsidian said it's "one of [the] largest yet" for the game and outlined some of the features coming when the update rolls out.

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Grounded Will Get "Larger And Slightly Less Frequent Updates" With One Coming Late June

Honey, I Shrunk The Kids-style survivor game Grounded will no longer receive frequent updates, as developer Obsidian Entertainment confirmed that the studio wants to shift its energy to tackling larger content drops.

Obsidian clarified its reasoning for "doing larger and slightly less frequent updates moving forward" on Grounded's official website. The studio said releasing monthly content while toiling on bigger tasks is difficult with a small team. As such, Obsidian is focusing on "larger features that take time." This shift will give the studio the space to work on developing "more meaningful [updates] with more and better content," Obsidian said.

The next update for Grounded is slated to drop on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S in late June. Obsidian said it's "one of [the] largest yet" for the game and outlined some of the features coming when the update rolls out.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

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Battlefield's Most Busted Guns Of All Time

Battlefield 6 is coming later this year, and it's time to look back at the series. In this video, we're showing off the most overpowered and busted guns of all time, including the fan favorite USAS-12 with frag rounds.

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Battlefield's Most Busted Guns Of All Time

Battlefield 6 is coming later this year, and it's time to look back at the series. In this video, we're showing off the most overpowered and busted guns of all time, including the fan favorite USAS-12 with frag rounds.

Mass Effect Has A Big Disdain For Democracy

Nobody likes Udina. It's pretty clear that, even when he's working on your side, the human ambassador to Mass Effect's Citadel council is kind of a piece of shit. At one point, Shepard chides him for caring more about the political gains of a mission to save a bunch of human colonists than the lives that mission actually protected. This career bureaucrat might work for humanity's best interest at times, but he's also a transactional, ambitious climber who at least has a secondary goal of advancing his own influence. He only gets worse as time goes on.

It's not just Udina that nobody likes, though. Despite providing Shepard with the unlimited power and near-total lack of accountability of the Spectres, the Citadel Council--a seemingly semi-democratic body comprising the galaxy's most influential races--are largely an impediment to you getting the job done. On your periodic calls with them to debrief on your mission, which they authorized, they occasionally show frustration at your choices as you unilaterally make decisions that could threaten the whole galaxy or annihilate entire species. If you go Renegade in these moments, you throw it back in their faces. Your Paragon choices are more deferential, but only in an "ask forgiveness" kind of way. And plenty of dialogue options, Paragon or Renegade, express frustration with the Council's unwillingness to do whatever you ask of them because you had a dream of world-ending monsters.

In fact, no member of civil authority in Mass Effect really seems like they're that respectable. Playing Mass Effect today, it's been surprising just how much disdain the game seems to show for the idea of civilian government, institutions, and rules in general. The galaxy of Mass Effect is not an especially democratic place, and when it is, it's the know-nothing paper pushers who make up the government that put lives in danger. The time it takes to get the Citadel Council to sign off on an action could cost lives. Bureaucrats and their rules prevent you from stopping criminals and terrorists. You're the only one who understands the real threat, and everyone else just has their head in the sand if they're unwilling to let you do whatever you want to deal with it.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

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Mass Effect Has A Big Disdain For Democracy

Nobody likes Udina. It's pretty clear that, even when he's working on your side, the human ambassador to Mass Effect's Citadel council is kind of a piece of shit. At one point, Shepard chides him for caring more about the political gains of a mission to save a bunch of human colonists than the lives that mission actually protected. This career bureaucrat might work for humanity's best interest at times, but he's also a transactional, ambitious climber who at least has a secondary goal of advancing his own influence. He only gets worse as time goes on.

It's not just Udina that nobody likes, though. Despite providing Shepard with the unlimited power and near-total lack of accountability of the Spectres, the Citadel Council--a seemingly semi-democratic body comprising the galaxy's most influential races--are largely an impediment to you getting the job done. On your periodic calls with them to debrief on your mission, which they authorized, they occasionally show frustration at your choices as you unilaterally make decisions that could threaten the whole galaxy or annihilate entire species. If you go Renegade in these moments, you throw it back in their faces. Your Paragon choices are more deferential, but only in an "ask forgiveness" kind of way. And plenty of dialogue options, Paragon or Renegade, express frustration with the Council's unwillingness to do whatever you ask of them because you had a dream of world-ending monsters.

In fact, no member of civil authority in Mass Effect really seems like they're that respectable. Playing Mass Effect today, it's been surprising just how much disdain the game seems to show for the idea of civilian government, institutions, and rules in general. The galaxy of Mass Effect is not an especially democratic place, and when it is, it's the know-nothing paper pushers who make up the government that put lives in danger. The time it takes to get the Citadel Council to sign off on an action could cost lives. Bureaucrats and their rules prevent you from stopping criminals and terrorists. You're the only one who understands the real threat, and everyone else just has their head in the sand if they're unwilling to let you do whatever you want to deal with it.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Firearms Expert Reacts To Resident Evil Village’s Guns

Jonathan Ferguson, a weapons expert and Keeper of Firearms & Artillery at the Royal Armouries, breaks down the weaponry of Resident Evil Village, including the M1851 Wolfsbane revolver, the F2 Rifle, and the Gyrojet-inspired Rocket Pistol.

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Get The Most Out Of Your Music With These Noise-Canceling Headphones

For many of us, headphones have become one of our everyday carry essentials, and we need to check them off the list before leaving home. After all, what would we do without our favorite music playlists and weekly podcasts? Whether it's for your commute, a hard workout, or just a walk around your neighborhood, a great set of headphones is a must-have. But it can be hard to find a great set of headphones you love. Some don't deliver the audio quality you need, and some can set you back hundreds of dollars.

Thankfully, there are options that bridge the gap between incredible quality and an incredible deal. The ComfoBuds Pro True Wireless Headphones offer just that, providing stellar quality and retailing for only $105. That's a great price for the quality, but even better is that they're currently on sale for only $89.99 (a savings of 14%).

These headphones boast a ton of great features that rival wireless headphones costing hundreds of dollars more. They offer proprietary technology called QuietMax, the driving force of their active noise canceling. Three separate microphones listen to you, your music, and the world around you, amplifying what you want to hear and eliminating what you don't.

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Firearms Expert Reacts To Resident Evil Village’s Guns

Jonathan Ferguson, a weapons expert and Keeper of Firearms & Artillery at the Royal Armouries, breaks down the weaponry of Resident Evil Village, including the M1851 Wolfsbane revolver, the F2 Rifle, and the Gyrojet-inspired Rocket Pistol.

Get The Most Out Of Your Music With These Noise-Canceling Headphones

For many of us, headphones have become one of our everyday carry essentials, and we need to check them off the list before leaving home. After all, what would we do without our favorite music playlists and weekly podcasts? Whether it's for your commute, a hard workout, or just a walk around your neighborhood, a great set of headphones is a must-have. But it can be hard to find a great set of headphones you love. Some don't deliver the audio quality you need, and some can set you back hundreds of dollars.

Thankfully, there are options that bridge the gap between incredible quality and an incredible deal. The ComfoBuds Pro True Wireless Headphones offer just that, providing stellar quality and retailing for only $105. That's a great price for the quality, but even better is that they're currently on sale for only $89.99 (a savings of 14%).

These headphones boast a ton of great features that rival wireless headphones costing hundreds of dollars more. They offer proprietary technology called QuietMax, the driving force of their active noise canceling. Three separate microphones listen to you, your music, and the world around you, amplifying what you want to hear and eliminating what you don't.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

E3 2021: The Games And Announcements We Really Want To See This Year

We've once again entered E3 season--that magical time of the year when the industry's biggest companies and developers unveil their latest games. While this year's festivities consist of digital-only events, that doesn't mean there won't be some exciting news coming. As we await what's in store, the GameSpot team compiled their biggest predictions and wishes for E3 2021 and all its surrounding events. Below you can find what we dearly hope will get announced at the show, whether it's realistic or a complete pipedream.

For more about the upcoming festivities, be sure to check out our E3 2021 schedule feature, which details when it's happening, where to watch all the streams, and who's participating this year. And stay tuned all month long for Play For All, GameSpot's event that will feature coverage of E3, other summer events, and a charity effort to raise money for AbleGamers.

From Software Finally Shows Elden Ring

I don't think I need to remind any From Software fan reading this about how long it's been since we last had major Elden Ring news. (Nearly two years since it was announced, but who's counting?) Since then, we've had virtually no news about the game... and that's okay. Personally, I would far prefer a game be given the time it needs to be the best experience possible, and have fewer game-breaking bugs. Between Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro, Hidetaka Miyazaki, at this point, has proven himself to be a true auteur of incredible gaming experiences--and that certainly deserves our patience and understanding. Well, from me, at least.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

E3 2021: The Games And Announcements We Really Want To See This Year

We've once again entered E3 season--that magical time of the year when the industry's biggest companies and developers unveil their latest games. While this year's festivities consist of digital-only events, that doesn't mean there won't be some exciting news coming. As we await what's in store, the GameSpot team compiled their biggest predictions and wishes for E3 2021 and all its surrounding events. Below you can find what we dearly hope will get announced at the show, whether it's realistic or a complete pipedream.

For more about the upcoming festivities, be sure to check out our E3 2021 schedule feature, which details when it's happening, where to watch all the streams, and who's participating this year. And stay tuned all month long for Play For All, GameSpot's event that will feature coverage of E3, other summer events, and a charity effort to raise money for AbleGamers.

From Software Finally Shows Elden Ring

I don't think I need to remind any From Software fan reading this about how long it's been since we last had major Elden Ring news. (Nearly two years since it was announced, but who's counting?) Since then, we've had virtually no news about the game... and that's okay. Personally, I would far prefer a game be given the time it needs to be the best experience possible, and have fewer game-breaking bugs. Between Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro, Hidetaka Miyazaki, at this point, has proven himself to be a true auteur of incredible gaming experiences--and that certainly deserves our patience and understanding. Well, from me, at least.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

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World of Demons Review - A Cut Above

Developer Platinum Games' style is instantly recognizable--flashy, fast-paced action that oozes with personality and flair. World of Demons brings that signature style to Apple Arcade, giving you control of a samurai named Onimaru and thrusting you into, well, a world of demons. That successful Platinum formula translates well to iOS devices, with simple touch controls and quick action that looks and feels great on the smaller screen. There are some issues lying underneath--mostly in the camera system--but those problems aren't enough to derail this otherwise solid action experience.

World of Demons follows Onimaru, a lone samurai fighting against an army of vicious demons called yokai. Our hero is building an army of his own, however, as every enemy he defeats will join him in the fight against the game's main antagonist, the demon king Shuten Doji. Onimaru himself controls exactly like a Platinum Games protagonist, deftly running around stages while slashing with his massive katana. Consecutive presses on the attack button will result in stylish combos, with better rewards given for higher combos at the end of a skirmish. Holding down the button will slow attacks down, making strikes more powerful but making you vulnerable to enemy counterattacks.

The yokai Onimaru battle comes in all shapes and sizes, from small bean farmers to massive pink blobs, each with its own attack abilities. Each yokai is assigned a color (red, blue, or green), with each color having strengths and weaknesses over the other in a rock-paper-scissors system. Defeating a yokai adds it to your collection, and before each chapter you'll be able to equip two yokai for the following mission. Other yokai defeated during the chapter are added to a "deck" and disappear after one use.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

World of Demons Review - A Cut Above

Developer Platinum Games' style is instantly recognizable--flashy, fast-paced action that oozes with personality and flair. World of Demons brings that signature style to Apple Arcade, giving you control of a samurai named Onimaru and thrusting you into, well, a world of demons. That successful Platinum formula translates well to iOS devices, with simple touch controls and quick action that looks and feels great on the smaller screen. There are some issues lying underneath--mostly in the camera system--but those problems aren't enough to derail this otherwise solid action experience.

World of Demons follows Onimaru, a lone samurai fighting against an army of vicious demons called yokai. Our hero is building an army of his own, however, as every enemy he defeats will join him in the fight against the game's main antagonist, the demon king Shuten Doji. Onimaru himself controls exactly like a Platinum Games protagonist, deftly running around stages while slashing with his massive katana. Consecutive presses on the attack button will result in stylish combos, with better rewards given for higher combos at the end of a skirmish. Holding down the button will slow attacks down, making strikes more powerful but making you vulnerable to enemy counterattacks.

The yokai Onimaru battle comes in all shapes and sizes, from small bean farmers to massive pink blobs, each with its own attack abilities. Each yokai is assigned a color (red, blue, or green), with each color having strengths and weaknesses over the other in a rock-paper-scissors system. Defeating a yokai adds it to your collection, and before each chapter you'll be able to equip two yokai for the following mission. Other yokai defeated during the chapter are added to a "deck" and disappear after one use.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

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Learn To DJ Like A Pro With This Bundle Of Expert-Led Classes

The Premium DJing and Music Production Bootcamp Ft. Ableton + Logic Pro is a one-stop shop for learning all you need to know about DJing and modern music production. And right now, this bootcamp is available for only $49.99. The combined value of all the courses in this bundle is $1,791 (that's a savings of 97%).

This bundle is deep. It includes nine courses totaling 492 lessons across 56 hours of instruction. Students learn everything from the basics to more advanced music production and DJ techniques. Some of the topics covered are music production in both Logic Pro X and Ableton Live 10, mastering audio control and sound mixing, courses on song and lyric writing, and music industry and business courses for the aspiring music professional.

The courses are all taught by Thomas George. George is a talented and accomplished music producer, composer, and audio engineer. He has a master's degree in music production and a bachelor's in music composition and has more than 10 years of experience working in the music industry as both a writer and a producer.

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Chicory: A Colorful Tale, A Game About Solving Puzzles With Art, Releases On June 10

Fortnite June Crew Pack Includes Mecha Cuddle Master Skin

The Fortnite June Crew Pack has been revealed, and as expected, the Mecha Cuddle Leader featured in May's bonus Crew items now gets their own starring role as a brand-new Fortnite skin. Along with Mecha Cuddle Leader's pink mech suit comes their matching accessories to complete the set for Fortnite's latest Crew-only bundle.

Mecha Cuddle Leader is a reimagining of the fan-favorite Cuddle Team Leader, which has become something of a long-standing mascot for Fortnite since they were first revealed in 2018's Season 2. There have been similar spin-offs of the character since then, but the Crew Pack for June marks the first time the Cuddle Team will be represented with a metal weaponized emote machine like Mecha Cuddle Leader.

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Activision Announces $100K Call Of Duty Mobile Masters Series Starting June 14

Unreal Engine 5's Demo Has A Small Konami Code Easter Egg, And Dabbing Is Involved

22 Things You Didn't Know about Resident Evil Village

Resident Evil's 8th installment, Resident Evil Village, is filled with hidden secrets, Easter eggs, and references to previous Resident Evil games. But, did you find them all? Let's go through 22 Things You Didn't Know in Resident Evil Village.

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Learn To DJ Like A Pro With This Bundle Of Expert-Led Classes

The Premium DJing and Music Production Bootcamp Ft. Ableton + Logic Pro is a one-stop shop for learning all you need to know about DJing and modern music production. And right now, this bootcamp is available for only $49.99. The combined value of all the courses in this bundle is $1,791 (that's a savings of 97%).

This bundle is deep. It includes nine courses totaling 492 lessons across 56 hours of instruction. Students learn everything from the basics to more advanced music production and DJ techniques. Some of the topics covered are music production in both Logic Pro X and Ableton Live 10, mastering audio control and sound mixing, courses on song and lyric writing, and music industry and business courses for the aspiring music professional.

The courses are all taught by Thomas George. George is a talented and accomplished music producer, composer, and audio engineer. He has a master's degree in music production and a bachelor's in music composition and has more than 10 years of experience working in the music industry as both a writer and a producer.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

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Chicory: A Colorful Tale, A Game About Solving Puzzles With Art, Releases On June 10

Fortnite June Crew Pack Includes Mecha Cuddle Master Skin

The Fortnite June Crew Pack has been revealed, and as expected, the Mecha Cuddle Leader featured in May's bonus Crew items now gets their own starring role as a brand-new Fortnite skin. Along with Mecha Cuddle Leader's pink mech suit comes their matching accessories to complete the set for Fortnite's latest Crew-only bundle.

Mecha Cuddle Leader is a reimagining of the fan-favorite Cuddle Team Leader, which has become something of a long-standing mascot for Fortnite since they were first revealed in 2018's Season 2. There have been similar spin-offs of the character since then, but the Crew Pack for June marks the first time the Cuddle Team will be represented with a metal weaponized emote machine like Mecha Cuddle Leader.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

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Activision Announces $100K Call Of Duty Mobile Masters Series Starting June 14

Aragami 2 September 17 Release Date Revealed In New Trailer

Stylish ninja stealth game Aragami 2 has been announced, and much like the original 2016 game, players will to the shadows as they strategically eliminate enemies who have entered the Rashomon Valley.

Developer Lince Works says that Aragami 2's campaign will be playable solo or in co-op for up to three players, and that the game will feature a new combat system and enhanced stealth mechanics that once again emphasize a strategic approach to the art of assassination.

"We based the combat on fast character movement, explosive dodges, and lightning-fast combo attacks," community manager Gina Campoy explained in a PS Blog post. "At the same time, we discouraged blocking, since we want to keep action fast-paced and convey that our character uses his agility and reflexes over strength. Instead, we favored parries, since they are more dynamic and technical in their application."

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Unreal Engine 5's Demo Has A Small Konami Code Easter Egg, And Dabbing Is Involved

Aragami 2 September 17 Release Date Revealed In New Trailer

Stylish ninja stealth game Aragami 2 has been announced, and much like the original 2016 game, players will to the shadows as they strategically eliminate enemies who have entered the Rashomon Valley.

Developer Lince Works says that Aragami 2's campaign will be playable solo or in co-op for up to three players, and that the game will feature a new combat system and enhanced stealth mechanics that once again emphasize a strategic approach to the art of assassination.

"We based the combat on fast character movement, explosive dodges, and lightning-fast combo attacks," community manager Gina Campoy explained in a PS Blog post. "At the same time, we discouraged blocking, since we want to keep action fast-paced and convey that our character uses his agility and reflexes over strength. Instead, we favored parries, since they are more dynamic and technical in their application."

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Miitopia Review -- Eyes Without a Face

When I reviewed Miitopia on 3DS in 2017, I wasn’t terribly impressed. The game was dull, simplistic, and felt so random that I barely felt like I was playing it. But, as we’ve learned over the years, games can be improved significantly from their initial launches, and I figured that a Switch remake of Miitopia would be the perfect opportunity for Nintendo to fix the flaws of the 3DS release. Unfortunately, while there are notable improvements, the core game is still the same tiresome, repetitive experience from four years ago.

Miitopia is a game where you take created Mii characters--based on yourself, friends and family, celebrities, fantasy characters, whoever--and “cast” them as player and NPC characters in a simple RPG story. The Dark Lord of Miitopia is ruining the peace and stealing the faces of the populace, so it’s up to you and your merry band of adventurers to gear up and put a stop to his wickedness, with plenty of goofy character interactions and dialogue snippets along the way.

It’s a cute and fun concept, and to Miitopia’s credit, the Switch version of the game features a fully revamped character creator that lets you go all-out with creating incredibly detailed Mii characters by layering different hair, eyes, facial features, and additional shapes. It takes time to make a really impressive Mii, but if you’re willing to put in the effort, you can make some astounding creations. If you don’t have that sort of time, you can use Miis made by other players by entering their Access Code or pick from a selection of currently popular Miis. It’s a bit cumbersome not being able to search in-game for specific characters (it took me far too long to find a good Hank Hill) but with some online sleuthing on social media you should be able to find some good created-character libraries.

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Miitopia Review -- Eyes Without a Face

When I reviewed Miitopia on 3DS in 2017, I wasn’t terribly impressed. The game was dull, simplistic, and felt so random that I barely felt like I was playing it. But, as we’ve learned over the years, games can be improved significantly from their initial launches, and I figured that a Switch remake of Miitopia would be the perfect opportunity for Nintendo to fix the flaws of the 3DS release. Unfortunately, while there are notable improvements, the core game is still the same tiresome, repetitive experience from four years ago.

Miitopia is a game where you take created Mii characters--based on yourself, friends and family, celebrities, fantasy characters, whoever--and “cast” them as player and NPC characters in a simple RPG story. The Dark Lord of Miitopia is ruining the peace and stealing the faces of the populace, so it’s up to you and your merry band of adventurers to gear up and put a stop to his wickedness, with plenty of goofy character interactions and dialogue snippets along the way.

It’s a cute and fun concept, and to Miitopia’s credit, the Switch version of the game features a fully revamped character creator that lets you go all-out with creating incredibly detailed Mii characters by layering different hair, eyes, facial features, and additional shapes. It takes time to make a really impressive Mii, but if you’re willing to put in the effort, you can make some astounding creations. If you don’t have that sort of time, you can use Miis made by other players by entering their Access Code or pick from a selection of currently popular Miis. It’s a bit cumbersome not being able to search in-game for specific characters (it took me far too long to find a good Hank Hill) but with some online sleuthing on social media you should be able to find some good created-character libraries.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

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Knockout City Review - Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, And Dodge

Knockout City's colorful, cartoonish aesthetic plays host to a relatively straightforward game of dodgeball, putting two teams against each other in a war waged with red rubber balls. But once you start factoring in deployable gliders, balls that can trap opponents in cages, and throwing techniques that can bend your shots around corners, Knockout City's identity starts to bubble to the surface. In between the satisfying thunks of direct hits and the grace of each character's movements, Knockout City features a satisfying level of depth that balances its pickup-and-play nature with a compelling competitive element that's difficult to walk away from.

Each of Knockout City's rotating modes rests on the fundamentals of finding a ball and trying to hit opposing players twice with it for a knockout, racking up your team's score in the process. Knockout City makes this both simple and satisfying by automatically targeting enemies for you, but giving you control over the distance and power of each throw. You can take a longer time to charge up for a faster swing of the arm but expose yourself in the process by limiting your movement speed to do so. Judging how much power to put behind a shot and balancing that with the distance between you and another player is critical, and just one of the many micro-decisions you'll need to make during each skirmish.

The balance between the two creates a dynamic that allows Knockout City to be approachable enough for casual play but still retain smaller complexities for competitive play to leverage. And when you start coming up against more savvy foes, additional mechanics start becoming more important. Just like in the real game of dodgeball, you can catch balls tossed your way to avoid taking a hit. In Knockout City, this applies a stacking effect to the ball, causing it to travel faster if thrown again quickly after being caught. You can quickly find yourself in an escalating ping pong match with another player, adjusting to shrinking catch timing windows with each exchange. Without the need to manually target enemies, Knockout City allows you to focus on timing and positioning instead, which makes its fast-paced action more manageable.

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Knockout City Review - Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, And Dodge

Knockout City's colorful, cartoonish aesthetic plays host to a relatively straightforward game of dodgeball, putting two teams against each other in a war waged with red rubber balls. But once you start factoring in deployable gliders, balls that can trap opponents in cages, and throwing techniques that can bend your shots around corners, Knockout City's identity starts to bubble to the surface. In between the satisfying thunks of direct hits and the grace of each character's movements, Knockout City features a satisfying level of depth that balances its pickup-and-play nature with a compelling competitive element that's difficult to walk away from.

Each of Knockout City's rotating modes rests on the fundamentals of finding a ball and trying to hit opposing players twice with it for a knockout, racking up your team's score in the process. Knockout City makes this both simple and satisfying by automatically targeting enemies for you, but giving you control over the distance and power of each throw. You can take a longer time to charge up for a faster swing of the arm but expose yourself in the process by limiting your movement speed to do so. Judging how much power to put behind a shot and balancing that with the distance between you and another player is critical, and just one of the many micro-decisions you'll need to make during each skirmish.

The balance between the two creates a dynamic that allows Knockout City to be approachable enough for casual play but still retain smaller complexities for competitive play to leverage. And when you start coming up against more savvy foes, additional mechanics start becoming more important. Just like in the real game of dodgeball, you can catch balls tossed your way to avoid taking a hit. In Knockout City, this applies a stacking effect to the ball, causing it to travel faster if thrown again quickly after being caught. You can quickly find yourself in an escalating ping pong match with another player, adjusting to shrinking catch timing windows with each exchange. Without the need to manually target enemies, Knockout City allows you to focus on timing and positioning instead, which makes its fast-paced action more manageable.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Unreal Engine 5 -- Devs On How The Engine Will Transform Next-Gen Games

Epic Games recently showcased Unreal Engine 5 and announced that the next-generation game development toolsuite is now available in early access ahead of its planned public release in early 2022. Epic showed off the capabilities of the new engine with a thoroughly impressive tech demo called Valley of the Ancient--and you can see more of that here.

To learn more about Unreal Engine 5, Valley of the Ancient, and what Epic has in store for the future of gaming, we spoke with Unreal Engine senior technology designer Chance Ivey and VP of engineering Nick Penwarden. They touched on numerous exciting updates about Unreal Engine 5, including how it will allow for a new level of visual fidelity that wasn't possible before and how, overall, the engine gives power to developers to streamline their workflows and create games faster and more efficiently.

The overall idea for Unreal Engine was to create "new, better, streamlined" development workflows, Penwarden says. The new Nanite and Lumen technologies inside Unreal Engine 5 are critical to what Epic is trying to achieve and unlock with the toolsuite. Another major component to Unreal Engine 5 is its World Partition system, which allows developers working on a large-scale games to break sections down into smaller pieces that developers can work on collaboratively and section-by-section to help move things along and work more efficiently.

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Unreal Engine 5 -- Devs On How The Engine Will Transform Next-Gen Games

Epic Games recently showcased Unreal Engine 5 and announced that the next-generation game development toolsuite is now available in early access ahead of its planned public release in early 2022. Epic showed off the capabilities of the new engine with a thoroughly impressive tech demo called Valley of the Ancient--and you can see more of that here.

To learn more about Unreal Engine 5, Valley of the Ancient, and what Epic has in store for the future of gaming, we spoke with Unreal Engine senior technology designer Chance Ivey and VP of engineering Nick Penwarden. They touched on numerous exciting updates about Unreal Engine 5, including how it will allow for a new level of visual fidelity that wasn't possible before and how, overall, the engine gives power to developers to streamline their workflows and create games faster and more efficiently.

The overall idea for Unreal Engine was to create "new, better, streamlined" development workflows, Penwarden says. The new Nanite and Lumen technologies inside Unreal Engine 5 are critical to what Epic is trying to achieve and unlock with the toolsuite. Another major component to Unreal Engine 5 is its World Partition system, which allows developers working on a large-scale games to break sections down into smaller pieces that developers can work on collaboratively and section-by-section to help move things along and work more efficiently.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

14 Things We Learned From The Friends Reunion On HBO Max

At long last, the Friends Reunion has arrived on HBO Max. When first announced, the special was originally going to debut in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic kept that from happening, but eventually, the cast of the iconic sitcom was able to reunite--complete with a socially distanced audience--to look back on the series that ran for a decade.

The special sees the reunited cast revisiting the show's rebuilt sets, testing each other's Friends trivia, reading old scripts together, and sharing their memories of starring on one of the most popular TV shows of all time. In doing so, they revealed quite a bit of new information for fans, from production secrets, to what they took home from the set when the series wrapped, to whether or not a revival is in the hypothetical future.

Take a look below at the 14 biggest things we learned from the Friends reunion on HBO Max. Then head over to the streaming service to watch it yourself.

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Ex-People Can Fly Developers Form New Studio To Make First-Person Shooter

A number of ex-developers from People Can Fly, the developer behind Outriders, have formed a new studio focused on a first-person shooter in 2021. As reported by Gamesindustry.biz, Gruby Entertainment was founded as an independent studio in 2020 by ex-People Can Fly developers Grzegorz Michalak, Karol Szyska, and Kamil Misiowiec.

The new Poland-based, fully remote studio was revealed by Super.com, the team's first publishing partner. Super.com, which published Raji: An Ancient Epic last year, will provide consultation and guidance as part of the partnership. Gruby Entertainment's goal is to create "high-calorie" gameplay for hardcore gamers in its games.

"We are thrilled to expand our team and knowledge base, and show the world a fresh approach to action games," Misiowiec told Gamesindustry.biz.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

14 Things We Learned From The Friends Reunion On HBO Max

At long last, the Friends Reunion has arrived on HBO Max. When first announced, the special was originally going to debut in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic kept that from happening, but eventually, the cast of the iconic sitcom was able to reunite--complete with a socially distanced audience--to look back on the series that ran for a decade.

The special sees the reunited cast revisiting the show's rebuilt sets, testing each other's Friends trivia, reading old scripts together, and sharing their memories of starring on one of the most popular TV shows of all time. In doing so, they revealed quite a bit of new information for fans, from production secrets, to what they took home from the set when the series wrapped, to whether or not a revival is in the hypothetical future.

Take a look below at the 14 biggest things we learned from the Friends reunion on HBO Max. Then head over to the streaming service to watch it yourself.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

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Ex-People Can Fly Developers Form New Studio To Make First-Person Shooter

A number of ex-developers from People Can Fly, the developer behind Outriders, have formed a new studio focused on a first-person shooter in 2021. As reported by Gamesindustry.biz, Gruby Entertainment was founded as an independent studio in 2020 by ex-People Can Fly developers Grzegorz Michalak, Karol Szyska, and Kamil Misiowiec.

The new Poland-based, fully remote studio was revealed by Super.com, the team's first publishing partner. Super.com, which published Raji: An Ancient Epic last year, will provide consultation and guidance as part of the partnership. Gruby Entertainment's goal is to create "high-calorie" gameplay for hardcore gamers in its games.

"We are thrilled to expand our team and knowledge base, and show the world a fresh approach to action games," Misiowiec told Gamesindustry.biz.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

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WandaVision's Jac Schaeffer Lands Overall Deal At Marvel Studios, 20th Century

Jac Schaeffer, the head writer on WandaVision, is staying in business with Marvel. Variety reported that Schaeffer has signed a three-year "overall" TV deal with Marvel Studios and 20th Television.

As part of the deal, the financial terms of which were not disclosed, Schaeffer will work on projects for Marvel and 20th Television. The Marvel projects will come to Disney Plus and anything she developers for 20th will release on "all platforms."

Schaeffer is credited as the creator of WandaVision, which turned out to be a big success for Marvel and Disney+. Before that, she wrote, directed, and produced the movie TiMER, while she also wrote Olaf's Frozen Adventure and The Hustle. Schaeffer contributed to the story for Marvel's next big movie, Black Widow.

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Noir Detective Game Backbone Out June 8, Stars A Hard-Boiled Raccoon Detective

Fans of the detective game genre can look forward to the release of Backbone on June 8, which puts players in the boots of world-weary private investigator Howard Lotor. Rendered in a high-resolution pixel art style, Howard has to investigate a version of Vancouver that has gone to the dogs, as well as several other breeds of anthropomorphic animals who inhabit a city that can best be described as a dystopian Zootopia.

And in case you're wondering, yes Howard is also part of this animal kingdom as he happens to be nature's favorite trash panda, the raccoon.

Howard's hunt for the truth seems to contain all the hallmarks that you'd expect from a noir mystery game, as well as a few extra special effects such as dynamic lighting to enhance the game's visuals. The moody jazz soundtrack's not too bad either.

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Resident Evil Village Sales Climb To 4 Million

Resident Evil Village has crossed another sales milestone. Capcom has announced that the eighth game in the main series has now reached 8 million copies shipped globally.

This number covers copies of Village that have been shipped to retailers, as well as the number of units sold digitally. It's up from 3 million sold right out of the gate.

Village still has a lot of work to do to catch the lifetime sales of Resident Evil 7, which shipped 9 million units as of March 31, 2021. In total, the Resident Evil franchise has sold more than 100 million units, which makes it one of the biggest gaming series on the planet.

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Upgraded Nintendo Switch 4K Model Will Be $300+, Could Be Announced Before E3 - Report

An upgraded Nintendo Switch model with 4K support and a 7-inch screen is coming this year for $300+ and it will be announced ahead of E3, according to new reports. This information comes from sources speaking anonymously to Bloomberg, and then corroborated by Eurogamer's own unnamed sources.

According to Bloomberg, Nintendo will begin assembling the new Switch model in July and then release it in September or October. Production will press on despite ongoing semiconductor shortages, it seems. The system will reportedly cost more than $300, which is what the original Switch currently sells for.

Regarding the price point, the report said the cost of "pricier components and rising labor costs" in China, where the systems are assembled, will be passed on to the consumer.

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