Month: March 2020

Stranger Things Season 4 is currently in production and is expected to hit Netflix later this year. We’re unlikely to see a full trailer for many months, but that hasn’t stopped the streaming giant from releasing a variety of promotional material over the past few weeks. A new behind-the-scene video has now arrived.

The teaser is titled “The Table Read,” but fans expecting to actually hear some dialogue from the new season will be disappointed. The video instead shows the cast members gathering to read through the season’s scripts. While it doesn’t reveal anything about Season 4, it is still very cool to see the stars gathering to start work on the show. And, this being Stranger Things, the video is of course presented as if it was shot on ’80s VHS. Check it out below:

The one big plot point we do know about Season 4 is that Jim Hopper, played by David Harbour, is back, despite seemingly dying at the end of Season 3. His return was revealed in the first teaser, which was released last month and suggested that Hopper is now trapped in a Russian prison. In addition, production recently wrapped in the Lithuanian city of Vilnius, where the show was being shot in a former prison.

The makers of the show have stressed numerous times that this season will move the story beyond the town of Hawkins. In December, a cryptic tweet, proclaimed that “we’re not in Hawkins anymore.” And in an interview last year, co-creator Matt Duffer stated, “I think the biggest thing that’s going to happen is it’s going to open up a little bit, not necessarily in terms of scale, in terms of special effects, but open up in terms of allowing plotlines into areas outside of Hawkins.”

For more, check out GameSpot’s guide to the biggest upcoming shows of 2020.

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In recent years, Wizards of the Coast has had some crossover between its Dungeons & Dragons and Magic The Gathering brands, and this June, we’re getting another D&D book set in a MTG realm. Mythic Odysseys of Theros takes players into a world where gods have shaped the lands, and back in December, we got a good look at some cards from the Theros: Beyond Death set.

Mythic Odysseys of Theros will arrive on June 2 and retail for $50, the same price as many other campaign sourcebooks. What sets this book apart from the rest is that it will introduce the “supernatural gift” ability. While there aren’t full details as to what this new mechanic entails, it’s described as “abilities that set your character apart from the common throng. Mechanically similar to character races, each one gives your character a variety of traits.” Bring on the superpowers.

In addition, the sourcebook will add new races, subclasses, mythic monsters, and god-weapons. You read that right. Your character will be able to hold and use weapons made by the gods. Check out the full breakdown of what’s inside the book below.

Mythic Odysseys of Theros contents:

• Supernatural gifts abilities
• New races, like Leonin and Satyr
• Subclasses: Bard’s College of Eloquence, masters of oratory; and the Paladin’s Oath of Heroism, an affirmation of destiny laid out for you by divine providence.
• Mythic monsters. These are creatures that are fit for fighting gods.
• God-weapons
• Alternative cover available by Kevin Tong at games stores.

The past couple of years have been great for fans of D&D. The most recent release was the sourcebook Eberron: Rising from the Last War–which features a new class, Artificer. It’s been one of the most enjoyable additions to 5e with a well-developed world where the stories seem to write themselves. Additionally, to mark the 45th anniversary of D&D, a limited edition dice set was released. And while the $300 price tag is steep, it’s an extremely solid dice set, and you can get a better look at it here. There’s also another dice set–for a much more reasonable price–going on sale on March 17 that may be up your alley called the Laeral Silverhand Explorer’s Kit.

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Dark Side of The Ring, Vice’s documentary series on the not-so-glamorous side of professional wrestling, returns March 24 with whole new subjects. It kicks off with a two-hour season premiere that tackles the most controversial figure in the modern era of the sport: Chris Benoit. Former WWE superstar and one of Benoit’s best friends, Chris Jericho, will provide narration for the premiere.

The upcoming season for the Vice TV show goes in depth into the tragic story for the former WCW/WWE wrestler, interviewing friends and family 13 years after Benoit’s death, including talking to his son, David. “That definitely was not him. He’s still my hero,” David Benoit said. Check out the new trailer for the upcoming season below.

In 2007, Benoit killed his wife, Nancy, and seven-year-old son Daniel before hanging himself in his Fayetteville, Georgia home, sending shockwaves through the industry and mainstream news. At the time, Benoit was one of the most popular wrestlers in WWE.

Benoit has since been scrubbed from most of WWE history and footage and remains a hot topic among wrestling fans and pundits.

Season 2 will also cover the murder of Dino Bravo; the controversial “Brawl for All” tournament that led to career-ending injuries; the crazed career of New Jack and his stabbing of a competitor; David Schultz’s violent run-in with a 20/20 reporter; the death of Nancy Argentino, Jimmy Snuka’s girlfirend; the inside story of wrestling’s ultimate tag team partnership Hawk and Animal; and Owen Hart’s career and tragic fall to his death on live pay-per-view.

There will also be a new weekly aftershow hosted by comedian and wrestling fan Chris Gethard. The show will air immediately following each episode at 11:00 PM ET/PT.

The new season of Dark Side of the Ring will air weekly on Tuesdays at 10:00 PM ET/PT.

One of 2020’s most-anticipated games, Doom Eternal, is almost here. Ahead of its release on March 20, GameSpot caught up with id Software’s Marty Stratton and Hugo Martin to discuss one of the game’s most important and eye-catching elements–the weapons.

In the video, Stratton and Martin explain the unique benefits of some of Doom Eternal’s most impressive and useful weapons, including the combat shotgun, the heavy cannon, the plasma rifle, the rocket launcher, the super shotgun, the chain gun, and of course, the BFG. Each of the weapons can be altered with a mod that makes it even deadlier, which goes a long way toward helping you lay waste to demons.

Doom Eternal launches on March 20 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Fans have had to wait longer than expected, as the game was originally scheduled for release in November 2019 before being shifted to its new date in 2020. Keep checking back with GameSpot for lots more on Doom Eternal in the days and weeks to come!

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Doom Hunter is one of the new bosses you’ll encounter towards the beginning of Doom Eternal. Doom Eternal is the sequel to 2016’s Doom, and part of the Doom franchise which started in the ’90s. According to an in-game pop-up, the Doom Hunter is a Super Heavy Demon that specializes in long-range lock-on targets.

Doom Hunter’s weak points are its shield and sled. Destroying the shield with the Plasma Rifle can briefly disable it. If you destroy the sled you can permanently disable its protective shield and missiles. There are two phases to the fight, and other demons will spawn during the fight.

Doom Eternal is scheduled to release for PS4, Xbox One, Stadia, and PC on March 20, 2020. A Nintendo Switch version of Doom Eternal will be released at a later date. For all things Doom Eternal stay tuned to GameSpot!

Every time I’ve had the chance to play Doom Eternal, I came away impressed with how its single-player campaign is building on 2016’s great foundation while rethinking challenge in FPS combat. It’s controlled chaos, pushing you to use the many weapons and tools to rip and tear demons with grace, and reasonably punishing you if you don’t. A lot of effort has been put into making these systems work, and recreating that experience for multiplayer has led to what’s called Battlemode.

Doom isn’t really known for its multiplayer; the somewhat lackluster showing for Doom in 2016 comes to mind. And when we visited id Software recently, Doom Eternal’s game director Hugo Martin and executive producer Marty Stratton told us that they knew they had to do something different. There, we got our first hands-on with Battlemode, and saw just how drastically this new multiplayer approach is deviating from convention, yet capturing–sometimes intensifying–the adrenaline rushes you get through the campaign. You’ll see what I’m talking about in the video below.

Here are the basics; it’s an asymmetrical 1v2 competitive mode with one player as Doom Slayer, equipped with all the single-player capabilities, against two players as demons, with multiple to choose from, each acting like different class-types. In each round, Doom Slayer has to kill both player-demons before either one respawns on a 20-second countdown while the demons just need to kill Doom Slayer. But since Doom Slayer has every capability from the campaign–a full loadout, and the chainsaw, glory kill, and flame belch to keep resources replenished–the demon team has to strategize to win.

Battlemode is an inventive take on asymmetrical multiplayer not just because it breaks new ground, but because it’s so close to what Doom does best.

Demons can summon AI-controlled demons, suspend the Slayer’s resource gathering for a short period of time, create shields and barriers for protection, and use their own unique attacks (which pull from the demons’ actual designs). For example, the Pain Elemental can fly and shoot fireballs while the Mancubus is a slow tank with two devastating arm cannons. Marauder is my personal favorite–it has a throwing axe, double-barrel shotgun, a double-dash ability, and plays a bit similarly to Doom Slayer. Revenant can be quite agile one with jetpacks and quick-firing rockets, while the Archville plays closer to a sort of fire-casting mage class. With five varied demons on the launch roster, withmore to come in the future, the variety between matches can be wild.

When all these elements are firing off at full speed, Battlemode becomes a glorified combat arena. And that’s exactly what the team was going for. As Martin said, “It’s a very dramatic experience, albeit in bite-sized chunks. We have to have really good pacing and we have to have strategy.” He continued, “If you like the Doom single-player, it’s a way to have a multiplayer experience within that gameplay and combat loop.”

Martin alluded to creating drama as one of the pillars of Battlemode, those sort of edge-of-your-seat moments. Since there is no time limit to each round, one side must win, and because of the mechanics are layered in such a way, the tide can turn for either side in a matter of seconds. I can recall playing a match as Doom Slayer and hunting down the last demon player in the nick of time before the other respawned, or narrowly escaping death by using a chainsaw on a minion to replenish health and ammo to swiftly shift the tide with a comeback victory. Or chasing down Slayer as a Pain Elemental before they could glory kill minions to replenish health and essentially reset the match. Battlemode plays out a lot like a tug-of-war, and a bloody, violent one at that.

Following each round, all players can choose from a set of perks which further elevate the number of things that make Battlemode all the more complex. Demons can increase their health or buff minions, to name a few. New options open up on the third round, like summoning a Baron of Hell minion or the ability to instantly respawn your teammate. Doom Slayer has choices like having dashes replenish faster or gaining a temporary speed boost after glory kills. And in round three, you can start with extra health, armor, and ammo, or simply get a BFG. These are even more layers that affect how every round unfolds that continually make things a bit unpredictable, but up the ante and heighten the level of competition.

As for Battlemode’s place in the bigger picture of Doom Eternal, Stratton made it clear that this is what they’re leaning on for multiplayer. “People often ask us ‘is this the only mode you’re launching with?’ And [the answer is] yes. Because all of those things fit so well together and they’re all deliberately cohesive to reinforce the pillars that Hugo talks about.” However, id Software has plans for future Battlemode content. Stratton continued, “The playable demons are kind of the chess pieces of the combat. And much like a fighting game, we want to really robust roster of playable demons. So we’re releasing more of them, and more maps.” He also confirmed that “it’s not paid at all, there’s no paying [for] anything in the game.”

Rebuilding an entire multiplayer approach from the ground up is a daunting task, and from my three-or-so hours, Battlemode seems to be a coming together impressively. It’s heavily influenced by the single-player experience, essentially bringing the joyous intensity of Doom’s combat arenas to a competitive multiplayer. Battlemode is an inventive take on asymmetrical multiplayer not just because it breaks new ground, but because it’s so close to what Doom does best.