With the news that some PS5 games will have PS4 versions, Sony has announced that upgrading games like Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Horizon: Forbidden West will be free.
Speaking of upgrades, Microsoft has explained how Xbox Series S backwards compatibility will work, ahead of preorders going live on September 22.
Nintendo held a Direct Mini this morning and announced two new Monster Hunter games, Monster Hunter Rise and Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin.
Amazon’s Lord of the Rings TV series has resumed filming in New Zealand, and now one of the stars has spoken about how enormous of an undertaking the production is.
Morfydd Clark, who is rumored to be portraying a young Galadriel, told NME that she has been blown away by the sheer scale of the production. Not only that, but the production team is reportedly going very deep on the details.
“The amount of [people working] on this show is continually mind-blowing. One guy’s job consists just of seeing how dust reacts to footsteps and breath!” Clark said. “That would never have even crossed my mind before. Other than something like Marvel, I don’t think things could get much bigger than this.”
Production on the TV show shut down earlier this year due to COVID-19, and Clark has remained in New Zealand since February. “I’ve certainly been homesick, but it’s a really small cross to bear in comparison to what’s going on at the moment,” she said.
The Lord of the Rings TV show takes place during the Second Age, but there is no official word on any of the characters who might appear in it or by what means the show will handle its time period. The Second Age is a 3,441-year era that had some huge events happen: the forging of the Rings of Power, the war with Sauron, the creation of the Ringwraiths, and the sinking of the island of Numenor into the sea.
Whenever the Lord of the Rings TV show debuts, it will air on Amazon Prime.
One of the surprises from Sony’s PS5 event was that a free and public alpha for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War would be available for PlayStation 4 users starting September 18.
With that date rapidly approaching, Activision has now shared all of the key details for the alpha, covering how to get in, what maps and modes are available, and more. We’re rounding up all the key details here in this post, beginning with the dates.
The alpha kicks off on September 18 at 10 AM PT, and it’s scheduled to end at the same time on September 20. As mentioned, this alpha is free on PS4, and a PS Plus subscription is not required, except in Germany.
Pre-loading for the Black Ops Cold War alpha is available right now, and the client is about 25 GB. You can find links to download the alpha below.
Modern Warfare and Warzone players can download the alpha from within the main menu of those games. Additionally, the alpha will let players move directly into Warzone, providing they have it installed, through a tab.
Everyone who plays the Black Ops Cold War alpha will receive a special calling card for use in Modern Warfare and Warzone right away, and later Cold War when it is released. An image of the calling card was not released, however.
There are three 6v6 modes in the alpha, and they are all familiar–they include Team Deathmatch, Domination, and Kill Confirmed. In terms of maps, these include Miami, Moscow, Satellite, and you can see images of these maps in the gallery below to get an idea for what they look like.
More interestingly, the Cold War alpha lets you try Cold War’s brand-new Combined Arms: Domination mode. This is a 12v12 mode featuring large maps and vehicles like tanks, snowmobiles, wakerunners, and gunboats. Similar to the standard Domination, teams will capture and defend multiple objectives.
There are two Combined Arms: Domination maps available in the alpha, the first of which is Armada. This map takes place in the North Atlantic Ocean, and features three ships that players can move between either by swimming, taking a boat, or ziplining. Players need to control and hold capture points to win. Check out GameSpot’s gameplay video below to get an idea about how this all works.
The second Combined Arms: Domination map is Crossroads, and this one is completely different. Set in the frozen Soviet wilderness, this map features tanks and snowmobiles that you can use to zip around quickly. Being a large map, it’s also good for snipers.
Black Ops Cold War’s Mini Ground War Mode: Combined Arms Gameplay
Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.
This video has an invalid file format.
Sorry, but you can’t access this content!
By clicking ‘enter’, you agree to GameSpot’s
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
The Black Ops Cold War alpha also lets players sample the new create-a-class, gunsmith, and scorestreak features, though all of these are limited compared to the final game. The alpha also spotlights some of the new field upgrades and the “wildcard” abilities that players can use to try to get an upper hand on the battlefield.
Top 10 Call of Duty: Black Ops Killstreaks
Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.
This video has an invalid file format.
Sorry, but you can’t access this content!
By clicking ‘enter’, you agree to GameSpot’s
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
While this alpha weekend is exclusive to PS4, Activision will hold an open beta for Black Ops Cold War in October for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. For more on that, check out GameSpot’s breakdown of everything you need to know.
GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.
A lot of changes are coming with the Beyond Light expansion to Destiny 2 that’ll make your Guardian look cooler. Bungie already outlined how transmogrification will allow you to change the look of any piece of armor when its next expansion drops. Now it turns out that you’ll soon be able to customize your Ghost sidekick to make it more useful as you play, and give you a chance to show off a little more.
In its This Week at Bungie blog post, the developer outlined alterations it’s making to Ghost shells, the customizable looks you can add to your robotic Ghost pal. Right now, Ghost shells are largely cosmetic, and while you can earn some through different gameplay activities, most are purchased through the premium currency Eververse store. Shells offer a bunch of different looks for your Ghost and often have themes–there are some for the Festival of the Lost Halloween event, for instance, while others align with the story underpinnings of certain seasons, or just have cool animations and styles.
Each Ghost shell currently comes with a set of random perks that make using certain shells useful in specific situations. A Ghost shell might give you boosts to Glimmer or resource gains on a specific planet, make your Sparrow load faster, or give you extra experience boosts. Since perks are random, you’ll often find yourself switching Ghosts for different activities, which might saddle you with a shell you don’t particularly like to get the perks you need. Bungie is changing that in Beyond Light so that Ghost shells become more customizable, provided you’re willing to put in a little work.
Instead of having random perks, all Ghost shells in Beyond Light will take on a version of Destiny 2’s Armor 2.0 system introduced with the Shadowkeep expansion. Like armor in the new system, shells will have “Energy” that you can spend to equip “mods” to that shell. As with armor, shells will generally start with one Energy point, and you’ll have to spend in-game currency to upgrade those shells up to as many as 10 Energy points. Different mods carry different Energy costs, so the more you have to work with, the more mods you can equip, up to a total of four. If armor is anything to go on, expect better mods to have higher costs, so you’ll have to make decisions about what to spend your Energy on as you mix and match different mods.
As with armor, this means you’ll be able to customize Ghost shells to your liking once you’ve upgraded them, and switch their mods on the fly as necessary. If you’re headed to Nessus, you could slap in a mod specific to that planet that’ll net you higher resource gains from Public events–and when you leave, you could unequip that mod and replace it with one for another planet, or for activities like Gambit or Strikes.
Each Ghost shell will come with three mod slots unlocked by default: “an Experience mod slot, a Tracking mod slot, an Economic mod slot, and an Activity mod slot,” Bungie writes, with the fourth slot unlockable by upgrading a Ghost’s energy. All shells will have default mods equipped, but you’ll be able to earn more mods through gameplay. (You can still buy shells from the Eververse store with other cosmetics, but you won’t be able to buy mods there.) A few specific shells will still have their specific mods, like a shell that tracks Leviathan raid completions, but most existing perks are being brought forward as default mods.
Bungie’s plan here, as with armor, is to separate the look of a Ghost shell from its gameplay effects, so you’ll be able to use whatever shells you want and still get all the boosts you enjoy. As with Armor 2.0, it should allow you to bake your Ghost shell choices into your character build a little more easily, while potentially allowing for some new rewards to earn through gameplay. We’ll see how the new Ghost shell system plays out when Beyond Light launches on November 10.
GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.
Rocket League goes free-to-play on September 23. Along with this transition, developer Psyonix has confirmed that Season 1 will begin that same day. Season 1 introduces a new Rocket Pass, competitive season reset, and several in-game changes.
The new Rocket Pass (Rocket League’s version of a battle pass) is the main attraction of Season 1, introducing over 70 tiers of items to unlock, most of which are inspired by Rocket League’s five-year history. Like previous Rocket Passes, the premium track of the Season 1 Rocket Pass begins with a new battle car. Buy the pass and you’ll immediately unlock the Harbinger, which can be seen in the trailer embedded below.
The competitive season reset officially begins a little bit after 3 PM PT / 6 PM ET on September 22, so you can actually get a bit of a head start on working your way up through the ranks if you buy Rocket League or already own it ahead of the game going free-to-play.
Season 1 makes new changes to Rocket League as well. Tournaments are getting revamped, making it more approachable for squads of three to join into a 32-team competition. Season 1 adds a new Challenge menu as well, which should make it easier to keep track of your daily and weekly challenges.
Rocket League Season 1 continues until December 9.
GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.
Fortnite, including both the battle royale and the Save the World modes, is no longer receiving updates on Mac computers. Epic Games said that Apple isn’t letting it push updates to the platform.
“Apple is preventing Epic from signing games and patches for distribution on Mac, which ends our ability to develop and offer Fortnite: Save the World for the platform,” Epic Games said in a post on their official site. “Specifically, our upcoming v14.20 release will cause bugs for players on v13.40, resulting in a very poor experience. Since we are no longer able to sign updates and release fixes for these issues, beginning September 23, 2020, Fortnite: Save the World will no longer be playable on macOS.”
Fortnite’s battle royale mode will still be playable on Mac devices, but Epic said that it will “no longer [receive] version updates due to Apple’s actions.” Mac players will be stuck playing in the v13.40 Fortnite build.
This is more fallout of the ongoing legal battle between Epic Games and Apple. Apple previously claimed that the ongoing lawsuit is a “marketing campaign designed to reinvigorate interest in Fortnite.”
Epic said that it will be issuing refunds to players who purchased Save the World Founder’s or Starter Packs and played Save the World on Mac devices between September 17, 2019 and September 17, 2020.
GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.
Dauntless has received a major update, adding new content to the free-to-play action game on Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The new update is called Untamed Wilds, and it adds several new challenges and items to the game.
The major addition is the Terra Escalation, which will be added to the Hunt screen. This takes players to the Arbourhome island chain and takss them with battling their way to–and then defeating–the Agarus Behemoth. You’ll want a good squad to take this beast out, because it’s good at isolating and poisoning Slayers.
Once Agarus is down, players will earn schematics for new legendary weapons, with new abilities attached to them. You can use these weapons for area-of-effect healing, as well as fighting, which is extremely helpful.
A new hunt type has also been added. It’s called Missions, and it features some new monsters to fight and new story content, too. These will give Dauntless players some new challenges to overcome. There’s also a new Hunt Pass that has been added, called Strange Horizons, with 50 levels of rewards to unlock.
The last major update to Dauntless was the Clear Skies update, which focused on the game’s hub world. Fans of Dauntless on Switch might be interested in the newly-announced Monster Hunter Rise, too, as Dauntless is inspired by Capcom’s series.
GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.
The first time I beat the final boss in Hades, I felt an enormous sense of relief. I’d been fighting to see this ending for hours (months, technically, if you count my time in early access), and in roguelikes, it feels better than usual to see an ending. But while I was definitely a little too proud of putting together a set of abilities and perks that shredded the boss after they wrecked me just a few tries ago, that wasn’t why I felt tears welling up. I’d gotten so caught up in the story of my character, Zagreus, and the heroes, villains, and gods that had helped him here that I was elated to have finally gotten him to the end of his journey. What sets Hades apart isn’t just that it’s a great roguelike with the kind of repeatable depth that makes it engrossing to play for hours, but also how it uses its structure to tell an ongoing story about family, secrets, and resolution.
That Hades’ narrative is so entwined with its combat is nothing new for the developers at Supergiant Games, who’ve established themselves as masters of putting your actions in sync with the stories they tell. In a roguelike such as Hades, it means playing as Zagreus, a god of rebirth. Tired of living under his father Hades’ thumb and seeking answers about where he comes from, he sets out to escape to the world of the living, battling various undead monsters, living creatures, and mythological figures on his way out.
Your godliness justifies the endless runs through the depths of the underworld, since dying and coming back to life is par for the course in Greek myth. One of the best parts of Hades, in fact, is returning to the House of Hades time and again after you die. It’s not just a pit stop on the way to the next run–it’s the centerpiece Hades hinges on. There, figures such as Achilles, Hypnos, and Nyx console you after your deaths, praise you for making progress, and confide in you about one another. You chat with them, undertake side quests, and exchange gifts to deepen your relationships. Eventually, they become vital allies on your quest, even if they’re not in the thick of combat with you.
These interactions, as much as the precise combat, are the reason I kept coming back to Hades; while I was skeptical about how the roguelike structure would meld with Supergiant Games’ focus on characters and stories, they’ve written and voiced reams of dialogue and lore, and almost all of it is delivered with vigor and is intriguing enough to pore over between your treks through hell.
When you finally decide to take another stab at escaping, runs are broken up into a few different worlds, each made up of several randomly ordered chambers. Hades’ combat builds on Bastion’s tight, isometric fights and infuses them with the endlessly repeatable appeal of random buffs, modifiers, random enemy layouts, currencies, and progression that slowly turn the seemingly impossible task of reaching the surface into something manageable.
Combat is quick and reactive, letting you chain attacks into dashes, dashes into special moves, and so on as you learn how to whittle enemy shields, avoid traps, and work over bosses. Each of the six weapons you can equip pushes you to play differently, and weapon-specific modifiers nudge you towards using different parts of your toolset; you might be comfortable poking enemies from afar with the Varatha spear, for example, but with a boon from Daedalus that triples the damage of your dash attack, you’re going to want to close the distance and juke constantly. That, and how buffs interact in myriad surprising and effective ways, means I’m still not tired of making these runs, dozens of hours later. In more crowded fights, the Switch’s smaller screen makes text and combat readability an issue, as these chambers are large enough to lose details (and runs). Other than that, though, combat is an outstanding mix of random variables and consistent action.
And even as you’re contemplating whether you want your spear to deal bonus critical damage or imbue your dash with a deflecting shield, tantalizing narrative threads seep through. Most buffs, called boons, are tied to individual gods; if you want that deflect, you’re going to have to ask Athena for it, while Artemis is in charge of critical damage. These short exchanges give each god a distinct personality and reflect your actions and progress; you also occasionally catch clues about a potential side quest or plot thread that ties into the larger narrative. I liked Athena, Artemis, and Dionysus not just because their boons were consistently useful, but because I took to Athena’s austere will, Artemis’ prickly reclusiveness, and Dionysus’ laid-back flirtiness.
These conversations are more than narrative icing; you can give the gods gifts and build your relationships with them, too. Occasionally, you’ll run into rooms where you can score two boons, but only after choosing one god and facing the wrath of the one you scorned as you fight off another round of enemies. Or, if you happen to end up with both that deflective dash and some critical damage, like I did, Athena and Artemis might have a quick chat with each other, then offer you a Duo boon that grants bonus critical damage to projectiles you deflect. As you progress through hell, you’ll start seeing those boons used against you, which itself says something; for as much as the gods pay lip service to want to meet them on Olympus when offering boons, your journey to escape torment is little more than a spectacle to them, a game to watch and manipulate from the sidelines.
Does that thread lead anywhere? It’s hard to say because Hades unfurls so many other threads like this that tie its characters, your actions, and the world together into one cohesive, powerful whole that takes time to unravel. Eventually, you meet characters that sprinkle interesting bonuses into your runs while simultaneously launching new side stories back in the House of Hades, and even bosses change over the course of multiple runs. Supergiant has managed to turn the roguelike, a genre not usually known for riveting plots, into a compelling vehicle for storytelling.
Supergiant has managed to turn the roguelike, a genre not usually known for riveting plots, into a compelling vehicle for storytelling.
The random nature of the genre does mean the kind of climactic moments that define traditional stories are hard to come by, but I loved that. Rather than face an imposing boss, learning about a new twist of fate, and then moving on to the next act, you have hundreds of conversations with your family, roommates, and enemies about whatever comes to mind. This is where Hades’ bid to tell its story differently pays off, as playing it eventually feels like living in a crowded home for months, one where arcs happen, but nothing truly “ends.” It’s the kind of story that makes small moments more significant. After being chided by Hades with a dismissive “Back again?” having failed to kill a boss, then listening to everyone around simply wring their hands about the lord of the dead, I understood why Zagreus would want to leave the shadow of his overbearing, distant father. That convergence between player and character motivation is a powerful feeling, and it’s what Supergiant delivers so brilliantly.
That long-tail approach to worldbuilding may not work for everyone; before I played Hades, I didn’t see myself as someone who’d continue to play a roguelike after beating it. But I wanted to keep learning more about these characters and this underworld enough to keep coming back. That, along with a robust postgame that alters every weapon and boss, lets you make the game even harder for more rewards, and offers even more reasons to play an already entrancing mix of RPG and action combat, has absolutely hooked me. When I’m not playing Hades, I’m thinking about how cool it’d be to build the Exagryph machine gun with lighting boons combo that got me that first victorious run, but also throw some critical damage on top of that.
I’m also thinking about how much I still have left to learn about Hades, both the character and the game, even dozens of hours in. Like in the Greek myths Hades takes inspiration from, endings aren’t tidy, and they’re almost never final. They’re protracted, often unsatisfying, and are hard to find real closure in, and the fact that Hades understands this is its greatest strength. I’m sure there’s a point where, after running through hell enough times, I’ll have seen all Hades has to offer, both in its clever and endless fights and its many alluring characters, intimate moments, and rewarding quests. The story does end. But what matters so much more are all the moments between the start and end of a story, and the people who help us see those climactic moments but also stick with us between them. They’re the reason we keep trying, and the reason we keep coming back.
Hyper Scape, the new battle royale game from Ubisoft, is offering a double XP promotion this weekend. Now through Sunday September 20, players on all platforms will be doubly rewarded with experience, so it’s a good time to check out the game or return to it.
Ubisoft also confirmed that the newly revealed Turbo Mode, which speeds up matches by making all loot max level and increasing the speed of health regeneration, will be available throughout the double XP weekend and beyond. The limited-time mode will be available until Tuesday, September 22.
Developer Ubisoft Montreal has been steadily supporting the PS4, Xbox One, and PC game with extra content and new events, and you can check out the mid-season roadmap here to find out what will be available through the start of October.
GameSpot’s Hyper Scape review scored the game a 6/10.
“Hyper Scape is an okay battle royale game,” reviewer Jordan Ramee said. “The game has solid weapons and hero-like Hack abilities, but you’re at the mercy of being lucky enough to get what you need to have a higher chance of winning.”
GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.
There were some huge announcements during the recent Nintendo Direct Mini, including a new Monster Hunter game and a Switch release of Ori and the Will of the Wisps. One that might have flown under the radar was the announcement of Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm and Exercise, a sequel to the system’s first dedicated fitness game.
Fitness Boxing 2 will yet again task you with performing boxing moves in time with music. The game will now let you turn off certain boxing moves that you don’t want to perform, and features new tracks and instructors. There are 66 courses and 23 songs to choose from.
Otherwise, it looks very similar to the first game, but hopefully there will be improvements to motion tracking. Save data carries over, so if Fitness Boxing is part of your fitness routine, you can continue tracking your progress.
The game also touts a two-player mode and an alarm function. You can watch the trailer below.
It’ll be interesting to see if Fitness Boxing 2 can hold up against the fitness juggernaut that is Ring Fit Adventure when it releases on December 4, exclusively on Switch. Since the game requires the use of Joy Cons, it’ll be a bit harder to play on a Switch Lite.
Another fitness game, Jump Rope Challenge, is currently available on Switch for free. Hurry, though–it’s only available until September 30.
GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.