Category: Games

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening was one of 2019’s biggest Switch releases, but if you’ve yet to pick it up, Black Friday 2020 will be a great time to do so. The Switch exclusive will be discounted at various retailers as part of their Black Friday sales, giving you a chance to snag one of last year’s best titles for cheap.

Link’s Awakening is a full remake of the classic Game Boy game of the same name. Unlike a typical Zelda adventure, the game is not set in Hyrule proper but rather on the strange, dream-like Koholint Island, where Link must conquer puzzle-filled dungeons and gather eight magical instruments to wake the sleeping Wind Fish and return home.

“Though the remake has a couple of blemishes, it’s still an easy game to recommend,” we wrote in our The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening review. “People speak of Link’s Awakening as the secret best Zelda game. That’s a tough call to make, but it’s definitely one of the best. If you haven’t touched a classic Zelda game in a while, Link’s Awakening will almost instantly transport you back to the ’90s. It’s simple, in many ways, but the orchestrated journey still conveys a sense of adventure, and this new version is without question the best way to experience it. And more than anything else, it will put a smile on your face.”

We’ll be rounding up a lot more Black Friday 2020 news and deals through Thanksgiving weekend, so check back often for the best Black Friday savings. Be sure to also check out our roundup of the best Black Friday 2020 gaming deals, including the best deals for Nintendo Switch, PS4/PS5, and Xbox One/Series X.

The Picross S series is getting another entry on Switch this month. Picross S 5 follows on from the first four games, offering more of what fans want–Picross puzzles, with a few variant modes and a simple, straightforward user interface.

Picross S 5 launches November 26 through the Nintendo Eshop, and it’ll cost $10. The game will feature a combined 300 Picross/Mega Picross puzzles, 30 Color Picross puzzles, 150 Clip Picross puzzles, and two “large” Picross puzzles, with up to three extras being added if you have save data for Picross S 1-3 on your system.

Unlike the last few entries, Picross S 5 does not add any new modes from S4, and just focuses on the puzzles. The main additions this time are an overall timer that tells you how long it took to complete every puzzle, and a high-contrast color option for Color Picross.

You can check out a trailer for Picross S 5 below.

The Picross S series has generally been well received as a pleasant, albeit low-frills, Picross series for Switch. Other Picross options on the system include the story-focused Murder by Numbers and the SNES collection’s previously Japan-only release Mario’s Super Picross.

If you’ve enjoyed the Picross series on Switch and have a 3DS on hand, check out Picross 3D: Round 2— maybe the best Picross game ever made.

EA Sports has released the first gameplay footage of Madden NFL 21 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, and it looks very good. The developer also offered more details on how Madden NFL 21 will take advantage of the new consoles beyond just better graphics.

EA says the next-gen edition of Madden NFL 21 will deliver a “new standard of realism and authenticity.” As you can see in the trailer below, the game definitely looks better: player models, weather effects, and even the grass on the field appear to be more faithful to the real thing. But what might be more exciting about the next-gen editions of Madden 21 is how they’re using new player data from the real league.

For years now, NFL players have been wearing RFID chips in their jerseys to capture data about their performance, and now this is being shared with EA. The developer is using this data to make the in-game character models and their related animations appear more life-like.

“This data, called Next Gen Stats, is fed into Madden NFL 21 to drive fluid animation selection based on how players actually move when running, cutting, and changing direction on the field creating the most realistic player movement in franchise history,” EA said. “Next Gen Player Movement comes to life on both sides of the ball, with elite route runners running their actual routes logged by Next Gen Stats and showcasing explosive first steps and direction changes, while elite defenders will react more realistically to opposing routes and runs.”

Madden 21 on next-gen consoles will also include a new replay system that uses the player data to show you things like how quickly in seconds the quarterback released the ball or the distance of a completed pass. The idea is that, with these more granular numbers, players can make better decisions in the future about play-calling.

And speaking of play-calling, there is a new play-calling menu in Madden 21 that appears to prioritize star plays and lets you more easily involve them in key plays.

The new-gen editions of Madden 21 also boast faster loading times; EA said players can expect to get into games “in seconds,” while the developer said environments will load “with unprecedented speed.”

In addition, EA has added new “cloth animation” to make jerseys look more life-like with wrinkles that emerge during games based on how players move on the field. There is also now location-based audio to make the game feel as if the player is reacting to the sound coming from whatever direction they are looking.

On PS5, Madden 21 uses the DualSense controller to allow people to “feel the impact of passes, catches, tackles, hits, and kicks.”

Everyone who buys or has already purchased Madden 21 on Xbox One or PS4 can upgrade to their next-gen edition within the same console family for free until the release of Madden NFL 22 in 2021. All progress will carry forward from Madden Ultimate team, The Yard, and Franchise mode.

EA is also releasing a $70 “NXT LVL” edition of Madden 21 specifically for Xbox Series X and PS5. This appears to be EA’s first game that carries a higher price tag on next-gen. The game comes with “additional high value” content for Ultimate Team.

Madden 21’s PS5 and Xbox Series X editions launch on December 4, which is the same day that FIFA 21 comes to next-gen.

The Animal Crossing: New Horizons winter update–which adds events that align with Thanksgiving and Christmas–is now live. This brings the Switch sensation to version 1.6.0, and brings various other fixes and changes.

The big additions in the winter update are Turkey Day (November 26) and Toy Day (December 24), which bring new NPCs and events with them. In the former, Franklin the turkey will appear to help you make a feast. On Toy Day, Jingle the reindeer arrives to hand out gifts.

New Years items will also be available at Nook’s between December 26 and 31.

This update also lets you transfer save data between systems. Before this, moving to a Switch Lite, or getting your save back after losing or selling your Switch, wasn’t possible. Now you’ll be able to do so, which will be good news for the many people asking for this feature. Here’s how to transfer your Animal Crossing: New Horizons save.

Several other features Animal Crossing fans have been wanting and expecting–including a new Nook expansion and the appearance of Brewster, the series’ pigeon barista–still have not made their way into the game, nor been announced.

You can see the numerous changes introduced in this update in the full patch notes below.

Ver. 1.6.0 Update Notes

General updates

• Two seasonal events, Turkey Day and Toy Day, have been added.
• Residents can visit Resident Services to put in a request to increase the capacity of their home storage.
• Luna can now offer random dream destinations by selecting the “Surprise me” option.
• A new feature for transferring save data between different systems has been added.
  • This feature only transfers save data for Animal Crossing: New Horizons. When necessary, please use the Nintendo Switch “Transfer Your User Data” feature as well.
    
• The following content has also been added:
  • Additional Nook Miles redemption items.
  • Additional limited-time seasonal items from Nook Shopping.
  • Additional DIY recipes that use seasonal materials.
  • Additional Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp collaboration item.

Fixed issues

• Other adjustments and corrections were made to improve the game play experience.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been one of 2020’s biggest success stories–it’s now the second best-selling game on Switch.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity releases for Switch on November 20 as the Switch’s last major exclusive for 2020, and with the review embargo over many critics are weighing in on the game. Reviews for the new game have been largely positive, although not everyone has been effusive about the latest Zelda title.

Age of Calamity is now a traditional Zelda game–it’s the second installment in the Hyrule Warriors franchise, a musou game where players face huge hordes of enemies at once. Think Dynasty Warriors, but with Zelda enemies rather than other people.

This game also ties directly into the Switch launch game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild–it’s a prequel, showing the events leading up to the situation Link finds himself in at the game’s beginning.

The Switch version of the first game, Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition earned an 8/10 from GameSpot in 2018. Another Nintendo musou style game, Fire Emblem Warriors, released in 2017.

• Game: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch
• Developer: Koei Tecmo, Omega Force
• Release Date: November 20
• Price: $60 / £50 / $80 AUD

Below are a selection of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity reviews from all over the internet, including GameSpot’s own. For even more, check out GameSpot sister site Metacritic.

GameSpot – 6/10

“It’s strange to think of a bungled story leaving me so lukewarm on a Zelda game, even if it is a spin-off. But paying off its premise is the burden a prequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is tasked with. The main reason I dove into Age of Calamity is because I love its world and the history it tries to remember. So for a game to retread them and proclaim to have something new to say when its inspiration’s most striking moments come from what it leaves unsaid is a big ask. But my problem with Age of Calamity isn’t that it fails to live up to that responsibility. It’s that it doesn’t even try.” — Suriel Vazquez [Full Review]

Eurogamer – Recommended

“Age of Calamity ultimately puts me to mind of the scene at the end of Takeshi Kitano’s take on Zatoichi, another fresh spin on a beloved classic, where the entire cast – whether dead or alive – gets together for one big musical number on the same old set. Only this time it’s the stars of Breath of the Wild getting together for a good old-fashioned musou knees-up in what’s a bawdy and frequently brilliant brawler. Of all the many musou spin-offs, Age of Calamity can well lay claim to being the best yet.” — Martin Robinson [Full Review]

IGN – 9/10

“Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity offers a welcome trip back to a world I’ve clocked hundreds of hours in. Its hugely varied roster of characters, solid combat mechanics, fun progression and clever adaptation of Breath of the Wild’s vision of Hyrule is a joy to play and discover. While there are some missed characterisation opportunities, Age of Calamity is still a blast from start to finish.” — Cam Shea [Full Review]

VG247 – 4/5

“The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild isn’t just one of the better entries in this storied series – it’s also one of the greatest games of all time. To this end, the mission of living up to its inspiration is perhaps impossible for Age of Calamity. It is nevertheless successful at what it sets out to do, however – providing a fun, interesting and exciting new adventure that fans of that game will surely enjoy.” — Alex Donaldson [Full Review]

Game Informer – 7.5/10

“Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity looks a lot like Breath of the Wild, but it lacks the exploration and puzzle-solving elements that define the mainline Legend of Zelda series. Age of Calamity may not resemble a traditional Zelda game, but it’s not a bad time. The action is repetitive, but also relaxed and comfortable. It trades on your love for Nintendo’s classic franchise, and I was happy for the excuse to return to this version of Hyrule. I still feel like I’m chasing Breath of the Wild’s high, and Age of Calamity is a small solace.” — Ben Reeves [Full Review]

VGC – 3/5

“This is an entertaining ode to Breath of the Wild that will comfortably fill the gap as we wait for a proper sequel. But it overachieves while it underperforms and that’s a tricky thing to judge. It makes you want to whip out your ocarina and play the Song of Time, teleporting to a point where there’s an updated Switch capable of doing the game justice. There’s greatness here, just out of reach.” — Matthew Castle [Full Review]

One of the most popular games on the planet, Among Us, is seemingly getting a new map, and the official announcement may not be far off.

An official Twitter account for Among Us has appeared, and its first tweet contained a teaser image for the game’s new map. The image shows what looks to the control deck of a ship, complete with a captain’s chair and various control panels.

A follow-up tweet tells fans that they can expect more news during The Game Awards on December 10. That’s the annual awards show run by industry veteran Geoff Keighley. Just recently, the full list of nominees were announced, and Among Us is nominated for Best Multiplayer and Best Mobile Game.

The awards show normally doubles as an announcement event for new games and content, and it now seems Among Us will have something to share during the show.

Among Us was originally released in 2018, but it gained a new level of popularity earlier in 2020 and it has since become a bonafide hit.

Developer Innersloth announced Among Us 2, but the studio put the game on hold so it could focus on expanding and improving upon the first title.

Recently, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez led a livestream event for the game before the US Presidential election where she played with popular streamers (and other politicians) and encouraged people to vote. After the huge popularity of that stream, AOC said she plans to return with a second Among Us stream.

Developer Respawn has released the patch notes for the latest update for Apex Legends, which is now live. The new update addresses the unfair grind of Season 7: Ascension‘s battle pass by changing how challenges work, and also makes several other in-game adjustments.

At the start of Season 7, the format of weekly challenges changed from what’s been used from Season 2: Battle Charge through Season 6: Boosted. Challenges dropped recurring weekly challenges, making it more difficult to level in the battle pass without putting some serious hours into the game each week.

Plus, weekly challenges became more specific, and thus harder to complete. For example, Season 6 had challenges where you had to play a certain amount of games using specific characters, but Season 7 adjusted these types of challenges so that players were forced to play as one specific character for a certain number of games. This was especially unfair for players who hadn’t bought and unlocked all of the characters, as challenges could now be geared towards the one character they might not have access to.

Thankfully, much of this is going away, as the format of weekly challenges is reverting back to the old format seen in previous seasons, starting with Week 3. The new stars (as opposed to points) system isn’t changing, but you shouldn’t have to worry about the new single character challenges anymore. In compensation for Weeks 1-2, Respawn is also awarding all players 10 free battle pass levels, regardless of how far they managed to get into Season 7’s battle pass so far. Just log in, and your levels should automatically unlock.

The remainder of the update is aimed at fixing bugs and exploits that have popped up in Apex Legends since the start of Season 7. For instance, the update removes the exploit that allowed players to place Rampart’s minigun on Crypto’s drone, giving squads an unfairly powerful (though silly) flying death machine. You can read the full patch notes below.

Apex Legends November 18 Update Patch Notes

• Weekly Challenges have been adjusted back to Season 6 formating
• 10 Battle Pass levels will be rewarded to all who log in
• Rampart’s turret on Crypto’s drone
• Audio adjustments
• Misc fixes