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Demon’s Souls is a bit different to most other Soulsborne games in that it’s divided into distinctly separate areas that are each linked to a hub world. This allows you to visit Demon’s Souls areas out of consecutive order, and that’s something you should do if you’re looking for one of the best early-game weapons that you can find: the Crescent Falchion.

This curved sword is a powerful addition to your arsenal, possessing high base magic damage. Just like in Dark Souls, magic damage is very powerful in Demon’s Souls, especially in the early game. So if you’re having a bit of trouble with the enemies found in Demon’s Souls, nabbing the Crescent Falchion will help you quite a bit.

Where To Find The Crescent Falchion

Once you’ve unlocked the ability to travel through any of the archestones, you want to pick World 4-1, Shrine of Storms. Don’t worry, you don’t actually have to beat the level to grab the Crescent Falchion–it’s actually found fairly early on.

As soon as you go through the first fog gate, go left. Keep going until you discover another door that you can go through, which will be on your left. You’ll know you’re in the right place if you suddenly find yourself face-to-face with a Dual Katana Black Skeleton–a powerful foe that you’ll either need to defeat or expertly dodge around. You’ll find the Crescent Falchion directly behind the skeleton.

If you’re looking for additional help with Demon’s Souls, check out our seven starter tips. And if you’re still on the fence about whether to even pick up Bluepoint Game’s 2020 PS5 remake of From Software’s 2009 PS3 game, then read GameSpot’s Demon’s Souls review.

The long-awaited Halo Infinite was supposed to release on November 10 as a launch title for the Xbox Series X/S consoles, but due in part to complications related to COVID-19, Microsoft elected to push the game out to 2021. It was a big loss for the Xbox Series X/S, as it would have marked the first time since 2001 that a Halo game launched with new Xbox hardware. As it turned out, Microsoft did not need Halo Infinite at launch for the new consoles to sell exceptionally well, but Xbox boss Phil Spencer has now reflected on the delay and its impact on the new systems and the brand overall.

“I wanted Halo Infinite at launch; there was no doubt about that,” Spencer told Shacknews. “And we thought there would have been a special seminal moment because the last time we shipped a Halo and a console at the same time was the original Xbox. When Bonnie [Ross, head of Halo Infinite developer 343 Studios] and I were talking about it, there was something heartfelt about those two things coming together. But the safety and health of the team has got to be first and foremost, and then the quality of the game. Those things have to win over anything else.”

The “quality of the game” line is an interesting one, the suggestion being that Spencer and the team might not have believed the game was where it needed to be to launch. The game’s campaign reveal in July left a sour taste in some fans’ mouths, and Microsoft promised that the graphics would get better over time.

Whatever the case, as others have said before him, Spencer pointed out that having Halo Infinite as a launch title did not have much of an impact on sales of the Xbox Series X/S. Getting enough supply to meet the demand is the real issue, Spencer said.

“Sales are going to be dictated by supply this holiday. I know there’ll be press that will want to write, ‘Xbox launch lineup versus PS5 launch lineup.’ But if they’re both sold out completely, I’m not sure the launch lineup had much impact on anything other than maybe some review score,” Spencer said. “It’s not going to dictate what, how many consoles we sell. The number one thing that’s going to dictate how many consoles we sell is not the competition and it’s not a Halo or a launch lineup. It’s going to be how many units we can build.”

“So I think the possibility of Halo Infinite launching beside Xbox was more of a brand and heartfelt moment for us than it was critical to the launch. In fact, you could argue that holiday 2021 from a lineup is probably more important because from a competitive standpoint, both consoles–knock on wood–will have supply so there will be a demand constraint rather than a supply constraint in the next year,” he added.

The Xbox Series X/S generation got off to a great start with more than 1 million consoles sold during its first 24 hours. The consoles are tough to find, however, and Spencer has apologized for the shortages. It could be months before stock is widely available again, Microsoft has warned.

Halo Infinite will be the first new mainline Halo game since 2015’s Halo 5: Guardians, and it’s shaking up the franchise’s formula in multiple ways. The new game is built on a new engine, Slipspace, and its multiplayer element will be free–and here’s why that could be a big deal.

Unfortunately for fans, it might be some time before they get to see more of Halo Infinite. Developer 343 Industries recently confirmed that Halo Infinite won’t have a showing at The Game Awards in December, but the studio is planning to share a “high level update” on the project soon.

Recently, game director Chris Lee left the Halo Infinite project, prompting concern among fans. He is the second director to leave the project in the last two years. However, Spencer said that the turnover is nothing to worry about in our interview. Back in October, a Halo community manager responded to a fan who accused Microsoft of “turtling up” on Halo Infinite, saying that he disagrees. However, if you’re curious to see how 343 recorded weapon sounds for the new game, check out their video.

Whenever it’s ready, Halo Infinite will release on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC. Xbox Game Pass subscribers will be able to download the game at no extra cost.

Run debuts on Hulu on November 20th.

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Run feels like one hell of a flex if you’ve seen its creative duo’s previous effort, Searching. The 2018 screen-life film saw director Aneesh Chaganty and co-writer Sev Ohanian effortlessly turn a computer screen into a window to a world of dramatic mystery; in contrast, their latest thriller is set in a spacious house surrounded by open roads. The setting feels ordinary at first, but before long, its grip begins to tighten to the point of claustrophobia, an aesthetic approach that matches the mother-daughter dynamic at its core. As hinted in the film’s trailer, there’s something amiss about their relationship — something Chloe slowly but surely discovers as she takes notice of pieces of her life that don’t quite add up.

The film stars Sarah Paulson as Diane Sherman, a caring but overbearing mother to a wheelchair-using teen, Chloe (Kiera Allen). After a brief prologue that sucks the air out of the room and hints at the difficulty of Chloe’s birth, the film’s opening title cards list a litany of medical ailments and their various symptoms, setting the stage for a film where chronic illness is a central fixture. Fast-forward about a decade and a half, and we’re re-introduced to Diane during a support group meeting for parents whose lives are dedicated to (and defined by) taking care of kids who need almost ’round-the-clock care. We don’t see too many of the parents’ faces, though; instead, Chaganty draws us into this space through objects and details, like a tissue box being passed around the room and the sounds of tears and sniffles, as shivering hands grab two, sometimes three tissues at once.

When the box of tissues reaches Diane — the first face we see in the present — she doesn’t want one. In fact, it doesn’t seem like she needs one. The story she tells the group, and herself, is one of strength, resilience, and above all, normalcy, as her daughter prepares for college. But there’s a tinge of resentment in her voice as well.

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In a manner somewhat atypical of genre films, this eerie atmosphere is done away with almost immediately when we’re introduced to Chloe, and to the world, Diane spoke of in her meeting. Chloe’s day is a montage of pills, inhalers, and exercises — which her mother takes charge of — but also of diligent homeschooling and personal science projects, which she solders together in her free time. Within just minutes, we’re granted access to Chloe’s daily life, as the sprightly teen moves her wheelchair effortlessly from room to room, stopping only at her dining room table for homework, or when she needs to use the stairlift to go from floor to floor. The contrast between Hollywood’s usual hiring of able-bodied actors for such roles, and wheelchair-user Kiera Allen, is clear and immediate: Chloe’s character doesn’t begin and end at her disability and is instead dramatized through intellectual curiosities and wry jabs at her mom.

The film’s sudden switch to Chloe’s point-of-view, and to a veneer of domestic normalcy, functions as a narrative Trojan horse. The details that seem normal to Chloe don’t warrant any additional commentary from her or investigation from the camera. Her homeschooling is routine. Her barely-disguised sarcasm when asking her mom to finally buy her an iPhone feels like adolescence 101. Her enthusiasm whenever the mailman (Pat Healy) comes around is uncontainable, as she anticipates an acceptance letter from Washington University, whose logos litter the bulletin board in her bedroom (Diane is always the first to get the mail, though she assures Chloe that any university communication will be handed over promptly).

It’s a distinct moment in the life of any teenager on the verge of leaving the nest, exciting and full of promise. Although, when Chloe accidentally discovers a small detail that seems oddly out of place she begins carefully pulling at this thread, only to realize just how many constraints her mother has really placed on her to prevent her from asking questions. For years, she’s had no reason to doubt the reasons she’s being homeschooled, or why she doesn’t have a smartphone, or why her mother supervises her internet use and all her incoming mail. Before long, the details that once seemed routine begin to feel like shackles.

The camera creeps inward or sideways along dollies each time Chloe searches for answers and enters a new state of doubt or recognition. The empty spaces in her house begin to feel like dark, sinister corners from which some slasher villain might suddenly emerge. Although, there isn’t a jump scare to be spoken of in order to break the tension; the film rarely, if ever, relieves its grip.

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It isn’t hard to figure out what’s happening from a big-picture standpoint — after all, the film casts immediate doubt on Diane even before we’ve met Chloe — but to call Run merely a Munchausen-by-proxy film does a clear disservice to thrilling work done by everyone involved. It’s as much a psychological drama as it is a taut escape thriller, in which each scene begins to feel like a heist. For instance, when Chloe’s internet mysteriously goes down just as she’s Googling one of her medications, she has to figure out a way to get the information she needs using nothing but a landline, while also avoiding her mother’s watchful eye. It’s another one of the many ways the film feels like an intentional swing in the opposite direction from Searching; Chloe’s access to technology is limited, and rather than a story where a parent and child start out at odds and find their way back to one another, it’s… well, that would be spoiling its many twists and turns, each of which is rooted in character, and are delights to discover.

Sarah Paulson is tremendous in a role that requires balancing grounded drama with B-movie pulp, as she walks a fine line between warmth and monstrousness. Once we begin seeing her through Chloe’s eyes, it’s impossible to nail down a singular feeling or perspective; do we love Diane? Do we fear her? Do we empathize with all that she’s sacrificed and the fact that she may have been caught in a web of lies? The film offers no clear roadmap, which is a testament to Paulson’s prowess as a performer used to juggling different genres, often within the same story.

Of course, this vagueness surrounding Diane, for the most part, would’ve felt dramatically confusing, were it not for Kiera Allen, who grounds the film’s thrills in a performance that demands both emotional nuance and intense physical dedication. When the constraints around Chloe are tightened, her home becomes something of an obstacle course, which she navigates both through her knowledge of scientific tidbits and her sheer desperation.

There is, of course, a looming sense that the film might be on the verge of some grand, unifying statement about illness or disability — the kind of Hollywood inspiration-porn that skirts around lived realities — though this might simply be a case of expectations, based on what we’re used to seeing time and time again. However, instead of going the route of some rote prestige drama once it lays its cards on the table, Run actually leans even further into its genre thrills, offering both a final act and eventual conclusion that end up ludicrously fun. It isn’t until the credits roll that you realize just how much Torin Borrowdale’s pulsating score has helped the entire thing fly by (it evokes Bernard Herrmann as much as Chaganty evokes Hitchcock; which is to say, just enough to be fun without feeling like a poor impersonation)

There isn’t a moment in the second half where you won’t be sitting on the edge of your seat — or your couch, or bed, or what have you. The film is sure to be a success on streaming platforms, but it also feels designed distinctly for the big screen. In fact, it was set for a theatrical release until the pandemic changed those plans, and it hasn’t really been adjusted for laptops and televisions. On one hand, a few visual details might be too subtle to notice without the scale of the cinema, but on the other, what this mostly means is that the film’s ebbs and flows were designed for collective gasps.

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After playing Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales on PlayStation 5, it would’ve been really tough to go back to the PS4 version of 2018’s best superhero game. Fortunately, Insomniac has retrofitted Peter Parker’s adventure with all the outstanding tech it developed for Miles, including improved lighting and frame rates, ray-traced reflections, lightning-fast load times, and DualSense haptic feedback. And they replaced Peter’s face… which is weird, but at least it showcases the major improvements to facial animations. This is a game that was already worth replaying on PS4, but now that it’s on PS5 it’s a great time to revisit New York and see it at its best.

Back in my original Marvel’s Spider-Man review, I called it Great, highlighting its awesome swinging through of New York City, its excellent Peter Parker story, and battles with familiar villains. I griped a bit about some suit powers being way better than others and the repetitive optional missions being a drag but it’s overall one of the best superhero games ever made.

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Two years later, all of that remains true, even next to the open-world side mission improvements I just played in the amazing Miles Morales adventure. Insomniac’s original Spidey tale is still a great Peter Parker adventure, even with a new face, featuring a great clash between the lives Peter leads both behind and out of his mask. And yes, it’s certainly jarring at first to see that face appear instead of the PS4 version, but I pretty quickly grew accustomed to this new look. Now I’ve come to like it more than the original. It looks more age-appropriate and more in line with the boyish but confident charm of Yuri Lowenthal’s memorable performance. His take on Peter still stands tall as one of my favorites, buoyed by Laura Bailey’s still-wonderful Mary-Jane, William Salyers’ broken Otto Octavius, and more.

Re-experiencing Insomniac’s story has delighted me as much as it did the first time around, particularly in the wonderful first moments of Peter and Mary-Jane on screen together, Spider-Man’s friendship with Yuri Watanabe, and some of the bigger personalities of Peter’s foes. Improved facial animations, less plastic-y skin, and realistic hair tech add more realism to the chemistry between Peter and MJ, with a satisfied smirk betraying Peter’s hope that they’ll get back together, as well as the despair Otto experiences when his lab is shut down. It’s a big step up.

Characters benefit from the re-done lighting system, and so does everything else it touches. From beautiful moments at dusk as the sun fades, to indoor interiors of Fisk Tower using the building’s many modern light fixtures to more realistically brighten the space, everything just looks more beautiful. And married with ray traced reflections in the fidelity mode, New York comes alive in a way that just wasn’t possible on the PS4. I mean seriously: it has turned one of Spider-Man’s most common tasks, stopping a car chase, into a beautiful light show of neon signs reflecting off cars and buildings as I chased the thieves and webbed them up all through the city. It’s as shiny and bright as strolling through Times Square at 2AM actually is, all without the real-life headache you probably have…if you’re strolling through Times Square at 2AM.

The DualSense is used pretty much exactly as it is in Miles Morales, which is excellent in helping to translate the sensation of playing as Spider-Man in more detail than ever before. I may never get the sensation of webslinging in real-life, but the DualSense’s haptic vibrations, trigger resistance, and a subtle “thwip” from the controller’s speaker do an admirable job of recreating what I imagine it’d be like. Likewise, if you have a 3D audio headset like the Pulse 3D, you get a nice extra level of immersion as the sounds of sirens go by in the distance and angry New Yorkers tell you to watch where you’re going as you run by on street level. But of course, my soundbar still does a perfectly good job of capturing the layered sounds of Insomniac’s New York as I swing through the streets.

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Even if you’ve already beaten or even platinumed it on PS4, I’d recommend checking out how much more vibrant Insomniac’s New York City is. It’s a different time of year than Miles Morales’ Christmas setting, so it offers a different enough visual palette even though I’d just played that game. And all the fun of the gameplay is still there: Peter’s swinging and acrobatic combat flows just as well as I remember, and even more smoothly now when you choose the new 60fps performance mode (which sacrifices some of the nicer lighting effects). I still find myself leaning heavily toward my few suit mod preferences and the side missions aren’t any more diverse – I’ve already run into what feels like a few dozen muggings – but that’s remasters for you.

The remaster also has all the benefits of bundling all three DLC episodes of The City That Never Sleeps. That’s another 10 or so hours of play, and it adds a largely satisfying comic book mini-arc that includes fantastic character work with Black Cat and Silver Sable. You take the bad with the good in the form of the annoying Screwball missions and a less-than-stellar second chapter, but these episodes work much better together than they did as separate episodes released a month apart as they were originally.

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On top of that and the free suits Insomniac put out, the remastered edition has been enhanced with quality-of-life improvements, like the near-instantaneous load times on PS5, and even additions to Photo Mode to mirror the handy new lighting features of Miles’ version. Plus, Miles Morales’ huge suite of accessibility features have been added (something I’m kicking myself for neglecting to mention in my Miles review). There are options to change the contrast of the environment, enemy readability, quick-time event requirements, and much more. It’s a nice step up from the original’s included options. And if recent Spider-verse stories have taught us anything, it’s that anyone can wear the mask, and it’s lovely and important that Insomniac has carried that philosophy into its games.

Welcome to the very first episode of The Review Crew! If you’re tuning in, you’re probably asking yourself “What is The Review Crew?” We’re so glad you asked!

The Review Crew is a weekly conversation about reviews. But more than that, it’s a weekly opportunity for IGN to invite folks from all over the gaming community, including other outlets, YouTube creators, Twitch streamers, and more, into a larger conversation about the week’s biggest games. We’re kicking off with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla with IGN’s Brandin Tyrrel, Nicole Carpenter of Polygon, and Cameron Hawkins of DualShockers. Take a look at episode one right here:

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You can catch new episodes every Monday at 9am on IGN and our YouTube page. As a bonus, we’ll be releasing the full, unedited conversations as an audio podcast on iTunes, Spotify, and your favorite podcast services. Upcoming episodes include:

• 11/23/20 – Demon’s Souls with guests: Mitchell Saltzman (IGN), Tamoor Hussain (Gamespot), and Steve Saylor (Can I Play That?).

• 11/30/20 – Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales with guests: Jonathon Dornbush (IGN), Blessing Adeoye Jr. (Kinda Funny), and Alexis Nedd (Mashable).

• 12/7/20 – A Month With the PlayStation 5 with guests Luke Reilly (IGN), Kahlief Adams (Spawn on Me), and Chelsea Stark (Polygon).

• 12/14/20 – A Month with the Xbox Series X with guests Ryan McCaffrey (IGN), Jason Schreier (Bloomberg News), and Michael Higham (GameSpot).

• 12/21/20 – Cyberpunk 2077, guests TBA.

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If you have a question for us, or suggestions for who you’d like to see on an upcoming episode, please let us know in the comments or shoot us an email at [email protected]

HBO Max will start rolling out on Amazon Fire devices on November 17, less than six months after the initial launch of the WarnerMedia streaming service.

Starting from tomorrow, those that have access to Amazon Fire TV streaming devices, Fire TV Edition smart TVs, and Fire tablets will be able to load the HBO Max app onto their devices. From there, HBO subscribers will then be able to start streaming HBO Max’s on-demand vast library of movies and shows, hailing from iconic brands of HBO, Warner Bros., DC, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and much more.

For the rollout, current HBO subscribers through Amazon’s Prime Video Channels will be able to log into the HBO Max app with their Amazon credentials at no additional cost. The HBO app will automatically update on Fire TV and Fire tablets to become the HBO Max app, and customers will be able to log in using their existing HBO credentials. New customers can also subscribe to HBO Max in the app.

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This news comes after many months of negotiations between WarnerMedia and their parent company AT&T with Amazon and Roku, two of the major hardware companies for streaming. While Amazon has been successful in reaching an agreement, there hasn’t been any indication of Roku establishing a similar distribution deal with HBO Max at this point in time.

“We are very excited that Amazon customers will now be able to enjoy the best-in-class content that lives within HBO Max,” said Tony Goncalves, WarnerMedia’s Head of Sales & Distribution. “Our continued goal is to make HBO Max and its unparalleled content available to customers across all the devices they love. Fire TV is a favorite among customers and we look forward to working with the Amazon team to engage and grow our existing subscriber base by showcasing all that HBO Max has to offer.”

“We’ve worked closely with HBO for many years to bring their great content to Fire TV and to make it easier to discover and enjoy with features like search integration, Alexa and personalized recommendations,” added Marc Whitten, Vice President of Amazon Entertainment Devices & Services. “We are excited to continue that partnership with the launch of HBO Max to bring even more incredible content to customers on Fire TV.”

The HBO Max app is fully integrated with Amazon’s compatible Alexa-enabled devices, meaning that customers can navigate the platform’s library of content using Alexa voice commands. HBO Max content is also integrated into the universal search on Fire TV, so that content will appear in general searches such as “Alexa, find dramas.” Customers can also ask Alexa to start watching specific movies and shows.

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If you’re not sure where to start, IGN has a complete rundown of everything that was available on HBO Max at launch, with notable highlights including the entire Studio Ghibli collection, all eight Harry Potter films, and a curation of timeless Turner Classic Movies like Gone With the Wind, and Once Upon a Time in the West. Plus, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is heading to the service next year.

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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Persona 5 Royal, the special revamped version of the acclaimed Japanese RPG, is hitting a new low price for Black Friday. You can grab a copy of Persona 5 Royal for just $20 at Best Buy as part of its early access Black Friday sale.

The standard edition of Persona 5 goes for $20 on its own, so you’re basically getting all of the 2019 upgrades at no extra cost. This is listed as a “My Best Buy Early Access” deal, so you’ll need to sign into your free My Best Buy account to claim it.

Persona 5 Royal is a significant expansion from the original, adding a new character, a new school semester, and loads of new content like weapons and enemies and gameplay improvements. It received a 10/10 in GameSpot’s review, with editor Michael Higham calling it an “unforgettable and empowering RPG that should be recognized as one of the best games of our time.”

The original Persona 5 is part of the PlayStation Plus Collection, a large library of PS4 games available to PS5 owners who subscribe to PS Plus. As we learned shortly after the PS5 launch, you actually can play the Plus Collection on PS4–as long as your account has logged into a PS5 first.