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Baseball season in the US has resumed amid COVID-19 restrictions with a few changes, one of which is the new virtual first pitch–a filmed segment in which a guest or celebrity makes the traditional first pitch without actually attending the game. The Seattle Mariners got Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, to make the first pitch for a game–and he brought some guests along.

In the video below, Nadella, who is pitching to former Mariners player Dave Valle, calls in Halo’s Master Chief and several other Spartans to…hand him the ball.

Master Chief does not make a throw himself, which seems like a bit of a wasted opportunity, and the music is all wrong, but it’s good to see the costumes getting used, at least.

It’s possible that the Chief is too busy getting ready for Halo Infinite, which has been delayed into 2021, to practice his pitching. Poor throwing skills would explain why so many of our plasma grenade throws in The Master Chief Collection go amiss, at least.

The Seattle Mariners has a long history with video game companies. Between 1992 and 2016, Nintendo of America was the majority shareholder of the team, meaning that Nintendo effectively owned it. The company would eventually sell most of its shares, but has maintained 10% ownership.

Now that the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles have been officially announced, developer CD Projekt Red is speaking up to remind people that Cyberpunk 2077 will be playable on those consoles, even though the dedicated next-gen edition is coming later.

Cyberpunk 2077 is releasing on November 19, and from day one it will be playable on PS4, PS5, PS5 Digital Edition, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, and PC. “Almost like a launch title, right?” CD Projekt Red said of release on PS5 and Xbox Series X.

While Cyberpunk 2077 is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X at launch, this is the standard version of the game that is enhanced by the power of those consoles. A separate version of Cyberpunk 2077 for PS5 and Xbox Series X is also in the works, but it won’t be here until 2021 at the soonest. Whenever it’s released, it will be available as a free upgrade.

With Cyberpunk 2077 scheduled to drop on November 19, be sure to check out our detailed Cyberpunk 2077 pre-order guide to learn about the various editions and bonuses available.

Super Mario Bros. recently celebrated its 35th anniversary, and the series continues to be extremely popular to this day. The character of Mario is particularly iconic–30 years ago, a poll outside of Japan found that the character was more recognizable than Mickey Mouse, the head Disney mascot.

Nintendo has just published their Q & A summary from Nintendo’s corporate management policy briefing for the current fiscal year, and Mario’s creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, has reflected on this poll. His reaction to having made such a popular character is surprising–but he also details how the character’s popularity galvanized him.

Asked about 35 years of Mario, Miyamoto notes how much each major platformer in the series differs. “We often hear our consumers saying that each title in the Super Mario Bros. series feels like a meaningfully different game,” Miyamoto says. He then reflects on the Mickey Mouse poll, and how he felt about it. “I felt bad that Mickey Mouse, who had been hugely popular among fans, including myself, for 60 years at that point, was even being compared to Mario, who had just been around for a few years back then.”

He continues, explaining how this direct comparison has influenced the series. “Even so, considering that Mickey Mouse had grown up alongside the evolution of animation technology, I resolved that we would help Super Mario grow up alongside the evolution of digital technology,” Miyamoto says.

“In fact, every time, every time Nintendo has launched new hardware, we also released a new title in the Super Mario series so players can experience a new type of entertainment that new technology allows us to achieve.”

Miyamoto goes on to talk about how new members of each Super Mario development team have unique relationships with the series. “When asked about their experiences with the Super Mario series over the past 35 years, their responses ran the gamut from ‘The first Super Mario Bros. was the best’ to ‘I like the newest one the best,'” he says. He also says that the upcoming Super Mario movie will expand the character’s reach even further.

A new collection of classic Mario 3D platformers has been released on Switch, called Super Mario 3D All-Stars. It brings together Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy.

The Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War alpha on PS4 has come and gone, and one part of it that’s leaving a lasting impression is its use of skill-based matchmaking (SBMM).

This is a backend matchmaking system that puts players into matches with players determined to be of a similar skill level. Some people complained about SBMM for the Black Ops Cold War, and now the technology director at Treyarch has responded.

Martin Donlon corrected someone on Twitter who claimed that games like Black Ops 2, Modern Warfare 3, Modern Warfare 2, and 2007’s Modern Warfare did not have SBMM, and this made them better as a result. But Donlon made it clear that they all had SBMM, even if it wasn’t immediately noticeable.

Donlon also remarked that SBMM is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to matchmaking algorithms. “SBMM is one of many many tuneable parameters in a matchmaking system. It’s funny watching people talk about it like it’s a big switch that can only be turned on or off,” Donlon said.

The Black Ops Cold War alpha was held this past weekend on PS4, and it is now over. You might have noticed that sniper rifles were OP in the alpha, and this was on purpose.

If you didn’t get a chance to try the alpha, Treyarch will hold an open beta in October on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. You can check out our Black Ops Cold War beta guide to find out everything you need to know.

Black Ops Cold War launches on November 13 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The game is a direct sequel to the original Black Ops, taking place in 1981. In addition to multiplayer and campaign, the game brings back the fan-favorite Zombies mode.

The Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War alpha test was held this weekend on PlayStation 4, and if you were one of the many, many people who took part, you might have noticed that the sniper rifles felt a little too powerful.

This was intentional, according to Treyarch lead designer Tony Flame. He said on Twitter that snipers were buffed during the alpha, and you can expect a nerf for the upcoming beta in October based on player data from the alpha weekend.

Flame also pointed out that the alpha version of Black Ops Cold War that you might have played this weekend represents an outdated look at where the game stands today. The studio has made a range of improvements already, covering weapons and movement, as well as “new gameplay and system features.”

The Black Ops Cold War beta begins on October 8 for PS4, before coming to Xbox One and PC later. You can check out GameSpot’s Black Ops Cold War beta guide to find out everything you need to know.

Black Ops Cold War, which is a direct sequel to the original Black Ops, launches on November 13 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. It’s also coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S that day.

Just a few days after exiting its early access stage and becoming a “full” game, Supergiant’s Hades has already managed to hit 1 million total sales. Of this number, about 300,000 occurred since its official release.

In its announcement on Twitter, the developer thanked players for not only purchasing the game, but for helping to shape its development during the early access phase. During this period, it was only available on PC, but it has since released for Nintendo Switch, as well.

GameSpot critic Suriel Vazquez played it on both systems for our Hades review, and awarded the game a 9/10. He did note, however, that the Switch’s small screen can make reading text an issue in handheld mode.

Prior to developing Hades, Supergiant Games was already an acclaimed developer with Pyre, Transistor, and Bastion under its belt. Hades takes things in a more procedurally generated direction than the developer’s past work, and its clever twists on the roguelike formula and satisfying combat have made it a hit, if those sales numbers are any indication.

The game had been in early access for nearly two years before its most-recent update. Along with new gameplay and item changes, additional story elements, and even new environments, the v1.0 version of Hades introduced the game’s true ending. Cross-save between Switch and PC will let you play on both systems without losing progress. However, the feature was not ready by the game’s release date and will be added further down the line.