The 2020 Game Awards take place tomorrow, December 10, and Pokemon Go is joining in on the festivities. Developer Niantic has announced it is holding a special event in the mobile game during the awards show, which will offer players increased bonuses and more chances to take on Team Go Rocket.
The Game Awards event kicks off at the same time as the awards show itself, at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET, and it runs for a full 24 hours. Throughout that time, any Incense that you use will attract more Pokemon than normal, and you’ll receive extra Stardust for catching monsters.
There will also be an increase in Team Go Rocket activity. Rocket grunts will appear more frequently in balloons and at PokeStops throughout the event. You’ll also be able to use a Charged TM to replace a Shadow Pokemon’s Frustration attack. You can read more about the event on the Pokemon Go website.
This year’s Game Awards promises to be a big event. The show will feature 30 categories in total, as well as numerous announcements and reveals. Host Geoff Keighley has teased that there will be many world premiere reveals during the show, including first looks at the next Dragon Age game, a new Fall Guys map, and more. You can check out how to watch The Game Awards here.
That’s hardly the only event happening in Pokemon Go this month. Niantic is holding another two-day Community Day celebration on December 12 and 13, bringing back all of the featured Pokemon from this year and last. Shiny Celebi is also making its debut in the game starting December 14, while the Legendary Pokemon Kyurem is back in five-star Raids all December long.
One of the pillars of Microsoft’s next-gen strategy is Xbox Game Pass, the subscription service that includes more than 100 games and all first-party titles. This program is going very well so far, and now Microsoft has shared some new statistics that speak to its popularity.
Microsoft also revealed that, in the past month alone, Xbox users have played more than 3,800 different games and spent “billions” of hours on the Xbox platform.
Some other, more general statistics about the Xbox Series X|S launch were divulged, too, including that players have collectively used the Smart Delivery system to complete more than 1.6 million upgrades from last-gen to new-gen. Additionally, more than 40% of players who are coming to Xbox for the first time are playing on Xbox Series S.
This statistic is particularly notable because it seems to demonstrate that Microsoft’s plan to reach a new audience with the more affordable console ($300 USD for the Series S versus $500 USD for the Series X) is working.
Xbox Game Pass currently has more than 15 million subscribers, a number that is expected to grow over the holiday season as more people pick up new consoles–if they can find them. Game Pass is also available on PC and mobile.
15 months after launch, developer Remedy Entertainment’s critically acclaimed third-person action-adventure game Control has sold more than two million copies.
This is according to the studio’s communications director Thomas Puha, who tweeted the sales figure alongside an announcement that November was the game’s best-selling month, a statement made during Remedy’s recent investor event. Other bits of information out of the event include confirmation from creative director Sam Lake that the next big Remedy game takes place in the Remedy Connected Universe and that there is “high-profile interested” in Control-related media content.
A cloud version of Control: Ultimate Edition is available to download on Nintendo Switch, however, it does require a high-speed internet connection and an active Nintendo Switch Online membership to play. The same requirements apply to IO Interactive’s Hitman 3, too.
While anime continued to grow in popularity in the West throughout the ’80s and early ’90s, for the most part it remained a cult genre with dedicated fans in the US served by releases on small video labels. It wasn’t until the late ’90s that several titles helped break anime to a much wider audience. Pokémon was one show of course, and Cowboy Bebop was another.
Cowboy Bebop was created by director Shinichirō Watanabe, and began life as a sci-fi show designed to promote a Bandai toyline. But when this deal fell through, Watanabe developed a more adult series alongside writer Keiko Nobumoto, that focused on a team of intergalactic bounty hunters who travel through space in their ship the Bebop.
The show combined many influences, from epic space fantasy and dark cyberpunk to comedy, westerns, and film noir, and made frequent reference to classic movies and different musical genres. And while the show delivered plenty of exciting action, it also put equal emphasis on the characters and their relationships with each other, and dealt with a variety of philosophical concepts. Plus, it had an amazing, eclectic musical score by Yoko Kanno and her band Seatbelts.
Cowboy Bebop premiered in Japan in 1998, but it took three years to reach the US. It first screened on Cartoon Network’s late night programming block Adult Swim in September 2001, and was an immediate success. Adult Swim repeated the show in its entirety four more times over the next few years, and together with subsequent home entertainment releases, helped confirm its place as an anime classic that drew a new generation of western fans to the genre.
In June 2017, it was reported that an American live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop was in development, with original Japanese producers Sunrise Inc. involved. Netflix confirmed that it was producing the show in late 2018, with the first cast members announced a few months later. While it’s not surprising that such a popular and influential series is getting a live-action makeover, it remains to be seen if the new show can recapture the unique blend of elements that makes the original so special. But with Shinichirō Watanabe acting as a consultant on the series, plus a talented cast and crew on board, there’s reason to be hopeful. So here’s everything we know so far about Cowboy Bebop.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time followed up one beloved mascot platformer’s original trilogy (and its recent remakes) with a great new sequel. And based on the art book for Crash 4, Activision may be teasing that it’s prepping to do the same for Spyro the Dragon.
In the newly released The Art of Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time from Crash 4 and Spyro Reignited Trilogy devs Toys for Bob, a host of concept art, character designs, and more showcase the work the team did to modernize the bandicoot. But on one particular page, a hint at Spyro could potentially be teasing a similar Spyro 4 treatment may be on the way. Or we’re just really reading into a sign. (H/T to @SpyroUniverse on Twitter for first tipping us off to the tease, originally spotted by @CrashyNews.)
From The Art of Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About TimeA close-up of the potential Spyro 4 tease in The Art of Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time
In a two-page spread featuring art from The SN@XX Dimension level and Frank’s Plump Wieners Kioskbot, a large splash page of concept art includes a Spyro marquee nestled in amongst the futuristic cityscape. Right below him is his name and what appears to be most of the number “4” right below that. The accompanying text on the page by artist Brun Coes says “It was fun to combine Dingo’s Diner with the futuristic element, to have those cars flying with the city down below… and a little hint at Spyro.”
Activision had no comment on the future of Spyro in relation to the potential tease, but IGN has verified the page in the art book itself. No plans for a continuation of the Spyro franchise have been announced, but developer Toys for Bob, from which the art book stems, also developed the Reignited Trilogy and has long shephered Spyro during Activision’s ownership of the property, having previously developed the Skylanders franchise.
As for now, there’s no other word on a Spyro continuation, but given Activision’s recent interest in reviving both his and Crash’s franchises, the purple dragon may have the chance to return beyond Easter eggs in Crash 4.
The Art of Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is currently available on Amazon and features a ton of artwork and insight into the creation of Crash Bandicoot 4 from artists and other Toys for Bob team members, with writer Micky Neilson and a foreword by Josh Nadelberg. The studio also released The Art of Spyro Reignited Trilogy earlier this year.
Fortnite’s Week 2 challenges are just about here. One of Season 5’s weekly challenges (now called “epic quests”) will task you with finding clues in Holly Hedges, Lazy Lake, and Pleasant Park. This guide will show you how to find each clue so you can complete the challenge quickly.
This challenge leaked early–check back on Thursday to try it yourself.
What Are The Clues In Fortnite Season 5?
I’m not sure if these clues point to something bigger this season, but each location contains golden items, like toilets and gnomes, along with a chest. They aren’t worth anything but you’ll need to locate one clue in each location in order to complete the challenge.
Where Are The Clues In Each Location?
Pleasant Park
Pleasant Park’s clue is located on the second story of one of the named locations houses. It’s the one with three windows on the second floor, as shown in the image below. Walk inside and head up the stairs.
Pleasant Park Clue
Once upstairs you should see two posters immediately to your left. That’s the clue you need at this named location. Walk up to it to complete this segment of the challenge.
Lazy Lake
Lazy Lake’s clue is hidden in the basement of one of the houses at the very tip of the named location. Head into the house with the “1” address and go down the stairs to the right. Keep going and you’ll eventually find the room shown in the image below.
Lazy Lake Clue Location
Holly Hedges
Holly Hedges’ clue is located in a small maintenance building between the named location and the new store that’s immediately left of it. It’s located in the bottom left corner on the edge of Holly Hedges, shown in the image below:
Fortnite Holly Hedges Clue
Walk inside and then open the door to the left, you’ll find the clue.
Holly Hedges Clue
What Do I Get For Finding All Three Clues?
You’ll get 20,000 experience points for finding all three clues. Fortnite’s challenge system is somewhat different this season, daily and weekly challenges have been renamed. Weekly challenges are now called epic quests, like this one, and are worth 20,000 experience points per challenge.
The official Medal of Honor Twitter account shared the news, telling fans to tune into The Game Awards for a “world premiere trailer” of the latest Medal of Honor. An exact time for when it goes live, or whether it is in the pre-show or main event, has not been specified.
The Game Awards goes live on December 10 with a pre-show starting at 3:30 PM PT / 6:30 PM ET and the main event kicking off 30 minutes later. We’ll be livestreaming it here on GameSpot.
The last time we saw Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond was during this year’s Gamescom, where Respawn spoke at length about its mechanics and narrative. Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond launches on December 11 for Oculus Rift and Steam VR. The game takes up a large amount of storage space, requiring at least 340GB of the hard drive to install.
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Fortnite changed things up with NPCs in Season 5, but there are still weekly challenges that need completing. Season 5 has challenges every Thursday, just like previous seasons, and Week 2’s are here. This guide will show you the best way to tackle specific challenges, like finding car parts, with ease.
These challenges leaked early–check back tomorrow to see them for yourself in Fortnite.
Where Are Car Parts In Fortnite?
We don’t have context for why we’re looking for car parts in Season 5, but you’ll be able to find a few mechanical pieces at Season 5’s new location, Hunter’s Haven. Hunter’s Haven is a named location on the map, so it shouldn’t be difficult to find.
Once there, you’ll want to head to the building on the upper left corner of the location, as shown in the image below. You’ll be able to walk through the floor-to-ceiling window.
Hunter’s Haven Car Parts Location
There are three car parts located in this building, two in the main room and one through the door in the back left.
Fortnite Car Part Location 1 & 2
I’m not sure what sort of car these parts go to, but Hunter’s Haven is full of weird gadgets and tech. This car could come to the game later this season.
Fortnite Car Part 3
Hunter’s Haven is a central location and players almost always land there. Be prepared for a fight, but be sure to hold your fire if you see someone looking for these car parts. We’re all trying to complete the same challenges.
What Will I Get For Finding Car Parts?
You’ll get 20,000 experience points for finding all three car parts. While Fortnite’s challenge system is somewhat different this season, you’ll still get to take on multiple types of challenges every week. Daily and weekly challenges have been renamed. Weekly challenges are now called epic quests and are worth 20,000 experience points per pop. The quests are sometimes presented in stages, as well.
The Destiny franchise started out as a console-exclusive series, but since Destiny 2‘s release on PC in 2017, there’s been no question about where the best place to play is. PC might still reign supreme if you have high-end hardware, but with the next-gen update now available on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, it’s not such a no-brainer anymore.
To put it simply, the new update is revelatory for console players. Based on the several hours I’ve spent with the new Xbox Series X-enhanced version so far, it’s finally possible to enjoy the benefits formerly reserved for PC, and the results are stark.
I played Destiny 2 on Xbox One and One X for years, ignoring the PC version until cross-save support finally allowed me to finally bring my progress with me. The benefits were massive in two specific areas: the increase in frame rate (Destiny 2 on consoles has, until now, been locked to 30fps) and the reduction in load times (which were agonizingly long). The contrast in performance between a decent PC and Xbox One was so extreme that, after playing for hours on PC and then jumping back to Xbox, I would be convinced something was actually broken and that my system needed to be restarted or a game update was needed. This happened multiple times, with each instance evoking a no, I know it ultimately wasn’t broken last time, but something is clearly off this time. And those long waits to move from location to location led to more doomscrolling than my brain could handle, something there just isn’t time for when playing on PC.
Now, those issues are a thing of the past on Xbox Series X. Load times had already been improved quite a bit just by playing the backwards-compatible version of Destiny 2, but with this update, jumping around the solar system is no longer a hassle. Head to Europa but realize you forgot to pick up bounties or cash in an engram? No big deal–you’re not signing up for several minutes of load times as you head into the Tower and then back to where you were.
Jumping between planets took around 30 seconds for me, and opening the game and selecting a character is also much faster. Combined with getting to the Tower more quickly, that means picking up the game for the first time each day doesn’t involve wasting 7-8 minutes before you can even begin playing an activity.
But these benefits extend beyond moving from one location to another. Opening your inventory, looking through your gear, previewing shaders (even while loading!)–it’s all much snappier and feels less like you’re wading through molasses to do what you want.
And that stuff you want to play is better than ever thanks to the boost in frame rate. The lack of a 60fps option on Xbox One X and PS4 Pro was frustrating–the 4K and HDR support made for a terrific-looking game on the upgraded consoles, but the action itself never felt as good as it could have been. I would have traded resolution for frame rate in the blink of an eye, but thanks to the next-gen hardware, that trade-off isn’t necessary, as you get 4K and 60fps on Series X and PS5 (or 1080p on Series S).
Destiny 2’s image quality still looks spectacular to my eye on Series X, but with the benefit of far smoother motion. That makes combat–already the best in any first-person shooter for my money–and any moment of navigating the world or looking at anything in motion feel much better and more natural. For those playing on a 120hz display, you also get the benefit of 120fps support in Crucible (make sure to enable it first in the Video area of the Settings menu). This lends an even greater level of fluidity to the action without resulting in a terribly noticeable hit to the graphics; the PvP nature of combat means you’ll be more concerned with getting shot than any decrease in image quality. It’s a welcome option that I plan to keep enabled, though this is one particular benefit that will be of no use for many players until they opt to upgrade their TVs.
Gallery
Destiny 2 FOV set to max (left) and the default (right)
The last notable addition is the field-of-view slider, bringing an option to consoles that is typically reserved for PC players. With it, you can effectively extend the amount of peripheral vision you have, allowing you to see more on screen at a time, albeit at the expense of making what’s in front of you appear somewhat smaller. Increasing it from the default of 75 to the maximum of 105 is a strange experience at first, akin to feeling like you’re taking the blinders off or looking through a fishbowl. But it’s a quick adjustment and I appreciated having a greater view of what is around me, making it another option that I’m glad is present. And it is just that–an option, meaning you can stick with the default experience if that’s what you prefer.
But whereas FOV is more of a matter of taste, it’s hard to imagine anyone taking issue with the other enhancements delivered in update 3.0.1. This is a transformative improvement for Destiny 2 on consoles, and one that will make it impossible for me to ever go back.
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