Alex Garland's (Ex Machina, Annihilation) upcoming sci-fi limited series, Devs, will be premiering in March 2020 exclusively on Hulu following a partnership deal between the service and FX, now that both Hulu and FX fall under Disney's ever-widening entertainment umbrella.Starring Sonoya Mizuno (Maniac), Nick Offerman (Parks & Recreation), and Jin Ha (Hamilton), Devs is the story of a mysterious Silicon Valley tech company dealing with theoretical quantum computing. We got our first look at the series earlier this year during a special presentation at New York Comic-Con, where fans were treated to an extended teaser and select clips shown exclusively at the con.Suffice it to say, the show seems to sit squarely within Garland's surrealistic sci-fi wheelhouse.Per a press release sent out by FX, the deal brokered between Hulu and FX will also include legacy FX content spanning the last 17 years and include an initiative to release current FX content on Hulu immediately after each show's respective network air time. Following the premiere of Devs, the first week of FX on Hulu will feature the release of the premieres of Dave, Breeders, Better Things, and Cake.Devs will be joined by upcoming shows Mrs. America, A Teacher, and The Old Man as the first tier of streaming exclusives while FX favorites like Sons Of Anarchy, American Horror Story, Archer, and Atlanta will all find their way to Hulu in March. Info from Gamespot.com

About a year after the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 launch of Red Dead Redemption 2, a proper port has landed on PC. Rockstar's latest game was highly anticipated and subsequently critically acclaimed for its gripping story, expertly crafted open environments, and multitude of gameplay systems that connected you to the world itself. After much internal deliberation, we awarded it our 2018 Game of the Year. All that made Red Dead 2 a special experience remains intact, and after about 10 hours with it on PC, it's apparent that the things unique to this version further support the notion of the game being one of the generation's best.Red Dead Redemption 2 As A Visual ExperienceAs with any PC port of a console hit, the potential for higher graphical fidelity is one of the biggest draws, given the appropriate PC hardware specs. You have a slew of options in the graphics settings, including resolution (native 4K and 1440p), ambient occlusion, three types of anti-aliasing, global illumination, and settings for the quality of textures, shadows, and lighting. You're also allowed to tinker with the nitty gritty like grass shadows, tree quality, shadow distances, and much more. Although niche, Red Dead 2 has native ultrawide 21:9 support as well. However, cutscenes that use letterbox-style black bars still get cropped and don't take advantage of the aspect ratio. Red Dead Redemption 2 News Red Dead Redemption 2 Is A Worthy PC Port, For The Most Part Red Dead Redemption 2 System Requirements Revealed Red Dead Redemption 2 Easy Money Guide: How To Get Cash Quickly Red Dead Redemption 2 Legendary Bear Pelt: Here's What To Do With It A significant part of the Red Dead 2 experience lies in it being a visual showcase; the scenic views and details found in the dense forestry, snow-covered mountains, open plains and sludgiest mud are all in service of drawing you into its vast world. Throughout the game, you build a relationship with the environment, especially when so much time is spent navigating it on horseback while taking in all the pretty vistas. Without a doubt, the game looks incredible with every option cranked up to its highest setting--even compromising to "High" or "Medium" as opposed to "Ultra" on a few settings still presents you with stunning sights. That said, visual prowess came through on Xbox One X and PS4 Pro consoles, which expertly conveyed the natural beauty of Red Dead 2's world. There's no doubt the game looks gorgeous on a powerful PC, but you shouldn't expect it to be transformative compared to high-end consoles--in fact, the biggest difference comes with the unlocked framerate on PC.Native ultrawide 21:9 support makes for some incredible screenshots.While console versions run around 30 fps, the PC version is only limited by the settings you use and your PC's capability. My rig is equipped with an Intel Core i7-7700K CPU, Nvidia RTX 2080 video card, and 16GB of RAM, and with a mix of "Ultra" and "High" settings using 2560x1080 (21:9) and temporal anti-aliasing, I was usually able to maintain 60+ FPS. Occasionally it would dip below that golden number in chaotic firefights and more crowded areas, though not by much; Red Dead 2 is a demanding game. Of course, this isn't a competitive shooter where high framerate is absolutely crucial to your success, but it certainly enhances the action. It naturally helps with manual aiming and keeping track of enemies in fights, and it's easier on the eyes when everything happens in silky-smooth motion--having a high framerate makes for a much more pleasing experience overall. If you're unsure of what settings to use, the game includes a benchmark tool that evaluates your machine's performance to help ensure a steady framerate.All these graphical options can also be put to use in the new Photo mode, which is not available on consoles. Here, time pauses to let you capture a moment from any angle possible. You can freely move the camera, change lens FOV, add filters, and change exposure and depth of field, and it's a nice touch. For a game that places this much emphasis on graphical fidelity, it's only natural to include this feature.Controlling Arthur Morgan (And His Horses)Red Dead 2 is one of those games that plays more sensibly on a gamepad than keyboard and mouse. And thankfully, the PC version has native controller support for both DualShock 4 and Xbox One controllers, with the same button mapping as their console counterparts at the ready. There's a multitude of mechanics and contextual actions mapped to a controller, and it might take a few hours of fumbling around with the controls before it clicks.Speaking of clicks, keyboard and mouse works well for the most part. Again, it'll take time to get acquainted with how you interact with the world, but it's nice to have customizable key mappings and a mouse cursor to navigate its systems. Granted, Red Dead 2 isn't the type of game to tacitly require keyboard and mouse controls like a competitive FPS, though I find firefights a fair bit easier with the precision of mouse aiming.There are specific instances where more needs to be done before fully embracing the PC control scheme, however. Shuffling through your inventory to highlight different items has to be done with the arrow keys; you can't hover with the mouse to read details, and clicking initiates the act of using them. Movement can be clunky overall, but in the instance of dashing with your horse, pressing A (left) or D (right) causes your horse to slow down and turn 90 degrees rather than slightly adjust course. These are minor annoyances in the grand scheme of things.Hold Your Horses, Is The Game Stable Now?The day Red Dead 2 went live on PC, many players (including myself) were met with several game crashes. I was able to conjure up a solution that included tinkering with settings under Safe Mode and ensuring that the game was rendering with the DirectX 12 graphics API. While this worked for me, it remained unplayable for others. By many accounts, however, those issues have been resolved via an update that came out late launch day and a follow-up patch the day after. But as is the case with PC games with known technical issues, your mileage may vary.There are smaller, less critical bugs to note. Sometimes trees will act erratically, jittering in what looks to be glitching in object rendering. On rare occasions, some characters' mouths won't move if you talk to them in the open world. But for the most part, when the game is up and running, it works as you would expect.Still One Of The Generation's BestIt's great to see a landmark game make it to yet another platform, opening itself up to a bigger audience who can now experience it (or replay it with some extra bells and whistles). From a content standpoint, the PC version of Red Dead 2 has a bit more going for it, such as added bounty missions, new horses, extra weapons and trinkets, and a new stranger. These add-ons are largely inconsequential to the core of the game and you'll have to sink a good amount of time to get to most of them, but they are included nonetheless. And if you're interested in Red Dead Online, this multiplayer component is part of the package in full.The prospect of mods is another appealing part of having a PC version, and they're starting to trickle in as more people get their hands on the game. If you're not familiar, mods are user-created tweaks (either major or minor) to game files that you then install manually or through third-party means; these can range from modified game mechanics to visual alterations. Given the nature of the ridiculous and creative mods we've seen in Grand Theft Auto V, we expect to see wild things in Red Dead 2's future (and we're off to a decent start).As you take on the role of Arthur Morgan, and fight to survive alongside the Van Der Linde gang and dig deeper into the drama that unfolds, the best aspects of the game begin to reveal themselves. You move from one camp to another across America as the Wild West era dies down, understanding a vast world that's as beautiful as it is ugly in the process. Red Dead Redemption 2 is a case where its visual prowess is inseparable from its identity, which the PC version delivers on, given the right specs and the overcoming of technical issues. For a more detailed evaluation of the full game, be sure to read our original Red Dead Redemption 2 review from when the game first launched on Xbox One and PS4.Info from Gamespot.com

There's going to be a lot of Star Wars content on the Disney+ streaming service by the time all is said and done. During an earnings call on November 7, Disney CEO Bob Iger outlined the immediate future of the franchise, and it's taking some interesting turns.First and foremost, Iger confirmed that the film side of Star Wars will be going "into a hiatus" after the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Following the announcement that former Game of Thrones showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff were parting ways with the franchise, rather than writing and directing a new trilogy of films, this might not come as much of a surprise.Disney CEO Bob Iger says #StarWars feature films will go on "into a hiatus" following #RiseofSkywalker. Says there will be lots of activity on TV front, mentions 3 series in the works for #DisneyPlus. — Brent Lang (@BrentALang) November 7, 2019What this means for the trilogy of movies being developed by Rian Johnson is anybody's guess. Little has been officially announced about the trilogy, and they were never given release dates. At this rate, they could still happen whenever this hiatus ends, or simply no longer be in the works.Still, there will be new Star Wars stories for you to experience. The Mandalorian premieres on Disney+ on Day One. Meanwhile, the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars is scheduled to return, while an Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series that sees Ewan McGregor reprise the role he played in the prequels was officially announced at D23. Star Wars News Star Wars Movies Going "On Hiatus," But More Disney Plus Shows Are In The Works Star Wars Episode 9: Everything We Know About The Rise Of Skywalker Disney CEO On Star Wars Movie Releases Slowing Down -- "Less Is More" Beyond that, Iger teased during the earnings call that there are more shows for the streaming service in the works. Variety's Bret A. Lang noted Iger mentioned three shows being in development, though it's possible one of those could be the Obi-Wan project. No additional details were provided about the shows--like who they'll feature or where in the universe and timeline they'll be set.Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker premieres in theaters on December 20. Before that, you can watch the series premiere of The Mandalorian on Disney+ on November 12. Info from Gamespot.com

Paranormal Activity, the massive film series that spooked audiences between 2007 and 2015, is coming back for more. A release date has been set for a new film in the franchise, which has thus far brought in $890.4 million worldwide despite every film in the series being made on a tiny budget.Deadline is reporting that the next Paranormal Activity has been set on Paramount's schedule. The film will release on March 21, 2021--the same day as the next Tomb Raider movie, directed by Ben Wheatley.Few other details are known at this point. The film does not have a director or cast yet, and may not actually be called Paranormal Activity 7--the series dropped numbers from their titles after Paranormal Activity 4. It will be produced by Blumhouse (Get Out, The Purge, Halloween).The most recent film in the series, Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension, was a huge critical flop and performed worse than any of its predecessors, but still grossed $78.9 million worldwide on a $10 million budget. Earlier entries in the series, especially the first three films, were well-received by both critics and audiences.Paranormal Activity seems to be following a similar trajectory to the Saw franchise, which ruled the Halloween box office from 2004-2010 (albeit with diminishing returns), before returning to cinemas with Jigsaw in 2017. The next film in the series, The Organ Donor, was developed by Chris Rock and is due to release on May 15, 2020.The most recent Paranormal Activity branded experience was a VR game, Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul, released for PC and PS4 in 2017.Info from Gamespot.com

Take-Two, the parent company of Rockstar Games and 2K Games, makes a lot of money through microtransactions. For the latest quarter, the company pulled in more than $300 million from what it calls "recurrent consumer spending." Take-Two intends to have microtransactions in every game it makes, and now the company's chief executive has shared more details on its strategy for approaching the controversial business practice.Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said the company doesn't design games with a microtransaction-first mentality. Instead, Zelnick said Take-Two thinks about how to "entertain and engage" players before asking them to spend extra money."We only think about monetization after we've already focused on that engagement," he said. "Our approach is that we don’t believe in having toll booths. We want to create a great experience you can enjoy without regard to whether you spend or not."Zelnick went on to say that Take-Two understands that players want to be treated fairly when it comes to microtransactions. He acknowledged that Take-Two has stumbled in the past when it comes to this, though he said other companies are more highly criticized."We know that, anecdotally, consumers don't just want to be entertained, they want a fair deal," he said. "We don't always get it right but I think compared to the marketplace we tend to get it right more than others. Occasionally we get criticized, but if we are we take a look at the in-game economy and make adjustments."Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto Online, the multiplayer mode for GTA V, has been a runaway success when it comes to microtransaction revenue. Despite being more than six years sold, Take-Two expects GTA Online revenue to continue to grow in the current fiscal year.Take-Two has said it wants to have some form of a microtransaction in every game that it makes, whether that be through in-game purchases, subscriptions, add-ons, or some other means of extra sale on top of the purchase price. Take-Two also owns the Barcelona-based mobile game developer Social Point, which makes free-to-play games that are supported by microtransactions.Take-Two is not the only company to use microtransactions. All of the major publishers--Activision, EA, Ubisoft, and others--implement microtransactions in their games. For comparison, Activision Blizzard just announced that its own microtransaction revenue reached $700 million for the latest quarter.For more on Take-Two's earnings report, check out these stories:The Outer Worlds On Nintendo Switch's Release Date Window Narrowed DownRed Dead Redemption 2, GTA 5, And Borderlands 3 Reach New Sales MilestonesGTA, Red Dead Parent Company Is Making Lots Of Money From MicrotransactionsWWE 2K20 Exec "Disappointed" By The Game's Buggy LaunchInfo from Gamespot.com

Unlike previous entries in the series, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is forgoing a season pass and DLC in favor of a new battle pass system, much like Epic's hit battle royale shooter, Fortnite. The first battle pass has yet to arrive, but according to Activision, it'll be ready to go next month.During its latest quarterly earnings call, Activision revealed that Modern Warfare's first season will kick off sometime in December 2019. The company didn't pin down an exact date, but it did note that time frame is "later than planned."Activision has previously shared a few details on how the new battle pass system will work. There will be both Free and Premium streams of content to earn; the former will let you unlock anything that has an impact on gameplay, such as weapons and attachments, while the latter will only feature vanity items like cosmetics. Players will also be able to earn COD Points with the battle pass.In the meantime, Activision is rolling out some free new content for the game later this week. Beginning Friday, November 8, players will have access to a new multiplayer map (Shoot House), a new Ground War map (Krovnik Farmland), and another game mode, Hardpoint.Call of Duty: Modern Warfare launched on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on October 25 and quickly became PS4's best-selling game of the month in the US. GameSpot awarded the title a 7/10 in our Call of Duty: Modern Warfare review. Critic Kallie Plagge wrote, "The pitfalls of Spec Ops don't detract from what Modern Warfare does well. Realism mode is an excellent addition to the slate, and although not all the new multiplayer modes are great, Gunfight and the Night Vision playlist are refreshing standouts." Call of Duty News Modern Warfare Dev Addresses Highway Of Death, Waterboarding, And The Intent Of Its Story Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Spec Ops Beginner's Guide Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Review In Progress - Shock And Awe Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Beginner's Guide - Essential Tips To Help You Succeed Info from Gamespot.com

November has brought a flood of Black Friday ads from various retailers. We've already gotten a closer look at the Black Friday offerings from stores like Best Buy, Target, and Microsoft; now, Office Depot has released its own selection of deals, which are worth browsing if you're into PC or retro gaming. The sale includes gaming PCs and laptops as well as monitors, headsets, and chairs--and if you've had your eye on one of those Arcade1Up cabinets, you'll be happy to hear there are deals on a couple of those, too.Office Depot's online Black Friday deals will go live at 9:01 PM PT on November 27 / 12:01 AM ET on November 28. The in-store deals will be available when doors open at 8 AM on Friday, November 29. See all Black Friday deals at Office Depot Black Friday 2019 Deals & News Black Friday 2019: The Best Xbox One Deals So Far Black Friday 2019: The Best PS4 Deals So Far Best Buy Black Friday 2019 Ad: Best Gaming, Tech, And Entertainment Deals Black Friday 2019: When Does It Start, Deals To Expect, And More Target Black Friday 2019 Ad: Best Gaming, Tech, And Entertainment Deals At Target Amazon's Early Black Friday Deals Are Live Office Depot Black Friday 2019 dealsThe following items and prices will be available at the aforementioned start times (both online and in stores). However, quantities are limited, so keep that in mind and act fast if you see anything on your wishlist.iBuyPower Gaming PC w/ i7 + GTX 1660 Ti | $1,000 ($1,250)This iBuyPower Gaming PC comes equipped with a 9th-generation Intel Core i7, a GTX 1660 Ti, and 16 GB of RAM in addition to a 1 TB hard drive and 480 GB SSD. It's not the most high-end PC, but it should be able to handle most modern games at decent settings. See at Office Depot Lenovo T540 Gaming PC w/ i7 + GTX 1660 | $750 ($1,130)Another mid-range option, this Lenovo gaming desktop drops the hard drive and boasts a 512 GB SSD. It's also got a 9th-gen i7 processor, a GTX 1660, and 16 GB of RAM. See at Office Depot Lenovo Legion 15.6-inch Laptop w/ i7 + GTX 1650 | $800 ($1,080)This mid-range gaming laptop can handle most modern games at decent settings, but don't expect it to run any game at a decent frame rate with ray-tracing enabled. It comes with a 9th-gen i7 processor, a GTX 1650, and 8 GB of RAM in addition to a 256 GB SSD. See at Office Depot Lenovo Ideapad 15.6-inch Laptop w/ i5 + GTX 1650 | $630 ($900)The main difference in this Ideapad laptop is the i5 processor instead of the i7. It matches the Legion with a GTX 1650, 8 GB of RAM, and a 256 GB SSD. Don't expect it to run everything at max settings, but it will work very well for games like Fortnite and Minecraft. See at Office Depot AOC Curved 24-inch 60Hz 1080p Monitor | $150 ($230)This LED curved monitor boasts a 1ms response time, 60Hz refresh rate, and 1080p resolution. See at Office Depot MSI Optix G24C 24-inch Curved 144Hz 1080p | $140 ($250)If you're looking for something with a higher refresh rate, this MSI Optix monitor is a good pick. It features a 144Hz refresh rate, which will make games running at high frame rates look great. See at Office Depot LG UltraWide 29-inch Monitor | $160 ($300)If you're looking for an entry-level UltraWide monitor, then you'll be happy with this 29-inch LG monitor. It features AMD FreeSync, which will work excellently with an AMD graphics card--this basically means you won't have to enable V-Sync to enjoy games without screen tearing, making for a better-performing experience. See at Office Depot HyperX Cloud II Gaming Headset | $70 ($100)HyperX's Cloud II line features great gaming headsets for their price range. They're also compatible with PS4, Xbox One, and PC. See at Office Depot Realspace Leather Gaming Chair | $95 ($200)This Realspace gaming chair will be available at a great price for Black Friday. If you're not in love with the red color, then you can also grab the chair in blue or white at the same price. See at Office Depot Realspace DRG Gaming Chair | $150 ($250)This Realspace DRG gaming chair features more support and a removable neck cushion for a little extra comfort. See at Office Depot Arcade1Up Space Invaders Counter-cade | $170 ($200)Arcade cabinets are huge and cumbersome, but Arcade1Up has been creating some excellent mini cabinets that can fit on a counter. This tiny Space Invaders counter-cade may be small, but it features a full-size joystick and buttons for a comfortable playing experience. See at Office Depot Arcade1Up Pac-Man Counter-cade | $170 ($200)The all-time great Pac-Man is back... in counter-cade form! Like the Space Invaders counter-cade, this Pac-Man cabinet features a full-size joystick and buttons. See at Office Depot Info from Gamespot.com

Just like Take-Two, gaming giant Activision Blizzard is making lots and lots of money from microtransactions. The company confirmed in its earnings report that its microtransactions, which are called "in-game net bookings," amounted to $709 million USD for the quarter ended September 30.This is down by $323 million, or 31 percent, from the $1.032 billion that Activision Blizzard made from microtransactions during the same quarter last year. Check out the chart posted below to see a rundown of the numbers and comparisons to previous quarters.Activision singled out Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 as a big success story for microtransactions during the quarter. Revenue from the sale of in-game items in Black Ops 4 "grew sharply" compared to Call of Duty: WWII during the same period last year.One reason that total microtransaction revenue might have dropped year-over-year is that Activision no longer publishes the Destiny franchise. That series features numerous microtransaction opportunities including emotes, currency, and more.Activision's microtransaction strategy has been at times controversial. For Black Ops 4 specifically, some players remarked that the game's microtransaction system pushed players toward spending extra money. Just this week, Activision announced that it is changing how the Black Market works to be more player-friendly. Some scoffed at the timing, given these welcome changes come at a time when a portion of the playerbase has moved on to the new game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.Modern Warfare's microtransactions are currently limited to just one item: a calling card that players can buy to support charity. Activision will add more microtransactions to the game in December with the launch of the first Battle Pass. Here is a look at how microtransactions are performing at Activision BlizzardActivision Blizzard is a giant company with multiple business divisions that each individually contribute to microtransaction revenue. The Blizzard unit benefited from the launch of WoW Classic during the period, while the mobile/social game unit, King, sells numerous microtransactions and operates an in-game advertising business for Candy Crush.Microtransactions are big business at many big game publishers. In its own earnings report, Take-Two announced that it made more than $300 million from microtransactions during the latest quarter thanks to games like GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2. Info from Gamespot.com

Overwatch 2, which was revealed at BlizzCon last week, will introduce new heroes, maps, and modes. The only new hero officially confirmed during BlizzCon was Sojourn, and although we're not yet sure how she'll play, we know that she will be the first new character added to the game.But several other characters are seemingly in the works at Blizzard too, even if they're not ready to show them off yet. Game Informer was given an early look at the game back in early October, and saw a brief glimpse at some character art that hasn't yet been shown off.During a PowerPoint presentation at Blizzard's office, run by game director Jeff Kaplan, four silhouettes for previously unseen heroes briefly appeared on screen. Game Informer believes that three of the four were likely women, but only got a proper look at two of them.One was a woman with short hair, who had a "fuzzy little critter with pointy ears and an equally pointy tail" at their side. She wielded a "giant four-sided weapon," which Game Informer compares to a thicker version of Yuffie's shuriken from Final Fantasy VII. The other, who appeared to be a man, "held a crooked staff, looking somewhat like a wizard, warlock, or voodoo priest."Kaplan would not provide any further details about the heroes, and the slide was not up for very long, but it sounds like these four concepts are being worked on for eventual release. Overwatch 2 is a unique sequel in that a lot of the game's content will also appear in the first Overwatch, including all new characters and maps. The new Story Mode will be exclusive to the sequel, however. Shadowlands Puts Big A Focus On Player Choice In World Of Warcraft Blizzard President Reflects On A Rough Year For The Company We Played Overwatch 2, Our Thoughts Blizzcon 2019: Diablo 4's Shared World Feels Like A Demonic Destiny Diablo 4's Brutal Combat Is A Return To The Series's Dark Side Diablo 4 Mounts Revealed At BlizzCon 2019 Diablo 4 Announced At BlizzCon 2019 BlizzCon 2019: Blizzard Addresses Recent Controversy BlizzCon 2019 News: Overwatch 2, Diablo 4, And Everything Else Announced BlizzCon Protest: How We Got Here And What You Need To Know Info from Gamespot.com

Weeds, the popular TV show about a mother who sells pot, is coming back. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Starz is working on a new Weeds show with original series star Mary-Louise Parker coming back to play Nancy Botwin again. She will also executive produce the show. However, Weeds creator Jenji Kohan is reportedly not involved at this stage.The show is said to take place 10 years after the events of the original show. In this timeline, marijuana is now legal in some American states, just like it is in real life. Weeds ended with a time skip that showed Nancy operating a legal pot business, so this is presumably where the new show will pick up.There is no word yet on if any of the other actors from the original Weeds will come back. The show also starred Hunter Parrish and Alexander Gould as the Botwin brothers, with Kevin Nealon as the questionable lawyer Doug Wilson. Justin Kirk played another one of the leads, Andy Botin, while Elizabeth Perkins played Nancy's friend Celia.The original Weeds ran for eight seasons, from 2005 through 2012. Johan, the show's creator, went on to make Orange is the New Black for Netflix.Lionsgate, which owns Starz, announced the new show during an earnings call. CEO Jon Feltheimer said the company is "thrilled" to bring back the show, which it is calling "Weeds 4.20," at least as a working title.The original Weeds ran on Showtime, which is owned by GameSpot parent company CBS. Info from Gamespot.com

Activision is interested in ramping up its mobile game development. During an earnings call, Activision Blizzard president and chief operating officer Coddy Johnson said the company is looking at every one of its franchises to potentially bring to mobile.He started off by reminding people that Activision Blizzard is already a company that is focused on mobile devices, with one-third of its total business coming from mobile. This is no doubt fueled in part by King, the mobile giant behind Candy Crush that Activision acquired in 2015."A third of our business is on mobile already. We have the largest mobile gaming presence in the west. So we want to build on that leadership position. We think it's a foundation of strength to do that. [Mobile] is a massive opportunity, and we think not just for Call of Duty and not just for Diablo Immortal," Johnson said.The executive added that mobile devices are becoming more and more powerful, and this is helping Activision to adapt its traditional AAA franchises to smaller screens."The AAA kinds of games we make are ready to work on mobile because of the improving compute and graphics capability [of the mobile devices]," he said. "And honestly because of evolving player expectations. It's now the case that many of the most successful global games are first-person action, strategy; those all align, as you might imagine, very well with our portfolio. [And] we have a growing ability to execute"Johnson went on to say that Activision is uniquely positioned for success in the mobile market because it owns some of the biggest names in gaming. He pointed out that Call of Duty Mobile's recent release was enormously successful, with 100 million downloads, and this level of success might have only been possible because Call of Duty is such an established brand."We're seeing that franchise familiarity and awareness matter--they matter fundamentally to the tune of hundreds of millions of people. When you reach out in the right way with franchises they're willing to come in. So let's the level of opportunity we see," he said.Johnson was asked directly if Activision might bring World of Warcraft or Overwatch to mobile, but he wouldn't confirmed anything. However, he teased that Activision is considering "all of our franchises" for potential adaptation to the mobile market."In terms of what we'll make, you might imagine we're looking at all of our franchises. We want to do it where it makes sense," he said.Activision will consider releasing new mobile games under three main brackets. The first of these is a game that would "extend existing gameplay," with Call of Duty Mobile as an example of that. Johnson pointed out that Call of Duty Mobile has maps, weapons, and characters from the console version, and similar adaptations could happen for other franchises. Johnson teased that Activision sees "a number of opportunities" to do this with other series.Activision would also consider releasing mobile games that are "reimaginations" of a console/PC title. The card game Hearthstone--which exists in the Warcraft universe--was an example of this, Johnson said, and he teased that Activision has "a number of ideas like that" looking ahead. The third bracket is a "true cross-platform title" that is cross-compatible between console/PC and mobile right from the start, Johnson said.Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest on Activision's plans for more mobile games. In other news, Activision announced that it made $700 million from microtransactions in the last quarter. Info from Gamespot.com

The Outer Worlds hasn't been out for long, but it's already making waves for publisher Take-Two Interactive. The Obsidian-developed space RPG has performed well critically and commercially, and has apparently exceeded expectations.During Take-Two's investor call today, they discussed recent sales milestones for their biggest titles, as well as the company's approach to microtransactions. The Outer Worlds was singled out separately as a title that had performed well, both critically (check out our 9/10 review) and commercially.Company president Karl Slatoff called The Outer Worlds a "critical and commercial success" in the call, stating that it was "exceeding our expectations, and reviews have been outstanding." Specific sales figures for the game's launch period were not given, but the game is evidently doing well. This is especially good news for Microsoft, which recently bought out Obsidian with hopes of franchising The Outer Worlds on Xbox.During the call, Take-Two also discussed the time frame for The Outer Worlds' Switch release, which has now been narrowed down.Info from Gamespot.com

It's a big weekend for free play days--there are five separate games available to play for free over the weekend running from November 8 until November 11. If you want to test something new out, here's what's available.The Elder Scrolls Online currently has a free trial period, which is running until November 13 on PC, Xbox One, and PS4 (you'll need Xbox Live Gold to access the trial on Xbox One). You can test the game out for free, and then if you decide to jump in after that you can continue your progress without needing to start over.If you're after something completely different, you can jump onto Steam and try American Truck Simulator for the next three days. If you like it, you can grab the full game with a 75% discount until November 15 and keep driving down the game's recreated American highways. The game's user reviews average out as "very positive"; play it and see why.Just Cause 4 is also enjoying a free weekend on Steam. This is, specifically, the 'Reloaded' edition of Just Cause 4, which comes with a few extras: the ‘Skystriker’ Weaponized Wingsuit, the Black Hand Stealth Micro Jet, the Neon Racer Pack, the Deathstalker Scorpion Pack, and the Renegade Pack. The game is also on special, as are several bundles collecting the game and various pieces of DLC--test it out and see if you'd like to keep playing.Two different iterations of Cities: Skylines are also free to play this weekend. The PC version can be found on Steam, and is also on sale with a 75% discount from now until November 12, for both its standard and deluxe edition versions. The Xbox One version is similarly on sale at 75% off, and free to play over the weekend. This version is also available on Xbox Game Pass for consoles.Finally, the Xbox One version of The Surge is free to play this weekend. You can download it now and test it out over the weekend, and then--once again--buy it at a 75% discount. The Surge is also available on Xbox Game Pass for consoles, so subscribers can play it at no additional cost.That should be enough to keep you busy over the weekend.Info from Gamespot.com

Translating the speed and precision of Call of Duty's multiplayer to a touch screen sounds like a no-brainer. You want the same high-octane action on the go, and now that most phones support Bluetooth controllers, the issue of virtual buttons and joysticks bogging down the experience is a moot point. It's both curious and surprising then that Call of Duty Mobile not only doesn't make use of more traditional controllers, but that it also doesn't feel like it needs to. Its smart control scheme is core to why this scaled-down version of one of the most popular shooters in the world doesn't make drastic compromises to get there.Call of Duty Mobile is like a greatest hits tour of the best aspects of the series' console multiplayer. It features the most popular game modes and some of the best maps from Modern Warfare and the first two instalments of Black Ops, faithfully recreated to give you the same sight lines and choke points you're familiar with. It looks great, too. Playing on an iPhone 11, I was surprised at how much detail is packed into each map while the game sticks to a silky-smooth frame rate, only briefly dipping with large amounts of action on the screen or out in the more graphically challenging open environments of the included Battle Royale mode. Weapons feature their signature punchy animations and sound effects, killstreaks retain their destructive glamor, and a variety of cosmetic options keep things from drowning in boring military styles. There's no mistaking it: This is Call of Duty.It does, however, leave out controller support, despite Android and iOS supporting it widely. Instead you have to use on-screen touch controls, with a handful of buttons and two virtual joysticks controlling the action. First-person games with this type of control scheme have been attempted numerous times, and they've hardly stuck. The inability to continue firing while both moving and adjusting your aim is the issue, typically requiring you to sacrifice one or the other to use a finger to hit the trigger. This is how both Fortnite and PUBG work on mobile, but Call of Duty Mobile gives you numerous options to tweak it for the better.The default mode removes manual shooting altogether. Instead of tapping a button to fire, it's triggered automatically when you keep your reticle fixed on an enemy for a short amount of time, which is drastically reduced if you're also aiming down the sights. This lets you focus on keeping aim on an opponent at all times without having to temporarily stand still to hit fire, allowing the action in Call of Duty Mobile to remain fast and fluid. Additional options allow you to make minute changes to the controls, too. You can choose which type of weapons use automatic or manual firing (snipers, for example, benefit from more precise firing) and finely adjust how closely you need to be aiming at an enemy to trigger a shot. Its flexibility lets you experiment with what setup suits your playstyle best while keeping everyone using the same input method for balance, and it works really well.A well-placed action bar at the bottom of the screen and contextual buttons for equipment, like grenades and killstreaks, keeps all your actions within reach, letting you tap them quickly enough to not seriously affect your ability to continue moving and shooting. Battle Royale also includes the same automatic pickup systems featured in Black Ops 4's Blackout, and feels far more suited for this constricted control scheme. Attachments and weapons that outrank those you currently have will automatically be picked up and equipped as you hover over them, while additional ammunition and healing items will be added in the same breath. There are instances where you'll have to dive into your item menu and make quick, small changes to suit your preferences, and navigating this on such a small screen is cumbersome. But for all the potential areas where Call of Duty Mobile might have had a problem with its interface, it approaches the majority of them with smart solutions that let you just focus on the action without worry.Being free-to-play, Call of Duty Mobile does come with a recognizable suite of microtransactions and blind loot boxes for you to purchase, the majority of which only contain cosmetic items such as weapons and equipment skins. It's typical for the game to bombard you with messages when launched about new in-game currency offers, Battle Pass exclusives, seasonal events, and more, which is frustrating if you're just trying to log in for a quick game. Whenever you earn a loot box through natural progression, you'll be reminded of how much better its contained loot would be had you splurged on the Battle Pass, offering yet another pop-up to route you towards its purchase. Call of Duty Mobile is unrelenting in the way it tries to steer you towards options that require your credit card, but thankfully it has a miniscule impact on gameplay.Traditional progression governs when you unlock new weapons and equipment, and there's no way to pay money to speed this process up. As you rank up, you'll unlock new custom class slots, tactical equipment, weapons across all classes, and special weapons that you can use in a similar fashion to the hero abilities in Black Ops 4. Where it deviates is with weapon attachments. Each weapon you use has an associated level. The more you use a weapon, the more attachments you unlock for it. Although you can't outright purchase new weapons, you can purchase weapon XP vouchers that can drastically speed up the process of unlocking attachments for them. With just a few you can take a brand-new weapon to its maximum level in a few seconds, circumventing the grinding you'd have to put in otherwise.This can give you an advantage, as spending money could allow you to more quickly unlock a precise red dot sight to improve your aim or a foregrip to steady your shots. It is easy enough to earn these vouchers through regular play, which mitigates the gap between paying and non-paying players to an extent, but if you're not looking to spend anything you'll have to play a couple of games with a slight disadvantage once you've settled on a new weapon. But once you've reached the maximum level for your preferred weapon, the playing field is entirely even again.Beyond its messy microtransaction menus and the slight time-saving purchases, there's not much else in Call of Duty Mobile that detracts from its faithful recreation of the exhilarating and fast-paced multiplayer action of the core series. It's flexible and easy-to-use control scheme mitigates the lack of controller support, and its celebration of the best modes and maps the Black Ops and Modern Warfare series have produced makes it a pleasure to line up game after game.Info from Gamespot.com

America is broken, and it's up to you to put it back together again. It's a tall order. A lot of people believe in it, but you're not sure you do. It'll take a lot of lonely, dangerous walks and exceptionally heavy lifting, and it's not really clear what America means in the first place. For some reason, you set out anyway, trudging through wetlands and rocky hills on foot, not fully knowing or understanding where you're going. Other than the monsters you can't quite see, there's not really anyone else around most of the time--just you and your thoughts, one foot in front of the other.On one level, Death Stranding is about America. But your actual goal in setting out across the country is to help people, bring them together, and forge connections, not for the vague concept of America but for the sake of helping the people within it. Death Stranding is unrelenting in its earnestness and optimism--certainly not without its critiques of America, nor without its challenges and setbacks, but inherently hopeful nonetheless. It is a dense, complex, slow game with a plot that really goes places, but at its core, it never stops being about the sheer power and purpose we can find in human connection, and that is its most remarkable achievement.Hands Across AmericaRebuilding the country is as simple as getting every far-flung city, outpost, and individual onto one network, the bones of which were laid down by a pseudo-government organization called Bridges. As Sam Porter Bridges (played by Norman Reedus), all you have to do to win people over is bring them packages; most people never go outside due to mysterious monsters called BTs, but unlike most people, Sam can sense them enough to sneak past them and get important cargo to its destination.Deliveries can be arduous. You're evaluated on your deliveries across a few categories, but the condition of the cargo can make or break a run, and there are a lot of factors working against you. The landscape can be extremely punishing, from expanses of exhaustingly rocky hills to rivers that are too deep and wide to cross unaided. On top of BTs, you also have to contend with Timefall, a kind of rain that rapidly accelerates aging and deterioration for most of the things it touches. Extended exposure to Timefall can damage or completely ruin your cargo, as can slipping and falling, getting hit by an enemy, or, in some cases, just being a little too rough with it. Even the smallest rocks can trip you up, too. In order to keep your footing, you need to pay close attention to where you're stepping, keeping your balance with the triggers while on rough terrain or when carrying a lot of stuff.Once you reach your destination, though, you're showered with praise. The recipient will likely thank you to your face (albeit as a hologram), and then they'll give you a series of social media-style likes. You're inundated with a multi-page results screen itemizing all the likes you received for the delivery and in which categories, plus an overall rating for the delivery itself, no matter how small--it's positive reinforcement turned up to 11. These likes then funnel into each of the delivery categories like experience points, and as you level up, you can carry more weight or better maintain your balance, among other benefits. Deliveries also feed into a connection rating with each city, outpost, or person, and as that increases, you acquire better gear and sometimes gifts to reward your efforts further.In short, you give a lot and get a lot in return. There is a relatively small number of mandatory deliveries to advance the story, but there's a seemingly unlimited number of optional deliveries, and I often found myself picking up orders destined for any place that was on my way. It's a cycle that's easy to get swept up in; no matter how difficult a delivery or how far the distance, you will at least be met with gratitude, likely feel fulfilled from having completed a tough delivery, and often given a tool to make future deliveries a bit easier. Most importantly, though, increasing your bonds with people is how you get them on the network, and the network is what elevates this core loop beyond the simple satisfaction of completing tasks and getting rewards.The chiral network is a kind of souped-up internet that allows you to 3D print objects, which is incredibly useful and a strong incentive in itself. When at a terminal connected to the chiral network, you can print ladders and ropes for traversal, new boots as yours wear out, repair spray for damaged containers, and basically anything else you need to safely deliver cargo so long as you have a blueprint for it. You can also print a portable printer that builds structures for you out in open areas covered by the network--things like bridges, watchtowers, and generators, the latter of which are critical as you start to use battery-powered exoskeletons and vehicles.The chiral network also grants you access to the online component of the game, which is absolutely essential. You never see other players in the flesh, but their impact is all around you; once an area is on the network, you can see structures and objects left behind by other players in the course of their own journeys, plus helpful signs they've put down just for those who come after them. You can pick up someone else's lost cargo and deliver it for them, too, knowing that someone else may find yours at some point and do you the same kindness.In Death Stranding's best moments, the relief and gratitude you can feel toward someone you don't even know is an unrivaled multiplayer experience. At one point in my playthrough, I was being chased by MULEs, human enemies who love to steal cargo. I was on a bike, tasked with a time-sensitive delivery, almost out of battery and totally unequipped to deal with external threats. In my panic, I drove my bike into a ravine. As I slowly made my way up and out of it, I watched as my bike's battery dipped into the red, and I dreaded getting stuck with all my cargo and no vehicle, still quite a ways away from my destination. I rounded a corner and found myself in the charging area of a generator placed by another player, as if they'd known I'd need it in that exact spot at that exact moment. They probably just put it there because they needed a quick charge, but to me, it was a lifeline.You can give and receive likes for these player-to-player structures, and just like with standard deliveries, it's a strong incentive to do something helpful for someone else. In the earlier sections of the game, I was using other people's structures far more than I was leaving behind help for others. But I wanted to pay it forward and know that my help was appreciated, so I started going out of my way to build structures I myself didn't really need; the map shows the online structures in your instance, making it easier to spot areas you could fill in for others. At first, the likes system seems like a pretty obvious commentary on social media and our dependence on external validation. But it's not so much a critique as it is a positive spin on a very human need for acceptance, and the system does a remarkable job of urging you to do your best for those around you, NPCs and real people alike. Feeling truly appreciated can be a rare occurrence in life, and it's powerful in its simplicity here.The Super BB MethodThe first few hours of the game are the slowest, and a large part of that is because you don't have access to the online component right away. It's an incredibly lonely stretch of time during which you mostly just walk; the work you do early on is especially laborious in the absence of advanced gear, and it serves to give you an appreciation for other players and better gear as you move forward.Even as the gameplay opens up, you continue to get a lot of story exposition with almost no explanation. It can all seem kind of goofy at first, and you can get lost in the metaphors; every city you need to add to the chiral network has "knot" in its name, for example, and they are all referred to as "knots" on a strand that connects the country. There's bizarre and unwarranted product placement in the form of Monster Energy drinks and the show Ride with Norman Reedus. Guillermo del Toro's likeness is used for a kind of dorky character called Deadman, and there's a woman named Fragile in a game about delivering packages.But the story really does go deeper than that. In keeping with the theme of human connection, each of the core characters you meet and work with has their own story to tell. They all have a unique perspective on death that lends them an equally unique perspective on life, and unravelling their characters, down to the true origins of their often literal names, contributes to the overall tapestry of Death Stranding's take on the human experience. As they open up to Sam, Sam opens up to them in turn, developing into a distinct character in his own right out of the reserved, emotionless man he appears to be at the start. I grew to love Sam, Fragile, and Heartman especially, and even the characters I didn't like as much add to the game's overall message about hope and love in the face of adversity.By far my favorite character--and the most important one--is BB. BBs are infants in pods that can detect the presence of BTs, and they're issued to porters like Sam to help them navigate dangerous territory. You're told to treat BBs like equipment, not real babies, but it's impossible to think of your BB that way. It's full of personality, giggling when happy and crying when stressed out; it even gives you likes from time to time. There aren't many children left in Death Stranding's isolated, fearful world, but BB is your reminder that the future is counting on you, regardless of how you feel about America itself. The love that grows between Sam and BB is nothing short of heartwarming.Connecting with this story, just as with connecting with NPCs and other players, can take work. It's not a story that immediately clicks on a surface level, and the dramatic mystery and off-the-wall science don't make too much sense at first blush. But it's an emotional story first and foremost, and making sense of things--while entirely possible, particularly if you read the letters and interviews that detail small bits of lore as you go--is not as important as reflecting on how it makes you feel.You have plenty of opportunities to do that, too. In the quiet moments of travel, usually as you near your destination, music might start to play. The soundtrack, which is largely composed of one band--Low Roar--is phenomenal, the kind of contemplative folk-ish music that suits a trip alone through a meadow or down a mountain. Because the act of walking is so involved, it's not a time to detach completely and zone out; it's a time to feel your feelings or at least consider what's next in your travels.Fight, But Not To The DeathYou can just as soon be ripped out of that headspace, though, by a shift to the haunting music that signals BT territory. The otherworldly growls of BTs as they close in on you can be terrifying, and early on, your best bet is to freeze in your tracks and hold your breath for as long as you can so you can quietly sneak by them. But there are times when you have to fight a BT in its true form, and for that, you have specialized weapons to take them down. These BTs aren't the ethereal humanoid shapes that float above the ground but huge eldritch horrors that screech under clouds of blood. The combat is mechanically simple--you mostly have to move around a bit and hit them before they hit you--but the sequences are visually and aurally arresting.You don't get a gun that works on live enemies until 25 or so hours in, but even then, it's non-lethal. You are actively guided away from killing in Death Stranding, because when people die, their bodies basically go nuclear and level cities, leaving nothing but craters and BTs in their wake. On top of that, the main human enemies are MULEs, former porters just like Sam that have been corrupted by an automated world--they've essentially become addicted to snatching cargo in their desperation to have a job and a purpose as more and more people become replaced by machines. They're not evil, and killing them seems like, well, overkill; it's easy enough to knock them out with the nonlethal methods you continue to unlock as the game progresses. I didn't kill a single one in my playthrough, though punching them is satisfying.While BTs and MULEs are a concern when delivering cargo, there's also Mads Mikkelsen's character, a man who's introduced through memories Sam sees when he connects to BB's pod. He gets his own dedicated segments that punctuate hours of simple deliveries, and these highly contained, much shorter sections are striking in their art direction and juxtaposition to the rest of the game. It's not immediately clear what he is, whether it's an enemy, potential friend, or something else entirely, but he's captivating in his ambiguity.The most cartoonish enemy is Troy Baker's Higgs, a terrorist whose depravity seems to know no bounds. Of all the characters, Higgs is the weakest, with far less nuance to him than anyone else in the cast. He's really just there as a Big Bad to motivate you in a more traditional video game sense than delivering packages and helping people, but he and his band of faceless terrorists are more a means to an end than full-fledged villains. He's the catalyst for some of the major BT fights, and in the end, perhaps an extreme reminder that it's possible to stay hopeful even when things are darkest.Death Stranding argues in both its story and its gameplay that adversity itself is what makes things worth doing and life worth living.Death Stranding is a hard game to absorb. There are many intertwining threads to its plot, and silly names, corny moments, and heavy exposition belie an otherwise very simple message. That comes through much more clearly in the game's more mundane moments, when you find a desperately-needed ladder left behind by another player or receive a letter from an NPC thanking you for your efforts. It's positive without ignoring pain; in fact, it argues in both its story and its gameplay that adversity itself is what makes things worth doing and life worth living. It's a game that requires patience, compassion, and love, and it's also one we really need right now.Info from Gamespot.com