About a month and a half after the game's initial release, Season 1 of Apex Legends has begun. The game's Wild Frontier Battle Pass is now available to purchase on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, bringing a new assortment of skins, stat trackers, and other exclusive rewards to unlock in Respawn's popular battle royale game. This arrives as part of a new Apex Legends update that also adds the new playable legend, Octane.Much like Fortnite's own seasonal Battle Pass, the Wild Frontier Battle Pass costs 950 Apex Coins, which roughly equates to $10 / £8. If you're eager to get a head start, EA is also offering a Battle Pass bundle for 2,800 Apex Coins that will instantly unlock the first 25 tiers, giving you immediate access to those rewards.Apex Coins are Legends' premium currency. They can typically only be purchased with real money, although there are a few other ways to get your hands on some for free. You'll receive 1,000 Apex Coins by signing up for EA/Origin Access, which effectively amounts to a 50% discount if you spring for a one-month subscription. You'll also be able to earn up to 1,000 Apex Coins by leveling up the Battle Pass.As in Fortnite, you'll unlock rewards as you level up Apex Legends' Battle Pass, and you'll receive three exclusive character skins automatically just for purchasing it. Even if you don't decide to buy the pass, however, you'll still be able to earn a handful of rewards, and you'll retroactively unlock any you would have earned if you decide to purchase it partway through the season.Unlike Fortnite, however, Apex Legends' Battle Pass doesn't offer any challenges. According to Respawn, this was a deliberate decision in order to let players focus on learning the ins and outs of the game rather than striving to check off contrived tasks."You'll notice the first version isn't built around a complex quest system where you need to do a 720 backflip off of Watchtower Artemis and get two Wingman headshots before hitting the ground," Respawn wrote in a blog post. "While we think there's really cool design space in quests and challenges for future Battle Passes, we wanted the initial version to allow our players to just play and learn the game."You can read more about how the Apex Legends Battle Pass works here. Also arriving to the game today is Octane, Apex Legends' newest playable character. However, he isn't included as part of the Battle Pass; rather, players will need to purchase him separately from the in-game store for 12,000 Legend Tokens or 750 Apex Coins. He comes with a bunch of new skins for you to earn.Info from Gamespot.com

At the Game Developers Conference, Google unveiled its vision for the future of video games: a cloud streaming service called Stadia, which gives instant access to play games across Chromebooks, smartphones, tablets, and TVs. In other words, it's a platform that is accessible through devices you may already own, and it will will be compatible with keyboards and other input devices you might have, too. However, Google will also release its own proprietary Stadia controller, and now we know what it looks like and how it works.The Stadia controller was shown off at GDC in three different color schemes. It connects to Google's servers through Wi-Fi, and it identifies what screen you want to play on. In addition to the standard array of inputs, it also features two unique buttons: one allows you to capture gameplay and share and save it to YouTube, while the other is a Google Assistant button, which accesses the controller's built-in microphone to get gameplay advice from an assistant. And in a fun reference, the back of the controller is home to the Konami Code.The streaming tech behind Stadia is the same that powered the Project Stream test that ran last year, when Google partnered with Ubisoft to stream Assassin's Creed Odyssey for free through a Chrome browser. The company has made other big moves into the video game space, recently hiring Jade Raymond, best known for her work at Ubisoft and EA. Raymond will head up Stadia Games and Entertainment, a new first-party studio that will develop games exclusively for Stadia.Stadia will launch later this year. It'll be available first in the US, Canada, the UK, and "most of Europe." Google hasn't shared any pricing details for the service or its controller, but it promises to reveal more information this summer, including what games will be available at launch "and beyond."One key detail we don't know beyond specific pricing is how you'll buy games--will they be available through a subscription or like a standard game purchase? That remains to be seen, though we know Doom Eternal is coming to Stadia. Odyssey was also featured prominently during the GDC keynote. Ubisoft, the publisher of the latter, seems to be a big supported of Stadia, and when we spoke with CEO Yves Guillemot at GDC, he suggested there could be multiple ways to buy Stadia games.For more on cloud gaming, check out how cloud gaming works and read up on the companies investing heavily in the cloud. Be sure to catch up on all of the Google Stadia gaming news from today's GDC event.Info from Gamespot.com

Google has revealed a vague release window for its new Stadia platform. The service will launch later this year, coming first to the US, UK, Canada, and "most of Europe," with a worldwide release coming at some point after that.Pricing was not revealed for the new platform; while you won't need specific hardware, you will presumably need to buy access to games or some kind of subscription service, but Google didn't share any information regarding this aspect of the service. However, we did get lots of other details besides that, including the basics of what Stadia is: Google's vision for a new kind of gaming service powered by the cloud. You'll be able to play games, even high-end ones like Assassin's Creed Odyssey or Doom Eternal, on most any internet-connected device. As well as offering cloud streaming of games to phones, laptops, PCs, and TVs, it will also launch with its own controller. In addition, the company has founded a first-party development house to make games exclusively for Stadia.Stadia will support cross-platform multiplayer and allow you to seamlessly switch between devices. You can also simply click a link while watching a game on YouTube to dive into that very same game at the exact same point. Alternatively, streamers can allow viewers to sign up to join in to play in the same game session with them. All of this is done seamlessly; you don't have to download anything or have specific, high-end hardware to play.At launch, Stadia will support 4K HDR gameplay at 60 FPS, with plans to scale that up to 8K at 120 FPS. Ubisoft, Doom Eternal developer Id Software, and Q-Games were among the developers mentioned as partners at Google's GDC conference, while more than 100 studios already have Stadia in their hands. For more, check out everything we know about Google Stadia.Info from Gamespot.com

During Google's GDC 2019 keynote presentation, the company's vice president and general manager Phil Harrison announced Stadia, a cloud-based streaming service that allows you to play games across most of your devices. At the end of his portion of the keynote, Harrison also mentioned that most games on Stadia would feature cross-platform support, which could come in multiple forms.Cross-platform play specifically has been confirmed, allowing you to play with your friends regardless of whether you're gaming on console, PC, tablet, or mobile device. Whether games will allow play between Stadia versions and those on other dedicated gaming platforms like PS4, Xbox One, and PC remains to be seen (and will likely vary by game), games running on Stadia should work regardless of what hardware you and other players are using.Harrison also said that Stadia would support cloud saves for game state and save files, so specific titles will also have cross-platform progression. Again, it's unclear if progression will be shared between Stadia and non-Stadia versions of games, but if you're playing a Stadia game on multiple devices, your progress will move with you. So, if you were to play a multiplayer-focused game on your PC through Stadia, navigating over to your phone would bring all your unlocked items with you.Google plans to use Stadia to bring together all aspects of gaming--whether you want to play, spectate, or develop--on to one platform. During the GDC keynote, for example, the company showcased how someone watching a trailer for Assassin's Creed Odyssey on Ubisoft's YouTube channel can click a link at the end of the video which allows them to begin playing the game through streaming in just a few seconds.Harrison promises Stadia will be supported across several platforms, including desktops, laptops, TVs, tablets, and phones. At launch, Stadia will support streams in 4K at 60 FPS with surround sound, and Google plans on upping that to 8K resolution in the future. You'll be able to use existing controllers with Stadia, but Google also announced its own controller specifically built for the service. The controller features most button inputs seen on Xbox One and PS4's respective controllers, but it will also include one that allows you to ask Google Assistant a question. Stadia is scheduled to launch in 2019.For more information on cloud gaming, you can read up on how it works as well as which companies other than Google are investing in the technology behind it. We're collecting all the Google gaming news announced at GDC today as well, including the reveal that Doom Eternal is coming to Stadia.Info from Gamespot.com

During the Google GDC 2019 keynote, company VP Phil Harrison revealed a new cloud gaming streaming service called Stadia. Following its use in the Project Stream test last year, Assassin's Creed Odyssey was featured prominently during the event, but it wasn't the only triple-A game promised to run on the hardware. At a later point in the presentation, id Software executive producer Marty Stratton took the stage to announce Doom Eternal would be one of the games coming to Stadia.Stratton said that Doom Eternal both plays and looks "great" on Stadia. The sequel to 2016's Doom will play in true 4K HDR at 60 FPS on the cloud gaming platform. Stadia itself is designed to unite players, spectators, and developers all on one platform. For example, during Google's keynote, the company showcased how you will be able to watch a trailer for a game on YouTube and then start playing said game through streaming within a few seconds.Stadia will also feature cross-platform support. Harrison confirmed cross-platform play, allowing you to play with others regardless of platform. Stadia will also support cloud saves for game state and save files, so specific titles could have cross-platform progression as well.Stadia will be supported across several platforms, including desktops, laptops, TVs, tablets, and phones. At launch, the service will be able to stream games up to 4K HDR at 60 FPS with surround sound, and Google has scheduled plans to increase that to 8K resolution in the future. Although you can use existing controllers with Stadia, Google is also releasing its own controller--which supports Google Assistant. Stadia scheduled to release this year.For more information on cloud gaming, you can read up on how it works as well as which companies other than Google are investing in the technology behind it. We're collecting all the Google Stadia gaming news announced at GDC today as well.Doom Eternal is also loosely scheduled for 2019, coming to Xbox One, PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch, and now Stadia. Neither Bethesda or id Software has announced whether the game is coming to the Switch the same day as the other platforms, or if that version will be delayed. Eternal is more immersive and gruesome than its predecessor. The new game also offers additional means of moving around the map--including a grappling hook and free running.Info from Gamespot.com

It's nearing four years since Castle Crashers made the jump to current gen with a remaster on Xbox One. It's been even longer since San Diego-based developers, The Behemoth, launched the side-scrolling beat-em-up on last generation's hardware. Now, in celebration of the game's 10th--going on 11th--year on the market, the studio has announced that Castle Crashers is re-re-releasing, this time for Nintendo Switch and PS4.In a Twitter post, The Behemoth stated Castle Crashers Remastered, the version of the game that launched on Xbox One back in September 2015, is making its way to the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. Unfortunately, no release date accompanied the announcement.The developers penned a blog post on its official website detailing the announcement. Castle Crashers Remastered for Switch and PS4 will contain the Back Off Barbarian mini-game, all previously released DLC, and various gameplay improvements and performance updates. This re-release will also run at 60 frames per second and feature textures much improved over the original game's. Essentially, it's the Xbox One version of the game and more.For the Switch version, Castle Crashers Remastered utilizes the system's HD Rumble feature and four-player local Joy-Con support. So you, your friend, and your friend's friend can play on one system using multiple Joy-Cons. PS4 owners who purchase the game will see the color of their controlled character displayed on the controller's lightbar. Who doesn't love a pink lightbar?The Behemoth co-founder Dan Paladin gave some very specific reasons why this remaster is happening. It boils down to game preservation, a hot-button topic in the industry. "When we make games we want them to stick around," Paladin wrote in the blog post. He also notes that "higher resolutions, higher framerates, chances to make tweaks, and better overall quality" are "very satisfying." At the end of the post, Paladin confirms that the studio is working on a new game. As of right now, it's codenamed "Game 5." There's no other information on this title, but Paladin ensures the studio will "have more information on this later in the year hopefully."In our initial Castle Crashers review, we said the game is "an absurdly hilarious romp you won't soon forget."Castle Crashers Remastered is available now on Mac, PC, and Xbox One. If you happen to have a PS3 or Xbox 360, you can play it there, too.Info from Gamespot.com

Google's Stadia announcement shared an in-depth look at the streaming platform, technology, features, and more. One conspicuously missing component was price: There was no word on what the first-party controller or--more importantly--games themselves will cost. Ubisoft's Yves Guillemot, whose company partnered with Google for the Project Stream test last year, shared some thoughts in an interview. Project Stream was a free test of Assassin's Creed Odyssey, but how will we pay for future games offered through Stadia?"I think we will have a multitude of ways," Guillemot told GameSpot. "Either you buy full price and you play; or you will be able to also register, possibly, to play either one hour or two hours a day. There will be plenty of ways."The question of price is looming over the Stadia platform, since streaming games from the cloud is such a different model than traditional game sales. As opposed to buying a physical copy that you can hold, or even a digital copy that downloads data onto your console, consumers will have to get accustomed to paying for the ability to stream a game. Guillemot's comments suggest that traditional purchases and perhaps a Netflix-style subscription model are on the table, and he's had plenty of time to think about the subject."We have been working with Google for a long time now," he said. "The first time we went to see them [Google] was six years ago, about what was the beginning of what this is today. We even created at that time a joint venture with Square Enix to do that job. We have been looking at that technology for a long time."For more on Google's cloud platform, catch up with all we know about Stadia. Or you can read our primer on why cloud gaming is the next big thing, and see some of the competition Google will face with the companies investing in cloud tech.Info from Gamespot.com

Google pulled back the curtain on its video game plans during the Game Developers Conference, unveiling its ambitious Stadia cloud gaming platform. Through Stadia, players and developers will not only be able to stream video games across a variety of devices such as smartphones, tablets, and TVs, they'll even be able to share precise in-game moments with others.During the company's keynote address, veteran game designer Dylan Cuthbert took the stage to discuss Stadia's State Share technology. Using the feature, developers will be able to "instantly share a playable moment from the game," down to the world state, the player's position and inventory, and any other aspects. The state can then be shared as a link that will allow other players to pick up from that exact moment.Cuthbert discussed some of the examples possible with State Share. "I can create moments specifically for this kind of sharing--challenges to beat my incredible speed runs, or chances for other players to also experience those same tough boss battles. I can build as many shareable moments as I want and let the internet turn my whole game into an infinitely replayable treasure hunt."According to Google, Stadia will also enable game streamers to better engage with their audience with a feature called Crowd Play. This will allow viewers to jump into the same game session as a streamer by clicking a button on the screen and joining a queue.Stadia will launch later this year. The platform will initially be available in the US, Canada, the UK, and "most of Europe" and will support various input devices, including its own proprietary controller. Additional details about Stadia and its launch lineup will be shared this summer.For more on cloud gaming, be sure to check out how cloud gaming works and read up on the companies investing heavily in the cloud. You can also catch up on all of the Google gaming news from today's GDC event.Info from Gamespot.com

We're deep into the Jokers Wild expansion of Destiny 2, with lots of new content for players to tackle. There are new Gambit activities, Gambit Prime and The Reckoning, which give out new loot. There's the allegiance quest, which comes complete with special rewards depending on if you choose to side with the Drifter or the Vanguard. And there's the quest to capture Thorn, the powerful Exotic hand cannon that's becoming a big part of the story of the Season of the Drifter. It even has a hidden start.With the increase in the Power level cap with Jokers Wild, there's plenty of reason to dig back into various activities, including the Ascendant Challenges in the Dreaming City. Finishing the challenge earns you Powerful gear, which can help you climb your way up to the new top level of 700.Like in past weeks, the Ascendant Challenge involves using a specific item (a Tincture of Queensfoil) to receive the Ascendance buff. This allows you to see a Taken portal that sends you to the Ascendant Plane to do a mission of sorts. But the portal's location and your objective has been different each week, and that's true for Week 5. Before starting, though, be sure to grab the corresponding bounty from Petra, as that's the key to earning a piece of Powerful gear.This week's portal is found inside a Lost Sector (Bay of Drowned Wishes) located right near Dreaming City's landing zone in Divalian Mists. You'll move to the midway point of the Lost Sector, killing things until a little before you reach a door that's locked. (You can skip the enemies, but killing them will likely be easier.) If you've used your Tincture of Queensfoil, you'll see the portal and can jump through to reach the Ascendant Plane location, Agonarch Abyss.Unfortunately, there's a good deal of platforming involved here. You'll make your way down to a temple where a large tree is. Blight balls spawn in that slow your movement, and you'll have to deal with a pair of wizards who spawn in additional Thrall enemies. Take out the wizards and you're all done. You can see this all in our video guide.The chest that you can then open is, as always, nothing special. But finishing the Ascendant Challenge completes the bounty from Petra, which nets you a piece of Powerful gear.There's still some time before the end of Season 5, the Season of the Forge. The next big event in the game is Crimson Days, the Valentine's Day-themed celebration that runs from February 13-20. As usual, it'll offer unique cosmetic rewards, as well as some duos-themed events to celebrate friendship and love, and a unique bow you can earn for fighting in the Crucible.Meanwhile, if you're still working on snagging Destiny 2's latest Exotic weapon, The Last Word, be sure to check out our guide to completing the steps fast. You might also want to get caught up on The Last Word's story, which continues into Season 6.Info from Gamespot.com

It's a great time to be a PS4 owner. Some of the best games in recent years--Bloodborne, God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, Marvel's Spider-Man, etc.--have been released as PS4 exclusives, and over in the PlayStation Store, there are always special sales going on in addition to the rotating weekly deals.This week is particularly loaded with deals, starting with the Great Indoors Sale, which has hundreds of games steeply discounted, like Horizon Zero Dawn ($17), Borderlands 2 ($5), The Last Guardian ($14), and The Witcher 3: Complete Edition ($20). There's even an entire section of budget-friendly deals with games that are mostly under $10, so be sure to take a peek at that if you're trying to curb your game spending. Plus, most of these games are even cheaper if you're a PS Plus member. Game deals within the Great Indoors Sale will be live until March 29 at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET, so you have a little extra time to claim those.Fans of online multiplayer, take note: The PlayStation Store has also slashed the price of one-year PS Plus membership by 25% for the next week. Instead of paying $60 for a one-year subscription, you'll only pay $45--and even if you already have a membership, you can stack subscriptions to save yourself money down the road. This particular offer is only valid until March 26 at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET.The EA publisher sale continues in the PlayStation Store this week as well, with major discounts on some of its best titles. All three Dragon Age games, including the Game of the Year edition for Dragon Age: Inquisition, are marked down, along with Titanfall 2: Ultimate Edition, Battlefield V, A Way Out, and many more. The EA sale also ends March 26 at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET.There are plenty of other game deals worth picking up in the PlayStation Store this week, including Kingdom Hearts III for $45 and the Kingdom Hearts III All-in-One Package for $75. The bundle option provides instant access to Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue along with the newest game. Both the standard game and the bundle also come with a limited time Midnight Blue Keyblade.Shop this week's PS4 deals in the PlayStation Store » PS4:A Way Out -- $18Battlefield 1 Revolution -- $10Battlefield 4 -- $5Battlefield V -- $30Burnout Paradise Remastered -- $5Descent -- $45Distrust -- $9.74Dragon Age: Inquisition - Game of the Year Edition -- $10EA Sports NHL 19 -- $19.79EA Sports UFC 3 -- $13.19Fe -- $5Kingdom Hearts III -- $45Kingdom Hearts III All-in-One Package -- $75Mass Effect: Andromeda - Standard Recruit Edition - $7.49Need for Speed -- $5Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2 -- $4The Sims 4 Bundle -- $25Slime Rancher - Deluxe Bundle -- $17.49Star Wars Battlefront - Hoth Bundle -- $7.49Titanfall 2 - Ultimate Edition -- $7.49Unravel Two -- $5PS3:Battlefield 4 - Premium Edition -- $10Dead Space 2 - Ultimate Edition -- $6Dead Space 3 - Ultimate Edition -- $6Dragon Age II -- $4Dragon Age: Origins -- $4Mirror's Edge -- $3.74Info from Gamespot.com

Google announced its cloud gaming platform, Stadia with an in-depth presentation detailing the tech and its features. The idea promises to open up high-fidelity gaming to everyone regardless of whether they can afford a gaming PC or console. Still, some areas of the US have low broadband penetration, which is why Ubisoft's Yves Guillemot says the platform is likely to be used alongside consoles and PCs, not as an outright replacement--at least for the time being."You have to look at Stadia as complementary," Guillemot told GameSpot during an interview at GDC. "If you get internet you play on the machine that gives you a chance to experience your game. What's good in this industry, either you play on the mobile or you play on PC, and now it's starting to be the same game. I think this is a way to play differently depending on where you are as well."He said Ubisoft recognizes that quality internet isn't available everywhere, but that the studio will be able to "scale the game to the quality of the internet experience." He also suggested that 5G, the next generation of cellular communications tech, could be a big boon and that cities will have to compete with each other for it."I think 5G has to come fast, but what we see is there will be lots of possibilities to use it," he said. "So if cities are really putting 5G, the oldest cities will have to react quite fast if they want keep all the people they have in cities. So this, I think, is going to push 5G a lot."Ubisoft partnered with Google last year for Project Stream, a practical test of the tech used ultimately used in Stadia. That allowed testers to play Assassin's Creed Odyssey for free, but they needed a 25 Mbps connection. That benchmark may give us an idea of what to expect for optimum performance when Stadia launches later this year. Guillemot also shared thoughts on how Ubisoft could price its games for Stadia.To catch up on the news surrounding Google's cloud platform, read all we know about Stadia. Plus check out why cloud gaming is the next big thing, which companies are investing in cloud tech.Info from Gamespot.com

Google has finally given the world its first look at its big video game initiative: Stadia, an ambitious cloud gaming platform that will allow players to stream games across smartphones, tablets, computers, and TVs. The company has already announced a handful of third-party titles coming to the platform, but it'll also be venturing into game development with its own internal studio.During its Game Developers Conference presentation, Google announced the formation of Stadia Games and Entertainment, a first-party studio that will develop titles exclusively for the platform. No projects have been announced just yet, but Google revealed the studio will be led by Jade Raymond, a former studio head at Ubisoft and EA.We first learned that Raymond was hired by Google last week, when she announced she was joining the company as a vice president. At the time, her exact role was unclear, but her hiring further signified Google was making a serious attempt at entering the video game space.Few other games have been announced for Stadia at this juncture, but Google also showed off Assassin's Creed Odyssey--which was the same game the company used for its Project Stream test last year--running on the platform. We also got confirmation that Doom Eternal is coming to Stadia, as is a new game from Star Fox co-creator Dylan Cuthbert's studio, Q-Games.Google says it will share more details about Stadia's launch lineup this summer. The platform is slated to launch later this year and will initially be available in the US, Canada, the UK, and "most of" Europe. You can read more about how cloud gaming works and check out all of the Google gaming news from today's event.Info from Gamespot.com

If you're looking to unravel events from the past, then this week's new Netflix offerings will be right up your alley. While the streaming service is also known for its movie options, the majority of March's selections came out earlier this month.Coming out on March 22 is ReMastered: The Miami Showband Massacre. The documentary tells the tale of the murder of most of the members of the Miami Snowband who some called "The Irish Beatles" during the 1970s. Almost 40 years later, the documentary seems to get closer to the truth of who killed the band.Speaking of music, also coming to Netflix on March 22 is The Dirt, which tells the tale of '80s rock band Motley Crue, based on the best-selling book. If you know anything about the band, you know their off-stage antics were extremely over-the-top, which this movie will cover. Below, you'll find everything coming to Netflix this week. Additionally, the April release list for Netflix is already out, and you should probably watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series before it leaves early next month.Avail. 3/19/19Amy Schumer Growing-- NETFLIX ORIGINALAvail. 3/21/19Antoine Griezmann: The Making of a Legend-- NETFLIX ORIGINALAvail. 3/22/19Carlo & Malik-- NETFLIX ORIGINALCharlie's Colorforms City-- NETFLIX ORIGINALDelhi Crime-- NETFLIX ORIGINALHistoria de un crimen: Colosio-- NETFLIX ORIGINALMirage (ES)-- NETFLIX FILMMost Beautiful Thing-- NETFLIX ORIGINALReMastered: The Miami Showband Massacre-- NETFLIX ORIGINALSelling Sunset-- NETFLIX ORIGINALThe Dirt-- NETFLIX FILMInfo from Gamespot.com

Google made a big splash at GDC 2019 with its announcement of Stadia, the cloud-based platform that streams games from a remote data center to nearly any device--laptops, phones, tablets, PCs, Macs, Chromebooks, and TVs with Chromecast. All graphics processing is relegated to off-site hardware, meaning there's little stress on your local hardware; all you need is a strong internet connection. It's a technologically impressive concept that has come to fruition, and we were one of the first to experience what it's like to play games on Stadia. Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Doom (2016) were playable on the GDC show floor, and while they ran and looked great, I couldn't help but notice one significant shortcoming.Keep in mind, my hands-on time was at the Google stations on the GDC show floor, so your mileage may vary. There are a lot variables at play in addition to the internet connection, and these are early playable builds under unknown conditions. Display response time is another factor that we couldn't account for during the hands-on demo, and it's an important spec to consider, especially for a PC-like experience--these were not gaming-grade monitors at the demo stations.Input lag was the worst offender during my time with Doom; this was readily apparent when swiping the mouse around to aim. The aiming reticule would trail behind my mouse movements ever so slightly, and for a game like Doom--a hyper-fast first-person shooter that relies on precision aiming--it can be a deal-breaker. Playing on a controller mitigated the emphasis on speed and precision and made input lag a little less of a factor, but it doesn't negate the issue altogether. Another thing to note is that Google staff told me the Doom demo in particular was running in a low-latency mode available on Stadia itself. From a fidelity standpoint, the game ran at a consistent frame-rate using medium-high settings with adequate overall image quality; artifacting (or compression) didn't affect the experience. However, it's a bit disappointing that input lag could hold this back from being the ideal way to play a game as fast as Doom.I also got to revisit Assassin's Creed Odyssey with Stadia and it felt very similar to Google's early cloud-gaming beta that called Project Stream. Of course, Odyssey doesn't have the same emphasis on speed and accuracy as Doom, so naturally the experience translated better to the cloud-based platform. When peeking at some of the settings, the demo was running at 1080p, 60 FPS, with a 20 Mbps bit rate. The game had decent visual quality with some discernible artifacting, but we were playing up-close on large TVs which isn't a typical setupAt launch, it'll be capable of delivering up to 4K resolution and 60 FPS thanks to a brand-new AMD GPU rated at 10.7 TFLOPs that powers the data center hardware--remember, the Xbox One X, currently the most powerful console to date, has 6.0 TFLOPs. Stadia will come with a whole roster of features in addition to the convenience of playing games over a powerful cloud-based platform.Google will also offer its own controller for Stadia which has integrated Google Assistant, its voice-controlled AI technology--developers will be able to incorporate this capability into their games. Additionally, Stadia will have seamless streaming to YouTube with plenty of features change how people will able to jump into multiplayer games (Crowd Play), and share specific gameplay moments for other players to jump into (State Share).Google isn't the only one staking a claim in cloud-based gaming, however. Microsoft's Project xCloud, which also streams games from hardware at a data center to devices via an internet connection, will be having test runs later this year as well. For more on the game streaming landscape, be sure to read our quick rundown of all the gaming companies investing in cloud gaming and what they're offering.If Google can improve key aspects, namely the apparent issues with input lag, Stadia would be a serious competitor in the gaming landscape. Otherwise, there may be limitations as to which games would work best on this new platform. Regardless, the accessibility that Google will offer is unprecedented. While cloud gaming itself is not new, the combination of accessibility and convenience could help this service to establish a foothold. We'll all be able to see for ourselves when Stadia launches sometime in 2019.Info from Gamespot.com

The remake of the 1990 classic psychological horror film Jacob's Ladder was supposed to be released last month, until it was pushed back to an undisclosed date later this year. Adrian Lyne's film dealt with a haunted Vietnam War veteran who tries to discover a secret from his past by deciphering his own dreams, and over the years it has become a cult classic. This is mostly thanks to a twist near the end of the film that puts everything that came before it in a completely new light.GameSpot had a chance to catch up with writer Jeff Buhler while he promoted his new film Pet Sematary at SXSW, and we asked him about his approach to the Jacob's Ladder remake and how his script modernizes the classic tale."The original has a twist that you can't repeat because without the secret it doesn't have any power," Buhler said. "So we wanted to come up with another twist that could catch people off guard."Buhler admitted to being a fan of the original film, having seen it many times including when the film was in theaters. He wrote the remake with Sarah Thorpe, and it's said to focus on two brothers coming from the Middle East instead of one soldier returning from Vietnam."We tried to focus on the modern soldier's experience returning from war," Buhler told GameSpot. "The PTSD side of it is more prevalent compared to the original, which instead focuses on medical experiments done on soldiers with the use of drugs. We kind of shifted it to something more personal and grounded, which opened a lot of doors in making this story our own."He added, "It is nerve-wracking because the original is sacred material."Jacob's Ladder stars Michael Ealy (Underworld: Awakening), Guy Burnet (Ray Donovan), Karla Souza (How to Get Away with Murder) and Nicole Beharie (Sleepy Hollow). It currently has no exact release date but is expected out this year. Info from Gamespot.com