We missed you, Cobra Kai. Thankfully, the YouTube Premium series is ready for its Season 2 return and things have never looked more intense for the Karate Kid sequel series. In the first trailer for the new season, which premieres on April 24, it's clear that Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) will likely never get over their venomous relationship.The teaser reveals that Daniel is dedicating himself to taking down the Cobra Kai dojo by fully launching the rival Miyagi-Do, which allows him to pass on the lessons he learned from Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) in the original Karate Kid film. What's more, he's offering his lessons for free in an attempt to undercut Johnny and Cobra Kai. "At Miyagi-Do, it's not about the money," he says. "It's about the karate."Meanwhile, with Sensei Kreese (Martin Jove) back in the picture, it seems as though Johnny is embracing the dark side of Cobra Kai, as he teaches his students to be as ruthless as he once was. "Cobra Kai is about being badass," he tells his students.What remains to be seen is whether we'll finally get to see Johnny and Daniel face-off once again. In the Season 1 finale, the two dojos went head-to-head, with Cobra Kai fighting dirty to take the victory. Still, we never saw Johnny and Daniel spar with each other, which one would assume has to happen at some point.Regardless of whether it happens this season, fans won't have to wait long to find out if the two will finally have it out. All Season 2 episodes of Cobra Kai arrive April 24 on YouTube Premium.Info from Gamespot.com

Season 8 of Epic's hit battle royale game, Fortnite, rolls on with a new set of weekly challenges to complete on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile. Week 2's tasks have players trekking to the furthest north, south, east, and west points on the island and dealing damage with the new Pirate Cannon weapon, among other things, all to score some more Battle Stars and unlock this season's cosmetic rewards.If you're a seasoned Fortnite veteran by this point, you'll know there's an added incentive to complete as many challenges as you can; if you finish all of the tasks from a given week, you'll also clear a Discovery challenge and earn a special loading screen. On its own, the loading screen may not seem like a particularly worthwhile reward for completing so many tasks, but each one you unlock through this season's Discovery challenges contains a subtle clue pointing you to a free item hiding somewhere around the island.Just as in Season 7, the item in question will alternate between a Battle Star (which levels your Battle Pass up by one tier) or a Banner (which can be used as a profile icon) depending on how many sets of challenges you've completed. The latter will be up for grabs if you've finished two weeks' sets, but first you'll need to figure out where it's hiding. Fortunately, this one is fairly easy to find.After completing the second Discovery challenge, you'll unlock the loading screen pictured above. Look closely at the background, and you'll see the Banner etched into the wall to the left of the volcano's throne, giving you a clear idea of where you'll need to go. Head into the volcano and find the throne, and the Banner will appear beside it just as teased. Collect it then finish the match and it'll be yours to use as an icon.The volcano should be easy enough to spot, but if you need help finding it, we've marked its location on the map below. You can also watch us get our hands on the Banner in the video at the top of this guide for a step-by-step look at where to go. However, be warned that the Banner will only appear if you've completed the requisite number of challenges, so you won't simply be able to go to the right location and collect it unless you've put in the necessary work.Season 8 has only just begun, but already a lot has changed in Fortnite. The game's most recent update, patch 8.01, introduced Buried Treasure maps, which give you a chance to find some hidden loot around the island. There are also already a bunch of challenges to complete. If you need some assistance, you can find tips for the trickier ones in our complete Season 8 challenges guide.Info from Gamespot.com

There has been no shortage of events in Pokemon Go recently, and now developer Niantic has announced a new kind will be taking place next week. On Wednesday, March 13, players will be able to take part in the Legendary Lunch Hour, the first of what Niantic hopes will become a weekly series of events.The Legendary Lunch Hour runs from 12-1 PM local time. During that window of time, there will be an increased number of Raids going on, giving players on their lunch breaks a chance to team up with classmates or colleagues and participate in Raid Battles together.Niantic calls the Legendary Lunch Hour an "experiment," with next week's event serving as a test run of sorts. The developer says it will listen to player feedback in order to fine tune the event and make it one that players "can enjoy every week." You can read more about the first Legendary Lunch Hour on the Pokemon Go website.The Legendary Lunch Hour isn't the only Pokemon Go event taking place next week. Niantic is also bringing back the Gen 3 Legendary Rayquaza for a special Raid Weekend event from March 15-18. There's also the ongoing Battle Showdown event, which gives players a chance to find more Fighting Pokemon--including the Shiny forms of Mankey and Machop--until March 12.In other news, the Legendary Pokemon Dialga recently made its Pokemon Go debut. The Temporal Pokemon will appear in Raid Battles until March 28. The game's next Community Day, meanwhile, is set for March 23, and this time the featured Pokemon will be Treecko, one of the three starters from Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire.Info from Gamespot.com

The latest trailer for the movie about Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien has come online, providing another look at Nicholas Hoult as the legendary author during his formative years. The movie, called Tolkien, touches on Tolkien's life as an orphan and his romantic relationship with Edith Bratt, who is played by Lily Collins.In one nice scene in the trailer, we see Tolkien telling Bratt about how he invented an entire language--as he actually did--for his Middle-earth stories. A major focus of the story will be Tolkien's time in school with his close friends and how they later fought in World War I together as a "fellowship." Some of Tolkien's friends died on the battlefield, and the author's time in battle reportedly inspired some of his Middle-earth writing.Another major element of the film will be Tolkien's relationship with Bratt. It's been reported that this relationship inspired Tolkien's Beren and Luthien story, which itself inspired the Aragorn-Arwen relationship in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings series.Tolkien hits theatres on May 10. It's directed by Dome Karukoski (Heart of Finland), based on script from David Gleeson and Stephen Beresford.In addition to this film, another one is in the works that focuses on the relationship between Tolkien and Narnia writer C.S. Lewis, and how Tolkien helped convert Lewis to Christianity.Outside of these, Amazon is producing a Lord of the Rings prequel TV show set during the Second Age, while a massive Lord of the Rings art exhibit has opened in New York City. A new Lord of the Rings video game is also in the works, and it's said to have an online focus.Info from Gamespot.com

Following the news that Deadshot will be played by Idris Elba after Will Smith dropped out of Suicide Squad 2, more intriguing details about the follow-up have come to light.According to Collider, the sequel may introduce a number of characters from the DC Comics world, including Ratcatcher, King Shark, Polka-Dot Man, and Peacemaker.Ratcatcher, who is one of Batman's enemies, is a man in the comics but will be a woman in the Suicide Squad sequel, according to Collider. King Shark is just that--a hulking humanoid shark. Polka-Dot Man is another villain whose body can produce polka dots that become weapons. Peacemaker, meanwhile, is an "agent of peace."Sources told Collider that Suicide Squad 2 writer-director James Gunn, the Guardians of the Galaxy director who has yet to be officially announced for the project, is looking at Guardians of the Galaxy actor Dave Bautista for the part of Peacemaker.The Suicide Squad sequel, which is apparently called The Suicide Squad, comes to theatres on August 6, 2021. There is no word yet as to whether or not Margot Robbie will come back to play Harley Quinn or if Jared Leto will return to portray The Joker again. Also unknown is if Joel Kinnaman will be back as Rick Flagg or if Viola Davis will return as Amanda Waller.It's worth mentioning that the sequel's script remains subject to change and none of the new details that emerged today have been confirmed by Warner Bros.The 2016 Suicide Squad received mixed reviews, but it was a massive commercial success. It made more than $746 million worldwide, and it won an Oscar for Makeup and Hairstyling.Gunn, who directed Guardians of the Galaxy 1 and 2, was fired by Disney in 2018 over distasteful comments he made earlier in his career. Bautista was one of Gunn's most outspoken defenders.Info from Gamespot.com

One of the most-anticipated upcoming games, Cyberpunk 2077, is coming to E3 in June, but you don't have to wait that long to hear the developers talk about it. PlayStation has posted a new "Creating Cyberpunk 2077" video in which developers from CD Projekt Red discuss some elements of the long-in-development first-person RPG.Miles Tost, one of the game's level designers, speaks in the video about why CD Projekt Red has kept so quiet about Cyberpunk 2077 over the years. He explains that video game development is an "iterative" process, which means things change all the time. That's just how development works. And it seems CD Projekt Red is more interested in waiting until it has something great, polished, and refined to show."The reason why you can't really go out and show everything is because video game development is such an iterative process," Tost says. "What we have now might not be there tomorrow. We've had ideas that have died over the years then they've been resurrected then they've died again and now they're back."It's also confirmed in the video that Cyberpunk 2077 takes place 50 years after the source material and on a parallel timeline, which affords the studio another level of freedom to do new things. You can watch the full video in the embed above.Cyberpunk 2077 was re-revealed at E3 2018 last year, and a 48-minute gameplay trailer left a lot of people very impressed. The game promises a nonlinear story designed for "mature" players and is set in the metropolis of Night City. According to CD Projekt Red, it will have some sandbox elements and a form of multiplayer.However, CD Projekt Red has stressed that Cyberpunk 2077 is a "true RPG" and definitely not a multiplayer shooter. There's no confirmed release date, but the game will come out for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.The game is set to show up again at E3 2019 this June, but there is no word yet on what more we'll see or learn about the long-in-development game. Keep checking back with GameSpot for more. Info from Gamespot.com

Ape Out is, at heart, a game about jazz. The soundtrack is crafted by your improvised actions as you careen a runaway ape through the game’s levels, leaving a path of destruction and bloodshed in your wake. It’s high energy and exciting, even if, by the end, it feels like you’re playing the same basic tunes over and over.It's a very simple game, at least in terms of how it's played--You're an ape, and you must run through each level without getting blown up or shot three times by human enemies. The camera is positioned above you, giving you a Hotline Miami-esque omnipotence when it comes to where your enemies are positioned. You can push enemies, who will splat and die if they hit a solid object, or you can grab them, at which point they'll fire at least one shot from their gun straight forward, hopefully into another person. A grabbed enemy can be thrown with more precision, which is especially handy if they're wearing an explosive pack, which will blow up and take out anything within its blast radius. You'll spend most of your time running forward, smacking enemies as you go, occasionally snaking away to avoid a mob or stopping to rip a steel door off its hinges.But the way Ape Out elevates its relatively straightforward gameplay loop is by evoking the feeling of creating music, thanks to Matt Boch's captivating procedural soundtrack, which generates a drum-heavy percussion beat under the action. During lulls, the music fades to a calm, but when the action gets frenetic the drums and cymbal crashes kick in hard, and there are occasional horns and contextual changes depending on what's happening in any given stage. Additionally, the levels are presented as though they were albums, with each new subsection representing a track, complete with transitions from Side A to Side B at the midway point. It's a fascinating system which gives those moments where you're in the middle of a killing spree a significant extra kick. It's a repetitive game--you're ultimately doing the same thing continually over the whole course of the game--but it can also be quite propulsive and thrilling, especially when you're on a good run.The stages themselves are starkly designed, with limited color palettes and simple geometric shapes. The ape itself is a single orange shape, and enemies are demarcated by a handful of different designs. There's a slight film grain effect over the action that gives everything a subtle jittery quality, and the album motif is even baked into the loading screens, which make the faint scratching noises of a vinyl record that is left on the turntable after the music has finished. The game’s greatest strength is how defined and consistent this aesthetic is. The unique art blends perfectly with the soundtrack, making the game's violence a bit more palatable than it might have otherwise been, and its boldness pulls you into the action very well.It's great that Ape Out has so much style and flair, because it's essential to your investment due to the game's lack of variety. There are slight variations in how each level operates--the third album, for instance, features combustible liquids that can create walls of fire if you throw an explosives expert into them, and in the second (and best) album there are windows that riot police can rappel through--but they never dramatically alter how you need to play the game. A few new enemy types pop up, but the methods you use to deal with them never really change. There are a handful of good sections where the lights go out and you need to track enemy movements based on the beams of their flashlights, and they highlight how much the game could have benefited from more interesting gimmicks and variety. It’s a shame that Ape Out isn’t more playful, because whenever new ideas are introduced, they’re always welcome--there just aren’t that many of them. The game is short, yet some levels still feel superfluous and samey. I kept hoping a level would come along that would fundamentally change how I had to play, but this never happened.Levels are semi-procedurally generated, so while some landmarks and choke-points will always pop up in roughly the same spot, the exact layout and enemy placements will change. This means that you'll sometimes find yourself in situations where a huge number of enemies swarm you at once, and properly defending yourself is all but impossible. Several times I encountered enemies wearing explosive vests and found that avoiding both their blast radius and gunfire from another enemy was frustrating and futile. The game isn't too difficult on the default difficulty, although there are occasional spikes when a level is a bit longer, which gives enemies more time to put bullets into you.Ape Out is a game that draws you in with its strong aesthetic style and flair, but it feels short on ideas. When you're barrelling through a room, knocking multiple enemies into walls and watching them explode into puddles of blood, it can be quite exciting. But the game never really rises above being a mild thrill, and a lack the variety means that it’s too repetitive to truly make a strong impact. Ape Out isn't as creative with its level designs and challenges as it is with its soundtrack and art, but as it stands it’s a pleasant, jazzy way to spend a few hours. Info from Gamespot.com

If you've been following Captain Marvel's promotion at all, there's a good chance you know about Goose the cat--he's easily the MCU's latest breakout star, despite being, well, at cat. He even got his very own character poster right alongside Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson--not bad for someone who can't actually speak and doesn't have opposable thumbs.But the truth about Goose is actually a little weirder than what you might assume. Sure, the internet loves cats, and the MCU has been sorely lacking in plucky animal companions since Rocket was introduced back in Guardians 1, but Goose is actually a lot more than meets the eye--and way, way more than a mascot for Carol and Nick's fun buddy cop adventures through the '90s.Here's your obligatory spoiler warning: Major Captain Marvel plot points discussed below.The truth is Goose is no ordinary cat--he's actually not a cat at all. Like his comics counterpart, Chewie, Goose is actually an alien known as a Flerken, a funny name for a monster that is really anything but.Introduced fairly recently in Captain Marvel #1 back in 2014, Flerkens are a sort of dangerous alien creature that look shockingly similar to Earth's cats, but are in fact deadly, monstrous eating machines that procreate by laying over a hundred eggs at a time and can run the risk of infesting any area they call home. They've got tentacles in their mouths, voracious appetites, and stomachs that contain "pocket dimensions" that allow them to consume things much larger than their bodies without issue. In a weird way, they're almost like Star Trek's infamous Tribbles--but a bit more deadly and sly.A Flerken infestation could prove deadly if left unchecked, which is why most people who know what they are and how to spot them react pretty violently to them--or, they just try to get as far away from them as possible. It was Rocket Racoon who first realized the truth about Chewie in the comics--which Carol herself vehemently denied, until he was proven right a bit later when we saw Chewie in a nest of all his Flerkhen eggs.The movie handles Goose similarly, with Talos filling the role of the Flerken-spotter. Our confirmation of Goose doesn't come from a nest, however, but a starring role as the heroes' catch-all secret weapon, using his tentacle mouth and interior pocket dimension to not only kill a handful of Kree soldiers, but also to spirit the Tesseract back to Earth unnoticed. The biggest question for the MCU is how, exactly, did Goose end up on Earth in the first place? He's not given any real origin story, and instead just shows up at the Project Pegasus base as Nick and Carol work to infiltrate it. The simplest and most obvious answer would be that Mar-Vell herself brought Goose to Earth while she was undercover, but what has he been doing for all this time since Mar-Vell's death and Carol's disappearance if that's the case? Protecting the Tesseract? Sneaking food and shelter from SHIELD? Just getting really into being treated like a house cat? And why would Mar-Vell bring a Flerken to Earth to begin with?Who really knows? It's possible we haven't seen the last of Goose--or, at the very least, of his little Flerken relatives. He was on Earth for an awfully long time unsupervised, and if he's anything like Chewie, that means there's probably a big Flerken nest somewhere hidden on the Pegasus base. Maybe they've already hatched and there are hundreds of unsuspecting humans out there unknowingly caring for eldritch aliens.What if the Flerken are the real invading force we all thought the Skrulls would turn into? Watch out, Thanos, there might be a new big bad in town.Probably not. But maybe. Listen, they're a cat with other dimensions in their stomachs. They can eat Infinity Stones and hack them up like hairballs. Tell me that's not at least a little bit terrifying.Info from Gamespot.com

Chances are, even if you're not super familiar with Marvel comics, you could maybe cite some facts about the Skrulls. They're one of the most iconic fictional alien races in pop culture, from their weirdly ridged chins and green skin to their ominous ability to shapeshift into just about anyone. They've been a major thorn in the side of virtually every Marvel superhero team since Fantastic Four #2 back in 1962, and for good reason. Traditionally, the Skrulls have always been seen as an invasive and destabilizing force--they invade planets in secret with their shapeshifting powers to infiltrate and later overtake whole worlds by turning friends on one another and allowing paranoia to do most of the work for them.Sounds pretty devious, right? So it's no wonder that fans have been clamoring anxiously about all the new potential threats the Skrulls could represent in the MCU, now that they're being officially introduced in Captain Marvel. Except, that's not exactly how things actually panned out in the end. We were ready for just about every possible Skrull-related twist, from the reveal that beloved characters like Black Widow have actually been Skrulls this entire time to a full scale Secret Invasion-based storyline. We weren't, however, prepared for what we actually got.Captain Marvel turned the idea of Skrulls on its head--and this changes everything we thought we knew about the future of the MCU. Obviously, we're getting into spoiler territory here, so consider yourself warned.The major revelation of Captain Marvel was that Talos, the Skrull "leader" and assumed villain of the movie, in fact was not a villain at all--he, and his people, were victims. Yon-Rogg and the Kree were the bad guys all along, hunting down and massacring the Skrulls after they refused to submit to Kree rule. This, in and of itself, isn't totally shocking--in the comics the Kree/Skrull war is a pretty infamous storyline that revolves around the endless conflict between the two alien races. The major difference is that, in the comics, the lines between the "good guys" and the "bad guys" aren't so clearly drawn--both the Kree and the Skrulls are villains, they just so happen to be villains who are fighting with one another.Not so in the MCU. Captain Marvel makes it perfectly clear that the Skrulls are actually anything but evil this time around--at least, not that we can see. There is absolutely no evidence in Captain Marvel to suggest that the Skrulls have done anything truly villainous, which puts us in an interesting position moving forward.If the Skrulls aren't evil, conniving spies, what exactly are they? It certainly doesn't mean that there haven't been Skrulls hanging out on Earth for all these years, but it does drastically alter the stakes. For instance, if we suddenly learned that Natasha's been a Skrull this whole time, it would just be a quirky little character detail now, rather than a major, mind blowing revelation. It also significantly reduces the chance of a live action Secret Invasion adaptation--a comic book event fans have been clamoring for since the Skrulls were first confirmed for the big screen. In Secret Invasion, the Avengers were devastated as they uncovered a conspiracy by a Skrull princess named Veranke who simultaneously undermined virtually every hero team in operation by placing secret double agents in their midst. Fans assumed that, by seeding the Skrull history back as far as the 90s in the MCU, a potential Secret Invasion-style story with a covert population ready to rise up and attack in the modern day was all but inevitable--but that probably won't be the case. After all, there isn't much of a threat behind groups of refugees hiding in plain sight to escape violent, tyrannical rule.Good Skrulls aren't a totally new concept for Marvel. The lines between right and wrong for both the Kree and the Skrulls have always been pretty murky, and defectors from either side have cropped up time and time again to side with Earth's Mightiest Heroes. The same way heroes like Mar-Vell, Carol, and Noh-Varr of the Avengers are human-aligned Kree, characters like Hulkling (of Young Avengers fame), the Cadre K (a group of X-Men adjacent aliens), and Xavin (of the original Runways) have all been human-aligned Skrulls. Of course, these characters' choices usually put them directly at odds with the imperatives of their homeworlds, but, hey, at least they're on our side, right?Of course, none of this means the Skrulls can never be villains in the MCU. Talos and his group of survivors represent only a small sector of the scattered Skrull population--in his own words, "this is just the beginning--there are thousands of us separated from each other, scattered throughout the galaxy." This means there could be radical Skrull factions out there somewhere who are less interested in slipping away into a peaceful life than Talos was.So, will we see a group of Skrulls come storming in to stealthily attack the Earth sometime in the future? Maybe. But are there secretly groups of Skrulls hiding on Earth ready to pounce at the slightest provocation, who have been covertly destabilizing our favorite heroes since the very beginning? Probably not. And since that makes the MCU's future all the more unpredictable, maybe it's a good thing. Info from Gamespot.com

In the cutthroat world of fighting games, Dead or Alive has consistently proven that it's a solid contender. From its arcade debut in 1996, the series has made a name for itself with striking visuals, fun and memorable characters, and engaging fighting action, carrying the series along through some of the genre's darkest days. Now, Dead or Alive finds itself in one of the most crowded markets the genre has ever seen. Dead or Alive 6 still has the chops to stand out after all this time--though it does slightly stumble along the way.When you first boot up Dead or Alive 6, you're greeted by a close-up of one of the game's many characters, staring you straight in the face as you navigate through the initial set of menus. It's an early glimpse at DoA6's graphical prowess, as you get to see one of the cast members before they step into the ring and turn into a bruised and battered brawler. The way the fighters themselves sustain visual damage during a fight is quite impressive. There's dirt, torn clothing, and flying sweat--even some of the heavier hits leave a little bit of blood, transforming every match into a fierce brawl. Thankfully, if you find these effects distasteful or distracting, there's also the option to turn them off. Combined with the flashy character costumes and colorful, elaborate arenas, DoA6 is a game with a distinct visual flair.But the game's appeal is more than surface-level. DoA6 delivers solid, satisfying combat with its own twists. New to the franchise is a Break Gauge that fills as you deal or receive damage with your blows--a mechanic that's been seen in many other fighting games. There are a few things you can do with this shiny new gauge, thanks to a newly added "special" button that puts it to use: An offensive sidestep into an attack by pressing up or down in tandem with the special button, do a "Break Hold" universal hold counterattack by pressing back and the special button. Finally, you can execute a powerful "Break Blow" by either pressing towards the opponent and the special, or automatically at the end of a four-hit special button auto-combo, assuming the Break Gauge is full. These Break Blows are incredibly flashy, packing a serious punch both in lifebar and visual damage to the opponent. It's hard not to feel a bit demoralized when you're watching your fighter get physically wrecked by a secret ninja skill or a fist to an extremely vulnerable face--but it's super rewarding to push that same humiliation onto your foe.The Break Gauge is a great addition to the game, as it's easy to understand and doesn't require a lot of execution beyond knowing when to use each special technique. All of these techniques are useful; the sidestep attacks can screw up somebody fishing for you to mess up a hold counter, the Break Hold can take some of the guesswork out of hold counters (and counter an opponent's Break Blow), and Break Blows just look cool and satisfying as hell… well, provided you can land them.But the Break Blows aren't the only flashy thing about DoA6's combat. The series is known for having some pretty wild combat arenas, and DoA6's lush battlefields might be some of the craziest yet. They include a dilapidated theme park overrun by dinosaurs, a moss-encrusted battleship being assaulted by an angry kraken, and a multi-car pile-up with some very volatile vehicles that might go kaboom when someone touches them. These stages are littered with specific danger zones that both play an amusing cinematic and deal extra combat damage to an enemy when you send them flying into one with a well-placed blow. In some cases, you can even pull off unique combos with the aid of danger zones; the aforementioned dinosaur stage features an angry pterodactyl mama who will hoist a fighter into the air before dropping them again, setting them up for a big juggle combo. Alas, while the really nutty stages are quite memorable, most are a lot more sedate, and the stage selection as a whole feels somewhat lacking.DoA6 also offers plenty of minor tweaks to the moment-to-moment gameplay, and options to make the game more beginner-friendly (such as simplifying the game's hold counterattack system inputs), but the most important thing is that the fighting just feels good. The rock-paper-scissors element of the holds-throws-attacks balance works nicely into gameplay with smooth animation that feeds into a seamless flow of combat. Every character offers something unique in terms of their fighting style, but once you have the basics down, it's not too hard to learn another character if you're not feeling who you're currently playing with. And while I'm not terribly fond of the designs of the two new characters (street brawler Diego is terribly generic, and blue-haired anime teen scientist NiCO looks like she belongs in a different game entirely), they both bring something new to the table in terms of their combat abilities.Where DoA6 falters, however, is in its single-player content. Story Mode isn't too bad; the cinematics mostly use the in-game graphics engine, further showcasing DoA6's strong visuals, and the game wisely has an optional tutorial feature that teaches you basic strings for each character you'll assume control of so you're not thrust into blind combat. However, the weird multi-timeline presentation is a mess both in terms of interface and storytelling, leading to a confusing series of events that oscillates wildly between serious drama and goofy comedy.Then there's the other big single-player mode, DOA Quest: a series of themed battles that offer in-game rewards, like parts for new character costumes and in-game money used to purchase and view extra story content. By completing sub-objectives in these battles-- like landing a specific attack a certain number of times or beating a quest within a time limit--you earn additional rewards and unlock more quests to attempt.DoA6 also offers plenty of minor tweaks to the moment-to-moment gameplay, and options to make the game more beginner-friendly, but the most important thing is that the fighting just feels good.DOA Quest isn't a bad idea on its own, but the game's grindy, frustrating unlock system turns a fine little challenge mode into an absolute chore. The main thing you'll want to use DOA Quest (and other single-player modes like Arcade Mode) for is unlocking character costumes and customization options, of which there are many. However, you'll soon discover that when you earn points that go towards unlocking new outfits, you have absolutely no say in where they will go. You could earn 300 costume points in a quest featuring Zack, for example, and those points you earn would go towards unlocking a random costume for Hayabusa instead--meaning you invested time and effort to earn partial rewards for a character you potentially don't care about. This happens a lot. To add insult to injury, even when you do get enough points to open up a costume for a character, you still have to pay earned in-game money to actually buy and wear it. It's an extremely ill-thought-out grind that sucks all of the reward out of playing single-player.Provided you're not absolutely attached to using a specific customization in battle, versus play against another human is far more satisfying than the neverending solo grind. Local versus mode works just fine, but most people will probably gravitate towards online play. While there aren't many options for online head-to-head--just Ranked and the promise of a future Lobby mode--what is there works well, and given a good connection, online play feels smooth and enjoyable. One particularly brilliant feature is the ability to see if your potential online match is using a wi-fi or a wired connection. It lets you avoid a lot of potential lag-spike headaches, as wired connections are ideal for head-to-head fighting games like this.Despite some missteps, DoA6 is a fun, engaging fighter with great-feeling, easy-to-pick-up combat, a strong sense of visual style, and a lot of personality. If you're looking for a new fighting game to learn the ins and outs of--or perhaps a nice entry into the 3D side of fighting games--DoA6 is a fighter of choice.Info from Gamespot.com

Captain Marvel is the final step before Avengers: Endgame, and no one can blame you for waiting with baited breath all the way through to the credits. After all, Infinity War concluded with the ultimate tease, as the rapidly disintegrating Nick Fury frantically sent a page to who we could only assume was the still-not-officially-introduced Captain Marvel.With her movie finally here, this is do-or-die time, and our last real chance to get some information before the final showdown with Thanos happens in Avengers: Endgame this April. These may be the most highly anticipated post credits scenes in MCU history for that reason alone--and we're happy to make sure you're getting the absolute most out of them.That said, there are obviously spoilers to follow, so proceed with caution if you're the sort of person who wants to head into either Captain Marvel or Endgame totally blind.There's a pretty major time jump between the final scene of the movie and the first post credits scene--all the way from 1995 to post-Infinity War. We're not exactly sure how long post-Infinity War, but we have to assume it's relatively soon thanks to the presence of Steve's beard (while Cap was fully bearded when Infinity War ended, he's been clean shaved in both Endgame trailers so far). So, right after Infinity War is where we join Steve, Nat, Bruce, and Rhodey in the Avengers compound for Captain Marvel's first of two post-credits stingers.There are several important things to note here. One, they're monitoring the situation in the post-Snap Earth as best they can--but, as Steve points out, it's a "nightmare," and they're not really getting anywhere. Two, they've found Fury's pager, and and they've been monitoring it for some time. How exactly they found it after it was just left on a random street in New York is pretty unclear, but we'll give Fury the benefit of the doubt and assume his car had some sort of tracking device they were able to follow in order to investigate his disappearance once they left Wakanda. Regardless, they've got the pager and they've been running it nonstop--but they have no idea what it does, so they're playing it relatively safe and keeping the whole thing under wraps.But that doesn't actually seem to matter all that much because--surprise!--just as they're starting to debate whether it's worth trying to send the mysterious signal again, Carol shows up. That's right! One second she's not there, and the next she is, right smack dab in the middle of the Avengers compound, which she apparently infiltrated instantly and in complete silence. So that's how Captain Marvel arrives on Earth--one major question down, about a million more to go.The most striking thing about Carol's sudden arrival is that, assuming we're right about the time elapsed between this moment and Infinity War, this means Carol actually shows up pretty early on in the process--in all likelihood, before the footage we've seen in both the Endgame trailers. So where was she during the trailers? Will she actually have a role in the team's plan to save the world like we all assume she will? Or is there something else going on?More importantly, if Carol isn't the lynchpin of whatever plan Steve and co are cooking up, who or what is?The scene doesn't go on long enough to give us any real answers--we don't get to see how the team reacts to Carol or how Carol reacts to the team, what that dynamic will be like, or if they're even able to trust each other under the circumstances. Looks like we'll be waiting until April for that. Enter GooseThe second post credits scene is, unsurprisingly, a gag bit--sort of in the vein of Ant-Man & The Wasp's giant drumming ant, or Guardian's Howard the Duck cameo. We see Nick Fury's desk with everyone's favorite Goose, coughing up a "hairball" while Nick isn't around. Of course, the "hairball" is actually the Tesseract, which Goose swallowed earlier in the film to keep it away from Yon-Rogg.Now, there might be some confusion about this scene, since Nick's absence makes it actually look like the scene might be set post-Infinity War at first glance. But it's not, don't worry. Notice the giant, clunky CRT monitor on Nick's desk? This scene is definitely still in the '90s, long before Thor picked up the Tesseract in the first Avengers film. So put those tin foil hats away--Thanos destroyed the Tesseract and got the Space Stone for the Infinity Gauntlet. Goose wasn't somehow keeping a bonus Tesseract secret from everyone all this time....Unless he was? In the comics, Flerken have the ability to access pocket dimensions, which could mean that, if the Russo Brothers totally ran out of ideas, he might actually be able to access some alternate reality version of the Infinity Stones and spit one out.Probably not, though. But it might be something to keep in mind if you want to get deep, deep into the conspiracy theory well before April 26. You've gotta pass that time somehow, right? And we certainly won't judge you.Info from Gamespot.com

In 2010, Kirby's Epic Yarn spun the traditional formula of Dream Land's favorite hero on its head, reimaging Kirby stuck in a world made entirely of yarn, buttons, and zippers. Extra Epic Yarn ports Kirby's sidescrolling platforming adventure from Wii to 3DS and stitches on a few new features and modes for good measure. Most of Extra Epic Yarn plays as you might remember the original game--and it still looks just as good--but the port's additions craft new, enjoyable ways for you to approach its content.Kirby does not have his trademark abilities in Patch Land, so you need to rely on his new knitted form to find unorthodox ways of overcoming obstacles and vanquishing foes. To attack, for example, Kirby throws out a whip of yarn to unravel enemies before wrapping the material up into a ball that can be thrown. There are also moments within levels where Kirby will take on a new shape, which briefly alters gameplay--when Kirby is a fighter jet, for example, Extra Epic Yarn becomes a fixed shooter.Epic Yarn recaptures the charming simplicity of Kirby's earliest adventures, while also reimagining Dream Land's hero in a fun new way with its yarn-based aesthetics. The game retains the franchise's focus on simple platforming challenges populated throughout cleverly designed levels as well. Extra Epic Yarn adds on to this formula by including craft-focused variations of some of Kirby's traditional transformations in the platforming sections. Certain items on each stage transform Kirby if you manage to whip them up, allowing him to attack and occasionally navigate a stage in a new way. For instance, Nylon (Tornado) Kirby can spin at high enough speeds to pull apart any enemy or damage bosses, but the attack can also be used to briefly hover through the air. These new abilities are not necessary to completing any level, but several of them allow Kirby to more easily attack and jump at the same time, which adds a nice flow to the platforming. And like previous Kirby titles, you can stick with one you enjoy and bring it from one stage to the next.It would have been nice to see Kirby's transformations inspire new puzzles in Extra Epic Yarn. Every stage--as far as I can tell--has been faithfully replicated, so there's not one puzzle you can't figure out without a transformation. It feels like a lost opportunity to implement a more creative application of Kirby's new powers.On top of new transformations, Extra Epic Yarn also adds Devilish mode, which is the game's version of a hard difficulty. In Devilish mode, a small devil will follow Kirby and try to attack him. Striking back will cause the devil to scurry off, but it will return eventually and you'll have to hit it again if you want to get rid of it. And you do want to get rid of it. Unlike Normal mode, Kirby can be unwound in Devilish mode from taking too many hits, which forces you to start a stage from the very beginning. Devilish mode can present quite the challenge on later stages, where longer levels present more opportunities for a misplaced jump or slow attack. The new mode never becomes frustrating, though, thanks in large part to the implementation of the aforementioned transformation abilities. Devilish mode might not have worked in the more methodical Epic Yarn, but the ability to do quick, sweeping attacks while on the move with Kirby's transformations allows for Extra Epic Yarn to be more action-oriented. It's still tough at times, but as someone who thought Epic Yarn was too easy, Devilish mode introduces the challenge I want in a second playthrough.Extra Epic Yarn also adds two new minigames which put you in control of either Meta Knight or King Dedede. Meta Knight Slash & Bead has you cut your way through stages as you collect beads, doing your best to slice through as many enemies as quickly as possible to earn more time. Dedede Gogogo is a much faster-paced variation of the same formula, pushing you to sprint through a stage instead of fight your way through it. Each minigame only has four stages, all of which only last a few minutes. Both work as enjoyable distractions when you want to take a break from the campaign--similar to Samurai Kirby and Megaton Punch in previous titles.Epic Yarn recaptures the charming simplicity of Kirby's earliest adventures, while also reimagining Dream Land's hero in a fun new way with its craft-focused aesthetics.One last change that comes in Extra Epic Yarn is the loss of motion controls, which were used in certain story levels in the original game on Wii and Wii U. You only notice the motion controls are gone in a few infrequent instances: the sections where Kirby turns himself into a train. Before, you laid out the train's path by pointing at the screen and dragging where you wanted the track to go. In the 3DS port, you use the control stick or d-pad, which is just harder to do. It's possible, sure, but I can't help but think incorporating stylus support in those sections would have made them easier.Extra Epic Yarn brings new life to a Kirby game that's nearly a decade old. Everything there is to love about Epic Yarn is still here, but the addition of traditional transformation abilities and challenging Devilish mode provide options for anyone looking for a different or more difficult platforming experience. The two new minigames aren't game-changing additions, but they're both fun to complete and provide a change of pace if you ever need a break from the campaign. Whether you're looking to relive Kirby's adventure into Patch Land or want to pick up the game for the first time, Extra Epic Yarn provides hours of good fun, all wrapped up in charming, craft-influenced visuals. This 3DS port is the best version of the game, hands down.Info from Gamespot.com

NantG has announced that the PC version of H1Z1--formally known as H1Z1: King of the Kill and H1Z1 before that--has been renamed Z1 Battle Royale. Also now called Z1BR for short, the title has received a patch that updates almost every aspect of the free-to-play battle royale game. The PS4 version of the game (still owned by its original developer Daybreak Games--which itself used to be called Sony Online Entertainment) will retain its H1Z1 moniker. Confused by all the name changing yet? No? Excellent."[The PC update for Z1BR is] also huge because it represents the first big delivery on the promise that the new NantG team made when it took over development last September: Bring back the game that so many of you fell in love with in the classic 'King of the Kill' era around Preseason 3 at the end of 2016 and in early 2017," NantG general manager Anthony Castoro said in a blog post. "We still plan to address old weapon models, classic in-game UI elements, and more," he continued.The new patch updates movement and stance animations, as well as combat and gun mechanics. In terms of animations, updates have been made to running, jumping, crouching, weapon swapping and reloading, and both active and passive stances. The speed of running and strafing, as well as the height of your jump, has also been changed. We've listed the combat and gun mechanic changes below.Z1 Battle Royale Weapon ChangesAR-15 restored PS3 recoil and bullet speed.AK-47 restored PS3 recoil and bullet speed.Shotgun restored PS3 recoil and bullet speed.M1911 restored PS3 recoil, fire rate, and bullet speed.Sniper Rifle restored PS3 recoil, sway, and bullet speed.Removed the Hellfire SMG and reintroduced the M1911A1.Melee Weapons had a QoL clean up to responsiveness.ADS snap speed when strafing/jumping.Tweaks have also been made to the environment and vehicles. A new Ranked Pro playlist has been made available in Solos mode too, and the patch implements a series of bug fixes. There's quite a bit, all of which is outlined in the full patch notes on Z1BR's Steam page.Z1 Battle Royale is available on PC.Info from Gamespot.com

As you send demons flying across the screen in Devil May Cry 5, a strong sense of familiarity will hit you. This is "old school" Devil May Cry, a simplistic network of hallways and arenas where you humiliate demons with absurd weaponry as a thumping battle theme fuels the bliss of every well-executed combo. DMC5 marks a return to the previous series continuity, and everything you remember about how those games played has been resurrected and improved. It is a brilliant iteration of the series’ best qualities--but it innovates as much as it reiterates, balancing new and old with infectious confidence.The majority of your time in DMC5 is spent killing demons. With an array of melee and projectile attacks, you inflict complex combo strings while performing split-second dodges to evade incoming attacks. An in-game ranking system continually judges your style, encouraging you to better your performance. Protagonists Nero, Dante, and newcomer V each offer their own unique playstyles that makes the simple objective of clearing rooms of enemies continually exhilarating. Combat is where the game most expresses itself, showcasing the nuances of its mechanical depth in a variety of creative ways.Nero is where new and old ideas come together. Replacing his lone Devil Bringer from DMC4 are new prosthetic arms called Devil Breakers. With them, you can pull enemies towards you, as well as tap into an assortment of special abilities depending on which Devil Breaker model you have equipped. For example, Overture can deliver a wide shock attack, while Punch Line shoots a rocket-powered fist that continuously damages enemies. Devil Breakers significantly evolve Nero’s playstyle by expanding his attacks, but what’s most curious is how switching between them requires you to discard your current one in order to equip the next down the line. At first, this seems like an arbitrary way to access each arm’s unique abilities--not to mention there’s little done to justify this rule in-game other than asserting that they’re simply "fragile."However, this limitation introduces a thrilling spontaneity to combat that encourages you to be industrious and adaptable. You’re initially compelled to be frugal with Devil Breakers, but as you expand the number you can carry, you start hitting a rhythm expending them with strategic grace, flowing from one stylish combo to the next. But even with the best reflexes, an enemy can shatter a Devil Breaker mid-combo, which forces you to adjust your strategy on the fly. A persistent tension underlies using Nero’s Devil Breakers, melding high-consequence tactics with impulsive creativity. The gratifying free-flowing strategies that Devil Breakers inspire makes it easy to overlook any initial frustrations. They present a brilliant dichotomy that strengthens and amplifies the idiosyncrasies of Nero's more accessible playstyle.Where Nero brings new flair to classic mechanics, V is fresh and unexpected. Unlike his sword-touting brethren, V damages enemies from afar with his two familiars: a shape-shifting panther named Shadow and a demonic bird named Griffon (DMC1 fans should instantly recognize these creatures). The former inflicts melee attacks, while the latter shoots projectiles. Each have their own regenerating health bar and can be taken out of combat temporarily if you're not careful. V also has a third familiar named Nightmare. This giant golem acts as more as a Devil Trigger-like last resort who can inflict ridiculous damage all on his own for a short duration. In addition, it can be commandeered to inflict more direct assaults on enemies. An enemy cannot be killed by a familiar’s attacks alone, though; V himself must inflict the final blow. V requires a patience that goes against your general instinct to be confrontational. As a result, his more deliberate pace can be occasionally irritating, especially when your familiars have trouble focusing on the proper target during a hectic fight. It’s a bit disorienting due to the lack of feedback from hitting enemies with your familiars.Despite this, V’s emphasis on space management and calculated movement is a fantastic change of pace. Cunningly avoiding attacks as you command your familiars to deliver complex juggles is a satisfying thrill. And it's made all the more rewarding by the impact of a final blow alongside V's brief poetic soliloquies. V demands restraint, a quality that defies the offensive strategies of previous characters. His abilities may not seem like much, but he reframes the way DMC is played, demonstrating that there's still room for original and refreshing ideas in combat. V's inventive playstyle is a superb addition that feels right at home alongside Nero and Dante.Old-timer Dante most maintains traditional mechanics, but he’s also where combat is most creative. Like his DMC4 counterpart, he’s able to seamlessly switch between four different fighting styles, each with their own unique maneuvers and setups. This time, though, he can equip up to four weapons and four guns. It’s a joy to perform combos with Dante‘s extensive arsenal; you're capable of rush-stabbing a demon, break-dance-fighting them while they’re down, and then propelling them into the air with a demonic motorcycle chainsaw.While part of the fun is taking in the spectacle of a fight, playing as Dante is really about expressing yourself. There are so many attack combinations available that you can’t help but get sucked into learning the nuances of his every ability to achieve your desired style and flair. DMC historically excels when it’s continually motivating you to not only master its systems, but to execute upon them as elegantly and creatively as possible. Eventually, you get into a kind of flow with Dante, where combat is less about thinking than it is about feeling your way through it. Each character in DMC5 exemplifies this depth and intensity, but it’s with Dante’s open-ended combos where it feels most liberating and rewarding.With an abundance of fighting systems to learn, it helps that you’re gradually weaned into them. The campaign’s pacing is deliberate, starting you with the more accessible Nero, then switching you to strategic spacing of V before opening up combat entirely with Dante. But even as you grow accustomed to how everyone plays, new mechanics are constantly introduced, keeping you thoroughly engaged in the highs of DMC5's stylish combat.There are plenty of foes that test your abilities, too. Bosses in particular offer the most rewarding trials, with different challenges to suit each character's playstyle. For instance, one pushes Dante's ability to maintain quick and effective damage, where another is tailored specifically to V's vulnerability at close-range, forcing you to frequently manage your spacing while keeping your familiars in play. There are a couple bosses tied to relatively anticlimactic set pieces, but these are few and far between. The challenges are kept consistent, supplying riveting duels and new layers of complexity that inspire you to improve. And even with repeated deaths, a lenient continue system keeps the action and drama moving.Speaking of drama, DMC5’s story is an engrossing, albeit predictable, saga with plenty of extravagant action to keep you thoroughly entertained. It has a non-linear structure that has you switching perspectives to get the full picture, which lends variety to the events unfolding before you. Set in the duration of a single day, you're notified of the passing of time at the start of every mission. The narrative benefits from this approach to storytelling, keeping you invested in what each mission has to contribute to your understanding of the timeline.The return to familiar characters is perhaps the story’s most endearing quality. In fact, there are several loving nods to many of the series’ most iconic moments scattered throughout-- a particular instance involving Dante and a hat is a hilarious acknowledgement to the character's history. While some characters, like fan-favorites Trish and Lady, don’t have much to contribute, their presence at least brings a sense of camaraderie. However, a couple of nude scenes involving them come across as tasteless; with so many pleasing callbacks and references, moments like this awkwardly stand out. They feel cheap and unnecessary, hurting Trish and Lady's already minimal characterizations. It stands in stark contrast to the always delightful gunsmith Nico, who's established as headstrong, intelligent, and the reason why Nero is able to make short work of demons in the first place.The story ties a nice bow on the classic continuity’s unanswered questions, allowing for satisfying conclusions for its major protagonists.In spite of its more ambitious scale, DMC5's story leaves room for meaningful character development. It's by no means a nuanced study of its protagonists that digs deep into what makes them tick. But their motivations are always made abundantly clear, making for compelling melodrama whenever they clash against one another. You grow attached to their impassioned, if a bit simplistic, plights--if only to see how they'll overcome the harrowing challenges set before them. Ultimately, the story ties a nice bow on the classic continuity’s unanswered questions, allowing for satisfying conclusions for its major protagonists.There is an effort to pull DMC5's more grandiose moments together on a mechanical level with the Cameo System, which adds a subtle online cooperative element to the formula. Some missions often include the presence of another character exploring a nearby area or even acting alongside you. By default these characters are AI controlled, but through the Cameo System they're controlled either by other players online or their respective ghost data. A cool concept on paper, the feature is largely underutilized with only one particularly exciting instance where you actually get to fight alongside another player. That said, seeing another player from afar does add a novel yet fleeting solidarity to your journey.DMC5 thrives on the stylistic and mechanical prowess of its predecessors. It sticks to tradition above all else, pursuing a few ambitious new ideas along the way, but mostly maintaining the series’ focus on intricate fighting systems and campy bravado. Rarely does the game stumble, consistently leveraging its spectacle and mechanical depth to push aside any small frustrations. All the while, the story exudes a charismatic charm that keeps you constantly intrigued as you’re refining your skills. DMC5 proves the series can still be brilliant and imaginative without compromising its longest-held traditions.Info from Gamespot.com

The idea of playing games through a cloud streaming service is trending upward due to the likes of Sony's PSNow, Google Project Stream's early test run with Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and Nvidia's GeForce Now. And many signs point to cloud-based gaming being the next big shift in the industry with names like Microsoft and Amazon making moves in this space. Right now, French company Blade has a stake in cloud gaming with its Shadow streaming service and Shadow Ghost set-top box (an improved version of the Shadow Box we reviewed last year).Blade has been expanding the reach of its service--it was previously only available in California for US customers, but is now currently available in most states in the US, the UK, Germany, and France. And I spent several hours using Shadow on a MacBook Air and the Shadow Ghost to see if this setup is a viable solution for those looking for a mid/high-end gaming PC.The Shadow Ghost set-top box runs the application and gets you access to your virtual PC.How It WorksAny device that runs Windows 7 / 8.1 / 10, macOS 10.10 or later, Android 7.0 Nougat or later, or iOS 11.0 or later can run the Shadow application and essentially turn into a gaming PC (Ubuntu support is currently in beta). You'll also have to pay $35 USD per month--or $30 per month on a year-long commitment--and use an internet connection that's fast and stable enough. This isn't a Netflix-style service, or a parallel to Xbox Game Pass since you're not subscribing for access to games, you're subscribing to a powerful Windows 10 PC.In a sense, Shadow functions similarly to any other video streaming service since you're simply getting video feed of a PC you're controlling remotely (located at the closest data center to you). As of now, you can set a Shadow stream bit rate to run between 5 Mbps to 70 Mbps which dictates the visual quality of the stream; just be sure you have the proper bandwidth and are aware of any data limitations you may have. Blade recommends having at least a modest 25 Mbps connection and suggests using wired connections for reliability.As for the set-top box, the Shadow Ghost is a slimmed-down version of Blade's previous hardware offering, the Shadow Box. Aside from the redesign that includes significantly condensed dimensions, Ghost has its ports in a more sensible configuration--they're all neatly positioned on one side of the device and offers one HDMI out instead of two DisplayPort outs. Otherwise, the box serves the same purpose and goes for $140 USD (subscription not included).Shadow Ghost--the local hardware that can run the service--has the necessary ports for a fully functional PC. This makes Ghost ideal for living room or home theater setups, and if you're not looking to use another compatible device to control your Shadow PC. Regardless of whether you use the application or the Ghost, Shadow presents you with a home menu to configure settings and access your account. From there, you boot your virtual PC and start getting feed of the Windows 10 desktop.The Shadow app for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android gives you access to your virtual PC remotely.Technical SpecificationsThe Ghost itself features two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, one HDMI out, one 3.5mm audio jack, and an Ethernet port. It's powered by a 5V DC plug and runs completely silent since there are no fans. As far as wireless capabilities, it features dual-band WiFi for up to 400 Mbps and Bluetooth 4.1 support. A keyboard and mouse are required to at least navigate the Ghost's menus and Windows desktop.When it comes to actual hardware that runs the games you're streaming, Shadow packs some fairly beefy specs. Blade says that it'll upgrade Shadow's specs free of charge in the future, so you'll be getting a better PC for the same price down the road. But for now, this is the PC you'll be working with:OS: Windows 10 Home EditionCPU: Intel Xeon E5-2678 v3 @ 2.5GHzGPU: Nvidia Quadro P5000Memory: 12 GBStorage: 256 GB QEMU DriveConnection Speed: 805 Mbps down, 106 Mbps up, 1 ms latencyOne thing jumps out when taking a quick look at the spec sheet; you only get 256 GB of storage space. In the modern era where the latest games can take up well above 50 GB, your Shadow drive will fill up fast. For example, I was only able to have Anthem, Apex Legends, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and Metro Exodus installed at once with very little room left. Unfortunately, Blade currently doesn't offer any subscription options that grant you more storage space.This isn't a Netflix-style service, or a parallel to Xbox Game Pass since you're not subscribing for access to games, you're subscribing to a powerful Windows 10 PC.If it's any consolation, your virtual PC accesses an internet connection that's rated at 805 Mbps down according to Google's own speed test. This makes games incredibly fast to download; Origin and Uplay were all downloading games at around 130 Mbps. In a way, you're getting access to gigabit internet via Shadow. Remember, you're not using your own connection to download games since you're controlling a PC remotely, but keep in mind that you are using your own bandwidth to stream.It may sound odd that Shadow's cloud-based PCs use Nvidia Quadro P5000 workstation video cards as opposed to the more common GeForce gaming lineup--the rough equivalent would be a GTX 1080 in this case. And the same can be said about having an Intel Xeon E5 instead of the popular Intel Core i7 CPUs. Regardless, these specs make for a very capable gaming rig, if you're not expecting to run 4K with high settings in the latest games at 60 FPS.Performance And ExperienceIn terms of performance metrics, I used the Final Fantasy XV benchmark to get a gauge of how the system's Quadro P5000 video card stacks up against more common cards. At 4K using the High settings preset, the FFXV benchmark gave a score of 3132, which roughly translates to an average of 31 FPS. This puts the Quadro P5000 right next to the GTX 1070 Ti and slightly below a GTX 1080, which are both formidable mid/high-end cards. For an idea of how it can handle 1080p using max settings in a graphically demanding game, we turned to the Assassin's Creed Odyssey benchmark, in which it got an average of 49 FPS.One big concern when it comes to cloud-based gaming is latency, but you can largely put that to rest. The moment-to-moment gameplay experience using Shadow Ghost is undoubtedly impressive with little to no perceivable input lag. Games like Anthem, which move fast and pack a ton of action at any given moment, played so well that I soon forgot it was being streamed. This means that other games with forgiving windows for timing and less emphasis on speed, such as Assassin's Creed Odyssey, flow smooth and play nearly indistinguishable from a local PC. The level of performance Shadow delivers considering the asking price is quite impressive, but you probably don't want to rely on it for competitive games that move super-fast and emphasize twitch reactions.I was able to stay competitive throughout my few hours with Apex Legends using Shadow, but hitches in the streaming feed were a lot more noticeable by nature of the game's speed and style. It rarely tripped me up, but having a stutter during an intense high-stakes firefight is less than ideal, which happens more frequently when using a wireless connection. I connected to a a WiFi network that had a 200 Mbps download speed and 5 ms latency reading, but hitches tended to happen at regular intervals and bogged down my experience in Apex Legends. It's readily apparent in audio; if you listen to a steady, sustained sound effect such as a waterfall in Anthem or simply listen to a song, you'll easily pick up on this issue.Assassin's Creed Odyssey played on a MacBook Air through the Shadow application.Another concern that some may have about cloud-based gaming is video compression; the loss of image quality from a streamed feed. You can probably pick up on compression when reading text or looking at smaller, more detailed objects in a game world, even at the highest bit rate of 70 Mbps. But loss in video quality largely goes unnoticed when you're in the heat of the moment or entirely focused on what's happening in the game you're playing.The Ghost itself had a few of its own issues. My Xbox One controller and USB headset would only be recognized when plugged into the two USB 3.0 ports. The 3.5mm audio jack was inconsistent in sending audio and would occasionally deliver no sound. A restart of the Ghost itself would often resolve the problem, but it's certainly frustrating. I also experienced hard crashes on two separate occasions that had the Ghost revert to a command prompt screen that stated "Error: No calibratable device found." It was solved by unplugged the power source before starting it up again, but another inconvenience nonetheless.If anything, Shadow showcases where gaming can go and where gaming hardware could fit into that future and makes that readily available in a competent form.Using Shadow to turn my modest MacBook Air from 2015 into a decent rig by today's standards is more than just a novelty--it's a convenient, adequate way to play games in the presence of any viable internet connection. For the most part, the compact Shadow Ghost box proved to be a practical way to use the service in the absence of a device that can conveniently hook up to TVs and monitors. And regardless of however you use Shadow, you're putting very little stress on your local hardware and consuming relatively less power since, again, you're only streaming.Final ThoughtsBlade further proves that cloud-based gaming is a viable option for the near future with its Shadow service. It's already impressive in many cases, especially when it comes to nearly imperceptible input lag and limited video compression on high-speed internet connections. When it comes to the Shadow Ghost set-top box, it decently fills the void for those who have no other means of running the service via Ethernet or conveniently for bigger screens.It's not without its faults, however. Minor technical hiccups are bound to show up with the Ghost, but the lack of storage space and noticeable hitches in fast-moving games on a wireless connection prevent Shadow from being the best option for PC gaming. Shadow may be the right solution for the right person, though. For those who don't have much interest in playing competitive games dependent on quick reactions and don't concern themselves with pixel-perfect fidelity, it would suffice.The most cost-effective way to get into Shadow is through a year-long subscription of $30 a month ($360 a year) when using a device with the application. Adding the Ghost to that puts it up to $500 for the initial year. You dictate (and own) what you play instead of being limited to what a service would offer, and that means having to buy games yourself. But as these technologies grow in capability and availability, how important it is to maintain an up-to-date PC at home is something you'll have to consider. If anything, Shadow showcases where gaming can go and where gaming hardware could fit into that future and makes that readily available in a competent form.The GoodThe Bad+ Access to mid/high-end specs at a decent price- Severely limited storage space+ Little to no perceivable input lag- Technical issues on the Ghost device to work through+ Shadow is versatile and works on any device that can use the app- Minor, but noticeable hitching, especially on a wireless connection+ Low stress on local hardware- Slight video compression even at the highest bit rate+ Prospect of upgraded hardware in the future Info from Gamespot.com