The highly anticipated and pandemic-delayed Friends reunion will finally air on HBO Max on May 27, according to a release. While many aspects of the special, including its format, are still largely a mystery, it has been revealed it will feature a wide variety of guest stars.As written, the release indicates additional special guests may still be announced, but in addition to the original Friends cast, the reunion will also feature David Beckham, Justin Bieber, BTS, James Corden, Cindy Crawford, Cara Delevingne, Lady Gaga, Elliott Gould, Kit Harington, Larry Hankin, Mindy Kaling, Thomas Lennon, Christina Pickles, Tom Selleck, James Michael Tyler, Maggie Wheeler, Reese Witherspoon, and Malala Yousafzai. Check out the recently released official trailer for the special below.Cast member Lisa Kudrow said back in January that despite delays related to COVID-19, by then portions of the special had already been filmed: "There's different facets to it, and we already shot packages of things. I pre-shot something for it already so we're definitely doing it because I already shot a little something."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands' standout feature, the rogue-like inspired tower of Torghast, could become a way to level new characters in the future, according to a recent interview with WoW lead game designer Morgan Day.In an interview with Twitch streamer Sloot (via Wowhead), when asked if players would ever be able to level their "alts" (or additional characters aside from a player's main) in Torghast, Day said he "loved the idea.""I don't think it's something we will do for 9.1, but it feels like a great addition for one of the .5 updates," Day said.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The HTC Vive Pro 2 was announced earlier this week, but if you're already sold on what sounds like a significant upgrade to the already fantastic VR headset you can save some money on a preorder throughout the month of May. HTC is offering $50 off a Vive Pro 2 preorder if you sign up for its newsletter, while also throwing in a two-month subscription to Viveport Infinity for good measure. This offer is only valid until May 31, so you'll have to act fast. HTC Vive Pro 2 $749 (was $799) The HTC Vive Pro 2 is an all-encompassing upgrade to the company's flagship VR headset. The resolution on both eyes has been increased to 2448 × 2448, for a total 5K resolution across both. That will make details even sharper in all titles, which is important given how close the screen is to your eyes. Additionally, the headset will now feature an adjustable interpupillary distance mechanism, which will let you fine-tune the seperation between your pupils for the most comfortable fit. See at Vive The Vive Pro 2 comes with the same ergonomic design as the previous headset, with significant padding all around that will help you play for hours without strain. The adjustable fit allows for glasses, too, so you don't have to worry about getting prescription lens replacements as well. Of course, the headset also includes integrated headphones, which is always a nice touch. The Vive Pro 2 will be compatible with previous SteamVR tracking stations if you already have them, otherwise you will need to invest in those and Vive controllers for the full experience.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Pokemon Sword and Shield have received a new update. This patch brings the Switch games up to version 1.3.2, but it's fairly minor as far as updates go, primarily resolving a handful of bugs and other issues.According to the patch notes on Nintendo's support website, the new patch fixes an issue that caused some Pokemon icons to display incorrectly during online and local battles. Beyond that, the update also resolves a handful of unspecified issues "to improve gameplay experience." You can read the full patch notes below.While Pokemon Sword and Shield seldom receive patches, developer Game Freak still regularly holds in-game events in the titles. Most recently, the games hosted a "Meowth Festival" earlier this month that made all three regional variants of Meowth (as well as Gigantamax Meowth) more common in Max Raid Battles.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Despite the closure of Stadia Games & Entertainment, Google's internal development studio, the streaming service Google Stadia is "alive and well," developer marketing lead Nate Ahearn said.Ahearn told GamesIndustry.biz that Stadia is doing just fine in the face of all the turbulence. In fact, Ahearn called attention to recent game launches on the Stadia platform as evidence of its health."We're well on our way to over 100 new games launching on Stadia in 2021, and we're continuing to make Stadia a great place to play games on devices you already own," Ahearn said. "I'd tell any non-believers to take notice of how we're continuing to put our words into action, as we grow the Stadia Makers program and partner with AAA studios like Capcom, EA, Square Enix, Ubisoft, and others."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The cast for Knives Out 2 continues to grow, as Deadline reports today that WandaVision star Kathryn Hahn has joined movie. Her casting follows the news that Dave Bautista, Janelle Monae, and Edward Norton had signed on for the sequel, which also brings back Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc.There is no word yet on the plot for the sequel, but it will follow Blanc coming back to solve another mystery. This time, the story may take place overseas, as production will take place in Greece, beginning this summer.As for Hahn, she's been acting for decades and recently found a new level of success thanks to her role on WandaVision as Agatha. She'll be seen next in the Apple TV show The Shrink Next Door alongside Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Developer Housemarque said it's "actively trying" to address the complaints about Returnal's inability to save mid-game, Axios Gaming reports.Business developer and marketing director Mikael Havari told Axios Gaming that the team is investigating what options there are to implement a save system in Returnal's rogue-like design."It's something that we're actively, very actively trying to get out as soon as we can," Havari said.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Gears 5's Operation 7 arrives on May 18, and when it does it will bring two new characters, new maps, a slew of balance changes, and forced cross-play across console and PC.In a post outlining the changes coming in Operation 7, The Coalition writes that 40% of players disable the cross-play matchmaking option, which is "significantly impacting the matchmaking times for our players on both PC and console." It's for that reason The Coalition is disabling the ability to opt-out of cross-play, stating that new features included in Operation 7, such as the inclusion of new field-of-view options across all platforms, make the two versions of the game almost identical to one another. Gears 5 already supports keyboard-and-mouse for console, and the higher framerates and reduced input lag allowed for by the Xbox Series X|S make The Coalition confident in the decision to force the game's two communities together.Leading the charge in terms of new content is the addition of two new characters fans of the series are likely familiar with: Ukkon and Hana Cole. Ukkon is the big-bad Locust scientist from Gears Tactics that players spend much of that game looking to eliminate, while Hana Cole is a gifted scientist and daughter of longtime Gears of War character Augustus "Cole Train" Cole. Hana made her debut in Gears 5's Hivebuster DLC, where she played a critical role in developing the hivebusting technology employed by Scorpio Squad.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Among the numerous projects that Xbox Game Studios has in the works right now is a new IP that has yet to be announced. Xbox's Ben Decker told GamesRadar (via VGC) that this new game will "blow your mind" when it's announced.He didn't share or tease anything further about the game, so we can only guess and speculate as to what it might be. One possibility is that it's the new IP from Hitman developer IO Interactive which is said to be an Xbox-exclusive dragon fantasy game.Another possibility is that it's the rumored new IP in the works at Gears studio The Coalition. Microsoft operates 23 studios across Xbox and Bethesda, so it's possible the new IP that Decker is talking about is from a different studio.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

One of the most exciting and innovative elements of the PlayStation 5 is the DualSense controller, which has haptic feedback that allows for all manner of possibilities. Following the announcement of two new PS5 DualSense controller colors, Sony has now announced how the DualSense controller will be used to provide unique experiences in a number of upcoming games, including Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Subnautica: Below Zero, GhostWire: Tokyo, Life is Strange: True Colors, and Scarlet Nexus.Beginning with Rift Apart, picking up bolts after you defeat an enemy will trigger a "tiny impulse" that you'll feel in your hands, accentuated by a "subtle controller sound," Sony said in a blog post. The game also provides a unique feel in the controller depending on what weapon you're using. Additionally, striking different surfaces will yield unique haptic feedback with the controller.In Subnautica: Below Zero (which releases May 14), the controller aims to help you feel more "connected" to the in-game tools. "You'll feel like you're actually turning on the Flashlight's switch, or feel the coil of the cable in your PrawnSuit as it launches from your Grappling Arm. The drilling sensation as you drill for resources with your Drill Arm also adds to the immersion," the developer said in the PlayStation Blog post.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The Disney+ streaming service closed its second fiscal quarter of 2021--which ended on April 3 for Disney--with 103.6 million subscribers. This number is up from 33.5 million in March 2020, according to a recent release from Disney.These numbers also include Disney+ Hotstar subscription numbers, which launched in India on April 3, 2020 and in Indonesia on September 5, 2020. Comparatively, Netflix recently hit 208 million, Amazon Prime has 200 million, HBO Max has 44 million, and Peacock has 42 million. While 103.6 million may seem like great growth for Disney+, it's lower than what analysts predicted, which was 110 million subscribers.Disney+ original series WandaVisionThe Disney-owned Hulu grew 33% between March 2020 and 2021. Hulu now sits at 37.8 million subscribers for the streaming service. The Hulu + Live TV dropped from 4 million (as of January 2) to 3.8 million, a decline that comes after the service raised its prices back in November.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The general rule of horror franchises is that, as the series continues, the plots get simpler and more repetitive, until the inevitable reboot which resets everything. Not so with the Saw series. What started in 2004 as a clever, gripping, but relatively modest thriller has, over the course of eight films, become a preposterously complicated narrative, with flashbacks, parallel subplots, recurring characters, twists, turns, and head-spinning callbacks. Spiral: From the Book of Saw is the ninth movie in the series, and it hits theaters this week. But it's been four years since the last movie, 2017's Jigsaw, which itself was preceded by a seven year gap since Saw 3D. So fans could be forgiven for not really remembering what the hell has happened so far.The only true way to make sense of what's going on is to sit through all of the previous movies--and handily, the first seven can be found on HBO Max, while Jigsaw is currently streaming on Peacock. But for those that don't have time, here's a recap of the essential elements of the story so far.The main problem of attempting to chronicle the plot of the entire series is that so much happens out of sequence. Every movie contains flashbacks to scenes at different points in the timeline, with a variety of important events occurring before the first movie. So let's go from the very start.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

During the Disney second quarter 2021 financial results call, Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced that Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and the upcoming action-comedy Free Guy starring Ryan Reynolds will have a 45-day exclusive theatrical window.Much like Warner Bros. deal with Cineworld, these two high-profile movies under the Walt Disney Company umbrella will be exclusive to theaters for 45 days, but it is unclear where the films will head after that. Traditionally, theatrical releases had a 90-day exclusive window, something many movie studios have moved away from during the pandemic.These films could jump right to streaming services with Shang-Chi landing on Disney+--possibly under Premier Access--and Free Guy on Hulu. Or both films could land on a transactional video on demand (TVOD) service like Google Play, Vudu, or more. As of this writing, the post-theatrical release plan is unknown.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Mass Effect: Legendary Edition brings the iconic sci-fi RPG series back for modern consoles. The trilogy set includes all three games, almost all of the DLC, visual enhancements and some new balance and quality-of-life changes. The collection releases tomorrow, May 14, and reviews have started to come in just ahead of launch.Given the sheer size of the games and a short review window, though, many of the impressions so far (including our own) are reviews-in-progress, saving a finalized review for after critics get a chance to complete more of the content. We'll update this roundup as more reviews are finalized."[The] first game, in its original form, has definitely aged a lot more than its successors--for the past few years, I've begun advising newcomers to just start with Mass Effect 2, knowing the first game doesn't set the best example by modern-day standards," Jordan Ramée wrote in GameSpot's Mass Effect: Legendary Edition review-in-progress. "The Legendary Edition goes a long way in addressing those concerns. It doesn't overhaul everything, but the remastered Mass Effect 1 is a more enjoyable experience than playing the original game today, and makes for a far more palatable entry point to the series."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Publisher 505 Games has announced that a sequel to Ghostrunner is in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. The upcoming title does not have a release window yet, but 505 confirmed that One More Level, the studio behind the original game, is developing Ghostrunner 2.In a press release, 505 announced it is doubling its investment for the sequel and contributing an "initial budget" of €5 million (about $6 million USD) for its development. "Ghostrunner is a brand with great potential, capable of contributing for a long time to the 505 Games product portfolio," the publisher said."We are particularly excited about the future release of Ghostrunner 2. Together with One More Level, we have created a thrilling and engaging video game," Raffaele Galante, co-CEO of 505's parent company, Digital Bros., said in the press release.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com