Amazon's Lord of the Rings TV series has lost a cast member, who has departed the project after Amazon reportedly decided to go a different direction with his character.Tom Budge announced on Instagram that he has left Amazon's series over the creative changes. "After recently seeing the first episodes shot over the last year Amazon has decided to go in another direction with the character I was portraying," Budge said.He included a video of the Johnny Cash song "Ring of Fire" in his post, which will surely prompt speculation regarding his intentions of using that song.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The latest update for Assassin's Creed Valhalla arrives on March 16, and much like previous patches, it's going to be a big download. In a new Ubisoft blog post, the company provided the following size estimations for Title Update 1.2.0:Xbox Series X|S: 17.97 GBXbox One: 12.81 GBPlayStation 5: 12.28 GBPlayStation 4: 12.6 GBPC: 15.85 GBOnce installed, Assassin's Creed Valhalla will be ready for the Ostara Festival event, Transmog options will be added, and most importantly, there'll be an increase in cats roaming the lands of England. Transmog has been a major fan-requested feature for the game ever since it arrived, and with the new patch players will be able to visit Gunnar's blacksmith in Ravensthorpe where they can change their appearance for the price of 50 Silver.New skills are also being added, such as Fearless Leaper (leap attack damage has a larger area of effect and can be done at any height), Raven's Loot (your raven gathers loot from targets killed with ranged attacks), and Loot Food (Eivor now has a higher chance of looting food from dead bodies). As for the actual gameplay, numerous other balancing fixes will be applied.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Just a few weeks after its launch, Nvidia's RTX 3060 has had its Ethereum blocking measures circumvented by a beta driver the company issued itself to users.The latest 470.05 driver for Nvidia GPUs has lifted the restriction on Ethereum mining on the company's latest card, which was marketed as the first in the RTX line to feature silicon-level restrictions for mining. Various outlets have now confirmed that the driver overcomes this without any additional tweaks, with ComputerBase, HardwareLuxx, and PC Watch all confirming hash rates well over double previous rates before the driver update.This is bad news if you were planning to secure the already scarce card, and it drastically reduces the value proposition of Nvidia's planned mining-focused CMP GPU range. Gaming GPUs are more valuable on the secondhand market given their ability to output video and still play games without issues even after extended mining periods, giving miners options to recoup costs if profitability dives over the next few months.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Red Candle Games has launched an online store where you can purchase its two horror games, Detention and Devotion. As many horror fans know, Devotion was removed from Steam due to a controversial art asset that seemingly compared Chinese president Xi Jingping to popular children book's character Winnie the Pooh. In particular, Devotion is considered one of the best horror games of recent years.This Winnie the Pooh comparison is considered controversial because memes comparing the Chinese president to the character have become a popular way to criticize his policies. At the time, the Taiwan-based Red Candle Games released a statement stating that the art asset was a mistake. Nevertheless, Devotion was removed from Steam shortly afterward.Late last year, Red Candle Games announced that Devotion would be available on CD Projekt Red's storefront GOG, but GOG reversed that decision within hours. A physical release of the game was published last June, but it wasn't available to customers in the West. In our Devotion review, critic Richard Wakeling scored the game 9/10 stated that the game "evokes P.T.'s terrifying spirit to paint an inventive, thought-provoking, and insidious portrait of family life within the claustrophobic confines of a small Taiwanese apartment."Info from Gamespot.com

Game developer Toby Fox's Undertale is an excellent game, and Xbox users can finally play it this week. Microsoft has announced that not only is Undertale coming to Xbox platforms on March 16, but it will release on launch day into Game Pass.In a blog post, publisher 8-4 said the Xbox edition is "largely similar" to the PC version, but there are some enhancements on Xbox to "make for a more comfortable" experience. Due to this, there is no cross-progression between Xbox and PC, the publisher said.While that's a bummer, 8-4 teased that the Xbox version "features its own little…shrine, one might say…of exclusive content to look out for."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The recently announced The Wonder Years reboot on ABC has finally cast its Kevin Arnold, according to Deadline. As has been previously reported, the classic American TV show will still be taking place in the '60s, but instead focus on a Black family--and Elisha "EJ" Williams will star as Dean, the counterpart to Fred Savage's Kevin Arnold. Check out a clip of Savage passing the torch in a video released by ABC below."I've been connected to this show for, like, 30 years," Arnold tells Williams. "When I was your age, I played--it was Kevin then… all of us are so invested, and it means so much to us."At about the 43-second mark, Arnold breaks the news to Williams that he's been cast, and it's his turn to carry the torch. Because no one is exempt from the standard Zoom issues and hiccups we've been experiencing in quarantine, Williams smiles and admits: "I would be enjoying this a whole lot more if you did not just lag."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Professional basketball superstar Kevin Durant has announced an investor partnership with Andbox, the esports organization that owns and operates the Call of Duty League's New York Subliners, the Overwatch League's NYXL, and the Andbox Valorant team.The size of Durant's investment, which includes his business partner Rich Kleiman and their firm Thirty Five Ventures also signing on, was not disclosed. However, according to Andbox co-founder and president Farzam Kamel, Durant has "material skin in the game."Durant will help Andbox increase brand awareness, collaborate on online tournaments and live events with gamers, and create custom merchandise. Fans will also start to see Durant clad in Andbox gear that will be distributed by both the esports organization and Thirty Five Ventures. The two plan to start hosting regular meetings on marketing, community, and apparel, as well as lining up collaborations with top gamers. There's no word on who that might be just yet.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

PlayStations Communities on PS4 will soon be removed, Sony has announced. The console manufacturer announced that the social feature will no longer be available in April. PlayStation Communities allowed like-minded players to form parties, send each other messages, compare screenshots, among other activities.According to TechRadar, Sony removed the PlayStation Communities app in March of last year, as well as removing the ability to create private parties on PS4. However, it seems players can still make parties by sorting their friends into groups. Additionally, the PS5 does not support the PlayStation Communities feature, and Sony hasn't announced any plans to bring it to the current-gen console.Sony hasn't been shy about removing features from older consoles. Late last year, the company removed the ability to buy PS3, PSP, and PS Vita content via a computer or phone, as well as discontinuing the wishlist functionality. Sony recently confirmed that the PS5 is being sold at a loss, which is common for game consoles. If you're one of the many people who are still trying to get a PS5, check out our restock guide.Info from Gamespot.com

A big part of the Valheim survival experience is constructing a robust base where you're protected while sleeping and crafting all your various gear. Constructing your buildings out of stone makes them much stronger than the Wood structures you can start with, but you'll have to do some work to unlock the ability to work stone. Here's everything you need to know to make a Stonecutter and start building stone structures.Advance Through The Bronze AgeTo access stoneworking, you need metal tools, and getting metal is a long, involved process. Your ultimate goal is to build a Stonecutter, which is the crafting station that makes building stone structures possible. Getting it requires you to have access to Iron, though, which means you'll need to explore the Swamp biome and defeat the first two bosses in Valheim.To get Iron, you'll first need to unlock the ability to forge Bronze and make Bronze tools and gear. Check out our Bronze guide for information on how to do that. The gist is that, before you can start making seriously cool things out of stone, you'll have to earn all the upgrades you can get from the Meadows and Black Forest biomes and defeat their bosses. You'll also need a Bronze Pickaxe (made from 10 Bronze and 3 Core Wood).Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Epic and Nintendo are releasing another piece of special-edition Fortnite hardware, a pair of themed Switch Joy-Con controllers. The controllers come with a Fortnite-themed paintjob, and just for good measure, they include some cosmetic DLC as well. The Joy-Con two-pack is coming on June 4.The package includes a blue left Joy-Con and a yellow right Joy-Con, and the yellow one has an extra design element to look like Peely the banana. The set also includes the Fleet Force bundle, which grants you back bling, glowing weapons, and 500 V-Bucks. The announcement didn't give a price for the set, but Joy-Con bundles typically cost $80.Nintendo has offered special hardware based on the popular battle royale game before, having made the system itself sport a Fortnite makeover. The Wildcat bundle also included a yellow-and-blue color scheme, but reversed and with other Fortnite design elements on the Switch itself and the dock.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The Outer Worlds has been patched to include next-gen enhancements for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. People on social media are reporting that The Outer Worlds received an update today, March 15, that boosts the game's frame rate up to 60fps.A video posted on Twitter shows that the 1.0.7 update makes The Outer Worlds look a lot smoother on PS5 with the higher frame rate. An Xbox user reported that the update is about 26 GB big.The 1.0.7 update for The Outer Worlds on PS5 added 60fps to the game. :O #PS5Share #TheOuterWorlds pic.twitter.com/RRxB5eh7Jt — ArmoredFrog 🛡️🐸 (@nsarmoredfrog) March 15, 2021Developer Obsidian has not released any official patch notes for a new update to The Outer Worlds, but we'll report back with all the key details when they are released.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Shadow Complex Remastered is now playable via backward compatibility on PS5, developer ChAIR Games has announced. According to the tweet, both the PS4 digital versions and the Limited Run Games-published physical edition of the game will now work on PS5.Shadow Complex Remastered is a highly-regarded Metroidvania that was originally released for the Xbox 360 in 2009, breaking several sales records at the time. The game was remastered and published by co-developer Epic Games and released on every major platform in 2015 and 2016.The Limited Run Games physical edition of Shadow Complex Remastered is now playable via backwards compatibility for Playstation 5! The PS4 digital version is also backwards compatible. pic.twitter.com/4XlkUxAKzJ — Shadow Complex (@shadowcomplex) March 15, 2021Fans have lobbied for a sequel to Shadow Complex for years at this point, but so far their pleas have gone unheeded. In a 2016 interview with GameSpot, ChAIR Games creative director Donald Mustard stated that Shadow Complex 2 already exists in a rough form, but will require at least "a year to a year and a half" of work to complete. Currently, ChAIR Games is working on Spyjinx, an espionage-themed strategy game for mobile devices. Since ChAIR is owned by Epic Games, the beta version of Spyjinx was taken off of the iOS App Store due to the ongoing legal battle between Epic and Apple over Fortnite revenue share.Info from Gamespot.com

Director and actor Taika Waititi won a Grammy for Jojo Rabbit, and he had a delightful and on-brand response to taking home the honor. Posting on social media, he said, "Lol wtfffff" in response to the win. During his acceptance speech, Waititi said, "Well, thank you very much for this honor. I guess they're just giving Grammys to anyone now. I'll take it. Thank you." The director went on to say he can "barely remember anything" from Jojo Rabbit because he made it so long ago. "It seems like it's never gonna go away," he said of the Oscar-winning film. He gave his speech from his trailer in Australia where he's currently filming Thor: Love & Thunder.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The items in an upcoming Call of Duty store refresh for Black Ops Cold War and Warzone have seemingly leaked ahead of time, and one weapon in particular is one of the game's most unique to date.Coming to the in-game store on March 21 will be the NecroKing Mastercraft bundle, which includes the "Ice Drake" AR, according to the leak. As you can see in the image below, this gun is meant to look like a dragon, with the rounds emitting from the dragon's mouth. It looks like something out of Game of Thrones. A Dragon Claw charm is also reportedly included with this bundle.New Store Bundles for Black Ops Cold War & Warzone: -- March 18: “Super Charged” Reactive Bundle-- March 21: “NecroKing Mastercraft” Bundle, featuring this Ultra “Ice Drake” Mastercraft AR: pic.twitter.com/IMTpbxHDcJ — Call of Duty News (@charlieINTEL) March 15, 2021The images come from COD Tracker and CharlieIntel. Also coming to the in-game store is the Super Charged Reactive bundle, according to the leak; it supposedly launches on March 18.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Telsa Inc.'s chief executive officer has a new title, as Elon Musk becomes the company's "Technoking," according to a filing submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission.Alongside Musk's change in title, the company's chief financial officer Zach Kirkhorn is now the "Master of Coin" over at Tesla. There's no explanation for why both Tesla execs have new job titles at the company. However, Musk and Kirkhorn will retain their current positions as chief executive officer and chief financial officer, respectively, according to the filing.The Wall Street Journal reports that both men's title changes are a response of sorts to "signs of a bumpier road ahead" in the coming years. Rivaling companies like Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio are starting to cut into the company's "market-share lead in electric-vehicle sales."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com