Over the next week, we will be posting features for what we've nominated to be the best games of 2020. Then, on December 17, we will crown one of the nominees as GameSpot's Best Game of 2020, so join us as we celebrate these 10 games on the road to the big announcement. Be sure to check out our other end-of-the-year coverage collected in our Best Games of 2020 hub.It's become cliche at this point to remark on Animal Crossing: New Horizons' fortuitous timing, how it arrived at exactly the right moment to ease us through the first few, uncertain months of a world-changing pandemic. And yet, it's impossible to view the game without also looking at the circumstances surrounding its release. More than any other title that launched this year, Animal Crossing felt like a panacea to 2020. Just as the COVID-19 virus began surging uncontrollably and forced many parts of the world into lockdown, suddenly shattering daily norms and routines that we had all taken for granted, here came this wholesome, candy-colored bit of escapism--this digital playpen where your next-door neighbor is a fitness-minded penguin and your biggest concern is whether the sofa you just purchased matches the rest of the decor in your living room.Given these circumstances, it's easy to see why Animal Crossing became such an immediate, inescapable hit, particularly during the first half of the year. As an unprecedented pandemic upended our collective sense of normalcy, the game offered a welcome bit of respite, a chance to socialize with friends virtually and revel in the mundanity of daily life that was now being denied to us. Of course, this in itself is hardly novel; many other games also serve as a virtual social space where you can hang out and pass time with friends. But what made Animal Crossing hit differently is its emphasis on the smaller, unceremonious aspects of daily activities: the joy of checking out what new items are in stock at the store; the small thrill of seeing town hall swap out its fall decorations for Christmas lights; the satisfaction of reeling in a new type of fish not yet on display in the museum.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Fans waited for Cyberpunk 2077 for almost a decade, and that sort of time breeds expectations. Now that the game has been out in some form or another for a few days, fans have had a chance to get to know Night City on their own terms, and their overall opinions run the gamut from ecstatic bliss to total disappointment. This fractious discourse has taken over fan communities like the game's subreddit, and the debate continues unabated.Many fans have pointed to Cyberpunk's dismal performance on the PS4 and Xbox One as a particular sore spot. Some have even gone so far as to accuse CD Projekt Red of misleading advertising, or other unscrupulous behavior. In a highly-upvoted thread, Reddit user "ldillon7777" posted a PS4 trailer for the game that was released back in November, pointing out that the "gameplay trailer" presents a vision of the game with a stable framerate and impressive visual effects, both of which are not representative of the last-gen versions of the game."Anyone that has played the PS4 version can clearly see that this trailer is not recorded on the PS4 or on any last-gen console," the user wrote. "This marketing makes the PS4 version look as good as the PC version. This is completely misleading and not representative of the PS4 version being advertised."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Super Mario-kun by Yukio Sawada is a long-running manga series which began in Japan in 1991. Running for over 50 volumes, with the latest hitting shelves back in October, the zany series has taken the plumber and his pals on a crazy journey throughout the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond. However, getting your hands on localized versions of those stories was near impossible, until now.Viz Media released Super Mario Mania on December 8, which is a collection of hand-picked stories by Sawada from the Super Mario-kun manga. Take a look below at some of the interior pages for the book.Gallery Obviously, the manga leans heavily into comedy, absurdism, and zany antics. But what else would you expect? It's a story about a plumber and his brother in a magical kingdom where turtle-people are trying to kidnap royalty. The last time someone tried to go the serious route with that, we had the Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo Mario Bros. movie.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Another Galarian Pokemon is making its debut in Pokemon Go very soon. Galarian Mr. Mime and its evolution, Mr. Rime, will arrive in the mobile game next weekend as part of a Special Research story event--but you'll need to have a ticket to participate in it.The event kicks off on December 19 at 10 AM local time and runs until 8 PM local time the following day, while tickets run for $8 USD. Those who do purchase a ticket will get access to an exclusive Special Research questline that will lead to encounters with a handful of Ice and sound-based Pokemon including Alolan Vulpix, Jigglypuff, Jynx, Snorunt, and the aforementioned Galarian Mr. Mime. Niantic also says you'll be able to earn enough Mr. Mime Candy through the questline to evolve it into Mr. Rime.Get ready to tap your fingers and feet—Galarian Mr. Mime is making its first appearance in Pokémon GO! 🕺The Dancing Pokémon and its Evolution, Mr. Rime will soon be coming to the world of Pokémon GO in a ticketed Special Research story event. https://t.co/oVWUJ5xL7U pic.twitter.com/uXjtGdZoZm — Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) December 11, 2020 Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Over the next week, we will be posting features for what we've nominated to be the best games of 2020. Then, on December 17, we will crown one of the nominees as GameSpot's Best Game of 2020, so join us as we celebrate these 10 games on the road to the big announcement. Be sure to check out our other end-of-the-year coverage collected in our Best Games of 2020 hub.I know what you're probably thinking: "Wait, Persona 5 came out in 2017, and you even named it the second best game of the year when you used to rank games!" That's true. This nomination, however, speaks to the fact that Persona 5 Royal expertly builds on what was already a tremendous RPG and delivers all-new story chapters that are genuinely unexpected yet perfect thematic fits. It's a definitive version, yes. But to simply call it a re-release is to sell short the extra 15 to 20 hours of essential content, the clever ways a new narrative is woven into the base game, and the emotional conclusions that follow. When we thought that Persona 5 couldn't be anymore invigorating or inspiring, Royal proved us wrong.Persona's bread and butter is its marriage of social simulation where you live the life of a Japanese high school student, and dynamic turn-based RPG combat as you explore surreal dungeons. Both aspects feed into one another to create a cohesive whole and instill a sense of purpose in the things you do. You grow to care about the world you're striving to change and grow attached to the friends you make and fight alongside, all of whom empower each other with conviction and strength to right the wrongs of a society corrupted by abuse and exploitation. The Phantom Thieves--the main cast of characters who drive the story--take matters into their own hands with such lavish gusto that you can't help but fall in love with the ways in which their style meets substance.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Developer CD Projekt Red has dropped a new update for Cyberpunk 2077 on PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 that addresses its copious bugs and issues. Update 1.04, which hits Xbox consoles "as soon as possible," also fixes the quest system. The full patch notes are outlined below.It's no secret that Cyberpunk 2077 has been plagued by issues since its December 10 launch, with some players even seeing their main character's genitals through clothing, among other complaints. While this particular issue isn't called out in the patch notes, Update 1.04 does address various problems with Cyberpunk 2077. This includes stabilizing the game and ironing out the myriad crashes.Other fixes for Cyberpunk 2077 include reducing vehicle appearance pop-in, addressing issues with missing NPC animations during cinematics, fixing the weapon preview while crafting, and removing copyrighted music through the "Disable Copyrighted Music" toggle. The latter feature was not working as intended after launch, prompting CD Projekt Red to recommend that streamers disable Cyberpunk 2077's music entirely to avoid risking DMCA strikes. Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Cyberpunk 2077 gives you a lot of options in terms of how you can approach its world through gameplay. While you'll have to make your way through plenty of hostile territories throughout the course of the game, there are many choices for how you do so, whether you're fighting enemies, hacking their systems, or sneaking by. Those options are determined by the stats you assign to V, your protagonist, and these decisions will shape your path through Night City.Especially if you're new to the game, you might be at a loss as to where to spend your points and which perks you want to snag. Cyberpunk 2077 has no traditional RPG "classes," or character archetypes--you're able to freely mix and match abilities based on how you play and what you want to do. But if that gives you a bit of choice paralysis, we've broken down the character-building process to show you how it all works and help guide your decisions so you can get the most out of trying to build yourself into a living legend.Check out the rest of our Cyberpunk 2077 coverage while you're at it. You'll want to read our full Cyberpunk review and some essential tips you'll need to know. You might also want a rundown on how romances work, how best to make money in Night City, and where to find Iconic weapons.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon is picking up speed as it adds new cast members and bit of plot detail. This week, the upcoming show adds three new cast members with character outlines coming straight from HBO itself.Joining the growing cast alongside the previously announced Paddy Considine are Olivia Cooke (Ready Player One), Emma D'Arcy (Truth Seekers), and Matt Smith (Doctor Who).Cooke will play the part of Alicent Hightower. She's the daughter of Hand of the King Otto Hightower. Alicent was raised in the Red Keep and has developed a keen political acumen, as well as being "the most comely woman in the Seven Kingdoms" according to HBO's character profile.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

This week on Wrestle Buddies, GameSpot's professional wrestling podcast, Chris E. Hayner and Mat Elfring are discussing the AEW/Impact crossover from the past week. Additionally, they're looking at the BTE Championship and answering your questions.First up, with Kenny Omega's recent AEW Championship win, he made the announcement he would be on Impact wrestling. Chris and Mat discuss Omega's appearance on Impact wrestling and what that means for both promotions. Does this help AEW at all? Where will this relationship go in the future? We may not have all the answers, but we certainly do have opinions.Later, the guys go back to one of their favorite YouTube shows, Being The Elite, to talk about the BTE Championship, a wrestling title which involves no wrestling at all. In order to win the title--whose current champion is Dark Order member John Silver--you need to compete in games like "flipping a bottle" or "eating a really spicy chip."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Fans of competitive, block-dropping puzzle games had it pretty rough for most of the last decade. Creativity in the Tetris space was being stifled by a strict set of game-rules guidelines imposed by The Tetris Company, while Puyo Puyo was mostly trapped in Japan, playable only by those international fans fervent enough to tread import waters. Thankfully, things have changed somewhat on both fronts, bringing us the unusual mashup title Puyo Puyo Tetris in 2017 to critical and fan success. Three years later, we now have a follow-up in the form of Puyo Puyo Tetris 2. While it keeps much of what made the original game a success, it offers a few new game modes and online enhancements--but as a sequel, it lacks the same punch as the original.Like in the original game, Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 is built around an engine combining these two competitive puzzle titans into a singular game entity. Players pick either Puyo Puyo or Tetris gameplay and go up against an opponent, with rules adjusted according to which style they're using--or they can play a mode that switches between Puyo Puyo and Tetris gameplay at set intervals. If you're feeling especially brave, you can attempt Fusion mode, which puts Puyo blobs and Tetromino blocks on the same board in a complex rules mashup that will put your puzzling skills to the true test.But that's just the beginning. There's a lot on offer in Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 for both solo and multiplayer play. The Adventure mode offers an all-new story, complete with a pleasant new overworld interface and featuring a cast of colorful weirdos--mostly from the expanded Puyo Puyo universe--who solve all of their problems and disagreements by tossing colored blobs and blocks at each other. The game modes change in every chapter, so Adventure Mode serves as a way to practice and learn the various styles of gameplay available while also unlocking characters, in-game shop credits, and various embellishments for your profile. While the rainbow-colored characters and their jokey personalities are certainly cute, the nonsensical nature of the narrative will either charm you to bits or leave you mashing the skip button to get to the dropping faster. This mode takes a few hours to finish, and future DLC expansions have been teased.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

In addition to announcing Ark 2 with Vin Diesel, developer Studio Wildcard revealed a new Ark animated TV show during The Game Awards.The TV show has a huge cast of big names that includes Gerard Butler, Elliot Page, David Tennant, Jeffrey Wright, Karl Urban, Malcolm McDowell, Alan Tudyk, Russell Crowe, and Vin Diesel, among others. You can check out the key art for the show below.There is no word yet on where or when the Ark: The Animated Series will premiere, but keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest. Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Before Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot hit the big screen once again with the next Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, fans will watch their favorite a-holes engage in likely merry misadventures in an all-new original special, out late 2022. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. James Gunn is back to write and direct.The Original Special is coming to #DisneyPlus in 2022. 🎁 🎧 pic.twitter.com/ZjtiSrtASj — Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) December 11, 2020Announced by Kevin Feige during the Walt Disney Company’s Investor Day presentation, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn is returning to the MC to write and direct The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special for Disney+. This came amidst more huge reveals concerning the Marvel Universe. "One of the best things about expanding the MCU to Disney+ is that our team of Marvel Studios is finally able to do some of the things we've always wanted to do, but didn't quite have the right outlet for, like produce our first-ever live-action holiday special," Feige said.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Among the many new game announcements during The Game Awards 2020, one from The Darwin Project developers Scavengers Studio was revealed. It's called Season, and appears to be a relaxing adventure game about exploring and investigating disappearing cultures in a world where ancestors lived for centuries, but those living in the present "have one season."It has a stunning art style and expressive character designs with the proper music to accompany it. You appear to bike and trek across vast but scarcely populated environments. The main character has a camera and journal in tow for her journey. You can see the game in action in the gameplay reveal below.World Premiere of Season coming to @PlayStation 5!! #TheGameAwards pic.twitter.com/UENfjNxLRC — The Game Awards (@thegameawards) December 11, 2020Season is a PlayStation 5 console-exclusive and will also launch on PC. An official website for Season is now live as well where you can get more information and a closer look at the game.Info from Gamespot.com

Black Panther 2 is going to be a very different movie than initially planned after the tragic passing of star Chadwick Boseman. During the Disney Investors Day live stream, Marvel Studios Boss Kevin Feige confirmed that they will not be recasting the role.Reflecting on Boseman's work, Feige explained: "His portrayal of T'Challa, the Black Panther, is iconic and transcends any iteration of the character in any other medium. And it's for that reason that we will not recast the character. However, to honor the legacy that Chad helped us build through his portrayal of the kingdom of Wakanda, we want to continue to explore the world of Wakanda and all of the rich and varied characters introduced in the first film."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

During The Game Awards 2020, Capcom showed off a revival of the classic Ghosts 'n Goblins, called Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection. It's coming to Nintendo Switch next year.A brief gameplay trailer showed a paper cutout aesthetic with some very classic (read: hard as hell) gameplay. Once again, Arthur takes damage by stripping down to his skivvies and then turning into a pile of bones.The beloved Ghosts ‘n Goblins series from Capcom makes a comeback on #NintendoSwitch! Armor up as Arthur for an all-new adventure in Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection, releasing on 2/25!https://t.co/WgmlGfEgTw pic.twitter.com/jx3Xpx1dhL — Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) December 11, 2020Ghosts 'n Goblins: Resurrection is coming February 25, 2021. That date puts it near Capcom Arcade Stadium, a compilation of classic arcade games also coming in February.Info from Gamespot.com