EA was supposed to release NHL 21 during this year's Stanley Cup playoffs, but complications due to COVID-19 led to a delay. The Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup weeks ago, and as a result, ice hockey has escaped the wider public sports consciousness as other leagues take hold. But NHL 21 is a compelling reason to care about hockey again, as this year's game delivers a major improvement to the story mode, adds a flashy new arcade-style mode in HUT Rush, and makes the on-the-ice gameplay better than ever thanks to a series of new skill moves that let you play with more style.Be A Pro 2.0The biggest new addition for NHL 21 is the expanded and improved Be A Pro. After NHL 20 delivered basically no updates on the career-focused mode, NHL 21 offers a huge step forward thanks to a cinematic-style campaign of sorts, where you create a character and guide them through their career, beginning in either Europe or the Canadian Hockey League and competing for a spot in the NHL. The story beats play out through non-voiced dialogue sequences and cutscenes with coaches, media, and teammates. The main choices you make come from the Team or Star paths, and both have pros and cons to consider as you weigh your options to shape your career in the way you want to.As an example, my agent called me to ask if I wanted to attend a charity event for a wildlife protection company. I chose the "Team" response, and my brand rating improved because the simulation suggested my fans would see this as a sports star being humble and genuine. However, choosing this option came with a negative effect, too, as my agent told me it was a noble choice but I should also plan for my life after hockey and try to make as much money in my prime as possible. I enjoyed the struggle of making these choices, and I found myself choosing one option and then loading a previous save to see how things would have played out differently. The choices you have to make can be real head-scratchers and they generally seem believable and taken from real-world headlines. But while the conversation system and cutscenes are generally enjoyable and a step up from the past iterations of Be A Pro, they are at times very cheesy and contrived, so the conversations and their impact don't always resonate.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

NPD Group has revealed the US sales results for September 2020, which saw another month of growth for the gaming industry. Consumer spending across video game hardware, content, and accessories saw a 10% increase when compared to a year ago, with sales reaching $4.3 billion. Mobile spending, hardware, and accessories also saw growth within the time period.The top-selling game of the month was Marvel's Avengers from publisher Square Enix and developer Crystal Dynamics. Launch month dollar sales of Marvel's Avengers were the second-highest for any superhero game in US history, right behind Marvel's Spider-Man.Marvel's Avengers is so far the seventh-best-selling game of 2020, although it has experienced a significant drop-off in audience numbers since launch, which Square Enix is confident can be reversed with new patches and DLC.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Microsoft is significantly extending the warranty for the Xbox Elite Controller Series 2, in light of some users encountering hardware issues. Microsoft says it's only a "small percentage" of users encountering issues, but has extended the warranty to a full year from the previous 90 days.According to the Xbox Support site, the warranty extension applies to all Elite 2 controllers shipped since it launched in November 2019. Also, any repairs made outside the previous warranty window will be refunded by October 31, 2020.The support page doesn't specify what issues prompted the move, other than to say that some have been experiencing "mechanical issues." This follows some mechanical issues with the first Elite controller. Microsoft told Windows Central upon launch that it was aware some users were experiencing issues and were "actively investigating with our engineering teams." This also comes amid a class-action lawsuit regarding drifting joysticks, with an amended complaint filed on October 2.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Marvel's Avengers has been successful, at least in terms of initial sales, for publisher Square Enix thus far. However, the game has seen its player-counts falling and criticism for bugs and lack of endgame content--and we don't mean the movie. Because developer Crystal Dynamics is working to address the game's issues, the next-gen versions for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PS5 have been delayed to 2021.Crystal Dynamics said it wants to deliver a "next-gen experience showcasing all that this game is meant to be" in a blog post announcing the decision. You will still be able to play the PS4 or Xbox One versions on the new systems and can experience better frame rates and faster loading times, and your progress will also carry over. Once the next-gen-specific versions are released, it will be a free upgrade.Several changes requested by fans are being worked into future updates, as well. These include a ping system, the ability to replay the Reassemble campaign, a high-contrast mode, hero icon visibility adjustments, mission reward clarity, and better enemy attack indicators. PC stability is also being worked on, with GPUs apparently being the source of many crashes thus far.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Marvel's Avengers is slated to get a growing roster of heroes, but the start of that expansion has been pushed back a bit. The first new character, Kate Bishop aka Hawkeye, will no longer be coming this month.Crystal Dynamics announced the delay in a blog post detailing various changes to its roadmap. It refers to this as a "slight delay," but didn't give a new release target for the new character. "Moving forward, we intend to have a fixed, predictable patching cycle to ensure all new content meets both our and your high standards and has time for extensive internal testing," the post reads. "We know fans are hungry for new content, but delivering a fun experience is our priority. With this in mind, we’ve decided to push Kate Bishop’s Operation launch back a bit, out of October. We’re sorry for this slight delay, but we are dedicated as a team to quality first."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Following the release of five Star Wars movies in just four years, things have now slowed down for the franchise. There's no news of another movie, and production is yet to start on the upcoming Obi-Wan and Cassian Andor shows. Luckily, fans have the second season of the Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian to look forward to next month. Now star Pedro Pascal and showrunner Jon Favreau have spoken about the future of the series, and whether we will ever see a big-screen version.In an interview with Variety, Pascal admitted that while the show's stunning visuals would look great at the theater, he was cautious about changing what makes The Mandalorian so good. "I think that the work is so beautiful that I would love for that to be held by a big screen experience," he said. "But it seems to work so well [on TV] that also I'm not sure it’s something that I would want corrupted by any kind of change, you know? I mean, I certainly know that the challenge can be met. It's not like these people don't have the experience. If anybody can do it, they can!"Favreau stated that the media landscape has shifted so much that the difference between movies and streaming was no longer an obvious one. "The line is blurring now," he said. "Things that you would have only seen in the movie theater, you're seeing on streaming, and I think it could go the other way as well. We're definitely open to [a movie], and excited to see where the story leads us and have that flexibility--because there's no rulebook now."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

What a difference a week can make. Whereas just a handful of days ago director Patty Jenkins was holding firm on her hopes that Wonder Woman 1984 would open in theaters on Christmas rather than streaming services--its sixth release date, half coming before COVID-19--she is now immediately acknowledging how unpredictable everything is during the coronavirus pandemic.Speaking with Variety, Wonder Woman 1984's Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones, The Mandalorian) said, "As far as movie releases are concerned, and the tremendous way that the industry is having to improvise around these circumstances, nothing is surprising. We're all getting used to things shifting day-to-day, hour-to-hour, you know? That's what we're all dealing with."Jenkins, in the same story, also spoke about the lack of control she is feeling about the movie, which was originally supposed to be released November 1, 2019.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Retro-console maker Analogue has made some great FPGA-based consoles over the past three years, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down. The company has revealed the Analogue Duo, its take on the classic NEC console, the TurboDuo (or PC Duo Engine R in Japan and France). The original console let you play both HuCard and CD-ROM games, and Analogue plans to release a console that does that and more.The Analogue Duo releases in 2021 and is the company's first console with a disc drive. It's compatible with almost every NEC game format, including TurboGrafx-16, PC Engine, and SuperGrafx HuCards as well as TurboGrafx, PC Engine, and Super Arcade CD-ROMs.Analogue Duo$200Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is one of the biggest holiday games, so naturally there's some merch you can preorder in addition to the game. Titan Books is publishing an official art book and prequel novel, both of which can be preordered at Amazon right now. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales - The Art of the Game releases November 17, while Miles Morales - Wings of Fury arrives November 10. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales - The Art of the Game $40 The 192-page hardcover art book is filled with concept art from Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. It's available to preorder for $40 at Amazon. Art books regularly receive pretty nice discounts ahead of their release. If you order now, you'll get the book for the lowest price offered up until launch thanks to Amazon's preorder price guarantee. See at Amazon Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales - Wings of Fury $14.40 (was $16) Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales - Wings of Fury is the official prequel novel for the upcoming PS5/PS4 game. Wings of Fury follows Miles as he's learning to be Spider-Man. The story will see Miles go up against Vulture in an adventure that will lead up to the start of the game. See at Amazon Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales releases November 12 as a PS5 launch title. It will also be available on PS4. If you're picking up a PS5, you may want to opt for the Ultimate edition, which comes with a remastered version of Marvel's Spider-Man. For details on bonuses and more, make sure to check out our Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales preorder guide.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Assassin's Creed Valhalla has reached a new milestone in its development lifecycle, as Ubisoft's latest game in the long-running series of historical assassins has gone gold. Scheduled for a November release date, Ubisoft took to Twitter to reveal the news and uploaded an image of a pair of Viking axes resting on an ornate engraving of the word "gold."In the gaming industry, going gold means that the base game is ready to be pressed onto a disc and shipped out to stores across the globe. A studio will then spend the remaining time between then and the launch of the game ironing out any lingering bugs and preparing a day-one patch. It also means that a game is likely to meet its release date deadline and no more delays are expected.Officially revealed on April 30 in a livestream event, the development of Assassin's Creed Valhalla wasn't all smooth sailing. Creative director Ashraf Ismail stepped down from his role amid allegations of misconduct, while Ubisoft also faced accusations of fostering a toxic workplace environment.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

In a new clip for Season 3 of Netflix's My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman, the veteran late-night host asks Robert Downey Jr. about his time playing Iron Man. Specifically, Letterman is curious to hear about the Iron Man helmet: "When that thing clamps onto your head, is that thing really there? Or is it not really there?" The answer might surprise you--check out the full clip below.Downey recalls those early, still somewhat uncertain days of comic-book movies--the first Iron Man was released in 2008, still a full year before Marvel Entertainment was acquired by The Walt Disney Company. As such, Downey tells Letterman, "Initially, everything was really there. They wanted to spend as little as they could on CG replacement, so I remember this helmet went on… and it slammed closed, and I couldn't see anything, and then these LED lights went on and it was like The Manchurian Candidate… I was absolutely blinded."Those humble origins in Iron Man makes it all the more impressive that the many comic-book movies that followed eventually resulted in Avengers: Endgame becoming the top-grossing movie of all time (if you take reported revenue numbers at face value). Earlier this year, Downey said he has no plans or desire to play Iron Man again.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Marvel and Lego have teamed up for a Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales sweepstakes. Anyone who beats Marvel's Spider-Man on PlayStation 4 has a chance to enter to win a limited-edition Lego Miles Morales minifigurine.The sweepstakes runs until November 5, with interested participants having until October 29 to enter. It's open to legal residents of the 50 United States aged 13 years and older. All you need to do is beat Marvel's Spider-Man on PlayStation 4 and earn the "End Game" Trophy, which is done by completing Act 3.Once you do that, you can head over to the PlayStation website. Within the Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales game section, you'll click the opt-in button after signing in with your PlayStation Network ID. And that's it. You're entered for a chance to win.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

New Releases highlights some of the hottest video games launching each week, and this episode as a double-dose of trilogies: Torchlight 3 and Cook Serve Delicious 3 both launch soon. You can also drive a mini RC car in Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit or pilot a hover car in Cloudpunk. Finally, hockey fans can get their fix with NHL 21.Torchlight 3 -- October 13Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PCOnce called Torchlight Frontiers, Torchlight 3 is leaving early access for its full release. You can choose from four different classes and explore randomly generated dungeons, where you'll battle bad guys and collect all sorts of loot. Look for a Switch version later this year, too.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

We haven't heard much about Naraka: Bladepoint since its announcement back at last year's Game Awards, but you might be able to give the extremely Sekiro-looking battle royale title a shot next month. Chinese developer 24 Entertainment just started allowing players to sign up for an upcoming closed beta on its website, which is due to kick off on November 3.If you're unfamiliar, Naraka is a 60-player battle royale game set in feudal Japan. You choose from one of six player characters to join the fray, each with a different fighting style, wielding a sword for combat and a highly versatile grappling hook for getting around. The idea is that if you can see a point, you can climb to it in one way or another, and battles are as much about zipping around for positioning as they are about close-range sword duels. Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The Festival of the Lost continues as we near the end of Destiny 2's Season of Arrivals and quickly approach the Beyond Light expansion. If you're working your way through the Haunted Forest, it's a great time to grab new exotics from our favorite weekend vendor, Xur. Head to Io, to the Giant Scar area, to find Xur this week. For his weapon, Xur is offering The Queenbreaker. Hunters can pick up the Lucky Raspberry chest armor; for Titans, there's the Dunemarchers leg armor; and for Warlocks, Xur has the Getaway Artist gauntlets.Xur LocationXur hangs out in a cave on the north end of Giant's Scar, near where Taken enemies spawn.Use the Giant's Scar transmat zone on Io to get to Xur fast. Hop on your sparrow and head through the archway ahead, then turn toward the north end of the area. Hug the cliff wall on your left until you find a cave; inside, in the shadows, Xur awaits.Xur Exotic ItemsThe Queenbreaker, Xur's weapon this week, is a solid heavy choice in both Gambit and Crucible, although its heyday passed a few seasons ago. Still, it's pretty good for vaporizing Guardians, provided you can snag some heavy ammo for it. But if you're not a fan of his other options, Xur also sells an Exotic engram that will decrypt into an Exotic you don't already own. He also has the Five of Swords challenge card, which lets you enable modifiers for Nightfall Strikes.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com