In the first Little Nightmares, we followed a little girl in a yellow raincoat named Six as she made her escape from the Maw, an underwater resort inhabited by terrifying, ravenous creates. The upcoming sequel Little Nightmares II will explore the world outside the Maw, and it seems to be just as dangerous. Releasing February 11, 2021 on Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC, Little Nightmares II will also be playable on PS5 and Xbox Series X, with free next-gen upgrades releasing later next year.Set after Six's escape from the Maw, Little Nightmares II sees her team up with a new protagonist, a boy with a brown paper bag over his head named Mono. Together, the two must work together to survive the lands outside the Maw, which are occupied by a new cast of monstrous residents, including the bloodthirsty Hunter, the sadistic Teacher, creepy Mannequins, and more.The pair is headed for a giant Signal Tower in the distance, which is emitting a strange signal and seems tied to the fate of Six, who is "fading from this world," according to the official website. Throughout Little Nightmares II, Six and Mono are also stalked by the Thin Man, a terrifying Slender Man-esque creature who first appeared at the end of the first game's DLC and seems connected to the TVs found throughout the game.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

One of the biggest gaming news stories of 2020 broke this week when Microsoft announced it would buy ZeniMax for $7.5 billion. People understandably have a lot of questions about the deal, and in particular, what it might mean for the future of ZeniMax and its subsidiary, Fallout and Elder Scrolls publisher Bethesda.Xbox boss Phil Spencer recently appeared on CNBC to discuss the deal. Asked directly if Microsoft would make any cuts to the company, Spencer replied, "Our plan is to leave it alone.""ZeniMax has an amazing track record of building great games. Our goal is to make ZeniMax the best ZeniMax they can be," Spencer added. "Working individually with their studios on the great platform technology that we have and getting their creators' feedback into the things we need to go build, that's just a critical flywheel for us."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

There's a fine line when playing a deliberately awkward game. On one hand, unreliable physics and purposefully clunky controls can yield hilarious results, as the struggle to perform basic actions is delightfully silly. Much like other absurdist "simulation" games such as Goat Simulator and the original Surgeon Simulator, Surgeon Simulator 2's best moments come from facing a ridiculous scenario while being woefully ill-equipped to deal with it. However, the laughs eventually die down, replaced by exasperated sighs as surgeries become more complex and picking up a scalpel doesn't get any less cumbersome.Played from a first-person perspective, Surgeon Simulator 2 is far closer to a wobbly puzzle game than a proper simulation--albeit one with tongue firmly planted in cheek. In addition to performing surgery, you'll be navigating hospital labyrinths, solving conditional logic puzzles to access medical supplies, and generally trying to prevent the surgical dummy affectionately known as Bob from dying. Surgeon Simulator 2 features a story mode, playable solo or cooperatively with up to four players, where you're learning on the job using allegedly state-of-the-art simulation technology instead of bothering with stuffy medical school. This takes place over a series of levels, beginning with a tutorial, after which you'll be attempting your first heart transplant--a completely natural progression for medical practitioners, surely. Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

With Microsoft's recent acquisition of ZeniMax Media--parent company for eight studios, including Bethesda--it feels like another step towards reclaiming an old identity for Xbox. Back in the days of the original Xbox and Xbox 360, the Xbox brand was known as the home for console ports of western RPGs. It's an association that was lost with Xbox One, but thanks to the many acquisitions that Microsoft has made since 2018, it may be one that returns with Xbox Series X/S. And that association will only help Microsoft in this coming console generation, both in moving Xbox Series X/S units as well as selling Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions.In June 2018, Microsoft acquired Forza Horizon developer Playground Games, which is now working on a brand-new Fable. Later, in November 2018, Microsoft announced it had acquired Wasteland developer inXile Entertainment, following up that it also acquired Fallout: New Vegas developer Obsidian Entertainment. Both studios are also working on upcoming RPG projects for Xbox; inXile is still a ways from announcing its game while Obsidian has revealed its developing an "epic, first-person RPG" called Avowed.Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media adds Bethesda Games Studios to its rapidly growing list of first-party Xbox Game Studios. And though it's still up in the air as to whether or not Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI will release as Xbox Series X/S console exclusives, both are at least coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one. In fact, all of the aforementioned RPGs are scheduled to come to Xbox Game Pass on day one, given that they're first-party titles.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

FIFA 21 isn't far away, but if you want to try it before you buy, you won't be able to download a demo like usual. EA Sports has announced that they won't be releasing a demo for this year's FIFA, so as to better focus their time and effort on developing the game.On Twitter, the official FIFA account explained that while there won't be a demo, EA Play subscribers will be able to trial the game before purchasing. As usual, the EA Play trial gives players access to the game for 10 hours from October 9. The game will also be available to purchase on this date.While it's not explicitly mentioned in the tweet, the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the arrival of next-generation consoles, has presented challenges for annual sports games--and Madden 21 seems to have suffered.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Prolific voice actor Nolan North is nudging Marvel to make another Deadpool video game. The actor, who voiced Deadpool in Activision's 2013 game, told Comic Book Movie that he wants the game to happen, and for Ryan Reynolds to have a cameo in it."I'm trying to get Marvel to do another Deadpool video game, and we could have Ryan come on and do a cameo in the video game," North said.Also in the interview, North said one of the producers, Craig Kyle, has remarked that Reynolds was a fan of North's performance as the merc with a mouth in the video game.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Dragon Ball Z Kakarot's next DLC, A New Power Awakens - Part 2, will bring back one of Goku and Vegeta's worst enemies. Frieza, who players dispatched in the main campaign, is back. Just as the first Kakarot DLC adapted Dragon Ball Super's God of Destruction arc, this next DLC focuses on the Golden Frieza arc.This DLC will give Goku and Vegeta the Super Saiyan Blue form (also know by the clunkier name "Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan") and let them fight Frieza and his forces using new techniques. In Super's equivalent arc, Frieza returns from the dead with a new form, and he's stronger than ever. Frieza's return was also explored in the movie Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection of F, which the longer Super arc was then adapted from. It was previously revealed that Vegeta and Goku's new attacks will make use of their increased power, and have amazing names like "Ultimate Banish" and "Ultimate Big Kamehameha".Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The pop of an Xbox achievement unlocking can be a sweet sound, one that indicates that you've done something worth celebrating, and that your Gamerscore has changed to reflect it. But for Todd Howard, director and executive producer at Bethesda Game Studios, there's one Xbox achievement that's particularly special--because he's the only person in the world who will ever have it.Following the news that Microsoft has acquired Bethesda for $7.5 billion, Howard spoke about his history with Xbox in a post to Bethesda's website. In the post, he shares an anecdote about a bespoke achievement created just for him, which exists only on his account."When I received the Lifetime Achievement Award at GDC, I joked in my acceptance 'I wonder how many achievement points this one is worth?' At the end of the ceremony, some good friends from Microsoft congratulated me and said they’d find out," Howard recalls. "A few months later I was given a code to a game they had created, named after me and locked to my account," he continues. "When ran, it unlocks a single achievement - 'Lifetime - 1000pts.' It still sits in my list when I check, and I smile every time."Now, Howard has another massive Xbox milestone to celebrate--they paid more for Bethesda than they've paid for any other studio acquisition. Howard also talked about Starfield and Elder Scrolls VI, and how they'll introduce an enormous engine overhaul.Xbox Series X and S launch on November 10, and your Gamerscore will carry over to these new systems. Info from Gamespot.com

Microsoft, like most major companies, uses a lot of water in its production processes. However, as the world becomes more aware of the unmistakable impact of climate change, and in light of the inequality of clean, drinkable water not being easily available around the world, the company is making some changes.In a blog post, Microsoft president Brad Smith has announced that the Xbox company will work towards becoming "water positive" by 2030--that is to say, they will replenish more water than they use. "The world’s fresh water is not equally distributed or accessible and is found disproportionately in places where people do not live," the post explains. "And as human civilization has expanded, we have reached the point globally where humanity depletes the available freshwater supply at a rate of 4.3 trillion cubic meters every year--the majority of which goes to agricultural and industrial uses."The company will address water consumption issues by reducing the water use intensity of its energy production and replenishing the "water-stressed regions" that it operates within. The post points out that 2 billion people globally do not have easy access to clean drinking water, and this must change--especially since those figures are likely to get worse over time without intervention.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Earlier this summer, Nintendo released a small, free fitness game on the Switch eShop called Jump Rope Challenge. If you haven't downloaded it yet, however, your time to do so is quickly running out, as the game will only be available on the digital storefront until the end of this month.As the company previously announced, Jump Rope Challenge is being removed from the eShop on September 30. It's unclear if it will be offered again in the future, so if you're interested in grabbing it, you should do so before that date.Jump Rope ChallengeNintendo says Jump Rope Challenge was "created by a small group of Nintendo developers while working from home in Japan as a simple game to add some quick and fun movement into their daily lives." The game uses Switch's Joy-Con controllers to mimic jump rope handles and tracks how many times you've virtually jumped rope each day.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Microsoft's xCloud recently exited its testing phase and is now available to Android users with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, but the service isn't available to iOS users at all. This followed an abruptly cut short test on iOS that only included one game as opposed to the several options Android users had. But this isn't just Microsoft showing preference toward one ecosystem. Instead, it has to do with Apple's policies.Why xCloud Isn't On iOSPreviously, Apple had extremely restrictive policies on the App Store that essentially barred game-streaming services from appearing at all, which is why Google Stadia has also not been available on iOS since its launch. However, it recently updated its policies to explicitly permit game-streaming services to operate via the App Store.So, all is good now, right? Not quite. The issue is that these services will need to have separate apps for each individual game purchased in order to comply with Apple's 30% profit-splitting policy. It's a similar issue to what we've seen with Epic Games and Fortnite, as Epic wished to circumvent the App store for microtransactions and sell these items directly to players.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Red … Undead Online? As we approach the Halloween season, which should be quite a bit different than in years past, it appears Red Dead Redemption 2 could be getting zombies in Red Dead Online.The data-miners at YouTube channel Red Dead Guides have been digging through new game files and discovered nearly 50 different zombie models that haven't yet been released. As October is arriving soon, this presumably is going to be saved for a "Fear" Halloween event in the game.The models are labeled "Army of Fear," but it isn't clear if they're being used for a new game mode or for some larger temporary overhaul of Red Dead Online. The game has received continuous content updates that added things like missions, hunting events, and new gear, but this could be enough to get former players interested in the game again.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Just a few days after exiting its early access stage and becoming a "full" game, Supergiant's Hades has already managed to hit 1 million total sales. Of this number, about 300,000 occurred since its official release.In its announcement on Twitter, the developer thanked players for not only purchasing the game, but for helping to shape its development during the early access phase. During this period, it was only available on PC, but it has since released for Nintendo Switch, as well.Hades has now sold more than 1,000,000 copies.700,000 of these were during our Early Access development. To all our Early Access players: Thank you so much. We designed Hades for Early Access, believing you could help us make a better game. That's just what you did. #HadesGame pic.twitter.com/ueuG4lDMz8 — Supergiant Games 🔥 HADES v1.0 is Out!! (@SupergiantGames) September 20, 2020GameSpot critic Suriel Vazquez played it on both systems for our Hades review, and awarded the game a 9/10. He did note, however, that the Switch's small screen can make reading text an issue in handheld mode.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The beloved Christmas comedy Elf was a gigantic success at the box office and it remains a hit around the holidays. But a sequel was never made. Actor James Caan, who starred in the film as the father of Will Ferrell's Buddy the elf has now explained why that may be.Caan said on Cleveland's 92.3 The Fan (via TooFab) that plans were in place for a sequel, but it fell apart due in part to a reported clash between Ferrell and director Jon Favreau."We were gonna do it. And I thought, 'Oh my god, I finally got a franchise movie, I can make some money,'" Caan explained. "The director and Will didn't get along very well. Will wanted to do it ... and he didn't want that director, and he had it in his contract. It was one of those things. It's too bad."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

New Releases highlights some of the hottest games launching each week, and this one is home to the much-anticipated Mafia: Definitive Edition. That's not the only re-release we're getting either, thanks to RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition. The action continues with Serious Sam 4 and Going Under, plus the console release of Rebel Galaxy Outlaw.Rebel Galaxy Outlaw -- September 22Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC, SwitchNow that its Epic Games Store exclusivity is over, Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is headed to PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and Steam this week. This space combat game sees pilot Juno sitting down with all sorts of aliens. Carry out jobs for them, and you'll be able to pay for sweet new weapons and gear for your ship.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com