As seen in the cinematic reveal trailer for Assassin's Creed Valhalla, protagonist Eivor uses a conspicuous version of the hidden blade where the actual blade can be seen on top of the forearm as opposed to being hidden on the bottom. Ubisoft decided to remove the "hidden" aspect of the hidden blade in order to better fit the tone of Valhalla and Eivor's culture."It is a deliberate decision," Assassin's Creed Valhalla narrative director Darby McDevitt said on Twitter. "It's something that Eivor feels very strongly about. When he or she gets a hold of this hidden blade, it occurs to Eivor that it would be much more interesting to let people see this weapon, to be conspicuous about it. Vikings were known as having a sense of honor and it was very important that when you killed somebody, that you let people know that you killed them."McDevitt continued: "Oftentimes, people would not be punished for murder if they had a small justification, like say somebody insulted you. They would not be punished for the murder as long as they admitted to it, as long as they stated openly that 'Yes, I killed that person because we got into combat.' And so having the hidden blade visible is actually kind of an extension of that honor. We want this conspicuous aspect of the blade to be reflected in the way that Eivor presents him or herself to the world."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is preparing to launch its new season of content, and a Season 4 teaser trailer drops some intriguing hints about what to expect. Season 4 is set to begin next week, with one of the franchise's most iconic characters making an appearance. Fans of the original Modern Warfare trilogy will be very happy to see who it is.Call Of Duty: Season 4 Start DateThe new season of Call of Duty will kick off on June 3, and it confirms the return of the fan-favorite character Captain Price. He was also featured in the campaign mode for the reimagined Modern Warfare, serving a crucial role in the game's story and leading into a potential sequel.Here's what we know ahead of its launch next week.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

It's been a particularly busy period for free games, with the Epic Games Store giving away Borderlands: The Handsome Collection and a new Devolver Digital game right now, and memberships like PlayStation Plus and Games With Gold announcing their next round of free games. As usual, Steam also has a few freebies available to claim forever or try out for a limited time this weekend, including a free-play period for the excellent Darkest Dungeon.Like all free-play weekends on Steam, Darkest Dungeon is free to play until Monday, and it's accompanied by a nice discount if you want to add it to your library and keep playing. The rogue-like turn-based RPG earned a 9/10 in GameSpot's Darkest Dungeon review for its deep, strategic gameplay; foreboding atmosphere; and spectacular art direction."Darkest Dungeon plays the long game. It builds you up for a grand bout that will test everything you've learned, as well as your ability to plan several in-game weeks out," wrote critic Daniel Starkey. "The pay-off for this constant offensive comes in short bursts--just enough to keep you going, just enough to keep you hopeful for the next excursion. It's an extraordinary cycle that bears a special teacher--rewarding your cleverness and punishing your foolishness. It transfixes and binds you to this grand journey, dotted with failures and successes. And because you endured, because you thought your way through it, the final victory against the unimaginable evil you face at the bottom of the Darkest Dungeon is personally valuable."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

In April, Battlefield V developers DICE promised that the game would receive one last big update, which will arrive in June as Update 7.0. The latest "This Week in Battlefield V" update on Reddit confirms that the June content update is coming, and will be the last big one for the game--but a comment made by one developer also clears up some potential misconceptions around the game's path forward.A comment from Braddock512--the game's community manager--clarifies that while there will not be new content coming to the game, this is not the "final" update. "It's the last content update--but we plan on dropping fixes and there will be the Community Games Update to add more tools to the feature," he writes. "There will be new/returning playlists when Update 7.0/June Update drops."While major updates are ending, and players should perhaps not expect anything too major after Update 7.0, it sounds like the game won't become static and unchanging after the update.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick says that Google Stadia overpromised on its technology, and didn't seem to expand the market like it had hoped. In a talk at the Bernstein Annual Strategic Decisions Conference, Zelnick explained why the company had supported the release of streaming, and he doesn't sound positive on the platform so far."Streaming technology is upon us," he said. "The launch of Stadia has been slow. I think there was some overpromising on what the technology could deliver and some consumer disappointment as a result."Most of his comments, though, were focused on the business aspect. Zelnick was critical on that point as well, appearing to suggest that it doesn't have immediate plans for Stadia and stressing that it wasn't the "game-changer" it was made out to be.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Developer BioWare is teasing the airwaves with some cryptic Mass Effect-related tweets. The studio is posting tracks from its sci-fi epic with the hashtag "Mass Relays," providing no context for what these messages mean--other than simply sharing music from the Mass Effect series.Many call the Citadel home. A safe place amongst the stars for one and all. Enjoy the latest entry in the #MassRelays music series. pic.twitter.com/6HoSgaK1a5 — BioWare (@bioware) May 29, 2020BioWare began making these posts back in January, with tweets coming every so often featuring music from one of the three Mass Effect games. The latest, above, is "The Citadel," a song from the first game's official soundtrack. A cursory search on Twitter for "Mass Relays" pulls nothing substantial, just tweets from users curious about what it all means. And a search on Reddit brings up speculation about a Mass Effect Trilogy remaster.It's worth noting that mass relays, as far as the Mass Effect universe is concerned, are mass transmit devices throughout the Milky Way that allow for interstellar travel.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Update: Its closed beta may be over, but that also means Valorant's official launch is on the way. If you weren't able to get into the beta during its pre-release stage, don't worry--Valorant's release date is right around the corner and, as it was during its early access period, Valorant will remain free to play. Find out if your PC can run Valorant in our minimum/recommended specs guide.Original story follows...The Valorant closed beta has been active for a while now, but there are still plenty of people who haven't gotten their beta key yet. Now with the Valorant beta ending soon and an official release date announced, you might not be in as much of a rush to get in--it will be free to play for everyone at launch. Of course, Valorant is still among the top-streamed games on Twitch and reached record-breaking viewership numbers post-launch as players scrambled to get into the exclusive testing period. Its ranked competitive mode finally went live in a recent patch too--with ranks resetting after the closed beta period ends, now is still a good time to get in early and test things out before launch. You can learn more about how Valorant's ranked system works in our guide or read the patch notes for one of Valorant's biggest updates to see what else is new before the game launches. Otherwise, keep reading for some tips on how to get your Valorant beta key before the game launches in a few weeks.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Call of Duty: Warzone is a free-to-play battle royale game for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One that recently passed the milestone of 50 million players. Warzone can be installed both as an update to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare or as a free, standalone game for players who don't own Modern Warfare and aren't interested in purchasing it. The battle royale game is a huge download size even if you don't have Modern Warfare, but don't worry--that just gives you some time to check out our list of Warzone tips while it's installing. Or read up on the recently unlocked Warzone bunkers and where to find them.Find our quick how-to guide for installing Call of Duty: Warzone, and learn more about how Warzone and Modern Warfare's unified progression works, below.How To Download Warzone Without Modern WarfareIf you want to play Call of Duty: Warzone but don't own and aren't planning on purchasing Modern Warfare, you can expect an 83-101 GB download size, according to the official Activision blog. It's available as a standalone battle royale game on all available platforms, meaning PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and can be downloaded from associated first-party stores. Check out the download links below.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

We aren't even halfway through 2020 yet, and Sony has already revealed several details regarding the PS5, its next-generation console. We've learned about the console's technical specs, as well as its new DualSense controller and certain games, and the official website is live. We've even seen Unreal Engine 5 gameplay running on the system, and though it was not of a full game, the technical specifications of the system mean we would be approaching photorealism. We've also heard reports of what could very well be this year's Call of Duty game, which will almost certainly release on PS5. It's adding up to one of the most exciting console launches we've seen in years, despite Sony not even showing the physical design of the console yet.It's planned to arrive this holiday season, and though Sony hasn't revealed a final date or price, it will reportedly still arrive in 2020 and the ongoing pandemic is not impacting this timeline. However, a Bloomberg report indicates we may need to prepare for lower-than-expected supplies at launch, as well as possibly reduced or altered promotion compared to Sony's typical product releases.First, we know what the console's official name will be: Unsurprisingly, the console is indeed called the PlayStation 5, just as was to be expected. Additionally, we've learned what the logo looks like, and it's equally unsurprising. The classic PlayStation symbol will also appear on the controller, called the DualSense. The controller’s name reflects its expanded capabilities, including more haptic feedback compared to the DualShock 4 and variable resistance in the triggers. The controller sports a new look, as well, with a two-tone black and white design. During 2019, it was revealed that the PS5 will also have PS4 backwards compatibility and SSD storage, and it will support PSVR. The company has also outlined some green, energy-efficient initiatives it is planning for the next generation.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

GameSpot's Play For All kicks off on June 1 and, alongside coverage of the biggest gaming announcements of the summer and daily charity livestreams, we're going to be delivering interviews with developers, publishers, execs, and more. To kick things off, we're pleased to reveal that the first of these interviews will be with Epic Games' Tim Sweeney and Kim Libreri.Hot off announcing Unreal Engine 5 and showing it running on Sony's PlayStation 5, Sweeney and Libreri sat down with GameSpot to talk about Epic's impressive new development engine, what it means for the video game industry, how it will create bridges into other forms of entertainment, and, of course, what it means for Fortnite.They also discuss the Epic Games Store, which has gained considerable ground in an area of game distribution that has, historically, been dominated by Valve's Steam store. All that, along with a variety of other topics are discussed, so you'll want to tune in and watch.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

According to a report by Dave Meltzer, Samoa Joe has joined the Monday Night Raw commentary team as a permanent replacement for Jerry "The King" Lawler. Lawler was called out for racially insensitive comments a few months back concerning Akira Tozawa.Joe replaced Lawler the week after the incident to get the heat off of him, but Lawler returned shortly after. Joe also replaced commentator and NXT performer Dio Maddin after Maddin became injured by Brock Lesnar back in December of last year.Joe has done short-term and one-off appearances on commentary throughout his in-ring career. As he is not yet medically cleared to wrestle, this could be extremely beneficial for his career--it's a way to keep him on TV while still allowing him to recover and not lose his "spot" so to speak. Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Developers Infinity Ward and Raven Software have rolled out a small Call of Duty: Warzone playlist update across PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The update, which is available now, brings Duos back.In addition to Duos, Warzone players can check out a handful of other game modes, such as Solos, Trios, Quads, and Plunder Quads. Duos, the headlining feature that originally didn't launch within Warzone, has been absent for quite some time, making it one of the more fan-requested modes.📢Playlist Update for #Warzone! Rolling out now across all platforms.... SolosDuos ✌️TriosQuadsPlunder Quads — Infinity Ward (@InfinityWard) May 29, 2020This follows a playlist update announcement made earlier this week, in which Infinity Ward confirmed that some of Warzone's game modes would be removed. This included Battle Royale Trios Classic and Blood Money Trios. Modern Warfare also saw some of its multiplayer modes adjusted, such as Hardhat 24/7 getting removed, Shipment 24/7 and Shoot House 24/7 being added, and more.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Following a State of Play livestream that focused on Ghost of Tsushima, Sony content communications manager Justin Massongill followed up with Sucker Punch creative directors Nate Fox and Jason Connell with fan questions and posted the answers on PlayStation Blog. In the interview, Fox and Connell reveal that Jin is the only playable character in Ghost of Tsushima and--though you will have a choice in how he fights--there are aspects of his story that cannot be influenced."Jin is the hero of this story," Fox said. "Players are there, each step of the way, guiding Jin as he transforms from the honorable Samurai he was brought up to be, into the Ghost that Tsushima needs him to become."Though you can customize Jin's armor and fight as either a confrontational samurai or stealthy ghost, Jin's weapon of choice won't change. "Jin's katana is incredibly important to him," Connell said. "It's also his main weapon of choice from beginning to the end of the game. There are ways to improve this weapon, both the stats and the appearance."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Keyboards are an unavoidable part of the 21st century. We hammer out texts on our phones, mash the WASD keys while testing out a new keymapping for Escape From Tarkov, and type out personal details to fill out forms on our laptops. And if you do a lot of typing, you may as well buy a great keyboard that can make it fun to write the next great novel and make you a better gamer, however slightly. With so many great games available on PC--and major hits like Cyberpunk 2077, Marvel's Avengers, and more on the way--it's worth investing in a good keyboard for gaming.When it comes to finding the right keyboard and mouse setup, you have to know what you want. Some like their keyboards small, flat, and quiet, while others prefer the tactile key switches, larger profile, and satisfying sounds of a mechanical gaming keyboard. High-end keyboards get more elaborate every year, too, which means there are more factors, like keyboard backlighting, ergonomic design, N-key rollover, and response time to think about.If you're serious about your gaming experience on PC, especially for action-heavy games like shooters or real-time strategy games, then a dedicated, mechanical gaming keyboard can come with a host of advantages. Mechanical keys can provide better ergonomics for increased comfort over a membrane keyboard, making them a better purchase in the long run; every key switch can provide a more defined (and potentially faster) response time due their better key switches, to make sure you know you did the thing; with a good backlight, they can potentially play host to an extravagant light show that might let you know when something bad (or good!) is happening in your game.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Escape From Tarkov went down for a few hours on Thursday to deploy patch 12.6 (0.12.6.7456), a major update to the early access shooter that included a global wipe of character data among several other changes, additions, and bug fixes. The massive reset erased all player progress, including level, trader rep, and any items stored in your stash, keeping only weapon presets and examined items saved in the handbook.While the routine wipe was one of the major highlights of the latest Tarkov update, it's not the only thing that patch 12.6 brings with it. A captcha has been added to the flea market as an extra measure against bots, all stashes (no matter which Escape From Tarkov edition you have) have been increased by an additional 20 cells, and players now have the ability to lean while prone. Five new parts for the AR-15/M4 are also available to scavenge, but cannot be purchased from traders. The update also modifies a few quests and brings a number of optimizations, AI improvements, and bug fixes.Leading up to the most recent wipe, Battlestate Games also temporarily reduced shop prices and unlocked all trader levels, allowing every player to access high-level weapons and gear before the wipe took place, in a kind of "post-wipe event." Patch 12.6 marks the first Escape From Tarkov wipe since October 2019.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com