New footage of Assassin's Creed Valhalla premiered during the Xbox Series X event this week, but some fans were hoping to see more. Creative director Ashraf Ismail has now responded to the reaction, saying he understands people wanted to see more of the next-gen Assassin's Creed title. More details on the game, including an "in-depth gameplay" demonstration will come later on, he said."You rightfully expected to see more today. We have a long marketing campaign ahead of us, you will see in-depth gameplay and get a lot more info about the game," he said on Twitter. "Thank you for your excitement and passion! Be patient with us and be kind. It will be worth it!"The Valhalla trailer shown during the Xbox event disappointed some fans because, despite being labeled as a "gameplay trailer," it didn't exactly deliver on that. Instead of featuring combat or exploration, the video put more of an emphasis on the locations you'll visit when Valhalla launches this holiday.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Combat rarely lasts longer than a handful of rounds in the newest XCOM. In each encounter, XCOM: Chimera Squad kicks in the door, dives headfirst into an intense firefight, then walks out through a pile of bodies a minute or two later, dusting themselves down, a little scarred perhaps but eager to do it all again in the very next mission. XCOM’s turn-based tactical combat now comes in condensed form, relieved of extraneous matter, and for the most part all the better for it.Assuming the human resistance triumphed in XCOM 2, the eponymous Chimera Squad is a special task force composed of human and alien soldiers that also serves as a symbol of a newfound cooperation between species. Dissidents remain, however, and so when the mayor of City 31 is killed in a terrorist attack, it's up to the Squad to track down those responsible. The stakes feel a lot lower than the global emergencies gripping previous XCOMs, yet the smaller scale of the situation dovetails perfectly with the tight-knit group of characters under your control and intimacy of the tactical maps on which they’re deployed. There’s a focus and clarity of purpose here that stands in sharp relief to the sprawling saga of a typical XCOM campaign.Indeed, Chimera Squad feels like it spins the Geoscape and puts just one city under the microscope. Nine districts comprise the strategic map, each day highlighting a few of them with new missions to undertake--some advancing the story, others providing valuable resources and gear. Ignoring one mission in favour of another will raise the level of unrest in the neglected district and contribute to a citywide measure of anarchy that spells game over if it tops out. Despite the lower stakes, there’s still an urgency to your mission, especially as the doomsday clock of city anarchy ticks closer to midnight. And the strategic layer does a decent job of forcing decisions over which missions and districts you need to prioritise, even if it’s mostly a dry game of resource allocation that fails to evoke any kind of emotional response to the lives sacrificed along the way.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Nintendo had a lot to celebrate in its latest financial report and call to investors, as the system has achieved 55 million sales, and the recently released Animal Crossing: New Horizons has sold incredibly well. With this in mind, Nintendo is sticking to its guns and continuing support of the Switch as the next generation of consoles rolls in.During their call to investors, which was live-tweeted (and translated) by Astris Advisory Japan KK's Dave Gibson, Nintendo stated that that system is "barely in the middle" of its cycle. The system came out three years ago, which means we're looking at least another three years before we might expect to see Nintendo announce or release a successor.Barely in the middle of the switch cycle, no change to that view. — David Gibson (@gibbogame) May 7, 2020If the Switch is supported for six years, it'll roughly match the life cycle of the Wii. There is, historically, some fluctuation in how long Nintendo consoles have been supported--the Wii U was closer to four and a half years--but the gap between console releases is generally around six years. There has been some suggestion from Nintendo that the Switch's life cycle might be longer than usual, though--so it could stretch well past six years.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

New Zealand has begun to allow some film and TV productions to resume shooting after the Coronavirus lockdowns, setting up a path for Amazon's The Lord of the Rings series and James Cameron's Avatar sequels to kick back into gear.Deadline reports that some movie and TV productions have already begun again, and the Lord of the Rings series and the Avatar sequels may follow, the site said.The live-action shoots for the Avatar sequels were filming in New Zealand. After the Coronvirus pandemic broke out, filming stopped, but work continued on the visual effects.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Sakura Wars is perhaps the most anime game that I've ever played. There are plenty of games out there based on popular anime, yes, but when it comes to feeling like you're an active part of an ongoing, episodic adventure filled with quirky characters, dramatic action, and satisfying melodrama, Sakura Wars has everything else beat. Its structure, charming cast, and whirlwind story help set it apart from other colorful anime-inspired adventures, and, much like the characters whose stories it tells, it manages to overcome many of its flaws to become a satisfying experience in the end.For the uninitiated, the entire concept of Sakura Wars is rather offbeat. This particular game is a semi-reboot of a long-running Japanese game series of the same name, set in an alternate 1940s Japan where steam technology quickly surpassed electricity and history took a very different path. The world's nations, rather than fighting each other in World Wars, took arms against demonic invaders with armies of steam-powered fighting robots called Spiricle Strikers. Oh yes, and these armies also operate semi-covertly as theatre troupes whose members consisted mostly of young women.It's a lot to take in, and it's compounded by the fact that only one other Sakura Wars game has made the voyage Westward, though some related media (like anime and manga adaptations) have seen release here. Still, if you're coming in totally blind to the Sakura Wars concept and mythos, you might find yourself rather confused, particularly when references to previous titles crop up.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been an incredible success for Nintendo, selling 13.41 million copies since launch and landing high in the system's all-time top seller list. There are numerous factors involved here, but one element that is perhaps leading to a surge in sales is the current state of the world and the COVID-19 pandemic--which might also be why the latest Animal Crossing has had strong digital sales.According to Nintendo's recent investor call, live-tweeted (and translated) by Astris Advisory Japan KK's Dave Gibson, about 50% of Animal Crossing: New Horizon's sales were digital, with people buying the game through the Eshop in lieu of picking up a cartridge from a store.Nintendo is expecting a growth in digital sales within the next financial year overall, but not that all games will hit a 50-50 split--the Switch's low internal memory and the cost of SD cards means that many people prefer to own their games physically.AC sales were about 50% download. Digital was high in 4Q, dont assume this level will continue but for FY it will grow — David Gibson (@gibbogame) May 7, 2020Animal Crossing is also a game that players will likely keep returning to, or want to jump into briefly every day over months or years, which makes a digital copy attractive. Animal Crossing: New Horizons received a 9/10 in GameSpot's review. "New Horizons certainly came at the right time, and its strengths are particularly comforting right now," reviewer Kallie Plagge wrote. "I'm as excited to see what random events await me each morning as I am glad to have it during hard times, and that's sure to keep me coming back for the foreseeable future."Info from Gamespot.com

Doom Eternal is introducing another strange skin for the Doom Slayer later this month, and it'll give him an awful 80s mullet to rock. The original Doom debuted in 1993, of course, so the Slayer has never had a mullet until now.The new skin will grant the Slayer dry, flowing hair, and a beer gut too, which should make the campaign's cutscenes a bit weirder to watch. You can practically sense the dandruff in the video below. It'll be available on May 21, but not for everyone.Mullet Slayer coming exclusively to @TwitchPrime on May 21sthttps://t.co/NRyj6MoNm5 pic.twitter.com/SOINrlEdq9 — DOOM (@DOOM) May 7, 2020The Mullet Slayer is the latest Twitch Prime drop for the game, meaning that it will be given to users who subscribe to that service. You can sign up here.Doom Eternal received an 8/10 in GameSpot's review. "Though it can take a bit to get the hang of it, the intricacies of Doom Eternal's combat, combined with its enhanced mobility and option-heavy level design, create a ton of white-knuckle moments that elevate everything that made Doom 2016 work so well," wrote reviewer Phil Hornshaw.Info from Gamespot.com

Paris Games Week 2020 will not go ahead, the event's organizers have announced. The event, which was planned for October 23-27, would have marked the week's 10th anniversary."It is with great emotion that we have made the difficult decision to cancel Paris Games Week," the announcement reads. "The current context and the necessary anticipation of both the technical and logistical complexities of an event such as Paris Games Week have led us to cancel this edition."While COVID-19 is not explicitly mentioned, it is undoubtedly responsible for this decision. "This year should have been special, with a line-up full of new releases, and an anniversary edition which we were thrilled to celebrate with you," the announcement continues.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

This week on the Nintendo Switch, a number of indie titles are being released, along with some big discounts on Switch titles.With only a few weeks to go until Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition drops, Nintendo is releasing a myriad of indie titles to tide us over until then. Beat up some foes in the electro arcade platformer Megabyte Punch, raise your own island of amazing animals in Island Saver, and cook up a culinary storm in Cooking Simulator.New Switch Games This Week:Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe," begins Roy Batty's dying monologue in Blade Runner. In the nearly 40 years since Ridley Scott's film established a visual aesthetic for what would become known as cyberpunk, we've seen these things many times now. Cloudpunk is a complex and uneven narrative-heavy adventure game that trades heavily in cyberpunk cliche. Familiar tropes are rejuvenated with mostly smart writing and consistently striking art direction, but there are also opportunities missed thanks to undernourished, by-the-numbers design.Nivalis is the last city, or at least that's what people say. Towering neon spires thrust out of the climate-ravaged ocean and, eventually, emerge through the clouds; at the top live the privileged few, the self-dubbed CEOs secluded in their stratified penthouses, while underneath everybody else ekes out a living in the dense urban sprawl where every city block has a noodle stand, night is permanent and it's almost always raining. You've seen it all before, of course, yet this well-worn set dressing is rendered in such singular fashion it remains striking throughout.Simply put, Cloudpunk is a stunningly gorgeous game. Nivalis is constructed out of voxels, big chunky bricks of solid colour that give the urban landscape the feel of an enormous, elaborate Lego diorama. Terrific use is made of contrast and lighting. Skyscrapers almost recede into negative space, their facades composed of hundreds of tiny boxes of light, alternating in lurid pinks, yellows and blues. When you're flying through the city in your hover car, each turn delivers a spectacular view, each ascension over a row of high-rises greeted with a dazzling neon-drenched vista. To be honest, this review took longer than it should have because I had to pause every few seconds to snap off another screenshot.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

In Rainbow Six Siege, small tactical choices always lead to big consequences. Every round is a new lesson in what you could have done better, with your mistakes acting as a stern teacher. Taking these lessons to heart and adjusting your team's strategy accordingly keeps each match feeling fresh and exciting, and a drip-feed of new operators, loadouts, and abilities constantly introduces new considerations. The thrill of seeing your plan succeed--whether that's a collection of traps that stops the enemy in their tracks, a well-placed breaching hole that sets the stage for an ambush, or two operators' abilities working together to pull the rug out from the opposing team--is what makes Siege not only a compelling shooter but one of the best examples of teamwork, tactics, and crack shooting out there.Despite its evolution over the past four years, Rainbow Six Siege has always been a battle between attackers and defenders over a single objective. There are five operators per team, each with their own special gadgets that can be used to slow the attackers' assault or poke holes in the defenders' fortifications. Every round, attackers need to move in on a specific objective; depending on the mode, they'll need to sneak in and extract a hostage, create a pathway to secure a specific room, or strategize carefully to defuse a bomb. Bomb is the quintessential Siege mode, as it makes every operator feel viable and balanced. Pushing the objective, finding an opening to plant the defuser, and then protecting said defuser gives the attacking side a steep, rewarding climb to victory, and it's the defenders' job to knock them down and keep them from reaching that summit.Playing video games with friends is usually more fun than playing alone, and the benefits of communicating and working together make Siege a more enjoyable experience when playing with people you know. Thankfully, solo-queuing isn't an entirely lost cause, as it's not uncommon to find like-minded players interested in coordinating as a team, but you will inevitably come across players more interested in taking the objective on their own. Siege incentivizes teamwork, and when a group of players executes a coordinated assault on the garage in House or top floor of Kanal, it results in some of the most exciting moments you can experience in a team-based first-person shooter.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

We're well into May now, and Microsoft has detailed some more games coming to Xbox Game Pass for both PC and Xbox One this month. As usual there's a little crossover between the libraries, but most of it is unique to each platform. Most importantly, however, is that one of the most-acclaimed first-person shooters in history will be playable on PC for the first time, and Xbox Game Pass for PC subscribers get the game for free. First in the Xbox One announcement, Microsoft reiterated its prior note that Red Dead Redemption 2 is coming on May 7. That date will also add the open-world survival game DayZ. A week later, on May 14, the classic RPG Final Fantasy IX will join the lineup, followed by the indie game Fractured Minds, which explores anxiety and mental health issues, on May 19.Meanwhile, the PC announcement also shows Final Fantasy IX coming to the service, along with Halo 2 joining the Master Chief Collection, and the 4X strategy game Endless Legend. Both announcements also note that they recently released Moving Out and Streets of Rage 4, in case you missed those.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

PC players have a chance to step into the wall-running, sword-swinging role of a cyborg ninja in Ghostrunner, but only this week. The first-person cyberpunk runner has a new demo available on PC starting today, but if you want to try it, you'll have to get on it soon--the demo is only available until May 13.You can find the Ghostrunner demo on the game's Steam page. The slice of the game is one that developer One More Level Games has been showing off at trade shows, including Gamescom and PAX East. You play a katana-wielding cyborg ninja, tasked with making your way through a huge tower filled with enemies, where combat is another part of the environmental puzzle.The game plays a lot like Mirror's Edge, in which your goal is to go as fast as possible through the environment, while wall-running, using a grappling hook to swing over gaps, and sliding under obstacles. As you do, you'll need to take out enemies waiting to drop you--but both you and the baddies die in one hit, so a single mistake is enough to knock you back to the beginning of the encounter. The game requires you to quickly chart your course through an area, clock any threats, avoid their incoming fire, and slice off their heads, all while moving as fast as possible.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Naughty Dog has debuted a new trailer for The Last of Us 2, and as you might expect it's suitably tense. While there are appearances by the infected, the majority of the trailer deals with violence between ordinary people, and it looks like it's taking an emotional toll on Ellie.In the trailer, we see how the years of hardship and survival have affected Ellie, who is covered in scars and cuts on her back and has turned into a formidable fighter. She interacts with Joel on several occasions in the trailer and sees some truly gruesome imagery. This includes a body riddled with arrows, as well as several people suspended from nooses in a shopping mall. Ellie is no stranger to violence, herself, attacking someone off-screen with a melee weapon as the trailer cuts to black.The Last of Us 2 is coming on June 19 to PlayStation 4. The new release date was given after an indefinite delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Fellow PS4-exclusive Ghost of Tsushima was given a July release date at the same time, a delay of a month as it was previously scheduled for June.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

For the past couple of months, publishers and retailers have been giving away tons of free games to promote social distancing. We've been keeping a running list of every free game you can claim on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and mobile. Another free PC game has joined the list, and it's the cult classic strategy game Evil Genius. All you need to do to snag Evil Genius is sign up for a Rebellion account, and then link it to your Steam account to add the game to your library. It's unclear when the promotion ends, so you should scoop this free game up as quickly as possible.Originally released in 2004, Evil Genius puts you in the shoes of one of three budding criminal masterminds on a quest for world domination. Played from an isometric perspective, you create your own secret lair filled with laboratories for experiments, training facilities, and obstacles such as traps and interrogation devices. Over the course of the campaign, you manage a growing minion army and recruit muscle to guard your elaborate base while developing weapons capable of executing your nefarious plans.Best game deals this weekContinue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com