Animal Crossing: New Horizons' latest update brought back two returning characters: the shrub-selling Leif and shady art vendor Redd. The latter operates a small merchant ship called Jolly Redd's Treasure Trawler, which is the only place you can purchase artwork to donate to the museum's new art wing.As before, many of the pieces Redd sells are of...dubious origins, and since Blathers will only accept genuine works of art for the museum, you need to suss out the real pieces from the fakes before you make a purchase. This time, however, some of the forgeries are worth owning in their own right, because it appears they are haunted.Since Redd arrived in New Horizons, players have been sharing clips of fake artwork they've purchased from him on social media. While many of the forgeries have subtle inaccuracies, some have apparently been seen doing unusual--and often creepy--things. We haven't stumbled upon any of these in the game ourselves yet, but people have shared clips of paintings opening their eyes, while the fake version of the ancient statue levitates when touched. You can take a look at some of the fakes below.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

At the end of the livestream revealing the Viking setting of the next Assassin's Creed game, Ubisoft announced the game's official title: Assassin's Creed Valhalla. A full trailer is scheduled to release tomorrow, April 30, at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET.As previously rumored, Valhalla takes place during The Viking Age. Occurring between the ninth and eleventh centuries, The Viking Age occurs roughly 100-400 years prior to the events of the original Assassin's Creed. That could mean that this game will continue the origin stories of how the Hidden Ones and The Order of Ancients went on to become the Assassin Brotherhood and Templar Order, respectively--a narrative first started in Origins and continued in Odyssey.The finished artwork revealing the setting for Assassin's Creed Valhalla.In the artwork used to announce Valhalla's setting, a Viking warrior separates two different scenes. On the left, you see Viking raiders sailing in longboats and on the right you see Viking raiders attacking English soldiers. The Viking warrior in the middle is holding an axe, with the symbol of the Assassin Brotherhood engraved into its blade. Additionally, there is a raven flying over the shoulder of the Viking, which could suggest the bird takes on the in-game role of reconnaissance that the eagles Senu and Ikaros did in Origins and Odyssey, respectively. In Norse mythology, ravens are seen as the eyes of Odin--so getting a drone-like view of the world through one would fit into the Viking theme of Valhalla.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

With the release of the acclaimed Final Fantasy VII Remake, we've been seeing a ton of great deals around older Final Fantasy games, which is perfect timing for those who are itching to go back and play some of their favorites. PS4 and Xbox One players have sales of their own to take advantage of this week featuring deals on the original FFVII and later entries like X/X-2 HD Remaster and XII: The Zodiac Age. But if you're looking to go further back and play some of the older Final Fantasy games, a new Square Enix sale offers discounts for those classic games on iOS and Android. You'll also find deals on the Dragon Quest franchise and other classics like Chrono Trigger.The sale includes markdowns spanning from the first Final Fantasy, which is just $4 right now, to the original Final Fantasy VII, which is on sale for $9. Several of these games regularly go for about $15, so it's a good chance to grab some of these older FF games for less than $10. You can also snag the excellent Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions for just $7 (the iPad version is discounted to $8).Besides Final Fantasy, the time-traveling epic Chrono Trigger is a full 50% off, selling for $5 on iOS and Android. You'll also find a host of Dragon Quest deals, including Dragon Quest VIII for $15 (normally $20) and the earlier games for $10 or less. You can check out all the current mobile deals below. It's unclear how long these deals will be available, so don't wait too long if any of these games catch your eye.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

NXT's Keith Lee has made waves over the past year in WWE. He was a main attraction for Team NXT at 2019's Survivor Series, dethroned Roderick Strong for the North American Championship, appeared in 2020's Royal Rumble match, and sang his way into our hearts in the Netflix movie The Main Event. However, it doesn't stop there. Lee will defend his title against Damian Priest on the April 29 episode of NXT on USA.Early in April, Lee faced Dominik Dijakovic and Priest in a triple threat match for the North American Championship, successfully retaining it, but Lee thinks a one-on-one with Priest won't be as challenging. "I think that one-on-ones are oftentimes easier matches because you can focus on one opponent," Lee told GameSpot. "But as we've seen, he was a crafty guy, so there is still danger with him."That's not the only challenge Lee will face when defending his title. Wrestling at the Performance Center, without an audience, is not something professional wrestlers are used to, as the roar of the crowd can help energize the performers. "[This is] something that I've actually talked about with so many of my other athletic friends and associates--just there's a bit of a void when it comes to not having the crowd for that initial level of adrenaline," Lee explained. "So not having them there takes away a little bit of electricity. It makes it slightly difficult and a little different experience. So there's that lack of adrenaline. Things often hurt even more than usual because I don't have such a wide array of people kind of uplifting me. I tried to explain to fans how much they mean to me, but I don't know if it gets across."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Warning: There are going to be spoilers, obviously. Read on at your own risk.The impressive thing about Final Fantasy 7 Remake is how grounded so much of it feels. Even if you're not familiar with Midgar, mako, or Materia, for the most part, the remake does a remarkably good job of dropping you into its world without leaving you to flounder. That's thanks to its expanded character development and focus on the human side of its major events--you might be wandering through a fantasy world, but you can relate to the people who live there and their universal hardships and triumphs.Sure, there are scenes where a guy with a five-foot sword and a giant man with a gatling gun for an arm ride a subway and discuss being inconspicuous. But there are also more human moments, like when the members of Avalanche consider the collateral damage of their mission to blow up dangerous mako reactors, or when Shinra's employees express the fears they have about simply going to work with terrorist attacks on the rise.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Microsoft appears to be in a strong position with the Xbox Series X release coming up this Holiday. As part of the company's latest earnings report for the quarter ended March 31, Microsoft disclosed a number of key statistics about how the Xbox brand is performing.Microsoft no longer reports Xbox console sales, but the company did provide updates on Xbox Live and Xbox Game Pass, and more.New Xbox StatsXbox Live - nearly 90 million monthly active users (across all platforms)Xbox Game Pass -- Surpassed 10 million paid subscribersProject xCloud -- Has hundreds of thousands of active users in previewXbox Game Pass costs $10/month USD for the base package after a $1 introductory offer. With 10 million paying members, the service is generating $1 billion or more per year for Microsoft.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Ubisoft is known for its multi-studio game development, but it appears that Assassin's Creed: Valhalla will set a new record in terms of the number of studios working on it.Ubisoft Montreal is the game's main developer, and the team has recruited a whopping 14 other co-developers to contribute to the game's development. Ubisoft Montreal announced this massive production effort in an update on Twitter after the game's reveal.Exciting! An immense congratulations to our studio warriors for all the good work and passion building to that reveal. We’d also like to thank the 14 co-dev studios all around the world. You know who you are, and we’re thankful for your dedication! Skàl! pic.twitter.com/hBPpFZKkrP — Ubisoft Montréal (@UbisoftMTL) April 29, 2020Valhalla will be formally unveiled with its first trailer on Thursday, April 30, so keep checking back with GameSpot for lots more on the game.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

After holding a livestream that revealed 2020's Assassin's Creed would take place during The Viking Age, Ubisoft announced the official name of the upcoming game is Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Ubisoft isn't done teasing its new game yet, however, as another livestream is scheduled to premiere tomorrow, April 30 at 7:45 AM PT / 10:45 AM ET which will include a trailer that debuts at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET. You can watch it below.Until Ubisoft announces more information, we actually don't know all that much about Valhalla. The Viking Age actually lasts several centuries, so the game could take place anywhere between 100 and 400 years prior to the original Assassin's Creed.This does probably mean that Valhalla will give us more opportunities to see the evolving philosophies of the Hidden Ones and the Order of Ancients, the respective precursors to the Assassin Brotherhood and Templar Order, but that hasn't been confirmed. The origins of these two groups and the rising escalation of their conflict has been a major part of both Assassin's Creed Origins and Assassin's Creed Odyssey.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Why are we putting up with bad video game adaptations of the anime we love? That question has been stuck in my head, so think of this as my attempt to untangle some thoughts, vent a bit, and maybe come to an understanding. Because anime games are bad, and it's really, really frustrating.I think what rubs me the wrong way the most is the frequent reliance on arena fighters, and because of that, I guess what I'm saying is that the shounen genre deserves better--though other genres aren't entirely free from shoddy adaptations. The arena fighter is, I think, a poisonous gameplay template when it comes to anime and manga adaptations. It emaciates its source material, reducing intricate stories, nuanced characters, fascinating worlds, and emotionally resonant themes into button-mashy pugilism.I'll say up front that, no, I'm not saying every game based on a shounen property is bad. Dragon Ball FighterZ stands out as a recent exception, but the rule it defies still exists: The vast majority of anime games are disappointing. And for some reason, we just seem to put up with it.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

With more and more people staying home amid the COVID-19 crisis, the gaming industry is experiencing growth as people look for stuff to do. Xbox is seeing an increase in Xbox Live users and Xbox Game Pass subscribers. While the lockdowns are seemingly good for business, it's also a challenging time in the world where people are facing difficulty and hardship related to the pandemic and other factors.Xbox boss Phil Spencer told Business Insider that Microsoft is trying to avoid "exploiting the situation" for its own gain. Instead of focusing on changing up its business models to leverage the increase in players, the company is primarily trying to keep Xbox Live up and running to meet the increased demand."We want to be very thoughtful and not exploiting the situation," Spencer said. "We're not putting in place any different business tactics or other things. We're just trying to keep all the services up, trying to keep the games enjoyable, keeping our networks safe and secure. And being there at a time of need. I'm proud that we can provide this activity for people."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

Reggie Fils-Aime, the beloved former Nintendo of America president, is getting in on the podcast bandwagon. He is starting a new show alongside games journalist Harold Goldberg that is very appropriately called "Talking Games with Reggie and Harold."The series features Fils-Aime and Goldberg speaking to "high-profile" executives in the gaming world, as well as developers and students from New York. Video game media veteran Geoff Keighley, who organizes The Game Awards, is the first guest.The podcast will also serve to help raise money for the New York Video Game Critics Circle, a non-profit charity that provides scholarships and other help to students in New York. Fils-Aime and Goldberg will call on their audience to donate to a GoFundMe campaign that will give games and consoles to young people in homeless shelters.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

A new animated Transformers movie is on the way, and the producers have hired a big name to direct it. Deadline reports that Toy Story 4 director Josh Cooley--who won an Oscar for that Pixar film--will direct the new Transformers animated film.Sources told the site that the movie is some kind of a prequel that tells an origin story. The movie is reportedly set on planet Cybertron, and the story focuses on Optimus Prime and Megatron.Ant-Man and the Wasp writers Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrai wrote the script. Notably, this film is separate from the live-action Transformers movie series. Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Nintendo has pushed out another firmware update for the Nintendo Switch. Don't expect much from the update, however, as it's primarily focused on stability improvements.Update 10.0.2. introduces "general stability improvements," along with one fix in particular. The update fixes a bug related to how the system sets up a new Pro controller, which could cause "incorrect joystick control." You can see the patch notes below.Nintendo Switch 10.0.2. Update Patch Notes:"General system stability improvements to enhance the user’s experience, including a solution for the following: We have fixed an issue where a Nintendo Switch console with system menu version 10.0.0 or 10.0.1 does not set up a new Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, sometimes causing incorrect joystick control."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Since its launch in late 2018, Fallout 76 has lacked one element crucial to the series’ identity. The series' best moments predominantly involved stories of its survivors, the poor souls unfortunate enough to have been exposed to nuclear war and the horrors of its fallout. Fallout 76's latest free expansion, Wastelanders, attempts to inject some of that humanity into the game by introducing human NPCs and their stories to the auburn hills of Appalachia, while also expanding upon available role-playing options. Taken as a separate part, Wastelanders represents some of the best Fallout content since New Vegas, but Fallout 76's flawed structure and mechanics prevent it from shining.It's been more than a year since I played Fallout 76, and it's likely that I'm not the only one returning from a prolonged absence now that Wastelanders has launched. This made me decide to start a new character in a bid to see just how much Fallout 76 has changed since then. Wastelanders' changes are apparent from the start. After the tutorial, you emerge from Vault 76 to something new: Two human travelers, marking the prominent return of human life to West Virginia wasteland, greet you at the entrance to the vault. They mention a treasure rumored to be buried in the hills of Appalachia, which quickly leads you to a newly established bar under the management of Duchess and her party of ragtag brains and brawn. This alternative start to Fallout 76 is more gripping than the previous audio logs that initially introduced you to its world and serves to illustrate how Wastelanders' content affects the rest of the game.Initial tutorial quests take you through the broad strokes of Fallout 76's survival elements and base-building, interspersed with contextual dialogue for each action delivered by a character you can actually interact with. The disembodied audio logs and impersonal robots of the original tutorial are still there if you choose a different route, but running through the same lessons while advancing a more captivating story in Wastelanders make Fallout 76's opening hours more akin to a traditional Fallout adventure. It can be easy for brand-new players to miss this pair of human NPCs entirely, but for returning players their mere existence will quickly draw you to their new introduction.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com