Like plenty of other squad-based multiplayer games that have launched in recent years, such as Apex Legends and Call of Duty: Warzone, Ninja Theory's Bleeding Edge has a ping system that allows you to communicate with your team without actually speaking into a mic. As someone who doesn't always want to talk to his teammates when I'm playing online, it's a trend I hope to see continue in multiplayer games.Though I'm not a huge fan of Bleeding Edge's ping system overall (most of its pings require two button presses instead of just one, making it difficult to use in combat), it does offer an option that I haven't seen in similar games. It's something that I've been hoping Respawn adds to Apex Legends one day--in fact, I hope most multiplayer-focused games steal this one aspect from Bleeding Edge's ping system. In Bleeding Edge, you can ping your squad to suggest a retreat.Now, obviously, you shouldn't just run from every fight. It's better to win than run away, but sometimes you need to flee in order to regroup so that you can win the subsequent encounter. Most ping systems handle the concept of retreat the same way they do pushing forward--by pinging in a certain direction, your character informs the rest of the team that they should move in that direction.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Observant Half-Life: Alyx players spotted a Death Stranding Easter egg in one of the later chapters of Valve's recently launched VR-exclusive. Reddit user KnightzIX posted an image of the Death Stranding tribute, which you can see below.Credit goes to Reddit user KnightzIX.The find was verified by another Reddit user in the thread.If you can't tell, the Easter egg is a Death Stranding-style piece of cargo, complete with BRIDGES logo and the game's iconic yellow caution tape. Next to it is a black boot with yellow soles. It appears to be located in Chapter 8 of Half-Life: Alyx, in the locked storage room guarded by laser tripmines.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Note: This post contains spoilers for the stories of, like, every Doom game ever (except Doom 3), and especially the story of Doom Eternal.Even if you played Doom 2016, you might find yourself a bit lost with Doom Eternal. The game starts with a full-scale demonic invasion of Earth, doesn't make clear what's happened since the last game, and for some reason, gives you your own spaceship that's also a castle. Even if you're pretty well-versed in Doom lore, such as it is, you might find yourself lost at the start of id Software's latest.While you don't really need to pay attention to Doom Eternal's story to enjoy its intricate combat, there's also a pretty intricate tale being told if you're interested in hearing it. The trouble is, you need to do a lot of the work yourself to follow along, which includes finding a ton of lore collectibles scattered throughout the game. Doing so rewards you with some big revelations about the Doom story, but if you'd rather just get back to ripping and tearing, good news: we've run down the entire tale and all the lore for you right here.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Swedish company Avalanche Studios, known for the Just Cause series, has announced a series of changes for 2020, while also teasing a "dangerous and ominous" brand-new game from one of its new divisions.First off, Avalanche Studios has officially changed its name to Avalanche Studios Group, and the company has a new logo to go along with it (see it below). The company also confirmed it now has three separate creative divisions: Avalanche Studios, Expansive Worlds, and Systemic Reaction.The new Avalanche Studios Group logoAvalanche Studios is the team that made the Just Cause series and recently collaborated with Warner Bros. on Mad Max and with Bethesda on Rage 2. Expansive Worlds is the developer of the free-to-play hunting game, The Hunter: Call of the Wild. Systemic Reaction, meanwhile, is a self-publishing brand that previously released the open-world action game Generation Zero.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

PC game bundles are a great way to get a collection of awesome games in one nice and easy package. Most bundles usually come from sites like Humble Bundle, but this week, Steam has two of the best collections we've seen in quite some time. The Polish Spring Festival and Dark Cult bundles collect some excellent games from recent years, which span genres from strategy and survival to action and horror, and if you're looking for some games to keep you occupied while you're stuck inside, it doesn't get much better than this.The Polish Spring Festival bundle is $60.32, down from $109.95, and contains nine Polish-developed games, many of which have received great reviews from GameSpot. Frostpunk, This War of Mine, Darkwood, Superhot, Get Even, and Observer were all praised in GameSpot's reviews of said games, while Wanderlust Travel Stories, My Memory of Us, and We. The Revolution all boast positive user ratings on Steam. If you already own any of these games, then the price of the bundle decreases.The Dark Cult bundle, on the other hand, contains games that involve--you guessed it--dark cults, some of which were reviewed positively in our reviews. Many of the games also involve survival-horror themes. The games you get are Blasphemous, Darkest Dungeon, Outlast 2, The Shrouded Isle, and The Church in the Darkness. The Dark Cult bundle is $36.29, down from $109.95. Just like the previous bundle, the price decreases if you already own some of these games.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Movie theatres in China have begun to re-open as reports of new cases of COVID-19 have slowed down in the country. According to The Hollywood Reporter, as many as 700 theatres have opened for business again in China, and some of these theatres are screening massive blockbusters to encourage people to come back.All the Avengers movies--The Avengers, The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame--are returning to cinemas in the country later this month. Other Hollywood blockbusters, including Avatar, Inception, and Interstellar, are also coming back for new runs. These are some of the most profitable movies ever in China, with the Avengers films collectively making more than $1.3 billion in the country.Many of the 700 theatres that have re-opened are located in "remote regions" of China that were not as harshly impacted by the virus, according to the report. None of China's country-wide movie chains have begun normal business operation again.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Animal Crossing: New Horizons couldn't have come at a better time, and its first week sales are indicating as much too. In the UK the Nintendo Switch exclusive has already topped physical sales charts and sold more than all previous entries combined, but it's in Japan where Tom Nook and co. are really setting sales charts alight.Reported by Famitsu, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is now the fastest-selling Switch game in its first week, outpacing previous record holder Pokemon Sword and Shield. That's 1.88 million physical copies sold, which easily beats out the 1.36 million that both Sword and Shield sold combined during the same time. Everyone really wants to get their islands looking good quickly it seems.The launch of New Horizons also impacted overall Switch consoles sales in Japan. A reported 392,576 units were sold in the past week, which is a new weekly sales record for the Switch across its entire lifespan in Japan. Famitsu also only reports on physical sales, which omits all digital copies and bundled ones with the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch variant, which also continually sold out before launch.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The Nintendo Switch has crossed another major sales milestone in Japan. As of this week, the system has sold 12.8 million units in the country (thanks, Nintendo Life), which means that, in just over three years, the system has outsold the Wii in its country of origin.This observation was made by analyst Daniel Ahmad on Twitter, who noted that the system sold about 390,000 units in Japan this week--the biggest week the system has ever had, thanks to the incredible popularity of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which just had the best Japanese launch for a Switch game ever.As Ahmad points out, Nintendo managed to supply units for Animal Crossing's launch at a time where the system is facing production issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic--right now it's very difficult to buy a Switch in the US, and in Japan it's much easier to find a Switch Lite than a regular Switch.Nintendo Switch hardware sell through exceeded 390k this week in Japan.- Sales driven by AC launch.- Record week for Switch HW, beating original 2017 launch week. - Launch of new Coral Lite / AC Limited Edition.- Lite easier to find than OG model given recent shortages. pic.twitter.com/oNeOu9NjJm — Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) March 25, 2020Fairly notable that Nintendo were able to build up a large supply of units for AC launch week, will be interesting to see how supply holds up in the following weeks. The Nintendo Switch has also surpassed the Wii in lifetime hardware sales (12.7m). — Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) March 25, 2020Nintendo's handhelds have always done very well in Japan, so the hybrid nature of the Switch has no doubt been a factor in its success--the Nintendo DS sold just under 33 million units in Japan. The Switch accounted for 76% of all console sales in Japan in 2019.While the Switch has outsold the Wii in Japan, its worldwide sales are still a long way behind--the Wii sold over 101 million units in its lifetime, while the Switch has sold a bit over 52 million, as of January 2020. There's a very good chance of the console overtaking the Wii in lifetime sales eventually, however.If you're struggling to get your own Switch right now, here's our guide on how to buy one in these difficult times. Unfortunately, it's not as easy right now as it usually is. Info from Gamespot.com

Microsoft continues to update and support Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and the newest change brings a multiplayer mode to Halo: Combat Evolved that it's never had before.The latest playlist update brings the mode Team SWAT and FFA SWAT to Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. This might not sound like a big deal, but this is the first time that SWAT has been available in original Halo game. It's been featured in most of the Halo sequels, but never the first game.You can now find out for yourself how SWAT plays in the original Halo. The matchmaking gametype is currently available for both PC and Xbox One in Halo: The Master Chief Collection.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Below, Capy's unrelentingly difficult 2018 roguelike exploration title, is coming to PlayStation 4 on April 7 for $25. As previously announced, it'll come with a new mode that will make the game more palatable for players who did not enjoy the level of challenge offered up in the original release, and Xbox One and PC players will get that mode as well in a free update.Explore mode will lower the game's difficulty without eliminating it, so players should still find it challenging--just not quite as difficult as the default mode (now called Survive mode).Here's the full list of changes in Explore mode, as outlined on Capy's website:Changes to SurvivalNo Hunger or ThirstCan’t drink puddles or bottlesBottles still need to be filled with water for cooking soupSoups restore healthDeath’s door teleport to island Avoids the issue of jumping down without enough lamp juice to open the doorWorld Entity changesFire Pillars Chance to drop embersFires don’t burn out until you dieInvincible, can’t be broken with bombsNo one-hit deathsNo iron maidenEXPLORE Damage ChangesAll damage is bleed damage, giving the player time to stop the bleedingEXPLORE Checkpoints/Campfires Don’t clear after useStill only one active at a timeMode-specific SavesNew Save slot for EXPLORENew SURVIVE mode on main menu (original mode) Existing progress saved as SURVIVE mode slotBelow received a 6/10 in GameSpot's review, and it was criticized for the way it will "eventually turn into a slog for all but the most committed of players." Explore mode has the potential to mitigate some of these complaints. It was initially available on Xbox Game Pass, but has since left the service. Info from Gamespot.com

Apple has released the first trailer for its new mini-series, Defending Jacob, which stars Captain America actor Chris Evans as a father whose young son has been accused of murder.Complicating things is that Evans plays an assistant district attorney who must navigate the waters of supporting his beloved son and finding justice. The movie is based on the 2012 book of the same name. The first trailer promises a lot of drama and intrigue in small-town Massachusetts.As you can see in the debut trailer, Evans partakes in some shady behaviour that would not make the noble and virtuous Captain America very proud.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Avalanche Studios is running a huge sale on all their titles on Steam, with games up to 90% off. Avalanche is best known for the Just Cause series, published by Square Enix, as well as Rage 2 from early last year.This sale is a part of the studio’s announcement to rebrand as Avalanche Studios Group, a studio comprising three developer companies: Avalanche Studios, Expansive Worlds, and Systemic Reaction. The sale also includes titles from Expansive Worlds and Systemic Reaction, known for games like theHunter: Call of the Wild and Generation Zero respectively.A teaser trailer for an all new game was also released with this announcement.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to force people to self-isolate, students across the world have been impacted as classes move online and practicals become impossible. But 450 students at the National Film and Television School in the UK are likely feeling a bit better about their situation now after a surprise masterclass from David Fincher.Fincher, whose directorial credits include The Social Network, Fight Club, and (my personal favorite) Zodiac, made a surprise appearance over Zoom, Indiewire reports. The Masterclass was conducted through Zoom, and since Fincher tends to shy away from interviews and press appearances, it offered some rare insight into his processes.A Masterclass with the one and only directing legend David Fincher has 100% lifted the spirits of @NFTSFilmTV students! A huge thank you to David for being so generous with his time and knowledge today 🙌 https://t.co/E7QxKRlASC — National Film and Television School (@NFTSFilmTV) March 24, 2020Unfortunately, the class he gave is unlikely to appear online anytime soon, but it would have been a nice surprise for the students.David Fincher's next film, Mank, is going to Netflix in 2020. He has not released a movie since 2014's Gone Girl, but he served as an executive producer and director across both seasons of Mindhunter, also on Netflix. The future of Mindhunter is currently in doubt, with the show's actors released from their contracts while Fincher pursues other projects. Info from Gamespot.com

EA has released a new patch for Anthem to fix an issue with the weekly challenge not rewarding players with loot on completion. The weekly challenge, Legendary Runner, was supposed to give out 2,000 coins as a reward on completion and count towards the monthly count of challenges. After players had completed this mission once, the mission failed to reward players for any future completions of the same challenge in the following weeks.Without this weekly challenge being counted as completed, some players were unable to unlock their monthly challenges, missing out on a chance to get a Masterwork Ember--a rare crafting element for crafting Javelin armor and weapons.Freelancers!We've made a server-side tweak to resolve a small issue with rewards being granted from the Legendary Runner Weekly Challenge.Details here: https://t.co/kYBDzQ5syf pic.twitter.com/SaluO9PonT — Anthem (@anthemgame) March 25, 2020For players who have finished or attempted to complete the challenge previously, EA will be backtracking through accounts and accrediting them with rewards for each completion. These rewards should now be granted in-game, if they are not appearing make sure to reach out to the Anthem support page.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Sad news has come to light as the news of Landon Montgomery, co-founder of Gearbox, has passed away. The news was confirmed by the official Gearbox Twitter account, with a message of support and affection going out to those who knew him.In Memoriam pic.twitter.com/IYo8hMbpYH — Gearbox Official (@GearboxOfficial) March 25, 2020Online, tributes have been pouring in, as many remember Montgomery for the good he did in the world and the games he made. From working on various Half-Life titles, Halo: Combat Evolved, the Brothers in Arms series, 007 Nightfire, Deathmatch Maker, Borderlands, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, Montgomery has influenced almost every one who plays games in some respect.Today I kill graveward not in the name of loot but in honor of Landon Montgomery. F — dr zed (@cl4pl3k) March 25, 2020In Memory of Landon Montgomery - rest in peace sir - Thank you for your ideas and work - you have contributed to the happiness of millions of players and people pic.twitter.com/2HHXxwxWL1 — Maggie Jakobs Flynt (@EmiliaTokes) March 25, 2020Thanks for giving us the company behind 2 decades of fun Half-Life Expansion Packs, mods, along with other contributions to the series (Opposing Force, Blue Shift, etc.), the Borderlands series, and many other games. RIP Landon Montgomery — Man from J.U.M.P. ジスワPROJECT (@MangaHistorian) March 26, 2020Landon will live on in the memory of our earliest games from our work with Half-Life and Halo to the creation of our first, original game Brothers in Arms. Aloha, Landon. https://t.co/vuBi3MYJp5 — Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) March 25, 2020Sorry for unloading some fond memories... such a shock. I still need to process it all. He left Gearbox in 2007, I think, and I only saw him a couple of times over the last decade or so... I cannot imagine how those closest to him more recently are managing the news. — Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) March 26, 2020While Montgomery left Gearbox back in 2007, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford has spoken openly about his memories with Montgomery on Twitter, reminiscing on just how devoted Montogmery was to his craft.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com