In 2017, the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild turned the long-running Zelda franchise on its head in many ways. With serene moments of exploration outnumbering the thunderous battle scenes set to triumphant musical scores, Breath of the Wild gave players a new, perhaps more reflective perspective on the franchise. The Hyrule Warriors spin-off franchise exists in a completely different space; adrenaline-pumping music beats you over the head as you mow through hundreds of enemies within minutes in continual, fast-paced battles.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world, Breath of the Wild begins as Link wakes up after a century-long slumber. We know that he, Zelda, and the Champions lost Hyrule in a major battle many years ago, but until today, that battle has remained largely mysterious. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity explores the climactic clash between the forces of good and evil 100 years prior to the moment Link awakens in Breath of the Wild.

Now that Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is out, we asked Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity director Ryouta Matsushita, and producer Yosuke Hayashi about the spin-off's relationship with Breath of the Wild.

A small cost for Apple creates a large investment in small companies, keeping those companies around longer to make more and better apps & games. ...

Almost a year to the day since its last Heist, GTA Online embarks on its newest foray into large-scale larceny. On December 12, 2019, we got to rob The Diamond Casino & Resort. On December 15, 2020, we keep our eyes trained on the resort angle but ignore the Ocean's 11 stuff.

GTA Online's next Heist is called "The Cayo Perico Heist." It takes place on the private island of a drug kingpin, and you're headed to his home to soak up the sun. Also, to make off with all of his "art, gold, and drug money." It's rare that people come back from vacation with more money than they started with. Then again, most people don't end up with bullet wounds after vacation. Dicey tradeoff.

What's new to this mission is that you don't necessarily need a crew to pull it off. Rockstar says this is the first Heist that's designed for players to solo it if they want. Of course, you can also approach it as a squad of four like the other Heists.

Rockstar vaguely outlined some aspects of the Cayo Perico Heist by listing these features: New vehicles and weapons, new social spaces to dance and party in, new guest DJs, over 100 new songs, and a "very large, very versatile, and very heavily armed submarine HQ."

It all goes down on December 15. How quietly or how bang-bangy it goes down is up to you.

The Cayo Perico Heist: Coming December 15 to GTA Online [Rockstar]

Sega has released another new trailer showing off the mech-riding gals preparing to kick names and take ass in upcoming mobile title Sakura Kakumei: Hanasaku Otome-tachi - or Sakura Revolution.

This typically off-the-wall preview shines stage lights on the squad members that make up Sakura Revolution's Flower Divisions - talented artists, warriors, and scientists who like to take time out from their muses to battle inter-dimensional demons. A common lifestyle that we can all relate to.

With the help from the trailer's teeny-tiny English translations, the eight women of the Flower Division are identified as (in order of appearance) Moemi Washu, Sudachi Sana, Benishi Hijikata, Riho Oigawa, Uchika Tateyama, Tatsuji Takasaki, Mutsuha Mogami, and finally Mana Jujimachi. We also get a glimpse at each of the ladies' strange "Spiricle Dress" mech armor. I think my favorite is the piano-powered Tatsuji Takasaki. What say you?

Cyberpunk 2077 is the gift that keeps on giving with Keanu Reeves, a massive open-world playground, and more weapons than you could possibly keep track of. With the final hands-on preview for the upcoming CD Projekt RED game, we dive deep into what Keanu brings to the table, how does the music stack up to some of the greats, and Silverhand's ability to make people pregnant just by walking past (kidding on that last part).

Join Alex Stadnik and Liana Ruppert as we take you through Night City once more while telling our tales of playing as Johnny Silverhand himself and our thoughts on if the December release date will actually stick this time. 

If you're excited to dive into the world of neon and crime, you don't have to wait long because Cyberpunk 2077 releases on December 10 for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, and Google Stadia. You can also learn more about the game's musical experience with our in-depth interview with the composers behind some pretty epic tracks right here. 

Capcom has issued a patch for Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition, addressing problematic support for 120Hz unique to the PlayStation 5 version of the game - as reported in prior Digital Foundry coverage. The issue in a nutshell is this: if your TV supports 120Hz, the PS5 version of the game hard-set the console to run at that refresh rate - even if you weren't using the 120H frame-rate mode. This presented several problems, the most notable being that many 4K TVs only support 120Hz at 1080p or 1440p, meaning that DMC5's 4K-specific modes would produce a downscaled output.

Even those with the latest HDMI 2.1 displays capable of running full 4K at 120Hz would have issues with the game: Devil May Cry 5 would then run with an unlocked frame-rate, with the game often running in excess of 60 frames per second. While this was great for 'benchmarking' the game, for seeing the RE engine running fully unleashed until it hit system limits, the user experience was not so good owing to unwanted judder. The unlocked nature of the game applied equally to both Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, but owners of the Microsoft machine could dip into the console display settings and turn off 120Hz support, capping frame-rate to 60fps and producing an overall smoother experience.

One of the more memorable campaign levels from Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is a largely stealth mission through East Berlin, set in February 1981.

In this level, you alongside your crack team of CIA operatives infiltrate the German Democratic Republic via train, and it's here you get a sense of developer Raven's attention to detail: there are era-appropriate ads all over the carriage, including an old-school FILA logo and a poster for an old camera, and a man reading a newspaper with a headline about then American president Ronald Reagan.

And there, on the wall by the carriage door, is a Doritos advert.

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I'm still enjoying Mario Kart Live here and there.

As I noted in my impressions piece; the amount of fun you'll get out of it really depends on how much space and time you have for it. You're probably going to need a lot of space for this project.

As a "celebration of the 35th anniversary of Mario," 3D-printing manufacture BCN3D managed to craft the entire Rainbow Road track from the original SNES Mario Kart. According to them, it took "two engineers and 10 employees" to make this "ambitious" build, which actually accommodates the Mario Kart Live car.

BCN3D says that the track is comprised of "more than 4400 3D-printed pieces," clocking in at 5x5 meters. They've made all of the STL files available here at this Thingiverse landing page.

It is ambitious! I love that the track length is wide enough to fully fit the toy racer, while preserving the "hazard" of falling off. The sky really is the limit with this game, as you could theoretically raise the platform and put a soft surface underneath: penalizing drops and forcing the real-life racers to put the car back on the track.

some news: you may have seen a very broad 2020 release window for The Artful Escape, 12 Minutes, and Last Stop in trailers or on store pages in the past

Is the Among Us community about to get a new favourite map to replace the Skeld? Quite possibly, as developer InnerSloth has teased a new map for the game - and everyone is understandably quite excited.

The teaser itself leaves much to the imagination, but shows a shiny new cockpit with an all-important vent in the middle. InnerSloth plans on revealing more at the Game Awards, which takes place on 10th December (or in the early hours of 11th December, for those in the UK).

Plans for the map were announced back in September, when InnerSloth detailed a Henry Stickmin-themed location in its blog post discussing future plans (Henry Stickmin is another game series created by InnerSloth co-founder Marcus "PuffballsUnited" Bromander, by the way). We also know the map is supposed to be bigger than Polus, with "plenty of new tasks," and will be free for all players.

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Taito has released a new trailer for its upcoming retro collection Darius Cozmic Revelation, which will launch in Japan on PS4 and Nintendo Switch in February 2021, with a western release schedule for the same window.

Darius Cozmic Revelation - a sequel of sorts to the previously released Darius Cozmic Collection - features updated editions of two later entries in the legendary shmup series. G-Darius HD is a remastered port of the original 1997 release G-Darius, which is renowned for successfully transitioning the franchise from 2D to 3D visuals.

Also included in the new double pack is 2010's Dariusburst EX: Another Chronicle +, a gorgeous and pulse-pounding entry developed by genre veterans Pyramid. The Darius Cozmic Revelation edition of this arcade and Sony PSP classic will also include some all-new features, details of which are to be expected in the coming weeks.

Now that the Demon's Souls remake is finally out, ushering in the new era of console gaming as the preeminent "next-gen" exclusive (that isn't available on previous generations), we can talk about it! And Bluepoint and Sony themselves are very keen on doing that; promoting the game through a recent article on their favorite boss fights that's worth a read.

For me, my "favorite boss" kind of shifts over time.

Initially, when I first played Demon's Souls sight unseen pre-release, Storm King blew me away. The soundtrack, the arena: all of it took me by surprise as I wasn't expecting that level of grandeur. Once you know the secret it's not super impressive mechanically, but the shock and the audacity at having to take down that Godzilla-esque behemoth was amazing.

Similarly, the Maneater fight was hilarious! I remember the first time playing it and struggling against it, before the surprise came out. Tower Knight is also a classy choice, as it kind of epitomizes the uphill struggle of Demon's Souls very early once you've picked off the relatively easy first demon.

Old King Allant is always good for a reliable tussle and remains one of my favorites. Since I probably have to pick just one, I think I'll go with Old King after playing through the remake.

We're starting to get a sense of why PlayStation 5 users are unlikely to see PlayStation 4 games run at 120 frames per second on Sony's new console - despite the PS5 being perfectly capable of doing it.

Last week, I reported on how Infinity Ward had quietly updated Call of Duty: Warzone to run at 120fps on Xbox Series X, but not on PS5.

Warzone, which comes up as a PS4 app when it's downloaded on PS5, does not boot in 120Hz, and there are no in-game menu functions to enable it. Activision declined to comment when contacted by Eurogamer, leaving us to assume the reason for this difference had to do with the way Sony handles backwards compatibility. At the time, I speculated that Infinity Ward would have to create a full PS5 port of Warzone in order to enable 120fps on the console.

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Capcom has suffered another serious information breach, as details of its upcoming game release schedule up to the end of 2024 have been posted online.

It follows a cache of documents posted earlier this week which revealed details on more imminently-available games due within the next few months, as well as source code and plans for handling relationships with streamers. Nine items of employee personal data were also included.

As before, this new information comes from a ransomware attack which breached Capcom's servers and obtained an enormous amount of sensitive information. Capcom has acknowledged the attack and is now working with law enforcement agencies.

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Here's a cocktail as explosive as a firecracker: take three parts SRPG, one part roguelike and a final dash of spicy musou, and you've got a mix that bangs. The Last Spell, which dropped a demo on Steam earlier this month, is proof of that - it's a sparky little mess of influences that shows some serious promise.

The isometric perspective and pixel-art - absolutely gorgeous, exquisitely detailed pixel-art, it should be pointed out - are reminiscent of SRPG staples like Final Fantasy Tactics, and the set-up's much the same: take charge of a small party of warriors and indulge in some turn-based combat on an isometric map. There's a twist - actually, there's a few - in that you're working on a single map, defending the circle of magic at the centre of your base.

So yes, on top of being a roguelike with your party and quarters procedurally generated, there's also base defence factored in, with The Last Spell split into three easy to parse sections - by night you're deploying your team, before engaging the hordes of undead that attack until dawn, and by day you're spending the resources acquired on tooling up your team (in a nice touch - actually, the most important touch - the gear you equip is visible on your avatars).

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Developer Smilegate has announced that its military shooter CrossfireX will no longer meet its intended 2020 release date. Citing roadblocks caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the free-to-play Xbox One title is now expected to launch sometime in 2021.

"After much deliberation, and in consideration of the challenges faced by the Smilegate development team due to COVID-19, we have made the difficult decision to delay the release of CrossfireX to 2021," reads a statement on the official website. "Moving our release window will allow us to deliver the Crossfire experience on console our team set to create. We’ll have more to share in the future."

Originally debuting during E3 2019, CrossfireX will see two private mercenary factions battle it out in well-worn multiplayer warfare. Siding with either private military unit Global Risk, or shadowy merc outfit Black List - both of whom sound shady as fuck - players will engage in what is described as "a variety of classic and innovative modes". Without trying to sound too negative, I don't know what CrossfireX can bring to a shooter market already swimming in releases, but hopefully we'll find out soon.

As you may have noticed, Nintendo is adding physical rewards to My Nintendo at a rapid pace: almost on a bi-weekly basis.

Most of them are in the 500-1000 point range, which is no problem for folks who have been sitting on points for ages, doing nothing with them (because there was basically nothing on offer!). But now that the tables have turned and you've picked up one reward, you may need to stock back up. Your secret weapon? Fire Emblem Heroes.

The Black Friday sales are really kicking into gear now and, would you look at that, an old favourite is back again. Yep, like clockwork, a PS Plus membership is discounted by 25 per cent or more at various retailers.

You'll find the best PS Plus Black Friday offer over at ShopTo, where the price on a one year subscription is down to £32.85. Amazon's discount is slightly smaller, bringing it down to £37.49. A 12 month PS Plus subscription usually costs £49.99. Check out both below, or hop over to our PlayStation Black Friday deals page for even more savings.

As you no doubt already know, PS Plus is Sony's membership service across PS4 and PS5. Signing up gives you a number of benefits, such as access to online multiplayer, exclusive discounts, cloud storage for saved data and a couple of free games each month.

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As you glide about its burnished hallways, flitting from one glittering, cavernous hall to the next, it's hard not to be impressed by the pomposity of Godfall. Its opening is unapologetically ostentatious in a way that's somehow both majestic and faintly repellent, like an ageing casino decorated by a man who thinks he has taste.

At first, it all feels reminiscent of Destiny 2's Leviathan raid. It's those interiors; the slick, polished metal and all that gleaming gold. It's an undeniably gorgeous universe, and later, when you step outside and weave through the crumbling ruins of the Earth Realm, fiery leaves dancing above your head, or explore the aquamarine-soaked environs of the Water Realm, you'll realise just how breathtaking this world is.

The problem with Godfall is that beauty is pretty much all it's got. Though it dresses itself up as a Diablo-esque looter-slasher and drenches you with gear and weapons at pretty much every opportunity it can get, there's so little else to sink your teeth into here beyond its gratifying aesthetic. The story - a tale of two warring brothers, of which you, Orin, are one - is intriguing, but fails to deliver its plot or central characters in a convincing or meaningful way. The loot is plentiful, yes, but with so much gear available at virtually every turn, it cheapens - maybe even negates - any desire to upgrade or retain favourite pieces.

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Following on from video game adaptations such as Mortal Kombat, Super Mario Bros., Street Fighter, Bloodrayne, Alone in the Dark - and more recently Monster Hunter and Uncharted - Apple has officially confirmed pre-production has started on a film retelling the incredible story of one of the most iconic video games of all-time: Tetris.

As reported by Deadline, Tetris: The Movie (surely they can't be running with that title) will tell the incredible story of the classic puzzle games conception, as well as the flammable legal battles fought by Russian creator Alexey Pajitnov, and Dutch designer Henk Rogers, who ultimately secured the console rights to the multi-million dollar franchise.

Directed by Stan & Ollie's Jon S. Baird, Tetris will star Taron Egerton as Rogers, with several other roles yet to be cast, including the all-important role of Pajitnov himself. Egerton, of course, won worldwide acclaim for his portrayal of musician Elton John in 2019 biopic Rocketman. A joint collaboration between Apple and production studios Marv Films and AI Film, Tetris is expected to begin shooting in December.

Apple boards Taron Egerton-starring "Tetris" movie [Deadline]

The PlayStation 5 is now out in the UK! After a week of watching our American cousins enjoy their new next-gen consoles, Sony's machine finally launched on our shores this week, and of course it didn't go quite according to plan. After a remarkable row between GAME and Yodel that saw the delivery company trending on Twitter as anxious customers wondered whether their PS5s would actually turn up on launch day, Currys ended up calling off its PS5 launch after accidentally selling consoles early. Clearly, our shops have struggled to cope with demand during the lockdown, although according to Emma's on-the-ground reporting of the click-and-collect sale of the PS5 at our local GAME, excited fans were at least socially distancing.

As Nintendo Switch owners eagerly wait to Rip 'n' Tear through Doom Eternal, new information from publisher Bethesda suggests that the hellish shooter sequel's physical edition may have been canceled.

Flags were first raised after Gamestop started automatically refunding all customers who had pre-ordered a hard copy of Doom Eternal for Switch. Gaming news site IGN then received the following statement from Bethesda.

"While Doom Eternal is 100% on track for an imminent digital-only release on Nintendo Switch, the absence of a physical release at retail resulted in cancelled pre-orders. Affected customers will receive full refunds and should contact their preferred retailer for more information."

Bethesda also noted that "more information" would arrive later this month. We'll have to wait and see whether the publisher just means an official announcement of the cancellation, an actual release date, (finally), or other plans for the bloodstained adventure's arrival on the Nintendo platform. Either way, Doom Eternal is tentatively expected to launch on Nintendo Switch late 2020.

Doom Eternal for Switch has not been canceled but is now digital-only [IGN]

As we approach Black Friday 2020, Amazon is lowering prices on various games across the board, including major releases like Watch Dogs Legion, the Dark Souls Trilogy, Marvel's Avengers and more.

While all of these could be very good purchases, the big one is, of course, Watch Dogs: Legion, which only came out last month and has become one of the first cross-gen titles in the middle of this console shift. You can see our review of Legion here, but if you are into cautionary tales about right-wing political systems being brought down by snarky, British hacktivists - well, look no further. Not only that, but the game will work both on the PS4 and Xbox One as well as the PS5 and Series X/S.

Whatever your interests, we've collated and curated all the best deals Amazon are offering at the moment and linked them just below for your perusal.

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Microsoft has absolutely killed it with Game Pass, what was then dubbed the "Netflix of games." Since then it's evolved a bit, offering up games on PC as well, creating an entire ecosystem for Microsoft. It's their golden goose: one of the big things that sets them apart from Sony.

But Sony could, at any time, create their own version of Game Pass and bake it into PlayStation Plus. If they really wanted, they could get coy and call it "PlayStation Plus Ultimate." At the moment, Sony does have PlayStation Now (which offers a limited arrangement of downloadable games), as well as the "PlayStation Plus Collection" on PS5. But that could change.

Speaking to Russian outlet TASS, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan strongly hinted at a direct competitor for Microsoft's Game Pass program. When asked about how Sony will respond to Game Pass, Ryan noted: "There is actually news to come, but just not today. We have PlayStation Now which is our subscription service, and that is available in a number of markets."

"There is news to come" is very nebulous, but it's a far cry from the "we have nothing to announce at this time" executive speak. As we know, Sony is the king of shock. While Microsoft has been slowly improving upon their strategy and infrastructure quietly over the past generation, Sony loves its "hey we have the Final Fantasy VII Remake" panache.

They're absolutely capable of throwing in to eat Microsoft's lunch, but that probably isn't coming anytime soon. For now they have a global console to launch amid a pandemic: a task Ryan notes in this very same interview, is a gargantuan one.

This December, Sega's RPG-cum-brawler series Yakuza will be celebrating its 15th anniversary. That's 15 years of skull-crunching, karaoke-singing, key-finding, slot-racing action - from the initial Yakuza release on PS2 in 2005, all the way to this year's Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

To celebrate the series, Team Yakuza will be hosting a special live stream presentation, looking back at the series and the violent, often bizarre journey that has led Kazuma, Haruka, Majima, and Ichiban to this point in time. Guests announced for the stream include Kazuma and Ichiban's respective voice actors Takaya Kuroda and Kazuhiro Nakaya.

Most teasingly of all, Team Yakuza has announced that the stream will also "announce future developments." Last time we thought we were going to see new titles, it turned out to be a bit of a bust. But here's hoping that Sega and Team Yakuza has something cool up their sleeve this time around.

The live stream will take place December 8 at 20:00 JST. That's into the wee small hours in North America, but fret not, as we will be sure to cover any exciting news out of the stream.

Just because a remake falls short doesn't mean we should forget what made the original so good. It's very strange to be a fan of an old game that's been most ignored in years gone by. Ubisoft's XIII did receive some good reviews though - the first one I remembered reading way back in 2003 was in a copy of Games Master, which gave it 94% if memory's serving me correctly.

Let me state the obvious up front: the 2020 remake of XIII is not a 94% game. Just to refresh your memory (no pun intended), the story is loosely based on an old Belgian comic. You're an amnesiac washed up on a beach with the roman numerals XIII tattooed on your shoulder and quickly learn you're accused of assassinating the American president. So, quite simple and easy to deal with.

XIII is an approachable and friendly thing compared to today's shooters, avoiding the annoying RPG-style upgrade systems that seem to be the norm now. Another benefit is not having to sit through episodic-length cut scenes. The story moves swiftly between different scenes and the comic-style panel presentation offers up multiple angles as if you're watching a movie without the pain of... well, watching a movie.

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Paul W.S. Anderson's upcoming Monster Hunter movie, based on Capcom's popular video game franchise of the same name, will now be released on December 25, 2020, Sony Pictures announced today. This is the fourth announced release date for the movie. 

Originally slated for a September 4, 2020, release in North America, the movie was pushed back to April 23, 2021 back in July. On October 5, however, Sony announced it was moving Monster Hunter up to December 30, 2020. As of today, the movie's release date has been moved once again; now it is December 25, 2020. The movie's December 4 release date in territories such as China and Europe remains unchanged, as revealed in the movie's latest Chinese trailer, released yesterday. No specific reason was given for the movie's new North American release date. Check out the movie's latest trailer below (via IGN). 

Organizers for an online Super Smash Bros. tournament have called off the event after Nintendo issued a cease-and-desist order over use of a mod enabling online play. ...

In this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, we discuss a handful of the games we've been playing recently, including Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Demon's Souls, and Destiny 2: Beyond Light. Then, we take a deep dive into the game gracing the cover of our magazine this month: Immortals Fenyx Rising. It's a full show, but we make time for another fantastic round of community emails in there somewhere. So please join Brian Shea, Dan Tack, Matt Miller, Liana Ruppert, Alex Van Aken, and myself for another wild and ever-entertaining episode!