Game Informer

My daughter recently discovered the joys of Fortnite. She's gotten quite good at it, too, netting a few Victory Royales as dear old dad proudly watches her skills develop. She has also developed a sixth sense for knowing when Fortnite's in-game shop is updated with new items. She treats the shop like a fourth meal of the day, drooling over the new skins and items she wants to add to her collection. In the month we've been playing together, I've purchased two of Fortnite's "Crew" subscriptions (one for both of us), and more skins than I want to admit. Long story short, I've sunk well over $100 into the game in the blink of an eye.

Following the most recent reset in Destiny 2: Beyond Light Season of the Chosen, many players were wondering if the raid exotic 'Eyes of Tomorrow' rocket was nerfed. Turns out, the dramatic weakening wasn't intentional as Bungie confirms that the issues are related to a bug and that the team is working on a fix. 

The Eyes of Tomorrow rocket launcher is a drop from the final encounter in the newest raid to join the game, Deep Stone Crypt. It's a highly desirable weapon due to the perks attached, but the latest update saw a massive decline in the power behind this exotic. The weapon in its normal form fires out several powerful rockets in one swoop but many Guardians have noted that the damage has been noticeably less. Given that the rockets themselves were buffed, the issues with the rocket launcher were confusing. Luckily, we have some clarity and Bungie should be rolling out a fix soon. 

Just confirmed that any damage reductions to Eyes of Tomorrow were definitely not intentional and the team is currently investigating it as a bug.

Adaptive Ordinance only triggering off of kills is intentional as referenced in it's description. https://t.co/5MmgUXp2kq

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 feels like it's fallen somewhat out of the public eye since its Warlords of New York expansion launched almost a year ago. Sure, it currently has a Resident Evil crossover in progress (and winding down soon) and added an endgame PvE mode last fall, but it's been a while since it had a big update. It looks like that might be changing. Massive Entertainment announced today that it is currently hard at work making new content for The Division 2. The best part? The team plans to release whatever it will be later this year. 

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Welcome back to another exciting episode of Shout! Esports. On today's show, host Jess Brohard delves into some of the hottest news from the competitive scenes of the world's biggest games.

First up, we're looking at how Activision is finally addressing the rampant bouts of cheating in its hugely popular battle royale. According to a February 2 update on the Call of Duty website, the team over at Activision has implemented a ban that has resulted in 60,000 cheater accounts being prohibited from playing Warzone. According to the post, this brings the total number of banned accounts up to 300,000 with the company promising to look into stopping the cheating at its source in the future.

Later in the episode, Jess focuses her attention on the Fortnite competitive scene and Epic's announcement that they would be upping the Fortnite Champion Series prize pool from $17 million to $20 million. Is this enough of an indication that Fortnite will be sticking around as an esports giant, or will interest in the events not hit the fever pitch it once did?

Destiny 2: Beyond Light Season of the Chosen is now live and brings with it a pretty epic new bow to enjoy. Beyond the new firepower and the new Battlegrounds, some Guardians were a little too anxious to discover what's next. A new datamine has been shared, showing off an incredibly vulnerable Zavala and a world of pain ahead. 

There will be parts of the datamine that are spoilers for the continuation of Season 13's story. If you don't wish to learn about what was found, please do not read beyond this point. 

Season 13 centers around Caiatl, the Cabal empress that is also the daughter of Calus. The negotiations with Zavala and the Guardians for a possible allyship in the name of survival go about as well as one would expect. And by that, we mean it was disastrous. Given the history with the Cabal, tension was high and, in response, Caiatl challenges the defenders of the Light to prove themselves in combat in the Battlegrounds. 

Josef Fares is a passionate man. The filmmaker-turned-game-developer’s first game, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, is a remarkable fable about the power of family. While that game’s quality spoke for itself, Fares took to the stage for follow-up A Way Out, memorably taking over Geoff Keighley’s 2017 Game Awards broadcast by addressing the camera and saying, in part, ‘F--- the Oscars!” It was a profane moment, to be sure, but it also showed Fares’ exuberance and natural flair for the outrageous. Hazelight Studios’ upcoming project, It Takes Two, tackles the oddly underrepresented subject of love. And after talking to Fares about the co-op adventure, it’s clear that he has a lot to say about, well, everything.

“Video games are not always about fun; that’s a misconception that many people say, ‘Is this fun?’” Fares says. “The best moments of my life in video games haven’t been about ‘fun.’” The game director and Hazelight founder cites experiences like Journey or moments from the opening sequence in The Last of Us to underscore his point. His own game, Brothers, memorably ends with a powerful moment that clearly isn’t meant to be fun. “Some parts of gaming are fun, but I would say that more, depending on the scene, it should be engaging.”

The recent Halo community update dropped some news regarding Season 5 of Halo: The Master Chief Collection as well as the first flights, (a form of public beta for new MCC features) in February. While the contents of the flight are subject to change, one of the planned additions is a new map for Halo 3 from the canceled Halo Online. 

The Master Chief Collection’s next flight is scheduled for February 18 and, if all goes well, players could expect to see the following additions: 

While the team at 343 Industries is hard at work on making sure that the Halo Master Chief Collection continues to get better and Halo Infinite is moving further along in development, the company also revealed some new toys for fans to enjoy. In addition to the Nerf Mangler, SPNKr, and Needler MicroShots being available now in stores, 343 also debuted a new play-weapon to enjoy: the Nerf Bulldog SG Dart Blaster.

The Halo Nerf Bulldog SG Dart Blaster offers a pump-action, rotating 10-dart drum in addition to tactical rails, 10 nerf darts to fire off, and a shiny new skin unlock code for the video game that inspired the new line. The latest gun is inspired by its Halo Infinite counterpart, marking a celebratory entry into the toy line for the upcoming game. 

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Super Mario 3D World is the latest Wii U release to make its pilgrimage to the Nintendo Switch, however, this time around Nintendo has packaged in a brand new 3D Mario game called Bowser's Fury. This spin-off features an unlikely partnership between Mario and Bowser Jr. who must both save Lake Lapcat from the destruction of an awoken Fury Bowser.

Not only does the game feature an all-new story, but Bowser's Fury sports some of the best powerups from Super Mario 3D World, including the Super Bell, Fire Flower, Super Leaf, and Boomerang Flower; and Mario has to utilize all of them to collect enough Cat Shines (the game's main collectible) to transform into Giga Cat Mario to face off against Fury Bowser in an epic showdown. 

There is a lot to love about the latest Mario adventure, something that we can't wait to dive into with you. Super Mario 3D World in itself is impressive with its tweaks to make it an even better play experience, but the newest adventure with Bowser's Fury is a treat in its own right. 

Our own Brian Shea gave the latest gaming journey a whopping 9.25, saying in his full review: 

Chivalry 2, the sequel to the popular multiplayer combat game Chivalry: Medieval Warfare, is coming on June 8. Developer Torn Banner Studios announced the sequel during IGN’s Summer of Gaming event last year. 

In addition to launching PC (via the Epic Games Store), Chivalry 2 is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. If you and your buddies don’t share the same platforms, don’t despair. Chivalry 2 features full cross-play support. For a look into Chivalry 2's features and development, check out this informative developer diary. 

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The January 2021 U.S NPD data has been revealed by industry analyst Mat Piscatella and shows a stark increase in revenue in the gaming space compared to this time last year. The latest findings also reveal that Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War continues its best-selling game streak since November, effectively ranking it in the top 20 best-selling games in U.S history. 

The first month of the new year started off strong with video game hardware seeing a 144% increase from this time last year with $319 million accrued. Content like DLC, digital and physical copies, subscription services, and the like has also seen a notable increase with an upwards trend of 36% and video game accessories with a whopping 73%. January is always a high-traffic time for revenue sales with the holidays officially in the rear-view mirror. As work-from-home orders impact many in the United States, the refuge of gaming also continues to act as a stabilizer for those looking for something to do and even a little escapism. 

US NPD HW - Sales of video game hardware were 144% higher than January 2020, reaching $319 million. This is the highest total for a January month since the $323 million achieved in January 2011.

New Nier: Replicant gameplay walkthrough footage has been revealed by Square Enix, showing off a 10 minute look at the Barren Temple as the main character joins Kaine in a new adventure to save the life of someone truly special. 

While the full name of the game is Nier: Replicant ver. 1.22474487139, we're just going to go ahead and simplify that down because that name is...phew, a lot. So Nier: Replicant. Check out the new gameplay in the video below and see the improvements you'll get to experience yourself in the near future: 

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One thing that has us excited about the gameplay footage above is that Replicant seems to carry on the mechanical improvements to the franchise previously seen in Nier: Automata. From its blocking mechanic to its entire combat system getting some highly-appreciated polishing, the newest look at what Replicant will have to offer is very exciting for long-time fans and for first timers coming into the series alike. This iteration of the game looks much better than the original version, so brace for those feels because Yoko Taro always knows how to make even the strongest bawl their eyes out. 

Pop star Ariana Grande's latest admission? Her 2 a.m. game is none other than Sackboy: A Big Adventure. Grande is quick to throw a few other details in there, such as previous contenders for the late night/early morning crown were none other than Mario Party titles and Mario Kart titles. The specific entries for these franchises are unknown, but let's be honest, who doesn't love some Mario Party all night long?

Hey @ArianaGrande! 👋

Our team and our wonderful community are super-excited to hear that it's #SackboyABigAdventure that you wanna play at 2AM!

It's literally music to our ears!

🎵🥰🎵 pic.twitter.com/RZm64N7G0s

Destiny 2 launched its new season this week, and there’s plenty of intriguing new content to explore, from the new Battlegrounds (think mini-strikes), to the new H.E.L.M. Vanguard base of operations, which functionally acts as a dedicated private space for you to complete many of the tasks you need to do between missions. However, for my part, the single aspect of the new Season of the Chosen that has me the most excited isn’t a new activity or location – it’s a specific new weapon, and the playstyle it engenders; Ticuu’s Divination is the most entertaining new weapon in the Destiny universe in a long time. If a flaming explosion bow with tracking capabilities doesn’t pique your interest, you may be playing the wrong game.

You’ll note that I didn’t say it was the most powerful, or the “best” exotic weapon. While three days is far too little time to gauge the balance of a potent new weapon, or where it will fit into the meta of play, my early sense is that Ticuu’s Divination is thoughtfully built to demand skill and clever play to capitalize on to its fullest. Unlike the infamous Gjallarhorn, which virtually took over everyone’s exotic slot back in the day, this new bow doesn’t feel like it far outstrips everything else on the scene.

The Epic Games Store Spring Showcase starts today, and there’s already been a big announcement: The entire Kingdom Hearts saga is coming to PC for the very first time. This means that, starting now, you can pre-purchase Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, Kingdom Hearts III, and Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 comes with a whopping six titles: Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (with HD Remastered cinematics), Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix, and Kingdom Hearts Re:coded (with HD Remastered cinematics). 

#KingdomHearts is coming to PC via the Epic Games Store for the first time ever on March 30th!

Join Sora, Donald, Goofy and beloved Disney characters across 4 games, as they unite to battle against the darkness threatening all worlds.

Pre-order today: https://t.co/dwf8zPIr4o pic.twitter.com/8fdKxc1ld6

When Axiom Verge 2 was announced in 2019, it was during a Nintendo Direct, so we didn't know what other platforms the title was coming to. We now know that the hotly anticipated Metroid-inspired sequel is coming to PC, exclusively on the Epic Games Store.

The announcement came today via the Epic Games Store Spring Showcase, which also brought word that the Kingdom Hearts series is finally coming to PC through Epic's storefront. The announcement closed out the livestream event from the gaming giant and informed players they can wishlist the title on Epic Games Store beginning today.

Axiom Verge 2 was originally announced for a 2020 release, but in October of last year, developer Thomas Happ said the game would instead release sometime in 2021. News for Axiom Verge 2 has been sparse, but earlier this year, Happ announced a free update to the first game, which adds a randomizer to the fan-favorite title.

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3BLACKDOT revealed a new animated TV series called Alpha Betas that will star some of the biggest names in YouTube Gaming alongside major talent associated with shows like Futurama, SNL, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and more. The new show is being helmed by the studio behind Rick & Morty and aims to achieve the same comedic style that the series that gave us "Pickle Rick" offered.

According to the reveal, Alpha Betas is set in a world where video games are powering life as we know it thanks to a massive, top-secret CIA program. According to the studio, "the show follows an elite virtual strike force of four top gamers as they drop into the virtual realms of video games to fix potentially world-ending issues. Known as the Alpha Team, these four willfully reckless and dangerously arrogant guys are the tip of a five-hundred billion-dollar US Government spear sent to be heroes in high-octane pixelated worlds."

The upcoming series is a collaboration of YouTubers in the gaming space such as VanossGaming (Evan Fong), BasicallyIDoWrk (Marcel Cunningham), I AM WILDCAT (Tyler Wine), and Terroriser (Brian Hanby). Take a look at the trailer for our first look at the upcoming show: 

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Never say never in video games. As we recently saw with MLB The Show going multiplatform, the seemingly impossible can still become reality, whether in the form of the revival of old franchises, unthinkable crossovers, or wild business decisions. The unpredictable and unlikely moments are part of what makes the game industry a lot of fun to follow. Here are just a few examples of times when pigs sprouted wings, dogs and cats got along, and skepticism was stomped into dust.   

Spiritfarer dropped last Summer and pulled at our heartstrings with a riveting score, vivid artwork, and heart-warming animations (hugging your spirit shipmates continues to be a legitimate form of self-care). Despite being a true hidden gem, the game is still getting support from its small studio, Thunder Lotus Games. Today, the team posted a 2021 development roadmap that showcased the many new features that players can look forward to throughout the year. 

Three free content drops are coming to Spiritfarer, starting with the Spring Update that will introduce a new spirit named Lily (Stella’s younger sister!), extra story content revolving around the game’s magnanimous main character, gameplay tweaks designed to improve cooperative play with much-needed UI changes and coop fishing, and quality of life changes which the post did not specifically elaborate on. Lily is the literal and metaphorical light in Stella’s life and her presence allows players to travel around the world even at night. You can see an animation of Lily below.

The live-action Borderlands movie was teased six years ago. Since that time, fans of the franchise have dived into the third video game installment and a number of well-known Hollywood stars were corralled to help bring shape to the film. Jack Black, a recent internet sensation and veteran actor/comedian is the latest talent to join the cast and crew. Black is set to voice everyone’s favorite annoying robot companion, Claptrap.  

In a statement, director Eli Roth, of Hostel and Cabin Fever fame, voiced his enthusiasm to work with Jack Black again. The two collaborated on 2018’s The House with a Clock in Its Walls. "I am so excited to reunite with Jack, this time in the recording booth,” said Roth. “Claptrap is the funniest character in the game, and Jack is perfect to bring him to the big screen.” 

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is launching on PlayStation 5 on June 11. Sony dropped the news in unexpected fashion in a promotional video for the game.

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Outside of a release date (which is really the best part) the trailer serves as a montage of footage that fans have already seen. That’s a bit disappointing since we still don’t know a ton about Rift Apart’s story. We do know that  Dr. Nefarious uses interdimensional technology to search for a reality where he always wins. As our heroes try to stop them, they become separated between dimensions and must find their way back to each other. Along the way they’ll encounter the mysterious female lombax that turned heads during the game’s reveal, who we know will be playable. 

Rift Apart’s gameplay centers on jumping through dimensions, utilizing the PS5’s SSD to instantly load into new areas. It’s a great showcase of the console’s tech, and Rift Apart We features a performance mode to allow players to leverage the game’s impressive-looking horsepower. The game features new planets, enemies, as well as a new arsenal of over-the-top weapons. 

Today, Victura and Highwire Games have announced the revival of the once-canceled game about the war in Iraq with Six Days in Fallujah. The game itself is a first-person tactical military shooter based on the true story as told by Iraqi civilians, marines, and soldiers, who were there. 

"Sometimes the only way to understand what's true is to experience reality for yourself," says former Marine Sergeant Eddie Garcia in the press release for the game, who was wounded during the Battle for Fallujah and proposed the original idea for Six Days in Fallujah in 2005. "War is filled with uncertainty and tough choices that can't be understood by watching someone on a TV or movie screen make these choices for you. Video games can help all of us understand real-world events in ways other media can't."

Six Days in Fallujah was crafted by some of the original team members behind Halo and Destiny to put their knowledge of shooting games to the test in a story that is meant to be less of a glorification of war (as seen in titles like Call of Duty, Battlefield, etc) and more of a documentary-style experience with stories told straight from the mouths of civilians and military alike. 

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Last summer, the Street Fighter V team announced the next wave of characters coming to the fifth mainline entry of the classic fighting franchise. We knew Dan, Rose, Oro, and Akira (from Rival Schools) would be joining the roster, but now we have more information of when to expect the first character, Dan, plus a little more insight into how to obtain them.

Earlier this week, CD Projekt Red issued a statement that the studio would not be caving to demands of a hacking group that stole source code from Cyberpunk 2077, Gwent, and The Witcher 3. After its statement went public, the hacking group has reportedly sold off the data they obtained. 

Kela is a cybersecurity firm that just posted a few screenshots from a forum that revolves around hacked data called Exploit. It is in those screenshots of an auction of the alleged collected data with the result being a request from the buyer in question. According to both Kela and another cybersecurity account called 'vxunderground', the auction is closed and the data has effectively been sold. 

Just in: #CDProjektRed AUCTION IS CLOSED. #Hackers auctioned off stolen source code for the #RedEngine and #CDPR game releases, and have just announced that a satisfying offer from outside the forum was received, with the condition of no further distribution or selling. pic.twitter.com/4Z2zoZlkV6

If you’ve been playing the Viking survival game Valheim, you’ve probably amassed a huge pile of precious gems and coins from your travels in the first few biomes, the Meadow and The Black Forest. Burial Chambers and Troll Hunts can line your pockets with valuable items during your first few days of gameplay, and later forays into the Sunken Crypts of the Swamp can yield huge piles of amber, amber pearls, and rubies while you collect scrap iron. Be sure to bring a torch or light source into these dungeons and caves, as you may otherwise miss these valuables as they are tiny, hard to see, and often tucked away in a corner out of sight. Of course, sometimes you’ll find a stack in a chest, but do check out the darker areas in primary rooms.

We now officially have our Joel in the upcoming The Last of Us TV series from HBO. With the confirmed news of Game of Thrones' Bella Ramsey taking on the role of Ellie, it has now been confirmed that fellow Game of Thrones actor and The Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal will be taking on the role of Joel. 

As reported by Deadline, Pascal has officially signed the deal to play Joel, a cynical survivor that is hired to smuggle a young girl to safety. That girl, Ellie, and he developed a father/daughter bond in a dangerous world filled with loss and death. 

The upcoming series will take place during the events of the first game and is meant to "enhance" what many fell in love with during the beginning of Joel and Ellie's journey together. Naughty Dog is working in conjunction with Sony Pictures Television, Word Games, and The Mighty Mint for this adaptation, with Kantemir Balagov (Beanpole) set to direct alongside Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) as co-executive producer and lead writer. 

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Pokémon Day, which takes place annually on February 27 to celebrate the Japanese release of Pokémon Red & Green, promises to be a big one thanks to this year marking the 25th anniversary of the series' launch. We've already seen the logo celebrating the major milestone for the monster-collection franchise and knew that pop superstar Katy Perry would be a part of the celebration, but today The Pokémon Company announced another free virtual performance starring rapper and singer Post Malone.

The concert is set to happen on the Pokémon YouTube, Twitch, and website on February 27 at 4 p.m. Pacific / 7 p.m. Eastern. In addition to the performance by Post Malone, The Pokémon Company also teases that fans will want to stick around until the end of the show to learn about more collaborations and surprises. 

You can check out the official Post Malone concert poster below.

Firewatch celebrates its 5th anniversary today, and developer Campo Santo has been reminiscing about the game’s creation on Twitter. In addition to giving insight into the game’s development and sharing rare concept art, the studio revealed a fun Easter egg from the Switch version that seemingly not many people have seen: its own N64-style platformer. 

An even more rarely seen piece of Firewatch: How closely have you dug into the Nintendo Switch version of the game? Have you truly completed everything on that cart? pic.twitter.com/CmQGpswzXY

— Campo Santo (@camposanto) February 10, 2021

The hidden mini-game has players take control an adorable park ranger and must collect 100 fire sign tokens within a time-limit. It's a simple game and one that doesn't take long to finish, as you're just running down a course to the finish line. To access the game, players have to complete Firewatch’s story to unlock the free roam mode. The video below provides a full walkthrough showing exactly where to go to access the mini-game and the game itself.  

Most of us recognize Optimus Prime as the Autobot leader who transforms into a truck. That's the form he's taken in most of the Transformers' stories. His rival, the Decepticon leader Megatron, originally transformed into a gun, but later adopted the form of a menacing tank.

On November 7, 2014, toy manufacturer Takara Tomy dreamed up new transformations for these beloved robots. Optimus Prime adopted a light grey color (similar to Megatron's) that allowed him to transform into a PlayStation console, complete with a controller. Megatron's armor turned to the shiny black of the Sega Genesis (also known as the Mega Drive in other territories). Despite being one of the universe's greatest threats, Megatron's Genesis transformation was a colorful Sonic the Hedgehog cartridge.

These video game versions of Prime and Megatron were released as limited-edition action figures, which you can see in the galleries below:

Optimus Prime x PlayStation

The Last Of Us TV series officially has its Ellie found in Game of Thrones actress Bella Ramsey. Ramsey played Lyanna Mormont in the Game of Thrones series, and is the first of the cast to be revealed for the upcoming Naughty Dog adaptation. 

The casting decision was confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, though no further cast reveals have been shared at this time. Kantemir Balagov (Beanpole) is slated to direct the upcoming HBO series alongside Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) as lead writer and co-exeuctive producer. 

Last of Us creative director (and now Naughty Dog co-president), Neil Druckmann, previously confirmed to fans that he will be working closely Mazin to bring this game's world into a new medium entirely in a faithful way based on the first game in the series. "Neil Druckmann is without question the finest storyteller working in the video game medium, and The Last of Us is his magnum opus," Mazin mentioned in a previous interview. "Getting a chance to adapt this breathtaking work of art has been a dream of mine for years, and I'm so honored to do it in partnership with Neil."

While The Witcher won't be getting any new video games anytime soon, CD Projekt Red has unveiled a new way for fans of the iconic fantasy franchise to experience a world of monsters and mayhem. A new board game has been revealed called The Witcher: Old World, and it looks like the perfect excuse for us to immerse ourselves within the land of witchers once more. 

Created in conjunction with Go On Board, this latest board game is designed by Lukasz Wozniak, a name that has created numerous tabletop adventures including Valhalla and Titans. 

Epic Games has pulled the curtain back on MetaHuman Creator, its upcoming character creation app used for sculpting highly realistic human models for use in video games. The streamlined service is designed to expedite the game development workflow for studios of all sizes by allowing creators to create next-gen caliber models in a fraction of the time. 

According to Epic’s blog post (thanks, Gamasutra), the technology condenses weeks or months of character design to “less than an hour”. How it works is that the engine draws from a large cloud database of different human appearances and motions. MetaHuman then blends those variants together in, as Epic puts it, “a plausible, data-constrained way.” Users can begin by selecting preset faces and build from there. Models are constructed using 30 different hair types, 18 proportioned body types, and various clothing options. The best part? All of this work can be done in a browser. 

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I'd like to establish upfront that I both believe in God and am blocked by Hideki Kamiya on Twitter. I think that's important for you to know before my next statement, so as not to come off hyperbolic or biased. Please keep these two things in mind as you read on.

There has not been a single game better than Bayonetta since it was released in 2009 (early 2010 outside of Japan). The only thing that has ever come close released in 2014, which was Bayonetta 2. Put simply, the Bayonetta series is the peak of gaming. While I think there are plenty of games released before 2009 that are better than Bayonetta, such as Deadly Rooms of Death, Tony Hawk's Underground, that Matrix mod I had as a kid for Max Payne where you played as Neo in the government lobby shootout, and Street Fighter II, nothing since has reached the heights of PlatinumGames' premier character action franchise.

I pray every single night before bed. This has, by my estimation, secured me a rightful spot in Heaven and saved me from eternal damnation. As long as I go over that largely scripted three minute prayer, no matter what I do on Earth, I should be sitting pretty in death. My faith is important to me, a way to take inventory of my day and cap off my night with a bit of reflection. But my faith isn't infallible, because as far as I'm concerned, the coolest thing ever designed, coded, and scripted into a video game is the combat of the Bayonetta series, which has you beating the Holy Hell out of God's legions of angels.

Microsoft revealed news of the ZeniMax acquisition last year, the company that helms IPs like Doom, Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and more. While the acquisition won't be finalized until later this year, new documentation reveals a newly created subsidiary from Microsoft called Vault, which will merge with ZeniMax going forward. 

The documentation was spotted over on the European Commission's website (via Eurogamer) and it shows off the plan of action that Microsoft will take when securing the acquisition, a sale that resulted in $7.5 billion being invested. 

Microsoft will merge the newly created Vault with ZeniMax, a name that was inspired by ZeniMax and Bethesda's iconic Fallout series. "The concentration is accomplished by way of a merger pursuant to which a newly created Microsoft subsidiary ('Vault') will be merged with and into ZeniMax."

The Prior Notice of a Concentration outlines how the Vault creation falls under the Merger regulation, though a final decision "on this point is reserved." The Commision then outlines what is expected of all parties to submit any possible observations on the proposed merger with a 10-day deadline following the notice going live. The documentation was issued on February 5, according to the document. 

Are you ready for BlizzCon? Due to Covid-19, many events of the last year and this year have shifted to the digital arena, and Blizzard's annual event falls into that space. This year, the event is known as BlizzConline. You'll be able to watch the entire event digitally on February 19-20. With the event kicking off soon, the schedule has been posted on the official website, which you can check out here.  

With many BlizzCon schedules, it can be hard to tell where the big reveals will be situated. With this year's event being completely digital, there are no mysterious blocks of time that might be hiding some big announcements. With the last BlizzCon playing host to a number of huge titles such as Diablo IV and Overwatch 2 both in playable forms, players are definitely looking for updates on the big games, whether it's release dates, gameplay updates, or any other details at all. Recently, it was revealed that Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV are both not expected to land this year. Of note, a big developer roundtable is on the slate for Diablo IV, along with a smattering of "What's Next" offerings from every major IP. And yes, I'm actually looking forward to Diablo Immortal.

League Play launched this week for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War alongside the recently released Firebase Z map for Zombie lovers; both are being addressed in the latest update alongside a few other key gameplay tweaks. 

With the launch of League Play, the team at Treyarch is listening closely to feedback to make this launch more enjoyable for all. Because of that, the below fixes have been made in addition to a few more added restrictions: 

Create-a-Class

• Players logging into League Play for the first time should now see preset CDL classes instead of empty custom classes in Create-a-Class.
• Players should now be able to save their custom classes properly in League Play.

Restrictions Added

• Attachments
  • Suppressors (All)
  • Task Force Barrel
  • Spetsnaz RPK Barrel
  • CMV MIL-Spec Barrel
  • Tiger Team Barrel
  • Mounted Flashlight
  • Target Designator
  • Tiger Team Spotlight
• Scorestreaks
  • Armor
  • War Machine
• Field Upgrades
  • Jammer
• Lethals
  • Molotov
• Perks
  • Gung-Ho

UI

Pokémon’s 25th anniversary is in full swing and The Pokémon Company has celebrations galore, whether they be Katy Perry musical tributes or New Pokémon Snap. One of those ideas is partnering with McDonald’s to release Pokémon card packs for Happy Meals in what's actually a pretty cool promotion. It might be even better for kids, though, if adult collectors and scalpers weren't trying to hoard them all. 

So each “toy” comes in a cute Pikachu-themed Happy Meal box, contains a "surprise gift" (like some neat stickers), and a fancy sealed envelope containing four random cards. There are 25 different cards but each has a shiny variant, bringing the total set to 50 cards. The cards are based on the series’ starter Pokémon and feature the following: Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Pikachu, Chikorita, Cyndaquil, Totodile, Mudkip, Torchic, Treecko, Chimchar, Piplup, Turtwig, Oshawott, Snivy, Tepig, Chespin, Fennekin, Froakie, Litten, Popplio, Rowlet, Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble.