Game Informer

Ever since the duplicitous pirate Redd made his way to our islands in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, we've had numerous chances to pick up some pretty sweet art from everybody's favorite thief. Unfortunately, he comes with a few complications, including fake art he likes to peddle, and even some haunted pieces. For those wanting a little spookiness on their island, here is what you need to know about how haunted art works in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. 

Jolly Redd isn't the most virtuous character, but we love the goods he has to sell. Many of his pieces are authentic, allowing players to feature true works of art throughout their homes, but even if he stumbles upon a fake? He'll still try to get the most bang out of his Bell-bucks. Fakes are pretty easy to spot, especially for art lovers that can spot the difference in an iconic piece. Usually, something in the painting will be moved or it will be a slightly different color, but how do players spot a haunted feature? 

There are a few things to note about haunted art, including that you'll never find an authentic piece of art that is haunted. Any haunted piece found will be a fake, but you won't actually know it's haunted until the sun sets, which puts the timeframe from dusk until dawn. 

As of this month, there are five haunted pieces in total that have been confirmed: 

Cyberpunk 2077 is a huge game. The sheer magnitude of the map as well as the amount of hours it takes to supposedly complete the side missions in addition to the main story is likely to fill many players' gaming schedules to the brim. This, however, does not mean that Cyberpunk 2077 is without bugs or glitches (or anything that might need some kind of fix). IGN reports that a 43GB pre-launch patch has been added to the game.

It’s an update but - fun twist - not the update we’ll have for launch. 😅

— Fabian Mario Döhla (@fabiandoehla) December 3, 2020

YouTuber DreamcastGuy, who has an Xbox copy of Cyberpunk 2077, posted a screenshot to Twitter of the apparent update (see above). Interestingly enough, CD Projekt Red's Fabio Mario Döhla commented on DreamcastGuy's tweet and let everyone know that pre-launch (or "day zero") update is definitely happening. However, Döhla went on to state that it isn't the patch that's been planned for Cyberpunk 2077's launch day.

The Last of Us Part II director Neil Druckmann has been promoted to co-president of Naughty Dog. Current president Evan Wells announced the news today on the company's blog. The promotion came during an all-studio meeting where director of operations Alison Mori and co-director of programming Christian Gyrling were also promoted to vice presidents. 

Druckmann began his career as an intern at Naughty Dog in 2004. His first major credit was working as a programmer for Jak 3 and Jak X: Combat Racing before helping design the first two Uncharted games. His major claim to fame came as the writer and co-creative director for the critically acclaimed The Last of Us alongside Bruce Straley. 

Months ago, Capcom announced Monster Hunter World: Iceborne’s final content update with plans to permanently reintroduce all event quests and rotate hub-specific festivals every two weeks. That update, entitled 15.10, dropped today in advance of Monster Hunter Rise’s 2021 release. So, while everyone is gearing up to clear any limited-time modes they might’ve missed over the years, I’ll be in my element: Alone; among the rustling forests, echoing canyons, and frozen prairies of the New World.

Believe it or not, Cyberpunk 2077 arrives in less than a week. If you frequent GOG.com and are thinking, “That’s plenty of time to squeeze in a full playthrough of the first Witcher game," you’re in luck! The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director’s Cut is now free for GOG Galaxy users – as long as you don't mind joining their mailing list. 

If you’re wondering why this is happening, CD Projekt Red owns GOG, so there you go. Also, it’s probably to both reward players for using GOG Galaxy as well as perhaps coax gamers into giving the PC game launcher a try. Existing users will probably have to update the software, then hit the “Recent” view and check the banner above. Then click the “giveaway” button, which opts you in for emails of GOG news and other updates, and The Witcher should appear in your library, both in the application and on the website. 

The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director’s Cut offers a spruced up version of the 2007 RPG by adding improved animations, more NPCs, and improved stability among other fixes. It also removes the censorship of the original North American release, putting it on par with international copies of the game in terms of content. 

The holidays have put Rocksteady Studios in a festive mood, so much so that it released a surprise update to 2015’s Batman: Arkham Knight. As of today, players can snag two of the game's skins, Batman of Zur-En-Arrh and Anime Batman, hassle free. 

The only way to obtain both skins back in the day was to set up an account with WBPlay, Warner Bros.’ publishing/social platform you probably forgot existed until now. Now all you have to do is reinstall/relocate your copy of Arkham Knight, fire it up, and bam, new Bat skins. 

The brightly colored Zur-En-Arrh costume is originally based on a goofy alien version of Batman from the planet of the same name. In the 2000’s, the concept shifted to something more serious; an alternate personality for Bruce Wayne who behaved far more ruthlessly and was a tad unhinged. Frankly, Zur-En-Arrh is a weird idea regardless of the context. 

Anime Batman hails from 2008’s Batman: Gotham Knight, a series of Japanese animated films loosely based in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight continuity. He rocks a cool collar not unlike Robert Pattinson’s Batman. Actually, can we get a skin for that movie too, Rocksteady? No? Okay then. 

Click here to watch embedded media

From shoutcasting to Twitch streaming, the realm of esports is a competitive battleground for content creators the world over. So it doesn't hurt to have a little help now and again. On episode three of Shout! eSports, join host Jess Brohard as she gives you her tips on how to get a great streaming setup that works for you!

Creating content directly off your PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X is an option, but creators will find they can only do so much when it comes to customization of overlays and settings.

That's why we recommend going the PC route for people who have the budget. Using the flexibility of broadcasting software such as OBS or Streamlabs will assist in making your content feel personalized and genuine to who you are, which is more important than your setup in general.

Once you have the tech side personalized to your liking, it's important to also keep the production aspect of streaming in mind as well. While there's no right answer to what camera or lighting gear to get when you're first starting, it's important to have both so your community can see you clearly and thus form a connection with you.

Click to watch embedded media

Murder House is an indie survival horror game developed by Puppet Combo that's set in the 1980s. In this live episode of Replay, join Andrew Reiner, Ben Reeves, Dan Tack, and Alex Van Aken as they take down a renowned serial killer called The Easter Ripper in the Murder House finale.

Watch live and chat with us starting at 2:00 P.M. Central!

If you enjoyed this frightening Replay then be sure to check out our recent episodes featuring Dead Space 2 or Amnesia: The Dark Descent.

Star Wars alum Oscar Isaac has reportedly been tapped to play Solid Snake in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid film. The long-in-development adaptation of Hideo Kojima’s beloved PlayStation game is currently in production at Sony Pictures.  

Sometimes, you just need to terraform a planet. In Per Aspera, you can do exactly that, on Mars. In this world, many have tried to make the red planet a livable place - and all have failed. If simulation games are your jam and you have a PC, Per Aspera might be a title of interest. Oh, you're going to have to protect your settlement too, so it's not quite as simple as just collecting resources and going about your merry way. There are threatening forces you'll need to defend against even as you try to improve your customization options. Tlön Industries is taking a varied approach to the classic sim here by mixing a few different genre elements into a singular package. 

Essentially, you're trying to set up on Mars to eventually save humanity with the new world you're creating. Simple enough, right? Many of the simulation and city builder staples are here, from tech trees to research options, and they can make a big difference each time you try to prime the perfect planet. Since you must deal with unknown dangers as well as advancing, it's definitely somewhat of a base building game as well. Managing a setup can start simple, but can get quite complex as you progress through colony development.

BioWare and EA are celebrating Dragon Age Day today – and though the concept of the holiday might seem a bit strained, it is a welcome chance to shine a light on this remarkable RPG series. Part of the festivities involves this awesome limited-edition map, but that isn't where the party stops. BioWare has released four new short stories set in the Dragon Age world, written by members of the narrative team.

The tales are all pretty brief, but they still contain interesting characters and situations that hint at what might be important elements of the series going forward. Rather than having us summarize and spoil anything, you can take a few minutes and read the short stories for yourself:

Time for a game of good news/bad news. The good news, at least for Activision, is that Call of Duty remains a sales juggernaut, generating over 3 billion dollars in the last year. For players, the bad news is that Season 1 of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Warzone has been delayed, albeit by only one week. 

The official Call of Duty blog states the team needs a bit more time to prepare Season 1’s launch, so it will move from December 10th to December 16th. Warzone is getting a new map, a revamped Gulag experience, as well as over 30 weapons from Black Ops Cold War.  

Speaking of which, Black Ops Cold War will receive new multiplayer maps, more 6v6 modes/playlists, the return of 2v2 Gunfights (with four new maps), new Zombies modes, and the return of the Raid map from Call of Duty: Black Ops II. On top of all of that, expect free weapons, season challenges, and the launch of the 1000-level cross-title Seasonal Prestige system. 

Penny Arcade and ReedPop, the organizers of the series of Penny Arcade Expos across the globe, have announced plans to return to in-person conventions pending improvement in the COVID-19 global pandemic. PAX East 2020, which took place in Boston, Mass. from February 27 to March 1, was among the final conventions to happen prior to the United States' restrictions in response to the virus. While numbers continue to spike in the United States, the organizers have announced tentative dates for three 2021 North American conventions beginning in June.

Pending improvements in the ongoing COVID-19 situation, Penny Arcade and ReedPop have announced PAX East to occur June 3 to June 6 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston, Mass., PAX West at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle, Wash. from September 3 to September 6, and PAX Unplugged at the Philadelphia Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pa. from December 10 to December 12.

Dark Horse and BioWare continue on their ongoing partnership, this time celebrating Dragon Age Day with a special The World of Thedas Map lithograph that is shipping out later this month! 

Thedas has seen so much through the decades: blights, war, and even a rift that sought to tear the entire world asunder. This world created by BioWare for the Dragon Age universe is large and houses a ton of history, a history that fans can celebrate themselves with the new World of Thedas Map lithograph. This 24x17 print is an accurate rendering of this in-game world, brought to life by the incredibly talented and renowned artist and cartographer Francesca Baerald. 

Click image thumbnails to view larger version

Dauntless lets you roam around islands hunting down behemoths and using parts of them to craft new and exciting weaponry. The free-to-play game has been around for quite some time (we reviewed it all the way back in early access, much has changed since then) and today Dauntless adds an open world experience to the game with the launch of Dauntless Reforged. 18 different open world islands are added to the mix where players can hunt a plethora of different beasts, find treasures, and more.

Previously, island hunts would task players with hunting down a behemoth and completing a mission in a task structure of sorts. Today, players can engage with The Hunting Grounds in order to explore, hunt, and collect in a variety of environments that are designed to offer variance, replayability, and surprise. Along the way you can find treasure, take on multiple behemoths, and uncover other interesting discoveries. Want to wander around the Hunting Grounds in style? Gliders are now available for use, giving you a highly efficient and fun way to zip around the new areas.

In addition to the Hunting Grounds, the Dauntless Reforged update also adds new progression systems via the Slayer's Path, a giant tree of unlocks that a player can branch out in many directions to gain new skills, bonuses, and abilities. There are also new ways to reforge and enhance weapons for permanent power boosts, letting you specialize in your favorites with big improvements.

Update 2: EA Sports has announced that the PlayStation 5 servers are now live. In order to connect to the servers, those who have already downloaded the PS5 version of Madden NFL 21 need to download and install a title update.

Update 1 – 12/3/2020 at 9:13 a.m. CT : EA Sports has updated us that the fix for the PlayStation 5 version will likely be implemented prior to the December 4 launch. We have updated the headline accordingly.

Original Story – 12/3/2020 at 6 a.m. CT

Prior to the last-gen launch of Madden NFL 21, EA Sports announced that those who purchased the game on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One would be able to upgrade to the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X version for free thanks to its Dual Entitlement system. The new-gen version is set to launch on Friday, December 4. However, EA Sports has announced that those who are upgrading from the last-gen version will have access to the new-gen version today, a day earlier than expected.

Unfortunately, there's some bad news for those upgrading from PS4 to PS5: The online is not currently available, but it can still be downloaded and played offline. According to EA Tiburon, the development team discovered a previously unknown issue with the PS5 version of Madden NFL 21 late in the final testing phase. The issue only occurs when the PS5 version is connected to the EA servers, so until the fix (which the team has already submitted for testing) is patched into the live game, EA Tiburon is turning off the PS5 version's ability to connect to the EA servers.

While Immortals Fenyx Rising has several series of difficult boss battles thanks to Mythical Creatures, Tartaros Lieutenants, and more, some of the most intense battles you can find in the game surround the wraiths of the corrupted heroes. These heroes were summoned by the gods to battle the powerful titan Typhon prior to the events of the game, but he was able to corrupt them and force them to fight by his side. Until you defeat them in their Wraith Lairs, weaker versions of these legendary heroes can appear at random on the map while you're trying to do other activities, so it's a good idea to take them out once you feel competent and powerful enough to do so.

My tips below give you advice on how to topple these powerful heroes with a pretty baseline set of abilities, but through upgrades, you can make these showdowns much easier. My preferred loadout for these battles was to equip Phospor with the Tarnished skin, which replenishes your health every time his attack lands, and just relentlessly bomb on them with his attack. However, since his attacks use up your stamina, you have to get in and attack with your sword to replenish your stamina quickly while he's lighting them up. The more upgraded Phosphor and your sword are, the better this tactic works, but once I got this down, I combined these skills with the tips listed below to make short work of most of the heroes.

Check out my hero-specific tips below, and let us know what tactics you employ in the comments section!

EA has confirmed that general manager Casey Hudson and Dragon Age 4 executive producer Mark Darrah are leaving BioWare. While the announcement did come with the assurance that Dragon Age 4, Anthem Next, and the Mass Effect Trilogy Legendary remaster would be unaffected, fans of these iconic franchises have already begun voicing their concerns. 

"We strive for all of our studios to be places where talented creative people come to do career-defining work," reads the official announcement on the BioWare Blog. "A dimension of this ambition is that sometimes those people want to try something different. Casey Hudson, GM, BioWare and Mark Darrah, Executive Producer, Dragon Age are two of those people and they have decided to move on from BioWare.

Warner Brothers and HBO Max announced that the entire 2021 schedule of films will launch on the streaming service same day as theatrical release. If you weren't concerned about the potential death knell of the traditional theatrical release spurred on by the devastating consequences of COVID-19, perhaps now's the time to take note. Or maybe you're on the other side of things and would rather watch movies in the comfort of your own home stream style on release day. There are many reasons to swing to either side of the equation, but the important takeaway here is that the streaming future is being experimented with heavily and will be in full command of an immense cache of huge 2021 movies, including Matrix 4 and Dune.

I got you something ✨nice✨ this year:
🎁 The biggest movie premieres
🎁 In theaters and on HBO Max the exact same day
🎁 Beginning December 25 with #WonderWoman1984#HBOMax #WBPictures https://t.co/BZgFFRrrg2 pic.twitter.com/J2KBdWd9Tf

Balan Wonderworld feels like one of those games that no matter how much I see it, I still don’t know what to make of it. The opening movie looked good and the mix of Nights Into Dreams meets dress-up gameplay is certainly intriguing. Thankfully, a new trailer puts gameplay first and foremost, convincing me of the game’s whimsical appeal. 

The Japanese language trailer shows off the action-platforming across a variety of distinct levels. We get a look at the various costumes (of which there are 80 different types), each of which bestow different abilities. Spin Wolf, for example, lets players create tornados while Pumpkin Puncher throws rocket punches. Using these abilities is key to overcome the wacky obstacles as well as the rogues gallery of bosses, including the humorously clever fire hydra-nt. If you're a fan of platforming as well as the vibes of Nights into Dreams, Balan Wonderworld looks like it could be a ton of fun.  

Click here to watch embedded media

Click here to watch embedded media

On this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, we discuss a handful of the games we've been playing recently, including Immortals Fenyx Rising, Yakuza: Like A Dragon, Half-Life: Alyx, and Phasmophobia. At the end of the show, we interview Immortals Fenyx Rising's game director Scott Phillips who talks about the challenges of designing puzzles and how his work on the Saints Row series influenced his game creation process. It's a full show, but we make time for another fantastic round of community emails in there somewhere. So please join Brian Shea, Liana Ruppert, Alex Stadnik, and myself for another wild and ever-entertaining episode!

CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most anticipated games of the year, and those interested in playing don't have to wait much longer. Oh, we also did a huge cover story on the game, which you can check out right here.

The official release date is December 10, but depending on how bad you want to play you might be scheduling out time to the very minute. You might even have an elaborate plan where you block of certain times for eating, sleeping, and human maintenance. I've certainly never done that for any MMORPG launches. Definitely not. Anyway...

The wait is almost over!

If you're looking to play #Cyberpunk2077 as soon as it's available, here's a map with global release timings.

For PC and Stadia players, the release is simultaneous and scheduled for midnight GMT, and for all console players – midnight local time. pic.twitter.com/W0QLIFAhH1

Shiren The Wanderer is one of those games that paved the way for modern roguelikes and roguelites to blossom into a major genre. 2020 alone gave us rogueish gems like Hades, Monster Train, and more. Now, you can head back to a game that was previously only available in North America on the PlayStation Vita, Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate. The title launched late yesterday on both Switch and Steam, so it's a great time to go explore some dungeons. Check out the gameplay overview trailer here to see if it's something you might enjoy.

Click here to watch embedded media

The Last of Us Part 2 swept up some impressive awards during the JoyStick Awards and now there is one last show on the horizon: The Game Awards. With The Last of Us Part 2 being a key nominee in several notable categories, Naughty Dog  just released a brand new trailer for the sequel's other main star: Abby. 

The latest story trailer dives deep into the narrative surrounding both Abby and Ellie, so if you haven't played the game yet and want to avoid spoilers, you're going to want to skip out on the video below and the rest of this article.

"As 2020 winds down, we’re so thankful to everyone that has played The Last of Us Part II," reads a new tweet from Naughty Dog. "For those experiencing it for the first time this month, check out our new trailer that offers an expanded look into Abby's story and how it collides with Ellie’s."

Click here to watch embedded media

The Outer Worlds was one of our favorite games of 2019, and players who haven’t picked it up can now buy it with all the fixins’ with the Board-Approved Bundle. The Game of the Year-style edition packages the base came as well as the Expansion Pass, which allows access to the game’s two story expansions: Peril on Gorgon and the upcoming Murder on Eridanos.

The bundle, available today, runs for $79.99 and is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One (playable on Xbox Series X/S). There’s no word of a Switch release as of yet. The Outer Worlds puts players in the role of a space traveler who awakens in the star-system of Halcyon after a century of cryosleep. Along the way they’ll take on a corrupt megacorporation while assembling a crew of colorful teammates, all while steering the story in a myriad of directions via choice-driven dialogue. The game is developed by Obsidian Entertainment, the maker of Fallout: New Vegas, which The Outer Worlds draws heavy inspiration from. 

Temtem has been available in early access on PC for some time, but it's making it's way to console next week on the PlayStation 5. Available in a pre-launch state, the game hits on December 8 for PS5 users. What is Temtem? Well, it's definitely heavily-inspired by Pokémon and other creature collecting games, but it has a multiplayer focus that lets you team up or take on other players as you wish. As you journey through the world, you can see other players in it in real time, with their chosen Temtem in tow, team up with a friend to take on battles together, and even trade with other players for valuable items or rare Temtem. PlayStation has unveiled a gameplay trailer today that shows a gameplay overview so that it's easy to determine if this creature collecting experience is right for you, check it out below.

Click here to watch embedded media

Dragon Quest: Your Story is an animated film on Netflix based on the SNES adventure Dragon Quest 5: Hand of the Heavenly Bride, and it did quite well with Western audiences despite the game's mixed reception. The animated film was received incredibly well in Japan initially, though that reputation has waned considerably since its release. When the film first launched, Dragon Quest 5 novelist Saori Kumi was less than thrilled, and she sought legal action. Now, the writer is suing Square Enix for how it portrayed Luca (also known as Ryuka) in the Your Story, and now that lawsuit is extending to Toho Co., Ltd as well.

The novelization written by Kumi-san fleshed out a character that is commonly referred to as simply "Hero," expanding Luca (the English version of Ryuka's name) as a character in the Japanese novelization post-launch. 

Kumi-san first began her legal pushback against the animated film back in December of last year, where she sued the film production company behind Your Story. In her original declaration, she was seeking credit for her work on the character portrayed in the film, as well as a public apology from the entire crew. In more recent news, her legal action has now extended to both Square Enix and Toho Co., Ltd, asking for 2 million yen in reparations, as well as a public apology from all involved. 

With Black Friday behind us and the 2020 holiday season upon us, Microsoft has just pushed out a new commercial featuring a slew of titles including Microsoft Flight Simulator, the Halo franchise, and Minecraft. Certainly an ad for these titles isn't anything new, but the packaging comes with an all-star cast - of dogs. Yep, there are all kinds of adorable dogs in this commercial, and they even participate in a variety of Microsoft Teams video networking calls. I wonder what they talk about in their meetings. Probably treats. 

The lighthearted and dog-filled commercial touches upon the stark realities of 2020 without getting too heavy-handed about it, displaying the need for serious distancing, the rise of the virtual office, and a touch of much-needed escapism into gaming worlds. COVID-19's effects on the world are far from over and have caused massive shifts in society during the last year, and this ad taps into many of those briefly. While not everyone is lucky enough to have a job that can be shifted to a virtual environment through the use of tools like Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, Discord, and other software, those who have adapted to a world without the same travel, meetings, and in-person conferences can readily see that shift in the commercial, which deliberately avoids the typical hustle and bustle of watching swarms of people congregate during the holidays for both shopping and soirees. 

With The Mandalorian now confirmed in Fortnite season 5 and a leaked PlayStation ad having confirmed God of War's Kratos, it looks like the list of "hunters" joining the fray in Fortnite will continue to grow with the inclusion of an Xbox staple. According to a reputable dataminer, Halo's Master Chief could be joining in on the battle royale adventure. 

With the most recent iteration of Kratos looking like he's joining the fight, the possible inclusion of Master Chief is kind of perfect. While console wars are silly, just play what you want to play, it is kind of an interesting avenue given the nature of battle royale to have two platform staples go toe-to-toe with PlayStation's God of War and Xbox's Halo. 

The latest datamine comes from known leaker @ShiinaBR, showing off the Master Chief skin in the game's item shop: 

RUMOR: Upcoming Halo collaboration!

(via @Mang0e_) pic.twitter.com/s8jkBZspnW

Despite numerous cancellation rumors and changing of hands, Dead Island 2 may not be as dead in the water as many originally thought. While news about the upcoming sequel has been either non-existent or worrisome, the studio over at Deep Silver has confirmed that the zombie-driven game is still in development with one simple tweet. 

In a recent post by the studio regarding Saints Row: Gat Out Of Hell being free thanks to Xbox Games With Gold, one fan responded back with the simple question: Dead Island 2? Another Twitter user responded saying "Give up, man. It's not coming. Just move onto Dying Light." It was that response that elicited Deep Silver to join in on the conversation: 

We wouldn't be so sure about that! 😉

— Official Deep Silver (@deepsilver) December 3, 2020

The original naysayer responded in disbelief, asking Deep Silver not to give them false hope. The final exchange from the studio concluded with, "We're not quite ready to talk about the latest Dead Island just yet, but when we do, you'll see it here!" 

The UFC has launched its partnership with the Esports Fight League (ESFL), kicking off two tournament series to determine the best EA Sports UFC 4 players on the planet. The first partnered event happened this past Sunday, with more to come soon.

The tournaments, which feature more than 30 players duking it out to become the inaugural UFC esports champions, will take place over four weeks during December and January. The match-ups air on the UFC Twitch channel Sundays at 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT and include players from both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. If you head to that channel during non-tournament hours, you can expect to find classic fight footage, original streams starring fighters, and video podcasts.

EA Sports UFC 4 launched on August 14 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. For more on our impressions of the game, check out our review. For more information on how EA Vancouver has updated the game since launch, check out the September and October updates. 

Sea of Thieves has made a boatload of improvements since its shaky launch in 2018, but next year will see the game’s biggest change with the introduction of seasons. The switch brings a new progression model, regular live events, and, of course, a ton of that sweet (pirate) booty. 

Each season will last around three months, with a special live event kicking off each one (and three events in total during each Season). Season One begins in January with a new Merchant Alliance quest. The event tasks players with locating a missing shipwreck by collecting clues scattered across land and sea. 

As with many live service games, Rare promises seasons will reward players for simply engaging in Sea of Thieves’ various activities including Pirate Trials, which offer new ways to play existing content. That way, they’re always progressing regardless of how many quests they actually complete. Dedicated players can also purchase the new Plunder Pass, Sea of Thieves’ take on the paid season pass, to earn exclusive rewards as well as a featured live event each month. Rare promises each season will dole out “hundreds” of rewards as well as feature regular quality of life updates to maintain smooth sailing throughout. 

There's a band in Cyberpunk 2077 called Samurai. In the game's world, Samurai is fronted by Johnny Silverhand. In the real world, however, that band is Refused, who lends their talents to Cyberpunk by writing and performing all of Samurai's in-game songs.

Refused is one of the most influential punk/hardcore bands of all time. Their 1998 album The Shape of Punk To Come is a cross-genre experimentation of what hardcore and punk rock truly is and what it can be. It combines those typically harsh genres with the more palatable sounds of techno, jazz, and swing. Naming an album something as declarative as The Shape of Punk To Come might seem a bit arrogant (it's a nod to Ornette Coleman's 1959 album The Shape of Jazz to Come, and also a “f--- you” to punk and hardcore scenes of the ‘90s, as they tell it now), but luckily for Refused, their prophecy was correct. The Shape of Punk to Come was the shape of punk to come, setting the groundwork for pretty much every punk, hardcore, etc. album that came after. Bands like Paramore and Linkin Park cite the album as an influence. Tom Morello said that when Zack de la Rocha quit Rage Against The Machine, he considered asking Refused's singer Dennis Lyxzén take his place.

Hot off the heels of Galactus’ somewhat epic defeat (pun intended) kicking off Fortnite Chapter 2, Season 5, it looks like everyone’s favorite God-slaying papa will eventually join the fray. A series of leaks and teasers suggests Kratos, or more accurately his skin, is coming to Fortnite. He'll join the likes of The Mandalorian’s Mando, Baby Yoda, and other hunters across multiple realities. 

The hubbub began when PlayStation users (including Hypex, a prominent Fortnite leaker) in multiple countries shared screenshots of a PlayStation Store ad promoting the god of war’s Fortnite debut. The ad has reportedly been pulled down from the store, but not before the below image made the rounds on social media: 

With Dragon Age Day coming up, I thought now would be the perfect time to share a cosplay that I'm still not convinced is a still from an unannounced film that doesn't really exist. There are so many amazing characters in the Dragon Age-verse, and some not-so-amazing ones, but in the spirit of sharing something not often seen, there is one particular Dragon Age 2 cosplay that brings Knight-Commander Meredith Stannard to life in exquisite detail. 

The Knight-Commander of Kirkwall is a highly controversial and provocative character for the restrictions placed on mages in the second Dragon Age game. She later goes full-on batshit crazy thanks to the "red stuff" (thanks, Varric) known as Red Lyrium. But let's be real, she was on the downward spiral long before the corrupted version of lyrium made it into the picture, with a distrust for mages in Thedas that drove her to look away from massive atrocities committed by the Templars under her charge. 

While skirting Hawke's rise to the elite in Kirkwall, Meredith continued to descend into madness in a city where the veil is thin, blood magic is high, and demons can be found around every corner. This character is known for her baggage and an immense amount of self-justification, making her an incredibly complex archetype in the Dragon Age universe, a complexity that one cosplayer brought to life in stunning detail: 

Click here to watch embedded media

The Wonderful 101: Remastered found a new home on Switch earlier this year, and a new demo looks to sway curious players into giving Platinum Games’ underappreciated superhero romp a shot. To sweeten the pot for newcomers and established fans alike, the demo gives players free access to the previously hard-to-unlock Wonder-Bayonetta. 

The Wonder-sized Cadet Demo takes players through the game’s prologue and first mission (Operation 001). All progress carries over to the full game should players purchase it, which is always a nice perk. The real main event of the demo, however, is the option to play as Wonder-Bayonetta, a pint-sized version of Platinum’s sultry fan-favorite heroine. Wonder-Bayonetta served as a secret character in the original Wii U release that could only be unlocked by earning every in-game achievement. Packing her signature Scarborough Fair pistols and time-slowing Witch-Time dodge, she’s a treat to play with and a fun Easter egg overall. 

Click to watch embedded media

Join Alex Van Aken alongside special guests Zombaekillz and Ian Preschel as they explore Fortnite Season 5, which includes new map locations, quests and weapons, and an updated battle pass that features new skins like The Mandalorian. After a record-breaking number of players fought off Galactus and exposed the Zero Point in yesterday's live event, the newest season in Fortnite Chapter 2 is themed after the greatest hunters across the galaxy, which includes our friends Mando and Baby Yoda.

We'll begin streaming at 12:30 PM CT on the Game Informer YouTube channel, so watch, ask questions, and chat with us about Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 5.

The Xbox Series X boasts to be the most powerful console on the market, with the S being impressive in its own right. While that's phenomenal, neither the Xbox Series nor the PlayStation 5 have a solid launch lineup, though backwards compatibility offers a reprieve from the boredom of nothing to play. That, or you could do what this YouTuber did and use their Xbox Series S as a PlayStation 2 emulator. 

Modern Vintage Gamer on YouTube shared playing some of their favorite PS2 titles on their Xbox Series S, which I'm pretty sure this is a paradox that is the final horcrux. Still, it's pretty nifty if you're into that sort of thing, but we don't recommend trying it out for yourself. For legal reasons. And because we don't want you to accidentally break your system: 

Click here to watch embedded media

The YouTube channel channeled PlayStation 2 emulation under the Developer Mode, which is interesting and not something I necessarily would think to do on my new system. Still, the PlayStation 2 era had some incredible gaming experiences (Rule of Rose, anyone?) and taking that into the current generation isn't too shabby. 

We’re just a few days away from the launch of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light’s launch. I’ve had the chance to play the classic strategy/RPG ahead of its December 4 release on Nintendo Switch, and wanted to share some impressions and things you should know before playing.

For those not in the know, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light is the entry that got the acclaimed series started, and was previously unreleased in North America in its original form. This is your chance to see where Marth and other iconic characters began their journey, while also experiencing the foundational gameplay that would drive the franchise forward. Here’s what you should know going in.