Game Informer

Whether you're peace and love or want to rock out with your glock out, the Cyberpunk 2077 photo mode has you covered. CD Projekt RED has released a new trailer centering around the creative ways players can commemorate their V in Night City. 

With just one week to go until launch, CD Projekt RED isn't done sharing what Night City will have to offer. This time, it's not a new location, instead we're seeing the various options that the photo mode has. It comes with the usual bells and whistles: filters, PoV, depth field, and poses, but the amount of poses and expressions players can have are a lot more than expected. 

Check out the latest trailer to see it for yourself: 

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From flashing the peace sign to crouching down with heavy artillery, the Cyberpunk 2077 photo mode is no joke. With so much time in-game to explore and so many locations to uncover, a solid photo mode is almost a must when capturing and sharing this long-awaited experience. 

Fortnite was already one of the biggest games around, but it's numbers continue to grow in gargantuan ways. Following yesterday's event which pitted players against Marvel Comics' world-eating entity named Galactus, Epic Games announced a record 15.3 concurrent players were on hand for the battle. An additional 3.4 million people tuned in to watch the event on YouTube and Twitch.

Galactus' arrival signaled the end of Fortnite's Marvel season, which allowed players to suit up as Iron Man, Thor, Wolverine, Doctor Doom, She-Hulk, Mystique, and more. The Marvel season was well received by fans, and is now giving way to another event with a Disney license: The Mandalorian. The Beskar-armored bounty hunter is joined by his little green companion, and is a part of a reality-mashing season Epic is calling Zero Point.

The 15.3 million concurrent players is significantly higher than Fortnite's previous highests attended event: a Travis Scott concert that brought in 12.3 million concurrent players.

Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 4 ended with Galactus being defeated and Agent Jonesy waking up, and now? The world of Battle Royale is different once more. Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 5 kicks off bringing everyone's cutest little guy back into the spotlight with The Mandalorian's The Child. 

Epic Games calls season 5 "zero point" and it means the few rules this universe has are officially out of the window. Across different realities, hunters are called to fight against a looming threat called "the loop." From manga characters that look like they've literally just popped out of an anime, to a weird pancake lookin' thing, take a look at a few of the screenshots in the slideshow below for a closer look at the new season: 

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Calling all Guardians! Bungie is hosting its latest Game2Give fundraising event this year with the Bungie Foundation and Children's Miracle Network Hospitals to raise money for children in need. All donations will be split evenly between the Bungie Foundation and Extra Life for Children's hospitals all over. There are even some sweet giveaways going on as well. 

Game2Give is an ongoing fundraiser that aims to mobilize the gaming community to be a force for good, raising funds for children being treated in children's hospitals all over North America. 

"More than ever, communities and consumers around the world are paying attention to how their favorite brands have responded to the turmoil caused by COVID-19,” senior foundation manager of the Bungie Foundation Christine Edwards said. “We are excited to be a part of this generous and inspirational gaming community, including corporate partners and gaming enthusiasts, who have chosen to make a real difference for those in need."

GameStop, EB Games, and Game Informer have all teamed up to join forces with Game2Give to game like our lives depend on it because their lives do. (Disclaimer: GameStop is the parent company of Game Informer)

The closure of the Fortnite Nexus War season has been a huge point of hype for players, especially coming off of the heels of that insanely good Travis Scott in-game concert (seriously, I'm not even a fan of his music but that was incredible). So when it was confirmed that Galactus was going to be what this particular closed on, players were primed and ready with front row seats to the latest event. So how was it? It was fine. 

The event itself centered around the mighty Galactus making his slow emergence from the water, before basically screaming in player faces to let them know he means business. That business was not as cool as it should have been, because basically it was just stand here, hold down this button, and that's a wrap, have a nice day. 

OK, so there was a little more to it than that. After he sends players into the game's map, they meet up with Iron Man who gifts them with a jetpack to confront the enemy. Sitting amidst a sea of busted up battle buses rigged with explosives, the end-season narrative then shifted into having Galactus ingested said battle busses. Mega Marvel Boss Go Boom. 

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While it's disappointing that Halo Infinite wasn't the launch title it was supposed to be, the team over at 343 Industries is hard at work getting everything titled up and ready for launch. But with the delay comes the return of rumors, something one Halo Infinite fan wanted to address in relation to a particularly pesky battle royale claim. 

This isn't the first time battle royale rumors have plagued Halo Infinite. This has been a thing basically since the new game has been announced, and it's no wonder with how popular this genre continues to be. While the battle royale rush has slowed immensely when comparing its growth in 2018 and 2019, the interest in the community (despite what a lot of internet commenters say) is still high and the continued success of games like Warzone, Fortnite, Apex Legends, and even titles like Spellbreak continues to prove that point. 

That being said, Halo Infinite will have enough multiplayer modes for players to enjoy and it's not looking to add battle royale into that mix. At least not at this point. 

Halo Infinite community manager Brian Jarrard took to Twitter to clear up a few "unfounded Halo Infinite rumors" following several viral reports of a battle royale mode being included in the upcoming game: 

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Join Alex Van Aken, Marcus Stewart, Jay Guisao, and Alex Studnik as they fight their way through the Fortnite Galactus event. We aren't exactly sure what to expect, but this special in-game event not only marks the end of Fortnite Chapter 2, but promises spectacle as millions of players face off against Marvel's Devourer of Worlds.

We'll start streaming just before 4:00 PM Eastern on the Game Informer YouTube channel, so be sure to join us on time so that you don't miss the start of the Fornite event.

After a bunch of sales on legend, charm, and weapon cosmetics, the festivities are truly ramping up. Apex Legends' winter event, Holo-Day Bash, is back with exclusive skins and collectibles as well as the staple limited time mode: Winter Express. In line with the holiday cheer, sales will continue and rare cosmetics (like last week's beautiful Airship Assassin) as well as never-before-seen event skins will be in the store's rotation. 

The Winter Express is pulling back into the station for the return of Holo-Day Bash! Join the festivities Dec 1. 🚂❄ pic.twitter.com/FJavCL3aUt

Doom Eternal is already stretching its demonic wings over to Nintendo Switch next week, but Xbox fans on PC get to play even sooner. The acclaimed shooter is heading to Xbox Game Pass PC this week. Meanwhile, a new Master Level arrives today to challenge experienced Doom Slayers in both new and familiar ways. 

The game comes to Xbox Game Pass PC on December 3rd. This comes two months after Eternal hit Game Pass on console. Meanwhile, the new Master Level, the Super Gore Nest, is available to play. Like previous Master Levels, this tougher variation on the campaign level remixes combat encounters by adding more enemies to the fray. The Master Level features various difficulties and modes with cosmetic rewards for completing each, the ultimate of which being the Gold Combat Shotgun skin. 

Xbox Game Pass is a constantly evolving library of free games that players can enjoy at no additional cost outside of the established membership price. This includes day-one first-party titles, DLC, and more. Now that we're in the thick of December, Xbox Game Pass is adding a few new titles to its library, with a few on their way out to make room. 

Doom Eternal arrives on the PC version of the Xbox Game Pass this month, as well as Control, Greedfall, and more. Control is arguably the most exciting addition, especially with the fanfare revolving around the game and its Alan Wake-connecting DLC. 

It's the Star Wars Battlefront II launch all over again. A new EA Sports lawsuit is alleging that the publisher deliberately pushed difficulty spikes in order to pressure players into buying loot boxes for the Ultimate Team mode (FUT). 

When Battlefront II first launched, it was discovered that there were in-game adjustments made to persuade players into purchasing loot box items to increase skill and up the play experience. Following the backlash, the publisher quickly removed that mechanic, instead, moving back into the cosmetic-only territory. With the new lawsuit helmed by Pranko Lozano, Danyael Williams, and Jason Zajnock in California, the trio is alleging that EA is using AI tech to scale up the difficulty in this mode in order to invest money into the Ultimate Team loot box packs. 

The Zajonc vs. Electronic Arts case has moved to a court in California, alleging that the publisher is utilizing "deceptive practices" and "false advertising" specifically to drum up more revenue in the FUT mode. “Unbeknownst to most… EA utilizes technologies like ‘Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment’ and ‘Adaptive Difficulty.’ These technologies use heuristic prediction and intervention to dictate or even influence outcomes, thereby keeping gamers more engaged,” the suit reads. 

Return to the stunning locations and epic adventures in Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth™ saga THE HOBBIT™ and THE LORD OF THE RINGS™. Now more stunning than ever before, the films have been beautifully remastered in 4K UHD, under the supervision of Director Peter Jackson, and include Dolby Vision and Dolby ATMOS. Click to see more!

We have 5 digital copies of this amazing digital bundle for your viewing enjoyment in 4K Ultra HD ready to give away, all you have to do is enter below by 12/14/2020 for your chance to win one. Come back daily as some methods you can enter once a day. Winners will be selected by random drawing from all eligible entries on 12/15/2020. Movies are rated PG-13 to R so winner must be 17 years of age or older. Full rules available with each entry method below. Good Luck!

A new Nintendo Switch update is now live and while it offers a ton of helpful new tweaks, including an easier way to share content. The only downside is subjective, some players are tagging Twitter online with complaints about how the Nintendo Shop Online icon now stands out. 

The biggest highlight from the most recent update is the ability to transfer screenshots and video to any smart device wirelessly with the additional avenue of PC transfers via USB. The newest update also allows users to prioritize their downloads, in addition to more playful additions like new icons and UI tweaks. 

While most of the new additions have Nintendo fans excited, the change to the NSO icon seems to be a sore spot for many: 

I dislike how hard the NSO icon stands out pic.twitter.com/sQMc7WLgBs

Compared to the lifespan of most games, World of Warcraft is ancient - but it’s hardly a relic. Even today, Blizzard’s MMORPG continues to keep the content flowing for players old and new. Shadowlands is the eighth expansion, and this journey through the afterlife comes with fresh features alongside systems that will be extremely familiar to veterans of the game. At the core, Shadowlands succeeds with powerful world-building fantasy, player identity, and bold gameplay elements.

If you’re a Pokémon fan, I bet you’ve always dreamed of owning and/or throwing a real-life Poké Ball. Now you can live out that fantasy in style with these premium Poké Ball replicas coming next year. You probably don’t want to actually toss these at your collection of Bulbasaur plushies, though; they’re very nice collectibles. 

The Pokémon Company has teamed up with high-end replica manufacturer The Wand Company to produce a line of die-cast metal Poké Ball replicas set to launch throughout 2021. That would be Pokémon’s 25th anniversary, in case you haven’t been keeping count. In addition to recreating the classic red and white ball, expect to see replicas of the Great Ball, Ultra Ball, and Premier Ball in the coming months.

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If you're a Hibana fan, this Rainbow Six Siege statue is a must-have, but it's going to cost you more than just a pretty penny. Whether you're an avid collector or looking for a nice gift for the gamer in your life, this collectible is a fine addition from PureArts Studio. 

The 1:4 scale Hibana Elite statue seen below will set you back $500 dollars, which is a pretty standard price point for a statue of this size made with polyresin. It features alternate weapons for her, including her Kyudo Japanese bow and the X-KAIROS 40 mm caliber launcher. 

The statue offers two unique poses for each weapon type, making her an interchangeable addition to any collection. It's also good for those that love the idea of the bow and not the bow itself. 

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For those collectors that may be interested, here is what you need to know about the above Hibana statue from Rainbow Six Siege: 

Equipment

• Unique Abilities: The X-KAIROS - a 40 mm caliber launcher and its pellets that can be displayed held in her hands.
• Secondary Weapon: The BEARING 9 - a machine pistol that magnetically attaches to the waist holder.
• The Kyūdō - Her emblematic weapon, the Kyūdō is a Japanese bow that you can display ready to shoot.

Accessories:

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Doom Eternal joined some of this year's most stellar gaming experiences in The Game Awards' Game of the Year category. Despite FPS experiences being one of the most popular genres on a yearly basis, Doom Eternal added to the formula with intense, satisfying, and fast-paced gunplay. Now that same acclaimed title is coming to Nintendo Switch next month. 

The wait is almost over! Get ready to conquer demons when DOOM Eternal comes to #NintendoSwitch on Dec. 8! pic.twitter.com/rqe9SlP580

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) November 30, 2020

We loved Doom Eternal. As Andrew Reiner said in the review: "From a combat standpoint, you couldn’t ask for much more...It roars with excitement, and just keeps getting bigger and better as it goes." Now that Doom Eternal is coming to Switch, a new populace of players will have the opportunity to dive into the game's bloody hellscape and cut down the hordes of demons standing in their way. Additionally, veterans of the game will get the chance to do all of this and more on the go.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla offers a stunning open-world for players to live out those Viking fantasies in. It even houses some pretty stellar references, including a Dungeons & Dragons game. That being said, there is one aspect that is far from beauty and grace, and it's these children that OH MY GOD WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEIR FACE?! 

Look, we're not here to judge. All children are beautiful in the eyes of yada yada yada, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that these kids have officially out-uglied the boat people of Marvel's Spider-Man when it first launched on the PS4. 

One Reddit user made a horrifying compilation showing off some of the best (?) of the best (again, ?) and really, this is not the content we should be sharing with you but we're doing it anyway. Sorry: 

Reddit @KrutToppen

Some of them aren't that bad, but the one in the middle looks like it's trying to suck my soul out through my monitor and I'm not OK with that. The one of the bottom left looks like he's seen some things and the feller mid-left looks like he should be a fully grown shopkeeper, not a young child. 

The good news is that they're tiny, so you can just...overlook them. Or, you can make another compilation, because who needs sleep? 

The holidays are just around the corner and many are looking for the perfect stocking stuffers for gamers. For anyone looking for a unique gift (or just a cool fandom buy), there is a new set of Legend of Zelda makeup brushes that are pretty darn perfect for fans of the Nintendo franchise. 

Maybe the magic of Legend of Zelda will make me miraculously better at makeup. Probably not. 

From the shop Panashe-Essence (not affiliated with Game Informer or its parent company), the latest gaming crossover is none other than that of Legend of Zelda. This same company has offered other gaming goods, including a Pokemon set, but how could I resist writing up about a makeup option that offers the Hyrulian shield? 

Panashe-Essence

The above set comes with a powder brush, a smudge brush, an eyebrow brush, an eyeshadow brush, and a silkworm brush. The listing also states that the handles are made of metal for a heftier feel, but honestly? They just look really cool. 

If you're looking to scoop these up for the holidays, there is one thing you should know: handling can take up to three business days with 1-2 weeks for shipping. That should be enough time for Christmas pending no delays, but the good news is that the site also states that it has a 100% money back guarantee. 

Phasmophobia is a campy co-op horror game that is terrifying and hilarious (due to the graphics and its resulting comedic glitches). Due to its ghost-hunting nature and scary as all hell levels, this experience quickly skyrocketed to streaming fame and for good reason. Now joining levels like the High School and the asylum, the new prison level teased earlier this month is now available in the beta build of the game. 

I haven't had a chance to check out the new level myself quite yet, but as soon as that work timer counts down, I plan on screaming my head off the same as always just in a brand-new location. 

With the beta build, the devs behind Phasmophobia can test out some of the lingering bugs and implement fixes. Even though it's just launched, new issues have already been found, and tackled, with an additional patch specific to the beta build: 

pic.twitter.com/kTq3hTZ0Hr

Assassin's Creed Valhalla is a massive game that has so much more than just its incredible main story to enjoy. Strategic building, meaningful romance, hilarious and intriguing sidequests; the new game has it all. It also has a pretty nifty Dungeons & Dragons reference, though not by that name. 

As spotted by @PlayWithJambo, there is a part in Valhalla at the Foris Turre viewpoint in Wessex that players can see the clever D&D nod with Prisons & Pyewackets character sheets and DM notes: 

All four 'character scrolls' pic.twitter.com/da42sYo1b6

— Jambo All The Way 🎅🏼🎄 (@PlayWithJambo) November 29, 2020

While not an active game that Eivor can participate in, it is more than a passing reference. If you look closely, you can see detailed characters sheets and the Dungeon Master's (DM) notes on the ongoing game. There is even a dice tray that can be seen in the short clip above. 

Square Enix has another remaster on the way, this time with SaGa Frontier Remastered. While we don't have a release date quite yet, we do have a trailer showing off the latest nostalgia play from the studio. 

The below announcement trailer offers a glimpse at what the remaster will have to offer fans of the original, an experience that made its debut back in 1997. 

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“The team of eight have returned – now with Fuse added as a playable character,"  reads the official reveal made by Square Enix. "Choose your favourite character and embark on your own unique journey. Each of the eight characters have different goals and endings. Your choices will affect how events unfold using the Free-Form Scenario System. This in-depth system will allow you to manipulate and expand a story all your own.

"Challenge yourself in nail-biting battles by using ‘glimmer’ as well as learning new skills such as the ability to fire consecutive special attacks from multiple team members. With beautiful graphics, as well as the addition of new events and features, SaGa Frontier Remastered is an experience not to be missed!”

When we first learned of the Super Nintendo World coming to Universal Studios in Japan, immediately my inner-child screeched in excitement with millions of others. Since then, every new look had that delight escalating further, and now? Now we've got a grand opening date as well as a new sneak peek at what the park will have to offer Nintendo fans. 

Originally slated for a Summer opening earlier this year, COVID-19 had other plans and the delay was called for safety concerns. While the pandemic continues to escalate in some areas, Osaka, Japan is ready to harness its inner Mario on February 4. Currently, the only park to be opening its Nintendo-themed doors is in Japan, but more parks are in the works to expand that fandom love even further with United States and Singapore locations on the way. 

マリオカフェオープン前日から行きましたが2時間以上並んだ割にはストアの品揃えは正直チープ過ぎてガッカリするレベルでしたよ😥

マリオ感があるのは帽子だけかな？😅

新エリアにもっと魅力的なgoodsが来てくれる事を期待してます🤔🤔 pic.twitter.com/szqX3PjyYD

— massa (@massa_gold) November 30, 2020

The Nintendo park will be filled to the brim with interactive choices for attendees to engage in, including a wristband that will interact with a special phone app that will unlock activities like collecting character stamps and coins. 

The upcoming Monster Hunter live-action movie starring Milla Jovovich is almost ready to launch and to celebrate, Capcom is bringing the film's influence into the Monster Hunter World: Iceborne with a new crossover. 

The latest crossover event will kick off this week on December 3 and will include two of the leading characters. A playable version of Milla Jovovich's character will be among the added characters with Artemis. While it's not the Capcom venture she's known for, it is a neat little mashup for those excited for the film following the most recent Palico-driven trailer. 

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The new event kicks off on December 3 at 4 PM PST and will include two new limited-time only Event Quests with a two-part single-player story starring Artemis herself. Jovovich will be voicing her in-game counterpart with the added NPCs speaking in "Monster Hunter language." Capcom even added a cheeky little winking face following the latter part of the reveal. 

PS Plus is a membership service that unlocks online play for PlayStation players while also awarding free games each month in addition to special sales on certain titles. The PS Plus Collection awards a total of 20 PS4 classics to PS5 PS Plus libraries, but it looks like some members are abusing that deal. With PS5 players now getting in on the free game action, a growing number of PS5 gamers are reportedly being banned due to a misuse of the service across generations.

With stellar titles like Batman Arkham Knight, God of War, Bloodborne, and more, the desire to utilize the PS Plus Collection is high. So many of these games set the tone for PS4's success, but it looks like more than a few accounts were using a loophole that awarded this collection to PS4 players and Sony immediately sought to rectify that. 

The PS Plus Collection is only meant for PS5 players, but some PS4 players have been using PS5 accounts with this particular library to download the free games onto their consoles. 

Most of accounts will be unplayable for the next two months, including the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's holidays.
Worse, some PS5 consoles get banned.
Gamers call it "SIE Thanksgiving Day Massacre".
PlayStation HK has not responded to the issue at this time. pic.twitter.com/Y27LHCmDPC

On the PlayStation 5, you can swing around a lovingly recreated New York City as Spider-Man, zipping around at 60 frames-per-second or in 4K resolution. You can listen to the explosions in Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War surround you in 3D audio. You can marvel at the way giant AAA games load in a matter of two or three seconds, wondering how you ever dealt with load times in the past, disgusted by the mere thought. 

Also, you can put this cute little robot named Astro in a spaceship, and when you do that, you have to zip him in there. Here's the best part, though: When you zip him up, the DualSense controller that comes with the PS5 rumbles, and it feels like a real zipper! That's next-gen gaming, baby. That's the reason I spent $500 on this big ugly box in the middle of a pandemic and financial crisis. 

But seriously: Of all the games I've played on the PlayStation 5, Astro's Playroom (review) is the only one that truly feels like a next-gen experience. This is partly because it's the only game I've played so far that’s not also on the PlayStation 4 (I haven't had time for Demon's Souls, sorry). Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Call of Duty look pretty, and they load very fast, but they don't make extensive use of the PS5's new features. But in Astro ... that zipper, man. 

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In a year defined by ample hardships, video games have been a routine escape for many of us. Luckily, we saw the release of several incredible games, including Hades, The Last of Us Part II, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and much more. However, with so many sizable game releases, some of the year’s most interesting experiences likely flew under your radar.

Without further ado, here are 5 hidden gem games you missed in 2020. 

Risk of Rain 2

Risk of Rain 2 is a roguelike third-person shooter wherein teams of up to 4 travel from dimension to dimension to explore space and time. Players slowly build up their stats and abilities each run by obliterating waves of alien enemies and subsequently collecting randomized loot.

In a year filled to the brim with tragedy, never-ending stress, and political unrest, Persona 5 Royal defined my summer staycation in the best possible way. Last week, Royal was nominated in the Best Role-Playing category at The Game Awards, and rightfully so – though I wish it had been considered for other commendations as well. This isn’t a mere expansion of the original 2017 game. Among a bevy of substantial updates, Royal makes noticeable tweaks to Persona 5’s gameplay loop, introduces new cast members to the central narrative, and offers more areas to explore in Tokyo and the cognitive world. All these features combine to create a contemporary JRPG unlike any other. The 100-plus hours it takes to reach Royal’s closing credits may seem like a dauting commitment – especially for people who played the original Persona 5 – but this expanded vision for the game is less about the final destination and more about the journey itself. With that in mind, here are some reasons for why Persona 5 Royal never overstays its welcome.

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When the developers at Ubisoft Québec set out on their newest title, they weren't content with just rehashing what worked in Assassin's Creed Odyssey. For Immortals Fenyx Rising, they ventured to add a new layer of gameplay that would keep players engaged in their delightful mythological take on ancient Greece through the use of puzzles.

The main implementation of these brain-teasers is the Vaults of Tartaros which push players to think outside of the box when it comes to traversal, world manipulation, and more. Traversing these dungeons not only nets you rewards such as gear or new weapons, but locked deep inside of each features one of Zeus' lightning bolts which allows players to upgrade their in-game stamina.

On top of the 60+ vaults to explore and conquer, the developers have also added challenges around the game world that test your skills, unlock new areas, and reveal new gear for players to collect in their quest to save the gods. But while puzzle-solving is so tightly connected with the world of video games, Ubisoft Québec's journey to implement these virtual riddles was anything but easy.

Science fiction enthusiasts hardly need an introduction to Dune. The original book, along with the long-running novel series that ensued, are foundational pieces of the genre canon. The series also has close ties with the early days of the strategy tabletop hobby, as the original 1979 board game was an early success story for theme-driven licensed board games. That game finally saw a re-release last year, and it’s a wonderful and challenging trip back in time, albeit with new art and some small tweaks. But as anyone who knows the franchise could tell you, there’s plenty of room in the Dune universe for additional perspectives. The brand-new Dune: Imperium, from Dire Wolf Digital, is a remarkably engaging game in its own right, and has nothing to do with that older release. Drawing on elements from across the fiction, and borrowing visual elements from the forthcoming Dune film, it’s a standout new release, offering a tense competition for influence and power to dominate the all-important spice. 

In Dune: Imperium, one to four players each take control of a leader of one of the major houses. Whether you control Paul Atreides or Baron Harkonnen, your goals are the same; gather ten victory points and ultimately gain control of the spice. After all, whoever controls the spice, controls the universe. 

Half-Life: Alyx is one of the best games of the year, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t get around to playing it. In order to jump into Valve’s immersive new shooter, you also need to have access to a VR rig, which can set you back a significant amount of money – especially if you don't have a high-end PC. Personally, I think Half-Life: Alyx is fantastic; it’s the kind of game that makes me glad I invested in VR. But, I’m not here to convince you to spend money a fancy new headset; plenty of people have already made the case for Half-Life: Alyx as a defining VR game. I just want to tell you why it is worth playing if you’re a horror fan.

During yesterday's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Pokémon Company International revealed its 25th anniversary logo. Accompanied by a giant Pikachu parade balloon, a dance troupe of Pikachu and trainers performed a short routine to an instrumental version of "Gotta Catch 'Em All" before unveiling the logo that you see above.

While we already know that a new Pokémon Snap is coming to Switch at some point in the future, it's likely we'll learn a lot more about what's next for the Pokémon franchise beyond that. With the series' original Japanese launch happening on February 27, 1996, the Pokémon Company International dubbed February 27 "Pokémon Day" and has made a tradition of holding special events on that day.

The Yakuza series intimidates me. It includes seven huge mainline games, and even though I’ve made two earnest attempts to start the saga, I’ve never even finished Yakuza 0. That says more about me than the games, but I’m sure I’m not alone; getting through Yakuza’s whole sprawling story is a daunting proposition, since it involves playing through multiple giant RPGs. However, the recent release of Yakuza: Like a Dragon gives players the perfect opportunity to start with a clean slate.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla mixes up its RPG elements a bit in how it plays with the concept of a skill tree. Rather than give up the goods from the start, you reveal chunks of it from the fog as you go. I guess it technically adds a bit of mystery to character progression, until you realize you can just poke around online and see maps of the whole darned thing. Still, even if you have the whole tree laid out in front of you, it might be tricky to figure out what to prioritize. I’ll make it easier: get the Missile Reversal skill as soon as you possibly can. That single ability has transformed the way I play the game – in a good way.

I’ve always enjoyed parrying and countering attacks as long as that’s been part of the Assassin’s Creed series. There’s something I find satisfying about waiting for an enemy to attack, only for your character to knock it aside and punish that enemy for having the nerve to take a swing. Once you get the timing down, it’s the best. And it’s the same in Valhalla. Still, I was getting annoyed during some of the larger raid-type missions, in how archers and other ranged attackers would (wisely) hang back and take pot shots at me while I was busy killing their friends. The nerve! Sure, I could block those incoming projectiles, but it kind of broke my combat flow. The cure for that problem? Why, it’s Missile Reversal, of course.

For decades now, Harmonix has brought a very particular set of skills to the gaming audience – finding ways to share the joy of music-making with players, even if those players have never picked up the instrument(s) in question. Time and again, the studio manages to find the thrill and wonder inherent to a particular corner of the musical world, and translate that into something approachable and fun. With Fuser, the developers behind Amplitude, Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and Dance Central have zeroed in on the festival dance music scene. I’ve never spun records as a DJ. I’ve never even attended a big outdoor music festival. And yet Fuser is everything I want as an escape from the doldrum and frustration of 2020, offering one of the most creative and technically remarkable opportunities for musical expression I’ve encountered in a game.

As Brian Shea writes about in his enthusiastic review for Fuser, this new music game offers a number of different ways to interact with the music, from a tutorial-focused campaign that shows you the ropes, to freestyle mix creation, to social tools for sharing and enjoying music with others. Any way you choose to approach it, the takeaway is the same – Fuser is a music-mixing and creation tool masquerading as a video game. And its ability to sweep me away into the fun of toe-tapping tunes remixed in new ways is especially invigorating.

In 2019, Disney debuted four remakes of beloved cartoon classics: Aladdin, Dumbo, The Lion King, and Lady and The Tramp. Reviews for all four films were mixed, but largely ranged from “Meh, it’s okay” to “Why was this necessary?” That same year, Capcom remade one of the most beloved entries in its long-running survival horror series and got the opposite response. Resident Evil 2 reviews were effusive, and fans declared it one of the standout titles of the year. It's a fascinating tale of two cities, but the remakes of 2019 are just a microcosm of a larger trend: Video game remakes are better than film remakes.

The movie industry loves to remake old properties. The video game industry (increasingly) does too. But there is a big difference between how the two entertainment fields manage their properties, because every time the movie industry announces a remake we collectively groan. When a video game developer announces a remake of a beloved classic, we’re ready to party.

Don't get me wrong, sometimes Hollywood gets it right, but for every Invisible Man (2020), I feel like we get several films like Total Recall (2012), Point Break (2015), Ben-Hur (2016), and The Mummy (2017) which completely fall flat and fail to capture the magic that made their original films special. Why does this happen? What makes video game remakes so exciting and film remakes so excruciating?

Whether it’s the cutting-edge graphics, continually evolving gameplay, or always-contentious microtransactions, the NBA 2K series fosters plenty of passionate (and heated) discussions. That’s to be expected when you’re at the top of the sports genre, helping set standards and drive innovation. That’s why it’s important for fans and critics to voice concerns over missteps, but it’s also just as important to celebrate the victories (which I do in my full NBA 2K21 review here). One thing I’m sad more people aren’t talking about is a new feature for the new-gen versions called “The W,” which allows you to can create your own WNBA MyPlayer for the first time and build your own path to stardom by playing for one of the league’s 12 teams. Playing WNBA games isn’t new for the series, but centering an entire experience around it is the biggest push and commitment we’ve seen from a mainstream team sports game to represent female athletes and their experience. And that’s a pretty big deal.

Both the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5 are incredibly powerful systems, but that doesn't mean what's out now is what all there is to experience. As more and more games continue to be prepped for this new generation of gaming, some players have noticed notable differences with certain titles and how they perform on the Xbox Series X versus the PS5. 

A few reports about the performance differences between the platforms centers around optimization hiccups resulting from dev kit arrival times. As reported by The Verge, developers were giving PS5 dev kits much sooner than they received Xbox Series X ones, which resulted in a differentiation between the two offered new-gen systems. 

Responding to the growing feedback from players, a Microsoft representative did take a moment to remind Xbox owners that both platforms are still very much in early evolution stages post-launch, and that improvements are always being worked on and looked into. 

PlayStation fans have been diving into New York once more as Miles Morales, but that doesn't mean that the enjoyable Spider-Man experience couldn't be made a little bit better with a new patch. The latest Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales update is nothing massive, but it does make the game a much more stable ride. 

PlayStation players will see the new update available to download now. According to Insomniac Games, here is what fans can look forward to: 

• Fixed various issues where the screen could go black while changing Time of Day
• Fixed an issue where players could not change Suits in Photo Mode
• Fixed an issue where the weather did not change correctly when selected by the player
• Improved stability

The stability changes aren't detailed, but the screen going black is an issue we've experienced ourselves. It was nothing major, but on PlayStation 5 with the quick loadtimes, the disruption does break the immersion. Some have reported that the screen never resumes from the black until a restart happens. Personally, the issue corrected itself within just a few short moments.