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GameSpot •

Fallout (Amazon Show) Review - Of The People, For The People

Capturing what makes the Fallout series endearing as a TV show is a tall order. So much of the experience relies on the sense of discovery that comes from wandering the Wasteland. You may enter a subway tunnel on a whim and encounter a city made up of people who think they're vampires, or meet a guy who is also a tree. Whether it's speaking with the leaders of factions about their values and deciding whether they're your values, or just sneaking around a supermarket overtaken by murderous robots
IGN •

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile Review

Successfully bringing well-known console video games to phones and tablets requires hitting a very specific balance. You want the mobile version to feel like the same game people already like, while acknowledging that using a touchscreen device usually means playing for a short period of time on something that's not designed for games. Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile is a pretty ideal demonstration of hitting that balance — it maintains all the most important elements of the PC and console Warzone
GameSpot •

Rise Of The Ronin Review - Long-Term Investment

If someone tells me a game takes several hours to "get good," my immediate feeling is that I will never play that game. Who has hours to waste waiting for the good part of anything when there are so many other games to play? But my opinion of Rise of the Ronin changed drastically over the course of my 50 hours of playtime--in the first five or 10 hours, I didn't really like it. By the end, I was planning to dive back in to clear out side quests and replay key moments to see how the story might c
GameSpot •

3 Body Problem Review - Unpredictable

Content warning: This review includes discussion of, and 3 Body Problem includes depictions of, self-harm.

Adapting Liu Cixin's science-fiction novel, The Three-Body Problem, is no small feat. The sweeping story leaps across timelines and bounces between the perspectives of a number of characters. All that goes to convey big ideas about physics and astronomy in the context of a mystery full of strange occurrences. Netflix's series adaptation of the story, 3 Body Problem, succeeds because it tak
GameSpot •

Shōgun Review - Game Of Ronin

Ever since Game of Thrones came to an end back in 2019, I've been itching for some expansive medieval political intrigue. FX's adaptation of Shōgun, James Clavell's 1975 novel, provides exactly what I've been craving. It widens its view of the original story, which follows a fictionalized version of the adventures of the first Englishman to reach Japan, to put a greater emphasis on the dangerous political world that man finds himself trapped in. This new adaptation of Shōgun is all about the mac
IGN •

The Inquisitor Review

Video games can be great vehicles for mysteries. The idea of gathering clues, questioning witnesses, and giving dramatic speeches where you stun an array of suspects with your intellect makes for an exciting fantasy. But lots of games stumble trying to fit the inherently open-ended, red-string-connecting fantasy of the detective into traditionally linear story structures. The Inquisitor is a game like that — it starts with the compelling concept of playing as a medieval church cop hunting a vamp
IGN •

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Review

I fell in love with Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time way back in 2003, when it helped redefine 3D action-adventure games with its clever rewind ability enhancing its environmental puzzles and fast, acrobatic combat. But while the aughts saw a bunch of sequels with similar elements, none ever quite hit the same heights as The Sands of Time – and the 2010s were a parched desert for the series. But like an oasis, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown finally nails what I loved about those classic Pri
IGN •

Lego Fortnite Review

Surprising absolutely no one, Fortnite and Lego snap satisfyingly together like a couple of plastic construction bricks. Combining the building creativity of Lego sets with Fortnite's expansive and often gorgeous island playgrounds is a smart match that creates an approachable yet fairly deep survival game. But while it streamlines a few of the more cumbersome aspects of the genre, Lego Fortnite also has the distinct feel of an early access game, trading as much on its future potential as its cu
GameSpot •

Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora Review - The Good Blue Man Group

Before starting Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, I was reminded of what I think of when considering any open-world game: Killscreen's review of Fallout 4 by Chris Breault, and the opening line, "Here comes the trashman!" Breault discusses an experience of constantly picking up and covering yourself in the garbage scattered around that game's massive world. It's a description that feels highly applicable to most open-world games--huge, but full of refuse that you spend endless hours picking through
GameSpot •

The Talos Principle 2 Review - Machine Learning

Video games often deal with the end of the world and thinking about how cool it might be. Like, sure, it sucks that most everyone has to die horribly for the end of the world to take place, but those of us who survive might get to shoot evil marauders or rotting mutants or giant bugs. Or maybe there are evil marauders, rotting mutants, and giant bugs who are trying to bring about the end of the world, and you can shoot them to prevent it. In any event, the idea of finding fun settings that let y
GameSpot •

Lords Of The Fallen Review - Dark Slog

There are a lot of elements that might be said to define Souls-like games, but high on the list has to be the genre’s particular approach to pacing. As a group of action-RPGs, they’re defined first by periods of growing, ratcheting tension. You fight through long areas filled with tough enemies, with each one dropping "souls" that you can spend to level up your character, which you risk losing if you die before you reach a safe place where you're able to spend them.

Following the build of tensi
GameSpot •

Thymesia Review - Hunter Homage

A lot of games have drawn inspiration from the works of From Software, with varying degrees of success. While many developers look to emulate that high degree of challenge that comes from the likes of Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro, they often miss the fact that it's From's thoughtful, tight gameplay and deliberate encounter design that makes these games fun, not just a punishing difficulty. Thymesia, a 3D action game that draws heavy influence from some specific From titles, manages to stri
GameSpot •

Rollerdrome Review - Skate Or Die

When I was losing hours to Roll7's latest side-scrolling skateboard platformer, OlliOlli World, I never said to myself, "I wonder what this would be like if my skater had a gun." Roll7 obviously did, though, and the result is Rollerdrome. Though it makes departures from the skating games that Roll7 is known for, Rollerdrome nails what's most important about them: it's an easy game to play that makes you feel awesome while you're playing it.

Rollerdrome is similar to Roll7's other titles in that
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Latest Work

GameSpot •

Destiny 2 The Mountaintop Guide - How To Get It, Curated Roll, And God Roll

The second week of Destiny 2's Into the Light brings more fan-favorite weapons back to the game--including The Mountaintop, a breech-loading grenade launcher that dominated the Crucible for years after its release. While the new version of The Mountaintop isn't quite the force of terror the original was, it's still a pretty powerful option for your Special weapon slot, whether in player-vs.-player or player-vs.-environment content.

As with the other reprised weapons in the Brave arsenal, it's p
GameSpot •

Destiny 2 The Recluse Guide - How To Get It, Curated Roll, And God Roll

Destiny 2's free Into the Light content drop is now live, and with it comes a new version of The Recluse, one of the best submachine guns the game has ever seen. Formerly a tough gun to earn that required finishing a lengthy player-vs.-player quest, The Recluse was among several guns that were sunset before the Beyond Light expansion that are now making a comeback in Into the Light. The Recluse is one of a dozen weapons that make up the Brave arsenal, returning to the game with new perks and adj
GameSpot •

Destiny 2 Is Finally Fixing An Issue That Has Plagued Players For Seven Years

For the entirety of Destiny 2's life, players have had to tough out an annoying but pervasive problem: the HUD, or heads-up display. A limitation on the way Destiny 2 uses its screen real estate meant it could only show you four messages about buffs or debuffs at a time, even if more than four were in effect--and that meant that sometimes, you might get killed because you didn't realize an important timer was about to run out. It might even cost you a run on a tough activity.

But now, seven yea
GameSpot •

How To Unlock The Superblack Shader In Destiny 2

With Destiny 2: Into the Light, Bungie has brought back a number of fan-favorites, including 12 weapons and two of its best Exotic missions. The new content drop also brings back Superblack, one of the best shaders in the original Destiny. It was the only shader in the game that was fully black, and with its return, players finally have a fashion option that lets them go as dark and goth as they want.

Superblack isn't easy to come by, though. In the original Destiny, unlocking it required compl
GameSpot •

Fallout (Amazon Show) Review - Of The People, For The People

Capturing what makes the Fallout series endearing as a TV show is a tall order. So much of the experience relies on the sense of discovery that comes from wandering the Wasteland. You may enter a subway tunnel on a whim and encounter a city made up of people who think they're vampires, or meet a guy who is also a tree. Whether it's speaking with the leaders of factions about their values and deciding whether they're your values, or just sneaking around a supermarket overtaken by murderous robots
GameSpot •

Elden Ring Shadow Of The Erdtree Bosses, Gameplay, And Everything We Know

More than two years after its release, Elden Ring fans will finally be returning to the Lands Between later this year. Shadow of the Erdtree is a massive expansion for From Software's open-world fantasy-RPG and is set to take place in a whole new area. It also looks to expand on the base game by centering on Miquella, a character who was important in Elden Ring but whose story was left untold by the end.

With a new trailer and interviews providing details about what we can expect, we've finally
GameSpot •

The Rise Of Final Fantasy 7's Corporate Villain Would Be A Perfect Game For Our Late Capitalism Moment

Maybe the most impactful thing about returning to the world of Final Fantasy VII for me has been how much its ideas resonate in 2024--many of them even more than they did in 1997. The environmental themes and plotline of FF7 might be exceedingly blunt, but they're also continually relevant as we live through yet another "hottest year of your life so far." And after finishing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, I keep thinking about something else that feels a little too real: the Shinra Electric Power Co
GameSpot •

Destiny 2 Into The Light To Add Raid Boss-Rush Mode, Skippable New-Player Onboarding

Destiny 2's upcoming Into the Light free content drop is getting another new activity for players to take on with their teams: a boss-rush mode called Pantheon.

Bungie revealed a few details about the new mode, along with information about returning Exotic missions, during its final livestream detailing what to expect from Into the Light, which releases on April 9. In Pantheon you'll "face grueling raid bosses in a weekly challenge escalating difficulty and rewards," according to Bungie. That s
GameSpot •

Check Out Destiny 2 Into The Light's Three New PvP Maps

Destiny 2's player-vs.-player mode is getting a pretty significant refresh with the release of Into the Light, the game's free upcoming content drop, in the form of three new multiplayer maps.

The new maps take place in some of the more recently added areas of the Destiny 2 universe. There's one set on the icy landscape of Europa, one in the neon environs of the Neptune city Neomuna, and one in a terraformed Pyramid ship of the Black Fleet.

Bungie gave a look at the new maps during its final l
GameSpot •

You'll Soon Start Seeing Ads On Discord--From Your Friends

Discord will soon start incorporating ads into its free in-game chat and streaming software, despite the fact the company has long said it didn't want to rely on ads for revenue like other social media companies.

According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Discord is looking to integrate ads from video game developers and publishers "in the coming week." Discord previously detailed its ad approach in a blog post. The idea is that you'll earn gifts for playing games and completing "Spons
GameSpot •

Hollow Knight: Silksong Listing Goes Live On April Fools' Day, Reinforcing Its Existence Is A Prank

It's April Fools' Day, so of course a new store listing has appeared for the long-awaited but still ephemeral Hollow Knight: Silksong. The timing of the listing further solidifies the feeling that the game is never coming out and is actually just a cruel hoax perpetrated against all those who loved Hollow Knight, which is basically everyone.

The Silksong listing popped up today on Xbox.com, and although it looks normal enough, this is April 1--a day infamous for video game companies playing rid
IGN •

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile Review

Successfully bringing well-known console video games to phones and tablets requires hitting a very specific balance. You want the mobile version to feel like the same game people already like, while acknowledging that using a touchscreen device usually means playing for a short period of time on something that's not designed for games. Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile is a pretty ideal demonstration of hitting that balance — it maintains all the most important elements of the PC and console Warzone
GameSpot •

Destiny 2 Into The Light's Brave Arsenal Is A Guns Greatest Hits Collection

Bungie is bringing a host of fan-favorite guns back to Destiny 2 with its upcoming Into the Light free content release, updating some of the most fun and most lethal weapons to ever appear in the game with new perks and capabilities.

The developer dropped a load of new details about Into the Light during its second of three livestreams running down information about the release, which focused on the guns you'll earn and how you'll earn them, as well as Into the Light's new social space. The 12
GameSpot •

Destiny 2's The Final Shape Collector's Edition Is A 10-Year Nostalgia Trip That Might Turn Tragic

The collector's edition for The Final Shape, the next Destiny 2 expansion and the last in its current "Light and Darkness Saga" story arc, is more a celebration of the last 10 years of Destiny 2 than it is the upcoming new content. With the story reaching its conclusion, the collector's edition is a fond look back that's especially rewarding if you're steeped in Destiny 2's lore.

Recently, though, Bungie has started to release details about Into the Light, an upcoming content drop meant to fill
GameSpot •

Rise Of The Ronin Review - Long-Term Investment

If someone tells me a game takes several hours to "get good," my immediate feeling is that I will never play that game. Who has hours to waste waiting for the good part of anything when there are so many other games to play? But my opinion of Rise of the Ronin changed drastically over the course of my 50 hours of playtime--in the first five or 10 hours, I didn't really like it. By the end, I was planning to dive back in to clear out side quests and replay key moments to see how the story might c
GameSpot •

Why Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Ending Doesn't Really Matter

Note: This article contains major spoilers for Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. We recommend you finish Rebirth before reading further.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a haunted game. It's nearly impossible to have any awareness of the popular culture surrounding video games and not already know the twist waiting for you in the Forgotten Capital: Aerith Gainsborough dies. And it's impossible to play any amount of Rebirth without wondering if that moment i
GameSpot •

Video Game Industry Layoffs Are Worse Than Ever. How Did We Get Here?

On February 27, Sony announced it would lay off 900 people across its worldwide games business, affecting several games studios. Among them were Naughty Dog and Insomniac Games, both of which had just released big, noteworthy titles--Marvel's Spider-Man 2 launched in October to audience and critical acclaim, while The Last of Us Part II Remastered dropped in January with an updated version that included new content. The Sony layoffs constituted some 8% of the people working in its games division
GameSpot •

3 Body Problem Review - Unpredictable

Content warning: This review includes discussion of, and 3 Body Problem includes depictions of, self-harm.

Adapting Liu Cixin's science-fiction novel, The Three-Body Problem, is no small feat. The sweeping story leaps across timelines and bounces between the perspectives of a number of characters. All that goes to convey big ideas about physics and astronomy in the context of a mystery full of strange occurrences. Netflix's series adaptation of the story, 3 Body Problem, succeeds because it tak
GameSpot •

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth - How To Date Barret At The Gold Saucer

GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.

Just like in the original Final Fantasy VII that released in 1997, a big scene in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth gives you the chance to join one of the members of your party on a "date" at the Gold Saucer. Rebirth reworks that scene to be less about a rivalry between Tifa and Aerith for Cloud's affections, and more of a measure of your bond with your favorite character
GameSpot •

Climb Dune: Awakening's Factions Ranks To Become "The Next Baron Harkonnen"

Dune: Awakening puts a major focus on surviving on the extremely hostile desert planet Arrakis from the Dune movies and books, but that's not the only thing you'll have to survive. In addition to fighting other players, you'll also have the opportunity engage in the kinds of political machinations that are central to the classic sci-fi story.

In developer Funcom's first Dune: Awakening Direct video, creative director Joel Bylos explains some of how you'll deal with the different factions at war
GameSpot •

In Dune: Awakening, You'll Fight To Survive Sandworms, Political Machinations, And Other Players

In the story Dune, Arrakis is the most dangerous planet in the universe. It’s a vast desert world where the scorching sun’s intense heat is a major hazard. Water is nearly impossible to find, and dehydration will claim an unprotected person in a matter of hours. More frightening, though, are the sandworms--enormous, carnivorous creatures that move beneath the ground and hunt by detecting vibrations. The sandworms hear you when you walk in the open deserts of Arrakis, and they always come.

To ca
GameSpot •

Dune: Awakening Will Let You Zonk People With "The Voice" In Combat

Keeping yourself alive is a major part of Dune: Awakening, Funcom's upcoming survival MMO, but once you've got your water discipline under control and you're walking without rhythm to avoid sandworms, there's a mess of other sandbox elements to think about. One of those is combat, because while Arrakis is a harsh world, it's the warring factions--and other players--that may well pose the biggest threats.

In Funcom's first Dune: Awakening Direct video about the game, creative director Joel Bylos
GameSpot •

Here's Why Dune: Awakening Won't Constantly Kill You With Nuclear Explosions

Survival MMO Dune: Awakening means to put you on the sands of Arrakis, fighting to keep your water in your body--fending off both the harsh arid climate and the weapons of other players in some of its PvP gameplay. Developer Funcom is including a whole bunch of different weapons and technologies for you to use in combat, including shields and the knives and swords that can penetrate them, vehicles like ornithopters, and projectile weapons.

Dune: Awakening will also include "lasguns," powerful l
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