The Annapurna Interactive Showcase revealed a new trailer for Neon White. Despite being in first-person and featuring gunplay, this game is not a first-person shooter. Neon White isn't a roguelike or deck-builder either, despite featuring a cyclical run-based formula and card-based combat. According to its developer, Ben Esposito, Neon White is a "speedrunning" game."[Neon White] is structured like a speedrunning game in the sense that you have a bunch of levels and to proceed in the game--to continue in the in-game competition so to speak, in the fiction of the game--you have to achieve certain medals or certain status by playing the levels faster," Esposito told GameSpot. "So you play a set and you survive through them and then you revisit them and you start to pick them apart and start to play them faster and get more familiar with them.""I'm a little reluctant to say it's exactly like a speedrunning game because I think that to a lot of people, that scares them a little--it evokes the extreme dedication of a Twitch streamer. But I think it's an accurate description because [Neon White] is structured where the main goal is to get faster at it. But the game is designed to onboard you into speedrunning in a pretty gentle way if you haven't done it before."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

A new trailer for A Memoir Blue debuted during the Annapurna Interactive Showcase, showcasing a beautiful-looking atmospheric game that mixes together 3D animation and hand-drawn 2D art. The trailer noticeably doesn't feature any words, and creative director Shelley Chen says that's true for the full game."There's no words in there, like zero words are spoken by the character, zero narration," Chen told GameSpot. "We decided to have the character animation do all the communicating. Back in the old days, people didn't need words to watch movies. They can get a joke, they can get at the emotion of the characters. So that pumped me to do it this way, because I don't really play many games. I watch more movies than play games."Instead, A Memoir Blue's story of champion swimmer Miriam, who begins to think back on her childhood memories with her mother, is primarily told through the character's body language, which can be captured in different ways depending on whether the character is a 2D or 3D model. And as a big fan of Disney movies, Chen also sought to use music to tell A Memoir Blue's story.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

A new trailer for Solar Ash debuted during the Annapurna Interactive Showcase, revealing that developer Heart Machine's upcoming game will launch for PS5, PS4, and PC on October 26. The trailer showcases a bit more of what exploration looks like in Solar Ash which, according to creative director Alx Preston, is the first-and-foremost focus for the game."We're traversal first," Preston told GameSpot. "That was kind of the vision of the game: Control the traversal, the environments that you're moving through, and the spectacle of it all. Especially the scale on the grandiosity of it just feeling impossibly large and you're feeling really tiny and insignificant in as many ways as possible. The traversal absolutely takes precedence and the combat is kind of intermingled with that traversal."To do that, Heart Machine has designed Solar Ash's movement mechanics to be fairly easy to grasp. You will have to practice to achieve the same level of fluidity seen in trailers. But when I asked Preston, he said that Solar Ash's movement more closely resembles the easy-to-pick-up web-swinging mechanics of Marvel's Spider-Man than the carefully timed button presses and precise turns needed to perform an amazing aerial goal in Rocket League.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

In very unexpected but wonderful news, a TV series based on the 1995 Kevin Costner movie Waterworld--and also, we hope, the award-winning Waterworld: A Live Sea War Spectacular stunt show at Universal Studios Hollywood--is in the works. The news comes from Collider, which reports that John Davis, a producer on the film, is currently developing the project for a streaming network.Speaking to Collider, Davis said, "We're going to do the streaming version of that movie, the continuation of that movie." The film is set in the year 2500, with the seas having risen to cover the entire planet with water. Costner played a character called the Mariner--a fish/human hybrid with gills and webbed feet--that traveled the seas, trading dry dirt to people. After discovering a young girl with a map to a dry piece of land tattooed on her back, the Mariner protects her from the evil Deacon (Dennis Hopper) and ultimately they journey to the top of Mt. Everest--the only remaining land above water.As for what the continuation would be, there's no telling. At the end of the movie, the Mariner realizes the sea is his home, leaving the little girl and their friends to live on dry land, while he sails away. According to Davis, the new series would take place two decades later and feature the characters from the first movie. Of course, that doesn't mean the cast would return.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Stray, a game about a cat wearing a backpack in a world taken over by robots, was already poised to be the most precious thing in the world before we even saw gameplay. During the July 29 Annapurna Interactive stream, however, we were given our first look at Stray in action, including a harrowing chase sequence. And we also learned as part of the event that it's coming out next year.After meeting a drone named B12, the cat is able to communicate with those around it, including the humans who still exist in the harsh world we wouldn't wish on a single real kitty. It's so harsh, in fact, that a chase soon begins as slug creatures try to consume the cat. Using B12's unlockable abilities, the drone is able to stun them long enough for them to be defeated.You'll have to use your stealth and agility to make it through Stray, and according to Annapurna Interactive, you'll also need to sometimes be "as annoying as possible." If you have ever had a cat, you know this is a crucial element of their entire species. You can even knock stuff off of ledges to solve puzzles and claw up a leather couch like a little demon. Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The exploration adventure game Outer Wilds is getting an expansion, and it's coming sooner than you might expect. The Echoes of the Eye expansion is coming on September 28.Annapurna Interactive confirmed the "first and only" expansion with a trailer during its games showcase. The development team acknowledged that the original game didn't leave much room for expansion, but hinted that questions like "why" may be answered in the DLC itself. A press release says the DLC revolves around "an anomaly that can't be attributed to any known location in the solar system."Echoes of the Eye was actually leaked in April by a SteamDB listing, and publisher Annapurna gave a winking signal-boost to the discovery that acted as almost-confirmation. This is the first official word we've heard of the expansion, however.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Annapurna Interactive had plenty to reveal during its July showcase, releasing trailers for several upcoming games and expansions. The publisher also revealed that it's partnered with a few more developers that are currently working on unannounced projects.Below, we go over everything that was announced during the Annapurna Interactive Showcase. We go through the announcements in the order that they happened.The Artful EscapeContinue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

More player ratings have been revealed for Madden NFL 22, and this time they focus on the defensive backs. The cornerbacks and safeties are both key to protecting against long throws and stopping breakthrough rushes, and the list even includes the newest member of the 99 club.Among the top five cornerbacks, Jalen Ramsey clocks in with a 99 OVR rating, following by Stephen Gilmore at 97, Jaire Alexander at 95, Tre'Davious White at 93, and Marlon Humphrey 92.The full top 10 list is below. These numbers are only applicable to the beginning of the season and will change based on how their real-world counterparts perform.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

One of the new features coming in Halo Infinite's multiplayer mode is called the Academy, which will give new players an opportunity to get used to how Halo multiplayer works. Developer 343 Industries has recently explained more about how the Academy will work in both the full game and this weekend's beta test.In a new video, the studio went into detail on how the Academy serves as a tutorial and entry point for newcomers to Halo multiplayer. In the full game, it'll be broken down into three elements. The first is a conventional tutorial that explains the fundamental controls and mechanics of the game, but it'll also introduce new players to some of the lore surrounding Halo's multiplayer. From there, players can jump into weapon drills, which allow for experimentation with the game's arsenal. Finally, the Academy will also include a mode where you can play multiplayer matches, either alone or with teammates, against bots across all of the maps.In the technical preview kicking off today, players will be able to try out weapon drills. You can see what these look like in the embed above; in essence, this mode gamifies learning how to use Halo's weapons. While the version in the preview will be limited, 343 Industries stated that weapon drills will likely be more complex in the full version.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Armor customization in Halo Infinite aims to include lore while also allowing players to fit their own personalities. In the Halo Infinite technical preview livestream, 343 Industries went over some of the customizations options that will be available in the Halo Infinite tech test this weekend and the launch version of the game.One of the main pieces of armor customizations are the armor cores, which serve as a base for your Spartan. Some of the armor cores will be based in the Halo Infinite lore, like the Mark VII armor shown in the video. Other armor sets like the previously revealed Yoroi armor, which is designed to look like Samurai armor, are considered fractured cores, and exist outside of the Halo Infinite lore.To demonstrate how this works, 343 Industries showed concept art with 15 different armor styles for Yoroi armor. While the base of the armor remains the same, different aspects of it can be changed to a player's liking. Some of the armor shown had a katana attached to the hip, while others had throwing knives. There are different chest plate options and the option to add a bandolier of bullets. The developers said that the idea behind this is to make each armor core feel like a unique character that people are playing, while still offering in-depth customization.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Months after its official launch, Sony is finally allowing PlayStation 5 owners to expand their limited internal SSD storage with a range of Gen4 NVMe SSDs. What makes Sony's approach different from Microsoft's with the Xbox Series X|S is that the company isn't making its own SSD; instead, the PS5 will be compatible with numerous third-party SSDs you can buy today--if they fit within a certain specification.It's important to stress that right now, the firmware update you need to enable internal storage expansion is only in beta. This means that Sony hasn't released its own list of SSDs that it has evaluated for use and can only guide you toward SSD options that might work based on the console's requirements. On Sony's official page for the update, it is stressed that even SSDs that meet the specifications laid out might not work as intended and that SIE takes no responsibility for purchases you make that end up not being compatible with your PS5.Until Sony releases its own approved list or more PS5 players can test certain SSDs firsthand, you should be warned that any seemingly compatible SSDs might not work once the firmware is finally pushed out to everyone. That said, some manufacturers are already stating that their SSDs will be compatible when that time comes, with Seagate confirming that its FireCuda 530 range of M.2 drives will work with the console.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Food Fight, first released in 1983 as an arcade machine and later released for the Atari 7800, is getting a modern, multiplayer reimagining. Scheduled to launch early next year and sporting modern 3D visuals, the game comes from Mega Cat Studios and can be played single-player or co-op, with support for online multiplayer.The game will be a timed exclusive for Atari's new VCS console, and will release for PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation platforms at a later date. Atari says the VCS version of the game will contain content exclusive to that platform, but did not offer details on what exactly that exclusive content will be.Mega Cat Studios' Food Fight will feature procedurally generated environments and updated gameplay mechanics as players use up to 30 different items to defeat the competition in food-based battles, with different types of food sporting unique attributes, such as "slippery" or "sticky," that will affect gameplay. Atari says more details on the game will be released in the coming months, but that Food Fight is the first example of its new "refocus" on premium PC and console games.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Yves Guillemot, CEO of Ubisoft, has released an internal letter in response to the hundreds of company employees who signed a letter in support of Activision Blizzard workers who staged a massive walkout on Wednesday, July 28.In the statement, which was shared with GameSpot, Guillemot said Ubisoft wants to "reiterate our commitment to creating real and lasting change" at the company. He ran through a list of actions Ubisoft has taken in the wake of last year's sexual harassment allegations and toxic workplace accusations. This includes revamping HR processes, installing a new code of conduct, rolling out mandatory training regimens, and hiring new leadership.Guillemot also talked directly to the employee letter. He said that upper management understands employees want to improve working conditions at Ubisoft, reiterating that this commitment is a priority for everyone involved.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The second free update for Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin arrives on Nintendo Switch and PC on August 5. This update will introduce a new monster to hunt, the Elder Dragon Kulve Taroth, as well as another pair of Monstie companions.Following the update, you'll be able to take on Kulve Taroth in a Co-Op Expedition Quest. The new Monsties, meanwhile, are both variants of existing monsters: Hellblade Glavenus and Boltreaver Astalos.Are you ready to battle the Mother Goddess of Gold?Kulve Taroth emerges in #MHStories2 next week! pic.twitter.com/srscv6SuGR — Monster Hunter (@monsterhunter) July 26, 2021Title Update 2 arrives only a couple of weeks after the game's first update, which introduced the Palamute from Monster Hunter Rise as a Monstie. To collect a Palamute egg, you'll need to obtain a Palamute Ticket (either by purchasing one from Melynx Inc. or completing the five-star quest called Throw Me a Bone) and use that to embark on a Palamute Den Expedition Quest.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Bungie issued a patch for Destiny 2, hotfix 3.2.1.3. There are a lot of general fixes here and there to different parts of the game, along with some specific ones with Raids.In the Vault of Glass Raid, weapons drops have been removed from the loot pools of Master Vault of Glass encounters. The difficulty of Raids plays a part in this patch. During Master difficulty encounters, players are now guaranteed to receive stat-focused armor, and Master Vault of Glass loot lockouts have been separated from the Normal level one. Additionally, both Normal and Master difficulty level Vault of Glass Raids can now be looted independently each week.Drops will now only be at players' Pinnacle Power from the first weekly clear of each encounter. Bungie gave an example of this situation, clarifying that if a player completes Oracles on the Normal difficulty, it will provide a Pinnacle award. However, if you later decide to clear Oracles on Master difficulty during the same week, then your reward will be stat-focused armor but it won't be at your Pinnacle Power. Any further completion of either encounter will award players with Spoils of Conquest. On Master, you'll also earn Masterwork Materials.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com