The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf anime will arrive on Netflix on August 23. The release date and trailer of the fantasy series film spin-off was confirmed during the first-ever WitcherCon virtual event.As previously announced, the film--clocking in at 88 minutes--will explore the time before Geralt of Rivera came to be known as the badass monster hunter outcast synonymous with the series. Nightmare of the Wolf will center on Geralt's predecessor and mentor, Vesemir, a "headstrong" witcher who is equal parts ally and friend to our familiar hero. Check out the teaser for the series, which was tweeted out along with the release date's announcement.Face your demons. Nightmare of the Wolf premieres August 23. #WitcherCon pic.twitter.com/qDRdxMRHfD — The Witcher (@witchernetflix) July 9, 2021While WitcherCon did finally offer a better look at the upcoming animated film, the majority of plot still hasn't been revealed other than the cryptic fact that it will involve "a powerful new threat facing the Continent." Vesemir is being described as instrumental in shaping and paving the way for Geralt and Ciri--we'll just have to hang in for a few more weeks to understand how.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

An ultra-rare copy of The Legend of Zelda for NES sold at auction for $870,000, setting a new world record for the most expensive video game ever sold. The copy of The Legend of Zelda was sold at the Heritage Auction video games event, which runs from July 9 through July 11.The copy in question is a Wata 9.0 rated, letter grade A, sealed copy, meaning that it is unopened and is in very good condition. The reason it sold for such a high asking price is that it is believed to be one of only two sealed copies of the game that is an "NES TM," the first production run of the game. This variant was produced for only a few months in late 1987 before a new variant was replaced in early 1988.The previous record-holder was a copy of Super Mario Bros. which sold in April 2021 for $660,000, also at a Heritage auction.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

It seems YouTube channels promoting a controversial AI-powered machine-learning cheat on consoles are being shuttered.According to the Anti-Cheat Police Department (via VGC), publisher Activision is allegedly responsible for shutting down channels posting videos of the cheat on YouTube. ACPD said Activision may "make plans to take [the cheat] down."We've reached out to Activision for comment and will update if we hear back.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The celebration of all things Witcher, WitcherCon, has debuted new announcements about the ongoing Netflix show, video games, and of course, collectibles. A pair of new figures have debuted alongside the event, including one based on the Netflix show and another much more stylized take.As you might expect, both figures immortalize Geralt of Rivia, the hero of the Witcher series. But they take radically different approaches. A Dark Horse figure stands at 8.5" tall and is based on Geralt as played by Henry Cavill in the Netflix series, with touches meant to pay homage to the popular game series as well. That figure will be available on December 1 for $50. Preorders should be available soon.Just revealed on #WitcherCon! Upcoming figures based on @witchernetflix: https://t.co/UXNJFqQxWXGeralt is available for pre-order now; arriving December 2021! pic.twitter.com/2w8JpnkEjk — Dark Horse Comics (@DarkHorseComics) July 9, 2021The second is a collaboration with iam8bit, and has a much more stylized, animated look. It stands at 10.6" tall and is available to order now at the Netflix merch store for $250.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Nintendo has announced its latest crossover with a fashion brand, this time teaming up with luxury watchmaker Tag Heuer. Tag Heuer teased on Twitter that a Super Mario-themed watch will be revealed and released next week.Coming Super Soon!Power-up on July 13th.#TAGHeuerxSuperMarioFor priority access, register now: https://t.co/8rcnX4sCZV #StayTuned #SuperMario #Nintendo pic.twitter.com/n03JXJRPYm — TAG Heuer (@TAGHeuer) July 9, 2021You can pre-register on Tag Heuer's website to get early access to the limited-edition watch, which has yet to be revealed. The tweet says "Power-up on July 13" but the website has a countdown ending on July 15, so it's unclear when exactly the watch will be available for purchase. The majority of watches on Tag Heuer's website cost thousands of dollars, so it might be safe to expect this Super Mario watch to have a hefty price tag. If you're really interested in buying the watch or at least want to see what it looks like, it's probably worth pre-registering so you get alerted when it actually goes on sale.Nintendo is no stranger to fashion crossovers, having previously worked with Uniqlo on an Animal Crossing: New Horizons collection and Levi's on Mario-themed clothing, including the plumber's signature overalls. However much the Tag Heuer Super Mario watch ends up costing, it has the potential to be one of the more premium crossover items Nintendo has had to date.Info from Gamespot.com

Like many big-name Switch games, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin possesses Amiibo support with its own set of unique little figures. The game also supports Amiibo from past Monster Hunter games as well. Below we detail what scanning in the various Monster Hunter Amiibo do for you in the game.Note: Amiibo functionality only works for the Switch version of the game. Currently, there's no way for the PC version of the game to get Amiibo-exclusive content. Where Do I Scan Amiibo?You can scan Amiibo at any village hub's Prayer Pot. Interact with the Prayer Pot, and then choose the option to scan an Amiibo. Follow the prompts until you can hold your figure down onto the Switch's NFC scanner.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

PlayStation has announced the top downloaded games for June 2021 on the PlayStation Network and the PS5 exclusive Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart took top honors on the PlayStation 5 list. Cyberpunk 2077 made its return to PSN in June, placing it at the top spot for PlayStation 4 titles.It should be no surprise that Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart was the top downloaded PS5 game in June for both US/Canada and Europe considering it's not only the latest PlayStation Studios game but also because it came out early in the month on June 11. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade only managed to hit 16 in US/Canada and 20 in Europe, but the list does not include people who upgraded from the PS4.Other notable entries on the list are Chivalry 2 taking second in US/Canada and third in Europe, and Guilty Gear Strive taking fourth in US/Canada and number 18 in Europe. Spider-Man: Miles Morales took third in US/Canada and fourth in Europe, possibly because of a discount during the Days of Play sale at the beginning of the month.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is out now on Nintendo Switch and PC, and to celebrate its launch, Capcom is giving away a free bundle of in-game items. The free Launch Starter Pack includes a handful of healing items and charms to help get your adventure started.Once you've purchased a copy of Monster Hunter Stories 2, you can claim the Launch Starter Pack by speaking to the Connecticat and selecting the free items from the Downloadable Content menu. The pack includes the following freebies:10 Potions3 Gathering Charms3 Lucky Charms10 Mahana DunkersBegin your #MHStories2 adventure today and receive a handy Launch Starter Pack that includes some helpful in-game items!And get ready for new Monsties and co-op quests, coming soon over the next few months. pic.twitter.com/rfq6GPTyk6 — Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) July 9, 2021As Nintendo notes on Twitter, you can only claim the Launch Starter Pack in the full game. You can't download the free items in the demo version of Monster Hunter Stories 2. However, if you have played the demo, you can transfer any progress you've made over to the full game.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The MCU is no stranger to in-universe memes. After over a decade of interconnected movies, the characters are able to wink at each other with shared knowledge just as much as they're able to wink at the audience. Of these little gags and references shared between Avengers, Black Widow and Hawkeye's mysterious Budapest trip is one that's lingered around, if only because it was never actually clarified what actually happened or why that particular trip became so memorable.That is, until now. 9 years after that first Budapest shout-out in The Avengers, Black Widow has finally elaborated exactly what the Budapest mission was, what happened, and why it stuck out so much for both Natasha and Clint Barton.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Netflix has been going all-in on anime for a couple years now, and is showing no signs of slowing down. Today, the streaming service dropped a new teaser for its upcoming series Spriggan, along with an idea of when we can expect it.Spriggan, heading to Netflix in 2022, is based on the manga of the same name, written by Hiroshi Takashige and drawn by Ryoji Minagawa, which ran from 1989 to 1996. Spriggan centers on Yu Ominae, a high school student who is also an agent of the ARCAM corporation. As a Spriggan, he helps the organization protect ancient relics. The word Spriggan comes from Cornish fairy tales, where a creature of the same name is believed to guard treasure in ancient ruins and barrows.Hiroshi Kobayashi (Dragon Pilot) is directing a screenplay written by Hiroshi Seko (Jujutsu Kaisen). Overseeing character designs and animation is Shuhei Handa (Little Witch Academia). Veteran anime fans will remember that Spriggan came to life as an anime movie back in 1998, which was directed by Hirotsugi Kawasaki (Ghost in the Shell, animation department) and overseen by Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira, creator).Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Thor: Ragnarok was radically different from the two Thor films it followed. Director Taika Waititi is returning to the character for 2022's Thor: Love & Thunder, for which he recently wrapped shooting, but don't expect it to be just more of the same, the director said in an interview with Empire magazine."Well, just between (me and) you and the readers, I've done some crazy s*** in my life. I've lived like ten lifetimes," Waititi told Empire. "But it's the craziest film I've ever done."It's crazy in the "it shouldn't work, but does" sense, according to Waititi.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

With 2016's Monster Hunter Stories for the 3DS, Capcom transformed its real-time monster hunting series into something dramatically different: a colorful turn-based monster-collecting RPG. Despite the stark change in tone and gameplay, Stories offered a new perspective on the Monster Hunter universe, making it an enjoyable alternative to the mainline series. Its follow-up, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, very much follows the template that the original 3DS game set, and despite some repetitive elements, it's another solid spin-off for the franchise.Like its predecessor, Monster Hunter Stories 2 trades monster slaying for monster collecting. Rather than casting you in the role of a hunter, the game puts you in the boots of a fledgling rider--someone who is able to form bonds with monsters and fight alongside them. While you'll still need to hunt down plenty of monsters during your journey, you'll spend most of your time exploring dens and collecting new "monstie" companions that you can raise and take into battle. This makes Monster Hunter Stories 2 fundamentally closer to Pokemon than to a traditional Monster Hunter title, but the game plays out much differently than Nintendo's monster-catching series.Foremost is the way you collect monsters. Rather than taming wild ones, you obtain new monsties by entering monster dens and gathering their eggs. These crop up randomly each time you set out into the overworld and primarily come in two varieties: standard dens, and golden "rare" dens that typically contain better eggs. Regardless of their type, the dens themselves are all fairly rudimentary in terms of their layouts; beyond some occasional branching pathways (which usually just lead to optional treasures), there are no real environmental puzzles to solve, so they're not particularly compelling to explore on their own. Despite this, the allure of discovering new kinds of eggs never grows old and makes trekking through dens ultimately worthwhile, especially as you progress through the story and begin encountering cooler monsters.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Director James Gunn's The Suicide Squad releases in just a few weeks, and if you were expecting his feature film debut in the DC Universe to have a soundtrack comprised of hard rock and chart-topping classic singles then you're in luck. Sort of.As part of an Empire feature, Gunn assembled a collection of songs that didn't make the final cut for the film, which you can listen to below. Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

A rare near-mint sealed copy of Super Mario 64 is up for auction, having been set at a 6-figure price and likely to climb further as the auction continues.The copy of the iconic game was given a 9.8 rating on the Wata Scale, which auctioneer Heritage Auctions says makes it just one of fewer than five known sealed copies in such good condition. The auction is currently set at $100,000, with the next acceptable bid to be in increments of $5,000. The grand total due will be 20% above the final bid price to pay the Buyer's Premium. Heritage has experience listing rare video games, having sold a sealed, hang-tab copy of the original Super Mario Bros. (Wata rating 9.6) for $660,000 in April. That beat the previous record for a copy of SMB by more than $100,000.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Q*bert is one of the most beloved arcade games of all time, but up until now, it hasn't been recreated by a home arcade company. That is changing with New Wave Toys' 1/6 scale Q*bert machine, which recreates the original 1982 machine right down to a mini knocker coil and fully customizable DIP switch settings. Q*Bert New Wave RepliCade $129-$149 Two different versions of the New Wave RepliCade Q*bert cabinet will be available. The standard edition will be available during the preorder period for $129, while the special Warren Davis Edition will cost $150 and recreates a prototype from the game's designer. If you don't want the default settings, the DIP options let you adjust it to suit your style, and it also includes the unreleased Faster Harder More Challenging Q*bert, which is the greatest game title of all time. See at New Wave Toys With an HDMI out for TV play and a built-in 4:3 display, it's perfect for a variety of play environments, and the Warren Davis Edition even comes with simulated wear and an exclusive decal set. Of course, it also includes a lit marquee, diecast metal coin doors with storage, a rechargeable battery, and a diagonal four-way joystick to give you an authentic (but tiny) play experience.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com