Don't be fooled by the exceeding cuteness of the Rot, the tiny black spirits that hang out with you in Kena: Bridge of Spirits. Though they sport big eyes, hilarious hats, and a goofy demeanor, those little creatures can be dangerous in a fight--especially in big groups. Luckily, they're on your side.GameSpot recently got a chance to spend about an hour playing an early portion of Kena: Bridge of Spirits, venturing into the world surrounding a central village that has been beset by calamity. As Kena, a Spirit Guide, you're working to find out what happened at the village and to help some of its inhabitants' restless spirits to move on. The catch is, some kind of corruption has infected the area around the village and the spirits themselves, so venturing into the wilderness finds you battling twisted enemies constructed of wood and plants.Luckily, the Rot is there to help. The little folks are spirits of decay that inhabit the world, renewing life and restoring balance by recycling things that have died. You can find Rot all over the place, often hidden under rocks or secreted in corners, and the more of them you add to your group, the more powerful they become.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Publisher EA has been breached by a crew of hackers who stole 780GB of game data, according to a Motherboard report. The stolen data reportedly includes FIFA 21 source code and tools from the Frostbite engine, although EA says no player data was taken. A subsequent report states the hackers used company credentials purchased online to trick IT support members into thinking they were employees.According to the initial report, the hackers have access to not just FIFA 21's source code but also the code for its matchmaking servers. And in addition to Frostbite engine tools, the hackers claim to have stolen proprietary EA frameworks and software development kits that streamline game making.A source with access to the forums where the hackers posted the stolen data showed Motherboard screenshots of messages written by the culprits, with one that read you have "full capability of exploiting on all EA services" once inside EA's corporate networks.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Xbox and Bethesda have announced that Fallout 76 will be completely free on Xbox and PC for the entire E3 week. Get out your acoustic guitar and call John Denver, it's time to take the country roads home to West Virginia.Live now through June 16, players can download the full Fallout 76 game on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC free of charge. The game will also be heavily discounted all week long for those who choose to join permanently, with progress from the free trial carrying over to the full game after purchase.Fallout 76 on the Xbox Store -- $13 ($40)Fallout 76 on the PlayStation Store -- $27 ($40)Fallout 76 on Steam -- $13 ($40)The free week of Fallout 76 features double XP throughout the entire trial and includes a chance to test the game's Scrapbox and Survival Tent memberships through a special in-game item. In order to access the pass trial, the official blog post for the announcements tells players to "head to the Atomic Shop to claim the free Fallout 1st Limited Preview 'item,' then unlock the Scrapbox from the Shop’s Fallout 1st page, and head in-game to try out both features."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Red, as everyone knows, is the best primary color, so it was extremely exciting to hear PlayStation announce a new Cosmic Red colored PS5 controller last month (along with a Midnight Black variant). The two new PS5 controller colors--which officially came out today--landed on our desks recently, so we snapped a few pics to see just how vibrant that new red is in the real-world (the Midnight Black one is, suffice it to say, pretty sleek and cool. But it is, at the end of the day, not red.)As you can see from the images below, Cosmic Red in a living room setting turns out to look a little more magenta, but it's a pleasing if not altogether striking shade. The brightness is certainly muted compared to the PS4's Magma Red color (also shown below), but the new Cosmic Red certainly still stands out. For further comparison, I also took pictures of the new red controller with other red objects, but it was also likely done just so I could show off some neat things around my house. Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Dell XPS 13 (9310) 13.4" FHD+ Touch Laptop $1,480 (was $1,660) See at Amazon Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13.5" Touch-Screen Laptop $899 (was $1,299) See at Amazon Razer Blade 15 Base Gaming Laptop 2020 $1,400 (was $1,800) See at Amazon Dell XPS 17 (9700) 17" UHD+ Laptop $2,750 (was $3,300) See at Amazon Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M1 Chip $1,199 (was $1,299) See at Amazon Dell Inspiron (5406) 14" FHD 2-in-1 Convertible Laptop $882 ($980) See at Amazon Asus ZenBook Flip S 13" 4K OLED Laptop $1,498 (was $1,550) See at Amazon Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 13.3" AMOLED Laptop $687 (was $1,000) See at Amazon Amazon Prime Day has been officially confirmed for June 21-22, which means there's just a few days left until the retailer's biggest sale outside of Black Friday. Prime Day is a great time to shop for some new tech, making it an opportunity to upgrade your personal computing situation. We've rounded up the best Prime Day laptop deals ahead of the two-day event, with some amazing deals already on offer before Amazon discounts more for its big sale.Last year, we saw great deals on many popular ultrabooks and gaming laptops, including the enduring Dell XPS 13 line, HP Spectre X360, Razer Blade 15-Inch, and Microsoft Surface Laptops. It's likely that a lot of these will be on sale again this year, albeit their 2020 models that are now making way for newer 2021 models currently. There's nothing wrong with a 2020 laptop though, especially one that might be equipped with AMD's 4000 series CPUs or RTX 20-series graphics cards.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Developer Housemarque has released the patch notes for Returnal's Patch 1.4.0. The new patch fixes a number of issues, though players who are struggling to tackle the game's tough challenges may be happier to see how the patch rebalances Returnal's difficulty. Patch 1.4.0 goes live June 14.In terms of gameplay balance, the major changes seem geared towards Returnal's combat. Patch 1.4.0 makes adjustments to the challenge of enemies and bosses and the effectiveness of weapons in order to ease the difficulty for all biomes.In the full patch notes, Housemarque writes that this change should make for "a more balanced gameplay experience." So if you've been struggling with Returnal, maybe take another stab at it come June 14.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

3 months of Game Pass Ultimate for $1 Available for new subscribers See at Microsoft HyperX CloudX Headset $55 (was $70) See at Microsoft Store Razer Wolverine Tournament Edition $80 (was $120) See at Microsoft Razer Kishi Mobile Controller (Android/Xbox) $90 (was $100) See at Microsoft Store New Xbox Wireless Controller Save $5 (multiple colors) See at Walmart Xbox Game Pass Ultimate - 3 months $40 (was $45) See at Amazon Assassin's Creed Valhalla $30 (was $60) See at Amazon Watch Dogs Legion $20 (was $60) See at Amazon Yakuza: Like a Dragon $30 (was $60) See at Amazon Gears Tactics $10 (was $60) See at Best Buy Amazon Prime Day is coming up fast on June 21 and 22, and it's sure to bring an absolute avalanche of gaming and tech deals, including some great Prime Day Xbox deals. Whether you're a new Xbox Series X owner or an Xbox One player who's not planning to upgrade anytime soon, the nice thing about Xbox is that you can take advantage of pretty much any Xbox game deal or accessory discount no matter what console you own, thanks to backwards compatibility. Just make sure you've got a console with a disc drive (i.e. not the Series S) before snagging any physical games on sale.Microsoft isn't waiting until Prime Day to kick off some big Xbox deals this month. The Xbox Deals Unlocked sale went live on June 11, bringing a slew of discounts on first-party Xbox games and third-party titles, from Gears 5 and Ori: The Collection to Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Control: Ultimate Edition. The sale (which runs until June 17) has also brought markdowns on Xbox gaming headsets, capture cards, storage devices, and more, offering a chance to take advantage of some great Xbox accessory deals ahead of Prime Day.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Kevin Bacon is no stranger to cinematic villainy, and he'll be playing the bad guy once again in the upcoming Toxic Avenger film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.No other information for the role is available just yet, but if it's a Toxic Avenger character you can bet it'll be an over-the-top performance.Bacon joins previously cast Peter Dinklage, who will play the titular character as well as Jacob Tremblay (Good Boys). The original Toxic Avenger is a cult classic; the film bombed at initial release, but captured a huge following on the midnight movie circuit that allowed it to spawn sequels, a cartoon, toys, and even video games, and helped turn its low-budget but gory visuals into a trademark of Troma Entertainment. The original film explored environmental themes through the lens of a super-gory superhero comic.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Doki Doki Literature Club Plus, an updated and expanded version of the original visual novel, has been announced for Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC. The new version includes brand-new story content and sees the game come to consoles for the first time.I'm delighted to announce Doki Doki Literature Club Plus, a labor of love from @TeamSalvato and @SerenityForge. #DDLCPlus includes new features and content and releases June 30th on PC, Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox. https://t.co/iRWD66q98EInfo in thread! pic.twitter.com/4I2hnDA2j7 — Dan Salvato (@dansalvato) June 11, 2021Doki Doki Literature Club Plus features six new side stories that take place outside the main timeline from the original game. The stories feature different pairs of the main characters, telling the stories of how they became friends. The game also features a built-in music player featuring 26 tracks: 13 from the original game, as well as songs from the new side stories and guest tracks, including music by Jason Hayes, who worked on the World of Warcraft soundtrack.The main game also received a graphical update, giving the visuals an HD update, without changing the story and gameplay of the original story. There is also a picture gallery containing over 100 pictures of game art, wallpapers, and concept sketches, which can be unlocked by seeing everything Doki Doki Literature Club Plus has to offer.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The women of Marvel Studios' Black Widow--Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova--are among the most elite human warriors of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But the actresses behind them are next-level, too, with both Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh having done many of their own stunts, according to director Cate Shortland in a new interview with Fandango.The interview comes along with the release of a new clip from the upcoming movie released today by Marvel Studios, featuring a chase reminiscent more of a Bond or Bourne flick than a Marvel movie."We were on rooftops shooting that [scene] in Budapest," Shortland said. "We worked with this legion of amazing stunt women. But Scarlett and Florence did a lot of their own stunts. Scarlett does as much as she can. And then Florence--say, when Florence went to Morocco, and she shot for two days--she did 90% of her own stunts. So they were both really into it. And I think because Florence was watching Scarlett and seeing how much Scarlett tries to do, it influenced her. It's pretty cool. Scarlett does quite a lot."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Final Fantasy VII Remake's tone often slides between light, funny moments and dark, tragic drama. But from the first moments of Intermission, the DLC mission added to the game with its Intergrade PlayStation 5 upgrade, it's clear this new episode is mostly a comedy. In jumps Yuffie, one of the original game's optional characters, and immediately her dangerous espionage mission to infiltrate the evil Shinra Corporation in Midgar is played like a kid goofing off. It's a vibe that really works for the DLC, trading on the fact that Remake continues to be great about establishing fun, eccentric characters.Taking place in the middle of Remake's story, during the portion in which Cloud is separated from his compatriots, it follows Yuffie as she embarks on a mission to steal a secret Shinra weapon on behalf of her homeland, Wutai. Though the mission is dangerous, Yuffie approaches it with all the seriousness of a kid playing pretend--even though she's on her way to first meet with Midgar's Shinra resistance movement, Avalanche, and then sneak into the headquarters of a company that recently concluded a full-scale war with her home.The trouble with Intermission is that this side story doesn't feel essential to anything going on. Sure, the DLC is providing context and backstory for a character that fans of the original Final Fantasy VII know will show up later in the story, but Yuffie's mission is largely about her wandering around areas we've already seen, floating past but barely interacting with Remake's cast, and taking part in minigames to waste some time. Yuffie's a fun character to spend time with, even if you don't have history with her from the first iteration of Final Fantasy VII, but it all comes off as a tease for something better down the road in FF7 Remake's next installment. And after the remarkably deep and excellently realized version of the story that is Remake, Intermission feels like exactly that: a half-measure to fill time while we wait for the real show.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Guilty Gear Strive is, like so many of its predecessors, the pinnacle of a certain kind of fighting game. The series, known for its highly technical (read: complicated) set of systems, rewards players for investing time to master both its universal systems and the nuances of its individual characters in a way that few other series have. Strive maintains that tradition and throws in a couple new ideas that bolster its bold anime-inspired flash without making the game any harder to learn. While the core fighting experience has only improved, many of the game's less savory tendencies remain in place, including its non-playable story "mode" and yet another set of kludgy Arc System Works-style avatar-based matchmaking menus. As in most fighting games, those problems are secondary: Players, particularly veterans, who want to put in work will find Guilty Gear Strive to be a wild time.If you're counting, Strive is the eighth primary entry in the Guilty Gear franchise, so its fighting style is something of a known quantity. Strive retains many of the nuances of recent entries in the series. There's the tension gauge, a special meter that increases when you attack or move towards your opponent and fills more slowly when you play defense. There's faultless defense, a strategic extra block that trades tension to prevent chip damage and help you get some distance from an opponent. For a newcomer or casual player, Strive will feel just like a Street Fighter-style fighting game. Most special moves feature quarter-circles and charge motions, and thus may feel familiar at a glance, but there are many, many small nuances for you to learn in order to get the most out of its particular mechanics.There are two major changes that longtime players will need to adjust to. Strive removes the "Gatling system," a sort of hierarchy for canceling attacks to sustain combos, and changes the series' signature "Roman Cancel" system, which allows you to trade half of the tension meter to cut short the animation before or after an attack to more quickly recover. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not yet an expert on how to use these mechanics to great effect, but it seems that the combination of these two leads to more back-and-forth with shorter combos. I found that most of my fights, even against players way beyond my skill level, kept to a rapid tempo filled with short organic combos--flurries of light attacks anchored by a heavy or special. In theory, the Roman Cancel opens the door for high-level players to unlock longer strings with a precisely timed maneuver that keeps a combo from ending.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is about to go medieval on the Nintendo Switch, as developer Warhorse Studios and Prime Matter--the new publishing arm of Koch Media--have confirmed a port of the medieval fantasy RPG for Nintendo's home console.Saber Interactive--which is also working on Evil Dead: The Game among other projects--will be bringing the game to Switch in partnership with Warhorse Studios. No specific date has been set for the port's release, but the game is scheduled for release sometime in 2021.The announcement was made as part of Koch Media's reveal of Prime Matter, a brand-new publishing wing joining Deep Silver and THQ Nordic under the Koch umbrella. The unveiling of Prime Matter also came with ten brand new game reveals, including Payday 3, a new real-time strategy game in Smilegate's Crossfire franchise, and a new game in the Painkiller franchise.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Planet of Lana was announced during the Summer Game Fest stream. The 2D platformer is developed by Wishfully and is coming to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC in 2022.From @Thunderfulgames and a small Swedish studio named @Wishfully_Games, here is your first look at @PlanetofLana! #SummerGameFest pic.twitter.com/nLv51gK2EP — Summer Game Fest - LIVE Today! (@summergamefest) June 10, 2021 The trailer doesn't reveal too much, but Planet of Lana's gorgeous hand-painted art style jumps out immediately. The human protagonist is joined by a cute monkey-like creature, and it looks like you'll explore a world filled with both mechanical and natural threats.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Summer Games Fest 2021 is going on right now, and Blizzard just showed off some new skins for two characters in Overwatch 2. It revealed the new look for both Baptiste and Sombra, which you can see in the images below.Blizzard's appearance at the Summer Games Fest Kickoff show was quite short otherwise, only including a quick reminder that the game is shifting to 5v5 multiplayer. Blizzard has generally been tight-lipped about Overwatch 2, but back in May, it finally opened up about some of its plans for the game. For instance, the developer revealed that it currently is prototyping an Apex Legends-like ping system, although it's not sure if pinging will make it into the final game.Gallery In addition, Blizzard said that it's looking into both cross-play and cross-progression, although cross-play is more likely. Overwatch 2 will also probably get a beta in the future. Finally, we learned that Blizzard is improving the engine of the game in order to take advantage of better hardware and to accommodate the game's new PvE mode.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com