We've once again entered E3 season--that magical time of the year when the industry's biggest companies and developers unveil their latest games. While this year's festivities consist of digital-only events, that doesn't mean there won't be some exciting news coming. As we await what's in store, the GameSpot team compiled their biggest predictions and wishes for E3 2021 and all its surrounding events. Below you can find what we dearly hope will get announced at the show, whether it's realistic or a complete pipedream.For more about the upcoming festivities, be sure to check out our E3 2021 schedule feature, which details when it's happening, where to watch all the streams, and who's participating this year. And stay tuned all month long for Play For All, GameSpot's event that will feature coverage of E3, other summer events, and a charity effort to raise money for AbleGamers.From Software Finally Shows Elden RingI don't think I need to remind any From Software fan reading this about how long it's been since we last had major Elden Ring news. (Nearly two years since it was announced, but who's counting?) Since then, we've had virtually no news about the game... and that's okay. Personally, I would far prefer a game be given the time it needs to be the best experience possible, and have fewer game-breaking bugs. Between Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro, Hidetaka Miyazaki, at this point, has proven himself to be a true auteur of incredible gaming experiences--and that certainly deserves our patience and understanding. Well, from me, at least.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

There are two games available for free on Steam right now, Company of Heroes 2 and Little Nightmares. Both games are available for anyone to claim and own permanently.Company of Heroes 2 and its standalone single-player campaign, Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault, are free to claim on Steam through Monday, June 3, as part of the games' Free Forever Weekend promotion. Company of Heroes 2 is a World War 2 real-time strategy game that features both single-player and multiplayer game modes.In GameSpot's Company of Heroes 2 review, critic Kevin VanOrd awarded the game a 7.5/10 and wrote: "Its barrage of online and offline skirmishes doesn't always hit its mark. But when it finds its target, Company of Heroes 2 delivers a loud and mighty payload."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Conan Exiles' first major expansion, Isle of Siptah, is now available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, and PC. Conan Exiles is an open-world survival game set in the world of Conan the Barbarian and the Isle of Siptah adds several new features and a bigger map.The expansion increases the size of the map adding dozens of new points of interest, three new NPC factions, and a new religion. The expansion has been in Steam Early Access since September 2020, allowing for community feedback to influence the changes in the expansion. The vocal community helped point the developers in the direction of the areas players felt were the most important, Conan Exiles Project Director Scott Junior explained."The result is a massive and vibrant island, with loads to explore, and more freedom to pursue the objectives you enjoy the most," Junior said in a press release. "This kind of optimization is precisely what early access should be all about."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Knockout City's colorful, cartoonish aesthetic plays host to a relatively straightforward game of dodgeball, putting two teams against each other in a war waged with red rubber balls. But once you start factoring in deployable gliders, balls that can trap opponents in cages, and throwing techniques that can bend your shots around corners, Knockout City's identity starts to bubble to the surface. In between the satisfying thunks of direct hits and the grace of each character's movements, Knockout City features a satisfying level of depth that balances its pickup-and-play nature with a compelling competitive element that's difficult to walk away from.Each of Knockout City's rotating modes rests on the fundamentals of finding a ball and trying to hit opposing players twice with it for a knockout, racking up your team's score in the process. Knockout City makes this both simple and satisfying by automatically targeting enemies for you, but giving you control over the distance and power of each throw. You can take a longer time to charge up for a faster swing of the arm but expose yourself in the process by limiting your movement speed to do so. Judging how much power to put behind a shot and balancing that with the distance between you and another player is critical, and just one of the many micro-decisions you'll need to make during each skirmish.The balance between the two creates a dynamic that allows Knockout City to be approachable enough for casual play but still retain smaller complexities for competitive play to leverage. And when you start coming up against more savvy foes, additional mechanics start becoming more important. Just like in the real game of dodgeball, you can catch balls tossed your way to avoid taking a hit. In Knockout City, this applies a stacking effect to the ball, causing it to travel faster if thrown again quickly after being caught. You can quickly find yourself in an escalating ping pong match with another player, adjusting to shrinking catch timing windows with each exchange. Without the need to manually target enemies, Knockout City allows you to focus on timing and positioning instead, which makes its fast-paced action more manageable.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Developer Platinum Games' style is instantly recognizable--flashy, fast-paced action that oozes with personality and flair. World of Demons brings that signature style to Apple Arcade, giving you control of a samurai named Onimaru and thrusting you into, well, a world of demons. That successful Platinum formula translates well to iOS devices, with simple touch controls and quick action that looks and feels great on the smaller screen. There are some issues lying underneath--mostly in the camera system--but those problems aren't enough to derail this otherwise solid action experience.World of Demons follows Onimaru, a lone samurai fighting against an army of vicious demons called yokai. Our hero is building an army of his own, however, as every enemy he defeats will join him in the fight against the game's main antagonist, the demon king Shuten Doji. Onimaru himself controls exactly like a Platinum Games protagonist, deftly running around stages while slashing with his massive katana. Consecutive presses on the attack button will result in stylish combos, with better rewards given for higher combos at the end of a skirmish. Holding down the button will slow attacks down, making strikes more powerful but making you vulnerable to enemy counterattacks.The yokai Onimaru battle comes in all shapes and sizes, from small bean farmers to massive pink blobs, each with its own attack abilities. Each yokai is assigned a color (red, blue, or green), with each color having strengths and weaknesses over the other in a rock-paper-scissors system. Defeating a yokai adds it to your collection, and before each chapter you'll be able to equip two yokai for the following mission. Other yokai defeated during the chapter are added to a "deck" and disappear after one use.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

When I reviewed Miitopia on 3DS in 2017, I wasn’t terribly impressed. The game was dull, simplistic, and felt so random that I barely felt like I was playing it. But, as we’ve learned over the years, games can be improved significantly from their initial launches, and I figured that a Switch remake of Miitopia would be the perfect opportunity for Nintendo to fix the flaws of the 3DS release. Unfortunately, while there are notable improvements, the core game is still the same tiresome, repetitive experience from four years ago.Miitopia is a game where you take created Mii characters--based on yourself, friends and family, celebrities, fantasy characters, whoever--and “cast” them as player and NPC characters in a simple RPG story. The Dark Lord of Miitopia is ruining the peace and stealing the faces of the populace, so it’s up to you and your merry band of adventurers to gear up and put a stop to his wickedness, with plenty of goofy character interactions and dialogue snippets along the way.It’s a cute and fun concept, and to Miitopia’s credit, the Switch version of the game features a fully revamped character creator that lets you go all-out with creating incredibly detailed Mii characters by layering different hair, eyes, facial features, and additional shapes. It takes time to make a really impressive Mii, but if you’re willing to put in the effort, you can make some astounding creations. If you don’t have that sort of time, you can use Miis made by other players by entering their Access Code or pick from a selection of currently popular Miis. It’s a bit cumbersome not being able to search in-game for specific characters (it took me far too long to find a good Hank Hill) but with some online sleuthing on social media you should be able to find some good created-character libraries.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Developer Guerrilla Games showcased 14 minutes of Horizon Forbidden West gameplay during PlayStation's State of Play livestream. A release date for the game was not announced, but narrative director Ben McCaw said that "development is on track and we'll have an update for you very soon."The gameplay video shows protagonist Aloy embark on a quest to save Erend Vanguardsman, the captain of the Carja Sun-King Avad's Vanguard, who was captured by rival raiders. Throughout the sequence, we get glimpses of the changes made to Forbidden West. This includes new equipment like a grappling hook and a holographic wing glider. Check out the full gameplay video below.The three most distinct features coming to Forbidden West are the Pullcaster, Shieldwing, and Diving Mask. The Pullcaster is a grappling hook that speeds up travel by giving Aloy a vertical leg up, which is used on fixed, yellow-marked points. Another traversal tool. the Shieldwing gives Aloy the ability to parachute away from or into danger a la Breath of the Wild. Meanwhile, the Diving Mask does exactly what it says: grants Aloy the ability to swim indefinitely underwater.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Sega is bringing back one of Sonic's most popular recent games for his 30th anniversary. Sonic Colors: Ultimate is a remastered version of the 2010 game, coming to PC (via the Epic Games Store), PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on September 7.Sonic Colors was originally released for Wii and DS, where it received generally favorable reviews according to GameSpot sister site Metacritic. The Wii version was fully 3D, while the DS version was a 2D sidescroller reminiscent of classic Sega Genesis games. Based on what Sega has shown in the announcement trailer, this appears to be a remaster of the Wii version.Sonic Colors introduced a power-up system through the alien Wisp creatures, making it play slightly more like a traditional Mario game. Various colored Wisps would grant Sonic special abilities, hence the name.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Sega hosted a Sonic Central presentation to outline plans for the blue hedgehog's 30th anniversary, and revealed a ton of games, crossovers, and merch. We received word of a new Sonic game, a remastered favorite from 2010, and a compilation of the games that started it all. Read on for all the details.New Sonic Team GameA brief video teased a new Sonic game in development from Sonic Team, the studio behind Sonic Generations and Sonic Forces. The teaser was short on details (and also just short) so we don't know much about it, but it showed Sonic dashing his way through some very realistically rendered trees before drawing a symbol with his speed-trail. The teaser ends with a 2022 release window, and a list of release platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.Sonic Goes Old-School in OriginsFor old-school Sonic fans, Sega is working on a compilation for next year that brings together Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2, 3, Sonic & Knuckles, and Sonic CD. Sega promises more information is coming soon.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The iOS port of the XCOM 2 Collection is giving players a little more choice in their viewing experience, as two new optimization features have been added as part of the latest update.The first allows players to choose between Energy Saver or Performance modes, changing the graphical output and frame rate based on the selection. This option is only available on iPhone 11 and up, as well as 8th generation iPads.The second is a graphics optimization option, allowing the game's visuals to be boosted even further but only on "iPhone XS / XS Max, all iPhones since the iPhone 11, the 2020 iPad Air and all iPad Pros released since 2018" according to the patch notes.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Spiritfarer was quietly one of the best games released last year, combining chill management sim gameplay with fun platforming and a gorgeous, colorful art style. In a year filled with heavy hitters like Demon's Souls, The Last of Us Part II, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Spiritfarer still made it into our Top 10 Best Games of 2020 list, and whether you're already a fan or been meaning to play it, you can now own a physical copy of Thunder Lotus Games' delightful hit. The developer has partnered with iam8bit and Skybound Games to release Spiritfarer physical editions for PS4 and Nintendo Switch on July 27, with preorders available globally today. Though Spiritfarer also released on Xbox, there's no word of a physical edition for that platform at this time.The box art is a beautiful golden shade showing Stella hugging Daffodil, with all the boat's passengers surrounding them. The Spiritfarer physical edition also comes with a few extra goodies, including a collectible postcard and sticker stamp set that highlights "exotic locations" from the game, a digital download of the Spiritfarer soundtrack by composer Max LL, and a 96-page digital art book. Preorder Spiritfarer physical edition PS4: $30 | Switch: $35 Spiritfarer's physical edition will be available "at retailers around the globe" starting today and costs $30 for PS4, $35 for Switch. You'll get the base game and the aforementioned bonuses. See at iam8bit Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

With the third game in The Dark Pictures Anthology, developer Supermassive Games is making some serious improvements--ones that could very well make House of Ashes all the scarier. In a way, the developer is taking a note from a similarly spook-driven series: Resident Evil.In a short hands-off preview for the game, Supermassive demonstrated some alterations it's making based on player feedback to its previous two Dark Pictures games, Man of Medan and Little Hope. The most notable is that the studio is doing away with placing fixed camera angles on the action, which should make it easier to explore the game's environments and locate the secrets and items that help tell the story.That looks to be a good move, based on the focus of House of Ashes. The next Dark Pictures story is set in Iraq in 2003 at the tail end of the major portion of the US war in the country. The story follows a group of US soldiers searching for a cache of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, when they're engaged by holdout Iraqi Republican Army forces. A pitched battle takes place, but when it's interrupted by an earthquake, soldiers from both sides find themselves trapped underground in a massive, dark cave system, which hides a millennia-old temple.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Frost Giant Studios, a small indie team headed up by ex-Blizzard employees aiming to make the next great real-time strategy game, will be partnering with Dreamhaven, a game company founded by ex-Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime.Tim Campbell, who worked as the lead campaign designer for Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne, is Frost Giant's president and will serve as director on the studio's first game. The game will use Unreal Engine 5, which was just released into early access. Tim Morten, whose work includes serving as production director on Starcraft 2: Legacy of the Void and director of product development for Command & Conquer, is Frost Giant's CEO and will serve as production developer on the new, still unnamed project.The studio's partnership with Dreamhaven doesn't come as much of a surprise. Recently a number of indie studios comprised of ex-Blizzard talent have flocked to Morhaime's Dreamhaven banner, with Dreamhaven itself serving as a consultation company of sorts looking to provide support and resources for the smaller game studios under its umbrella.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Pokemon Go Fest 2021 is set for July 17 and 18, and now developer Niantic has shared more details about the upcoming event. Like last year, Go Fest 2021 will be a worldwide virtual event featuring rotating habitats, global challenges, and special Pokemon spawns, and we've rounded up all the biggest details about the event below.Ticket PriceLike previous years, you'll need to purchase a ticket to participate in Pokemon Go Fest 2021. This time around, however, Niantic is reducing the price of these tickets from $15 USD to only $5 USD. Tickets are on sale now in Pokemon Go's in-game item shop.Day 1 ScheduleAll PlayersContinue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

If you're looking for a decent challenge and a chance to earn rare loot in Borderlands 3, you can currently try your luck in the game's True Trials event, which pits Vault Hunters against new versions of familiar bosses. Just like the Trial of Cunning boss, the Trial of Discipline boss has received a massive boost to its health and will be dishing out some punishing offense as its damage stats have received a similar buff.Taking down the Trial of Discipline boss won't be easy, but the rewards are worth the risk as players can earn a Legendary weapon from the base Borderlands 3 game and its third expansion, Bounty of Blood. While you'll be able to add that DLC weapon to your collection, you won't be able to equip it unless you own the expansion. The chest at the end of the Trial of Discipline will also be full of Legendary-class weapons, regardless of how quickly you completed the challenge or how many objectives you scored.Gearbox said in a blog post that this hotfix will go live from 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET on all platforms. To apply these changes, wait at the main menu until you see a sign that reads, “Hotfixes Applied!”Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com