The general rule of horror franchises is that, as the series continues, the plots get simpler and more repetitive, until the inevitable reboot which resets everything. Not so with the Saw series. What started in 2004 as a clever, gripping, but relatively modest thriller has, over the course of eight films, become a preposterously complicated narrative, with flashbacks, parallel subplots, recurring characters, twists, turns, and head-spinning callbacks. Spiral: From the Book of Saw is the ninth movie in the series, and it hits theaters this week. But it's been four years since the last movie, 2017's Jigsaw, which itself was preceded by a seven year gap since Saw 3D. So fans could be forgiven for not really remembering what the hell has happened so far.The only true way to make sense of what's going on is to sit through all of the previous movies--and handily, the first seven can be found on HBO Max, while Jigsaw is currently streaming on Peacock. But for those that don't have time, here's a recap of the essential elements of the story so far.The main problem of attempting to chronicle the plot of the entire series is that so much happens out of sequence. Every movie contains flashbacks to scenes at different points in the timeline, with a variety of important events occurring before the first movie. So let's go from the very start.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

During the Disney second quarter 2021 financial results call, Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced that Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and the upcoming action-comedy Free Guy starring Ryan Reynolds will have a 45-day exclusive theatrical window.Much like Warner Bros. deal with Cineworld, these two high-profile movies under the Walt Disney Company umbrella will be exclusive to theaters for 45 days, but it is unclear where the films will head after that. Traditionally, theatrical releases had a 90-day exclusive window, something many movie studios have moved away from during the pandemic.These films could jump right to streaming services with Shang-Chi landing on Disney+--possibly under Premier Access--and Free Guy on Hulu. Or both films could land on a transactional video on demand (TVOD) service like Google Play, Vudu, or more. As of this writing, the post-theatrical release plan is unknown.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Mass Effect: Legendary Edition brings the iconic sci-fi RPG series back for modern consoles. The trilogy set includes all three games, almost all of the DLC, visual enhancements and some new balance and quality-of-life changes. The collection releases tomorrow, May 14, and reviews have started to come in just ahead of launch.Given the sheer size of the games and a short review window, though, many of the impressions so far (including our own) are reviews-in-progress, saving a finalized review for after critics get a chance to complete more of the content. We'll update this roundup as more reviews are finalized."[The] first game, in its original form, has definitely aged a lot more than its successors--for the past few years, I've begun advising newcomers to just start with Mass Effect 2, knowing the first game doesn't set the best example by modern-day standards," Jordan Ramée wrote in GameSpot's Mass Effect: Legendary Edition review-in-progress. "The Legendary Edition goes a long way in addressing those concerns. It doesn't overhaul everything, but the remastered Mass Effect 1 is a more enjoyable experience than playing the original game today, and makes for a far more palatable entry point to the series."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Publisher 505 Games has announced that a sequel to Ghostrunner is in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. The upcoming title does not have a release window yet, but 505 confirmed that One More Level, the studio behind the original game, is developing Ghostrunner 2.In a press release, 505 announced it is doubling its investment for the sequel and contributing an "initial budget" of €5 million (about $6 million USD) for its development. "Ghostrunner is a brand with great potential, capable of contributing for a long time to the 505 Games product portfolio," the publisher said."We are particularly excited about the future release of Ghostrunner 2. Together with One More Level, we have created a thrilling and engaging video game," Raffaele Galante, co-CEO of 505's parent company, Digital Bros., said in the press release.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Since 2014, DDR4 memory has dominated the PC and console landscape. But its time has finally come, as DDR5 RAM will slowly roll out this year to replace it. Corsair is working on consumer-grade DDR5 itself and explained that you can expect huge speed increases over the current-gen memory.In a blog post, Corsair explained that it's working on 6400 MHz DDR5 RAM, which is an absolutely ridiculous increase over, say, the RAM that's in the most recent MacBook Pro models (clocking in at only 2666 Mhz). For reference, the RAM MHz speed is a measure of how fast it can handle commands and access memory.Corsair's comparison chart of the last three generations of RAM.This translates to a massively improved memory bandwidth for DDR5-6400 over its predecessors. According to Corsair, its RAM will feature 51 GB/s bandwidth, more than double that of DDR4-3200. This increase is proportionally much higher than the jump from DDR3 to DDR4, too.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The Mass Effect trilogy is a unique series of games in how your actions during an earlier game can ultimately impact an experience you end up having by the end. These special moments can sometimes have significant consequences, but other times, they're small, warming callbacks to something you did.Most of the time, these strange or unique outcomes required you to do something either obscure to get or are the result of choices in the past that fall in-between the cracks of the series' morality system. Most players tend to play full-on Paragon or Renegade in their playthroughs of the series, but if you mix and match your answer, you get some pretty intriguing consequences. Below we detail a few of our favorite rare Mass Effect outcomes, which you can still experience in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition.Keep in mind that, since this covers a lot of narrative setups and unexpected ways they can pay off, it naturally includes lots and lots of spoilers, spanning the entire trilogy.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Godzilla is seeing a new resurgence of popularity with Western audiences, but Netflix is hoping we'll get on board with another Japanese icon: Ultraman. Variety reports that Netflix will be developing a new Ultraman in partnership with Tsuburaya Productions.The planned Ultraman film will be an all-new feature meant to introduce viewers to the character. The movie will be separate from the 2019 Ultraman animated series, also produced by Netflix and Tsuburaya. The show, which acts as a continuation of the original Ultraman television series, has the son of original protagonist Shin Hayata taking over for him as the titular hero and member of the Special Science Search-Party.With the goal of bringing in new fans in mind, the production will feature heavy western involvement. Tsuburaya is working in conjunction with Industrial Light and Magic to create the animation for the series, with Shannon Tindle (Coraline, Kubo and the Two Strings) making his directorial debut on the film along with co-director John Aoshima. Variety describes the animation as being stylized, but breaking away from the typical style of Japanese animation.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Gameplay for Total War: Warhammer III has just been revealed, and GameSpot has a new preview that shows off what you can expect from the strategy game in development at Creative Assembly.In the video embed below, video producer Dave Jewitt gives a breakdown of the new updates coming to Warhammer III, including one of its biggest new features: Survival battles. These huge-scale fights combine elements from tower-defense modes and skirmishes into one cohesive narrative-infused war. The single-player mode features four of these capstone battles, and in between, you'll need to sufficiently outfit your army to take on increasingly challenging tactical skirmishes.In this example, you're tasked with capturing points and then holding them against waves of enemies. To do this, you use supplies you've acquired to literally build up a fort and paths to funnel enemies through, tower defense-style. You'll also have to juggle adding buffs to your troops and making sure to recruit new ones.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Zack Snyder's long-in-development zombie heist flick, Army of the Dead, is nearly here. But if you're champing at the bit to see what Dave Bautista and his team are getting up to, you can watch the first 15 minutes right now."You have 32 hours to watch the first 15 minutes of Army of the Dead." It sounds like an underwhelming Jigsaw trap, but it's really the press release from Netflix for the upcoming film.Don't miss your first look at #ArmyOfTheDead. Watch the opening 15 minutes from the film now - you have 32 hours, viewer discretion advised: https://t.co/ib7LVnfDty pic.twitter.com/SElUvtjPgf — Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) May 13, 2021The event kicked off with a livestream event on Netflix's YouTube channel this morning. Army of the Dead cast members Dave Bautista and Matthias Schweighöfer gave viewers a mission briefing tasking them with flooding the livestream's chat to power a bulldozer and crane to expose and heft the underground vault in the Mojave Desert. Fans managed to get the vault open within half an hour with encouragement from cast members like Tig Notaro, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, and others. Snyder himself congratulated viewers and the clock began ticking.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

EA is releasing a new Courtyard Oasis Kit for The Sims 4 on May 18. The DLC goes live across PC, PS4, and Xbox One at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET and introduces a variety of fountains and other opulent furniture with which to furnish your Sims' homes."Curated for Simmers who want to design a serene and stylish oasis at the center of their homes, The Sims 4 Courtyard Oasis Kit uses vibrant and harmonious pieces inspired by the Riads of Morocco," EA said in a press release. "Courtyard Oasis offers even more ways for players to express their creativity and design opulent spaces with traditional filigree designs, vibrant colors and intricate tile patterns."Sul Sul Builders! Open your Sim's home at the center ⛲ with The Sims 4 #CourtyardOasisKit 🍃 Available May 18 on PC/Mac and Console. Inspired by the lush & vibrant spaces that are the riads of Morocco 🇲🇦💚 pic.twitter.com/dheIQBPDTo — The Sims (@TheSims) May 13, 2021The kit includes "colorful fountains, ornate furniture, resplendent textiles and lush, tropical plants," as well as columns, archways, and latticed wooden windows. EA did not confirm a price, but previous kits have each cost $5.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Mass Effect: Legendary Edition brings the first three games in the series together in one package, letting new players experience it for the first time with new visual enhancements. But if you're an experienced Spectre, you should know that playing the Legendary Edition won't feel exactly like you remember. BioWare has made some quality-of-life and balancing changes from the originals. If you're diving back in for your second trip through the galaxy (or third or fourth), read on for things you may need to know.For more about how the collection stacks up, be sure to read our Mass Effect: Legendary Edition review in progress.DLC Is Sprinkled ThroughoutIn the original Mass Effect releases, DLC expansions were added post-launch as usual, so buying the extra stories would grant you immediate access to them. Sometimes there might be level restrictions, but in general, you wouldn't have to wait. The Legendary Edition includes almost all of the DLC across all three games from the start, but you can't just jump straight into the DLC. Instead, BioWare has spread out the DLC missions so that they'll appear more organically alongside regular missions. That makes it a single, unified experience, but it also means that you can't, for example, start up the Shadow Broker mission as soon as you start playing Mass Effect 2 (you can go recruit the two DLC squadmates, Zaeed and Kasumi).Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

There are many fantastic side missions in the Mass Effect series--known in-game as Assignments--that are well worth your time. There are also plenty that aren't worth doing at all, so we've compiled below a list of some of the best side missions you won't want to skip during your time playing the series in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition.Note that we've only listed Assignments from the first Mass Effect so far. We'll be updating this feature with even more you shouldn't miss in other games in the coming days. Otherwise, be sure to read our Mass Effect: Legendary Edition review in progress.Table of Contents [hide]MASS EFFECT 1Asari ConsortMASS EFFECT 1Asari ConsortAcquisition Details: Located in the Citadel. You can find this one in the Consort's chambers in the southeastern corner of the Presidium. Speak to Sha'ira.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

With Mass Effect: Legendary Edition out now, a new generation of players can finally access one of developer BioWare's most iconic RPG franchises. If it's your first time playing these games, you'll need some help and insight to prepare you for the exciting journey ahead. The Legacy Edition, in particular, brings significant changes to the original games that better incorporate its various DLCs into the main experience while also creating new challenges thanks to adjustments to the way your actions impact the final game's epic conclusion.Due to these changes, we've compiled a suite of new guides to help you navigate the unique aspects with our Mass Effect: Legendary Edition guide roundup. However, if you're keen to have a walkthrough handy to help you navigate the core experience of the first Mass Effect, then below you can find our original walkthrough, which we published at the time of the game's original release. You can also read our Mass Effect 2 walkthrough and Mass Effect 3 walkthrough. For more about how the collection stacks up, be sure to read our Mass Effect: Legendary Edition review in progress.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Note: This post contains huge spoilers for the final mission of Mass Effect 2. Read on at your own risk!All of Mass Effect 2 leads up to one powerful, frightening climax: the Suicide Mission to save the galaxy. With the release of Mass Effect Legendary Edition, players can revisit the iconic climax, or take it on for the first time. Even if you have experience with Mass Effect 2, it's a tough mission, but you can do a lot to prepare for it--and the more you prepare, the better the chances that you and your crew can put the term "suicide mission" to shame. Still, like lots of things in the Mass Effect franchise, your success is largely determined by choices you make during the mission, along with previous actions you may have not known were counting toward a moment of truth.To get the best possible ending for Mass Effect 2, you'll need to put in some work, spanning the course of almost the entire game. Here's everything you need to know to make it through the final mission of Mass Effect 2 with the best possible outcome for Shepard and their crew.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

With Mass Effect: Legendary Edition out now, a new generation of players can finally access one of developer BioWare's most iconic RPG franchises. If it's your first time playing these games, you'll need some help and insight to prepare you for the exciting journey ahead. The Legacy Edition, in particular, brings significant changes to the original games that better incorporate its various DLCs into the main experience while also creating new challenges thanks to adjustments to the way your actions impact the final game's epic conclusion.Due to these changes, we've compiled a suite of new guides to help you navigate the unique aspects with our Mass Effect: Legendary Edition guide roundup. However, if you're keen to have a walkthrough handy to help you navigate the core experience of Mass Effect 2, then below you can find our original walkthrough, which we published at the time of the game's original release. You can also read our Mass Effect 1 walkthrough and Mass Effect 3 walkthrough.For more about how the collection stacks up, be sure to read our Mass Effect: Legendary Edition review in progress.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com