Halo Infinite is making some major changes to the series' art direction, focusing on the simpler and iconic design of the original trilogy, but there is also a lot of work going into the game's sound. The tricky balancing act of blending the old with the new was a challenge for 343 Industries, and the development team has offered some details on what you can expect.In a new Ask343 development video, the audio design team spoke about the iconic elements it's keeping from past games, including the classic charging sound of the Plasma Pistol. It will also feature the ramping-up music that makes every battle feel so climactic, building in an enormous crescendo as the action gets more intense. Tools, including ones 343 created in-house, are used to keep track of what both you and the enemies are doing at all times in order to have the music play differently.This also includes examining player-intention. For example, if you are staying far away from some Elites as you snipe them, there won't be the same music as if you went in with guns blazing.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Capcom has released a new gameplay video for the previously teased Rose, who is making her return to the series in Street Fighter V very soon. The tarot-wielding fighter is an unusual character who will keep her enemies off-balance with a mix of melee and magical abilities.Rose's signature abilities make use of tarot magic and can grab and slam down enemies from range, and she can also use anti-air attacks to keep them from closing in. She's also capable of mixing it up with punches and kicks when need be, as well as powerful magical counters that will punish anyone who plays too aggressively in a corner. Almost all her attacks see flowing ribbons moving through the air, which is both gorgeous and a little distracting to whoever she's beating up.Rose is available through both the Season 5 Premium Pass and the Season 5 Character Pass. Both give you access to five characters, and the final character is expected to arrive this fall. You don't get quite as much with the Character Pass, but it does still include all five characters and some special costumes and color variants. These passes are available on both PS4 and PC.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The PS5 has often been almost impossible to find, but that hasn't stopped Sony's new system from selling a whole bunch of units--even if some were going to bots. Through five months, the PS5 is the best-selling game console in US history, both in terms of units sold as well as dollar sales.The numbers come from the latest NPD report, which showed that compared to last year at the same point, hardware sales are up by nearly 50%. This isn't a huge surprise, given that multiple game consoles launched and this almost always brings a big surge in sales, but it's impressive that Sony has been able to accomplish this feat during a pandemic. Last year, several retailers weren't even offering the PS5 in stores--aside from online order pickup--to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but this didn't seem to be a deterrent for those who wanted the system.Despite continuing its record-setting pace, the PS5 actually got outsold by the Nintendo Switch in March, both in units and dollars. If you look at the best-selling game for Switch in March, that makes sense. Monster Hunter Rise shot to the top of the Switch sales chart, and it's the only non-Nintendo game on there. Given the massive popularity of Capcom's series, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Switch take the top spot in April, too.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

When you get your PS5--if you're lucky enough to find one--you'll notice that its packaging is different from other consoles, and it lacks some of their elegance in favor of a simpler design. This was a conscious decision by Sony to make the entire box recyclable, and it managed to do so without sacrificing protection. In fact, it's just part of a larger company-wide push toward greener practices. In a post on the Sony Interactive Entertainment website, director of environment and technical compliance Kieren Mayers said that Sony has committed to eliminating plastic use in small product packaging by 2025 in an effort to cut down on ocean pollution. In the case of the PS5, Sony was able to do this by making fairly minor adjustments to the box design. In place of plastic trays are card inserts and "paper pulp cushion trays," and the plastic cable ties we've seen for so long have been replaced by paper ones. If you opened up any PS5 accessories' boxes, that change was made for those, too.Instead of gluing hanger tabs for the outer portion of the packaging, folding techniques were used, and unnecessary plastic bags holding things like cables and manuals were removed. One feature of smaller boxes--plastic display windows--had to be eliminated outright, but we all know what a PS5 controller looks like.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Amazon has reportedly canceled its long-awaited Lord of the Rings MMO game, making it just the latest in a growing list of unreleased projects from the tech giant. However, it appears this game's cancellation came from a contract dispute rather than any issue with creating something that met quality standards.Bloomberg reported on April 17 that issues arose after co-developer Leyou Technologies was purchased by Tencent back in December. Amazon and Tencent could not then come to an agreement to continue developing the game, which was also being co-developed by an internal Amazon team, and this forced it to be canceled. According to a statement Amazon gave to Bloomberg, the internal team will move to other projects.Leyou is the same parent company behind Warframe developer Digital Extremes and Gears Tactics studio Splash Damage. It also owns a stake in Certain Affinity, a studio that has worked extensively on support development for the Halo series.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

E3 2021 is going to look a lot different than the E3 events of years past. Rather than host a large, in-person event like we've seen every other year except 2020, the ESA has chosen to host a digital show featuring a number of development and publishing partners. This will give everyone the chance to see trailers and announcements online while also giving companies the freedom to run events their own way. GameSpot is also participating in the gaming frenzy this June with the return of Play For All, which includes support for important charities. It can be a lot to keep track of, particularly if you're used to the more rigid schedule of traditional E3 events. However, game companies have started to announce when they'll be hosting their own events, and we've organized them to make it as easy as possible to plan your personalized E3 viewing party.When Is E3 2021? Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Path of Exile 2 is on the way, but development also continues on the original game. Its latest expansion, Ultimatum, launched this week, and things didn't go as planned. It was a bit of a mess, to put it mildly, with players stuck waiting in server queues and unable to play. However, the problems were amplified because of Grinding Gear Games' decision to let paid streamers skip the lines and start playing right away. It appears the studio will not be making such a mistake again. As spotted by Eurogamer, Path of Exile producer Chris Wilson explained on a Reddit thread that the Ultimatum Challenge League, which is a risk/reward trial players are essentially competing against each other in, was letting players in far too slowly. "Human error" resulted in the normal trickle migration process not being run, and players continued being dumped out of the realm until an eventual fix was made several hours later.But why was this Path of Exile situation different than the server issues that plagued a game like Outriders, for instance? Well, because not everyone was affected. Paid streamers who Grinding Gear Games has brought on board for the launch were allowed in immediately, as they were supposed to stream for two hours. Not being allowed to play was, the team thought at the time, out of the question.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The NPD Group has released its monthly video US game sales report for March 2021, and they seem to further confirm that a game's inclusion on Xbox Game Pass does not doom its sales. Outriders, a surprise hit that launched day-and-date on the service, still managed to put up impressive numbers on Xbox.Outriders managed to take the third spot on the Xbox top-sellers list for March 2021, trailing only Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. This put it above other huge games like Madden NFL 21 and Forza Horizon 4, both of which are also available on Xbox Game Pass. The game actually came out on April 1, but the sales data extended to April 3, meaning it did this in just a few days.But Outriders also managed to take the third spot on the PlayStation charts, only trailing Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Spider-Man: Miles Morales while actually beating Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Outriders was third on the all-platform charts, as well, and because many of the games on that list are from last year, it's likely to climb even higher.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

IO Interactive, the developer behind Hitman 3, has just announced the opening of a new studio in Barcelona. This new studio, creatively named IOI Barcelona, is one part of its "ambitious and exciting plans for expansion over the coming years" according to a post on the developer's site.IOI Barcelona will be joining IO Interactive's two other studios, IOI Copenhagen and IOI Malmö. It will assist these other studios in supporting Hitman 3, which already has extra content on the way. The game's first DLC collection, Seven Deadly Sins, is now available, and its roadmap for April is packed with more new content.Two other projects will also be tackled by IO Interactive's new Barcelona studio. IOI Barcelona will be joining the developer's two other studios in working on both Project 007, IO Interactive's James Bond title, as well as another unannounced new intellectual property.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

British actor Fabien Frankel (The Serpent, NYPD Blue) has joined the cast of House of the Dragon, the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel series, according to Deadline. Frankel will play Ser Criston Cole, a "common-born son of the steward to the Lord of Blackhaven… all he has to his name is his honor and his preternatural skill with a sword."Frankel is part of a cast that includes Doctor Who actor Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen, Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, and Emma D'Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen. It's been rumored that the series will have five lead characters, so it's possible these actors will fill those roles.House of the Dragon is co-created by author George R.R. Martin and Ryan Condal (Colony, Rampage). Miguel Sapochnik (Trainspotting, Game of Thrones) will serve as showrunner along with Condal. Joining them as a writer and executive producer will be Sara Lee Hess (Orange is the New Black, Deadwood).Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

A former Nintendo game designer doesn't believe the F-Zero franchise is dead. However, Nintendo's own design philosophies are likely behind why we haven't seen a new entry in the racing series in more than 16 years.Speaking to IGN, retired designer Takaya Imamura said that he doesn't believe F-Zero is dead at Nintendo, even with such an extended absence. However, he said that without a "grand idea," it's a difficult series to revive. The other games were fairly straightforward sci-fi racers, not featuring major overhauls aside from much better visuals when coming to different platforms. These days, that might not be enough. Nintendo isn't one to pump out sequels to games without some sort of hook or huge, innovative idea, and we've seen big franchises like Star Fox also suffer long inactive periods.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Nier Replicant releases next week for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and Square Enix and Sony have released a new video to show off the game's upgraded combat and signature bosses.The video, which is from within the first few hours of Nier Replicant in case you're wary of spoilers, shows how the combat has evolved since the original version released in 2010. It's more fluid this time around, bringing it more in line with the combat from Nier: Automata. There's a countering system, too, letting you deliver a powerful blow to enemies after parrying their attacks perfectly.You can mix heavy and light attacks just like you did in Automata, and if you remember the pod characters' ranged attacks from that game, then Grimoire Weiss' abilities will feel right at home. He's got a few other tricks up his sleeve, too, if you want to stay up close to your targets.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

If you ever thought that Mario's Lego incarnation looked a bit lonely without his brother Luigi by his side, then the feeling is mutual, as Nintendo's iconic plumber appears to be looking for his green sibling.As spotted by Eurogamer, Twitter user Jay Phoenix updated his Lego Super Mario toy and when he was switched back on, Mario immediately started calling out for Luigi. Here's the video, which isn't creepy at all:So, was fiddling about with LEGO Mario for the first time in ages cos of that new treasure hunt update and pic.twitter.com/Ztk44ZAY3G — Jay Phoenix (@AyliffeMakit) April 15, 2021On a Facebook post that detailed this week's Super Mario toy update, Lego's official account wrote in a tongue-in-cheek fashion that it was investigating Lego Mario's sudden insistence on finding its brother.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Netflix has revealed the release date of Castlevania Season 4, and confirmed this will be the final season. It hits the platform on May 13.A new trailer for Castlevania Season 4 has also been released. The promo doesn't contain any footage from the show, but instead shows a map of the various Eastern Europe locations the series has traveled to, accompanied by ominous voiceovers from a variety of the main characters including Trevor Belmont, Carmilla, and Alucard. Check it out below:This is where it all started. The final season of Castlevania arrives May 13. pic.twitter.com/sLqWjJxjoA — NX (@NXOnNetflix) April 16, 2021Castlevania is based on Konami's classic video game, and the show was created by comic book writer Warren Ellis. It stars Richard Armitage as monster hunter Trevor Belmont, and the first season was released to acclaim in 2017. The final season will consist of 10 episodes.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The Season of the Chosen is almost over in Destiny 2, but there's one last big activity before the game's next season kicks off: the Guardian Games. Prepare to stomp last year's winners, the Titans (or gear up for another thrashing if you are a Titan) with new Exotics from Xur this week. Here's where to find him and what he's offering.Head to the Tower, in the Hangar area, to find Xur this week. For his weapon, Xur is offering The Jade Rabbit. Hunters can pick up the Lucky Raspberry chest armor; for Titans, there's the Ashen Wake guantlets; and for Warlocks, Xur has the Starfire Protocol chest armor.Xur LocationSpawn in at the central Tower transmat zone and turn left to head down the stairs to the Hangar. At the bottom of those stairs, hang another left and pass under the structure to find a catwalk staircase in the back corner of the area, to the north. Xur is up the stairs a bit, surveying the Last City below.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com