In May, the horror streaming service Shudder is offering up new reasons to stay at home with fresh content arriving throughout the month. This includes brand new movies, recent On Demand hits, and classic catalog titles.Having already released some of the year's best new scary movies in the first four months of the year, Shudder has even more lined up in May. The wild sci-fi horror Fried Barry hits the service on May 6--this South African movie focuses on a man who is possessed by aliens and sets out on a wild night of sex, drugs, and violence. That's followed a week later by The Reckoning, a period tale of witchcraft and possession from Descent and Hellboy director Neil Marshall.On May 20, Psycho Goreman finally hits Shudder, following an On Demand release earlier in the year. It's the latest movie from The Void director Steven Kostanski and is a hilarious tribute to '80s horror and Japanese superhero movies, about a pair of suburban kids who gain control over a bloodthirsty alien warrior. The month wraps up on May 27 with Skull: The Mask, a supernatural slasher in which a museum assistant and a policewoman team up to stop a series of killings connected to a haunted mask.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

You may remember that players who finished Bloober Team's latest title, The Medium, were greeted with a surprise. After beating it on the Xbox, players were prompted to leave a review for it on the Microsoft Store. It seems like a good number of people ended up leaving reviews because Bloober Team has put together an entire trailer featuring what it has dubbed the "Best Reviews by Players."The trailer is opposite The Medium in that its tone isn't grim or dark at all. Instead, it highlights what must have been some of the funnier reviews Bloober Team saw on the Microsoft Store. The first highlighted review, for instance, is from someone named waffleman360, who praised the game for letting them feed a cat. Another from a player named Alesta says "So this is one of the worlds ciri went to when escaping the wild hunt," a reference to the game's main character Marianne, and their resemblance to Ciri from The Witcher 3. The trailer eventually turns off the jokes and highlights reviews praising the game.GameSpot's The Medium review scored the game a 9/10. Editor Jordan Ramée called it "a terrifying but compelling exploration of duality that uses the horror of personal trauma to craft a memorable tale."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The Fast & Furious franchise has never been afraid to raise the stakes, even if that meant racing souped-up muscle cars against airplanes, tanks, or even nuclear submarines. With the latest trailer for F9: The Fast Saga, though, a long-running fan theory has officially been confirmed: The Fast & Furious crew is going to space. Is this a terrible idea for the franchise, though?The final shot in the new trailer sees Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Chris "Ludacris" Bridges) seemingly blasting off to space in a muscle car that's been turned into a rocketship. While you could argue that's the next (il)logical leap for the franchise to make--and it's something fans have been asking for in recent years--it's possible this could be the straw that breaks the camel's back.After all, taking a hot rod into outer space seems utterly ridiculous, even for Fast & Furious. Though, it could potentially be grounded in some kind of reality.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

As if you needed another reason to jump into Final Fantasy XIV--the popular MMORPG from Square Enix--the PlayStation 5 version of the game just went into open beta this week. It's available for all players who have a PS4 copy of the game or are currently running the free trial with their account, and it comes with a slew of perks afforded by the more powerful hardware. From super-fast load times to crisper visuals, FFXIV can now take full advantage of the PS5 as opposed to simply running the PS4 version through backwards compatibility.When running the PS5 version, you have three graphics options: "Full HD" that does 1080p and prioritizes hitting 60fps, "WQHD" that uses a 1440p resolution while targeting up to 60fps, and "4K" that runs native 4K resolution and improves overall draw distance but will experience lower frame rates. I spent a few hours hanging in the Limsa Lominsa lower decks with the large and rather enthusiastic crowds and ran a few dungeons to get a feel for how the PS5 handles high player counts in each mode. Even though it can struggle at times, this is a major improvement over the PS4's capabilities and a worthy upgrade for those who play on console.In 4K mode, you'll notice the game chugging to what feels like around 30fps in the huge Lominsan crowds, and doesn't always hit a silky smooth frame rate when out and about in the less dense areas of FFXIV's world. However, the visuals are crisp, akin to running maximum settings on the PC version at native 4K. Although you're not getting 60fps, I felt the experience was consistent enough as to not detract from gameplay, which I gathered from running The Twinning dungeon.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Super Mario Maker 2's final Ninji Speedrun event is now underway until April 27. This event is called Bowser's Castle: The Last Dash, and it challenges players to run multiple laps through a vast, trap-laden castle.As Nintendo describes, "To clear the final Ninji Speedrun course, you'll need to run a few laps around Bowser's Castle! It's packed with tricky gimmicks, putting all of your skills to the test. Keep at it, and go for the best time you can get!" You can check out some screenshots of the new speedrun course below.The final #SuperMarioMaker2 Ninji Speedrun event is here! To clear the final Ninji Speedrun course, you'll need to run a few laps around Bowser's Castle! It's packed with tricky gimmicks, putting all of your skills to the test. Keep at it, and go for the best time you can get! pic.twitter.com/Tc9omxd3mo — Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) April 14, 2021As Nintendo previously announced, this final event is "bigger than usual." As such, it runs for two weeks rather than the usual one, concluding at 7 PM PT / 10 PM ET on April 27. You'll still be able to play the course after the event officially ends, but your time won't be counted.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

As previously revealed, E3 is returning in 2021 as a "reimagined" and "all-virtual" event that will take place June 12 - 15, 2021. As with previous years, major names in the video game industry will be present and showing off their latest games. Of course, E3 is also partnering with major media outlets for coverage, and GameSpot is one of them.GameSpot will be working closely with E3 to deliver breaking news, interviews, opinions, and more. We'll be streaming everything, so make sure to tune in right here from June 12 to get exciting content as it happens."We are focused on ensuring that E3 continues to be the most innovative and collaborative event in the video game industry, so enlisting some of the industry’s biggest media partners to help deliver the highly-anticipated news, reveals and more is crucial to a successful showcase," said Stanley Pierre-Louis, president & CEO of the ESA. "Each media partner will be instrumental in driving E3’s reach to more fans than ever before. With this year’s digital format, we’re looking to provide our audiences with exciting and unique ways to experience the magic of E3."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

To celebrate the launch of New Pokemon Snap, Pokemon Go is holding an event based on the upcoming Switch spin-off later this month. The event kicks off on April 29 and features various Pokemon inspired by the environments of the Lental region, New Pokemon Snap's setting.Throughout the event, Lotad, Cacnea, Ducklett, and other Pokemon that you'd find in deserts, jungles, and underwater will appear in the wild more frequently than normal. Smeargle will also be appearing more frequently when you take snapshots, and you'll have your first chance to catch a Shiny Smeargle in the game during the event.📷 I n celebration of the release of New Pokémon Snap on Nintendo Switch, you can look forward to an event inspired by the photography-focused game! 📷 https://t.co/dyZgT0RvRp pic.twitter.com/MV9x3pAyCc — Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) April 14, 2021In addition to the increased wild Pokemon spawns, Vaporeon, Meganium, Trapinch, and other monsters will appear in Raids. There will also be event-exclusive Timed and Field Research tasks to complete. These, fittingly, will be focused around taking snapshots.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Development on Legendary's Toxic Avenger reboot continues. Actor Peter Dinklage is already set to play the titular Avenger, and now Jacob Tremblay will join him according to Deadline.The original 1984 film, produced by Troma Entertainment and co-directed by founders Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, sports Troma's trademark low-budget visual effects and grotesque imagery. It tells the story of a man named Melvin who, after being pushed into a vat of toxic waste, transforms into a mutant. He has to save his family and town from organized crime and corrupt officials.Deadline did not specify Tremblay's role, but it seems likely that the actor will play Melvin/Toxie's son. Tremblay is best known for his breakout role starring in Room alongside Brie Larson, as well as his role in Wonder, about a child living with Treacher Collins Syndrome.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Oddworld: Soulstorm has been a long time coming. A direct sequel to Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty, Soulstorm is a loosely drawn reimagining of the second Oddworld game, Abe's Exoddus. Soulstorm looks shiny and PS5-new, with beautifully detailed characters and vast sweeping landscapes in its backgrounds, but it has an old soul. Soulstorm's stealthy platforming feels like a throwback: It's unlike any game I've played in a long time, and that's refreshing. But with old-school gameplay, Soulstorm retains some archaic design choices that feel outdated in 2021. The pain from those choices is accentuated by the game's many serious technical issues, which can blow even the most carefully played sequences at the drop of a hat. Soulstorm has a lot of heart, but its poor tuning makes it a bit of a slog.Like its predecessors, Soulstorm puts you in control of Abe, a now free slave with the ability to take control of his former captors using a special chant. Each level strings together a gauntlet of side-scrolling stealth-platforming puzzles. As Abe, you'll sneak across each stage, jumping across platforms to dodge traps while avoiding conflict as much as possible. All the while, you're searching for your fellow Mudokons, Abe's species of lanky green Oddworlders, most of whom are still slaves in factories and mines. Staying out of harm's way requires careful planning and timing. Like many stealth games, you're carefully monitoring guard movements and vision cones to find the perfect moment to move from one hiding spot to the next, or to dispatch a guard. There's a tense, nail-biting thrill to maneuvering your way into and out of danger.Though stealth factors into most areas, there are also a fair number of pure platforming sequences. Dodging flamethrowers, buzzsaws, spikes, and other dangers is also often a matter of getting the timing right. Soulstorm's best platforming sequences feel more puzzle-like than a reflex test, balancing time pressure and a need to methodically feel your way through whatever lethal obstacles it throws your way.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

In a recent podcast interview, actor Hank Azaria said he wants to apologize to "every single Indian person" for the The Simpsons's problematic Apu character. Speaking on Dax Shepard and Monica Padman's podcast Armchair Expert (via CBS News), the actor described his journey of taking in the recent wave of controversy and pushback over the character, saying he "really didn't know any better before.""This was not a two-week process," said Azaria. "I needed to educate myself a lot."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Epic Games--the developer of Fortnite, owner of the Unreal Engine, and operator of the Epic Games Store--has announced it has raised $1 billion more in funding. This includes $200 million more from Sony Group Corporation, adding on to the $250 million it invested into the company back in 2020. This announcement came on the same day that Sony announced that one of its characters, Aloy from the Horizon series, would come to Fortnite soon.In a statement, Epic said it's using the additional $1 billion in funding to "support future growth opportunities" and help the company create the so-called "Metaverse." With the new round of funding, Epic said its equity valuation now stands at $28.7 billion.For Sony specifically, Epic said the new funding of $200 million "reinforces their shared mission to advance the state of the art in technology, entertainment, and socially-connected online services."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Ubisoft has announced that it will soon be shutting down the servers on several of its older games, including Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas, Assassin's Creed II, Far Cry 2, and more. The majority of the affected titles are PC games, with several PS2, Xbox 360, PSP, and PSP games also being shut down at an undetermined time later in 2021.Ubisoft explained in a blog post that while multiplayer online services for these games will be switched off, players can still access solo features.If the game is Ubisoft Connect-enabled, then this service will no longer be available for the title on consoles and the microtransaction currency of Ubisoft Units will be disabled. Ubisoft added that there will be no refunds on unused in-game currencies. Rewards will also be disabled in-game, and even though they can still be unlocked, Ubisoft says that players will no longer receive them.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The new BioShock game in development at Cloud Chamber might feature a big change for the series and adopt an open-world structure. A job listing at Cloud Chamber spotted by PCGamesN specifically mentions "open-world."A job ad for a senior writer says, "We're hoping to find someone who can weave impactful, character-driven stories in an open world setting." The successful candidate will work on dialogue and other narrative elements of the new BioShock, while this person will also help come up with ideas for "primary and secondary mission content with design."Cloud Chamber has 17 open positions listed on its careers page spread across a variety of disciplines, but the senior writer job ad is the only one that mentions "open-world."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Microsoft has debuted the Surface Laptop 4 today, and the new models will ship starting later this week. The Surface Laptop 4 lets you choose between Intel 11th Gen processors or AMD's Ryzen 4000 processors, with a sizable price gap between AMD and the more expensive Intel versions. Every version is now available for preorder.Microsoft promises a 70% performance increase over the Surface Laptop 3. Battery life on the new models will last up to 19 hours on the 13.5-inch AMD, 17.5 hours on the 15-inch AMD, 17 hours for the 13.5-inch Intel, and 16.5 hours for the 15-inch Intel. The Intel versions will also include the Iris Xe graphics silicon. Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 Starts at $1,000 Orders will ship on April 15. Those who preorder through Microsoft or Best Buy before that date can also claim Surface Earbuds as a free bonus. See at Microsoft Store Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Fortnite is back with a new Spire Quest. These lengthy questlines will only be available during Season 6 and offer a ton of lore, some cosmetics, and a bounty of XP, so there are plenty of reasons to complete these new challenges that debut every other week.In the latest Spire Quest, players will continue to help Raz with his mysterious plan before tracking down several Jonesy clones and eventually even dueling the progenitor of the Jonesy family. Here's all you need to know about the Jonesy Spire Quest.Play The Spire's Message At A Guardian OutpostPlay The Spire's message atop a Guardian Outpost.Guardian Outposts are the six smaller spire-like towers that create a perimeter around the central Spire location. For the first part of your mission, you'll need to ensure you've already completed the entire Spire Quest from two weeks ago. If you did, you'll have a recording from Raz. Land on any Guardian Outpost and find the interactable object, which lets you place and play the recording. You'll even hear a bit of dialogue from The Foundation, whom fans have credibly linked to The Rock.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com