Two months after the Xbox Series X and Series S launched, Microsoft's naming conventions for this console generation are still confusing for those outside the know or unfamiliar with the industry. But even prominent developers have a hard time wrapping their heads around Microsoft's new Xbox names, and Hazelight Studios founder Josef Fares is one of them.In an interview with IGN discussing Fares' ambitions and Hazelight's games, Fares delivered some choice words about the Xbox Series X|S, calling the names a "total f**king mess.""That's a f**king confusing name," Fares said. "What the f**k's going on with Microsoft? They're losing it, man. What the f**k is going on? Like Series S, X, Mex, Next. I mean, who knows this? Come on. Madness. Call it the Microsoft Box and that's it. I don't know. It's a total f**king mess. Trust me, even them, they're confused in their offices. What is this X, S... I don't know, what the f**k."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

2021 has kicked off in earnest so the GameSpot After Dark crew are back with those sweet, sweet podcast you love so much. This week, Jake, Lucy, and Tamoor are joined by Gav Murphy of RKG fame. If you're not familiar with RKG, you should check out their superb work on YouTube and, if you're into it, support them on Patreon.Lucy, Tamoor, and Gav go way back, so expect a fair bit of going off the rails as they catch up and have a good time chatting about whatever nonsense pops into their head, while Jake attempts to keep the conversation on track--bless him. They also talk about Bethesda's Indiana Jones game, as well as Ubisoft's newly announced Star Wars title.Of course, there's also the regular listener question section. This week we talk about how we approach coverage of mobile games, and how the industry treats them as a whole, as well as Welsh video game characters.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

A custom-made Xbox controller pokes a bit of self-deprecating fun at America's northern neighbor, Canada. The official Xbox Canada account shared an image of the controller clad in all denim, calling it the "Canadian Tuxedo."The tweet says it's one-of-a-kind, so don't expect to buy this controller anytime soon. Still, it's a fun and cheeky look for the standard Xbox Series X controller, and even includes tiny little denim pockets for holding, presumably, strategic poutine reserves.The "Canadian Tuxedo" is North American slang referring to a denim jacket with denim blue jeans. Those of us outside of Canada are only allowed to say it because the Xbox account said it first, so we're not technically making fun.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Microsoft is addressing a new Windows 10 exploit that can corrupt your hard drive with extreme ease, which could make it a nightmare for IT administrators globally. The exploit allows attackers to hide a single line of text in a file as innocent as a shortcut or zip file. What makes it so dangerous is that the file in question doesn't need to be explicitly interacted with--a user can simply open a folder with a compromised shortcut inside it for the exploit to be enacted.The loophole was discovered by Security researcher Jonas L earlier in the week, before being corroborated by Will Dormann, a vulnerability analyst at the CERT Coordination Center. Dormann explained that the exploit has existed within Windows 10 for years already, citing other potential NTFS flaws that Microsoft has yet to address.Thankfully, the exploit does sometimes trigger Windows' automatic chkdsk process, which will automatically repair the drive after a restart. The recovery process is far more complicated if this solution fails, which has been reported to be possible, meaning the attack is still very concerning for Microsoft.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Nintendo gave fans another look at New Pokemon Snap this week. In addition to announcing the game's release date, the company has shared a few more details about the title on its website, including its file size.According to Nintendo's product page, New Pokemon Snap will weigh in at 6.8 GB. For comparison, Pokemon Sword and Shield each take up 11.3 GB of space on Switch, while the upcoming Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury only takes up 2.9 GB.The product page also confirms that New Pokemon Snap is a single-player game. Despite this, it appears there will be some kind of online component; the page mentions that New Pokemon Snap supports Nintendo Switch Online and features "online play," although no other details were shared beyond that.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Another weekend has arrived in Destiny 2, and so the Trials of Osiris are back for players who want to take on the game's toughest multiplayer challenge. As always, the rewards are great if you take on the Trials--this week, you can snag a bunch of different weapons and armor you can get anywhere else, particularly if you go Flawless.Here's the Crucible map you'll face in Trials, plus all the rewards you can earn in this rotation. Trials ends with the weekly reset on January 19, so get your matches in or you'll have to wait for another weekend to roll around.Trials of Osiris Map And Rewards (January 15-19)Map: Pacifica3 wins -- Tomorrow's Answer, Void rocket launcher5 wins -- Exile's Curse, Arc fusion rifle7 wins -- Astral Horizon, Kinetic shotgun Flawless run -- Hunter, Warlock, or Titan Helmet: Hood, Cover, or Helm of the Exile Adept Mod: Projectile SpeedFor those who have never braved the Trials of Osiris and are unfamiliar with how it works, the multiplayer tournament only shows up on weekends and puts you into some of the Crucible's most challenging PvP battles. In the Trials, the challenge isn't just to win, but to go on winning streaks. Notch seven victorious matches without losing a single one and you'll earn what's known as a "Flawless" run. That gets you a trip to the Lighthouse--a special social space only accessible to players who go Flawless--and exclusive rewards and recognition. In the Beyond Light expansion, opening the Flawless chest earns you an "Adept" item, which comes with extra stat boosts unavailable on any other loot in the game, as well as powerful Adept mods that are likewise unavailable anywhere else.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The highly-anticipated Marvel show WandaVision premiered on Disney+ on Friday morning, winning over plenty of new fans--including us at GameSpot. And while the new series is a love letter to classic sitcoms, there's one thing fans won't find: famous sitcom cameos.Despite Scarlet Witch herself, Elizabeth Olsen, being the younger sister to Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Matt Shakman wants to be upfront about what the story is about and how he doesn't want to pull the audiences out of it."For us, we were faithfully recreating the style of the shows with authenticity. It wasn't about parody or homage or spoof," he tells Variety. "It really was about telling the story of Wanda and Vision. And so, for that reason, we were focusing on our characters who are the best actors to bring those characters to life, rather than trying to find a way to have Bob Newhart pop by."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

In response to an increase in COVID-19 cases, Capcom has decided to cancel its flagship fighting game series, the Capcom Cup. However, the event is living on, in a way, through an online season of the Capcom Pro Tour to be held in February.The Capcom Cup and the Street Fighter League World Championship were scheduled to take place in person February 19-21, but Capcom has canceled both events due to the health crisis."While we strongly believe that we could have executed a great event with limited risk to players, staff, and crew, we have reevaluated as the situation has evolved and the state of the global pandemic has heightened," Capcom said in its announcement.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Ukrainian developer GSC Game World has provided an update on the status of the highly anticipated and long-in-development first-person horror survival title STALKER 2.According to GSC Game World, STALKER 2 development is "progressing smoothy" on PC and Xbox Series X|S. While a release date has not been nailed down yet, the studio reiterated that STALKER 2 will hit Xbox Game Pass the same day it launches on both platforms.GSC Game World's public relations specialist Zakhar Bocharov said the studio is "pleased to see" how well STALKER 2 is progressing and is confident about the experience being created.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Comedian and actor Bill Burr has a role on the Star War TV show The Mandalorian as Mayfeld, a character who--like Burr himself--speaks with a Boston accent. Some part of the Star Wars community has raised some concerns about this.Burr defended this character's Boston accent in an interview with Jimmy Fallon. Burr said people don't seem to care that Han Solo can communicate with Chewbacca or that C-3PO has an English accent, so it's not much concern that Mayfeld has a Boston accent."What about English? Doesn't that look weird if you went to a galaxy far, far away and you get off, and somebody's like, 'Hey, how's it going?' And you totally understand them?" Burr said. "What about the fact that Han Solo is talking to a bigfoot? He's talking bigfoot, Han Solo's speaking English. They never break character. How about C-3PO with an English accent, that was OK?"Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Respawn has snuck Kings Canyon back into Apex Legends for a limited time. And that's not all either, Apex Legends' original map seems to be the new home for The Mirage Voyage, which has parked in the empty crater where Skull Town used to be. If you want to see for yourself, you'll have to act fast--Kings Canyon will only remain in the rotation until January 21.Kings Canyon was removed from Apex Legends' map rotation at the start of Season 7: Ascension, replaced by the battle royale's third map, Olympus. Season 7 saw the removal of The Mirage Voyage from World's Edge as well, the first town takeover to seemingly be removed from the game. Now we know better--it wasn't removed, it was just moved.Be sure to aim carefully--unlike when it was on World's Edge, there's nothing beneath The Mirage Voyage while it's parked at Kings Canyon.If you go into the cabin of The Mirage Voyage, you can find a new audio recording from Mirage's mom. It's...a very sad message to listen to--it's clear her mind is beginning to go. However, if you listen to the whole message, there are a few cool lore tidbits. The biggest of which is that Mirage's uncle is Droz, a Titan Pilot you meet in Titanfall 2. Initially a part of the 6-4 (the game's best Faction), Droz goes on to partner up with Davis to found The Last Resort--both Pilots work with you in Titanfall 2's Frontier Defense mode.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Animal Crossing: New Horizons was undoubtedly one of the biggest game launches of last year, and its popularity isn't slowing down in 2021. To the joy of makeup-wearing Animal Crossing fans everywhere, Nintendo has announced an Animal Crossing: New Horizons collaboration with cosmetics brand ColourPop, and the collection looks as adorable as you'd expect. The Animal Crossing x ColourPop collection launches Thursday, January 28 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET, and you can sign up to be notified at ColourPop.The Animal Crossing ColourPop collection appears to include four different eyeshadow palettes, each with four different shades inspired by characters from the game. There's an Isabelle palette with warm pink and yellow shades; a cool purple palette inspired by the Able sisters; a silvery green palette featuring the Nooks; and a brown neutrals palette that's a nod to Blathers and Celeste. The shade names are all references to the game as well, like "Resident Rep," "Meteor Shower," and "Water Landing."The Animal Crossing x ColourPop line launches on January 28. Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

1999's sci-fi comedy Galaxy Quest, which is a spoof of Star Trek and sci-fi tropes in general, is a cult classic and fans want to see a sequel. Actor Tim Allen, who starred in the movie as ship captain Peter Quincy Taggart, has now provided an update on how it's coming along.Speaking to EW, Allen said the writers came up with a "fabulous" script, but it will need to be changed following the death of Alan Rickman, who played the Spock-like Dr. Lazarus. The story for the sequel was all about Lazarus and Taggart, so the idea will need to be rebooted."[The script] had a hiccup because the wonderful Alan Rickman passed. So it all got very sad and dark because [the script] was all about [Lazarus] and Taggart. It was all about their story. It doesn't mean they can't reboot the idea, and the underlying story was hysterical and fun."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

After the wave of sexual harassment allegations that swept through the fighting game community last summer, the FGC has established a new code of conduct to create a more inclusive community for all current and prospective members.The FGC doesn't have a governing document binding the disparate tournaments together. This new code of conduct, signed by video game attorney and prominent FGC member David "UltraDavid" Graham, is the first to attempt to meet that standard. And the community is encouraging all tournament goers and organizers to adopt the newly written code of conduct.The guidelines are straightforward, with most violations focused on consent between individuals. Anyone who engages in abusive behavior--such as physical, verbal, emotional, suggested (i.e. making threats or using demeaning language), and the like--will be disciplined, likely in the form of temporary of permanent bans from online and in-person tournaments.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

We thought winter sales were over for PC games, but it looks like Humble isn't quite ready to say goodbye to the season of savings. The PC game retailer has kicked off the latest Humble Winter Sale, discounting hundreds of PC games up to 90% from now until January 28. The sale includes deals on various publisher catalogs, including the likes of Rockstar, 2K, and Sega.Sega has a number of great discounts that you'll want to take advantage of if you're an RPG fan. Last year's excellent Yakuza: Like A Dragon is only $45. It was one of GameSpot's best games of 2020 and is well worth your time and money. Additionally, beloved JRPG Persona 4 Golden has been cut to $16. See Winter Sale at Humble Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com