Assassin's Creed Valhalla fully embraces the series' heritage. The 12th major Assassin's Creed game shows a keen awareness of the history and gameplay innovations of the saga, and it feels like a love letter to the franchise as a whole. This makes the game a far more rewarding experience for longtime fans, though newcomers can still enjoy Valhalla's combat, emphasis on exploration, and mystery-driven narrative without years of time spent in the Animus.In Valhalla, you once again play as present-day protagonist Layla Hassan, who's still a bit shaken up after the unfortunate events at the end of Assassin's Creed Odyssey's second DLC, The Fate of Atlantis. Understandably ostracized from her old team, she's now partnered with fellow Assassins Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane. The trio find themselves facing the daunting task of needing to save the world, and their only clue as to how is a mysterious message of unknown origin that contains coordinates to a grave. With no other leads, Layla hops into the Animus machine with a DNA sample taken from the skeletal remains, allowing her to relive their life in the distant past. This time she'll be Eivor, a Viking who lived during the ninth century.The Assassin's Creed games have traditionally struggled with the modern-day storyline that runs alongside the stories that take place in the past, and Valhalla is no different. However, its modern-day plot is the most focused it has been in years. There's a clear and present danger, and a nice setup for the throughline of the game's campaign: the concept of fate.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The Xbox Series X and Series S aren't due to officially release for a few more days, but some lucky players have had their consoles delivered early. As it turns out, that's totally fine with Microsoft, and the company gave these lucky few the green light to start playing the console early.The team is aware some fans are starting to receive consoles ahead of launch. For those of who receive them early, you are welcome to fire it up & start gaming!FYI: We are still making final touches for launch so please expect multiple platform and game updates pre-launch. — Xbox Support (@XboxSupport) November 8, 2020We saw an Xbox Series X that appeared to be delivered too early to a player in Portugal last week, but it's unclear if this person is who the Xbox team is acknowledging. However, while Microsoft did welcome players to start playing if they got their system already, it said that more pre-launch patches--both for the system itself and for games--are still on the way. The experience early players get could be slightly inferior to the one players get on launch day.If you are waiting until November 10 to play your new Xbox Series X or S, you can still take some steps to make the transition smoother. On Xbox One, you can move your games to an external drive, and this can be plugged into the Xbox Series X/S for immediate access to Xbox One games. You can also get the Xbox mobile app on your phone, as you'll be using it for setting up your new console. The process of booting it up will take only a few seconds because of its super-fast SSD. Loading games will also be very quick. Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

For the second time, Netflix has been forced to stop production on The Witcher's second season due to positive COVID-19 tests, without a firm date for when it will resume. Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

If you're wary of spoilers for your new PS5 games this week, you may want to be careful where you go on the web. Trophy lists for some of the biggest launch titles, including Demon's Souls and Bugsnax--yes, we're talkin' bout it--have appeared online, showing the bosses and other challenges you'll face in these games.Thus far, the trophy-hunting and guide site PowerPyx has posted trophy lists for Demon's Souls (linked earlier in this sentence), Astro's Playroom, Bugsnax, Godfall, and Spider-Man: Miles Morales.Not all of these games have a strong story focus, so you're probably not going to have too much ruined for you if you can't resist taking a look. However, some of the fun in getting trophies and achievements comes from not knowing exactly when you're going to get a new one.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Ubisoft has shared details about the upcoming Rainbow Siege Siege season, Operation Neon Dawn. The studio announced that Year 5, Season 4 goes live on the PC Test Server on Monday, November 9. With the new season, players get access to another operator, a reworked Skyscraper map, new accessibility options, and the Sixth Guardian Program.The headlining feature of Operation Neon Dawn is the addition of Aruni, Siege's first Thai operator. Aruni comes equipped with the Surya Gate, a deployable laser gate that deals damage to Attackers and turns off for Defenders to pass. The Surya Gate can be attached to walls, hatches, doors, and windows. Aruni is also strapped with the MK 14 EBR and P10 RONI as primary weapons and a PRB 92 as a secondary weapon. This corroborates a recent tease.Further, the Skyscraper map has been "reimagined" and "reworked" to include three major objectives. One such goal is funnel Attackers into the building by reducing the number of available balconies and relocating them. Two other features have been tweaked on Skyscraper: a new rotation between the sides of the building on the second floor has been added and bomb sites have been balanced to make for more competitive matches.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The PS5 releases this week, and it's available in either a standard package for $499 or a disc-free version for $399. The consoles are identical in power, and we've run the system through its paces in order to see what it can do. Along with that, we've also been playing and reviewing the system's games, including exclusives, to determine which are worth picking up on launch day.We've gathered excerpts from these reviews below, including the games as well as the PS5 hardware itself. This should help you decide whether you want to order the system--you can't buy it off a store shelf until 2021--and you can check out our PS5 order guide for additional help tracking one down. You'll also find information on the DualSense controller and its charging station.PS5 review"At launch the PS5 is an excellent console that paves the way for a promising future where gaming experiences can evolve in interesting ways and the process of experiencing them is streamlined. Its custom SSD, unique DualSense controller, and powerful specs draw a distinct line between last generation and the next." -- Mat Paget Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Longtime Jeopardy host Alex Trebek has died at the age of 80. Trebek had been suffering from pancreatic cancer since early 2019 but continued to host the show during his treatment.The official Jeopardy Twitter account confirmed the news, saying Trebek passed away at his home early this morning with family and friends by his side.Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends. Thank you, Alex. pic.twitter.com/Yk2a90CHIM — Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) November 8, 2020Trebek had hosted Jeopardy since 1984, and the show has often been ranked as one of the best game shows of all time. Though not the original host of the show, he was, by far, its longest-serving host.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

It appears some Xbox x Star Wars news is coming soon. The Xbox Game Pass Twitter account posted a teaser today about The Mandalorian and The Child AKA Baby Yoda. "All we're gonna say is that we're not posting The Mandalorian and The Child for no reason," the tweet says. The account is known for its humorous style and tone ahead of future announcements, and this latest tweet is seemingly keeping with that tradition.All we're gonna say is that we're not posting The Mandalorian and The Child for no reason pic.twitter.com/LK5iDuzDcn — Xbox Game Pass (@XboxGamePass) November 8, 2020Multiple Xbox employees responded to the tweet with their own cryptic GIFs, but there is no clear indication as to what any of this is referring to. Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Epic Games has shared some new details on the PlayStation 5 version of Fortnite, which will be available when the console releases later this week.Perhaps the most unique element of Fortnite on PS5 is how the game uses the next-gen console's DualSense controller. In a post on the PlayStation Blog, Epic said it is using the controller's adaptive trigger feedback to make the game's various weapons feel more lifelike in your hands."Fortnite will support two kinds of adaptive trigger feedback for ranged weapons: trigger pull feedback and sustained feedback. Weapons that fire once per trigger pull--your Pistols, SMGs, Snipers, Assault Rifles, etc.--will use trigger pull feedback, meaning you'll feel the authentic resistance of pulling their triggers as you push down the trigger of the DualSense," Epic said.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Marvel's Avengers was one of Square Enix's biggest releases in years, but the game's big sales were not enough to help Square Enix's HD Games business turn a profit for the latest period.Square Enix's HD Games business unit--which includes Marvel's Avengers, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and others--posted an estimated loss of 6.5 billion yen for the latest period, which works out to a loss of around $63 million USD. Net sales jumped significantly to 23.7 billion yen ($~230 million USD), but the cost of goods sold was more significant, leading to a loss. Square Enix also reported that it saw greater digital sales of catalog games during the period, but again, not enough to turn a profit overall.The HD Games business is just one of Square Enix's many categories. Overall, the company posted sales of 172 billion yen (up 43 percent) and a profit of 16 billion yen (up 46 percent) for the latest period, so the downturn in the HD Games business was not enough to impact the company's overall bottom line.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

One of the biggest blockbusters on the horizon, Jurassic World: Dominion, has finished filming in the UK after multiple interruptions, schedule changes, and other impacts related to COVID-19.Deadline reported that filming finished on November 7 at Pinewood Studios in the UK. The site called the shoot "unprecedented" due to the health and safety protocols in place. In total, more than 40,000 COVID-19 tests were conducted, according to the site, while production company Universal is said to have spent "millions" on health and safety measures which involved keeping the cast and crew in a "bubble" for the duration of the shoot.There were days we thought we might not make it. But we have...we pulled off what seemed well nigh impossible . Great crew. Lovely cast . Top director. Phew- and CELEBRATIONS. #JurassicWorldDominion #JurassicPark https://t.co/MCzIo3efxF — Sam Neill (@TwoPaddocks) November 8, 2020"I'm not sure I can put it into words," director Colin Trevorrow told Deadline. "It has been remarkable. Our crew and our cast has been so resilient. All producers have worked around the clock to make it the best it can be. It has been inspiring."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The Medium--one of the very few launch-period Xbox Series X games not also coming to Xbox One--has been delayed. The game, which was due on December 10, will now arrive on January 28, 2021. It'll be available on Xbox Series X/S and PC.The game has been delayed "due to the COVID-19 situation in Poland, as well as the current schedule of other games on the market," developer Bloober Team announced in a tweet. By "other games," they likely mean Cyberpunk 2077, which is due December 10.The game is a psychological horror game about Marianne, a medium who moves between the real world and the "spirit realm" at will, solving puzzles between the two using her psychic abilities. This is not the first game to get out of Cyberpunk's way--Path of Exile delayed an expansion, too. Everspace 2 has also moved into January from a December release date, citing Cyberpunk as the reason.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Control is getting upgraded for the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, but players looking to revisit the title with an improved frame rate and ray tracing on consoles will need to wait longer. Developer Remedy Entertainment has announced that the game, expected during the next-gen launch period, will arrive in "early 2021".No exact date has been announced beyond this, with Remedy tweeting that more time is needed to ensure that the final release is as "awesome" as they want it to be. The Ultimate Edition contains the original game and both of its expansions, The Foundation and AWE. An update from the development team: Control Ultimate Edition will arrive on next generation platforms early 2021.We want the final quality of the game to be awesome, and so we need a bit more time to work on it. Thank you for your understanding and patience! — Remedy Entertainment (@remedygames) November 6, 2020This next-gen version is expected to be on par with the PC version. The game, which has been a showcase ray tracing title on PC, runs okay on base PS4/Xbox One systems--but there's a clear room for improvement. Control: Ultimate Edition is already available on Xbox One, PS4, and PC. The next-gen update has been controversial, because it will only be available as a free upgrade for players who bought the Ultimate Edition on PS4/Xbox One. This means that players who bought the game and the DLC earlier will miss out, or need to buy the game again. This is particularly strange as some Xbox One players who own the base game and DLC were briefly given the Ultimate Edition. Control recently came to Nintendo Switch via cloud gaming. This version received a 7/10 in GameSpot's review.Info from Gamespot.com

Digital Extremes' popular free-to-play shooter Warframe is headed to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. The game will be playable on the new consoles, and Digital Extremes has now outlined some of the benefits that players will receive when playing on the new machines.The game will run at up to 4K/60FPS on both consoles. Additionally, there will be "drastically" improved load times, while the game will look better too with dynamic lighting. "The light from the sun now casts long shadows through the trees, foliage creates dynamic shadows as you stalk through it, and the reflections of the dense Cetus market can be seen across your Warframe as you stroll through," the developer said in a statement.The studio also built a "game-wide texture remaster" that helps Warframe look more detailed and rich, while this has also created a reduction in download size.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Daemon X Machina released in September 2019 for Switch, and has now, in November 2020, released its first anniversary update. No judgement here--time has stopped making sense this year--but the good news here is that everyone who owns the game can access some free content.Daemon X Machina is also available on PC, and both versions have received an update.In celebration of the 1-year anniversary of #DaemonXMachina, the game has been updated to Ver 1.4.0! Check out new content, including items for the appearance of your Arsenal, suits for Outers, and a mission where you can obtain new equipment. pic.twitter.com/mUMvfB8sJ1 — Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) November 5, 2020The first anniversary update, version 1.4.0 on Switch (1.0.2 on PC), comes with numerous cosmetic elements, and one bonus mission, which lets you battle Eclipse Q, a powerful enemy that will grant you a new blueprint for an Arsenal if you defeat it.Here are all the freebies added in this update, via Nintendo Life:Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com