Digital Extremes, the studio behind Warframe, recently announced that its upcoming 1999 expansion will include a romance system. It was inspired to do so after seeing Larian Studios's success with implementing one in Baldur's Gate 3.While speaking with GamesRadar+ in an interview, Rebecca Ford, the creative director of Warframe, stated that the studio had always wanted to add a romance system to its game, but "there was never an appropriate scenario to do it.""I think two things really gave us the courage to proceed," said Ford. "Of course, the success of Baldur's Gate and their romance system was like, 'Okay, like, people do want this fantasy.' It does help, there's no doubt, but we did have, I should say, ambitions of it, that fit the Warframe architecture, on and off. Baldur's Gate was the push over the cliff for sure, and I'm grateful for that. That was one of the best gaming experiences for me, ever."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Disney has been churning out iconic movies for decades, but did you know the company is also responsible for a series of New York Times best-selling novels? The series, Villains by Serena Valentino, follows bad guys from the films to better flesh out their stories. You'll find 10 books in the series, and an eleventh, Kill the Beast, is scheduled to arrive on July 30. Preorders are currently discounted ahead of its release, so if you're interested in checking out the series, be sure to take a look. Kill the Beast (Villains: Book 11) $17 ($19) Kill the Beast is a bit more mature than your standard Disney flick, with an intended audience aged 12 and up. The book clocks in at 432 pages and follows the story of Gaston from his childhood all the way to his quest to slay the Beast. The hardcover volume features a stylish design, showing off Gaston's devilishly handsome smile on a black background. Preorder at Amazon Your preorder comes with Amazon's preorder guarantee, so if the price drops between now and July 30, you're entitled to the lowest price. That means there's no downside to preordering, as there's little chance we'll see a better price than this after launch.If you prefer to start from the beginning of the series, you'll find the Villains Box Set: Books 1-3 on sale for just $24 (down from $45). The collection includes hardcover versions of the first three Villains tales, making it a great entry point for Disney fans.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

While the Steam Deck is still seen as the go-to gaming machine in the market, the ROG Ally has emerged as a strong alternative thanks to its powerful mobile technology and attractive frame. And now, one year after the first model's launch, the new Asus ROG Ally X is available. The hardware revision brings welcome upgrades to Asus' Windows PC gaming handheld, including enhanced battery life, RAM, and storage in a more ergonomic chassis with improved cooling and wireless connectivity. The ROG Ally X is available for $800 at Best Buy. See at Best Buy ROG Ally XGallery The original ROG Ally was a great device when it first launched, even with the issues like the aforementioned poor battery life and its bad habit of weaponizing Micro SD cards. The Z1 Extreme version proved to be more than capable of running demanding games once you'd made a few graphical concessions, and in our testing, titles like Marvel's Spider-Man, Cyberpunk 2077, Street Fighter 6, and Forza Motorsport ran smoothly. And now, the upgraded X model should boost performance even more.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

GameSpot can exclusively reveal The Lego Company's next Sonic the Hedgehog collectible, just in time for San Diego Comic-Con 2024. Shadow the Hedgehog--Sonic's edgier reflection--will be available as a 720-piece Lego set and will be available starting October 1. Priced at $70, this set will let you construct the noggin of Dr. Robotnik's ultimate lifeform.Lego Shadow the HedgehogGallery Once fully constructed, you can check out some cool Easter eggs hidden in this plastic bust. For example, there's a Chaos Emerald inside of Shadow, his base contains several gold rings, and he comes with a nameplate to attach to his display. This version of Shadow is based on his very first appearance in Sonic Adventure 2, a 2001 game for the Sega Dreamcast.Shadow has starred in several other video games over the decades--including that one 2005 game where he had a cool motorcycle and lots of guns--and he'll be appearing on the big screen in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Making a switch from hitman to hedgehog, Keanu Reeves will voice Shadow in the threequel, and video game fans can also look forward to seeing Shadow pop up in Sonic X Generations on October 25.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Call of Duty's newest season, Season 5, is out now, and that means dedicated dataminers have dug through the update to discover what's coming next to the multiplayer shooter.Among other things, players can look forward to some of the most elaborate and impressive new weapons that Call of Duty has ever seen. The CODFish Tracer Pack, which is coming sometime during Season 5, will add a fish-themed mastercraft weapon that has one heck of an impressive weapon-inspect animation. As you can see in the video below, there is a skeleton of a creepy-looking fish inside the gun that swims out and can be called back by shaking a piece of bait, a bullet in this case, to attract it. Check it out below.Its mastercraft, possibly the coolest one i've seen tbh https://t.co/xS4TiMflIO pic.twitter.com/mw86iScKzR — Reality (@realityuk_) July 24, 2024 Another upcoming DLC bundle, Down From The Skies, includes a seriously impressive weapon inspection animation that appears to rip a hole in the space-time continuum. Take a look:Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Modern Warfare 2's sniper rifles are currently underpowered in Call of Duty: Warzone, but as revealed by the ModernWarzone news account, the developer has teased a game-changing buff to those sniper rifles.With Modern Warfare 2's initial integration with Warzone, sniper rifles required two shots to take down opponents. A change was later made to offer one-shot capabilities for the snipers, but only if the player equipped an ammo attachment like explosive rounds. The need for an attachment makes the older sniper rifles like MW2's FJX Imperium much less viable when stacked against MW3's more-powerful snipers like the MORS and KATT-AMR.In a creator call earlier this week, Call of Duty developers said that, following a future update, Modern Warfare II sniper rifles will NOT require certain attachments such as explosive rounds to one shot people in Warzone anymore. No word on when this update will happen. pic.twitter.com/DDqoWwNo2G — ModernWarzone (@ModernWarzone) July 24, 2024 However, a future update will apparently allow the MW2 sniper rifles to offer one-shot kills in Warzone without needing any special attachments equipped. ModernWarzone says the news came from a creator call with Warzone's developer earlier this week, but a specific date wasn't provided for the update.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Apex Legends recently found itself in some hot water due to changes it was going to make to its battle pass. The studio had intended to break up the premium battle pass into two when Season 22 launched. This upset much of the game's fanbase and the outcry worsened as Respawn revealed that players would now have to pay real-world money to unlock both battle passes instead of the usual choice of real money or Apex Coins (Apex Legends premium currency). Apex Legends' battle passes have always awarded Apex Coins, allowing players to purchase new passes by completing previous ones--this change would have removed that perk, meaning individual players would be pouring more money into the game than beforeShortly after that was announced, a significant portion of the Apex Legends community began pushing back against this. On July 24, Apex Legends issued a statement on its official X/Twitter account claiming that the team will not proceed with its original battle pass plans.An update on our new Battle Pass: pic.twitter.com/ga8NB8cwFB — Apex Legends (@PlayApex) July 24, 2024 The statement explains that in Season 22, Apex Legends will continue to allow players to get the premium battle pass for 950 Apex Coins. "We recognize that we could have handled the battle pass changes better--that's on us," the Apex Legends team writes in the statement. When the season launches on August 6, players will have the chance to get the season's first premium battle pass by completing in-game challenges. When the second split occurs on September 17, players can purchase the season's second premium battle pass using the game's premium currency or real money with plans to run with this format going forward after that.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Call of Duty is bringing WWE content under its tent in a big way in Season 5, with a crossover event running during and after the company's SummerSlam event. It seems that COD's WWE bundles will even feature voice acting from WWE announcers like Michael Cole.WWE bundles in Call of Duty will have finishing moves with WWE announcers as the VO pic.twitter.com/TuaFKDVZ4g — CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) July 24, 2024 A recent leak posted on social media shows a player using a steel chair in a finishing move. At the end, you can hear Michael Cole call out, just as though it were happening in the squared circle. As usual, you should take this leak with a grain of salt, as it doesn't necessarily show what the release version will look like. However, given how well-known the voices of certain WWE announcers are, it's a nice touch.Call of Duty's WWE crossover will include several operator bundles, featuring real-life WWE wrestlers Rhea Ripley, Cody Rhodes, and Rey Mysterio. Season 5 will also add four new weapons, including the Static-HV SMG, the STG assault rifle, the Torque 35 launcher, and a spear melee weapon. In addition, Rhea Ripley is an instant unlock with a purchase of the battle pass. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is now available on Xbox Game Pass.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

With the beta over, Firewalk Studios is revealing what players can expect with the launch of Concord, along with what's coming after the game's release. Notably, one popular element seen in many online shooters will be missing on purpose: a battle pass.Mark DeRidder, gameplay animation director at Firewalk, shared this decision on X by adding: "You own Concord, Concord doesn't own you." DeRidder, for his part, previously worked on one of the most popular games in the world with a battle pass as a developer at Raven Software on Call of Duty: Warzone, per LinkedIn.No Battle Pass, folks. You own Concord, Concord doesn't own you. https://t.co/lZ3Zkv2THD — Mark DeRidder (@markderidder) July 24, 2024 While there is no battle pass, Firewalk is promising "new Freegunners, maps, modes, and more" after Concord launches on August 23. Additionally, this will come with "no additional cost." Concord isn't free-to-play, but instead costs $40.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Deadpool & Wolverine opens in theaters this weekend, and it's expected to be a smashing success commercially. According to tracking estimates, Deadpool & Wolverine is tracking to earn between $160 million-$170 million at the domestic box office for its opening weekend and between $180 million-$190 million from international markets for a global start of as much as $360 million.Deadpool & Wolverine would become the biggest opening weekend for an R-rated movie, surpassing the current record-holder, which is the original Deadpool ($132.4 million).For comparison, Inside Out 2--which is 2024's highest-grossing movie so far by leaps and bounds--made $154.2 million over its opening weekend in the US. Barbie, meanwhile, made $162 million for its opening weekend stateside in July 2023.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The Sims 4's new Lovestruck expansion brings some spice to Sims' love lives, but those lives may soon be turned upside down with the release of a death-based DLC that's currently rumored to be in the works.It all started when popular Sims YouTuber Lilsimsie started a livestream showcasing the Lovestruck expansion, which includes a number of new furniture items. One of these new items is a poster featuring an elderly Sim taking a jog. "Why are you encouraging elder Sims to exercise? Shame!" she teased.But SimsGuruNinja, an EA employee who works on the game, happened to be lurking in her chat, and his answer was as interesting as it was cryptic: "But don't worry. Elders will die better soon."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Team FOLON, the indie studio working on the highly anticipated Fallout London mod, has announced that players will finally be able to explore a post-apocalyptic London starting tomorrow, July 25.Although the drop may seem a bit sudden, Team FOLON has been teasing it since last week. The studio announced (via Kotaku) in its Discord that GOG gave the mod the green light and was in its final stages. Then, on July 24, Team FOLON project manager Dean Carter released another statement to its Discord that read, "Stay safe and remember. Mind the gap.” The message was accompanied by a link to a song called "I Just Can't Wait (For Tomorrow)" that'll be featured in Fallout London. While speaking to Inverse, Carter confirmed Fallout London will be playable on July 25. Fallout London was initially supposed to launch earlier this year on April 23. However, the date was pushed back due to the Fallout 4 current-gen update. As the name suggests, Fallout London will take place in London and is set 50 years before the events of Fallout 4. The mod has placed a significant emphasis on realism and melee combat and features voice acting from Neil Newborn (Baldur's Gate 3), Colin Baker (Doctor Who), and Sylvester McCoy (Doctor Who).Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

In celebration of the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre film's 50th anniversary, 2023's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre video game is getting a special steelbook edition on PS5 and Xbox Series X. It arrives on October 25 and preorders are now open at Amazon and Best Buy. The collection is bound to be a hot commodity, so reserving a copy is a great way to ensure it's in your game room later this year. Preorder The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 50th Anniversary Steelbook Collector's Edition $100 Several goodies are included in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 50th Anniversary Steelbook Collector's Edition. Your $100 investment gets you the physical game for PS5 or Xbox Series X, a premium steelbook case, a series of trading cards, and heaps of in-game cosmetics. Perhaps the most interesting inclusion is a 4K Blu-ray version of the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre film. Preoders for the collection are available at Amazon and Best Buy--which is notable since Best Buy stopped carrying Blu-rays a few months ago. But hey, at least you'll be able to find one 4K Blu-ray at Best Buy this year. Preorder at Amazon (PS5) Preorder at Amazon (Xbox) Preorder at Best Buy Our Texas Chain Saw Massacre review gave the game an impressive 9/10, praising it for its intricate map design and rewarding gameplay that pushes you to experiment with your play style.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

With Final Fantasy VII's popularity surging once again following the release of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth earlier this year, it's no surprise Square Enix is launcing lots of official FF7 merch, including several awesome figures based on the beloved RPG and its many spinoffs, sequels, and remakes.The coolest of the upcoming collectibles is Bring Arts' new line of figures based on Tetsuya Nomura's original character illustrations for Final Fantasy VII on PS1. Bring Arts have already revealed figures based on the main playable cast, and now the game's villain Sephiroth is joining the lineup, as is the ultimate Final Fantasy best boy, Zack Fair. Sephiroth and Zack Fair Bring Arts FiguresAlong with the new characters, a second Cloud Strife figure is now available for preorder as well, this time featuring his Hardy-Daytona motorcycle, and is the biggest figure of the lineup announced so far. If you've already preordered the base Cloud figure, you can also preorder the motorcycle by itself.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Although HBO recently abandoned plans to make The Batman's Arkham Asylum spin-off, director Matt Reeves has grand ambitions beyond the upcoming series starring Colin Farrell as The Penguin. Now, Reeves has revealed that his shared universe is called the Batman Epic Crime Saga, and he has more potential spin-offs in mind."As we were writing [The Batman], I was like, 'Hey, you know what? I think there are some cool shows that we could do,'" Reeves told EW. "It was actually why I wanted to make our deal at Warner Bros." He also recalled that HBO executives told him, "We like what you're doing, and we want to lean harder into the marquee characters."One of the previous potential spin-off shows would have been centered on a corrupt cop in the Gotham City Police Department during Batman's first year as a vigilante. Reeves related to EW that some aspects of that former project were integrated into The Penguin's storyline. However, Reeves and his collaborators haven't decided which Batman-related character should get the spotlight in the next spin-off show.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com