Author Archives: Kris Holt

Capcom’s next big Monster Hunter game is Wilds, coming in 2025

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Monster Hunter is one of Capcom's biggest franchises at this point, so of course the company has been cooking up another mainline entry. It's called Monster Hunter Wilds and it's coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC in 2025. 

The trailer shows the player character and several creatures trying to escape a dust storm before lightning strikes. The air then clears to reveal a lush landscape teeming with wildlife. There wasn't a whole lot else to the announcement clip other than the appearance of a dragon, but hey, it looks pretty and it gives fans of the series something to look forward to. 

Series producer Ryozo Tsujimoto said at The Game Awards his team plans to show off much more of the game in the summer of 2024. In the meantime, fans can keep themselves occupied with the likes of Monster Hunter Now and a Monster Hunter crossover that's set to go live in Exoprimal next month. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/capcoms-next-big-monster-hunter-game-is-wilds-coming-in-2025-042312977.html?src=rss

Baldur’s Gate 3 is available now on Xbox Series X/S

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Xbox-only gamers have had to patiently bide their time until Baldur's Gate 3, one of the biggest titles of 2023, hit Microsoft's consoles. The RPG came out of early access on PC in August and it landed on PS5 the following month. However, technical issues held up the Xbox Series X/S version until now. 

Developer and publisher Larian Studios had pledged to release the Xbox version by the end of the year and said it would reveal the exact date at The Game Awards. True to its word, Larian announced that the Xbox version of Baldur's Gate 3 is out right now. 

Along with Alan Wake 2, Baldur's Gate 3 had the most nominations (eight) of any title at The Game Awards 2023. It ultimately won six: Best Performer, Best Role Playing Game, Best Community Support, Best Multiplayer Game, Players' Voice and the big one, Game of the Year.

The Xbox delay was due to a technical problem with the Series S. As Larian's director of publishing Michael Douse wrote in July, "We cannot remove the split-screen feature because we are obliged to launch with feature parity, and so continue to try and make it work.” However, Larian said the following month that, after meeting with Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, it had found a solution that would allow it to support split-screen on Series X but not Series S.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/baldurs-gate-3-is-available-now-on-xbox-series-xs-040406055.html?src=rss

Ubisoft’s long-delayed Skull and Bones is finally set to arrive on February 16

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After what feels like countless delays (seriously, our first hands-on with it was in mid-2017), Ubisoft's Skull and Bones finally has a release date. As revealed at The Game Awards, the action-adventure game is at last set to land on February 16, 2024. Ubisoft+ subscribers and those who pre-order can hop in three days earlier.

As this name suggests, this is a game all about piracy. You can choose to set sail on a pirate ship by yourself or team up with a friend or two in co-op play. You'll battle settlements and other ships, "defy legendary pirate myths" and face off against fearsome creatures from the deep.

If you have a pirate-sized itch to scratch and Sea of Thieves isn't quite cutting it for you, you can register for the Skull and Bones closed beta, which will run from December 15 to 18. The game is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC and Amazon Luna. At one point, Skull and Bones was supposed to arrive on Google Stadia, but the cloud gaming platform has both debuted and died since the game's first delay.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ubisofts-long-delayed-skull-and-bones-is-finally-set-to-arrive-on-february-16-031617196.html?src=rss

God of War Ragnarok is getting a free roguelite expansion next week

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God of War Ragnarok is a game so large that it practically has a whole second game tucked away inside. And yet that still doesn't seem to be quite enough Norse action for Kratos. During The Game Awards, Sony revealed a Valhalla-centric expansion for the 2022 hit. 

Not only that, it's free. And it's coming next week, on December 12, to both PS4 and PS5 versions of the base game.

Much like with the No Return mode in the upcoming The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, Sony is leaning into the roguelite format here. In the trailer, Kratos is shown getting slammed into the ground by a wyvern. He then wakes up to hear Mimir telling him there's "no shame in what just happened. It's all part of the process. Let's go again!"

On each run, you'll have to contend with fresh combinations of enemies and some surprises, according to the PlayStation Blog. The more enemies you take down, the more resources you'll earn to put towards permanent upgrades. While you'll have access to Kratos' skill trees from the main game, you'll need to stick with one shield and one Spartan Rage path on each run. You'll also unlock temporary perks as you progress through each attempt.

And don't worry too much if that all seems daunting. There are five difficulty settings to choose from and there will still be an extensive array of accessibility options at your disposal. 

It seems the DLC will dig into a new part of Kratos' story as well. "Embark with Kratos to Valhalla on a deeply personal and reflective journey towards a future he never thought possible," the trailer's YouTube description reads. That suggests the expansion will lead into the next game in the series. While you can jump into Valhalla at any time, the developer recommend finishing the base game's main story first. That's because the DLC acts as an epilogue.

There have been rumors floating around for a while that Santa Monica Studio was working on DLC for God of War Ragnarok. That it will be available at no extra cost (and so soon!) is a nice little holiday treat for fans.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/god-of-war-ragnarok-is-getting-a-free-roguelite-expansion-next-week-015012803.html?src=rss

God of War Ragnarok is getting a free roguelite expansion next week

Posted on by

God of War Ragnarok is a game so large that it practically has a whole second game tucked away inside. And yet that still doesn't seem to be quite enough Norse action for Kratos. During The Game Awards, Sony revealed a Valhalla-centric expansion for the 2022 hit. 

Not only that, it's free. And it's coming next week, on December 12, to both PS4 and PS5 versions of the base game.

Much like with the No Return mode in the upcoming The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, Sony is leaning into the roguelite format here. In the trailer, Kratos is shown getting slammed into the ground by a wyvern. He then wakes up to hear Mimir telling him there's "no shame in what just happened. It's all part of the process. Let's go again!"

On each run, you'll have to contend with fresh combinations of enemies and some surprises, according to the PlayStation Blog. The more enemies you take down, the more resources you'll earn to put towards permanent upgrades. While you'll have access to Kratos' skill trees from the main game, you'll need to stick with one shield and one Spartan Rage path on each run. You'll also unlock temporary perks as you progress through each attempt.

And don't worry too much if that all seems daunting. There are five difficulty settings to choose from and there will still be an extensive array of accessibility options at your disposal. 

It seems the DLC will dig into a new part of Kratos' story as well. "Embark with Kratos to Valhalla on a deeply personal and reflective journey towards a future he never thought possible," the trailer's YouTube description reads. That suggests the expansion will lead into the next game in the series. While you can jump into Valhalla at any time, the developer recommends finishing the base game's main story first. That's because the DLC acts as an epilogue.

There have been rumors floating around for a while that Santa Monica Studio was working on DLC for God of War Ragnarok. That it will be available at no extra cost (and so soon!) is a nice little holiday treat for fans.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/god-of-war-ragnarok-is-getting-a-free-roguelite-expansion-next-week-015012803.html?src=rss

Thrasher looks like another nightmare-inducing game from the artist behind Thumper

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The Game Awards got off to a flying start with a string of fascinating announcements during the pre-show. One of the freshly revealed games that's coming your way soon is Thrasher, which is from Brian Gibson, the artist and composer behind the 2016 nightmare factory Thumper. 

Gibson (who is also the bass player in the band Lightning Bolt) teamed up with Rock Band VR and Fuser alum Mike Mandel to form Puddle Games. Gibson handled Thrasher's art and music, while Mandel was responsible for coding and research and development. The pair collaborated on the design.

Thrasher will see you take control of a space eel at the dawn of time. You'll need to master "fast-paced gesture controls" to evolve this creature into a so-called megabeast. While it might not be a direct sequel to Thumper, the trailer suggests it'll share some of the previous game's DNA. It seems like there will once again be mind-melting visuals to match a pulsating, anxious soundtrack. I'm terrified already.

Thrasher is coming to Meta Quest and other virtual reality platforms in 2024. It'll arrive on consoles and PC at a later date.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/thrasher-looks-like-another-nightmare-inducing-game-from-the-artist-behind-thumper-010802152.html?src=rss

Thrasher looks like another nightmare-inducing game from the artist behind Thumper

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The Game Awards got off to a flying start with a string of fascinating announcements during the pre-show. One of the freshly revealed games that's coming your way soon is Thrasher, which is from Brian Gibson, the artist and composer behind the 2016 nightmare factory Thumper. 

Gibson (who is also the bass player in the band Lightning Bolt) teamed up with Rock Band VR and Fuser alum Mike Mandel to form Puddle Games. Gibson handled Thrasher's art and music, while Mandel was responsible for coding and research and development. The pair collaborated on the design.

Thrasher will see you take control of a space eel at the dawn of time. You'll need to master "fast-paced gesture controls" to evolve this creature into a so-called megabeast. While it might not be a direct sequel to Thumper, the trailer suggests it'll share some of the previous game's DNA. It seems like there will once again be mind-melting visuals to match a pulsating, anxious soundtrack. I'm terrified already.

Thrasher is coming to Meta Quest and other virtual reality platforms in 2024. It'll arrive on consoles and PC at a later date.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/thrasher-looks-like-another-nightmare-inducing-game-from-the-artist-behind-thumper-010802152.html?src=rss

Amazon ditches Venmo as a direct payment option after just 14 months

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Folks who have gotten used to using Venmo to pay for goods on Amazon will have to switch to another payment method to renew their Prime membership or order goods. Amazon is ditching Venmo as a direct payment option just 14 months after enabling it.

It's no longer possible to add Venmo as an Amazon payment option. Those who already have Venmo enabled in their Amazon wallet can use it to check out until January 10. Amazon told customers that it will still accept Venmo debit and credit cards.

Amazon has not disclosed why it's getting rid of Venmo as a direct payment option. However, it told CNBC that customers still have almost a dozen other payment methods to choose from. A Venmo spokesperson told the outlet that “We have a strong relationship with Amazon and look forward to continuing to build on it.“

For what it's worth, Amazon doesn't accept direct payments from PayPal, Venmo's parent company, either. As with Venmo, though, it allows customers to pay with PayPal debit cards.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-ditches-venmo-as-a-direct-payment-option-after-just-14-months-180949996.html?src=rss

Amazon ditches Venmo as a direct payment option after just 14 months

Posted on by

Folks who have gotten used to using Venmo to pay for goods on Amazon will have to switch to another payment method to renew their Prime membership or order goods. Amazon is ditching Venmo as a direct payment option just 14 months after enabling it.

It's no longer possible to add Venmo as an Amazon payment option. Those who already have Venmo enabled in their Amazon wallet can use it to check out until January 10. Amazon told customers that it will still accept Venmo debit and credit cards.

Amazon has not disclosed why it's getting rid of Venmo as a direct payment option. However, it told CNBC that customers still have almost a dozen other payment methods to choose from. A Venmo spokesperson told the outlet that “We have a strong relationship with Amazon and look forward to continuing to build on it.“

For what it's worth, Amazon doesn't accept direct payments from PayPal, Venmo's parent company, either. As with Venmo, though, it allows customers to pay with PayPal debit cards.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-ditches-venmo-as-a-direct-payment-option-after-just-14-months-180949996.html?src=rss

THQ Nordic says it’s avoiding holiday crunch by delaying Alone in the Dark reboot to March

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THQ Nordic has once again delayed its reboot of Alone in the Dark. The revival of the totemic survival horror series was originally supposed to debut in October before the publisher pushed back the release date to January. THQ Nordic now says that Alone in the Dark will arrive on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC on March 20, 2024.

The main reason for the latest delay is to prevent the folks at developer Pieces Interactive from having to work long hours over the holidays to ensure the game would ship next month. "With our initially planned release date in January 2024, the Christmas season would have been filled with stress and anything but a jolly time for them," THQ Nordic said in a statement.

"The well-being of the teams is a top priority, and both companies want to avoid any potential crunch over the Christmas holidays," the publisher added. "Furthermore, THQ Nordic and Pieces Interactive want to ensure that the game not only meets but exceeds the expectations of the community, especially with the outstanding performances of Hollywood stars David [Harbour] and Jodie [Comer] as the main protagonists."

A delay from January to March shouldn't be a huge deal for the publisher, given that the game will still arrive in the same financial quarter. That said, given THQ Nordic's parent company Embracer is in the midst of an intense cost-cutting drive, the publisher will want to give Alone in the Dark every chance possible of becoming a hit.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/thq-nordic-says-its-avoiding-holiday-crunch-by-delaying-alone-in-the-dark-reboot-to-march-164313897.html?src=rss