The new Resurgence map coming to Call of Duty: Warzone in time for Black Ops 6–Area 99–just might be the coolest concept for a Call of Duty map in years. This is where Nuketown was born, quite literally, as the map is set on a remote testing facility that acts as a manufacturing center for Nuketowns–yes, plural–as well as some more nefarious products.Area 99 is designed to tell the origin story of Nuketown, and in keeping with the tradition of that map, it’s meant to encourage faster engagements. Alongside a manufacturing facility for the houses, there is a nuclear reactor, a mannequin-assembly center, a pod dormitory for workers, and an underground bunker. That bunker is of particular interest, as it is connected to every other POI and should lead to some unexpected ambushes. There is also a “sneaky zipline” in the Nuketown manufacturing area, though Treyarch didn’t let slip where that is.


You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.

Read More

When Mondo announced its new line of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures, made from soft vinyl, the collection certainly stood out from what other collectible companies are offering up from the franchise. In a market flooded with highly articulated “ultimate”-style figures based on everything from the original comic book to the cult-favorite Coming Out of Their Shells concert tour, Mondo’s bigger, chunkier reimaginings of the original action-figure line were certainly a unique take.When Mondo sent a prototype of its Michelangelo figure to me for review, though, there was something about the toy that made it a more impactful nostalgia punch than just about anything else on the market–even if I couldn’t put my finger on what it was until I spoke with the creative minds behind Mondo.The company’s soft vinyl toys are larger than most of the collectible action figures you’ll find on the market, and with the upcoming release of the Ninja Turtles figures, the reason becomes crystal clear.”You get your nostalgia from the colors and the idea of having a Turtles toy, but there’s a tactile nostalgia,” Mondo Senior Director, Creative and Product Development Hector Arce told GameSpot. “We sai…

Read More

The second season of Prime Video’s Middle-earth series, Rings of Power, launches on August 29, and to celebrate, you can grab some great Lord of the Rings games for free right now if you’re a Prime Gaming member. Prime members can claim PC codes via GOG for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition and Lego: The Lord of the Rings, while Middle-earth: Shadow of War will be available through the Amazon Luna streaming service.Arguably one of the best Lord of the Rings games ever made, Shadow of Mordor was an original story set in the grim lands where Sauron had established his stronghold. Released in 2014, players took control of the ranger Talion, who was seeking revenge after his family had been murdered and he was bonded with the Elven Lord Celebrimbor to escape death. The swords-and-sorcery aspect of the game was pretty cool, but its real claim to fame was the Nemesis System that allowed you to create a custom antagonist depending on the actions you took in the game. For example, if a Uruk orc killed you, they’d become stronger, earning themselves a promotion in the process.The Nemesis System also gave you a hit-list of orcs to hunt down, and by exploiting their weak…

Read More

One of the best video games of the past decade, Nier: Automata, recently got an anime adaptation. The series was praised for its faithful retelling of the acclaimed video game’s mind-bending narrative, and soon fans will be able to add the full run to their Blu-ray collection with the Nier: Automata Ver. 1.1a Collector’s Edition. The Blu-ray set is available exclusively through the Crunchyroll Store, and preorders are now live ahead of its October 15 release date.

Preorder Nier: Automata Ver. 1.1a Collector’s Edition

$120 ($150)

Nier Automata Ver. 1.1a Bluray special edition

This four-disc set includes the full run of the Nier Automata series plus extra content like promotional trailers, clean versions of the intro and ending credit sequences, and a bunch of physical goodies including:

  • Series reference booklet: Elements of NieR: Automata Ver1.1a
  • Illus…
Read More

Developer Pearl Abyss has showcased three boss fights from its upcoming open-world action-adventure game Crimson Desert–a masked outcast known as the Reed Devil, the king of a fallen kingdom known as the Staglord, and the massive gem-encrusted Queen Stoneback Crab.The new clips, as revealed at Gamescom this week, show off the variety in Crimson Desert’s boss combat, with each enemy requiring different skills and strategy to fight. The clips also introduce a little more of the world of Pywel, including some of the narrative cutscenes that lead into the boss fights.The first of these bosses, the Queen Stoneback Crab, is decribed by Pearl Abyss as a kind of ambush predator, luring in unwary prey with the promise of valuable gems. “A gem-crusted boulder sits stoic and silent, a dazzling prism of riches,” the developer’s description reads. “Its shimmering splendor lures those intoxicated by greed to a seemingly innocuous hillock. Once they draw near, the Queen Stoneback Crab emerges to swiftly send all trespassers to an early grave.” We can only hope it has a weak point to attack for massive damage. You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.

Read More

Amazon Games boss Christoph Hartmann has discussed the state of the video game industry, saying he hopes AI can help solve some of the issues. In a new interview, Hartmann said the video game industry needs to “reinvent” itself in part to capture attention away from things like TikTok, and AI can help.”You can keep yourself busy forever and without having to touch a game,” he told IGN.To help get there, Hartmann said the video game industry needs to “overcome our fear of trying out new things” or else it runs the risk of getting “boring,” he said.”We can just not keep on doing the same game over and over. While I know the problem also is you have to, because the financial investment is so big nowadays, and the investment into games and games development became so much, much more expensive in relation to the growth of the overall market,” he said. “The portion of money going to development, it’s so high. Obviously, you take a huge risk, so everyone plays it safe.” Hartmann went on to say that he believes “AI will help” in this regard, though he stressed that AI won’t “solve it all.” But he believes AI can help accelerate and improve game development overall, though the cost…

Read More

The Hori Split Pad Compact is one of our favorite Switch handheld grips, offering a slim profile, remappable back buttons, and a full-size controller experience while playing Nintendo hybrid console in handheld mode. You can normally pick one up for $50, but Target is discounting the popular gadget to just $22.74. That’s the lowest price ever for the handheld controller. If you want an upgrade from the standard Joy-Con, the Hori Split Pad Compact is easy to recommend at this new low price.

Hori Split Pad Compact

$22.74 (was $50)

The Hori Split Pad Compact gives you a full-size controller experience in handheld mode. It’s designed with contoured back grips for enhanced ergonomics, plus two programmable back buttons and turbo functionality. …

Read More

Civilization VII’s in-game narrator has been revealed, and it’s none other than Game of Thrones and Star Wars actor Gwendoline Christie. Christie is just the latest Game of Thrones alum to be the narrator for a Civilization game, following Sean Bean in Civilization VI.”Now it’s your turn to reimagine civilization, and build something you believe in,” Christie says in the trailer announcing her involvement. Another famous person who has lent their voice to the Civilization series is Star Trek’s Leonard Nimoy (Civilization IV) Christie is perhaps best known for playing Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones and Captain Phasma in the Star Wars series. She joins the cast for Apple’s Severance Season 2, which is coming in 2025.Civilization VII launches in February 2025 for PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch. The game features a new Ages system that splits the flow into three distinct eras, with their own playable civilizations, resources, and gameplay systems. Unlocking milestones within each Age will let you carry advantages into the next era. As you progress into new Ages, you’ll select new civilizations with their own perks, as determined by your accomplishments in the previous …

Read More

In under two months, Joker: Folie à Deux will continue the story that began in 2019’s Joker movie. And while the natural inclination of Hollywood is to push for more sequels, director Todd Phillips is preemptively shooting down the idea of making Joker 3 to complete a trilogy for Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck/Joker.”It was fun to play in this sort of sandbox for two movies, but I think we’ve said what we wanted to say in this world,” said Phillips during a new interview with Variety. While the director is seemingly closing the door on another Joker movie, he’s eager to reteam with Phoenix on a more light-hearted project.”I’d love to keep working with Joaquin but on a comedy, because he can be so loose and funny,” noted Phillips. “And I think people really want comedies right now. The trailer for Joker 2 sort of sums things up when it says, ‘What the world needs now is love.’ But I would go farther: We could use a good laugh too.”The director made his mark in the industry by directing The Hangover and its two sequels. However, Phillips’ unwillingness to go back to the well a third time may stem from The Hangover Part III’s disappointing worldwide box office. The film was also sava…

Read More

During Gamescom Opening Night Live, Morefun Studios revealed that the upcoming extraction shooter Arena: Breakout Infinite will be fully released in late 2024.The trailer shown off during ONL didn’t reveal any new gameplay mechanics. Instead, it emphasized the realism the game is leaning toward by showcasing players in close-quarter combat and gathering loot. The game entered early access last week, and players can download it by clicking here.

Arena Breakout: Infinite offers a realistic, grounded look, as is popular with extraction shooters like Escape From Tarkov. Like most extraction shooters, the deeper players explore, the better loot they’ll find. As for the game, Arena Breakout has three different maps to ex…

Read More