Fans of the video game The Last of Us will be pleasantly pleased, as the first teaser trailer for the upcoming HBO Max TV series has arrived.

Set to the song "Alone and Forsaken" by Hank Williams, the first look at the show delivers the high tension and horror you've come to expect from the series. Take a look at the almost two-minute-long teaser below.

The series will release in 2023, and like the games, it follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as the duo trek across an apocalyptic America where a pandemic has killed millions. Of course, there are some horrific monsters standing in their way as well.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Kabam has announced the Disney Mirrorverse 2.0 updates, which will bring new playable characters and a brand-new raid mode to the mobile action- RPG.

Hades, the blue-skinned lord of the underworld from Hercules, will become part of the playable roster after spending much of the game's story mode as a key villain. His ranged attacks can inflict burns for extra damage, or even cause an enemy to explode and heavily damage other enemies in the area.

Cruella de Vil, as portrayed in Disney Mirrorverse.

Joining Hades will be Cruella de Vil, the 101 Dalmatians baddie who in this universe is a "Queen of Crime" known for completing daring heists--a sort of Cruella Sandiego. She wields a "sonic disruptor" that fires lasers at enemies, making her a potent option for fighting enemies at a distance.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

In a newly-released behind-the-scenes video all about crafting Christian Bale's fearsome Gorr "The God Butcher," the actor and others involved with the production at a high level open up about the many collaborations that took place in designing the prosthetics and performance. Thor: Love and Thunder is coming to 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on September 27 and includes a number of special features, in addition to this clip.

"Christian really wanted to be part of the process in crafting the character," executive producer Brad Winderbaum said. "So, from an early point, we were sending him concept art." Marvel also sent him lots of comics, which then sparked a surprising conversation between Bale with director Taika Waititi--neither felt it was appropriate for Gorr to, as Bale puts it, "run around in a G-string a whole lot."

[clip here]

Continue Reading at GameSpot

PUBG Mobile has announced its new anti-cheat system, Fog of War. This new system will combat cheaters using wallhacks, and it has already seen a 50% decrease in cheating during its testing phase.

The newly placed system limits the information a player receives in-game to reduce their field of view to see through walls or other objects. It works by scanning all of the builds and terrains on the map, and by doing so, it can determine what the player sees. In addition to controlling what the player sees, it'll also send information back to the servers to the players blocking them from seeing through walls.

Fog of War was initially rolled with selected groups on specific maps. During its rollout, there was a 62% drop rate of cheaters in certain regions.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

It's Monday and that can only mean one thing: We're back for another week of Wordle guides. After a long weekend, it's time to get back into the groove of things. There's arguably no better way to start the week than by getting the Wordle correct, and we're here to help make sure every player out there does just that. If you haven't started the September 26 Wordle just yet, then you can check out our list of recommended starting words. However, if you're already past the starting point, then you're likely in need of some help.

That's where we can come in. Below, players will find two tips for today's Wordle on September 26. We've also spelled out the full answer for players that might not find the hints too helpful.

Today's Wordle Answer - September 26, 2022

We'll begin with a couple of hints that directly relate to the answer, but won't give it away.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

An ambitious, years-long Mario Maker 2 project has finally completed, according to its creator. Nicknamed Super Mario Bros. 5, the stages take place across several distinct worlds with individual bosses, modeled after classic Mario games--which means none based on the New Super Mario Bros. or Super Mario 3D World stage types.

The creator, Metroid Mike 64, detailed the stages on Twitter. He said there are 40 stages in all, which includes 24 Super Mario World stages, 14 SMB3 courses, and 2 SMB courses. Six of the eight worlds have branching paths, and each world ends with a Koopaling boss. The stages include traditional platforming courses along with puzzle stages, but Mike says they weren't trying to make the stages too intentionally difficult.

"The gameplay is all classic Mario," said Metroid Mike 64. "I'm not trying to troll you or purposely try to kill you, I'm trying to provide you with something Nintendo should've done already, make a full Mario game within Super Mario Maker 2, that's fun as heck!"

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Cyberpunk 2077 quest director Pawel Sasko has spoken about the game's recent resurgence, almost two years after it first launched. On his personal Twitch channel, Sasko spoke candidly about Cyberpunk 2077's turbulent launch in late 2020 and how it was "unreal" to recently see record numbers of players exploring Night City.

"It's hard to express, you know? When you're putting so much heart and soul into something, for some of us it's been six, seven, eight years sometimes, especially for those who started at the very beginning," Sasko said (via Reddit). "To have this moment, of people liking something that we did, is really feeling a bit unreal. That finally people are appreciating it. It's good to be back, it's f***ing good to be back, honestly."

Cyberpunk 2077's initial launch period was highlighted by game-breaking bugs and massive performance issues across last-gen Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles at the time. In an unprecedented move, Microsoft and Sony began issuing refunds, with Cyberpunk 2077 being removed from the PlayStation storefront for a lengthy period of time.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Rumors have been swirling for months about a possible second Amazon Prime Day in 2022, and it turns out the speculation was accurate. Amazon Prime Day 2022 is returning for 48 hours in just two short weeks. Amazon has confirmed that the sales event will run October 11-12. Just like the first Prime Day of the year in July, the October sales bonanza takes place on a Tuesday and Wednesday.

This is the first time Amazon has ever held two Prime Day sales in one year, and it sure seems like round two will be quite similar to July's sale. That means you can expect deals on 4K TVs, laptops, video games, PC accessories, and, of course, Amazon-branded devices.

In the lead-up to Prime Day, Amazon is hosting an Early Access sale featuring deals on movies and TV shows, Alexa products, and more. You can even get four months of Amazon Music for free as well as coupons for a variety of products from popular brands. Amazon has a slate of daily deals that will refresh from now until October 11, so make sure to check out the Prime Early Access Sale hub to see all of the offers.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

HBO Max is getting even bigger in October, with more new movies and TV shows to watch--including original content. October means Halloween, and while HBO is of course getting lots of horror picks, there is also some nice variety with other picks also deserving of your attention.

At the very end of the next coming month, the surprise hit and wildly biting satirical dramedy The White Lotus is coming back to HBO Max on October 30. Originally announced as a six-part limited series that debuted in August 2021, last year's debut season followed the guests and employees of a Hawaiian resort chain. Alternately, the show is about a large ensemble with bigger personalities, and their various reawakenings or personal revelations about their limitations. Season 2 takes place in Sicily, and F. Murray Abraham (Mythic Quest, Moon Knight), Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos), and Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) will join returning stars Jon Gries (Napoleon Dynamite) and Jennifer Coolidge (2 Broke Girls).

Another returning and surprise hit for HBO is its true-crime documentary series, The Vow. Season 1 began in 2020, and it revolves around the cult-like group NXIVM and its leader, Keith Raniere. Season 1 chronicled the emotional toll and trauma caused by self-improvement group NXIVM--which was a cover organization for a sex-slavery sorority that blackmailed, starved, and branded its members. Last year, Smallville actor Alison Mack was sentenced to three years in federal prison for her role in the NXIVM cult. In October 2020, Raniere was sentenced to 120 years in prison and fined $1.75 million. With the real-life codas coming after Season 1 of the docuseries, Season 2 on October 17 should connect a lot of troubling dots.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

James Earl Jones is one of the most recognizable voices in Hollywood and gave life to the most iconic cinematic villain, Darth Vader for 45 years, providing the cyborg sorcerer with his menacing, baritone delivery. In the Disney+ series, Jones is credited as the voice of Darth Vader, but it was partially assisted with some serious technical wizardry.

Respeecher, is an AI program that uses archival recordings and a proprietary algorithm to create brand new dialogue from the voices of performers of long ago. The company behind the technology recently worked with Lucasfilm on the Obi-Wan series for Disney+ to generate the voice of a younger James Earl Jones to give the character his trademark voice. They used similar tactics for Luke Skywalker in The Book of Boba Fett.

Jones, 91, signed off on using his voice recordings to keep his Vader going forever. There's something apt about preserving his existence via technology for decades to come. His last in-person, albeit very brief, recording was for 2019's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Since then, he's officially "stepped back" from maybe his most legendary role.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Capcom's classic game series Onimusha is making a comeback as an anime adaptation that will be available on Netflix at an unrevealed date. As part of several reveals from Netflix Anime, five images for the upcoming series were revealed.

Similar to the recent Tekken: Bloodline series, Onimusha will combine 3D animation with CGI effects and hand-drawn backgrounds, with Ichi the Killer director Takashi Miike and Sublimation Studio's Shinya Sugai in charge of the project as chief director and director respectively.

It's your first look at ONIMUSHA, an anime based on CAPCOM's legendary game. Created by Takashi Miike and Shinya Sugai from Sublimation, with Musashi Miyamoto modeled after Toshiro Mifune #TUDUM#TUDUMjapan#ONIMUSHA#鬼武者 pic.twitter.com/oeX6FO2hWS

— Netflix Anime (@NetflixAnime) September 25, 2022

pic.twitter.com/NcKtTe22ew

— Netflix Anime (@NetflixAnime) September 25, 2022

"The beginning of the Edo period, Musashi is no longer a young man," Netflix's synopsis for the series reads. "He departs with the legendary Oni Gauntlet to defeat the Genma. Onimusha is given a new life using modern-day animation technology."

Continue Reading at GameSpot

After a three-year hiatus from live events that included one digital event in 2021, the Electronic Entertainment Expo will return for E3 2023 June 13-16, and it will feature separate areas and days for industry and consumer events.

E3 Business Days will be scheduled for June 13-15 and will be limited to registered industry members for networking, meetings, and more. Media will also be allowed to go hands-on with upcoming games in dedicated, industry-only spaces.

E3 Gamer Days--the portion of the event open to the public--will run June 15 and 16 in a separate hall from the industry area. This will allow players to go hands-on with the same upcoming games, as well as connect with developers, content creators, and more.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Best phone controller for Android

Razer Kishi

See at Amazon (Kishi Android) See at GameStop (Kishi iOS) See at Amazon (Kishi V2)

Best phone controller for iOS

Backbone One

See at Amazon See at Amazon (PlayStation)

Best phone controller for Android - Runner-Up

PowerA Moga XP7-X Plus

See at Amazon

Best conventional controller for iPhone

PowerA Moga XP5-i Plus

See at Amazon

Best conventional iPhone controller - Runner-up

RiotPWR Xbox Cloud Gaming Controller

See at Amazon

Best phone controller for Xbox Cloud Gaming

PowerA Moga XP5-X Plus

See at GameStop

Most portable phone controller

Razer Junglecat

See at Amazon

Best controller for playing on your iPad

Gamevice for iPad

See at Amazon

Best all-in-one phone controller

Razer Raiju Mobile

See at Amazon

Best phone controller for Xbox Series X owners

Xbox Wireless Controller

See at Amazon

Best premium controller for Xbox Cloud Streaming

Xbox Elite Series 2 controller

See at Amazon See at Amazon (Core controller)

Best retro phone controller

8BitDo Pro 2

See at Amazon

Best phone controller for PS5 owners

PS5 DualSense

See at Amazon

Mobile devices are making it more apparent every day that they would like to be considered gaming devices as much as they are considered telephones and social media scrollers. iPhones and Android devices are capable of playing fully realized, visually impressive experiences, whether natively or via streaming. And with big-name titles like Diablo Immortal, Into the Breach, and Shovel Knight Dig now available on mobile, it's a great time to really dive into the mobile scene. Many games are being ported from console and PC platforms and are nearly indistinguishable from their console counterparts, but touchscreens still don't make for the best gaming experiences. Below you will find our suggestions for the best phone controller options for the kinds of experiences you want to have on your mobile device.

When it comes to picking the best phone controller for you, there are a lot of different choices to consider, from official pads that require mobile controller clips to third-party ones that don't. Fortunately, you probably already own a great controller that'll work with your phone, as both the official Xbox Wireless Controller, PS5 DualSense, and even Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons can be connected to an Android phone or iPhone via Bluetooth. Still, you may want to consider a mobile controller that's specifically designed for gaming on a phone, and we've included some of the best options for that below. There's a lot of variety here--some controllers connect directly to your phone's USB-C port, while others are Bluetooth-enabled. Some mobile controllers clip onto either side of your phone to resemble Joy-Cons, while others feel similar to a traditional console controller with a phone clip at the top. There is even option for connecting your giant iPad to a controller. Whether you need an Android or iPhone controller, you'll find something to suit your needs here.

Editor's Note: Article updated on September 26, 2022

Continue Reading at GameSpot

An advertisement for Logitech's Astro A30 gaming headset went online last week, and in the video, a white Xbox Series X could be spotted. Outside of limited special editions, the Xbox Series X has only been available in its default black color scheme, and Microsoft has no plans to release a white version of its console, and it turns out that this ad wasn't meant to tease an upcoming white version of the console.

"The white Xbox Series X console for the promotional video by our partner is not in production," a Microsoft spokesperson said to VGC. "We have no plans to release the Xbox Series X console in white at this time."

In contrast, Sony's PS5 is technically available in a wide range of colors. The console itself ships with a default white plastic case around its important internals, but you can easily pop them off and replace the cover with more colorful options that span a wide number of options. A recent example is the Gray Camouflage console cover that was announced this month, which transforms the PS5 into a machine that can easily be hidden in rocky terrain.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Disney is betting big on Star Wars video games. The publisher is reportedly planning to put out two new Star Wars games every year, consisting of one big AAA game and one smaller game every fiscal year. That includes several games that have already been announced as part of its upcoming slate.

Insider Gaming reports that Lucasfilm is on-board for the plan as well, as reflected in several of its upcoming projects. Those include Jedi: Survivor from Respawn, Star Wars Eclipse from Quantic Dream, the competitive shooter Star Wars Hunters, and untitled games from Skydance Media, Respawn, and Ubisoft. The game from Skydance was long rumored as Amy Hennig's next project.

Insider also reports that several more games are also in pre-development. It's not clear which of these are smaller projects, or if anything in the currently announced slate fits that designation. This also suggests some of the games are still years away, like Star Wars Eclipse.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

A new Silent Hill game might be on the way, according to a Korean rating that has appeared online. The Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea has rated Silent Hill: The Short Message, with the publisher for this title being listed as Uniana.

According to Gematsu, Uniana regularly publishes Konami games in South Korea. Other details on what exactly this new Silent Hill experience could be weren't revealed in the listing, and it's worth noting that Uniana also runs an arcade cabinet business. Another dormant Konami franchise, Metal Gear, infamously got a pachinko machine even as the series itself was otherwise largely ignored

Around a decade has passed since the last proper Silent Hill game, Silent Hill: Book of Memories on the PS Vita, was released and rumors have begun circulating of multiple games in the Konami horror series being in development. Layers of Fear developer Bloober Team is reportedly working on a new Silent Hill game in collaboration with Konami and an episodic series of shorter games is rumored to be in production.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Halo 3 is celebrating its 15-year anniversary today, September 25, 2022. Below, we take a look at how one of its marquee new features, the Forge, had a massive impact on how fans think about and engage with the beloved shooter series.

A gigantic futuristic Jenga tower, a medieval castle with jeeps speeding through it, and a frying pan full of metal flapjacks. These maps are just a small sample of some of the most memorable and iconic Halo Forge creations that have been built by fans over the years.

"As you can tell, Forge is extremely important to Halo," Forge YouTuber Andrew "Ducain23" Franklin told GameSpot. "It provides ways to play the game that have never been thought of before."

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Netflix won the rights package in December 2018 after a fierce bidding war for The Watcher. Not to be confused with 2022's Watcher or 2000's The Watcher with Keanu Reeves, Netflix's The Watcher stars Naomi Watts and Bobby Canavale, with executive producers Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan.

Based on a 2014 article about a mysterious and threatening neighbor, The Watcher follows Derek Broaddus and his wife, Maria, after they closed on a six-bedroom house. On checking the mail, they found a white, card-shaped envelope addressed to "The New Owner." What followed is a horrific tale of paranoia and obsession.

We haven't seen much of the upcoming horror series except a teaser with star Jennifer Coolidge as the realtor going through the house, but Netflix finally dropped the first trailer during their virtual Tudum event.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

It looks like 2022 has somehow become the year of Pinocchio. Disney Studios released its remake of its animated classic and director Guillermo del Toro will debut his version of the fable this year as well. Del Toro's adaptation takes more cues from the original story that's exponentially darker than what we've come to think of when we think of Pinocchio.

During Netflix's virtual Tudum event, del Toro took fans on a quick tour of Pinocchio's set and stages, even showing off the different scales of puppets used when doing a scene. He even included a giant Pinocchio head that was used for close-ups. You can watch the clip below.

Del Toro announced Pinocchio back in 2008 and was originally scheduled to be released in 2013, but the project went into development limbo after several years. In January 2017, animator Patrick McHale (Over The Garden Wall) was announced to co-write the script, but the production was soon suspended as no studios were willing to provide financing. The production was revived the following year after being acquired by Netflix.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Netflix has quietly been building its gaming section, and Oxenfree--a game centered around teenagers who accidentally open up a ghostly portal-- is the latest title to join the lineup.

Oxenfree is a 2016 game by Night School Studio and its sequel Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is set to release sometime in 2022. In GameSpot's Oxenfree review, reviewer Alexa Ray Corriea praised the game for its unpredictable narrative and meaningful impact of different character choices. "Oxenfree is more than a ghost story with a Freaks and Geeks-like coating," Corriea said. "It's a tale of coping with loss, broken relationships, and the inflexibility with which teenagers deal with sudden change, all layered under an alarming paranormal encounter."

Night School Studio is owned by Netflix now, so it's unsurprising the game is arriving on the app. Ostensibly, Oxenfree II will also be arriving in the service at some point in the future as well.

Continue Reading at GameSpot