World of Warcraft: Forever's release is just around the corner, but developer Blizzard is making one final pass at the game's racial abilities before launch in response to beta feedback.

In a forum post, WoW community manager Kaivax posted a list of significant changes to many of each race's unique abilities that players expressed concerns about during Forever's beta. Those changes include tweaks to tauren, humans, orcs, dwarves, and Skyborne elves.

"In taking a final pass on these, we've prioritized racial identity, which means that some races will naturally be slightly more effective than others at certain combat roles," Blizzard said. "In some places where we had replaced role or class-focused racials with generic ones, we're rolling those changes back."

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The exception to that mindset is weapon-specialization abilities, Blizzard said, which existed for humans and orcs both in WoW Classic and early on in Forever's beta and made each race more effective with specific types of weapons.

"While those have a strong fantasy component to them, it is not healthy in the long run for future raid and dungeon loot tables to be evaluated through the lens of 'required' weapon types," Blizzard said. "At the same time, we're doing a tuning pass on some of the remaining passive bonuses to help ensure that they aren't skewing outcomes in a way that limits player preferences." 

Humans, widely viewed by the community as one of the most "optimal" races to pick thanks to their powerful passive abilities, have lost some of their power in combat. Ruthless now only grants 1% critical strike chance instead of 2%. In exchange, their Human Spirit passive has been buffed from 5% to 10%.

Tauren have seen some significant changes, with massive buffs to their unique Plainsrunning ability but a loss to some of their combat effectiveness. Plainsrunning will now grant 2% movement speed per stack up to a max of 60% increased movement speed, at the price of no longer increasing mounted movement speed and the loss of hit chance and crit damage from their Endurance passive. 

Orcs have seen their 1% crit chance removed and replaced with an earlier passive, Command. Now, orcs will deal 5% increased Warlock and Hunter pet damage. Dwarves have had their critical damage passive removed, instead replaced with a 1% chance to hit with attacks and spells.

Last but not least, Forever's newest race, Skyborne elves, have seen some major changes. Their haste bonus from Wind-Blessed has been reduced to 2% from 3%. They also now benefit more from using their Skysight and Read Leyline abilities at elemental convergence or leyline sites, with stronger effects that persist through death.

It's just the latest (and sounds like the last, at least for a while) batch of changes to Forever's various races. Blizzard said these changes, a little over a week before Forever's launch, were to address feedback players had during the beta about some abilities feeling "too generic," while others were "objectively stronger than others." You can read the full racial ablity changes below.

Blizzard looks to be making plenty of changes to Forever in the last stretch before release. It announced last week that it will be getting a new PvP-server option after all, and that the MMORPG's controversial layering system will see improvements in time for launch. WoW: Forever arrives November 4.

WoW: Forever Racial Ability Changes 10/26

• Human
  • Ruthless now increases critical chance by 1% (was 2%).
  • Human Spirit now increases Spirit by 10% (was 5%).
• Dwarf
  • Earth Fury (2% increased critical strike damage and healing) removed.
  • Added: Artisan’s Precision - Increases hit chance with spells and attacks by 1%.
• Tauren
  • Plainsrunning now grants 2% movement speed per stack (was 1%), for a total max increase of 60% (was 30%).
  • Plainsrunning no longer increases mounted movement speed.
  • Endurance no longer provides any modifiers beyond 5% increased Health (no hit chance or critical damage modifiers).
• Orc
  • Savage removed (1% increased critical strike chance).
  • Command re-added, increasing Warlock and Hunter pet damage by 5%.
• Skyborne
  • Wind-Blessed Haste bonus reduced to 2% (was 3%).
  • Read Leyline now increases Mana and Health regeneration by 50% (was 100%), with a 15-second duration. This ability cannot be used while Innervate is active, and will be replaced by Innervate as a more powerful effect.
  • Using Read Leyline at a Ley Line now also grants “Attuned” for 1 hour. While Attuned, the benefit of Read Leyline is increased to 100% regeneration increase. Attuned persists through death.
  • Skysight is now a 15% increased movement speed (was 10%), with a 15-second duration.
  • Using Skysight at an elemental convergence now also grants “Charged” for 1 hour. While Charged, the benefit of Skysight is a 30% movement speed increase. Charged persists through death.

Diablo 4's War Plans system is getting a major upgrade in Season 16, giving players even more control over their endgame activities and rewards.

Developer Blizzard introduced War Plans earlier this year as part of the game's second (and last) expansion, Lord of Hatred. It's an endgame system where players can essentially create a playlist of endgame activities, along the way ranking up those activities via a skill tree to make them even more rewarding.

It was a welcome addition, but unfortunately only gave players minimal control over what activities would appear as part of their plans. Players could also only reroll their War Plans a limited number of times, meaning if you didn't like a particular activity, oftentimes you were stuck having to do it.

All of that looks to be changing in Season 16 with the addition of a new meta-progression system called War Plans Tactics. By completing War Plan activities, players will be able to invest points into the tactics tree to make it so certain activities are more likely to appear and specific types of rewards will drop. How players reroll their War Plans is also changing, with a new currency called Marks of Wisdom that will cap at 20 and should let players reroll their plans more often.

As detailed by Blizzard in a blog post ahead of the season arriving on the Diablo 4 public test realm October 27, players will be able to assign up to three points into each endgame activity and up to three points into different types of rewards. 

"Earn points from completing War Plans activities, then invest these points into nodes to increase the chance of preferred activities or rewards appearing," Blizzard said. "This allows you to tailor your War Plans more closely with both your goals and playstyle."

A look at Diablo 4 Season 16's War Plans Tactics skill tree.

Putting at least one point into Helltides or Nightmare dungeons also grants the choice of increased chances for Greater Helltides and Escalation Nightmare dungeons, respectively. On the reward side, players will be able to make it so they are more likely to earn armor, weapons, jewelry, Obducite, salvage, gems, gold, activity keys, Horadric Cube materials, or Talisman items from activities.

The new tactics system isn't the only change coming to War Plans. A new seasonal War Plans tree, Tyrael's Boons, will also be coming with Season 16. There will be four Tyrael's Boons' paths to invest points into, with Blizzard stating players will be able to choose up to four of the six nodes within each path. Those four paths are:

• Curious Addition: Upgrades the Purveyor of Curiosities to increase the chances for more and higher quality items.
• Merchant of Mystery: Adds a new merchant in Torment difficulties that sell item caches in exchange for Forgotten Souls.
• Scent of Gold: Increases the amount of gold, experience, and materials you earn.
• Trash for Treasure: Reduces transmuting costs, increases chances to earn Obducite and salvage, and can even grant a new Horadric Cube recipe that allows players to upgrade a Tempered Affix on an item into a Greater Affix.

The changes to War Plans look to be the biggest features coming as part of Season 16, but there will additionally be a new type of gear to acquire, Horadric legendaries. These special legendaries will synergize with specific Talisman charms, with Horadric legendary jewelry items even counting for Talisman set bonuses. That should open the door to all kinds of new set and charm combinations that are sure to result in some wild new endgame builds.

Diablo 4 Season 16 will be playable on the PTR until November 3, with the full season set to launch December 1. Though Diablo 4 won't be getting additional expansions, it will get a new class, the Amazon, in the first half of next year.

As for what's next for the franchise, Diablo 5 is slated to arrive in 2029. Blizzard has already revealed three of the game's playable classes and promised it will have more classes at launch than any previous Diablo game.

Helldivers 2 has been a huge hit for developer Arrowhead and publisher Sony, but don't expect a third game in the series anytime soon.

Arrowhead's chief creative officer, Johan Pilestedt, told Rock Paper Shotgun that a sequel would reset "everything" and force the player to "start over." He doesn't want to ask the community to do that, so Arrowhead will instead keep the momentum going with the existing game by offering new content.

"Some studios can treat players like a short-term cash grab," Pilestedt said. "We see players as the actual engine of the game: they're the ones bringing in friends, making memes, and keeping the game alive. When you have an active community doing that, you don’t need a sequel."

He went on to say that the video game industry today is "panicking" because "the old live-service tricks don't work anymore," and that would also apply to a hypothetical Helldivers 3. If Arrowhead were to make a sequel, it would need to be highly differentiated, he said.

"The biggest competitor to a Helldivers 3 would be Helldivers 2. It only makes sense to make a distinct sequel if it’s so different that both games can exist side by side. For now, making Helldivers 2 better every day makes way more sense than throwing away its momentum," he said.

Pilestedt added that 95% of the studio is working on Helldivers 2 right now, with only a small team assigned to work on whatever the team is making next.

While there won't be a third Helldivers game anytime soon, if ever, a Helldivers movie is now in the works. The very large man Alan Ritchson is replacing the very large Aqua(man) Jason Momoa as the film's lead.

Almost six years after launch, Cyberpunk 2077 still has a healthy player base, especially with a new anime spin-off driving people to the Night City source material. The second season of Edgerunners launched last week alongside a beefy update for Cyberpunk 2077, and unsurprisingly, PC player numbers have spiked.

At the time of writing, Cyberpunk 2077 player numbers had surged to 187,215 players on PC via Steam alone. That's the biggest peak since October 2023, when the game received the substantial Update 2.0 and the Phantom Liberty expansion. This new tick in players is likely being experienced on other PC platforms where the game is available (like GOG and the Epic Games Store), as well as on multiple consoles like PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2.

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With a new update that adds dual-wielding, new cosmetics, customizable cyberware fashion, even more digital tourism, and a new story mission linked to Edgerunners, it's no wonder that player numbers are climbing again. You also can't discount Edgerunners' impact, as the Netflix anime series is likely driving an influx of new players.

The first season of Edgerunners is credited with playing a major role in Cyberpunk 2077's revival after its infamous December 2020 launch, and Edgerunners Season 2 probably makes a good case for returning to the game. CD Projekt Red has also discounted Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition by 70% on Steam, so the entry price is pretty cheap right now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErNF1wYKxaI

That increased foot traffic is even bigger this time: after Edgerunners Season 1 launched, Cyberpunk 2077 player numbers on Steam peaked at 136,724 in September 2022. If you want a peek behind the curtain, you can read up on Edgerunners Season 2 has a punk rock vibe, how it ties into the first season, and yes, that is a sneaky Hideo Kojima cameo in the show. Meanwhile, work on Cyberpunk 2 is continuing, and game director Gabe Amatangelo says the sequel is evolving beyond his vision for it.

Arkane Lyon has received a slight reprieve from its looming deadline to find a new buyer, as Microsoft says it is exploring allowing another company to support the developer's efforts to get Marvel's Blade over the finish line.

Originally, it was reported that Arkane Lyon had until November 18 to find a new owner or risk the studio being shut down. Microsoft had initially announced that it was divesting itself of the developer--and several others--earlier this year, but under French Law, it was legally required to spend at least three months searching for a new buyer for the studio. Speaking to PC Gamer, a Microsoft representative said that the "consultation period" had been extended by one more month and that it was continuing to "explore options," such as "finding a partner" to support Arkane Lyon.

Last week, Bloomberg's Jason Schreier added that he'd be surprised if Arkane Lyon were actually shut down, as doing so would be expensive for Microsoft.

"Despite all the gloomy headlines today, my understanding is that there are multiple paths actively being explored that would save Arkane Lyon. Anything can happen during negotiations, but at this point I'd be surprised if the studio is shut down. Shutting down a game studio is expensive. Shutting down a French game studio--thanks to labor laws requiring an extended severance period--is VERY expensive. Xbox doesn't want to take on those costs," Schreier wrote.

If plans do fall through, Arkane Lyon's union is lobbying Microsoft to re-employ affected workers within Xbox Game Studios, or face court action. "The redundancy plan must be adapted to the video game market where, currently, the prospects for returning to work are extremely limited," a union representative said to IGN.

After releasing Deathloop, Arkane Lyon revealed at The Game Awards in December 2023 that it was working on Marvel's Blade. Since that announcement, the studio has kept quiet about progress, showing only a handful of concept art images of Blade taking on vampires in Paris. Reportedly, Marvel's Blade was set for a new reveal in early 2027, followed by a Q4 2027 launch.

Microsoft has announced a new way to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass, and it's part of your phone plan.

T-Mobile has announced a new offering called "T-Mix," and it allows users to pick and choose the services they want included in their plan--one of the options is Xbox Game Pass.

Game Pass is now included with T-Mobile.

T-Mix rolls out in November, and at that point, people can choose Game Pass Ultimate or Premium to be included with their phone plan. Microsoft noted in its announcement that this is the first time ever that Xbox Game Pass has been available through a wireless plan in the US.

The T-Mix plans start at $55/month for one line, and this includes one pick that could be Game Pass. T-Mix More is $75/month and includes two picks; T-Mix Loaded is $95/month and includes three picks.

Subscribers can change their picks every three months, and some of the other options beyond Game Pass include Apple TV, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube Premium, Google Gemini, ESPN Unlimited, and others. You can visit T-Mobile's website to learn more.

One thing that people may want to be aware of before signing up is that Game Pass itself could be set for a shakeup soon. According to reports, Xbox is plotting a "major overhaul" of the service to give players the ability to choose features à la carte. In April this year, it was reported that Microsoft was preparing to launch a “pick-your-own” version of Game Pass, so the latest reporting tracks with that.

Game Pass was a big bet that did not pay off, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has said, so it makes sense to hear she may be planning to overhaul it. She’s already undertaken efforts to change things up, including removing new Call of Duty titles from the program and lowering the price.

Her team is also going to start charging people for more cloud-gaming time, and many are saying this will make Game Pass worse and more expensive.

While Rockstar's GTA 6 won't release until November 19, you can now buy officially licensed GTA 6 coffee from a local company in Miami.

Vice City Bean has partnered with Rockstar Games for a new blend called Leonida, but it's not cheap. A 10oz bag of beans is going for $23, and that's before shipping costs if you don't live close to one of Vice City Bean's three locations in Miami. You can also get the coffee ground course, medium, or fine, depending on your tastes and preferred brewing style.

GTA 6 coffee, now available in Miami.

The Leonida blend is meant to celebrate Miami, which serves as the inspiration for GTA 6's Vice City. Leonida, meanwhile, is GTA 6's version of Florida.

"We've combined a blend of two amazing Colombia and Ethiopia coffees to develop a tasting profile that we feel captures the energy of Miami, vibrant and bold, with some tropical highlights," Vice City Bean said. "This is a medium roast that we are enjoying as a filter coffee, but don't shy away from pulling espresso shots."

Vice City Bean said the Leonida blend is a "limited release," so if you're interested, you may want to order sooner rather than later. Vice City Bean's physical coffee shops have been updated with GTA 6 branding.

In addition to GTA 6 coffee, it appears officially branded GTA 6 beer is on the way, too. This is all part of Rockstar's massive (and controversial) marketing push for GTA 6 in Miami and beyond.

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

The upcoming Call of Duty movie aims to show the "cost of war," according to director Peter Berg. He told ComicBook that the film, set in the Modern Warfare universe, will strive to capture the spirit of those games, which means lots of guns and violence, but also heart and soul.

"So Modern Warfare, if you really look at the missions, and the storylines, and the characters--like Captain Price, and Soap, and Ghost, and Alex--these are complicated humans,” Berg said. “These are not--and no disrespect--cartoon characters or comic books. These are very nuanced storylines; like, there’s a real soul to the Modern Warfare universe," he said.

"And, yes, there’s violence, and there’s hardware, and equipment, and there’s killing--but underneath it I think the game, and the craters of the game, are really looking at the cost of war, the cost of having to be a warrior who’s, for whatever reason, chosen to put himself between real danger and the rest of us, and the burden that these guys carry."

Berg said this is "real stuff," and it demands a movie that respects that. "This is not just ‘Hey, let’s shoot them all up and shoot popcorn!’ Like, there’s a soul underneath it," he said.

Berg went on to say that the Call of Duty movie's writer, Taylor Sheridan, understands this as well. "There will be a very strong soul, and consequence of war within the film, called 'duty,'" he said.

Mark Wahlberg as Marcus Luttrell in Lone Survivor.

Sheridan is also known for his work in the military/war space. One of his most highly acclaimed works is 2015's Sicario, a film that leaves the viewer thinking about moral grey areas, which sounds like what Berg is going for. Sheridan wrote that film, along with other acclaimed movies like Hell or High Water and Wind River. He also created the very Call of Duty-like TV show Lioness.

One of Berg's best-known and most highly acclaimed movies was 2013's Lone Survivor. This film told the story of real-life Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, who was the lone survivor of an ambush in Afghanistan. Berg also directed movies based on other real-world tragedies, including Deepwater Horizon and Patriots Day.

The Call of Duty movie is set for release in June 2028. It's in the works at David Ellison's Skydance, which just acquired Warner Bros. Discovery, and it will be released theatrically. The newest Call of Duty game, meanwhile, was Modern Warfare 4, which just launched on October 23.

In addition to a Call of Duty movie, a Battlefield movie is in the works as well, with major talent attached.

Bringing From Software's Elden Ring to life on the big screen is no small feat, and it won't be cheap. A new report claims the upcoming Alex Garland-directed film has a whopping budget of nearly $200 million, making it the most expensive movie distributor A24 has ever financed.

While that's not an unrealistic sum for a movie of this nature with so much star power, it is a rare move for A24. The Wall Street Journal reported the figure, and if true, Elden Ring's budget will eclipse A24's most expensive movie to date, the $70 million Marty Supreme. Typically, A24 focuses on producing and distributing films with low production costs, allowing the company to make a tidy profit if the movie is a hit.

While these films won't give the Avatar and Avengers franchises any sleepless nights, the formula is sound overall, but not foolproof. Movies are typically expected to make double their production budgets to be considered box office hits, and in the case of Mary Supreme, that flick has a lifetime global gross of $96 million, well below the $140 million it would have needed to be a success story. Of course, video on demand, Blu-ray sales, streaming deals, and even AI training also factor into overall profitability, but theaters are generally seen as where movies make the biggest commercial impact.

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In comparison, Backrooms was a massive hit for A24. Filmed on a shoestring budget of $10 million, it went on to gross over $197 million at the global box office this year. Could Elden Ring surpass that sum when it hits theaters in March 2028? Nothing is impossible, as several video game adaptations have done very well over the last couple of years. The catch is that movies like Illumination's Super Mario Bros. films, Sonic the Hedgehog, and A Minecraft Movie were geared toward kids, and with parents in tow, that proved a lucrative demographic to target.

Elden Ring doesn't have an official age rating yet, but it is expected to take aim at older audiences with its dark fantasy setting and mature themes. Details on the movie haven't been revealed yet, but A24 confirmed that Warfare’s Kit Connor will star alongside Alien: Romulus and Civil War actress Cailee Spaeny. Meanwhile, 2026 has seen a few video game adaptations hit the silver screen, but with mixed fortunes. Zach Cregger's Resident Evil adaptation was both a critical and a commercial hit, while Street Fighter has been a box office flop--but at least it can say that it was better received than Return to Silent Hill.

Xbox's first-ever chief operating officer, Helen Chiang, has left the company after being promoted to that role just a few months ago under CEO Asha Sharma. In this job, Chiang was assigned to oversee the profitability of Xbox, and it's been looking very bleak for Xbox lately.

Given the timing of her exit, people wondered about the circumstances, and that remains unclear. Sharma confirmed Chiang's departure in a memo to staff, seen by The Verge, saying she is grateful for Chiang's "years of service" at Xbox.

A spokesperson for Microsoft told Windows Central that the company does not "discuss individual personnel matters."

According to a source speaking to Eurogamer, Chiang was "terminated for policy violations." The Verge's Tom Warren backed this up, saying Chiang was cut loose due to a "policy violation," but the exact nature of that is unknown.

In July, Sharma announced that Chiang would become Xbox's first-ever COO, with "end-to-end" responsibility for the financial future of Xbox's content, hardware, platform, and services.

Chiang had worked at Microsoft for 20 years, in that time playing a key role in the creation of Xbox Live and later shepherding Mojang and the lucrative Minecraft franchise. As COO, Chiang was expected to "bring our businesses together under one operating model, making sure we make clear investment decisions, learn from our successes and failures, and hold ourselves accountable for results," Sharma said.

For her part, Sharma said she will have an update to share on the COO position at Xbox at some point, but she didn't divulge more.

The Xbox business was "not healthy" when Sharma took over, she said, and Chiang no doubt had a challenging road ahead of her. As for now, however, people can only speculate as to the real reason she left Xbox.

September was another terrible month for Xbox hardware sales, with sales of the Xbox Series X|S consoles in the US falling to an all-time September low. On the software side, Gears of War: E-Day is looking like a huge flop. In terms of services, Xbox Game Pass is set to get worse and more expensive in November.

S-Game, the Chinese studio behind Phantom Blade Zero, clearly understands the core tenets of character-action games. If your melee combat isn't tight, responsive, and oozing cool, then what's the point? Some games might have better combat, but few can match Phantom Blade Zero's style. 

Every moment feels like you're in the middle of a Chinese martial-arts movie, pulling off moves that shouldn't be feasible--moves that go against what we expect from third-person action games--yet are baked into the mechanics. The game is not without issues, and they do hold it back from reaching the genre's upper echelons, but the highs are stratospheric.

Character-action games aren't typically known for telling riveting stories, and Phantom Blade Zero is no different. You play as Soul, a stoic assassin who dies in the game's opening moments when a sword tears through his heart. Soon after, a mysterious figure gives him a chance to come back from the dead, forcing him to choose between two artificial hearts. One will allow him to live but strip away all of his emotions, while the other will let him retain those emotions but only give him 66 days left on this mortal coil. Soul chooses the latter, setting up a 66-day quest to find a cure, unravel a conspiracy, and prove that he was framed for his master's murder.

It's a fairly ridiculous opening, but one that doesn't reflect the rest of the game. Much of Phantom Blade Zero's narrative unfolds through background machinations: in clandestine conversations, hidden notes, and secondhand information. Multiple organizations, people, and malicious schemes are in play, but it doesn't do a particularly good job of filling you in, so I found it tough to keep track of who's who and what's what. Some aspects eventually come into sharper focus toward the end of the game, but this feels like too little, too late.

You're essentially dropped into an established world where even the protagonist knows more than you do, referencing past events and showing familiarity with characters new to you. All you can do is attempt to piece together some kind of understanding through the notes and loading-screen tooltips, but even then you'll still be in the dark for a good chunk of the game's dialogue. 

There are some cool storytelling moments here and there, such as the way it uses hand-drawn watercolor animation whenever it flashes back to Soul's childhood. One sequence also features traditional Chinese shadow puppets (or Piyingxi) to explore a character's backstory. Repeating or explaining plot points during loading screens feels like a concession to its failures elsewhere, though, and ultimately, I found it difficult to latch onto anything that would make me care about the story. 

Unsurprisingly, combat is Phantom Blade Zero's bread and butter. It's also unlike anything else I've played, essentially translating the choreographed action of films like Hero and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to a playable medium. Both movies are known as Wuxia, a Chinese genre of fiction and low fantasy that blends martial arts with fantastical elements. Wuxia fight scenes are known to be incredibly fluid and dynamic: half combat, half choreographed dance, with both sides attacking and defending at the same time, creating a calculated but frenetic spectacle of clashing steel. 

Phantom Blade Zero

The choreography isn't something you can replicate in video games without resorting to quick-time events, but Phantom Blade Zero still makes it look and feel like you're engaged in a cinematic, free-flowing dance to the death. You have light and heavy attacks at your disposal, with combos alternating between the two. The key is that these attacks require no commitment. 

There's never a point where an attack begins and locks you into an animation until it ends. Switching to defense--either to block or parry--is instantaneous, even if you're mid-combo. Some attacks will even deflect incoming strikes automatically, recreating the back-and-forth, simultaneous attack-and-defend action Wuxia is known for. The whole thing is antithetical to the call-and-response philosophy of so many other action games, but it works when enemies test your abilities.

Sometimes, particularly during boss battles, you still need to focus strictly on offense or defense--maybe because you've created an opening to counterattack or need to lock in and parry multiple strikes in quick succession--but the delineation isn't as common as it is elsewhere. Most combat encounters achieve this satisfying flow through speed, aggression, and how combos and parries gracefully intersect. Sure, you could sit back and wait for your opponent to attack, or you could rush in and deal damage while still watching for their attack cues. Every action you take is fast and responsive, and even the biggest, heaviest weapons are swung at a rapid pace.

Much of this fluidity comes from the game's excellent motion capture, which showcases each movement with the smoothness and intent you'd expect from seasoned martial artists. It's also complemented by an eclectic soundtrack that infuses the action with everything from Chinese rap, metal, and pop to somber piano pieces and electronic beats.

There's mechanical depth beyond the surface panache, too. These mechanics are more par for the course, but familiarity is important when trying something new. Sha-Chi, for instance, is Phantom Blade Zero's stamina system. The meter drains when you hold down the block button or perform heavy attacks, but successful parries will severely deplete your opponent's Sha-Chi instead, gradually breaking their guard and leaving them vulnerable to a flurry of offense. Blue and red flash attacks also denote special, telegraphed moves you need to either parry or dodge, with both tightening up the window for you to react.

Failing to do so will eat into your health bar, but depleting your Sha-Chi meter also takes you out of action for a few seconds. To counteract this, switching weapons quickly replenishes your Sha-Chi, letting you maintain the initiative with a different armament. You can equip two primary weapons to alternate between, which not only helps you manage your Sha-Chi, but also gives you more combat options when you consider how varied Phantom Blade Zero's plethora of swords, axes, and spears are.

Each one feels unique when executing your standard light and heavy attacks, and they all have various intricacies that unlock as you level them up. For a good chunk of the game, I used a sword called the Outlaw Warblade. With this two-handed weapon, heavy attacks deal increased damage by eating into your health, which switching to standard attacks then restores. It can be a risky but effective weapon to use, but one I wasn't afraid to equip knowing I could quickly switch to another weapon.

Whether it's a broken blade that transforms into a ranged weapon after drinking--while also making you move like Jackie Chan in Drunken Master--or a pair of swords that summon the power of both wind and thunder, the weapons on offer are incredibly fun to use. They're flexible, too, with an upgrade system that lets you refund and recover the materials you've spent, so you never feel locked into using a particular weapon just because you've spent time upgrading it. You're free to experiment and jump from one completely different arsenal to the next, which is a more than welcome choice.  

Each weapon also has a secondary attack that breaks the non-committal rule. Landing heavy attacks builds Sha-Chi Essence, which you can then spend on weapon-specific techniques called Power Surges. While some of these might enhance your offense for a short time, others unleash devastating combos that you can't cancel out of, forcing you to consider when the opportune time to utilize them is. 

Phantom Blade Zero

The same is true of Phantom Edges: secondary weapons you can use a limited number of times before needing to replenish their stock. These range from heavy axes that can break through shields and armor to ranged weapons, chained sickles, flying guillotines, and a magical bell that can summon puppets to fight by your side. Both Power Surges and Phantom Edges add another layer to Phantom Blade Zero's flashy combat, upping the ante in desperate situations or providing that extra oomph you need to finish off a boss.

Boss battles are where the game's combat truly sings: where spectacle and cinematic action are pushed to the forefront, with free-flowing and thrilling mechanics to back it all up. Whether it's a Lion Dancer that breathes fire and hops between wooden plinths, or a three-faced puppet summoning giant paper snakes from the earth, the bosses are distinct and built on spectacle. It's no surprise that these conflicts represent Phantom Blade Zero at its most challenging. It might not be a soulslike, but From Software's influence is felt here and elsewhere. 

The world, which blends a traditional kung-fu aesthetic with steampunk machinery and body modification, is all S-Game. The studio calls this style "kungfupunk," and it's an accurate descriptor, melding pagodas with industrial iron and billowing smoke. 

There's variety within this conceit, too. At one point, you traverse a once-verdant forest that's now crimson, stained red after a brutal battle, "as though the forest itself were weeping blood." Another area sees you using a steam-powered boat to navigate a vast lake dotted with islands, while you'll also venture into a town whose denizens have been transformed into wooden puppets, and a winding valley with waterfalls and cliffs overlooking its crystal-clear streams. 

It's a strongly realized world, but the level design is distinctly soulslike, with circuitous areas full of branching paths and looping shortcuts. It's one of the strongest examples of this type of level design, making each locale a treat to explore, though it doesn't always feel entirely necessary. 

Soulslike checkpoints let you replenish health and upgrade weapons and items, but crucially, they don't respawn enemies as you would expect. It's an odd choice, especially since enemies stay dead even after you die. This changes the dynamic of enemy encounters, essentially letting you whittle down a group of enemies even if they get the better of you.

This speaks to Phantom Blade Zero's overall leniency, though. Many of its boss battles contain multiple phases, but if you reach the second phase and die, you don't have to repeat the first. I'm a fan of this decision, because if I've already demonstrated I can beat the first phase, forcing me to do so again can be frustrating. 

There are also three difficulty levels to choose from. You can swap between them at any time, which is something I took advantage of to make some of the regular enemy encounters more interesting. This is Phantom Blade Zero's biggest flaw, as even on the hardest difficulty, it's too easy to simply button-mash your way to victory against most enemy types. Groups still gave me trouble on occasion, especially since switching lock-on targets in these instances is overly cumbersome, but as I mentioned earlier, taking out a few enemies is beneficial even if you die. 

As someone who plays these kinds of games a lot, this might not be the same experience for everyone. Yet the bosses still posed enough of a challenge that I had to bump the difficulty back down to medium, so it feels more like a wildly unbalanced swing than anything else.

It's disappointing because, under the right circumstances, Phantom Blade Zero's combat is spectacular. Its Wuxia-inspired action nails the free-flowing, back-and-forth nature of its kinetic influences with aplomb. Being able to cleave through dozens of enemies who barely put up a fight isn't a fatal flaw, but tedium, and the fact you know how thrilling combat can be makes it a more glaring issue. It's this misstep that holds Phantom Blade Zero back, but it's still a fantastic game that any action aficionado should lap up.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 released today, October 23, and the game's first DLC pack is available now. In keeping with Call of Duty tradition, the day-one DLC is a Call of Duty Endowment (CODE) pack, with proceeds going to Activision's charity that supports military veterans find new jobs after they leave the service.

The CODE Valor Pack adds the real-life Medal of Honor recipient Kyle Carpenter to the game as a playable character.

Carpenter was in Marjah, Afghanistan, when, on November 21, 2010, he put himself in front of a grenade to help save the life of his fellow Marine, Nick Eufrazio. Carpenter sustained serious injuries from the grenade blast. He was unconscious for five weeks, had his teeth stripped from his mouth, and lost an eye. He sustained numerous other life-threatening injuries in the blast.

Carpenter received the Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama in 2014. At the ceremony, Obama said, "They found Kyle lying face down, directly over the blast area. His helmet was riddled with holes. His gear was melted. Part of his Kevlar vest was blown away. One of the doctors who treated him later said Kyle was, 'Literally wounded from the top of his head to his feet.'"

Carpenter underwent brain surgery to remove shrapnel from his head. He had about 40 other surgeries to addresses his injuries, which included a collapsed lung, fractured fingers, and one arm that broke in more than 30 places. He had multiple skin grafts and now has a prosthetic eye, a new jaw, and new teeth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtHK15qClkU

The Valor Pack includes the Relentless and Valor skins, along with new weapon blueprints, a combat knife, and a weapon charm, among other things. All proceeds from the $20 DLC bundles will go to the CODE charity.

Everything in the new MW4 CODE DLC. MW4 CODE Valor DLC pack:

• “Valor” Operator
• “Relentless” Operator Skin
• “Forged Resolve” M4 Assault Rifle Blueprint
• “Still Standing” Rezi 12 Shotgun Blueprint
• “Worth Fighting For” Combat Knife Melee Blueprint
• “Nice Try” Weapon Charm
• “Steel Talon” Weapon Sticker
• “Forged in Valor” Calling Card
• “Earned, Not Given” Emblem
• “Blood, Sweat, & Sand” Loading Screen
• 1 Hour Double Level XP Token  
• 1 Hour Double Weapon XP Token 

Modern Warfare boasts a very impressive 84 on GameSpot sister site Metacritic currently. For more, check out GameSpot’s MW4 review, which covers the campaign, DMZ, and multiplayer. If you're just getting started, you may also wanted to check out our rundown of the best MW4 multiplayer loadouts

Prolific and veteran gaming actor Jennifer Hale, who is known for voicing Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect series, has reacted to the closure of BioWare and the cancellation of the next game in the series. After footage of the new project, Mass Effect Universe, was released, Hale said, "It's extraordinary."

She added: "I’m holding hope for magic to happen. This community and you incredible vevs deserve that and more."

A "Save Mass Effect" Change.org petition was launched this week to urge EA to "take decisive action by committing to the continued development of Mass Effect." The petition has more than 65,000 signatures so far.

All of BioWare's new releases in the past decade--Mass Effect: Andromeda, Anthem, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard--were commercial disappointments. Against that backdrop, closing the studio makes a lot of financial sense, but it's upsetting to the millions of Mass Effect fans who adore the franchise and want to see it continue.

Based on insider reporting, the new Mass Effect game would have mixed covert ops with John Wick-inspired action, and that got a lot of people excited about what could have been.

Composer Bear McCreary, who has done work for the God of War and Call of Duty franchises, reacted to BioWare's closure, too. Asked if the laid-off BioWare developers could take what they had and complete the project as a "spiritual successor" via crowdfunding, McCreary said it's a good idea but is probably unrealistic.

"Man, I want to believe. But, I just gotta ask... How many examples are there of this really working in the past? And of those examples, how many were a project as big as Mass Effect?" he said.

Avi Lewis, a Canadian politician, has called on the government to help save BioWare by providing “federal support” to the workers to buy it back.

“This is private equity, this is what it does,” he said. “Buy up businesses, run them into the ground, and rip them apart for short-term profit. The developers at BioWare know how to run the studio. They know how to make the games we all love. They should be given the first opportunity–and the federal support–to buy it and run it themselves.”

The new Mass Effect game was revealed in 2020. Since then, the game remained in “early development” until its cancellation this week.

While the new Mass Effect game is not going ahead, the Mass Effect TV show for Prime Video remains in development.

The closure of BioWare and cancellation of the new Mass Effect game came as part of a wider shakeup at EA following its sale to an investor consortium including Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners. EA cut jobs, canceled games, and scaled back in other ways as part of the shakeup, as the publisher faces a huge debt repayment schedule.

After news broke that EA would be shutting down BioWare, more details on the studio's in-development Mass Effect have begun to trickle out. A trailer for Mass Effect Universe hinted that the next game in the series would have a completely different tone, moving away from the galactic warfare that defined the first three games and toward covert ops, espionage, and the occasional barroom shootout. Gaming content creator and YouTuber Dantics has shed more light on the game, describing it as a Mass Effect game for the fans.

Known for his lore videos, including several on Mass Effect, Dantics says he was part of a private "Mass Effect Council," a community feedback group of content creators who helped advise BioWare's small team.

https://youtu.be/ZOWrTNazZxM

Dantics says that Mass Effect Universe was set over 600 years after the Reaper War, and players would step into the boots of a customizable N7 agent. Players would also have a much smaller arsenal of weapons that would make them feel like a "cross between John Wick and James Bond," and they'd be working to take down a sinister force that was operating in the shadows of a galactic cold war. While Commander Shepard was a soldier, your N7 character was going to be an "agent" who would rely on cunning to get through encounters, but could apply pressure when needed--ballistic pressure, that is. 

Following the destruction of the relays at the end of the Reaper War, the fast-travel hubs had been rebuilt, and technology had advanced at a rapid pace. Shepard's legacy had been preserved centuries after their death; three new powerful alliances had arisen: Council races had formed their own faction, while humanity had aligned itself with Krogans, Batarians, and other superpowers. The Geth--a synthetic, network-based artificial intelligence species--had become a third power, and Dantics said there would be connections between the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies, thanks to the Geth building superstructure relays.

So what would the gameplay have been like? Dantics says that your N7 agent would be implanted with experimental technology to give them an edge in battle, allowing you to hack and manipulate the environment to your advantage, similar to hacking in Cyberpunk 2077. Missions would have a handcrafted feel to them, but with "Hitman-style freedom" in how you complete them. Squadmates would also feature in the game, and this time, they could clash with each other. Dantics also mentioned that romance "wasn't being sanitized," something the leaked Mass Effect trailer alluded to with some saucy scenes. A familiar face from the past would also return, as Liara T'Soni was still alive and had grown into a powerful Asari Matriarch.

Mass Effect universe has been shelved, but it has been reported that the TV show based on the sci-fi series is still in development. Experts have also spoken about EA's decision, saying that it sadly does make business sense, while Former BioWare executive producer Mark Darrah has suggested that EA could sell the Mass Effect IP in the future. It might have been bad timing, but this week also saw Archetype Entertainment release a new trailer for its Mass Effect spiritual successor, Exodus.

World of Warcraft: Forever's layering system will receive some significant improvements for launch, according to a statement provided to GameSpot from Blizzard.

Layering, for the uninitiated, is a behind-the-scenes system in WoW: Forever that essentially creates and runs new versions (or layers) of the world as needed, all running simultaneously on top of one another. According to Blizzard, players in WoW: Forever are assigned a layer based on various criteria, like familiar players and friends, language, and PvP balance. Grouping up with a player or friend who is on another layer will transport you to the same layer so you can interact.

There are some pros to this system. It makes completing quests easier (since there's less competition for quests items and enemies) and the world far less crowded. It also helps performance, as anytime there are thousands of players in a concentrated area, like a capital city, the game can struggle to handle the load. Layering spreads those players out. It works wonders in modern WoW and has also been used to different degrees in various versions of WoW Classic in the past.

https://www.reddit.com/r/classicwow/comments/1wwv8ed/i_get_invited_for_escort_quest_in_layer_1_after/

Unfortunately, there are also some huge downsides that have repeatedly surfaced over the course of the WoW: Forever beta. It doesn't take much searching on YouTube or Reddit to find countless instances of players complaining about layering. Leaving a group, crossing into a different zone, or traveling on a zeppelin or boat causes players to abruptly switch layers. The layering changes feel far more frequent and noticeable than in the past, ruining some of the charm that comes from having a persistent world filled with the same people.

Thankfully, changes are on the way. When asked if Blizzard would be making improvements to how it handles layering for launch and what players should expect, GameSpot received the following statement attributed to WoW: Forever associate production director Clay Stone: 

"Bringing all players together within each ruleset, while also recreating some of the original WoW's 'small-realm-feel' social experiences such as repeat encounters with other recently met players in the game, is an important part of protecting and nurturing social experiences in WoW: Forever.

"However, as we've been playing the beta alongside players, we too have recognized areas where we need to make improvements, particularly when players may be unexpectedly separated from each other (both in terms of specific locations and in terms of frequency), and we absolutely are making improvements. Some examples of this are making sure players don't get decoupled from other players they see on transports (i.e. boats and zeppelins) after loading screens, as well as large groups of players getting layered when they enter or leave capital cities.

"Although there will always be some amount of layering that occurs within our high-capacity infrastructure, we're working on these improvements now ahead of launch, and players should expect that we'll consistently be making more improvements, as necessary, through launch and beyond, with the goal always being to make the world feel as seamless as possible." 

That sounds like it will solve many of the instances players have complained about, including the scenario shown in a recent clip posted to the WoW Classic subreddit. It shows a group of players riding the boat from Kalimdor to Eastern Kingdoms, only to abruptly change layers. Suddenly, the entire boat is filled with hostile players from the opposing faction killing everyone on board. User Kippzo's post is simply titled "I can't believe the game is launching like this."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pai4SF7f83o

Another Reddit user highlighted how they went to join a large group of players dueling outside of a capital city, only to change layers when stepping outside to find a ghost town. Stone's statement specifically says Blizzard will make it so large groups of players will no longer change layers when exiting capital cities.

What Stone's statement doesn't address is layering when crossing zone boundaries, a case of particular concern to the game's player vs. player-community. Videos and clips shared online show large-scale world PvP battles evaporating into thin air as raids cross from one zone into another. Some even show players on a losing side of a battle intentionally running for the invisible border so they can phase into another layer and avoid death. Others are using layering to grief players guerilla-warfare style, killing unsuspecting foes and then fleeing to another layer before they can be retaliated against.

"I understand that there are technical limits making layering a necessary evil, but in its current iteration it just leads to an empty world for most players and an incredibly anti-fun experience," Reddit user RC_Rabbit said. 

In a game where much of the appeal is the chance encounters, friendships, and rivalries made while out adventuring in the world, a system that divides players and can be exploited for nefarious purposes is a major problem. One Reddit user, Worried-Falcon-1973, said layering is a "glaring issue" that will "ruin" the game's open-world moments, and that the community needs to make more noise so that Blizzard understands how serious the matter is.

"We want to level in the world, sure, but then let us actually be able to stay with people of our layer and not shuffle us around wildly the moment I leave the city, the zone, the zeppelin, the tram, or whatever," they said. 

Blizzard seems to be listening, though with Forever's beta now over and less than two weeks until launch, the community will have to wait for the full game to see how Blizzard's proposed improvements will shake out. WoW: Forever launches November 4. In other WoW: Forever news, Blizzard just announced a new server option for PvP-minded players.

Battlefield Studios is reportedly cancelling plans for a Mass Effect collaboration in Battlefield 6 in the wake of EA's decision to close BioWare and cancel the next game in the sci-fi series.

Fans discovered various Mass Effect-themed cosmetics in Battlefield 6's files, with many speculating that they would be released in November, tied to the Mass Effect N7 Day holiday on November 7.

Those cosmetics, which included Mass Effect-themed weapon charms and patches, have seemingly now been removed from Battlefield 6's in-game store prior to their general availability (via Kotaku).

https://www.reddit.com/r/LowSodiumBattlefield/comments/1xcmb3o/the_seemingly_planned_bf6_x_mass_effect_pack_is/?utm_source=embedv2&utm_medium=post_embed&utm_content=post_title&embed_host_url=https%3A%2F%2Fkotaku.com%2Fbattlefield-6-mass-effect-cosmetics-n7-day-store-2000749091

If these Mass Effect-themed cosmetics were indeed real, getting yanked only makes sense, considering the blowback EA and Battlefield Studios would have faced for hawking new items based on a franchise that it just killed off.

While this Mass Effect collab might not be going ahead, Battlefield 6 is currently hosting a crossover event with Dead Space.

It might make financial sense to close BioWare and cancel the Mass Effect series, but fans are upset about the 30-year studio that blazed a trail for queer representation in games closing up shop.

The closure of BioWare comes after EA was taken private by an investor consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. Due to the structuring of the deal as a leveraged buyout, EA is on the hook for a lot of debt, and there will likely be more layoffs and pain for the people working at EA in the time ahead.

We're just weeks away from Grand Theft Auto VI launching, and you might think you're set to spend hours upon hours in the open-world game right now. But PureGym asks if your body is actually ready like former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime's--as well as your thumbs. 

With that in mind, the fitness company has shared three thumb workouts from personal trainer David Hope to help prep you for GTA VI. These exercises are meant as a warm-up before picking up your controller, by the way. The first is just tapping your thumb with each finger on the same hand, which as a personal aside, can be a good mindfulness technique, too.

The next finger drill sees you spreading your hand out and making a five, then turning that into a fist with your thumb on the outside. Our added suggestion is to do spirit fingers between fists to look as ridiculous as possible. Last but not least, Hope recommends finger pushups, where you "press the fingertips of both hands on the floor and push pressure into your fingers," according to the press release.

PureGym advises people to do these exercises 10 times each, as well as after a long session with GTA VI. "We warm up before a run or a gym session, so why not before a long gaming session? Your thumbs and hands are doing the heavy lifting, and the rest of your body is barely moving," Hope said.

We want to offer up an alternative that could be more fun, and that's playing with a minifinger skateboard. Maybe the popularity has waned a ton over the past 20 years, back when there was an actual Tech Deck Skateboarding title on Game Boy Color.

Meanwhile, GTA VI is set to release November 19, which could end up a very expensive sick day in America. An economics professor projects that 1.5 million people could call in to work reporting they're ill. Before then, you can eat food from the game at Miami's Kaseya Center, where the Heat play NBA games. There is currently a Burger Shot and Cluckin' Bell at the arena.

GTA 6: 268 Screenshots To Ease The Wait View Images

It might be the end of the road for Marvel's Blade developer Arkane Lyon, as a new report says that the studio has until November 13 to find a buyer or face closure.

Le Monde reported that while Microsoft had followed the procedure as laid out in Florange Law--French legislation that requires Microsoft to spend at least three months searching for a buyer for Arkane Lyon--negotiations were going "badly," and worker unions are currently attempting to buy more time to save jobs at the studio, which is currently still working on Marvel's Blade. The report says "several forms of takeover" are being considered, but the union's plans could include re-employing affected staff at other Xbox studios or taking Microsoft to court.

According to IGN, development on Marvel's Blade was still on track for a new reveal in early 2027, followed by a Q4 2027 release. The game was originally revealed in December 2023, but aside from a handful of concept art images since then, nothing else has been shown. Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier also corroborated reports of "multiple paths" being explored and that he'd be surprised if the studio is shut down.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB9ye56mSfk

If Arkane Lyon is facing closure, it'll be the end of a studio that has been around for 27 years. Its first game was Arx Fatalis in 2002, and it followed that up with the release of Dark Messiah of Might and Magic (2006) and KarmaStar (2009). Since the 2010s, the studio has pumped out several hits like the Dishonored games and Deathloop. The Texas-based studio that it operated, Arkane Austin, was established in 2006, but following the release of the critically panned Redfall in 2023, it was shut down in 2024.

Arkane Lyon's departure from the Xbox Games Studio portfolio was announced earlier this year, alongside Double Fine Productions, Compulsion Games, Undead Labs, and Ninja Theory. Most of the studios have opted to become independent developers again, but Ninja Theory is now expected to shut down as plans for outside investors to acquire it fell through.

Rockstar Games and the burger company Skinny Louie have announced a partnership to promote GTA 6, during which its stores will convert to Burger Shots through the end of the year. Burger Shot is the Burger King parody in the world of GTA.

People in South Florida can buy GTA 6 burgers at the Kaseya Center, and also every Skinny Louie location in Florida starting in early November. The campaign runs through December 31.

The Burger Shot locations will serve a menu "straight out of Vice City"--and this includes smash burgers, fries, and drinks. People in South Florida can buy the GTA 6 burgers in store or have them delivered.

In addition to Burger Shot, GTA's Cluckin' Bell fried chicken store is available IRL at the Kaseya Center. It's unknown if the Cluckin' Bell locations will be available outside the arena like the Burger Shots are.

GTA 6's takeover of Miami also includes marketing efforts at local beaches and hotels. Some local lawmakers are pushing back, saying in that in agreeing to take Rockstar's money, the city is signing on to "depicting Miami like a murder capital." Other local lawmakers say it's just a video game.

Video game adaptations are all the rage right now, with movie and TV projects in various stages of development, and Netflix is looking to strike while the proverbial IP iron is hot. The streaming giant already has a deal in place with Microsoft to develop a Gears of War movie, and it's looking to grab more Xbox IP to build new franchises. The only problem? Microsoft's price tag was reportedly quite a bit more than Netflix was willing to pay.

That's according to entertainment journalist Matthew Belloni, who wrote in a Puck News report that Netflix had offered Microsoft $500 million for seven years to exclusively license Xbox titles for film and TV. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma and the brand's business affairs team countered by demanding $800 million, prompting Netflix to rescind the offer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzqGbNaOROA

While Netflix has declined to comment on the report, Xbox told Belloni it had received "record-breaking interest" in its IP and still values Netflix as a partner on upcoming projects.

Belloni added that Xbox is now "pursuing smaller deals with more partners," like the Diablo animated series under development at Netflix, another season of Fallout at Prime Video, the Call of Duty movie at Paramount, and a sequel to A Minecraft Movie at Warner Bros. Pictures. Xbox is also expanding its multimedia ambitions; earlier this month, it announced Xbox XP. This new arm of the company, devoted to movies, TV, merchandise, theme parks, and live events, will be headed by Lucasfilm veteran Kayleen Walters.

Xbox Pictures is one of its subdivisions, and it'll develop film and television projects, as well as other forms of "linear storytelling" using Xbox IP.