Entertainment

Assassin's Creed Valhalla is getting quite a bit smaller with a new update next week. Not content-wise, that's all staying put, but rather the file size of the game will shrink on all platforms thanks to a data restructure.  Title Update 1.4.1 "consolidates the game files, resulting in a smaller overall game size on all platforms," significantly reducing the space needed to have Valhalla installed. Xbox Series X is the big winner here, clocking in with a massive 44GB footprint reduction to the game. A post from the developers on Ubisoft's forums runs down the numbers for each platform, including the update's download size and overall space savings achieved. Not only will your hard drive or SSD have some spare room after the 1.4.1., Valhalla will feature "faster loading screen tim...

Halo Infinite’s campaign launched today, meaning that the game is more or less out in its entirety. If you’ve enjoyed the orchestral music while playing either the story or in multiplayer, you can listen to those tunes anywhere with the release of the game’s soundtrack.  The original score for Halo Infinite’s campaign and its multiplayer is now available to listen to on major streaming services. These are two separate albums, courtesy of Skill Tree Records, a host of composers including Gareth Coker and Curtis Schweizer, all organized by 343’s music supervisor, Joel Yarger. You can also purchase and download each album digitally for $9.99 from Skill Tree directly at the following links.  Halo Infinite OST Halo Infinite Multiplayer: A New Generation OST For more on Halo Infinite...

It is important to keep in mind what is going on within Activision Blizzard at this time regarding ongoing allegations about the work culture. The ongoing lawsuit from the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) against the company is over reported toxic workplace culture. The bulk of the suit focuses on "violations of the state's civil rights and equal pay laws," specifically regarding the treatment of women and other marginalized groups. To learn more about the proceedings thus far, including details listed in the lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, please check out our previous coverage here. A current employee of Activision Blizzard spoke publicly during a press conference today about the alleged “frat boy culture detrimental to women” she’s experienced at...

Halo Infinite’s campaign is finally out, as are the day one release notes.  These notes detail install sizes, which don’t exceed 49 GB and could be much smaller if you already have multiplayer installed, and how to purchase and download the campaign if you haven’t yet already. It also lists out resolved issues, too, including the following:  Local Area Network (LAN) multiplayer is now available, but one known issue is that match settings changed in the Mode Editor still show as default. However, once a match begins, the implemented settings will go into effect.  Players with AMD Radeon RX 500 Series GPUs will no longer experience crashes as a result of having Async Compute turned on in Video Settings. Now, if Halo Infinite is launched offline, players can connect to the inter...

Boy – you’re going to need a really powerful PC to run God of War at 4K/60FPS.  Sony Santa Monica has released the specifications and requirements needed to play its 2018 hit title, God of War, on PC, and as expected, you’ll need quite a beefy machine. To even hit 4K/60FPS on PC, SMS recommends an Nvidia RTX 3080, which is the highly sought-after GPU that’s basically impossible to purchase at the moment. However, the recommended PC specs for God of War are a lot less taxing, needing only an Nvidia GTX 1060 GPU and an Intel i5-6600K, amongst the usual requirements such as Windows 10.  Here’s a full look at what you’ll need in your machine to play God of War at various visual fidelities, including minimum, recommended, high, performance, and ultra.  ...

Teases for trailers and game reveals are flying fast and furious today, mere hours from The Game Awards airing this Thursday. While the complete forms of these teases will be on display during the award show, we're gathering a list of what we're aware of so you, dear reader, know what to expect. Of course, many deserving developers will be receiving awards for their hard work and amazing games released throughout the year, celebrating the talent and creativity this industry is built on. But host Geoff Keighley is also keen to dish out world premiere trailers like he's the human embodiment of an E3 press conference.  We'll continue to update this list, so keep checking back up until The Game Awards to stay informed. Here's what we know about so far: Next Sonic Game Sonic the He...

Super Smash Bros. series creator and Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai says that if he were to return to work on another game in the series, the roster would need to shrink and depend less on his vision for the franchise.  Sakurai told The Verge this in a new post-Ultimate interview when asked if he could be convinced to come back for another Smash Bros. game. In November, Sakurai revealed that he’s not actively thinking about a sequel but that he wouldn’t rule one out. Sakurai still seems to be torn on whether or not a return to Smash Bros. is the right move for him, too, in The Verge’s interview with the famed director.  “I think we’ve reached a limit, at least in terms of volume of content and fighters,” Sakurai said. “Basically, if I were to have the opportunity to work on a...

A new poster for the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie has been released, and as you might expect, it features Sonic, Tails, and Doctor Robotnik. Jim Carrey’s Robotnik looks decidedly eggier compared to what we saw throughout most of the first Sonic movie. The official Sonic Movie Twitter account released this new poster, and it did so as a tease for what’s to come: the first trailer during tomorrow’s Game Awards show.  The first poster for #SonicMovie2 has arrived! And that’s not all – The world premiere of the new #SonicMovie2 trailer drops tomorrow in @TheGameAwards at 8pm ET. pic.twitter.com/dDZzd8EoG5 — Sonic the Hedgehog (@SonicMovie) December 8, 2021 As you can see in the poster above, it features Tails flying a plane to keep Sonic high in the air while the duo dodg...

Pokémon Unite will soon get into the holiday spirit when a new winter-themed event starts next week.  Running from December 15 through January 16, this holiday festivities event will bring all sorts of gifts, limited licenses, trainer fashion items, and one new Pokémon to the game. Tsareena joined the roster today, and on December 20, Dragonite will enter the fray. Like Tsareena, the grass-type Pokémon introduced in Pokemon Sun and Moon, Dragonite will be a Melee All-Rounder character that “harnesses its impressive heft and draconic might to dole out maximum damage,” according to a new Pokémon Unite blog post.   Click here to watch embedded media As you can see in the trailer above, Dragonite looks great, as does the winter holiday makeover coming to Pokémon Unite. Their movese...

GTA Online is getting a new story-driven adventure starring Franklin Clinton, one of Grand Theft Auto V’s three protagonists. The Contract catches up with the master of yee-yee a** haircuts and tosses Dr. Dre into the mix for what looks to be a wild adventure.  The Contract is a free update that takes place a few years after the events of GTA V. After knocking over the Union Depository, Franklin has founded his own “celebrity solutions agency”: F. Clinton and Partner. His business aims to help Vinewood’s rich and famous solve their first-world problems, and Franklin needs a partner and a major client to get it off the ground.  Click here to watch embedded media   That partner, of course, is you, and you’re hooked up with Franklin thanks to a mutual contact: Lamar Davis, best...