NetherRealm Studios has revealed the first DLC character coming to Mortal Kombat 11: the master sorcerer, Shang Tsung. During a panel at C2E2, a video featuring the character was shown and, surprisingly, confirmed that he will be based on the version seen in the 1995 movie.

In the Mortal Kombat movie, Shang Tsung was played by actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, and his likeness has been used for his newest iteration. As well as being Mortal Kombat 11’s first DLC character, Shang Tsung will also serve as the host, narrator, and guide for players when they enter the Krypt.

During the stream, NetherRealm also revealed Noob Saibot will be playable in Mortal Kombat 11. Unlike Shang Tsung, however, he will be part of the core roster of fighters, and thus available from the outset when you buy the game.

For those eager to get their hands on the game, there will be a Mortal Kombat 11 beta beginning on Wednesday, March 27 at 8 AM PT. It will run through Sunday, March 31 at 11:59 PM PT, and is open to anyone who pre-ordered a copy of the game on PS4 or Xbox One. The beta will have five playable characters: Baraka, Jade, Kabal, Scarlet, and Scorpion. The full character roster is much more expansive, and we expect more fighters to be announced in the lead up to release.

If you pre-order you’ll also get Shao Kahn as a playable character when the game releases for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch on April 23.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/mortal-kombat-11s-first-dlc-character-is-shang-tsu/1100-6465788/

We teamed up with Anthem (@AnthemGame) to give away a one-of-a-kind Anthem Javelin Helmet! No purchase necessary. Entering into our Twitter giveaway is easy — just LIKE and REPLY to the tweet below with your ultimate Javelin customization.. One (1) winner chosen. UK only, no purchase necessary, ends March 31, 2019.

Anthem Javelin Helmet Giveaway

Official Promotion Rules

NO PURCHASE OR WIRELESS DEVICE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. OPEN TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF GREAT BRITAIN (ENGLAND, SCOTLAND AND WALES ONLY), WHO ARE 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO THE PROMOTION. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. IF YOU ARE ACCESSING THIS PROMOTION VIA YOUR WIRELESS DEVICE, DATA RATES MAY APPLY.

Promoter: GameSpot, CBS Interactive, Inc., 235 Second Street, San Francisco, California 94105 (“CBSI”).

Prize Provider: Electronic Arts Limited, Onslow House, Onslow St, Guildford GU1 4TN, UK (“EA”)

Promotion Entities: CBSI and EA

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1. Acceptance of Rules. By entering the Anthem Javelin Helmet Giveaway (the “Promotion”) operated on the official GameSpot Twitter page accessible at the domain “twitter.com/gamespot” (the “CBSI Service”), you hereby accept and agree to these official rules (the “Official Rules”) of this Promotion and the decisions of the Promoter in connection with this Promotion, whose decisions are final.

No purchase, entry fee or use of wireless device is necessary to enter or win. If you are a wireless service subscriber and have a smartphone, tablet and/or other wireless device that allows you to access the Internet, you may enter the Promotion via any of those devices during the promotion period, as defined below. If you decide to participate via any such wireless device, you may be charged data rates in accordance with the Terms and Conditions of the Service Agreement with your wireless carrier.

2. Eligibility. This Promotion is open for entry to persons who are: (a) registered users of Twitter; (b) followers of the CBSI Service (www.twitter.com/gamespot / @gamespot) on Twitter; (c) legal residents of Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales only); and (d) at least 18 years of age or older at the date of entry in this Promotion. To register on Twitter, go to https://twitter.com/?lang=en-gb and complete the registration process. There is no fee associated with becoming a registered user on Twitter. Employees, directors, and the immediate family members of the Promotion Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies, advertising and promotion agencies and legal and financial advisors are not eligible to participate in this Promotion. For purpose of the foregoing, “immediate family” means parents, spouses, children, siblings or any members of the same households of such employees and directors. This Promotion is void where prohibited by law.

3. Promotion Period. The Promotion begins at 4:00 p.m. on March 22, 2019 (UK time) and ends at 4:00 p.m. (UK time) on March 29, 2019 (the “Promotion Period”).

4. How to Enter. To enter the Promotion: (a) log into your Twitter account; (b) visit the CBSI Service (www.twitter.com/gamespot / @gamespot); (c) LIKE and REPLY to the tweet related to the Promotion with an image of your ultimate Javelin customization using hashtag #haveahelmetbro! during the Promotion Period.

Limit of one (1) entry per person. Multiple entries will be ignored and Promoter reserves the right to disqualify entrants who breach this rule.

Entries must not (a) contain any material which is or may reasonably be considered to be threatening, defamatory, obscene, indecent, offensive, pornographic, abusive, liable to incite racial hatred, discriminatory, menacing, scandalous, inflammatory, blasphemous, or in breach of confidence; or (b) be illegal or infringe the intellectual property rights, privacy rights or any other rights of any person.

5. Prize. There is one (1) prize to be won in this Promotion. The prize is an Anthem Javelin Helmet (the “Prize”) which has an approximate retail value of Twelve Thousand Pounds Sterling (£12,000.00).

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19. Disclosure of winner’s details. By entering this Promotion, each entrant acknowledges and agrees that if he or she is the Winner, his or her name and county of residence may be disclosed to persons enquiring, where permitted by law. Enquirers must submit a self-addressed stamped envelope for receipt by April 15, 2019 to “Winner List, Anthem Javelin Helmet Giveaway” c/o GameSpot, a Division of CBS Interactive, Inc., The Warehouse at The Bower, 207-211 Old Street, London EC1V 9NR. The name of the Winner may be posted on the CBSI Service, and the Official Rules will be posted on GameSpot.com. Details will only be disclosed (if permitted by law) after the Prizes have been validly claimed.

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from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/free-one-of-a-kind-anthem-javelin-helmet-giveaway/1100-6465754/

From Software games don’t generally skimp on putting players through their paces even early on, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice doesn’t hold back on the difficulty, either. There are several super-tough mid-boss enemies even early on in Ashina Outskirts, the first area through which players venture once they’ve gained the Shinobi Prosthetic. At multiple points on the road to Gyoubu the Demon, the game’s first big boss, you’ll face extremely tough enemies who will likely thrash you just as hard. It’s especially tough if you haven’t found some of the best early game prosthetics.

One of the first major enemies you’ll have to take down is the Chained Ogre, a red-eyed monster locked into a wooden pillory. Sekiro is good about giving you hints on how to defeat bosses and mid-bosses like the Ogre if you’re eavesdropping and paying attention, but knowing what to do and actually doing it are two different things. Defeating the Ogre is the last major hurdle before you reach Gyoubu, and will earn you Prayer Beads, which can make you stronger for the fight ahead.

The trick to beating the Ogre is being fast on your feet, and being willing to disengage if you need to. You can also get an edge with the right Shinobi Prosthetic, the Flame Vent, but it’s pretty easy to miss. Here’s everything you need to know about taking down the Ogre and getting ready for your big fight with Gyoubu.

You might also want to read up on how death impacts Sekiro, and take a look at our Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice review.

Clearing The Battlefield

You’ll find the Ogre in the Ashina Outskirts area, in the Outskirts Wall–Stairway section. Before doing anything else, clear the area at the base of the stairs so that no other enemies are around to interrupt you. Try to get good at taking them out stealthily to keep your health up, and don’t be afraid to retreat to the Idol Statue nearby if you need to try again. In fact, keep that opportunity to reset in mind, because it can help you keep your death count down as you learn the fight.

Bring The Flame Vent

Red-eyed enemies like the Ogre are basically berserkers, unfazed by your attacks. That mostly means you’ll need to do a lot of dodging and slicing away in between the Ogre’s attacks. You can get some breathing room to heal or attack, though, if you have fire. Red-eyed enemies fear flames, and you can find a Shinobi Prosthetic tool early in the game that produces a jet of fire that will briefly stagger the Ogre and give you the upper hand. It’s easy to miss, though.

You’ll need to go to the Hirata Estate level to find the Flame Vent. In the area before the Stairway, the Gate Path, look for an old woman in a blasted-out house. If you talk to her and let her believe you’re her son, she’ll give you a bell to use as an offering. Take it to the Dilapidated Temple and use it on the Buddha statue near the Sculptor to access the Hirata Estate level. You can use our guide to find the Flame Vent prosthetic–bring it back to the Sculptor to get it fitted for your fight with the Ogre.

The Flame Vent isn’t essential to beating the Ogre, and it won’t do extra damage to it. The tool can be very useful for emergencies, though, like when you need to get the Ogre to back off or when a couple extra hits will bring it down.

Get A Backstab

You can’t approach the Ogre with stealth, since there’s only one way up the stairs toward it, and it’ll see you coming. But you can try to get behind it for a quick backstab deathblow, which can reduce the difficulty of the fight by about half right out of the gate. To get there, hold down the dodge button to make the Wolf sprint and try to get up behind the Ogre before he manages to break free of his bonds. It’s tough to get there in time, but the backstab is worth it if you can manage it.

Dodge The Grabs

The Ogre hits hard with all its abilities, but its grabs attacks are the worst ones. These are marked by the red symbol that denotes an unblockable attack. If you get grabbed, the Ogre will deal a massive amount of damage you can’t avoid, and likely will kill you. The only way to avoid the Ogre’s grab attacks is to use the Step Dodge ability, and you’ll need to keep your distance in general–he’ll do a diving grab move that can get you even if you step back, so make sure you’re going sideways when possible, and give yourself ample room to escape.

The good news is that if you can avoid a grab, you’ll get a chance to wail on the Ogre for a few seconds. The bad news is that you’ll probably need to get wrecked by this move once or twice to get a feel for the timing.

Grapple For Big Hits

A lot of the time when the Ogre plows past you, you’ll get opportunities for snagging its wooden collar with your grapple. Use those chances–you’ll get in close for a few big attacks, and it’s good practice for a tactic you’re going to use a lot when you fight Gyoubu soon enough. If you can unlock it, you’ll should also grab the Grapple Hook Attack ability from the Shinobi Martial Arts skill tree. That’ll let you swing in and do some damage before you even hit the ground.

Don’t Be Afraid To Flee

The area around the Ogre has a bunch of key grapple points for a reason. The game is providing you with a bunch of escape hatches so you can stop the fight, take a second to breathe, and get your bearings. The battle with the Chained Ogre is as much a tutorial as anything else you’ve faced up to now, giving you the tools to deal with a big, tough enemy, while also teaching you that the tactics you’ve used in other fights still apply. If you’re getting pummeled or just having a hard time, grapple up onto a tree or onto the nearby gate and take a second to reassess the fight. It’s also a handy way to get a chance to use a healing item without worrying you’re about to get smashed for letting your guard down.

Deflect, Deflect, Deflect

Apart from his big grabs, the Ogre’s attacks looks scarier than they actually are–and you can deflect all of them. That includes his big drop kick move, his stompy feet attacks, and his attempts to kick you across the field like a football. Just because the Ogre isn’t using a sword doesn’t mean you can’t block them, and you definitely should be. Keep your guard up to avoid a lot of incoming damage, and to give yourself openings to attack.

You can also dodge most or all of the Ogre’s attacks to give yourself a chance at getting in close to land some blows. The drop kick move is especially easy to slip around, giving you a chance to cut away and clear out some of the Ogre’s vitality. Blocking will help you break its posture sooner, though, so while Souls and Bloodborne players might feel like dodging is the right move, it’s actually slowing down your ability to win the fight. Break the Ogre’s posture and grab your deathblows for the win.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/sekiro-chained-ogre-guide-how-to-beat-the-boss/1100-6465781/

Microsoft has taken a leaf out of Nintendo’s book and announced a new Direct-style stream centered around indie titles coming to Xbox One. Named ID@Xbox Game Pass, the first episode will air on March 26 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 4 PM GMT (3 AM AET in Sydney).

“You can expect to learn more about some of the hottest ID@Xbox titles coming to Xbox Game Pass with new reveals, gameplay highlights, and conversations with the developers,” the platform holder stated. It went on to tease information on Afterparty, Void Bastards, and Supermarket Shriek, as well as “new game announcements.” You’ll be able to watch on YouTube, as with Microsoft’s Inside Xbox streams.

On the face of it, the show will be similar to Nintendo’s regular Nindies streams, the most recent of which happened just a few days ago. The spring Nindies showcase even included a collaboration of sorts between Nintendo and Microsoft as a port of Cuphead for Switch was announced. It also brought a new Zelda game and some new Switch games available right now.

Microsoft’s announcement comes just hours after Sony unveiled its new show, State of Play, which promises more information on upcoming PlayStation games and “new game announcements” of its own. That stream is also airing on March 26, just a few hours after Microsoft’s ID@Xbox Game Pass show.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-apes-nintendo-announces-xbox-one-indie-g/1100-6465777/