NetherRealm has detailed the upcoming beta for Mortal Kombat 11, including when it’s coming and how much meat will be on its proverbial bones. The beta will begin on Wednesday, March 27 at 8 AM PT, and run through Sunday, March 31 at 11:59 PM PT. It will be open to anyone who pre-ordered a copy of the game on PS4 or Xbox One.

The beta will include five playable characters: Baraka, Jade, Kabal, Scarlet, and Scorpion. That’s just a taste of the much more expansive character roster, some of which has yet to be officially announced. Most recently the studio confirmed Kotal Kahn.

The beta will include online multiplayer matches and the single-player Towers of Time mode, along with an exclusive preview of the Custom Character Variation System. That system will let you choose from various cosmetic options for your character, including their skins, gear, special abilities, taunts, brutalities, and intro and victory cinematics. You’ll need a Gold or PS Plus membership to play online, but you can play with the Towers of Time or Character Variation offline.

Pre-ordering not only gets you the beta access, but also Shao Kahn as a playable character. That bonus will be across all platforms, including PC and Nintendo Switch, while the beta is limited to PS4 and Xbox One. The game releases on April 23.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/mortal-kombat-11-beta-time-characters-and-modes-de/1100-6465753/

The first-ever Apex Legends battle pass, this one for Season 1–Wild Frontier–released earlier this week. It clearly takes some inspiration from the battle passes popularized by Fortnite, and much like the ones offered by Epic, EA and Respawn have designed Apex’s so that it can pay for itself, provided you play enough.

The Season 1 battle pass costs 950 Apex Coins. You can also buy a bundle for 2,800 Apex Coins that includes the battle pass and gives you a head start by advancing you through 25 levels of battle pass progression (and unlocking the corresponding rewards). The pass itself includes a variety of rewards–such as skins, stat trackers, Legend voice lines, and Apex Coin and XP drops–with rewards unlocked by earning XP.

More importantly, you can actually earn 1,000 Apex Coins in total through the battle pass, which, EA notes in a blog post, can be “put towards unlocking the next Battle Pass.” Alternatively, you could put it toward unlocking a character, such as the new Legend, Octane. Whatever the case, if you level up the battle pass enough, you can make back the Apex Coins it costs to buy it in the first place.

The battle pass essentially gives players a second set of rewards to earn alongside those you get by leveling up your player profile. Whether or not you buy Octane or Apex Legends’ new battle pass, Season 1 lets you unlock some rewards for free: 18 new stat trackers, five Apex Packs, and a new skin for Octane. Although your battle pass level is separate from your player level, they are both increased by playing matches and earning XP. There are no Fortnite-style challenge to complete, although Respawn has suggested that future seasons may work differently and that it’s open to feedback from players.

Octane, the ninth and newest Legend to join Respawn’s battle royale game, is also out now. Octane is not a part of the battle pass though, and you’ll need to buy him with additional Legend Tokens or Apex Coins. Much like Mirage and Caustic, Octane will cost 12,000 Legend Tokens or 750 Apex Coins.

If you’re playing Apex Legends on PC or Xbox One, you might have a cheaper option for picking up Octane or the battle pass. Origin Access and EA Access, respectively, provide subscribers with 1,000 free Apex Coins in addition to a few other rewards. As such, if you aren’t already a member, you can subscribe for one month and get that bonus for less money than you’d spend on 1,000 Apex Coins

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/apex-legends-battle-pass-can-pay-for-itself/1100-6465648/

Battle royale games are all the rage right now, with stalwarts like PUBG and Fortnite being joined by up-and-coming whipper-snappers like Call of Duty: Black Ops 4‘s Blackout and Respawn’s free-to-play Apex Legends. Now, DICE is getting involved with Battlefield V: Firestorm, and the first gameplay has finally been revealed.

In the video above you can see an entire match in Squads mode, culminating in a win for team GameSpot. Matches begin much like other games in the genre, with each player dropping from the sky. They then progress like you’d expect, with squads scavenging for weapons and supplies while battling to be the last team standing.

DICE have certainly put their stamp on the genre, with vehicular combat a much bigger part of Firestorm than similar games’ versions of battle royale. Watch the video above to see how matches develop, or watch the one below for the thoughts of our battle royale experts, Dave Jewitt and Will Potter. You can play the mode for yourself when it launches for free on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on March 25.

We enjoyed Battlefield V at launch; critic Michael Higham awarded the game an 8/10 in our Battlefield V review. “The Battlefield series has a winning formula that Battlefield V doesn’t deviate far from, at least for now,” he wrote. “Conquest and the map roster don’t mesh well together, however, Grand Operations–and the other modes within it–steal the show and foster some of the greatest moments the franchise has offered. You might be surprised by the impact of the slight changes made for this entry, especially when you’re deep into pushing or defending objectives in Frontlines alongside teammates fulfilling their roles. That’s when Battlefield V is at its best.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/first-battlefield-5-firestorm-battle-royale-gamepl/1100-6465748/

From Software’s latest game, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is nearly here. Its March 22 release date is just around the corner, and reviews are starting to go live across the web. So what do the critics think of the highly anticipated follow-up to Bloodborne and the Souls series?

GameSpot’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice review-in-progress awarded the game a 9/10, with critic Tamoor Hussain calling the stealth-action title “an experience that is as challenging as it is gratifying”–it is a From Software game, after all.

For more on the critical consensus of Sekiro, check out the selection of reviews below. Alternatively, take a look at GameSpot sister site Metacritic.

• Game: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
• Developer / Publisher: From Software / Activision
• Release date: March 22
• Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
• Price: US $60 / £60 / AU $100

GameSpot — 9/10 (Review-In-Progress)

“Sekiro marries From Software’s unique brand of gameplay with stealth action to deliver an experience that is as challenging as it is gratifying. At the time of publish I haven’t completed Sekiro. While I have invested upwards of 30 hours into it, there are still a few more locations I need to explore and bosses I need to beat before the credits roll, and I’m excited to do it.” — Tamoor Hussain [Full review-in-progress]

IGN — 9.5/10

“Sekiro evolves From Software’s formula into a stylish stealth-action adventure that, naturally, emphasizes precision and skill in its combat. It walks the line between deliberate and patient stealth and breakneck melee combat against threats both earthly and otherworldly. Its imaginative and flexible tools support a more focused experience that shaves down some of From Software’s overly cryptic sensibilities without losing its air of mystery. Sekiro is an amazing new twist on a familiar set of ideas that can stand on its own alongside its predecessors.” — Brandin Tyrrel [Full review]

Polygon — Recommended

“I have to put in a lot of work and effort to meet Sekiro on its own terms, but what might feel ponderous in a lesser game becomes rewarding in one created with this much care. Sekiro meets me with just as much effort and enthusiasm as I’ve put into it. It lets me know I’m capable and skilled, and that I can figure it out. And then it hands me my ass again.” — Dave Tach and Jeffrey Parkin [Full review]

Game Informer — 9.0/10

“Sekiro’s story moves in strange and compelling ways that defy the initial adherence to the trappings of feudal Japan, and allows the player to discover multiple endings and confrontations depending on choices and secrets. It’s a challenging journey through a weird and wondrous world that forces you to learn and master its punishing combat to succeed. However, the sweet thrill of victory keeps you pushing forward despite myriad disheartening deaths. Sekiro is one of the most difficult games I have ever played, but for those seeking adventure, exploration, and a truly realized ninja fantasy, the trek is worth the high demands.” — Daniel Tack [Full review]

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/sekiro-shadows-die-twice-review-roundup/1100-6465744/

Sony’s PS4 exclusive action game God of War has won yet another Game of the Year award. Tonight at the Game Developers Choice Awards, Sony’s PS4 game went home with the top prize. This is just the latest win for God of War, as it also won Game of the Year at December’s The Game Awards and in February at the DICE Awards.

Other winners tonight included Celeste for Best Audio, Into the Breach for Best Design, and Red Dead Redemption 2 for Best Technology. Australian developer Mountains won Best Debut for Florence; that game also Best Mobile Game. Amy Hennig, an industry veteran who directed Uncharted, took home the Lifetime Achievement Award.

You can see a full rundown of the categories and winners at the bottom of this post.

“The Game Developers Choice Awards represent the most refined games of the year, and the sheer variety of games honored tonight showed that games can still represent wholly new and unique creative visions,” GDC general manager Katie Stern said in a statement.

“A number of independently developed titles like Celeste, Gris, and Florence helped prove how internal or deeply personal turmoil can make for massively appealing games for millions of fans. While games like God of War and Red Dead Redemption 2 capture our imagination with poignant moments juxtaposed against epic tales of staggering scale and technical prowess. We embrace and accept all these amazingly creative works, and we’re proud to recognize these nominees and winners alike for the imagination and hard work that brought them here.”

Also at GDC this week, Google announced its new game-streaming technology, Stadia, which is set to launch later this year. Former Microsoft and Sony executive Phil Harrison is heading up the Stadia team, and he believes latency won’t be an issue.

GDC 2019 continues all week, leading directly into PAX East in Boston at the weekend, so keep checking back with GameSpot for lots more.

More reading

• Is Google Stadia What The Next-Gen Of Gaming Will Look Like?
• Google Stadia: Hands-on Impressions With New Game-Streaming Service From GDC 2019

2018 Game Developers Choice Awards Winners

Best Audio

Celeste (Matt Makes Games)

Best Debut

Mountains (Florence)

Best Design

Into the Breach (Subset Games)

Best Mobile Game

Florence (Mountains)

Innovation Award

Nintendo Labo (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)

Best Narrative

Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope / 3909)

Best Technology

Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)

Best Visual Art

Gris (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital)

Best VR/AR Game

Beat Saber (Beat Games)

Audience Award

Beat Saber (Beat Games)

Game of the Year

God of War (Sony Santa Monica / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Pioneer Award

Rieko Kodama

Lifetime Achievement Award

Amy Hennig

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/god-of-war-wins-game-of-the-year-at-gdc-awards/1100-6465743/