A few weeks back, the shocking news of the GTA 6 leaks drove me to revisit the incredible city of Los Santos in GTA 5. I thought that my initial opinions of the game would have changed after a decade, but it is still one of the best open-world games out there. The reasons behind my bold statement are left up to you to explore - after all, you have the freedom to play with the sandbox and immerse yourself in the beauty of Los Santos....

Bloomberg reports that Townsend - who also serves as executive vice president of corporate affairs - will step down ahead of Microsoft’s billion pound deal to acquire Activision (if it goes through, of course). Townsend will, however, remain with the company as an advisor to the board and CEO Bobby Kotick, although his future at the company is also in doubt if and when the acquisition goes through. “Fran did a truly exceptional job - actually four jobs - with continuously increasing responsibilities and the most exemplary work ethic,” Kotick told Bloomberg....

ORIGINAL STORY 16/11/22: Fans have already started combing through all the new content coming to Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0 with the arrival of Season One tonight, but one small detail has taken over fan discussion. Some Modern Warfare 2 weapons will be locked behind challenges that can only be completed on other game modes. Most notably, the M13B Assault Rifle is locked behind a challenge in the game’s new DMZ mode which will be releasing alongside Warzone 2....

It’s a limited-time event, so it’s good to know how to unlock Crown Clash rewards - including the Major Mancake skin in Fortnite - as soon as you can, to earn those rewards before the Fall Guys event ends. On this page: How to unlock Crown Clash rewards in Fortnite, Fall Guys, and Rocket League To unlock Crown Clash rewards in Fortnite, Fall Guys, and Rocket League, you only need to play Fall Guys....

Samorost, which originally released in 2003, serves up an engaging, if brisk, blend of point-and-click puzzling and toy-like tinkering as players follow the delightfully surreal interplanetary adventures of an adorable space gnome. Samorost has been free to play via web browser for quite some time, but it’s now available as a free downloadable game on iOS and Android, as well as on PC and Mac via Steam and itch.io - meaning all three currently released Samorost titles (the latter two being more substantial paid offerings) are now accessible on the aforementioned storefronts for your amusement....

The original Tales from the Borderlands (simultaneously both the best Borderlands title and the best Telltale game, and I’ll hear no more about it) charted the genuinely funny - and, by the time it reached its fifth-episode denouement, surprisingly touching - adventures of Hyperion employee Rhys (played by Troy Baker) and Pandoran con-artist Fiona (Laura Bailey) as they attempted to locate and open one of Borderlands’ legendary Vault. With developer Telltale having shut its doors in 2018 - and given the relative commercial failure of the original game - it seemed like a sequel might never come to pass....

Yesterday, Collider published photos taken by a reader from Staten Island in New York. The photos show the exterior set of a Super Duper Mart with some sleek, round-bodied cars ripped straight from the 1950s parked outside, rusted all over. The building itself isn’t doing much better, sporting the grime and abandoned wear you would expect to see roaming around Fallout 4’s post-apocalyptic Boston. A quick search on social media of ‘Fallout Staten Island’ reveals several other users who’ve snapped a shot of the set whilst going about their daily routine....

California was, of course, one of two states included at American Truck Simulator’s launch back in 2016 (the other being Nevada), and has been starting to show in age in recent times, particularly alongside SCS’ increasingly impressive work on newer state expansions. As such, the developer pledged a refresh for the ageing location back in 2020, with the aim of bringing it up to current mapping standards. The first phase of this rework arrived last July, making significant changes to California’s northern road network, adding (and in a few cases, removing) scenery towns, and introducing Border Protection Stations....

“So, today is my last day at BioWare, I’m moving on to do new things,” Warner tweeted on Friday. “BioWare has been home to my grateful heart for nearly ten years and I want to wish them all the best. “[Dragon Age], [Mass Effect], and [Star Wars: The Old Republic] are in good hands and I can’t wait to play from this side of the screen. Thank you, BioWare”. His exit comes just weeks after it was confirmed that development on beleaguered multiplayer shooter’s overhaul - previously known as “Anthem Next” and “Anthem 2....

You’ll need to collect Embers for Prospero in order to get your Legion of Dawn armour if you picked up a special edition for Anthem too, so below we’ll run you through some quick tips on both general Ember Piece locations for finding Embers with relative ease, as well as explaining what exactly Embers do in Anthem, too. On this page: The best way to find Ember Pieces in Anthem so far: It’s early days, but the best way we’ve found to find Ember Pieces so far is to do some good old fashioned exploring, heading out in freeroam mode in search of a harvestable plants, minerals or chests, as it’s those which have a decent chance of giving you an Ember Piece....

Here’s a quick explainer then on how to get Legion of Dawn armour in Anthem once you’ve got going in the game. On this page: To claim the Legion of Dawn armour and items in Anthem, you first need to complete the game’s tutorial missions, and talk to a character named Prospero in the market area of the Fort Tarsis hub. You’ll need to complete a quick mission for him, and then you can claim that armour and any other pre-order bonuses and items for use....

These ultra-rare cosmetics are available both as an unlockable set of three during Collection Events, or as bundles up for purchase on the Heirloom Store. The catch is that outside these specific instances, Heirloom Shards are required to obtain these items, which is a rather elusive currency. If you want for your legend to show off these rare drops in every match, this guide will cover how to obtain Heirloom Shards as well as explaining how Heirlooms work and what exactly you’re obtaining in these sets....

This collection has been available for some time on other platforms, and includes remastered versions of Assassin’s Creed 2, Brotherhood and Revelations, plus all single-player DLC. You also get the Lineage and Embers short films to watch, completing Ezio’s story. It’s worth noting, however, the collection is single-player only - the series’ old multiplayer modes do not make a return. Retail listings for the collection warn players that only Assassin’s Creed 2 is available on the cartridge, with a download up to 35GB for the rest (thanks, Nintendo Life)....

But there are several other story strands you’ll find yourself beginning to explore as you progress - hunting the Cult of Kosmos, defeating mythical creatures, romancing most of the Greek world - which see you trekking further off the beaten track. And beyond that, there are entire islands apparently unconnected to anything else going on filled with weapons, armour, engravings and legendary loot. These areas of Odyssey’s vast Aegean map are simply there to be discovered, with sidequests aplenty to keep that XP ticking up....

Wilkie first stated his intention to introduce the Classication Amendment (Loot Boxes) Bill last year (via Kotaku Australia). Back then, he wanted any games with loot boxes to be given a R18+ rating, and a new “advisory” classification to highlight their presence. The bill was filed yesterday by Wilkie, and the details of it can be viewed on the Australian government’s website. In the bill’s first draft, Wilkie calls for any game with loot boxes to require a R18+ or RC (refused classification) label, restricting sales, purchases, and viewing to consumers aged 18 and over....

In a statement, developer Turtle Rock said it needs more time to make the co-op shooter “the best it can possibly be at launch”. Turtle Rock added there will be an open beta this summer. “Back 4 Blood is everything I’d want from a new Left 4 Dead,” wrote our Martin in his hands-on Back 4 Blood preview. Turtle Rock is the team behind Left 4 Dead and Evolve. Back 4 Blood returns to the Left 4 Dead concept, where you and three friends fight against seemingly endless hordes of undead....

With nine traditionally sprawling maps available from launch, alongside an all-new Operations mode which composes them into something of a thematic, roughly historical and almost story-driven series of games, Battlefield 1’s maps take one of their most prominent roles to date. Here, we’ll be taking you through everything you need to know about each map, including vehicles, terrain features, and some of our own tips for mastering them in multiplayer....

The role has instead gone to Jennifer Hale, who has voiced characters such as Commander Shephard in Mass Effect and Naomi Hunter in the Metal Gear Solid series, to name but a few. In an interview with Game Informer, which features Bayonetta 3 as its cover this issue, director Yusuke Miyata explained that “overlapping circumstances” meant that Taylor was unable to reprise her role as Bayonetta. As such, Hale stepped in to take the place of the series’ title role, with Miyata stating he felt she was a “good match for the character” (thanks, Nintendo Everything)....

The Oregon-based studio - which worked on the likes of Syphon Filter, Resistance: Retribution, and Uncharted: Golden Abyss, and was acquired by Sony in 2000 - shared word on its latest venture in a PlayStation Blog post unveiling its new logo. Bend’s new logo, designed to represent an “abstract and modern interpretation of the studio’s history, location, and lifestyle”, is accompanied by a closer look at the developer’s output over the last 29 years, culminating with a tease of its future....

We’ve gone with seven battle-tested recommendations, and we’ll continue to add and update these picks over the coming months as new models pass over our desk. As well as making recommendations, we’ll also look at the more basic principles of mouse pad design and explain what options are out there by answering some frequently asked questions and laying out the most common terms in a glossary. Let’s get started with some great entry-level options, before we move onto more specialist examples....