Category: Gamespot

Super Mario Odyssey is a huge, wonderfully designed game brimming with personality. Although it doesn’t specifically impact gameplay (for the most part), one new thing it introduces is the ability to dress Mario up in a wide variety of costumes. These range from his wedding outfit to Waluigi’s overalls and many others.

Amiibo figures play a part in accessing these costumes, as you can scan select ones to unlock a corresponding outfit in-game. They can also provide various bonuses, such as extra hearts and–in the case of Mario’s Amiibo figures–invincibility for 30 seconds. In the video above, we provide a full rundown on what you can get. Be aware that the costumes thankfully aren’t exclusive to Amiibo figures–you can unlock everything in-game without owning any.

To scan in an Amiibo you own, you have to speak with the appropriately named Uncle Amiibo. He’s the Roomba-looking robot who can typically be found near your ship after completing a kingdom. Speaking with him brings you to a menu where you can scan in your figures–just hold one over the reader on the right Joy-Con (or the middle of the Pro Controller) to do so.

Super Mario Odyssey is out now on Nintendo Switch. It earned a rare 10/10 in our Super Mario Odyssey review, and if you’re just getting started we have 10 essential tips as well as six things we wish we knew before starting Odyssey.

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GameSpot News with Jess McDonell and Dan Crowd brings you the video game news that matters. Except when Chastity Vicencio and Kallie Plagge are filling in, when they also give you the news that matters, just in a different accent. Here are the top five stories from the week that was:

Metal Gear Survive Requires An Internet Connection

It appears that Metal Gear Survive will be always-online. People on NeoGAF discovered that a page on the game’s website contains the important disclaimer that “an internet connection is required to play the game,” even though the spin-off’s main modes are single-player and co-op. We’ll have to wait a bit to know for sure, though; the game is set to release on February 20 in the US and February 22 in Europe.

• Metal Gear Survive Requires An Internet Connection

GTA 5 Story DLC Expansions Won’t Happen And Here’s Why

Rockstar Games never promised it would release single-player expansions for Grand Theft Auto V, but some fans hoped the developer would. Rockstar has instead focused on updates for GTA Online, which have been plentiful and substantial. Design director Imran Sarwar has explained, “We did not feel single-player expansions were either possible or necessary, but we may well do them for future projects.”

• GTA 5 Story DLC Expansions Won’t Happen And Here’s Why

PUBG Physical Release Confirmed for Xbox One

Even though it’s still in Early Access, smash hit PUBG is coming to Xbox One, complete with a disc release. Microsoft is also reportedly working to keep the game an Xbox One exclusive for longer, attempting to delay PUBG’s possible release on PlayStation 4 or other consoles. Since the popular battle royale game has surpassed 2 million concurrents on Steam, we’re interested to see how it does on Xbox.

• PUBG Physical Release Confirmed for Xbox One

Xbox One’s First Original Xbox Backwards Compatible Games Now Available

A total of 13 games for the original Xbox can now be played on Xbox One. This includes some of the platform’s best games, such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Ninja Gaiden Black. More will be coming in Spring 2018, which means plenty of time to play KotOR.

• Xbox One’s First Original Xbox Backwards Compatible Games Now Available

Microsoft Finally Kills Off Xbox One’s Kinect

Microsoft’s Kinect sensor, which sold millions across its Xbox 360 and Xbox One iterations but was often criticized, is officially dead. The company has revealed that it has put an end to manufacturing of the device, meaning the ones still on store shelves will be the last ones available. (Check out the video for a surprise guest.)

• Microsoft Finally Kills Off Xbox One’s Kinect

Jess and Dan will be back on Monday to catch you up on all the video game news you missed out on over the weekend. Let us know in the comments what big games you’ll be playing in the meantime!

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[UPDATE] The full Clueless Gamer segment is now available; check it out below.

The original story is below.

Conan O’Brien’s “Clueless Gamer” segment–where the late night host plays video games he knows nothing about–began as a joke, but now it’s a really big deal. The latest episode will be for Assassin’s Creed: Origins, and now you can watch a sneak peek. Published to the Team Coco YouTube channel, the video sees the TV host and comedian playing Origins alongside NFL QB Aaron Rodgers, whose season with the Green Bay Packers unfortunately may be over due to his broken collarbone.

Rodgers’ injury required surgery that put 13 screws into his collarbone. You guessed it, that’s where O’Brien started with his jokes. The rest of the segment shows O’Brien hunting down hippos and riding a chariot through the city. He experiences a technical issue at one point that causes his horse to tweak out pretty significantly. In our Assassin’s Creed Origins review, we noted that Origins–like the previous Assassin’s Creed games–suffers from widespread technical issues.

The full video should be online later this week. We’ll circle back and post it here when it’s out. It’s not the first Clueless Gamer segment to feature a big-name NFL player, as O’Brien has in the past shot videos with people like Tom Brady, Marshawn Lynch, and Rob Gronkowski.

This video is actually making news in the football media world, as it was the first time that Rodgers revealed the extent of his surgery and how many screws he needed. He told ESPN that he might have been exaggerating. Or not. “It’s TV. Sometimes you exaggerate. And then sometimes, you tell the truth,” he said.

Whatever the case, Rodgers may be done for the season. Right now, he’s spending time in Los Angeles with his feet in the sand and reading Into the Wild.

GameSpot’s Assassin’s Creed Origins review scored the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC game a 7/10. “While Assassin’s Creed Origins reaches great heights in this new setting, it routinely runs into issues that bog down the overall experience,” reviewer Alessandro Fillari said. “Technical issues make for an inconsistent experience and its new gameplay pillars wobble under the weight of its systems. But despite this, the world of Origins remains fresh and exciting to explore, which is a testament to the remarkable setting and compelling story. Assassin’s Creed has undergone many changes in its long and storied history, and Origins feels like the first step in the start of a new journey. It has its fair share of problems, but the vision for its future is one worth pursuing.”

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GameSpot Theatre returns to PAX Australia this year, and we’re hosting a bunch of great panels featuring the GameSpot Australia team–Jess McDonell, Dan Crowd, Eddie Makuch, and Edmond Tran–as well as our friends from all over the video game industry, including developers from the likes of Sonic Mania, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Netherealm Studios, and Square-Enix Montreal and so much more! My gosh!

If you’re in Melbourne, come visit us! The theatre is located by the main entrance on Level 1, next to the Take This AFK Room. If you’re not lucky enough to be at PAX Aus in person, you can watch all the action via livestream on this page as it happens, and check out the full schedule here.

Coming Up:

Saturday, October 28 (All Times Are AEST)

10:30 AM – Game Journos Read Mean Comments (And Talk About Dealing With Online Abuse)

If you want to watch games journalists read out mean comments internet strangers have written to them, you’ve come to the right place! Stick around for a few laughs and find out what it’s actually like to deal with internet insults on a daily basis.

PANELISTS: Jess McDonell [Video Host, GameSpot], Dan Crowd [Video Producer, GameSpot], Eddie Makuch [Associate Editor, GameSpot], Lucy O’Brien [Games & Entertainment Editor, IGN], Joab Gilroy [Esports Editor, Red Bull]

12:00 PM – A Dummy’s Guide to Watching Esports

Have you just started watching esports and have no idea what’s going on? Our panelists are here to help you learn to appreciate a variety of different games and genres! From Overwatch to StarCraft, SMITE to Street Fighter, you’ll learn how to get the most out of spectating so you can cheer at the right times and learn something in the process.

PANELISTS: Dan Crowd [Video Producer, GameSpot], Daniel “dethSC” Haynes [Commentator, StarCraft], Alexander “HughZ” Hughes [Commentator, SMITE], Kevin “Burnout” Kim [Community Manager, Xsplit & Street Fighter Commentator, CouchWarriors], Stacia Grooby [Community Manager, Gfinity]

1:30 PM – Fakin’ It: Game Reviews

Four professional game reviewers attempt to defend utterly rubbish games, and here’s the twist: one of the panelists actually likes each of the games. Can you pick which panelist likes which awful game? 1/10 games, 10/10 hilarity.

PANELISTS: Nic Healey [Breakfast Host, 2SER 107.3FM], Lucy O’Brien [Games & Entertainment Editor, IGN], Joab Gilroy [Esports Editor, Red Bull], Edmond Tran [Editor, GameSpot]

3:00 PM – World of Tanks: Staying Strong for Seven Years and Beyond

With annual gaming franchises the norm, how do you keep the momentum behind a game for more than seven years? Join the global Wargaming team as they discuss the journey they’ve been on with the hugely successful World of Tanks franchise, how the game has evolved since it was released, and what’s next for Aussie fans.

4:30 PM – Stationeers: Blending the Survival and Simulator Genres

Dean Hall (DayZ) and RocketWerkz Developers discuss the progress of Stationeers, their upcoming multiplayer space station construction & simulation game. The panel includes an exclusive reveal of Motherships, a significant development milestone for the science systems-based game, as well as Q&A from the audience.

5:30 PM – Blast from the Past: How Yesterday’s Heroes Became Today’s Icons

As video games come of the age that allow us to talk about the “good old days”, we look at how the games and characters that entertained and inspired us in our youth are making a comeback! Sonic, Crash Bandicoot and of course our favourtie Italian Plumber, Mario. What makes these characters so timeless? What makes them appealing to the new generations of gamers? And what characters do our panelist want to see make a return to our consoles?

PANELISTS: Nic Healey [Breakfast Host, 2SER 107.3FM], Eddie Makuch [Associate Editor, GameSpot], Alex Boz [Co-Founder, Editor-In-Chief, Ausretrogamer], Skye Hall [Contributor, Weird and Retro], Christian Whitehead [Developer, Sonic Mania]

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PUBG launched on Steam Early Access back in March and quickly became one of the biggest games on the planet. In its unfinished state, the $30 Hunger Games-like shooter sold more than 13 million copies and it continues to grow. With an Xbox One version coming later this year, sales stand to climb higher still. The game’s enormous success has surely personally benefited creator Brendan Greene AKA Playerunknown. He is now financially secure, but he is not spending money on extravagant things like cars or a mansion. Greene told GameSpot at PAX Aus today that his life “hasn’t changed.”

The big difference is that Greene “live[s] in hotels now,” as he travels the world to promote PUBG. For instance, Greene was in California for TwitchCon just days ago before flying to Melbourne this week for PAX Aus. His day-to-day life, however, is still largely the same, outside of buying nice sunglasses and wine from time to time.

“I’m comfortable now in that I don’t have to worry about where my next meal is coming from, which is nice,” Greene said. “My daughter doesn’t need to worry now. I can provide for her. Day to day, my life hasn’t changed much. I wear the same clothes. I don’t go out and splurge on stuff. I do have a nice collection of Prada sunglasses. Apart from that, I don’t splurge on myself. I might get a bottle of wine now and again that’s nice. Apart from that my life hasn’t changed. I travel a lot more and that’s it, really.”

It’s not just PUBG that Greene has made money from. The game H1Z1 licensed Greene’s Battle Royale mode, which represents another source of income for Greene.

Also in our interview, Greene said he is fortunate to have a great team around him that he can trust. While he is not very involved in the game’s development on a day-to-day basis anymore, he still has the title of creative director and continues to make key decisions about the future of the game.

“I am lucky that I have such a great team. I know the people involved. They are just such smart people that it’ll be incredibly hard for us to f**k this up. It makes me relax. I know the plan we have,” Greene explained.

He also spoke generally about the response to PUBG. Greene said Bluehole never anticipated the game would ever get as big as it is. “We’ve been left speechless,” he explained. The game’s concurrent user (CCU) numbers have exploded, recently surpassing 2 million on Steam, outpacing Valve games CS: GO and Dota 2–and all others–by a huge margin.

“When we broke a million; that was kind of like, ‘What the f**k,’” Greene said. “We thought H1Z1 was our obvious competitor. We were thinking 100-150k would be a good CCU to be at. And then we flew past them, [and then CS GO] and then we flew by [DOTA 2] and it was like, ‘What the f**k.’ “We just want to make a good game.”

PUBG’s massive and rapid success has affected the development of PUBG. As with basically all big games, there will be a group of players who do not enjoy the changes that a developer makes, and PUBG is no different.

“Because of our player numbers, a lot of things are harder to do now,” Greene said. “You have to worry about this larger player base. If we were still 10-15k they would forgive you more than 2 million people. It’s been a challenge.”

For more on PUBG, check out GameSpot’s recent stories below.

• PUBG Creator Confirms No Single-Player, Wants PC/Xbox One Cross-Play
• PUBG’s Vaulting Will Change The Game “Severely,” Creator Says

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During a Reddit AMA earlier this year, PUBG creator Brendan Greene AKA Playerunknown said he wanted to explore the idea of a single-player campaign for the uber-popular game. This led to a lot of headlines. But now, Greene wants players to know that if a single-player campaign does ever happen, it wont be for a very long time.

This came up again at PAX Aus today when Greene said the world of PUBG has lore behind it. Greene told GameSpot that he did write some backstory for PUBG’s island, but it was only to give the artists a reference point to make a more believable, authentic environment. It’s exciting to think about what this lore might be, and a single-player campaign would seem to be a cool way to explore this. But it’s not happening…yet.

“Because of the lore of the island, there was an idea that I had for what I thought would be a pretty cool single-player [mode],” he said. “And even co-op single-player campaign. We have no resources. We have no time. We have no plans to add anything like this to the game. No, no single-player is coming to Battlegrounds.”

It may not be this way forever, though, as Greene said he would like to explore PUBG’s lore “maybe some day,” though it remains to be seen if that would be through a campaign or something else.

Also in our interview, Greene said he wants to bring cross-play support to PUBG. The game is currently available on PC in Early Access and will come to Xbox One‘s Game Preview program later this year. “Because the experience is going to be the same on both platforms, we really want these players to play together, ” Greene said. “How we do that fairly is another question.”

“It’s something we’re looking into, but right now we don’t have anything to say about it. But we would like to see it happen. But how we do that requires a bit of work.”

Our interview with Greene covered many other PUBG topics like the upcoming Xbox One edition, responding to player feedback, the game’s meteoric rise, how Greene’s life has changed as a result of the game’s success, and a lot more. Keep checking back with GameSpot for more in the days ahead.

In other news, vaulting and climbing systems are coming to PUBG next week on the game’s test servers. According to Greene, these systems, which were not planned from the onset, could “severely” change the game.

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It’s a huge week for game releases, with Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus and Super Mario Odyssey launching at the same time. Of course, there’s also Assassin’s Creed Origins, and reviews for Ubisoft’s newest entry in the series have started to appear online.

In GameSpot’s Assassin’s Creed Origins review, Alessandro Fillari awarded it a 7/10, describing its depiction of Egypt as “a beautifully realized setting, showing off distinct cultures and activity.” However, he also noted that “persistent technical issues” and “awkward, clumsy combat and stealth systems” let it down.

We’ve collected a variety of other reviews and put them. Take a look and you’ll get a broader sense of how it is being received, and for more a much wider look at what critics have to say, be sure to check out GameSpot sister site Metacritic.

• Game: Assassin’s Creed Origins
• Developers: Ubisoft
• Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
• Release date: October 27
• Price: $60 / £49.99

GameSpot — 7/10

“While Assassin’s Creed Origins reaches great heights in this new setting, it routinely runs into issues that bog down the overall experience. Technical issues make for an inconsistent experience and its new gameplay pillars wobble under the weight of its systems. But despite this, the world of Origins remains fresh and exciting to explore, which is a testament to the remarkable setting and compelling story. Assassin’s Creed has undergone many changes in its long and storied history, and Origins feels like the first step in the start of a new journey. It has its fair share of problems, but the vision for its future is one worth pursuing.” — Alessandro Fillari [Full review]

IGN — 9.0

“Assassin’s Creed Origins is a deep-dive into a truly stunning realization of ancient Egypt, with a rich series of cultures, genuine characters, and more mission variety than any other game in the series. The combat is challenging and thoughtful, and while the loot system doesn’t match up to games like Destiny 2, there are enough different weapon types and enough enemy variety to keep you swapping between weapons, catered to the situation. The RPG elements encourage challenges of their own, and even despite a handful of bugs, I desperately wanted to keep playing.” — Alanah Pearce [Full review]

Polygon — 8.5

“In essence, Assassin’s Creed Origins is much the same game as the original Assassin’s Creed, which came out a decade ago. It’s a formula that people like to play, and it’s certainly been honed and improved over the years. Origins is, then, undoubtedly the best iteration of this formula yet. But I yearn for a fresh approach and new ideas, something that astounds the senses as much as the wondrous world this game inhabits.” — Colin Campbell [Full review]

Game Informer — 8.5

“Origins doesn’t completely rebuild Assassin’s Creed, but makes a number of smart, significant changes to a formula that, despite yearly updates, was showing its age. The increased freedom in how you approach targets, the more active combat, and alluring world not only make exploring Egypt a rewarding experience, but also offer a strong direction for the series going forward while still remembering what made it unique in the first place.” — Suriel Vazquez [Full review]

GamesRadar+ — 5/5

“Everything is present and correct and the campaign conclusion will send Assassin’s Creed lore fans suitably giddy while simultaneously teasing a new era of Creed for the years ahead. Confident, exhilarating and utterly deadly, Assassin’s Creed Origins is now, finally, the one to beat.” — Louise Blain [Full review]

Eurogamer — Recommended

“Last night I moved in on the final boss fight. Then, I moved past the final boss fight and into the most bizarre endgame I can imagine in a big budget affair. And it was bizarre because of the scale Ubisoft was willing to reach for, even now, the places it was willing to take me, even at the end of an adventure, and its sheer unwillingness to stop making improbably lavish new stuff. As dawn rose, I wondered whether this would ever end, and I realised that I didn’t really want it to. Assassin’s Creed remains a wonderfully foolhardy game in terms of its ambition and its generosity, even if it it is no longer quite as distinct as it once was.” — Christian Donlan [Full review]

USGamer — 4/5

“Assassin’s Creed Origins is continued improvement for the series. Unity was a misstep, but Syndicate recovered from that and Origins stands as an improvement. There are still a few issues here and there: combat is better, but could stand for some tightening and assassination needs a dedicated, consistent button. But overall, this is a very good game and stands near the top of the series. Bayek’s story is an excellent one and as a soft reboot for the franchise, Origins does its job. I’m looking forward to seeing where they go from here.” — Mike Williams [Full review]

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Ubisoft’s new Assassin’s Creed game, Assassin’s Creed Origins, makes its long-awaited debut in one more day. The series returns after taking a year off following 2015’s Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, and Ubisoft has sought to revamp the franchise in some notable ways.

Unlike previous Assassin’s Creed titles, Origins takes place in Ancient Egypt, where players assume the role of the last Medjay, Bayek, and learn about the origins of the Assassin order. It also features a number of new features and mechanics to go along with the setting, like the ability to ride camels and slide down pyramids.

The setting isn’t the only thing that’s different about Origins, however. The game makes a number of major changes to the series, from its revamped combat system to its beginner-friendly story, which makes it a great starting point for those who may not have played an Assassin’s Creed game before. In the video above, we explore the five biggest changes in Assassin’s Creed Origins.

Assassin’s Creed Origins launches for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on October 27. GameSpot awarded the title a 7/10 in our Assassin’s Creed Origins review. Critic Alessandro Fillari praised the game’s world and story, but he also said it “routinely runs into issues that bog down the overall experience.” For more about the title, be sure to check out our roundup of everything you need to know about Assassin’s Creed Origins before its release.

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