We’re barely one month into 2022, and the gaming industry’s shake-ups have been severe. Microsoft and Sony are snapping up studios left and right. And only a scant few weeks after Microsoft announced its acquisition of Activision Blizzard–creator of one of the biggest gaming franchises in the world, Call of Duty–Sony announced that it’s bringing Bungie into the fold.

It’s hard to keep track of the numerous acquisitions and announcements from Sony in the past year, so we’ve put together a comprehensive picture of what Sony’s business looks like at this moment.

Rapid studio acquisitions in 2021

Prior to 2020, Sony picked up studios at a slower pace than Microsoft. But in late 2020, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan dropped hints that Sony would be looking to acquire more studios–a tease the company has made good on. Housemarque (Returnal), Bluepoint Games (Demon’s Souls remake), Firesprite (The Playroom), Nixxies, and co-development studio Valkyrie all joined Sony in 2021.

It’s quite the variety of studios, and not all are household names. Nixxies specializes in PC ports, Valkyrie has co-developed quite a few games across different platforms, and Bluepoint Games specializes in remasters (although it will initially develop an original game).

Now with Bungie, Sony has made its first acquisition of 2022. It’s not looking like it’ll be the last one, either. According to Gamesindustry.biz’s Christopher Dring, Sony is looking to buy more studios following Bungie.

Sony’s First-Party Studios

Bend Studio (Days Gone)Bungie (Destiny 2)Bluepoint Games (Demon’s Souls Remake)Firesprite (The Playroom)Guerrilla Games (Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West)Housemarque (Returnal)Insomniac Games (Ratchet & Clank series, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales)Media Molecule (LittleBigPlanet)Naughty Dog (Uncharted, The Last of Us , The Last of Us Part II)Nixxies Software (known for PC ports)Pixelopus (Concrete Genie)Polyphony Digital (Gran Turismo)Sucker Punch Productions (Ghost of Tsushima)Team Asobi (Astro’s Playroom)Valkyrie Entertainment (God of War’s co-dev; known for co-developing games)xDev (Sackboy: A Big Adventure’s co-dev; known for co-developing games)San Diego Studio (MLB The Show)Santa Monica Studio (God of War)

First-Party Titles And Future Releases

Sony’s first-party titles also received much acclaim and praise in the last couple years. That’s been the company’s long-term strategy–developing critical darlings and releasing them at a slower pace–so far, in contrast to Microsoft’s approach of acquiring more titles in order to beef up Xbox Game Pass.

That’s the key–so far. With the number of acquisitions made in 2021 and Bungie coming under Sony’s banner, it’s likely Sony is changing track to proactive procurement of studios–which means we can expect more first-party titles.

The Last of Us Part II (2020), Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020), Ghost of Tsushima (2020), and Horizon Zero Dawn (2017) can be counted among Sony’s recent first-party hits. Upcoming releases include Horizon Forbidden West and Gran Turismo 7. See below for a list of future titles.

PlayStation’s Future First-Party Releases (Confirmed Dates)

Horizon Forbidden West–February 18, 2022Destiny 2: The Witch Queen–February 22, 2022Gran Turismo 7–March 4, 2022Marvel’s Spider-Man 2–2023MLB The Show 22–April 5, 2022

PlayStation’s Future First-Party Releases (In-progress/Release Date TBA)

Bend Studio’s (Days Gone Dev) unnamed new IPBungie’s non-Destiny unnamed new IPInsomniac Games’ Marvel’s Wolverine Media Molecule’s Tren Naughty Dog’s unnamed standalone multiplayer

Subscription Wars

Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft’s subscription service, poses a form of competition to Sony that PS Now and PS Plus don’t address. For $10 a month (at the lowest tier) and offering many popular first-day releases (third-party games like Back 4 Blood and Rainbow Six Extraction, and all first-party games like Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5), Game Pass is undoubtedly the best gaming subscription service on the market right now.

Sony plans to compete with Game Pass by revamping PS Now and Plus into a combined subscription service codenamed Spartacus, according to a Bloomberg report. The subscription service’s target launch date is Spring 2022, but very little is known about it currently.

Regarding first-party releases, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan said in a 2020 GamesIndustry.biz interview, “We are not going to go down the road of putting new release titles into a subscription model. These games cost many millions of dollars, well over $100 million, to develop. We just don’t see that as sustainable.”

Whether this plan will change in the future for Spartacus remains to be seen, but continued acquisitions could be a path to bolstering its hypothetical library and expanding its live-service footprint and transmedia efforts.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

It’s been a big month for acquisitions, and another one has just been announced. The New York Times has bought Wordle, the viral daily word game. Creator Josh Wardle says he is working with the Times to move the game over to the NYT site, where it will remain free “initially,” with your current win streaks and other records intact.

This story is developing…

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

In Netmarble’s mobile action RPG Marvel Future Revolution, just after the tutorial, you’re given a choice: Eight of Marvel’s most famous heroes are yours to control, but it’s up to you to choose. One of these heroes you’re going to choose as a main character, while three more can fill free character slots to alternate with your main whenever you like. It’s a tough call, narrowing the eight down to four and then eventually one, so let’s lay out what makes each character unique and choose the best squad for brand new Marvel Future Revolution players.

Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow.

Black Widow

Black Widow is as straightforward a character as you could ask for in Marvel Future Rev, focused entirely on damaging single targets. She’s not going to be healing teammates or called in for support often, she is there to kick butt and take names, that’s it. As you build her, she will add some area-of-effect tools to her arsenal, giving her some abilities in crowds, but the majority of her play time will be focusing on taking down one enemy at a time as quickly as possible. If you’re the kind of player who loves rushing into battle head-first, Natasha Romanoff here should be your pick.

Build Recommendations:

CostumeMidgardia Two pieces increases attack by 5.7%Three pieces increase critical damage by 34.7%Four pieces increases Firearm Expert skill class by 6SpecializationsCustom AttacksSingle target damage increased by 21%Fatal StrikeCritical damage with firearms increases by 50%Receiving IntelDamage dealt to enemies with less than 50% health increased by 25%SubdueDamage to immobile/debuffed targets increased by 30%SkillsExplosives Expert – High Explosive GrenadeGrenade that deals 106% Flame damage and sends enemies into the air Cooldown: 12.2 secondsRequired Stamina: 12Effect: Knock down and Burn (damage taken increased by 20% for 6 seconds) affected enemiesGuard Break: LowFirearm Expert – Sniper ShotSnipes the enemy for 587% damage Cooldown: 20.6 secondsRequired Stamina: 37Effect: NoneGuard Break: LowMaster Spy – Launch StrikeApproach an enemy quickly, then launch them into midair Cooldown: 8.6 secondsRequired Stamina: 12Effect: Knocks down affected enemiesGuard Break: HighWidow’s Wire – Taser NetShoots an electric net dealing 109% Shock damage, trapping enemy Cooldown: 9.6 secondsRequired Stamina: 13Effect: Shock (25% decreased attack for 6 seconds) and Snare (immobile for 5 seconds) affected enemiesGuard Break: LowestSteve Rogers, Captain America.

Captain America

Much like the M4 Sherman in World War II, Marvel Future Revolution’s version of Steve Rogers is an American tank. An already high defensive base stat can be further buffed to make him one of the most stalwart characters in the game, while also boosting his attack power in the process. Throw Cap out in front of a group of enemies and watch him absorb damage like a sponge while shield-bashing his way to a quick win.

Build Recommendations:

CostumeSecret Wars Two pieces increases defense by 5.7%Three pieces increase HP by 8.7%Four pieces increases Captain’s Leadership skill class by 6SpecializationsBattle PreparationWhenever Captain America uses a health-restoring item, defense is increased by 20%PassionEvery successful attack also heals Captain America 3% of damage dealtUnyielding WillAutomatically regains 37.5% of total health when health falls below 30%Vanguard20% of Captain America’s Defense is converted to AttackSkillsCaptain’s Leadership – Captain’s PatienceCreates a barrier with durability equal to 18% of Captain America’s max HP Cooldown: 40.1 secondsRequired Stamina: 27Effect: NoneGuard Break: N/AHero’s Duty – Mighty ComboA multiple-hit combo totaling 668% damage Cooldown: 19.1 secondsRequired Stamina: 36Effect: NoneGuard Break: MediumSentinel of Liberty – IndomitabilitySpins at a high speed dealing 324%-834% damage Cooldown: 35.3 secondsRequired Stamina: 35Effect: Vibranium Release (30% more damage when using the Vibranium meter), knocks down affected enemiesGuard Break: HighSpearhead – Lead The ChargeDashes at enemies with shield raised, dealing 174% damage Cooldown: 6.7 secondsRequired Stamina: 13Effect: Knocks back affected enemiesGuard Break: MediumCarol Danvers, Captain Marvel.

Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel is a textbook “glass cannon,” or a character that can deal tremendous amounts of damage but can’t withstand a lot of damage herself. Luckily her best skills are ranged attacks, so there’s no need for her to swoop in and take on enemies face-to-face. Keep her at arm’s reach, fire off her many energy attacks, and be in awe as chunks of HP simply disappear from enemy life bars.

Build Recommendations:

CostumeCarol Corps Two pieces increases attack by 5.7%Three pieces increase critical hit rate by 11.6%Four pieces increases Energy Impact skill class by 6SpecializationsBattle AwakeningWhen Captain Marvel’s health is critical, she receives 2 seconds of invincibility and restores 35% of her healthEnergy EnhancementAttack power increases 20% when a battle lasts longer than 6 secondsPhoton AccelerationAttack is increased 15% when flying. Defense is increased 15% when groundedShield NeutralizationAll Cosmic Energy Class skills have increased Guard damageSkillsPhoton Blast – Photon FocusFocused photon beam that deals up to 1,544% damage to a single target Cooldown: 32.3 secondsRequired Stamina: 52Effect: NoneGuard Break: LowPhoton Buster – Focal Energy ShotFires energy spheres at a single target for up to 444% Cooldown: 13.7 secondsRequired Stamina: 24Effect: NoneGuard Break: LowPhoton Charge – Blast ConeShoots a linear area-of-effect cone that deals up to 146% damage to multiple enemies. Energy explosion after original attack deals additional damage. Cooldown: 14.7 secondsRequired Stamina: 17Effect: Explosion after original attack increases damage dealt to affected enemies by 15% for 5 seconds.Guard Break: LowPhoton Energy – Photon OverflowShoots energy blasts into the air, creating a wide area-of-effect energy shower dealing up to 455% damage Cooldown: 17.0 secondsRequired Stamina: 33Effect: NoneGuard Break: LowThe Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Stephen Strange.

Doctor Strange

The Sorcerer Supreme, as one might assume, will not be dealing out buckets of damage during a battle. He has plenty of powerful offensive abilities, of course, but supporting the rest of the team is where Doctor Strange shines. Use his strong buffing and debuffing abilities to enhance the rest of your team while turning even the mightiest enemy into a cardboard cutout.

Build Recommendations:

CostumeSakaar Two pieces increases attack by 5.7%Three pieces increase health by 8.7%Four pieces increases Touch of the Vishanti skill class by 6SpecializationsShifting SandsAll enemy debuffs have 30% increased durationSpirit of LightWhen three Touch of the Vishanti class skills are equipped, debuffs received have 37.5% decreased durationWill of the DestroyerAttack is increased by 25%, while skill cooldowns are decreased by 15%Wind of TruthWhen one Touch of the Vishanti class skill is equipped, Ultimate Skill Gauge recovery is boosted 25%SkillsAstral Projection – Astral WalkDoctor Strange becomes ethereal, floating through enemies and dealing 142% damage in a linear area Cooldown: 11.9 secondsRequired Stamina: 15Effect: All affected enemies have damage dealt to them increased by 15% for 5 secondsGuard Break: MediumBook of the Vishanti – Lesson of WisdomCasts a spell that decreases allies’ skill cooldown by 15% for 10 seconds Cooldown: 40.2 secondsRequired Stamina: 21Effect: NoneGuard Break: NoneEye of Agamotto – Tranquil GuardianCasts a spell that makes nearby enemies float in mid-air, removes all debuffs from the entire party, and makes the party immune to debuffs for 10 seconds Cooldown: 25.1 secondsRequired Stamina: 27Effect: NoneGuard Break: NoneMirror Dimension – Shield of MirageCreates a small Mirror Dimension around allies, recovering all allies’ Guard gauges by 20% and decreasing Guard damage received by 20% for 10 seconds Cooldown: 25.2 secondsRequired Stamina: 23Effect: NoneGuard Break: NoneTony Stark, Iron Man.

Iron Man

Tony Stark is the Iron Man-of-all-trades in Marvel Future Revolution, performing moderately well in every area but has no standout attributes. Unless you’re dedicated to Stark Industries, he’s the kind of character that you’d use to learn about the game, and then eventually move away from once you realize what kind of player you want to be. That said, there is a lot to like in Iron Man’s kit, should you decide to stick with him.

Build Recommendations:

CostumeMark 1 Two pieces increases attack by 5.7%Three pieces increase critical hit rate by 11.6%Four pieces increases Artificial Intelligence skill class by 6SpecializationsAlgorithm ImprovementDecreases a J.A.R.V.I.S Class skill cooldown by 25% for 10 secondsAnti-Armor BulletIron Man’s Armor Penetration stat increases by 30% when attacking an enemy with less than 50% healthArtificial AnalysisDamage to Super Villains increased by 30% for 8 seconds after using a Weapon Cartridge Class skillRepulsor AmplificationSkill damage is increased 6% for every Repulsor Class skill equippedSkillsArtificial Intelligence – Weakness ScanAttack that deals 73% damage while pushing back enemies. Cooldown: 27.8 secondsRequired Stamina: 10Effect: Increases Attack for 10 secondsGuard Break: N/AExtra Firepower – Incendiary BombDodges out of harm’s way, then launches an explosive that deals 145% Flame damage Cooldown: 16.7 secondsRequired Stamina: 22Effect: Inflicts Burn (damage taken increased by 20% for 6 seconds) on affected enemiesGuard Break: HighMicromissiles – EMP ShotA electromagnetic pulse that deals 198% damage Cooldown: 13.8 secondsRequired Stamina: 23Effect: Removes buffs from and decreases movement speed of all affected enemiesGuard Break: HighTactical Satellite – Party Time ProtocolCharges at an enemy for 330% damage while summoning two suits to aid the party Cooldown: 40.3 secondsRequired Stamina: 31Effect: Knocks down all affected enemies. Summoned Iron Man suits last for 15 seconds and attack at 18% of Iron Man’s Attack stat.Guard Break: LowPeter Parker, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

Spider-Man

While other heroes on the team are suited for inflicting huge damage, Spider-Man’s approach is a bit different. While his focus is on damaging enemies, the webslinger is much better at inflicting sustained, continuous damage thanks to high agility stats. To use a boxing analogy, rather than knock out a bad guy with a huge haymaker, Spidey here is going to jab and jab and jab until he wins the battle.

Build Recommendations:

CostumeSpider-Man Noir Two pieces increases attack by 5.7%Three pieces increase dodge rate by 11.6%Four pieces increases Web Shooter Mastery skill class by 6SpecializationsElectro’s Agility40% of Spider-Man’s dodge rate converts into damage dealtGreen Goblin’s MadnessTotal damage increased by 28.5, but Defense is lowered by 18.8%Transcended SenseMax dodge rate increased by 15%Web Cartridge – CorrosionEnemies receive 40% more damage while cocoonedSkillsSpider-Bot Swarm – Spider-Bot ShooterMultiple Spider-Bots are summoned, which shoot Web Shots that damage enemies and interrupt attacks. Cooldown: 26.5 secondsRequired Stamina: 15Effect: Summoned Spider-Bots last for 10 seconds and attack at 18% of Spider-Man’s Attack stat. Web Shots stack Web* on damaged enemiesGuard Break: N/ASpider-Wrap – Web CollapseShoots webs at a single enemy for 138% damage, then pulls nearby enemies to the damaged foe Cooldown: 10.7 secondsRequired Stamina: 16Effect: Knocks down affected enemy on hitGuard Break: HighWeb Craft – Web GripSpider-Man creates massive hands with his web, then swings them around for 223% damage. Cooldown: 15.9 secondsRequired Stamina: 21Effect: Knocks down and stuns affected enemies for 3 seconds. Stacks Web* on affected enemiesGuard Break: N/AWeb Shooter Mastery – Focused Web-WrapA focused web shot deals 569% damage and interrupts enemy attacks. Cooldown: 23.3 secondsRequired Stamina: 33Effect: Stacks Web* on affected enemiesGuard Break: Low

*When an enemy’s max Web stacks are reached, that enemy is cocooned and loses 30% movement speed and 15% accuracy for 7 seconds.

Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, the leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Star-Lord

Star-Lord in the comics and movies is a brash, overconfident hero that annoys his enemies as much as he hurts them. Here in Marvel Future Revolution his skill set matches that persona, with abilities that inflict damage-increasing statuses on enemies rather than just inflicting damage. Keep your Star-Lord in the back of each battle, offering help to the other members of the team like a true Guardian of the Galaxy.

Build Recommendations:

CostumeSecret Wars Two pieces increases attack by 5.7%Three pieces increase critical hit rate by 11.6%Four pieces increases Battle Soundtrack skill class by 6SpecializationsGrand FinaleWhenever Star-Lord attacks an enemy with 50% or less HP, they take 25% more damageJet Boots ModificationThe first skill used by Star-Lord after a dodge skill deals 32.5% more damageRapidfire SprayOn every fifth use of a skill, that skill’s cooldown is halvedTolerance DecreaseDamage to immoble/debuffed targets increased by 30%SkillsBattle Soundtrack – Pump It Up!Increases Star-Lord’s Critical Hit rate by 25% for 8 seconds Cooldown: 25.2 secondsRequired Stamina: 12Effect: NoneGuard Break: N/ABlaster Charge – Cherry BombFires a charged shot for 137% Flame damage, while pushing enemies away Cooldown: 19.5 secondsRequired Stamina: 35Effect: Knocks back affected enemies and stacks Burn* on themGuard Break: LowElemental Cannon – Flame CannonballMultiple flame shorts create an explosion inflicting 329% Flame damage Cooldown: 24.2 secondsRequired Stamina: 30Effect: Knocks down affected enemies and stacks Burn* on themGuard Break: MediumProblem Solver – Rapidfire SpinShoots multiple blaster shots at an enemy for 630% Flame damage, also damages nearby enemies Cooldown: 19.5 secondsRequired Stamina: 35Effect: Stacks Burn* on affected enemiesGuard Break: Low

*When an enemy’s max Burn stacks are reached, any damage taken is increased by 20% for 7 seconds.

Uroro Monroe, the mutant known as Storm.

Storm

Storm is a crowd control queen, able to manipulate groups of enemies to her will while inflicting big damage on them. She has a strong DPS repertoire as well, but it’s her ability to shape a battle that makes her stand out. Some of her attacks take a long time to actually come out though, so she may struggle against faster foes.

Build Recommendations:

CostumeAstonishing Two pieces increases attack by 5.7%Three pieces increase Defensive Pierce by 11.6%Four pieces increases Deep Freeze skill class by 6SpecializationsBlizzardChill damage from Storm’s attacks is increased 6% for every Deep Freeze class skill equippedHeadwindDodge Skill gauge recovery is increased by 35%Heavy SnowAll Deep Freeze class skills have 27.5% less cooldownSnowy WindsWhen a Deep Freeze class skill is successful, an extra ice explosion deals damage equal to 105% of Storm’s attack (ability has a 5-second cooldown)SkillsAtmokinesis – Wall of FrostAn ice barrier is created that increases Defense by 27% and interrupts enemy attacks Cooldown: 37.7 secondsRequired Stamina: 11Effect: Stacks Chill* on affected enemiesGuard Break: N/AAtmosphere Control – Frozen SphereCreates and throws a sphere of ice for 103% damage. The area around the sphere then freezes and explodes, dealing more damage Cooldown: 9.1 secondsRequired Stamina: 14Effect: Knocks down and stacks Chill* on affected enemiesGuard Break: HighDeep Freeze – WhiteoutA major snowstorm is created, dealing 611% damage to all enemies Cooldown: 20.7 secondsRequired Stamina: 41Effect: NoneGuard Break: HighIcicle Crash – Icicle SpearA spear made of ice is thrown at enemies, dealing 233% damage Cooldown: 10.4 secondsRequired Stamina: 21Effect: Stacks Chill* on affected enemiesGuard Break: High

*When an enemy’s max Web stacks are reached, that enemy is frozen for 4 seconds and loses 30% movement speed and dodge rate for 7 seconds.

With eight heroes to choose from, who should be your first main?

Who Should You Choose?

For your first ever main hero, we suggest Iron Man as your lead. He’s versatile, he’s adept in multiple different styles, and his builds give you plenty of options while getting your feet wet in the early game. With the other three free slots we’d recommend Spider-Man, Black Widow, and Storm.

Spider-Man‘s constant damage and high agility will let you see how controlling a fast character can be to your advantage. The ability to cocoon enemies in place and let the damage characters do their thing is a huge plus as well.

Black Widow, if nothing else, will give you a glimpse into how “all damage, all the time” characters work. The abilities in her later levels have some of the most powerful attacks in the entire game, and it’s smart to get building on that firepower immediately.

Finally, Storm adds the element (no pun intended) of controlling crowds onto your team, scattering them with elemental attacks before moving in for the kill. As mentioned before her attacks do take some time to launch, but with the right team in front of her that should be an issue.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

If you’re one of the thousands of people enjoying the popular game of Wordle each day but feel like you’re given one too many guesses to start with, then the game’s worst starting word might spice things up for you.

After deducing the best possible starting word using a script, TikTok creator Crvlwanek has also discovered which word contains the worst five-letter combination to completely waste a guess on. The content creator used the entire list of known and future Wordle answers and used an algorithm to determine both the best and worst starting choices using letter frequency. If you’re looking to try and challenge yourself, start your next Wordle puzzle off with the word “xylyl”.

@crvlwanek #stitch with @linguisticdiscovery Different method, similar results! #wordle #linguistics #computerscience #python ♬ original sound – Chris

Considering its use of two repeated consonants and the use of one of the most unused letters in the English alphabet, it’s no surprise why this would not help you towards victory. If you are looking to try and move that four-turn average closer to three, however, you should look towards the best starting word in Wordle, which is “later”. If you’re looking for other suggestions, we’ve rounded up a few other good choices, too.

If you’ve somehow missed the game that has dominated social media throughout this year, Wordle is a daily puzzle game that gives you six chances to correctly guess a five-letter word. Each guess will give you clues as to which letters are in the final answer, as well as whether you’ve used them in the right space or not. The game is free-to-play online.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Amazon is offering steep discounts on four TCL products today, including the affordable TCL 10 SE and 10L smartphones. Price cuts vary across the lineup, with savings up to 25% on the Moveaudio S600 earbuds. Here’s a quick look at all four discounts:

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

The Wordle craze continues unabated, and while the words presented by the online puzzle game are generally recognizable and common-use words, today’s appears to be throwing a lot of people for the loop. Among other things, this has led to the most hilariously sad miss we’ve ever seen, or perhaps that is even possible to see.

Spoilers for the January 31, 2022 Wordle puzzle follow.

As those who have solved the puzzle know, the solution for today’s Wordle is “LIGHT”–a very normal word that everyone has heard of and probably even uses on a daily basis. But that ending construction, “GHT” or “IGHT,” are both incredibly common. Assuming you know the last three or even the last four letters, you can still whiff just trying different common words and guessing wrong, like this unfortunate person did:

I wouldn’t usually post these but this is, without question, the worst thing that has ever happened
Wordle 226 X/6
β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©
β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©
β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©
β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©
β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©
β¬›πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©

β€” Lily (@l__i_l__y) January 31, 2022

Ordinarily we’d chalk such an epic and complete miss up to someone cracking a joke, but a look around Wordle Twitter today shows this isn’t too uncommon for today’s word. Lots of people have reported similar results with multiple misses in a row, some of them managing to just barely snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. It would be very easy to waste guesses on some combination of MIGHT, RIGHT, TIGHT, EIGHT, SIGHT, and FIGHT, among others. So it stands to reason that someone out there would be unlucky enough to just whiff all the way through.

As some have pointed out, you could break from this construction and guess a completely different word to get a hit on the missing letter. But that isn’t possible in Hard Mode, available through the Options menu, which requires you to use all of your previously hit letters. And even those who don’t play on Hard Mode might just play that rule by the honor system.

So assuming you got today’s word, consider yourself lucky that you didn’t crash and burn in such an incredible fashion. For more on Wordle, check out the best Wordle starter words and other tips, and maybe go practice by trying older Wordle puzzles.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Sony has announced February’s additions to the PlayStation Now catalog, and there are four games headed to the streaming service this week, headlined by Grand Theft Auto: Vice City – The Definitive Edition.

Rockstar’s latest re-release launches on PlayStation Now starting Tuesday, February 1, with the first PlayStation Store refresh of the month. Also arriving that day is Little Big Workshop, a game that puts you in charge of a factory as you organize the floor, manage workers, and design production pipelines.

February’s PS Now lineup has been announced

Through the Darkest Times, a historical strategy game about a resistance group in 1933 Berlin, comes to PS Now on February 1 as well, alongside the puzzle game Death Squared.

GTA Vice City – The Definitive Edition will be available on PS Now until May 2, while the other three games do not have end-dates. This is not out of the ordinary, as some games in the PS Now library are only available for a limited time.

PlayStation Now is supported across PS5, PS4, and PC, and you can subscribe for $10/month or $60/year. There are hundreds of games available on the service–see them all here.

February 1 is also the first day that PlayStation Plus subscribers can grab February 2022’s new free PS Plus games, including EA Sports UFC 4, Planet Coaster, and Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-Shot Adventure. Before that, be sure to download January’s PS Plus games before they’re gone.

February 2022 PS Now Lineup

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City – The Definitive Edition (available until May 2)Little Big WorkshopThrough the Darkest TimesDeath SquaredRead MoreGameSpot – Game News

Game director Hidetaka Miyazaki has confirmed that Elden Ring will feature the types of Easter eggs and references to previous From Software games that fans have come to know and love.

From Software has long been known to include popular weapons, characters, and other such callbacks across each of their role-playing franchises, despite the fact that the games are generally not connected in any official capacity. Among the best-known of these is the Moonlight Greatsword–which originally appeared simply as the Moonlight Sword way back in King’s Field–and has been in every title except Sekiro.

It looks like not much has changed with Elden Ring, as the Moonlight Greatsword has been confirmed for the game, as has Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls III’s unique greatsword Storm Ruler. Additionally, we’ll encounter the endlessly deceitful Patches, who first appeared in the completely unrelated Armored Core franchise before becoming a mainstay in the Souls series.

But that doesn’t appear to be the end of Elden Ring’s Easter eggs that celebrate From Software’s legacy. Miyazaki has teased that there will be quite a lot to find for those paying close enough attention. “I can confidently say yes, this time,” Miyazaki told Game Informer. “Elden Ring is the sort of game that forgives a massive sense of volume and bulk. And so I felt like I was entitled to include these things this time. So yes, you will find them if you look hard enough.”

Miyazaki has also recently chimed in on the difficulty discourse surrounding From Software’s library of challenging titles, stating that he feels that it’s a “valid discussion.”

Elden Ring launches on February 25 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, and PC.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Two driving forces are driving the current technology market: insatiable demand for hardware, and the supply chain shortages making it difficult to produce enough in quantity to fulfil every order. Even with these two forces in action, companies have to push and develop next generation technologies, as no competitor wants to sit on their laurels. That includes Qualcomm, and as part of the Tech Summit in late 2021, I sat down with Alex Katouzian, Qualcomm’s GM of Mobile, Compute, and Infrastructure to talk about the issues faced in 2021, the outlook for 2022, where the relationships lie, and where innovation is headed when it comes to smartphone and PC.

Read MoreAnandTech

If you’re a Harry Potter fan who also happens to be rocking an iPhone, you’re going to like this one: You can now use Siri to cast spells that perform tasks on your phone.

Transforming yourself from a muggle into a wizard is a quick and easy process–you’ll just need to turn Siri into your own personal wand first. You’ll obviously want to ensure you’ve got “Hey Siri” turned on, then you can go to Settings > Siri & Search to turn on “Listen for Hey Siri”. Lastly, make sure you toggle on “Allow Siri When Locked” to make the most of the voice assistant’s spell-casting abilities. And with that, you’re all set.

Here are the three built-in spells you can cast right now:

“Lumos” turns on your iPhone’s flashlight.”Nox” turns off your iPhone’s flashlight.”Accio [app name]” will open the desired app on your iPhone.

These helpful spells are great, but there are actually a variety of other custom spells that you can set up using Shortcuts. Gadget Hacks has compiled a comprehensive list of these, but a few of the most useful include “Sonorus” and “Quietus” for turning your volume up and down and “Silencio” setting your iPhone into Do Not Disturb mode.

As a cool side note, the “Lumos” and “Nox” spells also work using Google Assistant on Android devices. So not only can this neat feature control your phone’s flashlight, but you can even turn on and off your Nest-connected smart bulbs at home.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News