Some of Lost Ark’s Tier 1 and Tier 2 endgame content will be getting a little easier in an upcoming update, as Amazon and developer Smilegate RPG have outlined various balance changes and fixes coming to the free-to-play MMORPG.

A total of six early Guardian Raids and four Abyss Dungeons will see their difficulty downgraded to be made easier. Amazon states the change is based on data and feedback, which showed that some of this content was giving new players a hard time and resulting in low success rates.

“We understand that people can practice and improve at the game over time, but for early game content in particular we want to ensure that new players are having fun learning and advancing instead of getting frustrated and giving up,” Amazon writes. More specific details on what exactly will be changing will come with patch notes for the update. While early endgame content is getting nerfed, Amazon states that Tier 3 and later content will still be challenging, and does not want to “drastically alter this core experience.”

Amazon has also outlined a number of issues currently affecting Lost Ark and steps that are being taken to improve them. Bots and gold selling accounts are a particularly annoying problem, and Amazon states that it is making improvements to the game’s anti-cheat and anti-spam tools to combat the issue. Additional measures, such as limiting the game’s area chat to characters above level 30, have also been taken, which should limit gold sellers from being able to quickly make new accounts and carry on with their spamming. Amazon is encouraging players to report spammers and suspected bot accounts using the in-game report feature.

Other issues, like missing store items and matchmaking problems, are currently being addressed, but don’t expect server queue times to get any better in the Europe Central server region. As Amazon has previously stated, adding more servers to the region is not currently possible, nor is the ability to transfer characters to another, less-crowded server. As a result, Amazon is looking to improve server stability to “ensure players there have the best in-game experience possible.”

On the topic of server maintenance and downtime, Amazon makes clear that for the “immediate future,” maintenance may happen more frequently than normal as the team looks to fix problems as quickly as possible. Looking ahead, maintenance will become more predictable and happen at times that are not “cutting into prime gaming hours.”

Lost Ark will be receiving a significant content update in March as Smilegate RPG and Amazon look to bring more content from the Korean version to the West. While the March update won’t include new classes, there are a number of classes that could come to Lost Ark in the future.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Like Agent 47 himself, Square Enix Montreal has snuck up on Hitman fans by announcing the surprise release of Hitman Sniper: The Shadows, the latest mobile entry in the series.

This new game does not star Agent 47–becoming the first-ever Hitman game with that distinction–instead focusing on six different snipers, each with their own abilities, as they take down targets from a new underground criminal empire. Each sniper’s equipment and stats can be upgraded as the campaign progresses, giving players plenty of options for each individual assassin.

“From the onset, our ambition was to deliver a high production value Hitman Sniper experience on mobile in terms of quality graphics, and gameplay,” Simon Doongoor, senior producer for the game, said in the press release. “We wanted this game to be the start of something new rather than a sequel. This vision freed us to move in a different direction, such as introducing The Shadows, and allowed us to create a deeper game experience for players.”

Players will not only take down targets, but they’ll use their rifles to activate traps, distract guards, and more as they stalk their prey. The game also offers multiple ways to play, including a full campaign and a unique PvP mode where players race to take out targets, scoring points and earning rewards along the way.

Hitman Sniper: The Shadows is now available on both iOS and Android devices. It was first announced at E3 2021 as part of the Square Enix Presents livestream as a follow-up to 2015’s Hitman Sniper.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

CD Projekt, the parent company of Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red, has joined global efforts to levy sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. It has announced that it will halt all digital and physical sales of its games to Russia and Belarus, as well as all game sales on its digital platform GOG. CD Projekt Red also recently pledged 1 million PLN (about $240,00 USD) to the Polish humanitarian group Polska Akcja Humanitarna.

“In light of the Russian military invasion in our neighboring country of Ukraine, until further notice the CD Projekt Red group has made the decision to halt all sales of our games to Russia and Belarus,” CD Projekt Group said in a statement. “Today, we begin working with our partners to suspend digital sales and cease physical stock deliveries of CD Projekt Group products, as well as all games distributed on the GOG platform, to the territories of Russia and Belarus.”

CD Projekt also stated that it’s aware that it doesn’t have the power to directly influence matters on the global stage, but it hopes that by adding its voice to a growing number of entertainment brands that have blocked Russia and Belarus from accessing their content, it can help inspire change in those countries.

“The entire CD Projekt Group stands firm with the people of Ukraine,” the company added. “While we are not a political entity capable of directly influencing state matters, and don’t aspire to be one, we do believe that commercial entities, when united, have the power to inspire global change in the hearts and minds of ordinary people. We know that players in Russia and Belarus, individuals who have nothing to do with the invasion of Ukraine, will be impacted by this decision, but with this action we wish to further galvanize the global community to speak about what is going on in the heart of Europe.”

A growing number of gaming entities have publicly moved to distance themselves from Russia and call for an end to the invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine deputy minister Mykhailo Fedorov has called on Sony and Microsoft to also join in on sanctions, though neither has yet done so. Bloober Team is also suspending sales of its games in Russia/Belarus, as a sign of solidarity for Ukraine.

EA announced this week that Russia would be removed from its FIFA 22 and NHL 22 games in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, various other gaming industry studios are organizing relief efforts.

This War of Mine developer 11 bit studios is donating all proceeds from sales of the anti-war game over the next week to the Ukrainian Red Cross. Stalker 2 developer GSC World–which is based in Ukraine–called on the gaming industry and players to donate to a fund to help aid the Ukrainian Armed Forces,

If you’d like to help ongoing humanitarian efforts, we’ve assembled a list of humanitarian organizations like the Ukrainian Red Cross and Unicef that you can donate to.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

As a Nintendo franchise that has been around for 30 years, it’s surprising that Kirby is just now making the jump to 3D platforming with Kirby and the Forgotten Land. The Nintendo Switch exclusive releases March 25, and if the game’s first world is any indication, longtime Kirby fans have much to look forward to. Kirby and the Forgotten Land is essentially the Puffball’s spin on Super Mario 3D World/Land. And thanks to humorous new Mouthful abilities, Forgotten Land is shaping up to be one of the most varied platformers in series history.

Gameplay footage released thus far doesn’t make it entirely clear, but Kirby and the Forgotten Land follows the traditional level-based structure. Stages are mostly linear with little exploration off the beaten path besides to solve puzzles here and there. Even the automatic camera angles nudge you in the right direction, and while you can turn the camera slightly, you don’t have free control. If you miss something and need to backtrack, you’ll see Kirby run toward the camera–it doesn’t turn with you. This setup does make Forgotten Land feel like a side-scroller on a 3D plane at times, but the extra freedom of movement here still enhances Kirby’s unique set of abilities.

Like the title suggests, Kirby’s not in Dream Land anymore. On a quest to save the Waddle Dees from a mysterious entity called the Beast Pack, Kirby joins up with a cute little chinchilla with elephant ears who can fly though not much else is known about this dude. This Beast Pack uses adorable fox-like creatures as its minions, which is just rude if you ask me. The story thus far feels like standard good versus evil fare we’ve seen in past Kirby games, but that’s not a bad thing considering Kirby has always focused on its action-platforming loop.

Forgotten Land dropped me right into the action in an intro stage called “Point of Arrival.” Serving as a quick tutorial, Point of Arrival reintroduces players to Kirby’s copy abilities and lets you take Mouthful Mode for a spin, literally. Watching Kirby inhale a car, covering the entire vehicle with his stretchy skin, is about as funny as it sounds, especially since his eyes basically serve as blinking headlights. Zipping around the opening level and running over bad guys was quite fun, and I could almost see the car gameplay being turned into a full racing game at some point.

Mouthful Mode is more than just a silly new way to smash baddies, though. Throughout the five levels in World 1, I employed numerous Mouthful abilities to solve puzzles, save hidden Waddle Dees, and complete optional challenges in each of the big levels. Cone Mouth–in which Kirby inhales an orange traffic cone–lets you destroy weak points in the ground. I even used it to break up a water pipe to create a geyser to reach an otherwise inaccessible spot. Vending Machine Mouth is my favorite so far, since it turns Kirby into a gun that can rapidly shoot cans of soda. All Mouthful Mode objects shimmer, but not all of them are used as dynamically as others. For example, Storage and Dome Mouths simply revealed hidden objects or clues for puzzles in World 1.

Sometimes you have to utilize both a copy ability and Mouthful Mode to solve a puzzle. In one instance, I had to become Stair Mouth–a set of giant stairs–to create an avenue for reaching a ledge. Then I lit a rope by spewing fire and hurriedly hopped up the stairs and into the cannon before the fuse activated. You retain your copy ability after spitting out Mouthful objects, but to be clear, you can’t be a giant staircase who happens to breathe fire as well, even though that would be cool.

So far, developer HAL Laboratory has done a stellar job balancing the new Mouthful mechanic with the tried and true copy abilities. While Mouthful Mode is the new thing, copy abilities are still vitally important to both puzzles and combat, including World 1’s giant gorilla boss who tries to flatten Kirby with his humongous frame. And for the first time, copy abilities can be upgraded. Upgrades are purchased in the Weapons Shop in Waddle Dee Town, a hub that gradually grows throughout your adventure. These evolutions turn abilities such as Cutter, Sword and Fire into more powerful attacks. Using the upgraded Cutter appeared to create a wider projectile that took down enemies quicker.

While I didn’t see any opportunities in World 1, my hope is that evolved copy abilities will be used for more than just making even quicker work of enemies big and small. If you were hoping for a Kirby game with more of a challenge, World 1 doesn’t suggest that Forgotten Land will be different from its predecessors in this regard. Kirby has long been Nintendo’s most approachable platformer, and you have two difficulty options to choose from: Wild or Spring-Breeze. Wild is decidedly not wild so far, with common enemies posing little to no threat and the boss of World 1 going down in less than 30 seconds. I tried Spring-Breeze mode as well, and it reminded me of Yoshi’s Crafted World’s Mellow difficulty, which was a lovely feature for my daughter who was just getting into games at the time.

In addition to the main stages, you unlock Treasure Road levels as you rescue Waddle Dees in each world. Treasure Road stages are time trials that are designed around a specific copy ability. In one of the stages, I used the Cutter to scoop up gems while avoiding enemies. In another, I rolled bombs down hills like bowling balls. Though you get more than enough time to complete these trials, each one has an optional objective for beating the level really fast, and a few of them required some repetition to nab the record. Treasure Road funnels into the copy ability upgrade system, as the stones you earn are required to purchase evolved abilities.

Forgotten Land’s world is already shaping up to be one of the most interesting locales in series history. Natural Plains mostly has the grassy look we’ve come to expect from the first set of stages in each Kirby (and Mario) game, but it overlays this onto an abandoned city. World 1 is home to a level that takes place in an old shopping mall, complete with escalators, stores in the background, and yes, Vending Machine Mouth. This standout stage included puzzles that required me to observe my surroundings to find the right path to collectibles and trapped Waddle Dees. Overall, it felt like one of the most inventive and imaginative Kirby stages in series history.

I spent around two hours in World 1, completing all five main levels, seven Treasure Road trials, and checking off every optional objective. I also played through a few levels in co-op mode with my daughter. One player has to play as Bandana Waddle Dee, so they are missing out on the copy abilities and Mouthful Mode. Nevertheless, Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s opening levels are delightfully charming whether you’re going at it solo or with a partner. But yes, please relinquish Kirby to your kid, because Kirby is much cooler.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News