After a few days with Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, I've played through the campaign twice to see both main endings, spent some time in multiplayer, and scratched the surface of Zombies. I still need to play more multiplayer (particularly on live servers) and delve much deeper into Zombies before this review is final, so keep in mind that details, including the score, are subject to change in the coming days.

The key takeaway from Cold War thus far is that Call of Duty fares far better when it errs on the side of fantasy. This is true within Cold War's campaign, where the inclusion of Ronald Reagan is a bizarre fit for an otherwise larger-than-life story about espionage and brainwashing, and it's true when comparing its story to that of last year's overly serious Modern Warfare. Cold War plays up its far-fetched premise, and that extends to some of its more inventive and creative multiplayer maps, too.

Campaign

Like any Call of Duty campaign, Cold War is theatrical. From the '80s-themed montage that opens the campaign to a Vietnam flashback set to Steppenwolf--along with plenty of explosions, helicopter crashes, and slo-mo shootouts--Cold War's campaign is as action-movie as you'd expect. It largely works with the inherent over-the-top nature of a Black Ops story, and although some bits can be kind of goofy, it's both easy and fun to buy into the spy drama and massive gunfights in equal measure.

After a few days with Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, I've played through the campaign twice to see both main endings, spent some time in multiplayer, and scratched the surface of Zombies. I still need to play more multiplayer (particularly on live servers) and delve much deeper into Zombies before this review is final, so keep in mind that details, including the score, are subject to change in the coming days.

The key takeaway from Cold War thus far is that Call of Duty fares far better when it errs on the side of fantasy. This is true within Cold War's campaign, where the inclusion of Ronald Reagan is a bizarre fit for an otherwise larger-than-life story about espionage and brainwashing, and it's true when comparing its story to that of last year's overly serious Modern Warfare. Cold War plays up its far-fetched premise, and that extends to some of its more inventive and creative multiplayer maps, too.

Campaign

Like any Call of Duty campaign, Cold War is theatrical. From the '80s-themed montage that opens the campaign to a Vietnam flashback set to Steppenwolf--along with plenty of explosions, helicopter crashes, and slo-mo shootouts--Cold War's campaign is as action-movie as you'd expect. It largely works with the inherent over-the-top nature of a Black Ops story, and although some bits can be kind of goofy, it's both easy and fun to buy into the spy drama and massive gunfights in equal measure.

Ghost of Tsushima has set a new record as PlayStation’s fastest-selling original PS4 exclusive, with more than 5 million copies sold since its release in July, according to PlayStation Worldwide Studios head Herman Hulst.

It’s a strong showing for developer Sucker Punch, who has long had a tight relationship with Sony thanks to their work on the Infamous and Sly Cooper franchises.

By comparison, Guerilla Games’ Horizon: Zero Dawn managed to sell approximately 3.4 million copies in roughly the same four-month window. The Last of Us Part II managed to sell 4 million copies in its first three days making it the fastest-selling non-original PS4 exclusive.

“We're thrilled and absolutely blown away by all of the support!” the official Sucker Punch Twitter account posted. “Thank you to everyone who has played Ghost of Tsushima.”

Ghost of Tsushima received strong reviews for its visually striking world and combat, with IGN giving it a nine out of 10. Sucker Punch has given players a reason to return to Ghost of Tsushima as well with the new Legends co-op raid that lets you and three friends team up and utilize mystical powers not seen in the base game.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/16/the-first-18-minutes-of-ghost-of-tsushima-legends"]

• Unique weapon: Royal Protector Machete (PS5 exclusive)
• Character skin: "Storm Rider" Colt
• One Trinket (equippable buff)

• Transtar Trencher Weapon
• Eat the Rich Tribunal Weapon
• .44 Karat Fourpounder Weapon
• "Party Crasher" Colt Skin
• "Sharp Shooter" Julianna Skin
• Two Trinkets (equippable buffs)
• Original Game Soundtrack Selections

In an era rife with concerns about in-game spending and predatory marketplaces, EA is actually taking steps to restrict how much time and money players can spend in FIFA 21.

According to Eurogamer, EA shared details about FIFA 21’s new “Playtime Tool” in a patch notes blog post, describing it as a “new suite of tools that enable players to have more control and visibility over how they play.”

The Playtime Tool essentially acts as a monitor for how many FIFA Points (but not real-world money) and playtime someone spends in-game, plus ways to watch out for communication issues and gating games by their ESRB rating.

Players can set a limit on how many matches and FIFA Points you purchase, as well as how many FIFA Ultimate Team packs you can open with FUT Coins or FIFA Points.

There’s even some out-of-game functionality as well. The Playtime Tool can monitor how many FIFA Points you buy outside of the game (such as in the PlayStation Store) and count that towards your total. You’ll probably want to be extra careful though since you won’t receive a notification outside of FIFA.

This is all part of EA’s Positive Play project, EA’s public-facing campaign to address toxicity and other harmful elements of the gaming community they cater to.

"Play should always be fun, so we're amping up the information and tools to help you play on your terms," EA told Eurogamer. "Back in June, we rolled out the Positive Play Charter - an updated set of community guidelines designed to make our games and services more inclusive, safe, balanced and fair. This is another step we're taking to make play more positive."

Pay-to-win, loot boxes, and other gambling mechanics have become a huge sore spot for the games industry and various governments around the world. The UK government is running surveys of the gaming community on what they think about loot boxes, which will inform a review of the 2005 Gambling Act. Surveys are being accepted until November 22. England’s top mental health nurse has also criticized gambling mechanics in games like FIFA and others, calling for “fair and realistic spending limits” on loot boxes.