It's no secret Resident Evil 3 is one of the most anticipated games releasing in 2020. The remake of Resident Evil 2 was a breakout hit last year, and in December, Capcom revealed that a remake of Resident Evil 3 had also been in development and would release April 3 for PS4 and Xbox One. Now that we're in February, that date isn't too far off, and if you know Resident Evil 3 is a day-one purchase for you, you might want to take advantage of a rare pre-order discount at Amazon. [Update: Walmart is now price-matching this deal as well.]Right now, you can secure a pre-order of Resident Evil 3 for $49.94, down from the usual list price of $60. The deal is available for both PS4 and Xbox One, and we suggest taking advantage of it ASAP in case pre-orders sell out or the discount ends unexpectedly.With Amazon pre-orders, you aren't charged until the item ships, so you can safely cancel your order up until a few days before the game releases. Amazon also offers a pre-order price guarantee on games, meaning that if the price drops even cheaper between now and when the item ships, you'll be charged the lowest price that was available. The retailer is also offering release-day shipping for this purchase, so you'll have it in your hands on April 3.Pre-order Resident Evil 3 | $49.94 ($60) Get it for PS4 Get it for Xbox One Resident Evil 3 takes place around the same events as Resident Evil 2, except in this game, you'll play as Jill Valentine, a former Special Tactics and Rescue Service (or S.T.A.R.S.) member trying to escape the outbreak in Raccoon City. In RE3, prepare to encounter Nemesis, a huge monster that will stalk you relentlessly throughout the game. You'll also have to make choices throughout the game that affect Jill's story and ending.Resident Evil 3 isn't the only upcoming game on sale right now at Amazon. You can also pre-order Cyberpunk 2077 for the same discounted price, along with a bunch of other game deals this week, including Pokemon Sword and Shield for $49, Devil May Cry 5 for $20, and more. Best Deals This Week PSA: Resident Evil 3 Pre-Orders Are Discounted At Amazon (PS4, Xbox One) February 2020 PS Plus Games Revealed For PS4 February 2020 Xbox Games With Gold Revealed Two Excellent Strategy Games Are Free On PC Best Nintendo Switch Deals In The Eshop This Week Info from Gamespot.com

The rosters of the upcoming Disney+ MCU TV shows just keep growing. After the addition of Owen Wilson, Loki has gained a new cast member in Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Variety reported. She will join Tom Hiddleston and Sophia Di Martino in the God of Mischief's very-own solo spin-off, hitting the streaming service next spring. Thus far, there is no confirmation as to who Mbatha-Raw will be playing, but it could be that she's playing an employee or associate of the TVA organization confirmed to be involved in the show during the Super Bowl spot. Marvel News Disney Plus The Falcon And Winter Soldier And WandaVision Get Rough Release Dates Falcon And Winter Soldier, Loki, And WandaVision Footage Revealed During Super Bowl Commercial MCU Theories For WandaVision, Falcon And Winter Soldier, Loki TV Shows Marvel Phase 4 Movies & TV Shows: Here's What's Coming Not much is known about Loki aside from the fact that the show will be spinning directly out of Avengers: Endgame where we last saw the trickster escape from SHIELD custody with the Tesseract during all the time-traveling chaos. The specific powers of the Tesseract have never actually been confirmed in the MCU, but given that it contains the Space Stone, we can assume it teleported Loki somewhere in space rather than somewhere in time, which would mean Loki the show will be taking place in or immediately around 2012.However, we were treated to a brief clip of Loki during this year's Super Bowl, which featured the trickster in what seemed to be in the custody of the TVA, or the Time Variance Authority, a group from the comics that exists to police continuity and preserve the timeline. Did Loki end up on their radar because he's using the Tesseract to mess with time? Or is he there because his escape with the Tesseract was a variance in and of itself?We'll have to wait until Spring 2021 to find out. Info from Gamespot.com

It appears that Microsoft is teaming up with Nike for some kind of Xbox/Air Jordan collaboration. The official Xbox Twitter account posted a cryptic teaser today that says, "Get ready to refine the game." An 8-second video shows the Xbox and Air Jordan "Jumpman" logos, along with a date, February 13, which is presumably when more details will be divulged.The entire teaser is overlayed on a red background, which is probably connected to the announcement in some manner that is a mystery for now.Air Jordan is the very famous basketball shoe and clothing line that Nike produces in partnership with basketball legend Michael Jordan.Microsoft and Nike recently partnered for a special edition Xbox-branded Air Max 90 shoe featuring interchangeable laces and "snaps" that can be placed on different parts of the shoe. Before that, Microsoft created a Xbox-branded Air Jordan Xbox One console and a basketball shoe in partnership with Nike, so the companies have a long history of working together.Get ready to redefine the game. pic.twitter.com/HabcLytg9g — Xbox (@Xbox) February 11, 2020No matter what this reveal turns out to be, 2020 is a big year for Xbox. Microsoft will release the Xbox Series X (and potentially other next-gen consoles) this year, while Halo Infinite is also coming out this holiday, marking the first entry in the core series since 2015's Halo 5.Microsoft recently spoke about how it plans to launch a "bold" campaign for the Xbox Series X as it competes against Sony, which is releasing the PlayStation 5 this year.Info from Gamespot.com

Lin-Manuel Miranda's popular Broadway musical Hamilton is coming to theatres in 2021, and it might feature some changes compared to the stage play. As we all know, Disney is a family friendly company, which poses a potential problem for Hamilton. The play features multiple instances of the F-word, which would presumably bump it up to an R-rating.Miranda has now confirmed that the movie version of Hamilton might bleep or mute some words, and he's OK with that."I think we'll figure it out when we get there," Miranda told The New York Times. "But we're not going to cut any sections of the show. If we have to mute a word here or there to reach the largest audience possible, I'm OK with that, because your kids already have the original language memorized. I don't think we're depriving anyone of anything if we mute an f-bomb here or there to make our rating."NYT reporter Kyle Buchanan said in a tweet that one of the sticking points in the negotiations to sell the Hamilton movie rights came down to language. Bleeping or muting instances of "f**k" appears to be how Disney is tackling the matter.The US movie ratings body, the Motion Picture Association of America, states that PG-13 movies can say the word "f**k" one time. Anything more and the rating increases to R. That's something Disney would be keen to avoid, as it does not make R-rated movies (except for the Deadpool franchise, which it inherited from Fox as part of its acquisition).Disney is said to have paid $75 million USD to buy Hamilton's movie rights. Unlike Cats, Rent, or Mamma Mia, Hamilton's movie is a film version of the play recorded during two productions with the original cast in 2016. The $75 million that Disney is said to have paid for the movie is reportedly the highest fee in history that a studio paid for a finished film.The Hamilton movie comes to theatres in North America on October 15, 2021. Release dates for other parts of the world have not been announced.The big-screen adaptation will bring back writer and star Miranda as Alexander Hamilton, Daveed Diggs in a dual role as Maarquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler, Leslie Odom, Jr. as Aaron Burr, Christopher Jackson as George Washington, Jonathan Groff as King George, Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton, and Jasmine Cephas Jones as Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds, Okieriete Onaodowan as Hercules Mulligan and James Madison, and Anthony Ramos as John Laurens and Philip Hamilton. Info from Gamespot.com

Pokemon Home is now available to download on Nintendo Switch. The cloud-based subscription service, which allows you to transfer Pokemon from previous games into Pokemon Sword and Shield among other features, was previously announced for a February 2020 release window, but the specific date was not confirmed.Like Pokemon Bank, Pokemon Home allows you to store Pokemon you've caught across various games. There are two versions of Pokemon Home: the Nintendo Switch app and the mobile app. The mobile version has distinct features, including trading, and is a companion app to the Switch one rather than an alternative. Currently, the Nintendo Switch and Android versions are available for download, while the iOS version is not yet available. There are also two pricing plans for Pokemon Home overall. The free version includes most of the service's features but in a limited capacity, while the paid version gives you perks like added storage. One month of Pokemon Home Premium costs $3, three months is $5, and 12 months is $16. See the full breakdown of both pricing plans for details.To commemorate the launch of Pokemon Home, The Pokemon Company is offering a free month of Pokemon Bank, the storage service on 3DS--as well as the related Poke Transporter app, which is used to migrate Pokemon from DS games over to Bank. Pokemon Bank typically costs $5 USD per year, so this promotion means that players looking to transfer Pokemon from their 3DS games via Bank to Pokemon Home won't have to pay for two (or any) subscription fees to do it.Make sure to read our feature on everything we know about Pokemon Home, which includes pricing details, information on how to trade, and more all in one place.Info from Gamespot.com

A couple years ago, I got drawn into Kazuma Kiryu's world, the world of Yakuza games, being completely enamored by charismatic characters and the allure of rowdy city streets. The series' pitch-perfect blend of gripping melodrama and absurdist humor is as consistent as kindhearted tough-guy Kazuma Kiryu getting suckered into his former gang's illicit business. With Yakuza 5 Remastered out now, alongside the whole Yakuza Remastered Collection, the entire saga is now playable on PlayStation 4. Each entry was memorable in its own right, but Yakuza 5's opening chapter is the one that will forever be burnt into my memory.On a calm winter night in Fukuoka, about 700 miles from his home turf of Kamurocho in Tokyo, Kiryu's chaotic life is shown to have seemingly settled down again. He's a cab driver assuming a new identity under a different name, appearing to have put decades of his life involved in the yakuza in the past, for real this time. But it's not just that Kiryu had to move far away to leave the criminal underworld behind, he had to leave everything behind: the kids at his orphanage who relied on him, the people who truly had his back, and even his adoptive daughter Haruka. All of it.The very first scene shows some familiar yakuza business brewing in Fukuoka with Tojo Clan chairman Daigo Dojima involved, the man Kiryu mentored to take care of the gang. It just so happens that Kiryu picks up Daigo in his cab, followed by cryptic exchanges between the two. In true melodramatic fashion, Daigo acknowledges he knows it's Kiryu driving, and refers to his undefined drop-off as a metaphor for Daigo having to run the clan himself.Daigo Dojima is always in need of Kiryu's help.This opening also shows the series at its most cinematic, with the opening credits and a bittersweet tune over your introduction to Kiryu's mundane life behind the wheel. He talks about his past life in vague terms to those around him in Fukuoka, yet they all understand and respect him. Though none of it is explicitly stated, it's immediately understood where he's at in his life.The gameplay in the first chapter also leans heavily into that narrative core. You don't necessarily need to go around beating the crap out of goons unless they really deserve it. You go out on a night of drinking with your carefree boss, work at a ramen stand, take people around town in your cab, and transfer funds to your orphanage at the corner store ATM. The kids send heartfelt messages after giving back, and as sad as it is, Kiryu is convinced that his presence only puts them in danger, especially with Haruka growing into a successful pop idol.At least for the opening hours, you experience both the solace of Kiryu living a normal life and the pain that comes from being detached from those he loves. It's not like he hasn't tried something like this before--Yakuza 3 also has Kiryu trying to build a life outside of the seedy streets of Kamurocho, running an orphanage near a small beachfront town. However, gang life and the violence and drama attached to it followed him regardless.After five whole games of him rarely turning a blind eye to injustice in the street, taking care of those in need, raising Haruka and other kids as his own, Kiryu shows the reluctance of cutting himself off. To the surprise of absolutely no one who plays these games, trouble finds Kiryu and ropes him back into the Tojo Clan's messy drama, but you see that it's the hardest he's fought against the idea of coming back.That's just scratching the surface of Yakuza 5--it's the longest entry in the series, spanning five playable characters across five different locations. You'll play as Haruka who overcomes the struggles of working as a pop idol through rhythm-game mechanics, and continue the trials and tribulations of Taiga Saejima who has his own gripping arc in snow-covered Hokkaido. Yakuza is one of those series where you'll want to play them all in sequential order to get the full picture, which you can now do, all on the PS4.Info from Gamespot.com

Quentin Tarantino's latest movie, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, featured a long list of famous actors like Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, and it could have featured one more big name. Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin revealed in an interview with Esquire that he auditioned for a role.Unfortunately for Culkin, however, he bungled the audition. It was so bad that he wouldn't have cast himself if he was the casting director. "It was a disaster. I wouldn't have hired me," he said. "I'm terrible at auditioning anyway, and this was my first audition in like eight years."Culkin did not share which role he was going for or any other details about his audition.Brad Pitt won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance as Cliff Booth in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, marking Pitt's second Academy Award win and his first in an acting role.The movie also features Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Timothy Olyphant, Dakota Fanning, Austin Butler, Al Pacino, and Luke Perry in his final movie role before his death.The Once Upon A Time In Hollywood movie may expand to a new medium. Quentin Tarantino told Deadline that he plans to direct a spin-off TV show focused on Leonardo DiCaprio's Rick Dalton character from the fictional TV show Bounty Law. Info from Gamespot.com

Surprising absolutely no one, Activision Blizzard has confirmed that a new Call of Duty game is set for release in 2020; however, curiously, the company has not yet confirmed which team is developing the title. For eight years, Activision Blizzard has maintained a strict pattern when it's come to Call of Duty's development cycle. So when, on the February 2019 Activision quarterly call, the publisher remained coy about which of its developers is working on the Call of Duty game scheduled for 2020, it led to speculation that something unexpected may be afoot this time around.To delve into what could be in the works for 2020's Call of Duty, we're going to have to look back at several years of Call of Duty history and examine how Activision has traditionally handled reveals for the franchise.Activision has managed to get a new Call of Duty game out the door every year since 2005's Call of Duty 2 (though you could argue that, technically, a new game has come out every year from the very beginning if you count 2004's Call of Duty: Finest Hour, the console version of the original 2003 PC game). There are four Activision studios currently associated with Call of Duty development--Infinity Ward, Treyarch, Raven Software, and Sledgehammer Games. The first two have been mainstays, while the latter two initially served as support studios. For Sledgehammer, that changed in the last decade, as Activision made the developer the main studio behind Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Call of Duty: WWII.Initially, Activision went back and forth between Infinity Ward and Treyarch, having the two complete Call of Duty games in two years while Sledgehammer and Raven supported the two where needed. From 2012 through 2019, however, Activision adopted and maintained a new pattern with Call of Duty: Treyarch releases a Call of Duty game, then Infinity Ward, then Sledgehammer, and then the three repeat in that order. This gives each studio a buffer of about three years between each game they make, which probably makes it easier for Activision to maintain its annual Call of Duty release schedule.In 2012, Treyarch released Black Ops II, and went on to make 2015's Black Ops III and 2018's Black Ops 4. In 2013, Infinity Ward released Ghosts, and then followed with 2016's Infinite Warfare and 2019's Modern Warfare. Sledgehammer released Advanced Warfare in 2014 and then WWII in 2017--the developer should be scheduled to release its third Call of Duty game in 2020, assuming the trend continues, and followed by Treyarch releasing its next game in 2021.Or at least, that should be the plan, but Activision hasn't confirmed whether that's the case. According to Kotaku, Activision was already handling the release of 2020's Call of Duty a little differently, partnering up Sledgehammer with Raven to tackle the project together, similarly to how Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer partnered on Modern Warfare 3. A slight change, but nothing that would disrupt Activision's pattern.But, according to that same Kotaku report, things have not been on track for Sledgehammer and Raven, so Treyarch is now the studio in charge of 2020's Call of Duty. Sledgehammer and Raven were reportedly working on a Call of Duty set during the events of the Cold War but tensions between the two teams (combined with both Sledgehammer co-founders leaving the studio and several additional devs following suit) resulted in delays. Both Sledgehammer and Raven are reportedly reassigned as support studios for Treyarch, which is rumored to be working on Black Ops 5, and the game is now coming in 2020--a whole year early.Activision hasn't confirmed any of this, but recent announcements have at least lent greater credence to the idea that 2020's Call of Duty will, in some capacity, break from the tradition the publisher has maintained these past eight years.Activision believes that 2020's Call of Duty won't sell as well as 2019's Modern Warfare--a fair assumption given that Modern Warfare has outsold every Call of Duty from this console generation--highlighting how Modern Warfare has done amazingly well. As Infinity Ward and Activision have already announced plans to continue supporting Modern Warfare (which can be seen with the start of Season 2 and a teaser for what looks like a new Call of Duty battle royale mode), it may be detrimental for Activision to do what it's always done and jump to the next Call of Duty entry so soon.So perhaps that's where Treyarch comes in. Treyarch decided to forgo a traditional single-player campaign in 2018's Black Ops 4 and instead included a battle royale mode called Blackout (which turned out to be popular). So perhaps Activision is tapping Treyarch to develop a new Call of Duty game that is focused around battle royale--one that can be bought as a standalone game but is still connected to Modern Warfare in some capacity.Of course, because Activision hasn't confirmed any of this, all of what we say here could end up being false conjecture. Activision may have just held out on announcing which developer is working on 2020's Call of Duty because it just doesn't want to say which one it is yet. Which is a boring explanation but still entirely possible.If, however, the disruption to Activision's Call of Duty schedule is true, it raises questions about the future of the franchise. Prior to 2012, Activision just went back and forth between Treyarch and Infinity Ward--would the publisher return to only two studios headlining new Call of Duty games? Could it maintain its annual release schedule if that were the case? Should it even try to maintain that schedule when both Modern Warfare and (the immensely successful) Call of Duty Mobile are great examples of how individual Call of Duty games can continue to excel via regular post-launch support and content updates?Regardless of what happens, something at least seems to be up with 2020's Call of Duty, because Activision is being oddly coy about who's actually responsible for the game. Or maybe we're just thinking too hard about all this. Call of Duty News Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Patch Notes For Season 2 Update Battle Royale Possibly Teased For Call Of Duty Modern Warfare Season 2 Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Season 2 Has Launched, Adds New Operator, Maps, And Much More Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Season 2 Battle Pass Detailed Info from Gamespot.com

If you've been following the pre-release buzz around Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers, then you're probably aware that it's as close to a direct sequel as you could get to the original RPG. Developed in conjunction with Koei Tecmo and Omega Force (makers of Dynasty Warriors games), Atlus is bringing an action game that continues the story of the Phantom Thieves while still delivering the core Persona experience of exploring cities in Japan during free time and making connections with characters (both old and new) throughout the story.However, you might be wondering how the game actually plays, this being a Musou-style action game and all. Persona 5 Scramble certainly shows elements of the Warriors games, namely tearing through ridiculously large enemy hordes. But based on what we've seen from previews in Japan and our own experience playing the demo that's only available on the Japanese Eshop and PSN, its combat is shaping up to be more than hack-and-slash by incorporating many of the RPG elements found in Persona 5.While you have basic attack combos, Persona 5 Scramble includes spell casting based on the persona(s) equipped on the character you're controlling. By holding R1, you bring up your list of abilities and time stops, allowing you to aim the spell's area of effect before setting it off. What's more, Scramble retains the mechanics of exploiting enemies' elemental weaknesses to do increased damage and stagger them. Guns are another option, letting you lock-on targets to get off a few shots; it's not the most effective attack, but it's great against enemies weak to the gun element.After hitting a weakness, you can initiate the series' signature all-out attack where all party members jump into the scuffle to lay down heavy damage on staggered enemies and any others within range. You also build up a separate meter to initiate Showtime attacks which include a quick, flashy cinematic cut before dealing a ton of damage. Bosses present a slightly different challenge as they have armor that needs to be broken by exploiting their weakness continuously while dealing with mobs. Much like Persona 5 itself, fights are hyper-stylized but move fast to keep the action moving at a brisk pace.There's a lot going on in the chaotic battles of Persona 5 Scramble.Mobility is another key piece that Scramble doesn't seem to overlook; you have the ability to dart across high-up places like streetlights and scaffolding to get the drop on enemies with a sort of whirlwind attack. And there's something liberating about having a dedicated jump button (as opposed to context sensitive actions) for platforming and navigating the chaos, which emphasizes the slick, acrobatic sensibilities of Persona 5.There's still more we haven't seen from Persona 5 Scramble, though it's nice to see how the core RPG's battle mechanics make the gameplay dynamic. The demo itself only showed a snippet, acting mostly as a tutorial but we now had hands-on with Atlus' approach to a Persona action-RPG. We'll get a better picture of the game when it launches for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch on February 20 in Japan and later this year in the West. Info from Gamespot.com

Kunai's premise is a familiar one. Humankind has reached the pinnacle of technological advancement and brought about their own downfall, inviting an army of AI-controlled robots to nearly wipe out all life on earth. A small resistance of remaining humans and conflict-averse droids begin fighting back, but without a miracle, that battle is all but lost lost. Tabby, a cheerfully emoting tablet in ninja robes, is that miracle.Kunai is both outlandish and endearing, starting squarely with its odd protagonist. Tabby--a dexterous tablet in a world dominated by robots with CRT-like heads and barely any traces of humankind--is on a quest to extinguish an AI uprising and prevent humanity's extinction. Kunai's world is fragmented into varied areas, giving you multiple paths to explore in its opening hours, with your growing toolset opening up new avenues to explore as you progress. Kunai features the familiar DNA of action-platformers and Metroidvanias, combining satisfying platforming and engrossing combat to great effect. You start out with just a sword, and you can use it to quickly carve through the metal exteriors of robot foes and stylishly protect yourself from projectiles with a flurry of swings. You have a generous jump, too, that allows you to attack from above and continuously bounce between enemies after each swipe. Getting into a rhythm of bouncing off one enemy and directly onto the next while not missing an attack in between is both easy to grasp and satisfying to pull off. Kunai's combat scenarios generally feature only a handful of enemies at a time, too, giving you ample space to feel like a kickass ninja consistently.Adding to your airborne maneuverability early on are the kunai, a pair of grappling hooks equipped in each hand that let you swing around environments with ease. Augmenting standard movement with the aerial freedom of your kunai injects combat with a captivating sense of flow. It's effortless to chain together swings to maintain airtime while bouncing between enemies to attack.A variety of layouts from screen to screen challenge you to use your tools creatively. More open expanses let you freely hop around, but don't offer many points for you to hook your kunai into. Cramped pathways limit your aerial maneuverability, encouraging you to deflect more projectiles and choose your attacks wisely. Each area throws in unique elements that supplement this--the dense forest features vines that you can use to climb on while mines feature fragile walls that crumble if you swing from them--keeping platforming and combat entertaining throughout.You're free to explore the multiple areas of Kunai's large map as far as your equipment will take you. Each new item you find doubles as both a weapon and a tool to navigate the world in new ways. Your dual machine guns, for example, act as both a powerful medium range attack and a creative means to float over large gaps, since you can use downward fire to sustain your jump for as long as you have bullets to fire. Each new item's use is also easy to understand from the get-go, calling to mind locked doors or obstructed pathways that can now be cleared with your new abilities, making it easy to decide where to push onto next.Each new item expands your limited moveset in exciting ways, but navigating to each specific part of the map where they might be useful becomes taxing quickly. Individual segments in Kunai's areas offer up enough variety in their construction to encourage different combat strategies, but they don't coalesce in a way that makes navigating the same spaces as interesting on return visits. In some cases coming to the end of a critical path and reaching its respective goal is deflated by the realisation that you need to navigate all the way back to where you started, sometimes without anything new in your arsenal to shake up the return journey. It's disappointing to brush through an area with a fine comb only to be contacted over radio and redirected without any real narrative progression, especially when there are no fast-travel systems to alleviate the backtracking.This is exacerbated in some later stages in which it can be unclear where your next objective lies, with all possible paths requiring a tool you don't yet have. The aimless wandering is especially tiresome because poking around Kunai's world isn't incredibly rewarding either, even with optional chests hidden throughout each area for you to uncover. Some contain cosmetic hats for some visual variety while others hold valuable in-game currency for upgrades, but it's the few featuring parts of a health upgrade that are worth seeking out. The issue is that the majority of the chests lie at the end of passageways hidden entirely from view, only revealing themselves when you accidentally brush close to their entrance and cause the textures obfuscating them to fade away. It's a disappointingly basic way to hide them, making your discoveries feel more lucky than well deduced.Although navigating each area multiple times isn't as fun as it should be, the gorgeous visual shifts between them are a delight. Kunai's limited color palette is used to accentuate its varied areas with subtlety. Each of the areas features different muted colours for their backdrop, such as the flat greys and dim blues of its opening factory and the bright greens of its AI-infested forests. The variation makes shifting between each area not only clear but visually delightful too. While most colors are muted, bright reds are especially prominent. Not only does it help make enemies and points of importance stand out from the background, it imbues each slash of your sword and subsequent connecting strike with a powerful punch that bathes the screen in sharp, contrasting red hues. It works in tandem with a well-measured screenshake effect that gives Kunai's combat a stylish look in motion.This sense of style doesn't transition, however, to Kunai's limited story. It sets up an initial premise and gives you an understanding of what you're fighting for, but doesn't leave much for you to uncover about its world beyond that. The only avenue for learning more about Kunai's world is through limited but surprisingly entertaining interactions with other resistance robots. Usually denoted by their chunky CRT monitor heads and calming blue shading, these side characters add some levity to the setting by making light of disastrous events with silly puns and small, humorous anecdotes. Although there are other important named characters that are meant to add more to the narrative, they don't stand out as much as each brief interaction you have when arriving at a new camp.It's disappointing that there isn't more to dig into when it comes down to Kunai's set dressing, especially when it's paired with such a striking visual style and engrossing combat. Kunai's level design pushes you to keep adapting while affording you the space to finish off a group of enemies with a series of pinpoint grappling hook swings, precise double jumps, and intelligently integrated swings of your sword. Kunai loses some of its momentum far too frequently, but when it hits a balance between its engrossing combat and satisfying platforming, it's difficult to put down.Info from Gamespot.com

As Anthem's one-year anniversary inches closer, developer BioWare has provided a vague commitment to "focusing on a longer-term redesign of the experience" while seemingly recycling currently available content across all platforms, according to a blog post.General manager Casey Hudson wrote briefly about what's coming to Anthem over the next few months, specifically noting "there's still more fundamental work to be done to bring out the full potential of the experience." Hudson said BioWare will provide "a focused team" the time necessary to essentially overhaul the game, with a focus on "gameplay first."Husdon didn't clarify what this alleged overhaul will entail, but he did say that BioWare is "working to reinvent the core gameplay loop with clear goals, motivating challenges and progression with meaningful rewards--while preserving the fun of flying and fighting in a vast science-fantasy setting."For this deep work to happen, however, Hudson seemingly confirmed that Anthem will go through a spat of recycled content and potentially new events. "In the meantime, we will continue to run the current version of Anthem, but move away from full seasons as the team works towards the future of Anthem," Husdon said. "We'll keep the game going with events, store refreshes, and revisiting past seasonal and cataclysm content--starting with our anniversary towards the end of the month."All of this, Hudson said, should result in a version of Anthem that has "a more satisfying loot experience, better long-term progression, and a more fulfilling end game."BioWare has been talking about improving and reworking Anthem for some time now, with the studio saying it is "100% committed" to developing new content for the third-person looter-shooter. During E3 2019, former lead producer Ben Irving said BioWare "really want[s] to make the game better," admitting the team still has work to do.Info from Gamespot.com

Nioh, the samurai Soulslike from Koei Tecmo, has sold three million units worldwide since its launch on February 7, 2017.Nioh was originally a PlayStation 4 exclusive until launching on PC in November 2017. Between both platforms, and encompassing copies shipped to stores and those sold directly through digital sales, Nioh has now sold three million copies around the world. Not a bad way to celebrate the game's third birthday.Today, NIOH celebrates its 3rd year anniversary, and has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. Thank you for your continued support! #NIOH #KTFamily pic.twitter.com/P0ZJVY3b5c — KOEI TECMO EUROPE (@koeitecmoeurope) February 9, 2020The milestone also comes a few weeks before Nioh 2 launches on March 13 for PlayStation 4 (with a PC release expected later this year). We recently had some hands-on time with Team Ninja's prequel and discovered a game that's sharper and more focused than ever. Just like the original, Nioh 2 is firmly rooted in the Soulslike dynamic of facing nerve-wracking challenges and overcoming powerful foes, but it also expands on your arsenal with the addition of new Yokai powers."When we worked on Nioh 1, we initially struggled with the concept and the world, but we ended up having a good foundation," said Team Ninja producer Fumihiko Yasuda. "So after it was finished, it was just a matter of evolving it to the next level. So with Nioh 2, we added more variety in the levels and the character's story; everything is expanded. Because it's an action game, it tends to be, especially in the first one, repetitive due to the lack of enemy variety as well. So based on the player feedback, we made sure to have more variety in enemies and interesting gameplay and story in the second one."Yasuda also confirmed how long it will take you to finish Nioh 2, and we've got you covered with an extensive pre-order guide if you're looking to secure a copy ahead of release.Info from Gamespot.com

Dragon Ball FighterZ is continuing with a third season, bring new gameplay mechanics, changes and more characters to the popular 3v3 fighting game.Dragon Ball FighterZ is getting yet another Goku this spring, this time in his Ultra-Instinct form from Dragon Ball Super. There's no explanation as to how he doesn't just instantly win fights, but he's now the seventh Goku to join FighterZ, if you exclude all his fusion appearances.Kefla is a more imminent and fresh addition. She's the fusion between fighters Caulifla and Kal, also appearing in the Super run of Dragon Ball. She'll launch on February 28 for all players, or three days earlier if you have the FighterZ Pass 3 (which doesn't have a price yet).Three additional characters will fill out the roster throughout Season 3, which will also introduce a new gameplay mechanic to assist moves. Z Assist Select will allow you to choose between three assist moves per character, giving you more control over the assists that suit your strategies.Bandai Namco also hopes this will prevent players from choosing characters solely for their assist moves, and is just one of the new ways the developer hopes will prevent one-sided matches. Other changes are yet to be detailed."Z Assist Select" is one example of new features & adjustments coming to #DBFZ. We're also making adjustments that prevent one sided games and a specific feature that gives users a chance even with one character left!https://t.co/fotNCp3pkz #DBFZWT pic.twitter.com/Az9zZtOyxX — BANDAI NAMCO ESPORTS (@BNEesports) February 8, 2020Dragon Ball FighterZ isn't losing any steam, having recently made the cut for Evo 2020, which will take place in July.Info from Gamespot.com

Rainbow Six Siege has begun teasing its next big update, dropping a name and a tagline for the upcoming season. This comes just as Ubisoft prepares to reveal more details for Year 5 at its R6 Invitational tournament this week.The game's official Twitter account dropped the teaser with an ominous-looking visual, and the words "Look into your darkness." The season has been dubbed Operation Void Edge, which sounds right at home alongside similar titles like Ember Rise and Shifting Tides.Void Edge seems primed to be the first season of Year 5 content, which will be detailed at the R6 Invitational in Montreal. It's ongoing now, and playoffs will begin tomorrow, February 11. The last tiers of the playoffs and finals will begin February 14. The Year 5 details will drop sometime during these festivities, but Ubisoft hasn't detailed exactly when to expect it.🌑 Look into your darkness pic.twitter.com/ZRVelYqL7t — Rainbow Six Siege (@Rainbow6Game) February 10, 2020The championship will be doling out a $3 million prize pool, which includes some proceeds from the Road to SI 2020 Battle Pass. That event will run through February 16, so you still have a little more time to get the bonuses, including unique cosmetics like special Operator sportswear. It also takes place in a special map made just for the event.Rainbow Six Siege seasons tend to last roughly three months, which makes March due for a new one after the December 2019 launch of Shifting Tides. Seasons regularly include map and balance changes, a new battle pass with cosmetics to earn, and two new Operators.Info from Gamespot.com

Animal Crossing: New Horizons may be getting some kind of paid add-on content. According to the ESRB rating on New Horizons' Eshop page (as spotted by VGC), the title contains "in-game purchases," although it's unclear whether this could take the form of microtransactions similar to those found in the series' mobile spin-off, Pocket Camp, or some larger kind of DLC.While Nintendo has not yet made any announcements regarding DLC plans for New Horizons, it's worth noting that the ESRB ratings for other Switch games, such as Luigi's Mansion 3 and Fire Emblem: Three Houses, similarly mention "in-game purchases," and both those titles received paid expansions. The former is getting two packs of additional multiplayer content this year; the latter, meanwhile, is receiving the fourth part of its expansion pass--the Cindered Shadows DLC--later this week.We've been gradually learning more details about New Horizons in the lead up to its launch next month. It was recently confirmed the game will only allow one island per Nintendo Switch console. New Horizons also won't support Nintendo Switch Online's cloud save backup feature, but Nintendo will give Switch Online subscribers some way to recover their save data should something happen to their Switch. This feature, however, will be available sometime after launch.New Horizons launches around the world on March 20. The game is available to pre-purchase digitally on the Switch Eshop. You can earn up to 300 My Nintendo Gold points for purchasing the digital version, and it is also eligible for the Switch Voucher offer if you still have any remaining vouchers. You can read more in our Animal Crossing: New Horizons pre-order guide.Ahead of New Horizons, Nintendo will release a special Animal Crossing-themed Switch on March 13. This console comes with pastel green and blue Joy-Cons and a white dock featuring Tom Nook and his nephews. If you're hoping to pick one up, however, you may be out of luck, as the system is currently sold out at all major retailers.Info from Gamespot.com