This week's episode of New Releases is about exploration. You can start a new adventure with Journey to the Savage Planet or reach the conclusion of another with Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition. It's also a week of ports, as Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire comes to PS4 and Xbox One, and Aviary Attorney: Definitive Edition lands on Nintendo Switch. The PC crowd isn't getting left out either, as Warcraft 3: Reforged is also on the way.Journey To The Savage Planet -- January 28Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PCFunny games are a rare breed, but Journey to the Savage Planet definitely wants to make you laugh. Your goal is to explore a strange planet and determine if it's suitable for human life. Along the way, you'll encounter all manner of alien plants and animals.More Coverage:Journey To The Savage Planet Lets You Make Your Own Laughs With 'Interactive Slapstick'Journey To The Savage Planet Is A Strange Sci-Fi Satire Of Late-Stage CapitalismKentucky Route Zero: TV Edition -- January 28Available on: PS4, Xbox One, SwitchKentucky Route Zero's first act launched in 2013. Seven years later, the final act is here, and you can get the complete saga in the new TV Edition. This will let you explore the whole mysterious route, encountering oddball characters like a giant eagle and a robot. These episodes are about so much more than truck driving.More Coverage:Kentucky Route Zero Final Episode Coming This Month After Four-Year Gap Kentucky Route Zero Act IV Review Warcraft III: Reforged -- January 28Available on: PCThis remaster includes the original Warcraft 3 and its expansion, The Frozen Throne. Of course, it also looks prettier, and it comes with improved modding tools. A new "story mode" difficulty will let you experience the campaign at a leisurely pace, but you can always test your skills in online multiplayer on Battle.net too.More Coverage:Warcraft 3: Reforged Has A Release Date, And It's Not Far Away Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos Review Pillars Of Eternity II: Deadfire - Ultimate Edition -- January 28Available on: PS4, Xbox OneThe throwback CRPG is making its console debut this week, and the Ultimate Edition includes the base game and all previously released DLC. Between all those expansions, deep character customization, and massive world to explore, there's a lot to sink your teeth into here. PS4 and Xbox One players can bite in this week, and a Nintendo Switch version is planned for later this year.More Coverage:Pillars Of Eternity 2: Deadfire Finally Has A Release Date On PS4 And Xbox One Pillars Of Eternity 2: Deadfire Review - A Pirate's Life For Me Aviary Attorney: Definitive Edition -- January 30Available on: SwitchThat said, Nintendo Switch owners can check out a different Definitive Edition this week. The Switch port of Aviary Attorney is better looking than the original, but otherwise it's the same story of gathering evidence and going to court--as birds. In case the screenshot above wasn't clear, this game does indeed star an 1840s bird lawyer.January is coming to a close, which means a whole new month of video game releases is approaching. Next week, we'll take a look at what February is bringing to the table, including the Western release of Yakuza 5 and some licensed games like The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics.Info from Gamespot.com

Respawn has released the cinematic launch trailer for Season 4: Assimilation, the coming season in Apex Legends. The trailer showcases the history of Revenant, who's likely to be the season's new playable character now that Forge is dead. The ending of the trailer also possibly hints at another new legend coming to Apex Legends.The trailer takes place five years after the events of Titanfall 2 (so 25 years prior to the story in Apex Legends), and begins with Revenant taking a contract for the Syndicate to kill Marcos Andrade, a gifted grifter who, according to his file, partners with his wife in "Bonnie-and-Clyde operations." You can watch the new trailer below.For most of the trailer, Revenant sees himself as still human. However, his mission to kill Marcos runs into a snag when both the conman and his wife (along with their entourage of armed guards) put up quite a fight--leading to a piece of glass getting stuck into his neck. Catching his reflection in the mirror, he removes the glass, only for the damage to disrupt his programming and reveal to him what he truly is: a Simulacrum.For those unaware, a Simulacrum is an android-like individual first introduced in Titanfall. They are human minds transplanted into robot bodies. Ash--a member of the main antagonists of Titanfall 2--is a Simulacrum. You can actually see her in this trailer too, prominently featured in one of the news stories that Revenant is watching in the beginning of the video. Ash chose the life of a Simulacrum for herself, though, as she was a gifted pilot who's body was one day damaged beyond repair. Given Revenant's apparent shock in the trailer, it doesn't look like becoming a Simulacrum was his choice.A quick look at his hand at the end of the trailer reveals who is responsible for Revenant's transformation: Hammond Robotics. This is why, almost three decades later, he stabs Forge in the back on live television. Forge was sponsored by Hammond Robotics, and now Revenant seeks vengeance against the company that turned him into a living machine.At the very end of the trailer, we see Marcos' daughter--now an orphan--angrily look up, seemingly vowing her own vengeance against Revenant for what he's done to her. Given that the girl would be in her thirties by the events of Apex Legends, receives a wolf statue from her father as a gift, and is the daughter of thieves, it's quite possible she's one of Apex Legends' upcoming characters, codenamed Loba. First called Rosie, before later files referred to her as Loba, this legend was datamined alongside Revenant and Forge back in 2019. Described as a thief, Loba could fit this girl's backstory, as "Loba" could be in reference to an eastern European fairy tale about La Loba, or the wolf woman.Info from Gamespot.com

While Star Trek is about seeking out new life and new civilizations at its core, it always has its share of political intrigue, too. Though Star Trek: Picard picks up years after The Next Generation, it's still dealing with the Federation's relationship with its longstanding enemies, the Romulans. The animosity between the Federation and the Romulans is a major part of the unfolding story in Picard's second episode, "Maps and Legends," and we learn a little more about who's hunting Dahj, Soji, and Jean-Luc Picard: the Tal Shiar.What's The Deal With The Tal Shiar?First, a bit of Star Trek history: the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire have been enemies for a long time, and throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation, the two were engaged in what was essentially a Cold War. That eventually changed 14 years before the start of Picard, when a supernova destroyed Romulus. The Romulan Empire asked the Federation for help in evacuating its people from the planet, the Federation refused, and it seems what remains of the Romulan people are fairly scattered.But as we learn in Star Trek: Picard, just because there's no Romulan Star Empire anymore (it's apparently the Romulan Free State now), that doesn't mean the old Romulan militaristic ways are gone. Apparently, some old Romulan institutions are still operational--like the Tal Shiar. For years, as we saw on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the Tal Shiar were a formidable and feared organization. It's roughly the equivalent of the Romulan KGB, a powerful, ruthless, clandestine intelligence agency charged with maintaining the security of the empire. The Tal Shiar would place spies in other governments throughout the galaxy, including the Federation, while also surveilling its own people and making perceived enemies and dissidents disappear.The Tal Shiar only answered to the highest levels of the Romulan government, and therefore could pretty much do whatever they wanted. Like real Cold War adversaries, they constantly operated in the shadows, and paranoia about the Tal Shiar helped the Romulan government control its citizens. On Star Trek: Picard, Jean-Luc's friends who live and work with him on his vineyard, Laris and Zhaban, are both former Tal Shiar operatives, as we learn in Episode 2.But What About The Zhat Vash?Star Trek: Picard introduces another organization to the Romulan intelligence apparatus, called the Zhat Vash. We don't know much about them, except that they operate within the Tal Shiar--a secret organization inside a secret organization. Working within the Tal Shiar gives the Zhat Vash the cover it needs to pursue its own agenda, without anyone knowing for sure that the organization actually exists. Laris and Zhaban have heard rumors of the Zhat Vash, but they don't know much in the way of concrete details about it, so even to members of the Tal Shiar, the Zhat Vash is a mystery.Laris does give some information about the Zhat Vash, though. First, they're guarding a secret so important and profound that they will kill anyone to keep it. Second, they hate artificial intelligence and consider it to be an abomination.So we don't know much about what the Zhat Vash are up to, but in Episode 2, we learn they have operatives in both Starfleet and the Romulan government operating on the decommissioned Borg Cube known as the Artifact. They're the folks who attacked Dahj on Earth. On the Artifact, Zhat Vash operative Narek is attempting to get close to Soji, apparently in hopes of getting information out of her. It seems the Zhat Vash think there are more androids like Dahj and Soji and are hoping to learn their location--likely to kill them all.We still have a whole lot of questions about the Zhat Vash that haven't been answered yet--specifically, what their big secret is, and why they hate androids so much they'd risk exposing themselves, or dragging the new Romulan Free State into a war with the Federation. One thing is for sure, though: the Zhat Vash's influence goes deep, and while the Romulan people might have been weakened and scattered by the events 14 years ago, their agencies, like the Tal Shiar and the Zhat Vash, are still just as fearsome as ever.Disclosure: ViacomCBS is GameSpot's parent company.Info from Gamespot.com

It's a bit of a quiet period for new Nintendo Switch releases--the next major release, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, isn't planned until March. However, an exciting new port did launch on the system this month, and you can grab it at a discount right now. First announced in a Nintendo Direct last fall, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore is an enhanced port of the 2015 JRPG developed by Atlus and published by Nintendo. It's rare to see a new Nintendo game fall below $60 in its first month--or even months after release--but right now, you can pick up Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore for $10 off at both Walmart and Amazon, dropping the price to $49.94. That's likely the best deal you'll find on it for the foreseeable future.So, what exactly is Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore? In his impressions of the game, GameSpot's Michael Higham breaks it down best. "It's a lengthy Japanese RPG that incorporates elements of Fire Emblem and Persona, packed with J-pop and J-rock topped by Hatsune Miku references," he wrote. "There are opportunities to experience everyday life in modern-day Tokyo and a whole lot of dungeon crawling with a dynamic combat system built on the foundation of the Shin Megami Tensei games."This crossover game follows a group of teens who get wrapped up in a mystery involving evil beings known as Mirages, who are taking over the souls of entertainers. The protagonists enter an alternate world known as the Idolasphere, and together with the help of friendly Mirages--portrayed by classic Fire Emblem characters--they fight to protect innocents against the attacks and investigate who is behind them. The gameplay features turn-based combat and mechanics that will be familiar to anyone who's ever played Persona or Shin Megami Tensei, and there are references to Fire Emblem that fans of that series will appreciate.There's no telling how long this discount will last--Amazon is likely price-matching Walmart, and there's no end date for the deal listed--so don't wait if you've been waiting for a better price. In the meantime, be sure to check out more of the best Nintendo Switch deals this month, including a rare deal on the Nintendo Switch Lite.Best deals on Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore$49.94 ($60) See at Walmart See at Amazon Best Deals This Week February 2020 PS Plus Games Revealed For PS4 February 2020 Xbox Games With Gold Revealed PS4's Free PS Plus Games For January 2020 Announced Info from Gamespot.com

Ubisoft has outlined the alterations coming to For Honor on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One with Year 4: Year of the Reckoning, which kicks off on Thursday, February 6. The Year 4 plans include a bevy of changes, including a new Battle Pass system, increased customization options, additional heroes, and more.Goodbye Year Pass, Hello Battle PassThe biggest change headed to For Honor in the coming year is a brand-new Battle Pass, a replacement to the Year Pass. Similar to other games like Fortnite and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, For Honor's Battle Pass will feature a Free and Premium track that resets after each season. The Battle Pass will be limited to customization items and consumables, and is not required to unlock the new heroes.For Honor's new Battle Pass changes which customization items are unlocked. No longer will you randomly unlock items at the end of every match. Instead, the Free track gives you access to things such as new ornaments, steel, color swatches, embossings, and more. The Premium track lets you acquire new signatures, weapons, executions, and others. Ubisoft said this new reward system will give you "clear objectives throughout the 100 tiers" so you know exactly what you are unlocking and when.New Year, New HeroesTwo new heroes will make an appearance during the Year of Reckoning, but Ubisoft hasn't specified who these characters are, which faction they will belong to, what roles they will fill, or any other details. Ubisoft did confirm when we can expect these new heroes: one during Year 4, Season 2; another during Year 4, Season 4. Like the previously released heroes, both can be unlocked through a purchase using real-world money or Steel, which is For Honor's in-game currency.A Few Other Changes To Look Forward ToUbisoft is also making a few adjustments to the core experience and the competitive scene. These include balancing heroes and game modes, making Dominion the main competitive game type, added events, and more. Info from Gamespot.com

In 2020, there is no shortage of ways to play retro video games. Whether it's with micro-consoles from Nintendo and Sega, remastered re-releases, or RGB-modded consoles, there's never been a better time to enjoy the games of our past. However, when it comes to recreating our days in the local arcade, bringing old cabinets into your home can be an expensive, time-consuming hobby--not to mention the space you need to house them. Sure, you can play old arcade games on most modern platforms, but the feeling of competing for a high score just isn't the same on a DualShock 4. This is where Arcade1Up comes in, and for the past couple of years, the company has released 3/4-scale cabinets of some of video game's biggest classics, including Mortal Kombat, Rampage, and now, BurgerTime.Arcade1Up's latest is a limited-edition BurgerTime cabinet, which also includes a number of other Data East classics: Karate Champ, Caveman Ninja, and Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja. After building the cabinet--which is about as relaxing as building IKEA furniture--the unique shape of the BurgerTime machine is particularly striking. Arcade1Up did a good job in making BurgerTime feel like you're bringing the actual cabinet home. For the first time, the company has created panels that more closely resemble the original machine--nearly all of Arcade1Up's cabinets before this have shared the exact same physical design. BurgerTime's rounded panels give the cabinet more character, excellently paired with the panel art featuring Peter Pepper.It's not an exact copy of the original cabinet's design, however. In fact, the Arcade1Up machine features more stylized curves than the original. This feels important in evoking the original, as the rest of the machine is like any other Arcade1Up cabinet. The original 1982 cabinet features a screen that's flush with the control board, asking the player to look downward at the screen. Arcade1Up's rendition will have you looking straight ahead, much like the rest of the company's line-up. And of course, Arcade1Up cabinets don't utilize CRT monitors, instead opting for modern flat screens. The Arcade1Up display looks great, but if you are looking for that exact original experience, it will be different than you remember.Otherwise, Arcade1Up's BurgerTime cabinet is gorgeous. The colours are bright and emulate the original design, with a light-up marquee that makes the machine pop in a dimly-lit room. It's a beautiful cabinet, and thankfully, games are well-emulated to help make it a great experience.Ported by Other Ocean Interactive--with assistance from Digital Eclipse, which is known for its excellent work on classic game compilations like Mega Man Legacy Collection and Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Edition--the games play, look, and sound great. The joysticks are responsive and feel sturdy, while the buttons are satisfying to click when you need to pepper a living sausage or kick a ninja. The control board includes two joysticks and two buttons per player, giving you everything you need to play each game the way they were made to be played--the dual joysticks are for use with Karate Champ, the game that kickstarted the fighting game genre as we know it today. It's a good selection of games, especially if you have a friend to enjoy them with.Everything about Arcade1Up's BurgerTime cabinet works great. It's as simple as putting it together, plugging it in, and playing. The simplicity is also its downside, however. Arcade1Up's machines don't offer anything beyond the means of actually playing the games. There aren't any video options, sound settings, art galleries, or anything in between--something as simple as scanlines or a sound test would be appreciated. It's also important to note that there's no official way of obtaining new games for Arcade1Up's cabinets.Arcade1Up makes excellent machines. The BurgerTime cabinet is exemplary of the company's dedication to create experiences that--while not exactly as they were back in the day--are roughly as good as you remember. But at the end of the day, the $399 price tag is a lot to ask for from most people. Arcade1Up's 3/4-scale cabinets are awesome machines, but they're only for those who are most passionate about the featured games. Thankfully, Arcade1Up treats those games with the respect they deserve, and anyone who cares about Data East's classic games will find a lot to love in the BurgerTime cabinet.The BurgerTime cabinet is sold exclusively on Arcade1Up's website for $399, and it's only available for a limited time. If you order before January 31, you'll get guaranteed shipping by March 1.Arcade1Up recently announced a series of smaller, more affordable products at CES 2020. These include classic micro-consoles and new plug-and-play systems for classic series like Mega Man, DuckTales, and Pac-Man. You can see all of the retro gaming hardware we loved at CES 2020 right here on GameSpot.Info from Gamespot.com

Blizzard has detailed Overwatch patch 1.45 and explained a shift in its approach to updating the game going forward. As part of the developer update, game director Jeff Kaplan revealed that the team will be adopting a new balance philosophy that involves implementing more frequent and impactful updates to deliberately change the meta.This, according to the studio, is an effort to respond to feedback from players who have been asking to keep the game fresh. As part of this new strategy, Blizzard has said it will be making and reverting changes more rapidly than before.The mechanism used to implement these changes is a new mode that is represented through the "Experimental" card on the mode select screen. Here, Blizzard will test major changes to the game that may or may not make it to the main game. Although it sounds similar to the Public Test Realm--which is a PC-only build of the game used to iron out balance and bugs--Blizzard notes that the Experimental Card is not for bug testing, it's specifically for testing balance changes, modes, and rules. Additionally, those that take part will still be able to earn experience and progress, as well as unlock loot boxes.Leading up to the reveal of patch 1.45, rumors swirled that Blizzard was preparing to introduce a pick and ban feature. This, it seems, is not entirely the case. Instead, Blizzard is opting for Hero Pools where certain characters will be disabled from Competitive Play for a given week, and availability will be rotated weekly. The cadence for the rotation is also being examined, so it may be that it is quicker or slower in the future.Importantly, Blizzard has said Hero Pools as a feature is being tested during Season 21 and, depending on how it performs, it may not return for Season 22. The goal of the Hero Pools approach, Blizzard says, is to allow the meta to change weekly and to encourage hero diversity in matches. Finally, the update will bolster anti-cheating efforts and have workshop quality of life updates.In terms of balance, Blizzard is currently testing a version of the game that makes a number of significant changes to Reaper, McCree, Orisa, Sigma, Hanzo, and Baptiste. You can read the latest PTR patch notes to learn about the upcoming Overwatch buffs and nerfs.Blizzard is currently working on Overwatch 2, which will have a significant story mode. Character progression will be distinct for Overwatch 2's campaign and multiplayer. As of yet, Overwatch 2's release date and platforms have not been confirmed.Info from Gamespot.com

Xbox One is getting another dashboard refresh, and an Xbox Insiders update gives a preview of what's likely to be coming to all users. For the time being these features are only for Alpha users of the Insider program, so it's unclear exactly when most of the changes will roll out to the wider audience.The most noticeable interface change comes to the main Home screen, which replaces the Twists with dedicated rows for Game Pass, Mixer, Xbox Community, and the Microsoft Store. Microsoft says you'll be able to customize the layout by adding or removing rows. This part of the update will be entering full public release in February. The My Games & Apps UI will also be getting more content grouping settings for easier navigating, along with labels for trials and demos, and a cleaner settings menu.Other new additions include image support in your messaging conversations. You've been able to send that hilarious animated gif in the mobile or desktop app, but now it will display properly on console. Notifications will let you set a portion of your screen to appear, and Xbox Game Pass will let you select an individual game to download from within a bundle. If you have external storage, a new "move" option will appear in your storage management for an easier time freeing up space.Microsoft also announced that Mixer is getting a few big changes in upcoming updates. You'll be able to switch your chat mode to "classic chat," which displays the chat messages in their own window alongside the stream. You can also manually select video resolution, and viewing info and VODs from your favorite streamers will be a smoother experience. Info from Gamespot.com

Over the past 50 years, arguably no filmmaker has made a bigger impact on the industry than Steven Spielberg. He has directed many monster box office hits like Jaws, Jurassic Park, and the Indiana Jones franchise. Spielberg has also won a pair of Academy Awards as a director for Saving Private Ryan and Schindler's List. If you're a Spielberg fan, Amazon has a stellar deal on a great Spielberg Blu-ray collection that includes blockbusters like Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park, and lesser-known works like The Sugarland Express and Duel.Normally $100, the Steven Spielberg Director's Collection is currently discounted all the way down to $22.97. It's fulfilled by Amazon and Prime-eligible, but orders placed now won't ship for a few days. The Blu-ray collection includes the following eight movies:Duel (1971)The Sugarland Express (1974)Jaws (1975)1941 (1979)E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)Always (1989)Jurassic Park (1993)The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) The collection comes with eight films and an informative bookletSteven Spielberg Director's Collection | $22.97 ($100) See at Amazon The major selling points are obviously the popular films: Jaws, E.T., and the pair of Jurassic Park movies. The discounted price would be great even for just those four films. But for those interested in seeing where Spielberg's genius started to form, this collection offers a glimpse into that, too.Based on a short story by Richard Matheson, Duel was Spielberg's first feature-length film and originally released on television before getting a theatrical release. Crime drama The Sugarland Express was Spielberg's debut theatrical release and kicked off his longtime collaboration with legendary composer John Williams.Along with the standard assortment of special features--behind-the-scenes looks, deleted scenes, original trailers, etc.--this collection comes with a booklet with information on each film. Best Deals This Week February 2020 PS Plus Games Revealed For PS4 February 2020 Xbox Games With Gold Revealed PS4's Free PS Plus Games For January 2020 Announced Info from Gamespot.com

Season 2 of Fortnite Chapter 2 is just around the corner, but there are still a few more Season 1 challenges to complete in the popular battle royale game. The latest batch of missions is called Camo Vs. Chic, and a number of them have you traveling around the island looking for certain objects. One such challenge asks you to destroy a telescope, television, and telephone pole. If you're having trouble tracking those down, we tell you where to go below.Where Are The Telescope, Television, And Telephone Pole Locations?Many homes around the island have television sets, so you can find those fairly easily in residential areas, particularly in the western portion of the map. Similarly, telephone poles are a common sight around suburban areas, so you shouldn't have much difficulty coming across one as you play.Telescopes, however, are a bit trickier to track down, as they are not nearly as common as either of the aforementioned objects. That said, you can reliably find one on the island just off the northern shore of the map, northwest of Craggy Cliffs. The telescope is hidden in a bush, so look around carefully and you'll be able to spot it.How To Complete The ChallengeNow that you know where you can find the three objects, all you need to do is destroy them, be it with your pickaxe or a weapon you pick up along the way. You don't need to destroy all three within a single round to complete the challenge, but you may be able to anyway given how plentiful televisions and telephone poles are.This isn't the only challenge that may give you some trouble from the Camo Vs. Chic set. Another asks you to fish up an item at three different No Fishing signs. If you need help tracking those down, be sure to check out our No Fishing sign locations guide. You can also see our other maps and guides in our full Fortnite Chapter 2 challenges roundup. Fortnite News Fortnite No Fishing Sign Locations: Where To Fish Items For Camo Vs. Chic Challenge Fortnite Chapter 2, Season 2: Release Date, [REDACTED], And All We Know Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 Release Date Confirmed By Epic Info from Gamespot.com

Phantasy Star Online 2, the popular online action-RPG, will not be locked to any specific regions when it launches later this year on Xbox One, according to the North American PSO2 Twitter account.A fan asked whether the upcoming online-ARPG will be region-locked. The NA PSO2 Twitter account responded that there are currently "no plans" to seclude players to any regions and that region-locking is not on the table for PSO2 "at this moment." Things could change later on down the road, however.Hi there! There are no plans to region lock Phantasy Star Online 2 at this moment. Thanks for reaching out! 😊 — Phantasy Star Online 2 (NA) (@play_pso2) January 30, 2020PSO2 is holding a closed beta next week, with sign-ups available now and pre-loading starting on Monday, February 3. The closed beta, exclusive to Xbox One, starts on Friday, February 7 and ends the following Saturday. Playing the closed beta lets you earn in-game rewards, and all progress will carry over to the open beta and official game launch. You can download PSO2's closed beta from the Xbox Insiders Hub app.While Phantasy Star Online 2 was announced for Xbox One during Microsoft's E3 2019 press conference, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has confirmed that the game isn't exclusive to the brand.Info from Gamespot.com

The second episode of Star Trek: Picard, "Maps and Legends," spends quite a bit of time on the decommissioned Borg Cube we saw briefly teased at the end of Episode 1, "Remembrance." Two episodes in, we've learned a lot more about the location--it's a Cube that's only partially active, cut off from the Borg Collective, and being studied and worked on by the Romulan Free State, the government of what's left of the Romulan people.The people aboard the Cube refer to it as the Artifact, and they both live and work there. Parts of the Artifact are safe, but some are still actively Borg, and it sounds like it's possible to be attacked and even assimilated into the Borg Collective in certain areas of the Cube, if you're not careful. Star Trek: Picard Star Trek: Picard Episode 2 Review - Set On Stun We don't get much information about exactly what the Romulans are up to on the Artifact, though. Soji mentions the idea that part of the operation is salvaging the Cube and selling what it yields. We also see Soji's work on the Cube with former Borg drones; the Romulans refer to them as "The Nameless," and in Episode 2, "Maps and Legends," we see Romulan doctors removing the former drones' Borg implants. Soji tells one such drone that they're now free, so it seems part of the operation on the Artifact is to save drones from the Borg Collective, perhaps to reintegrate them into society.Still, even though we've seen Soji and others seemingly helping drones and other workers hanging around on the Artifact, we don't know what the goal of the work on the Borg Cube actually is. This is the Romulans, after all--the secretive, arrogant, militaristic race that had been in various stages of conflict with the Federation for years. Even though the Romulan Star Empire is gone, thanks to the destruction of Romulus 14 years before Star Trek: Picard begins, it seems unlikely that the new Romulan Free State is just using the Borg Cube to make some cash from salvage, or to make some scientific discoveries.That viewpoint is bolstered by the fact that Laris explains the Romulans have an aversion to artificial intelligence when she's telling Jean-Luc about the Zhat Vash. If the Romulans aren't fans of synthetic lifeforms, they're definitely going to have some general qualms about the Borg, a race that assimilates other cultures by forcing them to become partially cybernetic. Those feelings might help drive the Romulans to want to free Borg drones from the Collective, like we see in Episode 2, but it seems more likely that they wouldn't want anything to do with a Borg Cube--unless there was some advantage in it.So what could they be doing? The Borg are a formidable foe thanks to their technology, and they came close to destroying the Federation on more than one occasion. Borg Drones and ships capable of adapting to phaser fire so that it can't harm them, for instance. The Romulans might be hoping to salvage some of that tech in order to bolster their own military capabilities and again become a power in the quadrant. Borg technology could offer a lot of serious advantages to the Romulans, especially if they're still hoping to take on the Federation; the Borg were probably the adversary who came closest to defeating the Federation.And in Episode 2, we know that the destruction of Romulus didn't wipe out all the old vestiges of militaristic Romulan society. The Tal Shiar, the Romulan Empire's secretive and powerful intelligence agency, still exists and is even operating on Earth. Romulan spies working with the Zhat Vash have infiltrated Starfleet. The Romulans are still formidable, even in their current state and lacking a homeworld. And it seems likely that a lot of Romulans blame the Federation for abandoning them when their planet was destroyed--and are eager for revenge.The fact is, right now, we just don't know what the Romulans want or what they might be hoping to gain from the Artifact. We know that two former Borg drones from other Star Trek series, Hugh from The Next Generation and Seven of Nine from Voyager, are going to appear on Picard at some point in the future. Given the other elements of artificial life that have been a big part of the story up to now--android clones of Data's technology in Soji and Dahj, the attack on Mars by synthetics, and now the salvage operation on the Artifact--we can expect the Borg to play a big role of some kind as Star Trek: Picard goes forward.Disclosure: ViacomCBS is GameSpot's parent company.Info from Gamespot.com

Now that the trailer dropped for Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge--the upcoming animated movie from Warner Bros.--everyone is wondering exactly when the movie will be releasing. Sadly, it's a bit of a ways away, as the straight-to-video home release isn't out until this April.While it will be a bit of a wait until Scorpion's Revenge releases digitally on April 12 on Movies Anywhere and on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD on April 28, the details for the upcoming home release are out. Both the 4K UHD and Blu-ray versions of the movie will come with digital copies as well, as long as you don't mind waiting a week to see the movie.From the looks of the trailer, the movie will tell the origin story of Scorpion, who was once Hanzo Hasashi, a man murdered by Sub-Zero who comes back to life for revenge, like the title suggests. However, the official synopsis for the movie is a bit more broad: "Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge spotlights the once-in-a-generation tournament between the champions of Outworld and Earthrealm--a competition that will ultimately determine the fate of Earth and all its citizens. Lord Raiden, protector of Earthrealm, must gather the greatest fighters of his realm to defend it from the evil Shang Tsung in the battle to end all battles--Mortal Kombat!"The press release for Scorpion's Revenge has an MSRP listing of $40 for the 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack, $25 for the Blu-ray Combo Pack, $20 for the DVD, and $20 for the digital purchase. As mentioned, the 4K and Blu-ray Combo Packs also come with digital copies of the movie. At this time, you cannot pre-order the movie.Below, you'll find the special features for Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge, everything listed below is available on the 4K UHD Combo Pack, the Blu-ray Combo Pack, and for the digital versions.Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge Special Features:From Epic Game to Extreme Animation – Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon and the filmmakers reveal the creative process behind adapting the best-selling game to an all-new animated film.The Weapons, Wardrobe and World of Mortal Kombat Legends – The artists reveal the design challenges of animating the world of Mortal Kombat, from authentic armor to wildly imaginative weapons and fantasy settings.The Savage Sound Design of Mortal Kombat Legends – This hard-hitting audio exploration reveals the art of designing the sonic language of the fight scenes.Mortal Kombatants – Dive deep inside the cast of characters to reveal their unique abilities, signature moves and backstories.Filmmaker Commentary – Producer Rick Morales and screenwriter Jeremy Adams sit down for an insightful audio commentary that reveals the process of creating a compelling animated film based on one of today’s most popular fighting games.Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge arrives digitally on April 12 and to 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD on April 28.Disclosure: ViacomCBS is GameSpot's parent company.Info from Gamespot.com

Remember Clippy, Microsoft's virtual Office assistant that gave "helpful" hints and tips while you toiled away on projects? Well, with the popularity of House House's Untitled Goose Game, it was only a matter of time until the goose was let loose on your desktop--and now, the goose is loose.Developer Sam Chiet created a free Windows PC desktop app that lets House House's notorious goose be used as your virtual assistant to trample all across the screen, tracking mud, leaving unsolicited memes and notes, and even stealing the mouse. In the middle of cleaning your desktop? Desktop Goose doesn't care. Trying to get some work done? Desktop Goose isn't worried about your deadline. Playing a tense video game? Desktop Goose just wants to help ruin your perfectly lined-up shot.Desktop Goose can be customized to leave whatever GIFs and images you want to see onscreen. You can also adjust the goose's aggression to make it more annoying, as well as prompt it to play MP3s. Leave the goose unattended for a while and you'll even come back to a hilariously unwelcome surprise. All the shenanigans can be canceled by holding the escape key, but why would you do that?I left it on for 30 minutes and when I came back my computer looked like this pic.twitter.com/g0ZmOgtOAu — Lucas Rizzotto ✈️ 🇬🇷 (@_LucasRizzotto) January 29, 2020Chiet told The Verge that Desktop Goose served two distinct purposes: 1) To "get in the way of your work" and 2) To recall virtual assistants of the '90s and '00s. "If you look back, that's pretty bad design by a lot of (okay, literally all) standards today," Chiet said. "But I think they also had so much more personality. And even though what we have today is certainly very clean, usable software, I can't help but feel like something was lost in that sanitization."House House's quirky Untitled Goose Game has proved to be quite the success for the independent studio, with the puzzler selling more than one million copies to date. The meme-able game could become a real Lego set, and the studio confirmed that a portion of all future earnings will go to benefit Australian indigenous groups.Info from Gamespot.com

Gaming giant Electronic Arts reported earnings for its holiday quarter today, and the company performed ahead of expectations. In particular, revenue from EA's microtransaction bucket--called Live Services--reached nearly $1 billion. Another highlight was Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, which performed above expectations.As you can see in the chart below, EA made $993 million from live services during the quarter ended December 31. For the trailing 12 months, EA made $2.835 billion from microtransactions.Microtransactions are big business for EAEA made a total of $1.593 billion in revenue for the quarter and $361 million in profit, so as you can see, microtransactions are very big business for EA. A major part of EA's microtransaction revenue comes from the Ultimate Team modes for EA's sports games, including FIFA, Madden, and NHL.The publisher also said Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order performed significantly above expectations. EA was modelling sales of 6-8 million copies, but now the company is expecting sales to reach 10 million copies during the current fiscal year ending March 31.Additionally, EA said Star Wars: Battlefront II performed above expectations as well due in part to the renewed interest in Star Wars overall thanks to The Rise of Skywalker and more.Moving to a different title, EA said Apex Legends saw higher player engagement during Season 3 than in Season 2, and EA will be looking to build on that momentum for the upcoming Season 4. The company also teased that Respawn will bring Apex Legends to at least one new platform during the year. It's already confirmed for mobile, but a Nintendo Switch version seems unlikely.Also during the earnings call, EA re-confirmed its plans to launch a new Battlefield game on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. The company is planning additional releases as well, EA CEO Andrew Wilson said. "We'll be ready to lead with some of our top titles," he said.The EA earnings call is ongoing, so keep checking back for more... Info from Gamespot.com