In Frostpunk's main campaign, you already know the stakes. A winter of biblical proportions has descended upon Industrial Revolution England, driving its citizens into the frozen unknowns to seek out life-giving generators. In The Last Autumn, you are in charge of making one of those very generators a reality--one that will hopefully save lives in the future. Winter lies in wait on the periphery, so you have to worry about new means of resource gathering, timed objectives, and social challenges rather than staving off the flu. It dresses the familiar gameplay elements of Frostpunk up differently, demanding a new type of strategic thinking that reinvigorates the already satisfying formula at its core.With the cold weather encroaching on Liverpool, you lead a handful of workers and engineers on an expedition to a cove on the edge of the country. Near-freezing sprays from the nearby ocean splash against treacherous rocky beaches, with only a small space to build upon peering through the thicket of trees outlining the coast. This limited space is immediately stressful--a massive generator needs to be built, resources around you already seem scarce, and the space you must work with doesn't allow for many placement mistakes. The odds are stacked against you from the start of Last Autumn's campaign, but some new tools provide reprieve in distinct ways.Instead of gathering resources from deposits around you, you can build new harbors on limited coastline spaces to collect what you need. You have to choose which spaces are dedicated to fishing for food and which others can be set up as large ports, allowing ships with stockpiles of wood, coal, or steel to dock and unload. Shipping resources in is only one part of the supply chain, too. With new depots staffed with workers, you can quickly supply your main city with resources nearly as fast as they're unloaded, which vastly improves upon having workers manually carry them from the docks. Each of these structures requires some of your more limited resources, though, making each micro-decision carry more weight than before. When each ingot of steel feels as precious as the last, you'll rarely find yourself overwhelmed as was the case in some previous scenarios, escalating the overall tension as a result.Other new structures are intrinsically tied to your new objective of building a central generator, each of which are used to build specific pieces of the giant contraption. You have a total of only 45 game days to achieve this goal, without any preparation time to make provisions for a stable resource supply line and citizen housing. It makes each of the four impending milestones immediately stressful, but it's all initially more confusing than it needs to be. The Last Autumn features the same useful tutorials from the main campaign to make picking up its new mechanics easy, but it doesn't do a good enough job surfacing the menus you can utilise to measure your progress towards the next milestone. It ultimately ruined my first run--I missed my first milestone without realizing that it even existed, making it impossible for me to hit subsequent ones on time before being fired. For all the good The Last Autumn does surfacing nearly every other facet of its new mechanics, it's frustrating that it takes some lost progress to truly understand its overall tempo.Once you come to grips with the time limits imposed on you, you can focus more on The Last Autumn's new Motivation meter, which joins the returning Discontent meter from previous scenarios. Each is fairly self-explanatory--the first one measures how much motivation your workers have to get the job done, while the other indicates how unhappy they are with their current living situation. Unlike previous campaigns, though, letting either one get too high or too low doesn't end your game. Instead, Motivation determines just how efficient your workers are at the jobs they're assigned to, while Discontent alters how likely they are to put down tools entirely and walk out on strikes. Keeping Motivation high and Discontent almost non-existent at first is easy, but as the impending winter approaches and the realities of your encroaching deadlines loom, unavoidable, scenario-specific modifiers to both make their upkeep a true challenge.Strikes are a new social aspect you'll need to contend with, going hand-in-hand with new metrics measuring the safety of workplaces in place of worrying about their overall temperature (given that winter hasn't yet arrived). Workplaces that are consistently dangerous and staffed with workers working either long or double shifts will quickly drive their occupants to down their tools and picket outside, forcing you to negotiate before returning to work. Worker requests will require you to pass new laws affecting either their work hours or living conditions, often demanding more resources from you or a tolerance for their slower pace of work in order to get them back into their factories and mills. The knock-on effects of these decisions can sometimes feel absent at first but come back around days later to haunt you, making each strike negotiation important to carefully consider. Even simply delaying your decision with handouts of rations often results in more strenuous demands from your workers, turning strikes into worthy headaches that compound the satisfyingly stressful symphony of systems present already.With new mechanics to contend with and different ways to approach Frostpunk's strategic formula, the new laws that it introduces make tackling both as morally challenging as ever. Your base set of laws returns from previous scenarios, but the branches that come with siding with either labor or your engineers expand on them extensively. In one of my successful runs I passed laws in the engineering path that allowed me to ship in prisoners for cheaper labor, while constructing oppressive security towers and multiple penitentiaries to keep everyone in line. The authoritarian approach didn't sit well with most citizens, but it made sense to grow my workforce rapidly without needing to worry too much about the needs of my new laborers. Eventually I unlocked an ability to turn regular citizens into criminals without trial, giving me the chance to boost efficiency in workplaces solely staffed by criminals as a result of their supposed disposability.None of these decisions are easy to make. Frostpunk has always made each of your decisions feel like choosing between two evils, and The Last Autumn maintains that. When shipping in criminals I was constantly reminded of how terrible some of their crimes were and how they might introduce problems to my other citizens if not policed correctly. But even introducing a growing security force presented issues. Empowered citizens imposed their authority incorrectly at times, which in one case drove one of my citizens to death after consistent harassment that I ignored so that my criminals could be kept in check. Seeing small stories like this emerge from decisions I made hours before was equal parts gut-wrenching and fascinating, encouraging me to explore new laws and regulations to see what effects they might have.Because bad Motivation or Discontent don't end a run and only the stress of missing deadlines to contend with, The Last Autumn allows for more flexibility in your strategy. It lets you stretch the boundaries of what its new laws offer, offering you the chance to drive forward with increasingly morally dubious decisions if all you're focused on is getting the job done. It doesn't come without consequence, though, especially when the cold arrives near the end of the run and introduces further restrictions on resource gathering as well as the familiar temperature monitoring in workplaces and citizen residences. By the end of my own run I was furiously converting citizens into criminals to increase my workforce without new shipments of workers coming in, exponentially increasing the size of my required security force too. The last few days felt like a battle of attrition--I wasn't allowed to let up on longer shifts but also incapable of dealing with the living needs of my population without diverting resources from the work on the generator. Within just a few days nearly half my society had succumbed to illness and died, eventually allowing me to reach my goal but with hardly any of the people responsible for it alive to see the fruits of their labor.Outside of small stories that your decisions generate and influence, The Last Autumn does attempt to conclusively confront your choices by its conclusion. With the generator built and your citizens sent to the next site that needs work, you're presented predictions for how effective your generator might be and just how many citizens it could save in the future. Based on how many milestones you missed, how many concessions you had to make to get there, and the number of people you lost along the way, the hard-fought victory might be met with depressingly low odds of success in the long run. It stings to have that presented to you after making sacrifices for what you assumed would be a greater good, forcing you to reevaluate your overall strategy and try again for a better outcome.The Last Autumn demands a lot from you, but it's also a deeply engrossing evolution of the formula that Frostpunk is made up of, changing the core rules just enough to make all your previous strategies feel insufficient. Whether it's deciding on which resources to order and how to distribute them or which parts of your workforce to push just hard enough before they reach their breaking point, The Last Autumn maintains the morally challenging and consequence-riddled decision-making of the core game while giving you new laws to experiment with and master. It's a welcome return to an already fantastic strategy game that shouldn’t be glossed over.Info from Gamespot.com

Journey to the Savage Planet is a fantastic name for a pulpy sci-fi game, but is a bit of a misdirect when taken at face value. A "savage planet" conjures up thoughts of hostility and survival, tapping into the inherent dangers of life on the frontiers of space. Sure, there are things that want to kill you in Journey to the Savage Planet, but they're only a minor inconvenience rather than the main focus. Instead, developer Typhoon Studios places the emphasis on exploration, coupling this with genuine humour and a charming tone to present a lighthearted and singularly focused chunk of sci-fi adventuring.The entire game takes place on a single planet located deep in uncharted space. You're strapped into the space boots of an employee of Kindred Aerospace--a rinky-dink outfit that's so proud of its standing as the fourth-best interstellar exploration company, it'll make you shudder to think of how bad the fifth-best must be. Once your feet touch the planet's surface, you'll begin to catalog the flora, fauna, and life located across the various biomes of planet AR-Y 26 to determine if it's fit for human habitation, what with the whole climate change thing ruining Earth.Journey to the Savage Planet excels when it comes to the assortment of tools and equipment you can gradually craft and use to reach every nook and cranny of the planet's surface. You're immediately free to explore as you see fit, but it doesn't take long to discover plenty of inaccessible areas. As such, much of the game is spent scanning the flora and fauna to reveal whether they have gameplay benefits or are just there to contribute to the planet's vibrant and colorful aesthetic. Some plants may contain seeds that restore your health or produce projectile explosives, while most of the planet's hodgepodge glossary of alien critters are filled with resources you can gather if you're heartless enough to put a laser blast between their eyes. Gathering these resources and locating items that can be reverse-engineered using your ship's 3D printer allows you to craft equipment like grappling hooks, double-jump upgrades for your jetpack, and other tools that make traversal and deeper exploration possible.The whole game latches onto this palpable sense of momentum, as each new upgrade opens up more of the planet for you to probe. Your feet may be firmly planted on the ground in its opening stages, but by the end of the 10-hour adventure you'll be gliding across natural ziplines hundreds of feet in the air, propelling across perilous chasms with a triple jump, and using a powerful ground pound to unearth new passages. Journey to the Savage Planet adopts the classic Metroidvania formula and executes it wonderfully, presenting you with an ever-growing arsenal of tools that are satisfying to use and feed into the game's inherent focus on exploration.Of course, the other side of this equation is the planet itself, which is well worth turning inside out. AR-Y 26 is split into three distinct biomes. Each one is moderately sized, resulting in the planet's scale feeling manageable and allowing you to explore freely without fear of getting lost. When presented with multiple paths, it's easy to choose one over the other because you know getting back to that initial fork in the road is going to be relatively easy. This encourages you to poke your nose in every crevice, travel to every far-away cave, and check behind every waterfall. You're often rewarded for doing so, with extra resources or important upgrade items hidden throughout the planet--not to mention the visual treats that are on offer in each disparate biome, whether you're navigating through the craggy icy caves and glaciers your ship landed on, walking amongst the overgrown pink and turquoise mushrooms of the Fungi of Si'ned VII, or jumping between the floating islands of The Elevated Realm.Journey to the Savage Planet isn't a completely leisurely tour, though. Your first order of business is to develop a futuristic blaster pistol, but combat is a means to an end rather than a major part of the game, and it ends up being a drag. While most of the planet's creatures are docile, there are outliers that become hostile as soon as they spot you. Defeating these aggressive predators involves a rinse and repeat pattern whereby you use a nifty sidestep or jump to avoid an attack before following up by shooting one or multiple weak points. There are only slight deviations on this back-and-forth that require you to lob an explosive or poison cloud at the enemy before you can pepper its weak spot. The pistol never feels quite accurate enough for the job, especially because you're usually being asked to hit small targets, and each of the combat's faults comes to a head during the game's closing moments as you're thrown into one fight after another before facing off against the final boss.You can play the whole game cooperatively with a friend, which does make combat slightly more bearable, but co-op doesn't alter the moment-to-moment gameplay in any significant way. Conflicts are easier with two people, sure, but there's nothing about the co-op experience that's intrinsically built for more than a single player. You can explore the planet together or opt to split up and cover different ground, but that's about it.Playing with a friend can result in moments of emergent humour, but Journey to the Savage Planet is also genuinely funny due to the abundance of FMVs located on your ship. These short and incredibly eccentric videos mock and parody everything from exploitative corporate practises to the video game industry. There's a commercial for a new game elegantly titled MOBA MOBA MOBA Mobile VR V.17 Golden Fleece; its main selling point is having more microtransactions than any other game, with one of its features being an in-game "Custo-mi$er" for your created character. The humour is somewhat frontloaded, but this does help the game's irreverent charm establish itself early.Journey to the Savage Planet borrows plenty of familiar elements from other games, yet it does so in a carefree way that sets it apart from other sci-fi exploration games, settling on a relaxing playstyle that's informed by its single, vivid planet and tightly focused design. It only takes a couple of hours to reveal its humdrum combat, but this is the only significant damper on what is an entertaining slice of lighthearted planetary exploration.Info from Gamespot.com

Patapon 2 Remastered will launch on PS4 via PSN this Thursday, January 30, after being announced nearly two and a half years ago at PlayStation Experience in December 2017. It will cost $14.99.According to the PlayStation Blog, Patapon 2 Remastered will feature a lot of the same sprucing up that the original game received back in 2017, including a full 4K presentation that will sharpen up the PSP original from 2008. You can get your first glimpse of its delightfully colorful gameplay and irresistibly catchy soundtrack in the new gameplay trailer below.Similar to the first remaster, Patapon 2 Remastered keeps things relatively simple but including all of the original content--over 30 levels with a variety of objectives and an assortment of minigames--but isn't adding anything new. It features the same rhythm-based action gameplay that tasks you with not only sticking to the beat but also strategically equipping your troops with the right weapons to overcome each puzzling challenge.Nick Accordino of Sony Interactive Entertainment does, however, allude to new surprises for Patapon fans to look forward to in the post. You won't need to wait long to find out what those might be.Patapon 2 originally received an 8/10 from critic Guy Cocker, who said, "Patapon 2 doesn't drastically change the formula, but substantial tweaks have been made across every aspect of the game. The hero abilities add a new layer to the core gameplay, the new units are brilliantly realised, and the multiplayer game mode is a welcome addition to the series."Info from Gamespot.com

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

In an announcement from developer Echtra Games and publisher Perfect World, the online-focused Torchlight Frontiers--which brings the familiar action-RPG gameplay to a shared world--has been rebranded and is now Torchlight III. Torchlight III will release on Steam later this year, with console ports coming sometime after.Developed by Echtra Games, Torchlight Frontiers was a free-to-play follow-up to the loot-driven action-RPG game from former-developer Runic Games. In an official video, Torchlight creator Max Schaefer, former founder of Runic Games and the current head of Echtra Games, stated that following fan-feedback and over the course of the development, the game evolved into "a spiritual successor Torchlight I and II." Along with the name change, the game has shifted from a free-to-play game to a traditional standalone premium model, letting you buy the game and its content for a one-time purchase on Steam.According to the devs, the game now follows a structure that sticks close to the original's style. The big change with Torchlight III is that it's lessening the focus for online-play. While you can still play it online with friends and other players, you will also be able to play the game offline. When you are online, most zones will be set to private, letting you explore at your own pace in solitude. Along with this change to the game's online requirement, the pricing model has also been revised. With the shift to a premium model, the game's real-money store will be removed. Frontiers is currently in closed alpha, and players will be able to continue playing as the game transitions into the next main entry of the Torchlight series. In 2017, the original developer of the Torchlight series, Runic Games, folded following the release of the adventure game Hob. The first two Torchlight games were available on PC and consoles, which offered a largely accessible take on Diablo-style action-RPG combat. Since then, developer Echtra Games took the reigns to bring the game into a more online-focused space. It shows similar shades to Destiny, keeping you present in an online world with other players.For more on Torchlight III, and what else is coming to the game in the months ahead toward its release, be sure to check back with GameSpot for more information as it comes in.Info from Gamespot.com

Following the tragic passing of NBA legend Kobe Bryant on Sunday, January 26, the NBA 2K20 team and fans of the sports franchise have started a series of in-game tributes to memorialize the famed Lakers player.Developer Visual Concepts and publisher 2K Sports updated NBA 2K20 to acknowledge Bryant's untimely death with a new splash screen across all platforms, commemorating the life of one of basketball's greatest shooting guards.This is the first thing that you see when you launch NBA 2K20. 2K giving respect to Kobe... I love it #NBA2K20 #XboxShare pic.twitter.com/9cH8swsDNx — Sᴏʟᴏ DF ッ🚀🌎📈 (@YT_Solo) January 26, 2020The official NBA 2K20 Twitter account paid tribute to Bryant with a message of its own, saying his "many contributions on and off the court" will be greatly missed. Some developers on the NBA 2K series also shared condolences across Twitter, with many sharing intimate behind-the-scenes shots and touching anecdotes about their time meeting and working with the Lakers legend.Totally heartbroken. He’s a big reason why I and many 2K fans grew to love basketball. His drive for getting the most out of life is to be aspired especially in the light of this absolutely tragedy. Life is short, we all need to live it to its fullest.#RIPKobe pic.twitter.com/Nx5uARg2HS — Ronnie 2K 2K20 (@Ronnie2K) January 26, 2020Game makers aren't the only people mourning the loss and celebrating the life of Bryant, whose nickname throughout his career was "The Black Mamba." The NBA 2K20 community is coming together to remember Bryant by dressing in Lakers attire. Elsewhere in the game, players are attempting to recreate Bryant in-game using the create-a-player feature, while others are stalling games to take a moment of silence.My bro sent me this video of players paying their respects for Kobe on 2k pic.twitter.com/HaHU1wRhKO — (◡‿◡❀) (@beeniicole) January 26, 2020Bryant was on his way to a basketball game with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna when the helicopter the two were aboard unexpectedly crashed in Calabasas, California Sunday morning, killing seven other people in the process. Bryant, who was expected to coach a game his daughter was said to be playing in, was 41 years old. A cause for the crash has yet to be determined and reports suggest it could take days before any information is divulged.Kobe Bryant has appeared in every NBA 2K game since its inception, last appearing on the franchise's cover athlete for NBA 2K17's Legend and Legend Gold Editions.Info from Gamespot.com

There's no shortage of Pokemon-themed merchandise out there, but the newest additions to the Pokemon product ecosystem are some of the coolest I've seen in a long time. The Pokemon Company partnered with skateboard designer Bear Walker to create a line of limited-edition skateboards featuring five Gen 1 Pokemon.Bear Walker's skateboards don't require grip tape.Naturally, one of the designs is Pikachu, and it's joined by Mewtwo, Gengar, Gyarados, and Charizard. Together, the five make up Series 1 of the Pokemon Center X Bear Walker collection, which goes on sale at the Pokemon Center February 11. The Pokemon Company hasn't announced how much the boards will cost, but the "Series 1" moniker hints that more Pokemon skateboards could be made in the future.Most skateboards feature graphics on the bottom, with grip tape covering the top. Bear Walker cuts the wood in a way that eliminates the need for grip tape, allowing him to paint gorgeous art on the top of each board. Walker has created a variety of custom decks inspired by pop culture since launching his business in 2016, including It, Joker, and Breaking Bad."Pokemon is highly recognizable with a massive fanbase in the skateboard community, including myself, so for this collection I wanted to make more than a traditional branded deck," Walker said in the press release. "I’m setting out to make functional works of art featuring Pokemon and iconography that fans love in the custom style my decks are known for."The boards aren't available to pre-order, but you can sign up for the Pokemon Center's mailing list to stay up-to-date on availability. Best Deals This Week Pokemon-Like MMO Temtem Can Already Be Snagged At A Discount PS4's Free PS Plus Games For January 2020 Announced Over 1,500 PC Games Discounted In Huge Lunar New Year Sale Info from Gamespot.com

While Shirow Masamune's manga series Ghost in the Shell has had many adaptations in the past, including a big-budget Hollywood movie, the latest installment in the saga it coming to Netflix. Titled Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045, the movie is directed by Shinji Aramaki and Kenji Kamiyama.Coming in April, this will be a very different take on the classic manga series, as SAC_2045 will feature 3D computer graphics, giving it a very distinct style compared to other anime movies and series. You can check out the full trailer for the new series below.The series features Atsushi Nakanaka as Motoko Kusanagi, Akio Takatsuka as Bato, and Hirota Takaji as Togusa. The official synopsis for the series reads, "In the year 2045, after global capitalism has defaulted, Japan's elite Section 9 begins conducting covert cyber operations."Additionally, a new poster for the series was released, featuring the members of Section 9, featuring Motoko front and center. Check it out for yourself below.Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 poster from NetflixGhost in the Shell: SAC_2045 will hit Netflix this April.Info from Gamespot.com

Update: Edge's return to the WWE isn't a one-off. The formerly retired wrestler will be appearing on the January 28 episode of Raw, following his surprise appearance at the 2020 Royal Rumble. It's not clear if Edge will be competing regularly again, but WWE's announcement of his return is promising.At this year's Royal Rumble, Edge--the Rated-R Superstar, 11-time WWE World Champion, and Ultimate Opportunist--entered the men's battle royal match at #21 to a standing ovation from over 42,000 Houston fans.It's been nine years since Edge stood in the middle of the ring and announced his retirement from professional wrestling--the end result of a brutal, high-flying wrestling career that saw him spear opponents through flaming tables, between ropes, and from atop massive ladders.The bill always comes due. And for Edge, he started paying up on the September 26, 2002 episode of Smackdown. During a match that saw him battle Eddie Guerrero, Guerrero delivered a European uppercut to Edge, causing him to fall backward onto a ladder."I bumped on the ladder, and I heard a crack," Edge recalled in an interview on WWE Network series Beyond The Ring. "And I thought it was the ladder. And I don't think I broke my neck there? But I think something gave there."From there, Edge began feeling numbness and tingling in his neck and arm. Befitting the prevalent culture in professional wrestling, he worked through the injury rather than seeking out help. But once his arm muscles started atrophying, Edge feared that his increasing weakness would make him an unsafe worker.In 2003, Edge underwent surgery--a two-level spinal fusion of the discs between the vertebrae in his lower neck. And although he returned to in-ring competition, he suffered from cervical spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal that constricted the flow of vital fluids. This, in turn, caused numbness and trembling in his arms and hands. An MRI confirmed the worst; continued in-ring competition could result in paralysis or death. That led to a forced retirement after his match at Wrestlemania XXVII in 2011. At the time he retired, WWE made the following statement on its website:"Medical professionals cannot clear Edge to compete ever again in WWE since doing so could result in paralysis or even death."And up until three years ago, Edge was confirming the same. Here's what he said on his podcast in 2017 about a potential return:"It's a huge compliment that you want me to come back for one more match. However, it can never, ever happen. The WWE has medically disqualified me from ever wrestling again, so for those listening, that’s the way it is."Fast forward to the 2020 Rumble and Edge made an emotional entrance--complete with his signature pyrotechnics--and looks to be picking up right where he left off. The Rated-R Superstar lasted close to 24 minutes in the ring, which was more than respectable, and he eliminated 3 competitors: AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, and Randy Orton. The latter elimination was particularly meaningful, as it came on the heels of an impromptu, tag team reunion with his former partner Orton. Little nostalgic moments, like the one where Orton and Edge--the team formerly known as Rated RKO--shared a knowing smirk in the ring, are sure to be plentiful in the months to come.Physically, Edge looks great; he has some grey speckle in his beard, but his body is toned and sculpted--clearly, the decision to bring him back was not a hasty one, and he's been preparing for his return. He's not going to be leaping off ladders anytime soon, but he was still able to brawl and deliver spears to his opponents; his best-looking spear came against Roman Reigns. In other words, Edge still has enough left in the tank for a few more high-profile matches before he retires a second-time--this time, for good.Edge's first opponent back seems pretty obvious: Randy Orton. Their shared history, and their old run as tag team champions, gives this angle an easy access point for fans, both old and new, to reintroduce themselves to Edge. It eases Edge back into competition, and it assures that he has a veteran who will take care of him.A match versus Roman Reigns would also be great, since it was Roman who eliminated Edge from the contest. And the same logic would apply to AJ Styles and his O.C. backup, who might also be looking for revenge. In the past, Edge has demonstrated an ability to work well with everyone; big men, high flyers, and WWE-styled grapplers. It's the narrative push that will make these matches special.Beyond Wrestlemania season, there's an entire crop of young superstars who would jump at the chance to work with a WWE Hall of Famer. Edge is one of the last major talents from the Attitude/Ruthless Aggression era. All his contemporaries are either retired, WrestleMania-only (like Undertaker or Triple H), or prematurely deceased. Owing to the sudden nature of his 2011 diagnosis, Edge never got the chance to "pass the torch" in the same manner that John Cena did to Roman Reigns, or Brock Lesnar did to Seth Rollins. The number of marquee matches that can be made, to correct this oversight, are near endless.But who else deserves a rub on the level that Reigns and Rollins have received? Drew McIntyre, certainly. Braun Strowman or Keith Lee, two big men on the cusp of greatness, could use a high-profile win over a legendary name. Shinsuke Nakamura has seen his character deteriorate over the past two years; a feud with Edge could immediately place him back at the top of the card.And what about NXT's The Undisputed Era? Imagine if he enlisted them as his backup (The Undisputed Edge?). The alliance could introduce casual WWE fans to four of the most gifted young talents on the roster. And it could serve as a launchpad for Adam Cole, who deserves the instant, mainstream legitimacy that Edge's presence would provide.Perhaps a revival of Edge's old in-ring talk show, The Cutting Edge, would be appropriate. Many superstars have used these talk shows to prolong their careers while increasing their exposure: "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and his Piper's Pit. The Miz and MizTV. Mr. Perfect, who suffered chronic pain in the final years of his WWE career, transitioned into color commentary.Lastly, there's the option of reuniting Rated-RKO, which will lighten some of the workload. He can rely on Orton to do the work and then make the hot tag to finish the match and clean up what's left. It's not likely that a performer like Edge will be working a full-time schedule anyway.Edge must work smarter instead of harder--to maximize his entertainment value with the least cost to his body. The WWE Universe is lucky to have Edge back at all and should never become desensitized to that fact. Approach every possible match with this level of love and cautiousness, to ensure that Edge leaves WWE, again, in the same condition as he returned to it.Info from Gamespot.com

The highly anticipated Half-Life: Alyx is only a couple months away, and if you haven't picked up a VR headset yet, there are a lot of great ones to consider. One of the best VR headsets is the Samsung HMD Odyssey+. It regularly goes on sale, and right now, you can snag the VR headset for $200 off.Amazon currently has the HMD Odyssey+ for $300--and if you have Amazon Prime, it comes with free one/two-day shipping. It's a fantastic price, one of the best we've seen since Black Friday had the VR headset down to $230. The Odyssey+ features sensor-free, inside-out tracking, so all you have to do is plug the headset into your PC and you're good to go. On top of that, it boasts a beautiful AMOLED display, which produces more vibrant colours than its LCD counterpart.For $300, you get the headset, two controllers, and two free months of Viveport Infinity, the latter of which grants you access to a huge library of VR games--think Netflix but for VR. Some of the games available on the service right now include Pistol Whip, Superhot VR, and Gorn.Samsung HMD Odyssey+ | $300 ($500) See at Amazon The HMD Odyssey+ is also compatible with Half-Life: Alyx, as are most PC VR headsets. In addition to Valve's upcoming game, there is a huge library of titles that can be enjoyed with Samsung's VR headset. Any game on Steam with a "Windows Mixed Reality" tag works with the Odyssey+--thankfully, that accounts for the vast majority of Steam VR titles. WMR headsets also have access to their own specific apps on the Microsoft Store, though many of those experiences can also be found on Steam. Info from Gamespot.com

Pokemon Sword and Shield are giving away a variety of nice freebies for players right now, including free Battle Points and some rare Poke Balls. However, your time to claim some of these gifts is quickly running out, so you'll need to act fast and grab them while you can.Until Thursday, January 30, you can claim a handful of rare Poke Balls and 20 free Battle Points through Mystery Gift. Each of these freebies is available via download code; you can see the codes and the presents they provide below.CodeGiftExpiration DatePRESENT10 Luxury BallsJanuary 300T0SH1DAMA10 Dive BallsJanuary 30G1GANTAMAX20 Battle PointsJanuary 30To claim these freebies, select Mystery Gift from your game's menu screen, then choose the option to receive your gift with a code/password. Input the above codes when prompted and the gifts will be added to your inventory.Those aren't the only freebies available for Pokemon Sword and Shield right now. The Pokemon Company is offering another bundle of Battle Points until February 28. You can also claim a free Bottle Cap until that date, which can be used to Hyper Train one of your Pokemon at the Battle Tower in Wyndon. You can see all the free Pokemon Sword and Shield gifts available right now in our roundup.Sword and Shield's current slate of Max Raid events are also ending soon. Gigantamax Alcremie will be more likely to appear in Max Raids until January 31, while the appearance rates of Gigantamax Coalossal, Lapras, Flapple, and Appletun will return to normal on February 7.Earlier this month, Nintendo announced that Pokemon Sword and Shield are receiving two expansions this year, each of which will introduce a new area to explore, as well as new items, gameplay mechanics, and more. The expansions will also add over 200 old Pokemon to the games--and you don't need to own the DLC to obtain them. You can see all the returning Pokemon confirmed so far in our roundup. Pokemon Sword And Shield News & Guides Pokemon Sword & Shield DLC: All The Confirmed Returning Pokemon So Far Pokemon Sword & Shield Update Lets You Preview The New Expansions Today Pokemon Sword & Shield Expansion Will Let You Explore Raid Dens Three New Legendary Pokemon Revealed For Sword & Shield Pokemon Sword & Shield Expansion Pass Adds New Pokemon, Areas, And More Info from Gamespot.com

Whelp, what do ya know? Forge is dead. After implying Revenant would be the next playable character in Apex Legends, Respawn messed with fans' expectations by announcing Forge would be the new character in Season 4: Assimilation. Now, the developer has introduced another twist in the story by having Revenant kill Forge.You can see the deed being done in the tweet embedded below. It's a televised interview with James "The Forge" McCormick, which ends with Revenant sneaking up on the soon-to-be-legend and stabbing him in the back. Though the video does leave the overall fates of both Forge and Revenant up in the air--it ends before actually confirming whether Forge died or whether Revenant was captured--you can find the evidence to what happened next in Apex Legends itself.While some think he’s not ready for the Games, James "The Forge" McCormick is confident his Shatter Gauntlets and full backing from Hammond Robotics will help him make his mark in the Arena. Don't miss this special episode of "Up Close and Personal with Lisa Stone". pic.twitter.com/pYQiSJqZ5K — Outlands Television (@PlayApex) January 27, 2020For the past week, World's Edge has been changing in preparation for the arrival of Forge. Signs have gone up advertising the addition of new structures to the arena, a camera set was constructed for Forge's interview, and a grate in the floor of Sorting Factory was removed--implying that someone else has managed to sneak their way onto the map in preparation for Forge's arrival.Now that the interview has aired, the video set has been destroyed, and there's a death box in the spot where Forge was sitting. You can loot the death box to see a special in-game message that offers a eulogy for Forge. If you need help finding the death box, check out the video embedded below.Seeing the message unlocks a special in-game Forge-themed gun charm. So both in the trailer and in-game, all signs point to Forge being dead. This probably means that Revenant--who's been hinted to be the next legend since Fight or Fright--will be the new character added in Season 4.Should have had more on you Forge--at least a Mozambique or something. Can't defend yourself with just a charm.Apex Legends Season 4: Assimilation will add a brand-new sniper rifle to the game and bring back the fan-favorite Kings Canyon map. Assimilation also makes several changes to how Ranked Mode will work and also adjusts the Assist system so that it's easier to earn points by helping your teammates kill opponents. We've compiled everything we know about Assimilation so far, though Respawn is likely to announce a few more details in the coming week--we still don't have official confirmation that Forge is dead dead (this is a universe where people can be brought back to life with the right tech) or that Revenant is the next playable character.The new "Steel Cut" charm seems to the medal that Forge wore around his neck.Apex Legends is currently in the midst of the final days of Season 3: Meltdown--which is concluding with Grand Soirée Arcade, an in-game event that offered seven new in-game modes and new rare and legendary weapon and character skins. Meltdown officially ends on February 3, with Season 4: Assimilation beginning the very next day--the birthday of Apex Legends' announcement and release. Apex Legends News Apex Legends' New Season 4: Assimilation Weapon Is Another Sniper Rifle New Apex Legends Season 4 Character Revealed, And It's Not Revenant Apex Legends Kings Canyon Map Returns In Season 4: Assimilation Apex Legends Season 4: Assimilation's New Character, Weapon, Map Changes, And More Apex Legends Season 4: When Does It Start? Info from Gamespot.com

The online action-RPG Phantasy Star Online 2 will hold a closed beta next week exclusively for Xbox One through Microsoft's Xbox Insiders program. Sign-ups are available now and pre-load starts on Monday, February 3.PSO2's closed beta starts on Friday, February 7 at 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET and ends the following Saturday at 11:59 PM PT / 2:59 PM ET. You have the opportunity to earn exclusive in-game rewards during the closed beta, and all progress will carry over to the open beta and official game launch. Some in-game rewards include login bonuses such as accessories and consumables, first-time adopter items like emblems, and more.The closed beta will feature "unique challenges" called urgent quests, in which you can obtain special rewards at specific times throughout PSO2's short playtest. Check below for a list of available urgent quests.Phantasy Star Online 2 Closed Beta Urgent QuestsFebruary 78-8:30 PM PT -- Cradle of Darkness10-10:30 PM PT -- Giant Automata: The AwakeningFebruary 87- 7:30 AM PT -- Cradle of Darkness1-1:30 PM PT -- Giant Automata: The Awakening5-5:30 PM PT -- Cradle of Darkness8:30-9 PM PT -- The Raging Obsidian Arm9-9:30 PM PT -- Elder of the Unfathomable AbyssAlso during the game's closed beta, you will be able to attend an in-game concert performed by Quna, something of a Hatsune Miku for PSO2's Oracle. Taking place on Ship's Shopping Plaza from 8-8:15 PM PT / 11-11:15 PM ET on February 8, you will receive a few buffs after the concert, including an increase in drop rates and experience points.While Phantasy Star Online 2's closed beta is exclusive to Xbox One, the currently unscheduled open beta will be playable on Windows 10 via the Xbox Insiders Hub app, which can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store. It's worth noting that, after a reveal during E3 2019, Xbox boss Phil Spencer confirmed that PSO2 isn't exclusive to the Xbox brand whenever it officially launches in North America.Info from Gamespot.com

Torchlight Frontiers has become Torchlight 3, signifying a new monetization model and design approach. The studio said it has changed quite a bit from its original vision for the game, including its always-online requirement and plans for a real money store.In an FAQ tied to the rebranding announcement, Perfect World announced it will no longer have an in-game shop, and any in-game purchases that players already made during the alpha period will be refunded. This ties into another major shift--Torchlight Frontiers was to be a free-to-play game supported by microtransactions, while Torchlight 3 will be a premium purchase from the start. It will be available on Steam.Another big change comes to the always-online requirement. Players will be able to create online or offline characters. Online characters will check in with the servers to reduce cheating, whereas offline characters can be played without any connection. That feature is still incoming though, as Alpha players don't have access to offline characters quite yet.Frontiers was originally posed as the next evolution of the Torchlight franchise with a connected online experience. Developer Echtra Games says the game changed over the course of alpha testing and has become something more akin to the previous two Torchlight games.Runic Games, which developed the prior Torchlight games, closed after its release of the adventure game Hob. Echtra Games took the reigns on Frontiers, and is now continuing with its work on Torchlight 3--but keeping a little closer to its origins. Torchlight 2 was originally a PC-only game, but was recently ported to consoles. Similarly, Torchlight 3 will launch on Steam and is planned for a console release sometime later.Info from Gamespot.com

January is wrapping up, and February is here. It's a month of love, so they tell me, as Valentine's Day happens on the 14th. Regardless if you're planning on doing anything romantic or not this month, you probably still want to know what's on Netflix this week, to plan your binge-watching accordingly.On Friday, the Netflix original series BoJack Horseman comes to a close with the second part of Season 6. The series follows the titular character--voiced by Will Arnett--as a washed-up '90s sitcom star making a return to the spotlight. Over the course of the six seasons, the comedic animated series has dealt with working in Hollywood--or "Hollywoo" as the show calls it--depression, life, death, and everything in between. Eight episodes will arrive on the 31th to mark the end of the series.On February 1, a slew of movies will arrive to Netflix. All seven movies of the Police Academy franchise arrive that day, which has us wondering, "Does the series hold up?" The 80's comedy films followed a group of up-and-coming police officers as they learn how to enforce the law. The movies took them to a variety of locations, like Moscow and Miami. And there's one movie--Citizens on Patrol--that featured David Spade as a skateboarder--and his stunt double was Tony Hawk. Netflix News Netflix In February 2020: New Movies, TV Shows, And Originals To Binge Netflix Producing The Witcher Anime Film What's New To Netflix This Week? Movies, TV, And Originals (January 19-25) Netflix's The Witcher: 36 Easter Eggs, References, And Other Tidbits You Might Have Missed The Witcher's Confusing Timelines, Explained What's new to Netflix in this week?Sunday, January 26Vir Das: For IndiaMonday, January 27Country StrongWe Are Your FriendsTuesday, January 28Alex Fernández: El mejor comediante del mundoWednesday, January 29Frères EnnemisNext In FashionNight on EarthOmniscientThursday, January 30Ainori Love Wagon: African JourneyNighthawksRaising CainThe StrangerFriday, January 3137 SecondsAmerican AssassinBojack Horseman: Season 6 (Part B)Diablero: Season 2I AM A KILLER: Season 2Luna NeraRagnarokSaturday, February 1A Bad Moms ChristmasA Little PrincessBack to the Future Part IIIBlade Runner: The Final CutCenter StageCookie's FortuneDear JohnThe Dirty DozenDirty HarryDriving Miss DaisyElizabethElizabeth: The Golden AgeFools Rush InHancockLove JackedThe NotebookThe Other GuysThe PianistPolice AcademyPolice Academy 2: Their First AssignmentPolice Academy 3: Back in TrainingPolice Academy 4: Citizens on PatrolPolice Academy 5: Assignment: Miami BeachPolice Academy 6: City Under SiegePolice Academy 7: Mission to MoscowPurple RainRobin Hood: Prince of ThievesScary Movie 2Sex and the City 2Info from Gamespot.com