More Lego films are coming--but from a different production studio. Variety reports that Jurassic World company Universal Pictures is in discussions with The Lego Group to make more movies based on the little bricks.The Lego Movie and its sequel, as well as the Lego Batman spinoffs, were produced by Warner Bros. According to Variety, Universal's new deal with Lego is a "much broader use of the intellectual property" compared to the previous movies.Universal is said to be exploring numerous opportunities to create new Lego movies based on the company's film franchises. Universal and Lego already teamed up for the Lego Jurassic World mini-series for Nickelodeon. Variety reports that Universal is also considering "live-action hybrid" movies.In addition to Jurassic World, Universal's other massive property is Fast & Furious.Dan Lin, who produced numerous Lego movies for Warner Bros., will reportedly return to produce the new Lego movies for Warner Bros. This is notable since Lin also has an overall deal with Warner Bros.Another report from The Hollywood Reporter states that Universal's new deal with Lego is "exclusive." Lego's partnership with Warner Bros. for Lego movies reportedly ended in Fall 2019.The report goes on to say that after The Ninjago Movie and Lego Movie: The Second Part fell short at the box office, Lego "began rethinking its deal." Multiple studios reportedly bid for the Lego deal before Universal closed it. Info from Gamespot.com

The latest PlayStation 4 firmware update is out now, but don't expect any significant changes. The new 7.02 update is all about improving stability and system performance. "The PS4 patch notes are one line long: "This system software update improves system performance."Everyone must download this update to play games online, but thankfully it's only 447.9 MB. The timing of the update is curious, as it comes just eight days after the release of 7.01. With lots of new PlayStation consoles coming online for the holidays, it might be that Sony is pushing hard to make sure new players have a smooth experience. PlayStation 5 News Everything We Know About PS5's Price, Specs, Games, And Release Window PlayStation 5 Controller Patents Show Off Next Gen Design Changes PlayStation Controllers Explained, And What Could Be Next For PS5 PS5 Officially Announced, Release Window Set For 2020 Sony ended 2019 with some news--the company's recent State of Play brought with it the announcement of Resident Evil 3's remake. Additionally, a new trailer for Ghosts of Tsushima was released during The Game Awards.Info from Gamespot.com

Microsoft, Nintendo, and Steam have launched their winter sales, and now Sony is getting in on the holiday fun. Sony is offering up to huge discounts on more than 1,500 games during its holiday sale, which will be broken up into two waves. The first round of deals, which is live now, runs until January 5 before the second set of deals takes its place until January 16.The sale features a number of 2019's biggest games, including Death Stranding and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, both of which are discounted to $40. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which was recently named GameSpot's best game of 2019, is available for $39. You can also snag Control for $39, Remedy Entertainment's wonderful action game that also appeared on our best games of 2019 list.Sports fans can pick up Madden NFL 20 for $36, FIFA 20 for $30, NBA 2K20 for $30, NHL 20 for $30, and MLB The Show 19 for $18.The massive sale also brings excellent deals on PSVR games. Borderlands 2 VR is down from $50 to $25. Blood & Truth is also 50% off, dropping from $40 to $20. Meanwhile, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR has been slashed from $60 to $18.We've rounded up some of the best deals in Sony's holiday sale below. If you want to check out the full list of discounted games, head on over to the PlayStation Store. See all deals at PlayStation Store Best PS4 game dealsA Way Out -- $15 ($30)Arizona Sunshine (PSVR) -- $14 ($40)Assassin's Creed Odyssey -- $15 ($60)Battlefield V -- $16 ($40)Blasphemous -- $16.74 ($25)Blood & Truth -- $20 ($40)Borderlands 2 VR -- $25 ($50)Borderlands 3 -- $39 ($60)Call of Duty: Modern Warfare -- $39.59 ($60)Castlevania Anniversary Collection -- $10 ($20)Catherine: Full Body -- $30 ($60)Children of Morta -- $14.73 ($22)Cities: Skylines -- $10 ($40)Code Vein -- $36 ($60)Control -- $39 ($60)Dark Souls III -- $21.24 ($60)Days Gone -- $20 ($40)Death Stranding -- $40.19 ($60)Devil May Cry 5 -- $19.79 ($60)The Division 2 -- $12 ($60)Doom -- $6 ($20)Dragon Quest XI -- $30 ($60)The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR -- $18 ($60)Enter the Gungeon -- $7.49 ($15)Far Cry New Dawn -- $16 ($40)FIFA 20 -- $30 ($60)Final Fantasy X/X-2 Remaster -- $12.49 ($25)Ghost Recon Breakpoint -- $19.79 ($60)God of War -- $15 ($20)Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice -- $15 ($30)Hitman - Game of the Year Edition -- $12 ($60)Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition -- $15 ($20)Kingdom Hearts Collection -- $33 ($100)Kingdom Hearts 3 -- $19.79 ($60)Life is Strange 2: Complete Season -- $20 ($40)Little Nightmares Complete Edition -- $7.49 ($30)Madden NFL 20 -- $36 ($60)MLB The Show 19 -- $18 ($30)Mortal Kombat 11 -- $24 ($60)Moss (PSVR) -- $19.79 ($30)NBA 2K20 -- $30 ($60)Need for Speed Heat -- $40.19 ($60)NHL 20 -- $30 ($60)Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom -- $20.39 ($60)The Outer Worlds -- $45 ($60)Persona Dancing: Endless Night Bundle -- $30 ($60)Rage 2 -- $19.79 ($60)Rainbow Six Siege Deluxe Edition -- $10 ($40)Red Dead Redemption 2 -- $30 ($60)Resident Evil 2 Remake -- $19.79 ($60)Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice -- $39 ($60)Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order -- $49.79 ($60)Superhot -- $10 ($25)The Surge 2 -- $30 ($60)Watchdogs 2 -- $12.49 ($50) Best Christmas Deals This Huge Winter Game Sale Includes Resident Evil 2, DMC 5 For $18 Each 10 Free Nintendo Switch Games Are Up For Grabs--Here's How To Get Them Best Buy: Nintendo Switch, 4K TVs, And More Featured In Pre-Christmas Sale Switch, Xbox One X, PS4 Pro, And More Featured In Walmart's Holiday Sale 19 Last-Minute Christmas Gift Ideas For Gamers And Techies Info from Gamespot.com

NetherRealm is ringing in the holidays with seasonal events in Mortal Kombat 11, including special player skins and konsumables and even a winter-themed tower. The pair of events are Winter Wonderland, from December 22-27, and Ring in the New Year, from December 28-January 2. You can find the events across PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and Stadia.First, the Winter Wonderlanad Tower event will feature three special towers with themed modifiers. Those include Killer Kanes, Sledding Tarkatans, Parachuting Ginger Deadmen, Exploding Snowmen, Christmas Trees, Menorahs, Dreidels, and Shooting Stars. The Ring in the New Tower will have similar modifiers: a disco ball, champagne bottles, party poppers, fireworks, and a digital countdown clock.Those towers are free for all players, and you can play them to earn character skins, module pieces, and konsumables. This also comes alongside the seasonal ranked Kombat League, currently in its sixth season. That season will close on January 7, and the next will begin on January 14.Meanwhile, NetherRealm is testing cross-play for MK11, including the ability to challenge those on the opposing platform to fulfill your console war bloodlust. The studio also showed off its next DLC character, The Joker of DC Comics fame, at The Game Awards. The Clown Prince is coming January 28 for Kombat Pack owners, and will join the Terminator, Sindel, Nightwolf, and Shang Tsung. One more Kombat Pack character remains after Joker, and that will be Spawn on March 17.Info from Gamespot.com

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is starting strong at the box office. Deadline reports that the movie made between $44 and $48 million in the US for its early screenings on Thursday night.These results give Rise of Skywalker one of the best starts in the history of cinema. Avengers: Endgame had the best Thursday night in history with $60 million, followed by Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($57 million) and then Star Wars: The Last Jedi ($45 million).The Last Jedi is projected to make between $175 million and $200 million for its opening weekend in the US, making it the worst-performing of the new trilogy films. The movie is also the second-lowest rated movie in Star Wars history, but what impact the scores have on box office results--if any--remains to be seen.We will report back with more details on The Rise of Skywalker's box office results as numbers come in for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Keep checking back for more.The movie wraps up decades' worth of storytelling, as it ends the Skywalker Saga that began back in 1977. After The Rise of Skywalker, Disney is putting the Star Wars series on hiatus as it plans out the future of the franchise, which includes a new trilogy from The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson.For more on The Rise of Skywalker, check out GameSpot's review: Star Wars Episode 9: The Rise Of Skywalker Review - A Galactic Disappointment.Read next: Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker - 48 Easter Egg From Past Movies Star Wars News How Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Ends For Every Major Character Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker - 48 Easter Eggs From Past Movies Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Review - A Galactic Disappointment Star Wars Timeline: How To Watch It All In Order On Disney Plus Is Baby Yoda In Star Wars 9: The Rise Of Skywalker? Info from Gamespot.com

Microsoft doesn't believe that cloud gaming is going to replace console or PC gaming, at least in the short term. So when designing both Project xCloud and Project Scarlett--which is now officially named Xbox Series X--the company built the two to work together, not as separate systems, for playing games. Just as Nintendo's Switch is a console that can be used to play on the go, Project xCloud allows Xbox owners users to play their games while away from their home setup."We're not trying to tell people that xCloud is going to replace their console or xCloud is going to replace gaming on a PC or replace gaming on a Switch or something like that," Xbox head Phil Spencer told GameSpot in an exclusive interview. "But we do think that ability for me to take my gaming experience with me--so that when I log in, all my friends are there, all my games are there, my saved games are there... my Achievements, [and] my library is with me--is pretty critical."To that end, Project xCloud's platform is the same as the one for Xbox Series X--which Spencer says should make it easier for third-party developers to design their game and have it easily work for both the cloud service and the console so they "don't have to port to a new platform." If you build your game for Xbox Series X, it should work on mobile devices, computers, and other systems that support Project xCloud. "We literally show up to third-party publishers and we hand them a phone [with] their games running in xCloud," Spencer said. "They didn't have to do any work to make that happen."Spencer points out that this is able to work because Xbox Series X and Project xCloud were designed around the same time as one another. This is different from the Xbox One, which was designed with the idea of implementing cloud support down the road. "[With] Scarlett, we started--at the beginning--saying, 'There's a world where [we] might actually put as many of these [consoles] in the cloud as we do in people's homes,'" Spencer said.Xbox Series X is scheduled to release in 2020 during the holiday season, which is around the same time Sony will also be releasing its next-gen console, the PlayStation 5. Xbox Series X News Xbox Series X Price: Everything Microsoft Has Said About How Much It Will Cost Xbox Series X: Everything We Just Learned About Microsoft's Next-Gen Console Xbox Series X Exclusive Details: Say Hello To Microsoft's Next-Gen Console Inside The New Xbox Controller For The Series X Console Why You Can't Pre-Order Xbox Series X Yet Xbox Series X: Release Date, Specs, Price, And Everything We Know Info from Gamespot.com

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is in theaters now, bringing a close to both the decades-long "Skywalker Saga" and the new trilogy under Disney. The franchise has a long history, but one significant piece of fiction was exclusive to an in-game event in Fortnite. Spoilers follow.The opening crawl of the new Star Wars film references a mysterious broadcast threatening revenge, delivered from the voice of the presumed-dead Emperor Palpatine. This is the catalyst for the events of the film to follow, but the broadcast is never heard in the movie. For that, you need to have dropped onto Fortnite's island for a special Star Wars-themed event on Saturday, December 14."At last the work of generations is complete," the message said. "The great error is corrected. The day of victory is at hand. The day of revenge. The day of the Sith!"You can watch the Fortnite event where the message was delivered below, and sure enough, it sounds like Palpatine.Having missed the message doesn't severely impact Rise of Skywalker, since the opening crawl description explains it well enough. Still, it's a slight nugget of expanded fiction that crosses into an entirely separate medium, which is unusual.The Fortnite event also included TIE Whisper gliders debued exclusive footage. For more on Rise of Skywalker, check out our list of Easter eggs from past movies. Plus read GameSpot's review, which called it a "galactic disappointment." Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Info from Gamespot.com

It's the second week of the Season of Dawn in Destiny 2, and there are a whole lot of things to do in the game. Another story mission has you working to save Saint-14 from his fate in the past, and new obelisks make additional weapons available in the Sundial activity. It's also the first week of Destiny 2's holiday event, The Dawning, which means there are a bunch of new treats to bake and deliver to characters throughout the solar system.This weekend marks the second visit by Xur during the new season as well. Here's where to find him and what he's selling.Xur LocationXur is located on Titan on The Rig, and has Two-Tailed Fox as his Exotic weapon this weekend. For Titans, he offers Dunemarchers leg armor; for Warlocks, it's Contraverse Hold gauntlets; and for Hunters, it's the Assassin's Cowl helmet.To find Xur's location, spawn in at the transmat zone on The Rig, jump on your sparrow, and head north. Head under the catwalks until you come out the other side with the water on your left. Look for a low building on the left side; inside you'll find Xur. Destiny 2 News And Guides Destiny 2: Transponder Locations And Where To Find Saint-14's Ghost Destiny 2: The Dawning 2019 Recipes, Ingredients, Gifts, And Rewards Guide Destiny 2 Patch Notes For The Dawning Update, Live Now Destiny 2: Where To Find All 15 Vex Transformers For "An Impossible Task" Quest Destiny 2: A Matter Of Time Quest Steps -- How To Unlock The Sundial Find Xur in a weird building on The Rig, hanging out in the dark, all alone.What Is Xur Selling?You can snag yourself the Two-Tailed Fox from Xur this weekend. This Exotic rocket launcher is a fun one for both PvE and PvP. It launches not one, but two rockets at a time--one that deals Void damage, and one doing Solar. Both have different effects on targets, as well.If Xur's wares aren't compelling, you can always roll the dice on the expensive Fated Engram he brings with him. This gives you a single Exotic from the limited pool of ones you haven't already earned, for the price of 97 Legendary shards. If there's something you're missing from your collection and you want it sooner rather than later, it can be a good deal--starting with the Season of Dawn, all Exotic Engrams are Fated Engrams. That means you can get the Season of Dawn Exotics immediately, from Xur's Fated Engrams, without having to wait for random drops. Be sure to purchase it on the character who's missing the Exotic, and note that you can only get one per week, so choose wisely which of your characters makes the buy. You can now potentially get Wavesplitter from the Fated Engram as well, which was previously a PS4 exclusive.Xur Item Lineup (December 20-24)Two-Tailed Fox (Exotic rocket launcher)Dunemarchers (Exotic Titan leg armor)Contraverse Hold (Exotic Warlock gauntlets)Assassin's Cowl (Exotic Hunter helmet)Two-Tailed FoxYou get two rockets for the price of one with Two-Tailed Fox.One of the more fun Exotics, especially in PvP, is Two-Tailed Fox, thanks to it really feeling like overkill when you use it on someone. The rocket launcher fires a pair of spiraling, tracking rockets, which can do a lot of damage and blow up real good. If the thing you're shooting doesn't die immediately, though, you get added benefits: the Void rocket suppressed the enemy, while the Solar rocket inflicts burning that does damage over time.Dunemarchers (Titan)Titan's Dunemarchers speed up your sprint and amp up your melee attack.Dunemarchers are an old Exotic from back in Year One, but they're still pretty darn useful. They increase your sprint speed, and as you run, you build up a static electric charge. Melee an enemy when the charge is full and you'll send Arc lightning chaining between multiple nearby enemies.Stats:Mobility: 13Resilience: 7Recovery: 6Discipline: 6Intellect: 6Strength: 12Total: 50Contraverse Hold (Warlock)Contraverse Hold is great for Warlocks who like to charge up their Void grenades, especially in Crucible.Warlocks who like to throw Void grenades will get a kick out of Contraverse Hold. The gauntlets give you bonuses for your Chaos Accelerant, Feed the void, or Handheld Supernova grenades, making you more resistant to damage as you're charging. You'll also get a random amount of Grenade energy back every time you hit an enemy with a charged grenade.Stats:Mobility: 6Resilience: 6Recovery: 12Discipline: 12Intellect: 6Strength: 6Total: 48Assassin's Cowl (Hunter)If you like using Finishers but not getting shot while you watch them, you'll want to grab Assassin's Cowl for your Hunter.The newest of the Exotics Xur has this week is the Assassin's Cowl helmet for Hunters, which comes from the Shadowkeep set. It incentivizes using Finishers, giving you invisibility and restoring some of your health and shields when you use one. You also get those bonuses when you kill a Guardian with a melee attack in the Crucible.Stats:Mobility: 16Resilience: 6Recovery: 2Discipline: 6Intellect: 2Strength: 16Total: 48Info from Gamespot.com

Each month, Amazon Prime members get a handful of free games thanks to Twitch Prime. This month's freebies have been available since December 2, but the holidays are bringing a bonus batch of really good games. From December 26 through December 31, Prime members can add five Devolver Digital games to their PC game library, entirely free of charge. Of the five freebies, four of them were released in 2019.Twitch Prime December 2019 bonus freebiesApe OutGato RobotoHeave HoWitcheyeEnter the GungeonFirst up is Ape Out, a wonderful top-down action game that cleverly uses a jazz soundtrack to make its good ape on bad human violence even more entertaining. Ape Out was my absolute favorite game of 2019.If you're a fan of Metroidvanias, Gato Roboto is right up your alley. This short and sweet side-scroller stars a small kitty cat who explores a monochromatic alien world.Heave Ho, the newest of the batch, is a hilarious co-op game for up to four players that asks you to hold hands and grapple across perilous gaps. You'll also get Witcheye, a retro platformer with gorgeous visuals that happens to be one of my favorite mobile games of 2019.The fifth Devolver Digital freebie is Enter the Gungeon, a stellar 2016 rogue-like that you should definitely play if you haven't already.You get more than just free games with Twitch Prime. The bonus freebies also include new loot for Red Dead Online, Borderlands 3, Grand Theft Auto Online, and Apex Legends.To pick up all 10 of December's free games, all you have to do is link your Twitch account to your Amazon Prime account. Amazon Prime memberships cost $119 per year, but you sign up for a free 30-day trial.The Epic Games Store is also giving away a bunch of games this holiday. From now until January 1, you can get a free PC game every day. See free games and loot at Twitch Prime Twitch Prime's free games for December 2019HoverHueToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove!Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's DaughterWhen Ski Lifts Go WrongApe Out -- Dec. 26Gato Roboto -- Dec. 26Heave Ho -- Dec. 26Witcheye -- Dec. 26Enter the Gungeon -- Dec. 26Free-in-game loot scheduleNow Available: Crypto Skin for Apex LegendsNow Available: Borderlands 3 In-Game LootNow Available: Grand Theft Auto Online In-Game LootNow Available: Red Dead Online In-Game LootNow Available: Sea of Thieves In-Game LootNow Available: PUBG Mobile In-Game LootNow Available: Free Games with Prime (listed above)Now Available: King of Fighters: ALLSTAR In-Game LootNow Available: Magic: The Gathering In-Game LootNow Available: Mobile Legends In-Game LootNow Available: Dauntless In-Game LootNow Available: Fortress M In-Game LootNow Available: RuneScape In-Game LootNow Available: Contra In-Game LootNow Available: King of Fighters: ALLSTAR In-Game LootNow Available: Mobile Legends In-Game LootNow Available: Rocket League In-Game LootDecember 23: Fortress M In-Game LootDecember 30: King of Fighters: ALLSTAR In-Game LootTBD: League of Legends In-Game LootTBD: Teamfight Tactics In-Game Loot Best Christmas Deals This Huge Winter Game Sale Includes Resident Evil 2, DMC 5 For $18 Each 10 Free Nintendo Switch Games Are Up For Grabs--Here's How To Get Them Best Buy: Nintendo Switch, 4K TVs, And More Featured In Pre-Christmas Sale Switch, Xbox One X, PS4 Pro, And More Featured In Walmart's Holiday Sale 19 Last-Minute Christmas Gift Ideas For Gamers And Techies Info from Gamespot.com

Netflix's much-anticipated The Witcher series is finally here, and the reviews are rolling in. The show has seemingly left many critics divided, though, as review scores are all over the place. We've compiled a list of a few critical opinions, so you can see where the show fits within the overarching Witcher universe.At the time of writing, The Witcher TV show holds a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 54 on GameSpot sister site Metacritic. Many critics say the show is fun but felt coherence and pacing were lacking, leaving The Witcher feeling like an overstuffed jumble of exhilarating and rudimentary fantasy tropes.Netflix has already confirmed that The Witcher will get a second season, with Cavill reprising his role as Geralt of Rivia. Not much is known about this second season other than Netflix stating, "Geralt's adventure is only beginning."The Witcher Season One, consisting of eight episodes, is streaming now on Netflix.Netflix's The WitcherDirected By: Alex Garcia Lopez, Alik Sakharov, Charlotte Brändström, Marc JobstWritten By: Beau DeMayo, Declan de Barra, Haily Hall, Jenny Klein, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, Mike Ostrowski, Sneha KoorseStarring: Henry Cavill, Freya Allan, Anya Chalotra, Jodhi May, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Adam Levy, MyAnna BuringRelease Date: December 20GameSpot"But in the end, Netflix's The Witcher is simply broken. Like the original stories, it begins in media res for Geralt of Rivia, so game fans hoping to learn more about the witcher himself won't find an origin story here. And by trying and utterly failing to cram new and remixed backstories for Yennefer and Ciri in without making any attempts to place each plotline within the larger story, The Witcher completely falls apart. Game fans who haven't read the books will be totally befuddled, and book readers will be scratching their heads just as frequently. If you're utterly devoted to the world of The Witcher, you'll certainly enjoy the familiar aesthetic and characters, but beyond that, this series is hard to recommend." -- Michael Rougeau [Full review]CNET"Despite the fact The Witcher himself initially feels like a bit of a spare part, the supporting cast makes this new Netflix fantasy show worth a watch as it comes together over the course of a few episodes. The complicated royal intrigue and extreme violence make it a decent addition to the wave of lurid fantasy shows following the demise of Game of Thrones, with the added bonus that it doesn't take itself too seriously. Throw in some schlocky monster action and Henry Cavill's hulking hero and The Witcher has the ingredients to cast a fun spell. Because when people are capable of such terrible actions, who are the real monsters? People. It's the people -- honestly I really thought we'd covered this." -- Richard Trenholm [Full review]Entertainment Weekly"This is the first TV show I've ever seen that would actually be better with commercial breaks. The goofy syndicated fantasy of yesteryear had to have a brisk pace, building every 12 minutes to an act-breaking cliffhanger. The Witcher fully embraces the endless-movie layout of the worst Blank Check streaming TV. At the end of the series premiere, someone tells Allen's Princess Ciri that Geralt is her destiny. In episode 5, people are still telling her that Geralt is her destiny. I assume they will meet in the season finale. Alas, my destiny is to never watch this borefest ever again." -- Darren Franich and Kristen Baldwin [Full review]The Hollywood Reporter"So will you like The Witcher if you're a fan of the franchise? No clue. Will you like The Witcher if you're a curious neophyte? Maybe, but you have to be patient with it, and if that's not your job, the outsized amusements may not be worth the convoluted build-up." -- Daniel Fienberg [Full review]IndieWire"'The Witcher' isn't for everyone, and it's not trying to be. The soapy scheming that drove people to choose sides in 'Game of Thrones' isn't here. Neither is the tender romance of 'Outlander,' the big-minded ambition of 'The OA,' or the coherence of, I don't know, 'Vikings.' But that's OK. 'The Witcher' is 'The Witcher,' and nothing else matters. Just go with it." -- Ben Travers [Full review]Paste Magazine"If you can circumnavigate or weather the quick and unforgiving narrative beginnings--like if you have a background with fantasy, a knack for rolling with crazy shit, or a general love for Witchery things--and buy into the tone, The Witcher has lots to love. It can be campy, with life-or-death conversations taking place at a magically-induced Eyes Wide Shut orgy. It can be badass, with a powerful mage blending gender politics, fantasy lore, and deep characterization when telling Geralt to 'fuck off' in the middle of a magical battle. These two can mix like werewolves and silver, but when they work together, The Witcher is a wildly entertaining treat for newcomers and long-time fans alike." -- Jacob Oller [Full review]Variety"It also raises the fundamental question of who the show is for. As a 'Witcher' watcher but not a reader, I felt the universe at times both overly broad (in its resistance of the single hero) and a bit narrow. Unlike 'Thrones,' it resists allegorical or metaphorical readings, at least at first, and is firmly about what it's about--magic and myth. That itself is less a flaw than simply design, but it does suggest that the appeal of this series may be limited to those already under its spell." -- Daniel D'addario [Full review]The Verge"The Witcher could've very easily turned out wrong. It's not hard to misinterpret what it is that actually makes the series interesting, but the TV adaptation gets it. The Witcher is funny, intense, and uncomfortable, and it balances out those disparate emotions almost perfectly. Yes, it stars Henry Cavill in a bad white wig, but you'll forget about all of that as soon as he starts talking." -- Andrew Webster [Full review] Netflix News Netflix's The Witcher: 36 Easter Eggs, References, And Other Tidbits You Might Have Missed Netflix's The Witcher Season 1 Ending Explained The Witcher's Confusing Timelines, Explained Netflix's The Witcher Review - Out Of Order What's New On Netflix In January 2020 Info from Gamespot.com

2020 is almost here, so we've asked GameSpot's staff to share which games they're looking forward to most in the new year. New consoles are going to dominate the headlines, but at the end of the day it's all about the games, and there are a ton of exciting ones to look forward to. When you're done reading this entry, follow along with all of our other end-of-the-year coverage collected in our Best of 2019 hub and our Most Anticipated of 2020 hub.Very little is known about From Software's Elden Ring, including its release date, so the idea that it could arrive in 2020 is more of a personal hope than anything suggested by its developer or publisher. But how could we not get excited about the prospect of another imminent From Software game? The studio has gone from strength to strength since its breakout success, 2011's Dark Souls. And just this year it released Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which we crowned GameSpot's best game of 2019.The little we do know about Elden Ring, however, indicates that it could be the most ambitious title the studio has ever created. Of course, the easy discussion point to stoke the flames of anticipation is the involvement of George R. R. Martin, writer of A Song of Ice and Fire--better known as Game of Thrones. But what's more exciting is that Martin is collaborating with Dark Souls and Bloodborne director Hidetaka Miyazaki, an exceptionally talented writer in his own right. Dark Souls' Lordran and Bloodborne's Yharnam remain two of the most beloved virtual worlds in gaming, meticulously crafted and vividly depicted, so the prospect of an entirely new world from Miyazaki is tantalizing.Yharnam, in particular, is a world that I adore. To this day, four years since its launch, I play Bloodborne religiously and what keeps me coming back is the world. While I may have unraveled its many secrets, connected the dots between seemingly disparate nuggets of lore to understand the narrative as a cohesive whole, the atmosphere and ambience remain as fresh and as striking as the first time.For Elden Ring, Martin has reportedly crafted the broader strokes of the world's lore, based on discussions about themes and design ideas with Miyazaki. From there, Miyazaki is developing the core narrative and characters. This, it seems, plays to the strengths of both writers, which means whatever they come up with could be truly spectacular. For Elden Ring, From Software is returning to dark fantasy, but in a first for the studio it is going open-world.Until now, players have always spent their time in one location: a vast, sprawling city besieged by a cataclysm, overwhelmed by supernatural forces, or decayed by repeated cycles of life and death. Elden Ring presents the promise of visiting multiple locations. At the risk of pushing expectations too high, imagine a world in which one area is Boletaria and another Lordran, while a third is Yharnam. Of course, I wouldn't expect any of these to contain the same amount of content as each of the games those locations represent, but that kind of thematic variety--and the stories and characters that come with it--has huge potential, and From Software hasn't let us down thus far.When it comes to gameplay, the studio showed with Sekiro that it can do fast-paced, highly precise mechanics alongside the cautious style of the Souls series and the more offense-based approach of Bloodborne. My hope is that it takes these styles--while adding a few more--and ties them more closely with different kinds of weapons. What I'm saying is, in my mind Elden Ring is a game that combines the best of From Software in a game much bigger in scale and scope. Info from Gamespot.com

The wild west days of streaming are coming to a close, and we're entering a new era where everyone and their mother has their own service, vying for your attention and money. No longer do these services work under the guise of "We have everything." They are all working towards specialization as their main focus, with previously aired movies and TV shows being a secondary offering, even if upcoming services are spending millions getting the rights to shows like Friends and The Office.In 2019, the streaming service space got even bigger with the launches of Apple TV+ and Disney+. One is now a major player in this space and the other has already been forgotten about because it chose to launch without any kind of programming library to lure new users in. And it's only going to get worse. In 2020, there will be three new services coming: HBO Max, NBC's Peacock, and the self-proclaimed "millennial-focused" Quibi.Let's take a look back at 2019 and what streaming had to offer us. We won't be discussing services that primarily focus on live TV streaming like Sling or YouTube TV, movie services like Vudu, or the few cable/satellite streaming services that exist--as they are nothing more than a wolf in sheep's clothing for cord cutters, and you'll end up paying the same price as cable for less channels. Here's a wrap up of the year of way too many streaming services.The Big ThreeNetflixSince Netflix has been the king of streaming services for years, we've all wondered, "What's going to be the "Netflix killer"? The answer isn't a single service, though. It's becoming clearer and clearer that while everyone else was stepping up their game, Netflix was coasting, but if nothing changes, it'll quickly become a sinking ship. Sure, there is some great programming that's going to keep people subscribing--much like how Game of Thrones kept people tuned in to HBO. But aside from Stranger Things, Netflix doesn't have that "water cooler" series that has everyone talking. Yes, there are plenty of great series on there like Mindhunter, BoJack Horseman, Master of None, Queer Eye, etc, but nothing with the same mass appeal as Stranger Things--which is easily one of the largest and most-talked about TV shows this century. Why is this a problem though?While you may not agree with that critique of Netflix, you need to look at the larger picture. Netflix is losing or has lost much of its secondary offerings. Friends is leaving for HBO Max, The Office is headed to Peacock, and all of the Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and Disney movies are--or will be very soon--exclusively on Disney+. And with more niche services like the horror-themed Shudder becoming larger and getting exclusive deals with movies and TV series, Netflix will soon be picking at the scraps of content to fill out its service. 2020 will be a big year for Netflix, but for all the wrong reasons.The saving grace for the company will be either people forgetting they have a subscription or the sunk cost fallacy--where you've already sunk so much time, money, or resources into something that you decide to keep going, no matter how bad it gets. It's the same reason we keep watching a full season of a bad TV show after we've already watched four episodes. Ignorance may be how Netflix stays afloat if it doesn't change its ways. It's sunk cost fallacy at its finest. However, any time people start to feel like this about Netflix, the service drops something like The Irishman, which captures the attention of the world for a month.HuluUnlike Netflix, Hulu isn't in a position where it is struggling. In many ways, it's thriving more than ever. The service continues to be a great place to go to in order to watch TV shows the day after they air, and now with Disney fully taking control, it'll be a whole lot easier to watch TV shows under that company's umbrella.More people have access to Hulu than ever before simply because Disney gave new subscribers the option to bundle it--along with ESPN+--with the Disney+ streaming service. While Netflix may have the broadest mainstream appeal, it's actually Hulu that has the highest quality content overall for a "catchall" streaming service, even if a major selling point is watching many TV shows the day after they air.In 2019, Hulu shined exceptionally when it came to original programming. This year saw Season 3 of Handmaid's Tale, which escaped the sophomore slump of Season 2, giving realistic hope to the show's main character June. Additionally, Season 2 of Castle Rock debuted, building on the ideas of the first season while presenting a story that is completely standalone and much more interesting than its opening offering. Aside from what should be considered Hulu's tentpoles for original programming, this year saw the launch of the comedies Pen15 and Ramy which both have received acclaim from critics and fans alike.Additionally, Hulu is now the exclusive home for the FX library and streaming certain FX series. This is actually a big get for the service, as FX has been putting out dynamite TV shows like Sons of Anarchy, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Legion, American Horror Story, and more.Amazon Prime VideoOut of the "Big 3 of Streaming," Amazon Prime Video had a great year for original content and a slow year for everything else. Its original series The Boys launched this year, which was surprisingly good. Additionally, Good Omens arrived, and the quirky comedy was a hit with fans. Meanwhile, the critically acclaimed The Marvelous Ms. Maisel debuted its third season. That's where the good news ends, though..Sure, Amazon having the streaming rights to Thursday Night Football is a big deal, but it's not that important when it is also airing on Fox, a network that's already broadcasted for free--as long as you have an antenna or cable/satellite package. And aside from one NFL game a week, Amazon isn't getting the same monthly content updates as its competitors. Its monthly new release selection is lackluster at best.Regardless, the main reason to have Amazon Prime Video is because customers get two-day shipping for free when they buy something on Amazon, and during the holiday season, that comes in handy. However, when the biggest selling-point for your streaming service is free delivery from a massive online retailer, that's not putting a lot of faith in what you're providing.The Tale of Two Very Different LaunchesThe biggest streaming news of the year was the launch of both Disney+ and Apple TV+. On November 1, Apple TV+ launched, just 11 days before Disney's service, and Apple's latest streaming service didn't really offer anything of note. While it had plenty of original content, it didn't garner the same amount of attention as other services, and because Apple TV+ only has original content and nothing else, it may not be interesting enough for the casual streaming fan. Nine new series premiered on launch day, but aside from The Morning Show, there wasn't any real buzz about them. GameSpot gave See a 7/10 after watching the first three episodes of Season 1, but a week after Apple TV+'s launch, seemingly everyone forgot about its existence.On November 11, the most-anticipated streaming service to date went public, Disney+. It offered a large catalogue of Disney, Pixar, National Geographic, Star Wars, and Marvel movies and TV shows to kick things off, alongside original content. The biggest original show of note was none other than the Star Wars series The Mandalorian, and even though the quality of the series differed between episodes, it's still a must-see series for most Star Wars fans. On top of that, numerous other original series helped kick off Disney+ including High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, The World According to Jeff Goldblum, and The Imagineering Story--a documentary chronicling the history of Disney's theme parks.Not everything with Disney+ was flawless though. Right out of the gate, it was missing features like a "continue watching" feature, something every streaming service should have. Additionally, Day One was a mess, as Disney didn't anticipate so many people trying to get on the service at the same time. Then there were smaller things like early episodes of The Simpsons being in widescreen, when they should have been in 3:4 ratio, and because of the zoom in to fit widescreen, some visual gags were missed.Comparatively, Disney+ was a well-thought out and pristinely planned launch and service, and it deserved all the hype behind it. Apple TV+ was a hasty power-play, trying to beat Disney to market with a skin-and-bones catalogue to offer its customers. These were two services on opposite sides of the coin.The Niche ServicesThere are plenty of streaming services that cater to an audience outside of the mainstream. The most-notable of these services are Shudder, DC Universe, and the WWE Network. Shudder continues to be a service that is a must-have for horror fans. In 2019, Shudder launched more original and exclusive content to its service, and it's the best place to watch indie and foreign horror. This past year, the service premiered its original series Creepshow, which has been a loving--and entertaining--homage to the original film. If Creepshow is any indication, 2020 is going to be a great year for Shudder.DC Universe's future seems to be in question--as there were rumblings earlier this year that the service would shut down with HBO Max on the horizon--which is a crazy thought as 2019 was such a good year for the service's original programming, including the animated series Harley Quinn, the canceled Swamp Thing, Doom Patrol, Young Justice: Outsiders, and a new season of Titans. Alongside the original programming, DC Universe added tens of thousands of comic books to read to its service as well. If you're a fan of comic books, DC Universe continues to be a must-have service. And in 2020, a new season of Doom Patrol will debut on DC Universe and on HBO Max after it launches, so more people will have a chance to see what this service has to offer, but will they subscribe?Wrestling fans continued to sink their money into the WWE Network in 2019. This past year, it got a much-needed facelift, but it struggled to provide consistently good content outside of streaming PPVs and being able to watch old wrestling shows. Yes, there is still original content, but there aren't many standouts from the past year. What's more, WWE doesn't seem willing to stick with any of the original content it does come up with--outside of ongoing documentary specials--leaving the service without much diversity, where types of shows are concerned. The $10 a month price tag is worth it if you plan on watching PPVs as they air, but customers are surely wanting something more from it.2019 was a big year for streaming. Aside from the aforementioned services, there are plenty of others that have their own merits and flaws: YouTube Premium has Cobra Kai--one of the best shows "on TV"--CBS All Access had a solid year with great shows like The Twilight Zone, and The Criterion Channel allows its users to access critically-acclaimed movies you can't find anywhere else. However, these services are one-trick ponies that don't offer too much else.There is now too much to choose from when it comes to streaming services, as the vast majority of them offer up at least one must-see series. For those who have cut the cord from cable and satellite providers, you may find yourself paying the same price as cable for all of these services each month. So 2020 will mark the era of picking and choosing rather than subscribing to everything. But all of these services will be vying for your attention, and it's going to be a tough--and day-to-day---decision to figure out what is worth your money. Info from Gamespot.com

It’s time to celebrate the best games of 2019, so we decided to partner with Giant Bomb and CNET to give away three amazing prize bundles that come with a console and some cash so you can buy your favorite game of this year. Here are the prizes:One grand prize: PS4 Pro 1TB Jet Black $400 + $60 Playstation Store Gift CardOne first prize: XBOX One S All Digital Edition $250 + $60 Xbox Gift CardOne second prize: Nintendo Switch Lite $200 + $70 Nintendo eShop Gift CardTo sign up for the giveaway you have to make sure you read our official rules, accept the terms and conditions, and fill out the form below. You can get extra entries to increase your chances of winning by completing the actions available in the form, like subscribing to our YouTube channels. If you are having trouble viewing the form on your mobile device, please click here.We will be reaching out to the potential winners via email, so don’t forget to check your inbox around January 2. Be sure to check your junk mail, too.) Good luck, everyone!This giveaway is neither sponsored nor endorsed by Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft.Info from Gamespot.com

Netflix's The Witcher series faced some incredibly difficult challenges on its journey from the pages of Andrzej Sapkowski's original short stories and books to the small and large screens of 2019. Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich needed to attempt to please not just fans of the decades-old source material, but also players of the tremendously popular Witcher video games, who are devoted to a completely different set of Witcher stories that the show would not be addressing.Warning: The following contains spoilers for Netflix's The Witcher. If you haven't watched the series, look away now.Even the very nature of the original Witcher stories themselves provided problems that needed to be solved. For example, whereas the short stories compiled in The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny were told from Geralt's perspective, Schmidt Hissrich was determined to make Yennefer and Ciri the witcher's equal co-protagonists. Since they weren't around for much of the stories that the show would be adapting, the showrunner had to significantly change their backstories--and, in Yennefer's case, completely make one up--then try to seamlessly weave their plotlines together with Geralt's to create a single, coherent story.The result is a show that jumps backward and forward in time to characters and storylines that are set decades apart, yet seldom gives any indication that it's doing so. Here's what's going on: Think of Geralt's scenes as the present. Ciri's plot, including the sacking of Cintra in the very first episode, takes place years after that present. Yenn's origin, meanwhile, is set decades before Geralt's plotlines in the first half of the season. After several jumps forward in Yennefer's timeline, her story finally intersects and merges with Geralt's. Then, toward the end of the season, Geralt's storyline finally catches up with the start of Ciri's, and we see the sacking of Cintra again. After more time passes, Geralt's storyline catches up with everything that happened to Ciri after the first episode, and in the season finale, Geralt and Ciri finally meet. With that, the conjunction (no, not that conjunction) is complete.Whether that all works is a matter of personal opinion, but when we got the chance to speak with The Witcher's showrunner, we couldn't help but ask about this inherently confusing structure."It came from two really practical, logistical pieces," Schmidt Hissrish told GameSpot. "One, I wanted to bring Yennefer and Ciri to the forefront of these stories. To me, Geralt is very well painted. He will always be our lead character. But you have these two women who in the books are very strong and very powerful and independent, but you don't really know where they came from.""At the same time, The Last Wish was the first [Witcher] book that I read, and I fell in love with it," she continued. "It's so good, and the reason it's so powerful is because it's building the foundation of this world that all of these other stories will rely on. So obviously, you're meeting Geralt, you are understanding what a Witcher does, their place in the hierarchy of the continent, the political dynamics, the kingdoms, all of that, and then these adventures and dealing with these monsters and sort of how that informs his moral code. I knew that I wanted to do those stories. Well, these things don't meet."Therein lies the problem: Geralt encounters Yennefer and Ciri at various points in the original short stories, but because the stories are always told from Geralt's perspective, you don't learn much about the other characters until the viewpoint shifts in the novels, starting with Blood of Elves. Yet Schmidt Hissrich needed to find a way to take Geralt's stories and weave in not just Yennefer's backstory (decades before the Last Wish stories), but also Ciri's (which takes place after most of the stories in The Last Wish, during which time the princess hadn't yet been born)."I knew that I was going to have to fool with time to do it," the showrunner said. "I had a lot of different sort of half baked ideas of how to approach it. There was a way that I thought was going to be perfect. It was not perfect. As soon as I started writing, things collapsed and fell apart."The Dunkirk SolutionHer approach changed when she saw Christopher Nolan's 2017 film Dunkirk, in which three separate storylines that take place across different spans of time are adeptly woven together. Schmidt Hissrich read an interview with Nolan in which he explained that the storylines are told simultaneously to convey that they're all equally important, despite one plot taking place over a week, one over a day, and one lasting about an hour."And I thought, 'Could I do that with these characters? Could I interweave their stories when Ciri's story takes place over about two weeks, and Yennefer's story takes place over about 70 years? Could I make them feel equally important and jump through time separately and all of these timelines?'" the showrunner recalled. "I literally had one of those moments where I hopped out of the shower and I said to my husband, 'Am I crazy? Could this work?' It was a huge challenge, because you're having to track so many different things, people's ages, and how much time is passing. But the writers really embraced it as a challenge too. And to me, it's one of my favorite parts of the storytelling."Even with that structure, the show might have included title cards to indicate when the time and place shifted, subtitles to divulge the year in which a given scene takes place, or any number of other small but obvious ways to communicate to the audience what is happening. We asked the showrunner why it doesn't."It's something that we debated a lot," she said. "In fact, I was very adamant from the beginning that I didn't want any sort of year markers or place markers. I didn't want chyrons to tell you where you were and when you were. Also, when you're dealing with three storylines, it's really hard, because what do you say? 'Two weeks after the other storyline, but three years before this next one that you're going to see?' It's super complicated." There are definitely clues that particularly attentive viewers will pick up on. Schmidt Hissrich brought up one example from the very first episode: In a Ciri scene, the princess and her grandmother discuss a long-ago military victory in the town of Hochebuz. Later, in a Geralt scene, a character casually mentions that the victory there has just taken place. "What I hope is that people will go back and re-watch episodes and see," the showrunner said. But she also acknowledged that for casual viewers, those moments will likely not register right away--and that was exactly her intent."There's little moments like that, but the idea was, no, to not hit the audience over the head with it--to let them be on the journey, to let viewers even believe these things are happening at the same time, and then allow them to discover [it eventually]," the showrunner said. "To sort of be on that experience with us and let that mystery unfold."She believes most viewers will pick up on the fact that the show's three storylines are not taking place simultaneously by the fourth episode, when a character who we saw die in Episode 1 reappears looking perfectly hale.Anya Chalotra, who plays Yennefer in the show, told GameSpot that she hopes viewers stick with the show until that point, and beyond."I think if you stick with us, you know, it will become clear," the actress said. "You just need to get used to the language we use in The Witcher. And like anything, if you give us time, you'll totally be on board. I'm sure."The Witcher Season 1 is streaming on Netflix now. Info from Gamespot.com

A new Wild Area event is now underway in Pokemon Sword and Shield. With the holidays just around the corner, you'll be able to encounter the gift-giving Pokemon Delibird much more often in Max Raids for a limited time--and snag some extra rewards for defeating it.The holiday Max Raid event runs until December 26. Despite being a fitting star for the event, Delibird isn't the most exciting Pokemon to encounter, but there's a good incentive to participate in as many Raids as you can anyway: you'll net even more candies than usual for defeating Dynamax Delibird, along with a handful of great Ice-type TRs. Much like the TMs of old, TRs are single-use items that can teach Pokemon new attacks, making them very valuable.Delibird isn't the only Pokemon appearing more often in Max Raids right now. Until January 9, you're more likely to encounter Gigantamax versions of Butterfree and Snorlax. On top of that, Sword players can find Gigantamax Drednaw and Sandaconda, while Shield players are more likely to run into Gigantamax Corviknight and Centiskorch. You can see the current Gigantamax Raid schedule here.Delibird has a present for you, Trainers! 🎁Take on a Max Raid Battle December 20–26, and you’ll be more likely to encounter the Delivery Pokémon! 🎁➡️ https://t.co/X9cd5RasdU#PokemonSwordShield pic.twitter.com/V8Iv4q5wuI — Play Pokémon (@playpokemon) December 20, 2019In addition to the holiday Max Raid event, The Pokemon Company is giving away some new freebies for Sword and Shield players. Until January 15, you can receive a handful of rare Poke Balls via Mystery Gift. You also have until that date to claim a free Gigantamax Meowth. You can see all the other free gifts available now for Pokemon Sword and Shield in our roundup.Pokemon Sword and Shield earned a place on GameSpot's best Switch games of 2019 list. We gave the titles a 9/10 in our Pokemon Sword and Shield review and called them "the best new generation of Pokemon games in years." If you need help on your Pokemon journey, you can see some of our Sword and Shield guides below. Pokemon Sword And Shield News & Guides Pokemon Sword & Shield Eevee Guide: How To Get Every Evolution Pokemon Sword & Shield: How Do Fossils Work? Pokemon Sword Vs. Pokemon Shield: Exclusive Pokemon, Legendaries, And Raids Pokemon Sword & Shield: Every Gen 8 Pokemon Info from Gamespot.com