With the Christmas season upon us, plenty of retailers are getting in on their own 12 Days of Deals--unfortunately, not a single one of them is selling a partridge, a pear tree, or even a pear. Best Buy has its own deals, while Walmart's sale is full of deals on the Nintendo Switch, PS4 Pro, and Xbox One X, in addition to 4K TVs, wireless headphones, and much more.Like Best Buy, Walmart is offering a special bundle for the Nintendo Switch. You can get the updated Nintendo Switch model (with Mario Red Joy-Cons) packaged with $20 Eshop credit and a Mario-themed carrying case. Additionally, Walmart is offering special bundles and deals for Xbox One X and S consoles and the PS4 Pro.Of course, there are plenty of other deals, and new ones will replace them every day. You can keep track of it all on Walmart's website, but we'll also update this article with the best daily deals, so you don't have to.This bundle comes with the rare Mario Red Joy-ConsNintendo Switch (with improved battery) + $20 Eshop credit and carrying case | $299Available for pick-up onlyThe updated model of the Nintendo Switch comes with improved battery life, but this bundle also comes with $20 of Eshop credit and a Mario-themed carrying case. The Mario Red Joy-Cons are also a great addition, as they're not very common--this bundle is also exclusive to Walmart. See at Walmart An Xbox One X bundle for $280Xbox One X 1 TB NBA 2K19 bundle | $280 ($500)This Xbox One X bundle may come packaged with a previous year's entry in the NBA 2K series, but $280 is an incredible deal for the console alone. It's being sold through Walmart by Antonline.com, which is a very reputable third-party seller known for its great deals. See at Walmart An Xbox One X bundle that comes packaged with a PowerA wired controller for $349Select Xbox One X and S bundles with PowerA controllerXbox One X bundles were going for $350 during Black Friday, but this deal actually manages to edge Black Friday out by offering a bonus PowerA wired controller. The offer is eligible with multiple different bundles, and you have a choice between three different colours for the controller--White, Black, or Wetlands Cloud Camo.Xbox One X bundles1 TB Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order bundle -- $3491 TB NBA 2K20 bundle -- $349Xbox One S bundles1 TB Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order bundle -- $2491 TB NBA 2K20 bundle -- $249This PS4 Pro is going for $299 at WalmartPS4 Pro 1 TB | $299Reputable third-party seller Antonline.com is also selling a PS4 Pro for $300 through Walmart. It doesn't come bundled with anything, but it's still an excellent price for the more powerful PS4. See at Walmart TV dealsSceptre 50-inch 4K TV -- $190 ($400)RCA 65-inch 4K TV -- $380 ($900)JVC 70-inch 4K Roku Smart TV -- $530 ($900)Laptop dealsMotile 14-inch laptop -- $245 ($600) AMD Ryzen 3 with Radeon Vega 3 graphics4 GB RAM128 GB SSDEVOO 15-inch gaming laptop -- $699 ($1,299) Intel i7-9750H with GTX 1650256 GB SSD16 GB RAMEVOO 11.6-inch touchscreen laptop -- $179 ($399) 4 GB RAM32 GB hard driveHeadphones and speaker dealsBeats by Dre - Powerbeats3 Wireless Earphones -- $89 ($119)Vizio 5.1 home theater soundbar system -- $198 ($228)RCA Bluetooth home theater system -- $128 ($198)Other tech dealsJetstream Smart Home Kit (2 Smart Plugs + 4 Smart Bulbs) -- $40 ($69)Jetstream Blizzard 4K Camera Drone -- $70 ($80)Sharper Image Instant Print Camera -- $40 ($90)Echelon Reflect 40-inch smart mirror -- $899 ($1,099)Info from Gamespot.com

Overwatch is hauling out the holly and preparing for its annual Winter Wonderland event. Blizzard has announced the dates for the event and teased one of the new cosmetics that will come with the update.In a tweet from the official account, the studio confirmed that Winter Wonderland will run December 10-January 2. It also showed a brief video clip of "Rime Sigma," a new skin for the most recent addition to the game with a frosty makeover.The tease didn't detail any other skins or limited-time events that will be coming with the event. Last year's Winter Wonderland included an asymmetric multiplayer boss brawl called Mei's Yeti Hunt, as well as the second year of Mei's Snowball Offensive Brawl. It's a relatively safe bet that this year's event will also include a limited-time mode, but we'll have to wait until tomorrow to see exactly what it is.Winter (Wonderland) is coming...Put your enemies on ice as Rime Sigma when Overwatch Winter Wonderland returns on Dec. 10. pic.twitter.com/yYf9OfQrc8 — Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) December 9, 2019Blizzard previously announced that the winter event would be coming this week, to clear up some misinformation about release timing that had been circulating. It will come alongside the 1.43 update, which includes some significant balance changes as well. Game director Jeff Kaplan has said that fans may expect fewer content updates while the team works on Overwatch 2. Overwatch News New Overwatch Winter Update Patch 1.43 Update Coming Soon Overwatch 2: Redesigns, Modes, Maps, And More Info from Gamespot.com

Actor and musician Jack Black is big into video games--he even started a YouTube channel to celebrate games (and many other, unrelated activities). The Jumanji star has now revealed that he's spent a large sum of money on one mobile game in particular.In an appearance on the Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend podcast, Black said he's less drawn to console games these days and more toward mobile games, and WTG Golf in particular. Like other free-to-play games, WTG Golf offers microtransactions--and Black is embarrassed at how much he has spent on them."Right now it's all about WTG Golf. It's really embarrassing. It's extremely satisfying, and truth be told, expensive. It's just horrifying because they have figured me out. They know my brain. I have a little bit of OCD," he said of the game's microtransaction practices.In WTG Golf, you can spent money to buy new sets of clothing, among other things. The clothing, which also features attribute boosts for putting and driving--can be unlocked through gameplay or by spending real money. Black has elected to spend money to buy the best clothing."I'm not going to tell you how much money I've spent on these clothes--because I don't even know! It's so much money," he said.Black joked that he's spent so much money on WTG Golf that his children won't be able to go to a good university. "I have set aside some money for their college, but yeah, they're not going to be going to the best college," he joked."It's not just money, but hours of time. It's so foolish," Black said of playing WTG Golf.Conan O'Brien shared his own over-spending story, saying he has spent a lot of money on the mobile game Clash of Clans. "I could have bought an OK watch. Instead, I've defended something that doesn't exist to impress friends of my son that I haven't met," he said.Jack Black starred in the 2009 Double Fine game Brutal Legend, and he also lent his vocal talents to another Double Fine game, 2014's Broken Age. His next big movie is this month's Jumanji: The Next Level.Info from Gamespot.com

[UPDATE] The episode has now aired, and the clues have been revealed. Are you a big enough fan to know all the answers? Have a look at the questions below. Note that no one did well enough to get to the 1000-point clue, so that's why it's not included here.200 Points400 Points 600 Points 800 PointsThe original story follows below.The December 9 episode of the long-running TV game show Jeopardy will feature a Pokemon-specific category, while every category is a Pokemon pun. In short, Pokemon is taking over Jeopardy, and that's pretty great.The show's Twitter account posted an image of the board for the December 9 show, and the category names are delightful. They include "Peek A Choo-Choo," "Geo, Dude," "Odd-ish," "Slowpoke," "Nine Tales," and then finally just "Pokemon." Have a look:Abby, Jay Leno, and Bird Jesus would be so proud of today's categories. @Pokemon pic.twitter.com/MR1jJbY8sA — Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) December 9, 2019This is not the first time Pokemon has featured on Jeopardy. In 2017, "Video Games" was a Final Jeopardy category. Host Alex Trebek asked, "The desire in his childhood to catch every insect inspired Satoshi Tajiri to create this 1996 game."The correct answer was "Pokemon," but not every contestant got it right. It'll be interesting to see how it all goes down tonight with Pokemon being a category of its own. We can only imagine how obscure the questions might become for higher point values.We'll update this post later today when Jeopardy airs. Info from Gamespot.com

The Game Awards returns for another year this Thursday, December 12. Host Geoff Keighley has been hyping the show by promising a slew of reveals and announcements, and it seems at least one of them will concern Fortnite.Epic's popular battle royale shooter has been nominated for multiple awards this year, including "best esports game" and "best ongoing game." The official Fortnite Twitter account reminded fans to tune into the awards show this week to see if the title wins any honors, and it casually teased that Epic will be "making a special announcement" regarding the game during the show.Tune in Dec 12 at 8:30 PM ET to see if Fortnite takes home an award at #TheGameAwards📣 We’ll be making a special announcement during the show so don’t miss it 👀🗳️: https://t.co/KzlA8QDaol — Fortnite (@FortniteGame) December 9, 2019Epic hasn't commented any further on this teased announcement, so just what it is remains to be seen, but this certainly isn't the first time the developer has revealed major Fortnite news at the venue. Back during the 2017 edition of The Game Awards, which took place just a few months after Fortnite's now-omnipresent battle royale mode had launched, Epic announced one of the game's first limited-time modes, and at last year's show, the developer first revealed The Block, a section of the game's map that spotlights user-created content.Fortnite itself has undergone some significant changes since then. Back in September, the game seemingly deleted itself following Season 10's big cataclysmic season-ending event, and it would remain offline for more than a day before it was relaunched as Fortnite Chapter 2. As part of the rebranding, Epic introduced a new map and a handful of new mechanics and features.The Game Awards takes place Thursday, December 12, at 5:30 PM PT / 8:30 PM ET. You can stream the show right here on GameSpot. That isn't the only video game news coming this week. Sony's final State of Play of the year airs tomorrow, December 10, at 6 AM PT, while Nintendo is airing a Direct-style Switch presentation just a few hours later at 10 AM PT. The Game Awards 2019 News The Game Awards 2019 Promising 10 Reveals The Game Awards 2019 Start Time, Live Stream, And Where To Watch The Game Awards 2019 Stream Date The Game Awards 2019 Nominees Ex-Arkane Devs' New Game Will Be Revealed At The Game Awards 2019 Info from Gamespot.com

The Division 2's next major update, 6.1, is coming this week and will bring the promised Christmas content and Hardcore Mode beta. The PC, PS4, and Xbox One game will go down for maintenance on December 10 at 12:30AM PT / 3:30AM ET for approximately four hours, and when it comes back there will be new content to enjoy, plus many bug fixes aimed to improve the player experience. The update is expected to weigh in at 3 GB. Read on for a look at the full patch notes.Title update 6.1 introduces a new in-game event, Situation: Snowball, which will add some holiday cheer to the game. The agent login screen will receive a festive makeover, and players can receive a Holiday Supplies pack featuring three Standard Apparel Keys, three pieces of equipment, and a "Holiday hat." It's not clear if that Holiday hat is distinct from the Santa hats that Ambusher Hoarders will be wearing after the update. They'll also drop the snowball-firing Sleigher weapon when you take them down.This update will also kick off the latest Apparel Event. Players will be able to nab "four new outfits, five emotes, nine weapon skins, and a new mask," according to Ubisoft. As previously detailed, 35 items of clothing will be added over time.The beta for Hardcore Mode, which only gives you one life to live, is also coming. It's extremely hard to avoid death entirely in The Division 2, so only the absolute most hardcore players need apply for this appropriately named mode.Gameplay and talent changes are also coming. Cassie Mendoza, a vendor who sells powerful items, will always have two named items and the Shield Splinterer available in her stock after this patch, with the Splinterer being permanent (as long as you have unlocked the Ivory Key lockbox) and the other two items rotating. UI elements are also being added to indicate her availability. The Shield Splinterer is now considered a High-End item, and will always be at least level 30. Similarly, the Emeline's Guard and Designated Hitter weapons will now always be High-End. The Negotiator's Dilemma talent is also changing, and grenades will no longer explode on contact with their targets--there's a two second fuse timer now, which is a subtle but important change.Maintenance to deploy Title Update 6.1 and Hardcore Mode Beta coming tomorrow, December 10th at 9:30 AM CET / 03:30 AM EST / 12:30 AM PST. Downtime is approximately 4 hours. Details: >> https://t.co/sHMWSYzHcbPatch Notes: >> https://t.co/WwHCCHRD6c pic.twitter.com/jV4j4BTfe4 — The Division 2 (@TheDivisionGame) December 9, 2019The full patch list of bug fixes is below. Most importantly, Xbox One players who were unable to install the game from the disc will now find that their issue has been addressed; the others are general quality-of-life improvements meant to prevent player frustration.The Division 6.1 Update Patch NotesGameplay changesCassie MendozaAs pointed out in our forum post, Cassie’s stock is changing with TU6.1.Cassie will now always have two named items and the Shield Splinterer available in her stock.The two named items will change every rotation, while the Shield Splinterer will always be available.To see the Shield Splinterer players must have unlocked the Ivory Key lockbox in the Base of Operations by defeating all Hunters.We’ve added UI elements to make it clearer when Cassie is available and when she’s restocking.Item changesShield Splinterer will now always be a High-End item and at least level 30.Emeline’s Guard and Designated Hitter named weapons are now guaranteed to be of High-End quality.Added unlock descriptions for Field Research Blueprints.Talent changesNegotiator’s DilemmaBlowback (Adjustment)Updated the behavior of the launched grenade:The grenade no longer explodes immediately on contact with its target.The grenade now has a fuse timer of 2 seconds from launch before it explodes.The UI warning players of an approaching grenade now appears immediately on launch of the grenade.If the fuse timer has not expired on landing, the grenade will not explode until the fuse timer runs out.Bug FixesAudioWe made further audio improvements which should mean that instances where audio cutting out or stopping completely should be much rarer now. We will detail the improvements in an upcoming forum post.Fixed an issue that caused the selection sound to be played twice when selecting “Collections” from the Spotlight menu in the store.Fixed a missing audio feedback when selecting the first outfit from a collection in the store.GeneralFixed an issue causing Xbox player to be unable to install the game from disc.Added clarification that the Manning National Zoo can only be accessed in WT5 when working on the Technician Special Field Research.Fixed an issue that caused Apparel items to stop dropping in the world before players had collected all 72 items.Fixed an issue that caused the game to crash when selecting the main agent under certain circumstances.Fixed an issue that could cause progression in the Manning National Zoo during the step “Locate Emeline” to be blocked.Fixed an issue that allowed players to glitch through a wall in DZ East.Fixed an issue that allowed players to enter a Dark Zone with more Signature Weapon ammunition than intended.Fixed an issue that could cause loot to not be reachable in the Potomac Event Center.Fixed an issue that caused players to be unable to send text messages in any chat channel under certain circumstances.Fixed an issue that prevented buying a Signature Weapon Skin from being purchased by double-clicking it.Fixed an issue that caused Neutral Control Points to stay Neutral for longer than intended.Fixed an issue that could cause the “Mounted Gunnery” objective in the Gunner Special Field Research to not progress under certain circumstances.Fixed an issue that allowed players to purchase a Signature Weapon skin while not having the Specialization unlocked.Fixed an issue that caused the Negotiator’s Dilemma buff icon to not appear after dealing explosive damage.Fixed an issue that caused Signature Weapon ammunition to not drop when killing a target that grants more progress for the Signature ammunition bar than needed.Fixed an issue that caused the Perpetuation Talent to award an incorrect amount of Turret ammunition in the Dark Zone.Fixed an issue that could cause the UI and function of the Perpetuation talent to not work correctly.Turned off the alarm sound in the Base of Operations… again…Fixed an issue that could cause the Daily and VIP Mission timers to display a remaining time of 114 weeks. We really want you to finish those projects, agent.Fixed an issue that could cause the Invaded mission timers to display an incorrect amount of time remaining.Fixed an issue that caused the Naked talent to unintendedly reactivate when switching weapons.Fixed an issue that could cause the Aces & Eights blueprints to disappear from the Crafting Bench under certain circumstances.Fixed an issue that caused some players to be unable to access the Kenly College chapel after finishing all required Investigation Areas.Improved the UI when returning to Kenly College to better tell players which Investigation Areas have not been finished during this period.Fixed an issue that caused off-site Missions (e.g. Camp White Oak, Pentagon) to disappear from the megamap when leaving a group while being in a DZ Safe House.Fixed the bio reactor’s humming being too loud in the Clan Wing of the Base of Operations. Sad, quiet humming noises.Fixed an issue that caused some Classified Assignments to not be tracked in the progression menu.Fixed missing localization for “Personal Best Time” in the Kenly College Mastery system.Fixed an issue that allowed players to fast travel to the Investigation ECHOs in Kenly College.Fixed a missing UI element for the “Share” button when using a Dualshock 4 controller.Fixed an issue causing a pylon in Kenly College to not have collision. Now you can canon rush again!Fixed an issue where NPCs could get stuck while spawning in Kenly College.Fixed an issue that could cause the objective “Destroy the Manifold” in Kenly College to not update after the agent died or the time ran out.Improved loot UI to hide dropped item details while in combat, so they don’t block the agent’s view.Fixed an issue causing players to be unable to swap from a loadout that had the Gunner or Technician Specialization equipped to a loadout that had been created prior to Title Update 6.Fixed an issue preventing players to loot items from loot piles while examining them.Fixed an issue causing party members to receive a long loading screen instead of the cinematic when finishing DARPA Research Labs in a group.Fixed missing localization for “Targeted Loot” when players inspected loot piles that contained Skill Attachments.Fixed an issue causing cooked grenades to always travel to their end destination and explode there, instead of exploding at the intended timing.Fixed an issue that allowed named items to be crafted at an earlier than intended Crafting Bench level.Fixed an issue where “Make Project” would be available for unowned Blueprints in the Crafting Bench.Fixed a missing variable in the Crafting Bench upgrade UI.Fixed missing localization for Control Point resource donations.Fixed an issue that allowed Perfectly Insulated and Perfectly Rooted to be active while also having their non-perfect counterparts equipped.Fixed an issue that could cause Hard Wired Tech to continue to drop while the player was already capped on the material.Fixed an issue that caused the Inspect UI to block players from respawning when killed by another player in the Dark Zone.Fixed missing collision for a weird wall in the Dark Zone.Fixed an issue that caused some elements of the developer debug UI to be visible in certain areas.Fixed an issue that caused the Blueprint for the Tightly Packed Marksman Mag to not be visible in the Crafting Bench.Fixed an issue that caused the information that Torrez is available for transpo to Kenly College was repeated too often. Did you know that Dark Zone Perks are available at the Base of Operations though?Fixed an issue that caused multiple application of the Opportunistic talent to stack instead of refreshing the duration.Fixed an issue that caused Unwavering to immediately go on cooldown when swapping to an item with the talent while it’s off cooldown.Fixed an issue that caused the Reformation talent to apply incorrect amounts of healing (now is +150% and 175% for Perfect Reformation).Fixed an issue that prevented players using the Technician Specialization to sometimes be unable to restock EMP grenades from enemy NPCs and crates.Info from Gamespot.com

The Matrix 4 continues to add to its cast. Collider reports that the movie has cast Mindhunter and Frozen II actor Jonathan Groff in an unspecified role for the sci-fi film.Groff, who also starred in the early seasons of Glee as Jesse St. James, joins a cast for The Matrix 4 that includes Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss reprising their roles as Neo and Trinity. Jada Pinkett Smith is also returning to play her character, Niobe, yet again.In terms of actors new to the Matrix series, Groff will join Aquaman actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick, and Neil Patrick Harris. Lana Wachowski is returning to direct The Matrix 4 from a script Aleksander Hemon, David Mitchell, and Wachowski.Groff stars in Netflix's serial killer show Mindhunter as Holden Ford, while he also voices Kristoff in Disney's Frozen series. The new Matrix movie was announced in August, and although it does not yet have a confirmed release date, it is expected to start shooting in early 2020. For more, check out GameSpot's guide to everything we know to date about Matrix 4.The first Matrix movie brought in $463.5 million worldwide, and it spawned two sequels: 2003's Matrix Reloaded--grossing $742.1 million worldwide--and Matrix Revolutions--taking in $427.3 million worldwide. The franchise has earned more than $1.6 billion in total.2019 marks the 20th anniversary of The Matrix. The first movie still holds up, but the sequels are still remembered as less-than-great. Check out The Matrix Sequels' 34 Dumbest Moments to relive the weirdness.Info from Gamespot.com

Reggie Fils-Aime, who retired as the President of Nintendo America earlier this year, is returning to The Game Awards for 2019. Despite no longer working in games, Fils-Aime who is an industry favorite, evidently did not want to break his streak of presenting an award every year. This is the fifth Game Awards, and his fifth time presenting. He famously appeared on stage in 2018 alongside Phil Spencer from Xbox and Shawn Layden from PlayStation for a joint speech.I guess he received his invitation.... So happy to welcome @reggie back to #TheGameAwards on Thursday night as a presenter! He keeps up his perfect attendance record! pic.twitter.com/WHg5rEFt5B — Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) December 9, 2019Fils-Aime is not the only host to be announced today, though. In an excited tweet, show host Geoff Keighley revealed that Dr Bunsen Honeydew, along with his assistant Beaker, will also be presenting during the Game Awards. Keighley joked that making this happen was why he started the awards in the first place.Finally able to reveal the entire reason I created #TheGameAwards -- so I could eventually make THIS moment happen. Best 5th anniversary gift ever! pic.twitter.com/4cufqUdL7T — Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) December 9, 2019This isn't the first time we've had a muppet on the Game Awards stage--in 2018, Pepe the Prawn appeared alongside Ninja to present the award for Best Independent Game..@Ninja and Pepe debate whether it's 'Fork Knife' or #Fortnite at #TheGameAwards https://t.co/LmLjnXWeA9 pic.twitter.com/Nn1x9QGm4o — Variety (@Variety) December 7, 2018The Game Awards 2019 will air on Thursday, December 12, at 8:30PM ET / 5:30PM PT. Host Geoff Keighley recently discussed the voting process behind the awards when asked if there was a conflict of interest in his appearance within nominee Death Stranding, explaining that he has no say over the nominations. The Game Awards 2019 News The Game Awards 2019 Promising 10 Reveals The Game Awards 2019 Start Time, Live Stream, And Where To Watch The Game Awards 2019 Stream Date The Game Awards 2019 Nominees Ex-Arkane Devs' New Game Will Be Revealed At The Game Awards 2019 Info from Gamespot.com

Sony's next big news event, the State of Play briefing scheduled for Tuesday, December 10, will bring multiple game reveals and new gameplay footage, making it a can't-miss event for PlayStation 4 fans. But one thing it will not have are any new details on Sony's next-generation console plans. As a reminder, Sony has said, "Don't expect any updates related to our next-gen plans" during the State of Play. This means we won't hear about the PlayStation 5 or any of Sony's strategy plans surrounding the console and the wider ecosystem.Unless there is some news about the PS5 at The Game Awards on December 12, it appears fans will be waiting until 2020 to find out more about the next-generation console. The system is scheduled to go on sale in Holiday 2020.As for what viewers can expect from Tuesday's State of Play, Sony said the briefing will deliver about 20 minutes worth of "new game reveals, release date announcements, new gameplay footage, PlayStation Worldwide Studios updates, and more."Artwork for a Resident Evil 3 Remake recently leaked on the PlayStation Network, so this could be one of the reveals scheduled for the State of Play event, though this is not confirmed. GameSpot will have a full rundown of the news and reveals as they're announced.The show begins on December 10 at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET. That works out to 2 PM in London and 1 AM on December 11 in Sydney. You can watch the briefing live on GameSpot. State of Play News PlayStation State Of Play: Sony Livestream Start Time PlayStation's Final State Of Play Of 2019 Promises New Game Reveals Info from Gamespot.com

Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove will expand on December 10 with two new games--Shovel Knight: King of Cards and Shovel Knight Showdown. The two games, which are both available to purchase separately as well, will bring Treasure Trove collection to a total of five games. When this happens, the price will increase to reflect this, but if you buy the game right now it'll be $15 cheaper.Time is running out to pick up 5 Shovel Knight adventures for the price of 3! On December 10th, we're introducing 2 brand-new games to Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, and raising the price to $39.99. Until then, it can be yours for only $24.99 -- consider it a pre-order discount! pic.twitter.com/y17lyrrJFZ — Yacht Club Games (@YachtClubGames) December 6, 2019Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, which is available on just about every platform (but which has sold best on Nintendo Switch,) currently costs $24.99 or regional equivalent. From December 10, that price will go up to $39.99 and stay there. If you want to get the game at a cheaper price, you'll want to act fast--anyone who buys the Treasure Trove before King of Cards and Showdown release will receive them in a free update. Shovel Knight is one of the most celebrated indie games of the last decade, and recently received a jazz tribute album. These final two games in the Treasure Trove will launch alongside a trio of amiibo.Another Shovel Knight game is in the works, Shovel Knight Dig, but it will not be included in the Treasure Trove collection.Info from Gamespot.com

It's been quite some time since BioShock Infinite, and although publisher Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of 2K, has previously said that there's life in the franchise yet, fans have had little reason to believe in this statement. That's no longer the case, however, as 2K has established Cloud Chamber, a two-studio team that will be developing a new BioShock game.Details on what this BioShock game is were not provided and, having spoken to Kelley Gilmore, it seemed that those details may not be clear to the team making it yet either. Since the new BioShock will be in development "for the next several years" so it could be some time before we get more concrete details, but in the meantime, we had a very brief opportunity to ask Gilmore: why Cloud Chamber and why now?GameSpot: What makes Cloud Chamber the right studio to tackle a new BioShock project?Kelley Gilmore: Well, that's a great question. And none of us take lightly the responsibility of taking this great franchise forward and we're really excited about it. The team we've assembled so far, it's a small team of people, but we have several folks on the leadership team who actually have come from prior BioShock games.Hogarth de la Plante is our creative director and he's worked on a couple of the BioShock games previously. Scott Sinclair is our art director who also has been with BioShock for quite a bit, and Jonathan Pelling has worked on BioShock games in the past. So, with those three--and we have a few others throughout the team--but with those three in leadership positions, we feel like we have pretty solid BioShock DNA in this group. And then along with them, we've hired veterans from other great gaming franchises around the industry like Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed and Star Wars. So we've got people with experience from all kinds of other games as well, and I think together that group is a pretty strong creative force.You said it was a small team. BioShock games traditionally have been quite large projects. Do you expect this to remain a small team as a kind of skunkworks project or do you expect to grow as a studio to accommodate the ambition for this game?Yeah, we expect to grow. And so, obviously, we're new because we're just announcing now, but we have a studio in Novato, California, and we're just opening a studio in Montreal and we are hiring. So we definitely intend to grow and we're going to grow, you know, as the game gets to a stage where we're ready to add more people to the team.A lot of people are going to ask: why now? Why is this the right time to do BioShock and bring the franchise back?Well, I mean, 2K has been kind of thinking about the idea of bringing BioShock back for a while and you know they have a stable of great development studios within the 2K umbrella, but everybody's busy working on their own things. So when the decision was made to actually move forward to make the next game in the BioShock franchise, they decided to just develop a team from the ground up to do that.There's an ongoing discussion about narrative single-player games and their place within the industry as it currently stands. The BioShock franchise has always had strong narrative-driven, single-player experiences. But in an age of persistent lifestyle games, there are some questions about whether those kinds of games can be successful or even sustainable. What your take on the single-player [games]? Do you see that three-, four-, five-, however long it takes you to develop- years in the future that single-player games will still have a place within the medium?Cloud Chamber is based in California and QuébecIf only I could predict that, I would be a very wealthy woman. You know, look, we're still creating the vision for this game and certainly, we're aware of all of that's going on in the industry currently and whether or not that indicates what people are going to want when this game comes out. It's very hard to know that for sure, but we do understand what has made the BioShock franchise great in the past, and we certainly want to uphold that so that this delivers on the promise of the brand. What we do from there, we just don't know yet.So just to be clear, ideas like multiplayer in BioShock 2 aren't necessarily off the table. It's just, fundamentally, it will be a single-player game and from there on you're open to ideas.I mean, honestly, I don't want to commit to any details like that right now. So I don't want to say anything definitive about what we're thinking because it's still just such an open creative process at the moment. So I'm going to stay away from confirming any of that.You mentioned the heart of the BioShock brand. What do you think, as someone who's in a leadership role at the studio that is working with this franchise now, are the core pillars of a BioShock game and how does that match with your vision for a studio and the expertise that you have?Well, I mean, certainly a compelling narrative, as you've already mentioned, is one of the cornerstones of this game. So that's something that we're very excited about, and we've got a team of pretty talented people who understand story and how to deliver it. So that's part of it. Of course, creating these immersive worlds that are fascinating for people to be in and experience is another piece to this that we understand is really important.How beholden do you want to be to the legacy of BioShock? Thematically there's always been things that connect the BioShock games together, even if they're distinct in other ways. Is that something that you want to take and carry forward, to have this kind of the essence of BioShock's themes still be there? Or is it a case of, "We're starting fresh and we're bringing wholly new narrative ideas to this game?"Well, again, it's too early for me to talk about things that specifically in terms of what we're thinking for the vision. So I'm going to keep that for a later conversation.Longtime fans of BioShock will want to know: Was there any input from Ken Levine on the project? Do you intend to consult him given that he is kind of intrinsically linked to that franchise? You can't think of BioShock without thinking of him. Is he involved in any capacity? Ken has his new company called Ghost Story Games. From what I understand, they're pretty immersed in creating whatever great thing they're working on, which we all know something will come out of there that's amazing as usual. So he's involved with that and he's not involved with this project.For the sake of clarity, can you kind of break down what stage of development the game is at?No. Other than, you know, clearly we're just announcing so we're at the beginning stages.Now that the excitement has been stoked, do you have any kind of thoughts or plans on the cadence of news and the type of conversation that you'll have with fans? Is it going to be a case of you've announced it and now it's going to go dark for three years, or do you expect to be a little more open with your development progress and communicate with your fan base regularly with updates on the project?Well, that is a plan I will leave in the capable hands of our 2K PR team because they put that whole plan together and I don't know what that is yet, so I don't have the answer for that.That growth you mentioned earlier, is that expected for both Cloud Chamber studios or is it a case of the Canada team is what it is now and the California team will be the one that grows?No, both studios will grow.How is that dynamic going to work and how do you expect both studios to feed into this greater project?We know that's challenging and we know lots of other studios who have multiple locations for their teams and so we're talking to a lot of them and trying to learn best practices. But from our perspective, we're viewing it as one team in two locations. So we'll have, you know, leadership in both studios and both studios will be working on core parts of the game. And that's how we're approaching it.And communication will be key to that. And figuring out how to be able to communicate with people on a day-to-day basis through whatever equipment and technology we have that will work when we need it, we'll do that. But it definitely will be a challenge. We have a team working in Montreal now and we're finding that it's working. We have great relationships with them. We have people flying back and forth quite a bit so that we have face time with each other. And so communication will be the key and also making sure that people do feel like we're all one team and there's not one group just being a support to the other.Info from Gamespot.com

Ken Levine created one of the most memorable and beloved video game franchises with BioShock. As the series moves on with a new studio, Cloud Chamber, Levine is stepping away from the series he created, it seems. Cloud Chamber's boss Kelley Gilmore tells GameSpot that Levine is "not involved" with the new BioShock title; instead, he is focused on his own studio and projects."Ken has his new company called Ghost Story Games. From what I understand, they're pretty immersed in creating whatever great thing they're working on, which we all know something will come out of there that's amazing as usual," Gilmore said. "So he's involved with that and he's not involved with this project."It's unclear if Levine was already aware of the new BioShock game's development, of if he will eventually contribute to the project in any unofficial capacity. GameSpot has contacted Levine for comment.While Levine may not be involved with the new BioShock game, Cloud Chamber has recruited a number of BioShock veterans for the project, including Shawn Elliot, Hogarth de la Plante, Scott Sinclair, and Jonathan Pelling. Additionally, Cloud Chamber has hired developers who worked on the Assassin's Creed, Star Wars, and Call of Duty franchises. Levine's new studio, Ghost Story--which is owned by 2K's parent company Take-Two--is focused on developing narrative-driven gaming experiences. Little is known about what the studio is making, but in October a job posting described it as a "creatively ambitious project in the immersive sim genre," which is something that Levine, and no doubt others on the team, have experience with.Don't expect to be playing the new BioShock game soon, as it is still years away from release. For lots more, check out GameSpot's extended interview with Gilmore about the new BioShock and starting the new studio.Info from Gamespot.com

Oculus Quest has received a surprise update that has added a feature that was not expected until 2020. The Quest is now capable of hand tracking as of update v12, which will allow you to handle applications and eventually games without the need for controllers--instead it'll follow the movement of your hands.The Oculus Quest, which does not require a powerful PC to run, is now capable of some more advanced VR immersion. A video in the tweet that announced the new hand tracking update showing off how you can easily control a video playing in VR without a controller now--all you need to do is turn on hand tracking in the Experimental Features menu.Thumbs Up: Hand Tracking Now Available on #OculusQuest 👍👋 // https://t.co/SToovBIN2W pic.twitter.com/mWK2QKiH81 — Oculus (@oculus) December 9, 2019In an announcement post on the Oculus Blog, Oculus has also promised a new developer SDK, so that this technology can move beyond the first-party apps that currently make use of the new function. This will allow developers to modify their games for hand tracked controls. "We’ll continue to add new features and functionality to improve the experience of hand tracking on Quest in 2020," the post promises."We hope hand tracking will make VR more approachable for newcomers to try by removing the need to learn controller functions. And for those who own Quest, when the hardware melts away you can be fully immersed in the magic of VR while connecting with others in a seamless, intuitive way."This makes the Oculus Quest the first commercial VR headset with native hand tracking on the market. Hopefully developers will find interesting ways to use this in their games in 2020. Info from Gamespot.com

A few more details about the newly announced BioShock game have emerged following the announcement of the project and the new studio developing it, Cloud Chamber.Writing on Twitter, Assassin's Creed Odyssey writer Melissa MacCoubrey revealed that she is working on the new BioShock game as an associate creative director. "Very proud to be working with this fantastic team," MacCoubrey said.So... I told you surprised would be on the horizon. Surprise!I can now reveal that I have joined Cloud Chamber Studios with 2K as Associate Creative Director on the next iteration of the Bioshock franchise.♥️Very proud to be working with this fantastic team. https://t.co/18PsmR3OIb — Mel 👽 (@Melqartiii) December 9, 2019Additionally, it's been revealed that the new BioShock's lead game designer is Shawn Elliot, who previously served as a level designer at Irrational Games on earlier BioShock titles.I don't do much social media outside of miniature painting, but it appears the project I've been working as lead game designer on has been announced as the next Bioshock. More excited about this than anything I've shipped so far and I was totally thrilled with those. — ShawnElliott (@ShawnElliott) December 9, 2019BioShock veteran Hogarth de la Plante is the new BioShock game's creative director, while another series veteran, Scott Sinclair, is the art director for the new game. Jonathan Pelling, who previously worked on BioShock games at Irrational, is contributing to the new game in an unspecified role.Along with these people, 2K also hired developers who worked on the Call of Duty and Star Wars franchises.One person who is not involved in the new BioShock game is series creator Ken Levine. He is currently working on another project for 2K at his studio Ghost Story Games.Very little is known about the new BioShock project. All that publisher 2K Games has confirmed is that it's in development at a newly formed studio, Cloud Chamber, which has offices in San Francisco, California and Montreal, Quebec.The game itself has not yet been titled, nor do we have a release date, platforms, or anything else--at this point, we simply know it's in the works. According to 2K and Cloud Chamber, the BioShock title will be in "development for the next several years," so don't expect it to release anytime soon, or even necessarily for the current generation of consoles.Both Cloud Chamber studios will be headed up by Kelley Gilmore, who has significant experience in various aspects of game development and publishing. At 2K in particular, Gilmore has worked on the Civilization and XCOM franchises.For lots more, check out GameSpot's extended interview with Gilmore about the new BioShock and starting the new studio. Info from Gamespot.com

It's been some time since the explosive events of Haven Point, and even longer since Sean and Daniel Diaz's journey first began in Seattle, but the end of Life Is Strange 2 has finally arrived, and with it a satisfying conclusion to the tumultuous and emotional story we've witnessed thus far. Episode 5 abandons the goofy villains and cliches of Episode 4 and reconnects us with what makes Life is Strange 2 work best: nuanced characters, deep relationships, and a narrative that is unafraid to show the ugly side of present-day America while still spending plenty of time unearthing the beauty that lies beneath.No matter what kind of relationship you've built between Sean and Daniel so far, the game kicks off with the two camping out under the stars in Arizona, during which Sean says to Daniel, "I love you no matter what happens, okay?" This scene illustrates a significant strength of the series which has carried through from Episode 1--while you can guide Sean's choices and morality and the impact that has on his little brother, no choice you make will change the love they have for each other. Even a low-morality Sean with a penchant for stealing who swears like a sailor will still love Daniel and protect him at all costs. The stellar performances delivered by each of the brothers continue to make their connection believable and their sibling affection palpably relatable.Sean's spot-on characterization makes him a fantastic conduit to understanding the beauty in the characters you meet, the pain in the vile circumstances he so often finds himself in, and the overwhelming adoration he has for his brother. You love Daniel because Sean does, do your best to trust your estranged mother because Sean does, and feel palpable terror in the face of the worst of America because Sean does. His sense of self remains intrinsic to any version of his character and that is vital to your ability to empathize with him. As for the impact you can have, Daniel's personality can shift depending on how you've treated him and the choices you've made in previous episodes. He will have increased or decreased morality, and that trait will drastically change how he acts in the dramatic final moments of the series. As a result, your ending to the story will likely feel earned and satisfyingly in line with the events in your journey.The inclusion of Sean and Daniel's mother is explored in more depth and with greater nuance than in Episode 4, where her appearance was overshadowed by the tonally inconsistent plot. The layers of her character and preference for isolation are cleverly mirrored by the first major location you explore in Episode 5, called Away, a community of people who have shunned society in favour of a self-sufficient life in the desert. The strength of Life is Strange 2's writing buoys up its new characters in the final episode, most of whom feel complex and well rounded. You meet a middle-aged gay couple whose familes' homophobia has driven them to a quieter life outside the city, a familiar face from Life is Strange 1 who gets the chance to exhibit the growth they appeared capable of in the previous series, and Diego and Carla, a Mexican man and his pregnant wife trying to build a better life by immigrating to America.The latter example in particular is a testament to another of Life is Strange 2's greatest strengths: its willingness to ask complicated questions, amplify marginalized voices, and attempt to explore the complicated sociopolitical climate of present-day America. This difficult undertaking isn't always executed flawlessly, and some of the more extreme representations of xenophobic Americans can come off a little on-the-nose. But the larger themes of politics, racism, and differing perspectives as a result of ethnicity and privilege are effective due to the nuance and believability behind Episode 5's characters. Because of this, it's the quieter moments that deliver the themes most effectively, such as when the Diaz brothers arrive at the Mexican border and Daniel asks if there is also a towering border wall between America and Canada. Or when a particularly tense moment in the game is broken up by Sean meeting Carla and Diego, who engage with Sean entirely in Spanish and explain why they're so desperate to flee Mexico to provide a better life for their child.However, some interactions in Episode 5 remain a little too hard to swallow. An entire encampment of social outcasts deciding they aren't phased by a 10-year-old with superpowers is unlikely, and sometimes otherwise intelligent characters seem to have inconsistent lapses in judgment or logic. That said, ignoring the social impact of Daniel's powers lets the plot to move forward without belabouring well-trodden ground, which returns the focus to the characters whose stories often paint a relatable picture of people's attempt to do right by others as they do right by themselves.The impact of Episode 5's interactivity also falls flat in some places. Despite some heart-pounding events late in the game, the use of Daniel's powers doesn't amount to much as a mechanic. While awe-inspiring to behold in a cutscene, there is little weight behind actually using them. You mostly point at very clearly highlighted interactables and watching Daniel unleash his power on them. Save for a section with some variable choices late in the game, this is almost always too simplistic, as was the case in previous episodes, making the act of using Daniel's powers feel less exciting than it should, even in the emotionally-charged final moments.The multiple endings to the series are significantly different and largely reflected how I had interacted with Daniel in both of my playthroughs. Both endings I reached were truly satisfying in their own way, and in the case of my main playthrough, heart-wrenchingly sad. There are no easy answers which feels appropriate, but there is positivity to be found in each possible conclusion. Coming to the realization that there is unlikely to be a purely happy ending for the Diaz brothers is disheartening, but it works to solidify the thematic undercurrents of Life is Strange 2's story--the troubled state of the current sociopolitical climate, identity, brotherhood, and what it means to be American.Saying goodbye to the Diaz brothers is as difficult as it was to leave Chloe and Max in the original Life Is Strange, which is a testament to the extraordinary strength of the game's character building. Though the story of the Diaz brothers arrives at some kind of ending, the larger implications of the story and its politically-charged themes raise more questions than they can possibly hope to answer, though to even ask them feels like an admirable feat. As the game itself states within the blog of a gone-but-not-forgotten ally from Episode 1, "It's not a happy ending, but maybe it can be a hopeful one." Info from Gamespot.com