Ah, yes. The personal computer. Always at the cutting edge of whatever's happening in the world of video games. Pushing the boundaries with new technology, while almost always being the best place to play multiplatform games.2019 was definitely an interesting year for PC gaming. You might assume that the space is largely detached from what the console folks are doing, and in some respects, especially on the technological side, you're right. PC games have access to big new leaps almost as soon as they happen.But if we just consider the PC as a platform where you play the latest video games, the landscape had a ton of similarities to that of the consoles in 2019. All of this is to say that, as I looked back on the big PC milestones for the year, it felt very transitional without any earth-shattering moments.We weren't biding our time for new hardware, but we did see a lot of distribution platforms and games publishers sorting out their arsenal, a hit new genre get birthed, and a bunch of new VR hardware come to market. Hopefully, when 2020 gets underway, all of this stuff will hit full speed, and only then, when all the good ideas take hold and the chaff falls away, will we be able to see how the next generation is defined. But for now, let's reminisce.Epic Game Store Grows And GrowsYou might have opinions on Epic Games getting into the digital distribution market and taking on Steam. They're taking games away from Steam! It's just a big ruse to get people to play Fortnite! Something about China, maybe! But Tim Sweeney does not care what you think, and 2019 saw the Epic Store obtain exclusivity to a number of big-budget and independent games, keeping them away from Steam--a move Valve called "unfair" to consumers in regards to games that were already marketed on their platform). This includes stuff like Metro: Exodus, The Outer Wilds, The Outer Worlds, The Division 2 (in fact, all of Ubisoft's games in 2019 became exclusive to the Epic and Ubisoft Store), Control, Shenmue III, among many, many others. It's caused a lot of commotion in a frustrated, vocal portion of the PC gaming community. And it's put independent developers in a dilemma about how to best make what they do viable. Some consumers see the acquisitions as a hostile action, but with Epic's ongoing offer to provide users with free games twice a month, and their notable transparency when it comes to revenue sharing and the development of their platform (they have a public development roadmap), the company is seemingly continuing to position themselves as the good-guy underdogs next to Steam. How that shakes out in 2020 is something we'll be watching with great interest.Steam's Offering Grows TooNot to be outdone by all of the big acquisitions of the Epic Store, Steam also picked up some significant partners in 2019. Once Bungie broke up with Activision, Destiny 2 made the jump from Blizzard's Battle.net to Steam. Microsoft loosened their grip on their biggest first-party franchises in a move that helped increase their presence on PC--all the Halo games were made available on Steam, Gear 5 launched on the platform too, and State of Decay 2 is coming next year.In a similarly surprising move, Electronic Arts also loosened its grip on a number of PC games, meaning many titles that were previously only available on their Origin storefront were brought to Steam, including their latest release, Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order--which also made its way to the Epic Game Store.We Got Those Subscriptions Now, TooOf course, some might say the moves made by Microsoft and EA were only made to draw attention to the value that their new subscription services provided. Microsoft's increasingly popular Xbox Game Pass for PC launched during E3 2019 and has continued to provide access to over a hundred games for a relatively low subscription fee--$5 USD as of writing. Xbox Game Pass for PC includes new releases like The Outer Worlds and Gears 5, as well as a number of PC-exclusive titles like Hearts of Iron IV and Imperator: Rome from Paradox Interactive.EA already had Origin Access on PC of course, but in 2019, it doubled-down with its Premier tier for the launch of Anthem and Apex Legends earlier in the year, as well as Jedi Fallen Order last month. Not to be left out, Ubisoft also launched Ubisoft+, which gives you access to the entire publisher's catalogue, including DLC and expansion packs. There is an increasing number of ways for PC owners to consume games--almost too many--but it's great to see so much competition and choice.Yet Another New Genre SpawnsRemember how the MOBA genre spawned from a user-made custom map in Warcraft III, and then went on to be one of the most popular video game genres worldwide? Well, what if I told you that in Valve's Dota 2 (the standalone game born out of the original Warcraft III DotA map) there was *another* user-made custom map that got so popular it spawned *another* hugely-popular genre and subsequent standalone games?Say hello to the Auto Battler genre, conceived in January 2019 from the Dota Auto Chess mod by Drodo Studio. Its three major standalone competitors are Dota Underlords from Valve, Teamfight Tactics from Riot Games, and Auto Chess from Drodo themselves--games born from a mod for a game that was also born from a mod.The concept is built around drafting units and positioning them on a battlefield, where they'll fight the units from other players automatically until a victor emerges. There's a depth of strategy in drafting, positioning, unit synergies, the metagame… it's a whole thing that I don't have the space to get into right now. But it's compulsive, it's massively popular, and like the MOBA and battle royale genres before it, it's already spawned a ton of imitators. Good job, PC gaming!We Got Those ExclusivesBut hey, the PC doesn't just have games from a brand new genre to flaunt--plenty of 2019's fantastic PC exclusives came from old, boring genres too! We're talking about things like the transcendent RPG Disco Elysium (though it's coming to consoles in 2020); the greatest Total War yet, Three Kingdoms; and World of Warcraft: Classic, which seemed to surprise a lot of people.That's not to mention the countless gems still in Early Access--some of my favourites include Supergiant's Hades, Risk of Rain 2, Subnautica: Below Zero, and Totally Accurate Battle Simulator. And there's still more to come! At the time of publishing, Phoenix Point, the tactical strategy game from X-COM creator Julian Gollop, has just released, and Mechwarrior 5 will be out the following week.PC gamers also leave 2019 with a few big names to look forward to in the future. Diablo IV, the next iteration of Overwatch and Cyberpunk 2077, are all on the top of the list, despite being multiplatform titles. And finally, a new entry in the highly-regarded and elusive Half-Life series, Half-Life: Alyx, was announced for a March 2020 release. There's a catch with that one, though.VR Hardware Steps UpNext year's Half-Life: Alyx will be a VR-only title, which has at least some folks thinking about obtaining themselves a VR headset. Well hey, guess what? 2019 was a particularly busy year for new VR hardware from the three major players in the space--Oculus, HTC, and Valve themselves.Oculus released their new PC-powered headset, the Rift S, with room-scale tracking that doesn't need external sensors (inside-out tracking) and new versions of the Oculus Touch gesture controllers. They also released the Oculus Quest, a completely wireless and standalone VR headset that can run games without the need to be connected to a PC by also utilizing inside-out tracking, and now also gives you the option to connect to a computer by using the recently-released Oculus Link beta.HTC released the successor to the high-end Vive, called Cosmos, which also features inside-out tracking, new motion controllers, and a flip-up goggle design. Meanwhile, Valve launched its own VR headset, the Valve Index. This high-end headset boasts superior visual quality and gesture controllers (which track each individual finger), but oddly forgoes inside-out tracking in favour of using additional cameras to track positioning like the previous version of the Vive.A variety of new, quality headsets to choose from is exciting, but the real question is: does VR have the compelling software to support it yet? For most people, the answer is still no. If you're already deeply invested in the space, there are a lot of exciting experiences to keep you occupied--No Man's Sky: Beyond, Pistol Whip, and Falcon Age were some of our highlights for this year. But is there a game you just have to run out and buy a headset for? Valve is probably hoping for Half-Life Alyx to be just that.Other Matters, In BriefAs is tradition, Valve's annual Dota 2 tournament, The International, once again broke the record of the largest prize pool in esports history, despite the Fortnite World Cup setting a new record the month prior. The final prize pool total for The International 2019 was $34,300,000--almost $10 Million more than The International 2018.After Valve's Steam Link hardware was discontinued and run out at trivial prices during Black Friday 2018, Valve has now discontinued the Steam Controller, running out the remaining stock during Black Friday 2019Red Dead Redemption 2 finally got a PC releaseWith the introduction of Nvidia's RTX 20-series line of graphics cards last year, real-time ray tracing is slowly introduced into a few big-name titles--Control, Metro Exodus, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and Wolfenstein: Youngblood were the notable examples, though they tech still requires demanding hardware specifications to utilise it.GPU manufacturers Nvidia and AMD both release new high-performing graphics cards at more affordable, mid-range prices. The Geforce RTX 2060/2070 Super are enhanced versions of their base models; the Radeon RX5700/5700XT are a new line of cards built under the new Navi architecture. Both ranges perform admirably well against their top-of-the-line relatives, but sit in the attractive $350-500 USD range.The GoodThe Bad+ Microsoft and EA bring their games back to Steam- VR continues to be a niche experience for only the most enthusiastic users.+ A variety of worthwhile subscription services + Lots of great PC-exclusive games + Hey these Auto Chess games are real addictive huh + Red Dead Redemption 2 finally came to PC + Lots of fresh VR hardware Info from Gamespot.com

The Epic Games Store's free games program is really the gift that keeps on giving. Not only does Epic hand out one or two free games every week, but they are usually pretty darn good games, too. On the heels of offering the brilliant platformer Rayman Legends, Epic is giving PC gamers Jotun: Valhalla Edition, a gorgeous hand-drawn action adventure infused with Norse mythology. Jotun is free until December 12 at 10:59 AM ET, and you simply need to have a free Epic account to secure it.In Jotun, you play as Thora, a Viking who recently died; since she didn't die in battle, she cannot enter Valhalla. However, the gods give her the opportunity to earn her way into Valhalla by slaying the Jotun, five massive elemental beings. Jotun's story is split into nine sprawling levels. A handful of the levels culminate in a daunting boss fight where you're mostly restricted to just Thora's trusty axe and quick-footed dodges.Jotun: Valhalla EditionOutside of the boss fights, Jotun's gameplay revolves around exploration and puzzle-solving. Though minor enemies exist, Jotun doesn't feature non-stop combat. This fact actually works in Jotun's favor, as it lets you appreciate the haunting atmosphere in the gaps between your next showdown with one of the tough giants.Originally released on PC in 2015, the PS4/Xbox version earned a great 8/10 in our Jotun review. The Valhalla Edition has an unlockable boss rush mode that pits you against even more trying versions of the Jotun.Make sure you claim Jotun: Valhalla Edition by December 12 before The Escapists takes over as the next Epic Games Store free game. See Jotun at Epic Games Store Info from Gamespot.com

Update 16 is set to arrive for Fallout 76 on Tuesday, December 10. The latest patch will add more choice to Nuclear Winter Maps, introduce a true solo mode for Private Worlds, feature new festive-themed events, and offer a free trial weekend.In Fallout 76's battle royale mode, Nuclear Winter, The Forest map is returning alongside Morgantown, with players given the option to vote for which map they want to play before the start of every match. This has been a highly requested feature ever since the launch of Morgantown.Another requested feature has been the option to play Fallout 76 solo using its Private Worlds. Update 16 is adding two options to its private servers: "Team Only" and "All Friends." The former lets you join a private server with those you've already formed a team with or, alternatively, you can join one alone. "All Friends" works just like Private Worlds do now, allowing anyone on your friend's list to hop into the server you're playing on.Festive Scorched enemies come bearing Holiday Gifts.With the holiday season upon us, Fallout 76 is also getting into the spirit with a Holiday Scorched Event that runs from December 12 to December 26. During this period, Scorched enemies will appear in the game dressed in festive attire. Spot them, or hear their jingle bells, and you'll be able to hunt them down. Each one you kill will drop a Holiday Gift for you to unwrap, including low-, medium-, or high-quality items that range from a lump of coal to rare plans and recipes.For a limited time after Update 16 releases, you'll also be able to claim a free Santatron bot from the Atomic Shop. Build it in your C.A.M.P. and the Santatron will roam the nearby area, collecting treats like candy, toys, and coal. During the Holiday Scorched Event, it will also occasionally give you a Holiday Gift.Those that missed Fallout 76's Halloween-themed event will have a chance to complete the challenges and earn its rewards again, too. The event has been repackaged as the Nightmare Preceding Christmas and will run from December 11 to December 16. Following this will be a Christmas challenge from December 17 to January 6, offering a set of six new Christmas-themed Nuclear Winter challenges and cosmetic rewards.If all of this sounds appealing, Fallout 76 will also have a free trial weekend from December 12 to December 16 on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, so you can try it out for yourself. There will also be a Double XP event active during the same weekend.Info from Gamespot.com

Another hotfix update is coming to Borderlands 3 today for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The patch notes are in and the hotfix addresses a number of community concerns, including issues with loot, the Spiritual Driver class mod, vault hunter abilities, and more.Developer Gearbox announced on its official forums that today's Borderlands 3 hotfix will arrive on all platforms by 3 PM PT. As usual, hotfixes are automatically applied at the game's main menu. With the release of this latest hotfix, the Bloody Harvest event officially comes to a close, meaning you won't be able to experience all of its spookiness until next Halloween.Speaking directly about the hotfix, a few issues reported by the Borderlands 3 community have been resolved. Loot should no longer fall into unreachable areas in Slaughterstar 3000, Zane's "Death Follows Close" passive ability now brings the correct bonus to several kill skills, typos on the Desperate Measures and Stainless Steel Bear skills have been fixed, you should not get stuck in Ambermire anymore, and more.Check below for the full patch notes on today's hotfix.Borderlands 3 Hotfix Full Patch NotesAddressed a reported issue where loot was sometimes falling into an unreachable area in Slaughterstar 3000. Addressed a reported issue where the movement speed bonus with Amara's passive ability "Mindfulness" when buffed with Spiritual Driver class mod was sometimes extremely high. Mindfulness was designed with the intent that reaching maximum stacks was not easily achievable so the bonus per grade was high. We want players to take advantage of move speed but not to the extent where parts of the game may not function correctly.Addressed a reported issue with the Spiritual Driver class mod where it was sometimes awarding damage for all types of damage and not just gun damage.Decreased pet audio so FL4K's Jabber would be less vocal.Addressed an issue where Zane's passive ability "Death Follows Close" did not bring the correct bonus to several kill skills.Addressed a reported issue where Zane's passive ability "Nerves of Steel" would sometimes lose functionality after fast traveling.Fixed typos on Desperate Measures and Stainless Steel Bear skills.Fixed multiple spots where players were sometimes able to escape the map in Skywell-27.Fixed multiple spots where players would sometimes get stuck in Ambermire.Fixed various areas in Septic Sluice and Green Diamond Platform that allowed players to reach unintended areas.Fixed various areas on Pandora that sometimes allowed players to escape the map.Fixed a reported issue where some players could not hear the flaming skulls from Billy, the Anointed.Fixed a reported issue where Brick's sledgehammer sometimes continued to spin after being thrown at an enemy during the mission "Hammerlocked."While this hotfix only addresses a small assortment of community concerns, Gearbox confirmed that the next major Borderlands 3 patch arrives later this month. The patch will also contain a brand-new piece of DLC, Moxxi's Heist of the Handsome Jackpot. This DLC will be available on December 19 to those who own either the Season Pass or Borderlands 3's Super Deluxe Edition. Borderlands 3 News New Borderlands 3 Hotfix Update Coming Today; Full Patch Notes Revealed New Borderlands 3 Story DLC Releases Next Month Info from Gamespot.com

Epic has rolled out a new set of challenges in Fortnite. Week 9's batch is called Chaos Rising, although like previous sets, there isn't much of a theme running through the challenges, so you'll be doing various tasks like skydiving through rings and using ziplines. One of the trickier challenges in this batch asks you to dance at a green steel bridge, yellow steel bridge, and red steel bridge. If you're not sure where those are located, we've put together this guide to show you where to go, along with a map pinpointing the exact locations of all three spots.Where Are The Green Steel Bridge, Yellow Steel Bridge, And Red Steel Bridge Locations?Green steel bridge -- southeast of Frenzy FarmYellow steel bridge -- directly east of Misty MeadowsRed steel bridge -- south of Pleasant ParkAs the challenge states, you'll need to find three different colored bridges for this mission. Given how many waterways there are around Fortnite Chapter 2's new map, this can be a daunting task, especially if you're not already familiar with the island's layout, so we'll tell you where each one is located to save you some aimless searching. If you need more help finding them, we've also marked where all three bridge locations on the map below.Fortnite bridge locationsHow To Complete The ChallengeOnce you know where to find the three bridges, completing this challenge is simply a matter of making your way to each one and using a dance emote while standing on them. Fortunately, you don't need to visit all three bridges within a single match to complete this challenge, so the quickest way to finish the mission may be to dance at one, get eliminated, jump into a new match, dance at another, and repeat the process until you've check off all three.This is the ninth weekly set of challenges Epic has rolled out in Fortnite Chapter 2. It's unclear just how many more the developer has in store; the season was originally scheduled to end this month but has now been extended into February. In the meantime, if you need help completing any tasks from earlier in the season, you can find all of our maps and guides in our Fortnite Chapter 2 challenges roundup. Fortnite News Fortnite: Where To Search Hidden XP Drop In Chaos Rising Loading Screen Fortnite Hidden E Location Guide: Where To Search Letter E In The Dive Loading Screen Fortnite Bridge Locations: Where To Dance At Green Steel, Yellow Steel, And Red Steel Bridges Fortnite Hidden I Location: Where To Search Hidden I In Hide And Seek Loading Screen Fortnite Landmark Locations: How To Visit 5 Landmarks In A Single Match Info from Gamespot.com

Death Stranding is an unconventional game and has gotten a mixed reception, but Hideo Kojima's first independent effort has gained a high-profile fan: Super Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai. Sakurai gave credit to its ambition and creativity, while voicing some relatively minor complaints about UI issues.Sakurai shared his thoughts in the Japanese magazine Famitsu (via DualShockers). He praised the game's originality and said he lost track of time while playing. In particular, he lauded some of its design solutions, like balancing the social sharing aspect with difficulty by gating those helpful connections behind objectives like restoring the Chiral network. He also said many games don't achieve such a good mixture of story, gameplay, and new possibilities. He said it was a nice reminder of Kojima's talent.He did share some reservations, however. He said the UI symbols and text were too small and hard to read, and commented that the UI depends too much on button-hold commands. He also didn't like volume of small rocks obstructing the landscape. (The text size issue, at least, will be getting an update this month.)Though many of the Cyber Monday sales are behind us, a good deal on Death Stranding is still available in case Sakurai has you wondering what all the hubbub is about. GameSpot gave the title a 9/10 in our Death Stranding review."It's positive without ignoring pain; in fact, it argues in both its story and its gameplay that adversity itself is what makes things worth doing and life worth living," wrote Kallie Plagge. "It's a game that requires patience, compassion, and love, and it's also one we really need right now."Info from Gamespot.com

Netflix's next big original series is none other than The Witcher, which arrives on December 20. Based on the Polish novels by Andrzej Sapkowski, the show will follow the characters Geralt, a witcher who hunts monsters, Yennefer, a powerful sorceress, and Ciri, a child of destiny.While we're still a couple weeks away from the release of the show, The Witcher Twitter account released some images from the upcoming series that are mesmerizing. Check them out below.Henry Cavill as Geralt.Henry Cavill stars as Geralt, who was created by fear, Freya Allan plays Ciri, who was created by prophecy, and Anya Chalotra plays Yennefer, who was created by power. All of these captions allude to each character's backstory, which we will see in Season 1 of the show.Because the upcoming Netflix series is based Sapkowski's works, there is a lot of ground to cover between the characters and the world they inhabit. However, that didn't sway showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich from tackling this challenge. "To me, there are challenges, and there are opportunities. And this, to me, was such a great opportunity," Hissrich told GameSpot during a recent interview. "You have all of these short stories presented in the first couple of books, in The Last Wish and in Sword of Destiny. There is no narrative thread between them, so Geralt doesn't grow and change that much between the stories, because that's not how they were originally written." Netflix News Best Things To Stream For December 2019 - Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video What's New To Netflix This Week? Movies, TV, And Originals What's New To Netflix In December 2019? Movies, TV Shows, And Originals The Witcher arrives on Netflix on December 20.Info from Gamespot.com

30 years ago, the Disney film Honey, I Shrunk The Kids hit theaters, bringing in over $200 million worldwide--which translates to around $415 million today. The family-friendly adventure film resonated with both kids and adults. It spawned two sequels, 1992's Honey, I Blew Up The Kid and 1997's Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves--both of which failed to capture the magic of the first movie. However, another sequel may be on the horizon, bringing the Szalinskis back to theaters.Joe Johnston--director of the first movie in the series--is joining forces with Josh Gad (Frozen) for the movie Shrunk, which will be the fourth movie in the series, according to Variety. The original movie followed the adventures of mad scientist Wayne Szalinski (Rick Moranis) and his family. Szalinski invents a shrinking machine and accidentally shrinks his children, and the kids must escape the dangers of being tiny in their backyard.While the movie is being called a reboot, the film will follow Gad playing a grown-up version of Wayne's son, and Gad does resemble an older version of Nick Szalinski, who was originally played by Robert Oliveri. Gad's character will take on his father's business of inventing crazy gadgets, which includes a shrink ray that miniaturizes his family.Originally, the idea was to deliver this movie to the recently released Disney+ streaming service, but studio executives were very keen on a recent draft of the script, which was written by Todd Rosenberg. This movie may be headed to theaters now.However, while all this information is coming out, Shrunk is still not greenlit and the movie is still very early in development, according to Variety's sources. We'll keep you updated on the status of this film as we learn more. Info from Gamespot.com

Red Dead Redemption 2 is now available on Steam, and it comes with all the graphical and technical enhancements the studio made for its PC debut last month. These include updated visuals, higher quality lighting effects, improved textures, and more.Rockstar confirmed Red Dead Redemption 2's Steam launch will feature platform-specific support, such as Steam Achievements, Steam Chat, and Steam Broadcast functionality. Further, the Steam version also includes the new features added to the game's PC version, like the added Photo Mode, Bounty Hunter Missions, Gang Hideouts, Treasure Maps, and more.You can pick up the standard edition of Red Dead Redemption 2 on Steam for $60 USD. Of course, there are two other editions available for purchase on the digital storefront. The $80 USD Special Edition includes exclusive story mode content, gameplay bonuses and boosts, the Nuevo Paraiso Gunslinger Outfit, and more. Red Dead Redemption 2's Ultimate Edition, which retails for $100 USD on Steam, features everything in the Special Edition and more, like additional online content and the Black Chestnut Thoroughbred.Red Dead Redemption 2 Steam RequirementsMinimumRequires a 64-bit processor and operating systemOS: Windows 7 - Service Pack 1 (6.1.7601)Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K / AMD FX-6300Memory: 8 GB RAMGraphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 2GB / AMD Radeon R9 280 3GBNetwork: Broadband Internet connectionStorage: 150 GB available spaceSound Card: Direct X CompatibleRecommendedRequires a 64-bit processor and operating systemOS: Windows 10 - April 2018 Update (v1803)Processor: Intel Core i7-4770K / AMD Ryzen 5 1500XMemory: 12 GB RAMGraphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB / AMD Radeon RX 480 4GBNetwork: Broadband Internet connectionStorage: 150 GB available spaceSound Card: Direct X Compatible Red Dead Redemption 2 News Red Dead Redemption 2 Is A Worthy PC Port, For The Most Part Red Dead Redemption 2 System Requirements Revealed Red Dead Redemption 2 Easy Money Guide: How To Get Cash Quickly Red Dead Redemption 2 Legendary Bear Pelt: Here's What To Do With It Info from Gamespot.com

This generation's Star Wars trilogy will be coming to a close with Star Wars: Rise Of Skywalker later this month, which naturally means that we can expect some grand finales for characters we've come to know and love in these new films.However, beyond just the heavy hitters like Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren, screenwriter Chris Terrio told Polygon that Rise Of Skywalker will tie-up and finish out the arcs for a whopping 24 different characters. And to make sure it all worked out, Terrio confessed that he and the Star Wars creative team took an interesting approach to the storytelling of a sci-fi fantasy epic."I think that, by my last count, there were 24 character arcs in the movie. Twenty-four characters whose stories had sort of beginning, middle, and end," Terrio said. "So it's daunting, but also we would tell ourselves that this is just the history of the galaxy. It's not like we've got to make up some confection in order to fit in certain things. We said, 'No, this is what happened. This is the battle that happened. This was the chance that they took. This was the plan.'" Star Wars News The Mandalorian Episode 4: 18 Star Wars Easter Eggs And References You May Have Missed Star Wars Timeline: How To Watch It All In Order On Disney Plus The Mandalorian Schedule: When Does Episode 5 Release On Disney Plus? Star Wars: Everything We Know About Every Movie And Show Announced So Far In order to make sure everyone was getting their due, Terrio explained that they took an approach that felt similar to writing nonfiction. "A lot of my past work was like historical drama and stuff like that. You write it in the way that you would write any world historical event or galaxy historical event, which is to say that there are all these interwoven strands and all these little moving pieces."But despite the myriad endings, Rise Of Skywalker doesn't actually put a wall around the edges of the Star Wars galaxy. In fact, it actually opens the door for more exploration. "I think there are also little parts of the galaxy that will be opened--at least to the imagination, if not to further films," Terrio said. "We have some new characters in this movie that I would live with happily in my brain and imagination. So I hope that we’re also saying that the galaxy is big and various. We've shown you this one saga, but the galaxy contains multitudes."Star Wars: Rise Of Skywalker hits theaters December 20, 2020. Info from Gamespot.com

"Realistic" World War I multiplayer FPS, Verdun, has received a brand-new update on Xbox One. The update, billed as more of a remaster, is available for free to all owners of the base game, and it comes with an assortment of changes and enhancements to the original experience.Developers M2H and Blackmill Games released the patch notes for this Verdun Xbox One remaster, which can be viewed below. In addition to the patch notes, the two studios also put out a featurette, below, going into detail about the various changes available in the free update. These include improvements to the user interface, audio, graphics, controls and settings, and more. Visual improvements aren't all that is in Verdun's free remaster update. The game also comes with new content, such as a brand-new map, additional squads and weapons, support for up to 24 AI players, and more.Verdun has been around for a few years now. It first launched on Steam in April 2015, then made its way to PS4 in August 2016 and jumped to Xbox One in March 2017. We scored Verdun a 6/10 in our original 2015 review, saying, "Verdun somewhat succeeds in its lavish goal, but its road to glory is lengthy still. Until then, it sits on the edge of the line, waiting for the rallying cry."Full Verdun Xbox One Remaster Patch NotesMajor Additions/ImprovementsNew Map: St. MihielNew Squads: ANZAC & Tirailleurs SénégalaisNew Weapons: Webley Fosbery, Entrenching Tool, Senegalese Machete, Pétard Explosive, OF1 Grenade, Berthier "Sénégalais"Frontlines Bot support: 24 playersUpdated graphics with improved weapon & character art, animations and shadingCompletely revamped UI with new features such as the spawn map and overview mapCompletely revamped sounds with higher quality and more authentic sounds and effectsImproved controls to make it more responsive and allow for more customizationNew localizations: Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Brasilian Portuguese, Turkish, PolishAdded a prestige system to the game. When you reach level 100 you can choose to prestige in your account screen and gain a new prestige rank, level & iconAdded a new and improved tutorial system with tooltips and an intro video about FrontlinesAdded bullet penetration mechanicAdded team damage penalty to all game modes e.g. hitting a friendly player will now give you a 10 point penaltyAdded map voting at the end of a match. You can pick between two maps. When the time is up, the voting results will be displayedNetworking improvements: Smoother and more accurate movementOverhauled the squad leveling system: Every user now has a squad-level per squad, these levels combined will form the total squad level. For older squad levels we have a legacy system in placeAdded various improvements to prevent spawn killingImproved death camAdded first-person gas choking animationBetter match up between the third- and first-person animationsAdded more custom match optionsAdded better match balancing measures to prevent unbalanced gamesBarbed wire no longer kills but slows down and injures the playerProne/MG deployment improvementsMore stamina: You can now sprint for 100 metersVarious level fixes and improvementsAdded more options to customize HUD and controlsImproved ragdollsPutting your gasmask on or off is now interruptibleAdded end game camera animationsWeapons now have full accuracy through iron sights.Added recoil kick to LMGsSuppression effect is nerfedNew medal: "Most binoc kills"[X1 Only] Adjusted "Extreme Headhunter" and "Do you even die" achievement requirementsYou can now abort reloading by firingRebolting can now be canceled by meleeNew Frontlines rule based on community feedback. Both defenders and attackers may no longer be further away than 2 sectors from the currently contested sectorThe game will now switch to a better host fasterVarious loadout adjustments based on community feedbackVarious weapon stats adjustments based on community feedbackTweaked aura sizes based on community feedbackAdjusted call-in cooldowns based on community feedbackBug Fixes & Smaller ImprovementsSquad Defense no longer AFK kicks you if you are deadImproved backward and sideways crawling animation"Most kills of higher rank" medal is now "Most kills of higher or equal rank"Ragdoll fingers are no longer always in the trigger positionReduced possibility of big rotations happening when you attack someone in meleeWe now show network stats if they are not healthy values. It shows: Host migration, jitter, ping, and packet lossReduced all command order cooldowns to 5 secondsFire now damages players. Affected maps: Flanders, ChampagneFixed deploy widget sticking around when switching to a different specializationFixed first person hiccups when shooting and moving with MGsRemoved blending during weapon swap/draw to prevent weird weapon spinsAdjusted timing of sighted stance animations to better fit the in-game speedThird-person swap/draw time now matches first-personThird-person reload animation matches first-person animation more closelyBetter match up between the third and first-person animation status of recharging rifleBetter match up between the third and first-person animations status of sighting a weaponBetter animations when you are sighted and the player switches stanceThird-person melee animation speed now always matches first-person melee animation speedThe pitch of your third-person weapon model now matches the first person pitch more closelyYour gun will now always move a bit when holding breath while walkingRecharging/bolting of first/third person is now synced betterThird-person reload now always has the same duration as first-person reloadThird-person reload will now stop when bashing during the reloadGasmask overlay is no longer visible after the end of the matchNo more melee suppression through wallsGoing prone on a hill doesn't cause skewed characters anymoreGuns block your view less during sprinting over rough terrainTeam kills will no longer give you a kill on the scoreboard and add progress towards achievementsYou will no longer miss the spawn during a MC switch when the timer is just about to hit 0You can no longer deploy a MG while jumpingYou can no longer aim after pressing jumpMelee shock should only be caused by running people with melee weapons. Also, it shouldn't trigger unless the enemy and victim are facing each otherFixed a bug where Squad Defense wins would count toward 'highest multi-kill' stat instead of a winning streakGrenade Training 3 now correctly gives extra scoreRepeating weapon types will no longer spawn another case when the reloading/recharging has been interrupted and a case has already been ejectedFixed health regen delay being 0 during first player lifeFixed animation glitch when starting sprint during weapon unsightGrenade throw time tweaksFixed gas effect staying longer than the visualWhen not spawning on a player, you will now look in the correct direction on spawnAdded an option to enable manual reloading, so you won't reload your gun when trying to shoot without having loaded ammoIncrease stab/bash range so you no longer have to crouch to hit prone targetsRemember mini-map zoom setting between mapsNear order points adjustment: Non-NCO still get 15 points when killing near an order, NCO now only gets points for each squadmate that actually follows the order. This prevents NCO to just use the order for itself and to encourages placing better ordersTeamwork points adjustment: When making a kill in the squad aura, you now get 5 points per other squadmate that is also in the aura.No longer allow a 1 man squad to create a new match in Frontlines/Maneuver (unless there are no active matches). This prevents sharded matches. Users are encouraged via chat warning to change squad setup or use "Play Now" instead.Fixed MG deployment indicator staying after dyingFixed a case of retreat bonus not being triggeredFrontlines: Fixed a case that let players spawn on NCO who is in a 'desertion' areaMade ammo crates always refill full amount of grenades in Squad DefenseFixed Engineer and Sentry squad being able to spawn in 'No Mans Land' and verified that they now do allow spawning when they are supposed to.Improved melee by allowing more trade-kill grace timeFixed a case where you could get stuck in ADS & 'This report'Fixed a case where ladders were often not detected by making ladder collisions not affect movement. This improves some ladders that were not climbableMade movement up a slope as a fast as moving on flat terrainFixed an issue where auto-balance triggers with a one player differenceFixed weapon snapping when firing a full auto weapon and toggling ADS at the same timeFixed rifle snapping when changing stance during reloadReduced instances of weapon snapping from and to ADSAdded a trigger audio when firing a gun without ammoPeep sight edits for P17/14, Lewis and Bar. Their sights are now smaller and less obstructingFixes in upper/lower body third-person animation timing/transitions to counter characters "dabbing" when sighting/unsighting.Made reinforcing bars on German gas mask (somewhat) transparent. This makes the German gas mask more on par with the Entente variantVarious improvements to bayonet stabbing: Bigger hit radius, faster damage application, no more locking on teammates when friendly fire/team damage is enabledIn team-based matches, a player spawn penalty is applied only when the player's team is winning or when the teams are tiedYou can no longer (accidentally) call-in abilities outside the mapYour arms/weapon react to strafing and moving backwardFixed a case where a jump-like animation occurs when quickly ADSing after shootingFrontlines: Defending squads will now be spread out in the defending sector before the start of the matchSpawn protection against explosions (artillery/grenades) raised from 2 to 4 seconds as artillery/grenades can be in progress during your spawnFixed an issue where bayonet stats differed, stats for all bayonets should now be the sameArtillery projectiles are now removed if the owner leaves or changes faction. This prevents team killing by changing faction after calling in artillery.Increased the time you have to retreat to another sector in Frontlines.Preventing spawning in sectors that are about to be captured if you are a defender.Flamethrower damage is more consistentThird-person character now matches the first person vision more closely when a player goes prone. Reduces invisible prone issues when not deployingImproved gasmask checking on spawn, should resolve the 'spawning in gas' issuesReduced bouncing on downward slopes, you now stick better to the terrainExplosions & rifle shots cause body parts to have a force applied instead of merely dropping to the groundNCO artillery call-ins are now also shown on the map to friendliesAllow reload actions directly after inserting a stripper clip to be canceledThe ability to switch role while under attack or dead is added to Squad DefenseFixed a bug which caused the height of the third person character model not matching the first-person model (mostly noticeable when prone)Fixed a bug where revolver per shell reloads could not be canceled by pressing the fire buttonImproved arm movements when moving, crouching, lying prone for some weaponsVarious smaller bug fixes and improvementsInfo from Gamespot.com

Now that we're past the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend, we can start getting back to normal with a nice, relaxing weekend. Ubisoft hopes to help with this by offering a free-play weekend for The Crew 2 on PS4 and Xbox One. Microsoft is also offering a free-play weekend for Trailmakers to all Gold subscribers.The Crew 2 is available to everyone on PS4 from December 5 until December 8, while both The Crew 2 and Trailmakers are free to play for Xbox Live Gold subscribers from December 5 at 12:01 AM Pacific until December 8 at 11:59 PM PT--unfortunately, no specific times were given for the PS4 version. If you want to keep the games after that, you can pick them up at a discount. Unfortunately, only the Deluxe edition is discounted on PS4, while all versions of the game are on sale for Xbox One.To download them to your consoles, head over to their store page on the PS4 or the Gold member area on your Xbox One and select the game you want to install on your console. Alternatively, you can click the links below and install them on your devices remotely.The Crew 2 on PS4Deluxe Edition -- $17.50 ($70)The Crew 2 on Xbox OneStandard Edition -- $15 ($60)Deluxe Edition -- $17.50 ($70)Gold Edition -- $25 ($100)Season Pass -- $20 ($40)TrailmakersFull Game -- $22.50 ($30)Our The Crew 2 review scored the game an 8/10, and while critic Edmond Tran was disappointed by the lack of multiplayer interaction, he still enjoyed the game quite a bit."I'll fondly recall both the tension of flinging sprint boats back and forth through the narrow, artificial canals of The Venetian in Las Vegas, and the easygoing satisfaction of an hour-long hypercar race from New York to San Francisco, where I listened to a podcast and enjoyed the rolling scenery," he wrote. "Despite its shortcomings, The Crew 2 still displays admirable strengths, which lie in its player-friendly features, freedom of movement, and its willingness to bend the rules in order to make things exciting and varied for an accessible, American-themed thrillride."Trailmakers released earlier this year and, like The Crew 2, features racing and exploration by land, sea, and air. However, in Trailmakers, you create your own vehicles out of blocks. GameSpot doesn't currently have a review of it, but it has "Overwhelmingly Positive" reviews on Steam, so the Xbox One's free weekend is the perfect chance to try it out yourself. Info from Gamespot.com

A new large-scale casino heist is coming to Grand Theft Auto Online in GTA 5 next week. The Diamond Casino Heist will be available on December 12, and Rockstar promises it's the biggest and most complex crime to hit the game yet, featuring some differences compared to how past GTA Online heists have worked.The announcement details the massive operation. You'll be working with the Cheng family to infiltrate the casino. Like any good heist, you'll have to plan your entry point from multiple options, security measures will change unpredictably, and once inside circumstances will require quick thinking and responses mid-mission. Unlike other heists, failure isn't necessarily an end-state; if a piece of the plan goes wrong, you may have to improvise to find another way on the fly. But if absolutely everything goes sideways you can always shoot your way out. The bevy of choices promises high replay value for the heist, with scenarios unfolding wildly differently from one another.To set the stage for your daring heist, you'll need to set up a retro arcade business property as a front operation. In the floor below the arcade, you can practice all the skills a heist needs like hacking keypads and cracking vault doors. You can also store your equipment and getaway vehicles there, and if you're already a business owner, you can add a Master Control Terminal to the staging area. You'll need to own a Penthouse to start the mission, as well.Prepare yourself for the biggest, most audacious, most complex criminal operation ever to hit Los Santos.The Diamond Casino Heist – coming December 12 to GTA Online.https://t.co/RhqhDXuUC9 pic.twitter.com/PbgOy8fJ3X — Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) December 5, 2019For now, the Diamond Casino & Resort website features an Easter egg teasing the upcoming event, so you may be able to glean clues from it. Or you can spend some time before the big event rewatching Ocean's 11 and finding the best jazz soundtracks to play while you pull off your daring stunt.Info from Gamespot.com

Amazon Prime Video's original series The Boys was a breath of fresh air to the superhero genre. The series followed a group of people without powers looking to take down a group of superhumans known as The Seven, who may save lives, but their abuse their powers in various ways.A new trailer has arrived for Season 2 of the series, which arrives to Amazon sometime in 2020. You can watch the trailer for yourself below, but beware, there is a lot of blood and guts headed your way. Season 1 spoilers of The Boys coming. At the end of Season 1, Homelander brought Butcher to a home where Butcher's wife, Becca--who he thought had been murdered--had been living for years. It turns out that Becca had a child, and the father of that child is actually Homelander. The opening of the new trailer, with Homelander's face covered in blood, looks as though it could be outside that very house. If so, who died? It probably wasn't Butcher, so that leaves Becca and her super-powered son.Aside from the ambiguous 2020 release date, not much is known about Season 2. Karl Urban, who plays Butcher on the series, posted on Instagram that filming had wrapped on November 6. Aside from Urban, The Boys stars Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Dominique McElligott, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capon, and Karen Fukuhara.Info from Gamespot.com

Update: Respawn has acted quickly and implemented a nerf for the Peacekeeper shotgun that will (most likely) make it not so overpowered. The patch has also nerfed the EVA-8 shotgun as well. Our original story continues below.Earlier today, we pushed a server patch, now live on all consoles, that included the following shotgun balance changes:🔸Decreased bolt hit size for Peacekeeper and EVA-8🔸Increased shot spread for Peacekeeper 🔸Increased spread on final Precision Choke level — Apex Legends (@PlayApex) December 5, 2019Respawn has announced that it plans on further tweaking Apex Legends' Peacekeeper shotgun, arguably the best firearm in the battle royale game. The Peacekeeper has been nerfed in the past--even as recently as November 2019--but the shotgun continues to remain a dominant force.In the patch notes for Update 3.2, Respawn writes, "We've heard feedback loud and clear that the Peacekeeper is still feeling too powerful after latest changes. We are working to push out more tweaks to address it ASAP and will post details on timing and what those changes will be soon."These "latest changes" increased the rechamber time of the Peacekeeper by a tenth of a second and decreased its headshot multiplier from 1.5 to 1.25. The changes are so minor, however, that they're almost indiscernible in the heat of combat. The Peacekeeper continues to deal out immense amounts of damage in a relatively short amount of time.If anything, the most significant problem with the Peacekeeper is the size of the shotgun's spread. The pellets are large enough that it's relatively simple to land headshots even if your aim isn't exactly lined up with a target's head. In close quarters, consistently landing headshots can usually make a major difference in a firefight.The Peacekeeper is also one of the guns in Apex Legends that supports the precision choke attachment, which allows you to focus its large shells into a more precise shot. This makes it easier to hit a target at mid- to long-range with the Peacekeeper--something no other shotgun can do. And since it is a shotgun, the Peacekeeper's overall damage output from a single shot can match a few seconds of sustained fire from most submachine guns, assault rifles, and LMGs. Apex Legends News Apex Legends' Best Gun Is Still OP, But Respawn Plans On Fixing It New Apex Legends Update: Level Cap Increase, Full Patch Notes Apex Legends Crypto Guide: Tips For Season 3's New Character Info from Gamespot.com