In just a few weeks, it's the end of the Skywalker Saga when Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker comes to theaters. And while we sadly lost Carrie Fisher--who plays Leia Organa--in 2018, she will still be included in the final movie of this trilogy.During a Star Wars press conference on December 4, director JJ Abrams discussed the decision to put Fisher into the movie and utilizing unused footage from Episode VII. "Like everyone here, who knew her, loved Carrie," explained Abrams. "I knew her for a long time, not very well, but I knew her for a while, before The Force Awakens. Obviously, as we discussed, the idea of continuing this story without Leia wasn't a possibility, and there was no way we were going to do a digital Leia. There was no way we were going to recast her. But we couldn't do it without her and when we went back to look at the scenes that we hadn't used in Force Awakens, and what we realized is we have an opportunity. And we can use that footage, use the lines she was saying, use the lighting...In any event, we had an opportunity to use the footage to create scenes that Leia would be in.'"The post-production team had been editing the movie for a year, including the footage from Force Awakens. "She's been very much alive, with us, in every scene, and if we had Carrie around, [would] we'd done things different here and there? Of course we would have," continued Abrams. "But we had an opportunity to have Carrie in the movie. And working with all the actors, including Billie Lourd, her daughter, who's in scenes with her, we were able to--I think--do something Carrie herself would be happy with. She's great in the movie, of course. It's emotional and moving to think of her and how sad we all are that she's not sitting here with us today." 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 addition to the upcoming release of Episode IX, Disney+ is doing a new Star Wars-themed game show, which sounds quite a bit like Legends of the Hidden Temple in the Star Wars universe. However, when it comes to Star Wars and Disney+, most people are talking about Baby Yoda, who recently got some new merchandise that doesn't look like bootlegs. Sadly, you won't be able to get it until May of next year, so it won't be the perfect Christmas gift for the Padawan in your life.Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker comes to theaters on December 20.Info from Gamespot.com

The Division 2 is getting a big new update that, among other things, gives the post-apocalyptic shooter a wintry makeover, complete with Santa hats and a weapon that shoots snowballs.Title update 6.1 launches on December 10 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and the winter-themed event is called Situation: Snowball. As part of the update, a number of the game's enemies are now wearing red Santa hats, and taking them down will reward you with a special weapon that shoots snowballs. You can see the hat and the snowball gun in the image below.The Division 2's wintry update is almost hereUbisoft is also releasing new winter-themed apparel through the "Silent Night Cache." This includes 35 items of clothing to collect over time. Players who log in between December 10 and January 7 will receive one key, while those who own the Year One pass will get a further three keys to help with their progress toward unlocking all the new items.In the spirit of the holidays, Ubisoft has also introduced a new gifting option for apparel. The Silent Night and other caches can be purchased with the real-money in-game currency and then sent to friends through the game. Additionally, everyone who logs in to The Division 2 during the Situation: Snowball event will get their own red Santa hat to wear.The Division 2's 6.1 update also introduces a new Hardcore Mode, which makes death permanent in the campaign. Ubisoft recommended that players work together in co-op for their best chance to survive. The Hardcore Mode is described as a "beta," so aspects of it could change in the future. Info from Gamespot.com

Pokemon Go's Friend Fest has come to an end, but a new event is set to begin very soon. Niantic has announced the game's first evolution-themed event, which kicks off this week and makes it easier to find Pokemon that evolve in unique ways--as well as another new Shiny Pokemon.The evolution event runs from December 5-12. During that time, Pokemon with unique evolution methods--such as Onix, Eevee, and Roselia--will appear more frequently in the wild, Raid Battles, and Field Research tasks. Lickitung, Scyther, Togetic, and Ralts will appear as Raid bosses as well, while Tyrogue, Feebas, Burmy, and Happiny will hatch from 2 km eggs. You'll also have your first chance to catch a Shiny Burmy.Those aren't the only bonuses available during the event. Any Lure Modules you use during the event will last for one hour rather than 30 minutes, and you'll receive twice as much XP for evolving Pokemon as normal. Additionally, you'll receive evolution items like the King's Rock and Sinnoh Stone from Raid Battles and special event Field Research tasks.Finally, as part of the evolution event, Niantic is hosting a special Evolution Raid Day on Saturday, December 7. From 11 AM to 2 PM local time, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, and their evolved forms will appear as Raid bosses, and you can receive up to five free Raid Passes from Photo Discs during the event. You can read more details on the official Pokemon Go website.That isn't the only event happening this month. December's Community Day weekend is set for December 14-15. During that two-day period, all featured Pokemon from previous Community Days will be available again in the wild and Raids, and there will be various bonuses to take advantage of. The Legendary Pokemon Terrakion is also still available in five-star Raids until December 17. Pokemon Go News New Pokemon Go Event Makes It Much Easier To Get Evolution Items Pokemon Go December Community Day Weekend Brings Back All Previous Featured Pokemon Pokemon Go Is Getting A Special Research Quest Featuring Team Rocket Info from Gamespot.com

With December presenting the opportunity to reflect on the year's releases, Apple's hopping onto the trend by gathering its best of the best for 2019. The company has announced its best games and apps of 2019, with Journey developer thatgamecompany securing the iPhone Game of the Year award.In a blog post, Apple announced that thatgamecompany's Sky: Children of the Light was awarded the iPhone Game of the Year accolade. The adventure game about life's various stages launched on July 18 for Android and iOS, garnering a positive reception for its themes of coping with change and forming connections. Apple also went through its various other platforms, handing out awards for iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and the recently-launched Apple Arcade subscription service.The iPad Game of the Year went to 2016 indie smash-hit Hyper Light Drifter, which saw an iOS release on July 25. Indie adventure-platformer GRIS was given the Mac Game of the Year award, and throwback action-adventure game Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap received the Apple TV Game of the Year award. Finally, the pop album game Sayonara Wild Hearts closed the list out with the Apple Arcade Game of the Year award.Check below for the full list of Apple's Best Games and Apps of 2019.Apple's Best Games of 2019iPhone Game of the Year - Sky: Children of LightiPad Game of the Year - Hyper Light DrifterMac Game of the Year - GrisApple TV Game of the Year - Wonder Boy: The Dragon's TrapGaming Trend of 2019 - Blockbusters ReimaginedApple Arcade Game of the Year - Sayonara Wild HeartsApple's Best Apps of 2019iPhone App of the Year - Spectre CameraiPad App of the Year - Flow by MoleskineMac App of the Year - Affinity PublisherApple TV App of the Year - The ExplorersApp Trend of 2019 - Storytelling SimplifiedInfo from Gamespot.com

It appears NHL 20 is adding its first celebrity commentator. The game's Twitter account posted a silhouetted image of a person bearing the resemblance of Snoop Dogg. The caption says, "It's about to go down, fo' shizzle," so this is all but certainly a reference to the rapper and actor.When EA Sports announced NHL 20 in June, the company said it would be looking to introduce celebrity commentators over time, and it appears Snoop Dogg will be the first.Snoop Dogg has experience in the broadcast booth, as he joined the commentary team for a Los Angeles Kings game earlier this year. You can check out the video below.The NHL has also recruited Snoop Dogg to help explain the rules of hockey in a silly yet informative video posted in 2018.It's about to go down, fo' shizzle. #NHL20 pic.twitter.com/8QSXMAjNR3 — #NHL20 (@EASPORTSNHL) December 4, 2019Will Ferrell as his Anchorman character Ron Burgundy also did commentary for L.A. Kings games in the past, so it will be interesting to see if he comes to NHL 20 as well. The celebrity commentators helped bring more attention to the sport of hockey, and EA appears to be attempting to do something similar with NHL 20.The developer isn't confirming any celebrity guest appearances yet, but a slide shown to GameSpot earlier this year also included people like Drake and Wayne Gretzky.EA has also attempted to broaden the appeal of NHL 20 by introducing NFL and NBA players to the game as playable characters. Info from Gamespot.com

Microsoft's new Xbox console, codenamed Project Scarlett, is set to launch to the public in Holiday 2020. Some people inside Xbox are already using the console at home, however.Xbox boss Phil Spencer said on Twitter that he brought his Project Scarlett console home this week. "It's become my primary console, playing my games, connecting with the community, and yes, using my Elite Series 2 controller, having a blast," he said. "2020 is going to be an incredible year."And it’s started….this week I brought my Project Scarlett console home and it's become my primary console, playing my games, connecting to the community and yes, using my Elite Series 2 controller, having a blast. Great work by the team, 2020 is going to be an incredible year. — Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) December 4, 2019Project Scarlett is due to launch next holiday but Microsoft has yet to announce key details like price, release date, launch lineup, and final specs. The console will be more powerful than the Xbox One X, and it will feature a solid-state drive that should help games load faster.In other news, The Verge, Brad Sams, and Kotaku all reported this week that Microsoft is working on a second Project Scarlett console that will be less powerful and less expensive.Project Scarlett is said to be the overarching name for Microsoft's next-generation console strategy. Anaconda is reportedly the name of the more powerful next-generation console, with Lockhart serving as the less-power next-generation console. In essence, it's believed that Anaconda is the successor to the Xbox One X with Lockhart standing as the next Xbox One S.A Microsoft representative said, "We do not comment on rumors or speculation."Plans can change, so it's possible that even if Microsoft is indeed considering a less powerful, cheaper Xbox Scarlett, the company won't actually release it. Or it will. For now, all that is completely official is that at least one next-generation console from Microsoft is coming next year.Info from Gamespot.com

Microsoft is bringing back the Xbox Onesie, the wacky article of clothing that helps you stay warm and cozy while playing games. The new version of the Onesie, which is officially called the "Xbox Hooded Union Suit," is now in green as opposed to the white version of the original.The new Onesie will be available from the Xbox Gear Store beginning on December 5. Stock will be "limited" so if you're interested you may want to act quickly. Pricing was not announced.Back by popular demand and just in time for the Holidays: The Xbox ‘Hooded Union Suit’ (aka "Onesie") is back - this time in green. It will be dropping in limited quantities TOMORROW - Thursday 5-December on the Xbox Gear store. I'll remind you tomorrow when it goes on sale 🎄💚 pic.twitter.com/8qDt7LdESh — Larry Hryb (@majornelson) December 4, 2019The Xbox Onesie was created by Xbox Australia in 2016 as a unique marketing ploy that ended up gathering a lot of traction and interest among fans. Microsoft updated the design in 2017 to promote the release of Forza Motorsport 7. Up until now, the only way to get the Onesie was to win a contest, but the launch in the Xbox Gear Store this week will open it up to a wider audience.The Xbox Onesie features enlarged pockets to fit Xbox controllers and other remotes. It also has a pouch for your phone, and leg and arm sleeves that roll up for a better fit. The hood is oversized to leave space for a headset.In other Xbox news, Phil Spencer is already using the next-generation Xbox Scarlett console at home. On top of that, rumours have re-emerged that Microsoft is working on a cheaper, less powerful, and disc-free Scarlett console under the codename Lockhart. Info from Gamespot.com

In The Valley of Gods, the follow-up to Firewatch from the team at Campo Santo, is on hold indefinitely while the team involved works on different games at Valve, including the upcoming VR title Half-Life: Alyx. It's unclear whether or not work on the title will ever resume, and if it does, whether it will be the same game that was originally announced in late 2018. Now, one of the game's contract writers--who has not been moved to another project within Valve--has opened up about how deeply he cared about the work he was doing on the game, giving some insight into what it might (or might have) looked like.Duncan Fyfe, who wrote for Neo Cab and was working as a contractor for In the Valley of Gods after having worked previously with Campo Santo, said that he's unlikely to work on the game again now, and is currently seeking new work. In a Twitter thread, he discussed the work he did for the game, and hinted at some of the themes and concepts the game was going to work with.If I've seemed eager to find work writing video games lately, this is why. I'm disappointed to be done with a game that I really cared about. https://t.co/LG0xOudMlb — Duncan Fyfe (@DuncanFyfe) December 4, 2019Over a series of tweets, Fyfe explains how he started working for Campo Santo six years ago, writing articles for their website, calling it "the best and most empowering job I've ever had." He talks about getting to work on the follow-up, and the research that went into his writing for the game. "I wanted to make myself invaluable to this game and to an amazing team by becoming a person who knew what it meant to tell a mystery adventure story in 1920s in Egypt," he says. He spent time poring over "19th century maps and guidebooks, cartouche diagrams and tomb plans, theses and excavation reports, figuring out creative solutions to narrative problems."There are plenty of interesting anecdotes about the lengths he went to for his preparation throughout the thread, including the one below.I really wanted the 1929 edition of an Egypt travel guide that Thomas Pynchon used to write V. I found it as a PDF behind the paywall of a private Lovecraft enthusiast forum, & I had to pretend I was a Lovecraft devotee who designed Call of Cthulhu RPG modules in his spare time. — Duncan Fyfe (@DuncanFyfe) December 4, 2019In his thread, Fyfe says that "the white western world of the 19th and 20th centuries twisted race science to assert that the Egyptians who actually created all that good stuff were themselves white," and that the game, which is "about two black women in a world of white Egyptologists," would have dealt with this directly.Towards the end of his thread, Fyfe directly discusses what he believes the game was "about":For a while, I thought this game was kind of about what we lose when we die. — Duncan Fyfe (@DuncanFyfe) December 4, 2019There's what we think will happen, and there's what does, thousands of years later: people forget the basic facts of our existence, and our bodies are ground into fertiliser, displayed naked in a museum, or crushed underfoot in a dash for something pretty in our tomb. — Duncan Fyfe (@DuncanFyfe) December 4, 2019The full thread is worth a read to see the amount of work that was going into writing the game, and the passion for the project. One tweet from Fyfe simply reads "I loved working on this game so f***ing much."The fate of In the Valley of Gods remains uncertain. The next game from Valve, Half-Life: Alyx, releases for PC VR devices in March 2020.Info from Gamespot.com

NHL 20 is getting a big new update this week that introduces a significant change surrounding player physics. Specifically, the "pivot" system is being updated in what could be a big way.In the game as it stands today, players can pivot while controlling the puck as a means to slip around defenders, confuse them, and control the puck. However, players have discovered that the pivoting system can be abused to take it to a level that compromises the integrity of the game.Those with advanced pivoting skills can, in essence, game the system to give themselves an advantage beyond what should be possible in a simulation game. In a blog post, EA acknowledged that the steps its taking to address the matter are "a fine line" because some of the NHL's best players can in fact perform advanced-level pivots while retaining control of the puck.With that in mind, the December 5 update to NHL 20 will slow down the skating animation when players are using a pivot move. You can see examples of the the pivot-spamming and changes in action in the videos posted on EA's website and below.NHL 20 Pivot-Spamming NHL 20 Pivot Speed Changes If these changes aren't enough, EA said it might consider creating scenarios where players lose the puck completely while performing a pivot at high speeds. This makes sense practically, as any hockey player will tell you it is very difficult to perform advanced moves at high speeds.NHL 20 Pivot Puck Loss "We believe these are agreed upon, community friendly changes that will benefit gameplay without shaking things up too drastically," EA said.You can see the full December 5 patch notes below.In other news, EA Sports has teased Snoop Dogg as a celebrity commentator for NHL 20. Whether or not he's added in the December 5 patch is unknown, however.NHL 20 December 5 Patch NotesGeneralRestricted directional toe drags to when a skater is moving forwardsImproved player switching cases when a teammate has been injuredFixed a rare issue where tall players were unable to receive passes consistently (This would have been seen the most on D to D passes to stationary players pivoting to face the net)Fixed physics updates with goaltenders.AIImproved ability for Weakside defender to stay with their check on the rushSkatingIf players continually pivot, their skating will be impacted more realisticallyPuck carriers pivot speeds will be impacted by trying to pivot at high speeds to simulate what they would need to do to keep control of the puckPresentationAdded additional celebrationsVarious overlay fixesFix for the Zone camera not working as intendedVarious environment camera clipping fixesTournamentsAdded 2019 Spengler Cup tournamentHUTGeneralHUT Team Abbreviation no longer displays in Pause Menu prior to puck dropHUT RivalsImplemented a matchmaking cap for very high and very low Skill Ratings to improve the likelihood of these players finding gamesFixed multiple display issues in the Ranks and Division screensFixed an issue where Coin Items could not be redeemed if a player had 2,000 HUT Champions PointsSquad BattlesFixed an issue where expired Loan items displayed an incorrect contract length when viewing Opponent SquadWorld of CHELContentCustomize Club – The 2019-20 Canucks logo has been added, and the 2018-19 Canucks Logo has been moved to the vintage sectionNew content added to World of CHEL which is to be revealed through the Chel Challenge card. Tune in regularly to see what exciting new stuff you can earnFixesFixed an MTU exploit in online modesFixed an issue with the Instant Replay timeline not functioning prior to puck dropFixed an issue where EASHL overlays show the player position as CArtThe following uniforms have been added to NHL 20AHLBelleville Senators Away and AlternateHartford Wolfpack Home, Away and AlternateIowa Wild AlternateSan Antonio Rampage Home and AwayStockton Heat AlternateInfo from Gamespot.com

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate turns a year old on December 7, and to celebrate Nintendo is tripling the rewards handed out at the end of Spirit Board fights for anyone who plays the game over the weekend. The new Smash Bros. event triples EXP and SP rewards. This will help you to level up your spirits much faster.For 3 days, starting on 12/6, this event celebrates the 1-year anniversary of the release of Super #SmashBrosUltimate! During this event, EXP and SP you earn after battle will be tripled, and you'll get the Damage 50% item! pic.twitter.com/TM7FDf9yoJ — Nintendo Versus (@NintendoVS) December 4, 2019Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has doubled or tripled the rewards on the Spirit Board a few times, but this is the first time it's had a clear celebratory purpose--and because of that, everyone gets a present too. You'll be given a Damage 50% item after your fights, which will come in handy--it forces your opponent to start the fight with 50% damage. These rewards will be active from December 6 through December 8, after which time the rates will return to normal.Unfortunately, this also means that the Resident Evil Spirit Board event has ended; hopefully we'll see more guest characters appearing on the board in the near future. While you're in-game, if it's been a while and you're a Nintendo Switch Online subscriber you can nab a bonus. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's fourth DLC character, Terry Bogard, recently joined the fight, but there are more fighters in the works beyond him.Info from Gamespot.com

After being delayed for Xbox One and PS4, Apex Legends Update 3.2 is now live across all platforms. The update is huge--both in terms of data size and the quality-of-life changes it implements.The major component of the update is the changes to in-game progression. For the first time since launch, the in-game level cap is being increased, going from 100 to 500. The necessary XP to reach level 100 has also been reduced. While leveling, there are more opportunities to earn Apex Packs. The full breakdown is below--all rewards are retroactive, so you'll automatically earn 14 Apex Packs if you're already level 100. You will also now earn a new gun charm every 100 player levels.In celebration of the launch of #JediFallenOrder, we’re releasing the BD-1-inspired, “BP-1 Pathfinder skin.” To claim the skin, simply log in to Apex Legends from Dec 3 – Jan 14. Congratulations once again to the Jedi team here at Respawn! ❤ pic.twitter.com/Y075K3VjtF — Apex Legends (@PlayApex) December 5, 2019Apex Legends New Progression SystemLevel 2 - 20: One pack every levelLevel 22 - 300: One pack every two levelsLevel 305 - 500: One pack every five levelsThe more notable adjustments are in all the quality-of-life changes. The update adds a button prompt for you to cancel a finisher halfway through the animation--allowing you to immediately return to the fight if you're ambushed. The legendary armor spawn rate has also been reduced, so it's less likely you'll have to worry about running into squads completely outfitted in Gold body shields near the end of a match.There have also been game-changing adjustments made to knockdown shields and Wattson's Ultimate ability, Interception Pylon. Common and rare knockdown shields are significantly stronger now. Wattson's new Interception Pylon is now more effective at locking down a zone and allowing her squad to launch an offensive against enemy teams--as it now only intercepts grenades and explosives being thrown in, not out.Additionally, there's now an option to toggle whether you want the option to automatically exit out of looting death boxes when an enemy team shoots at you. Final circle locations have also been changed to account for setting up even playing fields at the end of a match, as well as a greater variety of locales for final circle confrontations. The overall color of helmets and armor have also been adjusted to be easier to discern for players with colorblindness.Update 3.2 also implements dozens of bug fixes, which are listed below. You can also find them--as well as additional detail for all the aforementioned changes--in the update's full patch notes.Apex Legends Update 3.2 Bug FixesFixed bug where other players would appear to be in the wrong Rank (e.g. they are actually Apex Predator but appear Bronze IV)Bunch of bug fixes to World's Edge related to collision, geometry, supply bins spawning in bad areas, and cases where loot couldn’t be picked up in certain areas near Geyser.Fixed bug where sometimes the Respawn Dropship would be silent when arriving.Fixed bug where Bangalore would reference the Skullpiecer hop-up when pinging a Wingman.Fixed issue where player banner would appear off-center in the match summary/squad eliminated screens.Fixed a visual bug where the progress bars for Shield Cells and Phoenix Kits appeared desaturated and hard to read.Fixed bug where players were able to instantly revive in certain locations.Fixed bug for rare cases where a player was unable to revive a teammate while outside the Ring.Fixed bug where the visual FX for the knockdown shield would remain visible after being destroyed by an enemy.Fixed bug where equipping the EVA-8 Auto Shotgun Double Tap hop-up would remove the rate of fire increase from equipped shotgun bolt.Fixed bug where some Legends would relay incorrect "ability not ready" sound FX when trying to activate an ability that was still on cooldown.Fixed a visual bug where sometimes when a Legend starts using a Shield Cell it causes their weapon to appear to be briefly floating past their arm.Fixed bug where sometimes the Train's lead car would detach from the rest of the Train after a player stops and then starts it back up.Fixed bug for cases where players could get crushed by the Train while standing near the back of the front car.Fixed bug where Legend's faces would appear distorted in third person during matches and while browsing inventory.Fixed issues with corrupted graphics and frame drops that we found were related to detonating ordnance in certain locations causing object to trigger bad pixels.Fixed bug for cases where flying Crypto's Drone near the Train can cause Crypto to move around without player input.Fixed a bug where Crypto's tactical hud looked like it was stuck recharging until you used it.Fixed bug for cases where a deathbox would not come to rest on stairs and players were unable to retrieve the player's Banner Card.Info from Gamespot.com

Apex Legends' latest update, which increases the level cap, hit the PC version of the game a bit before consoles. Now, the patch is available to everyone, and PS4 and Xbox One Apex Legends players can continue their journey to level 500. But that's not the only reason to jump into Apex Legends right now--a great free skin has also been released.The new skin is a tie-in for Respawn's other big game of 2019, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. It lets you dress up Apex Legends' robot, Pathfinder, like BD-1, Cal Kestis's companion from the new Star Wars game. To don the white and red color scheme, players won't have to part with any money--all you need to do is log into Apex Legends between now and January 14, 2020. Just jump in and you'll earn this free skin.In celebration of the launch of #JediFallenOrder, we’re releasing the BD-1-inspired, “BP-1 Pathfinder skin.” To claim the skin, simply log in to Apex Legends from Dec 3 – Jan 14. Congratulations once again to the Jedi team here at Respawn! ❤ pic.twitter.com/Y075K3VjtF — Apex Legends (@PlayApex) December 5, 2019Here's a close-up look at the new skin, alongside the robot that inspired it.Apex Legends is not the only battle royale to get a Star Wars tie-in recently: Fortnite has already offered up Stormtrooper costumes, although they're no longer available.Info from Gamespot.com

Nintendo Switch Online is expanding its selection of NES and SNES games this month, with the addition of six new games on December 12. These include four SNES titles and two from the NES, expanding the system's offering out to 50 NES titles and 24 SNES titles. The new games are a mix of familiar SNES titles and perhaps lesser-known NES games, including one SNES game that only received an official release two years ago as part of the SNES Classic Mini--Star Fox 2.The three other new SNES titles coming are Super Punch Out!!, Kirby Super Star, and Breath of Fire II. Of these titles, Breath of Fire II is the only one not also available on the SNES Classic Mini, and both SNES Breath of Fire titles are now available to subscribers on Nintendo Switch. Star Fox 2 is likely the highlight for many, though--the game was completed in the 90s but was never released. Although it only earned a 5/10 in our review, it's an interesting curio.The NES titles added are Crystalis, an action-RPG set in a ruined civilization, and Journey to Silius, a run-and-gun shooter. While both titles are less well-known than your Metroids and Super Mario Bros., they're interesting additions to the service. From December 5, Nintendo will also be discounting its NES controller bundle by 50%, if you want the authentic experience.This is the first set of new games to appear on Nintendo Switch Online since September, when the first 20 SNES games all dropped at once. Nintendo has said that updates will happen less often from now on, so don't necessarily expect more games in January. Nintendo Switch Online users also have access to games like Tetris 99 and Super Kirby Clash.Info from Gamespot.com

After developer Atlus drummed up hype for an announcement though a countdown on Twitter, it has officially revealed Persona 5 Royal's release date for North America and Europe. While the game has been out in Japan since October 31 this year, the localized version of Persona 5 Royal will launch in the West on March 31, 2020 exclusively for PlayStation 4.A trailer also accompanied the announcement, which showed off some of the game's new features and additions. For those unaware, P5R is a revamped version of the original Persona 5, but it's more than just a re-release with extra content. It incorporates a new core character named Kasumi Yoshizawa who joins the Phantom Thieves and plays a major role in the mysteries and events that unfold throughout the story, in turn recontextualizing the original narrative.On top of that, P5R brings about new activities and places to visit, and it introduces several changes and additions to the combat system and Palace exploration. You'll get new social scenes, dialogue, perspectives, and story events as well as an extra semester that is sure to change late-game scenarios--there will also be a new palace and alternate endings. And if you want more of Persona 5's banging jazz-fusion soundtrack, you'll be happy to know that P5R includes 20 new songs.Persona 5 Royal is open to pre-orders with several editions that have different bonuses packed in. The Phantom Thieves edition ($90 USD) gets you the official Joker mask with a stand, a collector's box, the P5R artbook, the soundtrack, a limited steelbook case, and a code for a dynamic PS4 theme. The Launch edition ($60) comes with the steelbook case and the PS4 theme code. The Ultimate edition ($100) is digital-only and gets you the game along with all DLC bundles and six extra costume packs, while the Deluxe edition ($70) comes with a Kasumi costume bundle (which is a $15 DLC pack). All of Persona 5's original DLC will also be included in P5R for free.We've covered P5R leading up to its release in Japan, and you can get a deeper look at the game with our Persona 5 Royal reveal trailer breakdown or our analysis on a number of the new features in the game.Info from Gamespot.com

In 2018, Microsoft made some big moves, such as acquiring seven different studios and launching an initiative to release all first-party titles on Xbox Game Pass. It painted a hopeful future for Xbox, one that seemed to promise the final years of the current console generation would be greater than a whimper for the Xbox One.As 2019 comes to a close, Microsoft has largely met those expectations. There have been rough patches, of course--the year hasn't been perfect for Xbox. But Microsoft continues to corner both subscription-based game services and backwards compatibility with Xbox One and has begun to deliver on the promise of more first-party titles. It all inspires a cautious optimism going into 2020, as Microsoft prepares to release its next-generation console--codenamed Project Scarlett.So as we say goodbye to 2019, let's look back at the type of year Microsoft and Xbox One had.Game Pass Boosted Smaller DevelopersWhen it comes to creating a subscription service for games, Microsoft is leaps and bounds ahead of both Sony and Nintendo with Game Pass. It certainly helps that Game Pass continues to deliver popular titles that arrive the same day they are released. The Outer Worlds is the most noteworthy of the lot, but Gears 5 and several others are solid additions as well. That said, the larger success in 2019 is in how Microsoft used Game Pass's more noteworthy games to advertise the smaller ones.Game Pass's monthly fee essentially pays it forward--in terms of publicity--when it comes to indie games, marketing them by prominently featuring them on the service when they're first added. Players may buy-in for the triple-A titles, but it allows them to download and try indie games for "free" so to speak as well.This incidental marketing for indie games is the closest the Xbox One has come to featuring something akin to the Arcade section in the Xbox 360's online store--a feature that helped catapult certain indie games to the popularity they have today. As more online stores (ranging from Xbox Live and PSN to the Nintendo Eshop and Steam) continue to clutter with a rapidly growing market of indie games, a more limited library of rotating titles is an excellent way of promoting select creators and ensuring specific indie games aren't completely buried by major releases.Additionally, in June 2019, Microsoft released Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a service that packaged together Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and Xbox Live Gold into one, discounted subscription. It's a wonderful bang for your buck if you play on both Xbox One and PC. And it's only going to get better, as, during X019, Microsoft announced Project xCloud would be rolled into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in 2020--allowing subscribers to try out Microsoft's take on cloud gaming "for free."Recent Studio Acquisitions Are Paying OffMicrosoft acquired several studios in 2018 and acquired another, Double Fine, this year. As stated in GameSpot's 2018 Microsoft report card, we didn't expect first-party games to come from those studios in 2019. We did hope we'd at least get announcements--a guarantee, so to speak, that the future of Xbox would contain more first-party games than Microsoft has delivered in the past few years. And in this regard, Microsoft met expectations.Microsoft is going into 2020 with 12 first-party titles scheduled: Battletoads, Bleeding Edge, Everwild, Flight Simulator, Gears Tactics, Grounded, Halo Infinite, Minecraft Dungeons, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Psychonauts 2, Tell Me Why, and Wasteland 3. At the very least, it's a varied list, and that's nearly as many first-party titles as Microsoft released between 2017 and 2019 (14 games within those three years).It's encouraging to see that Microsoft isn't wasting the potential of its recent acquisitions--even more so that it's allowing those studios to create games outside their relative comfort zone. Whether most of those investments pay off in 2020 remains to be seen, but this is the best Xbox's future has looked in years.First-Party Lineup Still Lacks Single-Player ExperiencesThat said, even though we expected it, Microsoft still struggled on the first-party front for Xbox One in 2019. Granted, 2019 saw a sequel to the Gears of War franchise, Gears 5, which transformed the linear, cover-based shooter and gave it a more open-world-like twist. It's a good game; Phil Hornshaw wrote as much in GameSpot's Gears 5 review. But the only other first-party game Xbox One got this year is Crackdown 3--described as mediocre by Chris Pereira in GameSpot's Crackdown 3 review. So it's disappointing that Gears 5 is the only positively received first-party game Microsoft released on Xbox One this year.And although several first-party games were announced in 2019, Microsoft hasn't done much this year to waylay any concerns players might have when it comes to delivering single-player first-party titles. As impressive as it is that Microsoft's studios continued to support their games-as-a-service titles in 2019, like We Happy Few and Sea of Thieves, it's disappointing to go another year without concrete evidence that a Microsoft first-party studio is creating a more story-driven, experimentative single-player game.Instead, we heard more about 343 Industries' Halo Infinite, Mojang's Minecraft Dungeons, Ninja Theory's Bleeding Edge, Obsidian Entertainment's Grounded, and inXile Entertainment's Wasteland 3--several of which look good, but most of which are multiplayer-focused or encourage co-op play. Wasteland 3 is really the only exception, featuring co-op play but designed first and foremost as a single-player RPG.Moon Studios' Ori and the Will of the Wisps and Dontnod Entertainment's Tell Me Why are, currently, the only Microsoft first-party games scheduled for 2020 that are entirely single-player. Rare's Everwild could be as well, though its announcement trailer seems to suggest otherwise. None of Microsoft's planned first-party titles offer something similar in scope to the cancelled Scalebound or match the creativity in the design seen in PS4's Death Stranding or Switch's The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.Current Hardware Is Pulling Too Far Away From The OldWith Xbox One X, Microsoft still possesses the most powerful console. As impressive as the Xbox One X continues to be, however, the original Xbox One console has begun to struggle in 2019.Though the original Xbox One can still run most games just fine--admittedly at a much lower pixel count and frame rate than the Xbox One X--Microsoft's first Xbox One hasn't been able to keep up with its younger siblings when it comes to certain titles. For example, if you're playing Control on the original Xbox One, the gameplay will usually stutter when there's a hectic fight with a massive amount of moving debris being thrown around. The original Xbox One also sees delays when going through menus in Borderlands 3 while playing co-op. The already long load times in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order are also significantly slower on the original Xbox One in comparison to Xbox One S and Xbox One X.To put it bluntly, if you bought an original Xbox One and can't afford to upgrade, then you're in for a less ideal experience when it comes to certain games that released in 2019. It's likely a problem that's only going to be exasperated with newer, bigger games in 2020 as well. This isn't likely a problem Microsoft plans on addressing, as it would need to expense on QA'ing and specing individual games to ensure each one is optimized for multiple hardware revisions. Microsoft isn't alone in this either--Sony is facing a similar issue in the differences in performance between the original PS4 / PS4 Slim and the PS4 Pro.New Tech, More Ways To PlayIn May 2019, the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition released at a retail price of $250 USD / £200 / AU $350. Possessing a 1TB hard drive, it included all the features of a normal Xbox One S, minus the disc drive. The Xbox One S All-Digital Edition is the first of its kind: a home console that's completely reliant on downloaded games. For those who exclusively play this way, it presents an ideal way to save a little bit of money--a notion reinforced by Microsoft's decision to base the new console on the cheaper Xbox One S as opposed to its much stronger but pricier counterpart, the Xbox One X.Releasing in November 2019, the new Xbox Elite Series 2 controller may be Microsoft's best controller to date. Sporting the same overall design as most Xbox One controllers, the Elite Series 2 is, like its predecessor, designed to appeal to players looking to up their game in competitive multiplayer--featuring numerous methods of customization. Like other Xbox One controllers, the Elite Series 2 will be compatible with Project Scarlett as well--removing the risk of buying a new controller a year before the release of a new console.Other Matters, In BriefMicrosoft revealed the first concrete details about its next-gen console, codenamed Project Scarlett, this year. It's still far too early to make any definitive comparisons between it and PlayStation 5, but--so far anyway--Project Scarlett seems like it will have similar specs to Sony's next-gen console. If true, then the battle between the two systems will mostly come down to brand loyalty, first-party exclusives, and services offered (such as Game Pass).Xbox One is still the only current-gen console to offer backwards compatibility. In 2019, Microsoft continued to add numerous games to its list of supported backwards compatible titles, though the latter end of the year saw the initiative slow and eventually cease.In October 2019, Microsoft released 23 chapters of accessibility guidelines that it wants all developers to consider when creating games scheduled to release on an Xbox platform. The Xbox Accessibility Guidelines are suggestions, but they're all good ones--ranging from options to change the size of the in-game text to the implementation of difficulty adjustments that go beyond the traditional formula of an easy, normal, and hard mode.Also in October 2019, Microsoft launched the Project xCloud beta. Several companies have begun investing in cloud gaming--including Google, which released Stadia to mixed reviews. It remains to be seen whether Microsoft learns from these other services and how the company plans to implement Project xCloud into Project Scarlett.Verdict2019 has been the best year for the Xbox One in a very long time. Both the Gears of War and Crackdown franchises got their long-awaited sequels, even if one was far more positively received than the other, and Game Pass continued to impress with the addition of noteworthy third-party titles like The Outer Worlds and Outer Wilds. Microsoft also set the stage for an exciting 2020, announcing the scheduled release windows for over a dozen first-party titles.All that said, Microsoft needs to come out and have a great year in 2020. 2019 felt too much like a better version of 2018, with the Xbox One excelling primarily via Game Pass. Game Pass is a great service--one that's promoting smaller creators in a way Sony, Nintendo, and Steam aren't--but Microsoft still needs a flagship single-player title for Project Scarlett to rally behind. After 2019, the stage is set for Microsoft to make big moves with Project Scarlett in 2020. It's just a matter of whether the company will deliver on the goodwill it's earned this year.The GoodThe BadXbox Game Pass Ultimate is the best game-based subscription service on both PC and consoleMicrosoft goes another year with only one noteworthy first-party title for Xbox OneXbox One X is still the most powerful consoleThe original Xbox One is showing its age and struggling to play certain gamesXbox One is still the only current-gen console to support backwards compatibility Sending the Xbox Accessibility Guidelines to developers is an excellent follow-up to the 2018 release of the Xbox Adaptive Controller Info from Gamespot.com