America is broken, and it's up to you to put it back together again. It's a tall order. A lot of people believe in it, but you're not sure you do. It'll take a lot of lonely, dangerous walks and exceptionally heavy lifting, and it's not really clear what America means in the first place. For some reason, you set out anyway, trudging through wetlands and rocky hills on foot, not fully knowing or understanding where you're going. Other than the monsters you can't quite see, there's not really anyone else around most of the time--just you and your thoughts, one foot in front of the other.On one level, Death Stranding is about America. But your actual goal in setting out across the country is to help people, bring them together, and forge connections, not for the vague concept of America but for the sake of helping the people within it. Death Stranding is unrelenting in its earnestness and optimism--certainly not without its critiques of America, nor without its challenges and setbacks, but inherently hopeful nonetheless. It is a dense, complex, slow game with a plot that really goes places, but at its core, it never stops being about the sheer power and purpose we can find in human connection, and that is its most remarkable achievement.Hands Across AmericaRebuilding the country is as simple as getting every far-flung city, outpost, and individual onto one network, the bones of which were laid down by a pseudo-government organization called Bridges. As Sam Porter Bridges (played by Norman Reedus), all you have to do to win people over is bring them packages; most people never go outside due to mysterious monsters called BTs, but unlike most people, Sam can sense them enough to sneak past them and get important cargo to its destination.Deliveries can be arduous. You're evaluated on your deliveries across a few categories, but the condition of the cargo can make or break a run, and there are a lot of factors working against you. The landscape can be extremely punishing, from expanses of exhaustingly rocky hills to rivers that are too deep and wide to cross unaided. On top of BTs, you also have to contend with Timefall, a kind of rain that rapidly accelerates aging and deterioration for most of the things it touches. Extended exposure to Timefall can damage or completely ruin your cargo, as can slipping and falling, getting hit by an enemy, or, in some cases, just being a little too rough with it. Even the smallest rocks can trip you up, too. In order to keep your footing, you need to pay close attention to where you're stepping, keeping your balance with the triggers while on rough terrain or when carrying a lot of stuff.Once you reach your destination, though, you're showered with praise. The recipient will likely thank you to your face (albeit as a hologram), and then they'll give you a series of social media-style likes. You're inundated with a multi-page results screen itemizing all the likes you received for the delivery and in which categories, plus an overall rating for the delivery itself, no matter how small--it's positive reinforcement turned up to 11. These likes then funnel into each of the delivery categories like experience points, and as you level up, you can carry more weight or better maintain your balance, among other benefits. Deliveries also feed into a connection rating with each city, outpost, or person, and as that increases, you acquire better gear and sometimes gifts to reward your efforts further.In short, you give a lot and get a lot in return. There is a relatively small number of mandatory deliveries to advance the story, but there's a seemingly unlimited number of optional deliveries, and I often found myself picking up orders destined for any place that was on my way. It's a cycle that's easy to get swept up in; no matter how difficult a delivery or how far the distance, you will at least be met with gratitude, likely feel fulfilled from having completed a tough delivery, and often given a tool to make future deliveries a bit easier. Most importantly, though, increasing your bonds with people is how you get them on the network, and the network is what elevates this core loop beyond the simple satisfaction of completing tasks and getting rewards.The chiral network is a kind of souped-up internet that allows you to 3D print objects, which is incredibly useful and a strong incentive in itself. When at a terminal connected to the chiral network, you can print ladders and ropes for traversal, new boots as yours wear out, repair spray for damaged containers, and basically anything else you need to safely deliver cargo so long as you have a blueprint for it. You can also print a portable printer that builds structures for you out in open areas covered by the network--things like bridges, watchtowers, and generators, the latter of which are critical as you start to use battery-powered exoskeletons and vehicles.The chiral network also grants you access to the online component of the game, which is absolutely essential. You never see other players in the flesh, but their impact is all around you; once an area is on the network, you can see structures and objects left behind by other players in the course of their own journeys, plus helpful signs they've put down just for those who come after them. You can pick up someone else's lost cargo and deliver it for them, too, knowing that someone else may find yours at some point and do you the same kindness.In Death Stranding's best moments, the relief and gratitude you can feel toward someone you don't even know is an unrivaled multiplayer experience. At one point in my playthrough, I was being chased by MULEs, human enemies who love to steal cargo. I was on a bike, tasked with a time-sensitive delivery, almost out of battery and totally unequipped to deal with external threats. In my panic, I drove my bike into a ravine. As I slowly made my way up and out of it, I watched as my bike's battery dipped into the red, and I dreaded getting stuck with all my cargo and no vehicle, still quite a ways away from my destination. I rounded a corner and found myself in the charging area of a generator placed by another player, as if they'd known I'd need it in that exact spot at that exact moment. They probably just put it there because they needed a quick charge, but to me, it was a lifeline.You can give and receive likes for these player-to-player structures, and just like with standard deliveries, it's a strong incentive to do something helpful for someone else. In the earlier sections of the game, I was using other people's structures far more than I was leaving behind help for others. But I wanted to pay it forward and know that my help was appreciated, so I started going out of my way to build structures I myself didn't really need; the map shows the online structures in your instance, making it easier to spot areas you could fill in for others. At first, the likes system seems like a pretty obvious commentary on social media and our dependence on external validation. But it's not so much a critique as it is a positive spin on a very human need for acceptance, and the system does a remarkable job of urging you to do your best for those around you, NPCs and real people alike. Feeling truly appreciated can be a rare occurrence in life, and it's powerful in its simplicity here.The Super BB MethodThe first few hours of the game are the slowest, and a large part of that is because you don't have access to the online component right away. It's an incredibly lonely stretch of time during which you mostly just walk; the work you do early on is especially laborious in the absence of advanced gear, and it serves to give you an appreciation for other players and better gear as you move forward.Even as the gameplay opens up, you continue to get a lot of story exposition with almost no explanation. It can all seem kind of goofy at first, and you can get lost in the metaphors; every city you need to add to the chiral network has "knot" in its name, for example, and they are all referred to as "knots" on a strand that connects the country. There's bizarre and unwarranted product placement in the form of Monster Energy drinks and the show Ride with Norman Reedus. Guillermo del Toro's likeness is used for a kind of dorky character called Deadman, and there's a woman named Fragile in a game about delivering packages.But the story really does go deeper than that. In keeping with the theme of human connection, each of the core characters you meet and work with has their own story to tell. They all have a unique perspective on death that lends them an equally unique perspective on life, and unravelling their characters, down to the true origins of their often literal names, contributes to the overall tapestry of Death Stranding's take on the human experience. As they open up to Sam, Sam opens up to them in turn, developing into a distinct character in his own right out of the reserved, emotionless man he appears to be at the start. I grew to love Sam, Fragile, and Heartman especially, and even the characters I didn't like as much add to the game's overall message about hope and love in the face of adversity.By far my favorite character--and the most important one--is BB. BBs are infants in pods that can detect the presence of BTs, and they're issued to porters like Sam to help them navigate dangerous territory. You're told to treat BBs like equipment, not real babies, but it's impossible to think of your BB that way. It's full of personality, giggling when happy and crying when stressed out; it even gives you likes from time to time. There aren't many children left in Death Stranding's isolated, fearful world, but BB is your reminder that the future is counting on you, regardless of how you feel about America itself. The love that grows between Sam and BB is nothing short of heartwarming.Connecting with this story, just as with connecting with NPCs and other players, can take work. It's not a story that immediately clicks on a surface level, and the dramatic mystery and off-the-wall science don't make too much sense at first blush. But it's an emotional story first and foremost, and making sense of things--while entirely possible, particularly if you read the letters and interviews that detail small bits of lore as you go--is not as important as reflecting on how it makes you feel.You have plenty of opportunities to do that, too. In the quiet moments of travel, usually as you near your destination, music might start to play. The soundtrack, which is largely composed of one band--Low Roar--is phenomenal, the kind of contemplative folk-ish music that suits a trip alone through a meadow or down a mountain. Because the act of walking is so involved, it's not a time to detach completely and zone out; it's a time to feel your feelings or at least consider what's next in your travels.Fight, But Not To The DeathYou can just as soon be ripped out of that headspace, though, by a shift to the haunting music that signals BT territory. The otherworldly growls of BTs as they close in on you can be terrifying, and early on, your best bet is to freeze in your tracks and hold your breath for as long as you can so you can quietly sneak by them. But there are times when you have to fight a BT in its true form, and for that, you have specialized weapons to take them down. These BTs aren't the ethereal humanoid shapes that float above the ground but huge eldritch horrors that screech under clouds of blood. The combat is mechanically simple--you mostly have to move around a bit and hit them before they hit you--but the sequences are visually and aurally arresting.You don't get a gun that works on live enemies until 25 or so hours in, but even then, it's non-lethal. You are actively guided away from killing in Death Stranding, because when people die, their bodies basically go nuclear and level cities, leaving nothing but craters and BTs in their wake. On top of that, the main human enemies are MULEs, former porters just like Sam that have been corrupted by an automated world--they've essentially become addicted to snatching cargo in their desperation to have a job and a purpose as more and more people become replaced by machines. They're not evil, and killing them seems like, well, overkill; it's easy enough to knock them out with the nonlethal methods you continue to unlock as the game progresses. I didn't kill a single one in my playthrough, though punching them is satisfying.While BTs and MULEs are a concern when delivering cargo, there's also Mads Mikkelsen's character, a man who's introduced through memories Sam sees when he connects to BB's pod. He gets his own dedicated segments that punctuate hours of simple deliveries, and these highly contained, much shorter sections are striking in their art direction and juxtaposition to the rest of the game. It's not immediately clear what he is, whether it's an enemy, potential friend, or something else entirely, but he's captivating in his ambiguity.The most cartoonish enemy is Troy Baker's Higgs, a terrorist whose depravity seems to know no bounds. Of all the characters, Higgs is the weakest, with far less nuance to him than anyone else in the cast. He's really just there as a Big Bad to motivate you in a more traditional video game sense than delivering packages and helping people, but he and his band of faceless terrorists are more a means to an end than full-fledged villains. He's the catalyst for some of the major BT fights, and in the end, perhaps an extreme reminder that it's possible to stay hopeful even when things are darkest.Death Stranding argues in both its story and its gameplay that adversity itself is what makes things worth doing and life worth living.Death Stranding is a hard game to absorb. There are many intertwining threads to its plot, and silly names, corny moments, and heavy exposition belie an otherwise very simple message. That comes through much more clearly in the game's more mundane moments, when you find a desperately-needed ladder left behind by another player or receive a letter from an NPC thanking you for your efforts. 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. It's a game that requires patience, compassion, and love, and it's also one we really need right now.Info from Gamespot.com

Memories can be painful. Recalling them can result in feelings of regret, anger, shame, embarrassment, and worse. Much, much worse. In Disco Elysium, a mesmerising, hilarious and at times harrowing narrative-heavy RPG, recollecting a memory can prove fatal. For an amnesiac, alcoholic cop struggling with a new murder case with elusive details, and the world's worst hangover, remembering the person he was offers a path to redemption for the person he might become. After all, memories that don't kill you make you stronger.Disco Elysium presents as an RPG in the mold of Baldur's Gate or Divinity: Original Sin. Indeed, it opens with a nod to Planescape Torment with a semi-naked figure lying on a cold, hard slab before slowly rising to his feet--only the slab isn't in a mortuary, it's in a cheap motel room, and the figure wasn't recently dead, he's just still drunk. Very, very drunk. It proceeds with the traditional top-down view of the world, your party members traversing beautiful, hand-painted 2D environments, pausing to inspect objects and talk to people. There are quests to initiate, experience to gain, levels to up, dialogue trees to climb, and skill checks to fail. Yet in all kinds of other ways--thematically and mechanically--Disco Elysium is very unlike other RPGs. On the one hand, it's a detective game. Your amnesiac cop quickly discovers he's been assigned to investigate a murder--what appears to be a lynching--in a small, seaside town. You and your new partner, the unflappable and eternally patient Kim Kitsuragi, at first inspect the body, interview potential witnesses and generally gather clues to identify the victim and track down the perpetrator. Played straight, there's a meticulous satisfaction in assuming the role of by-the-book cop. You can grill suspects about their movements on the night of the murder and look for holes in their stories about what they saw. You can call in to the police station and request they retrieve further information about leads you've uncovered and, if there's anything your booze-frazzled brain has forgotten, Kim is always there with a gentle reminder of the finer details of effective police work.Of course, you don't have to play it straight. Disco Elysium provides a staggering amount of options, letting you choose and role-play the type of cop--indeed, the type of person--your amnesiac detective is going to remember himself to be. As such, you're welcome to walk out of your shitty motel room with just one shoe on, and you're able to tell the manager you're not paying for the room, nor the damage you caused, and he can frankly go screw himself. In his impeccably dry way, Kim will suggest this is not exactly appropriate behaviour, but he's also not going to stop you from reinventing yourself as a cocky superstar cop, a rude asshole cop, a wretched nihilistic cop, a bungling apologetic cop, a mortified repentant cop, or some tempered combination thereof.Even during what could be considered rote casework, Disco Elysium provides so much opportunity to express yourself. There's a scene in which you and Kim are conducting an autopsy; while Kim got his hands dirty, I opted for the paperwork. It's a very lengthy back-and-forth between the two cops, you prompting him through a dialogue tree of step-by-step instructions and filling out the proper sections of the form, and Kim voicing his observations as he examines the body. This scene, which should be aggressively dry, is instead wonderfully written, creative and entertaining, every new selection of dialogue options presenting you with little decisions about how to play things--do you agree with Kim's assessment or try to argue with him, or do you just crack a joke instead? And every detail you read about Kim's actions--his muttered asides, his matter-of-fact commentary on the decaying corpse, his raised brow in response to your nonsense--paints a vivid, indelible portrait of a man you've known for less than a day.The full range of the game's tonal spectrum is on display in this one scene. There are flashes of surprising camaraderie as you and Kim nod respectfully at each other's insights. There's playful humour as you make fun of the bureaucracy that requires such convoluted autopsy forms, and crude gags as you request Kim double-checks if he's missed anything inside the dead man's underwear. There's the more sombre tone struck by the at times repulsive descriptions of the body's state of decomposition, and threaded throughout is the satisfying accumulation of clues, the central mystery contracting and expanding as new information answers questions and asks further ones. But Disco Elysium is not just a commendable detective game. It is a deeply political game that tackles issues of ideology, privilege, racism, and class in a thoughtful and provocative fashion. The small, seaside town you've been summoned to is in fact the neglected working class district of Revachol, a city built to "resolve history" in the wake of a failed communist revolution that now sees it governed by a coalition of foreign nations.The murder you're investigating at first seems tied to a months-long labor dispute. Negotiations between union and corporate leaders are at a stalemate, striking workers have shut down the harbor, scab laborers are picketing in the streets, and road transport in and out of town is at a standstill. More deeply ingrained are the painful memories of the wars that first beheaded the Revachol monarchy and then quashed the revolution, and the lingering darkness of centuries-old racial resentments fuelled by the "economic anxieties" of industrial change. It's a remarkable, nuanced circumstance--tensions are high, violence feels inevitable, and the future of Revachol has never felt more uncertain....in all kinds of other ways--thematically and mechanically--Disco Elysium is very unlike other RPGs.The case you're working intersects with the political arguments of the town. Navigating such intricacies can be tricky, though the amnesia conceit gives you a good excuse to ask what might otherwise seem like basic questions. You're given openings to sympathize with or reject various political views, and your character stats do in fact track how much of a communist, fascist, ultraliberal, or moralist you are. There's a tongue-in-cheek approach here, as when you're given the option in favour of your preferred ideology it's, without exception, an utterly extreme version of it. Moderate paths don't exist--there's no room for a "public option," the communists are all about jumping straight to the "eat the rich" stage.Indeed, Disco Elysium isn't especially interested in the typical binary ideologies explored in most RPGs. It pokes fun at extremism and at the same time chides you for any attempt to retreat into non-committal centrism, and it's even less interested in trying to dodge politics. Instead it wants you to focus on the dynamics of power that structure society and the systemic changes required to repair the inequities of those relationships. This is a game with a specific, if complex, point of view and it's not afraid to remind you of it even when it's leaving room for you to explore other ideas.At the centre of all this ideology is the matter of your privilege. Disco Elysium remains very much aware that you are playing a middle-aged, heterosexual, white man--a policeman, no less--and that fact grants him a heightened degree of privilege to express himself. You're able to reinvent yourself, to choose to be this or that type of person, without much in the way of repercussions, save the odd disapproving glance from Kim. Meanwhile, many of the characters you meet aren’t possessed of the same privilege; they’re the downtrodden, exploited by authority, trapped in systemic poverty, or just desperately trying to escape their circumstances. The contrast makes this point with piercing clarity.Yet Disco Elysium isn't just a formidable game of politics and detective work. It also jettisons a bunch of standard tropes of RPG interaction and replaces them with new systems that delve deep into your character's psyche. There is no combat to speak of--at least not in the conventional sense. There are moments where you can suffer damage to your health and morale, the two stats that determine whether or not you remain alive. For example, one early incident saw me discover that reading a book can cause actual physical pain. And there are certain, shall we say, encounters that play out like combat analogues, except you're not choosing to attack or defend. Instead you're picking from a selection of actions and lines of dialogue, where success or failure depends on the skills you've prioritised and the luck of the dice.During character creation you cannot alter the physical appearance of your nameless cop. You can, however, drop points into a bunch of entertainingly unusual and evocative skills, 24 in total across four broad categories. Among them, Drama allows you to lie convincingly while also detecting the lies of others, while Inland Empire, refers to your gut instinct by way of David Lynch; Savoir Faire assesses your expertise with the intersection of grace and style; while Shivers--my favourite skill--to "raise the hair on your neck" and, in essence, gain a greater awareness of the physical environment, both immediate and occasionally miles and miles away.Disco Elysium’s skill system is refreshingly original. The entire fascinating suite it posits serves as a captivating exploration to your character's inner life and echoes his journey of self-rediscovery. Skill checks are being rolled all the time to see if there's something you should know. It could be as simple as checking whether your Perception means you notice a particular object. Maybe you see or hear a word you don't recognize and your Encyclopedia skill interrupts to provide a definition. Perhaps you're walking down the street and, Shivering, gain a deeper, more poetic understanding of your place in the world. These pop up like typical dialogue boxes on the right edge of the screen and you're often able to conduct conversations with your skills, digging for more information or telling them to pipe down, a little chorus in your head filling the gaps and prodding you into action. These competing, often uncalled-for, voices add up to a remarkably successful simulation of how the mind works.Skills intrude during conversations with other characters, too. Reaction Speed might let you pick up on an unusual turn of phrase and give you an additional response to pursue, letting you uncover a clue. Sometimes your skills offer conflicting approaches. Drama might be urging you to make a big scene right now--"This is your moment!" it's yelling in your ear--but Composure is pushing back, coolly arguing for restraint. The specific voices that you decide to listen to may be influenced by your strength in each skill or the type of person you want to become. They also connect back to how the game wears its politics, as many of the unpleasant things you can say are the result of failed skill checks. It can feel weird to have your character do something you didn't quite intend, or to have your dialogue choices restricted to three equally offensive alternatives, but there's something pleasingly authentic in the way things don't always go according to plan.Supporting the skill system is what the game describes as your Thought Cabinet, a kind of mind map that charts your collected understanding of the world. Critical moments of awareness will enable you to access a particular thought, which you can then research to unlock a range of benefits. An early realization that you are in fact homeless triggered the "Hobocop" thought. While mulling over the very strong possibility than I was more hobo than cop, I suffered a penalty to all Composure checks; once my research was complete and I had decided I was now committed to the hobo life, I regained my Composure and took my dumpster-diving abilities to another level. More than a seamlessly integrated perk system, the Thought Cabinet manages to successfully reposition character development as a kind of intellectual deconstruction. It's incredibly satisfying to look back on the completed cabinet at the end of the game and see it as a neat summary of your character's defining moments, the points at which you learned something about yourself and were able to grow. Learning to read Disco Elysium, through what can initially feel like a mad jumble of competing voices, is the essential first step of attuning yourself to the type of experience it wants to deliver. This is a game with, let's be honest, an absolute shit-ton of words to read. Literally everything you do, save walking from one place to another, is conveyed and accomplished through text. There are item descriptions, branching dialogue trees where it's not unusual to have a large handful of options at any one time, skills interjecting with new thoughts and random asides, and even books to read. I cannot verify the developer's claim that there are one million words in the game, but I can attest that I spent the overwhelming majority of my 50-odd hours with Disco Elysium utterly enraptured by the words it sent my way.And what beautiful, bonkers, bold words they are. Disco Elysium is easily one of the best-written games I've ever played. There's a swagger and a confidence here that's rarely seen. There's a masterful ability to transition from drama and intrigue to absurdist comedy and pointed political commentary in the space of a few sentences. One moment you're elbow deep in the grim details of police procedure, the next you're contemplating some metaphysical wonder; later, some hilariously grotesque joke is followed by a spell of genuinely moving emotional vulnerability. It might sound all over the shop, but it works because it all rings true to the fascinating, multi-faceted central character. Your nameless cop can be charming, offensive, understandably confused, brimming with completely unearned optimism, flustered, unguarded, or simply sick of everything he's had to endure. Your skill selections and dialogue choices nudge him in these directions, but of course the reality is that he's always all of them. The man whose "armpits are lakes, a scythe of booze" preceding him, as he's first introduced, is the same man who licks congealed rum off the counter of the bar, is the same man who, locked in a tender embrace with a strange woman, vows to spread peaceful communist revolution one hug at a time, is the same man who passes the time sitting on a playground swing, whistling a tune with his detective partner. A writhing mass of contradictory impulses and behaviour, as human as the rest of us.Disco Elysium is a mad, sprawling detective story where the real case you've got to crack isn't who killed the man strung up on a tree in the middle of town--though that in itself, replete with dozens of unexpected yet intertwined mysteries and wild excursions into the ridiculous, is engrossing enough to sustain the game. Rather, it’s an investigation of ideas, of the way we think, of power and privilege, and of how all of us are shaped, with varying degrees of autonomy, by the society we find ourselves in. Info from Gamespot.com

This is it, the final episode of True Fiction ... for now, at least. To send off the season we're delving into one of the most beloved sci-fi franchises of all time: Star Wars. The universe that George Lucas created is deeply loved by many the world over and has become a cultural touchstone for those that love any form of entertainment. But the inspirations that led to its creation are perhaps less known.In this episode of True Fiction we're taking a look at some of those inspirations, particularly the work of Akira Kurosawa. Additionally, we're also looking at how Japanese history and culture informed the creation of the Jedi. In more ways than one, the Jedi are founded on principles that the Samurai lived by years ago, and the parallels between the very real warriors of ancient Japan and the space-faring warriors of Star Wars are numerous.You can check out True Fiction on the GameSpot Universe YouTube channel, where every episode in the season so far can also be found. You'll also find a little more about the process of making the episode from host and writer Kurt Indovina.Kurt: Star Wars. Yes, Star Wars. The grandiose saga that's spawned too many books for me to care to count (I lost track around 70), dozens upon dozens of games (including an Angry Bird reskin), and, of course, lest we never forget: a prestigious Christmas special. Oh, right, and a bunch of movies.The impact Star Wars has had on this planet is so overwhelmingly massive that it feels almost arbitrary to restate. Yet, despite how ingrained it is in our society, the details of its origins aren't as broadly known.Admittedly, I'm a casual Star Wars fan at best. I like Star Wars; I've seen the movies; I've played a handful of games (shout out to Dark Forces); And with a half-hearted ounce of confidence, I can tell you that Han shot first.But Star Wars wasn't the first choice for True Fiction's season finale. In fact, it was another George Lucas associated franchise: Indiana Jones. Initially, we wanted to explore Raiders of the Lost Ark, and examine the mystery of the ark’s supposed real-life hiding place. But upon rewatching the film, more and more did I begin to uncover that very little truth was used in the films premise at all.Due to the ark being lost for 3,000 years, there's little documentation to prove it actually existed in the first place; in the film it's believed to be in Tanis, "the lost city of Egypt," said to have been buried in a sandstorm, however, in reality, it's not lost, and that sandstorm never happened; and lastly, the staff of Ra--an ancient artifact that reveals the location of the ark when shined in sunlight at a certain time in a certain place--was made up for the movie. I was grasping onto myths.But what about Star Wars? How much truth can be found in an intergalactic space opera with monastic power wielding warriors, bickering robots, and an alien jazz saloon band, you may ask? Well, as it so happens, not really that much either. On the surface, George Lucas's inspiration for Star Wars stemmed from two very specific interests of his own: Flash Gordon, and the samurai film The Hidden Fortress. When the two are combined, the foundation for which the boundless behemoth space epic was built upon suddenly seems small and kinda underwhelming.However, it was the Jedi that pulled the most truth from reality. The Jedis influence can be traced beyond fiction, and back to 17th century Japan. Most specifically, the samurai.While researching, I got the chance to learn about ancient Japanese beliefs like Shinto, and its similarities to the Force. I also got to learn about the history of the samurai, and how they came into being some of the most prominent figures in the country's history. But the most surprising part to me was learning how 17th century impacted not just Japan, but popular culture as we know it. Give the episode a watch to truly grasp how far the ripples of that era reached.All that said, this episode brings us to the conclusion of the first season of True Fiction. If you've been following along with this series, thank you--your time and attention has been invaluable to me, and I hope you’ve learned a thing or two along the way. Until next time, so long.Info from Gamespot.com

The new Terminator movie, Dark Fate, opened in theatres this weekend--and it came up short. The action movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and Mackenzie Davis, made $29 million at the US box office. That makes it a flop, given the film reportedly cost close to $200 million to produce, according to Deadline. Variety reports that the movie cost $185 million to make, with up to $100 million more in marketing costs.The site said a $29 million opening for the movie--which was directed by Deadpool's Tim Miller--is a "terrible result" and just the latest struggle for the Terminator franchise. 2015's Terminator: Genisys made only $27 million for its opening weekend in the US.The Terminator movies are made by film companies Paramount and Skydance, and Dark Fate is just their latest poorly performing movie. Their previous release, the Will Smith-starring Gemini Man, also bombed at the box office and is predicted to lose money.Dark Fate was No. 1 at the US box office this weekend, but its $29 million opening was the lowest No. 1 first-weekend result for any movie since 2013's Ender's Game ($27 million).Dark Fate was financed mainly by three companies--Paramount, Skydance, and Disney (via Fox). Each company put in 30 percent, with China's Tencent adding the rest. Variety reported that Dark Fate could end up losing $100 million at the box office, though those losses could be mitigated through deals for TV and streaming, along with rentals and other sources.Dark Fate picked up decent review scores from critics, while the movie received a very solid B+ rating on CinemaScore (which measures audience reaction). If Paramount was trying to reinvigorate the series with a younger audience, that didn't really work. The movie's domestic box office was made up of only 25 percent of people in the 18-24 age bracket.Behind the scenes, Dark Fate ran into problems as well. James Cameron, who wrote and directed the first Terminator movie and remains attached to the series as a producer, told CinemaBlend that there were "many" disagreements during the editing process."The blood is still being scrubbed off the walls from those creative battles. This is a film that was forged in fire," he recalled.According to Cameron, Miller--the director--wanted more control over the direction of the film. "Tim wanted to make it his movie. And I'm like, ‘Yeah, but I kind of know a little about this world.’ So I had the matter and the anti-matter version of that producorial experience," he said.You can see the full Top 10 box office chart below, as compiled by EW.October 25-27 US Box Office:Terminator: Dark Fate —$29 millionJoker — $14 millionMaleficent: Mistress of Evil — $12.2 millionHarriet — $12 millionThe Addams Family — $8.5 millionZombieland 2: Double Tap — $7.4 millionCountdown — $5.9 millionBlack and Blue — $4.1 millionMotherless Brooklyn — $3.7 millionArctic Dogs — $3.1 millionMore on Terminator: Dark Fate:Terminator: Dark Fate Review - A Fresh StartTerminator: Dark Fate Review RoundupTerminator: Dark Fate Was Planned As First Movie In A TrilogyDoes Terminator: Dark Fate Have A Post-Credits Scene? We Explain The EndingInfo from Gamespot.com

Sean Bean has been cast as a series regular in Snowpiercer, TNT's upcoming television adaptation of Bong Joon-ho's much-loved 2013 film (which was itself an adaptation of the French comic La Transperceneige). Bean will be playing an unconfirmed role in the series, according to a report by Collider.This is actually the first confirmation we've had of Snowpiercer receiving a second season--the first is yet to premiere, and is expected to begin airing in spring 2020. The first season will star Jennifer Connelly and Daveed Diggs, and will run for 12 episodes.Snowpiercer is set on a multi-carriage train that travels in a loop through a world in which another ice age has set in. In the film, the folks in the back carriages--including Captain America's Chris Evans--enact a coup against the bourgeoisie citizens of the front carriages. The train in the series is expected to be much longer than the one in the movie, with more carriages to explore.We don't know anything about Bean's character yet, but we suspect that he'll be in grave danger--the body count in the original Snowpiercer was sky high, and Bean, who has died on-screen over 20 times (and has died in a few games, including GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64 and Hitman 2), is unlikely to be in for a safe, gentle train ride.The show has already had its share of behind-the-scenes controversies: Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson stepped away from the show's production after his original pilot was abandoned, which he believed might be his "best work".Info from Gamespot.com

A new update for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is now available. The newest title update includes a number of fixes and tweaks, beginning with additional fixes that help improve stability and minimize the likelihood of game crashes.Additionally, developer Infinity Ward has removed all battle chatter--that is, the brief lines of dialogue that characters say during matches--from Modern Warfare's one-life modes. This sounds like a welcome change, as the more tactical, one-life modes require strategy and stealth, and hearing the loud callouts can lead to a negative experience. Connected to this, Infinity Ward has changed the sound of footsteps--the footstep sounds will now "filter out" based on occlusion effects.Another change in the update includes how stun grenades can now disable claymores for 3 seconds. This is another big change, as players have been reporting that claymores can trend toward the over-powered side.Excited to get the footstep tuning in live along with these other changes. More updates in the works:- more restricted player call out logic- prevent enemies from hearing call outs in all modes- challenge system fixes- weapon tuning- spawn updates https://t.co/YF0KBYttLT — Joe Cecot (@JoeCecot) November 2, 2019You can see the full rundown of changes to the gameplay and what's new in the multiplayer playlists below, as posted by Infinity Ward on Reddit. Modern Warfare multiplayer design director Joe Cecot added that Infinity Ward is working on additional changes and updates to come later. In the future, Infinity Ward will release updates that further restrict the player call out logic and prevent enemies from hearing these call outs across all modes. There will also be further changes to weapon tuning and spawn locations.Title Update/Playlist UpdateTitle Update:More fixes to prevent crashes and improve stability across all platformsBattlechatter has been removed from tactical, one-life modesAPCs and Tanks in Ground War no longer award points towards a nukeFix for charms affecting weapon performance when firing from the hipClaymores: Stun grenades can now force claymores into a disabled state for 3 secondsFootsteps: Adjustments to tame the 3rd person footsteps. They will now filter out based on occlusion more.Fix to an issue where Tac Inserts could cause players to spawn out of boundsFix for the gold camo not unlocking on the .357Playlist Update:NVG (TDM only)Ground WarGunfightKill ConfirmedFFAInfo from Gamespot.com

It's a whole new month, and that means New Releases has a bunch of games to talk about. November brings the long-anticipated PC release of Red Dead Redemption 2 and PS4 exclusive Death Stranding. Those two platforms are also seeing the return of a cult classic with Shenmue III. Meanwhile, we've got new games for two massive IPs with Pokemon Sword & Shield and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.Red Dead Redemption 2 -- November 5Available on: PCRed Dead Redemption 2 was GameSpot's 2018 Game of the Year, so the PC release is a pretty big deal. This version of the game looks better than ever thanks to better textures and lighting, plus 4K/HDR support on capable PCs. You can also check out new story content, including more Gang Hideouts and Bounty Hunts.More Coverage:Red Dead Redemption 2 PC Launch Trailer Shows Paradise In Stunning 4KRed Dead Redemption 2 PC System Requirements ConfirmedDeath Stranding -- November 8Available on: PS4Hideo Kojima's latest project is still largely wrapped in mystery, but the elevator pitch is this: Sam Bridges (played by The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus) makes delivers across a shattered United States. Also there are shadow monsters, psychic babies, and tons of celebrity cameos. The game was also just announced for PC, in case you want to wait until summer 2020 to play that version.More Coverage:Death Stranding Review - Smash That Like ButtonNorman Reedus Talks Death Stranding, Silent Hills, And Working With KojimaPokemon Sword & Shield -- November 15Available on: SwitchBy this point, you probably know what you're getting with a Pokemon game, but Sword & Shield are mixing things up. The new Galar Region has its own variants of classic Pokemon like Weezing and Ponyta, plus region-specific evolutions for Farfetch'd and Linoone. Sword & Shield also introduce new giant, kaiju-like monsters called Dynamax Pokemon, some of which can even change form, known as Gigantamax Pokemon.More Coverage:Pokemon Sword And Shield: Here Are The Different Exclusive Pokemon Confirmed For Each VersionPokemon Sword & Shield: Pre-Load On Switch NowStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order -- November 15Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PCIt might sound cliche, but Fallen Order's combat really does feel like the Dark Souls games. In fact, if you die, you'll have to defeat the last enemy you fought to regain your lost XP, a la Bloodborne. It's pretty fitting that this original Star Wars story is challenging, since protagonist Cal Kestis is one of the few surviving Jedi Padawans after Order 66.More Coverage:Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order Pre-Orders Now Available On SteamStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Doesn't Break The Mold, But Could Still Be SatisfyingShenmue III -- November 19Available on: PS4, PCShenmue 3 isn't the end of Ryo Hazuki's story, but fans of the Sega Dreamcast classic have been waiting a long time for the next chapter nonetheless. The third game picks up in a small fishing village in China, where Ryo continues to track down his father's killer. Expect the usual dose of minigames and intriguing characters as you explore the open world.More Coverage:Shenmue 3 Dev Responds To Concerns Over Epic Store ExclusivityE3 2019: Shenmue 3 Gameplay Trailer - PC Gaming Show 2019November has only just begun, and it's got plenty more video games on the horizon. We didn't even get a chance to talk about Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games 2020, which comes to Nintendo Switch on November 5 in the US and on November 8 in the UK. Next week, we'll take a look at two anticipated remasters: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition and Romancing SaGa 3.Info from Gamespot.com

It looks like BioWare is preparing to reveal some news about the long-awaited Dragon Age 4 in the coming weeks. The studio celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Dragon Age franchise with a tweet that teased some kind of further reveal on December 4.BioWare is holding a party of sorts on that date to celebrate the franchise's 10th birthday. Dragon Age: Origins, the first game in the series, was released on November 3, 2009. Dragon Age II was released in 2011, with Dragon Age: Inquisition following in 2014.It seems there might be some news about Dragon Age 4 during the event. BioWare ended its statement by saying fans should tune in for "Dragon 4ge Day!" which is seemingly in reference to Dragon Age 4.Today marks 10 years of Dragon Age! This year we’re excited to join the community’s party on December 4th and celebrate a decade together in the world we all love. See you on 12/4 for Dragon 4ge Day! — BioWare (@bioware) November 3, 2019The timing in December is curious and intriguing. In December 2018, BioWare released the first teaser trailer for Dragon Age 4 during The Game Awards, so there is a precedent for a December reveal. That show is returning this year on December 12, but there is no word on whether or not Dragon Age 4 will be at the event.Even if there is some Dragon Age 4 news in December, fans will have to wait a while longer to actually play the game. Publisher Electronic Arts recently confirmed that Dragon Age 4 is still two or more years away from release.In a 2018 blog post, BioWare's Mark Darrah confirmed that Dragon Age 4 has been in the works for "quite a while." Some of the "core" team that worked on the previous Dragon Age games are back for the new one, while BioWare's plan is to "push BioWare's storytelling to the next level."The Dragon Age franchise hasn't seen a new release since 2014's Dragon Age: Inquisition. That game was well received and it was a commercial success.Info from Gamespot.com

If you want to run Halo: Reach on your PC, you won't need the most up-to-date machine. 343 Industries want to make sure that the game scales on all types of computers, "ranging from bleeding edge to near potatoes".We learned back in March that Halo: The Master Chief Collection is coming to PC, and that you'll be able to buy the games individually, with Halo: Reach arriving first (and it's also coming to the Xbox One version). Now, months after the game's PC beta, 343 Industries has revealed the minimum system requirements for Halo Reach in a post on Halo Waypoint. You can see them below."With the help of the Halo Insider program we have received feedback and monitored how the title has played on a wide range of systems and below are the currently recommended minimum specifications for the Steam version of Reach on PC," the post reads.Depending on whether or not you want to run the game at 1080p or 4K, the system requirements are a bit different. The recommended specs have not been released yet, but should be made available at a later date."We are in the process of testing more options with integrated graphics but are not ready to share that information quite yet," the post reads. "The specs will be slightly different for the Windows Store version as well and will be shared at a later time."Halo: Reach was the final Halo game developed by Bungie. In GameSpot's original 2010 review of the Xbox 360 version of Halo: Reach, Chris Watters gave the game a 9.5/10, calling it "a towering achievement that delivers an enormous amount of engaging content that players will no doubt be enjoying for years to come." A release date for the PC version has not been confirmed yet.Info from Gamespot.com

The Sims has surpassed an extraordinary sales milestone according to EA's latest financial report.As part of their quarterly earning report, EA revealed plenty about their current success stories. Apex Legends has reached 70 million players, for instance, and will now be treated as an annual franchise. CEO Andrew Wilson also singled out The Sims 4 as a strong performer, with an average monthly player count that rose 40% in 2019.Now, thanks thanks to Wilson's earnings call, we know exactly how much money The Sims franchise has made since the first game released in 2000."Engagement across the franchise has led The Sims to surpass $5 billion in lifetime sales," Wilson stated. "The Sims continues to be one of the great franchise in gaming, and we have plans to bring new experiences to its amazing players for a long time to come."The Sims has long been a strong seller and a cultural phenomenon. The next expansion for The Sims 4, Discover University, will release for PC on November 14. The long-running series will return to Steam in the coming months, with The Sims 4 being made available on the storefront for the first time.Info from Gamespot.com

The news last month that 3DS developer AlphaDream has gone bankrupt reportedly led to the internal cancellations of several 3DS games that were in the works, including a remake of a previous game in the Fire Emblem series.This news comes via Greg Miller's Kinda Funny podcast during a chat with former Game Informer senior editor Imran Khan. At around the 45:20 mark of the video below, the two discuss Nintendo's statements on the strong sales of the Switch Lite, and the likelihood that this will lead to more 3DS franchises coming to Nintendo's new handheld.The result is encouraging for Pokemon games coming next month. Nintendo chief Furukawa said company would make more 3DS franchises available on Switch to convey appeal of Lite. — Takashi Mochizuki (@mochi_wsj) October 31, 2019The Switch Lite sold 1.95 million units in its first 11 days of release, showing that there's still an appetite for handheld-dedicated consoles. But things aren't looking so good for Nintendo's older handheld: Khan notes on the podcast, AlphaDream's Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey for the 3DS sold terribly despite strong reviews. According to Khan, the game shipped "something like" 11,000 units in its first month."When that happened, I heard that Nintendo cancelled a bunch of further 3DS plans," Khan states. "I know there was another Fire Emblem remake in the works. And that was one of the things they shuttered." He goes on to speculate the possibility of that game eventually coming to Switch.It would make sense--the last Fire Emblem remake on the 3DS, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia was well-received, and Fire Emblem: Three Houses on Switch has enjoyed the best sales figures of the series. Another Fire Emblem game on the series seems like a safe bet, especially if development was already underway.This is in no way confirmed, though--so for now, if you want more Fire Emblem on Switch, consider investigating the excellent New Game Plus perks in Three Houses. Info from Gamespot.com

Joker, the new DC movie starring Joaquin Phoenix, is closing in on a super-sized box office milestone. After another weekend in theatres, the movie has now crossed $934 million worldwide.Joker premiered on October 4 and has performed well every weekend since. This latest weekend--its fourth weekend in theatres--Joker finished No. 2 in the US with another $14 million. The movie has now made $299.6 million in the US and $634.4 million from international markets.According to Hollywood news site Variety, it "looks likely" that Joker will reach $1 billion globally, given the film's sustained momentum.Joker was produced on a small budget compared to other comic book movies. It reportedly cost $70 million to produce, which is far lower than the reported budgets of other DC movies such as Wonder Woman ($149 million) and Aquaman ($160 million).In addition to its production budget, Warner Bros. reportedly spent $120 million to market the film and around $100 million more on profit-sharing. When all is said and done, Joker might end up turning a profit of around $500 million, which is the same as Avengers: Infinity War.Joker is already in the record books as the most successful R-rated film of all time. It is also one of the most successful DC movies ever, recently surpassing Suicide Squad ($746 million) and Wonder Woman ($821.8 million), and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ($873.6 million). It still trails The Dark Knight ($1.004 billion), The Dark Knight Rises ($1.081 billion), and Aquaman ($1.148 billion), however.Few could have predicted the huge success that Joker has enjoyed, and that includes Warner Bros. Reportedly due to concerns about its content and tone, Warner Bros. elected to mitigate its risk by sharing the financing with outside investors, according to The Wall Street Journal. This approach might have seemed like a measure of financial discipline at the time, but Warner Bros. is now losing out on huge profits as a result. According to the report, the outside investors that Warner Bros. took on for Joker will together earn between 40% and 50% of Joker's entire profits.Also eating into the profits for Warner Bros. is the fact that the studio agreed to "generous" profit-sharing deals with Joker director Todd Phillips and star Phoenix. Warner Bros. agreed to lucrative deals because it didn't see Joker as being a blockbuster hit, and now that it has proven to be one, Phillips and Phoenix are getting paid big time. Info from Gamespot.com

BlizzCon 2019 kicked off with the official reveal of Diablo 4, the upcoming entry in the long-time RPG franchise. While we got to see a lengthy cinematic trailer, a gameplay trailer soon followed that showed three classic classes in action: Barbarian, Sorceress, and Druid.All three classes call back to Diablo II and the Lord of Destruction expansion pack. Barbarian looks to be a close-range melee class that can dual-wield axes and use a number of physical abilities, while Sorceress is a magic-based class that can combine spells to wreak havoc from long-range. And Druid separates itself from the pack with a spell to transform into a bear of sorts, attack from mid-range with some magic. You can see all this in the gameplay video below.Diablo IV maintains the classic isometric action RPG formula, but adds more like multi-level terrain with verticality. The game also appears to sport a darker, more realistic looking art style, a slight departure from Diablo III's cartoon-ish vibe. DIablo IV is set decades after the events of Diablo III's Reaper of Souls expansion. The final shot of the trailer shows Lilith in-game, who seems to be the main villain this time around based on the cinematic trailer. There will be five classes in total, but the final two have not yet been announced.The game world will be much larger than that of previous games, featuring five distinct but contiguous regions. To help you get around more quickly, you'll have access to a mount and even be able to use dismount abilities, letting Barbarians, for instance, leap off and perform an attack in one smooth motion.Blizzard president J. Allen Brack says the game has been under development for quite some time--it's also playable on the show floor. For all our coverage on Blizzcon 2019, check out our stories below: BlizzCon News BlizzCon 2019 News: Overwatch 2, Diablo 4, And Everything Else Announced New Hero Confirmed For Overwatch 2: Sojourn BlizzCon Schedule: Overwatch 2, Diablo 4 Unveiling, And More Overwatch 2 Announced, Includes PvP And PvE What Overwatch 2 Means For Current Players Diablo 4 Announced At BlizzCon 2019 Diablo 4 Gameplay Trailer Shows The New RPG In Action New WoW Shadowlands Expansion Trailer Released At BlizzCon 2019 Hearthstone Expansion "Descent of Dragons" Announced, Coming In December Here's Every Hearthstone "Descent Of Dragons" Card (So Far) Info from Gamespot.com

Yes, Overwatch 2 is coming to Nintendo Switch. The sequel to Blizzard's team-focused, hero-based first-person shooter was previously announced for Xbox One, PS4, and PC (specifically Battle.net) during the BlizzCon 2019 opening presentation. No release date has been announced.In Overwatch 2, you'll have access to both PvP and PvE content. Overwatch veterans will recognize what you're able to do in PvP, though there is a new mode, Push, which sees teams try to get a robot to move into their opponent's side of the map. Overwatch lead designer Jeff Kaplan described Push as a "core competitive game mode, so the mode will appear alongside the others in Quick Play and Competitive, and will also be played in the Overwatch League.To ensure no one gets left behind, Overwatch players will be able to play in competitive PvP with Overwatch 2 players. "Current Overwatch players will battle side-by-side with Overwatch 2 players in PvP multiplayer; they’ll also be able to play Overwatch 2 heroes and maps," he said. The official Overwatch 2 website says "Your accomplishments and loot collections will be carried forward to Overwatch 2. That means you'll keep your skins, player icons, sprays, emotes, and more."The major change between Overwatch and Overwatch 2 is in the PvE. Overwatch 2 will have PvE Story and Hero modes. In Story mode, you play with friends on a predetermined team of heroes in scripted missions that will continue the narrative of Overwatch. Meanwhile, Hero mode puts your team into objective-based missions--all of which are designed to be repeated with friends to level up your characters and unlock new abilities. BlizzCon News BlizzCon 2019 News: Overwatch 2, Diablo 4, And Everything Else Announced New Hero Confirmed For Overwatch 2: Sojourn BlizzCon Schedule: Overwatch 2, Diablo 4 Unveiling, And More Overwatch 2 Announced, Includes PvP And PvE What Overwatch 2 Means For Current Players Diablo 4 Announced At BlizzCon 2019 Diablo 4 Gameplay Trailer Shows The New RPG In Action New WoW Shadowlands Expansion Trailer Released At BlizzCon 2019 Hearthstone Expansion "Descent of Dragons" Announced, Coming In December Here's Every Hearthstone "Descent Of Dragons" Card (So Far) Info from Gamespot.com

Overwatch 2 was announced during BlizzCon 2019’s opening ceremony. It’s a sequel to Blizzard’s popular team-based first-person hero shooter from 2016, but as evidenced by its announcement cinematic and gameplay reveal trailer, the upcoming Overwatch 2 will have fresh things to offer players old and new.After its official reveal and presentation, game director Jeff Kaplan and assistant game director Aaron Keller took the Mythic Stage at BlizzCon 2019 during the future of Overwatch panel to talk Overwatch 2 game modes, maps, and heroes.Table of Contents [hide]Overwatch 2 SpecsGame ModesNew MapsStory MissionsHero MissionsItem SystemTalent SystemNew HeroesSkins And ProgressWhat Overwatch 2 Means For Current PlayersHero RedesignsFor a specific topic, use the table of contents above, otherwise just scroll through for all the info, rumors, and other details we know about Overwatch 2 so far.Overwatch 2 SpecsOverwatch 2 is still actively in development, so the team doesn’t have a release date or even release window in mind, but it was confirmed at BlizzCon 2019 that it will come to all platforms that currently support the first Overwatch, including the Nintendo Switch.Release date: N/APlatforms: PC (Battle.net), Switch, PS4, Xbox OneGenre: First-person shooterGame ModesAt BlizzCon 2019, Kaplan showed off a brand-new game mode called Push, described as a “core game mode” playable in both quick and competitive play, and which will also be featured in the Overwatch League. Early gameplay footage of Push mode on the new Toronto, Canada map showed two teams fighting to escort a robot into enemy territory. The team that pushes the robot furthest into the other team’s territory before time is up will win the match. As the robot moves down the linear path towards enemy lines, it’ll occasionally come up against barriers that must be pushed to unlock checkpoints. This momentarily slows the robot down, but the checkpoints they unlock also unlock new spawn points.Currently confirmed game modes new to Overwatch 2 include:PushNew MapsOverwatch 2 will have all-new PvP maps for Push mode, but also for every current “core” game mode. The team wants to ensure players have a “totally new experience” thanks to the new maps, which are also coming to the original Overwatch as well.Currently confirmed maps new to Overwatch 2 include:GothenburgTorontoMonte CarloRio de JaneiroStory MissionsStory Missions are a new feature in Overwatch 2. They will be heavily curated PvE missions where players will only be able to select from a limited, contextually-relevant roster of characters. Every single story mission will have its own cinematic intro and outro video.Hero MissionsHero Missions are another new PvE feature, designed to be “deeply replayable” thanks to three factors outlined by Overwatch 2’s directors: varied locations, which will take players across new maps and old; constantly changing objectives, which will keep the gameplay fresh and varied; and different enemy groups, such as Null Sector, Talon, and “other threats.” Certain objectives or enemy types may demand certain types of heroes to counter, allowing more hands-on time for players stuck playing their main in PVP, Kaplan explained at BlizzCon 2019.Item SystemThe newly-introduced item system is exclusive to Story Missions. Rather than a loot system like Diablo, Overwatch 2’s item system will supposedly work in much the same way items do in games like Apex Legends and PUBG, according to Kaplan: temporary item pickups that you can use for the duration of the mission. These include things like a corrosive grenade, a healing station, or a barrier fence. Items also come in tiers, like Legendary.Talent SystemOverwatch 2 will introduce a new progression system designed exclusively for Hero Missions. It will allow heroes to level up and unlock Talents that give them additional perks in combat and is meant as a strictly PvE, non-competitive mode feature. A series of Talents for Tracer were shown off at BlizzCon 2019, but Kaplan warned that the progression system is still very early in development and could change a lot.Unlockable Talents for Tracer, part of Overwatch 2's new PvE-exclusive progression system.The example abilities shown off for Tracer include:Level 1:Adaptive Reload (Pulse Pistols reload when using any ability)Chain Reaction (Pulse Bomb causes secondary explosions on enemies that are damaged by it)Level 10Flash (Blinking through enemies damages them)Hindsight (Recall causes damage to all recently damaged enemies)Level 20Vortex (Enemies are pulled toward the point of Recall and snared)Speed Kills (Killing blows speed up your cooldowns)New HeroesSojourn, Overwatch's first Canadian hero.Overwatch 2 will introduce new playable heroes, including both characters that are brand new and “characters you’ve been waiting for.” It will also carry over every hero from the first Overwatch.Currently confirmed heroes new to Overwatch 2 include:SojournSo far, Sojourn is the only new character announced for Overwatch 2. She is the first Canadian hero and has a role “right at the center of the story of Overwatch 2,” according to Kaplan. According to the BlizzCon 2019 panel, some heroes will even be introduced all at once, similar to how Mei, D.Va, and Genji all rolled out at the same time during the Overwatch beta.Echo was also shown in the Overwatch 2 cinematic and gameplay trailers, but Kaplan did not confirm if she would be playable.Skins And ProgressKaplan confirmed that all progress and cosmetics earned in the first Overwatch will carry over to Overwatch 2. According to Kaplan, "We want to make sure that all Overwatch cosmetics come forward with you into Overwatch 2. So all of your progress matters. Nothing is getting left behind, no one is getting left behind."What Overwatch 2 Means For Current PlayersIn an effort to keep the Overwatch community united, Overwatch and Overwatch 2 players will be able to play the traditional PvP mode together. The original Overwatch will also receive new maps, new heroes, and the new competitive mode, Push.Hero RedesignsOverwatch 2 is not being designed in a new engine, but it is a “greatly updated” version of the Overwatch engine. Overwatch 2 will have new HUDs for all heroes, and perhaps most importantly, brand-new redesigns for all existing heroes. The team wants Overwatch 2 to “have a new look and feel fresh and awesome,” according to its BlizzCon 2019 panel.Info from Gamespot.com