The Outer Worlds may not be the longest RPG out there, especially compared to games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt or Fallout 4. However, it's still packed with complex character progression systems to manage that may leave you regretting certain choices the further along you get. As a result, you may feel like you need to commit to the decisions you make around your character's skills and perks, but there are ways to rewrite your choices!Where To Respec Your StatsIf you ever want to go back on your skill point distribution or perk selections, remember that you can reset them in your ship, The Unreliable. Go up the ladder leading to the engine room, turn left, and walk down the runway leading to a device called the Vocational Competence Respecification Machine.With the machine, you can freely restat all the points you've earned thus far into whatever you please. Keep in mind that you can only reset your skill points and not your character altogether, so you still need to make sure you think carefully about how you want to shape your character's appearance before you start.Repec'ing also costs money, and that price increases each time, so make sure to create a back-up save before you do so to protect yourself from wasting your hard-earned cash. The choice to go back on your decisions often comes at a price, so why not circumvent it with a little bit of save-scumming! The Outer Worlds The Outer Worlds Respec: How To Respec Your Skills And Perks Dirty Arty Is Back! PSA: You Can Play The Outer Worlds For Cheap Or Even Free Today (Xbox One, PC) The Outer Worlds: 9 Beginner Tips You Should Know Before Starting Just In Time For The Outer Worlds, Get Xbox Game Pass Ultimate At A Fanastic Price Outer Worlds, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Will Be $49.94 On Release Day (PS4, Xbox One) The Outer Worlds Science Weapons Location Guide: Shrink Ray, Mind Control Ray, And More The Outer Worlds Beginner's Guide: Spoiler-Free Tips To Ensure The Best Experience Possible Should You Play The Outer Worlds On Normal, Hard, Or Supernova Difficulty? Play The Outer Worlds For Free By Eating At Taco Bell For more on The Other Worlds, check out our beginner's guide, as well as our guide detailing the best perks. You can also check out our guide discussing which difficulty you should play on.In our review of The Outer Worlds, GameSpot editor Edmond Tran gave the game a 9/10 and said "I finished The Outer Worlds wanting more, eager to jump back into the world to see extra things. It's not a short game, but it's one packed with such a steady stream of wonderful characters to meet, interesting places to explore, and meaningful, multi-layered quests to solve, that it didn't feel like there was any room to get tired of it. I wanted to rewind the clock and do everything in a completely different way. The Outer Worlds is consistently compelling throughout, and it's a superb example of how to promote traditional RPG sensibilities in a sharp, modern experience." Info from Gamespot.com

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is officially out, but you may have noticed that not all of the new multiplayer modes are live--noticeably NVG and Ground War. The former was removed from Modern Warfare's multiplayer rotation ahead of launch in an update. The latter, Ground War, is scheduled to release on all platforms on the night of release day: Friday, October 25."Jump into Campaign, Special Ops, and Multiplayer, and starting Friday night grab your friends for Ground War," Infinity Ward tweeted. "And, for the first time ever, you can earn XP and unlock exclusive gear for Multiplayer and Special Ops through Campaign."Currently, the option to select Ground War isn't even available. When playing multiplayer, you can queue for Quick Play, Gunfight, Cyber Attack, Realism, and Private Match. Infinity Ward did not provide a more specific time for when Ground War would go live other than "tonight."For those unaware, Ground War feels like Call of Duty's answer to Battlefield, putting you on massive maps where huge teams of players--up to 100 or more--fight it out. The maps aren't just large horizontally either, as they feature plenty of vertical spaces to climb up in to. And to help get around, there are vehicles. Your strategies for Call of Duty's traditional 6-on-6 or 10-on-10 modes aren't likely to be very effective in Ground War. You need to play a bit differently to excel.If Modern Warfare is your first Call of Duty game, don't worry. We've compiled a list of essential beginners tips to best help you succeed. Modern Warfare also sees the return of several characters from the Call of Duty franchise, so if you need a refresher on who's important and what they each mean for the future, we've got you covered.In GameSpot's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare review, Kallie Plagge wrote, "The pitfalls of Spec Ops don't detract from what Modern Warfare does well. Realism mode is an excellent addition to the slate, and although not all the new multiplayer modes are great, Gunfight and the Night Vision playlist are refreshing standouts. And while the campaign ends up playing it safe in the end, it's still a memorable one, and it lays a strong foundation for where the Modern Warfare series could go from here." Call of Duty News Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Review In Progress - Shock And Awe Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Beginner's Guide - Essential Tips To Help You Succeed Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Ground War Explainer - What's Different In The Biggest Multiplayer Mode All The Perks In Modern Warfare And How They Work Info from Gamespot.com

Despite Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu / Let's Go Eevee being a success, selling an approximate 11 million units worldwide, developer Game Freak has confirmed there are no plans to expand the Let's Go catalog at the moment.Eurogamer sat down with series producer Junichi Masuda and game director Shigeru Ohmori to chat about Pokemon Sword / Shield, the pressure fans put on the studio, and more. In the interview, Masuda was asked if Game Freak is considering making more Let's Go-style Pokemon games following Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee's success. It seems like more Pokemon remakes in that vein aren't in Game Freak's cards right now."So, at the moment there [are] no particular plans," Masuda said. "But if the fans really like it then definitely keep those voices coming out to the Pokemon Company and Nintendo, and make sure we hear them! We wanna hear those comments!"Game Freak currently has its hands full with Pokemon Sword and Shield, which launches on November 15 for Nintendo Switch. Unlike Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee, Sword and Shield will not include Pokemon Go integration. "In Pokemon Sword and Shield there's no direct communication with Pokemon Go," Ohmori said. "But you'll have seen the announcement for Pokemon Home, where there are plans to be able to send Pokemon from Pokemon Go, and take them around with you, so that's something we do have."However, those who played Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee will receive a special bonus in Sword and Shield: Gigantamax versions of both title Pokemon, Pikachu and Eevee. Pokemon Sword And Shield News Pokemon Sword & Shield Have "Drastically Overleveled" Pokemon In The Wild Area Pokemon Sword And Shield Offering Three Free Exclusive Gigantamax Pokemon Pokemon Sword And Shield Pre-Order Guide: Bonuses And Discounts Pokemon Sword & Shield: Here's Every Gen 8 Pokemon Revealed So Far [Update] Game Freak recently responded to backlash regarding Sword and Shield's smaller Pokedex, explaining that "for the overall game, focusing on creating the richest experience we could within that game, leaving the Pokedex as we did was the best solution overall." Despite this, Game Freak assures that Sword and Shield are "comparable" in length to previous titles.Info from Gamespot.com

Sure, you can toss your Nintendo Switch in a regular old backpack and be on your way, but if you travel regularly, you may want something specifically designed to carry the console, dock, controllers, and cords. That's where the PowerA Everywhere messenger bag comes in. Amazon has this cute messenger bag on sale for $21.66 (was $40). Best of all: It's The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild-themed, with the Triforce and Hylian Crest emblazoned on the front. PowerA Everywhere Messenger Bag (Breath of the Wild)See at AmazonThe messenger bag has dedicated spots for the console, dock, power/HDMI cords, and Joy-Con grip. The Joy-Con grip compartment has a strap to keep it snug, and it looks like there's enough space to store an extra pair of controllers. Alternatively, you could use that spot for a Pro controller.It also comes with a black Switch carrying case featuring its own Zelda emblem. The case is designed for the original and refreshed Switch with better battery life, not the Switch Lite. Though the carrying case sadly doesn't have any slots to store game cartridges, it's still a nice bonus. You can most likely fit your own Switch carrying case in the messenger bag compartment.To be clear, this Zelda messenger bag is really only a good purchase if you're buying it for your Switch. There's no room for a laptop or anything like that. But the thin, zippered compartment on the back has room to store random small items.As this is Amazon we're talking about, there's no telling how long this Zelda messenger will be on sale. The Mario and generic gray/black versions of the same bag cost more than $30 each. Essentially, you'll want to pick this up as soon as possible if you're interested.While you're at it, how about some deals on recent Nintendo Switch games? Amazon is running another giant sale on games, including Super Mario Maker 2 for $49.94. Info from Gamespot.com

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is now available, and if you've bought the game and you're looking to spend a little more money, you can help support veterans in the process. A "Defender Pack" offers in-game items, and 100% of the proceeds will go to the Call of Duty Endowment.The Call of Duty Blog details the DLC. It includes 11 digital items, headlined by a special Defender .357 revolver variant with three attachments. Those include a rail-mounted sight, a lightweight trigger, and a custom stippled grip. The special optic will be added in the coming weeks, according to the announcement, but the trigger and grip for the Defender are already available.Aside from the specialized gun, the pack includes an in-game watch with the Endowment logo, weapon camo, a weapon charm, calling card, three specialized emblems, a sticker, and two in-game sprays.The Call of Duty Endowment is a non-profit organization set up by Activision that helps US and UK veterans find civilian jobs after their service. It has placed 57,000 veterans in jobs since its founding in 2009 and has set the goal of placing 100,000 by 2024.Info from Gamespot.com

With the release of WWE 2K20 this past week, both critics and players alike noticed the game was filled with glitches. While some of these glitches are hilarious, it's extremely frustrating for players expecting a finished, polished game. 2K Games has addressed the problems, and a patch is coming.In a tweet from the official WWE Games account, 2K said, "We are listening closely to the feedback that's been shared regarding WWE 2K20 and are aware of the concerns some players are reporting. We're working hard to investigate these concerns and address them as necessary. We expect to have an initial patch ready in the next two weeks, with others to follow. Stay tuned to WWEGames social media channels for more information."pic.twitter.com/DyuJzia6qq — #WWE2K20 (@WWEgames) October 25, 2019This response comes three days after the initial release of the annual game, and on launch day, #FixWWE2K20 was trending on Twitter, as players uploaded screenshots and videos of the glitches within the game.Aside from things like characters' hair wildly flying around the screen, Becky Lynch's face disappearing, and characters getting tangled up in the ropes, other issues players have come across include certain menus never getting past the loading screen--like for create-an-entrance--or the game crashing. Additionally, character models don't look as good as they did in previous incarnations of this series.While this is Visual Concept's first year working on the game solo--as Yukes wasn't involved--the studio had to recode much of the actual game, and it's pretty clear it wasn't polished before launch. This was also a problem GameSpot noticed during a press trip for WWE 2K20 a few weeks ago, as there were response issues with the gameplay.Additionally, the most fun part of the game, WWE Originals mode, wasn't available at launch and won't arrive until October 28. Hopefully, the patch coming within the next two weeks can fix a majority of the problems, as many consider the game, as is, to be unplayable.WWE 2K20 is available now on Xbox One, PC, and PS4.Info from Gamespot.com

Infinity Ward has rolled out a new update for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. This Day 1 update doesn't make any major changes to the game, but it does fix a few of the bugs in the game. The full patch notes are listed below.In GameSpot's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare review in progress, Kallie Plagge wrote, "The pitfalls of Spec Ops don't detract from what Modern Warfare does well. Realism mode is an excellent addition to the slate, and although not all the new multiplayer modes are great, Gunfight and the Night Vision playlist are refreshing standouts. And while the campaign ends up playing it safe in the end, it's still a memorable one, and it lays a strong foundation for where the Modern Warfare series could go from here."Call Of Duty October 25 Update Patch NotesBackend fixes to help prevent against crashing across all platforms--if you experience a crash, please let us knowFix for a bug where players could earn more points when shooting specific vehicles while having Pointman equippedImproved ADS while using weapons without scopes on XboxIn some instances, some players were not able to complete the Highway mission due to an exfil bugFix for the "Best of the Best" challenge not tracking progressFix for the "Elite Sniper" challenge not displaying the correct descriptionFix for various camos not unlocking during progressionFix for the unlock criteria for the "Double Cross" reticle not progressing past 4Fix for the description and requirements needed to unlock some optic scopes in GunsmithFix for an exploit in Gunsmith when using mouse and keyboardLater today, Ground War will be added to Modern Warfare's queue of multiplayer modes. Modern Warfare's largest multiplayer mode is currently unavailable--just like the game's NVG mode, which was removed at launch with an update that also implemented a few bug fixes. Currently, you can only queue into Quick Play, Gunfight, Cyber Attack, Realism, and Private Match.If you're worried about jumping into Modern Warfare, check out our essential beginner's tips. We also have a guide on all the returning characters, so you know what to possibly expect in future Call of Duty stories. Call of Duty News Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Review In Progress - Shock And Awe Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Beginner's Guide - Essential Tips To Help You Succeed Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Ground War Explainer - What's Different In The Biggest Multiplayer Mode All The Perks In Modern Warfare And How They Work Info from Gamespot.com

Just last week, Amazon slashed the price on some of 2019's biggest games in competition with a same-day pickup sale at Target. Now, the retail giant is back at it again, offering discount upon discount on some great games for PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. If you're an Amazon Prime member, all of these deals come with free one- or two-day shipping.Remedy's new supernatural thriller, Control, is back on sale for $33.74 on both PS4 and Xbox One. Borderlands 3 is also back down to $33.74 on both platforms, and its Super Deluxe Edition is available for $75, down from $100. NBA 2K20, which released in September, is already on sale for $30 on all consoles, including Switch. Meanwhile, some great games that have been out for a while are much cheaper, including Assassin's Creed Odyssey for only $15 on Xbox One, Mortal Kombat 11 for $28.87 on Xbox One, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice for $30 on both PS4 and Xbox One. A few Switch game deals are also worth noting, including Super Mario Maker 2 and Daemon x Machina for $49.94 each.See some of the best games on sale at Amazon below. Please note that for some of these, the full discount will appear during checkout. When you look at a product page on Amazon, you can see how much extra you'll save by looking underneath the price on the top right--there should be a sentence in green indicating the extra discount.Best game deals at AmazonAssassin's Creed Odyssey (Xbox One) -- $15*Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition (PS4, Switch) -- $41.88Borderlands 3 (PS4 and Xbox One) -- $33.74*Borderlands 3 Super Deluxe Edition (PS4, Xbox One) -- $75Control (PS4 and Xbox One) -- $33.74*Daemon x Machina (Switch) -- $49.94The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan (PS4 and Xbox One) -- $18.74*Devil May Cry 5 (PS4) -- $25The Division 2 (Xbox One) -- $20Hitman 2 (PS4) -- $17.24*Mortal Kombat 11 (Xbox One) -- $28.87*NBA 2K20 (PS4, Xbox One, and Switch) -- $30*Samurai Shodown (Xbox One) -- $30*Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (PS4 and Xbox One) -- $30*Skyrim VR (PSVR) -- $20Steins;Gate Elite (Switch) -- $37.94Super Mario Maker 2 (Switch) -- $49.94*full discount shown during checkoutInfo from Gamespot.com

Joker has been a smashing success at the box office so far, and the movie is on track to make nearly as much profit as Avengers: Endgame, believe it or not. As of this writing, the movie has made $747 million worldwide, and it will very soon pass up Deadpool and its sequel for highest grossing rated-R movie of all time.Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds sent out a preemptive congratulatory tweet with an edited Joker poster, in a way perfectly fitting for the comedic actor.R-Rated box office congratulatory posts aren’t like the ones you’re used to... pic.twitter.com/OTy2BqIP4f — Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) October 25, 2019According to Box Office Mojo, Joker still has $38 million to go, globally, before it officially passes the two Merc with a Mouth films, but that day will come sooner than you think, as people are still hitting the theaters to check out the movie. Joker Coverage Does Joker Have A Post-Credits Scene? Joker Movie: 17 Easter Eggs And References You Might Have Missed Joker Review: The Antihero Comic Book Movies Need Joker Spoiler Review & Breakdown Why Joker Feels Dangerous In GameSpot's review of Joker, Michael Rougeau said, "Joker succeeds, without equivocation, because it transforms the villain into the populist antihero we need him to be now. Joker wears its influences on its maroon sleeves, but it also carves its own gashes through the blood-soaked landscape of contemporary comic book movies, offering something that, despite teetering on the shoulders of 80 years of history, is wonderfully fresh, dangerously exciting, undeniably entertaining, and rock-solid in its artistry. It might make you uncomfortable, and it will no doubt stay with you long after the curtains close; great movies often do."Info from Gamespot.com

Little Town Hero, developed by Pokemon studio Game Freak, tries to do a lot with a little. Fast-traveling from the mines near its titular town to its main street, the two furthest points on the map, only saves you about a minute or so of travel time. But the game wants its small village to matter, as it spends several hours familiarizing you with the small area and its residents. Its gameplay works the same way, doing for card-battlers what Pokemon did for party-focused, turn-based RPGs: distilling it into something the average person can wrap their head around.And it works, sometimes. When you face down an imposing monster and cobble together a hard-earned win with all the tools at your disposal, it can make the equipment upgrading, crafting systems, and myriad currencies of other games feel like bloat. But more often, Little Town Hero doesn't leave the strict confines it creates for itself; instead, it plays things safe by constraining your options so things don't get too out of hand. While that occasionally produces some challenging moments, battles quickly begin to repeat themselves, making you wish you could see what its combat might be capable of if it weren't afraid to take more risks.The star of Little Town Hero's tiny village is Axe, a young troublemaker quickly thrust into defending his home from monsters after he acquires a red stone that gives him an edge against them in battle. Because the village is protected by a castle and surrounded by steep cliffs, no one knows where the monsters are coming from, so Axe and his friends begin tracking down their origins.The crux of Little Town Hero is its turn-based gameplay, which borrows elements from card games but throws in a couple of twists. Fights revolve around a small deck of cards, called Ideas. Cards can be red (which have high attack values and can damage the opponent directly), yellow (which can fight multiple times a turn as long as they have the health for it, but can't damage your opponent), or blue (which don't have attack or defense values but activate powerful effects). The goal in most fights is to break all three of your opponent's hearts by destroying all of their cards in a single turn by having them trade hits with yours, then attacking them directly.Unfortunately, this setup lacks key aspects of other card games. The most glaring omission is that you can't actually build a deck of your own; for most of the game, you're stuck with a deck that caps out at just 13 cards. You can't alter or customize which cards you bring to battle, so standard battles play out predictably; you look at the defense of your opponent's cards, match them with the cards that can break them, and see if your hand can break theirs. Some cards have special effects, but you won't see any outlandish gameplay mechanics; most effects either buff your current cards, deal damage, or add another card to your hand. Fights get boring quickly, especially after you upgrade your cards by working your way through the skill tree using the Eureka points earned from fights.You can also mitigate much of the luck that factors into most other card games, which makes it easier to get the cards you need but also drives home how simple the strategy behind each fight is. In order to survive longer fights, you need to recycle cards by either losing a heart or spending BP (a resource you build whenever you destroy all of your opponent's cards but don't have a card to break through and damage them directly). You can even swap out cards in your hand for those in your deck at the cost of BP.While this curbs the element of chance that can sometimes be aggravating in card games, it also emphasizes just how often you end up using the same strategies each fight. Already used the card you needed to pierce through a boss' defense to win the last round? No problem; with 3 BP, you can revive your entire deck and add that car right back into your hand. You end up sticking to one or two strategies and running them time and again because, again, your deck is made up of just 13 cards.Because of how small your deck is and how well you can mitigate the element of chance, decision-making is crucial, and I did have a few of the a-ha moments where I was backed into a corner but, through a series of smart decisions, came out on top. But those moments quickly give way to going on autopilot. There might be a few deviations based on whatever tricks your opponent pulls or which cards you draw in the first turn, but at some point, I was able to run my plan of making several of my defensive cards invincible, steamrolling whatever offense the boss had, and hitting them for obscene amounts of damage in a single turn.Boss fights are a little more exciting, since they introduce a couple of strategic layers. Instead of fighting in place, you take on monsters across a large swath of the village, mapped out like a small board, moving a random number of spaces each turn (though you can control where you move with certain cards). Most spaces on the board have a special effect when you land on them, granting access to an ally who can deal direct damage, allowing you to combine two cards into one, or letting you use certain cards to activate explosive barrels or cannons. Some villagers might even have suggestions, like punching a monster in the nose, that add new, one-use cards to your deck specific to that fight. Planning out where I'd travel across multiple turns depending on which cards I had that turn made from some well-timed plays that won me some fights.To counter these powerful bonuses, bosses offer up the kind of challenge the rest of the game lacks. Each boss has its own gimmick that nudges you toward different strategies; one boss might counterattack when you hurt it (encouraging you to find more indirect ways of wearing it down), or introduce cards that add a short timer to all of your moves until they're destroyed, forcing you to be quick and possibly screw up. For the first half of the game, I had a tough time against monsters, since it seemed like they always had the upper hand. As I upgraded my deck, that tide slowly shifted.This doesn't make later boss fights breezy--some of them are tough. But even here, because you don't have that many options to choose from, your path to victory doesn't feel personal or creative. It also doesn't help that during boss fights, both sides gain a protective shield that has to be whittled down before hearts will take damage, which makes boss fights take longer than regular fights--certain battles took the better part of an hour to get through. The combination of the gradually lowered difficulty and increased length of battles meant I knew I'd emerge victorious, but I dreaded the 15 to 20 turns it'd take to get there.Outside of battles, you can trek back and forth across the village to run errands for shopkeepers and complete side quests that earn you Eureka points. But the village itself isn't big enough to hold your attention for long; there are no other meaningful ways to engage with anyone outside of the couple of times they might ask you to get something for them, if at all. The only resource you have are Eureka points, so there are no minigames, equipment to buy, or anything else that might give combat more depth or provide an alternative from all the card-battling. The town only comes alive when monsters attack it.Little Town Hero finds some success in avoiding some of the complex systems and tedious menus that can bog down other card games and RPGs, but it ends up suffering for it.The story you unravel along the way and strings all the fights together is somewhat involved, but predictable and boring. Discovering the origin of all the monster attacks has a couple of twists, but mostly leads to a predictable story that moves at a crawl. Characters are largely forgettable, quickly fall into archetypes, and play out their roles without much room for nuance. A couple of later moments get some emotional weight thanks to a strong score from Undertale creator Toby Fox and longtime Pokemon composer Hitomi Sato, but characters are too shallow to hold up their end of the bargain, and the town doesn't have enough going on to make it worth exploring beyond where quests tell you to go.Little Town Hero finds some success in avoiding some of the complex systems and tedious menus that can bog down other card games and RPGs, but it ends up suffering for it. Keeping your card options limited allows you to approach encounters with clever instead of relying on luck of the draw, but the deck size is too limited to break the mounting doldrum of subsequent fights. And while I did get to know this town pretty well, that's because of how small and suffocating it feels as it refuses to push outside its own boundaries.Info from Gamespot.com

While war with the Whisperers continues to rage on in Season 10 of The Walking Dead, it's not the only animosity on display in the series. In an exclusive clip from Sunday's episode, titled "Silence the Whisperers," it's Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) taking the brunt of the aggression from the Alexandrians--specifically Daryl (Norman Reedus).A description of the episode reads, "Still paranoid Alexandrians get riled up over the Whisperers and take their fear out on Negan. Back at Hilltop, the group deals with an unexpected safety issue." What a difference a couple of seasons and some massive time jumps make in reshaping the show. While once upon a time, Negan was the man to be feared after he brutally killed Glenn (Steven Yeun) and Abraham (Michael Cudlitz), he's seemingly the victim of his fellow Alexandrians these days.In the clip above, Negan's close relationship with Lydia (Cassady McClincy) is shown and it's something Daryl is not happy about. It's not hard to blame him, though, given his personal history with Negan's old friend--the barbed wire back named Lucille that he used to smash in the heads of Daryl's fellow survivors."She's just trying to fit in," Negan said in the clip, explaining his talk with Lydia. Quickly, Daryl fired back, "Yeah, well, that ain't ever gonna happen if she hangs out with you, now it is?" Then, without a second thought, he stormed away.Clearly tensions are high in Alexandria where Negan's presence is concerned. It's enough to make you wonder whether he'll ever earn the trust of those he lives with--or even if he even deserves to.The next episode of The Walking Dead airs Sunday, October 27 at 9 PT ET on AMC.Info from Gamespot.com

With Halloween less than a week away, time is running out if you need to pick up a costume, but luckily, Nintendo has you covered! To celebrate the release of Luigi's Mansion 3, which will be out on Switch October 31, Nintendo has given us the best costume idea of all, and it's completely free: this printable mask featuring Luigi's green, gooey counterpart, Gooigi.With just a few items and three simple steps, you can transform into Gooigi, Luigi's clone, who returns in Luigi's Mansion 3 to help solve puzzles, fight ghosts, and navigate areas Luigi can't reach. All you need are some scissors, ribbon or string, and sturdy paper; tape, glue, and a hole punch may also be helpful. In just five minutes, you can don this mask and head out to the party...or wherever else you feel the need to go as Gooigi. What would Gooigi do? Follow your heart.If you feel like cosplaying as another video game character this Halloween but want something 10 times more disturbing, we also recommend this nightmarish Sonic mask that covers your entire head. It's $49, but it's worth every penny.Now that your Halloween costume for this year is covered, be sure to check out some of the other Halloween deals available now. The PlayStation Store's Halloween sale is live now with discounts on excellent horror games like Resident Evil 2 for $30, The Evil Within 2 for $19.79, and A Plague Tale: Innocence for $30. The Epic Games Store has Halloween PC deals on Control ($45) and The Walking Dead: Telltale Definitive Series ($35), and Fanatical's big Scream Sale also has some great PC horror games marked down, with code SCREAM666 giving you an additional 6.66% off on top of the existing discount. For fans of horror movies, this collectible 30-film collection of horror classics is over 50% off at Amazon, and you'll find Blu-rays for a great price at Best Buy, including Jordan Peele's Us in a 4K UHD steelbook edition.Info from Gamespot.com

Respawn has released a new update for Apex Legends that severely nerfs the Charge Rifle, the new firearm added to the battle royale at the start of Season 3: Meltdown. This patch follows on the heels of an October 17 update that also nerfed the Charge Rifle--though these latest adjustments lead to more significant changes.The most significant change in this latest patch is in regards to the Charge Rifle's attachments. You can now no longer equip extended energy magazines to the Charge Rifle. To balance this out a bit, the base magazine size of the Charge Rifle has been increased to 12, which was the size of the weapon's magazine with a level one energy extended magazine equipped. So the Charge Rifle will now be able to fire four shots per magazine (every shot uses three ammo).Heads up, Legends: This morning we deployed a small patch that implemented the following changes to the Charge Rifle: 🔸Can no longer equip extended energy magazines🔸Base magazine capacity is now 12 (4 shots)🔸Fire rate reduced🔸Damage falloff has been modified pic.twitter.com/L3lfdExBHo — Apex Legends (@PlayApex) October 25, 2019The Charge Rifle's fire rate has also been reduced. The laser itself still charges and fires at the same speed as before. However, you'll have to wait longer between each shot before you're able to fire again. Finally, the damage falloff for the Charge Rifle has also been modified. Though the weapon will continue to fire in a straight line without bullet drop, the Charge Rifle will do less damage on all targets that are 150+ meters away (it will only deal 90 damage) and even less on those 400+ meters away (it will only deal 30 damage).When combined with the slower fire rate and loss of extended magazine slot, this damage fallout nerf will make it significantly harder to kill a far-off target that has a rare (blue) or higher-tiered body armor and helmet equipped. Despite being a sniper, these changes will likely encourage players to use the weapon more often as a mid-range option.The Charge Rifle wasn't the only new content drop for Apex Legends' third season though. The battle royale also got a new map, World's Edge, and playable character, Crypto. Apex Legends is currently in the midst of its Halloween-themed Fight or Fright event, which adds a limited-time zombie mode called Shadowfall to the game and teases a new playable Legend. Also, until 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST on October 28, you earn double XP for both account level and battle pass progression for placing in the top 5 or winning a match. Apex Legends News New Apex Legends Update Patches Charge Rifle Apex Legends Halloween Skins And Cosmetics: All Legendary Fight Or Fright Items Apex Legends Vaults Are Now Open; Here's What's Inside And How To Unlock Them Apex Legends Crypto Guide: Tips For Season 3's New Character Info from Gamespot.com

For an agent of the death, Felix is an oddly loveable goofball. He doesn’t wear a pitch-black cloak or brandish an ominous scythe, but his job is pretty much what you think it is. He inserts himself into everyday life, manipulating events from the shadows to execute a well-orchestrated plan of death. It’s grim work, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have fun while doing it. Felix cannot contain his love of music, treating each level as a dance floor as he shuffles, twirls and wobbles through them. Felix is charming, but that energy doesn’t translate over to the puzzles you have to solve.As an employee of the Ministry of Death, your job as Felix is to set up the deaths of mortals on earth. These are multi-staged tasks, taking place over numerous levels contained in themed chapters that span various time periods. The first, taking place in a long-forgotten ice age, has you setting up the comedic death of a nomadic hunter by dropping a moose head on him and attracting the attention of his companion nearby, who doesn't hesitate to use a spear on his mistaken prey. Each death in Felix the Reaper hits an entertaining punchline, letting you witness all of your previous efforts unfold in a satisfying way. Just like the board game Mouse Trap, it's fun to see each individual piece of each puzzle link up, but it’s an absolute chore getting to that point.Felix can only move around in shadows, so you primarily reposition objects to cast their shadows along paths you plan to take. You can shift the direction of the sun by 90 degrees at a time, too, bathing new areas in dangerous sunlight and opening up new paths for you to safely walk through. Most puzzles work this way, with you moving a specific object from one side of the level to the other and using an assortment of other objects to construct your path. It rarely deviates from this. Felix the Reaper shows its entire hand within the first handful of levels and never evolves further.The formula grows tedious rather quickly. Getting to the end of a level isn’t rewarding but a relief as you look back at all the steps you had to take to get there. Felix the Reaper makes it clear that all of its puzzles can be solved in just a handful of moves (which you’ll need to do on subsequent replays if you want to unlock some bonus stages), but it dangles this fact in front of you like a cheeky taunt when you’ve spent the better half of an hour undoing mistakes move by move before you finally find the right combination of steps to succeed.The culprit here is the inflexibility of the puzzles, which require extremely specific movements to solve. Sometimes this boils down to shifting an object one block at a time to carry a shadow with you as you go, which is bogged down by the same animations to pick up and place items. When you make a mistake it’s not immediately clear that you have, and when you eventually succumb to asking for a hint you’ll likely have to backtrack through your last few moves to reset your position and work towards the solution. Even with hints of where to place an item, there's no help in getting you there. And since there are specific steps you have to take, it can take a frustrating number of attempts to just set down one piece of a larger puzzle.Control issues don’t make this any easier. Playing on a Nintendo Switch, I struggled to get comfortable with the camera controls, which would sometimes result in me losing my tiny mouse-like cursor from view entirely. There’s a button to re-center the cursor in the middle of the screen, thankfully, but it occurred far too frequently for me to ever feel confident in making quick moves, another requirement if you want to complete levels fast enough.It’s a pity that actually solving Felix the Reaper’s puzzles is so unrewarding when it has so much character lovingly imbued into its presentation. Felix is never idle in a stage, always breaking out a dance move to the pulsating beats reverberating through his headphones. His ultimate goal is to eventually bump into the love of his life while out doing his job--she's a lingerie-clad agent of the Ministry of Life seeking to undo the very actions Felix is undertaking. It’s a strange but comical narrative layer that doesn’t serve much else beyond giving you a reason to hop from one chapter to the next, but it’s a setup that's so absurd that you can’t help but find it somewhat endearing.Visually, Felix the Reaper is unique, too. The humans you eventually lead to their deaths are made up of strange shapes and sizes, with ghoulish scribbles for faces that emote in uncomfortable ways. It's not beautiful, per se, but it does establish a look and feel for the game that really makes it stand out. Felix’s marshmallow-like form complements his energetic dance moves well, animating with a kinetic motion that doesn’t wear over time. He reminds me a lot of Baymax from Big Hero 6 in this regard--he's fun to just watch in motion, and I desperately wanted to give him a hug when he was sad.But there’s no amount of visual charm or dark humor in its violent deaths that make the effort of sticking with Felix the Reaper worth it. It’s a thoroughly enticing setting and premise that is misguided by puzzle mechanics that aren’t that aren't fun to play around with, and then fail to meaningfully build on their foundations in any way after that. Felix the Reaper might be able to drown out his surroundings with music, but that doesn't make his job any less mundane to perform.Info from Gamespot.com

The Modern Warfare series has always been about the messiness of modern war--the fundamentally different rules of engagement that come with a battle that has no set battlefield. When the fight could be anywhere at any time, where do you draw the line between doing what's right and doing what has to be done?Throughout Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's campaign, that line is chemical weapons. It's a safe line to draw; people are largely in agreement that chemical weapons are beyond horrific. But there are other horrors of war, some of which Modern Warfare depicts, starkly, in strong but uncomfortable missions. Just when it could really make a point about any other aspect of modern war, it pulls back. Modern Warfare makes old observations and presents them with new flourishes. Those new flourishes do make for a good campaign and solid multiplayer. But it's when Modern Warfare asks you to think harder that it falls short.CampaignIn one of the game's most distressing levels, you play Farah, a young girl in a fictional war-torn Middle Eastern country as she hides from both a Russian terrorist and the deadly gas his cohorts have unleashed on her town. To escape, you have to kill a man twice your size with his own gun. It's a deeply uncomfortable experience. But the flashback serves to illustrate why Farah, now the leader of a group of freedom fighters, refuses to use chemical weapons or associate with anyone who does. It is a hard line she won't cross, even though she's had to face a lot of ugliness in the course of defending her country.In many ways, Farah is Modern Warfare's moral compass. There are a few key players in Modern Warfare's proxy war, and everyone you play as--Sgt. Kyle Garrick from the UK, rogue American soldier Alex "Echo 3-1," and sometimes Farah herself--abides by her one rule. Outside of that, though, the rules are much murkier. In getting pulled into a war between the Russian terrorists, a separatist group from Farah's country, and the freedom fighters, US and UK military personnel disagree on how best to proceed with the situation--matters of disobeying orders, sacrificing some lives to save others, taking civilian hostages, and even torture. And on these matters, the moral compass is Captain Price.A returning face from the original Modern Warfare and undeniably a problematic fave, Captain Price is the seasoned badass who takes the lead in most Garrick missions. Early levels with Price are among the best. As a rash and impatient Garrick, you follow Price's directions in order to save as many people as possible from terrorists--though more than once that means watching as innocent people die while you wait to make the best possible move.These missions range from large-scale, high-octane firefights to a carefully planned raid on a terrorist hideout with less than a dozen enemies total. You direct a woman through an embassy under siege using security cameras to make sure her path is clear. You quietly search a compound for an enemy using night vision goggles as Price watches overhead, shooting out lights to keep you hidden. Price guides you through the different approaches you need for each mission, and his mentorship--both in the mechanical skills you need to be successful and the hard choices you have to make along the way--makes these missions memorable.While Alex's missions don't stick out quite as much in a gameplay sense, he gets a sniping level reminiscent of the original Modern Warfare's "All Ghillied Up"--though with more enemies--and otherwise a few cool gadgets. His dynamic with Farah is strong, though. He follows Farah's lead on her turf and on her terms because he believes in the cause, and they share mutual respect.It's disappointing, though, that Farah doesn't play more of a role. While she is a key part of Alex's missions and the driving force behind much of the story, you only play as her a few times. On top of the childhood flashback, there is an even more disturbing flashback later on in which you see the full extent of Farah's resolve. Experiencing her suffering this way borders on unnecessary, as it's already established in Alex's missions that she's a respected leader and a strong-willed person in general. While I liked Alex, I would have rather just played as Farah in those missions than get to know her character largely through her trauma.I already liked and respected Farah without that context, and despite some questionable decisions, I liked each of the main characters and their small but crucial differences in working toward the same goals. Farah and Alex are principled, whereas Garrick and Price are results-driven. Alex goes so far as to disobey orders in favor of doing what's right, and when he's told that would be illegal, he responds, "I'm pretty sure everything we do is illegal." To Alex, it's a criticism; to Price and Garrick, it's an excuse.That tension builds up over the course of the campaign, and because the characters are likable, it's easy to at least consider each one's view of what's right. But in the end, all you get is a vague "we all did what we had to do" sentiment rather than anything more substantial or interesting. Quite a bit of what you had to do--as Garrick, as Alex, and as Farah--was unpleasant or distressing, but the questions raised by your actions aren't interrogated further, especially the questionable side of Price's approach. Modern Warfare's ending isn't bad, but it is a safe one, leaving you to think on the harder questions yourself.If anything, Modern Warfare lets Farah down with the bizarre and much-discussed inclusion of white phosphorus as a killstreak in multiplayer. Given how strong the campaign's emphasis is on chemical weapons being a reprehensible war crime, it's tone-deaf to include one in multiplayer, even though one could argue--much like Alex does--that pretty much all of it is illegal at the end of the day.MultiplayerOutside of any thematic contradictions, Modern Warfare's multiplayer is up to par, with a variety of game types for different kinds of players. Across all the modes, maps move away from the obvious three-lane structure in favor of nooks, crannies, and tons of cover; there's generally a balance of close-quarters and long-range approaches. The standard, highly customizable toolkit for your chosen loadouts returns, with a good selection of perks to suit different game types and playstyles. Modern Warfare largely stays within the strong foundations of Call of Duty multiplayer without pushing them much, with the exception of the excellent Realism mode.Undeniably the highlight of Modern Warfare's multiplayer, Realism mode is somewhere between the familiar Core and Hardcore modes, bridging the gulf between them. Oddly enough, in a mode called "Realism," you can take more damage than in Hardcore, and your health regenerates like it does in Core. But Realism removes the HUD entirely, going beyond Hardcore to strip out the kill feed on top of everything else. In order to confirm a kill, you have to listen for the sound effect that plays upon death, and you also have to listen for NPCs over the comms alerting you to available killstreaks and enemy intel. It's a fantastic balance for those who want more of a chance to survive a scrap, rather than dying in one or two shots like in Hardcore, but with the rest of the challenge intact. It's a smart, satisfying evolution, and as a stubborn Hardcore-only player, it's one I could see myself playing exclusively going forward.While none of the new game types are earth-shattering, some are better additions than others. TDM 20, a 10v10 version of the classic 6v6 Team Deathmatch mode, is the least inventive or warranted of them, instead functioning as a more bloated version of regular TDM with bigger maps that can make getting back into the action an overly long process. One of the two maps I've tried, Euphrates Bridge, also suffers from balance problems on top of that; of the two spawns, one is much closer to the bridge dividing the map, and the closer side was almost guaranteed victory in every match I played. My team once managed to flip the spawn mid-match after struggling against snipers on the bridge for a while, and from there we were able to gain the lead relatively easily.Gunfight is the antithesis of TDM 20. It's a one-life, 2v2 mode in which your loadout rotates each round, and the goal is to kill your two opponents with the means available to you before they get you first. Gunfight features small maps with two main routes on each, and quick coordination with your partner--a "you go left, I'll go right" at the beginning, plus callouts over voice chat if things go haywire--can make or break the fight. With a relatively level playing field, battles are often exhilaratingly close, and it's hard to get discouraged by a loss since rounds go by so quickly. There's also a version where you start without any weapons and have to find a gun in the map, which is a fun scramble before the frenzy of Gunfight itself. Either way, the more arcadey bent to Gunfight keeps things light and makes both versions a great addition to the multiplayer suite, if not a huge draw.Ground War is somewhere in the middle. Maps are sprawling, with five control points to capture and one safe zone for each team on either end. Unlike in TDM 20, you can pretty easily get back to the fight after dying by respawning at any capture point your team owns, or on vehicles or your teammates (provided they're not actively in a fight). Having objective points is also helpful for keeping such a large game type--it supports 64 players currently--more structured than the free-for-all of TDM. That said, matches can drag on a bit too long, as there isn't anything to break up the constant tug-of-war for capture points.There's also a night vision mode, NVG, for a different take on the same maps, and by its nature it makes things a bit more tense. It pretty much plays the same as the other game types, but you don't aim down sights in night vision--you have a laser, and that laser is easy to spot. You have to be extra cautious when lining up your shots, paying close attention to sightlines and who might see where your beam is coming from. Like in the campaign, the threatening glow of these beams cutting through the darkness looks excellent, and the slight change of pace NVG affords is enough to keep it interesting and distinct from the daytime modes. Editor's note: As of October 24, Infinity Ward has removed NVG maps from the rotation and has said it will add them in at a later time. Stay tuned for updates.Spec OpsAs of this writing, Spec Ops is the mode I've had the least experience with, though it's not one I particularly want to play much more of. On paper, it's a co-op mode where you and a team complete a set of objectives and are rewarded with some story. You can choose one of several roles at the onset, each with its own ultimate ability--there's a medic, for instance, that can revive fallen teammates--and as a group, you have to work together to overcome enemies while gaining intel, heading to specific objective points, and so on.In practice, my team of four could barely complete a handful of the objectives on both of the missions we attempted. This was largely due to frustrating enemy spawning--enemies seem to generate endlessly from all directions, and it's all too easy to get overwhelmed by them. To add insult to injury, there are also no clear waves. It's just enemies, from everywhere, at all times. After struggling to fight them off, reviving each other was we each inevitably died, we would end up running out of ammo and dying for good.We tried a few different approaches on each of the two missions to try to figure it out. Splitting up was a disaster; stealth seemed to have no impact whatsoever on the number of enemies; different loadouts with PvE-friendly perks helped marginally. No matter what we did, it didn't help our understanding of the mode itself. It's just frustratingly, inexplicably hard. That said, I will be trying it again in the coming days to see if there was anything we were missing, and I also have to play the PS4-exclusive Survival mode as well as Spec Ops' Classic mode.But the pitfalls of Spec Ops don't detract from what Modern Warfare does well. Realism mode is an excellent addition to the slate, and although not all the new multiplayer modes are great, Gunfight and the Night Vision playlist are refreshing standouts. And while the campaign ends up playing it safe in the end, it's still a memorable one, and it lays a strong foundation for where the Modern Warfare series could go from here.Editor's note: This review, including the score, will be finalized once we've tested multiplayer on live servers and played more Spec Ops. Info from Gamespot.com