The Outer Worlds, Obsidian's new expansive space-faring RPG, has been out less than a week, but it's already attracting speedruns. While most players will take over a dozen hours to finish the game for the first time, one enterprising speedrunner has gotten their completion time down to well under half an hour.It's Jabo managed a run that clocked in at 30:54 earlier this week, before refining his run down to a 24:21 completion time today. In the video below, It's Jabo speeds through the game as fast as possible, skipping whole chunks of the game and intentionally getting a terrible ending in his quest to complete The Outer Worlds as fast as possible.The run involves setting his character's skill levels very deliberately--it's important to play as a character with zero intelligence to trigger the ending he gets."All in all, a pretty good run, sub 25 has been crushed, now on to sub 24/23 :)," the description under the video reads.In GameSpot's review of The Outer Worlds, Edmond Tran praised the game for its depth and quality. "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."If you haven't jumped in yet, expect The Outer Worlds to last you longer than half an hour. Here are our tips for getting started, and a guide to the different difficulty levels.Info from Gamespot.com

You stand in a room and the floor is the ceiling, or maybe it's the other way around? No, everything is the floor and you're falling through infinity. Welcome to the Manifold Garden, a game where you need to prepare to have your mind warped by the beauty of repetition and some seriously impressive puzzles. It is an Escher-inspired fever dream of a game--you have the ability to allocate gravity to any side of an environment at any time, and it's surprising just how many different puzzles the game manages to pull from this concept, with new elements gradually being introduced at just the right pace to grant further complexity without being completely daunting.To start, there are colour-coded cubes which need to be placed on switches to open doors or other mechanisms. It doesn't take long to discover these colours are also relevant to their own personal gravity and as such, cubes can only be moved when the world is in that orientation. Add stairs going in different directions, switch combinations, and staggered environments, and even these relatively basic puzzles take some mind-bending to get accustomed to, which makes for further payoff when solutions come. It takes a while to adjust to the changes in orientation, so for the first few hours, I often found myself getting lost and even feeling a little nauseous and headachy (though it's worth noting that there are settings to adjust field-of-view, which helps). I found that the more I came to understand the concepts, the less this happened, as my mind stopped fighting what it was seeing. Towards the end of the game, I could rapidly make these changes; I could almost hear the click in my brain when everything started to become intuitive and second nature. Things that weren’t immediately obvious, like understanding that the gravity of one block can be used to stop another from falling in order to trigger a seemingly impossible switch, went from edge-of-the-brain concepts to be instinctual.There was one particularly devilish puzzle where I had to use several different cubes to hold a single, vital cube in place. It had to be done in a specific way and sequence to take advantage of their individual gravities. When I first approached this problem, it hadn’t previously occurred to me that this was even possible, and I was left stumped for ages. The payoff for working it out, however, was not only immensely satisfying but helped open my mind for further puzzles. I began using cubes to hold various things in place, and even as steps for myself (even when it was unnecessary to solve an actual puzzle). It’s in these moments where I felt like my power in this ever-changing space was growing, where the game made me feel like a master of my own domain.The aesthetics of Manifold Garden are confrontingly beautiful, in that they are both stark and complex. The music is minimal, though it builds in peak moments with intense synths which seem to mirror the environment. There are practically no textures to speak of and almost everything is made of simple polygons; the environments are littered with stairs which seemingly go in every direction, whether or not you know that's what they are at the time. Some of the environments are simple, like a beautiful block tree with running water displays in a sort of Japanese garden aesthetic. Others are incredibly complex with moving parts in multiple directions. When looked at up close, it can appear dull and barren, but a step back will often reveal the psychedelic beauty in greater patterns. The physical stages themselves actually repeat endlessly into the void of the world, and this is more than just an aesthetic choice--it allows you to fall off a ledge forever and then land back on otherwise unreachable areas, creating another obtuse mechanic that comes into play during later puzzles. In every way, Manifold Garden's world challenges you to think differently while maintaining that you're always safe--there isn't death or fall damage of any kind. This allows you to explore without fear, while also taking the time to internalise the game's logic.As you progress through the increasingly layered architectural stages, you'll find little-to-no hand-holding and for the most part, this is fantastic. There's just enough direction that you get the satisfying sensation of working things out yourself, which comes with a deep feeling of accomplishment. Even as new, unexpected elements are added, they're grounded with enough familiar imagery that you can eventually decipher new solutions with minimal prompting. For example, cube trees grow cube fruits, which can be planted in special areas and given water to provide new trees and more fruit; water can move a turbine to provide the power that opens a door, allowing you to move forward. I was stumped multiple times throughout my playthrough, but it was never due to an obtuse new mechanic being added. Instead, the puzzles are all legitimately clever and tricky, which required me to look at them from literally all angles in order to work out a solution.There's also an incredible density of puzzles. Sometimes, even traversing from one room to the next provides you with a new obstacle to reconcile your way around. Very rarely did I feel like Manifold Garden provided much reprieve. Instead, it keeps your mind constantly thinking, always looking for new angles, and firmly on the tips of your toes. But, there's also no pressure--no enemies, no time limits--and this makes Manifold Garden feel like an intensely cerebral experience from start to finish. There was one puzzle in Manifold Garden that was so tricky I couldn't solve it myself--and I later discovered it was only because I'd missed something from an area I thought was finished. The game doesn't always do enough to provide you with clues to solve its problems--in this one occasion, I wasted possibly over an hour trying to find a solution where there was none. There were a few other moments where I felt that a little more direction would have been welcome, or where I solved a puzzle on accident and missed an important lesson as a result. However, being forced to work out every other problem in the game for myself was so gratifying that in the end, I felt like it was worth the hours lost to obscurity.As I stood in the impossible world of the Manifold Garden, I felt tested and worthy. Its puzzles are incredibly satisfying and offer a very clever blend of step-by-step knowledge-building with increasingly challenging solutions. The environments are awe-inspiring in their endless repetition, but repetition isn't a trait reflected in the game's challenges. There is always something new, or a new way to look at something old, as you traverse through the infinite horizon. Manifold Garden is a feast for the eyes and the mind, so long as you can wrap both around what it has to offer.Info from Gamespot.com

Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz HD is, incredibly, the first Super Monkey Ball game to use a full-size analog stick since the GameCube era. The 3DS and Vita games in the series were beholden to smaller, less precise sticks, but playing with a DualShock 4 is like a homecoming. The original Super Monkey Ball felt designed to take advantage of the precision and range of motion, which the Gamecube controller offered, but only now has the series returned to the purity of the original game's design.Because of this, the opening moments of Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz HD, a remake of a Wii launch title with the motion controls ripped out, are lovely. Guiding your monkey through those first few goals is immediately familiar if you've played either of the series' GameCube outings, but even if you're not, there's an inherent pleasure to the precision of the controls here. By tilting the stick you shift the level itself, rather than controlling the ball directly, and having analog control allows for a greater level of finesse than has been possible for a long time--at least at first. At its best, Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz HD feels like the series' latest love letter to the analog stick--you need to be sensitive and subtle with your movements, and being able to make tiny adjustments on the move is satisfying on a level that you might not expect from a game about rolling monkeys around in balls.Unfortunately, Banana Blitz HD retains some of the original Wii game's problems--terrible boss fights, unimaginative level designs, the questionable addition of a jump button--and adds in a few of its own. It makes for a Monkey Ball game that shows the promise of the series, and reminds you of just how much control an analog stick can give you, but fails to live up to it.Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz HD gives you 100 levels to roll your monkey through--the same 100 featured in the original, updated with a half-hearted graphical upgrade that still makes the game look a little dated. After choosing your preferred primate (each of which have different stats that impact how fast they go and how high they can jump), you're tasked with tackling all 10 worlds, made up of 10 levels each, in order. In each level, you need to roll and jump your way through a treacherous stage to the goal at the end without falling off the edge, and the first 60 or so are easy. This was a game originally designed with motion controls in mind, and it's clear, playing with an analog stick, where concessions were made.The extra precision afforded in this version makes the game more enjoyable to control, but it also means that I was able to blaze through these stages quickly. Super Monkey Ball was a series praised for its challenge back in the day, and it's hard not to feel disappointed at how easily you can rush through so much of it. There are worse things for a game to be than easy, of course, and I still had some fun with a few of the more imaginative levels, but there's little incentive to go back and try to collect more of the bananas scattered around each level or record a better time. The time trial leaderboards are bizarrely split so that you can't simply go back and record your best time on a single world except for the first, so there's little reason to really become an expert.But then, for a brief, shining run--around the game's sixth 10-level world--Banana Blitz HD's difficulty curve hits a sweet spot. It's trickier without being obscene or seeming unfair, and the level designs start to get more inventive. You find yourself navigating your monkey through huge rolling wheels, up towers, through moderate maze-like levels, and across other stages that feel like they have a clear sense of purpose and design. The best levels in the series are literal and metaphorical balancing acts--you need to be very careful with your movements, and the level needs to be designed so that you'll keep playing, believing that you can right your own mistakes. Banana Blitz briefly hits that balance and feels like a proper classic Monkey Ball experience, one that pushes your skills and patience but rewards your efforts with the satisfaction of having mastered a difficult task. Unfortunately, the fun doesn't last.Changes made for this version, and the ease of breezing through the less challenging levels, result in a severe difficulty spike in the game's final third. In the original Wii release, several levels featured parallel rails that you could slot your monkey into and roll along. This meant that while you had to make subtle movements and adjustments to ensure that you didn't fall off, there was some protection from plummeting. This design helped to compensate for the added difficulty of motion controls; the HD version replaces these rails with thin beams to roll across, which beefs up the challenge dramatically.There were a few stages that stopped me dead in my tracks and forced me to retry repeatedly, and it was often levels that had been redesigned since the original Wii release. While I prefer stick controls to motion controls for this series, the fact that these levels were originally meant to be played with motion controls in mind makes for a less satisfying experience--the Wii version had a more refined difficulty curve. Early on the game doesn't beef up its challenges enough for the change in controls, whereas later it feels like it has overcorrected, and it also means that the difficulty can fluctuate--some later levels still feel very simple and a lot easier with stick controls. In other instances, levels simply feel like they lack finesse in their design or clear lines through them, especially the ones where making jumps is a necessity.It also becomes clear in the later levels just how much of a burden the jump button is. In the Wii version you could control the camera with the Wii Nunchuk stick, since you weren't using it to steer; this option has been excised from the HD release. Jumping in a 3D space without total camera control leads to headaches, especially since you're not actually controlling the monkey, but rather the level below them. Jumping feels like an imprecise act in a game that is all about the pleasures of precise movement, and it makes the game far more frustrating than other, comparably difficult entries in the series.Every 10 levels you hit a boss fight, which feel uniformly out of place. Boss fights usually take place in small arenas and pit your monkey against an enemy with a glaring weak spot that you need to jump into. The difficulty curve is, again, way off here; the second boss is much more difficult than most that follow, as it fires rockets that you must hop on top of to redirect, which is an extremely fiddly process. Tellingly, the best boss fight plays like a standard level with a "weak point" at the end of it instead of a goal; otherwise, these fights feel completely at odds with what Monkey Ball is all about.The multiplayer mini-games have been cut back, too. Part of the Wii version's appeal was that the 50 mini-games included showed off the many things the Wii remote was capable of. Banana Blitz HD trims the collection down to 10 games that are all mapped to a controller, and they range from okay to atrocious. The best ones are Dangerous Route (an okay three-level top-down reinterpretation of the series' standard rolling gameplay) and Monkey Target, a hang-gliding game that tasks you with landing on a distant target (which was perfected in the original GameCube Super Monkey Ball and is greatly simplified here, but still enjoyable). None of them are particularly deep, and much of the control mapping from a Wii remote to a controller is terrible. You can compete in the single-player 'Decathlon' mode, which strings all ten games together and lets you place on an online leaderboard, but personally, I never want to play the awful Hovercraft Race or Whack-A-Mole events--both of which control horribly--again.It's lovely to have Super Monkey Ball back, but Banana Blitz HD is not a good showcase of what made the series work. It's a remake of a game that was originally designed for a very different, specific purpose and control scheme, and the efforts made to update it for 2019 have made for a lesser game. It's a shame, because a glimmer of what made the series great remains, and it's enough to make us hope that someday we get a new entry that properly returns the series to its roots.Info from Gamespot.com

WWE 2K20 feels like a transitional entry in 2K's pro wrestling series. With longtime developer Yukes splitting from 2K in August this year, Visual Concepts took over sole development of the series after the two developers previously worked on the games together. The end result is a buggy mess of a game that takes several Big Show-sized steps backwards from its predecessor. It doesn't just lower the bar, it breaks it.The problems begin with the sheer abundance of bugs and glitches found in almost every match and menu screen in 2K20--it borders on the absurd. I've seen superstars teleport across the ring and float in midair. Oftentimes objects will violently vibrate on the spot or sink into the floor. Characters have a tendency to get trapped inside the ropes, whereby their bodies will stretch and contort in ways the human body isn't supposed to. Sometimes wrestlers are invisible in cutscenes or duplicated in matches. Other times they'll completely stop moving, forcing you to restart the match over again. If you put a custom logo on your created wrestler, the game will crash whenever you try to start the MyCareer mode--this is something I frequently experienced and also has been widely reported as an issue. It will also crash if you try to create an arena, or during loading screens for no reason at all. Commentary will suddenly become fixated on talking about attacks to the core, even if you're hitting your opponent in the head, while every online match begins with around a minute of lag that's so bad the in-ring action resembles a slideshow.Not all of these issues are entirely new considering the series has been riddled with glitches for a number of years now. But their pervasiveness is much more frequent in 2K20, with some kind of bug appearing in near enough every match if you're unlucky enough. Obviously, your mileage will vary when it comes to technical issues like this, but with the plethora of glitches lurking in every nook and cranny of 2K20, it's a matter of when you'll be afflicted and not if. Some of these glitches are hilarious, there's no denying that, but it doesn't take long before they lose their charm--even if they do add a goofy element of entertainment to matches that are painfully dull otherwise.This is because the actual wrestling in 2K20 is significantly worse than it has been in previous years. The only new addition to gameplay is a reworking of the controls that makes it slightly less cumbersome to perform certain actions. Beyond this, the in-ring action is still overly-reliant on a binary reversal system and plodding combat. It's an acquired taste, for sure, and it's been solid enough in the past, but 2K20 undoes all of that goodwill by removing any semblance of the series' previous competence. Targeting and hitboxes are frequently terrible, resulting in numerous whiffs between both yourself and the AI, particularly when weapons are involved. The controls are unresponsive a lot of the time, and sometimes the reversal prompt will just refuse to appear. The AI will also occasionally forget it's in a wrestling match and stand still for 10 seconds at a time, or it will continuously run into things and wind up jogging on the spot until you bother to interrupt it. Some of the animations look good, but they're mostly stitched together with missing frames that just make everything feel slightly off. There's no real flow to the combat either, or any sense of hair-raising momentum. Matches are lifeless affairs that lack any sort of excitement, falling into the category of being either mind-numbingly boring or incredibly frustrating.In terms of game modes, this year's MyCareer puts you in the laced-up wrestling boots of platonic best friends Tre and Red. The story begins with the pair reminiscing about their wrestling careers before they're inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, charting a course from high school to the main event of WrestleMania 2029 as they try to complete a literal to-do list of WWE dreams. The writing in MyCareer falls into a lot of the same pitfalls as modern WWE shows, presenting smug, unlikeable babyfaces that continually make poor decisions and lack any sort of depth or character development. Red is the angry hothead with lines like "I'm going to give your grandmother bed sores!", while Tre is an idiot who turns everything he says into a painful joke. Wrestling is inherently corny, but the writing in 2K20 is often insufferable, and its protagonists are impossible to care about.The writing in MyCareer falls into a lot of the same pitfalls as modern WWE, presenting smug, unlikeable babyfaces that continually make poor decisions and lack any sort of depth or character developmentMyCareer is at its best when you're interacting with current WWE superstars. Samoa Joe turns in an excellent performance as one of Tre's main rivals, and there's a delightful scene with Broken Matt Hardy when you're on a journey into the underworld to find the Undertaker. While the characters we see on TV each week are confined to the realms of reality, the writers on 2K20 are able to indulge in otherworldly fantasy elements and play around with the WWE's more eccentric personas. These moments are few and far between, though, and it takes far too long before you eventually reach the WWE. The first few hours of MyCareer are spent fighting on the indies in meaningless matches where the focus is entirely on Tre and Red and the inconsequential secrets they're hiding from each other, while the final act centers on Red's boring rivalry with her old school bully. The story's overlong and just drags for the vast majority of its runtime, making it a chore to play through.Character progression is another sticking point in MyCareer, both in regards to customizing your characters and leveling them up. Almost every item included in 2K20's substantial creation suite--including hairstyles, attires, moves, taunts, and so on--is locked. The only way to gain access to all of this content is by praying to the RNG gods that you get what you want in loot boxes, or by buying each item outright for a considerable portion of your in-game currency. Thankfully, there's no real money involved, but structuring unlocks in this way is still a needless hassle that arbitrarily restricts your ability to create the kind of character you want to create--which is only exacerbated now that you have two characters to customize.Leveling up each character isn't much better, either. At the outset you're asked to choose from a number of wrestling archetypes, such as luchador and technician, before gaining access to a mammoth skill tree. The problem with this is that the vast majority of said skill tree is hidden until you unlock an adjacent hex, making it impossible to plan out your character's build beyond the next few upgrades. Admittedly, this would be more annoying if improving your characters wasn't as unsatisfying as it is. The attributes you unlock provide such minuscule increases in your skills that they're almost imperceptible once you're out in the ring, to the point where I would go hours without bothering to level anyone up.The other significant mode in 2K20 is Showcase Mode, which focuses on the Four Horsewomen of the WWE: Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, and Bayley. It explores how the four superstars ushered in WWE's women's revolution, focusing on the most important matches of their careers thus far, from the tremendous fatal-fourway between the four competitors at NXT Takeover: Rival, Sasha, and Bayley's redefining match at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, and culminating with the main event of this year's WrestleMania between Becky, Charlotte, and Ronda Rousey. The video packages before each match are enjoyable if you have a fondness for these characters and those early days of NXT, even if the video quality is abysmal. But the matches themselves run into the same problems as the Showcase Modes of the past. During each match you're tasked with completing myriad objectives in order to recreate what actually happened to a certain degree. This results in some matches lasting upwards of half an hour, and with no mid-mission checkpoints, losing a match either because you were pinned, the AI was pinned, or because one of the glitches caused the game to break, is incredibly disheartening.WWE 2K's annual release schedule has felt superfluous for a number of years now. This has never been more apparent than with WWE 2K20, a game that's not only riddled with frequent technical issues, but one that's notably worse than its predecessor in almost every area--whether it's the dull and unenjoyable combat, the fact half the roster look like terrifying goblin facsimiles of themselves, or MyCareer's obnoxious and tedious story. This is the moment the WWE 2K series hit Rock Bottom. Info from Gamespot.com

Microsoft's Xbox All Access program is returning this holiday season, and new subscribers will eventually have a chance to upgrade to Project Scarlett. The new version of Xbox All Access includes an Xbox and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which bundles Xbox Live Gold and the awesome Game Pass library. Subscribers will pay off the console and subscription across 24 months.Xbox All Access: Three plansIn the US, shoppers will have three different bundles to choose from starting November 18. On the premium end, the Xbox One X bundle will set you back $31/month. However, a new limited-time offer will allow you to upgrade to Project Scarlett after 12 months, which means you can start playing the next Xbox near or at launch. You must purchase this plan before December 31 to be eligible for the Project Scarlett upgrade. When upgrading, you'll have to re-up your 24-month subscription.The 12-month upgrade offer is exclusive to the Xbox One X, but Xbox All Access is also available for the lower-end Xbox consoles. The Xbox One S All-Digital Edition is available for $20/month. Step it up to the standard Xbox One S and you'll pay $23/month. After 18 months with either of these two plans, you will be able to upgrade to Project Scarlett. Once again, you'll have to purchase a new 24-month plan when upgrading. Additionally, Xbox One S All-Digital Edition subscribers will have to pay a $20 upgrade fee to offset the difference in cost between the two consoles.If you want to upgrade to Project Scarlett, you must do so through the retailer you purchased the plan from. Currently, Amazon is the only retailer where you can sign up for the Xbox All Access plan.See Xbox All Access at AmazonUK customers can sign up for Xbox All Access starting November 5 at Smyths Toys and GAME. The Project Scarlett upgrade system works the same in the UK as it does in the US.Xbox All Access will also be available in Australia, with bundles starting at $27/month on October 29 at retailer Telstra. Australian subscribers get Forza Horizon 4 with both Xbox One S and Xbox One X subscriptions. The upgrade process is also different, as you can pay the balance on your current subscription at any time to upgrade to Project Scarlett.Breaking down the numbers The subscription prices sound reasonable, but let's break down the numbers.Over 24 months, you'd spend $480 on the Xbox One S All-Digital subscription. Since Game Pass Ultimate is $15/month and the All-Digital Edition can be found for $200 right now, you'd normally spend $560 for the same access.In the same 24-month period, you'd spend $552 on the Xbox One S bundle. The retail price for the Xbox One S and two years of Game Pass Ultimate is $610, since the Xbox One S bundles be found for $250 at the moment.The Xbox One X subscription will cost $744 over 24 months, which is a slight savings over the $760 retail price of the Xbox One X ($400 on its own) and a Game Pass Ultimate subscription.Is Xbox All Access worth it? The numbers above would suggest that Xbox All Access is a pretty good investment. But if your main goal is to upgrade to Project Scarlett, it's a little more complicated. Microsoft hasn't revealed the cost of the subscription for Project Scarlett for those who want to upgrade. You will have paid $372 for a year of Xbox One X access before jumping into another 24-month plan that could very well exceed the $744 cost of the 24-month Xbox One X plan.In the fine print, Microsoft states that "new contract, terms, and pricing apply" for upgrades. This makes sense, considering Project Scarlet may cost more than the Xbox One X, which would result in a higher subscription price.If you were upgrading after 18 months with the Xbox One S or All-Digital Edition, you'd spend $414 or $360, respectively. Keep in mind you'd also have to pay an upgrade fee of $20 for the All-Digital Edition.There's also the fact that Game Pass Ultimate deals crop up fairly regularly. Right now, you can get a one-month trial for $1 and extend it to 44 days by turning on recurring payments. This devalues the $15/month Game Pass Ultimate subscription.Lastly, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are around the corner. Xbox One consoles will be steeply discounted, which further devalues the subscription plan cost.Is Xbox All Access a good deal? On the surface, yes. But when you dive deeper into the numbers, it seems like it could end up costing you more money in the long run.Info from Gamespot.com

It's been four years since the last James Bond movie, 2015's Spectre, but the next film in the long-running franchise is now less than six months away. No Time To Die sees Daniel Craig return as the iconic superspy for the fifth time, and now the end of production has been marked by a pair of behind-the-scenes images.The first picture was tweeted by the official Bond account, and shows Craig with director Cary Joji Fukunaga on the set of the new movie. The second was posted by Fukunaga on Instagram, and simply shows the clapperboard for presumably the last shot of production with the caption "It's a wrap." Check the tweet out below and Fukunaga's post here.That’s a wrap on #NoTimeToDie. See you in cinemas April 2020. #Bond25 pic.twitter.com/Qo6lM9TkFe — James Bond (@007) October 25, 2019These images follow some No Time To Die publicity pictures of Craig, Fukunaga, and co-star Léa Seydoux, which were posted last month. There was also this considerably more interesting on-set footage released in June.Seydoux is reprising her Spectre role of Madeleine Swan. She will be joined by Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, and Naomie Harris as M, Q, and Miss Moneypenny respectively, while Geoffrey Wright returns as Felix Leiter, a role he last played in 2008's Quantum of Solace. The new cast members include Rami Malek in a villainous role, plus Billy Magnussen and Ana de Armas. No Time To Die releases on April 3, 2020.The official synopsis was released this summer. It reads: "In No Time To Die, Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology."Info from Gamespot.com

Death Stranding is just weeks away on PS4, which was believed to be the only platform it was set to release on. But it turns out that prior indications that it might also come to PC were correct. Hideo Kojima has announced that a PC version of the game is coming in Summer 2020. A more exact release date was not announced.In an announcement, publisher 505 Games announced it will publish the PC version. Further details are said to be coming in the near future. The announcement didn't detail if it's coming to Steam or the Epic Games Store, but 505 has published games on EGS this year including Control.Thanks to all of you who have been supporting #DEATHSTRANDING!DEATH STRANDING release on PS4 is November 8, 2019!!Furthermore, KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS is happy to announce that DEATH STRANDING will be coming to PC in early summer of 2020!!#kojimaproductions #deathstrandingpc pic.twitter.com/Sk4clWWY1X — Kojima Productions (@KojiPro2015_EN) October 28, 2019"We are extremely excited and honored to be working with the supremely talented team at Kojima Productions and to bring Death Stranding to PC gamers around the world," 505 CEO Raffi Galante said in the announcement. "Death Stranding will take gamers through a completely original experience that will delight PC gamers everywhere."With Death Stranding on PS4 coming so soon--it launches on November 8--many in the community are waiting to hear more about it. We know the review embargo lifts on November 1, so that's when we'll get our first complete impressions of Kojima's latest experimental gameplay.The studio has been teasing special guest appearances from celebrities, most recently comedian and talk show host Conan O'Brien. The cameos include some video game developers too, but Gears of War designer Cliff Bleszinski says he passed on the opportunity.Info from Gamespot.com

This episode of New Releases is getting into the Halloween spirit, thanks to Luigi's Mansion 3 and Resident Evil 5 & 6 coming to Nintendo Switch. Meanwhile, PS4, Xbox One, and PC gamers can celebrate the devil's birthday with Afterparty. This week is also your chance to revisit some cult classics with Yakuza 4 and Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD.Resident Evil 5 & 6 -- October 29Available on: SwitchTwo more Resident Evil titles hit Switch this week, and both include co-op play and all previously released DLC. RE 5 sees Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar stopping a terrorist threat in Africa, while RE 6 features an ensemble of RE favorites all across the globe. You can also pick up the physical Resident Evil Triple Pack if you want to grab RE 4 as well.More Coverage:Resident Evil 5 ReviewResident Evil 6 ReviewAfterparty -- October 29Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PCThis is the next game from the makers of Oxenfree, featuring best friends Milo and Lola trapped in hell. To escape, they'll have to out-drink and out-party the devil himself. Afterparty also sports Night School Studio's signature dialogue system, which changes your relationships with the other denizens of hell, affecting the overall story.More Coverage:Afterparty - First 20 Minutes Of Gameplay5 Upcoming Xbox One Games To Keep On Your RadarSuper Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD -- October 29Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PCYou can also party with Super Monkey Ball's 50 minigames and 100 obstacle courses. The cult classic platformer has never looked better, and this edition includes Sonic the Hedgehog as a new playable character. It's coming to consoles this week, with a PC version coming later this year.More Coverage:Super Monkey Ball Remake Coming To PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, And PCSuper Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz Review Yakuza 4 -- October 29Available on: PS4This one might need some explaining. For $59.99/£49.99, you can purchase the complete Yakuza Remastered Collection; that includes Yakuza 3, 4, and 5, but the three games have staggered release dates. This week, Yakuza 4 is upon us, bringing another healthy dose of gang life intrigue, street brawls, and minigames. The game stars fan-favorite Kazuma Kiryu alongside three other playable protagonists.More Coverage:Yakuza Remastered Collection - Announcement And Release Date TrailerYakuza 4 Review Luigi's Mansion 3 -- October 31Available on: SwitchLuigi's Mansion 3 drops on Halloween, the perfect time to explore the Last Resort hotel, where each spooky floor has its own theme. You can play solo or team up with a friend in co-op, where the second player controls a gelatinous version of Luigi named Gooigi. There's also competitive multiplayer to enjoy with the returning ScareScraper mode and the new ScreamPark mode.More Coverage:Luigi's Mansion 3's Co-Op Is A Blast | PAX West 2019Luigi's Mansion 3 Will Get Some Kind Of Paid DLCNovember is near, so next week's New Releases will take an overall look at the biggest video games coming in the new month. Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding, Respawn Entertainment's Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and Nintendo Switch's Pokemon Sword & Shield are all on the way.Info from Gamespot.com

The Mandalorian hits Disney+ on November 12 and Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker comes to theaters on December 20. And both of these new Star Wars releases have plenty of new characters we're going to want to learn more about. Luckily, over the course of the October 26 weekend, Hasbro revealed some upcoming Spring 2020 products featuring new characters from the upcoming movie and TV show.At both Paris Comic Con and MCM London Comic Con, Hasbro unveiled a slew of new toys for the upcoming season, primarily revolving around the upcoming film and movie. Check out a few of the highlighted selections below.First is The Mandalorian. This is from the 3.75 inch vintage collections. He comes with his blaster rifle and cape. Pricing for this specific figure was not listed, but the Mandalorian Cara Dune figure (the last image above), retails for $14. The other two big reveals from The Rise of Skywalker were from Hasbro's The Black Series, and these are 6 inch scale figures retailing for $22. Both a Knight of Ren and Zorri Bliss were revealed during the past weekend. Each figure comes with multiple accessories. Star Wars News Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Runtime Makes It The Longest Star Wars Movie Ever New Star Wars 9 Trailer Arrives Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Tickets On Sale Now The Rise of Skywalker will wrap up the Skywalker saga and the current trilogy of Star Wars movies, and it's already making news as it has a very long runtime. The Mandalorian TV series is one of the many original programs coming to Disney+ when it launches next month. Currently, an Obi-Wan series is also in the works featuring Ewan McGregor returning to the role of the Jedi Master, which he portrayed in the prequel films in the late '90s/early '00s.All of these items will be available Spring 2020.Info from Gamespot.com

The Grudge--originally known as Ju-On--was one of the key movies in the wave of Japanese horror of the 2000s. Created by Takashi Shimizu, there have been no fewer than 12 Japanese movies and three American remakes to date. The most recent Hollywood film was released back in 2009, but in January, a new Grudge reboot is set to hit theaters. The first trailer has now been released.The new Grudge focuses on new characters, but the plot is very much the same. It centers on a deadly curse that strikes anyone who enters a haunted house, and it can be passed from person-to-person like a virus. John Cho (Star Trek) plays a realtor who, unfortunately, enters the house as part of his job, and the trailer is packed with imagery that--while familiar to J-horror fans--is nevertheless really effective. We're talking long-haired ghosts, freaky kids, and weird paranormal manifestations--check it out below:The Grudge also stars Andrea Riseborough (Mandy), Demián Bichir (The Nun), Betty Gilpin (GLOW), Lin Shaye (Insidious), and Jacki Weaver (Bird Box). It's directed by Nicolas Pesce, who prevouisly helmed the acclaimed horror movie The Eyes of My Mother, and it hits theaters on January 3, 2020.This latest Grudge movie does not have the involvement of Shimizu, who directed the first two American movies as well as many of the Japanese ones. Nevertheless, in a recent interview Pesce stated that the movie would honor his vision for the series. "I come to filmmaking first and foremost as a fan, and my movies are always sort of love letters to work that I love," he told io9. "If you're a fan of [Shimizu]'s original Japanese films in this franchise, you're gonna see a lot of that and him in here."For more check out GameSpot's guide to the biggest upcoming horror movies of 2019.Info from Gamespot.com

Kristen G. as Weeping Angel from Doctor Who. She won the first runner up prize in CNET's and TV Guide's 2018 Halloween costume contest.Show off your awesome Halloween costume and get a chance to win a brand new Nintendo Switch Lite!We joined forces with CNET and TV Guide to celebrate the creativity of our readers with some awesome prize bundles and some money for your 2020 costume. The contest will have a winner per category and here are the prize bundles:The individual prize consists of two $50 gift cards for Halloweenconstumes.com courtesy of Fun.com, a $25 gift card for CBS All Access, an Echo (3rd Gen), and a Nintendo Switch Lite.The group prize bundle comes with a $350 Amazon gift card and five $25 gift cards for CBS All Access (Disclosure: CBS is GameSpot's parent company).The kids prize package includes a $50 gift card for Halloweenconstumes.com, an Echo Dot Kids speaker, a Nintendo Switch Lite, and a $25 gift card for CBS All Access.The pet prize winner gets a $50 gift card for Halloweenconstumes.com, a $25 gift card for CBS All Access, and a Petcube Bites 2.Andrea K. as Winifred Sanderson from Hocus Pocus. Grand prize winner of CNET's and TV Guide's 2018 Halloween costume contest.The contest has three phases, starting with the photo submission phase that ends Nov. 3 at 11:59 p.m. PT. The second phase consists of the judging, where our judges will select five finalists according to the following criteria: originality (30 percent), complexity (30 percent), caption (20 percent), creativity (10 percent), and relation to the theme (10 percent). The judges will select three finalists per category kicking off the voting period wherein finalists will rally friends and family to compete for the most votes. Contestants whose photos get the most votes between Nov. 5 at 11 a.m. PT and Nov. 4 at 11:59 p.m. PT will be crowned winners!You can submit a photo per category but you will only receive one prize. Speaking of categories, here is a breakdown on what are the guidelines for each:Individuals: you have to be 18 or older to participateGroups: two or more people need to be part of the group photo and the person that submits it needs to be 18 years or older. They will be representing the group in the contest and they will be receiving the prize so it can be divided among the teamKids: in order to participate in this category, you have to be the parent of the kid or kids in the picture. The minor must be under 13 years old in order to participatePet: this category is open to pets of all ages and types but they must be wearing a costume. And the pet's owner must be the one submitting the picture With all that out of the way I can get into how to enter the contest. Please read the rules, accept the terms and conditions and fill out the form above. And keep things PG when submitting because any images with nudity, hate speech or discrimination will be disqualified. Please click here if you are having trouble viewing the form in your mobile device.Head to our comments section and let us know what was your favorite childhood Halloween costume. Happy Halloween and good luck! Info from Gamespot.com

We're in the final week of Pokemon Go's Halloween 2019 event, which means this is your last chance to catch a variety of special Pokemon. That includes the Mythical Pokemon Darkrai, which is scheduled to leave Raid Battles the day the event ends, on November 1.Until then, you'll still be able to encounter Darkrai in five-star Raids. This is the first time the Mythical Pokemon has appeared in Go, and there's no telling when it'll return to the game, so you don't want to miss your chance to add one to your collection. Before you can catch Darkrai, however, you'll need to team up with other players to battle it.Before Darkrai leaves Raids, the Mythical Pokemon will star in another Legendary Raid Hour. This Wednesday, October 30, nearly every Gym in your area will host Darkrai Raids from 6-7 PM local time, making that your best opportunity to capture one. You can find tips for taking the Mythical Pokemon on in our Darkrai Raid guide.Following Darkrai's departure on November 1, the Legendary Regi trio will return to Raids until November 4, and this time around, you'll have a chance to catch their Shiny forms. Regigigas will debut in EX Raids later in the month but if you don't want to wait until then, Niantic is hosting a "Colossal Discovery" Special Research event featuring the Legendary on November 2. However, until most other Special Research quests, you need to buy a virtual ticket to participate in this event.Shortly after the Regi trio leaves Raids again, Pokemon Go's November Community Day will take place. The event falls on Saturday, November 16--the day after Pokemon Sword and Shield launch on Nintendo Switch--and features Chimchar, the Fire-type starter from Diamond and Pearl. Pokemon Go News Pokemon Go Adding Online Battles Next Year Pokemon Go Halloween 2019 Event Coming Soon, Adds Costumed Starters, New Shiny Pokemon, And Darkrai Pokemon Go: Darkrai Now Available In Raids For A Limited Time Pokemon Go Bringing Back Regi Trio For A Limited Time Next Month Pokemon Go's November 2019 Community Day Announced, Features Chimchar Info from Gamespot.com

The reign of Joker continues. The hugely successful DC movie returned to the No.1 spot at the US box office after dropping to second place last week. The film has now been in theaters for four weeks, and it grossed another $18.9 million to bring its US total to an estimated $277.5 million. Worldwide, Joker has made nearly $850 million, overtaking Wonder Woman to become the fifth biggest DC movie of all time. As reported last week, the film is on course to be as profitable for DC as Avengers: Infinity War was for Marvel.The Disney fairy tale sequel Maleficent: Mistress of Evil fell to No. 2 after a single week at the top, with a US total of $65.4 million to date and a worldwide take of $228 million. Compared to the huge $758 million gross of 2014's Maleficent, this is a disappointing result; the movie had a reported production budget of $185 million will reportedly need to make $475 million worldwide to break even.The undead comedy sequel Zombieland: Double Tap and animated reboot of The Addams Family were at No. 3 and No. 4, having each dropped a place from last week. The week's highest new entry was the horror movie Countdown, which opened with $9 million. Despite placing fifth, the film's production budget was only $6.5 million and is likely to do well in Halloween week.There were two entries on this week's chart--the cop thriller Black and Blue at No. 6, and the long-delayed drama The Current War at No. 9. Also entering the Top 10 for the first time was the acclaimed The Lighthouse, director Robert Eggar's follow-up to The Witch, which rose from No. 15 to No. 8 after expanding to over 500 theaters.Top 10 Films in the US for the weekend of October 25 -October 27 (via Box Office Mojo):Joker $18,900,000Maleficent: Mistress of Evil $18,537,000The Addams Family $11,705,007Zombieland: Double Tap $11,600,000Countdown $9,009,000Black and Blue $8,325,000Gemini Man $4,000,000The Lighthouse $3,080,782The Current War $2,730,200Abominable $2,000,000Info from Gamespot.com

Whether you're into Gears 5 replica Lancers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures, or want to own Captain America's shield, GameSpot's latest weekly ad offers deals on them all and more. A massive number of collectibles are part of a pretty great promotion this week. If you spend $100 or more on collectibles (easy to do), you'll save 20% on your online order.Anime fans can also get a free month of Funimation by purchasing just $10 worth of anime collectibles.The online promotions are great, but if you're heading into your local GameStop soon, you can also take advantage of a similar deal in-store. GameStop is selling Dragon Ball Z bags for $5 that you can then fill with as many collectibles that will fit for 20% off. The in-store deal allows you to spend less than $100 to get the discount.The full catalog of collectibles can be viewed at GameStop. We've browsed the wares and highlighted a handful of our favorites below.See all collectibles at GameStop Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Second Sister Inquisitor FigureSee at GameStopThe Second Sister Inquisitor will play an important role in the upcoming Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order. Originally a good Jedi, she turns to the dark side of the Force to serve Darth Vader and hunt down Fallen Order protagonist Cal Kestis. This awesome figure is $27 at GameStop, which means you'll have to spend more to get the discount. Nintendo Mario Deluxe PlaysetSee at GameStopShopping for kids who love Nintendo this holiday season? This $40 Mario playset comes with Princess Peach's castle, five figures, and four accessories. Batman Black and White By Marc Silvestri StatueSee at GameStopModeled after art created by comic book artist Marc Silvestri, the Batman Black and White statue truly fits the definition of collectible. Only 5,000, numbered statues were made. Yes, it's pricey at $80, but it's a remarkably detailed and cool statue of the Caped Crusader. Dragon Ball Super Tag Fighters Super Saiyan Vegata StatueSee at GameStopDragon Ball Z fans can pick up this very determined Super Saiyan Vegata statue. This $25 statue is eligible for the Funimation promotion, so even if you don't want to spend $100 on collectibles, you can still get a freebie with your Super Saiyan purchase. Ultimate Well House Pennywise Action FigureSee at GameStopWhat better way to celebrate Halloween week than with this creepy 7-inch Pennywise action figure? Modeled after Bill Skarsgård's portrayal of the killer clown in the reincarnation of It, this statue comes with the four head sculpts shown above. Obviously, the best use for the four different heads is to swap them out periodically without your loved ones knowing the variants exist. That's $25 well-spent.Info from Gamespot.com

With Halloween approaching, Mario's lanky, timid brother is gearing up to embark on another spooky adventure in Luigi's Mansion 3. The Nintendo Switch exclusive launches on October 31 and, ahead of its release, critics have begun publishing reviews online. We've compiled some here to help you make sense of Luigi's latest paranormal escapade.Instead of a mansion as the title suggests, Luigi checks into the luxurious Last Resort hotel, where some very eerie and very odd things start happening. The experience thrusts Luigi into a frightening adventure to free his friends and capture King Boo once again.Also in time for the Halloween spirit, Nintendo has unveiled a terrifying Gooigi mask. It's simple to acquire and easy to put together, giving you the full experience of Luigi's gooey clone from Luigi's Mansion 3. Further, Luigi made an appearance in another Nintendo Switch title--Tetris 99. And if you want even more Luigi, he is finally playable in Mario Kart Tour, alongside other new additions like King Boo and Waluigi.Game: Luigi's Mansion 3Platforms: Nintendo SwitchDeveloper: Next Level GamesRelease date: October 31Price: $60 USD / £47 GBP / $88 AUDGet Luigi's Mansion 3 on AmazonGameSpot - 8/10"But while the multiplayer modes may not hold your attention for long, the strength of the Luigi's Mansion series has always stemmed from the satisfaction of exploring its carefully constructed settings, and in that regard Luigi's Mansion 3 certainly succeeds. The game may not radically diverge from the series' formula, but it offers up another meticulously crafted set of challenges to overcome while smoothing out some of the issues that held Dark Moon back, and the sense of accomplishment you feel when you clear a particularly head-scratching obstacle is just as potent now as the first time Luigi unwillingly strapped a vacuum to his back and stepped into a haunted mansion." -- Kevin Knezevic [Full Review]Comic Book - 4/5"Luigi's Mansion 3 is a magical return to the franchise which newcomers and old-school fans will delight in. Filled with adventure and spooks, the sequel brings back what fans loved about the series' first game. Luigi has never felt more loved in a game before, even when he's been put through seven layers of ghostly hell, and fans will enjoy the game even in its most frustrating moments." -- Megan Peters [Full Review]Eurogamer - Recommended"Part of me still yearns for those dusty carpets of the first Luigi's Mansion--the near pitch-black corridors, the fumbling around in the dark. This third entry, by contrast, feels more like Luigi has left the haunted house and gained free reign around the neighboring theme park. But what a theme park. It's left me excited to see where the series goes next." -- Tom Phillips [Full Review]Game Informer - 8.5/10"With unique puzzles, diverse floor themes, and exciting boss battles, Luigi's Mansion 3 is a spooky delight for players of all experience levels. Seasoned ghostbusters and rookie paranormal enthusiasts alike would do well to look into Luigi's latest eerie adventure." -- Brian Shea [Full Review]IGN - 8.3/10"Mario, it turns out, isn't the only plumber in Nintendo's employ who can carry his own great game. Luigi's Mansion 3 is so much fun, so charming, and so smartly designed that, moving forward, I really hope we get more than three of these games every 20 years. It's absolutely the best Ghostbusters game ever made--it just happens to star Mario's scaredy-cat brother rather than Peter Venkman and Ray Stantz." -- Ryan McCaffrey [Full Review]Kotaku - No Score"It's the sheer variety of experiences in Luigi's Mansion 3 that keeps it entertaining throughout. While you might at first think you're in for a repetitive time as you go through the first few floors and find nothing but standard hotel rooms, things get quite unexpected as you continue higher and higher. While it doesn't reinvent the wheel, it's a solid take on a series that hasn't had many entries over the last nearly 20 years. Mostly, it's just nice to see that Luigi is indeed alive, and not dead." -- Chris Kohler [Full Review]Polygon - No Score"But boss fights are a small sliver of the Luigi's Mansion 3 experience. Each level is a complex onion of ideas to peel back, layer by layer. Next Level Games continues its strong tradition of granting Luigi far more depth than his superstar older brother, even if he is always doomed to keep getting scared for our enjoyment." -- Chelsea Stark [Full Review]USGamer - 4/5"'Ghostly goodness' is a great summation of Luigi's Mansion 3. There are more environments to explore, more ghosts to suck up, more stuff to break, more collectibles to dig up, and--most importantly--more Polterpup antics to grin at. True, it's a little strange to see Luigi check into a hotel instead of a mansion this time, but like a capable handyman, he adapts. Luigi's Mansion 3 sucks more than anything, and that's great news." -- Nadia Oxford [Full Review] Info from Gamespot.com