The newest season of Stranger Things was a massive success in terms of viewership. According to Netflix, 64 million Netflix member households watched the show over its first month. That makes it Netflix's most-watched original show ever.A "view" according to Netflix is when an account watches 70 percent of an episode of a show or 70 percent of a movie. The new streaming numbers were revealed as part of Netflix's latest earnings report.Stranger Things Season 3 opened to 40.7 million viewers in less than a week after its July 4 premiere, so the bigger numbers revealed this week are not surprising. According to Netflix, 18.2 million accounts finished the entirety of Season 3 in less than a week.If you haven't yet dived in, you can check out our Stranger Things Season 3 review for thoughts on how it's bounced back from Season 2.Stranger Things Season 4 was announced in October, and the first teaser suggests the show may move out of Hawkins for the new season. Netflix typically releases Stranger Things news around Halloween, so keep checking back with GameSpot for more.For lots more on Stranger Things 3 and what's to come, check out the story below (but beware, it contains spoilers!)Stranger Things Season 3's Ending, Credits Scene, And Season 4 Theories Explained Info from Gamespot.com

When it was first teased at the beginning of 2017, there was a huge air of anticipation for Crystal Dynamics’ Marvel’s Avengers game. When it was officially revealed at E3 2019 however, there was a bit of confusion about what the game actually was. Was it a character-action game? Was it a Destiny-style perpetual game? Both? How did multiplayer and skill customization work with pre-defined characters, and why did they look a little weird?Since then, Crystal Dynamics and studio head Scot Amos have been touring comic and video game conventions around the world to better explain their big, ambitious, AAA take on an Avengers video game. They’ve been outlining how the game will be split between a narrative campaign, where you’ll help reassemble the Avengers after a devastating loss, and the persistent multiplayer co-op game, where you’ll customise your heroes with new gear, and take on “Warzone” missions around the globe with friends.At PAX Aus 2019, we got hands-on with the tutorial level where you play as Thor, Iron-Man, Hulk, Captain America, and Black Widow, as well as a 15-wave combat challenge room where you played as their latest-revealed character, Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel). While the tutorial level was something we’d played before, getting to take out a variety of different enemies with Kamala Khan’s unique, stretchy melee combat felt quite unique. Overall, our impressions of the existing roster is that they all definitely feel like diverse characters, especially when compared to something like Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3.To better get our head around the conception and direction of the game, we had another chat to Amos, who was all too willing to tell us about a bunch of things: What it’s like working with Marvel, how Crystal Dynamics is imparting its signature on these beloved characters, how the development is split among the five different studios working on the game, what the working culture is like in the studio, and most importantly: whether or not Squirrel Girl is going to make an appearance.Marvel’s Avengers will be available on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Google Stadia on May 15, 2020. For more on the game, see our previous interview with Scot Amos at New York Comic-Con 2019.The following interview has been edited for clarity and readability.GameSpot: You’re pitching Avengers as an original story. But I feel like it's almost impossible to make a comic book game without pulling least inspiration from somewhere. Can you talk about the touchstones you’re drawing upon?Scot Amos: If you're looking for like specific comics or specific references, I can't, because we have the luxury and maybe the curse of 80 years of Marvel history. And having Bill Rosen as the VP Creative for Marvel Games and Shawn Skies, our creative director, we literally looked at everything and said, “What would be great?” Have you seen Joe Fix-It? Our purple suit for Hulk? That doesn't specifically fit in any of the other storylines except the one that he was in, yet, we want to blend that in and looking at Kamala Khan, she's only been on the scene since 2013. So she's a fairly new face to Marvel, let alone anything about Avengers.So for us, we've had this amazing capacity to look through all of that and say, “What's going to tell the best story?” And the elements we want for that great story is a point of view or perspective character that people can relate to, that believes in these Avengers as a fan of them, that actually is trying to figure out their own path of becoming a hero, which is exactly where Kamala fits into our world as that point of view perspective character for the campaign. But then, we want that familiarity of the core five that you know--Widow and Thor and Cap and Hulk and Iron Man. We want to have that as something people to go "I know who these guys are", and then they show up and we want to put what we call the "Crystal Lens" on them, like we did with Lara Croft and Tomb Raider. We reimagined her back in 2013, saying, “This is an original origin tale, this is a hero that you may have thought you knew from your previous movies, or previous games that we'd even been part of.” But we reimagined her, it was saying: "What can we do that's new, that's fresh, that has a different take on it, but still is true to the overall spirit of that franchise and of that character?"There are 9000-some heroes in the Marvel Universe--80 years of history. Have all the stories been told? No, like, that's the fun part about what we do at Crystal, we go to that humanity behind the hero, look at breaking them down, and then look at having to build the individuals up, and then reassemble the team, and then rebuild that kind of epic, legendary reputation that the Avengers need to have.You mention that Crystal is good at diving into the humanity of characters, but personally, I associate Crystal with mechanical innovation, like with Tomb Raider's environmental puzzles. What is Crystal's signature, mechanical flourish on Avengers?Scot Amos: Well, when we looked at everything that Lara Croft could do and all the mechanics she had, those were a lot of gear based mechanics, a lot of just her wits, her ability to look for the truth, and her spirit, which is amazing. But how do you translate that into six heroes? And six heroes that can do things that no human can ever do. You get to play Kamala Khan with her polymorphic abilities--we had to reinvent combat because of how could she could stretch, how she can move, how she could traverse.We didn't have flying before in our engine, right? And now we have Iron Man and Thor. So it's like--oh my god, how do we do that and make them feel both relevant and interesting and not tacked on, but like actually rebuilding our combat system to accommodate for both enemy flyers, as well as now these heroes we're flying. So we've actually had to go pretty deep into it.That's why we hired Vince Napoli, who is our lead combat designer. Vince comes from the God of War series, and I knew him back in the day at Visceral Games, and Vince is one of those guys who just lives and breathes it. Like, his entire life has been about making great heroes have great combat, like he just loves it. He loves it to the point where he's obsessed by it. And every time we give him a challenge, like "take Widow to the next level." He figures it out, he just figures out what skills we have what gear we should add. And he's just masterful with his team--it's a great team called the P.E.T. team: Player, Enemies, Traversal.These guys, whenever we throw a new challenge for one of the heroes, we think about how you expand upon it, and this is so we can build a platform. Because remember, post-launch, we're going to have more heroes joining, they're gonna have new skills, and new gear, and new outfits, and new hero missions, any warzone missions, so all of this stuff is us building this beginning. So you can actually expand it for years to come. So it's daunting, it's the biggest thing we've ever done.Is Avengers using the same engine you guys used for Tomb Raider (2013)?It is the next version of that engine--”Foundation” is the name the engine. It's our proprietary tools and technology that we've been using for years. Our team has been upgrading it, every time we have a new version, a new platform, new technologies, we keep adding to it and say, "How do we expand upon its capabilities?" It's one of our secret weapons.Square Enix has a lot of studios working on this one. I'm interested in knowing how the workload is split.Crystal is on point with all this. It literally started at Crystal--we were the beginning, and so we're the largest group that is working on it.Eidos Montreal is an amazing sister studio, we worked with them for all of our Tomb Raiders. On the last Tomb Raider, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, we started with them and then we peeled off, and they finished it. So they actually were the point team on Shadow of the Tomb Raider and they owned it, but they'd worked with us and all the previous ones so they've been part and parcel to us forever.We actually had to build another studio called Crystal Northwest in Bellevue Washington, so we actually added an entire team of technologists who were specializing in multiplayer, guys who had actually known each other work together for years.Nixxes in the Netherlands is a group we've worked with for 21 years now, and they are one of those teams that just know our code as well as anybody and are knee-deep in it. They also have a content team--they're now making assets for this game as well.And then you have Square Enix Japan, you know, we even have folks there working on technology and some lighting, so we literally assembled five studios as kind of our five core teams.Much like the Avengers.Crazily enough--it's a fun story. But yeah, we literally have these groups all working together, who are specialists in different things, but bringing them together under our responsibility as the point team. Kamala Khan is an inspired choice. Does her unveiling now set the tone for future character reveals?Interesting way to put it. I would say her choice was very much from the beginning. We've told a few people this, but if you look back at the beginning of our campaign, January 20 2017, that first voice you hear is Kamala.So from the beginning, we've always been like, “This is going to be that perspective character who's just like the fans. They love these heroes, they know these heroes, they want to find a way to fit in and be part of something bigger.” So it has always been a very calculated choice.2014 is when she got her own series, and she came onto the market. She was so full of energy. Looking through the opportunities and what kind of heroes we could have at the centre, we looked at the core Avengers, and then beyond the core Avengers, there are literally hundreds of people who've been in the Avengers roster all the different times.Kamala is a freshness, she hasn't been really seen in any of the big-screen ways that these other heroes have. So we have the familiarity of the amazingly-loved Iron Man, some Thors and Hulks and everybody else. But then you look at Kamala, and it's one of those amazing opportunities where Marvel is like, “Hey guys, we think this is a great idea. It has a great relatability to it.” We still have all the familiar folks, and they loved it. From the beginning of our collaboration with Marvel, we were all saying that this is the right hero at the right time.I've noticed a lot of the Marvel Games projects are really emphasizing the new roster--Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen, Sam Wilson, Amadeus Cho and all those characters. Why have so many classic Avengers, when there is a whole new crew being pushed?There's an expectation that we want to fulfill--that dream, the superhero fantasy dream of being the Avengers. Everybody wants to do that, and being able to do it in this big AAA way with characters that you've known and loved in different formats.There have been 80 years of heroes, but looking at the last 10 years, Marvel have done a brilliant job of bringing in people who had no idea what a Hulk was 10 years ago and are now wearing their t-shirts, right? So you have this mass audience, worldwide, that love these heroes. You can't ignore that. You have to look at it and say, “This is a great way to onboard people into our version of these heroes,” and then you bring in the freshness with a Kamala.We have all kinds of ideas for who the future heroes would be. We'd love to listen to our fans, we're big fans of community, but we have some tricks up our sleeves for what's coming next and down that path. I think people will be very excited what we have ahead of us. Who's at the top of your list?Well, who says they're not already in the game? I gotta say, Kamala, from the beginning, has been one of those exciting characters for us that just felt like untapped potential, particularly in the game world and particularly in this kind of large AAA screen approach. So it was a big deal for us to get her right. And I think getting the sense of her storyline through her abilities and how she plays.Every time that Vince and his group work and a hero they become my new favourite. It's the craziest thing, I know it sounds like a, "What the hell kind of an answer is that?" But literally, we threw Black Widow at him, and then after a couple of months we're like, “Oh my god this is amazing. She plays beautifully.”Then, we throw Hulk at him and I'm like, “Oh my god, you changed the skills and now you can do this.” He literally crafted these toys, these heroes, these tools, that can be played differently depending on what mood you're in. They all have a slightly different feel and depending on the mood you're in, you can find the right glove to fit.A keen-eyed individual recently noticed that the look of Iron Man and Thor had changed since the E3 reveal. Tell me about that.We were saying even back at E3 time--we aren't done, we're still months ahead, we're still in pre-alpha. So things will iterate and improve where we can.Thor, for example--one of things we love about Thor is changing his hairstyle, giving him a little bit more of that Norse mythology style to it and actually tightening it up. Because if you're in combat and flying you don't want this stuff scraggly in your face all the time, so we wanted to be able to tighten it back into a much tighter grab.Big improvements made to #PlayAvengers since we first saw it at E3! This game is looking better and better with each new trailer released. Hope it lives up to the hype! At the very least I can vouch for the fact that the gameplay is super fun. pic.twitter.com/WYboQQFCHu — Eren - CaBOOse (@CabooseEK) October 7, 2019But all that stuff, including the costumes--and we have so many costumes, and those are full character changes for these heroes--you'll see a lot of that kind of stuff. To us, that’s iteration and improvements to constantly make the characters better and better. Tell me about the challenges of making an endlessly repeatable game. Is that difficult to balance with super-directed campaign experiences you’re used to?The beauty of this game is that we have this amazing campaign that we're talking about, starting with A-day, the whole thing with Kamala, reassembling all those heroes and unlocking them, basically adding to your roster. So there's a complete campaign experience that has a beginning, middle and end so that you've actually done an entire arc of getting the story to a certain state that just sets up the world.All the warzone missions actually add narrative to this as well and have their own expansive narrative, so it's not just one place that's just going to constantly rinse and repeat. In fact, it's always growing. That's the magic of what we built, that you have this campaign that sets up the world state, you have the world state itself evolving.And remember, we're going to add more regions and more heroes post-launch. Those are going to come with more hero missions, and more warzone missions, and more stories, and their own sets of skills, and new sets of gear and new enemies. So this world's going to feel like it's constantly moving down a path or a time period, that things are changing and evolving as you go forward.So that's a lot of content--obviously one of the big talking points in the industry now is developer crunch. What does the Crystal Dynamics working culture look like?We believe absolutely, at the beginning of the day that we're a goal based business. We have to say, what's the goal? We have to have a great hero, you have a timeline certainly, but it's all about quality. At the end of the day, if you put something out on time, and it's terrible, you wasted your time. So it's much more important to say what do we need as far as resources go? Be it time, be it money, be it people. But at the end of the day, what we believe in is saying: "what's the right thing to do? What do we need to happen here?"One of the philosophies we have at Crystal is "family first." One of the things that I tell my team all the time: If you have a kid's birthday, then go take care of your kid's birthday, like what, what are you crazy? I've heard studio horror stories that make me nuts, at the end of the day, we love what we do. One of the things that I love about my jobs--I've done this since '91, I make games for a living because of my passion, and I turned my passion to my profession. I don't think I work a day in my life ever, because it's just what I love to do. So we want to find people who are like that, and like-minded, saying: "We're craftsmen." That's what I think of Crystal is a studio.So we all come to work every day to push each other to be better to work as hard as we possibly can on the right things. But we also want to do it in a smart, balanced way. And so we've actually changed everything from structures of how we do certain workdays with no meetings, go and get stuff done days which are very focused, "Hey, come in, and get your stuff done, we don't want to interrupt you", we'll provide meals free, whatever it is.But we also want to give people that flexibility of saying, here's the workload, here's how much time we have to get done. Help manage that on your own wherever you can, because we want to give that developer the flexibility and agency to say, "You know what we want to get done, we all want this to be great, how are we going to get there?"Last question, and it’s one that’s very important to me: Can give me a hint as to whether Squirrel Girl is on the character list?*15 seconds of laughing*So, I will tell you that in one of the first meetings I ever had with Bill Rosen and his team, we sat there and started talking about the dream characters. So we went through the roster and were like "What about this? What about that? What about that?"And I will say that her name came up.Literally the first meeting, we had sushi restaurant near our office, we're sitting there talking, we may have had a few shots of sake, I can't confirm that or not. But it got to the point where it's like, what would be fun? And we started saying what about this this, or this? What about this plus that?It's that 'What If' scenario, sitting with these guys who are masters of their world, sitting with us who love making games and love their world, and saying: "Could you imagine if you had this and this and this and this?"So yes, at the very least that name has actually come up in conversation. I'll leave it there.I can't wait to see the Crystal Dynamics Avengers take on Squirrel Girl. Thank you for your time.*laughs* Thank you. Info from Gamespot.com

William Chyr Studio has announced that Manifold Garden--first revealed as Relativity back in November 2012--is finally releasing this week. The game will be launching on The Epic Games Store and Apple Arcade on October 18, before following on Steam in 2020.Manifold Garden is a first-person puzzle game that's set in a seemingly infinite, physics-defying artistic space. Like several previous first-person, 3D puzzle games--such as The Witness--you must solve environmental puzzles within Manifold Garden's world in order to proceed in it. The trick to solving many of the puzzles, however, lies in how you use the in-game gravity to your advantage.You might see a ledge you cannot reach, for example, but jumping off the side of the world will cause you to fall until you come back around and land on the ledge. Placing blocks in certain locations will adjust the shape or gravitational pull of specific spots as well. It's a lot easier to see how it all works in action. You should watch the gameplay trailer embedded above for a better idea. Full warning though; it's sometimes really trippy, vertigo-inducing, or both.Apple Arcade has been on a roll since launch, delivering an expanding library of well-crafted indie games for a fraction of their total retail price. Just last week, the games subscription service got two spooky-looking additions in the form of Inmost and Stela, both of which seem intriguing in how well they use their environments and music to craft unsettlingly creepy experiences. But even before both were added to the service, plenty of Apple Arcade games caught our eye.If you're looking for more detailed recommendations, we've reviewed and written impressions for a few Apple Arcade games already. Those articles are listed below.Sayonara Wild Hearts Review - Falling StarWhat the Golf Review - Swing And A HitOverland Review - Road Trip From HellI'm Relentlessly Greedy In Grindstone, And It Makes Things ThrillingInfo 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

One of the most acclaimed comic book limited series of all time, Watchmen has swarms of fans, a live-action movie, and a very long motion comic on Blu-ray. So when HBO announced a Watchmen TV series was coming to its network, people were skeptical, to say the least. However, the reviews for the first season have rolled in, and the vast majority of critics loved what they saw.The upcoming series takes place in a reality where masked vigilantes are outlaws, the police have to wear masks--for fear of getting attacked at home--and it's all headed by The Leftovers' and Lost's Damon Lindelof as showrunner. If you've seen the trailer for the series, then you know there is a lot of imagery taken from the comics, like Rorschach's mask.The new series is not a reboot or a sequel, according to Lindelof. The show "will be set in the world its creators painstakingly built… but in the tradition of the work that inspired it, this new story must be original," Lindelof explained. So don't expect to see the story focused around Dr. Manhattan hanging out on Mars, narrating the events on Earth.And so far, that seems to be paying off. As of this writing, Watchmen sits at an 84 on GameSpot's sister site Metacritic, with overwhelmingly positive reviews for the show. Aside from a mixed reaction from Variety, everyone has scored the HBO series positively. Check out a few of the reviews for the show below.Watchmen arrives on HBO on Sunday, October 20.GameSpot -- No scoreThe pilot is steeped in that sensibility. Sure, superheroes play a major role, and yes, there's no shortage of commentary about the complicated interplay between vigilantism and heroism, but at its heart, Episode 1 feels like the start of something truly special for fans of science fiction television.[Full Episode 1 impressions from New York Comic-con]TV Guide -- 4.5/5Watchmen's world differs from ours. Beyond its superheroes and squid-induced catastrophes it's conspicuously free of cell phones and other digital devices, suggesting what 2019 might look like without those transformative devices. (Newsstands are still going strong, for starters.) But, like the book that inspired it, it's the ways Lindelof and his team of writers and directors uses this unknown to comment on the world we know that makes it so compelling.[Full review]IndieWire -- AThe past and present are looking at one another, and neither likes what they see. "Watchmen" asks how we move forward from there; how we evolve, how we coexist, how we trust one another again. There's no easy answer, but you’ll be shocked at how rewarding the search can be while watching this "Watchmen."[Full review]Entertainment Weekly -- A-Watchmen doesn’t overdose on nostalgia, like so many franchise extensions in our reboot-soaked decade. It’s dangerous, and invigorating. Like the proverbial Space Squid, it blew my mind.[Full review]USA Today -- No score"Watchmen" is at its best when it tries a little less hard to be profound and instead focuses on the fascinating and deep cast of characters. Even in an age of superheroic saturation, "Watchmen" stands out for its richly drawn characters and restrained special effects.[Full review]Variety -- No scoreWhat "Watchmen" sets out to do, taking the opportunity of an artwork perceived as unadaptable and writing a whole new story, is admirable. But both that original artwork and, more crucially, this story deserve better. They deserve, perhaps, less.[Full review] Info from Gamespot.com

The Halloween-themed Fight or Fright event is now live in Apex Legends. The first event in Season 3: Meltdown, Fight or Fright adds a Halloween spin to the battle royale game, offering the chance to earn spooky cosmetics and skins and also play on a brand-new mode, Shadowfall. Fight or Fright will last until November 5.The headliner of Fight or Fright is Shadowfall. The new mode sees you drop solo onto a nightmare-themed Kings Canyon. You then must scavenge for weapons and armor and hunt down the other players. If you die, you drop from the sky again--only this time as a member of the Shadow Squad, a group of shade-like individuals with enhanced speed and melee attacks. You can win at Shadowfall in two different ways: either survive until the dropship arrives and escape, or join the Shadow Squad and kill all of the remaining survivors.Step into the shadows and haunt down your enemies.The Fight or Fright Collection Event is now live through 11/5. 🎃🕯️ pic.twitter.com/XhuXbMjdPx — Apex Legends (@PlayApex) October 15, 2019Fight or Fright introduces several additional in-game challenges for you to do in Shadowfall that are listed alongside your traditional dailies and weeklies to complete on Season 3's new map, World's Edge. Completing these Fight or Fright challenges allows you to earn Halloween-themed cosmetic items and special Apex Packs. These packs, which you can also buy, each contain at least one of the special two dozen epic and legendary rewards tied to Fight or Fright--including Halloween costumes for most of the Legends. Unlocking all of the Apex Pack rewards will net you Lifeline's heirloom.Though it's difficult to tell, Fight or Fright may present the first in-game appearance for Revenant--the supposed twelfth playable character for Apex Legends. First seen in Season 3: Meltdown's launch trailer, Revenant has since been revealed in further detail via a leaked screenshot alongside new character Crypto, and then officially teased in a tweet by Respawn level designer Alex Graner. The death-loving announcer for Shadowfall appears to be Revenant, especially since his appearance in Fight or Fright's trailer looks very similar to his leaked assets.Info from Gamespot.com

At a time when we seem to be flooded with battle royale games, it's been increasingly hard for new ones to find their place. Fortnite remains leaps and bounds ahead of all others in terms of popularity (which just launched a slew of new features in its Chapter 2, Season 1), and Apex Legends stands on solid ground as the premier FPS in this space. However, there seems to be room for games to offer fresh takes on the last-person-standing subgenre, and judging from our time playing the latest build of Spellbreak, developer Proletariat's magically infused battle royal seems to do just that.Many elements of Spellbreak may be familiar to you if you've spent time with any of the battle royale games out there: you jump into large-scale deathmatches on a big map where everyone has one life and scavenges for good gear, and a ring gradually closes in on a random location, forcing fights between remaining players. But Spellbreak forgoes guns in favor of magic, and it's this premise that allows the game to be different. (See our gameplay video above where we won a match that came down to the wire.)You start with a choice between six classes, each of which determine a roster of perks for a certain element-type and a starting magic gauntlet (the game's weapons). When you drop into a match, though, gauntlets of any element can be found as loot in the field, of which you can equip two simultaneously (one on each arm). Every element of gauntlet offers its own unique basic attack and special cooldown ability. For example, the fire gauntlet allows you to shoot chunky fireballs, and its special attack casts a wide wall of fire in front of you--or the wind gauntlet, which shoots fast, low-damage gusts and has a special that summons a tornado that can trap enemies.Now take those two elemental gauntlets I described, and think about how they can interact with each other. A devastating combo would be to cast a tornado and light it up with a fireball to turn it into a damage-dealing firestorm. On the flipside, wind attacks can dissipate walls of fire to create a safe opening in your own or get past one from an enemy. There are other secondary effects to consider; the sniper-like frost gauntlet shoots deadly arrows, but when launched from the air, it leaves a trail of ice that players can skate across to traverse even faster. And with a poison gauntlet, you can turn that ice trail into a harmful strip of terrain that deals damage-over-time.The elements of Spellbreak's combat are all reactive, no matter who's casting, and further possibilities open up when you begin coordinating spells with teammates. Combat feels a lot less predictable and more varied than traditional firefights you get from other battle royale games. You have to be measured in combat, though. Both basic magic attacks and jumping great heights cost mana, and this prevents you from simply spamming attacks and hopping or floating around everywhere. While mana regenerates extremely fast, managing the resource in fast-paced battles is the key to playing smart, and a sensible substitute for scavenging and juggling ammo types.There is one other important piece to the game's gameplay dynamic, one it has in common with a fellow battle royale. Spellbreak's runes are non-offensive capabilities that can be extremely helpful for survival and work similarly to tactical abilities or ultimates in Apex Legends. Runes that proved most useful during my demo include the dashing technique that grants temporary invisibility and a howl that detects (and tracks) enemies through walls for a short period. In practice they are very similar to Wraith's Into the Void run or Bloodhound's Eye of the Allfather scan from Apex Legends, respectively. The catch is that runes are pickups you have to find while looting rather than predetermined character abilities that are dependent on who you choose. Thus, you never know what you may end up with or what you'll be up against in each match.From our brief experience with Spellbreak's beta build, it seems to be incorporating parts of other battle royale games in smart ways while providing an identity of its own. The objective is the same, but the means for achieving it are much different.One thing was certain in my session; Spellbreak delivers that particular thrill of battle royale, fighting to be the last player, or squad, alive. And once you adjust to the basics of its combat, you can then open yourself up to the nuances of its system of magic. What I felt, however, was less pressure to conceal myself or rely on cover. Of course, it's never a good idea to hang out like a sitting duck, but you're not as vulnerable as other battle royales when you're out in the open by nature of the ability to bob and weave through the air and the projectile style of spellcasting. Spellbreak feels less like a game of cat-and-mouse since magic spells emphasize positioning and proper timing more than having pure precise aim. I felt free to engage in open skirmishes and it's a relief in a genre that has relied on a sense of foreboding to heighten its stakes.Nearly all other battle royales have revolved around guns--having the right one for the situation or straight up dead-eye aim. But Spellbreak's magic-based elements and their reactive nature to one another offers a new way to think about combat in the crowded genre full of lookalikes. From our brief experience with Spellbreak's beta build, it seems to be incorporating parts of other battle royale games in smart ways while providing an identity of its own. The objective is the same, but the means for achieving it are much different. Spellbreak is currently in closed beta for PC, and you can sign up for a chance to jump in. Info from Gamespot.com

After a brief wait, Fortnite has finally emerged from the never-ending opaque nothingness of the black hole, launching the game into the first season of its second chapter. Fortnite Chapter 2 introduces several additions, which includes a brand-new battle pass packed with content. However, the headliner of Chapter 2, is the new map, which offers new ways to play Epic's battle royale--including fishing.If you and your squad are looking to catch some fish, you'll first need a fishing rod. If you're with a squad, the easiest way to find enough fishing rods for everyone is to head towards the beach or lake-like locations on the map and look for barrels. They'll typically hold three or four rods. You can also find individual fishing rods in chests or via floor spawns--both of which are random drops so neither is ideal if you want to fish.Once you have your rod, you just need a body of water. Anywhere will do, but if you want the best rewards, look for points on the water where there's a collection of bubbles--those signal a location where there's a good catch. Cast out and you'll catch one of at least four items: a bundle of materials, a random weapon, a Flopper, or a Slurpfish.Most of the weapons caught with the fishing rod so far seem to be Epic rarity, but we haven't confirmed if you can catch much rarer prizes. The two fish can be used as healing items. The Flopper heals about as much as a bandage. The Slurpfish heals a lot more, restoring 50 points to both health and shields. Both fish take about the same amount of time to use, so you ideally want to replace any Floppers you catch with a Slurpfish.You can get more out of fishing than items to use in a match though, as participating in the activity is one of the many new ways to advance in Fortnite Chapter 2, Season 1's battle pass. Fortnite News Fortnite "F" Location: Where To Search Hidden F In New World Loading Screen Fortnite Map: 10 Landmark Locations For Chapter 2 Challenge Fortnite Chapter 2: Week 1 New World Challenges Revealed Fortnite Chapter 2: All The New Battle Pass Skins, Emotes, Bling, And More Fortnite Chapter 2 Patch Notes Are A No-Show Fortnite: Chapter 2 Update Out Now, Here's What's New Info from Gamespot.com

After five movies and a TV show, the Bourne franchise is entering new territory: a live theme park stunt show. That's right, you can witness the ongoing shenanigans of super-assassin Jason Bourne the way it's meant to be done; live and in person. The Bourne Stuntacular, a stunt show with the most fun name imaginable, will debut in the spring at Universal Studios Orlando. Unfortunately, Matt Damon is not included.The Bourne Stuntacular is taking over the building that formerly housed the Terminator 2: 3D show at the park and will, according to a press release, rely on cutting edge technology, a cast of stunt performers, and a story that takes the character of Jason Bourne around the world. "Everything fans have come to expect from the action-packed Bourne film franchise--thrilling chase scenes, punishing fistfights, death-defying leaps and danger at every turn--will happen right in front of guests with live performers, high-tech props and an immense LED screen, making it impossible to discern where the live-action ends and the cinema begins," the press release reads.Given Universal's rich history of theme park stunt shows--from former attractions based on The A-Team and Miami Vice to the current Waterworld: A Live Sea War Spectacular--The Bourne Stuntacular has the opportunity to be a very entertaining experience at the Florida park. After all, if a theme park can figure out how to turn the 1995 movie Waterworld into a long-lasting attraction, surely adapting the Jason Bourne franchise should be easy.An opening date for The Bourne Stuntacular has not been announced yet, beyond the spring 2020 launch. The TV spin-off of the franchise, Treadstone, airs Tuesdays on USA.Info from Gamespot.com

Fortnite has launched Chapter 2 of its Battle Royale mode, a huge revision that includes new mechanics, a new map, and other refreshes. One big new addition is an upgrade bench, which lets you upgrade weapons using gathered resources.A player on the Fortnite subreddit noticed the crafting bench, with the ability to upgrade a Common rarity weapon to a Uncommon one in exchange for 50 wood, 50 stone, and 50 metal. That bench appears in Craggy Cliffs, but others appear to be dotted throughout the map and it's unclear if they always spawn in the same locations.This signifies a pretty big shift to the in-game economy, since it gives you a more flexible way to get the best loot. That could make players less dependent on random drops, since you can farm for resources more reliably. Fortnite News Fortnite "F" Location: Where To Search Hidden F In New World Loading Screen Fortnite Map: 10 Landmark Locations For Chapter 2 Challenge Fortnite Chapter 2: Week 1 New World Challenges Revealed Fortnite Chapter 2: All The New Battle Pass Skins, Emotes, Bling, And More Fortnite Chapter 2 Patch Notes Are A No-Show Fortnite: Chapter 2 Update Out Now, Here's What's New The new season of Fortnite is a significant change to the game. Rather than usher in Season 11, the game went down for a while and reemerged as "Chapter 2." That came alongside an entirely new map with new locations to be discovered, which don't show up on your in-game map until you visit them for the first time.Other changes include a revised Battle Pass and aquatic mechanics and activities like swimming and fishing. The fishing mechanic adds yet another way to acquire resources. There may be more changes that are invisible to us so far, though, because the patch notes are no where to be seen yet.Info from Gamespot.com

Any update released for Fortnite is typically accompanied by a set of patch notes from developer Epic Games. And yet, despite releasing what's arguably the biggest update ever for Fortnite: Battle Royale--hence the game now being dubbed Fortnite: Chapter 2--there have been no patch notes whatsoever.Instead, Epic has released a comically short "what's new" blog post on its website, which seems deliberately brief. It simply states, "Added: Chapter 2. Take your #FirstDrop and discover everything new."What's new in Chapter 2 is a whole lot. The most significant addition is precisely what leaks and datamines have suggested for some time now: Fortnite finally has a new map. But with it come boats, the ability to go fishing and swim in rivers, a system for upgrading weapons, a new means for leveling up the Battle Pass, and a whole lot else that we're going to have to continue finding out for ourselves due to the lack of patch notes. Fortnite News Fortnite "F" Location: Where To Search Hidden F In New World Loading Screen Fortnite Map: 10 Landmark Locations For Chapter 2 Challenge Fortnite Chapter 2: Week 1 New World Challenges Revealed Fortnite Chapter 2: All The New Battle Pass Skins, Emotes, Bling, And More Fortnite Chapter 2 Patch Notes Are A No-Show Fortnite: Chapter 2 Update Out Now, Here's What's New The last few days have marked a notable shift from Epic, which usually communicates a great deal. The End event on Sunday, which saw a black hole effectively delete the game and render it unplayable for more than a day, was not detailed or explained by Epic. And now, it's seemingly made the choice not to release patch notes. Whether this is a short-term strategy or not remains to be seen. One Redditor suggested it's Epic treating this as a new game launch--you don't necessarily have patch notes when first releasing a game.Whatever the case, it's yet another way in which Fortnite: Chapter 2 feels different from what we've become accustomed to over the last two years.Info from Gamespot.com

In addition to cable and satellite providers, iTunes, Google Play, and Vudu are among the most popular ways for people to buy and rent movies and stream them to their phones, TVs, or tablets. Everyone has their go-to service. Now, AMC Theaters is trying to maneuver its way into this crowded marketplace with AMC Theaters On Demand.Launching today, AMC Theaters On Demand allows users to watch movies that have completed their theatrical runs on devices like LG Smart TVs, Android phones, iOS products, Roku, and your PC. As a whole, there is nothing exceptional about the service, aside from it being attached to AMC Theaters.There are two selling points for the service though. The main benefit comes for AMC Stubs users who will earn points with every purchase, which can be used at AMC theaters. Additionally, you can also purchase tickets to a movie you'd like to see. By combining streaming and the ability to purchase new movie tickets, AMC Theaters On Demand is doing what Fandango has been doing for quite some time now.Currently, there are 2,000 movies from every major studio on the service, and later this year, it will expand more, including IFC Films and RLJE films, according to MarketWatch. Movies can be purchased in SD or HD ($20 for new movies) or rented for $6 in HD. We did not see an option for UHD on the site at the time of this writing. Streaming is a booming venture at the moment, with seven major services debuting in the next year. While AMC Theaters On Demand is unlike these others, as it's not a monthly subscription service with its own original content, it's headed into a market that is already over-saturated with the aforementioned Vudu and others. Unless AMC Theaters On Demand can differentiate itself from its competitors, it may disappear as quickly as it launched. Info from Gamespot.com

Well, that certainly didn't take long. After it was announced in June that former World Championship Wrestling president Eric Bischoff had been hired by WWE to act as executive director of Smackdown, a changing of the guards has already occurred.WWE has announced in a press release that Bruce Prichard will be replacing Eric Bischoff in the role. Prichard will "oversee the creative development" of Smackdown and report directly to Vince McMahon, Chairman and CEO of WWE. The move comes two episodes into Smackdown's run on Fox. While the network premiere of the series boasted big ratings, the second installment--which featured night one of the WWE draft and Bayley battling Charlotte for the Smackdown Women's Championship--shed nearly 25% of its total viewers.Now, WWE is betting on Prichard to carry the show forward. The press release notes he "brings nearly 40 years of experience in sports entertainment with an extensive background in character development and creative storytelling. Over the course of his career, Prichard has served in a variety of roles including announcer, producer, agent, and on-screen personality. Earlier this year, Prichard returned to WWE as a member of the company's creative team."In addition to his time in WWE, Prichard has also worked extensively with Impact Wrestling, and Major League Wrestling. Since returning to WWE in 2018, he hosted a show on the WWE Network, in addition to rejoining the creative team.Reacting to the news on Twitter, Bischoff wrote, "Bruce is a great producer, good friend and I am certain he is going to thrive in his position. He's going to be working with a great team of the most dedicated and hard-working people I have had the pleasure of working with and getting to know."As of the publishing of this story, Prichard has not commented publicly on the announcement. However, WWE has confirmed to GameSpot that Bischoff is no longer with the company.Update: Story was edited to include Eric Bischoff's statement.Info from Gamespot.com

2018's Venom featured a post-credits scene in which Woody Harrelson portrayed the serial killer Cletus Kasaday, the man who would eventually be bonded with the symbiote Carnage. While Harrelson will return as Kasaday in next year's sequel, the character's love interest, Shriek, will also appear in the movie.Principal photography won't begin until next year, but the super-powered mother of the Carnage family--Shriek--will be a part of the plot, according to Deadline. Venom 2 won't arrive in theaters until October 2, 2020, but if you look into Shriek's comic book history, you can get a good idea of where the movie could be headed.Shriek first made her introduction in 1993's Spider-Man Unlimited #1, the comic that kicked off the Maximum Carnage storyline. As Carnage was escaping the maximum security prison Ravencroft, he ran across fellow prisoner Shriek being held in a straight jacket. It was apparently love at first sight, and eventually, she adopted Carnage as her husband and other Spider-Man villains as their kids.She has the power to manipulate sound, making people violent by sonically tapping into people's minds or using her powers to create sonic energy blasts. Shriek is technically a mutant, and in her past, she's had numerous run-ins with Cloak and Dagger.No one has been cast for the role of Shriek at this time, but Andy Serkis has been brought on to direct the upcoming film, joining Tom Hardy reprising his role as Eddie Brock/Venom. Kelly Marcel, who wrote Venom 1, will return to pen the sequel as well. 2018's Venom brought in $856 million worldwide, which was huge for a rated-R October movie.Venom 2 will swing into theaters on October 2, 2020.Info from Gamespot.com

Do you crave the exhilaration of questing through enchanting lands? Do you thirst for the thrill of ravaging enemies with hybrid battle systems? Do you live for epic stories riddled with plot twists and tons of feels? Well, look no further. With the HD remasters of GRANDIA and GRANDIA II, you’re invited to experience the classics in ways like never before. Here are six ways both GRANDIA HD Remasters will awaken the grit and heart of the legendary adventurer within you.Real-time, turn-based action - Experience and employ the action bar system for real-time fighting with distinct charactersMagic-based combat - Gather Mana Eggs to learn and use magic-based skills, ranging from elemental attacks to character-enhancing magic for defense and offense stat boostsIllustrious worlds to explore - The vibrant worlds in GRANDIA HD Remasters include nostalgic starter cities such as Parm (GRANDIA) and Carbo Village (GRANDIA II) to iconic fields and areas such as The End of the World (GRANDIA) and Valmar's Moon (GRANDIA II)Gather Skill Points and ATTACK! - SP or Skill Coins can be used to earn incredibly intense moves that make for an extraordinary fighting experienceEclectic Enemy Encounters - The worlds of GRANDIA and GRANDIA II bring forth a plethora of challenging and epic enemies in the wild, as well as main storyline bossesEar-Indulging, Melodious Compositions - Experience world exploration, momentous battles, and legendary in-game experiences in beautiful harmony with musical compositions from acclaimed Japanese composer Noriyuki IwadareGRANDIA has won the hearts of millions the world over as one of the original RPGs to revolutionize the genre, but what they’re truly remembered for are their captivating stories.Quest with Justin, a young and wondrous adventurer from the port town of Parm, and his band of friends in GRANDIA. Progress through the world, explore various continents, and encounter sinister enemies such as General Baal, supreme commander of the Garlyle Forces, or Lord’s Ghost, haunter of the Castle of Dreams. Tap into enlightened magical abilities by gathering Mana Eggs from dungeons to advance magic and Mana Points (MP) that provide exponential advantage in fights. Gain Skill Points (SP) from winning tough battles to unlock party members’ distinct abilities and tap into different kinds of power. Dive into the riveting story of GRANDIA and engage in a four-player party system that uses the innovative battle system that defined the series.Follow the story of Ryudo, a Geohound mercenary, to stop the revival of the god of evil Valmar in GRANDIA II. Join Ryudo, his talking bird companion Skye, and a variety of diverse party members to traverse the large, sweeping world and chase the parts of Valmar. Once again using the refined turn-based action bar battle system, combat is evolved and more satisfying than ever with executions and mechanics. Cast magic moves and incredible special attacks all set to iconic compositions from the series’ outstanding soundtracks.BONUS Facts!Both GRANDIA HD Remaster and GRANDIA II HD Remaster will feature a variety of new and improved elements from the original titles such as:GRANDIA featuresEnhanced details to UI, sprites, and texture artOriginal cinematic videos receiving visual enhancementsWidescreen support and customizable resolutions (only for PC)Addition of sharpened visual effectsAudio in Japanese and EnglishLanguage Support: Original English plus New French and German translationGamepad and keyboard support with remappable controls (only for PC)GRANDIA II featuresEnhanced details to UI, sprites, and texture artOriginal cinematic videos receiving visual enhancementsWidescreen support and customizable resolutions (only for PC)Audio in Japanese and EnglishLanguage Support: Original English plus New French and German translationCelebrated for its cast of memorable characters, gripping storyline, and unique battle system, GRANDIA HD Remaster and GRANDIA II HD Remaster will bring back treasured gameplay features in addition to new surprises and stunningly enhanced visuals. Come experience the classic RPGs that have helped to shape the genre into what it is today. Are you ready to embark on something grand?GRANDIA HD Remaster and GRANDIA II HD Remaster will be available for individual sale on PC via Steam ($19.99) on October 15, 2019. GRANDIA HD Collection was released for the Nintendo Switch ($39.99) on August 16, 2019.For more information, please visit the game’s official site, social pages Facebook, Twitch, Twitter, YouTube, and online stores.GRANDIA (C) 1997,1999 GAME ARTS/ESP (C) 2019 GAME ARTS/ESP/GungHo Online Entertainment AmericaGRANDIA II (C) 1997,1999, 2000 GAME ARTS (C) GAME ARTS/SQUARE ENIX 2002. (C) 2015,2019 GAME ARTS/SQUARE ENIX/GungHo Online Entertainment America Info from Gamespot.com