With its new commentary team and updated presentation package, NHL 20 represents the franchise's biggest shakeup in years--and they're mostly positive changes. Combined with excellent controls, fluid gameplay, numerous fun and engaging different modes to play, a fine attention to detail and appreciation for hockey culture, NHL 20 is a step forward that is generally excellent.The biggest change for NHL 20 is its broadcast package. It is almost completely different this year, and the changes--which span commentary, UI, and graphics--are mostly positive but not always for the better. Commentators Mike "Doc" Emerick and Eddie Olczyk are out, while nearly the entirety of the NBC Sports Network license package, including live-action sequences, are gone, too. It's a jarring change, as Emerick and Olczyk have been the voice of EA's NHL games since NHL 15.The new commentators are Canadian sports radio personality James Cybulski and former player and current rinkside analyst Ray Ferarro. They do a mostly adept job at calling plays with style, flair, and personality, and their back-and-forth banter succeeds at capturing the essence of hockey culture with hockey IQ and knack. Some commentary lines are repeated too often, however, and Cybulski in particular sounds at times like he is hamming it up and acting like every game is Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.Outside of the new commentary team, NHL 20's updated broadcast presentation includes more colorful and dynamic graphics that display important information in more eye-catching ways. In addition to brighter colors and sharper fonts, NHL 20 introduces more dramatic, slow-motion highlights of goal scores, as well as Overwatch-style "Play of the Period" and "Play of the Game" highlights. These moments do a good job at breaking down key plays, and, with their unique angles and close-ups, provide nice moments to sit back and revel in your achievements.Part of this updated broadcast package is a new location for the score clock, which is the only major misstep. It's now at the bottom of the screen compared to the top-left in last year's game--and it cannot be moved in the Settings. The new score clock location opens up more space on the screen for action, but I found it positively difficult to quickly and easily see the important information like time left in the game, penalty minutes, and other datapoints while simultaneously keeping my eyes on the action. It's a baffling choice, especially considering many of NHL 20's various other modes keep the score clock where it was. This inconsistency worsens the experience, as you have to train your eyes in multiple ways depending on which mode you're playing.Authentic HockeyNHL 20 succeeds the most with excellent, tight controls that give you the freedom to execute basically any hockey move you can think of. There are also changes to animations and skating mechanics that make the game appear more lifelike. Building off what was already the franchise's best foot forward with NHL 19, this year's entry feels faster and more fluid with better animations that more realistically depict important transitional moments like catching a pass and getting intro stride at a quicker pace. Overall, the on-ice gameplay feels faster and more true to the real NHL experience.There are new shot animations as well, which are contextual in nature and better represent what a shot might look like from a particular part of the ice and depending on angles, power, speed, specific player attributes, and more. In NHL 19, your player would oftentimes still complete the shot animation even if the puck never got to them, which looked very strange, but that rarely happens this year. NHL 20 also introduces "Signature Shots" for a number of the league's best players; one of these is P.K. Subban's booming slapshot and Alex Ovechkin's electric one-timer. It's a treat to see player-specific animations in NHL 20, and it's yet another part of the way NHL 20 faithfully represents the real NHL experience. Additionally, goalie AI appears to be smarter this year, with netminders giving up fewer soft rebounds and making generally smarter decisions during important scenarios.NHL 20's in-game attention to detail and careful consideration of the sport is astounding. Players look and react as you'd expect them to on a TV broadcast, down to the way players subtly peek back toward their teammates during a face-off to the sharp crackle of skates gliding over outdoor pond ice. On the outdoor rinks, the crimson red glow of sunset over the pond is something to behold. On the ice, the physics system is so realistically presented that I found myself wincing after big open-ice hits.Unfortunately, NHL 20 doesn't do much in the area of improving player models. In fact, the character models for players, referees, and the crowd appear largely unchanged from last year. When the replay camera zooms in on fans on the glass, you might be wondering what kind of time vacuum the NHL series exists in for people to never age or look at all different from year to year.Dirty DanglesThe NHL series is known for its tight, precise controls, and this level of excellence continues with NHL 20. No matter what control setup you're using, the controls allow for a complete command of your player with astounding simplicity and a lot of depth at the same time. Puck possession and clever play-making are paramount in NHL 20, and the controls never fail to provide you with many different options to keep the puck, get around defenders, make the extra pass, and light the lamp. You have the freedom to play with as much creativity as you want. The game also features a slick and smart on-ice trainer that reacts to how you're playing and provides dynamic feedback that, for the most part, helps you improve your game.There is such a level of fine precision with the controls that you can determine the specific angle of a poke-check or toe-drag the puck at just the right time to open space up to make a shot on goal. In essence, the controller's analog sticks feel like an extension of your on-ice stick. The excellent baseline controls stand out even more once you move on to trying out more more advanced techniques. It takes time and practice to learn the dirtiest dangles the game has to offer, but it's deeply rewarding to perform spins and dekes that together combine to give you ample opportunities to play with style and pizzazz.In addition to the standard hockey simulation, NHL 20 has an abundance of arcade-style modes. The pond hockey mode, Ones--which sees three players on a small, outdoor rink competing against each other--introduces four new locations, including a rink set on a secluded farm and another inspired by the Rideau Canal in Canada. These new locations, in addition to weather effects like snow coming down during games, make Ones an even more authentic and holistically representative depiction of the outdoor hockey experience.Ones is lots of fun with its stripped-down, back-to-basics recreation of outdoor hockey with fast-paced play and lots of goals. Outside of the new locations, the biggest change for Ones is the introduction of offline play for couch co-op, and this is a very welcome addition after last year's game left it out in a head-scratching move.The Threes mode, meanwhile, remains NHL's flashiest and wackiest mode with completely unhinged commentary, mascots lacing it up, lots of goals, and big hits. It's the mode I found myself coming back to the most due in part to its quick games relative to the standard simulation mode and constant progression rewards in every game played.The social hub, World of Chel, returns with NHL 20 with some noteworthy updates. The biggest introduction is the "Eliminator" mode, which is NHL's spin on battle royale. You can go it alone in Ones or team up with two others in Threes to try to survive four consecutive rounds in a bracket to win the tournament. It's a thrilling, incredibly challenging, high-stakes challenge that, like the battle royale games it's inspired by, encourage you to keep coming back and improve your skills.There is a robust character-creator and you earn XP for everything you do across all of World of Chel's modes. It's rewarding to invest in your character and know that, whatever mode in World of Chel you're playing, you're working towards growing your character with meaningful advancements like new player traits, in addition to nice extras like cosmetic gear. New for World of Chel with NHL 20 are weekly challenges that track your performance and reward you with cosmetics around a particular theme. For example, the launch-week theme is NHL 94, so you can earn all kinds of themed cosmetics like jerseys and other gear. I anticipate coming back regularly.Elsewhere in NHL 20, the career-minded Be A Pro remains a satisfying and rewarding ride to take as you start your character from the ground floor and build them into a superstar, though there are no noteworthy updates to speak of this year. Franchise, meanwhile, features a new system that gives you multiple team coaches who have influence on the direction of your team today and in the future. The system, which also includes a light conversation mechanic where you can gauge the morale and interest of your coaches, adds a further level of strategy to the already robust Franchise mode that helps you feel like you're really the GM of a pro team. Franchise also introduces a trade-finder system that makes it less laborious to find and make trades.Ultimate Team returns as well, and its noteworthy addition is the introduction of Squad Battles. These function the same way they do in Madden and FIFA where you go up against HUT squads created by other players or, after launch, sports stars and celebrities. Hockey Ultimate Team is all about grinding to collect new cards, and it remains a fun experience to build a fantasy team comprised of legends and current stars alike, and compete against others.NHL 20 successfully captures the ice hockey experience from the ponds to big games under the bright lights, with a fine attention to detail and simple yet deep controls that are best-in-class. Once you get over the shock of Eddie and Doc being out of the game, the new commentary team do an adept job of providing informative and playful banter, while the game's multitude of varied modes each have their own distinct feel and appeal that go a long way to make NHL 20 an excellent representation of hockey culture across the board.Info from Gamespot.com

Apex Legends is in the final weeks of its second season, so if you want to earn all the exclusive goodies tied to its battle pass, you're quickly running out of time. For those already looking ahead, Season 3 is about to begin. Like Season 2, it's expected to go on for several months and will see a bunch of new content added to Apex Legends.Below, we detail all the information we have on Apex Legends Season 3, codenamed Meltdown. Every season of Apex Legends brings with it a new battle pass, playable character, and exclusive cosmetic unlocks. Though the first season wasn't all that impressive, other than the addition of the adrenaline junkie Octane, Season 2 has been a wonderful boon for Respawn's Titanfall-themed battle royale game--adding the static defender Wattson, a substantial map transformation, two Legend-themed map takeover events, worthwhile battle pass rewards, two limited-time modes, and ranked play. It's certainly enough to inspire confidence for what to expect in Season 3.Table of Contents [hide]When Does Season 3 Start?Who Is Season 3's New Legend?What Is Season 3's New Weapon?What Is Season 3's Map Change?What Comes In Season's 3 Battle Pass?How Much Will Season 3 Cost?When Does Season 3 Start?Apex Legends: Season 3 is scheduled to begin on October 1. Given that Season 1 began in March and continued through to June, and Season 2 started in July and will continue until the end of September, it's probable that Season 3 will also be about three months long. Respawn hasn't announced an official end date yet, but Season 3 will likely continue until around the holiday season in late December.Who Is Season 3's New Legend?First teased during Season 1 and appearing in-game but unplayable in Season 2, Crypto has been confirmed to be the new playable character coming to Apex Legends in Season 3. This hacker's abilities still remain unknown, although a cinematic short of his backstory does seem to corroborate datamine leaks that point to his passive, tactical, and ultimate abilities being tied to his gadgets.According to the leaks, Crypto's tactical ability allows him to summon a remote-controlled drone that can open doors, loot bins, and pick up teammates' respawn banners. His passive ability allows both him and his teammates to see targets marked with his drone. And his ultimate? It's an EMP grenade that sends out a pulse that does massive shield damage and slows enemies. Supposedly it's like the effect caused by walking through one of Wattson's Perimeter Security fences but on a much larger scale. Again, none of this has been confirmed, but these abilities do match the skills Crypto uses in his cinematic story trailer.What Is Season 3's New Weapon?Season 1 saw the addition of the Havoc, an energy assault rifle that could transition into an energy light machine gun or sniper rifle depending on which hop-up you equip to it. In Season 2, the L-Star was added--providing a brand-new legendary light machine gun for players to look for in supply drops. Season 3 will be adding a new weapon as well, one that should be familiar to fans of Titanfall and Titanfall 2.The Charge Rifle is the first anti-titan weapon to be added to Apex Legends. It's a powerful laser cannon that must be charged before it can fire, but it has a tremendous range. In the Titanfall games, it's the primary weapon used by pilots looking to take down titans from a distance, but it can just as easily be used as a sniper rifle against other pilots--as it downs infantry in a single shot. Respawn hasn't released exact details about Apex Legends' version of the Charge Rifle, but if it's anything like its Titanfall counterpart, it will prove to be one of the strongest sniper rifle-like weapons in the battle royale game.What Is Season 3's Map Change?Respawn hasn't revealed any information concerning map changes coming to Apex Legends' King's Canyon in Season 3. However, there may have been a hint in one of the teasers for Crypto before his official announcement.In the Singh Labs--added during the limited-time Voidwalker event which saw Wraith's town takeover installed in King's Canyon--you can discover Crypto in-game. Upon spotting you, he runs off, but not before you have a chance to briefly see what he's been working on. It looks like he's trying to connect the massive void portal that's in the Singh Labs to a place called World's End.Granted, Respawn seems to enjoy teasing new Apex Legends content months before it actually releases in-game (Octane is in one of the announcement trailers released on the game's launch day, for example, and Crypto has been teased since Season 1). So World's End could just as easily be a clue to something larger we can expect later--like a whole new map. Or maybe it's something else entirely. Or maybe it's nothing. We'll have to wait and see.What Comes In Season's 3 Battle Pass?Respawn hasn't detailed the exact contents of Season 3's battle pass, other than that it will include over 100 items--just like Season 1 and 2's pass. Although Season 1 didn't have a very impressive battle pass, Season 2's included cool-looking emotes you could pull off while dropping in mid-air, music packs, and additional pieces of lore for each character. It was also easier (and thus more fun) to complete, thanks to the addition of daily and weekly challenges that encouraged you to play with characters and fight in areas you might not be accustomed to.How Much Will Season 3 Cost?Although the season itself is a free download that all players will receive on October 1, some of the content included in Season 3 will require you spend in-game currency. Specifically, both the battle pass and Crypto, the new character, will cost money. Everything else though--like the map changes and new weapon--is free.If Respawn holds true to tradition, then the battle pass should cost 950 Apex Coins, which is about $9.50 USD. If you've completed most of the Season 2 battle pass, you should already have that much saved up. If not, you'll need to either buy the Apex Coins with real-world money or earn them by leveling up and unlocking loot boxes.Respawn has previously priced new characters at 12,000 Legend Tokens / 750 Apex Coins, which is about $7.50 USD, so Crypto will most likely be the same. If you're like me and you've been steadily playing Apex Legends throughout Season 2, then you should have almost triple the number of Legend Tokens you need. You probably have more Legend Tokens than you know what to do with. Otherwise, like the battle pass, you'll have to drop real-world money or unlock loot boxes to earn enough Apex Coins.Info from Gamespot.com

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is now on Nintendo Switch in all its remake-y glory. One of the coolest (or weirdest) things about Link's Awakening is that it features various Mushroom Kingdom characters, like Goombas, Chain Chomps, and Yoshi in doll form. The Yoshi doll is of particular significance, as it kicks off a classic Zelda-style item trading quest. Or it would, if you could actually get it.In Mabe Village, there's a building that houses the "trendy game," a UFO catcher mini-game which you can play for a handful of Rupees. There are a lot of great prizes in there, but only one will literally jump out of the claw as if vexing you is its job.In the video below, our own Jake Dekker compiled all his attempts that were foiled by the Yoshi doll. At the suggestion of various GameSpot employees, he has added lovely Yoshi sound effects for, well, effect. There were further attempts before he actually got the Yoshi doll.YoshiEvadingTaxes.mp4 pic.twitter.com/xTLMs5LRRN — Jake Dekker (@jacobdekk) September 20, 2019Anyway, Link's Awakening is a great game despite some claw machine frustrations. In our review of the remake, Managing Editor Peter Brown wrote, "Though the remake has a couple of blemishes, it's still an easy game to recommend. People speak of Link's Awakening as the secret best Zelda game. That's a tough call to make, but it's definitely one of the best. If you haven't touched a classic Zelda game in a while, Link's Awakening will almost instantly transport you back to the '90s. It's simple, in many ways, but the orchestrated journey still conveys a sense of adventure, and this new version is without question the best way to experience it. And more than anything else, it will put a smile on your face. Remakes are a dime a dozen nowadays and often easy to overlook. Don't make that mistake with Link's Awakening."If you get stuck in Link's Awakening, don't worry! We don't have a "trendy game" guide, but we do have a guide to the secret seashell locations, another guide for heart piece locations, and a more general tips guide if you're looking for something more spoiler-free.Info from Gamespot.com

There's religious fanaticism, and then there's Inquisitor Aloysius from Greedfall, a man so excessively villainous his whole schtick borders on farcical. A member of Thélème, one of the game's six factions, he appears when you first step into the town square of the city San-Matheus. What draws your eye is the sight of a hulking woodland beast howling in pain while tied to a stake in an enormous burning pyre, as a captured native islander looks on helplessly. When asked why the creature and his people are subjected to such cruelty, the Inquisitor bellows an odious response about cleansing the corrupt souls of his tribe. Then in one swift movement, he yanks the islander's head, stabs the poor soul with a knife, and yells obscenities about heresies into the sky.That uncomfortable scene is emblematic of the plot in Greedfall; its tales of colonialism and political subterfuge are tackled with such little nuance that it verges on parody. The islanders wear face paint, have heavy accents, and venerate the woodland beasts as deities, while the cardinals, bishops, and alchemists refer to them as savages that need enlightenment or salvation. Greedfall relies heavily on these kinds of blunt narrative tropes for its setting, much in the same way it does on a very familiar open-world RPG structure. And while it's very easy to lose yourself in its competent, if comfortable, formula, it means that Greedfall ultimately feels unremarkable at best. You play as the charming diplomat De Sardet from the Congregation of Merchants, who's in charge of brokering peace between two warring factions: the Thélème, a theocratic nation that preach their gospel heavily and want to convert as many natives as possible, even if it's by force, and the Bridge Alliance, home to a nation of alchemists who wield their vast and incomparable knowledge of science for political ends.Both factions want to colonize a mystical island called Teer Fradee, which is brimming with fantastical flora and fauna. They, as well as the clans of indigenous people who are resisting their incursions, seek your help for their own ends. But that's not all; you also have something you want from the island: the cure for the Malicor, a mysterious plague devastating your home. In short, everyone wants a piece of this enchanted isle, and your task is to navigate through this political minefield for the best outcome--whatever you think that is.Greedfall attempts to tweak certain aspects of its otherwise conventional colonialist plot (the islanders aren't depicted as crazed natives or hungry cannibals, and the factions are somewhat multicultural), but beyond a vague sense of awareness about its oppressive legacy, Greedfall's heavy-handed themes never make way for anything more nuanced or interesting. Sure, it highlights the exploitative behaviors of the Thélème and Bridge Alliance factions, but their actions are so moustache-twirling malicious that they become mere caricatures of evildoers. Even your companions and other characters are cookie-cutter emblems of their group: Siora is the native princess who wishes to seek peace for her clan; Petrus is the religious Thélème advisor with tons of political savvy; and Kurt is the loyal, headstrong mercenary whose stoic demeanour can barely disguise his world-weariness. Most damning of all is your character, De Sardet, who, as the big hero, embodies the "white man's burden" allegory that also plagues other colonial-themed narratives; it's all on you to liberate the natives or unite the factions against them.Greedfall's saving grace is that its role-playing systems are adequate, and the game's greatest strength is how well it sticks to what is tried-and-tested. It features mechanical design that's common in the genre--exploring, looting, questing, etc--but it's also savvy enough to incorporate the best versions of these elements--most notably it feels like it draws inspiration from CD Projekt Red's The Witcher 3, a title I couldn't stop making mental comparisons to.At the beginning, you're given the choice of playing as one of three character archetypes: the melee-focused warrior, the stealthy gunslinger, or the spell-wielding tactician. But you're also given the flexibility to break out of these standard classes through an array of skill trees. As you progress through the game, you can freely invest hard-earned points, which opens up a variety of methods you can approach combat with and even how you resolve quests--be it bludgeoning your way through conflict with a two-handed axe or wearing a horde of rampaging beasts down with poison traps. And, as has become common in open-world RPGs, Greedfall also comes with a crafting system. Materials are in abundance--enemies, from human foes to wild animals, drop them frequently, while crates and jugs across most cities are bursting with goodies you can loot. One constraint, however, is that you can only craft upgrades to armor and weapons you own, rather than cobble brand-new equipment altogether. This streamlines crafting, and it also encourages you to still seek out better equipment. Meanwhile, combat is more than just a frenzied blur of swords and gunplay too; you can make tactical pauses to examine your enemies closely, change your target, consider your combat options, or silently contemplate how stunning your swashbuckling buccaneer looks in the heat of action.Greedfall suffers from some bugs, primitive systems, and even glaring spelling errors, however. Some dialogue is clearly skewed towards a male De Sardet; in my playthrough as a female De Sardet, several characters still referred to me as "he." The stealth mechanism is also unintentionally hilarious. When on a stealth mission, enemies tend to treat companions as invisible; they will not notice two big, oafish men blundering about in front of them, but will jump out of their skins when they notice De Sardet peeking out from behind a nearby crate. Romancing your companions is also another thing you can do in the game, but the moves you need to make to get into their hearts (and under the sheets) are so perfunctory, it’s almost unmemorable. You engage in a three-part companion quest with the lover of your choice, where you'll find conversations that give you the chance to maximize your romance meter. But the game makes it obvious when you've said something wrong (characters will retort back unhappily, accompanied by a numerical drop in your reputation), so it's an easy process to save scum, and the ultimate reward is a not-very-saucy bedroom cutscene. In spite of the game's blundering narrative issues, it's still easy to get hooked into the rhythm of exploring, crafting, brawling, investigating, and interacting with the host of characters and beasts, while getting lost among the beautiful lush greenery of Teer Fradee. Running into more challenging enemies or engaging in boss fights are a particular treat, since it's an opportunity to pit your hard-earned combat abilities against formidable foes. And tucked within the story, as hackneyed as it is, are occasional glimpses of genuine humanity, such as De Sardet's close relationship with their cousin Constantin, who's also the new governor of Teer Fradee.But ultimately, because Greedfall is so cavalier about its colonialist themes, and because it plays it safe by sticking so closely to the template of open-world RPGs, it doesn't really feel revelatory in any way. Instead, it's content to be just another digital playground--just another world filled with magic, riches, secrets, and monsters for players to shoot and loot at will. I did have fun when I got lost in its familiar RPG loop, but its lack of nuance or innovation prevents it from being truly remarkable. Info from Gamespot.com

It's a good week to be a Nintendo Switch owner. This episode of New Releases takes a look at The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening remake, Puzzle Quest: The Legend Returns, and Castle Crashers Remastered--all coming to the hybrid handheld console. Those aren't the only remasters either--Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is also launching this week. Finally, the mischevious indie Untitled Goose Game is also on the way.Castle Crashers Remastered -- September 17Available on: SwitchThe 2008 Xbox Live Arcade classic is out now on Xbox One, and this week Switch owners can enjoy the beat-'em-up action in four-player co-op or take each other on in the arena. This remaster includes the original game, plus all of its DLC, all running at 60 FPS. There's also a new mini-game called Back Off Barbarian.More Coverage:Castle Crashers Remastered Gets A Release Date on Switch; PS4 Version To FollowCastle Crashers Remastered - New Mini-Game GameplayPuzzle Quest: The Legend Returns -- September 19Available on: SwitchFor the uninitiated, Puzzle Quest is an RPG where you battle foes by playing a match-three puzzle game. Once you choose a class, you can cast spells and make attacks based on combinations of colored gems as you clear the board. The Legend Returns includes the original game and all previous expansions, plus a brand-new one titled Attack of the Golem Lord.More Coverage:Puzzle Quest Remastered "The Legend Returns" Announced For Nintendo Switch15 Minutes Of Puzzle Quest: The Legend Returns GameplayThe Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening -- September 20Available on: SwitchThis is a full-on remake of Link's Awakening on the Game Boy. While it offers the same story and dungeons across Koholint Island, there's also a completely fresh art style, reimagined soundtrack, and even a special dungeon editor. Tap an Amiibo, and you can unlock extra mini-games and chambers for that dungeon-builder. Tap the Link's Awakening Amiibo specifically, and you'll summon Shadow Link.More Coverage:Zelda: Link's Awakening - Everything We Know About The Nintendo Switch RemakeGameStop Announces Exclusive Pre-Order Bonus For Link's AwakeningNi no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered -- September 20Available on: PS4, PCNi no Kuni's Studio Ghibli-inspired visuals were already impressive when the original released in 2010--the beloved studio actually animated the game's cinematic cut scenes--but the remaster somehow looks even better, running at 60 FPS. Otherwise it's the same RPG from nearly a decade ago. Speaking of which, the original Ni no Kuni (not the remaster) is also headed to Nintendo Switch on September 20.More Coverage:Ni no Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch Remastered RevealedNi no Kuni PS4 Remastered Breathtaking Gameplay | E3 2019Untitled Goose Game -- September 20Available on: PC, SwitchAs the name says, this game is about a goose, and that goose's mission is to bother the citizens of a small village. You'll do that by running around, flapping your wings, honking, grabbing items, and generally causing mischief. Oh, and this is a stealth game at its core. Why, what were you expecting?More Coverage:Untitled Goose Game Release Date RevealedE3 2019: Why Going Epic Store-Exclusive Was The Right Choice For Untitled Goose Game DevsThere's still more games to come this month. Next week, New Releases will shine the spotlight on some soccer with FIFA 20 and turn up the action with Code Vein and The Surge 2.Info from Gamespot.com

A newly discovered glitch involving one of Destiny 2's Exotic weapons will cause it to be temporarily banned from the game when the game's next Raid hits. Due to concerns that it will impact the race to be the first to complete Garden of Salvation, the new Raid included in Shadowkeep, Bungie will render Jotunn unusable for a period of time early next month.The news was shared by Destiny 2 director Luke Smith on Twitter, who wrote, "Jotunn/Toaster will be disabled for Garden of Salvation. The team has identified the issue with Jotunn and we will release a fix in a future update."Jotunn/Toaster will be disabled for Garden of Salvation. The team has identified the issue with Jotunn and we will release a fix in a future update. — Luke Smith (@thislukesmith) September 20, 2019There's no word on exactly when a fix will be implemented, but given the Raid doesn't go live until October 5, you can expect this bug to exist for at least a few more weeks. Destiny 2 Recent News Where Is Xur? Destiny 2 Xur Location And Items Guide (Sept. 20-24) Destiny 2 Patch Notes: New Update May Have Just Given You More Of The Game For Free Destiny 2: All Shadowkeep Weapons And Armor In Bungie's Latest ViDoc Destiny 2: Shadowkeep Pre-Order Guide: Exotics, Deluxe Edition, And More A bit more detail was shared in a post on Reddit by Bungie community manager Cozmo. He revealed that the current plan is for Jotunn to be disabled for 24 hours, which should cover the period in which players race to be the first to beat Garden of Salvation--the World's First race, as it's known. But because Bungie lacks the ability to disable an item in only a particular mode, Jotunn will be unusable anywhere in Destiny 2 during the period.Jotunn Is GlitchedThe Jotunn bug in question involves using the fusion rifle at short range. Normally, if you're close enough to where its shot detonates, the user takes splash damage. Because of this glitch, that damage is instead dealt to the target, allowing players to melt bosses more quickly than intended.Jotunn is obtainable through the Black Armory, part of Destiny 2's annual pass, which was recently made available for free to anyone who owns the Forsaken expansion. Getting your hands on Jotunn involves some luck, as you'll need to craft powerful weapons at the Bergusia forge and then hope for the best. You can read more about how to get it in our guide on how to get Jotunn.Info from Gamespot.com

Lab Zero Games, the studio behind Skullgirls, has released the full intro cinematic for its upcoming action-RPG Indivisible. The intro, which is animated by Studio Trigger, details some of the major events from the opening arc of Indivisible's story, so don't watch it if you want to go into the game completely unspoiled.That said, it's an awesome video--one that captures the colorful character designs and exaggerated motion of the studio behind anime like Kill la Kill and SSSS.Gridman. Lab Zero also revealed Hiroki Kikuta, the composer for Secret of Mana, is behind the intro's music.SPOILERS! Watch the FULL animated opening to Indivisible by @trigger_inc and @TitmouseInc with music by @Hiroki_Kikuta_E! We are deeply honored to have these titans of the anime and game music industry be a part of Indivisible.Pre-order here: https://t.co/87dKVLMlH6 pic.twitter.com/jacqibYUiZ — Indivisible 🔜 Launches October 8th (@IndivisibleRPG) September 20, 2019After seeing it at Anime Expo, Indivisible is one of my most anticipated anime-like games for 2019. The game tells the story of Ajna, a young girl whose home is destroyed--an action that awakens a mysterious power in her. Part of this power allows Ajna to absorb other people into her to then summon at any time to fight by her side.Gameplay-wise, this translates into a character recruitment-based story with a party management, turn-based battle system. As Ajna unlocks new abilities, she's able to explore new areas of the world. Her journey will take her all over a fully-realized fantasy world, one that is in need of saving from a dark power.Several of the other anime-like games we saw at Anime Expo have already come out, and a few of them are pretty good. If you've been sleeping on River City Girls, you should add the retro-styled 2D beat-'em-up to your list of games to play as soon as possible. If you're looking for more ways to throw down in a video game, read GameSpot's Kill la Kill: IF review and see whether that arena fighter is right for you. We also have an AI: The Somnium Files review for those searching for a more mystery-driven adventure.Indivisible is scheduled to release for Xbox One, PS4, and PC on October 8, with a Switch version coming at a later date.Info from Gamespot.com

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is a trip back to a simpler time, when handheld game systems had monochromatic screens and two buttons were all you needed to go on a grand adventure. The new Switch remake marks the second revival of the Game Boy classic, and it brings the quirky Koholint Island back to life in style. Without taking any wind out of the original game's sails, the revisions drastically enhance the look and feel of the environments and characters, all the while map layouts and puzzle designs remain incredibly faithful to the source material. Nintendo has implemented a few other new features and some new collectibles that will keep veteran players on the hunt, but the renewed presentation is easily the star of the show.Having been transformed from little pixelated people to shiny, cartoony toys come to life, everyone in Link's Awakening brings newfound energy. It's equally true for monsters and bad guys as well. Game Boy games have retro appeal, but the remake casts aside ancient aesthetics for something entirely different that works on its own terms. That which existed only in our imagination before comes through in new animations, accompanied with lively sound effects and music that make you feel like a kid again. It's the sort of look that grows even more attractive over time, and you might, like I did, start to imagine what other Nintendo properties would benefit from a similar visual upgrade.It can, also, be the one thing about the game that irks, as the frame rate takes a noticeable hit when most scenes load into memory. The problem seems to be tied to the game's pronounced depth-of-field effect, which employs an exaggerated blurring effect to enhance the miniature-toy feel of the presentation. Don't get me wrong, this is more of a minor annoyance than anything--which should tell you a lot about the quality of everything else.Link's Awakening will no doubt feel old-fashioned, which is fair considering the original version is over a quarter century old at this stage. It feels wrong to make any comparisons between it and Breath of the Wild, but in the case that 2017's game of the year was your first foray in Link's boots, kiss the open-ended quests and sprawling Hyrule goodbye. Link's Awakening is a tightly designed adventure on a small but dense map. Eight puzzle-filled dungeons comprise the bulk of your journey, but you're also required to meet and greet the inhabitants of the quirky island. Link washes ashore after a calamitous boating accident to find himself stranded in paradise--or it would be, if not for the Nightmares residing in the aforementioned vaults.This setup suggests that Koholint is but a trite land compared to the embattled and sacred Kingdom of Hyrule--an inconvenient pitstop for old Link, if you will. Yet, Link's Awakening never feels like it's trying to butt up against the series' more epic entries. It works, instead, as a fanciful side story, and it ultimately stands out for its playful attitude and moments of bittersweet melancholy.By and large, the flow of the game is managed in a clear fashion. A sage-like owl helps guide Link from one primary task to the next. With each dungeon comes a musical instrument, and with them all, says the wise owl, Link can secure his way off the island. It always appears at just the right time, when one task ends and the other is about to begin, but you're also afforded advice from a shy man named Ulrira. Chat with him at any of the numerous phone-booth trees scattered around the island; just don't bother him in person--he will sheepishly ask that you stick to the phone, anyway. For the remake, you also have the new option of revisiting past conversations via the map menu, and the ability to mark locations on the map using a small selection of different icons.This may prove useful for several reasons, most notably while you're hunting for collectible items like seashells and pieces of heart. There are more of each in the Switch remake than in the original Game Boy game, and though you may have a clear sense of where some are, many will remain inaccessible until you discover new gear that extends Link's capabilities.With the Switch's expanded button count, Link's Awakening is a lot easier to play now because you have access to more items at once without jumping in and out of your inventory. In the past, you could only have two items in hand at any given moment. On Switch, Link's sword, shield, dash, and Power Bracelet strength are always ready to use, and two configurable slots for other items let you juggle even more in any given moment. This greatly diminishes the annoyance of constant menu-flipping and can make certain boss encounters feel easier than ever. For players that want a challenge in battle, a Hero mode exists, where enemies don't drop health replenishments and Link takes twice as much damage as usual.Largely, however, the more manageable enemy encounters aren't to the game's detriment. Link's Awakening is primarily focused on testing you with its circuitous dungeons and an overarching item-trading quest line that requires you to take a closer look at the people who call Koholint home. Their identities and stories aren't all that deep, but your interactions and exchanges help shape the identity of the locale and brighten up your time spent outside of dark and dreary dungeons. Some of the multi-floor dungeons can take the better part of an hour to figure out, with fluctuating obstacles and subtle environmental cues ensuring that the final stages will either test your memory of the original game or your present observation and deduction skills. There are times when you suspect that you've explored every option yet can't find the path forward. As is par for the course, you probably need to take a closer look at your tools and surroundings. Even if it won't test your fighting spirit, Link's Awakening's most challenging puzzles will test your intellect in surprising ways.Like many of the best Zelda games, Link's Awakening gives you a sense of purpose, motivates you with discovery and growth, and delights you with its charming personality. These qualities, unfortunately, don't carry over to the remake's other big addition: the dungeon maker mode. Here, with the help of the series' favorite gravedigger, Dampe, Link can create virtual dungeons derived from rooms seen throughout his adventure. Amiibo can also factor in, either as portable storage for sharing your dungeons with other players--no, you can't upload them online--or as a means of unlocking special additions for your custom dungeons. The Link's Awakening Amiibo, for example, will introduce Shadow Link as a mini boss. Defeating him, or simply playing dungeons, will net you extra consumables, like bombs and arrows, and a bounty of rupees. These are good options to have, and there's some delight that comes with laying out your own dungeon, but because you are limited to premade room tiles and disposable rewards, the dungeon maker mode is easy to dismiss. It's a curiosity at best, and definitely not the Zelda Maker you might be waiting for.Though the remake has a couple of blemishes, it's still an easy game to recommend. People speak of Link's Awakening as the secret best Zelda game. That's a tough call to make, but it's definitely one of the best. If you haven't touched a classic Zelda game in a while, Link's Awakening will almost instantly transport you back to the '90s. It's simple, in many ways, but the orchestrated journey still conveys a sense of adventure, and this new version is without question the best way to experience it. And more than anything else, it will put a smile on your face. Remakes are a dime a dozen nowadays and often easy to overlook. Don't make that mistake with Link's Awakening.Info from Gamespot.com

Night School Studio, the developer behind the much-beloved choice-driven adventure game Oxenfree, has provided a release date for its next game, Afterparty. Just in time for Halloween, the comical adventure game about two friends barhopping across hell will release on October 29.Much like Oxenfree, Afterparty is a story-driven game decided by player choice. As best friends Milo and Lola--you can switch between the two any time you want--you've found yourself trapped in hell with no idea as to how you got there. Though hell is a never-ending party of drinking and clubbing, the two desperately wish to return home. There's only one way out though: you have to defeat Satan in a drinking contest.As you continue to explore hell and work your way to Satan's home, you'll encounter demons and other condemned human souls who have their own problems. Talking to them presents you with new quests to complete and decisions to make, and there's actually no way to do it all in one playthrough. Depending on what you decide to do, the relationship between Milo and Lola will change and your perspective on what's best for them will alter as a result. "By the end of the night, you'll have created your own story arc for Milo and Lola," Night School Studio co-founder Sean Krankel wrote in an Xbox Wire blog post. "Will they escape hell? Do they even want to escape if they're having fun?"Along the way, you can stop in a bar to have a drink, with each concoction altering your stats in certain ways--like making you more aggressive so you can pull off more impressive insults during an argument. Just be sure you don't drink too much. "Get too drunk, and you'll vomit up your conscience," co-founder Adam Hines said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. "The conscience is a little character and you have to chase him around. Until you get him back, every choice you have is awful, very selfish, and narcissistic."Afterparty is a day one Xbox Game Pass launch title, but the game is also releasing on PS4 and PC on October 29. A Switch version is scheduled for a later date.Info from Gamespot.com

The Nintendo Switch family has grown with the release of the Switch Lite, a more compact and affordable version of Nintendo’s hybrid console. While there's little reason to pick one up if you already own a standard Switch, if you're anything like us, you may find it hard to resist the lure of a new piece of gaming hardware--particularly one as lovely as the Switch Lite--and plan to use it as a secondary console.If you fall into that camp, you’ll undoubtedly want to know how to share your game data between your two Switch systems. The good news is that it’s a relatively straightforward process, but you’ll need to have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to do so, and it won't work with every game. Here’s a full breakdown of how to share your data between the Switch and Switch Lite. If you're trading in your regular Switch for a Switch Lite and want to transfer all of your data to the new system, check out our Switch transfer guide.The Nintendo Switch Lite launched alongside The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening's remake on September 20. The system is available in three colors—turquoise, yellow, and gray—and retails for $200, which is $100 cheaper than a standard Switch. However, to cut costs and emphasize portability, the system is missing some of the Switch’s most distinctive features, such as detachable controllers and the ability to connect to a television.In addition to the three launch colors, Nintendo is releasing a special Pokemon edition Switch Lite on November 8, a few days ahead of Pokemon Sword and Shield. This edition has blue and magenta face buttons, a light grey tone, and illustrations of the games' Legendary Pokemon, Zacian and Zamazenta, on the back. You can read more about the console in our Nintendo Switch Lite FAQ, and if you're interested in picking one up, be sure to check out our Nintendo Switch Lite pre-order guide.Nintendo Switch OnlineFirst things first: if you're hoping to share your save data between your Switch and Switch Lite (or even another standard Switch), you'll need to have an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Through the service, you're able to back up most of your game saves to the cloud, allowing you to access them on another console. However, there are a handful of games that don't support cloud saves, which we'll discuss further below, so you'll need to think carefully about which Switch you play certain titles on, as your save will be locked to that system (unless you go through the hassle of manually transferring that data between consoles). Link Your Nintendo AccountWith the prerequisite NSO subscription out of the way, the first thing you'll need to do is link your Nintendo Account to your new Switch. Once you've set up the console, here's what you'll need to do:Go into System SettingsHighlight UsersChoose the appropriate player profile (if there is more than one user on your console)Select Link Nintendo AccountFrom there, log in to your account and follow the remaining prompts to complete the process. If you have trouble you can read more about linking your Nintendo Account to Switch on Nintendo's support website.Changing Your Primary ConsoleYou can link your Nintendo Account to multiple Switch systems; but you need to designate your main switch as the primary console. This means that any user on that system will be able to play the games you've downloaded. By contrast, only your user profile will be able to play your downloaded games on your non-primary console--something to keep in mind if you have multiple users on that system. Keep in mind that when you transfer your account from one Switch to another, the receiving Switch will be designated as the primary console.There's an additional caveat: you'll need to have a persistent internet connection in order to play your downloaded games on your non-primary console, even if it's single-player, so if you're planning on using your Switch Lite on the go (the system's entire raison d’être), it is recommended you make that your primary system. Fortunately, designating a new primary console is easy to do. Here's what you need to do:Open the Eshop on your primary consoleClick on your user icon in the upper righthand cornerSelect the option to deactivate that Switch as your primary consoleOnce that's done, access the Eshop on your second system with that same Nintendo Account and it will automatically become your new primary console.Sharing SavesWith all that out of the way, you can begin filling out your new Switch Lite with any digital games you've previously purchased. To bring your save data over as well, highlight a game on the system dashboard, press the plus (+) button on your controller, then select Save Data Cloud Backup. After that, select Download Save Data and your cloud save will be downloaded to your system.Note that this applies to physical games as well. Unusually, all Switch game save data is stored onto the system, not on the actual game cartridges, so if you're picking up your progress in a physical game on your Switch Lite, you'll need to first insert the game card into the system, then hit the plus button and follow the aforementioned steps to download your cloud save.If you've enabled automatic backups, your data should be saved to the cloud automatically after you close your game or put your Switch to sleep, but if you'd like to ensure your save backups are up-to-date, you can also manually back them up. It is recommended you do this to make sure nothing goes wrong with the automatic backups, particularly if you're planning on moving between both consoles frequently. You can enable auto backups on both systems, not just your primary one; however, an automatic backup will be canceled if data was already backed up from your other console.To manually back up your save data to the cloud, select System Settings, then scroll down to Data Management on the left sidebar. From that menu, click on Save Data Cloud, select the appropriate user, and you'll see a list of all your games that have cloud saves. If a title hasn't been backed up recently, it will say "Not backed up" in red letters. If that's the case, click on the game, and you'll have the option to manually back up its save data to the cloud. Which Games Don't Support Cloud Saves?As previously mentioned, while you're able to back up most of your Switch game saves to the cloud, not all titles support this feature. Only a handful fall into this category thus far, but they include some of the system's most notable releases, such as Splatoon 2, Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu/Let's Go Eevee, and Dark Souls Remastered, and it appears the upcoming Animal Crossing: New Horizons also won't allow you to back up your data. You can see the full list of games that don't support cloud saves so far below.1-2-SwitchBass Pro Shops: The Strike - Championship EditionBlade II - The Return Of EvilCabela's: The Hunt - Championship EditionCatanColor Zen KidsDaemon X MachinaDark Souls RemasteredDawn of the BreakersDeath MarkDungeon StarsEA Sports FIFA 18EA Sports FIFA 19ExorderFortniteGems of WarGo VacationIN-VERTLightseekersMinecraftMinecraft: Nintendo Switch EditionModern Combat BlackoutNBA 2K Playgrounds 2Nidhogg 2Pixel Devil and the Broken CartridgePokemon: Let's Go, Eevee!Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu!The Raven RemasteredRobbie Swifthand and the Orb of MysteriesSid Meier's Civilization VISplatoon 2Super Dragon Ball Heroes World Mission - Launch EditionTaimumari: Complete EditionWarhammer Age of Sigmar: ChampionsYu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link EvolutionIf you'd like to carry any of these saves over to your new system, you'll need to manually transfer them. To do this, first highlight the game on the dashboard, press the plus button, then select Manage Software. From that menu, you'll see an option to Transfer Your Save Data to a nearby system--click that to move your save over to your new console. Once this is done, however, you won't have access to that save data anymore on your original system unless you transfer it back.Other Things To Be Aware OfFor the most part, the Switch Lite is compatible with most of the games released for the platform. However, due to the fact the system lacks some of the base Switch's features, not all games will work with it. The Nintendo Labo line, for instance, is incompatible with the Switch Lite because it lacks detachable Joy-Cons and an IR camera, and some titles, such as Super Mario Party, are not playable in handheld mode. You can see all the games that have compatibility issues with the Switch Lite in our roundup. Info from Gamespot.com

NBA 2K20's MyCareer story mode goes for something a little more real and a little less escapist. Narratively, it's only partially successful; your character's ethical code doesn't gel with the materialistic wish fulfillment at the heart of the franchise.An upside to the more serious tone is that none of the characters are deliberately obnoxious. For years, the NBA 2K MyCareer storylines were filled with bizarre, unlikable characters. Your avatar was a fame-chasing cornball. Your agent was a cowardly shill. And you were saddled with hangers-on from your old neighborhood who crashed your apartment and ate your Reese's Puffs.In NBA 2K20, the attempts at comedy and "hip" dialogue are gone. Your character is a reflective guy who takes a debatable moral stand and pays a price for it.You play as Che, a basketball superstar and locker room leader for your college team, the Bay City Flames. You have a heated argument with your head coach (played by Idris Elba) after he pulls the scholarship of your injured teammate. You drop out with one semester left, and suddenly, your well-laid path to the NBA is in shambles.Che must take the long route to glory. He plays in the Portsmouth Invitational, grabs the attention of scouts, and scores an invite to the NBA Combine. And eventually, after tryouts with several interested teams, he enters the NBA Draft. Whether he's drafted in the first round or not at all depends upon your performance in the aforementioned activities.Built To BallFirst, you design your character. After choosing your floor position, height, weight, and wingspan, you create your playstyle by balancing four different categories: Finishing, Shooting, Playmaking, and Defense / Rebounding. You further customize your player through badges, which are very important in this year's MyCareer. Unlike in prior years, you have the choice to assign and upgrade the badges you want to, rather than grinding redundant plays to earn your bronzes, silvers, and golds.To upgrade your MyPlayer to an 85 rating (from his initial rating of 60) will require anywhere from 150K to 200K in Virtual Currency, better known as VC, depending on what type of player you create. The game sells VC as a separate microtransaction from the core game; assuming you bought the standard edition, you would have to spend an additional $50 to start MyCareer as the prodigal talent you're hyped to be.If you decide to earn your 200K VC through gameplay instead of a microtransaction, you're in for a grind, though it'll be less strenuous than in years prior. NBA 2K20 is more generous with its sponsorships and contract negotiations, which provide VC incentives for making X rebounds or Y assists. We're talking weeks to get to 90 or above, rather than months.NBA 2K20's on-ball and off-ball play has been adjusted in noticeable ways, too. Some are minor quality-of-life improvements, but other changes are more consequential. Blocking, for example, is much easier for both you and your computer-controlled opponents; you can no longer charge the basket on a prayer and expect to score. It feels organic to learn these new mechanics in the context of MyCareer. You're forced to adjust and react to difficulties that you hadn't experienced in prior iterations of the game, just as a real-life rookie has to step up his game in the big leagues; there's an adjustment period.Working The PR And Press RoomsAnd as you negotiate this learning curve, the people surrounding your MyPlayer--the fans, the commentators, the press, and your fellow players--pull you in multiple directions. As your profile and notoriety increases, you're made to choose between practice and enjoying the perks that come with stardom. You answer probing questions from the press. You endure heckling from fans.Will you take the high road or stand up for yourself? Will you take sole credit for your accomplishments or defer to your team's contributions? MyCareer makes you choose between building your team's morale and building your fan base (literally; the game tracks both), which feels fallaciously binary. Not everyone loves a shameless braggart, but the game forces you along this path if you want to sweeten your corporate partnerships.The entire mechanic is a musty holdover from the prior NBA 2K games, where your character was broadly rendered. But in NBA 2K20, Che has a modicum of depth, and your decisions can undermine what the audience has been told about him and his high-minded principles in cutscenes. Must he choose between team chemistry and fan adoration? Why not both? Nuanced characters deserve multiple, nuanced choices.King James Decrees It SoThere's also an underlying meta-debate in MyCareer: Should athletes use their platforms to speak out publicly on issues that matter to them, or should they "stick to sports?" It's something that LeBron James, who executive produced MyCareer, has increasingly dealt with.The MyCareer storyline reaffirms James' proactive ethos... but it's difficult to meld the NBA 2K franchise with that ethos.In 2014, James took an explicit stand against police brutality when he wore an "I Can't Breathe" shirt in honor of Eric Garner. In 2016, he vocally supported Hillary Clinton. In 2018, he spoke out against President Trump on social media, and told his critics that he would not "shut up and dribble" as they said he should. The MyCareer storyline reaffirms James' proactive ethos, albeit about the treatment of college athletes, with a character in a more precarious, unstable position than James was when he first became outspoken.I don't doubt James' sincerity in celebrating athletes who speak out. But it's difficult to meld the NBA 2K franchise with that ethos. MyCareer works as a power fantasy about becoming an NBA Hall of Famer with lucrative sponsorships. A story of principled sacrifice naturally conflicts with that.The Odd ParallelAnd there is also an impossible-to-ignore situational irony in this game: Although the game definitively supports Che's rejection of materialism and easy success in favor of higher, ethical principles, the gameplay links his on-court abilities to the earning or purchasing of virtual currency--currency that you can earn by signing a multi-million dollar shoe deal. The game hints at and provides lip service to social justice, but the core conflict is solved with a single conversation and a neat bow. And the game's more implicit narrative--of earning enough in-game money to facilitate your character's growth--reigns supreme.Is it even possible to have a truly woke narrative in a game so relentlessly money and fame-driven? Perhaps not. But NBA 2K20 asks you to accept this melding at face value. That's impossible, but thankfully, there's a legacy of NBA 2K quality that makes the reconciliation less important. The story and how it's told don't hold up to scrutiny. But the gameplay, honed from years of incremental development and effort, always does.NBA 2K20 is, even in its contradictions, an excellent facsimile of the NBA itself. Info from Gamespot.com

Ahhh, FIFA. Like the setting of the sun, the drawing in of the nights, the putting on of an old winter coat, there's both an inevitability and a level of comfort that comes with the release of a new FIFA game. The football season is properly back. The squads are correct again. A couple of new features to keep us occupied through the long, dark nights. All is right with the world.FIFA 20 might not be the series at absolute peak form--so far, Volta doesn't seem like the revolution it perhaps could have been and Career Mode still feels underdeveloped--but modern FIFA is such a broad, deep, and complete offering that it remains a must-buy for football fans.On the pitch, FIFA 20 is remarkably similar to last year. Sports games do change year-on-year--I just feel that rate of change is slowing as we reach the end of this console generation. So while there are some welcome improvements--more natural first touches and more satisfying ball physics--things feel very similar to FIFA 19 once you walk out of the tunnel.Set pieces, have, however, received a bit of a makeover--specifically direct free kicks and penalties. In a throwback to the halcyon days of FIFA 2003, both now have you aim a reticle at the precise location you want to place the ball. Then, incorporating last year's genius timed finishing mechanic, you'll need to press shoot again at the right time, while also adding curve in the case of free kicks. Both take a little time to get used to, but they offer greater depth and satisfaction when you smack one into the top corner.In another nostalgic move--and in an attempt to offer greater improvements off the pitch--FIFA 20 introduces a new mode, the FIFA Street-like Volta Football, bringing street soccer to the main series for the first time. You control a squad of street superstars aiming to become the world's best in a journey that takes you across various unique, exotic locales. These three-, four-, or five-a-side matches are shorter and more chaotic than a standard 11-a-side game, and they feel sufficiently different and entertaining to become a worthwhile staple in FIFA's roster of modes. Fancier tricks and flicks and simplified tactics make it a mode that feels a little more focused on, well, fun, than the more traditional game types--but don't expect the depth FIFA Street gave us all those years ago. There are no Gamebreaker shots here, and it's not as easy to utterly humiliate your opponent with outrageous nutmegs and rainbow flicks. Volta League, the mode's online portion, hasn't been populated enough to find a match so far, so we'll bring you more on that in the days ahead--but the ability to play against human opponents, recruit opposition players, and kit your created character out in new gear means this will almost certainly present more longevity than the mode it replaces, The Journey.Volta's campaign mode, meanwhile, is a single-player, uh, journey in which you'll face off against AI teams. The world tour structure is compelling and those locations are well-realized, with unique personalities and play styles of their own. However the characters you share your travels with are so irritating, and the writing so aggressively How Do You Do, Fellow Kids, that it becomes a bit of a chore to play. Hopefully, more time with the mode will lead to these characters endearing themselves a little more. In a final, strange note, Volta requires an internet connection, even when playing the single-player mode, for reasons that remain unclear.Career Mode is FIFA's other main single-player offering, and it comes with a raft of new features. Proper conversations between manager and players are finally possible, for example; players will come to you to complain to or thank you about their game-time, as they have for many years, but you now have the opportunity to reply, with the aim to keep their morale--and hence performance levels--high. The system is shallow, with the morale bar seemingly the only variable you can affect, and messages still repeat far too often, but it at least feels a little more interactive than the stagnant old email system.Similarly, pre- and post-match press conferences have been overhauled, and they now appear more like those seen in The Journey in previous seasons. Again, the objective here is to maintain your team's morale, and again there isn't much more to it, but it is more visually and intellectually stimulating than a simple menu screen, as it was before. The final big new feature is dynamic player potential, which I haven’t gotten deep enough into a save to test just yet, but I’ll report back on its effects soon.Disappointingly, despite all the changes, Career Mode still feels a little barebones so far, and it still contains a number of inaccuracies. The transfer window ends erroneously late for English clubs, for instance, while VAR and short goal kicks are yet to be introduced into FIFA at all. Transfer negotiations are unchanged, save for two new background locations in which to hammer out a deal, and scouting and youth teams are the same for yet another year in a row. Career Mode has taken some steps forward this year, but a revolution is needed.Ultimate Team, meanwhile, continues its expansion and is now bigger and better than ever. The adoption of a Fortnite-esque battle pass model in FUT Seasons--not to be confused with FUT Seasons, the sub-mode--is somewhat confusing, but a masterstroke. It essentially manifests itself as an expansion of the existing daily and weekly challenges, with new tasks you can work towards over multiple weeks. Rewards include packs, players, new cosmetic options including tifos and balls, and more. It all adds another way to be rewarded and another objective to work toward--especially useful for those who struggle to compete in the weekend league (which, by the way, is unchanged and hence remains as moreish, and as grindy, as ever).FUT's other new addition is Friendlies, which are a new way of playing casually within Ultimate Team. There are no great rewards for playing FUT Friendlies, but you do still earn coins, and, crucially, player injuries, contracts, fitness, and your playing record remain unaffected. The community has been crying out for a place to go when they can't face the pressure of Rivals or Squad Battles, and finally they have it. It also contains the same in-depth stat tracking and bizarre mode variants as was introduced in FIFA 19's Kick Off mode, along with new House Rules options. They're a weird, entertaining place to go to have fun with friends and they mean that, if it wasn't already, Ultimate Team really feels like its own game now. You might understandably disagree with its pay-to-win tendencies--yes, spending more money on packs means you're still more likely to get Lionel Messi than someone simply grinding for in-game currency--but FUT is as compelling and complete as game modes come, and I am horribly obsessed once again.Completeness appears to be the ethos FIFA lives by, and despite the omission of Juventus (forza Piemonte Calcio), this year's game feels more complete than ever. The same goes for its aesthetics and licensing, which continue to offer the closest virtual approximation of real-world football--or, more accurately, Sky Sports' version of football--available.Flawed and iterative, but comforting, complete, and compelling, FIFA 20 is as frustrating and as essential as ever. The Journey and FIFA Street will continue to be missed, but Volta offers a genuinely different option for those who want to dip in and out across FIFA's smorgasboard of game types, while Ultimate Team continues its route to world domination. It's just a shame Career Mode continues to stagnate--even if EA has finally remembered it exists.Editor's note: With servers online but currently unpopulated before release, we'll bring our final verdict on FIFA 20 soon, once we've had more chance to test out Pro Clubs, Volta League, and Ultimate Team.Info from Gamespot.com

Untitled Goose Game--a game in which you play as a jerk goose who waddles through a small English town ruining everyone's day-- feels like a miniature version of Hitman, but with mischief instead of murder. Like those games, it's all about learning an environment inside-out and figuring out how to play various people and systems against each other to achieve your goals. You wander between four small, quaint locations and tick off objectives from your list by wreaking havoc on the people you encounter and generally being a nuisance. At first, you're annoying a man as he tends to his garden, turning on his sprinklers as he stands over them, stealing the keys to his gate, nicking his produce, and generally getting in his way. The game continues like this, as the goose's to-do list demands that it causes upset to most of the people it encounters. Working through the game means figuring out how each element interacts with everything else and how to corralling various people, who all react to the goose differently.It's a comedy first and foremost. Figuring out how to complete each objective might be essential to your progress, but the real fun is in seeing how harried you can make everyone. When you need to make a man spit out his tea, steal his shoes, and ruin his garden, you might start to feel sorry for him, but you also won't want to stop terrorizing him. The goose can only run, grab onto things, honk, and flap its wings, but through some combination of these actions you can manipulate the folks you encounter and cause chaos. One character might run in fear if you honk at them; another might bend over if you drop something for them, giving you a chance to steal their hat; another might leave their post if you steal something of theirs and drop it far away, giving you the chance to go back while they're distracted and steal the object you were really after all along.The humor of Untitled Goose Game is built into the mechanics and animations; seeing the goose waddle along, honking and flapping its wings, is inherently amusing and satisfying even before you start causing mischief because of how perfectly evocative it is of a real bird. The clean, colorful visual style is also a treat. But the reactive soundtrack is what really sells the goose's charms. The music, based on Claude Debussy's Préludes, springs into action dynamically based on the goose's actions, punctuating moments when it shocks someone and adding a buoyancy to any scene involving a chase. It gives the game a feeling of farce; at its best, it's reminiscent of a Buster Keaton film, especially since there's no dialogue.The objectives you're asked to complete often require some lateral thinking. Getting into the headspace of the goose and figuring out how a few actions can spiral into something that's going to annoy one of your targets is very entertaining. Sometimes it's immediately clear what you need to do, and sometimes the solution is more abstract, but most objectives will name an object that you can find within the environment. In the second location, for instance, you're told to "get on TV"--the solution isn't immediately obvious, but finding the TV you need to interact with is not difficult. Untitled Goose Game lightly leads you towards its puzzle solutions without explicitly holding your hand through them, so figuring out a clever solution is rewarding.You need to complete all but one objective in each location to advance, which is a nice concession, as it means you can progress to the next area even if one of the puzzles just isn't clicking for you. Sometimes it's just a matter of figuring out what needs to be done and then doing it, but you also need to practice some level of finesse: The goose can't get too close to anyone who's going to try to shoo it away, and you'll often need to be stealthy, sneaking under tables, causing distractions, and hiding behind bushes and in boxes like a long-necked, web-toed Solid Snake.Each area also features a fetch quest objective, for which you need to gather several items and put them in one place while making sure that you're not caught. These objectives are the least fun, generally, because too much is left to the imagination; the first one asks you to "have a picnic" by dragging a variety of particular items to a picnic blanket, but once you've done so the objective is immediately complete, with no additional vignettes or animations to reward all that effort. Untitled Goose Game's best objectives reward you not only with a feeling of satisfaction, but with a fun, charming bit of interaction between the goose and the people it encounters, whether that means watching a man stumble around with a bucket on his head or watching someone else wearily resign themselves to their favorite hat being gone.Untitled Goose Game is also extremely short. When I reached the end, I was surprised at how little time it had taken--I had only been playing for about two hours. Thankfully, after the credits roll you unlock a new list of objectives across the now fully unlocked map, but there isn't the same incentive to complete them when you know that you won't be rewarded with a new location to explore, or even, necessarily, new interactions. Most of them are twists on previous objectives or more complicated versions of things you've already done, often involving moving items between different locations.I'm glad that those extra objectives are there, though, and I had a good time working through them. It's just a shame that there isn't a bit more, because Untitled Goose Game ends far before I felt like I'd had my fill or seen everything the game was going to throw at me. Being short isn't inherently bad, but Untitled Goose Game's playground could stand to be bigger. I wished that I could keep riding the high of unlocking new areas and messing with new people, and it still felt like there was plenty of room to escalate things.For all the jerkiness I performed, my favorite moment in Untitled Goose Game was the one scene where the game leaned into the goose's charms. I wandered up behind two people having a chat at the pub and hit the button dedicated to honking. The two women turned to look at me, startled, but far less hostile than most of the characters I'd encountered. When I stood in a specific spot they mimed commands for me to perform, fulfilling one of my objectives while absolutely delighting the two women. Untitled Goose Game is a hilariously antagonistic experience most of the time, but I identified strongly with these characters and how lovable they found this horrible goose.The important thing is that Untitled Goose Game is a hoot. It's a comedy game that focuses on making the act of playing it funny, rather than simply being a game that features jokes. Wishing that it was longer speaks to how much fun I had with it. There's nothing else quite like Untitled Goose Game; it's charming and cute despite being mean, and both very silly and very clever. It's also probably the best non-racing game ever to feature a dedicated "honk" button.Info from Gamespot.com

A figure who appears to be Cryto--long believed to be the eleventh playable character coming to Apex Legends, thanks to datamining and outright leaks--has been spotted in Respawn's battle royale. If you travel to Singh Labs, added to King's Canyon during the limited-time Voidwalker event, you can spot the character believed to be Crypto in a secret room. [Update: Respawn has officially announced Crypto with a first trailer along with details on the start of Season 3.]Crypto disappears once you spot him, so if you want to see him, your squad will have to reach the Singh Labs and enter the secret room ahead of other players. Upon entering the labs, head towards some suspiciously propped open doors, noticed by Reddit user FrozenFroh, and break them down. You can also squeeze by them if you prefer. Inside you'll see Crypto finishing up a download on one of the labs' computers. Upon noticing you, he'll panic, yank out his hard drive, and run out with his drone in tow.The mysterious hacker has had a presence in Apex Legends for a long time, first teased back in June after Octane's introduction and before Wattson was even on most player's radar. FrozenFroh found that teaser too--Crypto's laptop secretly hidden on the King's Canyon map. Crypto would then be alluded to again during the start of Apex Legends Season 2, when the cinematic trailer for the season showcased the hacker as the one responsible for destroying the tower that kept the flyers and leviathans at bay.As Season 2 has wound down, Crypto's presence in King's Canyon has grown more noticeable. In the Wraith-focused cinematic short that released alongside the start of the Voidwalker event, you can see the interdimensional skirmisher insert a flash drive into a Singh Labs' computer, which injects hacking software that's marked with Crypto's trademark callsign.King's Canyon has experienced strange glitches too, most likely the result of the person who's attempting to decrypt...the King's Canyon computers? Maybe? It hasn't been very clear. All we know is that some of the screens in King's Canyon have glitched out and begun showing a progress bar for the decryption and the bar has been steadily filling up more each time throughout the Voidwalker event, finally completely filling this past weekend--which coincides with Crypto's appearance on the map. The announcer's voice has also been occasionally garbled in the game--the glitch popped up whenever one of Crypto's decryption attempts failed to fully complete. Crypto wants something, but what he wants remains unclear.His recent appearance on the map presents the most clues, hinting that Crypto's hacks have not been malicious against the Legends and he is actually trying to achieve something. The computer Crypto is pulling data from seems to control the massive void portal connected to the labs. Thanks to the Wraith cinematic short, it's now confirmed that the void portals can connect to other dimensions and someone can travel to them with the right harness. In Wraith's case, she uses the gauntlet on her forearm and the labs seem to be studying how to emulate this technology so others can do the same.Before he shuts down what he's working on, you can see Crypto is trying to redirect the void portal to connect to a place called World's Edge. World's Edge isn't a reference to anything Titanfall-related so it's difficult to accurately guess what it could be, or if it even matters for Crypto's official introduction--which is expected to coincide with the addition of a new weapon and map change with the launch of Season 3. Given that it seems to be a new location, however, it could be possible that World's Edge is in reference to the Season 3 map change or a hint that we're getting a brand-new, second map for Apex Legends. Only time will tell.Apex Legends is available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.Info from Gamespot.com

Pokemon Go's September 2019 Community Day may have recently ended, but developer Niantic has already announced the first details for next month's event. October's Community Day will take place on Saturday, October 12, and this time, players will have more chances to catch another Pokemon originally from Ruby and Sapphire: Trapinch.Throughout the event, Trapinch will appear in the wild much more often than normal, and you'll also have a chance of encountering a Shiny Trapinch in Go for the first time. On top of that, the Ant Pit Pokemon will be able to learn a special event-exclusive move if you evolve it all the way into its final form, Flygon, by the end of the Community Day, although Niantic hasn't revealed what that attack will be yet.Trainers we have some groundbreaking news featuring a little Pokémon...Trapinch, the Ant Pit Pokémon, will be featured in the next #PokemonGOCommunityDay! 🐜🕳️https://t.co/d9NW6x5gaF pic.twitter.com/KC4Qq3hkoF — Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) September 18, 2019In addition to increased Trapinch spawns, Niantic will offer a couple of other bonuses during October's Community Day. This time, you'll earn three times the usual amount of XP when you capture a Pokemon during the event. As usual, any Lure Modules you use during the Community Day will also last for three hours rather than 30 minutes.Much like September's Community Day, October's event will take place earlier than usual, from 11 AM to 2 PM local time. You can find more details about the event on the official Pokemon Go website.In the meantime, the first Gen 5 Pokemon have made their debut in Pokemon Go. The new monsters arrived as part of the mobile game's final set of Ultra Bonuses, which also includes the return of Mewtwo to five-star Raids. Alongside the new Pokemon, Niantic has added a new evolutionary item called the Unova Stone, which is used to evolve certain Gen 5 monsters. You can read how to get the Unova Stone in our guide. For more Pokemon Go news, be sure to check out the links below. Pokemon Go News Pokemon Go: How To Get Unova Stones And Evolve Gen 5 Pokemon Pokemon Go Adding Gen 5 Pokemon And New Unova Stone Item Today Pokemon Go Thousand Year Slumber Research: How To Catch Jirachi Guide Eevee Pokemon Go Guide: How To Get Any Eevee Evolution Info from Gamespot.com