Despite the numerous issues Anthem has run into, developer BioWare remains committed to the project, now confirming that the open-world looter-shooter has joined EA and Origin Access' vaults on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.Publisher EA shared the news in a blog post, stating that Anthem's standard edition is accessible to all EA Access and Origin Access Basic members. The game's Legion of Dawn edition is available only to those with an Origin Access Premier membership. The news comes as Anthem is undergoing its Cataclysm event, which is scheduled to wrap up later this month and open to everyone regardless of level.BioWare revealed its post-launch plans following Anthem's release earlier this year. These include several freeplay events, cosmetics, missions, and quality-of-life improvements. Some of these additions, however, have been delayed as the studio addresses more pressing concerns. "The reality is there are more things to fix and improve than we planned for. While this is the best thing to do for the game, it means some items from the calendar will be delayed," BioWare said in May.Anthem has had a rough go since its February 22 launch. After receiving a necessary loot update in March, BioWare general manager Casey Hudson confirmed that Anthem's launch was rougher than anticipated. It all culminated in a lengthy report by Kotaku, summarizing the troubled development cycle BioWare went through to get Anthem out the door. Still, the open-world looter-shooter saw a strong first month of sales in the US.Info from Gamespot.com

The first free update for Monster Hunter World's Iceborne expansion is right around the corner. Capcom had already confirmed the update will add the fearsome Rajang to the game, and now the publisher has revealed when it will arrive on PS4 and Xbox One: October 10.We don't yet know what else the update will contain, but the highlight is the aforementioned Rajang, a highly aggressive ape-like monster that originally debuted in Monster Hunter Freedom 2. Based on Rajang's reveal trailer, which you can watch below, it looks like the ape will retain its signature "rage mode." When enraged, the beast's fur turns golden and it becomes even more relentless.The Rajang update will be free for everyone who owns the paid Iceborne expansion, which launched on PS4 and Xbox One earlier this month (and is coming to PC in January 2020). Unlike the main game, Iceborne is set in a new arctic region called the Hoarfrost Reach, which is home to a variety of new monsters, as well as a handful of returning ones, such as the Glavenus.GameSpot awarded the expansion a 9/10 in our Monster Hunter World: Iceborne review. "Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is at its best when you’re fighting tooth and nail against something that you know could crush you within its teeth in a second, even though this might feel like it came at the expense of a more interesting narrative," critic Ginny Woo wrote. "Nothing is quite as good as the biting chill cutting through the furs of your armor, the shrill cry of your Palico as it comes to your aid, and the wind roaring in your ears as you latch onto a beast’s flank and climb up its side while it bucks and roars."We recently had a chance to hunt the Rajang at this year's Tokyo Game Show; you can watch our battle with the beast above. If you're just getting started in the expansion, be sure to check out our Monster Hunter World: Iceborne tips guide.Info from Gamespot.com

There's going to be plenty to do in the next few months of Destiny 2, if Bungie's new content calendar for the upcoming season and expansion is any indication. We knew the Shadowkeep expansion would bring lots of changes and a few new activities, but Bungie's latest details also include some Exotic weapons quests, and perhaps most interestingly, a new dungeon.Thanks to the latest This Week at Bungie, we now have some idea of the new live content to expect with the release of the big new Shadowkeep expansion, as well as Destiny 2's next season, the Season of the Undying. Bungie released a content calendar image that runs down everything that's coming in October and November, and explains what you'll get for free and what comes with a purchase of Shadowkeep.Destiny 2 Shadowkeep and Season of the Undying content roadmapThe image also gives a few new details about what's going on in the Season of the Undying, the first live-content season of Destiny 2's Year Three. We had some idea of what that season was all about: it covers the Vex response to what the Hive are up to on the moon in Shadowkeep. According to the content calendar, the Vex will launch their own offensive on the moon starting on October 5, the same day the Vex-centric Garden of Salvation raid is released. Things on the Vex front pick up again in November, with an event called "Vex Offensive: Final Assault."It also appears that new Exotic weapon Divinity will be unlocked by an Exotic quest. That's at odds with what players previously believed: it appeared up to now that Divinity would be the Exotic weapon hidden in the Garden of Salvation raid, similar to Tarrabah in Crown of Sorrows, One Thousand Voices in Last Wish, or Anarchy in Scourge of the Past.Not all of the content on the calendar is free. Most of it requires the purchase of the $40 Shadowkeep expansion, which also includes the Season of the Undying content. Destiny 2 will also have three more seasons after that, which players can buy a la carte or as part of a new Season Pass.Here's everything on the content calendar and what you'll have to buy to get it:FreeMoon destinationsSeasonal ArtifactFinisher movesArmor 2.0 systemFestering Core StrikeThe Scarlet Keep StrikeWidow's Court PvP Map (reprised from Destiny 1)Twilight Cap PvP Map (reprised from Desitny 1)Fragment PvP MapFree Seasonal Rank rewardsElimination Crucible modeIron Banner event (October 15)Momentum Control PvP Mode (October 29)Festival of the Lost seasonal event (October 29-November 19)ShadowkeepGarden of Salvation Raid (October 5)Hero & Legend Nightmare Hunts (October 8)Master Nightmare Hunts (October 15)Dungeon Launch (October 29)Divinity Exotic Quest (October 29)First Raid Challenge (November 5)Season of the Undying (Included with Shadowkeep)Vex Offensive begins (October 5)Leviathan's Breath Exotic Quest (October 22)Vex Offensive: Final Assault (November 19)Info from Gamespot.com

HBO is close to ordering a pilot for a Game of Thrones spin-off that would focus on House Targaryen. Deadline reports that it is a prequel series from A Song of Ice and Fire author George R. R. Martin, who also served as co-executive producer on the Game of Thrones series it inspired. Colony co-creator and executive producer Ryan Condal is also said to be involved as co-creator and writer.Deadline reports that the spin-off will be set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones and will chart the "beginning of the end for House Targaryen." It is said to be based on Fire & Blood, which was written by Martin, and has been in the works since last fall.This show is not believed to be one of the five Game of Thrones spin-offs planned by HBO, but began as an idea for that group. The Targaryan spin-off is "a brand new take on a world originally tackled by Bryan Cogman in one of the five GoT prequel scripts commissioned by HBO in 2017," Deadline's report reads.HBO has not yet officially acknowledged or confirmed the report.Currently, the only Game of Thrones spin-off that has been officially confirmed is what Martin called "The Long Night," before backtracking on the name later. Naomi Watts has been cast in the show, which takes place thousands of years before Game of Thrones. Watts' character is said to be "a charismatic socialite hiding a dark secret."Info from Gamespot.com

The NPD Group released its report for August 2019 US video game industry sales, providing a look at the health of the business in the states across consoles, games, and accessories.Total spending on video game software in August 2019 dropped 22 percent to $257 million compared to August 2018, making it the worst software performance in an August month since August 1998 ($234 million). However, year-to-date dollar sales of video games in the US jumped 1 percent to $3.1 billion, with Nintendo Switch attributing to the uptick in sales.Madden NFL 20 was August 2019's best-seller, holding on the No. 1 position for a second straight month. Overall, Madden NFL 20 is the third best-selling game of 2019 so far, only behind Kingdom Hearts III and Mortal Kombat 11.Also notable for August 2019 was that Minecraft was the No. 2 best-seller for August 2019, and that represents the highest the game has ever charted on NPD's US sales charts.One of August 2019's new releases, Age of Wonders: Planetfall, debuted at No. 15, and its first-month sales were higher than any other title's in the franchise's history. Another noteworthy takeaway from the report is that five of the 10 top-selling games in August 2019 were Nintendo Switch exclusives.You can see the full Top 20 best-sellers chart below.Moving to hardware, total spending on consoles dropped 22 percent compared to August 2018 to $167 million. Spending on a year-to-date basis fell 21 percent to $1.6 billion. The Nintendo Switch was August 2019's best-selling console, and it's the best-selling system in 2019 altogether. PS4 and Xbox One console sales declined in August 2019 and the full year in 2019 so far, with the Switch standing as the only home console system that is seeing improved sales.This all makes sense given the Switch is relatively new compared to the PS4 and Xbox One, which are both coming up on their sixth anniversaries, with next-generation systems expected in Holiday 2020.Total spending on video games in the US for August 2019--across games, consoles, and accessories--reached $666 million, which is down 18 percent compared to August 2018. On a year-to-date basis, spending across all segments combined is down 6 percent to $7 billion.US NPD SW - AUG 2019 Top 20 Sellers - Madden NFL 20 is the best-selling game of August 2019. pic.twitter.com/J7OYGn5DvI — Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) September 12, 2019 Info from Gamespot.com

Many of the weapons in Destiny 2 are about to get boosts to their effectiveness, thanks to changes Bungie is making with the release of its Shadowkeep expansion on October 1. The developer has continually detailed changes that are coming with Shadowkeep, and while there won't be a Weapons 2.0 system similar to upcoming armor changes, we are about to see buffs that will make many weapons much more viable throughout the game.Bungie explained the weapon changes in its weekly This Week at Bungie blog post, along with detailing its content calendar for Shadowkeep and the Season of the Undying. It seems just about every gun in the game is getting some love. Several Exotic weapons are getting alterations to make them more effective and increase their magazines, and some weapon archetypes are getting buffed to make them stronger in a variety of situations. Most of the buffs are for the PvE side of the game, but a few things will also make certain guns better for competitive play in the Crucible as well.One of the biggest changes alters how weapon mods work. Right now, weapon mods you get in Destiny 2 are consumable, single-use items that you can attach to guns to give them a variety of additional perks. If you want to change mods, however, you lose the ones you've already got equipped, so you need to constantly add more to your collection and save a stockpile.Starting in Shadowkeep, mods you own will be treated as unlocks rather than consumables, meaning once you own a mod, you'll own it forever and can add it to any gun at any time. Bungie writes that "this gives players the opportunity to play with different mods more frequently." If you have a mod in your inventory when Shadowkeep is released, it'll automatically be converted to an unlock. That doesn't count for any mods currently equipped on your guns, though--they have to be in your inventory. So if you only have one of a certain mod and you've slapped it on a weapon, you'll need to reacquire the mod in order for it to switch to an unlock.A lot of the other changes are more granular, like Sweet Business getting its magazine increased to 150 rounds, Crimson getting a big damage buff, and Tarrabah and The Huckleberry hitting 10% harder in all situations. Here's the complete list of every weapon change that'll come with Shadowkeep when it launches on October 1.Destiny 2 Shadowkeep Weapon ChangesGeneralWeapon mods are now treated as reusable unlocks instead of consumables. Any mods you have in your inventory will be converted to unlocks This gives players the opportunity to play with different mods more frequentlyIf the only copy of a mod you have is already in a gun, you will need to reacquire one to unlock itAuto Rifles PvE damage increased between +30% and +25% depending on combatant rankBows PvE damage increased by +31% against minor enemies, and +26% against major enemiesFixed an issue where bow draw times were displayed incorrectly in the inspection screenHand Cannons PvE damage against minor enemies increased by 30%Lightweight and Adaptive hand cannons use a new firing animation while aiming down sights This change was made to increase weapon accuracy when firing these weapons as fast as possibleEx: Currently, players can shoot faster than the recoil animation of 140/150 archetypes – so while the handcannon looks to have fully reset from recoil, the following projectile will be shot as if the weapon was still in a recoiled state.Reduced the effect the range stat has on damage range falloff (effective range) for this weapon archetypeMachine Guns PvE damage against minor enemies increased by 25%Increased the effects of damage range falloff on this weapon archetypePulse Rifles PvE damage against minor enemies increased by 28%Increased the effects of damage range falloff on this weapon archetype.Archetype specific damage changes (impacts both PvE and PvP gameplay) Rapid-Fire Pulse Rifles now deal 14/23.8 base/precision damage (Previously 13/21.4)High Impact Pulse Rifles now deal 21/33.6 base/precision damage (Previously 20/32)Scout Rifles PvE damage increased between +36% and +18% depending on combatant rankSidearms PvE damage increased to minor and major combatants by 16%Sniper Rifles PvE damage increased by +47% against minor enemies, +20% for others Exotic sniper rifle perk damage bonuses have been modified to compensate for this change and they will not receive the full benefits as a resultSubmachineguns PvE damage increased by 22.5% against minor/major combatantsAggressive Frame Removed the intrinsic effect of "Deals bonus damage at close range."This bonus was 10%, but was unintentionally always activeThe bonus damage has been moved to the base damage for 750 RPM Submachineguns, resulting in no damage changeAs a result, Tarrabah and The Huckleberry gain 10% damage in both PvE and PvPExoticsSweet Business Increased magazine size from 100 to 150.Increased PvE damage by 15%.High Caliber rounds have been replaced with Armor Piercing rounds.Damage changed to 15/21.2 base/precision (Previously 13.21/21.14)This weapon no longer requires you to be firing when you pick up ammo to have it automatically reload.Graviton Lance PvE damage increased by 30%Sunshot Increased magazine size to 12Vigilance Wing PvE damage increased by 25%Crimson Damage changed to 19/30.5 base/precision (Previously 13.76/24.75)Fixed an issue that was causing this weapon to deal higher flinch than intendedMerciless Fixed the missing aim assist stat for this weaponAce of Spades Memento Mori's damage bonus is now affected by range falloffLumina Noble Rounds should apply their buff to allies more reliably nowThe Colony "Serve the Colony" now functions as Auto Loading Holster doesPerksSubsistence Reduced the impact of this perk on total reservesRicochet Rounds Removed the hidden bonus to damage falloffSwashbuckler Perk now activates when getting a kill with Ball LightningGrave Robber Perk now activates when getting a kill with ranged melee abilities (ie: Ball Lightning, Explosive Knife)One-Two Punch Reduced the effectiveness of stacking One-Two Punch and Cross Counter (Liar's Handshake)Ex: Players won’t be able to defeat Riven in less than three seconds after Shadowkeep launches using the combo of One-Two Punch and Liar's Handshake, but we know many of you will try other builds … and potentially even succeed.CombatantsMinor enemies (Rank-and-File) no longer take more precision damage than other enemies. These enemies previously took twice as much damage to their precision hit locations than enemies of higher ranks.You will still deal precision damage, but this is now entirely dependent on the weapon, as it is for higher ranked enemies.Info from Gamespot.com

Borderlands 3 just released on PC, and there's already a pretty great deal for that version. If you haven't picked it up yet, you should definitely take a look at this discount. PC games retailer Voidu is selling Borderlands 3 codes for $48 with discount code 'GAMINGTIME.'Borderlands 3$48 ($60)See it at VoiduBorderlands 3 unlocks for PS4 and Xbox One in North America at 9 PM Pacific. The unlock time varies per region, so be sure to check out our guide on the Borderlands 3 release times.Borderlands 3 received an 8 out of 10 in GameSpot's review. Critic Jordan Ramee said, "Borderlands 3 has a few stumbling blocks when it comes to bosses, but these fights are overshadowed by the game's rewarding gunplay and over-the-top humor. The game's character-driven narrative acts as a satisfying finale for the loot-shooter franchise, and the new mechanics and features--especially the reworked skill trees and weapon manufacturer effects--give you plenty of agency in how you want to play through it."Info from Gamespot.com

Paying attention to the lead-up to eFootball PES 2020's release has sometimes felt a bit like following football's real-life transfer market. Having lost the official license of current Champions League holders Liverpool, Konami responded by replacing the Liverpudlian club with their archrivals, Manchester United. PES 2020 even got a leg up on the powerhouse of FIFA by nabbing the exclusive license to Italian giants Juventus, forcing FIFA 20 to settle for a facsimile called Piemonte Calcio. And while the inelegant esports-flavoured name change might be bad, the scrappy underdog has been wheeling and dealing in an attempt to make PES 2020 a more attractive proposition for those beholden to the church of FIFA. It's commendable and clearly important, but PES should attract people because of its on-pitch excellence.PES 2020 feels surprisingly different to last year's game once you emerge from the tunnel. The pace has been slowed down once again, delivering a realistic brand of football that's more methodical and less about ping-ponging the ball up the pitch in a matter of seconds. A palpable sense of weight to each and every player--not to mention the ball--can make the whole thing feel a tad sluggish at first, but it doesn't take long to adapt to this more considered style of play, and your input is as responsive as ever. Part of this is down to how smoothly the action flows. PES 2020 stitches each animation together with much more clarity than in previous years, effectively capturing natural movements that shift the simulation closer to reality. The new default camera angle helps with this, too, presenting the action at a slight curve that mimics what you see on TV every match day while giving you a broader view of the pitch.Click image to view in full screenThis increased visibility is important because there's a greater emphasis on space and positioning in PES 2020. The pace of play might be slower than in previous entries, but that doesn't mean there aren't moments in almost every match where an explosive injection of speed is introduced. The blistering acceleration of the fastest players in the game is immediately discernible without it ever feeling like an overpowered and one-dimensional crux. This is due to the fact that these players need space in order to utilize their game-changing speed. Most matches in PES 2020 tend to be fairly tight affairs depending on the tactics deployed by both teams, but a goal can significantly alter the outlook of a match in a hurry. Suddenly, acres of space open up for one team to exploit as the other pushes forward looking for an equalizer. And it's on the counter-attack where fleet-footed players really shine, able to burst forward into open grass and cause havoc for defenders.On the flip side, when there's limited space to work with player positioning comes to the forefront. The AI is intelligent enough to seek out pockets of space off the ball, and they'll helpfully offer an outlet pass if you ever find yourself wandering into a cul-de-sac. You'll also frequently see wide players such as Messi and Mbappe come deep to pick up possession of the ball, looking for a way to impact the match away from the isolation and tight coverage of the defense. Players will make smart runs in behind, too, though it's much harder to thread that inch-perfect pass behind the defense in PES 2020. You can still pull it off occasionally, especially if you have an adept playmaker on the ball and space to work with, but playing through ball after ball doesn't work with as much frequency as it has done in the past. This encourages a greater variety of goals, both by real players and the AI. You might see tidy one-touch passes splitting open a defense for a striker to wrap it up with an easy finish; a bullet header that's smashed in from a mouth-watering cross; or a 30-yard hit-and-hope that takes a wicked deflection off the back of a defender, rendering the goalkeeper helpless. Speaking of which, there's a lot more zip to long shots this year, making them a viable source of goals even if you might only score one in 15 attempts.The long-overdue addition of context-sensitive kick accuracy factors into all of the above as well. Now, a player's posture, position on the pitch, and the amount of defensive pressure they're under will impact the accuracy of both passes and shots. If a defender can't get a clean foot on the ball when a player is barrelling through the box, their presence might still be enough to put off the opposing attacker and send his shot wayward. Once again, this margin for error amplifies the importance of spacing and your ability to gain a yard of separation for a clear-cut opportunity. Sometimes a player's first touch is enough to escape the clutches of an aggressive defender, with PES 2020's litany of new animations and techniques allowing players to exhibit more intelligence when interacting with an approaching ball.This is another element that adds to the realism and inherent satisfaction of PES' football, providing you with an added degree of control that encompasses numerous variables such as the incoming ball's speed, the receiving player's body position, their skill level, and their playstyle. This aspect of PES 2020 grants certain players a sense of personality and individualism, with some utilizing recognizable skills and techniques to trap the ball. Along those same lines, AI teammates will even spread out to give skilled dribblers more room to work with, or make aggressive runs when a proficient passer has the ball at his feet. You'll only really notice some of this behavior with superstars like Ronaldo and Neymar, but there are other, smaller details that lend each player a tangible slice of humanity, too. For instance, the whole team has a tendency to remonstrate with the referee after the award of a free kick on the edge of their box, while a striker might wag his finger at the linesmen after a tight offside call. You may even notice the goalkeeper urging his defense to push up out of the corner of your eye, or see a defender crumple to the floor in pain after taking a shot to the midriff. Again, these are minute details, but they contribute to a sense of authenticity that elevates how enjoyable PES 2020 is to play.The latter example is also part of PES 2020's improvements to defending and an increased physicality across the pitch. Players aren't afraid to put their bodies on the line, blocking shots and crosses with reckless abandon to prevent the opposition from scoring. Sometimes this can lead to moments like the aforementioned deflected goal, and the ensuing goalmouth scrambles after some fortuitously blocked shots are also fantastically chaotic. Ideally, you'll put a stop to most attacks before they reach this point, which is helped by defending being genuinely enjoyable this year. There's a real wince-inducing crunch to some fouls, and a plethora of new tackling and clearing animations gives you more ways to win the ball back. There are no force fields around attacking players either, but they can use their bodies to get between man and ball, with physically stronger players able to hold off defenders more effectively than most. Referees are still maddeningly inconsistent, however--much like in real life. They're too whistle-happy at times and waste no time digging into their pocket to book players for innocuous fouls. Other times they'll ignore blatant penalties for no earthly reason.Fortunately, opposing team AI fares much better. The days of playing teams with a single-minded pursuit of drilling low crosses into the box are gone. There's a delightful variety of ways the AI will now approach each game, scoring all types of goals with a number of different tactics, whether they're bombarding you with long balls or passing between the lines. This makes the long-standing Master League mode a lot more enjoyable to play in PES 2020. The basic makeup of the mode hasn't really changed, but there are some new superficial additions. Instead of building a manager at the offset using a limited character creator, Master League now asks you to pick from numerous players and managers from the past and present of football, including Diego Maradona, Roberto Carlos, and the late Johan Cruyff. Throughout the season there are dynamic cutscenes that regularly present you with dialogue choices to help shape your manager's personality and allow you to set numerous objectives for your team. In truth, none of these scenes impact the game in any meaningful way. Your dialogue choices will affect how fans and the media perceive you, but this is entirely inconsequential.A more significant change in Master League revolves around transfers and how they're not quite as ridiculous as in the past. You'll still see teams pay exorbitant amounts of money for players they don't particularly need, but at least the fees are somewhat in the realms of reality. It's highly unlikely a team will splash out on a 33-year-old, for example, but that won't stop PSG spending triple digits to sign Sadio Mane. Beyond this, however, Master League is still stuck in the same holding pattern it has been for a few years now. Taking the default group of mediocre players up through the leagues--and eventually falling in love with them--is still engaging, especially now that the AI is a lot more fun to play against. But Master League still feels like a case of been-here-done-that.MyClub, the Ultimate Team-style fantasy team builder, is in a similar position, yet remains PES' best game mode. Constructing a team of legends and current players is still appealing, and the ability to play against the AI, other human players, and in co-op games gives you plenty of options to play PES however you prefer. Microtransactions are still present, but quickly assembling a competitive team doesn't rely on parting with real-world money unless you're impatient. PES 2020 also changes the way player ratings work, with every player you acquire starting with their default rating at a minimum. From there you can continue to upgrade them and exceed this rating or acquire special team-of-the-week players that are already rated higher, but you'll no longer have to worry about getting a lowly 82 rated Raheem Sterling that needs extra training.The licensing issue revolving around PES will likely never going go away, and people are still going to download option files to get all of the official kits and badges anyway. Like its predecessors, eFootball PES 2020 continues to do its talking on the pitch, refining and improving on last year's game to present what might be the greatest football game ever made. Sure, it's disappointing that you still can't play as Borussia Dortmund and the majority of the Bundesliga and a few other leagues, and its single-player offering is almost identical to what was included three years ago. But all of this effortlessly drifts to the back of your mind once you step between those white lines and simply start playing the beautiful game. Info from Gamespot.com

After Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, a disappointing spin-off released in 2014, Borderlands 3 is a welcome return to form for the franchise. The game reunites fans with the core group of memorable main characters from the first two games and delivers the mayhem-heavy loot-shooter experience that the series is known for. Borderlands 3 carries forward many of the things that made the first two games special, but in doing so it also brings with it a few of the same stumbling blocks. There are noticeable improvements to the series formula, though, as Borderlands 3 provides additional freedom in how you want to play.Set seven years after the events of Borderlands 2, Borderlands 3 wraps up most of the narratives established in the earlier games, while also teasing additional threads that could be explored in the future. Despite these hints, there's a definite finality to Borderlands 3's campaign, which satisfyingly wraps up the arcs of characters that fans have been following for 10 years.As one of four fledgling Vault Hunters--Zane the operative, Amara the Siren, Moze the gunner, or FL4K the beastmaster--you are recruited into the Crimson Raiders, the militia that defends the only civilized pocket of society found on the bandit-filled wasteland planet of Pandora. Led by Lilith, a former Vault Hunter, the Crimson Raiders have gone to war with Tyreen Calypso and her twin brother Troy, who are using their influence as popular video streamers to convince their cult following to help them acquire the immense power found in secret vaults scattered throughout the universe. The story is a bit of a slow start, but it quickly picks up near the end of the first act and rarely slows down on its way to its grand finale. Looting and shooting are still the focus of Borderlands 3, but its campaign also delivers a fairly well-written story of sacrifice, the importance of family, and the responsibilities of heroes.Borderlands 3 provides more flexibility than ever before to create the type of character you want. For the first time in the series, the Vault Hunters all have an active skill tied to each of their three respective skill trees. Amara, for example, can equip Phaseslam to deal immense close range damage, Phasecast to tear through enemies from afar, or Phasegrasp to crowd control or focus her elemental abilities on one target. Using perks from all three skill trees, you can evolve each of these skills in meaningful ways. For instance, if you want to make Amara's area-of-effect Phaseslam ability into something more precise, you could change it with perks found in both the Brawl and Fist of the Elements skill trees so that the ability transforms Amara into a levitating spider-like creature that shoots a massive fire-based death ray before she careens to earth in a smaller slam. Phaseslam can evolve in other ways too, as can Phasecast and Phasegrasp--providing numerous options for how you want Amara to fight. The same can be said for Zane, Moze, and FL4K.As a result, it's pretty easy for both you and a friend to be playing as the same character but have completely different builds and roles on the battlefield. This added freedom also makes it far more feasible, and thus enjoyable, to play Borderlands 3's campaign entirely solo in comparison to previous games in the franchise, as you're not limited to established class restrictions based on your Vault Hunter choice. You obviously don't have to go it alone--and Borderlands 3 actually makes co-op more rewarding thanks to an option that removes the need to compete for loot--but it's nice knowing that if you want to, your experience will not be completely defined by the Vault Hunter you choose.The freedom to build your ideal loadout extends beyond your Vault Hunter's skill trees. Borderlands 3 makes clear-cut distinctions when it comes to the manufacturer of each gun. Before you even loot a new firearm, looking at which company made it will tell you most of what you need to know about what it can do. Maliwan guns are fairly weak but each one shoots elemental bullets, for instance, allowing you to more easily electrocute shields, melt armor, or burn through flesh, while a Hyperion firearm raises a forcefield in front of you while aiming down sights and becomes more accurate as you pull the trigger. They're minor changes to further differentiate each type of gun, but these new manufacturer effects make it a lot easier to build specialized loadouts that can augment the perks you choose.But, more than anything, the guns are just fun to shoot. It may come as little surprise given that distinctive firearms has been the bread and butter of the franchise since the beginning, but Borderlands 3 has quite a few unique guns that offer a wide variety of enjoyable effects. Some have actual gameplay-changing ramifications, like a sniper rifle that can transform into a shotgun. But Borderlands 3 also has guns that are just playfully quirky and weird--ones that insult and tease you for your performance or just shoot more guns, for example. And you acquire new firepower at a gratifying pace, with new loot regularly dropping from the tougher enemies in the groups you encounter and explosively erupting from bosses you defeat. Borderlands 3 never lets up on giving you new weapons to experiment with, progressively increasing the explosive potential and wacky effects of the weapons you find, which in turn serves as a satisfying visual representation of how much stronger you're getting beyond the higher damage numbers.Even without the loot, defeating enemies in combat is fulfilling. Shooting an unshielded enemy in the head rewards you with their cranium erupting in a satisfying blossom of blood and gore. When you don't land that final headshot, enemies mostly go out with a final battle cry--ranging from pitiful cries for salvation to humorous insults--and the game doesn't repeat lines often enough for them to grow stale. Combat is never dull as a result, with your chosen Vault Hunter shouting out funny or cool-sounding one-liners in the brief moments you're reloading and making your way to your next victim.As entertaining as Borderlands 3's combat is, the fun that is found in the freedom to fight however you want is occasionally interrupted by the structure of boss battles, a traditional problem for the franchise. Many of the bosses look cool and have incredible theme music, but they all amount to the same strategy: shoot the weak spots, run from or jump over attacks, and repeat. You can cheat some by hiding in an unreachable corner and slowly chipping away at the boss' weak spot, but that's not much fun either as pretty much every boss in the game has a large healthpool and many of the later ones are bullet-sponges.Borderlands 3's late-game bosses pack a wallop with every attack too, downing you in a few hits if you're not careful and thus demanding that you near-perfectly dodge for an extended period of time--which can drag on and feel boringly repetitive in the longest of these fights. So when you do encounter a boss in Borderlands 3, it typically grinds the mayhem-filled action to an abrupt halt as you're forced to respond to the boss' patterns by playing more slowly and carefully.The new climbing and sliding moves do allow you to better navigate environments and thus get out of the way of certain attacks, but both mechanics are better suited for weaving among the scattered firefights with normal enemies, not the concentrated bombardment of the bosses. Several boss battles are frustratingly difficult to tackle on your own as a result, to the point that they all seem like repeated suggestions that you should be playing Borderlands 3 with at least one other person. Two or more players allows you to take turns reviving each other, making it easier to last longer. But simply trying to outlast one strong enemy doesn't impart the same enjoyable impact of the mayhem-filled firefights from the rest of the game. You feel more like a badass running around and gunning down a vast assortment of different enemies than you do hiding behind cover and waiting for the boss to stop attacking you just so you can safely get a few shots off.Thankfully, boss battles only make up a small part of Borderlands 3's overall campaign. Most of the story sees you go up against the Calypsos' seemingly never-ending cult of bandits or the armies of the twins' corporate sponsors as you race to find the pieces of the keys to open up vaults across the universe. Your journey takes you far beyond the planet of Pandora, and it provides opportunities for new types of combat encounters in a series that has largely revolved around wide-open deserts full of bandits or factories full of robots. For example, the jungles of Eden-6 contain an assortment of dangerous wildlife that have different hunting grounds and patterns, and the low gravity of a Maliwan space station orbiting the planet of Promethea allows the elemental gunslinging corporate soldiers you're going up against to jump higher and more easily attack you from above. Certain weapons have greater utility in certain environments as well, such as an explosive mushroom-like grenade that becomes more powerful when thrown into water. That's easier to do more often in Eden-6's swamps than Pandora's sand dunes. Borderlands 3's campaign sees you bouncing back and forth between planets every few hours, which keeps each setting from growing stale while also encouraging you to keep adopting new playstyles, strategies, and weapons.Borderlands' heroes are nothing if not personable, and that trend continues in this latest installment--transforming the motley crew of outlaws into a family you feel a kinship with.Even if Borderlands 3 takes you far beyond the scope of Pandora and sees you meet brand-new allies and encounter never-before-seen threats, the original cast of characters that have defined the adventures from the beginning are still at the forefront, and the story is better for it. Whether you're a long-time fan or not, it's the connection to the Crimson Raiders that acts as your motivation for fighting through the campaign. Borderlands' heroes are nothing if not personable, and that trend continues in this latest installment--transforming the motley crew of outlaws into a family you feel a kinship with. Your connection to the Crimson Raiders continues to grow with every mission as well, as--thanks to the spaceship Sanctuary III--the entire group is with you throughout the course of your journey.Newcomer Tyreen is clearly a bad person, but the campaign's story never gives you a compelling reason as to why you would want to kill her so as to stop her for good. Lilith is fond of reminding you that Tyreen's plans would ultimately destroy Pandora, but Borderlands 3 introduces a bunch of planets that would make for more preferable homes. Tyreen, and thus Troy, never amounts to a credible threat that you feel like you need to stop as a result, so the Calypso twins instead feel like the primary source of much of Borderlands 3's comic relief, not villains that must be stopped.With most of the franchise's juvenile humor and ludicrous jokes coming from your planetside interactions with the Calypsos, it's on Sanctuary III with your crew that Borderlands 3's well-written story delves into its more heartfelt and emotional moments. The game wastes little time reintroducing you to mainstays Lilith and Patricia Tannis, a brilliant yet socially anxious scientist, and building the drama of its narrative around them as the two women grow into their new roles within the Crimson Raiders. Tannis' evolution is especially compelling as you see her make courageous strides to move beyond the self-imposed limitations she's set for herself on account of her autism and social anxiety. For two characters that were popular but little more than caricatures in the first game, it's rewarding to see the growth the two underwent in Borderlands 2 now culminate into two leaders that you're willing to follow to the end.That isn't to say the other fan-favorite characters have been left out. Pretty much everyone from the previous games returns to complete their respective arcs. Borderlands 3 weaves in plenty of memorable new characters as well--such as the coffee-obsessed Lorelei, artificial intelligence BALEX, and scoundrel turned rebel general Clay--but the game's story is very much the fulfilling conclusion that long-time fans have been looking forward to for the franchise's mainstays.And what a conclusion it is. Borderlands 3 has a few stumbling blocks when it comes to bosses, but these fights are overshadowed by the game's rewarding gunplay and over-the-top humor. The game's character-driven narrative acts as a satisfying finale for the loot-shooter franchise, and the new mechanics and features--especially the reworked skill trees and weapon manufacturer effects--give you plenty of agency in how you want to play through it. If you've never been a fan of the franchise, it's unlikely Borderlands 3 does enough things differently to change your mind, as the game best excels at continuing what the series has always done: deliver a humorous tall tale of misfits looting and shooting their way to heroism.Info from Gamespot.com

Daemon X Machina is fundamentally about the satisfaction of making small adjustments to tackle a much larger problem. Faced with a quadrupedal robot the size of a city park, do you focus on defense to outlast it, or offense to bring it down as quickly as possible? Stay grounded for access to its underbelly, or fly far above the majority of its reach? Use rapid-fire weaponry to compensate for losses in accuracy, or a lumbering bazooka and line up each shot carefully? The game is at its best when you're diagnosing a mission and outfitting your armored mech suit to match. Most of Daemon X Machina is spent in combat, but it's the moments between missions, making these key decisions, where the game really finds its identity.As the newest mercenary surrounded by veterans, you're quickly labeled "the Rookie"--a name that you keep well past it being deserved, given that you rise in the ranks and even best most of your colleagues. The mercs are pilots of armored mecha suits called Arsenals, their actions governed by a centralized artificial intelligence that oversees their missions against Immortals--A.I. robots that have gone rogue against humanity. But you're all still mercenaries. Even if you're ostensibly on the same team against the Immortals, you're all really in it for the money, and often your objectives will come into conflict with your peers from other merc groups.Life as a newbie mercenary falls into a familiar pattern. You might tinker with your Arsenal's equipment, take on a mission consisting of attacking an Immortal outpost or defending a convoy, collect your pay, and then head back to the hangar to do it all again. Despite the simple formula, Daemon X Machina manages surprising variety in its missions. Sometimes you'll need to traverse a narrow hallway filled with the small, gun-fodder Immortal units, other times you'll need to battle against a rival merc on their own conflicting mission, and occasionally you'll discover a Colossus--a giant, screen-filling Immortal with a massive life bar.The pace of the combat differs greatly between encounter types. Smaller enemies swarm the battlefield requiring harried crowd control. Rival mechs often turn into aerial slugfests, especially as melee clashes jump to a sudden button-mashing event to overpower your opponent. And the massive Colossi are each fully unique encounters with their own individual attack patterns and weaknesses. Your backup weapons equipped to the pylons provide a little flexibility, but your Arsenal is no Swiss Army knife. No single build could be prepared for every battle type, especially in the late-game as enemies are able to absorb much more damage.The variety of these battle types call for different equipment to match, and it's the tinkering portion of the game that's strangely the most satisfying. Your Arsenal has tons of customization options, including two main weapons, two backup weapons stored on rear pylons, shoulder-mounted equipment, and auxiliary equipment, and that's without even touching on the swappable head, body, arm, and leg parts and the ability to paint and decal the whole rig. It's something akin to building a model Gundam, except you can go out and pilot it against hordes of enemy robots. Some of the most rewarding moments are when you hit a tough boss battle, step away from the game while you continue to think about how you could outfit your Arsenal for the challenge, and then return with a successful battle plan. And while this isn't exactly a loot-shooter, you can pick over a defeated Arsenal and select one part to make your own, fulfilling your equipment envy when you see an enemy with a shiny object you'd like.The wealth of customization options hits a stumbling block, however, when it comes to battles against the other mercenaries. Weapon options range from slow-moving bazookas to acid guns and swords, which are perfectly suited to dealing with standard enemies and Colossi alike. But as the game goes on, battles against other mercenaries become much more frequent, and most of the weapons aren't well-suited for them. Just like your own Arsenal, enemy rigs are airborne and extremely nimble, which means the majority of your options are just too slow. The lock-on function helps signal when an enemy is in your sights, but it doesn't really lock on to them, so you need to babysit the camera as they dash around the battlefield. I found myself defaulting to double assault rifles for the last third of the game or so, since the rapid-fire helped counteract the other mechs' evasive maneuvers. It consistently worked, but it sapped most of the fun out of tailoring my Arsenal to the situation.These mech-on-mech battles are delivered with a heaping helping of anime melodrama. The cheesy voice-acting and dialogue are just endearing enough not to distract from the excellent worldbuilding, as the characters and relationships reveal more about the history and nature of the conflict. The story throws you in the deep end without much explanation, but you'll slowly grow accustomed to the various mercenary groups and their differing philosophies and goals. The Bullet Works mercenaries are run with military efficiency, for example, while Immortal Innocence throws itself into battles with reckless abandon, and the Western VII are a gang of prisoners who fight for reduced sentences instead of cash. Each mercenary comes with their own fantastically absurd call sign, like Crimson Lord, Guns Empress, and Savior.While you build up familiarity with these mercs in the story, you also gain them as recruitable allies. That allows you to bring them along on side missions, though it is sometimes frustrating that you can't direct your allies to focus on a specific target. Their help comes at a price--sometimes a price even higher than the actual payout, in which case you're taking a net loss to make the mission a little easier on yourself. This is fine, though, because money has limited utility in the game’s economy. You can buy parts at a shop or fabricate them at a factory, but the ones you find scrounging around on the battlefield are generally better anyway.Most of your cash will instead go into small, passive upgrades for your Arsenal and humanoid avatar--called an Outer because, naturally, even your actual human body is defined in the context of being outside your Arsenal. You can pay a little money at a place called the Ice Cream Parlor for a one-mission buff, or pay significantly more to develop an upgrade tree. These upgrades make you appear progressively less human, which is thematically similar to transhumanism elements in the main story. Your inhuman appearance isn't ever remarked upon, though, so your choices don't connect with the larger narrative and it remains superficial. Instead, your upgrades and the accompanying cosmetic changes are just a matter of weighing whether you mind if your avatar looks less like you intended when you made them.Similarly, the story lands with less punch than it should have. You've been fighting other pilots so casually and with such regularity that when the stakes turn to life-and-death, it isn't really reflected in the gameplay. You're still shooting the enemy until their Arsenal becomes inactive, but then a cutscene shows that they die instead of retreating. It's a disappointing fizzle considering how fond I had grown of the various factions and their merry bands of weirdos.The missed potential of the story and minor issues with mech-vs-mech combat make Daemon X Machina fall just short of its potential, but the foundation is strong. As a total package, it’s on the verge of greatness; it just needed a little more time in the shop tinkering.Editor's note: We will be finalizing this review in progress in the coming days once we've played Daemon X Machina's multiplayer on live, post-release servers. Info from Gamespot.com

Borderlands 3 is almost here. Gearbox's next big looter-shooter arrives on September 13 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Like previous entries in the series, the music is one of its standout features. Music has been very important to the series from the beginning (the opening sequence in Borderlands 1 might have been the first time you heard "Ain't No Rest For The Wicked"), and this theme continues with Borderlands 3.GameSpot recently had the opportunity to interview Borderlands 3 composer Jesper Kyd, who spoke to us about many different topics. Having already worked on Borderlands 1 and 2, as well as the Pre-Sequel and Claptastic Voyage, Kyd expanded on the challenges of making new music in a series he's familiar with, as well as what it was like working with Gearbox, how the music ties together with Borderlands 3, bringing players to multiple planets outside of Pandora this time around.Kyd also told us more about how Borderlands 3 makes use of a "deep interactive music system" that, through some backend wizardry and randomness, allows the game's music to sound slightly different each time you play. Additionally, he explained that, at a high level, he wanted to try new things and break from some of the series tradition, while he also described the score as the "most varied" one he's ever made for the Borderlands series."I knew right away the last thing I wanted to do was add the predictable swampy slide guitar on all the music. It just felt too pedestrian for Borderlands 3, it wasn't out-there enough," he said.You can see the full review below. Kyd also composed the music for games in the Hitman, Assassin's Creed, Darksiders, and State of Decay franchises.For lots more on the upcoming Borderlands 3 launch, check out GameSpot's roundup that covers the pre-load details, region unlock times, PC specs, and more. If you're looking to pick up the game, you can check out GameSpot's extended pre-order guide to learn more about what's available.GameSpot's Borderlands 3 review scored the looter-shooter an 8/10. "Borderlands 3 has a few stumbling blocks when it comes to bosses, but these fights are overshadowed by the game's rewarding gunplay and over-the-top humor," reviewer Jordan Ramee said.Jesper Kyd Having worked on previous Borderlands games in the past, can you talk about the challenge of coming up with new ideas for a series you're already familiar with?After working on Borderlands 1 and 2, the last Borderlands games I scored were The Pre-Sequel and Claptastic Voyage, which were both science fiction-inspired scores mixed with the distinct feel of Borderlands. With Borderlands 3 we are back to Pandora as well as visiting new worlds such as the Eden-6 planet, which is the planet I scored. Scoring a brand-new addition to the Borderlands universe has been very exciting to work on. Eden-6 is a planet covered in swamplands and thick vegetation, so it was a very different writing experience from scoring the previous four Borderlands games I worked on. It is also the most varied Borderlands score I have written."Eden-6 is a planet covered in swamplands and thick vegetation, so it was a very different writing experience from scoring the previous four Borderlands games I worked on." -- Jesper KydWhat kind of notes did Gearbox give you as it relates to the music they wanted?They were looking for the music to help make Eden-6 sound unique from the other planets, yet at the same time help define this new unexplored world as a location that belongs in the Borderlands universe. I remember writing one of the cues that opens with a slow atmospheric guitar solo, a la Pink Floyd, and when I talked about this to the Gearbox audio director Raison Varner he mentioned the team was 100% on board with such ideas. The score I wrote doesn't draw inspiration from any film or game soundtracks, the direction goes much further than that. Naturally the score also needed to support areas such as marshlands and wetlands and this is often mixed up with a high-tech mood, since advanced technology is ever-present.How much collaboration was there between yourself and the team at Gearbox?I worked closely with the audio department at Gearbox, specifically Raison Varner. We talked a lot about the different worlds I was working on and he really encouraged me to bring a lot of creativity to the writing. Borderlands is a perfect playground for me to let loose musically and after working on all the previous games and helping to establish the Borderlands sound, I was able to use a lot of my knowledge of the universe and creative energy to help push things much further this time around. That's the great thing about returning to franchises; since you have already established the sound you can now invest time in pushing that sound further into new territories."Adding lots of melodies to the exploration music is something I felt would fit very well with this gameplay type. This is what I feel ties all my music together." -- Jesper KydBorderlands 3 is such a sprawling game with so many different locations, characters, and moments--is there a connective tissue of a kind that ties your music together?That's a great observation. I feel my main menu music is a good example of the dynamic type of music I wrote for Borderlands 3. I really focused on adding a lot of melody to my writing. When playing games myself, my favorite musical moments are often those based on melody and this is something I talked a lot to Gearbox about and they loved that idea. Borderlands is such a high-octane experience, even when just exploring the maps, there is a ton of variation and entertainment throughout. So adding lots of melodies to the exploration music is something I felt would fit very well with this gameplay type. This is what I feel ties all my music together.When you set out to make the music for Borderlands 3, what themes and tones did you want to highlight or accentuate? What kind of instrumentation were you looking to use?I knew right away the last thing I wanted to do was add the predictable swampy slide guitar on all the music. It just felt too pedestrian for Borderlands 3, it wasn't out-there enough. We are on an alien planet after all! So I pursued other ideas. There is a track called "Exploring The Dormant Ship" where I play a big Russian zither as well as some really warped pianos through a space echo; this really helped us realize that we could move way beyond just slide guitars and other more traditional bayou instrumentations. I then recorded a lot of vocal parts for the action part of this cue, which helps give the world a more immersive depth and richness of life.I recently had the opportunity to play Borderlands 3 during a preview session. That dub-step boss was a musical treat; can you talk about how that all came together and what you were setting out to do with it? The way it uses music is so fascinating.Great! I love that you noticed that. I wrote 10 minutes of end boss music to make all that come together like that. I had this idea of making the end boss music for Eden-6 something that really stands out with an atmosphere that lifts you up. I am a huge fan of boss battles and I'm fascinated with how games use boss music; Japanese games perform these types of gameplay moments especially well. Gearbox was onboard with this approach but when we put it in the game we all realized that we needed something different to set it up before we could give people this crazy melodic lift in spirits.To make that transition work I wrote a track for the boss battle that's really heavy and bombastic before introducing such a shift in uplifting mood. So if you ace this epic boss battle right away you'll move on faster and the game will take you to the next world. But if you take longer in battle the game rewards you with a new level of atmosphere which gives you a feel of rising hope, that you can overcome this challenge. On the album, that track is called “Tranquility Achieved”."Borderlands 3 features a really deep interactive music system with many layers and modular pieces that are randomly put together in-game, so the music sounds a bit different every time you play the game." -- Jesper KydI've read that you're challenging yourself to experiment with new sounds for Borderlands 3. What does this mean?Well, I am always looking at new ways to break the mold of what is expected and then take things further or go in a totally different unexpected direction that really rewards the gamers as well as fitting the game perfectly. There are so many interesting things that can only be done in the games medium and following the path of scoring games more traditionally is a lost opportunity, since I feel we have an opportunity to create something unique or surprising.For example, once you finally make it to the end part of Eden-6, the music track “Treasures Of The Vault” starts with a set of upbeat motivational combat cues, to get the fun factor going out in full force. It's like a reward for the game player while at the same time reminding you that you are finally here, that this is what you have been looking for, now fight and go claim your reward. These types of ideas are important to me as a gamer and I always think like a gamer when scoring video games. I really have to give credit to Gearbox and Raison Varner for allowing my creativity to run wild during the making of this score.What else should people know about the soundtrack for Borderlands 3?Borderlands 3 features a really deep interactive music system with many layers and modular pieces that are randomly put together in-game, so the music sounds a bit different every time you play the game. In addition to a more unique playing experience, this results in some really interesting soundtrack versions of the music. For example, there are exploration tracks on the soundtrack such as “Enter Floodmoor Basin” which are over nine minutes in duration as well as action music tracks such as “Treasures Of The Vault” which is an eight-minute piece. And these pieces of music never repeat any parts or themes but keep moving forward and developing. So it’s progressive in structure. The soundtrack, which also features music by co-composers Michael McCann, Finishing Move and Raison Varner, is almost six hours long and there’s a vinyl release on the way as well!Info from Gamespot.com

Joaquin Phoenix's Joker and Robert Pattinson's Batman won't ever meet on screen. Joker movie director Todd Phillips said in a recent interview that he doesn't foresee the characters interacting with each other in future movies."No, definitely not," he told Variety when asked about the possibility of the two iconic DC characters coming together. At the Toronto International Film Festival this week, Phillips shared more insight. He reiterated that he does not think Phoenix's Joker exists in the same DC Universe as Pattinson's Batman."I don't see [Joker] connecting to anything in the future," he said. "This is just a movie."Joker is a standalone origin story for the character, telling the story of how Arthur Fleck became the villainous Joker. Looking ahead, Phillips said his version of Joker is just one of the possibilities of storytelling for the famed bad guy. "In the states, comic books are our Shakespeare it seems, and you can do many many versions of Hamlet," Phillips told Variety. "There will be many more Jokers, I'm sure, in the future."Also in the Variety interview, Phoenix revealed that he was initially apprehensive about playing Joker. But in the end, it turned out to be a career highlight for the three-time Oscar nominated actor."I mean honestly, it wasn’t an easy decision at first," Phoenix said. "I didn't f**king know. I didn't. But then there was something that was drawing me toward it. It just evolved as we worked together. It started becoming something more than I anticipated. It was one of the greatest experiences of my career."Joker premiered at the Venice Film Festival and was shown again at the Toronto International Film Festival this week; it premieres in theatres on October 4. As for Pattinson's Batman movie, the Matt Reeves-directed film is scheduled to come to cinemas in 2021.GameSpot's Joker review scored the comic book movie a 10/10. "It might make you uncomfortable, and it will no doubt stay with you long after the curtains close; great movies often do," reviewer Michael Rougeau said.Info from Gamespot.com

It's no secret that Mayans MC has been loaded with Easter eggs from and nods to the Sons of Anarchy universe the show is set in, which is undoubtedly exciting for fans of FX's original motorcycle club series to see. In the show's latest episode, though, the show took aim at some fans that might take the world of Sons of Anarchy a little bit too far.In the new installment, titled "Xaman-Ek," EZ (JD Pardo) and Angel (Clayton Cardenas) are on a road trip when encounter a strange motorcycle club neither have heard of before. Two members of the club try to intimidate the Mayans, proclaiming the bikers are on their turf. Showing that the Mayans aren't to be messed with, Angel pulled a gun and chastised the duo that didn't know any better."You poser f***ing douchebags. You guys watch some bulls*** TV show and think a vest and two wheels makes you a club," he mocked, clearly making reference to those who saw Sons of Anarchy and decided starting a biker gang was easy to do. "Hmm. I'm guessing Brad and Todd here got all their totally awesome gym bros filling up their table.""Jesus, man, you guys are an embarrassment," he concluded before himself and EZ rode away.That wasn't the end of that particular plot, though. The Reyes brothers later ran into the small-time gang again, this time with their entire membership. Again, Angel went for his gun and fired off a couple of shots to attract the attention of police, before leading the low-level club on a chase through town. When law enforcement tracks them down, the elder Reyes points out to the rival gang the credo of "patches over badges," meaning even clubs at war will ceasefire when it comes to getting away from the law.At that point, the "poser douchebags" broke off from the Mayans, claiming this quarrel wasn't over. While it likely will come back to bite EZ and Angel in the future, it was a clear victory for the titular club over the fanboys. Angel, a tried and true outlaw biker, knew the bullets he fired would draw in the police and would force the local gang to take off. While EZ may be considered the genius in his family, it's Angel that is smart to the ways of the MC world--and protective of it to those who think they can just claim their stake in it.This is a moment that serves as a public service announcement to fans of Sons of Anarchy that may have taken their love for the show far enough to hope on a bike and throw on a kutte. The world of outlaw motorcycle clubs is very real and very serious. Those who inhabit it may not take kindly to those playing biker and infringing on something they hold dear.Mayans MC airs Tuesdays on FX.Info from Gamespot.com

To promote the upcoming release of a new, pet-themed update for Sea of Thieves, developer Rare brought a real squirrel monkey onto a livestream. That monkey, whose name is Antonio, threw up and pooped on community video manager Jon McFarlane. Many wondered if the monkey had some kind of sickness, but thankfully, no, Antonio the squirrel monkey is doing just fine.Rare sent a message on Twitter to let people know. "What's the saying? Never work with children or animals?... We'd do it again. #Antonio. We'd also like to assure you all that Antonio is fine!," the studio said.The developers clarified that Antonio is not sick. Rather, he got food stuck in his throat and needed to barf it up. He disappears from the stream for a bit after the vomit situation and returns with an appetite and appearing to be in good spirits. The throw up and poop part of the Sea of Thieves livestream begins at around 27:48 in the video embedded below, in case you're interested in watching that. Alternatively, you can watch the sequence play out in the animated gifs below.What's the saying? Never work with children or animals?...We'd do it again. #Antonio pic.twitter.com/WSgZDxnor4 — Sea of Thieves (@SeaOfThieves) September 9, 2019We'd also like to assure you all that Antonio is fine! pic.twitter.com/MdpGYB15bP — Sea of Thieves (@SeaOfThieves) September 9, 2019Rare's Joe Neate provided a statement on the story to IGN, which first reported the news."On Monday’s livestream where we provided details on our upcoming Pirate Emporium, we welcomed a squirrel monkey named Antonio to join in the fun," Neate said. "We can confirm Antonio is doing well and we'd welcome the chance to have him at the studio again anytime."Pets come to Sea of Thieves through an update for Xbox One and PC on September 11. Two types of pets are available at launch, including monkeys and parrots. The pets respond to things that happen in the game; for example, your monkey might run for cover during a battle.Additionally, the new Sea of Thieves update introduces a new premium currency called Ancient Coins, which are a form of microtransactions. These can be spent in the Pirate Emporium to pick up new emotes and various cosmetics, as well as the aforementioned pets. Info from Gamespot.com

Video game retailer GameStop has seen better days. In August, the company announced a huge round of layoffs that impacted more than 100 employees, including some members of the Game Informer staff. The company's stock price is at a near all-time low, trading around $5 per share compared to more than $46 per share back in 2015. GameStop has a plan to turn thing around, and now the retailer has shared more details.During an earnings call on September 10, GameStop shared more details on what it called the "GameStop Reboot" initiative. The overall aim of this is to "improve the financial performance of the business and implement a series of initiatives that will support the long-term success of the business and value creation for stakeholders.""We are committed to acting with a sense of urgency to address the areas of the business that are critical to achieving long-term success and value creation for all our stakeholders," GameStop CEO George Sherman said in a statement. "We will set GameStop on the correct strategic path and fully leverage our unique position and brand in the video game industry. Our strategic plan is anchored on four tenets which include, optimizing the core business by driving efficiency and effectiveness, creating the social and cultural hub of gaming within each GameStop, building compelling digital capabilities, and transforming our vendor and partner relationships for an evolving video game industry."This is a compelling new strategic vision for the company, and we've already started to execute against all four pillars. We also remain committed to returning capital to shareholders and balancing that opportunity against the need to maintain a strong balance sheet to properly run our business and invest in responsible growth."The four main pillars of GameStop's Reboot initiative include the following (descriptions written by GameStop):Optimize the Core: Optimize the core business by improving efficiency and effectiveness across the organization, including cost restructuring, inventory management optimization, adding and growing high margin product categories, and rationalizing the global store base.Become the Social / Cultural Hub for Gaming: Create the social and cultural hub of gaming across the GameStop platform by testing and improving existing core assets including the store experience, knowledgeable associates and the PowerUp Rewards loyalty program.Build Digital Platform: Build compelling digital capabilities, including the recent relaunch of GameStop.com, to reach customers more broadly across the omni-channel platform and give them the full spectrum of content and access to products they desire.Transform Vendor Partnerships: Transform our vendor and partner relationships to unlock additional high-margin revenue streams and optimize the lifetime value of every customer.Sherman spoke at length about each of the pillars during the earnings call; you can listen to the webcast here to hear everything that Sherman had to say.GameStop is already moving on its plan to right the ship. Just recently, the company re-launched its website (now with ThinkGeek incorporated), featuring a more streamlined shopping experience that aims to allow customers to find what they want and buy it more smoothly. Additionally, GameStop is testing new pilot stores in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Some of the store concepts are focused on competitive gaming and "home-grown e-leagues." While other concept stores will exclusively sell retro games and hardware.Another part of GameStop's plan to turn things around is to scale down. The retailer confirmed on the earnings call that it plans to close 180-200 "underperforming" stores by the end of the company's current fiscal year (ending February 2020). The store has 5,700 stores worldwide, so the impending closures--if they reach 200 stores--amount to around 3.5 percent of its total store base. The company added that it expects a "much larger tranche of closures" to follow in the coming 12 to 24 months, though a specific number wasn't provided.Management added that it is "rapidly developing a point of view" on how many more stores it will close in the future. The company is taking a "very specific approach" to looking into specific store closures, the company said. Specifically, the company might look to "de-densify" its store base, which means stores with overlapping trade areas might close. GameStop also pointed out that its average store land lease is two years, so the company isn't generally financially committed to any particular area for an extended period of time.Don't expect GameStop to turn things around overnight, however. Sherman said on the call, "This transition will take time."As for GameStop's latest earnings, for the quarter ended August 3, the company saw its total global sales fall 14.3 percent to $1.3 billion. GameStop posted a net loss of $415.3 million for the quarter, which is far worse than the $24.9 million that the company lost during the same period last year.Every category except Collectibles saw sales decrease year-over-year.New hardware sales fell a massive 41.1 percent, a downturn that GameStop attributed to the announcement of next-generation consoles coming in 2020. New game sales fell 5.3 percent overall; Nintendo Switch game sales grew, but it wasn't enough to offset the "weaker title launches" across all systems relative to the same period last year. Accessory sales, meanwhile, fell 9.5 percent, while pre-owned sales fell 17.5 percent. Digital sales fell 11.2 percent "due to weaker title launches." Collectible sales, however, jumped by 21.2 percent, proving to be the only big bright spot for the retailer."While we experienced sales declines across a number of our categories during the quarter, these trends are consistent with what we have historically observed towards the end of a hardware cycle," GameStop CFO Jim Bell said. "We will continue to manage the underlying businesses to produce meaningful cash returns, while maintaining a strong balance sheet and investing responsibly in our strategic initiatives."Looking ahead, Bell said GameStop expects total sales to continue to be down in multiple consecutive quarters to come, as the industry awaits the launch of next-generation consoles in Holiday 2020. He pointed out that both Xbox Scarlett and the PS5 were announced, at least partially, earlier than in the past. This hurt GameStop, he said, because consumers may hold out on buying systems if they know a new one is coming later, while game releases might slow, too, as developers wait to release titles on the new systems. Info from Gamespot.com