Pokemon Sword and Shield are less than two months away now, and The Pokemon Company continues to steadily reveal new details about the games in the lead up to their launch. Last week, we got our first glimpse--sort of--at a mysterious new Gen 8 Pokemon, and it looks like we may learn more about it very soon.According to Pokemon fansite Serebii, a new Pokemon Sword and Shield reveal will be made tomorrow, September 18, at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET / 1 PM UTC, presumably regarding the aforementioned new Pokemon. The official Pokemon Twitter account has also teased more details about the monster are imminent, tweeting that there was a "technical issue" with the creature's original announcement and that the problem will be "resolved shortly."🚨 Galar Research Update 🚨 Trainers, thanks to your reports, we’ve uncovered a technical issue with the announcement of our latest Pokémon discovery. We’ve got our hardest working Pokémon Trainers on the case and hope to have the issue resolved shortly. pic.twitter.com/2MaeD3Ox73 — Pokémon (@Pokemon) September 17, 2019The new Pokemon in question first appeared on the Pokemon Sword and Shield website. However, its page was intentionally corrupted; the image of the Pokemon appears glitched and certain details about the monster are obscured. However, we do know it will be a pure Fighting-type with the Steadfast Ability, and it weighs 257.9 lbs. The page also features this bit of flavor text:"Only [BLANK] that have survived many battles can attain this [BLANK]. When this Pokemon's [BLANK] [BLANK]ers, it will retire from combat."The prevailing fan theory seems to be that the new Pokemon is a regional evolution of Farfetch'd, although we'll know for sure in just a little bit. In the meantime, you can see all the new Gen 8 Pokemon revealed so far in our gallery. Pokemon Sword and Shield launch for Nintendo Switch on November 15. If you're interested in picking them up, be sure to check out our Pokemon Sword and Shield pre-order guide.Info from Gamespot.com

Bungie just provided another close look at the upcoming third year of Destiny 2 in a new ViDoc, which discusses October's Shadowkeep expansion, its included new content season, and beyond. The video provides a few close looks at new guns and armor, some exploration of the story we can expect from Year Three, and a brief glimpse of a new loot crafting system related to Eris Morn.In Bungie's new ViDoc, we get a look at the Lectern of Enchantment, which appears to be the system by which you'll craft your Shadowkeep gear. On the surface, it seems similar to the Chalice of Opulence, the device you use to make weapons and armor in Destiny 2's current content season, the Season of Opulence. With that system, you add various runes you earn by completing in-game activities, which dictates what guns and armor you get when you complete a run of Opulence's major new activity, the Menagerie.According to the ViDoc, the Lectern will relate to an upcoming Shadowkeep activity, Nightmare Hunt. The Lectern says that you'll earn something called Nightmare Essence from completing these hunts, which you'll then use to craft weapons at the Lectern. It looks like there are other currencies related to the Lectern as well, such as "Phantasmal Fragments," which you'll earn from bounties you can collect from Eris.Director Luke Smith loosely described the Shadowkeep loot system during the ViDoc. "You're going to build a bunch of cool rewards, and if you don't get rolls you like, you're going to go back to the rune table and you're going to build more," he said. "That's part of being a Shadowkeep player--you're going to build your character your way."That description seems to suggest that rolls will be randomized, unlike in Menagerie. But it sounds like players might have some control over what loot they chase based on how they use the Lectern. Allowing players to go after particular guns and armor they need, rather than relying on random drops, is something Smith previously suggested Bungie wanted to do more of based on feedback from Year Two.Looking at the Shadowkeep and Season of the Undying content calendar also gives a few more clues as to how the Lectern might work. The calendar mentions multiple versions of Nightmare Hunt, which roll out over time: "Hero" and "Legend" versions of the activity launch on October 8, and "Master" Nightmare Hunts launch on October 15. That suggests these will operate somewhat like activities such as Reckoning or the Menagerie, where you'll eventually work your way up to harder tiers of Nightmare Hunt to chase better and better rewards.We already know what to expect to earn for Shadowkeep's various armor drops, but as for its many guns, things are a lot less clear. In the ViDoc, Bungie discusses how the guns warn you when Nightmares are nearby, so it's no stretch to figure the Lectern is how you'll earn them. It seems we might have to wait until October 1 and Shadowkeep's launch to really see how these new systems work, though.Info from Gamespot.com

The Sega Genesis Mini has proven to be a great, little microconsole with a bunch of fantastic classic games. However, only the Japanese version came with the six-button pad--the North American version comes with the original three-button controller. This may be disappointing to some, but there are third-party options if you'd like all six buttons, and now Walmart is bundling the mini console with one of those beloved controllers for $90 USD.Sega Genesis Mini + six-button controllerSee it at WalmartThe Sega Genesis Mini comes with two controllers, but this bundle from Walmart also includes an six-button pad. You can choose between the classic black or a translucent blue plastic for the controller's shell. Buying the system and controller separately would cost you $100, but this bundle offers a $10 savings, bringing the price down to $90. This bundle ships on September 19 with free delivery.In GameSpot's Sega Genesis Mini review, our Peter Brown praised the microconsole, despite some of its setbacks. "So the Mini has some issues, and for M2 fans it might be a little disappointing to see that it falls short of the team's most ambitious retro projects from the past, but for the most part the Mini is a very satisfying little console," he wrote."It's got the looks, it's got a great selection of games that largely play faithful to the original experience, and it's priced just right at $80--though you may disagree if the six-button games like Street Fighter II are critical factors. Genesis fans have waited a long time for a system like this, and for once, we're happy to say that the latest official Genesis console is one worth buying."Sega Genesis Mini games listAlex Kidd in the Enchanted CastleAlisia DragoonAltered BeastBeyond OasisCastle of Illusion Starring Mickey MouseCastlevania: BloodlinesColumnsComix ZoneContra: Hard CorpsDariusDr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean MachineDynamite HeaddyEarthworm JimEcco the DolphinEternal ChampionsGhouls ’n GhostsGolden AxeGunstar HeroesKid ChameleonLandstalkerLight CrusaderMega Man: The Wily WarsMonster World 4Phantasy Star 4: The End of the MillenniumRoad Rash 2Shining ForceShinobi 3Sonic the HedgehogSonic the Hedgehog 2Sonic the Hedgehog SpinballSpace Harrier 2Street Fighter 2: Special Champion EditionStreets of Rage 2StriderSuper Fantasy ZoneTetrisThunder Force 3ToeJam & EarlVectormanVirtua Fighter 2Wonder Boy in Monster WorldWorld of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald DuckInfo from Gamespot.com

Bastion is going to get bricked. A new Overwatch limited-time event starting today, September 17, will let you earn several new cosmetics, with a new "Brick Bastion" skin at the center of it all. The new Legendary skin makes the robotic character look like he's built out of Lego bricks.To win the skin and some other cosmetics, all you have to do is play during the LTE period through September 30. Winning three games will get you two new player icons, winning six games will earn you two sprays, and winning nine games will get you the Brick Bastion skin. You can also earn six more sprays by watching Twitch streamers for a set number of hours. The rewards are listed below.Though Bastion's new look definitely sports a Lego-like aesthetic, it's not quite a match for the actual Lego Bastion set produced by the Danish toy company in partnership with Blizzard. So instead, it's simply "Brick Bastion."Overwatch is preparing to launch on a new platform, with a Nintendo Switch version coming on October 15. PowerA is also making some branded Overwatch Pro controllers, complete with characters like Reaper and D. Va, and an Overwatch-themed Switch case. If it looks familiar, it might be because the case leaked, which helped spur on speculation of a port weeks before it was announced.Overwatch Bastion's Brick Challenge Event RewardsWin 3 Games - 2 Player IconsWin 6 Games - 2 New SpraysWin 9 Games - New epic skin: Brick Bastion skinWatch 2 Hours - 1 New SprayWatch 4 Hours - 2 New Player IconsWatch 6 Hours - 2 New Player Icons, 2 New SpraysInfo from Gamespot.com

With Destiny 2 gearing up for the release of Shadowkeep, developer Bungie outlined what's to come in the first-person looter-shooter MMO. Destiny 2's five-year plan is now underway--and it really kicks off when Shadowkeep comes out this October. This likely means Destiny 3, if it ever happens, is years away from release. In the meantime, here's how Guardians can expect Destiny 2's ongoing updates to work.Various Bungie developers--including game director Luke Smith, community head Eric Osborne, production director Justin Truman, and more--spoke about their vision for Destiny 2 with Shadowkeep and beyond in a new vidoc. Bungie is investing in a large system overhaul for the looter-shooter. Everything is changing: armor, enemies, missions, and even the game world itself. The studio claimed it wants to "build Destiny for its core fans [and] the people who love it."Everything Is ChangingDirector Luke Smith started the vidoc by saying he wants to construct a world where you feel like all your actions move the universe forward in some meaningful way. To achieve this goal, Smith said Shadowkeep is the "first step" for Bungie to build the world it is envisioning for Guardians. Shadowkeep will call you back to the Moon, an important Destiny locale that has undergone some frightening changes. Community head Eric Osborne explained that part of the game is understanding what has changed the Moon and why, and what has the Vanguard Hunter Eris Morn discovered on or in it. Whatever discovery this is, according to Osborne, will have drastic implications on Destiny's world, extending possibly to March 2020, all the way to this time next year, and beyond. But returning to the Moon will induce nightmares that manifest into enemies from the past.Shadowkeep doesn't just present a new suite of missions and raids. It also changes the way you play Destiny 2, according to production director Justin Truman. The studio transitioned to talking about armor, which is seeing a drastic overhaul with Shadowkeep. Armor 2.0, at its core, is about making every character slot count. Stats have returned in the character screen, finishers have mods that affect their properties, and more. Further, Shadowkeep will introduce a bevy of new weapons, from seasonal equipment to Shadowkeep gear and some that glow when nightmares are nearby. Smith says Shadowkeep will allow you to "build your character your way."More Ways To PlayWith Shadowkeep comes the evolution of how Bungie handles its season pass. The studio is focusing more on how the seasons actually connect and relate to each other in order to create a more cohesive narrative across the whole of Destiny 2. The studio wants to tell "one continuous story" that poses and answers questions, all starting with Shadowkeep.Fellow production director Matt Zitterman explained that each time you log in to Destiny 2 there's a new way to play thanks to the seasons. Each system--from season rank to the Artifact--is "designed to make the game more compelling as a character-building game," according to Zitterman. The Artifact, an infinite power grind, will give you the tools you need to defeat Destiny 2's new harder enemies, the Champions, as well as the new Nightfall modes. With the introduction of the Artifact, the endgame will soon be about overleveling your character so you can take on Destiny 2's hardest challenges.Repurposing FamiliarityHaving a "healthier PvP game" is part of Bungie's focus within the five-year plan. That includes bringing back original Destiny maps--like Fragment and Widow's Court--placing Elimination back into the Crucible's rotating game modes, and more. Each week will feature different iterations on game modes, where Bungie will be looking for player-feedback to make tweaks.Bungie also wants Destiny 2 to have a single, evolving world. The Season of the Undying sees the Vex invading the Moon, and it kicks off the first act of Year Three. From there, Destiny 2 will see a bevy of new content, including new raids, nightmare hunts, exotic quests, and "so much more no matter what player you are," Osborne said. Creating a single, evolving world is "one of the biggest changes" coming to Destiny 2 overtime. All of these changes follow Activision and Bungie's break up earlier this year, which now sees the FPS developer showcasing the breadth and scope of its vision for Destiny 2.Shadowkeep is expected to hit PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on October 1. Destiny 2 will be a day-one launch title when the Google Stadia comes out sometime this November. Destiny 2 Recent News Destiny 2 Patch Notes: New Update May Have Just Given You More Of The Game For Free Destiny 2 Shadowkeep Includes Tougher Nightfalls, Better Rewards Destiny 2 Vidoc Teases Time Travel Storyline Post-Shadowkeep Destiny 2: Here's A Look At Shadowkeep's New Loot-Crafting System Info from Gamespot.com

Birds Of Prey And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn is just hurtling towards its February 7 release date in the sort of style you could only expect from Gotham's Clown Queen of Crime herself. Now a new poster featuring Margot Robbie as Harley, along with a few of her pals, has arrived.With the style and sensibility that feels more like a Looney Toons bit than a gritty superhero thriller, Harley's head is surrounded by little birdy versions of her friends (and enemies) like Cassandra Cain, Black Canary, and Huntress as well as our first up close and personal look at Ewan McGregor's Roman Sionus and Chris Messina's Victor Zsasz. This version of Sionus is notably missing his trademark skeletal mask--the origin of his Black Mask codename--and it's difficult to tell if Messina's Zsasz is covered in his iconic tally mark scars, but some design updates would definitely be par for the course on a movie like this. Also in the poster is Rozie Perez's Renee Montoya, sneaking in on the far left of Harley's pigtail.Fans who went to the theaters for It Chapter 2 earlier this month were treated to a surprise teaser for Birds of Prey, complete with a fourth-wall breaking Harley explaining that she's "so f***ing over clowns." So we can likely expect a full trailer to drop fairly soon.Birds Of Prey And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn hits theaters on February 7, 2020. Info from Gamespot.com

Bungie is changing how Destiny 2's Nightfalls work with the Shadowkeep expansion, amping up their difficulty significantly and increasing rewards to match. The new system is called Nightfall: The Ordeal, and it sounds like it could be one of Destiny 2's greatest challenges.In its ViDoc discussing upcoming content in the Shadowkeep expansion, the Season of the Undying, and beyond into Year Three, Bungie showed a look at the new Nightfall menu. The new brand of top-level Strikes go by the name Nightfall: The Ordeal. It's broken up into four different difficulty tiers, starting wth Adept, which requires a Power level of 750 (which you'll automatically start at when Shadowkeep releases), and topping out at 980 with Master. Those levels show that Nightfalls are about to be a bigger part of the endgame grind, it seems, requiring you to really amp up your character to complete them.Nightfall: The Ordeal TiersAdept - 750 Power LevelHero - 920 Power LevelLegend - 950 Power LevelMaster - 980 Power LevelWhich level of Nightfall you go for will seriously affect its difficulty, adding a whole host of new modifiers--most of which we don't know anything about yet. Known modifiers include Match Game, which requires you to use energy weapons that correspond to the elemental type of an enemy's shield, and Chaff, which disables your radar. Some new ones are Empath and Hashladun's Serenade.The Ordeal also includes a new enemy type called Champions, which sound like they're especially tough to beat. Champions also get modifiers of their own. According to Bungie, the new Season Artifact items players earn and power up will be essential to working through The Ordeal, as these will give you the ability to take on and deal with Champions. Artifacts also allow you to boost your Power level indefinitely--these items are how you'll reach those top-tier Power levels in the high 900s.The rewards for the Nightfalls look like they'll match accordingly. The Master level states Exotic gear is a Common drop for completing the Strikes. Also included as rewards are Enhancement Prisms (which are Common) and Ascendant Shards (Uncommon). Those sound like materials you'll use to upgrade Exotic gear--we last heard about Ascendant Shards in Destiny 1, where they were used to power up gear from the Vault of Glass raid.The ViDoc dropped a lot more information as well. It includes some hints about what to expect from the rest of Destiny 2's third year, including a serious story hint about time travel. We also got a brief look at the Lectern of Enchantment, which looks to be the system through which you'll earn Shadowkeep gear by finishing Nightmare Hunts, one of the new activities in the expansion. Destiny 2 Recent News Destiny 2 Patch Notes: New Update May Have Just Given You More Of The Game For Free Destiny 2 Shadowkeep Includes Tougher Nightfalls, Better Rewards Destiny 2 Vidoc Teases Time Travel Storyline Post-Shadowkeep Destiny 2: Here's A Look At Shadowkeep's New Loot-Crafting System Info from Gamespot.com

The latest Dungeons & Dragons book takes players into the world of Baldur's Gate, and it's the perfect starting point for new adventurers and new characters, if you're up for the challenge. Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus arrives in stores today and adds vehicles to utilize in a massive war.The new adventure book starts off characters at level one and takes them to level 13 as they traverse Baldur's Gate and set foot in Avernus, which is the first layer of the Nine Hells. And yes, this is the same Baldur's Gate from the video game series that takes place on the Sword Coast.Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus$50 $32See it at AmazonThe big edition to the series for 5th edition is infernal war machines. These are battle-ready vehicles which characters can customize and utilize as they traverse deeper and deeper into the Blood War. Additionally, this world will be filled with new possibilities as Dungeon Masters will be able to offer heroes deals with the devil to give players power and treasure, but at what cost?The new adventure book costs $50, but is currently on sale at Amazon for $32 at the time of this writing. The book is also available at local retailers and on DnD Beyond. There is also an alternate cover for the book, pictured above, available at gaming stores.There is also a dice set for the new game, featuring 11 branded dice, a dice tray, 20 double-sided cards with encounter tables, a foldout map of Avernus, and more. The set is available on Amazon for $23, a couple dollars off the original price.Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus Details:1 new background62 new magic items37 new monsters4 new vehiclesNew adventure taking place in Baldur's Gate and AvernusThe products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site. Info from Gamespot.com

One week ends, a new one begins, and the proverbial clock of life ticks on, slowly inching toward our inevitable demise. But hey, at least we have video games. The Xbox One's digital marketplace has a selection of great deals on some of Rockstar Games' and Square Enix's best. There's also a DLC sale that includes season passes for The Witcher 3 and more. You can see all of the prices in the lists at the bottom of this page.The Rockstar sale includes three of its best games: Red Dead Redemption 2, Grand Theft Auto V, and LA Noire. There are also a number of discounts on its backward-compatible Xbox 360 games, including Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto IV, and Bully: Scholarship Edition. Square Enix, on the other hand, has deals on Kingdom Hearts III and a number of its other franchises. Just Cause 3 and Just Cause 4 are on sale, as is the entire Tomb Raider trilogy. And of course, there are a bunch of discounts on various games in the Final Fantasy series.The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone and The Witcher 3: Blood And Wine are also on sale--they can be purchased separately or together in the expansion pass. Discounted DLC for The Sims 4, Titanfall 2, and the Battlefield series is also available. You can check out all of the deals on Xbox.com or a selection of the best deals below.My personal favourites from this sale include Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, and Murdered: Soul Suspect. I also highly recommend The Witcher 3's expansions and Bully: Scholarship Edition--possibly my favourite title from Rockstar Games. Also, be sure to check out our roundup of the best Xbox One deals for September 2019.Xbox One gamesGamesPrice (USD)Price (CAD)Price (GBP)Red Dead Redemption 2$36$48£36Grand Theft Auto V$15$15£12.50LA Noire$20$25£17.50Kingdom Hearts III$30$40£27.50Just Cause 3$6$8.10£4.80Just Cause 4$19.80$26.40£18.15Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition$6$8.10£4.80Rise of the Tomb Raider$9$12£6.75Shadow of the Tomb Raider$19.80$26.40£18.15Final Fantasy VII$11.20$15£8.95Final Fantasy IX$14.70$19.60£11.90Final Fantasy X/X-2$30$36£27Final Fantasy XII$30$36£27Final Fantasy XV: Royal Edition$25$30£20Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition$4.50$6£3.75Deus Ex: Mankind Divided$4.50$6£3.75Murdered: Soul Suspect$3$3£2.40Life Is Strange$4$4£3.20Life Is Strange: Before the Storm$3.40$5£2.80Life Is Strange 2$26.80$33.50£22Xbox 360 games playable on Xbox OneTitlePrice (USD)Price (CAD)Price (GBP)Red Dead Redemption$9.90$9.90£8.25Grand Theft Auto IV$7$7£6.30Bully: Scholarship Edition$6$6£4.80Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas$10$10£8Rockstar Table Tennis$6$6£4.80Xbox One DLCTitlePrice (USD)Price (CAD)Price (GBP)The Witcher 3: Expansion Pass$10$10£8The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone$4$4£3.20The Witcher 3: Blood And Wine$8$8£6.40Ark Survival Evolved - Season Pass$22.50$22.50£18Battlefield 1 - Season Pass$10$13£8.75Battlefield 4 Premium$10$13£8.75Valkyria Chronicles 4 - DLC Bundle$20$23.20£16Titanfall 2: Angel City's Most Wanted$6.25$8.24£5Titanfall 2: Monarch's Reign$6.25$8.24£5Titanfall 2: Colony Reborn$6.25$8.24£5 Info from Gamespot.com

The PlayStation Store's "Big in Japan" sale with 500+ deals launched last week, but there's another PS4 sale worth checking out before the month is over: PSN's September Savings event. With over 300 discounts on PS4 games, bundles, and DLC, the September Savings sale includes some great games at ridiculously low prices. The following deals are available now until October 1 at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET.If you've missed out on Persona 5 over the past few years, now's your best chance to see what all the hype is about, as the acclaimed JRPG is on sale for just $12 USD. Considering the game has well over 100 hours worth of content, it's an absolute steal at this price. Also on sale is Spyro Reignited Trilogy, an HD remaster of the original three Spyro games--you can grab it for $24 this month. Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition is just $4.49 and comes with all previously released DLC. You can also get the fantastic multiplayer cooking strategy game, Overcooked, for only $5.09.If you buy a single game from this sale, I'd recommend A Plague Tale: Innocence, which released in May. It's on sale for $30, down from $50. That's an excellent deal on what might be one of the most underrated releases of 2019. The stealth action-adventure game follows a young woman named Amicia and her little brother Hugo as they make their way through plague-infested 14th-century France, dodging ravenous rats and avoiding Inquisition soldiers who are out to kill them for mysterious reasons.Check out more of our picks from the September Savings sale below, and be sure to catch up on the best deals in PSN's Big in Japan sale, too. You can browse the full offering of game deals at the PlayStation Store below. And for more deals on PS4-related items like consoles, games, accessories, and PS Plus membership, see our roundup of the best PS4 deals for September 2019.See all deals at the PlayStation StorePSN's September Savings sale: The best dealsA Plague Tale: Innocence -- $30Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc -- $10*Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair -- $10*Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony -- $20*Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director's Cut -- $5.09The Escapists 2 -- $8Grand Theft Auto V -- $10Hitman: Game of the Year Edition -- $15Kero Blaster -- $5Layers of Fear -- $5Life is Strange - Complete Season -- $4Max Payne -- $9Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden -- $21Observer -- $9Overcooked -- $5.09Persona 4 Golden -- $10*Persona 5 -- $12The Sinking City -- $45Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition -- $4.49Slime Rancher -- $12Sniper Elite 4: Deluxe Edition -- $27SNK 40th Anniversary Collection -- $28Spyro Reignited Trilogy -- $24Warhammer: Vermintide 2 -- $15Yooka-Laylee -- $10*PS Vita onlyInfo from Gamespot.com

Steam's library update is here, and you can check out the new features for free by joining the platform's beta program now.Steam outlined some of the features implemented in the new library update. These include giving the store a complete visual facelift, altering the UI and streamlining navigation, providing more tools to stay connected to your friends and a game's community, and more. Steam applied these changes because it wants the platform's library to represent "a fun place to explore and find whatever it is that you're looking for." Check below for some screens of Steam's library overhaul.The library overhaul update also introduces folders, or collections, that allow you to organize your games by filters and tags. You can display these collections in Steam's new library shelves, which can be customized to suit your needs. Further, Steam will give you a better sense of how games are changing by highlighting when developers implement events or updates in their titles. And you can more easily pick up where you left off in a game you played most recently with a new UI button.Steam provided a helpful guide for opting into the platform's beta program, where you can try out the new features.Select "Steam" in the upper lefthand corner of the application and choose "Settings" (or "Preferences" on Mac).On the "Account" tab, click on the "Change..." drop-down menu to the right of "Beta Participation."Select "Steam Beta Update," click "OK," and press the "Restart Steam" button when prompted. This will reboot the application, implementing the Steam library update.Alongside its library overhaul, Steam announced a store update earlier this month. This update will allegedly change how it presents games on the platform, recommending already-popular titles to you less often. There's no confirmation on when this store update will be made public.Info from Gamespot.com

With just two weeks to go before the release of Destiny 2's new Shadowkeep expansion, Bungie has released a new update for the game. Hotfix 2.5.2.3 is out now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and while the full list of patch notes is quite short, there's some potentially very good news to be had in them.First up is the release of previously paid DLC for more players. If you own the Forsaken expansion, you can now access all Annual Pass content. This move comes ahead of the launch of Destiny 2: New Light, a new free-to-play version of the game that will provide access to much of the Destiny 2 experience without paying a dime. But in the meantime, Forsaken owners suddenly have access to a wealth of new content, including the Black Armory Forges, Gambit Prime/Reckoning, and the Menagerie, the latter of which is paying out bonus rewards right now thanks to the recent Mars community event.The other change in this update concerns the aforementioned Reckoning. This PvE mode is tied to Gambit Prime, serving as the place to earn the special armor that enables role-specific perks in Gambit Prime. Bungie has previously conceded that Reckoning suffered from a variety of issues that resulted in a less-than-fun experience, and it's recently made some changes to make it a less frustrating experience. Destiny 2 Recent News Destiny 2 Patch Notes: New Update May Have Just Given You More Of The Game For Free Destiny 2 Shadowkeep Includes Tougher Nightfalls, Better Rewards Destiny 2 Vidoc Teases Time Travel Storyline Post-Shadowkeep Destiny 2: Here's A Look At Shadowkeep's New Loot-Crafting System That continues in this patch, as all negative modifiers are now gone from Reckoning. You'll no longer find yourself facing a lack of radar, increased enemy melee damage, and so on. This stacks with the recent change to make enemies easier to deal with and to ensure rewards are doled out more fairly.This patch comes alongside a new Bungie ViDoc that explores the studio's five-year plan for Destiny 2 and what we can expect from the upcoming year of Destiny 2 content.DESTINY 2 HOTFIX 2.5.2.3 Patch NotesGENERALAnnual Pass content is now available to all Forsaken players of Destiny 2All negative modifiers have been removed from the Reckoning Info from Gamespot.com

Leaks happen--that's just a fact of Hollywood. And one of those leaks is the script for the highly anticipated upcoming Joker movie. The script has been floating around on the internet for some time, and although it's not exactly readily available, it's not impossible to find, either.No, we won't tell you where to get it. But what we will tell you is how the movie's director, Todd Phillips, feels about the leak--and his reaction might surprise you."I don't care that you read it--I like that it's out there," Phillips told GameSpot after a recent Joker screening in Los Angeles. He explained that as a filmmaker, he's simply pleased with the idea that there are still people who are interested in reading scripts at all.Phillips also said the version of the script that's available on the internet is outdated."The leaked script got leaked six months after we started writing, six months before we started shooting," he explained. "Somebody else asked me about it, and I go, 'I like that it's out there. Throw 'em off. Go that way.'"Literally, that script that went out was an April draft. We started shooting the movie in September. That's six months of writing--that's half the writing process."Although there is a legitimate leaked script, there are also several fake versions floating around, so don't believe everything you read about this movie. And even the real leak is significantly different from the final film. The premise is consistent--Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck is discarded by society and gradually becomes the Joker. But many changes occurred before shooting, from major plot events to small things, like the fact that Phoenix's character is referred to as "Joker" in the leaked script, but only as Arthur in the final one."In the real draft, it's Arthur the whole time," Phillips said--adding that the change took place before he and co-writer Scott Silver even showed the script to Warner Bros. Speaking of the studio, Phillips said he rejected Warner Bros.' offer to try and quash the script's spread through legal means. (Warner Bros., for its part, has no official comment on the leak, according to a representative.)"Warner said to me, 'Well, we can get lawyers involved, but it becomes whack-a-mole,'" the director said. "And I go, 'You know what? It's six months old. Who gives a s***?'"Who gives a s*** indeed? The reviews for Joker so far have been largely positive, and the movie has scored a 70 on Metacritic as of the time of writing.In GameSpot's Joker review, we said that "Joker succeeds, without equivocation, because it transforms the villain into the populist antihero we need him to be now. Joker wears its influences on its maroon sleeves, but it also carves its own gashes through the blood-soaked landscape of contemporary comic book movies, offering something that, despite teetering on the shoulders of 80 years of history, is wonderfully fresh, dangerously exciting, undeniably entertaining, and rock-solid in its artistry. It might make you uncomfortable, and it will no doubt stay with you long after the curtains close; great movies often do."We also chatted with Phillips about whether he has plans for a Joker sequel, and whether the movie has any comic book connections.Joker hits theaters October 4. In semi-related news, The Suicide Squad director James Gunn recently revealed the cast list for his Suicide Squad sequel, and it's a doozy.Info from Gamespot.com

Some 18 years after its last installment, the wait for the next entry into the Shenmue franchise is nearly at an end. Shenmue III, the sequel to the beloved Sega Dreamcast open-world series, has traveled a long road into existence, starting with a vision for the third game in the series that director Yu Suzuki has held onto for nearly two decades. That vision, or some version of it, is finally about to be realized.At Gamescom, Suzuki discussed the path Shenmue III has taken across nearly two decades, which included a Kickstarter campaign that asked backers for $2 million to help give the game life. The campaign wound up pulling in more than $6.3 million, and the game later greatly expanded in scope after Suzuki's company, Ys Net, made a publishing deal with Deep Silver. Without that deal, Suzuki said, Shenmue would have been much simpler."The most important part is the story, so I would have done the story, that's for sure," Suzuki said in an interview with GameSpot. "It would have been a type of game where you just observed a story going on with some [Quick Time Events]."Even with more money, Suzuki said Shenmue III doesn't encompass everything he wanted to do with the game."I've been making games since 1983 and there wasn't once where I could do everything I wanted," Suzuki said. "All the time, it's about half of the things I wanted to do. But since I could complete at least half of it, I am happy. If I manage to do everything 100%, I won't have anything to do next.""The problem is when you make a game ... if you put everything you want in, you can put a lot in it, but the risk gets bigger because it's a completely new game," he said. "And this time for Shenmue III, I had to pare down a little bit on innovation, and it's more a game I made for the fans of the series. But there are still new things in it."Still, what composed the Shenmue III hands-on demo at Gamescom is a far cry from the thinner, more observational experience Suzuki described. In the 45-minute segment, protagonist Ryo Hazuki searches for a man with a scar on his face in a small village, questioning its inhabitants and taking part in a number of small activities. Those include odd jobs you take on to earn money like chopping wood, gambling on games such as Lucky Hit, and fight training with minigames that can build up Ryo's stats or increase his capability with signature moves.None of those activities are especially innovative--they're pretty much all simple quick-time events that only really have you pushing one or two buttons in time with a prompt. The same was true of the many conversations Ryo has with different characters in the demo as he seeks out the man with the scar. It all felt right in line with the original two Shenmue games, despite 18 years in between.Though the demo feels firmly rooted in the past of open-world games and Suzuki said Shenmue III is geared at longtime series fans, he also said he felt the influence of the influx of open-world games in the years since Shenmue II. In some ways, the way open-world games have evolved over the years changed some of the ways Suzuki approached his own return to the genre."I've arranged a game to fit the time we're living in now, so it's a bit more modern, maybe," he said. "You know, nowadays everything is going faster, these movies, the games. [Players are] looking for the thrill that it provides, and I think the Shenmue we have now is a bit faster as well compared to the old Shenmues. But since it's still Shenmue it's still quite slow and chilled compared to other games. It's like, it's just a slow life."With Shenmue III finally coming, thanks largely to an outpouring of support from fans who want to see the story continued, a natural question is one of the future of the series. Suzuki has said before there's more to Ryo's story and his vision than Shenmue III--there are "11 chapters" in the story in total, although he didn't say how many of those chapters Shenmue III comprises. Still, from the way fans reacted to the idea of a Shenmue III, it seems plausible that a Shenmue IV could be possible, too.That might depend on the reaction to Shenmue III, a game fans have been waiting almost two decades to play. That long a wait--and a few million dollars pledged by fans eager to see the game realized--would seemingly put a lot of pressure on a creator. Suzuki said that even though the game's launch is imminent, he's not anxious about it."In my mind, I think I was able to make a game that was several levels higher than the initial project, and I have done everything that I could that was in my power, so I am not that anxious," he said. "I am more looking forward to see how people see the game. If some people don't like it, I guess that, since I've done the best I could, there's no way I worry too much about that."Shenmue III releases on PS4 and PC on November 19. Info from Gamespot.com

Just as suspected, Amazon's upcoming big-budget Lord of the Rings TV show will seemingly film in New Zealand. The show's Twitter account posted a tweet that pretty much confirms it.The tweet simply posted the New Zealand flag, which has sent fans into a tizzy about the show being filmed in the same country as Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies.🇳🇿 — The Lord of the Rings on Prime (@LOTRonPrime) September 17, 2019In June, the New Zealand Herald reported that a "huge" part of the Lord of the Rings TV show will film in New Zealand; Queenstown and Auckland were called out as potential filming locations.It was previously rumored that the Amazon Lord of the Rings TV show may film in Scotland. It's still possible the production will shoot in other locations outside of New Zealand.While New Zealand is a beautiful country filled with incredible scenery that has inspired some of the Lord of the Rings' most iconic scenes, the country's association with the franchise hasn't been entirely smooth.Warner Bros., the film giant behind The Lord of the Rings, made headlines in 2010 when it reportedly had a back-and-forth with the New Zealand government to ensure friendlier terms for the movie studio. As Fodors reminds us, the "Hobbit Law," as it became known, focused on how film crews were considered independent contractors, and thus their ability to collectively bargain and enjoy protections and benefits came into question. The new government that took power in 2017 sought to adjust the legislation to be more worker-friendly, but it remains to be seen if anything has changed.Whatever the case, Workplace Relations Minister Iain Lees-Galloway said he's optimistic about the law being changed. "We're looking to restore a lot of workers' rights that have been diminished over the last nine years, and that is a priority for us," he said, as reported by Fodors. "It's something that we want to have the legislation at least introduced within the first 100 days of government."For what it's worth, this time frame has come and gone with no apparent change to the law.The new Lord of the Rings show is set in the Second Age, which is a 3,441-year period that covered major events like the forging of the Rings of Power, including the One Ring; the War of Sauron, the beginning of the Ringwraiths, and when Numenor the island sank into the ocean. Also, it was during the Second Age that the Elven city of Rivendell was developed and the great battle where men, elves, and dwarves fought together for the first time against Sauron. A popular rumor was that the show would focus on a young Aragorn, but that may not happen.JD Payne and Patrick McKay are writing Amazon's Lord of the Rings show. They have no TV writing credits to their name, but neither did David Benioff and D.B. Weiss when they made the massively popular Game of Thrones series. Amazon's Lord of the Rings show recently brought on Game of Thrones series producer Bryan Cogman, who was known as the "third head of the dragon" for Game of Thrones, along with Weiss and Benioff.There is no word yet on when the Lord of the Rings show will premiere, but we're beginning to find out who will star in it. Black Mirror actor Will Poulter and Markella Kavenagh are in talks to play the lead roles, according to reports.Behind the camera, Amazon has assembled an all-star team of writers and producers. The writers room for the untitled Lord of the Rings show includes Gennifer Hutchinson (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul), Helen Shang (Hannibal), Justin Dohle (Stranger Things), Bryan Cogman (Game of Thrones), and Stephany Folsom (Toy Story 4).J.A. Bayona, the director of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, is directing episodes one and two of the Lord of the Rings show.Kate Hawley is the costume designer; she previously worked on Edge of Tomorrow and Suicide Squad. Rick Heinrichs, who won an Oscar for Sleepy Hollow and also worked on The Last Jedi, is the production designer; Jason Smith, who worked on The Revenant, Super 8, and The Avengers is the visual effects supervisor. Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey is also working on the new Amazon show, as is Lord of the Rings movie trilogy illustrator and concept artist John Howe.The Amazon show also has numerous producers, including people who have worked on Westworld, Boardwalk Empire, 10 Cloverfield Lane, and The Departed.In other news, a new Lord of the Rings video game focused on Gollum is in development at Daedalic Entertainment, while a AAA online Lord of the Rings game is also on the way.Info from Gamespot.com