Nintendo gave fans another look at Pokemon Sword and Shield during its latest Direct presentation last week. While the segment focused primarily on trainer customization and camping, it seems Nintendo may have also inadvertently revealed another new feature in the games: autosaves.During the Pokemon portion of the Nintendo Direct, eagle-eyed fans spotted the words "now saving" in the upper right corner of the screen when the player character enters a fashion boutique (via Eurogamer), which seems to suggest the games will automatically save at various points while you're playing. The moment in question occurs at around the 45-second mark in the video below.If Sword and Shield do indeed utilize autosaves, they will be the first mainline games in the series to have the feature. However, it's still unclear if the titles will only feature one save slot, as all past mainline Pokemon games have, or if there will be separate slots for the autosaves, as in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Whatever the case, we do know that autosaves won't be replacing manually saving in Sword and Shield; at around the 1:20 mark in the same video, you can see a dedicated Save option when the menu screen is pulled up.Similarly, the upcoming Animal Crossing: New Horizons is also the first installment in its series to make use of autosaves. In fact, Switch's autosave function is the reason Mr. Resetti will be out of a job in New Horizons. In the past, the irritable mole would pop up and lecture a player if they quit the game without saving, but thanks to autosaves, his role is now redundant. However, game director Aya Kyogoku teases that Mr. Resetti is looking for a new job and may yet appear in the upcoming title.Pokemon Sword and Shield launch for Switch on November 15, just a few days after Nintendo releases a special Pokemon edition Nintendo Switch Lite. You can check out all the new Gen 8 Pokemon revealed so far for Sword and Shield in our gallery. For more on the titles, be sure to check out our Pokemon Sword and Shield pre-order guide.Info from Gamespot.com

Following last week's lackluster box office results, the release of the horror sequel It: Chapter 2 gave theaters a huge boost this weekend. The movie scored an estimated $91 million in its first three days, giving it the second biggest horror opening of all time, as well as the second biggest September debut. Admittedly, this is still some way behind the first movie's incredible $123 million debut, but it's still a hugely impressive result. The movie also did great business internationally, with a worldwide total of $185 million to date.It: Chapter 2 was the only notable release of the week, and as a result, it hugely overshadowed everything else in the box office Top 10. The action sequel Angel Has Fallen dropped to second place, with an estimated $6 million take, while the comedy Good Boys also fell one place to No.3, with a $5.3 million take in its fourth week. Disney's The Lion King continues to hold to its place in Top 5, the additional $4.1 million bringing its total to a huge $1.59 billion. It's by far the most successful of Disney's live-action remakes and currently stands as the seventh biggest movie of all time.The only film to enter the Top 10 for the first time was The Peanut Butter Falcon, at No.7. The well-reviewed indie comedy drama was released last month, but added 60 extra screens this weekend, earning $2.2 million to bring its domestic total to $12.2 million. Elsewhere, the rest of the Top 10 consisted of movies that have stuck around over the last few weeks, such as Hobbs & Shaw (No.6), Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (No.8), Ready or Not (No.9), and Dora and the Lost City of Gold (No.10).Top 10 Films in the US for the weekend of September 6 -September 8 (via Box Office Mojo):It: Chapter Two ($91,000,000)Angel has Fallen ($6,000,000)Good Boys ($5,390,000)The Lion King ($4,193,000)Overcomer ($3,750,000)Hobbs & Shaw ($3,720,000)The Peanut Butter Falcon ($2,276,430)Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark ($2,275,000)Ready or Not ($2,229,000)Dora and the Lost City of Gold ($2,170,000)Info from Gamespot.com

Free new content updates are on their way to Remnant: From the Ashes. The flawed but fun third-person action-adventure sees a new mode and dungeon arrive later this month, whether you're fighting alone or with friends in tow.Adventure Mode releases on September 12. This is a new game mode that allows players to re-roll individual worlds and play altered versions of previous campaign missions. You'll be able to embark on an adventure through the dynamically generated worlds of Earth, Rhom, and Yaesha, beginning at a single bonfire-esque World Stone and ending once you've defeated the world's final boss. Enemy spawns, points of interest, dungeon locations, and more may be different from the main campaign to throw a spanner into the works. All you have to do is select Adventure Mode from World Settings to begin. This won't affect your current campaign progress either, and any items or traits gained along the way are free to keep.📢 Announcing the first AND second free content updates for Remnant: From the Ashes!▪️ Sep 12 - Adventure Mode▪️ Sep 19 - Leto's LabMore info > https://t.co/QwabcSJ97K pic.twitter.com/WzH9tFKz0O — Remnant: From the Ashes (@Remnant_Game) September 9, 2019Another free update is out on September 19, introducing a new dungeon called Leto's Lab. You'll have to fight your way through Research Station Alpha, exploring the lab of head researcher Leto Apostolakis. He theorized that the mysterious red crystals spread throughout Remnant could be used to bridge space-time for near-instantaneous travel, eventually unlocking the World Stone on Ward 16 and allowing mankind to travel to other worlds. Leto's experiments quickly diverged, however, and the lab was forced to evacuate when one of his dubious experiments went awry.Leto's Lab will dynamically spawn on Earth after its release. This new dungeon differs from the others in Remnant by revealing more backstory about the world while mixing in light puzzles with its usual combat.You can check out GameSpot's Remnant: From the Ashes review. "For the most part, the experiment is a success, resulting in deeply satisfying combat against creative and challenging enemies," said Alessandro Barbosa. "Remnant struggles to effectively transfer that success over to an engaging loot system and an interesting story to wrap it all up, but when you're blasting away foes with weapons crafted from the remains of your latest boss kill, it's hard not to do so with a wide smile on your face."Info from Gamespot.com

Ahead of this year's Tokyo Game Show, scheduled to run from September 12-15 at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan, Square Enix showed off a new trailer for Kingdom Hearts III's upcoming DLC. Re Mind, the action-RPG's first piece of post-launch content, is slated to arrive this winter on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.Square Enix says Re Mind is a free update for Kingdom Hearts III that sees Sora take on the evil Organization XIII. With a new battle form and friends at his side, Sora will encounter new enemies and bosses as he travels to a familiar realm. In addition to playable characters like Aqua, Roxas, and Riku, you'll also get access to additional Keyblades when Re Mind launches later in the year. No specific release date has been provided.In our Kingdom Hearts III review, GameSpot editor Tamoor Hussain said, "What sticks with me is the exciting battle against elemental titans with Hercules, taking Rapunzel out into the unfamiliar wide world for the first time, snapping selfies with Winnie the Pooh, and going toe to toe with Davy Jones. In 2002, as Sora, I left Destiny Islands to travel across the universe and make new friends. In 2019 I brought old ones home, and I had so much fun doing it."Info from Gamespot.com

Apple is preparing to unveil new products, and you can watch all the announcements as they happen. The event will take place September 10 at 10 AM PT / 12 PM CST / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST at the Steve Jobs Theatre in Cupertino.GameSpot sister site CNET expects the event to focus on hardware. That will include three new phone models, rumored to be the iPhone 11, 11 Max/Pro, and 11R. Those are likely to include better cameras and processors, and a new iOS13 operating system that is also likely to be highlighted. Apple is facing the challenge of spurring on customers to upgrade, so we'll see how these new phones stack up. We may also see new Apple Watch models.Apple has streamed its events for years, usually through its own devices and Safari browser. This event will mark the first time Apple will stream through YouTube, owned by its tech competitor Google. That means you can simply bookmark this page and come back to watch at showtime.Apple has recently been expanding from tech hardware and software to entertainment and services, like its Apple TV Plus streaming service which will host original programming, and the upcoming Apple Arcade game subscription service. On that front it's also seeing increased competition, including from Google, which is preparing to launch its own Play Pass subscription.Info from Gamespot.com

Borderlands 3 shoots onto PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on September 13, and ahead of its release, the looter-shooter got a new rocking trailer showing the Vault Hunters jamming out to some Queen.The new trailer shows the four Vault Hunters--Amara the Siren, FL4K the Beastmaster, Moze the Gunner, and Zane the Operative--wreaking havoc and causing mayhem as they attempt to thwart Troy and Tyreen Calypso's evil plans. It's a dazzling display of lights and explosions and chaos, all soundtracked to Queen's "Seven Seas of Rhye" from the band's 1973 debut album Queen and the 1974 follow-up Queen II. Borderlands 3 News Borderlands 3 Review Borderlands 3 Review, Release Date, Preload, Unlock Times, PC Specs, And More Borderlands 3 Post Release Content Detailed, Includes Story Expansions And Free Events The critics have spoken and we've compiled a roundup of Borderlands 3 reviews from various publications. In our Borderlands 3 review we said, "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."Borderlands 3 may be just on the horizon, but developer Gearbox already has plans for the game's first wave of post-release content. These include a Halloween-themed limited-time event called Bloody Harvest, a much larger update called Maliwan Takedown, and the first of its major DLC expansions all launching before the end of 2019, with more content likely to come in 2020.Info from Gamespot.com

Another week, another slate of savings on PC monitors, desktops, and laptops. Best Buy is the host this time, offering deals on some great G-Sync and FreeSync monitors, in addition to some good-to-great desktops and laptopsThe deals range from the very affordable to the extremely pricey--like this $2,550 17-inch Alienware laptop that comes with an RTX 2070 and i7-9700. However, there are also several great, budget monitors if you're looking for something with adaptive sync capability.I've included some of the most appealing deals below, but if you want to see all of them, head over to Best Buy.HP Omen Desktop - i7-8700 + RTX 2080$1,550 ($2,000)This HP Omen desktop comes equipped with an i7-8700, RTX 2080, 16 GB of RAM, and a 2 TB HDD + 256 GB SSD storage combo. If you're looking for an all-in-one desktop option, this is a great choice that can run most modern games at higher settings.See it at Best BuyAsus ROG Zephyrus G - 15.6" Gaming Laptop$1,050 ($1,199)Out of all of the gaming laptops on sale, I'd suggest this Asus one, as it's $650 cheaper than the 2060-equipped MSI and still packs quite a punch for 1080p gaming performance. This particular Asus ROG comes with a GTX 1660 Ti, AMD Ryzen 7, 16 GB RAM, and a 512 GB SSD.See it at Best BuyAcer Predator XB272 27" LED G-Sync Monitor$500 ($600)I'm a big fan of Acer's Predator series of monitors, and if you're not looking to go any higher than 1080p with your games, then this is a great G-Sync option with a 240 Hz refresh rate.See it at Best BuyDell S2719DGF 27" LED FreeSync Monitor$285 ($400)If you're looking for a 1440p monitor with FreeSync, then this Dell monitor deal is worth looking at. It's got a 27-inch display, 155 Hz refresh rate, and 1 ms response time.See it at Best BuyDell SE2717HR 27" IPS LED FreeSync Monitor$150 ($190)IPS monitors typically have the best colours when compared to regular LED-lit displays. However, with this monitor you are giving up a faster refresh rate and higher resolution, only clocking in at 75 Hz and 1920x1080.See it at Best BuyInfo from Gamespot.com

Gears 5 is available now for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, ahead of its official September 10 release date. Now that it's live, we're digging into multiplayer modes, so check back soon for the final review.You wouldn't be blamed for thinking that the latest game in the Gears of War franchise is another entry from the middle of the original trilogy's Locust War. Shooting gooey reptilian monsters, exploring ruined labs, and chainsawing other players are the things Gears does best, and Gears 5 squarely focuses on strengthening those core elements. The underpinnings of the series haven't been tweaked much in its sixth entry, but The Coalition adds a lot of new stuff in its second game since taking the reins on the Gears of War franchise. While Gears 5's story is largely obsessed with the past, and to some degree, Gears 5 stays there too, the new additions help revitalize the series' best old ideas.And there are a lot of new additions. On the cooperative multiplayer side, characters get new abilities so that they each play a little differently. Expansive progression systems in competitive and co-op multiplayer draw from games like Fortnite and Call of Duty to give you a constant feeling of advancement. Even the story campaign has something of an RPG-like progression system, as well as a few wide-open areas that change up the series' traditionally linear approach. The Coalition hasn't moved far from the fundamentals of Gears gameplay--you still move deliberately, diving between cover positions behind chest-high walls and other debris to pop out and shoot at enemies with a variety of guns. Carefully timing your active reloads gets you the most out of your firepower, and you're always searching the battlefield for new weapons better suited to the enemies you're taking down. Gory executions and melee kills are still essential at close quarters. But the game has grown significantly, with a free Battle Pass-like system, hero shooter-inspired characters, and other improvements that are all welcome evolutions for a 13-year-old franchise.While the new elements don't stop Gears 5 from feeling true to the earlier games in the franchise, at least in its 12-hour story campaign, there's also a lot of ground that's being revisited. The Locust are back, but they're called the Swarm now. You'll spend some time trying to convince straggly bands of surviving humans to join forces with the fascist COG army to fight the Swarm, but these folks aren't called the Stranded anymore; they're Outsiders. Most of the game concerns bringing a franchise superweapon, the Hammer of Dawn, back online to use against your enemies. Gears is undoubtedly back in the same territory it covered with the trilogy that wrapped up back in 2011, and while some of the tools in this war are different, the war has mostly gone unchanged. Gears 5 is weakened somewhat by being mired in the past; there are some strong moments in its campaign, but it struggles to move forward in a way that's a satisfying continuation of the narrative.The story picks up not long after the events of Gears of War 4, in which JD Fenix--son of series poster boy Marcus Fenix--and his pals Del and Kait discovered the Swarm threat and set out to stop it. You'll mostly just run around shooting various groups of Swarm monsters from behind cover in much the same way you always have in previous games--but Gears 5 breaks things up with a few variations on the gameplay that improve on its predecessors.Instead of focusing on JD and his relationship with Marcus as in Gears 4, the sequel recenters on Kait, who lost her mother to the Swarm at the end of the last game. Gears 4's ending suggested that Kait has a connection to the Locust horde that Marcus helped to genocide 25 years ago, and a good portion of Gears 5 is about exploring that connection and uncovering secrets long buried by the COG government.The first and last Acts are more traditional Gears fare, in that you're guided through a series of missions that are mostly about taking objectives, backing up other squads, and killing giant monsters. But in the middle of the game, Gears 5 changes the pace with two open segments. You hop aboard a skiff, which is essentially a dogsled with a sail on it, and zip over the terrain of a snowy valley and across a vast desert. These areas feel fundamentally different from past Gears games, allowing you to explore and look for side objectives where you can pick up small subplots of story and grab hidden collectibles and upgrades, advancing the main plot (or not) at your own pace.The open areas don't take you too far out of the Gears norm--you won't be accosted by roaming forces or stuck in a shootout in the middle of the wilderness. Arriving at any point of interest usually sends you on a short mission where you'll explore a building or wander into an arena filled with enemies. They're like mini Gears levels that you can take or leave, usually with an ambush to tangle you up and some weapons, upgrades, or a bit of lore waiting at the end.Story On A Small ScaleWhat's really enticing about these areas, though, are the many small moments they allow between characters. Act 2 finds Kait and Del on their own as they explore Kabar, a frozen alpine region full of old COG labs and fortifications that you'll search for Kait's answers. But the entire segment is fleshed out through a series of character-building conversations between Kait and Del as they hang around together, basically on a shooty road trip. Gears 5's writing is at its best in these character conversations, and the intimate time spent with characters in Acts 2 and 3 help you feel closer to them. Listening to Kait tell Del what she's worried she might uncover, or Kait making fun of Del for dropping tons of esoteric knowledge about things like the commercial lumber industry, bring you closer to the characters than any number of battles with AI teammates do.Kait provides an interesting alternative viewpoint to the proceedings as Gears 5's protagonist as well. She's fundamentally an outsider--in the sense of her anti-COG upbringing, her somewhat arms-length relationship with the city-boy soldiers with whom she fights, and her apparent ties to humanity's greatest enemies. The game doesn't necessarily spend a ton of time exploring that idea, but in the conversations between Delta squad members, we get a much better sense of the distance Kait feels from her friends.Unfortunately, the rest of Gears 5's story is uneven. Though Kait's desire to find out more about her connection to the Locust is a strong drive to push the narrative forward, Gears 5 pretty much wraps up what feels like her central drive by the middle of the game. The rest is just about Delta cruising around completing various tasks to fight off the growing Swarm threat, while the more personal stuff is left to linger. Exploring the destroyed desert facilities of the COG's old human enemies, the UIR, is a fun diversion full of a lot of pitched battles, but as far as the characters are concerned, nothing impactful happens outside of a bunch of big action set pieces. Gears 5 plays out its best story moments early, and it ends without doing much with the reveals and turning points it does create.The story ultimately feels somewhat truncated and meandering, but the campaign is still fun to play. Some key changes in the structure do a lot to provide new opportunities in the old framework. Since you're exploring areas at your own pace, you'll often come across unaware Swarm soldiers searching for ammo or prepping for combat, which gives you a chance to stealthily take some out. You also have a new set of abilities for your squad to use on the battlefield thanks to Jack, the R2-D2-like robot that follows you around on missions. Jack can zap enemies to injure them, flash enemies to stun them and make them break cover, ping their locations, turn you invisible, and even take over an enemy's mind for a brief period.Jack effectively provides Gears 5's campaign with a progression system, and coupled with the more varied gameplay and some slight squad control in the form of marking targets, he helps take Gears out of its cover-shooter comfort zone somewhat. Quickly swapping through and using Jack's abilities gives you a chance to make new decisions in combat or take advantage of different ways to play that you couldn't before, like by activating invisibility to slip through the front lines for a flanking position or using the Stim ability to strengthen yourself so you can melee to death a hulking Swarm Scion.Jack has a skill tree that lets you improve his abilities along a few different paths, allowing you to tweak his capabilities to better fit your playstyle. He's also the major reason to complete side missions and search all those nooks, crannies, dead ends, and side areas that litter Gears 5. While those side activities sometimes give a bit of a better understanding of the story or the world, the big reward is almost always an item that helps you improve Jack's abilities.Multiplayer, But MoreAs with the campaign, The Coalition doesn't reinvent the series' standard multiplayer in Gears 5--but much of it sees improvements aimed at adding customization and support for varied playstyles. The franchise's usual competitive multiplayer is back, where two teams of five players face off, with options segmented into more casual Quickplay and more hardcore Ranked playlists.Gears 5 multiplayer doesn't fix what isn't broken--it's striking how much Gears 5's competitive modes feel like, say, Gears of War 3, and are fun in the same ways. Since it isn't changing the core feel of the gameplay, The Coalition has expanded on it by offering more options for multiplayer, so you can find the modes you like, and metagame progression systems, to make your time feel more meaningful.Quickplay includes a bunch of different game types that fit the Gears framework, while pushing you to play a little differently in every match. Its modes include classics like King of the Hill, as well as Gears of War 4's weapon-based Arms Race (a literal race to get kills with a host of different guns) and Dodgeball, in which you can't respawn unless a teammate kills a member of the opposing squad. The Ranked mode, on the other hand, plays things straighter with simpler modes like Team Deathmatch.It's very easy to see the influence live service games have on Gears 5, with an overall level-up system for your multiplayer persona, the ability to unlock more guns for your starting loadouts, and lots of customization options. They're all of a type similar to what you'd see in something like Fortnite--nothing that would draw you into multiplayer on its own, but plenty to give you new unlocks to chase and to help multiplayer feel like it has more depth than just a series of matches to play. Exactly how big an influence those progression systems have on how multiplayer actually plays is tough to get a sense pre-release, so we'll be putting in more multiplayer after Gears 5's launch and will update this review accordingly. It should be noted also that, like live service games, Gears 5 also includes customization items you can grab by spending money on premium currency.Specializing In Co-OpThe bigger refinements come in Gears 5's co-op modes. Here, Gears 5 furthers an emphasis on teamwork and specialization, and again, the live service influence is apparent.Horde mode returns, in which five players team up to take on 50 waves of enemies while building fortifications and buying new weapons in between each round. It sees some tweaks to the rules, with elements like shared resources, the ability to spend those resources on character perks to make yourself stronger, and greater character specialization that gives you more of a particular job as you work together to survive. New to the cooperative scene is Escape, in which you race through a Swarm Hive as a squad of three, trying to outrun deadly gas as you find your way out and kill enemies along the way. Escape differs from the other modes in that you have limited weapons and ammo, forcing you to search for more resources as you go and to work together to stay alive, especially on higher difficulties.Both modes add more ways to engage with Gears 5 on their own, and they share their own live service-style progression systems that let you level up characters, customize their capabilities and loadouts, and generally make them more your own. The characters you choose in both Horde and Escape each have different roles and special abilities, including an Ultimate ability that charges up over time. You can even play as Jack the robot in an almost purely support role, providing something for players who prefer backing up teammates over scoring headshots. On the surface, Horde and Escape play pretty similarly to Gears' other modes, and it'll take some advancement through the progression systems to find out just how specific you can get with your character builds and how differently they really play from one another. But the possibilities are there to provide you with fun new ways to think about Gears' pop-and-shoot gameplay and teamwork.Gears 5's additions make the whole package feel denser and more involved--even if it still plays very similarly to Gears games in the past. To some degree, there's almost too much progression to deal with; it's a lot to learn and keep in mind, and the character additions don't always seem to have a big impact on how you play at lower levels. It's an area that's tough to gauge without spending more time with Gears 5 multiplayer post-release, and we'll be digging into that portion of the game more in the coming days before finalizing the review.But what makes Gears 5 work well is that those additions feel like a useful evolution of the core Gears concept, even if a lot of these ideas--like an involved character progression system or a Battle Pass-like rewards path--are also becoming commonplace among shooters. 13 years after the franchise's first release, The Coalition's additions to Gears 5 are all things that seem right at home with the elements that give the series its identity. The upshot is there are lots of options, and while you might not play them all, there's probably something that fits the kind of player you are.Gears 5 is very much a return of those best elements of Gears of War, but with a focus on making the game feel somewhat more adaptive to your particular ways of playing. Whether you want campaign or co-op, Competitive or Quickplay, there's an option for you in Gears 5, and plenty of stuff to reward you for time spent and skill gained. Gears 5 might suffer from some of the same storytelling missteps as its predecessors, and it might not venture far out of the past, but the new ideas it brings to the series are all good reasons for fans to return.Info from Gamespot.com

Disney Plus' upcoming streaming service will have plenty of content revolving around the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including a show about Hawkeye. Aside from Jeremy Renner being cast on the series, it looks like the series may have found its lead with Hailee Steinfeld.Renner will reprise his role as Clint Barton and Steinfeld is being eyed to play Kate Bishop, according to a source that spoke to Variety. Bishop's mentor is none other than Hawkeye, and aside from being a part of the Matt Fraction David Aja's comic book series, Bishop was also a member of the Young Avengers team.At the time of this writing, no deal has been made between Steinfeld and Disney+, and the streaming service has not commented on this report.Steinfeld is known for her roles in Bumblebee, the Pitch Perfect series, and voicing Gwen-Stacy in 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. She will also be appearing in the upcoming Netflix original movie Between Two Ferns: The Movie, arriving on September 20.When the Hawkeye series was announced, Kate Bishop was confirmed for it immediately. Additionally, the new series will spend some time focusing on Clint's transition into deadly vigilante Ronin, which we saw during the first act of Avengers: Endgame.As exciting as this news may be, the Hawkeye series is still a couple years off. The series won't premiere on Disney+ until Fall 2021, after Falcon and Winter Soldier, WandaVision, Loki, and What If. The Disney+ streaming service will launch this November.Info from Gamespot.com

Monster Hunter World's first paid expansion, Iceborne, is now available on PS4 and Xbox One. We'll be testing the game out on its live servers and finalizing our review in the coming days, but for now you can see what we've made of the game thus far below. For more, check out our Iceborne tips guide.Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is more of the same, glorious slog for everyone who's ever been taken down by a fire-breathing facsimile of a Tyrannosaurus Rex and thought, "I can't wait to do that 50 times over." The franchise has always rewarded those willing to put in the hard yards, and Iceborne is no exception. It adds more of what set the base game aside from its predecessors without feeling overcrowded, even if its narrative could have used a little more work.Monster Hunter World was an exercise in refinement upon its release in early 2018. Not only did it manage to simplify a franchise-wide burgeoning quest system, but it also had a very successful stab at creating an open-world ecosystem absolutely teeming with things to do and colossal monsters who want to hunt you. Best of all, these changes never overwhelmed--the new mission and upgrade systems that were introduced were relatively straightforward to grasp, all whilst leaving room for experienced hunters to master them.Screenshot provided by CapcomSince the game’s launch, the game has seen a steady drip-feed of DLC content in the form of in-game events. Many of these follow the formula of transplanting something fearsome into an already familiar environment--the Witcher 3 crossover saw a Leshenn loom large in the Ancient Forest, and the Final Fantasy XIV collaboration had you running for cover when Behemoth reared its head. The design philosophy behind Monster Hunter World: Iceborne takes a similar approach in implementing that sort of content, though on a larger scale; it uses touchstones in the form of storied foes and familiar locations to build upon the robust ecosystem of the base game to deliver an experience that will test your mettle without breaking you.Iceborne is all about building on existing foundations. This is most evident in the narrative that has been spun out in the wake of the base game’s single-player campaign. Monster Hunter World was notable for introducing a clear-cut, story-based incentive to throw yourself against the biggest and baddest beasts out there. Iceborne takes a slightly crooked step forward by spinning a story that revolves not around you, but around your Handler.Shortly after the successes of dealing with the base game’s Elder Dragon predicament, a mass migration event shakes the recovering ecosystem of Astera and prompts you to investigate. What comes next is a tale of family legacies, mysterious scales, and your Handler embarking on her own personal quest. To shift the focus of a story from the protagonist to what is essentially a side character is a bold one--for all the aid and assistance that the Handler gives in Monster Hunter World, she’s still fundamentally a living, breathing quest board. Monster Hunter World players will no doubt have become attached to her over the course of their travels, but is that attachment is deep enough to shoulder a full expansion’s narrative conceit? Not quite.Screenshot provided by CapcomAs soon as you’re introduced to the latest curveball about Iceborne’s new signature location, Hoarfrost Reach, and how that intersects rather conveniently with your Handler’s past, you’re immediately whisked back to lands and territories from the base game to cull a couple of monsters that have gotten too big for their boots. It’s not exactly narrative whiplash, but it’s certainly not as compelling as it would have been had we been the ones to follow the Handler from the first step of her journey to the new lands of Iceborne.That said, revisiting those familiar locations early on to take down new and improved versions of killer dinosaurs that you’ve faced before is one of the most compelling parts of Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. As with the DLC strategy, the building blocks of the expansion are steeped in elements that existing players are already acquainted with. You’ll cut your teeth on monsters like the Nightshade Paolumu--a variant on the oversized flying squirrel encountered early on in the base game, though this time with the lethal ability to put unsuspecting hunters to sleep. The expansion arguably doesn’t open up until you’ve also vanquished the Viper Tobi-Kadachi--a souped-up version of its cousin from the Ancient Forest, albeit with poisonous projectiles and a bite that’s much more dangerous than its hiss.The changes that Iceborne makes in the form of these variant breeds has a twofold effect: First, they provide you with a motivation to form new strategies to slice and dice their way to the next story beat. Secondly, they’re just distinct enough in terms of attack patterns and additional elemental considerations that you never really feel like you’re just fighting a reskin of something that you made mincemeat out of 80 hours ago. It's as if there's been a concerted effort to balance the difficulty of what many fans might rightfully view as the second coming of the coveted “G-Rank” in this latest iteration of Monster Hunter.Screenshot provided by CapcomDespite some focus on iterating established systems, there are innovations introduced in Iceborne that truly set it apart from its predecessor. Brand-new monsters and the implementation of legacy series favourites like Nargacuga look and feel impressive thanks to all the new ways monsters can interact with other beasts and the various locations. But more importantly, there is a library’s worth of new weapon moves for you to take advantage of.Charge Axe users can now cancel into a particularly fun multi-directional attack when caught unawares, and Gunlance users no longer have to worry about running out of ammo in an emergency before getting to use their new signature move that is, quite literally, explosive. Hunting Horn users have also had their ability to do damage buffed, with the addition of a new move that lets you stick your horn in the ground and spin it like some kind of demented Beyblade to catch whatever’s charging towards you off guard. That’s just a few new examples, but overall these additions seem to be informed by the dual precepts of style and lethality.However, the biggest quality-of-life addition has been something called the Clutch Claw--every hunter can use this alongside their primary weapon to grapple onto their foe and, depending on what other sharp object is equipped, do anything from steering a rampaging wyvern into a rock face to weakening a specific part of its body that needs to be lopped off.Screenshot provided by CapcomUsing the Clutch Claw is by no means compulsory, so it fits in that nice niche where it can make your hunts a little bit easier or a little bit more exhilarating in equal turns. But you're not forced to use it to feel like you're getting your money’s worth if, say, you’re a veteran player trying to do your own version of Nuzlocke rules but with items. However, having the option and ability to scale up the side of a monster after landing a savvy shot with the Clutch Claw feels ridiculously satisfying, and so does driving a beast to its doom in the many treacherous terrain pitfalls that dot the newest, snow-covered region of Hoarfrost Reach.That new, frosty landscape is beautiful and treacherous in equal measure. With new foes, more verticality than the Coral Highlands, and frozen terrain that can crack and send you plunging to your death, it really is a sight to behold. More than ever, it feels like the environment can be turned against you; some monsters will uproot trees and throw them at you, while the wrong move on cracked ice can mean certain death.By that measure, however, there are also more opportunities to get the jump on your enemies, especially with the Clutch Claw giving you the ability to walk them into vine traps, blinding light, and more. Having a grasp of every bit of the map is integral to truly mastering what Iceborne has to throw at you, and it’s incredibly satisfying when everything suddenly clicks and you go from the hunted to the hunter leading their prey to a painful trap that attempts to even the scales.Screenshot provided by CapcomBeing dropped into this intricately-designed location as a relatively new player may be overwhelming, but no matter your experience level, joining up with other hunters and picking your way through this icy dens of beasts together is incredibly rewarding in its own way. Iceborne benefits from the matchmaking improvements introduced since the release of the base game, which have made it relatively seamless on console to find fellow hunters--no more messing about with PlayStation parties and friends lists--and dropping into a party to help friends tackle these fearsome monsters is easy.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. 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.This expansion is rife with moments like that; all of the tweaking and the improvements feel like they were done with the excellent building blocks of Monster Hunter World in mind, which means that getting to the meat of the matter is quicker and more satisfying than ever. There’s no more fussing about with new systems or worrying about ruffling the feathers of hardcore fans with a direction change in the series; those teething problems have already come and gone. Iceborne is a confident step into the future of the franchise, and it's hard not to think about what might come next.[Editor's note: This review will be finalized once we've had a chance to experience the performance of servers once the game launches to the wider public.]Info from Gamespot.com

Borderlands 3 launches for Xbox One, PS4, and the Epic Games Store on September 13, followed by releases for Google Stadia in late 2019 and other PC storefronts in 2020. For long-time fans who are looking for an adventure, don't worry, Borderlands 3 offers a lot of content to do.The fourth mainline installment in the loot shooter franchise acts as a sort of conclusion to the series, completing the narrative arc first put forth in 2009's Borderlands. That first game took just over 20 hours to beat, and its follow-ups Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel took about 30 and 17 hours respectively. Borderlands 3 takes a little over 30 hours to complete, putting it at about the same length as Borderlands 2. I finished my first playthrough in 33 hours.On my first playthrough, I typically only stopped to complete side quests when I needed to level up more--as Borderlands 3's campaign missions are fairly punishing to tackle when you're below their recommended level. Upon finishing the campaign, I still had about 10 unfinished side quests in my mission log, and another dozen left undiscovered--marked with exclamation points on my map for me to go to and acquire.It's difficult to discern just how much more time those side quests would add to the total runtime, as some of Borderlands 3's optional missions can be completed in as quickly as a few seconds while others can last upwards of 45 minutes. Some have multiple parts too, taking place across the universe on more than one planet. Finishing the campaign also unlocks a few pieces of endgame content, as well as Borderlands 3's new game plus, True Vault Hunter Mode. So it will take a lot longer than 33 hours to complete everything.In GameSpot's Borderlands 3 review, I wrote, "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

Things have been rocky for the long-in-development Shenmue III, and developer Ys Net revealing the action-adventure game's Epic Games Store exclusivity has not sit well with Kickstarter backers expecting Steam keys. While Epic CEO Tim Sweeney confirmed that refunds will happen, the process seems confusing and only lasts for a limited time.Ys Net published an update on Shenmue III's Kickstarter page, revealing the steps necessary for backers to receive an alternative package or a total refund. Sometime in mid-September--Ys Net did not specify when--backers will get emails from video game collectible site Fangamer notifying them of their current selected version of Shenmue III. These emails will contain surveys for those who want to amend the version they've chosen. The survey period only lasts two weeks from the time backers receive the Fangamer email.From then things get a little messy. Ys Net explains that refunds "may take up to 20 business days to 3 months from the time the refund request is made until the refund transaction is completed." This means backers could be waiting anywhere from 3-4 months for refunds to process and finalize.Ys Net apologized for the complications backers have to go through to process refunds saying the length of Shenmue III's development, plus the complexities of transactions and payment arrangements, may impact the "processing times [for] individual transaction circumstances." Further, altering in-game rewards is "difficult at this stage of development," Ys Net said.Ys Net is planning a trial version for Shenmue III, though It's unclear if the trial is exclusive to PC. It will release in the second half of September--Ys Net did not specify a date as of yet--and is playable for one hour. Ys Net said the trial will feature a stand-alone act within the game's first area and there are "lots of activities to experience" in that hour of game time. Saves will not carry over to the final versions when Shenmue III launches on November 19 for PC and PlayStation 4.Info from Gamespot.com

Niantic's second wave of Ultra Bonuses has arrived in Pokemon Go. For the next several days, players around the world will have a chance to hatch region-exclusive Pokemon from eggs. That's not all; the Mythical Pokemon Deoxys, which has up until now appeared exclusively in EX Raids, will be available in standard Raid Battles for a limited time.From September 9-16, all four forms of Deoxys will appear as bosses in five-star Raids, making this your first opportunity to capture them outside of the invite-only EX Raids. On top of that, Farfetch'd, Kangaskhan, Mr. Mime, and Tauros may hatch from 7 km eggs, and if you're very lucky, you may hatch their Shiny forms.More exclusive bonuses are headed your way, Trainers! Enjoy:🌟 Regional Pokémon, like Mr. Mime and Tauros, will hatch from 7 km Eggs. Some may be Shiny! 🌟 All Deoxys formes will appear in raids🌟 Build an epic team to challenge Deoxys with the Pokémon featured in raids pic.twitter.com/Zu9omSSiD3 — Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) September 9, 2019If you need help challenging Deoxys in battle, Pokemon that are effective against it, such as Absol, Tyranitar, Houndoom, and more, will also appear as Raid bosses throughout the week, giving you a chance to build a powerful team before taking Deoxys on. You can see the full list of this week's Ultra Bonus rewards below.Niantic still has one more wave of Ultra Bonuses on the way, and it is saving perhaps the most exciting batch for last. Beginning September 16, the first Gen 5 Pokemon will appear in Pokemon Go. Among other Pokemon, players will have a chance to encounter Klink and its Shiny form in Raid Battles, while Shiny versions of Patrat and Lillipup will appear in the wild. Mewtwo will return to Raids as well, and this time, you'll have a chance of encountering its Shiny form.Before the third set of Ultra Bonuses arrive, Niantic will host a Pokemon Go Community Day. This month's event takes place this Sunday, September 15, and the featured Pokemon is Turtwig, the Grass-type starter from Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. You can catch up on other recent Pokemon Go news below.Pokemon Go Ultra BonusesSeptember 9-16Farfetch'd, Kangaskhan, Mr. Mime, and Tauros may hatch from 7 km eggs. You may also hatch their Shiny formsAll four forms of Deoxys will appear in five-star Raid BattlesPokemon effective against Deoxys will appear in other tier RaidsSeptember 16-23Klink and Shiny Klink will appear in Raid BattlesShiny Patrat and Shiny Lillipup will appear in the wildMewtwo that know Psystrike will appear in five-star Raids, as will Shiny Mewtwo Pokemon Go's First Ultra Bonuses Now Live, Include Legendary Dog Raids And New Shiny Pokemon Pokemon Go Azelf, Mesprit, And Uxie Raid Hour Is Today: Start Times And How To Catch Pokemon Go Suicune Raid Day Is Today: Shiny Suicune, Counters, Start Times, And What To Know Pokemon Go August Community Day Is Today: Start Times, Shiny Ralts, Event Move, And More Pokemon Go: Team Rocket Invasion Event Happening Today Pokemon Go: Team Rocket Returns With New Special Research Pokemon Go Finally Adds Team Rocket And Shadow Pokemon Pokemon Go July 2019 Community Day Is Today: Start Times, Shiny Mudkip, Bonuses, And More Pokemon Go Entei Raid Day Is Today: Start Times, Shiny Entei, And What To Know Pokemon Go Raikou Raid Event Is Today: Start Times, Shiny Raikou, And What To Know Info from Gamespot.com

The latest firmware update for Nintendo Switch has arrived, and it includes a number of new features, tweaks, changes, and fixes. Version 9.0.0. (released September 9) introduces a new search feature for the News channel, a new QR code option to sign in to your Nintendo Account, and new touch screen sensitivity settings. The update also introduces the ability stop the Switch from recognizing inputs from the console's buttons, except for the Capture and Home buttons. This only applies to the newly released Switch lite.Additionally, the new Switch 9.0.0 update adds a section to account pages for "Online Play Invites," and as it's name suggests, this is where you'll see invites from friends for supported games. Finally, the new patch fixes what sounds like a very serious issue. Apparently, there was a bug that completely prevented Fire Emblem: Three Houses from booting at all, instead returning an error. This problem has been fixed with the update through general system and stability improvements, Nintendo said.This issue was reportedly affecting those who purchased the Three Houses season pass recently, though it's unclear how widespread the issue was or if anything else could trigger it. Whatever the case, it's fixed now.You can see the full 9.0.0 update notes below, as posted on Nintendo's website.Nintendo Switch Firmware 9.0.0 (September 9, 2019) Update:Added a search feature for the News Channel. Channels can be searched using filters or free text.Added “Display QR Code to Check In” to User Settings. You can display a QR Code on-screen to check in using your Nintendo Account.Alarm Notifications have been added to System Settings > Notifications. You can check or delete pre-set alarms.Alarms can be set up only within supported software (to be added at a later time).A controller firmware update may be required to use this feature.You can now configure touch screen sensitivity settings. Select between Standard and Stylus sensitivity (optimized for stylus input).Added the option to turn on/off the system button input (Nintendo Switch Lite only). When this setting is turned off the system no longer receives input from the console buttons, with the exception of the Capture and HOME Buttons, and can only be operated from a wirelessly paired controller (sold separately).This setting is on by default and can only be turned off if a compatible controller (sold separately) is wirelessly paired to the console.The setting will automatically turn back on when the console is restarted or after returning from sleep mode.Added “Online Play Invites” section to the User's page. Invites from friends to join online play in supported software will be displayed in this section.General system stability improvements to enhance the user's experience. Resolved an issue where some users can’t start the Fire Emblem: Three Houses game, and get an error instead.Info from Gamespot.com

As the leader of Xbox, Phil Spencer is a very busy man, but he still finds time to play games. One of his favorites is the Destiny franchise. Back in 2017, he said he had spent more than 700 hours playing the sci-fi shooter. Now, Bungie has announced a special Destiny livestream event featuring none other than Spencer.On Tuesday, September 10, Spencer will play Destiny 2 alongside Bungie CEO Pete Parsons during a multi-hour livestream from 3 PM to 5 PM PT. Parsons and Spencer will team up to play the Destiny 2 Heroic Strike playlist. That means they'll be in public matchmaking, so you'll have a chance to be their third squad member.Those who do matchmake with Spencer and Parsons have the chance to win a special emblem related to the event. You can see all the important information about the event down the page.Bungie Bounty—Strike Team EditionDestiny 2 on Xbox LiveHeroic Strike PlaylistTuesday, September 10 3–5 PM PDTGamertags: Phil Spencer -- P3Pete Parsons -- MangoDestiny 2's next expansion, Shadowkeep, launches on October 1 for PC, as well as PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Recently, Bungie announced plans to introduce a Fortnite-style battle pass in Destiny 2 timed with the release of Shadowkeep. Info from Gamespot.com