Sony has revealed the US PlayStation Store's top digital downloads for the month of August. A couple of new games entered the PlayStation 4 top 20, but there's one new release that stands out for its somewhat surprising absence.Madden NFL 20 took the No. 1 spot in the rankings after launching at the very beginning of the month on August 2. Its position on top of the pile isn't too surprising considering EA recently announced that digital sales for Madden 20 have exceeded physical sales for the first time in series history. In celebration of the NFL's 100th season kicking off last night, EA is currently offering a free trial for Madden 20 that you can play until September 8. This gives you a good chance to try out the new Superstar KO mode.The rest of the chart is business as usual with mainstays like Grand Theft Auto V, Minecraft, and Marvel's Spider-Man hovering around the top of the chart. Scroll all the way down to No. 20, however, and you'll find another new entry: The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan. Supermassive Games' story-driven horror game was only released on August 30 but managed to shift enough digital units to crack the top 20. PlayStation doesn't reveal sales numbers so it's impossible to tell how well it did.By comparison, Remedy's Control was released three days before Man of Medan and is notable for its absence in the top 20. It sold enough physical copies to crack the UK's all-formats top four during the week of its release. Amazon also heavily discounted the paranormal shooter which may have led to fewer digital purchases.The full list can be found here. Make sure you check out GameSpot's reviews for Madden NFL 20, The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan, and Control.Info from Gamespot.com

Fortnite's 10.20 content update arrived earlier this week, and now developer Epic Games has made a few more tweaks to the popular battle royale shooter. The 10.20.2 hotfix is now live on all platforms, and it vaults a handful of weapons and makes numerous other gameplay adjustments. Read on for the patch notes.First, three guns--the Combat Shotgun, Drum Shotgun, and Proximity Launcher--have been moved into the vault, which means they've effectively been removed from the game. As always, there is a chance the guns could be re-added to Fortnite in the future, but for the time being, you won't find them in the Battle Royale mode.Those aren't the only weapon changes. The Suppressed Assault Rifle has been unvaulted; it's available in Epic and Legendary variants. Epic has also increased the damage dished out by the Automatic Sniper. "The Automatic Sniper was underperforming relative to some of the other Sniper Rifles. This adjustment to damage should make it more desirable as an alternative long-range weapon," Epic said.Additionally, Epic has made more tweaks to the controversial BRUTE mechs; now they'll spawn less during storm phases 3-6. The developer has also increased the "duration of spiciness" of peppers to 60 seconds, and reduced the availability of Obelisks at Retail Row. You can see the full patch notes for the hotfix below courtesy of Epic's website.Fortnite's aforementioned 10.20 content update added a new item to the game, the Zapper Trap, and also brought back another familiar element from a past season: the Floating Island. Fortnite's Week 6 challenges are also now live. This set is called Boogie Down, and most of the tasks revolve around dancing. You can find maps and guides in our complete Fortnite Season 10 challenges roundup.Fortnite: Battle Royale 10.20.2 Hotfix Patch NotesWeapons & ItemsVaultedCombat ShotgunDrum ShotgunProximity LauncherUnvaultedSuppressed Assault Rifle (Epic/Legendary)Automatic SniperThe Automatic Sniper was underperforming relative to some of the other Sniper Rifles. This adjustment to damage should make it more desirable as an alternative long-range weapon.Increased damage from 31/33/35 to 40/42/44GameplayB.R.U.T.ELowered the spawn rate of the B.R.U.T.E in Storm phases 3-6 in core modes. Arena spawn rates will remain unchanged.With this change, we’re hoping to reduce the impact of B.R.U.T.Es on late-game scenarios, while retaining their presence in the early game. Storm phase 3 New spawn rates 33.3% chance to spawn 033.3% chance to spawn 133.3% chance to spawn 2Old spawn rates 25% chance to spawn 025% chance to spawn 125% chance to spawn 225% chance to spawn 3Storm phase 4 New spawn rates 50% chance to spawn 050% chance to spawn 1Old spawn rates 33.3% chance to spawn 033.3% chance to spawn 133.3% chance to spawn 2Storm phase 5 New spawn rates 83.4% chance to spawn 016.6% chance to spawn 1Old spawn rates 50% chance to spawn 050% chance to spawn 1Storm phase 6 New spawn rates Will no longer spawn.Old spawn rates 90% chance to spawn 010% chance to spawn 1PeppersIncreased the duration of spiciness from Peppers to a 60-second duration from a 20-second duration.Retail RowThis POI is intended to be a high-risk, high-reward drop location, but we feel the reward has outweighed the risk. By reducing the availability of Obelisks, gathering rare loot will require a little more time investment. Reduced the maximum number of Spawn Obelisks from 7 to 5.Increased the time before Spawn Obelisks respawn to a max of 30 seconds (previously a max of 5 seconds). The respawn timer for Spawn Obelisks is on a loop and time may vary between 1-30 seconds.Decreased the chance to drop Rocket Launchers from destroyed Spawn Obelisks from 18.46% to 10%Decreased the chance to drop Jump Pads from destroyed Spawn Obelisks from 50% to 40%Info from Gamespot.com

Remember a few years ago when people were dressing up as creepy clowns and just hanging out in public, which, in turn, scared everyone? What a bizarre epidemic. Well, there's now a documentary coming out about one individual who does this for a living called Wrinkles The Clown, and you can see the first trailer for the movie below.The film follows a 65-year old Florida man who dresses up in a creepy clown mask and gets hired by people--many times parents--to scare kids. He'll appear in people's backyards, outside their windows, and generally being frightening in random places. The film looks to find out who this man is, why he's doing this, and the viral effect his actions had across the internet.While the movie trailer seems to blur the line between fiction and reality, Wrinkles the Clown is a real person, and you can call him if you have some kids you want to freak out. This all originally took place in 2014, and the man behind the mask--a Naples, Florida retiree who didn't want to spend his days playing golf. And his antics as Wrinkles the Clown drew national attention and spawned numerous copycats throughout the United States.If you want to see the full story for yourself, check out Wrinkles The Clown when it comes to theaters on October 4.Info from Gamespot.com

Gears 5 has been experiencing server and stability issues since its early access launch, with users seeing frequent disconnects and missing content. Developer The Coalition says it is working to resolve the problems plaguing the third-person shooter.Gears 5 unlocked for Ultimate Edition owners and Xbox Games Pass Ultimate subscribers on September 5, a few days ahead of its official September 10 launch. Since this is an early access release, the game has been experiencing a number of issues, including long searches and connection errors, players getting kicked from Campaign, missing Ultimate Edition content, and more. The Coalition, in a series of tweets, confirmed that it is aware of these issues and actively working to address them.The team are continuing to work on a resolution to this issue. We hope to have firm updates to share soon. Thanks for your patience! https://t.co/BgZ6PE7S8P — The Coalition Studio (@CoalitionGears) September 6, 2019One solution The Coalition has recommended, especially regarding the missing Ultimate Edition content, is rebooting the game and hard-resetting the device. Doing both should resolve connectivity issues and award the bonus content. Additionally, The Coalition has implemented a number of "server side updates" aimed at improving stability and fixing issues.#Gears5 Service Update: 1:25am PTFollowing our latest deployment, we are seeing a dramatic improvement to service stability.The team will now be monitoring the impact of this change to determine if additional updates are needed. Thank you for your patience. — The Coalition Studio (@CoalitionGears) September 6, 2019While things look to be improving, The Coalition notes that Gears 5 is still facing a number of persistent problems, particularly around matching and online services. It seems some players are have difficulty connecting--and staying connected--to matches. The developer tweeted that it is "actively investigating the issue" and trying to resolve things quickly.#Gears5 Service Update: 9:50 amWe are deploying an update to improve matchmaking times and lobby dissolves. Players may be kicked out of matches during this rollout.Thanks for your patience. We will continue to monitor and provide details. — The Coalition Studio (@CoalitionGears) September 6, 2019Despite the issues Gears 5 is facing, the game has received a rather positive reception. In our Gears 5 review-in-progress we said, "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." We've also compiled a list of other Gears 5 reviews, with the scores tilting toward the more favorable end of the spectrum. The game's even gotten the attention of the series' former lead designer Cliff Bleszinski, who's incredibly happy a woman is on the cover.Info from Gamespot.com

Xbox Game Pass has been kicking around the Xbox One for quite some time, but back in June, Xbox sweetened the pot with Xbox Game Pass for PC and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. All of the different options can get a little confusing, and with the release of Gears 5, you might be wondering which plan you should subscribe to. There are a bunch of different benefits for each one, so we've compiled everything you need to know about Xbox's Game Pass offerings.What is Xbox Game Pass?Xbox Game Pass for Xbox OneThe first of the subscriptions introduced was Xbox Game Pass for Xbox One. With it, you get access to a library of over 200 games, including all first-party titles when they launch. At the moment, these include Gears 5, Forza Horizon 4, Sea of Thieves, and much more. The entire Gears of War series is also available through Game Pass.New games are added and removed all the time. Thankfully, if you want to keep the games that leave Game Pass, you'll be happy to know that members get discounts on all Game Pass games.Xbox Game Pass for PCXbox Game Pass for PC works exactly like it does on the Xbox One. You get access to over 100 games every month and exclusive deals if you want to keep any of them. There are unique games on each platform, though much of the library does cross over. Almost all of Xbox's first-party titles are available on PC, including Gears 5. Game Pass for PC offers quite a few titles that many would consider better on PC. These include games like Age of Empires Definitive Edition, Metro Exodus, and Prey.Xbox Game Pass priceXbox Game Pass for Xbox One costs $10 USD / $12 CAD / £8 a month.Xbox Game Pass for PC goes for $5 USD / $6 CAD / £4 a month. That is, however, an introductory price and will raise to $10 USD / $12 CAD / £8 a month eventually. However, at the moment, you can join Xbox Game Pass for PC with your first month only costing $1 / £1.Sign-up for Xbox Game Pass for Xbox One Sign-up for Xbox Game Pass for PCWhat is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate?Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is exactly what it says it is: the ultimate subscription if you want all of the benefits Xbox currently offers. That even includes Xbox Live Gold, which has its own set of bonuses--free monthly games, online multiplayer, and exclusive deals.With Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, you gain access to both the Xbox One and PC Game Pass libraries--over 300 games. Other bonuses also become available over time, such as access to Gears 5: Ultimate Edition on September 6--regular Game Pass subscribers only have access to the standard edition when it launches on September 10.Xbox Game Pass Ultimate priceAt this moment, you can get your first two months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $2 / £2--you can also get one month for $1 / £1. Of course, this limited-time deal is only available to new subscribers. The regular cost of a monthly subscription is $15 USD / $17 CAD / £11.Sign-up for Xbox Game Pass UltimateXbox Game Pass list of gamesThe recently released Gears 5 is available through all of the Game Pass options, and there are much more to check out on both Xbox One and PC. Some of the latest releases are pictured below, but you can also see the full Xbox Game Pass list here. Info 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

As we barrel towards Death Stranding's November 8 launch on PlayStation 4, game director Hideo Kojima confirmed that the action-exploration game will feature an additional difficulty mode specifically targeted at film enthusiasts.Kojima tweeted that Death Stranding's very easy difficulty mode was implemented for movie fans to enjoy the experience and appreciate the star-studded cast assembled for the project. A Death Stranding play tester and personal assistant of Kojima's confirmed as much, saying that the very easy mode is for "people who usually don’t play games, movie fans, or RPG fans." Conversely, other difficulty modes--like normal and hard--are designed for action game fans.Normally there’s only Easy Mode, but we added Very Easy Mode for movie fans since we have real actors like Norman, Mads, Lea starred in. Even Yano-san who never completed the 1st stage of PAC-MAN, was able to complete the game on Very Easy Mode 👍🌈🦀😅 https://t.co/fMZmuZltZw — HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) September 6, 2019Death Stranding's cast is loaded with stars. Alongside Walking Dead actor Norman Reedus, the action-exploration game features James Bond talent Lea Seydoux and Madds Mikkelsen, The Leftovers actress Margaret Qualley, The Last of Us voice actor Troy Baker, The Bionic Woman actress Lindsay Wagner, and Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro. Tokyo Game Show is right around the corner, and although Sony has confirmed it won't hold a press conference, the company will still have a presence on the show floor. Kojima Productions will reportedly show off more Death Stranding footage during the event.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

When it comes to accessories, the Nintendo Switch has a dizzying variety on offer. One of the best is the Hori D-Pad Controller, which is a Joy-Con equipped with a D-Pad. It made our best Switch controllers list, and now it's on sale.Zelda Edition: $20 at Amazon Mario Edition: $15 at Amazon Pikachu Edition: $20 at AmazonAll three variations of the Hori D-Pad Joy-Con are currently on sale. You can pick up the Zelda-themed one for $20, the Pikachu version for $20, and the Mario edition for $15. They can only be used in handheld mode, and unfortunately, don't feature any rumble or motion controls.As someone who has tested a multitude of controllers for the Nintendo Switch, some games just need a D-Pad. The recently added SNES games hammer this point home pretty hard, so if you're looking for something that feels a bit more comfortable with Super Mario World, Super Metroid, or any of the other classics, then you could do a lot worse than Hori's D-Pad Joy-Con.If you're interested in more Switch controllers, including an excellent SNES-style one, be sure to check out our big guide on the best Nintendo Switch controllers we've tried so far.Info from Gamespot.com

It almost goes without saying, but the Nintendo Switch is an exciting console to own in 2019. You've got the constantly growing (and consistently excellent) library of Nintendo first-party titles like Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Super Mario Maker 2, plus the expanding roster of ports for incredible games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Dark Souls, Overwatch, Return of the Obra Dinn, and Divinity: Original Sin 2 adding even more appeal to the platform. Additionally, a slew of other exciting upcoming Switch games were announced during a recent Nintendo Direct.If you're a longtime Nintendo fan, you're well aware of the fact that Nintendo's first-party games and products tend to maintain higher prices than their PS4 and Xbox One counterparts do. While the Nintendo Switch launched at a relatively affordable $300, its price has barely fluctuated in the two and a half years since it released, and when you factor in all the $60 games, $70 Switch Pro controller, monthly Switch Online membership, and other expenses, you can end up spending quite a lot on Switch-related purchases.Fortunately, we're here to save you some cash. We've rounded up all the best Nintendo Switch deals across the internet, from Switch games to accessories and Switch Online membership. It's unlikely the two newest Switch consoles--the smaller, handheld-only Switch Lite and the new improved Switch with better battery life--will get discounts anytime soon, but there is a limited-time trade-in offer at GameStop worth taking advantage of if you already own a Switch and want to upgrade.We'll keep this story updated with any new Switch deals that pop up throughout September, but in the meantime, check out the best discounts available now below.Quick look: Best Nintendo Switch dealsTrade-in offer (ends soon) -- Get the new Switch for $75 at GameStopNintendo Switch Online -- Amazon Prime members get one year freeNintendo Switch Pro controller -- $62 at AmazonHori D-Pad Switch Controller -- $20 at AmazonLight-up Switch dock shields -- $15 at AmazonSuper Mario Party -- $49.92 at AmazonCollection of Mana -- $33.84 at WalmartBayonetta 2 (physical) + Bayonetta (digital download) -- $49.94 at AmazonThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild -- $48.49 at AmazonCivilization VI -- $30 at AmazonNi no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch -- $41.86 at AmazonDragon Quest Builders 2 -- $50.94 at AmazonPokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu -- $45 (with free steelbook) at Best BuyPokemon: Let's Go, Eevee -- $45 (with free steelbook) at Best BuyBuy the Nintendo Switch Lite ($200)Buy the new Switch with improved battery life ($300)Best Nintendo Switch console dealsTrade-in offer: Get the new Nintendo Switch for $75 at GameStopIf you've already got a Nintendo Switch and want to upgrade to the new, improved model with longer battery life, the best way to do that is to trade in your old model at GameStop. A Switch usually trades in for $200, but for a limited time, that's bumped up to $225. Note that you'll need to perform a data transfer between the two consoles, and GameStop will likely not allow you to do that in-stores. You can read more about that process here. That $225 credit can also be used toward a Switch Lite or other purchases. This trade-in offer ends September 15, so time is quickly running out to take advantage of it.Otherwise, there aren't many discounts on brand-new consoles floating around these days. Expect to see some special deals as we get closer to the holidays. In the meantime, you can find some decent discounts on slightly used and refurbished models below, but note that these are the original models without improved battery.Nintendo Switch 32GB Console (Gray) Refurbished -- $260Nintendo Switch 32GB Console (Neon) Used, "Like New" condition -- $244.95Best Switch game dealsDragon Quest Builders 2 for $50.94 at AmazonSee at AmazonSwitch games don't receive discounts as quickly or steeply as other console games do. That said, there are still some great games on sale worth picking up, such as Dragon Quest Builders 2, which released on the Switch in July. You can already find the game marked down to $50.94. Plus, you can get Civilization VI for only $30 on Switch, Collection of Mana for $33.84, and some first-party titles like Breath of the Wild for about $10 off. You can see more Switch game deals below.Super Mario Party -- $49.92Diablo 3: Eternal Collection -- $39.97Collection of Mana -- $33.84Bayonetta 2 (physical) + Bayonetta (digital download) -- $49.94The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild -- $48.49Mario Kart 8 Deluxe -- $49.68Resident Evil Revelations Collection -- $24.50Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe -- $49.94Civilization VI -- $30The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim -- $45Mario Tennis Aces -- $49.50Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch -- $41.86Dragon Quest Builders 2 -- $50.94Mortal Kombat 11 -- $46.48Tales of Vesperia - Definitive Edition -- $30Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night -- $32.84Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu -- $45 (with free steelbook)Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee -- $45 (with free steelbook)Best Switch accessory dealsLight-up Switch dock shields for $15 at AmazonSee at AmazonThese glowy dock shields have no practical purpose, but they sure are pretty. Currently $5 off their usual price of $20, these light-up plates have more than 17 different colors and effects to choose from and add a cool, colorful glow to your Switch setup. We've written about them in the past and can verify they look amazing in person.Check out more of the best Switch accessories on sale below.Nintendo Switch Pro controller -- $62Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons (Neon Pink and Green) -- $69Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons (Gray) -- $66.77Hori D-Pad Switch controller (Breath of the Wild-themed) -- $20PowerA wireless GameCube-style Switch controller -- $37JETech Switch protective grip case -- $16Poke Ball Plus -- $44Samsung 128GB memory card -- $19.87Isabelle Amiibo - Super Smash Bros. Series -- $30Best Switch Online membership dealsSwitch Online is Nintendo's monthly membership that grants access to online multiplayer, save data cloud backup for most (but not all) games, and a selection of over 40 NES games and 20 SNES games, as well as the ability to buy official NES and SNES controllers compatible with Switch. Nintendo Switch Online is far cheaper than Sony or Microsoft's online subscriptions--an annual individual subscription sells for $20, while a family plan for up to eight Nintendo accounts is $35--but it's still another expense added to the ever-growing pile of Switch-related purchases.Currently, the cheapest way to get Switch Online is through Twitch Prime, which is available to anyone with Amazon Prime. The Twitch Prime offer lets you claim 12 months of Nintendo Switch Online for free, in two batches: You have to claim the first three months before September 24, and then you have until January 22, 2020 to claim the additional nine months. You have to let 60 days pass after claiming the first three months before adding the other nine to your account.Get 12 months of Nintendo Switch Online free at AmazonPopular Switch Online game Tetris 99 is getting a physical release, and it includes 12 months of Nintendo Switch Online. Not only that, but you'll get all current and future DLC for the game. That bundle will cost you $30.Get Tetris 99 + 12 months Nintendo Switch Online at AmazonFor more savings, be sure to check out our roundups of the best Xbox One deals and best PS4 deals available this month.Info from Gamespot.com

It Chapter 2 isn't actually a sequel to It Chapter 1, but a continuation of the same story--which means it does more than just pick up where Chapter 1 left off, it goes back and weaves all sorts of new information into the events we saw transpire back in 1989. While this is great--and an opportunity to check in with those lovable kids who starred in Chapter 1 all while keeping an eye on their adult selves--it also means that the timeline of events can get a little bit confusing with all the retroactive continuity being laid out. It Chapter 2 Coverage It Chapter 2 Review: A Messy Finale Does It Chapter 2 Have A Post Credits Scene? We Explain The Ending It Chapter 2: 25 Easter Eggs And References Hidden In The Horror It Chapter 2: 14 Major Differences Between The Movies, Book, And Miniseries But never fear--we're here to help. By cross-referencing the details of the two movies--everything from the occasional month and year title card to the various outfits the characters wear--we've put together a complete timeline of events between It Chapters 1 and 2 to spell out not only the journey the Losers took across all 27 years of their ordeal, but also the history of Pennywise in Derry according to this version of the story, in chronological order.A "Few Million Years" AgoPennywise arrives on Earth from space, crash lands in the area that would become Derry, Maine, and forms a nest deep underground.The "Mid 18th Century"The Shokopiwah tribe become the first known people to actually encounter and try to fight Pennywise, using the Ritual of Chüd, which fails.~1864Derry was officially founded as a beaver trapping town, but quickly befell a number of tragedies resulting in the entire town disappearing with no sign of an attack. The only clue was a trail of bloody clothes leading to the "well house." This marks the first major Pennywise attack on record.1908An explosion at the Ironworks Factory kills over a hundred people. Pennywise was the cause, somehow.1935A gang shootout between the Citizens of Derry and the Bradley Gang racked up a massive body count. Pennywise at fault.1962The Black Spot nightclub was burned down by a racist cult. Pennywise to blame.Late 1988Pennywise surfaces as a clown to lure the children of Derry to their deaths, claiming Georgie Denbrough as a victim.June/July 1989At the end of the school year Bill Denbrough, Richie Tozier, Stan Uris, and Eddie Kapsbrak begin investigating the Barrens to help Bill find clues about what happened to Georgie. The Losers Club adds Ben Hanscom and Beverly Marsh after they intervene during an attack on Ben by the Bowers gang. Each individual Loser (except Richie) begins experiencing Pennywise nightmares while they're alone. Later, Mike Hanlon joins after the Losers save him from Bowers with a "rock war" in The Barrens.Chapter 2 flashback: At some point after the rock fight, Ben finds and refurbishes the underground bunker in the woods to be the Losers clubhouse.The Losers begin concocting their plan to attack Pennywise where it lives. They make their first trip into Neibolt house, where Eddie breaks his arm and is whisked away by his mother. Bill and Richie get into a fight, resulting in a major break up for the Losers.Chapter 2 flashback: Immediately after the fight, Bill walks (or, bike rides) Bev back home to her apartment where her father sprays her with her mother's perfume.Chapter 2 flashback: Richie spends time playing Street Fighter at the theater arcade, before getting chased out by Bowers and his gang. Richie runs to the park, where he's attacked by Pennywise as the Paul Bunyon statue. At some point, either before or after the Pennywise attack, Richie goes to the Kissing Bridge to carve he and Eddie's initials.Chapter 2 flashback: Bill rides his bike to the sewer where Georgie was killed to yell at Pennywise for not taking him instead.Stan has his Bar Mitzvah. Only Richie attends. Chapter 2 flashback: A closer look at the Bar Mitzvah where Richie remembers Stan's speech about "always being a loser."Chapter 2 flashback: Ben begins attending summer school for what may or may not be history or social studies. He hallucinates Pennywise as Bev and is chased into his lockerChapter 2 flashback: Eddie retrieves medicine from the pharmacy before "LOSER" is written on his cast. He hallucinates his mother in the basement and is attacked by the leper again.August/September 1989Eddie is told his medicine is a bunch of placebos. "LOSER" is written on his cast, which he corrects into "LOVER."Henry Bowers is prompted by Pennywise to kill his fatherBeverly fights her father but is taken by Pennywise immediately after she knocks him unconscious.The Losers reunite and return to Neibolt to save Beverly. They take the fight to the sewers and defeat Pennywise.Chapter 2 flashback: Pennywise's defeat washes a bunch of corpses and a very much alive Henry Bowers out of the sewers. Bowers returns home to find the police have discovered his father's corpse. He's arrested on the spot.The Losers return to the Barrens after addressing some of their wounds and make their blood oath to return to Derry if Pennywise isn't gone. Bev explains that she will be immediately moving to Portland to live with her aunt.2008Bill Denbrough marries Audra Phillips.Summer 2016Pennywise reemerges in Derry, prompting Mike to reach out to each of the Losers to fulfill their promiseStan receives Mike's phone call and decides to kill himself. Before he does, however, he writes a letter to each Loser explaining himself.Henry Bowers escapes from the asylum with Pennywise's help.Mike sends the Losers to uncover the respective "tokens." Bev returns to her apartment and is attacked by Pennywise as Mrs. Kersh. Richie returns to the movie theater arcade, and then to the park where he's attacked by Pennywise.Richie returns to the inn, determined to leave before Ben talks him down.Bill finds his bike Silver in an antique shop. He returns to his old house and has his new Pennywise encounter at the drain where Georgie was killed.Eddie returns to the pharmacy to pick up a new inhaler, where he encounters his leper in the basement once more. When he returns to the inn to clean himself off, he's attacked by Henry Bowers, who stabs him in the face.Richie, in the middle of sneaking out of town, returns to the synagogue where he remembers Stan's bar mitzvah.Mike is attacked by Bowers in the library. Richie, after convincing himself to stay, saves Mike and kills Bowers.The Losers (minus Stan, RIP) return to Neibolt House to face down Pennywise once and for all.Eddie dies (double RIP) during the fight, but the Losers are ultimately victorious.Ben and Bev begin a relationship, move onto a boat, and get a dog. Bill returns home to write a new book. Richie returns to the Kissing Bridge to re-carve he and Eddie's initials.Each Loser gets a letter from Stan, explaining why he killed himself.Info from Gamespot.com

There are only a few months left in 2019, but there are plenty of games still on the horizon. September is packed with tons of notable releases for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch, from triple-A titles like Borderlands 3 and Gears 5 to some smaller gems such as River City Girls and Untitled Goose Game.Of course, that's just scratching the surface of what this month has to offer. Divinity: Original Sin II arrived on Switch following Nintendo's September Direct, while Dragon Quest XI comes to the console later this month. Sports fans have a lot to look forward to this month too between eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020, FIFA 20, NBA 2K20, and NHL 20.There are plenty of other titles on the way this month. We've rounded up all the biggest releases of September 2019 below. For a look at all the other big games still to come this year, be sure to check out our complete list of game release dates in 2019.Gears 5 (Xbox One, PC) -- September 10The newest installment in the Gears of War franchise officially launches on September 10, but players who spring for the game's Ultimate edition (or subscribe to Xbox Game Pass) can jump in beginning September 6. Gears 5 casts players in the role of Kait Diaz, who throughout the course of the game will uncover secrets about her family's history and the origins of the Locust. In addition to the campaign, Gears 5 boasts several other game types, including the fan-favorite Horde and Versus modes, which this time feature cameos from Halo: Reach and other unexpected crossovers.Further reading:Gears 5 Review In Progress: Mutating For The BetterGears 5 Having Rocky Launch, But Dev Says Issues Are Being Worked OnGears 5 Praised For Its Accessibility Options And InclusivenessBorderlands 3 (PS4, Xbox One, PC) -- September 13Arriving five years after the release of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, the latest installment in Gearbox's loot-shooter series, Borderlands 3, lands on PS4, Xbox One, and PC via the Epic Games Store on September 13. This time around, the game features four new Vault Hunters--Amara the Siren, Moze the Gunner, Zane the Operative, and FL4K the Beastmaster--each of whom has three skill trees that contain distinct abilities and perks. Unlike past titles, you'll also be able to travel to other planets during the adventure, and Gearbox has a variety of free events and other post-release content in the pipeline for the game.Further reading:Borderlands 3 Launch Roundup - Release Date, Preload Details, Region Unlock Times, And MoreBorderlands 3 Post-Release Content Detailed, Includes Story Expansions And Free EventsBorderlands 3 PC System Requirements Are Pretty ReasonableThe Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Switch) -- September 20Nintendo's marquee release for Switch this month, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, arrives alongside the new Nintendo Switch Lite on September 20. A remake of the classic Game Boy game of the same name, Link's Awakening finds the titular hero stranded on the mysterious Koholint Island, where he'll need to gather the eight Instruments of the Sirens to rouse the Wind Fish from its slumber and make his way home. While the game looks to be a faithful reimagining of the original, it also introduces some new content, namely a dungeon editor that allows you to arrange your own custom labyrinths.Further reading:New Zelda: Link's Awakening Amiibo Functionality RevealedWe Played Zelda: Link's Awakening - It's As Fun As It Is CuteZelda: Link's Awakening - Everything We Know About The Nintendo Switch RemakeFull September Release ScheduleGamePlatformRelease DateCatherine: Full BodyPS4September 3Phoenix PointPCSeptember 3Final Fantasy VIII RemasteredPS4, Xbox One, PC, SwitchSeptember 3Spyro Reignited TrilogyPC, SwitchSeptember 3Torchlight IIPS4, Xbox One, SwitchSeptember 3Deadly Premonition OriginsSwitchSeptember 4Divinity: Original Sin II - Definitive EditionSwitchSeptember 4Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville Founder's EditionPS4, Xbox One, PCSeptember 4Super Kirby ClashSwitchSeptember 4River City GirlsPS4, Xbox One, PCSeptember 5Monster Hunter World: Iceborne (Expansion)PS4, Xbox OneSeptember 6NBA 2K20PS4, Xbox One, PC, SwitchSeptember 8BlasphemousPS4, Xbox One, PC, SwitchSeptember 10eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020PS4, Xbox One, PCSeptember 10Gears 5Xbox One, PCSeptember 10GreedFallPS4, Xbox One, PCSeptember 10Borderlands 3PS4, Xbox One, PCSeptember 13Daemon X MachinaSwitchSeptember 13NHL 20PS4, Xbox OneSeptember 13AI: The Somnium FilesPS4, PC, SwitchSeptember 17Castle Crashers RemasteredSwitchSeptember 17Lego Jurassic WorldSwitchSeptember 17Devil May Cry 2SwitchSeptember 19Puzzle Quest: The Legend ReturnsSwitchSeptember 19The Legend of Zelda: Link's AwakeningSwitchSeptember 20Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (Remaster)PS4, PC, SwitchSeptember 20Untitled Goose GamePC, SwitchSeptember 20Baldur's Gate: Enhanced EditionPS4, Xbox One, SwitchSeptember 24Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced EditionPS4, Xbox One, SwitchSeptember 24Contra: Rogue CorpsPS4, Xbox One, PC, SwitchSeptember 24Dead by DaylightSwitchSeptember 24Planescape: Torment: Enhanced EditionPS4, Xbox One, SwitchSeptember 24The Surge 2PS4, Xbox One, SwitchSeptember 24Darksiders II: Deathinitive EditionSwitchSeptember 26Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iXSwitchSeptember 26Code VeinPS4, Xbox One, PCSeptember 27Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive EditionSwitchSeptember 27FIFA 20PS4, Xbox One, PC, SwitchSeptember 27Ori and the Blind ForestSwitchSeptember 27Tropico 6PS4, Xbox OneSeptember 27Info from Gamespot.com

Three years after release, the universe of No Man's Sky continues to evolve. With each expansion, I spend weeks as a blissful wanderer, seeing an already vast universe become more populous, more beautiful, more capable of sustaining a home for anyone who dared to voyage within it. Beyond, however, is no mere evolution and refinement. It feels like No Man's Sky approaching its final form, having shed a great deal of what was previously limiting and restrictive. But there’s one new factor specifically that makes the update live up to its name: No Man’s Sky is now a VR title. And it is utterly breathtaking.It is breathtaking right away, waking up for the first time completely immersed in an alien world literally no one else has ever seen. Everything has a new fascination: the way the flora moves and shifts under harsh weather, the way the ground is pockmarked and windswept, the vast, unknowable vistas stretching across toxic interstellar perdition. It’s all beautiful before you even make the first flight into space.An incredible amount of additional work has gone into making inhabiting that Exo-Suit even more of an experience. On PS4, you can play in 2D or VR with the DualShock, something that also gives you a Smooth turning option, but two PlayStation Moves are the real way to go. With the Move, your Multi-Tool is strapped to your back, ready to be whipped out more like in Blood & Truth than an ever-present floating gun like in most VR titles. The Analysis visor has you pressing the wand to the side of your head, like you’re Cyclops preparing to fire an Optic Blast. Getting in and out of your ship involves physically pulling the handles, and escaping from a hairy situation with sentinels or the local wildlife with that lightning quick motion adds an even greater layer of tension. Best of all, the menus are mapped to a little hologram in your hands that activates when you point at it. It’s a simple and intuitive implementation of such an elaborate and persistent mechanic.Still, even with the new perspective and tools at your disposal, it should be said upfront that at its core, No Man’s Sky: Beyond is still, well, No Man’s Sky. Whether you’re in VR or not, many of the early mundanities of the game remain. You have to repair your broken ship, gather a specific resource, create fuel, drop a refiner, and so on. Beyond, however, brings varying kindnesses that welcome you to a new universe instead of prodding you into space with a stick. The UI holds your hand, telling you exactly why you’re collecting these things, what it is you’re trying to do, and exactly how to find what you need. Once you’ve found everything, having an expanded inventory and an absurd amount of space to hold items--each block can hold thousands now--means mining constantly in your travels is worthwhile. There’s always something you can use later, and you have the space to contain it. The game is much more patient and generous with the breadcrumbs that teach you how to play, guiding you into the stratosphere not only painlessly but purposefully.That extends into the rest of the game once the tutorials stop and the training wheels are all the way off. All of the larger narrative pieces from the previous updates feel organically woven into Beyond. Dialogue and instructions from one mission from the Atlas Path may be rewritten or tweaked to reference Artemis or some new action you can take in Beyond. Direct links have been made where the next logical step in your current mission involves learning more alien language instead of just trying to get your next cell to warp to the next galaxy. The missions and their objectives have a synergy now, where lines of dialogue and specific mission objectives weave narrative strands together. It’s a bit of minor housekeeping No Man's Sky has needed for a while now. The overarching subtle tale of both exploration and acceptance in the great unknown remains, but it also has quite a bit more meaning now that it’s not your sole purpose in the universe.When your only task was just to keep hopping from galaxy to galaxy towards the center, there was plenty to see and take in, but you couldn’t really live in the universe because you were so busy trying to survive. The Atlas Path asked some big, existential questions, sure. Artemis helped with that a great deal, giving you an Other to truly work towards understanding and fathoming at least one small mystery of the universe with. But there’s a huge difference between looking at a vast wilderness from a hypothetical distance and trying to figure out the very real challenge of laying down roots there. The latter is a much more fundamental part of Beyond’s gameplay loop. It’s the difference between Next telling you that yes, now you can build bases and here’s how, versus those bases being more of a necessity to sustainably start traversing the universe. The way menus and options are streamlined for you in Beyond make it easier to create, leave, and return to a place of solace and safety, and to depend on a planet, your base, and the resources within. It’s a much stronger experience, and the undercurrent of humanism running throughout the Atlas Path lands much harder as a result. Beyond’s biggest improvements are all in favor of fostering that relationship between players and the universe around them, and that includes its people, playable and non-playable.No Man’s Sky has long had one of the more positive and welcoming online communities in the gaming landscape, and there was always the worry that removing the barriers between players would invite the worst elements of online play into what’s typically a place of zen. This is far from the case.The new Anomaly, summonable to any galaxy at any time, is no longer a sparse, glorified save space, but a bustling 16-player hub of activity, full of greetings, proud ship captains, aliens who look upon you with curious eyes, and players more than happy to bring you to the worlds they call home. Just like the first spoken line of the game, so much of the Anomaly’s layout, from its menus to the way it presents the current state of the area, is about reminding you that you’re never fully alone out there. Beyond has made it so much easier to find allies to either assist in their mission or share what you have from your own inventory. Everything you pick up and mine may have a price, but the game quite often reminds you via the descriptions that those items can also be given to others. Clicking an item while on the Anomaly gives you a list of everyone in range that you might possibly hand it off to. Checking mission boards reminds you there are people who may be looking for the same thing you are, and when it’s the other way around, the request shows up in the lower left. During my time with the update, there were good Samaritans everywhere in the Anomaly, giving out extra rare items to whoever wandered into range.That’s a rather huge and heartening factor, not just because you can now jump in and help strangers shoot things down and collect loot, but because it creates a strong sense of community in what was previously a fairly lonely adventure. The Anomaly feels like the petri dish for No Man’s Sky to develop an actual culture, a place of cooks, pilots, space frontiersmen, and traders looking for the next big score. It feels alive and connected in all the ways the game used to feel isolated and cold. And it does so without overshadowing the fundamental element of peaceful solo exploration if you so desire. That new emphasis on connection is never so obtrusive that it prevents you from performing one simple task or speaking to one specific NPC and leaving, but it also doesn’t feel arduous to connect with another human being the way it did before this update.There's still some legwork involved, though. While joining games and having others join yours is a quick and simple matter (and much less finicky than it was in Next) players can occasionally spawn on drastically different locations on the same planet. That said, searching for stranded partners wound up being a weirdly fun adventure all its own.A much bigger caveat is that for a new player to party up with friends, they still have to get out into space on their own, which makes sense. There's a lot of ways for someone who doesn't know what they're doing to irrevocably screw up a galaxy by accident, or waste a resource, or piss off a planet's Sentinels, or ruin your relationship with a species of animals. The tutorials do important work of not just showing you how to play the game, but respect the game. If you want to give a partner some of your resources, you can. But if an objective given by the game tells you to build something, giving them the exact item the game wants won’t clear that objective. That’s a limitation the game is all the better for keeping in place. Choosing to assist someone can’t be the same as beating the game with or for them. If you’re with someone, you’re there for the experience. That’s not all necessarily new for a multiplayer experience, but it does feel rare when the game is pushing you to connect with other people for what tend to be for more mercenary reasons.For my part, I remained a solitary player, only choosing to put down sparing roots on the most beautiful worlds and never building more than I needed. I’m very much a city boy in real life. In No Man’s Sky, I’m a happy recluse with 40 acres and a species of chubby elephantine space mules I named Horace. I’ve been harvesting eggs and milk from the animals on the strawberry-pink and white world I’ve been calling home for the past year or so. Even as the universe got bigger, I would go to the Anomaly to trade, buy new ships, and hang out with aliens, but home remains solitary. So few of the self-sufficient agrarian aspects of my little home were even possible in previous updates. Beyond has made me feel more empowered to sustain that life, have a place to return to and maintain, and make improving it for the laid-back alien assistants who reside with me much easier to accomplish.The larger technical problems with Beyond come down to problems with VR platforms in general. Despite the visual beauty, my time with the Oculus version was plagued with flaws and odd bugs and glitches. By comparison, the PSVR version caters to performance. Frame rate and gameplay are pristine there, but at the cost of clarity, especially when it comes to the various screen displays in-game. In addition, the PSVR’s old nemesis, the camera drift, rears its ugly head here, and the Recenter VR Camera option in the Pause menu does less to solve it than it should. As of this writing, however, there have been additional patches every few days, and more and more of these bugs vanish with each one.These tiny frustrations utterly dissolve away in flight, however. No Man’s Sky’s most consistently powerful experience of seamless space travel nearly reduced me to tears as the upper atmosphere melted away into the silence and deep wonder of the galaxy. It’s the kind of thing I dreamt of as a kid. As part of an expanding experience and seemingly impossibly ever-larger universe, No Man’s Sky continues to deliver on the promise of being a space traveler--and VR assists in making it a more immersive experience.The drastic improvements made to No Man’s Sky in its Beyond expansion are the new gold standard for how to gracefully cope with a game’s flaws post-release. The game laid the foundation with its release, but it took Beyond to elevate it into something magnificent. Successfully transitioning to VR is a creative victory on its own, but realizing just how full and vibrant and rewarding an experience this game has now become is almost poignant. Beyond represents the courage of convictions, a concept that has not only met the lofty expectations it set forth, but transcended them.Info from Gamespot.com

Erica never lets you feel at ease for long. In one scene, a character teaches Erica how to play a song on the piano--you're encouraged to memorize the cute little melody and try to perform the correct timing. But just when you start playing along, somebody suddenly starts coughing up blood everywhere, it's messy and gross, everyone starts screaming, and the vibe is killed. In Erica you have to treasure those sweet breaks before they're swiftly swiped from your hands and replaced with a solid helping of worry, stress, and a side of confusion.A fully filmed playable thriller in which the titular character is on a mission to help solve a murder case that she has strange family ties to, Erica utilizes some subtle yet effective film-inspired techniques--like match on action and screen wipes triggered by touchpad interactions--to tell its enigmatic tale. To progress each scene, you choose dialogue options and make various adventure game-like actions. The game bounces back and forth in time between Erica's childhood with her father to the mess that is modern-day life, in which she has to move to a strange hospital her late parents helped create for her own safety.Erica, played by real-life actor Holly Earl, is a relatable, if malleable, protagonist. Earl regularly looks like she's bewildered or uncomfortable, exactly how you feel as a viewer in most of the situations. She seems thoughtful and patient, but other than that there isn't too much of a set personality for her. You decide through your in-game choices if she's more passive or aggressive or unhelpful during the case, and because of the high stakes murder circumstances, switching her attitude and approach never feels abrupt nor out of character. Even if you spend most of the game being rude, you can be friendly to someone and it doesn't feel weird. Your reactions, and in turn Erica's, are likely to change frequently during a playthrough every time new information pops up, objectives change, and new, incredibly peculiar characters enter the picture.Somehow, every new character you meet is more suspicious than the last. Everyone talks to you like they just poisoned the food you're eating. There's a sequence in the courtyard where you can choose a girl to hang out with and get to know better, and right after you pick a possible pal to spend the afternoon with, the head of the hospital says, "Just remember that some of the girls here… Uh... They can be quite manipulative," and just walks away. The guy is nowhere to be found after that, and you're left sitting there wondering why would he say that--and before you know it, you're overthinking every interaction because you don't know which person he was insinuating was going to manipulate you. All of the secrets, ulterior motives, and Erica's own faulty memory cause for some very intriguing "Trust nobody, not even yourself" gameplay.Perpetual disorientation is the central feeling of Erica, and it's what keeps you searching for the truth no matter how many crooked obstacles stand in your way. The plot is ever-changing and chaotic; you're attempting to solve a crime by talking to a plethora of weirdos in an unfamiliar, creepy place while having stifling flashbacks of your messed-up childhood. There's so many forces clashing and intense situations going on that you find yourself yearning to make sense of even the smallest mystery just to feel grounded. There was a time where Erica was being gaslit by a character and I ended up shaking my fist and yelling "She's not crazy, you're just lying!" at my TV--but even though that character annoyed me I kept listening to them in case they accidentally dropped a small hint to steer me in the right direction, and they did. Erica is a striking example of a whodunit that's heightened by its enthralling characters, shady occult science, and recollections of previous trauma.From the overall murder case to smaller questions like what kind of hospital you're staying at, there are a number of mysteries weaving together concurrently throughout Erica. It's easy to miss context that's vital to understanding the full picture. You might get an answer to a question that's been burning in your mind for the last half hour, but that answer could be a truth that presents new pathways to choose from or a lie that leads you astray. That mystery management is exciting and makes every experience with the game its own curious, isolated thriller molded by whatever answers and stories you care about at the time.You can use either a DualShock 4 controller or a companion phone app to play Erica; the latter is smooth and seamless for the most part, while the former is bogged down by a clunky implementation of touchpad controls and is the far less preferable option. As you move through the narrative, you alternate between selecting which areas to explore, choosing dialogue options like "contempt" or "desperation," and performing no-stakes everyday actions like cleaning the fog from a mirror or turning on the sink. Potential actions are shown as silhouettes on-screen, and there's also a mock trajectory of where to swipe your hand on your phone if you're using the app. The inputs are all done by small, comfortable hand swipes, not extending to the full horizontal or vertical reach of the screen.Most actions are intuitive, and you feel like you know where to swipe and what you can do before the game even tells you. There's a moment where you and a detective walk up to an empty reception desk that has a bell sitting on it, for example. I lit up when I saw it and I started tapping on the screen a bunch--Erica didn't hesitate to mimic my actions in her world and ding away, so much so that the detective swatted her hand off of it because he got annoyed. The straightforward motions make navigating trouble-free, and being able to quickly deduce what moves you can make adds a connection to the moment-to-moment gameplay. It keeps your focus on the important things, like figuring out what the heck is going on in the story.Choices and quick-time events happen every 30 seconds or so, which may sound overwhelming, but it isn't so in practice. Most of the time, they aren't high pressure actions; they're a chain of a few choices, and those chunks are separated by longer cutscenes every so often. They do eventually get mundane and feel unnecessary, especially if you choose to use the DualShock 4, though. The game is controlled entirely with touch, and while the swipes are supposed to be a convenience for your hands, it's difficult to perform them on the small DualShock touchpad without your fingers slipping off or hitting the joysticks. There were also a few occasions where the companion app was slightly unresponsive, which is something that can have game-changing consequences if it happens at a critical moment. It takes a second to get back into the game's rhythm after there's a blip in the controls. They're small things, but those shortcomings pull you out of what is otherwise a really engrossing experience.In general, the filmic elements are integrated so carefully that it's a genuine and mostly calculated mix of two mediums. Erica is in the middle of game and movie, and a lot of small mechanics add up to show that. For example, the character Erica is an artist, and there's a scene fairly early on where you can flip through the pages of her artbook. Looking through a character's personal items is a common feature in interactive adventure games, but the detail that went into shooting the natural angles of each flip makes it an even more intimate way of gaining insight into who the character is. Outside of the footage itself, all of the trophy pop-ups are paused until you complete the game, which goes a long way to keep you from getting distracted. It's a small, fitting touch for a game that values story so much.Perpetual disorientation is the central feeling of Erica, and it's what keeps you searching for the truth no matter how many crooked obstacles stand in your way.There are also some sneaking situations that are made better by the film aspect. There are always conversations happening behind closed doors, and because you have so many questions that you need answered, sometimes you have to be a weirdo and eavesdrop on people. If you peek out for too long or open the door too fast, they'll see you, stop their conversation, and share an awkward glance with you. Because it's footage of actual peoples' facial expressions, it makes you cringe a little more--and that is one of the most high-tension fail states I can imagine.The whole time, the game marinates you in a constant anxious energy that fuels a curiosity for the dodgy, mysterious world that you're influencing. Some scenes you're just holding a book or a photo and staring at it for details, but since it's paired with an insidious sting it transforms what would be a normal occasion into bitter dread. There are flashbacks, dreams, and abnormal things happening frequently; oftentimes you're forced to decide on the one secret you want to uncover the most and drop the others. Should you pick up the phone that's been ringing in the lobby or check out that weird ghost thing in the hallway? There are some decisions that are straight-up difficult--high-stakes ones where, in the bottom of your heart, you don't know what the right thing to do is, but you know you have to do something. Those times will have you wishing that this game was just a movie, but Erica is more than that.Erica has a strong, fleshed-out narrative full of twists and turns that each bring their own unique piece to the story. Its cryptic tone is carried through the audio, visuals, and writing; it never lets you relax. Sometimes weird controls jolt you out, but there is an abundance of enticing threads to follow, and it's a treat to be able to mold your own adventure out of it. Using a combination of crisp cinematography and FMV-specific game mechanics, Erica never fails to hook you into its haunting, mysterious world.Info from Gamespot.com

The first teaser trailer for Margot Robbie's new DC comic book movie, Birds of Prey, has arrived--though it wasn't intended to be seen just yet. A teaser trailer for the movie, Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), is set to show exclusively in theatres before It Chapter Two and isn't scheduled to be posted online, at least at this point in time.However, it is 2019 and this is the internet, so it has leaked online. You can watch it below, at least until it gets pulled.♦️Ladies and gentlemen, Birds of Prey official US teaser.♦️ pic.twitter.com/7nEXu8sF4z — Haven of Harley♦️ (@KristopherVier2) September 4, 2019The clip begins with red balloons floating on-screen before Harley Quinn jumps in to destroy them with a giant hammer. "I'm so f***ing over clowns," she says in a reference to It Chapter Two. Both Birds of Prey and It Chapter are both produced by Warner Bros.The trailer then cuts to an action sequence showing off more of the characters in Birds of Prey, including Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez). Ewan McGregor plays the villain, Black Mask.Birds of Prey is still a long time away from release; it hits theatres on February 7, 2020. Dead Pigs director Cathy Yan is directing the movie.We got our first look at Birds of Prey back in January, but this is time first time since that we're seeing something new. It will be the first of two DC movies released next year. It'll be followed by Wonder Woman 1984.Info from Gamespot.com