During the September 2019 Nintendo Direct, the company announced that Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast is coming to Switch this September. Though no longer canon, Jedi Outcast is one of the most beloved games amongst the Star Wars community.First releasing in 2002, Jedi Outcast puts you in the shoes of Kyle Katarn, who finds himself facing off against dark Jedi Desann. Though a first-person shooter, Jedi Outcast does eventually give you the opportunity to play around with a lightsaber and use Force powers. The game was critically acclaimed for both its well-written single-player campaign and popular multiplayer. Unfortunately, only the single-player is being ported to the Switch version. In GameSpot's Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast review, Amer Ajami wrote, "[Jedi Outcast's] strong points--especially its combat--overshadow whatever problems Jedi Outcast may have early on. It's a very slick game that borrows the best elements from past shooters, introduces a number of its own great twists, and then combines these elements to make something that will be highly enjoyable both for those who like shooters and those who simply like Star Wars. And if you happen to like both, then you'll be especially impressed. Jedi Outcast certainly becomes tough later on, but once you learn to master all your force powers and get a good grip on your lightsaber, you'll feel unstoppable--the sight of Katarn effortlessly cutting through, leaping over, and pushing back crowds of enemies is a sight to behold. And once you finish the single-player game, the many multiplayer options will keep you coming back for more."Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast is coming to Nintendo Switch on September 24.Though not announced on the Direct, StarWars.com reports that Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy is coming to Nintendo Switch too. Another beloved Star Wars game, Jedi Academy won't be coming to Switch until early 2020. Another shooter, Jedi Academy sees you take on the role of Kyle's apprentice, Jaden Korr, who's assigned to complete missions across the galaxy for both his master and Luke Skywalker. Nintendo Direct September 2019 News Nintendo Direct Livestream News Recap (September 2019): SNES Games, Overwatch, Smash DLC, More Every Switch Game And DLC Surprise-Released During The Nintendo Direct Overwatch Coming To Nintendo Switch All 20 SNES Games Coming To Nintendo Switch Tomorrow Super Nintendo Games Coming To Switch September 5 Nintendo Direct: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Adds Banjo-Kazooie To Roster Today New Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC Character Revealed, And More Are On The Way Nintendo Direct: Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag And Rogue Come To Switch Nintendo Direct: Divinity Original Sin 2 Is Out On Switch Right Now Pokemon Sword And Shield Have Trainer Customization And Camping Info from Gamespot.com

Nintendo capped off its Direct presentation by announcing a remaster for the critically acclaimed Wii RPG, Xenoblade Chronicles. The upcoming remaster builds upon the original with completely redone graphics across both the game's characters and world.Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition$60Pre-order at Best BuyAside from brief glimpses of a few in-game cutscenes, not much else was shown. But what little was revealed was enough to confirm a definite bump in visuals. Characters and environments both seem to have been given a facelift that's quite a step up in graphical fidelity from the original.Xenoblade Chronicles released on Wii in 2010; though, it took the game quite a while to release in the west, coming out in 2011 and 2012 in Europe and North America respectively. At launch, GameSpot reviewer Ashton Raze scored the game a 9/10, saying in his review: "Xenoblade Chronicles is a remarkable game. It drags the JRPG into the 21st century, modernising many of the genre's traits and nailing a pace that outclasses the majority of its peers...It retains the traditions it wants to and modernises the aspects it needs to. It's not only one of the best JRPGs in years; it's also one of the best RPGs regardless of subgenre. Xenoblade Chronicles is a captivating, magical game which deserves to be hailed as the revolution it is."Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is launching on Nintendo Switch sometime in 2020. Nintendo confirmed that more announcements concerning the game will be unveiled in the coming months. Nintendo Direct September 2019 News Nintendo Direct Livestream News Recap (September 2019): SNES Games, Overwatch, Smash DLC, More Every Switch Game And DLC Surprise-Released During The Nintendo Direct Overwatch Coming To Nintendo Switch All 20 SNES Games Coming To Nintendo Switch Tomorrow Super Nintendo Games Coming To Switch September 5 Nintendo Direct: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Adds Banjo-Kazooie To Roster Today New Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC Character Revealed, And More Are On The Way Nintendo Direct: Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag And Rogue Come To Switch Nintendo Direct: Divinity Original Sin 2 Is Out On Switch Right Now Pokemon Sword And Shield Have Trainer Customization And Camping Info from Gamespot.com

As Nintendo's Direct presentation came to a close, game director Masahiro Sakurai announced a new--and pretty much final--mode for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The Home Run Contest will make its return to the party-fighter in the newest software update, which is available today.Sakurai said Home Run Contest has been "powered up in various ways compared to previous" iterations of the mode, but he didn't clarify what these improvements are. This time, though, Home Run Contest can be played with two players, making the home run even more impressive.In other Super Smash Bros. Ultimate news, the game's third DLC character, Banjo-Kazooie, will be available later today. The fourth DLC character of the game's Fighter Pass, Fatal Fury's Terry Bogard, is slated to join the roster this November. Though the Fighter Pass now has only one unannounced character left, Sakurai confirmed that more DLC characters outside of the Fighter Pass are on the way. Additionally, you can grab a new Spirit Board freebie for the party-fighter if you have an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription, and it comes with a smorgasbord of helpful items for the game's Spirit Board mode. Nintendo Direct September 2019 News Nintendo Direct Livestream News Recap (September 2019): SNES Games, Overwatch, Smash DLC, More Every Switch Game And DLC Surprise-Released During The Nintendo Direct Overwatch Coming To Nintendo Switch All 20 SNES Games Coming To Nintendo Switch Tomorrow Super Nintendo Games Coming To Switch September 5 Nintendo Direct: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Adds Banjo-Kazooie To Roster Today New Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC Character Revealed, And More Are On The Way Nintendo Direct: Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag And Rogue Come To Switch Nintendo Direct: Divinity Original Sin 2 Is Out On Switch Right Now Pokemon Sword And Shield Have Trainer Customization And Camping Info from Gamespot.com

September's Nintendo Direct was a long one. At 40 minutes, the video presentation packed in a lot of news and reveals, including the announcement of Overwatch for Switch, Deadly Premonition 2, SNES games coming to Nintendo Switch Online, and lots more.Plenty of new trailers, too, debuted during the Nintendo Direct. We've collected them all into one place here so you get a quick look at all the big new trailers from the show. We'll keep adding more to this roundup as they become available.Pokemon Sword & ShieldThe new Sword & Shield trailer showed off more of the Galar region, Pokemon Camp, and the Surprise Trade feature for the upcoming Nintendo Switch role-playing game.Overwatch Legendary Edition For SwitchBlizzard's popular team-based shooter Overwatch is headed to Nintendo Switch in October. The Switch version comes with a special "Noire" skin for Widowmaker, as well as three months of Nintendo Switch Online (which you need to play the game). Overwatch comes to Switch on October 15.Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Terry BogardSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate's newest character, Terry Bogard, was announced during the September Nintendo Direct. He comes from SNK's Fatal Fury series. A fighter himself, Terry appears to be a good match for the Smash series. He launches in November through the Fighters Pass.Animal Crossing: New HorizonsNintendo showcased the new Animal Crossing game for Nintendo Switch in a trailer show highlighted some of the things you can do in the new game. New Horizons invites players to enjoy the deserted island life, where they can fish, camp, and manage their gardens. It seems very tranquil. New Horizons launches on March 20, 2020.Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive EditionThe original Xenoblade Chronicles from developer Monolith Soft is being remade with a definitive edition launching in 2020. Check out the brand-new trailer below.For lots more on the September Nintendo Direct, check out all the news stories linked below. Nintendo Direct September 2019 News Nintendo Direct Livestream News Recap (September 2019): SNES Games, Overwatch, Smash DLC, More Every Switch Game And DLC Surprise-Released During The Nintendo Direct Overwatch Coming To Nintendo Switch All 20 SNES Games Coming To Nintendo Switch Tomorrow Super Nintendo Games Coming To Switch September 5 Nintendo Direct: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Adds Banjo-Kazooie To Roster Today New Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC Character Revealed, And More Are On The Way Nintendo Direct: Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag And Rogue Come To Switch Nintendo Direct: Divinity Original Sin 2 Is Out On Switch Right Now Pokemon Sword And Shield Have Trainer Customization And Camping Info from Gamespot.com

It's about time, Sans from Undertale has made it to the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster, sort of. During the latest Nintendo Direct, it was announced that Sans would be available as a Mii fighter. Sans gets his own custom outfit and uses the Gunner moveset. You also get a new arrangement of the iconic song "Megalovania" by Undertale creator himself, Toby Fox.Along with several other Mii fighters (Team Rocket, Zero from Mega Man, and others), Sans will be available for $0.75 USD later today.According to Smash Ultimate director and designer Masahiro Sakurai, Toby Fox visited his house and was able to keep up with him competitively; Sakurai admitted that they split matches with an even 50/50 win-loss ratio, being the best guest he has played.For all the biggest Switch news from today, be sure to catch up with our Nintendo Direct news roundup or read up on all our stories below. Nintendo Direct September 2019 News Nintendo Direct Livestream News Recap (September 2019): SNES Games, Overwatch, Smash DLC, More Every Switch Game And DLC Surprise-Released During The Nintendo Direct Overwatch Coming To Nintendo Switch All 20 SNES Games Coming To Nintendo Switch Tomorrow Super Nintendo Games Coming To Switch September 5 Nintendo Direct: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Adds Banjo-Kazooie To Roster Today New Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC Character Revealed, And More Are On The Way Nintendo Direct: Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag And Rogue Come To Switch Nintendo Direct: Divinity Original Sin 2 Is Out On Switch Right Now Pokemon Sword And Shield Have Trainer Customization And Camping Info from Gamespot.com

Nintendo and Larian Studios announced and surprise-released Divinity: Original Sin 2 on Nintendo Switch today, September 4, and it includes what could be the first instance of a particular feature.The game supports cross-saves between Nintendo Switch and Steam on PC. That is a big deal because it appears to be the first, or among the first Switch games, to allow that. With cross-saves, people can play at home on PC and then pick up where they left off on Switch when they're out and about. Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a very long game, so those who started on PC but didn't finish, and now want to play on Switch, can do so as well keeping their saves.Divinity: Original Sin 2 is out now on Switch, so players can start taking advantage of the cross-save functionality right away. For now, Divinity: Original Sin 2 only supports cross-saves between Switch and PC; there is no cross-save support with PlayStation 4 or Xbox One.All Divinity: Original Sin 2 players are getting a special treat, as Larian Studios is handing out a "Gift Bag" of free DLC on every platform. The new gift bag, which follows a previous release earlier this year, comes with new recipes and items to craft, a new icon on the hotbar that lets you toggle sprint on and off, and an "Animal Empathy" feature that lets you talk to animals without spending talent points to do. Also new in the DLC is a Magic Mirror, located in the Arena of Fort Joy, that lets you respect before moving to a new act of the game. On top of this, Larian is giving everyone an increase to their base maximum action points to 8. Finally, there is now a herb garden in the game that players can use to grow plants.For more on the September Nintendo Direct, check out all the big news in our recap. Nintendo Direct September 2019 News Nintendo Direct Livestream News Recap (September 2019): SNES Games, Overwatch, Smash DLC, More Every Switch Game And DLC Surprise-Released During The Nintendo Direct Overwatch Coming To Nintendo Switch All 20 SNES Games Coming To Nintendo Switch Tomorrow Super Nintendo Games Coming To Switch September 5 Nintendo Direct: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Adds Banjo-Kazooie To Roster Today New Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC Character Revealed, And More Are On The Way Nintendo Direct: Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag And Rogue Come To Switch Nintendo Direct: Divinity Original Sin 2 Is Out On Switch Right Now Pokemon Sword And Shield Have Trainer Customization And Camping Info from Gamespot.com

In a presentation following the September 2019 Nintendo Direct, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai detailed the game's newest fighter: Banjo and Kazooie. The bird-and-bear pair, which are arriving in Ultimate today, bring with them a new stage, 10 music tracks, and a moveset that's been faithfully adapted from the original Banjo games.Sakurai gave a full rundown of Banjo and Kazooie's moves and some strategies associated with them, which you can watch above. Highlights include their Down Special, a grenade egg that Kazooie can fire from behind (inspired by Banjo-Tooie's egg selection); their sprint, which is a direct adaptation of the pair's Talon Trot move, in which Kazooie comes out of the backpack to walk; and their Side Special, a Wonder Wing attack with limited uses per stock. Banjo and Kazooie's Final Smash, the Final Jinjonator, is taken directly from the final boss fight in Banjo-Kazooie.Their new stage is Spiral Mountain as it was in Banjo-Kazooie, complete with honeycomb pieces, the intact entrance to Grunty's Lair, and Banjo's house in the background. The stage rotates around the top of Spiral Mountain, and platforms will appear periodically. You can also spot a number of characters in the stage, including Bottles the mole, Banjo's sister Tooty, the shaman Mumbo Jumbo, Jinjos, and Grunty herself.As for music, Ultimate is getting 10 Banjo-inspired tracks, seven of which are new arrangements. Grant Kirkhope, who composed music for the original Banjo games, contributed to the arrangements. They include a number of tracks from Banjo-Kazooie--Mumbo's Mountain, Gobi's Valley, and Treasure Trove Cove, for example--as well as mini-boss themes from Banjo-Tooie, including Vs. Klungo.Banjo and Kazooie will be available in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate from today. The bear and bird were first announced during Nintendo's E3 2019 presentation. Nintendo Direct September 2019 News Nintendo Direct Livestream News Recap (September 2019): SNES Games, Overwatch, Smash DLC, More Every Switch Game And DLC Surprise-Released During The Nintendo Direct Overwatch Coming To Nintendo Switch All 20 SNES Games Coming To Nintendo Switch Tomorrow Super Nintendo Games Coming To Switch September 5 Nintendo Direct: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Adds Banjo-Kazooie To Roster Today New Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC Character Revealed, And More Are On The Way Nintendo Direct: Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag And Rogue Come To Switch Nintendo Direct: Divinity Original Sin 2 Is Out On Switch Right Now Pokemon Sword And Shield Have Trainer Customization And Camping Info from Gamespot.com

Sledgehammer Games, which made Call of Duty: World War II most recently and is said to be part of a big development shakeup at Activision, has opened an office in Melbourne, Australia.Developer Alayna Cole announced the news during the New Zealand Game Developers Conference. Cole is the first hire at Sledgehammer's Melbourne office, and she is slated to start as a producer this coming Monday. It appears Sledgehammer's office in Melbourne is only just getting started, given Cole is the first hire.Hey heeeeey, look what I was allowed to announce at my #NZGDC19 talk, and now on social media!You’re looking at the first official hire at @SHGames Melbourne! I am so excited to say I will be starting there as a producer on Monday, and helping to grow our studio in my new home. pic.twitter.com/p6e5E6aFma — Alayna Cole @ #NZGDC19 (@AlaynaMCole) September 5, 2019It is unknown what Sledgehammer's Melbourne office will work on. The main studio was founded in 2009 by Dead Space developers Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey, both of whom have since left the company. Sledgehammer, which is owned by Activision, co-developed 2011's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 with Infinity Ward as its first title, before making Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014) and then Call of Duty: WWII (2017).The Call of Duty series was known to be on a three-year, three-studio cycle, but this appears to be changing. According to Kotaku, Activision originally planned for 2020's Call of Duty game to be led by Raven Software with Sledgehammer assigned as a co-developer on a title said to be set during the Cold War. However, Activision reportedly changed plans and decided to put Treyarch on Call of Duty: Black Ops 5, said to release in 2020.According to the report, Raven and Sledgehammer will work on Black Ops 5 as support studios. They will reportedly take what they already made for their own single-player campaigns, and adapt them for Black Ops 5, which is also said to take place during the Cold War.The announcement of Sledgehammer's Australian studio comes just a month before PAX Australia comes to Melbourne in October.Sledgehammer appears to be the first, or among the first, of Activision's Call of Duty studios to open a sister location. It's a win for the Australian game development scene, as Sledgehammer will be looking to hire staff. Earlier this year, Electronic Arts announced massive layoffs for its own Melbourne studio, FireMonkeys.A job posting for Sledgehammer Melbourne that has since expired called for a software engineer to join the team. The job ad states that Sledgehammer Melbourne is a "start up studio." The ad also describes the studio as a "small but mighty team," which suggests it won't staff up to the level of Sledgehammer's main office in California that reportedly counts more than 200 on its staff.The next Call of Duty game is the Modern Warfare reboot from Infinity Ward. It launches on October 25 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Info from Gamespot.com

It: Chapter 2 has big to shoes to fill. The 2017 original It had the highest opening-weekend in history for a horror movie with $189.7 million worldwide over its first three days. The follow-up, which hits theatres Friday (or sooner), is going to surpass that to set a new record for best horror movie opening weekend ever, according to a report.Deadline reports that It Chapter 2 is poised to make more than $200 million worldwide over its opening weekend. The film is expected to make $90 million to $100 million in the US and Canada, with the other $100 million or more coming from international markets.It: Chapter 2 opened in Korea and Indonesia on Wednesday, with releases scheduled for Thursday in Germany, Italy, Russia, Brazil, and Australia. The movie then releases in the US, Canada, UK, Spain, and Mexico on Friday. The only major regions where It Chapter 2 is releasing later are France (September 11) and Japan (November 1).China, which is one of the world's largest movie markets, never got the first It and it's not expected to have the sequel either.Ticket-seller Fandango reported that It Chapter 2 is its highest pre-seller ever, surpassing pre-sales of the first It, as well as Us, Halloween, and The Nun.2017's It ended up making $700 million globally at the box office to become the highest-grossing horror movie ever and the fourth-highest R-rated film in history.GameSpot's It: Chapter 2 review scored the movie a 6/10. "Nothing entirely matches up or makes sense, but it's still fun as hell to watch these characters come together to face down a terrifying clown monster. Even if the logic doesn't work, you'll still desperately want the Losers to come out on top," Meg Downey wrote. Info from Gamespot.com

The new Lord of the Rings TV show from Amazon has cast another one of its leads. According to Variety, actor Will Poulter will play an unspecified lead role on the upcoming fantasy show. This news follows another report from July that claimed Markella Kavenagh was in discussions for a lead role, too.Poulter is known for his roles in The Maze Runner, The Revenant, and most recently in the horror movie Midsommar. He also played one of the lead roles in Netflix's choose-your-own-adventure Black Mirror episode, Bandersnatch. Additionally, Poulter stars in the next episode of Until Dawn developer Supermassive's Dark Pictures anthology series, Little Hope.According to Variety, the role in the Lord of the Rings TV show is a big deal for Poulter, as it was said to be "one of the more coveted jobs in town for young actors."The new Lord of the Rings show's plot is under wraps, but it is known that it will take place during the Second Age, long before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The showrunners are JD Payne and Patrick McKay, who have no TV writing credits to their name but then neither did D.B. Weiss and David Benioff before the start of Game of Thrones.In July, Amazon announced the star-studded behind-the-camera talent for the Lord of the Rings TV show. The writers room for the untitled Lord of the Rings show includes Gennifer Hutchinson (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul), Helen Shang (Hannibal), Justin Dohle (Stranger Things), Bryan Cogman (Game of Thrones), and Stephany Folsom (Toy Story 4).J.A. Bayona, the director of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, is directing episodes one and two of the Lord of the Rings show.Kate Hawley is the costume designer; she previously worked on Edge of Tomorrow and Suicide Squad. Rick Heinrichs, who won an Oscar for Sleepy Hollow and also worked on The Last Jedi, is the production designer; Jason Smith, who worked on The Revenant, Super 8, and The Avengers is the visual effects supervisor. Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey is also working on the new Amazon show, as is Lord of the Rings movie trilogy illustrator and concept artist John Howe.The Amazon show also has numerous producers, including people who have worked on Westworld, Boardwalk Empire, 10 Cloverfield Lane, and The Departed.The show will air on Amazon Prime, though a release date has not been announced.In Lord of the Rings video game news, a new Lord of the Rings title focused on Gollum is in development at Daedalic Entertainment, while a brand-new Lord of the Rings MMO is coming from Amazon--though it is not connected to the TV show.Info from Gamespot.com

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--despite being the series' sixth entry. 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, 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

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

Listings for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and Assassin's Creed Rogue Remastered for the Nintendo Switch have been spotted on Greek retailer The Console Club's website. The bundle has since been removed but was priced at €38.90 and was available for pre-order.Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag and Assassin's Creed Rogue Remastered have been spotted for Nintendo Switchhttps://t.co/3TB5gyOXOk pic.twitter.com/DIyB6Xv0wA — Nibel (@Nibellion) September 3, 2019Earlier this year, Assassin's Creed III Remastered was released on the Switch, and with the series moving to a bi-annual release schedule, it would make sense for Ubisoft to fill up that vacant year by porting the series to other platforms.Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag was originally released in October 2013 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U, before launching alongside the newly released PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Rogue had a more curious launch, arriving a year later at the same time as Assassin's Creed Unity. It only appeared on the previous generation of consoles, with a remastered version eventually making its way to PS4 and Xbox One last year.Black Flag was praised at the time for altering the series' formula with exciting naval battles and a pirate adventure across the Caribbean. "If there was ever any question that Assassin's Creed needed something ambitious to get the series back on track, Black Flag is that game and then some," said GameSpot's review. Rogue wasn't received quite as positively as it opted to tread water instead of moving the series forward in any way. "Instead of a rich, fleshed-out game, Rogue is a short, mildly entertaining adventure that's thin on core content, but thick with information. It's intriguing information though, particularly if you're a series fan, just don't expect the best of adventures while you're taking it all in," GameSpot's review concluded.GameSpot has contacted Ubisoft for confirmation on the bundle's existence.Info from Gamespot.com

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, the massive paid-expansion for the monster-slaying opus, is out in a few days on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Before then, however, Capcom has revealed the first post-launch free DLC monster for the upcoming add-on, and it's a very angry ape.Anyone who played Monster Hunter Freedom 2 will probably be experiencing cold sweats right about now at the prospect of encountering Rajang again. The ape-like beast is incredibly strong and has the ability to emit lightning bolts from its mouth--as if the imposing horns on its head weren't frightening enough already. The reveal trailer above also hints at Rajang's signature Rage Mode, which turns the formidable monster's fur golden, sending it into a destructive furore.Monster Hunter World: Iceborne launches on September 6 for PS4 and Xbox One with a PC version arriving next year. Rajang joins the fray at some point in October.GameSpot has the lowdown on pre-order bonuses for the upcoming expansion, and you can currently pick up the base game for a mere $15 on Xbox One.Info from Gamespot.com

Nintendo has announced a new Nintendo Direct broadcast for this week. The presentation will air tomorrow, September 4, at 3 PM PT / 6 PM ET, and it'll reveal more details on Switch games coming this year.According to the company, this week's Nintendo Direct will feature "roughly 40 minutes of information" focusing on titles on the way to Switch in 2019. Nintendo specifically mentions we'll learn more about Luigi's Mansion 3 and Pokemon Sword and Shield, which are launching in October and November, respectively.Tune in 9/4 at 3pm PT for a #NintendoDirect featuring roughly 40 minutes of information focused on 2019 #NintendoSwitch games, including #PokemonSwordShield and #LuigisMansion 3.https://t.co/d1Xx3bDbhq pic.twitter.com/S8w1HkTg62 — Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) September 3, 2019We'll also presumably hear more about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's next DLC character, Banjo-Kazooie. The bear and bird duo are slated to arrive this fall, so it seems likely we'll learn when they'll be dropping and get a closer look at how they'll play.It has also been some time since we've heard about Town, the new Switch RPG from Pokemon developer Game Freak. The game was announced during last September's Nintendo Direct with a 2019 release window, but we've learned nothing new about it since, so we may get another look at it during tomorrow's broadcast.As usual, Nintendo will stream this week's Direct on its website, Twitch, or YouTube channels. GameSpot will also have the stream up along with full coverage of the presentation, so you can tune in right here and follow all the news as it breaks.Info from Gamespot.com