Celeste's much anticipated free DLC update, Chapter 9: Farewell, finally has a release date. The add-on for the tough as nails platformer launches on September 9 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC (though the Xbox One release might slip to a slightly later date).Creator Matt Thorson initially unveiled the free DLC update back in December, saying the team planned to release a set of "very hard" farewell levels for Celeste in early 2019. Clearly, the update is arriving much later than anticipated, but we'll finally have our hands on it next week.Chapter 9: Farewell is a new story chapter that takes place after the events of the original game. It contains over 100 new levels, bringing Celeste's total up to over 800, and incorporates several new mechanics and items to discover and play with as you reconnect with beloved characters for a final goodbye. There are no B- or C-Sides this time around, but it does feature over 40 minutes of new music from Lena Raine. Now that Chapter 9 is finished, the long-awaited physical release of Celeste will shortly enter production, too.In a blog post announcing Chapter 9's imminent release, Thorson also explained that Matt Makes Games Inc. is no more. "I started Matt Makes Games when I was working solo in my parents' basement, and I never thought I'd be working with such an amazing team on games of this scale," Thorson said. "On TowerFall, my collaborators took a larger role than I anticipated, and on Celeste, it was obvious that calling ourselves Matt Makes Games had become silly." Now, the Celeste team has been renamed Extremely OK Games, complete with an office in Vancouver where all of the team will work together. The newly titled developer is already working on its next game, code-named EXOK1.GameSpot awarded Celeste a 9/10 in our review. "It's a testament to convincing writing and ingenious design that after playing Celeste I felt like I'd been on the same journey as Madeline," Oscar Dayus said. "Her struggle is one made easy to empathize with, her low points painful to watch, and her high notes exhilarating to experience. Her tale is delicately told and beautifully illustrated, confidently coalescing with the satisfying, empowering game it lies within. Not bad for a game about climbing a mountain."Info from Gamespot.com

The 100th season of the NFL kicked off last night (condolences Bears fans), and EA is celebrating with a free trial for Madden NFL 20 that runs throughout this weekend. You can download the free trial right now and play until September 8 to get a taste of the new features and game modes on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.The free trial also coincides with the release of a brand new game mode in Madden 20 called Superstar KO. This wacky new mode streamlines the Madden experience with five-minute games that feature truncated playbooks, cooperative 3-on-3 action, and celebrity coaches like DJ Khaled."Madden NFL 20 is an improved version of the annualized professional football series that excels in some areas and leaves something to be desired in others," Eddie Makuch said in GameSpot's Madden 20 review. "The new QB1 career mode--which includes a barebones NCAA football experience--overall feels like a half-baked idea that doesn't deliver anything meaningful or interesting. When it comes to the on-the-field action, however, the new X-Factor and Superstar abilities shake up the familiar gameplay formula to give seasoned players and newcomers alike a fresh way to scheme plays and orchestrate strategy on both sides of the ball."Info from Gamespot.com

The Legend of Bum-Bo, the long-awaited prequel to indie success The Binding of Isaac, is finally launching on November 12. Edmund McMillen and the team behind Super Meat Boy and The End is Nigh are going in a very different direction with the much-anticipated prequel.While The Binding of Isaac was a top-down roguelike with twin-stick shooting and pixel art, The Legend of Bum-Bo adopts turn-based combat with a match-four-style puzzle system that's set in a grubby papercraft world. You play as the titular Bum-Bo--who was previously a passive item in The Binding of Isaac--and must traverse through procedurally generated dungeons, lining up glyphs from a bag of trash to attack, defend, and cast various spells. You can check out the trailer for yourself below.McMillan first announced the "turn-based puzzle RPG type thingy" back in 2016. It was originally scheduled to arrive in 2017 but has suffered through multiple delays since. Now it looks set to arrive on November 12 for PC and Mac, with iOS and Nintendo Switch versions due some time later.Info from Gamespot.com

This week saw the long-awaited arrival of SNES games on Switch. Those with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription can now play 20 classic SNES game on Nintendo's hybrid console, with more on the way in the future; however, it seems these new additions won't be coming on a monthly basis as we've grown to expect.Since the Nintendo Switch Online service launched last September, Nintendo has added a handful of new NES titles to the console each month; going forward, however, it appears classic games will come more sporadically. In a statement to Business Insider, a Nintendo representative said, "More NES games will be added in the future, but those releases will not adhere to a regular schedule."The same will hold true for SNES titles. "More Super NES games will be added after launch, but those releases will not adhere to a regular schedule," the Nintendo representative said.To date, there are nearly 50 NES games on the Nintendo Switch Online service; most recently, Nintendo added Kung-Fu Heroes and the rare Vice: Project Doom in August. The SNES library, meanwhile, already comes with some of the system's best games, including The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Metroid, and Yoshi's Island. You can see the full current lineup below:Brawl BrothersBreath Of FireDemon's CrestF-ZeroJoe And Mac 2: Lost In The TropicsKirby's Dream CourseKirby's Dream Land 3PilotwingsStar FoxStunt Race FXSuper EDF: Earth Defense ForceSuper Ghouls 'n GhostsSuper Mario KartSuper Mario WorldSuper Mario World 2: Yoshi's IslandSuper MetroidSuper Puyo Puyo 2Super SoccerSuper TennisThe Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The PastAs previously mentioned, the NES and SNES libraries are available exclusively to Nintendo Switch Online members. Individual subscriptions are available for US $4 / £3.49 / AU $6 for one month, US $8 / £7 / AU $12 for three months, and US $20 / £18 / AU $30 for one year; Nintendo also offers an annual Family Membership that costs US $35 / £31.49 / AU $55 and covers up to eight Nintendo Accounts across multiple systems.If you're an NSO subscriber, there's another freebie available for you right now. Nintendo is giving away a second free Spirit Board Challenge Pack for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The pack includes a handful of helpful items for the game's Spirit Board mode.Info from Gamespot.com

Microsoft has recently been striving for more accessibility in games, releasing the Xbox Adaptive Controller last year to give people with disabilities a viable way to play both PC and Xbox games. Gears 5 is the company's biggest game of the year, and marks the first in-house production to really focus on being as approachable and accessible as possible.The Coalition's hard work has certainly paid off. Can I Play That, a site dedicated to reviewing video game accessibility options, has awarded Gears 5 a perfect score for including comprehensive options for deaf players and those that are hard of hearing. "Readers, you are about to see something I don't think we've ever been able to do before in all of our years of Deaf/hoh accessibility reviews," Courtney Craven's review says. "What follows isn't so much a review as it's a series of 'Look at all the things they got so very right.' Because what they got right is everything. There's not a single thing I can say needs improving in terms of Gears 5's Deaf/hoh accessibility."Wow! Extremely proud of this and all the hard work the team did at @CoalitionGears , especially @ottosson to make #Gears5 our most approachable and accessible game to date. Thank you Courtney! https://t.co/DMOx4KvkYx — Rod Fergusson (@GearsViking) September 5, 2019The praise starts with how Gears 5 presents all of these options, with the first screen in the game letting you toggle subtitles and select text size before any gameplay or cutscenes begin. The subtitles themselves are lauded for being incredibly information-inclusive and unique compared to what you typically see in games. Subtitles not only relay spoken dialogue, but also tell you if a character is speaking off-camera (like over a radio), spell out various sound effects, and indicate what the speaker sounds like, including the non-speaking noises they make.The most eye-opening aspect of Gears 5's subtitles, however, is the fact that they let you know when the combat music stops. This is something most of us take for granted, with the soothing silence indicating that all of the enemies in a combat encounter are dead. Can I Play That says this is the first time a video game has indicated this to Deaf/hoh players.There are additional accessibility options that extend to visuals and gameplay, too. There's a damage indicator that makes it clear where you're taking damage from, and readable bullet tracers let you know who's shooting at you. All of the buttons can be remapped, which is particularly useful for those using non-standard controllers, and the chat function in online multiplayer has both text to speech and speech to text options. "Gears 5 is essentially a masterclass in Deaf/hoh accessibility," Can I Play That's review concludes. "Everything we've been harping about games lacking and therefore made more difficult for Deaf/hoh players to play has been implemented and in the six years I’ve been doing these reviews, damn it feels good to feel like, hey, people have been listening."Gears 5 has also received praise from the LGBTQ+ community for its inclusiveness. There are 19 pride banners you can choose to equip in multiplayer. When you've earned a commendation, your banner will be displayed behind your character at the end of the match, meaning you can share your love of robotics and Sea of Thieves, or proudly state your identity with pride flags including bisexual, polysexual, non-binary, and many more. Twitter user @ashiinu first pointed out the colourful new additions.HEY GEARS HAS FUCKING PRIDE FLAGS IN GAME WHAT pic.twitter.com/vRhDSm3Xzy — akii @ sera✨ (@ashiinu) September 5, 2019Gears 5 launches on September 10 for Xbox One and PC, though those with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate can download it today. In the meantime, you can check out GameSpot's review in progress, find out what all of the critics are saying, see what Cliff Bleszinski thinks of the cover, peruse some Gears-inspired jewellery, and discover how you can play it for just $1.Info from Gamespot.com

Catherine: Full Body released on September 3, and you can already find the remastered PS4 game at a slight discount at Amazon. Originally listed at $60, the launch edition of Catherine: Full Body is on sale for $53, and that includes free one-day Prime shipping. Notably, the launch edition comes with a gorgeous metal case, which you can check out below, but it's in limited supply, so hop on this deal fast before it sells out.Catherine: Full Body Launch Edition -- $53 ($60)See at AmazonCatherine: Full Body is an enhanced port of the acclaimed 2011 game Catherine, which originally released on PS3 and Xbox 360, and was developed by Atlus, the team behind Persona. The story revolves around a man named Vincent and his affair with a woman named Catherine, despite the fact that he also has a longtime girlfriend, Katherine. The gameplay is a mix of platforming, puzzle-solving, and social segments where Vincent interacts with various characters at the Stray Sheep bar. The PS4 port introduces a third love interest, Rin, and multiple endings are possible.The remaster received an 8/10 in our Catherine: Full Body review, in which GameSpot's Edmond Tran praised the game's compelling story, challenging yet satisfying puzzle-solving, stylish art style, and more, although he felt the addition of Rin dismantled the game's sense of mystery and disrupted pacing."Eight years later, Catherine: Full Body is a remaster that demonstrates how well the game's distinctive premise and exploration of adult themes still hold up, even if its new additions to the plot don't fit in seamlessly," he wrote. "But Rin's presence still brings an intriguing new edge to Vincent's crisis, and Full Body still tells a fascinating, personal tale. The nightmarish block puzzles are still weirdly intense and satisfying to surmount, and the Stray Sheep is still a wonderful bar to spend your nights in."Info from Gamespot.com

We're counting down the weekends until the launch of Destiny 2's Shadowkeep expansion on October 1. If you're still looking to fill out your collection of Exotic weapons and armor before you go chasing all-new Shadowkeep and Season of the Undying loot, weekend vendor Xur is back to answer your call. He offers just one Year Two Exotic this weekend, and it's one that's a little too late to enjoy fully--but hey, not every Xur weekend can be a winner.Where Is Xur?Xur landed in the EDZ this week, in the Winding Cove area. Transmat into the zone and then head north toward the cliff wall that borders it. Climb up to the crashed Fallen dropship to find Xur hanging out beside it, standing at the cliff overlooking the valley.What Is Xur Selling?Xur's stuff is pretty lackluster this weekend, unfortunately. The weapon he offers players comes just a little too late--it's Lord of Wolves, an Exotic shotgun that was all the rage in the Crucible during the Season of Opulence but has since been nerfed to be less of a necessity. However, whereas there is no difference between each version of an individual Exotic weapon, armor is a different story. Because armor features randomized rolls, you might find that what Xur is selling offers better perks than the version you might already own. At the very least, these perks might better align with your playstyle. Or, if you don't already own these pieces, it's an easy opportunity to fill out your collection. Beyond the items, Xur also has the Five of Swords challenge card (to modify Nightfall difficulty) and an Invitation of the Nine (which provides you with some objectives and leads to a bit of new story content). And if you're a PC or Xbox One player taking advantage of Cross-Save, you can jump on PS4 and potentially get Wavesplitter from the Fated Engram.Xur Item Lineup (September 6-10)Lord of Wolves (Exotic Shotgun) -- 29 Legendary ShardsLion Rampant (Exotic Titan Leg Armor) -- 23 Legendary ShardsGemini Jester (Exotic Hunter Leg Armor) -- 23 Legendary ShardsSunbracers (Exotic Warlock Gauntlet) -- 23 Legendary ShardsLord of WolvesXur's only Year Two offering this week is the Lord of Wolves shotgun, which unfortunately met with a nerf not long ago after it spent a few weeks dominating in the Crucible. The gun's still pretty handy, though: it fires a powerful Solar scatter-shot at close range, and you can hold down the reload button to switch to a burst-fire mode that slams multiple shots in a short amount of time. Lord of Wolves is kind of like a shotgun combined with a fusion rifle, and while its time as part of the Crucible meta is over, it's still pretty fun.Lion RampantTitans who like jumping can grab the Lion Rampant leg armor. It provides you with additional maneuverability while you're in the air, and increases the accuracy of firing from the hip while jumping using Lift.RollsSlot 1: Bomber; Dynamo; Oversized Weapon DexteritySlot 2: Pulse Rifle Scavenger; Scout Rifle ScavengerSunbracersFor Warlocks, Xur offers the Sunbracers gauntlets, which amp up your Solar grenades significantly. The gauntlets make your Solar grenades last longer, while giving you unlimited grenade energy when you make Solar melee kills. Sunbracers are great for following Shaxx's instructions when he screams at you to throw more grenades in Crucible.RollsSlot 1: Scout Rifle Loader; Fastball; Momentum TransferSlot 2: Sniper Rifle Scavenger; Heavy Ammo FinderGemini JesterFinally, Xur brings Gemini Jester leg armor for Hunters. If you're the kind of player who loves the Hunter dodge ability, these pants can be very useful, especially in the Crucible--they disorient enemies who are nearby when you dodge and temporarily disables their radar. Handy when you're running around PvP with shotguns.RollsSlot 1: Outreach; Power Dexterity; Machine Gun DexteritySlot 2: Primary Ammo Finder; Special Ammo FinderInfo from Gamespot.com

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