When you're so used to games that ease you in, the confronting nature of Control is immediately compelling. There's plenty of time to get to know characters, study the environment, and gradually pick up new mechanics and skills, but Control's sinister atmosphere is impactful, sending a rush of questions through your head from the moment you press start.Who is Jesse Faden? Why does she seem both lost and found on her first day as director at the Federal Bureau of Control? How can she possibly maintain her composure in the face of the haunting ethereal and material distortions that have overtaken the bureau? You may only have some answers to these questions by the time the credits roll. While being vague or opaque could be viewed as a flaw in other games, obfuscation is part of what makes Control so spellbinding. Impressively, the mysteries grip ever tighter as you navigate the bureau's headquarters in search of answers. Knowledge is power, but it frequently opens doors to possibilities you never knew existed--doors that are better left shut, so far as Jesse and surviving FBC members are concerned.If you've played past works from Remedy Games, you will instantly recognize the studio's footprint. Control's story plays with grim truths and strange themes. Everything is a serious matter, except when it isn't and a dark sense of humor creeps in to offer a momentary respite--which, yes, includes plenty of FMV shorts. The combat system is designed for you to be equal parts agile and destructive, bearing a notable resemblance to the studio's Microsoft-exclusive, Quantum Break. Combat aside, that game felt like a step removed from what Remedy does best. Control feels like Remedy has found its footing again.There is one major aspect that is decidedly new for Remedy: Control is non-linear, built in the vein of a metroidvania and filled with reasons to retrace your steps over time. This approach is largely handled well, though if there's any aspect of Control that feels lacking it's the handling of the map. It's an unreliable tool presented in a top-down fashion that often feels like more trouble than it's worth. Multi-level areas overlap with one another (you can't isolate them, or zoom in for a closer look) and it's practically impossible to track specific locations you have or have not visited. Broad areas can be tracked, sure, but not, say, a single meeting room in the executive branch.This would be a major issue if not for two things: The signage in the world is surprisingly helpful, and ultimately, Control makes wandering the halls of "The Oldest House" a consistent pleasure. If you aren't in awe of the architecture, you're probably getting your kicks from a battle that pops up when you least expected it. Referring to the FBC headquarters as a house is a bit misleading, though you'll grow to understand how in time. In practical terms, it is a massive multi-story facility that screams government, with angular interiors formed in stone and metal, with minimal flourish. It has the outward appearance of an orderly place of process, which, while true, undersells the reality therein, or the lack thereof.The dance between fact and fiction is at the heart of Control's setting and a fascinating narrative that unravels in Jesse's mind through a series of inner monologues and psychic projections. There are exchanges between characters that move certain elements forward, but so much of Control hinges on Jesse's discoveries and her interpretations of their meaning. Even though you're clued into her thoughts, there's an underlying element that Jesse fails to explain because, to her, it's matter-of-fact. Whatever it is has always been a part of her, creating a gap of understanding that you, for the most part, can only hope to fill in with your own inferences. There's a constant desire to know more, yet to also maintain distance from the truth in order to preserve the mystery. It's to Control's credit that it effortlessly facilitates this exchange.If it's otherworldly, if it seems to defy explanation, odds are the FBC is running tests to discover the underlying cause and contain the consequences from the outside world. Deep within the guts of the house lie experiments and studies that dig into paranormal disturbances, the collective subconscious, and alternate dimensions. The FBC posits that entities from beyond our realm have used objects of power--archetypical things that we know and take for granted--as gateways into our world. After years of the FBC gathering these strange objects for study, the house has become an amplified conduit for a force known as The Hiss, which can reshape and move matter. The source of this power, a dimension known as the Astral Plane, has crept into the bureau, and some far-off corridors bear its telltale monochromatic, geometric motif. Occasionally, you will get pulled into this strange world to undergo skill trials, but your visits are always short, which helps preserve the mystique in the long run. Back in the "real" world, lowly agents and high-ranking FBC enforcers have been corrupted en masse. Many float harmlessly in mid-air, chanting strange mantras in boardrooms, hallways, and research facilities. Generally, if there's headroom, there are floaters. The more aggressive of the bunch pop into existence before your eyes as you explore the bureau. They, like Jesse, fight with a mix of guns and telekinetic powers. They are generally fun adversaries, and battles are punctuated by some incredible special effects. Furniture and small props are whipped into a frenzy when you hurl a desk from a cubicle and into a group of enemies. Sparks and colorful plumes of energy fill the air when a nearby explosion cuts through the incandescent trails left behind by the hiss.There are only a few unique enemies or bosses to speak of, but by and large the AI, in conjunction with a great variety of architectural layouts, makes every fight feel engaging. Whether a simple encounter or a complex assault, you have to approach combat with a juggling act in mind, shifting between expending ammunition and psychic energy when one or the other is depleted. You also have to learn how to defend against and recover from harm. The only way to heal in combat is to pick up essence dropped by fallen enemies, which often requires you to throw yourself into the fray while also protecting yourself from further damage.New powers come with story milestones, but weapon forms are crafted from collectible materials. Their stats, and Jesse's, increase with the application of randomized ranked mods dropped by enemies and found in hidden containment chests. You will likely come across hundreds of mods, but because you can only hold and use a limited amount, you will end up dismantling most of them to make space in your inventory. Mods can make a tangible difference, especially once you start to find high-ranking ones, but they can't make up for a lack of skill or understanding of Jesse's tools during the game's greatest tests. Control is a great-looking game in general, from the overall art design to the technical execution, but combat is a notable standout in that regard. While the experience on PC can be tuned to run at a consistently smooth frame rate, the PS4 version (playing on a PS4 Pro with supersampling enabled) can exhibit stuttering when fights are at their most chaotic--no issues were spotted with the Xbox One version. This, thankfully, is an uncommon occurrence, but it definitely clues you in to how taxing the special effects and real-time physics are.With a fair amount of extracurricular exploration, it took me about 15 hours to get to the end of Control's campaign. Though I watched the credits roll, there are still plenty of side quests for me to tackle. Jesse isn't the only sane person in the bureau after all, and the handful of key NPCs that populate each sector have co-workers gone missing or projects left abandoned that might put the bureau at future risk. They not only give you more reason to spend time in Jesse's shoes, but the supporting cast is great across the board, brought to life with excellent voice acting and top-notch character design. They aren't deep characters and your conversations never go very far, but I'm more than willing to help them in their time of need, if only to see what quirky or oddball thing they say when I return.One of my favorite aspects of Control, now that I've got room to breathe, is spending quality time with its collectible texts and videos. I've managed to read most of the in-game materials while pushing through main missions and tackling optional pursuits, but there are so many fascinating threads to pull on that it's easy to imagine new possibilities lying in wait; if only I studied the evidence a little closer, or considered a new angle, maybe the missing pieces of Jesse's story would come into view. These tidbits can be educational, disturbing, and at times wildly entertaining, and they have inspired me to look deeper into topics like Jungian psychology.It's not often that a game invades my thoughts the way Control has. I'm at the point where I want to consume every last thing it has to offer. And if I'm honest, it also makes me want to go back and replay Remedy's past games, too. Sure, it's a faulty metroidvania in some respects, but there are so many exceptional qualities afoot that Control handily deflects any momentary ire. I can't wait to take part in discussions about the game, to see what others have figured out, and to better understand where it all fits into Jesse's story. Info from Gamespot.com

Life Is Strange 2's most compelling moments revolve around the unconditional love between Sean and Daniel Diaz. The road from Seattle to Puerto Lobos has been a long one, but watching the brothers adapt and ultimately thrive together regardless of their circumstances is a satisfying constant within the series so far. Enter Episode 4, where Sean finds himself alone in a hospital bed just a day away from being sent to a juvenile detention facility for something he didn't do. While the central plot stumbles with some overwrought villains and an uninspiring environment to explore, Sean's genuine characterization and relationships with nuanced characters continue to elevate the narrative. His singular drive to find and rescue his brother propels him, and you, forward in the chaotic penultimate episode of Life Is Strange 2.Reality comes crashing down right out the gate in stark contrast to last episode's trundling pace. The ramifications of the brothers' fatal encounter with a Seattle police officer have caught up with them, but the more pressing issue is Daniel's absence. This is as much a problem for Sean as it is for the dynamicity of the plot. With Daniel taking a backseat, his character development takes a hit, and the episode's interactivity suffers from your inability to use his powers. Additionally, there's less general decision-making, and there are only rare occasions where problem-solving is required, which is a shame for the puzzling-inclined.As expected, Episode 4 pulls on the heartstrings just as much as its predecessors. One encounter features Sean facing off against an angry racist landowner, demanding to know why Sean is parked on his property. What transpires is unsettling and heartbreaking. Sean once again has to choose between his safety and his self-respect, and either decision will result in him screaming as he speeds away with tears streaming down his face. It's a heart-wrenching moment, made all the more painful by the consistently stellar voice acting of Gonzalo Martin.This event is followed by one where you must make a choice: trust a truck driver to give you a ride or continue Sean's painful trek on foot. The choice is inevitably informed by Sean's fractured trust in people, which you find yourself sharing as a result of his immensely sympathetic character. Life Is Strange 2 continues its theme of the best and worst of humanity living side by side. The grander implications of racism, politics, and what's to be done about either aren't questions the game attempts to answer (nor should it)--but seeing the impact on someone trapped in a hostile and divided world continues to be an illuminating and empathy-inducing experience.While these plot moments are strong, the central storyline revolves around an evangelical cult that Daniel has become caught up in. The figures who head up the church--a manipulative, science-averse Reverend and her brainwashed muscle--are irritating and two-dimensional. The cult plotpoint feels oddly out of place from the road trip you've been taking so far, and it's over almost as soon as it begins. Aside from serving as the impetus for some great character-building moments for Sean, it feels like a pitstop we didn't need to take, bringing the narrative progress to an unnecessary halt.The episode shines brightest in its well-written interactions between fascinating characters. These explore themes of independence, family, religion, and fear with the deft touch we've come to expect from the series so far. While many lack context, these interactions are delivered beautifully, and what they inform about the central characters is worth the bizarre circumstances that brought them about. One hugely important character drops into the story suddenly and without any kind of foreshadowing, for example. They kick off an important emotional turning point for Sean, but it's borne out of such an absurd situation that the moment doesn't carry as much weight as it would have under more sensible circumstances. The result is a series of truly engrossing conversations without the interlocking threads to weave them seamlessly into an equally engrossing larger narrative.Unlike from the villains, the new characters and their backstories are compelling and authentic. This is also because the impact of choice takes a backseat--there is only one major moment this episode that will change as a result of your decisions in the story so far. This is equally delightful and frustrating. While only be able to make choices within the framework of how Sean would act can be disappointing, it ultimately allows the characters and their personalities to shine more, and that makes for a better story overall. Life Is Strange 2 illustrates how self-interest can trump family values, good people make bad choices, and no matter how you feel about someone, you can't control the person they are doomed or destined to be as a result of their choices. That goes not just for people around Sean, but Sean himself. It's a palpable and universal message that Life Is Strange 2 continues to convincingly deliver on a mechanical and thematic level.The supernatural collides with reality under the guise of radical religion in a way that feels too cliche, but spending more time with Sean and his confidants remains a delight. Whether you're heading into the final episode in much the same place you were at the beginning--or under the chilling implications of a certain late game choice--watching Daniel wrap his arms around Sean in either circumstance exemplifies what makes the series work so well. Your Sean can be kind or standoffish, thieving or righteous, but your actions don't change the love and adoration between the Diaz brothers--and that love is still the heart and soul of Life Is Strange 2.Info from Gamespot.com

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey sure isn't afraid of throwing you into the deep end. My first foray into Panache Digital's survival game began as a young ape alone in a dark forest, the imagined laughs of hyenas and snarls of tigers echoing in the trees in a confusing cacophony. Before I could finish reading the message detailing my very first objective, a warning popped up and demanded I dodge out of the way--of what, I couldn't be sure. Not knowing what to do, I couldn't respond in time, and my ape was left alone, scared, hallucinating, bleeding, and poisoned, my screen a milky display of dark green and shifting shadows. I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do or where I should go. I began to wander and, thankfully, about 30 minutes later I found the rest of my clan.At first, I believed the entire ordeal was simply a poor start. As it turns out, that first journey through the confusion of a dangerous jungle, blindly limping in different directions in hopes of finding someone to help me, is a fairly accurate depiction of what your journey in Ancestors will regularly entail. My time with the game saw me suffer similarly disorienting fates over and over, testing me to figure out what I'd done wrong and then do my best to adapt. Ancestors prides itself on giving you as little information as it can and daring you to rely on your ingenuity and resourcefulness to survive. Though the game fulfills its promise to do the former, it fails to deliver a compelling reason as to why you'd even want to rise up to the challenge of the latter.You play as a member of an ape clan in 10 million BC Africa, and you try to ensure your lineage continues through to two million BC--the time period archaeologists say our ancestors' evolution finally transitioned us from ape-like beings into a new, more human species. To survive that long, you need to manage how much you eat, drink, and sleep while also steering clear of predators and taking care of injuries. As your life continues, and you interact with more aspects of the world, you grow smarter and acquire new skills, which you can then pass on to your descendants. Upon death, you take control of another ape within your clan and continue the process, striving to evolve into a brand-new, more human-like species before your entire clan completely dies out.Every second of real-world time translates into a minute in-game--except during sleep, which speeds this equation up. Your in-game progress produces opportunities for further clan evolution to then jump ahead in time by months, decades, or millennia. If you or one of your clanmates becomes pregnant, for example, giving birth to a baby will cause you to leap forward 15 months. For significantly larger jumps in time, exploring as an adult with a baby on your back will allow you to accrue energy to further improve your neurological network and unlock new abilities, which then allows you to advance a whole generation and move time forward a full 15 years. A jump in generation can be followed by an evolution, which moves you to a new, calculated placement on the timeline that's dependent on which advancements you make. Adapting your metabolism to new plants doesn't give you as huge a boost, for instance, as learning to use rocks as tools. Evolutions push you ahead tens of thousands of years, providing the most efficient way of getting from 10 million BC to two million BC.It's definitely not easy, though, especially since your clan needs to sustain itself throughout those eight million years in a single lineage. Though your clanmates learn what you do in real time, losing an entire clan means you have to restart from a brand-new lineage and relearn everything you've previously discovered. If your clan dies after you've adapted to eating fish, for example, you'll not only need to go through the entire process of reacquainting your diet, but you'll have to teach your new lineage how to make fishing spears all over again. When it's a few minutes of knowledge lost, it's not that big of a deal. But when you're losing hours of progress, it can be quite disheartening.Instead of saving your skills and knowledge between runs, Ancestors records your progress by keeping track of how far you travel. Initially, you can only begin a new lineage on a cliff within a jungle. However, you can discover and unlock other starting points in the jungle, and even reach other biomes, such as a lake-filled swamp and arid savanna. Unlocking these new start points provides welcome variety--as each environment contains its own unique ecosystem of creatures and plants as well as its own set of weather-based challenges--but your primates always begin in the same clueless state. Even if you already know what to do, you'll have to retrace your steps and go through the same motions over again to recreate the same conditions that pushed your ape's neurological network to evolve to where you were in the game before your clan was wiped out--ideally with more of your clan intact this time so you can go further.This gameplay loop can be immensely frustrating, and it's one that gets more drawn-out the more you play. By my fourth lineage, it was taking close to two hours to retrace my steps and redo everything I had already had to relearn a few times already. There's nothing in the game that allows you to recover from a failure and quickly rebuild what's been lost, either, which is demoralizing when your downfall is your own fault and downright frustrating when it's just bad luck. I've lost entire clans because of my own hubris, sure, but I've also lost a clan because, after going through an evolution, the game randomly spawned my clan next to a tiger's den and there were no materials nearby to make weapons. I spent the final 15 minutes of that eight-hour run helplessly watching my entire clan be slowly devoured before needing to start over.I couldn't go back and try a different approach to escaping the massacre of that unfortunate run because there's no manual save feature in Ancestors. The game saves automatically when you discover a new location or go to sleep, with each lineage tied to one save file. You can manually back up your save to your PC, but there's no easy or straightforward in-game solution to help you avoid a punishing death.What small satisfaction the game does provide is consistently ruined by violent predators, though the threat does lessen once you make it far enough into the neurological network's expansive skill and perk tree.Having to redo everything you've already done also keeps you from discovering new things--which is paramount to surviving and one of the few good parts of Ancestors. With practically zero tutorials, Ancestors forces you to be experimental in order to succeed. There's joy to be had in bashing different items together to see what happens and then compiling and testing hypotheses. As much as I was frustrated by needing to redo the entire process of creating the aforementioned fishing spear in repeated playthroughs, I felt genuine accomplishment in figuring it out the first time. Most of Ancestors' puzzles can be solved with logical sense, so the challenge comes in figuring out where to find the materials you think you need. Granted, this being a game, there are occasionally arbitrary hurdles you need to jump through to build certain tools, but you'll typically only find these associated with more advanced, late-game tasks.You don't get to enjoy much of the satisfaction in discovering new things and regularly evolving, though. Predators repeatedly sneak up on you and interrupt your efforts, which typically causes you to drop whatever you were messing with. It's disheartening to want to explore and forge new tools, only to then have to put your odyssey on hold to limp back to your clan and deal with your injuries--and then be attacked again almost immediately upon heading back out. Yes, the jungle is a dangerous place. But when a tiger leaps out of the reeds to aid a crocodile that's trying to eat me, it's a stark reminder of how Ancestors upholds the need to rise to the challenge of survival above the experience of evolution. Historically, it makes sense, as our ape ancestors undoubtedly lived many more years as prey than predator. But in the context of a video game, the constant barrage of spawning enemies gets in the way of the gameplay loop of learning, responding, and evolving--a roadblock that's only chipped away at and eventually toppled once you acquire the skills and tools so that your entire clan can work together and put up an adequate defense against the creatures that hunt you. Much has to be done to get to that point, though, so contending with larger predators--especially the collection of deadly wildcats that stalk and pounce on you at seemingly every quiet moment--feels unfair early on, especially in areas where there are no trees to escape up into. Dealing with their near-constant attacks or the wounds they inflict can make it discouragingly difficult to actually experiment and evolve.The closest you come to feeling safe while playing Ancestors is when you're up in the trees. You spend a lot of time in the branches as a result, but unfortunately there's no easy way to travel between them. You can climb practically anything in Ancestors provided you have the stamina, so scrambling up into a tree is a quick, painless process. However, with no way to easily course correct yourself--and since trees are rarely positioned in a straight line--you typically only get to enjoy a few seconds of fast-paced, energetic movement before you run out of branch, plummet to earth, and possibly break your legs if you were too high up. And that's a shame, because it's actually pretty fun to leap from branch to branch once you've got the swing of things. There just aren't many opportunities to use what you've learned once you've got the mechanics down. Upon leaving the forest, your chances slim down even more, as the follow-up areas are sparse on the first environment's signature large trees.Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey lingers for far too long on its most toilsome aspects. The game does reward initial experimentation, but then asks you to repeat processes over and over again without any means of securing your legacy. It's an absolute grind to reach the closest that Ancestors has to an endgame goal--survive for eight million years--and one costly mistake, whether the game's or your own, can erase everything you've accomplished. What small satisfaction the game does provide is consistently ruined by violent predators, though the threat does lessen once you make it far enough into the neurological network's expansive skill and perk tree. But as it stands, investing in Ancestors' journey demands too much effort for too little reward.Info from Gamespot.com

The Simpsons is one of the longest running and most popular shows in the history of television, and it could get even bigger with a second movie and/or a spin-off. There was one very popular movie, The Simpsons Movie that was released in 2007, but it never got a sequel. Not only that, but The Simpsons has spawned no spin-off series (though creator Matt Groening went on to make the Netflix animated series Disenchantment). That could change in the future, however, as key talent from the show spoke at D23 Expo this weekend about how a second movie or a TV series spin-off haven't been ruled out.According to Variety, executive producer Al Jean told an audience that the producers "have talked about" making a second Simpsons movie or a spin-off in their discussions with new owners Disney. The House of Mouse acquired The Simpsons when it purchased the majority of Fox's entertainment assets."I think Disney would be supportive of anything we wanted to do, maybe a crazy limited series with a side character or a movie that we surprised you with; they've been really creatively supportive and this is going to afford so many new ways to do the show than just the traditional format," another executive producer, Matt Selman, said.Disney's buyout of Fox, which was one of the biggest deals in the history of the entertainment industry at $71 billion, also gives the House of Mouse franchises like Family Guy and Deadpool. In the wake of the buyout, Disney announced layoffs that reportedly impact "thousands" of people.2007's The Simpsons Movie made a gargantuan $527 million against a reported budget of $75 million. One of the reasons why there never was a sequel was because the same team behind the show also made the movie--while still working on the show. It was an enormous challenge that the producers were not pushing too quickly to jump back into.But now, some 12 years later, Simpsons creator Matt Groening says the team is almost back to a place where they might consider making another movie."We're almost recovered. No doubt there will be another Simpsons movie one of these days. Disney wants something for its money," Groening said.A Simpsons short, Maggie Simpson in The Longest Daycare, was released in 2012; it was nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the Academy Awards, but it didn't win.As for a potential Simpsons spin-off TV show, there are no details about what this might look like or what characters it could focus on. Another property that Disney got from the Fox buyout, Family Guy, released a spin-off show called The Cleveland Show. It ran for four seasons from 2009-2013. Info from Gamespot.com

Will Apu be written off The Simpsons? No. At least not anytime soon. That's according to series creator Matt Groening, who said at the D23 Expo this weekend that Apu will stay on the show."Yes. We love Apu. We're proud of Apu," Groening said, as reported by Variety.Much of the debate around The Simpsons and Apu specifically has come from Hari Kondabolu's 2017 documentary, The Problem With Apu. The movie explores Apu as a character and focuses on him as a stereotype. Series producer Al Jean explained previous (via Variety) that he watched this documentary and spoke with The Simpsons writers about it.He said he takes the matter "very seriously." Some people are offended by Apu and others aren't, so that makes it a "difficult choice" to make about the future of Apu on The Simpsons, Jean said. "I don’t want to offend people but we also want to be funny. We don't want to be totally politically correct," he said. "That has never been us. It's given us a lot of thought."Apu voice actor Hank Azaria has said he's willing to step down from voicing him in light of the blowback.Going back to Groening, addressing the Apu situation in 2018, he said, "People love to pretend they're offended." He commented again later, saying people today have an "outrage of the week" and then move on to being upset about something else."I think particularly right now, people feel so aggrieved and crazed and powerless that they're picking the wrong battles," he said.Castlevania showrunner Adi Shankar told IndieWire in 2018 that he heard from multiple sources that The Simpsons would eliminate Apu going forward. However, Al Jean responded on Twitter to say Shankar isn't a spokesperson for the show.Adi Shankar is not a producer on the Simpsons. I wish him the very best but he does not speak for our show. — Al Jean (@AlJean) October 28, 2018The Simpsons Season 30 wrapped up in May this year; Seasons 31 and 32 are currently on the way, bringing the show up to 713 episodes.In other news, The Simpsons producers have said Disney--which now owns the property--has been receptive to having talks about a Simpsons Movie sequel or spin-off series. Info from Gamespot.com

A teaser trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of the Skywalker received buzz this weekend when it was screened at Disney's D23 conference, and now the footage has been released online. Among other intriguing scenes from Episode IX, it shows the series protagonist Rey wielding a red lightsaber and generally looking rather dark side-esque.After a broad overview of the entire series to this point, the last minute or so is devoted to new scenes. In them we glimpse the main cast together along with Carrie Fisher reprising her role posthumously, a massive space battle with several Rebel ships and a swarm of Star Destroyers, and brief glimpse of Naomi Ackie's new character Jannah aboard a ship with Finn.From there the focus shifts to the Force users. Rey slices through trees with her lightsaber, and we see a brief look of Rey's duel with Kylo Ren from the poster released over the weekend. After an ominous voice says "Your journey nears its end," the final shot shows Rey in black robes and wielding a dual-bladed red lightsaber--telltale signs of a Sith. There are a variety of theories to explain Rey's appearance, including the idea that she could be a clone or that it's simply a dream or vision.The D23 festivities also included lots of new details and a first trailer for The Mandalorian, the live-action TV series that will launch with the Disney+ streaming service in November. We also got the long-awaited confirmation of the Obi-Wan TV series. starring Ewan McGregor.Info from Gamespot.com

World of Warcraft has changed a lot over the course of 15 years, and as much as players have enjoyed seeing the world shaken to its core by the Cataclysm or picking sides in the Battle for Azeroth, it's easy to miss the simple joys of its original incarnation. Blizzard is letting you go back in time with World of Warcraft Classic, a re-release of the original game with only minor functionality tweaks. Here's all you need to know to jump back in to a simpler Azeroth, which is now available.Release Date, Server Launch TimeWoW Classic is officially set to launch on August 27 worldwide, but that translates to a slightly earlier August 26 launch in the Americas and parts of Europe to keep aligned with the local launch times in all regions. As noted below, that time has now passed, and the game is officially live around the world.6 PM ET (North America) on August 263 PM PT (North America) on August 2611 PM BST (Europe) on August 268 AM AEST (Australia) on August 27"Server Down" Errors And Long QueuesAs was to be expected, launch was brought with it a huge surge of interest. As such, WoW Classic players are encountering long server queues and, in some cases, errors about servers being down. Blizzard said it was anticipating high demand and possible long wait times for joining up as soon as the servers go live. You may want to consider creating or moving your characters to a low population server if you're eager to jump in and don't want to wait.Specifically in the European region, Blizzard has warned players about an issue right now related to making purchases through Battle.net. As noted below, WoW Classic access is tied to WoW subscriptions, and this issue could see you add game time to your account but not be able to make use of that time right away. This will manifest itself in the form of an error saying "active game time is required to play" WoW Classic. Blizzard says it may take up to 24 hours for your purchased game time to register, so you'll potentially need to be patient before you can get in.What's The Same, What's DifferentWoW Classic aims to be an authentic recreation of the original vanilla World of Warcraft, as of the 1.12 patch. That brings the game up to its state as of August 22, 2006, just before the Burning Crusade expansion.The Classic format promises classic raids like Molten Core and Onyxia, the classic talent structure, and the world as it stood as of that time during the game's lifespan. It sports the original game's combat mechanics, character models, and skill trees. That also means that the game will lack some convenience features like raid finder. The studio even issued a "Not a Bug" list to clarify that some systems being flagged as bugs by players were actually working as intended.However, the game hasn't remained entirely untouched. Blizzard wanted the game to reflect the original WoW, but it did implement some small quality-of-life updates."Anything that would affect gameplay we want to make sure that we deliver something that is authentic," WoW Classic lead engineer Brian Birmingham told GameSpot. "Where we feel like quality-of-life improvements are okay are things like, tabbing to complete a name in in-game mail. That's not a core part of the gameplay experience of leveling, and questing, and trying to explore the world."How Subscriptions WorkIf you're already a subscriber to World of Warcraft, you're already a subscriber to WoW Classic as well. One subscription entitles you to both games. The same goes the other direction, in fact. If you sign up for a WoW subscription for WoW Classic, you'll get entry to standard World of Warcraft as well.How to DownloadWorld of Warcraft Classic is its own client separate from your standard World of Warcraft installation, but it can be tricky to find. It doesn't have its own tab on the Battle.net launcher. Instead, it can be found within the World of Warcraft tab. You'll find WoW Classic in the Version drop-down menu just above the Install button.Info from Gamespot.com

Control is Remedy's latest game, following in the footsteps of supernatural thrillers like Quantum Break. This one puts you in the role of Jesse Faden, in her first day as the director of the Department of Control just as the bureau is invaded by a strange, ethereal threat.Remedy has gained a reputation for its dark tones and cinematic presentations, and Control is no different. But critics appear to agree that Control is an especially good example of what the studio can do. In GameSpot's Control review, Peter Brown says the game is so good it actually makes him want to go back and play past Remedy games.Many other outlets have published their Control reviews as well. We've gathered a smattering of them below to give a view from around the industry. For an even broader look, check out GameSpot's sister site Metacritic.Game: ControlPlatforms: PC, PS4, Xbox OneDeveloper: Remedy EntertainmentRelease date: August 27Price: $60 / £45 / $84 AUDIf you're planning to pick up Control, the game is already on sale at Amazon, where you can get the PS4 version for $50.94 and the Xbox One version for $49.94.Pre-order Control on AmazonGameSpot -- 8/10"It's not often that a game invades my thoughts the way Control has. I'm at the point where I want to consume every last thing it has to offer. And if I'm honest, it also makes me want to go back and replay Remedy's past games, too. Sure, it's a faulty metroidvania in some respects, but there are so many exceptional qualities afoot that Control handily deflects any momentary ire. I can't wait to take part in discussions about the game, to see what others have figured out, and to better understand where it all fits into Jesse's story." -- Peter Brown [Full review]ScreenRant -- 4.5/5"Control is both a departure for Remedy Games and a familiar warm blanket for fans of their previous work. It beautifully combines the developer's trademark pillars – deep storytelling and high-adrenaline gun combat – within a whole new shell of exploration-based gameplay and a whole universe of deeply fascinating lore. There are many stories to be told within the realm of the Federal Bureau of Control; Jesse Faden's adventure in The Oldest House is just one of them." -- Zak Wojnar [Full review]GamesRadar -- 4.5/5"But, make up your own mind, because no matter what you think of the ending, a game like this is a glorious rarity. Don't do yourself a disservice by reading any more into Control. Go in unaware, revel in its madness, and never take a corridor at face value. That's the best way to serve up - and regaining - Control." -- Sam Loveridge [Full review]PC Gamer -- 88/100"Control's thin protagonist and abrupt ending are propped up by an abundance of mystery, wonder, and glorious room-destroying combat." -- James Davenport [Full review]USGamer -- 4/5"Control continues the basic formula that Remedy Entertainment has been playing with for all these years—third-person action with a hint of unreality—but it feels like the studio has reached its final form. ... The dialog is still odd, and the mission structure can be obtuse at times, but Control is great. With the Oldest House and Federal Bureau of Control at its back, Remedy Entertainment has fully realized a place where all its game development quirks finally fit." -- Mike Williams [Full review]Twinfinite -- 3.5/5"If Remedy just let Control get a little bit weirder, and fully leaned into its Metroidvania inspired gameplay, it could have been something really special. Sadly that never happens, but in spite of itself Control still winds up being an enjoyable unique feeling action game that isn’t like anything else on the market right now, and won’t take up a ton of your time." -- Ed McGlone [Full review]The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.Info from Gamespot.com

Normally, New Releases highlights five of the biggest games launching on a given week, but there's just too much on the horizon to limit ourselves this time. We've got new games from respected developers like Patrice Désilets' Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey and Remedy's Control. We've got horror games like Blair Witch and The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan. Nintendo is bringing the Switch-exclusive Astral Chain and a new mobile adventure with Pokemon Masters. On top of all that, the MMO crowd can relive the glory days with World of Warcraft Classic.Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey -- August 27Available on: PCAncestors comes from Patrice Désilets, known for his work on the Assassin's Creed series, and you'll definitely be doing plenty of climbing and leaping since this game puts you in control of an ape clan in Africa. Your goal is eat, drink, sleep, and just survive in a dangerous world full of predators until you evolve. To do this, you'll have to level up, procreate, and pass traits onto new generations of your clan.More Coverage:The First 20 Minutes of Ancestors: The Humankind OdysseyAncestors: The Humankind Odyssey Is An Uncompromising, Relentless Survival ExperienceControl -- August 27Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PCThe latest game from Alan Wake and Quantum Break developer Remedy gets its name from the Federal Bureau of Control, a fictional government agency that handles cases where the laws of physics and conventional science just don't add up. Enter protagonist Jesse Faden, who can fling bad guys and float around using her psychic powers. She's infiltrated the FBC to find her missing brother, and she'll have to shoot her way through a few men in black to find him.More Coverage:PC Specs For Remedy's Control Are Actually Lower Than Epic Originally AdvertisedHow Remedy's Control Will Trust Players To Figure Out Its Unreal StoryWorld of Warcraft Classic -- August 27Available on: PCIf you've been yearning to return to an older version of WoW, Classic is exactly what you've been waiting for. Classic looks and plays the way WoW did during version 1.12 (the Drums of War update), a time before The Burning Crusade even launched. WoW subscribers get access to Classic at no additional cost.More Coverage:World Of Warcraft Classic Release Date Announced, Beta BeginsWoW Classic Will Have Australia And New Zealand ServersPokemon Masters -- August 29Available on: iOS, AndroidIt may be a Pokemon game, but Masters won't ask you to catch 'em all like Sword & Shield. Masters is set on the island region of Pasio, where trainers battle alongside a single Pokemon, and these duos are known as Sync Pairs. You can recruit Sync Pairs to your side and engage in 3v3 battles as you seek to become champion.More Coverage:Pokemon Masters Is Light On Microtransactions, Heavy On BattlingPokemon Masters - Anime Trailer And Gameplay IntroductionAstral Chain -- August 30Available on: SwitchIf you know Platinum Games' portfolio of titles like Bayonetta and Vanquish, then you know what to expect from Astral Chain. Your police offer protagonist is chained to a living weapon known as a Legion, and the two of you can swing around the battlefield to battle monsters in stylish combat. As you might be able to guess from the name, you can even travel to the Astral Plane to discover where the monsters originate.More Coverage:Astral Chain Hands-On: Two Characters Make Combat A Fast-Paced BlastSwitch-Exclusive Astral Chain's Silent Hero Feels Really StrangeBlair Witch -- August 30Available on: Xbox One, PCLayers of Fear developer Bloober Team is revisiting the cult classic movie franchise with this canonical video game entry, featuring the studio's signature psychological horror flavor. You play as a cop looking for a missing boy in the famously haunted Black Hills Forest. At least you have your canine companion Bullet to help sniff out any witches.More Coverage:E3 2019: Blair Witch Game Announced During Xbox Press ConferenceThe Blair Witch Game Is Canon (And You Can Pet The Dog) | E3 2019The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan -- August 30Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PCBlair Witch isn't the only horror game dropping this week. Man of Medan is the first entry in The Dark Pictures, a new anthology series from Until Dawn developer Supermassive Games. Like with Until Dawn, your choices in Man of Medan can completely change the outcome of the story, a tale which involves teens on a ghost ship in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean. You can experience the spooky story in singe-player, pass the controller around for local co-op, or try online multiplayer, where the story actually splits into different characters' perspectives.More Coverage:Man Of Medan Developers Discuss How Until Dawn Led To The New Multiplayer ApproachThe Dark Pictures: Man Of Medan Has Co-Op, Here's A Look At How It WorksAugust is at its end, so the next episode of New Releases will take a look at what the new month is bringing to the table. September has big-name shooters like Gears 5 and Borderlands 3, plus reimagined classics like The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening on Switch.Info from Gamespot.com

This week is packed with notable releases, but for Switch owners, the biggest is Astral Chain, a brand-new exclusive from Bayonetta developer Platinum Games. Directed by Takahisa Taura, the lead designer on Nier: Automata, Astral Chain is a frenetic action game featuring a unique combat system and plenty of Platinum's trademark flair.Astral Chain puts players in the role of a rookie officer tasked with defending the city from Chimeras--monstrous creatures that have begun invading from another dimension. To stop the monsters, you'll team up with various living weapons known as Legions and unleash stylish tandem attacks.Astral Chain arrives on Switch on August 30. Ahead of the game's release, many outlets have begun sharing their Astral Chain reviews. We've rounded up some excerpts below to give you an idea of what critics have to say about Platinum's new title. For a wider look at Astral Chain's critical reception, be sure to visit GameSpot sister site Metacritic.Game: Astral ChainDeveloper: Platinum GamesPlatform: Nintendo SwitchRelease date: August 30Price: $60 USD / £50Pre-order Astral Chain at AmazonGameSpot -- 8/10"Astral Chain's shortcomings don't overshadow what it does best. It's an incredible execution of a fresh take on Platinum Games' foundation, standing among the stylish-action greats. And its own anime-inspired swagger makes fights all the more exhilarating. You'll come to appreciate the calmer moments in between that add variety and offer a second to relax before jumping back into the superb combat. After 40 hours with Astral Chain, I'm still eager to take on the tougher challenges, and I'll be grinning from ear to ear as I hit all the right moves, one after the other, while watching it all unfold." -- Michael Higham [Full review]IGN -- 9/10"Astral Chain is another excellent game from Platinum, and one of the best action games of this generation. Period. Fighting off alien invaders with a Legion robot by your side proves to be even more fun than it looks, which is saying a lot. Even outside of combat, the world and its characters brim with life--other than the main protagonist, that is. Excellent pacing artfully balances tense action with enticing exploration to create a deeply satisfying and charmingly quirky ride." -- Steven Petite [Full review]Eurogamer -- Essential"Astral Chain's action is some of the very finest I've come across, all delivered with a seamless quality that often leaves you breathless. Platinum never loses its lustre, goes the motto that sits proudly in the entry lobby of the studio's Osaka headquarters, though some might have thought the studio has dulled in recent years. Astral Chain is having absolutely none of that, and it shines brighter than anything in the studio's past. It's an absolute dream of a game." -- Martin Robinson [Full review]US Gamer -- 4/5"Astral Chain is the directorial debut of Nier Automata designer Takahisa Taura, and it proves that he's a creator worth paying attention to. Part melodramatic anime, part overly complicated Tamagotchi, it's an eminently playable action role-playing game that delivers the pleasure of good teamwork in a way few single-player games accomplish. Building on action design ideas seeded in Nier, Astral Chain encourages you to bond with your beloved pet cybermonster both on and off the battlefield. Then, it teaches you how to fight as one." -- Julie Muncy [Full review]EGM -- 4/5"Astral Chain is loud, brash, exciting, and, in the end, a warning about the dangers of unquestioned loyalty. Its hyperkinetic action sequences and colorful characters might make the game seem like it isn’t interested in offering more than intricately designed fights and a straightforward genre story, but stick around for its entirety and its cast of 2070s police officers show themselves to be more than just cartoon cut-outs of sci-fi cops." -- Reid McCarter [Full review]The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.Info from Gamespot.com

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne arrives on PS4 and Xbox One next week, but Capcom is giving players another chance to sample the expansion ahead of its launch. The developer has announced it is hosting another Iceborne beta session this weekend, which will include an additional quest to hunt the game's newest Elder Dragon.The Iceborne beta kicks off first on PS4 on August 30 and runs through September 1. The beta will then come to Xbox One on September 2 and run through September 4. You can see the times for each session below. If you're interested in trying it out, you'll be able to preload the beta client beginning August 28.PS4 BetaStart: August 30 at 12:01 AM PTEnd: September 1 at 11:59 PM PTXbox One BetaStart: September 2 at 12:01 AM PTEnd: September 4 at 11:59 PM PTDo you have what it takes to slay the mythical Elder Dragon Velkhana? Take on this frosty challenge in the #Iceborne Beta for PS4 and Xbox One:❄️ PlayStation 4: Aug 30 ~ Sep 1❄️ Xbox One: Sep 2 ~ Sep 5 pic.twitter.com/KUrtZM3aTu — Monster Hunter (@monsterhunter) August 26, 2019 The new beta includes all three monsters that were available to hunt in previous sessions--Great Jagras (beginner), Banbaro (intermediate) and Tigrex (expert)--as well as a new quest to hunt Velkhana, Iceborne's cover monster, for the first time. Additionally, players will be able to try out all 14 different types of weapons in the game as well as some of Iceborne's new tools, such as the Clutch Claw.The first time you complete each quest in the beta, you'll receive a special commendation pack for the full version of Iceborne. These packs include an assortment of consumables that will help you out while exploring Hoarfrost Reach, the new arctic region that serves as the expansion's setting.Monster Hunter World: Iceborne launches on PS4 and Xbox One on September 6, with a PC release set to follow early next year. You'll need to own the base game in order to play the expansion. If you don't have it, you can pick both up in a Monster Hunter World Master Edition bundle for $60. Iceborne introduces a variety of new and returning monsters to the game, including the fan-favorite Glavenus. PS4 owners will also be able to craft another exclusive set of Horizon Zero Dawn armor.Info from Gamespot.com

While it's no secret digital games are increasing in popularity due to their convenience and immediacy, the flip side of that equation is that digital titles are often as expensive, if not more expensive, than physical copies of games these days. But if you strongly prefer to buy games digitally, Target's latest weekly deal will be of interest, as the retailer is offering 20% off digital downloads all week long, including full games (for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PC), add-ons, in-game currencies, and season passes. After purchasing the download, you'll receive a download link via email, according to Target. It's worth mentioning Amazon is price-matching some of these deals as well.Notably, the deal includes a discount on the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Fighters Pass for Nintendo Switch, which is discounted to $20 from $25 (Amazon has it for the same price). That'll get you all five Challenger Packs, which includes five bonus fighters, stages, and music. Three new fighters have already been released--Joker, the Hero from Dragon Quest, and Banjo-Kazooie--and two more will join Smash Ultimate's roster in the coming months.You can also get a 12-month Nintendo Switch Online Family Membership for only $28--it usually sells for $35. We last saw this deal at Target during Prime Day 2019, and it didn't stick around for long. If you have multiple friends or family members interested in Switch Online, getting the family membership will definitely get you the biggest bang for your buck, as you can split the price of the membership and get Switch Online access for up to eight Nintendo account holders. With this deal, that drops the price of a 12-month membership to as low as $3.50 per person. Note that if you already have a family membership, you can stack this on top of your existing subscription to extend it another 12 months, but you can't combine a family membership with an individual membership.Nintendo's beginner-friendly remake of Pokemon Yellow, Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu, is only $36 as part of the sale, down from $60 originally (the Eevee version is $40, for some reason). Cozy farm sim Stardew Valley is $11.60, Minecraft is only $14.40, and Super Mario Party is only $40. You can also grab Monster Hunter World for $42.40 on Xbox One, particularly good deal considering its hefty Iceborne expansion releases September 6, with a beta test coming up next week for Xbox owners.One note: We noticed a few of Target's "sale" prices are actually more expensive than what you'll find in the Nintendo Eshop (Breath of the Wild's expansion pass, Gris, Hyper Light Drifter, etc.), so we recommend double-checking the sale price against the platform's digital store if you buy something not listed below. Also, remember that the physical editions for some of these games may be cheaper elsewhere. See the full offering of deals at Target, and see some of our picks below.Best deals on digital downloads at TargetSwitch:12-month Nintendo Switch Online Family Membership -- $28Dragon Ball FighterZ -- $48Dragon Ball FighterZ: FighterZ Pass -- $31.20The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild -- $48Mario Kart 8 Deluxe -- $48Mario Tennis Aces -- $40Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate -- $48Octopath Traveler -- $48Okami HD -- $16Overcooked 2 -- $32Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee -- $40 | (same price at Amazon)Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu -- $36Rocket League -- $15.43Splatoon 2 -- $48Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion -- $16Stardew Valley -- $11.60 | (same price at Amazon)Super Mario Odyssey -- $48Super Mario Party -- $40 | (same price at Amazon)Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Fighters Pass -- $20 | (same price at Amazon)Xbox One:Assassin's Creed Odyssey -- $48Assassin's Creed Odyssey Season Pass -- $32Battlefield V -- $48Cuphead -- $16The Division 2 -- $48Forza Horizon 4 -- $48Forza Horizon 4 Ultimate Edition -- $80Halo: The Master Chief Collection -- $24Kingdom Hearts 3 -- $48Minecraft -- $14.40Monster Hunter World -- $42.40Resident Evil 2 -- $40Sea of Thieves -- $40Shadow of the Tomb Raider -- $48SoulCalibur VI -- $48SoulCalibur VI: Season Pass -- $24State of Decay 2 -- $24Subnautica -- $24PC:Age of Empires Definitive Edition -- $15Minecraft Windows 10 Starter Collection -- $24XCOM 2 -- $48Info from Gamespot.com

The upcoming standalone Joker movie is set to be a little different from previous DC movies. It's an R-rated movie that has been compared to the gritty crime films of Martin Scorsese, and it's set to hit theaters this October. The second trailer is expected this week, and ahead of that we have a series of short clips from the movie.The clips were posted on Instagram by the official Joker account. They are all extremely short, but provide some footage that wasn't in April's first trailer, including a weird one where Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) climbs into a fridge. There are also some almost subliminal flashes of text that appear on each clip. Reddit user leos-rdt has pieced these together, and they reveal when we will see the new trailer--Wednesday, August 28. Check the first clip out below and the others over at the Joker Instagram page. View this post on InstagramA post shared by Joker Movie (@jokermovie) on Aug 25, 2019 at 9:01am PDT Joker also also stars Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Bill Camp, Shea Whigham, and Marc Maron, and it releases on October 4. In a recent interview, director Todd Phillips revealed that the movie's storyline has no connection to any comic books. "We didn't follow anything from the comic books, which people are gonna be mad about," Phillips, said. "We just wrote our own version of where a guy like Joker might come from. That's what was interesting to me. We're not even doing Joker, but the story of becoming Joker. It's about this man."Joker is the latest of several movies on the way over the next couple of years from DC. It will be followed by Birds of Prey in February 2020, which sees Margot Robbie reprise her Suicide Squad role as Harley Quinn, with Wonder Woman 1984 is set to hit theaters in July next year. Ahead of that, There are also 2021 dates for the standalone Batman movie and James Gunn's Suicide Squad reboot, while Aquaman 2 will be with us in 2022.Info from Gamespot.com

The full trailer for the new season of American Horror Story is here. The ninth season of the popular anthology horror series is titled American Horror Story: 1984 and, as the title suggests, pays homage to scary movies of the 1980s.Unlike the trailer released last month, this one sets out the show's story. That said, anyone who has seen any slasher movies from the '80s could guess it in advance--a group of partying teens head to a summer camp, where they are picked off by an escaped maniac. But in the hands of AHS creator Ryan Murphy, it looks like gloriously campy fun, with amazing '80s fashions, faux film scratch marks, and a hooded killer called Mr Jingles. Check it out below.You’re all gonna die. Watch the OFFICIAL TRAILER for #AHS1984. Premieres 9/18 on @FXNetworks. pic.twitter.com/TzH6e08BuV — AmericanHorrorStory (@AHSFX) August 26, 2019The cast of the new series includes Emma Roberts, Cody Fern, Gus Kenworthy, Billie Lourd, Matthew Morrison, Angelica Ross, DeRon Horton, and Zach Villa. American Horror Story: 1984 premieres on September 18 on FX.While Roberts, Lourd, Fern, and Grossman have all appeared in previous seasons of the show, one series regular who won't feature much--or possibly at all--is Sarah Paulson. As reported by Variety, Paulson won't have "a significant role" in Season 9, and the most we can expect to see her in is a cameo.For more American Horror Story coverage on GameSpot, check out our look at how the previous 8 seasons are connected.Info from Gamespot.com

The Gears of War franchise popularized what shooter fans commonly call Horde mode, in which players work together to take on waves of enemies, and it's iterated on the concept ever since. Gears 5 is bringing even more changes to the mode, building on the refinements of Gears of War 4 and drawing from the ideas and features of a lot of other modern-day shooters.The Coalition showed us a hands-off demo of Gears 5's Horde mode in action at Gamescom and provided a whole lot of new information about it. Leading the changes in Gears 5 is an idea taken from games like Overwatch, Apex Legends, and other hero-based shooters. You won't just pick a class specialization in Gears 5 Horde mode; you'll choose a particular character, and each one has specific strengths and weaknesses based on the role they play on your four-player squad.The class-based distinctions from Gears of War 4 still exist--some characters are good for building fortifications, some are better at laying down fire, and some are best-suited for leaving the base and scrounging up Horde mode's big resource, Power. But instead of just focusing on which character class you want, you'll pick a hero with specific capabilities in Horde, and progress them as you play.Support For SupportMost of the characters seen in Gears 4 are making their return for Horde mode in Gears 5, with a few notable additions. Chief among them is Jack, the invisible helper robot that's been tagging along with Marcus Fenix and his crew throughout the franchise, but is now actually playable. In most of the Gears games, Jack decloaks in combat situations to do stuff like open a door or hack a computer.In Horde mode, he presents the opportunity to have a completely different experience from the beefy crew of human soldiers. Jack is purely a support unit, and given his lack of hands, can't wield a gun. He can zip about the battlefield healing teammates, stunning enemies, and gathering resources to help the rest of the team. When you want to mix it up, Jack's Ultimate ability lets you take control of an enemy, allowing you to snag big beasties and use them to tear into their former comrades.Jack's inclusion highlights Gears 5's focus on broadening the possibilities of Horde mode. From the sound of things, The Coalition is building on the accessibility it introduced last time out, using hero characters to support a number of player roles. It's also heightening the Horde mode skill ceiling for people who really want to get lost in it. Like last time, you'll specialize your role as you play Horde mode: engineers are best at building fortifications, scouts are made for running around gathering resources and mixing up with enemies, tanks draw fire, and snipers put down tough enemies from a place somewhat removed from danger. Each character has their own loadouts and passive perks that help support their roles and your specific playstyle, plus Ultimate abilities you can access after they've charged up that give you major boosts on the battlefield. Those abilities can combo together with your teammates' to give them bonuses, too.Horde Mode CharactersThe Coalition ran down every character that will be in Horde mode at launch, including three DLC characters: Emile-A239 and Kat-B320 from the Halo: Reach character pack, and Sarah Connor from the Terminator: Dark Fate character pack.Kait -- ScoutUltimate: Kait goes invisible, but she can still melee and execute enemies even while they can't see her.Del -- EngineerUltimate: Del calls in two robot units to back him up, which fight enemies until they eventually explode.Jack -- SupportUltimate: Jack's ability allows him to take control of an enemy and use them in battle.Fahz -- OffenseUltimate: Fahz can see enemies, and shoot them, through walls and other obstructions.JD -- OffenseUltimate: JD uses the underslung mortar launcher on his new Lancer GL to do massive area damage.Marcus -- TankUltimate: Marcus uses his status as a living legend to inspire nearby allies to land constant headshots.Emile-A239 -- OffenseUltimate: Borrowing from Halo: Reach, Emile uses a drop shield to soak up damage and protect himself and teammates.Kat-B320 -- EngineerUltimate: Also seen in Halo: Reach, Kat drops a hologram decoy that draws the attention of enemies.Sarah Connor -- TankUltimate: The Coalition drew inspiration from Sarah taking down the T-1000 with a shotgun at the end of Terminator: Judgment Day; she blasts away at enemies with a shotgun, stunning and damaging groups of enemies.Matching Your StyleYou'll further customize characters to your playstyle as you level them up, with tweaks you can make both on and off the battlefield. The returning Skill Cards give you small boosts you can assign to characters at the start of a Horde match, and you'll earn more cards as you play. There are 14 cards available for each character at launch, and as you earn duplicates, you'll be able to rank them up to make them more effective.Apart from leveling up your characters as you play matches, you'll also be able to turn on perks as you play to make yourself stronger in the middle of a Horde run. You do that by spending Power resources. The whole team shares Power that you pick up on the battlefield (or you can move or expand your base to take advantage of new Power Taps that dispense a regular flow), so you'll need to decide between using it to build fortifications or to build up your character. You get four perks on each character and can rank each one up 10 times, making you pretty formidable as you get to the toughest of Horde's levels.As for difficulty, Horde mode lets you tweak quite a bit about just how tough its matches become, but The Coalition is also working to make things more accessible so you can get exactly the experience you want. You can add modifiers to each run to make it more challenging, such as giving enemies more health or making them more deadly, and your rewards become better when you take on tougher challenges. But it's also possible to fire up Horde mode solo thanks to new AI-controlled teammates. They're not nearly as good as their human counterparts--for example, AI buddies don't get Ultimates--but they give you a chance to play when you don't have a full team handy, and they'll replace human teammates if they drop out of a match in the middle.All these changes look to make Horde mode something that's both more accessible and more engaging for players long-term, which makes sense given The Coalition's focus on making the mode into more of a live-service affair. Expect additional characters, maps, and modes to drop in the future, along with battle pass-like seasonal content. Maps, modes, and other content will be free, as will some new characters; other characters and cosmetic items you'll buy through microtransactions. But The Coalition noted that, like in other hero shooters, new characters won't just be new skins--they'll offer full new experiences that should continue to add more variety to Horde as it goes on. Info from Gamespot.com