At D23, a new trailer for Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker was released. While some of it consisted of shots from previous movies, a whole bunch of new footage was revealed in the trailer. Fans seem to have mostly focused on the final few shots of the trailer, though, specifically when Rey--who's new Sith robes and yellow eyes imply she's fallen to the dark side of the Force--ignites a red-bladed lightsaber.Without context, it's difficult to say what this one scene could mean for the story in The Rise of Skywalker. It could just be a vision or a dream but there are other possibilities as well. We have our own theories as to what this final scene in the Rise of Skywalker trailer could be. If you haven't watched the trailer yet, it's embedded below.Rey Is Facing Off Against Her CloneThis theory was first put forth by Star Wars Theory on June 2019, suggesting Rey has a connection to Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II. In the 2010 Star Wars game, protagonist Galen "Starkiller" Marek discovers he's a clone of the original Galen and has been created by Darth Vader in an attempt to craft the perfect Sith apprentice.Though The Force Unleashed series is no longer canon, Disney already has a track record of reusing Star Wars characters and lore under new context--ranging from Grand Admiral Thrawn to Darth Bane. Perhaps Disney is bringing back this clone storyline in The Rise of Skywalker, but changing it from a Galen clone made by Vader into a Rey clone made by Sidious.In the novels and comics, Sidious repeatedly expresses disappointment in Vader being reduced to his cyborg state and thus being unable to tap into certain aspects of the dark side of the Force as a result. This has occasionally caused Sidious to try to find a new apprentice--with the most notable attempt being the ploy to turn Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi.Perhaps one of Sidious' plans for replacing Vader was cloning a Force-sensitive being until he could create the perfect apprentice. Rey could consequently be one of these clones; perhaps she was a defect who was discarded or the true success who was saved by scientists taking pity on her. Either way, being a clone would address Kylo's confession in The Last Jedi that Rey is the daughter of nobodies, as then she'd have been born from a machine, not from anyone of note. If this theory is true, then the dark Rey in the trailer could be another failed clone, the original Rey, or the successful clone who is being controlled or possessed by the lingering spirit of Sidious.Rey Is Undergoing Her Final Jedi Knight TrialThe dark Rey we see in the trailer could just be a vision and thus it could be a part of Rey's trial to become a Jedi Knight. There are five trials every padawan learner must face when becoming a true Jedi Knight.Rey has already completed four of the five trials: Skill, Courage, Flesh, and Insight. The Trial of Skill demands a Jedi display physical prowess, especially with a lightsaber. To pass the Trial of Courage, a Jedi needs to undergo a dangerous mission on their own. Only those who had lived through a torturous experience or lost a body part can surpass the Trial of the Flesh. The Trial of Insight is usually the final one all aspiring Jedi Knights must overcome, a test to prove that a Jedi knows how to problem-solve.The Trial of the Spirit is the most difficult of all the tests, requiring a Jedi to look within themselves and acknowledge their own potential for evil before coming to terms with the fact that there is nothing to be done about destroying that darkness. All that can be done is to resist against it. We see Luke undergo this trial in The Empire Strikes Back in the cave on Dagobah and Kanan in Star Wars Rebels in the Jedi temple on Lothal.Most Jedi can only undergo this trial by visiting a place where the Force converges and it's possible to experience a life-like vision that gives their personal darkness a physical form to fight against. These places where the Force pool together are typically found in locations where major events involving the Force occurred.Though Rey has come to terms with the fact that evil exists in Kylo, she has not come to terms with her own past. Specifically, she hasn't dealt with the opportunity for evil to influence her mind through the desperate need she has to prove she's not a nobody and is in fact a descendant of someone noteworthy. We see Rey and her friends approaching the remains of what looks like the second Death Star in one of the trailers for The Rise of Skywalker--the place where both Darth Vader and Darth Sidious died and created a massive vacuum in the dark side of the Force. That's an ideal location for the Force to converge together, and Rey may be traveling to that location to complete her training and officially become a Jedi Knight.Rey Sees Her FutureIf Rey is doomed to fall to the dark side, then the vision of her consumed in darkness could be a vision of what's to come. Though this theory is doubtful given the story in The Last Jedi, it is still possible. In Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Anakin foresaw that he'd become Darth Vader one day and Ahsoka experienced a vision in which she saw who she could become if she left Anakin's side and stopped being a Jedi. The Force seems to love showing powerful Force users what their future could be even if that destiny ultimately ends up being prophecy.Again, it's unlikely Rey is going to fall to the dark side given her character arc in The Last Jedi. So maybe she's experiencing a vision of what she's destined to become unless she changes something about herself. And unlike Anakin and Ahsoka--both of which eventually caused their visions to become reality--maybe Rey is strong enough to break free of her destined future. Info from Gamespot.com

The hugely anticipated Bill & Ted Face the Music has now finished shooting ahead of its 2020 release. The third movie in the time-travelling comedy series reunites Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter after nearly 30 years, and the end of production was marked by co-creator and writer Ed Solomon.Solomon tweeted footage of the set, as the cast and crew applaud to mark the moment the movie wrapped. He also shared a comparison picture of the cast and crew of the film alongside one taken way back in 1988, when Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure finished shooting. Check them out below:“And that’s a wrap on Bill and Ted.” @Winter @AlexLebovici @BillandTed3 August 24, 2019 pic.twitter.com/ZsB11aqxn6 — Ed Solomon (@ed_solomon) August 25, 2019Then... and now. pic.twitter.com/nVVL5hEmuv — Ed Solomon (@ed_solomon) August 25, 2019Bill & Ted Face the Music releases on August 21, 2020 and is directed by Galaxy Quest's Dean Parisot. The movie features several familiar faces, with William Sadler reprising his Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey role as Death, and Hal Landon Jr. and Amy Stoch playing Ted's dad Chief Logan and his stepmom Missy from both earlier movies. In terms of new characters, Barry star Anthony Carrigan plays the film's main villain, while Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine appear as Bill and Ted's daughters.After years of rumors that Winter and Reeves might return for a third movie, in March, the pair confirmed Bill & Ted Face the Music was finally happening. As for what the plot of the film will be, it was revealed by Solomon in January 2018 that the story finds Bill and Ted in the modern day, as family men that go back in time to revisit their younger selves, using footage from the original film.Info from Gamespot.com

Astral Chain, the stylish new action game from Bayonetta developer Platinum, arrives on Nintendo Switch this Friday, August 30, and if you're interested in picking up a copy, you may want to consider stopping by your local Walmart. Just as it did for Fire Emblem: Three Houses last month, the retailer is offering a nice launch day discount on the Switch exclusive.As spotted by Cheap Ass Gamer, Astral Chain will be available in Walmart stores for $49.94 USD. The game is normally listed for $60 USD, so you'll be able to save about $10 if you pick it up from the retailer--a very nice chunk of cash on a brand-new title.News: Astral Chain (S) continues the trend of First Party Nintendo games being $49.94 via Wal-Mart. Game releases this Friday. pic.twitter.com/igRJgSXrPU — Cheap Ass Gamer (@videogamedeals) August 25, 2019See Astral Chain at WalmartHowever, as was the case with the aforementioned Fire Emblem discount, it appears this offer will only be available in-store; Walmart's Astral Chain page still lists the game as $60. It's possible the in-store deal may eventually be extended to the website as well, but for now, it seems you'll need to visit a physical location if you're hoping to take advantage of the discount. It's also worth keeping an eye on Amazon, in case the online retailer likewise decides to drop the game's price.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. The game puts players in the role of a rookie officer tasked with defending the city from interdimensional monsters known as Chimeras. To stop the beasts, you'll battle alongside various living weapons called Legions and unleash stylish tandem attacks together."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," critic Michael Higham wrote in GameSpot's Astral Chain review. "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."Astral Chain is also one of the titles eligible for Switch's voucher program. While you're no longer able to purchase game vouchers, you can redeem any that you still have on Astral Chain and other select first- and third-party Switch games in the Eshop. You can see the full list of eligible titles on Nintendo's website.Info from Gamespot.com

As the industry moves more toward digital ownership, you can snag deals on good old physical releases. The latest retailer to offer some great discounts is Microsoft itself, which is currently holding a sale on physical copies of Xbox One games.The Xbox game deals feature more than 100 discounts in all, but some are certainly better than others. Some of our top picks include Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice for $42, Rage 2 for $15, and Monster Hunter World for $15. Monster Hunter should get you nicely ready for the upcoming Iceborne expansion, and soon you can check out the beta to see if you're interested. Other discounts are already out of stock, so you may want to grab the deals you're most interested fast.Meanwhile, digital games on Xbox are discounted as well, and this week it's a wide array of EA games that are the subject of deep discounts until Tuesday, August 27. Those include Titanfall 2: Ultimate Edition ($4.50), Unravel and Unravel Two in a bundle for $10, Mass Effect: Andromeda ($9), and Anthem ($20), among others. Plus, several backwards compatible Xbox 360 games are on sale too.See Xbox One game deals on Microsoft StoreBest Xbox One game deals (physical)Dark Souls TrilogyMetro ExodusMonster Hunter WorldMortal Kombat 11Rage 2Sekiro: Shadows Die TwiceSoulcalibur VIWolfenstein 2: The New ColossusInfo from Gamespot.com

Summer is quickly coming to an end, which means Labor Day (September 2) is on the horizon for those in the US and Canada, marking a three-day weekend for many workers. As with Memorial Day, Labor Day is a holiday around which retailers tend to promote a lot of special sales, and we're already seeing some great deals pop up at Ebay. Available now through September 2, Ebay's deals encompass multiple categories, from home and garden to fashion, but there's a decent selection of games and tech at a discount.While the sale is a bit light on worthwhile game discounts, there are a few gems, such as MLB The Show 19 for $34, Spyro Reignited Trilogy for $26, Devil May Cry 5 for $36, and Assassin's Creed Odyssey's Deluxe Edition for just $40. Many of the best deals are on the tech and hardware side of things. If you're in the market for a new gaming monitor, you've got quite a few options to pick from, like this Dell Alienware 34" curved monitor on sale for $780, down from $1,078. There are some solid gaming headsets and controllers on sale as well.Ebay's deals always include free shipping and a Best Price Guarantee, meaning the retailer will beat the price at competitors like Amazon and Best Buy if you see a better deal elsewhere after making a purchase. You can read more about that on Ebay's help page. We'll keep this story updated as we spot other Labor Day deals this week. For now, check out all the best deals we found in Ebay's Labor Day sale below.See all Labor Day deals at EbayBest gaming and tech deals at EbayGames:Days Gone (PS4) -- $36MLB The Show 19 (PS4) -- $34Super Mario Maker 2 (Switch) -- $54.95Spyro Reignited Trilogy (Xbox One) -- $26SoulCalibur VI (Xbox One) -- $19.80Devil May Cry 5 (Xbox One) -- $36Just Cause 4 (Xbox One) -- $24Shadow of the Tomb Raider - Steelbook Edition (Xbox One) -- $36Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled (Xbox One) -- $36Battlefield V - Deluxe Edition (Xbox One) -- $32Assassin's Creed Odyssey - Deluxe Edition (Xbox One) -- $40Trials Rising - Gold Edition (Xbox One) -- $20Dell Alienware 34" LED Backlit LCD Curved Gaming Monitor -- $780 (was $1,078)Gaming hardware and accessories:HP 27" Edge-to-Edge Full HD Gaming Monitor -- $140 ($200)Dell Alienware 34" LED Backlit LCD Curved Gaming Monitor -- $780 ($1,078)LG 27" Full HD Gaming Monitor -- $261 ($550)Acer Predator 35" Curved Widescreen LCD LED Monitor -- $530 ($1,100)SteelSeries Apex 100 Gaming Keyboard (Blue LED Backlit) -- $20 ($50)Astro A20 Wireless Gaming Headset for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Mac -- $61 ($100)Turtle Beach Stealth 700X Wireless Gaming Headset for Xbox One -- $119.95 ($149.95)Xbox One Halo 5 Guardians Wireless Controller -- $63 ($90)Xbox One Phantom White Special Edition Controller -- $48 ($65)Dual Controller Charging Station for Xbox One -- $24 ($40)PS4 DualShock 4 Wireless Controller (Gold) -- $40 ($60)Isabelle Amiibo (Super Smash Bros. Series) -- $30Other tech:Apple iPhone XR 64GB (all colors) -- $709 ($750)Samsung Galaxy Bluetooth Watch 42mm Rose Gold Bundle -- $190 ($339)JBL Link 10 Voice-Activated Portable Bluetooth Speaker -- $79.95 ($150)Bose QuietComfort 35 Series I Wireless Headphones, Factory Renewed -- $200 ($350)Google Home Hub with Google Assistant, Charcoal -- $66.95 ($150)LG 65" 4K HDR Smart TV -- $2,000 ($4,500)Other sales happening this week While not technically designated "Labor Day sales," other retailers are offering some pretty solid deals on games and DLC this week. You can check those out below.PSN's August Savings sale (PS4, PS3, and Vita games)Nintendo Eshop's Capcom publisher sale (Switch games)Microsoft's physical game sale (Xbox One games)Fanatical's Summer Sale (PC games)GameStop's Nintendo Switch trade-in offer: Get the new Switch with better battery life for $75Target's 20% off digital downloads offer (games, DLC, add-ons, season passes, and in-game currencies)Walmart's release day discount on Astral Chain ($10 off the Switch exclusive)Info from Gamespot.com

Following the success of crowdfunded revival projects for Wasteland 2 and Torment: Tides of Numenera, developer InXile Entertainment is prepping another visit to post-apocalyptic America with Wasteland 3. Similar to its predecessor, the upcoming post-apocalyptic tactical-RPG puts you in the role of a leader of a roaming squad of wasteland rangers. You'll explore the ruined wastes of the former United States of America, expanding your party and fighting bandits along the way. But eventually, you'll need to make some drastic choices that will--for better or worse--reshape the state of things in the ruins of North America. During Gamescom 2019, we got the chance to dive into a short section of the game centering around a mission that tasked us to raid a bandit camp.Moving away from the deserts of Nevada and the lush green locales of irradiated California, Wasteland 3 brings the Rangers further east to Colorado. In stark contrast to the previous games, Colorado is a frozen wasteland, making on-foot travel a significant challenge. This time around, the Rangers have a vehicle known as the Kodiak, a heavily armored--and heavily armed--all-terrain tank that can traverse the snow-covered landscape. Wasteland 3 is very much a continuation of what came before. However, the developers spent more time refining the core gameplay and sprucing up the presentation. Gone are the static character portraits and lines of scrolling texts, and in their place are fully voice acted dialog sequences, adding some gravitas to each interaction you have with characters in the post-apocalypse.The Kodiak will help your team cover a lot of ground in the snow-covered landscape of post-apocalyptic Colorado.According to the developers, last year's acquisition from Microsoft created a massive windfall of resources for their project. Speaking with lead level designer Jeremy Kopman, he described what happened when the game's budget had suddenly increased threefold."We spent a lot of time on [the production values], and then having Microsoft acquisition happen gave us more resources for this project," he said. "It gave us the chance to pause and redirect some aspects of the game. With that said, as far as gameplay and mechanics go, we didn't want the extra resources to change the game into something that's not Wasteland. However, this opportunity allowed us to get the game up to a much higher level than before, like having full voice-over and better visuals. It was an opportunity to expand the game that we wouldn't have had otherwise."In the demo, we traversed the snow-covered landscape in our Kodiak in order to reach a bandit compound. To gain entrance, we had to use brute force to get past the guards. Utilizing using our squad's various skills and weapons, which included sniper rifles, heavy machine guns, and explosives. While you'll have plenty of choice in how you choose to engage with foes, such as using stealth or just letting loose with all your weapons, there are some opportunities to skip over fights entirely--either through some smart dialog choices or using your character's skills to open pathways around dangerous areas.Much like the previous game, you'll control a party of unique characters with their skills and loadouts. While you'll often work together as a group to overcome the challenges, there are several opportunities for squad members to stand out and shine. As we ventured further into the compound, we found an alternate path into the following areas of the base. While we could take a different way, leading to several more combats encounters, this secondary path led us to an obstacle course filled with death-traps. Individual members of the party could use their unique lockpicking and beast-taming skills to overcome the bizarre challenges in the bandit obstacle course. Not only did this allow us the chance to learn more about the bandits and their hideout, but it also offered a pathway to the final encounter in the demo, allowing us to get the jump on the fiercest enemies in the base.Your squad of Rangers will have to contend with all sorts of oddities in the wasteland.Compared to its predecessor, Wasteland 3 looks to be a substantial upgrade compared to the previous game. This is especially noticeable during the core combat and dialog scenes. It's still very much in line with the previous game, yet it has an undeniably more modern look. I couldn't help but notice the similarities with other tactical RPGs like XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and I think that's a great thing. While I enjoyed Wasteland 2, I can't deny that it felt somewhat unrefined in its approach, which sought to reinterpret the classic design of the 1990 game. Action and the flow felt more manageable, thanks in part to the more legible UI that made your planned actions and the reactions from enemies much more apparent.Set for a full release sometime in 2020 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, Wasteland 3 is shaping up to be a solid follow-up that maintains the level of choice and agency from its predecessor--while also really seeing the stakes with its increased production quality. For more on Wasteland 3, be sure to check back with GameSpot for more info as it comes.Info from Gamespot.com

Star Wars Battlefront II design director Dennis Brännvall feels that the first-person shooter is in a good place. Having been the subject of a major loot box controversy when it launched in 2017, Battlefront II has slowly been regaining its player base over the past two years thanks to well-received updates and much-needed patches. In 2019, Battlefront II is almost a completely different game--on the multiplayer side anyway--and Brännvall believes players are truly beginning to see it."We hit rock bottom in terms of player sentiment but now it's climbing every month," Brännvall said in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz. "We're delivering more content this year than we did in the first year, which is also a sign of a healthy game. The community's happier than it's ever been, especially with the big announcement yesterday. I think we had to take a step back, the team had to look at itself in the mirror a little bit, pick ourselves up from a really rough Christmas for everyone and then just get back to work."The announcement Brännvall is referring to is the massive series of content updates that are scheduled to hit Battlefront II before the end of 2019. This month, Republic Venator and Separatist Dreadnought warships are being added to Heroes vs. Villains. Changes are also being made to the interior of capital ships in Capital Supremacy--the 40-person game mode that combines land and space battles in the same arena. In both Capital Supremacy and Instant Action, you'll also gain the option to spawn on command posts as well, not just squadmates or respawn points. Droids are also getting new cosmetics appearances to earn and unlock.In terms of larger changes coming later in the year, Battlefront II is getting Republic Commandos as playable characters, a brand-new planet to play on, and a new co-op focused PvE experience that's similar to 2005 Battlefront 2's beloved Galactic Conquest mode. There are a few more things scheduled for 2019 as well and, surprisingly, DICE is looking at more Battlefront II content in 2020 as opposed to moving production towards a new Battlefield."DICE has been on the sequel treadmill for quite a while, and I think the industry is changing rapidly," Brännvall said. "We felt that, and we know that we want to build communities rather than customers. That's been a change in our approach. We want to stick with our games a lot longer, and we want our communities to feel like they're well taken care of.""It makes no sense to constantly try to stop them playing the game they like and make them play the new game they also should like just because we don't want to work on the old game anymore. It's not good for the community, and in this age, if it's not good for the community it's probably not going to be good for business either. That's why we're sticking with it."Battlefront II's redemption is one of the most well-earned comebacks in the game industry in the past few years. Though the single-player story campaign still isn't very good, the multiplayer has seen huge updates that have drastically changed the game for the better. All of Battlefront II's updates have also been free and on a near-constant monthly basis as opposed to the costly quarterly updates seen in the first DICE Battlefront. In respect to the community, DICE has structured many of these updates around the most beloved aspects of the recent Star Wars lore, such as The Clone Wars, and fan-favorite games like Republic Commando. As someone who dropped Battlefront II within a month of its release, the past year of content drops has completely changed my opinion on the shooter. If you haven't played Battlefront II in a while, you should reconsider trying it again."Not a week goes by without us thinking, 'Imagine if we hadn't launched with loot boxes the way we did,'" Brännvall said. "We would have been a different place, that's for sure, because we truly believe the game is a worthy sequel to Battlefront 1 and lives up to the legacy of the Battlefront franchise."Battlefront II is available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. The game comes included in an EA Access/EA Play subscription on Xbox One/PC.Info from Gamespot.com

Overwatch may be coming to Nintendo Switch. There's been no confirmation, but a leak via Amazon could suggest an announcement of a Switch port might be coming soon.Reset Era user Lady Bow discovered an Amazon listing for an Overwatch-themed Switch protection case. The listing has since been pulled, so we've reached out to the supposed creators of the case, PowerA, and Overwatch developer Blizzard, to determine its authenticity.Overwatch-themed Nintendo Switch case (PowerA) listed on Amazon https://t.co/5pceXbSUrZ"Officially Licensed by Nintendo and blizzard entertainment" pic.twitter.com/yfK0YzmLuN — Wario64 (@Wario64) August 26, 2019Alone, this might be very little. But in an interview with GameSpot last year, Blizzard senior producer Pete Stilwell said that the studio used the process of porting Diablo III to Switch as an opportunity to familiarize itself with the capabilities of Nintendo's current hardware. At the time, Stilwell was adamant that Blizzard came away from the experience deciding to only work on a Switch port for Diablo III. However, he did go on to say that a Switch port for Overwatch is "feasible," unlike StarCraft II.An Overwatch-themed Switch case might be made without a port--especially since Amazon has a history of leaking products by listing tie-ins early--but it's also totally possible. The leak could also just be fake, so take our speculation with a grain of salt. However, these clues do seem to at least suggest it's possible Blizzard might be getting ready to announce a new Overwatch Switch port at BlizzCon 2019. The next most opportune venue for a big announcement such as this would be BlizzCon 2019, which is scheduled to begin on November 1. That's just close enough that Blizzard may have already reached out to third-party vendors like PowerA to begin production on a Switch case to go with the new port.Or maybe Nintendo will just announce that Tracer is coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Who knows?Overwatch is available on Xbox One, PS4, and PC. In GameSpot's Overwatch review, Mike Mahardy wrote, "Overwatch encourages a more tangible sort of progression: that of filling a critical role on your team and understanding its intricacies the more you play, adapt, and grow. There is a genuine learning process here. There is real value to the time you spend understanding these overlapping systems. It's that intoxicating path of discovery that makes Overwatch so varied, so rewarding, and ultimately another seminal release from developer Blizzard. Overwatch is an intelligent cascade of disparate ideas, supporting one another, pouring into one another, and coiling around themselves as they flow into the brilliant shooter underneath."Info from Gamespot.com

We're certainly not short on new game releases this week, and the reviews for many of these games are already beginning to roll on in. One, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, is seeing a bit of an indecisive divide, with some outlets praising the survival game while others haven't been as positive.In Ancestors, you take control of a clan of apes in 10 million BC Africa and you must try and survive long enough for your lineage to endure until 2 million BC. You do this by eating, drinking, sleeping, reproducing, making mistakes, experimenting, and learning long enough until you can evolve and pass what you've acquired onto the next generation. The process is slow and dangerous, with both physical ailments and hungry predators repeatedly getting in your way.Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey launches for PC via the Epic Games Store on August 26. The game is also scheduled to release for Xbox One and PS4 in December. Below, we've compiled a list of some of the reviews that have already gone live for Ancestors, including our own. For a wider look at Ancestors' critical reception, visit GameSpot's sister site Metacritic.Game: Ancestors: The Humankind OdysseyDeveloper: Panache Digital GamesPlatform: PC, Xbox One, PS4Release Date: August 27 (December on consoles)Price: $40 USDGameSpot -- 4/10"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." -- Jordan Ramée [Full review]PC Gamer -- 5.8/10"Alas, the lineage of the Chunky Monkeys were wiped out about million years later after losing a few fights and running out of fertile females, and my next two clans didn't fare much better. Starting Ancestors over again from the beginning is a major drag, having to re-discover every leaf and plant I've already long since grown tired of gathering, sniffing, and tasting—not to mention repeating all those endless, ulterior backrubs. I haven't completed Ancestors yet, but I've definitely had enough of it." -- Christopher Livingston [Full review]Rock, Paper, Shotgun -- No Score"I wrote most of this review, then felt maybe I was being too harsh. So I took a break and went back. I wanted to enjoy it. This time I'd play slower, explore a bit, find new foods, new tools and places. For a while I did that, and thought: maybe this is just a game that rewards people with more patience. But it was not long before I was being devoured by a forest lion because of the crap dodge mechanic. That ape was the last primateperson of my lineage, and although I could continue by going back to the main menu and trying again from a checkpoint, I decided to let the future human race die out. In many ways, it was a relief to be so thoroughly digested. Thank you, big cat. You can keep this jungle, I don’t want it." -- Brendan Caldwell [Full review]Polygon -- No Score"Trying to break down Ancestors' many systems would be a mighty task for a review, and to be honest, I don't understand enough of them to try, even with about 10 hours' worth of play under my belt. The strongest motivation I found to try new things was boredom — and I mean that in a flattering way. I could stay near my clan, and eat and drink and sleep as a contented hominid for as long as I’d like, but why would you play any kind of game if you didn’t want to go on an adventure?" -- Ben Kuchera [Full review]VG247 -- No Score"Ancestors feels wilfully stubborn. Even after developing my memory neurons, form recognition and sense of smell, my avatar was still forgetting what a dead branch looked like every 50 feet, or the sound of a hissing snake. It doesn’t really feel like it’s about evolution at all, as each generation only remembers the skills you’ve reinforced and will forget the rest, which means you need to repeat the same actions for millions of in-game years. There is a direction of sorts – expand and evolve – but the lack of colour, repetitive noises and actions all blend into one. It’s initially interesting, but its bundle of ideas and systems stumble between clever and stupid, intuitive and clunky. Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey needs more time to evolve." -- Lauren Aitken [Full review]IGN -- 7/10"Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey's greatest challenge is working out – or simply Googling – how its basic survival, crafting, and combat mechanics work. Once you understand them they become mostly trivial, and the main appeal becomes appreciating the exploration of the huge and lush prehistoric African map. Evolving your tribe’s abilities feels artificially drawn out, but it’s hard not to develop a soft spot for these disposable apes because of their authentic animations." -- Dan Stapleton [Full review]Info from Gamespot.com

Marvel Studios took to Disney's D23 Expo to give fans a first look at several new costumes for Natasha Romanoff in her upcoming solo movie, Black Widow, as well as our first sneak at two new MCU characters in costume for the first time. A poster handed out on the show floor featured both Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova and David Harbour's Red Guardian, suited up for the very first time.BLACK WIDOW!!! Official D23 poster I had the honor of painting. She’s very near & dear to me since it’s the gazillionth time I’ve concept designed/painted her. What a cast & crew! #BlackWidow @MarvelStudios #ScarlettJohansson @Florence_Pugh @DavidKHarbour #RachelWeisz @DisneyD23 pic.twitter.com/fxMOI4fJ5R — Andy Park (@andyparkart) August 25, 2019We've covered where Yelena fits into the Black Widow pantheon, so that leaves Red Guardian. Who, exactly, is he? Why does he matter in Natasha's story and, more importantly, what will his introduction mean for the MCU?The answer to these questions are, unsurprisingly, pretty complicated, given Natasha's strange comic book past as well as her current position within the MCU, and how both of those things play into real-world history. Let's break it down.Meet Alexei ShoskatovOriginally introduced back in the early 1960s, the second Red Guardian, known in his civilian life as Alexei Shoskatov was, unsurprisingly, a pretty stereotypical product of the Cold War era in superhero comics. Marvel, specifically, was heavily reliant on current events to bring a sense of realism to their stories, so themes that revolved around a cartoonishly overblown Russian threat to the American Way were more than just commonplace, they were Marvel staples--especially where Natasha, the Avengers own Russian femme fatale, was concerned.But naturally, comics needed more than just spy-vs-spy style action, especially when superheroes were involved, so these topical stories were often peppered with healthy servings of soapy melodrama. Alexei's first appearance features a real bombshell: He's actually Natasha's long lost husband! Gasp!Of course, it's important to remember that in the 1960s, virtually everything about Natasha, from her origin story to her character design, would be basically unrecognizable to modern fans. This was before the concept of the Red Room had been introduced and the idea that Natasha was anything more than a somewhat duplicitous Russian spy who worked for SHIELD and that the mantle of Black Widow was anything more than an arbitrary code name was still a long, long ways off.Using what little backstory Nat had in those early days as a very loose framework, it was explained that Alexei was a famous Soviet World War II hero who had married Nat during her very successful ballet career in the USSR. However, not long after their marriage, and as the Cold War began to roll in earnest, the KGB decided that Alexei's skills as a soldier were too useful to waste. He was sent out on a mission where he was forced to fake his own death and sever all contact with his private life so that he could dedicate himself to becoming a symbol of Soviet power and prosperity as Red Guardian, similar to the way Captain America functioned as a symbol for the USA.Naturally, Natasha was predictably distraught to hear that her husband had "died," and in this early version of her origin, her mourning actually inspired her to join the KGB as well, to train as a spy--which is how she became Black Widow. You know, like you do.All told, Alexei's early days in Marvel lasted a scant two issues before he was defeated by Captain America and "died" under a heap of molten lava. In the years following his death, he became a sort of staple of Natasha's ever-shifting backstory as she mourned for her late husband. Despite the fact that he went out a villain, she still believed him to be a good person at the core.He came back a few times--both as a faux-zombie (don't ask) and as a life-model decoy robot, or LMD, before being officially resurrected in the early 2000s. By then, however, Natasha's origin story and circumstances had drastically changed into something we'd consider more familiar, so the story of a fake-dead KGB brainwashed husband didn't quite land the way it did back in the 1960s.With the emotional stakes of his story significantly downgraded, Alexei was largely downgraded to C or D list villain after that, taking on the mantle of Ronin for a time and working as an ultimately forgettable villain for Natasha to fight every now and again. The fact that he's still, technically and despite all the origin story changes, Natasha's ex-husband rarely comes up.So, he's a super soldier?It's tempting, given the Captain America comparisons, to assume that Alexei had his own knock-off version of the super soldier serum we associate with Steve Rogers--but that's actually not the case. Alexei's origin took place in an era of Marvel before Steve Rogers was given the backstory we now consider ubiquitous with him--back in the 60s, Steve was just a regular guy who got very strong the regular way. That was the case with Alexei as well--no powers, no healing factor, no abilities outside what the Marvel Universe considered "standard" for human superheroes.What Alexei did have, however, was his own answer to Cap's shield. Sort of. He wore a circular, magnetized belt buckle that he could throw and have return to him.No, really. That was his main weapon.Alexei never actually got the origin story overhaul that Steve did--he had long since faded into relative obscurity by the time the idea of the serum had really crystalized into Steve's history--so even in his more modern appearances, he remains just a very fit but ultimately totally normal guy.Other characters to take on the Red Guardian name in Alexei's wake got less ridiculous weapons, including their own full-size Captain America style shields (usually solid red with a white star) and powers that were more in line with Steve's modern incarnation. How will this work in the MCU?That's the real question. It's difficult, given just how much the MCU has modified or otherwise updated Natasha's story, to see just how a relic of her oldest comic book past will fit into the puzzle. It's unlikely that their marriage will cross over, given the way MCU Natasha has canonically been trained in the Red Room since birth--though her time between the Red Room and joining SHIELD remains mysterious, so maybe there was time for a brief affair in there somewhere.Also, given how the timeline of events works in the MCU, and the fact that Alexei has never been known to be frozen, cryogenically or otherwise, it seems very likely that the World War II components of his past are going to be modified. David Harbour is 44-years-old, so it would be tricky to justify him as a vet of any Cold War-era conflicts, much less a hero of the USSR. However, there's plenty of cryo-tech laying around the MCU--just ask Bucky Barnes--so maybe he'll be getting a major update to his backstory that way, rather than a proper modernization.In fact, given how the MCU incarnation of Steve Rogers features the super serum so prevalently, and how organizations like Hydra were definitely trying to duplicate it during the 1940s, it's totally possible the live-action version of Alexei could be more of a Captain America clone than ever before, borrowing more from the other Red Guardians in Marvel history rather than Alexei himself. That could certainly make things interesting. Info from Gamespot.com

World of Warcraft's much-anticipated "Classic" edition has finally arrived. The release wasn't without problems, however, as Blizzard has now disclosed a long list of "known issues" for launch.In a blog post, Blizzard said it hopes to fix these problems in due course, but the company also acknowledged that it can't say when or even if any individual bug will be addressed. The known issues span a number of different aspects of WoW Classic, including art, animation, and sound; combat; creatures and NPCs; UI; and spells, buffs, and talents.You can see a list of all the known issues below; they're accurate as of August 26. Additionally, Blizzard said the list is not comprehensive, but instead it is a "sampling" of some of the issues it anticipates players may experience "with some regularity."Importantly, this list of known issues for WoW Classic is separate from another list of "not bugs," which are things that might look like bugs but are actually accurate to the Classic experience.WoW Classic, as its name suggests, is a re-release of the original genre-defining MMO from 2004 with some functionality changes. It's free for existing subscribers of WoW. For more, check out GameSpot's rundown of everything you need to know about WoW Classic.Launch is just the beginning for WoW Classic, as Blizzard plans to release new features and activities including the raid Blackwing Lair, the PvP battleground Warsong Gulch, and server-wide events like the Scourge Invasion, among other things.WoW Classic Known Issues (as of August 26)Art, Animation, and SoundThe Warlock’s Imp pet is using an incorrect spell casting animationSome belts are displaying extra textures on non-belt areas of the bodyThere are multiple display issues with the Egan’s Blaster quest itemThe quiver model is not displaying on the Hunter’s back if you have an ammo pouch in your bagsThe player character’s upper torso/head is locked forward while strafing left and right with something targetedPlayers can become stuck in a ready animation when activating Shoot or Auto Shot more than once in rapid successionCharacters will rotate their lower body too responsively while in the combat ready stanceFood and drink objects do not fade correctly when a stealthed character is eating or drinkingCasting Shoot immediately after casting another spell can cause the wand animation to become delayedNoggenfogger Elixir does not retain the skeleton model on a shapeshifted DruidA Hunter’s Auto-Shot does not animate, display a missile, or play a sound when it fires immediately after Aimed Shot or Multi-ShotSeveral spell visuals for Hunter, Warlock, and Paladin abilities will incorrectly continue to loop after the initial spell cast or impactA Hunter’s Freezing Trap is missing a ring visual above the trapThe Warrior skill Recklessness has a persistent visual throughout its duration, which did not occur in Original WoWSeveral player spells and abilities can occasionally play additional overlapping sound effects when usedSheathing and unsheathing weapons does not play a sound.CombatHunter Pets may occasionally get stuck on Follow if the command is issued during Feign DeathExtra attacks stored by Reckoning do not expire when the player mountsA Hunter’s Multi-Shot ability can chain more than 10 yards from the primary targetA Warlock’s Drain Soul spell does not appropriately deal damage when the channel time is shortened via spell pushbackCreatures and NPCsLoot sparkles do not scale up with creature sizeCreatures that are affected by a Rogue’s Distract ability do not turn quickly enoughCreatures that are affected by a Rogue’s Gouge ability will occasionally turn to face a different directionBattle Companions such as the Battle Chicken may occasionally become frozen after combat and fail to follow the playerGordo may occasionally wander through the side of a bridge and get stuck inside of a tree in Tirisfal GladesThe dragon Gyth has multiple animation issues during the Rend Blackhand encounter in Blackrock SpireTaking a flight path from Nethergarde Keep to Morgan’s Vigil will cause the taxi to clip through a building shortly after taking offEngine and User InterfaceWhen within detection range of a friendly stealthed unit, the stealthed unit’s name is incorrectly visibleSSAO does not render correctly in Windows 10Macro tooltips do not load in when you first load into the clientSome area of effect debuffs like Explosive Trap do not display a durationSeveral ranks of Warlock and Shaman spells do not display damage variance in their tooltipsIf Dual Wield is known, One-Hand weapons may be erroneously equipped to the Off-Hand slot if dragged into the Main Hand slot while a Main Hand weapon is equippedThe default raid frames do not hide long-term buffs like Power Word: Fortitude while in combatMacros that cast Pet abilities without specifying the rank do not update when the Pet learns a new rank of the abilityThere is a conflict with some overlays such as Discord and Shadowplay that causes the client to crash when some video settings are adjustedThe chat messages that indicate a player’s inebriation level are incorrectSpells, Buffs, and TalentsPlayers can mount on transportsCleansed Songflower, Cleansed Whipper Root, and Cleansed Night Dragon cannot be simultaneously looted by multiple playersPlayers are not forced to re-purchase ranks of talented abilities that they have bought at least once beforeInfo from Gamespot.com

World of Warcraft Classic, the re-release of Blizzard's genre-defining MMO, brings players back in time to replicate the WoW experience as it was more than a decade ago--and that includes warts and all. Blizzard has now published a "not a bug list" that covers things that appear to be a bug but are actually accurate and representative of WoW as it was years ago. "The nature of WoW Classic sometimes invokes different memories for different players, and this leads to certain misconceptions for some about what is or isn’t working as intended," Blizzard said in a blog post. One example of something that might look like a bug but is actually working as intended is how pet aggro works--the aggro radius very inconsistent, and that's exactly how it was in the vanilla WoW. Additionally, WoW Classic players may notice that available quests don't appear with a "!" on the mini-map, and that's not a bug. Additionally, quests with long descriptions don't have text wrapping, and that's how it's supposed to be. On top of that, quest objectives and points of interest are not shown on maps, but that's the way it was for the original WoW. You can see the full "not a bug" list below, as written by Blizzard. WoW Classic does have some real bugs, however, and these span almost all aspects of the game. These issues were detailed by Blizzard in a separate post, and you can see a roundup of all the known WoW Classic issues here.WoW Classic is proving to be extremely popular, so much so that players are facing lengthy server queues, even though Blizzard added an additional four servers ahead of launch.WoW Classic, as its name suggests, is a re-release of the original genre-defining MMO from 2004 with some functionality changes. It's free for existing subscribers of WoW. For more, check out GameSpot's rundown of everything you need to know about WoW Classic.WoW Classic "Not A Bug" List:Tauren’s hitboxes and their melee reach is slightly larger than other races.Being critically struck while using /sit to sit does not cause abilities like Enrage, Blood Craze, and Reckoning to activate.Using the “Automatic Quest Tracking” option does not auto-track newly accepted quests. (It instead will start to track an existing quest once progress towards an objective is started.)Warrior health Regeneration is working at the expected rate.Quests objectives and points of interests are not tracked on the map or minimap.Completed quests are marked on the minimap with a dot. (and not a “?”)Feared players and NPCs run fast.Standing on top of other players while facing away allows spells and attacks to be used.Creature respawn rates are much slower than in Battle for Azeroth.NPCs which offer multiple quests may inconsistently display them as a dot or a “!” on the available quests list. They were inconsistent in 1.12, and we’ve reproduced the exact inconsistency they had back then.Quests that are too low level for do not show up as a “!” in the game world.Available quests do not display a “!” on the minimap.On level up, the message: “Your skill in Protection increased to 15” was added in 1.12.1, and we’re intending to keep that.You are unable to Polymorph enemy targets that are tapped by players with whom you are not grouped.At all levels of player characters and enemies, aggro radius is set to the intended distance.Long quest objectives don’t have text wrapping.Fall damage is equivalent to expected and verified values.Broadcast text can be seen multiple times if multiple players interact with the same NPC.WANTED signs do not have “!”, and are also not highlighted.Player characters do not animate when looting/interacting with quest objects (e.g. collecting pumpkins).Gnomes and Taurens are the correct size.“Melee leeway” is working as intended in both PvE and PvP.Cone of Cold is behaving consistently with the reference client.Arcane Missiles does not put the caster in combat .A Hunter’s Frost Trap ground effect will break Rogues out of stealth.The Berserking Troll racial ability is behaving as expected and matches the reference client.The pet that a Warlock has when initially logging into the game world does not restore a Soul Shard when dismissed by taking a flight path or moving out of range.The trigger range on Hunter’s traps are reduced by Stealth when the stealthed player is a similar or higher level than the Hunter.Soul Link cannot be dispelled by dispelling the Warlock’s pet.A Warlock’s Succubus and Felhunter pet cannot cast spells if they are out of line of sight of the target.Manually cancelling Stealth after using Vanish will remove the Vanish buff as well as the Stealth buff.Escape Artist has a very small chance to fail when used to escape an effect that has a decreased chance to be dispelled (e.g. a Rogue’s Vile Poisons talent).Rogues are not broken out of stealth by Blizzard until they take damage.Taunting Hunter pets that are set to Aggressive or Defensive mode will cause them to attack the taunting player.The threat generated by Battle Shout is not capped at 5 party members and is increased when affecting targets such as Hunter and Warlock pets within the same party.The chest at the end of the encounter with The Seven in Blackrock Depths does not prompt a loot roll. Beware of Ninjas!Other players do not see a Hunter’s quiver on their back.Shield Slam and other off-hand abilities does not proc extra attacks from Windfury.Logging into World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth while playing WoW Classic on the same game account will disconnect you from WoW Classic. This is true in reverse as well.Hunter concerns:Hunter “dead zone” is working as expected and is consistent with the Reference Client.A wolf pet’s Howl buff is consumed by anything that causes damage, even if it does not benefit from the buff.A Hunter pet’s Bite and Claw ability damage will not change in the tooltip based on the happiness of the pet. The tooltip will always display the damage as if the pet were Content (yellow). This is consistent with the Reference client.Traps can sometimes not be triggered if a player moves over them very quickly (i.e. a Warrior’s Charge ability). This behavior is consistent with the Reference client.Auto Shot does not make a sound when cast during the animation of Hunter’s Mark and certain other abilities.Scatter Shot, Wyvern Sting, and Freezing Trap share diminishing returns.A Hunter’s Frost Trap ground effect will break players out of stealth.The rate at which pet focus regenerates is not always consistent. Note: While the actual amount of focus that can be generated per tick is inconsistent, the total amount generated over time is flat and consistent. There are slight variations in the time between ticks that cause this to display inconsistently.Pet aggro radius is working properly and as expected. This is to say, it was extremely inconsistent in original WoW, and it remains inconsistent in WoW Classic.Pets “remember” targets that they have been instructed to attack previously and when sending a pet to attack a different target, the pet will return to attack any remaining targets they were previously instructed to attack when the currently engaged target dies.Pets that have been instructed to attack dead targets with a special ability or attack will attempt to approach and attack the dead target, but will return to the hunter’s side when the ability fails.Other players do not see a Hunter’s quiver on their back.Hunters can sometimes experience a slight delay before recasting Auto Shot after moving. Note: There is a hidden “retry” timer that occurs if the hunter is moving when the normal swing timer finishes. This timer checks for hunter movement before trying to resume auto shot, and this timer refreshes every 500ms when the hunter is moving. This means that if a Hunter is moving and stops moving just after this timer refreshes, you need to wait until the retry timer checks again to validate that you are no longer moving and can resume casting auto shot. This is not a result of spell batching or server heartbeats, and is specific to the functionality of a Hunter’s Auto Shot. This is consistent with Auto Shot functionality on the Reference client. Info from Gamespot.com

It's not difficult to pick out Remnant: From the Ashes' many influences. It mimics the format and grueling difficulty popularised by From Software's Souls series, pitting you against increasingly complex bosses and teaching you through failure. It mixes up its combat encounters with AI direction similar to Valve's cooperative shooter Left 4 Dead to make skirmishes exciting and unpredictable. Third-person shooting ties these two ideas together in a surprisingly cohesive way, which makes Remnant: From the Ashes a joyous action-adventure through a far less compelling world.The world as you know it has been overrun by The Root--a force of sentient fauna with glowing red roots commanded by a single hivemind--driving humanity to the brink of extinction as they search for a miracle to end the nightmare. Washed up on a dark and gloomy island and torn down to the brink of death, you are the hero that one of humanity's final settlements, Ward 13, has been searching for. You're let loose on the world overrun by monsters to search for the Ward's former leader in the hopes that the knowledge lost with him might help expose the core of The Root's power and give you a fighting chance against the insurmountable foe.Although its opening moments hold promise initially, Remnant's world isn't interesting beyond the surface. Its characters stick too closely to familiar tropes and feature little to no development as you fight their war for them. The distrustful mechanic will happily craft new items for you but never shrugs off her off-putting demeanor, while her partner has nothing deeper to share beyond his initial backstory, for example. Inhabitants in the Ward congratulate you on your actions outside of its walls, but it never feels like you're progressing your relationships with any of them. This lack of personality makes Remnant's big revelations fall flat, too, and by the time it starts collecting all of its stray stories into an understandable thread you'll probably not care enough to take much notice.The sheer visual variety of its world is more exciting. You visit four main areas outside of Ward 13, with each new one being strikingly different from the last. You start out in the desolate streets of an abandoned cityscape, exploring its dimly lit sewers and engaging in tense firefights on street corners. From there, things get far weirder. You travel to a blistering hot desert with oppressive metal labyrinths underneath just before you cut away the brush of a thick, dark forest illuminated by bright neon fauna. Remnant's visual themes are all over the place, which doesn't help its already confusing story. But while disjointed, the visuals are extremely well presented and beautiful to behold.Remnant's gameplay is recognizable thanks to its blend of familiar genres and tropes. On paper, the combination of Dark Souls-style high-skill combat with the ranged-focused gameplay of a third-person shooter sounds incompatible, but Remnant brings its own flair to its influences that ties them together in an interesting way. Procedural combat encounters are at the core of this. Enemies don't have fixed placements in areas, with Remnant instead using a system to dynamically adjust both their positioning and density every time you enter an area to consistently provide a challenging skirmish. The unpredictability adds an enticing layer of tension to each combat encounter, where even small mistakes are punished by quick deaths at the hands of hordes of smaller, weaker enemies.It's initially frustrating to not be able to learn enemy placements and patterns, but Remnant's forgiving approach to death balances this out. Although enemies hit hard and death is just a handful of mistakes away, you don't lose tangible progress when you die. You don't drop items or lose experience; instead, you simply respawn at your last checkpoint (large glowing red shrines similar to Dark Souls' bonfires), with the route ahead re-rolled and changed to present you with a new challenge.The emphasis on ranged combat changes the pace you might be familiar with from games of this ilk. You're given the choice to get as up close and personal as you choose with short-range shotguns and submachine guns or remain as far as possible with slow-firing but powerful sniper rifles. Each weapon type makes you consider the encounter they're best used for, but for the most part Remnant's combat favors aggression. The number of enemies it throws at you and the cramped design of its dungeons make longer ranges difficult to work with, while highlighting the devastating stopping power of medium- to short-range weapons. This undercuts a lot of the weapons you're able to purchase and craft, especially when taking into account the grind required for some resources you need to upgrade them. It was easy for me to stick to one loadout for the majority of my playthrough, incrementally improving damage instead of experimenting with new weaponry. Despite the dynamic combat, the stagnant nature of Remnant's loot works against it.Weapon mods alleviate this to an extent. Mods give your weapons an alternate firing mode, ranging from simple healing effects to devastating AOE attacks that can inflict a number of status ailments on enemies. Most weapons let you exchange mods freely, allowing you to experiment with a combination across your two equipped weapons to find a synergy that works best for your playstyle. The number of mods you can both find and craft is plentiful, but their variety is what makes them impressive, making experimentation fun. Their effects are even more important when playing Remnant with friends (up to two other players can join your game), where the collective group build is important to counteract the increased difficulty associated with group play.In both the case of weapons and mods you can craft, boss encounters play the biggest part in providing you with the most exciting options. Each boss drops a unique item that can be used in a recipe for either, bestowing you with either the unique abilities of the foe you just overpowered or a weapon to mark your momentous achievement. Both of these require rarer resources to craft, and even more to upgrade, which makes investing in them a difficult decision to make. But it's impossible to not curiously venture back to your Ward after each boss encounter to see what new toy awaits, and even more satisfying to take it out into the world and fall in love with the power that was recently used against you.Bosses also provide the best moments of Remnant's combat, pushing you into new strategies that can force you to reconsider your current loadout. Some bosses make good use of ranged attacks, sticking as far away as possible and using small tells to telegraph dangerous attacks that can quickly kill you. Others are overwhelmingly aggressive, chasing you down and closing gaps that make it difficult to get shots off in between a flurry of dodging rolls. Although some bosses share some behavioral traits, each of them features unique attack patterns and abilities that make each encounter dangerous to tackle and equally satisfying to overcome. The order in which these bosses populate the world is also randomized, making new playthroughs different to an extent. It's a confusing choice in practice, though, preventing you from predicting what boss-specific gear you can depend on at certain points during repeat playthroughs.Confusing accurately describes Remnant: From the Ashes a lot of the time, especially when its combination of established ideas doesn't mesh. But for the most part, the experiment is a success, resulting in deeply satisfying combat against creative and challenging enemies. Remnant struggles to effectively transfer that success over to an engaging loot system and an interesting story to wrap it all up, but when you're blasting away foes with weapons crafted from the remains of your latest boss kill, it's hard not to do so with a wide smile on your face.Info from Gamespot.com

World of Warcraft Classic goes live today, though players are finding it rather difficult to get into the game's servers. Apparently, the virtual line to get in is very, very long.With only a few hours to go before WoW Classic's launch, a large number of the available servers are full. Given World of Warcraft's popularity, a quick look at Twitch reveals over 900 thousand people logging in to watch the game, it's not surprising that so many people want in on WoW Classic. However, it is impressive that so many of the game's servers filled so quickly--especially since Classic's servers hold thousands more than the original WoW's servers did. For an idea of just how long it's taking, look at the image below. It's taken from our attempt to get into WoW Classic.Even with queue times so long--and getting longer--Blizzard isn't in a rush to add more servers to the game. Instead, the studio is aiming to create a successful groundwork from which WoW Classic can expand. "Our top priority in planning for WoW Classic's launch has been ensuring that we are laying the groundwork for strong realm communities that will endure over the months and years to follow, which is why we're cautiously opening new servers to meet demand," Blizzard told Polygon.Ahead of WoW Classic's launch, Blizzard warned that the queue times would be a lot longer than most people may think, and outlined ways for players to avoid having to wait too long. "We urge players on realms marked Full or High to plan to play on one of these new realms to avoid the longest queues, and to help spread the player population as evenly as possible and provide the best play experience for everyone," the studio said.WoW Classic is basically a remake of the original WoW, featuring the same character models, combat mechanics, and skill trees of the original game as they were at launch 10 years ago. A standard WoW subscription fee is needed to access WoW Classic.Info from Gamespot.com

World of Warcraft's Classic edition is out now, and it's helping World of Warcraft in general have a massive day on popular game-streaming site Twitch.World of Warcraft is far and away the most popular game on Twitch today, August 26, and the release of WoW Classic undoubtedly played a major role in that. The game topped 1 million viewers on Twitch today, which is multiple times bigger than all other games.Twitch's public stats show that right now, at 10 PM ET, World of Warcraft has 593,000 viewers, which is well ahead of the No. 2 game, Fortnite, which has 120,000 viewers. It's not surprising that the launch of a much-anticipated game would lead to a huge surge in viewers, and it will be interesting to see if World of Warcraft can continue to stay popular in the days and weeks ahead. On Mixer, it's a different story. Fortnite remains the most popular game by viewers, behind the Music category and Fortnite.The downside to WoW Classic's popularity is that players are facing lengthy server queues, even though Blizzard added an additional four servers ahead of launch.WoW Classic, as its name suggests, is a re-release of the original MMO from 2004 with some functionality changes. It's free for existing subscribers of WoW. For more, check out GameSpot's rundown of everything you need to know about WoW Classic.Info from Gamespot.com