CD Projekt Red revealed a ton of new details about Cyberpunk 2077 during its latest deep-dive video. Among the topics the developer discussed were the different ways in which players could go about playing the game, and it turns out, that includes non-lethal playthroughs.During an interview that followed the gameplay demo, CD Projekt Red revealed that players can play through the entirety of Cyberpunk 2077 without killing another character if they so choose. "You can finish the whole game, you can finish the quests without killing a single person," quest designer Philipp Weber confirmed.That said, you won't be able to avoid confrontations entirely if you do attempt a non-lethal playthrough, but these encounters don't need to turn fatal. "The thing is, Night City isn't a very peaceful place, so you can never play like a full pacifist who is never engaging in any kind of combat because people will attack you sometimes," Weber said. " But you can choose to not kill them. Like in real life, sometimes if there's attacks, you don't immediately kill everyone; you can solve situations in different ways."Of Cyberpunk 2077's several character classes, the Netrunner seems the most suited for non-lethal playthroughs because it emphasizes stealthiness and hacking, but it isn't the only class capable of non-lethal runs; it turns out any type of character can play through the game without killing another character, but it may require a bit of ingenuity depending on how you've developed your avatar."Not only the Netrunner is able to do non-lethal playthroughs. Every player, however you want to skill your character, you're able to do it somehow," Weber said. However, your approach to each situation will depend much on your surroundings. "Let's say you're in some rundown ruin that doesn't have lots of netrunning abilities, of course a Netrunner still has ways to do [a non-lethal run], but he might not be able to use all of his netrunning skills."We learned a lot of other interesting tidbits about Cyberpunk 2077 during the deep-dive, including how sidequests will work in the game and how cyberware will change gameplay. CD Projekt Red also revealed it wants to solve an annoying RPG problem with the game, and that it's working with real city planners to design Night City.Cyberpunk 2077 launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on April 16, 2020. The game is also coming to Google Stadia. You can read more about the title's collector's edition and pre-order bonuses in our Cyberpunk 2077 pre-order guide.Info from Gamespot.com

Cyberpunk 2077 takes place in a far-off future where man and machine are coming together as one and technology permeates every facet of our existence. Of course, what that means in a video game is that players will have a wide array of weird tools at their disposal. For those who find themselves in conflict, CD Projekt Red presents the option to use weapons to fight for survival. As discussed in the Cyberpunk 2077 deep-dive stream, the weapons on offer come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and capabilities."Our guns are divided into three main categories," explained quest designer Pawel Sasako. "There are smart guns, [which] basically shoot homing bullets that follow targets. There is also tech weapons, and the tech weapons are those that have additional capabilities to the--for instance, they could pierce cover."Then there are power weapons ... mainly focused on being street-grade weapons. They have additional skills and capabilities connected to the fact that have been [modified] in some way. For instance, there is a bursting shotgun or something like that. We have put plenty of work into making sure that the weapons feel [good] and they have weight."Naturally, weapons have various quirks to them that players will be able to use to their advantage. "There's lots of really cool examples that I can give. For instance, there's a handgun that, as you use it, it actually speeds up the bullets and the longer you use it the faster the bullets become, so they can do more damage," Sasako explained."There's a class of handguns that have been created by a Russian company to fight cyborgs and that weapon is able to heat up the bullet to the point where it almost becomes like melted plastic. It's done so you can shoot off a cyborg's arms, for example. There's always a small piece of story wrapped up around the weapon and what it does."What's interesting is you can use a second firing mode for a weapon. Not all weapons have them, but some of them if you use it in a specific way, like for example the tech rifle, it changes the way it collapses together and allows it to pierce through cover and enemies. Or you can bounce bullets off the walls using ricochet. We tried to put enough depth into the gun."Even as development continues, more outrageous weapons are being created. Sasako recounted seeing "an awesome shotgun that has eight barrels and it shoots out of them at the same time."Senior level designer Miles Tost added that a lot of the companies that make the guns and tech in Cyberpunk 2077's world have lore and history. That includes the brands and ads in the game, which are crafted by an entire team at the studio.Phillip Weber, another quest designer, also noted that there are a variety of melee weapons, ranging from broken bottles strewn around the city to knives. You can specialize in melee weapons--perhaps because you want to be a cyber ninja--and often there are weapons that cater to this style, such as katanas. Cyberware for melee also exists, as seen in previous demos where a character punched his way through different environments.The deep-dive had plenty more to offer in terms of details. We got lots of information on how sidequests will work in Cyberpunk 2077, as well as how cyberware will change gameplay. CD Projekt Red also teased that it wants to solve an annoying RPG problem with the game.Cyberpunk 2077 launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on April 16, 2020. You can read more about the title's collector's edition and pre-order bonuses in our Cyberpunk 2077 pre-order guide. Info from Gamespot.com

CD Projekt Red revealed more new details about its upcoming RPG Cyberpunk 2077 during a recent gameplay stream. In this presentation, the developer detailed a few of the significant playstyles in the game. One of the more exciting playstyles is Netrunner, which focuses more on hacking anything that's connected to a network. But as a Netrunner, one of the most practical and useful tools at your disposal is the Nanowire. With this handy wire you can hack an enemy's implants from a distance.According to senior level designer Miles Tost, the Nanowire goes hand-in-hand with the Netrunner playstyle, which makes sense since you're probably going to breach a lot of networks. With the Nanowire, you'll gain access to unique attacks and solutions, such as remotely detonating an enemy's hand grenade or hacking a benchpress weight to slam down onto an unsuspecting foe mid-lift.While the Nanowire is mostly a functional tool, it can also be used as a deadly weapon. If you're so inclined, you can whip it around at enemies and slice them into bite-sized pieces. It all sounds relatively brutal.Cyberpunk 2077 is releasing on April 16 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. For more Cyberpunk 2077 news, be sure to click from the links in the list below.Cyberpunk 2077 Created A New Team To Make Sidequests, After The Witcher 3Cyberpunk 2077 Netrunner Class Seems Perfect For Causing MischiefHow Cyberpunk 2077's Sidequests Will WorkCyberpunk 2077's Life Paths And Character Creation Sound Very DeepCyberpunk 2077 Will Allow For Non-Lethal Playthroughs, Here's How It'll WorkCyberpunk 2077's Weapons Come In Three Flavors, Here's What You Need To KnowInfo from Gamespot.com

August might have kept you busy with Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Control and Astral Chain--all great games that can suck your life away. But as the year ticks along, plenty of great, smaller games with stellar ideas and executions come out, especially on PC, and they won't eat up dozens of hours if you're looking for something fresh. But they're easy to miss.There are a lot of games out there, and we sure do play a lot of them. We've picked three standout games from August that which really sparked our interest and really captured our attention. They're games that might usually fly under most people's radar, but still great experiences in their own right, so if any of them sound up your alley, know that they have our hearty recommendation. A Short Hike (PC)If A Short Hike has a central theme, it’s that kindness is rewarded. In other words, be nice to those you meet and nice things will also come your way. It’s a lovely little game that will either make you feel better about the world or provide you with a brief escape from these dark, chaotic times.You play as Claire, a teen bird who is camping at a national park managed by her aunt while she awaits a very important phone call. Trouble is, reception is non-existent so Claire must hike to higher ground, all the way to the summit of the tallest mountain peak in the park. Though she may be a bird, Claire can’t ascend during flight; she can only glide in a gentle descent, making said hike somewhat more circuitous than you might expect. She can climb though, and so much of her time is spent exploring the woods, lakes, and beaches of the park in search of the golden feather collectibles that boost her stamina and allow her to scramble up ever higher surfaces.On her trek, Claire meets a cast of adorable animals who are likewise visiting the park, many of whom ask her for a favor--to find something valuable to them or maybe to just hang out for a little bit. These cheerful encounters work hand in hand with Claire’s exploration, sometimes rewarding her with the items she needs to journey further afield, other times encouraging her to slow down and breathe in the clean mountain air.Running, climbing, gliding--and occasionally digging, watering and fishing--through the park’s sprawling, looping network of obvious and not-so-obvious pathways is a heart-warming experience. Revealing new corners of the pleasingly chunky, vividly colored, lo-fi parkland is a constant delight matched by the satisfaction of having performed good deeds for good creatures every step of the way.Finding phone reception is a MacGuffin that actually pays off in a sincere and touching conclusion, after which you’re free to continue wandering the park to your heart’s desire. A Short Hike is honestly a misnomer. It’s more like a day trip that you’ll want to never end.It’s Like: Breath of the Wild’s climbing and gliding mechanics dropped into a walking simulator with the cast of Animal Crossing.You can find A Short Hike on Steam and Itch.io Anodyne 2: Return To Dust (PC)In Anodyne 2, dust is a catch-all metaphor. For repressed grief, for ennui, for illness, for denial, for confusion. For whatever is dragging us down, holding us back, stopping us from moving on. Dust is depicted as a plague, its nano particles clogging up the internal thoroughfares--both mental and physical--of those it has infected. As Nova, a so-called nano cleaner, you are tasked with eradicating such dust and healing the afflicted, and perhaps yourself in the process.The first Anodyne (released in 2013) told its tales of personal trauma via a reimagining of an NES-era action-RPG. In this far more ambitious sequel the nostalgic palette is broader, expanding its sources of inspiration to encompass not just The Legend of Zelda but late ‘80s PC RPGs like the Ultima series, SNES era JRPGs like Chrono Trigger, and even the early forays into 3D platforming on the N64 and PlayStation. One moment you’re driving across the lo-fi dunes of a bleak desert, later you’re in a top-down pixel-art Ren Fair castle while in between you’ve starred in a wrestling show and run the gauntlet of a survival horror chase through the isometric maze of your apartment building. To call Anodyne 2 eclectic is perhaps an understatement.Genre mashups can often have a hard time holding it all together. They can suffer from too many incompatible parts pulling in different directions. But Anodyne 2 finds a throughline in Nova. It’s her slow journey of self-discovery, even more so than the myriad side stories she intersects in her dust-busting capacity, that brings every perspective shift or gameplay refresh into focus.Things can get ugly at times--in a graphical fidelity sense and in terms of the raw emotions at stake--but despite the stylistic detours and tonal swings, Anodyne 2 retains an unfaltering commitment to exploring the very real, very relatable struggles of day to day human life. By turns dark, funny, confronting, empathetic and inexplicable, it’s a defiantly weird game that will keep surprising you until the end.It’s Like: The Legend of Zelda and Banjo-Kazooie pay a visit to the Psychonauts.You can find Anodyne 2: Return To Dust on Steam and Itch.ioEliza (PC)Eliza, the new game from developer Zachtronics, best known for procedural puzzle games like Infinifactory and Opus Magnum, is a tight, thought-provoking visual novel that connects the dots of our disconnected world, tracing a path through the alienation of social media, big data, the gig economy, startup culture, privacy, gentrification and more.Developed in the 1960s, ELIZA was a real-world, early attempt at programming a computer to speak with a user in what felt like natural language. It wasn’t an AI--it was more like a bot; it couldn’t learn, but rather called upon canned responses based on keywords and patterns entered by the user. ELIZA’s designer even wrote a script that mocked the popular conception of a psychotherapist, specifically the technique of reflecting a patient’s answer back at them in the form of a question. “And why do you think that you’re ripe for parody?”Here, Eliza speculates a future version of the program that now operates as a therapist, harvesting data from its users in an effort to learn how to help them and make the world a better place, at least in theory, at least. Evelyn she isn’t so sure. She's the former chief engineer at Skandha, the company responsible for Eliza, who left her job three years ago and has spent the intervening years battling depression.Evelyn has returned to Skandha, almost incognito, to work as a “proxy,” people employed to read Eliza’s words to clients in order to give the appearance of the human touch. Proxies can’t deviate from the Eliza script, much like the gameplay. Evelyn’s story is a series of conversations in which dialogue options, where there are any, mostly exist to give you a moment to reflect on the issues being examined. In the final chapter, Evelyn is faced with a few choices that affect the outcome, but until that point many of the things you can have her say are deliberately non-committal.It works though, because the game’s writer, Matthew Seiji Burns, is genuinely interested in understanding not just where AI is taking us, but how and why it’s taking us there, and maybe whether we should pause to consider whether there are other destinations we--that’s “we” as in the human race, not the technocrat class--might prefer.It’s Like: If the movie Her was a visual novel that really made you think.You can find Eliza on Steam. Info from Gamespot.com

In one of the final episodes of Game of Thrones, a coffee cup can be seen on a table in front of Jon Snow and Daenerys. It was a flub that showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff are taking in stride. They spoke to Japan's Star Channel (reported by Digital Spy) recently about that mistake and other topics, including the show's many Emmy nominations.Regarding the coffee cup mistake, Benioff joked, "It's like in Persian rugs it's tradition that you make a little mistake when making the rug, because only God can do anything perfect, so for us I guess that just was our [mistake]."Weiss added a more direct joke, "That's why I put the coffee cup there. It was a conscious, concerted statement of our imperfection," he said.Speaking more seriously, Benioff said he felt a mixture of surprise and embarrassment over the coffee cup, but over time he was able to see it as a silly mistake and move on."So, at first I couldn't believe it, and then it was kind of embarrassment, because how did we not see this coffee cup in the middle of the shot? And then, eventually, it was just funny," Weiss said. "This one is just a mistake, and it's kind of funny to us now."Also in the interview, Weiss spoke about all the Emmy nominations that Game of Thrones picked up for its final season. The show nabbed 32 total nominations (including best overall drama series) which is a record for the show. He said it was "surprising" to see how many nominations the show got; "At least in my mind, I thought that the [previous] season would have been the peak and that we would've ended up with maybe a couple less, at best," he said.Weiss and Benioff are now finished with Game of Thrones. They recently signed a $200 million deal with Netflix to develop new TV shows and movies for the network. This is on top of their upcoming Star Wars films, too. Weiss and Benioff's other HBO show, Confederate, is now reportedly cancelled. Info from Gamespot.com

Music is a huge part of James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy movie franchise. The soundtracks to the two movies are phenomenal, featuring a long list of excellent licensed songs like "Mr. Blue Sky," "Father And Son," and "Southern Nights," among many others. Now, Gunn has revealed which song is the most-requested among fans.That song is "Dancing in the Moonlight." Gunn said he'll never use this song in a Guardians of the Galaxy movie, however, because it would be too predictable."I'm asked to include this song BY FAR more than any other," Gunn said on Twitter. "And this predictability is precisely why I'd never use it. In general, I'd rather be in the business of giving folks the thing they want that they don't know they want rather than just the thing they know they want."Gunn also said on Twitter that there are numerous songs he's wanted to use in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies that he hasn't been able to, for whatever reason. He said he was looking to use songs from Alice Cooper, Queen, T. Rex, Stevie Wonder, and Hall & Oates, but it never worked.I’m asked to include this song BY FAR more than any other. And this predictability is precisely why I’d never use it. In general, I’d rather be in the business of giving folks the thing they want that they don’t know they want rather than just the thing they know they want. https://t.co/hUXzvNIeOj — James Gunn (@JamesGunn) August 30, 2019But there are LOTS of songs I’ve wanted to find a space for and haven’t been able to. Hundreds. I’ve tried numerous @AliceCooper, @Queen, T. Rex & Stevie Wonder songs, for instance, but I just never found the perfect fit. Same with @halloates “She’s Gone” on Vol 2. — James Gunn (@JamesGunn) August 30, 2019Gunn's next movie is The Suicide Squad, which he's making for Marvel rival DC. Gunn said in another tweet that music is an "incredibly important" component to all of his films, and this also include the Suicide Squad sequel. However, the music in The Suicide Squad will be "a lot different" compared to Guardians, Gunn said.Music is an incredibly important part of ALL of my films, both soundtrack and score. So, yeah. But it will be a lot different than Guardians musically - and in so many other ways. https://t.co/F5pP08YTm0 — James Gunn (@JamesGunn) August 30, 2019The Suicide Squad hits theatres in August 2021, and after that, Gunn returns to Marvel with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.Disney fired Gunn from his writer-director job for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after old tweets of his resurfaced. Disney later hired him back, though this upheaval likely led to a delay. Warner Bros. hired Gunn to write and direct The Suicide Squad during the Disney turmoil.Info from Gamespot.com

World of Warcraft's Classic edition launched last week to much fanfare. Its release was so popular that it reached more than 1 million viewers on Twitch, surpassing Fortnite and all other games.Now, it's been reported that the first player to reach WoW Classic's level cap of 60 did so with some 300,000+ people watching live.The player, "Jokerd," leveled a gnome mage to 60 in three days, 20 hours, and 40 minutes, accordingto Dot Esports. He played on the Mograine server in Europe.Jokerd is said to be the first player in the West to reach the game's level cap, though not necessarily the first player worldwide to do so.According to Dot ESports, Jokerd was able to level quickly by soloing mobs. He also reportedly made use off the layering system that apparently helped him level faster. He wrote on Twitter that he started using layering at level 58, when it was already "in the bag" that he was going to be first to level 60. Jokerd also denied claims that someone else played his account while he slept.dude i slept 6-8 hours a day, there was no account sharing bro — JokerdTV (@Jokereed) April 11, 2019About The Laying Abuse Accusations: I started using layering to my leveling advantage at level 58, at this point it was in the bad that i was first 60 and i wanted to save 1-1.5 hours. Feel free to check my vods, i streamed all of it, also i didnt have mob taggers. — JokerdTV (@Jokereed) August 31, 2019WoW 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 on WoW Classic, check out GameSpot's recent feature, "The Beauty Of WoW Classic Is More Than Just Nostalgia."Info from Gamespot.com

Astral Chain is this week's physical best-seller in the UK, beating out competition from three other new games in a tight battle for the No. 1 spot. It's the first-ever Platinum game to reach the top of the charts.The Japanese developer's last highest charting game was Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, the character-action take on the Metal Gear series, which reached No. 2 in 2013. Astral Chain is Platinum's fourth most successful launch in the UK, and its biggest new IP launch since Bayonetta back in January 2010. It's also the sixth Nintendo Switch title to reach No. 1 this year.There were just 1,500 units separating the top four this week, all of which are new IP. The racing game Wreckfest, developed by Bugbear Interactive, missed out on the top spot by 1,100 units. Supermassive Games' latest narrative-driven horror, The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan, was a mere 250 copies behind the FlatOut spiritual successor in No. 3. And finally, Remedy's Control landed the No. 4 spot, 300 units behind Man of Medan.Last week's No. 1, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, fell down to No. 5 behind the four new releases. The only other new release to reach the charts was Collection of Mana down at No. 22. While the biggest riser of the week was Marvel's Spider-Man, which returned to the top ten at No. 8 after a 221% sales jump driven by discounting at UK retail.Below is the full chart from UKIE of the week ending August 31.If you're interested in purchasing any of the latest releases, GameSpot has you covered with reviews for Astral Chain, Wreckfest, Man of Medan, and Control.Info from Gamespot.com

Remedy has outlined its plans for future Control updates, detailing what fixes it's working on, what isn't coming to the game, and when we can expect to hear about new content for the surreal action title. Improving console performance is among the top items on the list.Control has received critical acclaim since its release last week, but if there's one dark cloud hanging over the game it's the unfortunate performance issues on base Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles. A Digital Foundry report delved into console performance last week, revealing how badly the frame rate is affected in hectic action sequences. Control targets 30fps on consoles, but the report says it can drop into the 10s on base Xbox One and PS4, sometimes lingering around these low numbers for an extended period of time. Performance is better on Xbox One X and PS4 Pro, but even these upgraded consoles aren't exempt from frame rate issues. Digital Foundry suggests waiting for a patch if you can only play Control on base consoles.Fortunately, an update is on the way. In a new blog post, the studio says it's working to improve console optimization, but "these things do take time and don't happen at the press of a button (as much as we wish they did)." However, Remedy does say Control's next update (tentatively due out mid to late September) will be adding an on/off toggle for motion blur and film grain on all platforms. It also plans to improve how the in-game map loads to ensure that all of the relevant information is displayed immediately and correctly, because it's not working as intended right now.HDR support will not be coming to the game, though. "This is a decision based on the fact that development resources are limited, and we need to allocate what we have in a certain way," the blog post explains. "Moving into post-launch, we prefer to use the resources we have to focus on future free content for Control like the Photo Mode. We realize this may disappoint some players, but we hope the additions we plan to bring to Control more than make up for the absence of HDR."As far as new content is concerned, Remedy wants to make it clear this is just the beginning for Control. "Next week, we hope to provide our players with an update on future content plans, something we know many of you are very keen on. Stay tuned for more information on that!"If you haven't purchased Control yet, Peter Brown recommends it in GameSpot's review. "It's not often that a game invades my thoughts the way Control has," his review concludes. "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." You can currently pick up Control on sale for $10 off on PS4 and Xbox One. GameSpot also has you covered with a guide to solving one of its trickiest puzzles, and information on how long it takes to beat. There's an unexpected cameo worth seeing, too, and you can see where Remedy's latest placed in the UK's physical games chart.Info from Gamespot.com

Late August is traditionally a very quiet time for the box office, with the summer's big movies already released and the big awards films waiting in the wings. Next week sees the the release of the highly anticipated horror sequel It: Chapter 2, but this weekend was marked only by having the second worst box office results of the year so far.The Gerard Butler-starring action sequel Angel Has Fallen held onto the top slot for the second week, with an estimated weekend gross of $11.5 million, bringing its US total to $40.6 million. The movie is largely in line with the performance of its predecessor, London Has Fallen, which made $39 million in the US after two weekends in 2016.The comedy Good Boys kept second place in its third week, with an estimated take of $9.1 million, bringing its domestic total to $56 million. The hugely successful Disney blockbuster The Lion King rose back up the chart to No.3--with a worldwide take of $1.5 billion to date, the film is already the seventh biggest release of all time.The rest of the Top 10 was, for the most part, a reshuffling of last week's chart. The Fast & Furious spin-off Hobbs & Shaw remained at No.4, while the drama Overcomer slipped from No.3 to No.5. In the bottom half of the chart, horror movies Ready or Not and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark were at No.6 and No.7, while Spider-Man: Far From Home reentered the chart on the back of its Labor Day rerelease.Top 10 Films for the weekend of August 30-September 1 (via Box Office Mojo):Angel has Fallen ($11,575,000)Good Boys ($9,190,000)The Lion King ($6,708,000)Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw ($6,280,000)Overcomer ($5,700,000)47 Meters Down: Uncaged ($5,616,000)Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark ($5,000,00)Spider-Man: Far from Home ($4,260,000)Dora and the Lost City of Gold ($4,140,000)The Angry Birds Movie 2 ($4,115,000)Info from Gamespot.com

We've reached September, which means the seasons are changing all around the world. New Releases is here to highlight some of the biggest games coming this month. You can take a snowy retreat with Monster Hunter World's Iceborne expansion or an island getaway with The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. You can also stay indoors and take to the basketball court with NBA 2K20. Finally, shooter fans can take on the Locust in Gears 5 or the Calypso Twins in Borderlands 3.Monster Hunter World: Iceborne -- September 6Available on: PS4, Xbox OneIceborne adds the new Hoarfrost Reach region to the New World, and it's full of snow, ice, and new monsters to take down. This expansion also adds a Master Rank difficulty for those of you who have already bested all the High Rank hunts. If you're not quite done exploring the game's main area, don't sweat it--you'll still see some fan-favorite monsters added to that part of the game too.More Coverage:Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Beta Test, Pre-Order Bonuses, And MoreWhat You Should Expect From Monster Hunter World: IceborneNBA 2K20 -- September 6Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC, SwitchThis year's 2K basketball game offers the usual dose of modes like MyCareer, MyGM, MyLeague, and MyTeam, but the biggest addition is a series first: you can finally play as all 12 WNBA teams. If you need a break from the basketball court, there are plenty of ways to spend time (and money) on the game's loot boxes and gambling mechanics too.More Coverage:NBA 2K20 Pre-Order Bonuses, What's In The Legend Edition, And MoreYou Can Play A Lot Of Games That Aren't Basketball In The Basketball Game NBA 2K20Gears 5 -- September 10Available on: Xbox One, PCGears 5 focuses on Kait Diaz, who will learn more about her own family's history as she uncovers the Locust's origins. Gears 5 offers the standard campaign and multiplayer options, but there are some big changes to other modes this time around. For one, Horde mode gives every character unique abilities and ultimate attacks--there's even a pair of characters from Halo: Reach in the mix. Characters also get special perks in the new Escape mode, a three-player co-op experience where you have to destroy Locust hives.More Coverage:Gears 5: Pre-Load, Start Times, Launch Maps, And More RevealedGears 5's Horde Mode Is Getting The Hero Shooter TreatmentBorderlands 3 -- September 13Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PCThere are new characters to check out in Borderlands 3 as well. Amara the Siren, Moze the Gunner, Zane the Operative, and FL4K the Beastmaster are your Vault Hunters for his adventure. You won't just be seeking Vaults on Pandora, though; for the first time, you can travel to other planets aboard the Sanctuary III. As usual, expect to find a ridiculous amount of guns as you battle the evil Calypso Twins.More Coverage:Borderlands 3 Pre-Order Guide: Diamond Loot Chest, Super Deluxe Edition, BonusesBorderlands 3 PC System Requirements Are Pretty Reasonable, See Them HereThe Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening -- September 20Available on: SwitchThis is a remake of Link's Awakening on the Game Boy. While it offers the same story and dungeons across Koholint Island, there's also a completely fresh art style, reimagined soundtrack, and even a special dungeon editor. Tap an Amiibo, and you can unlock extra mini-games and chambers for that dungeon-builder.More Coverage:Zelda: Link's Awakening - Everything We Know About The Nintendo Switch RemakeGameStop Announces Exclusive Pre-Order Bonus For Link's AwakeningSeptember has just begun, and in addition to the games listed here, Catherine: Full Body and Final Fantasy VIII Remastered are also leading the charge, both launching on Tuesday, September 3. Next week, New Releases will take a look at some less-known games you won't wanna miss, like GreedFall and Blasphemous.Info from Gamespot.com

GameStop's Labor Day sale is officially live. As of midnight on Monday, Sept. 2, you can find a wide range of new deals available on GameStop's website, and they're live for today only.The sale includes popular products that once lived on ThinkGeek's website (which shut down earlier this summer), like the Poke Ball waffle maker and Thor's hammer toolbox. The PlayStation Classic is available for just $20 (as a reminder, it launched at $100 MSRP just last December). You can also save on games like Rage 2 ($30), Kingdom Hearts III ($25), and Days Gone ($40). Pre-owned games are buy one, get one 50% off. Retro accessories are 15% off, and retro racing games are 25% off.GameStop relaunched its website late last week, acknowledging that its old website layout had become "increasingly difficult" to use. The new website features more prominent visuals to help shoppers discover new games and deals, more visibility for trade-in values, a streamlined experience for buying or reserving online pickup for multiple items, and more. This is part of GameStop's "multi-year, multi-million" dollar strategy to revamp its business plan amid falling stock prices and recent layoffs.See all Labor Day deals at GameStopCheck out some of the best discounts available now below. Plus, don't miss some of the other sales happening this week around Labor Day, including some great deals at Ebay.GamesAssassin's Creed III Remastered -- $20 ($40)Blood and Truth PSVR -- $20 ($40)Rage 2 -- $30 ($60)Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age -- $35 ($50)Kingdom Hearts III -- $25Kingdom Hearts III - Deluxe Edition -- $40 ($60)Destiny 2: Forsaken - Legendary Collection -- $10 ($20)Anthem -- $10 ($20)Days Gone -- $40 ($60)Mafia III -- $13 ($20)Borderlands: The Handsome Collection -- $10 ($20)Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night -- $20 ($40)The Division 2 -- $25 ($60)AccessoriesPokemon Waffle Maker -- $10 ($35)Ghostbuster Collector's Box (exclusive) -- $25 ($50)Marvel Thor Hammer Toolbox (exclusive) -- $75 ($100)DualShock 4 Black Wireless Controller -- $30 ($60)CollectiblesPop! Gears Collector's Box (exclusive) -- $40 ($80)Star Wars: Episode One - Darth Maul Red Lightsaber Replica -- $100 ($150)Nerf Rival Overwatch Reaper Blaster (Wight Edition) Collector's Pack -- $100 ($130)Select Animal Crossing Amiibo figures -- $1 ($5)New consolesPlayStation Classic -- $20 ($40)Pre-owned consolesPS4 Pro 1TB system -- $300 ($330)PS4 Slim 1TB system -- $230 ($250)Xbox One X -- $300 ($350)Nintendo Switch -- $250 ($280)Nintendo New 3DS XL -- $100 ($130)Nintendo New 2DS -- $40 ($60)Info from Gamespot.com

Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red is so committed to first-person in its upcoming role-playing game, that even cutscenes will be locked to the perspective (and yes, that includes sex scenes as well). It marks a notable change for the studio after its work on the third-person Witcher series.CD Projekt Red already explained the importance of Cyberpunk 2077's first-person viewpoint at E3 2018, and has clearly stuck to its guns despite some early backlash. Marcin Momot, the global community lead at CD Projekt Red, recently reiterated the studio's choice. "Achieving full immersion in a [first-person perspective] game is extremely important," he said in a tweet. "The decision made by the team to go 100% first person in Cyberpunk 2077 is something that will benefit it greatly from gameplay and story-telling perspectives." He adds that players will still see their created character in the inventory screen, during driving sequences, in mirrors and, very occasionally, in some of the cutscenes. While the official Cyberpunk 2077 Twitter account replied to a direct message confirming that the game's sex scenes will also be locked into first-person.Over on the official Cyberpunk 2077 forums, user Shavod translated an interview with senior level designer Miles Tost from the German site Night City Life. Tost offered some insight into Cyberpunk 2077's level design, comparing the differences between designing for a first-person game as opposed to a third-person game like The Witcher 3. In the latter, Geralt would always enter a house first, with the camera following behind. Because of this, the designers would always have to leave an extra bit of free space by the entrance to any building to avoid Geralt colliding with objects. In Cyberpunk 2077, the first-person perspective means they don't have to worry about this anymore, allowing rooms to be designed with more authenticity. It's not something you might ever notice, but it's an interesting detail about one of the lesser-known aspects of level design.Tost also notes how convenient the open spaces in The Witcher 3 were for allowing him to expand locations however and whenever he needed to. This isn't possible in Cyberpunk 2077 with the way the city is designed, but the limitations forced him to be more creative in how he packs a lot into limited horizontal spaces. Despite this, Tost says protagonist V's greater mobility allows for the level design to be more expansive, offering lots of hidden and alternate paths that V can reach using double jumps and charged jumps. He also mentions that V is capable of climbing the exteriors of tall buildings to reach a lot of dizzying heights.CD Projekt Red recently showed another 15 minutes of gameplay from Cyberpunk 2077, focusing on combat, customisation, different play styles, and the Night City district of Pacifica.The upcoming action-RPG has also dropped binary male/female options in favor of inclusivity. "You know, we really want to make a video game that's really inclusive," senior concept artist Marthe Jonkers told Metro. "Of course, if you tackle certain subjects then you will expect people to have an opinion about it and we respect that. And it's good that people give us feedback."Cyberpunk 2077 is expected to launch on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on April 16, 2020. The game is also scheduled to release for Google Stadia in 2020. Info from Gamespot.com

The Epic Games Store's Trello roadmap has been revamped and will no longer list the planned release dates for features currently in development. The company created the Trello board close to the store's launch in an effort to increase transparency.In a blog post, Epic announced that dates and expected delivery times have been removed. The Trello board previously listed target windows so players could track when new features were arriving, but Epic often missed these dates or rolled them out to select games rather than the entire store."The Trello roadmap is not fulfilling the goal we set when it was introduced," the blog post says. "The goal with the Trello roadmap is to provide visibility into the development cycle for the store's more player-centric feature set. While it's accomplished that to some degree, we've missed the mark accurately displaying the timelines for feature delivery. We regularly delay feature releases due to shifting priorities and the need for further iteration. We're always focusing on improving, and we believe the Trello can be improved as well." Instead of showing the time of delivery, the Trello board will now be focused on what's actively in development and provide "more granular updates on individually listed features." These will be split up into vague categories for what's up next, and what's in the plan for future development. Epic says the Trello will be updated every two weeks, and it also plans to detail larger feature updates in its blog, much like it did last month with a post on cloud saves, new product pages, and more.Info from Gamespot.com

European video game age-rating organisation, PEGI, has responded to complaints filed by some after watching the NBA 2K20 MyTeam trailer released last week. The video is largely focused on the various mini-games players have access to as a means of winning in-game rewards, featuring standard casino games such as slot machines and prize wheels. NBA 2K20 is rated E for Everyone in the US and PEGI-3 in Europe.The fact it can be legally bought by children led Reddit user Anime-NoireChan to e-mail PEGI directly. They shared the board's reply, which Eurogamer has since verified.The full PEGI statement says, "We have seen the announcement trailer of NBA 2K20 and noticed the controversy it has caused. We feel it is important to carefully explain when certain content is triggering the gambling descriptor in the PEGI system, but also to show when it does not at this moment."A video game gets the gambling content descriptor if it contains moving images that encourage and/or teach the use of games of chance that are played/carried out as a traditional means of gambling."We use a help text to clarify this in more detail: This refers to types of betting or gambling for money that is normally played/carried out in casinos, gambling halls, racetracks. This does not cover games where betting or gambling is simply part of the general storyline. The game must actually teach the player how to gamble or bet and/or encourage the player to want to gamble or bet for money in real life."For example, this will include games that teach the player how to play card games that are usually played for money or how to play the odds in horse racing."It is important to stress that the controversial imagery played a central role in the trailer, but it may not necessarily do so in the game, which has not yet been released."At this point in time, PEGI can only comment on the trailer that has been made publicly available."The trailer includes imagery that is generally known from casinos (wheel of fortune, slot machines). Using this sort of mechanic to select an item, or character, or action by chance is not the same as teaching how to gamble for money in a casino. These differences currently prevent us from applying the gambling descriptor. But we are very aware that it may get too close for comfort for some people, and that is part of an internal discussion that PEGI is having for the moment. The games industry is evolving constantly (and rapidly in recent years). As a rating organisation, we need to ensure that these developments are reflected in our classification criteria. We do not base our decisions on the content of a single trailer, but we will properly assess how the rating system (and the video games industry in general) should address these concerns."Although PEGI isn't applying the gambling rating to NBA 2K20 just yet, the statement suggests it may do so after seeing the final game. If it does apply the descriptor, NBA 2K20 would lose its PEGI-3 rating in Europe. It would be interesting to see if the ESRB follows suit in the US.NBA 2K20 launches on September 6 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. Check out our NBA 2K20 pre-order guide for all the info on pre-order bonuses and what's included in the Digital Deluxe and Legend editions. You can also download a free demo for NBA 2K20 right now.Info from Gamespot.com