Hades will finally make its way to Steam a year after launching exclusively on the Epic Games Store. In fact, Supergiant Games' roguelike dungeon-crawler arrives on Steam on December 10.Supergiant announced on Twitter that Hades will see an Early Access Steam launch this winter. The news was bottled in a Twitter thread by the company, which also announced this year marks the studio's 10 year anniversary.(2/6🚨) We're really excited to announce that we're bringing #HADES, our rogue-like dungeon crawler, to Steam Early Access on December 10!It'd mean a lot if you added the game to your wishlist:https://t.co/9mgWbZMF3UFor more info, visit our official web site. pic.twitter.com/ZNggHGUILK — Supergiant Games 🔜 PAX West (@SupergiantGames) August 22, 2019On Hades' Steam store page, Supergiant says it expects to pull the game out of Early Access and release it as a full title in the "second half of 2020." The full version of Hades is said to feature "the complete ending to the story," as well as additional story content and added polish across its entirety. Those who purchased Hades on or before October 15 will receive a free digital copy of the game's original soundtrack as a thank you for supporting Supergiant, though it won't be available until the game's v1.0 launch next year.Elsewhere in the Twitter thread, Supergiant revealed a variety of games from its catalog--including Bastion and Transistor--are up to 80 percent off for the company's 10 year celebration. Both games are incredibly cheap on the Nintendo Eshop right now as well, with Bastion selling for $3 USD and Transistor going for $4 USD.Some links to supporting retailers are automatically made into affiliate links, and GameSpot may receive a small share of those sales.Info from Gamespot.com

Season X of Fortnite: Battle Royale rolls on with another set of challenges for Battle Pass holders to complete. In addition to Week 4's Smash and Grab challenges, there's a new batch of limited-time missions called Junk Rush. Unlike the standard weekly challenges, these tasks are only around for a brief period of time, so you'll need to act fast if you're hoping to snag their rewards.The first Junk Rush challenge asks you to consume glitched foraged items--a new type of consumable recently introduced to the game as part of the 10.10 content update. The hardest part about this challenge is knowing where to find the glitched items, which is why we've put together the map and guide below to help you out.Where Are The Glitched Foraged Items Located?Foraged items can be found all around the island, but the glitched variants only appear in one particular area: the rec center, where Fortnite's indoor soccer field is located. Following the 10.10 content update, the Rift Beacon at the rec center exploded and caused some kind of temporal disruption, resulting in glitched items that randomly change into different foraged consumables.The rec center is located in the western portion of the map, directly between Snobby Shores and Neo Tilted/Tilted Town. You can see its exact location on the map below.How To Complete The ChallengeOnce you know where to go, completing the challenge is simply a matter of going to the area and consuming enough of the foraged items. You'll need to collect five of them in total. Given that this is the only area you can find glitched foraged items, it's sure to be teeming with other players; fortunately, the mission can be completed across different matches, so head to the rec center at the start of the game, pick up a few of the consumables, and repeat the process as many times as necessary to clear the challenge.The glitched foraged items can be found as floor loot, so keep your eyes peeled while you're exploring the area. You can also find other tips and guides for this season's trickier missions in our Fortnite Season X challenges roundup, which we'll continue to update that list as the season progresses.Fortnite Season X CoverageFortnite Season 10 Battle Pass: Skins, Price, How It Works, And MoreFortnite Season 10 Battle Pass Rewards: Skins, Emotes, Back Bling, Pets, And MoreFortnite Season 10 Update Notes: BRUTE Mech, Rift Zones, And MoreFortnite Season 10: Big Changes To How Daily & Weekly Challenges WorkFortnite Season 10 Map Changes: Rift Zones, Comet, Skeleton, And MoreFortnite 10.00 Content Update: Titled Town, Automatic Sniper Rifle, And MoreInfo from Gamespot.com

As previously detailed, Gears 5 won't feature random loot boxes or a season pass, and now developer The Coalition has revealed that the upcoming third-person shooter will use "a very player-centric, player-friendly way of doing customisation and monetisation."Multiplayer design director Ryan Cleven spoke to GamesIndustry.Biz during Gamescom 2019, where the outlet asked if Gears 5 will include microtransactions. Though confirming the latest Gears entry will have various forms of in-game currencies, Cleven reiterated Gears 5 will have no randomized loot boxes and players will always know what they're getting whether earning or purchasing content.Cleven assured that Gears 5 is a player-first game, saying The Coalition can service people looking to expedite their experience while keeping the spirit intact. "We really think we're ahead of the industry here in getting rid of loot boxes and making sure that we can both service people that are looking to accelerate their progression or earn cosmetics using money but also keeping the integrity of the game experience," Cleven told GI.Biz.With governments investigating the psychological nature of loot boxes, Cleven was asked whether the backlash towards games like Apex Legends and Star Wars Battlefront II has forced The Coalition to reconsider how monetization works in Gears 5. Cleven said none of that was a concern. "We had made [the decision to cut loot boxes] before all that happened," he explained. "We were sort of reading the tea leaves, I guess, and we were one of the earliest to adopt card packs inside our games... We put the challenge to ourselves: can we still provide purchasable things to players that want to purchase and still have the rest of the players really enjoy the system? That was a challenge we set right from the beginning of Gears 5."Instead, The Coalition seems more concerned with providing the best experience possible to its players when Gears 5 launches on PC and Xbox One on September 10. "We just felt that [loot boxes] weren't a good fit for Gears and we wanted to be ahead of the curve looking for possible solutions, even before all the controversy."More from GamescomGears 5 will have Halo: Reach cameosCyberpunk 2077 may include multiplayerThe Witcher 3 launches on Switch this OctoberSony acquires Marvel's Spider-Man developers InsomniacInfo from Gamespot.com

Despite the looming shadow of next-generation consoles, this year has impressed us with a wonderful suite of top-tier games, including Sekiro, Resident Evil 2 Remake, Fire Emblem: Awakening, and more. And more likely than not, the coming fall games season is sure to please with highly-anticipated games like Death Stranding, Control, and Gears 5. While we're in the thick of a fantastic year in games, there are a lot more coming just in the first few months of 2020.Now you might be thinking: "2020? Sorry, but that's just too far from now." Sure, it sounds like the future, but remember that the last four months of 2019 are going to pass by like nothing. Soon you're going to have games like Final Fantasy VII Remake, Watch Dogs: Legion, and Cyberpunk 2077. These giants will be yours in a matter of months, and before you know it, your life will be consumed in an instant.If this startling revelation has dawned upon you in the same way it has for us, then you're likely wondering when you can expect to play these games. We've pinpointed the release dates for 2020's biggest games in tables below for your reference. Though if you're curious about what's still coming this year, then check out our feature covering the biggest game release dates of 2019.You'll notice at the very bottom is a table containing other massive games that are without release dates. We'll likely hear more details about when these are launching in the months ahead, so be sure to check back often as we update this feature with the latest confirmed dates.JanuaryJourney to the Savage Planet (PS4, Xbox One, PC)Release DateGamePlatformsPre-OrderJanuary 28Journey to the Savage PlanetPS4, Xbox One, PCAmazon, PlayStation, Microsoft, Epic StoreFebruaryRelease DateGamePlatformsPre-OrderFebruary 11Ori and the Will of the WispsXbox One, PCN/AFebruary 25Gods & MonstersPS4, Xbox One, Switch, PCAmazon, PlayStation, Microsoft, Epic Store MarchFinal Fantasy VII Remake (PS4)Release DateGamePlatformsPre-OrderMarch 3Final Fantasy VII RemakePS4Amazon, PlayStationMarch 6Watch Dogs: LegionPS4, Xbox One, PC, StadiaAmazon, PlayStation, Microsoft, Epic Store March 20Animal Crossing: New HorizonsSwitchAmazon, NintendoMarch TBAVampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2PS4, Xbox One, PCAmazon, PlayStation, MicrosoftAprilCyberpunk 2077 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)Release DateGamePlatformsPre-OrderApril 16Cyberpunk 2077PS4, Xbox One, PCAmazon, PlayStation, Microsoft, SteamMayRelease DateGamePlatformsPre-OrderMay 15Marvel's AvengersPS4, Xbox One, PCAmazonBig Games Confirmed for 2020Below you can find a list of the biggest games that don't have explicit release dates but are confirmed to release sometime in 2020. We'll be moving each of these games into the release date sections above as soon as official dates are announced.GamePlatforms12 MinutesXbox One, PCCrossfire XXbox One, PCDestroy All Humans! (Remaster)PS4, Xbox One, PCDigimon SurvivePS4, Xbox One, Switch, PCDisintegration PS4, Xbox One, PCDragon Ball Z: KakarotPS4, Xbox One, PCDying Light 2PS4, Xbox One, PCEmpire of SinPS4, Xbox One, Switch, PCEvil Genius 2: World DominationPCGriftlandsPCHalo InfiniteXbox One, Project Scarlett, PCKerbal Space Program 2PS4, Xbox One, PCLego Star Wars: The Skywalker SagaPS4, Xbox One, Switch, PCLittle Nightmares IIPS4, Xbox One, Switch, PCMicrosoft Flight SimulatorXbox One, PCMinecraft Dungeons PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PCNo More Heroes IIISwitchNo Straight RoadsPS4, Xbox One, PCOddworld: SoulstormTBAOne Piece: Pirate Warriors 4PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PCOutridersPS4, Xbox One, PCPredator: Hunting GroundsPS4Psychonauts 2PS4, Xbox One, PCRoller ChampionsPCRune Factor 5SwitchSkull & BonesPS4, Xbox One, PCSpiritfarerPS4, Xbox One, Switch, PCSpongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - RehydratedPS4, Xbox One, Switch, PCSystem Shock (Remake)PS4, Xbox One, PCTales of ArisePS4, Xbox One, PCTom Clancy's Rainbow Six QuarantinePS4, Xbox One, PCTrials of ManaPS4, PC, SwitchTwin MirrorPS4, Xbox One, PCWasteland 3PS4, Xbox One, PCWerewolf: The Apocalypse - EarthbloodPS4, Xbox One, PCZombie Army 4: Dead WarPS4, Xbox One, PCInfo from Gamespot.com

Disney's D23 Expo comes along every two years, bringing with it all kinds of news about upcoming movies, theme park rides, and TV shows. From Pixar's upcoming animated films to the latest Star Wars and Marvel Cinematic Universe offerings, there's plenty to learn about and 2019's expo will be no different when it runs between Friday, August 23, and Sunday, August 25.In fact, this might be the biggest D23 yet. On the heels of Marvel Studios revealing its Phase 4 slate at San Diego Comic-Con, D23 will present panels that focus on Walt Disney Studios, as well as the upcoming Disney+ streaming service. That means we'll not only likely get more details about what's to come from the MCU on the big and small screen, but also looks at Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and the upcoming original series The Mandalorian.Then, of course, there are the theme parks. There's a Marvel land in the works at Disney California Adventure, along with an immersive Star Wars hotel in Florida, and a new ride at both Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge lands that will likely be discussed this weekend.GameSpot will be on the ground at D23, gathering all the information you could possibly need. However, several of the expo panels will also be streaming online this year via D23.com. You can take a look at the biggest panels of the three-day convention below, as well as the ones that will be available to watch online, so you can adequately prepare your weekend. All of the times below are PT.Friday:Disney Legends Ceremony - 10:30 am (STREAMING)The Music and Sounds of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge - 12:30 pmDisney+ Showcase - 3:30 pmVader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series - Episode II First Looks - 2 pmMarvel's Agents of SHIELD - 3 pmBehind the Art of Disney Costuming – 4 pm (STREAMING)Saturday:Behind the Scenes with The Walt Disney Studios - 10 AMThe Simpsons, 10 amWomen of Impact: Meet the Nat Geo Explorers Changing the World – 10 am (STREAMING)Haunted Mansion: Celebrating 50 Years - 12:30 pmImmersive Worlds: Bringing Films to Life in Disney Parks - 3:30 pmMarvel Comics: Marvel’s 80th Anniversary – 5:30 pm (STREAMING)Sunday:Heroines of the Disney Galaxies presented by BoxLunch – 10 am (STREAMING)Sneak Peek! Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products - 10:30 amInspiring Women Behind Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge - 2 pmThe Art of Disney Storytelling – 3 pm (STREAMING)Info from Gamespot.com

For the fourth time, Sony's Uncharted movie is in search of a new director. Director Dan Trachtenberg, who was brought in on January 2019 after director Shawn Levy stepped down, has left the project.According to Deadline, Sony Pictures is already in search of Trachtenberg's replacement and plans on bringing in a new filmmaker by the end of September. Tom Holland is still attached to star as Uncharted protagonist Nathan Drake--albeit a younger, less experienced version of the video game character. Production on the Uncharted movie is scheduled to begin early 2020.This is the second time in as many days that issues have arisen in a major Sony project associated with Holland. Disney and Sony have come to an impasse in regards to the Spider-Man movie franchise, resulting in Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige being removed from future Spidey films. Whether Holland's Spider-Man remains in the MCU remains to be seen, though the language used to describe the tear in Disney and Sony's partnership seems to imply that will not be the case. Given how Spider-Man: Far From Home ended, it's going to be interesting to see how the MCU may be restructured if Holland's removal does actually happen.Prior to Levy, The King of Kong's Seth Gordon was signed on as director for Uncharted. Limitless' Neil Burger and Silver Linings Playbook's David O. Russell have also been at the helm of Uncharted at one point. Like the director's chair, the pen behind the script has switched hands a few times too. The first draft was penned by The A-Team's Joe Carnahan, but his draft was replaced by a submission from Agents of Shield writer Rafe Judkins. That draft didn't survive long either, being replaced by another written in conjunction between Jonathan Rosenberg and Mark Walker.Info from Gamespot.com

Marvel's Avengers isn't out until May 15, 2020, but Square Enix has already encountered one big issue: struggling to bring clarity to what the game actually is. At E3 2019, a trailer and description of the game left a lot of people confused. Explaining that it featured a "bespoke campaign," cooperative play, and additional heroes who are not the core members of the Avengers didn't help matters. At Gamescom 2019, Square Enix provided a much closer, less muddy look at Marvel's Avengers, and now we have a much better sense of what it is: Think Marvel's Spider-Man meets Destiny, and you're pretty close.We played the opening 20 or so minutes of Avengers at Gamescom, which consisted of the prologue portion shown at both E3 and San Diego International Comic-Con 2019. The A-Day level, which introduces the story of a mentally anguished and disbanded Avengers team who are trying to deal with the loss of Captain America, isn't anything new. But actually putting hands on Avengers really cleared up how the game will play on a moment-by-moment basis, and Square Enix's presentation helped us to understand what the larger picture of Avengers looks like.The A-Day level takes you through a cinematic battle on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, which is a fairly on-rails experience. As minions of Taskmaster attack the bridge, you take on the role of each of the Avengers in turn and get a sense for how they handle. The combat is mostly of the melee variety, and each Avenger has a light attack and heavy attack, as well as a quick dodge move that lets them get out of trouble. Incoming enemy attacks are marked with indicators on the screen to tell you when to move, and holding down the attack buttons triggers different versions of the attacks. In the case of Thor, your first character, holding down the light attack lets him spin his hammer around to pummel enemies with rapid hits, while holding down the heavy attack triggered a blast of lightning along the ground that could zap multiple enemies in front of him. If your character has a ranged ability, you can aim it by holding down the right trigger and fire it by hitting your attack button. Thor throws his hammer, Iron Man fires repulsor blasts, Cap hucks his shield, and so on.You try out each of the characters on A-Day and get a sense of their strengths and weaknesses. Thor is great for crowd-control and dealing with groups of melee fighters, while Iron Man can hover over the battlefield and snipe away at more irritating enemies. Hulk is more or less a runaway train, picking up enemies and smashing them into each other to dispatch them quickly or leaping into the air for devastating impact attacks upon landing. Black Widow can whip a grapple at enemies to fling herself at them for melee combos, or fire away with a pair of handguns. And Cap's shield means he can close distances on dangerous enemies and avoid their attacks.The core combat of Avengers has the feel of something like Spider-Man or God of War. You have a handful of close-combat abilities, some ranged attacks, and some powerful "heroic" moves that charge up and let you unleash things like Hulk's Sonic Clap or Iron Man's Unibeam, rocking multiple enemies and dealing high damage. Everyone plays similarly enough that you can pick up any hero and go to work, with key differences based on their abilities and powers that make them all feel distinct.Combat is satisfying thanks to the breadth of moves you have at your disposal. Avengers' core combat encourages you to chain together moves to keep opponents off-balance. Walloping one guy with Thor's hammer to send him flying before you throw Mjolnir at another and pin him to a truck has the same kind of tight fluidity as other big third-person action games. Each of the heroes has their own capabilities and requires a different style, adding variety to the fights. At least in the brief portion we played, Avengers did a pretty good job of making you feel you're inhabiting one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, complete with their unique set of powers.The prologue ends with Black Widow taking on Taskmaster alone, in a fight that's full of prompts for quick-time events as she dodges the villain's jetpack-powered dives. It's a cool fight in which Widow has to constantly change her tactics to deal with Taskmaster's ability to adapt to her style, but relies largely on prompts, and thus feels tightly controlled. According to Rich Briggs, senior brand manager at Crystal Dynamics, the game will move away from QTEs soon after the prologue. The focus is still on making a cinematic, story-driven action game, but don't expect anything as directed as what's been shown so far. Briggs said players can expect big, open levels.Once you're through A-Day, Briggs said, Avengers opens up. The game consists of two kinds of missions: story missions that will be somewhat similar to A-Day, but focus on one hero at a time; and Warzones, which are looser missions that you can play with up to three other people cooperatively. Working through the story campaign has you re-assembling your Avengers team by convincing each hurt, broken hero to rejoin the team to face a new enemy: longtime Marvel evil corporation Advanced Idea Mechanics, or AIM. In the absence of the Avengers, AIM has stepped in with "advanced synthoid AI soldiers" to protect the world from superpowered people. Of course, AIM is evil, and there's a conspiracy afoot the Avengers will need to unravel to stop the bad guys and their world-dominating ambitions.Recruiting the characters returns them to a reclaimed helicarrier you'll use as a base of operations, adding them to the team you can then take into more missions. They're going to take some convincing, though. Tony Stark has withdrawn from the world because he feels he's failed it; Thor abandoned Mjolnir at Cap's memorial site and no longer feels worthy of fighting as a hero; Black Widow is back to her life as a lone-wolf spy; and Bruce Banner's anguish has him trapped in a Hulk state, unable to revert to his human form.As you progress through the narrative, you'll unlock additional story and Warzone missions that you can choose to play at your own pace, which are spread across the globe. Briggs said all the missions will feed back into the narrative; completing a story mission might give you access to new Warzones, and finishing Warzones might in turn unlock more missions of both types.But while story missions make up what Crystal Dynamics previously referred to as Avengers' bespoke campaign, Warzone games take on more of an open-world flavor. Playable alone or in co-op, they're a bit more generic in that they send you out to cool down conflict "hot spots," but have less of a narrative hook. You can take any hero you've recruited into Warzones, and the missions are dynamic based on which heroes you bring along for the fight and what powers and abilities they have. All the missions include a Power level ranking number when you see them on the world map, which gives you a sense of what you'll encounter--but you'll also set your own difficulty levels for missions.This is where Avengers starts to approach the more loot-focused live-game end of the spectrum. Completing missions helps you level up your heroes, which allows you to customize them using skill trees, unlocking new moves, abilities, and combos. Over time, your Tony Stark will become different from another player's Tony Stark based on your choices. At the same time, you'll also earn gear during your missions to outfit your heroes. Like in Destiny, Anthem, or Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, that gear comes in a variety of rarities, and the rarer it is, the more powerful it is. Briggs showed off some gear drops for Iron Man, including armor pieces that gave bonus perks to amp up some of his stats and abilities. You'll also be able to grab complete sets of gear for additional bonuses.Gear drops mostly come as mission rewards, and missions you take on tell you what kind of rewards you can expect for completing them so you can take on tougher challenges to chase better rewards. You can also expect some random drops as you play, though, and all the gear drops you receive will be specific to the character you're playing--which sounds similar to Destiny and Anthem.Your gear, skills, and decisions as you level up all work together to help you adjust your Avengers to match your playstyle for each hero. To customize how they look, you'll use cosmetic items that range from both classic comic looks and new, original spins. Like in other live-service games, expect to earn some just through playing, while others you'll purchase from Avengers' marketplace. Cosmetics won't affect how your heroes perform, but they'll make them stand out more from other players' heroes.There are other elements in play we haven't seen yet that further expand on the RPG-esque systems at work in Avengers. Briggs mentioned a resources system that Square Enix will explain further down the road. He also said that we can expect the story of Avengers to span years as new heroes and story missions are added along the way, all of which will be free. And we'll also get more information about how the co-op experience works in early 2020, Briggs said, ahead of Avengers' launch on May 15, 2020. Info from Gamespot.com

There's an intrinsically guilty draw about looking into the private lives of others--a burgeoning curiosity that pulls humans to tell stories, to gossip, to spy on one another. The psychology of that feeling is at the heart of Telling Lies, a game that really isn't about much more than watching the intimate communications of other people. The game leverages a human desire to pry into others' lives, and that feeling that we're doing something wrong helps to make the draw even more powerful.That feeling is how Telling Lies gets away with being a video game that doesn't really contain much of a "game," per se. As with its predecessor, Her Story, director and writer Sam Barlow lets the idea of uncovering the sordid details of someone else's life lead you through the experience. Where Her Story was something of an experiment with the idea--you skim through a database of unordered full-motion video clips that slowly expose a mystery concerning a woman who was questioned by police--Telling Lies is the larger-scale execution. There are more characters, more videos, and more details to uncover. The question of how much you'll enjoy Telling Lies is very much linked to how far your curiosity will carry you.To that end, there's no good way to explain what Telling Lies is about without ruining it. The game starts with a clip of a woman returning to her apartment and plugging a hard drive into a computer, which gives her access to a secret National Security Agency database of videos snaked from the Internet; essentially, a series of Skype or FaceTime calls made or received by a man named David. As with Her Story, the reason those videos are worth perusing, and why the privacy of these people is worth invading, is something you have to glean for yourself. As the title suggests, not everybody is fully honest with each other, and much of the game is a meditation on the deceptions humans employ every day in all their interactions. The face we show one person is different from the one we wear for another--and even what we tell ourselves is potentially suspect.Uncovering the lies and the reasoning behind them will likely keep you pretty well enraptured through the game's eight or so hours of video, especially in the early and middle portions when there are plenty of revelations waiting for you to unearth them. Nuanced performances help in that regard as well, even though the actors are mostly just staring into cameras and emoting. You'll probably recognize the members of the strong cast, led by Logan Marshall-Green (Prometheus, Upload), Alexandra Shipp (Dark Phoenix, Love, Simon), Kerry Bishé (Halt and Catch Fire, Narcos), and Angela Sarafyan (Westworld, American Horror Story). It's not hard to imagine Telling Lies as a Netflix show if it were presented a little differently. The game part of watching all those videos--and there are a lot of them, upwards of 160--usually is found in figuring out what you're not seeing or hearing in each one.All of Telling Lies takes place on a computer screen, where you can dig around on the stolen hard drive for additional context (or even play Solitaire), and poking around a bit gives some handy facts about what you're viewing. In order to make sure this particular NSA Big Brother program passes Constitutional muster, the videos can't be watched chronologically. You can only search for a clip using keywords, and when you uncover a conversation, you can only see one side of it at a time. Watching each clip is a chance to learn more about the people in it--but you'll also need to pay close enough attention to figure out what words to try next that will help you uncover more of the story, or what words the other person might be using so you can track down their side of the interaction.That system is nearly identical to the one in Her Story, with a few improvements. In Telling Lies, you can scrub through videos at various speeds by dragging your mouse to the sides of the screen. You'll start each video at the keyword with which you found it, so discovering context requires you to dig further into every video. Each selection also includes subtitles, and you can click any subtitled word while watching to use it as a keyword, making searching around a little easier--or allowing you to chase down a thread as soon as you see it.As noted, Telling Lies is an expansion of the ideas inherent to Her Story, and so it includes a lot of the same high points--and drawbacks. It's very much a title in which you need to make your own fun. Uncovering interesting tidbits about the characters or finally drawing a connection between one event and another is satisfying, but that also means that the "game" part of Telling Lies largely exists in your own mind. There's little to push you forward other than your own desire to know more, and you'll largely create your own objectives and climaxes in the form of "Aha!" moments along the way.The disjointed nature of the story also means that it's up to you to impose your own structure on it. Telling Lies doesn't have easy-to-follow traditional storytelling elements like a rising action or climax. It's possible (although really unlikely) to spot the final video in the sequence immediately after watching the first. Filling in the gaps is part of solving the mystery, but at the same time, Telling Lies pretty much ends when you get bored of searching or hit a wall and can't come up with any fresh keywords. A timer running on the screen lets you know how much of the in-game night you've wiled away with your inquiries. The game implies you've only got until dawn to find everything you can before you're inevitably snapped up by the authorities for stealing the database. But come 5:45 a.m., the timer stalls (or at least, it did after I hit the button ending the story once and then loaded an earlier save to dig around some more). That allows you infinite opportunities to keep searching, but it also seems the ticking clock is more a contrivance than an actual system, so again, you're not actually working toward anything other than your own satisfaction.That's never more true than when you trigger Telling Lies' ending, essentially by clicking an "I'm done" button as dawn approaches. Though you've dug through what is (seemingly) an illegal NSA database and your arrest is likely imminent, you get only a vague sense of what the information is for and what you're doing with it now that you have it. A final report that gives you a sense of how much of the game you completed and what most often drew your interest gives some suggestion of your character's final actions, but you're not compiling the raw data into a clear story, nor are you really leveraging it against the powers that be that are hunting you. Depending on which of the characters' videos you saw the most of, you'll get one of three endings that explains the aftermath of the two years of events you've just witnessed--but that's it, and it's unsatisfying to just see one conclusion of several intertwining narratives. And in the end, you're just watching videos, making connections, and then turning the game off.It's in the ending that Telling Lies feels a bit undercooked. The mechanics, writing, and performances create a real feeling of peering into someone else's private world all the way through, but the game doesn't give you much in the way of agency, especially if you endeavor to uncover every single video. Telling Lies never really answers a fundamental question raised by its very nature and structure: So what? The game's final report seems to suggest that you're taking part in crafting a narrative as a viewer, as if the act of uncovering and watching these videos creates a complete, subjective narrative for whoever sees them next--but you're only a passive part of that process, and you don't know you're taking part in it until it's over. The game might be telling you that you've had an effect on what someone else might see, but you don't get a chance to actually make any decisions in that process, or to separate truths from deceptions; you only get to watch.The mechanics, writing, and performances create a real feeling of peering into someone else's private world all the way through, but the game doesn't give you much in the way of agency.Telling Lies offers you the opportunity to delve into the intimate connections between people, to uncover who they are possibly to a deeper extent than even they realize. The production values and performances in particular make Telling Lies feel true and immediate, elevating the game's conceit that you're taking part in something forbidden and possibly sinister, even as you work as a digital detective. In that way, it's contemporary and meaningful as a game that uses interactivity in a unique way to explore how we relate to one another. But Telling Lies struggles to find meaning in that exploration. Its interactivity is only skin deep, like the lies its characters tell one another. As a further expansion of Barlow's ideas about what games can be, Telling Lies is a success. It's unfortunate that, in the end, it doesn't further embrace its interactive possibilities.Info from Gamespot.com

George R. R.. Martin has opened up about his work on the final two books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, which Game of Thrones is an adaptation of.In an interview with The Guardian, Martin spoke about The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring, the final two books in his series, neither of which has a set release date yet (although Martin has previously hinted at a 2020 release). Although he refused to comment on when the sixth book would arrive (or what he thought of the controversial finale to the Game of Thrones television series), he was open about how the end of the series has been freeing for him.In the lead up to season 6, when the show officially overtook the books, Martin felt that the pressure was impeding his work: "I don’t think it was very good for me, because the very thing that should have speeded me up actually slowed me down." But things feel different now that the show is over. "But having the show finish is freeing, because I’m at my own pace now. I have good days and I have bad days and the stress is far less, although it’s still there."He was also clear on the fact that the ending of the series hasn't changed how his books will end, despite the finale being poorly received by many fans. "It doesn’t change anything at all… As Rick Nelson says in Garden Party, one of my favourite songs, you can’t please everybody, so you’ve got to please yourself.” He has previously said that the book series ending might differ from the show, though. He spoke about how his understanding of the world in his books, which he started writing in 1991, has not been changed by the series. "For the average viewer, and I recognise this, Tyrion Lannister will always be Peter Dinklage from this point forward. But it did not work that way for me."Reflecting on some moments from the history of the show, Martin is very proud of the book readers who did not spoil the twist of the Red Wedding, and enjoyed watching reaction videos. "Suddenly, there were videos all over the internet of people reacting to the Red Wedding, all set up by their relatives who wanted to capture the grief and shock of their husbands, wives, siblings… Has that ever happened in the history of television? Not as far as I know.”Martin is also currently involved in the Game of Thrones prequel projects in development at HBO.Info from Gamespot.com

The Witcher 3's upcoming Switch port, which releases on October 15, looks like a miracle beyond what we thought the Switch was capable of. Now, in a new interview with Eurogamer, CD Projekt RED's Piotr Chrzanowski has explained how the port, which was largely done by Saber Interactive, came to be. The game has been in development for "around 12 months," and the team has managed to fit the entirety of The Witcher 3, including its DLC, onto a 32GB card."When it comes to expectations we wanted to really bring the same experience," Chrzanowski told Eurogamer. "So our goal was to bring the same game: not to cut anything, not to change things unless you really have to." CDPR made themselves available to Saber Interactive for guidance, but he makes it clear that Saber led development on the port. The port process has included working "a lot on memory optimization," as the Switch has much less to work with, but they've been able to add features as the game got more stable - ambient occlusion will be available in the final build, for example. No new assets had to be built; instead they "took the ones that were existing and we compressed them a bit."The game's geometry is unchanged from the original release, while cutscenes have been cut down to 720P. Models haven't been changed much either, although "there were slight adjustments in some cases." Chrzanowski says that Crookback Bog and Novigrad Market were two taxing sections that they wanted to get right. "It's the same experience," he told Eurogamer. "You play it, you feel the same way, you have all the systems, so you don't feel that anything is cut."The Witcher 3 is one of just 15 games to receive a 10/10 review from GameSpot. It's available to pre-order now. See The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Switch) at AmazonThe products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.Info from Gamespot.com

Destiny 2's cross-save functionality has launched, arriving ahead of the approaching Shadowkeep expansion and free-to-play New Light version, both of which will be available on October 1. Cross-save is a system that will let you import your Guardians, your stats and your progress between the PC, PS4, Xbox One and Google Stadia versions of Destiny 2, so you can keep going even if you decide to switch platforms. Bungie has posted a helpful guide to cross-save, explaining everything you could need to know. We've also summed it up below for your convenience, but the bottom line is, cross-save is great (once you get it working).What time does cross save release?Cross save functionality will begin rolling out today, August 21. Update: Maintenance related to cross-save has been delayed, and Bungie has now issued a new launch time for cross-save. It's still coming today, but a few hours later than previously announced. You can see the new times below. [Update 2: Cross-save now appears to be live. You can go to Bungie's cross-save website to now authenticate each of your accounts before deciding which one will be your "active" account. Some players have experienced issues during this process, but once you're through that, it appears to be working as intended.]UK: 8:30 PM (BST)Europe: 9:30 PM (CEST)East Coast US: 3:30 PM (EDT)West Coast US: 12:30 PM (PDT)Australia: 5:30 AM (AET, August 22)Which platforms does cross save support?All of them, including the upcoming Stadia version.Does this mean that you can play with friends on other platforms?Unfortunately, if you're playing on PlayStation 4, you still can't play with your friends on Xbox One -- however, it means that if you jump over to the Xbox One version, you won't need to start a new character.Can Cross Save be used to merge Guardians or Collections built up between different platforms?No. If you've already played through the game and maxed out two characters on two systems, there's no way to bring those characters together onto the same account, unfortunately. It's a matter of picking a primary account and porting your save over to other systems. The same goes for Silver, so be aware of that.Do previous purchases transfer between systems?No, unfortunately. Make sure that you purchase Shadowkeep, and any Silver, on your primary system.Can I disable Cross Save?If you want to do so - because, perhaps, you decide you prefer to split your save files between systems - you can. Once you do so, though, there's a 90 day wait to re-enable cross save. This is done to discourage account recoveries by other players.How much does it cost?It's completely free! When the New Light free-to-play version of Destiny 2 drops, you'll be able to comfortably transfer your Guardian and everything you own between systems without spending a cent.What impact will this have on my clans?Your active account can only be included in one Destiny clan, which will become your clan across all platforms you're playing from that account on. Your Active Account takes up one player slot in your Clan Roster, though, regardless of how many systems the account is active on. You'll also only have access to Clan teammates who are on the same platform as you at any given point. Clan objective progress carries over between systems, though. Info from Gamespot.com

Microsoft says its new studios will "focus on making games for our platforms," with no further plans to release more Xbox exclusives on PlayStation 4 or Nintendo Switch.The company has recently acquired a number of studios that either have or will release games on Nintendo Switch and PS4, including Double Fine, Ninja Theory, and Obsidian. However, it looks unlikely that this partnership will continue with Xbox's future releases.In a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, Microsoft outlined its plans for upcoming first-party titles, saying, "The past year has been an exciting time for us as we have more than doubled the internal creative teams making up Xbox Game Studios. As these new studios transitioned in, we were aware of some existing commitments to other platforms and will honor them. However, going forward these new studios will focus on making games for our platforms. We have no plans to further expand our exclusive first-party games to other consoles."This follows an announcement, via Nintendo, that previous Xbox One and PC exclusive Ori and the Blind Forest Definitive Edition, will be coming to Nintendo Switch with Microsoft handling the publishing duties.Nintendo and Microsoft have been collaborating on multiple projects over the past 12 months. Banjo-Kazooie was revealed as a DLC character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate back at E3 2019, and Microsoft also helped support the Switch releases for both Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice and Cuphead. The company has plans to bring Xbox Live to Nintendo's machine in the future as well.Meanwhile, games like Fortnite: Battle Royale, Rocket League, and Minecraft continue to support crossplay across multiple platforms, and Microsoft has no desire to halt these plans for current or upcoming titles. "We continue to believe deeply in crossplay and progression of games with the right flexibility for developers to ensure a fair and fun experience," the statement reads.Microsoft also has plans to make its IP accessible via other devices by using the company's streaming service xCloud.Info from Gamespot.com

The 2020 summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan will be a homecoming of sorts for Mario and Sonic. The unlikely pair have starred in officially licenced games for the iconic sporting event over the past 12 years, with the upcoming Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 being the sixth entry in the long-running series. Unlike previous entries, however, it will be the first to feature Classic Events which use 2D sprites and environments. Announced during a Nintendo Presents livestream at Gamescom 2019, the classic mode transports the game's varied cast back in time to 1964 so they can compete in the previous Olympic Games held in Tokyo. In the mode, the likes of Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Bowser are using sprites from 1985's Super Mario Bros., whereas Sonic and pals feature sprites from 1992's Sonic the Hedgehog 2. It's a nostalgic mishmash of 8- and 16-bit graphics, and the mode is fairly comprehensive, too. The classic 2D characters are able to compete in 10 different events, such as the 100m dash, the long jump, judo, team volleyball, and more, and each event will also take place in a 2D arena. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 launches on the Nintendo Switch on November 5 in North America and November 8 in Europe. Info from Gamespot.com

Two months on from Shadowbringers release, the events keep on rolling in Final Fantasy XIV. The Moonfire Faire event began earlier this month and is still ongoing, allowing you to unlock various clothing material and even a kid's swimming pool for your housing. Then, starting August 26, a new event called The Rising will kick-off for all players level 30 and above.The Rising will be located in Eastern La Noscea, Bloodshore, and will send you on an important quest to unlock a Brave New Y’shtola minion and numerous pieces of artwork to decorate the walls of your housing with.Reviewer Ginny Woo awarded the Shadowbringers expansion a score of 9/10 in GameSpot's review, saying, "It's not just the sheer scale and strength of the narrative weaving in years of old lore without cheapening the experience for new players, or the immaculately designed boss fights replete with spectacular music and thematic touches. It's also the implementation of the Trust system and the chance to truly feel the impact of the Warrior of Light's decisions over the past expansions through exploring the stories of your companions. For a story that starts with a laser focus on your character's motivations and misgivings, it tells a tale that ends up being the biggest and the best that Final Fantasy XIV has ever told. Equal parts redemption, vengeance, cruelty, and sassy Elezen, Shadowbringers promises a hell of a lot when you take your first steps into Norvrandt and delivers a truly spectacular finish even if it stumbles a little along the way."In other Final Fantasy news, Square Enix released a new trailer for Final Fantasy VIII Remastered during Gamescom, finally giving us a release date of September 3 for the upgraded version of the classic RPG. With overhauled visuals and substantial polish, the remaster also fixed one of the game's funniest memes. Info from Gamespot.com

Although Spider-Man has had some of his most successful movie outings as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the fact remains that the cinematic rights to the character are owned by Sony, rather than Marvel Studios parent company Disney. A dispute between the studios over the financing of future Spidey movies led to reports this week that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige will no longer serve as a producer on future Spider-Man films. Now Sony has commented directly on the issue.In a series of tweets, Sony claimed that many of the reports about the dispute have "mischaracterized" discussions between the studios. The statement focuses on Feige's involvement, but clearly places responsibility for the decision for him not be involved with Disney. It also makes a clear reference to "IP they do not own," emphasizing that, ultimately, Spider-Man is Sony's property as far as movies are concerned. Check the tweets out below:Much of today’s news about Spider-Man has mischaracterized recent discussions about Kevin Feige’s involvement in the franchise. We are disappointed, but respect Disney’s decision not to have him continue as a lead producer of our next live action Spider-Man film. (1/3) — Sony Pictures (@SonyPictures) August 21, 2019We hope this might change in the future, but understand that the many new responsibilities that Disney has given him – including all their newly added Marvel properties – do not allow time for him to work on IP they do not own. (2/3) — Sony Pictures (@SonyPictures) August 21, 2019Kevin is terrific and we are grateful for his help and guidance and appreciate the path he has helped put us on, which we will continue. (3/3) — Sony Pictures (@SonyPictures) August 21, 2019Sony's tweets follows comments the studio initially made to io9, in which it stated that negotiations between the two sides are still in progress and that the issue at hand was over Feige receiving a producer credit on the films.The big question remains over the future of Spider-Man and the MCU. Spider-Man: Far From Home was the official end of the MCU's Phase 3, setting the stage for what's to come from the universe of films. With Feige no longer being involved, it's possible that the Spider-Man franchise could instead exist outside of the MCU. Sony has already been building a non-MCU Spider-Man universe thanks to the film adaptation of Venom, as well as the upcoming Morbius movie, in which Jared Leto stars as the titular living vampire. Sources told Deadline that there were already two more planned Spider-Man films starring Tom Holland as the web-slinger, with director Jon Watts expected to return.The situation could always change and the two studios could come to an agreement. Deadline, however, noted it would take something "dramatic" for that to happen. For now, an extended cut of Spider-Man: Far From Home will hit theaters on August 29.Info from Gamespot.com