Mario is a video game icon not only because he's a plucky and affable dude, but because he's the face behind some of the best platformers of all time. Nintendo has carefully guided his adventures for decades, but something happened in 2015: It gave players the keys to design and share stages in Wii U's Super Mario Maker, and the Mario we thought we knew took on a whole new light. He was no longer a laidback high-jumping hero; Mario became a hardened speed demon, a death-defying daredevil forced into unruly gauntlets crafted by evil geniuses who know his every hop, skip, and jump like the back of their hand.With the Wii U and 3DS versions of Mario Maker abandoned by Nintendo at this point, Super Mario Maker 2 on Switch brings us back to that heady time from years past. The game itself is largely familiar, though the more you play and create, the more you notice all of the little additions tucked inside and appreciate how they elevate the potential for creativity in new ways. Mario Maker 2 is a robust level creation tool and a fantastic open-ended platformer that will no doubt spur a new era of competition among players and creators alike.Due to the fact that so much of Mario Maker 2's potential success lies in the hands of its players, we are going to give the community time to acclimate and a chance to show us what it's made of at large before weighing in with our final verdict. But so far, it's amazing what the right players can do when given the tools to craft Mario's world.The intuitive drag-and-drop system is back--you don't, however, have the luxury of a built-in Switch stylus, so consider buying or devising one before getting into the game as using your finger alone can cause you to occasionally misplace objects. You can create while your Switch is docked, though ultimately that should be a last resort considering how quickly you can place objects in handheld mode, even with the lack of stylus. Picking and placing ingredients for your level, or painting wide swaths of land, is a quick and painless process, and there are intuitive means of copying, pasting, and undoing your work as needed. You are once again given access to the components of games including Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and New Super Mario Bros. U, along with their numerous enemies, objects, and mechanisms. You select a game theme and work within that toolset, but you can easily switch to another one on the fly and retain most of your work--only occasional elements aren't transferable.The big exception is the newly included set based on Super Mario 3D World, which can only be used in isolation. Lest you mistake the "3D" aspect to suggest you're breaking free from side-scrolling Mario, you aren't--you're just given access to unique elements from that game, such as the never-not-strange Cat Mario power-up. Far from being the only notable addition, the sum total of which are too numerous to list here, the Cat Mario suit is up there with the ability to make slopes, craft custom scrolling for stages, and set level-clear conditions as one of the most impactful additions to the Mario Maker formula. That's just judging by our pre-launch experience, but time will tell what seemingly average element gets twisted into a diabolical weapon in the hands of the craftiest creators. In Mario Maker 2, as in the original, even the smallest variable can have a huge ripple effectFor new creators, there's the chance of becoming overwhelmed with the number of options available at the start, but that's where Yamamura's Dojo comes in. Yamamura is a pigeon, but a very wise and insightful pigeon at that. If you need help wrapping your head around the basic concepts that go into conceiving and creating a level, Yamamura's your bird. His catalog of 45 lessons (divided into Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced sets) walk you through everything from laying tracts of land and placing Goombas to the more philosophical side of level creation, even navigating the meta side of being a creator unleashing their work for others to judge.These lessons will help get a novice creator up to speed, and the fact that there's nothing holding back knowledgeable designers from the start was a smart move by Nintendo, too. As mentioned, the limited pool of creators has thus far made some truly impressive stages that utilize Mario Maker 2's robust toolset well. The overall level of logic inherent to a Mario game remains largely the same--no digging under the hood to rewrite traditional cause-and-effect rules, for example--but the spirit of Mario Maker 2 comes alive when familiar elements are combined by masterful players, often in ways that Nintendo would never employ in a traditional Mario game.So far, that unexpected creativity often manifests itself in oddball stages packed with an unreasonable number of enemies, diabolical platforming tests that demand superhuman reflexes, or clever contraptions that move Mario and key items around an environment with calculated chain reactions. Not every stage is a winner, but because the fundamental controls and elements of the world are tried-and-true, it's rare that you run into a custom stage worth getting upset about. Ultimately, dozens (soon to be hundreds, if not thousands) of alternative stages are seconds away, a convenience that's easy to take for granted. It's not an understatement to say that the speed at which you can browse, download, and play levels are key factors that make exploring Mario Maker 2 so easy and enjoyable.Discoverability plays a part in what levels you find, and beyond basic lists such as popular, new, and trending courses, there's a detailed search function that lets you narrow stage selection by attributes like theme and difficulty. You can also sort by tags that indicate the type of stage at hand, be it an auto-scrolling level or puzzle-centric challenge. After playing, you can leave feedback on the level for other players to consider--a simple but meaningful chance to contribute to the community and learn from your peers. This is all to say that Mario Maker 2's online stage selection is both organized and catered to the wider player base. You don't have to involve yourself in every aspect of it if you just want to play a bunch of random Mario levels, but it's great to see that you can become deeply involved with your fellow makers if you desire.One of the hotly contested elements pre-launch was online multiplayer, which comes in both co-op and competitive forms. Nintendo's initial plans to limit these modes to random matchmaking drew the ire of some fans who quite reasonably expected to be able to play with their friends. Nintendo has since made it clear that feature will come, just not in time for launch. While we'd like to weigh in on the current stage of playing alongside strangers, this is a key feature that we were unable to test as needed prior to launch. Keep an eye out for the full review after launch for our analysis of the game's multiplayer components, including the co-op level creator mode.The other major addition to Mario Maker 2 is a proper story mode, a campaign of 100 Nintendo-made levels ostensibly designed to show you the breadth of the game's potential, so far as Nintendo's creators see it, anyway. The story is typical Mario fare set in an overworld with NPCs and a few fun surprises, taking things a few steps further than The Super Mario Challenge from the 3DS Mario Maker. It's not an amazing addition in light of the countless levels sure to come from other players, but it's an enjoyable alternative if you prefer a more coordinated campaign. There's the slight missed opportunity to give you creative tools as a means of solving purpose-built puzzles, to give you that hands-on learning in a practical scenario, but they are given to you as options to overcome stages that you repeatedly fail. It's not as if there's a drought of custom stages online, even before release, though Nintendo's batch of stages are nice to have if you want to dig into stages handmade by the developers themselves.With the story mode and dozens of custom-built stages under my belt, I'm anxiously waiting for the floodgates to open upon Mario Maker's 2 release. What I've played so far has proven, once again, that the Mario series is worth all the admiration it gets, and Mario Maker 2 is an excellent tool for picking it apart by pushing its enemies, mechanisms, and Mario, to their limit. I've yet to make a stage of my own that I think is worthy of sending out to other players, but I'm committed to getting there. Whether exploring the full potential of a single element or throwing things at the wall to see what sticks, I've got the itch to join the creator's club. And thankfully, even if you aren't an instant success (like me), Mario Maker 2 makes the learning process intuitive and enjoyable. Info from Gamespot.com

If you have even the slightest inkling that you might ever want to play the newly-revived Samurai Shodown fighting game, head over to the US PlayStation Store: this week anyone can get the season one DLC pass for free, even if they don't yet own the game itself. Normally $20, the season one pass is free from now through 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET on July 2. If you're then eager to see those weapons clashing, you can save $10 when you buy the game itself from Amazon US.Get the Samurai Shodown season 1 pass on PS4 for free »Just released on June 25, Samurai Shodown is actually the 12th main entry in the eponymous fighting game series from Japanese developer SNK. The games have released on a variety of platforms, but most iconically on SNK's own Neo Geo. The series traditionally simplifies the often-complex combo-focused dueling of other fighting games into an accessible, but nuanced system of timing and anticipation. This latest iteration is no different, refreshing the still-solid basic mechanics with vivid graphics that are reminiscent of Street Fighter V. GameSpot's review is forthcoming.If you're looking for more great PlayStation deals, check out the latest sale and weekly deals on US PSN. There's also a sale on MassGenie for one year of PS Plus for just $36. Amazon Prime Day is also right around the corner, so expect more great discounts on PS4 games and gear in the coming weeks.Info from Gamespot.com

The next Playerunknown's Battlegrounds game is in development, the game's publisher has announced. The as yet untitled game is being made by a new studio named Striking Distance, which has appointed ex-Call of Duty and Dead Space developer Glen Schofield as CEO.The project is seemingly in its infancy, so little is known about the game at present. PUBG Corp.'s press release states the game is an "original narrative experience within the PUBG universe," while Schofield hints the game might not be a battle royale title. He said: "As a creative, the freedom to explore the PUBG universe has me excited about the possibilities, which I view as beyond the battle royale genre." Schofield went on to tweet that the new game is not a sequel to PUBG.PUBG began life as an Arma 2 mod, before being spun off into its own battle royale title--in early access on PC--in early 2017. It later came to both Xbox One and PS4.PUBG has also been one of the most influential games of the 21st century. It remains a huge game in its own right, but it has also inspired and influenced what is possibly the industry's biggest trend right now in the battle royale genre, including successful titles like Fortnite and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.Info from Gamespot.com

The Steam Summer Sale has revved up its engines, offering a truckload of discounts on PC games. The store has paired its annual promotion with another minigame this year, and if you're on one of the winning teams you could score some free games.The Steam Grand Prix pits players from different teams in a virtual race. You build up your "Boost Meter" and then you can hit the boost to help your team. Teams are split into Pig, Hare, Corgi, Cockatiel, and Tortoise. At the conclusion of each day's race, random members of the three winning teams will earn free games. Steam notes that you should make sure to update your wish list, since that will determine the free games.The maximum size of your Boost Meter can be increased by making purchases during the sale; each $1 you spend grants 100 points of capacity to your bar. (You might have started out with a larger Boost Meter due to purchases you've made previously.) The Boost Meter is filled by both earning Steam Achievements and completing special quests, such as one that tasks you with playing 30 minutes of a game that includes Steam Achievements.Aside from free games, you can also trade in your race tokens for personal prizes at the "Pit Stop." Those include cosmetics like emoticons, profile backgrounds, as well as store coupons for further discounts. If you're busy during the sale and can't participate in the Grand Prix, there will be a period on July 7 where everyone can spend leftovers tokens at the Pit Stop.Limited accounts aren't locked out of this event altogether, although they don't add anything to their team's speed. They can, however, redeem tokens at the Pit Stop.Meanwhile, the Steam Summer Sale is worth visiting just to get your hands on some cheap games. Some notable deals include Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice for $48, Devil May Cry 5 for $40, and Dead Cells for $17. Check out our Steam Summer Sale roundup for our picks of the best deals the event has to offer.Info from Gamespot.com

Call of Duty developer and Sledgehammer Games founder Glen Schofield left Activision at the end of 2018, and we now know what he's working on next. PUBG Corp. has announced Schofield has joined the company to work on the next Playerunknown's Battlegrounds game. The industry veteran, who was instrumental in the creation of Dead Space before his work on Call of Duty, has founded a new studio named Striking Distance, which is wholly owned by the PUBG publisher. "Throughout my career, I've had a lot of opportunities to make some remarkable games that tell incredible stories, and each of them has meant something special to me," said Schofield. "But now, those learnings will help me build a AAA team that can explore new designs and concepts at Striking Distance."As a creative, the freedom to explore the PUBG universe has me excited about the possibilities, which I view as beyond the battle royale genre. Today represents a special moment for me and I’m so thankful to be taking this journey with the team at PUBG Corporation."Striking Distance is developing the next game in the PUBG universe, though it won't be a sequel. Judging from Schofield's statement, it sounds as if the game won't be a battle royale title. Little else is known about the game at present.Before founding Striking Distance, Schofield worked extensively on the Call of Duty franchise. His work spanned Modern Warfare 3, Advanced Warfare, and WWII. Before that, he was at Visceral Games and EA, while his past employers include Crystal Dynamics and the now-defunct Absolute Entertainment.Info from Gamespot.com

The fantasy series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is one of Netflix’s biggest upcoming shows, and the cast just keeps getting better. The series arrives in August, and it has been announced that Game of Thrones star Lena Headey and Doctor Strange's Benedict Wong are among the new members of the voice cast.Netflix has confirmed that Headey and Wong will play Maudra Fara and The General respectively. Other new cast members include Sigourney Weaver (Ghostbusters) as The Myth-Speaker, Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians) as The Collector, Hannah John-Kamen (Ant-Man and The Wasp) as Naia, and Dave Goelz, who appeared in the original Dark Crystal movie, as Baffi.The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is a prequel to the classic 1982 film, and it hits Netflix on August 30. The cast also includes Taron Egerton, Anya Taylor-Joy, Mark Hamill, Jason Isaacs, Keegan-Michael Key, Simon Pegg, Andy Samberg, Helena Bonham Carter, Eddie Izzard, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mark Strong, and Alicia Vikander. There also two other stars from Game of Thrones in here--Natalie Dormer and Nathalie Emmanuel.Like the movie, which was co-directed by the late Muppets creator Jim Henson, the new show uses puppetry to create the world of the Dark Crystal. You can check out the stunning first trailer here. Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance will run for 10 episodes.The official synopsis reads: "The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance tells a new epic story, set many years before the events of the movie, and realized using classic puppetry with cutting edge visual effects. The world of Thra is dying. The Crystal of Truth is at the heart of Thra, a source of untold power. But it is damaged, corrupted by the evil Skeksis, and a sickness spreads across the land. When three Gelfling uncover the horrific truth behind the power of the Skeksis, an adventure unfolds as the fires of rebellion are lit and an epic battle for the planet begins."Info from Gamespot.com

If you just can't wait until Cyberpunk 2077 arrives next year, you can now keep the hype alive with a free skin for your PS4 user interface, available now in the PlayStation Store. "Mercenary of the Dark Future" takes inspiration from CD Projekt Red's upcoming open-world RPG to upgrade your PlayStation's backgrounds, icons, sounds, and music. The icons have that classic, blue, wireframe look of sci-fi UIs, evoking a netrunner's rig in the game. Check it out below.Cyberpunk 2077 is CD Projekt Red's hugely-anticipated follow-up to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which is based on Mike Pondsmith's seminal tabletop RPG, Cyberpunk 2020. Keanu Reeves was revealed to be a major character during Microsoft's recent E3 presentation. The open-world RPG launches on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on April 16, 2020.You can pre-order Cyberpunk 2077 now on your preferred platform, including various pre-order goodies and special editions. There's also a great deal over on GOG to pre-order it for PC and add the entire Witcher franchise for very little additional cost.Info from Gamespot.com

While Luigi will no doubt remain in the shadow of his spotlight-hogging brother, Mario, the little-plumber-that-occasionally-could has had something of an increase in popularity of late. Given that there was an entire year of Nintendo games and marketing dedicated to him in 2013, this shouldn't come as a surprise, but he's also become a bit bolder as a character recently--who can forget the gifs of him giving dagger eyes to fellow racers as he passed them by in Mario Kart 8?Luigi's Mansion 3 allows the lanky green boy to continue his side-hustle as an exorcist and ghost hunter but puts him up against his greatest challenge yet: an entire hotel full of ghouls to be vacuumed and vanquished. This time Mario and the gang have been captured, and it's up to him to free them and save the day. This will require bravery the likes of which Luigi has never shown before, so could it also be a turning point in his life? Will we get a self-assured, composed Luigi on the other side?That's one of the questions we posed to Kensuke Tanabe, producer of Luigi's Mansion 3, and the game's supervisor, Yoshihito Ikebata. We also discussed the surprising popularity of the character and what distinguishes him from Mario, as well as how moving to a hotel changes the ghost hunting experience, and Nintendo's thinking on DLC for the game.GameSpot: During the presentation, you mentioned the Luigi's Mansion games have done really well. Was that a surprise to you?Tanabe: I was genuinely surprised to see so many people so excited about this game. There was a very long gap in the time between the first and second game coming out, but the fact that the third one came out pretty much right away must have something to do with the fact that it was so popular. So, right now we're talking to [Luigi's Mansion 3 developer] Next Level Games, trying to get more out of the game; creating a more fun game featuring Luigi.Do you think that Luigi as a character is now more relatable to the common person? Everyone loves Mario but he's a hero beyond reach. He rescued the princess many times, he's been to outer space, and done all sorts of wild stuff. Luigi is still just the scared younger brother. Would you say that Luigi's more popular and relatable than Mario?Tanabe: Yeah, we agree with you exactly. Mario is just basically the hero, someone to look up to, an inspiration. Whereas Luigi is someone who [people can feel] closer to and I think that's a part of his charm.How does that translate to designing a game? In a lot of games, you want to fulfill the fantasy of being a hero, but Luigi is scared a lot of time. And he achieves things, but he rarely has the same kind of triumph moment.Tanabe: Were you able to play the game?Yeah, I played it.Tanabe: So you saw things like [the] slam?[Editor's note: The slam is an ability Luigi has that allows him to grab enemy ghosts, wrangle them, and then slam them into the ground to do damage.]Yeah. But when he does it, he seems like he's kind of terrified the entire time and scared of doing it. He never quite looks confident--even three games in.Tanabe: Well, that's exactly it. In terms of the gameplay and how it feels like to the user, that's something we really focus on [to] let the player feel good when they play the game. So, in animating Luigi himself, we want to keep it very Luigi-like. Even if Luigi's terrified, if the player can [be] satisfied by doing these actions, I think they will feel satisfied.What was it about a hotel setting that intrigued you?Tanabe: Simply put, I just really wanted a different atmosphere. In addition to that, structurally speaking, in Luigi's Mansion, I really wanted a bunch of the rooms to be interconnected with each other and then have the users visualize that in their minds and make that into a game plan in itself. But, when that's kind of stacked up vertically, it becomes kind of difficult to make that very clear.But, when it's a hotel, it's very obvious, very easy to visualize. The other thing we wanted to do was to give it a different theme and atmosphere for each of the floors and that's what was facilitated by choosing this.Do you find it harder to create a consistent atmosphere? Because, as you go from levels that are drastically different in theme, you're almost resetting everything. How do you approach making sure that it's still spooky throughout while also having to start over each time you move up a floor?Ikebata: Actually, because it's a hotel, it was very easy to come up with completely different atmospheres for each floor. We always had a thing from the perspective of the user, for the players who are going to play it, it's like, "How can we surprise them, how can we keep them kind of anticipating something new each time?" It's really all about the art style. So, by unifying the artistic look and feel of the entire thing, you're able to kind of maintain that same feel.Did you do any actual research to go to spooky, haunted hotels? There's a few in LA. Did you try any of them? Because the Ghostbusters hotel is down the road, The Millennium Biltmore.Tanabe: Oh man! Had we known about that haunted house, we totally would have gone. Unfortunately, we didn't think to do that.Randomizing levels in multiplayer is interesting. What was the thinking behind that?Tanabe: Because you can play with a lot of people, say four, they can all be in the same room at once if they want to, but it does kind of slow down the pace. Whereas everyone can be dispersed but then they also need to be able to come back together. They're about to battle a bunch of ghosts.With that in mind, even though the rooms are randomly generated, we want to make sure people are able to come back together if they have to. Just making the layout so that it facilitates that was something I had in mind so we were sure to let Next Level Games know that was something that needs to happen.Could this game be a moment of decisive change for Luigi as a character? Because Mario is trapped and all of their friends are trapped. We've got a game where Luigi rescues Mario, and if that is the case, is there a chance that he perhaps becomes more self-assured as a character? I think a lot of Luigi fans want to see that, if only for their own confidence.Tanabe: That's a great observation because that is exactly the reason why we wanted to have the whole gang in there. He's going to rescue Mario. It's good.I think it's time Luigi was no longer a coward and I think he's proved himself enough times that he should get a little bit of a confidence level up.Tanabe: Sure. But, he's scared still.A couple of years ago we had gifs of Luigi in Mario Kart looking at everyone very angrily and it seems like everything's building for him to finally push Mario out of the way.Tanabe: [Laughs] I think Mario is a traditional hero type whereas Luigi is Luigi. We think that, regardless, he'll go in his own direction.It was also mentioned during the presentation that Luigi as a character, and also his games as a whole, appeal to a much broader audience than you'd expect. Specifically, women were mentioned as liking Luigi more than Mario. Why do you think that is?Tanabe: Well, I don't know for sure, but I think it's what we said earlier about the fact that he's not a traditional hero and is [therefore] a little bit closer to us, and I think the fact that you can kind of empathize with him might be what it is.Structurally, how many levels can we expect the hotel to have and is there room to expand that later on? Are you looking at this hotel format as something you can build upon?Tanabe: Are you speaking of the single-player?Single-player and multiplayer, if that's something that you can add to later on. Is that something you want to do?Ikebata: Right now there are 17 floors [in single-player].Tanabe: Because like you said, it's a hotel structure with multiple floors, I think it would have been possible to add even more floors. But, I think the hardest part of that is not necessarily the act of adding floors, but it's like ... the story is done, so by adding [more floors], how are we going to expand that aspect? Because I want to experience completing the whole hotel and just feel satisfied that it's done. Adding on new stuff is not really something that gives us that.What about introducing new elements in multiplayer? Now, when people design games, they don't want others to play it, be done, and move on. Instead, they want people to keep coming back. Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate do well with additional multiplayer options. Is that something you're thinking about with Luigi's Mansion?Tanabe: This is a pretty important point, but trying to continue to add onto things that are already completed keeps the development team working on that project. What we really want to do is focus on the next thing, it keeps us moving onto new things. I personally don't have that kind of endurance.That's interesting to hear since much of the industry's going the opposite direction. People spend a lot of time and money creating one thing and then they want to get as much out of it as possible to the point where it can be kind of exhausting for them and the player. What are your thoughts on that trend of people spending years and years and years making the same game? How do you feel about that from a creative standpoint?Tanabe: Of course, we have titles like that in Nintendo too. Personally, I think there's got to be a couple of content updates over time because it's really fun. But I don't feel like we need to necessarily do that with all of our titles. So, this is entirely based on my personality, but I'm someone who likes to finish something and then move on.As a player, I like to finish a game and then move on. It's good to hear that Luigi's Mansion has a finishing point.Tanabe: Of course, there are games like that for those types of people who want to keep playing that type of game, and fans like you who wants to finish a game and move on, so I think it's great that there's a variety of different types of games.For sure. And moving on helps creators channel that creativity and also get their ideas flowing. Is that something that you actively encourage while making games like Luigi's Mansion--or people to start thinking of the next thing?Tanabe: I, myself, am like that. Even when I'm creating something I'm constantly thinking of the next thing. Even as we're wrapping up the development of Luigi Mansion 3, Next Level Games is like, what about [Luigi's Mansion 4]? What's going to come after a hotel?How do you feel about that? Where you have wrapped up [development] and you're in the mindset of wanting to finish the game, and then someone comes along and says, "What about the fourth one?" Are you like, "Let me do something else first," or are you like, "I'm ready, I've got another idea, I want to go now, let's do the next one now?"Tanabe: So, I personally work on multiple titles at the same time, not just one. When someone approaches me with a new idea, I have no issues. But on the other hand, if you try to make three of the same type of title, sometimes the staff will become exhausted. So, if the same team has worked on the same game three times, I try to make sure they get to work on something else.Nintendo was a company that made games internally and was very careful about who creates its games. More recently, we've seen Nintendo partnering with other developers, whether it's Japanese companies like Bandai Namco or others like Next Level Games or Retro. What's it been like to have that shift?Tanabe: I personally have been working since the '90s with external companies. The one thing I always think about is not just letting anyone make our games. We always work with someone who understands the way Nintendo games are. Another reason is that now that a lot of things are in HD and the quality is very high, it's really hard for us to just make everything on our own, so we do have to rely on other companies that understand the way things are made at Nintendo to make this together.Do you find that these outside studios will bring in ideas that Nintendo wouldn't think of? When that happens, how do you weigh up taking on new ideas that are unexpected with what your fans expect from a Nintendo game?Tanabe: Nintendo traditionally doesn't do a lot of things that are really grotesque or violent, for example. Our priority is doing something that is [uniquely] Nintendo. So, when people come up with ideas that we don't agree with and they're like, "In our culture, we make it like this." We, in turn, ask them, "Have you made a Nintendo game?" I turn it around and say, "I probably know more about making a Nintendo game than you do. So, how about I tell you how to work together on this?" Info from Gamespot.com

Sony has revealed the games PlayStation Plus subscribers will be able to download for free in July. As always, these will be available for about a month and will permanently remain a part of your PSN games library for as long as you have an active PS Plus subscription.The first game is something for the sports fans out there: Pro Evolution Soccer 2019, while the second is Horizon Chase Turbo, which is described on the PlayStation Blog as "a love-letter to the iconic, just-one-more-go racers of the arcade's golden age." It harkens back to classics like Out Run and Top Gear.While Horizon Chase Turbo may not be familiar to you, it's available at no additional cost if you're already paying for PlayStation Plus, so worth taking a shot on anyway. PES 2019, on the other hand, will no doubt be familiar to you. The latest entry in Konami's beloved soccer sim series is also one of its best and earned a 9/10 in our review."For as long as EA continues to develop FIFA and hold a monopoly over official licences, PES will be the scrappy underdog just hoping for a surprise upset, even when it's fielding the likes of London Blue and PV White Red," said Richard Wakeling. "The lack of licences for top-tier leagues remains a disheartening sticking point, but PES continues to make brilliant strides on the pitch, building on what was already an incredibly satisfying game of football to produce one of the greatest playing football games of all time."It might be lacking off the pitch, but put it on the field against the competition and a famous giant killing wouldn't be all that surprising." Read our full PES 2019 review for a detailed analysis of the game. This year's upcoming entry will bear a new naming convention when it releases in September: eFootball PES 2020.The announcement of July's titles means time is running out to claim June's free PlayStation Plus titles, which are Borderlands: The Handsome Collection and Sonic Mania. After July 1, these two games will no longer be available to download. PES 2019 and Horizon Chase Turbo will be available for free from July 2 until August 5.July 2019 PlayStation Plus Games For PS4Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 (July 2 - August 5)Sonic Mania (July 2 - August 5)Konami has announced the next game in the series, which has the odd title of "eFootball PES 2020." The game is expected to launch on September 10 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Info from Gamespot.com

Avengers: Endgame is the biggest movie of the 21st century to date. Globally, the movie made $2.7 billion at the box office, making it the second highest grossing movie of all time. So of course, when this movie releases digitally 7/30 and on Blu-ray on 8/13, chances are you're going to buy it. Luckily, we know what special features will be included on this home release.Recently revealed, both the digital and physical release of the movie will have plenty of features giving us more insight into 2019's biggest movie. Most importantly, there will be audio commentary from directors Anthony and Joe Russo and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. Last year with Infinity War's home release, the commentary gave us a ton of insight into the movie, along with some Easter eggs.Additionally, there are six deleted scenes included, and the titles of these scenes are listed below. They may give us some idea of what they're about. There is also a gag reel, so there is a pretty good chance we'll see some of these actors dancing between takes. Sadly, there's no mention of Chris Hemsworth as fat Thor playing "Hurt."Pre-Order Avengers EndgameGet it digitally on Amazon (7/30)Get it on Blu-ray at Best Buy (8/13)Get the steelbook version at Best Buy (8/13)The digital version of the movie only has one exclusive feature, and that's a featurette diving into Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter, dissecting Steve's controversial decision at the end of the movie. There is plenty more on this home release, so check out the full list of special features below.Avengers: Endgame Special Features:Digital Exclusive:Steve and Peggy: One Last Dance--A special feature exploring these two characters relationship and history.Blu-ray & Digital:Remembering Stan Lee--The cast and filmmakers discuss Lee's cameos in MCU movies.Setting The Tone: Casting Robert Downey Jr.--Recounting casting RDJ for Iron ManA Man Out of Time: Creating Captain America--The evolution of Cap.Black Widow: Whatever It Takes--The evolution of Black WidowThe Russo Brothers: Journey to EndgameThe Women of the MCUBro Thor--An exploration of this character for EndgameSix Deleted Scenes--“Goji Berries,” “Bombs on Board,” “Suckiest Army in the Galaxy,” “You Used to Frickin’ Live Here,” “Tony and Howard” and “Avengers Take a Knee.”Gag ReelAudio Commentary-- By directors Anthony and Joe Russo, and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.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

PC gaming giant Steam just launched its annual summer sale, offering huge discounts across the board on thousands of PC games, and now you can save even more with this great deal on Steam gift cards. For a limited time at MassGenie, $100 and $50 Steam gift cards cost $85 and $43, respectively. An additional 15% off when you're already seeing discounts of 50-75% is the cherry on top of a savings sundae. Here's how to get the deal.Enter the code STEAMGIFTCARD100 or STEAMGIFTCARD50 at checkout to apply the discount. Per usual with MassGenie deals, ignore the ominous, 24-hour clock counting down on the side of the page--the offer is valid until June 30, or while supplies last.Get a $100 Steam gift card for $85 on MassGenie »Get a $50 Steam gift card for $43 on MassGenie »Keep in mind, you may find that some Steam games are even cheaper outside of the Steam sale right now. But if you are buying through Steam, doing so with a discounted gift card will ensure you get some great savings.This year the Steam sale includes a new mini-game in its Grand Prix theme. Users select a team for a race (among Hare, Corgi, Cockatiel, Pig, and Tortoise) and then complete quests in their various games to earn points toward a boost, which then helps their team do better in the race. Supporters of the winning teams will earn free games from their Steam wishlists, so be sure to get yours up to date once you join a team.We'll be posting more highlights from the sale as it goes on, but for starters check out our favorite overall deals. Also be sure to take a look at the best games under $10, since that category explodes during this time of year with some absolute steals. Not to be outdone, Fanatical also has its own Red Hot summer sale going on right now with a lot of great deals on Steam codes as well. Fanatical is worth keeping tabs on in general, since they often have better deals than Steam does directly, so be sure to compare prices to make sure you're getting the best deal possible.Info from Gamespot.com

The three major console manufacturers behind Switch, Xbox One, and PS4--Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony--have penned a joint letter voicing their opposition for tariffs that would impact Chinese goods including game consoles. The three say the proposed tariffs on video game consoles would cause harm to consumers, developers, retailers, and manufacturers, risk job losses in the industry, and stifle innovation."While we appreciate the Administration's efforts to protect U.S. intellectual property and preserve U.S. high-tech leadership, the disproportionate harm caused by these tariffs to U.S. consumers and businesses will undermine—not advance—these goals," the letter states.The letter goes on to note that in 2018, more than 96% of video game consoles imported in the US were manufactured in China, and that moving 100% of manufacturing to the US or another country would cause "significant supply chain disruption" and increase costs "even beyond the cost of the proposed tariffs.""Each video game console comprises dozens of complex components sourced from multiple countries," it says. "A change in even a single supplier must be vetted carefully to mitigate risks of product quality, unreliability and consumer safety issues. Tariffs would significantly disrupt our companies' businesses and add significant costs that would depress sales of video game consoles and the games and services that drive the profitability of this market segment."The industry leaders also note that consoles are sold under very tight margins, sometimes at a loss. Increasing the cost of production would either need to add to the sales price ("console purchasers are extremely price sensitive") or cut into the companies themselves. A 25% price increase in consoles to match the tariff cost would "likely put a new video game console out of reach for many American families who we expect to be in the market for a console this holiday season."It goes on to note the potential harm to third-party accessory makers, developers, and especially retailers. In particular it voices concern over these tariffs going into effect before the 2019 holiday season."Given that retail margins on video game consoles are generally very tight, we see no possible reasonable scenario for retailers other than passing tariff costs down to consumers," it states. "Any imposition of tariffs leading into the winter holidays—the strongest sales season for consoles—would have a significant negative impact on U.S.-based retailers and their employees, in particular because promotional offers on consoles are important to driving sales volume. Tariffs would make it especially difficult for both console makers and retailers to support the types of promotional offers typical of the holiday season."The proposed tariffs would add a 25% tax on all imports from China. That tax is paid for by the importers--in this case, the console manufacturers themselves. But as pointed out in the letter, these increased costs would likely be offset with price increases on retailers and consumers. Nintendo has reportedly been preparing itself for the tariffs by moving manufacturing out of China ahead of the launch of rumored new Switch models. The United States Trade Representative held hearings on June 17, and now could put them into effect at any time.Info from Gamespot.com

Sort of like the movie itself, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse has hopped from screen to screen, delighting fans worldwide. After a strong showing during awards season and grossing $375.5 million, the Oscar-winning animated film has hopped to another screen--the home screen. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has finally landed on Netflix.Miles Morales, a socially-awkward teenager, is the lead in Into The Spider-Verse. What starts as a narrative about love and acceptance slowly opens into grander scope as Miles is bit by a radioactive spider, granting him spider-like abilities and impressive physical prowess. The movie then transitions into an endearing story about hope and faith and confidence as an older Peter Parker involuntarily mentors the hapless teen.Into The Spider-Verse walked away with a few trophies in hand earlier this year, winning both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature, and many others. It was no surprise that producer Amy Pascal confirmed a sequel with the film's smashing success, saying her team is "definitely hard at work on the sequel." No further details were provided, including a release window, but we do know the sequel will likely contain more dimension-hopping Spideys.In our Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse review, we said, "It manages to blow right past the dangers of sinking into after school special territory by believing wholeheartedly in its own message and delivering it with appropriately genuine stakes. The end result is an instant animated classic, and, with any luck, the first of many of its kind."Netflix has a stacked month ahead. The releases for July look to fulfill a wide range of binging desires, with Cloverfield (July 1), Stranger Things 3 Season 3 (July 4), The Princess and the Frog (July 16), Inglourious Basterds (July 22), and more, all showing up for America's birthday month. Info from Gamespot.com

Game of Thrones might have completed its run on HBO, but many fans will still want to own the final season on Blu-ray and DVD. Details have now been revealed of Season 8's upcoming physical release, as well as an amazing set which collects the entire series.All of these sets are due to arrive in December. The biggest release is Game of Thrones: The Complete Collection. As well as including all eight seasons of the show, this collection includes the exclusive Game of Thrones: Reunion Special, a two-part reunion show with cast members from the final season. Hosted by Conan O'Brien, this special was filmed in front of a live audience and features stars such as Kit Harington, Emilia Clarke, and Sophie Turner, plus former cast members like Sean Bean, Jason Momoa, and Mark Addy.The Complete Collection also features a wealth of bonus content. These include all-new deleted and extended scenes, animated histories, behind-the-scene featurettes, audio commentaries, and the documentary Game of Thrones: The Last Watch, which chronicles the making of Season 8. The whole set comes in an amazing wooden case, with illustrated panel designs by artist Robert Ball that tell the story of the whole show. Check out a preview of the box set in the video below:The entire series will also be collected in a standard DVD/Blu-ray set. As for Season 8, this will available separately in a Steelbook Blu-ray & 4K Ultra HD edition, and a standard DVD/Blu-ray set. These releases feature the same bonus content as The Complete Collection, and all editions will be available on December 3.Full details of the exclusive content are listed below:Game of Thrones: The Complete Collection and Game of Thrones: The Complete Series on Blu-ray Bonus Features Include:Game of Thrones: Reunion Special: A reunion show shot live in Belfast with the cast, both past and present, hosted by Conan O'Brien and available exclusively on these complete series collections. The reunion special is assembled in segments focused on Houses Lannister, Stark, & Targaryen and concludes with the key players all onstage for their final reflections on the years they shared in Westeros and Essos.Bonus content and retail exclusive videos from previously released individual season box sets, totaling more than 15 hours of extra materials for fans to explore when they've finished watching the series.Complete Series and Season 8 formats exclusively feature:Game of Thrones: The Last Watch: A documentary featured on DVD in two parts by filmmaker Jeanie Finlay chronicling the making of the final season.When Winter Falls: Exclusive 30-minute featurette with showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, along with major stars and behind-the-scenes players, breaking down all that went into the colossal filming of the Battle of Winterfell in Season 8, Episode 3.Duty is the Death of Love: A compelling look at how the team behind Game of Thrones and its major stars, including Kit Harington, Peter Dinklage and Emilia Clarke, brought the show to its conclusion in the series finale, "The Iron Throne."Audio Commentaries: 10 Audio Commentaries with cast and crew, including the show's creators, Benioff and Weiss, on the final season.Deleted and Extended Scenes: 5 never-before-seen deleted or extended scenes from season 8.Histories and Lore: New animated pieces giving the history and background of notable season 8 locations and storylines.For more on Game of Thrones Season 8, check out 36 Easter Eggs And References You Might Have Missed in the season finale, and our look at The Main Characters' First And Last Shots In The Entire Series.Info from Gamespot.com

DC has announced a brand new "pop-up imprint" under its adult-reader Black Label line called Hill House Comics, spearheaded by horror author and comics veteran Joe Hill (Locke & Key, NOS4A2).The pop-up imprint will kick off with the first of five announced stories: Basket Full Of Heads, created by Hill and artist Leomacs. It tells the story of a woman named June Branch on a mission to save her kidnapped boyfriend, wielding an "impossible 8th-century Viking ax" that can "pass through a neck in a single swipe, leaving the severed head conscious and capable of speech."Basket Full Of Heads will be joined by four other monthly limited series and one ongoing back-up story featured in each Hill House Comics issue.The Low, Low Woods is created by Carmen Maria Machado and artist Dani. The synopsis reads, "a mysterious plague is afflicting the small mining town of Shudder to Think, Pennsylvania. It strikes seemingly at random, eating away at the memories of those suffering from it. From tales of rabbits with human eyes to deer women who come to the windows of hungry girls at night, this town is one of those places where strange things are always happening. But no one ever seems to question why." The Low Low Woods is "a gruesome coming-of-age body-horror mystery series about two teenage women trying to uncover the truth about the mysterious memory-devouring illness affecting them and the people of the small mining town they call home—and the more they discover, the more disturbing the truth becomes."The Dollhouse Family by Mike Carey and Peter Gross tells the story of a young girl named Alice who is given a mysterious dollhouse by a late aunt that Alice can actually enter "to visit a new group of friends, straight out of a heartwarming children’s novel: the Dollhouse family. As the years pass, Alice finds herself visiting their world more frequently, slowly losing track of where reality ends and make-believe begins. What starts as play concludes in an eruption of madness and violence."Daphne Bryne by Laura Marks and Kelley Jones will focus on a 14-year-old girl named Daphne in 19th-century New York City who must rescue her grief-stricken mother from a predatory group of occultists promising to contact her late father. But, "while fighting to disentangle her mother from these charlatans, Daphne begins to sense a strange, insidious presence in her own body…an entity with unspeakable appetites. And as she learns to wield this brutal, terrifying power, she wages a revenge-fueled crusade against the secret underworld that destroyed her life."Finally, Pulge by Hill and an unannounced artist will uncover a nautical mystery focused on a ship from 1983 which "disappeared, wiped out in a storm on the edge of the Arctic circle—the world’s most advanced research vessel in the hunt for oil, lost in the aftermath of a tsunami."But, "almost 40 years later, the Derleth begins to transmit its distress signal once again, calling into Alaska’s remote Attu Station from the most forlorn place on earth, a desolate ring island in the icy faraway. A US salvage team made up of experts, scientists, and mercenaries helicopter in just ahead of a storm—and the Russian competition—to find the abandoned wreck hung up on the island shores of the atoll. As a wintry blizzard clamps down, anomalies begin to surface: first the samples of an oil with unlikely properties, and then the sonar readings of a sunken prehistoric civilization just offshore. Still, nothing could prepare the salvage team for the reappearance of the Derleth’s crew from the island cave, no older than they were four decades ago, every one of them struck blind by an inexplicable infection…and yet capable of seeing in new ways, possessed of extraordinary powers and stripped of all but their last vestiges of humanity…"Every issue will be accompanied by a chapter of Sea Dogs, by Hill and an unannounced artist which will tell the story of nautical werewolves set during the American revolution.Hill House Comics kicks off with Basket Full Of Heads, hitting shelves on October 30. Info from Gamespot.com