The monetization of nostalgia is nothing new, but the process seems to have accelerated in this current generation of consoles. HD remasters and "built-from-the-ground-up" remakes litter store shelves, and we're invariably delighted to lap up these colorful reminders of our gaming past. Occasionally, these are cynical ways to mine our memories for cash, but other times they give old gems the polish they need to shine once again. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is, happily, the latter, and thanks to modern updates in the right places it feels as good today as the original did 20 years ago.There was a danger Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled would show its 1999 progenitor up to be a dated game best left in the past. Instead, developer Beenox has proved how impressive and durable Naughty Dog's original work was while also tweaking it in the right ways. The original game's list of 18 tracks has been expanded upon with 13 more from its sequel, Crash Nitro Kart, and these provide an extended list of topographically and visually distinct circuits, from underwater tunnels to ice caves to desert pyramids. Those visuals have of course also been given a facelift, and while no track looks bad, some look especially stunning. Coco Park has gorgeous pink flowers strewn across the road, for example, while Tiger Temple looks like it was taken directly from Uncharted 4 and Electron Avenue feels like racing through Blade Runner's vision of Los Angeles.The handling takes a bit of getting used to, mind you. For anyone who's played any amount of Mario Kart, for example, over the past few years, Crash Team Racing's power slides will feel decidedly alien, at times too sensitive and at others not sensitive enough--and this leads to quite a few missed crates or headlong collisions with stationary objects. However, once you reacquaint yourself with the mechanic--which requires you to hold one bumper down to drift and press the other bumper with the correct timing to gain a boost--it reveals itself to be of greater depth than comparable turning methods in other kart racers. You can chain these boosts for even faster acceleration (but at the risk of spinning out), so while it's harder to get to grips with, Crash Team Racing's power sliding nets bigger rewards for those willing to dance with the drifting devil.Nitro-Fueled's array of power-ups are the other obstacles in your path to the finish line. They are derivative of Mario Kart's selection--Crash's green beakers are Mario's bananas, Crash's Aku Aku and Uka Uka are Mario's Super Star, and so on--but, again, Crash Team Racing provides an interesting twist. Collecting Wumpa Fruit both speeds you up and turbocharges your power-ups. Green beakers transform into the more deadly red beakers, TNTs--which can be shaken off--become the instantly detonating Nitros, and so on. When the power-ups, boost pads, and handling combine, Nitro-Fueled boasts an exhilarating sense of speed.These power-ups do, however, occasionally become frustrating during CTR's Adventure mode, which tasks you with coming first in every single race across the original game's tracklist, in addition to some optional challenges like beating certain times or collecting a certain number of crystals. Winning on every track is certainly manageable, barring a couple of trickier races, until you reach the boss fights, which feel a little unfair as bosses are quicker than any playable character and boast unlimited power-ups. Over time, after yet another run ruined by yet another bomb, it's enough to make you want to turn off Adventure--though perhaps just until you're back to craving that triumphant adrenaline rush the boss battles admittedly conjure.In a welcome attempt to modernize the mode, Beenox has added a Nitro-Fueled variant of Adventure. This allows you to switch characters between races and adjust the difficulty, which goes a long way to resolving the campaign's more irritating moments. If you prefer the more punishing, "authentic" method of progressing, you can do that too. Mercifully, the game autosaves after every race, though those giant green screens are still around if you fancy saving there for old time’s sake. (Incidentally, this is an attitude Beenox has applied to the game's soundtrack, which allows you to switch between the revamped version and the original PlayStation audio--a nice touch.) Nitro-Fueled mode solves many of Adventure's problems and so allows the campaign's challenges, relics, and crystals to supply lone players an incentive to keep coming back.Outside of Adventure, there are of course the standard single races or cups, as well as an extensive Battle mode. Within this are varied game types such as Capture the Flag and a battle royale-style Last Kart Driving. These are fun, but the relative lack of players (a maximum of eight, including AI in local play) limits the chaos somewhat, so matches can sometimes feel a little lifeless. Following a day one patch, online races can readily be found and run smoother than before, however some lobbies still suffer from half a second of lag--you'll sometimes find yourself blowing up just a split second before your bomb nemesis rolls into view.As well as Adventure mode, character customization has also been modernized. As in the 1999 game, you can choose characters depending on your preference for higher top speed, quicker acceleration, or better handling. However, you can now also change your kart and character's appearance, with a selection of skins, badges, paint jobs, outfits, and whole new karts and characters to choose from. These are unlocked through normal play, but can also be purchased with in-game currency via the store. While they are, mechanically speaking, meaningless, they add a nice bit of flavor--and some of the outfits are pretty cool. My favorites are Robo-Cortex and the adorable Fisherman Polar. Look at him! Look at him!Simply put: This is a remaster done right. Nitro-Fueled maintains the spirit and rock-solid foundations of a childhood favorite while building on it and modernizing it where necessary--even if the handling might take a bit of getting used to. Adventure mode's classic variant feels a little tough, but your first race on Roo's Tubes or Sewer Speedway will bring a nostalgic grin to your face regardless. When the nostalgia fades, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled remains fun and engaging enough to keep you racing on with a smile on your face for much longer yet. It's good to have Crash back.Info from Gamespot.com

Alpha Protocol, one of my favorite games, has been removed from Steam and other PC storefronts and is therefore unavailable to purchase.It was initially believed Sega's rights to publish the game had expired. However, the company clarified to GameSpot that this is incorrect; it still owns the Alpha Protocol brand and intellectual property--just not some of the music within the game.A Sega spokesperson told GameSpot: "Due to the expiry of music rights in Alpha Protocol, the title has been removed from Steam and is no longer on sale."Alpha Protocol is also unavailable to purchase on the PlayStation, Xbox, and Humble stores, though Sega has assured fans that existing owners of the game (on any platform) will still be able to redownload it in the future.Alpha Protocol was released for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 in 2010. Although it received a mixed critical reception at the time, it went on to gain a cult following thanks to its deep RPG mechanics and glamorous spy fiction. I once called it the best James Bond game ever, despite 007 not actually being in it.Eurogamer reported in 2017 that developer Obsidian intended to retain the rights to Alpha Protocol for itself but was forced to give them up to Sega in order to get the contract signed. Obsidian has since been acquired by Microsoft and is now working on The Outer Worlds, which launches on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on October 25. Rest in peace, Alpha Protocol.Info from Gamespot.com

Since it was rumored back in the heyday of Pokemon Go shortly after its release, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite has piqued interest. Developer Niantic's monster-catching offering became a huge phenomenon, and the franchise power of the Wizarding World suggests a similar game could be just as significant. After spending a little time playing the augmented reality mobile game in Universal Studios Hollywood's The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, what's clear is that a lot of what works about Pokemon Go is also at the heart of Wizards Unite. But Niantic's new offering is leap-frogging Pokemon Go's early struggles to offer a lot more content at launch. Wizards Unite is live a day early--its US and UK release date had been scheduled for June 21--so you can try it out right now by downloading it for free on iOS or Android devices.How Wizards Unite WorksAs we saw in an earlier preview of Wizards Unite, the game's big focus, like Pokemon Go, is on collecting stuff. An event called the "Calamity" has filled the Muggle World with people, creatures, and artifacts from the Wizarding World, and they're all in danger of being discovered by the magic-less population. That'd be a violation of the Statute of Secrecy, an old Wizard law that dictates poor Muggles aren't allowed to become aware of magic stuff, so as a member of the Wizarding World by way of your smartphone, your job is to collect all the magic junk ("Foundables") and keep it away from the prying eyes of normies. You do that by physically wandering around, tapping on objects on a colorful Google Maps-like layouts of real-life locations, and attempting to break the spells ("Confoundables") that contain Foundables. It's all a lot like Pokemon Go with different words and names.The Pokemon Go player's guide to Harry Potter: Wizards UniteBreaking spells requires spells of your own that you learn as you encounter Confoundables, and cast through tracing shapes on your screen with your finger--so the Foundables can be safely transported back to wherever (and whenever, in the history of the Wizarding World) they belong.Click the image for a closer look at these screenshots.From the outset, Wizards Unite engages players in the form of an unfolding story. Nobody is quite sure how or why this Calamity situation has sprung up, but they have some ideas as to who and what might be responsible. The story has you interacting with Ministry of Magic characters who are trying to solve the mystery of what's going on, including familiar faces, like the current, adult versions Harry and Hermione, as well as a few new folks. In the meantime, you go about collecting familiar magic objects like the Monster Book of Monsters, creatures like Harry Potter's owl Hedwig, and people like Sirius Black and Hagrid (both unstuck from where they belong in time in the Harry Potter universe).Most of what we did in our brief time playing Wizards Unite was collect things, and that looks to be the main hook of the game. You have a book called the Registry that functions just like Pokemon Go's Pokedex, and every time you collect a new person or object from the Wizarding World, the game catalogs it. Filling out the Registry earns you experience points for your profile, which allow you to go after tougher, rarer Confoundables and take part in other more advanced content like battles, while scratching the completionist itch that has kept Pokemon Go installed on so many phones for the last three years.Lessons Learned From Pokemon GoWhat's evident about Wizards Unite, though, is how much Niantic has learned from its early struggles with the game's predecessor. Pokemon Go was famously short on content; there were plenty of Pokemon to find in the world, but in its early days, expected elements of the Pokemon experience like trading and raids were missing. It would be months or years before quality-of-life improvements and additional content made it into the game, but today, Pokemon Go includes features like story quests and increased social support that make it feel more complete.Wizards Unite, by comparison, is launching with what feels like a more robust content package. For starters, there's a smattering of quest objectives to complete right out of the gate that boost your experience gains and dish out rewards like potion-brewing materials. You can immediately start adding people to your friend list, and playing along with them in some activities also offers greater in-game rewards. There are multiplayer "Wizarding Challenges" found at specific locations called Fortresses, battles to fight against dark wizards and other creatures by casting spells and using potions, and a Profession system that lets you unlock abilities in RPG-like skill trees, which can make you more effective against certain types of enemies.Click the image for a closer look at these screenshots.All in all, there's just a lot more in Wizards Unite than there was in Pokemon Go, while maintaining many of the aspects that made the latter such a compelling AR experience. The bones of Niantic's two games are pretty much the same--join up with other people to walk around the real world, zapping things you only see on your phone--but even after playing for just a short period, it's clear there's a whole lot of depth in Wizards Unite.The question that remains after our short time with the game is how well having much more stuff to do in a mobile AR game will hold players' attention. There are several limitations on what you can do while playing. You have a limited amount of "spell energy" that runs out as you cast spells on Confoundables, for instance, and while you can recharge it a bit by visiting "inns" (the Wizards Unite's version of Pokestops), it's not clear just how much your energy level might stall you out as you play. And it seems like you need to continually earn a lot of special items at all times to keep making progress. You need Gold and Silver Keys to unlock Portkeys, the Wizards Unite take on Pokemon eggs; potion ingredients to brew power-ups that'll help you beat tougher enemies and Confoundables; scrolls to advance your professions; spell energy to keep plugging away at capturing Foundables; Dark Detectors to find and unlock the rarest Foundables; and Runes to access fortress battles. That's a whole lot of stuff to manage, and while the early going of the game inundates you with everything you need to help you get moving, it's tough to tell how steady the flow of rewards will be after a month, a week, or even a couple of days.That said, for fans of Harry Potter and Pokemon Go, there's plenty of promise in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. This is obviously a much bigger, better thought-out AR game than Pokemon Go was at its launch, with impressive production values that include its slowly unfolding story, a voice cast peppered with soundalikes of the well-known Harry Potter cast, and detailed characters and animations you interact with that capture the look and feel of the movies and books. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite might not be able to usher in the same kind of surprisingly sweeping cultural moment its predecessor did, but it should at least be the kind of complete, robust mobile game that moment deserved. Info from Gamespot.com

Fortnite Season 9 is now in its seventh week, which means there are new Battle Stars to be earned. To do this you'll need to complete the latest set of weekly challenges--those for Week 7--which will score you those precious stars, level up your Battle Pass, and unlock some new cosmetic rewards. As always, challenges are split into two categories: free and paid Battle Pass-exclusive. All of this comes on the heels of both patch 9.30 and a subsequent update that irons out some nagging issues that have emerged in recent days. Here's the rundown on what Week 7 challenges consist of and how to complete them.For the most part, Week 7 challenges shouldn't prove to be difficult, though they might take a bit of time to complete. The free set tasks players with searching chests at specific locations (either Junk Junction or Neo Tilted), finding ammo boxes in a bunch of different named locations (meaning any place on the map that has a name listed), and scoring eliminations using suppressed weapons.For those with a paid Battle Pass, there are a few more challenges to undertake. These include doing damage while riding in a vehicle; visiting locations as part of a multi-stage challenge in a single match (starting with The Block and Loot Lake); using a chest, a vending machine, and a campfire; and then securing enemy eliminations within 5 meters (which can be done with any weapon, though something like a shotgun or pickaxe is your best bet). Take a look below for the full list.Week 7 ChallengesFreeSearch chests at Junk Junction or Neo Tilted (7) -- 5 Battle StarSearch ammo boxes in different named locations (7) -- 5 Battle StarsSuppressed weapon eliminations (3) -- 10 Battle StarsPremiumDeal damage to opponents while riding a vehicle (200) -- 10 Battle StarStage 1: Visit The Block and Loot Lake in a single match (1) -- 5 Battle Stars Stage 2: Visit Fatal Fields and Neo Tilted in a single match (3) -- 2 Battle StarsVisit Snobby Shores and Mega Mall in a single match (4) -- 2 Battle StarsSearch a chest, use a vending machine, and a campfire in a single match (1) -- 10 Battle StarsEliminations from 5m or less (3) -- 10 Battle StarsFortnite's new update, 9.30, added a new item called the Chug Splash, which is a throwable that lets you heal yourself and other players. Anyone in range of the explosion will have 20 points of health or shield returned to them. The patch also vaulted the Boom Bow, Dual Pistols, and Dynamite. You can read the full Fortnite update 9.30 patch notes to get a complete overview of what's been tweaked, changed, or added.Info from Gamespot.com

It's the midway point in June, but already, streaming services like Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video have been revealing what what's coming out in July on their services. In the upcoming month, Amazon has plenty of content coming next month, including various original series. However, unlike Hulu and Netflix which drop the majority of their content on the first of the month, Amazon's big release date is the 31st of July.Starting at the beginning of the month, Amazon will be releasing some new content. The 2019 Andrew Garfield drama Under The Silver Lake comes on July 1. The movie follows a man who meets a mysterious woman. The next day, she disappears, and he searches LA to find her, only to learn there is a bizarre conspiracy surrounding her.If you're looking for something a bit more high-profile, the 2019 reboot of Hellboy comes to the service on July 23. While it wasn't critically acclaimed, it will be there for you to check out if you're interested. In GameSpot's review, Dan Auty said, "[David] Harbour remains a great choice to play the character, and it will be a shame if this is the last time we see him in the role. But ultimately this is not the Hellboy movie fans wanted to see him in."Amazon's most anticipated release in July is Season 1 of The Boys. The series debuts on July 26, and the show follows a world where superheroes are in power and celebrities. A group of vigilantes is on the move to stop some of these corrupt heroes and put a stop to them. As you can see in the trailer above--or in the comic book series--The Boys does not pull its punches. It's violent, shocking, and is not intended for younger viewers.The end of the month is when most of the month's content is released. On July 31, there will be plenty to watch: Dumb and Dumber, Twelve Monkeys, and a bunch of Star Trek movies hit the service. However, the movie that you need to watch is the 1995 movie Hackers. In this cinematic rave of colors and annoying EDM, a group of computer hackers find a virus that steals money from a corporation, but the hacker behind that virus is framing them, so they need to clear their name by hacking computers in the most unrealistic way possible. Hack the planet, right? Below, you'll find the complete list for everything coming to Amazon Prime Video in the month of July. New To Amazon In JulyJuly 1Under the Silver Lake (2019)July 2Phoenix (2014)July 3Peterloo (Amazon Original movie)July 5Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny S1B - Amazon Original seriesJuly 7Marshall (2017)July 9Witless Protections (2008)July 10Trapped S2July 12Gone Baby Gone (2007)Comicstaan S2 - Amazon Original seriesJuly 13Never Grow Old (2019)July 14No Vacancy (1999)Tabaluga (2018)July 15Love Happens (2009)July 19Trading Paint (2019)All or Nothing S4 - Amazon Original seriesJuly 21Time Freak (2018)July 23Serenity (2019)Hellboy (2019)July 26The Boys S1 - Amazon Original seriesDino Dana S3 - Amazon Original seriesJuly 27A Vigilante (2019)July 28After Darkness (2018)Pennyworth, S1, EpixJuly 29The Haunting of Sharon Tate (2019)July 31A Very Brady Sequel (1996)A Viking Saga: The Darkest Day (2013)Arctic (2018)American Heart (1992)Chinese Box (1997)Corpse Bride (2005)Dumb and Dumber (1994)Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (2003)Eight Men Out (1988)Furry Vengeance (2010)Good Advice (2001)Hackers (1995)Ingenious (2009)Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003)Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996)My Bloody Valentine (2009)Rat Race (2001)Rosemary's Baby (1968)S.W.A.T. (2003)Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)Star Trek: First Contact (1996)Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold (2006)The Rainmaker (1997)Tracker (2010)Twelve Monkeys (1995)Urban Cowboy (1980)Info from Gamespot.com

Blockbuster director JJ Abrams is teaming up with Marvel, but not for the next phase of the cinematic universe. This time he's writing a comic book with his son, Henry, with art from Sara Pichelli and Dave Stewart. The five-part mini-series will begin in September.The two Abrams introduced the project with a short message on Twitter, after a countdown that has had fans guessing over the last few days. Though plot details are scant, they say this series will introduce a new villain called Cadaverous, and they told The New York Times this story will show "Peter Parker in a way you haven’t seen him before."🕸️ The secret's out! This September, @jjabrams and Henry Abrams team up with artist @sara_pichelli for a #SpiderMan miniseries featuring a deadly new villain: https://t.co/kFXztvCosC #MarvelComics pic.twitter.com/m5Drg3rrq9 — Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) June 20, 2019Pichelli is a long-time Marvel artist with a lot of experience with Spider-Man, having illustrated Miles Morales in the Ultimate universe, the Spider-Men story arc, and more. JJ Abrams compared seeing her work to the experience of getting concept art during movie production."You have an idea for what Maz Kanata's castle will look like [in Star Wars: The Force Awakens]. It's theory for months and months, and then you go through phases and design. Then one day you walk onto the set and you're standing there. You might not be shooting, but you're just standing on the set," he told the NYT. "And to get Sara's artwork, the black and white early renderings, to get those, it's weird because you're suddenly looking at a brilliant artist's interpretation of work that you've been talking about for a long time."Whatever this story arc will include, it's being pitched as a limited run, so presumably it will be a self-contained story instead of an ongoing series. Though the new villain, Cadaverous, could very well be adopted into the larger Marvel universe.In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you may be able to see a little more Spider-Man in the extra post-credits footage being added to Avengers: Endgame starting on June 28.Info from Gamespot.com

If you've picked up Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, you may be surprised at the absence of an advertised feature. Multiplayer isn't included in the game yet, but it is still on the way according to the publisher.Both the Xbox Store and PlayStation Store list the game as having multiplayer for up to two people, matching a stretch goal achieved in the initial Kickstarter pitch. Steam and Nintendo both list it as single-player only.For the time being, it is only single-player. Multiplayer is coming as one of several free updates, per a launch press release from 505 Games. Online and local co-op and Versus modes are listed alongside other post-launch updates that will add Roguelike mode, Boss Rush, Chaos Mode, and Nightmare Difficulty.Bloodstained is billed as an "Iga Vania" after its creator, Koji Igarashi. It was conceived as a modernized homage to classic Castlevania games like Symphony of the Night from Igarashi. But rather than a family of vampire hunters setting out to stop Dracula, this one focuses on an alchemy-enhanced girl named Miriam fighting against demons. In a castle, naturally.The release of Bloodstained was relatively quiet, coming just after E3 without much fanfare. The launch trailer made a splash with a promise of a Shovel Knight cameo. If you're looking for a good deal on Bloodstained you can pick it up on PC at a discount.Info from Gamespot.com

Amazon is offering a limited-time deal that should be of interest to PC gamers: up to 63% off on a selection of Logitech gaming and productivity PC hardware, including mice, keyboards, headsets, speakers, and a gamepad. The collection is listed as a deal of the day, so strike while the iron is hot if you need any of the included items to round out your rig.Save up to 63% on Logitech PC gaming hardware on Amazon » For gamers in need of a new gaming mouse, your best deal will be the G300s Optical Ambidextrous Gaming Mouse for 63% off at just $15. It's a precision, wired mouse with nine programmable buttons and on-board memory for three stored profiles, giving lots of flexibility for playing every game exactly how you would like. The only controller on offer is the F710 wireless gamepad for $31.20, under the usual $50. It's not the best-looking gamepad on the market, but it's solid, programmable, and a steal at this price.Anyone who's been a PC gamer for any amount of time is likely familiar with Logitech, which has been one of the leading makers of third-party PC peripherals since the 1980s. Logitech has a history of offering solid, inexpensive baseline for entry-level PC gamers, though in recent years they have filled out the competitive, higher-end of its offerings with the Logitech G line in particular. Check out some of our favorite deals from the sale below:MiceM705 Marathon Wireless Mouse -- $20G300s Optical Ambidextrous Wired Gaming Mouse -- $15MX Anywhere 2 Wireless Mouse -- $37.49MX Master Wireless Mouse -- $47KeyboardsK350 Wireless Keyboard -- $20MX900 Performance Premium Keyboard and MX Master Mouse -- $143.89HeadsetsG231 Prodigy Headset -- $33.18G633 Artemis Spectrum Headset -- $55.20G933 Artemis Spectrum Headset -- $80MiscellaneousF710 Wireless Gamepad -- $31.20MX Sound 2.0 Bluetooth Stereo Speakers -- $60C615 1080p Webcam -- $25.59Info from Gamespot.com

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite has finally arrived--and it's launched sooner than expected. The much-anticipated free-to-play game received an early launch, as mobile games often do, in the Australia and New Zealand markets earlier this year, but it's arrived ahead of schedule in the United States and United Kingdom. It had been scheduled for release in these markets tomorrow, June 21, but it's officially out now on Android (through Google Play) and iOS devices (App Store). The mobile game was developed by Pokemon Go maker Niantic and revolves around a similar style of augmented reality-based gameplay. As such, it requires an internet connection, and some players have reported intermittent issues throughout the day; if you can't get in, keep trying.Like the aforementioned AR game Pokemon Go--which it bears numerous similarities to--Wizards Unite is free to download and features optional microtransactions. You can spend money to purchase Gold, which can then be used to buy in-game items such as potions, Dark Detectors (which reveal special items), Runestones (which are required for Wizarding Challenges), and more.The story of Wizards Unite revolves around an event known as the Calamity, which has caused Foundables--people, creatures, and artifacts from the Wizarding World--to appear in the Muggle World, thereby risking their discovery. Moreover, these Foundables are sealed by Confoundable magic. As a member of the Statute of Secrecy Task Force, it is your mission to break these Counfoundable spells and retrieve the Foundables. You'll interact with Harry Potter and other familiar faces.We recently went hands-on with Harry Potter: Wizards Unite thought it felt very much like a Harry Potter version of Pokemon Go, albeit with more content from the outset. Right from the start, the game offers a variety of quest objectives to complete, and you can add other players to your friends list (a feature that didn't come to Pokemon Go until years after its launch). The game also features an RPG-style Profession system that allows you to unlock abilities in skill trees. If you're diving into the game and are familiar with Niantic's previous work, check out our Wizards Unite guide for Pokemon Go players.Wizards Unite launched in beta form in Australia and New Zealand last month. If you're interested in getting a closer look at the game, you can watch nearly 15 minutes of gameplay footage of the beta version in the video above.Info from Gamespot.com

Nintendo's E3 2019 Direct brought us the release date for Astral Chain, the new action game from NieR: Automata and Vanquish developers Platinum Games. We did see some gameplay during E3 2019, but Nintendo just released a full 10 minutes of futuristic cop fighting action. Unsurprisingly, the Nintendo Siwtch exclusive's combat looks to have a lot in common with Bayonetta.In the 10-minute video, there's lots of Witch Time-like dodging, fluid transitions between close-quarters and ranged combat, and flashy combo finishers. There's also exploration, character customization, and robotic dog petting. We even get a look at moves centered around the chain, like chain bind, where you wrap the chain connected to your companion around an enemy and temporarily lock them in place. It's all as stylish as any other Platinum Games title. Check out the gameplay video below.Astal Chain was announced during a February 2019 Direct and takes place in a futuristic city occupied by special forces units paired with living weapons called Legion. The game oscillates around this core mechanic, as you pull off combos and explore with the assistance of the robotic creature. It's directed by Takahisa Taura (NieR: Automata) and supervised by Hideki Kamiya (Bayonetta), so it's no wonder Astral Chain's combat looks familiar.Astral Chain launches on August 30 for Nintendo Switch.Info from Gamespot.com

Now that the Epic Games Store has begun giving away free games on a weekly basis, Epic account holders have an even greater variety of games to add to their collection; however, the new weekly schedule means those freebies are available for a shorter time. So don't wait too long to grab Rebel Galaxy, the latest free PC game available from the Epic Store. The space trading and combat simulator is free to claim now until next Thursday, June 27, when it will be replaced by cinematic story game Last Day of June. As a reminder, you need a free Epic account to claim the game, and once you do, it'll be yours to keep.Get Rebel Galaxy for free »Create a free Epic Store account »Rebel Galaxy is a single-player, Western-style space adventure set in a randomly generated universe that involves combat, exploration, trade, and negotiation. You'll act as commander of an "immensely powerful star destroyer." The gameplay is restricted to a two-dimensional plane of movement, and while there is a story, you're free to choose your own path, whether you want to fly around and battle pirates, mine asteroids, hang out with aliens, or explore space anomalies.GameSpot hasn't reviewed Rebel Galaxy, but the game does have 5,000 reviews and a "Very Positive" rating on Steam, so you're not losing anything by grabbing it while it's free and checking it out.Epic just wrapped up its storewide Mega Sale, which offered steep discounts and an additional $10 off every game over $15. The free weekly game giveaways, which began during the Mega Sale, will now continue through the rest of 2019, so even if Rebel Galaxy isn't your game, be sure to check back, as Epic has already established a track record of giving away some great games for no cost. And while PC game deals are on your mind, get ready for more savings, as Steam's Summer Sale 2019 is predicted to kick off in just a few days on June 25.Info from Gamespot.com

No Nintendo Switch owner's collection is complete until they have a dedicated gamepad, and you can't do much better than $35, especially for this striking Legend of Zelda-skinned wireless model from PowerA currently on sale at Amazon. That's $15 off from the sticker price of $50 and $35 less than a first-party controller. PowerA offers the controller in both wired and wireless variants in a wide range of designs, but none on sale for quite as much. There is no timeframe associated with the deal, so get it while you can.Get a PowerA wireless Switch Pro controller for $35 » PowerA's third-party, officially licensed Switch Pro controllers are an affordable, stylish option for anyone on a budget. GameSpot has tested both the wired and wireless options, and found the design, feel, and performance to be excellent. Although it does not feature the rumble or Amiibo NFC-reading of Nintendo's first-party controllers, PowerA adds two programmable buttons on the back that can be re-mapped on the fly. The only drawback is that it is powered by AA batteries, which are included. PowerA promises 30 hours of battery life, and you can take the sting off of buying replacement batteries by investing in a rechargeable battery set.With your gamepad squared away, check out our list of essential Switch accessories for anything else you might need. We just updated our list of the best Nintendo Switch games if you're looking for your new favorite game, and you can also check out what Nintendo just showed off during E3 2019 to get a sense for what's coming up.Info from Gamespot.com

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is an homage to classic games like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. But the existence of a pervasive bug makes the experience a little more frustrating, even without experiencing the bug firsthand.As discovered by several players, the latest patch appears to have introduced a nasty bug. If a player began the game before the 1.02 patch was issued, installing the patch may have impacted the save file by having some treasure chests with progression-necessary items appear already opened, without their included items. The developer recommends that players impacted by the bug should start a new save file entirely."We have been investigating a PS4/Xbox One issue that is blocking player progress in the game," read a statement from 505 Games. "We apologize for this bug and thank you for your patience while we investigate. The issue occurs when a new game is started before downloading the 1.02 update. After the update, treasure chests will appear in the incorrect open/closed state."Without the items from these chests, progress is blocked. Players affected by this bug will be required to restart the game with a new save in order to properly progress. We investigated a number of options to address this issue and each fix requires a new game to be started. Despite our efforts to provide a fix that preserves pre-1.02 progress, this is the best solution to avoid future issues."Xbox One players will also be affected by this when the 1.02 patch is delivered next week. Switch players who have a physical copy should download the 1.02 patch before playing."The situation is less than ideal, especially for the most passionate players and backers who jumped in and played a significant amount of the game as soon as they could. And unfortunately, the combination of the uncertain nature of the bug with the hallmarks of this genre make it especially problematic.The bug could appear at any point in gameplay, and halts progression entirely. But the Metroidvania genre is built around non-linear progression. The entire point is finding new tools and backtracking repeatedly over the same areas, finding new pathways and entrances that then lead to more new tools and making other areas even more accessible.As I've played Bloodstained for review since hearing of the bug, I've already had moments of second-guessing myself. The tell would appear to be already-opened chests in previously unexplored areas of the map, but backtracking means unexplored areas can appear very familiar. Have I been here before and opened that chest, or is this the bug? It's often difficult to tell. The genre is built around feeling stuck and then finding another way forward, but this is an entirely different experience when there may not be a way forward. Under the constraints of a review, restarting from scratch is a huge loss of time, but one that might ultimately become necessary.GameSpot is currently seeking clarification on whether there is a foolproof method to tell if you have the bug. And if you haven't started the game yet or haven't put too much time into it, restarting may not be an issue. But for early adopters, the bug undermines what makes the genre great.Info from Gamespot.com

Niantic's follow-up to Pokemon Go, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, is now available. Like its predecessor, the new Harry Potter game tasks you with walking around, interacting with real-life locations that have been translated into the game world, and collecting things--among other Wizarding World-related activities. And like Pokemon Go, it has an augmented reality component designed to bring a bit of fantasy into your everyday life.There's a lot to learn in Wizards Unite, from how to take on enemies in combat to what you're even trying to accomplish (it's complicated!). Essentially, magical objects, people, and creatures have been scattered throughout the world, and you're tasked with recovering them before the secrets of the magical word are revealed to the world at large. You'll do this through some rather Pokemon Go-like gameplay, and the joking references to this being "Harry Potter Go" are not unfounded. That said, there are a lot of wrinkles to distinguish the two AR games from one another beyond their respective licenses.We'll keep updating this article with the latest news, guides, and more on Wizards Unite, so stay tuned. For now, here's what you need to know.It's Live Now For FreeSet to launch on June 21, Wizards Unite appeared on the iOS App Store and Google Play a day early, on June 20. Those in the US and UK--as well as Australia and New Zealand, which got access even earlier--can now download the game on iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. It's free to play.Download Harry Potter: Wizards Unite on iOS App StoreDownload Harry Potter: Wizards Unite on Android's Google PlayGuide For Pokemon Go PlayersAs noted above, Niantic has undoubtedly derived a lot of the core mechanics from Pokemon Go. Given the level of success that game has enjoyed, that comes as no surprise, but it does mean that anyone who has played that game should have a decent grasp on the basics. That said, all of the names are different--Foundables are like catching Pokemon, spell energy stands in for Poke Balls, Inns are Poke Stops, and so on--and some things have changed, so we've put together some tips and a glossary of sorts to help Go players get up to speed.The Pokemon Go Player's Guide To Harry Potter: Wizards UniteMicrotransactionsLike Pokemon Go, Wizards Unite contains microtransactions. You can spend real money to purchase Gold, which you can then use to buy items in the game. These include potions and Runestones, which are used for Wizarding Challenges in the game.ImpressionsWe were able to play the game a bit early during an event. From what we've played so far, it seems like Wizards Unite is dodging some of Pokemon Go's problems at launch by offering a broader array of content right out of the gate.Friend CodesIf you've been on social media since the game's launch, odds are you've seen people sharing their friend codes all over the place. This is done by sharing a long string of numbers, and adding others to your friends list provides various benefits. At this point, the one upside to doing so that we know about is you'll get bonus Wizarding XP and Wizarding Challenge XP when you complete Wizarding Challenges together.Info from Gamespot.com

Former Sledgehammer Games boss Michael Condrey, who left Activision in 2018, joined 2K Games as the head of a new Silicon Valley-based studio in early 2019. However, whatever game this yet-named company is working on remains as mysterious as the studio itself. But new rumors suggest it is a "multiplayer" and "multiplatform" action game.A Reset Era post uncovered the details by combing through a recent 2K Games job listing. The listing's location says "2K Silicon Valley" and defines itself as "dedicated to crafting highly engaging entertainment with a commitment to putting fans first." The job description states the studio's "first effort is to build a multiplayer and multiplatform AAA action game which will thrill a diverse community of gamers," looking for someone with a "strong passion for online multiplayer action games" who has "[worked on] multiplayer games or systems."No title has been given for the project and no publisher has been announced, though it can be assumed parent company Take-Two Interactive may take to the publishing reigns. There's also no confirmation on what "multiplayer" means--asymmetrical, battle royale, PvE, PvP, etc.--and no specification for what "multiplatform" may stand for. We're on the cusp of the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Scarlett, so there is a probability the unannounced game could land on next-gen hardware.Condrey's LinkedIn profile indicates that the executive started at EA-owned Visceral Games in 1998. The now-defunct studio was responsible for the Dead Space series, and Condrey served as the director of 2008's atmospheric horror title Dead Space. He then co-founded Sledgehammer with Glen Schofield--who also left Activision in 2018--in 2009, working on a few different Call of Duty games before developing 2017's Call of Duty: WWII. As of January 2019, Condrey's now at 2K Games and is president of 2K Silicon Valley.Info from Gamespot.com