Given the number of Star Wars movies that we've seen in recent years, it's a bit surprising how little there has been in the way of new Star Wars games for consoles and PCs. Outside of 2017's Star Wars Battlefront II, things have been quiet, but that changes later this year with the release of Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order.The new game is developed by Respawn Entertainment, the studio responsible for Titanfall and Apex Legends. That's an exciting pitch in its own right, and we'll be learning much more about what to expect soon, as publisher Electronic Arts has promised to showcase the game during its pre-E3 2019 event, EA Play, which takes place June 8-9. Below, we've rounded up all of the information we've heard about the game so far, as well as some of the things we're hoping to see from the game's EA Play presence.What We KnowAs we have not yet seen any gameplay from Jedi Fallen Order, there's a very limited amount of information we have. We were expecting to learn a lot about the game during its Star Wars Celebration panel, but that ultimately yielded only a story trailer and a minimal amount of information about how it's a third-person action-adventure game. That said, Respawn boss Vince Zampella offered up some news that was received with applause and cheers from those in attendance: Jedi Fallen Order is single-player only and does not feature any microtransactions. "It's a story game," as he put it.That story takes place between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope. It centers around a young Jedi Padawan named Cal Kestis (played by Gotham's Cameron Monaghan) who survived Order 66, Emperor Palpatine's attempt to eliminate all of the Jedi after he establishes the Empire. This turns Kestis into a fugitive hunted by the Inquisitors. He's intent on both completing his Jedi training and reestablishing the Jedi Order.Jedi Fallen Order introduces a variety of new locations for Star Wars, including the planet Bracca, where we first find Cal hiding from the Empire. Over the course of the game, we'll see some existing characters to complement the newcomers, including a companion named Cere, the droid BD-1, and Second Sister, an elite Inquisitor.As for how things play, that remains a big question mark. Jedi Fallen Order was, unlike the vast majority of EA's games, built using the Unreal Engine, rather than Frostbite. Respawn has used the phrase "thoughtful combat" to describe how the action plays out, and we know you'll get to use both Force powers and a lightsaber, the latter of which evolves in some manner over the course of the game.Jedi Fallen Order's release date is set for November 15 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Pre-orders are already live.What's Confirmed For E3 2019?EA has remained very non-specific about what we can expect from EA Play in general. For Jedi Fallen Order, it's only promised an "inside look." It'll be among the games to get a dedicated livestream on Saturday, June 8; the company is forgoing a traditional press conference in favor of a longer broadcast where each game is featured for about 30 minutes. Jedi Fallen Order is scheduled for the first slot on June 8, at 9:30 AM PT / 12:30 PM ET / 5:30 PM BST (2:30 AM AET on June 9).What We WantGiven Respawn's pedigree, the expectations for Jedi Fallen Order are understandably high. But we still don't know what the game looks like in action, so a close look at gameplay is an obvious must for its EA Play showing. Specifically, what does the "thoughtful combat" that Respawn has touted actually mean in practice? The studio suggested it means you can't button-mash your way through a fight, but does that just mean the game is difficult, or that enemies have specific weaknesses that need to be exploited? And how exactly does your lightsaber evolve, and does that mean players' experiences could vary in a significant way?It would also be welcome to get some insight into how Respawn deals with the tricky task of presenting a challenging experience while still making you feel like a powerful Jedi. The Force Unleashed (a game Respawn could borrow from), for instance, allowed you to become incredibly powerful by the end of the game, but you were also suddenly dealing with such strong enemies that your cool abilities were rendered somewhat ineffective.We're also interested to get a firmer grasp on the story Jedi Fallen Order tells and why it matters. The Jedi Order isn't rebuilt during the original trilogy, so how do you tell a compelling story during this time period if your actions may not end up having any impact?One thing we don't want to see: Any of the big characters, like the Skywalkers, Yoda, or Darth Vader. There are plenty of fun characters to bring into the mix, but we don't need Cal to somehow happen upon the most famous characters in the galaxy. And whomever those returning characters are--save them for the game. Don't spoil any surprises for the sake of adding some excitement to a trailer.Info from Gamespot.com

Borderlands 3 is scheduled to appear at E3 2019, and the show is right around the corner. The game is hotly anticipated, which is no surprise given the seven-year wait for a new mainline Borderlands game. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel and Tales From The Borderlands may have helped, but neither is a full-fledged sequel to 2012's popular Borderlands 2.We've already spent quite a bit of time with Borderlands 3, playing early levels of the game during Gearbox preview events. Based on what we've seen, we're reasonably impressed. We played through Chapter 6, an early-game chapter that takes place on one of Borderlands 3's new planets, Promethea. The core concept of Borderlands as a streamlined first-person loot shooter is still present, but Borderlands 3 feels like a different game. The diverse environments create new strategies during combat, and several quality-of-life changes (like a map that tells you where you've been) push you to explore and look for new weapons more so than previous titles.Borderlands 3 keeps to tradition in other ways, for the better and worse. The game has a ton of new guns, all of which have been designed to act in a certain way depending on their manufacturer. Many even have alternate fire modes. Unfortunately, driving in Borderlands 3 is still not the best. Jumping in a vehicle is still the fastest way to get around, but they're still too bouncy and difficult to control.Gearbox has remained rather quiet about its Borderlands 3 plans for E3, but we've compiled what we know below.What We Know So FarWhen it comes to Borderlands 3, we know quite a bit about the game already. During a gameplay preview event, Gearbox revealed Borderlands 3 is scheduled to release for Xbox One, PS4, and PC on September 13. The developer also showcased the game's new movement and loot mechanics, in-game hub, and visitable planets.Borderlands 3 takes place after the events of Borderlands 2 and sees a new group of Vault Hunters--Zane, Amara, FL4K, and Moze--join the Crimson Raiders on a journey through space to stop the villainous Calypso Twins and their Children of the Vault cult. For the first time in the franchise, you'll explore and fight on planets other than Pandora. Of the four Vault Hunters, we've only seen the skill trees for Zane and Amara so far. The former's skill trees are stealth- and tech gadget-based, while Amara causes massive elemental damage as the team's resident Siren.Taking inspiration from modern first-person shooters like Titanfall 2, Borderlands 3 introduces both vaulting and sliding to the franchise. These new movements make Borderlands' combat both faster and more vertical-focused. Enemies respond a bit more quickly than they have in the past, doing their best to surround you as opposed to rushing you from one direction.There's more freedom to Vault Hunter build creation as well, as each of the four new playable characters has three unique active skills as opposed to just one. This change makes it much easier to customize your Vault Hunter into your ideal build, making the game more enjoyable and rewarding for solo players in comparison to previous Borderlands titles. If you do play with others, Borderlands 3 introduces new loot features that cause unique weapons and shields to drop for each person.What's Confirmed For E3Gearbox hasn't revealed what it has planned for E3. We can wager a guess though. The skill trees for both FL4K and Moze have yet to be revealed, so Gearbox might use E3 to show at least one of them. We've only seen gameplay on two of Borderlands 3's planets as well, so Gearbox could showcase FL4K or Moze on one of the other new locations.There's also unconfirmed speculation--first reported by PlayStation Lifestyle based on the word of a "trusted anonymous source"--that Gearbox will reveal a new Borderlands 2 DLC, titled Commander Lilith and the Fight for Sanctuary, during E3. The DLC is supposedly a bridge between the story of Borderlands 2 and Borderlands 3, releasing sometime during E3 week. Again, this is all rumor and speculation, but it's something to look out for during E3 2019.Borderlands 3's publisher, 2K/Take Two, does not have a press conference planned for E3 2019. However, Borderlands 3 could appear during Microsoft's press conference, which is rumored to be one of the company's most prominent E3 appearances yet.What We Hope To See At E3How Borderlands 3 plays has been detailed out reasonably well since the game's reveal. However, we still know very little about the characters and stories of Borderlands. Gearbox has already dropped hints that Borderlands 3 might be one of the most critical games in the franchise from a story perspective but hasn't revealed how.Learning a bit more about the Calypso Twins' motivations would be a good start. Their designs, mannerisms, and actions are based on "really annoying" streamers, but what the two have planned for the galaxy is still unknown. The presence of Handsome Jack can is felt throughout the Borderlands franchise, but the villain only worked because he had easily understood motivations. The Calypso Twins seem to be cheeky and evil for no reason at all. We'd love to hear more about the Sirens and how they're so crucial to Borderlands 3's story as well.Also, the gaming landscape of the loot shooter has drastically changed since 2012's Borderlands 2, so we hope to hear Gearbox address how it plans on supporting Borderlands 3 post-launch. Borderlands 3 could be like its predecessors and be a self-contained story campaign that's updated with completely separate DLC expansions. However, it could also follow in the lead of games like Destiny 2 and The Division 2, and feature a story that is regularly expanded upon with many content drops--such as seasonal events, new areas, and raids. Info from Gamespot.com

E3 2019 is less than two weeks away, and like a number of other publishers, Ubisoft is giving fans a glimpse at some of the new and upcoming titles it has in development just ahead of the show. This year, the company will once again host its E3 press conference on the eve of the expo--Monday, June 10--in Los Angeles, California, but those who aren't able to attend in-person will be able to livestream it from the comfort of home. If you plan on tuning in, here's everything you need to know about what time it starts and where you can watch it.What Time Does Ubisoft's Press Conference Livestream Start?This year, Ubisoft is holding its E3 2019 press conference on Monday, June 10. The company is kicking its livestream off at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET, while the conference proper is scheduled to begin at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET. For those across the pond in the UK, that means you'll need to tune in at 9 PM BST, while fans in Australia will need to wake up at 6 AM AEST on June 11 in order to catch the presentation.Where To WatchUbisoft is streaming its E3 2019 presentation on its own Twitch and YouTube channels, but you'll also be able to watch it right here on GameSpot. We'll be hosting the stream on-site and across our various social media channels, so you can bookmark the links below and tune in come June 10.GameSpotTwitchFacebookTwitterYouTubeWhat To ExpectUbisoft is keeping its E3 2019 lineup largely close to its chest, although the company has confirmed a handful of games that'll have a presence at this year's show, including the newly announced Ghost Recon game, Breakpoint. Ubisoft officially unveiled the title during a world premiere livestream event earlier this month, and it appears it'll be a focal point of the company's E3 presentation.Ubisoft has also confirmed that it'll provide updates on some of its live service games. In particular, the company has teased we'll get some more news about Rainbow Six Siege, For Honor, and Tom Clancy's The Division 2, the latter of which recently released back in March. We've already gotten a glimpse at Siege's next season of DLC, Operation Phantom Sight, although we don't yet know when that will arrive; perhaps Ubisoft will announce a date during its press conference. Likewise, we know The Division 2's first post-launch episode, D.C. Outskirts: Expeditions, is slated to release sometime this summer, so we may get more details about that during the E3 presentation.Beyond those specific titles, Ubisoft has hinted there will be other "game updates" during its E3 2019 press conference, as well as some kind of "celebrity showdown." On top of all that, the company teases there will be "one or two more things," suggesting it has a couple of surprises up its sleeve. Ubisoft has previously said it will release three unannounced triple-A games by March 31, 2020, so we'll presumably get a look at those during the presentation. A Ubisoft-developed roller derby game recently leaked ahead of E3 and could be one of the three unannounced titles, but Ubisoft hasn't officially commented on it.One title we know for certain won't be at the show, however, is Skull & Bones. The pirate game was slated to launch during Ubisoft's fiscal year 2019-2020, but it has now been delayed until sometime after that period, and Ubisoft confirmed it won't appear during its E3 2019 presentation.Ubisoft certainly isn't the only company with big plans for this year's E3. Be sure to check out our full E3 2019 press conference schedule for more details on what Microsoft, Nintendo, Bethesda, and other publishers have planned for this year's expo.Info from Gamespot.com

Halo: The Master Chief Collection's PC beta was supposed to begin in April, but that never happened. Now, developer 343 Industries says the beta should start in June, beginning with Halo: Reach.People who join Microsoft's Halo Insider program will get to play first. The June date was confirmed in a livestream event where community director Brian Jarrard and other team members showed off live gameplay for one of Reach's missions.Jarrard also revealed that 343 is bringing Halo: The Master Chief Collection to E3 2019 where attendees will be able to check out one mission from Halo: Reach, Tip of the Spear. The first beta test for Reach, or "flight," will arrive sometime before or after E3.Jarrard said he's not happy with this scenario of bringing the game to E3 before the general public. Bringing Halo: The Master Chief Collection to E3 before the Insider beta process begins is "not ideal," he said. "We don't like that scenario."The full livestream video is a great watch for fans looking for more information on how Halo: Reach will play on PC--go watch it here. In the video, developers talk about how they're working hard to ensure Halo: Reach (and the other titles within Halo: The Master Chief Collection) feels like a native PC game. They also discuss PC-specific features like button-mapping, the FOV slider, higher resolutions, and the new progression system.Not only that, but 343 talked about how the team has no plans for split-screen or mods support for Halo: Reach on PC at launch, though these features could be added later if fans really want it. 343 also talked about how games within Halo: The Master Chief Collection will have anti-cheat measures.In addition to this video, 343 has released a gargantuan, nearly 7,000-word blog post that covers these topics in more in huge depth--check it out here.Halo: Reach is also coming to Xbox One, but 343 has not yet said when it'll be out. What we do know is that it will be tested first by Halo Insiders before rolling out to everyone.You can sign up for the free Halo Insider program for a chance to get into the beta tests. The tests will start small before expanding to additional users over time.In other Halo news, Microsoft is reportedly going to share more details on Halo Infinite at E3 2019 next month. For more, check out GameSpot's breakdown of what we know about Halo Infinite so far and what we want to see at E3 2019. Info from Gamespot.com

Hideo Kojima's new PS4 game Death Stranding has added another celebrity to its cast. Nicolas Winding Refn, the Danish director of the Ryan Gosling movies Only God Forgives and Drive, will appear in Death Stranding as a character named "Heartman."Winding Refn had his head, body, and facial expressions 3D-scanned into the game. He doesn't voice the character, however, as a different performer did that. That's the same for the Death Stranding character placed by Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro.I asked my bestie, Nicolas, to be “HEARTMAN” in DS as special guest. We 3D scanned his head, body, and facial expressions to make his 3D model, but his acting and voice are done by a different performer, same as with Guillermo. 👍🌈🦀🐟🐋☔️ pic.twitter.com/wOGt0LfX89 — HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) May 29, 2019The newest trailer for Death Stranding shows off what appears to be the final cast for the game. This includes Walking Dead actor Norman Reedus as Sam, James Bond actors Lea Seydoux and Madds Mikkelsen as Fragile and Cliff, respectively; The Leftovers actress Margaret Qualley plays Mama, while The Last of Us actor Troy Baker portrays Higgs. The Bionic Woman actress Lindsay Wagner plays Amelie, while del Toro plays Deadman.Death Stranding launches for PS4 on November 8. Sony is publishing the game, and the company released a new synopsis today. It states:"Death Stranding is a completely new type of action game, where the goal of the player is to reconnect isolated cities and a fragmented society. It is created so that all elements, including the story and gameplay, are bound together by the theme of the 'Strand' or connection."As Sam Porter Bridges, you will attempt to bridge the divides in society, and in doing create new bonds or 'Strands' with other players around the globe. Through your experience playing the game, I hope you'll come to understand the true importance of forging connections with others."A recent report said Death Stranding could come to PS5, but that has not yet been announced. For now, it will be coming to PS4 only on November 8. Pre-orders are now live, and the game's various special editions--including a $200 collector's edition--has been unveiledInfo from Gamespot.com

BioWare has patched in a new update for Anthem, its multiplayer-focused, loot shooter game. This new update, Update 1.2.0, implements several quality-of-life changes in Anthem and also begins to set things up for the game's upcoming major content drop: the Cataclysm.Speaking of the Cataclysm, according to a blog post, publisher EA will be providing a "first look" at what the event entails during a livestream on May 30 at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET / 9 PM BST. EA did not provide exact details about what will be shown during the livestream. You can watch the show on either Twitch or Mixer.Most of Update 1.2.0 is geared towards quality-of-life changes and bug fixes. However, the update makes improvements to Anthem's features, creatures, and javelins. The feature changes are minor. Three Emerald Abyss Legendary missions have been added for, for example, and you can now fast travel to striders while in Freeplay. For enemies, Dominion Storm, Frost Brutes, Scar Hunters, and Scar Grenadiers have all been nerfed or made slightly easier to identify and kill. Javelins see updates across the board, with the base damage of a dozen different Ranger, Colossus, Interceptor, and Storm Gears all getting damage boosts.The full patch notes for Update 1.2.0 can be found on EA's website. Below, we've outlined all the bug fixes coming to the game. There are quite a few. Anthem is available on Xbox One, PS4, and PC. In our Anthem review, Kallie Plagge wrote, "Anthem has good ideas, but it struggles significantly with the execution. It's a co-op game that works best with no one talking; it buries genuinely interesting character moments and puts its most incomprehensible story bits at the forefront; its combat is exciting until you get to the boss fights and find your wings have been clipped. Even the simple, exhilarating act of flying is frequently interrupted by the limitations of your javelin, and you never quite shake that feeling of disappointment--of knowing, throughout the good parts of Anthem, that you'll inevitably come crashing back down."Anthem Update 1.2.0 Bug FixesGeneralFixed a bug where multiple status effects applied to creatures were not able to be detonated for combos.Inventory slot count at End of Expedition now matches the Forge and VaultCortex Menu - Various bugs with navigation and opening/closing the cortex have been fixed.Cortex Menu - Fixed issues where some entries could not be ‘mark as read’ or would be become unreadNew items gained from an expedition will now properly show the new item iconReduced frequency and intensity of several weapon muzzle flashes and gear effects.Colossus Components Reinforced Hull and Colossal Stock Augment have had several issues with their text descriptions fixed.Fixed an issue where the Javelin’s lower body would twist oddly when strafing and swapping weapons.Resolved errors with the Conductive Lattice Interceptor Component not always providing correct stat bonuses.The Recommended Power values were unintentionally reverted to their original values and have been fixed. The values should now read 425 for GM1, 575 for GM2, and 675 for GM3.StrongholdsGeneral – Fixed various issues where players could get stuck, get outside of the environment, and other art-related issues.Heart of Rage - Fixed an issue where the Monitor's glaive would rotate oddly during his final animation.Heart of Rage – Fixed an issue where you couldn’t replay the Heart of Rage after selecting to play another mission at the end of expedition screen.Heart of Rage – Fixed an issue where the door closed prematurely preventing players from progressing to the arena.Heart of Rage – Fixed an issue where a player could be party gathered if hovering too close to the door of the second arena.Heart of Rage – Fixed an issue where you would receive no loot if your entire party was downed during the final phase of the titan fight.Heart of Rage – Fixed an issue where the Monitor encounter would break if too much damage was done before the final phase.Sunken Cell – Fixed an issue where the Fury sometimes would collide with rotating pillar on entering the arena.Sunken Cell - Fixed some issues where creatures were unable to path to the player correctly.Sunken Cell – Fixed an issue where the flight suppression progress wasn’t showing for some members of a squad.Sunken Cell – Fixed an issue where Ash Brutes would be able to move while frozen.Sunken Cell – Fixed some issues with the Spanish voice over conversations.Temple of Scar – Fixed an issue where the player could stand inside the shield bubble of the final boss.Temple of Scar – Fixed an issue where the player could be knocked into a cage and trapped in the boss arena.Temple of Scar – Fixed an issue where rejoining a session at the final boss arena would cause the player to spawn outside of the arena and then get party gathered into the arena.Tyrant Mine – Fixed an issue where the icon would appear twice on the Expedition map.Tyrant Mine – Fixed an issue with text missing on the objective.Missions and Legendary MissionsGeneral: Fixed an issue where the Legendary Missions did not unlock after completing Return to the Heart of Rage.General: Fixed an issue where a player could launch a legendary mission that was no longer available on the schedule and would spawn in with no content.General: Fixed an issue where Legendary Missions would be locked until the next mission was available if you started a mission and didn’t complete it.Finding Old Friends – Legendary: Fixed an issue where disconnecting during the mission would cause the mission objectives to disappear and prevent the mission from progressing.Finding Old Friends – Legendary: Fixed an issue where two objective markers were present at the same time.Finding Old Friends (Original and Legendary): Fixed an issue where dying on the “Go to Strider” objective, the player would be respawned across the map.Finding Old Friends: Fixed an issue where dialog wasn’t playing for some players in a squad.Finding Old Friends: Added missing summary text in the Journal entry for completed mission.Finding Old Friends – Legendary: Fixed an issue where players that did not bring both pieces of Ursix meat to gain entry to see Princess Zhim stopped the mission from progressing.Fortress of Dawn: Fixed an issue where players were able to control their EXO during the cinematics.Incursion (Original and Legendary): Fixed an issue with party gather after leaving the interior of the cave.Incursion (Original and Legendary): Fixed an issue with multiple objective markers appearing.Legion of Dawn: Added missing outcome text in the Journal entry for completed mission.Lost Arcanist – Legendary: Fixed an issue where the objective marker was using an incorrect icon.Rescue Haluk – Legendary: Fixed an issue where the mission didn’t progress until all party members arrived at the beginning location.Rescue Haluk – Legendary: Fixed an issue where the move to the lower courtyard objective didn’t appear until all party members reached a specific point.Rescue Haluk: Fixed an issue where the summary did not appear in the Journal after completing the mission.Matthias Contract – Arcanist Runes: Fixed an issue where no enemies were spawning on the last objective.Yarrow – Tempting Target: Fixed an issue where the objective marker was missing.Yarrow – Imposter: Fixed an issue with the text in the Journal when this mission was completed.Fort TarsisFixed an issue where Forge UI appeared during cinematic for Crafting the Dawn Shield.Clarified the objective text for building and equipping the Dawn Shield.Fixed visual issues with the curtains at the entrance to the bar in Fort Tarsis.Adjusted the conversation with Sev in the introduction to the Sunken Cell stronghold to reflect that you’ve spoken with Sev previously.EnvironmentFixed various issues where players could get stuck, get outside of the environment, and other art-related issues.Freeplay/World EventsFixed an issue where scar hatches would sometimes appear and be enabled to enter in the middle of a world event instead of at the end.Reputation rewards – Fixed an issue where reputation points were not being awarded for the Freelancer in Need world event and added reputation points for discovering caves you can enter.Fixed issues with the Arcanist Korox Study world event where dying and respawning was sometimes causing the world event to break and not be able to complete.Info from Gamespot.com

"This isn't Agatha Christie. There won't be a convenient set of clues leading to a tidy conclusion." That's what protagonist Edward Charles Harden tells his 17-year-old ward Lissie, and by extension the player, halfway through Draugen's fjord-noir mystery. A good ending is only as important as the joy of the journey to get there, but can a fascinating mystery succeed in its own right without a Christie-style "tidy conclusion"? Draugen's conclusion is certainly an untidy one, but regardless of whether you like your mysteries neatly solved, the somewhat unsatisfying ending does not eclipse the fascinating characters, gripping story, and breathtaking town of Graavik.It's 1923 and Edward and Lissie have traveled from Hanover, Massachusetts to a fishing village in Norway in search of Edward's younger sister, Elizabeth, who has gone missing. Everything you learn about these three central characters is through conversations between the stoic academic Edward and his vivacious young ward. The interplay between the two is delivered through naturally flowing dialogue; you can interject, begin conversations, continue them, or choose to stay silent. This enhances your involvement in embodying Edward, which is important, as he is otherwise a fairly single-minded character in a linear narrative.In stark contrast, Lissie has a wild and liberal approach to life. In fact, Lissie is the antithesis of Edward, a fact that becomes more significant as the central mysteries of the game wear on. On top of that, the strong performances behind each of the central characters bolster their personalities. In particular, Edward's mutterings, pauses, and audible skimming through letters and selecting what to read aloud to Lissie makes those interactions feel more genuine.The countryside village of Graavik is positively beautiful. Sunlight filters through glowing orange leaves on trees, shadows drift across your path, and the snow-capped mountain tops are such a bright white that they fade into the clouds. Lissie is animated with a loving attention to detail; the minor curve of her lips or a slightly raised eyebrow do much to convey her opinions and relationship to Edward. Alongside the stunning vistas, the sound design establishes a palpable sense of place; the wind is constantly roaring through the mountain valley and rustling trees, and there are rushing falls and singing birds. Everything is, in fact, so perfect that it feels unreal, and it's no mistake that that is one of the central dualities that underpin the narrative. The town is, as it happens, completely empty, and all of that natural beauty gives way to a tangible tension as you uncover how deep secrecy and tragedy run in the otherwise unassuming village.Because it's a first-person exploration adventure, the familiarity of certain narrative tropes that have become expected in this genre--a creepy mine, an abandoned house, a curse, a gregarious companion--have less of an impact. Draugen is most effective when it steps away from expectation--when you engage in and explore the curious relationship between Edward and Lissie, when it calls upon you to second-guess the assertions of its protagonists, and when the imagined blurs with reality, sometimes imperceptibly.The central mystery of the town revolves around unique and interesting characters with intricate lives, but it's Edward's personal character arc that takes precedence. Draugen deals in simple themes, like its noir whodunit narrative, and more complicated ones, like psychology, trauma, and the perils of isolation. The complex ideas are explored more thoroughly through Edward, forcing the base mystery into the back seat. Though this creates a more satisfying psychological journey for Edward, it rips the narrative away from the mystery of Graavik's inhabitants at a pivotal moment. Edward carries a journal with him, though there are no consistent entries; rather, it houses an annotated map and his drawings of the town. Given Draugen's focus on Edward's evolution and motivations, it's a missed opportunity that his journal doesn't offer up a deeper analysis of his inner workings. But while some elements of the game's mysteries remain unresolved, Edward's literal and emotional journey is ultimately satisfying, and his character becomes extremely sympathetic.To explain much more would be a disservice to the joy of unraveling Draugen's mysteries for yourself. It's exciting to piece apart the history of the abandoned town, and the horrors the befell it, even though it's up to your interpretation to decide if there's supernatural elements or foul play at work. There is a central narrative path to follow, though even if you pore over all of the intriguing newspaper clippings, handwritten letters, and other optional documents, the story comes to a close in three hours. The final chapters are somewhat abrupt, and while certain elements--like the character arc of Edward--are satisfying to see come to their natural end, it feels as though there's too much left undone. My laundry list of questions upon finishing the game would be a frustrating final takeaway, were it not for the joy of watching Edward and Lissie evolve, running the gamut of serene to terrifying moments, and ultimately echoing one of Edward's final utterances: "I almost wish we had more time to dig into the history of Graavik."Leaving questions unanswered doesn't present a failure in the narrative, but rather the notion that Graavik feels like a town with so much more to say, whose inhabitants deserve to have more of their stories told. It's a theme the game vocalizes through Lissie's dialogue several times, and yet it rarely provides concrete answers as to what precisely happened in the town. In this way, leaving Graavik behind is disappointing--but more significantly, that feeling is a hallmark of how fascinating the world and its characters are. Graavik is beautiful and unforgettable, and the joy in watching Edward and Lissie grow and change is the core of Draugen's success in character building and writing. The puzzle pieces of the central mysteries you can slot together are satisfying, and the picture they begin to create is truly captivating, even if you are left wishing you could see just a bit more of it.Info from Gamespot.com

The upcoming expansion to Square Enix's MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, called Shadowbringers, will introduce a wide variety of changes to the core gameplay as well as a slew of new content. And one of the most intriguing additions will be an entire raid dedicated to Nier Automata. It's called YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse, and it'll be a lot more than the typical crossover event, although not much has been detailed yet.However, I had a chance to speak with FFXIV director and lead producer Naoki Yoshida during a preview event for Shadowbringers, and asked about where the idea came from, if there are any details he could tease, and how much Nier's creator Yoko Taro is involved in the raid's creation.Key art for the upcoming Nier Automata crossover raid in Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers.Yoshida-san stated that the crossover was driven by player feedback, and elaborated, "When Nier Automata was released, a lot of people were saying, 'We want 9S or 2B gear in FFXIV!' Of course, if we're just simply having attire or an outfit implemented into FFXIV, it's simple, it's quick, but I'm sure it wouldn't be fun from a gameplay perspective."I think it leans more towards Nier's gameplay rather than FFXIV's battle mechanics. - Naoki YoshidaHe continued, "Why not have Yoko-san come on board and create content that sort of meshes FFXIV and Nier together? And as a reward, you can get the gear and costumes. I feel that it would make for a lot more interesting gameplay, had we had his participation. We approached Yoko-san and asked him, 'Would you be interested in doing such a project?' He was happy to be on board."Yoko-san's involvement is very significant, as if he is creating a whole game. Over the course of the next two years, we will continue to work with him and the team to bring content. - Naoki YoshidaIn terms of information on the content, Yoshida-san mentioned that he can't give many details. But he did say that this raid will have a unique Nier Automata flavor, more so than you might expect."We do feel that it's going to be very much in line with a Nier game and it'll bring out Yoko-san's sort of tastes very well. As well as the battle mechanics, I think it leans more towards Nier's gameplay rather than FFXIV's battle mechanics. He is writing the text and scenario script, and provided us with ideas for the boss design. And once we do come up with the visual sketches, he would review and check each piece that we bring to him."Final Fantasy XIV director and lead producer Naoki Yoshida."Yoko-san's involvement is very significant, as if he is creating a whole game. Over the course of the next two years, we will continue to work with him and the team to bring content. We're really looking forward to continuing this relationship."If you're not familiar with what raids are in MMORPGs, they're usually long, continuous PvE multiplayer missions with larger parties and varied challenges like difficult multi-step boss battles interspersed with high-stakes puzzles. YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse isn't expected to be available at the launch of Shadowbringers, as raids are typically rolled out through subsequent updates post-release over a year or two (as mentioned by Yoshida-san above) and require players to be at max level with high-level gear.Nier Automata producer Yosuke Saito (left) and director Yoko Taro (right) during the crossover announcement.FFXIV has already incorporated crossover events with Monster Hunter--which flipped the script on game mechanics to align closer with that series--and Final Fantasy XV that involved a questline starring Noctis. Another new raid called Eden is designed by longtime game designer and Kingdom Hearts director Tetsuya Nomura. And it seems like the MMORPG is going to great lengths to do even more for Nier Automata in the near future.As for the new expansion, I did a breakdown of the biggest changes and additions coming to FFXIV with Shadowbringers and 5.0 update, which involves many gameplay overhauls along with new Jobs and Races. Shadowbringers launches for PC and PlayStation 4 on July 2, 2019.Info from Gamespot.com

Creative Assembly's new strategy game Total War: Three Kingdoms is off to a hot start. The game sold more than 1 million copies in its first week to become the studio's fastest-selling strategy game ever. The game is the current No. 1 strategy game on Steam in terms of concurrent players with more than 160,000 peak concurrent players today.Creative Assembly's chief product officer Rob Bartholomew said in a statement that the response to Three Kingdoms "exceeded all expectations""We're seeing a lot of 'best Total War ever' comments out there. We're very proud," he added.Three Kingdoms is the first Total War game set in China; it takes place in 190 CE. The game was originally scheduled to launch in March, but Creative Assembly delayed it to May to fix bugs, add polish, and make sure the localization was done right.GameSpot's Total War: Three Kingdoms review scored the game an 8/10."This is the most ambitious that Total War has ever been, from the variety of different ways that you can enjoy the game to the sheer scope of the stories that they've weaved around each unique character's playable experience," reviewer Ginny Woo said. "Three Kingdoms feels like the rightful evolution of the series, pulling from its roots in historical military tactics to come up with an engrossing modern strategy game that is always a delight, even in its less well-oiled moments." Info from Gamespot.com

With Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge about to open to the public at Disneyland, fans planning to visit the planet of Batuu are also likely planning to part ways with a lot of their money. Galaxy’s Edge is loaded with new and exclusive merchandise that you won’t be able to find anywhere else (much of which you can take a peek at in our image gallery from visiting the park), ranging in price from a few dollars to a few hundred--and beyond, as we're about to explain.For those with plenty of cash to burn, there are some very high-end items for you to browse. During a media preview event, GameSpot found the most expensive piece of merchandise for sale in the new land. For the low, low price of only $25,000, you can have your own custom R-series droid.Whether you want a perfect replica of R2-D2 or some splashes of color, the design of the droid is up to you, if you’re willing to pay enough. You can customize the droid's paint job and parts--to an extent that wasn't clear yet during our sneak peek. You can even choose whether your droid will appear scuffed up and used, or shiny like it just arrived from the factory. The droid is functional, including sounds and lights, and controllable via remote. If you decide to pony up, it will be about 90 days from the time of order to your custom droid arriving at your front door, according to Disney. Of course, there are also options for those that don’t want to spend quite that much.You can also build your own smaller droids for $100, or purchase one that’s been pre-built, with the price depending on the droid in question. Speaking to GameSpot, Disneyland Resort Merchandise Strategy Manager Summer Bloomfield said that prices on droids start at $10.Honestly, though, everyone should get the $25,000 option and then R2 units can rule the galaxy. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens at Disneyland on May 31, with Walt Disney World’s arriving on August 29.Info from Gamespot.com

Dauntless brims with energy. It's in everything from the exuberant use of color to the larger-than-life Behemoths with cheeky nods to the developer's Canadian roots. Monster Hunter: World's high-realism design almost feels grimdark in comparison to the Shattered Isles' Crayola color scheme of glamors and on-the-nose armor designs. The game has chutzpah, but it lacks that little bit more to keep you properly engaged in its monster hunting fracas.At first glance, Dauntless looks and appears to play like a beginner-friendly version of Capcom's monster-slaying franchise. After a robust character creator (which features some nice non-gender conforming options), you're thrust into a dangerous world via an unceremonious plane crash. The premise behind your existence here is a simple one which isn't really brought up ever again: you need to kill things that are making the place dangerous, and killing these enormous things sometimes involves calling upon your mates for help. Hunt, slay, repeat. Hunting the giant monsters that stalk the Shattered Isles, slaying them, and repeating it until you've gathered enough parts to make a cape out of tailfeathers is something that you repeat ad infinitum.The game's Behemoths are intelligent, deadly, and initially occupy a strange space between fantastical and woodland creatures. You find yourself taking up arms against killer beavers, oversized owls, and angry turtles. The beaver feels like a tongue-in-cheek nod to the developer's Canadian origins, and because the early reference points are mostly animals that we're familiar with (as opposed to more esoteric dinosaur-dragon hybrids), it means that there's a level of innate predictability in how some of these creatures fight. The Gnasher, our beaver-like friend, will slap you around with its oversized tail. The Shrike, a gigantic killer owl, flies around and uses its wings to create tornadoes. The Embermane, an analog for a lion, prances and pounces like the best of them in the Serengeti. The fact that these initial monsters have physiques and species archetypes that occur naturally in our world makes them less, well, daunting. Behemoth designs become more intricate once you've left the relative safety of the first few locations and have to contend with insects shooting deadly lasers at you, but by and large, you're fighting creatures that you can intuit a solution for.This means that the beasts can lack the same gut-punch effect upon first sight that you may be used to from facing down prehistoric nightmares in other games, exacerbated by the cartoony art direction and the game's straightforward approach to hunting. Dauntless gives you access to an assortment of weapons which all vastly affect the hunting experience. From dual-wielding guns to teleporting with chain blades, there's a good variety that caters to different styles. Bladed weapons are better for slicing off monster parts, while others crush skulls more effectively. No matter what you pick, you're going to be able to bring something valuable to a group situation.That being said, once you figure out the basics of knocking bits off Behemoths using a mixture of heavy attacks, light attacks, and special skills, that's really all you've got to worry about in the heat of the moment. The only concern in any hunt is the slavering monster trying to eat you up--no need to worry about finding respite, concocting traps, or anything related to the idea of tracking your prey. Dauntless isn't drinking from the well of realism by any means, but the lack of these touches ultimately make it hard to stay engaged in the moment. This isn't to say that the fights themselves lack the difficulty required to get your heart rate up; a total wipe becomes more common as you start throwing yourself against bigger and badder critters. That being said, the lack of verticality and overall variety in terrain means that there's simply not a lot to parse.This same feeling of just falling a little short is also present when it comes to the fifteen or so hours of the core story. Monster Hunter: World worked off an involved, overarching single-player narrative to guide you from each unique in-game location to another in your quest to push a dying, continent-sized lizard out to sea. Conversely, Dauntless gives you an almost-administrative motivation for your actions. You need to clean things in the overworld because, well, it keeps people safe. Also, hope you've got time to gather fifteen stalks of a plant in-between trying to knock the skull off a giant monster, because a quest-giver back home is scientifically curious.There's not much of an attempt to get you particularly invested in the main campaign, which means that if you're someone who prefers taking down ice-spewing owlbears solo, your only true motivation is going to be the satisfaction of throwing yourself at said ice-spewing owlbear. If you're playing alone, you can end up feeling isolated. This is the most noticeable in the game's hub world, Ramsgate. Even when the servers are bustling (we're talking matchmaking queues that are 100,000 players deep), there's a distinct lack of reflection of that in Ramsgate. The place feels empty, with perhaps only a handful of people standing around.The NPCs feel like a lost opportunity in the same vein. While you will be undoubtedly happy that you can pet the dog (and hopefully, the rams), and that the local blacksmith is serving high-fashion lumberjack looks for days, the aesthetic appeal is where it ends. There's no feeling of life to Ramsgate. No roaming vendors, no murmuring chit-chat when things get busy. There are swaths of bare corridors and paths for you to sprint down, but by and large, the town exists for you to pick up collectibles and quests. Everyone that you can talk to looks like they're hiding a cool backstory, but you never get to experience it.The multiplayer side of things is where Dauntless really shines, and the reality is that the title feels optimized for it. Cross-platform compatibility has been available since launch day, which means that regardless of whether you're slaying Behemoths on PC, PlayStation 4, or Xbox One, your multiplayer pool will encompass all three. This is advantageous because matchmaking is, in practice, refreshingly seamless. No need to fiddle with a menu or five, and it's nice that each platform's native friends lists are imported into the client. Matchmaking usually takes a matter of seconds, which makes Dauntless feel very plug-and-play in the best way.The game is not without its quirks, however--opening up a menu as you're finishing a hunt might trap you in there, unable to exit out. Going into a hunt with a group of friends and becoming stuck on the loading screen until you relog will kick you from the party and the endeavor. You could also fall into part of the landscape at Ramsgate and be unable to extricate yourself without restarting the client. Something as simple as ensuring that the hotkey to interact with things works each and every time is not a foolproof feature yet, which can lead to repeat frustrations at inopportune times.Dauntless is also a free to play game. It's impressive in terms of what it offers in terms of content, accessibility, and the fact that you aren't constantly bludgeoned over the head with the need to spend any real money on anything. There are dyes, cute emotes and other cosmetic improvements which are part and parcel of F2P, and also a "Hunt Pass" which rewards players for completing in-game objectives. There isn't the ability to purchase your way to a sure victory against the Behemoths and the relatively unobtrusive presence of the F2P elements like the various in-game shops means that you can spend absolutely nothing and not feel like you're missing out at all unless you're a fiend for glamoring your gear.Overall, Dauntless is clearly an experience that has been optimized to deliver the most stress-free multiplayer session possible. From the seamless crossplay to the way that anyone can hop into a game and confidently take up arms against formidable foes, it’s refreshingly accessible and looks great to boot. While it can feel a little empty, and there are bugs that mar the experience here and there, its fresh look and lively spark are more than enticing enough to warrant a spin.Info from Gamespot.com

Void Bastards never lets you get too comfortable. As you explore spaceships, scrounging around for supplies to push yourself that little bit further, your strategy has to be flexible. An electrifying zapper is good for immobilizing some enemies, but it's useless against those with shields. A lobbed grenade is handy against those shielded enemies, but it prevents you from taking more devastating firepower with you to fight beefier foes. Void Bastards forces you to make small decisions with each stop at a not-so-abandoned vessel, which makes these encounters challenging and exciting.Void Bastards puts you in the space shoes of numerous rehydrated "clients" aboard a stranded personnel vessel, whose AI has had no choice but to rely on its dangerous cargo to repair the ship for a final jump to its destination. You are tasked with searching any nearby ships for special items and other resources, using components you find to craft new weapons and tools that will help you both evade and combat the numerous nasty enemies protecting these rewards. This encapsulates the main loop you'll find yourself in throughout the 15-hour campaign.The game hops between a frenetic first-person shooter when you board ships and a galactic exploration adventure outside of them. Your small vessel requires fuel to travel, while you need food to survive each passing day in the empty void. Both of these resources are found on nearby ships, which you can inspect from afar to identify its possible inhabitants, lucrative rewards, and unique modifiers before making a choice on whether to board or pass by. Modifiers can include anything from security systems being graciously offline to the hallways being stripped of lights to make your journey through them more treacherous. These small modifiers keep your ventures on ships exciting, providing knock-on effects for you and its enemies to play off of.Punchy one-liners and some dark humor drive Void Bastard's world-building, which is primarily conveyed by your AI handler and occasionally by intercom systems on ships you board. Neither expand on the lore enough to make the setting any more interesting than it is at face value, but it's entertaining enough to earn a few chuckles throughout. The story is supported by gorgeous comic book-style cutscenes that bookend each completed objective. It has a distinct style that immediately gives Void Bastards an identity.The comic book aesthetic transitions over beautifully into gameplay, where the action looks like it was ripped from the narrative panels preceding them. Explosions litter the screen with onomatopoetic descriptions of their destructive power, represented visually with bold colors and thick black outlines. Enemies move as if they're 2D sprites living in a 3D space, rotating at fixed increments to face you. It's a striking style that makes Void Bastards immediately recognizable and imbues its adventure with personality.With its rogue-lite structure, Void Bastards is as much about staying alive as long as you can as it is about dying. You won't lose all your progress when your current character expires, but you will lose any hoarded ammunition, fuel, and food. You'll also lose your current character, who might be equipped with both useful and detrimental abilities. One might be capable of silently sprinting, letting you get by enemies faster without alerting them. Another could do the exact opposite by randomly coughing and giving away your position. It's fun to work with and around these traits, but Void Bastards graciously lets you keep any weapon and gadget upgrades as well as objective progress intact should you lose a character early.Crafting these items is streamlined, too. A clear and concise upgrade tree shows you exactly what you need to build a new item, as well as what components you should look out for to upgrade them a tier. You can even tag certain pieces of gear and have any possible nearby locations with their required components show up on the galaxy map, clearly charting you a course towards them. Void Bastards rewards you with items for upgrades frequently. You'll likely have something new to craft after most dangerous expeditions onto nearby ships, which not only helps shake up each combat encounter with some new weapons and toys, but also expands your options for engagement with the numerous types of enemies you'll come into contact with.The game's enemy variety is key to keeping each expedition surprising, and they start off simple enough. Slow-to-react but explosive blue alien blobs and dim-witted Janitors litter the halls of your first few ships, eventually giving way to quick and foul-mouthed Juveniles and skittish Scribes that run away from danger. As you descend into deeper nebulas with more rewards, the dangers increase, with formidable variations on previous enemies. Hard-hitting Stevs will make quick work of your health bar while Secs can quickly render your loadout redundant, as their impenetrable shields block everything you throw at them.The randomized selection of enemies on ships and their increasing ferocity keeps you thinking about which weapons to take on board, as well as how they can combine for particular strategies. You're given the choice of three items to bring with you as you dock, and your loadout cannot be changed once you've boarded the vessel, making your understanding of the perils aboard paramount to your selections. For example, if a ship's security systems are down but it's overrun with hulking Stevs, it might be better to leave behind a stun gun and bring along the autonomous and explosive Kittybots, which do a great job of distracting foes as you slip past. Ships with smaller enemies in large numbers might benefit from a weapon with a faster rate of fire over a semi-automatic pistol. Since each slot serves a purpose (weapon, explosive and gadget) it's fun to play around with different combinations and see which combine in both creative and effective ways.There are hundreds of weapons at your disposal, but the variety between them and the tools you have allows for this experimentation. It's satisfying to use an immobilizing stun gun to freeze groups of enemies in place before launching a package of small grenades that bounce and ricochet off the walls of a narrow walkway to deal devastating damage. A silent dart gun can let you poison enemies from afar, letting you watch them slowly die as you soak up their incoming fire with a personal shield should you be spotted. Or you could take a more indirect approach by sucking up an enemy into your rift gun, placing them in an airlock and launching them out into space. The careful distribution of ammunition for each weapon prevents you from stockpiling enough for your favorites all the time, which pushes you to become familiar with your entire arsenal too. It avoids being frustrating because of how fun each weapon is to use in the right situation, but also makes you carefully consider when to use the right tool for the right job.The ships you board can also throw up strategic combat options for you to exploit through their randomized construction. Simply being able to lock doors lets you create traps for enemies to wander into, letting you slide in a few explosives before locking them into a hallway with no escape. You can override security systems and make them fight for you if you have enough credits to spend, while environmental hazards such as nuclear spills and severed electrical cables can serve as nuisances or convenient traps depending on whether you see them in time or not. Void Bastards gives you maps for each of the ships you board from the start, letting you focus on the foes lurking in their halls rather than remembering how to get back to your exit. Resources are hidden between enemies and hazards; this keeps exploration fun and interesting while ditching the tedium of basic navigation.Void Bastards succeeds because it keeps you moving forward and rewards you on the way, without feeling like a pushover as a result.Void Bastards doesn't introduce changes to its gameplay loop throughout its course, and its narrative objectives don't shake it up meaningfully. But there's a steady flow of new weapons and suitably challenging enemies to test them on, so you don't get stuck in a rut. And because you maintain some progress between deaths, dying doesn't dissuade you from jumping right into the next run. Void Bastards succeeds because it keeps you moving forward and rewards you on the way, without feeling like a pushover as a result.This delicate balance highlights the assortment of randomized levels, enemy compilations and uniquely designed weaponry that all make Void Bastards an absolute delight. It's wildly entertaining to go from ship to ship and eradicate enemies with constantly shifting strategies, and equally engaging to use your scavenging gains to make yourself feel increasingly powerful. It's a satisfyingly stylish shooter that manages to play as well as, if not better than, it looks.Info from Gamespot.com

As it's a first-person shooter, it's not hard to imagine Blood and Truth working without VR. But the ways it reinvigorates some of the genre's mechanics also wouldn't be possible without it. Its first-person shooter action is still beholden to some of the inaccuracies and annoyances with PSVR and its less-than-precise tracking. But it also uses these forms of input to give you a satisfying amount of control over each firefight and the various activities between them. Whether it's tearing off grenade pins with your teeth or hanging from scaffolding while returning fire, Blood and Truth does an admirable job expanding on familiar shooter concepts while maintaining a comfortable VR experience.Blood and Truth can only be played with two Move controllers. You're explicitly told to play from a seated position, and you’re given numerous points around your torso to interact with. Putting a hand to your chest, for example, will let you grab stored ammunition for reloading, while you can find handgun holsters on both your hips and slings for larger weapons behind your shoulders. Blood and Truth makes you move to reach the weapons you need at the moment you need them, while also making these movements easy and natural to remember.There's a slightly long calibration process that helps make each of these motions smooth and accurate. A lot of care is taken to ensure that you're being tracked correctly at all times, which helps when you're flung into some fast-paced shootouts. The accurate tracking produces one of the most comfortable experiences I've ever had using PSVR. Although Blood and Truth doesn't completely eradicate some tracking issues (which are more hardware related), it entirely sidesteps common issues such as camera drifting and annoyingly erratic motion-tracking losses.That isn't to say issues aren't frustrating when they do crop up. It's common to wrestle with a two-handed assault rifle and its attached scope while the game struggles to determine the angle that you're trying to aim at. This leads to numerous frustrating deaths when the situation demands more dexterity than the hardware is capable of providing you, deflating otherwise challenging encounters with failures that feel out of your control.Blood and Truth almost successfully distracts you from this by giving you much more to do with your hands, enhancing its otherwise rote first-person shooting. Weapons such as a pump-action shotgun feel more satisfying to use when you're grasping the pump handle with your free hand and actively pulling back to reload after every shot, while a silenced pistol has tangibly more accuracy after you rest your free hand over to the side of it for added stability. Blood and Truth lets you get ridiculous with how you approach combat, too, allowing you to wield a powerful assault rifle in one hand and a sawed-off shotgun in the other at the expense of accuracy.Your movement in Blood and Truth is limited, but that helps the action flow smoothly. Blood and Truth only ever has you facing in a direction it determines, giving you the control to move to predetermined areas in front of your or strafe to the side at the press of a button. There are no confusing segmented rotations to grapple with, so you're free to focus on how to navigate your way forward and use what cover is available in effective ways.With this in mind, it's comforting that enemies can't find themselves in inaccessible spaces behind you, and you have enough choices in a firefight to keep it dynamic rather than simply on rails. Transitioning to new cover and the freedom you're given to make slight adjustments to your firing angles with strafing are smooth and responsive, letting you satisfyingly flank enemies with ease. There are some sparse stealth sections to break up the sometimes unrelenting action, giving you options to navigate through cramped office spaces or derelict apartments and pick off enemies with silenced weapons. It is exhilarating to string together a number of silent kills before being spotted, again highlighting how much space Blood and Truth gives you to work with despite being so restrictive with your movement.When you're not poking your head out in between gunshots, you're doing anything from picking locks to shimmying your way across construction supports and crawling through open vents. Each of these actions (and more) make good use of the Move controllers, making your movements feel more intimate than they ever could with a standard controller. Lock picking, for example, tasks you with rotating one Move controller slowly and then using the other to quickly lock the pin in place when in the right position. It feels both precise and natural, and goes a long way to making the otherwise mundane action of unlocking a door surprisingly engaging.Although Blood and Truth doesn't completely eradicate some tracking issues (which are more hardware related), it entirely sidesteps common issues such as camera drifting and annoyingly erratic motion-tracking losses.The same can be said for the many ways in which Blood and Truth lets you climb around its many environments. You'll have to reach out to grab overhead bars or protruding rebar pieces from walls to gracefully pull yourself upwards, carefully making sure not to unclench both hands when you're dangling over a deadly plunge. Some set-pieces make use of this to create some memorable shootouts, as you hang for your life using one arm and frantically return fire with the other. Having to physically grip to hold on, while remaining aware of where your hands are positioned, makes these actions feel all the more natural and satisfying.With some strong action and creative uses of VR, it's a shame that Blood and Truth fails to encapsulate all of this into a story that doesn't feel as disjointed and hokey as it does. Following the escapades of a London-based crime family under threat, Blood and Truth flicks through every gangster story cliche in the book. Moments of gravitas are undone by stilted voice acting and poor writing, while others can't decide whether they're trying to be a grounded crime tale or a globe-trotting James Bond imitation. Blood and Truth never settles on a consistent tone that helps move its story along, which make its narrative-focused stages (that feature no action) drawn-out and dull.Blood and Truth is uneven, especially when it's determined to get you to focus on an uninteresting story while you're putting up with the shortcomings of VR. But the beauty of Blood and Truth is that it also does marvelous things with the platform. The addition of motion control make familiar and mundane mechanics engaging, while also breaking up the smartly designed first-person shooting and establishing a great rhythm to the six-or-so-hour campaign. Blood and Truth doesn't manage to stick the landing in all aspects, but it's definitely a step forward for PSVR shooters.Info from Gamespot.com

One of the more divisive aspects of the original Super Mario Maker is that it gated its tools behind a waiting period, forcing players to gradually unlock them over the course of several days. While the reasoning behind this decision was to ease players into the game's wealth of customization options, it put up a hurdle in front of those hoping to use specific enemies or items in their levels. Fortunately, Super Mario Maker 2 does away with this restriction.GameSpot recently went hands-on with Super Mario Maker 2 at a demo event, where we asked a Nintendo representative if the game features a similar waiting period before players could access the entire tool palette. The Nintendo rep confirmed that "almost all" of the game's tools will be available from the start, so you'll be able to jump in and tinker around with most of Super Mario Maker 2's new toys right from the outset.One option that you will need to unlock is the nighttime theme. Super Mario Maker 2 allows you to change each type of level into a nighttime version, which will not only give it a starry backdrop, but also change some of the course's properties; nighttime snow stages, for example, are more slippery than their daytime counterparts, while nighttime sky levels have lower gravity. Fortunately, unlocking the theme is very simple; all you need to do is place Super Mario 3's angry sun enemy in the level and change it into a moon. Once you've unlocked the nighttime theme, you'll no longer need to place the moon in a level to access it.Super Mario Maker 2 makes a few other welcome quality-of-life improvements. In the original game, you needed to shake certain enemies or combine items in order to change their form; for instance, shaking a green Koopa Troopa would transform it into a red one, while combining it with a Super Mushroom would supersize it. This time, however, you'll be able to choose these different variants simply by tapping on the object and selecting them from the menu. The game also automatically populates the top toolbar with the items you most frequently use, and you have the option to pin certain tools there for easy access.Super Mario Maker 2 launches for Nintendo Switch on June 28. The game features a load of new elements, including a story mode and online multiplayer. To play and share levels online, however, you'll need to have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, but Nintendo is bundling an individual 12-month membership for the service along with a copy of the game for $70--a $10 savings off the typical price of a 12-month subscription. If you already subscribe to the service and spring for this bundle, the 12 months will be stacked on top of your current subscription. You can learn more in our Super Mario Maker 2 pre-order guide.Info from Gamespot.com

One of the most fun aspects of Super Mario Maker is seeing how the game reimagines certain enemies and items in styles they never originally appeared in, such as seeing airship levels in Super Mario Bros. or Hammer Bros. in Super Mario World. That holds just as true for Super Mario Maker 2, which introduces a new assortment of items to the toolset, including Super Mario 3's angry sun. Naturally, we had to see how the iconic enemy looked in other Mario styles, and we were a little horrified by the result.We recently had a chance to go hands-on with Super Mario Maker 2 at a demo event in New York, where we got to tinker around with the game's course builder. We chose Super Mario World as the style for our level, and of course, the first enemy we placed in it was the angry sun, which behaves just as you remember, swooping down to singe you every few seconds. You can take a look at our creation in the video above.While the angry sun looks as you'd expect it to in the Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario World styles, the enemy takes on a different appearance in the New Super Mario Bros. U style. As you can see in the screenshot below, the sun's angry grimace becomes a dead-eyed stare, which somehow makes it even more unsettling as it torments you throughout the stage.The angry sun is only one of a myriad of new customization options available in Super Mario Maker 2. Nintendo gave us a closer look at a handful of other new enemies and items during this month's Mario Maker 2 Direct. And unlike the original Super Mario Maker, you won't need to wait to unlock them; almost all of the game's tools will be available from the start, so you'll be able to jump in and play around with them right away. The game also features a story mode and online multiplayer, the latter of which is a first for a Super Mario platformer.Super Mario Maker 2 launches for Switch on June 28. The game requires a Nintendo Switch Online subscription in order to play and share levels online. An individual 12-month membership typically costs $20, but Nintendo is bundling a year's subscription with a copy of Super Mario Maker 2 for $70, which amounts to a $10 savings. You can read more details about the bundle in our Super Mario Maker 2 pre-order guide.Info from Gamespot.com