The neon-soaked hallways and dirty streets of Katana Zero do a great job of sucking you into its broken world. Gangsters operate unhindered as society is still reeling from a devastating war, one whose loss has littered the streets with homeless war veterans and bars with resentful and drunken citizens looking for a fight. You are that fight--a ruthless sword-wielding assassin with the ability to slow down time--and Katana Zero gives you delicately designed scenarios to slice and dice your way through. Its abrupt ending is an unwelcome surprise, but the riveting action is complemented by an intelligently presented narrative with a variety of captivating themes that is difficult to pull away from.Katana Zero puts you in the shoes of a nameless assassin haunted by the fractured misdeeds from the past war. This war forms the backbone of Katana Zero's central mystery, which does take time to unravel. What starts out as straightforward assassination missions ordered by a shadowy organization slowly unfurls to encapsulate themes of post-traumatic stress, war crimes, and government killings. This plays out across multiple acts, comprised of small side-scrolling stages containing violent and thoughtful combat throughout.Genetic experimentation and drug use are central to both Katana Zero's story and gameplay. Thanks to a steady supply of a blue serum, you're able to augment your simple sword slashes with the ability to slow down time. This lets you pull off some incredibly stylish maneuvers and experiment with a malleable dynamic to the otherwise straight-forward combat. Slow-motion rolls can be combined with precise movement to quickly close distances, and your sword is not just for close-quarter slashing--it can be used to perfectly time a bullet deflection back to its sender. When combined with stage-specific items that can be used as long-range projectiles and security systems that can be transformed from a deterrent into an environmental weapon, Katana Zero doesn't struggle to keep its combat exciting.It helps that each stage is thoughtfully compact given how dangerously fragile you are. A single hit will send you back to the beginning of a stage, with fast respawns making the transition almost instant. This not only avoids the sting of detrimental progress loss, but also gets you back into the engrossing action quickly. There are a few stages that feel excessively long and end up being frustrating, but they're thankfully few and far between.The variety of enemies keeps each encounter from feeling repetitive, gently introducing more dangerous foes that will force you to change up your comforting strategies. Enemies with shields will push you away before swiftly firing at you on the ground, while knife-wielding gangsters can stagger you and delay your attacks for a brief (but deadly) moment. The ways levels combine these different enemies turns each of them into clever combat puzzles, where your twitchy instincts need to be supplemented by thoughtful planning and careful consideration of who to target first.Katana Zero doesn't shy away from telling its story through scenes of unsettling torture and vivid violence, yet it successfully contrasts this with delicately quiet character moments and some heartfelt relationships that help ground a protagonist that would otherwise be impossible to empathize with. It works incredibly well thanks to a creative approach to character conversations, which are often just as important as your violent exploits outside of them. Instead of just being given choices for responses, conversations allow you to interrupt characters to alter both the tone and direction of the scene. Characters react intelligently to your manners during an exchange, expressing disgust at your audacity to cut them off or surprise at your unexpected courtesy.Depending on how you respond, certain small narrative changes can take place too. In one instance I found myself pretending to love anime to convince a hotel receptionist to let me pass, which later helped me avoid the police as she corroborated my alibi. The same conversation played out differently the second time, as my short temper with the same receptionist led her to turn on me when getting questioned about my blood-soaked clothing. Small diversions like this don't have an impact on the trajectory of the main story, and there are a handful of scenarios where you'll be forced into a specific response in order to progress. But Katana Zero mostly handles your branching conversational decisions with grace, eloquently incorporating them into small but inconsequential changes to its excellently written dialogue.Each character moment lands thanks to the sublime pixel artwork. There's an immense amount of detail packed into each sprite, bringing the colorful yet distressing world around you to life with its sheer variety. Character sprites are the most impressive, featuring delicate animation that lends a lot of emotion to each conversation and story beat. These extend to the thoughtful effects applied to simple dialogue bubbles, which use a combination of flashing colors, moving parts, and aggressive screen shake to allow important interactions to hit hard. Katana Zero doesn't just use its retro-inspired style to pull on nostalgic strings. It elevates the style entirely with a sense of depth and detail that is difficult not to appreciate.Katana Zero doesn't shy away from telling its story through scenes of unsettling torture and vivid violence, yet it successfully contrasts this with delicately quiet character moments and some heartfelt relationships.The real pity is that despite its slick presentation and enthralling dialogue, Katana Zero's story just doesn't wrap up in a satisfying way. It starts introducing its central themes about halfway through and only increases in momentum from there, seemingly building to an enticing climax. But it swerves unexpectedly at the end to reveal that this entry is only the first chapter in a larger tale. After four or so hours you're left with a number of unhandled narrative threads and an unsatisfying conclusion, which dampens the exciting momentum that was building up. It's a deflating and abrupt end to the proceedings, with no promise of more to come in the future.The uncertain future of the story that Katana Zero so brilliantly sets up is concerning, but that shouldn't deter you from diving into this compelling introductory chapter. Its combat provides an exciting challenge that tests both strategy and reflex, while also giving you clever abilities to make it as stylish as possible. The narrative contextualization of both your abilities and role within Katana Zero's world is expertly written, with a clever dialogue system letting you inject personality into character interactions. Katana Zero is bloody and brutal, but it's also a heartfelt tale that you shouldn't overlook lightly.Info from Gamespot.com

Nintendo dropped a 15-minute video detailing everything Persona-related that's coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and there is a lot to unpack. The video outlined exactly how Persona 5's Joker works as a fighter and other content in the version 3.0 spring update, but that's not all. It also revealed the Mementos-themed stage with a few twists that'll warm the hearts of long-time Persona fans.The new content includes homages to Persona 3 and Persona 4 with the battle theme songs "Mass Destruction," "Reach Out To The Truth," and "Time To Make History." New arrangements for the Persona 4 boss battle theme "I'll Face Myself" and the iconic Velvet Room theme "Aria Of The Soul" will be on the tracklist--even the Persona 3's final fight song "Battle Hymn Of The Soul" makes the cut. Another great twist is that the stage changes color to match each games color scheme when you play a song from the corresponding Persona game. And the cherry on top is that if Joker wins in the Mementos stage, the victory music from the particular Persona game will play on the results screen. You can check it out the stage variations below.Persona 3-themed Mementos stage.Persona 4-themed Mementos stage.The normal Persona 5-themed Mementos stage.The songs featured in Smash Ultimate from Persona 3 and Persona 4.Even oddly accurate Mii renditions of the protagonists from Persona 3 and 4 are featured in the Mii Fighters costume pack. A brand new remix of the song "Beneath The Mask" (which you can hear playing in the reveal trailer) along with plenty of other familiar tunes from Persona 5's incredible soundtrack will also be included in Smash Ultimate. In the video you can see the rest of the Phantom Thieves in the game, Joker's stylish victory screen, and how the all-out attack is incorporated. All the content in the update is available now for $6 as DLC.Info from Gamespot.com

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is getting a big update on April 17 (April 18 in Europe). In addition to launching a new paid DLC character, Joker, the update adds a stage-builder and video editor. That's not all. The update also makes changes to the Smash World hub on the Nintendo Switch Online mobile app.With the new update, players will be able to take a look at new user-made videos and custom stages that the community creates using the video editor and stage builder. Perhaps the best thing about the update is that you'll be able to view community-created stages and then click a button to queue them up to download on your home console. What's more, stages can be rated, so theoretically the best ones should surface to the top.The Nintendo Switch Online app, which requires a paid subscription, also allows players to use voice chat. You can check out the new features in the video above; skip to 13:46 to see what's new for the Smash World hub on the app.Read next: Smash Bros. Ultimate 3.0 Update Adds Stage-Builder, Video Editor, Persona 5 Character, MoreInfo from Gamespot.com

The cheeky new advertisement for the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition showed a group of people playing Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer with split-screen. Some took this as a playful tease that the game might, finally, get updated to support split-screen--a feature the game controversially left out.Unfortunately, it was merely an editing issue. Halo community director Brian Jarrard confirmed on Twitter that the depiction of split-screen for Halo 5 in the trailer was only "a little bit of good old fashioned creative liberty in the editing bay."Sorry to disappoint but no, splitscreen isn’t being added to Halo 5. The footage in question looks to be a little bit of good old fashioned creative liberty in the editing bay. — Brian Jarrard (@ske7ch) April 16, 2019Halo 5 launched without split-screen multiplayer, a staple of the franchise, and fans quickly let Microsoft know about this omission. Developer 343 has said time and again that it will never add split-screen to Halo 5, but thankfully Halo Infinite will have this feature.A still from the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition appeared to show Halo 5 split-screenHalo 5 executive producer Josh Holmes said the decision to remove split-screen from Halo 5 was "one of the most difficult ones we've ever had to make as a studio." He added that Halo 5's new "massive-scale environments," better visuals, and improved AI might have been "compromised" if split-screen was in the mix. Not only that, but Phil Spencer says the majority of Halo co-op happens across Xbox Live, not locally.The Xbox One S All-Digital Edition launches on May 7 for $250 USD. For lots more on the pros and cons of the digital-only system, check out the video embedded above.Info from Gamespot.com

Pokemon Go developer Niantic's next big game, Harry Potter Wizards Unite, is beginning its global rollout with a soft-launch today in New Zealand. A beta for the game is now available in the country for iOS and Android, Niantic has announced. The purpose of the beta is to provide feedback that Niantic says will ultimately help the final release when it's ready.Those in New Zealand eager to play Wizards Unite should be aware that, because it's only a beta, a number of features, design, supported languages, and the "overall appearance" are all subject to change. "The product might be buggy and unstable at times. We're looking forward to your feedback so that we can improve the game experience," Niantic said.In Wizards Unite, you play as a member of Statute of Secrecy Task Force, and you are challenged with exploring the real world, locating Foundables (important people and items in the wizarding world), and dispelling the Confoundable magic that's trapping them. While the basic premise of the game is similar to Pokemon Go, it also bears many similarities to a traditional RPG, with a stronger emphasis on story and RPG elements like skill trees and potion brewing.Harry Potter: Wizards Unite was originally scheduled to launch in 2018 before being delayed into this year. You can read more about the title in our hands-on impressions, and Android users can pre-register for it on Google Play. There is no word as of yet regarding when the final game will be available around the world.While you may have to wait a while longer to play Wizards Unite, the other new Harry Potter mobile game, Hogwarts Mystery, is available around the world right now.Info from Gamespot.com

One of the biggest questions about Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is if the sci-fi film will address Rey's parentage. We still don't know, but now director JJ Abrams has teased that there is "more to the story" than what we've seen so far as it related to who Rey's parents are.Abrams was asked directly by ABC News, "Are we going to find out who Rey's parents are?" Abrams responded by saying he intends to have The Rise of Skywalker end in a satisfying manner, and that's important given the film is the end of not only the new trilogy that began with 2015's The Force Awakens, but also what's known as the Skywalker Saga that began in 1977. He went on to say that The Rise of Skywalker will "honor" The Last Jedi, but it remains to be seen if viewers will find out who Rey's parents actually are."I will say that we knew going into this, that this movie, it had to be a satisfying conclusion. And we were well aware that [the discussion surrounding Rey's parents is] one of the things that's been out there. I don't want to say that what happens in Episode 8 [didn't happen]," Abrams said (via IGN). "We have honored that. But I will say that there's more to the story than you've seen."In The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) told Rey (Daisy Ridley) that her parents were no one of significance; they were only "filthy junk traders," according to Kylo Ren. Because it was Kylo Ren who told Rey this in the midst of an tense, emotional scene where he was trying to manipulate her, many have wondered and theorised that Kylo Ren might have been lying or obscuring the real truth about her parents.The Rise of Skywalker comes to theatres in December, so we'll find out soon enough. The movie is said to be the last one for some time, as Lucasfilm is putting the series on "hiatus." You can check out the first teaser trailer for The Rise of Skywalker in the embed above. Info from Gamespot.com

More details have emerged about the canceled Aliens RPG that was in development at Fallout: New Vegas studio Obsidian Entertainment. Writer Chris Avellone, who worked on the game, told VG247 that the game, Aliens: Crucible, was aiming to be "basically Mass Effect but more terrifying."It didn't work out, in part due to various issues, Avellone said. "It would be like--this is going to be really rough comparison--basically Mass Effect but more terrifying. We wanted to make it. But by that point Sega, I think, was… the publisher/management relations had gotten to a point where they were just tired of dealing with [Obsidian]."Everyone working on Aliens: Crucible was really excited about it. It was shaping up to be a really cool game. The prototype was really cool. But then Sega's like, "Nope!'"Avellone shared that one of the difficulties with Aliens: Crucible was to retain the element of fear in the midst of a conversation. "You can make conversations stressful and frightening. How do you do it so that an alien could be attacking you at any moment?" he said. "You can't take shelter in a conversation with two talking heads while you try to figure out what to do."The Aliens game was announced in 2006 when Sega acquired the Aliens license. It was formally confirmed in 2008 for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC before getting canceled a year later. You can see some footage of the canceled game in the video embedded above.Game projects are changed or outright canceled often, but we don't always hear about them, which makes Aliens: Crucible so interesting.2014's Alien: Isolation from UK studio Creative Assembly is the latest installment in the Alien video game series for console and PC. The game sold more than 2 million copies. Creative Assembly talked about ideas for a sequel, but it remains to be seen if that will ever happen. A spinoff called Alien: Blackout starring Amanda Ripley was released in January for iOS and Android devices.A new Alien shooter game for PC and console is in development at the San Francisco-based Cold Iron Studios, which was established in 2015. Cold Iron is staffed by people who worked on titles such as Neverwinter, Star Trek Online, City of Heroes, BioShock Infinite, Borderlands, Doom, and Metroid Prime 3. The new Alien game will be Cold Iron's first title.As for Obsidian, the studio was acquired by Microsoft at the end of 2018. The studio is currently working on a sci-fi RPG called The Outer Worlds that will be published by Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead parent company Take-Two Interactive's new indie label.Avellone, meanwhile, is among the writers for Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order. Info from Gamespot.com

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a house with the team members of Dallas Fuel and Jack Box? Well, here’s your chance! We’re giving away the opportunity for YOU to be a guest character on the new 6-part series, “Fuel House!” Entering our Giveaway is easy—just comment below and tell us which superpower (ANY superpower) you would choose and why. If you have trouble viewing the form please click here.Info from Gamespot.com

Fortnite updates continue to arrive, and the latest one, v8.40, adds a new dogfighting Battle Royale mode named Air Royale. You can read more about the new LTM in the patch notes below.Developer Epic's tease for the mode states: "Pilot the X-4 Stormwing in this Limited-Time Mode as you fight to become the last plane flying! Complete free Challenges to unlock brand new Wraps as you rule the skies." It's a Duos-only mode in which each plane starts with three lives. Touching the ground will take one life from you, but you can gain more by hijacking other players' jets. In an interesting twist, the storm slowly closes in from above, meaning you'll need to keep an eye on your altitude as battles progress.We’re back and it’s time for you to show off your aerial skills in the new Air Royale LTM 🛩️ pic.twitter.com/YnkweQrfwK — Fortnite (@FortniteGame) April 17, 2019A second LTM is also introduced in this update. It's a variant of an old mode, Food Fight, this time dubbed Deep Fried, which features higher restaurant bases, meaning teams must build up to them to protect their mascots.Elsewhere in the 8.40 update, the infantry rifle has gained new Epic and Legendary rarities, which each deal 42/44 damage and can be found in floor loot, chests, supply drops, and vending machines. Finally, in the update's most important change, you can now pet the dog. Good boy.Epic Games continues to expand its battle royale phenomenon, with another big update coming just last week. That 8.30 patch brought Apex Legends-style Reboot Vans and nerfed The Baller, much to every hamster's dismay. You can read the full list of battle royale patch notes for version 8.40 below, via Epic Games, or read the changes for the Save the World and Creative modes on the developer's website.Fortnite Update v8.40 Patch NotesTable of Contents [hide]Fortnite Update v8.40 Patch NotesLimted-Time Mode: Air RoyaleSummaryMode DetailsLTM: Food Fight--Deep FriedSummaryMode DetailsWeapons And ItemsGameplayBug FixesCompetitivePerformanceArt And AnimationAudioBug FixesUIBug FixesReplayBug FixesMobileBug FixesLimted-Time Mode: Air RoyaleSummaryClimb aboard a plane and take to the skies in this fast-paced mode where players fight to be the last one flying!Mode DetailsAir Royale is lifting off as a Duos-only mode.Each plane has 3 lives, players will respawn until they lose their plane's last life.Touching the ground will instantly eliminate players.Parking a plane on the ground for more than a few seconds will cause it to explode - stay airborne!Hijacking another team's plane will add that plane to your existing number of plane lives (and cost the team who lost the plane a life).The storm has a ceiling that gradually lowers during the match. Be careful not to fly too high late in the match!Loot chests of five different rarities will fall from the sky, allowing players to upgrade the guns they are carrying as well as boosting their plane's weapons for a short time. To receive the contents of a Chest, simply fly through it.If players receive loot from a Chest containing a weapon they already have that's of the same or worse quality, they’ll receive additional ammo. Chests with higher quality guns will automatically replace the lower quality weapon that’s being carried.Floating repair kits can also be found, these heal damaged planes and grant health & shields to players.LTM: Food Fight--Deep FriedSummaryTwo teams on either side of the map. A huge barrier down the middle. Lava steadily rising up from below. Build a fort to protect your restaurant mascot. When the Barrier lowers, destroy the enemy's mascot and then eliminate the remaining enemies to win the match!Mode DetailsAn impassable barrier will be spawned along the center of the map for the first several minutes. Lava starts rising from beneath the map a few minutes into the match.Each team will have an under-construction restaurant near the center of the map. Inside is a giant mascot head representing that team.If the mascot head is destroyed, that team loses the ability to respawn when eliminated.Players should use the time that the barrier is up to construct a defensive fortress around their restaurant.As soon as the barrier lowers, fight to take out their mascot before they destroy yours!Special red supply drops spawn at match start. These hold a handful of weapons, ammo, consumables, traps and a few hundred metal building materials.Players will respawn when eliminated, keeping their inventory & dropping some ammo and resources.100 percent extra resources are gained from farming.Building resources found on the ground increased from 30 to 50 per instance.No explosive weapons or items are in this mode.A small amount of free building materials are granted to each player every second.The restaurants are now much higher, requiring players to build up to them.May the best food win!Weapons And ItemsEgg Launcher Everyone's favorite egg-themed Grenade Launcher skin is back!This is a visual only change for the Grenade Launcher.Infantry Rifle Added Epic and Legendary Infantry Rifle variants.Deals 42/44 damage.Can be found from Floor Loot, Chests, Supply Drops and Vending Machines.Uses Medium Ammo.GameplayYou can now pet the dog... and other Pets!The Battle Pass Friend XP Bonus has been upgraded! Instead of giving a small XP boost to each friend in your party, you now get a larger XP boost for partying with one or more friends.The overall total XP Bonus remains the same (120%) and will now be much easier to keep activeIn short, play any match with any number of friends and you'll be getting the same amount of XP as someone who's been playing with a full squad of Battle-Pass-owning friends.Bug FixesFixed an issue where the Season 8 trailer wouldn't play in some cases.Fixed an issue where the embers from environmental Campfires would linger if the floor they were attached to was destroyed.Fixed issue where Coconuts could not be pinged.Fixed an issue where turbo building could stop if you ran out of the current type of material you were using.Fixed an issue with Traps being be placed inside walls, making them difficult to see.Fixed an issue with Traps being placed inconsistently when auto-placed.Fixed 'Emotes' not playing when bound to specific keys.Fixed an issue when using 'Replay Last Emote' before using any other emote, so it now plays the emote in the default slot.CompetitiveNew Tournament - April 20 & 21: Fortnite World Cup Online Open Week 2 ($1,000,000 total prize pool!) Top performers in each server region will qualify to the Fortnite World Cup Finals in New York City. Full Fortnite World Cup details and official rules can be found here: https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/competitive/events/world-cupDuos Game ModeParticipation in this event requires both players to have reached Champion League in Arena.Region Lock is in effect - players may only participate in the qualifier for a single server region each week of the Online Opens. The server region of the first match entered for that weekend’s tournament will be the one the player will be locked into for that entire weekend.Format: April 20 - Round One: All Eligible Players.April 21 - Round Two: Top 1500 Teams from Round One.Added Fortnite World Cup Qualifier slots onto the prize breakout for Online Open tournaments.Visual improvements for Lobby panel during Online Open tournaments.Updated how Anonymous Mode works in tournaments to provide an improved experience for stream viewers while still protecting streamers. When a player is eliminated, their name will be shown in the elimination feed.When a player eliminates an opponent, their name will be shown to the eliminated player only.Maximum Screen Aspect Ratio can no longer be greater than 16:9.PerformanceResolved a performance regression occurring on PCs with less than quad-core CPUs. If you’re still experiencing performance issues on PC, try manually adding the “NoRHIThread” to the Epic Games Launcher settings for Fortnite.Art And AnimationIncreased the size and intensity of the Boom Bow explosion effects to better represent the damage radius.AudioAdjusted the attenuation of the Reboot Van cooldown and Reboot Chip ambient looping audio, so that it’s not as loud.Bug FixesFixed an issue that would cause the Shotgun equip sounds to occasionally not play.UIMimic! When bringing up your emote wheel there’s now an option that appears if you’re looking at another player doing an emote you own, to allow you to play the same emote.When hiding HUD elements in the options, some of them now collapse to free up the space they were taking up - the minimap for example.There’s now a HUD UI option to hide the vehicle control hints.Bug FixesThe Limited Time Mode Victory screen is no longer pushed out of place on mobile/Switch.ReplayBug FixesFixed an issue where drone speed was not saved when scrubbingFixed an issue where scrubbing a replay while in Drone Attach mode would result in the camera being left behind.MobileUpdated the Baller controls on default and custom HUDs. Baller controls are available to be adjusted in the HUD Layout Tool for custom HUD players.Audiovisual shot indicators will no longer display for players in the same vehicle.Bug FixesFixed an issue with the Android app icon being incorrectly displayed.Fixed an issue with Voice Chat while spectating Push-To-Talk button is also no longer hidden while spectatingFixed an issue where Auto-run would not activate in vehicles.Fixed an issue where the Reboot Card description was missing.Fixed an issue where the Arena overview panel was not displaying.Fixed an issue with the FPS counter being shown twice.Fixed an issue where the weapon icon would not display in inventory hot bar sometimes.Fixed an issue where textures would appear stretched when on a Creative Island.Fixed an issue that displayed a checkmark icon on certain commands of vehicles.Fixed an issue where a second storm wall would appear in the desert biome during the first closing period.Fixed an issue where some chests could not be opened.Fixed issues where weak wifi halted gameplay and could cause some disconnects.Info from Gamespot.com

Overwatch's Archives event has returned with a new mode named Storm Rising. The PvE mode sees Tracer, Genji, Winston, and Mercy travel to Cuba, and it's live now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.Blizzard's description of the mode states: "The clock is ticking as Tracer, Genji, Winston, and Mercy travel to Cuba to head off a stormfront and chase down the Omnic Talon boss Maximilien in the all-new Overwatch Archives replayable mission, Storm Rising." In addition, the Archives event's previous modes, Uprising and Retribution, are back for a limited time, while more than 160 new cosmetics are available in total. The pair of modes, along with Storm Rising, are available until May 6.Separate to the limited-time event, Overwatch is currently free-to-play through April 23. The game's "full roster of 30 heroes is playable," Blizzard states, and that includes the latest character, Baptiste. You'll keep your progress if you then decide to purchase the full game, which is on sale for up to 51% off until Monday, April 29.Info from Gamespot.com

Overwatch is currently free-to-play to celebrate the start of its latest limited-time Archives event, Storm Rising. If you don't already own the shooter, you can try it for free on PC, PS4, or Xbox One from now through April 23.The free trial includes every hero, including the new medic character Baptiste, along with all 27 maps. Blizzard says you'll be able to "level up, earn Loot Boxes, unlock a variety of different customization options for their heroes, and keep any progress made during the trial when they then purchase the game on the same Blizzard or console account."Conveniently, the full version is on sale until April 29. From the Blizzard Shop you can grab Overwatch's standard PC edition for 24% off or the legendary PC edition for 51% off. Alternatively you can upgrade your standard edition to a legendary edition, which includes some bonus skins, for 78% off the usual price. For console players, the Xbox and PlayStation Stores are discounting the legendary edition to around $20 / £17 / AU $33, while participating retailers have also cut the price of Overwatch's game of the year edition. This is all to tie in with Storm Rising, Overwatch's latest PvE event. Blizzard's description of the mode states: "The clock is ticking as Tracer, Genji, Winston, and Mercy travel to Cuba to head off a stormfront and chase down the Omnic Talon boss Maximilien in the all-new Overwatch Archives replayable mission, Storm Rising."In addition, the Archives event's previous modes, Uprising and Retribution, are back for a limited time, while more than 160 new cosmetics are available in total. The pair of modes, along with Storm Rising, are available until May 6.Info from Gamespot.com

Assassin's Creed Odyssey already borrowed some mythical beasts and other iconography for the main campaign, but it's preparing to double down with much more with the release of its second major story expansion. The Fate of Atlantis DLC will come in three parts, and the first one is set to drop on April 23. The second and third episodes, called Torment of Hades and Judgement of Atlantis respectively, are both due in mid-2019.This first episode is titled Fields of Elysium, and will take place in the Greek afterlife. You'll journey to Elysium itself, interact with Greek gods, and battle mythical beasts. The trailer even shows a glimpse of Cerberus. Notably, the advanced beings who have been steering major events in the Assassin's Creed series have shared names with the Greek gods, so this could shed more light on the larger story running throughout the series. Plus, of course, you can get new pieces of legendary loot.The Fate of Atlantis will also introduce new Ability enhancements, letting you modify your existing abilities for a more customized playstyle. This first episode will start with Ares Bull Charge, Might of Artemis, Kronos Time Warp, and Ares Madness--all abilities named after the pantheon of gods.If you've already played the main game, you'll need to have completed the Between New Worlds and the Heir of Memories quest lines, with a character at level 28 or above, to access the DLC. If you'd rather just skip straight to the new story, you can use a shortcut to Fate of Atlantis and start at level 52 with preset Abilities. But if you use that option, you won't be able to carry your progress to the main game or obtain achievements.This trilogy of episodes is the second large-scale expansion for Assassin's Creed Odyssey. The first one, Legacy of the First Blade, caused some controversy, prompting an apology and some changes from Ubisoft. Alongside Assassin's Creed 3 Remastered and Liberation Remastered, these two episodes compose the full season pass, which is available for $40. The Fate of Atlantis story arc by itself can be purchased for $25.The expansive post-launch support for Odyssey is part of Ubisoft's plan to make the series act more like its live games, with long tails and regularly updated events. That means no new Assassin's Creed is planned for 2019, but the next game reportedly set during the Viking Age is likely aiming for 2020. That one is said to be code-named Assassin's Creed Kingdom, which may not be the final title.Info from Gamespot.com

Netflix's The Witcher series has been slated for 2019, but now the company has considerably narrowed its release window down to a few months. The company announced in a letter to investors that the show will premiere in the last three months of the year. The show, adapted from the popular novels turned video game series, stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia. It's currently in production in Hungary. The setting lends itself to snowy landscapes, even to the point that Cavill had to trek through some powder to hit the gym while preparing for the role. The most recent game in the series, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was often marketed with a distinctly snowy look as well, and so the now apparent winter launch for the series makes sense.The show is also set to star Freya Allan (Into the Badlands) as Ciri and Anya Chalotra (Wanderlust) as Yennifer, two notable names from the series. The showrunner is Lauren S. Hissrich, known from the Netflix series Daredevil and the recently released Umbrella Academy. Cavill's first screen test footage showed him donning Geralt's iconic silver mane. Hissrich has said the actor most known for his role as Superman in recent DC universe films was perfect for the role, because he understands Geralt on a deep level. He had spoken openly about his desire to play Geralt, apparently based on his love for The Witcher 3.Info from Gamespot.com

Following Disney's recent purchase of Fox's entertainment assets, the future of the X-Men on the big screen remains unclear. But the current version of the mutant superhero team will get at least one more cinematic outing, with Dark Phoenix releasing in June. The final trailer has now been released.The latest trailer lays out the story of the new movie. On a mission to rescue a stranded space shuttle, Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) is hit by some weird space matter, transforming her into a powerful villain that her former X-friends must stop. Check it out above.Dark Phoenix sees the return of all the main characters from the past few X-Men movies, including Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Tye Sheridan, Olivia Munn, Alexandra Shipp, and Kodi Smit-Mcphee. It also features Jessica Chastain in a villainous role and is directed by Simon Kinberg, who will make his directing debut after years as a writer and producer on X-Men movies. It releases on June 7.There is technically another X-Men movie to come, but it's unknown when we might see it. New Mutants was shot back in early 2017, but has been delayed numerous times since. It's currently scheduled for an August release, but last month star Maisie Williams revealed that planned reshoots were yet to take place and that she had no idea when the film was coming out. According to The Hollywood Reporter, The New Mutants could be released straight to the upcoming streaming service Disney+, but the studio has not commented on this.The X-Men are now under the Disney banner, as are the Fantastic Four. Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige is now in control of these properties and it is thought that they will eventually be brought into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.Info from Gamespot.com

News of an all-digital Xbox One S leaked earlier this month, and Microsoft officially unveiled the new console Tuesday during an Inside Xbox stream. The Xbox One S All-Digital Edition, which has no disc drive, will release on May 7, and you'll be able to pick it up for $250 (£200) --about $50 cheaper than the standard Xbox One S at full price.The digital Xbox One S comes pre-installed with three games developed by Microsoft--Minecraft, Forza Horizon 3, and Sea of Thieves. The new console is identical in functionality to the regular Xbox One S--the only difference is the lack of a disc drive, so there's no ability to play game discs, DVDs, and other disc-based media. The digital Xbox One S will still be able to play 4K content from Netflix, Amazon, and other streaming sites.If you're excited to pick it up on Day 1, save yourself some time and pre-order the new console today. The following retailers have opened pre-orders for the new Xbox One S:(US):PRE-ORDER AT MICROSOFT STORE »PRE-ORDER AT AMAZON »PRE-ORDER AT WALMART »PRE-ORDER AT BEST BUY »(UK):PRE-ORDER AT MICROSOFT STORE »PRE-ORDER AT AMAZON »The Xbox One S All-Digital Edition has been a long time coming; Microsoft has reportedly wanted to launch an all-digital console since 2013. Some gamers still prefer to own a physical disc--and the other Xbox One consoles still exist to serve this audience--but this new console is aimed at those who are ready to go completely digital and want a (slightly) cheaper option. "The Xbox One S All-Digital Edition was created for those who prefer to find and play their games digitally and are looking for the most affordable way to play Xbox games," said Xbox executive Jeff Gattis.Timed perfectly with the release of the digital Xbox One S is a promotion for Xbox Game Pass, the subscription service that grants unlimited access to more than 100 Xbox One and Xbox 360 digital games. Microsoft is currently offering three months of Xbox Game Pass for just $1, and that deal will be available until May 13 at 12 AM PT / 3 AM ET / 7 AM GMT / 5 PM AET.Info from Gamespot.com