This year marks the 25th anniversary of the original Doom, as well as the impending release of Doom Eternal. To mark the occasion, Bethesda has announced that the theme of this year's QuakeCon will be the "Year of Doom."The company wasn't specific regarding what the festivities would include, other than to say the event will feature "hellish activities and events that look back at a quarter century of demon-stomping and a look forward at what's to come." Naturally the event will include the usual slate of panels, hands-on demos, and Bring-Your-Own-Computer (BYOC) tournaments.Registration for QuakeCon will open on April 11 at 10 AM PT, through the official site. The event will take place July 25-28 in Grapevine, TX. General admission is free, while a BYOC entry will be $75 and admission to all the panels and events will cost $125. You can also have a combo ticket for $200, or VIP entry for $400. BYOC purchasers should be advised that this year you won't be selecting a seat as soon as you register, as seat selection will take place separately at a later date.Last year's QuakeCon brought news about Fallout 76, Doom Eternal, and Quake Champions. This year Doom is taking center stage, though it isn't clear if the company will keep that the singular focus or if it will venture into the wider network of Bethesda franchises. Most recently, Doom Eternal was one of a handful of playable demos available at Google's Stadia unveiling. We know already that Elder Scrolls 6 and Starfield won't be at E3 this year.Info from Gamespot.com

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's new Blackout Alcatraz map has launched on PS4. Alcatraz is expected to release on Xbox One and PC at a later date this month. For the entire month of April, you can play on either of Blackout's multiplayer maps for free. Alcatraz is only live on PS4 right now, though. However free access to Blackout is live on Xbox One, PC, and PS4.Although Blackout--the name of Blackout's original map--is a more traditional battle royale, Alcatraz makes slight changes to the formula. Instead of deploying from a drop ship that travels in a straight line at the start of a match, in Alcatraz, your team deploys from portals that appear at random points above the island. There's no collapsing zone wall either, and zombies seem to be more plentiful as well.Like Apex Legends, Alcatraz also features respawns. After falling in battle, you're allowed to redeploy after 30 seconds have passed. You can respawn up to five times. Also like Respawn's battle royale, Alcatraz supports a smaller collection of players, all of whom are grouped into teams. All in all, there are 40 players on the map, each in a four-person squad for a total of 10 teams.Alcatraz also features predetermined locations where you can buy firearms to use. New weapons are made available at these locations every 30 seconds, making them ideal for setting up ambushes. Alcatraz is also more vertical-focused in comparison to Blackout. The entire island is basically one large hill, with the Cell Block landmark dominating the topmost point. Numerous paths are available for teams to reach different elevations, ranging from climbable cliffs to a slow-moving tram."Alcatraz is a small island, and that means super fast-paced, frenetically fun fighting," Treyarch studio design director David Vonderhaar said in a video describing the new map. Treyarch producer Miles Leslie added, "And our Zombies players might recognize this, but we've handcrafted Alcatraz for the Blackout experience."Info from Gamespot.com

Ninja Theory has announced that the Switch port of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is releasing next week, on April 11. The game is already available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.Hellblade's Switch port was first teased during Nintendo's February 2019 Direct. The acclaimed action game explores mental illness through the lens of Norse mythology. Hellblade first released in 2017 as a PS4 console exclusive, before getting an Xbox One port in 2018. We love Hellblade, calling it one of GameSpot's top 10 games of 2017.#Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is coming to #NintendoSwitch next week on April 11! pic.twitter.com/hYjonlgasK — NinjaTheory (@NinjaTheory) April 2, 2019On Xbox One, Hellblade is a part of Game Pass, so you can download the title if you're subscribed to the subscription service. Game Pass costs $10 USD a month, allowing you to download games from a vast library of titles for a fraction of their total retail price. Hellblade is an Xbox One X enhanced title as well. On a One X console, Hellblade plays at 4K HDR with 60fps, and there's additional fog, foliage density, and shadow quality.In our Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice review, Alessandro Fillari gave the game an 8/10, writing, "Hellblade's most notable achievement is the handling of an incredibly sensitive subject matter within an engaging and well-crafted action/adventure game. At its heart, the story is about Senua's struggle to come to terms with her illness. In the process, she learns to find the strength within herself to endure, and to make peace with her past. And in a profound and physical way, we go through those same struggles with her, and come away with a better understanding of a piece of something that many people in the world struggle with."Several other Switch ports were announced during that February 2019 Direct. Deltarune, Toby Fox's follow-up to Undertale, released on Switch on February 28. A Switch port for Final Fantasy VII followed on March 26. Assassin's Creed III: Remastered for Switch is scheduled for release later this year on May 21.Info from Gamespot.com

I don't know why I'm in Washington DC; some lady just told me to be here. But there are civilians in distress, armed gangs roaming the streets, and me, my pals, and the second amendment are apparently the only ones who can actually do anything about it. I have no idea what, if anything, is going on with the seemingly important people I meet. But so long as I'm helping folks, sending (presumably) bad people to bed, walking the pretty streets, and picking up a new pair of gloves every so often, I'm very happy to hang around.In the world of Tom Clancy's The Division 2, the USA has been ravaged by a virus and society has crumbled. While those who remain try to survive by banding together in groups of various dispositions, the Strategic Homeland Division activates highly specialized sleeper agents to try and restore order. It's a setting ripe in potential, perhaps to tell a ripping techno-thriller story that scrutinizes the structures of our modern society and government, or perhaps to make a video game that leverages the chaos that occurs when multiple idealistic groups clash in a vie for power in a lawless city. The Division 2 only does one of these things.It's not the story. Throughout the entirety of The Division 2's main campaign, never did the game spend a satisfactory amount of time on any semblance of an overarching plot, or the predicaments of its supposedly important figures. There are no character arcs, only abrupt setups and consequences. Narrative devices, like audio logs found in the world, add little of consequence. Even the game's biggest macguffins--the President of the United States and his briefcase containing a cure for the virus--have a minimal amount of absolutely forgettable screen time. The opportunity to use The Division 2 to create meaningful fiction is wasted.Instead, The Division 2 focuses its narrative chops into worldbuilding. The city, a ravaged Washington DC, initially feels a little homogenous in the way most Western cities do. But after some time, the personality of the different districts--the buildings, the landmarks, the natural spaces, and the ways they've been repurposed or affected by the cataclysm--begins to shine through. It's this strength of environment which lays a very strong foundation for The Division 2 as a video game, creating an engrossing, believable, and contiguous open world.Moving from your safehouse to the open world and your next mission area is almost entirely seamless. It's something that was also true of the original Division, but that doesn't take away from the fact that the simple act of going from place to place in The Division 2 is one of the game's more rewarding aspects. One road may lead to a skirmish with a rival patrol or an optional activity, another might simply give you another stirring scene of urban decay in the morning sun. An obscured shortcut through an apartment block might turn up some useful items in an abandoned home, which you might decide to donate to the makeshift settlements where civilians have attempted to rebuild their lives.Visiting those settlements--initially as hovels, before they gradually grow and become more charming, vibrant places thanks to your efforts in the world--becomes a strong motivator early on in the absence of a plot to chase. Outside main missions, which are dedicated to the weakening of rival factions and achieving indiscriminate objectives, the game's "Projects" are one of the most lucrative means of earning experience to better your character. Projects ask you to donate resources you find out in the world and participate in side activities, encouraging you to spend more time in the world, see new areas, fight new battles, search for new equipment to use, and find enjoyment in that. The Division 2 is, after all, a game devoted to providing you with a continuous stream of gripping conflicts, valuable rewards, and a perpetual sense of progress and satisfaction from doing these things. It does those things very well.You spend a lot of time hunkered behind cover, popping out to fire at any enemy dumb enough to expose themselves. With the large amount of weapon variety available, this familiar facet of combat is solid in itself. Add to that the ability to equip two special skills from a possible eight--which include tools such as riot shields, drones, and from what I can gather, robot bees of some sort--and combat gets pretty interesting. But the vector that really keeps The Division 2's combat lively for upwards of 60 hours is the behaviour and diversity of its enemy types.That time you spend in cover? The Division 2 doesn't want you to just stay there. You can go down very quickly if you're out in the open, but the game has a dozen ways to always keep you taking those risks and finding better firing positions--aggressive melee units, remote control cars equipped with sawblades, even the regular assault units frequently attempt to outflank you. Those special abilities? You absolutely need to use them to their full potential to survive some encounters, whether by throwing out the seeker mines or the automated turret to keep enemies at bay while you focus on a priority target, or perhaps utilizing the chemical launcher to start a fire and create a zone of denial.The effort needed to take out an adversary is relatively reasonable for a shooter that prioritizes the RPG nature of its combat model, but some of the tougher enemies have additional, visible layers of protection which you need to focus on breaking if you want to land critical hits. On the flip side, some enemies have additional, obtuse weak points which can work to your advantage, but only if you can hit them. The fuel tank on the back of a flamethrower unit might be feasible, but when you start running into the terrifying robotic quadruped in post-campaign activities, whose tiny weak point only reveals itself seconds before it fires its devastating railgun, you have to assess whether you can afford to take on that challenge among all the other things pressuring you. The Division 2 throws a lot of hurdles at you, but also gives you the means to quickly counter and resolve them. Whether you can juggle that many balls at once is what keeps combat continually tense and exciting.What's also exciting is the treasure at the end of these gauntlets. The Washington locations, refashioned into memorable combat arenas, are often rewarding in their own right (a fight in a planetarium is an early standout). But improving your equipment is the vital, tangible part that keeps you feeling like you're making progress. You receive new gear in generous amounts, some dropped by an enemy or looted from a container found in the world, others rewarded for completing a mission, and the next dose always feels in reach. The weapon variety forces you to consider something completely different to take advantage of a power boost, and the armor variety provides an impressive number of different cosmetic looks. The Division 2 incorporates a microtransaction and loot box system for its inconsequential clothing options, though these can be found in the world and earned of your own accord, too.Like combat, gear remains intriguing throughout The Division 2 not just because of the abstract desire to have bigger numbers attached to your person and progress further through the game's challenges, but also through a raft of "talents." These add unique perks that complement particular skills or styles of play, like providing bonuses within a certain range or when enemies are burning or your armor is depleted. The brands of armor also have a part to play, whereby equipping a number of pieces from a single manufacturer provide additional advantages. These bonuses become particularly attractive to obsess over in the endgame, when the world is retaken by a tougher, more merciless enemy faction called Black Tusk, and you need to ensure your ability to fight them is the best it can be.For the hundreds of pieces you will inevitably want to discard, the ability to sell or dismantle them for parts to either purchase or craft pieces you want gives value to everything you pick up. Or you might retain them in order to move their talents to better gear of the same type, And, as a wonderful convenience, The Division 2 implements numerous features to inspect, mark, dismantle, or equip things you find so quickly and elegantly--sometimes without ever having to enter a menu--that it improves the whole experience of being in its world.The same can be said of the game's multiplayer integration, which allows you to easily group up and progress with friends (the game will scale any underpowered players to match the most powerful). You can also start or join a clan, which opens up a variety of weekly challenges, granting valuable rewards, and features integrated game-wide group communication options. Even if you're only interested in playing alone (which is more challenging, but entirely feasible for everything but the most demanding of endgame activities), the ability to matchmake with other players at any time, whether that be in the open world, before you start a mission, or when you're at a final boss, is a very welcome and useful feature.And when you beat that final boss of the game's final mission (though, such is The Division 2's lack of plot framing, I honestly couldn't tell you his name to save my life) and you think you've finally run out of treasure to keep luring you through more fights, the metaphorical table gets flipped. Flipped hard. The Washington DC you spent so long liberating from rival factions becomes completely retaken by the aforementioned Black Tusk. You unlock three unique class specializations, each with their own skill trees to build out. Your focus on growing two-digit numbers on your character (your level) moves to three-digit numbers (the quality of your gear). The wealth of activities available to you once you complete the campaign is enormous, and it capitalizes on your momentum. It motivates you to continue seeing more, doing more, and growing more.More challenging, remixed versions of campaign missions and lengthier stronghold missions featuring Black Tusk become available. These "Invaded" missions often leverage the new enemy types to create terrifying new combat scenarios that maintain the steady ramp-up of challenge, and they give you a fantastic reason to revisit the memorable combat arenas with purpose. Open-world events become more dynamic and riskier--factions clash more frequently for control of territory, and your involvement in certain activities can dramatically increase the danger and rewards in others. Limited-time challenges, which take the form of new Projects, higher difficulty missions, and additional bounty targets found in the world, offer avenues for more lucrative bonuses. There are even more activities beyond that, and the strength of The Division 2's endgame is not just in the wealth of content available, but how viable it all is in improving your standing in the world.The journey to bolstering your Gear Score to qualify for higher tiers of challenges and content is always clear. The game continues to make sure you're always meaningfully rewarded no matter what you do, and that feeling of bettering your character persists throughout.It's remarkable how straightforward the game makes it for you to see the full breadth of its content and maintains that feeling of continual advancement all the way to the bitter end, especially in spite of its unsubstantial plots, characters, and narrative themes. Once I finally hit the game's current soft cap for progression, I was impressed by how much there still was to pursue.The world of The Division 2 also features three separate Dark Zone areas, systematically accessible throughout the campaign, which promise the possibility of high-quality equipment but pose more risks beyond the regular open-world. The power dynamic between you and enemies are normalized, and there's the uncertain element of having other players to interact with. In the Dark Zone, players can choose to cooperate with others in the world to clear out enemy outposts and explore the regions for equipment, but the option to go 'Rogue' and undermine the work of other players provides the opportunity for greater rewards at the risk of greater losses if you fail to get away with it. Exploring the Dark Zone is a fascinating aspect of The Division 2 that adds additional facets of tension, distrust, and dishonesty to a game that already features high-stakes combat. Moreover, it is a completely optional pathway to reaching the game's highest tiers of achievement. The game's similarly optional Conflict activities offer gear incentives for participating in traditional team-based multiplayer modes, which felt serviceable in the few matches I played, but were comparatively underpopulated compared to other avenues of matchmaking at the time of writing.The setting of The Division 2 is ripe for potential, and it's a shame the game doesn't use it to say anything. I have absolutely no clue why I'm here, what anyone's motivations are, and I wish I had a strong narrative driver to fuel a purpose behind my endless hunger for progression. This letdown is hard to ignore for the game's initial hours, but the strength of the systems and design that fuel The Division 2 as a game are compelling enough to keep you captivated for dozens more. The range of enemy types continues to keep combat encounters challenging, the equipment I earn and pick up continues to feel different, valuable, and asks me to consider new ways of play. The ravaged environments continue to intrigue, and sometimes they're so stunning I find myself needing to take screenshots before I move on. It might not have much to say, but The Division 2 is a perpetual cycle of tension, relief, and reward that's difficult to stay away from. Info from Gamespot.com

Video game retailer GameStop today reported earnings for its fiscal fourth quarter and fiscal full year, and the results were not all that rosy. Before getting into the numbers, it's important to note that GameStop's fiscal Q4 and fiscal full year were one week shorter (13 weeks in the quarter compared to 14 and 52 weeks in the year compared to 53) than the previous year due to the way in which GameStop collected its numbers and data last year. As a result, GameStop's sales numbers were likely to take at least a small hit in part to having one fewer week of sales.With that out of the way, GameStop announced fourth quarter sales of $3.1 billion, which is a decrease of 7.6 percent. The key contributors to the downturn in sales were a tough comparison to an extra week last year and the timing of the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. While there was an overall decrease in sales for the quarter, US store sales rose 3.4 percent while international stores saw revenue decrease by 2.9 percent.New hardware sales dropped 9.8 percent in the quarter. The Nintendo Switch was a bright spot, helping offset the decline in Xbox One X sales. That was always going to be a tough comparison for Xbox One X given it launched during the previous fiscal year, and consoles typically have huge opening numbers and then taper off. New software sales for GameStop in the quarter dropped by 7.8 percent, while pre-owned sales fell further, by 21.3 percent. In terms of growing businesses, GameStop's accessories sales rose 18.8 percent (thanks to controllers and headsets), digital sales rose 4.7 percent (thanks to digital currency), and collectibles sales jumped 3.1 percent.Overall, GameStop posted a loss of $187.7 million for the quarter, which is worse than the $105.9 million loss that GameStop recorded during the same quarter a year earlier.Moving to the full year, GameStop's total global sales reached $8.3 billion, which is a decrease of 3.1 percent. US store sales increased 1.8 percent while international sales dropped 4.8 percent.Looking at GameStop's various business units, it was a mixed bag for the full year. New hardware sales fell 1.3 percent, while new software sales dropped 5.1 percent. Pre-owned sales fell 13.2 percent. On the better side, accessories sales jumped 22 percent, collectibles sales rose 11.2 percent, and digital sales increased 16.5 percent.GameStop overall posted a net loss of $673 million for the full year.Despite the difficult fourth quarter and full fiscal year, GameStop executive chairman Dan DeMatteo said in a statement that the company expects to grow in the future under the leadership of its new CEO, George Sherman."We are excited to move forward under George's leadership as we refine our strategic direction and implement several initiatives under development to strengthen the company for the future and drive sustainable growth and profitability," DeMatteo said.GameStop CFO Rob Lloyd said in his own statement that the company recognises "the challenges facing our pre-owned video game business."GameStop says it will address these issues in several ways as part of its overall ambition to save costs and improve profit. Some of the ways GameStop plans to save money in the new fiscal year is to focus on "supply chain efficiencies, operational improvements, expense savings, and pricing and promotion optimization.""GameStop is a leader in the video game industry, and we remain committed to capitalizing on our leadership position to discover new and unique ways to meet our loyal customers' entertainment needs and attract new customers," he said. Info from Gamespot.com

Fans of the Borderlands series can rest easy, as developer Gearbox announced Borderlands 3 during its PAX East panel last week. Also during the panel, Gearbox confirmed the remaster of Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition. The release date for the remastered Borderlands: GotY is nearly here--here's exactly when it unlocks and how to get it for free on PC.The official Twitter account confirmed that Borderlands: GotY drops tomorrow, April 3. It'll be available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET. Steam customers who own the existing Game of the Year Edition can download an update for free at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. It's possible to obtain physical copies of the game on consoles, but they're limited to US and Canada stores only.Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition drops TOMORROW with new weapons, visual upgrades, character heads, gold chests and keys, all 4 add-on packs, and more!âžœ https://t.co/ud6BPxbt1u pic.twitter.com/QnuNPlb2Zq — Borderlands 3 (@Borderlands) April 2, 2019When the Borderlands: GotY launched in October 2010, it gathered the original Borderlands with all four of its DLC packs--The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx, and Claptrap's New Robot Revolution--into one package. This remastered version will do the exact same, but will also bring about some new additions like gameplay tweaks (such as a new minimap, for example), a series of new guns, new character customization options, and more. Gearbox is also altering the campaign's final boss, making it "more engaging, challenging, and rewarding."Further, an Ultra HD texture pack for Borderlands: The Handsome Collection will be available the same day as the Borderlands: GotY drops. According to the official Borderlands website, the UHD texture pack will affect "characters, vehicles, weapons and environments." Gearbox didn't specify how the UHD texture pack will affect the game, so it's unclear if it's receiving more frames per second, higher graphical fidelity, or both.Borderlands: GotY is currently not live on neither the PlayStation 4 nor Xbox Store. However, it's currently available for pre-order through GameStop for $30 on both platforms.Info from Gamespot.com

New consoles from Microsoft and Sony might be coming soon. Retailer GameStop today said on an earnings call that it expects new hardware sales to slow down in 2019 on account of people hearing about new consoles and waiting for them to arrive."With respect to new hardware, as we get closer to the end of the current console cycle for Xbox and PlayStation, we expect demand to decline as some customers choose to wait on the sidelines in anticipation of acquiring the next generation of innovative consoles," CFO Rob Lloyd said.Lloyd was specifically talking about business elements that GameStop shared with analysts to "help provide context" for 2019. This suggests that new consoles from Microsoft and Sony may be announced and/or released this year.Microsoft is rumoured to announce one or multiple new consoles at E3 in June, while Sony is known to be working on a new PlayStation console. Sony is not coming to E3 this year but that doesn't mean the company won't have news to share at other venues at some point. Nintendo, meanwhile, could announce multiple new Switch models at E3 and release them not long after.Llyod specifically mentioned Xbox and PlayStation in his comments, but not Nintendo.There have been numerous rumours and reports about Microsoft's new consoles, a lot more than the new systems from PlayStation and Nintendo. You can check out GameSpot's rundown of all the big rumours about Xbox hardware here.In other news about GameStop, the retailer announced a $673 million full-year loss. Despite the downturn, the retailer is optimistic about its future, thanks in part to new cost-saving and profit-improving efforts to be implemented by incoming CEO George Sherman. Info from Gamespot.com

Avengers: Endgame tickets are finally on sale, and as you might have guessed, they're selling very well. Ticket-seller Fandango announced today Endgame needed just six hours to surpass the previous single-day pre-sale ticket sales record on Fandango, which was held by Star Wars: The Force Awakens.Tickets for Endgame went on sale at 5 AM PT / 8 AM ET today, April 2, and "within minutes, Fandango saw historic numbers of fans reserving their seats," the company announced. The company didn't share specific ticket sales numbers, but they were strong enough to reach No. 1 after just six hours, beating out the likes of The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, Rogue One, and Avengers: Infinity War, which make up the Top 5 all-time fastest-selling tickets on Fandango.Fandango Top Five First-Day Ticket First 24 Hour SalesAvengers: Endgame (2019)Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)Avengers: Infinity War (2018)Fandango managing editor Erik Davis said Endgame ticket sales have "exceeded all expectations" on the site. "We've never seen anything like this--it's truly a groundbreaking accomplishment--as fans simply cannot wait to see how this epic saga comes to a close," Davis said.Fandango also shared some of the results from an Avengers-themed survey. 98 percent of respondents said the cliffhanger from Infinity War was a "main factor" in buying a ticket for Endgame, while 86 percent said they are eager to find out how Captain Marvel features in Endgame.In other news, new footage from Endgame was released today; check it out in the embed above. Endgame hits theatres on April 26. Info from Gamespot.com

CD Projekt Red has announced that it is opening a merchandise store in the coming weeks. However, CD Projekt Red has not yet revealed the exact details about what the store will sell, only promising the information is "coming soon."The studio is best known as the developer behind the games in The Witcher series--The Witcher, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt--as well as spin-off titles The Witcher Battle Arena, Gwent: The Witcher Card Game, and Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales. The studio's next game takes a break from the fantasy world of The Witcher and goes with a first-person sci-fi RPG with Cyberpunk 2077.We've been waiting for #AprilFools to be over to share this good news with you — we're opening CD PROJEKT RED Store in the following weeks!Keep your eyes open for updates! — CD PROJEKT RED (@CDPROJEKTRED) April 2, 2019Despite CD Projekt Red saying its playable from start to finish, Cyberpunk 2077 has no scheduled release date, but is expected to launch on Xbox One, PS4, and PC. A first-person shooter RPG taking place in a futuristic city that's divided into six districts, Cyberpunk 2077 allows you to customize your character, from their appearance to their wardrobe, weapon loadouts, and various cybernetic abilities. CD Projekt Red aims to have Cyberpunk 2077 be as "refined" as Red Dead Redemption 2.Not many details about Cyberpunk 2077 have been revealed, but CD Projekt Red did release a 48-minute gameplay trailer for the game that teases out many of the mechanics and the features that players can expect to see. The full video can be watched above. In it, you see a healthy dose of both exploration and combat--the latter of which is partially inspired by The Witcher 3. Near the end of the trailer, Cyberpunk 2077's more intensive combat was shown, as well as several high-level abilities and a boss fight.Info from Gamespot.com

It's a new month, and that means subscribers to Nintendo Switch Online are getting more free NES titles. This month's lineup includes the classic boxing game Punch-Out!!, as well as Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels, which is known for its very difficult levels. The third game is the shoot-em-up Star Soldier. These three games will become available to download starting on April 10. In the past, Japan has received different titles, but they seem to be the same this month. Here's a trailer:#SuperMario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream, and Star Soldier are coming to Nintendo Entertainment System - #NintendoSwitchOnline on 04/10! #NEShttps://t.co/tpOrxPHBYZ pic.twitter.com/tkujK8RNzZ — Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) April 3, 2019Free NES games is one the perks of signing up to Nintendo Switch Online. The catalog already includes iconic games like Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and Yoshi. New titles are added on a monthly basis, so the offering pretty much keeps getting better and better.Other benefits of Nintendo Switch Online is access to cloud saves (for some games) and of course the ability to play titles online to begin with.A subscription to Nintendo Switch Online costs $4 USD/month or $8 USD for three months. A 12-month membership is available for $20 USD, while a Family Membership for up to eight Nintendo Account members costs $35 USD for a year. New subscribers can sign up with a seven-day free trial. Info from Gamespot.com

The annual fighting game tournament extravaganza known as the Evo Championship Series, a staple of the fighting game community (FGC), has unveiled how this year's roster of games is performing based on current registration numbers. Evo president Joey Cuellar tweeted the rankings for the nine games featured on the main stage this year, and it comes with a few surprises (see below).Perhaps the biggest surprise is the fact that Under Night In-Birth: Exe Late[st] stands tall with the fifth-highest registration. Although the core game of Under Night has been in arcades since 2012 and consoles since 2015, this year is its debut at the Evo main stage. This is in part thanks to Exe: Late[st] being the definitive version of the game which hit the PC, PS4, and PS Vita in 2018 for North America. The smooth, stylish 2D anime fighter comes from the relatively small developer French Bread (makers of the cult-classic Melty Blood series) who worked with Arc System Works for a few aspects of the game. As of now, Under Night even tops ArcSys' Dragon Ball FighterZ, which had the highest registration at Evo 2018.Super Smash Bros Ultimate topping the list doesn't come as much of a surprise, however, considering the wide appeal, its recent release, and the retiring of both Smash Bros For Wii U and Smash Bros Melee. Tekken 7 is having a strong showing in its second year at Evo, followed by the long-timer Street Fighter V and the upcoming Mortal Kombat 11. Despite not launching until June 2019, the reboot of the SNK classic Samurai Shodown currently sits in 7th.Evo 2019 Registration Scoreboard April Edition!1st - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate2nd - Tekken 73rd - Street Fighter V4th - Mortal Kombat 115th - Under Night In Birth6th - Dragonball FighterZ7th - Samurai Shodown 8th - Soul Calibur 69th - Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle#Evo2019 — Joey Cuellar (@MrWiz) April 2, 2019BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle has been sitting at 9th, but the crossover fighter has a large update for spring this year. We got our hands-on four of the new characters on the way, which you can see in the video above. The game unites the casts of BlazBlue, Persona 4, Under Night, and the animation series RWBY in a 2D tag-team fighter, and we awarded it a 9/10 in our review commending its exciting and deep, yet accessible mechanics.Registration for each game will remain open until July 14; Evo 2019 will take place in Las Vegas, NV at the Mandalay Bay between August 2 and 4. Info from Gamespot.com

In a round of unexpected and excellent news, Firaxis Games announced today that Civilization VI now supports cross-platform saves for PC (via Steam) and Nintendo Switch. The functionality arrived in the game with the newest update. To make it work, you need to link your 2K Account and select the "multi-platform cloud save" box in the options menu. You can sign up for a 2K Account here on 2K's website. For now, cross-platform saves only work across PC and Nintendo Switch, and there is no word on if it'll ever be supported with Civ 6's iOS edition.Here's a handy video that to help you understand what cross-platform saves are and how to enable them in Civ 6:Civilization VI now supports cross-platform cloud saves on Steam and #NintendoSwitch. Link your @2K Account, tick the multi-platform cloud save box in options, and you're good to go! Get your 2K Account: https://t.co/HX0bxwgmnt pic.twitter.com/LxYdxG7hbp — Civilization VI: Gathering Storm (@CivGame) April 2, 2019Civ 6 launched in October 2016 for PC before coming to iOS about a year later. The . Nintendo Switch version launched in November 2018.Civ 6's latest expansion, Gathering Storm, launched in February. We scored the expansion a 9/10, and you can read our full Gathering Storm review here.Info from Gamespot.com

The World Next Door feels like it's a video game adaption of some manga or anime, which isn't too surprising. Rose City Games' visual-novel-meets-puzzle-battle game is published by anime and manga distributor Viz Media and features anime-inspired characters designed by artist Lord Gris. The game wears its inspirations on its sleeve, incorporating popular manga and anime tropes into its story. While the cast is fun to interact with and the game's combat a blast to play, there are certain aspects of The World Next Door's narrative that feels a little too stereotypical--especially in regards to most characters' portrayal.In The World Next Door, you play as Jun, a human teenager who's lucky enough to win a ticket that allows her to visit the land of Emrys--a parallel world connected to Earth via both the internet and a magical portal that opens up for a few days every 20 years. Her trip in Emrys suddenly takes a dark turn when she fails to return to the portal before it closes, as humans can only last a few days in Emrys before they die. Jun teams up with her friend Liza, an Emrys native who's been communicating with Jun for months as a pen pal, to figure out a means of reopening the portal and getting home. The two enlist the help of a few of Liza's acquaintances as well, culminating in a party of seven when all is said and done.The World Next Door is divided into two portions, with visual novel gameplay framing Jun's journey into four puzzle-battle game dungeons. The bulk of the game takes place in the visual novel portion, seeing you choose dialogue options and actions during conversations, complete fetch quests for Liza's friends, and figure out which three people you want to text in your precious allotment of limited free time each day. You do get some control in how Jun behaves, allowing you to make her nice, vengeful, flirty, sheepish, or bored. However, your choices don't influence the outcome of the overall story, instead shaping the direction of the conversations along the way.Most of the game's anime inspirations come through in the visual novel gameplay, with many of the characters' personalities and designs fitting the implied archetypes of their appearance. The demonic-looking Horace, for example, acts like a sarcastic badass who's always ready for a fight. The blond-haired, pretty, always-has-a-cellphone-in-her-hand Lux, meanwhile, is a gossip with a vain need to always be the center of attention.It works at first, especially as a means of quickly establishing the personalities of Jun's new friends. Even if you've never read a manga or watched an anime in your life, you'll probably be able to pick up each character's habits and temperament at a glance. However, none of the characters truly grow outside of their respective archetypes over the course of The World Next Door's campaign. Some grow as people, for sure, but they're minor, stereotypical transformations--like an increase in confidence or a newfound willingness to share their feelings. None of it really feels earned, either. Jun's friends just suddenly open up to her and accept each other without much prodding, despite which conversation options you choose. The one exception is Liza, who reveals a surprisingly intriguing detail in the final arc of The World Next Door's story. Trading quips with Horace or admonishing Vesper for the crime of putting pineapple on pizza may spark a chuckle or two, but Liza is the only one with any worthwhile growth.This isn't to say that you shouldn't get to know the other characters. There are plenty of hilarious conversations to be had in The World Next Door, and it's absolutely worth your time talking to someone whenever you have a chance. If you do, you'll also learn more about the culture and history of the world of Emrys. Side conversations between story missions flesh out the fantastical land Jun finds herself trapped in. Even if it isn't necessary to get to know every character in order to complete the game, the promise of learning another fascinating fact about Emrys pushes you to chase down your companions between missions. It's an excellent reward for taking the time to explore.The World Next Door plays like the first arc of something more, ending right when it seems like it's about to deliver the experience you want.In the process of getting to know every character, however, I did encounter an unfortunate bug. In order to complete a favor for angelic straight-A student Cerisse, you are tasked with completing a riddle that involves using the runes on the floor of a room. However, when I entered the room, the runes never showed up. Even after resetting the puzzle, restarting the entire mission, and exiting the game and loading an old save, the runes still refused to appear. Thankfully, completing Cerisse's quest isn't mandatory for moving on in the main story, but missing out on the possible conversations that mission could have sparked is disappointing.It's also disappointing that your conversation choices seemingly always lead to the same final large decision at The World Next Door's end. Also, unless I'm missing something, there's a pretty huge plot thread that remains unresolved regardless of which path you go with. Perhaps The World Next Door is being set up as the opening chapter of a larger story, but, as is, its narrative feels incomplete.The World Next Door spends too little time in the other portion of its gameplay, the puzzle battles, as well, which is a shame as they're all pretty fun despite their simplicity. Throughout The World Next Door, you explore four different dungeons, each of which is inhabited by its own unique enemies. Upon entering a new room, you are thrown into battle and the floor is painted with an assortment of differently colored runes. Stepping on any spot of the map where at least three runes of the same color are touching allows you to perform a magical action. Three red runes, for example, let you send a fireball towards the nearest enemy, while purple runes summon a black hole to slow others down. You can drag runes from one spot of the room to another in order to get three of one color together, and dragging together more than three runes of the same color allows you to cast a more powerful version of the spell. All the while, the enemies in the room scurry after you, attempting to deliver a fatal blow.Combat in The World Next Door is very simple to pick up, so by halfway through the main campaign--when the game starts throwing new types of enemies at you that do more than swipe at Jun's ankles--you're ready. These new enemies inject some welcome strategy into each battle, creating frantic matches of cat and mouse where you're trying to navigate around the room, dodge enemy attacks, and scan for the next rune you need to launch your counteroffensive. One of the best enemies in The World Next Door are these terrifying wraith-like creatures that attack by using the same runes that Jun does, so you have to constantly be aware of their position and try to lead them away from the runes that you're grouping together because your own attack might be used against you if you're not careful.Battles can get challenging at times, but they're always finished in a matter of minutes, if not seconds, so they're rarely stressful. But The World Next Door never sets up clever encounters that test your reflexes and strategic ability until the latter half of its campaign, resulting in a first half that--though fun--is both a smidge too easy and feels uninspired.The World Next Door plays like the first arc of something more, ending right when it seems like it's about to deliver the experience you want. The cast of characters are genuinely funny at times, and getting to know them has its benefits, but the story ends before most have a chance to really grow and mature. Worse, an interesting plot point that Liza introduces into the story near the game's end is never satisfyingly resolved. The combat portion has similar shortcomings. Though the puzzle battles are frantic bouts of fast-paced fun, the most interesting enemies and bosses are introduced in the latter half of the game, leaving combat in the first two dungeons too simple. Ultimately, there's enjoyment to be had with The World Next Door, but the game takes too long to start leaning into its strengths.Info from Gamespot.com

Tropico 6 is not a fair game. It positions you as not only the head of a small island nation, but also on a political stage with far greater powers than yours. Be those forces colonial, imperialist, or capitalist, your job is to keep your nation stable against both the tides of external forces and the demands of the citizens in your charge. That's a heavy premise that gets diluted a bit with tongue-in-cheek humor, but the parallels between your fictional country and many real-world iterations throughout history are extensive. Those frictions, in many ways, are what makes Tropico an interesting and vivacious playground for those who want some nation-building with their city simulators.Your path through Tropico is a relatively simple one, given context and complexity by new systems that progressively stack on top of one another. In much the same way that our real-world economies are heavily influenced by trade, treaties, and demand, so too will your fledgling nation-state.At the outset, you'll have little more than a few shacks, shops, farms, and a lump sum to kickstart your nascent economy with infrastructure and business investment. Economic growth and innovation don't simply happen, though. There are a few necessary components you'll have to stitch together before you have even a rudimentary economy. Agriculture, roads, and teamsters are the absolute basics--grow the food and move it to the people. Creating and moving goods largely works the same regardless of what it is, but the complexity comes from layering the skeleton of metal or oil transport on top of the systems that keep people fed and healthy. Ports and supply depots, roads and laborers can only handle so much.On their own, these mechanisms would work well enough. The basics of the genre have been honed for almost three decades now, and little has changed in the sense that most city builders use stocks and flows--moving some resource to its consumer in progressive stages. Tropico is distinct, though, in many respects beyond even its central premise because of its detail-oriented approach. It contrasts with its contemporaries by following not only each individual, but for simulating even small changes in living conditions.Because this nation is dictatorial from the outset, you're also given control over just about everything. How well are the teamsters paid? The houses furnished? Are you letting your people live in shacks? This moves down another level, too, because as time goes on, the populace evolves quite organically. Different factions come together on their own. Most of the time, they'll support political moves that match their own self-interest, but not always. Propaganda, trade, international political movements, and even disasters will have marked effects on the social fabric, too.Such detail isn't for its own sake; how you play is critically dependent on the political forces at work. Corruption is useful, as it can be a cheap, quick way to consolidate power. But that risks exacerbating the underlying social issues. Still, because there's an element of roleplaying--you create your own avatar, decorate your palace, and even have a private bank account to squirrel away cash--the mechanics are built out to support a variety of choices.You can, hypothetically, push people to their limit and bail on the country, but it's a lot more satisfying to tackle the challenge of managing dynamic international political relations--avoid invasion, keep your people healthy and happy and lead the world in research. That's not the only viable path, but the rewards are largely self-evident and act as a scalable difficulty curve that you are encouraged to approach. Many paths are intrinsically rewarding for those that like to see the productivity of their people or their nation climb, but transitioning into a vibrant, prismatic tourist hotspot can bear aesthetic marvels all its own. The island can feel a bit like caretaking dozens of Tamagotchi, and the satisfaction just as palpable.While still couched in stylized humor endemic to the series, Tropico 6 is a bit less flippant with its political parallels. The vestiges of colonialism have always been present, but they weren't treated too seriously in past entries. An emissary for some far-flung king would occasionally demand something ridiculous to suit his whims, and the joke was always that he was detached from reality and had no idea how people--especially his colonial subjects--earnestly lived. Those threads are still here, but the colonialism hasn't been defanged quite as much. Instead, the Crown's messengers are direct, stating that their exploitation is unfair and pretty cruel. But what are you going to do, fight off a superpower? At the same time, the revolutionaries, once treated as simply different brand of silly, are more grounded--offering a sympathetic lens to the fictionalized rendition of groups that often have little voice of their own.Beyond the increased fidelity of simulation, Tropico 6's biggest change is the increased map complexity. You now essentially have access to whole archipelagos to settle. These are not only fascinating to explore in their own right often holding archaeological ruins or rare minerals, but offer brilliant mechanical challenges. Building out a whole new parallel infrastructure is no easy feat, and requires foresight, planning, and investment--but again, is rewarding to execute. Integration of the new systems, or even crafting self-sufficient settlements are challenges, made rewarding by the nuanced logistical challenges. While the underlying simulation is indeed, predictable, the island does evolve a bit on its own: economies and politics shift with time, providing a constant, low-level nudge to your work.Even without that new addition--citizens are born, live, and eventually die and your islands' culture changes accordingly. How you have and continue to balance policy and labor, exports and research will leave indelible marks on the psyche of the populace. The complexity of those petri dish layers can max out the user interface at times, particularly if you have a rather large or dense city and doubly so if you're new to the series. As the city expands, and as public opinion and needs shift, tracking down influential individuals or logistical breaking points requires flipping through a dozen or so different pages of stats and maps.Even so, you have more than enough tools to control just about everything that happens in Tropico. Failure and success, then, can feel quite a bit like a referendum not just on your policies, but on your rendition of El Presidente. The notion of dictatorship as a role that you play for yucks is still there, if that's a hat you want to wear--though it's harder to indulge your own selfish impulses when you can see how your actions are condemning Lydia the lumberjack to a lifetime of poverty.Info from Gamespot.com

MLB The Show 19 begins with an ode to spring: the opening cutscene waxes lyrical about the world blooming into color with bright blue skies and beaming sun rays amid the chirping of birds, before moving onto the hope, optimism, and excitement that accompanies a new season of Major League Baseball. America's favorite pastime is synonymous with the transition from winter's gloomy doldrums to the warmer weather of spring, and Sony San Diego's long-running baseball series has become a complementary part of that equation. This is due in no small part to the high level of quality The Show has maintained throughout its lifespan, and MLB 19 is no different, implementing smart new tweaks and significant refinements to its on-field action, while introducing entertaining new modes to its authentic flavor of baseball excellence.Fielding has received the most substantial improvements out on the diamond, with the Defensive Runs Saved metric coming to the forefront. Now any player wearing a leather-clad glove is more responsive than before, hustling to field weakly hit balls, recovering quickly from botched catches, and utilizing a plethora of new animations to give you added control over the defensive side of the game. There's also a clear distinction between each fielder's individual stats, so if you've got a Gold Glove player like Matt Chapman manning the hot corner, you'll notice how adept he is at reaching balls lesser fielders will have trouble getting to. An outfielder's reaction to the ball jumping off the bat varies depending on their attributes, too, while a new interface makes it easier or harder to read balls that careen off the outfield wall depending on the defending player's skill set. There's an intuitive fielding ability indicator under the feet of each player to give you a quick reference point for how likely they are to pull off a spectacular play versus an embarrassing one, and that means substituting that beefy power hitter you've lodged into left field is now a tactical switch worth considering in the later innings. Each of these changes contributes to a greater sense of control over how your team prevents runs, removing a lot of the frustration that plagued previous games when fielders were often too lackadaisical.At the plate, batting feels slightly more forgiving this year. There's now a greater distinction between the types of contact you can make with the ball, and a larger variety of hits makes batting more enjoyable. Not to mention pitchers are now actually concerned with self-preservation, so you won't encounter quite as many stolen hits because the pitcher's face was in the way. These changes coalesce to make a strong aspect of the game even stronger, and few feelings can match the elation that arises when you square up a ball and hear the crack of the bat as it flies into a gap in center field.In terms of modes, the most notable new addition is March to October, which essentially acts as a truncated and more streamlined version of the time-consuming Franchise Mode. In the past, Sony San Diego has made strides in contriving various ways to make Franchise less of a time sink. Being able to expedite a 162-game baseball season by alternating between playing full games or using quick manage and player lock was a welcome change, but it's still a lengthy endeavor that most will still want to simulate through at times. However, there's always an inherent degree of detachment that comes from simming your way through blocks of the season. March to October alleviates this issue by making your performances impact your team's form, even if you're only playing for two or three innings at a time.At the outset, March to October asks you to pick a team, categorizing all 30 MLB teams based on their expectations as either favorites, contenders, underdogs, or longshots. It doesn't matter whether you pick a team like the Yankees or the Orioles, your ultimate goal is to reach the postseason and win the World Series. The majority of the season is automatically simulated, but during critical moments you'll be dropped into games in a variety of situations to try and earn a positive outcome. These can range from taking over a game in the eighth inning of a blowout with the simple aim of maintaining a shutout, joining in the sixth to break open a tied game, or stepping into the batter's box with two outs in the ninth and a man on second when your team is down by a single run. Your performance in these situations earns you either positive or negative momentum, and this affects your team's results during those simulated games. Obviously, there's a little more leeway here if you're using one of the powerhouse teams as opposed to a relative minnow, but momentum ensures your performance has a palpable effect on how well your team does even when you're not directly involved. Maintain positive momentum and you'll see your team go on a winning run, while the opposite is true if you fail to meet your objectives. You'll also occasionally have the opportunity to use player lock in certain games, with that player earning a season-long bonus if you, say, drive in three runs or crush a game-winning homer.Completing a full season takes roughly 10 to 15 hours, and winning the World Series at the conclusion of March to October nets you rewards for MLB 19's card-collecting mode, Diamond Dynasty. This won't be a mouth-watering incentive for everyone, and March to October still consumes enough time that there's little replay value involved. Nevertheless, it's an engaging new mode that consistently puts you in situations tailor-made for some thrilling topsy-turvy baseball. It may lack depth due to an absence of roster moves, with a single deadline day trade the only chance to augment your team, but for those who don't have time to commit to Franchise Mode, it's a fantastic alternative.Moments is another new addition that also drops you into crucial situations, with the key difference here being their historical significance. Playing as the likes of Babe Ruth, Nolan Ryan, Willie Mays, and other icons of the sport, Moments lets you relive the classic plays, at-bats, pitching performances, and playoff series of these legendary players' Hall of Fame careers--complete with authentic stadiums and a black and white filter. It's not a perfect recreation of baseball's past, with plenty of default players on top of contemporary commentary and graphic overlays. There's also little fanfare when you pull off a historic feat, with not even so much as a single line of dialogue. Yet despite these missteps, it's still exciting to call your homerun with The Bambino, mash your way to a .400 average with Tony Gywnn, or win the Chicago Cubs' first World Series in 108 years. Moments also provides another avenue to earn rewards for Diamond Dynasty, beyond giving you the opportunity to play as historic players before unlocking their playing cards.This is a common through line in MLB 19: Almost everything you do contributes to Diamond Dynasty in some way. This makes it relatively easy to assemble a competitive team without having to spend a dime of real-world money, and there are still multiple ways to engage with Diamond Dynasty in both single and multiplayer capacities, depending on your preference, from playing against others online to conquering maps in Conquest Mode, drafting a team in Battle Royale to ascend a ladder, and completing various challenges. The variety of options mixed with the frequent stream of rewards makes Diamond Dynasty one of the most enjoyable card-collecting modes in the genre.Elsewhere, Road to the Show introduces a few more RPG elements this year to give dialogue options some much-needed impact. During the creation of your player, you have to choose between reworked archetypes, with each one acting as a physical blueprint for the type of player you want to be. There isn't a level cap anymore, so you can feasibly increase each of your player's stats to 99 overall, but your chosen archetype governs how easy or difficult it is to improve specific attributes. For instance, pick a Small Ball hitter and you'll find it easier to train your speed, fielding, and stealing, while it will be much harder to improve power and plate discipline, with contact and arm strength falling somewhere in the middle. Enhancing these stats still relates to your on-field performance, with a base hit correlating to an increase in contact, and so on. There are new minigames based around weightlifting and other exercise drills, too, allowing you to progress certain attributes if you want to put in the extra work off the field.During the character creation process you're also asked to choose between four personality types: lightning rod, captain, heart and soul, and maverick. Each dialogue option in Road to the Show relates to one of these personalities, so picking the captain option to give a teammate some encouragement when he's in the midst of a slump will upgrade your captain attributes, which in turn allows you to unlock various perks within a modest skill tree. Reach tier two in heart and soul, for example, and you can activate a perk that improves your hitting ability when in 2-0, 2-1, 3-0, and 3-1 counts, ensuring your dialogue choices manifest in meaningful bonuses when at the plate. Forming a relationship with teammates or an antagonistic rivalry with another team's players will make these perks more powerful as well. Occasionally you'll also be asked to pick between three challenges during particular moments in games, whether it's simply getting on base or striking out the next batter. Each challenge has a boost to stats related to it, with harder challenges providing a more substantial boost if you're successful. This is only a small touch, but it gives you an extra opportunity to improve your player by balancing the risk and reward of picking a harder challenge over a simpler one. There's no doubt smashing a home run over the left field wall is more exhilarating than usual when a 175% boost is active.As for Franchise Mode, there's not really a lot to say. Contracts now more closely mirror their real-life counterparts, both in terms of years and money, and you can finally re-sign players before they reach the end of their current deal. This adds authenticity to the business side of Franchise Mode, but otherwise it's the same as it has been for a few years now. There's still no team relocation, stadium building, or online Franchise Mode, which is disappointing considering these are staples in other sports games. On the plus side, at least you can now use two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani as a designated hitter on days he's not pitching without having to waste a substitution.Despite the lack of innovation in Franchise Mode, MLB 19: The Show excels when it comes to the sheer variety of single-player content on offer, while significant improvements to fielding round out the on-field package, making this one of the best baseball games ever. That's not a particularly bold statement considering the series' consistent quality throughout the years, but MLB 19 continues that upward trajectory with its most robust offering yet, guaranteeing another year's worth of excellent baseball. Info from Gamespot.com