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

The announcement of Mortal Kombat 11 wasn't much of a surprise, but the word that it would be appearing on Nintendo Switch alongside PC, PS4, and Xbox One certainly was. In part because the ultra-violent series has had a checkered history contrasted with Nintendo's family-friendly image, and in part because the series has recently turned into a fidelity-pushing powerhouse, the Switch wasn't an expected home for NetherRealm's latest gore-fest. Following hands-on time at PAX East, it feels perfectly at home on Nintendo's hybrid platform, even if the visuals are predictably downgraded.The port isn't being handled in-house, instead having been handed off to Miami-based Shiver Entertainment with NetherRealm overseeing production. The mission given to the studio was apparently to make sure it runs smoothly at 60 FPS. While we didn't verify the exact frame rate, the message came through clearly: the priority was the fighting mechanics themselves.Shiver succeeded, with some visual compromises. One close-up of Sub-Zero's biceps looked more like painted on musculature than the curves and shadows you'd expect on other platforms. The x-ray effect of the Fatal Blows are less detailed, looking more like a bloody mess than the stomach-churning viscera of the other versions. And naturally, the backgrounds are lacking some of the cool lighting effects that give the game such a moody atmosphere. The result is something not quite as downgraded as the mobile ports of Mortal Kombat X, but the drop in visual quality is still noticeable.That said, the gameplay itself has made the transition beautifully. Mortal Kombat's revival is almost rhythmic in its style, with hard-hitting blows pummeling opponents into the ground with a kind of gory grace. Those elements rely on smooth animations and clockwork-tight controls.If seeing every crunching bone and snapped tendon with perfect clarity is what matters to you, of course, the Nintendo Switch will not be your platform of choice. But NetherRealm and Shiver appear to have succeeded at their apparent mission, to make a Nintendo Switch version that is on-par with the others in the fighting fundamentals. That's good news for those who want to take their Kombat on the go, and don't mind a few compromises.Mortal Kombat 11 launches April 23 for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Check out our pre-order guide for more details.Info from Gamespot.com

Earlier this year, Dauntless developer Phoenix Labs announced it is moving the free-to-play Monster Hunter-like RPG from its own launcher to the Epic Games Store, joining a string of other high-profile games that are skipping Steam for Epic's new storefront. According to the studio, one of the primary reasons behind the move was Epic's player-focused philosophy and its experience in offering cross-play and cross-progression between different platforms."One of the things that we're passionate about at Phoenix Labs--and was a part of our vision even before we had chosen to build Dauntless--was finding a way to allow players to play together," Phoenix Labs co-founder and VP Robin Mayne told GameSpot at PAX East 2019. "And so a part of our strategy for Dauntless has been worldwide servers so you can play with anyone wherever they are."And then as we thought about our platform expansion, it was really important for us to fulfill our vision of one Dauntless, which is the ability to play with your friends no matter what platform they are on and no matter where they are. So working with Epic on the Unreal Engine and getting to chat with them about their vision for players as well, we realized it was a really big alignment with our vision for one Dauntless and being able to have people play together, and the ability to come to the Epic Games Store, plus Xbox and PlayStation, and be able to do cross-play so that everyone can play together."Mayne also reiterated that Phoenix Labs plans to allow players to play with those on other platforms right from the game's console launch. "Our plan is full cross-play, full cross-progression, so you have your account that you play on, and you can play with anyone regardless of what platforms they are on. The launch this summer focuses on Epic Games Store, Xbox, and PlayStation. We have Switch in the works as well, and plans for mobile along the way."While Phoenix Labs has ambitious cross-play plans for Dauntless, it will ultimately depend on Sony, which has only recently begun taking its first steps into cross-play. For years, the company was reluctant to allow PS4 players to play with those other platforms until it finally made the exception for Epic's phenomenally popular battle royale game, Fortnite. Since then, however, Sony has only allowed cross-play in one other PS4 game: Rocket League. Microsoft, meanwhile, has been much more welcoming of cross-play and has long pushed for Sony to reconsider its stance.Dauntless is available now in open beta on PC, with a PS4 and Xbox One launch slated for this summer. We got a chance to play the game with Phoenix Labs at PAX East; in the video above, you can watch us team up with the developers to take down a new ice-themed Behemoth called Boreus. Unlike other monsters thus far, Boreus is able to summon minions, making for a chaotic fight.Info from Gamespot.com

When Arrow ends next season, it will already have lost one of its primary players. Emily Bett Rickards, who has played Felicity Smoak since Season 1, is leaving the series at the end of Season 7.Rickards made the announcement herself on Instagram, writing, "Felicity and I are a very tight two. But after one through seven, we will be saying goodbye to you." That will leave the final 10-episode of Season 8 without the character, who also happens to be Oliver Queen's (Stephen Amell) wife, mother of his child, and--essentially--the brains of the Team Arrow operation.What remains to be seen is how Felicity will exit the series. Throughout Season 7, a flash-forward storyline has shown she's still alive years from now, operating under the Calculator moniker her father once used. It's entirely possible that she and her soon-to-be-born child will go into hiding ahead of Season 8, as the Green Arrow prepares for his last stand. View this post on Instagram❤️🖤💛💕💜💙 The time has come to talk of many memes. Of bows and arrows and superheroes and Olicity and Queens And why TGA is so damn hot And yes, canaries need more scenes... But wait just one minute before we go and do all that For this makes me out of breath To have this not small chat Felicity and I are a very tight two But after one through seven we will be saying goodbye to you I thank you all for the time we’ve shared The elevators we have climbed The monsters we have faced and scared And The burgers we have dined I will keep her in my heart for always And I hope that you can too Because she would not be alive if it weren’t for all of you 💕 Love, Felicity and MeA post shared by emilybett (@emilybett) on Mar 30, 2019 at 11:24am PDTHopefully, the final 10 episodes of the series will spend a little time dealing with the various characters coping with losing Felicity, regardless of the cause. Given her status as a member of the original Team Arrow, and the incredibly valuable role she plays in the current team's operations, her presence will be missed.Whatever the case, cherish the moments you have, Felicity fans. Her time on Arrow is coming to a close soon. Arrow airs Mondays on The CW.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

Atomic Wolf, the indie developer behind the Bomberman-like Mad Age & This Guy, has given us a first look at a new title called Liberated during PAX East 2019. In stark contrast to the studio's previous effort, Liberated is a stylish, narrative-driven 2.5D stealth game inspired by noir films and graphic novels.Set in a bleak, dystopian future where the government is using technology to surveil and manipulate the public, Liberated tells the story of a group of characters who cross paths with the authoritarian police force and a violent opposition group fighting against it. The narrative is framed like a graphic novel; the game is divided up into four chapters, which are presented as four comic book issues, with story and gameplay sequences unfolding across different panels.Throughout the course of the game, players will be faced with choices that will affect how the story is shaped and lead to entirely different endings. Among other things, players must choose whether to cooperate with the government or the opposition group. As the story unfolds, however, you'll realize the decision isn't as black-and-white as it may initially appear, and every choice you make will carry a consequence.You can watch the reveal trailer for Liberated at the top of this story. We've also captured more than 10 minutes of gameplay footage at PAX East; in the video above, you can watch Atomic Wolf play through a portion of the game's first chapter, which follows a hacker who was discovered by the police. The footage is taken from an alpha build of the title and the game quality is not final.Liberated is slated to launch on Steam later this year. Following its PC release, Atomic Wolf is also planning to bring the game to PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.Info from Gamespot.com

Fans at Wondercon were treated to an extended look at Godzilla: King of the Monsters, featuring the awakening of King Gidorah from his icy prison as Vera Farmiga and Millie Bobbie Brown look on from the relative safety of a military base. As Gidorah breaks out, he uses his lightning breath to obliterate soldiers--just in time for Godzilla to arrive on the scene.Of course, the footage cuts before the two can actually clash--but not before Gidorah gets to strike an incredibly iconic pose with his wings and three heads splayed for full effect--and, trust us, it looks and sounds absolutely amazing. Even for someone not completely steeped in vintage Toho lore, there will always be something awe-inspiring about a giant, golden, three-headed dragon in any context at all, let alone facing off against the world's most famous reptile.The context of the scene made it look like Godzilla was coming to the rescue of the humans, but director Michael Doughtery explained that the everyone's favorite kaiju's morality is not so easily distilled into good and evil."Godzilla is a god, right? He's not good or bad. I think the big question is are we--as in the humans--good guys or bad guys? And that will affect how Godzilla reacts to us on any given day. The final shot we see of Gidorah on a volcano? The genesis of that moment is actually the Book of Revelations. We really wanted to put the 'god' back into Godzilla with this movie."Doughtery continued, "We wanted to treat them with the reverence we think they deserve. Mothra isn't just a giant moth, she's a goddess. That's how I always saw them growing up--not as puppets, but as deities."Speaking of puppets--the classic, practical monsters are definitely a thing of the past. The creatures here in Godzilla: King of the Monsters are motion captured, which was an important part of their development according to Doughtery. "Gidorah's three heads had to have their own personalities. When we were doing motion capture, we took three separate actors and bound them together as one creature. It was like a modern day version of the man-in-a-suit process."The visual effects aren't the only thing that got a major update--the kaiju sound effects were also heavily considered. "I think the creatures are like musical instruments, they have very particular noises, screeches, roars. We worked really closely with the sound designers," Doughtery explained. "We went out and recorded wild animals--turtles, even. Turns out turtles make really amazing noises. Rattlesnakes, vultures, owls--they have to sound like themselves."The majesty of the kaiju is all in service to a very human story, Doughtery assured. The monsters are the star of the show, but the movie is actually going to focus on a family. "A lot of it is about a family who survived the first Godzilla attack, so this is about how they cope with trauma and also giant monsters." He laughed. "We used to call this movie Kramer vs Kramer vs Godzilla, but Warner didn't like that too much."Despite the tragic loss of that amazing gag title, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is more than ready to bring the thunder to theaters this May 31. Info from Gamespot.com

The iconic Chucky--next set to be played by Mark Hamill--wasn't the only haunted doll that made an appearance during this year's WonderCon. Warner Bros. dropped the new trailer for the next Annabelle movie, Annabelle Comes Home, during its panel at the convention in Anaheim, California.Watch it below to see what's new in the third Annabelle movie, the latest chapter of the connected Conjuring universe to be revealed:In the trailer, a friend of the Judy Warren's (Ed and Lorraine's daughter) very unwisely disturbs the ghost-busting duo's private hoard of spooky nicknacks, and the results go about as well as you'd expect.Annabelle Comes Homes is the third movie starring the Annabelle doll as its main antagonist, although she's also made appearances in other Conjuring universe movies--and beyond. Other than what's in the trailer above, we don't know a ton of details about Annabelle Comes Home, besides that Gary Dauberman (writer of the previous two Annabelle films, as well as the upcoming It: Chapter Two) is directing, James Wan is producing (as always), and Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson reprise their roles as the Warrens.Annabelle Comes Home hits theaters June 28.Info from Gamespot.com

Sega has announced a range of video games for the Olympic Games being held in Tokyo next year. Among them is Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, a Switch title that will once again reunite the characters from Nintendo and Sega's most iconic franchises to compete in sporting events.However, Sega also has Olympic Games: The Official Video Games in development for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Switch. On top of that there's an arcade version of Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and Sonic At The Olympic Games -- Tokyo 2020 for mobile devices. These games are showcased in a trailer, which you can watch below, albeit briefly.Obviously, the main differences between the various titles is whether or not they have Mario or Sonic attached to them. Sega is making a standard Olympics video game available on all platforms, and this is currently listed as coming 2020 on the game's official website. Mario and Sonic will join in on the competition for Switch and Arcade, with the Switch version arriving in Winter 2019 while the arcade version follows in Summer 2020. Finally, on mobile, it's just Sonic and the game headed to the Olympics, and that game is set for Summer 2020.In the trailer there are a range of events from the various games shown, including running, swimming, shot put, tennis, basketball, volleyball, motorsports, skateboarding, baseball, hurdles, and long jump, among others. It looks like there's going to be a nice variety of games for players to check out.The original Mario and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games launched in November 2007 and proved to be very popular, becoming a sales success. Critically, however, the response was mixed. In GameSpot's review the Wii version received a 6/10. "The trouble lies in the often uninteresting and occasionally frustrating motion controls combined with some events that are too similar to one another, as well as shallow gameplay that brings the game down," it concluded.Info from Gamespot.com

Sega has announced the Genesis Mini--or Mega Drive Mini, if you're in Europe. The compact version of its classic 16-bit console will allow fans to indulge their nostalgia and play a range of old school games such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Castlevania: Bloodlines, and Gunstar Heroes on modern displays.The Genesis Mini was revealed as part of Sega's Fes event, which is taking place in Tokyo, Japan, and is scheduled to launch worldwide on September 19. It will cost $79.99 US/£69.99/€79.99/AUD$139.95 and have 40 games.SEEEEGGGGAAAA!The iconic SEGA Genesis returns September 19, 2019, with our lovingly crafted SEGA Genesis Mini for $79.99!Simply plug-in and play 40 of the console's legendary titles, 10 of which we're announcing today.Learn more and pre-order today: https://t.co/zRqELdIXgt pic.twitter.com/bjtlqMEgEU — SEGA (@SEGA) March 30, 2019The company has confirmed that this list of titles includes Sonic the Hedgehog, Ecco the Dolphin, Castlevania: Bloodlines, Space Harrier 2, Shining Force, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, ToeJam & Earl, Comix Zone, Altered Beast, and Gunstar Heroes. Sega has said the remaining games will be "announced intermittently over the coming months."The Sega Genesis Mini is based on the Model 1 Genesis, except is approximately 55 percent smaller than its original incarnation, according to Sega. In the box will be the Genesis Mini, two replica three-button USB controllers, one USB to Micro-B power cable, and one HDMI cable. In North America a power adapter will also be included.The game ports that are on the Genesis Mini were handled by M2, a team that is well known for its work on emulation and re-releases. M2 previously worked on Sega Ages and Sega 3D Classics Collection.Releasing Mini versions of classic consoles has become something of a trend recently. Nintendo led the way with the NES Classic and the SNES Classic, both of which were received well by critics and went on to be hot commercial items. Sony followed suite with the PlayStation Classic, which wasn't received as warmly.For those looking for a more immediate option, and one that offers a few more options, there's Analogue's Mega Sg. "While roughly $200 is a lot to spend on a console to play Genesis games, right now, the Mega Sg is the easiest way to get them up and running on a modern TV without sacrificing audio or video quality--the support for Master System and Sega CD games is the icing on the cake," said Peter Brown in his Mega Sg review."Some people will always prefer to go the route of using emulators, and others may only want to play with original hardware and stick to aftermarket mods. But if you are open to the idea of a third-party Genesis console, and you want the peace of mind knowing that it looks and sounds better than the best original console from Sega, there's no better option on the market than the Mega Sg."Info from Gamespot.com

Earlier this year, Dauntless developer Phoenix Labs announced it is moving the free-to-play Monster Hunter-like RPG from its own launcher to the Epic Games Store, joining a string of other high-profile games that are skipping Steam for Epic's new storefront. According to the studio, one of the primary reasons behind the move was Epic's player-focused philosophy and its experience in offering cross-play and cross-progression between different platforms."One of the things that we're passionate about at Phoenix Labs--and was a part of our vision even before we had chosen to build Dauntless--was finding a way to allow players to play together," Phoenix Labs co-founder and VP Robin Mayne told GameSpot at PAX East 2019. "And so a part of our strategy for Dauntless has been worldwide servers so you can play with anyone wherever they are."And then as we thought about our platform expansion, it was really important for us to fulfill our vision of one Dauntless, which is the ability to play with your friends no matter what platform they are on and no matter where they are. So working with Epic on the Unreal Engine and getting to chat with them about their vision for players as well, we realized it was a really big alignment with our vision for one Dauntless and being able to have people play together, and the ability to come to the Epic Games Store, plus Xbox and PlayStation, and be able to do cross-play so that everyone can play together."Mayne also reiterated that Phoenix Labs plans to allow players to play with those on other platforms right from the game's console launch. "Our plan is full cross-play, full cross-progression, so you have your account that you play on, and you can play with anyone regardless of what platforms they are on. The launch this summer focuses on Epic Games Store, Xbox, and PlayStation. We have Switch in the works as well, and plans for mobile along the way."While Phoenix Labs has ambitious cross-play plans for Dauntless, it will ultimately depend on Sony, which has only recently begun taking its first steps into cross-play. For years, the company was reluctant to allow PS4 players to play with those other platforms until it finally made the exception for Epic's phenomenally popular battle royale game, Fortnite. Since then, however, Sony has only allowed cross-play in one other PS4 game: Rocket League. Microsoft, meanwhile, has been much more welcoming of cross-play and has long pushed for Sony to reconsider its stance.Dauntless is available now in open beta on PC, with a PS4 and Xbox One launch slated for this summer. We got a chance to play the game with Phoenix Labs at PAX East; in the video above, you can watch us team up with the developers to take down a new ice-themed Behemoth called Boreus. Unlike other monsters thus far, Boreus is able to summon minions, making for a chaotic fight.Info from Gamespot.com

When Arrow ends next season, it will already have lost one of its primary players. Emily Bett Rickards, who has played Felicity Smoak since Season 1, is reportedly leaving the series at the end of Season 7.Rickards made the announcement herself on Instagram, writing, "Felicity and I are a very tight two. But after one through seven, we will be saying goodbye to you." That will leave the final 10-episode of Season 8 without the character, who also happens to be Oliver Queen's (Stephen Amell) wife, mother of his child, and--essentially--the brains of the Team Arrow operation.What remains to be seen is how Felicity will exit the series. Throughout Season 7, a flash-forward storyline has shown she's still alive years from now, operating under the Calculator moniker her father once used. It's entirely possible that she and her soon-to-be-born child will go into hiding ahead of Season 8, as the Green Arrow prepares for his last stand. View this post on Instagram❤️🖤💛💕💜💙 The time has come to talk of many memes. Of bows and arrows and superheroes and Olicity and Queens And why TGA is so damn hot And yes, canaries need more scenes... But wait just one minute before we go and do all that For this makes me out of breath To have this not small chat Felicity and I are a very tight two But after one through seven we will be saying goodbye to you I thank you all for the time we’ve shared The elevators we have climbed The monsters we have faced and scared And The burgers we have dined I will keep her in my heart for always And I hope that you can too Because she would not be alive if it weren’t for all of you 💕 Love, Felicity and MeA post shared by emilybett (@emilybett) on Mar 30, 2019 at 11:24am PDTHopefully, the final 10 episodes of the series will spend a little time dealing with the various characters coping with losing Felicity, regardless of the cause. Given her status as a member of the original Team Arrow, and the incredibly valuable role she plays in the current team's operations, her presence will be missed.Whatever the case, cherish the moments you have, Felicity fans. Her time on Arrow is coming to a close soon. Arrow airs Mondays on The CW.Info from Gamespot.com

There's one more iconic character for Mark Hamill to add to his resume. The man behind Luke Skywalker, Joker in Batman: The Animated Series, and a long list of other heroes and villains has found his next role as the murderous Chucky doll in the remake of the horror film Child's Play.The news was revealed during the Child's Play WonderCon panel, via a pre-recorded video from Hamill, in which he talked about his excitement to take on the psychopathic toy. The casting was even news to the movie's other cast members, who were only told of his joining the project just before they walked on stage. Aubrey Plaza, who stars in the movie, joked that she willed this into happening by killing Chucky with a lightsaber during filming.As for Hamill's role in Child's Play, he's still recording dialogue, producer Seth Grahame-Smith hinted. "To have an icon reimagining an iconic character is an incredible gift," the producer said. "He's taken on this challenge with a huge amount of energy and really come at it in a serious way." The actor himself teased this news was coming in a tweet a day before the official reveal.MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT TOMORROW 6:15pm PSTI'll be sharing some VERY EXCITING news about a super-secret project I've been working on that's just.... how can I describe it? Oh, I know! It's: "Uh......... Wow. Just.......WOW." 😎#WatchThisSpace pic.twitter.com/xjsgnulfs3 — Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) March 30, 2019Of course, this is far from Hamill's first voice work. In addition to his aforementioned Batman: The Animated Series turn as the Joker, he's done voices for TV shows like SWAT Kats, Adventure Time, and Ultimate Spider-Man.The panel also included some new footage from Child's Play, which featured a young boy (Gabriel Bateman) trying to convince his mom (Plaza) that his toy doll had come to life and was, in fact, a murderer. Of course, if you know anything about the Child's Play franchise, you should be able to guess that was followed by a lot of carnage as Chucky tried to kill the mom and her son.Child's Play also stars Bryan Tyree Henry and Tim Matheson. It hits theaters on June 21.Info from Gamespot.com

The remaster for Crash Team Racing channels much of the same energy and cartoonish personality that made the classic PS1 title such a well-loved game. Developed by Beenox, Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Refueled also manages to go a bit further than updating the original, including more content than people had anticipated. During PAX East 2019, we spent some time racing on the different tracks in Nitro-Refueled, which included the return of some tracks found from the sequel Nitro Kart.Speaking with GameSpot at PAX, Beenox co-studio head Thomas Wilson described the approach they took with the remaster, and what sort of content they wanted to include with the game."With the name Nitro-Fueled, we wanted to see how we could complement the original experience," said Wilson. "We did that by adding new tracks that originated from Crash Nitro Kart, and which we decided pretty early on we were going to do that. We felt it was the right decision, and it was all about creating a more well-rounded package for fans."During our hands-on time, we got to play across four different tracks pulling from CTR and Nitro Kart. One thing that the original game was known for was its challenging difficulty, and that's certainly present here. I really found myself struggling to keep up with other opponents--both AI and other players. One sudden hit from an enemy's missile or driving straight into a vial of chemicals almost inevitably put us in a bad way. With that said, I still felt that Nitro-Fueled managed to recapture that same sense of fun from the original, which was present in the updated art style that looks more vibrant than ever.This remaster also includes a number of changes and revisions to the core gameplay. For instance, all the anti-gravity sections from Nitro Kart's tracks have been removed in order to keep it consistent with the courses from the original game. Nitro-Fueled also offers an upgrade to the original's car combat mode. Featuring only the standard battle mode, the remaster will also incorporate the maps and modes from Nitro Kart as well, bringing it to a total of 12 different battle maps with multiple game types, including standard combat and capture the flag. From our recent hands-on, Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled is shaping up to be a solid remaster that will rekindle the fast-pace and fun of the original.For more from PAX Eat 2019, including the latest on Borderlands 3, and other games that caught our interest in the show, be sure to check outInfo from Gamespot.com

Atomic Wolf, the indie developer behind the Bomberman-like Mad Age & This Guy, has given us a first look at a new title called Liberated during PAX East 2019. In stark contrast to the studio's previous effort, Liberated is a stylish, narrative-driven 2.5D stealth game inspired by noir films and graphic novels.Set in a bleak, dystopian future where the government is using technology to surveil and manipulate the public, Liberated tells the story of a group of characters who cross paths with the authoritarian police force and a violent opposition group fighting against it. The narrative is framed like a graphic novel; the game is divided up into four chapters, which are presented as four comic book issues, with story and gameplay sequences unfolding across different panels.Throughout the course of the game, players will be faced with choices that will affect how the story is shaped and lead to entirely different endings. Among other things, players must choose whether to cooperate with the government or the opposition group. As the story unfolds, however, you'll realize the decision isn't as black-and-white as it may initially appear, and every choice you make will carry a consequence.You can watch the reveal trailer for Liberated at the top of this story. We've also captured more than 10 minutes of gameplay footage at PAX East; in the video above, you can watch Atomic Wolf play through a portion of the game's first chapter, which follows a hacker who was discovered by the police. The footage is taken from an alpha build of the title and the game quality is not final.Liberated is slated to launch on Steam later this year. Following its PC release, Atomic Wolf is also planning to bring the game to PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.Info from Gamespot.com