Katana Zero made a memorable entrance with its release date trailer in the spring Nindies showcase, as a stylish and brutal action game coming just around the corner. Though it is a tense combat game where every moment could mean certain death, it was the moments outside the combat that proved the most surprising in a hands-on at PAX East 2019.The bulk of the game is the moment-to-moment combat we saw detailed in the reveal trailer (above), in which both you and your enemies are so deadly that a single hit means death. Stages are segmented into unique combat scenarios, with a rewind mechanic that starts you over. Within the fiction of the game, these various combat runs are your assassin's sense of precognition, carefully planning which murder-chain will work. The subsequent security camera footage that shows your successful completion is capturing what actually happened.It's a gameplay loop familiar to fans of games like Hotline Miami or Ape Out, where each unsuccessful run is both a failure and a learning experience to build your knowledge base for a better one. The combat feels breathlessly fast, but I never found the deaths unfair. The action constantly compels one more try, a little faster, and with a little more insight.You have a variety of tools at your disposal as well. The demo featured the standard swordplay as its main tool, as well as the ability to throw objects across the room, slam doors against enemies, and even cleverly use traps like lasers against enemies. One stage set in a dance club allowed blending in to the crowd to avoid guards. Enemies came in several varieties as well, from brawlers to fellow katana-wielders to security personnel with guns. In each case, a single touch means death.Outside of combat, though, the game pleasantly surprised with story vignettes. The Dragon may be a deadly assassin, but he lives in a crappy apartment with noisy neighbors. He regularly speaks with his employer (and de facto therapist) about recurring nightmares in order to receive drug treatments. These story segments were a standout, because they added a darkly humor flavor and enriched the world.What made these dialogue sequences even more refreshing was a time-based branching dialogue system. Allowing someone to finish speaking will often open dialogue options, which can help steer the story. Skipping dialogue is always an option, but it will mean you interrupt another character, which has its own consequences.For example, to test the system I interrupted a receptionist constantly until she got angry. After completing my assassination contract, she was there waiting for me with a SWAT officer. I hadn't smooth-talked my way through the interaction, and so when gunshots broke out in the stage, I had immediately become a prime suspect. After dispatching the officer, my employer told me the receptionist had been killed for my lack of discretion.Game creator Justin Stander says the game is full of these branching dialogue options, and when you consider that merely interrupting a speaker to speed a scene along counts as a choice, the possibilities become shockingly complex. I was able to make choices that seemed to have impact when talking about the nightmares, which impacted the perception of the next one. Stander said that at one point another character can borrow your sword, leaving you to make do with found objects for part of the next stage.Those narrative hooks are likely to keep me coming back and exploring different avenues, even as I struggle my way through its challenging combat. Sharply difficult games with a retro aesthetic aren't usually known for their narrative punch, but this could be one to break the mold. It's coming to PC and Switch on April 18.Info from Gamespot.com

Pokemon Sword and Shield may be on the horizon, but The Pokemon Company isn't done giving away freebies for the series' latest 3DS installments, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. Players with a Pokemon Bank subscription can now claim two more free Pokemon in the seventh-gen games, and these are a little different from the ones you can normally catch.For a limited time, you'll be able to receive a free Oranguru and Passimian by signing into Pokemon Bank. What makes these particular Pokemon special is they come with their Hidden Abilities, which normally aren't obtainable in the games. Passimian's is Defiant, which raises its Attack any time one of its stats is lowered by the opponent, while Oranguru's is Symbiosis, which will pass the item it's holding to an ally in Double or Triple Battles when that Pokemon consumes its own held item.You can claim Oranguru and Passimian in either of the Ultra games or the original Sun and Moon versions. To download them, you'll need to insert your game of choice in the 3DS and access the Pokemon Bank app. After you see a notification that the gifts are available, you'll need to open the game, then pick the Pokemon up from the deliveryman waiting inside any Pokemon Center. It's unclear how long this distribution will run, so you'll want to act fast.Pokemon Bank is a paid cloud service that allows you to easily store and move Pokemon between all of the series' sixth- and seventh-generation 3DS Pokemon games. Subscriptions cost $5 / £4.49 per year. As an added bonus, The Pokemon Company regularly distributes free Pokemon to subscribers; last year, for instance, it gave away all three Alola starters with their Hidden Abilities. You can also store Pokemon from the 3DS Virtual Console versions of Red/Blue/Yellow and Gold/Silver/Crystal on Pokemon Bank.Oranguru and Passimian aren't the only freebies still available for 3DS players. You also have until September 2 to claim an assortment of rare Berries via Mystery Gift. You can see all of the freebies available for Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon in our roundup.Pokemon Sword and Shield are the next "core" installments in the Pokemon series, and they're slated to launch for Nintendo Switch in late 2019. The Pokemon Company hasn't revealed many details about the games yet, but we got our first look at their new setting and starter Pokemon. You can read everything we know about Pokemon Sword and Shield so far here.Info from Gamespot.com

Godzilla might be one of the most famous movie monsters of all time, but there are plenty of other incredible creatures in this long-running franchise. King Ghidorah, Rodan, and Mothra are all classic monsters from Japanese Godzilla movies, and they will make their Hollywood debut this summer in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. A new trailer has now been released.The latest promo features loads of new footage. It opens with some stunning shots of three-headed King Ghidorah, the winged Rodan, and moth-like Mothra. The trailer reveals that scientists from monster-tracking agency Monarch plan to set Godzilla free from his aquatic prison to fight these giant threats--as one character says, "It's a good thing he's on our side." The movie looks absolutely stunning--check the trailer out below.Godzilla: King of the Monsters is directed by Michael Dougherty, whose previous credits include the Christmas monster movie Krampus. It stars Vera Farmiga (The Conjuring), Kyle Chandler (Game Night), and Millie Bobbie Brown (Stranger Things), plus Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water), Ken Watanabe (Inception), and O'Shea Jackson Jr (Straight Outta Compton). It hits theaters on May 31, 2019. For more check out everything we know about Godzilla: King of the Monsters, plus this recent trailer.In a recent interview with Collider, Dougherty spoke about how his movie will differ from its predecessor, Gareth Edwards' 2014 hit Godzilla. "I hesitate to say it, but I would call it the Aliens to Gareth's Alien," he said. "So it's a bit more on an ensemble film. The first movie was really about Brody's character kind of weaving his way through that adventure and Monarch kind of was the backdrop for that. Here Monarch is the focus, because I find that concept really fascinating. The idea that there is a secret agency that tracks giant monsters--that is a dream come true for me too. I think if the government said to me, 'Tomorrow you have to fake your own death and abandon everyone you know to go hunt the paranormal,' I would be gone in a heartbeat."Godzilla: King of the Monsters is the latest entry in Legendary Pictures' so-called MonsterVerse, following Godzilla and 2017's Kong: Skull Island. The fourth movie in the series will be Godzilla vs Kong, which is now in production and scheduled for a May 2020 release. Info from Gamespot.com

Apple is expanding its presence in the games industry with its own game subscription service called Apple Arcade--designed to provide access to a variety of titles whether you want to play on mobile, desktop, or in the living room. Unlike Google's Stadia, Apple Arcade won't be a cloud streaming service, though. A brief overview trailer of Apple Arcade is linked below, and if you're looking for more details, check out everything we know about Apple Arcade.Essentially, Apple's service takes the form of a monthly subscription that provides unlimited access to a curated selection of paid titles on the App Store; it sounds sort of like Xbox Game Pass. Development partners include Sega, Konami, Disney, Sumo Digital, and Cartoon Network, among others, and more than 100 exclusive games will become part of the service. Additional games will also be added "all the time," the company said, although an exact cadence for new releases was not shared.Apple Arcade covers more than just iOS games, although these will work on devices like iPhones and iPads. Beyond that, you'll be able to play on MacOS and Apple TV, meaning these games span mobile, laptops, and TV. And these versions won't operate independently of each other; your progress transfers between the different platforms. In other words, you can move from playing something on your phone to your TV or laptop, for instance, which is not entirely dissimilar from the vision Google recently outlined with Stadia.Apple went on to state that every game would be playable offline, while future game updates and DLC would be included at no extra cost. Apple Arcade will have its own tab on the App Store, and the games will be free of ads and microtransactions.Apple Arcade will be available in 150 countries "this fall." One key bit of information--how much it will cost--has not yet been shared. Apple says pricing and more details are still to come.During the event, we got a brief look at a few of the games coming to the service, with more being confirmed afterward in a press release. Among the confirmed games are Sonic Racing, Lego Brawls, Oceanhorn 2, Overland, Fantasian (from Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi), and Beyond the Steel Sky (which is being worked on by Dave Gibbons of Watchmen fame). We also got a list of Apple Arcade developers and publishers, including names like Lego, Disney, Sega, and Konami.Apple says it will be "contributing to the development costs and working closely with creators to bring the games to life," suggesting it will do more than just pay developers for their games to be included."The App Store is the world's biggest and most successful game platform. Now we are going to take games even further with Apple Arcade, the first game subscription service for mobile, desktop and the living room," said Apple marking boss Phil Schiller. "We are working with some of the most innovative game developers in the world to create over 100 new and exclusive games to play across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. Apple Arcade games will be great for families, respect user privacy and will not have ads or require any additional purchases. We think players of all ages are going to love Apple Arcade."Unlike the recently announced Google Stadia, or PlayStation Now and Microsoft's xCloud, Apple's service is not cloud-based. The company also unveiled its new Apple TV+ service and a variety of exclusive original shows.Info from Gamespot.com

Apple's latest keynote, the Show Time event, brought with it news on an array of products and services coming to the company's slew of devices. However, unlike most Apple events, the focus was not on new hardware, but instead on subscription-based services--all designed to deliver entertainment, video game, and magazine content.We've condensed all of the major news for you below, and we also have a roundup of everything we know about Apple Arcade.Apple TV Channels and TV PlusThe centerpiece of the announcements was Apple TV, which came in two major ways. The Apple TV app is getting a major revision called Apple TV Channels that will allow users to directly access shows from providers like HBO, Starz, Amazon, and Hulu. You'll also be able to purchase shows on demand. It's coming this May, and the app will also expand to smart TVs and players like Roku and Amazon Fire TV in the spring.Most of Apple's time was spent on Apple TV Plus, a premium subscription service offering new original programming akin to Netflix. Several Hollywood directors and actors appeared on stage to debut their upcoming projects, including Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Momoa, Big Bird, and Oprah. It will launch in the fall, and the price has not been announced. Apple showed off a backdrop full of creators currently making exclusives for Apple TV Plus.Apple ArcadeApple TV Plus wasn't the only subscription service announced during the presentation, though. The company also announced a new game product, Apple Arcade, which will get its own tab in the App Store when it launches this fall. It will include roughly 100 games with more being rotated regularly, and the list of publishers includes lots of recognizable names. In a seeming shot at Google's Stadia service, Apple was sure to mention that these games can be downloaded and played offline. One key detail we don't yet have is a price--we have no idea what access to these games will cost, but that in a market largely dominated by free-to-play titles, that could make or break the service.Apple News PlusBut wait, there's another subscription service. Apple also announced Apple News Plus, an expansion to its News service that adds a wide selection of magazine subscriptions. It will cost $10 per month for unlimited access to more than 300 periodicals. App fans may recognize this as similar to Texture, the magazine subscription service acquired by Apple last year. Apple has added its own bells and whistles by integrating the functionality into its News service, as well as adding more search functions and neat features like "live covers."Apple Credit CardFinally, Apple announced its own credit card. It works similarly to Apple Pay, and the digital version actually runs through the Apple Pay app. But this is its own card with its own security features, financial tools, and cash-back rewards--which are delivered daily. A separate physical titanium card will be available too. Those cards launch this summer.You can still see the full presentation through Apple's website.Info from Gamespot.com

Google Stadia, a cloud-based platform that streams games from a remote data center to nearly any device, is designed to work on laptops, phones, tablets, PCs, Macs, Chromebooks, and TVs with Chromecast. All graphics processing is relegated to off-site hardware, so all you need is a strong internet connection. It's a technologically impressive concept, and we were eager to be one of the first to experience it on the GDC 2019 showroom floor. Both Assassin's Creed Odyssey and 2016's Doom were playable at the event, and though they ran and looked great, I couldn't help but notice one significant shortcoming.Keep in mind, my hands-on time was at the Google stations on the GDC show floor, so your mileage may vary. There are a lot variables at play in addition to the internet connection, and these are early playable builds under unknown conditions. Display response time is another factor that we couldn't account for during the hands-on demo, and it's an important spec to consider, especially for a PC-like experience--these were not gaming-grade monitors at the demo stations.Input lag was the worst offender during my time with Doom; this was readily apparent when swiping the mouse around to aim. The aiming reticule would trail behind my mouse movements ever so slightly, and for a game like Doom--a hyper-fast first-person shooter that relies on precision aiming--it can be a deal-breaker. Playing on a controller mitigated the emphasis on speed and precision and made input lag a little less of a factor, but it doesn't negate the issue altogether. Another thing to note is that Google staff told me the Doom demo in particular was running in a low-latency mode available on Stadia itself. From a fidelity standpoint, the game ran at a consistent frame-rate using medium-high settings with adequate overall image quality; artifacting (or compression) didn't affect the experience. However, it's a bit disappointing that input lag could hold this back from being the ideal way to play a game as fast as Doom.[Update: Google, for its part, insists latency wouldn't be an issue for Stadia. This claim came from Phil Harrison, who sat down with GameSpot to discuss a range of Stadia questions, including exclusive games, pricing, and data caps. Not long after Stadia's reveal, Apple announced its new foray into games with Apple Arcade. That service works like Xbox Game Pass and is not cloud-based, as Apple made it clear that--in an apparent nod toward Stadia concerns--its games can be played offline.]I also got to revisit Assassin's Creed Odyssey with Stadia and it felt very similar to Google's early cloud-gaming beta that called Project Stream. Of course, Odyssey doesn't have the same emphasis on speed and accuracy as Doom, so naturally the experience translated better to the cloud-based platform. When peeking at some of the settings, the demo was running at 1080p, 60 FPS, with a 20 Mbps bit rate. The game had decent visual quality with some discernible artifacting, but we were playing up-close on large TVs which isn't a typical setup.At launch, it'll be capable of delivering up to 4K resolution and 60 FPS thanks to a brand-new AMD GPU rated at 10.7 TFLOPs that powers the data center hardware--remember, the Xbox One X, currently the most powerful console to date, has 6.0 TFLOPs. Stadia will come with a whole roster of features in addition to the convenience of playing games over a powerful cloud-based platform.Google will also offer its own controller for Stadia which has integrated Google Assistant, its voice-controlled AI technology--developers will be able to incorporate this capability into their games. Additionally, Stadia will have seamless streaming to YouTube with plenty of features change how people will able to jump into multiplayer games (Crowd Play), and share specific gameplay moments for other players to jump into (State Share).Google isn't the only one staking a claim in cloud-based gaming, however. Microsoft's Project xCloud, which also streams games from hardware at a data center to devices via an internet connection, will be having test runs later this year as well. For more on the game streaming landscape, be sure to read our quick rundown of all the gaming companies investing in cloud gaming and what they're offering.If Google can improve key aspects, namely the apparent issues with input lag, Stadia would be a serious competitor in the gaming landscape. Otherwise, there may be limitations as to which games would work best on this new platform. Regardless, the accessibility that Google will offer is unprecedented. While cloud gaming itself is not new, the combination of accessibility and convenience could help this service to establish a foothold. We'll all be able to see for ourselves when Stadia launches sometime in 2019.Info from Gamespot.com

In the lead up to PAX East, Gearbox teased that we'd potentially see multiple new games unveiled. Despite some technical issues hampering the reveal during the panel, one of those has turned out to be an enhanced re-release of an existing game, Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition. This version of the original game in the Borderlands series is seeing a new release on current-gen platforms, but it's not a mere port--it also packs in new content, including more weapons, in addition to a variety of other improvements to gameplay. It releases next week, and you might be able to get it for free, provided you already own the game on PC. You can see a trailer above and check out some screenshots below.This new Game of the Year Edition is described as the "brand-new definitive version." It's set for release on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and features the same basic content as the original game, complete with all four of its DLC packs: The Zombie Island of Doctor Ned, Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx, and Claptrap's New Robot Revolution.The Game of the Year Edition will feature visual improvements suited to the new platforms. Gearbox boasts that PS4 and Xbox One X players (and presumably those with adequate PC hardware) can play in 4K and HDR, but all platforms will include "improved lighting, textures, and character models."Beyond visual changes, there are quality-of-life improvements and changes coming to impact gameplay, too. An optional minimap similar to the one found in Borderlands 2 is being introduced, while inventory management will be overhauled. You'll now be able to lock weapons that you want to ensure stay safe, while those you don't care about can be labeled as junk to make disposing of them more straightforward. Similarly, you'll no longer have to worry about picking up ammo, money, and health, as that will now be done automatically.A handful of new guns are being added. Six "named, custom-skinned" Legendary-tier weapons will be available as drops from bosses or through the use of Golden Keys. Those keys tie into the Shift rewards system, which lets you cash in keys for "special in-game items and rewards" similar to later games in the series. If you've played Borderlands 2 or The Pre-Sequel on PS4, Xbox One, or PC, you'll be entitled to 75 Golden Keys for free here, as well as two "randomly selected" new weapons.Another new element is the ability to customize your character. Whereas the game previously only allowed you to select colors, you can now choose one of five different head options for each of the four characters.And finally, Gearbox says it's heeding complaints from fans and will update the campaign's final boss. It should now be "more engaging, challenging, and rewarding."Game of the Year Edition is coming quite soon--it releases for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on April 3, which is just a few days away. It will be available physically and digitally on console, while the PC version is digital only. However, if you already own Borderlands on Steam, PC players will get this updated version for free.Alongside this, Gearbox shared a variety of other news. Regarding Borderlands specifically, it confirmed Borderlands 3 and announced visual improvements coming to Borderlands: The Handsome Collection. With all of this coming, Gearbox has dubbed this the Year of Borderlands. That might suggest Borderlands 3 is releasing this year, but at this point, no release date has been specified. More information on that game will be shared on April 3.The Game of the Year Edition news doesn't come as a complete surprise, as a ratings board listing last year suggested just such a re-release was coming. However, it is encouraging to see this is more than just a mere port. Alongside this, Gearbox also finally announced Borderlands 3, along with free visual improvements coming to Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel.Borderlands was originally released in 2009, so this announcement comes just ahead of the series' 10-year anniversary. The Game of the Year version followed that in 2010, bundling the base game with its four DLC packs.Info from Gamespot.com

During Gearbox's PAX East keynote presentation, the company revealed Bulletstorm: Duke of Switch Edition, a Switch port of Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition that also includes the Duke Nukem DLC. This way, you can play the game with original protagonist Grayson Hunt or the titular protagonist of the Duke Nukem franchise.Releasing in 2011, Bulletstorm is a first-person shooter that focuses on rewarding players for killing enemies in the most creative way possible. A remaster for Xbox One, PS4, and PC, titled Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition, released in April 2017, adding the option of playing as Duke Nukem--who fits in perfectly with the game's rather crass humor. The Switch port is scheduled for Summer 2019.In our Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition review, Scott Butterworth gave the game an 8/10, writing, "For longtime fans, Full Clip Edition doesn't offer much to be excited about. Additions like Overkill Mode and the upgraded visuals are certainly welcome, but fundamentally, this is the same game they already played in 2011. That said, the experience absolutely holds up: the skillshot system remains wildly fun and inventive, the weapons are still a gruesome joy, and the writing...well, it's as distinctive as ever. If you missed Bulletstorm when it originally released--and based on sales numbers, you probably did--now's the time to treat yourself to a clever if cringe-worthy blockbuster."Gearbox made several other announcements during its keynote presentation. We Happy Few is getting a new DLC, titled They Came From Below, that will launch next week as a part of the game's season pass. TinyBuild also has a new horror game coming out on May 23 called Pathologic 2.Further details about the upcoming Borderlands game was announced as well, but there wasn't anything new revealed (yet anyway, as the keynote is still going). Gearbox confirmed the identities of some of the characters included in the teaser trailer for the new game, including an older Tiny Tina, Hammerlock, Ellie, and Marcus.Info from Gamespot.com

Following countless teases and years of suggestions that it was in the works, Gearbox Software has officially confirmed Borderlands 3, as part of what it is calling The Year of Borderlands. The third mainline game in the series was revealed at the developer's PAX East panel. Although the reveal was plagued by technical issues, we did ultimately see the debut Borderlands 3 trailer, which you can watch above. We did not, however, get a release date, although more details are coming on April 3.The trailer begins with a shot of the iconic Psycho mask and pans up to reveal that the wasteland is as desolate and full of mayhem as when we last saw it. A Children of the Vault camp is one of the first things we see and next to the entrance there are signs referring to Calypso. One message reads, "Answer Calypso's call," while another invites people to "Meet Calypso." This enigmatic figure is introduced in the very next scene and from her wry grin, overconfident swagger, and snarling sidekick, it's a pretty safe bet to say she'll be one of the key villains of Borderlands 3. For those that know their greek mythology, Calypso is the daughter of the titan, Atlas. It just so happens that Atlas is also the name of one of the big corporate entities on Pandora, where the Borderland games primarily take place.In the next shot we're re-introduced to Lilith, who made her debut as a playable character in the first Borderlands title. She's a key figure in the mythos of Borderlands, being a Siren--incredibly powerful women that have mysterious backgrounds. It is believed that only six Sirens can exist at any one time and, to date, three have appeared in the games. While it doesn't seem like Lilith will be playable, she will no doubt play a huge part in the events of Borderlands 3.From there, we're introduced to four characters. These are likely the Vault Hunters players will get to control. As of yet, it's unclear what classes they correspond to. The Borderlands games tend to have a mixture of traditional archetypes like Beserker, Hunter, and Soldier, but also throw some unexpected ones into the mix too, like Siren and Mechromancer. At one point the female Vault Hunter, who looks to be melee-focused, given her ripped physique and knuckle duster, summons multiple ethereal arms like a Bodhisattva.The trailer quickly rolls on to quick cuts of action, with the four Vault Hunters cruising around in vehicles, firing all manner of strange weaponry--including a battle mech--and taking on vicious looking monsters. At one point Borderlands 2's Maya, who also happens to be a Siren, makes an appearance, though with much longer hair now.One of the key new features for Borderlands 3 is revealed when the words "Explore the Worlds!" appear on screen. This indicates that the game is going to be much bigger than the previous two entries, offering players a variety of different worlds to scavenge for loot and hunt down mythical treasure in. The trailer showcases some of these, with a neon city that has towering skyscrapers and overgrown swamplands, alongside the traditional Mad Max-like desert terrain.There's a brief intermission in the trailer for Brick to lay down a sax solo that, frankly, is quite good, before we get to the Borderlands series' biggest claim to fame: guns. This time around Gearbox is claiming that Borderlands 3 will have "one billion guns," one of which is an assault rifle with little robot legs that is skipping along while firing of shots. Basically, the trailer shows off pretty much exactly what most Borderlands fans want from a sequel.Gearbox has said more information for Borderlands 3 will be revealed on April 3. We don't know exactly what to expect, but the studio says the details will show up on Borderlands.com.The Year of Borderlands will also give fans of the series the opportunity to play a Game of the Year version of the first Borderlands, complete with new weapons and other improvements. Additionally, the Borderlands Handsome Collection is getting graphical improvements by way of a free Ultra HD Texture Pack. This will also be available for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel and Borderlands 2 on PC. Finally, all Borderlands 2's DLC will be added to Borderlands 2 for PlayStation VR this summer. Other news out of Gearbox's panel included a trailer for Risk of Rain 2, which is now out in Steam Early Access, as well as a trailer for Rick & Morty co-creator Justin Roiland's new game, Trover Saves The Universe, and the announcement of Bulletstorm for Nintendo Switch.Info from Gamespot.com

While series fans are eagerly anticipating Borderlands 3, those interested in playing some of the existing games will soon be treated to a better-looking experience. As part of its PAX East panel, which was unfortunately plagued with technical issues, Gearbox revealed that it's releasing improved texture packs for both Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, and expanding Borderlands 2 VR.Specifically, these ultra HD texture packs are coming to Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel on PC, and the Borderlands: The Handsome Collection (which consists of the two games) for PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. You can see the improvements in the trailer and screenshots below.There are some differences between how the texture packs work on consoles versus on PC. Console players get 4K and HDR support, along with remastered environment textures, characters, and vehicles, along with improved anti-aliasing and improved shadows. PC gets many of these same things, but there's no mention of HDR, though Screen Space Ambient Occlusion (SSAO) has been improved. The full lists for the respective platforms follows below.The ultra HD texture packs will be available for free on all supported platforms; they release on April 3. PS4 Pro owners will find it as a single DLC pack for Handsome Collection, while PC and Xbox One X players can download the packs individually for Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel.PS4's Borderlands 2 VR is also getting an improvement, as Gearbox will update the PlayStation VR game to include all of the non-VR version's DLC. A free update arriving this summer will add Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate's Booty, Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage, Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt, and Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep.Alongside all of this, Gearbox's PAX East panel brought some other exciting news. Borderlands 3 is officially real, and the studio is also re-releasing an enhanced version of Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition.PS4 Pro/Xbox One X Improvements:4K Ultra HD resolution and HDR for Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro playersRemastered 4K environment textures, including geometry and skyboxesRemastered 4K characters and vehiclesUpdated weapon meshes and texturesRe-encoded 4K CinematicsImproved Anti-Aliasing, including improved edge line implementation This includes improved ink line definition and framing/outline around character modelsHigher Resolution Dynamic Shadows Improved quality and smoothness of shadows, especially during movementPC Improvements:Remastered 4K environment textures, including geometry and skyboxesRemastered 4K characters and vehiclesRemastered 4K weapon meshes and texturesImproved Anti-Aliasing, including improved edge line implementation This includes improved ink line definition and framing/outline around character modelsHigher Resolution Dynamic Shadows Improved quality and smoothness of shadows, especially during movementImproved Screen Space Ambient Occlusion An improved SSAO method for more realistic ambient lightingInfo from Gamespot.com

There are only two episodes left until the end of Gotham, and the show is going out on a high note. In the series finale, Batman will finally make his way to the beleaguered city, thanks to a 10-year time jump. Why wait until then to see the Dark Knight, though?Fox and Warner Bros. TV have released the first look at Gotham's Batman via a promotional poster that shows the Caped Crusader from behind. Sadly, we can't see his face just yet. But finally seeing that cowl on Gotham is exciting. It also gives us an interesting look at the details of this particular Batman costume. We can't wait to see the Bat in all his glory in the final episode of Gotham. Meanwhile, there's still one more installment before that happens. A description of the April 18 episode reads, "As Bane enacts his final plan for Gotham's destruction, Gordon rallies his former enemies to save the city. Meanwhile, Nyssa al Ghul kidnaps Barbara's newborn daughter with ambitions to raise her as her own. Then, Bruce's decision to leave Gotham points him to his destiny, while devastating Selina."That's a lot to pack into an hour of TV, but given that most of the series finale will feature the flash forward to Batman's arrival in Gotham, there's really no other alternative. Gotham returns for its penultimate episode on April 18, before the series finale airs Thursday, April 25 on Fox. Info from Gamespot.com

The next game from Rick And Morty creator Justin Roiland and studio Squanch Games, called Trover Saves The Universe, had a trailer revealed during Gearbox's PAX East 2019 panel. It's coming to PlayStation 4 and PSVR on May 31 and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store on June 4. The game appears to have a similar sense of humor found in Squanch's previous games (Rick And Morty: Virtual Rick-ality and Accounting), but plays more like a traditional 3D action-platformer.As expected, it has a wacky premise where your dogs have been taken hostage and you have to stop the big bad Glorkon who puts the universe at stake and shoves your dogs into its eye sockets. There are plenty of deranged character designs and a whole lot of cursing; think Astro Bot but for adults! However, the game will be playable both in and outside of VR. You can watch the trailer above.Trover, the one who saves the universe.A whole lot more came out of the Gearbox PAX East 2019 presentation, which included the announcement of Bulletstorm coming to Nintendo Switch with the Duke Nukem DLC and a showcase of the upcoming sequel Risk of Rain 2. The biggest news from Gearbox was the reveal of both Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC with visual and mechanical improvements, and finally the reveal and trailer for Borderlands 3.Gearbox CEO and president Randy Pitchford was doing magic tricks on stage, too, and you can check that out here if you really want.Info from Gamespot.com

Amazon has announced that, starting right now, Twitch Prime members can claim a free three months of Nintendo Switch Online. You just need to sign-in to claim your three months, and if you come back after 60 days, you can get another nine months added to your account. That's a year of Switch Online for free.If you already have Switch Online, you can still take advantage of this deal. Just sign-in and be sure to renew the deal after 60 days so you can get all 12 months added to your account. Whether you're signing up for Switch Online for the first time or adding free time to your account, you have until September 24 to grab your first three months and until January 22, 2020 to claim the additional nine.A Switch Online subscription offers more than being able to play the online multiplayer component in games like Splatoon 2 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. With a subscription, you get access to a library of classic NES games that you can play as much as you want. New games are added every few months, with 1998's Blaster Master and Zelda II: The Adventures of Link added this past January. Subscribers also get access to cloud saves, allowing them to recover their data should their Switch console break or be stolen.Normally, individual Switch Online subscriptions cost $4 USD a month, $8 USD for three months, and $20 USD for 12 months. For $35 USD a year, you can subscribe to a Switch Online Family Membership, which includes the service for eight different consoles.Amazon has already been creating video game-related benefits for Twitch Prime members, offering free PC titles every month. You still have time to download the four March 2019 games, which will no longer be offered once April begins. Until March 31, with Twitch Prime, you can download the puzzle RPG Star Vikings Forever, artsy platformer The King's Bird, multiplayer pinball game Kabounce, and puzzle platformer Snake Pass. To claim these games, you must make sure you Amazon account is linked to Twitch.Info from Gamespot.com

There isn't much to say about STALKER 2 at this point, to be honest. But the fact that the game's official website has been updated with new key art and music is enough for fans, like myself, to get hyped up. In addition, the project launched its own Twitter account which it says will be used to share news and "interesting content" for the franchise. As for the music that plays on the site, it's a three minute(ish) creepy, foreboding ambient track that fits the series' often terrifying post-apocalyptic atmosphere.STALKER 2 was revealed to be in the works when the site went live back in May of last year--at the time, it simply featured the game's title painted onto a concrete background with the number "2021" clearly implying that the game won't be around until then. The team behind the original entries, GSC Game World, is heading up STALKER 2 as the company's own site says it is currently in development.Hi, Stalkers!You got on the official Twitter account for the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game franchise. Here we will share news and interesting content with you. Join our ranks :)#stalker2 #gscgameworld #stalker pic.twitter.com/ygvDhia58A — S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Official (@stalker_thegame) March 28, 2019GSC Game World has been through a lot since releasing the original STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl and the two follow-ups Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat. Plans for a full sequel began in 2010 with the hopes of hitting a 2012 release, but was eventually cancelled. The studio remained relatively quiet, but released the strategy game Cossacks 3 in 2016.For those unfamiliar with STALKER, it's a first-person shooter and survival horror series loosely based on the Russian novel Roadside Picnic and movie Stalker (1979). It's set in an alternate reality where another nuclear disaster hit the Russian nuclear zone of Chernobyl. The story takes supernatural turns as you uncover the mysteries of the Nuclear Exclusion Zone alongside other stalkers, who are rogue hunters and scavengers in "The Zone." STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl was one of the best games of its time despite having a lot of technical bugs; you can read more about it in our list of great games from 2007.Info from Gamespot.com

According to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Tony Stark's Iron Man suit has gone through 50 iterations. The most recent model is the Mark 50; it's based on the comic books' "Bleeding Edge Armor," which Stark stores inside his bones.The MCU's Mark 50 isn't quite as fantastical. Instead, the suit is stored in the arc reactor affixed to Stark's chest. Once activated, it dissipates to cover his body.In Avengers: Infinity War, the Mark 50 possessed "nanotechnology," which means it served whatever purpose the plot needed it to serve. All Stark needed to do was think of his desired weapon, and the suit replicated it: shields, lasers, battering rams, cannons, and more. A multi-sourced unibeam delivered by floating projectors? No problem.There's a name for this narrative trope: It's called "New Powers As The Plot Demands." When a hero deals with escalating, increasingly apocalyptic threats, he or she must acquire new superpowers and capabilities to match them. Added excessively, they risk turning the hero into an invulnerable, unrelatable god. It compromises the narrative stakes; the author must introduce increasingly monstrous threats to make the hero's defeat seem believable, which in turn forces the hero to acquire even bigger powers and advantages. It's an arms race with no end.We're not yet there with MCU's Iron Man. But the Mark 50 looked excessively sleek when compared to the prior models, and it made me nostalgic for them.The MCU's Iron Man used to celebrate DIY scrappiness. Obadiah Stane said it best in the first Iron Man, when his entire team of scientists couldn't build a functional, miniature arc reactor: "Tony Stark was able to build this in a CAVE!" With a box of SCRAPS!"And the scientist's retort was equally telling: "Well, I'm sorry. But I'm not Tony Stark."Iron Man was the celebration of an exceptional, unique individual, able to create and innovate under the worst possible conditions. And the proof of his ambition and brilliance was ironic: That he often built things that didn't work. Working on the cutting edge necessitated trial-and-error.A few, early examples: The Mark I was unwieldy and bulky. When Stark tried to fly it, the suit shorted out and sent him tumbling out of the sky. Later, the Mark II's jet boots launched Stark into the ceiling on their first test run. He took the Mark II out for a flight before Jarvis ran full diagnostics, and it iced up when he flew too high--a problem he accounted for when building the Mark III. The entire Iron Man 2 plot concerned Stark's use of palladium in his arc reactor, which was slowly poisoning his blood and killing him. The suit, even when it appeared to be working flawlessly, had a more insidious, catastrophic flaw that needed ironing out. Putting on the suit used to be a lengthy ordeal. The Mark I required two people and a boot-up system. The Mark II required Stark to partially dress himself and partially rely on machines. The Mark III and two of the subsequent models were entirely automated, and required massive mechanical arms to screw everything together.In Iron Man 3, the Mark 42 suit flew onto Stark in segments, often in the wrong order and not all at the same time. All of these early suit-up sequences were visually appealing and engrossing. You could see how the pieces all fit together and interacted with each other to create the appearance of seamlessness. The ingenuity was baked into the construction.The protracted suit-ups, requiring special equipment, meant that Stark was in danger whenever he appeared in public without his armor. There was urgency in Iron Man 2 when Whiplash attacked him on the race track; Happy Hogan and Pepper Potts drove against traffic to toss him his suitcase armor. Stark panicked in The Avengers when the Helicarrier started exploding, and he ran from Bruce Banner's lab to quickly suit up.This duality between the freedom of the Iron Man technology and Stark's desperate reliance on it is central to his character. He wanted to build weapons to keep America safe, until shrapnel from his own weapons burrowed into his chest. He once thought he had attained dominance over technology; now, he had to rely on it to keep him alive. For several years, the suit was a physical representation of Stark's complexity. It was a paradoxical sign of weakness and strength; it kept him from dying, but it also could kill. He used the suit it to fly and gain freedom, but he was also literally encased within it. He made himself into a weapon in the service of peace.But in recent years, the Iron Man suit has lost this figurative poignancy in the MCU. It has become a narrative get-out-of-jail free card, rather than an obstacle that creates as many problems as it solves. It started in Iron Man 3, when Stark could simply step into his suit from a standing position. Iron Man 3 also ended with Stark getting the shrapnel taken out of his chest, erasing the most literal reminder of his sins.By the time we reached Captain America: Civil War, the armor had lost most of its symbolic importance. But at least it still looked mechanical, with turning gears, shifting parts, and screws. The latest armor in Avengers: Infinity War looked more like magic than technology. And it worked brilliantly the first time we saw it--no experimentation or struggle necessary--despite being on the cutting edge of what's possible.But perhaps even the filmmakers are aware that the Iron Man armor has gone too far in its capabilities. One of the teaser trailers for Avengers: Endgame depicts Tony Stark, trapped on a powerless spaceship with a busted up Mark 50 helmet, recording what he believes to be his last words. Stark is the emotional bedrock of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; his standalone film kicked everything off, and if the trailers for Avengers: Endgame are to be believed, he'll also be the one to close it out.We don't want to see Iron Man's latest, coolest, unknown super ability in Avengers: Endgame. Ideally, the character will come full circle. In Infinity War, he boasted the power to create whatever his mind commanded. Now he's broken and adrift. It's as though he's alone in his cave again. And as before, he has just his ingenuity, and an even smaller box of scraps, with which to achieve survival.Avengers: Endgame debuts on April 26, 2019 and will mark the conclusion of The Infinity Saga. Check out our theory roundup for the movie as well as our review of the new tie-in merchandise. Because if you're in the market for a Wakanda-themed doormat, we have some great news for you.Info from Gamespot.com