Ever since its unveiling at E3 2015, Shenmue III has had very little new information revealed about it. Aside from gaining an official release date after suffering not one but two delays, publisher Deep Silver has kept the project largely away from the all-seeing public. However, a new trailer shows off the game's engine and combat. And it looks pretty good.The trailer, just a smidge longer than two and a half minutes in length, starts with series protagonist Ryo Hazuki wiped out on the floor with the mysterious girl, Ling Shenhua, kneeling over him. Some random thug with hair like a helmet, who's likely the one responsible for Ryo lying on the floor, mocks him.The trailer then cuts to Ryo following up on reports of some goons searching for something called the Pheonix Mirror. After the duo investigates some leads, we then see Ryo training with some mysterious hermit familiar with his father, Iwao Hazuki. It's here where we see Ryo engaged in two battles, showing off the game's combat. It's reminiscent of early 90s/early-aughts fighters like Virtua Fighter or brawlers like The Bouncer. You can view the trailer below.Shenmue I & II launched on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on August 21, 2018. The collection coupled the two Dreamcast classics together with HD visuals, smoother frame rates, and reduced shimmering effects. Thanks to publisher Sega and the collection's developer d3t, this Shenmue I & II collection is the best way to experience the cult classic on modern hardware.Shenmue III is slated to launch on August 27, 2019 for the PC and PlayStation 4.Info from Gamespot.com

In Devil May Cry 5, you'll need to up your skills in combat to see some of the game's most exciting and satisfying moments. Just like in previous games in the series, Capcom's action game features some hidden secrets to uncover, and they'll require players to put their skills to the test in order to unlock them. Though in a slight change from past games, which feature post-credits easter eggs at game's end, Devil May Cry 5's secret ending can be seen during the opening mission of the game.In the Prologue, you'll play as Nero--sans his iconic Devil Bringer. As it's revealed in the first act of the game, his demonic arm was torn off by a mysterious figure, and he's been hellbent on exacting revenge ever since. In the state Nero is in during the beginning of the game, the scrappy protagonist isn't as well-equipped compared to his outing in DMC4, which makes his first major encounter with the all-powerful Urizen a major battle to overcome. This first boss fight is intended to show how powerful this big bad is, and that Nero will need more power to stand a chance. Having said that, it's actually possible to defeat Urizen in this battle--ending the threat before it even begins to have a major impact.First off, I'd like to stress that unless you're a highly skilled DMC player that wants to show off, you're much better off saving this particular fight for when you've successfully cleared through the game at least once. It's not worth doing multiple attempts on this mission right at the beginning. Since you're free to replay every mission in the game at any time, bringing all of your upgrades and new skills to old missions, it will make for a much more 'fair' fight if you come in prepared. As the prologue mission clearly illustrates, Nero is outmatched. But even when you revisit this mission more prepared, you're still in for a tough fight. If you want to see this ending, it's recommended you try this fight on the Devil Hunter difficulty.The key to winning this fight is to keep moving, get in close, and to avoid all of Urizen's attacks. While that seems like it should go without saying, the demon boss is extremely effective at keeping you at a distance and overwhelming you with attacks--all of which deal heavy damage. You're essentially fighting a near end-game boss right at the beginning, and he'll pull out all the stops to take you down, and all without getting up from his throne. In order to strike Urizen directly, you'll need to destroy the crystal that protects him. This crystal not only shields him from damage, but it also has attacks of its own. Generally speaking, you'll want to stay as close as possible to him and keep attacking the crystal until it shatters. This will leave Urizen vulnerable for a limited time, allowing you to get some hits in. He'll regain his posture soon after and conjure up another crystal--repeating the process again.If you're able to fend off Urizen's attacks and go in for the critical blows when he's vulnerable, then you'll be treated to a somewhat uneventful, but humorous ending celebrating your feat. You will also gain an achievement/trophy for clearing the tough battle. Though it may not seem worth the effort, it is a particularly interesting fight to brute force your way through, and it'll be a nice feather in your cap. With that said, a real challenge will be clearing this battle on Dante Must Die mode, DMC5's hardest difficulty.For more on Devil May Cry 5, including the locations of all the Secret Missions and how to beat them, and along with our full review of the game.Info from Gamespot.com

The Legendary Bounty Hunter Dante has his largest arsenal of weapons yet in Devil May Cry 5. Along with his old favorites including Rebellion and his twin handguns, he'll also find new armaments including a demonic hat that uses red orbs as ammunition, and a powerful motorcycle that transforms into massive chainsaw swords. However, there's one weapon in the game that can be very easy to miss, opening up access to a set of firearms, that when combined together, form one of the game's most powerful guns.For some background, one of the weapons that Dante will acquire later in the game (and seen in the many trailers) is the Kalina Ann II--a heavily modified rocket launcher that was specially built for the bounty hunter Lady. The original Kalina Ann was also a weapon that Dante could use in Devil May Cry 3. The second version of the weapon was intended as a replacement after the original was lost in a battle. The souped-up Kalina Ann II can fire off powerful missiles and mini-rockets, causing serious damage to all surrounding enemies. However, there's a way to track down and acquire the original Kalina Ann in one of the missions.In Mission 11, you'll control Dante as he explores a ruined town. During the mid-point of the level, you'll come to a massive tower that's tangled in demonic tendrils. Attacking the first blood sac will kill the first set of tendrils, causing the building to sink. Below the platform are two more blood sacs. Though you can destroy the one closest to the exit to proceed with the level, there's another one near the tower that will cause it to sink further. Destroying this particular sac will also open up access to the Secret Mission in the area. You can also find an opening in the section below the floor that leads to a room. Enter the room and approach the broken table to find an item. Picking it up will grant Dante the original Kalina Ann rocket launcher.If you have both rocket launchers in your possession, Dante will combine them together to form the Double Kalina Ann firearm. Essentially wielding both rocket launchers in tandem, switching off between shots, the high-powered weapon is the Devil Hunter's most powerful firearm. In addition to firing off rockets with great speed and power, Dante can merge both weapons together to open up new moves, including a powerful laser attack. In Gunslinger style, the Double Kalina Ann's move-set and power increase further, adding a variety of other options in a fight.This weapon offers a ridiculous amount of firepower, but if you find that wielding two rocket launchers at once is simply too much to handle, you can adjust your loadout to use only one--choosing either the original Kalina Ann or its upgrade. Still, the Double Kalian Ann is a surprisingly versatile weapon, offering quick, crowd-clearing moves, and also powerful single-enemy attacks at your fingertips.For more on Capcom's Devil May Cry 5, including the location of all the Secret Missions and how to find the hidden ending, but sure to check out our continuing coverage of the game. Also, if you haven't check out our full review yet for DMC5, written by editor Matt Espineli, be sure to give that a read as well.Info from Gamespot.com

3D Realms, the creators of Duke Nukem and the original Prey, have whole-heartedly embraced its past as old-school game developers. With Ion Maiden still in the wings, a throwback game that strongly emulates old-school shooters, the team at 3D Realms have more plans for another return trip to the past, strengthening the studio's belief that there's more to be said about games from a particular era. In the upcoming Wrath: Aeon of Ruin--launching this summer on PC-- it channels the same sense of action and pacing found from the early days of the 3D first-person shooter.In a similar vein to 3D Realms' Ion Maiden, Wrath follows that same trend by sticking closely to the classic design of early 3D first-person shooters of the mid-90s, while also going all in on its action-horror angle. The developers, however, decided to push things a bit further by injecting some modern flair to help enhance some of the old-school aspects of its design. Built entirely on the original Quake engine, the same technology that id Software used for the 1996 FPS Quake, the developers worked closely with a number of designers and modders--including Jeremiah 'Killpixel' Fox--who used the tech at the time to make Wrath a more authentic game from the era."Everything we miss about the classic era is kind of gone now in most modern first-person shooters, and we kind of want to bring that back," said Frederik Schreiber, Vice President of 3D Realms. "Ion Maiden was basically the restart of our [3D Realms] timeline, we basically went back to 1996. For Wrath, we actually stumbled upon a Quake modder going under the name 'Killpixel', who was actually working on a particular mod for the game. There are tons of mods for Quake out there, but his stuff looked surprisingly cool. We decided to work with him on this and develop it further, hiring the best people who knew Quake and actually worked on the engine back in the day, all in order to put together a true successor in spirit to what the original Quake was back in the '90s. It's also the first major 3D Realms game that has been made internally in over a decade."In Wrath, you play as the mysterious Outlander, who finds himself lost within the ruins of an old world. Eventually, he encounters an entity that tasks him with eliminating various deities and monsters lurking throughout the decaying landscape, and he'll use a variety of grotesque weapons and mystical artifacts to do just that. Set across three chapters, with five levels each, the campaign will take the Outlander across a variety of different locations that grow more bizarre and challenging as new creatures and foes come up.Jumping into Wrath will make you feel right at home for if you have fond memories of old-school shooters. With swarms of enemies in every field and narrow passage, you'll quickly get accustomed to the strength and weight of your arsenal of weapons. Starting out with a wrist-blade, which offers an interesting secondary attack that can thrust you forward, you'll quickly upgrade to more devastating tools of war like the classic double-barrelled shotgun and a poison-sac launcher. Eventually, you'll find special artifacts that allow you to use powerful perks and skills, such as a relic that absorbs health from enemies. In an interesting twist that highlights the game's focus on challenge, the Soul Tether artifact doubles as a spawn point and a save game mechanic. If you die, you'll return back to where you placed the artifact, which uses up your relic in the process--essentially making saved games a tactical and finite option.Though it's a classic '90s shooter through-and-through, it does introduce some more modern tricks and innovations. In addition to some new technology boosting the Quake engine beyond its previous limitations, allowing for larger levels and faster gameplay not seen in games from the '90s, it also incorporates some gameplay mechanics and quality-of-life touches on the physics and core gameplay that emulates the ease of use from recent titles. It was interesting getting to revisit this style of gameplay after having been so used to the games of today. There's noticeably very little filler when it comes to making your way through the levels. The action kept up at a swift pace, and it was constant. It all felt very matter of fact and to the point, which of course is by design.Wrath: Aeon of Ruin aims to rekindle much of the same energy and tone found from the darker FPS games of the '90s. With Quake being such a seminal game of the era, and with hardcore fans keeping the tech and spirit live in the years since, the developers plan to make Wrath a real tribute to the classics of the '90s, while also showing that they're still worthwhile in today's age. Though the PC version will release first, Wrath will also find its way to PS4, Xbox One, and the Switch sometime later in 2020.Info from Gamespot.com

The final PPV before Wrestlemania, WWE's Fastlane, has come and gone, and it was a roller coaster of a ride throughout the evening. From the Shield reuniting in what turned out to be a very fun match to a weird Ronda Rousey interference, there was certainly high and low points throughout the evening. You can check out the final results of the show and all the matches below.Before we can get to WWE's biggest show of the year, Wrestlemania, we have to make a pitstop at Fastlane. Traditionally, this PPV has been a "stay the course" type of show where nothing big happens. However, this year, Fastlane is building on solid storylines that are leading into Wrestlemania.First and foremost, everyone wants to see Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey at Mania. However, considering the story with Lynch kayfabe suspended, she'll have to beat Charlotte Flair at Fastlane in order to reclaim that spot. Additionally, Daniel Bryan will be taking on Kevin Owens for the WWE Championship. Originally, Kofi Kingston had Owens' spot, but there have been a few changes. More than likely, Bryan will get the win--at least that's what we predicted--but what happens during the course of the match could have ramifications on the rumored Kofi/Bryan Wrestlemania match.Aside from those two matches, there has been a solid build for everything else on this card. We get to see The Shield reunite, Mysterio and Andrade continue their rivalry, and there's the first title defense for the Women's Tag Team Championship. Typically, I'm never excited for Fastlane, but WWE really has been turning over a new leaf.Below, you'll find up to the minute updates for WWE Fastlane, including the winners and losers of every match, as it happens. Fastlane comes to PPV and the WWE Network on Sunday, March 10. The main card starts at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET / 12 AM GMT (March 11) with a Kickoff Show starting one hour prior. There will be two matches on the Kickoff Show this time around.Fastlane Match Card:Big E & Xavier Woods vs Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev (Kickoff Match)Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade vs. R-Truth vs. Samoa Joe (c) (United States Championship)The Revival (c) vs. Aleister Black & Ricochet vs. Chad Gable & Bobby Roode (Triple Threat Match)Asuka (c) vs. Mandy Rose (Smackdown Women's Championship)The Shield vs. Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre & Bobby LashleyCharlotte Flair vs. Becky LynchSasha Banks & Bayley (c) vs. Nia Jax & Tamina (Women's Tag Team Championship)The Usos (c) vs. The Miz & Shane McMahon (Smackdown Tag Team Championship)Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kevin Owens (WWE Championship)Find out the winners and losers of the event below and stay tuned later in the evening for a review of the show.Kickoff ShowRey Mysterio vs. Andrade is now a 4-Way match for the United States Championship as Samoa Joe and R-Truth have been added, and it looks like that's been added to the main card for the show.Big E & Xavier Woods vs Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev (Kickoff Match)New Day wins at 13:24.Main CardThe Usos (c) vs. The Miz & Shane McMahon (Smackdown Tag Team Championship)Usos win by pin at 14:08.Shane turned on Miz and beat him up.Asuka (c) vs. Mandy Rose (Smackdown Women's Championship)Asuka wins at 6:40Kofi Kingston is added to the WWE Championship match. After Kingston gets to the ring, it was announced that it is actually a handicap match.The Bar vs. Kofi KingstonThe Bar wins at 5:11The Revival (c) vs. Aleister Black & Ricochet vs. Chad Gable & Bobby Roode (Triple Threat Match)The Revival wins by pin at 10:47.Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade vs. R-Truth vs. Samoa Joe (c) (United States Championship)Samoa Joe submits Rey Mysterio at 10:49.Sasha Banks & Bayley (c) vs. Nia Jax & Tamina (Women's Tag Team Championship)Banks and Bayley win at 7:00.Jax and Tamina attack the champions after the match. Beth Phoenix and Natalya got involved.Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kevin Owens vs. Mustafi Ali (WWE Championship)Bryan pins Ali at 18:39Charlotte Flair vs. Becky LynchLynch wins by DQ--Ronda Rousey interfered--at 8:40The Shield vs. Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre & Bobby LashleyShield wins by pin at 24:50Updating...Info from Gamespot.com

The newest Marvel film, Captain Marvel, opened this past weekend and it enjoyed a massive, record-breaking debut at the box office. According to Deadline, the movie made $153 million in the United States and Canada, with a further $302 million coming in from international markets. Globally, Captain Marvel made $455 million for its first weekend. The domestic haul of $153 million represents the third-biggest debut for a movie in March in the history of film, only behind Beauty and the Beast ($174.7 million) and Batman v. Superman ($166 million).Additionally, Captain Marvel's opening-weekend box office performance is better than the opening weekends for Iron Man 1 and 2, the first two Captain America movies, all the Thor films, Guardians of the Galaxy 1 and 2, and every Spider-Man movie ever released. Captain Marvel also opened to a bigger first-weekend box office number than Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Suicide Squad, Venom, and every X-Men movie ever. "Marvel Studios continues to have an incredible track record that remains unbroken," Disney executive Cathleen Taff said. " Audiences feel they know what they are getting when they buy their movie ticket."On a global basis, Captain Marvel had the second-best best opening for a superhero film ever, only behind Avengers: Infinity War ($640.5 million). The $302 million that Captain Marvel made for its opening weekend is the sixth-biggest opening in the history of movies on a worldwide basis.In North America, Captain Marvel finished its opening weekend as the seventh-largest opening weekend in the MCU. It was eclipsed by Iron Man 3, Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther, and all three Avengers films.Captain Marvel holds the record for the biggest opening-weekend in the history of film for a female-led movie on a global basis, with its $455 million haul eclipsing the Emma Watson-starring Beauty and the Beast ($357 million), according to The Hollywood Reporter. Info from Gamespot.com

Avengers: Endgame--a movie that wraps up 10 years worth of MCU stories--is finally finished, it seems. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo tweeted recently that the movie is "locked," which seems to suggest that the editing process is finished. The last day of editing was March 8, it seems, as referenced in the tweet by the sundae bar that was apparently created for the editors to enjoy. The editors may be sad to see the ice cream go, but they're likely happy to have completed the project.Last day of editorial Sundae Bar. Picture is locked... pic.twitter.com/IzC1txDrii — Russo Brothers (@Russo_Brothers) March 8, 2019The last we heard, Endgame was expected to have a run time of around 3 hours, making it the longest MCU film to date. That comment came while the editing process was still underway, so it's possible the film is shorter. Whatever the case, the directors say Disney/Marvel are OK with Endgame being so long."This is a culmination film of 22 movies, it's a lot of storytelling to work into it," the directors said. "Emotion is an intrinsic part of that to us. When you have to tell a really complicated story and you want strong emotional moments with the characters, it just requires a certain amount of real estate. This one, in particular, feels like three hours worth of real estate."For what it's worth, 2018's Avengers: Infinity War was already a very long movie--coming in at 2 hours and 40 minutes. Endgame hits theatres on April 26, following Captain Marvel that just opened in theatres to massive success. Info from Gamespot.com

Apex Legends developer Respawn has no time for cheaters. The developer confirmed in a Reddit post that as of March 8, it had banned more than 355,000 players on PC alone.Respawn uses the Easy-Anti-Cheat tools for the PC version of the battle royale game. It's working, but Respawn acknowledged that fighting against cheaters is an "ongoing war.""We'll need to continue to adapt to and be very vigilant about fighting [cheaters]," Respawn said. "We take cheating very seriously and care deeply about the health of Apex Legends for all players."Respawn added that it is working on new anti-cheat measures, but the developer doesn't plan to openly communicate its plans--and that's intentional."We're going to have to be pretty secretive about our plans," Respawn said. "Cheaters are crafty and we don't want them to see us coming."On a high level, Respawn said it has already begun communicating with anti-cheat experts within EA and outside of it. Not only that, but Respawn has begun to scale up its own internal anti-cheat team, while the studio also plans to introduce new reporting functionality for bad behaviour.Also in the Reddit post, Respawn said it's aware of players spamming during character-select and then disconnecting. "We're keeping a lot of our strategy close to the chest so offenders don't have time to build workarounds before we implement changes," Respawn said about addressing this. "Solutions won't happen right away but we're on it."Additionally, Respawn said it's working on improving general stability and performance on PC, and to that end, it's releasing patch soon that will address some of the known crashes. AMD is visiting Respawn's offices soon to discuss best practices; Nvidia already came by to the studio.Respawn also said it's aware that people are asking for Apex Legends to allow players to re-connect to a match if they drop out. However, there are no plans for this because it "opens up a lot of risk" for abuse, while Respawn said the efforts that would be required to release such a feature would take away from other, more pressing matters. Finally, Respawn said in the post that it's aware of issues related to slow performance at the start of matches. The studio is looking into the matter, but it might not be a simple, quick fix."If this could be fixed by spending money on faster/more servers we would do it, but unfortunately there is no silver bullet on this one," Respawn said. "We're just rolling up our sleeves and digging in. We'll keep you updated on any progress we make."It appears this latest update from Respawn is related only to PC; given the closed nature of consoles, cheating by way of third-party software is generally less common on console than PC, though cheating does still happen on PS4 and Xbox One.In other Apex Legends news, the latest weapon balance patch is out out, while a future update will address hitbox concerns.Info from Gamespot.com

PAX Australia organisers have announced the dates for this year's show. The annual event will take place October 11-13 at the Melbourne Convention Centre, organisers announced in a tweet that includes an image of a block-shaped Ibis.There is no word yet on when tickets will go on sale or what the programming lineup-- including panels, speakers, music acts and more--will look like yet. But those details and more--like who the keynote speaker will be--should become available in due course, so keep checking back with GameSpot for more.Hey listen! Book in your annual leave or get your doctors cert now! PAX Aus 2019 is back! 11-13th October! pic.twitter.com/eyValZD6BK — PAX Australia (@PAXAus) March 10, 20192018's PAX Australia was the first to feature combined efforts between PAX and EB Expo. Specifics about 2019's show are unavailable at this point, so it remains to be seen if this partnership will continue in 2019 or what other changes and updates there might be in general.Last year, Tomb Raider writer Rhianna Pratchett gave the keynote address, while other big names like Bethesda executives Pete Hines and Tim Willits attended the show. For more on PAX Aus 2018, check out GameSpot's hub with all of our written and video coverage.PAX Aus is just one of the show's global events. The next PAX is PAX East which comes to Boston, Mass. starting on March 28.Info from Gamespot.com

The PS4 exclusive Days Gone is approaching its release on April 26. Coming from Bend Studio, the developers behind the Syphon Filter series and Uncharted: Golden Abyss, the third-person open-world game takes a lot of cues from previous Sony AAA titles, all while set within the popular setting of a zombie apocalypse. After a recent hands-on session with the game, GameSpot editors Edmond Tran and Alessandro Fillari came together to share their thoughts on what it was like exploring Days Gone's take on the Pacific Northwest during harsher times.For more on Days Gone, check out our interview with the developers from Bend Studio about the making of the game, and stay tuned for our video impressions detailing how the new open world game stacks up.Alessandro: So to start things off, what do you think of Days Gone in the broader sense? The basic premise is essentially Sons of Anarchy by way of The Walking Dead, and I certainly got the impression it was sticking fairly close to those sources of inspiration. Like the main character, Deacon St. John, seems like he'd fit right in within either of those shows.Edmond: I've never seen SOA and I actively dislike the TV adaptation of TWD, so Days Gone didn't spark excitement in that sense. My reaction to the trailers and demos was that it looked okay, if a bit generic. But after reading preview coverage from yourself and Oscar last year, where you both sounded pretty unimpressed, this just flew way off my radar and I had very low expectations going into my first experience of the game.Alessandro: Yeah, I was fairly underwhelmed by last year's demo. To reiterate a bit, in addition to it feeling a bit run of the mill as an open world game, a big factor that left me unimpressed was the poor technical performance. In the 2018 demo, this was particularly noticeable during moments when you encounter massive swarms of Freakers--zombies, basically--which made these encounters a major drag. However, this recent build of the game was far more improved. I still felt a bit underwhelmed by some parts of what Days Gone is about, but I ended up finding more to like in this newer slice.The FreakersEdmond: Oh wow, I actually didn't see any of the huge hordes of zombies--I'm sorry, "Freakers"--in my three hours of the game at all so I can't really speak to how I found those, but I did run into one noticeable technical hiccup: I raided an enemy encampment where all the environmental dressing failed to load, so enemies were taking cover behind nothing and pickup items were floating in thin air. But I'm taking a "whatever" stance on bugs since this isn't the final product.Alessandro: Yeah, I saw some weird bugs as well, like some moments characters had their guns stuck to their hands during cutscenes. But anyway, the times I saw herds of Freakers during this demo were some of my favorite moments during my playthrough. The first time was in a cave, which they like to hide out in, and the other time was when I was trying to rescue a survivor. When I went back to my bike after helping this NPC out, I found it surrounded by a hoard of freakers. I tried running for my bike, but they quickly got to me and I died. It was a brutal way for Deacon to go out, but with that said, I actually really dig how much of a presence the undead have because of their sheers numbers and how easily they can catch you off guard. They're a lot more unnerving to encounter than in most other zombies games.Edmond: Please, Alessandro. The "Freakers" don't like to be associated with common zombie folk, since Freakers are not actually undead, they're just really messed up living beings, hence the hibernation in caves and their need to eat and drink. Also a factor which really makes things very uncomfortable when the game put me in a situation where I had to kill freaker CHILDREN. It's messed up.I saw a few other freakers types, which were basically Witches and Boomers from Left 4 Dead, or Screamers and Bloaters from State of Decay, but the kids, the "Newts", mostly avoid you unless you're low on health. I got into a situation where I had to beat one with a baseball bat and I don't think I'm going to heaven anymore.Alessandro: Yeah, Newts only appear in specific areas where they set up dens, so thankfully they don't come up too often. It was very off-putting seeing them watch you from afar, just sort of looming in the distance. They'll only attack if you get in their space.The Open WorldEdmond: Which is something you don't necessarily have to do. I hate being reductive, but I really think the best way to describe this game is a narrative- and character-focused State Of Decay with a Far Cry level of freedom in approaching scenarios.My biggest takeaway from this game was how much I enjoyed the different ways you could use your variety of abilities and the environment to complete objectives, whether that be to get into a place, or destroy people or things. I respect any game that attempts to emphasise a flexibility to move back and forth between stealthy and loud approaches, or the fluidity to switch between ranged, melee, and guerilla combat techniques on the fly. I like mixing things up.Alessandro: That's actually a pretty fair way to describe the game. You do go around collecting herbs and helping survivors in the bases around the map. It channels a lot of the survivalist-experience you'd find from State of Decay, all within a large open world like Far Cry.And you know, I actually have to say that I ended up enjoying the setting of the Pacific Northwest a lot more than I thought I would. It went against a lot of my expectations for the region and it was pretty educational to be honest. The second area we got to explore in the demo seemed fairly close to a desert environment. It was inspired by the Belknap Crater, a real location that has a volcano. On one occasion I kinda got distracted by the beauty of the world that I totally didn't catch an obvious ambush spot in the road that was set up by one of the enemy factions.Edmond: Oh man, I was really caught off-guard by the random ambushes, and they led to some great watercooler moments, kinda like getting mugged in Red Dead Redemption 2. There was a moment during my session where I was wandering around, deeply focused on using the game's tracking mechanic to search the ground for some footprints, when I got jumped and overwhelmed.There were too many to fight close-quarters so I booked it into a nearby forest when I got an opening, dodging gunfire by weaving between the trees. I eventually ran down a hill, over a big rock, and hunkered under it. They lost sight of me but eventually, one passed right by the rock, I ambushed him as he wandered past, and thought: "thank you, varied environment for giving me that movie-like chase." They're definitely pitching the "high desert" and variable weather and terrain thing pretty hard. I've never been to Oregon, but the developers lead me to believe that there can be a blizzard in one region, real hot in another, there's no sales tax and everyone has their own craft beer, all of which affects how enemies behave, and how your motorbike reacts.Deacon's BikeAlessandro: Yeah, your bike is like your best friend in this game. It's your lifeline and it'll get you out of trouble fast. In addition to some general upkeep and keeping it gassed up, you can also upgrade the different parts to make it more durable. This all ties back into the survivor camps as well, since you can only upgrade it with their mechanics once you've built up enough trust with these camps.Edmond: ...which you do by completing missions, side stories, and bringing back freaker ears, animal pelts, that sort of thing. The bike really felt like my own, I had to protect it and keep an eye on it at all times, especially since I couldn't just whistle for it like a horse. I'm sure you can steal other bikes and maybe even buy a new one later in the game, but man I did not want this bike to get ruined, especially since Deacon loses his souped-up bike as part of the story in the first hour.Alessandro: Usually when you get a bike in a game, you want to go as fast as possible and do sick jumps, but it's like the total opposite here. I really went out of my way to avoid danger as much as possible on the bike. I seldom used the nitro boost.Edmond: My first inclination was to use the bike to ram enemies, but that kills its durability which I certainly did not want, since it'll then require more scrap to repair. I also really got into fuel conservation--I found myself being very light on the throttle and making the most of hills and momentum when riding it, which leads into the whole scavenging, crafting, and conservation aspect.Alessandro: During one encounter with some freakers on the road, they literally threw themselves at my bike to take me out. It did a lot of damage to myself and the bike. Even though it gives you a lot of mobility and freedom to explore, you're still very vulnerable on the bike, which I kinda like. It's very much an extension of you.Combat EncountersEdmond: You know what else was an extension of me? The spiked baseball bat I used across my entire session. I loved that thing so much that when it got close to breaking (most weapons have durability), I switched back to the weak-but-indestructible knife until I could get enough materials to repair the bat.Alessandro: There are a surprising amount of melee weapons to find. It sort of reminded me of a classic beat-em-up game. You can get lead pipes and spiked bats, and even machetes. Unless you're squaring off against heavily-armed bandits, close-range combat is generally really reliable.Edmond: It is! Well, unless you're fighting more than two people. But I really enjoyed relying on melee not only because it saved ammo, but because it was satisfying to perform and watch. I'm one of those Uncharted players that hip-fires like a maniac while closing the distance and then finishes with melee, and Days Gone caters to that same kind of flow. There's even a perk that enhances the damage when do when you switch it up like this, among other perks to boost weapon damage and durability. The shooting on its own felt serviceable enough, but at this early stage I found it was only really useful when you used it in tandem with the focus/slowdown perk. What did you think about the combat?Alessandro: For me, that was actually one of the areas where the game fell a bit flat. I mean the combat mechanics and amount of tools you have at your disposal are all well and good, but it just felt a bit unremarkable in actual practice. The mechanics on display, the slowdown shooting mechanic, and along with the variety of skills found within the fairly robust skill-tree, all of these are ideas that I've seen executed in plenty of other games. That's not totally a bad thing, but the way Days Gone goes about just felt more like going down a checklist of features to have in an open-world adventure game.Edmond: I definitely can't argue against that, though I feel like there's only so much you can do with a grounded, realistic setting like this without diving off the deep end. Although there is a gameplay element where you upgrade your stats with bio-injectors from the game's CDC (Centers for Disease Control) equivalent, so who knows? Maybe we'll get a double jump like New Dawn.Alessandro: I enjoyed the stealth gameplay however--which even comes with a tracking vision mode. That to me felt a bit more developed and also more in keeping with the tone. I especially liked seeing how the systems in the world would interact with one another, like when freakers attack other hostile humans.Edmond: Yes! I really appreciated the quality-of-life stealth features. You really need go out of your way to mark enemies with binoculars to get their pips on the map (it's not as generous as Far Cry), but you also get their vision cones. There's a sound indicator, they do the hiding in bushes thing, there are a few different tools to misdirect enemies, and the line-of-sight logic actually felt natural and believable.Alessandro: Yeah, the game does a nice job of helping you keep track of all these systems. I do hope we'll see a lot more variety towards the later sections. However, I felt that each of the systems--stealth, combat, and exploration--were better when they were blending different mechanics together, rather than in isolation. It's all about being super resourceful.Edmond: For sure, it's the ease of flowing between different states which keeps the encounters interesting, which I think they did for the three hours I played. I found certain situations where one kind of approach is just not effective--melee is impossible if there are more than two people like I mentioned before, for example, but I also found myself running low on ammo in prolonged firefights, meaning I would have to break line-of-sight, crouch-run between buildings to get across town, and find advantageous vantage points (like a hole in a boarded-up window) to get the jump and make sure my shots counted. I love doing that shit.CharactersAlessandro: What's your take on Deacon, the protagonist? The game really goes out of its way to try and sell you on the really harsh struggle he goes through.Edmond: Going in, I thought he was going to be a one-note, gruff biker dude. But I guess I shouldn't have been surprised to see that he goes through a lot of real emotional twists and turns that really do work to make you empathise with him--this is a First-Party, "Wasn't The Last Of Us Great?"-Styled Sony Game, after all. I saw enough in the preview to suggest that he's got range and maybe even some shit going on deep down.I thought the performance was pretty good. He's believably uncomfortable in some situations--there was a point where he had to coerce a teenage girl to come with him, he fumbles over his words and seemed like he had no idea what to do, so he lies to her. He visibly regrets it later on, but it's communicated purely through his facial expressions, which I found notable.Out in the world he's certainly tough, but it also seems like he has some repressed anger and deep sorrow when he's put into situations where he has to face Bad People--you can hear him breathing heavily and angrily, he mumbles things to himself like "oh so you wanna rob and murder helpless people? Well how do you like this, you scum", that kind of thing. It certainly adds a lot of character to the game and reminds you that this is a game about Deacon, not necessarily your own survival fantasy.To that point though, one thing I noticed about this demo was the absence of branching story choices. I saw some earlier gameplay demos where the same cutscenes we saw had moments where you had to choose what actions Deacon takes (like mercifully kill a man or leave him to the freakers, give your partner back his gun or keep it). These choices were previously pitched with the idea that you can change Deacon's relationship to the characters and perhaps the overall narrative, Telltale Games style. Maybe they're doubling down on the "Deacon's story, not yours" thing. Did you see any of that stuff in your previous demos?Alessandro: I didn't, actually. The recent stuff we played covered a lot of the same ground from last year's demo. It does seem like there's a greater focus on specific storylines for characters--which you can view in the game's menu. That young woman that you mentioned actually opens up her own storyline called "You're Safe Now", which deals with her circumstances in the camp you bring her to. This particular camp has its own troubles, most of which are related to the leader who imposes some harsh rules on everyone inside the safety of the base. Deacon clashes with her numerous times, which leads to some tense moments.But to your point, it does seem like there are moments that are prime for choices and player-agency. I do wonder if that's even a thing in the game at this point during the section we played. There was a particular moment early where you have to make a choice in executing a particular character. They sort of linger on the scene for a bit before Deacon ends up going through with it.I was initially a bit lukewarm on Deacon, in some cases I found him unlikable even, but I do agree that advancing the story helped humanize him a bit. I am curious to see how he'll change towards the end-game, and what sort of storylines will come about.Edmond: I also need to draw attention to the fact that the actor who plays Deacon, Sam Witwer, was the voice and face of the moody protagonist in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. So I think we all know how this story is going to end: Darth Vader saves him from a ravaged Earth and becomes his senpai.Closing ThoughtsAlessandro: I do have to say that I feel a little more positive about the game compared to last year's demo. The world itself was a lot more expansive and varied than I expected, and it was interesting seeing how those systems sort of mingle together. However, I still have some reservations. This game has been in development for over six years, and I feel that's very noticeable in the style and type of gameplay it employs--which is something that's been seen in numerous other games. The zombie apocalypse feels a bit passé for me, and I'm hoping that Days Gone has a lot more going on than what I saw.Edmond: I played a lot of DayZ, which well and truly burnt me out on the zombie thing. But I still enjoy scavenging and survival gameplay if the loop is done really well and there's a good hook. I wanted to like State of Decay 2, but it was a little too monotonous and soulless for me. I went into Days Gone with similarly low expectations, which is probably why I ended up feeling so positive on it. The fact that Days Gone is going to be so focused on narrative, characters, and flexible combat options has me eager to put time aside for it. But like you, I also hope it has some surprises up its sleeve.And an unlockable horn button. Let me beep the damn horn on the bike.Days Gone will release for PlayStation 4 on April 26, 2019.Info from Gamespot.com

In Devil May Cry 5, you'll need to improve your skills in combat to see some of the game's most exciting and satisfying moments. Just like in previous games in the series, Capcom's action game features some hidden secrets to uncover, and they'll require players to put their skills to the test in order to unlock them. Though in a , which feature post-credits easter eggs at game's end, Devil May Cry 5's secret ending can be seen during the opening mission of the game.In the Prologue, you'll play as Nero--sans his iconic Devil Bringer. As it's revealed in the first act of the game, his demonic arm was torn off by a mysterious figure, and he's been hellbent on exacting revenge ever since. In this state, the scrappy protagonist is as well-equipped compared to his outing in DMC4, which makes his first major encounter with the all-powerful Urizen a major battle to overcome. This first boss fight is intended to show how powerful this big bad is, and that Nero will need more power to stand a chance. Having said that, it's actually possible to defeat Urizen in this battle--ending the threat before it even begins to have a major impact.First off, I'd like to stress that unless you're a highly skilled DMC player that wants to show off, you're much better off saving this particular fight for when you've successfully cleared through the game at least once. It's not worth doing multiple attempts on this missing right the beginning. Since you're free to replay every mission in the game at any time, bringing all of your upgrades and new skills to old missions, it will make for a much more 'fair' fight if you come in prepared. As the prologue mission clearly illustrates, Nero is outmatched. But even when you revist this mission more prepared, you're still in for a tough fight. If you want to see this ending, it's recommended you try this fight on the Devil Hunter difficulty.The key to winning this fight is to keep moving and to avoid all of Urizen's attacks. While this seems simple and a pretty obvious tip, the new demon king is extremely effective at keeping you at a distance and overwhelming you with attacks--all of which deal heavy damage. You're essentially fighting a near end-game boss right at the beginning, and he'll pull out all the stops to take you down, and all without getting up from his chair. In order to strike Urizen directly, you'll need to destroy the crystal that protects him. This crystal not only shields him from damage, but it will also use attacks of its own. Generally speaking, you'll want to stay as close as possible to him and keep attacking the crystal until it shatters. This will leave Urizen vulnerable for a limited time, allowing you to get some hits in. He'll regain his posture soon after and conjure up another crystal--repeating the process again.If you're able to fend off Urizen's attacks and go in for the critical blows when he's vulnerable, then you'll be treated to a somewhat uneventful if a bit humorous ending celebrating your feat. You'll also be treated to an achievement/trophy for clearing the tough battle. Though it may not seem worth the effort, it is a particularly interesting fight to brute force your way through, and it'll be a nice feather in your cap. With that said, a real challenge will be clearing this battle on Dante Must Die mode, DMC5's hardest difficulty.For more on Devil May Cry 5, including the locations of all the Secret Missions and how to beat them, and along with our full review of the game.Info from Gamespot.com

How do you follow a pop culture juggernaut like Get Out? After not only smashing the box office but earning a screenplay Oscar, Jordan Peele is ready to haunt our collective nightmares again with Us--while also proving he’s the perfect guy to reboot The Twilight Zone.Like the best Twilight Zone episodes, Us has both twists and social commentary. Jordan Peele has said before that he wasn’t going to do another film about race, so for his sophomore feature he expands his scope and tackles the entire United States in a film that asks us to look within, and see the danger we ourselves have become. To this end, we begin with a prologue set in 1986, where a young Adelaide Wilson (Madison Curry) watches a commercial for Hands Across America--a campaign to make a human chain across the continental United States--before stumbling across a hall of mirrors under a Santa Cruz pier. She finds more than mere reflections, an event that leaves her traumatized.Some 30 years later, the burden of that encounter still haunts an adult Adelaide (Lupita Nyong’o), who returns to Santa Cruz with her husband Gabe (Winston Duke) and their children Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and Jason (Evan Alex) for the summer. Jordan Peele shows he is adept at writing compelling and fully-formed characters, as he instantly makes you fall in love with this family. Sure, they are not perfect. Gabe is awkward and has an endless supply of dad jokes (“You don’t need the internet. You have the outernet!”), and the kids fight constantly, but you feel the love between them. Adelaine has a bad feeling about this trip, and a series of eerie coincidences don’t help alleviate her concerns.After a trip to the beach with their friends Kitty (Elisabeth Moss) and Josh (Tim Heidecker), the Wilsons return home to find four shadowy figures standing in their driveway. It’s the doppelgänger spotted in the trailers, wearing creepy blood-red jumpsuits and gloves, and sporting very sharp scissors. The sight of Lupita staring in horror at herself is the latest instance of what should become known as the “Peele stare, as instantly iconic as Daniel Kaluuya’s hypnotized, glazed expression in Get Out.If Get Out was a victim of the “is it really horror?” question, Jordan Peele made sure Us wouldn’t fall for the same trick. This is a horror movie through and through, full of references to everything from Friday the 13th and Night of the Living Dead to more recent fare like Black Swan. Like Hereditary last year, the best scares come from simply being able to glimpse something in the dark corners of the screen. The home invasion sequences will make you want to cover your eyes, but the craftsmanship at hand will prevent you from looking away. However, Peele doesn’t shy away from making you laugh, with a perfectly balanced mix of horror with humor that doesn’t feel out of place. Winston Duke especially brings a necessary levity to the film, with his corny sense of humor being relatable and likeable enough to make you stop thinking about him as just the guy from Black Panther. Peele not only excels at mixing horror and humor, but at writing smart characters. Like in Get Out, the Wilsons are quick to react to the creepy figures in their driveway, and immediately call the police and start planning their stand-off.Visually, Us is already a candidate for the most beautiful horror film of 2019, mostly thanks to cinematographer Mike Gioulakis the man responsible for the stunning It Follows. Gioulakis’s camera swirls, creeps out, and hunts the characters almost as much as their doppelgänger counterparts, and his use of light and shadow is as effective as any jump scare. Also the score, by Get Out composer Michael Abels, will haunt your nightmares for days to come, while also bringing to mind Jerry Goldsmith’s score for The Omen, except without the demonic child. Winston Duke may be a surprisingly convincing and likeable dad, and the kids are fantastic at playing innocent one moment, and plain evil the next, but Us works as well as it does because of one person: Lupita Nyong’o. Despite winning an Oscar six years ago, we have barely got to know her range, though between this and Little Monsters we are definitely living in the year of Lupita. She plays every emotion in the book, and every muscle in her body is used to convey those emotions. Watching her play the dual roles (like the rest of the family) of her regular self and her crazy and evil counterpart is delightful and terrifying to see, a performance to rival Toni Collette in Hereditary. In a fair world, Nyong’o would earn her second Oscar nomination with this film.Like Get Out, it is easy and valid to enjoy Us at face value, as the film offers enough thrills, laughs, and scares to merit all praise. But this is Jordan Peele we are talking about, so the script is filled with metaphors and tiny details that demand multiple viewings to even begin to grasp the director's full intent. The biggest theme that emerges from the movie is that of apathy and the rejection of the underprivileged in the U.S. (it isn’t a coincidence that the film’s title is written as US). However, by the time the film dumps some exposition on the audience and explains what the doppelgängers want, the logic of the film starts to fall apart somewhat. Peele isn’t interested in spelling things out, but this in turn uncovers holes in the story that may have you scratching your head as soon as you start thinking about the motivations and the meaning behind certain imagery and actions.Despite some questionable choices, there’s no denying that Jordan Peele avoided the “sophomore slump” and has now cemented himself as one of the great contemporary horror minds. Us is not only a brilliant exploration of current-day America, but one hell of a prologue to Peele’s The Twilight Zone reboot.The GoodThe BadLupita Nyong’o slays in dual rolesScript crumbles a bit towards the enWinston Duke plays the dad you’ve always wantedSlightly predictableSmart characters who act believably in terrifying situationsNot being able to sleep because of Us-induced nightmaresBeautiful cinematography and haunting score Layer on layer of detail that you’ll want to uncover Info from Gamespot.com

Bend Studio, the developers behind the PS4 exclusive Days Gone, have seen the PlayStation platform grow through the ages. Starting out with Bubsy 3D, one of the earliest 3D platformers, they pivoted to great success with the Syphon Filter series--one of the original PlayStation's more defining first-party games. In the time since, Bend Studio worked closely with other developers on franchises like Uncharted and Resistance, but on the year of Syphon Filter's 20th anniversary, the studio is launching its first new IP in two decades.After spending some hands-on time with the game, we spoke with creative director John Garvin and game director Jeff Ross about the studio's formative years and how the new open-world game set in the Pacific Northwest aims to shake up the familiar trappings of the setting. The following interview has been edited for clarity and readability.Bend Studio is actually one of the oldest PlayStation developers still around today. This is the first new IP coming from the studio in a long time, so with that, there seems to be a lot of perspective on what makes a good Sony game.John Garvin: Well for 20 years, I worked on the Syphon Filter series, Resistance: Retribution, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, and among others. We've always been working on third-person shooters that are narrative-driven, that's really what we do. But you're right, it's our first new IP in a long time. However, we're always thinking of ways to push the gameplay and ourselves further. The thing about working on Days Gone, is that the PS4 obviously has got a lot more power than anything we've worked on before. We couldn't have done something like the hoard gameplay on any other platform like the PS3 or Vita, and it was really exciting for us to do work on the PS4.Jeff Ross: To me, Bend Studio just always goes for it. We're in Central Oregon, we're kinda outsiders, but we're about making this big game. This one is certainly the biggest, but as a developer, we're small, scrappy and we're willing to kinda go for it and let it all hang out on this title.Garvin: And we're really lucky because Sony, I think, is unique to publishers and to platform holders because there is so much longevity in the production team. Some of the people on staff have worked on Bubsy 3D, and they've gone on to work on bigger games. But to your point about seeing the evolution of PlayStation, it's been pretty incredible because I love the fact that Shuhei Yoshida is willing to take chances and say, "Hey, how about a next-gen handheld platform? Or how would you guys like to build an Uncharted game on that?" That was quite an opportunity for us and that was something that we really appreciated happening.So Bend Studio has been making Days Gone over the course of six years, and we saw the game for the first time during the midpoint of that at E3 2016. Over this period, both Sony and the popularity of the zombie sub-genre has changed. Can you talk about how the game has changed over the years, and what's stayed constant?Garvin: Here's the funny thing about Days Gone, the core idea has been the same from day one. We had a concept painting that our art director had done, just spitballing ideas, and it's this character--we weren't calling him Deacon St. John back then--but he was sitting on the roof of an old sawmill and 1,000 zombies are snaking their way up to him. Our first tech demo was a re-creation of that and you have this one guy who's going to be fighting them. So we really asked ourselves "how do we turn that into a game?" You see movies that kinda do that, but the question is, how do you turn that into a game and make it fun? That was literally what drove the development early on for Days Gone.Ross: That key image, as a matter of fact, was the basis for our first E3 2016 demo. We knew it was a risk to come out with our biggest asset. That sawmill from the original concept piece was our first public demonstration of the game and we executed on that vision. Six years is a lot of time, but we also see it as a plus. It gives us the time to get things right. It's a great luxury. It is a long time to work on a game, but it's also a huge open world, dynamic game in next-gen fidelity.All the highways are destroyed and you're doing a lot of off-roading because they were trying to stop the hoard. These pieces all kind of tied together and basically what it's taken over the last six years is turning that into a game that had elements that were familiar because we feel really strongly that that's what genre is. It's the players that bring expectations to a game and they want to experience something that they're going to have fun with, but at the same time, we actually want to go against those expectations as well.I actually kind of appreciate that this game is set in the Pacific Northwest. It's a bit of an unusual area to have an open-world game.Garvin: Yeah from the beginning we wanted it in the Pacific Northwest. Most people actually don't know that the region is actually the mostly desert. Seattle is on the west side of the Cascade Range, as is about a third of Oregon, and that's where all the rain is. That's where all the green forest is. Where we live, it's mostly all desert which means that it's all scarred by volcanism. Which means you have ravines, you have buttes, you have all these steep sort of crevices everywhere. So all the vegetation is built up around that because it's high desert, it's very harsh, very extreme.We haven't seen this in a video game, and we thought it would be interesting, fun to explore and it would look beautiful. What better backdrop to fight a horde than this amazing environment that you're in.It actually went against a lot of my own expectations for what the setting was all about.Garvin: Yep, and it's all absolutely real. All this stuff is heavily researched so like the Belknap Crater is a place you can go in central Oregon. Something that we really haven't talked about, that we're really proud of, is the fact that all the different regions in the game have unique weather systems. It rains a lot less in the Belknap area, whereas the Cascade region it rains a lot more. As you move further south and into other biomes, you're gonna run into other types of weather patterns that are totally unique to those regions.Ross: Right, it's a beautiful and sinister environment. And honestly, it's like a character in the game in its own way. It can be snowing in the morning, it can be hot at lunch, then it can be snowing again or raining at night. It can snow as late as June or July too. It's really a dynamic environment, so we're not really stretching much for the game. We're just delivering on what's there.A common element for a lot of first-party PS4 games is that there's a strong focus on character, and Deacon seems to find himself in a lot of different events with other characters. I noticed there was a section in the main menu called Storylines, which kept track of your current relationships and objectives for these key characters.Ross: I'm glad you noticed the Storylines. We wanted to make sure there was very little dissonance in the open world and the story. We haven't really shown a lot of the main story yet, but everything you do in this world matters for an important reason. The Storylines mechanics was a way to kinda emphasize advancing the smaller threads in the larger storyline. It's a way for us to connect the open world activities that the player is doing and kinda frame it in a way that shows why it matters. There is a really tight integration between the two--the story and the open world systems.Garvin: I can tell you that when it comes to making a Sony first-party PS4 AAA exclusive, there's a heavy emphasis on character-driven storylines and narratives. You see a little bit of that in the demo, where you might see the storyline where you meet this girl you have to rescue. Last time I beat the game, it took me 30 plus hours to beat the golden path. That's one of the things we've been doing at Bend Studio for all these years; Character-driven experiences, and Days Gone is absolutely no exception.The release of this game is slowly coming up. So after spending so long on this game, is there anything about it that sticks out most for you?Garvin: Yeah I mean, to me, when I'm still playing I always have to pinch myself. It's something that we set out six years ago. We kinda told Sony that "Alright, we are going to make this huge open world game, with all these systems". And nobody really believed us, they trusted us, but they didn't believe it. To see that stuff come together, ultimately, when you get to the final credits of the game, the feels are there. Everything you've said it came together and the game stung, and it's everything we set out to make and more.Ross: It's really transformed us. When people tell us no, that redoubles our effort. It's like when they say something is impossible, we'll prove that we can do it. And man, I think we did it. So I'm really super proud of that. From my point of view, like you said, it's all about the feels. People are not expecting it and they're going to be surprised. By the time you get done with it you're going to have experienced a lot.Garvin: I think [Days Gone] is everything Bend Studio represents. We are sort of punching above our weight. We are really ambitious and we really want to create something that is awesome, even when we're just a small studio in the middle of the high desert.Info from Gamespot.com

It's the first weekend of Joker's Wild, Destiny 2's second Annual Pass content expansion. That means everyone's favorite snake-faced salesman, Xur, is back in the solar system with a host of Exotic weapons and armor. But unlike Xur's visits for the first five seasons of Destiny 2, this weekend is different: it's the first time that Xur has a chance of bringing along Exotics from the Forsaken expansion to sell.Of course, now that Forsaken Exotics are in the rotation, that doesn't mean that Xur is guaranteed to actually bring you something you might want. They're just in the randomly chosen pool of his wares. Luckily, this week is an embarrassment of riches for players who've been hoping to snag some Year Two Exotics, because Xur has three of them.Xur's arrival this week takes him to the Tower, where you'll find him in the Hangar. At the bottom of the stairs as you enter the area, turn left and walk to the back to where you'll find a staircase heading upward to the left toward a catwalk. Xur is about halfway up, enjoying the view.The Forsaken weapon Xur is packing this week is Trinity Ghoul, a combat bow that fires more than one shot at once. The arrow from Trinity Ghoul splits when fired to make three shots, but you can decrease that spread by aiming down the sights and fully charging the shot. Precision kills also send chain lightning out that can hit other enemies.In the armor department, Xur has two other Forsaken Exotics for sale. The first is Ursa Furiosa, a pair of gauntlets for Titans that increase your movement speed when Sentinel Shield is active and converts Guarded Damage to Super energy when your Super ends. Hunters, meanwhile, get the Oathkeeper Exotic Gauntlets from Forsaken, which allow you to hold bow charges indefinitely. The only class that doesn't have a Forsaken Exotic for sale is Warlock, which gets the Ophidian Aspect gauntlets from the Curse of Osiris expansion. The gloves speed your weapon reload and ready times and extend your melee range.Here are all the Exotics Xur offers this week and what they'll cost you:Trinity Ghoul (Exotic combat bow) -- 29 Legendary ShardsUrsa Furiosa (Exotic Titan gauntlets) -- 23 Legendary ShardsOathkeeper (Exotic Hunter gauntlets) -- 23 Legendary ShardsOphidian Aspect (Exotic Warlock gauntlets) -- 23 Legendary ShardsYou can also buy a Fated Engram, if you can afford it. Dropping 97 Legendary Shards on the item will grant you one Year One Exotic you don't already have for that character. Xur also offers the Five of Swords challenge card for free, which allows you to add difficulty modifiers that increase your score in Nightfall runs.Xur's arrival this week also corresponds with the release of The Reckoning Tier 2, which makes stronger Gambit Prime armor available. If you haven't dived into the two new Joker's Wild activities, check out our guide, which can help you navigate the differences between Gambit and Gambit Prime and keep you alive during the chaos of the Reckoning.Info from Gamespot.com

Every weekend, a small group of games are discounted and available to play for free on Steam, and the latest bunch of free weekend offerings are now live. The first game available to play for free this weekend is Conan Exiles, which released last May. Conan Exiles is an open-world survival game set in the savage lands of Conan the Barbarian where you must build up your own kingdom from nothing. The game can be played in single-player, co-op, or persistent online multiplayer modes. Explore the wilds, gather resources, slay monsters, loot treasure, and wage war against other civilizations to become the dominant clan among many. The developers recently rolled out more updates to Conan Exiles, so it's a good chance to try the game out. Conan Exiles will be free to play until Sunday, March 10, at 1 PM PST / 4 PM EST. If you play Conan Exiles and love the experience, its standard edition is just $20 this weekend--a full 50% off. The deluxe edition is $42 (40% off) and comes with five DLC packs.Play Conan Exiles for free on Steam »Also free to play on Steam this weekend: Warhammer: Vermintide 2, a first-person co-op adventure set in the Warhammer Fantasy universe. Think Left 4 Dead, but instead of fighting your way through swarms of infected humans, you'll fight alongside three companions against combined hordes of Skaven and Chaos. You also have five different characters and 15 diverse classes to choose from. You can play Vermintide 2 for free until Sunday, March 10 at 1 PM PST / 4 PM EST.Vermintide 2's standard edition is just $12 (60% off) and the collector's edition is only $18 (also 60% off) until Monday, March 11 at 10 AM PST / 1 PM EST.Play Warhammer: Vermintide 2 for free on Steam »Hover is another free-to-play offering on Steam this weekend--check it out at no cost until Sunday. The game is only $6.79 (66% off) until Tuesday, March 12 at 10 AM PST / 1 PM EST. Available to play alone or online with friends, Hover is a fast-paced parkour game set in a futuristic open-world city where you lead a young team of rebels against an anti-leisure dictatorship using high-tech gear that allows you to pull off crazy tricks and combos. Play Hover for free on Steam »Info from Gamespot.com