The Division 2 is just under a month away, leaving plenty of time to get in your pre-orders. If you plan on exploring the burned-out husk of Washington DC on PC, you can get a free game for putting your order in early.Ubisoft announced that pre-orders on PC will get to choose one of three games: Ghost Recon Wildlands, Far Cry Primal, or Watch Dogs 2. All pre-orders made before March 14 will be eligible, and the offer works retroactively if you've already pre-ordered. You can head over to the offer page to redeem your code. If you're undecided, you have until March 31 to make a selection.The games themselves will become playable on March 15, alongside The Division 2 launch date. Presumably this is so unscrupulous types can't snag a free game and then cancel their pre-order.Ubisoft also recently announced that an open beta is coming for The Division 2, running from March 1-4 on all platforms. That would leave you plenty of time to sample and decide if you want to take part in the pre-order offer. Taking part in the beta will get you a DC Patriot weapon skin, and if you complete the Invaded mission you get a Capitol Hill arm patch.This game takes place in the wreckage of a post-apocalyptic Washington DC, following a bio-engineered epidemic that began in New York City. For more details, check out everything we know and some of our favorite new features. Ubisoft has also detailed its plans for the endgame, and it will be releasing free DLC well after launch.Info from Gamespot.com

Anthem isn't officially in wide release until next week, but members of EA's various membership programs can play it starting today, February 15. If you're a member of EA Access on Xbox One, or Origin Access on PC, you can access the game in one way or another right now--it's a bit confusing, hence the chart below outlining when and how you can play on each platform. You can check out some gameplay from us livestreaming the game in the video above.With the game now being live, some players reported server issues earlier today, and EA Help's Twitter account has responded that it is aware of the problem and working on resolving it. Specifically, the errors include those telling players that matchmaking has failed and that no server has been found or is currently unavailable. In a further update, the EA Help account says it's "cleared up the connectivity issues," so things should now be working correctly for everyone. We'll continue to keep an eye out for any other problems that pop up.EA has also outlined the slightly convoluted steps to finding the trial itself on the EA Access hub. You'll need to go through the hub, rather than the EA Access area of the My Games and Apps section.Open the hub and refresh it (LT, RT, and Y).Go to Anthem.View the game.Click the 3 dots and select Play Trial.Both Access programs offer a 10% discount for purchases, but the two offer a different level of early access. The EA Access program offers only a 10-hour trial with progress that will carry over into the main game if you choose to purchase it. Origin Access also offers a 10-hour trial, but if you're a Premier member you can just begin playing the full game right now. PlayStation 4 has no Access program--at least not yet--and thus must wait until next week to start playing.As part of the lead-up to Anthem's release, EA partnered with District 9 director Neill Blomkamp to create an original short film that takes place in the universe. If you're curious how Anthem will last you in the long-term, check out BioWare's roadmap for endgame content. And if you just need help navigating the world of pre-orders, bonuses, and special editions, read our pre-order guide. Anthem will be available for everyone on February 22.Info from Gamespot.com

It's Monday, which in Destiny 2 means there's only one more day to visit Xur, Emissary of the Nine, and check out his inventory of super-rare Exotics for sale. This week we find Xur hanging out in the solar system in the middle of the Crimson Days Valentine's Day event, and he brought a few items you might want to take with you into the Crucible for its special Doubles mode.You can locate Xur this week on Earth in the EDZ, in the Winding Cove region. Drop at the Winding Cove spawn point and head north to the edge of the area, where you can climb up to a crashed fallen ship. Xur is standing by and waiting for you just beside it.And as always, Xur is packing four items from the Year One collection of Exotics: a weapon and three pieces of armor, one for each character class. For weapons this week, you can nab Sunshot, a powerful Solar hand cannon whose shots explode on impact. Enemies that get damaged by Sunshot are highlighted to make them easier to take down, making it handy for blowing up multiple enemies in the Crucible--something you might want to consider if you're working on Doubles matches for Crimson Days this weekend.For armor, Xur brought the Actium War Rig chest armor for Titans, which is another handy Crucible item. It reloads your auto rifles from your reserves as you fire, allowing you to fire away at those unlucky enemy Guardians for longer. Hunters get the Lucky Raspberry chest armor, which enhances your Arc Bolt grenades' chaining ability and comes with a chance to recharge your grenades when you use them. Finally, for Warlocks there's the Skull of Dire Ahamkara helmet, which is useful for players who like to throw Nova Bombs. It makes you more resilient while executing your Nova Bomb super, while kills with Nova Bomb recharge super energy. Check out the full slate of what Xur's offering below: Sunshot (Exotic hand cannon) -- 29 Legendary ShardsLucky Raspberry (Exotic Hunter chest armor) -- 23 Legendary ShardsSkull of Dire Ahamkara (Exotic Warlock helmet) -- 23 Legendary ShardsActium War Rig (Exotic Titan chest armor) -- 23 Legendary ShardsAlso available from Xur is the Fated engram. This costs a whopping 97 Legendary shards but will decrypt into a Year One Exotic you don't already own (assuming you haven't collected them all). While pricey, it's a reliable way to fill out your Exotic collection. Additionally, Xur has the Five of Swords challenge card that lets you add modifiers to Nightfall Strikes.This week's Crimson Days event focuses on two-player activities in the Crucible, where you can snag a few spiffy rewards, including a new Sparrow, a new Legendary bow, and a chocolate ghost shell. The event wraps up with the next weekly reset on February 19. It gets replaced by another Iron Banner competitive mode for the Crucible, and if you're still looking to grab some of Season 5's Iron Banner armor, you'll want to get busy starting Tuesday--it's the last Iron Banner of the Season of the Forge. Destiny 2's next season, the Season of the Drifter, starts on March 5.Info from Gamespot.com

The latest PlayStation Store sale offers discounts on games that are critically acclaimed. The Critics Choice sale gives you a chance to catch up with some highly rated triple-A PS4 games you may have missed, or smaller gems that were given accolades. As usual, PlayStation Plus members get a little extra off the discounted prices.Some of the games listed come from just last year, like Battlefield 5, Celeste, Spyro Reignited Trilogy, and Red Dead Redemption 2. Others, like Grand Theft Auto 5, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus give you a chance to catch up on older games. Plus there are a handful of indies that like What Remains of Edith Finch and Tacoma going for cheap.For those still using Sony's older hardware, this sale even features a handful of deals on PS3 and PlayStation Vita. This comes as Sony is offering its last PlayStation Plus freebies for those two systems, though it is giving away increased cloud save storage for Plus members on PS4 instead.This sale will last through March 1 at 8 AM PT, so get your final purchases in by then. Check below for some of our picks for the best deals, and head to the PlayStation Store to make your purchases.Abzu -- $12 / $10 with PlusBanner Saga Trilogy -- $35 / $30 with PlusBattlefield 1 & Titanfall 2 bundle -- $20 / $15 with PlusBattlefield 5 -- $30 / $24 with PlusBurnout Paradise Remastered -- $8 / $6 with PlusCall of Duty WW2 Gold -- $30 / $24 with PlusCeleste -- $14 / $12 with PlusCrash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy -- $28 / $24 with PlusDiablo 3 Eternal Collection -- $30 / $20 with PlusGrand Theft Auto 5 -- $18 / $15 with PlusGuacamelee 2 -- $14 / $12 with PlusRed Dead Redemption 2 -- $44 / $40 with PlusShadow of the Tomb Raider -- $36 / $30 with PlusSpyro Reignited Trilogy -- $34 / $30 with PlusTacoma -- $10 / $7 with PlusThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt -- $16 / $12 with PlusUnravel 2 -- $10 / $8 with PlusValkyria Chronicles 4 -- $42 / $30 with PlusWatch Dogs 2 -- $21 / $15 with PlusWolfenstein 2: The New Colossus -- $30 / $20 with PlusInfo from Gamespot.com

The Internet was pleasantly surprised at the first trailer for Detective Pikachu, but at the same time the realistic take on the classic creatures was slightly unsettling. The latest spot for the upcoming film has revealed another pokemon done up in its realistic style, and it's equally odd.The 30 second spot is mostly an abridged summary of the first trailer, filling us in on the major details: unlikely friendship, talking Pikachu, etc. It has a few new gags mixed in, but it's the new pokemon around the halfway mark that really turns heads.Lickitung, the gen-1 pocket monster with a tongue that's way too large to fit in its weird little lizard head, can be spotted on a bus or train doing what can only be described as "unfurling" with his massive mouth muscle. It comes complete with a wet plopping sound, just to accent the grossness. Behold:Just afterwards, we get the barest glimpse of the much cuter tiger-like pokemon Growlithe sitting in the background of a restaurant, and a closer look at a Bulbasaur. And of course, Ryan Reynolds as the title character continues to show his voice-acting chops. Check out the trailer above, just maybe not while eating.Detective Pikachu hits theaters May 10, 2019.Info from Gamespot.com

Anthem is live for those with early access through one of EA's paid services, which means you may have some of your pre-order or special edition loot there for the taking already. This only goes for those who have full access to the game through Origin Access Premier, though, so other services will have to wait.An EA help page details the steps for claiming various rewards. For the time being, only Legion of Dawn rewards are available, and only to Origin Access Premier members. In a tweet, EA explained that this is because the 10-hour trial available through Origin's basic tier or EA Access on Xbox One can be played without owning the game.The process for unlocking your Legion of Dawn loot seems simply enough. It's just a matter of gaining access to Prospero's store and then claiming your loot from the helpfully named "Rewards" tab. To reach that point you just need to complete the tutorials, followed by Prospero's mission. You'll have to go to the Forge to equip them, or to the Squad screen to equip your banner.Pre-order bonuses won't be available until the official launch day, February 22, on all platforms. Those can be equipped in the Forge (for equipment) or the Squad menu (for banners). The digital soundtrack CD on Origin should download automatically, but if not, you can find it under Extra Content in your Game Library.The rolling access to Anthem is a bit more complex than you might expect. Right now, Origin Access Premier members on PC can play the entire game. The basic tier of Origin Access PC and EA Access on Xbox One instead offers a ten-hour trial that can carry over progress to the main game. If you're on PS4, there is no Access program. The game will release widely for everyone on February 22.While you're waiting for launch, check out the original Anthem short film from District 9 director Neill Blomkamp. You can also read up on BioWare's roadmap for endgame content and check out our pre-order guide. Info from Gamespot.com

Star Wars: Episode IX has wrapped filming, marking the end of what Disney has dubbed the "Skywalker saga." In an emotional pair of tweets, director JJ Abrams and actor John Boyega shared a photo and thanked the cast and crew.The photo in both tweets shows actors Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac having a good hug in costume on what appears to be a desert backdrop. The three play the principal characters of the new trilogy: Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron, respectively."It feels impossible, but today wrapped photography on Episode IX," said Abrams. "There is no adequate way to thank this truly magical crew and cast. I'm forever indebted to you all."Boyega expressed similar sentiments.That’s a wrap on Star Wars episode 9 and the end to a chapter of my life that I couldn’t be more thankful for. What a process! It really has been a joy to be in these movies surrounded by amazing people. JJ thank you for making my dreams come true. pic.twitter.com/8b83vQKKDc — John Boyega (@JohnBoyega) February 15, 2019Abrams directed the first film of the new trilogy, The Force Awakens, and helped set the course for Disney's ownership of the franchise. Rian Johnson directed the second film, The Last Jedi. Episode IX (title yet to be revealed) was set to be helmed by Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow, but that fell apart due to creative differences and Abrams returned to close out the trilogy.With the end of the Skywalker saga coming later this year, it's unclear exactly what direction Disney will move with the franchise afterward. The company has pumped the brakes on its spin-off anthology films, after Solo disappointed at the box office and Disney CEO Bob Iger has suggested fans got fatigued by too much Star Wars. The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson is still preparing to direct his own trilogy of films, but we're not sure where in the universe those take place.Meanwhile, the company is preparing to launch its own streaming service, Disney+, which will have its own slate of original shows: The Mandalorian, a Rogue One prequel starring Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), and a new season of The Clone Wars.Info from Gamespot.com

2019's Elimination Chamber has come to a close, and you can find the full results for the WWE PPV below. While the opening and closing Elimination Chamber matches were the highlight of the evening, the matches that took place in between didn't exactly get WWE fans out of their seats. Scroll down to see the final results of all the matches.One of the most insane structures ever devised by WWE is coming to the Elimination Chamber PPV today. WWE's latest event has seven matches on the card--five of which are title matches--and two of them will take place in the Elimination Chamber.The show will air on the WWE Network and on PPV, taking place at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The main card begins at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET / 12 AM GMT (February 18), with a Kickoff Show starting one hour prior.The Elimination Chamber is a giant metal structure placed around a WWE ring. Inside this monstrosity, there are four plexiglass pods. Six wrestlers enter the structure--four of which go into individual pods. Two wrestlers begin battle inside the ring, and one-by-one, wrestlers are released from their pods. The WWE superstars get eliminated until only one remains. In most cases, the last person standing becomes champion, and they rule Bartertown.The biggest thing to look forward to this evening is the crowning of the first-ever Women's Tag Team Champions. Who will win? Will it be the brute "Blaster" force of Tamina and Nia Jax, the cunning "Auntie Entity" strategy of the Iiconics, or will it be our "Max Rockatansky," Sasha Banks and Bayley? We have a few predictions for this and all the matches taking place this evening. Additionally, there will be one more EC match for the WWE Championship, featuring six competitors from Smackdown.Below, you'll find up-to-the-minute updates and results for all the matches taking place this evening. After the show is over, make sure to come back to GameSpot for our review of the show.Elimination Match Card:Buddy Murphy (c) vs. Akira Tozawa (Cruiserweight Championship)Bobby Lashley (c) & Lio Rush vs. Finn Bálor (Handicap Match for the Intercontinental Championship)The Miz & Shane McMahon (c) vs. The Usos (Smackdown Tag Team Championship)Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Ruby Riott (Raw Women's Championship)Braun Strowman vs. Baron CorbinSasha Banks & Bayley vs. Sonya Deville & Mandy Rose vs. Naomi & Carmella vs. Nia Jax & Tamina vs. Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan vs. The Iiconics (Elimination Chamber for the Women's Tag Team Championship)"The New" Daniel Bryan (c) vs. AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Mustafa Ali vs. Randy Orton vs. Samoa Joe (Elimination Chamber for the WWE Championship)KICKOFF SHOWBuddy Murphy (c) vs. Akira Tozawa (Cruiserweight Championship)Murphy pins Tozawa at 13:20.MAIN CARDWomen's Tag Team Elimination Chamber MatchSasha Banks & Bayley vs. Sonya Deville & Mandy Rose vs. Naomi & Carmella vs. Nia Jax & Tamina vs. Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan vs. The Iiconics (As competitors are eliminated, they'll be crossed out here)Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville vs. Sasha Banks & Bayley startRiott Squad releasedThe Iiconics releasedNaomi & Carmella releasedThe IIconics eliminate Naomi at 17:10Nia Jax & Tamina releasedNia & Tamina eliminate the IIconics at 20:12Tamina eliminates the Riott Squad (WWE Network issues, no timestamp)Everyone pins and eliminates Tamina at 26:36Banks submits Deville at 32:25Sasha Banks and Bayley winThe Miz & Shane McMahon (c) vs. The Usos (Smackdown Tag Team Championship)Jimmy pins Miz at 14:10Bobby Lashley (c) & Lio Rush vs. Finn Bálor (Handicap Match for the Intercontinental Championship)Balor pins Rush around 9:00 (WWE Network issues)Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Ruby Riott (Raw Women's Championship)Rousey submits Riott at 1:40.Braun Strowman vs. Baron CorbinCorbin pins Strowman at 10:45Men's Elimination Chamber Match"The New" Daniel Bryan (c) vs. AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Mustafa Ali vs. Randy Orton vs. Samoa Joe (As competitors are eliminated, they'll be crossed out here)Daniel Bryan and Samoa Joe startKofi Kingston releasedAJ Styles releasedStyles pins Joe at 14:34Jeff Hardy releasedBryan pins Hardy at 17:57Randy Orton releasedOrton pins Styles at 22:21Kingston pins Orton at 24:08Bryan pins Kingston at 36:34Daniel Bryan winsInfo from Gamespot.com

Tonight, during the WWE event Elimination Chamber, the first-ever Women's Tag Team Champions were crowned after one intense battle. 12 teams entered the Chamber, and one-by-one they were eliminated until only one tag team survived.By the end of the contest, Sasha Banks & Bayley stood victorious, and were handed the brand-new title belts, making them the inaugural champions. After the match, while being interviewed in the ring, Bayley said, "I don't even know what to say," as she held back tears. The crowd chanted, "You deserve it" over and over again."No one know how hard we fought to get this," Bank said. "If you guys, legit, only knew... This is just the beginning of more changes to come."During the match, Banks and Bayley eliminated Tamina--along with the help of everyone else. During the final moments of the Elimination Chamber, it was Sasha Banks and Bayley vs. Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose. Sasha Banks locked in the Bank Statement on Deville, forcing her to tap after an exciting battle.What's different about these tag titles--compared to all others--is that they are not brand specific. If a team from Raw is champion, another team from Smackdown can be in the running for a title shot. This places a heavy emphasis on competition between the two brands, which adds some fun to the shows. [Raw/Smackdown] can currently claim brand dominance because two of their superstars are champions. The only question is how will #1 contendership work in the future?For more on Elimination Chamber, check out our predictions for the show and make sure to check out our live results, updated regularly.Info from Gamespot.com

Far Cry: New Dawn wins the battle of the new releases this week as it debuts at No.1 in the UK physical sales chart, ahead of Metro: Exodus at No.2. Xbox One console exclusive Crackdown 3, however, fails to make the top 10 for the week ending February 16.Sales monitor GfK Chart-Track also notes that Metro: Exodus was top of the chart in terms of revenue--likely owing to New Dawn's lower RRP. Microsoft's commitment to making all first party games available on release day at no extra cost with Xbox Game Pass should also be remembered. For comparison's sake, the last big Xbox exclusive, Forza Horizon 4, debuted at No.3, so Crackdown 3's No.13 finish may come as a disappointment for Microsoft. Jump Force is the final new release this week, and it finishes at No.4 in its first week on sale.Far Cry: New Dawn launched to a mixed critical reception. We awarded the spin-off a 6/10 in our Far Cry: New Dawn review, with critic Edmond Tran stating the open-world title "is a palatable but unremarkable spin-off that feels like it could have achieved so much more."Our 8/10 Metro: Exodus review, meanwhile, was rather more positive. Michael Higham said "Exodus puts together a charismatic crew of friends and family that you'll want to follow to the ends of the earth."Finally, Crackdown 3 has suffered from a poor reception from critics, including a 5/10 in GameSpot's Crackdown 3 review. Chris Pereira said "the game has little new to offer beyond cool destruction tech that never gets put to good use."You can read the full top 10 sales chart below, courtesy of UKIE and Chart-Track. Note this table does not include digital sales data, and so should not be considered representative of all UK game sales.Far Cry: New DawnMetro: ExodusRed Dead Redemption 2Jump ForceFIFA 19Resident Evil 2New Super Mario Bros. U DeluxeKingdom HeartsMario Kart 8 DeluxeCall of Duty: Black Ops 4Info from Gamespot.com

"Children are fascinated by real objects," Andrew Davenport, the creator of Teletubbies and countless other kids' shows, told the Guardian recently. "They will be able to see the weave of the fabric, the joins in the wallpaper, the printing on the wallpaper."Davenport was talking about his new series, Moon and Me, but he may as well have been extolling the virtues of Nintendo's upcoming Switch platformer, Yoshi's Crafted World, whose environment is made entirely out of real, recognizable materials. Yoshi himself appears to be made out of wool, as he was in Yoshi's Woolly World, while the environment around him is constructed out of paper and cardboard.As with similar games such as Super Paper Mario or Tearaway, this stylistic choice not only looks great, but also helps the game feel real. In a strange way, you can imagine yourself in there with Yoshi, and it's therefore hard not to smile when he sticks his tongue out and makes that silly little "BLANG" noise.Crafted World attempts to go one further on this by letting you see the stitching in the facade presented to you: nearly every world is playable in reverse in what are dubbed Flipside levels. Here, you hop, skip, and flutter jump through the same level you just made your way through once again, except on the opposite side of the 2D plane. You're brought behind the seams and underneath the paintwork of the crafted world you just beat.Everything feels cohesive, and it's easy to marvel at everyday objects as you amble past. A train made out of a Coke can, for example, or a house made out of old cereal boxes. For adults, it takes you back to childhood arts and craft classes; for children, it might reinforce the notion that creating anything is possible with enough hard work and a glue stick.However, in the three levels we played at a preview event, Yoshi's Crafted World makes less of this opportunity than perhaps it could have done--less than Tearaway did, in any case. Media Molecule's game, of course, had the PS Vita's added inputs to further connect you with its world as you tapped into the screen or punched in from the rear touchpad. However, those inputs were married to some truly inventive platforming. Yoshi’s Crafted World, on the other hand, simplifies its mechanics in favour of--thus far--platforming that's pretty basic. There's some rudimentary puzzle solving, but as yet this amounts to little more than simply collecting different pieces of a required construction, while the Joy-Cons' motion capabilities and the Switch's touchscreen were not utilized in these levels.Even in the Flipside levels, success appears to be a simple case of retracing your steps and collecting three baby Poochies--adorable, of course, but hardly inventive. Seeing the craft behind the levels at work is genius, but whether that exciting feeling will last the entire game remains to be seen.Exacerbating the problem is that Yoshi's platforming feels somewhat fiddly. It certainly doesn't feel as natural or as satisfying as Nintendo's pedigree would have you expect, and Yoshi himself feels better and easier to control in New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe than he does here in his own game. Crafted World is less demanding than the Mario Bros. series, so its platforming drawbacks are less of an issue; however, it can still be frustrating when you misjudge that gap or accidentally collide with that Shy Guy--especially in co-op, where the addition of another player makes things even more chaotic. Nevertheless, Yoshi's Crafted World does look and, crucially, feel real, as if you're constructing a world of your own, and that's an impressive feat for a game about a tiny green dinosaur who lays eggs at will."[For kids,] there's a joy in seeing the messiness," says Davenport. Yoshi's Crafted World might be a little messy, but it's also bursting at the seams with joy.Info from Gamespot.com

Amazon Prime has begun to tease its upcoming Lord of the Rings original show, with a series of posts on social media that both show maps of Middle-earth and quote the famous poem cited in Peter Jackson's film trilogy. As a result, fans have begun speculating on where and when the series will be set.The first teaser was a tweet that displays a wide map of Middle-earth, conspicuously unlabeled, with the phrase "three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky." A threaded reply included a link to explore or download the map, complete with labels. A follow-up on Instagram quotes the next part of the poem, "seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone."The teases are a clear reference to the poem from the series of novels that details the backstory of of how the Rings of Power were distributed and how the One Ring was used to deceive the various factions of the world. Gandalf, played by Sir Ian McKellen, memorably quotes a piece of the poem in the first Peter Jackson film. The full poem reads:Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky; Seven for the Dwarf-lords in halls of stone; Nine for Mortal Men, doomed to die; One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne; In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie; One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them; One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them; In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.That leaves six more lines left to quote, if Amazon plans to slowly cite the entire poem. We know this will be a prequel, and the community seems to believe it will detail the events that led to the War of the Ring--the climactic battle between Sauron's armies and the free peoples of Middle-earth.Other than stating it takes place before Fellowship of the Ring, Amazon has been notoriously tight-lipped about its plans for its original series. We know it's an expensive project for the company, and that it has hired writers from Star Trek 4.Info from Gamespot.com

Spoiler alert: At the end of Far Cry 5, the United States gets nuked. Seventeen years later, the region and residents of Hope County have endured and mostly recovered from the devastation anew. The vegetation is more abundant, society has been reshaped, and there is a hell of a lot more duct tape everywhere. Everything feels new and different--well, except for that fact that there's ruthless, tyrannical oppression taking over everything and it's up to you, and basically only you, to stop it. Some things never change. That's Far Cry: New Dawn--despite a few new novelties and a great mechanical twist, New Dawn feels exactly like what it is: a direct continuation of Far Cry 5.That's not inherently a bad thing. New Dawn features the same kind of forward-thinking approach to open-world exploration and progression as Far Cry 5. While main missions are mapped out for you, the discovery of side activities like enemy outposts, treasure hunts (formerly prepper stashes), and companion recruitment missions mostly comes from your own organic exploration. Earning perk points to improve your abilities is tied to your discovery of hidden caches and diversifying the activities you undertake. New Dawn is a more concise game--the map is smaller than Far Cry 5 and there's less curated content to discover this time around--but the emphasis is still on staying out in the world and soaking up the environment.That sense of freedom has been diminished, however. It's not the fact that you're revisiting Hope County, but rather how New Dawn sets up the pins. In Far Cry 5, you began in the middle of the map and were allowed to explore in any direction you wished; New Dawn starts you off in the bottom corner of the map and basically pushes you in a steady, linear sweep north as you slowly reclaim territory, and asks you to regularly bring resources back to your base in that starting area to bolster it.What's to stop you from just darting ahead? Well, damage numbers. New Dawn introduces RPG elements, like damage numbers, into its design for the first time in the series. The game's guns and enemies fall into four different tiered ranks, and getting ahead requires that you go out into the world to scavenge crafting materials to upgrade your base so you can upgrade your weapons workshop and eventually craft better guns to take down the higher rank enemies impeding your progress. Outfits, armor, and defense numbers don't factor in your growth, just weapons. Guns at rank 1 and 2 will do a minimal amount of damage to well-armored rank 3 and elite rank enemies.Early on, this can be annoying if you try to push the limits of the game in a way you're not meant to. Heading too far into the map and needing to use up hundreds of bullets to take down a rank 3 bear you encounter isn't terrifying as much as it is silly, and eventually, the demands of story missions will stop you from going too far.But if you dial down your Far Cry 5-style expectations of freedom and go with the flow, you run into these awkward predicaments far less often. Your guns feel like they do the damage they're supposed to, and enemies feel like they have an acceptable level of resistance. In fact, once you get access to the top-tier arsenal, things will start to swing wildly in your favor--your guns will feel overpowered to the point where even shooting rank 1 enemies in the foot might be enough to take them out--which feels great when you're getting overwhelmed. Played the right way, the game's RPG-style systems basically feel invisible, and you can enjoy Far Cry's style of weighty gunplay and feel like an incredibly competent one-person army. The feeling of eventually being able to overcome New Dawn's elite enemies is good, but you're left wondering why you needed to be held back by artificial gating at all.It doesn't help that there's no tangible sense of growth with weapons and vehicle crafting; New Dawn's selection of guns and cars isn't dramatically different enough between ranks to make the large distinction in damage output believable. Rank 1 weapons are a varied suite of handguns, rifles, and shotguns, and higher-rank arsenals are basically defined by the increasing amount of duct tape and junk on that same suite, as if that stuff has magical properties that makes the guns perform better. There are lots of guns to choose from, but if you've played Far Cry 5 you'll immediately recognize them, duct tape or no.The one nice exception is the new Saw Launcher, which shoots circular saw blades. Higher tier versions of the weapon actually have noticeably different properties, like the ability to shoot saw blades with ricocheting, homing, and boomerang traits. It's the only weapon which truly feels like it was borne out of the post-apocalypse, improvised from scavenged parts. Aerosol cans, pipes, and spray paint might give the other guns and cars a cool look, but it doesn't change how familiar they feel.The same can be said of the world itself. Far Cry 5's Hope County already felt a bit post-apocalyptic--the rural setting was isolated from the world thanks to antagonist Joseph Seed--so even though there are plenty of visible differences to the region, the impact of those changes isn't massive. There are a few key locations that provoke some amusement in their discovery, but the strength of Far Cry 5's Hope County was its natural environments--the forests, lakes, rivers, and mountains. The conceit that the region was re-vegetated by a super bloom after nuclear devastation means that the vibe in New Dawn is basically identical, despite dramatic increases in upended cars and graffiti. It's a pretty post-apocalypse, but it doesn't have the feeling of desperation you might associate with the theme. Scavenging for materials doesn't feel like a drastic necessity, just a way to get ahead. New Dawn doesn't feel like it takes the theme to enough of an extreme to feel meaningful or different.The solid bones of Far Cry's combat are still here, though, and they're still very good. Taking on outposts (within your rank), whether that be via stealth or aggression, is still enjoyable, and the game encourages you to repeat them at increased difficulties to earn more resources. New Dawn also introduces seven self-contained missions called Expeditions. These are large, diverse maps set outside Hope County, and they feature setpieces like a New Orleans amusement park, an aircraft carrier, and even a Splinter Cell-themed plane crash. Expedition environments are a highlight, but the snatch-and-grab objectives mean that you're never really encouraged to stop and appreciate them--you're more concerned with getting the hell out of there as a non-stop stream of enemies comes after you.The concise nature of the game means there's a remarkable lack of time given to the characters and plot, too. A few of the major characters feel like they could be interesting, the twin sister antagonists especially, but the few interactions you have with them are definitely not enough to develop them and make you care. While the performances have gusto, key moments of pathos just feel completely unearned. Something major happened to a key character and I was surprised how little empathy I felt. A detestable deal is made and I was mad at how little time they spent justifying it. Underdeveloped connections to characters also exacerbate the relative mundanity of the story missions compared to the game's side and open-world activities--turret sequences, bland chases, forced melee fights, and even a slow boat ride, all of which go on for way too long.You do get a double jump, though. That is, the ability to jump in mid-air. You also get the ability to basically turn invisible and give yourself super speed and strength. The Far Cry series has always dabbled in the mystic, but yes: In a strange turn of events, New Dawn eventually says "screw it" and gives you access to superhuman powers. And the way it changes how you approach the world is undoubtedly the best thing about the game.These sudden powers let you lean hard into superhero fantasy, allowing you to bound over fences and onto buildings, using your newfound mobility and invisibility to completely terrorize enemies like you're the Predator, or perhaps jumping high into the fray and firing off explosive arrows, pretending you're Hawkeye from The Avengers. Maybe you're more of a Wolverine, activating the berserker ability to rush an outpost at super speed and send heavily armed assailants and bears alike flying with your bare fists. A minor new mechanic lets you temporarily pick up shields from enemies and toss them like you're Captain America (supporting characters even refer to you as "Cap"), and I'm shocked they didn't do more with this--the inability to permanently keep a shield is a big disappointment.The powers are so good that it's almost a shame they come at a point late in the game where you'll likely already be well-equipped to deal with elite rank enemies, since a few scenarios that challenge your ability to use these effectively definitely would have been a welcome addition. But as it stands, they're a fantastic expansion of Far Cry's combat vocabulary. They completely elevate your confidence to rip through everything and everyone, suddenly turning New Dawn's familiar, pedestrian experience into a raucous blast.There's a lot of potential in the ideas seeded in New Dawn, but there isn't enough room for many of them to breathe and feel fully realized. Not the post-apocalyptic theme, not the RPG mechanics, not the weapons, vehicles, plot, or characters. Advancing through the adventure is an enjoyable experience, especially once you get your superhuman powers, but this is largely because Far Cry 5's combat and progression models remain compelling enough to propel you forward. For its part, New Dawn is a palatable but unremarkable spin-off that feels like it could have achieved so much more.Info from Gamespot.com

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is getting a big update, and it's coming to PS4 first this week. Operation Grand Heist adds new characters, outfits, maps, and a lot more. A lengthy trailer (above) sped through all the new content, but it's so jam-packed you could blink and miss something.Grand Heist will bring back the Outrider Specialist, and introduce a new Blackout mode map called Ghost Town. Those who own the Black Ops Pass will also get two new multiplayer maps, Casino and Lockup, along with an exclusive Cosmic Silverback character for use in Blackout.The trailer teases two new modes, called One in the Chamber and Hot Pursuit. It also promises that more outfits, weapons, vehicles, and camos are on the way. In the briefest flash, it also teases something happening with the Zombies mode as a ghoulish figure rushes the screen for a split-second.Operation Grand Heist is coming to PS4 on February 19, with other platforms to follow after. Treyarch had previously teased this update alongside a double XP weekend and other special modes.Black Ops 4 is a collection of three multiplayer modes--Competitive MP, Zombies, and the battle royale Blackout mode--and abandoned the series' traditional single-player campaign altogether. That won't be the case for this year's installment of the long-running series, though, as Activision has already confirmed that CoD 2019 will have a campaign. It's rumored to be Modern Warfare 4.Info from Gamespot.com

The month's mid-point has come, which means that the Xbox Games With Gold have cycled over into the next set. February's previous games are still available through the end of the month, while this new batch will be available to download through mid-March. On Xbox One, Super Bomberman R joins the line-up next to Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, which went up earlier this month. Super Bomberman is an action game that pays homage to the classic series, having you set bombs and traps against friends and foes alike in a maze-like environment. Curse of the Moon is modeled after classic Castlevania games and serves as a prequel to the upcoming Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.Meanwhile, the classic Xbox game Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy has joined the service, replacing Assassin's Creed Rogue. This is an unusual example of an original Xbox game rotating instead of one for Xbox 360, but it's well-regarded among Star Wars fans.As always these games are free and will be yours to keep as long as you grab them during the promotional period, even if your Gold account expires. Separately, Microsoft offers the subscription-based Game Pass service, which this month adds Crackdown 3, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and more.February 2019 Games With GoldXbox OneBloodstained: Curse of the Moon (Feb. 1-28)Super Bomberman R (Feb. 16-Mar. 15)Xbox 360Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (Feb. 16-28)Info from Gamespot.com