February is officially here, which means PlayStation Plus subscribers will soon have a new selection of free games to download across PS4, PS3, and Vita. That also means this is your last opportunity to grab January's free PS Plus titles before they return to their regular prices on February 5.PS4 owners still have time to download the extreme snowboarding game Steep and the co-op RPG Portal Knights. PS3's freebies include Zone of the Enders HD Collection and the rhythm game Amplitude, while Fallen Legion: Flames of the Rebellion and Super Mutant Alien Assault are free for Plus subscribers on Vita. Thanks to Cross-Buy, Amplitude and Fallen Legion are also playable on PS4.You'll be able to grab all six titles at no charge until February 5, when they'll be cycled out with the next batch of freebies. If you've yet to download them, you can simply head to the PS Plus page and add them to your library. As usual, all six games will remain free to play for as long as you have an active PS Plus subscription.Once February 5 rolls around, another six titles will be up for grabs. PS4 owners will be able to get the full first season of Hitman as well as Ubisoft's swordfighting game For Honor. Divekick and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will be available for free on PS3, and Gunhouse and Rogue Aces make up Vita's freebies.February also marks the last time Sony will offer free PS3 and Vita games for Plus subscribers. Presumably as a concession for this, the company recently announced it will expand the amount of cloud storage members have access to from 10 GB to 100 GB. This change is set to begin sometime in early February.PlayStation Plus Games For January 2019PS4SteepPortal KnightsAmplitude (also on PS3)Fallen Legion: Flames of the Rebellion (also on PS Vita)PS3Zone of the Enders HD CollectionAmplitude (also on PS4)PS VitaFallen Legion: Flames of the Rebellion (also on PS4)Super Mutant Alien AssaultInfo from Gamespot.com

When Supernatural first premiered on The WB back in 2005--the same year YouTube came into existence--it was introduced as the story of two brothers, reunited and fighting the evil forces their family had been chasing for years. Now, 300 episodes later, Supernatural is still exactly that. While secondary characters have come and gone, it always comes back to the tale of Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki) and his brother Dean (Jensen Ackles), traveling from town-to-town and vanquishing whatever otherworldly forces seem to be wreaking havoc.There's a third piece of the Winchester puzzle that's been with the brothers since the very beginning, though, and it's as integral to the formula as anyone or anything else on the show. When Dean rolled back into his brother's life in the show's pilot, he did it in his trusty 1967 Chevrolet Impala, nicknamed "Baby" and passed down to him by his dad.Baby, in many ways, is the heart and soul of Supernatural. For the brothers, it is the armory of weapons they use to fight against any number of demonic entities, their home on long nights with no motel room in sight, and the vessel that takes them to a new locale each week. The car has even had its own episode of the series in Season 11's "Baby," which told a story from the Impala's point of view.What's more, Baby is the one piece of the Winchesters' past that they've been able to hold onto. The one thing that's always there for them, regardless of circumstances, ever since it was passed to Dean from their father. "I think if Dean were a child Baby would be his blanket," Ackles explained to GameSpot at Supernatural's 300th episode celebration. "That's his safe place. [It's] kind of the touchstone of who he is. It represents a lot, and I think it represents a lot to the show. It's the one constant in his life other than his brother."A constant isn't exactly something Dean--of his brother, for that matter--has the luxury of, given the life of a hunter of supernatural entities. While it may be the "Family business," as Dean has reminded viewers of several times over the years, it's a truly lonely existence, even with your brother at your side.After all, the character is nearly 40 years old, and his entire life is wrapped up in his work, his brother, and his car. He's not the kind of person that you truly believe will ever be willing to settle down and live peacefully because he thrives on the chase and having no specific place he considers home other than the driver's seat of his Impala. It's something that's simply his."For somebody who lives kind of a vagabond life and a nomad existence, to have a constant like that, to have something that is his and that is his domain is, I think is really important to the character," Ackles continued. "You'll see a scene in an episode that we're filming, we just finished filming, where Dean says, 'I need to go clear my head. I need to go for a ride in Baby,'' and Sam says, 'Well, let me go with you.'' He says, 'No, no, no, I just need me and Baby and a long stretch of highway.'"While to outsiders who haven't taken the ride with Supernatural over the last 300 episodes, it may seem like Baby is just a car, fans know better. With total respect to Misha Collins, who plays the angel Castiel and has become one of the show's most beloved characters, Baby is the third lead of the series. What would have simply been nearly two tons of steel on most shows is a fully fleshed out character on Supernatural.And according to executive producer Robert Singer, who also directed the 300th episode of the series, she's one of the reasons why, all of these years later, Supernatural is still speeding down the highway and has already been renewed for an impressive 15th season. "It's as much of a character as anyone else in the show," he said. "And yeah, [we] keep waiting for it to break down, but it's still humming."The 300th episode of Supernatural airs Thursday, February 7 at 8 PM ET/PT on The CW.Info from Gamespot.com

I'm always tired of people complaining about the zombie genre being overdone and unoriginal. Sure, there are many zombie movies and TV shows seemingly being all the time. The Walking Dead certainly made audiences very accustomed to its type of zombie drama, while Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland make every other zombie comedy, or “zom-com”, play catch-up. But every once in a while we get a zombie film that defies what we know of the genre and dares audiences to call the zombie movie dead. Last year we got Korean period piece Rampant, and Scottish Christmas musical comedy Anna and the Apocalypse. This year it is Australian filmmaker Abe Forsythe who shows us just how little we've actually done with the undead and injects the genre with his own mix of humor, heart, and Taylor Swift songs played on a ukulele.Little Monsters begins by convincing us that its protagonist, Dave (Alexander England), is not a good person. After a brutal breakup, this Aussie slacker and former frontman for death metal band God's Sledgehammer ends up crashing on the couch at his sister Sara's (Nadia Townsend) place, where he spends most of his time playing Left 4 Dead II, masturbating to virtual reality, and being a terrible influence to his 5-year-old nephew Felix (Diesel La Torraca). Dave soon finds a reason to get off the couch after he meets Felix’s kindergarten teacher, the delightful, ukulele-playing, singing-voice-of-an-angel Miss Caroline (Lupita Nyong'o). One look is enough to make Dave sign up to chaperone the kindergarten field trip to a petting zoo/mini-golf course called Pleasant Valley Farm, in an effort to appear as a nice guy--but mostly to try and get into Miss Caroline's pants. While at the Farm, they also run across Teddy McGiggle (Josh Gad), an alcoholic, egocentric, sex-addicted TV host for a children's show who is just a few pitches higher than Krusty the Clown.Little do they know that their fun day of animal petting, tractor riding and mini-golf is going to be interrupted by a literal zombie attack. You see, Pleasant Valley Farm is next to a facility run by the US Army, where they have apparently let loose a few zombies in the past. Forsythe, who wrote and directed the film, wastes no time in following a long tradition of using zombies as a metaphor for humanity's foolishness, in this case, the US military interfering with other countries in one way or another. Unfortunately, the commentary doesn't go deeper than "military grunts are bad," and the zombie make-up stops at "let's make them look pale white."As soon as the zombies start killing the employees and visitors of the petting zoo, Forsythe reveals his plan to make Little Monsters one of the most special zombie movies in years. In a move that is both a love letter to the kindergarten teachers who inspired and nurtured us, and also reminds of Roberto Benigni's Life is Beautiful, most of the film involves Miss Caroline's efforts to keep the children free from trauma and the knowledge that those are real human intestines being eaten. Indeed, she will stop at nothing to shield her kids, and will use every children's game and song available to do her job, from avoiding getting eaten (by playing tag), or avoid seeing something awful ("one, two, three, eyes on me!"), to distract them by doing a conga line so they don't get lost in the middle of a zombie-infected zoo, or playing Taylor Swift on the ukulele (good luck getting “Shake it Off” out of your head).Little Monsters would not work if it wasn't for Forsythe's tight script and an excellent eye for emotion. Whether it's the fear in the adults as they run out of options, the moments of levity as Dave does something stupid or foul-mouthed, or just the adorable Max (Charlie Whitley) getting anxious and angry over the lack of putt-putt golf he was promised, the camera always captures the raw emotion to the point where you are constantly laughing before feeling warm in your heart.The entire cast is game for whatever new silly thing the movie does. La Torraca will warm your heart as often as he breaks it, and he has the best homage to Darth Vader in decades. Josh Gad does a great job returning to his roots and playing the arrogant self-absorbing jerk who doesn't care about anyone but himself, and also is hilarious at it. Gad also makes for a perfect contrast foil to England's Dave, who convincingly sells his journey from mean-spirited jerk to selfless hero. Without a doubt, the standout performance of the film goes to Nyong'o as Miss Caroline. Not only does she excel at playing Caroline's sweet nature and love for her class, but she also doesn't hide the fact that she is a complete badass. She is not afraid to get bloody and mercilessly decapitate zombies left and right, even if she does it with the care of a kindergarten teacher.Zombie-comedies are nothing new, but Little Monsters stands out by not only providing great laughs but being infectiously adorable. Its slapstick humor will be enough to lure audiences in, but its goodwill and heart of gold will leave you with a huge grin on your face hours after you leave the theater.Info from Gamespot.com

Sony has announced and released the first trailer for the upcoming video game Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son. The VR game is a sequel to the 1993 Groundhog Day movie, taking place many years after the events of the film.According to Sony, you play "as the charming but arrogant Phil Connors Jr., who grew up in the shadow of his father--a man who spent a lifetime repeating a single day until he had made it perfect." Just like his dad, Phil Jr. finds himself stuck living the same day over and over, one where he's still trapped in "the small town he thought he'd escaped, where he can't even get a decent cappuccino--and he's going to have to repeat the day over and over, until he learns the true value of friends and family."Like Father Like Son is a story told entirely in VR, and has you exploring a branching narrative within the same looping period of time. You'll interact with different characters--some of which you'll recognize from the 1993 movie, like Ned Ryerson--and have to figure out how to get Phil Jr. his perfect day so that he too can break his vicious cycle.Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son is scheduled to release for PSVR, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive, and is coming sometime in 2019. Seeing a game like this coming out is just what VR needs to become a more worthy investment for people who are on the fence about buying a headset, as 2018 saw the release of some good titles--like Astro Bot: Rescue Mission and Tetris Effect--but not many.VR had a fairly heavy presence at CES 2019 in January, with HTC announcing two new headsets--the Vive Pro Eye and Vive Cosmos--as well as a new unlimited Viveport subscription model. Oculus unveiled a new VR headset as well, called Quest, and Holoride showed off a brand-new VR simulation you experience from the back of a moving car.Info from Gamespot.com

Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth has been confirmed for a western release, heading to the US and Europe on June 4, 2019. The 3DS exclusive will cost $40 at launch, and like its predecessor, it crosses over the casts of various Persona games.Persona Q2 is a spin-off featuring the Phantom Thieves of Persona 5. The heroes have to battle their way out of dungeons, each themed after a movie genre with its own set of tropes. They'll join up with both original characters and notable names from the Persona series along the way. Those will include characters from Persona 3, Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4, and Persona 5. Clever team-ups between characters will grant special rewards through a new "Unison" battle system. It will be Japanese-only with subtitles.Atlus paired the announcement with word of a special "Showtime Premium Edition" for $70. That will include a Koromaru plush, art book, four buttons featuring the four protagonists, and a deck of playing cards with characters across the Persona series. Pre-orders also include the buttons set.Persona Q2 was among our most anticipated games this year, as a follow-up to the well-received spin-off Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth."It's an ambitious crossover that unites my favorite games, characters, and soundtracks in one place," wrote Michael Higham. "It's as if I had different groups of dearly beloved friends somehow meet each other, get along, and band together in a stylish fight for what's right. This might be the 3DS's swan song, and it'd be a hell of way for the storied handheld to end its tenure when it comes to the West on June 4, 2019."Info from Gamespot.com

Blizzard has announced the next set of balance changes coming to Hearthstone, and they'll have a big impact on the mainstays of multiple classes. This update is aimed almost entirely at the Basic and Classic sets--that is, the cards that never go out of Standard play rotation--and the company says it's because they've just proven too persistent over multiple expansions."We're changing these particular cards because each one has been highly prevalent, regardless of what strategies have been popular or what other cards have existed around them," the note on the Hearthstone blog states. "When Basic and Classic cards become this ubiquitous, they take away some of the flexibility players have when building decks, ultimately stifling the diversity of decks we see when playing Hearthstone."These sweeping changes impact four class cards: the Rogue's Cold Blood, Shaman's Flametongue Totem, Paladin's Equality, and the Hunter card Hunter's Mark. Each one is having its mana cost raised by one, except for Equality, which is being raised by two. The actual card effects are going unchanged in each instance, but Blizzard hopes that by raising the mana cost they'll be less "auto-include" cards and encourage more diversity in those decks.Finally, one more change was announced, this one hitting a non-Basic/Classic card. The Hunter's Emerald Spellstone, from the Kobolds & Catacombs set, will go from five mana to six. The Spellstone cards change their effect throughout a match as certain conditions are met, and this one had a big reward for fulfilling relatively easy conditions. Blizzard says it's raising the cost to make it more of a mid-to-late game threat rather than an aggressive early one.Blizzard tends to announce changes like these, impacting Basic and Classic cards, in anticipation for a new Standard rotation. When the first expansion of 2019 comes out, the three released in 2017--Journey to Un'Goro, Knights of the Frozen Throne, and Kobolds and Catacombs--will all rotation out of Standard play. That also makes the change to Emerald Spellstone more forward-facing for Wild play, where it will still be playable after the changeover.Info from Gamespot.com

Nintendo has announced a new expansion to its mobile games business. Following the release of its latest earnings report, which brought news that Mario Kart Tour has been delayed, the company revealed a new partner and game: Dr. Mario World.Very little has been shared about the game so far; we don't have any screenshots, just the logo below. Nintendo describes it as an "action puzzle game" and says it's due out early this summer. It'll be free-to-play and available on both iOS and Android devices.Dr. Mario World is being co-developed by LINE, a Japanese company known for a variety of things, including the development of games that have proven successful in Asian markets. Those include Disney Tsum Tsum and Cookie Run. Nintendo had previously suggested it was looking for additional partners with which to develop mobile games as it seeks to make them a more prominent part of its business.Nintendo is also continuing to move ahead with its plans for a Super Nintendo Land theme park, which it plans to have open in time for 2020. Additionally, the company has stated that the Mario animated movie will release in theaters sometime around 2022.Info from Gamespot.com

Another fighter has been confirmed for Mortal Kombat 11: Kano. NetherRealm announced the character during a stream in Brazil, before confirming Kano's inclusion in the game for international audiences via Twitter.Despite being one of the seven original characters in the Mortal Kombat series, Kano hasn't appeared in too many games. He was, however, a part of the last game in the series, Mortal Kombat X. Like Scorpion, Kano has a fairly good projectile attack and a fast moveset. His trademark attack, Kano Ball, has him roll into a ball and launch himself at his opponent, which does more damage at close range.It's probable that Kano was supposed to be revealed during a Mortal Kombat 11 stream that was originally scheduled for this week, before being postponed due to the harsh weather in the eastern US. We got our first good look at the upcoming game's gruesome new gameplay during a January 2019 reveal event. Several series staples, such as Sub-Zero and Scorpion, return in Mortal Kombat 11's roster, alongside characters that haven't been seen in a while and brand-new fighters. NetherRealm also showed off some of the new Fatalities during the event, and they're just as bloody as ever. A new trailer for the game's story was revealed as well, which looks to be as filled with gore as recent entries in the series.If you pre-order Mortal Kombat 11, you'll unlock both Shao Kahn and access to the game's beta--which begins on March 28. There are three editions of the game: the $60 standard edition, $100 Premium edition, and $300 Kollector's Edition.Mortal Kombat 11 releases for Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Switch on April 23. For lots more, check out our interview with series creator Ed Boon.Info from Gamespot.com

Sony has reported its most recent earnings to investors, including an update on the number of PlayStation 4 consoles it has sold worldwide and how many people subscribe to PlayStation Plus. More than 90 million PS4 units have been sold--a figure we already knew--and now we know over a third of those people subscribe to PS Plus.As of December 31, 2018, 36 million people are paid members of PlayStation's premium membership plan. That's an increase of nearly 5 million people since the same date in 2017.By comparison, Nintendo announced recently that a total of 8 million people are paid members of Nintendo Switch Online, though of course PlayStation Plus has been available for far longer, with a lifespan of close to nine years rather than Switch Online's four-and-a-half months. Microsoft says Xbox Live has 64 million active users, but does not disclose how many of those pay for Xbox Live Gold.PlayStation Plus' impressive numbers are despite the company announcing it will stop giving away free monthly PS3 and PS Vita games next month. Conversely, PS Plus members will get an increased amount of cloud storage from March 2019.PS Plus' free PS4 games for February 2019 have also been revealed, with For Honor and Hitman going free from February 5. The final free monthly PS3 and PS Vita games, meanwhile, are Divekick and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for PS3, along with Gunhouse and Rogue Aces for Vita.Info from Gamespot.com

The first trailer for Hobbs and Shaw is here. The movie is the first spin-off from the blockbuster Fast & Furious series and stars Dwayne Johnson as Agent Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham as mercenary-for-hire Owen Shaw.The trailer delivers a ton of action--it's three minutes long, so be warned if you don't want to know much about the movie going in. It sets up the bad guy played by Idris Elba, a villain called Brixton who has been given some kind of genetic upgrade. Hobbs and Shaw aren't exactly friends, but they are brought together to stop him, and the rest of trailer delivers a non-stop barrage of stunts, fights, and over-the-top action, plus a lot of self-aware one-liners. Check it out above. Hobbs & Shaw is directed by Deadpool 2's David Leitch, and also stars Vanessa Kirby (Mission Impossible: Fallout), Eiza González (Baby Driver), and Eddie Marsan (Deadpool 2). It releases on August 2, 2019.In related news, it was confirmed this week that production on Fast & Furious 9 starts this month. The next movie in the main series is set for release in 2020 and stars Vin Deisel once more, but won't feature Johnson or Statham. Info from Gamespot.com

After cooking for half a decade, Crackdown 3 is almost here. Trailers have shown that it will more closely resemble the first game than its divisive sequel, and the prevailing opinion seems to be that that's a good thing on face value. Commercials play up the comic-book cop connection with help from Terry Crews' over-the-top personality, which effortlessly conveys the explosive attitude fans are apparently asking for. Now that I've played Crackdown 3 for a few hours it's easy to identify similarities to the 2007 original, but rather than the campaign stealing the show, it's the competitive multiplayer component that will be my reason for paying attention to Crackdown 3 at launch.When Microsoft hosted the demo at a recent event, the plan was to get a taste of multiplayer before stepping into the campaign. At the heart of competitive Crackdown is the cloud, or more specifically, Microsoft's Azure server infrastructure. With the power of roughly a dozen standard Xbox One systems dedicated in the cloud to each multiplayer match, large, highly vertical environments are yours to destroy. Every structure can be punctured or completely leveled into rubble. It's an impressive calamity to witness, but it's how the new rules of engagement influence your approach to combat and perception of distance and obstacles that really counts, and that only works because every player is experiencing the same physics simulations in real time.Everyone has the use of a generous lock-on ability that remains in effect even after an enemy leaves your line of sight, allowing you to strategize how you might use your destructive abilities to capitalize on your informed advantage. To balance the engagement, a visible blue tether connects target and shooter during lock on, turning red once the attacker opens fire. When you detect that you're in someone's sights, your reaction is either to mad dash for a boost pad or to explode through buildings to carve out a path to safety. But don't forget: With a predator tracking your every move, you might be better off facing them head on instead. Doing so leads to frantic bouts of blowing up buildings to disrupt movement or clear away a protective barrier so you can strike with lesser weapons while your heavy guns cool down.Incorporating my destructive capabilities wasn't natural at first, but once the practice became habitual after a few matches it was like a lightbulb went off in my head: Destruction is at the heart of everything in multiplayer, and seeing how it elevates the core Crackdown experience made me realize how the cloud is capable of more than simply streaming games as we know them today.No matter how fast, nor hard-hitting the action got in our matches, there was never a sign of the Azure servers buckling under pressure. Controls were responsive and there was nary a hiccup in frame rate or resolution to note. A real-world test this was not--we were in a Microsoft-controlled environment after all--but it was a promising sign of what's possible under ideal conditions. The only evidence that I was playing a game running in the cloud was the impressive destructibility on display, the likes of which I've never before seen in a multiplayer setting.Despite only having access to a single map and match type, the 90-minute multiplayer session flew by. We were then given the keys to the campaign and, at Microsoft's suggestion, started off with a save file a few hours into the adventure. This was when my second revelation hit: Old Crackdown isn't as fun as I remember it, especially when compared to the exciting multiplayer component. I have seen only a sliver of the campaign, but what I saw was tepid and outdated. The world is rendered with some modern flourishes like bloom lighting and seemingly infinite draw distances, but it generally sticks very close to the original game's visuals. It's a stylistic choice for sure, though it's hard to say that it's an inspiring one.The same goes for the reality of playing as a budding supercop: The powers you remember from the past, or those you can experience in multiplayer, will only be yours if you once again go through the process of searching a wide and tall city for orbs to build up experience/skill meters. Coupled with a generic objective system in the open world, which itself also feels like something pulled from 2007's open-world playbook, my time with the campaign was more underwhelming than I could have expected. To be fair, that gameplay formula is part and parcel of the Crackdown experience, the game a lot of us championed as the model Microsoft should follow for a sequel. In my case at least, it's clear I didn't realize what I was asking for.One of my favorite questions to ask game developers is whether they, as creators, know better than fans what's best for their games. The most common answer I get is that they know best because the audience asks for everything without understanding the constraints of development. Crackdown 3 creative director Joseph Staten didn't hesitate to give fans the nod, because a launched game "becomes whatever people make of it." Considering the two halves of Crackdown 3, I then asked him whether his role as a creator is to innovate in tech or creative game design. "Microsoft is a big technology company," he replied, acknowledging the reality of his particular position. "Games are entertainment, but Microsoft has this capability that other companies don't."In those two answers Staten pretty much summarized my understanding of Crackdown 3. Fans asked for something, and by all evidence, Microsoft is aiming to give them what they want: the experience of reliving the original Crackdown with a fresh coat of paint. It will be interesting to see how others revel or revile when confronted with the seemingly matter-of-fact approach to the campaign. I expect impassioned positions on both sides. Multiplayer, though, will be the real test of whether Crackdown 3 is a success, purely for how it validates Microsoft's almost-unique position in the industry.Whispers about the future of cloud gaming are heard with ever-increasing frequency. As big companies rear up to deliver what they hope is the next evolution in gaming tech, now is the time to look out for the fruits of years spent experimenting behind closed doors. Perhaps smartly, Microsoft hasn't made much of ado about Crackdown 3's cloud-based multiplayer mode. It's almost tough to understand why that is once you get a taste of it in action, because it's so immediately awesome. Perhaps the reason is that Microsoft has been listening. Maybe it's heard the outcries of skepticism of the cloud, and our collective adoration of the old ways. So they give us what we ask for, but like a Trojan horse, Crackdown 3's attractive exterior belies an unexpected surprise. Only in this instance, that surprise is one worth welcoming with open arms.The biggest test for Crackdown 3's cloud-based gameplay will be how it all holds up under pressure. In the recent case of Anthem's demo weekend, we saw how one of the biggest game publishers, if not the biggest, can still struggle with the crippling network demands that come with an influx of new players. Microsoft's challenge is even harder, given that players are not just connecting to servers, but also relying on their computational power to drive the gameplay. Staten told me that the Azure service is robust enough to support every Xbox One sold to date playing Crackdown 3 online at the same time. It's impossible to test that lofty promise, but if true, that means everyone with a good-enough internet connection should get the same experience I had under Microsoft's supervision just the other day. And if that happens, Microsoft will find itself in the enviable position of having proved that the cloud isn't just a buzz word or a fad, but that it's a worthwhile opportunity for the future of gaming. Info from Gamespot.com

Microsoft's latest Games with Gold offerings are now available, giving you a host of freebies for your Gold subscription. February's inclusions offer a few retro throwbacks along with some action games from older generations. As always, some of the games are available throughout the entire month while others will rotate in and out midway, so check the schedule to make sure you don't miss out on any.The Xbox One games include Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, an 8-bit style game modeled loosely after Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse. It's a prequel, both spiritually and plot-wise, to the upcoming Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, and we found it rather good. It will be available throughout the entire month. Super Bomberman R also joins the rotation on February 16 through mid-March. It's an update of the classic Bomberman franchise, best used as a madcap party game so you can curse your friends for bombing you.On Xbox 360, you get Assassin's Creed Rogue, a game that came out alongside the widely derided Assassin's Creed Unity. It was an interesting game in its own right, though, and explored more of the Templars' perspective. It's only available through February 15, after which it will be replaced by the original Xbox game Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy.As always, the Xbox and Xbox 360 games offered through Games with Gold are playable on Xbox One through backwards compatibility. You can still grab one of last month's games for a while longer as well: WRC 6 FIA World Rally Championship for Xbox One is available until February 15.Check out the full line-up and schedule below.February 2019 Games With GoldXbox OneBloodstained: Curse of the Moon (Feb. 1-28)Super Bomberman R (Feb. 16-Mar. 15)WRC 6 FIA World Rally Championship (Jan. 16-Feb. 15)Xbox 360Assassin's Creed Rogue (Feb. 1-15)Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (Feb. 16-28)Info from Gamespot.com

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's first DLC character, Piranha Plant, arrived this week alongside the big 2.0.0 update. Nintendo offered the new fighter for free to players who purchased and registered their games on My Nintendo by January 31, but if you missed your opportunity to get it, you now have the option to buy it.Piranha Plant is now available to purchase in the Switch Eshop. Unlike the other planned DLC characters for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Piranha Plant isn't included in the game's Fighters Pass, so you only have the option to pick it up individually. If you do want to add it to your roster, it costs $5--slightly cheaper than the price of other upcoming fighters, presumably because it doesn't come with a new stage and music tracks.Beyond Piranha Plant, Nintendo is working on five other DLC characters for Smash Bros. Ultimate. The first of these will be Joker from Persona 5. Each new fighter will come in a pack alongside a stage and multiple music tracks for $6. You'll also be able to get all of them at a discount through the $25 Fighters Pass. Picking up the Fighters Pass will also get you a bonus Mii costume based on Rex from Xenoblade Chronicles 2.All of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's DLC characters are slated to arrive by February 2020. Nintendo hasn't officially revealed the identities of the remaining four fighters yet, but during the Game Awards in December, NOA president Reggie Fils-Aime teased they will all be newcomers to the series and are characters "who you wouldn't anticipate."Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launched for Nintendo Switch on December 7 and has set new sales records for the series. Not only was it Amazon's best-selling video game of 2018 (and the US's fifth best-selling game) despite launching near the end of the year, it has already sold 12 million copies around the world, making it Nintendo's third best-selling Switch game to date.Info from Gamespot.com

It's been something of a rough week for Xbox Live, which has encountered issues on multiple occasions (including one particularly severe incident). That's again the case today for Xbox One and PC owners, as sign-in issues have emerged on Friday that Microsoft says it's working to resolve. [Update: Microsoft now says these sign-in issues have been resolved, so you should be able to get online and start playing without any further problems. That said, not everything is working as it should, as Microsoft confirmed that you might have trouble buying things: "Previous issues with sign in should now be resolved. We're aware of users also running into issues with purchasing new content over Xbox Live and teams are actively engaged on that as well. We'll have additional updates to provide soon."]While sign-in problems sound somewhat innocuous, that can mean you're unable to get online to play games like Fortnite or to even access certain content. In a tweet, Microsoft's support account stated, "If you're running into errors attempting to sign in or access previously purchased content, our teams are aware and working to identify the cause. We'll update here when we have more to provide."A subsequent tweet provides a further update, stating, "We have teams actively engaged on issues related to sign in and accessing previously purchased content. We'll update again when we've identified the cause. Our status page will also have updates related to these issues."The Xbox Live status page doesn't offer much more information, except to confirm that both Xbox One and Xbox services on Windows 10 in the "core services" category are impacted. Besides the sign-in problems, you might also have trouble creating or managing an account right now.There's no word on exactly when the problems will be resolved; as always, it could be a very short wait or a matter of hours. Some small consolation is that these problems don't appear as serious as those earlier in the week, which caused some users to receive a black screen when powering the system on. This rendered it completely unusable, though some reports suggested that disconnecting the system from the internet would allow offline functionality to resume.We'll report back with any further details as Microsoft shares them.Info from Gamespot.com

Most of the Destiny 2 community spent this week chasing The Last Word, the latest Exotic weapon added to the game. Getting the legendary hand cannon from the first Destiny is quite an undertaking, though, thanks to a tough, lengthy quest called The Draw. Luckily, it's the weekend, and that means Xur is back with Exotics you can buy instead of earn.As always, Xur is selling a random Exotic gun, plus one piece of Exotic armor for each character class. They're all from the Year One collection, which means they come from before the big Forsaken expansion. You'll find Xur this week on Earth in the EDZ, in the Winding Cove area. From the spawn point, head north and climb the cliff until you reach a crashed Fallen ship to find Xur waiting.Xur brings The Huckleberry this time, an SMG that can deal some serious damage in a short amount of time. Holding down the trigger on the gun increases its rate of fire as well as recoil, meaning that at close range it's almost universally deadly. Racking up kills also refills part of the gun's magazine so you can fire even more.In the armor department, Titans can snag An Insurmountable Skullfort, a helmet that kicks on your health regeneration and restores melee energy for every Arc melee kill you manage, making it great for Titans who love to punch things. Hunters get the Stomp-EE5 boots, which greatly increase jumping height and run speed--perfect for those tough platforming sections in spots like The Whisper quest. Finally, for Warlocks, there's the Claws of Ahamkara gauntlets, which offer you a second melee charge when equipped. Keep in mind that while Exotic weapons have set perks, Exotic armor gets random perk rolls, so even if you already have all the armor pieces that Xur is carrying, his rolls might be better.Here are all the Exotics Xur offers this week and what they'll cost you:The Huckleberry (Exotic SMG) -- 29 Legendary ShardsAn Insurmountable Skullfort (Exotic Titan gauntlets) -- 23 Legendary ShardsStomp-EE5 (Exotic Hunter leg armor) -- 23 Legendary ShardsClaws of Ahamkara (Exotic Warlock leg armor) -- 23 Legendary ShardsXur also packs a couple of other handy items. One is a Fated Engram, an expensive pathway to a new Exotic. Dropping 97 Legendary Shards on the item will grant you one Year One Exotic you don't already have for that character. You can also snag a Five of Swords challenge card for free, which allows you to add difficulty modifiers that increase your score in Nightfall runs.If you're still working on taking home The Last Word, check out our guide to completing The Draw. The story tied to the gun is one of the best in Destiny lore, so you might want to get caught up with our story rundown about it as well. Destiny 2 players also have Crimson Days, the game's Valentine's Day event, to look forward to, which starts on February 13. After that, there's the Season of the Drifter, which starts in March--and which will bring back another Destiny 1 fan-favorite Exotic weapon, Thorn.Info from Gamespot.com