Overwatch appears to be teasing a new character, who would be Hero 30. A post on the game's official blog contains an in-game piece of lore, and references a strike team sent after a previously unknown name. You can also see a teaser tweet below that includes a brief video.The small piece of in-game fiction is a single letter, regarding a Talon strike team dispatched to Tortuga, led by a Captain Cuerva. The team was sent to recover a deserter named Jean-Baptiste Augustin, and several of them were lost in the attempt. Cuerva planned to go out with the rest of his men to recover or kill Baptiste."I know better than to underestimate Baptiste," the letter reads. "I helped train him myself, and he was one of our best. I've never known a medic to be such a good shot, and his adaptability to new situations is a rare talent. All of us have seen our fair share of conflict, but Baptiste was built to survive. I swear he has the Devil's own luck."⚠️ Unauthorized Access Detected...> TALON FIREWALL... Bypassed> Accessing file... [CLASSIFIED] Communications Record of Captain Cuerva, D.📂 🔎 https://t.co/BsA5OherBz pic.twitter.com/hqmknCo9HB — Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) February 21, 2019Given the attention given to the name Baptiste, and that he's specifically named as a medic, it would seem likely that he's a new character coming to the game. Then again, this could be a fake-out, and the new character is actually Captain Cuerva, or even that we're being set up for a brand-new map set in Tortuga.Most recently, Overwatch added a new Paris map alongside a bundle of bug fixes. The new map features the sights and sounds of Paris with landmarks like the Cabaret Luna, the Pâtisserie Galand, and the Maison Marat. The update corrected some issues like Symmetra's teleporter reaching "unintended" areas and Reinhardt's Earthshatter pinning enemies in place.Just before that, the game celebrated the Lunar New Year with a host of new skins. Meanwhile Hasbro just debuted several new Overwatch toys, in addition to the recent release of Lego sets.Info from Gamespot.com

PC players can now claim another free title from the Epic Games Store. From now until March 7, the retro-style point-and-click adventure Thimbleweed Park is up for grabs. Like other freebies from the storefront, the title will be yours to keep and play forever once you claim it.To grab your copy of Thimbleweed Park, simply create an Epic account on the company's store page, sign in, and then download the game. Epic regularly offers free titles through the storefront, so it's worth keeping your account and checking back regularly to pick up the freebies.Thimbleweed Park originally released in 2017. Designed by famed Maniac Mansion creators Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick, the game is a satire of the television series Twin Peaks, The X-Files, and True Detective. It also features retro-styled pixel visuals and five playable characters that players can switch between during the course of the adventure."Thimbleweed Park is a time capsule that reminds us what we love about the point-and-click genre while still retaining many of its unremedied issues," critic Matt Espineli wrote in GameSpot's review. "Its amusing open world is packed with infectious personalities and clever puzzles that magnify the joy of its experiences. And its efforts to shift beyond the template of its predecessors and contemporaries make it surprisingly affecting, especially if you're a longtime devotee of point-and-click adventures."Epic offers a new free game through its store every two weeks. The next one players will be able to pick up is Slime Rancher, which will be available from March 7-21.Info from Gamespot.com

While the story of the Crane family on Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House--GameSpot's favorite show of 2018--may be over, the show will go on. Netflix has announced a second season of what it's calling an "anthology series," as well as the scary story it's going to tackle next.The Haunting of Bly Manor is what Season 2 will be known as, taking inspiration from The Turn of the Screw, a horror novella by Henry James. The work from 1898 tells the story of a governess watching over two orphans in a massive and creepy old mansion. In what should come as a surprise to nobody who saw the first season of the show, this house is also believed to be haunted. However, just as Hill House examined whether members of the Crane family suffered from mental illness or were being tormented by supernatural entities, the woman in The Turn of the Screw also wonders if she's simply going insane.The next season of Haunting will be part of a new overall deal with series creators Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy. The duo, who are also putting the finishing touches on Dr. Sleep--a sequel to The Shining due in theaters in November--will continue making shows for Netflix beyond more installments of Haunting."Netflix has been an important part of our story, and we’re proud to have worked with them on The Haunting of Hill House, not to mention Gerald’s Game, Hush, and Before I Wake." they said in a statement. "They've enabled and supported a great deal of our work and we look forward to much more."A new Haunting is coming. Can you guess where it takes place? Listen closely... pic.twitter.com/vqzrd3z4NZ — The Haunting of Hill House (@haunting) February 21, 2019Now for the bad news. A teaser for The Haunting of Bly Manor revealed a 2020 arrival, meaning you are going to have a while to wait before getting to devour that series. And, sadly, you shouldn't get your hopes up about seeing your favorite Hill House characters return. That said, there's no telling if any members of the cast will return in new roles. Spookier things have happened.Info from Gamespot.com

If Apex Legends has one thing going for it, it's the feeling of being complete--something not every battle royale game can boast. The shooter sub-genre's incredible popularity means there are lots of games that do last-player-standing competition pretty well, but with some troubles along the way. Some well-established shooters are adding battle royale modes to their offerings, fitting their existing gameplay into the new framework. Other battle royale games are constantly struggling to work out bugs and balancing issues, adding and rescinding elements as they figure out what works. And still others started life as something else and managed to retrofit their mechanics into the battle royale mold, but some of their ideas fit better than others.Apex Legends, on the other hand, focuses on doing one thing extremely well. That thing is team competition in the battle royale genre; at launch, it only includes a team-based mode where 20 groups of three players square off against each other. Everything in Apex Legends works to further teamwork: that includes a number of improvements to issues that plague the whole genre, like cleaning up inventory management and increasing accessibility, and the addition of new ideas, like squad composition elements and special character abilities.Apex Legends excels by combining good ideas that have worked in shooters before. The battle royale ruleset is the same as in similar games, with very few changes: Teams skydive onto a huge island with nothing and scramble to gather up weapons and items to use against any other teams they encounter until only one team survives. While there are no titans or wall-running, it's still possible to see the bones of Titanfall 2 undergirding Apex, which reuses Titanfall's weapons and some of its fluid movement mechanics, like sliding and mantling. But the core of the formula here is the tight, three-player squad structure, which all the other pieces benefit.Another big change to the battle royale formula in Apex Legends is one extremely similar to what Blizzard brought to multiplayer FPS games in Overwatch. At the start of each match, each player chooses one of eight characters, each with specific abilities that serve specific roles. The defensive Gibraltar can drop a shield and call in an airstrike to drive another team back; the offensive Wraith can create portals between two locations and briefly disappear to avoid damage; the supportive Pathfinder uses grappling hooks and ziplines to help the team reach areas where they might have a tactical advantage.It all plays back into the focus on teamwork, since no character is especially powerful, and no abilities are useful all the time. You're not a lone wolf--instead, you have a specific role that complements teammates as you play, and that works to help find a new side of battle royale that hasn't been explored before.Moment-to-moment, though, what's remarkable about Apex Legends is that it just works. Battle royale is a bit of an obtuse genre with a lot of moving parts; in most games, you find weapons, gun attachments, armor, healing items, and more. You'll spend lots of time digging in menus to manage inventory. Apex streamlines all of that with user interface tweaks that make it possible to instantly identify what you need and ignore the things you don't. Ammo types are color-coded to the guns that use them. Attachments automatically join with guns they fit and swap to appropriate new guns when you pick them up, while things you can't use or don't improve your gear are brightly marked as such. It's an even more accessible version of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's battle royale improvements with its Blackout mode, and the rest of the genre should adopt it.The best feature in Apex Legends is its extremely robust "ping" system, which lets you press a button to create a marker on your teammates' screens. The ping system is super smart--aim it at a gun or a helmet and your character will identify that object's location to everyone else. You can ping in your menu to call for things you need, mark places you want to go, or identify spots other players have passed through. Most importantly, you can use pings to mark enemy locations. The system is so responsive and well-implemented in Apex Legends that it can fully replace talking to your team at all. In fact, the accuracy of a ping on-screen can often be better at helping you quickly convey information than talking.A revival system also helps you get more engaged with your team. If a teammate falls in battle and is knocked out of the match, you can recover their banner, an item that drops with their loot, and use it to respawn them into the game as if they just started. The system adds some intense, harrowing strategy to Apex that requires you to risk everything to save your squad; you can only call back dead teammates at specific, single-use Respawn Beacons on the map, but you're completely exposed while doing so. Pull off a clutch play, though, and you can bring your team back from the brink. The system provides a great incentive to stay in matches and keep talking to and aiding your team, instead of just leaving when you die to join another match.Like in Respawn's previous games, shooting here is hefty and satisfying, and Apex sports a wide variety of cool guns to learn and master. However, gunplay sometimes gets held back because lots guns carry strangely small magazines. Players have a lot of health, which gets increased greatly with the addition of armor, so it often takes a lot of shots to take people down. Ideally, you're always shooting someone with the help of a pal, but the small magazines have the effect of making you feel underpowered alone. In most matches I've played, shotguns get the most use from players because they have the highest likelihood of actually taking down an opponent, while many of the other guns spray bullets too much and leave you vulnerable as you reload and reload and reload.Apex Legends is a mix of smart shooter ideas that makes for a competitive, team-based game that gets at all the best parts of battle royale while addressing a lot of the weaknesses.As a free-to-play game, Apex Legends includes both loot boxes and in-game items that can be purchased with real money, and loot boxes can also be earned by playing. Everything on offer is cosmetic, much like in Fortnite or Overwatch, so paying money isn't essential to playing the game and staying competitive, and you can largely ignore microtransactions if you aren't interested in paying.The one place Apex Legends' microtransactions can irritate is in trying to unlock new characters. At launch, six characters are available for free, with two that can be unlocked either with paid or earned currency. Neither is essential--they offer different abilities but not better or worse ones--but as an average player, it still took me around 17 hours of play to earn enough currency to buy one character (it'll be shorter if you get more kills and more wins). With Respawn adding more characters to the game in the future, it's fully possible trying to unlock new characters will become a slog that turns off casual players and those unwilling or unable to pay.Apex Legends is a mix of smart shooter ideas that makes for a competitive, team-based game that gets at all the best parts of battle royale while addressing a lot of the weaknesses. Respawn's intense focus on team play makes Apex more than just a worthy addition to the genre; it's an indicator of where battle royale should go in the future.Info from Gamespot.com

Fortnite has long since surpassed its inspiration, PUBG, going on to become the rare sensation that transcends the level of popularity that even the most popular games typically see. But it's faced some serious new competition to start out 2019 with the release of Apex Legends, an excellent take on the battle royale genre from Titanfall developer Respawn Entertainment. Epic Games wants you to know Fortnite is just fine, though.With much being made about the player figures Apex has amassed since its release--more than 25 million players and a peak concurrent count of 2 million in its first week--there has been speculation that this success will surely cut into that of Fortnite. Seemingly in response to this, Epic has released some updated figures of its own, revealing Fortnite had its best day ever in terms of peak concurrent players (meaning the number of players online simultaneously) earlier this month.During the DJ Marshmello concert on February 2, Fortnite had 10.7 million players, the game's biggest day ever. It followed that up more recently with 7.6 million players on February 16, which Epic says was the game's best non-event day ever.This would all suggest that Fortnite is not struggling due to Apex. Certainly, numerous other game companies have--in the interest of alleviating investors' fears--stated that Fortnite is growing the market, rather than simply stealing players from other games. They'd likely claim the same is true of Apex, which will continue to grow with its first-ever Battle Pass in March and the recently added Havoc gun.That said, there is a caveat to keep in mind. Epic recently announced that you can earn the upcoming Season 8 Battle Pass for free by completing new Overtime challenges right now. Some saw this move as an attempt to stop bleeding players drawn to Apex by giving them the opportunity to avoid having to drop about $10 (or spending previously earned V-Bucks) to gain access to exclusive challenges and rewards during Season 8. That record day on February 16 was the first Saturday during which the Overtime challenges were available, and it seems fair to assume the Battle Pass freebie played a major role in that big day.Whatever the rationale behind giving away the Battle Pass for free, it seems clear that it's having the intended effect. And however big Apex may grow, don't expect Fortnite to go anywhere in the near future.Info from Gamespot.com

GameStop has announced another "Pro Day" sale, with special deals and discounts reserved exclusively for its reward members. In the same announcement, the shop also announced this year's "tax sale," running for the week just after Pro Day, in case that tax refund is burning a hole in your pocket.Pro Day will take place on Saturday, February 23. It includes $100 off a Fallout 76 Xbox One X 1TB bundle, $50 off Xbox One S bundles, and a download code for Gears of War 4 with any Xbox One. You can also snag some good prices on software like Assassin's Creed Odyssey ($20), Black Ops 4 ($30), and Battlefield 5 ($25). There's also a buy-two-get-one-free offer on used PS4 and Xbox One games. Plus accessories, Xbox Live memberships, and collectibles will be discounted.The Tax Sale, which lasts February 24 through March 5, has similar deals on Xbox One hardware, and some of the same software deals. You can pick up Red Dead Redemption 2 and Fallout 76 for $40, alongside some of the deals that Pro members had access to before.Check out the list of promoted deals below.Pro Day (2/23)Save $100 on new Xbox One X 1TB Fallout 76 bundleSave $50 on new Xbox One S BundleFree full-game download of Gears of War 4 with purchase of any new Xbox One consoleAssassin’s Creed Odyssey: $19.99Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII: $29.99NBA 2K19: $24.99Madden NFL 19: $19.99Battlefield V: $24.99WWE 2K19: $24.99Just Cause 4: $39.99Save up to $60 on select headsetsSave $10 on Xbox wireless controllerSave $10 on 3-month or 6-month Xbox Live Gold membershipGet 3 months of Xbox Live FREE with purchase of 6-month of Xbox Live40% off board games and puzzles30% off apparel and apparel accessories, collector boxes and all lighting25% off select toy collectibles$10 T-shirts (excludes clearance)Buy 2 Get 1 Free on pre-owned Xbox One and PlayStation 4 games (coupon valid 2/25 – 3/3 and will be in visible in Active Offers on 2/25. Must be PowerUp Rewards Member)Get 10% more credit when you trade games and accessoriesGet an extra 10% off pre-owned games and accessoriesTax Sale (2/24-3/5)Save $100 on new Xbox One X 1TB Fallout 76 bundleSave $50 on new Xbox One S Bundle (plus Battlefield V deluxe edition bundle)Save $10 on 3-month or 6-month Xbox Live Gold membershipRed Dead Redemption 2: $39.99Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII: $39.99Assassin’s Creed Odyssey: $19.99NBA 2K19: $29.99Madden NFL 19: $24.99Battlefield V: $29.99Fallout 76: $39.99Just Cause 4: $39.99Save $10 on select Xbox One wireless controllersSave 20% off on SCUF performance accessories when you purchase any new Xbox One Elite Controller or PS4 SCUF Vantage ControllerSave up to $20 on select headsetsBuy 1 Get 1 50% off all POP! vinyl figuresBuy 1 Get 1 50% off all apparel and apparel accessoriesBlind Bags: Buy 2 get 1 free60% off clearance toys and apparel25% off all statues and action figures25% off all Pokémon toys and plushInfo from Gamespot.com

Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb has announced four more games are now backwards compatible on Xbox One. The first three are all a part of the Lost Planet series, while the fourth is a Resident Evil game.All three of the mainline Lost Planet games--Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, Lost Planet 2, and Lost Planet 3--are now backwards compatible, as is the gold edition of the first game, titled Lost Planet: Colonies. Resident Evil Code: Veronica X, an extended cut version of a game that originally released on Dreamcast, is also now backwards compatible.Published by Capcom, the Lost Planet franchise consists of a series of shooters that follow the struggles of different protagonists that all live on a planet that's in the midst of an ice age. Gameplay evolves throughout the series, but each title primarily focuses on survival in the harsh environment, as well as shootouts with alien creatures or soldiers from corporations hell bent on controlling the planet. At the time of its release in 2007, we enjoyed Lost Planet: Extreme Condition--calling it "a great action game because it focuses on tense, thrilling battles." We weren't quite as fond of Lost Planet 2 or its sequel, criticizing the former for its "broken, tedious, or downright frustrating" missions and the latter for struggling to maintain the series' identity.Resident Evil Code: Veronica X continues the series' survival horror gameplay, following the story of siblings Chris and Claire Redfield after the events of Resident Evil 2. In our Resident Evil Code: Veronica X review, Joe Fielder gave the game a 9/10, praising it for its visuals and soundtrack while also commending the storytelling in spite of some cheesy moments.To play any of these four games on Xbox One, you'll either need to own their respective physical Xbox 360 copy or buy their digital versions from the Xbox Live marketplace. We've outlined the full list of Xbox One backwards compatible games, and also highlighted some of our favorites.Info from Gamespot.com

Nintendo of America's iconic president and COO, Reggie Fils-Aime, is set to retire this spring, the company announced today. He'll be replaced by the company's senior VP of sales and marketing, Doug Bowser, a man whose name requires a "yes, really" after every mention.Fils-Aime has been in the role for more than a decade, serving as the company's face in North American territories. He's often seen in Nintendo Direct streams and was often the primary presenter back when the company did live E3 media briefings. Fils-Aime stood out both due to his Terminator-like stature and meme-friendly antics, like when he danced in an attempt to convince a western audience to take notice of Yo-Kai Watch."Nintendo owns a part of my heart forever," Fils-Aime said in a press release revealing his departure. "It's a part that is filled with gratitude--for the incredibly talented people I've worked with, for the opportunity to represent such a wonderful brand, and most of all, to feel like a member of the world's most positive and enduring gamer community. As I look forward to departing in both good health and good humor, this is not 'game over' for me, but instead 'leveling up' to more time with my wife, family and friends."In addition to that message, Nintendo shared a video from Fils-Aime on Twitter in which he thanks fans for their support. "I wanted to reach out directly to you, the Nintendo community, because there's one thing I really want to say: thank you," Fils-Aime said. "Thank you for your never-ending support, and for your passionate love of Nintendo. And personally, for giving me a Mushroom Kingdom full of incredible memories that I will never forget, ever." In addition to this, there's also been an outpouring of well-wishes on Twitter from various members of the games industry.Nintendo fans, Reggie has a message for all of you. Please take a look. pic.twitter.com/EAhaEl5oEJ — Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 21, 2019"I really appreciate everything Reggie has done for Nintendo," said Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa. "Inside and outside our company, Reggie is known as an exceptional leader. We are grateful that he is leaving the business in good shape with strong momentum. While we will miss him and we wish him the very best in his retirement, we are also pleased to have such an able successor ready to step into that role. Doug Bowser and the rest of the team will ensure a seamless transition and continued momentum for Nintendo."Fils-Aime will officially step down on April 15, at which point Bowser will assume the title of president of Nintendo of America. Prior to his current position at Nintendo, he worked for EA. When he was first hired at Nintendo, he tweeted an image offering his thanks but--with a nod toward his surname--Mario and Luigi plushes discreetly tied up in the background.And now a message from our new Vice President of Sales, Doug Bowser. http://t.co/Qb6GYxgRrC pic.twitter.com/OEWu8dxUr0 — Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) May 20, 2015Bowser also had a comment to share in the press release regarding Fils-Aime's retirement. "It has been my great fortune to work with and be mentored by Reggie for four years at Nintendo of America," he said, before going on to menacingly promise, "And rest assured, we will continue to build on his work to evolve and expand our brand, furthering Nintendo's global mission of creating smiles. There are millions more of those to come."Info from Gamespot.com

Reggie Fils-Aime, the affable president of Nintendo of America, announced that he'll be retiring in April. The shadow of Fils-Aime looms large--in part because he is just very physically large--but mostly because he was well-known as an friendly figure and public face, not just for Nintendo but for the video games industry as a whole.As a result, his retirement is bittersweet, and the industry is gathering to let him know he'll be missed. Several industry leaders have stepped forward to issue congratulations and thanks on Twitter, including his ostensible competitors like Phil Spencer from Microsoft."All the best to Reggie Fils-Aime on the next phase of his life and career," said Spencer. "Great leader, industry partner and friend."Others have thanked him for his contributions, shared endearing anecdotes, or otherwise wished him well. As of April 15, the role of Nintendo of America president will go to current sales VP Doug Bowser, who definitely hasn't heard anyone else tell him your very creative "Bowser" joke yet. Fils-Aime has also released a heartwarming message of his own on Twitter.Check below for a sampling of reactions from around the industry.I’ll miss seeing you at all of the industry events Reggie. Thanks for all you’ve done over the years. Congrats on the new gig @thetruebowser https://t.co/Rb1do2NAJ2 — Larry Hryb (@majornelson) February 21, 2019Here's a picture of Reggie playing Super Meat Boy on Wii. He said "I'm buying this with my own Wii points, I'm serious guys". Pretty sure he ended up with it on WiiU and Switch. Happy retirement my dude! @NintendoAmerica pic.twitter.com/O3DaAc0WuY — Team Meat (@SuperMeatBoy) February 21, 2019Enjoy a well deserved rest, my friend. Thanks for everything you did for gaming.I am super jealous. Please sleep in and do as little as possible so I can live vicariously through your retirement. ❤️ https://t.co/vhXMVqGSas — Cory Barlog 🎮 (@corybarlog) February 21, 2019Can't believe I'm writing this: Reggie Fils-Aime is retiring from Nintendo. One of our industry's finest leaders and a dear friend. He's always believed in me. Thank you Reggie. — Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) February 21, 2019One time I was backstage of an awards show about to present and Reggie looked at me and said, “You look uncomfortable.”I was. I was uncomfortable. Have fun in retirement Reggie! May you never be uncomfortable. pic.twitter.com/tcXs7OP4Pk — Robert Bowling (@fourzerotwo) February 21, 2019If Reggie ran for President of the US, I'd vote for him. https://t.co/rOxs4awT9v — Dalibor 🍔 (@DaliDimovski) February 21, 2019Thanks for everything, Reggie! — Devolver Digital (@devolverdigital) February 21, 2019Many of you know I am a huge fan of Nintendo (since a kid!). Over the last 15 years Reggie Fils-Aime has done a great job. I'm sad to see him retire, but also happy for him to spend more time with his family. Thank you for great entertainment. https://t.co/BJaHDdfSdx — Mike Ybarra (@XboxQwik) February 21, 2019Didn't see this coming, but glad that Nintendo is in good hands! @thetruebowser I hope you're ready for even more memes! https://t.co/ctiWMQ6tEM — Matt (@mattmagician) February 21, 2019I am going to miss this person as one of the faces of our industry https://t.co/aMBjPW2cpH — Rami Ismail (@tha_rami) February 21, 2019 Info from Gamespot.com

Valve has announced it's retiring the Video section from the Steam store. You'll keep any videos you've already purchased from Steam, though, so you don't have to worry about losing anything you've bought."In reviewing what Steam users actually watch, it became clear we should focus our effort on offering content that is either directly related to gaming or, is accessory content for games or software sold on Steam," Valve wrote in a blog post. "As part of this refocus, we have retired the Video section of the Steam Store menu with an expectation that video content is discovered via the associated game or software store page, or through search, user tags, recommendations, etc."As part of the company's renewed focus on gaming, in the next few weeks, Valve will be retiring "a number of non-gaming videos" which "will no longer be available for purchase." As stated above, you'll still have access to these videos provided you've bought them already. Otherwise, they'll be gone from the Steam Store for good.Steam's domination of the PC gaming marketplace has been challenged by the arrival of the Epic Games Store. Epic--creator of the popular battle royale game Fortnite--has managed to carve out a chunk of the PC gaming landscape by offering developers a larger cut of their profits in comparison to Steam. Already, Epic has managed to secure the exclusive distribution for the PC versions of several indie games, like Ashen and Journey, as well as some notable triple-A titles, such as Metro Exodus and The Division 2. Exodus, specifically, caused quite a bit of controversy, as its movement from Steam to Epic angered both Valve and fans of the Metro franchise.Metro Exodus launched to several positive reviews, including ours--Michael Higham gave it an 8/10. If you prefer consoles, the game is also available on Xbox One and PS4.Info from Gamespot.com

After more than 15 years with the company, Nintendo of America president and COO Reggie Fils-Aime is retiring this April. Shortly after the news broke, the company shared a heartfelt farewell message from Fils-Aime himself on Twitter."I wanted to reach out directly to you, the Nintendo community, because there's one thing I really want to say: thank you," Fils-Aime said in the video below. "Thank you for your never-ending support, and for your passionate love of Nintendo. And personally, for giving me a Mushroom Kingdom full of incredible memories that I will never forget, ever."From the first time I saw the nickname 'Regginator,' I realized that Nintendo fans share a unique sense of community, a bond that goes beyond just a love of video games. For these past 15 years, I've been honored to be included as part of your family."Nintendo fans, Reggie has a message for all of you. Please take a look. pic.twitter.com/EAhaEl5oEJ — Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 21, 2019Fils-Aime also shared a few words about his successor, NOA senior VP of sales and marketing Doug Bowser, who'll be formally taking over his role on April 15. "Doug is a passionate and powerful leader, and a guy who in his youth probably spent too much time in front of a Donkey Kong arcade machine. Inside Nintendo, people already know him as a driving force, and you'll come to see that too."Fils-Aime joined the company partway through the GameCube era and has been its face in North American territories ever since, delivering press conferences and appearing in Nintendo Direct broadcasts. He'll perhaps best be remembered, however, for the countless memes he's inspired, from the time he danced to promote Yo-Kai Watch to his unintentionally iconic catchphrase.Following the news of Fils-Aime's retirement, many other industry figures, such as Microsoft's Phil Spencer, expressed their thanks and shared memories and anecdotes of the NOA president.Info from Gamespot.com

If you're looking for something new to play but aren't quite ready to plunk down some cash on a game, you'll have plenty of options to choose from this weekend. A number of titles are free to play for the next few days on PC and Xbox One, and PS4 and Xbox One owners will be able to try a special demo of Dead or Alive 6.PC players have the most choices this weekend, as four titles are holding free weekends on Steam. These include the sandbox games Boundless and TerraTech, the mech strategy game BattleTech, and the 3v3 competitive game Aftercharge. You'll be able to sample all four of these at no charge until Sunday, February 24, and each is also on sale in case you'd like to pick them up after the free period ends.On Xbox One, Xbox Live Gold members can try both Halo Wars: Definitive Edition and its sequel, Halo Wars 2, at no charge as part of Microsoft's ongoing Free Play Days promotion. The trial period likewise runs through February 24. You can download them either from Microsoft's website or the Gold member area on Xbox One, and both games are on sale for 50% off from the Microsoft Store.Beyond that, Team Ninja is holding a beta for its upcoming fighting game Dead or Alive 6 from February 22-24. The demo will be available on both PS4 and Xbox One, but you'll need to have either a PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold subscription to participate. You can read more details about the beta on the Dead or Alive 6 website.Separate from the free weekends, Epic is giving away another title for free through its storefront, the Epic Games Store. From now until March 7, PC players can claim a digital copy of the point-and-click adventure game Thimbleweed Park at no charge.Info from Gamespot.com

Ahead of its upcoming open beta next month, Ubisoft is holding another private technical test for The Division 2. The test is now live for select players, but unlike the previous private beta, this one is only available on PC, and it will run from February 21-22.According to Ubisoft, the purpose of this technical test is to "assess a certain amount of fixes [it has] implemented based on your feedback following the Private Beta." Only players who have received an invitation via email will be eligible to participate in this test.If you're one of the players who've been selected, you'll be able to try out all of the content that was available in Ubisoft's previous Division 2 beta, with the exception of Conflict, Endgame, and Photo Mode. Participants also won't be able to invite friends to join during this test. You can read more details on The Division 2 website.Even if you don't make it into this week's test, everyone will soon have a chance to sample the upcoming shooter. Ubisoft is hosting an open beta for The Division 2 next week, from March 1-4. That test will be available to all players on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.The Division 2 launches on March 15. Ubisoft has already said it has a surprise planned for the title's endgame, as well as free DLC in the pipeline. You can read more about the game in our roundup of everything we know about The Division 2 and our favorite new features.Info from Gamespot.com

More than two years after the game launched, Pokemon Go will finally give players the option to change their teams. Niantic has announced a new item called the Team Medallion, which will go on sale in the in-game shop beginning February 26 and allow users to switch their allegiance to another team one time.The Team Medallion will cost 1,000 PokeCoins, which makes it fairly pricey, as a bundle of 1,200 coins runs for $10 USD. There are a few caveats as to how it works as well. You can only purchase one Team Medallion every 365 days, so once you switch teams, you'll be locked into your choice for the next year.Shortly after players first begin Pokemon Go, they're asked to join one of three teams: Mystic, Instinct, and Valor, which are represented by the Legendary birds Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, respectively. Up until now, however, your choice has been permanent, so if you've been itching to switch sides, this will be your first opportunity to do so.The Team Medallion isn't the only new feature Niantic is introducing in Pokemon Go; the developer has also rolled out the recently announced Go Snapshot AR photo mode. This allows players to take photos of any Pokemon they have in storage and easily share them with friends and on social media.This weekend is a busy one for Pokemon Go players. From February 22-25, Niantic is bringing back the Gen 3 Legendary Pokemon Latias for a special Raid Weekend. On top of that, a new Limited Research event is scheduled to take place this Saturday, February 23, and it'll give players their first chance to catch the never-before-available Water Pokemon Clamperl.Info from Gamespot.com

What can be said about Tetris that hasn't been said already? Well, that depends on the type of Tetris game in question. Tetris Effect changed the conversation around the classic puzzle concept last year by directly tying your actions and the flow of stages to the fluctuating rhythm of an eclectic (and all-around amazing) soundtrack. In the case of the Switch-exclusive Tetris 99, the moment-to-moment gameplay is more immediately recognizable, but a new twist helps it stand out from Tetris games of old: a 99-player last-player-standing competition. It's chaotic, which can work in your favor or lead to moments that feel practically unfair. Thankfully, with the solid gameplay at its foundation and a quick means of getting into a new match, no game of Tetris 99 feels like time wasted.The competitive aspect of Tetris 99 is something most people are familiar with, albeit based on less ambitious setups. Clear some lines, and a batch of junk lines will appear in a queue next to your opponent's puzzle space. If they can clear lines of their own, the junk-in-waiting can be negated; if no new lines are completed, the weight of your success will bear down on their board and reduce the free space for mid-drop tetrimino trickery.This straightforward setup has, in the past, been utilized in two-player scenarios. With 99 players competing at once here, all visible next to your puzzle space with lines appearing and disappearing between players every few seconds, your early matches will feel a little confusing.Somewhat frustratingly, Tetris 99 offers no explanation of its inner workings nor the function of various attack modes you can pick from during a match. You can get really far by simply playing Tetris the way you always have, but an uninformed player will always be at a severe disadvantage. Even though all the info is a quick internet search away, it's disappointing that Tetris 99 is bereft of these details or explanations.So here it goes: You can influence automated attack patterns using the right analog stick, determining whether your offensive lines get sent to randoms, players attacking you, people near death, or players who have done the most killing in the match. Playing handheld, you can also use the Switch touchscreen to target players manually. Less intuitively, when playing docked, the left analog stick can be used to cycle through the phalanx of players on either side of your screen.The control given to you by most of these options can be used in strategic ways, but none more so than by attacking killers, AKA the "badges" option. It's named thusly because killing a player nets you a portion of a badge and, better yet, any belonging to the defeated player. These badges enhance the output of your attacks, throwing more lines per combo and making the final moments of a match a living hell for your opponents. With the increasing speed of a Tetris 99 match, manually picking your targets based on small icons is an expert's game, so these automated attack profiles are ultimately to your benefit, even if they aren't explained well and could potentially be a source of confusion for new players.The beauty of Tetris 99 is the tried-and-true game at the center of it all. Tetris is a god among games, and competitive Tetris only enhances the rising tension of a match. Tetris 99, being a game with so many competitors and a default "random" attack pattern, means that you will inevitably enter matches where the odds feel stacked against you from the beginning with no rhyme or reason. And when that happens, you may find that you have no recourse with a screen full of junk lines.Even though each loss isn't always a lesson learned, it's also just a small roadblock, as a new match is generally seconds, rather than minutes, away. Simply hold down a button to start a search for new players, and watch the screen fill up with opponents in the blink of an eye. There may come a time when the countdown clock expires and matches have less than 99 players, but at launch, that is a very rare occurrence.Tetris 99 may not be a proper battle royale game, but it taps into the same emotional well, where a large number of players vying for supremacy creates an ever-present intensity that's difficult to shake. Add that layer to a game that's plenty capable of instilling tension on its own, and you've got a riveting experience that even at its worst is still a game very much worth playing. There's obvious room for improvement, but that's the last thing on your mind when the pieces start falling and the players start dropping.Info from Gamespot.com