Like every game in the series before it, Kingdom Hearts 3 begins by playing its theme, Dearly Beloved, over the title screen. Composed by acclaimed musician Yoko Shimomura, it perfectly captures the sentimentality at the heart of the series. The song is at once tender and melancholic, wistful and adventurous, somber and uplifting--a reminder of a history that'll leave longtime fans dewy-eyed. I wish I could properly convey the impact of hearing it, but the best I can do is to say that it is overwhelming.The only way to really understand the emotions Dearly Beloved stirs is to have connected with the franchise and its characters; to have followed their journeys over its 17-year history, for better or worse. The nostalgia for and investment in Kingdom Hearts as a franchise is incredibly powerful, so much so that it helped me push through the rougher patches in what is overall an enjoyable, if uneven, third entry in the core series. Kingdom Hearts 3 is preoccupied with fan service to a fault, and it also struggles to stay coherent under the weight of its own convoluted lore. But it's also everything fans love about the series: a thrilling action-RPG that celebrates Disney and Pixar, all the while ensuring themes of friendship, heroism, and pure-hearted goodness shine bright.At times, those themes can be difficult to discern, particularly when the game is intent on telling the grander story of Kingdom Hearts as opposed to the smaller tales centered around Disney's iconic characters or Sora’s innocent idealism. Given it's the concluding chapter in a massive story arc, it can't be faulted for having this fixation, but the execution is frustrating nonetheless. Kingdom Hearts 3 is bogged down in the finer details of its lore, so much so that--for all but the most clued-in fans--it can be difficult to get a sense of what our three main heroes are actually trying to accomplish.At its broadest, the story of Kingdom Hearts 3 involves Sora, Donald, and Goofy preparing for an upcoming war against the forces of darkness by gathering the Guardians of Light. This is oversimplification to its most extreme, but to delve into the finer details would require lengthy explanations of numerous confounding concepts and characters. It is undoubtedly messy, but for fans who have committed to playing all the games and been studious enough to join the dots along the way, it makes sense. For those that aren't as well-versed in Kingdom Hearts, the essentials of the story aren't laid out nearly as clear as they need to be.The bloated state of Kingdom Hearts’ lore is the result of numerous spin-offs and sequels that introduced new characters to explore back- and side-stories. Contained in their own games, these characters had the room to breathe, establish themselves, and have full narrative arcs. However, when united in one game, each is diminished in both characterization and impact. Kingdom Hearts 3 attempts to take all the disparate narrative threads from across its many games--and the characters tied up in them--and weave them together into one concluding story, and the result is incoherent to say the least. It doesn’t help that numerous characters look the same, or that some are time-travelling versions of themselves. Others, meanwhile, are reincarnations that have taken on a new form or exist inside the heart of yet another character. There are also a few that used to have one name, but now have another, but both names are used depending on who is talking about them. Before long all of these characters are elbow to elbow, vying for screen time and pulling the story in so many different directions that it becomes difficult to find its center again. The handful that are critical to the plot inevitably become lost among the many bit-parters that feel like they're in the game as fan service, instead of being meaningful to the story.If Kingdom Hearts 3 had stronger writing it may have been possible to highlight key details and figures for the player to latch onto; a chance to see through the crowd of faces and pick out the ones most important. However, the writing largely makes proceedings even harder to follow. The villains in particular--many of which are members of Organization XIII--spout inane lines that are purposefully vague. Presumably this was to build mystery, but it only serves to muddy motivations and further obscure the crux of the story. Otherwise, they're delivering cheesy dialogue that feels at odds with the sincere melodrama happening around them.At its core, Kingdom Hearts 3 is a heartfelt tale of enduring friendship, and the narrative is at its strongest when it narrows its focus to just thisThis is a shame because, at its core, Kingdom Hearts 3 is a heartfelt tale of enduring friendship, and the narrative is at its strongest when it narrows its focus to just this. Sora, the hero of the series, continues to be plucky and lovably naive. His greatest facets are his strength of heart, his ability to make friends with anyone, and his devotion to them--he is the archetypal wholesome good boy. Joining him once again is Donald Duck, stuffy and prone to outbursts but a trustworthy companion; and Goofy, slightly dimwitted but also the emotional anchor of the group.The endearing trio's adventures through the Disney and Pixar worlds featured in Kingdom Hearts 3, as well as the interactions they have with the characters within them, are a reminder that beneath the tortuous lore are smaller stories that resonate. By keeping the bigger Keyblade Wars story in the periphery and having minimal involvement from all those involved with it, these stories are clearer and more concise. The underlying themes of Kingdom Hearts harmonize with those of Disney's own properties so well that each new world Sora journeys to delivers an impactful moment of storytelling. In Toy Box, Sora helps Woody, Buzz, and the gang find their missing friends, as they also grapple with the idea that they live in a world where Andy doesn't exist. In Arendelle, he meets Anna, who is desperately trying to reconnect with her sister, Queen Elsa, and gets caught up in the family drama. In San Fransokyo, Sora assists Hiro and the Big Hero 6 team as they battle Microbots and find a forgotten friend. Admittedly, some of these stories retread old ground, but whether it's Tangled, Pirates of the Caribbean, Winnie The Pooh, Monsters Inc., or Hercules, experiencing them again through the lens of Kingdom Hearts 3 still packs an emotional punch. It's hard not to get swept up by the exaggerated displays of heroics or earnest reminders that your friends exist in your heart.One of the strengths of Kingdom Hearts 3 is the care and attention it pays to bringing Disney's worlds to life, which, in turn, makes being in them all the more exciting. You get to wander around Andy's bedroom as a diminutive toy version of Sora, scaling his walls and jumping on his toys, before making a trip to the mall. There you visit various toy shops, leaping on top of display units and between shelves as you battle the enemy Heartless. Returning to Kingdom Hearts 2's Twilight Town comes with a wave of nostalgia, as you hang around in the square watching a Mickey Mouse movie projected on a wall or visit the mansion where Namine stood at the window all those years back. Venture to the Pirates of the Caribbean world and the game adopts a striking, realistic visual style, swapping Sora and friends from their usual vibrant visages to a muddier tone in line with the movies' color palette. It then gives you command of your own ship with Jack Sparrow at your side. 100 Acre Wood shifts to the warmer pastels of a storybook aesthetic, as you help Rabbit tend to his garden so that Pooh can get some honey. San Fransokyo makes great use of verticality and Sora's ability to effortlessly run up buildings and glide between rooftops. At night it transforms into a blinding neon cityscape, inviting you to fly between floating blimps and grind rails with Baymax flying in tow. Monsteropolis has you working with Sully and Mike to stop Randal seizing control of Monsters Inc., and all the while Boo adorably potters along next to you.Many of the worlds offer extra gameplay activities to engage with after the story within them is wrapped up. Toy Box puts you in a Final Fantasy XV parody where you're in a mech destroying enemies and chasing high scores. Traverse Town has a cooking mini-game which involves collecting ingredients from across the worlds and then bringing them to Ratatouille's Remy to make meals. Pirates of the Caribbean lets you sail the open sea in search of treasure and do battle with enemy ships, or defend Port Royale in a wave-based mini-game. The amount of gameplay variety in Kingdom Hearts 3 is impressive, and although the extras may be short-term distractions, for those who want to spend more time in their favourite worlds, they're a fun reason to make the return trip.Not all worlds maintain that high bar, however, as some feel either empty or lacking in what they offer. Arendelle's snow-covered terrain, for example, feels quite bland, and the main mission involves climbing a mountain multiple times. Port Royale is an entire location used primarily for an item hunt. Toy Box's mall is devoid of life beyond the toys and enemies--it would have been nice to have people around to make it feel more alive, instead of like an after-hours shopping center. The same can be said of San Fransokyo which, on ground level, feels eerily deserted for a metropolis.The bulk of Kingdom Hearts 3's gameplay, however, is in its sword-swinging, magic-conjuring combat, which feels fast, frenetic, and spectacular in its cinematic flourishes. Its combat mechanics are an evolution of Kingdom Hearts 2's, which themselves have been tweaked and refined in the various spin-off titles. The most noticeable change is in its fluidity; Sora moves between enemies quickly, delivering a barrage of attacks, seamlessly transitioning into casting Fira to set enemies ablaze or Cura to recover health. There's a pleasing forward momentum to all the battles, as you zip around dispatching enemies in quick succession.There are numerous layers on top of the basic combat mechanics which, while not adding a great deal of depth or strategic considerations, make for more exciting skirmishes. Keyblades now come in a number of flavours to match the Disney worlds they're unlocked from. As part of this, they also have Formchanges, which are exactly what they sound like. As you land attack buttons, a meter builds up, and you are eventually given the option to transform your Keyblade into more over-the-top forms, where more powerful attacks and abilities become available. The game shows creative flare in these transformations too; Wheel of Fate, unlocked in the Pirates world, becomes an oversized spear and then the mast of a ship with the flag attached. Happy Gear, found in Monsters Inc., transforms into a set of high-speed claws and then a pair of yo-yos. Hunny Spout morphs into a pair of twin pistols and then a launcher, both firing honey at enemies.The amount of gameplay variety in Kingdom Hearts 3 is impressive ... for those who want to spend more time in their favourite worlds, [mini-games] are a fun reason to make the return tripMagic works similarly, with repeated use of a spell eventually making a Grand Magic version available at no additional mana cost. Throughout, Donald and Goofy will call to Sora for a team-up attack. For the former this could be a salvo of colorful fireworks that damage everyone in your vicinity. For the latter you can leap into the sky and throw Goofy at an enemy, with his shield causing an explosion on impact. These are characters that have fought many battles side by side, so having these back and forths are a nice representation of the camaraderie between them and their growth across the series--not to mention they're eye-catching cinematic moments.Feeding into the Disney milieu further are attractions such as tea cups, water rafts, bumper cars, and a rollercoaster that can be summoned to dish out damage. Each one controls differently, either through timed button presses, using the analogue stick to guide their path, or becoming a first-person shooter to pinpoint specific enemies, injecting a different style of combat gameplay into the action at regular intervals. Other Disney characters such as Simba, Stitch, and Ariel can also be called into battle, functioning similarly to Final Fantasy's summons to unleash devastating special attacks. Their inclusion is welcome, in lieu of giving them their own worlds, as some have had in past games. Beyond that there's Flowmotion, which builds a sense of speed by encouraging you to dash into objects in the environment to swing around, or at walls to parkour along. It can be tricky to get a handle of, but once you're able to work these moves into the flow of combat, you build a sense of prowess over the battlefield.Watching battles unfold, you'd be forgiven for thinking that combat is a complicated dance of fingers across buttons, but everything is actually achieved with one or two taps. Kingdom Hearts 3 is simple to play, which works in its favour. It prioritizes spectacle above all else and delivers tremendously. Instead of having to focus too much on what you're pressing and when, you can enjoy the madness unfolding on screen. This is a game that shows off and wows you with dazzling lights, explosive sounds, and high-octane action, and you don't want to miss a second of it. That's not to say it's completely devoid of strategic considerations, but you'll need to play on the harder Proud difficulty level if you want the game to challenge you. Otherwise--barring a few end game bosses--the enemies are pushovers.Another feature that makes its return from Kingdom Hearts of old is the Gummi Ship. Sora and his crew are able to pilot a spaceship as they travel to new worlds, at which point the game becomes a shoot-em-up of sorts. While Gummi Ship segments in the past were on-rails, this time you have full freedom to fly where you please, using wormholes and boost pads to explore quicker. Space is littered with treasures to find, but you'll often have to battle enemies to acquire them. The shooting in the Gummi Ship, while serviceable, isn't satisfying. The combination of lackluster visual and auditory feedback makes it hard to tell whether you're actually doing any damage, and for the most part I found myself absentmindedly holding the fire button down and waiting for things to explode. It is possible to create your own ships and outfit them with more weapons and augmented support abilities, but the fundamental shooting remains unchanged and uninteresting.As the game reaches its conclusion, the balance shifts heavily in favour of non-Disney worlds, where the main story of Kingdom Hearts can play out and resolve itself. Many of the environments this happens in are striking, from a pristine white city to strange modular arenas that can be turned upside down at the whim of an enemy. But in these locales the game trades the heart and whimsy of the worlds up until that point for heavy-handed storytelling that inevitably culminates in battles that are impressive set-pieces but feel cheap and spammy to play. With the finish line in sight, the game disrupts the pace with one arduous boss fight after another--not challenging in any way, just more of slog. The payoff, meanwhile, isn't entirely worth it, as Kingdom Hearts 3 wraps up its story in an incredibly unfulfilling way.But the story of Keyblade wars, time-travelling villains, body-hopping also-rans, and world-ending darkness isn't what I'll remember about Kingdom Hearts 3 or the series as a whole. What sticks with me is the exciting battle against elemental titans with Hercules, taking Rapunzel out into the unfamiliar wide world for the first time, snapping selfies with Winnie the Pooh, and going toe to toe with Davy Jones. In 2002, as Sora, I left Destiny Islands to travel across the universe and make new friends. In 2019 I brought old ones home, and I had so much fun doing it. Info from Gamespot.com

The Hong Kong Massacre aims to replicate the experience of a gun-kata-action scene, where characters shoot while diving through the air, performing acrobatic feats as they blow each other's brains out. It's an extremely violent riff on the twin-stick shooter, one clearly inspired by Hotline Miami and Max Payne. You play as a former detective in 1992 Hong Kong, seeking retribution against the Triad for murdering someone close to you. The exact specifics are unclear, but that doesn't matter too much--the plot elements are kept to a minimum, as the game focuses most of its energy into frenetic and satisfying action.At the start of each mission you equip one of four guns--a pistol, SMG, rifle or shotgun--and are then unleashed in a top-down level to kill everyone inside it. Because of the zoomed-out view you can see into rooms and scope out opponents well before they know you're there. The rules of engagement are established quickly: one shot from any gun is all it takes to kill either you or your enemies (until later levels where some enemies get body armor and can withstand two shots), and you also need to collect new guns from the enemies you kill, lest you run out of ammo. If you go into a dive, you cannot be hit until the dive is over. Your enemies can dive too, and the same rules apply for them.The one major advantage you have over the bad guys is your ability to slow time. This is how the game lets you fight at the speed and fury of the action cinema choreography it is paying homage to, and it makes you feel like a badass. In almost every situation, the best way to excel is to enter slow motion, dive into a position where you have a line of sight, and fire at your enemies. Often this will mean shooting through a window, or a door, or the paper-thin shoji screens that are used to separate rooms in just about every building you enter. In its wildest moments, The Hong Kong Massacre turns into a wonderfully violent ballet of shattered glass, splayed bodies, and bullets from a variety of guns all firing at once in slow motion.The meter and cooldown for your slow motion ability is extremely generous, as it takes quite a while to drain and fully recharges within about two seconds. So as long as you plan to be in cover by the time it runs out you can use slow motion almost continuously. The star rating system for each level encourages you to try not using slow motion at all, though. Complete a level without it and you'll be awarded a star that can be spent on weapon upgrades--but not only does this make things considerably harder, it would make some levels all but impossible to complete. If you're playing on PS4 with a controller, your aiming reticule moves slowly, which is important for lining up long shots and maintaining some sense of tension and realism amidst all the madness, but it also means that completing the more difficult missions at full speed would be extraordinarily difficult.Even with these abilities, The Hong Kong Massacre can still be extremely hard. Your enemies are not the smartest, but when there's so many of them and it only takes a single bullet to kill you, you'll likely die an awful lot. There are plenty of mistakes you can make and traps you can fall into, too. Every now and then a dive won't go as planned, and you'll slide up against a door jamb instead of leaping through the door, for instance, or end up surrounded by gunfire. It's quite tricky to pay attention to both your person and your aiming reticule, and often I wasn't sure exactly when a dive animation had ended.Each failure requires a restart of the whole level, and even though the absolute longest one will ultimately take less than three minutes to finish once you've got a handle on the situation, there will likely be many, many failed attempts on the way there. But there's a certain pleasure in how you begin to memorize the layout, the patterns of the bad guys (which can change slightly), and weigh up the pros and cons of the different strategies and approaches you've tried thus far. And when you're in the zone, completing levels back to back with very few deaths, you'll really feel like an action hero.Five boss fights change up the level format and see you and your opponent both moving down parallel hallways, taking shots whenever there's an opening through a window (bosses take multiple shots to kill), and every now and then you'll need to take out an enemy on your side to collect their gun. At the end of each boss stage, you'll both end up in a more open area where you'll need to finish them off, and they work well enough as a change of pace. Some levels also make you dive between rooftops, which is satisfying and fun as you fire at enemies while making an almost-impossible sideways leap.But there's a lot of repetition across the campaign, too. The level designs aren't distinctive; while layouts and aesthetics change, the basic building blocks never do. Even as you shoot your way through a police station, you'll still notice that they're using shoji screens to separate some rooms. After a while, it becomes clear that the game is, essentially, the same few seconds of gameplay over and over. The four-weapon selection also feels slightly hamstrung by the general uselessness of the shotgun, unless you pump all the points you earn from completing levels into upgrading it (for my money it's better to focus on the SMG and pistols).The game's strangest oversight is its lousy leaderboards. While you can see your top time for every level from the menu, there is no friends leaderboard, nor does the game show you where you sit on the global total. In fact, only the top 99 are shown for each level, and even if you've made that list you need to scroll to find yourself. This removes some incentive to replay levels and try for a faster time.The Hong Kong Massacre is a game with a specific goal--to capture the feeling of an over-the-top John Woo-style slow-motion diving kill shot, and it succeeds. The game's faults are washed away whenever you leap out of the way of a bullet and quickly take out the person who fired it. It's a game that sticks with you when you're not playing it, as you think through different approaches to the room you died in last time. You'll fail frequently, and the repetition can wear you down, but it's hard to resist the temptation of bursting through a window and perfectly lining up three kill shots.Info from Gamespot.com

Monster Hunter World launched one year ago this month, and Capcom is celebrating the occasion with a special in-game anniversary event. The Appreciation Fest is now underway on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, bringing a new assortment of gear to craft, Event Quests to undertake, and more.The Appreciation Fest runs until February 21. Throughout the event, the Gathering Hub will be decorated with balloons, confetti, and other party favors. All facilities will also offer discounts on in-game items and services, and a special appreciation platter will be available.Capcom says "almost all" past Event Quests will return during the Appreciation Fest, giving you another opportunity to obtain special gear you may have missed out on. Additionally, there will be new quests featuring even larger and more fearsome versions of monsters, such as the Greatest Jagras, which apparently can offer a huge surplus of jewels as rewards. You can find the full Event Quest schedule on the Monster Hunter World website.Capcom is also offering daily login bonuses and new limited bounties to complete during the Appreciation Fest. These will get you Appreciation Tickets, which you can use to craft the Gala Suit for your hunter and the Star and Star α gear for your Palico. The Handler and Poogie will also have festive new outfits during the event.You can find more details about the Appreciation Fest here. There is plenty more new content on the way to Monster Hunter World this year. On February 8, The Witcher 3's Geralt of Rivia will arrive in the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game as a free update (with a PC release set to follow later). Capcom will also release a big Iceborne expansion for the game this fall, which will introduce new monsters, locales, gear, and much more content.Info from Gamespot.com

The road to Wrestlemania has already had its first stop at the Royal Rumble, and over the course of the evening, there were plenty of title matches and two huge Rumble matches, which determined the challengers for two Wrestlemania title bouts. There were plenty of surprises over the course of the evening, and you can check out the full results for the show below.It is my favorite day of the year. Today, we celebrate our Royal Rumble day! One of WWE's longest-running PPVs delivers its 31st installment, and it should be a blast. Like last year's edition, there will be both a men's and women's royal rumble match, and there will be plenty of surprises during the evening.This year's event comes to PPV and the WWE Network starting at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET / 12 AM GMT (January 28); however, there is a Kickoff Show starting two hours prior. As of this writing, there will be two matches on the preshow: one for the Cruiserweight Championship and one for the United States Championship.Aside from both Royal Rumble matches, there is a lot to look forward to for the January PPV. There are seven championship matches on the card, with only the Raw Tag Team Championship and Intercontinental Championship missing from the show. In total, there are nine matches on the card, and with the Rumble matches usually lasting more than an hour--and with two of them on the card--it's going to be one long evening of wrestling.Brock Lesnar shows up to defend his Universal Champion against Finn Balor, the first person to win that title. Hopefully, Lesnar loses and we never see him again (That's just my hopeful prediction). Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles for the WWE Championship should be a fantastic and highly athletic match, but on the Smackdown side of things, Asuka vs. Becky Lynch for the Smackdown Women's Championship should be a barn-burner, as both Lynch and Asuka have been killing it on the Tuesday night show. Check out the full match card below.Royal Rumble 2019 Match Card:Buddy Murphy (c) vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Kalisto vs. Hideo Itami (Cruiserweight Championship: KICKOFF SHOW)Rusev (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (United States Championship: KICKOFF SHOW)The Bar (c) vs. The Miz & Shane McMahon (Smackdown Tag Team Championship)Asuka (c) vs. Becky Lynch (Smackdown Women's Championship)Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Sasha Banks (Raw Women's Championship)Women's Royal RumbleMen's Royal RumbleDaniel Bryan (c) vs. AJ Styles (WWE Championship)Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Finn Balor (Universal Championship)Below, you'll find the results for the show, as it happens, from Kickoff Show to the main card to everyone that partakes in both Royal Rumble matches. Stay tuned after the show for our review of all the matches.Kickoff ShowBobby Roode & Chad Gable (c) vs. Rezar & Scott Dawson (Raw Tag Team Championships)Roode and Gable win at 6:52 by pin.Rusev (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (United States Championship)Nakamura wins by pin at 10:12.Buddy Murphy (c) vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Kalisto vs. Hideo Itami (Cruiserweight Championship)Murphy pins Itami at 12:04.Main CardAsuka (c) vs. Becky Lynch (Smackdown Women's Championship)Asuka submits Lynch at 17:07.The Bar (c) vs. The Miz & Shane McMahon (Smackdown Tag Team Championship)McMahon pins Cesaro at 13:21.Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Sasha Banks (Raw Women's Championship)Rousey wins by pin at 13:47.Women's Royal RumbleLacey EvansNatalyaMandy RoseLiv MorganMickie JamesEmber MoonBillie KayNikki CrossPeyton RoyceTaminaXia LiSarah LoganCharlotte FlairKairi SaneMaria KanellisNaomiCandice LeRaeAlicia FoxKacy CatanzaroZelina VegaRuby RiottDana BrookeIo ShiraiRhea RipleySonya DevilleAlexa BlissBayleyLana -- She was attacked and Becky Lynch replaced her.Nia JaxCarmellaBecky Lynch wins at 1 hour 11 minutes.Daniel Bryan (c) vs. AJ Styles (WWE Championship)Bryan pins Styles at 24:31. Interference from Rowan helped get Bryan the win.Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Finn Balor (Universal Championship)Lesnar submits Balor at 8:37.Men's Royal RumbleEliasJeff JarrettShinsuke NakamuraKurt AngleBig EJohnny GarganoJinder MahalSamoa JoeCurt HawkinsSeth RollinsTitus O'NeilKofi KingstonMustafa AliDean AmbroseNo Way JoseDrew McIntyreXavier WoodsPete DunneAndrade AlmasApollo CrewsAleister BlackShelton BenjaminBaron CorbinJeff HardyRey MysterioBobby LashleyBraun StrowmanDolph ZigglerRandy OrtonR-Truth (Nia Jax attacked him and entered the match)Seth Rollins wins at 57:23.Info from Gamespot.com

The Pride Trooper Jiren is the next DLC character coming to Dragon Ball FighterZ, but he won't be the only one. During the Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour Finals, publisher Bandai Namco announced a second FighterZ Pass, which will add five other warriors to the Dragon Ball fighting game.In the trailer above, Bandai Namco confirmed that Jiren will be available this week, on January 31. Moreover, he'll arrive alongside another new DLC character: Videl. Based on the video, it seems Videl will be able to call in Gohan--naturally dressed as Great Saiyaman--for tag-team attacks, much like Android 18 is able to briefly summon Android 17.Toward the end of the trailer, we also get a glimpse at two other upcoming DLC characters: Super Saiyan Blue Gogeta and Broly from the new Dragon Ball Super movie. No footage of either fighter was shared, but the trailer says both are "coming soon." The remaining two DLC fighters have yet to be revealed.In a press release, Bandai Namco confirmed the FighterZ Pass 2 will cost $25. As before, each new DLC character can also be purchased individually for $5. The first FighterZ Pass cost $35 and added eight characters: Broly, Bardock, Vegito, Fused Zamasu, base Goku and Vegeta, Cooler, and Android 17.In addition to revealing the new Dragon Ball FighterZ DLC, Bandai Namco showcased the first footage of its new Dragon Ball Z action RPG during the World Tour Finals. That game is being developed by CyberConnect2 and will recount the story of the Dragon Ball Z series. It will launch sometime this year for PS4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.Info from Gamespot.com

As teased, Bandai Namco shared some big Dragon Ball-related news during the Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour Finals this weekend. In addition to announcing a second season of DLC for the fighting game, the publisher shared the first trailer for its new Dragon Ball Z action RPG.The trailer, which you can watch above, doesn't showcase much in the way of gameplay, but it appears the game will recount the story of Dragon Ball Z. The video recreates some iconic moments from the series, such as the first time Goku transforms into a Super Saiyan during his battle with Frieza. We also briefly see him walking past a handful of familiar locations, including Capsule Corp. and the Kame House."True warriors are in a neverending search for the ultimate fight," the narrator says. "This is the story of the mysterious Dragon Balls. A story about determination, despair, and hope. This is the story of Goku, the one they call Kakarot."The upcoming Dragon Ball action RPG is still without a proper title. Likewise, Bandai Namco hasn't pinned down a release date, but the game is slated to launch sometime this year for PS4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam. It is being developed by CyberConnect 2, the studio behind Asura's Wrath and Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy.In other Dragon Ball news, six more DLC characters are on the way to Dragon Ball FighterZ. The previously teased Jiren will launch later this week, on January 31, alongside the newly announced Videl, while Super Saiyan Blue Gogeta and Broly from the new Dragon Ball Super movie will follow "soon." The remaining two fighters have yet to be announced.Info from Gamespot.com

While Resident Evil 2 has a number of challenges to face in the multi-scenario campaign, some of the game's toughest encounters come right after completing the main story. After finishing both Leon and Claire's scenarios for the first time, you'll unlock a new bonus mode titled The 4th Survivor--a reimagining of the original game's extra mission. Taking control of fan-favorite U.S.S. operative Hunk, you'll need to fight through a gauntlet of the game's toughest battles to make a clean getaway with the G-Virus sample.Though the main story helped you get accustomed to the different threats in RE2, The 4th Survivor ups the challenge considerably, and you more than likely won't make it on the first few attempts. Considering how difficult of a challenge this can be, we've decided to offer up some tips to help you evade the mutants and the undead in this bonus game. Though Hunk is armed with several weapons, there are better ways to clear The 4th Survivor. And if you follow these 4 tips, you'll seldom have to fire a shot.Learn To Read The RoomThe best ways to make it through The 4th Survivor is to not only think ahead, but also to understand what you're dealing with. Despite the faster pace and wealth weapons, it's still a game about survival. As death is more than likely in this mode, you'll gradually learn more about the enemy patterns and layouts with each attempt. These never change, and with this knowledge in mind, you'll be able to better chart out a path through the many groups of zombies and mutated monsters--including anticipating when Mr. X shows up during your first entrance into the 1st floor of the Police Station.Save Your BulletsAs a standalone mission, Hunk has all that he needs to make it past the many threats in the Sewers and into the Police Station. Though he's armed with a pistol, submachine gun, a magnum, and a shotgun--along with tons of ammo and support items--you're much better off saving them. It might seem inviting to unload into the undead, but you'll actually cover a lot more ground and save yourself some headache if you just stick with avoiding most fights. With that said, there may come a time to use your weapons--particularly the magnum--against the more high-risk enemies, such as the Plant Mutants that can instantly kill you with a grab. Use your best judgement to figure where and when it's best to fire off some quick shots.Make Your Support Items CountIn addition to a set of weapons, Hunk is also armed with a suite of herbs, gunpowder, and sub-weapons. He's easily more well-armed than either Leon or Claire, however, it's also very easy to run through those items quick. Though the sub-weapons are useful to counterattack against grabs, which can happen a lot if you're not careful, they're far more useful as a tactical tool. One particular instance, the Underground Stairway section--shortly after leaving the Sewers--has eight zombies in close proximity. Running straight in will result in a number of grabs, costing you more time and resources. Situations like this are a great time to toss a flash grenade, stunning all nearby enemies and allowing you the chance to flee during the confusion.Keep Pushing ForwardThroughout The 4th Survivor, you'll not only encounter every common enemy that appeared in the game, they'll also come in greater frequency. Some locations have 10 different monsters in a single space, which can cut your run short fairly quick. Though many of the monsters you face are extremely dangerous, especially when in packs, they're also very predictable. As stated previously, the encounters will never change, making it easier to learn particular patterns. It's far more preferable to bait common enemies into attacks and run around their blindspot to press forward. For instance, during the first stretch through the tunnel, the smarter thing for you to do is to push through and evade zombies by running behind them. They won't be able to react fast enough to grab, allowing you to make a break for it.If you're able to stick with these key tips, you should be able to complete The 4th Survivor before you know it. After that's done, now you can attempt the game's hardest mission with The Tofu Survivor. Instead of Hunk, you'll play as Tofu, a giant sentient block of soy who's armed with only a knife. Good luck!For more info on Resident Evil 2, including our story recap and where to find all the weapon upgrades, be sure to check out our other features on GameSpot.Info from Gamespot.com

Capcom's Resident Evil 2 remake has debuted at the top of the UK physical sales chart for the week ending January 26. Sales monitor Chart-Track says the PS4, Xbox One, and PC horror title is Capcom's biggest launch since Resident Evil 7: Biohazard two years ago and the biggest UK launch of 2019 so far.Below Resident Evil 2, the chart paints a familiar picture. Red Dead Redemption 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 each climb one position to finish No.2 and No.3, respectively, while last week's No.1 falls three places as New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe finishes at No.4. Aside from Resident Evil 2, no new titles entered the chart this week.Capcom's remake has gone down well with critics and was awarded a 9/10 in GameSpot's Resident Evil 2 remake review. "Resident Evil 2 is not only a stellar remake of the original, but it's also simply a strong horror game that delivers anxiety-inducing and grotesque situations, topping some of the series' finest entries," wrote critic Alessardo Fillari. "But above all, the remake is an impressive game for the fact that it goes all-in on the pure survival horror experience, confidently embracing its horrifying tone and rarely letting up until the story's conclusion. Though Resident Evil 2 has its roots firmly in the past, it reworks the familiar horrors into something that feels brand new and all its own."For more on the week's biggest game, check out everything you need to know about Resident Evil 2 before playing, some useful beginners' tips, or where to find all the weapon upgrades. 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.Resident Evil 2Red Dead Redemption 2Call of Duty: Black Ops 4New Super Mario Bros. U DeluxeFIFA 19Ace Combat 7: Skies UnknownSuper Smash Bros. UltimateMario Kart 8 DeluxeGrand Theft Auto VCrash Bandicoot N. Sane TrilogyInfo from Gamespot.com

Marvel's Spider-Man is already bursting with fashion options for your wallcrawler, but Insomniac has introduced two more today with the latest update. After teasing "something fantastic" for the game, comic fans concluded it must be an homage to one of the times Spidey has teamed up with the Fantastic Four. The only question was if we would see the Future Foundation suit or the Bombastic Bag-Man suit. As it turns out, the answer is both.A post on the PlayStation Blog announced the 1.14 update for Spider-Man, which adds both iconic suits to the game. The Bombastic Bag-Man immortalizes the time the webhead was left suit-less at F4 headquarters and had to resort to a paper bag to hide his secret identity. The Future Foundation suit is from a more recent story when the group rebranded itself and welcomed new members, including Spider-Man himself. It's a bit less goofy.Along with the Sam Raimi movies suit, this shows Insomniac continuing to provide support for its blockbuster well after launch--and after the three DLC packs that introduced new suits have come to a close. Insomniac will be hosting a Twitch stream showing the suits today, January 28, at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET / 10 PM GMT (9 AM AET on January 29).Spider-Man was one of the biggest hits of the year, especially for Sony which recently announced the exclusive had sold 9 million copies. That was as of November 25, so it may have passed 10 million following the gift-giving holidays. It was also the fifth best-selling game of the year in the US, despite every other game in the top 10 (besides fellow PS4-exclusive God of War) appearing on multiple platforms. It was enough to help lift Sony's financial forecast, and the sales tracking firm NPD mentioned it as one reason total video game spending increased. For more on how Spider-Man came together, check out our in-depth post-mortem. Info from Gamespot.com

While the status of the Suicide Squad sequel is uncertain, we do know that the first movie's breakout character--Harley Quinn--is set to return to screens in 2020. Margot Robbie is reprising the role in Birds of Prey, which will team her up with other female heroes from the DC universe. The movie is now in production and a first look video has been released.The video is only 20 seconds long but actually packs quite a lot in. It starts with shots of Harley and--judging from the crossbow--Huntress walking into a large, empty room. Hypnotic electronic music plays and then there's a very quickly cut montage of the movie's characters. There's shots of Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Huntress), Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Black Canary), Ewan McGregor (Black Mask), Ella Jay Basco (Cassandra Cain), Chris Messina (Victor Zsasz), and Rosie Perez (Renee Montoya). Check it out above.This video follows an image that Robbie posted on Instagram that also highlighted Harley's new look. The movie is directed by Cathy Yan, and releases in February 2020. In November it was revealed that the movie actually has a much longer title than just Birds of Prey--an image of the script cover revealed that it is in fact named Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). The film is written by Christina Hodson, who recently scored a big hit with the Transformers spin-off Bumblebee.In May last year, Robbie spoke about her plans for the movie and described it as an "R-rated girl gang film." She also explained why it was important that Harley's second movie wasn't a solo film. "Harley loves interacting with people, so don't ever make her do a standalone film," she said. "She's got to be with other people, it should be a girl gang. I wasn't seeing enough girl gangs on screen, especially in the action space. So that was always a big part of it."A direct sequel to 2016's Suicide Squad was previously in development, but in October it was announced that James Gunn had been hired by DC to write--and possibly direct-- a reboot of the property. Gunn previously worked for rivals Marvel, but was fired from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 last summer.Info from Gamespot.com

The maker of a popular Dark Souls mod has opened his own studio. Peter "Durante" Thoman, who created the "DSfix" mod for the PC version of Dark Souls, has founded his own company with two colleagues, specializing in PC ports and providing consulting services.PC Games N reports that his company is named PH3, after all three founding members holding PhD degrees. The company just finished all the paperwork in its home company of Austria, leaving him free to make the announcement. He plans to tap his expertise and experience as a computer scientist for the new work. Thoman said he doesn't plan to license games, which he calls "a whole other can of worms" with its own kind of technical expertise. Instead, he says fans will still have to request ports they may like to see from publishers directly. "But if you gain traction, you can certainly suggest they consider our services," he said.Dark Souls was a notoriously buggy PC port, to the point that even director Yui Tanimura called it "half-assed." DSfix was widely adopted by the community as a must-have add-on to make it run properly. Later Souls ports were less slipshod, as he promised. Similarly, Demon's Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki recently said he was open to another studio handling a remaster of the original genre-defining classic, but expressed disinterest in handling it himself. Info from Gamespot.com

Nintendo Switch owners may soon be able to enjoy one of Ubisoft's biggest franchises on their portable systems. According to retailer listings, a new collection of Assassin's Creed titles is coming to Switch in just a couple of weeks.Czech store Herni-Svet has listed a Switch game titled Assassin's Creed III: Liberation Collection, with a release date of February 15. This follows an earlier product listing from German retailer Media Markt for an Assassin's Creed collection on Switch.In response to these latest listings, Ubisoft told GameSpot it does not comment on rumors or speculation, though the publisher's CEO, Yves Guillemot, told GameSpot last year that no mainline Assassin's Creed game would launch in 2019. Perhaps this new collection is a way for the company to plug that gap while it works on a brand-new game for next year.Ubisoft has not yet announced any plans to bring its hit series to Nintendo's portable console, except for last year's Odyssey, which came to Switch as a Japan-exclusive cloud-streaming game. Other than that, the last Assassin's Creed game to launch on a Nintendo console was Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag on Wii U. Assassin's Creed III, the title apparently part of this new Switch port, also came to Wii U. The other apparent Switch title, Liberation, initially launched as a PlayStation Vita exclusive in 2012, before later coming to PS3, Xbox 360, PC, PS4, and Xbox One.Info from Gamespot.com

Capcom's highly anticipated Resident Evil 2 remake is finally here, but there is still some more content in store for the survival horror game. The publisher has announced it will release a free Ghost Survivors DLC starting February 15, which will give players a chance to experience the game from three new perspectives.According to Capcom, Ghost Survivors will "explore 'what if' stories of three unfortunate souls who never made it out of Raccoon City." In No Time to Mourn, players will be cast as the gunshop owner; in Runaway, they'll play as the mayor's daughter; and Forgotten Soldier places them in the boots of the soldier.Resident Evil 2 launched for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on January 25 and has already proven to be a big success for Capcom. In the UK, the game debuted at the top of the physical sales chart. The title has also garnered near universal praise from critics, including GameSpot; we awarded it a 9/10 in our Resident Evil 2 review and called it "a terrifying experience like no other.""Resident Evil 2 is not only a stellar remake of the original, but it's also simply a strong horror game that delivers anxiety-inducing and grotesque situations, topping some of the series' finest entries," wrote critic Alessandro Fillari. "But above all, the remake is an impressive game for the fact that it goes all-in on the pure survival horror experience, confidently embracing its horrifying tone and rarely letting up until the story's conclusion."If you're new to Resident Evil 2, be sure to check out our story recap before diving in. We've also put together a helpful guide on how to clear the 4th Survivor bonus game. The remake also makes it easier to unlock the secret Tofu Mode.Info from Gamespot.com

Just when you were getting excited to chase down The Last Word, one of Destiny 1's best guns, as it makes its return to Destiny 2, Bungie goes and teases an even bigger deal: Thorn.Bungie released a trailer for its next in-game event, The Draw, for those who purchased its annual pass, which confirmed that players will be hunting down the Exotic hand cannon The Last Word. That's a Destiny 1 gun many have been wishing would make a return, and it's one that has a ton of lore and story tied to it.A hero's weapon makes its triumphant return.Prepare to add the Last Word to your holster when The Draw Exotic quest goes live 1/29. pic.twitter.com/8DjyE17jPi — Destiny The Game (@DestinyTheGame) January 28, 2019In fact, The Last Word is one part of a famous duel, in which a heroic Guardian hunted down and killed a murderous one who'd fallen to the Destiny version of the Dark Side of the Force. If you're hazy on one of Destiny's best stories, check out our lore catch-up ahead of The Draw.The Draw already looked like it would be continuing that story, which Bungie has also been advancing throughout its big Year Two expansion, Forsaken. But in the final moments of the trailer for the new event, Bungie dropped a bombshell in teasing the return of Thorn in Season 6, which starts in March.Destiny 1 players will remember either fondly or with abject disgust the weapon that often dominated the original game's competitive Crucible. Thorn fired bullets that did delayed damage over time, which meant plenty of players disparaged it and its users as being low-skilled--but that didn't harm its popularity.While Thorn's return seems all but confirmed by Bungie's trailer for The Last Word, the question of when it's coming to the game is still unanswered. Bungie previously gave us a sense of when things are happening throughout Year Two with its content map, which also breaks down which events are free to all players and which are exclusive to people who purchased the annual pass. Since The Draw is an annual pass event, it seems likely Thorn will be too--but outside of it happening sometime in Season 6, it's not clear when we can expect one of Destiny's evilest guns to once again invade the Crucible.Info from Gamespot.com

Another one of this year's biggest releases is skipping Steam in favor of the Epic Games Store. Publisher Deep Silver has announced that the PC version of its upcoming first-person shooter, Metro Exodus, will be available exclusively through Epic's digital storefront when it launches next month on February 15.Prior to this announcement, PC players were able to pre-order Metro Exodus through Steam. These pre-orders will still be honored, but the game will be delisted from Valve's storefront today, January 28, due to the new exclusivity agreement, which Valve blasts as "unfair to Steam customers." In a statement on the Metro Exodus Steam page, the company wrote:"Later today, sales of Metro Exodus will be discontinued on Steam due to a publisher decision to make the game exclusive to another PC store. The developer and publisher have assured us that all prior sales of the game on Steam will be fulfilled on Steam, and Steam owners will be able to access the game and any future updates or DLC through Steam. We think the decision to remove the game is unfair to Steam customers, especially after a long pre-sale period. We apologize to Steam customers that were expecting it to be available for sale through the February 15th release date, but we were only recently informed of the decision and given limited time to let everyone know."One of the major factors that has enticed developers away from Steam and to the Epic Games Store is its revenue terms; unlike Steam, the storefront gives companies 88% of their revenue while Epic only takes 12%, and it appears that split had a bearing on the decision to bring Metro Exodus exclusively to the platform."Epic's generous revenue terms are a game changer that will allow publishers to invest more into content creation, or pass on savings to the players," Deep Silver CEO Klemens Kundratitz said. "By teaming up with Epic we will be able to invest more into the future of Metro and our ongoing partnership with series developer 4A Games, to the benefit of our Metro fans."As another consequence of Epic's more developer-friendly revenue terms, Deep Silver is selling the PC version of Metro Exodus in the US for $50--$10 cheaper than the usual $60 price tag most new releases carry. However, the game will still cost €60 in most European countries.Metro Exodus isn't the only major PC release that will be bypassing Steam entirely. Earlier this month, Ubisoft announced that its upcoming shooter, The Division 2, will also skip Steam in favor of the Epic Games Store and its own storefront.Info from Gamespot.com