It looks like Star Wars: Episode XI is coming along. Actor Anthony Daniels, who plays C-3PO, tweeted that today, January 28, was his final day on set for the big-budget sci-fi film."I'll miss everyone, but I'm glad to know that we've been making something exceptional together, to share with the waiting world," Daniels wrote, giving nothing away about the story. It's not immediately clear if other actors have finished filming their scenes as well.Today was 3PO's last on Episode IX. He's sad - so am I. But we're so proud to have worked with such a lovely, talented cast & crew lead by J.J. & Kathy. I'll miss everyone but I'm glad to know that we've been making something exceptional together, to share with the waiting world. — Anthony Daniels (@ADaniels3PO) January 28, 2019As Entertainment Weekly reminds us, Daniels has appeared in every live-action Star Wars movie to date, including the spinoff Solo: A Star Wars Story, in which he played a different character.Episode IX, which doesn't have a title or a trailer yet, hits theatres this December. It is the third and final instalment in the new trilogy that started with 2015's The Force Awakens. The movie was set to be directed by Jurassic World's Colin Trevorrow, but he was fired and replaced by JJ Abrams, who directed The Force Awakens.Lost and Lord of the Rings actor Dominic Monaghan will play an unspecified role in Episode XI, while some of the other newcomers include Keri Russell and Richard E. Grant, among others. It is purely speculation, but the Super Bowl often hosts big movie trailers, so fans might have something to look forward to on February 3 during the big game.In other Star Wars news, EA has reportedly canceled a new open-world Star Wars game in development at EA Vancouver. However, the company says it remains "fully committed" to making more Star Wars games in the future.Info from Gamespot.com

Online services issues are afflicting Fortnite players, apparently making it impossible to login to the game. As many took to Twitter to voice their frustrations, developer Epic Games acknowledged the problem and said it was working on a solution.Many players seem to be dealing with an error message when trying to enter Fortnite, but judging from the ongoing discussion on social media, many who were already logged into the game already are continuing to play. But those trying to sign on are encountering trouble at the title screen, which claims some users don't have permission to play the game. The trouble seems to be affecting all versions of the game.According to Epic Games' online services status page, game services, logins, and the Epic Games Store website are all suffering a "major outage" as of this writing. "We have identified an issue with logins and some players may have trouble connecting to Epic Games services," Epic wrote on the page. "We will keep you updated as we work towards a resolution."We’re aware that players are experiencing issues when attempting to use Epic Games services. We’re currently working on a resolution and will keep you updated. — Fortnite (@FortniteGame) January 29, 2019Other portions of the online service, like forums, friend lists, and in-game matchmaking, are still operational, the page reports.The outage is particularly frustrating for anybody working to complete Ice Storm challenges during the timed Fortnite event. Ice Storm was officially scheduled to end overnight at 1 a.m. PT / 4 a.m. ET / 9 a.m. GMT on January 29, when scheduled maintenance would add update 7.30 to the game. Epic hadn't said how long it intended the update to last, but it looks like it will add the Chiller Grenade to the game once it's complete.Info from Gamespot.com

In his time at Firaxis as the lead designer on Civilization V, Jon Shafer showed he wasn't afraid to uproot a settled and successful series and venture forth in search of something better. With At The Gates, his first release under the one-man studio moniker Conifer Games and his first game proper since Civ V, you get the feeling Shafer challenged himself to pack up the whole 4X genre and find fertile new ground on which to start over again.Connections to the past remain--technologies are researched, resource nodes are exploited, wars are inevitably waged--but Shafer's pioneering vision here is of a genre that is narrower in scope and more concerned with how players respond to the figurative hand of cards they're dealt. At The Gates is a promising starting point that, with a few thoughtful additions, has the potential to develop into a thriving empire.It all starts with a settlement. At first, you play as the Goths on a randomly generated map that represents 400 A.D. Europe. On each map is a number of rival clans, some of whom are always vastly more powerful than you are right from the start, as well as two factions of the fading, but still intimidatingly large, Roman Empire. Your aim is to grow your settlement into an empire and eventually win via one of two victory conditions: by conquering the Romans by military force or by training your own Roman Legion to assume control, i.e. an economic victory. Cleverly, factions other than the Goths are unlocked to play once you’ve met and formed an alliance with them in a previous game.As the early turns tick by, clans of people will join the settlement and you can put them to work extracting resources from the surrounding tiles. Each clan can be trained in a profession drawn from one of six disciplines, all of which are unlocked by generating knowledge to progress through the tech tree. Early decisions are influenced by the mysteries of the randomly-generated map algorithm. If it has spawned you in an area with a lot of mineral deposits you will probably want to focus your efforts on metalworking professions, a couple of diggers to extract the iron, and, say, a dredger to multiply their production.But how should you employ your fourth and final clan? While the map informs your strategy in certain directions, the whims of your population will often be tugging you in the complete opposite direction. Clans are randomly rolled a handful of traits when they arrive at your settlement's door. Some traits are unambiguously beneficial, like a +1 bonus to their movement points or with a few levels already earned in the crafting discipline, while others are downright bad, like a tendency to commit crimes; others yet are merely circumstantial, like preferring an active profession like explorer over a settled one like cheese-maker.These elements quickly start to create compelling conundrums. What do you do when, on the one hand, the mineral-rich starting area of the map might be telling you to invest in mining, but on the other hand the clans you're being sent bear all the characteristics of some really effective soldiers? Or cheese-makers? Clans can, of course, be retrained as the need for new or more advanced professions arises, but it cannot be done instantly and any experience they had accumulated in their previous profession is lost. If you've only got a village of farmers and bards when the bandits turn up, you're quickly going to regret not training at least one of them to wield a spear. Balancing the demands of the map with the skills of your clans is the core strategic concern of the entire game. Along the way--and this is where At The Gates really starts to shine--there are many ways that relationship between the map and your people can change.For one, you're not committed to your starting position on the map. In fact, at any moment you can pack up your settlement, move to a new location, and resettle. For the first 50-odd turns you'll be living something of a nomadic existence, exploring the lands, foraging for food, hunting and trapping animals, and collecting wood before moving on, crossing those mountains to the eastern coast or trekking across the steppes to the lush riverlands of the south. On a mechanical level, all the early technology you have at your disposal depletes resources--send a gatherer to work a fruit tree and they'll keep picking until the tree is exhausted. It's not until the mid to late game that you're able to build structures that don't deplete a resource and, in the case of a fruit plantation, can even replenish it. And it's at this point that you'll want to have found somewhere to make your permanent home.This makes for an early game flow that is fascinating and unusual for the 4X genre. You want to be researching technology and training clans to suit your immediate situational needs, while also identifying (but, crucially, not yet exploiting) a resource-rich region you can later claim for your eventual empire. Sometimes this is straightforward enough--in one game I spawned on a narrow land bridge connecting two continents. I fished and picked berries until I was ready to journey southeast and declare my kingdom in a river valley full of wheat and horses. Other times it's more challenging, like the time I spawned on a tiny peninsula with only a bare handful of tiles separating my settlement from the border of the Huns. The beauty here is that even when the enemy is literally at the gates, you have enough flexibility to find an alternative--in this case, several hundred miles away, preferably.The beauty here is that even when the enemy is literally at the gates, you have enough flexibility to find an alternative...The map itself also intriguingly shifts in fundamental ways thanks to both seasonal and situational changes in weather. During cold months you have to worry about supplying any units traveling outside your territory, or else that scouting party might not make it back home. It's also vital to maintain a surplus of food for the winter as many of your food sources will no longer be operational. Heavy rains, flooding, and even blizzards on specific tiles also keep things interesting, as they can see units immobilized for multiple turns, potentially throwing into chaos your carefully planned assault on a rival settlement or, if you're lucky, delaying that bandit raid on your logging camp.As the environment changes over the years, so do the people. Two clans might get into a feud and you'll be forced to pick a side. Another might be caught stealing and you'll have to decide their punishment. It's up to you to sort things out--retrain clans, shuffle them around to new locations, placate them with alcohol--before morale drops too low and everyone's unhappy. This might seem fiddly and a little prescriptive, but it's rarely as simple as it may sound. Clan Dankward may now hate Clan Waller, but the Dankwards are your best breadmakers and the Wallers your best blockcutters, you can't just send one of them out to run the sheep pasture. Besides which, the Wallers are afraid of animals and refuse to work in livestock. Working out a solution to these problems often means having to make tough decisions and uneasy compromises.None of these clans are fleshed-out characters; they're just a collection of buffs and debuffs attached to a random name and portrait. But the way their traits and desires are expressed through their abilities and little exchanges goes a long way to make you feel like you're ruling a loose collection of real people. They're not people, of course, but they're your people.The same cannot be said of the opponents you face, though. You’re always pitted against the same opponents on every map, but to my mind this is acceptable within the bounds of the scenario Shafer chose to depict. Instead, the more significant problem here is the lack of interaction with those AI opponents. To begin with, they don't particularly care about you--that's how small and insignificant you are in your initial nomadic phase. As you grow they start to take notice, but it's rarely more than a raised eyebrow here and there. Occasionally a dialogue box pops up and you can give a gift or rudely refuse one, and that's pretty much it until you're at war or you form an alliance. Essentially, you're either utterly indifferent to the AI, or you're their best friend or worst enemy, with barely any negotiating in between.Indeed, it feels like the late game in general is underdeveloped. The absence of compelling diplomacy with the AI factions plays a huge part here, as for much of the game it's perfectly possible to adopt an isolationist strategy and focus on the more economically focused victory. Pursuing the military route extends your interactions with the AI to throwing your stacked military units at theirs until you occupy their settlements and structures. Combat will be familiar to anyone who’s played Civ IV and it gets the job done in a similarly efficient, if tactically unspectacular, fashion.Even trade is handled in a curiously neutral manner, having you buy and sell goods through an anonymous caravan rather than through any interaction with the AI factions. Worse still, the concept of religion is relegated to a checkbox that has an unclear effect on an AI faction's disposition toward you. Shafer has admitted that the diplomacy features are still in their infancy and he has plans to continue to work on them post-launch. That's an encouraging sign, and one we hope also applies to these other areas, because the late game in its current form is desperately undernourished.That makes At The Gates difficult to wholeheartedly recommend. What's there right now is undeniably good; however, what's missing makes you yearn for how good it could yet be. It's a fresh, invigorating, more personal take on the grand strategy game. But at the same time, it's lacking in a few areas, and they really do hold it back from greatness. Jon Shafer has found that fertile new ground on which to settle. He just needs to give it a few seasons to grow. Info from Gamespot.com

Reliving familiar frights can often make for a less-than-exciting horror experience. But with the remake of Resident Evil 2, Capcom shows respect for the original while also going to great lengths to give the macabre atmosphere and tense gameplay a noticeable upgrade. In doing so, this revamp of the classic survival horror game shows that the series can still offer a terrifying experience like no other.You once again play as either Leon Kennedy or Claire Redfield. A viral outbreak has unleashed hordes of zombies and other grotesque monsters upon Raccoon City, leading to a series of dangerous and nightmare-inducing encounters for the two characters. While both protagonists' storylines have similar plots and take place in the same locations, there are different supporting characters and unique challenges in each that set the two playthroughs apart.In traditional Resident Evil fashion, you're tasked with surviving through the night and overcoming the nightmarish creatures and devious puzzles found throughout the infested streets of the city, the tight, dimly lit halls of the Police Station, and in the subterranean passages below. RE2 is a great mix of the understated survivalist approach from the original games and the tactile, reflex-oriented gameplay from more recent entries. It's very much a game about escalation; as your resources dwindle and the monsters become fearsome and more elaborate, the pressure is always mounting as the story progresses, and each moment feels just a bit more desperate than the last. Even the smallest of victories can feel like major wins in RE2, and you'll often find yourself onto the next struggle before you know it.While those who played the original game will enter with an idea of what's to come, the remake does a lot to refresh certain encounters and locations. Though many locales and their layouts are similar--save for the addition of a brand-new area and a new monster to deal with--the events therein are new. Jump scares don't trigger when you expect them to, or a room that once spelled certain doom in your head is now a safe haven--but then the question arises: if this room is safe, which room is the real dangerous one?Early Resident Evil games have a reputation for being melodramatic, often unintentionally, but the RE2 remake a more serious tone that makes for a more evocative story. While there is still the undercurrent of the hokey tone from the classics, with the characters cutting the tension with humor when appropriate, the remake's narrative is far more convincing, propped up by some impressive writing and strong performances that help convey urgency and despair. This is especially evident during the more quiet moments, when the protagonists will try to psych themselves up for what's to come. Even minor characters are given additional substance in the remake, with poignant moments given to the doomed police lieutenant Marvin Branagh and gun shop owner Robert Kendo.Both Claire and Leon have two different versions of the campaign, and after finishing the first run for one, you'll be prompted to start a follow-up with the other. Called Second Scenarios, they allow you to see the larger story from a different perspective. Both scenarios are totally isolated from another, and choices therein won't impact the other, but what makes these second runs worthwhile are the different encounters and sub-plots that don't occur in the first. It's a very interesting way to experience the narrative, and with four versions of the campaigns between the two leads--with the first two averaging 12-15 hours--you constantly uncover new details and events that weren't present in the previous playthroughs.Resident Evil 2's more serious tone is further enhanced by the renewed, fantastically atmospheric presentation, which gives familiar details from the classic game more of a pronounced look and feel. Moving away from the static camera angles of the original, everything has been redesigned with over-the-shoulder gameplay in mind, giving more of a palpable and invasive sense of dread when exploring. This is heightened even more by the impeccable audio and visual design of the game, creating an eerie, isolating vibe throughout. In a number of cases, you'll only have the illumination of your flashlight as you walk the dark hallways of the bloody and ruined police station, with the ambient rain and distant monster sounds ramping up the tension. You rarely feel safe in RE2, even when you actually are.The remake's impressive level of detail is consistently noticeable, but especially so during gorey moments. These gruesome encounters channel the same macabre and staccato approach from the classics, but are now honed through the visual luster of modern rendering and animation. As the zombies are the one constant threat throughout, you quickly become accustomed to seeing flesh chip away as you fire off pistol shots, along with watching the undead torn in half by well-placed shotgun blasts. Though RE2 easily proves to be the goriest game of the series, it never comes off as excessive, and the grizzly details all serve to highlight the grim circumstances of the desperate situation.Resident Evil 2's more serious tone is further enhanced by the renewed, fantastically atmospheric presentation...At the beginning, your meager selection of weapons doesn't seem like a match for the game's most intimidating horrors, but there are means available that can give you the upper hand in a lopsided fight. In addition to dismembering enemies with well-aimed shots hindering zombies' speed and offense, you can barricade certain windows to block ravenous undead from entering from outside. While many of these options are simply a temporary solution to a long-term problem, which can make it seem like they're not all that worth taking advantage of, they are helpful in a pinch.While you will no doubt settle into tactics that work well, RE2 throws in some fresh challenges. In one of the game's more tense encounters, you cross paths with the Tyrant, a hulking presence whose footsteps echo throughout the environment. Though it was a serious foe shown in small doses in the original, this imposing force of nature is now more of a persistent threat that actively stalks you during key periods in the story. Simply ducking into another room isn't enough, as it'll quickly follow you in to keep the chase going--similar to the RE3's Nemesis in that regard. If you manage to create enough distance and it loses line of sight, it'll disengage, but will remain lurking throughout the halls. With this dynamic, the Tyrant also makes the common foes you've gotten a handle of become genuine threats once again. As you find yourself trying to stay focused on the stalking figure, it's all too easy to round a corner and run into a group of zombies.Though the Tyrant offers a nerve-wracking surprise during some of these key moments, which makes the feeling of getting the best of it all the more satisfying, there are other times when it can disrupt Resident Evil 2's pacing. This is especially frustrating when you're simply trying to acquire an item or solve a puzzle in a room that the Tyrant and zombies frequent. What should be tense encounters can sometimes become annoying exercises in trying to lure it away, and in some cases it comes off like you're taking advantage of the Tyrant's rather limited AI to do just that. The Tyrant can overstay its welcome, but in most cases, its presence is a constant reminder of the looming threat throughout the game.While RE2 often keeps things serious, it's not all doom and gloom. In addition to occasional references that break the tension, there's also a suite of unlockable content available to the delight of RE fans, including the classic RE2 outfits for both Leon and Claire. After completing the campaign for both characters, you'll unlock a set of bonus modes starring fan-favorites Hunk and Tofu, the later of which is a sentient knife-wielding block of coagulated soy. Both of these extra modes take you on timed gauntlets battling through many intense encounters, with Tofu's mode being the most difficult scenario in the entire game. They also allow for a chance to cut loose against hordes of monsters without the worry of the larger survival-horror mechanics during the main game.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. 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.Info from Gamespot.com

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 original Resident Evil 2 was notorious for bonus characters that were difficult to obtain. For the Resident Evil 2 remake, Capcom has eased off the difficulty of gaining those extra characters, making them much more obtainable for the average player.The two hidden bonuses are the 4th Survivor scenario, in which you play as Hunk, and Tofu Mode, starring a squishy block of the soy-based meat substitute. Those characters used to require finishing both scenarios and finishing them in a very particular pattern, respectively. The remake, on the other hand, unlocks the 4th Survivor simply by finishing the game, and then completing the The 4th Survivor scenario unlocks Tofu.That's still a time commitment, of course, but the method is a lot less complex and would probably naturally show up for most people in the course of a regular play. This is probably a sign of changing times, as nowadays the Internet has rendered obscure hidden secrets largely obsolete.If you feel a little rusty on your Resident Evil lore, you can catch up with all the story you need to know to prepare yourself for this remake. And while you're at it, read up on our pre-order guide to see which bonuses you might want to take advantage of.Info from Gamespot.com

A controversial bit of Assassin's Creed Odyssey downloadable content will be changed in a future patch following a backlash from fans. Spoilers follow for the Shadow Heritage episode of Odyssey's DLC.At the end of the Shadow Heritage episode, your character has a child from a heterosexual relationship. Those who had spent hours playing their Kassandra or Alexios as LGBTQ--or simply not interested in relationships at all--felt forced into a plot development.The backlash was enough to prompt an apology from Ubisoft, and now the company is taking it a step further. In a production update, the studio said that it will alter a cutscene and dialogue choices for the second episode, and it will also change to the name of the associated trophy/achievement. All this will be coming in an upcoming patch, and Ubisoft is looking into the next episode, called Bloodline, to make sure that it doesn't create a similar issue.The bloodline aspect was the given reason for the controversial ending in the first place, as creative director Jonathan Dumont said that the idea was to show how "your character's bloodline has a lasting impact on the Assassins." At the same time, he acknowledged the problem."We want to extend an apology to players disappointed by a relationship your character partakes in," he said. "Alexios/Kassandra realizing their own mortality and the sacrifice Leonidas and Myrrine made before them to keep their legacy alive, felt the desire and duty to preserve their important lineage. Our goal was to let players choose between a utilitarian view of ensuring your bloodline lived on or forming a romantic relationship. We attempted to distinguish between the two but could have done this more carefully as we were walking a narrow line between role-play choices and story, and the clarity and motivation for this decision was poorly executed."The LGBTQ organization GLAAD celebrated the move in a tweet, saying it is pleased with Ubisoft's decision and that the change is "an important first step toward mitigating the damage done by the game's latest DLC."While Assassin's Creed Odyssey received a mostly positive reception, including in GameSpot's review, the romance options were criticized as shallow."Romancing side characters is also possible in Odyssey. While some of these scenes can be amusing, they're mostly just bizarre shows of affection that have no real purpose," wrote critic Alessandro Fillari. "These scenes almost always result in a shallow aside during the conversation, with the characters slinking off-screen before returning to the conversation without skipping a beat. Most often, these awkward romance opportunities appear immediately after (or during) otherwise harrowing events. Aside from seeing some additional scenes with certain characters, there's really no benefit to engaging in romance at all. The inclusion of these scenes feels cheap and can sully otherwise interesting conversations."Info from Gamespot.com

Red Dead Redemption 2's online mode is getting some significant improvements today, alongside freebies for those who log in and play this weekend. Red Dead Online is getting tweaks to its matchmaking in the battle royale mode Gun Rush.According to the announcement from Rockstar, it's rolling out some minor improvements to Gun Rush matchmaking immediately, with long-term plans in the works as well. For now, the tweaks are aimed at generating fuller lobbies, and the studio promises more ambitious title updates to further address the slim lobbies issue in the future. It has also opened a dedicated Feedback section to Gun Rush suggestions.To encourage players to give Gun Rush another go, Rockstar will be giving five Gold Bars to anyone who logs on this weekend, January 25-27. The reward will be delivered by Tuesday, January 29.In the long-term, Rockstar reiterated that it's working on implementing changes that it recently detailed. Those include loads of quality-of-life improvements like Parley changes, Law and Bounty improvements to reduce griefing, and Daily Challenges with gold nugget rewards. Those are said to be arriving in a title update in the coming months.Recently Red Dead Redemption 2 has made headlines for being the target of a lawsuit from the real-life Pinkerton Detective Agency. The agency says that using their actual name could confuse players into thinking the company was involved in development, and asks for a lump sum or royalty fee. Rockstar has responded that as an agency with historical relevance, it cannot use its trademark in this way.Info from Gamespot.com

Facebook reportedly allowed developers to obscure real-money transactions, while profiting millions from minors who made purchases without permission from their parents.CBS News reports that just-released documents from a 2012 lawsuit show that Facebook was aware of the problem of kids making purchases through its games and apps without their parents' consent. In part, the suit alleges, this was because Facebook allowed developers to obscure the transactions in which a credit card would be charged.The suit was filed by Glynnis Bohannan, whose 12-year-old son racked up almost $1,000 playing Ninja Saga. When she discovered the charges and asked her son about them, he showed her that the stack of in-game currency would blink when it depleted, and he would click to make the coins replenish--all without any indication that it was charging real money.The practice is called "friendly fraud," a common anti-fraud term to differentiate it from a hostile theft. Depositions from the suit show that Facebook employees hesitated to address the issue because it would reduce profits. The company calculated that minors made purchases totaling $34 million in the six year period between 2008 and 2014. It also calculated refund requests from Angry Birds, finding that more than 90% were because of friendly fraud.In a statement, Facebook said, "we routinely examine our own practices, and in 2016 agreed to update our terms and provide dedicated resources for refund requests related to purchases made by minors on Facebook."Info from Gamespot.com

Wargroove looks to be an homage to classic tactics games like Advance Wars, with the added twist of an online multiplayer element. Developer Chucklefish announced that you can play against your friends cross-platform, but one console is conspicuously missing from the line-up.In a tweet, the studio said you can play across PC, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One, and an accompanying short video clip shows the cross-play functionality. Notably absent is PlayStation 4, which is also receiving the game alongside the others on February 1.This is a familiar sight. Sony has counted itself out from cross-play for a long time, only recently reversing course for the mega-hit Fortnite. Even then it was only after Microsoft and Nintendo made a point of teasing Sony about it together. Still, this was posed as a beta to test the functionality, and Sony is still only planning to allow other games on a case-by-case basis. Rocket League, long requested for cross-play, just recently became the second game to use the functionality.Sometimes your friends aren't in the same faction as you, and that's okay! No need to start a war, keep your band together with multiplayer cross-platform play on PC, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One, when Wargroove launches on February 1st! pic.twitter.com/Z6svC6MyL7 — ⚔️ Wargroove (@WargrooveGame) January 25, 2019Given all that, it's unsurprising that Wargroove isn't included, but Chucklefish is still not-too-subtly pointing it out. Though it's targeting several platforms for simultaneous release, it was given a prime spot on Nintendo's "Nindies" presentation earlier this week, where the release date of February 1 was announced.Info from Gamespot.com

The Dead or Alive series hasn't quite reached the same heights as Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter, but with that said, it's still a fighting game series that's carved out a place for itself alongside the others since its debut nearly 23 years ago. With Dead or Alive 6 slowly approaching its March 1 launch--releasing on PC, PS4, and Xbox One--the developers at Team Ninja plan for the next game to offer more single-player and online content, with the aim that this will attract greater interest for large-scale competitive play.While attending a recent hands-on session for the soon-to-be-released fighter, we talked with game director Yohei Shimbori, who spoke about the lessons learned from the free-to-play experiment with DOA5, and what the series hopes to accomplish in 2019."There's many different kinds of fans for fighting games," said the director. "Some play it for the story, some play it for esports. We saw that when Street Fighter 5 came out, it didn't have a story mode, and there was a lot of controversy around that. Once we saw that, we knew that people really wanted a story mode in their fighting games. There are also a lot of fans who really gravitate to certain characters. We focused more on that in DOA5 and the free-to-play versions, and with the expanded customization in DOA6, we wanted the fans to create their own personal versions of that character."Recently, the game's launch was delayed till March 1, away from its original release on February 15. According to the developers, this was to ensure that the game would be in stable shape for its debut. While the DOA series has had a particular reputation for blending fast, fighting action with characters that leaned heavily into fan-service territory, the developers want the series to be taken more seriously as a contender with DOA6, which they hope will push the franchise further into the spotlight."I'm very proud of how we're able to release this game after DOA5, as there was a pretty long gap when that game launched," Shimbori said. "Also, I'm very happy to see that the esports movement has gotten bigger in recent years. I really want to work with fans to help DOA expand and reach that type of stage. My dream is for the DOA fanbase is for it to grow even larger than from what it is today."For more on Dead or Alive 6, such as the current roster and what to expect from the comprehensive customization options, be sure to check back with GameSpot.Info from Gamespot.com

The Kickoff Show is all over, and it's time for the main card of the first major WWE PPV of the year, the Royal Rumble. There were three matches during the Kickoff Show, all of them were for various WWE titles. You can find the full results below and keep refreshing the page for more Royal Rumble results as they happen.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)Match in progressUpdating...Info from Gamespot.com

As teased, Bandai Namco shared some big Dragon Ball-related news during this weekend's Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour Finals. 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."Bandai Namco still hasn't announced a title for the upcoming Dragon Ball action RPG. Likewise, the publisher hasn't pinned down a release date, but the game is slated to launch sometime this year, and it's coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.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

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 a leaked trailer (which has since been removed, although you can watch a mirror here), 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.Bandai Namco hasn't announced pricing details for the new FighterZ Pass. The first FighterZ Pass cost $35 and added eight characters: Broly, Bardock, Vegito, Fused Zamasu, base Goku and Vegeta, Cooler, and Android 17. Each previous DLC character could also be purchased individually for $5.Info from Gamespot.com

Nintendo has provided an update on the state of Metroid Prime 4. In a video, senior managing executive officer Shinya Takahashi admitted that development of the game thus far hasn't reached the standards the publisher wanted and the project has been rebooted. Additionally, Retro Studios, the Texas-based team that developed the three previous entries in the series, has been brought back to work on the sequel."Although this is very regrettable we must let you know that the current development progress has not reached the standards we seek in a sequel to Metroid Prime series," Takahashi said. "Nintendo always strives for the highest quality in our games and in our development phase, we challenge ourselves and confront whether the game is living up to that quality on a daily basis."From this perspective, we have determined that the current development status of [Metroid Prime 4] is very challenged, and we had to make a difficult decision as a development team. We have decided to re-examine the development structure and change it."Takahashi went on to confirm Kensuke Tanabe, producer on the game, will work "in trust and collaboration with the studio that developed the original Metroid Prime series, Retro Studios ... and restart development from the beginning." This collaboration, he said, will allow Nintendo to make a sequel that will meet the expectations of fans.Takahashi also attempted to reset some of these expectations, particularly around how soon people will be able to see and hear more about Metroid Prime 4. "This change will essentially mean restarting development from the beginning," Takahashi reiterated, "So the completion of the game will be delayed from our initial internal plan."It will be a long road until the next time we will be able to update you on the development progress, and development time will be extensive. However, we will continue developing the game so that when it is completed, it will stand shoulder to shoulder with the past Metroid Prime series titles."Metroid Prime 4 was first announced at E3 2017, with a very short teaser that simply showed a logo and a message that read "Metroid Prime 4 - Now in development for Nintendo Switch." Shortly after its reveal, it was confirmed that Retro did not have any involvement in the project. Reports later suggested that Bandai Namco was working on the game in some capacity. Bandai Namco has collaborated with Nintendo on multiple Smash Bros. games, but its involvement with Metroid Prime was never confirmed.The return of Retro Studios will no doubt come as good news for fans of the Metroid Prime series. The team itself has changed somewhat since it was last working on Metroid, with key members of the Prime development team leaving to establish Armature Studio. Retro Studios has maintained a strong relationship with Nintendo, developing Mario Kart 7 for Nintendo 3DS and various Donkey Kong Country games for Wii, 3DS, Wii U, and Switch. Info from Gamespot.com