BioWare has finally announced the award you'll receive if you play the VIP demo for Anthem this weekend. The reward is a stylish blue vinyl for your Javelin, which can be equipped to any of the four in-game exo-suits.All you need to do to unlock the vinyl is play Anthem's VIP demo. To get invited to the demo, you'll either need to pre-order the game, be an EA or Origin Access subscriber, or receive a friend code from someone who has already been invited. The VIP demo starts today and continues until Sunday, January 27 at 6PM PT / 9PM ET, which is January 28 at 2AM in the UK. BioWare lead producer Michael Gamble tweeted out that he doesn't think you'll have to play the demo on the system you'll ultimately use for the main game in order to unlock the vinyl, which implies the cosmetic is tied to your EA account.Play the Anthem VIP demo, get this vinyl in the full game. pic.twitter.com/wuGrRYovu1 — Michael Gamble (@GambleMike) January 24, 2019There are many parts of Anthem's Javelins that can be customized, both in the demo and in the main game. You can choose the type of material for each section of a suit, as well as the color of armor plates. The overall wear state of the Javelin can be changed as well, ranging from brand-new to dirty, and a vinyl can be applied for an extra dash of color and style. Each Javelin can be equipped with up to three custom emotes too, as well as a unique landing animation and victory pose.But before you get to all of that, you'll need to pick out which Javelin is right for you. Although you'll be able to unlock all four in the main game, the VIP demo starts you with the Ranger and then only allows you to unlock one other Javelin after reaching level 12. The Ranger is best suited for those who prefer to fight with precision-based attacks that will support their teammates. The Interceptor's light armor, high speed, and powerful melee attacks make it ideal for close-range, hit-and-run tactics. The Colossus may be a lumbering giant, but it's got the highest defense in the game and is the only Javelin strong enough to wield heavy weapons. Finally, the Storm can hover in the air a lot longer than its fellow Javelins, and with its fast cooldown rates it can almost continuously fire off powerful blasts of ice or summon lightning strikes.There's a second Anthem demo that's free for everyone from February 1-3. Anthem comes to Xbox One, PS4, and PC on February 22, but you can play a week early on Xbox One or PC if you're an EA or Origin Access subscriber.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

Another weekend has arrived in Destiny 2, and with it, the Agent of the Nine and his bag of Exotic weapons and armor. Xur is back in the solar system, ready to sell cool items from Destiny 2's Year One to help you get anything you're missing from the time before Forsaken.You'll find Xur this week on Titan, in The Rig region. From the transmat point where you start in the area, head east and to the north edge, to check a small outbuilding near the edge of the platform.As is always the case, Xur offers a small group of random Exotic weapons and armor: One Exotic gun, and one piece of Exotic armor for each character class. The gun this week is Crimson, a phenomenal hand cannon that's awesome in the Crucible, as well as everywhere else. It fires three-round bursts like a pulse rifle, but with the same power a hand cannon usually carries. Landing kills with Crimson also heals you, as if you were a vampire, and precision kills refill the gun's magazine. Crimson is a pretty devastatingly great gun, and if you don't already have it, you should get it.In the clothing department, Xur is offering the Frost-EE5 boots for Hunters, which speed up your ability cool down timers when you sprint, and make you run faster after dodging. Titans get the Ashen Wake gauntlets, which make your solar fusion grenades explode on impact and make your grenade throws faster. Finally, for Warlocks, there's the Transversive Steps leg armor. They make you run faster and automatically reload your equipped weapon after a few steps.Here are all the Exotics Xur offers this week and what they'll cost you:Crimson (Exotic hand cannon) -- 29 Legendary ShardsAshen Wake (Exotic Titan gauntlets) -- 23 Legendary ShardsFrost-EE5 (Exotic Hunter leg armor) -- 23 Legendary ShardsTransversive Steps (Exotic Warlock leg armor) -- 23 Legendary ShardsXur also packs a couple of other handy items. One is a Fated Engram, an expensive pathway to a new Exotic. Dropping 97 Legendary Shards on the item will grant you one Year One Exotic you don't already have for that character. You can also snag a Five of Swords challenge card for free, which allows you to add difficulty modifiers that increase your score in Nightfall runs.There's not much going on in Destiny 2 this week, but that's about to change. The January 29 reset brings with it a new Exotic weapon mission called The Draw. If Xur's wares aren't doing anything for you, The Draw should offer something new: Destiny data miners have found evidence the quest will bring back a Destiny 1 Exotic, The Last Word hand cannon. The mission should also have some major story implications for everyone who has been following along with what's going on with the Drifter, the character who runs Destiny 2's Gambit mode. Check out the full rundown of what Bungie has planned for the rest of the year right here.Info from Gamespot.com

4A Games has released the PC specs for Metro Exodus, the upcoming third entry to the studio's Metro series. The developer outlines the exact requirements your machine will need to meet in order to achieve minimum, recommended, high, or extreme performance.Metro Exodus minimum graphical requirements are a tad higher than what you'd see in most games, running at an average performance of 30fps at 1080p. But the game will run on an Intel Core i5 processor and you don't need a Windows 10 OS. The same cannot be said for recommended performance or higher. To get 60fps or anything higher than 1080p, you'll need Windows 10 and your PC will need to at least be running on an Intel Core i7 processor.The full list of specs for each level of performance are listed below, and can also be seen in a comparison chart on Metro Exodus' main website.MinimumAverage Performance: 1080p at 30fpsGraphics Settings: LowOS: Windows 7, 8, or 10CPU: Intel Core i5-4440RAM: 8 GBGPU: GTX 670, GTX 1050, or Radeon HD 7870VRAM: 2 GBDirect X: 11 or 12RecommendedAverage Performance: 1080p at 60fpsGraphics Settings: HighOS: Windows 10CPU: Intel Core i7-4770KRAM: 8 GBGPU: GTX 1070, RTX 2060, or AMD RX Vega 56VRAM: 8 GBDirect X: 12HighAverage Performance: 1440p at 60fpsGraphics Settings: UltraOS: Windows 10CPU: Intel Core i7-8700KRAM: 16 GBGPU: GTX 1080 TI, RTX 2070, or AMD RX Vega 64VRAM: 8 GBDirect X: 12ExtremeAverage Performance: 4K at 60fpsGraphics Settings: ExtremeOS: Windows 10CPU: Intel Core i9-9900KRAM: 16 GBGPU: RTX 2080TIVRAM: 11 GBDirect X: 12We're excited for Metro Exodus based on what we've seen so far, despite the risky new direction for the series with the addition of large open spaces. The game still feels at its best when it sticks to its roots and puts you into cramped, enclosed locations, though.Metro Exodus releases for Xbox One, PS4, and PC on February 15.Info from Gamespot.com

Twitter has announced the top tweeted about games in 2018, and surprisingly it's not Fortnite. Despite the battle royale game's popularity, Fortnite came in second behind Fate/Grand Order.In a blog post, Twitter detailed the top gaming topics for last year. Outside of Fate/Grand Order and Fortnite, the list of most tweeted about games include Splatoon, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, Super Smash Bros., and Overwatch. Japan was the region that tweeted about gaming the most, beating out the US and UK, which might explain how a mobile title was able to beat out 2018's most Google-searched title.Be sure to take this data with a grain of salt, as Twitter's blog seems to suggest game tweets were ranked by tags, such as "@FortniteGame" instead of "Fortnite." Considering the former is longer than the latter and Twitter is a platform where every letter counts, it's likely more people referred to the battle royale game by its name only and not by its full tag. So these results could be skewed.We've outlined the top gaming topics of 2018 below.Most Tweeted Games In 2018Fate/Grand Order (@fgoproject)Fortnite (@FortniteGame)Monster Strike (@MStrikeOfficial)Splatoon (@SplatoonJP)PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (@PUBG)Granblue Fantasy (@granbluefantasy)Ensemble Stars (@ensemble_stars)Super Smash Bros. (@NintendoAmerica)Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch)Final Fantasy (@FinalFantasy)Top Countries That Tweeted About Gaming In 2018JapanUnited StatesUnited KingdomFranceKoreaSpainBrazilCanadaMexicoGermanyMost Tweeted Gaming Events In 2018E3Tokyo Game Show 2018The Game Awards 20182018 League of Legends World ChampionshipOverwatch League Inaugural Season ChampionshipELEAGUE Major: Boston 2018FACEIT Major: London 2018Gamescom 2018BlizzCon 2018TwitchCon 2018Fate/Grand Order is a mobile free-to-play RPG that's loosely based around the Fate/Stay Night visual novel. The Fate franchise follows the magical wars between Masters and Servants across multiple timelines and universes. Masters are powerful magicians that are pulled into wars where the prize is the granting of any one wish and losing typically means death. In order to accomplish their goal, Masters summon and use Servants, who are powerful warriors from different historical periods such as King Arthur, Medusa, Jack the Ripper, or Cú Chulainn.Fate/Grand Order transforms this story into party-focused, card-based combat, where you are a Master that can recruit multiple Servants. New Servants are recruited through a microtransaction-focused lottery mechanic, where you need to spend either earned in-game currency or real-world cash to unlock random characters. Fate/Grand Order is available on mobile, for both Android and iOS.Info from Gamespot.com

We may not have gotten a new assortment of PSN deals on Tuesday, but Sony has made up for it by kicking off another surprise sale in the US PlayStation Store. The PS Essentials sale is underway until February 5, offering some enticing deals on dozens of recent and popular PS4, PS3, and Vita games. And if you're a PS Plus member, you'll save an additional percentage off on all of the discounted items.The sale encompasses some of 2018's biggest PS4 releases. Sony Santa Monica's critically acclaimed God of War reboot is on sale for $26 ($28 without PS Plus), and the special edition of Red Dead Redemption 2 is discounted to $60. Both Battlefield V and Destiny 2's well-received Forsaken expansion are $30 apiece, while Hitman 2 is $36. Just Cause 4 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider are also on sale; the former is $42, while the latter is $30.If sports games are more your speed, the latest entries in many of EA's most popular sports franchises are on sale. Both FIFA 19 and NHL 19 are down to $24 each. NBA Live 19: The One Edition is $10, while UFC 3 is $24. PS Plus members can also get the intense off-road racing game Onrush for $12.Some other notable deals include Dead Cells for $17.50, Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition for $15, Grand Theft Auto V for $15, and the Spyro + Crash Remastered bundle for $49.50. Atlus's acclaimed RPG, Persona 5, is also on sale for $25, while the series' most recent dancing game spin-offs--Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight and Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight--are each $42.You can see some other good deals below; the full list can be found on the PlayStation Store. The sale is scheduled to end at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET on February 5.Abzu -- $10 / $12ARK: Survival Evolved -- $20 / $25Axiom Verge -- $10 / $12The Banner Saga -- $10 / $12.49Batman: Arkham Knight -- $8 / $10Battlefield 1 Revolution -- $18 / $24Battlefield V -- $30 / $36Burnout Paradise Remastered -- $6 / $8Dead Cells -- $17.50 / $18.74Destiny 2: Forsaken -- $30 / $34Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen -- $18 / $21FIFA 19 -- $24 / $30God of War -- $26 / $28Grand Theft Auto V -- $15 / $18Hitman 2 -- $36 / $42Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition -- $15 / $16Just Cause 4 -- $42 / $45Life Is Strange 2: Episode 1 -- $4 / $4.80Mass Effect Andromeda -- $7.50 / $12Middle-earth: Shadow of War -- $12.50 / $17.50Mortal Kombat XL -- $5 / $7NBA Live 19: The One Edition -- $10 / $13.20NHL 19 -- $24 / $30Okami HD -- $14 / $16Onrush -- $12 / $36Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight -- $42 / $48Persona 5 -- $25 / $35Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight -- $42 / $48Red Dead Redemption 2: Special Edition -- $60 / $68Shadow of the Tomb Raider -- $30 / $36South Park: The Fractured But Whole -- $18 / $24Spyro + Crash Remastered Bundle -- $49.50 / $57UFC 3 -- $24 / $30The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt -- $20 / $24Info from Gamespot.com

PUBG Corp. has released a new trailer for PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds that teases a location on the game's new Vikendi map. The location is a secret cave that's hidden on the snow map.Players discovered the secret location a few days ago, according to VG247, after Patch 25 went live on PUBG's PC Test Server. The mysterious spot is difficult to find, and this new trailer is the first time PUBG Corp. has even acknowledged that it exists. The cave is hidden inside some rock formations between Peshkova and Podvosta; it's located west of the former and northeast of the latter. You can only find it on the PC Test Server for now.To enter the cave, you'll have to use explosives or a rapidly moving vehicle and strike a specific spot, which will cause the illusionary wall to fall away. If you happen to find the cave, your efforts will be rewarded with the discovery of several airdrop loot crates, which are typically filled with the rarest, most powerful weapons and gear you can find in PUBG.Not much is known about this hidden cave, other than that the process for how it was secretly released by PUBG Corp. and eventually discovered by players is a first for the game. There hasn't ever been anything like this in PUBG before. Although, according to an interview with Newsweek in December, additions like this might not be the last."There is a [lore to PUBG], but we all prescribe to a show don't tell mentality," PUBG art director and team lead David Curd said. "In the environmental set dress we offer little clues, and, because this is an online game that's constantly updated, we're always leaking, adjusting art, and adding more lore details and story stuff. We do have stories we're excited to tell." Based on the nature of this cave, and how it received its very own trailer, it could be the first of one of these lore details planned for the game.PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is available on PC, Xbox One, PS4, and a mobile. A free-to-play version with reduced graphics, titled PUBG Lite, is scheduled to launch in southeast Asia.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

The Monday Night Wars between 1995 and 2001 were a fascinating time for the World Wrestling Federation and professional wrestling in general. For the first time, there was someone else stepping up to challenge the then-WWF on a global scale in WCW, which was victorious in the ratings for over a year.During that time, though, the WWF launched what it called the "Attitude Era" at the 1997 installment of Survivor Series. It was that show that was the sight of the infamous "Montreal screwjob" that saw Shawn Michaels defeat a departing Bret Hart in the main event. Then, on the December 17 episode of Raw, Vince McMahon made the dawn of the Attitude Era official, for better or worse."We here at the WWF think that you, the audience, are, quite frankly, tired of having your intelligence insulted," he said during a pre-taped segment. "We also think that you're tired of the same old simplistic theory of good guys versus bad guys. Surely the era of the superhero who urge you to say your prayers and take your vitamins is definitely, passe. Therefore, we've embarked on a far more innovative and contemporary creative campaign, that is far more invigorating and extemporaneous than ever before."While he was throwing around words like "invigorating" and "extemporaneous" to sound professional, the message was clear: attitude, whatever that means, was here to stay. With it came breakout superstars like "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Rock, D-Generation X, Mankind, and so much more. These characters and WWE's creative direction certainly helped the company rebound in the fight against WCW, but reexamining it, it's hard to have fond memories about the Attitude Era. Why? Well, because it was mostly awful, especially compared to today's professional wrestling standards.It's easy to look back at the period between 1997 and 2002 as the best in the company's history. It was certainly the most popular, in terms of mainstream acceptance of professional wrestling. In hindsight, though, it's a bit surprising to me what this was the era that helped WWE come out of a downward spiral and reestablish their dominance. After all, someone thought the character Beaver Cleavage--a lewd character based on the TV show Leave it to Beaver that also lusted after his mother--was a good idea. This was before Beaver was rechristened Chaz, by the way, in an equally-stupid attempt to get the former Headbanger Mosh over.In truth, that's the Attitude Era in a nutshell. For every D-Generation X invasion of WCW Nitro, there were a few horrible moments, like Yamaguchi-san screaming "I choppy choppy your pee pee" before taking a swing at Val Venis with a sword. Those are the types of things nobody ever wants or needs to see. In the Attitude Era, though, they were a fairly common occurrence. From Mae Young giving birth to a hand to the Big Boss Man being hanged by the neck inside the Hell in a Cell cage, the WWF's goal to be "edgy" and, in Vince McMahon's own words, "innovative," instead led to crass and cringe-worthy moments that are a pox on the company's high-profile era of the late '90s.And that's before you take the Divas into question. The Attitude Era was the reign of pudding bowl matches, Mr. McMahon making divas strip to keep their jobs, and--the ultimate lowlight for women's wrestling in that era--the bra and panties match, in which the goal is simply to rip off your opponent's clothes.In 2019, when women have their own Royal Rumble and it seems incredible possible the Raw Women's Championship match will headline Wrestlemania 35, looking back on the Attitude Era is tough. While it slowly got better thanks to the likes of Trish Stratus, Lita, Molly Holly, and their peers, so much of the Attitude Era's treatment of female superstars is embarrassing. It's the epitome of programming for a hormonal teenage boy and it has not aged well at all.It wasn't just the women's division and mid-card talent--raise a hand if you remember Naked Mideon--that were the victim of being driven by such absurd content on Raw and Smackdown, though. The garbage regularly infected the main event. Yes, the Attitude Era gave us memorable moments like Steve Austin's beer bath and the debut of Chris Jericho. However, it also assaulted audiences with the likes of D-Generation X wearing blackface to imitate the Nation of Domination and, perhaps the worst angle of all time: The Katie Vick story.Oh, you don't remember Katie Vick? The year was 2002, the tail-end of the Attitude Era as Kane and Triple H feuding for no apparent reason. Triple H told the world he knew Kane's "secret," which was that Kane murdered his old girlfriend, Katie Vick. Kane admitted that Katie was killed in a car accident while Kane was driving drunk. He swerved to miss a deer in the rain, and suddenly his definitely fictional girlfriend was dead because the masked half-brother of the Undertaker, whose father was a supernatural mortician because that all makes sense in wrestling.As if this entire thing wasn't in enough poor taste, the storyline continued when Triple H dressed up as Kane in a pre-taped segment and went to "Katie Vick's funeral," at which point he "had sex" with a mannequin in a casket. This aired on primetime TV in 2002 and was, by far, the lowest WWE ever sunk to tell one if its bizarre stories. Kane, the drunk driving hero of our story, reacted in the only way he could. He had his own pre-taped segment in which someone wore a Triple H mask while getting rectal surgery. I'm not making any of this up.This entire fiasco somehow lasted a month and is the absolute worst angle in WWE history. And it sums up the Attitude Era well. Two incredibly gifted performers like Triple H and Kane were saddled with what was a truly disgusting story to tell. Thankfully, both men would go onto bigger and better, but the Katie Vick story is a massive stain on their careers and one that longtime fans will never forget.That's the problem with the Attitude Era. It's hard to forget the worst aspects of it. The thing about wrestling fans, though, is the rose-colored glasses are strong. So many look back on that period of time in the WWE as cutting-edge and revolutionary. I defy those same fans to jump on the WWE Network and sit through a few weeks of Raw from 1998. While there are moments that are thrilling, they're all bogged down by convoluted storylines, 90-second matches, and likes of "Marvelous" Marc Mero and the "Real Man's Man" Steven Regal. Though, if I'm being honest, The Oddities' theme song remains a total jam.Listen, the Attitude Era was a product of a different time and while '90s "extreme" culture may excuse some of it, it doesn't do any good to look back on it as professional wrestling or sports entertainment at its peak. I, for one, would much rather have insanely competitive matches between the likes of Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles, Finn Balor, and whatever member of The Shield is being pushed at the moment, as opposed to a Kennel from Hell match. I'd rather watch Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch tear down the house, than see them rolling around in an inflatable swimming pool filled with mud.Today's wrestling product, not just in WWE but in companies like Ring of Honor and the newly-announced All Elite Wrestling, flies high above what fans were given on a weekly basis during the Attitude Era. And while certain aspects of modern pro wrestling has clearly looked to that period of time for inspiration--What's the Bullet Club without a Too Sweet and a Monday Night Raw "invasion"?--the athleticism and talent on display every single night on any given wrestling show from any major company is hard to compete with. Even Impact Wrestling is putting on entertaining shows with wildly talented rosters, if you can figure out what the hell the Pursuit Channel is.To put it simply, I'd rather watch just about any era of WWE than live through the Attitude Era again. Except for The Brood's entrance. Who do I have to talk to about getting that whole ring-of-fire elevator thing back on TV?Info from Gamespot.com

The VIP demo for Anthem is now officially live, but unfortunately it hasn't been a very smooth launch. Players have already seen messages that servers are full or been stuck on the title screen with extensive loading times, while others have been kicked out of the demo entirely with Origin momentarily going down.[Update: EA and BioWare reached out with a statement regarding some of these issues: "The main issue impacting the Anthem VIP demo on PC and PS4 has been resolved. Anyone who has had an issue on those platforms should restart the game and attempt to join again. Our team is still working on fixes for some of the issues we're seeing on Xbox One." We're still encountering a few problems on both PS4 and PC, however. Our original article continues below.]"We're adding more server capacity to the [Anthem] demo right now. Hang tight while we work to get everyone into the game," EA Help tweeted out Friday morning. That tweet was followed with another, this time addressing the long loading times, about an hour later. "We're looking into the infinite loading issue with the [Anthem] demo. In the meantime, try relaunching the game and rejoining your mission to see if that helps you," EA Help wrote.BioWare GM Casey Hudson has clarified that servers aren't actually full, tweeting "Turns out to not be a server capacity issue. Seems to be a different issue that didn't come up in previous scale testing." Hudson has confirmed that work is being done to address the issue.On top of all of this, Origin has temporarily gone down for some players--including for a few of us here at GameSpot--although the connection seems to be slowly coming back. It's possible EA's servers are experiencing a larger influx of players trying to get into the VIP demo than the company originally planned for. Despite this weekend's demo being marketed as an exclusive experience for only those who pre-order Anthem or subscribe to EA or Origin Access, every person who unlocked the demo received friend codes they could use to invite three additional people to also participate.Whatever the issue, the problem has seemingly extended to other games as well. EA has confirmed FIFA is "experiencing connectivity issues across all platforms" and we've seen examples of this on the Xbox One version of Battlefield V too. According to another EA tweet, there's widespread "login issues" across all of the company's games and services at the moment.We also ran into an audio issue on both PS4 and PC--the former of which you can see on our stream of the demo--where all sound, both in the game and on the system's menus, was somehow lost.Regardless, the VIP demo continues until Sunday, January 27 at 6PM PT / 9PM ET, which is January 28 at 2AM in the UK. If you do manage to get into the VIP demo, you'll unlock a cool-looking, exclusive vinyl that you can apply to your Javelins in the main game. If you can't manage to make it into this demo, there is another one scheduled for next weekend that will begin on February 1 at 9AM PT / 12PM ET / 5PM UK. This second demo is open to everyone, but playing it won't unlock anything special for the main game.We had the chance to play Anthem prior to the VIP demo, if you're curious as to how the game actually plays.Anthem GuidesJavelin Progression, Loot, And Loadouts: Everything You Need To KnowAnthem's Beginning: How The Game PlaysAnthem's Endgame: Everything We Know So FarAnthem releases on February 22 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. You can play a week early on Xbox One or PC if you're an EA or Origin Access subscriber.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

Even in Hobbs & Shaw, the Fast & Furious spin-off starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Jason Statham, the word "family" seems to be what matters most. As he tends to do, Johnson has been documenting the process of filming the movie on Instagram and used the social media tool to reveal some news that should be exciting to WWE fans.The actor's real-life cousin, WWE superstar Roman Reigns, has been cast to play his brother in the movie. "Good times droppin' sweat and spillin' blood with my family, Roman Reigns who'll be playing my brother in our [Fast & Furious universe]," Johnson wrote. "I'm very proud of his focus, effort and authentic performance in our movie for his very first time on film. I'm also very grateful to spend this quality time with my cousin here in the islands as he takes life one day at a time to recover from leukemia."Reigns revealed back in October that he was stepping away from WWE to battle leukemia for the second time in his life. "My real name is Joe, and I've been living with leukemia for 11 years," he said while relinquishing the WWE Universal Championship. "And unfortunately, it's back. And because the leukemia is back, I cannot fulfill my that role. I can't be that fighting champion. And I'm going to have to relinquish the Universal Championship." View this post on InstagramThe brothers’ roar. A lil’ HOBBS & SHAW exclusive. Good times droppin’ sweat and spillin’ blood with my family, Roman Reigns who’ll be playing my brother in our FAST & FURIOUS UNIVERSE. I’m very proud of his focus, effort and authentic performance in our movie for his very first time on film. I’m also very grateful to spend this quality time with my cousin here in the islands as he takes life one day at a time to recover from leukemia. His perseverance and humility battling this challenge has inspired our entire family as well as millions around the world in our beloved @WWE Universe. Can’t wait to see the “Big Dog” return back to the ring - his positive & focused mindset to return is straight up next level. Til’ then, this sacred Samoan 🇼🇸 ground you stand on is nourished with our ancestors blood. Today, we nourish it with yours. #WelcomeRomanReigns #Brothers #HobbsAndShaw THIS SUMMER 🔥💪🏾A post shared by therock (@therock) on Jan 25, 2019 at 11:16am PSTWhile there is no announced timetable for a possible return, he's clearly keeping busy with some exciting scenes in Hobbs and Shaw, while he also undergoes treatment. The photos posted by Johnson show the two celebrating their heritage by wearing Samoan garb while unleashing some serious brutality on those around them.Still, even Johnson is anxious for the day Reigns is able to return to WWE. "Can't wait to see the 'Big Dog' return back to the ring--his positive & focused mindset to return is straight up next level," the actor wrote.Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is in theaters on August 2. And for all of your WWE needs, make sure to check out our Royal Rumble coverage, from predictions for every match to everyone set to participate in the massive battle royales.Info from Gamespot.com

Detective Pikachu already has a sequel in the works. This announcement is fairly surprising, as the first movie hasn't even released yet.According to The Hollywood Reporter, Legendary has hired Oren Uziel to helm the script for the sequel. Uziel is known for his work on 22 Jump Street and The Cloverfield Paradox. His name has also been seen on a future Supergirl film planned for Warner Bros., as well as the upcoming movies Sonic the Hedgehog and Men in Black International. Uziel has not yet revealed what he has planned for the Detective Pikachu sequel.Detective Pikachu stars Ryan Reynolds as the coffee-drinking, mystery-solving, yellow Pokemon. The movie focuses on a boy, named Tim, who teams up with a Pikachu to track down his father after he mysteriously disappears. Tim's ability to understand the Pikachu makes them the perfect pair, but their clashing personalities lead to many hilarious hijinks.The cast also includes Justice Smith (who plays Tim), Kathryn Newton, Ken Watanabe, and Bill Nighy. Detective Pikachu is directed by Rob Letterman, who previously helmed Goosebumps, Captain Underpants, and Shark Tale. The movie hits theaters on May 10, 2019.The Detective Pikachu movie is loosely based on the 3DS video game of the same name. In our Detective Pikachu review, Kallie Plagge gave the game a 7/10, writing, "There's not much variety to the way you solve cases; the story follows a standard detective formula, and as long as you're thorough, you won't have too much trouble connecting the dots. But [Detective Pikachu is] full of heart, and its silly characters and intentionally campy tone are what make it fun."Info from Gamespot.com

The NPD Group has announced that Call of Duty was the best-selling console game franchise in 2018 in the US, marking the tenth year in a row that the series has earned the title. In celebration, Activision published a blog post that highlighted the best Call of Duty moments from the past decade, as well as thank fans for playing."We've been honored over these past 10 years to see the community come together, showcasing some truly incredible moments," Activision wrote. "Whether it's jaw-dropping skills, frenetic clips or just some funny experiences, we're honored to serve the most passionate community around." The blog post ended with promises that there would be more Call of Duty to expect in 2019, but no exact details were shared.Activision's 10-year streak started in 2009 with Modern Warfare 2, before moving on to Black Ops in 2010 and Modern Warfare 2 in 2011. Each following game's setting would take place in the near- to far future after that, before culminating in battles that take place in space in 2016's Infinite Warfare. 2017's WWII brought the series back to its World War roots, before Black Ops 4 once again moved the franchise back to the near-future. Black Ops 4 is the first Call of Duty game to ditch a traditional single-player campaign. Instead, the game included Blackout, a battle royale mode, that has proven to be very popular.Again, these games weren't necessarily the top selling games in the US during the year of their release--although some of them could have been. Call of Duty, in general, has just been the best selling franchise on consoles in the US for the past 10 years.If the established rotation for which developer is assigned for each Call of Duty continues in 2019, then Infinity Ward is up next. Although it has not been confirmed as a Call of Duty teaser, a tweet by Infinity Ward senior communication manager Ashton Williams hints that the next game might be Modern Warfare 4. No concrete details have been announced for 2019's Call of Duty yet, though.Also according to the NPD report, Red Dead Redemption 2 was the best-selling game of 2018 in the US, followed by Call of Duty: Black Ops IV, NBA 2K19, Madden NFL 19, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Marvel's Spider-Man, Far Cry 5, God of War, Monster Hunter: World, and Assassin's Creed: Odyssey. This data does not include digital PC sales, though, however.Info from Gamespot.com

While Resident Evil 2 has all sorts 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