Remedy Entertainment's next game, Control, has no shortage of science fiction weirdness and supernatural creepiness. A lot of that revolves around the Oldest House, a strange building where alternate dimensions and realities converge. It's where a government agency called the Bureau of Control, tasked with understanding and managing all the weirdness, sets up its headquarters.The latest trailer for Control endeavors to fill players in a little bit more about the Oldest House and what exactly the Bureau of Control is all about. It's narrated by James McCaffrey, who Remedy fans will recognize as the voice of Max Payne from the first two games in that franchise. In the trailer, McCaffrey plays Zachariah Trench, the director of the Bureau of Control. We know that Trench dies before he's replaced by Jesse Faden, Control's player character, but it seems Trench will be a presence throughout the story.As Trench explains, the Oldest House was discovered in the 1960s by Control agents, and while on the outside it looked like a normal skyscraper, on the inside, it was anything but. The trailer fills in a bit of story as relates to what might be supernatural events in our world, suggesting that things like haunted houses are actually places where other dimensions seep into our own. The Oldest House has rooms and rooms of such places.The trailer also gives glimpses of the Hiss--the supernatural force that invades the Oldest House and can possess Bureau agents--and drips with oppressive atmosphere and horror leanings. At E3 2018, Remedy boss Sam Lake discussed how Control invokes the dark sci-fi genre known as the new weird, which encompasses stories like Annihilation, and this trailer definitely gets that across. Now we have to wait for Control's release sometime in 2019 to find out just how weird the Oldest House can get.Info from Gamespot.com

With the end of December drawing near, Microsoft has announced the Xbox Games With Gold for January 2019. It's a solid lineup of Xbox One and Xbox 360 games that anyone with an Xbox Live Gold membership will be able to download for free during various times throughout the month. Let's take a look at the first games that will be available in the new year.Between January 1-31, Xbox One owners can download Celeste. This pixelated platformer is all about jumping and dashing through expertly designed (but seriously challenging) obstacles as you make your way to the peak of a mountain. It has simple, tight controls that you'll need to master in order to make it through terrain riddled with things like pits, spikes, bounce pads, and toxic black goo. Thankfully, the checkpoint system is forgiving enough that you're never put too far back after your many inevitable deaths.The other Xbox One freebie is the racing game WRC 6 FIA World Rally Championship. This realistic rally game puts you face to face with all manner of challenges, including mud, fog, darkness, and ice, plus car troubles like engine breakdowns and punctured tires. If you're up for it, you can grab WRC 6 between January 16 and February 15.The Xbox 360 Games with Gold for January are acclaimed titles as well, and thanks to backwards compatibility, you can play them both on Xbox One. You can pick up the two-player action/puzzle game Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light from January 1-15. And between January 16-31 you can grab Far Cry 2, an open-world shooter some fans consider superior to its numerous sequels.That's what's coming in January. Right now it's not too late to download some of December's Games with Gold, including QUBE 2, Never Alone, and Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction.Games With Gold January 2019Xbox OneCeleste (Jan. 1-31)WRC 6 FIA World Rally Championship (Jan. 16-Feb. 15)Never Alone (Dec. 16 - Jan. 15)Xbox 360Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (Jan. 1-15)Far Cry 2 (Jan. 16-31)Info from Gamespot.com

Following the release of Operation Absolute Zero on Xbox One and PC, Treyarch has rolled out another update for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. This one focuses primarily on tweaking armor durability and repair in Blackout mode, but it also makes a handful of changes specific to the PC version of the game.As Treyarch detailed on Reddit, armor has been given an all-around nerf in Blackout mode. The durability of Level 2 and 3 armor has been reduced to match that of Level 1 armor, while the number of armor plates that can be carried at once has dropped from 10 to five.Moreover, Treyarch has increased the amount of time it takes to use an armor plate by one second. The developer has also "slightly increased" Paladin weapon damage against armor."While we're pleased to see Armor lasting through more than one gunfight with this redesign, we agreed that Level 2 and Level 3 Armor was a bit too durable," Treyarch wrote. "With the durability dialed back on these, players should be able to destroy their enemies' Armor more frequently."Along with the armor adjustments, Treyarch has added Weapon Camo support to Blackout. Now, players can apply any Camos they've earned in multiplayer, Zombies, or the Black Market to their weapons in the battle royale mode. The developer has also addressed a handful of issues across all platforms, including some stability improvements to the newest Zombies chapter, Dead of the Night.In terms of PC-specific changes, Treyarch has fixed a bug that prevented players from changing their reticle color, as well as one "where a console prompt would be displayed in the tutorial screen when opening the Create-A-Class menu for the first time." You can find the full patch notes for the December 19 update on Reddit.Info from Gamespot.com

Razer has unveiled its newest wireless keyboard and mouse, which are specifically designed to work with Xbox One. Called Razer Turret, the mouse and keyboard set retails for $250 USD.There's nothing stopping you from using the Razer Turret on a PC, but the mouse and keyboard come with certain features that make it ideal for Xbox One. The Turret comes with both Razer Chroma and Xbox Dynamic Lighting, which pair up and cause the keyboard to light up in sync with the games you play. There's also an Xbox dashboard key that allows you to immediately return to your console's home page.The wireless mouse and keyboard offer up to 40 hours of play on one charge, with the keyboard and mouse having a lifespan of 80 million keystrokes and 50 million clicks respectively. Part of the keyboard can also extend, providing a smooth surface for the mouse--which is stylized after Razer's Mamba Wireless--so you can play with the Turret on your lap without a desk or a table if you prefer.November's Xbox One update added mouse and keyboard support to the console. However, support was not implemented for every game. The update simply adds the option, and developers can decide whether or not they want to implement the control scheme in their game when it comes to Xbox One. Fortnite, Warframe, and War Thunder were the first games to support mouse and keyboard controls on Xbox One with Minecraft, Bomber Crew, Deep Rock Galactic, Strange Brigade, Warhammer: Vermintide 2, and X-Morph: Defense following in late November. Children of Morta, DayZ, Minion Master, Moonlighter, Vigor, Warface, and Wargroove are scheduled to be updated with mouse and keyboard controls at a later date.The Razer Turret is available for pre-order on the Microsoft Store, but it doesn't have a definitive release date beyond Q1 2019. There's currently a limited-time offer on the Turret where you net a $25 USD Xbox gift card with a pre-order.Info from Gamespot.com

It's that time of year again, when Steam takes a large swath of the PC games in its massive library and drops prices. It's the Steam Winter Sale, and it's live between now and January 3. So if you could use some new games in your life and you're interested in saving money, check out what's on sale. There's a good chance you'll find something worth buying.But first some freebies. When you check in on Steam between now and January 3, you can click on the Extremely Cozy Cottage of Surprises to receive free digital Steam Community items and DLC each day of the sale. It's obviously part of a plan to keep you coming back, but that's just business.As for the games on sale, there are so many it's hard to choose where to start. But let's kick things off with the big games of 2018. Assassin's Creed Odyssey just came out a few months ago, but it's already available for the agreeable price of $30. Far Cry 5 is down to $28, while Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age is discounted to $36. And if you want to get creative with your kills, you can't go wrong with Hitman 2, on sale for $42.Some of the biggest indie games of the year are also on sale, including the challenging platformer Celeste for $16, the roguelike Metroidvania Dead Cells for $20, and the hole simulator Donut County for $9.75. And if you want to get mad at your friends, you can pick up Overcooked 2 for $19.Even bigger savings are available on older titles. For instance, Prey will only set you back $15, while RPG fans can grab Divinity: Original Sin II for $29. Grand Theft Auto V is on sale for one of its lowest prices ever at $15, and Undertale is only $4.You'll find more highlights from the Steam Winter Sale below, or you can check out the full list on Steam.Armello -- $10 / £7.50Assassin's Creed Odyssey -- $30 / £25Assassin's Creed Origins -- $20 / £16.50Castle of Illusion -- $4 / £2.50Celeste -- $16 / £12Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy -- $26 / £22.75Dead by Daylight -- $10 / £7.50Dead Cells -- $20 / £17.60Danganronpa 1 + 2 -- $18 / £13.50Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony -- $36 / £30Divinity: Original Sin II -- $29.25 / £19.50The Division -- $7.50 / £6.30Donut County -- $9.75 / £7.70Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age -- $36 / £24Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen -- $9 / £7.20Dying Light -- $16 / £10Far Cry 5 -- $28 / £20Grand Theft Auto V -- $15 / £12.50Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice -- $15 / £12.50Hitman GotY Edition -- $20 / £14.40Hitman 2 -- $42 / £31.50Hollow Knight -- $10 / £7.25Jurassic World Evolution -- $13.75 / £11.25Left 4 Dead Bundle -- $3 / £2.50Lego DC Super-Villains -- $20 / £17.50Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience -- $16 / £16.75Metro Redux Bundle -- $7.50 / £5.60Monster Hunter World -- $40 / £33The Orange Box -- $3 / £2.30Overcooked 2 -- $19 / £15Planet Coaster -- $11 / £7.20PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds -- $20 / £18Portal 2 -- $2 / £1.45Prey -- $15 / £10Pyre -- $8 / £6.20Rainbow Six Siege -- $12 / £7.50Reigns: Game of Thrones -- $3 / £2.25Resident Evil 7: Biohazard -- $19.50 / £13Salt and Sanctuary -- $9 / £6.80Shantae: Half-Genie Hero -- $10 / £7.50Shantae: Risky's Revenge Director's Cut -- $5.50 / £3.85Shenmue I & II -- $19.50 / £16.25Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition -- $4.50 / £3Sonic Mania -- $7 / £5.10South Park: The Fractured But Whole -- $15 / £12.50Stardew Valley -- $11.25 / £8.25Steamworld Dig 2 - $10 / £7.50Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition -- $8 / £10The Talos Principle -- $6 / £4.50Undertale -- $4 / £2.80Valkyria Chronicles -- $7 / £5.10Valkyria Chronicles 4 -- $30 / £25Watch Dogs 2 -- $14 / £11.80The Witcher 3: GotY Edition -- $20 / £14XCOM 2 -- $15 / £8.75Yakuza 0 -- $13.40 / £10Info from Gamespot.com

For Honor is mingling with another Ubisoft property, with a limited-time Assassin's Creed crossover event. The "For the Creed" event will run from December 20 to January 10 and will feature familiar Assassin's Creed characters with trappings of the animus.During the duration of the event, you can play a special 4v4 Dominion mode called "Assassini e Templari" in which you capture zones to lure out one of two commanders: Ezio Auditore da Firenze or Cesare Borgia. Defeating either commander gives you 300 points, and reaching 1000 points and defeating the opposing team during the breaking period will win the match.The maps rotating in the Assassini e Templari mode will feature animus glitches and soldiers will be themed after the factions in the AC series. Your drop attacks will appear as Leap of Faith and air assassination animations, and game modes will be displayed using an animus theme. Some game modes will also be narrated by Warren Vidic of the Animus Project.You can also earn some new customization items, like the Odyssey of the Misthios mask from Assassin's Creed Odyssey, a Haystack emote, Hidden Blade execution, animus effects and battle outfits, Assassin and Templar outfits, and weapons from the franchise. A special For the Creed bundle will be available for 35,000 Steel per hero.For Honor and Assassin's Creed seem tonally similar enough that a crossover makes sense. Ubisoft recently played matchmaker for two of its other franchises, with a special event that put Rainbow Six characters and story beats into Ghost Recon Wildlands.Info from Gamespot.com

Skybound Games has announced that the final two episodes of the PC version of Telltale's The Walking Dead: The Final Season will be exclusively available through the Epic Games Store. The PC version of the previous two episodes of the final season will also be added to the store.This does not apply to anyone who's already purchased the Season Pass for TWD: The Final Season. If you've purchased the Season Pass through another PC game store--such as Steam--then you will still get the last two episodes through said retailer. However, if you've been buying episodes of the PC version of The Final Season individually, then you'll have to go through Epic for the last bits of the story."The team at Epic owns a major chapter in the history of the game industry," wrote Skybound Games CEO Ian Howe and president of interactive Dan Muray in a prepared joint-statement, according to Variety. "We're excited to work together on their latest transformative event with the launch of the Epic Games Store. Epic stepped up to the plate immediately to work with us in order to bring the original team back together and ensure fans will receive the completed season of Telltale's The Walking Dead: The Final Season."This announcement comes in on the tail end of several major events that shook up the games industry. After facing a financial crisis, Telltale closed its doors and laid off pretty much its entire staff, as well as announcing the cancellation of TWD: The Final Season. However, Skybound saved the game and took over development, and also did its best to hire on former Telltale employees to finish the project. Epic announced its game store months after, creating direct competition to Steam with the reveal of exclusive titles such as Hades and Journey, as well as a more favorable revenue split for developers. Days later, Discord followed up that announcement with the reveal that its game store would also have a better revenue split for developers in comparison to Steam, and also secured its own exclusive titles. The landscape of PC gaming is certainly changing, with both Epic and Discord making big moves to combat Steam's control of the market.Episode 3 of TWD: The Final Season, titled Broken Toys, is scheduled to release on January 15, the same day the game is made available for consoles.Info from Gamespot.com

Sure, you could peruse the Steam Winter Sale for big discounts on PC games. Or you could hop on over to the Humble Store and grab a copy of Lego The Lord of the Rings for free. All you need is a Humble account and a willingness to subscribe to the Humble newsletter (you can always unsubscribe later), and you can add it to your library. No other strings are attached. Get your copy here.The only problem is that the deal doesn't last long. It goes away December 22 at 10 AM PT (1 PM ET). It's also possible codes for the game will run out, so head to the Humble Store quickly to secure your freebie.As for the game itself, like the book and film trilogy it's based on, it follows the adventures of Frodo Baggins, an unlikely hero who ends up transporting a ring of great power into the realm of the enemy to see to its destruction. The big differences are that many parts of the game are made of destructible Legos, and it's suffused with the Lego franchise's signature brand of humor.In GameSpot's 8.5/10 Lego The Lord of the Rings review, Jason Venter wrote, "TT Games and Lego struck gold when they united for Lego Star Wars in 2005, and that rich vein is still yielding worthwhile results. Lego The Lord of the Rings is perhaps the finest treasure that the partnership has yet produced, a compelling mixture of cooperative gameplay, secrets galore, and a story that remains one of the most fantastic that Hollywood has ever captured on film. If you haven't given the Lego games a chance yet, there has never been a better time to start."Grab your copy before the game goes back to regular price.Info from Gamespot.com

For all its mechanical issues, there is one very crucial reason why Skyrim, another major game that got an after-the-fact VR port, worked so well: It was breathtaking to be in that world. There were dragons and dangers and perils, naturally, but there was also peace, serenity, beauty, and an undeniable sense of grandiosity. These are all things that, unless you're specifically making a horror game, make a virtual experience worthwhile. The biggest problem, then, with porting Borderlands 2 to VR is that right from its first minutes, Pandora is such an ugly, cruel, obnoxious place that immersion works against it.That's the tip of the iceberg as far as Borderlands 2 VR goes, however. By and large, it's still the same game, with all the problems it's always had. Story-wise, every aspect of the game either actively insulting you or trying to kill you at every turn with little to no respite can get grating. Gameplay-wise, it is still very much the old MMO-inspired shooter it's always been, where the goal is more about increasing your stats and collecting better loot than the sheer thrill of killing maniacal wastelanders ad nauseum. Even still, the game has its charms: the sheer variety of weaponry and enemies, the wild comic cel-shaded art style, and a sense of humor that, when it lands, lands big. These are the things that Borderlands 2 VR maintains.Having said that, Gearbox giveth and Gearbox taketh away for this port. The big loss here is that co-op is entirely gone, which is the one thing that made the grind of Borderlands 2 tolerable. Borderlands 2 solo is a frustrating experience the deeper you go, and this exacerbates that problem. On top of that, Borderlands 2 VR is just Borderlands 2--as in, the Pre-Sequel and the DLC are nowhere to be found. Combine all that with the fact that the game's cutscenes haven't been rendered in VR, meaning frequent and jarring shifts to Theater Mode, which makes this feel more like a protracted experiment rather than a well-curated, definitive experience meant to stand on its own.The feeling that the game is just throwing ideas about how Borderlands should operate in VR at the wall to see what sticks extends to the way it controls. There's only two ways to control the game: the DualShock 4 or the PS Move controllers, which means yes, once again, the often-neglected PS Aim controller has gone ignored in a game that could have been better for its inclusion. Between the two, weirdly enough, the advantage goes to the DualShock, which is mostly using the same control scheme as The Handsome Collection, save for jump and crouch. The PS Move, on the other hand, is a convoluted mess of commands where the only button that adheres to logic is the trigger to fire your guns.Movement is handled by holding down the Move button and tilting the left controller whichever way you want to move, which is fine for simple traversal, but Borderlands' enemies are hectic and know how to use cover; a weapon's accuracy has never been more crucial, and it's the stat you find at acceptable levels in new guns the least. The DualShock scheme is superior here as well, with aiming handled entirely with the PSVR headset by itself instead of the controller, which surprisingly feels far more intuitive than aiming with your hand. Much of that has to do with how wonderfully comprehensive the options are in terms of customizing your VR experience to scale with your personal level of VR sea legs. If there's any one thing Borderlands 2 VR gets 100% right, it's this.The one other major change to the game is a rather fundamental one: the addition of a slo-mo mechanic called BAMF Time that allows you to slow time to a crawl for a brief period. It's balanced just well enough so that it doesn't break the game, and it does make up for VR's shortcomings, especially in the early, clumsy stage. More than this, it turns out to be just the tool the doctor ordered to deal with some of the more frustrating areas--read: any place where there's Threshers involved--without having a rage-induced heart attack.Thing is, even with the net positives, Borderlands 2 isn’t necessarily better with the PSVR involved. The things that make Borderlands appealing mostly boil down to the humor and the meticulous management of your arsenal, neither of which are easier or prettier in VR--Borderlands is still best experienced with the Handsome Collection, which also includes co-op and and hours hours more of Tiny Tina. The things Borderlands 2 in VR brings to the table are all things we've seen better executed elsewhere. Pandora ain't no place for a hero. Even with slo-mo, and the ability to point and shoot with your own eyes and hands, it still isn't. Info from Gamespot.com

Hot on the heels of its release on PC, Vikendi has arrived in the mobile version of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. The new snow map is now available on both iOS and Android as a free update, and it comes alongside a handful of other new features.Unlike PUBG's other maps thus far, Vikendi is 6x6 km large, making it smaller than Erangel and Miramar--both of which are 8x8 km--but larger than the 4x4 Sanhok. Its defining feature is its snow-covered terrain, which encompasses mountains, open fields, frozen lakes, and deserted villages.The map also boasts some unique elements, including an exclusive vehicle--snowmobiles. Players will also be able to take part in snowball fights on the spawn island. You can take a closer look at the map in the trailer below.In addition to Vikendi, the latest update for the mobile version of PUBG introduces cross-server matchmaking and improved anti-cheating measures. PUBG Corp. and Tencent have also added a firearm finish upgrade system, as well as "Lucky Treasure," which gives players a chance to get the Glacier - M416 after completing daily missions. You can find the full patch notes for the update on Reddit.Vikendi arrived for the PC version of PUBG this week, following its release on the game's test server during The Game Awards earlier this month. PUBG Corp. also released the Vikendi: Survivor Pass on PC, which lets players unlock exclusive skins and rewards by completing certain milestones. Vikendi is slated to come to Xbox One and PS4 in January 2019.Info from Gamespot.com

Season 7 of Fortnite rolls on with a new set of challenges to complete on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices. As usual, if you manage to finish all of the tasks from a given week, you'll complete a corresponding Snowfall challenge--this season's equivalent of the Hunting Party challenges from Season 6. In turn, you'll unlock a special loading screen, which not only features a cool piece of artwork, but also a subtle clue pointing to a free item hidden somewhere in the game.Just as in Season 6, the item in question is either a free Battle Star (which levels your Battle Pass up by one tier) or a Banner (which you can use as a profile icon) depending on how many weekly sets of challenges you've completed. If you've finished three weeks' challenges, you'll be rewarded with the loading screen pictured below. It depicts a group of characters standing in the hangar of Frosty Flights, one of the new areas introduced to Fortnite's map at the beginning of the season.If you look closely at the furthest hangar, just to the right of Sgt. Winter, you'll be able to make out the faint silhouette of the Battle Star atop a stack of boxes, giving you a clear indication of where you need to go. Head to Frosty Flights at the beginning of a match, find the easternmost hangar, and the Battle Star will appear inside. Collect it as you would any other item to level your Battle Pass up by one tier, putting you one step closer to unlocking the new Ice King skin.As is the case with other free Battle Stars, the usual caveats apply. You won't be able to find the item unless you've completed three weeks' sets of challenges and unlocked the aforementioned loading screen. The Battle Star won't appear on the map if you haven't first finished all of the necessary steps, so you won't simply be able to go to the right location and collect it unless you've done the required work.Developer Epic Games recently rolled out Season 7's Week 3 challenges. This particular batch of tasks is fairly straightforward, although the one that may give you the most trouble if you aren't familiar with Fortnite's map asks you to search between three ski lodges. You can find all of our tips and guides in our complete Season 7 challenge roundup. You can also find our guides on this season's free Battle Stars and Banners below.Fortnite Season 7 Snowfall Challenge GuidesFortnite Secret Battle Star Location: Week 1 Snowfall Challenge GuideFortnite Secret Banner Location: Week 2 Snowfall Challenge GuideFortnite Secret Battle Star Location: Week 3 Snowfall Challenge GuideInfo from Gamespot.com

While Bumblebee may not have a proper post credits sequence, it does tack on an extra little bit of story before the credits actually roll, rounding out the plot and setting up for sequels--maybe? Bumblebee's stinger (pun intended) doesn't have a lot of meat to it, but it does start treading some strangely murky water when you actually look at it in the scope of the whole live action Transformers franchise, which Bumblebee appears to have rebooted--emphasis on "appears to."Needless to say, spoilers to follow--not just from Bumblebee, but from whole swaths of the Transformers franchise.Bumblebee highlights the first major Earth-based interaction of Bumblebee the Autobot, and a human girl named Charlie who finds him as a VW Beetle in a junkyard. The whole story is set in the 1980s, not long after the "fall" of Cybertron to the Decepticon army. Charlie and Bee are chased around Earth for a while by two new Decepticons, Shatter and Dropkick, as well as John Cena, before eventually saving the day and--tragically--going their separate ways. Charlie gets a new car--a refurbished classic Camaro she and her late dad had been working on--and Bee, having effectively blown his VW Bug cover, takes a new alternate form of a black and yellow modern Camaro.Then, following their bittersweet goodbye, we see Bee rendezvousing with a recently arrived Optimus Prime, who hopefully directs his attention to the sky where around seven Cybertronian crafts can be seen entering the atmosphere. It's all very obviously working to set up the next movie in the sequence--though it seems to simultaneously be working to slot itself into the groundwork laid by the first Michael Bay movie back in 2007. It was that first movie in which Bumblebee chose a modern Camaro as his alt-mode, after all, and the place where the whole idea of Bee using his radio to talk was first introduced. If this movie does anything, it's provide Bee a worthy origin story expressly for that 2007 debut, filling in all the gaps that any fan would ever want filled as charmingly as possible.However, filling those gaps and answering those questions also creates new ones. The Bay arm of the Transformers franchise began getting seriously off the rails with its own history right off the bat by establishing the presence of the "AllSpark" (a mythological Cybertronian artifact) on Earth as early as the 1800s in the first film. Later, in the most recent installment of the Bay movies, Transformers: The Last Knight, it was implied that Cybertronians had reached Earth back in the days of Arthurian legend. Prior to that, Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen raised the idea that Cybertronians had been aware of Earth since antiquity and even been involved in the rise of Ancient Egypt.But Bumblebee gives us a look at not only the fall of Cybertron itself--happening, apparently, in relative real time to the mid '80s on Earth--but also explicitly tells us that this moment was actually the first time Optimus Prime had ever scanned for or sent anyone to Earth at all, making Bumblebee the first Cybertronian to set foot on the planet. This later seems to be supported by the arrival of the movie's main antagonists, Decepticons Dropkick and Shatter, who make the whole "first contact" schtick an ongoing gag. Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean that future installments in the post-Bumblebee Transformers franchise are going to have to work from the ground up. Everything regarding the timeline is just vague enough that, with a little narrative hopscotching, it's possible to slot stories into the mix that justify the temporal strangeness. After all, if we're to assume that the AllSpark just hasn't been "activated" yet in the '80s, it's completely possible than the Transformers arrived on the planet and were none the wiser, left, and then came back when it was. The characters that would, in theory, be duplicates of robots who have already shown up in the Bay movies--like Starscream and Ravage--could easily just be seen here in older alt-modes or less advanced forms. There's no real limit to the amount of hand waving that can happen in a universe like this.Or, more likely, future Transformers movies are just going to cherry pick exactly what they want from the established canon and easily forego the rest. Bumblebee may not represent a direct, hard reboot of the entire franchise, but it's certainly a major departure in tone and direction--while it may be making a vague attempt to at least loosely hold things together, it's absolutely not beholden to weave the entire shared universe into one cohesive thing. And to be honest, that's probably for the best.Info from Gamespot.com

Aquaman may only have a mid credits scene--sorry anyone hoping for more Deathstroke teases this time around--but it makes it count if you know what you're looking for. We'll break it down for you right here, right now, but first: Be warned, obvious and major spoilers from the movie to follow, so please proceed with caution.Black Manta fans may have found themselves just slightly disappointed at their favorite villain essentially being defeated at about the midpoint of the movie, but never fear: David Hyde is far from done in the franchise. The mid-credits scene follows him from where we last saw him, knocked unconscious and thrown into the water off the Italian cost, drifting on a piece of wreckage out at sea. He's not dead, but he's certainly seen better days. Fortunately for him, an unlikely ally shows up just in time to make a heroic rescue: Dr. Stephen Shin--you remember, that guy who showed up for about half a second on the news with some strong opinions about Atlantis, right?Don't panic if you don't. The movie doesn't give Dr. Shin a ton of time in the spotlight, but we promise he is there, and better yet, he is actually from the Aquaman comics, so we've got some history to work from. A relatively recent addition to the Aquaman pantheon, Dr. Shin was introduced at the start of the New 52 era in 2011 as a friend of both Tom and Arthur Curry. He believed, wholeheartedly, in the existence of Atlantis, and was thrilled for a chance to interact with Tom's half-Atlantean son. He even helped Arthur develop some of his abilities and powers, a role that was largely given to Vulko in the movie.However, as time passed, Shin became increasingly frustrated about Arthur's reluctance to share Atlantis's location and eventually turned on him. He even tried to murder him, so naturally, you can imagine there's some bad blood there. Shin eventually comes back around to help Arthur out when the aquatic monsters known as the Trench start attacking the surface world, however, so things (sort of) worked out in the end.Of course, things aren't exactly following the same trajectory for the movie universe. It doesn't look like Shin has had any real connection with the Curry family at all, so where and why he got the ideas about Atlantis in his head remain a mystery. He does, however, seem to be suitably unhinged, which leads us to believe he's definitely got "attempted murder in the name of science" potential somewhere down the line. Add to that the actual mid-credits scene itself, in which Dr. Shin rescues Black Manta and promptly becomes totally fascinated with his tech, and we're looking at a recipe for full blown villain catastrophe. Manta may not have hung out in the foreground for too long in this first outing, but an alliance with someone like Shin would lay some real groundwork for a comeback. After all, Manta knows more about Atlantis than any human on the planet right now, as far as we know, and Shin has both resources and scientific platforms at his disposal. The two of them putting their heads together could mean a world of hurt for both Arthur and Atlantis itself.That raises some questions. What, beyond the ethically dubious thrill of discovery, does Dr. Shin actually want? What beyond killing Arthur and avenging his father does Manta really want? What will Manta have to say about Orm now? And will Orm want in on Manta and Shin's little cabal if he ever finds out about it?Hopefully we actually will get an Aquaman 2 that is able to explore these potential plot threads--there are certainly enough of them to go around. Info from Gamespot.com

During a livestream, 343 Studios announced more details for Halo Infinite, the upcoming sixth mainline entry in Microsoft's first-party series. Based on what was announced, it seems like Halo Infinite is still a long way off.343 Studios is working on a new engine for Halo Infinite, which could push the game's release date to after 2019. We can expect four-player splitscreen in Halo Infinite as 343 is testing the feature in the new engine right now. During the stream, 343 Studios also announced the armor customization in Infinite will be inspired by the system seen in Reach. Also, players who reach level 152 in Halo 5: Guardians will receive a special reward in Infinite. The studio did not announce what that reward might be.The stream did reveal a few details for Halo 5 as well. 343 Studios announced the team did not have much left to add to the game in terms of armor and emblem customization. Although it was not explicitly expressed, it was implied that post-launch development on Halo 5 is winding down as more of the team refocuses on Infinite's development. For more of the announcements during the stream, check out Reddit user murwo's post.343 Studios has teased that Halo Infinite features the coolest design that Master Chief has ever had. The developer hasn't revealed many details about the game other than that. It hasn't even been decided whether Halo Infinite will strive for a Teen rating like Halo 5 or return to the franchise's Mature rating like in the past.Halo Infinite is currently in development for Xbox One and PC, but it has no definitive release date.Info from Gamespot.com

A new Legendary Pokemon has arrived in Pokemon Go. Heatran, another rare monster originally from the series' fourth-generation titles, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, has begun appearing in Raid Battles around the world following Cresselia's departure, and it'll remain as a Raid boss until January 15.As usual, in order to catch Heatran, you'll first need to visit a Gym where a Heatran Raid is taking place, then team up with other players to battle the Legendary Pokemon. Once Heatran has been defeated, you'll be rewarded with a handful of Premiere Balls along with an opportunity to capture the Legendary.Heatran is unique in that it is the only Fire- and Steel-type Pokemon in the entire series. This type combination gives it a resistance to Dragon and Psychic attacks, but it also makes the Pokemon very susceptible to Ground-types like Rhyperior and Groudon. Water and Fighting Pokemon such as Kyogre, Swampert, and Machamp will also be effective against the Legendary.In addition to Heatran, a handful of new Gen 4 Pokemon have also begun appearing in Go. In addition to the previously teased Snover and Munchlax, Pokemon fansite Serebii is reporting that Skorupi, Bronzor, and a handful of other Sinnoh Pokemon have been added to the game.Heatran's arrival also coincides with the start of Pokemon Go's third annual holiday event. From now until January 2, Ice-type Pokemon will spawn more frequently in the wild, and players will have another chance to catch Delibird and Santa hat Pikachu. Niantic is also offering different bonuses every few days throughout the event; from now until December 22, for instance, players will receive twice the usual amount of Stardust for catching Pokemon.Info from Gamespot.com