Rockstar has announced that it is working on an issue that is affecting Red Dead Redemption 2. Currently, a bug in the game can cause Sadie, Jack, John, and Abigail--four of Arthur Morgan's camp companions--to disappear after the completion of chapter two."If you completed the mission 'Polite Society, Valentine Style' at the start of Chapter 2, but needed to use the Retry Checkpoint feature, then Sadie, Jack, John, and Abigail will only appear in camp when they have missions for you to complete," Rockstar wrote in a Q&A blog post. "We are aware of the issue and are currently working on a fix to be included in an upcoming Title Update."While Rockstar works on a solution for the bug, the developer advises all players who have yet to complete "Polite Society, Valentine Style" to do so without retrying from a checkpoint. If you fail the mission, make sure you immediately abandon and restart it, or load an earlier save. These are currently the only ways to avoid encountering the glitch.If you've already encountered the bug, you'll have to keep playing RDR2 until chapter four to see Sadie, Jack, John, and Abigail in the camp again. You will miss the four character's unique conversations unless you reload a previous save from before "Polite Society, Valentine Style" to avoid the glitch.Red Dead Redemption 2 is available for Xbox One and PS4. In our review, Kallie Plagge gave the game a 9/10, writing, "Red Dead Redemption 2 is an excellent prequel, but it's also an emotional, thought-provoking story in its own right, and it's a world that is hard to leave when it's done."Info from Gamespot.com

Limited Run Games, a publisher associated with game developer Mighty Rabbit Studios, has announced that it is making a physical edition for Battle Chef Brigade. The acclaimed indie game will be made available in both its PS4 and Switch versions.Both physical editions will be made available on November 9 at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET / 3 PM GMT. As the name implies, Limited Run Games only makes a certain amount of official physical editions for previously digital-only titles. So once every copy of the physical versions of Battle Chef Brigade is sold out, they are gone for good. Limited Run Games never restocks.Released in 2017, Battle Chef Brigade mixes together brawler and puzzle gameplay. You play as Mina, a young woman who aspires to be a battle chef, a type of knight that hunts down monsters and cooks them into delicious dishes for the kingdom's people. Each mission in the game requires you hunt down specific monsters before racing into the kitchen to solve tile-based puzzles in order to cook your ingredients and fulfill the dish requirements set out by the judges. Battle Chef Brigade was well-received by critics and players alike.We're excited to announce that our next physical Nintendo Switch release will be Battle Chef Brigade from @TrinketStudios and @adultswimgames! The game will be available this Friday, November 9th 10AM Eastern Time at https://t.co/rZI6STrUid! pic.twitter.com/tzFOBNKbXv— Limited Run Games (@LimitedRunGames) November 2, 2018In August 2018, Battle Chef Brigade received an update that added split-screen multiplayer, as well as two new modes--called Survival and Free Play--and a new playable character.Battle Chef Brigade is available for Nintendo Switch and PS4.Info from Gamespot.com

In Red Dead Redemption 2, you're going to be spending a lot of time riding your horse. There's nothing but land, and lots of it, in Rockstar's latest open-world so journeying on horseback is a reality you're going to have to accept during the game's opening hours. Fortunately for you, there are ways to expedite your travels.There's a fast travel system hidden in Red Dead Redemption 2. Better yet, there's a couple ways you can go about doing it. Below we highlight the two main methods, but before you seek them out, we do highly recommend making horse riding your primary means of travel. After all, it's your time spent out in the world where you can better discover all the game has to offer, as well as author your own unique adventures.If you're looking for more guides, you'd be remiss not to check out our feature highlighting all the tips you should know before playing. Though, we also have guides on more specific subjects, like gun customization and money making. Be sure to read our Red Dead 2 review if you haven't already. Otherwise, read on!Method 1: Stagecoaches And TrainsIt makes sense that transportation technology of the day would be a form of fast travel in the game. Both stagecoaches and trains can get you places you want to go quickly. However, you'll have to pay a small fee to use them, and they require you to physically travel to them first--you can't just warp around by picking an icon on your map.Stagecoaches appear on the map as an icon that resembles a wooden sign pointing in two different directions. Labeled as "Taxi Coach" in the game, you can use these to take a stagecoach to locations you've previously visited. The fee increases based on the distance travelled, so make sure you've got enough on you to cover the charge.If you're looking to ride a train, you'll to need to purchase a ticket. These are sold at post offices in town, which are icons on the map with an envelope on them. Trains will take you to previously visited towns that have stations with train tracks running by them.Method 2: Camp Fast TravelIt's possible to fast travel from your camp after unlocking the upgrade, “Next in Line." You can find the camp upgrades page by approaching the donation box at your camp. The fast travel upgrade is the second option in the list and costs about $325, so make sure you've saved up enough and find this upgrade worthwhile in general as you may want to refocus your funds on more fruitful endeavors.Once you've unlocked the upgrade, you'll find a map on the back of the stagecoach next to Arthur's bed. You can use it to travel to a variety of locations, which includes certain towns and other significant locations in the game. Be wary, your camp fast travel only works one way, so if you use it to go to a town on the other side of the map, you'll need to either ride your horse, hire a stagecoach, or take a train to get back. Info from Gamespot.com

Red Dead Redemption 2 doesn't make a lot of its mechanics known to the player. There are systems buried deep within that you'd be hard-pressed to come in contact with if you're mainlining the game's major story and side missions. Among these mechanics are special Perks that offer improvements to Arthur's overall abilities.We know what you're thinking, though: "Perks? You mean like Perks you unlock from an RPG-like progression tree?" Yes, and no. Red Dead Redemption 2 does in fact offer these sorts of Perks, but they're unlocked by obtaining special items known as Talismans and Trinkets, and not from any special in-game progression screen.Talismans and Trinkets are primarily crafted at Fences--special black market shops that sell all manner of useful items you can't get at any ol' General Shop. You'll need parts from Legendary Animals to craft them. Others are rewarded to you by completing specific missions under special conditions. While Talismans and Trinkets are technically items, know that you don't need to equip them in order for them to be active. Once you acquire one, it'll affect Arthur's abilities permanently, and they can even be equipped as a cosmetic item.Below we run down all of the Talismans we've found so far, what they do, and what you need to unlock them. Any Talismans or Trinkets that have crafting components marked with a "*" are special items that require you to complete specific missions or challenges; a table can be found further below that details their locations.If you're looking for more guides, you'd be remiss not to check out our feature highlighting all the tips you should know before playing. Though, we also have guides on more specific subjects, like cheat codes, gun customization and money making. Be sure to read our Red Dead 2 review if you haven't already.GeneralThe General category has the most Perks affecting a variety of attributes, like weapon degradation, Eagle Eye duration, alcohol resistance, and much more. There are 10 General Perks in total--not including the Eagle Talon Talisman Perk you get from the Special/Ultimate Edition.NamePerk EffectHow To GetBeaver Tooth TrinketSlows weapons degradation by 10%Crafted at Fences with Legendary Beaver ToothBuck Antler TrinketIncreases chances of higher-quality parts from skinning animalsCrafted at Fences using the Legendary Buck AntlerElk Antler TrinketIncreases the money you get from looting by 10%Crafted at Fences using the Legendary Elk AntlerFox Claw TrinketIncreases Eagle Eye duration by five secondsCrafted at Fences using the Legendary Fox ClawPronghorn Horn TrinketStops animals stored on your horse from decomposingCrafted at Fences using the Legendary Pronghorn HornRam Horn TrinketDoubles the amount of herbs you get from picking oregano, creeping thyme, and wild mintCrafted at Fences using the Legendary Ram HornWolf Heart TrinketDoubles resistance to alcoholCrafted at Fences with Legendary Wolf HeartOwl Feather TrinketReduces speed of Health, Stamina, and Dead Eye Core drain by 15%Reward for completing "Archeology for Beginners" without killing a single personBoar Tusk TalismanDecreases Core drain speed of your horse's Health and Stamina by 10%Crafted at Fences using, Cobalt Petrified Wood*, Gold Earring, Legendary Boar TuskRaven Claw TalismanSlows weapon degradation by 20%Crafted at Fences with Old Brass Compass*Eagle Talon TalismanIncreases Eagle Eye duration by five secondsAvailable as a bonus for Special/Ultimate Edition owners onlyHealthNot including the Iguana Scale Trinket Perk you get from the Special/Ultimate Edition, there are five Health Perks to collect. Each affects your Health in different ways. While some help your Health Core and bar drain speed, others are more specific in decreasing the type of damage you receive.NamePerk EffectHow To GetTatanka Bison Horn TrinketDecreases melee damage received by 10%Crafted at Fences using Legendary Tatanka Bison HornMoose Antler TrinketIncreases your health XP gain by 10%Crafted at Fences with Legendary Moose AntlerIguana Scale TrinketReduces the damage received while on horseback by 10%Available as a bonus for Special/Ultimate Edition owners onlyBear Claw TalismanDecreases the drain speed of your Health Core by 10%Crafted at Fences using Silver Chain Bracelet, Quartz Chunk*, Legendary Bear ClawStaminaThere are five Stamina Perks in total--of which we've gathered three thus far. As you'd expect, most of them affect your Stamina gains and drains.NamePerk EffectHow To GetCougar's Paw TrinketIncreases Stamina XP gain by 10%Crafted at Fences with Legendary Cougar's PawLion's Paw TrinketIncreases Stamina XP gain by 10%Crafted at Fences with Lion's Paw*Bison Horn TalismanDecreases the drain speed of your Stamina Core by 10%Crafted at Fences using Abalone Shell Fragment*, Silver Earring, and Legendary Bison HornDead EyeThere are five Dead Eye Perks in total. Below you can find the three we've discovered so far, which focus on decreasing the speed of Dead Eye Core and bar drain, as well as increase the gain speed of Dead Eye XP.NamePerk EffectHow To GetCoyote Fang TrinketIncreases Dead Eye XP gain by 10%Crafted at Fences with Legendary Coyote FangPanther's Eye TrinketDecreases drain speed of Dead Eye bar by 10% for three secondsCrafted at Fences with Legendary Panther's EyeAlligator Tooth TalismanDecreases the drain speed of Dead Eye Core by 10%Crafted at Fences using Vintage Civil War Handcuffs*, Gold Jointed Bracelet, and Legendary Alligator ToothSpecial Crafting MaterialsAs stated, some Talismans and Trinkets require special crafting components you can only get from certain instances in the story or by completing challenges. Below you can find a rundown of where these special components are found.Crafting ItemTalisman/Trinket RecipeHow To GetCobalt Petrified WoodBoar Tusk TalismanLocated in a chest under a rock overhang northwest of Lake IsabellaOld Brass CompassRaven Claw TalismanLocated in Francis Sinclair's cabin after mailing all 10 rock carvings in the "Geology for Beginners" missionQuartz ChunkBear Claw TalismanRecieved by mailing in the first dinosaur bone location in the "Test of Faith" missionLion's PawLion's Paw TrinketTaken from the lion during the Stranger Mission: "He's British, of Course IV"Vintage Civil War HandcuffsAlligator Tooth TalismanMail in a set of Cigarette CardsInfo from Gamespot.com

Niantic has kicked off another in-game event in Pokemon Go. The Stardust Blast event is now live for a limited time. This event gives players a chance to earn twice the normal amount of Stardust for capturing Pokemon and hatching Eggs, and it's scheduled to run until 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET on November 13.On top of that, two new species of Gen 4 Pokemon have begun appearing in Pokemon Go. The adorable Water-type Buizel is now available around the world as a Raid Battle, while the pre-evolved form of Roselia, Budew, can be hatched from Eggs. The latter arrives at a fitting time, as Niantic recently rolled out the new Adventure Sync feature to most Pokemon Go players, making it much easier to hatch Eggs than before.Stardust Blast isn't the only event going on now in Pokemon Go. To celebrate the release of Ingress Prime, Niantic has made two new Shiny Pokemon, Cubone and Ponyta, available for a limited time. These Shiny variants are green and blue, respectively--the same colors and the two warring sides in Ingress Prime, The Enlightened and The Resistance.Meanwhile, Pokemon Go's next Community Day event is scheduled to take place this Saturday, November 10. The featured Pokemon this time around is the Gen 2 starter Cyndaquil, and if players manage to evolve it into its final form, Typhlosion, up to an hour after the event ends, it'll learn the powerful attack Blast Burn.Players also still have a chance to catch Giratina, the first Gen 4 Legendary Pokemon to appear in Pokemon Go. Giratina arrived as a Raid Battle as part of the recent Halloween event, and it'll remain a presence at Gyms until November 20. If you need help adding one to your collection, here are some tips on how to catch Giratina.Info from Gamespot.com

Studio Wildcard has announced that the new expansion for Ark: Survival Evolved, titled Extinction, will go live on PC today. Extinction continues Ark's story by pitting humanity against giant mega-dinosaur creatures called Titans.Defeating the raid boss-like Titans is the centerpiece to Extinction, but the expansion also adds more creatures to tame and technology to utilize. Cryopods, for example, are handy pieces of tech that allow you to store your creatures and easily carry them around in your inventory. You'll be able to transfer your preexisting characters into Extinction, but your items and tamed creatures will have to stay behind. Whatever you claim in Extinction, though, can be brought back with you into Ark's older maps."We will be introducing North American and European Extinction servers first," Studio Wildcard senior community manager Jen Stuber wrote in a Steam blog post. "We will be releasing an initial start batch of servers, and bringing more servers online as needed so please be patient for us during this period. The servers will be the standard 70-player cap. Extinction will be included in all CrossARK clusters (except 'TheHundred'), as well as Conquest and Small Tribes servers."Extinction's PC servers are scheduled to launch today, but as of this post are still not yet live due to a few issues. Both the Xbox One and PS4 versions of Extinction will launch on November 13. Extinction comes included in Ark's Season Pass, but can be purchased separately as well.The PC version of Ark: Survival Evolved is being offered as free-to-play until November 11 on Steam. You can also buy the game at a discounted price of $20 / £18 / €22 until November 13.Info from Gamespot.com

Among the new systems introduced in Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption 2 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are Cores, which reflect the state of Arthur's abilities. These are represented via the circular meters located just above your mini-map on the HUD. If you want to perform at your best, you'll need to pay attention to these Cores and the bars that encircle them.If you've just started the game, chances are all of this Core and bar talk might be a bit confusing. After all, you're only given a very brief explanation in-game on how it all works, and this comes while you might be paying attention to dialogue or other happenings. And the details in the menu offer only so much insight. To help you get a grasp of the Core system, we've detailed in this feature how it all works and other useful information to keep in mind.If you're looking for more guides, you'd be remiss not to check out our feature highlighting all the tips you should know before playing. Though, we also have guides on more specific subjects, like gun customization and money making. Be sure to read our Red Dead 2 review if you haven't already. If you're having trouble dealing with all this, you can turn on the cheat code that instantly refills your Cores and bars. But we all know that's no fun, so read on to the details below!What Are Cores And Bars?As stated, Cores are the circular meters located just above the mini-map. You have three Cores in total: Health, Stamina, and Dead Eye. In addition, there are Cores for your horse's Health and Stamina. The symbol at the center of the circle represents the Core, while the ring meter that surrounds it is known as a bar.While the state of your bars are more important in the moment, it's your Cores that ultimately affect your long-term performance. This is because how well you do depends on the state of your corresponding Core. For example, the Health Core dictates how quickly the Health bar regenerates, and likewise for Stamina. If your Health bar is low but the corresponding Health Core has been maintained well, the rate at which you generate Health will be increased.How Do I Refill My Cores?To ensure your Cores are in tiptop shape, you'll need to keep yourself well fed, well-rested, and comfortably dressed in the climate you're in. Of course, you can always resort to items if you're ever in a pinch and can't seek out food or rest; Provisions instantly refill your Cores and Tonics will instantly refill your bars. Be mindful of which you choose to take, as while Tonics are good in the moment in the midst of a firefight, they're more short-term life-savers than the long-term benefit of using a Provision.What Does It Mean To Fortify A Bar?As you take Tonics, you'll notice that some fortify specific bars; these are represented as yellow items in your satchel. If you take this type of Tonic, the affected bar will fill up completely and won't drain for a few moments. How long a bar remains fortified depends on the quality of the Tonic. It's also worth noting that some Tonics can negatively impact your Cores, so make sure to pay attention to their descriptions before you take them--lest you want to find yourself made weaker during a firefight or intense hunt.Bars Level Up Over TimeThe state of your Cores affects the regeneration of your Health, Stamina, and Dead Eye, but the more you play the game, the more powerful your bars will become. Sprinting, for example, increases your Stamina bar, while taking damage and then restoring Health will build your Health bar. If you properly maintain yourself, all of your abilities will naturally improve over time.Horse Cores And BarsHorse Cores are represented by the Health and Stamina Cores with horseshoes in the center of them that appear when you're on your horse. While mostly identical to how your own Cores work, where they differ is how you maintain and increase them. Instead of overall maintenance of the horse's physical and dietary needs, you develop its Cores and bars by forming a stronger bond with them. Foods and Tonics can be used to help the general effort, but it's more through riding your horse, praising it, and grooming it will ultimately improve a horse's Health and Stamina. Info from Gamespot.com

If my nearly 10 years as a small-town mayor in Canada have taught me anything, it is that bringing in industrial growth is an extremely demanding task. So much production has moved offshore in recent decades that it has become tough to keep the industries that we still have, let alone add new ones. But this isn't quite the case in Industries, the new expansion for Cities: Skylines that adds character to your carefully crafted municipalities without much in the way of difficulty. While being able to concentrate on specific industries adds an involving and entertaining new dimension to city creation, the lack of challenge and reward when building these new districts makes the add-on less than essential.With that said, this enhanced industrial focus has been seamlessly incorporated into the base Cities: Skylines game as if it had always been there. In addition to still being able to zone properties for random industrial use, there is a new option to paint part of your municipality as an industrial district specifically for forest, farming, ore, or oil. It is very easy to establish these zones. Mark them out, drop a main building to get started, and then lay down facilities to gather resources. You instantly start rolling in the logs, crops, rocks, and black gold. Levels are then gained based on the number of materials produced and employees hired, which unlocks new buildings. These industrial districts soon turn into into beehives of activity.Getting these industrial districts up and running is satisfying, as it is the one employment area in Cities: Skylines where you directly construct industries and create jobs. As such, building industrial districts is more hands-on, as opposed to the usual "zone it and let it go" approach in the game's standard industrial, commercial, and residential development. The process is still straightforward, though. While industrial districts require a certain amount of micro-management, creating and running them is relatively easy to handle, especially for Cities: Skylines veterans. Start with something like a main forestry building and a few tree plantations and you can soon expand into sawmills, storage yards, biomass wood pellet plants, planed wood production, pulp mills, and factories making finished goods like furniture and paper products at a printing press.Industrial districts add character to cities, making them more products of their environment than the mostly generic burgs of the original Cities: Skylines. Everything looks and feels more natural. Have a city surrounded by trees? Industries based on wood products are the only sensible option. There is also a lot to be said for finally taking full advantage of the natural resources on city maps, as previously there was little way to commodify what was all around you. Now, for example, a forest map plays like a forest map should play, with industries based on what is right in the neighborhood.Playing on a map with multiple resource types makes things even better, as you can set up numerous industrial districts that feed into specific unique factories. The toy factory, for instance, needs both the plastic that comes from oil and the paper that comes from wood, so you need both to make sure junior is happy on Christmas morning. Districts tie into each other, making the entire industrial process operate as something of a mini-game; resource gathering, production, and warehousing all form a chain with these factories at the end of the line.Just two minor drawbacks cause issues. First up is the need to reserve a ton of room on the map for industrial districts, as you have to build a lot of resource-gathering facilities and storage yards/warehouses to keep production humming and raw materials on hand. Second is the way that managing industries can become so involved that you forget about the rest of your city. I had a number of occasions where I spent so much attention on an industrial district that I didn't notice garbage piling up elsewhere or corpses going unclaimed in homes because I neglected to keep pace with population growth. Still, spending time dealing solely with industries is a welcome break from the other aspects of the game. As great as Cities: Skylines is, it has also become pretty familiar for those of us who have been with it since the beginning. A little micro-management isn't a bad thing in this case.Industrial districts also never seem entirely necessary. While they are always enjoyable to plan out, and it is pretty easy to turn them into serious money-making machines, just about anyone who has played Cities: Skylines for a dozen hours or so likely has little trouble staying in the black with the original industrial zoning options. I really enjoyed turning forests into furniture and playing J.R. Ewing with oil, but I never needed the extra cash that these businesses generated. So as much as I appreciated the novelty, running these industries also seemed like extra work with questionable end benefit.Other features added to Cities: Skylines are fairly minor. Snail mail has finally come to residents. Postal services operate much like other regional city facilities such as police stations, bus stops, and so on. Set up a post office or postal sorting station and watch happy faces sprout up all over a neighborhood. Toll booths can now be installed on city roads, letting you earn extra revenue from vehicular traffic at the small price of slowing everybody down a bit.Industries somehow feels like both a worthwhile and an unnecessary addition to the Cities: Skylines family. Requiring direct management of industrial development definitely adds dimension to budding metropolises. Paying attention to nothing but smokestacks and jobs for a while also represents a needed change of pace from what has become a familiar city-building experience. Still, there are no significant new gameplay challenges to overcome here or enough unique rewards that make it an absolute must to create industries like an oil patch or ore mines. While this expansion provides a better, more involved experience when it comes to industry, virtual mayors can give this one a pass if they're satisfied with the factories of the original game.Info from Gamespot.com

As an anthology of games from SNK's simpler days, the 40th Anniversary Collection offers a variety of classics that are more fun than you might expect given their age. The simple-looking Vanguard (1981) may not give off a rousing first impression, for example, but play it a bit and you begin to discover that its dynamic scrolling system and proclivity for handing out invincibility power-ups make it more than a predictable space shooter. This and many other entries show a glimpse of a company developing its prowess for making arcade games, and it's fascinating to take it all in. This is in large part thanks to the great attention to detail and comprehensive research that went into cataloging and smartly presenting an unsung but important part of gaming history. What's more impressive, and less obvious, is the work that was required to make every game in the collection playable at all.The full extent of developer Digital Eclipse's efforts is difficult to know from the sidelines, but it's recognized among gaming historians that the team holds itself to a very high standard and often succeeds at meeting it. Beyond programming emulators, it also helps track down relics--original arcade motherboards--when the source code has been confirmed lost by SNK, in addition to scanning and restoring marketing materials that tell the story around the games at the time. Regular maintenance can keep old arcade boards alive, but with dwindling numbers of working units in the hands of private collectors, there's a feeling of "now or never" when it comes to preservation. The SNK 40th Collection is a treasure trove of classics that heeds the call.At launch, there are 14 games to play: Alpha Mission, Athena, Crystalis, Guerilla War, Ikari Warriors, Ikari Warriors 2: Victory Road, Ikari III: The Rescue, Iron Tank: Invasion of Normandy, P.O.W., Prehistoric Isle, Psycho Soldier, Street Smart, TNK III, and Vanguard. For some of these games where there was an NES home port of the arcade original, you get both versions to compare and contrast. It's a great lens with which to examine the mindset of the day, where everyone wanted to bring the arcade experience home and people were willing to accept compromised graphics and gameplay to get there.A perfect example of this is Ikari Warriors, one of a few proto-twin-stick shooters in the collection. As evident by the included console port, when the game made the transition to the NES, you could only shoot in the direction you were moving, rather than independently, as you would in the arcade game. Now that the collection is on Switch with two analog sticks to handle the controls, we are that much closer to having the true Ikari Warriors arcade experience at home. The game actually used a single arcade stick that had an added rotation function, but short of releasing a new peripheral to exactly replicate the stick, Digital Eclipse has gone as far as possible to achieve what consumers wanted when Ikari Warriors was on everyone's radar.While there are a lot of solid games on hand, there are no doubt going to be games that are more interesting in theory than in practice. Given this, it's nice to see that each game--minus some NES ports--has an autoplay option. This will not only make it easy for you to examine a game with ease but also gives you the chance to tag in when a game gets good. Disengaging autopilot and taking the wheel isn't the smartest way to learn how to play any game, but if you find yourself up against a difficult section, you can also trigger the rewind button to fix mistakes and undo accidental deaths.The 40th Anniversary Collection gives you a lot to play and many ways to tailor the experience to your whims, including settings that come in handy while playing vertically oriented games. From a technical and experiential standpoint, it's an all-around great collection. And if everything goes according to plan, Digital Eclipse has 11 more games scheduled to arrive before the end of the year via free patches and DLC.In the meantime, if you exhaust interest in playing what's around, there are a lot of special features to explore. Scans include assorted marketing sheets and advertisements but even go so far as to include independent fan zines from the '80s and arcade game guides. For a more in-depth peek into the past, every game released by SNK between 1978 and 1990 gets a neatly animated history lesson, complete with screenshots and interesting anecdotes that help tell the overall story of SNK's formative years. And if you want to just zone out to some nostalgic music, there are soundtracks for 12 of the games in the collection ready from the start.Digital Eclipse proves once again that it's the right team for the job of both preserving and resurrecting classic video games. For SNK and its fans, the team has elevated some of the company's most important milestones. It's responsible for more than just Neo Geo games, and though not every game that came before is worth replaying on its own today, the addition of supplemental materials and revitalizing modern gaming conveniences make them feel more interesting than they have in years, and in some cases, decades. Info from Gamespot.com

The interactive movie--that nebulous, hard-to-define genre briefly fashionable in the mid-1990s, when CD-ROM technology made it possible for developers to integrate live-action footage into games--is not exactly remembered for its high quality. But even in the tradition responsible for such notorious follies as Night Trap, Sewer Shark, and Who Shot Johnny Rock, The Quiet Man is astonishingly dire--a graceless, outdated game that belongs squarely in the era of laserdiscs and the Philips CD-i. When it isn't an interactive movie, it's a simple 3D beat-em-up of the kind once ubiquitous at arcades. But an interest in the past does not make The Quiet Man a love letter to video game history, and its ideas are poorly realized.The Quiet Man boasts a formal conceit that is at least moderately interesting. You play as a svelte blonde 20-something named Dane, who is deaf, and as a consequence the game is almost totally silent. You hear only the muffled patter of footfalls while walking, some indistinct notes of synthesizer to represent voices, and a faint patina of generic ambience elsewhere. The marketing materials describe this as an effort to allow the player to "experience the world in the way Dane does." But we clearly do not experience the world as Dane does. Dane reads lips; he communicates extensively and effortlessly with every character he encounters. So why are these conversations not subtitled? In one lengthy scene of dialogue after another, people talk with Dane, presumably advancing the story. Meanwhile, we have no earthly clue what's being said or what's going on.This sort of inexplicable design is entirely typical of The Quiet Man. It’s difficult to understand so much of what transpires. Consider an early narrative sequence in which Dane meets either a colleague or a friend--the relationship was not apparent to me and only gets more confusing over the course of the story--and converses with him in his office. In a series of mundane closeups the other man speaks as Dane nods along, rapt; the nature of their discussion is opaque, and their performances, amateurish and hammy, are abysmal. You can imagine this scene being staged in such a way that the content would be clear even without sound or subtitles. The Quiet Man doesn't even try.When these mystifying, interminable full-motion-video scenes at last end, the actors are switched out for crudely animated substitutions, many of whom bear such a poor resemblance to their real-life counterparts that it is frequently unclear who's who. It's never hard to pick out Dane in the heat of battle, though, because he's the only one who's white. The endless procession of villainous henchmen you're asked to brutally dispatch are uniformly latino, broad caricatures of "cholos" in street-gang garb who sneer at you between pummellings. You fight them pretty much exclusively throughout. The political implications of the game's demographic makeup are appalling, in this fraught time of wall-building especially, and the end result is plainly, unforgivably racist.In any case, it's quite fitting for the enemies to be the same cliched type repeated ad nauseam, because repetitiveness is the very nature of The Quiet Man's beat-em-up combat system. Brawling has what might generously be described as an arcade-like simplicity: one button to punch, one to kick, and one to dodge, plus a finishing move that can be triggered on occasion. It would be more accurate to call this rudimentary. Almost every battle boils down to a dull frenzy of button-mashing, as enemies rarely block, scarcely fight back, and practically never come at you more than one at a time. Though waves of 10 or even 20 must be defeated to clear a given room, they don't change their approach or vary their style, and mostly seem to stand around awaiting their turn to be vanquished. There's no way to vary your own attacks, either, which gives every encounter the air of a chore.Boss battles aren't much different in terms of character or technique. They distinguish themselves instead in terms of overwhelming difficulty. I almost never lost a fight in the course of regular gameplay; each of the handful of boss battles, though, kept me stuck for a long time, as I labored through dust-ups with enemies that seemed absurdly overpowered and virtually invulnerable to damage. Worse than simply losing these battles was how consistently vague they proved to be. Seldom is it apparent why you might be losing a fight. The game doesn't track damage or show the enemy's health, and it's never certain whether your hits are landing or registering much effect--hitboxes are indistinct and attacks almost always clip through bodies, which makes the whole process feel at once feeble, confusing, and outrageously imprecise.Simplistic, ungainly combat is all the more surprising given that it is The Quiet Man's only gameplay mechanic. From beginning to end there is nothing else to do — no places to navigate, no items to collect, no weapons to wield, no puzzles to solve. It's just those same mind-numbing punches and kicks broken up by extended narrative scenes that by virtue of the enforced silence you can't hope to follow or understand. The broad contours of the plot are vaguely discernible: the drama involves childhood trauma, a seedy metropolitan underbelly, various acts of conspiracy and revenge. As for the details, it's impossible to say. The game's final moments tease an upcoming addition that will allow you to play it through a second time with the sound restored. This feels like both a preposterous cop-out--it's walking back the main conceit!--and a cruel punishment. With sound the story will surely make more sense. But having suffered through The Quiet Man once, I can't bear to try it again.Info from Gamespot.com

October has come and gone, but if you hurry you can still get your free PS4, PS3, and PS Vita games for the month, assuming you're a PlayStation Plus member. Sony waits for the first Tuesday of each month to change the PS Plus freebies, so you have until November 6 to get your games before they go back to regular price.The PS4 games on offer for October are Friday the 13th: The Game and Laser League. Friday the 13th is an the online multiplayer game that gives one player control of Jason Voorhees, a powerful villain tasked with finding and killing relatively helpless teens who are controlled by the other players. Those players, meanwhile, must avoid the masked murder and try to escape. Laser League is an online futuristic, neon-drenched arena sports game.For PS3, you get the gorgeous black-and-white puzzle game The Bridge (which you can also play on PS4) and an adventure game called Master Reboot. Vita owners can grab the dual-stick shooter Rocketbirds 2: Evolution and the retro-style adventure game 2064: Read Only Memories. Both Vita games are also playable on PS4.Starting November 6, you'll be able to download November's PS Plus games. These include Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition and Yakuza Kiwami on PS4, Jackbox Party Pack 2 and Arkedo Series on PS3, and Burly Men at Sea and Roundabout on PS Vita (the latter two are also playable on PS4 thanks to Cross Buy).PlayStation Plus Games for October 2018PS4Friday the 13th: The GameLaser LeagueThe Bridge (also on PS3 and Vita)Rocketbirds 2: Evolution (also on Vita)2064: Read Only Memories (also on Vita)PS3Master RebootThe Bridge (also on PS4 and Vita)PS VitaRocketbirds 2: Evolution (also on PS4)2064: Read Only Memories (also on PS4)The Bridge (also on PS3 and PS4)Info from Gamespot.com

It's November, which means a new set of PC games is available for free to anyone with an Amazon Prime account. All you have to do is link your account to Twitch, and you'll get a new batch of PC games for free each month. The number of free games varies, but this month you can download four games at no additional cost.The biggest title on the list is Overcooked, a game that involves up to four players working together to prepare meals as orders come in. Each level takes place in a different kitchen, and as you progress the layouts become less and less hospitable for cooking. For instance, one level is set on a slippery iceberg and another on a busy street.Not to be confused with Overcooked is Overload, the next free game for November. It's an exploration-based first-person shooter that's set in zero gravity. Then there's AER: Memories of Old, an adventure game that takes place on a series of islands that are floating in the sky. Luckily, you can turn into a bird to travel between them. Rounding out this month's freebies is the 12th century point-and-click adventure game The Pillars of the Earth.You can claim all of these games here, but note you'll need the Twitch desktop app for Windows to download them. While you're on the site, make sure to grab any other free items for Prime members you might have missed, including cowboy gear for PUBG and a Golden Loot Box for Overwatch.Twitch Prime's Free Games For November 2018OvercookedOverloadAER: Memories of OldThe Pillars of the EarthInfo from Gamespot.com

Nintendo has announced that more than 10 million NES Classic and SNES Classic units have been sold since both consoles released. First launching to high demand in November 2016, the NES Classic was cancelled in April 2017 and then re-released in June 2018. The SNES Classic released in September 2017.During Nintendo's financial results briefing, president Shuntaro Furukawa stated both Classic consoles' success suggested there might be "even greater demand during the holiday season." Furukawa did not discuss either unit's future during the briefing, and did not remark whether this success might justify the creation of additional Classic consoles--for Nintendo 64 or GameCube, for example--or the addition of more NES games on Switch Online.Nintendo has also released the updated list of the company's global game sales data for both Switch and 3DS. The biggest change in the Switch list is Mario Tennis Aces, which shot up to the number six spot with 2.16 million copies sold, after being number 10 during the last update. The big four--Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Splatoon 2--remain in the top, while the rest of the list has shuffled around a bit. With Nintendo adopting a pay to play online model for the Switch, it will be interesting to see if Splatoon 2 can continue to remain in the top four, or if it will be knocked out by another game in the coming months.The full list of the top 10 games on both Switch and 3DS are listed below.Nintendo Switch Global Game Sales DataSuper Mario Odyssey -- 12.17 millionMario Kart 8 Deluxe -- 11.71 millionThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild -- 10.28 millionSplatoon 2 -- 7.47 million1-2-Switch -- 2.64 millionMario Tennis Aces -- 2.16 millionArms -- 2.10 millionKirby Star Allies -- 2.10 millionDonkey Kong: Tropical Freeze -- 1.67 millionXenoblade Chronicles 2 -- 1.53 millionNintendo 3DS Global Game Sales DataMario Kart 7 -- 17.04 millionPokemon X/Y -- 16.29 millionPokemon Sun/Moon -- 16.10 millionPokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire -- 14.06 millionNew Super Mario Bros. 2 -- 12.61 millionSuper Mario 3D Land -- 11.96 millionAnimal Crossing: New Leaf -- 11.69 millionSuper Smash Bros. for 3DS -- 9.24 millionPokemon Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon -- 7.51 millionTomodachi Life -- 6.20 millionInfo from Gamespot.com

Ubisoft has announced live-action adaptions for two of its games. The developer is working on scripts for a TV series based on Child of Light and a film about the event of Werewolves Within.According to Variety, both adaptions are a part of Ubisoft's Women's Film and Television Fellowship, a program conceived in 2017 to "illuminate female voices within the entertainment industry." Both adaptations are being written by two of the fellows, Mishna Wolff and Tasha Huo. After being selected, both women were offered the chance to pick one of Ubisoft's games to transform into a movie or TV series. Wolff wanted to adapt Werewolves Within while Huo picked Child of Light."[The game] kept popping into my head," Wolff said, in regards to her decision to adapt Werewolves Within. "It was just demanding I tell a story." Huo knew she wanted to tackle Child of Light before even starting the fellowship. "We love that the game centers around Aurora discovering strength," Huo said. "I love video games and I'm passionate about them, but you want people who have never heard of these games to fall in love with them.""We were so thrilled with the outcome of this fellowship, it is exactly what we wanted," Ubisoft director of film Margaret Boykin said. "We were so lucky to work with these two women." Ubisoft is also putting together an upcoming movie based on the Rabbids games, Tom Clancy's The Division, and the Splinter Cell games. The developer is also working on a sequel for 2016's Assassin's Creed and movies about Watch Dogs and Far Cry.Child of Light is a 2014 platformer RPG where players take control of a young, selfish princess named Aurora, who one night falls asleep and awakens in another world called Lemuria. After she befriends a firefly named Igniculus, Aurora is told to collect the stars, sun, and moon and return light to Lemuria. She meets an odd assortment of individuals on her quest, and together the group of misfits mature and grow together. In our Child of Light review, we gave the game an 8/10, congratulating it on its willingness to "explore the dull ache" of woe and enjoying its "interesting and engaging" combat.Werewolves Within is a 2016 spin on the party game Mafia. A VR title, players sit around a campfire in a small town meeting. Some players are secretly werewolves while everyone else are ordinary townsfolk. The werewolves must keep their identity a secret to win, while the other players use clues to try and deduce who amongst them isn't really human. In our Werewolves Within review, we gave the game a 7/10, describing its matches as "hair-raising, pulse-quickening experiences" but wishing there was more there to get players to "return to the game."Info from Gamespot.com

A new PlayerUnknown's Battleground trailer has been released. Although it's not very long, the trailer implies PUBG is going to have a future update that features a crossover with the Suicide Squad film.There's not much information to be gleaned from the trailer itself. It features close-up shots of Harley Quinn and, presumably, the Joker before the duo's silhouette is glimpsed through the smoke of a tossed frag grenade. Both characters are rendered and move like PUBG's character models. On the surface it appears as if PUBG is getting Harley Quinn and Joker cosmetic items, similar to the recently released Halloween monster skins.However, the title of the trailer and its description imply there might be more to this crossover. Both refer to this new content as Harley and Joker breaking out of prison, something that players should try to prevent. Certain scenes of the trailer also showcase an environment that could be the inside of Miramar's Prison area. So this crossover might be either a limited-time event--like when Fortnite allowed players to transform into Thanos--or a new mode entirely that takes place on a small portion of PUBG's desert map.PUBG could be looking at a new game type where two people are Harley and Joker and the remaining players are cops who have to stop them from escaping prison, or an event where discovering a special item on a new prison map allows someone to transform into one of the criminals and wield their powerful gadgets. We'll have to wait and see, as any further details concerning the crossover are coming "soon."PlayerUnknown's Battleground is available on Xbox One, PC, and mobile.Info from Gamespot.com