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Top New Games Out On Switch, PS4, Xbox One, And PC This Month — November 2019

It’s a whole new month, and that means New Releases has a bunch of games to talk about. November brings the long-anticipated PC release of Red Dead Redemption 2 and PS4 exclusive Death Stranding. Those two platforms are also seeing the return of a cult classic with Shenmue III. Meanwhile, we’ve got new games for two massive IPs with Pokemon Sword & Shield and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

Red Dead Redemption 2 — November 5

Available on: PC

Red Dead Redemption 2 was GameSpot’s 2018 Game of the Year, so the PC release is a pretty big deal. This version of the game looks better than ever thanks to better textures and lighting, plus 4K/HDR support on capable PCs. You can also check out new story content, including more Gang Hideouts and Bounty Hunts.

More Coverage:

Death Stranding — November 8

Available on: PS4

Hideo Kojima’s latest project is still largely wrapped in mystery, but the elevator pitch is this: Sam Bridges (played by The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus) makes delivers across a shattered United States. Also there are shadow monsters, psychic babies, and tons of celebrity cameos. The game was also just announced for PC, in case you want to wait until summer 2020 to play that version.

More Coverage:

Pokemon Sword & Shield — November 15

Available on: Switch

By this point, you probably know what you’re getting with a Pokemon game, but Sword & Shield are mixing things up. The new Galar Region has its own variants of classic Pokemon like Weezing and Ponyta, plus region-specific evolutions for Farfetch’d and Linoone. Sword & Shield also introduce new giant, kaiju-like monsters called Dynamax Pokemon, some of which can even change form, known as Gigantamax Pokemon.

More Coverage:

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order — November 15

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC

It might sound cliche, but Fallen Order’s combat really does feel like the Dark Souls games. In fact, if you die, you’ll have to defeat the last enemy you fought to regain your lost XP, a la Bloodborne. It’s pretty fitting that this original Star Wars story is challenging, since protagonist Cal Kestis is one of the few surviving Jedi Padawans after Order 66.

More Coverage:

Shenmue III — November 19

Available on: PS4, PC

Shenmue 3 isn’t the end of Ryo Hazuki’s story, but fans of the Sega Dreamcast classic have been waiting a long time for the next chapter nonetheless. The third game picks up in a small fishing village in China, where Ryo continues to track down his father’s killer. Expect the usual dose of minigames and intriguing characters as you explore the open world.

More Coverage:

November has only just begun, and it’s got plenty more video games on the horizon. We didn’t even get a chance to talk about Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games 2020, which comes to Nintendo Switch on November 5 in the US and on November 8 in the UK. Next week, we’ll take a look at two anticipated remasters: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition and Romancing SaGa 3.

The Hidden Origins Of The Jedi – True Fiction

It’s no secret that Star Wars creator George Lucas drew inspiration from samurai films like Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress, but the similarities between the Jedi and samurai aren’t just drawn from fiction.

In this week’s episode of True Fiction, Kurt Indovina traces the threads of George Lucas’s inspiration back to 17th century feudal Japan, and its impact on popular culture as a whole, including ancient belief systems, like Shintoism and Bushido, and how they align with the way of the Jedi.

Watch True Fiction Episode 7: The Real Inspiration Behind The Jedi

This is it, the final episode of True Fiction … for now, at least. To send off the season we’re delving into one of the most beloved sci-fi franchises of all time: Star Wars. The universe that George Lucas created is deeply loved by many the world over and has become a cultural touchstone for those that love any form of entertainment. But the inspirations that led to its creation are perhaps less known.

In this episode of True Fiction we’re taking a look at some of those inspirations, particularly the work of Akira Kurosawa. Additionally, we’re also looking at how Japanese history and culture informed the creation of the Jedi. In more ways than one, the Jedi are founded on principles that the Samurai lived by years ago, and the parallels between the very real warriors of ancient Japan and the space-faring warriors of Star Wars are numerous.

You can check out True Fiction on the GameSpot Universe YouTube channel, where every episode in the season so far can also be found. You’ll also find a little more about the process of making the episode from host and writer Kurt Indovina.

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Kurt: Star Wars. Yes, Star Wars. The grandiose saga that’s spawned too many books for me to care to count (I lost track around 70), dozens upon dozens of games (including an Angry Bird reskin), and, of course, lest we never forget: a prestigious Christmas special. Oh, right, and a bunch of movies.

The impact Star Wars has had on this planet is so overwhelmingly massive that it feels almost arbitrary to restate. Yet, despite how ingrained it is in our society, the details of its origins aren’t as broadly known.

Admittedly, I’m a casual Star Wars fan at best. I like Star Wars; I’ve seen the movies; I’ve played a handful of games (shout out to Dark Forces); And with a half-hearted ounce of confidence, I can tell you that Han shot first.

But Star Wars wasn’t the first choice for True Fiction’s season finale. In fact, it was another George Lucas associated franchise: Indiana Jones. Initially, we wanted to explore Raiders of the Lost Ark, and examine the mystery of the ark’s supposed real-life hiding place. But upon rewatching the film, more and more did I begin to uncover that very little truth was used in the films premise at all.

Due to the ark being lost for 3,000 years, there’s little documentation to prove it actually existed in the first place; in the film it’s believed to be in Tanis, “the lost city of Egypt,” said to have been buried in a sandstorm, however, in reality, it’s not lost, and that sandstorm never happened; and lastly, the staff of Ra–an ancient artifact that reveals the location of the ark when shined in sunlight at a certain time in a certain place–was made up for the movie. I was grasping onto myths.

But what about Star Wars? How much truth can be found in an intergalactic space opera with monastic power wielding warriors, bickering robots, and an alien jazz saloon band, you may ask? Well, as it so happens, not really that much either. On the surface, George Lucas’s inspiration for Star Wars stemmed from two very specific interests of his own: Flash Gordon, and the samurai film The Hidden Fortress. When the two are combined, the foundation for which the boundless behemoth space epic was built upon suddenly seems small and kinda underwhelming.

However, it was the Jedi that pulled the most truth from reality. The Jedis influence can be traced beyond fiction, and back to 17th century Japan. Most specifically, the samurai.

While researching, I got the chance to learn about ancient Japanese beliefs like Shinto, and its similarities to the Force. I also got to learn about the history of the samurai, and how they came into being some of the most prominent figures in the country’s history. But the most surprising part to me was learning how 17th century impacted not just Japan, but popular culture as we know it. Give the episode a watch to truly grasp how far the ripples of that era reached.

All that said, this episode brings us to the conclusion of the first season of True Fiction. If you’ve been following along with this series, thank you–your time and attention has been invaluable to me, and I hope you’ve learned a thing or two along the way. Until next time, so long.

Luigi’s Mansion 3 Gem Locations for Every Floor

Here are Luigi’s Mansion 3 gem locations for every floor (B1, B2, 1F, 2F, 3F, 4F, 5F, 6F, 7F, 8F, 9F, 10F, 11F, 12F, 13F, 14F, 15F). Each section has a locations list followed by specifics for how to get gem so you can have hints and full answers.

BlizzCon 2019 Hearthstone Grand Finals Winner Makes History

History was made this weekend at the BlizzCon 2019’s Hearthstone Global Finals. 23-year-old Xiaomeng “VKLiooon” Li was crowned this year’s Global Hearthstone Champion. Not only is she the first female to win a Hearthstone Grand Masters event, Li is also the first Chinese player to secure the title. Her victory also marks the first time a female player has taken home a championship trophy at BlizzCon across all Blizzard titles.

Li’s incredible run up to the finals included taking down Hearthstone’s 2017 World Champion, Chen Wei Lin, better known by his handle “tom60229,” sending him to the loser’s bracket immediately. In the finals, she faced Brian “bloodyface” Eason, who she made quick work of, sweeping him 3-0 to claim her title and take home the $200,000 grand prize.

Suicide Squad: Check Out this Image of Jared Leto’s Joker from Deleted Scene

Jared Leto, and the Joker he played in Suicide Squad, have been in the news a lot these days, what with THR’s article stating the actor felt blindsided by Warner Bros. when they greenlit a solo Joker film separate from his character, and that Leto reportedly tried to put a stop to the Todd Phillips’ film when it was in development.

Separate from all this, we also knew that a lot of Leto’s Joker scenes from 2016’s Suicide Squad got cut from the final film.

His Dark Materials Season 1, Episode 1 Review

This is a mostly spoiler-free review of His Dark Materials Season 1, episode 1, which premieres on BBC One in the UK on Nov. 3 and HBO in the US on Nov. 4.

His Dark Materials fans have been hurt before. New Line’s 2007 adaptation of the first book in Phillip Pullman’s young adult series boasted an impressive cast and the budget necessary to bring the world to life, but they squandered those riches on a story that didn’t dare address the book’s more free-thinking themes. Thankfully, co-producers the BBC and HBO have learned from those mistakes to deliver both spectacle and story in their adaptation.

For those who haven’t read the books, His Dark Materials takes place in an alternate world where the human soul manifests as an animal companion called a Dæmon, its form ever-changing during childhood before settling on one in adulthood. This world is ruled by the Magisterium, a theocratic government that suppresses free thought everywhere save for scholastic institutions, and even then, with strict guidelines forbidding outright heresy. The story follows Lyra (Dafne Keen), a young girl left at Jordan College as a baby by her uncle, noted explorer Lord Asriel (James McAvoy). The pilot throws a lot of mythology and world-building at viewers up front, so if you’re not familiar with the source material, this approach might make your head spin, but stick with it and you’ll be rewarded with a rich world that grows far wider and deeper as the story progresses.

Box Office: Here’s How Terminator: Dark Fate’s Opening Compares to Other Terminator Movies

Terminator: Dark Fate may have won the weekend’s box office, but it came up far short of expectations for the first film since 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgement Day to have both series creator James Cameron and star Linda Hamilton on board.

Does this make it a box office bomb? We’ll have to wait and see how Dark Fate plays out in the long run. It’s certainly the third Terminator film in a decade to flame out at the start.

Despite being the best reviewed Terminator film since Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Dark Fate earned an estimated $29 million which is far less than the $40 million plus that was first predicted. Per Variety, Dark Fate brought in another $72.9 million overseas, bringing its grand sum so far to $123 million.

Why Terminator: Dark Fate Does Not Have an After Credits Scene

Thanks (in part) to the MCU, it’s commonplace now for big franchise installments to contain post credits scenes. Which makes it all the more surprising that Terminator: Dark Fate doesn’t have any. You’d think a series famous for the tagline “I’ll be back” would want to tease more with after credits tidbits.

Talking to Fandango back in October, Director Tim Miller explained why Dark Fate had a normal end credits roll.

“I love

,” Miller said, “but I think it’s a uniquely Marvel thing. So, no.”

Where (and How) to Watch Apple TV Plus

Apple TV+ is the latest à la carte premium streaming service to enter the highly competitive TV landscape – which will also include Disney+ in a few weeks and HBO Max this coming May. Apple TV Plus launches Friday, November 1, and has a relatively low price point, at $4.99 per month. Here’s a quick breakdown of how you can (or can’t) get Apple TV+ on your various devices and PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or Switch: