Author: Trafficblast

Dino Patti thinks that 4K gaming is of little consequence to developers, and is just yet another PC and console upgrade being advertised to help sell hardware. Patti is the co-founder and former CEO of Playdead–the developer behind Limbo and Inside–who left the studio in 2016 and went on to start new companies.

“I think [4K gaming] is useless,” Patti said at Reboot Develop, according to VG247. “It’s something that’s being pushed by tech vendors to push the next console.” Both Microsoft and Sony’s next-gen consoles–Project Scorpio and PS5 respectively–will support 4K and have a max output resolution of 8K.

“[Manufacturers] don’t respect the natural evolution of games and you force technology,” he added. “Microsoft with Kinect, they paid studios to make a lot of s***ty games.”

After leaving Playdead, Patti went on to be the co-founder for both Coherence and Jumpship. Coherence is working to create a cloud-based, open-source development platform. Jumpship is in the midst of developing its first game, Somerville, which tells a science fiction story about the lives of people who survive a global catastrophe. In terms of both tone and graphics, it looks a lot like Limbo and Inside–games that don’t necessarily require 4K graphics to convey their unsettlingly eerie atmosphere.

“I want to select a path by myself and not be drawn in by money from tech vendors,” Patti said. “There’s a lot of people that see something shiny and follow that. You can definitely see all the herd walking one way and falling.”

Back at Playdead, the studio is currently in the midst of developing its third game, which is still unannounced. Playdead has been teasing the project since January 2017, when the studio tweeted an image from the new game. Since then, Playdead has included additional images and concept art in tweets and job postings for the new game–the latter of which have also implied that this third title will take place in a 3D space as opposed to the 2D side-scroller format seen in Limbo and Inside.

The X-Force franchise has always explored the darker side of mutant life in the Marvel Universe. This is the team that gets its hands dirty so the X-Men don’t have to. And that much remains true even as Marvel’s Dawn of X relaunch ushers in a very different version of X-Force.

Read on to find out how the first issues of the new series challenges the very notion of death in a world where Charles Xavier has managed to make the X-Men immortal. Beware of full spoilers for X-Force #1 ahead!

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The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.

If you’re buying a Nintendo Switch or Switch Lite for someone this holiday, it’d be smart to throw in a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. The online membership has a number of benefits, including access to online multiplayer in games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Splatoon 2. But it also comes with a treasure trove of classic NES and SNES games and the chaotic battle royale puzzler Tetris 99. Ahead of Black Friday, let’s take a look at the best deals on Nintendo Switch Online.

Best Switch Online deals to expect for Black Friday 2019

The best (and only) Nintendo Switch Online subscription deal announced so far is at Target. You will be able to buy a 12-month subscription for $15, five bucks off the list price. That’s a reasonably good deal, and it’d be surprising to see other retailers offer much better considering the relatively low price of the membership to begin with.

If you’re more interested in a Switch Online family plan, which normally go for $35 and support up to eight users, it’s likely we’ll see that discounted as well. Target has a track record of offering Switch Online family memberships for $28 during major sales, so it’s possible that deal will make an appearance at Target or elsewhere during Black Friday weekend.

Target will also have the Overwatch: Legendary Edition on sale for $25, which comes with a three-month subscription of Switch Online. One other game to look out for that could be on sale is the retail edition of Tetris 99 (which comes with the paid DLC). The Switch Online exclusive comes with a 12-month subscription of Switch Online for $30. It’s possible that bundle will get discounted on Black Friday too.

Where to find Switch Online deals during Black Friday

We’ll be updating this article as more Nintendo Switch Online Black Friday deals are announced, but keep an eye on Walmart, Best Buy, GameStop, Amazon, and the Eshop, the Switch’s digital storefront.

In addition to gaining access to online multiplayer, Nintendo Switch Online subscribers can play dozens of classic NES games and 20 SNES games, including Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and Super Metroid. Switch Online members also get cloud saves for most games, which is an incredibly convenient feature.

Disco Elysium has released to near-universal critical acclaim, delivering a story-driven detective RPG where your character is trying to solve a murder investigation while suffering from alcohol-induced amnesia. One of the game’s more noteworthy features is the Thought Cabinet, an inventory system that allows you to unlock benefits from internalizing certain thoughts. Apparently, it wasn’t always so beneficial.

“The original effects of the Thought Cabinet projects were to be more negative,” Disco Elysium lead writer Robert Kurvitz said, according to VG247. “Oftentimes you would get straight up curses.” Developer ZA/UM shifted gears on the Thought Cabinet in order to inject a little positivity in an otherwise fairly bleak story–redesigning the feature to showcase the thoughts the detective was mulling over, instead of obsessions warping their mind.

Kurvitz believes that humans can sometimes become too preoccupied with the notion that our ability to think is ultimately one of our biggest downfalls. In Disco Elysium, the protagonist’s Thought Cabinet was redesigned to reflect the notion that, though human thoughts can be bad, they can also be a saving grace in dark, difficult times–a lifeline to keep people grounded. “Sometimes when I’m overwhelmed by negative emotions, I like to go on Wikipedia,” Kurvitz said. “Read an article on Sir Francis Younghusband, Pleistocene megafauna, whatever. It’s not only torturous to think–to be the kind of animal us humans are. It is also an absolute pleasure and a privilege.”

Disco Elysium is the 16th game in GameSpot’s history that the website has given a 10/10 review score. In GameSpot’s Disco Elysium review, David Wildgoose wrote, “Disco Elysium is a mad, sprawling detective story where the real case you’ve got to crack isn’t who killed the man strung up on a tree in the middle of town–though that in itself, replete with dozens of unexpected yet intertwined mysteries and wild excursions into the ridiculous, is engrossing enough to sustain the game. Rather, it’s an investigation of ideas, of the way we think, of power and privilege, and of how all of us are shaped, with varying degrees of autonomy, by the society we find ourselves in.”

Disco Elysium is currently only available for PC. Console ports for PS4 and Xbox One are scheduled for 2020.

Though Blizzard lessened Chung “Blitzchung” Ng Wai’s punishment following the overwhelming backlash, some Hearthstone developers thought the company’s handling of the professional player was “too harsh.”

In an interview with Kotaku at BlizzCon 2019, game director Ben Lee wished Blizzard took better care of the Blitzchung situation. “The initial decision was too harsh. Absolutely,” Lee said. “Definitely should have taken more time to consider something more reasonable, but we can’t take that back.”

While creative director Ben Thompson ultimately supports Blitzchung’s right to free speech, the Hearthstone developer felt a professional tournament wasn’t the place to express those views.

“Of course I celebrate–as we all do to some extent or another–free speech. You should be able to say what it is you want to say,” Thompson said. “I also understand what [Blizzard president] J. Allen Brack himself addressed in his own internal communications and later on to the world at large, which is that being able to speak your mind and say how you feel from a personal level is always and should always be a welcome thing. Doing so from a platform very much not your own and done from a voice not your own to take control, so to speak, or on behalf of another is not free speech. That is on behalf of something that’s not yours to do with.”

Blitzchung was initially banned for one year and lost all of his prize winnings after expressing support for democracy in Hong Kong during a post-match Hearthstone Grandmasters interview. Blizzard received widespread criticism online and from protesters, to which the company responded by reducing Blitzchung’s ban to six months and giving back his thousands of dollars in winnings.

“We’ve had a chance to pause, to listen to our community, and to reflect on what we could have done better. In hindsight, our process wasn’t adequate, and we reacted too quickly,” Brack said in a statement. “We want to ensure that we maintain a safe and inclusive environment for all our players, and that our rules and processes are clear. All of this is in service of another important Blizzard value–Play Nice; Play Fair.”

Brack addressed the controversial decision during BlizzCon’s opening ceremony, stating the company failed to adhere to its principles. “We moved too quickly in our decision making, and to make matters worse we were too slow to talk with you,” Brack said. “We didn’t live up to the high standards we really set for ourselves, and second, we failed in our purpose. I’m sorry, and I accept accountability.”

Hong Kong has seen several protests in recent months. A protest also occurred at BlizzCon, where participants demonstrated outside the Anaheim Convention Center venue on November 1.

Nintendo held a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Direct earlier today, where the company showed off the newly-released fighter, Terry Bogard. Alongside several other Fatal Fury cameos, series creator Masahiro Sakurai confirmed that the kunoichi Mai Shiranui won’t appear in the family-friendly brawler.

A few Fatal Fury characters will make an appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the game’s new King of Fighters coliseum-style stage, including Geese Howard, Joe Higashi, and more. After showcasing all the cameos, Sakurai said Mai isn’t included because “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is for good boys and girls of many different ages, so we decided not to feature her. Please forgive us.”

Mai is known for her busty figure and skimpy outfit, alongside her fighting prowess. Sakurai’s light-hearted explanation is a soft way of saying Mai isn’t age-appropriate.

While Mai may not become a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Terry is there to represent Fatal Fury. His Challenger Pack is available today for $6 USD. He’s also part of the game’s $25 Fighter’s Pass, which includes Persona 5‘s Joker, Dragon Quest‘s Hero, and the titular characters of Banjo-Kazooie. The Fighter Pass still has one final character to release; however, Nintendo confirmed that more post-launch fighters are on the way even after the Fighter’s Pass wraps up.

Nintendo also shared the patch notes for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s 6.0 update. The new patch includes adjustments to fighters, support for upcoming Amiibos, balance tweaks, and more.

Pokemon Sword and Shield are just around the corner, and like Pokemon Go, the games will allow you to team up with other players and take on supersized Pokemon in Raid Battles. The Pokemon Company had previously teased that some Pokemon you encounter in these Max Raids are capable of Gigantamaxing, and now it has confirmed the first Gigantamax Pokemon you’ll be able to catch.

From November 15 to early January, you’ll have a greater chance of encountering Gigantamax Butterfree in Max Raids, regardless of which version you’re playing. On top of that, Pokemon Sword players will be more likely to encounter Gigantamax Drednaw during the same time period, while those playing Shield will be more likely to find Gigantamax Corviknight.

In Sword and Shield, Max Raid Battles occur at special dens dotting the Wild Area, an open-world expanse that stretches through the Galar region. You can tell when a Max Raid Battle is happening when a beam of light is emerging from one of these dens. You can take on Max Raids with three other trainers, who can either be real players online or AI-controlled partners. Much like in Pokemon Go, you’ll first need to defeat the Max Raid Boss in battle within a set amount of time before you can have a chance to capture it.

The Pokemon Company teases that “the Gigantamax Pokemon you’re likely to encounter will change over time,” so it seems there will be an ongoing schedule of Gigantamax Raids. You can read more about the first confirmed Gigantamax Raid Bosses on the official Pokemon Sword and Shield website.

Gigantamaxing is a special strain of Dynamaxing. While all Pokemon are able to Dynamax, only certain species can Gigantamax, and even then, only special individuals within that species can actually Gigantamax–so a Butterfree that you catch in the grass, for instance, will not be able to Gigantamax, but one that you encounter through a Max Raid will. You can see all the Gigantamax Pokemon revealed so far in our Gen 8 Pokemon gallery.

On top of those monsters, you can get a couple of Gigantamax Pokemon for free in Sword and Shield. If you have save data of Let’s Go Pikachu or Eevee on your Switch, you’ll receive a Gigantamax-capable Pikachu or Eevee in your game, and everyone who purchases a copy by January 15 will get a free Gigantamax-capable Meowth via Mystery Gift. For more on the titles, check out our Pokemon Sword and Shield pre-order guide.