Author: Trafficblast

Hey @TroyBakerVA I understand you’re helping put together a story-based musical video game. Ummmmm…. Let me try to ask this calmly. CAN I BE IN IT PRETTY PLEASE?????!!!!?

— Anthony Rapp (@albinokid) November 4, 2019

Hey, so some very talented folks are working on a very cool thing, and I MIGHT GET TO BE A PART OF IT!!! Check it out! Chorus: An Adventure Musical: Backer Rewards on Fig https://t.co/krMbsD32ch

— Anthony Rapp (@albinokid) November 4, 2019

The next DLC fighter for Super Smash Bros Ultimate is Terry Bogard, one of the most recognizable fighters from the Fatal Fury series. We haven’t seen much of what Terry can do yet, but that’s set to change in an upcoming livestream.

Nintendo has announced via their Nintendo Versus Twitter account that Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai will host a 45 minute livestream of the game at 5 AM PT on November 6, showing off the upcoming fighter’s abilities and fighting style. In the past, these videos have released very shortly before the characters themselves were made available to purchase: Joker, Hero and Banjo-Kazooie all followed a similar pattern.

Terry Bogard is the fourth DLC character to be added to Super Smash Bros Ultimate since the game’s release. An unannounced fifth character will be added as part of the first Fighter’s Pass, but more DLC characters will arrive beyond that too.

In our original Super Smash Bros Ultimate review, Edmond Tran gave the game a 9/10, writing that “Ultimate’s diverse content is compelling, its strong mechanics are refined, and the encompassing collection is simply superb.”

Jumanji: The Next Level will release next month. It’s a direct sequel to the hugely successful Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, which grossed $404,515,480 domestically and $962,077,546 in total worldwide. Following on from Jumanji: The Next Level’s first and second trailers, the film’s official Twitter account has released some character posters to show off the film’s cast.

These posters focus exclusively on the characters inside the Jumanji video game that much of the film is set within, which means, unfortunately, that we don’t get posters for Danny DeVito’s Eddie or Danny Glover’s Milo–who are turned into Dwayne Johnson’s Dr. Smolder Bravestone and Kevin Hart’s Franklin “Mouse” Finbar, respectively, when they enter the game.

While most of these actors and characters are returning from the previous film, Awkwafina (The Farewell) is a new addition to the cast–as is the horse.

Jumanji: The Next Level will arrive in cinemas on December 13. It’s directed by Jake Kasdan, who also directed the previous Jumanji film.

Hideo Kojima makes his politics pretty clear in a new documentary, saying Kojima Productions’ first title, Death Stranding, is inspired by recent political events and situations.

Kojima spoke candidly to BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat about the current political climate, referencing President Donald Trump and Brexit as inspirations for the game’s themes. “Trump is building a wall and the UK is leaving the EU,” Kojima told BBC Radio 1 reporter Steffan Powell. “In the game, we use bridges to connect things. But destroying those bridges can instantly turn them into walls. So bridges and walls are almost synonymous. That’s one of the things I’d like players to think about in the game.”

Kojima says “the era of today is about individualism” and uses that as a means to examine the increased loneliness in our ever-connected world. “The attacks and violence seen online these days is out of control. So I designed this for people to take a step back and by connecting, relearn how to be kind to others,” Kojima said. “After spending dozens of hours in the game you will come back to reality in the end. When you do, I want you to use what you learned in the game. Connecting is one of those things.”

Kojima also spoke openly about his own battles with loneliness and how he hopes people will empathize with the messaging behind Death Stranding. “I’m very prone to loneliness. I think there are similar people around the world, especially gamers. Even though they’re having fun with others outside when they are alone and playing video games in their living room they don’t feel like they fit into society or their community. So when those people play this game they realize people like them exist all over the world. Knowing that even though I’m lonely, there are other people like me makes them feel at ease.”

The reviews have finally rolled in and Death Stranding has received generally favorable praise from critics. In our own review, editor Kallie Plagge said, “Death Stranding is a hard game to absorb. There are many intertwining threads to its plot, and silly names, corny moments, and heavy exposition belie an otherwise very simple message. That comes through much more clearly in the game’s more mundane moments, when you find a desperately-needed ladder left behind by another player or receive a letter from an NPC thanking you for your efforts. It’s positive without ignoring pain; in fact, it argues in both its story and its gameplay that adversity itself is what makes things worth doing and life worth living. It’s a game that requires patience, compassion, and love, and it’s also one we really need right now.”

Blizzard has confirmed that there are no plans to launch the now-in-development Diablo 4 anytime soon.

Before wrapping up a BlizzCon panel, game director Luis Barriga explained that there’s no release date attached to Diablo 4 at the moment. “There is much, much more to come. A game of this scope takes time,” Barriga said. This is a very, very early first step. We’re not coming out soon, not even Blizzard soon. We’re just excited to take this first early step in the journey together with you.”

Diablo has had a staggered release since its inception. The first title launched in 1996 and received the Hellfire expansion a year later. Diablo 2 hit the market in 2000 and, like the original Diablo, received its expansion, Lord of Destruction, a year later. It would be more than a decade, in 2012, when Diablo 3 made its debut. Diablo 3 received one expansion and an additional character class before Blizzard unveiled Diablo Immortal and the newly-announced Diablo 4.

Despite Diablo 4 not coming out anytime soon, Blizzard has provided a bevy of information about the upcoming action-RPG title. New to the hack-n-slash experience are mounts, which allow you to travel fast and in style. And it turns out that all versions of the game are online-only. We were able to go hands-on with Diablo 4 during BlizzCon and concluded that the shared-world aspect introduced something new to the franchise.

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.

The internet has largely killed the print strategy guide business, but there’s something about holding a physical strategy guide that is still alluring in 2019. A number of major franchises such as Pokemon continue to get weighty strategy guides with each release. And with Pokemon Sword and Shield arriving November 15 on Nintendo Switch, a new strategy guide is also up for pre-order, with the Collector’s Edition currently discounted to $24.68 (was $40) at Amazon.

Pokemon Sword & Shield: The Official Galar Region Strategy Guide: Collector’s Edition — $24.68 ($40)

The Collector’s Edition has a slick black cover featuring outlines of Sword and Shield legendaries Zacian and Zamazenta. The 400-page hardcover includes exclusive concept art and a Joy-Con controller skin decal pack.

If you’re at all interested in a strategy guide for Sword and Shield, the Collector’s Edition is the right choice. The 348-page standard edition paperback is only about $2 less at Amazon, and it doesn’t come with the concept art or controller decals. With Amazon’s pre-order price guarantee, if the Collector’s Edition dips even further in price between now and release, you’ll only pay the lowest price.

There’s one downside here: The strategy guide releases November 22, a week after Sword and Shield launch. But if you’re the collecting type or buying it as a holiday gift, the delay probably won’t matter too much. You may also want to look into The Official Galar Region Pokedex, which is on sale for $19.73 at Amazon (was $25) ahead of its December 20 release.

If you’re having a hard time deciding which version is right for you, we have a breakdown of the differences between Sword and Shield. After you make your decision, make sure to check out our Pokemon Sword and Shield pre-order guide to see the bonuses from each retailer.