Category: Games

Sign-ups for the closed beta for Phantasy Star Online 2 are now live. The beta will only be hosted on Xbox One and, to participate, you need to be in the US or Canada.

To register for the closed beta, you need to own the Xbox Insider Hub app–so download it from the Xbox One Store if you haven’t already. Once the app is installed, open it, accept the terms of use if this is your first time using the Insider Hub, and then select “Insider Content” from the main dashboard. You’ll then see several category types. Under “Games,” select Phantasy Star Online 2. From there, you can join the sign-up list. The closed beta isn’t live yet, but you’ll receive a message through Xbox Live when it is. So be sure to remain online.

2012’s Phantasy Star Online 2 is the long-awaited sequel to 2000’s Phantasy Star Online, both published by Sega. Though the original game was quickly released to international audiences after its launch in Japan, its sequel did not–eventually, some fans began to believe it never would. So it was with great surprise that Microsoft, during its E3 2019 press conference, announced that the game was coming to North American audiences in early 2020.

A free-to-play action RPG, Phantasy Star Online 2 takes place in a fantasy setting of space exploration where you embark on missions to different planets to collect resources, save colonists, and battle powerful threats. In Phantasy Star Online 2, you start a new game by picking your in-game character’s gender, race, body and facial features, and class (of which there are nine). You can then tackle missions alone or with friends in online co-op (in either four-person assignments or 12-player multiparty areas). As you level up, you’ll be able to use more powerful weapons, firearms, and magical spells.

Phantasy Star Online 2 will release in North America on Xbox One and PC. In Japan, the game is already playable on PlayStation Vita, PC, PS4, and Nintendo Switch–with no announced plans for an Xbox One port.

Borderlands 3 is now available to buy through Google’s Stadia streaming platform, but apparently not the most up to date version of it.

Publisher 2K revealed Tuesday that Borderlands 3’s Stadia launch would only include updates and patches for the game released on or before October 24. That excludes content drops like the recent Moxxi’s Heist of the Handsome Jackpot and the Takedown at the Maliwan Blacksite, both of which 2K says it expects to arrive on Stadia sometime in early 2020.

That also means the Stadia version is missing some key quality of life improvements that have been made, including bosses now having dedicated loot pools, an expansion to player storage space in their bank, and the Mayhem 4 difficulty level.

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Microsoft is trickling out information about the Xbox Series X, but we’re still a year away from launch. If you want to get your Xbox fix now, there’s no more affordable way to do it than the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition. It just so happens to be on sale right now for its Black Friday price of $149. That’s $100 off list price, or a 40% discount. Not too shabby.

The Xbox One S All-Digital Edition is an Xbox One S, but without a disc drive. It comes with the console, a controller, one month of Xbox Live Gold, and download codes for Minecraft, Sea of Thieves, and Fortnite (along with 2,000 V-Bucks). It pairs perfectly with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which includes Xbox Live Gold and access to over 100 games — including first-party titles the day they launch. Currently, Amazon is running a deal that gets you three free months with the purchase of a three-month subscription.

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Even though the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 Remake is only one episode in a multi-part game, Square Enix said that there would be more than enough new content in the Remake to fill out a full game. Now, we have screenshots for some of the expanded areas of Midgar, plus a look at brand new characters debuting in Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

The new screenshots give us a better look at recognizable faces like Sephiroth and Aerith, along with new looks at old characters like the president of Shinra and his right-hand man Heidegger.

We also get a look at a brand-new character named Roche, a 3-C SOLDIER “turned rebel” known as “Speed Demon.” Roche apparently “loves bikes, speed and anyone who can give him a challenge. His comrades, however, find him annoying – he constantly squeals his rear tire and makes them choke on fumes of burnt rubber.”

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With Season 1 of HBO’s Watchmen series now complete, IGN spoke with star Regina King about her experience playing Angela Abar aka Sister Night and how she interprets that final shot of the season finale.

Warning: full spoilers for Watchmen ahead!

As the final scene plays out, we watch as Angela eats the single unbroken egg left behind by Doctor Manhattan’s ill-timed waffle-making session. Knowing that her late husband could pass his powers onto someone by creating something (like an egg) for them to ingest, Angela eats the egg and tests to see if she can walk on water just like she saw him do in the previous episode. But as Angela’s foot touches the surface of the pool, the episode ends, leaving us on a cliffhanger without knowing the answer. It’s an ambiguous ending, which echoes how the Watchmen graphic novel concluded.

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Untitled Goose Game is undeniably one of 2019’s most unforgettable Switch games, and now the Goose is ready to wreak havoc on other platforms. As of today, the game is now available on PlayStation 4, and to celebrate, there’s a new dynamic theme available for PS4 owners. The Untitled Goose Game PS4 theme is free to download right now, if you’re ready to let the now-iconic Goose take over your home screen.

The Untitled Goose Game PS4 theme features the Goose sitting on top of a pile of stolen items, and you’ll hear the sound of birds chirping. The Goose can be seen when you scroll up to look at various settings; however, when you least expect it, the Goose will dart across your screen like the hooligan he is.

If you never picked up the game on Nintendo Switch, you can currently snag it with a launch discount of $15 on PS4 (down from $20). This deal is only available through January 2.

Xbox One owners also have access to Untitled Goose Game starting today. The same $15 launch discount is available on Xbox One, although please note Untitled Goose Game was added to Xbox Game Pass today as well. (There’s also a fantastic discount on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate right now if you need to extend your membership.)

The puzzle game earned a solid 8/10 in GameSpot’s Untitled Goose Game review. “The important thing is that Untitled Goose Game is a hoot,” wrote critic James O’Connor. “It’s a comedy game that focuses on making the act of playing it funny, rather than simply being a game that features jokes. Wishing that it was longer speaks to how much fun I had with it. There’s nothing else quite like Untitled Goose Game; it’s charming and cute despite being mean, and both very silly and very clever. It’s also probably the best non-racing game ever to feature a dedicated ‘honk’ button.”

Despite Telltale Games’ unexpected shuddering in November 2018, some of the studio’s properties are making a comeback. Following a reveal at this year’s Game Awards show, confirming the continued existence of The Wolf Among Us 2, the team has confirmed it’s starting the project all the way over.

In a USG interview, LCG Entertainment founder Jamie Ottilie confirmed that the relaunched Telltale studio has opted to redo everything on the forthcoming The Wolf Among Us sequel. “We have completely restarted the development of the game,” Ottilie told USG. “We felt it best to give the new creative team a clean slate to start with.”

LCG Entertainment acquired the Telltale Games moniker in August 2019 and is now the name the company operates under. Only a few original Telltale developers are employed at the newly-reformed Telltale studio, with Ottilie telling USG that “several others [are] on a freelance basis.” The Wolf Among Us 2 is being developed by Telltale and the brand-new AdHoc Studio–a team composed of former key members from the old Telltale, including individuals who worked on the original The Wolf Among Us.

According to USG, Adam Harrington (Bigby Wolf) and Erin Yvette (Snow White) are returning to reprise their roles in The Wolf Among Us 2. Further, series composer Jared Emerson-Johnson will return as well.

The Wolf Among Us 2 was announced just before San Diego Comic-Con in July 2017. At the time, the hotly-anticipated sequel was expected to launch in the second half of 2018. However, the title was delayed to 2019 “as the result of a few fundamental changes” at Telltale. The Wolf Among Us 2 will launch on PC via the Epic Games Store and consoles at some unspecified date.

Star Wars fans still have to wait until December 20 to see the conclusion of the Skywalker saga in The Rise of Skywalker, but the iconic cast members and Hollywood celebrities got to see the movie a little early at the world premiere in Los Angeles, California. The cast and crew behind the movies were able to interact with fans and dress up for a night to celebrate everything Star Wars, and were even joined by a squad of white stormtroopers and the new red Sith Troopers.

If you want to see photos from the world premiere of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and see who was lucky enough to watch it early, click through the gallery below.

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Three images from Bill and Ted Face the Music have been revealed, giving us our first looks at Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter in the franchise’s long-awaited third film.

Also seen in the new stills are William Sadler, reprising his role as Death; Brigette Lundy-Paine and Samara Weaving, playing Billie and Thea, Ted and Bill’s respective daughters; and Scott Mescudi (Kid Cudi).

Here’s an official synopsis for Bill & Ted 3, courtesy of Orion Pictures:

The stakes are higher than ever for the time-traveling exploits of William “Bill” S. Preston Esq. and Theodore “Ted” Logan as the now middle aged best friends set out on a new adventure to seek the song that will set their world right and bring harmony in the universe, helped by their daughters, a new batch of historical figures, and a few music legends.

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The Walking Dead has seen quite a few video game adaptations over the past decade, and now it’s coming to VR. The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners is coming to pretty much every virtual reality headset available on the market today–however, not all at once.

The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners hits Steam and the Oculus Store on January 23. On that day, it’ll only be compatible with the Valve Index, HTC Vive, HTC Cosmos, Oculus Rift and Rift S, and Windows Mixed Reality headsets. Of course, you’ll also be able to play it on the Oculus Quest with the recently released Link beta, but a proper port for the all-in-one headset is scheduled for Q3 2020 (July-September). PlayStation VR will see the game hit its storefront a little earlier in Q1 2020 (January-March).

There are three different editions for The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners. The standard edition comes with the game and “The Sheriff” revolver pre-order bonus for $40 USD. The Tourist edition, on the other hand, comes with even more digital bonuses, including more weapons and the soundtrack. And lastly, the physical Tower edition comes with some physical goodies like a reversible backpack that doubles as a VR headset carrying case. You can see more on all of these additions below.

Pre-order The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners standard edition

The $40 standard edition of the game comes with the game itself and a single pre-order item: “The Sheriff” revolver. Pre-orders are currently only available on Steam, but we’ll update this story when more platforms become available.

PC (Steam):

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Pre-order The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners Tourist Edition

The $50 Tourist edition comes with the game and an assortment of digital pre-order bonuses. In addition to “The Sheriff” revolver, you also get “The National” knife, “The Judge” bat, in-game crafting recipes, and “Bustomization” New Orleans voodoo dolls. On top of that, you also get some additional bonuses, such as podcasts, the trailer song, and the full game soundtrack. PlayStation VR pre-orders also get a dynamic theme, though that version isn’t currently available for pre-order.

PC (Steam):

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Pre-order The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners Tower Edition

The $150 Tower edition is the only physical package for The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners. In addition to the digital Steam code, it comes with a collection of physical items.

• Reversible backpack tailored to be a VR headset carrying case
• Magnetic camping lantern
• Collector’s Challenge coin
• Concept art
• Buttons and pins
• Postcards
• 16 GB thumb drive that looks like a severed thumb

Of course, it also comes with the Tourist edition’s pre-order items and bonuses, including the various weapons, game soundtrack, and more. The Tourist edition is currently only available through Saints And Sinners’ website, though we will keep our eyes out and update this article if it shows up anywhere else.

PC (Steam):

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