Category: Games

THQ Nordic has announced a remake of the 2005 alien action game Destroy All Humans just ahead of E3 2019. The tongue-in-cheek action game is slated for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

IGN reports that this is a remake of the original. Before it was officially revealed, though, Amazon leaked the game through a listing that has since been pulled. That listing had a placeholder 2020 date, and showed several screenshots and details.

The listings stated that the game is set in the 1950s, putting you in the role of an invading conqueror named Crypto-137. You can pose as humans to “infiltrate their fragile democracy,” use powers and weapons like psychokinesis and an anal probe gun, and explore Area 42 in a restored mission.

“The cult-classic returns! Terrorize the people of 1950s Earth in the role of the evil alien Crypto-137,” the product description read. “Harvest their DNA and bring down the US government in the faithful remake of the legendary alien invasion action adventure. Annihilate puny humans using an assortment of alien weaponry and psychic abilities. Reduce their cities to rubble with your flying Saucer! One giant step on mankind!”

This is the third new game announcement from THQ Nordic in only a few days. First it announced a remake of SpongeBob: Battle for Bikini Bottom for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Then alongside the recent Google Stadia presentation, the company announced Darksiders Genesis, an overhead Diablo-like action game featuring the horseman Strife. Expect more games and news in all of the upcoming press conferences.

Many gamers can point to studios who’ve lost their trust or respect, whether as a result of implementing brutal crunch periods, misleading players, or communicating poorly. But some studios are trying to do things differently, even if that means admitting mistakes and making big changes based on player feedback.

In a new GameSpot video feature, Jess McDonell dives into the story behind a studio doing just that with The Division 2: Massive Entertainment.

With the advent of the internet, we live in a world where consumers are clued in, wise to technology, and deeply aware of what they want. In the realm of gaming, inviting player feedback can bring about a better product, or simply earn goodwill and show transparency to a loyal playerbase; a currency that is worth quite a lot, especially for ongoing games that hope to retain their players.

In the video feature, Jess speaks with Massive community developers Petter Martensson and Christoph Gansler about how they engage with and incorporate player feedback with the live service game.

Check out the full video above, and come back soon to see our full Q&A with Martensson and Gansler.

Stadia Connect, Google’s pre-E3 2019 press conference, revealed lots more information about its new streaming service, Stadia. The conference brought us information on Stadia’s price, release date, and games lineup, as well as our first glimpse of its buddy pass.

Buddy pass allows you to share your Stadia Pro subscription with a friend for three months. Stadia Pro is the platform’s premium service. It enables 4K video streaming for the games you play. It will also include free access to a selection of games and “exclusive” discounts. Stadia Pro will cost $10 / £9 per month.

Stadia’s buddy pass, meanwhile, is included in the asking price for the Stadia Founder’s Edition, which launches in November for $130 / £120. It also comes with two physical devices–a limited-edition night blue Stadia controller and a Chromecast Ultra–as well as three months of Stadia Pro, the aforementioned buddy pass, and first dibs on choosing a Stadia username.

At launch, the Stadia Founder’s Edition will be available in 14 countries around the world: the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland. The buddy pass is region-free between any of those, so if you live in the US, for example, and have a Norweigan friend, you can gift them three months of Stadia Pro. Google says the platform will expand to more regions after launch, although it hasn’t yet specified which.

We learned a lot more about Stadia during the Connect presentation. Google also revealed some of the games that will be coming to the service, including Ghost Recon Breakpoint and the rumored Baldur’s Gate 3. Borderlands 3 will also be there at launch, as will Destiny 2 with its full suite of content, including the upcoming Shadowkeep expansion.

For more on Google’s new streaming service, check out everything Stadia can do out of the box. You might also be interested in Stadia’s internet speed requirements.

Pre-order Stadia Founder’s Edition now »

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During thebig Google Stadia event today, the company announced 30 titles for the streaming service, including Borderlands 3, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Baldur’s Gate 3, Metro Exodus, and Wolfenstein: Youngblood. They announced 30 titles in all, and it announced partnerships with other studios, like Rockstar Games, that haven’t revealed which of their titles will come to the platform.

It appears the next wave of Stadia game announcements will come during Gamescom in August–and possibly sooner during E3 2019. “We’ll have more game-related news to share at Gamescom,” reads a tweet from Stadia.

Additionally, the tweet mentioned that other publishers will announce Stadia support for their own titles “throughout E3 and beyond.”

Google Stadia boss Phil Harrison said during the event that Google is working with “hundreds” of publishers and developers to bring their titles to Stadia. A graphic shown during the stream, which you can see above, shows that publishers like Electronic Arts, 2K Games, Rockstar Games, Sega, Warner Bros., Capcom, and Square Enix are some of the other partners.

Nearly every genre of video game will be available on Stadia, including RPG, sports, racing, fighting, first-person, and more.

Google Stadia launches in November in 14 countries, including the USA, UK, and Canada. It is a streaming service that allows you to play games on your computer or phone. A Stadia Pro subscription costs $10/month, and that gets you access to a library of titles with others available to buy individually. A $130 Founder’s Edition comes with a Chromecast UItra, a Stadia controller, three months of Stadia Pro for you and a friend.

For more on Stadia, check out the stories linked below.

The Netflix Marvel shows went through their ups and downs, but now that they’re all canceled for good, at least they’re going out on a high note with Jessica Jones Season 3.

Netflix sent us eight of the final season’s 13 episodes, so this review is based on those alone–although we won’t get into any spoilers.

Jessica Jones’ first season was one of the strongest shows produced in Netflix and Marvel’s partnership, but Season 2 was a major letdown. Even in a world set after the Defenders defeated The Hand–which we had hoped would improve this TV universe moving forward–Jessica Jones’ sophomore season didn’t hold up, due to issues ranging from poorly written new characters to the lack of a narrative throughline. But like Daredevil’s final season, Jessica Jones Season 3 is a return to form–and then some.

As always, Jessica Jones follows the titular super-powered detective as she chases down leads, fights bad guys, and wrestles with her own soul-crushing nihilism. Krysten Ritter remains an inspired casting choice, and her version of this character retains all the complexity she’s always had. You want Jessica to get it together, but at the same time, it’s hard to argue with her worldview. Almost everything about Jessica Jones’ last season is great, but the show really works because of Ritter.

Season 3 is a direct follow-up to Season 2, but in case you didn’t watch that–and we can’t really blame you–here’s a quick recap: Trish (Rachael Taylor) has powers now (she’s Hellcat in the comics), but Jessica is mad at her because Trish killed Jessica’s mom, who wasn’t actually dead like Jessica thought, but unfortunately turned out to be kind of a psycho murderer.

Much of Season 3 is about the possibility of Jessica and Trish’s reconciliation. As the audience, you’ll want Jessica and Trish to team up, for obvious reasons–they’re awesome badasses. But there are plausible reasons why they can’t. A lot of the tension this season comes from their relationship, which feels true to life. The direction things are headed at the conclusion of Episode 8–the final episode Netflix sent us–is extremely promising, and the rest of the Season seems perfectly poised to stick the landing.

Unlike Season 2, Jessica Jones Season 3 does have a villain. We won’t spoil who it is, because there’s a gradual buildup. But even if you’re well read in the comics world, you might not know this villain off the top of your head. It’s a strange choice, but one that completely works within the world of Jessica Jones. And the casting for said villain–Jeremy Bobb, who we last saw earlier this year in Netflix’s time travel dark comedy, Russian Doll–is a wonderfully terrifying foil for Jessica’s raw power.

Most of Jessica’s side characters are along for this final ride as well. Carrie-Anne Moss is back as ruthless lawyer Jeri Hogarth, who is still dealing with her slowly developing ALS, a disease that will eventually kill her. After the events of Season 2, Jessica’s former assistant Malcolm (Eka Darville) is working for Hogarth, doing some things he’s not entirely comfortable with. Trish’s mom, Dorothy (Rebecca De Mornay), is an irritating presence (as always). And there are some new additions who play interesting roles, particularly Benjamin Walker’s Erik, a rare love interest for Jessica.

Jessica Jones Season 3 gets back to what the show is good at: gritty, noir-tinged detective stuff. Despite her powers of super strength and semi-invulnerability, Jessica tends to lay pretty low, using these powers mostly to pry into cases by intimidating suspects or punching through locked doors. And Season 3 is full of that stuff, with great pacing that will make you want to keep watching, at least through the first eight episodes. That said, as was almost always the case with these shows, 13 episodes still feels too long.

This season is also largely concerned with power as a concept–what individuals are willing to do to get it, what they do with it once they have it, and the effect it has on the lives of the people around them. This emerges through Trish’s new super-powered activities, but also through Jessica’s relationship with her new villain. At least one other powered character is introduced early on, and all three have to make hard choices about the responsibilities of the life they’ve chosen–or that chose them, in some cases, including Jessica’s.

That may sound like typical superhero fare, and in a way, it is–we’ve seen Season 3’s themes and narrative arcs many times before. But when this superhero comfort food is done well, it can resonate with viewers nonetheless. And that’s the case with Jessica Jones Season 3.

It’s fitting that the Netflix/Marvel universe is coming to an end with a season that reminds us how good these shows were at their best–fitting, and more than a little bit sad. I’m going to miss bingeing these shows a few times a year, because even at their worst, they were watchable junk food TV. At their best, they were much more. I can’t wait to watch Jessica Jones Season 3’s last five episodes and see how it all will end.

Week 5 of Fortnite Season 9 has arrived, and it’s brought a new set of challenges to complete in the battle royale shooter, whether you’re playing on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch, or mobile. Each task you finish will reward you with Battle Stars, which in turn will level your Battle Pass up and unlock more of this season’s new cosmetics. There’s an extra bonus for those who clear all seven challenges from a given week, however: You’ll also complete one of Season 9’s Utopia challenges and earn a special loading screen.

What makes these loading screens so desirable is each one features some kind of clue that leads to a free item hidden somewhere around the game’s map. Clear an even-numbered Utopia challenge and you’ll be able to find a Fortbyte, a new kind of collectible that Epic introduced in Season 9. However, if you complete an odd-numbered Utopia challenge, you’ll have a chance to collect a free Battle Star, which will level your Battle Pass up by one full tier.

If you’ve managed to finish five full sets of weekly challenges, you’ll unlock the loading screen pictured below, which will point you to another free Battle Star waiting somewhere around the island. This screen features a character passing through a Slipstream, new wind tunnels that can be found by Neo Titled and Mega Mall. However, the Slipstream itself isn’t the clue; rather, if you look closely at its outer rim, you’ll be able to spot the coordinates B2, B3, C2, C3, which converge near the castle in Haunted Hills. That’s where you’ll need to go.

The coordinates meet at an otherwise unassuming patch of grass. Make your way there and the Battle Star will appear when you approach. Interact with it as you would any other item in the game, then finish the match and you’ll level your Battle Pass up by one tier, bringing you another step closer to unlocking all of Season 9’s rewards. If you need more help finding it, we’ve marked the Battle Star’s exact location on the map below. You can also check out our video walkthrough above.

Unlike the aforementioned Fortbytes, which can be collected by any Battle Pass holder so long as you know where to look, there’s an important caveat to keep in mind before setting off to find this Battle Star. The item will only appear in your game if you’ve completed the required number of weekly challenges; you can’t simply go to the right place and find it if you haven’t done the necessary work. If there are any previous tasks you need help with, however, you can find guides for the trickier ones in our full Fortnite Season 9 challenges roundup.

Alongside the Week 5 challenges, Epic rolled out Fortnite’s 9.20 update. This week’s patch introduced a new item called the Storm Flip, which will create a temporary safe zone when thrown into the storm–and vice versa. To make room for it, Epic vaulted all hunting rifles. The publisher also brought back the infamous Infinity Blade as part of the Sword Fight limited-time mode. You can read more in the full patch notes on Epic’s website.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is rumored to, at some point in the future, release on PC. Developer Rockstar Games has made no announcements, and neither has parent company Take-Two. Despite that, evidence continues to mount for the acclaimed western releasing on PC.

Speaking at an investor briefing this week in New York City, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick responded to the assertion that launching Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC would be a “layup.” That’s a basketball metaphor for something very easy to do.

Zelnick succinctly responded, “There is no downside to releasing the game on PC.”

That’s all he had to say on the subject. His response is interesting and noteworthy, however. Zelnick is asked regularly about bringing Red Dead Redemption 2 to PC, and up until now, his public response had been that he would let Rockstar speak for itself. Zelnick is confirming nothing with his new statement, but it is a notable change of form for the executive.

Looking at Rockstar’s history, it seems likely that Red Dead Redemption 2 may eventually release on PC. Rockstar’s previous release, Grand Theft Auto V, came to PC in April 2015, which was five months after the release of GTA V on PS4 and Xbox One and 18 months after GTA V originally launched on PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2013.

For Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar and Sony had an exclusivity deal for some content, though whether or not this impacts the game launching on other platforms, like PC, is unknown. For what it’s worth, 2010’s original Red Dead Redemption never came to PC.

Red Dead Redemption 2 has shipped more than 24 million copies, which makes it one of the most commercially successful games in history. Launching on PC would only further increase the sales number, which is probably what Zelnick is referring to when he says “there is no downside” to bringing the game to PC.

Red Dead Redemption 2’s online mode, Red Dead Online, recently left beta with a huge update. Rockstar continues to support the online mode, and lots more content is coming over time.

Rockstar isn’t announced as an attendee for E3 2019, but Take-Two will be at the show where it will go big on hyping Borderlands 3 from Gearbox Software.

We’re now in Week 5 of Fortnite Season 9, which means there’s a new set of challenges to complete and Battle Stars to earn in Epic’s hit battle royale shooter. As usual, this week’s tasks are divided up into two categories: those that are available to everyone, and a premium set reserved for players who’ve purchased a Season 9 Battle Pass, which runs for 950 V-Bucks (roughly $10).

As has been the trend this season, most of Week 5’s challenges are fairly self-explanatory. In the free category, you’ll have to deal damage to opponents with Grenades, Dynamite, or Stink Bombs; search seven chests either in Salty Springs or Frosty Flights; and eliminate an opponent in five different matches. All of these should be easy enough to complete with a little persistence.

Battle Pass holders will have to do a little more work. Their challenges involve placing a trap item in five different matches and racking up three eliminations at Sky Platforms. There’s also a multi-stage challenge that first asks you to complete a lap at the desert race track, as well as one to visit five Wind Turbines in a single match. If you don’t know where those can be found, we’ve put together a Wind Turbine locations guide.

Free

• Deal damage to opponents with Grenades, Dynamite, or Stink Bombs (200) — 5 Battle Stars
• Search chests at Salty Springs or Frosty Flights (7) — 5 Battle Stars
• Eliminate an opponent in different matches (5) — 10 Battle Stars

Premium

• Stage 1: Complete a lap of the desert race track — 1 Battle Star
• Place trap items in different matches (5) — 5 Battle Stars
• Visit different Wind Turbines in a single match (5) — 10 Battle Stars
• Eliminations at Sky Platforms (3) — 10 Battle Stars

Alongside Week 5’s challenges, Epic has released Fortnite’s 9.20 update. This week’s patch introduces yet another new item to the game: the Storm Flip. As its name suggests, throwing it into a storm zone will create a temporary spherical pocket of safety, and vice versa–you can also throw it into a safe zone to create a storm zone. To make room for the Storm Flip, however, Epic has vaulted all hunting rifles. You can read more in the full patch notes on Epic’s website.

Borderlands 3 is just a few months away, but it looks like fans of the looter-shooter franchise will have something to tide them over in the meantime. Just before E3 2019, DLC for the seven-year-old Borderlands 2 has leaked and is likely to bridge the gap between the game and its upcoming sequel, according to Game Informer.

Titled Commander Lillith and The Fight for Sanctuary, the DLC leaked via a Steam listing and is reported to launch on June 9, the same day as Microsoft’s E3 presentation. The page has since been removed, as noted by Game Informer, but we managed to glean some information about the upcoming expansion. The listing said the DLC would be free and has Vault Hunters teaming up with Lilith and the Crimson Raiders to save Pandora. Check out the details below.

“Return to the award-winning shooter-looter for a new adventure that sets the stage for the upcoming Borderlands 3. Sanctuary is under siege, the Vault’s map has been stolen and a toxic gas is poisoning Pandora. Fight new bosses, explore new zones, get new loot (including an entirely new tier beyond Legendary) and join up with Lilith and the Crimson Raiders to take on a deranged villain hell-bent on ruling the planet.”

Lilith is the Siren in the original Borderlands. She’s remained an NPC since her reintroduction in Borderlands 2, guiding Vault Hunters throughout the treacherous environments on Pandora. With her return in Borderlands 3, it’s likely this DLC will have some connection between the events of Borderlands 2 and the adventure Vault Hunters will embark on this September.

Gearbox has been in hot water for a few months now. Last month, the original Claptrap voice actor levied some serious accusations against Pitchford, which includes a physical altercation at GDC back in 2017 and more. The Texas-based company has been in an ongoing legal battle with former general counsel Wade Callender over financial disputes, company information misuse, pornography, and more. Gearbox seems to be backing down for the lawsuit, retracting some claims and filing no grievances.

Borderlands 3 will land on PC, PS4, and Xbox One on September 13. It was confirmed that the upcoming looter-shooter will also launch on the Google Stadia day one as part of today’s Stadia Connect Event, kicking off this year’s E3.