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Microsoft’s next-generation strategy is not focused around any one console, or even a console at all. While Microsoft is releasing two next-generation systems in November–the Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S–the company has bolder plans to reach potentially billions of players through its cloud streaming service, xCloud.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has now spoken more about Microsoft’s approach and how the company does not want to “build walls around Xbox.”

“Microsoft is in the gaming business for the long run, we want to be a platform where hundreds of millions or billions of players can find somewhere to play,” Spencer told Fast Company. “Building walls around Xbox, so the only way you can continue the experience you love is to buy a new console this fall–for us, it doesn’t seem in line with the values we have as a team.”

Spencer has previously spoken about trying to reach 2 billion gamers, and that is not possible through consoles alone for various reasons. With xCloud, however, every person with a smartphone is a potential Xbox customer, and this could be a big deal.

xCloud only just released this week, so it’s early days. Not only that, but xCloud does not work properly on iPhone due to Apple’s policies, so it’s limited in its reach right now. For more on xCloud, check out GameSpot editor Phil Hornshaw’s report about what it’s like to play Halo: Reach on the toilet.

The Xbox Series X ($500 USD) and S ($300 USD) consoles will become available for pre-order on September 22, ahead of their release in November. For more, check out GameSpot’s Xbox Series X/S pre-order guide.

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In Spelunky 2, the turkey’s fate is in your hands.

You could hop on the bird’s back, making use of its double jump and Yoshi-like glide to flap your way through your run. For a solid payout, you could return it and the other birds scattered throughout a stage to the turkey farmer who oversees their pen. You could whip it unconscious, throw a bomb next to its body, and eat the resulting Thanksgiving platter for one heart–or you could do that last one in the farmer’s line of sight, prompting him to take up arms against you, “you monster.”

This is the mode that Spelunky 2 constantly operates in. There are always risk-reward choices to make, and death is nearly instantaneous if you choose poorly. Like its acclaimed predecessor, Spelunky 2 is the rare platformer that demands to be played as much like a tactics game as it does like a Mario game. As you learn (or relearn) how to survive, success requires a willingness to think three moves ahead. Some tiles are booby-trapped to shoot arrows as you leap through their line of sight. Some vases summon a relentless ghost when smashed. Some pottery hides snakes and tarantulas. Some spiders hang from the cavern ceilings, hoping you pass by unaware. You really shouldn’t even move from your initial spawn point without pausing for a moment to pore over every treacherous inch of the screen. That is, unless you spawn near a bat, which will swoop down at you–hope you’re quick with your whip.

This time around, you are Ana, the daughter of the first game’s cave-faring protagonist. You’ve arrived on the moon in search of your parents, who have disappeared while exploring its very un-moon-like caverns. As you head into the mines, Spelunky 2 resembles the opening level of the first game–at least at first. You have a whip, you have some bombs, and you have a rappelling rope you can toss into the ceiling to climb to otherwise inaccessible heights. And the creatures you encounter, like bats, snakes, and spiders, will be familiar, too. And it’s all set against a clay brown backdrop which suggests the interior of a surprisingly well-lit cavern.

But from there, the game quickly bushwacks its way into unfamiliar territory. There are robots that turn into bombs when you stomp a button on their heads; mechanical ladybugs that spray fire from their outstretched wings; relentless cavemen with boomerangs. Each level–which, per Spelunky tradition, is remixed each time you play via procedural generation–houses new enemies and new environmental hazards to learn to navigate. After the first biome, you’re presented with a choice–jungle or robot volcano?–and with either comes a whole host of new rules to learn. All of this is rendered in the same expressive cartoon style as its predecessor. It’s slightly crisper and clearer this time around, but it’s a tribute to the timelessness of Spelunky’s art style that Spelunky 2 isn’t more of a noticeable step up.

The controls match the art’s precision. Developer Mossmouth has added some quality-of-life tweaks–you now run by default and need to hold a button to slow down, instead of the other way around–but mostly, the team didn’t mess with a good thing. The highest praise I can heap on Spelunky 2 is that, in a game where you need to land jumps on tiny spits of land, leap above spike pits, and skirt pools of lava, I never felt like my death was the game’s fault. Some things take some getting used to, sure. But once you have the hang of things, Spelunky 2 offers near-perfect platforming.

It doesn’t feel as buoyant as some of its genre contemporaries. Instead, Spelunky 2 feels grounded. Your jump won’t take you very high, and your puny whip necessitates getting close to enemies. The game’s many traps, unpredictable procedurally generated world, and punishing fall damage mean that the longer you spend airborne, the less likely you are to make it back to the ground in one piece. Spelunky 2’s ever-present sense of danger encourages you to make careful, calculated decisions. But if you take the time to analyze the screen before choosing your next move, getting there is usually easy. I often thought deeply about where to go, but that was the hardest part.

However, that doesn’t mean you won’t still die a lot. Mastering Spelunky 2 is a little like penning the Great American Novel; you might have the vocabulary, but that doesn’t mean you can put the words together well. Spelunky 2 offers a brief tutorial to get you in the swing of jumping, climbing and bomb-throwing. Those rock-solid basics are your sole lifeline as you begin your adventure. Conversely, learning each new enemy and trap is a baptism by fire. It can feel overwhelming at first. Wait, that thing can kill me? Oh, those blocks shoot spikes? Why does the invincible ghost keep showing up a minute into my run? Over time, though, as you gain your bearings, this feeling almost entirely dissipates. For each seemingly arbitrary death the game doles out, there is a lesson about a set-in-stone rule waiting to be learned. There are some exceptions–I was still occasionally frustrated by the Naked Mole Rat, which moves erratically through dirt tiles, and more than once I was insta-killed by a bear trap that was barely visible in some tall grass. But, on the whole, Spelunky 2 does a stellar job of displaying all the information you need to know at all times, once you know how to read it.

Spelunky 2 doesn’t mess with the original’s formula too much, but the changes it does make keep that formula fresh. New biomes, like the world filled with robots and lava, come with new challenges for experienced adventurers. As each world begins, you will be unsure which tiles you can stand on and how new enemies will behave. It’s extremely satisfying to master a space that once killed you instantaneously. You don’t unlock new weapons or level up; instead, as the cliche goes, knowledge is power. Thankfully, as you’re learning a new world, you can contribute to one helpful NPC’s quest to dig shortcut tunnels to the later stages, allowing you to leapfrog over the early game to the spots that are giving you trouble.

Spelunky 2 doesn’t mess with the original’s formula too much, but the changes it does make keep that formula fresh.

Mechanically, the most significant addition, as attested to by the turkey anecdote above, is the inclusion of mounts. These double-jumping creatures make it significantly easier to breeze through levels. They move quickly, and some can attack from a distance, offering a nice change of pace on the runs when you find one. But they’re also easy to accidentally kill (and, in the turkey’s case, there is incentive to purposely kill them for health). I was always extremely grateful to find a Rock Dog, a pink fire-breathing goat creature that can be spotted and tamed in the wild or purchased at a store. And I was likewise sad to see them go when hit by an arrow or burned up in lava. A major positive of their addition is that they can tank that damage for you, effectively granting another hit point and, in some cases, a second life.

Spelunky’s additional modes have returned. I had a good time messing around against bots in the frantic competitive fun of Arena. But the modes I see myself returning to are Online co-op and the Daily Challenge. At the moment, my Online experience has been consistently hampered by pretty significant lag. It’s a shame because rushing through Spelunky 2 with strangers is a terrific, zany time and a great way to experience the later levels before you’re skilled enough to reach them on your own. Mossmouth has already pushed out several updates since launch, so hopefully the lag improves over time. Meanwhile, Daily Challenges, which offer you one shot each day to complete a successful run of the game, continue to offer exciting tension. This challenge may entice me to keep returning to this game long after I finally claim victory in Adventure mode.

In fact, the most damning thing I have to say about Spelunky 2 is that it mostly feels like more Spelunky. The new mechanics, like mounts, and the new stage themes feel right at home. To me, Spelunky 2 seems familiar. Obviously, that isn’t a bad thing. The first Spelunky is a fantastic game, and Spelunky 2 improves on its formula. Making the best version of Spelunky possible is a worthy goal, but Spelunky 2 suffers a little from the lack of ambition beyond that. Despite the great time I’m having with this game, my excitement is tempered slightly by the nagging feeling that this is mostly just a better take on the original design, rather than an ambitious, entirely new thing.

At least, that seems to be the case right now. The original Spelunky’s proc-gen depths hid secrets that took time for its avid community to discover, so it’s possible that Spelunky 2 has secrets of its own that I have yet to find, and they could push the game in a different direction from its predecessor. Spelunky 2 is a successful evolution of what made the original Spelunky work; the tight controls, impressive use of procedural generation, expressive art style, and interesting stage themes are better than ever here. But the more notable changes in how we play and talk about this game will likely happen in the coming months as players discover the heart of the game in the deep, dark depths we aren’t yet even aware exist.

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Fortnite

• Android
• iOS (iPhone/iPad)
• + 6 more
• Nintendo Switch
• PC
• PlayStation 4
• PlayStation 5
• Xbox One
• Xbox Series X

In Fortnite, players and their friends lead a group of Heroes to reclaim and rebuild a homeland that has been left empty by a mysterious darkness only known as “the Storm.”

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PlayStation 5 preorders went live earlier than expected, and many eager gamers are running into difficulties getting one from various retailers, including Walmart. The company, which previously said PS5 preorders would be available in its stores on September 22, has now changed these plans.

Though online preorders at the retailer started yesterday, the new way for gamers to get their hands on a PlayStation 5 in time for its November 12 launch date from Walmart is to wait until the console drops on November 12. Previously, Walmart planned to take PS5 preorders, with people able to choose between the Digital and Standard editions. Now, Walmart’s site states the PlayStation 5 is “coming soon,” with no option to preorder available.

This change was likely put in place to follow CDC guidelines on maintaining social distance during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, as well as to keep steady control over in-store traffic.

“Walmart has decided not to proceed with the planned store pre-order to control store traffic and keep our customers safe and socially distanced,” a company spokesperson told GameSpot over email. “Customers can still get the console on November 12 when it’s released. Apologies for any confusion.”

The PlayStation 5 retails for $400 for the Digital edition and $500 for the Standard edition when it arrives this November. We’ve rounded up everything you need to know about Sony’s upcoming next gen system, including where to preorder and what its launch games are.

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