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.
It’s been a great week for deals, from Labor Day sales to free games and multiple free-to-play events available to take advantage of. Now Humble Bundle is throwing its hat into a ring with a solid deal of its own: For a short time, you can claim racing game Dirt Rally for free just by signing up for Humble’s newsletter. As long as you redeem the game before the expiration date, it’ll be yours to keep and play forever. The deal ends Sunday at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET, so there’s not much time to claim the offer.
After you sign up for Humble’s newsletter, you’ll be able to play Dirt Rally via Steam for Windows, Mac, and Linux. That means you’ll need a free Steam account to redeem the game code.
Dirt Rally first released in 2015 on Windows PC and released on PS4 and Xbox One the following year. The intense racing game features over 70 international stages, from Colorado’s Pikes Peak to snowy Sweden and the muddy roads of Wales. In Dirt Rally, you can compete in both single-player and multiplayer races, with the ability to upgrade your vehicle, hire and train your own crew, and more. The game earned a solid 8/10 in GameSpot’s Dirt Rally review for its excellent physics, variety of vehicles from different eras, and overall great visuals, although critic Richard Wakeling took issue with its career mode progression and lack of tutorials.
“The Dark Souls of driving games is a term I’ve seen in certain corners of the internet, and the comparison couldn’t be more apt. Like with From Software’s seminal RPG, Codemasters’ latest is uncompromisingly difficult while also rewarding those who are willing to master its intricate mechanics and, perhaps most importantly, show a little dare,” wrote Wakeling.
“Dirt Rally’s mechanics are so robust, and so accomplished in their execution, that it’s difficult to care about a lack of polish in its presentation, or a couple of skimpy game modes. This is as authentic a portrayal of rally as you’re likely to find, and proves to be not just a return to form for Codemasters, but its best game to date.”
After launching on Android, iOS, and Windows 10 PC for free a week ago, the cutesy Gears Pop has hit an impressive milestone, surpassing more than one million players in the short time it has been available on the market.
The Coalition’s studio head, Rod Fergusson, tweeted out a thank you for the one million players. Though he didn’t clarify, Fergusson alludes to “more cool stuff” coming in the future for the mobile Gears spin-off title.
Announced during Microsoft’s E3 2018 presentation, Gears Pop is described as a “mobile Gears experience with an official Funko Pop twist.” In it, you build your team from an assortment of Pop Vinyl-styled Gears characters, challenge players around the world, defend against the Horde in co-op, and more. The game’s full achievement list has been revealed, allowing you to earn upwards of 1000 Gamerscore if you log into your Xbox Live account through your phone.
Gears Pop arrived just a couple of weeks before the upcoming mainline Gears entry, Gears 5, which will launch on September 10 for PC and Xbox One. You can pre-load the game right now on both platforms, with serves expected to go live on September 5 at 9 PM / 11 PM CST / 12 AM ET / 5 AM BST.
GameStop has officially re-launched its website. The retailer’s new site promises to provide a “modern digital shopping experience” that aims to be “engaging, easier, and faster to use.”
In a press release, GameStop acknowledged that its legacy website became “increasingly difficult” to use and this was feedback it heard from users. You can check out the new website now and see all the changes for yourself.
GameStop’s chief merchandising officer, Chris Homeister (who joined the company back in June), said in a statement that the re-launch of the new GameStop website is just the beginning. The company aims to “continue to build and improve” it over time.
The aim of the new GameStop website is not only to refresh its look but also to improve its functionality. The search function has been improved, helping shoppers find products and complete purchases faster.
An overview of GameStop’s website updates
A more streamlined experience for buying or reserving online pickup at your local store, now available for multiple items rather than just one
Apple Pay enabled for laptop or mobile purchases
More visibility for trade-in values (including advanced trade credits) across the site, such as product pages and search result pages
Integration of PowerUp Rewards program with the web, allowing customers to enroll online
More prominent visuals to help shoppers discover games, accessories, apparel, and collectibles
As of way of introducing customers to its new website layout, GameStop will launch a one-day-only sale at midnight on Monday, Sept. 2, which is Labor Day for those in the US and Canada. Some popular products that once lived on ThinkGeek’s website (which shut down earlier this summer) are included, like the Poke Ball waffle maker and Thor’s hammer toolbox. Check out some of the discounts that will be available below. Plus, don’t miss some of the other sales happening this week around Labor Day, including a major discount on PS Plus at Ebay.
Games
Accessories
Collectibles
Pre-owned consoles
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.
Compared to other slasher villains like Jason Voorhees or Michael Meyers, the Predator has a particularly unique way of making its victims feel out of their depth, and this is exactly what Friday The 13th developer Illfonic wants to bring to Predator: Hunting Grounds. It’s another asymmetrical multiplayer game, but also very different from the team’s previous game. In Hunting Grounds, a heavily-armed squad of four players has to complete a covert mission in a remote jungle full of hostile forces, while another player takes on the role of the iconic alien hunter–their goal is to make sure the squad doesn’t make it out alive. Revealed earlier this year, GameSpot went hands-on with an early build of the game and learned how the parallel co-op and competitive mechanics work.
Compared to Illfonic’s Friday The 13th, Hunting Grounds leans closer to action-horror than just a standard slasher, and you’re far more capable of defending yourself than a group of camp counselors in the face of their movie monster. At its core, Hunting Grounds is an asymmetrical multiplayer game that hinges on the blend of co-op and competitive gameplay, pitting two drastically different sides against one another.
“There’s something out there waiting for us, and it ain’t no man. We’re all gonna die.”
When playing as the mercenaries, you’ll face off against hostile AI in the jungle while completing objectives, such as securing intel or destroying enemy equipment. While the mercs are doing their mission, which has a randomized set of goals for each match, the lone alien hunter stalks the humans from the trees above, waiting to strike and collect its bounty of skulls. It sticks very closely to the original Schwarzenegger movie, complete with cheesy one-liners and references. There’s even a cassette tape titled “Ain’t Got Time 2 Bleed”, which blasts music in the chopper that takes the crew to their mission.
Just like Friday the 13th, Hunting Groups wears its admiration for the source material on its sleeve. According to Illfonic CEO Charles Brungardt, Hunting Grounds was intended to be an evolution of the asynchronous multiplayer mechanics from their work on the previous game.
“He’s killing us one at a time.”
“We were just finishing up Friday The 13th, and we were kind of looking at what our next project could be,” he said. “One of the guys threw out ‘Predator’ during a meeting, and immediately we all knew the type of game it would be. It just came together from there. We knew walking into this game that there were going to be a lot of challenges here–especially with the two different styles. There’s a lot of work that had to go into it, but we were able to get it up quickly and begin playtesting it early. We still have a while to go, but the feedback we’ve gotten daily and the excitement we’ve seen has made it fun to work on and improve.”
We played as both the human characters and the Predator, which showed off two distinct playstyles. Gameplay as the soldiers is akin to a standard military FPS. But for the Predator, it goes for full stealth-action in the vein of Assassin’s Creed or Sekiro. You can select from one of four classes when playing as the mercenaries, which includes assault, CQB (close-quarters combat), scout, and sharpshooter. Each archetype features its own unique loadout, which can be upgraded and customized after ranking them up. Working together, you’ll ensure that you can complete all the necessary objectives, cut down the opposing forces, and make it back to the chopper alive. But while you’re engaging in your goals and wiping out hostiles, the lone rival player will actively be surveying the scene, waiting for their chance to strike.
“If it bleeds, we can kill it.”
The experience of playing as the mercs can feel a bit nervewracking. As you’re taking out enemies and completing objectives, you’re constantly looking over your shoulder and into the trees looming above. On the inverse of that, however, playing as the Predator can offer up some surprisingly amusing moments. Moving to a third-person perspective, you have a greater sense of control and awareness of your surroundings, which can open up the potential for playing mind-games with your prey. Possessing its familiar set of gadgets, including a wrist-blade, cloaking device, thermal-vision, and the fan-favorite Plasmacaster, you’re well-armed and can easily stand up to whatever is on the field. When the time is right, you can go in for the kill against weakened mercenaries. Getting a successful kill will award the Predator with a skull, which he’ll place on his belt.
If wounded, the Predator will bleed glowing green blood, which the mercenary players can track. The hunter is very resilient, but it can still be taken out if enemy players coordinate and strike at the right moments. Just like in the film, the Predator is a sore loser and can activate a mini-nuke to cover up its failure. If players aren’t able to reach the dying hunter in time to exact a killing blow, then they’ll have to escape from the blast zone, or else suffer a posthumous defeat at the hands of the Predator.
I appreciated how different the game was on both sides, but I can’t deny that–unsurprisingly–the game felt at its best when playing as the Predator. While the mechanics of the human characters were serviceable, it often felt a bit mundane. This was especially evident when facing off against disposable hostiles that lack cohesion, made worse by strange spawn points and dull AI. The best moments I had were when I came crashing in as the Predator, interrupting the rival players from finishing their mission.
“You got time to duck?”
I can’t deny that–unsurprisingly–the game felt at its best when playing as the Predator.
My hands-on with Predator: Hunting Grounds was from an early build, but I came away pretty intrigued by how it went about going fleshing out the original conceit of the film. Over the years, the Predator has mostly been attached to the Alien vs. Predator series. So it’s especially refreshing to see the character be the central focus of its own thing, and I had so much fun getting the jump on my prey when they least expected it.
The Xbox One‘s Games With Gold for next month have been revealed, and if you’re a fan of silently–or not so silently–assassinating rich, powerful, and evil targets, then you’re in luck. Hitman leads September’s Games With Gold, and Xbox Live Gold subscribers have all month to claim it.
Hitman: The Complete First Season is available September 1 until September 30 and includes every map and mission from, you guessed it, the first season. It’s a game of stealth and assassination, where you can disguise yourself as almost anyone in the level and make your way towards your target. Of course, that’s not always how it plays out, as being detected could cause mass hysteria, forcing you to hide or take out any witness to your crime. However, if you already own Hitman 2, then there’s still a bonus to claiming Hitman 1. Owning the first game gives you access to revamped versions in Hitman 2. Hitman received an 8 out of 10 and was called “a brilliant game” in GameSpot’s review.
We Were Here hits Games With Gold on September 16 through October 15 and is the first in a series of narrative, co-op puzzle games. You play a character that’s been split up from their partner–controlled by a friend–inside of an abandoned mansion. You have to work together to solve puzzles and escape.
September’s Xbox 360 Games With Gold offerings start with Earth Defense Force 2025 from September 1 to September 15. The Earth Defense Force is a cult favourite and features intense, third-person shooter battles with giant insects. Earth Defense Force 2025’s review wasn’t as glowing as the others in this article. While critic Carolyn Petit found the large-scale destruction and alien slaughter enjoyable, she found the shallow gameplay didn’t stay fresh for long.
The free 360 games continue with Tekken Tag Tournament 2 from September 16 to September 30. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is the sequel to the beloved PS2 launch title and focuses on two-on-two tag battles. In Tekken Tag Tournament 2’s review, critic Maxwell McGee scored it an 8.5 and described it as “a challenging fighter that rewards speed and ferocity in those willing to make the commitment.”
All Xbox 360 Games With Gold are backward-compatible, so you’ll be able to play both of the aforementioned games on your Xbox One.
September 2019 Games With Gold
Hitman: The Complete First Season – September 1 to September 30 (Xbox One)
We Were Here – September 15 to October 15 (Xbox One)
Earth Defense Force 2025 – September 1 to September 15 (Xbox 360/Xbox One)
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 – September 16 to September 30 (Xbox 360/Xbox One)
We’re in Week 5 of Fortnite Season 10, and this week’s set of challenges is called Blockbuster–a throwback to Season 4 of the battle royale game. As usual, most of the challenges are fairly self-explanatory, but there are a couple that’ll require you to go to specific locations, like the mission to search between a basement film camera, a snowy stone head, and a flashy gold big rig. If none of that made any sense to you, don’t worry–we’ve put together a guide showing you exactly where to go.
Where Are The Basement Film Camera, Snowy Stone Head, And Gold Big Rig Located?
This challenge has you searching for a Battle Star that’s hidden at the midpoint between three different objects, but you won’t have any idea of where to go unless you know where those objects are located. Fortunately, they’re all fairly close together and should be easy enough to spot. The gold big rig is parked between Shifty Shafts and Tilted Town; the film camera is found inside a house that’s northeast of Shifty Shafts; and the snowy stone head is sitting on a hill near the frozen waterfall.
How To Complete The Challenge
Once you know where the three objects are located, make your way to the center of them and the Battle Star will appear. We’ve marked exactly where on the map above. Search the Battle Star to complete the challenge, bringing you another step closer to unlocking all of this season’s new Battle Pass rewards.
If you need more help finding the Battle Star, we show you exactly where to go in the video at the top of this guide. You can find more tips and guides for this season’s trickiest missions in our Fortnite Season 10 challenges roundup, which we’ll continue to update as the season rolls on.
Fortnite‘s Season 10, Week 5 challenges are here, and this week’s set is called Blockbuster–a callback to Season 4. As usual, most of the challenges are fairly straightforward, but one that may throw you for a loop is to land at a run-down hero mansion and an abandoned villain hideout. If you don’t know where either of those is located, we’re here to show you where to go.
The two locations you need to visit for this challenge are on opposite ends of the map, so the quickest way to complete it would be to land at one, get eliminated, then hop into another match and land at the other. The run-down hero mansion is near the easternmost edge of the island, while the villain hideout is northeast of Snobby Shores. You can see exactly where they’re located in the video above. Be sure to also check out our written guide on where to land at a run-down hero mansion and an abandoned villain hideout for a map and more details to help you complete the challenge.
Week 5 of Fortnite Season 10 has arrived, and it’s brought a new set of challenges for Battle Pass holders to complete. This week’s set of missions is called Blockbuster, a reference to Season 4, and one of the tasks asks you to search between a basement film camera, a snowy stone head, and a flashy gold big rig. That’s not nearly as confusing as it may sound, so if you’re unsure of how to complete the challenge, we’re here to show you where to go.
The item you’re looking for is a Battle Star, and it’ll appear in the middle of the three aforementioned objects, so once you know where those are located, completing this challenge will be easy. All three are near the snowy biome in the southwest corner of the island. The film camera is inside a house northeast of Shifty Shafts; the snowy stone head is sitting on a hill near the frozen waterfall; and the gold big rig is parked between Shifty Shafts and Tilted Town. Head to the middle of those three objects and the Battle Star will appear.
If you need a more visual guide, we show you exactly where the Battle Star is hidden in the video above. You can also see a map and more details on how to complete the challenge in our written challenge guide.
PAX West kicks off this Friday, and with it, developers CD Projekt Red have confirmed that new Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay will debut on the same day.
Cyberpunk 2077’s gameplay livestream is set to air on August 30. You can catch the livestream here, or on Cyberpunk 2077’s official Mixer and Twitch channels.
Cyberpunk 2077 Stream Start Time
11 AM PT
1 PM CST
2 PM ET
7 PM BST
GPU manufacturer Nvidia recently dropped a teaser video on Twitter, showcasing the scope of Cyberpunk 2077’s Night City. CD Projekt Red gave a private look at some Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay at E3 2019, which was supposed to be made public during PAX West but will now be streamed from Warsaw at an unspecified time. There are no specifics on what will be shown during the livestream, but the developers did confirm that the stream will feature a 15-minute edit of the demo shown privately at Gamescom and interviews “from the studio for additional information.”
In other Cyberpunk 2077 news, the upcoming action-RPG has dropped binary male/female options in favor of inclusivity. “You know, we really want to make a video game that’s really inclusive,” senior concept artist Marthe Jonkers told Metro. “Of course, if you tackle certain subjects then you will expect people to have an opinion about it and we respect that. And it’s good that people give us feedback.”
Cyberpunk 2077 is expected to launch on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on April 16, 2020. The game is also scheduled to release for Google Stadia in 2020.
Pokemon Masters is a broad collection of famous trainers from throughout the Pokemon series–representing both the games and anime. Much of the collection aspect is a traditional mobile gacha-style game, where you trade in-game currency for a randomized spin that will earn you a Sync Pair–one Trainer and their partner Pokemon. But if you have your eye on one Sync Pair in particular, that’s where Scout Points come in.
Scout Points are earned by Scouting, otherwise known as purchasing new Sync Pairs. If you obtain the maximum number of Scout Points within a given time period, you get to choose any Sync Pair that is currently available through Scouting. It’s the sure bet to get the 5-Star team you’ve had your eye on.
However, it doesn’t come cheap or easily. The Scout Point Max, which you have to reach to get your pick of the litter, is set at 400 Points. You earn 3 Scout Points for each standard Sync Pair Scout you use (300 Paid or Unpaid Gems apiece), and 1 Scout Point for each Daily Discount you buy (100 Paid Gems). To earn 400 Points, you would need to purchase 134 standard scouts, or almost that many with a few Daily scouts mixed in.
Also be aware, the launch period offers a special bundle, exclusive to Paid Gems, with a guaranteed 5-Star Sync Pair in the bunch. This bundle does not grant any Scout Points.
134 standard scouts at 300 Gems apiece would cost you slightly more than 40,000 Gems, the in-game currency. Even the highest level of in-app purchases is 9,800 Gems for $80. Suffice to say, you would have to spend quite a bit of real-world money to earn enough Scout Points all at once.
To add another layer of complexity, Scout Points reset at the end of each Sync Pair Scout Event. The launch event ends on September 3, roughly a week after launch. Future event resets may last longer.
Earning so many Gems in a single week seems unrealistic, and buying your way in is prohibitively expensive. But while Scout Points expire, Gems don’t. If you really want one Sync Pair in particular, you may need to exercise a good deal of patience and gather Gems over the course of several weeks–and then blow them all at once to earn your Scout Points.
