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Hide-and-seek is so central to a child’s sense of play that it’s surprising how infrequently it’s been explored by video games. A recent vogue for “asymmetrical multiplayer,” in which one player at a time faces several others, does channel some of the exhilarating imbalance of being It. But even titles such as Friday the 13th or Dead by Daylight tend to emphasize escape over taking cover and ultimately feel more like run-and-chase than the slower, calmer, more observational game that’s forever fascinated kids. So it is a considerable pleasure to discover that Typhon Hunter, the new multiplayer expansion for the science-fiction immersive sim Prey by Arkane Studios, very closely resembles the traditional format of the familiar childhood pastime–with the slight difference that this hide-and-seek involves bloodthirsty aliens and takes place on a space station orbiting the moon.

In its previous incarnation, Prey was an ambitious and original game with a strong conceit and too many crude mechanics–intermittently intriguing but on the whole unrefined, sometimes outright broken. It cast players as Morgan Yu, among the few surviving humans aboard a space station overrun by aliens known as the Typhon. The Typhon are shapeshifters, capable of taking the form of the inanimate objects around them; wandering through the desolate station in a bid for survival, you often found them scattered about mimicking ashtrays and coffee mugs, poised to leap up and attack at any moment.

Since the cool reception when Prey was released last spring, Arkane has continued to revise and expand the game. Most notably, it released a premium expansion in June called Mooncrash, a rogue-lite adventure set on a satellite that retained the mechanics and milieu of Prey but applied them to an entirely different genre. Another six months later, we now have Typhon Hunter, an expansion that once again takes Arkane’s promising source material and attempts to reimagine the kind of game it can be.

A hide-and-seek version of Prey is more compelling than Prey in its original form, it turns out. Like the rogue-lite twist of Mooncrash, the sneaky, delightful Typhon Hunter multiplayer is simply a more rewarding application of Prey’s basic elements; it ports over the environments from the campaign and repurposes the unique enemy design for the core of the new experience. Typhon Hunter is a game for six players: five are Mimics, the crawling baby aliens that can morph into the stuff around them, and one is Morgan, the wrench-wielding human whose objective it is to eradicate them before the five-minute countdown elapses. Rounds mostly consist of Morgan hunting high and low as Mimics in the shape of garbage cans or cardboard boxes sit very still, hoping not to be seen or awaiting an opportunity to attack.

Walking into a room littered with random furniture and detritus when you know damn well that five other players could be lurking there among it all feels overwhelming in the most satisfying way. There’s a real sense of danger and suspense just wandering from one room to another, swinging your wrench at every errant martini glass that looks out of place or wine bottle that strikes you as suspicious, only to be petrified, again, when the stack of old magazines in the corner suddenly lunges at your face. When the Mimics kill Morgan, there’s a 10-second breather that allows them to move around or find a new hiding place, and rather than frustrating I found these brief moments of repose pumped me up to charge back in there and scrutinize every item I happened upon. Each Mimic, meanwhile, only has one life, and players default to spectating until the round’s end if they die.

As a Mimic, hiding can sometimes seem almost too easy, because the environments are so extensively populated with the kinds of objects that lend themselves to mimicry–every kitchen counter covered in cups, every maintenance hallway strewn with boxes, all spread about in a disorderly fashion that makes it seamless for even a somewhat careless player to blend in. Objects are left in unlikely places and positions to throw the human player off, and in contrast to, say, the online infiltrations in Watch Dogs, it is never immediately obvious to the naked eye what’s an innocuous component of the game and what’s human-controlled. On several occasions I watched wracked with tension as a Morgan player strolled by just inches away without noticing me. It reminded me of the attraction of hide-and-seek, which is how wildly thrilling it is to hide.

Imbalance is a common problem with asymmetrical multiplayer, as different character types and abilities expressly designed to be uneven are difficult to make seem 100% fair. I did find, over the course of my time with the game, that Mimics seemed to win matches much more often than Morgans, regardless of which side I chose; it didn’t seem so much an issue of the Mimics being too hard to find as being sometimes difficult to kill once found, especially when using one of the underpowered pistols scattered across the maps. Still, I never felt any great injustice when I failed to vanquish the Mimics within the time allotted, just an urge to look harder and swing faster next time. Besides, the sensation of being alone against everyone is a fundamental part of being It.

With such a limited number of maps and this one hide-and-seek game mode, Typhon Hunter is not a multiplayer experience of much longevity. As fun as it can be to skulk around a space station as an unassuming box of pizza, biding your time to strike, the format inevitably loses its novelty after a few dozen rounds, once it starts to seem that there isn’t any object left that as a Mimic you haven’t turned into and as a human you haven’t been killed by or destroyed. That said, this is of course a free expansion to a game that came out almost two years ago, and one that takes Prey’s best elements and applies them in better ways. It’s commendable that Arkane continues to return to Prey with fresh ideas, and if you have the game already you’d be remiss not to play.

A forthcoming (free) update, set to release in January, will bring Typhon Hunter to virtual reality, making it possible to ferret out Mimics with a VR headset. In the meantime, Typhon Hunter includes a kind of secondary mini-expansion called TranStar VR, which offers about an hour of virtual reality content set in the familiar Prey world. Like other VR supplements to non-VR titles, such as those included with Star Wars Battlefront and Rise of the Tomb Raider, TranStar has the feeling of an extended tech demo rather than a complete standalone game, both in the brevity of its runtime and the limited integration of the tech. There’s certainly nothing here that would justify the purchase of a PSVR for anyone who doesn’t have one already lying around.

It’s commendable that Arkane continues to return to Prey with fresh ideas, and if you have the game already you’d be remiss not to play.

With that said, those who do have a headset may be surprised to find that TranStar is more interesting than expected, given that its late release and inclusion with another expansion suggests it was more of an afterthought. Arkane has landed on another pretty crafty, auspicious use for this material–this time as grist for a series of puzzle games designed to resemble the real-life escape rooms that have over the last several years become a worldwide craze. Players enter one of three self-contained environments–each pulled from the original Prey but lavishly recreated in VR–and follow a complex sequence of prompts that test your observation, problem-solving skills, and lateral thinking.

The puzzles are well-conceived and, some technical problems aside, well-realized in virtual reality. For instance, in one level–familiar to Prey veterans as the simulated apartment from the beginning of the campaign–a giant display screen must be switched on by entering a code whose digits are printed in a cipher on clipboards hidden around the room. At one point a clipboard crucial to solving the puzzle fell straight through a table and clipped into the floor, both obscuring the information I needed and making it impossible to pick it up again. A wonderful moment that hinges on a voice synthesizer and a karaoke hologram had me feeling delighted when I solved it, until a glitch made it necessary to reset. Such problems are hardly the end of the world, but frustrating when they disrupt the flow of a puzzle that is coming together nicely.

It’s strange to say of a free add-on to an underwhelming game, but TranStar is actually on the upper end of experiences on the PSVR, succinctly showing off the immersive features of the technology. Considering it isn’t even the main attraction of the DLC and is more like a bonus, it’s clear that Typhon Hunter is another worthy, generous expansion from Arkane, who have by this point more than made up for Prey’s shortcomings. This package highlights the strongest attributes of the game’s already appealing core mechanics, and it’s an excellent capper on the qualities that earned Mooncrash its place on our list of the best expansions of 2018.

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Today only, anyone in the US with a Twitch Prime membership can get a copy of Grand Theft Auto V on PS4 or Xbox One effectively for free. You’ll have to pay $15 up front, but you’ll receive a $15 credit in your Amazon account within a week after purchase. At the time of this writing, the promotion works on the physical PS4 version and both the digital and physical versions for Xbox One. You’ll want to hurry, because the offer goes away at tonight at 11:59 PM PT (2:59 AM ET December 20).

As you might expect, there are a number of caveats. First off, you have to be an Amazon Prime member. Next, you have to have linked your Prime membership with your Twitch account to become a Twitch Prime member (here’s how to do that). The offer also only applies to copies of the game sold by Amazon.com or Amazon Digital Services LLC, meaning it won’t work with third-party sellers. The $15 promotional credit expires on January 31, 2019, so you’ll want to spend it before then. Read the full set of terms and conditions for more information.

PS4

Xbox One

Even with all that in mind, this is still a fantastic deal for anyone who doesn’t have GTA V on PS4 or Xbox One. The single-player campaign is lengthy, and Rockstar has been updating the included GTA Online mode each week for years.

In GameSpot’s Grand Theft Auto V review, Mark Walton wrote, “Aside from a few mild frame rate issues that sometimes take the edge off its more dramatic moments, this is the definitive version of GTA V, and the bar by which all other open-world games, or indeed any game that aims for a cinematic feel, should be judged. It is beautiful, and thought-provoking, and thrilling throughout. Even if you’ve played through GTA V once already, it’s worth going back just to be reminded of what an outstanding achievement it is.”

Fortnite is one of the most popular games on the planet, and the PS4 is currently the best-selling console of this generation. That means there are probably a lot of PS4 owners who enjoy playing Fortnite. If you fall into that category and you happen to be a PlayStation Plus member, here’s some good news. You can grab the Fortnite: Battle Royale PlayStation Plus Celebration Pack for free.

The Celebration Pack is a bundle of three in-game items: Prodigy outfit, Tabulator back bling, and a 2D Pizza emoticon. Like all Fortnite gear, these items are purely cosmetic and don’t affect gameplay. And while you normally have to spend V-Bucks or complete challenges to get in-game items like these, this pack is available for free just for being a PS Plus member.

The Prodigy outfit consists of glasses, a red handkerchief worn around the neck, and a blue sweater vest adorned with math symbols. The Tabulator back bling is a giant calculator that displays the number of eliminations you’ve gotten during the current match, and the 2D Pizza emoticon is a slice of cheesy pepperoni pizza.

This isn’t the first free pack of Fortnite gear for PS Plus members. Previous packs have vanished from the PlayStation Store after a few weeks, so it’s safe to assume this one will do the same. Before it does, be sure to add it to your account.

Hearthstone is making some big balance changes much sooner into a new expansion than usual. The patch, which is set to release December 19, is entirely breaking two popular combos, severely limiting another, and making some more fundamental changes to the Druid toolbox.

The two decks that are being undone entirely are Shudderwock Shaman and Kingsbane Rogue, with nerfs to Saronite Chain Gang and Leeching Poison, respectively. Saronite Chain Gang’s card text will change slightly to impact the way it copies itself. That copying mechanic was used in Shudderwock Shaman to create infinite copies of the Legendary card Shudderwock, so this change essentially cuts off that strategy. Leeching Poison is changing its effect to only give your weapon Lifesteal for a single turn, so that you can’t use a powered up Kingsbane forever to stay alive. Its cost is also changing from 2 Mana to 1.

The Paladin card Level Up will be changing to 6 Mana rather than 5. This severely hobbles but doesn’t quite break the “Odd Paladin” deck, since it gets an upgraded hero power by limiting it to odd-costed cards. Since Level Up will no longer be allowable in Odd Paladin decks, players will have to choose between flooding the field with recruits or upgrading them, rather than both.

Finally, Druid is getting a couple of changes to some of its classic cards. Wild Growth and Nourish are both going up by one Mana apiece, to 3 and 6 Mana respectively. Blizzard notes that these cards have been so dominant in Druid deck-building that the class can start to feel stale and repetitive, and “stifle creative deckbuilding decisions.”

The latest expansion for Hearthstone, Rastakhan’s Rumble, launched in early December. Usually Blizzard allows more time to pass with a new expansion before rolling out balance changes, but the studio notes that it’s “opted to make these changes earlier in the expansion cycle than we normally consider.” It invites feedback from players regarding the timing of the update, along with the actual changes themselves. You can read more details at the Hearthstone Blog.

Disney’s catalogue of classic fairytale properties is proving to be highly lucrative business for the studio, as the company continues to give them the live-action remake treatment. A new version Aladdin is set to hit theaters in May, and now the first images have been released.

The pictures come via Entertainment Weekly. They show the three main stars–Mena Massoud (Jack Ryan), as Aladdin, Naomi Scott (Power Rangers) as Jasmine, and Will Smith, who plays the Genie. And in case you’re you’re thinking that Smith looks a bit ordinary as this legendary magical character, EW have also confirmed that he will have a “floating lamp form,” but that vfx isn’t finished yet. Check the images out below:

Aladdin also stars Marwan Kenzari (The Mummy) as Jafar, Navid Negahban (American Sniper) as The Sultan, Billy Magnussen (Game Night, The Big Short) as Prince Anders. It’s directed by Guy Richie (Sherlock Holmes, Snatch) and is set to be released on May 24, 2019.

In an interview with EW, Smith talked about taking on the role of the Genie, which was famously played by Robin Williams in the classic 1992 animated movie. “Whenever you’re doing things that are iconic, it’s always terrifying,” he said. “The question is always: Where was there meat left on the bone? Robin didn’t leave a lot of meat on the bone with the character.

“[But] I started to feel confident that I could deliver something that was an homage to Robin Williams but was musically different. Just the flavor of the character would be different enough and unique enough that it would be in a different lane, versus trying to compete.”

Aladdin is just one of several classic fairy tale remakes that Disney has on the way. In March, Tim Burton’s reimagining of Dumbo hits theaters, while a new version of The Lion King arrives in July. Beyond that, the remake of Mulan is scheduled for 2020, plus movies based on Cruella De Ville (101 Dalmations) and Tinker Bell (Peter Pan) are reportedly also in development.

Media Molecule has been working on Dreams for a little while now, and it’s finally ready to show more of the game off to the general public. The developer will hold a beta for the PS4 title in January, with sign ups going live December 19.

The beta itself begins “the week of January 8,” Media Molecule explains in a blog post, but invites will be sent out in waves. If you’re on the developer’s mailing list, you can register your interest now; others must wait until January 4 to sign up for the beta. Note that signing up does not guarantee you access: “Though we cannot guarantee space for everyone, we will try our best,” Media Molecule states. The trial will remain open through January 21.

Media Molecule says the purpose of this test period is to gather player feedback on Dreams’ tutorials and creative tools, among other things. For this reason, the game’s Story Mode is not included in the beta. To maintain the game’s surprises until its final launch date, beta participants will be required to fill out an NDA and therefore won’t be able to share screenshots, impressions, or videos publicly. However, the developer says its plan is for your creations to carry over to the final game.

We don’t yet know Dreams’ PS4 release date–the closest we have to a release window is simply “2019.” The game has a similar focus on player creation as Media Molecule’s best-known franchise, LittleBigPlanet–you can even make a battle royale-style game inside Dreams.