Game Informer

This past summer, Pokémon Go Developers Niantic announced the Local Business Recovery Initiative. With the help of Pokemon Go's massive playerbase, 1,000 local businesses from around the world – specifically, the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the U.K., and Japan – were nominated to become in-game Poké Stops or Gyms for one year. After sorting through the nominations, the initiative launches today.

As sponsored Pokémon Go locations, these businesses will likely attract huge swaths of global players. Niantic has also promised that they have plans to co-facilitate promotional campaigns and other in-game events with the nominated businesses to draw traffic. In unprecedented times like these, Niantic and its Pokémon Go players have emerged as community heroes. 

Click to watch embedded media

Minecraft has always had caves and underground worlds to explore, but even more secrets are being created just waiting to be discovered with the upcoming Caves and Cliffs update coming in 2021. 

The upcoming update will completely overhaul mountains in the game as part of the 2019 Minecon fan-vote winning biome pick. Now, mountains will play a much more centered role in the exploration aspects of the game, including more traps, "mischievous goats," and a few other surprises ahead: 

Underground biomes aren’t all terrifying lava lakes and skeleton-infested mines; instead – if you follow the roots – you’ll find the lush caves are a stunning oasis of calm and tranquillity.

↣ https://t.co/CPC2Hy82Fe ↢ pic.twitter.com/r9RiTwPPdJ

Among Us may be two years old, but last September it truly had a chance to shine in the spotlight thanks to streamers and their visibility and the other adorable jelly bean game as seen in Fall Guys. With the popularity comes fan art, mods, and now a pretty stellar video made by one fan to blend Among Us with other major games in the community. 

In our review, we talked about how these adorably weird jelly bean astronauts assume the role of the Imposter as they take on different forms to kill crewmates in an effort to be the last bean standing. In this video, those imposters are parading as icons from different games, and it's more than perfect.

From Yoshi's saga to taking an L Aerith style from Final Fantasy VII - even Overwatch kills, the below fan-made video recreates some of the more epic deaths in gaming in true Among Us style: 

Click here to watch embedded media

Get those Bells ready, because Black Milk is teaming up with Nintendo for a new Animal Crossing: New Horizons clothing line. 

Black Milk is no stranger to video game collaborations and the latest digital adventure they are breathing new life into is none other than Animal Crossing: New Horizons. New Horizons has been a cult hit since its release back in March and with the new Fall update now live, those islands will never rest! 

It's happening! ✨

Our Animal Crossing: New Horizons collection drops at 7am AEST Tues October 13.

Sign up for more info ~ https://t.co/Y56AmLxDsq#AnimalCrossing #blackmilkclothing pic.twitter.com/Lb4FpCYE8n

Fire Emblem: Three Houses' Byleth (sadly, the male version only), Fatal Fury: King of Fighters' Terry Bogard, and Banjo & Kazooie are the latest Smash Bros. Amiibos to be added to the game's ever-growing roster. You'll have to wait to get your hands on them because the three Amiibos (amigos?) won't be available until 2021. 

These three #SmashBros #amiibo will be released in 2021! pic.twitter.com/jc0RoZld37

— Nintendo of Europe (@NintendoEurope) October 3, 2020

In other Smash Bros. news, Minecraft Steve was announced as the game's newest fighter last week. Apparently, all of the Smash Bros. stages had to be re-tweaked to support Steve's integration – keep in mind that there are over 100 arenas! 

It's the age of remasters and before we head all-in on next gen with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, this gen has another nostalgic play coming soon. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered is announced and it's coming soon to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch. 

The reveal comes after a few leaks earlier this year stating that the racing game was getting the remaster treatment, now it is confirmed with a brand new trailer seen below: 

Click here to watch embedded media

The upcoming remaster is dropping on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on November 6 with a Nintendo Switch launch coming soon after on November 13. 

Not everyone was thrilled in the video's comments, some calling the remaster not all that impressive when looking at the upgrades. Others were excited to see the tweaks made and are ready to get back onto the streets and burn it up once more. 

The original game launched back in 2010 and now that it's back, players will be able to experience the tracks once more with cross-platform multiplayer and current-gen upgrades. 

The remaster also comes with all of the previously released DLC in addition to an overhauled photo mode and quite a few new achievements to unlock. 

Get ready to tag-team the glorious world of Ghost of Tsushima, because the Legends co-op mode update arrives next week. Legends was first announced back in August, but we haven't had a release date until now. Also on the way is the arrival of raids, a New Game Plus mode, and more.

As detailed in a new official PlayStation blog post, the way of the Samurai often relied upon brotherhood and standing with your fellow warrior. With the new Legends co-op update, players can do just that while living out that Samurai fantasy. 

Click here to watch embedded media

The new co-op Legends update is a part of the free 1.1 patch that will drop on October 16. The video above details what players can look forward to when the new content arrives, in addition to the New Game Plus mode. 

According to senior games designer Darren Bridges, "Ghost of Tsushima: Legends features two-player story missions and four-player survival missions, as well as a Raid that we’ll release in the weeks following launch. After you’ve downloaded version 1.1 of Ghost of Tsushima, you can visit the PlayStation Store from your PS4 to download a free unlock for Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, which will allow you to play. Keep in mind that an internet connection and an active PlayStation Plus subscription will be required to play with other players."

Earlier today, CD Projekt Red revealed that Cyberpunk 2077 has finally gone gold. While this doesn't necessarily mean that the game is bug-free or fully optimized, it does signify that it is one step closer to being released on time. In the tweet's image, you can see Keanu Reeves' in-game doppler holding the coveted physical disk. 

Cyberpunk 2077 has gone gold! 📀

See you in Night City on November 19th! pic.twitter.com/s6U266Y1fp

— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) October 5, 2020

Cyberpunk's road to gold hasn't been without controversy. Nevertheless, we're excited to play the game and hope that its talented designers get the rest and care that they need/deserve leading up to its eventual release date. 

Cyberpunk 2077 comes out for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on November 19. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions have been confirmed but don't have solidified launch dates yet. In the meantime, read our cover-story for in-depth details on the game's extensive world and intense combat. 

Toss a coin to your upgrade, because Geralt of Rivia is looking slick in his newly revealed armor in Netflix's The Witcher season two! Now that Eskel has been recast and filming has resumed to its normal schedule, the team behind the second season of the hit show gives us a taste at what's to come. 

The official The Witcher account shared a gruff looking (hello) Geralt with a full-frontal look at the chest piece and then a coy over the shoulder look at the redesigned pauldrons: 

His emotional shield
can ward off any charmer,
but his trusted sword he’ll wield,
will be matched with new armour. pic.twitter.com/Z7yA6kZjRH

— The Witcher (@witchernetflix) October 5, 2020

Geralt actor Henry Cavill also shared the images on his Instagram, showing off our first look at the protagonist in the upcoming new season. 

Following a global pandemic and a confirmed case of COVID-19 onset, The Witcher season two has hit a few snags in its filming schedule, but now that everyone is back and healthy the race to the finish line is on. 

Payday 3 was first confirmed back in 2016 but news since its reveal has been mum. Now Overkill has revealed that the game is still, in fact, in active development, only this time the third game is ditching Overkill's Diesel engine in favor of Unreal.

The news of the switch to Unreal Engine debuted on Twitter from the official Payday 2 account. While it doesn't explicitly say which iteration of Unreal Engine is being used, it's likely that Payday 3 could be brought to life with the stunning movie-esque Unreal Engine 5 that was revealed earlier this year. 

ACCESS: PAYDAY TWITTER MAN
MEMBER COUNT: 100,000

REQUEST RECEIVED, ACCESSING CRIMENET...

CONNECTING...

ONLINE.

TIME: 13:37

STATUS PAYDAY 3

☑️CONFIRMED
☑️DESIGN PHASE
☑️RELEASE DATE TBA
☑️UNREAL ENGINE pic.twitter.com/fqnWYEaCSg

— PAYDAY 2 💰 (@PAYDAYGame) October 3, 2020

Unfortunately, we don't have a release date yet at this time, but it is good to see that Payday 3 is crawling out of development hell and and actively being pursued to completion. 

The Pokémon Trading Card Game rolls on as the latest expansion is out now. The Pokémon Sword & Shield – Champion's Path expansion gives you just more than 70 new cards, making it one of the smaller expansions in recent memory. However, unlike most other additions, you cannot purchase these cards in standalone booster packs. Instead, you must pick up one of several collections themed after gym leaders in the Galar region.

This Summer marked a distinct turning point regarding internal practices at Ubisoft and the community's perception of the company all together. After numerous reports surfaced regarding abuse, misconduct, and power corruption leading to several high-profile execs being fired, the investigations into the underbelly of this studio's culture continue. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot is leading the charge for the investigations and has published publicly the results of a recent employee survey. The results? Over 25 percent of employees witnessed or experienced firsthand workplace misconduct. 

The referenced survey was conducted by a third-party research company and revealed more about the work culture seen over the past several years. The survey was anonymous and encapsulated over 14,000 working employees. At 25%, one in four workers reported that they have either experienced workplace misconduct or witnessed it happening over the past two years alone. Taking those results even further, one in five reported that they did not feel "fully respected or safe in the work environment." 

The survey also notes that many of the people that were vocal about their experience, a disproportionate amount reporting misconduct were either non-binary workers or women. While the numbers were disproportionate, men were also very vocal about what they too experienced and witnessed while with the company. 

We've all done the song and dance of starting up a big, open-world game: First you power on your console, then select the game, sit through the screens of logos, select your save file, then pick up your phone and scroll through social media while you wait for the game to load. When our Xbox Series X arrived this week, I wanted to put the system through its paces; both Xbox and PlayStation have touted the blistering speeds at which you can load your games on these new systems, thanks in large part to the solid-state drives that have become the next-gen standard. I knew this was one of the major selling points of the system, but even as someone who is well aware of the value of an SSD (I essentially changed the face of my gaming PC by adding one), I was still shocked at how much the Xbox Series X improves the experience of playing my Xbox One library.

Amnesia: Rebirth drops later this month and we've got a new look at what's to come with five glorious minutes of gameplay action showing off puzzles, terror, and how this franchise is taking a page from Soma's book. 

Frictional Games is taking the Amnesia franchise to new heights with a 1930s tale dripping in intrigue and nightmares. This series has undergone several evolutions during its time, but Rebirth aims to offer a "fresh" experience for a beloved horror journey. Check out the latest gameplay trailer below: 

Click here to watch embedded media

Creative Director Thomas Grip recently took to the PlayStation Blog to drop even more details about the upcoming game and how they are doing things a little differently. Sometimes, even more primatively. 

According to Grip, their goal as horror curators is not necessarily to make the game more "fun" but to make it more immersive instead. The more this world feels real, the more the terror feels real, and the more impact a game in this genre will ultimately have. 

Click to watch embedded media

The virual League of Legends K-pop group K/DA is releasing its first album later this year and if you've played their song that's on Beat Saber, you know it pretty much slaps. 

Riot Games has confirmed that the virtual pop sensation is releasing their first EP, called All Out, on November 6. Following two silent years that was broken by a new single that dropped back in August, the digitalized singing group is back and ready to further the League of Legends brands in ways no one thought was possible. 

K/DA first made their debut as a singing group back in 2018 during the League of Legends World Championship. Their unveiling was during an AR concert that featured both in-game champions and IRL pop sensations. The K/DA reception was brilliant, people really seemed to gravitate towards this idea, and then shortly after this idea took a two year break. 

Now K/DA is back with a new EP and a new bandmate and it looks like this EP could be the start of a powerful year for the group. 

It's October, which for many of us means that the Halloween celebrations have already commenced! To make the month of spooks even spookier, Silent Hill 4: The Room is making a comeback thanks to a digital release on GOG, and it's a pretty awesome deal for horror fans. 

Silent Hill 4: The Room first made its debut back in 2004 and it drastically pivoted the franchise in a different direction, especially regarding the feature where players would suddenly find themselves held prisoner in the in-game apartment. The first-person perspective made this experience incredibly immersive, making the exploration of the apartment daunting and terrifying.

Upon exploring this area, the setup where players uncover a small portal to the world of Silent Hill in the apartment was a nice touch. While the apartment was a swing (and a miss for some) in a new direction, the bulk of the game was pretty inline with what this series is known for: chills and thrills and a whole lot of confusion in the best way possible. 

Click here to watch embedded media

Baldur's Gate 3 from Larian Studios is shaping up to be a D&D fan's dream come true. Last month, we learned even more about the in-game social circles and romance, this week we're learning more about the incredibly in-depth character creation tool.

In Larian's latest community update, the team is diving into how players will be able to create their ideal character in-game. Whether leaning into total fantasy or just looking to recreate yourself for total immersion, the tools used for Baldur's Gate 3 aim to allow for a lot of player freedom. 

Though not unusual in games of this genre, Baldur's Gate 3 will allow players to choose their race, subrace, background, and class. Each selection will have an impact on the game, including how your companions perceive you and how you can talk to them. 

In true D&D style, players will also have six starter Ability points to allocate between these attributes: 

• Strength
• Dexterity
• Consitution 
• Intelligence
• Wisdom
• Charisma

I always play the huge flirt, so Charisma is usually my first Ability Points dump. Each selection weighs heavily on what class you choose, which subclass, and the race. Play to your character's strengths and what you want to see out of them during your time in-game. 

Some games were the standard-bearing must-plays of the last generation, like those highlighted in our Best Games of the Generation piece. But other projects earn our praise for the features and experiences that set them apart, pushing technology, design, and overall fun to new heights. Here are our individual awards for the games that shaped the last generation of the hobby.

The transition to a new console generation gives us many reasons to be excited about the future of gaming. However, as we anticipate what lies ahead, we should also pay our respects to the current-gen games that brought us to this point. After all, the big next-gen releases on the horizon are only possible thanks to the innovations in gameplay, storytelling, and technology that we’ve seen introduced in recent years.

Here we celebrate the best of what the current generation had to offer. While it’s impossible to call out every great game on PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC, we single out the top contenders across various categories and genres. Whether you want to find a hidden gem you missed or just reminisce about your favorites, these are the games that shaped the generation.

The Top Tier

Some games are simply must-plays. They are so groundbreaking and astounding that they rise to the top of the conversation regardless of genre confines. That’s what these five games represent; if you want a crash course in what was great about this generation, these are what you need to play. They encapsulate the current height of the craft, with memorable characters, immersive gameplay, and clever approaches to player agency. Read more...

Click to watch embedded media

When Irrational Games released the original Bioshock in 2007, the failed utopia of Rapture enraptured captivated players in a way few first-person shooters ever had. Many thought the story of Andrew Ryan and his crumbling world would never be equaled or topped, that is until Bioshock Infinite came along. Following Booker DeWitt, players took on the assignment of finding a powerful captive named Elizabeth and freeing her from the steampunk hellscape known as Columbia. While somewhat divisive, Infinite continued the series' storied tradition of keeping players on their toes and telling one of the wildest stories on the last generation of consoles.

Join Andrew Reiner, Dan Tack, Joe Juba, and me as we ready our sky-hook and take to the dystopian streets of Bioshock Infinite.

We went live earlier but you can catch the full archive of the stream above! If you can't get enough of our live shows, remember to subscribe on YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, and Facebook to get notified when we go live each week!

With our ongoing Mod Corner series highlighting some of the more unusual mods out there, we're on Nexus a lot. This week, the popular modding oasis has made a big decision regarding content on their hub, effectively wiping out all politically influenced mods on the community-driven website. 

The ban is retroactively in place for September 28 and will focus on all mods that stem from "sociopolitical issues in the United States." With the election looming ahead this  November, tensions are continuing to rise higher and, according to the site's owner, that has negatively impacted what Nexus Mods aims to achieve with their community. 

In a recent blog post on Nexus, site owner Robin Scott, AKA Darkone, delivered a very blunt message regarding perceived troll mods. According to Scott, these mods are "being uploaded by cowards with sock puppet accounts deliberabtely to try and cause a stir." 

The Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is already a good deal for its growing free games library and included Xbox Live membership, but now it's getting even better. Now you can have the power of God and anime on your side (the Vine reference was vital) because Microsoft is offering a two month free subscription to Funimation's Premium Plus membership with Ultimate. 

Funimation, like CrunchyRoll, is an amazing service that offers streamable anime from an ever-growing library. It's a great way to get anime cheap on numerous devices while still supporting the creators that make those epic tales. For those that have never checked out services like Funimation, the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate deal is a solid reason to test it out before committing to an annual subscription.

We like games but we also like anime pic.twitter.com/JoszULFAzH

It's no secret that gaming is an expensive hobby; the cost of a console puts you hundreds of dollars in the hole, with each subsequent game costing another chunk of change – not to mention any DLC or microtransactions you throw on top of that ... and don't even get me started on the accessories and extra hard drive space you'll inevitably want! However, the latest trend in gaming could be even more disheartening for those barely able to support their gaming habit as it is: A bevy of next-gen titles (including Demon's Souls, Destruction AllStars, NBA 2K21, Godfall) have been listed for $70, suggesting that the upcoming generation could be even more expensive than the current one. 

In the face of higher individual game prices converging with expensive new hardware, Xbox's subscription service, Game Pass, could be the average gamer's weapon of choice when combating the pricey reality of the hobby. The service, which grants you access to more than 100 games on Xbox or PC, sets you back $15 a month (or $180 for the annual subscription). While it doesn't include every new game, players get access to a huge backlog of titles across every generation of Xbox, plus most of them are available to stream to Android devices through the cloud. 

Dusttin Bowerman goes by the name Dogman, and he plays a mean Zenyatta for the Atlanta Reign, one of Overwatch League’s better teams this season that sadly didn't make the finals. In his second year in the league, Dogman has seen the competitive events shift from being held in front of roaring fans in an arena to the hum of an air conditioner in his apartment. Despite a different approach to matches, the league continues to find success and deliver impressive shows of player skill, but there are a number of drawbacks.

First off, how do you get started in Overwatch League?
Right out of high school I started playing Overwatch. I was about 18 at the time, and I was trying to do some college to stay at home with my parents. Eventually I moved out and tried to make [Overwatch] a full-time thing within a year. I got picked up by the Atlanta Reign academy team. After a pretty good season in Contenders, I got called up to the Overwatch League team.

Click here to watch embedded media

For many, this year has meant a lot of time at home finding new ways to entertain ourselves. With Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, Nintendo is hoping to quell some of that monotony with a new way to play the classic series. Home Circuit allows you to control a real Mario RC car from your Nintendo Switch and race against your friends and AR opponents. You set up custom racetracks and can even add physical hazards as you're free to create inventive courses using the included cardboard gates.

Join Jeff Cork, Brian Shea, and me as we take you through all the fun possibilities and discuss what you can expect when the game drops later this month.

If you're a fan of the series and already have a Nintendo Switch (which you need to play the game), you don't have long to wait as Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit launches on October 16 for $100.

In a message posted on the official World of Warcraft forums today (and Twitter, see below!) executive producer John Hight announced that World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is delayed. When is the upcoming expansion delayed to? No exact date has been given, but the expected release is still this year according to the post.

pic.twitter.com/FCkGYxax60

— World of Warcraft (@Warcraft) October 1, 2020

If you're despairing about the delay, there's a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel, as the "pre-patch" that comes with a ton of expansion changes arrives on October 13. Generally, the pre-patch experience leads an expansion launch by approximately a month, but with a situation like this it's best to not make any assumptions.

Last week, the different editions and preorder bonuses for Godfall were revealed, and with that reveal came the revelation that this game was one of the latest to have that $70 next-gen price tag. It seems that many gamers are only recently noticing the price difference, and the ongoing conversation about price tags has popped up once more.

Price deviation between PC and console is nothing new, but the topic of the raised price point to $70 has been a hot topic as of late. The divisive change has some angry at the rising price, especially with added mechanics like microtransactions, while others feel that $10 is worth it for what next gen has to offer. 

Godfall is only one of several next gen games coming with the higher price tag attached, and it won't be the last. For those looking to spend the usual $59.99, you're going to want to go the PC route through the Epic Games Store. 

Click here to watch embedded media

Demon's Souls Remaster, NBA 2K21, Destruction: All Stars, and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War are among other games that will have the price increase as well for the generation ahead.

Click to watch embedded media

The tragic death of the Jedi from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith takes on a new look and meaning within the colorful but violent world of Among Us. Animator Nicholas Damiani has already released several animated shorts that meld Star Wars with Among Us, including one called Anakin Kills the Younglings. His latest video about Order 66 (which you can view above) shows the Empire hunting for the imposters. We get to see Ki-Adi-Mundi in Among Us form, as well as Plo Koon and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Among Us released years ago, but is just now booming in popularity thanks to streaming culture and games like Fall Guys. We even wrote a late review since most of Game Informer's staff is currently playing the game. Liana Ruppert gave it a score of 8.5 out of 10, and said "I see the charm despite its simplicity, and I can't help but to love the way this game makes me look at everyone as if they are super sus. Among Us is what it is, and unapologetically so. This year may be bad, but having fun experiences definitely isn't; Among Us provides a much-needed reprieve from reality without taking itself too seriously."

It's been long enough that Animal Crossing: New Horizons players should know by now not to get too attached to any hacks seen in-game, unless of course it involves time traveling. With the new Fall update now live, and hacked items have been removed with one popular trick also effectively nixxed and some players are on the fence (see what we did there) about Nintendo taking it out. 

The Fall update is here and for those that are particularly fond of hacked items, you might want to hold off on downloading it. Is that hacked piece of furniture worth missing out on the Halloween festivities? That's for you to decide, we're not your mom, but it looks like it's just a removal, not any sort of official account reprimand for these in-game item workarounds. 

Do all the hack items just disappear or turn into something else? My island is covered in Harv’s fence 😅

Click to watch embedded media

Nintendo revealed its Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Minecraft DLC and while it had many reacting along the lines of 'Minecraft Steve? More like Minecraft Peeve', others were excited to see the newest roster addition. What else was interesting about the reveal was how much work went into making this move happen in a way that made sense. 

When bringing the wildly successful world of Minecraft into Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the team had to make a lot of in-game adjustments to make it work. In order to make Steve, Alex, Enderman, and the Zombie feel true-to-the-game, Nintendo needed to implement various Minecraft-related features like crafting and mining. This meant that the stages needed to be reworked, something creator Masahiro Sakurai mentioned during the earlier reveal. 

Sakurai-san mentioned during the event that the team had no idea that bringing Minecraft into Smash would ever become a reality, despite it being in ideation quite a bit in the past. Now that it's official, he revealed that every single stage in the game had to be reworked in order for the Minecraft crew to play the way they were meant to. That's over 100 stages that needed to be changed! 

Destiny 2's annual Halloween event, Festival of the Lost, returns October 6 and Bungie has just released a new trailer showing off all of those (previously leaked) 'spooky' rewards for Guardians to earn. We trick and treat in the name of Cayde. Do it for the puppies, and the loot. 

Festival of the Lost is nothing new but it is my personal favorite out of all of the Destiny 2 events. With Halloween-themed rewards and new activities, it's a fun reason to dive in and celebrate all things 'spoopy' while continuing on that daily grind. 

With Beyond Light on the horizon and the complete shakeup of content available, this year's Festival of the Lost is kicking off a little earlier than usual. The festivities begin on October 6 and will last until November 3, giving a week buffer in between the event itself and the release of the upcoming expansion. 

Click here to watch embedded media

Click to watch embedded media

Crash Bandicoot is back and according to our own Ben Reeves, developer Toys for Bob has created a game that longtime fans of the series are sure to be excited about. Speaking of Mr. Reeves, he and I will be streaming Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time live to answer all your burning questions about everyone's favorite cartoon marsupial and his group of wacky friends.

We went live earlier but you can catch the full archive of the stream above! If you can't get enough of our live shows, remember to subscribe on YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, and Facebook to get notified when we go live each week!

Click to watch embedded media

Mario has seen many worlds in his life and appeared in countless spinoffs. But as 2020 continues to be a year of firsts, Nintendo's mascot now finds himself entering a game genre no saw coming: battle royale. If this sounds too bizarre to be true, Joe Juba and I are here to prove to you that this is real and show off Super Mario Bros. 35 and attempt to be the last plumber standing.

We'll be going live at 2:45 p.m. CT so be sure to join us in the chat for some fun! If you can't get enough of our live shows, remember to subscribe on YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, and Facebook to get notified when we go live each week!

Xbox and Sega have partnered to bring Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami, and Yakuza Kiwami 2 to Xbox Live Gold Free Play Days. Starting today, and throughout the weekend, you get to live out your gangster fantasies for free. 

The Yakuza series is known for its over-the-top combat, intense drama, and wacky minigames, so players who are new to or familiar with the series will have a lot of content to occupy themselves with over the course of three extensive games. You probably won't be able to beat all of them over the weekend, but I won't stop you from trying. Just make sure to eat and sleep, okay? 

In a post on PlayStation's Official Blog, The Pathless' release date was announced. Giant Squid's latest IP will be joining other games like Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Demon's Souls as a PlayStation 5 launch title. 

The Pathless is a colorful action adventure game that rewards exploration and puzzle solving. As The Hunter, a mysterious archer, players take down dangerous spirits with the help of their eagle companion as well as well-placed/timed arrows.

The Pathless launches on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC, and iOS on November 12. 

Arcade Modes are a fun addition to Rainbow Six Siege and a feature that rotates every season with a few different modes to choose from. This week, Operation Shadow Legacy debuts the new Golden Gun 2.0 mode, with a few key changes that players should be aware of.

This mode presents a unique challenge for those that aren't the biggest fans of the D-50 weapon. For this Arcade experience, players will be equipped with only a D-50, but it's gold, so it's all good. For those that might not be the best shot, you might want to sit down for this next part: 

The golden D-50 only fires off one round between each reload, so every shot needs to count. The one shot is incredibly powerful though and one hit can down your foe, but if you miss? You're going to pay the price. 

Click here to watch embedded media

How is 2.0 different? 

The most notable difference with this rendition of Golden Gun is that Mira, Goyo, and Amaru are not playable, and the maps available also see an increase with House, Coastline, and Border. 

For those that want to keep that golden goodness forever and ever, the D-5K Golden Skin is available for 12,500 Renowns, or 360 credits for those that want to go that route. 

Kneel before the Goddess of the Sun, because Okami is officially invading the world of Teppen with the new The Tale of Amatsu no Kuni expansion that is available now. 

The newest DLC for Teppen introcudes new Okami-inspired cards, abilities, skins, tribues, and the arrival of Amaterasu herself. Check out what's new in the reveal trailer below: 

Click here to watch embedded media

The Sengoku Basara and Okami series are both now fully reflected in the world of Teppen featuring notable characters from both franchises, including: 

• Wood Sprite Sakuya 
• The Sun Goddess herself, Amaterasu 
• Divine Spear Yukimura
• Oshu Lord Date Masamune

The arrival of two new tribes also comes with the new expansion with Kami and Spirit, in addition to the newest ability to join the fray: Crush. Crush allows players to harness their inner Goddess in order to dole out massive amounts of damage while deflecting counter damage. 

The Celestal Plains is bountiful and offers three new Hero Arts: 

Fall Guys is the adorable jelly bean adventure that took the gaming world by storm with its Mario Party-esque battle royale experience and season 2 aims to take its incredible success to new heights. With new levels, more skins, and a friend for Big Yeetus, season 2 will be an adventure, but now it will also have more pay off. More crowns are officially coming to Fall Guys. 

Ever get in a match and were so sure you won, only to see another player actually take the crown? No longer do we need to yeet our systems into the sunset, because more crowns are coming, which means those crown-locked rewards are about to be a lot more accessible. 

We've also come up with a new way to reward our most competitive players that will hit the game beyond Season 2... it's very spicy 🌶️

Since I do be out here teasing things... I'll probably tell you about THE NAMEPLATES in a few days pic.twitter.com/XTnIuUT5BR