Gamespot

It may seem like Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the only game coming to the Nintendo Switch this week, but it’s actually not. Both March 20 and 26 have some great indie titles that need to be talked about more.

While we are all in self isolation, there's never been a better time to play games. In between visiting hanging out with your villagers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, why not head over to the Eshop and check out titles like the stunning visual adventure Vampire: The Masquerade - Coteries of New York, the Greek-inspired rhythm adventure Rhythm of the Gods, or Russian action arcade shooter Mist Hunter.

One Piece fans will have been counting down the days for One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, the latest installation to the Pirate Warriors franchise. Break through hordes of enemies in a real One Piece battlefield with all your favorite characters.

Guilty Gear Strive is getting a closed beta ahead of its release later this year on PlayStation 4. Arc System Works has announced that anyone interested is now free to apply for the beta through their website, and potentially test the game out early.

The beta will feature seven characters--Sol, Ky, May, Axl, Chip, Potemkin, and Faust--and will run from April 16 to 19. Applications are open from now until April 5, and players who get into the beta will be notified from April 12.

These early players will be able to see how the game compares to previous entries in the series ahead of its appearance at Evo 2020 (assuming Evo still goes ahead--as of right now, it has not been canceled).

With seemingly the whole world enveloped by discussion and concern around COVID-19 (coronavirus), it might be easy to forget another terrible tragedy that impacted Australia earlier this year. Horrible bushfires ripped through the country, destroying land and causing deaths and other devastation that the country won't soon recover from. Destiny developer Bungie raised money to support the bushfire relief efforts, and now the company has revealed it raised $1 million through its campaign.

The Bungie Foundation, which is the developer's charitable arm, raised $1 million ($1.7 million AUD) through sales of the "Guardians for Australia" t-shirt. Bungie sold more than 75,000 shirts since they went on sale in January. The $1 million will be donated to the NSW Rural Fire Service and WIRES.

Overwatch has just added a new hero, Echo, to the Public Test Server, and she will be coming to the main game soon. Echo is a versatile Damage character, and Blizzard has promised that there are more Tank and Support characters incoming. However, you'll have to wait for Overwatch 2 to launch before you can get your hands on them.

Talking to IGN Nordic, director Jeff Kaplan has confirmed that we'd have to wait for the sequel for more characters. "Currently Echo is the last hero coming to standard Overwatch," he said.

Blizzard has previously announced that any hero that gets added to Overwatch 2 will also be added to the original game, which means that more heroes will be added once the sequel launches. We have reason to believe that multiple new characters are in development for the sequel.

While most companies are being forced to push back releases and development due to COVID-19, Panic has publicly announced how development is proceeding despite everything going on. Development of the Playdate handheld gaming system is still early on, but the team at Panic has been gaining momentum fast. In a recent tweet on the Playdate account, Panic announced what measures they will be taking to ensure the safety of their employees and the current status of their production.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has expanded with new DLC since it released, and we've still got six more fighters to look forward to. We're not sure who is being added, but according to game director Masahiro Sakurai, it's possible that reveals and releases will be delayed due to the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus).

In Sakurai's latest column in Japanese Famitsu magazine (as translated by Siliconera), Sakurai has spoken about the impact of the pandemic on the development of new fighters for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. "My plans to present new fighter proposal(s) to publisher(s) have been delayed indefinitely as I haven’t been able to meet up with those involved," he said.

Sakurai also noted that the entire building would be locked down if anyone was found to be infected, "and game development will be completely halted."

Square Enix has become the latest publisher to comment on the impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus). In a blog post, Square Enix Americas and Europe CEO Phil Rogers started off by saying the teams at Square Enix are supporting each other and their families and friends, as well as the gaming community at large, during this stressful time.

Rogers said Square Enix has been following the health and safety guidelines that local governments have put forward recently. In February, Square Enix stopped allowing domestic and international business travel for its employees, in addition to limiting the number of people who visit its offices.

Additionally, Square Enix is now allowing its developers to work from home, similar to countless other developers, including Bungie and Rockstar Games.

March has brought a ton of Legendary Pokemon to Pokemon Go, and now one more is set to arrive before the month officially wraps up. Niantic has announced that Landorus, the third and final member of the Forces of Nature trio from Pokemon Black and White, will appear in Pokemon Go beginning March 31.

Until April 21, you'll be able to encounter Landorus around the world in five-star Raids. That isn't the only way you'll be able to catch the Legendary, however; Landorus will also be available as a Go Battle League reward for a limited time. You can read more about the Legendary on the official Pokemon Go website.

In the meantime, another Gen 5 Legendary, Cobalion, is available in Go again as part of a limited-time Raid event, which is set to end March 23. The Legendary Lugia will also return for its own Raid event from March 24-31. Each of those two Pokemon has a special event-exclusive move this time around, and you may encounter their Shiny forms.

Times are tough right now for everyone. Social distancing has people feeling isolated, and things are generally a bit scary no matter where you are. Luckily, there is a wonderfully wholesome remedy on the way in the form of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. And, well, dammit, I need it now. I've got virtual fruit to pick, fake mortgages to amass, and the fossilized remains of prehistoric creatures to collect, catalog, and enshrine. (Have you ever considered how cute Animal Crossing dinosaurs would be? Makes you think.)

It's been a long, long wait for the game, whether you're looking at how long it's been since the last core entry (New Leaf in 2013) or even just when New Horizons itself was set to be released before its delay (sometime in 2019, which feels like an eternity ago). While many had hoped Nintendo would break its own release date and start selling it early--there was even a petition to that effect--that hasn't happened.

That means we're stuck counting down every last second until its unlock time on the Eshop, which we expect to be 9 PM PT on March 19 (12 AM ET on March 20) in the US. If you're like us, that won't stop you from refreshing the Eshop, repeatedly trying to open the preloaded game, restarting your system, and messing with the console's date in the hopes that the game will shake loose like a dangling Snickers in a vending machine. It ain't gonna work, so save yourself the heartache.

The ongoing COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic may cause some disruptions in Amazon's shipments of Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Doom Eternal, the retailer has confirmed. Customers who have pre-ordered either title through the online retailer have been receiving emails notifying them that there may be a delay in their delivery, as the company will "temporarily" be prioritizing shipping out household and medical items.

"As COVID-19 has spread, we've recently seen an increase in people shopping online which has had an impact on how we serve our customers," Amazon said in a statement shared with GameSpot. "So in the short term, we are temporarily prioritizing household staples, medical supplies, and other high demand products coming into our fulfillment centers so we can more quickly receive, restock, and ship these products to customers. As a result, customers who ordered Animal Crossing: New Horizon or Doom Eternal may experience a delay in the delivery of their items. We are very sorry for the inconvenience this may cause our customers."

Overwatch's 32nd playable hero is Echo, a flying artificially intelligent robot with the ability to mimic other heroes and borrow their abilities. Echo has popped up in Overwatch's fiction a few times over the last two years, and it was with her appearance in the McCree- and Ashe-focused story video "Reunion" that the team really started developing the character for inclusion to the game. But Echo's origins stretch back much further than that cinematic from 2018.

"Typically, heroes in our game can come from a bunch of different angles," Overwatch lead designer Geoff Goodman explained to GameSpot. "So often they come from design by prototype--like, we really need a sniper or something, we should try to get a sniper there, and build a character around the gameplay. In other common cases, we'll have somebody whose story just gets created for background, or an artist has a cool idea, and they just draw something. We don't have a gameplay part yet. So we have all these cool characters hanging out. And in Echo's case, it was more that we had the art for her for a long time ago. Technically, the real origins of her as a character goes back to Titan, which was our earlier projects that got canceled before Overwatch 1."

GameStop has issued a memo to its stores instructing them to remain open during the coronavirus outbreak, even if that policy defies state orders. According to the note, if authorities attempt to shut down the games retailer by deeming them "non-essential," managers are to respond that the company views it as "essential retail." The instructions included a flyer to hand to law enforcement in case the need arises.

Vice reports that the memo was verified by five employees. The retail chain's reasoning is that it sells products that are helpful during this time when customers are being ordered to maintain social distancing. (Note that GameStop sells more than just video games.) However, continuing to remain open at all runs contrary to social distancing, and employees will need to interface with several customers, posing a potential public health risk.

"Due to the products we carry that enable and enhance our customers' experience in working from home, we believe GameStop is classified as essential retail and therefore is able to remain open during this time," the memo states. "We have received reports of local authorities visiting stores in an attempt to enforce closure despite our classification. Store managers are approved to provide the document linked below to law enforcement as needed."

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, one risk to emergency service providers is a shortage of supplies like the face masks that keep them safe as they treat patients. The gaming hardware and accessory manufacturer Razer is planning to step in and do its part, by shifting some of its production capacity to make and donate up to one million surgical masks.

In a thread on Twitter (via Kotaku), CEO Min-Liang Tan said that designers and engineers at the company have been working long hours to convert their production lines to make the surgical masks. It's starting with Singapore where Razer is headquartered, and regional offices will be reaching out to government and health authorities to plan how it will prioritize the distribution of the masks.

"All of us have a part to play and we should be doing whatever we can with the situation getting more serious," Tan says. "This emergency conversion of some of our lines and donation of masks is the first step of many that will take. We are committed to contributing our extra time, resources, effort and talent toward the fight against COVID-19."

Epic has been giving away free PC games on a weekly basis since December 2018, but the distraction feels needed more than ever these days. The latest pair of free games--The Stanley Parable and Watch Dogs--are available to claim now, but Epic has also revealed the two games we can look forward to snagging next week. Figment and Tormenter x Punisher will be free starting March 26 at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET until April 2. To claim any Epic free games, you just need a free account, and afterward, they'll be yours to keep.

Figment is a gorgeous action-adventure game with hand-drawn environments and a fantastic soundtrack. It takes you on a trip through the human mind, which is illustrated with trippy, colorful visuals reminiscent of M.C. Escher and Dalí. You'll take control of a mopey drunk named Dusty, who must navigate this strange world fighting nightmarish enemies who aim to spread fear and overcome mental obstacles, growing into a heroic guardian by the end. The game earned a 7/10 in GameSpot's Figment review.

Following the reveal of Overwatch's newest Damage hero Echo, game director Jeff Kaplan said Blizzard has "multiple tanks and supports in development," addressing concerns relating to role availability.

Kaplan made the comment in a recent developer livestream, where he noted the number of Damage characters Overwatch has when compared to other roles. As it stands, there are 17 Damage heroes, eight Tanks, and seven Supports in total. Overwatch's roster, with the inclusion of Echo, is 53% damage-focused.

"I know a lot of people are going to be like, 'Oh my gosh, she should have been a support,'" Kaplan said. "We have multiple tanks and supports in development. So we know that more Tanks and supports are needed, and we want to deliver on those too."

Kings Canyon is coming back to Apex Legends (again), starting tomorrow. From March 20 through March 23, the Season 2: Battle Charge version of Kings Canyon will return to Respawn's battle royale game--giving you time to practice on the map in the casual playlist before it replaces World's Edge in the Season 4: Assimilation Ranked Series split on March 24.

This will be the first opportunity to play on Kings Canyon since Evo Shields were added to Apex Legends outside of System Override's Deja Loot limited-time mode. These evolution-focused body shields are now a permanent add-on to Apex Legends in all of its playlists--which is great, considering their positive effect on the in-match meta.

A new set of Fortnite Season 2 challenges is now live. Week 5 brings us the first batch of Meowscles Mischief challenges, and while a number of them have you doing cat-like things like consuming fish and surviving high falls, one of the more involved missions asks you to visit three different locations: Shipwreck Cove, Flopper Pond, and the Yacht. If you're not sure where those are located, we've put together this guide to help you out.

Where Are Shipwreck Cove, Flopper Pond, And The Yacht Locations?

Unlike Week 5's other location challenge (which asks you to visit Coral Cove, Stack Shack, and the crash site), the three areas you need to visit for this mission are spread out all over the island. The easiest to find is the Yacht; it's the giant boat in the middle of grid square H1.

The other two areas are a bit more obscure. Shipwreck Cove is in the lower southeast corner of the map in grid square H7, while Flopper Pond can be found just northeast of Holly Hedges, in grid square C5. We've marked down where all three areas are on the map below.

Red Dead Redemption 2's online mode, aptly titled Red Dead Online, is currently giving away some free bonuses to PS4 players. PlayStation announced the news via Twitter, noting players have until April 6 to claim their bonuses.

Red Dead Online players on PS4 can snag three free Ability Cards right now. All you have to do to get your free cards is play Red Dead Online by April 6 and then go to the Abilities section of the Pause menu. It's as easy as that. Unfortunately, these bonus items are not currently available on Xbox One or PC.

With recent world events, you may be concerned that Red Dead Online development might be on hold. However, Rockstar Games confirmed that Red Dead Online's events will continue as planned during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, Rockstar Games' employees are working from home at the company's request. Of course, things could change, so stay tuned to GameSpot for all of your up-to-date news.

Bethesda's Fallout 76 will hold a double experience event all weekend on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The event is now live and ends on Monday, March 23 at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET.

The official Fallout Twitter account announced that in addition to the double XP weekend event in Fallout 76, vault dwellers will also receive a 25% discount on legendary armor and weapons from the Purveyor, a mole miner found in the Berkeley Springs station following the game's Wild Appalachia update.

Despite some setbacks, Fallout 76's free Wastelanders expansion, which finally adds NPCs to the online multiplayer action-RPG, is scheduled to go live on all platforms on April 7. Before this update comes out, Bethesda released a patch to help stabilize the game, fix a number of performance issues, address art and graphics problems, and more.

The first mission of Doom Eternal is mostly straightforward, with the game providing several basic tutorials getting you up to speed with the ripping and tearing it so eagerly wants you to do. You'll also become acquainted with the game's new main hub area, The Fortress of Doom, where you can take a breather and find unlockables. Doom Eternal is pretty easy-going at first, but don't let your guard down! More challenges await up ahead. Below you can find a step-by-step walkthrough of the first mission that'll offer you insight into the incoming threats

For walkthroughs of Doom Eternal's later chapters, heck out our guide hub collecting what we have up so far. We'll be publishing more in subsequent days. But if you're looking for more basic Doom Eternal tips, be sure to read our guide detailing everything you should know before playing. Otherwise, you can read our Doom Eternal review in progress.

Mission 1 Walkthrough -- Hell on Earth

Your first order of business as a Demon slayer is to kill the first three Zombies in the starting area using your Combat Shotgun. Exit this room and take a left down the stairs, killing the few straggling Zombies as you go, and pick up the Chainsaw.

So you've just started Doom Eternal and need a guiding hand to help you through the game's hellish, heavy metal-inspired demonic wastelands. Fortunately, we've got you covered with a step-by-step walkthrough that'll offer you insight into the myriad incoming threats, as well as some tips guides to ensure you become the best Doom Slayer you can possibly be. Below you'll find links pointing you to our various Doom Eternal mission walkthroughs and guides.

Be sure to check back often as we update this feature with more walkthroughs of subsequent missions in coming days. But if you're looking for more basic Doom Eternal tips, read our guide detailing everything you should know before playing. Otherwise, you can dip into our Doom Eternal review in progress for our full thoughts about developer Id Software's latest shooter.

Doom Eternal Full Walkthrough (So Far)

• Mission 1: Hell on Earth
• Mission 2: Exultia
• Mission 3: Cultist Base

Doom Eternal Tips & Guides

We've also prepared guides focused on critical topics below, many of which are useful for those just starting or pursuing harder difficulties and playstyles.

Doom Eternal's third mission takes you through a cultist base on a snowy mountaintop. Below you can find a walkthrough detailing every step. For walkthroughs of Doom Eternal's later chapters, be sure to check out our guide hub collecting what we have up so far. We'll be publishing more in subsequent days. But if you're looking for more basic Doom Eternal tips, be sure to read our guide detailing everything you should know before playing. Otherwise, you can read our Doom Eternal review in progress.

Mission 3 Walkthrough -- Cultist Base

Leap down to the climbable wall and then take care of the Gargoyles waiting for you on the next ledge. From here, you'll want to run to the end of the bone jutting out over the edge and jump to the right and land on the platform with a jump pad. Use this to get to the climbable wall, then use your double jump and Dash to reach the next wall, making sure to latch onto the right hand side to avoid the orange traps.

The second mission of Doom Eternal sees you starting to get some of your foundational abilities, while pitting you up against enemies for the first time that you'll be fighting throughout the game. Below you can find a walkthrough detailing every step. For more walkthroughs of Doom Eternal's later chapters, check out our guide hub collecting what we have up so far. We'll be publishing more in subsequent days. But if you're looking for more basic Doom Eternal tips, read our guide detailing everything you should know before playing. Otherwise, you can check out our Doom Eternal review in progress.

Mission 2 Walkthrough -- Exultia

Make use of your wall climbing ability to make it across the broken bridge, then shoot the red barrels to make quick work of the Zombies lurking in the next room. After swinging on a pole to reach the next platform, punch through the wall and take a right to find your first combat encounter in mission two.

Fortnite's Week 5 challenges have arrived. This week's batch, Meowscles Mischief, revolves around the disturbingly muscular Meowscles skin, and many of the missions are appropriately cat-themed, so you'll need to consume fish and survive high falls, among other things. One challenge that may give you some trouble asks you to visit Coral Cove, Stack Shack, and Crash Site in a single match without swimming. If you need help tracking those down, this guide will show you where to go.

Where Are Coral Cove, Stack Shack, And Crash Site Locations?

All three areas are located fairly close together on the western side of the map, so they shouldn't be too difficult to find. Coral Cove is on the small, westernmost island in grid square A2, while the crash site is on another small island directly east of it, in grid square C2. Stack Shack is a little further away; you'll find it to the northwest of Holly Hedges in grid square A4. You can see where all three locations are on the map below.

Overwatch's list of characters just got a little bigger with the addition of Echo, the game's 32nd playable hero. Blizzard first showed off Echo in action, at least a bit, during the "Zero Hour" cinematic trailer for Overwatch 2, and finally announced her arrival in the game earlier this week. We now have a sense of what Echo's role is on a team, how she'll play, and where she came from.

Blizzard gave GameSpot an early look at the character ahead of her launch on the public test realm, showing us Echo's capabilities. She's a damage character who specializes in mid-range attacks, but thanks to her Duplicate ultimate ability, she can fill a bunch of roles depending on the situation--at least briefly.

As senior game producer Gary Fonville explained, Echo is a Swiss army knife, of sorts. "She's an AI that can do many different things and build a role as needed," he explained. Echo's story is all about how she's an adaptive robot who's constantly learning from her environment, with the idea that she can help the Overwatch team with whatever they need--whether that means fighting enemies, supporting teammates, or piloting vehicles.

Developer Gearbox Software is pushing a quick hotfix update to Borderlands 3 at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET on PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and Xbox One that addresses "concerns reported by the community." You can check out the patch notes below.

As with previous hotfixes, the patch will apply at the game's main menu. Gearbox advises players to hang out on the main menu screen until the "Hotfixes Applied" message appears. The update fixes a number of issues, including problems around mission progression, values displaying incorrectly in item descriptions, skills not working as intended, and more.

Borderlands 3 Hotfix Update Patch Notes (March 19)

• Addressed a potential progression blocker from Typhon during "In the Shadow of Starlight."
• Addressed a reported concern that the Siren's Fist Over Matter skill was sometimes not working as intended if it was not in the hosts' view.
• Adjusted the collision at the stairs in Quietus Pike to prevent players from sometimes sinking into the ground after destroying the second vine door.
• Changed the Operative's Cool Hand skill description to show the correct values.
• Addressed a reported concern that Tyreen would occasionally re-appear after the cutscene during "The Great Vault."

Gearbox is preparing to launch the looter-shooter's newest piece of DLC, Guns, Love, and Tentacles: The Marriage of Wainwright & Hammerlock, which goes live on March 26 for all platforms. Ahead of its imminent release, the studio has show off 12 minutes of gameplay footage with lots of guns and very little tentacles.

Ubisoft has introduced a new arcade game mode to its competitive first-person tactical shooter, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege. Golden Gun is now live on all platforms and runs until March 23.

As noted in the tweet from the game's official Twitter account, above, Golden Gun is a new game type that modifies the traditional Rainbow Six Siege experience. Instead of the elements players expect, Golden Gun gives you a single golden pistol that kills any Operator with one bullet. But there are two caveats: you can't equip any other weapon (though melee attacks and gadgets are still accessible), the golden pistol can only house one bullet in its chamber at a time, meaning you have to make each one count.

Golden Gun places on Rainbow Six Siege's reworked Oregon map, where players will jump into the Secure Area PvP mode. Ubisoft said there's a chance the limited-time event could return in the future "if the community likes it."

Splinter Cell is crossing over with Ghost Recon again, with Sam Fisher joining in for a new adventure announced for the series' latest iteration, Ghost Recon: Breakpoint. The event will go live on March 24, along with a big content update that hopefully won't be delayed due to COVID-19.

A teaser trailer features the infamous agent conversing with a member of the Ghosts present on Auroa--the fictional island that is home to the armed-drone nightmare of Breakpoint's main campaign. Fisher also mentions Terminators, which references a limited-time event that was previously live in Breakpoint where players could hunt down a T-800. You can watch the teaser below.

This isn't the first time Splinter Cell and Ghost Recon have crossed over. Sam Fisher previously appeared in Ghost Recon: Wildlands for a similar purpose, giving players an additional mission to undertake with the night-vision goggles wearing soldier.

The remake of Resident Evil 3 is just weeks away and now you can try a taste on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The "Raccoon City Demo" has hit all three platforms, letting you play a portion of the opening of the game and a glimpse at just how sideways everything goes for the township.

• Steam
• PS4
• Xbox One

As a separate download, you can grab the Resident Evil Resistance open beta on PS4 and Xbox One. That's being posed as the multiplayer for RE3, but it's very much its own animal. The asynchronous 1v4 multiplayer game pits one Mastermind with deployable monsters against four Survivors. The beta will run from March 27 through April 3.

Capcom recently had to clarify a report that claimed Resident Evil 3's new Nemesis would be able to break into safe rooms, which would make for an even more intense experience. The misunderstanding came down to the presence of a typewriter, as Nemesis did break into a room with a save point signified by the typewriter, but not all save points are also safe rooms.

Less than two years after launching, MapleStory 2 will have its global servers shut down. The servers will officially go dark on May 27.

The decision was announced on the game's official website, which details which regions will be affected and when players can expect support to cease. MapleStory's global servers encompassed most regions, with only South Korea and China expected to stay running after May. MapleStory 2 support will also be shut down on June 27.

"We are forever grateful for your patience and dedication to MapleStory 2 as we tried to rework the game starting with Project New Leaf, but ultimately we’ve decided that we will not be able to provide the type of service that would live up to your expectations," the announcement reads. "We took a hard look at the current state of the game and its future roadmap, and sadly reached the conclusion that it would be difficult to maintain long-term continuation of the game while remaining true to what made MapleStory 2 your MapleStory 2."

2018's The Messenger was a stellar throwback to the action-genre from the era dominated by the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo. Developed by Sabotage Studios, it took great inspiration from games like Castlevania and Ninja Gaiden, while at the same time possessing an incredibly self-aware and humorous story with the protagonist traveling between the 8- and 16-bit realms. Following the success of The Messenger, the developers have their eyes set on bringing their talent for stylized sprite work and action gameplay to the realm of the JRPG.

With their follow-up, Sea of Stars, the developers have launched a Kickstarter--with a goal set at $90,760 USD--to gain more funding for their next game inspired by 16-bit era JRPGs like Super Mario RPG and Chrono Trigger. In this new RPG coming to PC and consoles, you play as Valerie and Zale, two heroes fated to become Solstice Warriors--individuals who can use powers that channel energy from the sun and moon. By working together, they'll be able to combine their strengths and utilize a new type of power known as Eclipse Magic, allowing them to face dangerous foes and powerful threats. Just like their previous game, this homage also plays with tropes and other elements familiar from retro games. But in a surprising twist, Sea of Stars is actually set in the same universe as The Messenger, serving as a prequel to Sabotage's previous game. The two protagonists in the RPG even made an appearance in The Messenger during the Sunken Shrine dungeon, which the developers described as a nod to what lied ahead for Sabotage Studios.

A new Max Raid event has begun in Pokemon Sword and Shield. For a limited time, Pokemon that are typically version-exclusive will appear more frequently in Max Raid dens, giving you a chance to catch monsters you couldn't otherwise find in your game.

Until March 25, Pokemon Sword players will be able to encounter Galarian Corsola, Ponyta, Oranguru, and female Indeedee, while Shield players will be able to find Galarian Farfetch'd, Darumaka, Passimian, and male Indeedee. Other rare Pokemon like Karrablast, Shelmet, and Pincurchin will appear in both games.

In addition to those Pokemon, Gigantamax Snorlax, Machamp, and Gengar are also still available. All three of those monsters will appear more frequently in Max Raids until March 25. Gigantamax Pokemon are normally incredibly rare, making this your best chance to catch them. You can see all the Max Raid events happening right now in our roundup.

Why limit yourself to a real-life Nintendo Switch when you can have a second one in Animal Crossing: New Horizons? The game's latest update makes that possible, and it has an extra bonus for anyone with its special edition console.

Once you update Animal Crossing: New Horizons to version 1.1, you'll receive a Nintendo Switch console in the game as a piece of furniture. It will be placed in your mail, so make sure to check there if you don't have it yet.

For the majority of players, it will be the standard console with its blue and red Joy-Con controllers. However, if you have the Animal Crossing: New Horizons special edition Joy-Con controller attached when you play, you'll receive that console as well.

The Last of Us: Part 2 co-director Kurt Margenau is hard at work finishing the PS4 exclusive, but he already has his sights on the PlayStation 5. According to the developer, its SSD will make for a massive jump in game design possibilities.

Writing on Twitter, Margenau said the leap between PS4 and PS5 is the biggest of his career, and first-party developers who can work solely on the PS5 will experience the most benefits. He also stressed that he was not teasing any particular PS5 project from Naughty Dog, as The Last of Us: Part 2 is the only upcoming game the studio has announced.

Octopath Traveler, which first released for the Switch in July 2018, has been a huge seller for Square Enix. The game's official Japanese Twitter account has today announced that the game has sold 2 million copies across Nintendo Switch and PC, alongside a new piece of art celebrating the game's success.

To celebrate, Octopath Traveler is currently discounted by 50% on both Switch and PC until April 3. The game, which retails for $60, now costs $30 on the Nintendo Eshop and Steam for a limited time. This is the best price we've ever seen on Octopath Traveler, at least on Nintendo Switch, where it rarely drops lower than $45.

It’s been eight years since the trailer for the Western Edition of Phantasy Star Online 2 dropped, but it seems like the free-to-play multiplayer action RPG will finally be coming to the west.

The open beta will have complete English translations and localized text of all three years of content from Japan. As well as being the most up to date version of the game, including all quality of life updates, the game will include all current content releases up to this point. This includes all four races and nine classes available in the Japanese client. The Xbox One X version of the game will also be able to run PS2O at 4K with expanded user interface display size.

For those of you who participated in the closed beta test and still have it installed, the update to the live beta is only 2GB. Without the closed beta test client or app, the download is available from the Xbox One Store directly, instead of through the Xbox Insider Hub.

NFL superstar Tom Brady was drafted by the New England Patriots in 2000, and he went on to play 20 seasons with that one team alone. That's changing for the upcoming NFL season, as Brady has quit the Patriots and is expected to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a cool $30 million per year.

The deal has yet to officially go through, but the folks at EA Sports have released a mock-up video showing Brady in a Bucs jersey in Madden NFL 20. For Patriots fans, this is a jarring video to watch--and not just because the video pauses for what feels like too long on Brady's teeth. If the deal goes through, we can expect to see the real Brady in a Bucs jersey before too long, but for now, this will have to do.

In his impressive Hall of Fame career, Brady has won 219 regular season games, in addition to 30 wins in the playoffs. He's won six Super Bowl rings, and he's been named NFL MVP three times.

Untitled Goose Game has won another Game of the Year award. The whimsical game in which you play a grumpy, mischievous goose has won the overall Game of the Year award at Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony, following its GOTY win at the D.I.C.E Awards in February.

Untitled Goose Game was developed by Australian studio House House. After launching on PC and Switch in September, the game came to Xbox One and PS4 in December. A line of Untitled Goose Game clothing was also released in the wake of the game's viral success.

House House said on Twitter in response to the win, "This is such an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime honour."

Valve president Gabe Newell recently opened up about returning to the Half-Life universe after so many years and how technology will continue to shape the future of the company.

In an interview with IGN, Newell makes a comparison to The Matrix, the 1999 sci-fi thriller, and just how close we are to some of the technology in terms of computing. He is of course referring to the technical side of how the Matrix works as a form of VR, not the robots enslaving humanity as a giant super computer.

“We’re way closer to the Matrix than people realize,” Newell says. “It’s not gonna be The Matrix. The Matrix is a movie and it misses all the interesting, technical subtleties and just how weird the post-brain computer interface world is gonna be. It’s gonna have a huge impact on the kinds of experiences that we can create for people.”

Doom Eternal is scheduled to officially launch on Friday, March 20, but retailer GameStop will start selling it early. The company has confirmed it will begin selling the new id Software shooter today, March 19, in an effort to keep customers and employees safe amid "social distancing" protocols.

This is all happening because Doom Eternal and Animal Crossing: New Horizons are both officially releasing on March 20. These are two of the biggest games of spring, and GameStop is expecting a lot of foot traffic of shoppers coming in to grab one or both of the games. The CDC is recommending against gatherings of 50 or more people, and this would seemingly impact GameStop on big launch days like March 20.

To help separate the crowds, GameStop has chosen to sell Doom Eternal a day early. New Horizons will go on sale as scheduled on March 20. This kind of move is seemingly unprecedented for the retailer, and it's unclear if Bethesda will allow other game sellers to follow suit.