The first Pokémon Direct of the year introduced Pokémon Home, the new Pokémon Mystery Dungeon game, and new Legendaries for Sword and Shield. But the biggest news by far was the two new expansions, Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra—and the $30 Expansion Pass that includes them. 

It’s a fun time to be a Pokémon fan, but some have taken pause at this announcement. Before Sword and Shield launched, a sizable portion of the fan base was against developer Game Freak because the titles would not include all 800+ Pokémon from the series so far, a staple of all previous games. They also raised concerns about the game’s overall presentation, as well as gameplay features they considered to be underdeveloped, judging by pre-launch information.

However, with the DLC packs, a few more features are being added, like sparring and co-op battles, and many more Pokémon are finally coming to the Switch games—200 more, according to Nintendo, a mix of new additions and old favorites. 

If this was Game Freak’s plan all along, though, why not let fans in on the secret earlier? Why wait this long to announce DLC plans and what they would contain?

There are a few things to consider.

This is the First Pokémon Game on Console.

One big thing to remember is that Sword and Shield are console games—the series’ first, in fact. The Nintendo Switch has very different capabilities than the handheld devices Pokémon games have traditionally released on. These include online functions, smoother graphics, larger worldspaces, and the ability to easily add additional content post-launch, which all make DLC a given. It’s common for large, AAA games to have a line-up of DLC or expansions post-release, and this generation of Pokémon games is no different. 

But Nintendo didn’t talk about it before the game launched, as some publishers do, often including planned DLC in a higher-priced deluxe edition. The Pokémon team waited until now to provide any info, even as fans raged.

Given the DLC announcements happened less than two months after the game’s Nov. 15 launch, the development team was definitely privy to them before release. With the amount of outcry at how Game Freak handled the lack of Pokémon in the titles, though, you’d think it would have wanted to reassure fans sooner.

Game Freak Wanted to Focus on Game Mechanics and Features, or So They Said.

To be fair, Game Freak never said it wouldn’t add old Pokémon. However, it remained adamant about limiting the number of Pokémon at release, and the main reason was always optimizing the mechanics and gameplay.

In an interview with Polygon, producer Junichi Masuda was asked about the resources it took to include so many Pokémon in a single game, while also having new features, mechanics, and hooks from previous titles. “I mean, in any design situation, resources and time are always a constraint on what you can do in a project,” Masuda said. “But at the same time, from a creative perspective, it’s part of a discussion we’ve had at Game Freak with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, and we came to the decision that, at some point, we need to be able to prioritize new gameplay ideas.”

There are plenty of new things to do in Sword and Shield. Players can take part in raid battles to fight Gigamax Pokémon. There are new locations to explore. The Wild Area is large and filled with roaming Pokémon and other players, if you are online. You can go camping with friends to meet their Pokémon. These are fascinating, exciting features.

But, for the most part, they aren’t groundbreaking. The game is not open-world. The graphics are not up to par with other Switch titles like Super Mario Odyssey and the Link’s Awakening remake, or even Breath of the Wild, which is technically a Wii U game. 

Yes, 800 Pokémon is quite a lot of content to produce, and, at some point, the expansive Pokédex would have to be trimmed—it can’t grow infinitely, and many Pokémon from past generations are admittedly inconsequential.

But we do have to wonder why Game Freak is bringing in 200 additional Pokémon after defending themselves with so many arguments about not including them at launch. The company could have saved themselves quite a bit of flack from the community by announcing the DLC months ago.

Profits Rule The Day.

At the end of the day, it’s about money. It’s why they release two versions of every game, and why the players who purchased both games will have to buy the Expansion Pass for each of their titles

Pokémon fans on Reddit have noticed too. Some are split about having more Pokémon to add to their Pokédex, while others are glad to see they can catch some of their favorite creatures. 

Sadly, it’s a common tactic in gaming to provide fans an arguably incomplete experience, holding back a feature the players wanted, and then add them in—at a price—later. Game Freak took its time, allowing for the game to grow enough interest—and for record-breakingsales—and then introduced the things everyone really wanted: more gameplay, and more Pokémon. Call us naive, but we thought they were better than that. 

Ultimately, while Game Freak claimed it wanted its large team working on mechanics, it did its fans a disservice by not revealing its plans sooner. Sword and Shield are enjoyable, but not revolutionary in gameplay or presentation, and most players will admit to feeling the games are light on the content side. 

The games may finally feel complete at the end of the DLC release cycle, but the price tag—a whopping $240 for the complete experience, which doesn’t include potential Ultra releases later—combined with the pre-release blowback and the lackluster state of the final release, all leaves a bad taste overall.

You can grab the Obey 8F Drafter in GTA Online to add it to your car collection. The vehicle is a worthy addition to it, and if you're looking to travel in style and a car with excellent handling, you will do well to seek it out. There are a handful of ways to get it, and there's a notable prize available in the Diamond Casino if you spin the Lucky Wheel.

The traditional way of purchasing the Obey 8F Drafter is by purchasing it from Legendary Motorsport. You can grab it for $718,000 and have it placed in your Garage. If you need to make any modifications, you'll need to head down to Los Santos Customs to make those happen. If you find yourself unsatisfied with the 8F Drafter, feel free to sell it back for $430,800.

Here are the overall stats for the vehicle:

• Acceleration: 85.50
• Braking: 33.33
• Handling: 81.67
• Speed: 80.48

The 8F Drafter's braking makes it a risky ride. You wouldn't want to make a sharp turn with it because you could find yourself landing into the other side of a wall and damaging it, and yourself. However, if you're doing a job and you're confident about the route, you shouldn't have too much trouble handling it.

For a limited time from Jan. 9 to Jan. 15, you have the opportunity to spin the Lucky Wheel at the Diamond Casino to win a chance at grabbing a customized model of the Obey 8F Drafter. You can play the Lucky Wheel once per day, allowing you to try for this vehicle every time you log into the game on a new date. You only have seven chances to do it, though, so you want to make sure you give yourself every opportunity to spin it.

You can't earn additional spins of the wheel.

Parasol Mushrooms are a useful resource in Red Dead Redemption 2. You can use them to increase your character's health when prepared correctly to make a horse reviver, which lets you bring back a horse if they die. Locating the ingredient can be a bit tricky.

You can find these mushrooms in well-drained soil and woodland locations. There are two notable locations you can find these mushrooms reliably:

• Around Valentine
• Cumberland Forest
• The east of The Heartlands
• Flatneck Station

You can check around the border of Valentine for the mushroom. You can walk around the outline of the city to find some yourself. You'll find them in small clusters, and the mushrooms stick out above the grass in tiny groups.

The first location notable is to the north of Valentine, more to the east. It's right on the edge of the Cumberland Forest, so you don't have to venture too deep into the territory to locate what you need. We labeled out the best location for you to check, but make sure you check all of the entire areas rather than limit yourself to the small locations. You need to explore and take a look around. 

The same goes for the next location in The Heartlands. You can find The Heartlands to the southwest of Emerald Station. The best place to find the plant is the eastern location. We have that region highlighted and pointed out for you. You'll have to go a bit more out of town and into the center of this forest than you do the previous location. But it's better to know of two places for you to go rather than having a single one.

A final destination you can visit is Flatneck Station, to the west of The Heartlands. you can venture around the town and find them in the small pens nearby, resting in the rich soil. Check the borderline area of the city, too, if you're looking for a few more reliable locations.

When you acquire the Parasol Mushroom, you want to make sure to cook it. If you eat it raw, you risk ingesting the poison and harming yourself. You can also turn it into Herbivore Bait.

You now have access to the Överflöd Imorgon in GTA Online. You don't have to go too much out of your way to acquire it. But knowing where you need to go and what you need to do is helpful.

The stats for the Överflöd Imorgon are pretty nice. It's an electric two-person vehicle making it easier to help the environment but still having plenty of capabilities to make it a beast on the road. These are the overall stats for the Överflöd Imorgon:

• Acceleration: 100.00
• Braking: 27.83
• Handling: 100.00
• Speed: 79.68

When the Överflöd Imorgon starts, it'll kick things into high gear, and you'll find yourself hitting the top speed in a matter of seconds. Stopping is an entirely different matter. You want to become when you're trying to slow it down, but your handling should make sure you survive when going down any crazy corners or right before you slam into the side of a building. 

You can purchase it from the Legendary Motorsport website. Go to the online page in GTA Online and buy it from the line-up. You'll have to put down $2,165,000 to add it to your collection, but it's well worth the investment. When you purchase it, you'll find it waiting for you in your Garage.

Animals are all over the United States in Red Dead Redemption 2. You can capture in multiple ways, and a more casual approach to hunting is to go fishing. You can catch an array of fish all over the game, and you might be on the search for muskie. There are multiple locations to fish for them.

If you're searching for Muskie, you'll want to toss your fishing rod into the water and check out these locations.

• The Northern tip of Brandywine Drop
• Calumet Ravine
• Heartland Overflow
• Lake Isabella
• North and South of Van Horn Trading Post
• Owanjila

For those who need a little more visualization than reading these names, check out the map and start scouting out those areas in Red Dead Redemption 2. A muskie will give you a bit of trouble when you're reeling it in while you fish. The best approach to capturing one is not to use any bait. Instead, you want to rely on a Lake Lure to obtain it. If you cut it up, it contains Flaky Fish Meat, and you can sell one for a base price of $4.00

However, some players might be on the hunt for the Legendary Muskie. If you're looking to capture this elusive fish, you want to look for it at the Van Horn Trading Post, the location to the furthest east on the map. When you get there, go to the lighthouse on the southern side of Van Horn and pick up a Special River Lure. You need to use this to capture this fearsome prey, and it's going to give you a challenge of attempting to bring it and add to your growing collection.

Feel free to capture and sell as many muskies as you want during your travels.

Another year, another cycle of graphics card producers duking it out to be on top. AMD and Nvidia have been the top dogs for years now, with Nvidia edging out AMD in terms of production in 2019. 

However, 2020 can be a whole other story. There are tons of great graphics cards on the market but as always, a few stand out from the rest. Today, we'll be looking at which cards look poised to dominate the new year and how they perform with the newest games. 

1. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Founders Edition

There's not a whole lot of competition for the top spot this year. The GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Founders Edition offers the best performance out of any graphics card released to date. 

With 11 GB of GDDR6 memory and a compact build, not much else can compare to this GPU. Boasting the highest speeds in its class, the Founders Edition of this card will run you some extra cash. However, we feel the upgrade over the base version is enough to warrant its lofty price tag. 

The RTX 2080 Ti Founders Edition supports ray-tracing as well as overclocking speeds that don't overheat your PC. The only downside to this card is its price, which currently sits at $1,199. 

2. AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 

While not AMD's top-of-the-line graphics card, the Radeon RX 5700 XT is one of the best budget cards on the market. Though it's valued as a middle-tier card, its power doesn't reflect that. Clocking in at a base of 1,605 MHz with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, this version can compete with a lot of upper-class GPUs. 

Also coming with the card is Radeon Image Sharpening, which can improve any game's graphics. Although, one of the downfalls with this card is it can be quite loud while running graphically intense games. The price for this model is set at $400.

3. Zotac GeForce GTX 1650 Super Twin Fan 

Another budget card, this GPU is meant for those who don't have a ton of space inside their PC. Compact yet powerful, the GTX 1650 Super can run any new game but doesn't break the bank to do so. 

If you're looking for a card that can run new titles in Ultra 1440p quality without breaking a sweat, this model might not be for you. However, if you're searching for a budget graphics card that is able to run at 1080p perfectly fine, you may have found your new GPU. 

The GTX 1650 Super comes in with 4 GB of GDDR6 memory and a base clock speed of 1,530 MHz. While that may seem underwhelming, you're only paying around $160-200. 

4. Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super 

As you can see from this list, Nvidia is still on top after their dominant 2019. However, the RTX 2070 Super model may be some of their finest work. With speeds that nearly rival the RTX 2080, the 2070 is one of the best graphics cards you can purchase without backing up a Brinks truck. 

With the help of overclocking, the RTX 2070 Super manages to compete with the 2080 in terms of performance. Able to run any game in 1440p, this model has a base clock speed of 1,605 MHz with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory. So, it's not quite on the level of a 2080 but for the price, this card is more than worth it. 

Currently, the RTX 2070 Super runs at about $450-500 in most stores and websites. To compare with the RTX 2080 Super, you're saving around $200 for a minimal drop in performance.

Lucasfilm was initially resistant to the idea of a melee-focused action-adventure game "about Jedi and Force powers," Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order game director Stig Asmussen recalled during the latest Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Game Maker's podcast.

Instead, Lucasfilm wanted Respawn Entertainment to work on something involving "blasters and bounty hunters," more in the vein of Disney+'s The Mandalorian.

"That's not the background of the team we've built; you might as well ask me and us to start building a racing game at this point," Asmussen said. "I don't think anybody's going to be happy with the results of that."

Later in the process, Asmussen came to learn that, "For them, Jedi is the Holy Grail," and that "to make a game about Jedi, you gotta earn it." That's why Lucasfilm wanted to test Respawn Entertainment before letting them go all-in with the Star Wars IP.

During development, Lucasfilm would provide the studio with more than one "hard no" on ideas the developers had along the road, Asmussen said.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order eventually had strong sales, even though exact figures were not provided, and this proves that the way the partnership between Respawn and Lucasfilm was built ended up being decisive for the title's quality.

Yakuza 0 could be very close to its release on Xbox One. The game was rated by PEGI, a step which usually comes only a few days before the announcement of a launch date.

The Xbox One version of the prequel to the Yakuza series was announced last year at X019, together with Yakuza Kiwami 1 and 2, the remakes of the first two chapters. All three titles are coming to Xbox Game Pass eventually, but no proper release date is currently known.

In its rating, PEGI, which stands for Pan European Game Information, reports that Yakuza 0 is an "action role-playing game set in Japan. You play a member of the Japanese mafia that must leave the Yakuza to prove his innocence and get revenge upon those who framed him."

The game is already available for PC, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4. It seems Xbox One is the last step to bring the franchise to the broadest audience possible—unless it gets announced for Nintendo Switch at some point, of course.

We don't know the specifics of the Xbox One version, whether it might have any improvements on the existing releases or if it's coming as a simple port of the PS4 SKU.

The moment Yakuza 0 launches, you'll be able to play it without any additional cost if you are an Xbox Game Pass subscriber. 

New details about the Resident Evil 3 remake have emerged after PlayStation Magazine UK met the development team at Capcom, including the improvements compared to Resident Evil 2 and differences with the original game.

We learn that some things from the original title have cut, such as the quick-time events and a Mercenaries mode, and, unlike the original game, there won't be multiple endings. It'll be interesting to discover which ending from the original has been chosen as canon by Capcom.

Resident Evil 3 won't be an open-world game, the developer states, but exploration will be an essential piece of the puzzle, as it was in the previous remake. We'll get to go through environments like the streets, the shops, the Stagla petrol station, the Raccoon Press offices, and the hospital, so there will be plenty of room for discovery.

Carlos will be playable in a particular portion of the story, which should feel different from the core gameplay with lead character Jill Valentine. The mutant worms will also be back.

Finally, Nemesis will feature an improved version of the AI developed for RE2's Tyrant and should feel more realistic in terms of how it is animated. The team created a Nemesis in real life (that's scary) so they could scan it via photogrammetry.

In a previous interview with Famitsu, we learned that the game is around 90% complete, and there won't be any delay for the April 3 release date. We also learned that the game is more action-based in comparison with the previous works at the Japanese developer.

In that same interview, we were told that there would be "more rearranged elements" compared to Resident Evil 2, and we're starting to understand what Capcom meant by that.

Some people will go months, or even years, trying to get certain Exotics in Destiny 2. One of the most sought after weapons in the game is the Ten Thousand Voices, a brutal weapon that carves a line of exploding energy across the map. It can only be obtained from the Last Wish Raid, and even then, the chances are slim as players are faced with dozens of chests to pick from at the end of a run. Well, it seems you can give yourself an RNG buff if you are willing to do a speedrun at AGDQ.

During the event, Shockwve and his fireteam consisting of ThePackle, Milkman, Tokeegee, Traderkirk, and Alexy Sinclair, were doing a speedrun of the Raid, doing all encounters.

After completing the Raid, it was time to pick from the chests to open. Shockwve opened his first chest and was rewarded with a Ten Thousand Voices. Commentators and the crowd both rejoiced to see such a rare drop occur, especially on such a massive stage. 

Shockwve then chooses another random chest to open and was once again rewarded with Ten Thousand Voices. The chance of this happening so incredibly slim, which some players are estimating it has a roughly 1/100000 chance of occurring. It was an enjoyable moment at a rare event and is further proof of the fickle nature of RNGesus. For everyone who delighted at Shockwve pulling two extremely rare drops back to back, other players will look on jealously as they wait for their luck to change.  

Retailer GAME, the UK's last dedicate chain of games stores, may need to close up to 40 stores in what it is calling a "rationalization program." Last year, GAME's parent company Sports Direct revealed that there were concerns about the business viability and whether it would be able to survive for much longer. It would appear that this is a significant step in the attempt to save the company as a whole, but trimming potentially underperforming stores. The companies issues were compounded by a less than ideal Christmas period for many UK retailers. 

GAME has already served notice to 27 stores in places like Watford, Glasgow Fort, Leicester, and Norwich Chaplefield. In a statement issued with the announcement, the company advised that they are "working closely with landlords throughout the UK to ensure that we do not have to vacate the 40 locations which could lead to a number of job losses."

It is a challenging time for all retailers in the UK, as uncertainty around Brexit has made high-street shoppers cautious about spending money. The 2019 Christmas record was the worst performance on record, according to the British Retail Consortium. The rise of sales events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday also seems to be hurting how much money is spent over the Christmas period. 

For companies like GAME, the issues are compounded by rising digital sales, with consumers choosing to download games instead of buying them physically. There is also the challenge of companies like Amazon, who can have physical games delivered to consumers on release day. 

From time to time, Bungie takes time off from creating stories about heroes in space to honor heroes on Earth and assist in helping it with the troubles that those heroes are facing. Over the years, they have raised money to help the victims of hurricanes Katrina and Harvey, and have donated to those affected by earthquakes in Haiti, Japan, and Nepal.

Now Bungie is turning its attention to the Australian fires. The studio is developing a limited edition T-shirt, which comes with an exclusive Destiny 2 “Star Light, Star Bright” emblem redemption code with purchase, will be available for pre-order on the Bungie Store between Jan. 16 and Feb. 18, ending with the weekly reset and the end of Crimson Days.

Half of the generated revenue will be donated to WIRES, Australia's largest wildlife rescue organization. NSW Rural Fire Service will be the recipient of the other half, as they serve the New South Wales area, which has been devastated by the fires. 

In next week's This Week at Bungie post, Bungie will reveal more information about the fundraiser, and how gamers can help out. While gamers all over the world have been coming up with some cool ideas to help raise funds, these ideas usually involve skins. But skins take time to make, test, and get into a game, while help is needed now

This is the advantage of the route that Bungie is going, as gamers still get something for their willingness to help others. As Bungie has shown, time and time again, the Destiny community is always willing to help those in need. 

GameStop has announced that its subsidiary, EB Games, would be shutting down 19 of its more than 300 stores across Australia by the end of January. 

The video game retailer explained in a statement to Kotaku Australia that they were “constantly evaluating [their] property portfolio” to ensure that the stores kept up with the “changing retail landscape.” Through this, EB Games concluded that the 19 stores in question were “unprofitable.” The company said it would give staff the opportunity to transition to surrounding stores. 

Despite this news, EB Games also stated that 2020 would see new larger format stores being opened, which would combine EB Games and Zing Pop Culture together. The hybrid stores would be supported by the “omni-channel offering” and “6 million loyalty members,” therefore continuing EB Games’ status as Australia’s largest specialty retailer. 

The stores being closed include those in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia. Some of these stores including Blacktown in New South Wales and Docklands in Victoria, are large retail locations.

All of the stores included on the list below are going through a stock clearing sale, with discounts being seen at around 20 to 60 percent off.

This news comes after GameStop reported a revenue decrease of 24.7% in the third quarter of 2019, with GameStop CEO George Sherman describing only the release of the next-generation consoles as a possibility for growth.

A full list of closing stores includes:

• Birkenhead Point EB Games NSW 2047
• Blacktown EB Games NSW 2148
• Bribie Island EB Games QLD 4507
• Brickworks Marketplace EB Games SA 5031
• City Cross EB Games SA 5000
• Cleveland EB Games QLD 4163
• Dandenong EB Games VIC 3175
• Dianella EB Games WA 6059
• Hallet Cove EB Games SA 5158
• Hamilton EB Games VIC 3300
• Harbourtown Adelaide EB Games SA 5950
• Inala EB Games QLD 4077
• Inverell EB Games NSW 236
• Kalamunda EB Games WA 6076
• Lutwyche EB Games QLD 4030
• Majura Park EB Games ACT 2609
• Rockdale EB Games NSW 2216
• Underwood EB Games QLD 4119
• Winston Hills EB Games NSW 215

Lephantis is an Infested Boss that you can find on the Orokin Derelict. You will need to craft a Derelict Assassination key, except when the mission occurs as part of a Sortie. To make a Derelict Assination key, you will need the below resources:

• 7500 Credits
• 5 Lephantis Nav Coordinates
• 4000 Nano Spores
• 1000 Salvage
• 100 Circuits

You can find Lephantis Nav Coordinates by running missions on the Orokin Derelict tileset. 

Lephantis is a monstrous boss with three heads, each of which has its own thorax and weapons. Each of the heads represents a different faction in the game. The Infest Corpus head is armed with poison grenades that inflict Toxin damage and can bypass Warframe shields. The Infested Grineer head is armed with a huge scythe that it swings, while the Ancient Infested head will fire spores that explode on impact. 

The most important thing to understand about Lephantis is the damage cap mechanic. Unlike other bosses in the game, Lephantis has a cap on how much damage a single shot can do, and is immune to status effects. This means that hard-hitting weapons like Sniper Rifles and the Opticor are not very good options. Faster firing weapons, that do less damage per shot, as much better suited to this fight. 

A weapon like the Soma or Soma Prime, modded for Slash, Blast, and Corrosive is a great choice. Those are the best damage types to deal with the fact that Lephantis is a Fossilized enemy. Ammo conservation is a concern, so be sure to bring plenty of ammo packs with you. 

How to Damage Lephantis

Lephantis is immune to damage, except for small areas on each head. These will often be hidden, and you will need to wait until the head is attacking to shoot it. A Nova with a heavy slow is a good option to use, as it will cause weak spots to be exposed longer. A personal favorite it a long duration Rhino, who can stomp and trap the head mid-animation, making it extremely easy to hit the weak spots. 

During the first stage of the fight, each head will break through the ground and attack. Just damage the weak spots as much as you can, and be sure to dodge the Toxin clouds. Small enemies will spawn in, giving you a source of energy and ammo. When you do enough damage, the ground beneath you will break, and you will drop down into a cavern.

You will be facing all three heads at once now, as Lephantis stands in the center of the room, and you need to fight its true form. Follow one of the heads around, and damage it until it is dead, then work through the other two heads. Because of the reduced chance of being hit by the scythe attack versus the other two projectiles, it is a good idea to leave the melee head until last. 

One all three heads have been destroyed, the fight is over and you can extract. 

Good Warframe to Use

Rhino is a great Warframe, as Iron Skin will protect you from Toxin, and allow you to safely revive allies, while Stomp will help you find windows to damage the boss. Titania can use Razorwing and her pistols to do a lot of damage with the right build, which should focus on ability strength for the Warframe, and rate of fire and damage for the Dex Pixia pistols. Frost can use a well placed Snow Globe to slow the boss without interfering with allies ability to damage it. 

The best advice is just to use a Warframe that you are comfortable with, as long as that Warframe is Hildryn. With her incredible low health pool, and reliance of shields to keep her safe, Lephantis can simple bypass those shields with Toxin damage, killing her quickly. 

Last year’s hit Star Wars game, Jedi: Fallen Order, managed to find a cozy spot in an already-established film legacy. But new details suggest that the next game in the series could actually kick off a legacy of its own.

MakingStarWars recently reported that this new game will tie in with Disney’s next Star Wars films. It will reportedly take place 400 years prior to the Skywalker Saga, in an era known as the High Republic.

The reported working title of this new entry is Project Luminous, which was actually hinted at during a publishing panel New York Comic-Con 2019. During a showcase, Disney teased the project on a projected slide, noting, “The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It’s an energy field created by all living things. Until... Project Luminous, 2020.” It didn’t have much else to add at that point, aside from that a number of Star Wars authors and publishing companies, including Marvel, were working on it, suggesting a massive cross-media project.

Another source, a Hungarian gaming site called Ziro.hu, added to the story. They noted that Project Luminous could arrive sometime in 2021, kicking off events for the first new Star Wars film to follow in 2022. However, they didn’t have information about who’s developing the game, or if EA is still on board to publish it. More than likely, it is, considering the turn-around success of Star Wars: Battlefront II and strong reception of Jedi: Fallen Order.

These details are speculative at best, as Disney hasn’t said anything about Project Luminous since its initial, vague reveal. But the next saga taking place in the High Republic sounds exciting, especially if it has potential traits with BioWare’s classic Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Could we be seeing the return of the Star Wars RPG glory days?

Although Assassin’s Creed Ragnarok hasn’t been officially revealed yet, there have been a bevy of leaks and rumors suggesting what fans might expect from the latest chapter. A new leak has surfaced on Reddit that indicates we’re in for the biggest Assassin’s Creed game yet, even bigger than 2018's AC: Odyssey.

An anonymous report from someone who says they have ties with the development team posted the info. It once again indicates that the game will take place during the Viking era, with a release month of September of this year.

It also notes that, instead of selecting between a male and female character, players will be able to choose the gender of the main character, a new “hero” by the name of Jora. They’ll lead a group that can be filled in by other players through drop-in/drop-out co-op for up to four people.

This would be the first time that the series utilized co-op since Assassin’s Creed Unity. What’s more, it’ll be cross-gen, so everyone will be able to join the adventure, no matter their console.

Regarding size, the game’s map will consist of almost the entirety of Northern Europe, including cities like Paris, York and London. It sounds like you’ll be exploring for hours as you find new missions to tackle and gear to equip.

There’s also a little information regarding gameplay. First, you’ll be able to take part in “dynamic, large scale wars” that unfold in real time, which means combat will play a heavy part. There’s also word that the stealth has been overhauled, but keeps the assassination mechanics intact.

As far as when we’ll see the first reveal for Ragnarok, it’s hard to say. The report suggests that Sony will have a trailer ready to go with its official PlayStation 5 reveal, which could take place in February. But, then again, there’s always Ubisoft’s E3 showcase, where it’s been known to have a surprise or two — like revealing Watch Dogs Legion and Beyond Good and Evil 2.

Take all of this with a grain of salt, as Ubisoft hasn’t said a word about Ragnarok yet. But, hopefully, that’ll change soon enough, and we’ll be right back on the bloody assassination trail. With a Viking, no less.

After a recent game between that Golden State Warriors and the Milwaukee Bucks, Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo had a brief chat that caused some people to question what the two were talking about. 

“Come to the Dubs.” - Steph, probably 😂 pic.twitter.com/PZRc8179JZ

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 9, 2020

A camera caught the end of the conversation, with Curry seeming to say, "Let's do it. Come on, man," to Giannis, before shaking his hand. The speculation since then has been around the idea of tampering, that Stephen is trying to convince Giannis to join him on the Warriors team, as Giannis is due to become a free agent at the end of next season. 

Unfortunately for the rumor mill, the real conversation is far less juicy. Curry likes to spend his downtime playing video games, and even appeared at the recent Game Awards to hand out the award for the best e-sports player. According to Curry, what he was trying to do was get Giannis to join him for some PUBG. 

🚨 EXCLUSIVE 🚨
Steph Curry has informed @ChrisBHaynes WHAT he was telling Giannis.

It was about teaming up, just not in the NBA ... in PUBG. pic.twitter.com/LwEqvLFJnB

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) January 9, 2020

Curry told Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes that he was trying to convince Giannis to play some rounds of the popular battle-royale game with him. Curry gave Giannis his gamertag and said that if they team up for a round or two that they "could do some damage."

It seems that if Curry wants to recruit more people to play PUBG, he will need to do it off the court.

The Australian brush fires are devastating, having affected thousands of citizens and killed millions of animals. But people are doing their part to lend a hand, including making donations and assisting the firefighting crews. Ubisoft Australia has contributed as well — even if it’s not in the way many fans were hoping.

There’s been a huge outcry for the publisher to make special skins in their popular games, using the profits to donate to the cause. But in a new tweet, Ubisoft Australia explained why that’s not as simple as it sounds.

“We’ve heard the calls requesting we create in-game items to encourage donations,” they said. “However, this takes considerable development time, and we feel immediate action is required.”

It does have a point. While making a special skin is a novel idea, it takes technical planning to put together with existing game code. And that could take weeks, possibly even months, depending on the game.

Ubisoft Australia has taken action in other ways, donating $30,000 to the Australian Red Cross Disaster and Recovery Relief Fund. And it encourages others to do the same. “If you want to show your support, you can donate directly to the many organizations who are doing incredible work at this difficult time,” it said.

It provided links to the groups directly in following tweets, including Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery, the WWF and other groups.

Xur shows up in Destiny 2 every Friday. He does this to try and sell us the latest Exotic wares he has found in the void, and also to remind us that he only works on weekends. What he does during the week, nobody knows, but we assume it involves trying to figure out what he should try to sell us the following week. 

Xur no longer gets a map icon in the game, so it is up to us to hunt him down and find out where he is. To save you time, this guide will tell you where he is hiding and what he is selling, so you can decide if you want to part with some of your Legendary Shards or not. 

Where Is Xur

This week you can find Xur on Titan.

What Is Xur Selling

This week Xur is selling the following Exotic items. As always, he is selling one Exotic weapon and a piece of Exotic armor for each class.

This week Xur is selling the following items:

• Black Talon - Exotic Sword
• Lucky Pants - Hunter Leg Armor
• Eternal Warrior - Titan Helmet
• Transversive Steps - Warlock Leg Armor

What Should You Buy From Xur This Week

It's a little frustrating to see Black Talon after Xur had it just a few weeks ago. While it is a fun sword that allows you to fire projectiles at your enemies, the repeats are getting a little old. Let us be thankful it is not another Risk Runner. 

Lucky Pants will reload a single shot into a stowed Hand Cannon for each precision hit you land. It will also increase the ready speed of stowed Hand Cannons and make them more accurate immediately after being switch two. For some fun, run a Kinetic and Energy Hand Cannon together, but this is far from being a top tier Hunter Exotic. 

Transversive Steps are another recent repeat, but they are worth getting if you don't have them. They will increase your sprint speed, and will automatically reload your currently equipped weapon after sprinting for a short time. 

Eternal Warrior will grant Titans an overshield when using Fists of Havoc, but it has the downside of being ugly. Really, truly ugly. Once again, it is vastly outperformed by other Titan Exotics, but pick it up if you enjoy ugly things. 

Another disappointing week from Xur. 

When a new game system makes its way to the market, the company behind it usually goes all out to set up big exclusive titles. But that doesn’t appear to be the case with the upcoming Xbox Series X.

That’s not to say the system won’t receive some impressive titles — it will — but Microsoft Game Studios leader Matt Booty noted that the company has a plan when it comes to transitioning from its Xbox One console,

“As our content comes out over the next year, two years, all of our games, sort of like PC, will play up and down that family of devices," Booty said in an interview with MCVUK. "We want to make sure that if someone invests in Xbox between now and [the Series X release] that they feel that they made a good investment, and that we’re committed to them with content.”

This may seem like a questionable strategy to some, especially if Sony has some big PlayStation 5 exclusives in store for its holiday 2020 launch. But Booty notes that the games Microsoft has planned will definitely take advantage of the new hardware.

“Our approach is to pick one or two IPs that we’re going to focus on and make sure that they’re there at the launch of the console, taking advantage of all the features,” he said. “And for us that’s going to be Halo Infinite, which is a big opportunity.”

He added, “It’s the first time in over 15 years that we’ll have a Halo title launching in sync with a new console. And that team is definitely going to be doing things to take advantage of [Series X].”

And while the PS5 will have its exclusives (Booty did provide them kudos during the interview), he believes in the strength of Xbox’s franchises and developers. “We need to make sure that we hold the bar high on quality, and that we’re releasing games that we can be proud of and that the fans can be proud of as Xbox exclusives,” he said.