Niantic is holding a new type of event in Pokemon Go today. The inaugural Legendary Lunch Hour kicks off at 12 PM local time and runs for one hour, during which time there will be an increased number of Raid Battles occurring in the game.

Niantic calls the Legendary Lunch Hour event an “experiment” to give more players a chance to participate in the game during work or school hours. The developer is inviting feedback from fans to further fine tune the event and make it one that players “can enjoy every week.”

The Legendary Lunch Hour isn’t the only event happening in Pokemon Go this week. Beginning March 15, the Legendary Pokemon Rayquaza will return for a special Raid Weekend, giving players their first chance to capture it in nearly a year. The Raid Weekend kicks off at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET and runs until the same time on Monday, March 18.

The following week, Niantic will hold this month’s Pokemon Go Community Day. The event takes place on Saturday, March 23, and features increased spawns of Treecko, one of the three starter Pokemon from Ruby and Sapphire. Players will also be able to hatch Eggs at a quarter of their usual distance during the event.

Earlier this month, a new Legendary–Dialga–made its debut in Pokemon Go. The Temporal Pokemon will appear in Raid Battles until March 28. Niantic also recently introduced the long-awaited Smeargle to the game alongside Pokemon Go’s new AR photo mode.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-gos-first-legendary-lunch-hour-event-is-to/1100-6465551/

Much like BioWare’s Anthem, Ubisoft’s new loot-focused shooter, The Division 2, will release at different times depending on which version of the game you pre-order. Although its release date is officially set for March 15, you can actually play several days earlier, and if you go through Uplay, you can get access to the game at different times too. Provided you meet the requirements, you may have had access for several days now, as the game is live around the world for many. Read on for the full breakdown of unlock times.

If you pre-order the standard version of The Division 2, the game will be available worldwide for Xbox One and PS4 on Friday, March 15 at 12 AM local time–therefore Australia and New Zealand get access first and North and South America are last. With Uplay on PC, The Division 2 will be playable on Thursday, March 14 at 10 PM PT, which is March 15 at 1 AM ET. The Uplay playable time is 11 PM in the UK on March 14 and 12 AM in Australia on March 15. So only in certain regions does Uplay give you early access. A breakdown of the times is listed below.

The Division 2 Standard Edition Start Times

• Xbox One and PS4
  • March 15 at 12 AM local time
• Uplay/PC
  • March 14 at 10 PM PT
  • March 15 at 1 AM ET
  • March 14 at 11 PM UK
  • March 14 at 12 AM AU

If you pre-order the Gold or Ultimate Edition of The Division 2, you can already begin playing. Worldwide, these two editions launched Tuesday, March 12 at 12 AM local time when you pre-order the Xbox One or PS4 versions, which once again gives certain countries earlier access than others. Through Uplay, The Division 2 Gold and Ultimate Editions are playable March 11 at 10 PM PT, March 12 at 1 AM ET, March 11 at 11 PM in the UK, and March 12 at 12 AM in Australia. A breakdown of the times is listed below.

The Division 2 Gold And Ultimate Edition Start Times

• Xbox One and PS4
  • March 12 at 12 AM local time
• Uplay/PC
  • March 11 at 10 PM PT
  • March 12 at 1 AM ET
  • March 11 at 11 PM UK
  • March 12 at 12 AM AU

Despite the game releasing in certain countries much earlier than others, the servers for The Division 2 didn’t go live until March 12 at 12 AM local time. So even though the game launches in certain countries on March 11–like the Gold and Ultimate Editions in the UK–you weren’t able to play it until midnight that night. If you want a specific time for your region, you can find all the listed times on The Division 2’s website.

The Division 2 is available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. Originally planned for Steam, the PC version of the game will now be launching through the Epic Games Store.

While we don’t yet have a full review, you can read our Division 2 early review impressions based on an early portion of what’s shaping up to be a very large game. In it, Edmond Tran writes, “‘Encouraging’ is generally how I feel about The Division 2 at this point in time. It’s got a fantastic sense of place and progression, and the combat scenarios and skills continue to be interesting. There’s a lot of love, especially among the minor improvements–the small design decisions that make the act of finding and equipping loot so snappy and convenient, or the smart integration of per-mission multiplayer matchmaking that even lets you call upon other players in the middle of a mission. I haven’t personally hit any server issues or major bugs, just some humorous oddities, like a floating iPad entertaining two excited children.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-division-2-release-date-and-server-launch-time/1100-6465452/

Hollow Knight released in 2017 and debuted on the Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One in 2018; however, the exceptional Metroidvania-style game has never been available in a physical format–until now. Both a standard edition and a collector’s edition of Hollow Knight are now available for pre-order, with the collector’s edition exclusive to Fangamer.

According to Fangamer, pre-orders for Hollow Knight’s physical edition will start shipping on May 31, which means you can expect to receive your copy in early June.

Team Cherry, the developers of Hollow Knight, initially partnered with Skybound Games to bring a physical release to the market last year, but the studio announced last November that the deal had fallen through, possibly due to limited resources. So for fans of the game, news that a physical edition is finally happening is a welcome surprise.

In his Hollow Knight review, GameSpot’s Alessandro Barbosa gave the platformer a 9/10 and praised its lengthy, compelling narrative, smart combat design, gorgeous visuals, and fantastic soundtrack. “Its expansive enemy roster and routinely surprising areas and platforming challenges ensure that your journey through this fallen bug kingdom is one you’re unlikely to forget,” he wrote. “Hollow Knight offers a surprisingly large and harrowing adventure, and it’s a treat that every bit of it is just as divine as that last.”

With a newly announced sequel for Hollow Knight on the way, there’s no better time to pick up the game and journey into the world of Hallownest. Here’s how you can pre-order Hollow Knight’s physical edition:

Pre-Order Hollow Knight: Physical Standard Edition

As of right now, the only two places to buy Hollow Knight’s standard edition are Best Buy and Fangamer. We’ll update this post if more retailers begin offering pre-orders. Hollow Knight’s physical standard edition comes with a manual, a fold-out map of Hallownest, and all DLC: Hidden Dreams, The Grimm Troupe, Lifeblood, and Godmaster.

Switch:

• Best Buy — $35
• Fangamer — $34

PS4:

• Best Buy — $35
• Fangamer — $29

PC:

• Fangamer — $29

Pre-Order Hollow Knight: Physical Collector’s Edition

The collector’s edition is only available for purchase from Fangamer, and it’s packed with plenty of bonus materials. Along with everything included in the standard edition, you’ll receive a metal brooch with a display stand, wall hook, and dual-pronged fastener; a 14-page Quirrel comic book; a gold foil collector’s box; and a gold foil art print set. If you pre-order, a papercraft set is also included (not pictured here). And finally, if you opt for the Switch version, you’ll also receive a Hollow Knight-themed cleaning cloth.

• Fangamer — $69 on Switch, $64 on PS4 and PC

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/hollow-knight-is-finally-getting-a-physical-editio/1100-6465534/

Although reviews for the Spyro Reignited Trilogy were mostly positive, praising the remaster’s faithful recreation of the originals’ charm, the PS4 and Xbox One collection also attracted some criticism upon launch. Some people were angered by the game’s lack of subtitles, which many gamers–for example, the hard of hearing–rely on to be able to enjoy games to their fullest.

Now, developer Toys for Bob has finally added complete subtitles to the three remastered games in a new update. The patch notes state the subtitles include “character headers to identify active speakers, succinct line splits for readability, [and] colored text for improved character association in most languages.”

Publisher Activision had previously avoided directly addressing the Reignited Trilogy’s lack of subtitles. At the time, it simply stated, “While there’s no industry standard for subtitles, the studio and Activision care about the fans’ experience especially with respect to accessibility for people with different abilities, and will evaluate going forward.”

Video game accessibility options have become a more openly-discussed topic in recent years, though some titles do not meet basic standards of accessibility. Colorblindness options are only just becoming commonplace, for example, while full closed captions–such as those offered by Far Cry: New Dawn–are still rare.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/after-controversy-spyro-reignited-trilogy-finally-/1100-6465548/

In a strange and surprising round of news, Sega has announced that it has stopped physical shipments and digital sales of the Yakuza spinoff Judgment in Japan following the arrest of actor Pierre Taki.

The actor was arrested for reportedly using cocaine, which apparently violates Japan’s drug control laws. An official news release from Sega, translated by Gematsu, states, “Sega has received the arrest reports and are currently confirming the facts, but for the time being, we will voluntarily refrain from shipments and digital sales of [Judgment], as well as from things like posting on the product’s homepage. We apologize for any inconveniences this may cause for customers, as well as the parties involved.”

Judgment, which is called Judge Eyes in Japan, launched in Japan back in December. The game is scheduled to arrive in America and Europe this June on PS4, but there is no word yet if that’s still the plan given the controversy surrounding Taki.

Taki plays Kyohei Hamura in Judgment. He’s voiced by Fred Tatasciore (Soldier 76 in Overwatch and Xur in Destiny) in the English version of the game.

Taki is an actor and musician known for being a member of the band Denki Groove and the voice of snowman Olaf in the Japanese dubbing of Disney’s Frozen.

According to Japan Times, the punishment for possessing or using cocaine in Japan is a prison sentence of up to seven years.

In Judgment you play as Takayuki Yagami, a detective who is looking into grisly crimes. Like the Yakuza series, it is set in Kamurocho, the fictional city modeled after Kabukicho in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

For more on Judgment, check out our extensive hands-on preview.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/sega-stops-sales-of-yakuza-spinoff-judgment-in-jap/1100-6465547/