The biggest gaming showcase of the year, E3 2019, is only a few weeks away. This year’s expo kicks off on Tuesday, June 11, and while it’s shaping up to be a bit quieter than past years (thanks in large part to Sony’s decision to sit this E3 out), some big games have already been confirmed for the event, with even more surprises undoubtedly waiting to be announced.

While Microsoft is reportedly gearing up to unveil its next-generation Xbox console(s) during its E3 2019 briefing, Nintendo will be looking to continue the Switch’s impressive sales momentum by highlighting some upcoming games for the hybrid system in a pre-recorded Nintendo Direct presentation, which is scheduled to air at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM BST on June 11, just before the expo proper begins.

As for what Switch games Nintendo will show off, the company has been characteristically tight-lipped, although it does have a number of titles in the pipeline this year. Luigi’s Mansion 3, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Pokemon Sword and Shield, and Animal Crossing–to name a few–are coming to the system in 2019, and we’ll likely get another look at some or all of them during next month’s Direct. Splatoon 2, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Super Mario Maker 2 will also be featured this year as part of Nintendo’s pre-E3 tournaments on June 8, and we may get some details on new content for those games–although that has not been confirmed.

One thing we do know, however, is that Nintendo won’t be revealing any hardware at this year’s show. Rumors of a new, cheaper Switch model have been making the rounds in recent weeks, with Bloomberg reporting the system could launch by the end of June, which would make E3 the perfect venue at which to unveil it. However, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa denied that possibility, saying the company has “no plans to announce [new hardware] at this year’s E3 in June.”

Still, while Nintendo is playing its cards close to its chest, a few other developers and publishers have confirmed a handful of Switch games for this year’s E3 already. You can take a look at the list so far below. For more E3 coverage, be sure to check out the full E3 conference schedule and our running list of every single game confirmed to appear at E3 2019.

All The Nintendo Switch Games Confirmed For E3 2019

• Bee Simulator
• Doom Eternal
• FIFA 20
• Fortnite (Summer Block Party)
• Splatoon 2 (Nintendo World Championships)
• Super Mario Maker 2 (Nintendo World Championships)
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo World Championships)
• Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2019-all-the-nintendo-switch-games-confirmed-so/1100-6467003/

A new wave of Gen 4 Pokemon has arrived in Pokemon Go. Gible, Cherubi, Hippopotas, Burmy, and more can now either be found in the wild or hatched from Eggs, and developer Niantic has introduced a handful of new items that enable some more Gen 4 evolutions, including Glaceon and Leafeon.

As revealed in a recent leak, three new kinds of Lure Modules have been added to Pokemon Go: Glacial, Mossy, and Magnetic. These can be purchased from the in-game store, and placing them in a Poke Stop will attract certain kinds of Pokemon to that area; the Glacial Lure, for instance, draws in Ice- and Water-types, while the Mossy Lure attracts Grass, Bug, and Poison Pokemon.

Moreover, activating the Lure Modules will allow certain Pokemon to evolve; the Glacial and Mossy Lures let Eevee evolve into Glaceon or Leafeon, respectively, while the Magnetic Lure lets Magneton and Nosepass evolve into Magnezone and Probopass. Niantic says the new Lure Modules will also be given out as rewards for completing Special Research tasks “later this season.” You can read more details about the Pokemon and Lures on the Pokemon Go website.

In other Pokemon Go news, the game’s next Community Day takes place this Sunday, May 19. The featured Pokemon this month is Torchic, the Fire-type starter from the series’ Gen 3 games, Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. If you’re able to evolve Torchic into its final form, Blaziken, up to an hour after the Community Day ends, it’ll learn Blast Burn. You’ll also receive three times the usual amount of Stardust for capturing Pokemon during the event.

Shortly after May’s Community Day ends, Niantic is kicking off an Extraordinary Raid Week event. From May 21-28, new Pokemon will appear as Raid bosses, including Bronzor, whose Shiny form also has a chance of appearing. On Saturday, May 25, the developer is also holding a special Lapras Raid, which will feature an appearance by Shiny Lapras.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-go-adds-leafeon-glaceon-and-more-gen-4-pok/1100-6466999/

Bandai Namco has announced the dates for the upcoming Network Test for Code Vein. As we previously speculated, the test will begin at the end of May and continue into the first days of June.

For the US, Code Vein’s Network Test begins May 30 at 8:00 PM PT / 11:00 PM ET and continues until June 3 at 12:00 AM PT / 3:00 AM ET. In Europe, the test starts May 31 at 4:00 AM BST / 5:00 AM CEST and ends June 3 at 8:00 AM BST / 9:00 AM CEST. Though Code Vein is releasing on Xbox One, PS4, and PC, the Network Test will only be live on consoles. To participate in the Code Vein Network Test, sign-up on Bandai Namco’s website. You’ll receive your Xbox One or PS4 code on May 29, allowing you to preload the demo before the test goes live.

In the Network Test, you’ll be able to play through the opening chapter of Code Vein and try the game’s multiplayer. In Code Vein, you usually travel throughout the world with an NPC companion. If you want, you can also team up with one other human-controlled character for a three-person party. Though Code Vein takes inspiration from Dark Souls—both thematically and mechanically–Bandai Namco’s game does not feature invasions. Multiplayer in Code Vein is entirely supportive.

We played through Code Vein’s opening chapter during a preview event and had the chance to try the game’s revamped Blood Code system. After delaying the game in July 2018, Bandai Namco changed how Code Vein’s build system works. Now, thanks to Code Vein’s eight unique Blood Codes, you can quickly respec your vampiric character with new stats and abilities in seconds whenever you want. Most of the eight Blood Codes are too melee-focused, but a few do provide interesting abilities, such as a teleporting backstab called Phantom Assault.

Code Vein is a perfect example of how Dark Souls has had a lasting impact on the gaming industry. In our The Most Influential Games Of The 21st Century series, Tamoor Hussain wrote, “Dark Souls’ impact on gaming is undeniable. Such is its influence that the term Souls-like has become a genre in and of itself. But describing a game as ‘Souls-like’ can mean so many things, from challenging gameplay to emergent storytelling, or even a distinct sense of place. The fact that the term can be used in such a diverse way to explain facets of action games, RPGs, puzzle games, or even text adventures is the strongest indication of just how important the game was and is to this day.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/code-vein-network-test-dates-announced-play-the-so/1100-6467000/

Developer Ubisoft Montreal has taken it upon itself to address issues facing the online tactical shooter, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege. In a tweet, Siege’s official Twitter account announced that, as it works on fixes (which include addressing exploits to claymores and shields), the defensive operator Clash has been disabled.

“Over the past few days, we have been working to address the issues presented from exploits surrounding Clash, IQ, and Deployable Shields,” a blog post on the official game’s website reads. “These combined issues touch on core systems of the game, and will therefore take longer than we consider acceptable to address. We are currently expecting fixes prepared by next week.”

According to Ubisoft, more details will arrive on Tuesday, May 21. Until then, a server-wide update will disable Clash, deployable shields, and claymores. It was scheduled to go live yesterday, but “due to unforeseen circumstances, console deployments for the Clash removal” will land sometime today, May 17, the Rainbow Six Siege Twitter account wrote.

The post concludes by saying the team is hard at work improving their reaction speed to such widespread issues. “As such, our team will develop a more thorough outline for how we should respond to these situations moving forward, with the ultimate goal of improved reaction speed,” it said.

Two new operators were recently announced for Rainbow Six Siege: Nokk and Warden. The two are part of the upcoming Operation Phantom Sight expansion, which will be revealed on May 19 during the Pro League Finals in Milan (which takes place May 18-19).

The game’s recent update reverses friendly fire, a system designed to punish griefers by dealing the damage to them instead of the teammate getting shot. Players will get a brief grace period, but afterward, the damage will be dealt in reverse. So any damage done by primary and secondary weapons, as well as most unique Operator gadgets, will hit the griefing player instead of the innocent teammate.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/rainbow-six-siege-operator-pulled-temporarily/1100-6466994/

GameStop Pro members, that annual membership is about to come in handy big time. GameStop is launching a one-day Pro Day Sale in stores and online Saturday, May 18, with some pretty solid deals on PS4, Switch, and Xbox One games; consoles; Funko figures; and more. Plus, you’ll get extra credit when trading in consoles, games, and accessories. Here’s an overview of all the deals that’ll be available tomorrow (so you can brace your wallet now).

There’s quite a good selection of PS4 and Xbox One games that will be on sale, such as Devil May Cry 5 for $40, Spyro Reignited Trilogy for $25, and Monster Hunter World for $20. On PS4, you can grab Tetris Effect for $20, Nier: Automata’s Game of the Yorha Edition for $25, and Marvel’s Spider-Man for $30. As usual, the pickings are slim for Nintendo Switch, but Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is an excellent purchase for only $20. All pre-owned games will be buy one, get one 50% off.

If you were planning to purchase a Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, or PS4 soon, you’ll save some money at GameStop tomorrow in the form of a $25 gift card (Switch), $50 gift card (Xbox One), or $20 off (PS4, if you bundle it with PS Plus). Various gaming accessories are also discounted, including headsets, controllers, chairs, and blue light-blocking glasses. Funko Pop Vinyl figures will be $9 each, and collector’s boxes will be 50% off.

Finally, Pro members can receive 10% more trade-in credit for games and accessories tomorrow (that bumps it to 20% credit for Pro members, and 30% credit for any existing Elite Pro members). You’ll also get $300 trade credit for a PS4 Pro or Xbox One X, $225 credit for a Switch or PS4 Slim, $175 credit for an original PS4 or Xbox One S, and $125 credit for an original Xbox One.

As a reminder, GameStop PowerUp Rewards Pro membership costs $15 per year and doubles your points earned with every purchase, boosts your trade-in credit by an additional 10%, decreases the cost of pre-owned games and accessories by 10%, and more. If you’re interested in any of these Pro Day deals and don’t have a membership, you can always enroll during checkout.

SHOP GAMESTOP’S PRO DAY SALE »

See more of the upcoming deals below, and browse the full offering of deals at GameStop. The following prices will become available on May 18.

GAMES

Nintendo Switch:

• Ark Survival Evolved — $30
• Diablo III: Eternal Collection — $40
• The Incredibles — $20
• Just Dance 2019 — $20
• L.A. Noire — $15
• Lego DC Super-Villains — $20
• Lego Harry Potter Collection — $20
• The Lego Movie 2 Video Game — $20
• Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle — $20
• NBA 2K19 — $20
• Rocket League – Ultimate Edition — $30
• Sid Meier’s Civilization VI — $30

PS4:

• Assassin’s Creed III – Remastered — $20
• Astro Bot Rescue Mission VR — $20
• Battlefield V — $30
• Bethesda 2-Pack: Dishonored 2 and Prey — $20
• Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition (GameStop exclusive) — $20
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 — $30
• Dead or Alive 6 — $40
• Devil May Cry 5 — $40
• Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age — $25
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Special Edition — $20
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR — $30
• The Evil Within 2 — $20
• Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition — $25
• Far Cry New Dawn — $20
• For Honor – Marching Fire Edition — $15
• God of War — $30
• Grand Theft Auto V – Premium Online Edition — $15
• Just Cause 4 – Day One Steelbook Edition (GameStop exclusive) — $30
• Marvel’s Spider-Man — $30
• NBA 2K19 — $20
• Need for Speed: Payback — $10
• Nier: Automata: Game of the Yorha Edition — $25
• Metro Exodus — $40
• Monster Hunter World — $20
• Red Dead Redemption 2 — $40
• Red Dead Redemption 2 – Ultimate Edition — $60
• Resident Evil 2 — $40
• Spyro Reignited Trilogy — $25
• Tetris Effect — $20
• Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 — $40
• Wolfenstein II — $20

Xbox One:

• Assassin’s Creed III – Remastered — $20
• Battlefield V — $30
• Bethesda 2-Pack: Dishonored 2 and Prey — $20
• Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition (GameStop exclusive) — $20
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 — $30
• Dead or Alive 6 — $40
• Devil May Cry 5 — $40
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Special Edition — $20
• The Evil Within 2 — $20
• Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition — $25
• Far Cry New Dawn — $20
• For Honor – Marching Fire Edition — $15
• Grand Theft Auto V – Premium Online Edition — $15
• Metro Exodus — $40
• Need for Speed: Payback — $10
• Monster Hunter World — $20
• NBA 2K19 — $20
• Red Dead Redemption 2 — $40
• Red Dead Redemption 2 – Ultimate Edition — $60
• Resident Evil 2 — $40
• Spyro Reignited Trilogy — $25
• Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 — $40
• Wolfenstein II — $20

PC:

• Quake Champions Scalebearer Edition — $40

CONSOLES & ACCESSORIES

• GameCube-style wireless controller for Nintendo Switch (Gold) — $35
• GameCube-style wireless controller for Nintendo Switch (Silver) — $35
• Gunnar Vertex gaming glasses — $30
• Gunnar Maverick gaming glasses — $40
• Nintendo 2DS bundles — save $10
• Nintendo Labo Robot Kit — $40
• Nintendo Labo Variety Kit — $40
• Nintendo Labo Vehicle Kit — $40
• Nintendo Switch console — get a $25 gift card with purchase
• Nintendo Switch SanDisk microSD 128GB memory card — $45
• PlayStation Classic — $40
• PlayStation Dualshock 4 wireless controllers — $52
• PS4 console + one-year PS Plus — save $20 on combo purchase
• Select gaming chairs — save over $100
• Thrustmaster Pro limited edition gaming wheels — save $50
• Turtle Beach Recon 60P wired gaming headset — $28
• Xbox One black stereo headset — $48
• Xbox One console — get a $50 gift card with purchase
• Xbox One wireless controllers — $56

TOYS & COLLECTIBLES

• Collector’s boxes — save 50%
• Fallout 76 Pip-Boy 2000 Mk VI replica DIY kit — $70
• Fallout Plasma Rifle replica (GameStop exclusive) — $100
• Funko Pop cereals — $5 each
• Justice League: Aquaman Trident replica (GameStop exclusive) — $30
• Pop Vinyl figures — $9 each

TRADE-IN CREDIT BONUSES

• Games or accessories — 10% more trade credit
• Nintendo Switch or PS4 Slim — get $225 trade credit
• Original PS4 or Xbox One S — get $175 trade credit
• Original Xbox One — get $125 trade credit
• PS4 Pro or Xbox One X — get $300 trade credit

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamestops-huge-one-day-sale-for-pro-members-launch/1100-6466985/