GameSkinny Weekend Download: Gears 5 Bans Smoking, Nintendo Recharges, and Gamestop Goes Retro to Stay Alive

This week, Nintendo unveiled a new Switch model that’s not as exciting as it sounds. Gears 5 removed smoking but left all of the blood and guts the series is known for. And GameStop looks to stay alive by going retro. 

On top of that, we’ve got exclusive interviews with the developers of The Blackout Club, Teppen, and Redeemer. We have a few reviews, including Super Mario Maker 2 and Etherborn, as well as a handful of guides for some of the latest games, including Teppen, Dragon Quest Builders 2, and Dr. Mario World. 

Sit back. Relax. Enjoy. It’s the weekend. What else are you gonna do? Play video games? 

• Gears 5 Won’t Depict Tobacco Use After Non-Profit Claims It’s Too Dangerous
  Gears 5 will pack all the violence and blood you’d expect from an M-rated game, but one thing will be missing.
• GameStop Looks to Consumer Innovation to Attract New Customers
  The fallen giant has plans for grassroots e-Sports, retro game shops, and more in an effort to re-assert its place in gaming culture.
• 8BitDo Might Have Created an Almost-Perfect Controller
  8BitDo, the maker of controllers for retro gaming, is putting out a new controller for (some) modern systems that allows for almost complete customization.
• Nintendo Switch Hardware Update Boasts Improved Battery Life
  Following last week’s filings with the FCC, Nintendo announced the original Switch is getting a slightly enhanced model, along with two new sets of Joy-Con shortly after.
• Xbox Super Game Sale Live, Offers Savings on More Than Just Games (Until July 29)
  Xbox’s huge summer sale brings discounts on new and classic games, plus hardware, consoles, and more.
• Surprise Mid-Week PSN Flash Sale Live Now (Until July 22)
  Sony’s surprise mid-week Flash Sale offers some steep discounts on PS4, PS3, and PS Vita games and runs alongside the current retro sale.
• Gearbox is Giving Away Borderlands 3 Loot to Vault Insiders
  Sign up for the Vault Insider Program and get free loot for Borderlands 3, as well as other games in the franchise.
• Luigi’s Mansion 3 Gets a Spook-tacular Release Date
  Luigi’s Mansion 3 is launching on a most appropriate day indeed, in a break from Nintendo’s usual release scheduling.
• Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD Confirmed for a Fall Release Date
  Super Monkey Ball is making a comeback this year with a remake of the Wii’s Banana Blitz. The good news is it’s coming West too.
• Harvest Moon: Light of Hope Special Edition Complete Out Soon
  Light of Hope is coming back again, this time with all previous DLC — including new marriage candidates — and some new features designed for consoles.
• New Pokemon Masters Trailer Offers Glimpse at 3-on-3 Battles, Sync Moves
  The new Pokemon Masters trailer shows off 3-on-3 fights, some Sync Pairs, and more, though it still doesn’t provide a solid release date.
• GTA Online’s Diamond Casino and Resort Opens Soon With Lots of New Content
  GTA Online’s The Diamond offers new co-op missions, a snazzy customizable penthouse, and plenty of the usual casino pastimes to keep you busy.
• Dauntless Fortune and Glory Update Brings Trials Mode, New Hunt Pass
  The first expansion for Dauntless is now available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, and it brings a bevy of brand-new content, including a new Trials mode.
• 33 Confirmed Dead in Kyoto Animation Arson
  One of Kyoto Animation’s studio buildings was hit by an arsonist this morning, claiming the lives of 33 employees.

• Super Mario Maker 2 Review: Everything Promised and More
  Super Mario Maker 2 fulfills just about everything it set out to do, making it a must-play for Mario fans.
• Etherborn Review: Grappling with the Unknown
  Etherborn stumbles at times in its execution and gets lost in an unnecessary narrative, but there’s no denying the puzzle design is brilliant.
• Audeze Mobius 3D Headphones Review: Moving Through Sound
  Pricey, elegant, and seductive, Mobius is the classy, tuxedoed martini of headphones.

• The Surge 2 Hands-On Preview: More Cyber Souls
  Check out what we learned about The Surge 2 after some hands-on time with a demo build of this cyberpunk Souls-like.

• TEPPEN Interview with Ryozo Tsujimoto and Kazuki Morishita
  At Anime Expo 2019, we discussed the details of the newest Capcom crossover title.
• Among Demons and Deities: An Interview with The Blackout Club’s Jordan Thomas
  With just a few days separating us from the 1.0 launch of The Blackout Club, we caught up with lead designer Jordan Thomas to talk story, ludology, and summoning otherworldly beings.
• Griftlands Alpha Impressions — A Hand Full of Aces
  Griftlands looked intriguing when we first saw it at E3 2019, but this deck-building rogue-like shows incredible promise right out of the gate.
• EXCLUSIVE Interview with Redeemer Devs, Sobaka
  Indie Developer Sobaka talks about the Enhanced Version of Redeemer, life as an indie developer and what’s coming up next!
• How Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth Was a Franchise Turning Point
  Digimon video games have a tortured history in the West, with flops and mimicry aplenty. That changed in a big way with the Cyber Sleuth games, though, when Digimon finally found its voice.

• Dr. Mario World Error Codes 0009, 0007, 0003 Explained
  Dr. Mario World is experiencing some baffling health problems at the moment, so we’re here to tell you what error codes 0009, 0007, and 0003 mean.

• Dr. Mario World: All Characters and How to Unlock Them
  There are more than 40 Dr. Mario World characters you can unlock — if you’re brave enough to take on Mario’s own gacha system, that is.

• Griftlands Guide — What Are Negotiations and How Do They Work?
  Griftlands is a new deck-building roguelike, where the cards are used for more than just fighting. We’ve broken down how Negotiations work and how to talk your way to victory.
• Dragon Quest Builders 2 Puzzles Guide: Solutions and Locations
  Get more Mini Medals in Dragon Quest Builders 2 by finding and solving puzzles!
• How to Find Flurry Feathers in Dragon Quest Builders 2
  Wondering where to find Flurry Feathers in Dragon Quest Builders 2? This guide points you in the right direction. (Hint, it has to do with Chimaera).
• How to Build a Restaurant in Dragon Quest Builders 2
  Wondering how to build a restaurant to complete the Tablet Target in Dragon Quest Builders 2? This guide tells you which rooms to combine to check it off your list. 
• Complete Dragon Quest Builders 2 Mini Medal Rewards Guide
  Mini Medals give you access to cosmetic items, musical scores, and some weapons and armor in Dragon Quest builders 2. Here’s how to get them and what you get for turning them in.
• How to Get Night Soil in Dragon Quest Builders 2
  Night Soil is essential for creating fertilizer and completing tablet targets for Mini Medals. This is how you get Night Soil.
• Dokkan Battle: How to Get Potara Medals for UR/LR Vegito
  Every player who’s been at Dokkan Battle for a while should be trying to get Potara Medals toward LR Super Saiyan God SS Vegito.
• Teppen Nergigante Deck Guide: Decklist and Strategy
  Learn how to pilot one of the strongest and most difficult decks in Teppen, the Nergigante deck.
• Teppen Morrigan Deck Guide: Decklist and Strategy
  Morrigan’s Darkness Illusion is one of the strongest hero arts in Teppen. Here’s the decklist and strategy guide on how to use it.
• Teppen Rathalos Deck Guide: Decklist and Strategy
  Here is the best version of the aggressive Rathalos deck in Teppen, and a short guide on how to play it.
• Total War: Three Kingdoms Liu Bei Guide
  Follow this step-by-step guide and learn how to make Liu Bei a powerful ruler in Total War: Three Kingdoms.
• Teamfight Tactics Champion Traits and Buffs List
  Champions have various traits which give huge buffs to the team. Knowing what traits do what is an important aspect of team building.
• 15 Best New Mods for Minecraft 1.14 Java Edition
  Add or change different elements of your game starting from simple furniture and ending with an entire powerplant using these new mods for Minecraft 1.14.

Check back next weekend for another roundup of news, reviews, guides, and features. Be sure to check previous weeks for more content: 

• Nintendo Switch Lite, Stranger Things 3, Cyberpunk 2077
• Console Tariffs, Canceled WoW Successor, New PUBG, More
• E3 Previews + Roundups, Bloodstained, Harry Potter, More
• Sony Partners With Microsoft, Plus Rage 2, Super Mario Maker, More
• Days Gone, Sea of Thieves, Borderlands 3, More
• More PS5 News, MK11, World War Z, and Minecraft
• PUBG Banned Again (Again), PS5 News, New Star Wars, More