Earlier today, developer Sledgehammer Games gave fans their first tease of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. The game is set to launch on November 10, and it will be coming to PlayStation, Xbox, and PC consoles. A Nintendo Switch version might also be in the works, but we don't know for sure just yet. What we do know is that the Modern Warfare 3 teaser included at least one fun Easter egg for eagle-eyed viewers. If you pay close attention, there's actually a phone number seen in the teaser that's a number you can actually ring up, if you'd like.

The phone number was spotted by CharlieIntel and shared in a tweet. Their track record is more than solid, so you can trust this is legit. If you decide to text the number seen in the tweet below, you'll need to text "READY" to the number and then you'll be asked if you're ready to receive sensitive intel. You'd think you need to select "yes," but a few users in the comments actually declined and the account responded with "there is no choice. we must proceed" before continuing on like normal. Regardless of what you select, you'll eventually be treated to a screengrab of a map that seems to be the new map for Warzone.

A phone number was shown in the #MW3 Teaser Trailer.

+1-(202)-918-3022 (US code, txt/sms rates will apply). pic.twitter.com/0FlePTYHdY

-- CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) August 7, 2023

It's a bit of a strange marketing gimmick, but it starts to make a lot more sense when you notice that content creators are posting across Twitter about receiving old-looking cell phones as part of the marketing push. This slides right alongside that tactic while involving everyone who can text a US number the chance to join in. What'll be interesting is seeing if Sledgehammer continues to use the number to drop more updates as we move throughout the hype cycle.

Either way, fans won't have to wait too much longer to play it for themselves. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is currently set to launch on November 10. Of course, while you wait there's still plenty of content to grind through in Modern Warfare 2's ongoing seasonal content.

The post-credits scene has become something of a common practice in today's world of TV and movies. The Marvel Cinematic Universe took the idea to new heights and most franchises (or hopeful franchise-starters) tack on scenes during or after the credits to tease what might come next. You may not have noticed, but Peacock's Twisted Metal series is one of those titles that uses a post-credits scene to set up the future. Even though the final moments of the show's first season tee up what's to come, there's still one more scene that offers clarity on a major character's fate.

WARNING: This article contains MAJOR spoilers for the first season of Twisted Metal! Continue reading at your own risk...

The first half of the Twisted Metal Season 1 finale is a full-on battle royale that brings to life the popular action of the video games the series is based on. Many of the major characters take to a vehicular battlefield to try and take one another out. Naturally, Sweet Tooth ends up in the fight. Unfortunately for the psychotic killer clown, he doesn't seem to make it through the action. He's shot in the eye and hit by a car going full speed. The last thing we see of Sweet Tooth is his iconic mask, lying bloody on the asphalt.

If you stick around through the finale's credits, though, you'll learn that Sweet Tooth is far from dead, and his thirst for revenge is stronger than ever.

Twisted Metal Post-Credits Scene

The scene after the credits starts with Stu and Michael sitting on a beach, roasting hot dogs over an open fire, having escaped Sweet Tooth's clutches. Remember, Stu turned on Sweet Tooth to save Michael, shooting him in the face in an effort to escape.

That turned out to be a terrible decision. A minute or so into the scene, Sweet Tooth emerges from the jungle behind the two men. He seemingly kills Michael with his sword (though it happens off-screen), before dragging a screaming Stu back into the trees behind him.

It felt like Sweet Tooth would definitely be back for Season 2 of Twisted Metal, provided Peacock orders another round of episodes, but it may have been surprising to see him return to quickly after his death fake-out.

This final scene of the season not only confirms that Sweet Tooth is definitely a part of the future for Twisted Metal, but that he and Stu's story together is far from over. Despite being a murderous maniac, Sweet Tooth opts not to kill Stu. He's got something else in mind for his "S Brother."

Twisted Metal Season 2

Peacock hasn't yet announced a second season of Twisted Metal, and there's no telling just when a decision on the show's future might be made. What we do know, however, is that the creative team clearly has plans in place for a potential Season 2. Not only does Sweet Tooth's return tease an additional story, but the finale also sets up the actual Twisted Metal competition, pitting the best drivers in the world against one another in a deadly tournament.

Do you hope to see Peacock renew Twisted Metal for a second season? Let us know in the comments!

The 2023 Pokemon World Championships will take place this weekend, and for players that can't make the trek to Yokohama, Pokemon Go will be celebrating with a new in-game event. The event will begin Friday, August 11th at 11 a.m. local time and will last through Tuesday, August 15th at 8 p.m. local time. The Alolan Pokemon Passimian will make its debut during the event, and players will find a new costumed Pikachu. The 2023 World Championships Pikachu can be found by completing Timed Research or through One-Star Raids.

The World Championships Pikachu will be wearing a special jersey, which players can obtain for their avatar in the game's shop. A special jacket will also be available for purchase. Players that don't want to drop any PokeCoins to change their look will be happy to know that a free t-shirt item will be available in gray. The shirt features Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxley, and a yellow variant of that will also be released. The yellow version will be available via a code that will be given out during the World Championships stream, and on social media.

During the event, a handful of Pokemon will have special Featured Attacks. This will be similar to how it works during Pokemon Go Community Day events, where players receive a Pokemon knowing these moves if they're evolved during the event. These will include:

• Alolan Sandslash- Will know the Fast Attack Shadow Claw.
  
• Machamp- Will know the Charged Attack Payback.
  
• Dewgong- Will know the Fast Attack Ice Shard and Charged Attack Icy Wind.
  
• Walrein- Will know the Fast Attack Powder Snow and Charged Attack Icicle Spear.
  
• Obstagoon- Will know the Charged Attack Obstruct.
  

Players hoping to get Pokemon knowing these Featured Attacks will be able to find Machop and Spheal more commonly in the wild. Spheal will also be a Field Research task encounter, alongside Seel, Galarian Zigzagoon, and Alolan Sandshrew. Scraggy will also be seen more commonly in the wild and in One-Star Raids, which is notable, as the Shiny variation will be appearing in Pokemon Go for the very first time!

Are you excited for the 2023 Pokemon World Championships? How do you feel about the in-game event? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

When Assassin's Creed Mirage releases on October 12, it's set to be a return to the franchise's roots in many ways. Not only is it putting the focus back on stealth assassinations compared to the modern games but it's also going to have a much shorter runtime than the increasingly bloated offerings the series has been known for in the last few entries. That said, it doesn't look like Ubisoft is completely leaving the modern games behind as a recent leak is seemingly confirming that Assassin's Creed Mirage will include microtransactions.

The leak was first spotted by Redditor KvasirTheOld on the GamingLeaksandRumours subreddit. They noted that a Twitter user who goes by xj0nathan on the platform posted an image showing off the microtransactions that will apparently be included. At the time of writing, that image has since been removed due to copyright, but you can still find backups on Reddit and other places. The long and short of it is that fans will be greeted by various cosmetic microtransactions when they boot up Assassin's Creed Mirage.

Assassin's Creed Mirage leaked gear pack (microtransacrions confirmed :/)
by u/KvasirTheOld in GamingLeaksAndRumours

Of course, this isn't new for the Assassin's Creed franchise. Since moving to more RPG-focused gameplay, Ubisoft has steadily provided ways for fans to purchase all kinds of cosmetics. Even before that, the team sold booster-style upgrades that could speed up your playtime if desired. That said, with Mirage going back to the franchise's roots, some were probably hoping Ubisoft would keep microtransactions out since they weren't there in the original. However, with the way modern games are made, it's not really a big surprise to see these pop up. And, as long as there's no competitive advantage, it's hard to find too much of an issue. If you read through the comments on either the post on Reddit or the tweet, most players seem to agree that adding cosmetic gear isn't really an issue for them.

Assassin's Creed Mirage is out on October 12 for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC platforms. While the game is being supported by microtransactions, Ubisoft has made it clear that it likely won't support it much with post-launch content, yet another way it's much different from modern games in the franchise.

A new Mortal Kombat 1 leak is making the rounds as it promises a nice surprise for Scorpion fans. As you probably already know, and as its name suggests, Mortal Kombat 1 is set to reboot the franchise, but there will still be some connection to previous games. To this end, if you were wondering what happened to Hanzo Hasashi, aka Scorpion, it will be revealed in the new game, or at least that's what a leaker who relayed word of Reptile and Havik before they were revealed over the weekend is claiming. To be fair, Reptile was being teased by creative director on the game Ed Boon before his reveal, but the image below came before this and Havik was not teased in any capacity.

Unfortunately, this is the extent of the leak. The anonymous leaker "FateUnknown" says players will discover what happened to Hanzo, but that's all they say. This would presumably happen in Story Mode, but not even this claim is made. All there is right now is a vague commitment that players will find out what happened to Hanzo.

MK1 Leak Tweet
Hanzo Hasashi exists in this universe and will be discussed in Story Mode, according to FateUnknown, one of the most reliable MK leakers we have right now.

Edit: This image is a week old. pic.twitter.com/zya5LaAYxe

-- thethiny ? (@thethiny) August 7, 2023

As always, take everything here with a grain of salt. This is just a rumor from a source that is seemingly reliable but has a small track record and is anonymous.

Mortal Kombat 1 is set to release worldwide on September 19 via PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. When the fighting game releases, it will cost $69.99. For more coverage on the title, click here.

"NetherRealm has been putting out winner after winner for over a decade at this point and it doesn't seem like Mortal Kombat 1 is going to end that hot streak," reads a snippet from our official preview of the game. "Outside of simply shaping up to be another fantastic fighting game, though, what makes Mortal Kombat 1 so enticing is just how fresh it feels. This isn't simply a sequel/reboot that looks to expand slightly on what was seen in Mortal Kombat 11 and is instead a game that is looking to chart a new course for a series that has been around for 30 years. It remains to be seen if all of these big changes are for the better, but based on my own brief experience, it looks like Mortal Kombat 1 is finding a perfect balance between the new and the familiar."

Starfinder is getting a new edition, this time fully compatible with Second Edition. During Paizo's keynote address that coincided with the start of Gen Con, Paizo officially announced that they would be launching a second edition of Starfinder, the sci-fi "cousin" to Pathfinder. This new edition will be fully compatible with Pathfinder Second Edition, meaning that all content made for either game will be compatible with each other. This means that a player could hypothetically send their Pathfinder character into the distant future or fling their Starfinder character into Golarion, the world of Pathfinder whose disappearance is actually one of the main hooks of the lore of Starfinder.

Paizo will launch a full playtest in Summer 2024. However, a Starfinder Field Test, a preview document showing what the Starfinder development team is working on, was released last weekend and shows off the first five levels of the Soldier, a new base class for Starfinder Second Edition. Other classes confirmed for Starfinder's playtest next year includes the Mystic, Envoy and the Solarian. The Mystic, of course, was a Pathfinder class who has yet to appear in Second Edition.

Starfinder was originally launched in 2017 and used a radically overhauled version of Pathfinder's 3.5E inspired game engine as its core. However, the game featured rules for ship combat and faster-than-light travel and also allowed players to customize their loadouts and ships within the game. While Starfinder was technically compatible with Pathfinder, characters required some conversion, which now no longer will be the case as the game moves to its second edition. Pathfinder similarly received a second edition back in 2019, with a remastered version coming later this year that serves to refresh and update game rules and overhaul its lore to move it away from D&D OGL material.

The first Starfinder Field Test is available to download now.

Apex Legends Season 18 officially kicks off tomorrow, but developer Respawn dropped the patch notes today to give players a chance to look through them and prepare for launch. The biggest update coming with Season 18 is a rework for Revenant, which is giving the Legend a collection of new abilities so different from his previous iteration, that he has now changed classes to become a Skirmisher. It'll be very fun to see some of the world's best Apex Legends players using his new Shadow Pounce abilities to dive bomb opponents with big damage.

Season 18 also adds an update to Ranked that was previously highlighted by Respawn. However, in the blog post the team mentions that they've decided to not give a straight increase to elimination bonuses, instead, they've "reduced placement scores to make eliminations more valuable when compared to the now lowered placement score." On top of that, the notes are highlighted by the Resurrection map rotation and the changes to the Ring size, the damage it does if you're caught outside, and how quickly it moves.

Apex Legends Season 18 starts tomorrow across PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC platforms. You can find the full patch notes below.

BALANCE UPDATES

Armor Changes

• White to Blue evo points required increased to 200 (was 150)
  • Crafted evo points increased to 200
• Fixed overflow damage on level up applies to the next tier

Crafting Rotation

• Rampage and R-99 leave the crafter and are back on the floor
• Nemesis and Mozambique with Hammerpoint Rounds enter the crafter
• Double Tap Trigger and Hammerpoint Rounds removed from rotation
• Boosted Loader and Disruptor Rounds added to rotation
• Medkit price increased to 20 (was 15)

Care Package Weapon Rotation

• Hemlok Burst AR returns to the floor
  • ADS Recoil increased
  • Damage reduced to 22 (was 23)
  • Headshot multiplier reduced to 1.75 (was 1.8)
• Prowler Burst PDW enters the care package
  • Damage increased to 16 (was 15)
  • Select Fire Enabled defaulting to Full Auto

Gold Weapons Rotation

• Hemlok, Peacekeeper, Alternator, Rampage, Charge Rifle

Loot Spawn Changes

• Blue and Purple Weapon Attachment spawn rate reduced by 20%
• Blue and Purple Armor spawn rate reduced by 30%

WEAPONS

Charge Rifle Rework

• New ballistics and projectile
  • Removed hitscan
  • Removed pre-fire laser
  • Projectiles have player passthrough: 80% damage retained
  • Opens doors
• Projectiles gain damage with distance
  • 50 meters: 75 Damage
  • 300 meters: 110 Damage
• New charge mechanics
  • Holding the trigger down will increase charge
  • Releasing the trigger will decrease charge
  • Fires at 100% charge
• Added Extended Sniper Mag attachment slot
  • Base: 4
  • White: 5
  • Blue: 6
  • Purple/Gold: 8
• Ammo Consumption per shot reduced to 1 (was 2)
• Handling timings adjusted
  • Tactical reload time decreased to 3.5 (was 4.0)
  • Empty reload time decreased to 4.6 (was 5.1)

All SMGs (R-99, Alternator, CAR, Volt)

• Strafe Speed: ADS strafe scale reduced to 0.75 (was 0.85)
• Headshot multi reduced to 1.25 (was 1.5)

R-99

• Vertical Recoil slightly increased
• Ammo capacity reduced
  • Base Ammo reduced to 17 (was 19)
  • White Mag reduced to 20 (was 21)
  • Blue Mag reduced to 23 (was 24)
  • Purple/Gold Mag reduced to 26 (was 27)

M600 Spitfire

• Added Barrels for improved stability
• ADS Recoil improved
• Hipfire spread slightly improved

Mastiff

• Blast pattern tightened

HOP UPS

Boosted Loader (Hemlok, Wingman)

Reloading when near empty will speed up reloading and overload the next magazine

• Hemlok overload ammo: 9
• Wingman overload ammo: 3

Disruptor Rounds (Alternator, Peacekeeper)

Increases shield damage

• Alternator shield damage increased by 20%
• Peacekeeper shield damage (per pellet) increased by 25%

Double Tap Trigger (EVA-8, G7 Scout)

• Removed from floor and crafting bundles

Grenades

• Frag Grenade
  • Outer Radius increased to 350 units (was 320)
  • Inner Radius increased to 125 units (was 96)
• Thermite
  • Adjusted fire VFX to better match damage area

  LEGENDS

  Revenant has been reborn

  • Updated class to Skirmisher (was Assault)
  • New abilities (see above)

  Ultimate Cooldowns

  • Bangalore: Rolling Thunder to 240s (+60s)
  • Catalyst: Dark Veil to 150s (+30s)
  • Gibraltar: Defensive Bombardment to 180s (-90s)
  • Horizon: Black Hole to 210s (+30s)
  • Loba: Black Market Boutique to 150s (+30s)
    • Ultimate Accelerants grant 25% ult charge (up from 20%)
  • Mad Maggie: Wrecking Ball to 120s (+30s)
  • Pathfinder: Zipline Gun to 180s (+60s)
  • Wraith: Dimensional Rift to 180s (-30s)

  Tactical Updates

  • Ballistic's Whistler
    • Reduced delay before an overheated weapon starts cooling down to 1s (was 2s)
    • Reduced how long it takes an overheated weapon to cooldown to 8s (was 12s)
  • Loba's Burglar's Best Friend
    • Cooldown reduced to 25s (was 30s)
  • Seer's Focus of Attention
    • Slow Duration reduced to 0.5s (was 2.5s)
    • Silence Duration reduced to 8s (was 10s)
    • Firing Speed increased to 1.4s (was 0.9s)
      

  MAPS

  • Broken Moon
    • Maps added to Mixtape: Production Yard & The Core (Read more about these maps in our highlights blog here)
    • Multiple rat spots removed
  • Kings Canyon: multiple rat spots removed
  • World's Edge: smoothed Legend movement on road edges

  WORLD SYSTEMS

  • Crafting Workbenches, Survey Beacons, Ring Consoles
    • Removed 'exclusion radius' that caused some POIs to get these objects more than others
    • All POIs now have an equal chance of receiving a Ring Console, Survey Beacon or Crafting Workbench

  MODES

  • Control
    • Capture Bonus bounty reduced ~20%
    • Capture time reduced to 10 seconds (was 20 sec)
    • Score limit reduced to 1000 (was 1250)
    • Spawn waves removed: players should spawn instantly at the location they choose including Home Base, Captured Points, and MRB (Note: MRB will still use the dropship)
    • Timed events: Airdrops, MRB, Capture Bonus should all start ~30% sooner in match-time

  BUG FIXES

  • About Game Mode button now works while in game modes
  • Adjusted sizing and positioning of elements on the Switch's communication wheel to give it more breathing room
  • Consumables UI no longer freezes while in use and reviewing inventory
  • Dying or swapping Legends with a Golden Backpack full of large healing items no longer causes the items to be thrown from the player in Firing Range
  • Challenges no longer flip to NBR version when tracking in Ranked matches
  • Fixed black line in Kill Feed when a player dies out of bounds
  • Fixed persistent gift notifications after returning to lobby
  • Fixed players from different teams being able to ride in the same trident if they interacted with both a mounted Sheila and the trident simultaneously
  • Fixed Support Bins occasionally being prevented from providing Survival items (Heat Shield or Mobile Respawn Beacons)
  • In-game map no longer clips behind the challenges on 16:10 resolutions
  • Players should now properly spectate the player who knocked or killed them (without being knocked), and not who killed their teammates or who thirsted them from the downed state
  • Players can no longer get stuck inside a Trident's collision box
  • Pinging Icarus Vault from the map (with vault key in inventory) won't present a malformed string
  • Predator badge no longer fades away on Champion screen
  • Reduced the animate in time of death recap in Control, Team Deathmatch, and Gun Run
  • Spectres no longer stand in Catalyst's Piercing Spikes
  • Unitframe consumable progress now updating in the inventory screen
  • Using remapped controls on a Gamepad/Controller no longer prevents pinging from the map
  • Fixed players seeing the ranking of players they are spectating

AUDIO

• Fixed animations not playing audio in rare cases
• Improved prioritization for certain enemy movement sounds
• Players movement transitions no longer occasionally play duplicate audio events

• Ballistic
  • C.A.R SMG doesn't default to heavy ammo after being converted to a golden gun in sling with light ammo
  • Tempest no longer applies to teammates when friendly fire is enabled in Firing Range
• Pathfinders voicemails during an Ash heirloom inspect no longer stretched on 16:10 resolutions

• Gibraltar and Bangalore
  • Fixed ultimates not triggering if thrown on Ziprail Launcher and Skydive Towers
  • Fixed ultimates not cooldown if they're killed while holding the ultimate grenade
• Horizon: Lethal Lass skin no longer obstructs ADS on Prowler with 1x HOLO
• Loba: Lunar Wolf skin no longer has broken mesh
• Rampart: Sheila's ammo counter now correctly rotated

• Broken Moon:
  
  • Added building west of the core to minimap
  • Loot tick now correctly drops loot at Production Yard
  • Removed invisible collision above playing field
• Olympus: indoor props without collision no longer blocks picking up loot

• Firing Range:
  • Ballistic's Whistler is no longer heard across Firing Ranges when shot at the ground
  • Dummies no longer occasionally shoot while set to inactive
  • Small door's audio and FX no longer heard/seen across Firing Ranges

• Left most ammo on squad member unitframes now represents their currently equipped weapon
• L-Star: low ammo indicator now only appears when ammo is actually low
• P2020: fixed high inaccuracy with first shot using ADS

QUALITY OF LIFE

• Firing Range
  • Dynamic dummy spawning now remains off when you die
  • Legend ultimates will be fully charged after loading into the Firing Range, swapping Legends, and dying
  • A new nessie... and more!
• French
  • In-game/lobby chat now available when language is set to French on console
  • Corrected French translation for R-301 Mastery Challenge Level 20
• Kill feed will now call out when a player has been removed from the match
• Multiple stickers can now be placed
• Players can longer interact with enemy holosprays through walls
• Ranked progress bar no longer bounces value while sitting on Match Summary screen
• Seer: Exhibit AR throw indicator is no longer offset from ground
  • (no longer gives false impression of where the Ultimate will land)
• Support Perk - Crafting Banners: after grabbing the first banner, you can now immediately grab the second one as well
• Weapon Mastery:
  • New animated celebration sequences when unlocking and completing trials, as well as mastering weapons
  • New animated icon in the HUD weapon element when a weapon is level 100

It's been just over three months since the release of Redfall, and it's safe to say that the game has been a disappointment for Xbox fans. The game launched on May 2nd, and Arkane Studios' latest left a lot to be desired. Still, some players have been hoping for the best, and many purchased the game's Bite Back Edition as it was supposed to offer post-launch content, including "future heroes." However, Arkane and Xbox have offered no information on when this content might release, and users on the Xbox Series X subreddit have been airing their frustrations with the situation.

"Additional characters are promised to people who paid extra for the bite back edition, 60 fps was promised for Xbox Series X users, but the fact they literally haven't even had ONE SINGLE SUBSTANTIAL UPDATE in 3 months is alarming, this concern only grows worse by the fact the devs haven't given any real update on when we can actually expect any of the promised content," poster welshdragon888 writes.

The Redfall Bite Back Edition is still being offered for sale on the Microsoft Store and the Epic Games Store, where it retails for $99.99. That's a pretty steep amount, and it's easy to see why someone that might have purchased it wouldn't be happy with the current situation. The reality is, game development takes time, and it's possible that Arkane is hard at work trying to make more content available for Redfall. However, it's also understandable how the radio silence from both Microsoft and Arkane might lead some players to wonder whether the content was cancelled, and if they'll be getting a refund for what they purchased.

It will be interesting to see if Arkane does get these updates out, and if they can help turn around perception. Some studios have managed to do just that, and it seems 343 Industries is in the middle of winning back hearts on Halo Infinite. That's a lot easier with an established brand like Halo, however, so we'll just have to wait and see if the same can eventually be said for Redfall.

Did you purchase the Redfall Bite Back Edition? What do you think of this situation? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter and on Hive at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

[H/T: Exputer]

Xbox Live Gold is going away next month, but PlayStation Plus isn't. To this end, whether you're a PlayStation Plus Essential subscriber, a PlayStation Plus Extra subscriber, or a PlayStation Plus Premium subscriber you have seven extra free downloads for the month of august in addition to the customary free game downloads. In this case, free downloads does not refer to full-on free game downloads, but in-game downloads for various games that would normally cost you money, but if you're a PS Plus subscriber, they are free.

What are these free downloads? Well, they feature a variety of games and are as follows: Azure Crusader's Armor Bundle, War Thunder: Helicopter Snail Bundle, World of Tanks - Supply Drop (August 2023), Mortal Blitz: Combat Arena - PlayStation Plus VIP Booster (August 23), Disney Speedstorm - PlayStation Plus Exclusive Pack, Dauntless - Summer Slayer Pack for PlayStation Plus, and Path of Exile: Bundle 12 - PlayStation Plus.

How long these downloads are free via PlayStation Plus, we don't know. This information is not disclosed. As a result, it's worth remembering that while these downloads are available at the moment of writing this, by the time you're reading this, the deals may have expired.

New PS+ Exclusive Packs added for Path of Exile, Dauntless, Disney Speedstorm, Mortal Blitz, World of Tanks, War Thunder, Puzzle Quest 3
by u/MeDungeon in PlayStationPlus

If you didn't know about these freebies, you're not alone. PlayStation not only does next to nothing to advertise them, but they are difficult to find, even when you look for them in the dedication PlayStation Plus perks section on PSN.

"Thank you! It's absurd how hard it is to find these new PlayStation Plus goodies when they appear," reads one comment on the Reddit post above. "I swear nobody bothers updating the dedicated PlayStation Plus perks section in the store at this point."

It's worth noting that some users have had problems locating these freebies on the PS5 store. Meanwhile, others have encountered an error message when trying to access the freebies via browser. If you run into either of these problems, try the PlayStation App. In the meantime, for more PlayStation coverage -- including all of the latest news, rumors, leaks, and deals as it pertains to PS Plus -- click here.

Gran Turismo 7 bills itself as "the real driving simulator," which is a moniker you can't claim unless you're giving players the most realistic handling vehicles from across the world. Fortunately, the upcoming 1.36 Update finally does just that, giving players access to the 2021 Toyota Ambulance Himedic. With this, fans will be able to test their limits as they race around the city in a massive, somewhat unwieldy emergency vehicle. Seriously though, the Himedic is one of just four new cars coming to Gran Turismo 7 with Update 1.36, and the others are much closer to the type of car players are used to.

The other cars coming with the free update are the 1958 Chevrolet Corvette, the 2020 Maserati MC20, and the 2022 Toyota GR Corolla Morizo Edition. The latter two should hold their own in competitive races, while the Chevy serves as a showpiece and something to trot out in races against other classic cars. Meanwhile, the team is also celebrating the release of the Gran Turismo movie and is dropping a livery for the 2018 Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 that would fit right in with the film. We've known about this inclusion for a bit, but it's nice to finally see it actually hitting the game.

Gran Turismo 7 Update 1.36 brings the addition of a Gran Turismo movie experience, four new cars, three Cafe Menus, a Scapes location, two GT World Series campaigns to earn credits and rewards, and more. #GT7 pic.twitter.com/6KjYsrqZgG

-- Gran Turismo (@thegranturismo) August 7, 2023

Outside of the new cars, players are getting three new Extra Menus in the Cafe. These will give players with a specific Collector Level the chance to learn more about Maserati, Aston Martin, and Kei. Of course, to celebrate the inclusion of the Ambulance, the team at Polyphony Digital is adding a new Scape that lets players take pictures at the Fukuoka Eastern Fire Station in Japan. While not the most massive update GT7 fans have seen, getting four new cars to play around with, especially one as unique as the Ambulance, should be fun. That's even more true when you remember it's coming in for the low price of free.

Gran Turismo 7 is currently available on PlayStation 4 and 5. The Gran Turismo movie, meanwhile, is out on August 25 after being hit with a slight delay from its original August 11 release date.

A new sale has gone live on the Nintendo Switch eShop, giving users the opportunity to check out a number of discounted multiplayer games. The sale is live right now, and prices will be good through August 20th at 11:59 p.m. PT. A number of high-profile games have been discounted, including several Mario titles. That should be good news for those looking to try something new after watching The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which is now on Peacock! A few of the sale's highlights can be found below:

• Mario Party Superstars- $41.99 (from $59.99)
• Mario Strikers: Battle League- $41.99 (from $59.99)
• Mario Golf: Super Rush- $41.99 (from $59.99)
• Mario Tennis Aces- $41.99 (from $59.99)
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020- $29.99 (from $59.99)
• Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition- $41.99 (from $59.99)
• Kirby Star Allies- $41.99 (from $59.99)
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection- $23.99 (from $39.99)
• Monster Hunter Rise + Sunbreak- $39.99 (from $59.99)
• LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Deluxe Edition- $23.99 (from $69.99)
• Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain- $20.99 (from $29.99)
  

This list is just a small handful of the games that are currently discounted, and readers interested in seeing everything on the list can do so right here. Over the last six years, the Nintendo Switch has played host to a very large number of games, which has helped the system build a passionate fanbase. Sales like these are helpful in that they give users a chance to check out titles that might have otherwise flown under the radar.

As is always the case, readers might want to shop around before making any commitments. When sales like these go live, some retailers will offer similar discounts, and Switch owners that prefer physical games might be able to get the same games physically at the same price, or possibly even better!

Are you planning on taking advantage of any of these discounts? Which game are you hoping to see a price cut on? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

A new Fortnite crossover will see WWE stars Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair joining the game in the near future. As of this writing, an official announcement from Epic Games has not been made, but information first started to circulate among some of Fortnite's most reliable leakers, including @HYPEX and @ShiinaBR. The collaboration will reportedly be arriving in the game on August 8th or the 9th, so it's possible WWE fans will have something to celebrate early this week. On Instagram, the official WWE account has also started to hype the collaboration, releasing photos of the two stars with some Fortnite themed accessories, stating that Lynch and Belair "are gearing up for something." It's not difficult to figure out what that is!

A Tweet about the collaboration from @HYPEX can be found embedded below.

Fortnite x WWE will feature Bianca Belair & Becky Lynch.

They will also have a Victory Royale emote where you hold the WWE Belt (via Barbieharp) pic.twitter.com/sgLt0macBI

-- HYPEX (@HYPEX) August 7, 2023

As @HYPEX mentions in the Tweet, the two WWE skins will apparently be accompanied by a new Victory Royale emote. When the emote is used, the player will hold the WWE Belt. Unfortunately, actual images of the skins have not leaked yet, so there's no way of knowing how closely Lynch and Belair will look to their real-life counterparts. At this point, Epic Games has this type of thing down to a science, but some WWE fans might want to see the finalized designs before making a decision to purchase.

So far, the collaboration seems to be generating lot of excitement. The teasers on Instagram have gotten a lot of positive attention, most notably from Becky Lynch fans. In fact, some even pledged to purchase the skins, despite never having played the game! Of course, that speaks to the way that Fortnite continues to use these types of crossovers to pull in new users that might not have played otherwise. Hopefully the skin designs will live up to the hype when they do release, and we'll see even more WWE content in the coming months.

Are you looking forward to this collaboration between Fortnite and the WWE? What do you think of Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair joining the game? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

Magic: The Gathering just made its latest banned and restricted announcement. The news is not what players were expecting. Many Magic: The Gathering players expected Wizards of the Coast to ban The One Ring from The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth set (the run-of-the-mill version, not specifically the one-of-a-kind card that Post Malone recently acquired) since it quickly became the most played card in Magic's Modern format following its release in late June. Orcish Bowmasters from the same set was also considered a potential ban target. "When the metagame preview for the Pro Tour was showcased, it was initially concerning. While the metagame share of decks is in normal ranges and is relatively diverse, the play rates of brand-new cards in The One Ring and Orcish Bowmasters as the number-one and number-two cards, respectively, is something we rarely see in high-level Eternal tournaments," Magic: The Gathering Play Designer Michael Majors writes in the Modern format portion of the announcement.

But Magic: The Gathering chose not to ban The One Ring or Orcish Bowmasters. Majors says that decision came after seeing the results from the Pro Tour and speaking to the players who competed and attended MagicCon: Barcelona. "As we watched the tournament unfold, and after we had many conversations with players both competing in the Pro Tour as well as attending MagicCon: Barcelona to play Modern, much of our concern subsided. A variety of decks were performing well, and the games and interactions within those games looked healthy. We saw some amazing matches over the weekend that were textured, interesting, and interactive." Majors concludes by saying that they won't be taking any actions against cards from The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth with this announcement. However, Wizards of the Coast will continue monitoring The One Ring and Orcish Bowmaster's influence on the Modern format metagame.

Magic: The Gathering Unbans Preordain and Mind's Desire

Instead, Magic: The Gathering chose to unban the card Preordain in the Modern format. Wizards of the Coast banned Preordain in 2011 to try to temper the dominance of blue-based combo decks in the format's metagame of the era. However, it's been over a decade, and the Modern format has changed, especially with the introduction of sets specifically designed for the Modern.

"On average, Modern is a lot more interactive now, in part due to the Modern Horizons sets," Majors writes. "It was a goal of those releases to offer powerful options to stop your opponents' combos and play longer, more interactive games. As a result, we believe that Preordain will do more to boost fairer blue decks rather than simply increase the consistency of combo strategies."

Wizards of the Coast also chose to unban the card Mind's Desire in the Legacy format. Wizards of the Coast banned Mind's Desire 20 years ago, in 2003, because it offered nearly unfettered access to powerful spells when there were few answers and creature cards were vastly underpowered compared to non-creature cards. Since those standards have changed, Wizards has decided that it is safe to allow Mind's Desire back into play.

"Two decades have passed since Mind's Desire was banned, and in that time, creatures have become more powerful, new planeswalker cards have been introduced, and there are multiple cycles of free spells that have made it much harder to be a lover of the storm mechanic," writes Carmen Handy of the Magic: The Gathering Play Design team in the Legacy portion of today's announcement. "In the interest of making sure that combo players also get the same level of new content and strength that other archetypes incidentally gain through our tentpole offerings, we've decided to unban Mind's Desire in Legacy."

The announcement goes into effect today for both tabletop play and Magic Online. The Standard, Pioneer, and Vintage formats are all unaffected by today's announcement. Magic: The Gathering Arena does not feature Modern or Legacy format play. Thus, MTG Arena is unaffected by today's announcements.

YouTuber Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson is being sued for $100 million by Virtual Dining Concepts, the company he partnered with on the MrBeast Burger chain. According to reporting from Variety, the company is counter-suing MrBeast in response to his own lawsuit filed in July. In the suit, MrBeast referred to the burgers as "disgusting," claimed that his quality complaints "fell on deaf ears," and claimed that the restaurant chain damaged his reputation. However, VDC's suit claims that the streamer is simply looking to get out of his contractual obligations to the company, and that their reputation is the one that has been damaged.

"This case is about a social media celebrity who believes his fame means that his word does not matter, that the facts do not matter, and that he can renege and breach his contractual obligations without consequence," the lawsuit reads. "He is mistaken."

While the chain found a lot of early success when it launched in 2020, the lawsuit from VDC claims that "MrBeast Burger's reputation was materially damaged if not destroyed" by the streamer's recent negative comments towards the chain. In the lawsuit, there are multiple examples of Tweets posted by the streamer that bashed the company, as well as his contractual obligations. MrBeast's July lawsuit makes the argument that the burger chain had a negative impact on his career. His lawsuit points to reviews from fans expressing that they were "deeply disappointed by the fact that MrBeast would put his name on this product."

It remains to be seen which side will come out on top in these lawsuits, or which one has a stronger case regarding damages. Given the fact that MrBeast remains one of the most popular content creators on YouTube, it might be difficult for him to prove that the partnership damaged his personal brand, while it might be easier for VDC to show how the streamer's negative comments on social media led to lessened interest in the chain. There's simply no way of knowing for sure, but clearly tensions between the two parties won't be cooling down anytime soon!

Do you think MrBeast will end up losing this lawsuit? Did you get a chance to try a MrBeast Burger? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

After countless rumors and leaks, Activision has officially revealed that Call of Duty 2023 is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and it's also provided a release date alongside an official logo. That's not all though. Accompanying both the release date and official logo reveal ,the first-ever teaser trailer for the game has been revealed. Unfortunately, it does not feature any gameplay or any in-game footage at all, but with the game scheduled to come out on November 10, Call of Duty fans shouldn't have to wait long to see more of the game.

While Activision has provided a release date, it's not provided all of the game's salient information. For example, there's no word of platforms. Obviously, the game is going to release on PC, PS5, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X, but Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One versions are far from a sure bet. There's also no direct word of who is making the game, but rumors have previously suggested it's Sledgehammer Games, who helped Infinity Ward ship the original game. That said, while Activision has not said directly who is making the game, Sledgehammer Games did share the teaser above, all but confirming as much. What's not clear is whether Infinity Ward is involved in any capacity. Currently, it looks like it's not.

As for finer details on the game, we have none. And right now, there's no word of when this will change. There's no word of a proper reveal trailer or when information on the actual game will be shared. The teaser above is currently all we have, and all that can extracted from it is that it features COD villain Vladimir Makarov.

As always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think or, alternatively, hit me up on Twitter @Tyler_Fischer_ and let me know over there. What do you hope to see from this new version of Modern Warfare 3 and what platform will you be picking it up on when it releases on November 10?

Over the last few years, Square Enix has offered a fairly diverse line-up of games, with a focus on both major releases like Final Fantasy XVI, as well as smaller options like Octopath Traveler II. However, it seems that the publisher will be shifting focus over the next few years, putting less emphasis on "mid-sized" titles and more on "larger AAA console games." That reporting comes from MST Financial's David Gibson (via @Genki_JPN). However, it's noted that this "will take several years to impact," so it could be a while before fans of the publisher see a change.

It will be interesting to see what impact this might have on some of Square Enix's franchises. Many fans have been hoping to see Square Enix's abandoned franchises getting more focus, but now it looks like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest could get a majority of the publisher's attention. There's already some concern about what this might mean for Octopath Traveler, and additional HD-2D games like Live a Live. Those games might not have sold as many copies as games like Final Fantasy VII Remake, but they also require considerably less in terms of investment.

There's a much bigger gamble associated with mainline Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest games, but the potential ceiling is much higher in terms of sales; as of 2022, Final Fantasy XV sold more than 10 million copies worldwide, while Octopath Traveler sold just over 3 million. Of course, that doesn't always pan out, as Square Enix lost a significant amount of money on Marvel's Avengers, eventually leading the company to sell off Crystal Dynamics.

Hopefully Square Enix will manage to focus on fewer releases throughout the year, without completely abandoning some of its smaller franchises. Given the development cycles that surround AAA releases, it would be quite difficult for the publisher to completely abandon smaller games; instead, we'll likely just see less of them. Companies like Nintendo and Capcom have found a lot of success balancing AAA and mid-sized games, and it's possible Square Enix could do the same. For now, fans of the company will just have to wait to see what the future might hold.

Do you think Square Enix should focus on more AAA games? Do you think this is a wise investment? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk about all things gaming!

A new rumor about GTA 6 is making the rounds as it claims Rockstar Games is making some major changes to how police function in the game compared to how they function in GTA 5. Cyberpunk 2077 is a great game, but one of the many things it demonstrated is how challenging it is to create functioning and compelling police in an open-world game. Grand Theft Auto fans would likely be satisfied if police worked in GTA 6 just as they work in GTA 5, but Rockstar Games is supposedly preparing changes and improvements, largely in the name of realism.

According to the rumor, police will take longer to arrive on the scene in GTA 6. In other words, they won't just seemingly spawn out of nowhere. How far this commitment to realism will be taken, remains to be seen, but for the sake of gameplay it probably won't be truly immersive.

Traditionally, GTA cops operate under the MO of shoot first, ask questions later. According to the rumor, in GTA 6 -- likely depending on the crime -- they will give players time to surrender before shooting. Coupling this, they will no longer rush players but look to surround and trap players, like they would in real life. Of course, if you have a five-star wanted level or are throwing grenades out the window, all bets are probably off.

Lastly, the rumor claims the GTA tradition of respraying your car to get away will be gone. Players will no longer be able to do this, with the police more acutely recognizing and tracking your vehicle. What remains to be seen is if changing vehicles will become more effective to counter balance this. The rumor makes no mention of this.

As for this rumor, it comes from popular GTA-centric Twitter page, GTA 6 Trailer Countdown. It's been gaining traction, but right now there's no reason to believe it's true. It could be, but the source has no track record to back up the claims. In other words, take everything here with as many grains of salt as you can find. Meanwhile, and as always, feel free to leave a comment letting us know what you think or, alternatively, hit me up on Twitter @Tyler_Fischer_ and let me know over there.

Until August 19th a PS5 console (with disc drive) is discounted to $450, which is 10% off the list price. You can also save $50 on select PS5 console bundles. Deals on DualSense controllers drop the price to $49, which matches an all-time low. Finally, there's a huge selection PS5 games on sale, which includes many of the top titles on the platform. You can find these deals via the retailer links below. Needless to say, anyone that's in the market for a PS5 console should move quickly. It seems unlikely that stock will remain all the way through the 19th.

• PlayStation Sale on Amazon
• PlayStation Sale at Walmart
• PlayStation Sale at GameStop (includes $50 in extra trade credit on select consoles)
• PlayStation Sale at Target
• PlayStation Sale at Best Buy

PS5 Console Deal:

• See on Amazon
• See at Walmart
• See at GameStop

PS5 DualSense Controller Deals:

• See on Amazon
• See at Walmart
• See at GameStop

PS5 Video Game Deals:

• Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition - PlayStation 5 (44% off)
• Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut - PlayStation 5 (57% off)
• God of War Ragnar?k - PlayStation 5 (30% off)
• The Last of Us Part I - PlayStation 5 (30% off)
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart - PlayStation 5 (57% off)
• Demon's Souls - PlayStation 5 (59% off)
• Horizon Forbidden West Standard Edition - PlayStation 5 (43% off)
• Returnal - PlayStation 5 (59% off)
• UNCHARTED: Legacy of Thieves Collection - PlayStation 5 (62% off)(
• See more on Amazon / Walmart / GameStop / Target / Best Buy

The long-rumored Red Dead Redemption re-release has finally been revealed and it's coming to Nintendo Switch. Red Dead Redemption is one of the most beloved games of all-time and is a staple in Rockstar Games' catalog. The developer was able to immerse players into the wild west in a way no other game had at that point with rich characters, a beautiful world to explore, and a story with a great deal of depth and maturity. The sequel upped the ante in a big way and had many players demanding a remaster/remake of the first game, especially since it was a game that was locked away on much older hardware and could only be played through backward compatibility on Xbox if you wanted to play it on a modern console.

Now, after years of rumors and speculation, we can now confirm that Red Dead Redemption is finally coming to new consoles. The new version of Red Dead Redemption is being labeled as a "conversion", not a remaster or a remake, meaning it's more in line with the original version from 2010. It will release digitally on August 17th for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch for $49.99 with a physical release on October 13th. The PS4 version will be backward compatible on PS5, so players don't have to worry about missing out on it regardless of console generation. It will come with the acclaimed Undead Nightmare expansion and will not feature the multiplayer modes in either the core game or the expansion,. The re-release is being developed by Double Eleven, a studio known for helping port a variety of games. As of right now, no PC version has been announced and there won't be a new version for Xbox, as it's already available via backward compatibility.

On August 17, the beloved Western experience Red Dead Redemption and its horror companion Undead Nightmare arrive together for the first time on the Nintendo Switch and modern PlayStation systems.

Add Red Dead Redemption to your wish list now: https://t.co/kB4TjexkKn pic.twitter.com/lc46gZqqwA

-- Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) August 7, 2023

Some fans may be a bit bummed to see it's not a full-fledged remaster or remake, especially after speculation that the first game could be brought into the engine/technology used for Red Dead Redemption 2. However, it's still great to see Rockstar is bringing the game to more platforms, especially for those who maybe played the sequel, but not the first game and have been longing to experience it. Being able to play Red Dead Redemption on the go via Nintendo Switch is also a welcomed bonus.

Rockstar is also publishing remakes of the first two Max Payne games, which are being developed by Remedy. It's unclear if the developer has any interest in developing other re-releases, but Rockstar Games has a ton of classics, so there's a lot of games that could make for great candidates. Perhaps if this re-release is successful, it will encourage Rockstar to devote more resources to developing others, but nothing has been confirmed or teased.

What do you think of the Red Dead Redemption re-release? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the cast of Street Fighter recently met in a comic series from IDW, and now the characters will crossover in the world of video games, as well. Capcom has revealed that collaboration cosmetics based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be arriving in Street Fighter 6 on August 8th. Costumes based on Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo will be available, as well as masks, emotes, stamps, and more. As of this writing, pricing for the cosmetics has not been revealed, but with the collaboration set to release tomorrow, more information should be arriving soon.

A trailer for the TMNT collaboration content can be found below.

According to a press release from Capcom, players will be able to decorate the game's Battle Hub with banners, signage, and trailers based on the TMNT franchise. While none of the content revealed for Street Fighter 6 seems to directly connect with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, the timing of this crossover is pretty perfect considering the film's release last week. In fact, this is one of several video game collaborations featuring the characters this month, as both Minecraft and Session: Skate Sim also received similar crossovers. For fans of the TMNT looking for ways to celebrate the new movie, it seems like there's no shortage of opportunities available!

The TMNT collaboration was revealed for Street Fighter 6 at EVO 2023 over the weekend. During the event, Capcom also revealed a new teaser trailer featuring A.K.I., the next DLC character slated to join the game. Rashid was the first DLC fighter in Street Fighter 6, and was added to the game's roster last month as the 19th playable fighter. A.K.I. is a brand-new character joining the series, and will be made available sometime in the fall, though a specific date has not been revealed. Following her release, two other DLC fighters will arrive: Ed in winter 2024, and Akuma in Spring 2024.

Are you looking forward to this Street Fighter 6 collaboration? What do you think of these TMNT cosmetics? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

Xbox boss Phil Spencer is naturally an Xbox Game Pass subscriber, and he recently used it to check out a game added the other month that a good number of subscribers have been quietly raving about. The game in question is Bramble: The Mountain King, which Spencer acknowledges is both "beautiful" and "really dark." Further, it seems he recommends it to fellow Xbox Game Pass subscribers.

Last week, Spencer tweeted about the game, noting it was recommended to him and that he had "just started" it. His early impressions were that it was a "beautiful game." Two days later, he finished the game and acknowledged that it was as dark as everyone was telling him. Adding to this he notes the game has "really interesting story telling" and that he "had a great time finishing" it.

Bramble was recommended to me. Just started, beautiful game. @bramble_game #XboxShare pic.twitter.com/1IyoM0KF8B

-- Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) August 3, 2023

Wow, you all said @bramble_game is dark and you were right. Really interesting story telling, had a great time finishing. Thanks @dimfroststudio pic.twitter.com/Xn8DOm2xG2

-- Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) August 6, 2023

If you've never heard of this game, Bramble: The Mountain King is an action-adventure title that debuted back in April via developer Dimfrost Studio and publisher Merge Games. On Metacritic, the game boasts a score of 81. Meanwhile, on Steam, the game boasts an "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating, the highest rating you can earn on Steam, thanks to 96 percent of over 1,400 user reviews rating the game positively.

"Bramble The Mountain King takes you on a gripping and unsettling journey through stunning environments. Take on the role of Olle, a young boy setting off to rescue his sister, kidnapped by a dreaded troll," reads an official blurb about the game. "Not everything in Bramble is exactly how it seems - in this strange land with creatures big and small, you must be careful when to approach and when to hide. Many hungry and spiteful beasts lurk in these forests and caves. Watch your step...."

How long Bramble: The Mountain King will be available via Xbox Game Pass, remains to be seen. However, it's currently the cheapest way to play the game. Xbox Game Pass is as cheap as $11 a month. Meanwhile, to buy the game outright you will need to fork over $29.99. However, you end up acquiring the game, you can expect four to five hours of content, and according to many, four to five hours of high quality content.

A new Pokemon Presents showcase is set to air tomorrow, and when it does, viewers can expect to see "news and updates." Information on Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's DLC seems like a very safe bet, but it looks like the showcase will also reveal a new Tera Raid event for the game. A Japanese ad for Nintendo Switch Online shows an image of a Mewtwo Tera Raid, which has yet to be announced by The Pokemon Company. This could also explain the recent teaser we saw for the presentation, which featured a glitching purple "M," seemingly hinting at something Mewtwo related.

The Japanese ad for Nintendo Switch Online was discovered and shared by @CentroLeaks on Twitter and can be found in the Tweet embedded below. While the ad looks authentic, readers are always encouraged to take leaks like these with a grain of salt pending an official announcement.

One of the Pok?mon Presents announcements has been accidentally leaked by a Japanese NSO ad:

Mewtwo Tera Raid for Pok?mon Scarlet and Violet pic.twitter.com/6X6lCybq0z

-- Centro LEAKS (@CentroLeaks) August 7, 2023

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Tera Raid events have given players an opportunity to obtain some of the most popular Pokemon in the franchise, including favorites like Charizard, Greninja, and Cinderace. Mewtwo certainly fits that definition, and for Scarlet and Violet players that haven't played earlier games in the series, the opportunity to get Mewtwo should be pretty exciting.

Interestingly enough, that's not the only potential hint about the Pokemon Presents in this ad, as we can also see an image from Pokemon Trading Card Game. The title was announced for Nintendo Switch Online's Game Boy app all the way back in February, but has yet to see release. The ad is focused entirely on content just released, or coming very soon; we can see The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons which released on Nintendo Switch Online less than two weeks ago, and Splatoon 3's next Splatfest, which is set to arrive this weekend. Given that, Pokemon Trading Card Game's presence in this ad would seem to indicate that it should be coming soon, and could even receive a shadow drop during tomorrow's Pokemon Presents. With the presentation less than 24 hours away, we should have our answers very soon!

Are you looking forward to tomorrow's Pokemon Presents? What are you expecting to see during the show? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

A well-known Xbox insider has leaked information about the next Xbox console, which according to them, is going to be a digital Xbox Series X; that is to say, an Xbox Series X without a disc drive. In addition to this, the Xbox insider teases that Microsoft is working on "other hardware." Unfortunately, they do not provide any specifics on this hardware, but there's only a few possible candidates, which include a handheld machine, some type of VR/AR headset, or possibly something less exciting like a new elite controller or headset. Whatever the case, Xbox has lots of things cooking, but it sounds like none of it will be out this year or next year.

The new information comes the way of Nick Backer on Xbox Era, a fairly reliable source, especially when it comes to Xbox. In the past, Baker has been off the mark, but rarely, if ever, when Xbox is involved. Unfortunately, some of this new information from the source isn't ultra specific or of the juiciest variety.

"So, what I've heard... I've actually heard it from a couple of sources, surprisingly. At first I only heard it from one, and then another one reached out to me completely separately and said 'I've heard this is happening,' so I went back to the original and was like 'does that mean I can say something now?'

Baker continued: "So, what I've heard is that Microsoft is currently looking into a digital-only Series X. So, no disc drive, which I think a lot of people have wanted for a while. And this is the other part of the rumor... there is also plans for 'other hardware' in 2025. The DM doesn't specify the digital Series X being 2025. I'm assuming that alongside all the other hardware is 2025.

Baker concluded, by noting he has heard nothing about the Series S, which makes sense as Xbox is unlikely to do much with the console going forward given its hardware limitations.

All of that said, remember to take everything here with a grain of salt. While the source in question has proven reliable and reputable in the past, it doesn't change the fact that none of this is official. Further, even if it is accurate, it's also subject to change.

A new report not only claims the Nintendo Switch 2 is real but claims to know how much Nintendo is going to charge for its next console. There have been rumors and reports about the next Nintendo console, tentatively dubbed the Nintendo Switch 2, circulating for a while now. However, none of these rumors or reports have disclosed anything about how much the console will cost. To this end, a new report has and it claims the Nintendo Switch successor will cost more than the console it's succeeding.

When the Nintendo Switch was released in 2017, it cost $299.99, a very fair price point considering the innards of the console were fairly underwhelming at the time. The expectation is the next Nintendo console will continue the hybrid nature of the Switch, so the expectation is the tech inside of it will be limited as a result. Whatever the case, either Nintendo has decided to give it a bit of extra juice or it's factoring in inflation, because the report claims the next Nintendo console will cost $399.99, which is $100 more than the Xbox Series S and the same price as all-digital PS5. In other words, if this is true, then Nintendo will no longer have the budget console on the market.

As for the report, it comes the way of Zippo, a fairly reliable source when it comes to Nintendo news. According to Zippo, $399.99 is the "golden number" Nintendo is aiming for. Zippo continues by relaying information they've been told by one source, in particular, word for word:

"$399. That's the 'golden number' that they have in mind. It's the price that works in terms of the power of their new system, it's the price that works for them making a decent profit, and it's the price that they think works for the audience that they're trying to maintain. No more. No less," reads the report.

The report continues by concluding that Nintendo fans will be hearing more about the console in the coming weeks and months, though there's no word if this will be in an official capacity or via more reports and rumors. Whatever the case, for now, take everything here with a grain of salt. Meanwhile, if Nintendo provide any type of comment, we will be sure to update the story accordingly. So far, they haven't said a peep about Nintendo Switch 2 rumors.

Peacock's live-action Twisted Metal adaptation builds a brand new world for the beloved franchise, but populates with plenty of characters that longtime fans know and love. Sweet Tooth, the game's most iconic character, is basically the mascot for the entire Twisted Metal franchise, and a big selling point for the show was bringing the psychotic clown to life. Throughout the first season of the Peacock series, quite a few classic Twisted Metal characters make an impact, and it should come as no surprise that some of them don't survive long enough to see the final credits. That said, there is one major Twisted Metal character that fans should expect back in the future, despite the fact that they're seemingly killed in the season finale.

WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the first season of Twisted Metal! Continue reading at your own risk...

The Season 1 finale of Twisted Metal kicks off with a giant car battle featuring most of the show's major characters, emulating the battle style from the video games. Near the end of the sequence, Sweet Tooth is seemingly killed. He gets shot in the eye at close range, but that isn't quite enough to kill him. He hops from his ice cream truck and onto the hood of Agent Stone's SUV, before being knocked off and run over by another car (driven by Stu and Michael) going full speed.

Is there a post-credits scene in Twisted Metal?

We then see Sweet Tooth's mask on the ground, indicating that he might have died. It was a gnarly hit and it seemed impossible for any normal person to survive that, and the post-credits scene confirms the iconic car combatant is alive and well -- and more than pissed off. The scene shows Stu and Michael reunited and on the road, taking a relaxing break from driving before being terrorized by a still-breathing Sweet Tooth. The scene cuts as his machete comes out of nowhere, though we see blood splattering and a screaming Stu being dragged into the woods. It's safe to say this storyline will continue to play out in a second season.

It's hard to believe that Sweet Tooth would die after just one season of the Twisted Metal series. He's the most recognizable character and there is still plenty of story left for him to play a major role in Season 2. Even Stu and Michael questioned whether or not Sweet Tooth is dead, but they don't want to risk going back to find out. That was a mistake, as their failure to confirm if the body was lifeless ended up resulting in their reunion becoming bittersweet.

Sweet Tooth in Twisted Metal (2012)

In the 2012 edition of Twisted Metal, Sweet Tooth's story is all about revenge. That version of the story depicted Sweet Tooth as a psychotic spirit living within Marcus Kane. When Sweet Tooth finally took over, his murder spree began with Kane's family, though one of his daughter's managed to escape. Tracking her down became Sweet Tooth's obsession.

That story doesn't exist in the Twisted Metal show, as Sweet Tooth is revealed to be a former child actor who was sent to an asylum after murdering his co-star. But when you look at how Kane's daughter escaped, and you see the story is created for Sweet Tooth, it's easy to understand how it could tie to Stu in Twisted Metal Season 2.

Kane's daughter escaped by stabbing Sweet Tooth in the eye. He lost the eye and his mask reflected that change. At the end of the show's first season, Stu shoots Sweet Tooth in the eye in order to get away from him. Given how much Sweet Tooth saw Stu as a friend, he will see that move as the ultimate betrayal, and we already know he has no problem holding a grudge. Provided Sweet Tooth comes back (which seems like a given), he'll probably stop at nothing to find and kill Stu. He'll probably have a great new mask that makes him look even more terrifying.

What did you think of Twisted Metal's first season? Do you think Sweet Tooth will be back for revenge in Season 2? Let us know in the comments!

Starfield's release date is quickly approaching, which means that players are itching to start the download process. After all, it was revealed last month that Starfield's download size is coming in at an astronomical 125 GBs. Understandably, players would like to have some time to finish that download well ahead of Starfield's September 6 release date. If a new Amazon listing is to be believed, that preload might actually be starting very soon, which is great news for players, especially after we've recently seen a game like Baldur's Gate 3 give players no opportunity to preload ahead of launch.

The Amazon listing was first noticed by ResetEra, where user stopmrdomino made a quick post highlighting the Amazon listing. Now, it's important to say that you should take this with a grain of salt. Obviously, Amazon listings can and do change often, so until we hear something concrete from either Bethesda or Microsoft, it's not worth getting your hopes up too much. That said, the listing does include the same download size as what's been previously listed, so there does seem to be a good chance this is legit.

As mentioned, that would be great news for players, especially anyone on a slower internet connection. Seeing Baldur's Gate 3 launch without a preload option made it clear how important this feature is because making players wait several hours to download a game after it's "live" is always going to be a bad look. Considering that this is one of Microsoft's biggest releases in recent memory, the console maker needs to do everything it can to make sure Starfield hits in a major way. This is a small step in that direction, but it's undoubtedly music to many players' ears.

It's worth noting that Starfield fans have been pumping the hype up massively in the last few months. We've seen players creating their own ships in Blender to prep and even seen someone go through all the pre-release material and put together what looks like the entire skill tree. It's safe to say that when Starfield launches on Xbox and PC platforms on September 6, fans are going to flock to it in droves.

The Battle of the Billionaires may not happen after all. Despite Elon Musk suggesting he's planning on streaming the fight on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Mark Zuckerberg says the world's richest man hasn't been responsive about a suggested fight date. In a Threads post Sunday evening, Zuckerberg not only said he's ready to fight at a moment's notice, but his prospective opponent hasn't been responsive to his suggestions.

"I'm ready today. I suggested Aug 26 when he first challenged, but he hasn't confirmed. Not holding my breath," Zuckerberg said on the new Meta-owned social platform.

Post by @zuck

View on Threads

In a separate post on Threads, Zuckerberg poked fun at the stability of X since Musk took over, responding to one of Musk's Sunday morning tweets in hilarious fashion. "Shouldn't we use a more reliable platform that can actually raise money for charity?" the Facebook executive said in response to Musk's suggestion the fight would be streamed on X.

The Zuckerberg and Musk bout has gained serious traction online, with UFC boss Dana White saying he'd be willing to help promote.

"Just to give some clarification, what he said was Mark Zuckerberg responded with send me location, which is something Khabib Nurmagomedov says when people challenge him. So that's what send me location meant, and I was talking to both Elon and Mark last night. Both guys are absolutely dead serious about this," White told TMZ earlier this summer.

He added, "Because they both said 'yeah, we'll do it' (laughs). They both want to do it. Mark Zuckerberg hit me up and said 'is he serious?' And I said I don't know, let me ask him. I asked him and he said 'I'm dead serious.' And I agree with you Harvey. This would be the biggest fight ever in the history of the world."

The longtime UFC boss says the fight has the potential to be "bigger than anything that's ever been done" and believes it could break any standing pay-per-view records.

"If these guys are serious, I make fights that people want to see. That's what I do for a living. If they really want to do it and they're serious and we can figure it out, figure out a way to pull this off, I would absolutely positively do this", White said. When asked if they would do the fight for charity, White said, "I don't think either one of them need any money. I don't think it would be a money thing for either one of them. They've both talked about what they could raise for charity. It would be a massive number. They both pick a charity they care about, and crazy money."

The live-action TV adaptation of Twisted Metal was released on Peacock last week, bringing the beloved video game franchise to life for the first time. The original games may not have had a ton of story to them, but the series is able to create an entire world out of what existed, taking fans to a dystopian version of America that has largely fallen into chaos over the span of 20 years. The first season -- which was released in its entirety -- fills the world with characters and dives deep into the journey of John Doe (Anthony Mackie) and Quiet (Stephanie Beatriz). In its final minutes, however, Twisted Metal sets up something totally different for its potential second season, something much closer to what fans of the game might have imagined.

WARNING: This story contains MAJOR SPOILERS from the first season of Twisted Metal! Continue reading at your own risk...

Twisted Metal Season 1 Ending

The driving force behind the plot in Twisted Metal Season 1 is John Doe attempting to earn his way into New San Francisco (a safe haven behind enormous walls) so he can live a peaceful, violence-free life. In order to do that, he has to make a dangerous run across the country to retrieve something for the city's leader, Raven (Neve Campbell). The premiere offers a hint that there's more to Raven's offer than meets the eye, and the final minutes of the season pull back the curtain to reveal what she has really been after the entire time.

When John tries to leave the city, Raven reveals her entire plan to him, one that puts him into a terrible situation. The various cities are going to take part in a deadly tournament that will pit the best drivers in the country against one another, killing each other with their cars until only one remains. Sound familiar?

The tournament Raven describes is essentially the same as the Twisted Metal games themselves. The tournament is even being put on by a mysterious, unseen character named Calypso. If you're familiar with the games, you know that Calypso is the canonical creator of the Twisted Metal contest.

Raven's goal is to win Twisted Metal (yes, it's the name of the tournament in the show), and she is using John to drive for her. Unfortunately for him, she's really left him without any choice. He'll enter the tournament against many of the other drivers that had been introduced throughout the first season, some of whom are close friends of John's.

Twisted Metal Season 2

Those final moments of Twisted Metal Season 1 set up a different kind of show for Season 2, but there's no guarantee just yet that fans will get to see that version of the show come to life.

Peacock hasn't announced a second season of Twisted Metal yet, but that shouldn't be too big of a surprise at this point. It also shouldn't be much of a concern for fans, at least not yet. Twisted Metal has only been out for a week, and the entire season was released at once. So many are still watching through the show and Peacock is still collecting viewership data on how many are actually tuning in. It's likely hard to tell at this point just how popular (or unpopular) Twisted Metal is.

What did you think of the first season of Twisted Metal? Are you hoping to see it renewed for Season 2? Let us know in the comments!

On the surface, Smite might be a MOBA that's focused on different gods fighting against each other, but the developers at Hi-Rez Studios aren't afraid to get weird with its crossovers. While they're all just skins for the gods, Smite has added collabs with everything from properties like Stranger Things to musical artists like Slipknot. It really is just all over the place. The next big crossover for Smite is coming alongside the 10.8 Update and it will give players access to even more Avatar: The Last Airbender characters after adding Korra a few years ago.

For this crossover, fans will get to play as both Toph and Roku in this crossover. Toph will be available as a skin for Scylla, while Roku takes the place of Yu Huang. Toph fans can even take it one step further with a Fire Nation version of the character skin. Of course, Toph is traditionally an earthbending master, so that'll be The Blind Bandit's main skin for the drop, but it's fun to be able to switch things up if you'd like. With her taking the place of Scylla, we'll definitely get a bunch of neat-looking earthbending that she can use for both damage and crowd control.

Roku, on the other hand, has always been part of the Fire Nation. The wise old man helped Aang in his quest to end the Hundred Year War but is quite the Airbender himself. Mixing him with Yu Huang means that we'll be getting a heavily ranged version of the character that makes heavy use of his bending skills to match Huang's magic.

Update 10.8 should be on track to release on August 8, as long as Hi-Rez is following its usual Smite schedule. Players almost always get the patch notes the week before a patch goes live and Tuesday is almost always a patch day. Things could change and Hi-Rez seemingly hasn't given a firm date, but chances are high this releases like normal. Smite is currently available on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC platforms.

With EVO 2023 taking place over the weekend, most new and upcoming fighting games have been popping up with new trailers. NetherRealm showed up with new Mortal Kombat 1 footage showing off Reptile, Ashrah, and Havik, but it was far from the only developer taking the stage. Bandai Namco also joined the party, giving players an in-depth look at two characters coming to Tekken 8. One of them is making their return to playable status after taking Tekken 7 off, while the other is a newcomer. Raven's return is sure to excite some fans, but Azucena the MMA fighter is maybe more exciting for Tekken 8 fans.

Azucena's Tekken 8 trailer starts with her living on a coffee plantation in Peru where she's dancing alongside her alpacas. As an MMA fighter, we see her using both her stand-up game alongside different submission takedowns and holds. The footage also shows her being incredibly nimble, slipping her opponent's attacks as she looks for openings to strike. The trailer ends with her fighting Lili to decide which is better: coffee or tea.

Raven first joined the fray back in Tekken 5. The secret intelligence officer for the United Nations has seemingly mastered the use of shadow clones, as we see him making different versions of himself to distract his enemies. In previous games, Raven has been one of the trickier characters to play and master. While we can't know for sure, that doesn't look to have changed with all of these shadow attacks allowing him to move around in somewhat unexpected ways. Either way, he's sure to factor into the story quite a bit as he almost always stands in opposition to the Mishima Clan.

We still don't know exactly when Tekken 8 is going to be released, but the expectation is that it will be relatively soon. Bandai Namco just wrapped up its Closed Network Test where players had a chance to jump in and test the game out while giving the developer the info it needs to make the best game possible. It's not an exact science, but it certainly seems like we're getting very close to release date for Tekken 8.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is officially coming on September 26, but developer CD Projekt Red is actually giving some fans the opportunity to try the expansion out much earlier. Unfortunately, to be one of those lucky few who get to try it, you'll need to be in a specific city when CD Projekt Red comes through and win the registration lottery to give yourself a slot at the venue. CD Projekt Red is crisscrossing the globe ahead of Cyperpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty's release date and is giving players in specific cities the chance to sign up and play early.

CD Projekt Red's globe-trotting adventure has actually already begun, as the first stop was in Warsaw, Poland on August 5. The team is bringing Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty to Cologne, Germany on August 25, but registration for that event has already closed. Next up will be Tokyo, Japan on September 2, which you can sign up for right now if you happen to be in the city on that day. There are several other cities listed, but the only one with a date at the time of this writing is Sao Paulo, Brazil on September 17.

Freedom always comes at a price...#PhantomLiberty, a spy-thriller expansion for #Cyberpunk2077, arrives on September 26th!

Pre-order now: https://t.co/7ACROkBk5B pic.twitter.com/yP1MKJtaaA

-- Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) June 11, 2023

Outside of those locked-in dates, CD Projekt Red also has plans for stops in Beijing, Seoul, Paris, and London. Seemingly, these will all happen before September 26, but it's not clear exactly when they'll take place. Regardless, this is a sizeable collection of cities, giving plenty of players the chance to hop in early. And, if you're not in a city CD Projekt Red is visiting, you don't have to wait much longer for the full release anyway.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is out on September 26 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The expansion is going to make major changes to Cyberpunk's base gameplay, including the addition of things like car combat. Plus, the actual story coming to the expansion is set to be a fun one that stars Idris Elba as Solomon Reed. If he can deliver anything near the level of Keanu Reeves' portrayal of Johnny Sivlerhands in the base game, Cyberpunk 2077 fans will be having a blast.

lorcA deckbuilding game based on the work of Brandon Sanderson is coming next year. Dicebreaker reports that Brotherwise Games is working on a new game based on the work of Brandon Sanderson, which will be released in 2024 along with the already announced tabletop RPG based on Sanderson's Stormlight Archives. According to Dicebreaker, Brotherwise Games did not confirm what work the game would be specifically based off of, which opens up the potential that Brotherwise could be expanding into the Cosmere or even one of Sanderson's non-Cosmere works. No other details were provided about the game.

Sanderson is one of the most popular fantasy novelists in the world right now and is primarily known for his expansive Cosmere, a shared universe of fantasy worlds. Most of Sanderson's novels take place within the Cosmere, with characters occasionally crossing over and a meta-narrative emerging in the background of several books. The most ambitious of Sanderson's novels are the Stormlight Archives, which involves the re-formation of ancient orders of magic-powered knights to fight the forces of Odium. Sanderson holds the record for the biggest Kickstarter of all time, with over $41 million raised to fund production of four novels Sanderson wrote over the pandemic.

The deckbuilding game would be the third Brandon Sanderson-related game developed by Brotherwise Games and the fourth project, following the Stormlight Archives TTRPG, a Call to Adventure game based on the Stormlight Archives, and a miniatures line that raised over $4 million on Kickstarter last year. Given Sanderson's large fanbase, it seems certain that these games will be strong sellers.

Expect to hear more about Brotherwise Games' Sanderson-related projects in the coming months.

Mortal Kombat 1 is adding Reptile to its growing list of fighters. The Mortal Kombat series is one of the most iconic franchises in gaming, having lasted over 30 years and always sustaining a high level of quality. The series has even spawned a number of film adaptations and even a crossover with DC Comics many years ago. In addition to being an eye-catching series for its excessive levels of violence, it also boasts an incredibly impressive cast of classic video game characters. The likes of Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Raiden, and more have all become gaming icons and they all come together to be part of very complex, detailed stories.

Mortal Kombat 1 already has a pretty big roster, but the roster is getting even bigger. After it was teased that there would be news at EVO, it was revealed that Reptile is making his way to Mortal Kombat 1. Reptile has been a franchise favorite ever since he appeared in the very first game as one of the villains in the series. He made a pretty notable impact on fans due to his appearance and special abilities, which lean heavily into his lizard-y nature. He has a lengthy tongue which he has used to whip and strangle opponents with in addition to more standard combat moves. He also has the ability to spit up an acidic bile that can melt his foes in an incredibly violent fashion. Now, he's making his grand return to the franchise in Mortal Kombat 1 as part of the core roster.

A number of classic characters such as Johnny Cage, Scorpion, Liu Kang, Baraka, Kitana, and many more have already been confirmed for Mortal Kombat 1. In fact, we also saw Ashrah and Havik pop up in this trailer as playable fighters, along with a Kameo character in Sareera. In addition to that, NetherRealm has also confirmed a bunch of DLC characters for Kombat Pack 1. The likes of Peacemaker, Homelander, and Omni-Man will join the Mortal Kombat universe along with Ermac, Quan-Chi, and Takeda. Fans are still expecting more characters to be confirmed for the launch roster of Mortal Kombat 1 in the coming months, but it remains to be seen which ones will make the cut.

Who do you want to see in Mortal Kombat 1? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

343 Industries will be releasing an update for Halo Infinite on August 9th, and it will see the arrival of a new map called Dredge. Dredge was inspired by Halo: Reach's Countdown map, and players that want to spend all day learning the map's ins and outs can do just that thanks to the Dredge 24/7 playlist! While that alone would be exciting enough, players can look forward to several other improvements, including many that were based on requests from the community. These will include:

• Improved Pelican drops
• Fireteam priority in Big Team Battle
• Extermination Medal in all multiplayer modes
• Respawn camera control
• Reactive water plane
• Stability improvements on all platforms
• Forge quality of life improvements and bug fixes
  

As of this writing, full patch notes are not available, but will release alongside the new update. While we're still a few days away from release, reception has been incredibly positive on social media! The announcement has been met with a lot of praise from fans, who expressed surprise and happiness with such a significant update in the middle of a season. It remains to be seen whether players will feel this positively about Dredge and the rest of the game's additions once they've gone live, but clearly fans are a lot happier with the current direction of Halo Infinite.

Halo Infinite launched in late 2021, and while it debuted to strong critical praise, the game's lack of significant updates throughout 2022 left a vast majority of fans frustrated. This year, 343 Industries has managed to turn things around quite a bit, and there's a lot of anticipation surrounding the release of Season 5. Over the years, there have been a number of games that have managed to turn perception around, and it's looking like Halo Infinite just might be the next example. That's good news for longtime fans of the series, as well as those looking for an excuse to try out the game!

Are you looking forward to Halo Infinite's new update? Do you think the game has improved a lot? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

When it launched, Remnant 2 immediately became one of the top-selling games on Steam. The sequel to Remnant: From the Ashes takes the foundation that the original game laid and really blows it out of the water with its looter-shooter approach to Soulslike gameplay. Remnant 2 mixes third-person shooting with massive bosses that wouldn't be out of place in Elden Ring while adding in the ability to easily group up with friends. It's been out for a few weeks now, and developer Gunfire Games has recently dropped the first major patch, which includes all kinds of welcome additions.

Gunfire Games has previously dropped several hotfixes to help fix smaller issues players were having with Remnant 2, but this update gives them the chance to make more substantial changes. For example, the update adds several quality-of-life changes that make it a bit easier for players to experiment with their builds. This includes things like making it easier to respec and giving players access to more Scrap in general. On top of that, Gunfire Games has made some class balance adjustments that fix some bugs, while also providing important buffs to bring the classes in line with developer expectations.

Remnant 2 is currently available on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. You can find the full patch notes attached below.

--Performance and Crashes--

o Initial optimizations to improve overall performance.

o Updates to improve hitching and potential crashes.

o Fixed multiple reported crash bugs.

o High detail shadows have been moved to a separate option and can be enabled in the options on PC.

--Quality of Life--

QOL OVERVIEW: While we still have quite a few things we are working on regarding Traits and long-term grinding (for those that wish to partake), we wanted to make a few changes in this patch to ensure players had more freedom to experiment. Players should find it much easier to Respec and they should also end up with more Scrap overall. We aren't done here by any means, and these are not the larger changes we've mentioned on Discord and Reddit, but in the short term, they should help to ease the burden or reconfiguring your build and experimenting with different options.

o Increased Trait Cap by +5.

o Tome of Knowledge now grants Scrap and EXP when the player has reached Trait Cap.

o Orb of Undoing now has unlimited uses. Players can sell any extras for Scrap.

o Removed the Trait Requirement for equipping a second Archetype. Players may now slot their second Archetype as soon as they obtain / convert another Engram at Wallace.

o Removed the Scrap Cost for converting a Mysterious Item into an Engram (1000 to 0).

o Lowered the Lumenite Cost for converting a Mysterious Item into an Engram (10 to 5).

o Slightly Increased Scrap Gain from Breakables.

o Increased Scrap Gain from Regular and Rare Chests.

o Increased Scrap Gain when killing Aberrations.

o Reduced the cost of Bloodroot.

--Balance--

[ Archetypes ]

Explorer Archetype

o Increased the duration of Explorer's Scavenger Buff per pickup from 15s to 20s.

o Increased the duration of Explorer's Gold Digger Buffs from 15s to 20s.

o Increased the healing amount of Gold Digger Healing Fountain from 1.5 to 2.0 HP per second.

DEV NOTE: We wanted to make sure Explorer could maintain Scavenger longer between fights and give them more freedom while Gold Digger Fountains were active. We increased the durations by 5s each and boosted the Healing Fountain to be more enticing.

Archon Archetype

o Increased Archon Havoc Form Lighting Hands damage from 28 to 56.

o Increased Archon Havoc Form Blink damage from 100 to 150.

o Reduced Archon Havoc Form Cooldown from 120s to 90s.

DEV NOTE: These changes are in response to bug fix that allowed Havoc Form Lighting Hands to deal ridiculous damage. We made some overall adjustments to compensate.

Challenger Archetype

o Adjusted the damage falloff for Challenger's Close Quarters perk. At maximum range, Challenger will always maintain a 10% damage bonus to All Damage.

Handler Archetype

o Increased the Handler's Pack Hunter Range from 25m to 40m.

o Increased the Base Max Health of Handler's Very Good Boy Companion.

Summoner Archetype

o Increased the Base Max Health of Summoner's Hollow and Flyer Variants.

[ Weapons ]

o Switched Aphelion scaling to Boss/Special Damage Scaling instead of Standard.

o Increased the Fire Damage for Shatterstar (Savior Mod).

o Reduced the Fire Rate on Nightfall in Standard and Dreadwalker Fire Modes.

DEV NOTE: Nightfall was dealing far more damage than other weapons in both modes (almost 20% more w/ Dreadwalker active compared to other guns with their Mod active). When considering damage and the Mod ability (harder to hit, life siphon, and fire rate), it was pushing Nightfall too far above every other Long Gun. It now sits closer in line with other high-damage weapons.

o Reduced the AOE Burst Damage of Enigma's Overload Application from 40 to 30.

o Reduced the Subsequent Tether Damage of Enigma Primary Fire from 75% to 65%.

o Reduced the Magazine Capacity of Enigma from 30 to 25.

o Increased the total Reserve Capacity of Enigma from 120 to 125.

DEV NOTE: Enigma was performing too far above our goal for AOE clear, so a few adjustments were made. There is still an issue with it ignoring Armor which will be addressed in the future. However, when that happens, we will reevaluate the numbers.

[ Enemies ]

o Reduced damage on Nightweaver's grab attacks (Wall and Lunge).

o Adjusted the hitbox of Magister Dullain's tongue attack to better match the visuals.

[ Multiplayer ]

o Reduced incoming damage in Multiplayer from 25% per additional player to 15% per player.

--Bug Fixes--

[ Progression & Rewards ]

o Fixed multiple reported crash bugs and instability issues.

o Progression Blocker: Fixed an issue that prevented players from completing the tutorial if a crash happened when interacting with Ford.

o Progression Blocker: Fixed infinite loading screen issue present for some players when selecting "Skip Tutorial" on character creation screen.

o Progression Blocker: Fixed an issue with Plasma Cutter preventing the Final Boss from transitioning into its second phase.

o Progression Blocker: Fixed Tal'Ratha boss fight lockout if game was exited during cutscene dialogue.

o Progression Blocker: Fixed the Astropath boss fight failing to start if game was exited during cutscenes.

o Progression Blocker: Addressed issue with Trait points going negative. Negative Trait points have been flipped to positive. This will also fix issues with the Second Archetype being locked out. If players are still encountering negative trait points, picking up an additional trait point will flip negative to positive.

o Addressed issue with players not receiving achievements in multiplayer games.

DEV NOTE: This will not retroactively reward ones that should have been previously unlocked. In future patches we will look into attempting to retroactively award as many as we can, however some will likely not be able to be awarded this way and will need to be reacquired.

o Players who completed Oracle's quilt will now receive Half Quilt award as well as Full Quit Reward if they had not previously received it.

o Fixed an issue where scripted deaths from the Bone Harvester, Empress Guards, and Red Prince caused actual deaths and ended Hardcore runs.

o Fixed an issue with Weapons not unlocking after a Hardcore playthrough.

DEV NOTE: Unfortunately, hardcore awards will not be retroactively awarded for previous completions of Hardcore mode.

o Fixed an issue with Weapons not unlocking after completing playthroughs at different difficulties.

DEV NOTE: Unfortunately, difficulty-based rewards will not be retroactively awarded for previous completions of the game.

o Players who listened to all Mudtooth's stories but did not receive all of the rewards can visit Mudtooth to receive their rewards. Players who did not receive the Iron Cylinder (Gunslinger's Engram) from listening to all his stories will now find it in his store.

o Fixed an issue preventing Explorer and Archon Armor from appearing on the vendor. Players will need to first convert the appropriate Mysterious Item into an Engram at Wally

o Fixed an issue preventing Mudtooth's Elixir from appearing in his inventory. After completing the game, players will need to first unlock Explorer (Golden Compass) at Wallace.

o Fixed issues where Clementine would stand in random locations in Ward 13 after the cutscene in Blackened Citadel.

o Fix for Achievement when meeting the Flautist if co-op player was spectating at the time where the Flautist was met.

o Fixed an issue preventing Revivalist Trait from being awarded. It should now be rewarded after reviving another player 15x.

o Fixed an issue with Archon's Havoc Form Lighting Hands. Casting Speed now properly ramps up the Lighting Hand without going infinite.

o Fixed an issue causing Hunter's Focus not granting the proper Weakspot Damage Bonus

o Fixed an issue causing Hunter's Shroud granting multiplicative damage bonus

o Fixed an issue causing Invader Perk S.H.A.R.K. to not apply its damage bonuses

o Fixed an issue with Gunslinger's Bulletstorm Sound not terminating.

o Fixed a bug allowing Male Engineer to ignore falling transition when Overclocking.

[ Gear / Items ]

o Fixed VFX alignment for Nebula and Hellfire primary fire.

o Fixed an issue preventing Plasma Cutter from dealing the correct damage type to certain enemies.

o Fixed an issue causing Shieldbreaker Mutator to not grant the correct amount of shield.

o Nightfall Mod visual effects terminate correctly now.

o Fixed an issue allowing Dreamcatcher to trigger Dreamwave before it was properly earned.

o Fixed an issue that allowed Crystal Heart from stacking with itself.

o Fixed an issue causing Ring of Flawed Beauty not granting the proper Weakspot Damage Bonus

o Fixed issue with Anastasija's Inspiration causing infinite damage stacking on Summoner's Minions.

o Fixed an issue preventing some Boss & Special Melee Weapons from receiving proper scaling.

o Fixed an issue preventing Godsplitter from triggering "Was this supposed to happen?" Achievement

o Fixed an issue allowing Severed Hand to be spawned repeatedly.

o Fixed issue with Primogenitor health bar incorrectly tracking and causing players to become stuck.

o Fixed issue with Root Knight's puddle projectile dealing damage on hit.

o Fixed issue with Nightweaver projectiles homing in on player incorrectly.

o E.D. Alpha (Aberration) in Tower of the Unseen now respawns after player dies and re-enters the aberration room area.

o Fixed issue with Block Ruin (Labyrinth Enemy) sound effects

o Fixed issue where players could defeat the Gwendil: The Unburnt without taking any damage by standing on the stairs under the wooden bridge

o Fixed issue where killing the Many Faces (Corruptor World Boss Golem) when it's jumping between platforms would cause it to fall off the world in The Great Bole.

[ Misc Fixes ]

o Fixed multiple locations on final level where players could get out of bounds of the level.

o Fixed issue with player's not receiving fall damage by holding throwable consumables or melee weapons in throwing position.

o Fixed collision issue causing players to get trapped along some edges in Morrow Sanatorium.

o Fixed issue when using certain melee weapons, the character's face distorted

o Fixed issue where Player could be locked out of Postulant's Parlor when application was closed after playing the board game.

o Fixed issue where Player was unable to open door to Sentinel's Keep when exiting game while inputting the Seeker's Key in N'Erud

o Fixed an issue where players were trapped when attempting to vault through a wall in Cotton's Kiln.

o Fixed an issue that allowed players to skip siege fight in Tiller's Rest.

o Fixed an issue with players falling into gap between the boat and wall in Tiller's Rest

o Fixed floating doors in Cathedral of Omens.

o Fixed an issue in The Great Hall that allowed repeated EXP rewards during Feastmaster's event.

o Fixed multiple scenarios that allowed players to transition through walls using interactives.

o Fixed an issue that caused players to get stuck in Throw Animation in certain situations.

o Adjusted the kill volume height in the Custodian Eye arena.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem opened in theaters this weekend and is off to a stellar start worldwide. The Seth Rogen-produced and co-written film put a fresh spin on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which began life as Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's indie comics sensation. It then became a multimedia franchise that is now nearing its 40th anniversary. Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon have already announced plans for a second Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem movie, most likely featuring a certain iconic villain mostly missing from the first film, as well as two seasons of a Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series on Paramount+ bridging the gap between the two movies.

But for those looking for more Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles goodness as soon as they leave the movie theaters, parsing four decades of TMNT games, movies, TV shows, and comics can be a little intimidating. Where to help out and point you in the direction of your next favorite piece of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles media in each of those categories. Grab your ninja weapon of choice and let's begin:

What show to watch: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Part of the charm of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is seeing the Turtles depicted as "actual teenagers" trying to figure out who they are, what they want, and what their place is in the world. Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is the TMNT television series that comes closest to matching that tone. It presents the Turtles as still raw and figuring out their team dynamic (Raphael leads the team instead of Leonardo). The show ran for two seasons (which are streaming on Paramount+) and culminated in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie (streaming on Netflix).

Keep watching?: The 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, which launched the "Turtlemania" era, will soon be airing on Nickelodeon. The show's plots don't hold up very well, but the characterizations are character-defining (Donatello does machines, Michelangelo is a party due, etc.) and the zany humor is charming. If you want a series with more mature storytelling, try either the 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, which is still the closest adaptation of Eastman and Laird's original comics, or the 2012 Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, which used CG animation. Both shows were recently re-released on Blu-ray and are streaming on Paramount+.

What movie to watch: Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated movie, which adapts a comic book with the same premise, is better than it has any right to be. The plot is pretty simple: Shredder and the Foot Clan are working with a mysterious partner and making moves in Gotham. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles head to Gotham to investigate and run afoul of Batman. A top-notch voice cast makes the interactions between the various characters genuinely funny, and the script wisely jettisons the comic's convoluted explanation for how the Ninja Turtles and the Batman Family are existing in the same universe and instead focuses on the essentials. The movie earns its PG-13 rating with surprisingly brutal violence accompanied by blood, meaning parents and older viewers might do well to make sure younger viewers are prepared for that. Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles isn't streaming anywhere but is available to rent on demand. It's also available on physical media, including a 4k UlHD Blu-ray release.

Movie marathon: You could always watch all of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies in order. Otherwise, the original live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie put a surprisingly dark and gritty spin on a franchise that was mostly known for being a toy-selling cartoon behemoth and it holds up well today. Its first sequel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze, is a movie goofy enough to be a fun time, with vibes closer to the 1987 cartoon, down to the unforgettable "Ninja Rap" needle drop. Both films are streaming on Paramount+ and Max. If you'd like to stick to animated movies, 2007's TMNT was the franchise's first attempt at 3D animation. It acts as a sequel to the original live-action trilogy but stands alone well enough, beginning with Shredder already defeated and the Ninja Turtles divided and directionless until a new threat emerges. The movie remains divisive to this day, and while I'm personally not a fan, its proponents swear by it, meaning it may be worth checking out on Paramount+ or Max.

What game to Play: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge is, as our review suggests, a loving homage to classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade games like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time and, for my money, one of the best games of 2022. Shredder's Revenge perfectly modernizes the core gameplay of those TMNT arcade classics while updating the elements that haven't aged well or only ever worked when someone was plunking quarters into a machine. It has gorgeous retro graphics, a story mode, countless ways to customize your play experience, and an incredible soundtrack with talents like Mike Patton and Ghostface Killah contributing. The game is available to play on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and even PC, Linux, and, for Netflix users, mobile devices. On top of all of that, the upcoming Dimension Shellshock DLC will add a new game mode, new looks for all of the existing characters, and new playable characters, including longtime TMNT crossover ally Miyamoto Usagi from Usagi Yojimbo.

Continue?: If you'd rather play the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade games, then check out Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The collection includes 13 games that Konami produced during the height of Turtlemania in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time, complete with online multiplayer. With its extensive archives of promotional material and design documents, it's an impressively comprehensive collection that should please any old-school Turtles fan and gamer.

What comic to read: IDW Publishing's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles began in comics, and there are plenty of quality ones to choose from. If there's one we'd recommend for longtime fans and newcomers alike it's IDW Publishing's ongoing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series and its spinoffs, which has been going since 2011. IDW's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is set in a distinct universe separate from any other iteration, which allows it to take the best of every version of the Turtles and bring them together in a way that feels cohesive, with stories that have stakes and meaning. It's been one of my favorite comics to follow for years and I can't recommend it enough to anyone who likes long-form comics storytelling. The best way to read the series is via the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection series of volumes, which collect the entire main Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ongoing series and all of its spinoffs and satellite series into their proper reading order. IDW has been reprinting the collection from the beginning in a more affordable paperback format, which makes it the perfect time to start reading. However, if even that sounds like too much of an investment, you can pick up the main series trade paperbacks to get the core story, beginning with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Volume 1: Change is Constant. Alternatively, if you want to get caught up with the series more quickly, start with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Reborn, Vol. 1 - From The Ashes, which begins collecting the series where Sophie Campbell took over as its main writer following a massive shift in the Ninja Turtles' status quo.

Further reading: If you'd prefer something self-contained, check out the hugely popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, which is set in a dark future and serves as an ending to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' story (sequel notwithstanding). It couldn't be further from Mutant Mayhem in terms of tone, but it is based on an original, unproduced idea that Eastman and Laird came up with during their original run, which makes it even more essential for diehard fans. If you want lighter fare, IDW's recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures tells new stories based on the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon. If you want more of the non-turtle mutants from Mutant Mayhem, look for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures, collecting the surprisingly good Archie Comics Ninja Turtles series from the 1990s, which features those characters prominently. It's hard to find in print these days but is easily available in digital form. Finally, Eastman and Laird's original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics are excellent and it's almost a shame that they are sometimes overshadowed by the franchise that they spawned. Readers can find those comics in IDW's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection series.

Did we miss anything? Let us know what Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics, movies, games, or shows you'd recommend! after seeing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem marks the latest movie in the long-running media franchise, and a new reboot for four turtle brothers. Seth Rogen produced the movie and lends his voice to its huge ensemble cast. In the film, the titular heroes venture out into the real world after years of living isolated in the sewers. Though they try to be recognized as normal teenagers by their heroics, a crime syndicate with an army of mutants makes everything more difficult for them and threatens their plans for joining the society. The voice cast for the film includes Micah Abbey as Donatello, Shamon Brown Jr. as Michelangelo, Nicolas Cantu as Leonardo, and Brady Noon as Raphael. TMNT: Mutant Mayhem includes a slew of celebrities as well like Ayo Edebiri as April O'Neil, Jackie Chan as Splinter, Seth Rogen as Bebop, John Cena as Rocksteady, Ice Cube as Superfly, Giancarlo Esposito as Baxter Stockman, Paul Rudd as Mondo Gecko, and Maya Rudolph as Cynthia Utrom. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem opened in theaters on August 2nd.

Blizzard relatively recently kicked off the Season of the Malignant in Diablo 4, giving players their first taste of what the game's seasonal structure will look like. To play through this seasonal content, Diablo 4 players need to first make a brand-new character. You're not starting over from scratch because things like Renown do come across, but you can't use the gear you've earned on other characters to give yourself a leg up. However, some players were using a "seasonal exploit bug" to essentially do just that, giving themselves access to items they shouldn't. Now, Blizzard has started to ban those players, effectively providing a warning to anyone else thinking of using the bug.

The news was first spotted by Eurogamer who noted a recent Reddit thread where one player said a friend had been hit with a ban over the practice. Many others in the comments corroborate that ban, claiming they've either been banned themselves or knew other players who had been hit. Either way, the thread is littered with players saying the bans are happening, so it's far from just a one-off and is definitely something you should take seriously if you've previously considered using the "exploit."

PSA - Blizzard IS INDEED banning people for the seasonal expoit bug
by u/SaintCharlie in diablo4

It's safe to say that Blizzard is well within its right to hand out these bans. Even though seasonal content doesn't yet have leaderboards, Blizzard will want to protect the integrity of seasons to make sure everyone is on equal footing. It is, after all, kind of the point of having the game broken up like this. Some fans might be a bit annoyed that Blizzard is doing this so quickly while other aspects of the season are taking longer to fix, but this seems like a relatively easy thing for the team to do. It's not surprising to see them make this move.

Regardless, this ban wave was always likely to happen at some point, many players even said in the comments that it felt like it was just a matter of time. Diablo 4 is currently available on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC platforms. Blizzard's next major patch will go live on August 8 and will include major changes to classes.

Last month, GameMill Entertainment revealed Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2, a sequel to the 2021 fighting game. Alongside the announcement, the developer revealed several new fighters, including Raphael and Donatello, two Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles missing from the previous game. This weekend, the game's developers released a brand-new video voiced by fighting game champion Hungrybox. The video reveals some of the sequel's new mechanics, as well as another new fighter not present in the original: Plankton from SpongeBob SquarePants. The villain will be using a tank robot based on a design that appeared in The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.

The video featuring Hungrybox can be found in the Tweet embedded below.

SURPRISE!!! ?

I was able to work with some of the @NickBrawlGame Devs to voice this video.

The game looks incredibly fun and I can't wait for everyone to play it.

Check out some of the new features of Nickelodeon All-Stars Brawl 2, coming soon! pic.twitter.com/N06bwnAYxW

-- hungrybox (@LiquidHbox) August 4, 2023

While Plankton is the video's biggest highlight, viewers can also get a glimpse at a number of other changes from the original Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl. One of the most notable of these is a new Slime Meter, which will allow players to amp up their special attacks. In the video, we can see SpongeBob's bubble attack firing multiple bubbles at Patrick once part of the meter has been used, instead of the usual single bubble. When all three Slime bars have been filled, players will be able to pull off Super Attacks, which seem similar to Final Smashes from the Super Smash Bros. series.

The original Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl featured 25 playable characters in total, with 20 available at launch, two released via free updates, and three paid fighters. The roster pulled from a number of popular Nickelodeon cartoons, including CatDog, Rugrats, Ren & Stimpy, and Rocko's Modern Life. Interestingly enough, the game leaned most heavily on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with four characters from the series appearing as playable characters: Leonardo, Michelangelo, April, and Shredder. In Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2, that number will be increasing to at least five thanks to Raphael and Donatello joining the game; while April Leonardo, and Michelangelo are all confirmed, Shredder has not been announced, as of this writing. Plankton's addition to the roster puts SpongeBob SquarePants at four characters represented so far, and it will be interesting to see which series gets the most representation this time!

How did you feel about Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2? Are you excited to see Plankton join the cast? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

Over the last few weeks, Electronic Arts has slowly been pumping out footage ahead of EA Sports FC 24's September release. Thus far, that's included looks at the gameplay improvements EA FC 24 is bringing, along with a deep dive into the change EA has made to both manager and player Career Mode. Now, the team has provided fans with a look at the new matchday experience that affects every single game you'll play when you load up EA Sports FC 24 next month.

The newest deep dive starts off with a look into the graphical improvements EA Sports FC 24 is adding to the on- and off-field presentation. Anyone who's been paying attention to improvements Electronic Arts has been making to its sports games this off-season will recognize the Sapien technology that was first shown off in Madden NFL 24. This tech essentially rewrites the skeletons of every character in the game, making them look more realistic.

EA also gave us a look at the new lighting that they say makes players "pop" off the screen more than last year. Then, we got a look at how the team is using HyperMotionV to overlay stats onto the field. We saw this in FIFA 23 as well, but EA has increased where you'll see it, showing you stats like your players' fatigue levels dynamically and overlaying possession stats in the middle of games. The team has also added several dynamic camera shots to the middle of games that can show off the commentary box, a ref cam on the field, and several others. Plus, there's actually a brand new camera angle that seems to be a bit pulled back from FIFA 23's default, giving players a more comprehensive view of the pitch.

The changes seen in the matchday trailer aren't going to be game-changing for EA Sports FC 24, but they will be something you notice every time you boot up the game. Getting these things right will help make for a more true-to-life experience, giving players a virtual pitch that feels just like what they see every weekend. EA Sports FC 24 is out on September 29 (September 22 if you pre-order the Ultimate Edition) on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC platforms.

On August 8th, The Pokemon Company will be holding a Pokemon Presents livestream, which will air at 6 a.m. PT. The livestream should be a pretty significant one, as it will last 35 minutes in total. Unfortunately, The Pokemon Company has not revealed exactly what viewers can expect to see during the presentation, outside of "news and updates." While that's pretty vague, the teaser for the presentation offers some clues as to what to expect, and we'll likely see some updates on some of this year's upcoming releases.

How to watch the Pokemon Presents

The Pokemon Presents will be streamed live on the company's YouTube Channel right here. Presumably, it will also be streamed via the company's Twitch Channel right here. However, it's worth noting that the Tweet announcing the presentation only specifically mentioned YouTube.

What will be in the Pokemon Presents?

While The Pokemon Company has not specifically mentioned what will be in the presentation, we can likely expect a lot more information on Detective Pikachu Returns, which is set to release on October 6th. Detective Pikachu Returns is a direct sequel to the original Detective Pikachu game (not the movie), which released on Nintendo 3DS in 2016. While The Pokemon Company has stated that the game's conclusion won't play out the same way that it did in the movie, the teaser for the Pokemon Presents seemed to be hinting at something related to Mewtwo. The Psychic-type Pokemon played a pivotal role in the film, and it's possible he could show up in the game, as well.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's first DLC expansion is also slated to release this fall. With the season swiftly approaching, we can likely expect to see a release date for The Teal Mask announced during the Pokemon Presents, and possibly a release date for The Indigo Disk, as well. Last but not least, two past Pokemon games have been announced for Nintendo Switch Online's retro apps: Pokemon Trading Card Game for Game Boy, and Pokemon Stadium 2 for Nintendo 64. It's possible these games could get a release date announced, or even a stealth release during the show.

Will a new Pokemon game get announced during the Pokemon Presents?

Recently, rumors have started to circulate about a new game related to Pokemon Black and White. Those rumors have suggested that it will not be a full remake like Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, but instead could be a related game like Pokemon Legends: Arceus. It's possible that could be announced during the show, and Bandai Namco has made it clear that the studio would like to make a sequel to Pokken Tournament, which could also get announced. For now, fans will just have to wait to see what reveals the show will bring!

What are you hoping to see during the Pokemon Presents? Do you think we'll see new games announced? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

Five Nights at Freddy's Plus has been removed from the Steam store, and it seems that the project has been cancelled prior to release. For those unfamiliar with Five Nights at Freddy's Plus, it was part of The Fazbear Fanverse Initiative, and was a remake of the original game in development from streamer Phil "Phisnom" Morg. While the title seemed to be a promising one, it seems that the situation came about following comments Phisnom made about Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach - Ruin. Phisnom livestreamed the game last weekend, where he was fairly critical and sarcastic about it, referring to it as "boring."

Following Phisnom's criticism of the game, members of the FNAF fan community shared frustration over his comments on Twitter. This resulted in backlash from some of Phisnom's fans, who allegedly began sending "death threats and videos of suicide and gore" over DMs to one underage user in particular. Discovering the situation on Twitter, Phisnom replied with more sarcasm, as well as jokes about how he should be the one getting death threats. The streamer/developer even sacastically replied to comments from the teen user that was allegedly receiving the death threats. In a recent video, Phisnom stated that he did not do enough to learn about the situation before jumping into the fray, and was unaware that he was replying to that person in particular, as they were using an alt account.

As a result of the situation, content creator and news reporter @JonnyBlox revealed that Phisnom lost his place in The Fazbear Fanverse Initiative, and the game was cancelled. In his video, Phisnom revealed that he will be taking some time off streaming and social media following the situation. The whole thing has been nothing short of a mess, and those looking forward to the project have shared their disappointment on social media that it won't be releasing as a result of the controversy, while also voicing support for the person that was harassed in the first place.

Were you looking forward to Five Nights at Freddy's Plus? Are you disappointed about how this all played out? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

Xbox Game Pass has become an excellent way for subscribers to play games that might have flown under the radar over the years. While the service features plenty of brand-new games (some of which will actually release the same day they do on the Microsoft Store), Game Pass also includes a lot of games spanning past platforms, including Xbox 360. On August 9th, subscribers will be able to play Limbo, an Xbox 360 game that was previously available on the service, but left back in June 2022. Thankfully, the game was recently revealed alongside several other new additions for August, and this might be the best possible opportunity for those that have never played it.

Released back in 2010, Limbo was developed by Playdead and published by Microsoft. A 2D sidescroller, Limbo puts players in the role of a boy searching for his lost sister. The game has a minimalist approach to both its story and presentation; there isn't a whole lot to Limbo's narrative, and the game's visuals have a striking black and white look. The whole experience is on the shorter side, but Limbo launched to critical acclaim, winning numerous awards.

While reception to the game was almost universally positive, the most frequent criticism about Limbo related to its price versus overall length. The game's presence on Xbox Game Pass somewhat negates that critique, as users can simply enjoy the experience without concern about getting the most for their dollar. Price and length are frequently debated in gaming circles, and whether or not they should even be taken into consideration when it comes to review scores. With Xbox Game Pass, it's a lot easier to enjoy games that don't overstay their welcome!

With Limbo's return to Xbox Game Pass quickly approaching, it will be interesting to see if new audiences embrace the game, as so many others have in the past. Those that enjoy Limbo will be happy to know that Playdead released a follow-up game in 2016 titled Inside, which was also very well-received, and is also available on Xbox Game Pass!

Are you planning to check out Limbo when it comes back to Xbox Game Pass? Did you play the game when it released on Xbox 360? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

Last month, Disney Dreamlight Valley's DreamSnaps update released, but things haven't been as smooth as some had hoped. On launch day, many players reported encountering "Game Initialization Error #201," which prevented them from loading in. Since then, other players have reported that they are unable to actually vote on DreamSnaps, and some Xbox users can't even see the DreamSnaps menu. Thankfully, the game's official Twitter account has revealed that a new hotfix will be released for Disney Dreamlight Valley over the next few days, which should help to resolve these problems and more.

Gameloft's Tweet outlining the changes can be found embedded below.

Fixes include:
?Error #201
?Missing DreamSnaps menu on Xbox
?Items disappear when exiting Furniture Mode
?Unable to vote on DreamSnaps
?More!

Stay tuned! We'll share patch notes and more info about the gift to thank you for your patience next week.

-- Disney Dreamlight Valley (@DisneyDLV) August 4, 2023

Hopefully the hotfix will work as promised, and players will be happy with the outcome. Full patch notes will be released in the coming days, and players can also expect some kind of "gift to thank you for your patience." It remains to be seen what form that might take, but hopefully players will be happy with how everything plays out. DreamSnaps have given Disney Dreamlight Valley players a unique new way of interacting with other members of the game's community, while also getting a chance to earn in-game currency. Prior to DreamSnaps, Disney Dreamlight Valley hadn't had any multiplayer features to speak of, so this is the first way that players are getting a chance to showcase what they can do, outside of posts on social media.

It's unclear whether the fix will arrive in time for the current DreamSnaps theme, which is centered on "Earth and Air." DreamSnaps are basically a photography contest, with a different theme released each week. Players receive Moonstones for submitting an entry each week, and they can receive extra just for voting on submissions. Given that Moonstones are needed to purchase things like Star Paths, it's easy to see why some players might be frustrated with the technical errors that have surrounded DreamSnaps. Hopefully Gameloft will be able to iron out the issues so players can get the most out of the feature!

Have you had any issues with the DreamSnaps feature? Are you happy that a fix is coming soon? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

It's the crossover no one saw coming, as G.I. Joe will be getting an Axis & Allies game. At Gen Con this weekend, Renegade Game Studios announced G.I. Joe: Battle for the Arctic Circle, a new game powered by the Axis & Allies gameplay engine. This marks the first time that Axis & Allies, a game involving controlling various theaters of war during World War II, has had a licensed version. The new game will feature over 110 figures including iconic G.I. Joe vehicles, along with new strategic options pulled from the G.I. Joe franchise. Players can choose G.I. Joe or Cobra while battling for control of the Arctic Circle.

The game marks a unique expansion of both the Axis & Allies and the G.I. Joe game line, which also features a G.I. Joe: Mission Critical game featuring many G.I. Joe characters and a G.I. Joe tabletop RPG line. Renegade has been re-publishing Axis & Allies games, but this is one of the first new games to published with that license.

"G.I. JOE was the perfect fit for our new line of games powered by Axis & Allies. Now fans of wargames and the world's ultimate fighting force can come together for an epic experience," said Scott Gaeta president and publisher at Renegade Game Studios in a press release announcing the new game.

Renegade Game Studios has several licensing agreements with Hasbro, including one to make games for G.I. Joe, Transformers and My Little Pony, and a separate license to publish classic games like Axis & Allies, Diplomacy, and Robo Rally. However, Renegade Game Studios only recently announced plans to mix both licenses together. Renegade also announced plans to publish a Transformers version of Robo Rally, which will also be released in 2024.

G.I. Joe: Battle for the Arctic Circle will be released in 2024.

Since its release, Nintendo Switch has received a lot of enhanced ports of classic games, including many different options in the RPG genre. On September 28th, that number will grow even larger, as THQ Nordic has announced Gothic Classic for Nintendo Switch. A port of the first game in the series, Gothic Classic marks the first time it's ever been released on a console or handheld. THQ Nordic has stressed that this is "the original game code, no remastering, and no remaking." However, the game will be receiving a number of fixes from the original version, and readers can find a full list right here.

A trailer for Gothic Classic can be found below.

Gothic Classic will be getting a release on the eShop, as well as a physical version available exclusively through THQ Nordic's online store. The publisher is promising that, in addition to all of the various fixes, players can look forward to "a well adapted UI and controls." It remains to be seen whether the release of Gothic Classic might lead to other games in the series receiving similar ports, but if interest is strong enough, it certainly seems like a possibility! For those that have never had a chance to experience these games before, Gothic Classic could be the perfect opportunity to start.

The original Gothic released in 2001. Developed by Piranha Bytes, the fantasy RPG is set in a world where humanity finds itself at war with Orcish hordes. In this world, the king forces prisoners to mine magical ore for the war effort, and a group of magicians have erected a magical barrier that surrounds the mines of Khorinis. As one of the prisoners forced to mine ore, players will embark on a journey that will last more than 50 hours as they attempt to gain freedom.

It will be interesting to see how new audiences react to Gothic Classic! The Switch's portability has given a lot of older games a second chance at finding an audience. It remains to be seen how the game has aged, and if these improvements will make for a superior experience, but Nintendo Switch fans won't have to wait long to see for themselves.

Did you play the original Gothic on PC? Are you excited to play the game on Switch? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

Uno is experimenting with the meaning of "+2" and "Wild" cards, with a new version of Uno Dare made specifically for adults. Mattel recently released a new version of Uno Dare, a game that incorporates various dares into the popular lightweight card game. This version is an "Adults Only" version with prompts that are very, very spicy. In some dare cards previewed by ComicBook.com, there are four level of prompts ranging from "mild" to "feugo." Mild prompts range from "bark like a chihuahua" to "Do a Supermodel Runway walk across the room" while the Fuego prompts include "hump the couch" and "let another player spank you." Thankfully, the cards in Uno Dare: Adults Only comes with slip-proof cards, which will be handy for inadvertent spills or body fluid discharges.

Uno Dare mostly plays out similarly to a standard game of Uno, but with the addition of the Dare and Wild Dare cards. These cards allow players to add various dare prompts to the game. Typical Uno Dare rules require the use of only one Dare list per deck, although the Adults Only version may have some sort of opt out for safety's sake.

Of course, Uno Dare isn't the only variant of Uno that Mattel has published. The card game not only has a ton of licensed versions (including a new Uno Ultimate game that involves DC and Marvel superheroes), there's also Uno Quattro, a new version of Uno that involves tiles and a board that allows players to move entire rows easily. That game combines a Connect 4-type mechanic with standard Uno rules.

Currently, Uno Dare: Adults Only is available at Walmart for $19.97.

A Starfield fan has made a custom Xbox Series S to celebrate the imminent launch of the game. One of the biggest games in years is just one month away from release. Starfield was announced all the way back in 2018 and has been on everyone's minds ever since. It's the first new RPG franchise from Bethesda Game Studios in decades and promises to be something really special. It's taking players to the far reaches of outer space and will feature a thousand explorable planets, plenty of choices, and much more. It's also Xbox's first game with Bethesda Game Studios, meaning it will highlight the potential of this partnership and offer players probably one of the most valuable Xbox Game Pass offerings to date.

Unfortunately, there won't be a custom Xbox released with the game. Microsoft released a custom Xbox Series X for Halo Infinite in 2021, but given there were quite literally no major Xbox exclusives in 2022, there hasn't been another custom Xbox themed around a game since then. Fans hoped to see one with Starfield, especially since there are custom accessories like a new controller and Microsoft seems to be pulling out all the stops for the game. However, there's no actual custom console being made for Starfield (as far as we know of), it could be announced closer to launch, but it feels like the closer we get, the less likely that seems. A fan on Reddit by the name of wolfykurt, however, has decked out their own Xbox Series S to be themed around Starfield and it's pretty snazzy.

Starfield Themed Series S Todd Howard Edition
by u/wolfykurt in XboxSeriesS

While it may not have the perfect polish that Microsoft would be able to give the console, it's a perfect look at what could've been. On the flip side, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is getting a pretty sweet custom PlayStation 5. Sadly, it's pretty much sold out everywhere you look, which is the biggest downside of custom consoles.

What do you think of the fan-made Starfield Xbox? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

The headline is not clickbait, we now have information on who former President of the United States, Barack Obama, mains in Super Smash Brothers. The Super Smash Brothers franchise is one of the biggest things Nintendo has ever created. Nintendo seems to strike gold constantly with its games, there's certainly a magic to just about everything that company puts out (with the exception of the sequel to 1-2-Switch). Mario is one of the biggest icons in the history of entertainment and Mario Kart is one of the most beloved video games of all-time, managing to win over even the most casual gamers out there. Super Smash Brothers requires a little bit more skill than Mario Kart to really enjoy, but it's still something that a lot of people can get into.

Having said all of that, apparently former President Barack Obama is a Smash guy. As revealed by Twitter user @tafokints, Barack Obama mains Captain Falcon in Super Smash Bros on Nintendo 64. The Twitter user revealed they spoke with a man by the name of Cody Daniels who got to go to the White House as part of a Make A Wish event. He was able to meet the President, play matches of the Nintendo game with Barack Obama, get a copy signed, and more. Daniels also shared that Obama is actually pretty good at Smash Brothers, going as far to say he's better than the average player. It's unclear if Barack Obama games himself, but he has been considered by some to be in touch with pop culture as he regularly puts out annual lists of his favorite songs, books, and films, which often include things that would be seen as skewing towards younger audiences.

For larger context, @CodyDaniels88 had the opportunity to play with Obama at the White House as part of a Make-A-Wish opportunity. Part of his experiences included meeting the former President, playing some friendly 64 matches, and getting a signed copy of a N64 cartridge and a... pic.twitter.com/oo7NVhIkly

-- Tafo (@tafokints) August 3, 2023

Whether or not we will ever get to see Barack Obama grace the sticks for ourselves is a mystery. We do see other political figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez embracing gaming culture by doing Twitch streams where she plays things like Among Us.

What do you think of Barack Obama's main? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

The Last of Us stars Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson are reprising their roles as Joel and Ellie for a new project. The Last of Us is one of the biggest franchises in gaming right now after a decade's worth of success across two games on PlayStation, the series was catapulted into further mainstream acclaim with the HBO series. The new show has not only had many clamoring for another season of the show, something we will get in the next few years, but also a third game in the series. Series developer Naughty Dog has confirmed it is working on a multiplayer spin-off of the franchise, but has remained hush-hush on a proper third game in the series.

It may be years before we get to see Ellie's journey continue in the games, but that doesn't mean we won't get more Ellie soon. Speaking with SFX Magazine (via GamesRadar), Universal Orlando's Lora Sauls confirmed that the upcoming Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights ride themed around The Last of Us will feature new performances from Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson as Joel and Ellie.

"We got to use the voiceover actors from the video game," Sauls said. "We did voiceover recordings with them and they re-recorded our entire dialogue for our haunted house. So we were very, very excited to work with both Troy and Ashley on the re-recording of our haunted house dialogue."

Sauls also noted that the ride will center around the Pittsburgh section from the first game: "When working with Neil [Druckmann] and team, they actually said to us, 'can we lean into the Pittsburgh part of the first video game?' And we were like, 'sure.' We later found out that that graphic in the Pittsburgh area got so many accolades online, [and] we understood why Neil wanted us to lean into Pittsburgh."

Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights will go from Friday, September 1 to November 4 in Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood will run from Thursday, September 7 until October 31. You can expect a variety of attractions in addition to The Last of Us ride.

What do you think of Universal Studios' The Last of Us ride? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder.