NetherRealm Studios has revealed the first DLC character coming to Mortal Kombat 11: the master sorcerer, Shang Tsung. During a panel at C2E2, a video featuring the character was shown and, surprisingly, confirmed that he will be based on the version seen in the 1995 movie.
In the Mortal Kombat movie, Shang Tsung was played by actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, and his likeness has been used for his newest iteration. As well as being Mortal Kombat 11's first DLC character, Shang Tsung will also serve as the host, narrator, and guide for players when they enter the Krypt.
During the stream, NetherRealm also revealed Noob Saibot will be playable in Mortal Kombat 11. Unlike Shang Tsung, however, he will be part of the core roster of fighters, and thus available from the outset when you buy the game.
For those eager to get their hands on the game, there will be a Mortal Kombat 11 beta beginning on Wednesday, March 27 at 8 AM PT. It will run through Sunday, March 31 at 11:59 PM PT, and is open to anyone who pre-ordered a copy of the game on PS4 or Xbox One. The beta will have five playable characters: Baraka, Jade, Kabal, Scarlet, and Scorpion. The full character roster is much more expansive, and we expect more fighters to be announced in the lead up to release.
If you pre-order you'll also get Shao Kahn as a playable character when the game releases for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch on April 23.
Another classic Mortal Kombat character is coming back in Mortal Kombat 11. During a panel at C2E2, NetherRealm confirmed that Noob Saibot will return as a playable fighter in the upcoming game. The reveal came by way of a gruesome new trailer (above), which showcases the shadowy ninja squaring off against his younger brother, the current Sub-Zero, and other characters.
Noob wasn't the only fighter NetherRealm unveiled during the panel; the developer also revealed Mortal Kombat 11's first DLC character, Shang Tsung. This time, Tsung's appearance is modeled after Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, the actor who portrayed the character in the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie.
By Anonymous on Mar 22, 2019 11:36 pm Here's 10 minutes of gameplay from Baba Is You, a cute indie puzzle game that pushes us to solve each level and continue to tackle increasingly difficult puzzles. Captured on Switch.
By Anonymous on Mar 22, 2019 11:25 pm Brie Larson's directorial debut sees her reunite with Captain Marvel co-star Samuel L Jackson. Unicorn Store arrives on Netflix April 5.
By Anonymous on Mar 22, 2019 11:13 pm Xur is back with Forsaken exotics for certain classes as well as consistently changing rolls for old favorites. Where is Xur? Watch this location walkthrough guide to see where he's at, and what he's selling.
By Anonymous on Mar 22, 2019 10:50 pm Completing Fortnite's Week 4, Season 8 challenges will grant you a key loading screen hinting at the location of a Secret Banner. Here's a guide on where to go and how to find it.
We teamed up with Anthem (@AnthemGame) to give away a one-of-a-kind Anthem Javelin Helmet! No purchase necessary. Entering into our Twitter giveaway is easy -- just LIKE and REPLY to the tweet below with your ultimate Javelin customization.. One (1) winner chosen. UK only, no purchase necessary, ends March 31, 2019.
NO PURCHASE OR WIRELESS DEVICE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. OPEN TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF GREAT BRITAIN (ENGLAND, SCOTLAND AND WALES ONLY), WHO ARE 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO THE PROMOTION. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. IF YOU ARE ACCESSING THIS PROMOTION VIA YOUR WIRELESS DEVICE, DATA RATES MAY APPLY.
Promoter: GameSpot, CBS Interactive, Inc., 235 Second Street, San Francisco, California 94105 ("CBSI").
Prize Provider: Electronic Arts Limited, Onslow House, Onslow St, Guildford GU1 4TN, UK ("EA")
Promotion Entities: CBSI and EA
THIS PROMOTION IS NOT SPONSORED, ENDORSED OR ADMINISTERED BY OR IN ANY WAY ASSOCIATED WITH TWITTER INC. ACCESS TO TWITTER IS AT ALL TIMES SUBJECT TO THE RULES, TERMS AND POLICIES OF TWITTER, INC.: HTTPS://HELP.TWITTER.COM/EN/RULES-AND-POLICIES#GENERAL-POLICIES. ALL THIRD PARTY TRADE MARKS AND OTHER INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS ARE HEREBY ACKNOWLEDGED.
1. Acceptance of Rules. By entering the Anthem Javelin Helmet Giveaway (the "Promotion") operated on the official GameSpot Twitter page accessible at the domain "twitter.com/gamespot" (the "CBSI Service"), you hereby accept and agree to these official rules (the "Official Rules") of this Promotion and the decisions of the Promoter in connection with this Promotion, whose decisions are final.
No purchase, entry fee or use of wireless device is necessary to enter or win. If you are a wireless service subscriber and have a smartphone, tablet and/or other wireless device that allows you to access the Internet, you may enter the Promotion via any of those devices during the promotion period, as defined below. If you decide to participate via any such wireless device, you may be charged data rates in accordance with the Terms and Conditions of the Service Agreement with your wireless carrier.
2. Eligibility. This Promotion is open for entry to persons who are: (a) registered users of Twitter; (b) followers of the CBSI Service (www.twitter.com/gamespot / @gamespot) on Twitter; (c) legal residents of Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales only); and (d) at least 18 years of age or older at the date of entry in this Promotion. To register on Twitter, go to https://twitter.com/?lang=en-gb and complete the registration process. There is no fee associated with becoming a registered user on Twitter. Employees, directors, and the immediate family members of the Promotion Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies, advertising and promotion agencies and legal and financial advisors are not eligible to participate in this Promotion. For purpose of the foregoing, "immediate family" means parents, spouses, children, siblings or any members of the same households of such employees and directors. This Promotion is void where prohibited by law.
3. Promotion Period. The Promotion begins at 4:00 p.m. on March 22, 2019 (UK time) and ends at 4:00 p.m. (UK time) on March 29, 2019 (the "Promotion Period").
4. How to Enter. To enter the Promotion: (a) log into your Twitter account; (b) visit the CBSI Service (www.twitter.com/gamespot / @gamespot); (c) LIKE and REPLY to the tweet related to the Promotion with an image of your ultimate Javelin customization using hashtag #haveahelmetbro! during the Promotion Period.
Limit of one (1) entry per person. Multiple entries will be ignored and Promoter reserves the right to disqualify entrants who breach this rule.
Entries must not (a) contain any material which is or may reasonably be considered to be threatening, defamatory, obscene, indecent, offensive, pornographic, abusive, liable to incite racial hatred, discriminatory, menacing, scandalous, inflammatory, blasphemous, or in breach of confidence; or (b) be illegal or infringe the intellectual property rights, privacy rights or any other rights of any person.
5. Prize. There is one (1) prize to be won in this Promotion. The prize is an Anthem Javelin Helmet (the "Prize") which has an approximate retail value of Twelve Thousand Pounds Sterling (£12,000.00).
6. Prize Restrictions. No assignment, transfer, conversion to cash or cash redemption or substitution of the Prize is permitted, except Promoter reserves the right to substitute the Prize with an alternative prize of comparable or greater value, should the Prize become unavailable. Prize is solely for personal use and may not be used in conjunction with any other promotion.
7. Odds/Drawing/Winner Notification. The odds of winning the Prize depend on the number of eligible entries received during the Promotion Period. On or about April 1, 2019, all eligible entrants will be entered into a random prize draw and the winner drawn by the Promoter, whose decisions are final and binding in all respects. The potential Prize winner (the "Winner") will be notified by Promoter via a direct message to their Twitter account within five (5) days of the date of the draw. The Winner will be asked to provide their name, physical address, date of birth and phone number in order to confirm eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules. The Winner may also be required to complete, execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility/Liability Release, and where lawful, a Publicity Release (collectively, the "Release Forms").
8. Prize Acceptance. To claim the Prize, the Winner must provide their name, physical address, date of birth and phone number (and, if applicable, the Release Forms) within five (5) days of the date of the winner notification. Promoter will make reasonable efforts to contact the Winner but it is the Winner's responsibility to monitor their Twitter account for the notification and to provide the required information before the deadline. Failure to claim the Prize in accordance with this Rule 8 may result in the Prize being forfeited and the selection of an alternative winner. Alternative winners will be selected and notified as set out in Rule 7. The Promoter reserves the right at any time to require such proof of eligibility (including age and place of residence) to claim the Prize as the Promoter reasonably considers necessary.
9. Prize Taxes. All tax liabilities (if applicable) arising from this Promotion, including, without limitation, winning the Prize, will be the sole responsibility of the Winner.
10. Prize Delivery. The Prize will be delivered to the delivery address in Great Britain provided by the Winner within thirty (30) days of the Winner validly claiming the Prize. A signature will be required on delivery. If no one is available to receive the Prize at the time of delivery, the postal service will leave instructions for arranging redelivery or collection.
11. Publicity. Except where prohibited by law, the Winner's acceptance of the Prize constitutes permission for the Promotion Entities to use Winner's name, photograph, likeness, statements, biographical information, voice, and address (city and state) worldwide and in all forms of media, in perpetuity, without further compensation.
12. Personal Data. Any personal data of entrants processed in connection with this Promotion will be processed in accordance with Promoter's Privacy Policy: http://legalterms.cbsinteractive.com/privacy. By entering this Promotion, each entrant confirms that they have read and understood the Privacy Policy.
13. Improper Conduct. Promoter, in its sole discretion, may disqualify any entrant from participation in or use of any or all portions of this Promotion, and refuse to award the Prize to a Winner, if the Winner engages in any conduct Promoter deems to be improper, unfair or otherwise adverse to the operation of the Promotion or detrimental to other entrants of the Promotion. Such improper conduct includes, without limitation, falsifying personal information to claim the Prize, breaching these Official Rules, accumulating entries through methods such as automated computer scripts or any other programming techniques, allowing others to use entrant's personal information for the purpose of accumulating entries, or intentionally trying to defraud, reverse engineer, disassemble or otherwise tamper with the computer programs in connection with this Promotion. The Winner agrees that Promoter may void the Prize or any part of the Prize that the Winner may have won and/or require the return of the Prize or any part of the Prize that the Winner may have won as a result of such improper conduct. The Winner further acknowledges that any forfeiture of the Prize and/or return of the Prize shall in no way prevent Promoter from pursuing other avenues of recourse, such as criminal or civil proceedings in connection with such conduct. WARNING: ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS PROMOTION MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS, AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, EACH OF THE PROMOTION ENTITIES RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES OR OTHER REMEDIES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE FOR SUCH ATTEMPT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
14. Integrity of the Promotion. If, for any reason, the Promotion is not capable of running as planned by reason of breach (or suspected breach) of applicable law, infection by computer virus, worms, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes which Promoter, in its sole opinion believes could corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Promotion, Promoter reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend this Promotion and select the Winner from entries received prior to the action taken or in such other manner as Promoter may deem fair and appropriate.
15. Lost or Corrupted Entries. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Promotion Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies and advertising and promotion agencies, assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with, lost, late, incomplete, corrupted, stolen, misdirected, illegible or postage-due entries or mail, if applicable; or for any computer, telephone, cable, network, satellite, electronic or Internet hardware or software malfunctions, unauthorized human intervention, or the incorrect or inaccurate capture of entry or other information, or the failure to capture any such information. The Promotion Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies and advertising and promotion agencies, are not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by registration information submitted by end users or tampering, hacking or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in this Promotion, and assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to the Promotion.
16. Liability. To the fullest extent permissible by law, the Promotion Entities exclude all liability for any loss or damage of any kind arising from the Promotion and each entrant's participation in it and/or use of the Prize. However, nothing in these Official Rules limits or excludes liability for: (i) death or personal injury caused by negligence; (ii) fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or (iii) any matter for which it would be illegal to limit or exclude liability. In particular, consumers have legal rights in relation to products that are faulty or not as described. These legal rights are in addition to and are not affected in any way by anything contained in these Official Rules.
17. Identity Disputes. In the event of a dispute as to the identity of a winner based on an email address, the winning entry will be declared made by the Authorized Account Holder of the email address and/or wireless phone number submitted at time of registration into Twitter and/or entry into the Promotion. For purposes of these Official Rules, "Authorized Account Holder" is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization (e.g., business, educational, institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address.
18. Governing Law and Jurisdiction. The Promotion and these Official Rules are governed by the laws of England and Wales, and any disputes arising in connection with them shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales, except that residents of Scotland may also bring proceedings in the Scottish courts.
19. Disclosure of winner's details. By entering this Promotion, each entrant acknowledges and agrees that if he or she is the Winner, his or her name and county of residence may be disclosed to persons enquiring, where permitted by law. Enquirers must submit a self-addressed stamped envelope for receipt by April 15, 2019 to "Winner List, Anthem Javelin Helmet Giveaway" c/o GameSpot, a Division of CBS Interactive, Inc., The Warehouse at The Bower, 207-211 Old Street, London EC1V 9NR. The name of the Winner may be posted on the CBSI Service, and the Official Rules will be posted on GameSpot.com. Details will only be disclosed (if permitted by law) after the Prizes have been validly claimed.
20. Severance and waiver. If any part of these Official Rules is or becomes invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the rest of these Official Rules will not be affected. Promoter's failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules will not constitute a waiver of that provision.
21. Contact. Enquiries about this Promotion can be sent by email to: GameSpot, CBS Interactive, Inc., 235 Second Street, San Francisco, California 94105.
The disease appears suddenly, without any warning. Dragonrot is the cost paid for Wolf's immortality. Fortunately for him, it's others who suffer this cursed plague. After resurrecting one too many times in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Wolf will awaken in the Dilapidated Temple beside the coughing Sculptor. You'll be given a warning, in the form of Rot Essence, that he's caught Dragonrot. If you continue to die, he won't be the last.
Understandably, it's a little scary the first time you're told about the disease. Sekiro makes no mention of Dragonrot--or any downside to resurrecting--before this moment, and the game does little to immediately explain exactly what it is or how you can cure it. If you're looking to understand Rot Essence and Dragonrot, you've come to the right place. Below, we discuss exactly what both are, as well as how to cure Dragonrot and why you want to.
Dragonrot has the potential to infect almost every character Wolf meets and interacts with on his journey. Although you don't get a cutscene for anyone but The Sculptor, the game will give you another Rot Essence whenever someone else has caught the plague. You can go and try and talk to them if you want, but the only response you'll get from many of them are violent coughing fits.
Bing able to talk to people is why you need to cure Dragonrot. Thankfully, as far as we can tell, no matter how many times Wolf resurrects in battle, no one will actually die from disease. So you don't have to worry about that. However, you cannot complete side quests for characters who are infected with Dragonrot, so if you want to experience everything Sekiro has to offer and unlock some of the game's best prosthetics, you'll need to keep people healthy.
Even if you don't care about finding everything, fixing Dragonrot assures you can take advantage of one of Sekiro's best features. Upon death, Wolf has the potential of receiving Unseen Aid, which prevents him from losing experience and sen. You need to former to unlock new abilities and the latter to buy items. Your chances of receiving Unseen Aid diminishes with every person who catches the Dragonrot. Refusing to cure the Dragonrot means, eventually, every one of Wolf's deaths will result in loss.
Unfortunately, you can't be proactive with finding a cure. You'll need The Sculptor to fall ill to the Dragonrot to open the questline you need. As soon as the game tells you The Sculptor is sick, talk to Emma. She'll tell you about a possible Dragonrot cure, but she'll need two samples of infected blood in order to create the medicine. So you'll need to resurrect a few more times to spread Dragonrot to another person. Shouldn't be too hard to die and resurrect a few more times considering how difficult Sekiro is.
When you get the warning about a second infected person, go find them and let them cough their infected blood onto you. Return this to Emma and she'll craft the cure, a Dragon Tear. Using a Dragon Tear at an idol immediately cures all infected individuals of the Dragonrot. But it's only temporary. Resurrecting too many times again will once more cause the Dragonrot to spread amongst the populace. You'll need to buy more Dragon Tears from specific merchants if you want to cure the Dragonrot again--each goes for 180 sen. In our time with the game, we haven't discovered a merchant who sells an infinite number of Dragon Tears, though. So save those Dragon Tears for when you really need them, and just try not to resurrect too many times to prevent the Dragonrot from spreading. There doesn't seem to be a permanent cure for Dragonrot (other than just never resurrecting), so be careful.
In our Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice review-in-progress, Tamoor Hussain gave the game a 9/10, writing, "Sekiro marries From Software's unique brand of gameplay with stealth action to deliver an experience that is as challenging as it is gratifying."
From Software games don't generally skimp on putting players through their paces even early on, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice doesn't hold back on the difficulty, either. There are several super-tough mid-boss enemies even early on in Ashina Outskirts, the first area through which players venture once they've gained the Shinobi Prosthetic. At multiple points on the road to Gyoubu the Demon, the game's first big boss, you'll face extremely tough enemies who will likely thrash you just as hard. It's especially tough if you haven't found some of the best early game prosthetics.
One of the first major enemies you'll have to take down is the Chained Ogre, a red-eyed monster locked into a wooden pillory. Sekiro is good about giving you hints on how to defeat bosses and mid-bosses like the Ogre if you're eavesdropping and paying attention, but knowing what to do and actually doing it are two different things. Defeating the Ogre is the last major hurdle before you reach Gyoubu, and will earn you Prayer Beads, which can make you stronger for the fight ahead.
The trick to beating the Ogre is being fast on your feet, and being willing to disengage if you need to. You can also get an edge with the right Shinobi Prosthetic, the Flame Vent, but it's pretty easy to miss. Here's everything you need to know about taking down the Ogre and getting ready for your big fight with Gyoubu.
You'll find the Ogre in the Ashina Outskirts area, in the Outskirts Wall--Stairway section. Before doing anything else, clear the area at the base of the stairs so that no other enemies are around to interrupt you. Try to get good at taking them out stealthily to keep your health up, and don't be afraid to retreat to the Idol Statue nearby if you need to try again. In fact, keep that opportunity to reset in mind, because it can help you keep your death count down as you learn the fight.
Bring The Flame Vent
Red-eyed enemies like the Ogre are basically berserkers, unfazed by your attacks. That mostly means you'll need to do a lot of dodging and slicing away in between the Ogre's attacks. You can get some breathing room to heal or attack, though, if you have fire. Red-eyed enemies fear flames, and you can find a Shinobi Prosthetic tool early in the game that produces a jet of fire that will briefly stagger the Ogre and give you the upper hand. It's easy to miss, though.
You'll need to go to the Hirata Estate level to find the Flame Vent. In the area before the Stairway, the Gate Path, look for an old woman in a blasted-out house. If you talk to her and let her believe you're her son, she'll give you a bell to use as an offering. Take it to the Dilapidated Temple and use it on the Buddha statue near the Sculptor to access the Hirata Estate level. You can use our guide to find the Flame Vent prosthetic--bring it back to the Sculptor to get it fitted for your fight with the Ogre.
The Flame Vent isn't essential to beating the Ogre, and it won't do extra damage to it. The tool can be very useful for emergencies, though, like when you need to get the Ogre to back off or when a couple extra hits will bring it down.
Get A Backstab
You can't approach the Ogre with stealth, since there's only one way up the stairs toward it, and it'll see you coming. But you can try to get behind it for a quick backstab deathblow, which can reduce the difficulty of the fight by about half right out of the gate. To get there, hold down the dodge button to make the Wolf sprint and try to get up behind the Ogre before he manages to break free of his bonds. It's tough to get there in time, but the backstab is worth it if you can manage it.
Dodge The Grabs
The Ogre hits hard with all its abilities, but its grabs attacks are the worst ones. These are marked by the red symbol that denotes an unblockable attack. If you get grabbed, the Ogre will deal a massive amount of damage you can't avoid, and likely will kill you. The only way to avoid the Ogre's grab attacks is to use the Step Dodge ability, and you'll need to keep your distance in general--he'll do a diving grab move that can get you even if you step back, so make sure you're going sideways when possible, and give yourself ample room to escape.
The good news is that if you can avoid a grab, you'll get a chance to wail on the Ogre for a few seconds. The bad news is that you'll probably need to get wrecked by this move once or twice to get a feel for the timing.
Grapple For Big Hits
A lot of the time when the Ogre plows past you, you'll get opportunities for snagging its wooden collar with your grapple. Use those chances--you'll get in close for a few big attacks, and it's good practice for a tactic you're going to use a lot when you fight Gyoubu soon enough. If you can unlock it, you'll should also grab the Grapple Hook Attack ability from the Shinobi Martial Arts skill tree. That'll let you swing in and do some damage before you even hit the ground.
Don't Be Afraid To Flee
The area around the Ogre has a bunch of key grapple points for a reason. The game is providing you with a bunch of escape hatches so you can stop the fight, take a second to breathe, and get your bearings. The battle with the Chained Ogre is as much a tutorial as anything else you've faced up to now, giving you the tools to deal with a big, tough enemy, while also teaching you that the tactics you've used in other fights still apply. If you're getting pummeled or just having a hard time, grapple up onto a tree or onto the nearby gate and take a second to reassess the fight. It's also a handy way to get a chance to use a healing item without worrying you're about to get smashed for letting your guard down.
Deflect, Deflect, Deflect
Apart from his big grabs, the Ogre's attacks looks scarier than they actually are--and you can deflect all of them. That includes his big drop kick move, his stompy feet attacks, and his attempts to kick you across the field like a football. Just because the Ogre isn't using a sword doesn't mean you can't block them, and you definitely should be. Keep your guard up to avoid a lot of incoming damage, and to give yourself openings to attack.
You can also dodge most or all of the Ogre's attacks to give yourself a chance at getting in close to land some blows. The drop kick move is especially easy to slip around, giving you a chance to cut away and clear out some of the Ogre's vitality. Blocking will help you break its posture sooner, though, so while Souls and Bloodborne players might feel like dodging is the right move, it's actually slowing down your ability to win the fight. Break the Ogre's posture and grab your deathblows for the win.
Apple is preparing a live event, widely expected to debut its approach to streaming services among other big announcements. Here's everything you need to know.
When And How To Watch
Like most Apple events, the show will be carried live through the Apple's website. It will be broadcast from the Steve Jobs Theater at the Apple campus. It will all go down on Monday, March 25, and you can watch it live:
PDT: 10 AM
EDT: 1 PM
GMT: 5 PM
AEDT: 4 AM (Tuesday, March 26)
What We Expect
For the time being, Apple has only referred to this as a "Special Event" and the tagline for the invitations was "It's show time." All indications are that this will be the reveal of Apple's long-rumored streaming service.
CNET reports that the company is poised to launch its own streaming service. The company is coming on strong, with a $1 billion investment and the involvement of celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, J.J. Abrams, Stephen Spielberg. The company is also reportedly in talks with other content producers like HBO and Showtime to join Apple's streaming service. Netflix has publicly stated that it will not be involved with Apple, setting the two companies up for a rivalry in an increasingly competitive market.
The payment model is still under wraps, but one analyst suggested that Apple's original shows could be made free for iOS users.
Other possibilities for the event include Apple's news service extending to magazine subscriptions, and an Apple credit card through a partnership with Goldman Sachs. We'll know for certain once we see the event, so be sure to tune in.
Microsoft has taken a leaf out of Nintendo's book and announced a new Direct-style stream centered around indie titles coming to Xbox One. Named ID@Xbox Game Pass, the first episode will air on March 26 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 4 PM GMT (3 AM AET in Sydney).
"You can expect to learn more about some of the hottest ID@Xbox titles coming to Xbox Game Pass with new reveals, gameplay highlights, and conversations with the developers," the platform holder stated. It went on to tease information on Afterparty, Void Bastards, and Supermarket Shriek, as well as "new game announcements." You'll be able to watch on YouTube, as with Microsoft's Inside Xbox streams.
On the face of it, the show will be similar to Nintendo's regular Nindies streams, the most recent of which happened just a few days ago. The spring Nindies showcase even included a collaboration of sorts between Nintendo and Microsoft as a port of Cuphead for Switch was announced. It also brought a new Zelda game and some new Switch games available right now.
Microsoft's announcement comes just hours after Sony unveiled its new show, State of Play, which promises more information on upcoming PlayStation games and "new game announcements" of its own. That stream is also airing on March 26, just a few hours after Microsoft's ID@Xbox Game Pass show.
Pokemon Go's first Gen 4 Legendary Pokemon, Giratina, is making an encore appearance in the hit mobile game soon. Niantic is bringing the Renegade Pokemon back to Raid Battles for another month beginning March 28, and this time around it'll appear in a different form.
From March 28 to April 2, players will have another opportunity to capture Giratina in its Altered Forme (pictured below). After that, the Legendary Pokemon will transform into its Origin Forme--the serpent-like appearance it takes in Pokemon Platinum--until it leaves Raid Battles on April 29.
Regardless of what form it takes, Giratina is a dual Ghost/Dragon Pokemon, so the same strategies you used to battle it when it first appeared during last year's Halloween event will apply. What's unique about this combination is that both Ghost and Dragon are susceptible to their own types, so Pokemon like Salamence, Rayquaza, and Gengar will prove to be effective against Giratina. Dark-types such as Tyranitar and Houndoom will also have an edge over it.
In the meantime, you still have a few more days to capture Pokemon Go's current Legendary, Dialga. The Temporal Pokemon will only appear in Raid Battles until March 28, meaning this is your last opportunity to add it to your collection before it leaves the game. Dialga is a dual Dragon/Steel-type, making it weak to Fighting and Ground Pokemon like Machamp and Groudon.
Pokemon Go is in the midst of its spring equinox event, which makes Grass Pokemon like Oddish and Sunkern easier to find. The game's next Community Day takes place this Saturday, March 23, and it likewise features a Grass Pokemon: the Gen 3 starter Treecko.
By restricting traditional movement and thrusting you into carefully constructed 2D mazes, simply getting around Ethereal's levels presents challenging conundrums that are deeply satisfying to overcome. Despite some uneven pacing and technical issues marring the overall experience, Ethereal is a delightful game that contrasts a soothing ambiance with intricate and challenging puzzle designs.
Ethereal's opening is mysterious, but not in the best way. Starting in a monochrome world with harsh black and white streaks across the screen, it's difficult to make sense of your surroundings and options. It's an unnecessarily confusing introduction to Ethereal, which otherwise takes care to slowly introduce new mechanics before nudging you towards increasingly complex puzzles.
Outside of its central hub, Ethereal is wonderfully colorful. Your avatar leaves inky streaks of color behind them as they move, corresponding to a limited but carefully chosen palette that paints the walls around you with bright hues. A fish-eye style lens warps each world near the edges, making it feel like you're traversing a wrapped around globe rather than an endless 2D plane set on top of a harsh white background. Ethereal's stylings are subtle but work well together, producing a distinctive look that never wears thin.
Movement in Ethereal is central to its puzzles. You're restricted to sliding across 2D planes, with carefully placed walls blocking your progress. You overcome them by hopping through the closest wall either above or below you, shifting you into an entirely new row to move across. It's slightly confusing to wrap your head around at first, but getting the hang of seamlessly moving around each stage is satisfying to learn. Identifying patterns in level layouts lets you quickly zip around each of them, allowing you to reach your objectives with ease and comfortably map a route to your exit once you're done.
Each stage tasks you with obtaining a series of color-coded shapes in sequential order. It's easy to see where most are placed as soon as you enter a level, but reaching them in the order required is rarely straightforward. Although levels are small, they are labyrinthine. They are sometimes made overly complicated, with unnecessary routes and obstacles littering the peripheral of the main stage and baiting you into considering red-herring routes. Misdirection is a core principle of well-designed puzzles, but Ethereal doesn't make it easy enough to rectify a foolish misstep. You'll typically have to redo all your previous moves in reverse to get back on track, which is more confusing than it should be. It quickly becomes frustrating, making each error feel more like a waste of time than a constructive learning experience.
Thankfully, Ethereal's 24 unique puzzles don't struggle with variety. Early ones simply rely on the freshness of the game's movement to generate complexity, but it's not long before new interactions change how you think about moving through each level. One will rotate the level by 90-degrees, for example, turning previously insurmountable walls into new points for you to hop between. Another creates a black, negative space that offers a larger range of movement, which gives you the ability to move walls and alter a level's layout.
These mechanisms are introduced intelligently too, by first appearing in the hub world that precede levels designed around them. Their simple introduction whets your appetite while the larger puzzles they're used in build upon their numerous possibilities in inventive ways. At first, each stage is centered around only one of these mechanics at a time, but puzzles get increasingly challenging as Ethereal starts combining them. The difficulty curve can feel a little steep around the half-way point, and remains a little uneven up until the end, but Ethereal rarely feels unfair, only dipping into frustration when technical issues get in the way.
There were numerous instances where, after interacting with one of the aforementioned mechanisms, a bug inexplicably transported me to another end of the level--often in a position that made movement impossible. In these instances, the only solution is to restart the level entirely, which is frustrating given how long some stages can be. Having to tediously repeat numerous movements in order to return to the same spot you were before is frustrating enough, but occasionally encountering the same bug numerous times in the same level is infuriating.
Ethereal's soothing ambient soundtrack and delightfully catchy sound effects do alleviate the frustrations to a degree, while its ever-changing aesthetic is suitably elegant and effective at keeping you engaged with its puzzles and not distracted by unnecessary visual information. The soft water colors of each stage shift with each objective you reach, eventually being diluted into a simple monochromatic theme once you've finished. It's an effective way to measure your progress through a stage and help inform you of what color shape you've just cleared from the stage without the need for a HUD. Ethereal's visual simplicity echoes its ease of control but doesn't compromise its beauty in the process.
Ethereal's 24 puzzles shouldn't take that long to complete, only overstaying their welcome when technical issues force you to repeatedly restart them. Although there are also a few uneven spikes in difficulty, the game's inviting visuals and soothing sound effects dress puzzles that are intelligently designed around your limited mobility. Ethereal is a satisfyingly challenging and unique puzzle game that serves as a delightful way to spend an afternoon.
No matter how long and tiresome your week is, there's at least one thing you can look forward to by the time you make it to Friday: Steam's free-to-play weekend games will be live. This weekend, only one title is available as a free-to-play exclusive, but it's a big one: XCOM 2, a turn-based strategy game where you command a resistance group of soldiers fighting back against aliens who have captured and now dominate Earth.
From now until Sunday, March 24 at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET / 8 PM GMT (or March 25 at 7 AM AET), you can play XCOM 2 completely for free on Steam--and if you love the game, be sure to grab it at its current steep discount of $15 / £11.37 / AU $21.16 (normally $60). It'll be on sale until Monday, March 25 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 5 PM GMT (or March 26 at 4 AM AET). The XCOM 2 Collection, its Digital Deluxe edition, and various DLC are marked down as well.
XCOM 2 takes places two decades after XCOM: Enemy Unknown, the series' 2012 reboot. You play as the commander of XCOM, a military organization working to sabotage and bring down the alien regime that now occupies Earth. Stealth and strategy play an even bigger role in this sequel, which allows for sneaking around enemies and planning thrilling ambushes. The game earned a 9/10 in GameSpot's XCOM 2 review for its nuanced strategy, compelling characters, and the critical decisions you're forced to make.
"Time keeps ticking in XCOM 2, and the best we can do is make the right choices when we have the chance," wrote GameSpot's Mike Mahardy. "XCOM 2 imparts the weight of those decisions, and that's what makes it extraordinary. It's mathematical, emotional, and thoughtful all at once. It's exhilarating, even in the face of failure. It's compelling, even though we often lose. Victory is the goal, but that's just an afterthought here--it's the complex journey that counts."
No comments:
Post a Comment