If you've ever had your browser crash--and who hasn't?--there's a good chance that Flash was to blame. Adobe, the company behind Flash, has announced its plans to kill off the platform in the coming years.
In a post on its website today, Adobe announced it will "end-of-life Flash," which means it will go through the process of phasing it out as companies continue to migrate to alternatives. "Specifically, we will stop updating and distributing the Flash Player at the end of 2020 and encourage content creators to migrate any existing Flash content to these new open formats," it said.
The next three-plus years will still see Flash supported by Adobe, including the release of security updates. It will, however, "move more aggressively to EOL Flash in certain geographies where unlicensed and outdated versions of Flash Player are being distributed." Various companies, including Microsoft, Apple (which gleefully notes that it's already blocked by default in Safari), and Google, all have their own plans for handling the phase out for Flash, but the end result is that you should begin seeing it even less than you have recently.
It's a move that has been a long time coming--Apple famously left out support for Flash from the iPhone, which portended its inevitable demise almost a decade ago. The tech has been largely rendered obsolete as other standards have emerged, including HTML5.
Adobe notes that Flash (and Shockwave) were created a time when the formats were needed. Flash has lingered due to its widespread adoption and usage, but it's consistently proven problematic over the last decade or more. Its death may make it more challenging to play old, Flash-based games and things of the sort, but by and large it should result in a more stable internet-browsing experience for everyone.
Splatoon 2, the sequel to the colorful Wii U shooter, is now available on Nintendo Switch. It introduces a new co-op mode called Salmon Run, changes to weapons and gear, and a new-and-improved version of the original's single player with fun collectibles to find.
The hardest collectibles to get are the Sunken Scrolls, short newspaper-like clippings, photographs, and more that provide clues to the world of Splatoon. There's one on each of the single-player campaign's 27 regular levels; click ahead for a full walkthrough on how to find each of them.
When you reach the section of this level with the tower, fall through the grate in squid form to get to the bottom. Instead of confronting the enemy right away, turn around; there will be a small portion of inkable wall and a horizontal grate with a box at the end. Swim up to the grate, then land on it in kid form. Shoot the box to reveal the scroll.
Tentakeel Outpost: Level 2
Early on in the level, you'll be at the bottom of two parallel towers with several enemies on a grate above you. Climb the first tower, then drop down into the pink ink at the foot of the second. The scroll is in a box by the wall.
Tentakeel Outpost: Level 3
You'll arrive at a wall guarded by pink paint-covered rollers. When they retract, quickly ink the wall and swim up it. Before going to the launchpad, turn to your right; there will be a ledge supporting an inkable wall. Climb up that wall to get the scroll.
Suction-Cup Lookout: Level 4
About halfway through the level, you'll reach a platform with Octohurlers riding smaller, thinner platforms around it. Kill each of them, then ink one of their platforms and ride it to the area underneath the main platform. Carefully swim or walk down the moving platform to reach the area with the scroll.
Suction-Cup Lookout: Level 5
Ride the winding rail on the platform with the pillar in the center. There will be a squid ring ahead of you; jump through it and onto the platform behind it. Shoot the box there to reveal the scroll.
Suction-Cup Lookout: Level 6
In the area with the torpedo-like Octarians, there's a platform under you with a rail entry point on it. You'll be able to see it from your landing point if you move a bit to the right. Carefully drop down to it, then ride the rail up to the platform tucked away at the end. The scroll will be in one of the boxes there.
Suction-Cup Lookout: Level 7
Get past the first two giant Squee-Gs. Once you reach the third, ride it to the opposite end of the platform and jump off of it onto the slightly higher area. Before using the launchpad to move on, jump down on the glass platform to the right--there's a small box in the corner containing the scroll.
Suction-Cup Lookout: Level 8
In the area with "a lot of Inkfurlers," be sure to shoot the fourth one--it's longer than the rest and will lead you straight to a platform with a box on it. Shoot the box to get the scroll.
Suction-Cup Lookout: Level 9
From your spawn, take a left. Go past the Splash Wall by the bridge and make your way to a second Splash Wall on a platform above one of the trapped Mini Zapfish. Destroy the Splash Wall and ink the area around it to reveal a box. Destroy the box to get the scroll.
Beaker's Depot: Level 10
Get past the section with the first Octoseeker and continue to the area with the second. Wait for it to pass by, then make your way to the gap in the platform that's bridged by inkable sponges. There's a second set of sponges below the first; use the Slosher to throw ink down on those, then carefully drop down onto them. The scroll is in the wooden box next to the launchpad.
Beaker's Depot: Level 11
At the narrow pathways (where Marie tells you not to get "sloppy"), there will be a platform below you. Drop down through the squid rings and splat the Tentakook here to get the scroll.
Beaker's Depot: Level 12
Carefully bounce your way past the conveyor of tall, inkable walls. While avoiding the Flooder at the end, ink up the (stationary) walls to your left. Swim up the shorter one, jump on top of the Flooder, and then jump and swim up the taller wall. At the top is a wooden box containing the scroll.
Beaker's Depot: Level 13
Shoot your Splatling at the Grapplink while the Flooder is under it; this will put you on top of the Flooder, which you can then ride over to the pillar with the cardboard box on it. Ink the sides, then jump over and swim to the top to retrieve the scroll inside.
Beaker's Depot: Level 14
Move carefully to avoid the Octosniper early on in this level. After moving from platform to platform, you'll hit a checkpoint; the scroll is directly underneath the area with the checkpoint on it. Just drop down and ink up the area to swim over to it.
Beaker's Depot: Level 15
The scroll is in a locked box in front and to the left of the Octoling spawn (if your back is to the spawn, that is). You'll be able to find one of two keys by breaking boxes near the center of the map. Keep in mind that the other locked box contains a special, so if you don't want to go looking for both keys, just skip that box.
Slimeskin Garrison: Level 16
Aim the cannon at the giant Octoballer, then shoot just as the Ocatarian becomes visible to destroy it. Quickly ink and swim your way up toward the pillar with the wooden box on it while avoiding the next Octoballer. The scroll is in the box.
Slimeskin Garrison: Level 17
Drop down through the grate just after the checkpoint, being careful not to fall off the rotating platform. Instead of going straight for the Octocommanders, turn around and make your way to the glass platform. The scroll is in a wooden box.
Slimeskin Garrison: Level 18
Make it past the rail-grinding section around the tower and to the area with three Octosnipers. Take out the snipers, then drop down to the platform below you. Break open the wooden box to get the scroll.
Slimeskin Garrison: Level 19
From the center area containing three launchpads and three locked boxes, take the middle launchpad. It will send you to an area you have to traverse using Grapplinks. The scroll is on an apparently out-of-reach grate. There is a red switch next to the fourth Grapplink down; aim a little to the left of the Grapplink with your blaster to ink up the switch (the large blast radius will also hook you to the Grapplink). You'll be able to pick up your hard-earned scroll at the final landing area, just before the launchpad that returns you to the start.
Slimeskin Garrison: Level 20
Collect one of the keys you need to proceed, then unlock the box straight ahead. It'll open up to reveal a fan; shoot at it to send the platform upward, then jump off of it and onto the stationary platform. Turn back around and, while still on the stationary platform, shoot down at the fan to move the elevator platform back up toward you. There will be a small red switch on the side closest to you. Shoot and ink it to reveal a hidden walkway behind you containing the scroll.
Slimeskin Garrison: Level 21
The scroll is on the Octolings' side of the map to the left of your spawn. You'll have to take out the Octosnipers (or, if you're really brave, just avoid them) to get there. Ink the wall and swim up to the lower grate, then jump to the grate on with the wooden box on it. Break open the box to get the scroll.
Cephalon HQ: Level 22
Throw a bomb to distract the Squee-Gs if need be, then ink up the invisible pillar on your right, closest to the Zapfish. There will be a series of invisible platforms you can access from this pillar; they'll lead you directly to the scroll. If you're having trouble finding it, just fling ink in all directions until something sticks.
Cephalon HQ: Level 23
Once you get to the winding ink rail, be prepared to jump twice: once over the pink ink roller, and then immediately over to another rail on your right. This rail will lead you to a platform containing the scroll.
Cephalon HQ: Level 24
Reach the platform with two moving pillars on it--the one with inkable sponges you can use to ascend. Just off the end of this platform, slightly below you, will be an inkable sponge. Use the Slosher to throw ink on it, then drop down. The scroll is tucked under the platform.
Cephalon HQ: Level 25
This one is a bit complicated, but it's a lot of fun! In the last section of the level, use your Splatling to shoot the target and move the floating platform. Continue to shoot it and ride your way around to where the Zapfish is held captive. Like in level 20, there's a hidden red switch on the side of the Zapfish's platform. Shoot it to reveal a launchpad; ride that launchpad to another platform, then climb up the Octostamp to reach another launchpad on its back. You'll land on a stack of boxes, which you can shoot with your Splatling to get the scroll.
Cephalon HQ: Level 26
You'll reach a set of two parallel platforms with stacks of three Octoballers each barreling toward you. The scroll is in a wooden box at the end of the right lane, but you have to jump to it from the left. Time it carefully and don't get squished!
Cephalon HQ: Level 27
Move out in front of your spawn past the first Mini Zapfish and ink the small platform in the center (it will have pink ink on it already) to reveal a wooden box. The box contains the scroll.
Bonus: Overworld Stamps
Each of the five overworlds contains one scroll, but they aren't like the rest--instead of lore details or cute tidbits, these give you stickers to commemorate your achievement. To get them, you have to shoot down a series of colored balloons before they blow away. It takes a little practice, but when you shoot the first balloon in the series, it will point you to the next balloon. Use ink to lay out a path for yourself as each balloon appears. Don't worry if you miss one; just wait for the starter balloon to reappear and try again.
Ubisoft has finally announced a release date for Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition on Nintendo Switch. Switch owners will be able to get their hands on the platformer starting on September 12 in North America and Europe.
The Definitive Edition includes a bunch of Switch-exclusive features that take advantage of the console's controls and touchscreen. In addition to the normal, four-player online co-op, it'll support local wireless multiplayer between Switch systems in the Kung Foot mini-game. It also includes a tournament mode for Kung Foot.
Further, if you play with the Switch undocked, you can also touch the screen to kill enemies, move platforms, and cut ropes at any time, in both single- and multiplayer modes; this feature debuted in the Wii U version. Finally, Ubisoft will also release a free demo at some point this summer. The demo was briefly available on the European Eshop recently, but it was quickly pulled. You can see a new trailer for the game above.
In February, Rayman creator Michel Ancel spoke about the decision to port the game to Switch, explaining that the Switch is an especially good system for Rayman. "Rayman Legends is like a board game," Ancel said. "It means playing with your friends in the same room, and this console is perfect for that. It's the concept of console we've been waiting for a long time: An HD console, powerful, portable."
The definitive edition will be available for $40. Rayman Legends originally launched back in 2013 for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and PC. Since then, it's been ported to PS4, Xbox One, and Vita, as well.
Update: As promised, the Humble Telltale Bundle has added new games. If you already purchased the bundle at the beat-the-average price or above, you'll receive these automatically. Otherwise, you can still get them by exceeding the average sale price ($8.86 as of this writing) with a purchase now. The new titles include The Wolf Among Us, Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse, Poker Night 2, The Walking Dead: 400 Days, and Jurassic Park: The Game. You can see a complete list of what's available in the lists at the bottom of this story.
Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse
Original Story: The latest Humble Bundle went live today, and this one's all about Telltale Games, the developer known for episodic adventure games. It discounts a whole bunch of PC games from the studio, from classic titles to more recent releases.
As always, this Humble Bundle is pay what you want--although there are tiers that unlock if you pay more. The first tier is composed primarily of older Telltale series, and you can get it for only $1. It includes the Sam and Max games, as well as Puzzle Agent and Bone. It also comes with the fantastic first season of The Walking Dead.
The next tier unlocks if you pay more than the average, which is $7.43 at the time of this writing. This one comes with more recent Telltale series, such as Tales from the Borderlands, the second season of The Walking Dead, and Game of Thrones. Humble Bundle promises that more games will be unlocked for this tier in the coming days, too.
Finally, if you spend at least $15, you'll also receive a copy of Telltale's Batman series and Minecraft: Story Mode. You can see the full breakdown of games below.
In other Telltale news, the studio has said that it has news to share this week during San Diego Comic-Con. Although it hasn't given any details, a rating appeared that suggested that Telltale is working on a new Batman series.
Pay $1 or more:
Sam and Max Season 1
Sam and Max Season 2
Puzzle Agent 1
Puzzle Agent 2
Bone Episodes 1 and 2
Hector: Badge of Carnage
Telltale Texas Hold 'Em
Poker Night at the Inventory
The Walking Dead Season 1
Beat the Average:
The Walking Dead: Michonne
Tales from the Borderlands
The Walking Dead: Season 2
Game of Thrones
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier 50% off coupon for the Humble Store
Forza Motorsport 7 will have an enormous number of drivable cars--over 700, Microsoft states. Today, a handful of those were revealed, and they're all really cool vintage race cars.
In a blog post today, developer Turn 10 announced that a whole bunch of classic cars are coming to the game. They're not just 1960s and '70s muscle cars, either: they go way back to the years before World War II, when car racing was just getting started. According to the studio, they include cars with wooden frames; the first attempts at race cars from well-known manufacturers; and cars that significantly influenced automobile design.
1953 Chevrolet Corvette
You can see the whole list here. Turn 10 highlights the 1950 Alfa Romeo 158, the 1967 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, and the 1953 Chevrolet Corvette. The Volkswagen is particularly notable, considering that the manufacturer was conspicuously absent from Turn 10's most recent release, Forza Horizon 3. Due to a licensing disagreement, the studio wasn't able to get VW cars in the game. They'll return, however, to Forza Motorsport 7.
2K and Firaxis have unveiled the next playable civilization and leader on its way to Civilization VI. The new DLC will introduce Nubia to the mix.
Led by the queen Amanitore, Nubia features the unique Ta-Seti ability. This offer bonus production when creating ranged units, and those units gain experience more quickly in combat. Additionally, mines provide more production than usual when built on strategic resources and more gold when built on luxury resources. Amanitore's unique ability is Kandake of Meroe, providing bonus production when constructing districts, which themselves are improved if a Nubian Pyramid (more on those in a second) is located next to the city center.
Ta-Seti combines nicely with Nubia's unique unit, the Pitati. These are both stronger and faster than the Archer unit that they replace and can be upgraded into the Crossbowman. The civ also has access to a unique tile improvement called the Nubian Pyramid. Masonry is a requirement, and they can only be built on desert, desert hill, and flood plain tiles, but they provide faith and additional bonuses based on the adjacent tiles.
A release date for Nubia was not announced; we only know it's coming "soon" along with a Gifts of the Nile scenario, where you play as Nubia or Egypt and attempt to the control the Nile River. If you own the Digital Deluxe edition of Civ VI, you'll automatically receive the Nubia DLC for free. A price also was not announced, but other civ/scenario packs sell for $5.
The biggest addition from the Operation Frontier Shield pack is Frontier Defense, a four-player cooperative horde mode that tasks players with defending their Harvester against increasingly difficult waves of enemies. The reward for completing matches is mode-exclusive Aegis Ranks, which can unlock additional upgrades for players' Titans. Frontier Defense currently supports five maps, though Respawn says that additional ones will be added to the mode in future updates.
Along with Frontier Defense, today's update introduces two new maps to the game. The first, Rise, is a remaster from the original Titanfall and is one of the five stages supported in the aforementioned mode. Rise is a close-quarters map that emphasizes long sight lines. The second map, Township, is for the game's Live Fire mode and is a residential area with sparse coverage.
Finally, players will be able to purchase various Warpaints for their Titans and weapons. Aside from their cosmetic differences, the Titan Warpaints give players and their teammates a chance to earn bonus Aegis XP after completing Frontier Defense matches. These skins are only available until August 28 and can be purchased individually for $5 or as a bundle for $25. Additionally, players can buy Elite Weapon Warpaints that grant merit boosts for the team as well as a 10% chance to earn a double XP token at the end of a match. These are likewise available until August 28 and retail for $5 individually or $25 as a bundle. You can learn more about the Warpaints on Respawn's website.
Respawn has also made an assortment of fixes and refinements to the game. You can read about all of the changes from today's update here, while a portion of the patch notes can be found below.
Game Improvements
Added more out of bounds triggers to Complex.
New stats page for maps, including tracking of Frontier Defense difficulty levels.
Visual improvements for Weapon and Titan stats pages.
Titan Balance
General
Ogre class Titans now have a baseline of 1 dash with a 10 second cooldown.
Turbo Engine will now reduce cool down of Scorch and Legion's dashes to 5 seconds. It will still behave the same as before for other Titan classes.
Overcore now gives 20% core meter.
Electric Smoke unlocks at 20% instead of 25%.
Ronin
Sword Block damage reduction reduced by 5%.
Scorch
Scorch will now have 1 dash charge with a 10 second cooldown.
Increased Firewall's width.
Scorch Kits
Wildfire Launcher now increases the direct-hit damage of the Thermite Launcher. It still increases the amount of fire spread.
Scorched Earth's lingering fire lasts longer.
Tempered Plating now makes Scorch immune to crits and his own thermite damage.
Fixed a bug with Flame Core not igniting Incendiary Traps.
Legion
Legion will now have 1 dash charge with a 10 second cooldown.
Hidden Compartment: Power Shot has two charges and Power Shot damage is reduced by 15%.
Monarch
XO-16 base magazine size increased to 40 rounds.
Reduced the strength of the slow effect of Energy Siphon.
Slightly reduced effectiveness of Arc Rounds against Vortex Shield and Heat Shield.
Multi-Target Missile System no longer locks onto cloaked targets.
Pilot Balance
General
Aim Assist settings have been modified for Assault Rifles and SMGs.
ARs and SMGs require you to be aiming closer to your target before any ADS assist takes effect.
Reduced the overall effectiveness of ADS assist for Assault Rifles.
Titan Hunter kit modified to be 10% extra Titan meter from damage instead of 10% Titan Meter on Titan Kill.
Phase Shift
Now has just 1 charge, but recharges faster.
SMGs
Medium and long damage significantly reduced.
One of the positive changes we saw in the High TTK playlist was the increase of weapon diversity. It is our hope that between the Aim Assist nerf and this SMG nerf, we'll see weapon diversity increased across all three platforms.
G2
Reduced fire rate.
DMR
Reduced fire rate: In this particular instance, we felt that the reduced fire rate simply made the gun feel better since the gun stabilizes better between shots.
Flatline
Slightly reduced damage at medium range. It still has the best medium range damage of any Assault Rifle.
Archer
No longer locks onto cloaked targets.
Smart Pistol
No longer locks onto cloaked targets.
Sidearms
High TTK playlist changes for the P2016, Wingman, Wingman Elite, and Mozambique have been brought over to bring their power level down now that all Pilots can carry a secondary weapon.
Melee
Lunge time and melee hit frames changed to .3 seconds from .2 seconds. This will help people firing weapons, particularly automatic weapons, get extra shots in before the lunge completes.
Melee lunge range reduced.
Non-lunge melee attack range increased. This will help with the cases where melee looks like it should hit but doesn't connect with the target.
Game Mode Adjustments
Various improvements to the UI for Private Match, including increased visibility of text chat on PC.
Misc. Bug Fixes
Fixed issues with purchasable Nose Arts not showing up correctly on Titans.
Spectators in Marked for Death can no longer be marked for death.
(Xbox One) Buttons and pod doors in War Games intro sequence now play at the correct volume.
Titan Nose Arts flagged as Advocate Gift unlocks may now actually be awarded when opening Advocate Gifts.
Update: Microsoft has published a response to coverage of the possible death of MS Paint, and it claims that the app is "here to stay."
The response is a bit confusing, but the gist of it is this: MS Paint as you know it will eventually be made available on the Windows Store for free. In the meantime, most of its functionality is getting integrated with Paint 3D. Microsoft will continue updating Paint 3D, but normal Paint won't be updated any longer.
Original Story: Chances are good that you've messed around in MS Paint at least once in your life. The app has been around for 32 years now, and over the decades it has become primarily used both as digital white-out and as a tool for creating hilariously bad--and, sometimes, astoundingly good--pictures. But now, MS Paint might be going the way of Clippy, the personal assistant. Microsoft is marking Paint for possible removal from Windows this fall.
Microsoft has just added several apps to the list of features "that are removed or deprecated in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update," and Paint is one that's marked "deprecated." According to the company, this means that Paint is "not in active development and might be removed in future releases."
Image from PC Mag.
Alongside Paint, Microsoft will also remove several older apps like Reader, Reading List, and Outlook Express. But it's adding a bunch of new features in the update, many of which are meant to make using Microsoft apps and files on iPhones and iPads easier.
Microsoft Paint was originally added to the first version of Windows way back in 1985. Since then, it's been a staple of every Windows release. Although the built-in Paint app might disappear in the near future, its successor still survives: Paint 3D lets you create both 2D and 3D images, and it's available on the Windows 10 store.
It's been six months since Dark Souls-esque action game Nioh launched on PS4, but if you've been wanting a reason to return to it, there's some good news today. Nioh's Defiant Honor DLC pack is available now and adds new enemies, weapons, and more.
In a PlayStation Blog post, Team Ninja creative director Tom Lee discussed some of the major additions in Defiant Honor. Chief among them is Sanada Yukimura, a new samurai that you can fight. The developer said that he'll be the hardest foe in the game.
"His brave heroics and fearlessness in the face of death epitomizes the spirit of the samurai," Lee said. "A perfect warrior in many respects, and for a game that is profoundly focused on life and death we could not think of a better candidate as the toughest adversary in Nioh."
In addition, Defiant Honor also brings you up against a ninja named Sarutobi Sasuke. He acts as Yukimura's guard and is nearly as tough as the samurai.
Although these enemies are going to be difficult to defeat, players also get a new weapon to confront them with: the Tonfa. It's a ninja weapon meant for close-quarters melee combat. "The Tonfa may also put a smile on many of the faces of our loyal Ninja Gaiden fans who are surely familiar with this impressive weapon," Lee wrote.
Defiant Honor costs $10 / £10 on the PlayStation Store, but it's free if you own the season pass. This is the second DLC pack for the game; the first, Dragon of the North, launched back in May. There's a third pack in the works, called Bloodshed's End, but Team Ninja hasn't said anything about it yet.
This week's US PSN deals have been revealed, and there's a whole load of games on offer for PS4, PS3, and PS Vita. The discounts are spread across two different promotions, with an additional list of deals for PS Plus subscribers.
Firstly, the Totally Digital sale--which started last week--has been updated with new offers on a wide array of downloadable PS4 games. Some of the best deals available include co-op sidescroller Broforce for less than half off at $6.74, The Escapists at $8 (down from $20), and a double pack of Limbo and Inside for $18 (reduced from $30). Titan Souls is also less than half price at $6.74, while beautiful strategy title The Banner Saga is down from $20 to $12. Take a look at the full list here; you'll get an extra 10-15% off the prices listed here on all of those if you're a PS Plus member. In addition, some as yet unreleased games--such as Patapon Remastered, Last Day of June, and Absolver--are discounted until their respective launches.
Talking of PS Plus, a bunch of offers exclusive to Sony's subscription service are included in a separate part of the Store. For Honor is half off at $30, for example, and Persona 5 is down to $48. The excellent Resident Evil 7 is down to $36, while Tekken 7 is already down to $48. Other big games available in sale include Ghost Recon Wildlands for $36, both Yakuza 0 and The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind for $42, and the brilliant first-person adventure game What Remains of Edith Finch for $15. Check out all the PS Plus special offers here.
Finally, EA is having its own sale on the PlayStation Store. This one's smaller, but some great deals can still be found, such as the Star Wars Battlefront season pass for $8, Battlefield 1 for $24, and Titanfall 2 for $20. You can see all the EA action games on offer here.
By Anonymous on Jul 25, 2017 10:45 pm The newest Titanfall 2 Operation Frontier Shield DLC features the return of Frontier Defense, a 4-player PVE horde mode, and two new maps.
With over half of Season 2 down, this week's episode of Preacher, titled "Sokosha," not only supplied a firm (and violent) reminder of who exactly the Saint of Killers (Graham McTavish) is. The episode in question brought a possible end to the big bad's story once and for all.
The majority of the characters in Season 1 were killed off in the finale when the city of Annville was destroyed--except for the Saint of Killers. Viewers were teased with the pending battle between Jesse (Dominic Cooper) and the Saint in Season 1's final moments. And following through on that promise, the Seth Rogen/Evan Goldberg-produced program began Season 2 with the Saint of Killers hot on Jesse Custer's trail.
While Season 2 has felt more true to the comics storyline than Season 1 did, it's pretty clear that the show hasn't fully done the Saint of Killers justice. The books found the Cowboy continually having unsuccessful face-offs with Jesse, only to be blocked by the power of the preacher's word--Genesis. But the series changed that. On the screen, Jesse's power--the word of God himself--has no effect on the Saint.
God's left heaven. (Who knew the heavenly father was such a deadbeat?) This is the crux of both Jesse and the Saint of Killers' dilemma. While Jesse is out to track down God to make him answer for his misdeeds, the Cowboy comes to the realization in "Sokosha" that his angelic deal to kill the preacher and be reunited with his family is pretty much null and void. If God and the angels are gone, how will the Saint get into heaven?
What we finally got in Monday's episode was a full-blown confrontation between Jesse, Tulip (Ruth Negga), Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun), and the Saint. But the way it all went down was completely wrong. While the Saint of Killers definitely walked the walk and talked the talk, there was something empty about this final confrontation. The Saint was never shown as a hero in the comics, but towards the story's end, he was revealed as a character with empathy and a real end-goal. He was a character who, once he made a deal with Jesse, went out on his own terms--and pointed in the right direction on the series' often broken moral compass.
But since the beginning of Season 2, the Saint has been nothing but a bloodthirsty beast out to wreak havoc wherever he goes. Whether it's ripping a man's tongue from his mouth or massacring a small roadside hotel, it's felt as if this iteration of the Saint was more a horror movie villain than a deeply flawed man--but still a man.
Look, he's the Angel of Death, and his immediate urge is simply to kill. But deep down, he has more specific motivations. Does that make sense? Once you take the character's empathy away--that library montage may have given a nice nod to the late Steve Dillon's artwork, but didn't help much to connect with the character--all you have left is a horror movie monster.It felt for a second that the episode would end with Jesse and the Saint coming to an accord, making way for Herr Starr (Pip Torrens) to fully enter the picture. But as we watched Jesse get the upper hand on the Cowboy, things took a brutal and darker turn. Could the real villain of Preacher Season 2 be the preacher himself?
It's possible the Saint of Killers will return in future episodes to bring justice to Jesse Custer. But the way the episode ended, with the Cowboy locked away in an armored truck, sinking into the marshy waters of New Orleans, this could also be his final bow. And it's a shame if it is. Throughout his appearance in both seasons of Preacher, audiences barely got a taste of the Saint of Killers' real potential.
"Sokosha" felt like the Saint's swan song. The creative team of Sam Catlin, Seth Rogen, and Evan Goldberg may have gotten the character's look and backstory right--Graham McTavish does a great job bringing the foreboding cowboy to life--but there was a lack of any real humanity to the Saint. And maybe that was deliberate. After all, audiences finally got a hint at Jesse's own familial backstory in the episode, and if this plot point is as gruesome in the show as it was in the comics, our hero preacher is about to go down a dark and sinister road.
The co-op zombie shooter Killing Floor 2 is coming to Xbox One, developer Tripwire announced today. The game releases for Microsoft's console on August 29 and will be compatible with Xbox One X when that system launches on November 7.
The Xbox One version will retail for $40 and features all of the game's previously released content packs, as well as timed-exclusive content in the form of a new weapon for the Survival Perk called the Freezethrower. As its name implies, the gun sprays liquid nitrogen, allowing players to freeze Zeds and shatter them to pieces. Players can customize the Freezethrower with eight different weapon skins. Additionally, Xbox players will have timed-exclusive access to the Wasteland Armor uniform with five different skins. The game will feature visuals enhancements such as improved performance and 4K support when played on Xbox One X.
Killing Floor 2 was originally released for PlayStation 4 and PC in November 2016, though it was available in Early Access since 2015. The game is set in Europe following an outbreak of zombie-like creatures called Zeds. One to six players can team up to take on waves of the monsters in Survival mode. The game also features a PvP mode that pits two teams of six players against each other, one side playing as humans and the other assuming the role of Zeds.
Killing Floor 2 was well-received when it first launched; GameSpot awarded the PS4 version 8/10 in our review, with critic Miguel Concepcion saying, "The game hones in on the basic appeal of killing zombies without the complications of reaching waypoints or setting up intricate fortifications. Yet Killing Floor 2's strongest asset is in its simple yet effective combat--Tripwire could substitute the Zeds for robots or Nazis and still have a solid shooter on its hands."
The Xbox One's backwards compatibility feature, introduced in November 2015, lets you play Xbox 360 games on the new console. But what games are available? We've now rounded them all up--and we'll continue to update this post as new games are made available.
We're just a few days away from August, and Microsoft has finally announced the list of games that Xbox Live Gold members will soon be able to download for free. As always, it includes four total games: two for Xbox One and two for Xbox 360.
On the Xbox One side, the month starts out with Slime Rancher, the first-person sim game where you manage a farm of adorable slime creatures. It's been in Early Access on PC for some time, but August 1 marks its official release, meaning Gold members will get it for free right out of the gate. On August 16, Trials Fusion, the latest game in the excellent platforming-with-bikes series, will become free.
In terms of Xbox 360 games, the first half of the month features stellar character action game Bayonetta, while the second half will offer Red Faction: Armageddon. Both of these games are also playable on Xbox One through backwards compatibility; Armageddon is a new addition to the program.
The newest Titanfall 2 Operation Frontier Shield DLC features the return of Frontier Defense, a 4-player PVE horde mode, and two new maps.
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