Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Remastered is releasing on August 27, but it’ll be missing a major feature from the original GameCube version. The game’s Japanese Twitter account has confirmed that the game will only feature online multiplayer, and you won’t be able to set up an offline co-op session.
The tweet below, roughly translated, says that the game does not feature offline multiplayer, with online play prioritized so that more people would be able to play together.
The original GameCube release had couch co-op, but with a twist–extra players beyond the first would need to connect with a Game Boy Advance link cable and play on Nintendo’s handheld device. Getting together three extra players who all owned the console and the link cable meant that co-op Crystal Chronicles was a fairly niche activity.
Interestingly, a team of four can tackle the game online as long as just one person owns it. A Lite version demo will let you play through the full game if the host owns it, or three dungeons with other folks who downloaded this free version.
Since crossplay is enabled, there’s theoretically nothing stopping Switch and mobile players, at least, playing together on separate devices in the same room. But if you’re looking to get four players together on a single television, you’re out of luck.
Death Stranding is out now on PC, and players who didn’t get the chance to experience Hideo Kojima’s unusual, yet still prescient take on the post-apocalypse now have a fresh way to experience it. Playing as Sam Porter Bridges, you’ll make many deliveries across an alternate North America changed by a supernatural event that has forever blurred the lines between life and death. In addition to a variety of quality-of-life changes and upgrades for the PC release, Death Stranding now comes with a slew of items paying homage to Valve’s Half-Life and Portal franchises.
On the surface, this new side-story featuring a mysterious imposter who admires games from Valve may seem like another set of references to games and broader pop-culture that you’d expect to see in a Hideo Kojima game. But as it turns out, this extended side-story offers some surprisingly useful perks for Sam, along with a fun payoff at its conclusion. However, it should be noted that this side-story spans across the entirety of Death Stranding. To see this storyline to its finish, you’ll need to complete the main story of the game and reach its post-game chapter.
In this spoiler-free guide, we’re going to tell you how to take part in this questline, and what you’ll need to do to get each Valve item in Death Stranding on PC. It all starts with an email marked with a λ symbol in Chapter 2, and from there, you’ll get a total of six emails that make some bizarre references to Portal and Half-Life. And as you’ll come to find, the requests from these emails run much deeper than the ramblings from a supposed Valve fanboy. So with that, here’s how to get each Valve item in the game.
The First Email: Chapter 2 | Reward: Gordon’s Glasses
Following your return from the Wind Farm delivery in Chapter 2, you’ll get an important email from Benjamin H marked with a λ symbol. While you’ll recognize the name as the person in charge of the Distribution Center west of Capital Knot City, it becomes apparent that something is amiss in the email. “Benjamin” will instruct you to head north of the distro center to find a stray piece of cargo near the river. This one isn’t too hard to find. Just follow the river outside of the center north, and you’ll come up to an extra-large piece of cargo, which, as it turns out, is a lost Companion Cube from the Portal series. After picking it up, return to the distro center to claim your reward.
After turning in this lost cargo, you’ll get your first Valve crossover item, a pair of Gordon Freeman’s glasses from the Half-Life series. These glasses are purely a cosmetic item for Sam to change his look, and they don’t offer up any gameplay benefits. Still, it is a neat cosmetic for Sam, especially if you’re tired of the sunglasses.
The Second Email: Chapter 3 | Reward: The Valve
After making it to the second map in Chapter 3, you’ll get a new objective to carry out a chain of orders from the head of Lake Knot City. This set of deliveries will task you with bringing items to the Engineer, the Elder, and finally to the Craftsman–all located in the northeast section of the map. While making these deliveries, you’ll get a lay of the land and learn the best paths to your destinations. Once the deliveries are complete with the Craftsman, you’ll get another mysterious email with the λ symbol. This time, it’s coming from someone impersonating the head of Lake Knot City. You’ll need to find another Companion Cube, which is stashed at a remote bunker owned by Peter Englert, directly west of Lake Knot City. Once you get there, look to the water towers next to the building to find the Companion Cube. On another note, remember this location. You’ll eventually get an odd request to deliver pizzas to Peter Englert–which also happens to have a unique payoff.
Returning the Companion Cube to Lake Knot City will reward you with another cosmetic item, the iconic valve from, well, Valve. Anyone who’s played a Valve game will remember its games always begin with a somewhat ominous opening featuring a man with a red Valve stuck in his head. Now, you can have Sam wear that valve as a cosmetic item, which is placed on the back of his head as well. While it offers no gameplay benefit whatsoever, it’s still a cool nod to Valve.
The Third Email: Chapter 3 | Reward: The Gravity Glove
When you head further south in Chapter 3, you’ll eventually reach the Weather Station west of the Distribution Center South of Lake Knot City. Your main order from the Weather Station will be to deliver to the Timefall Farm, which is directly south past the wheat fields. Once you complete the order there and head back to the Distribution Center South of Lake Knot City, you’ll get a new email from the imposter. You’re tasked with finding another Companion Cube that was stolen by a group of MULEs to the northwest of Distribution Center South of Lake Knot City. At that northwestern MULE camp (just before the mountains), you’ll find several bandits keeping guard. It’s best to sneak in, knocking out MULEs as needed, and hightailing it out of there back to the distro center with the Cube.
When you return to the Distribution Center South of Lake Knot City, you’ll be able to claim your reward from the person impersonating Thomas Southerland. This order will grant you the Gravity Glove, the central item from Half-Life: Alyx. While the previous rewards were purely cosmetic, the Gravity Glove has gameplay purposes, and it’s one of the more useful pieces of gear in Death Stranding. Like in Half-Life: Alyx, you’ll be able to use the glove to pull in objects that are several feet in front of you, at the cost of some of your suit battery. While it doesn’t outright break the game, it is an incredibly useful item. This is a must-have, and you’ll want to get it as soon as you’re able to.
The Fourth Email: Chapter 3 | Reward: The λ Truck
Following your exploits with the Junk Dealer near the tar lake, you’ll eventually get another order from the individual impersonating Thomas Southerland. They’ll ask you to retrieve another Companion Cube lost in an abandoned factory directly northeast from the Craftsman. Unfortunately, this area is filled with BTs, including the rare giant BTs that are a bit harder to deal with. The best way to get the Cube and escape with minimal resistance is to be as careful and patient as possible during your trek inside the hostile territory. Once you get the Cube, quietly backtrack and leave the area.
After returning the Companion Cube to Distribution Center South of Lake Knot City, you’ll get a special Half-Life-branded truck. Just like the long-range truck that Sam can fabricate at distro centers, this vehicle is able to carry tons of cargo and trek great distances. What’s special about this particular truck is that it is not only more energy-efficient than the standard vehicles, but it also takes much less damage from Timefall. So if you’re going to fabricate a truck, this is the one to choose.
The Fifth Email: Chapter 8 | Reward: Headcrab
After the fourth email from the mysterious imposter, it’ll be a while till you see another. The next λ email arrives during Chapter 8. After meeting Heartman in person, he’ll ask you to get three preppers on the Chiral Network: the Geologist, the Paleontologist, and the Evo-Devo scientist. This delivery run can be pretty tricky, as the heavy snow, presence of BTs, and the rough terrain can be troublesome to deal with–especially all at once. So, of course, this is the perfect time to get a new message from the imposter. Shortly after getting the Paleontologist on the network, the imposter will break their silence. Impersonating the Paleontologist this time, they ask you to retrieve another Companion Cube from a ruin in the mountains directly south of Heartman’s Lab. Once you arrive, be sure to avoid the BTs in the area and be careful when trekking back down to the Paleontologist’s shelter.
This delivery will earn you the Headcrab hat. Like in the Half-Life series, the Headcrab is a gross creature that latches onto your head and sucks the life out of you. Thankfully, it’s much more friendly and helpful in Death Stranding. Not only is the Headcrab a neat cosmetic, but it also has the bonus of restoring lost stamina by draining Sam’s blood supply. To trigger this effect, Sam will need to be relaxed once the stamina meter is nearly empty. It will begin to feed off Sam’s blood to get him back into solid shape. If you bring a blood bag, the Headcrab will dip into those resources instead of Sam’s health, which removes the risk when having this hat active.
The Sixth and Final Email: Chapter 15 | Reward: The Reveal and the Half-Life: Alyx – Strider Hologram
The final Valve crossover mission in Death Stranding takes place after completion of the game’s story. During Chapter 15, the post-game where you freely explore and finish outstanding orders, the real Benjamin Hancock from the Distribution Center West of Capital Knot City will send you an email about looking into the identity of the mysterious imposter. He’ll direct you to a location just outside of Middle Knot City’s crater–which is just north of the Craftsman’s shelter. In a surprising twist, this side-objective adds a slightly new section of the map that wasn’t present in the original PS4 version. In front of the crater past the tar belt is a small ruin with numerous BTs, including giant and rare red variants, which makes it a tough encounter. After securing the next Companion Cube, you’ll need to bring it to the incinerator station just west of your present location.
After cremating the final Companion Cube, you’ll get a message from the imposter who reveals their true identity to you and explains the rationale behind this elaborate, fourth-wall-breaking side-story. We won’t say who it is, but it was a fun payoff that also fits perfectly into Death Stranding’s weird world. The final reward you’ll get from the imposter is a chiral hologram depicting the Strider from Half-Life: Alyx. You can engage this hologram by placing it on any level 2 structure built from a PCC item. This special hologram doesn’t offer any unique benefits, but like the giant Tallneck projection you can also find the game, it’s a nice surprise for other players who approach your structures.
That does it for this guide on the Valve crossover storyline in Death Stranding. For more guides on Hideo Kojima’s bizarre open-world game, including the full list of memory chips, be sure to check out GameSpot’s roundup of content for the game. If you want to know more about the PC release of Death Stranding, give our updated review a look as well.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
We’re only days away from the release of Ghost of Tsushima, and if you’re excited for the upcoming open-world samurai game, then you might like to know there’s a free PS4 dynamic theme you can snag while you wait. This is the same dynamic theme that was being offered earlier this year, but now it’s made a comeback. It’s unclear how long it’ll be available for, so you’re going to want to claim it as soon as you can.
Some of these are also the same unlimited-use codes that were offered via developer Sucker Punch’s Twitter account earlier this year. They originally expired on January 31, but it seems they’re once again active (thanks, Wario64).
Free Ghost of Tsushima theme for PSN (unlimited use codes, seems to be the same theme from late last year) Americas: 5NEC-F9N4-75M8 Europe/AU/NZ/Russia/Middle East/Africa/India: 8T2T-CRNJ-FM72 Japan: N4TK-59NH-2LH3 Korea: EM56-NTNC-EHX8 Asia: DHLN-HANF-F6LH pic.twitter.com/AQTOr2z0Vd
Ghost of Tsushima releases July 17 for the PS4, marking itself as the last big PS4 exclusive before the next-gen PS5 launches this holiday season. It received a positive 7/10 in GameSpot’s Ghost of Tsushima review for its “stunning open-world environment” and “stylish combat.” However, critic Edmond Tran was disappointed by the “rote open-world quest structures” and “unfortunate camera positioning.”
“[Ghost of Tsushima] hits a lot of fantastic cinematic highs, and those ultimately lift it above the trappings of its familiar open-world quest design and all the innate weaknesses that come with it–but those imperfections and dull edges are definitely still there,” he wrote. “Ghost of Tsushima is at its best when you’re riding your horse and taking in the beautiful world on your own terms, armed with a sword and a screenshot button, allowing the environmental cues and your own curiosity to guide you. It’s not quite a Criterion classic, but a lot of the time it sure looks like one.”
There’s still time to pre-order Ghost of Tsushima before it releases and get its included pre-order bonuses. There are a number of special editions you can reserve as well, including a collector’s edition with protagonist Jin Sakai’s mask.
Gotham City is one of the most fleshed out and richly developed corners of the DC Universe. It’s been the setting for award-winning movies, triple-A video games, and animated cartoon classics. There’s a good chance that you can name at least one or two of its major landmarks, like Ace Chemicals or the Wayne Enterprises building, even if you aren’t particularly into Batman. This means, if you’re going to kick off a new superhero TV show, Gotham City is an easy pick for a setting–the Dark Knight himself doesn’t even need to show up at all for it to feel steeped in superhero lore. Heck, it already had a show that was literally just called Gotham that did, basically, exactly that for five seasons.
Now HBO Max has announced a new Gotham-set TV show is coming and it’s focused on the Gotham City that exists within the upcoming film, The Batman. Details are sparse at the moment, but chatter around the news on social media brought up a potential inspiration: the comic book series Gotham Central by Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker, and Michael Lark, which focused entirely on Gotham cops trying their best to navigate their ordinary jobs around superheroes and supervillains. If this also sounds sort of like the TV show Gotham, it is–except Gotham Central played things as straight as possible and Gotham, to put it lightly, didn’t. For Gotham Central fans, this vague announcement, coupled with the promise of Reeves’ movie being more detective-focused and grounded, means there’s a potential second chance on the horizon for a more authentic Gotham Central TV experience.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with Gotham the TV show or even making a brand new show based on Gotham Central–it’s a great comic, and if you haven’t read it, you definitely should. However, the announcement left us wondering: why is it that, whenever anyone wants to tell stories in Gotham City, the GCPD is the go-to? Sure, Gotham’s police characters are famous (and, with one or two notable exceptions, famously terrible at their jobs) so there’s that, but why do we constantly return to their stories when there’s so much unexplored territory left within Gotham’s city limits? Which is to say nothing of just how tone deaf and odd it feels to announce a new cop show while other networks are canceling and re-thinking their cop-based shows following nationwide protests against racial inequality and police brutality against Black people.
So, we got to thinking about some potential alternatives for shows set in Gotham that A) aren’t about Batman directly but still leave the door open for plenty of references or cameos depending on what and how the Reeves film fleshes things out, B) aren’t about the GCPD, and C) would actually be way more interesting and fun to watch than yet another police procedural show anyway. Some are loosely inspired by existing comics, others are original, all of them would, we think, be really exciting.
A number of high profile accounts have been hacked on Twitter, all tweeting out Bitcoin scams. Reported by CNET, the Twitter accounts of Bill Gates, Kanye West, Elon Musk, Apple, and other high profile and verified accounts have been compromised, all tweeting out a similar Bitcoin scam.
Kanye’s since deleted tweet said “I am giving back to my fans. All Bitcoin sent to my address below will be sent back doubled. I am only doing a maximum of $10,000,000.” The Bitcoin address given in the tweet was identical to the address in Gates’, Musk’s, and Apple’s hacked tweets.
Photo Credit: CNETPhoto Credit: CNET
The official Twitter Support account posted a statement saying that they are aware of the issue and are investigating.
We are aware of a security incident impacting accounts on Twitter. We are investigating and taking steps to fix it. We will update everyone shortly.
A spokesperson for Gates confirmed that the tweet was not sent by Gates and it part of a larger issue that Twitter is aware of and actively dealing with.
NEW — statement from a spokesperson for Bill Gates. “We can confirm that this tweet was not sent by Bill Gates. This appears to be part of a larger issue that Twitter is facing. Twitter is aware and working to restore the account.” pic.twitter.com/v37Jvs76Jl
The official Cash App account also sent out a similar tweet, however it contained a different Bitcoin address. A number of crypto currency accounts, like Gemini and Coinbase, have also been compromised. It is currently unknown how all of these accounts are being accessed, but the large number of high-profile accounts being accessed suggests a serious security issue.
At the time of writing this, the scammers Bitcoin address has reportedly gained about $100,000 from the scams, according to the publicly visible transactions.
You should be wary of any tweets you see related to sending Bitcoin to people and in the wise words of DrLupo,
While no high-profile gaming accounts have been hacked as of yet, the unprecedented attack has prompted some responses from those in gaming circles.
I have decided to give back to the community. Everyone who sends bitcoin to the following address will receive the answer to one question of their choice. please send all the bitz coinage to: beepbeepboopboopbooooopwooootbipOOOTINIII!!!!
Escape From Tarkov developer Battlestate Games dropped patch notes for the highly-anticipated Patch 0.12.7 early, alongside a teaser video showcasing the new Customs expansion and some of the update’s brand-new weapons–including the FN GL40 grenade launcher. Patch notes highlights include details on the new areas being added to Customs, a new scav boss at Shoreline, the reworked skill system, and an HP tweak that will end up being a huge nerf to some popular ammo types. There is no word on a release date for the patch just yet.
According to the patch notes, the industrial area and construction site at Customs are getting expanded, with new explorable buildings, a new spawn location for scav boss Reshala, and stationary weapons. Shoreline is also getting new quests and a new scav boss named Sanitar. The last map to get a substantial expansion was Reserve, as part of an update in late June.
The new weapons include the Mossberg 590A1 Shotgun and the FN GL40 grenade launcher, which you can get a glimpse of in the teaser video, at about 37 seconds. This should not be confused with the GP-34 underbarrel grenade launcher, another planned item that will be compatible with AK family assault rifles, but does not appear to be part of this update.
One of the most notable adjustments is the addition of 5 HP to the Chest region, from 80 to 85. This effectively eliminates the one-shot chest kill potential of certain ammo types, like 7.62x54R LPS Gzh rounds, a popular and cheap option for the Mosin bolt-action sniper rifle.
More on the various skill system changes, new ammo types, stimulants, and various optimizations and bug fixes can be read in the patch notes below, or over on the Escape From Tarkov forums.
Escape From Tarkov 0.12.7 Patch Notes (Preliminary)
Added:
Customs expansion (expansion of industrial area, construction site, added many new explorable buildings, stationary weapons, new location for Reshala spawn etc.)
Added new scav boss – Sanitar.
A former doctor, he worked in the health resort “Lazurny bereg”, and before that in the TerraGroup laboratory. After the events that happened in Tarkov, he gathered a gang with former colleagues and operates on the “Shoreline”. Actively uses professional skills in combat, quickly healing himself and the gang members. He uses various stimulants and medications, including those of his own production. He can quickly perform surgery by pulling out a bullet or applying a tourniquet on the field. Sometimes he is loyal to the Scavs and can leave a couple of first-aid kits or other medical supplies for his own group members on location
New quests on Shoreline
System for reporting suspicious players, unacceptable nicknames and game bugs abusers (on the post-match screen)
Improved AI behavior:
Bots can pick up items now
Improved AI behavior when they see bodies
Bots now can pick up a second firearm from bodies
AI now can greet each other or player scavs, showing their peaceful intentions
Bots will eatdrink while in peaceful mode
AI will perform a mag check when in peaceful mode
Bots can check someone for friend or foe by aiming at him for some time, if they’re not sure of one’s intentions
Bots will sprint while patrolling if they consider the spot being dangerous
AI will be able to storm the player as a group, if he’s holding position and attacking them
AI will try to avoid dangerous places
New weapons:
FN GL40 Grenade launcher
Mossberg 590A1 Shotgun
New ammo:
.366 AP-M
.45 ACP Hydr-Shock
9×19 mm QuakeMaker
9×19 mm 7N31
.45 ACP Lasermatch FMJ
.45 ACP AP
7.62×51 mm M993
40×46 мм M381 HE
40×46 мм M386 HE
40×46 мм M406 HE
40×46 мм M433 HEDP
40×46 мм M441 HE
40×46 мм M576 buckshot
Added new stimulants:
3-(b-TG)
L1 (Noradrenaline)
P22 (Specimen 22)
AHF1-M
Meldonin
“Obdolbos” cocktail
M.U.L.E
Added an additional icon for the network connection status in case of high packet loss
In the container slots window, the container tag is now displayed in the header
Iteration of improving and reworking the skill system:
New skill “Surgery”
Reduces HP penalty for surgery
Improved surgery speed
(Elite) No HP penalty for the restored body part
(Elite) Maximum increase in the speed of surgery
New skill “Aim drills”
Increase of the aiming speed
Decrease the volume of aiming
(Elite) No hand shaking at any stamina value, first 2 seconds after aiming
(Elite) Reduced hands shaking during tremor and fracture, the first 2 seconds after aiming
Rework of the “Strength” skill
Increase all weight limits
Increase the speed of the sprint
Increase the jump height
Increase the strength of the grenade throw
Increase the strength of a melee attack
(Elite) The weight does not take into account the weapons on the sling and on the back
(Elite) Melee attack can be stronger than usual
Rework of the “Endurance” skill
Increased feet stamina
Reduced stamina consumption for jumping
Increased holding breath time when ads
Increased the speed of breath recovery
(Elite) Maximum increase in breathing recovery rate
(Elite) Breathing is no longer dependent on energy
(Elite) Increased stamina reserve
Various fixes in old skills
Added 5 HP to the health of “Chest” zone (from 80 to 85)
Optimization:
Optimized the rendering of decals
Fixed freezes that happened when the sound of thunder or the sound of grenades exploding was played
Optimized the performance of the game server
Fixed an issue with killing the boss of a group of raiders who appeared on the scene after interacting with the trigger was leading to errors on the server
Minor optimizations on the first shot or hit
Optimization of hideout sounds
Fixes of errors that could potentially lead to different freezes
Fixed:
Iteration of fixes and corrections in UI
Bug with the PostFX menu that remains on the screen after closing the settings
Bug playing the sound of contusion if the sound is turned off in the settings
Bug of jerky animation of shooting weapons in the Hideout shooting range
The passage of raiders on the laboratory through the doors
A bug that allowed you to quickly move when constantly tapping the “Run” button when overweight
AS VAL with the handle adapter “Rotor 43” is now impossible to fold
Inability to exit the location via the paid exit “Car”, if you reconnect at the start of the exfil timer
Bug with throwing away the magazine when reloading the weapon via the context menu
Error 228 when receiving items from an expired email
Formulas for calculating prices for items with its resource and its commissions
After the reconnect, the equipment that was not searched become searched
The sound of the visor on/off remained at one point, and does not follow the character
Bug that wouldn’t block buttons on the bottom panel after reconnecting as a Scav
Interface block if you go to the “Map” screen without a map
Bug when the “Receive all” button opened only the first and last message with items
Various bugs with switching the sound from “outdoor ” to “indoor”, and back, when reconnecting
Bug of not blocking an item after it was added to the merchant’s sales table
Cartridges from packs of cartridges found in raid now have the status ” found in the raid”
Error when studying items from the scav box
Fixes in the flea Market
The search will be updated if you delete and add an item to the wish list
Loss of a player’s nickname and rating from the offer line after applying filters
The “search by item” option now resets the selected filters
Bug displaying the loading spinner on top of the list of offers
The mount without the “Found in raid” label ceased to be semitransparent (blocked) in the selection of the item for the offer, if you put and remove the mod on it
Bug when the merchant’s avatar was flattened
Incorrect tag behavior on marked items for a flea market offer if you select multiple items from the container, closing and opening the container
Horizontal scrollbar on the product sales screen
Bug when the player couldn’t put 2 identical weapons on the flea market if one of them was included in the starter kit for pre-order
Error 1508 – You send bad items- when putting an empty pack of cartridges on a flea Market
Bug, when for buying through a flea market goods from npc merchants needed items found in raid
Fixed in weapon presets
Displaying the indicator “you have mods to build” when there are no mods for the build in the stash
Bug when the build could have been built with the wrong mod that was not in the preset
Weapon disassembly bug if you build the same preset twice with the same weapon
Ability to select items that are blocked for purchase, via the presets by clicking the button “Select all”
Packs of items are no longer displayed in the purchase lists of preset mods
The purchase lists of presets no longer display items the player’s own offers
Added an error about lack of space when purchasing preset mods
Bug when opening presets through the lower panel that caused the game client to freeze
Fixed in the hideout
Various fixes in the bitcoin farm
White authorization screen if you improve the pre-order version while in the hideout
Bug when it was possible to install a filter with zero resource in the “Water collector” and it could not be uninstalled
Calculation of fuel consumption time in the “Generator ” zone
Bug duplicating the canister icon, when selecting a canister, in the “Generator” zone
Various bugs in group chat
Bugs with the discharge of weapons in the stash
Incorrect position of the fire mod pin and the turn of the barrel of the PPSH
Visual bug for displaying a zero bonus in the base level zones in the Hideout
Visual bug with the availability of time selection before the raid on the Laboratory screen
A bug where the player could spawn outside the location
As we head into July, the summer anime season officially begins. The current pandemic has delayed production on a lot of anime, so this is one of the most sparse summer seasons we’ve seen in a while. But even so, there’s still a few new shows that are worth your time if you’re looking for something to watch.
As a reminder, this list is not the best anime of the season–it’s far too soon into the season to make that distinction. These six shows have just managed to catch our eye and are also based on well-received manga or light novels. Essentially, these are the six anime we’re most excited to keep watching going forward, so we hope you’ll join in and watch them with us. If there are any anime you think we missed, let us know in the comments section below. And if none of these shows catch your fancy, we recommend looking at the most popular picks in our best anime streaming services guide.
The God of High School
Are you a fan of tournament arcs in anime? Because if so, you’ll love The God of High School, as the show just begins with a tournament arc. You’re not going to get anything profound from The God of High School’s overall narrative or characters–the themes and tropes present in this Crunchyroll Original have all been touched on in other anime to some extent. That doesn’t make The God of High School any less exciting though. This show is packed to the brim with well-choreographed battles, all of which are animated to capture the high-stakes action and dance-like movement of the combatants.
The God of High School follows a tournament where participants are allowed to compete with any form of martial arts they desire. The winner is granted any one wish by the organizers of the event. The show primarily focuses on 17-year-olds Mori, Daewi, and Mira–all of whom happen to meet and become friends prior to the start of the tournament. All three have joined the tournament for their own reasons, as have the wide cast of fighters that they each must go up against in order to win. You can watch The God of High School on Crunchyroll.
Deca-Dence
Following its work on Saga of Tanya the Evil and FLCL Alternative, anime studio NUT is taking a crack at its own original story in Deca-Dence. As an original anime, there’s not much to go on for Deca-Dence other than its initial episodes. But in a season where there’s not much to look forward to, Deca-Dence stands out as having one of the better premieres for Summer 2020. I love the show’s protagonist, Natsume, who aspires for her dreams with the same gusto as most action-focused sci-fi anime heroes, in spite of persecution at the hands of her physical disability. In the very first episode, an adult tells her outright that she should give up on her dream job as it requires someone of sound mind and body (he puts a lot of pointed emphasis on it) and her clunky-looking prosthetic arm would likely be looked down upon as a hindrance. I have no idea if Deca-Dence will tackle the struggles of someone with a physical disability with any sort of nuance, but I’m eager to find out. This is the anime I’m most looking forward to this season.
Deca-Dence sees the remains of humans retreat into a mobile fortress following the appearance of dangerous monsters called Gadoll. While most humans remain in the fortress to maintain its upkeep, those born into warrior families are trained to battle the Gadoll and drain the monsters’ blood, which acts as the fuel source for the fortress. Though she wasn’t born into a family of fighters, Natsume dreams of escaping her economic class and becoming one of these warriors after an incident with Gadoll in her childhood resulted in the loss of her arm and death of her father. Instead, she is assigned to work as an armor repairer who maintains fortress upkeep by cleaning Gadoll guts off the hull. Though she works hard, she refuses to give up on her aspirations to one day join the fight against the Gadoll. And then Deca-Dence pulls a pretty big twist that adds an interesting wrinkle to an already compelling set-up. You can watch Deca-Dence on Funimation.
BNA: Brand New Animal
Okay yes, BNA: Brand New Animal premiered in the west on June 30, which technically means it came out on the last day of the spring season. But this is my list where I get to make the rules so I’m giving it the leeway to count as a summer anime. Studio Trigger‘s latest anime is very Studio Trigger. If you’ve watched the likes of Kill la Kill and Promare and thought, “I love this,” then there’s a pretty good chance you’ll dig BNA: Brand New Animal–this is an anime that uses fantastical elements to craft a narrative of the societal conflict between the haves and the have nots.
In BNA: Brand New Animal, a species of humans, known as the beastmen, have become public knowledge in the wake of humanity’s expansion destroying most of the habitats where the beastmen have long lived in secret. Beastmen face violent persecution at the hands of humans, so they’re forced to live in Anima-City, a place kept isolated from the rest of the world. Protagonist Michiru is a normal human girl without a care in the world, until she one day transforms into a tanuki beastman and is forced to run away from home and find sanctuary in Anima-City. Convinced her transformation is some form of disease, Michiru begins to look for a cure so she can return to her human life. You can watch BNA: Brand New Animal on Netflix.
Japan Sinks: 2020
I cannot stress this enough: Huge trigger warnings for this anime. Japan Sinks: 2020 deals with death of family members and friends as well as feelings of isolation during the events of a society-destroying natural disaster. Granted, the COVID-19 pandemic isn’t quite the same as a massive earthquake but the themes of Japan Sinks: 2020 hit very, very, very close to home for what many people are going through in the real world right now. This is a gut-wrenching anime that does not shy away from showing–in graphic detail, I must add–the hardships that someone faces in the wake of a disaster and the emotional and mental toll that such hardships can have on a person. It’s a great modern-day anime adaption of the 1973 novel, Japan Sinks, but it is also depressing as hell.
Japan Sinks: 2020 sees a massive earthquake strike Japan following the Tokyo Summer 2020 Olympics. When the shaking finally relents, high school track star Ayumu Mutou awakens to see her fellow teammates crushed and misshapen, one of which is still alive and begging for help. Meanwhile, her younger brother, Gou, desperately tries to claw his way out of the family home after suffering a severe head wound. At the same time, their parents rush home in hope that their children will safely meet them there–construction worker and father Kōichirō is already in Tokyo when the quake strikes, but mother Mari was in a plane when catastrophe struck, forced to watch as pieces of Japan were swallowed into the sea. Thus begins one family’s struggle to reunite and survive a rapidly sinking Japan. You can watch Japan Sinks: 2020 on Netflix.
Fire Force Season 2
Fire Force returns for a second season this summer, which sees Shinra and the rest of Company 8 go up against new threats. Fire Force is your traditional shonen anime, but it’s got some impressive animators and sound designers behind it–especially when it comes to the fire effects, which both visually and audibly explode on the screen to convey the wild and unpredictable nature of each character’s abilities.
In the world of Fire Force, a major event triggered the emergence of individuals with pyrokinetic abilities. The first generation of these people can’t control their powers–resulting in their flames sparking out of control and transforming them into demonic entities known as Infernals. However, the second generation can control fire in different ways, and third-generation individuals can both create and control fire. With traditional fire fighters unable to deal with Infernals, eight special firefighting units are created, with each assigned to address the threat in their own way. While some are all about research or experimentation, Company 8 takes a more direct approach in fighting fire with fire and deploying a mixture of normal humans and both second and third generation pyrokinetics to kill Infernals when they get out of control. You can watch Fire Force on Crunchyroll and Funimation.
Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World Season 2
After four years, Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World has returned. One of the more well-known isekai out there, Re:Zero rises above its peers with its protagonist. Yes, Subaru Natsuki is your standard shut-in who finds great power by dying and being reborn in a fantasy world, one that happens to include a fair amount of cute girls. But Subaru’s great power is much more of a curse than a boon, and the mental and emotional suffering he must undergo to save his friends and loved ones is far more severe than your typical protagonist. Re:Zero is also a well-written, character-driven story, as seen that there are now several spin-off light novels that focus on people beyond Subaru. Even when the main characters aren’t in the spotlight, Re:Zero is still incredibly compelling, which is a lot more than you can say for most isekai anime.
In Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World, high school shut-in Subaru dies and is summoned to another world. Deciding to pursue a new life in the world he finds himself in, Subaru unfortunately dies again–only for his life to reset to the exact same spot and time he first came to this new world. With this, Subaru realizes he’s basically been given the superpower of a video game protagonist where his life now autosaves at certain checkpoints, causing him to revert to his last save when he dies but still retain all his memories of his previous run through the world. Over the course of Season 1, he uses this ability to slowly befriend and save the group of individuals who will go on to be his allies, none of them the wiser that he’s lived the same days with them many times over. Season 2 begins with Subaru’s biggest challenge to date: His latest checkpoint is saved after one of his closest friends is erased from known existence, so no matter how many times he kills himself, he can’t go back and change what happened. You can watch Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World on Crunchyroll.
The original ending to The Last of Us Part II was going to put Ellie down an even darker path. In an interview with Game Informer, creative director Neil Druckmann and narrative lead Halley Gross discussed the final moments in the PlayStation 4 exclusive.
“When I signed on a lot of it was very similar,” Gross revealed. “We did a lot of iterations on what that last act looked like, but the final beat was that Ellie would kill Abby. About halfway through production, we changed that and had Ellie let go at the last second to [illustrate] that some little part of the old Ellie, the Ellie with humanity, the Ellie that is impacted by Joel, still exists within this character who has been so overtaken by her quest for revenge.”
The change occurred as the narrative team was discussing the fates of Lev and Yara as they originally had permutations with each of them dying or surviving. After it was argued that Lev should survive, Druckmann felt that Ellie shouldn’t kill Abby anymore. Gross was shocked by the suggestion as she didn’t even know that changing the ending was on the table.
“Letting Abby live felt wrong thematically initially,” Druckmann said. “But at the end of the day, it felt more honest for the character. The theme [and] what we’re trying to say shifted a little bit, but our top priority always is are we being honest to the character? There’s certain things we are trying to hit but they can only work if we’re consistent with the character we’re writing.”
Druckmann also revealed that when writing a character, he feels it is more important to keep a character’s motivation consistent over time than to make them likable as there will always be haters. One of Naughty Dog’s other characters, Nathan Drake, will be hitting the big screen next year as the oft-delayedUncharted film starring Tom Holland has entered production.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
214 million Americans play video games for at least an hour a week and 75% have at least one gamer in their household, according to the Entertainment Software Association. The annual video game industry report found that 70% of kids under 18–51.1 million–and 64% of people 18 and older–163.3 million–play games.
The report, based on survey data, also found that 65% of gamers play games with other people, primarily their in-person friends and significant others. A large portion of gamers over the age of 65 have been playing games for less than 10 years, 46% for men and 63% of women.
The average age of a gamer is between 35-44 years old. 73% of gamers reported having a console and 43% having a handheld system.
Other key information:
79% of gamers say games provide relaxation and stress relief
87% of male gamers ages 55-64 and 82% of female gamers ages 55-64 believe games provide mental stimulation
There are about 46 million gamers with disabilities
61% play on a smartphone, 52% on a console, 49% on a person computer
45% of ESRB rated games are E, with 14% E10+, 28% T, and 13% M
Most popular genres are casual, action, and shooters
40% of gamers have met someone through gaming they wouldn’t have normally
55% of parents play video games with their children
The film adaptation of video game series Just Cause has landed Michael Dowse as its director. Dowse, whose directing credits include the action-comedies Stuber and Netflix’s Coffee and Kareem, will direct a screenplay from Derek Kolstad (The John Wick trilogy).
According to Deadline, the film “will follow the video game’s blueprint, as Rico Rodriguez is on a race-against-time mission to stop the mercenary group The Black Hand. The series draws its name from the real-life United States invasion of Panama, code-named ‘Operation Just Cause.'” Deadline is also reporting that the film will be getting a female co-lead giving the movie a Romancing The Stone vibe, referencing the 1984 romantic comedy-adventure starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner.
Dowse’s Just Cause movie is a co-production between Constantin Films and Prime Universe. Constantin Films is the German studio behind the Resident Evil movies and the above-mentioned Monster Hunter movie.
