At some point, we’ve got to stop calling these things miniatures. In recent years, that’s largely WizKids’ fault, as the company has continued to release massive figures of key creatures from TTPRG systems like Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and more. Now, WizKids is set to release its largest dragon miniature yet, the ancient white dragon Arveiaturace from Dungeons & Dragons’ Forgotten Realms setting.
The “miniature” itself lives up to the billing of a gargantuan-sized ancient white dragon. Arveiaturace is absolutely massive, even by the standards set with other large dragon miniatures. Standing hunched over at seven and a half inches tall, 16 and a half inches long from nose to tail, and with an overwhelming 17-inch wingspan, she is easily the largest dragon WizKids has created yet. She’ll be released in January 2021, but is available to pre-order now from the WizKids Store, Amazon, and at your local game store for $100 USD.
On the table, this figure dominates the landscape, and it’s shocking just how big this ancient white dragon appears when it’s towering over your player characters’ medium-sized miniatures on their standard one-inch bases. And when it’s not on the table, it’s a display item that will likely be one of the centerpieces of any miniature collection. You can see the figure in all its enormity in the slideshow below.
Check out a gallery of the massive ancient white dragon Arveiaturace miniature.
The sculpt of the model is excellently detailed in a crouched position, with the wings sweeping forward and to the sides in an unusual and refreshing way, rather than pinned back or frilled out, which means you can actually fit it in a standard shelf, which I appreciate. And this pose is aggressive and bestial in a way that does a white dragon justice, as they’re the most animalistic of the chromatic dragons. It really helps sell the intimidating profile of a creature that should be a deadly threat.
The paint job is nice and fairly clean, though the majority of the figure is a flat pale gray, so outside the flourishes in the pinkish mouth, ice-blue eyes, and dark grey talons and claws flecked with lighter tones, there isn’t much color variation. However, that may be intentional as the model is extremely detailed offering a ton of texture between the scales, the rough hide, the membrane on the wings, and the jagged spikes on her back and tail. You can see veins and folds and wrinkles throughout, which throw shadows really nicely and create interesting depth and age on the model. All in all, it’s an excellent build and the sculptors really outdid themselves with this one.
As for modifiable elements, the dragon comes fully assembled with the exception of the tail, which slides securely into the cavity with just a bit of effort. But the most eye-catching part of the miniature is the rider mounted on a removable saddle sitting just north of her shoulder blades – which just sticks out against the constant pale gray. There are story and lore elements to this rider, but I’ll stick them well below with a spoiler warning so if you’re worried about that kind of thing, you’re not going to walk into it.
The removable saddle and rider is a very nice touch that – apart from her sheer size and scale – separates her from other dragon miniatures and making her a unique character, rather than just another impressive dragon. The medium-sized rider is hard plastic and excellently detailed while the saddle is adorned with a number of buckles and faux-metal decoration with soft-plastic straps that loop around the dragon’s neck and front legs. The presentation is great, and while I admit that I’ve never thought about how a dragon saddle would practically work, this seems fairly realistic.
The only small issue I could potentially see is the fasteners on the straps that secure them to the harness. There are three plastic pegs that slip into holes on the saddle. The first time I pulled them apart, the left leg peg came out easily, the center harness peg was a little more difficult, but the right leg fastener I had to pull on a little bit more than I was comfortable with. I’m sure these pegs will slip in and out more easily with repeated use, but I was a little worried about the integrity of the strap as I turned up the force when tugging on it. Still, it came apart and snapped back together just fine, so maybe I’m being overly cautious, but it’s something to keep in mind.
Finally, the base of the model is a really interesting approach. I imagine it’s hard to make these models massive since the size of the base needs to support the weight distribution of the sculpt, but it also serves to denote the intended size of the creature on the table. Essentially, base size actually matters in game terms. In this case, a gargantuan-sized ancient dragon should have a four-inch base to keep it in line with D&D’s size rules. So what do you do when you want a massive model, for a gargantuan-size creature? You make the oversized (roughly eight-inch) base plate clear plastic and add a four-inch circle in the center that shows the intended size on the field of play. It’s a smart workaround that still lets you see the terrain and gridlines underneath, but could be tricky to fit into the field of play if you’re using scatter terrain or environmental set pieces.
The only other problem I can see in this approach is a small one, as all four of Arveiaturace’s feet (paws?) sit right on the outside of her “occupied space” circle. Meaning if you have a few characters in melee range, there are four squares or hexes around her that you won’t be able to occupy with those characters. It’s not a big deal since you can just turn the model or shift the characters over one five-foot square/hex, but you nitty-gritty tacticians might run into trouble when optional flanking rules or the like come into play. Ultimately it’s a small consideration for the sake of her oversized grandeur, and if this clear-base approach means I can drop mammoth figurines onto the table, I’ll take it every time.
Minor spoilers for Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden below:
For as ubiquitous as dragons are in fantasy roleplaying tabletop games, it’s rare that specifically named dragons are converted into miniatures. Arveiaturace is part of a very small club in this regard and comes with a fairly extensive backstory and appearances in several Dungeons & Dragons adventures, including Wizards of the Coast’s latest adventure, Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frost Maiden, set in the frozen north of Faerun. In this case, the Arveiaturace miniature can get repeated use not only in Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden, but she also makes cameos in the Rise of Tiamat and Storm King’s Thunder adventures.
She’s had quite a bit of detail written about her through the various editions of Dungeons & Dragons lore. Sometimes she’s referred to as insane, sometimes more patient and intelligent than the bestial and vindictive traits usually found in white dragons, and in Rime of the Frostmaiden she’s said to have cataracts that affect her vision. There are a bunch of different ways to use her, but her iconic dead rider is what really sets her apart.
To that end, the ancient white dragon Arveiaturace (also known as the White Wyrm and Iceclaws) once served a wizard named Meltharond, who rode on her back as her only true friend and companion when he was alive. Now dead, she still speaks to his frozen corpse strapped into the saddle she still wears, which comes into play during her encounter in the adventure.
One of the variants for the encounter allows the rider to fall off, which effectively becomes a bargaining chip to survive the party’s brush with her. With that in mind, the fact you can remove the rider from the miniature is a very thoughtful detail. Not only for gamification purposes but because removing the saddle lets you run the miniature as just another ancient white dragon, or any gargantuan dragon if you toss in a little imagination. One thing I really like about WizKids is that the company tends to think modularly with its products, which you can also see in the WarLock Dungeon Tiles and the massive set piece simply called The Tower.
Regardless, she’s a really intriguing character that’s now made numerous appearances in Dungeons & Dragons’ Fifth Edition, so it’s very cool to be able to bring her to life on the table with such an impressive figure.
It was first announced in early 2020 that the third season of Netflix’s Cobra Kai would take the original Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), back to Japan, the setting for The Karate Kid Part II. Since then, we’ve learned that some familiar faces from the movie will appear this season, and gotten hints at what brings Daniel back to Okinawa in the first place.
The first video for the new season teased the possibility that Mr. Miyagi held back some secrets from Daniel–secrets that Daniel’s Karate Kid Part II rival Chozen (Yuji Okumoto) knew. While those have yet to be revealed, Macchio spoke to GameSpot about another piece of information his character learns about Miyagi while in Japan.
“Being over there and tapping into Miyagi’s life and learning the importance of Daniel-san to Mr. Miyagi versus it only being one direction was really important,” the actor said. “To hear that information and to learn that information was so moving and yet fulfilling to Daniel LaRusso.”
As for the other secrets Daniel might learn about his late mentor and father-figure, Macchio simply teased, “[Okinawa is] a place to do a deeper dive and learn something about him or learn something about Miyagi that he didn’t know that could inform his life and stories going forward.”
For fans of Karate Kid Part II, though, the return of not only Chozen, but the film’s love interest Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita), are sure to be exciting moments. Naturally, they were for Macchio as well. “It was a great usage of lead characters from Karate Kid Part II, in the lovely and talented Tamlyn Tomita as Kumiko and the most awesome Yuji Okumoto as Chozen, and then even other surprise characters from Karate Kid Part II that drive the story forward,” he said.
As for who those other surprise characters could be, Macchio made sure not to spoil what was to come.
Cobra Kai Season 3 premieres on Netflix in January 2021.
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A lost, unreleased Game Boy add-on known as the WorkBoy has been discovered after 28 years and reveals an accessory that could have brought PDA-like functions like an address book, calculator, appointment book, and so much more to Nintendo’s beloved handheld device.
Video game historian Liam Robertson shared his quest to find out what happened to this add-on in a new Game History Secrets video on DidYouKnowGaming? and, not only did he track down the original creators behind the WorkBoy to learn the story behind why it was never released, he was able to get one of the only prototypes in the world working.
As you can see in the image below, the WorkBoy was a keyboard that connected to the Game Boy via Link Cable and would allow you to take advantage of 12 apps, including an address/phone book and appointment book.
Image Credit: Liam Robertson – DidYouKnowGaming? – Game History Secrets
The WorkBoy was set to be an officially licensed accessory for the Game Boy that was designed by Source Research and Development and produced by Fabtek Inc. in close collaboration with Nintendo.
In January 1992, WorkBoy was officially trademarked by Nintendo of America and even made an appearance at CES 1992. It was profiled by various outlets, but following a brief swell in coverage, it more-or-less vanished.
Robertson was able to track down Eddie Gill, the architect of the WorkBoy and the founder of Source Research and Development, and he discussed how the WorkBoy was originally planned on being released in late 1992 or early 1993 for around $79-$89 USD, but various issue prevented it from ever reaching the public.
Gill said there were only two WorkBoy prototypes left in the world that he knew of, and he said that one was probably “deep in the vaults of Nintendo,” while the other was in possesion of Frank Ballouz, the founder of Fabtek.
Robertson got in touch with Ballouz and he did indeed have a WorkBoy prototype. Ballouz did not, however, have a Game Boy to test it out, so he sent it to Robertson in hopes he would be able to get it working.
When Robertson first connected the WorkBoy keyboard to a GameBoy, nothing happened but a short alarm beep. It turns out that the WorkBoy needed a cartridge to fully function, although none could be found.
As fate would have it, Robertson was able to find a ROM of the software in one of the big recent leaks that followed the Nintendo Gigaleak earlier this year. After burning the ROM to a blank cartridge, Robertson got it to work.
Seeing the WorkBoy in action is a glimpse at what could have been. It’s also very interesting to see this in action in 2020, where many of the functions of the WorkBoy are commonplace. Back in 1992, this was ahead of its time.
Due to that, it needed to carry a pretty high price. That high price was one of the main reasons the project was cancelled, as the $89.99 USD Game Boy was set to get a price drop, meaning the WorkBoy would most likely have been more than the system itself at $79-$89 USD.
Additionally, a large explosion in a factory in Japan that was producing computer chips caused the price of D-RAM to soar, making it near impossible to bring the price down of the WorkBoy, had it been released.
Even though the WorkBoy never saw the light of day, Gill’s original design helped inspire a new device he patented for a personal communicator, complete with a keyboard and touch screen, that would later be licensed by Nokia for its Nokia 9000 series of devices in 1996.
Gill would then go back and work with Nintendo to try to develop a revamped WorkBoy for the Game Boy Advance that would allow for E-Mail, web browsing, and word processing. As with the original, however, it never reached the finish line.
Does being paid to build with legos full-time sound like a dream? Japanese artist Jumpei Mitsui is one of the 21 people in the world who get to do this, and he’s recently recreated a three-dimensional version of Katsushika Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” entirely in LEGO form.
The project, now displayed permanently in the Hanyu Brick Museum in Osaka, Japan, took over 400 hours. It was built with more than 50,000 different LEGO blocks, and details the waves, boats and Mt. Fuji, spanning just over five feet.
Mitsui described on his Twitter the process of recreating the art in sculpture form, noting he had made one sketch, mostly to determine balance over being a “blueprint.” He said he also read several papers and watched hours of YouTube videos on waves to make sure he was getting the shapes and forms of them correct.
The piece is of course inspired by the original Japanese artwork, created sometime in the 1820’s and often considered one of the most recognizable pieces of Japanese art.
There were plenty of excellent TV shows to binge-watch while we were stuck at home in 2020. But what’s next? While we can’t predict what life will be like next year, we can at least look forward to more great television. Here are the 10 biggest TV shows to watch in 2021.
Very few shows (Cobra Kai Season 3, WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) have set release dates due to production being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, some of our best bets for anticipated shows that will release in 2021 include The Witcher Season 2 (Netflix), The Expanse Season 6 (Prime Video), American Horror Story Season 10 (FX), I Think You Should Leave Season 2 (Netflix), MODOK (Hulu), and Loki (Disney+).
There are a lot of new Star Wars series on the horizon too! While we wait for trailers for Ahsoka, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and more, we at least know of one show definitely coming in 2021 – The Book of Boba Fett, coming December 2021 to Disney+.
Monster Hunter World may have skipped out on the Switch, but Nintendo’s hybrid console is receiving its own new Monster Hunter game next year: Monster Hunter Rise. Developed on Capcom’s RE Engine, Rise is a sprawling new entry in the action-RPG series, featuring seamless environments and a handful of brand-new mechanics that give the game a more fluid, action-packed feel than previous installments.
Monster Hunter Rise has only been announced for Nintendo Switch. Though rumors have been circulating that the game will also be released on PC later in the year, Capcom has not announced any plans to bring it to other platforms as of yet.
Trailers
Capcom has given us a few glimpses at Monster Hunter Rise since it was officially announced in September’s Nintendo Direct Mini presentation. During TGS 2020, the publisher shared an expanded version of the game’s reveal trailer, which showcased more of Rise’s expansive environments and its major new gameplay mechanics, particularly wall-running, the lasso-like Wirebug, and the new Palamute companion. The video also introduced a couple of new monsters debuting in the game, including Magnamalo, Rise’s flagship monster.
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Monster Hunter Rise – Official Announcement Trailer
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The publisher shared another trailer during the 2020 Game Awards. This one focuses more on the game’s story. As it explains, Kamura Village is being threatened by a monster stampede known as the Rampage, and players will need to protect the village and discover the reason this event keeps occurring. The trailer ends by revealing that a Monster Hunter Rise demo is hitting the Switch eShop in January.
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Monster Hunter: Rise Gameplay Trailer | Game Awards 2020
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Capcom has also shared an assortment of videos highlighting each of the game’s 14 different weapon types, from the Great Sword to the more eclectic Insect Glaive. You can watch these videos on the official Monster Hunter YouTube channel.
New Features
Monster Hunter Rise introduces a couple of new gameplay elements to the series, chief among them the Wirebug. This lasso-like insect functions as a sort of grappling hook, allowing players to propel themselves around the environment and even latch onto monsters. Capcom confirms that players will have two Wirebugs at their disposal, and they can be used in conjunction with the game’s various weapons to unleash acrobatic attacks.
Rise’s other big addition is the Palamute, a new type of canine companion. Much like the Palico, the Palamute can join players on hunts and offer backup when battling monsters. Whereas the Palico is more of a support companion, however, the Palamute specializes more in offense, and players can even ride it to traverse environments more quickly.
Multiplayer Details
Like previous Monster Hunter games, Rise supports up to four players locally or online. As is the case with most other Switch games, you’ll need to have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to take advantage of online play. Individual memberships cost $4 for one month, $8 for three months, and $20 for one year, while an annual Family Plan runs for $35 and covers up to eight Nintendo Accounts.
Although Capcom has shared few details about Rise’s multiplayer content, the basics remain the same as in previous Monster Hunter games. You’ll be able to party with up to three other players and embark on quests together. These missions entail hunting or trapping fearsome monsters and gathering resources, which you can then use to fashion new weapons and armor for your hunter.
DLC/Microtransaction Details
Capcom has not yet announced any DLC for Monster Hunter Rise, although some sort of post-launch content is expected to arrive for the game. Previous Monster Hunter titles have received free crossover gear and quests based on other video game series (the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild armor in Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate being one such example), and that tradition will likely continue with Rise. Capcom, however, is not ready to discuss any crossover plans yet:
“[Collaborations have] obviously become a staple of the series, so we’re looking into what we can do with this game, but we haven’t really decided on anything yet, and the team is still very much hard at work on getting the actual main game finished, so that’s our priority right now,” producer Ryozo Tsujimoto told GameSpot.
Beyond potential collaborations, there’s also the possibility of some paid DLC. Monster Hunter World set a precedent for this when it received its big Iceborne expansion, which introduced an entirely new world to explore and many new and returning monsters to hunt. It remains to be seen if Rise will likewise receive a paid DLC expansion, but given Iceborne’s success, it’s certainly possible.
Amiibo
Monster Hunter Rise Amiibo
Monster Hunter Rise is launching alongside three new Amiibo figures of the Palamute, Palico, and Magnamalo. Each one unlocks a special set of layered armor in the game. However, the standalone figures will be sold exclusively at GameStop (in the US) and EB Games (in Canada), and no pricing details have been announced yet.
Preorder
Monster Hunter Rise is already up for preorder. The game will be available in three editions. The standard release costs $60, while the Deluxe edition runs for $70 and includes a variety of extra in-game bonus items. Finally, Capcom is offering a premium Collector’s edition. This costs $100 and comes with all of the content from the Deluxe edition as well as some physical goodies, including the Magnamalo Amiibo and a sticker set.
Regardless of which edition you preorder, you’ll receive a few in-game bonus items for reserving Monster Hunter Rise ahead of its release. These include the Retriever Costume and Forest Cat Costume for your Palamute and Palico companions, as well as the Novice Talisman, which will give players a little bit of extra assistance during the early hours of the game.
The Far Cry series has been one of Ubisoft’s most defining open-world action-adventure franchises, focusing on exploration and fighting hostile forces in exotic locales. In Far Cry 6, the franchise heads to a new location known as Yara, loosely based on the island and history of Cuba. Set during a political and social revolution, Yara’s citizens begin their campaign to overthrow the cruel dictator Presidente Castillo. Here’s everything we know about Far Cry 6 so far.
Though previous entries in the Far Cry series have had some loose connections, Far Cry 6 is an entirely standalone game that doesn’t have many ties to the previous games. This is likely for the best, considering Far Cry 5 and its spin-off New Dawn unexpectedly brought the series into the post-apocalyptic setting. Far Cry 6 takes place in the present, with the modern world still intact. However, this game’s setting is on the island of Yara, a country isolated from the rest of the world due to economic sanctions, as the developers explained in a talk with GameSpot shortly after the reveal Playing as a native of Yara who joins the rebel forces, you’ll make your way through the island dismantling the country’s systems of power before facing off against Presidente Anton Castillo, who’s played by Breaking Bad and The Mandalorian actor Giancarlo Esposito.
Release Date
Following its reveal back in August 2020, it was announced that Far Cry 6 would release in February 2021. However, with the growing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the game’s release was pushed back to sometime later in the year. Currently, there’s no firm date for a release just yet. We’ll keep you updated on when Ubisoft reveals the final release date for Far Cry 6.
What Platforms Will It Release On?
Far Cry 6 will be a cross-gen release, and it is currently set to launch on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Google Stadia.
Is There Multiplayer?
Like previous games in the series, Far Cry 6 will have co-op play, allowing players to join up and explore the world together. While the developers haven’t spoken to the exact scope of the next game’s co-op component, we do know that it is similar to previous games. In co-op, you and your friends can take on side-missions and in-world activities, but story missions are left as solo only engagements. Once more details are shared, we’ll update this post to explain further how the co-op will work.
Trailers
While no gameplay of Far Cry 6 has been shown just yet, the reveal trailer for the game is a great mood piece that sets the stage for what’s to come. In the trailer, we see Presidente Anton Castillo speaking to his son about the necessity of harsh rulership within Yara. This exposition is set against the backdrop of Yara in turmoil, with the country’s rebel citizens in conflict with Castillo’s military. It shows off a bleak situation, and it’ll be interesting to see how the final game will flesh the narrative and key villain, who may have more ambitious plans for rulership than it may initially appear. Check out the video below to see the full game.
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Far Cry 6 – Official Cinematic Reveal Trailer
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While Ubisoft has confirmed that Far Cry 6 will have a season pass for post-launch content, no details have been shared just yet about what to expect. We anticipate that once we get closer to release, we’ll see more of the developer’s plans for what we can expect from the game following its launch.
How To Preorder
Right now, you can preorder Far Cry 6 on Amazon or through Ubisoft’s online store. In standard fashion with the publisher, there are multiple versions of Far Cry 6 to preorder, including the Standard Edition, the Gold Edition, the Ultimate Edition, and the Collector’s Edition–the latter of which adds in maps, stickers, and a model replica of the game’s flamethrower. Here are some links below to see the different editions of the game.
Call of Duty is one of the most prolific game franchises of all time with over two dozen titles. The game has covered World War 2, modern conflicts, future wars, the zombie apocalypse, and more recently battle royale with Blackout and Warzone. Multiplayer has always been the main focus with Infinity Ward and Treyarch, among other studios, leveraging different design styles around maps, guns, killstreaks, and perks. In this video we are going to take a look at some of the biggest blunders developers have tried throughout the series when it comes to perks.
Perks were first introduced in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, giving players the opportunity to customize their loadouts beyond what weapons they could carry. Some of these would buff your weapons, impact how you interface with killstreaks, stave off death, or kill unsuspecting (and soon-to-be-frustrated) players–as anyone who has been killed by a Martyrdom grenade can attest. Over the years, players have been frustrated by Juggernaut, Commando, Danger Close, Martyrdom, Last Stand, Stopping Power, and a number of others that have been introduced.
Subsequent games have modified or removed many of these problematic perks (after doubling down on them, in at least one case) and continue to experiment with new perks and the ways in which they can be equipped. We continue to see adjustments made to both 2020’s Black Ops Cold War and Warzone, and while we’re always hoping for the best, the next annoying perk is always just around the corner. Let’s just hope Last Stand never comes back.
