Month: August 2021

Oddworld: Soulstorm Is Coming To Xbox One And Xbox Series X|S

Developer Oddworld Inhabitants has announced that Oddworld: Soulstorm will be coming to Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. No release date has been provided yet, but new content will be coming to Soulstorm as well.

Oddworld: Soulstorm is a remake of 1998’s Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus. It follows protagonist Abe, a Mudokon, as he rescues the fellow members of his race from the Glukkons and their use of labor exploitation. The game is a 2.5D sidescroller where Abe can scavenge supplies, craft weapons, arm other Mudokons, and solve puzzles.

There are 1,000 Mudokons to find and join him in the resistance. The number of Mudokons you rescue affects the type of ending you get. There are a total of 17 levels in the game, with 15 of them availabe without restriction. In order to receive a “good” score on a level, you must save at least 80% of Mudokons in it. If you do so for up to six levels, the game gives you the worst ending possible.

Getting a “good” score on seven to 11 levels will earn you the “bad” ending. If you do the same for 12 levels, then you’ll secure the “good” ending as well as unlock levels 16 and 17. Rescuing 80% of Mudokons in all 17 levels grants you an additional ending.

Oddworld: Soulstorm first launched on PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 on April 6 this year. The PC version is currently an Epic Games Store exclusive, and the PS5 version was offered as a free game for PlayStation Plus subscribers back in April when it was released.

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How to Help Victims of Haiti’s Earthquake and Tropical Storm

Following a devastating earthquake, Haiti is suffering. At the most recent count, as reported by the BBC, at least 1,941 people have died, 10,000 are injured, tens of thousands have lost their homes, and an unknown number of people remain missing. Disaster relief efforts were disrupted by a tropical storm that brought further devastation to Haiti, and a month-long state of emergency has been declared.

Below we’ve assembled some ways you can help those affected via your donations and support of the following organizations that are on the ground in Haiti, and focused on the immediate needs of the injured and displaced: Medical care, emergency shelter construction, and supplying medication, food, clean water, and basic living needs. Many of the organizations we highlighted have made a long-term commitment to assisting Haiti as well.

Hope for Haiti:

Hope for Haiti is a non-profit organization that has been assisting Haiti with disaster relief for over three decades. Their team is made up of staff who live and work on the ground in Haiti, and they are currently distributing emergency kits, clean water, and helping with medical care to those in need.

https://hopeforhaiti.com/

Haitian Health Foundation:

Haitian Health Foundation is a non-profit that works on the ground in communities to assist with healthcare, education, and community development in Haiti. Right now, they are treating those injured from the earthquake at their main clinic and on location, along with providing medical supplies, emergency transportation, health services, partnering with World Central Kitchen to deliver meals, as well as assessing damage to peoples’ homes.

https://www.haitianhealthfoundation.org/

Partners In Health

Partners In Health offers emergency medical care including trauma teams and mobile, on-site medical care in Haiti. Partners In Health describes itself as “the largest non-governmental healthcare provider in Haiti,” providing medical care in many forms via a network of clinics and hospitals in remote regions.

https://www.pih.org

Locally Haiti

Locally Haiti is on the ground operating in rural regions hard hit by the earthquake and storm, such as Petit Trou de Nippes. Locally Haiti makes working with local leaders a priority in order to get resources directly to people, and have made building shelters a focus of their current aid. They support programs for locally grown food and access to health care.

https://www.locallyhaiti.org/donate

Airlink

Airlink is a non-profit organization working with aviation partners to help transport supplies and workers directly to Haiti and other places around the world experiencing crises. They are assisting with immediate needs, including search and rescue missions, medical care, emergency shelter, clean water, and food.

https://airlinkflight.org/donate/

UNICEF Haiti:

UNICEF Haiti is part of the global non-profit, UNICEF, and have their teams on the ground providing emergency aid to those affected by the earthquake. Along with health, clean water, and nutrition needs, they are assisting with shelter for those who lost their homes, as well as helping children reunite with their families.

https://www.unicefusa.org

Save the Children:

Save the Children is a non-profit organization that helped with disaster relief in Haiti during the 2010 earthquake, and their teams are on the ground assisting with emergency relief aid right now. Their efforts include supplying clean drinking water, emergency shelters for families, and nutrient-rich meals for those in need.

https://support.savethechildren.org

Doctors Without Borders:

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams are on the ground in Haiti, specifically in the regions of Port-Salut, Les Cayes, and Jérémie, providing emergency medical needs, including first aid kits, emergency tent clinics, medicine, and supplies for blood transfusions. They are also assessing other areas that need emergency support in Haiti. MSF has been helping the communities in Haiti for 30 years, and donations will go toward medical humanitarian emergencies.

https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org

AmeriCares:

AmeriCares is a non-profit helping with emergency response and poverty around the world. Their teams are currently working on the ground in Haiti, with other teams shipping out more than 18 tons of medicine and emergency supplies from their distribution center in the U.S. All donations will be currently matched up to their goal of $500,000, thanks to MathWorks.

https://www.americares.org/

Project HOPE:

Project HOPE is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1958, focusing on global health and humanitarian relief worldwide. They currently have a response team in Haiti to assist with PPE, clean water supplies, and hygiene kits.

https://secure.projecthope.org

We hope you’ll join us in contributing to the above causes.

Walt Disney World and Disneyland’s Genie+ Service Is a New Paid Fast Pass System

Disney has revealed more about its new Genie Service for Walt Disney World and Disneyland and the new paid Genie+ and Lightning Lane system that is set to replace FASTPASS, FastPass+, and Disney MaxPass in Fall 2021.

As detailed on Disney Parks Blog, Disney Genie is a new digital service that is built into the My Disney Experience and Disneyland apps and includes personalized itineraries that can help you plan each day at the parks, a way to join virtual queues at certain attractions, the ability to make dining and experience reservations, and much more.

Guests can tell Disney Genie what their “wishes” are for a trip, whether they include Disney Princesses, Star Wars, certain types of foods or restaurants, etc. The service will then help plan out a day, and it will update throughout the day so you know exactly what’s next. It also has forecasted wait times, restaurant waitlists, a virtual assistant, and more.

For those who want a bit more out of their Disney experience, there are paid options to help guests ride the rides they want in a less stressful way. Genie+ will be available to Walt Disney World guests for $15/ticket/day, while those at Disneyland will have to pay $20/ticket/day. Once purchased, this will allow guests to make one ride selection at a time throughout the day – “from classics like Haunted Mansion to thrill rides like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and newer favorites like Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.”

As to why there is a price difference between the two parks, Disney Parks, Experience, and Products chairman Josh D’Amaro shared the reasoning on D23.com.

“When we went into the pandemic, at Disneyland MaxPass was priced at $20, and we know that was working well,” D’Amaro said. “So we are starting with Genie+ at $20. At Walt Disney World, the product is just coming in so it’s new for a lot of our fans. We also know that the length of stay at Walt Disney World is longer. So we’re thinking about pricing as related to all those factors.”

Those who purchase Disney Genie+ will also gain access to Disney parks-themed audio experiences and “photo features to capture your memories – augmented reality lenses for those visiting Walt Disney World Resort and unlimited Disney PhotoPass downloads from your day if you are visiting Disneyland Resort.”

If that isn’t enough, there will also be Lightning Lane selections that come with another charge on top of Genie+. Highly demanded attractions, including Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom Park and Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure, will soon feature a Lightning Lane entrance for guests who want to pay extra. While pricing hasn’t been revealed yet for these, Disney did say that guests will be able to book two of these attractions per day and that “pricing for this option will vary by date, attraction and park and will be announced closer to launch.”

Lightning Lane selections are made on the same day as your visit, and can be used across parks. Some rides, like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, will continue to use a traditional standby queue or a virtual queue.

Disney is also making changes to its Disability Access Service (DAS) program, and will allow guests to enroll in the program before they arrive and for DAS participants to select attractions within the app.

For more on new things headed to the Disney parks, be sure to check out Disneyland’s new Magic Key Annual Pass program and the latest information and the first official look at Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, a two-night Star Wars experience headed to Walt Disney World in Spring 2022.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Daily Deals: New Price Drops on the Arcade1Up Ms Pac-Man Arcade Cabinet, Doritos 3D Crunch Chips

There are some great deals today on Arcade1Up arcade cabinets, Doritos 3D Crunch chips, the newest LG OLED 4K TVs, Apple AirPods Pro earbuds, Alienware gaming laptops and gaming desktops, and more. Scroll down to the bottom to see video game deals like Last of Us Part 2 for under $20 or non-tech deals like a free Photography MasterClass Kindle ebook or a 17″ laptop backpack that only costs $13. These deals and more below.

Arcade1Up Ms Pac-Man Arcade Cabinet

The price of the Arcade1Up Ms Pac-Man cabinet dropped again today; now you’re saving over 33% off and getting free shipping from Walmart. The Ms Pac-Man arcade cabinet is a 3:4 scale replica that measures 4 feet tall. A themed riser is also included that raises the cabinet by an additional 1 foot, so you can choose to play comfortably while sitting or standing. There are multiple games preinstalled, including Ms Pac-Man, Pac-Mania, Pac-Man Plus, and Galaxian. The entire package comes flat packed, but it is very easy to assemble and should take you less than one hour.

Lowest Price Ever on Doritos 3D Crunch

If you haven’t purchased these awesome chips via Amazon Subscribe & Save recently, you should see a checkbox that says “Save an extra 25% on your first Subscribe & Save order“. Check this box and get this item through Amazon Subscribe & Save to get a total of 30% (25% + 5%) off your order. If you have four other items in your next Subscribe & Save queue, the discount increases to 40% (25% + 15%). If you’re a fan of Doritos (and you should be, considering the Doritos Cool Ranch is the best flavor, ever), then it’s worth giving this a try.

Arcade1Up The Simpsons Arcade Cabinet

Arcade1Up just recently announced their Simpsons arcade cabinet in all of its 4-player glory. It’s going to be released on November 8, but it’s up for preorder right now. Unfortunately, if you were to buy it directly from Arcade1Up, it would cost you a whopping $700. Fortunately, Walmart just released their “version” today. The arcade cabinet is identical, and it even comes with riser, but you don’t get the stool and the tin wall sign, but you also pay $171 less. We think that is a fair tradeoff. Another perk: Walmart offers free shipping. Getting it shipped from Arcade1Up directly will cost you around $60.

2021 LG C1 4K OLED TVs with Free Newegg Credit

Newegg is offering bonus Newegg gift cards on top of the best prices you’ll find on the new 2021 LG OLED TVs. The LG C1-series OLED TVs improve upon last year’s highly-rated CX model with an upgraded A9 Gen 4 processor that delivers slightly better image quality, better 4K scaling, and improved audio handling as well as a new webOS smart TV redesign. The C1 OLED TV also looks good when paired to a gaming PC with an RTX 30 series video card because it has HDMI 2.1 inputs that support 4K at 120Hz and G-SYNC. It’s easily one of the best (if not the best) TVs on the market right now.

Preorder Smallville on Blu-ray

Smallville is a superhero origins TV series (starring Clark Kent) that ended its 10-year run way back in 2011, but only now are we seeing the release of the remastered Blu-ray set. Preorder it now and save $20, and if the price drops even more before the October 19th release date, Amazon will automatically match your price to the lowest price. There’s no limit to how many times this can happen.

Apple AirPods Pro Noise-Cancelling Earbuds

If you regret not picking the Airpods Pro up on Amazon Prime Day, here’s your chance to get it today for an even lower price. Today the price of the AirPods Pro has dropped $70, or 28% off. This is the lowest price we’ve seen, ever, for these highly rated earbuds. The AirPods Pro is considered by many to be the best truly wireless noise-cancelling in-ear headphones you can get, and a very big step up in quality from the standard AirPods.

Extra 12% Off Alienware Aurora R12 RTX 30 Series Gaming PCs with New Coupon Code

Dell launched a new coupon code yesterday that takes 12% off select desktop and laptop PCs. Unfortunately many configs aren’t eligible, including all the PCs currently on Dell’s Deals page. Fortunately, specific Alienware Aurora R12 desktop models are eligible, and they can be upgraded all the way up to an RTX 3080 Ti or RTX 3090. With the coupon applied, you won’t be able to find a cheaper prebuilt RTX 30 series PC on the market.

The 12% coupon is eligible with the Alienware Aurora R12 models below. These all have starting specs: Intel Core i5-11400F CPU, 8GB RAM, and 1TB HDD. You can upgrade to an 11th generation Intel Core i7 processor for an additional $150 (minus 12% off discount with code). I’d recommend upgrading your RAM and storage on your own because you’ll probably save money and you won’t be voiding the warranty.

Use code “SAVE12” to get the prices below:

Herman Miller Gaming Sale: 15% Off Gaming Chairs, Including the Herman Miller x Logitech G Embody

Herman Miller makes the best ergonomic chairs in the industry. They’re also not cheap, with several of their models easily topping over $1000 in price. Penny pinchers might find it a waste of money, but honestly, in this case you get what you pay for. Many of us could spend a majority of our lives stuck to our chair, it makes sense that this would be one of the most important purchases we make. Today, Herman Miller is offering 15% off their top-of-the-line gaming collaborations with Logitech. This is the first time we’ve seen a substantial discount on these outside of Sample Sales and employee-only offers. If you’ve got deep pockets, then you’ll save on what is probably the best gaming chair on the market.

Video Game Deals

More Daily Deals for August 18

Aussie Deals: Beat the Lockdown Blues With the Best Game Bargains of Today!

We’ve got a good deal for every taste today. Switch owners may indulge in some Mario sports and racing. PC enthusiasts can lose many hours being a cowboy or getting chased by nocturnally-minded zombies. Xbox faithful have an opportunity to get dirty in a range of offroad vehicles. Lastly, PS folk can lose themselves in a few sandboxes or take to the stars. Pick your poison; escape from reality for a while!

Notable Sales for Nintendo Switch

Purchase Cheaply for PC

Exciting Offers for XO/XS

Product Savings for PS4/PS5

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Adam’s an Aussie deals wrangler who spends too much of his income on the bargains he finds. You can occasionally find him @Grizwords.

New Ace Combat Game Confirmed, New Developer Involved

A new entry in the Ace Combat franchise has been confirmed by Bandai Namco. During a 25th-anniversary retrospective live stream, series producer Kazutoki Kono spoke more about the new game.

Translated by Gematsu, Kono explains, “We’ve started work on a new project in the Ace Combat series. Project Aces staff will of course continue to be involved in the development of this new project, but as we celebrate 25 years and three million copies sold, we’ve come to understand we have many fans of all tastes.”

Since the Project Aces team is small, Bandai has decided to collaborate with developer ILCA. ILCA worked on cinematics and environment production for Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown and is also known as the developer behind the upcoming Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl games.

“That’s why we want to form a business alliance with ILCA, who will become more deeply involved in the Ace Combat series than ever before, and create a new Ace Combat,” Kono continues. “We hope this opportunity will allow us to add even more staff to the Project Aces team.”

No other details about the new Ace Combat were revealed. This new game could be anything from a spin-off to the eighth mainline entry. However, Kono mentions that with the new staff, it will be a new era for Ace Combat.

Additionally, there will be new content coming to Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, including three JASDF aircraft skins on August 31, and two more planned DLC packs in the future.

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

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How To Unlock The Marshal In Warzone And Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

Call of Duty players can now add Season 5’s Marshal secondary weapon to their arsenal. The Marshal pistol is a hand-loaded, double-barrel pistol that fires 12-gauge shells, and it apparently has the ability to set enemies on fire.

There are a few different ways to get your hands on Black Ops Cold War’s newest weapon, depending on your game mode preference. This fiery new weapon can be unlocked in Warzone, as well as Black Ops Cold War‘s multiplayer and Zombies.

Warzone And Black Ops Cold War MP Unlock

Marshal Warzone and Cold War Multiplayer unlock challenge
Marshal Warzone and Cold War Multiplayer unlock challenge

To unlock this weapon in Black Ops Cold War multiplayer and Warzone, you want to equip your favorite pistol and ask for patience. Using pistols, you’ll need to get a headshot kill in 15 different completed matches. Getting a headshot shouldn’t be too difficult, but you’ll need to see each match through.

Zombies Unlock Challenge

Marshal Zombies unlock challenge
Marshal Zombies unlock challenge

As always, Zombies mode has its own unique challenge. Using pistols, you want to kill 30 Disciples while they have at least five Zombies under their control. The Disciples are the special zombie type introduced with Season 4’s Mauer der Toten map, but they’ve since been added into Outbreak with Season 5.

Store Bundle

Marshal Powder Keg bundle

The Marshal can also be purchased as part of the Powder Keg bundle, which comes with the Marshal’s Matchlock weapon blueprint that already has the Dragon’s Breath attachment. This bundle comes with four other smaller items and a battle pass tier skip at a price of 1,100 COD Points (about $10) in the in-game store.

The Marshal follows Season 5’s battle pass weapons: the EM2 assault rifle and the TEC-9, and there’s an in-game challenge to unlock the cane melee weapon. Here you can find our recommended Season 5 Warzone loadouts, and our updated Warzone perk guide for the new meta.

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Abandoned Will Be Free For Players Who Purchased Blue Box’s Previous, Unfinished Game

Blue Box Game Studios is looking to put the minds of gamers at ease by offering up a free copy of the studio’s upcoming PlayStation 5 game Abandoned to those who purchased an unfinished, early access version of the studio’s previous game, The Haunting: Blood Water Curse.

The news, via an IGN interview with Blue Box head Hasan Kahraman, comes in the wake of the studio releasing a “realtime experience app” for PS5 that didn’t go exactly as planned. When the highly anticipated trailer (after multiple delays) didn’t actually turn out to be a trailer at all but instead just a gif of a man walking that had already been shared on Twitter, skeptical players began to renew their investigations into Blue Box’s history.

Now Playing: Abandoned – Announcement Teaser

What they found, as illustrated by Reddit user TicTacPaul, is a history of cancelled and unfinished games dating back to 2015, with multiple cancelled Kickstarter projects and games pulled from sale while still in early access and seemingly, ahem, abandoned.

That’s the case with The Haunting, Blue Box’s most recent game, which released last year in early access. The game was later pulled from sale, with Blue Box announcing a different, unknown indie studio called CreateQ would be taking over development. Kahraman says CreateQ is a four-man team composed of friends of Blue Box, who are working on The Haunting as a side project.

Kahraman says those who purchased the early access version of The Haunting originally will soon be able to fill out a form and provide proof of purchase on the Blue Box website to receive a free copy of Abandoned. When asked about offering refunds for The Haunting, Kahraman says the team would work on it should there be a demand.

Kahraman goes on to say the current plan is to release The Haunting for free upon its completion on PlayStation, Steam, and Xbox along with the first gameplay trailer for Abandoned. That will happen in “a few months,” according to Kahraman.

Given the history of the studio and everything that has transpired thus far, exactly how much of what Kahraman is planning will see the light of day seems up for debate. But it’s the idea that some believe Blue Box is intentionally misleading people that bothers Kahraman the most.

“If I were a gamer and if someone else was doing exactly the same thing, I would be really hyped to see a realtime experience, and if it wasn’t coming, I would be disappointed,” Kahraman tells IGN. “But they’re labeling us as scammers–that hurts. I still respect everyone really, and I’m hoping to see them still looking out for Abandoned, [despite] what they say. I do understand and I have nothing against them really. It only hurts.”

It’s just the latest piece in the ongoing Abandoned saga, which has also seen the game become a hotbed for Hideo Kojima and Silent Hill related conspiracy theories, in part thanks to a lack of details on what the game is even about. Abandoned is currently still slated for a late 2021 release.

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Here’s How Much Pedro Pascal Makes For The Last Of Us And Henry Cavill For The Witcher

Hollywood news site Variety has a new report out that breaks down the salaries for some of the highest-profile TV roles, and included on the list are two names that have a connection to gaming. The report reveals how much money Pedro Pascal is making to play Joel on HBO’s The Last of Us and the fee that Henry Cavill is apparently getting for Netflix’s The Witcher.

According to the report, which is based on estimates provided by sources to the website, Pascal is being paid $600,000 USD per episode to appear in The Last of Us. There are 10 episodes in all, so he stands to make $6 million in total. Now, that’s pre-tax and before paying agent fees and other costs he might incur, but it’s still a big baseline payday.

As for Cavill, the report says he makes $400,000 per episode on The Witcher. The first season had eight episodes and the second will have eight as well. Assuming Cavill is paid $400,000 per episode in both seasons, he will make $6.4 million USD before taxes and fees.

The richest TV deal listed in the report goes to Chris Pratt for Amazon’s The Terminal List, which pays him $1.4 million per episode. That is a different situation, however, as Pratt is also a producer, which presumably earns him more money per episode.

These fees are so big in part because of the changing landscape. According to the report, “in the agent of streaming, cash is mostly all upfront.” Some deals might include a so-called back-end element that lets talent earn more, but this isn’t believed to be as lucrative as it once was.

For example, the famous story goes that the cast of Friends collectively bargained to be paid $1 million each per episode, in addition to sharing revenue from the show’s ongoing syndication deals. As of 2015, the show was bringing in $1 billion every year from syndication, with all the main stars making $20 million a year from that based on their 2 percent share of syndication revenue, according to USA Today.

HBO’s The Last of Us is expected to premiere in 2022, while The Witcher returns for its sophomore season this December. Variety also has a list out for the highest paid movie stars, with Daniel Craig topping the charts for the Knives Out sequels that will pay him $100 million.

After The Flash, Michael Keaton “Gets” Batman On Another Level Now

In a thoroughly enjoyable new profile on Michael Keaton in The Hollywood Reporter, the actor shares his thoughts on the dawn and rise of the superhero film genre. Keaton will be reprising the role of Batman he originated in the 1989 Tim Burton film for the upcoming movie The Flash–according to this THR piece, he “just finished shooting” that performance.

Since the OG Batman movie, Keaton says he’s been “stunned” by the genre’s explosion both in print and on screen. While he recently proudly has self-appointed himself the best Batman of all time (who would argue?), he made a point in this profile to share credit with Burton: “What Tim did changed everything… Everything you see now started with him. If you really think about what happened between 1989 and now, on a cultural, corporate, economic level, it’s unbelievable.”

Still, he admits he is not and has never been a comics fan–though is “awed by the phenomenon.” Keaton said, “after the first Batman, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen an entire [comic book] movie… I just never got around to it.” Elsewhere in the profile, Keaton admits he doesn’t understand the MCU.

However, Keaton clarified that he’s not dismissive of the genre. It’s just something he missed his point of entry with. Nevertheless, he said his time on The Flash as Batman was eye-opening: “What’s really interesting is how much more I got [Batman] when I went back and did him. I get this on a whole other level now. I totally respect it… This is a big deal in the world to people. You’ve got to honor that and be respectful of that. Even I go, ‘Jesus, this is huge.'”

The Flash is currently scheduled to hit theaters on November 4, 2022.