Author: Trafficblast

A new, fan-made online fighting game glossary with 673 terms is finally here to answer your burning fighting game questions, like what the heck is a “fuzzy”?

Fighting games can be notoriously obtuse at times, with many games in the genre including barebones tutorials that outright fail to explain important concepts or terms and instead leave it all up to the player to figure out. The Fighting Game Glossary by Infil looks to change that. Terms are easily searchable, and players can search for both universal fighting game terms as well as series specific ones.

Each term is broken down in a fairly easy to understand way. For example, a “fuzzy,” as Infil writes, “is a situation where a character is trying to be in two states ‘at once’ (that is, kind of a fuzzy middle ground between the states).”

The glossary sports terms from 14 different fighting game franchises including Street Fighter, SoulCalibur, Mortal Kombat, Guilty Gear, and many more. It includes 577 terms with Japanese translations as well as 216 terms with accompanying videos/images. Each day a new term is highlighted. Infil writes that work on the project began in August 2020.

It’s the perfect tool for players looking to dive into the fighting game deep end with upcoming high-profile fighting games like Guilty Gear Strive. Billed as a fresh entry point for players new to the series, developer Arc System Works has even released a series of starter guide videos for each of the game’s characters. Nonetheless, Guilty Gear Strive is still very much a fighting game, filled with numerous complex mechanics players will need to get a grasp on to succeed. Guilty Gear Strive arrives on June 11.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition is out and it brings a litany of changes to the series — some announced and some kept secret until it was in the hands of fans — and players are still discovering more.

Leading up to the release of Mass Effect Legendary Edition, EA and BioWare detailed many of the changes coming to the series. IGN’s Mass Effect Legendary Edition wiki guide breaks down many of those changes and it’s worth checking out, but many new things are being discovereddaily.

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Some come as big surprises, such as a fix to a decade-old bug, while others serve as reminders to just how much time has passed since the release of the original trilogy of Mass Effect games. IGN has rounded up some of the biggest, best, well-hidden, and most-surprising changes to BioWare’s sci-fi trilogy.

Tali’s Face in Mass Effect 3

Anyone familiar with the original Mass Effect 3 release knows that it answered a question asked by many a Tali fan: what does Tali look like under her quarian armor? If you romance Tali in Mass Effect 3, this relationship leads to a scene in which Commander Shepard looks at a photograph of an unmasked Tali and…saw what was a photoshopped image of Miss England ’05 winner, Hammasa Kohistani.

Sure, BioWare did add some alien features to Kohistani’s face in the photo, but at the end of the day, it was still just a photo of a human. It’s safe to say BioWare took that criticism to heart because in the Legendary Edition of Mass Effect 3, Tali’s face is now seemingly an original piece of art and not a photoshop of a pageant winner. You can check out Tali’s new look below, courtesy of MaxGoods on Reddit.

 

Redditor Superspicycurry37 said “this is the ONE thing I wanted them to change if they were going to change nothing else,” and that they’re “glad it was this.” Redditor Max_Crultak26, however, said “in my head-canon, some quarians are purple or pale red with lines, and others like Tali are purple with freckles (and tree-like lines) but still, the image is cool.”

New Pluto Textures in Mass Effect 2

Pluto is a hotly-debated topic in the world of science. Is it a planet? Is it not a planet? Mass Effect 2 doesn’t care because regardless of its status in our solar system, it’s something in space that can be scanned. What’s interesting about scanning the planet in Mass Effect 2 now is that in the Legendary Edition of the game, Pluto’s texture has been updated to match the most recent picture of Pluto from 2015.

The photo above is what Pluto looks like in the Legendary Edition of Mass Effect 2 and it comes by way of Redditor Kunven. It’s a small change, but a welcome one as indicated by some of the replies to Kunven’s post on the Mass Effect subreddit. Redditor Silent_Shadow05 said they “appreciate these small details” and that they believe “BioWare really went above and beyond for this remaster.”

Elanos Haliat Is a Turian in Mass Effect Now

In the original release of Mass Effect, space pirate Elanos Haliat was a human and that didn’t really make much sense. Eurogamer, which originally reported on this change, pointed out how weird it was that Elanos was human in the original release of the game. As Eurogamer’s report notes, Elanos hates humans, he wants to attack a human colony, and other Terminus races rally behind him as their leader. Doesn’t sound very human-like, eh? That’s because Elanos’ status as a human was a bug in the original game.

That’s been fixed in the Legendary Edition of Mass Effect, however, as now Elanos appears as a Turian in the game, which makes a lot more sense. Redditor DocD173 posted a side-by-side of the change, which you can check out below.

“Was always so confused that the leader of the Terminus systems responsible for the Skyllian Blitz was a human,” DocD173 said on the game’s subreddit. “This is such a small but welcome change in ME:LE. Was not expecting these side missions to get this kind of love.”

Lovers of Liara T’Soni: Check out Her Doctorate Degree in Photo Mode

If you’re romantically interested in Liara, or even just interested in this character platonically, why not get to know a little more about her educational background? Thanks to the newly-included Photo Mode in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, players can now view Liara’s doctorate degree, as discovered by Redditor TannenFalconwing.

As you can see, this is Liara’s doctorate degree from the University of Serrice on Planet Thessia. Who knows what else the newly-included photo mode could help players discover in Mass Effect? TannenFalconwing posted what they believe to be a transcription of what the degree says, too, alongside their discovery:

• University of Serrice
• Planet Thessia
• The governing body of the university grants this day that
• Liara T’Soni
• To be conferred the title of
• Doctor of Anthropology
• of the Prothean Era
• Having completed in due course, and with singular purpose, to continue the pursuit of truth and knowledge to further the Asari people

Beyond cool discoveries like this, the inclusion of photo mode is a welcome addition for fans of the series, both new and old. For some, it’s an opportunity to take hilarious photos where Commander Shephard is awkwardly standing behind beloved characters. For others, the new photo mode is a great tool for those who wish to showcase their love of the series’ characters, locales, and more.

#MassEffectLegendaryEdition #SeriesX pic.twitter.com/Tuq1f7I8YD

— Shinobi602 (@shinobi602) May 18, 2021

A quick stroll through the Mass Effect subreddit reveals dozens of posts where players are praising BioWare for adding a photo mode to the game. Redditor Demiurge93 said “adding photo mode was the best decision BioWare ever made” and that they “hope they keep it for future ME/DA titles.” Another Redditor, ShadowVia, said “photo mode is a game changer,” while other users, like Beanjameen, are astonished at the photos they’re able to capture because of the game’s photo mode, such as the one they took below.

You Can Use the Original Mako if the New One Handles Too Well for Your Liking

It’s well-documented just how poorly the Mako handled in Mass Effect and while it’s still not a perfect, easy-to-handle, all-terrain space vehicle, the team deserves credit for making the new Mako handle much better. It’s impossible to deny that it controls much better.

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However, if you want to drive the original Mako around, flaws and all, you’re free to do that by simply switching to the original version in the game’s settings, as noted by a PC Gamer report.

Be it nostalgia or masochism or something else entirely, this is a judgement-free zone: use that original Mako if you want to — we’re just here to let you know it’s possible to switch back and forth between the old and the revamped version.

Even The Latest Mass Effect Legendary Edition Update Made Some Changes

As noted by the examples listed above, there are some previously-announced changes and secret changes to be found in Mass Effect Legendary Edition and at least for now, it seems more could be on the way if the latest update for the game is any indication.

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A new update pushed out on May 17 brought new visual changes to Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. Specifically, some terrain textures in Mass Effect have been improved and across both Mass Effect and its sequel, some pre-rendered cutscenes have been changed to remove visual artifacts.

As noted by IGN’s coverage of the update, Mass Effect 2 players will be able to enjoy “improved lighting and shadows” in the game’s cinematics and “minor visual, rendering and VFX improvements” as well. Other things like achievements were fixed with this update too.

If all of these discovered changes are anything to go off of, it seems there might be even more hidden within Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. Have you seen some changes we didn’t catch here? Drop a comment and let us know. In the meantime, be sure to read about how the game’s project director says Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer could return and then check out IGN’s official Mass Effect wiki guide for tips and tricks, walkthroughs, how-to guides, and more.

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Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

The upcoming Marvel’s Voices: Pride #1 will celebrate the many LGBTQ+ characters in the Marvel Universe, and that includes a brand new hero. This Pride Motnh-themed anthology special will introduce Somnus, a mutant with deep ties to the X-Men.

Somnus was created by writer Steve Orlando (Wonder Woman) and artist Luciano Vecchio. Named after the Roman god of sleep, this mutant hero has the power to control the dreams of others, though his abilities seem to have come at the cost of his own personal life. Marvel teases Somnus has a long-running history with the X-Men yet to be revealed, and once had a profound effect on the life of a fellow mutant. And with the mutant race enjoying a new utopia on Krakoa, Somnus finally has the chance to build a life for himself.

Orlando makes it clear Somnus is a very personal creation, one whose story draws on his own experiences and family history.

“Somnus, Carl Valentino, is inspired not only by my own family history, but by my experiences with past generations of LGBTQ+ folks from across the country, people I wouldn’t have met without comics,” Orlando said in Marvel’s press release. “While there is still plenty of work to do, we’ve also come a long way as a community. Somnus is a chance to explore how my own late queer relatives may have felt, living in more prejudiced times. He’s also a chance to celebrate past generations as a whole and acknowledge the strides we’ve made that they may not have lived to see. And with the Krakoan era being one of relative utopia for mutantkind, Somnus will bring a fresh perspective, and respectful gut check, to the young mutants of the present who may not know just how hard some had to fight for all mutants have achieved. Within the story and without, Somnus will be a new, complex character carrying a message of respect, power, and vision.”

“Marvel’s Voices: Pride is ticking so many dream assignments for me! On top of doing the cover, a frame variant, and a story that I got to write myself, I also got to design a new queer character introduced in a story written by Steve Orlando,” Vecchio said. “I’m so happy to finally collaborate officially with Steve and I fell in love with Somnus’ concept and backstory right away. I got some input from him and editor Sarah Brunstad but also a lot of liberty to propose ideas. This time the design process itself felt almost like channeling. I wanted him to have an air of ‘man of your dreams,’ very charming and human but unreachable at the same time. Some visual elements are a mix of Mod fashion, a bit of Hellfire Gala influence, and a palette based on Etruscan vase art as a nod to the god he’s named after.”

Marvel is also releasing a series of Pride-themed variant covers over the course of June, spotlighting other LGBTQ+ heroes like Miss America Chavez, Valkyrie, Iceman, Wiccan and Hulkling, Black Cat. You can see all of artist Phil Jimenez’s covers revealed in the slideshow gallery below:

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Somnus will debut in Marvel’s Voices: Pride #1 through a short story written by Orlando and drawn by Claudia Aguirre (Hotel Dare). That issue is slated to hit stores on June 23.

Marvel is also celebrating Pride Month by debuting the first LGBTQ+ Captain America. The limited series The United States of Captain America will introduce Aaron Fischer, a teen runaway who becomes the “Captain America of the Railways.”

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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

After the prologue and spending a little time on the Citadel recruiting an alien ally or two, Mass Effect 1–the first game in the new Mass Effect: Legendary Edition–becomes fairly open-ended. You can freely choose which order to take on three key story missions on different planets, with each providing a lead on Saren. Those planets are Noveria, Therum, and Feros. But which order should you choose?

Should You Start At Noveria, Therum, Or Feros?

While the missions can be taken in any order, there’s a natural gameplay and story progression to taking them on in a certain sequence. You can generally take on Therum or Feros first without major consequences, but going for Noveria first is not advisable. That’s partly because Noveria is more difficult than Feros or Therum, to the point where BioWare likely intended it to be the last of the three. The more central reason, though, is that there are certain story revelations on Noveria that will just make more sense and feel more dramatic if you already have Liara on your squad.

We recommend recruiting Liara T’Soni first. She’s the last person you can recruit to your squad, so having a full team makes this the natural first mission of the three. Having Liara on your squad gives you another set of skills for your team composition for subsequent main quests or sidequests, and it gives you more time to invest in romance with her if you so choose.

Alternatively, you can tackle Feros first. That planet is a human world in distress, so it could make sense that Shepard–as the first human Spectre–would feel inclined to respond to it more quickly. The only drawback is that you won’t have Liara, which means much less flexibility in your team composition.

After completing any two of these three missions, another will open up on Virmire. Though you are free to jump straight to this one as soon as it opens, we still recommend completing Noveria first, before investigating Virmire. Completing all four of these missions will prompt the next phase of the story.

Keep in mind; this is our advice on the ideal, first-time route for Mass Effect newcomers. If you’ve seen it all before and want to tinker with the game’s systems a bit, you can break this order and get some interesting interactions out of it. Completing Noveria before recruiting Liara leads to different dialogue outcomes. In fact, saving Liara for absolute last means that by the time you get to her, she’s convinced you’re a hallucination. It also has the side-effect of making romance with her much less likely, because there just isn’t enough time to develop that relationship before the end-game starts. For more odd or unusual character interactions, check out our roundup of other rare Mass Effect moments you can trigger, along with our full suite of Mass Effect guides. You can also read our Mass Effect: Legendary Edition review in progress.

A number of LEGO sets based on Marvel superheroes are in the works, but one of the cooler ones just went up for preorder. It’s a 590-piece set that has you build Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet, complete with a full set of colorful stones, and it looks like it’s just waiting to snap.

It retails for $69.99 and will be available August 1. You can preorder it now at a number of retailers (see it at Best Buy). You might want to grab it quickly, too, as it seems to have already sold out at Amazon.

Preorder LEGO Infinity Gauntlet

• Get it at Best Buy
  
• Get it at Walmart
  
• Get it at Target
• Get it at LEGO Store
  
• Get it at Amazon – (Currently Unavailable)

The Infinity Gauntlet is an iconic piece of Marvel history, and you may remember it from the movies Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. This LEGO version (76191) features a full set of colorful Infinity Stones, and features movable fingers. You can even move them into a snap formation.

The set is recommended for adults 18 and up, and is intended primarily for display purposes. To that end, it comes with a sturdy buildable stand and a descriptive placard. When built, it stands 12.5 inches tall

This LEGO Infinity Gauntlet set is the latest in the line of display sets for adults. Others include Batman, Venom, Darth Vader, and More.

Other LEGO Display Sets

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One of the other upcoming releases is a LEGO recreation of the Daily Bugle, which will be the biggest Marvel LEGO set yet. It’s not up for preorder yet.

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Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert at IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.

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Voice actress Erin Fitzgerald has revealed that she stepped down from a role in Guilty Gear Strive – voicing Black character Ramlethal – so that the character could be more appropriately voiced by a Black actress.

In a tweet, Fitzgerald states that she “happily stepped away so [the developers] could cast more appropriately”. She expanded upon this in responses to commenters on her initial post, stating succinctly, “The character is black I am not black. I support more work for black actresses behind the mic”. It’s clear that Fitzgerald stepped down in order to improve opportunities and representation for Black voice actors and actresses.

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The gesture seems to have been a success, as voice actress Laura Stahl has now been cast in the role. Stahl responded to Fitzgerald in another tweet, thanking her for stepping aside, “Before I accepted the role of Ramlethal, l asked for clarification on the situation, and not only do I deeply respect Erin as an actor, but as an amazing person as well. Thank you for your grace. You are phenomenal”. The character of Ramlethal has been played by Fitzgerald since her introduction in 2014’s Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-.

Whitewashing has long been an issue within voice acting for animation and video games, as it means that minority voice actors who are already at a disadvantage when it comes to auditions and applying for roles, have even fewer opportunities.

In 2019, Wargroove developers Chucklefish received backlash for whitewashing Black characters with white voice actors, and Naughty Dog was also previously criticised for casting Laura Bailey as Black South African character Nadine Ross in Uncharted 4. In the world of TV, both Family Guy and The Simpsons also recast voice actors for Black characters in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests last year.

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Earlier this year, Guilty Gear Strive was delayed from April until June, and recently had its second open beta test. The game launches on June 11 for PS5, PS4, and PC.

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Liam Wiseman is a Freelance News Writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @liamthewiseman

An update for Mass Effect Legendary Edition has added even more visual improvements to the remastered collection of games.

Revealed on the EA blog, the 17 May update for Mass Effect Legendary Edition will affect all platforms and also fix several known bugs, including hard crashes in the Xbox Series X verison when using a wireless headset.

However, the major headline is that the games in the remaster collection will seemingly look even better after the update. Across all games, iris shaders have been updated to interact more naturally with light.

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In Mass Effect, specific terrain textures have been improved, and across Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, some pre-rendered cutscenes have been tweaked to remove visual artefacts.

Specifically in Mass Effect 2, players will be able to enjoy ”improved lighting and shadows” in cinematics and “minor visual, rendering and VFX improvements”. Across the board, issues with achievements have also been fixed, including one in Mass Effect 3 which wasn’t tracking kills.

On the Mass Effect subreddit, players are reporting that the update can be quite sizeable depending on which of the games you have installed, with some reporting it being close to 10GB and beyond in some cases.

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The update hasn’t addressed all player concerns, though. Another popular comment in the thread comes from ASF_Bendakk, who is hoping for a fix to the game’s surround sound implementation, and is keen to see a fix for C Sec / Normandy vendor glitches that reportedly lock off certain bits of gear.

The base version of Legendary Edition already makes a lot of changes to the originals, and even fixes one of Mass Effect 3’s bigger controversies. One removal, however, was Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer mode – although all might not be lost on that front. We don’t have a review out just yet, but it’s coming soon.

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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Kiyan Prince, a 15 year-old footballer who was murdered in 2006, is being added to FIFA 21 as a player for the club he played for.

Prince was a part of the Queens Park Rangers F.C. under-16s team in 2006, but was tragically killed when stepping in to protect a friend from being picked on outside of his school. 15 years on, he is being added to FIFA’s Kick Off and Career modes as a 30 year-old striker for Queens Park Rangers, designed to honour the player he would have become.

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EA Sports has created an aged-up likeness of Prince by combining images of him and photographs of his father at 30, and working with Framestore (the studio behind visual effects for multiple Marvel movies, among many other projects). “Advanced AI technology and photo-real illustration” was used to achieve the effect, per a press release.

As for his in-game stats, the press release says: “Kiyan’s stats were built out in collaboration with his dad, his coaches, teammates and friends to help build out his style of play – working off of personal accounts from former teammates and rivals to get precise about Kiyan’s unique balance of speed, skill and pure striker’s instinct to integrate him into the game as faithfully as possible”.

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Prince will be available to use in FIFA 21 on PC from today, and from tomorrow, May 19, on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Stadia. No Nintendo Switch release has been announced.

FIFA 21 Ultimate Team will also add Kiyan Prince items, including a Kiyan Prince Foundation Kit, and a Tifo (a visual display in a stadium’s stands) of Prince himself.

All proceeds raised, and all licensing payments from EA and other brands involved, will go directly to the Kiyan Prince Foundation, which aims to support families, and prevent tragedies similar to Prince’s.

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Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].