Author: Trafficblast

Microsoft has officially closed a loophole that was allowing current Xbox Game Pass Ultimate users to extend their membership at a discounted rate by subscribing to EA Play. The original loophole involved buying an EA Play one year membership, which would auto-convert to four months of Game Pass Ultimate if you were currently an Ultimate member.

We’ve highlighted this trick plenty of times as it was an objectively great deal, and 50% off a whole year of Game Pass Ultimate if you stacked your purchase of EA Play passes. You can still convert EA Play to Game Pass Ultimate, but now it will only equate to an extra two months rather than four, effectively bringing EA Play conversion into the same price bracket as Ultimate ($14.99 per month).

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The news came via the official Xbox website’s Xbox Game Pass support FAQ, now stating: “Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can redeem EA Play codes for the Xbox console, but they will automatically convert and extend their Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. One month of EA Play will extend an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription by 10 days, and a one-year EA Play code will extend an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription by 2 months.”

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Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. Send him awesome gaming screenshots @robertliam21 on Twitter.

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Scientists have uncovered a relatively recent history of volcanic activity on Mars, which could suggest that the Red Planet is still volcanically active.

CNN shared the findings of the study, published in the journal Icarus, pointing to evidence that eruptions could have taken place on Mars within the last 50,000 years. Up until now, scientists believed that the planet was volcanically active between 3 and 4 billion years ago, with some isolated eruptions likely continuing about 3 million years ago, so this new time span is much more recent than records indicate.

The research team at the Planetary Science Institute found evidence of recent volcanic activity on Mars after studying imagery and data obtained from orbiters circling the planet. They discovered what appears to be a recent explosive volcanic deposit around a fissure in the Cerberus Fossae system — which extends across a broad plain in the region of Elysium Planitia, located near the equator of Mars.

The image shows a dark area extending eight miles around both sides of the crack and scientists believe that this shadowed stretch matches that of a pyroclastic flow, produced as a result of certain explosive eruptions that occur when rapidly expanding gases bubble over with magma. If correct, then scientists may have just discovered the youngest volcanic deposit yet documented on Mars.

“This feature overlies the surrounding lava flows and appears to be a relatively fresh and thin deposit of ash and rock, representing a different style of eruption than previously identified pyroclastic features,” said Dr. David Horvath. “This eruption could have spewed ash as high as 6 miles into Mars’ atmosphere. It is possible that these sorts of deposits were more common but have been eroded or buried.”

“When we first noticed this deposit, we knew it was something special,” added study coauthor Jeff Andrews-Hanna, an associate professor at the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. “The deposit was unlike anything else found in the region, or indeed on all of Mars, and more closely resembled features created by older volcanic eruptions on the Moon and Mercury.”

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Scientists also believe that volcanic deposits such as the one recently documented could raise the possibility of recent habitable conditions below the surface of Mars, with Horvath suggesting that, “the interaction of ascending magma and the icy substrate of this region could have provided favorable conditions for microbial life fairly recently and raises the possibility of extant life in this region.”

The site of the volcanic deposit is located approx. 1,000 miles from NASA’s InSight lander, which has been exploring the deep interior of our terrestrial neighbor since 2018. It isn’t the only vehicle traversing the Red Planet either, having most recently been joined by NASA’s Perseverance rover. The rover successfully landed on Mars’ Jezero Crater in February of this year to begin its own mission.

Perseverance is not only equipped with a microphone to let NASA and the world know what it sounds like on Mars, it’s also equipped with a special drill that will collect core samples of rocks and soil to eventually come back to Earth. The Ingenuity helicopter also hitched a ride with the robotic explorer to attempt the first powered, controlled flight on another planet.

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The Ingenuity helicopter successfully executed its flight on Mars on April 19, with data showing that it had taken off, ascended to around 10ft (three meters) above the surface of Mars, and landed again. NASA says the aircraft has now transitioned to the operations demonstration phase of its mission to explore how future rovers and aerial explorers can work together.

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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

The massive RPG Divinity: Original Sin 2: Definitive Edition is now available on iPad and iPad Pro. The mobile version costs $25, and includes all of the Gift Bag DLC without any microtransactions.

Larian Studios says that the port was developed in cooperation with Elverils over a span of two years, aiming to make a version of Divinity Original Sin 2 that doesn’t make compromises compared to the console experience. The result is a version of the game built on Apple’s Metal architecture, which allows for new touch controls, along with gamepad or mouse and keyboard support.

On iPad Pro (2018) and above, the graphics settings equivalent to DOS2’s “highest” will run, while on the new M1 iPad Pro it will run at 60fps. The announcement didn’t note how far back the compatibility goes. Larian also promises local co-op with split-screen support, and you can cross-play with others on PC, Mac, and iPad. Cross-save will let you continue playing on your home Mac. And it integrates with Apple’s Game Center for achievements and matchmaking.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is one of the most critically acclaimed RPGs in recent years, earning a rare 10/10 from GameSpot and currently standing at a 93% on GameSpot sister site Metacritic. It was originally released on Windows PCs in 2017, but has since been ported to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Mac, and Nintendo Switch.

While it never quite recaptures what made the first film work so frighteningly well, A Quiet Place Part II nevertheless succeeds in delivering plenty of thrills and chills, keeping the viewer invested thanks to its focus on character and the moving performances from its returning cast and solid new addition Cillian Murphy.

Director John Krasinski plays in a bigger sandbox this time around, enlarging this ravaged world even as he deftly treads the expectations and formulae established by so many other post-apocalyptic movies and shows.

The mission of survival the Abbots are on here sees them cross paths with another survivor, Emmett, and whether this man can really be trusted is the source of much of the film’s suspense. Cillian Murphy is utterly compelling as Emmett, his scenes with Millicent Simmonds’ Regan being among the most gripping in the film. Emmet could have used a bit more development, but Murphy nevertheless imbues this deeply damaged man with pathos, intensity, and mystery.

Simmonds once again delivers an engrossing performance as we see Regan struggling to fill the void left by her father’s death. She is the main protagonist here rather than Emily Blunt’s Evelyn, who has two particularly standout scenes — one with Murphy and the other with Noah Jupe’s Marcus — that showcase what a powerful and understated actress she can be, but this is definitely Simmonds’ film and she carries it well.

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The spine of this movie is similar to the first film’s — run, hide and stay quiet if you know what’s good for you — but Part II employs a multi-storyline approach that occasionally tries one’s patience. While the respective emotional journeys of Regan and Marcus allow the film to conclude on the right note for those characters, the ending itself still feels abrupt and doesn’t allow for the full catharsis some may have been hoping for, given all the story’s cross-cutting. (To elaborate further would be to risk spoilers.)

The sequel also reveals the world before the invading creatures wiped out most of humanity, flashbacks that feature some of the movie’s biggest action and visual effects moments that call to mind 2005’s War of the Worlds. As skilled as Krasinski is at crafting these suspense set-pieces and Spielbergian moments of awe and terror, it’s his understanding of character and performance that makes both the original film and this sequel emotionally authentic and relatable. These characters feel real and thus so too does the otherworldly peril they face.

By opening up the story to a larger world, A Quiet Place Part II delves into the myriad dangerous scenarios of post-apocalyptic life that anyone who has ever seen any film or show set in such an environment will recognize as all too familiar. The movie deftly navigates this well-trod ground without letting the inherent tropes undermine it. There are only so many ways to zig when the audience expects you to zag in the post-apocalypse sub-genre, but A Quiet Place Part II largely maintains its footing despite occasionally dipping into been there, done that territory.

On a technical level, A Quiet Place Part II is as much a testament to sound design as the original film. The strategic use of noise and silence is just as remarkably employed here as we follow the hearing-impaired Regan through completely silent moments or where Evelyn strategically utilizes noise to misdirect a lurking monster.

While it definitely has its share of jump scares, the film is more interested in ratcheting up tension and unease in service of action set-pieces rather than for outright horror. A Quiet Place Part II then is to the more action-packed Aliens what the first film is to the more claustrophobic and horrifying Alien. In that sense, some may not find Part II as scary as its predecessor but still thoroughly enjoyable.

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New details, screenshots, and the official keyart for Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade have been revealed, and they showcase the Summon Ramuh, the return of Nero, the Fort Condor mini-game, and more.

We first see the return of Dirge of Cerberus’ Nero the Sable – a member of an elite unit within Deepground known as Tsivets. He also happens to be the brother of Deepground’s leader Weiss, who he “practically worships.” He was created by a special experiment and can manipulate the power of darkness.

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Scarlet and The Crimson Mare will also play a big role in the upcoming DLC, and Scarlet, who is Shinra’s director of Advanced Weaponry, is in charge of creating the ultimate materia Wutai wants to steal. Yuffie and Sonon will run into Scarlet, and she “graciously” lets them be test subjects for the Crimson Mare – a “suit of battle armor she developed and pilots herself.”

Yuffie’s Final Fantasy 7 Remake INTERmission episode was a spotlight, and it was explained that while new character Sonon can’t be directly controlled, using the L2 button will let Yuffie and Sonon use Synergised attacks. These include Art of War, which hits an enemy and increases the damage of future attacks, and Windstorm, which creates a gust of wind to damage enemies and launch them towards you.

Yuffie’s Limit Breaks were also revealed, and they include Bloodbath, which unleashes a flurry of blows and deals major damage, and Dance of the Dragon, which delivers a ton of high-powered strikes.

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The mini-game Fort Condor from the original Final Fantasy 7 is also making a return, albeit in a slightly different form. In FF7R, Fort Condor is a strategic board game that tasks players with sending out units to attack an enemy’s base and protect your own. It has arrived in the Sector 7 undercity and has become quite popular. If you are able to defeat the grandmaster, you will get a “rare orb of materia.”

To play, you will need to consume ATB to place units on the field that will move forward automatically to attack their opponents. There are Vanguard, Ranged, and Defense units, and one-time use materia can be utilized to cast powerful spells.

Ramuh, the Lord of Lightning himself, will be a new Summon in Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade. He was said to once “cast judgment on the wicked with mighty bolts and exhorted humanity to accept the ways of law and order.” He can use the ability Voltaic Lance to deal damage to nearby enemies over time and Judgment Bolt, his Ultimate Attack, conjures up a powerful lightning storm that “lays waste to all enemies on the battlefield.”

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Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade will launch on PS5 on June 10, 2021, and will be free for all those who own the remake on PS4. However, the Yuffie-focused Final Fantasy 7 Remake EPISODE INTERmission will be an additional purchase unless you purchase a new copy of Intergrade.

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

Four years after it was first announced, Biomutant finally releases later this month on PC and console. Ahead of its launch, developer Experiment 101 has released a new trailer explaining what type of game it is exactly.

“Biomutant is an open-world post-apocalyptic fable,” art and creative director Stefan Ljungqvist explains in the video below. “Basically in terms of structure, it’s like Breath of the Wild I guess, but the feedback that we’ve been getting over the years is that it’s kind of a strange, good, weird mix between Ratchet & Clank, Devil May Cry, Batman Arkham, and a couple of other influences.”

The rest of the video goes into detail about numerous other features in Biomutant. There’s a section devoted to crafting your own flair for the clothing and armor you’ll pick up over the course of the adventure, details on the six factions you’ll interact with, allegiances that you can form in a world ravaged by the presence of titanic World-Eater creatures, and lots more.

Actions also have consequences, as you’ll need to keep track of your character’s moral compass pointing towards the light or the dark of Biomutant’s world. Neither alignment is wrong or right, and it’ll be up to players to choose the influence that they have on the world around them.

Mutations will also have a big impact on the character that you create, and you’ll be able to invest in a range of bio-mutations to cater to your specific playstyle.

“For example, you can spawn a mushroom in front of you that has multiple uses,” Ljungqvist said. “In terms of creative freedom for you as the player, [you can] combine this with jumping and electricity shooting out of your fingers like the Emperor in Star Wars.”

Biomutant releases for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on May 25. If you’re looking for more information on the game, Experiment 101 also recently released a video showing the quality difference between PC and console.