Author: Trafficblast

Welcome to our Sunday deals page, where the tech is cheap and the manga is legendary. Speaking of manga, The Legend of Zelda manga is currently on sale, in a nifty box set form. If you’re looking for tech, we have great LG and Sharp 4K TVs, as well as some SSD storage deals thanks to Western Digital and Sabrent. As always, tons of games are also available, including a discount on the Watch Dogs Legion preorder, a game that comes out later this week!

Daily Deals October 25

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More Video Game Deals

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Interesting Amazon Reads

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One of the legends you’re tasked with investigating in Pokemon Sword and Shield‘s Crown Tundra DLC revolves around a brand-new Legendary Pokemon named Calyrex. In ages past, Calyrex was worshipped by the denizens of the Crown Tundra as a king. Over time, however, people’s belief in the Pokemon faded, and its powers waned in turn. It falls to you to help restore Calyrex’s power, and one of the ways to do that is by reuniting it with its steed. Crown Tundra spoilers follow.

Shortly after you meet Calyrex, the Legendary Pokemon asks for your help in locating its loyal steed. As it turns out, this steed is one of two alternate Legendary horse Pokemon: the Ice type Glastrier or the Ghost type Spectrier. Much in the way you could choose which Urshifu your Kubfu evolves into in the Isle of Armor expansion, which steed Calyrex rides is entirely up to you. However, you can only choose one of them, and your choice is permanent, so you’ll need to think carefully before you make your decision.

How To Choose A Steed

After you complete the introductory Dynamax Adventure and earn Dynite Ore, you’ll be able to purchase a bag of carrot seeds from the farmer in Freezington, the small village located near the Crown Tundra station. These seeds can be used to grow either an Iceroot Carrot or a Shaderoot Carrot, which in turn will determine which of the two steeds you summon.

The type of carrot you grow depends on where the seeds are planted. To produce an Iceroot Carrot, you’ll need to plant the seeds in the plot of land in Snowslide Slope. The Shaderoot Carrot, meanwhile, is grown by planting the seeds in the Old Cemetery.

After you’ve chosen a plot and planted the seeds, Calyrex will use what little power it has left to sprout a carrot. This will lure either Glastrier or Spectrier out of hiding and cause the Pokemon to head into Freezington. Return to the village and defeat it in battle to chase it off. The steed will leave behind a strand of hair from its mane, which you’ll need to weave together with the Radiant Petal you receive from Calyrex to forge the Reins of Unity.

Once you’ve obtained Reins of Unity, Calyrex will inform you that its steed is lurking in the Crown Shrine in the northernmost point of the Crown Tundra. Make your way to the shrine and place the carrot in the basket there to lure Glastrier or Spectrier out of hiding once more. Calyrex will then use the Reins of Unity to tame the steed and assume its Ice Rider or Shadow Rider form. As thanks for your aid in restoring its power, Calyrex will then give you the opportunity to catch it.

Which Steed Is Better?

Both Glastrier and Spectrier have the same base stat total, but their stats are distributed quite differently. Glastrier has low Speed but high Attack and defenses, making it a formidable tank. Spectrier, meanwhile, has high Speed and Special Attack but low defenses, making it more adept at striking quickly.

Although Glastrier and Spectrier can be used in battle individually, they can also combine with Calyrex into one Pokemon: Ice Rider Calyrex or Shadow Rider Calyrex. This fusion gives Calyrex a significant stat boost and a few other benefits. In its Ice Rider form, Calyrex becomes a Psychic/Ice type; in Shadow Rider form, it becomes Psychic/Ghost. Depending on which steed it rides, Calyrex’s stats are boosted accordingly; Ice Rider form has high defenses and Attack but low Speed, while Shadow Rider form has high Speed and Special Attack but low defenses.

In addition to the stat boost, Calyrex is able to use a few different moves depending on which form it assumes. In Ice Rider form, it is able to learn Ice-type attacks, including the signature move Glacial Lance, an incredibly powerful, physical Ice-type attack. Shadow Rider Calyrex, meanwhile, is able to learn Ghost-type moves. This form’s signature attack is Astral Barrage, a powerful, special Ghost-type move that damages all adjacent opponents.

Ultimately, which steed you choose depends on what battle strategy you prefer. Ice Rider Calyrex fits well on Trick Room teams thanks to its low Speed and naturally high Attack, while Shadow Rider Calyrex makes a good special sweeper, especially if it boosts its own stats with Nasty Plot or Calm Mind.

We have more Crown Tundra guides coming, so stayed tuned for further coverage. In the meantime, you can learn more about the DLC’s big new features and other additions in our roundup of everything we know about Crown Tundra. We’ve also outlined how to get to Crown Tundra itself and access all the new content.

The Last of Us Remastered has received a new patch on PS4 that has seemingly reduced load times across the game, including cutting the load times of game’s first loading screen by over 70%.

As reported by Kotaku, The Last of Us speedrunner Anthony Calabrese has noted that patch 1.11 has made it so “loading screens are basically non-existent on PS4″ for The Last of Us Remastered. This change has even saved him nearly 18 seconds in the David fight and appears to work for both ssd and hdd.

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YouTuber ElAnalistaDeBits also uploaded a video that shows the improved load times in action. Pre-patch, the first loading screen in The Last of Us Remastered took 1:30:10. With the new patch, load times for the same section appear to be 0:13:86.

While this could always just be an improvement specifically for the PS4 version of The Last of Us Remastered, its timing is curious as this game is included in the PlayStation Plus Collection for PS5. This PlayStation Plus perk brings such other big games like God of War, Bloodborne, and Final Fantasy XV to Sony’s newest next-gen console.

It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to consider that, by optimizing and making these games playable on PS5, these developers have found ways to improve the experience for those still playing on PS4.

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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.

It’s that time of the season where its 100% socially acceptable to scare ourselves stupid with zombies, vampires, or mask-wearing homicidal maniacs.

And while live-action movies and shows are rife with gory goodness, we’ve got some bloody bangers that I’m sure you anime fans out there will enjoy.

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Watch the video above, click through the gallery below or scroll down for the full list!

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Perfect Blue (Rent: Amazon, Youtube, Google Play, Vudu)

Satoshi Kon’s 1997 anime film Perfect Blue isn’t inherently considered a horror movie in the general sense, but more of a physiological thriller. Perfect Blue tells the story of a young J-Pop star who decides to leave her music career to become an actress. After a traumatic experience in one of her first acting roles, she slips into a state of psychosis where she’s unable to distinguish between the real world and fantasy. This is partially where the horror of the anime lies, along with depictions of gore and graphic violence. At one point, a man gets stabbed in the nards, and for us there’s nothing more horrific than seeing that, let alone experiencing it.

Satoshi Kon is no stranger to psychological thrillers; we’ve seen him explore this genre in his other works Paprika and Paranoia Agent. But there’s something so terrifying seeing the main character, Mima, begin to lose her identity and her state of mind, even as the body count stacks up (including that of her harmless fish). With the amount of blood and gore thrown around, coupled with a brilliantly crafted story, Perfect Blue is definitely an anime that’ll stay with you for years to come.

Another (Crunchyroll, VRV)

Another is an intriguing horror anime that will keep you glued to your screen. Protagonist Sakakibara Kouchi is a new transfer student to an infamous school known for a mysterious death. Kouchi finds that his classmates are acting a bit suspicious when it comes to that event from years ago, but finds comfort in a quiet girl with an eye patch. P.A. Works does an amazing job detailing the nuances in facial expressions and body language to create tension. The story is gripping and each episode will have you clicking next to see the events unfold.

Ghost Stories (Crunchyroll, VRV)

Ghost Stories is one of the rare anime shows we would recommend you watch the dub over the sub, for the simple fact that it’s funny as hell. When ADV Films acquired the North American license for this one, it decided to hire a comedy writer (shout out to Steven Foster) and completely flipped the script … literally. With the comedy elements aside, Ghost Stories tells just that: ghost stories. It’s the tale of a young girl named Satsuki Miyanoshita who moves to her deceased mother’s hometown with her family, where she and a ragtag group of kids discover an abandoned school that appears to be haunted.

Turns out these ghosts aren’t just haunting that abandoned school but the entire town. Fortunately for Satsuki and her new friends, her mother was the one responsible for sealing away these ghosts, and she left Satsuki a book that details how to exorcise these spooky creatures and rid them of the paranormal activity that’s befallen the town.

So if you’re wanting to get into the spooky mood with something a little bit different, Ghost Stories should be on your list. It’s like Scooby-Doo, if Scooby-Doo was laden with over the top adult-oriented humor.

Higurashi: When They Cry (VRV, HIDIVE)

If you haven’t heard of 2006’s Higurashi: When They Cry, now is a better time than ever to get into this classic horror anime series with the new 2020 series now available. Higurashi follows Maebara Keiichi, the new kid in town, who lives a somewhat peaceful life until he begins to learn about several murders that have happened over the past few years. Keiichi struggles to find the truth as he falls into an array of paranoia filled events. Definitely check this out before the 2020 series because the new anime may be a continuation and not a remake. Just a fair warning, as we’re just getting into the new fall season.

Gleipnir (Funimation)

Gleipnir is a strange yet unique one – it’s about a boy who can transform into a killer monster that looks like a character from Five Nights at Freddy’s. This one’s more of a body horror anime, although don’t expect to see bones snapping and skin ripping during transformation sequences; all the usual grotesqueries are replaced with cotton and fuzziness. Just think of the main character here as Twisted Foxy from FNaF’s anime counterpart. And much like the horrific, jump-scaring animatronics from FNaF, the main character is a killing machine. It’s a modern-day Wolfman story, only this wolfman is cute and holsters a pistol on his side.

Parasyte -the maxim- (Crunchyroll, VRV, Netflix, HIDIVE)

Parasyte the maxim is not only a great horror anime but one that all anime fans could enjoy. Parasyte follows protagonist Shinichi Izumi who is infected by an alien parasite. Instead of being overtaken by the parasite, he learns to have a symbiotic relationship with the alien which in turn puts a target on his back. This new addition to his body throws his life into chaos, and affects those around him. Under all the numerous body horror elements in Parasyte lies an amazing story full of emotions. The action isn’t too bad either for shonen fans. Parasyte -the maxim- is definitely a must watch!

Wicked City (DVD, Blu-ray)

This one is a bit of a throwback to when some of us weren’t even alive yet, but a time we personally like to consider the golden age of anime. 1987’s Wicked City is about demonic creatures who keep trying to infiltrate the human world through a parallel dimension and the Black Guard, a special police force implemented to keep them in check. Starting off as a series of horror novels written by Hideyuki Kikuchi, the anime borrows from several genres, including body horror, science fiction and hentai. Yes, hentai.

In fact, the majority of the scariest parts involve graphic sexual acts and body transformations. The visuals in the anime were quite stunning for its time. If you’re a fan of Ninja Scroll or Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, the director of those anime films, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, made his directorial debut in Wicked City, so it’s nice to see where the legendary anime director started. Just be warned that there’s tons of nudity in the movie, so probably hide the kids.

Elfen Lied (VRV, HIDIVE, Amazon Prime)

Just from the manga cover alone for Elfen Lied, you wouldn’t know that this is a horror anime with sci-fi elements. The first few minutes of the Elfen Lied anime is literally a bloody massacre! Elfen Lied follows Lucy, a mutant with a killer instinct and special powers, who manages to escape her imprisonment. She was injured during her escape, giving her a split personality. Two cousins, Kouta and Yuka, take the helpless escapee in, not knowing how dangerous she really is. Elfen Lied is a roller coaster of emotions as Lucy becomes more involved in the carefree lives of Kouta and Yuka.

Devilman The Birth (DVD, Blu-ray)

1987’s Devilman: The Birth is the first OVA in the Devilman series, which starts with Ryo and Akira discovering the existence of demons and the fight for survival on Earth. The film manages to pack a lot of gore in its 50+min runtime, with demonic transformations, amazingly animated body horror, and decapitations aplenty – and that’s just the nightclub scene. The Birth OVA spawned two sequels. The Demon Bird and Amon: The Apocalypse of Devilman, before fans were blessed with Netflix’s modern take on the franchise with Devilman Crybaby. While the animation looks dated compared to Crybaby, Devilman: The Birth is worth checking out if you’re in the mood for some serious demonic gore.

Tokyo Ghoul (Funimation, Hulu)

Tokyo Ghoul is another horror anime that all anime fans could enjoy. Tokyo Ghoul follows protagonist Ken Kaneki, who lives in a world where both humans and fleshing eating ghouls exist. Through a casual attraction came a near-death experience that forces Kaneki into a life of being part ghoul. On top of the action-packed story are some of the goriest horror scenes in anime. Studio Pierrot does an amazing job showcasing the balance between Kaneki’s ghoul side and his humanity with captivating animations. Whether you’re into horror or shonen anime, there’s a lot to love with Tokyo Ghoul.

We barely scratched the surface of horror anime here. There’s plenty more, like Hellsing, Shiki, and the Junji Ito Collection. What are some of your anime horror picks? Sound off in the comments down below. And let us know what you think of ours. And for more horribly horrific content, click that video! [poilib element=”accentDivider”] Akeem Lawanson is a video host and producer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter at @geekheavy. Mike Mamon is a Syndication & Digital Specialist at IGN, devil fruit user, and world-renown JoJo poser. Let’s chat anime on Twitter.