Patch Notes: PUBG Mobile’s Big 1.2 Update Is Out Now

PUBG Mobile‘s latest big update has arrived, bringing with it new modes and corresponding loot. Check out everything that’s been added in the patch, including the brand new Runic Power Mode in the full patch notes below.

Runic Power is a new event that’ll run from the moment you update until March 7. Available on the Erangel map, Runic Power has players select one of three special powers that they can then use by collecting rune fragments on the map.

The three runes are the Flame Rune, Arctic Rune, and Wind Rune, each with different abilities to suit varied playstyles. The Flame Rune is the most attack-based, with the ability to summon a fire-based attack and apply burning damage with your regular ammo. The Arctic Rune summons an ice wall that can be used either to impede opponents or to lift up anything on top of the wall’s area. The Wind Rune creates a shield that will reduce projectile damage, as well as increasing player movement speed.

There’s also a new battle pass that’s themed to match the Runic Power event, which will unlock items to help players achieve victory in the new event.

Another new game mode is Power Armor Mode, which will launch in EvoGround on February 5. The mode sees players looking for materials to build various parts of the Power Armor set, with a powerful weapon to be unlocked when the full set is completed.

A new assault rifle named the FAMAS has also been introduced to the game, boasting the fastest rate of fire of any of PUBG’s rifles.

Players who update the game before January 17 will get a bonus pack including BP, AG, and an Acolyte of Justice backpack, so make sure to update soon. The full patch notes–including more new content, fixes, and tweaks–can be found below.

Runic Power Gameplay (January 12 to March 7)

Runes from another world have brought three special powers with them. Choose the power that suits you, collect Rune fragments, and use them to aid you in your fight to become the final winner on the battlefield. Choose Erangel in map selection to experience this exclusive gameplay mode.

  • Players will choose their Rune energy type on Spawn Island. You will need to choose to bring either the Flame Rune, Arctic Rune, or Wind Rune into the current match.
  • After selecting a rune, you will get 2 skills. The first skill summons an object, and the second skill gives you a boost. Using these skills consumes Rune energy.
  • Rune energy can be obtained in matches.
  • Rune Abilities
    • Flame Rune:
      • Summon skill – Summons a wheel of flame that rolls forward slowly, dealing burn damage to enemy players it touches.
      • Boost skill – Adds a burning effect to your Ammo for a short time.
    • Arctic Rune:
      • Summon skill – Summons an ice wall. Each block of the ice wall can be destroyed separately. When the ice wall appears, it will lift up players or vehicles directly above them.
      • Boost skill – Adds a freezing effect to Ammo for a short time. Freezing reduces the effectiveness of healing.
    • Wind Rune:
      • Summon skill – Summons a semi-transparent shield of wind that reduces the damage of bullets shot from outside the shield.
      • Boost skill – Increases your movement and reload speed.

New Firearms, New Options

FAMAS

  • A new assault rifle that uses 5.56mm Ammo. It can be loaded with 25 rounds, has the fastest Rate of Fire among rifles, and is outstanding in close range firefights.
  • The FAMAS can be equipped with a Muzzle (Rifles), Scope, and Mag (Rifles). There is no foregrip, but it comes with its own bipod that reduces recoil when shooting with it in a prone position.
  • Only appears in the Livik Classic Battle Royale map.

Power Armor Mode (Launches in EvoGround on February 5)

New high-tech Power Armor has been created on Livik. To create your own set of Power Armor you must bringing Nano Crystals and an Armor Blueprint to the Matrix Base. You will have 2 additional chances to respawn yourself or your teammates during a match. Matrix Events will also be available for you to participate in during each match.

  • Respawn
    • Teammates can be respawned at research stations. All players can respawn twice. You can choose to respawn yourself or your teammates during a match. Players respawn with basic equipment.
  • Power Armor
    • Power Armor Chest Piece: Reduces chest damage and increases backpack capacity.
    • Power Armor Arm Piece: Reduces arm damage and increases melee damage.
    • Power Armor Leg Piece: Reduces leg damage and fall damage. Gives a quick dash ability.
    • Assembling the full Power Armor set unlocks its ultimate weapon, the Dragon’s Breath Grenade.
  • Matrix Events
    • Matrix Event 1: Improved regional supply output.
    • Matrix Event 2: Multiple Matrix airdrops and significantly increased supplies in each airdrop.
    • Matrix Event 3: Life Detectors in research stations are activated and can be used to detect surrounding players.

Metro Royale: Honor (From January 12)

  • The Newest Chapter
    • Metro Royale: Honor will be available after the game is updated. In keeping with our Season tradition, at the start of a new chapter your rankings and inventory in Metro Royale will be reset. Fame and NPC Favorability, however, will be retained.
      • New rewards will be available in the latest chapter. Accumulate Honor to get voice packs, outfits, and other permanent rewards!
      • Added new weekly rankings, including Loot and Elimination Rankings.
      • Improved enemy AI from Steel Front and the Cobras to make them more intelligent and challenging.
  • New Metro Royale Honor System
  • Your Honor represents your strength in Metro Royale Mode. Accumulate Honor to get voice packs, outfits, and other permanent rewards.
  • Honor is obtained by defeating players or picking up Honor items. A player’s Honor level increases when a player reaches the maximum amount of Honor. Honor can also be obtained by completing weekly missions.
  • Honor is reset whenever a chapter is updated. Players will start with an initial amount of Honor based on their performance in the previous chapter.
  • New Solo Mode
    • In Metro Royale Mode, all maps and modes support Solo.
    • Solo players won’t encounter players who play as a team.
  • Metro Royale Improvements
    • Mail can be read in the Metro Royale Lobby.
    • Removed the NPC chat feature.
    • Missions do not award any more Fame after your Fame reaches the max level.
    • Missions do not award any more Favorability after your NPC Favorability has reached the max.

Game Performance and Other Improvements

  • Basic Performance Improvements:
  1. Improved the loading logic so that backpacks open faster the first time they are opened.
  2. Improved the performance and rendering efficiency of Cheer Park so that many players can appear on the same screen.
  3. Improved the power consumption of high-end iOS devices so that devices are less likely to overheat because of the game.
  4. Android users can use the incremental update feature to update game resources, significantly reducing the size of resource downloads needed to start the game.
  5. Android users can now download the initial game pack in the background.
  • Security Improvements:
  1. New Security Zone updates waiting for you to discover.
  2. Enhanced the detection for auto-aiming, x-ray vision, long-distance jumping, and movement speed hacks.
  3. Enhanced the detection for grass-removal hacks.
  4. Enhanced detection and protection against unofficial versions of the game client.
  5. Adjusted the condition to enter stat-related rankings from Lv. 30 to Lv. 35.
  6. Further improved the efficiency of the report and feedback systems to provide more timely and accurate feedback.

Basic Experience Improvements:

  • Sight Model Improvements
  1. Improved the Holographic Sight, making the model clearer for players.
  2. Improved the model of the 2× Scope to make it more natural.
  3. Improved the 8× Scope to make the movement of the crosshair more natural when changing directions.
  4. Adjusted the frequency at which the black circle of the Muzzle shakes to make the shaking more realistic when shooting with a weapon.
  5. The landing animation has been improved to better correspond to the speed at which players land.
  6. Made the landing process smoother.
  • Skydiving and Landing Action Improvements
  • Feature to Cancel Reloading

Tap the shoot button when reloading to stop reloading.

  • Firearm Balancing:

Bolt Action Sniper Rifle Enhancements

  1. Increased the damage of the Kar98K and M24.
  2. Shortened the interval between shots for the Kar98K and M24.
  3. Slightly increased the bolt action speed of the Kar98K and M24.
  • Other System Improvements:

Social System Improvements

  1. Friend sidebar: Players can now view their friends’ online status to find out what mode they are playing and the size of their teams.
  2. The Crew feature will be upgraded and is under maintenance. It is expected to return in v1.3.0.
  3. Added a feature that gives players exclusive points that can be used to redeem rewards when they team up with their old friends who’ve recently returned to the game.
  4. Added a search feature.
  5. Added the following to the filter: Time of Acquisition and Owned.
  6. Added a quick voice feature to delete all.
  • Voice Pack Inventory Improvements

Other New Season Content

  • Royale Pass Season 17: RUNIC POWER (January 19 to March 21)
  1. RUNIC POWER themed interface and rewards: Spin the Wheel of Fate to obtain upgraded rank rewards! Choose between Resplendent Dawn and Deadly Sickle at rank 50, and reach rank 100 to get the majestic Guardian Armor Set and the new themed UZI and M16A4!
  2. RP missions have been overhauled to lower the difficulty while increasing the point rewards! Added season match time rewards. Accumulate match time to collect point rewards. Added RP point rewards to weekly Activity progress. Complete missions to accumulate Activity and collect point rewards.
  3. RP Activity Pack event: Purchase Activity Packs to rank up your RP quickly, and collect Mission Activity Points to convert them all into UC refunds. Purchase the RP Activity Pack to immediately get RP Points of equivalent value and extra crate coupons. You will also activate the Mission Activity Point rebate, and the Mission Activity Points you collect can be converted into UC refunds.
  4. The adventure event is back with the RUNIC POWER theme: Go to the RP exclusive event tab and obtain Metro Badges to go on an adventure like no other. Unlock the story as you explore and choose to advance for free or after making a purchase. Collect exclusive supplies to redeem 1 of 2 sets, exclusive vehicles, and other grand rewards.
  5. Improved the selection between UC and AG: It is now only necessary to choose this once per season, and you can change your mind at any time. Adjusted the pace at which currency is returned to players via rank rewards to increase the amount given at lower ranks.
  • New Cheer Park Theme:

Runic Power Theme (January 12 to March 7)

  1. Runes have appeared in Cheer Park, bringing a magical power with them. Players can sense rune energy once per day in Cheer Park to collect free rewards from a rune.
  2. After claiming the reward, players can use the power of the Runes to search for and match with other players. Players can then become Rune friends for the day. You can only become Rune friends for one day and can rematch with another player once per day.
  3. Players can complete specified Rune missions with their Rune friend in Cheer Park to collect great rewards.
  4. When this theme is available, a pier leading to Cheer Park Island will appear. There you’ll find a giant bunny doll waiting for you.
  5. Players can project Valentine’s Day notes in the air for all to see! The projection will have the sender and receivers’ names on it.
  • Dream Team Theme (Feb 9 to Mar 7)
  • Subscription Festival (January 13 to January 27)

Now Playing: PUBG Mobile – 1st Year Anniversary Official Trailer

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The Most Streamed Show Of 2020 Feels God In This Chili’s Tonight

We’re streaming our shows more and more, especially as COVID-19 keeps us inside and isolated from friends and family. Despite how much we’re streaming, though, broadcast TV is still a dominant force as revealed by Nielsen, the long-running authority on television viewership.

Nielsen revealed the most streamed shows and movies of 2020, split up between original (Mandalorian, Ozark) and acquired (The Office, Supernatural) content.

The most-streamed series of 2020 include The Office, Grey’s Anatomy, and Criminal Minds. The Office wins with over 57 billion minutes streamed from Netflix in 2020. Grey’s Anatomy was at 39 billion, and Criminal Minds at 35 billion. The list also includes NCIS, Schitt’s Creek, Supernatural, Shameless, New Girl, The Blacklist, and Vampire Diaries.

Netflix’s Ozark is the most streamed “original” show with 30 billion minutes streamed, followed by Lucifer with 18 billion, and The Crown with 16 billion. That list also includes Tiger King, The Mandalorian, Umbrella Academy, the Great British Baking Show, Boss Baby: Back in Business, Longmire, and You.

The longform format of television lends itself to big streaming numbers, but Nielsen also released a list of most-streamed movies, with a mix of original and acquired content. Disney+ dominates the list with seven of the ten spots. Frozen 2 and Moana take the top two spots, followed by Secret Life of Pets. The list fillows out with Onward, Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch, Hamilton, Spenser Confidential, Aladdin (2019), Toy Story 4, and Zootopia. This is pure conjecture, but we’re going to guess that a lot of those movies have been watched a dozen times by younger eyes, helping push them past the likes of more mature content like Netflix’s Old Guard and Hulu’s Palm Springs.

If you’ve already streamed all of these shows and movies, you should check out our lists of the best comedies, best tv shows, and the best content you might’ve missed throughout the last year.

Dexter Won’t Be a Lumberjack or Returning to Miami in Showtime Revival

It has been revealed that Dexter’s revival on Showtime will take place in upstate New York, hinting that Dexter may not be returning to Miami and may not be lumberjack-ing in Oregon anymore.

As reported by Uproxx (via Deadline), the limited series’ setting was revealed through character details of the new cast members.

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The Mandalorian’s Julia Jones will be playing Angela Bishop, the “first Native American Chief of Police in her town in upstate New York.” Believe’s Johnny Sequoyah will play Audrey, “Bishop’s brash and opinionated teenage daughter. Sylvie’s Love’s Alano Miller is playing Logan, a “sergeant for the Iron Lake Police Department and the assistant wrestling coach for the local high school.” The Good Lord Bird’s Jack Alcott will play Randall, with “whom Dexter (Hall) has a meaningful encounter.”

This news makes no mention of other returning cast besides Michael C. Hall as Dexter, but there could always be surprises in store for fans.

The 10-episode Dexter revival will debut in 2021 and begins production in Massachusetts next month.

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For more on the Dexter revival, check out Clancy Brown’s reveal as the villain, Hall’s comments on returning to Dexter after the “unsatisfying” finale, and how this revival can set things right with fans.

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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.

Daily Deals: $250 Off the Samsung Odyssey G7 27″ 1ms 240Hz G-SYNC Monitor

For today only, you can save on two of the best gaming monitors out there. The Samsung Odyssey G7 has everything you’d want in a 27″ 1440p gaming monitor, and the certified refurbished model is $250 off at Woot. The Samsung CRG9 is for those who want 49 inches of gorgeous screen real estate, and that’s $350 off. Other deals today include Mountain Dew Game Fuel drinks, Nintendo eShop gift card, Microsoft Xbox Series S|X gaming controllers, and more.

32″ Samsung Odyssey G7 2560×1440 Curved 1ms 240Hz G-SYNC QLED Gaming Monitor for $549.99

Certified Refurbished with 3-Month Samsung Warranty

This super popular gaming monitor normally sells for $800 new. This is one of the best 27″ gaming monitors you can get, thanks to it’s combination of high resolution, fast 1ms response time, 240Hz refresh rate, and G-SYNC and FreeSync compatibility. You’re getting it for $250 off by opting for a certified refurbished model (with 3 month Samsung warranty). Woot is owned and operated by Amazon; you can even log in with your Amazon account.

49″ Samsung CRG9 5120×1440 Curved 1ms 144Hz QLED Gaming Monitor for $855.99

Certified Refurbished with 3-Month Samsung Warranty

If you want the biggest screen possible, take a gander at the massive 49″ Samsung CRG9 monitor, which boasts a mindblowing 32:9 ultrawide aspect ratio, a pixel-dense 5120×1440 resolution, and an 1800R curve that does a great job of immersing you. This was one of our best selling monitors on Black Friday, but you can get it even cheaper today.

The Best Daily Deals for January 12

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More Video Game Deals

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Eric Song is IGN’s deal curator and spends roughly 1/4 of his income on stuff he posts. Check out his latest Daily Deals Article and subscribe to his IGN Deals Newsletter.

Justice League: Martian Manhunter Actor Confirms Scenes Shot for Snyder Cut

Zack Snyder’s Justice League actor Harry Lennix, who plays Lt. General Calvin Swanwick, has said that he has shot new scenes that will officially reveal that his character is Martian Manhunter.

As reported by Collider, Lennix had no idea his character was secretly Martian Manhunter when he was cast in Man of Steel, and was still not told of his true identity when he returned for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

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He was finally told he would be playing Martian Manhunter in 2017’s Justice League, but he wasn’t able to film the necessary footage for the film due to his shooting schedule on The Blacklist before Snyder left the film.

In 2020, Snyder released a commentary track for the Ultimate Cut of Justice League and confirmed that Harry Lennix’s character was intended to be Martian Manhunter in the film, and that his reveal was planned for as far back as Man of Steel.

Martian Manhunter a.k.a. J’onn J’onzz is a fan favorite from DC comics that was created in 1955 by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa. The telepathic, shapeshifting hero was a founding member of the original Justice League of America in 1960 and has appeared in many forms of DC media, including a surprising debut in Supergirl in 2015.

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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.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Optimized Xbox Series X Gameplay

While we’re waiting for new PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S games to launch, there’s plenty of time to revisit some favorites on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Luckily for us, developers are optimizing those games for the brand-new consoles.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is one of those titles, and has received a next-gen optimization update. The new update improves framerate and dynamic resolution ranges on the Xbox Series X|S as well as the PlayStation 5. The update also improves post-processing resolution on the Series X and PS5 but not the Series S.

In the video above, we play Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order on an Xbox Series X first running in 4k Postprocessing Mode and then in 1080p 60fps Performance Mode.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, developed by Respawn Entertainment, is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Stadia.

It’s Easy To Keep Indiana Jones From Turning Into Uncharted: Take His Gun Away

There are a lot of things about the Indiana Jones movies that make for good video game fodder: a hero who occasionally cracks wise, fascinating historical settings, Nazis and other evildoers to fight, and big action set pieces in which the heroic Indy takes on a tank or escapes ancient traps. Indiana Jones translates so well into video game form that a few other franchises, most notably Uncharted and Tomb Raider, have already more or less lifted key elements from the iconic movies.

That leaves the upcoming Indiana Jones title from current Wolfenstein developer MachineGames facing an uphill battle. One of its bigger challenges is distinguishing itself from the games that have already riffed on some of the essential elements of the Indiana Jones formula. Nathan Drake and Lara Croft are archaeological killing machines and treasure hunters, gunning down whole armies of mercenaries as they fight to keep lost cities and powerful relics out of the hands of bad guys. Some online reactions have already suggested any Indiana Jones game might wind up being an “Uncharted clone” on account of the ideas being so similar.

So how do you make an Indiana Jones game that doesn’t feel like it’s borrowing from the games that have borrowed from Indiana Jones? It might actually not be as difficult as it sounds, at least conceptually. The key is creating a game that is more like the movies than slotting the franchise into the Indiana Jones-shaped framework set out by the video games it inspired.

1. Indiana Jones Can’t Be A One-Man Army

First and foremost, you can put a serious amount of distance between Indy and his competitors by thinking about how Indy engages with his enemies. Yes, he carries a gun and a whip and does a fair amount of fistfighting in any given Indiana Jones movie. But where Nate Drake and Lara Croft sneak around breaking necks, shooting rockets at guys carrying miniguns and swinging around battlefields, Indy rarely does those things. He gets into brief fights with random dudes in most of his adventures, and he always gets his ass kicked. I’d say one of the most essential parts of Indy’s character is that he can take a punch as well as give one, but in most fights he’s on his back foot.

A lot of Indy’s adventures, particularly in the first three movies, find him avoiding conflict in situations where he’s vastly outgunned. If you translated Raiders of the Lost Ark into a video game, it would mostly focus on stealth. When Indy does get into fights, they’re often against huge guys who handily beat the hell out of him, and he only just barely makes it through. In most of his movies, Indy spends his time not fighting bad guys, but fleeing from them in dramatic, intense chases.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade has probably the most video game-y combat of any of the films, as he fights Nazis on several occasions, even jumping up on the back of a tank to punch a whole bunch of them. This is the most protracted of Indy’s fights, but what works about it is not that Jones beats up a bunch of guys–it’s that he barely beats up a bunch of guys. Chaos is mostly on Jones’s side, and he spends half that fight trying to save his father from getting pulled under the tank treads and getting absolutely walloped for it.

So don’t give Indiana Jones a Tommy gun and send him against hordes of Nazis, like you might Nathan Drake. An Indiana Jones game should not be mostly a shooter, or even a brawler, and when it does throw its hero into combat, the fights should be intense, protracted, and difficult to win (something MachineGames is admittedly great at in Wolfenstein). Rather than putting Indy up against waves of soldiers, the game would do well to make whatever enemies it includes fewer, but tougher. Jones can handle himself in a fight, but he largely wins through sheer force of will, good luck, and one other key element: intelligence.

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2. Indiana Jones Mostly Survives By Being Clever

A lot of Indy’s adventures see him running for his life, outnumbered and outgunned. These are some of the best moments in the Indiana Jones movies because they’re high-stakes and don’t rely on Jones being able to punch good, but on him being a brilliant improviser.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a great template for this. Most of the set pieces in that movie see Jones and his father, Henry Jones Sr., fleeing Nazis in spectacular fashion. One escape sees Indy and Henry jumping onto a motorcycle and its sidecar, and Indy dispatches the motorcyclists that follow not by shooting or whipping them, but with items from the environment, like a well-placed flagpole in a motorcycle’s wheels. Back during the scene on the aforementioned tank, Indy defeats a tank gunner by jamming the barrel of his cannon with a rock. And in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jones distracts a hulking Nazi he’s fighting long enough for an airplane propeller to do the dirty work; in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, when Jones tries to fight two towering hulks, he handles a similarly huge opponent by tangling him up in a rock-crushing conveyor belt.

Mostly, Indy as a character is defined by how he pays attention to everything around him and uses anything at hand in clever ways to outsmart his opponents. That’s what an Indiana Jones game should be about–outthinking enemies, not out-headshotting them or even out-punching them.

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3. Indiana Jones Must Be A Massive, Respectful History Nerd

Both the Uncharted and Tomb Raider franchises have taken heat over the years for glorifying the idea of, well, raiding tombs–invading the lands and cultures of other peoples to effectively rip them off. Indiana Jones does his fair share of exploring catacombs and wandering through ancient temples, but when he’s at his best, he’s not hunting treasure.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, in particular, has a whole host of problems with colonialism and racism, to be sure. A new game has a chance to improve on those fronts in ways the movies have fallen short, though, by further building on some of the best aspects of Indy’s character in the films. Especially as he develops over the course of The Temple of Doom, Indy shows respect for other people and cultures after winding up in India. He’s pulled into adventure when he finds out that the children of a village have been kidnapped by a nearby cult. Arguably, his arc in that movie comes down to how he describes the Sankara stones to Short Round as offering the potential “fortune and glory.” While he might have been after those things at the start of the film, by the end, he lets two of the powerful stones fall into the river in order to defeat High Priest Mola Ram, and he leaves the final stone with the villagers.

So if you’re going to do an Indiana Jones story, you should lean into the nerdiness and respect he brings to his job. He’s an archaeologist first and foremost, and some of his best moments are when he becomes visibly giddy at the possibility of discovery. Jones spends most of his time not raiding tombs, but rescuing artifacts from the hands of evil-doers.

There’s a whole lot of great material to pull from in the Indiana Jones movies that, while superficially similar to the Uncharted and Tomb Raider series, offer ways to differentiate a Jones adventure. Mostly, though, it comes down to how Jones interacts with the world–sometimes with his whip and his fists, but mostly with his brain. That doesn’t mean taking breaks from shooting guys to solve centuries-old puzzles; it means finding ways to make the player feel like their greatest asset is their brain, as Indy’s arguably is, whether he’s avoiding deadly traps or facing insurmountable odds.

In other words, make an Indiana Jones game that’s true to Indy’s character, and it won’t feel like a clone of anything–even the games Indiana Jones himself has inspired.

Now Playing: Machine Games – Official Indiana Jones Game Teaser Trailer

As GTA 6 Rumors Swirl, Let’s Look Back At Grand Theft Auto’s Protagonists

Despite GTA V’s massive success–or perhaps because of it–Rockstar has not indicated what form GTA VI will take, including when it’s coming, what city it will take place in, or who will star in it. The subject of the playable protagonist in GTA has been a topic of some discussion of late, with a rumor suggesting that a female character could headline the next game in the series. That would be a first for the long-running franchise, which to date has exclusively starred male characters, dating back to the first game in 1997.

With this in mind, we wanted to take a look back at the various playable protagonists to appear in the core Grand Theft Auto games throughout the franchise. Dating back to the nameless antiheroes from the early games to the personable hustlers of modern GTA, we’re shining a spotlight on the franchise’s key players and what this could mean for a potential GTA VI. We do go into some spoiler territory, so be warned about the info ahead.

Grand Theft Auto | The Protagonists

In the original Grand Theft Auto, players had a bird’s eye view of the action as they took part in missions to strike it rich and take out rival gang leaders across the explorable locales of Liberty City, San Andreas, and Vice City. While the franchise would eventually settle into telling stories with evolving characters, the mega-franchise’s first game took a more modest approach with a playable protagonist, allowing you to choose from a set of eight characters to serve as the basis for your anti-hero.

To date, the original Grand Theft Auto still has the largest roster of playable protagonists in the series. Throughout the years, Rockstar Games has snuck in different references to films, TV shows, and pop-culture icons, and GTA I includes references to characters like Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver and Foxy Brown from the ‘70s Blaxploitation film. The playable protagonists in GTA I include the aging gangster Bubba, the African-American femme-fatale Divine, and the Eastern-European gun-for-hire Kivlov–to name a few.

GTA: London 1969 | London’s Protagonists

In this expansion to the original game, players could explore a GTA version of 1960s London and run afoul of the city’s gangs. Like its direct predecessor, GTA London had a set of playable protagonists that also pull from films and cultural icons from the era. These antiheroes include Maurice Caine–a clear homage to Sir Michael Caine and his roles in The Italian Job and Get Carter–and Charles Jones, a British Hippie that evokes London’s strong counter-cultural movement. Like GTA I, these characters only served as stand-ins as the player’s choice for protagonists and didn’t really influence the plot in any way.

GTA II | Claude Speed

The first sequel to the original GTA was when the franchise began to focus more on the story. Instead of choosing from a set of templates as your protagonist, GTA2 put you in the role of Claude Speed, an up and coming criminal who gets in deep with Liberty City’s biggest gangsters and corporations. Using a mix of in-game storytelling and live-action cutscenes interspersed throughout, we saw Claude’s ascent up the criminal ladder as he takes on the police, Russian gangsters, and even the Yakuza. Though he was successful in his criminal enterprise, he’d eventually meet his end at the hands of an assailant from the Zaibatsu corporation, one of the earlier rivals throughout the game.

Grand Theft Auto III | Claude Speed, Again

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The release of Grand Theft Auto III in 2001 was a watershed moment for gaming, and it would go on to set the standard for open-world action games. While it was the third core release of the franchise, GTA III was a reboot, focusing on a new storyline and cast of characters. However, it brought in a new interpretation of Claude Speed, now a mute bank robber who got double-crossed during a high-stakes job. After breaking out from prison transport, he set out for revenge against his former lover Catalina and made significant waves in Liberty City’s criminal underworld.

At the time, GTA III was the most story-driven game of the series. While Claude Speed was a silent protagonist and was largely just a hired gun for the city’s criminals, he came into contact with larger-than-life gangsters and scumbags that exuded charisma and presence. One such mob boss that players got to know was Toni Cipriani, who eventually made an appearance in a later GTA game as a protagonist. Unlike Claude’s previous incarnation, this version of the protagonist survived his time in Liberty City. In some regard, Claude is the quintessential GTA protagonist, and in other games there have been minor appearances as easter eggs that allude to him. Claude even showed up in the prequel GTA: San Andreas as a racing rival to GTA: San Andreas’ CJ.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | Tommy Vercetti

Bringing the series to the 1980s for the first time, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City reinvented the original game’s Miami-inspired setting to bea vibrant and equally chaotic place to steal cars and commit crimes. The next playable protagonist was the aging gangster Tommy Vercetti, who was voiced by Goodfellas actor Ray Liotta. Like the previous anti-hero, the gangster was double-crossed and had to reinvent himself in a new city by taking on bold jobs and taking out ruthless crime lords. Unlike Claude, though, Tommy was a tough-talking and charismatic gangster who was quick to stake his claim on Vice City, and nearly 20 years later, he’s still regarded as a fan-favorite anti-hero in the series. And yes, there are TONS of Scarface references throughout Tommy’s rise to power, culminating in a mansion shootout that feels ripped straight out of the film.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | Carl ‘CJ’ Johnson

As another prequel to GTA3, but following the events of Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas reinvents GTA1’s San Andreas as an entire state that encompasses the cities of Los Santos, San Fiero, and Las Venturas. While GTA I featured multiple cities, San Andreas marked the first time in the franchise where players could explore different locales seamlessly. The focal point for this chaotic journey across the state was Carl ‘CJ’ Johnson (voiced by 2000s underground rapper Young Maylay), the Grand Theft Auto series’ first fully-voiced African-American protagonist. Hailing from Los Santos, and with a background with the Grove Street Families gang, CJ eventually came to blows with low-level drug dealers, corrupt LSPD officers, and other criminal organizations. This rising conflict soon forced him on the run across the state of San Andreas. At the time, it was the most ambitious game of the series, and CJ’s confidence and poise made him not only the most capable protagonist the franchise had seen, but also the funniest and most personable.

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories | Toni Cirpriani

Appearing first as a high-level member of the Leone Crime Family in GTA III, the prequel Liberty City Stories placed its focus on Toni Cipriani’s rise to power just three years before Claude tore his way through town. Set in 1998, Liberty City Stories’ plot is about the fallout from Toni Cipriani’s choice to kill a made man from a rival crime family. To win back favor with Don Salvatore Leone of the Leone Family, Toni is forced back into low-level work throughout the city. While taking on jobs across town, Toni deals with regular calls with his abusive mother, who has ties to the mafia and even called out a hit on her son. Towards the end of the game, Toni and his mother make amends, and she calls off the hit. Compared to other GTA protagonists, he’s been through a lot, yet despite it all, Toni is still an honorable character throughout the main story. Toni’s appearance and personality is modeled after James Gandelfini’s performance in HBO’s The Sopranos.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories | Victor Vance

Vice City Stories takes place two years before Tommy Vercetti’s arrival in the tropical setting. Playing as Victor Vance, the brother of Tommy Vercetti’s right-hand man Lance Vance, the prequel sees Vic’s fall from grace in the military and subsequent rise to running one of the city’s major crime organizations. Throughout his rise to power, Victor crosses paths with low-level gunrunner Phil Cassidy and the Cuban gang leader Umberto Robina, who would eventually meet Tommy Vercetti years later. Victor even had a stint working as the head of security for musician Phil Collins, culminating in a recreation of his iconic performance of In The Air Tonight during a Vice City concert.

Grand Theft Auto IV | Niko Bellic

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In the franchise’s next evolution, Grand Theft Auto returned to Liberty City once again, and this time, with a new protagonist that had just arrived on American soil. The central anti-hero of Grand Theft Auto IV was the Eastern-European immigrant and Bosnian War veteran Niko Bellic. After arriving in Liberty City to meet his cousin Roman, who embellished his tales of success in America, Niko eventually falls into a life of crime. He gets into conflict with gangsters in the Italian mafia, befriends a family of Irish bank robbers, and even encounters the Eastern-European mob who have ties to his past. Niko’s story took him across the city’s different boroughs, and over the course of Niko’s story, we saw a glimpse of rare diamonds that would trade owners throughout the story. This set of jewels would end up being the core item connecting other protagonists in the larger story of Grand Theft Auto IV.

Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned | Johnny Klebitz

In the first expansion for GTA IV, players stepped into the role of biker Johnny Klebitz, who was also The Lost Motorcycle Club’s vice president. While trying to keep his family and motorcycle club together, along with taking care of his addict girlfriend, he’d occasionally work with Niko on minor jobs and errands to provide for his club. Eventually, Johnny and his gang made their way to Los Santos’ outskirts, where he would meet his end at the hands of another anti-hero–Trevor Phillips.

Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony | Luis Fernando Lopez

In the final expansion for GTA IV, players controlled Luis Fernando Lopez, a former drug dealer turned bodyguard for Tony Prince, one of Liberty City’s nightclub owners and a significant influence in Liberty City’s social scene. When Luis wasn’t managing his boss’ anxiety and keeping him and his business out of trouble with the mob, he’d assist his old friends from the Northwood Dominican gang to expand their operation. Along the way, he’d cross paths with Niko and Johnny, robbing them of a deal to secure a set of valuable diamonds. Luis’ exploits in Liberty City featured some of the most outlandish and over-the-top moments of Grand Theft Auto 4, which set his story apart from the more dramatic plot with Niko and Johnny.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars | Huang Lee

In the first and only GTA game for the 3DS, this side-story brought in the first Chinese protagonist, Huang Lee. Like Niko’s story, Huang Lee’s experience and subsequent growth in Liberty City are from the perspective of an immigrant. After facing betrayal that results in the theft of his late father’s ancestral sword, Lee works his way through Liberty City to secure more power and resources to face off against the town’s most ruthless gangs. Along the way, he partners up with other individuals in the city to expand the Triads’ operations, eventually becoming the organization’s new leader.

Grand Theft Auto V | Michael De Santa and Co.

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Taking cues from Grand Theft Auto IV, the GTA series’ latest game has a sprawling storyline with three core protagonists. Letting you jump between each character at any time and see the city and surrounding region of a revitalized Los Santos through their eyes, Grand Theft Auto V is still an ambitious entry in the series even seven years after its release. When looking back at each of these characters, a common thread among the trio is that they have a level of self-awareness that feels more palpable than other characters in the series.

The figurehead of GTA5’s main story is Micheal De Santa, voiced by Ned Luke. As a former bank robber turned reclusive in Los Santos, he longs for the days when he can get back into his career as a professional thief and burglar. He’d eventually get his wish when Franklin arrives in his life. Taking cues from movies about bank robbing and the criminal lifestyle, he’d adopt cheesy one-liners and ideas he saw from films into his professional life. When Michael wasn’t planning the team’s next score, his missions were centered around keeping his family safe and happy, even if they were ungrateful for all his efforts.

Grand Theft Auto V | Franklin Clinton

The second protagonist of GTA V was Franklin Clinton (voiced by Shawn Fonteno), a former repo man who eventually teamed up with Michael and Trevor to pull off daring heists. When he wasn’t getting clowned on by his friend and associate Lamar, who was quick to call him out on his bad haircuts, he’d spend most of his time trying to improve his living situation by moving out of his aunt’s house. Though he’s the youngest of the trio, Franklin is the more reserved and pragmatic, and he’s the first to realize who quickly their exploits escalate out of control. Along with having the best understanding of the city, he’s also the most skilled driver of the three.

Grand Theft Auto V | Trevor Phillips

The third protagonist of GTA V is the embodiment of all the chaotic energy, bloodshed, and ruthlessness of the series. Trevor Philips (voiced by Steven Ogg) is chaos incarnate. His shocking introduction in the game, where he brutalizes Johnny Klebitz and wipes out The Lost MC in his first mission, is an effective opener for his rise in Los Santos with Michael and Trevor. While the other two characters often put up with his antics, they’re still quick to rely on his blunt and brutal approach, considering how effective it usually is. To further cement his chaotic presence, playing as Trevor gives you access to the game’s Rampage side missions–which were previously left behind in 2002’s Vice City.

Grand Theft Auto Online | The Online Protagonist

While GTA V’s main story focuses on three anti-heroes, the online mode has its own playable character of your own making. Though GTA IV’s online mode allowed for players to make their own characters, the protagonist of the current GTA Online embarks on their own story within Los Santos, even rubbing shoulders with characters present in the main story. Once your character has been established, you’ll embark on a set of missions ranging from low-level heists to large-scale government-backed operations taking you to the most secure areas of Los Santos, and even beyond. Given the expanding scope and stakes in which GTA Online continues to see, it’s fair to say that The Online Protagonist has had the most exciting, death-defying, and thrilling criminal career of any other protagonist in the series.

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Trails Of Cold Steel 4 Coming To Switch This April, PC Later

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV is coming to platforms beyond PS4 this year. The RPG will be released for Switch in Japan in March, and in North America and Europe on April 9, and in Australia on April 16. A PC port will come later in 2021.

Trails of Cold Steel IV is the final entry in the series, which exists as part of the larger The Legend of Heroes franchise. The game is a turn-based RPG, similar in structure to its predecessor, though it possesses a larger character roster and makes adjustments to the series’ Order and Break systems.

Set two weeks after the events of Trails of Cold Steel III, Trails of Cold Steel IV sees Class VII, Crossbell’s Special Support Section, and the heroes of Liberl all come together as the Erebonian Empire prepares for war–a conflict that threatens to consume the entire continent.

Even though Trails of Cold Steel IV is the end for the series, the franchise as a whole will continue going strong. In an interview with Game Informer, Nihon Falcom president Toshihiro Kondo said, “Though Trails of Cold Steel IV will be the last game in its subseries, we’re only halfway through the greater Trails series. This title holds an important place as the end of the Cold Steel series and the mid-point of an overall story that began with Trails in the Sky. We’ve hinted at various mysteries since Trails in the Sky and all of those related to the Erebonian Empire will be revealed here.”

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One Of The Most Difficult Parts Of Making WandaVision Will Surprise You

The time has nearly arrived. In mere days, the first Marvel Studios project in over a year will be released when the first two episodes of WandaVision premiere on Disney+. This isn’t your run of the mill MCU movie or TV show, though. As the first entry in Phase 4, it’s setting aside Marvel’s traditional comic book style to instead pay tribute to the great sitcoms throughout TV history.

From classic sitcoms Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie, all the way through The Brady Bunch and even Full House, WandaVision goes out of its way to recreate the style of those iconic TV shows as closely as possible–right down to the visual effects.

Of course, one of the things the MCU is most synonymous with is cutting-edge visual effects, which attempt to make the extraordinary seem commonplace–be it men in robot suits fighting men exposed to radiation that makes them gigantic or massive purple alien monsters snapping humanity out of existence on a whim. Those don’t exactly fit in with the ’50s sitcom aesthetic, though. In those shows, nearly all special effects were smaller in scale and done practically, for better or worse.

For WandaVision director Matt Shakman, there was only one way to stay true to the show’s conceit: to do visual effects the way they used to be done in sitcoms. “I love the practical effects for I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched,” he told GameSpot. “They’re so charming and I think we knew right from the get-go that we should really embrace that.”

Whether it was hanging things on fishing wire to make them appear to float or using some of the most basic animated effects to show off Wanda’s (Elizabeth Olsen) powers, it was no easy task to recreate things practically as they would have been done originally. In fact, the process left Shakman even more impressed by what visual effects artists were able to do back then without the tools used today.

“It’s like marionettes and puppeteering,” he explained. “[We’re] trying to capture that spirit and do what they did on that show. They did an amazing job on Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie doing what they did. It’s hard, I know, to do what they did. Even now, with all of our tools, It’s hard. So hats off to them.”

While it might seem strange that such simple effects would be difficult to pull off given what’s possible now, keep in mind that doing the effects as practically as possible leaves room for things to go wrong or look bad–especially if you don’t have the right person leading the special effects team. Luckily for Shakman, he had special effects supervisor Dan Sudick, who’s worked on practically every MCU movie thus far, leading his team.

“I went to my special effects maestro Dan Sudick, who does all the big movies and is amazing at blowing everything up and building these fantastic spaceships and stuff,” the director remembered. “I was like, ‘Hey, Dan. So I think I just want to put everything on a wire.’ I was ready for him to be like, ‘What are you talking about?’ and laughing me out of the room.”

That’s not what happened, though. As Shakman recalled, “Dan said, ‘You know, I came up under the guys who did Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie, I used to do this stuff.’ So for him, it was like finding an old vintage musical instrument that nobody remembered how to play, bringing it back and tuning it.”

Beyond revisiting his own past, though, Sudick was able to pass on this vintage style of special effects to a new generation. “He was teaching all his guys how to do it and it’s an art form,” Shakman remembered.

Now, with that training under their belt, perhaps they should put those new skills to work for another vintage-style MCU show. Dare we say, it’s time for the Steve and Peggy variety hour set in the ’50s. After all, we have got to get Chris Evans back in the MCU somehow, right? Why not make him sing and dance in black and white?

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