Author: Trafficblast

The PlayStation 5 is set to be an absolute behemoth, and though it isn’t as wide as the Xbox Series X, the PS5 is quite a bit taller than Microsoft’s system. Taiwan’s National Communications Commission has published several images showing the console next to rulers so you can see just how much space it’s going to take up on your shelf, assuming you managed to order one. Spoiler: It’s a lot.

The PS5 is just under 19 inches tall, and it’s about one foot wide. It’s certainly not going to take up the same space as a computer tower, but it could be too large for certain living room setups.

The images show far more than just the size, however, as we also see how the system’s stand attaches to the console horizontally. It has a few hooks on one side that will latch onto the console, ensuring it doesn’t slip, and there is also a lip that it will sit up against on the stand. A USB-C to USB-A cable included in the package is fairly standard, and the power cable looks identical to the one used on the PS4 now.

Using these measurements, you’ll have an idea about how to rearrange your entertainment center before the PS5 arrives on November 12. If you need that same planning stage for the Xbox Series X, Microsoft has actually provided papercraft blueprints so you can make a fake Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S and test out where it should go. That console releases on November 10 and preorders begin September 22.

The PS5 is just a few months away from release, but there are still some big question marks surrounding the console. Among them is the cost of games from certain third-party publishers as well as subscription services–including PlayStation Now. Sony’s streaming service has been around for years on PS4 and a selection of other devices, but will PS Now be on PS5, and will this allow you to keep playing your favorite classic PlayStation games on the new console?

Will PlayStation 5 Support PlayStation Now?

Sony is being much less forthcoming about its plans for the PS5 than Microsoft is with the Xbox Series X. We know Microsoft wants to put xCloud on as many devices as possible, even bundling it into a Game Pass Ultimate subscription and integrating Xbox Series X hardware into data centers for increased performance. Sony, on the other hand, has not mentioned PlayStation Now at all in its PS5 marketing thus far. The service has been around for years and has never attracted the same buzz as xCloud or even Google Stadia, but it would seemingly even the streaming playing field a bit if the PS5 supported it.

How Does PlayStation Now Work Today?

PlayStation Now currently costs $10 per month or $60 per year and gives you access to hundreds of games for streaming across both PS4 and PC. New games are added each month, and while the majority of them are only available via streaming, there are actually about 300 that can be downloaded for local play. In this way, it’s actually similar to Xbox Game Pass as well as xCloud.

If you don’t have a PS4 and still want to play the system’s exclusives, that’s where PlayStation Now really shows its benefits. Bloodborne, The Last of Us: Remastered, and Gravity Rush 2 are among the available games. However, brand-new first-party games aren’t added to the service, so you still have to buy these the old-fashioned way, in contrast to Xbox Game Pass.

What If PlayStation Now Doesn’t Come To PS5?

If PlayStation Now isn’t available on PS5, a collection of the biggest PS4 games will still be playable for free if you have a PlayStation Plus membership. Called the PlayStation Plus Collection and available on launch day, the games include Uncharted 4, Bloodborne, Detroit: Become Human, and Ratchet & Clank, among many others.

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We’re about to enter what is likely the strangest transition to next-gen consoles we’ve ever seen. After months of fragmented online speculation in times of COVID-19, we finally have an idea of what to expect from the release of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S and their respective launch lineups. On the surface, the consoles have all the traditional trappings of new video game hardware–faster performance, more detailed graphics, and bigger, better games. Sony and Microsoft have maintained the forward-thinking approach that encapsulates the promise of next-gen. However, what is different about the upcoming launch of both consoles is that Sony and Microsoft are actively reframing the expectations for the new hardware’s launch window, for the better.

What strikes me as refreshing, and a lot less stressful, about this upcoming generation is that I know that we’ll have plenty of games to play due to continued access to my existing games from the current and past generations. Historically, new consoles have been something of a reboot for existing fans, while also being a fresh start for newcomers. Once we enter the next-gen, it’s essentially a new era with dedicated games, a new infrastructure, and an assortment of features and innovations that put each console several leaps ahead of its predecessors. This change is to be expected with new hardware, and because of this ensuing gap, I tend to keep my older consoles close in case I want to play some games that aren’t accessible on the new hardware.

This divide can often be the decider when looking forward to the consoles, and it’s especially noticeable in the early period of new hardware. Truth be told, when I first bought my PS4, I had some regrets about my purchase. In the months immediately following its launch, the only games I had sunk any time into were Infamous: Second Son and Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. So far, based on the messaging from both Sony and Microsoft, the launch of the new hardware seems to be addressing this rut that can often come from adopting new hardware early. Instead of anticipating the usual angst and uneasiness of having a new console with not much to play at launch, I see myself more enthused about buying a new console earlier than I expected.

What we’ve seen with the PlayStation 5 and next Xbox consoles is that they’re putting a much larger stock in having players retain access to the past. With this current generation raising the importance of having a mostly digital library, and away from physical media, there’s a need to have players retain access to the games they’ve purchased. Of course, backwards compatibility isn’t a new thing. The original 60 GB PS3 offered full backwards compatibility with PS1 and PS2 discs, a feature which was then scaled back with newer models. The Nintendo Wii earned significant praise for offering ways to play the classic games from its past via GameCube backwards compatibility and its Virtual Console store. But what makes the upcoming era different is that more of an emphasis is placed on having legacy games being a part of your launch lineup for the next-gen.

To have new hardware actively push the importance of having access to older or even the more recent games on day one can remove that feeling of emptiness when owning new hardware and feeling like what you really want is still a generation behind, or in the distant future. In an interview with the Washington Post, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan stated that “99 percent” of PlayStation 4 games will be playable on PS5. In contrast, the Xbox Series X continues on with its radical and more comprehensive approach of having access to different generations of Xbox games, and that reassures me about next-gen. It’s becoming something more akin to me trading up instead of feeling like an investment in a console that will eventually get a larger library of games.

If anything, the best comparison I can make is that it’s something of an Apple-style approach with its line of iPhones and iPads. Instead of feeling like I’m ditching years of games and experiences, I’m simply getting a better and more efficient way to play some of my older favorites. I’ve put many hours in Bloodborne and God of War, and there’s something very exciting about the idea of replaying them with PS5’s faster processor and solid-state-drive, which are expected to improve the experience of older games in some regards. With this being available at launch, it’ll make me feel less like I’m going to be caught in the middle of two generations, and more in that I’m going to have the latest hardware to continue playing games from both the existing library and the newest games.

In Microsoft’s case, the company is approaching the accessibility to games and your existing library in a few ways. For starters, it’s leveraging the highly successful Game Pass program, which in itself is something of a killer app for Xbox One and PC users. With the expanding curated list of games to play from its standalone subscription service, it’s not only a great way to revisit some old favorites, but also play games you missed over the years. Then you have the Smart Delivery feature, allowing you to play new games like Dirt 5, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and other major releases on both the Xbox One and Series X/S. While the Xbox Series X lacks some critical exclusives during its launch window, the breadth of games available on day one still presents an enticing way to upgrade. Also, it does a lot to offset the disappointment of Halo Infinite being pushed back to 2021.

Sony’s approach is comparatively less comprehensive. However, it still features a vast library of games for players to gain access to. In addition to the previously mentioned backwards compatibility with a large majority of PS4 games, the company also recently unveiled its new PlayStation Plus Collection program. For PS5 owners with PS Plus, you can play a curated selection of games that include the previously mentioned God of War and Bloodborne, along with other titles like Batman: Arkham Knight, Persona 5, and Uncharted 4. Having many of the PS4’s key games available on PS5 as an added PS Plus perk is really cool, and it’ll be great to see where the service can go in the future. While Jim Ryan has stated that the PS5 won’t have backwards compatibility with PS3 and earlier consoles, there’s still great potential for the curated list of PlayStation Plus games to grow in unexpected ways.

It does feel like the PS5 will have to catch up to Microsoft’s library, but there are a solid lineup of games to play on PlayStation Plus collection, and what existing players will bring with them from their PS4 library. One cause for concern is how PS4 games will operate on PS5, which Sony has been mostly vague about. Buying a PS4 game and instantly getting the PS5 release seems to be more on a case-by-case basis, which is different from the more simplified Smart Delivery initiative. While it’s likely the PS5 will be compatible with PS4 Pro versions of current games, there hasn’t been more concrete info about what sort of enhancements will be available at this time. In contrast, Microsoft has stated that earlier Xbox games will receive enhancements for existing games on Game Pass, which has an extensive lineup of games from the 360 and Xbox One eras.

Both the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 are sticking close to their past libraries, which is very exciting to see. This reframing of what a launch lineup should be is a great attitude to see from both Sony and Microsoft. Not only does it present more value for jumping into new hardware, but it also shows more respect for its existing player base who have heavily invested in their chosen platforms. We’re entering a strange, new generation, but I can’t help but feel like it’ll already be a more welcoming one.

For more on what’s to come with PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, be sure to check out our Generation Next hub, which focuses on all the latest news, features and videos focusing on the new era of gaming.

Despite what the box and blurbs might tell you, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim isn’t really a game about piloting giant robots. I mean, sure, you do fight off massive swarms of building-sized creatures hellbent on total destruction in an alternate-universe 1980s Japan at some points. But these seemingly model-kit-ready metal combat suits are just a plot device, a cog in the story. In actuality, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a character drama: a twisting, turning sci-fi epic jumping through time and dimensions as it follows the lives of its numerous teen protagonists. Missiles, Gatling guns, and armor-crushing metal fistcuffs are merely a side event to the everyday drama of highschoolers who find themselves unwilling pawns in a bigger game with the fate of the world at stake. And you know what? That’s great. Once the narrative of 13 Sentinels sinks its hooks into you, you want nothing more than to go along for the ride up until the very climax.

13 Sentinels is a unique, genre-mixing experiment. It takes elements of point-and-click adventure games, visual novels, real-time strategy games, and tower defense games, mixing them together to create an experience that’s quite unlike anything else out there. Things get rolling when young Japanese highschooler Juro Kurabe is called upon to fight a horde of alien invaders in 1985, only for the story to flash back to earlier that year, then over to young soldiers in 1945 wartime-era Japan, then to two schoolgirls witnessing a crisis in the year 2025. You immediately meet a huge cast of characters across different eras, learning that there is one constant: the existence of Sentinels, massive human-piloted robot weapons who exist to protect the world from otherworldly monsters.

The game is split into three parts: a Remembrance mode where you uncover the story piece by piece, a Destruction mode where you use giant Sentinel mechs to protect the city from invasion, and an Analysis mode that collects all of the information and story scenes you have discovered through gameplay. Remembrance is presented as an episodic series where you explore and interact with various environments and characters to advance the plot. Destruction, in contrast, is an overhead-view strategy segment where you use the Sentinels to defend a critical underground access point from invading forces.

The narrative sequences of Remembrance take up the good majority of the game’s playtime. Each of the 13 main characters’ individual adventures occurs at a different time and place, but every story eventually intertwines, with some crucial events playing out through the perspectives of several cast members. Gameplay is fairly basic: You can walk around to talk to other characters, stand around to observe the environment, and examine particular objects in an area. Occasionally, key words will be added to a character’s “thought cloud,” which acts like an item inventory; you can ruminate on the topics via an inner monologue, bring up thought cloud topics to others, or utilize physical items. Progress happens when you hit on the right dialogue or action.

You only control one character at a time, but you can swap between characters’ stories as you see fit–though you may find yourself locked out of a character’s path until you have made significant progress in others’ storylines and the mech battles. The nonlinear, non-chronological storytelling presents you with many mysteries and questions which you must piece together to get a bigger picture of what is actually going on–and how to save everything from absolute ruin.

13 Sentinels does a great job telling an engaging story from several perspectives; not only does everything fit together, but the characters have distinct, well-defined backgrounds and personalities to avoid confusing the audience. Each of these 13 characters’ individual adventures is a treat to unravel as more and more important events, revelations, and romantic entanglements come to light.

There’s Juro, a nerd who loves obscure sci-fi B-movies and hanging out with his best friend after school. He shares a class with Iori, a somewhat clumsy girl who keeps falling asleep during school because terrifying dreams keep her up at night. Meanwhile, resident UFO and conspiracy nut Natsuno may have just found the secret of a time-travelling alien civilization in the girls’ locker room. She just met Keitaro, a guy who seems to have been spirited here from wartime Japan, and who also might have a thing for her. Shu is a spoiled kid with a thing for the school’s resident tough girl, Yuki, who is too busy investigating mysteries around school to care for his advances. But why is Ryoko bandaged up, constantly monitored, and gradually losing her sanity? And why is Megumi hearing a talking cat ordering her to attack her classmates?

That’s just a sampling of the many character mini-dramas you see throughout the game, as the ordinary lives of these kids get flipped upside down and a massive, reality-changing mystery unfolds. Ultimately, however, the story works because the individual character drama is so well done, with each character’s tale playing a key role in the bigger, overarching sci-fi plot.

It also helps that the story sequences in 13 Sentinels are fantastic to look at. Developer Vanillaware is known for its vibrant, colorful 2D artwork in games like Odin Sphere and Dragon’s Crown. While 13 Sentinels takes place primarily in a more “real-world” setting than those fantasy-based games, the beauty of Vanillaware’s 2D artwork is still on full display. The environments are filled with little details that really make them come alive, from the reveling drunken bench-squatters by the train station entrance to the crumbling, shaking foundations of ruined buildings in the apocalyptic futures barely standing among the husks of dead invaders. Character animation is also excellent, with many characters featuring fun little facial and body movement quirks that bring out elements of their personalities.

Perhaps the biggest problem with the story segments, however, is that they are notably more enjoyable than the real-time strategy portion, where the gigantic Sentinels are supposed to really shine. The Destruction portion of the game is a mix of quasi-RTS and tower-defense mechanics: You command up to six individual Sentinel units in a usually-timed battle to protect a defensive node from a lengthy enemy onslaught. Each unit has a specialized role (such as melee, support, flying, etc.) and offensive and defensive skills, which can be individually upgraded to your liking through “meta-chips” earned in battle and from completing story episodes. If you either wipe out all of the enemies or manage to hold the fort for a specific amount of time, you win.

These battles certainly have their moments. It’s immensely satisfying to plan out a strategy and watch it play out–or to decide to go HAM with your best weapon and watch a couple dozen enemy drones explode simultaneously in a flurry of fireworks (which are enough to make a standard PS4 model slow down). Eventually, however, the game stops introducing new and interesting threats, making these strategy bits feel less exciting as you progress. The gorgeous 2D visuals and animation are also replaced with a bland, blocky 3D map that isn’t anywhere near as pleasant to look at for long stretches of time. While there’s a good amount of inter-character bantering and key story revelations before and after these combat sequences, you can’t help but feel like they can often be a roadblock to enjoying the more interesting story parts of the game–especially since clearing certain enemy waves in Destruction is necessary to open parts of the story in Remembrance.

But ultimately, the biggest problem with 13 Sentinels is that a chunk of the game is merely good while the majority of it is outstanding. The stories of these kids and their giant robots absolutely consumed me during my playtime, and even now, I’m ruminating over certain plot points, events, and relationships, wondering if I should go back through the archives to see what I’ve missed. I don’t think I’ll forget my time in the 13 Sentinels world, and I doubt you will, either.

In Spelunky 2, the turkey’s fate is in your hands.

You could hop on the bird’s back, making use of its double jump and Yoshi-like glide to flap your way through your run. For a solid payout, you could return it and the other birds scattered throughout a stage to the turkey farmer who oversees their pen. You could whip it unconscious, throw a bomb next to its body, and eat the resulting Thanksgiving platter for one heart–or you could do that last one in the farmer’s line of sight, prompting him to take up arms against you, “you monster.”

This is the mode that Spelunky 2 constantly operates in. There are always risk-reward choices to make, and death is nearly instantaneous if you choose poorly. Like its acclaimed predecessor, Spelunky 2 is the rare platformer that demands to be played as much like a tactics game as it does like a Mario game. As you learn (or relearn) how to survive, success requires a willingness to think three moves ahead. Some tiles are booby-trapped to shoot arrows as you leap through their line of sight. Some vases summon a relentless ghost when smashed. Some pottery hides snakes and tarantulas. Some spiders hang from the cavern ceilings, hoping you pass by unaware. You really shouldn’t even move from your initial spawn point without pausing for a moment to pore over every treacherous inch of the screen. That is, unless you spawn near a bat, which will swoop down at you–hope you’re quick with your whip.

This time around, you are Ana, the daughter of the first game’s cave-faring protagonist. You’ve arrived on the moon in search of your parents, who have disappeared while exploring its very un-moon-like caverns. As you head into the mines, Spelunky 2 resembles the opening level of the first game–at least at first. You have a whip, you have some bombs, and you have a rappelling rope you can toss into the ceiling to climb to otherwise inaccessible heights. And the creatures you encounter, like bats, snakes, and spiders, will be familiar, too. And it’s all set against a clay brown backdrop which suggests the interior of a surprisingly well-lit cavern.

But from there, the game quickly bushwacks its way into unfamiliar territory. There are robots that turn into bombs when you stomp a button on their heads; mechanical ladybugs that spray fire from their outstretched wings; relentless cavemen with boomerangs. Each level–which, per Spelunky tradition, is remixed each time you play via procedural generation–houses new enemies and new environmental hazards to learn to navigate. After the first biome, you’re presented with a choice–jungle or robot volcano?–and with either comes a whole host of new rules to learn. All of this is rendered in the same expressive cartoon style as its predecessor. It’s slightly crisper and clearer this time around, but it’s a tribute to the timelessness of Spelunky’s art style that Spelunky 2 isn’t more of a noticeable step up.

The controls match the art’s precision. Developer Mossmouth has added some quality-of-life tweaks–you now run by default and need to hold a button to slow down, instead of the other way around–but mostly, the team didn’t mess with a good thing. The highest praise I can heap on Spelunky 2 is that, in a game where you need to land jumps on tiny spits of land, leap above spike pits, and skirt pools of lava, I never felt like my death was the game’s fault. Some things take some getting used to, sure. But once you have the hang of things, Spelunky 2 offers near-perfect platforming.

It doesn’t feel as buoyant as some of its genre contemporaries. Instead, Spelunky 2 feels grounded. Your jump won’t take you very high, and your puny whip necessitates getting close to enemies. The game’s many traps, unpredictable procedurally generated world, and punishing fall damage mean that the longer you spend airborne, the less likely you are to make it back to the ground in one piece. Spelunky 2’s ever-present sense of danger encourages you to make careful, calculated decisions. But if you take the time to analyze the screen before choosing your next move, getting there is usually easy. I often thought deeply about where to go, but that was the hardest part.

However, that doesn’t mean you won’t still die a lot. Mastering Spelunky 2 is a little like penning the Great American Novel; you might have the vocabulary, but that doesn’t mean you can put the words together well. Spelunky 2 offers a brief tutorial to get you in the swing of jumping, climbing and bomb-throwing. Those rock-solid basics are your sole lifeline as you begin your adventure. Conversely, learning each new enemy and trap is a baptism by fire. It can feel overwhelming at first. Wait, that thing can kill me? Oh, those blocks shoot spikes? Why does the invincible ghost keep showing up a minute into my run? Over time, though, as you gain your bearings, this feeling almost entirely dissipates. For each seemingly arbitrary death the game doles out, there is a lesson about a set-in-stone rule waiting to be learned. There are some exceptions–I was still occasionally frustrated by the Naked Mole Rat, which moves erratically through dirt tiles, and more than once I was insta-killed by a bear trap that was barely visible in some tall grass. But, on the whole, Spelunky 2 does a stellar job of displaying all the information you need to know at all times, once you know how to read it.

Spelunky 2 doesn’t mess with the original’s formula too much, but the changes it does make keep that formula fresh. New biomes, like the world filled with robots and lava, come with new challenges for experienced adventurers. As each world begins, you will be unsure which tiles you can stand on and how new enemies will behave. It’s extremely satisfying to master a space that once killed you instantaneously. You don’t unlock new weapons or level up; instead, as the cliche goes, knowledge is power. Thankfully, as you’re learning a new world, you can contribute to one helpful NPC’s quest to dig shortcut tunnels to the later stages, allowing you to leapfrog over the early game to the spots that are giving you trouble.

Spelunky 2 doesn’t mess with the original’s formula too much, but the changes it does make keep that formula fresh.

Mechanically, the most significant addition, as attested to by the turkey anecdote above, is the inclusion of mounts. These double-jumping creatures make it significantly easier to breeze through levels. They move quickly, and some can attack from a distance, offering a nice change of pace on the runs when you find one. But they’re also easy to accidentally kill (and, in the turkey’s case, there is incentive to purposely kill them for health). I was always extremely grateful to find a Rock Dog, a pink fire-breathing goat creature that can be spotted and tamed in the wild or purchased at a store. And I was likewise sad to see them go when hit by an arrow or burned up in lava. A major positive of their addition is that they can tank that damage for you, effectively granting another hit point and, in some cases, a second life.

Spelunky’s additional modes have returned. I had a good time messing around against bots in the frantic competitive fun of Arena. But the modes I see myself returning to are Online co-op and the Daily Challenge. At the moment, my Online experience has been consistently hampered by pretty significant lag. It’s a shame because rushing through Spelunky 2 with strangers is a terrific, zany time and a great way to experience the later levels before you’re skilled enough to reach them on your own. Mossmouth has already pushed out several updates since launch, so hopefully the lag improves over time. Meanwhile, Daily Challenges, which offer you one shot each day to complete a successful run of the game, continue to offer exciting tension. This challenge may entice me to keep returning to this game long after I finally claim victory in Adventure mode.

In fact, the most damning thing I have to say about Spelunky 2 is that it mostly feels like more Spelunky. The new mechanics, like mounts, and the new stage themes feel right at home. To me, Spelunky 2 seems familiar. Obviously, that isn’t a bad thing. The first Spelunky is a fantastic game, and Spelunky 2 improves on its formula. Making the best version of Spelunky possible is a worthy goal, but Spelunky 2 suffers a little from the lack of ambition beyond that. Despite the great time I’m having with this game, my excitement is tempered slightly by the nagging feeling that this is mostly just a better take on the original design, rather than an ambitious, entirely new thing.

At least, that seems to be the case right now. The original Spelunky’s proc-gen depths hid secrets that took time for its avid community to discover, so it’s possible that Spelunky 2 has secrets of its own that I have yet to find, and they could push the game in a different direction from its predecessor. Spelunky 2 is a successful evolution of what made the original Spelunky work; the tight controls, impressive use of procedural generation, expressive art style, and interesting stage themes are better than ever here. But the more notable changes in how we play and talk about this game will likely happen in the coming months as players discover the heart of the game in the deep, dark depths we aren’t yet even aware exist.

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It kind of feels like Ubisoft is just making fun of us at this point, right? Sam Fisher is now in Ghost Recon, Elite Squad, Rainbow Six, and an upcoming VR game, but he still hasn’t been in his own standalone Splinter Cell game since 2013. It’s almost like Ubisoft knows that fans like the character but forget that they like him because they enjoy Splinter Cell.

In the video above, Jake Dekker expresses his exasperation at the lack of Splinter Cell games in recent years, especially in the face of Ubisoft continuing to support its other major tentpole franchises like Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six, Far Cry, The Division, and Assassin’s Creed. From a financial standpoint, sure, it makes sense. Splinter Cell doesn’t sell as well. That doesn’t change the fact that Ubisoft has left Splinter Cell fans thirsty for a drop of content for nearly a decade.

Jake posits a few theories as to why Ubisoft hasn’t returned to Splinter Cell for quite some time–namely that, until quite recently, all of Ubisoft games were being developed with an almost singular gameplay philosophy that goes against the Splinter Cell style. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has also said that Ubisoft felt a bit of fan pressure while constructing 2013’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist, which may be another possible influence on the developer’s decision to steer clear of the franchise ever since.

As of right now, Ubisoft plans to conclude 2020 with three open world action games releasing back to back. In October, you’ll be able to take part in a hacker revolution in Watch Dogs Legion. Then in November, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla transports the franchise to the time of Vikings. Finally, December’s Immortals Fenyx Rising is a Greek mythology-inspired game that plays awfully similar to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. But no Splinter Cell. Not this year, anyway.

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 20 years since Peter Jackson and his team brought Tolkien’s fantasy epic to the big screen, a task previously thought of as unfilmable. The Fellowship of the RIng hit theaters in December 2001 and was a critical and commercial smash, with both fans and critics quickly recognizing that Jackson and his team had set a new standard for fantasy filmmaking.

We’ve been back through the epic filmmaker and cast commentaries that were first released with the extended DVD version of The Fellowship of the Ring in 2002 to find some fascinating behind-the-scenes facts, references, and Easter Eggs.

A new Mega-Evolved Pokemon is now available in Pokemon Go. As a reward for collectively completing two million Mega Raid Battles during the first week of the Mega September event, Mega Pidgeot has begun appearing in the game as a Mega Raid boss.

With Mega Pidgeot’s arrival, you can now Mega Evolve your own Pidgeot once you collect enough Pidgeot Mega Energy. You’ll earn this energy for defeating Mega Pidgeot in Raids. You’ll need to amass 100 energy to Mega Evolve your Pidgeot for the first time, but subsequent transformations will take less energy. Niantic also says it is tweaking Mega Evolutions to give players more ways to earn Mega Energy outside of Mega Raids.

Mega September is a three-week event revolving around Mega Evolutions, which officially debuted in Pokemon Go last month. The first two weeks of the event have now ended, but the third week is set to begin September 22. The theme of that week will be improving your friendship level with your Mega-Evolved Pokemon. There will also be special Timed Research quests during the week, which players will need to clear for a chance to unlock Mega Gengar during Pokemon Go’s Halloween 2020 event next month.

In the meantime, there’s still a lot happening in Pokemon Go this month. The game’s September Community Day takes place this Sunday, September 20. The featured Pokemon this month is Porygon, and if you can evolve it all the way into its final form–Porygon-Z–up to two hours after the event ends, it’ll learn Tri Attack, which up until now has not been available in Pokemon Go.

Articuno has also returned to Raid Battles for a limited time. The Legendary Pokemon will be appearing as a five-star Raid boss until September 25, after which point it will be replaced by another Legendary bird, Zapdos.

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