Author: Trafficblast

Riot’s Unrevealed FPS Seems to Be Called Valorant

League of Legends developer Riot Games is working on an FPS codenamed Project A – but recent details suggest it will be titled Valorant. Now, a new screenshot of the game, and several of its characters, appears to have leaked.

Earlier this week, RespawnFirst pointed to a trademark for Valorant filed by Riot, as well as a Twitter account created at around the same time as the trademark, @PlayValorant. The account is followed by multiple pro gamers and FPS streamers despite being a next-to empty page.

Yesterday, a Project A fan account also posted what appears to be a leaked screenshot of the game featuring a character select screen for a character called Sage:

That screenshot, if legitimate, also appears to confrim characters called Viper and Brimstone, alongside a number of character portraits.

This design for Sage appears to match up with previously-shown Project A footage (below) of a character that uses a green orb to summon walls and resurrect teammates. Sage’s abilities shown in the image match with that footage, and place her as functioning something like Overwatch’s Mercy and Moira characters.

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Riot announced Project A – a PC hero shooter unconnected to the universe of League of Legends – at the end of last year. The game will be set on a near-future Earth, and will take the form of a 5v5 shooter with a search-and-destroy mode. Former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro HenryG said it felt most similar to CS:GO in action.

It’s not the only secretive game in development at Riot (which, for many years, only worked on League of Legends) – a long-rumoured fighting game, Project L is also in the works, alongside several others.

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Nintendo’s PAX East Animal Crossing Booth Is Amazing, Adorable

It’s PAX East time again, and while some big names pulled out over coronavirus concerns, there’s still an overwhelming number of games and sites to take in. Probably the most popular, based on early observations, is Nintendo’s incredible Animal Crossing booth.

Take a look at the PAX East Animal Crossing booth in the gallery below, although photos don’t really do it justice:

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Not only is the booth a faithful recreation of the world of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, there are chances to get your photo take with Isabelle or Tom Nook, as well as other parts of the Animal Crossing experience, like fishing and bug catching.

Yesterday, PAX East’s first day, had both the line for game demos and the line for photos closed due to overwhelming demand from those in attendance. It’s easily the most popular booth at PAX East so far, but today is only the second day.

Gearbox had its main theater panel yesterday, showing off the new DLC Love, Guns and Tentacles, as well as a surprise appearance by Borderlands movie director Eli Roth, who said he dreams of casting real-life Borderlands cosplayers as psychos in the movie, and then killing them gruesomely (for the movie).

 

Early Access Baldur’s Gate 3 Will Only Have 5 Companions

Following the Baldur’s Gate 3 gameplay live stream at PAX East, a barrage of news about the upcoming title has hit the Internet. Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke spoke openly, on stream and to various publications, about the Early Access release of Baldur’s Gate 3 and about how companions will work in the game

“The reason we’re selling it through Early Access is we have this many permutations, this many systems that are all working together,” Larian’s CEO Swen Vincke told VG247 during the PAX East livestream. “So it’s going to take us some time to get everything to a state where we can say ‘okay, now it’s robust and it works in every single fashion.'”

While more companions are set to be released at a later date, the five available with Early Access are as follows:

  • Half-elf Cleric “Shadowheart”
  • Githyanki Fighter “Lae’zel”
  • Elven vampire spawn/Rogue “Astarion”
  • Human Wizard “Gale”
  • Human Warlock “Wyll”

Origin characters are locked to both race and class, but your own custom character can have all kinds of combinations. Each companion will have a special origin story and prebuilt background written into the game. It’s not clear how much of this will be apparent in Early Access as only the first act will be playable.

The Early Access version will only feature the first act and five companions; the eventual final release version will feature more, although the number has not been announced.

Baldur’s Gate III will release in Early Access on PC and Google Stadia, and would likely not run on PS4 and Xbox One. Hopefully we will hear more about these features closer to release, in the meantime we will be pouring over every bit of footage we have.

Now Playing: We Saw Two Hours Of Baldur’s Gate 3, And It Was A Lot

A New Simpsons Short Will Premiere Ahead Of Pixar’s Onward

Onward, Disney Pixar’s new movie, opens on March 6, and as is Pixar tradition a short cartoon will air beforehand. This time, however, the short will not be from one of Pixar’s internal teams–instead, Disney is making use of its newly acquired Fox brands and putting a Simpsons short ahead of the movie.

Playdate with Destiny, the new Simpsons short, has been announced on the show’s official Instagram. It will focus on Maggie, and looks to be set in a beautiful area of Europe, a coastal town with beautiful architecture. You can see the post, which teases the new short, below. Further details will hopefully follow.

While the Pixar short was a long-held tradition, Toy Story 4 did not have a short beforehand, and Coco featured one based on Frozen, from Disney’s own animation company. Incredibles 2, on the other hand, graced us with the delightful Bao.

This will not be the first time a Simpsons short has opened before a movie, either. Maggie Simpson: The Longest Daycare opened ahead of Ice Age: Continental Drift in 2006.

The Simpsons will return to the big screen for a whole movie at some point, too, but that’s a while away yet. The next episode of The Simpsons will feature Kevin Feige as Chinnos, the show’s take on the Marvel villain Thanos, as it parodies the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Now Playing: 15 MORE Times The Simpsons Predicted The Future

Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Season 7, Episode 2 Review

This review contains full spoilers for Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Season 7, Episode 2. If you need a refresher on where we left off, here’s our review for Season 7, Episode 1.

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Disney+ may still be an empty wasteland as far as new, exclusive Marvel content goes, but never let it be said the service isn’t giving Star Wars fans exactly what they signed up for. The second episode of The Clone Wars: Season 7 is another reminder of what was lost when this series was canceled back in 2013, and why it’s such a gift to Star Wars fans that it’s finally returned.

If these first two Season 7 installments are any indication, the final season may be more akin to a trilogy of movies than 12 serialized episodes. The season premiere introduced us to the oddball clone commandos of the Bad Batch and set the stage for the surprise return of Echo, and this episode picks up right where “Bad Batch” left off. There is a certain sense of familiarity or “been there, done that” to the latter half of “A Distant Echo.” Both episodes have focused a great deal of screen time on Rex and the gang navigating Separatist outposts and gunning down legions of droids. Even having Anakin tag along for this second mission doesn’t shake up the formula as much as you might expect.

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To be fair, that problem is definitely more pronounced watching the two episodes back-to-back rather than spaced apart. As much as the idea of Disney dropping all 12 episodes in one bingeable delivery sounds appealing, and as much as this arc is beginning to feel like a movie broken into four parts, there is a lot to be said for the weekly, serialized approach.

Even if Anakin’s role in the mission itself is pretty straightforward, the early portions of “A Distant Echo” really take advantage of the characters in this late, “nearly upon Episode III” timeframe. The scene with Anakin surreptitiously contacting Padme while Rex plays lookout is a real treat. There’s a nice blend of comedy and tragedy fueling this scene. Seeing Padme in the uniform she wears on Mustafar and reflexively clutching her stomach while bidding farewell to her husband is a poignant reminder of the horrible fate awaiting these two lovers. It’s also a reminder that, among other things, The Clone Wars has actively improved the prequel trilogy by actually making the Anakin/Padme romance feel genuine.

There’s a lot to unpack with this scene. When the Anakin/Padme shot first appeared in the Season 7 trailer, Padme’s pose and apparent knowledge of her pregnancy made it seem like this moment was happening during the course of Episode III. That doesn’t seem to be the case, given that Anakin never acknowledges what’s literally staring him in the face. The hope is that this final season might find some room to explore Padme’s reaction to her pregnancy and the struggle over when and how to tell her husband. Similarly, the brief Obi-Wan appearance makes it clear he knew more than we realized about Anakin and Padme’s romance prior to Episode III. It would be very interesting to learn more about his thoughts on the subject, though it doesn’t seem as though this season is going to be particularly Obi-Wan-heavy.

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Season 7 is definitely The Rex and Ahsoka Show by all appearances. Accordingly, we continue to see a lot of development for Rex as he grapples with the tragedy of losing Echo and the possibly false hope of seeing him again. Rex is easily the most fully realized clone character in the series, and this season is already doing a fine job of completing his arc and bridging that gap with Rebels. This is the other area where Anakin’s presence comes in handy. This episode highlights the bond the two have formed over the course of the war, while showing us that even a clone can have trouble separating the mission from their personal desires. You have to assume the reason Anakin is so bothered by Rex’s behavior is because he sees so much of himself in his faithful Captain.

And if the run-and-gun mission is more of the same, at least we get ample payoff with the reveal Echo is indeed alive and being used as a tool by the Separatists. Echo’s revamped character design is haunting – all pasty white skin and emaciated flesh and a pair of metal legs that look a whole lot like those of a certain stubborn Sith Lord. Echo is a tangible reminder of how the clones have been chewed up and spit out by the galactic war machine, and it’ll be interesting to see how Rex and the members of Bad Batch reconcile that in the second half of this arc.

20 Minutes Of Animal Crossing: New Horizons Co-op Gameplay (Off-Screen)

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the next entry into Nintendo’s carefree life-sim. It’s almost out and we got a taste of it at the PAX East 2020 show floor. Granted, Animal Crossing is all about living your in-game life over the course of days, weeks, and months, but the demo let us check out a little bit of the crafting system, the new Able Sisters shop, and the expansive museum.

The crafting system has gathering specific resources to construct the necessities like the fishing rod or vaulting pole, but also new pieces of furniture to deck out your house. To craft items, you’ll need to go to the shop run by Timmy and Tommy Nook. The Able Sisters shop lets you browse for new outfits and you can dress yourself with pants, shirts, socks, shoes, hats, and glasses–it’s the deepest fashion has gotten in Animal Crossing. The museum was especially impressive, now including a biodome for all the bugs you collect, an aquarium for all fish you catch, and wide open showcase for all the fossils you dig up. The PAX East show floor demo also allowed for four-player couch co-op where friends can hop on and explore your island with you.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons launches on Nintendo Switch on March 20, 2020. We have you covered from several angles, so be sure to check out our video on 19 things new for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, some impressions from our recent hands-on preview, and our pre-order guide if you’re already planning your virtual island getaway.

The Matrix 4 Adds Another Cast Member In Mystery Role

As filming gets underway in San Francisco, The Matrix 4 continues to add to its cast. The Wrap reports that Spartacus actress Ellen Hollman has been cast in an unspecified role in the upcoming action movie starring Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Jada Pinkett-Smith.

Hollman would be just the latest new addition to the cast, following Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

Given her background as a Jiu Jitsu martial artist, we might see Hollman performing stunts or action scenes in The Matrix 4, but this is only speculation. Hollman played Saxa on Seasons 2 and 3 of Spartacus, while she also had roles on Into the Badlands and NCIS: New Orleans.

Hugo Weaving is not going to return as Agent Smith due to a scheduling conflict.

Lana Wachowski returns to direct The Matrix 4. It comes to theatres on May 21, 2021–which is also the release date for another Reeves-starring action sequel, John Wick: Chapter 4.

The first Matrix movie brought in $463.5 million worldwide, and it spawned two sequels: 2003’s Matrix Reloaded–grossing $742.1 million worldwide–and Matrix Revolutions–taking in $427.3 million worldwide. For more, check out The Matrix Sequels’ 34 Dumbest Moments to relive the weirdness.

Now Playing: The Matrix Explained | 20th Anniversary Of The Matrix

Greninja Voted Most Popular Pokemon by Players

After tallying “millions” of votes from around the world, Greninja has been named 2020’s Pokemon of the Year.

The final evolution of Pokemon X and Y water-type starter Froakie, Greninja earned over 140,000 votes, topping second-place finisher Lucario by 38,000, according to The Pokemon Company. Mimikyu, Charizard, and Umbreon rounded out the top five.

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Aside from its recognition as a Stage 2 starter Pokemon, Greninja is a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and is featured prominently in the Pokemon XY anime as Ash’s main companion in the Kalos region.

The top vote-getters from each region are as follows:

  • Kanto – Charizard
  • Johto – Umbreon
  • Hoenn – Rayquaza
  • Sinnoh – Lucario
  • Unova – Chandelure
  • Kalos – Greninja
  • Alola – Mimikyu
  • Galar – Dragapult

Other notable Pokemon in the overall top 30 include Bulbasaur (13), Pikachu (19), Eevee (20), and Blaziken (29).

The announcement comes on National Pokemon Day, which also featured the reveal of Zarude, a new mythical Pokemon for Sword and Shield.

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Jordan is a freelance writer for IGN. 

Biggest Explosion in the Universe Detected

An explosion big enough to fit fifteen Milky Way Galaxies in a row has been discovered.

CNN World reports the record-breaking explosion originated inside the Ophiuchus galaxy cluster 390 million light-years away. Experts also say the explosion was likely created by a supermassive black hole.

Black holes are well known for sucking in matter, but they also shoot it outwards in the form of jets or beams. The energy behind this explosion breaks all previous records, beating the previous largest known explosion five times over.

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Astronomers observed the explosion from both ground and space-based telescopes like NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, the European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton X-ray space observatory, Australia’s Murchison Widefield Array, as well as the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope located in India. However, the explosions were also noticed several years ago in 2016 but were so large astronomers at the time believed it was too unlikely to be one.

It wasn’t until now that the X-ray data was combined with radio wavelength data from ground-based telescopes to help confirm the cavity created by the explosive black hole. These observations also tell us that the explosion is no longer occurring as the jet activity has stopped meaning there’s no longer any gas to power the explosion.

This subsided explosion isn’t all astronomers have been up to recently. Radio signals have been picked up repeating in an odd pattern and a new method to detect potentially habitable planets using radio waves has been developed. As for other big destructive forces, stay tuned for six billion years from now when the sun destroys our solar system’s asteroid belt.

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[poilib element=”accentDivider”]Hope Corrigan is an Australian freelance writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.