The new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC character has been revealed, and after years of rumors we’re finally getting some Minecraft in Smash Bros. Steve, the hero of Minecraft, is joining the game, along with alternate Alex, Enderman, and Zombie skins, and the Internet is going wild. As it turns out, discussions about getting Steve into the game have been happening for a long time–at least five years, in fact.
On Twitter, former Mojang employee Daniel Kaplan has been celebrating the announcement, and has revealed that discussions began long ago. After initially asking people to guess, he eventually revealed in a tweet that serious discussions first happened about five years ago, which would have been right around the time that development on Ultimate began.
That’s when talks started at least. No idea when implementation started 🙂
Kaplan also recalled a fun story about a time Super Smash Bros. on the 3DS almost made him and some other Mojang team members miss a flight, so clearly the fighting series has some fans within the studio.
During the reveal video, Masahiro Sakurai spoke about the huge challenges involved in making Steve work in Smash Bros., which might be why it took such a long time.
Minecraft Live is happening on October 3, and more details about Minecraft’s implementation in Super Smash Bros., including a DLC release date, will be announced then.
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Finn Wittrock has appeared in four seasons of American Horror Story, and was nominated for an Emmy for playing Dandy Mott in Freak Show. Ryan and Greg break down each of his AHS roles.
Over four seasons, Finn has made his mark as one of the most underrated actors on American Horror Story. He even earned an Emmy nomination for his role back in Season 4, Freak Show, as the sick and twisted Dandy Mott. In AHS Hotel, Wittrock played two roles – Tristan Duffy and Rudolph Valentino. He returned for AHS Roanoke, playing Jether Polk. Finn was most recently seen in AHS 1984 as Bobby Richter II, son of Mr. Jingles.
Be sure to check out our other American Horror Story actor spotlights on GameSpot Universe!
The next fighter to come to Smash Bros. Ultimate will be Steve from Minecraft. Steve can palette swap with Alex, an Enderman, and a zombie. They fight with a pickaxe, TNT, and a sword.
Cross-play is coming to Apex Legends on October 6. The new update will allow cross-platform play between Xbox One, PS4, Origin, and Steam at a later time. The Aftermarket Collection Event will also add a new limited-time mode, Flashpoint.
The increasingly popular reboot-sequel is a hard needle to thread. You have to create a game that hews close enough to the original to make nostalgic fans happy, while modernizing and innovating enough to resonate with new players. Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time balances the two effortlessly. It impeccably preserves the vibrant look and feel of the original Crash Bandicoot trilogy, while integrating new ideas and platforming possibilities. And like the original Crash games, the hybrid of Crash’s old and new ideas will test your platforming skills in interesting new ways.
Like its groan-inducing dad-joke of a subtitle says, Crash 4 is about time… travel. When the villains of Crash’s past open an interdimensional portal, Crash and Coco have to collect a set of quantum masks in order to set things right. As with past Crash games, small exchanges in cutscenes between levels do a lot of narrative legwork. It’s not much of a “story” per se, but Crash and his friends’ charm fills in the gaps and makes you care enough to follow along.
Crash 4’s time-traveling story takes you to all sorts of times and places, including dinosaur-infested jungles, futuristic cities full of flying cars, and sunken pirate ships. Every place you go feels lush, full of color and detail, with a painterly quality that’s simply wonderful to run through. My favorite is the Mardi Gras world, where Crash and Spyro balloons float in the background as you hop over neon-colored flames and trumpet valves. Occasionally, you’ll run through an area and the camera will pull back to let you take in the scenery. The environments never failed to impress me with their visual depth.
The best thing I can say about Crash 4 is that it mostly feels like classic Crash. In my mind, Crash’s signature is in the way the camera moves to create different perspectives from area to area, giving each set of jumps a fresh feel. Sometimes you’re moving left to right, while other times you’re running away from the camera or bouncing straight up from box to box. Crash 4’s long levels are chock-full of carefully plotted platforming sequences, which require quick reflexes and the ability to think on your feet. The dynamic design changes things up frequently, making every level feel winding and unpredictable, with every new set of platforms presenting a surprising, exciting new challenge.
It still feels classic, even as it introduces new mechanics. Once you find each of the quantum masks in the campaign, they will start to appear in levels, giving you access to reality-bending powers such as slowing down time and reversing gravity on the fly. Though none of the four powers the masks bestow are wildly original, they are all used to great effect. Slowing down time at the exact right moment to create a clear path of platforms requires just as much thought and reflexes as jumping and spinning, and sequences with each power come with their own lessons to learn and quirks to master.
In addition, each world includes optional levels that allow you to play as some of Crash’s friends, including Tawna, Dingodile, and Dr. Neo Cortex. Each of the alternate characters have their own skill sets–Cortex, for example, cannot spin or double jump, but instead has a gun that turns enemies into platforms and an air dash. Levels built around these skill sets create even more room for variety; you’ll see new situations and need to approach challenging platforming puzzles differently. The downside is that switching from any of these characters to Crash or Coco, or vice versa, can lead to some muscle memory mix-ups and accidental deaths. It’s a momentary annoyance, but one that creates a slightly bitter aftertaste whenever you play one of these levels, especially during the campaign.
And mastery is crucial. From early on, Crash 4 insists on precision. Many platforming sequences demand you land multiple jumps in rapid succession with perfect accuracy and timing. Sometimes, the difficulty is invigorating–an action-packed puzzle for your mind and fingers. Occasionally, though, it feels as if the game expects more of you than it should. There are times when you’ll land on the edge of a platform and fall to your death, only to wonder whether or not you should have been safe. Those frustrations are fleeting, though. More often, the next success is close enough at hand that you’ll want to keep trying.
Crash Bandicoot 4 captured on PS4
And merely finishing the campaign barely scratches the surface of the experience. Crash 4 is truly a perfectionist’s delight. Each level offers up gemstones and a character skin depending on how many wumpa fruit you find, how many boxes you break, and how few times you die. Each level also boasts a time trial mode and an “N.Verted” mirror level, which not only makes you replay it backwards, but also with a creative visual filter that may make it easier or harder. The N.Verted levels are especially interesting as they let you see Crash 4’s vibrant levels in a completely different light.
Even more so than playing the N.Sane Trilogy, which literally remade the original Crash games from my youth, playing Crash 4 felt like getting back in touch with the series. It’s an injection of new ideas into now-classic gameplay that surprises and delights, even as it feels like a homecoming. Truly, games like this are why we come running back to long-dormant franchises with open arms.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons‘ long-awaited Halloween update has finally arrived, and with it comes a number of new Halloween costume items so you can get in the spooky spirit. These include clothing, shoes, headwear, socks, and an accessory, all of which are sold at the Able Sisters shop, plus a backpack item exclusive to the traveling salesman Kicks and a special outfit only available on Halloween night. You’ll also be able to purchase new Halloween skin and eye colors with Nook Miles at Resident Services.
Here are all the Halloween costume items included in the new update and how to get them.
A list of all the “mage” items in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, showing the white mage’s dress. The mage’s boots, mage’s dress, and mage’s striped hat are new.
New Halloween Costumes and Items
Below are all the Halloween dress-up items, headwear, shoes, socks, and more you can buy at the Able Sisters tailor shop. Each one comes in six color varieties–white, black, red, orange, green, and purple–except for the animal nose accessory, which comes only in black. The impish wings, a backpack item, are only sold by Kicks when he comes to visit your island, so you may need to trade with friends to get every color.
animal nose
flashy animal costume
flashy animal boots
flashy pointy-ear animal hat
flashy round-ear animal hat
horizontal-striped tights
impish horns
impish wings (Kicks only)
mage’s boots
mage’s dress
mage’s striped hat
magic-academy hood
magic-academy robe
raggedy outfit
Note that there are existing clothing items that might be confused with these new costumes. The mage’s boots are different than the Kicks item mage’s booties, for instance; likewise, mage’s striped hat is different than the mage’s hat item that was already in the game. If you’re trading with others for items, be sure to look carefully at the names!
Halloween Day Exclusive Costume Items
On Halloween night, you’ll be able to get a special costume from none other than Jack himself. To get them, you’ll have to give Jack candy or a lollipop in exchange. They are:
Jack’s face
Jack’s robe
How To Get the New Skin and Eye Colors
In addition to costume items, you can also get new skin and eye color options for when you change your appearance in a mirror. These include zombie- and ghost-like colors as well as some more fanciful ones, like pink and purple.
To get them, go into Resident Services and use the terminal on the right. Select “Redeem Nook Miles”; the new skin and eye color packages will be near the top of the list. They are:
Body-Paint Costume Tips (2,400 Nook Miles)
Exploring New Eye Colors (2,400 Nook Miles)
To change your skin or eye color, select any mirror and start the appearance-changing process.
This is a spoiler-free review of the series premiere of Gangs of London on the AMC+ streaming service. Gangs of London first debuted in the UK back in April 2020. AMC+ will release the first three episodes on October 1, with the following seven dropping every Thursday until the finale. AMC+ is available on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Dish, Sling TV, and Xfinity.
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It’s been six long years since director Gareth Evans blessed us with The Raid 2, which featured his distinct blend of frenetic martial arts mixed with a gripping crime narrative. And while his rumored involvement in DC’s Deathstroke film appears to be at a standstill, streaming provider AMC+, in partnership with Sky Atlantic, is debuting a thrilling new TV series from Evans and The Raid’s cinematographer Matt Flannery, titled Gangs of London.
In terms of its narrative structure, Gangs of London embodies many of the themes and character studies previously explored in mobster movies of the past, most notably The Godfather. The series centers on The Wallace crime family, who, after losing their patriarch — Finn Wallace (portrayed by Star Trek: TNG’s Colm Meaney) — appoint his son to take over the family business. In many ways, Sean Wallace (played by Peaky Blinders’ Joe Cole), is similar to Al Pacino’s Michael Corleone; both are ambitious, cunning, and ruthless in their pursuit of justice for the fathers they lost.
Reminiscent of Pacino, Cole does a marvelous job of exuding a menacing calm, with a deadly gaze and purposeful way of speaking, as if he’s afraid he’ll miss a syllable. After watching Cole portray the rebellious and often immature John Shelby on Peaky Blinders for three seasons, it’s refreshing to see the young actor take on a more complex character like Sean. And like any good crime story, being the new boss comes with a slew of new enemies from outside of the family, and even a few from within who are jealous of Sean’s newfound power.
Brian Vernel’s Billy Wallace (Sean’s brother) is the Fredo Corleone of the story, struggling to live up to his father’s expectations before and after his death, with his excessive drug use and overall lack of ambition. Like Michael and Fredo, Billy and Sean’s relationship is complicated, but also endearing, as Sean does his best to keep his brother safe from himself. Hopefully, Billy won’t meet the same fate as Fredo… Time will tell.
Quietly observing all of the chaos in the background while Sean runs the family business is Game of Thrones’ Michelle Fairley as Finn’s widow, Marian Wallace. Like the Lady of Winterfell she once was, Fairley uses her commanding on-screen presence to great effect here, duplicitously playing the hurt widow while making moves of her own without Sean’s permission. In the same vein as her late husband, Marian has some enemies of her own, most notably her daughter, Jacqueline (Valene Kane), who appears to despise her mother for reasons unknown. In these first few episodes, there’s a suspenseful dual threat going where it’s unclear whether the Wallace family will be destroyed from within the family, or by outside forces.
While the other crime organizations claim to be in unison with the Wallace family, everyone has their own particular interests at heart. Thankfully, Evans and Flannery give their gangsters a bit of backstory, by including character-building scenes with each crime boss with their families or in their respective communities. The diverse offering of criminals includes a Pakistani kingpin named Asif Afridi (Asif Raza Mir), and the most compelling adversary to the Wallace family early on is Narges Rashidi’s Lale, a Kurdish militant with a vendetta to settle and a diverting backstory that we won’t spoil here. The writer’s attention to detail with each of their characters, even if they’re only in a scene or two, really makes Gangs of London stand out from other titles within the same genre.
And last but certainly not least are the superbly choreographed fight sequences sprinkled throughout the three-episode premiere. Evans and Flannery, having worked together on both of The Raid films, have a keen understanding of how to create jaw-dropping action in every single frame of a fight. The majority of these high-octane brawls center on one of Wallace’s up-and-coming foot-soldiers, Elliot Finch (played by Humans’ Sope Dirisu). Dirisu’s character has a background in boxing, so while the fights are still very over-the-top, the combat still feels grounded and somewhat realistic for a guy who knows how to throw a punch — Dirisu isn’t flipping around and doing crazy kicks like Iko Uwais or Yayan Ruhian from The Raid franchise. Elliot’s storyline proves to be one of the most intriguing in the early episodes – and not just because he’s the focal point of so many incredible action sequences.
October has officially arrived, and there are a number of events happening in Pokemon Go this month. Developer Niantic has now added one more to the schedule, announcing a special autumn event for next week that will feature a variety of fall-themed Pokemon, including a new monster from the Unova region.
The autumn event kicks off next Friday, October 9, at 8 AM local time and runs until 1 PM on October 12. Throughout that time, the following Pokemon will appear in the wild more often than usual:
Oddish
Vulpix
Bayleef
Hoothoot
Sudowoodo
Yanma
Pineco
Zigzagoon
Seedot
Shroomish
Plant Cloak Burmy
Foongus
Those aren’t the only Pokemon you’ll be able to find in the wild. The Gen 5 Pokemon Deerling will make its debut in Pokemon Go during the event. Deerling and its evolved form, Sawsbuck, have different forms depending on the season, and during next week’s event players will have a chance to catch its autumn form. Additionally, Shiny Kantonian Vulpix will appear in the wild during the autumn event, and fall-themed Pokemon will be hatching from 5 km eggs.
Finally, berries will get a little boost during the autumn event. Niantic says they’ll be twice as effective when you feed them to your Buddy Pokemon. You’ll also earn twice the normal amount of Candy when you catch a Pokemon after feeding it a Pinap Berry, and you’ll get more berries than usual when you spin the Photo Disc at PokeStops and Gyms. You can read more about the autumn event on the official Pokemon Go website.
In the meantime, Pokemon Go is holding a fashion event from October 2-8. The Legendary Pokemon Moltres is also returning to five-star Raids starting October 2, while October’s Community Day is set for Saturday, October 17. This month’s featured Pokemon is Charmander, and if you can evolve it all the way into Charizard by the end of the event, it’ll learn the Dragon-type attack Dragon Breath.
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Halloween is coming up and that means pumpkins are now available in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. As part of its latest Halloween update, New Horizons has made pumpkin starts available to purchase. These seeds can be planted and the resulting pumpkins harvested as a resource. You can place pumpkins as decorations on their own or save them up to craft some of the new October pumpkin DIY recipes, also called the Spooky Set.
Here’s everything you need to know about growing and harvesting pumpkins in New Horizons.
Where To Buy Pumpkin Seeds/Starts
You can purchase pumpkin seeds from Nook’s Cranny during the month of October. They are available in the cabinet where you usually purchase tools like fishing rods and watering cans. Seeds (called pumpkin starts) cost 280 bells each.
Leif also sells pumpkin starts for just 140 bells, and will continue selling them year-round. He is a special visitor, meaning he has a chance of showing up once per week on a random weekday, between 5 AM to 10 PM. Just be on the lookout in your town square for his garden shop if you want to see if he’s there.
How To Plant And Grow Pumpkins
Once you have pumpkin seeds, you can plant them just like you would any other plant in New Horizons–stand on an empty patch of land or dig a hole with your shovel, bring up your inventory, and select the pumpkin starts.
Watering a pumpkin patch in Animal Crossing’s new Halloween update.
It takes four days to grow a pumpkin. The frequency you water your pumpkin plants over this four day period will determine how many pumpkins each plant yields. Watering your plants is not required to grow at least one pumpkin each, but if you want the most bountiful harvest, here’s how many times you should be watering your pumpkins:
Never watered = 1 pumpkin
Watered once = 2 pumpkins
Watered every day = 3 pumpkins
Once you harvest your pumpkins at the end of the four days, you don’t need to worry about replanting your seeds. The plant will continue producing pumpkins throughout October.
How To Get Yellow, White, And Green Pumpkins
Pumpkins come in four color varieties in New Horizons: orange, yellow, white, and green. Orange pumpkins are the most common variety. The less common yellow and white varieties and the rare green variety are required if you want to customize pumpkin DIY recipes from the Spooky Set. Unfortunately, these color varieties are completely random, and we’re not aware of any way to manipulate them while gardening, unlike the more customizable hybrid flowers.
The only way to get a new color variety is to plant more pumpkin seeds. If you’ve sectioned off part of your island as a pumpkin patch and have limited space to plant them, you could dig up an orange pumpkin plant and replace it with a new pumpkin start, then wait the four days to see what color pumpkin it produces. If you’re super meticulous, you could also plant pumpkins outside your patch, wait to get the color variety you want, then dig them up and replant them in your patch in the color configuration you want. In any case, forcing new color varieties will prove time consuming.
Another way to get new pumpkin colors is to trade with friends. You can swap pumpkins when visiting another player’s island or hosting a guest on your own, if they bring some. You can even dig up a friend’s plant and replant on your own island–though we recommend asking their permission before turning over a host island’s pumpkin patch!
What To Do With Pumpkins
Pumpkins are a Halloween-themed resource you can use to craft pumpkin DIY recipes from the Spooky Set. These include a jack-o-lantern (called the spooky lantern), a scarecrow, and even a candy set for trick-or-treaters.
Good news for Mulan fans who, for whatever reason, don’t yet have Disney+: The live-action adaptation will be available for purchase on other platforms next week. However, it will still cost $30–arguably a steep price to pay in SD, HD, or 4K UHD formats via Amazon Video, Google Play, NBCUniversal’s FandangoNow and Vudu. (It should be noted that Mulan has been available on Disney+ for additional $30 since September 4.) However, people cannot say the price threshold is not without precedent: There was a similar sticker shock for Bill & Ted Face The Music‘s $25 asking price, which has come to be understood as the trade-off for a movie intended for theatrical release instead debuting on-demand because of COVID-19.
The film, directed by Niki Caro (The Zookeeper’s Wife, Whale Rider), is a live-action reimagining of the 1998 Disney animated film with the same name, which was based on the Chinese folklore “The Ballad of Mulan.” The animated film’s sequel, Mulan II, was direct-to-video and is also currently streaming on Disney+. Like the original, the new Mulan follows a young warrior in China who disguises herself to spare her elderly father from having to serve in the military.
Mulan’s script was co-written by Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Lauren Hynek, and Elizabeth Martin. Its cast includes Yifei Liu (Outcast), Donnie Yen (the Ip Man films), Tzi Ma (Rush Hour 3), and Jason Scott Lee (Balls of Fury).
You can read our Mulan review here, which also touches on some of the movie’s controversial choices on filming and script choices.
