Category: Games

Collectibles have been a key part of the Crash Bandicoot series since day one, and Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time continues the trend with a variety of Flashback Tapes, character skins, and Hidden Gems to collect. Getting all the tapes and skins is pretty straightforward, but collecting every gem takes some doing.

There are three types of Hidden Gems in Crash 4: standard, N. Verted, and colored. We’ll help you find them all with this guide detailing each one we’ve found so far, but check back frequently as we update it with even more! Otherwise, be sure to read our Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time review.

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Hidden Gems

Every level in Crash 4 has its own Hidden Gem, so there are a lot to collect. Some are pretty easy to spot, while others are quite difficult to obtain. Here are all the standard gems we’ve found so far!

Rude Awakening

Shortly after grinding on the vine, you’ll have to crawl under a tent. Instead of crawling the whole way, stop under the tent and jump up to collect the Hidden Gem inside.

N. Sanity Peak

This one’s easy to spot–it’s found when you start running from the giant monster. When the chase starts, stick to the left side of the screen to grab it.

A Real Grind

This Hidden Gem is found at the end of the level. Proceed until you have to phase up a series of vertical platforms. There’s a ledge to the top left that’s hard to spot, but you can reach it with a sliding high jump from the highest phase platform. Jump up there, then bounce off the boxes to reach the gem on the ledge above.

Crash Compactor

This one’s tricky. At the end of the grind rail, you’ll see a metal crate with an exclamation point in a little alcove under the checkpoint. Carefully drop down and spin into it, then double jump back up onto the ledge. Continue around the next corner to see the Hidden Gem in a small compartment in the wall–this was previously covered by a door that retracted after you hit the metal crate.

Hit The Road

This one is tricky. It’s found right after you acquire the Phase Mask and ride the lift. At the top, there’s a small alcove you can jump to with a well-timed sliding double jump. Then, you need to slide through the small opening, just past the nitro crate, and double jump again to bounce off the arrow box above. This will bounce you up to the ledge where the gem is found.

Truck Stopped

Stop when you reach the giant claw holding a car, moving back and forth in front of you. Instead of grappling over the gap, look to the right for a platform you can jump to. Do so, then jump up to a narrow yellow platform to find the Hidden Gem.

Booty Calls

Proceed through the level until you enter a large cave with a pirate ship sticking out of the right side of the cave wall–you’ll know you’re in the right place when you see a giant golden door in the back of the cave. Drop down the series of platforms, make a right, and jump onto the moving platform in the water. Ride it back to another platform, hop off, and spin to open the treasure chest and get the gem inside.

Thar He Blows!

After clearing the platform covered in nitro crates, you’ll have down to a corner-shaped dock. Jump to the little mast sticking out of the water to the south to grab the gem in its crow’s nest. Nice and easy.

Hook, Line, And Sinker

You can’t miss this one! After you do your first wall jump, jump up to the next ledge up to grab the (not so) Hidden Gem.

Jetboard Jetty

You’ll find this gem just before the second jetboard ride when you’re using the moving planks to cross the water. At the last jump, you’ll see a group of six metal crates. Leap on top of these to find the gem.

Give It A Spin

Just after the first checkpoint, you’ll have to use the Dark Matter Spin to jump up a waterfall. Instead, jump to the right to find a big stack of crates. Take care not to destroy them all–you’ll need to break just enough to create a path to the Hidden Gem on top of the stack.

Potion Commotion

This one’s easy: right after your first wall jump, drop off the ledge to the wooden platform. Hop the gap and round the corner to find the gem.

Draggin’ On

Immediately past the bonus area platform, you’ll don the Dark Matter mask and use its special spin to cross a large gap. You’ll land on a little alcove where one of those green-faced lion-dogs is hanging out. Step into its little window and head left, behind the wall. Use the Dark Matter Spin, and you’ll bust through some crates you can’t actually see to collect this Hidden Gem.

Off-Balance

This one takes some doing, but you can find it while wearing the Dark Matter Mask the first time. After moving through a temple and jumping across three crumbling pillars, you’ll hit a checkpoint just before a big jump over a bunch of nitro crates. The next jump you’ll make is toward a fan, but look just past it to see a trail of wumpa fruit in the lower right. Drop down on the other side of the fan and follow the extended obstacle course to find the gem.

Off Beat

Proceed through the level until you get the Phase Mask. As you cross the rooftops, you’ll see the Hidden Gem off to the left. Time your phases to avoid (or defeat) the two enemies on unicycles, then jump over and grab that gem.

Home Cookin’

When you enter Dingodile’s burning diner, make a U-turn around the counter to find yourself back outside. Follow this pier to the end, then take a long hover jump to the right to reach another platform where the gem awaits.

Run It Bayou

This one is really tough to spot. Proceed through the level until you’re just about to board the second jetboard. Instead of doing that, check behind the barrel to the right of the checkpoint. It’s hard to see even if you know it’s there, but there’s a metal crate with an exclamation point tucked behind here. Spin into it, then backtrack a few steps to where the two flaming crates were sitting on the dock. Once again, it’s hard to see even when you know it’s there, but that crate actually spawned three more metal crates above the swamp just off-camera to the right from the edge of the dock. Take a leap of faith to reach them, and you’ll find the Hidden Gem floating there too.

No Dillo Dallying

Considering this level runs parallel to Run It Bayou, it makes sense that this Hidden Gem is hard to spot. After the second boat ride, hit the checkpoint and look to the left. There’s a group of metal bounce crates floating above the water. Hover jump to them and bounce up to grab the gem.

Snow Way Out

Proceed through the level until just past when the ship blows up and you have to cross a waterfall using the Time Mask. After the following checkpoint, you’ll need to leap across some ice blocks flowing downstream. Cross the river and jump to the stationary ice block, then jump to the little pier to the right. Bounce up the stack of boxes here to grab the Hidden Gem above.

Stay Frosty

You can spot this on a ledge above the bonus stage platform. To reach it, use the Time Mask to cross the first river. On the other side, use a sliding double jump off the highest step to reach the ledge to the left. Then make another sliding double jump to the left, to the crate that was floating high above the checkpoint. Bounce off the crate to finally reach the ledge where the gem awaits.

Bears Repeating

This one’s easy to grab if you know where to look. Proceed through the level until you reach two pairs of rotating ski lifts with two electrified flying robots moving between them. Before you jump onto the first lift, look just past the edge of the platform to spot another ledge just below. Drop down to collect the gem.

Building Bridges

This Hidden Gem is easy to get, too. After wall jumping up the first pair of electrified walls, move toward the camera while on the top platform. You’ll see the gem on a lower ledge.

Blast To The Past

The Hidden Gem in this level isn’t hard to find, but it is hard to grab because of some tricky timing. When you reach the second grinding vine, you’ll jump over a series of three rocks just before the path becomes two parallel vines. Jump left, then immediately jump back to the right after you break the box–that’s your cue. The gem is behind the rock blocking the vine on the right, so you have to snap back quickly to nab it.

N. Verted Hidden Gems

Every level in Crash 4 also has a mirrored, or N. Verted, form. You’ll unlock this option after defeating N. Brio. While the levels themselves are mirrored, the Hidden Gem locations are actually totally different.

Come back later for all the N. Verted gem locations!

Color Gems

Unlike the other gems in Crash 4, there are only four Color Gems in the whole game. Finding the red, green, blue, and yellow gems can be one of the trickiest tasks, but we’re here to help! Here’s how to find all four.

Red Gem

You’ll find the Red Gem early in the game: it’s in the second level, N. Sanity Peak. Proceed until you reach a series of nine platforms in a grid, phasing in and out of existence. Before entering this chamber, you might have spotted a drawing by the vault door: this drawing tells you what order you need to jump on the platforms. Start with the bottom left, work your way around counterclockwise, then jump from the center-left platform to the middle. This will make the Red Gem appear.

Green Gem

You can find this during either Hit the Road or Truck Stopped. After the first leg of the chase, you’ll hop out of the ball by a checkpoint. Don’t proceed just yet; spin into the trashcan nearby to release an RC car and a controller. Spin into the controller a few times to drive the cart into the nearby nitro crate (get it?), which will explode, revealing the Green Gem.

Blue Gem

This difficult Color Gem is found in Draggin’ On. If you’ve already finished the level, you might recall seeing a certain column right at the end–a column with a drawing of a gem and a crossed-out crate. That’s right; you need to get through this entire level without breaking a single crate. That means no checkpoints, no Aku Aku protecting you from damage, and no accidentally spinning into crates with the Dark Matter Mask. We’re not gonna sugarcoat it: this is very, very hard to do, but it can be done. The Blue Gem will be waiting at the end of the level once you manage to pull it off.

Yellow Gem

The last Color Gem is found right at the start of Run It Bayou. Instead of getting on the jetboard, take a long jump to the platform to the northeast. From there, jump across the boxes to the next platform–be sure not to break them all, as you’ll need to use them to get back to safety after collecting the gem. Then take another long jump to the moving platform, from which you can reach the next platform with a stack of boxes. Bounce off of them to grab the Yellow Gem.

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PlayStation Plus gives you access to online multiplayer and free games every month, and soon, PS5 owners will be able to access a library of backwards-compatible PS4 games as part of their PS Plus membership. If you’re looking to stock up on your subscription, Daily Steals has a great deal on 12-month PlayStation Plus subscriptions. You can snag a year-long subscription for only $33.49 with exclusive promo code GAMESPOTPSN.

This promotion is only available in North America, and Daily Steals delivers the 12-month PS Plus subscription via email. Once you place your order, you’ll receive a confirmation via email, after which your code should be sent to you within one business day–Daily Steals says it’ll appear as your tracking number. PlayStation Plus’s regular yearly cost is $60, so this grants you a savings of nearly $27. This deal can apply to multiple 12-month codes, so you can stock up on multiple years.

This month’s PlayStation Plus offerings include the action-RPG Vampyr as well as the racing game Need for Speed Payback. These titles are available to claim throughout October.

As for the PS5’s backwards-compatible library, Sony has announced a large number of the games that will be available to PlayStation Plus users at the PS5’s launch. The Plus Collection includes first-party games like Bloodborne, Days Gone, and The Last of Us Remastered as well as third-party titles like Monster Hunter: World, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, and Final Fantasy XV. If you’d like to see the full list, check out all of the PS5 Plus Collection games confirmed so far.

Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox consoles, the Xbox Series X and S, arrive this November, accompanied by a healthy lineup of games, useful features like Xbox Smart Delivery, and attractive services like Game Pass. You may already have your eye on a few launch titles like Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla or Yakuza: Like A Dragon for 2020, but there are also going to be some heavy hitters coming to the Xbox Series X|S in 2021.

In the video above, we highlight nine new games that you can play on the Xbox Series X or S in 2021. A few of these titles aren’t 100% confirmed for 2021 launches just yet, but could surprise us, so we wanted to mention them just in case. The line-up features Xbox staples like Halo Infinite as well as long awaited sequels like Psychonauts 2, Resident Evil Village, and more.

Among the titles that could surprise us with 2021 launches, there’s Everwild, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, and Unknown 9: Awakening, all of which got fans excited for their arrival with memorable cinematic trailers. You can see these titles and more in our video.

The Xbox Series X and S will launch on November 10th. The Series X will cost $500, while the S will retail for $300. You can learn more in our Xbox Series X and S preorder guide.

Genshin Impact is a free-to-play action RPG available for PS4, PC, and both Android and iOS devices. The game has managed to make a splash in the traditionally crowded fall season thanks in part to its The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild-looking visuals and world.

In the video above, Max Blumenthal takes on one of Genshin Impact’s mini-bosses. In Genshin Impact, you play with a party of up to four characters, each of whom have control of the element of ice, fire, water, wind, electricity, or earth.

Genshin Impact has its detractors, largely because the game is driven by gacha mechanics. Gacha games are a lot like games that revolve around loot boxes in that they encourage players to use real-world money to buy in-game currency, which can then be spent to receive a random virtual item–in most cases (like Genshin Impact), a new character.

In the time we’ve spent with Genshin Impact, the game doesn’t seem to lean too hard on its gacha mechanics. They are still there, but you can still largely succeed at the game and unlock new characters without inputting your credit card information. So if the gameplay above appeals to you, you’ll be okay at least trying out the game without dropping any cash.

Idris Elba (Thor, The Wire) and John Cena (The Suicide Squad, WWE) will be teaming up on a new project for Amazon Studios, according to Deadline. The film sees the pair working together in another post Suicide Squad movie.

The new movie, tentatively titled Heads of State is a “’90s style two-hander, a high-octane premise that has a bit of Air Force One meets Hobbs and Shaw, bringing together an odd couple in a high-stakes situation.” Otherwise, details are still scarce about the show and the deal, which reportedly was closed before the pitching process with executives was even finished.

The new movie is the result of a collaboration between screenwriter Harrison Query (Three Musketeers, War Party) and producers Peter Safran and John Rickard. Query also is working with Netflix on My Wife And I Bought A Ranch, a horror short story adapted from Reddit posts.

Meanwhile, Elba recently teased a hopeful future for another one of his projects, Luther. Elba said that while there are no “formal plans” for a sixth season of the gritty BBC crime drama series, he’s “made it very clear that I’d like to see Luther come back as a film… I can tell you this, that we are this close to making a film of Luther.”

Cena, who teams with Elba in James Gunn’s upcoming The Suicide Squad, said his role of Peacemaker in that movie will be a “douchey Captain America.” The Suicide Squad movie is currently slated for a 2021 release, and Cena’s Peacemaker character is already due to get a spin-off show from James Gunn.

Taking place after the events of Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Squadrons sees the freshly formed New Republic face off against the now emperor-less Galactic Empire. You take control of two pilots, both on opposing sides of the conflict, and fly for the Republic’s Vanguard Squadron and Empire’s Titan Squadron. Both in-between and during missions, you’ll hear quite a few names and references that the game never explores or explains. To help you out, we’ve thrown together a quick glossary of people and places you’ll hear about in Squadron’s campaign.

As a quick heads-up, you don’t need to know all of the following information to understand Squadron’s campaign. A vast majority of the main characters are original creations that developer Motive made specifically for the game. But these are still just cool Easter eggs that are fun to know. Plus, we need the smallest of excuses to flex our knowledge of Star Wars’ expanded universe.

Alphabet Squadron

Alphabet Squadron was first introduced in the 2019 Star Wars novel of the same name. The group is one of the first of its kind, a squadron composed of different types of ships. Previous rebel squadrons were primarily solely composed of one type of ship, whether X-Wing, Y-Wing, B-Wing, U-Wing, A-Wing, etc. But Alphabet Squadron is made up of all the letters.

Overseen by New Republic general Hera Syndulla, Alphabet Squadron tackles missions that no other squadron can–as their diverse assortment of ships allow them to handle everything from bombing runs to starfighter dogfights and everything in-between. Squadron’s Vanguard Squadron seems to be inspired from Alphabet Squadron, as it’s also composed of different starfighters.

Dragon Void Race

The Dragon Void Race is described as one of the oldest competitions in the Star Wars galaxy. It sees pilots have to fly between three predetermined planets, with the planets acting as mandatory pit stops for refueling. The race was first mentioned in 2016’s Star Wars: Han Solo, a comic book series.

Hera Syndulla

Daughter of Clone Wars hero General Cham Syndulla, Hera Syndulla is one of the earliest leaders of the Rebellion. She led a rebel cell composed of former Jedi (and her lover) Kanan Jarrus, his padawan Ezra Bridger, Mandalorian warrior Sabine Wren, Lasat survivor Garazeb Orrelios, and astromech droid Chopper, and succeeded in an insurgency on Lothal during the events of Star Wars: Rebels.

Hera would go on to become a general for the Rebellion, her new title is first mentioned during Star Wars: Rogue One. We actually see her as a general in Star Wars: Squadrons, now overseeing a secret project for the New Republic. Hera is one of the best pilots in the galaxy–her personal ship, the Ghost, was introduced during Rebels and seen again in both Rogue One and The Rise of Skywalker.

Iden Versio

An Imperial special forces commando and commander of Inferno Squad, Iden Versio was a Galactic Empire loyalist until she learned of the purpose of Operation: Cinder, a secret project to be enacted in the wake of the Emperor’s death. Iden went on to join the Rebellion, marry her crewmate, have a daughter, and help shape the New Republic. Her story is told in Star Wars Battlefront II, which seems to roughly take place at the same time as Star Wars: Squadrons.

Mimban

Mimban is a swamp planet and home to the Mimbanese (that’s the species of alien that Gunny is). The planet was largely ignored by the rest of the galaxy until the first year of the Clone Wars, when the Separatists learned that Mimban is an excellent source for mining. As heard in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the Republic sent the 224th, nicknamed the Mud Jumpers, to defend the Mimban. Years later, the 224th would return to Mimban as Imperial invaders to mine the planet’s resources. The planet was first mentioned in The Clone Wars Season 1, Episode 5 “Rookies” and first appeared in Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Mirial

Mirial is the home planet of the Mirialans (that’s the species of alien that Keo is), though there’s not much known about it. Other pieces of Star Wars media refer to the planet as cold and dry, which is likely why the planet was largely ignored throughout both The Clone Wars and Galactic Civil War–the planet doesn’t provide any significant military advantage.

Mon Calamari

Mon Calamari, or Mon Cala for short, is a planet that’s primarily composed of oceans. It’s home to both the Mon Calamari and Quarren. Mon Cala was a hotbed during both the Clone Wars and Galactic Civil War, appearing as the location for battles in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith, and Star Wars: Squadrons.

Pazaak

Pazaak is a card game that’s basically Star Wars’ version of blackjack (the rules are different but the gist of both games are largely the same). Only, instead of trying to get as close to 21 without going over, in pazaak you’re aiming for 20. Though it’s been mentioned in plenty of different pieces of Star Wars media, it wasn’t until BioWare’s RPG, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, that we got to see the game in action.

Rae Sloane

Though she did not command Darth Vader’s respect like Tarkin, nor possess a powerful intellect like Thrawn, Rae Sloane clawed her way up to the top of the Imperial military hierarchy all the same. One of the Imperial survivors of the battle of Endor, Sloane remained composed even in the death of the Emperor. Her ability to calmly command even in grave situations, impressive military record, and ruthless strategies impressed the remains of Imperial command, and Sloane was ultimately promoted to Grand Admiral and leader of the Empire’s entire fleet.

Grand Admiral Sloane would go on to lead several successful campaigns and became a prominent leader within the First Order. She also took a young Armitage Hux under her wing, and the man would take her teachings to go on and become the power-hungry antagonist that serves directly under Kylo Ren in The Force Awakens. Despite her role largely being directorial and behind the scenes, Sloane’s influence is felt throughout the Star Wars saga post-Return of the Jedi, including Battlefront II.

Skystrike Academy

The Skystrike Academy is one of the most prestigious Imperial starfighter flight schools–it’s where the Empire’s best TIE pilots learned how to fly. In Squadrons, Wedge mentions his time there, but you’ll have to watch Star Wars: Rebels in order to actually see it.

Thrawn

Mitth’raw’nuruodo, or more commonly known as Thrawn, is one of the most infamous antagonists in the Star Wars universe–and one of the most popular amongst fans. One of the few alien officers in the Galactic Empire (tldr: Emperor Palpatine is super xenophobic and used the monstrosity of General Grievous as a means of perpetuating the idea of aliens being barbaric, and that’s why pretty much only humans hold important positions in the Empire), Thrawn is a brilliant tactician who rose through the ranks to become a grand admiral.

Though most of Thrawn’s best stories are no longer canon, the character is a prominent and terrifying threat in Star Wars: Rebels. If Ezra Bridger hadn’t found a way to get rid of Thrawn, arguably the biggest threat to the Rebellion following the Emperor and Darth Vader, the rebels may have failed to stop the Empire. The New Republic is pretty lucky that Thrawn isn’t around in Squadrons–dealing with Terisa Kerrill and Titan Squadron is hard enough.

Wedge Antilles

First seen in A New Hope, Wedge Antilles flies alongside Luke Skywalker in Red Squadron against the first Death Star during the Battle of Yavin. He and Luke are the only two members of their squad to survive. Wedge would go on to join Rogue Squadron, who participated in the Battle of Hoth during The Empire Strikes Back. Wedge would continue to fight for the Rebellion and then for the New Republic for quite a while, including fighting alongside Vanguard Squadron in Star Wars: Squadrons.

Not always a freedom fighter, Wedge originally learned how to pilot a starfighter by attending the Imperial Skystrike Academy. As seen in Star Wars: Rebels, Wedge was able to leave the academy with the help of Sabine Wren, another former Imperial turned rebel who was a part of the cell led by Hera Syndulla. His escape from the Imperials can be seen in Rebels Season 3, Episode 4 “The Antilles Extraction.”

Yrica Quell

Yrica Quell joined the Imperial Military in hopes of learning valuable knowledge and combat skills that she could take with her when she ultimately defected to the Rebellion. But then she grew to care for her Imperial colleagues and saw goodness in the Empire that the Rebellion propaganda hadn’t mentioned, convincing her to stay. Years later however, like Iden Versio, she grew disillusioned with the Empire upon seeing it resort to Operation: Cinder, and decided to join the Rebellion.

Under General Hera Syndulla, Quell would go on to lead Alphabet Squadron–their first mission was the pursuit and destruction of the 204th Imperial Fighter Wing, Quell’s squadron when she flew for the Empire. Quell would continue to fight the Empire as a starfighter pilot for the New Republic–she’s regarded as one of the best pilots in the galaxy.

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Beloved actor Rick Moranis has been out of the spotlight in recent years, but he’s now back in the news after he was assaulted on the streets of New York. Fortunately, Moranis is said to be okay after the attack–although the internet is quite mad on his behalf.

On Thursday morning, at 7:30 AM on Central Park West near 70th Street in New York City, the 67-year-old actor was attacked by an unknown assailant. CrimeStoppers posted footage of the incident and the suspect walking from the assault.

A representative for Moranis has stated that the actor is doing “fine.” THR reports that the comedy icon went to the hospital with pain in his head, back, and hip before going to a station to report the crime. “He is fine but grateful for everyone’s thoughts and well wishes,” the rep said.

Moranis unofficially retired in 1997 after his wife died of cancer to take care of their children, though he recently came out of retirement to star in a commercial for mobile provider Mint with fellow Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds. He also made an appearance in Disney+’s Prop Culture in the Honey, I Shrunk The Kids-centric episode, but for the most part, Moranis has shied away from big public roles.

Twitter users have been posting messages in support of the Spaceballs and Ghostbusters star–with some humorous results.

Following stock issues for both the RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 launches, Nvidia has decided to delay the launch of its most affordable new graphics card, the RTX 3070, to the end of October.

In a blog post, the company explained that it was pushing back the launch so that more cards could be available for purchase when listings go live. The RTX 3070 will now only go on sale on October 29, two weeks later than its original release date. The card is the cheapest of the new RTX 30 Series line, with Nvidia saying it will match RTX 2080 Ti performance for just $500.

The new date is a curious one, however, given its proximity to AMD’s reveal of its new GPUs. The company is set to finally unveil its RDNA 2 GPUs, nicknamed Big Navi, the day before, making the RTX 3070’s new launch date a possible limelight-stealing affair. That’s especially true if AMD reveals performance metrics and pricing that Nvidia’s card can rival, although we’ll have to wait for AMD to share more to know for sure.

Both the RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 are blisteringly fast GPUs that are nearly impossible to find in stock, especially if you’re looking for Nvidia’s Founder’s Edition models with its innovative cooling solution. The RTX 3080 is a worthwhile upgrade to wait for, as critic Michael Higham explained in our RTX 3080 review, saying, “The RTX 3080 is a powerful video card with big generational jumps, especially when considering its $700 MSRP.”