Baby Yoda (occasionally known as Grogu) is one of the entertainment industry’s biggest breakout stars, with his fame netting him merchandise ranging from toys to clothing to expensive jewelry. Now, Baby Yoda has been featured as a beautiful custom Xbox controller, with a matched controller depicting Mando, which are being given away as a set on social media.
The set shows Baby Yoda and Mando in a moment mimicking their first meeting in the first episode of season 1, and Microsoft’s competition details estimates the value of the prize at $149.
To enter, all you have to do is follow Xbox’s Twitter account and retweet the post with the hashtag #TheMandalorianxboxsweepstakes. Only people over the age of 18 who live in the United States are eligible to win.
Unlike the wide range of Baby Yoda products already on the market, the controller set is custom-made just for the sweepstakes and cannot be purchased anywhere else. If you miss out on this prize, check out GameSpot’s pick of the best Baby Yoda-themed gifts for the Star Wars fans in your life this Christmas.
Select members of the public are now able to get their hands on a preview of Diablo Immortal, the mobile spin-off of Blizzard’s popular Diablo series. The technical alpha is limited to Australian players who pre-registered for testing through the Google Play store. Spots in the alpha will be assigned based on how early players signed up, provided their devices meet the minimum requirements.
The purpose of the technical alpha is to test server stability and game performance across a wider range of devices, but also for Blizzard to get wider feedback on the way the game plays. Blizzard is anticipating a few thousand players will participate in the alpha, which will run for a few weeks as the team collects data from players.
Despite being a mobile spin-off, Diablo Immortal still intends to tell a story within the universe, with its narrative sitting in between Diablo 2 and Diablo 3. While the game will launch with six playable classes–Barbarian, Demon Hunter, Monk, Wizard, Crusader, and Necromancer–the technical alpha will only include four of these, with the other two not quite ready for public play.
Diablo Immortal has already been subject to a lot of fan criticism since it was announced in 2018, with many players preferring a new full PC or console game that furthers the main story. However Blizzard has promised that the free-to-play game won’t be predatory or pay to win, saying in a blog post that “all the story, all the classes, and as much gameplay as you want,” will be free, and that paid content will only be cosmetic or “or serve to complement gameplay.”
The second season of The Mandalorian has come to an end and it’s done so with some massive appearances, big changes, and questions about what the future of the series will be like. The episode, “Chapter 16: The Rescue,” was also jam-packed with Easter eggs and references to all kinds of things you love in the Star Wars franchise.
Warning: The following contains spoilers for the Season 2 finale of The Mandalorian. If you haven’t watched it yet, we’re not even sure why you’re here. Go away and come back after you check out the show.
From more Darksaber shenanigans to the first appearance on the show of Luke Skywalker via that weird Rogue One: A Star Wars story CGI technology that still doesn’t look great, there was plenty happening in this episode. What’s more, it ultimately set up yet another spin-off that will arrive next year.
Take a look at all of the Easter eggs and references we picked out of the episode below, then sound off in the comments with your own! Also check out the Easter egg galleries for the previous episodes this season.
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1. Imperial shuttle
As we catch up with Dr. Pershing (Omid Abtahi), we see him being taken to Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) in an Imperial shuttle. The tri-winged transport is one of the more unique-looking ships in the galaxy.
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2. “I was on the Death Star”
As Cara Dune (Gina Carano) trades words with Gideon’s lackey on the Imperial Shuttle, he mentions he was on the Death Star. He doesn’t reply, however, when Cara asks him which one. Of course, there were two Death Stars in the franchise and both were definitely destroyed.
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3. Return of Katee Sackhoff and Sasha Banks Mandos
This episode saw the return of Mandalorians Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff) and Koska Reeves (Sasha Banks). The two were previously seen earlier this season in Chapter 11 and were off in search of Gideon and the Dark Saber.
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4. “You’ll be talking through the window of a Bacta tank”
When Koska and Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) were trading barbs, Koska tells him if he pushes her much further, he’ll be talking from within a Bacta tank. These healing tanks first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back, when Luke Skywalker (we’ll talk about him later) was placed in one after being attacked by a Wampa.
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5. TIE fighters
Everyone knows TIE fighters and they’re one of the absolute easiest Star Wars references to throw into any project. That said, it doesn’t make them any less cool.
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6. Stormtroopers remain the worst shots in the galaxy
As Cara, Bo-Katan, Koska, and Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) invade Gideon’s ship, they do battle with an army of Stormtroopers who don’t land a single shot. They are, however, all utterly destroyed. Honestly, what’s the purpose of Stormtroopers anyway?
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7. Death Star droid
Walking the halls of Gideon’s ship is a familiar droid. The RA-7, otherwise known as the Death Star droid, is on the ship. It previously popped up in Chapter 7 of Season 1.
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8. One last Dank Farrik
It’s been a real dank farrik of a season and Cara throws out one last use of the space expletive with a mysterious meaning in this episode. We’ll see you next season, dank farrik.
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9. Moff Gideon wielding the Darksaber
Just as he did in the Season 1 finale, we see Gideon wielding the Darksaber. This time, however, he’s using it to threaten Baby Yoda’s life, which Mando will not stand for. What follows is a rather entertaining duel between Gideon and Mando, with the former using the Darksaber, while the latter swings the Beskar steel spear he took possession of earlier this season.
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10. Rules of the Darksaber
It’s explained to Mando that the rules of the Darksaber permit it to only be gained by defeating the person who holds it. Since he beat Gideon and took the saber, he can’t simply give it to Bo-Katan, who wants it. To claim it in any other way is illegitimate. However, it’s worth noting this wouldn’t be the first time Bo-Katan took it without a fight. On Star Wars: Rebels, Sabine Wren hands it over to her and she accepts, with the support of her clan.
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11. It’s Luke Skywalker
You loved it in Rogue One and now there’s more CGI-de-aging in Star Wars! Luke Skywalker is back, sort of! Toward the end of the episode, a hooded Jedi fights his way through Gideon’s darktroopers before showing his face to our heroes. It’s a young Luke Skywalker, post-Return of the Jedi. This was done similarly to how Princess Leia appeared in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. A body double was used for the physical parts of the role, while a de-aged version of Hamill’s face was placed over the double’s. He then takes Baby Yoda with him for training, which is like the saddest thing in the world for us and for Mando.
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12. A change in music
What makes this scene so effective isn’t the CGI Mark Hamill appearance. Instead, it’s how the tone of the show’s music completely changes. For this final stretch of the episode–and through the credits–the show’s typical score is gone. In its space is orchestral music that sounds more in line with something John Williams would provide, rather than Mando’s typical space flute. It goes a long way in demonstrating how big a moment this is.
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13. Another maskless Mando
Twice in one season? Mando is getting lazy. Before saying goodbye, Baby Yoda placed his hand on Mando’s helmet, wishing to see his father-figure’s face. Mando then removes the helmet showing his face once more to, well, pretty much everyone–from Cara Dune to Luke Skywalker. It’s a tender moment but really makes you wonder why he used to be so hung up about it.
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14. R2-D2
Before Luke and Baby Yoda left, the episode had one more trick up its sleeve: R2-D2. The famed droid shows up next to his favorite Jedi and immediately forms a bond with Baby Yoda.
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15. What about that post-credits scene
The Mandalorian decided to pull a Marvel Studios and throw in a post-credits scene setting up something exciting to come, but to get there we must return to Tatooine.
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16. Bib Fortuna’s return
In the scene, Boba Fett and Fennec Shand walk into Jabba the Hutt’s palace and find Bib Fortuna on the throne. In the original trilogy the alien is played by Michael Carter. Here, though, Matthew Wood, who briefly appeared as the character in The Phantom Menace, plays him here. After he’s dead, it’s Boba Fett sitting on the throne.
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17. Oh great, “maclunkey” is back
He also lets loose a controversial word to Star Wars fans, ordering one of his guards to check on what the commotion was, adding a final “maclunkey.” What’s maclunkey? How lucky you are to not be stuck in this weird portion of Star Wars fandom. When A New Hope debuted on Disney+, a new line was added in the standoff between Han and Greedo. Greedo tells his foe, “Maclunkey.” It’s a Huttese word that roughly translates to, “This’ll be the end of you.”
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18. The Book of Boba Fett
Sure, why not add one more spin-off into the mix. The post-credits scene trumpets something called The Book of Boba Fett, which is a spin-off that will debut in December 2021. With the scene ending with Boba on Jabba the Hutt’s throne, having killed off everyone else, it’ll be interesting to see what the show is about.
What’s more, if it arrives in late 2021, what happens to Season 3 of The Mandalorian? It typically airs late in the year and a third season is already in the works. Will it release even later? Why would we want to wait that long for more Baby Yoda and Mando adventures?
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Disclosure: ViacomCBS is GameSpot’s parent company
Yes, Luke Skywalker has now appeared in The Mandalorian, wielding his green lightsaber and a digitally de-aged face. The credits confirmed that Mark Hamill reprised his role as Luke for the cameo, with Max Lloyd Jones serving as the body double.
The legendary Jedi responded to Grogu’s psychic call, and has taken him away for training, and away from Mando, but never away from our hearts. It may well be that Grogu is a part of Skywalker’s ill-fated Jedi training academy (perhaps even the reason for starting it) – but we very much hope he wasn’t still a part of it once Ben Solo joined and… well, we all saw what happened there.
As you might expect, shortly after the episode aired, the words “LUKE SKYWALKER” in all-caps began to trend on Twitter.
There’s been a long-standing fan movement to have Winter Soldier actor Sebastian Stan take on the role, given his resemblance to a young Mark Hamill – and the words “Sebastian Stan” also began trending shortly after the episode.
Artist @Bosslogic imagines what Sebastian Stan would look like as a young Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian. Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/7XpCCA0pzI
Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].
A post-credits scene following The Mandalorian’s Season 2 finale, “The Rescue,” announces The Book of Boba Fett, coming in December 2021.
This appears to be a new spin-off show about the iconic bounty hunter, although there’s the possibility it’s the name of the next Mandalorian season arc. We’ve reached out to Disney and Lucasfilm for comment.
The episode – which also includes an appearance from the actual Luke Skywalker (in de-aged form) – ends with a short scene in which Boba and Fennec Shand pay a violent visit to Jabba the Hutt’s Palace, which is now seemingly ruled over by Bib Fortuna. After dispatching his old friend, Boba sits on Jabba’s throne, and we see “The Book of Boba Fett” appear, before confirming a December 2021 release.
Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].
The Mandalorian Season 2 featured one of the biggest surprises yet, a character cameo so crazy that we can’t believe they even attempted it. Feel free to argue in the comments over here over whether they pulled it off, or if looking at his face is like staring deep into the uncanny void of death.
Regardless, the end of the episode featured one more surprise, and we’re about to spoil it–obviously. You’ve been warned.
a post-credits scene featuring Boba Fett and Ming-Na Wen’s character Fennec Shand. The scene opens with the dual suns of Tatooine (which would feel like a blast from the past if we hadn’t watched Rise of Skywalker last year). The camera pans over to Jabba’s Palace (which actually is a blast from the past). Inside, Bib Fortuna resides, until Boba and Shand arrive and shoot everyone there (except the Twi’lek slave, who they free). Boba sits down on Jabba the Hutt’s old throne, and Fennec grabs a bottle of blue something-or-other.
Cut to a title card: The Book of Boba Fett, coming December 21. And that’s all we know from the teaser itself, although Entertainment Weekly says it’s “yet another spin-off series.”
What exactly does that mean? Is The Book of Boba Fett a Boba-Fett centered TV show? Is it a crossover event with the other two just-announced Mandalorian spin-offs, Rangers of the New Republic and Ahsoka? Is it simply the name of The Mandalorian Season 3? Or is it an actual book? (We doubt that last one.)
What do you think The Book of Boba Fett will be? Let us know in the comments below–hopefully we’ll find out more soon.
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The Mandalorian Season 2 has not been shy about bringing in elements and characters from around the Star Wars galaxy. These have largely been lesser-known characters (at least, compared with the likes of Darth Vader and Han Solo), like Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano, who’s familiar to those who’ve watched some of the Star Wars animated shows, and Katee Sackhoff’s character Bo-Katan. Boba Fett was the exception, although Mando’s version of that iconic character is grizzled and very different from the versions we’ve met before.
In the Season 2 finale, however, The Mandalorian finally went all-in and inserted the mother of all Star Wars cameos. If you haven’t seen the episode yet, go watch it before scrolling any further down the page, because we’re about to spoil it–obviously.
In The Mandalorian’s Season 2 finale, after the climactic battle, Mando and his crew encountered none other than Luke Skywalker (accompanied by R2-D2, of course), who appeared to take Baby Yoda–sorry, Grogu–away for training. And, of course, Luke appeared basically as he was originally portrayed by Mark Hamill–Mark Hamill of 40+ years ago, thanks to the tenuous magic of extremely uncanny CGI.
Naturally, the Mark Hamill of today, who played Luke Skywalker again in the newest trilogy of Star Wars films, can’t really pass as his younger self (understandably). So just as they did with Grand Moff Tarkin and Princess Leia in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Disney used a freaky-looking CGI puppet of young Luke.
The timeline makes sense; The Mandalorian is set following the events of the original trilogy, but before the events of the newest trilogy. Luke would have been in the prime of his Jedi mastery. We never considered the character would have made a cameo on this show, but it’s 2020, so we probably should have seen something like this coming.
According to the credits for the episode, Max Lloyd Jones was a body double for the Jedi, leading us to believe he stood in while Hamill’s face was added on top. So chances are the iconic actor wasn’t on set for the scene. Luke gets a few lines in, but it’s hard to tell whether it’s Hamill’s voice or just an impersonator. Either way, there’s no denying that it’s extremely weird.
Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond marks a return to the series’ historical roots as well as its first foray into virtual reality. It’s been a long time since we’ve stormed the beaches of Normandy or liberated Nazi-occupied France in a Medal of Honor game, but Above and Beyond strives to bring us back to that familiar WWII experience within the new technology. Being asked to answer the call of duty and return to the battlefield in a new Medal of Honor is an exciting prospect, but Above and Beyond is far too simple a shooter and far too restrictive to ever feel engaging like the series once was.
Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond’s campaign is composed of six major missions, each of which is broken into smaller sections, moving you from location to location as you make your way through the story. Each moment of gameplay has you moving through a small area and using a variety of WWII weaponry to take out Nazis. These moments can feature you walking around on foot or, at times, in the back of a vehicle.
Some of the action sequences can be a little too intense, including a sequence where my character was in the back of a moving truck and shooting enemies in the opposite direction, which made me especially motion sick. That said, Above and Beyond offers some great comfort options to help alleviate motion sickness. These include settings that let you tweak turning increments, turn on tunnel vision when sprinting, or even let you skip more intense action sequences entirely and continue through the story. These were enough to alleviate my own issues with motion sickness and made it possible for me to make it through every section without skipping through them. Starting up a new VR game without knowing how your mind and body will react to its movement can be intimidating, but Above and Beyond’s options help mitigate discomfort you may experience throughout its duration.
Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond (screenshots provided by the publisher)
Using classic weapons, especially single-shot rifles like the M1 Garand, makes for some enjoyable shooting galleries between cutscenes. Shotguns or long-range rifles feel appropriately deadly, capable of taking out an enemy with a single shot and sending their lifeless body to the ground. Wielding the powerful Gewehr 43 sniper rifle or using the iconic Walther P38 pistol against an onslaught of enemies can deliver some exhilarating moments. Automatic weapons, however, don’t feel entirely accurate or powerful, even when you feather the trigger as you take aim at enemy threats.
Some of my favorite firearms to use in Above and Beyond include the lever-action repeater and the sawed-off shotgun. The repeater feels more like something out of a Western than a World War II epic; once you shoot down an enemy, you flick the right controller to reload it, causing the repeater to spin in your hands as if you were a Wild West trick shooter. Likewise, the sawed-off shotgun requires you to flick the right controller to flip the barrel open, throw your shells in with the left controller, and flick the right controller closed before you fire off another shot. Most of the guns have standard reload animations and functions, and while I really enjoyed these quirkier animations, they feel tonally disparate from a game featuring short documentaries of real veterans.
As you play through Above and Beyond, you unlock new documentaries that feature World War II vets telling their stories. Available in the Gallery section of the main menu, these videos are genuinely great, giving a platform to an important generation. It’s moving to hear these men speak of their past, and while I expected a bleak set of films, it was a very human and uplifting experience watching them–the introductory video starts with a veteran who notes that one of his medals is for his professional conduct but that it just means no one caught him, laughing like a grandfather being silly with his grandkids. So, it’s disappointing then that Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond never strives to do anything meaningful with its own story, sidestepping the reality of war and the humanity of those in it.
The campaign too often forces you to stand or sit still, watching the stilted characters and uninteresting stories play out around you. A lot of the dialogue and situations are standard WWII fare, and none of these moments carry much personality or weight. You’re often not a central player in any of these scenes, either, acting as more of a spectator than a character. A cutscene in any non-VR game is easy enough to sit through, but the dynamic changes when you’re plugged into virtual reality and literally standing around as characters talk about how they’re going to foil the Nazis’ latest plan.
During these scenes, there are moments when you’re asked to contribute, such as giving a thumbs up or choosing where squadmates will be for an ambush. However, these moments don’t feel particularly impactful when the events actually play out. And even if your choices and actions had more weight, the content of Above and Beyond’s setpieces is still bland and uninspired; as I stood there and waited for characters whose names I had forgotten to finish their conversations–sometimes pulling out my pistol to dump a few magazines into the air–I couldn’t help but get fidgety and want to stop playing altogether.
Conversely, Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond’s multiplayer is all action. Moving around a map, finding other players, and shooting them down is satisfying, especially when you’re on a good run. As fun as it is to shoot players in a non-VR game, there’s a sense of shocking immediacy when you see a real person running at you and a greater sense of accomplishment when you dominate the other team. Your own movements, accuracy, and reflexes get you that win. It’s exciting in these moments, but being on the other end of a dominant player’s iron sights can quickly turn frustrating, as racking up respawn timers means a lot of (literally) standing around and waiting to get back into the action.
Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond (screenshots provided by the publisher)
Most multiplayer rounds turn into games of deathmatch, even if it’s an objective-based match type. This is typical of many first-person shooters, but it feels exacerbated here by a lack of explanation for modes like Mad Bomber. Above and Beyond tells you that you score points by planting your bombs and defusing enemy bombs, but that’s it. This vague direction devolves each match into who can get the most kills, which gets you points anyway and almost always decides the winner.
This wouldn’t be as disappointing if not for the low player count. In the majority of my matches post-release, I’ve only been up against one real player. Above and Beyond fills each match with bots, so you’re never left without a full game, but they’re still bots and can’t pose the same challenge or satisfaction as having to outplay a real person. And while the guns are exciting to use, I found my personal favourite to be overpowered. The Repeater has a fast reload speed and is always a one-hit kill. It’s not so bad when you’re facing another player who can easily take you out if you miss your first shot, but when it’s you in a match with mostly bots, it becomes a relatively simple shooting gallery.
Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond is a disappointing return to the classic series. While its gunplay is satisfying, the moments where it shines are all too brief, stunted by cutscenes that force you to stand in place and spectate a story that rarely includes you or your character. On the other hand, the multiplayer has potential but is in need of more players and some balance tweaks. There are some incredible World War II games that are worth playing even today, but Above and Beyond falls short in far too many ways to be considered among them.
Sephiroth, the new character in the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster, is available now for anyone who has purchased the Fighters Pass Volume 2. However, unlike previous DLC fighters, you need to defeat Sephiroth to unlock him, otherwise he remains locked for another week. The fight is live now, and thankfully, unlocking him is very easy.
When you start the game up, if you have the Fighters Pass, the Sephiroth Challenge will appear on the main menu, and you can start it by pressing the + button.
The Sephiroth Challenge is in the top-left of the start screen.
The Sephiroth Challenge is a HP battle on his new stage, Northern Cave, and there’s three difficulty settings you can fight the Final Fantasy villain at. Doing so is not much of a challenge, especially on Easy, meaning that Sephiroth is effectively available today for players of almost all skill levels.
The difficulty selection screen.
On Easy, Sephiroth will have 100HP, on Normal, he’ll have 150HP, and on Very Hard he’ll have 200HP. The description for “Easy” difficulty reads “For players who want a near-certain victory,” which is more or less accurate, as your attacks do more damage at this difficulty, too. On Normal, I was able to defeat Sephiroth with ease as Cloud, taking just 4% damage. Very Hard is much more of a challenge, although Smash Bros. pros are unlikely to break too much of a sweat.
Defeat Sephiroth on any difficulty and the character, as well as the Northern Cave stage and all of its associated music tracks, will be unlocked immediately.
Some people make TV watching an event, complete with refreshments, dimmed lights, and a snuggly pet. Others treat it like background noise, something to fill their ears while they work or do other things. Netflix is testing the perfect feature for those background-noise watchers: an audio-only mode.
Netflix is currently testing an audio-only mode on Android phones, Android Police reports. The feature is not yet available even to all Android subscribers, so you’ll have to check if you have it. If you do, the screen will show a “Video Off” button when you tap the screen in full-screen mode. Tapping the button turns on the audio-only mode, which just has a blank screen beneath the Netflix menu items.
This feature is, again, in testing. It may never roll out completely. If it does, though, it could pair well with the huge library of shows that offer Audio Description, in which a narrator describes what’s happening in between character dialogue. Together, these two features would turn a show like The Queens Gambit into a high-production-value audiobook. The mode will definitely save battery life since it’s not showing images, and we’re betting it’ll save on data, though we’re not able to verify that at this time.
Netflix has not yet commented on the future availability of this feature on other platforms or to all users.
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