Category: Games

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.”

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Having already been delayed previously due to COVID-19, the next James Bond movie, No Time to Die, has been pushed back again. No Time to Die’s release date has been officially delayed until next year, with a new date set for April 2, 2021. Although COVID was not specifically referenced in the brief statement, it’s the clear motivation for the delay.

“MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, today announced the release of No Time to Die, the 25th film in the James Bond series, will be delayed until 2 April 2021 in order to be seen by a worldwide theatrical audience,” it was announced on Twitter. “We understand the delay will be disappointing to our fans but we now look forward to sharing No Time to Die next year.”

No Time to Die had been planned to release in just a matter of weeks–it was due out November 12 in the UK and November 20 in the US and elsewhere around the world. Previously, it was due to premiere back in April, but it was among the first wave of movies to see their releases delayed. Whereas some, such as F9, were delayed until 2021 from the start, the new Bond movie was still targeting a 2020 release. Following this latest shift, it will end up being a full-year delay for Daniel Craig’s final outing as the character–assuming it’s not pushed back once again.

The delay doesn’t come as a major surprise given that other films have seen their releases pushed to 2021. Major films that have made it to theaters, including Tenet and X-Men: New Mutants, have not lit the box office on fire as many theaters remain closed or open with limited capacity, and many would-be theater-goers continue to avoid public gatherings. A limited number of companies, including Disney with Mulan, have opted to release their movies digitally, although most have chosen delays in the hopes of eventually debuting in theaters.

No Time to Die sees Craig return to the role of Bond once again, where he’ll be joined by returning cast members Ralph Fiennes, Léa Seydoux, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, Christoph Waltz, and Jeffrey Wright. Among the newcomers to the cast are Ana de Armas, Lashana Lynch, and Rami Malek, who plays the film’s villain, Safin. The movie is directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, who is best known for his work on True Detective Season 1.

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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.

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 mirrored, 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.