Welcome back to Game Spook!, our yearly Halloween-themed episode. And what an episode! Not only is it Game Spook!, it’s also our 600th edition of this humble little podcast. Thank you so much to everyone who watches every week!
On the docket for this episode: The Co-op Mages discuss their favorite horror games from every generation, Control comes to Switch, Watch Dogs Legion, and so much more. The music this episode is from Castlevania Bloodlines.
Watch the video above or hit the link below to your favorite podcast service.
Full spoilers follow for The Mandalorian Season 2, Episode 1 — “The Marshal.”
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As The Mandalorian returns to Disney+ for its second season with the episode “The Marshal,” a creature we first heard about in the very first Star Wars movie finally made its live-action debut: The krayt dragon!
Well, we should say it made its first living live-action debut in the show, as we have seen a quite dead krayt dragon before… but more on that in a bit.
But what exactly is a krayt dragon, how does it differ from a sarlacc, and what was that pearl the Tusken Raiders pulled out of the poor thing’s carcass? Let’s, um, dig into it!
What Does The Mandalorian Want With the Krayt Dragon?
Well, how do we put this gently? He wants to, um, kill it.
When Mando returns to Tatooine in search of other Mandalorians who might be able to help him return Baby Yoda to the child’s people, he winds up in the small mining town of Mos Pelgo. There he encounters Cobb Vanth, a.k.a. The Marshal (played by Timothy Olyphant), who is wearing… wait for it… Boba Fett’s armor! The Mandalorian winds up working with Vanth to kill the krayt dragon, which has been attacking not just Mos Pelgo but also the Tusken Raiders who live in the surrounding desert area.
In the end, and with great effort, Mando, Vanth, the people of Mos Pelgo, and the Tusken Raiders band together and defeat the beast, but only after suffering a bunch of casualties. In payment for his help, Vanth returns Fett’s armor to Mando.
C-3PO walks by a krayt dragon skeleton in A New Hope.
What Is a Krayt Dragon?
Of course, the Legends (or Expanded Universe) has a bunch of info on krayt dragons (including in Knights of the Old Republic), but as far as canon sources go, we got our first idea about these creatures in A New Hope when a stranded C-3PO shuffles past the skeleton of one on Tatooine.
Also in that film, Obi-Wan Kenobi imitates the call of a krayt dragon as he approaches Luke Skywalker’s landspeeder in order to scare off the Tusken Raiders who have attacked Luke and Threepio.
These creatures aren’t technically dragons… but they are giant and, while they don’t exactly shoot fire from their mouths, they are capable of expelling a venom which seems to essentially digest, or burn, whoever is unlucky enough to get hit by the icky substance. As we see in The Mandalorian episode, the dragons are able to burrow underground and travel that way, which makes them reminiscent of the graboids from Tremors. But they’re also kaiju-sized beasts, or at least the one in “The Marshal” is. They also have a Dune sandworm feel, so Warner Bros. probably isn’t too happy with Lucasfilm right about now. (Dune is also believed to have been an influence on George Lucas when he created Star Wars.)
As for how the krayt relates to the sarlacc, another creature found on the sand planet, it seems that the dragons are mighty enough to kill (and eat) sarlaccs and take up in their caves. That’s what Mando implies happened with the krayt in the Mandalorian episode, but despite the apparent presence of Boba Fett at the end of the segment (as played by Temuera Morrison) — or his armor, as worn by Vanth — there’s no reason to believe this is the same sarlacc pit from Return of the Jedi, where Fett had seemingly met his end (to be slowly digested over a thousand years) before the Morrison reveal here. Hey, there’s more than one sarlacc pit on Tatooine, O.K.?
What Is the Krayt Pearl?
Late in “The Marshal,” after the krayt has been killed, we see the Tusken Raiders harvesting the creature’s body, apparently for meat (even Mando has a huge chunk that he wraps up in a Star Wars doggie bag). But then one of the sand people finds what they’ve been presumably really looking for — a white globe about the size of a bowling ball. This is a krayt dragon pearl, and it’s worth a bundle.
It has been established in Star Wars media like the novels Heir to the Jedi and Aftermath: Empire’s End that krayt dragons ingest stones, which over time and the course of digestion could eventually become a pearl. Their value comes from the fact that the ingested stone sometimes has a kyber crystal in it, which of course is what powers lightsabers.
IGN’s own Max Scoville reminds us that “in the old EU, one of Jabba’s guards killed a krayt dragon, stole its pearls, and ran off with Yarna d’al’ Gargan, Jabba’s six-breasted dancer, and they used the pearls to buy her cubs out of slavery and to book passage off Tatooine. They lived happily ever after and Yarna later danced at the wedding of Han and Leia. So in conclusion, krayt dragon pearls are a big deal.”
And that’s why the Tusken Raiders were so psyched to find the pearl. They basically just won the lottery!
Amazon PrimeVideo has released a new show, just in time for Halloween–and it’s perfect for the season. Truth Seekers, starring buddy comedy duo Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, is all about paranormal investigation with a goofy twist. Clocking in at only eight episodes, it’s a great weekend binge if you’re for a spooky time to distract yourself from the lack of costume parties and trick-or-treat this year.
The set up is relatively simple. Frost plays Gus Roberts, a self-serious and deeply eccentric broadband internet technician who moonlights as a paranormal investigator with a YouTube channel. Roberts is one of the best at his boring day job, so he’s tasked with training up a rookie, Elton John (Samson Kayo)–and yes, the name is the punchline of more than a couple very funny jokes. Elton, as it turns out, is both a coward and a person who is genuinely sensitive to paranormal occurrences, so Gus quickly ropes him into his investigative side-hustle, despite Elton’s protests.
Simon Pegg plays Dave, Gus’s boss, and while Pegg’s reduced role does keep him away from Frost more often than not through most episodes, the two still find time to be charming together. And they’re not the only British comedy juggernauts to be found in the show–Julian Barratt of cult-classic Mighty Boosh fame plays the series’ villain, Dr. Peter Toynbee; BAFTA breakthrough Susie Wokoma plays Elton’s sister Helen, and Malcom McDowell plays Gus’s aging father-in-law Richard.
It’s an incredibly funny combination, especially when you factor in Frost’s chemistry with Kayo who sells the charmingly befuddled and anxiety-ridden Elton at every opportunity. The gags themselves are snappy and more often than not, heartfelt in off-beat ways. Helen suffers from debilitating agoraphobia but runs a make-up YouTube channel and loves to cosplay, if she can actually pull it together long enough to go to a convention. Gus’s eccentricity comes from some deep-seated family trauma that may make him a bit prickly but keeps him genuinely devoted to the few people close to him. It’s all very kind, even when it’s going out of its way to also be absurd and irreverent.
In terms of the supernatural stuff, you likely won’t be kept up at night–it’s clear that Truth Seekers prioritizes the goofs over the ghosts, even though there are definitely ghosts to be found. It’s a bit less graphic than something like Shaun of the Dead. But it’s in that that general neighborhood, with a slightly less budget. The visual effects are serviceable but probably won’t blow you away, which actually kind of adds to the camp of the whole thing once you get used to it. If you’re a fan of other cult-y, obscure British comedy shows like Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, you’ll have no problem acclimating at all.
All told, Truth Seekers may be pretty surface level in terms of story, but it never overstays its welcome, shines a spotlight on some very funny people, and is arriving just in time for Halloween weekend. It’s a worthy watch, especially if you’re finding yourself starved for new content as the year continues to drag on.
All eight episodes of Truth Seekers are streaming now on Amazon Prime.
It’s Halloween-time, and it’s very important that you get your scares in, even if this year is scary enough on its own. However, some of us take Halloween to the extremes, rewatching the same movies over and over again.
And by “some of us,” I mean “me.” It’s that time of the year for me to watch some of the dumbest and cheesiest horror movies on repeat. From stupid curses that make no literal sense to rock n’ roll ghostly killers that have musical numbers to robotic mall security guards that explode people’s heads, these horror movies are some of my favorites. Sadly, because of the amount of times I like to watch them, I typically am chastised by friends, acquaintances, and coworkers about how often I watch them or repeat lines from them.
However, there are just some movies you need in your life on a daily basis. So here are 8 B-horror movies I will never stop watching, even if this action leaves me friendless and penniless along the way.
The only diet fad that really works is getting cursed by an old man. Stephen King’s Thinner from 1996 was about an overweight attorney who was a big jerk and got cursed by an old man, which made him lose weight. Move over, Weight Watchers! Curses are in! However, the lawyer keeps losing more and more weight, and it may kill him. Obviously, he needs to find a way to lift the curse, right? Also, the man turned one guy into a lizard.
The real reason to watch this movie is to see the actual curse happen and to do your best imitation of a 109-year-old man saying, “Sir? Thinner.” Honestly, I’m going to say this a lot during the course of the movie, and it will annoy you.
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7. The Forest (2016)
A not-so-great horror flick rooted in a very sad reality. Before a YouTuber made a bunch of jokes in the Sea of Trees, Japan’s Aokigahara was known as the “Suicide Forest,” a place outside of Mount Fuji where people went to commit suicide that is tied heavily to Japanese lore revolving around yūrei–ghosts.
The movie The Forest follows an American woman who travels to Japan’s suicide forest to search for her twin sister who may or may not be dead and may or may not be sending her ghostly messages to save her. Isn’t uncertainty so much fun? The story is exceptionally weak and only serves as a way to get an American character to Japan to immerse the character in watered-down Japanese folklore.
It’s dumb, predictable, and yet, there’s something about it that won’t stop me from playing it. It’s like the movie is cursed, and if I don’t watch it a couple of times a year, I shrivel up and die inside, or become thinner.
Streaming on Netflix
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6. Stay Alive (2006)
Stay Alive is what happens when a studio producer sees his niece or nephew playing Silent Hill for 30 seconds and gets the bright idea of a movie about a video game that is really trying to kill you. For its time, every single person who heard of the movie thought, “Duh, why hasn’t anyone done something like this before?” A horror movie about a video game that can kill you in real life is a fantastic concept.
However, tying it all into lore that exists in the movie’s real world, along with the fact the special effects looked exceptionally dated when it came out, meant that this film fell flat when it came out. However, it sits in this perfect little pocket of being incredibly enjoyable to watch while never crossing the line of being so bad that it’s unwatchable.
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
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5. The Haunting (1999)
I remember going to the theater to see The Haunting. I remember this movie being a big deal between my friends, as movies about malevolent ghosts were just starting to make a comeback–between this and the remake of William Castle’s House on Haunted Hill. Slashers were so last season at this point. It’s all about murder ghosts now! However, The Haunting is, well, a bad drama that happens to have a few ghosts in it by accident. It’s like the film stumbled upon some ghouls while filming. Lili Taylor just chews every scene she’s in, and her character is entirely unbearable throughout the movie. Take everything you know and love about Mike Flanagan’s Haunting Of series over at Netflix and add some Lifetime movie of the week writing and acting to it. I think that sums it up well.
There is nothing redeeming about The Haunting, as it is as campy as a major horror film can be for that time period. Yet, I find myself drawn to it, much like Taylor’s character is drawn to a house that has no problem killing Owen Wilson.
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
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4. Brain Scan (1994)
Out of all the horror movies about video games–there are only two that matter–Brain Scan is the best one. The 1994 horror movie was a bit ahead of its time, as it followed a teenager (Edward Furlong) who plays an interactive CD-ROM game where you are a serial killer. However, it turns out that the murders committed in the game are happening in the real world. The horror! The being behind it is none other than Trickster, which may or may not be a virtual entity. Trickster loves the heavy metal music, though.
“Product of its time” can describe a lot of horror movies, usually referring to a specific decade. However, Brain Scan is this brilliant snapshot of a very narrow time period. It’s something that could have only come out in the dawn of the era of CD-ROMs–a product you might not think twice about, but something older folks like myself are very nostalgic about. Like, remember when you first got your hands on a copy of Myst? Remember playing Myst for the first time and lying to yourself that it wasn’t boring? It’s like that, but with heavy metal.
So much of the movie revolves around the wonderment of CD-ROM technology and the possible future of video games. Also, Frank Langella plays a detective who seemingly has solved the case right after the first murder, and what’s not to love about that?
Streaming on Crackle
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3. Chopping Mall
Chopping Mall is about a mall–a thing that was very popular in the ’80s–where robots–another popular ’80s thing–become security guards that end up malfunctioning and killing everyone inside the mall after hours. Chopping Mall is a product of its time–I think that’s the first time I’ve used that phrase in this piece. It’s something we’d probably never see today because malls are mostly dead anyway. RIP all the places I worked as a teenager.
As far as horror movies go, Chopping Mall features so many unbelievable moments–a staple of the genre. First, robotic security being a thing in 1986 is too much for my suspension of disbelief. Next, lightning is the conduit to turn robotic security robots into killing machines, and that is a bit far-fetched. Finally, the “teens” in this movie all want to party in a furniture store at the mall after dark. So if Chopping Mall is already such an unbelievable film, why do I keep going back? Well, it’s the dumbest fun imaginable. It’s classic schlock you can’t get enough of.
Streaming on Shudder
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2. Devil (2010)
In 2010, Devil came out, a movie that was heavily advertised as being produced by M. Night Shyamalan, during a time when people were done with his movies. He was that director that had movies with really great twists at the end–like “the aliens are allergic to water.” This is a time before Split, The Visit, and Apple TV+’s The Servant but right after The Last Airbender and The Happening. It was a rough time for Shyamalan. But alas, I’m already very much off tangent.
Devil is about a bunch of people stuck on an elevator, and one of them is the Devil. Spoiler alert, it’s the old lady. Everyone has to figure out who the Devil is because–um–it’s a murder mystery or something? Were they all expecting to beat the Devil up once they figured it out?
My favorite line in the movie comes from the sleazy mattress salesman, a character archetype I demand to be in every movie from now on. He looks at another person and says, “Why don’t you suck a butt?” Yeah! Suck a butt, ya butt sucker! There is quality writing like this throughout the entire movie.
However, the best part of the movie is when one of the security guards watching the elevator events unfold pieces the entire plot of the movie together by realizing that his toast always falls “jelly side down” and that’s because the devil is near and the devil is in the elevator. The Devil hates carpets not soiled in jelly.
Streaming on HBO Max
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1. Slumber Party Massacre II (1987)
Every year, around Halloween time, I try my best to find an excuse to write about one of my favorite horror movies of all time: 1987’s Slumber Party Massacre 2 by writer/director Deborah Brock. Shoehorning this movie into something is my tradition because this movie is amazing.
A majority of the time, I spend much of my efforts talking about the Driller Killer–a rockabilly ghost with a drill on the end of his electric guitar. But not this time.
Slumber Party Massacre II follows a group of girls who are all in a band together that go on a vacation to a summer house. Of course, they bring their instruments and some boys show up. And yes, there’s a rockabilly ghost murderer–previously mentioned–chasing them as well.
I have lots of little facts about the dumbest elements of this movie. Did you know the songs performed in the movie–“If Only” and “Why”–are actually from the band Wednesday Week? That might be important information for someone to know. How about that moment when Courtney and Amy get into the car and sing “Tokyo Convertible?” That’s the only time in human history that the song is almost palatable.That’s a good fact, right? SPM2 is pure ’80s horror in the best way possible, and I would gladly lose all my friendships to watch it one more time.
Streaming on Shudder
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Disclosure: ViacomCBS is GameSpot’s parent company
Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ Halloween event is nearly upon us, but some players are creating events of their own. They’re using Animal Crossing as a way to trick-or-treat since it isn’t safe to go house-to-house in real life.
Players had already turned their islands into haunted houses and used the new skin tones from the Fall update to make elaborate costumes, so it’s only natural that they would turn to the game to replace trick-or-treating. While some players simply plan to open their gates to let people in, others have started Discord servers to organize wider community events.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Halloween Costumes
Animal Crossing’s Halloween event runs from 5 PM to 12 AM on October 31. Players can give candy to their villagers and Jack, a special visitor, and receive in-game rewards. Other players can participate in the event, similarly to how they could with the summer fireworks, by visiting their friend’s islands.
Some players have thought of creative minigames and scavenger hunts to play while they have their friends over on Halloween night. One game is called trick-or-treat roulette where players can spin a wheel to determine what item they dig up. “These are the rules I’m using if anyone’s curious: I buried 4 expensive/rare items and 4 gag/trash items,” wrote Redditor chickenandwaffurs. “Whoever rolls the highest number will also get the bonus gift wrapped under the scarecrow.”
Players have created events on Reddit and Facebook, inviting others to their islands so they can still have some fun with friends on Halloween. If you don’t have plans for Halloween, in real life or in Animal Crossing, you can browse through the many Animal Crossing subreddits to find players with their gates open tomorrow night.
“We literally just had to cancel our plans because her state placed a travel ban on mine because our number of cases went up,” wrote Redditor ACLeeLee401. “So at least we can visit each other in ACNH.”
In this week’s Grand Theft Auto V Online update, extraterrestrial Halloween-themed activities are in full swing. You’ll get double payouts from Alien Survivals, Business Battles, and Gruesome Adversary modes.
As Halloween season hits fever pitch this week, things are out-of-this-world unusual in GTA Online. Alien Survivals are paying out Double GTA$ and RP, plus there are whispers that a UFO has been hauled off to Fort Zancudo for testing.https://t.co/MjG2cbJXcMpic.twitter.com/2mLPQOkp42
A new Business Battle event featuring Merryweather agents in Fort Zancudo also takes place this week. Players will need to take out the agents and make off with any alien technology found. Upon winning any Event Business Battle, players will also receive a free Cultstoppers Tee.
If you want more free T-shirts, log in anytime this week and get perks like the Butchery and Other Hobbies Tee, the Knife After Dark Tee, and the Orange Dot Tech Mask. In the Diamond Casino & Resort’s Lucky Wheel, a Blazing Death Albany Fränken Stange is up for grabs as the top prize.
There’s also a number of discounts on vehicles, facilities, facility modifications, and arena upgrades. Check out the below categories for a full list.
Vehicles:
MTL Nightmare Cerberus (50% off)
Declasse Nightmare Brutus (50% off)
Nightmare Scarab (50% off)
Nightmare Imperator (50% off)
Albany Lurcher (30% off)
Chariot Romero Hearse (30% off)
LCC Sanctus (30% off)
Facilities (40% off):
Paleto Bay
Mount Gordo
Sandy Shores
Zancudo River
Grand Senora Desert
Lago Zancudo
Route 68
RON Alternates Wind Farm
Land Act Reservoir
Facility Modifications/Add-Ons (25% off):
Style
Graphics
Orbital Cannon
Security Room
Lounge
Sleeping Quarters
Arena Nightmare Upgrades (50% off):
MTL Nightmare Cerberus
Declasse Nightmare Brutus
HVY Nightmare Scarab
Vapid Nightmare Imperator
Annis Nightmare ZR380
As always, you can get Amazon Prime Gaming rewards. If you play anytime this week, you will receive GTA$200K. Prime members also get a free Nightclub location in the Vespucci Canals and 60% off the Flying Imponte Deluxo.
PS4 Players also have one more day to claim October’s GTA$1 million reward. All PlayStation Plus members on PS4 will get a bonus GTA$1 million every month they log in until GTA 5 releases on PS5.
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NHL 94 Rewind, the retro-inspired hockey game mode that takes the current NHL roster and throws them into the trappings of NHL 94 but with modern controls, is now available for those who preordered NHL 21 on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One.
NHL 21 launched on October 16, and those who preordered can now take their skills into the retro-styled throwback mode. All current NHL players will take on 16-bit styled graphics while retaining the controls featured in the main NHL 21 game.
Publisher EA said that those who missed the preorder period but still want NHL 94 Rewind can get the mode sometime this holiday. An exact release date has not been announced yet. EA said more details on how to get NHL 94 Rewind will be revealed in “early December.”
A next-gen version of NHL 21 is not happening but EA said that the hockey simulator will still be playable on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S / Series X thanks to backwards compatibility.
NHL 21 is out now on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. We scored it a 9/10 in our NHL 21 review, with editor Eddie Makuch saying, “NHL 21 is a fantastic ice hockey game that pushes the series forward with an enjoyable, engaging story mode in Be A Pro and a flashy, arcade-style way to play with HUT Rush.”
Gears Pop, Microsoft’s mobile and PC Gears of War spin-off, is shutting down. You’ll have until April 26, 2021 to enjoy the game’s mix of Clash Royale and Gears characters before the servers go offline.
Developed by Fall Guys creators Mediatonic, Gears Pop Was part of a push from Microsoft to diversify the genres its core franchises appeared in. The mobile game was announced alongside Gears Tactics in 2018–a XCOM spin on the Gears formula–before launching in 2019.
A post on the game’s official website apologized for having to shut down the game so soon, stating that a lot more goes in maintaining a multiplayer title than just keeping the servers online.
“There are a number of things that go into maintaining a game beyond keeping servers active,” the post reads. “Addressing issues, developing content, and providing support are critical in keeping a game running. Unfortunately, this is no longer feasible.”
Players who have purchased any in-game items in the past 90 days will receive refunds, which will start being processed in November. Until the game goes offline players can continue matching up and earning in-game items, while the post states that that part events will make a return for one last hurrah.
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It was the final Call of Duty: Warzone circle and Redditor otbdotcom and his teammate were the only ones breathing clean air on the map. Every other corner of Verdansk was covered in deadly gas, but another player was still alive.
A few seconds passed and the gas closed in and killed both otbdotcom and their partner, giving the win to the hidden player. They were hiding in the train station using what Warzone players call the “stim glitch,” where they use an item that refills their health an infinite amount of times until they win the game.
Call of Duty: Warzone’s Stim.
“I’d tell you to report these players but it’s not gonna change anything,” otbdotcom wrote. “I found these two on the Call of Duty app and they won 3 games tonight with 0 kills…pathetic.”
The specific scenario above should no longer be happening, as Infinity Ward fixed this issue in early October. But it’s just one example of a game-breaking bug that came after one of the studio’s updates.
Another glitch involving bounties, the contracts that send you to kill another player, was fixed earlier in October as well. The bounties themselves were forcing players to disconnect, so Infinity Ward removed them altogether. A week before that, the studio had to remove all vehicles from Warzone for the same reason. The Haunting of Verdansk update added bugs of its own–including one that lets players mark enemies, even if they hide inside.
Warzone’s gun glitch that obstructs the camera.
Battle royales are tricky to develop–especially with how much content players expect due to the standard set by Fortnite. They have far more elements than other multiplayer games that have fewer players and smaller maps. A new change to Verdansk could cause an issue elsewhere in the game. Fortnite players run into strange bugs as well, but they’re usually less game-changing. A recent update caused all cars on the map to bounce back-and-forth, for example.
Call of Duty: Warzone has over 75 million downloads, applying a lot of pressure to the development team. Infinity Ward, which co-develop Warzone with Raven Software, has previously said that dealing with cheating, a big part of which is dishonest players taking advantage of glitches, is an “arms race.” They need to rush to fix issues as more pop up.
Call of Duty: Warzone is merging with Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War in December, a month after the latest entry in the FPS franchises launches on November 13. That means new weapons, operators, and perks will come to Warzone. For a game already dealing with fairly frequent glitches, that could mean another set of complications for Warzone’s developers to have to contend with.
