Category: Games

As long as the character of Harley Quinn has been around, there’s been a discussion among Batman fans about her relationship with Joker, which is incredibly abusive. It was revealed in the 1994 comic The Batman Adventures: Mad Love that Harley was a former psychiatrist that fell in love with the Clown Prince of Crime, even though he regularly insulted and demeaned her–and held very little regard for her life.

That’s an aspect of Harley’s history that was largely ignored in 2016’s Suicide Squad, which saw Margot Robbie lay the character. However, the upcoming DC Universe Harley Quinn animated series, in which Kaley Cuoco voices the character, won’t be shying away from it. Speaking at the TCA press tour, executive producer Justin Halpern explained, “That is something that we felt we needed to address in the show.”

Instead, Harley Quinn will deal with the horrible nature of the relationship as Harley removes herself from it in a bid to strike out on her own as a criminal queenpin. It’s explored in the first episode of the series, which was screened at San Diego Comic-Con, but the aftermath of the breakup will seemingly reverberate throughout future episodes of the series.

“The idea was that we’ve all been in relationships with someone we felt maybe wasn’t right for us, all the way to someone who was toxic for us,” Halpern continued. “How you extricate yourself from that is really what this show is about. How you get out of that kind of relationship and figure out, ‘What am I going to do now that I’m out of it? What do I want? I’ve been living somebody else’s life for a really long time.'”

So who will Harley lean on once Joker is out of the picture–or, rather, is kind of an enemy as she fights for control of Gotham City’s criminal underworld? It’s Poison Ivy (Lake Bell) that becomes the character’s closest ally and friend, taking a page from the comics.

It should also be noted that Harley Quinn is a very violent and vulgar animated series with blood flying as freely as the foul language. So while it likely isn’t the right animated series for kids, it’s refreshing to see this show deal with the incredibly problematic relationship between Joker and Harley, rather than simply treating it as an in-universe status quo.

Harley Quinn will premiere later this year on the DC Universe streaming service.

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If you thought Monster Hunter Generations‘ Glavenus species were mean, try adding some acid to their DNA. That’s exactly what Capcom has done in the new Monster Hunter World: Iceborne expansion, introducing the new Acidic Glavenus subspecies to the third-person action-RPG.

A video posted to the official Monster Hunter YouTube channel states that the Acidic Glavenus “will test all aspects of your hunting skills and readiness.” The new subspecies now has more precise control of its huge tail and debuffing abilities, making it far more deadly than the species already was. You can watch a player get knocked around without a moment to recuperate and catch their bearings in the video below.

The Acidic Glavenus isn’t the only subspecies coming to the Iceborne expansion. Along with Generations’ Hellblade Glavenus, an electric version of the Anjanath and a “more vicious” version of the Odogaron will rear their heads. Capcom revealed that these new subspecies are “extreme, twisted variations that amp up the difficulty and require master-level hunting skills to defeat.”

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne will launch on September 6 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, with PC to follow later this winter. You’ll have to own the base game to access Iceborne, but Capcom is releasing a new Master Edition that bundles the two for $60 USD / $86 AUD / £48 GBP.

Team Rocket has invaded Pokemon Go. After weeks of teases, the villainous trainers have begun appearing in the hit Pokemon mobile game following its latest update, and they come with Shadow Pokemon in tow–dark versions of monsters that feature glowing red eyes and a sinister aura.

Just as in GameCube’s Pokemon Colosseum, you can rescue these Shadow Pokemon from their trainers and “purify” them, but first you’ll need to find the invading Team Rocket grunts and defeat them in a Pokemon battle. If you’re unsure of where the Rocket grunts are lurking or how the process works, we’ve put together this handy guide to help you catch and purify Shadow Pokemon in Pokemon Go.

Where To Find Team Rocket

Team Rocket grunts are appearing around the world in Pokemon Go, but the villains aren’t just hanging out anywhere; they can only be found at certain PokeStops. Fortunately, there are a few visual clues that indicate which Stops have been taken over by Team Rocket.

First, the cube that denotes a PokeStop on the overworld map will twitch as though it were glitching out. Approach one of these PokeStops and you’ll notice it is “discolored,” appearing black instead of its normal shade of light blue. That’s your cue that a Team Rocket grunt is lurking at the Stop. Spin its Photo Disc and the Rocket grunt will appear.

At present, Team Rocket PokeStops are a rare sight, so your odds of coming across one are slim. When a PokeStop is taken over by Team Rocket, it will only be for 30 minutes at a time, giving you a brief window to battle the villains. You also need to be at least level 8 in order to encounter a Team Rocket PokeStop.

How To Catch Shadow Pokemon

Once you’ve encountered a Team Rocket grunt at a PokeStop, they will challenge you to a Pokemon battle. As previously mentioned, each grunt will have a Shadow Pokemon, which is surrounded by a dark aura. Defeat the Rocket grunt in battle and they will leave their Shadow Pokemon behind, giving you an opportunity to capture it.

How To Purify Shadow Pokemon

Once you’ve added a Shadow Pokemon to your collection, you can choose to either keep it in its Shadow state or “purify” it. This can be done by exchanging a certain amount of Stardust and Candy from the Pokemon’s information screen. While the Shadow Pokemon may look cooler, there are a few benefits to purifying them.

First, purifying a Pokemon will cause its base stats to increase. Purified Pokemon will also require less Stardust and Candy to power up, and one of the moves they knew as Shadow Pokemon–Frustration–will be replaced by the strong Normal-type attack Return.

Academy Award nominee Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok) seems to be getting busier. While voicing a brand new Rick and Morty character and taking the Thor: Love and Thunder director/writer reigns, the New Zealand filmmaker is closing 2019 strong with the satirical dark comedy Jojo Rabbit, which finally has a teaser trailer.

Waititi took to Twitter to post the teaser while seemingly poking fun at both the language and nature of “teezer traylor[s].” The minute-long trailer shows a bunch of boy scouts doing very boy scout things: hammering sticks in the forest, jumping in a pool altogether, running with and away from Adolf Hitler. It’s all in a day’s work for the Hitler Youth in 1940s Vienna. You can check it out below.

Written and directed by Waititi himself, Jojo Rabbit is based on Christine Leunens’ 2008 book Caging Skies, which follows a Jewish boy part of the Hitler Youth who discovers a Jewish girl hiding in a false wall of his parents’ home. It stars Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones), Rebel Wilson (Pitch Perfect 3), Sam Rockwell (Vice), Scarlett Johansson (Avengers: Endgame), Stephen Merchant (Logan), and Thomasin McKenzie (The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies). Along with leading the movie, Waititi plays a cooky Adolf Hitler.

Jojo Rabbit is slated to hit theatres on October 18.

In other news, Waititi’s live-action Akira adaptation has been delayed due to “development concerns.” A new release date has yet to be confirmed, but Waititi said in April 2018 that he has no intention of remaking the 1988 animated film. “A lot of the people freaking out haven’t even read the books, and there are six gigantic books to go through. It’s so rich.”

The summer heat is reason enough to stay indoors now that we’re nearing August, but the PlayStation Store just dropped an even bigger incentive to spend some quality time with your PS4 this season: its annual Summer Sale with four weeks of deals. The sale includes markdowns on everything from AAA titles to critically acclaimed indies, and it’s live now through August 20 at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET.

You’ll find some of this year’s biggest games included, like Devil May Cry 5 for $39.59, Resident Evil 2 for $36, The Division 2 for $39, and Mortal Kombat 11 for $45. Fans of the Persona series will be pleased to see Persona 5 among the mix, with the standard edition selling for just $14 and the Ultimate edition, which includes bonus Personas, costumes, items, and more, on sale for $51. Other highlights include Battlefield V for $24, FIFA 19: Ultimate Edition for $25, Metro Exodus for $36, and Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony for $30. Plus, don’t miss Monster Hunter World for $25, as its hefty Iceborne expansion releases in September.

See some of our picks from PSN’s 2019 Summer Sale below, and browse the full offering of deals at the PlayStation Store. Please note that if you have PS Plus, some of the below prices will be even cheaper for you.

See all Summer Sale deals at PlayStation Store

PS4 deals

• A Way Out — $18 ($30)
• Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown — $36 ($60)
• Ark: Survival Evolved — $17.49 ($50)
• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey — $24 ($60)
• Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2 Ultimate Bundle — $9 ($60)
• Battlefield V — $24 ($60)
• Bloodbourne — $15 ($20)
• Borderlands – Game of the Year Edition — $18 ($30)
• Borderlands: The Handsome Collection — $15 ($60)
• Burnout Paradise Remastered — $5 ($20)
• Danganronpa 1/2 Reload — $20 ($40)
• Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony — $30 ($60)
• Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin — $10 ($40)
• Dark Souls III — $15 ($60)
• Dark Souls Remastered — $24 ($40)
• Darkest Dungeon — $10 ($25)
• Darkwood – Special Edition — $12.59 ($18)
• Dead Cells — $17.49 ($25)
• Devil May Cry 5 — $39.59 ($60)
• Disgaea 1 Complete — $30 ($50)
• Disgaea 5 Complete Bundle — $20 ($40)
• Divinity Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition — $36 ($60)
• Dragon Age: Inquisition – Game of the Year Edition — $12 ($40)
• Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 — $15 ($60)
• Dying Light: The Following – Enhanced Edition — $15 ($20)
• EA Sports 19 Bundle — $30 ($100)
• EA Sports NHL 19 — $9.59 ($60)
• Enter the Gungeon — $7.49 ($15)
• Fe — $5 ($20)
• FIFA 19 – Ultimate Edition — $25 ($100)
• God Eater 2: Rage Burst — $15 ($60)
• Grand Theft Auto V: Premium Online Edition — $15 ($30)
• Human Fall Flat — $6.74 ($15)
• Jump Force — $30 ($60)
• Just Cause 4 – Digital Deluxe Bundle — $23.09 ($70)
• Kona — $6 ($15)
• Life Is Strange 2 – Complete Season — $30 ($40)
• Metro Exodus — $36 ($60)
• Metro Redux — $7.49 ($30)
• Monster Hunter World — $25 ($50)
• Mortal Kombat 11 — $45 ($60)
• Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom — $20.39 ($60)
• Nier: Automata: Game of the Yorha Edition — $26.79 ($40)
• Outlast Trinity — $11.79 ($59)
• Persona 5 — $14 ($20)
• Persona 5 – Ultimate Edition — $51 ($85)
• Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 – Deluxe Edition — $1.24 ($25)
• Quantic Dream Collection — $12 ($40)
• Red Dead Redemption 2 — $39 ($60)
• Red Dead Redemption 2 – Ultimate Edition — $55 ($100)
• Resident Evil — $8 ($20)
• Resident Evil 0 — $8 ($20)
• Resident Evil 2 — $36 ($60)
• Resident Evil: Deluxe Origins Bundle — $20 ($40)
• Salt and Sanctuary — $9 ($18)
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider — $19.79 ($60)
• SoulCalibur VI — $20.39 ($60)
• Star Wars Battlefront II — $7.49 ($25)
• Subnautica — $19.79 ($30)
• Tales of Vesperia – Definitive Edition — $25 ($50)
• Tekken 7 — $15 ($50)
• Tetris Effect — $24.79 ($40)
• Tom Clancy’s Franchise Bundle — $40 ($100)
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: Complete Edition — $15 ($50)
• Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 — $39 ($60)
• WWE 2K19 — $15 ($60)

PS3 deals

• Beyond: Two Souls — $3.49 ($10)
• Borderlands — $5 ($10)
• Borderlands: Ultimate Edition — $15 ($30)
• Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin — $7.49 ($30)
• Persona 5 — $14 ($20)
• Ratchet & Clank — $9 ($15)
• Resident Evil 4 — $5 ($20)
• Urban Trial Freestyle — $3.49 ($7)

PS Vita deals

• Darket Dungeon: Crimson Edition — $12 ($30)
• God Eater 2: Rage Burst — $10 ($40)
• Salt and Sanctuary — $9 ($18)
• Urban Trial Freestyle — $3.49 ($7)

Rainbow Six Quarantine was revealed at E3 this year with a vague “early 2020” release window. Now, publisher Ubisoft has narrowed that time frame a little further.

The company stated in its most recent earnings call that the game will launch before the end of the current financial year (via Game Informer). That means we’ll be playing Quarantine on March 31, 2020 at the very latest–barring any delays, of course.

Quarantine is a multiplayer PvE game, in contrast to Siege‘s predominantly PvP gameplay. The mode appears similar to Rainbow Six Siege Outbreak, a popular limited-time mode. Ubisoft has now decided to split off PvE into its very own game. Like the company’s entire library, it will be included in the Uplay+ service set to launch this fall.

Quarantine is designed to sit alongside Siege, rather than replace it. The latter continues to evolve, and its latest Operation Phantom Sight update makes a bunch of Operator changes. You can see more on the new spin-off game, meanwhile, in the video above.