Stalker 2 Unveils Its First Screenshot, But It’s Not Much To Go On

Stalker 2, the sequel to Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl, was announced in May 2018, but we haven’t seen any screenshots from it since–until now. Developer GSC Game World has celebrated the 13th birthday of the original Stalker by releasing this first screenshot from the sequel, and while it doesn’t show any gameplay, there’s material here to speculate on.

The screenshot, below, came alongside a Facebook post about the series on the game’s official page, which praised the Stalker community and discussed the current isolation many are feeling as they practice social-distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“Being inspired by everything you do (including arts, stories, cosplays and mods), we fully understand we can’t let you down,” the post reads. “The second chapter of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. saga will be our most ambitious game so far. It will live to the legendary legacy. A lot of you are joining social isolation now. That’s why today, on a very special occasion, we are ready to slightly uncover the mystery of what we are working on.”

The screenshot shows what looks like a distortion that is ripping the glass right out of a broken van. It’s more of a look at the game’s visual style than anything, but then, we’ve seen very little of the game so far–the first piece of art released was no more revealing.

The post promises more news about Stalker 2 in 2020. A release date for the game has not been set, but if you’re a fan, feel free to speculate on what information we can take from this screenshot.

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The Story Behind Those Adorable Penguins Going for a Walk Around the Aquarium

You’ve probably seen the adorable video of the Chicago-based Shedd Aquarium penguins going for a leisurely stroll around the aquarium’s many exhibits.

After the Shedd Aquarium closed its doors in Chicago on March 13 in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a video of rockhopper penguin Wellington spread like wildfire across social media. Thanks for a report from Polygon, we now know this is a regular occurrence for the penguins as part of the their standard exercise and enrichment program.

“They are familiar with many places within the Shedd Aquarium,” Shedd’s Senior Director of Animal Behavior and Training Steve Aibel explained. “The only thing that is new is that they have the whole aquarium to themselves without guests.”

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According to Aibel, the penguins naturally show curiosity about new things, and their minders help by mixing up the places they visit.

Penguins aren’t the only ones that get to go on adventures around the aquarium. Aibel said sea lions play soccer and macaws get to fly around the entire campus. Don’t worry, though. Aibel said each animal is closely monitored to guarantee their safety while exploring.

Though letting animals run are may seem like a bad idea, their keepers aren’t worried about any escape attempts. In fact, Aibel said that when penguins find themselves in new situations, their first instinct is to run back to their caretakers, rather than flee the aquarium.

If you you by chance haven’t caught the video of the penguins in action, you can check it out below.

The Shedd Aquarium is worth a Twitter follow if you’re interested in seeing more animal adventures as the social team puts up videos and pictures of the aquarium’s many residents every day. You can follow them here. Here are some ways you can help others and stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Call Of Duty: Warzone Adds DLC That Supports Military Veterans

Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare are bringing back a DLC pack that benefits military veterans. Activision’s Call of Duty Endowment charity, which helps place veterans in jobs after their military careers, has announced that the “Defender” DLC pack is coming back to the digital store because “in these difficult times, veterans need more help with employment than ever.”

The Defender pack includes 11 items in total, spread across multiplayer, Spec Ops, and Warzone. As when the pack was sold before, 100 percent of net proceeds will go to the Call of Duty Endowment.

The Call of Duty Endowment
The Call of Duty Endowment “Defender” Pack

The Defender Pack was previously available for Modern Warfare multiplayer, but this is the first time that players can bring this content into Warzone. Modern Warfare and Warzone share the same store. The Defender Pack costs $10 USD.

The Defender Pack includes:

  • A customized .357 revolver with three attachments: rail mounted sight with a custom reticle, a lightweight trigger, and a stippled grip.
  • A watch for your Operator that has the Endowment logo on the fact.
  • Special weapon camo.
  • An Endowment Calling Card.
  • Three Endowment emblems, one of which is animated.
  • An Endowment logo sticker.
  • Two sprays, featuring the Endowment logo.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare continues to grow, as Infinity Ward is adding a new map and a new Operator this week as free DLC. The new Operator, Talon, has a dog named Indiana who will help your finishing moves look even more epic. Call of Duty: Warzone, meanwhile, is adding four new weapons this week to help keep things fresh.

Now Playing: Call Of Duty: Warzone Video Review

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WWE Network Offers Free Tier For A Limited Time

For those that find themselves stuck at home, socially distant from their friends and relatives, WWE has a new option to keep you entertained. The company has announced that the WWE Network is unlocking much of its video library for free for a limited time.

In a press release from the company, WWE explained, “This unprecedented offering to WWE fans worldwide includes each epic installment to date of WrestleMania, plus, every Royal Rumble, SummerSlam and Survivor Series event; every NXT TakeOver and NXT UK TakeOver; and groundbreaking originals such as the entire WWE 24 docuseries, Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions interview show, the recent five-episode hit, WWE Ruthless Aggression, and its 20-episode predecessor, The Monday Night War series.”

Additionally, recent episodes of Raw and Smackdown will be available, along with original series like WWE Untold and A Future WWE: The FCW Story. Live programming like the monthly pay per views, though, do not appear to be included in this option.

This new programming offer comes as the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has forced the company to change course with the upcoming Wrestlemania 36. The event was to be held in a packed football stadium in Tampa, Florida. Now, instead, it will broadcast on April 4 and 5 from WWE’s training facility with no studio audience.

To access the free WWE Network content, new users need to sign up for an account on WWE.com. At this point, there is no expiration date for the free content offering.

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Call Of Duty: Warzone Gets Four New Weapons Soon

Activision is rolling out a slew of new Call of Duty content this week. Modern Warfare will receive a new map and Operator, who comes alongside two legendary blueprints (and a very good dog companion), while Call of Duty: Warzone is getting a handful of new weapons.

Four new guns are coming to the standalone battle royale game starting tomorrow, March 24: the 725, MK2 Carbine, .50 GS, and EBR-14. The guns will be appear in common and uncommon rarities, and each have their own distinct strengths, so Activision advises equipping them in loadouts and seeing how they fare.

The aforementioned new Operator, Talon, will also be playable in Warzone if you pick up the Talon bundle. The bundle includes two legendary blueprints, as well as two Battle Pass tier skips. You can read more about the Talon bundle on Activision’s website.

Call of Duty: Warzone recently implemented a dedicated Solo playlist, which pits you against 149 other solo players. While that is the current player cap, developer Infinity Ward has said Warzone could eventually support up to 200 per match.

GameSpot gave the new battle royale game a 7/10 in our Call of Duty: Warzone review. Critic Alessandro Barbosa wrote, “Warzone is a great sophomore attempt at a battle royale from Call of Duty, which finally manages to carve out its own identity with interesting spins on the existing formula. Its subversion of death and the nail-biting Gulag duels give you more ways to stay in a match, while also forcing you to be aware of your surroundings even after wiping a rival squad.”

Now Playing: Call Of Duty: Warzone Video Review

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Call Of Duty: Mobile Gets Two New Game Modes

Along with a bunch of other additions across the Call of Duty franchise, developer Infinity Ward has detailed two brand-new modes coming to its on-the-go Call of Duty Mobile title.

The first mode is Rapid Fire, a limited-time event that sees players earning Operator Skills and Scorestreaks at a much faster rate. In addition to this added firepower, Rapid Fire makes ammunition completely unlimited for those more inclined to spray and pray. Rapid Fire will be available until Thursday, March 26.

Sticks and Stones is Call of Duty Mobile’s second limited-time event. A classic game mode in the Call of Duty series, Sticks and Stones sees players duking it out with a limited loadout–typically a crossbow and throwing axe–to see who can score the most points. While every kill earns points, the axe also provides the devastating effect of resetting your victim’s score when you kill them.

While this week sees Call of Duty Mobile get some new content, the game will also lose something in turn. On Wednesday, March 25, the mobile game’s Zombies mode will be removed. However, according to a Reddit Community Update, the supposed limited-time mode could make a return in the future.

Earlier this month, Call of Duty Mobile started a brand-new season that introduced a new Battle Pass, an additional map, extra Operators and weapons, and more. And a new Battle Pass means new tier rewards, of which they are plenty to unlock. You can check out the full tier rewards list below.

How many hours do you think it takes to hit Tier 50?
How many hours do you think it takes to hit Tier 50?

In other Call of Duty news, Zombies mode director Jason Blundell has left Activision. Blundell, who was employed at Black Ops 4 developer Treyarch for 13 years, said in a statement that he enjoyed working at the studio over the past decade-plus. This comes during the same year that Black Ops 5 is rumored to launch.

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New Photo of Wonder Woman From Justice League: Mortal Surfaces

More photos from Justice League: Mortal have appeared online courtesy of a filmmaker trying to create a documentary about the abandoned DC movie.

Ryan Unicomb, who released an image of Armie Hammer’s Batman cowl on Tuesday, uploaded three more Justice League images to his Instagram page. Two of those images are cropped versions of an image released in 2018, but the third is a new look at Megan Gale’s Wonder Woman that differs from the images from 2015.

In the caption, the filmmaker said he can’t share anything more for now and there isn’t much excitement for the documentary from the studio or the people involved in the original production. He says he’s trying to gather up as much material as possible before he gives a pitch.

“For now these are all I can share. I know there’s MASSIVE interest in the story behind #JusticeLeagueMortal but there is pushback from the studio and most of the creatives involved,” Unicomb said.

“It’s understandably a sore point for many involved. We’re collating everything we have to be able to pitch it properly. It may require a Kickstarter or something at some stage, or it may not. I’m 5 years into the journey of getting this made and I VERY much appreciate your patience. I know how important this lost chapter is to us all; as movie goers, as comic readers, as pop culture fans. Rest assured we WANT to be able to show you EVERY costume properly. We WANT to show you the Batmobile. We WANT to show you the Fortress of Solitude. We WANT the artists who worked tirelessly for months to get their well deserved due. We’ll continue to do our best. Be well. Stay safe!”

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Justice League: Mortal would’ve been directed by George Miller, a director of the four Mad Max movies, and, most importantly, Babe: Pig in the City. The film would’ve starred Hammer as Bruce Wayne / Batman, D.J. Cotrona as Clark Kent / Superman, Adam Brody as Barry Allen / The Flash, Gale as Wonder Woman, Hugh Keays-Byrne as J’onn J’onzz / Martian Manhunter, Santiago Cabrera as Arthur Curry / Aquaman, and Common as John Stewart / Green Lantern.

The movie was shelved in favor of Warner Bros. creating another Batman movie with Christian Bale as well as other solo movies such as Green Lantern starring Ryan Reynolds. A Justice League movie would eventually come out in 2017 with a completely different cast and its interesting backstory.

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Right now, DC movies are reportedly looking at more R-rated content and mid-budget movies for HBO Max. There’s also been recent word of the Flash movie being  “a different version of Flashpoint.”

The next DC movie on the slate is Wonder Woman 1984. That movie is currently set for June 5.

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Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Adds A Free New Map This Week

Infinity Ward is dropping a bunch of new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare content across PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. One of these free pieces of DLC is a brand-new map for Modern Warfare’s multiplayer mode.

Modern Warfare’s newest map is Khandor Hideout, a medium-sized Syrkistan location that supports 6v6 squad play. It features long sightlines and compact interior spaces perfect for snipers, shotguns, and SMGs. Khandor Hideout goes live tomorrow, March 24 at 11 PM PT. You can check it out below.

Be careful of snipers out there, man.
Be careful of snipers out there, man.

Also new to Modern Warfare this week across all platforms is a brand-new Operator. Talon is the first-person shooter’s newest DLC character and he comes with a dog companion to spice up your finishing move.

A lot more is coming to the Call of Duty franchise across the board, including two new modes for CoD Mobile, playlist updates and double XP in Black Ops 4, additional weapons in Warzone, and much more.

In other Call of Duty news, it seems a remaster of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is supposedly on the way for consoles and PC. The details are a bit hazy, but a South Korean ratings board suggests a “campaign remaster” is allegedly in the cards for Modern Warfare 2.

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