Today you can save on the latest Apple Macbooks and Mac Minis with new M1 chip. The M1 chip is the fastest mobile chip we’ve seen so far, and surprisingly Apple hasn’t raised the price because of it. Continuing with Apple news, the new Apple AirTag is up for preorder. It pairs with your iPhone and functions as a key/wallet finder. In other deal news, the Bowflex SelectTech dumbbells are back in stock (for now), some very lightweight Dell XPS laptops have been discounted by 30% or more, you can score all of the Middle Earth movies in 4K UHD for less than $45.
Apple MacBook Laptops and Mac Minis with M1 Chip
Amazon is offering the best prices right now on the late-2020 Apple MacBook Air and Pro laptops and Mac Mini desktops with the new Apple M1 chip. If you haven’t been catching up with the latest and greatest, Apple put in their very own CPU/GPU combo in their latest batch of Mac Minis and 13″ MacBook laptops. Reviews show that this new chip is a speed demon offers better performance while generating less heat and consuming less power than the Intel chips that Apple has used in previous models. The best thing about this whole thing? There’s no ridiculous price markup!
______________________________ Eric Song is IGN’s deal curator and spends roughly 1/4 of his income on stuff he posts. Check out his latest Daily Deals Article and subscribe to his IGN Deals Newsletter.
As with the other games in the Nier and Drakengard series, Nier Replicant features multiple endings. They’re critical to understanding Nier Replicant, since these endings provide a more complete picture of its story and offer critical narrative context. While it’s necessary to replay chunks of the game in order to see all the endings, you don’t have to play through the entire game again. However, there are some specific requirements you’ll need to be aware of.
I am going to avoid as many spoilers as possible in this guide, despite this being about the endings–it’s actually quite easy to explain how to get them without giving the pertinent story details away. After all, I want you all to feel and experience these emotional conclusions for yourself, too. (It’s kinda why I’m doing this for y’all.)
To see Ending A, you simply need to finish the game the first time around. Pretty simple, right? Yes. There are a few things you can do during this run to make it easier to unlock subsequent endings, such as acquiring as many weapons as possible and completing the side quests that reward you with a required weapon.
Ending B
At the beginning of your path to Ending B, you’ll be taken to a little bit past the start of the second act–this is basically the halfway point of the game. Continue to play the game as you would normally, but pay attention to the new cutscenes that play during this route. You will have subtitles for dialogue from a certain perspective this time around as well. Once you make it to the end, finish the last boss again and you will see the new ending.
You also now have access to the 15 Nightmares content in Route B (which was previously DLC for the original game). You access this by checking the left-most bookshelf in the protagonist’s house on the first floor. It’s essentially three sets of five combat arenas you need to clear. You earn a total of three weapons (one in each series), which are part of the required weapons to unlock subsequent endings.
You don’t have to finish the last fight in the third set since you’re rewarded with the third weapon before it. However, if you’re having trouble with this scenario, you can come back and do it during Route C/D when you’re a few levels higher.
Ending C And D
For Ending C and Ending D, you will need to have acquired every weapon in the game, which comes out to 33 in total. You can obtain all of them by your second run in Route B and not have to worry about them down the line, since your inventory carries over after each previous ending. For more detail on how to do this, be sure to use our guide on how to get all the weapons in Nier Replicant.
Once you have all the weapons, you need to make it to the end of the game and fight the final boss again. (Make sure you use the save point right before you enter this last dungeon and don’t overwrite it so you can reload it for the next ending).
This time around, there will be a new final boss afterward. After this new finale, you will have a choice to make (light, but necessary spoilers below).
After you defeat them, you’ll be presented with one of two dialogue options: to kill this boss or to save them. Choosing to kill them will reward you with Ending C–we would 100% recommend seeing this one first.
Once that’s done, reload your save data prior to entering the final dungeon and fight through the various enemies and bosses again. Once you defeat the new final boss again, you should now choose to save them. And yes, you will have to give up your save data. It’s okay, do it. You will then see Ending D.
Ending E
Now onto the brand-new content for this version of Nier Replicant. Once your data has been erased, you will have to start a new game from the very beginning. However, you may notice some subtle oddities here and there. Regardless, you’ll need to play through a chunk of the first act before getting to the new content.
This brand-new scenario starts after you defeat the giant Shade and talk to Kaine in The Aerie on your second main quest visit to this location–this is about two to three hours into the game if you’re mainlining it.
This new scenario is about an hour-and-a-half to two hours in length, and it is wild. It’s certainly worth the effort to get to this point. The battles ahead can be challenging, but it’s nothing you can’t overcome. This entire epilogue is great, and not only will you be rewarded with Ending E, but you’ll get a nice bonus at the end of it, as well.
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The Crusader was added to the Diablo Immortal Closed Alpha, so we ride out to fight off evil in a hidden lair and try to solve some mysteries in the Dark Wood. In this play through we were playing on a Pixel 2. The abilities being used are Punish, Draw and Quarter, Consecration, Falling Sword, and Spinning Shield. Currently our character is level 26, but we hope to hit the new level cap of 55 and find some unique legendaries to play with as well.
Code named Project Kiwi, the initiative’s goal was to make a platform enabling bipedal ambulation in small robots, potentially capable of “acting.” In other words, the work showcased here is not necessarily indicative of some big announcement or project in the works centering on Groot from Disney; this video is more about the potential something like this enables. Check out the video below to see Groot in action–and while it’s tempting to just think it’s magic or CGI, know that this is a real walking animatronic figures like the ones you’ve seen in amusement parks, roving freely and getting its programming only from a thin cable. In related “Disney made it real” news, check out this recently unveiled working light saber.
In actual Guardians of the Galaxy news, Gunn recently revealed that filming will get underway “this year” for Volume 3. The writer/director shared that on Twitter earlier this month, which is pretty remarkable given how busy he is also working on Suicide Squad, developing a Peacemaker TV spinoff starring John Cena, and the aforementioned holiday special. Oh, and he’s also working on a Disney Parks ride at EPCOT at Disney World, which it’s entirely possible may turn out to involve Project Kiwi.
When he’s finished with these projects, Gunn said he hopes to take a “long nap.”
The original Nier released in 2010 on PS3 and Xbox 360, and while it’s story is timeless, it’s gameplay elements weren’t that great. Nier Replicant ver. 1.22, out now for PS4, Xbox One, and PC isn’t quite a remake and not quite a remaster, but rather something in between–and it’s an astonishing improvement over the original version. This comparison encompasses the PS3 version of the original Nier and the PS4 version of Nier Replicant.
This upgraded version of Nier Replicant uses a brand-new combat system that plays closer to Nier: Automata with features like new combo mechanics, a revamped magic system, lock-on enemy targeting, smoother player movement, higher resolution, better textures and assets, and a much smoother frame rate. And as you see in this comparison, it stars “brother Nier” instead of “father Nier.”
In the video above, you’ll see a fight against a floating dictionary in Emil’s mansion to obtain some vital information. This should help you get a taste of how these two versions differ. You’ll notice that the cutscenes have been recreated one-to-one and preserve the strong overall narrative Nier was always known for, but they look much better with the visual enhancements. If you listen close enough, you may also catch that the voiceovers have been re-recorded by the original cast to give a modern edge to what were already stellar performances.
Nier Replicant is out now, and if you’re thinking about jumping into this tragic and emotional action-RPG, be sure to check out our full Nier Replicant review and prepare to cry.
To celebrate 35 years of the Konami Code, a cheat created by the late Japanese developer Kazuhisa Hashimoto, Konami has released some lofi remixes from Gradius, the side-scrolling shooter Hashimoto’s cheat was designed for.
For the remixes, Konami dropped a 33-minute long video of lofi tracks from the game’s soundtrack. It shows a pilot chilling in space, playing some Gradius. And of course, it’s got that signature title most lofi mixes have.
The cheat–up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Start–was written by Hashimoto, who came up with it in 1986 to combat Gradius’ difficulty. It functioned like a god mode, giving the player access to the game’s full range of power-ups. Konami learned of the code after launch but choose not to patch it.
Though the Konami Code was created for Gradius, it also appears in other Konami games. This includes some Castlevania titles like the PS4 entry Requiem, various versions of Contra, a few Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games, and non-Konami titles such as Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and Dead by Daylight. The Konami Code might even work while on GameSpot. Give it a try! Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Start.
Hashimoto worked at Konami for a number of years, first joining the company in 1981. Alongside Gradius, he worked on Gungage, ISS Pro Evolution, The Goonies, and The Legend of the Mystical Ninja. He died in February 2020 at the age of 61.
With Falcon and The Winter Soldier wrapped up, Disney’s next move is Captain America 4, which will revolve around Sam Wilson under the Cap mantle, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film will be spearheaded by Falcon and The Winter Soldier’s showrunner, Malcom Spellman.
Disney’s second streaming MCU TV show, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, wrapped up last night with a major reveal teased by the final moments of 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. Sam Wilson has officially taken up the shield and become the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s new Captain America–and naturally, that means he’ll be getting his own Captain America movie.
Currently known only as Captain America 4, Spellman will co-write the script alongside Dalan Musson, a staff writer on Falcon and Winter Soldier. According to THR, no cast list has been officially announced, but the finale of the show makes it very clear that Sam Wilson will be in the spotlight for this film–however, that doesn’t mean we won’t also see conflicts with various pretenders to the throne like John Walker (Wyatt Russel), or the return of other comic book Captains America like Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) or flashbacks to Steve Rogers (Chris Evans).
There is currently no director attached to the project, nor is there a release date on the schedule. This will make the Captain America franchise the second arm of the MCU to get a fourth installment, following the mainline Avengers movies, and the first Disney+ streaming TV show to be confirmed for a direct feature film follow-up. Previously, WandaVision had been confirmed to tie-in to the second Doctor Strange movie, The Multiverse of Madness, which had been announced prior to WandaVision’s premiere.
Falcon and the Winter Soldier premiered on March 19 and ran for six episodes. It will be followed by the next MCU Disney+ project, Loki, which debuts on June 11.
The new Mortal Kombat movie is in theaters and out on HBO Max now, for all of your fatality needs. The movie introduces a number of iconic characters, is loaded with familiar special moves, and doesn’t skimp on the blood. However, there is one pretty significant departure from the fighting video game franchise’s history. There’s a reason for that, though, according to director Simon McQuoid.
Warning: The following contains spoilers from the new Mortal Kombat movie. If you’ve yet to watch it in theaters or on HBO Max, you should probably steer clear for now.
While we see a number of fights between a variety of characters–and several definitive winners–none of it takes place in the actual Mortal Kombat tournament. After all, that’s the original point of Mortal Kombat, these fighters are battling to the death to become the tournament’s grand champion. And while the tournament is mentioned quite a bit in the movie, we don’t actually see it. Unlike the original Mortal Kombat film, all of the fighting in this new movie takes place before it can even start.
“We didn’t want to just do the same the movies again,” McQuoid told GameSpot. Just as important, though, the movie’s creative team wanted to reflect how the game franchise has changed over the years. “If you look at the way the games evolved, and the storylines within, it’s kind of moved away from that as well,” the director explained.
McQuoid continued, “We weren’t just recreating [the] original film, we weren’t recreating the first five years of its existence. We had to consider its entire history, coupled with the fact that when you have a tournament structure for a film, it really informs your structure, it becomes a very specific structural element within the script itself. And that then informs a rhythm within a film that we didn’t really feel like we wanted to be locked into. So if you look at both of those things, we needed to talk about it because it’s an essential part of what Mortal Kombat is, but we didn’t want to be locked into it.”
Of course, shying away from showing the actual tournament doesn’t actually hurt the film. After all, it’s loaded with fights to the death–and those deaths are particularly bloody and vicious.
Universal Pictures has announced Fast Fridays, a free event that will allow you to “see every Fast & Furious film on the big screen to celebrate the arrival of F9,” which itself will be in theaters on June 25. The festivities kick off on April 30, when The Fast and the Furious will screen at over 500 theaters in the United States, followed each Friday by the next entry in the film series.
As the marathon gets further underway, the full total of theaters nationwide participating is expected to climb to 900 total theaters. To start making plans to safely venture out to your local cinema in the coming weeks, local listings can be found via the marathon’s official website, which largely functions as a portal to theater chains for further information.
Like many recent movies, F9: The Fast Saga endured more than its share of delays, but will finally be coming to theaters on June 25. As its new, second trailer recently showcased, it will be more than worth the wait, F9 has magnets flipping cars over and cars in freaking outer space. What better way to get pumped for the over-the-top action than spending the next several weeks seeing each Fast & Furious film outdo the previous one?
F9 is an upcoming action movie directed by Justin Lin (True Detective, Community). Lin, who directed previous entries in the franchise like Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift and Fast & Furious 6, has returned as co-writer on F9 alongside Daniel Casey (10 Cloverfield Lane).
We’re only a few months away from the release of Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin on Nintendo Switch and PC. A sequel to the 2016 3DS game, Monster Hunter Stories 2 is a spin-off featuring turn-based combat and a loop that can be compared to Pokemon in some ways. If you’re looking forward to Monster Hunter Stories 2, preorders are starting to pop up at multiple retailers. There are several editions to choose from as well as a cool preorder bonus and new Amiibo that interact with the game.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin Preorder Bonus
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin preorder bonus
If you preorder any edition of Monster Hunter Stories 2, you’ll receive the Kamura Maiden outfit for Ena.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin for Nintendo Switch is available to preorder now at Amazon for $60. Amazon is offering free release-day delivery. Digital copies for Switch are available on the eShop, and PC preorders are live on Steam. We imagine physical preorders will go live at other retailers soon.
Monster Hunter Stories 2 Deluxe edition preorders are currently only available on PC via Steam. The Deluxe edition comes with an assortment of in-game goodies:
Kuan Coat for Ena
Layered Razewing Armor Alpha and Beta
Spiky Nergal hairstyle
Nergigante and Pukei-Pukei Costumes for Navirou
Two sticker sets
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin also has a Collector’s edition for Nintendo Switch that’s exclusive to GameStop. It’s not available to preorder just yet, and it’s unclear how much it will cost. The Collector’s edition comes with all of the Deluxe edition content as well as the Razewing Ratha Amiibo, an enamel pin, and a sticker pack. Once it’s available, you should be able to find it using the link below.
Three new Amiibo will be joining the Monster Hunter lineup at launch: Razewing Ratha, Ena, and Tsukino. Each Amiibo unlocks a layered armor set for your character to wear. Amiibo preorders aren’t live yet, but we’ve included links where we expect them to show up at GameStop and Best Buy below.
As a new Rider with a legendary namesake, you quickly find yourself in a precarious situation. Your character meets a Wyverian girl named Ena who possesses a Rathalos egg. You help Ena protect the egg while uncovering the mystery of why the Rathalos species is disappearing. Throughout your adventure, you tame monsters (dubbed Monsties) that you can then ride and lead into battle. The traditional turn-based battle system is a huge departure from the mainline series, but the original entry for 3DS was quite fun.
