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DrinkBox, the developer behind the Guacamelee series, will announce a new game during the upcoming independent games showcase from Xbox. The studio confirmed this in a tweet, saying the company is “stoked to tell you more about it.” New game announcements from Devolver, Curve Digital, and Dear Villagers are also on tap for the showcase, which takes place this Friday, March 26.

“It’s something completely new from us, not a sequel,” the developer said, confirming it won’t be a new Guacamelee title or a sequel to its 2016 game Severed.

The ID@Xbox showcase for Friday, March 26, will feature more than 100 games from independent studios around the world. The event will include new game announcements from not only DrinkBox, but also Fall Guys publisher Devolver Digital, Thomas Was Alone publisher Curve Digital, and Dear Villagers, the publisher of The Forgotten City.

New trailers for more than 25 previously announced games–including Second Extinction, The Ascent, STALKER 2, and more–will premiere during the showcase as well. Additionally, the broadcast will include announcements of more games coming to Xbox Game Pass.

The event begins at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET on Friday, March 26, and the showcase will be broadcast on Twitch. GameSpot will report back with all the big news as it’s announced.

Guardians of the Galaxy’s Groot is famous for his only dialogue ever being “I am Groot.” A fan of the hit Marvel movies has released a video in which they attempted to translate some of this dialogue, and now Guardians writer/director James Gunn has commented on it.

The video was first posted by TikTok user Nerd Star, who picked some key moments from Avengers: Infinity War, and added subtitles to Baby Groot’s dialogue. These include the character announcing he needs to pee, introducing himelf to Steve Rogers, and saying his sad farewell to Rocket after Thanos snaps his fingers.

Gunn retweeted the video, and revealed how close the fan had got. He stated that while only the final line was correct–something Gunn had previously revealed–the other attempts were “close.” Check it out below:

In subsequent tweets, Gunn was asked what swear word Groot says in the first clip. The director states that while he couldn’t remember exactly it might have been “go f*** yourself,” and that “Baby/kid Groot drops constant F-bombs.” In addition, Gunn confirmed that he does in fact write all of Groot’s “real” dialogue, and that actor Vin Diesel is given this script when he records the lines. “He works really hard at getting the meaning of each line as well as he can,” Gunn said.

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 is currently scheduled for release in 2023. Ahead that, Gunn is writing and directing a Guardians Holiday Special for Disney+, which is set to be released in December 2022. Gunn’s next movie will be the DC film The Suicide Squad, which arrives in June.

Editor’s note: At the time of publishing, we still need to play more of Monster Hunter Rise’s multiplayer. This review will remain in progress until we’re able to do that at launch. Stay tuned for the final review in the coming days.

The locations you explore in Monster Hunter Rise have already felt the delicate touch of humanity’s hand. Traditional Japanese torii can be found weaving through mountainside paths, leading to sacred shrines, while decaying temples have been reclaimed by nature as local plant life envelops the aging architecture. Signs of human life can even be found at the base of a raging volcano and in the midst of a flooded forest, where a Mesoamerican-style pyramid dominates the landscape.

If 2018’s Monster Hunter World was all about unearthing a new continent as an intrepid frontiersman, then Rise is a triumphant return to the Old World with valuable lessons learned. An enhanced port of the 3DS title Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate may have already graced the Nintendo Switch, but Rise is the first game in the series built from the ground up for Nintendo’s latest console. As such, Rise closely follows in the footsteps of World while reneging on some of its changes and introducing plenty of new impactful ideas that excellently shift the focus towards the series’ heart-pumping action.

The core Monster Hunter gameplay loop has remained relatively unchanged as you hunt down gargantuan monsters, harvest their materials to craft new weapons and armor, and tackle increasingly tougher foes. World coalesced both the single and multiplayer parts of the experience into one cohesive whole, but Rise reverts back to the old ways by splitting them into disparate Village and Hub quests. Village quests can only be played alone, while Hub quests can still be tackled solo but are designed with multiple players in mind. This isn’t the most welcome setup for newcomers since it isn’t immediately clear which quests progress the story, nor is there any indication of whether or not you should be alternating between both paths. The impact this structure has on the game isn’t as substantial as it initially seems, though. Hunting the same monster multiple times has always been a part of Monster Hunter’s DNA, so repeating the same mission as both a Village and Hub quest is something you would typically seek out anyway.

That’s not to say Rise isn’t approachable in other areas either. There’s a renewed focus on fast-paced action that strikes an impressive balance between being welcoming for newcomers and satisfying for battle-hardened veterans. When entering a location, for example, your trusty pet Cahoot will mark all of the nearby monsters on your map. You won’t immediately know the identity of each one until you’ve already discovered them, but this cuts down on the time it takes to seek out your foe and gets you into the heart of the action much faster. It’s an ideal fit for the Switch’s handheld mode, allowing you to jump in and out of its most thrilling moments without having to engage with the long-winded slog to find and follow a monster’s tracks.

Exploration is still a key part of the experience, even if you know the exact location of your prey. There are plenty of shortcuts and hidden paths to uncover within each location, and the addition of local wildlife–known as Endemic Life–encourages you to seek out every nook and cranny in order to gain the temporary buffs to damage output, stamina regeneration, and so on, that they offer. On the flip side, if you’re not interested in boosting specific stats to get a leg up in battle, you can always ignore the Endemic Life and tailor the challenge to your liking. Rise offers a degree of flexibility in the way you’re able to tackle each monster that goes beyond your choice of weapon and armor.

With that being said, the verticality afforded by the new Wirebug mechanic has the most significant impact on Rise’s exploration. This exciting new tool allows you to zip through the air by utilizing what’s known as Wire-dashing. From here, you can chain moves together, mixing in wall runs with additional Wire-dashes to reach previously unattainable heights and traverse the environment at a rapid pace. The finesse it requires takes some getting used to, and you still need to be shrewd with the Wirebug’s forgiving cooldown to be successful, but it’s an incredibly fun tool to use once you’re comfortable with its demands.

There’s a renewed focus on fast-paced action that strikes an impressive balance between being welcoming for newcomers and satisfying for battle-hardened veterans.

The Wirebug also plays an important role in combat, as each of Rise’s 14 signature weapons has its own Silkbind attacks. These unique moves are relatively easy to pull off and range from a timing-based counter with the Long Sword to an uppercut leading into an explosive downward strike with the Switch Axe. Each Silkbind attack can be linked into different combos, opening up your repertoire of potential techniques, and the Wirebug expands on this even further with its defensive maneuvers. The evasive Wirefall move, for instance, gives you an opportunity to get back on your feet and avoid a monster’s follow-up attack after being knocked down or pushed back, while the Wire-dash extends the reach of your dodge for when you need to quickly evade a rampaging beast.

Aside from the addition of Silkbind attacks, each of Rise’s weapon types have remarkable depth in keeping with the series’ traditions. Mastering a particular weapon is just as rewarding as before, and there’s also an element of customization available this time around too. The aptly named Switch Skills allow you to swap out certain regular and Silkbind attacks to make a weapon that’s reflective of your play style and preferences. An improved training area, and a reduction in the amount of materials necessary to upgrade a new weapon, also makes this aspect of the game more approachable for newcomers who need to experiment in order to find a weapon type that suits them.

Stamina and weapon sharpness have also been streamlined thanks to the addition of Palemutes. These new dog-like buddies will help you out in combat and can be decked out with weapons that only add to Rise’s combat depth, and they also act as mounts for you to ride any time you want. Stamina isn’t consumed when you’re on the back of your trusted Palemute, and you can even sharpen your weapon while traversing to give you something productive to do during travel, thus alleviating some of the more time-consuming aspects of Monster Hunter.

There is a basic story that sets all of this up by casting you as Kamura Village’s sole hunter, but the narrative is little more than a paper-thin vehicle for introducing Rise’s new mechanics and game modes. Chief among the latter is the Rampage: a special mission type that requires you to defend a stronghold from waves of ferocious monsters. The Rampage is inspired by Japanese folklore and the Hyakki Yagyō “Night Parade of One Hundred Demons” idiom in particular, which sees an uncontrollable horde of yokai march into our world. In gameplay terms, the Rampage is similar to a tower defense game, tasking you with placing various hunting installations around each stronghold in order to repel the frenzied invaders. Some of these installations are automatic and manned by NPC companions, while others can be manually controlled if you fancy dishing out some damage of your own with ballistas, cannons, and other heavy weaponry.

Rampage quests offer a respite from the usual Monster Hunter formula, delivering histrionic thrills as you find yourself bombarded by multiple monsters at once. There’s some satisfying depth to it as well, with progression rewarding you with more powerful installations and upgraded weapons. You can even jump into the action as you would on any other monster hunt, or lure the enemy to specific points on the battlefield to unleash devastating attacks with powerful installations like the Dragonator and the Splitting Wyvernshot. Completing a Rampage quest will reward you with the usual assortment of monster parts with which to craft weapons and armor, but you’re also incentivized to finish them in order to unlock Defender Tickets. These can be spent on numerous Rampage Skills that permanently boost specific weapons stats such as attack, affinity, and defense.

Part of what makes the Rampage so exciting is the addition of Wyvern Riding to your offensive arsenal. Monster riding was first introduced in Monster Hunter 4, but it’s had a significant shakeup in Rise. By performing a series of Silkbind and aerial attacks, a monster will enter a mountable state that allows you to hop on their back and go for a ride. You can launch your helpless prey into walls to deal damage and put them in a downed state that leaves them vulnerable for a time, or you can use them as a massive battering ram to attack other monsters. This is a tad cumbersome due to some stiff controls, but being able to ravage the monster you’re hunting with another beast is a singular treat that adds a tinge of kaiju-esque action to the proceedings–not to mention the strategic considerations it introduces to each hunt. Monsters will occasionally bump into each other and fight over territory, but you can also use Wyvern Riding to seek out another monster and force them into a confrontation, creating emergent moments that enhance the game’s core combat.

The monsters themselves consist of fan favorites such as Rathian, Diablos, and Puki-Puki, along with plenty of new monsters and a few surprises. Much like the Rampage, each of the new beasts are inspired by yokai and other legendary creatures from Japanese folklore. The menacing Somnacath, for example, is based on Japanese mermaids, which have the lower body of a fish and the upper body of a demon. It’s a fascinating creature to fight as it moves through the water like a sea otter before putting you to sleep with its siren’s song. Bishaten, on the other hand, is inspired by tengu, presenting an ape-like monster with the face of a crow and a dangerous tail the shape of tengu’s fan. Aside from using its rear appendage to deal damage, the Bishaten also throws large pieces of fruit at you, making it one of the more peculiar monsters in the bestiary.

Going toe-to-toe with these intimidating beasts is the unmistakable core of the Monster Hunter experience, and Rise still feels like a distinctly Monster Hunter game, even if it’s more of a fully-fledged action title than any other entry in the series. This renewed focus doesn’t diminish its layered RPG mechanics, nor does it dumb down on any single aspect of the hunt. Certain changes make Rise a more approachable game for newcomers, but you also have the freedom to tailor the experience to your liking. The moment-to-moment combat is as impeccable as it’s ever been and puts Rise on a pedestal as one of the feathers in the Nintendo Switch’s cap.

Amazon Games is opening a new game development studio based on Montreal, Canada, to focus on new AAA games. Its first project will be an original IP online multiplayer game. To that end, the studio is being headed up by industry veterans from the core team that created Rainbow Six Siege.

The studio leads are Luc Bouchard (head of production), Xavier Marquis (creative director), Alexandre Remy (head of product), and Romain Rimokh (content director). The Montreal studio joins the other Amazon Games studios in Seattle, Orange County, and San Diego. It’s currently hiring for several game developer roles including software developers and artists.

“Building upon eight years of experience with Siege, we are excited to start with a blank page and the creative freedom to create a completely unique experience in the multiplayer space,” Marquis said in the announcement. “From our first discussion, we felt a true connection with the people at Amazon Games, their approach to gaming and the sheer amount of knowledge, expertise and technology available there. It is quite humbling and we couldn’t be more excited to start a studio with them.”

Amazon Games is part of the company’s push into the lucrative video game market. Its flagship game, Crucible, shut down after only a few months. Its studios are still at work on the MMO New World coming in August, and a Lord of the Rings MMO. The studio announcement also mentions several unannounced projects in development.

The company has also embraced its own game streaming service, Amazon Luna, though the head of the project recently left to join Unity. Luna is going head to head against competing ones like Google Stadia and Microsoft’s xCloud, which is offered as part of a Game Pass subscription. Whereas Google is a la carte and xCloud is a single subscription lineup, Luna offers various channels with different gaming packages. Stadia recently shut down its internal development studios.

Fortnite’s Tomb Raider crossover event continues with the launch of Croft Manor in the Fortnite Creative mode. This new “experience,” as Epic Games calls it, includes the Mystery at Croft Manor mission that players can complete to earn a special spray.

In the Mystery at Croft Manor mission, the Croft family butler, Winston, calls on Lara to come home to investigate “strange lights and effects” coming from the manor. In this new mission, made by the team at Alliance Studios, players are challenged to enter the spooky home and learn about its mysteries.

The mission is playable until March 30, 2021. You can find it in the “Mystery in Croft Manor” playlist. Everyone who completes it will receive a code that they can redeem to unlock the special Tomb Raider spray you can see below.

Tomb Raider originally came to Fortnite with the Chapter 2 Season 6 update that added multiple Lara Croft skins to the game to unlock and collect. For more on the latest season, check out everything in the Season 6 battle pass. You can also read up on the latest crossover event with Rocket League and Fortnite.

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Discord is exploring its options for a sale that could be worth more than $10 billion, VentureBeat has reported. Additional sources quoted by Bloomberg say that Microsoft is one of the companies involved in talks to acquire Discord–though it’s still possible that Discord will go public rather than agree to a sale to a larger company.

Sources quoted by VentureBeat claim that the potential sale comes due to interest expressed by multiple parties. One person claims that Discord is in final negotiations with one party, having signed an exclusive acquisition discussion. A Bloomberg source said that Discord reached out to Microsoft to gauge interest, with Xbox head Phil Spencer involved in talks with the gaming chat company.

Others familiar with the matter said that Epic Games and Amazon have also been involved in discussions to buy Discord in the past, though it’s unclear if negotiations with these companies are ongoing.

The interest in Discord comes after a big year for the chat company, when it rebranded from a heavily gaming-focused app to one that welcomed all communities that needed an online space to gather. At the end of 2020 Discord raised $140 million from investors, after getting a valuation of $7 billion.

Recent events in the games industry such as the GameStop stock rally and Roblox’s strong debut on the stock market have caught investors’ attention, meaning Discord may choose to go public instead of selling itself. Yet Discord has acknowledged that as of 2020 the company is still not profitable, meaning an IPO at this stage may be immature.

Discord has previously been through acquisition talks in 2018, with potential sales falling through due to Discord wanting to protect its internal values. Many prospective buyers wanted to change the platform in a major way such as adding advertising, something the company has been resistant to from the start. It’s possible this round of talks will end the same way, but only time will tell at this point.

Whether you loved Zack Snyder’s 4-hour-long version of The Justice League or found it a little too tedious to get through, you can’t help but appreciate the effort that went into making (and remaking) it. A new featurette posted to HBOMax’s YouTube shows behind-the-scenes footage from Zack Snyder’s Justice League set, and what looks like the cast having a lot of fun.

The five-minute featurette mixes footage of the cast and crew filming Snyder’s original take on the Justice League, interviews with cast members including Henry Cavill, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, and Jason Momoa, as well as behind-the-scenes footage of the extra scenes shot just for the Snyder Cut.

The reshoot footage stands out, with crew members wearing masks as a precaution against the COVID-19 pandemic, but also because of the inclusion of Jared Leto’s Joker, who wasn’t a part of Snyder’s original vision for the film.

The cast mostly talk about how fun it was working with Snyder, and from the footage shown it does look like they had a blast making it. Members of the cast have since called out Joss Whedon, who took over as director when Snyder parted from the project, for allegedly creating a hostile work environment on set.

Snyder himself talks a bit about his approach to making movies, and how he could bring Justice League to life in a completely different way thanks to its extended run time on HBOMax. He also discusses the changes made to Steppenwolf, who really shines as a villain given the extra layers of characterization added in the Snyder Cut.

While Disney+ doesn’t have a huge volume of original series like its competing streaming services, those it does have are pretty popular. Disney has now revealed that its latest original series, The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, had the most-watched debut on the platform to date.

Disney has ranked its most popular series by looking at their “opening weekends” on the platform, with Falcon And Winter Soldier’s being Friday March 19 to Sunday March 22. More of Disney’s global audience tuned in for the first episode of Falcon and Winter Soldier during its opening weekend than showed up for WandaVision, which came in second place, or The Mandalorian season 2, which is third.

While Disney has been a little slow to get its original series up and running, not helped by the production delays and pauses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, The Falcon And The Winter Soldier’s debut came hot on the heels of the WandaVision finale, with both series filling a pandemic-sized gap in the usually bustling Marvel Cinematic Universe schedule.

Now that production is in motion again, Disney+ has a bustling schedule for the rest of the year, including Loki, Clone Wars follow-up The Bad Batch, and The Book Of Boba Fett. It’ll be interesting to see if any of these shows manage to dethrone Falcon and the Winter Soldier with a bigger opening weekend.

Attention is back on video game retailer GameStop as it prepares to release its first earnings report since its stock soared in value in January this year. With plenty of discussion over whether the ailing retailer can live up to its lofty $200 share price, a former exec has spoken to the Wall Street Journal about internal turmoil within the company about its direction and competition.

Chris Petrovic joined GameStop in 2009 to spearhead its digital ventures, but says that the products that were picked up by the company in this space, such as digital game downloads and game streaming, were quickly abandoned. Petrovic resigned from GameStop in 2013.

“A lot of the initiatives that we had brought to the table and invested in just died on the vine,” Petrovic said of his time with the company. He also spoke of an internal division between those who considered the rise of digital downloads and cloud gaming as threats, and those who were unconcerned.

These strategic missteps led to the company becoming one of the most shorted on the market, as seasoned investors bet against the company. This is one of the factors that then led to retail investors buying GameStop shares in bulk, trying to force short sellers to give up their bets at a loss.

Though not retaining the heights it reached in January, GameStop’s share price is still much higher than most analysts believe the company’s value to be, currently sitting at around $200 per share. Investors say they have confidence in new board member and major investor Ryan Cohen to turn the company around.