Gears 5 Adds Carmine Family Members In New DLC

Gears 5 continues to add new characters for multiplayer. The newest additions are the Carmine family. Specifically, Anthony, Benjamin, and Gary Carmine are now available in the Xbox One and PC game.

Unlike the previously released DLC characters, the Carmines are only available for versus multiplayer. Developer The Coalition says in a blog post that it understands people may want to play as the Carmines in the PvE modes Horde and Escape, but it won’t happen soon. “We have a broader PvE plan coming that will allow you to take these–and all COG–characters into Horde or Escape,” the studio said.

The Carmines are available to unlock through gameplay by crafting their unique totem and earning 30,000 XP. Alternatively, you can buy them for 500 Iron each, or through a $10 USD bundle that includes all three plus additional items such as bloodsprays and banners.

There is a more expensive “Deluxe Carmine Bundle” (1800 Iron) that includes the three characters, the bloodsprays and banners, and special skins for each, including Academy Anthony Carmine, Firestarter Benjamin Carmine, and Biker Gary Carmine. These special skins will be available to buy individually “in the next few weeks.”

The release of the Carmines kicks off a change to how The Coalition is releasing new characters by making them exclusive to versus multiplayer.

“We’ve heard loud and clear that you want to see more of your favorite Characters back sooner– which is why we have scrapped our mandate of Characters needing to release with PvE or new Arcade skillsets,” The Coalition said. “By removing this mandate, this means we’ll be able to release characters into the game more often and in higher volume just like you’ve asked us to do.”

More broadly, The Coalition said it is looking to “fundamentally re-evaluate the foundations of Gears 5” to help the game become more closely aligned to what fans want. In addition to content updates and changes to the game, The Coalition is working on technical advancements for the title to help it shine as a launch title for Xbox Series X.

Carmine Bundle – $9.99 USD

  • Anthony Carmine Character
  • Benjamin Carmine Character
  • Gary Carmine Character
  • Carmine Must Die Bloodspray
  • Save Carmine Bloodspray
  • Carmine Family Banner
  • Carmine Must Die Banner
  • Save Carmine Banner

Deluxe Carmine Bundle – 1800 Iron

  • Academy Anthony Carmine Character Skin
  • Firestarter Benjamin Carmine Character Skin
  • Biker Gary Carmine Character Skin
  • + All of the above Bundle content!

Now Playing: Gears 5 Video Review

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Disco Elysium’s System Requirements Have Been Cut Right Down So More People Can Enjoy It

Disco Elysium is a game that everyone should play–which is why we gave it a 10/10–but its system requirements might have impacted enjoyment or locked out some players who wanted to experience it on a lower-end system. But now, thanks to the new Working Class update, more PCs and Macs are supported.

The new requirements mean that players with 2GB of RAM and older video cards can experience the game, and players who saw performance issues before might find that the game is smoother for them now.

Here are the new system requirements, so you can see if your PC is capable of running one of 2019’s best games.

New PC minimum

  • Windows 7 and DirectX 11 compatible video card (integrated or dedicated with min 512MB memory)
  • 2GB RAM
  • Intel Core 2 Duo
  • 20GB hard disk space

New Mac minimum

  • MacBook Pro: from mid 2009
  • MacBook Air: from mid 2012
  • iMac: from late 2009
  • Mac Pro: from late 2008
  • Mac mini: from 2009

Multiple new languages are being worked on for the game, too. Work is underway to translate the game into Spanish, Korean, Russian, and Portuguese-Brazilian, while there are also plans for French and German translations.

The game has also received a new patch, and is currently discounted by 25% on Steam. Here are the patch notes:

  • First – moved to a new version of Unity, which itself has tons of optimizations and goodies.
  • Hunted, found and fixed weird cases on some resolutions where the last word of the sentence was missing. Like …
  • Corrected some typos and some wordings, to mean things. To say stuff.
  • Literally, hundreds of optimizations throughout the game and graphics engine, to streamline the code and to make it less resource hungry. To reach a wider audience.
  • Fixed some animations – like fixing out of sync hands.
  • Fixed some other animations – running and walking around after consuming various liquids
  • Fixed broken menu navigation functionality. All that was accessible is still accessible.
  • Updated end-credits. Play it through to see some new names!

If you’re not a PC or Mac player, Disco Elysium is also coming to consoles–including the Nintendo Switch.

Now Playing: Disco Elysium Video Review

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Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 Remaster Details & A New PlayStation Logo | Save State

Chastity brings you all the biggest gaming stories for your May 12 Save State. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 Remasters are coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC this year, and we have all the details are what this remastered collection includes. Speaking of legendary Tonys, get ready to put on Tony Stark’s helmet in Iron Man VR, which now has a new release date.

In other news, Sony has revealed another logo ahead of the release of PS5, The Xbox Series X frame rate is up to individual developers, and Capcom has plans for multiple major titles. And finally, Ghost of Tsushima will headline PS4’s next State of Play. For all the latest gaming news stories, be sure to get your Save State every Monday through Thursday on GameSpot.

The Mandalorian Could Explore the Darksaber’s History Through Bo-Katan

Warning: this article contains major spoilers for The Mandalorian’s season finale! The Mandalorian Season 2 has been confirmed for an October 2020 release.

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The Mandalorian episode 8 wraps up the first season with some big reveals, including the return of a weapon with a major legacy in the Star Wars universe. The Darksaber is back, but it has once again fallen into the wrong hands. And with Season 2 reportedly adding one of the Darksaber’s previous owners in the form of Katee Sackhoff’s Bo-Katan Kryze, it’s safe to say this blade will continue to play a big part in The Mandalorian.

If you’re confused as to why an Imperial warlord is wielding a black lightsaber, fear not. Here’s everything you need to know about the Darksaber and how it ties the series back to the events of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

What is the Darksaber in The Mandalorian?

The Darksaber is unique among all the lightsabers in the Star Wars universe. It has a flat, katana-like blade rather than the traditional saber shape. It emits a peculiar, low hum. Even its color is unlike any other – deep black with a bright white trim.

The Darksaber is one of the most important artifacts in Mandalorian culture. It was created by an ancient warrior named Tarre Vizsla, the first (and as far as we currently know, only) Mandalorian to be inducted into the Jedi Order. That event happened at least 1000 years before the time of the movies, with Vizsla’s existence forgotten by all but the most devout Mandalorian warriors and historians.

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The Jedi kept Vizsla’s signature blade on display as a museum relic, at least until the Mandalorians stole it back. Since then, the Darksaber has come to serve as a symbol of power. Whomever wields the blade is viewed by Mandalorian traditionalists as the rightful ruler of Mandalore. Defeating the blade’s owner in ritualistic combat is the rightful path to power.

Learn even more about the history of the Darksaber in our Star Wars wiki guide!

How Did Moff Gideon Get the Darksaber in The Mandalorian?

Unfortunately, the Darksaber has a habit of trading hands again and again. During the Clone Wars, Tarre Vizsla’s descendant Pre Vizsla (voiced by The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau) used the blade to rally his Death Watch recruits against Mandalore’s political leader, Duchess Satine Kryze. Pre Vizsla made the mistake of forging an alliance with ex-Sith Lord Darth Maul, who killed him in ritualistic combat and became the new leader of Death Watch.

At some point during the waning days of the Clone Wars, the Darksaber fell into the possession of the Nightsisters of Dathomir. It was then claimed by Sabine Wren, a Mandalorian expatriate and member of the Rebel Alliance. Sabine used the blade to rally her people against Viceroy Gar Saxon, the Imperial-appointed ruler of Mandalore. Sabine then bestowed the Darksaber to Bo-Katan Kryze, sister of the late Duchess Satine.

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That act seemed to open a brighter future for Mandalore and its people. Unfortunately, The Mandalorian has repeatedly hinted at a dark fate for this planet, with several characters alluding to the Empire’s purge of Mandalore and the survivors being forced into hiding. The fact that Moff Gideon now wields the blade suggests he himself may be responsible for overthrowing Bo-Katan and robbing Mandalore of its rightful ruler. But at least we know Bo-Katan is still alive, as Katee Sackhoff will play the character for the first time in live-action in Season 2. Assuming she doesn’t appear solely in flashback form, that is.

How The Mandalorian Connects to The Clone Wars and the Siege of Mandalore

The Mandalorian’s Season 1 finale reveals the real name and origin story of Pedro Pascal’s character. We see a young Din Djarin narrowly survive a Clone Wars battle that claimed the lives of his parents. Though Din isn’t a Mandalorian by birth, as a “foundling” he’s recruited into their culture and raised to become an honorable warrior and hunter.

Din’s origin helps tie the series more firmly to the events of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. As that series unfolds, Mandalore and its surrounding worlds become a hotly contested battleground in the conflict between the Republic and Separatists. That culminates in one of the last and most destructive battles in the Clone Wars – the Siege of Mandalore.

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Star Wars fans finally got to see the Siege of Mandalore play out thanks to The Clone Wars: Season 7. The Siege of Mandalore is the last of three major story arcs in that final season. While the final episodes don’t show Din Djarin or other characters from The Mandalorian: Season 1, it does reveal how Ahsoka Tano’s good intentions in leading a Republic strike force to capture Darth Maul wound up opening Mandalore to Imperial occupation. With Ahsoka herself reportedly appearing in Season 2 (played by Rosario Dawson), the series may explore Ahsoka’s lingering guilt over her role in Mandalore’s sad fate.

A Knights of the Old Republic Connection

Even as The Mandalorian’s season finale forges new links to projects like The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, it also makes an unexpected connection to a much more distant part of the Star Wars timeline. Emily Swallow’s character, The Armorer, recalls the ancient battles between the Mandalorians and the Jedi, a conflict which directly set the stage for the 2002 video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

This is actually the second time since the release of Episode IX that a Star Wars project has alluded to the events of KOTOR. The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary reveals that one of Emperor Palpatine’s Sith Trooper legions is named after ancient Jedi Master-turned-Sith Lord Darth Revan.

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The timing of these twin KOTOR cameos doesn’t seem coincidental. After years of ambiguity over whether KOTOR and other Old Republic-era stories are still included in Disney’s official Star Wars continuity, it seems this beloved game might be on the way to finally, officially becoming canonized. And hopefully, these subtle callbacks will lead to full-fledged new stories set in the distant past of the Star Wars universe.

For more on The Mandalorian, find out about an unexpected connection between the series and the Rise of Skywalker and see our breakdown of all The Mandalorian’s actor cameos. And if you want access to loads of Star Wars content, here’s what you need to know about Disney+ bundles, of which there are a surprising number.

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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Pokemon Go Incense Day: Schedule, Shiny Carvanha, And More

Pokemon Go‘s second Incense Day is just around the corner. The event takes place this Sunday, May 17, and much like the first Incense Day, it’ll bring out certain types of Pokemon at different hours, including another Shiny.

The event kicks off at 11 AM local time. Any Incenses that you use during the day will attract certain types of Pokemon–in this case, Water or Dark types–depending on what time it is. You can see the full event schedule and what Pokemon you’re more likely to find during those hours below:

  • 11 AM – 12 PM: Water-type Pokemon
  • 12 PM – 1 PM: Dark-type Pokemon
  • 1 PM – 2 PM: Water-type Pokemon
  • 2 PM – 3 PM: Dark-type Pokemon
  • 3 PM – 4 PM: Water-type Pokemon
  • 4 PM – 5 PM: Dark-type Pokemon
Carvanha
Carvanha

During the Water-focused hours, you’ll have a chance to encounter Pokemon like Alomomola, Horsea, and Tympole, while the Dark-focused hours will bring out Scraggy, Murkrow, Sableye, and others. You’re also much more likely to find Carvanha throughout the event, regardless of what time it is, including a Shiny Carvanha.

If you haven’t stocked up on Incenses, Niantic will offer a special bundle during the event that costs one PokeCoin and contains three Incenses. You can read more about the Incense Day event on the official Pokemon Go website.

In the meantime, the Legendary Pokemon Virizion is back in five-star Raids until May 19. Season 2 of the Go Battle League is also underway after a delayed start, and there are new Field Research tasks for May to complete. Niantic has also shared details on Pokemon Go’s May Community Day. The event takes place on Sunday, May 24, and features the Grass-type Pokemon Seedot.

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Shuttered Xbox One Battle Royale Game Comes Back Online This Week

Developer Xaviant has announced that its battle royale game, The Culling, is getting a second wind on May 14 for Xbox One. The studio said that the PC release will follow sometime later.

This new version of the game is dubbed The Culling: Origins and features a number of improvements, including adjustments to A.I. behavior, graphics enhancements on Xbox One, gameplay tweaks (like stamina reduction), and more. In addition to all of this, Xaviant has removed premium items and purchasable loot boxes from the game. However, as a result, the studio notes that “past saved games will be wiped and all previous unlocks have been reset.” Check out the official relaunch trailer below.

What’s most notable about The Culling: Origins, however, is the price of entry. Those who already own it will be able to get into the game at no extra cost. Anyone who doesn’t have the game will only need to pay a nominal $6 to jump into the battle royale action. However, it’s not that simple. In order to continue playing The Culling: Origins, players will need to win matches or purchase tokens. These Online Match Tokens, which can be bought in packs or earned by winning a match, grant you access to another match. If you have no Online Match Tokens, you can’t play The Culling: Origins online. It seems there is offline play, though.

This surprise relaunch of The Culling: Origins comes after Xaviant closed the servers on the battle royale game in 2019. The studio released a sequel to the game in the form of The Culling 2 but quickly pulled the game from digital storefronts after a rough launch week.

The Culling: Origins Relaunch Details

  • Players can play one free match online each day. Players can play additional matches through the following means:
    • Winning an online match grants an Online Match Token.
    • Packs of Online Match Tokens can be purchased (3 tokens = $0.99, 10 tokens = $2.99, 20 tokens = $4.99).
    • Online Passes providing unlimited online play can be purchased for 7 Days ($1.99) or 30 Days ($5.99).
  • Xbox One graphical quality improved dramatically, rendering at 30% higher resolution with the addition of anti-aliasing and an improved framerate.
  • A.I. behavior has been overhauled to provide a much more compelling and challenging offline experience.
  • Player stamina system has been tweaked – reducing the time it takes for stamina to fully regenerate.
  • The game no longer includes premium items or charges for crates. Players can level up, earn crates, and unlock airdrops through offline play.
  • In order to keep the game alive indefinitely, a great deal of effort has been spent streamlining backend systems to reduce costs and improve efficiency.
  • A side effect of this effort is that past saved games will be wiped and all previous unlocks have been reset.

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Netflix Announces New Original Series, Based On DC Comic Book

Netflix is producing another comic book adaptation for its streaming service, and this time around, the latest original series is Sweet Tooth based on the comic series of the same name.

The first season will consist of eight, one-hour episodes and Jim Mickle (In the Shadow of the Moon) and Beth Schwartz (Arrow, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow) will serve as showrunners, executive producers, and writers on the new series. Mickle will also be directing the show. Also serving as executive producers are Robert Downey Jr., Susan Downey, and Amanda Burrell of Team Downey.

The official synopsis reads, “Sweet Tooth is the broad appeal, family-friendly, storybook adventure of Gus–part deer, part boy–who leaves his home in the forest to find the outside world ravaged by a cataclysmic event. He joins a ragtag family of humans and animal-children hybrids like himself in search of answers about this new world and the mystery behind his hybrid origins.”

Sweet Tooth will star Christian Convery (Beautiful Boy), Nonso Anozie (Game of Thrones), Adeel Akhtar (The Big Sick) and Will Forte (The Last Man on Earth), with James Brolin (Westworld) as the voice of the narrator.

Official artwork from Netflix
Official artwork from Netflix

The series is based on writer and artist Jeff Lemire’s Vertigo comic book series–a DC imprint. It ran for 40 issues between 2009-13. Sweet Tooth joins a long list of already-existing Veritgo adaptations including AMC’s Preacher, Netflix’s Lucifer, and CW’s iZombie. Additionally, the Y: The Last Man TV show is still in the works with FX.

Originally, Hulu had given the pilot order for the series back in 2018, reported by Deadline. Team Downey and Mickle were involved with the pilot, but for whatever reason, Hulu did not pick up the show.

Now Playing: Best Shows And Movies To Stream For May 2020 – Netflix, Hulu, Shudder, Amazon Prime Video

Pokemon Go May Community Day Details Announced

Niantic has detailed Pokemon Go‘s next Community Day event. May’s Community Day will take place next Sunday, May 24, and this time, the featured Pokemon will be the Grass-type Seedot.

Like April’s Community Day, this month’s event will run for six hours instead of the usual three, from 11 AM to 5 PM local time. During that window, Seedot will appear in the wild much more frequently than normal, and you’ll have your first chance to encounter a Shiny Seedot in the game.

If you can power up Nuzleaf (Seedot’s evolved form) into Shiftry by 7 PM local time–two hours after the Community Day ends–it’ll learn the event-exclusive move Bullet Seed, which it normally can’t otherwise learn in Pokemon Go. This applies to any Nuzleaf that evolve within the designated time frame, even if you’ve caught them prior to the Community Day.

Just as last month, Niantic will also hold an exclusive Special Research story quest during May’s Community Day. The questline is called Seeing Double and will offer rewards like Incenses, Golden Razz Berries, and other items. However, you’ll need to purchase a virtual ticket for $1 USD to gain access to the story quest.

Rounding out May’s Community Day are a few other in-game bonuses. First, you’ll earn triple the usual amount of XP for catching Pokemon during the event. Any Incenses you use will also last for three hours rather than the usual 30 minutes.

During the Community Day, Niantic will host its first-ever 24-hour livestream on the Pokemon Go YouTube channel. The stream kicks off at 6 PM PT on May 23 and gives you a chance to “watch Seedot and other Pokemon play in the wild.” You can read more about May’s Community Day on the official Pokemon Go website.

In other Pokemon Go news, the Legendary Pokemon Virizion has returned to five-star Raids until May 19. Niantic is also holding Pokemon Go’s second Incense Day on May 17. During the event, you’ll have a chance to encounter Shiny Carvanha. You can catch up on other Pokemon Go news below.

Now Playing: Pokemon GO – GO Battle League Dev Insights

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