The German Ubisoft store has given us an insight to the content coming in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s Season Pass, which looks to include a story mission based on “The Legend of Beowulf.”
Beowulf is an Old English epic poem which follows the eponymous Beowulf, a heroic warrior who saves the king of the Danes from a vicious monster called Grendel. The tale is set in Scandinavia, so it makes a lot of sense for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla to draw on the legend to flesh out its world.
Given that you sail from Norway to England to raid Old Blighty’s coasts during Valhalla’s campaign, it’s safe to assume this story will take place in the early throes of Eivor’s journey, when they’re still trying to survive in their Norse homeland. Yet the suggestion that you will reveal a “cruel truth” makes us think that Ubisoft may be looking to warp the mythology somewhat.
Another bonus mission, the Way of the Berserker, is available to those who pre-order the game ahead of its launch later this year. Beyond the Beowulf mission, the season pass is said to “expand your experience with new content, new lands and new gear.” We’ve got a complete pre-order guide for the many versions of Valhalla you can get, if you’re interested in those extras.
This week’s episode of John Krasinski’s new YouTube feel-good show, Some Good News with John Krasinski, features something a lot of people have been asking for–a reunion of the stars of The Office. The stars have reunited over Zoom to surprise a freshly married couple…who had, in fact, been married by a recently ordained Krasinski.
At about the 7:30 minute mark of the video below, Krasinski begins chatting with the couple, and…well, just watch. No judgment if it makes you a bit misty.
There’s a performance by country singer Zac Brown, lots of references and in-jokes for fans of the show (like the happy couple), and a few celebrities with wild, unruly quarantine hair–what more could you want?
There are also special guest appearances from Emily Blunt and Emma Stone in the video, and it’s nice to see them both.
The Microsoft Flight Simulator series has always gone for accuracy in depicting real world locations, but the upcoming next-generation edition of the aviation sim is something else. Imgur user Utherellus has compared a handful of Microsoft Flight Simulator screenshots to their real-world equivalents, as picked up by Kotaku Australia.
The gallery includes some iconic aerial views, and some closer shots of well-known monuments that hopefully weren’t taken from a cockpit.
Some of the images are barely distinguishable from their real-life counterparts, looking like a photo taken with a different camera or at a different time of day. The game’s realism goes beyond just visuals, with a live play mode showing real life flight plans and weather patterns. All of this comes at a price, however–in this case, an absolutely massive game file size.
With international travel looking like a far-off dream in the COVID-19 pandemic, Microsoft Flight Simulator may end up playing host to a new audience of virtual tourists desperate to see anything beyond their own backyard.
Microsoft Flight Simulator is currently in alpha, with alpha and beta access available exclusively to Microsoft Insiders. The release date is currently unknown.
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While Pokemon Go isn’t necessarily the most suitable game for self-isolation, Niantic has been working hard to keep the game enjoyable even for players who are stuck at home. Now, Pokemon GO players with Verizon Wireless or Fios can also redeem an extra item pack for free with a Verizon promo code.
The promotion is part of a campaign by Verizon to help its customers alleviate boredom at home, and also includes codes for Roblox and Sago Mini World–a godsend for parents with kids stuck at home.
The Pokemon Go play-from-home bundle includes a free Premium Battle Pass, two Incense and 65 Poké Balls. Thanks to Niantic’s temporary changes to the game, Incense now lasts for an hour and is more effective, and player battles no longer require walking to unlock. You can also now raid from home, but this requires a separate Remote Raid Pass item.
You can also redeem a 500 Robux gift card for any Roblox players in the house, or access 35+ apps in Sago Mini World with Verizon’s other offers.
The offers are based on a promo code, meaning you may be able to snag one from a Verizon customer you know, if they don’t play the game themselves. Check out all the gaming offers on Verizon’s website here.
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Dwarf Fortress is getting a makeover ahead of its upcoming Steam release, ditching its ASCII style in favor of a tile system. Now, developer Bay 12 Games has posted a comparison picture to its website, showing the difference between the original ASCII version of a “medium” map and the same map rendered in the new style.
Dwarf Fortress originally released in 2006, and has been updated numerous times since. The two maps below show the most significant change to the game yet, though.
“This is still in progress, and we have a lot of planned improvements around mountain peaks, river mouths, oceans, and just about everything else,” the post reads, “but it’s definitely come into its own as an image of the world that will work for fort mode, adventure mode, and legends mode alike.”
The map will still be a grid, but the new art is certainly more pleasing to the eye than the old ASCII style.
Dwarf Fortress still does not have a Steam release date, but it seems that work on this version of the game is progressing.
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Among the numerous Hollywood adaptations of video games in the works is an animated film based on Nintendo’s Super Mario series. The film is slated to arrive in 2022, but some are wondering if the COVID-19 crisis may lead to a delay for the movie.
That remains to be seen, but a new report from Deadline paints an optimistic picture. The site reports that the Super Mario movie remains in “active development and production.” This is made possible because the team at Illumination was working remotely already. “They’ve always worked remotely,” Deadline reported.
A source familiar with Illumination’s plans stated that the studio has been able to remain “extremely productive, innovative, and creative” over the past two months working remotely on its various movies. In addition to the Mario movie, Illumination is producing a new Minions movie, The Rise of Gru, and Sing 2. Two other original movies are in the works at Illumination that have not been announced.
The new Mario movie is Nintendo’s second major attempt at bringing its beloved Italian plumber to the big-screen. The 1993 live-action Super Mario Bros. movie was a critical and commercial failure, with star Bob Hoskins–who played Mario–saying it was the worst movie he’s ever been a part of. Hoskins and co-star John Leguizamo reportedly drank whiskey between takes to get through filming.
For the new movie, Nintendo is more creatively involved, with Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto serving as its producer. While a producer cannot control everything, it seems like a good thing for the movie’s creative direction that Miyamoto is involved.
Illumination boss Chris Meledandri said in an earlier interview that Miyamoto is staying “front and center in the creation of this film.” This is a rarity in Hollywood.
“I’ve rarely seen that happen with any adaptation where the original creative voice is being embraced like we’re embracing Miyamoto,” Meledandri said. “There’s a history in Hollywood of people believing that they know better than the people responsible for a property. I’ve made that mistake before.”
While the Mario movie may still be progressing through production, the same cannot be said for another video game movie, Uncharted, which is live-action. Due to COVID-19, production has shut down on the film that will star Tom Holland as a young Nathan Drake and Mark Wahlberg as Sully.
Virtually all Hollywood movie and TV productions are currently shut down as governments around the world enact social-distancing rules that prevent large groups of people from gathering. New Zealand, which has some of the lowest number of cases of COVID-19 in the world, is reportedly getting close to restarting its movie and TV show productions. However, it could be some time before other countries began allowing shoots to begin again.
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In the midst of lockdowns and restaurant closures around the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Guy Fieri has stepped up to help provide aid to thousands of out-of-work restaurant staff, Variety reports.
In partnership with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, Fieri has helped to raise over $20 million, which will be distributed to restaurant workers experiencing hardship in grants of $500. In the last two months, over 40,000 of these grants have been awarded.
“I started thinking about my brothers and sisters in the restaurant business, and a bunch of restaurants that I was closing–we gotta do something,” Fieri said in an interview with TMZ.
The TV and one-time video game star has reached out to the CEOs of big companies like Pepsi, Coke, and Uber Eats to donate–a welcome change from donation drives that have put the onus on individuals to donate in a time when most people have been financially affected.
“I started sending personal video invitations to all the heavy-hitter CEOs that are involved in the restaurant business,” Fieri explained. “As long as the money comes in, we’re going to continue to give these grants.”
The official Mayor of Flavortown also encouraged people to keep ordering from their local “mom & pop” restaurants when takeaway and delivery is available, to help keep small businesses afloat.
Anyone needing to apply for a grant or in a position to make a donation of their own can do so here.
Game developer Cliff Bleszinski, who designed and directed the original Gears of War trilogy, is keeping busy in his post-Epic life. His latest project is a little different, however.
Bleszinski said on Twitter that he’s seriously thinking about starting a Twitch channel. He was inspired to start streaming due to the “cabin fever” he’s feeling during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Bleszinski added that he’s starting to feel comfortable again on camera thanks to all the Zoom calls he’s been on lately.
Cabin fever may finally be the straw that broke the camel’s back to cause me to start a Twitch channel. Zoom has made me feel comfortable on camera again after all this time.
Bleszinski potentially launching a Twitch channel of his own comes at an interesting time, given that he just recently announced he has begun work on a new IP involving dogs. An outspoken and opinionated individual known for decades of experience in games and his hot takes on various gaming industry topics, Bleszinski would certainly have a lot to offer viewers on Twitch.
When Bleszinski left Epic in 2012, he said he was stepping away from video games, but he went on to start the independent studio Boss Key Productions in 2014. That studio produced Lawbreakers and, facing financial difficulties, jumped into the battle royale market with Radical Heights just before ultimately closing in 2018.
The Gears franchise is now being managed by The Coalition, a new studio Microsoft established as caretakers of the series. It most recently released Gears Tactics, a tactical spin-off in the vein of the XCOM series. For more, check out GameSpot’s Gears Tactics review.
It was only a matter of time before Rick and Morty turned its attention to spoofing the Alien franchise. Honestly, it’s surprising it took this long. “Promortyus” gets about as much mileage out of that premise as it possibly can, lampooning both the obvious tropes and pushing the parody in some pretty wacky and unexpected directions. But as with pretty much every episode that commits itself to a singular pop culture spoof, the novelty factor eventually starts to wear off.
You do have to credit this episode with making the most of the Alien parody in terms of plot structure. The decision to kick things off in the middle of the story rather than the beginning helps kick things off on an amusingly disorienting start. We’re left to wonder how the duo got themselves into this mess and whether this phallic, slimy, HR Giger-inspired nightmare is the main focus of the episode or simply a launching point. Watching Rick and Morty utterly annihilate the Glorzos and drop plenty of self-aware meta-dialogue is entertaining, but the real payoff comes later when they realize they left Summer behind. Immediately, it becomes clear we only saw part of a much bigger and more disastrous adventure.
Unfortunately, despite that fun twist, this episode starts to lose its steam after the return to Glorzoville. The flashback to the origin of the mission is fun, especially with the payoff to Summer’s newfound obsession with toothpicks. But after that point the whole concept starts to unwind a bit. This episode sort of has the opposite problem of last week’s “Never Ricking Morty.” That episode tried too hard to keep piling new layers on its mind-bending premise and ultimately sputtered a bit at the finish line. Here, by comparison, it feels like there should have been one or two more wrinkles involved before the Glorzo conflict reached its climax.
This is one case where the lack of a B-plot actually hurts the show a bit. Sometimes the minor asides featuring the other members of the Smith family just get in the way of the real story, but this is one case where the episode really could have used a subplot simply for the sake of variety. Especially because Jerry has really been underutilized in Season 4. His new “career” as a beekeeper might have been worth exploring in greater depth. Though you do have to admire the economy with which Jerry’s story is told in this episode. Not counting the post-credits stinger, Jerry is only in the one scene, but the disinterested reactions and the fact that he seems to have simply taped his name onto a sore-brand bottle of honey tells us all we need to know about his latest hobby.
If the Alien parody eventually runs out of steam, this episode partly makes up for that by aiming big with gross-out humor and a general willingness to push the boundaries of good taste. The scene where Rick narrowly avoids causing an alien 9/11, only to gleefully launch into a recreation of the Pearl Harbor attacks, is definitely the funniest moment of the episode. And not for nothing, but the animation in that sequence is really impressive. It’s a testament to how far the series has come in that regard over the past seven years.
Other little moments (like that over-the-top Bruce/Steve kissing scene) are entertaining reminders Rick and Morty can and sometimes will go for shock value. It’s always nice to see another animated sitcom compete on South Park’s level.
