Devs Creator Alex Garland On Why Video Game Movies Don’t Work (And His Favorite Animal Crossing Villager)

Alex Garland has garnered himself quite the reputation for sci-fi and horror fans with his dense and philosophical projects like Ex Machina, Annihilation, and this year’s Devs, his first foray into the world of serialized storytelling with FX on Hulu. Themes in Garland’s work tend to deal with things that provoke a certain sense of existential dread, like the nature of mortality and the ethics of artificial intelligence, so it’s really no surprise that the writer/director’s favorite video games tend towards the similarly weighty.

Speaking with GameSpot during the Play for All event, Garland spoke at length about his love for games like The Last Of Us and Dark Souls, the latter of which he managed to sneak in an Easter Egg for during an early episode of Devs. But he also came through with a surprise revelation–he’s a devout Animal Crossing fan and has sunk countless hours into perfecting his island, a hobby he’s picked up alongside his daughter who also plays.

And yes, he’s got a favorite villager. It’s Pompom the duck. We were just as surprised as you.

Garland is so dedicated to his Animal Crossing island that he manually created his daughter’s face for his flag–without using a QR code generator. “I very, very carefully drew it out with those little pixels,” he explained. Garland’s clocked over 300 hours in the game so far, and is confident that his island would stand up to the scrutiny of a tour. “My island would stand up to inspection on one of those Animal Crossing YouTube channels, I’m sure of it.”

Aside from his carefully curated island paradise, Garland had some strong thoughts on the nature of game adaptations in the realm of TV and film, and how the two mediums are not always necessarily compatible in terms of storytelling. He brought up 28 Days Later, which he wrote, and called it a “result” of playing Resident Evil, rather than an adaptation.

“In some ways you could say 28 Days Later is a video game movie–it’s certainly heavily inspired by them. But whenever people get intentional about [adapting video games], something seems to get lost in translation.” He continued, hypothesizing, “It could be that the licensing [for video game movies] is so complicated that it forces them to be a certain type of movie or a certain type of release, or a certain type of cookie-cutter approach–though that might be bulls***, thinking about some of the lower budget video game movies that have been released. I don’t think there’s a good reason that the industry has struggled [with adaptations] the way that it has.”

But he was quick to clarify that he doesn’t think that means the future is without hope. “As I understand it, HBO is working on a The Last Of Us TV show and those are people I would expect to get it right.”

As for Garland’s other favorite franchise, Dark Souls, he’s less confident about the potential for an adaptation, largely because of the mood and ambiance the Souls games tend to have. “The Dark Souls games seem to have this embedded poetry in them. You’ll be wandering around and find some weird bit of dialogue with some sort of broken song sat with a bit of armor outside a doorway and it feels like you’ve drifted into some existential dream. That’s what I really love about Dark Souls. These spaces are so imaginative and they seem to flow into each other and flow out of each other […] I can’t imagine how that would [be adapted]. The quality that makes Dark Souls special is probably unique to video games.”

While he may not see himself adapting a franchise like Dark Souls any time soon, he would gladly take the opposite approach and work in the games industry again in the future. He’s hopeful about making a return–and has been trying to have the conversation.

“There was a period in gaming, or there was a school of thought in games at one point that was very, very anti-narrative,” he explained, referencing his early attempts to break into working in the industry. “I tried a few times, but I think it was the wrong time to be talking about these things. The only time I’ve ever really worked on a game was with Ninja Theory and Enslaved, but I’d love to do it again. I keep waiting for the call.”

Devs can be watched in full with FX on Hulu.

Now Playing: Alex Garland’s Favorite Games Include Dark Souls, Animal Crossing

How Pro Wrestling’s #SpeakingOut Movement Is Reshaping The Industry For The Better

The past week has been an eye-opening and heartbreaking one for the world of professional wrestling as sexual abuse, assault, and harassment accusations have been made against a wide range of talents from around the world. A long list of independent wrestlers, as well as members of the Impact, AEW, and WWE rosters, have been implicated thus far in the #SpeakingOut movement.

The hashtag has been used as a space on social media for those that allege they were victimized by those within the professional wrestling industry, in order to share their experiences and call out those that abused and harassed them. As the movement continues to gain traction, it shows more and more that this is exactly what professional wrestling needs: accountability against the type of behavior that should simply have no place in this or any industry.

Regardless of their place in the wrestling industry, no performer has the right to harass, abuse, or otherwise victimize anybody else–no human has that right. And already, the fallout is being seen across this particular landscape. And every single allegation should be taken seriously and investigated.

In response to accusations against multiple superstars, including Matt Riddle and Jack Gallagher, WWE has said it is “looking into the matter” in a statement [via Deadline], adding, “WWE has zero tolerance for matters involving domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual assault. Upon arrest for such misconduct, a WWE talent will be immediately suspended. Upon conviction for such misconduct, a WWE talent will be immediately terminated. WWE’s ability to fine, suspend or terminate a WWE talent will not be, however, limited or compromised in any manner in the event incontrovertible evidence of such illegal misconduct is presented to WWE.”

Thus far, Gallagher has been released from the company with no explanation, while Riddle has released a statement through a lawyer denying the allegations.

While WWE may be the largest wrestling company on the planet, though, it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Two of AEW’s talents have also faced misconduct allegations, including Jimmy Havoc. He has been accused of mental and emotional abuse by an ex-girlfriend, as well as rape by an anonymous woman. Shortly after those accusations were made public, AEW released a statement explaining that Havoc had entered a rehabilitation facility to “overcome the mental health and substance abuse challenges in his life.” It’s further noted that his status with the company will be addressed once he finishes treatment.

Sammy Guevara, on the other hand, was called out over his own words. A 2016 podcast clip resurfaced, in which the Inner Circle member recalled seeing current WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Sasha Banks at a tryout and wanting to rape her. That audio circulated online, leading to Guevara’s name trending on Twitter. AEW responded by suspending him indefinitely without pay. Instead, his salary will be donated to the Women’s Center of Jacksonville. The company also said Guevara will undergo sensitivity training before his status with the company is reevaluated.

Guevara apologized for his comments on Twitter, writing, “I’ve made stupid, inappropriate and extremely offensive comments in my past. In my idiotic mind, I thought I was being funny in using words and terms that represent nothing but horror and pain.” Additionally, he and Banks also noted they’ve spoken since the audio surfaced. “Words like the comments he made, jokingly or not, have no place in our society,” Banks wrote. “I don’t condone or tolerate this kind of behavior.”

Outside of those two major companies, the highest-profile name to be called out is independent wrestler and Impact star Joey Ryan. Multiple accusations of sexual assault were made against Ryan over the last week, leading to Impact terminating his contract–along with Dave Crist. Additionally, Ryan’s former tag team partner and current NXT superstar Candice LeRae released a statement online. “To the women he did this to–my heart breaks for you,” she wrote. “I trusted this person. Reading the stories and learning how he acted sickens me. Especially because you all trusted him too. I can’t imagine how you felt.”

Ryan released a statement on his own Twitter account before deactivating it, as well as the account for his wrestling promotion Bar Wrestling. In his statement, he said that after his wrestling move the “dick flip” went viral, he began living a “rock ‘n roll lifestyle.” He added, “I came into contact with a lot of people, including women. And, the truth is, I did not always treat people with respect. And I will acknowledge that it was possible that I pursued people I thought were interested in me and invaded their personal space and made them feel uncomfortable in the process.”

While there could be more allegations, and even higher-profile ones, in the upcoming weeks, the birth of the #SpeakingOut movement is one of the most important things to ever happen to the world of professional wrestling. In an industry that prides itself on evolving from a product standpoint, evolution behind the scenes is just as important, if not more so. That evolution happened in 2006 when WWE instituted its strictest drug testing policy to date shortly after the death of former WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero. It happened again in 2015 when WWE listened to its fans and began treating its female performers on the same level as its male counterparts, leading to the Women’s Revolution and the first all-female Wrestlemania main event.

This, however, is an even bigger moment for the industry. This isn’t something WWE or any other company can fix on its own. This is a change to the culture of professional wrestling that needs to be felt in every corner of the industry. There are areas of professional wrestling that remain toxic and should not be tolerated.

The #SpeakingOut movement has empowered many women and men to stand up and say they’re sick and tired of making excuses for and hiding the abuse they received. That is something they should all be proud of. It’s also caused others in the industry with a platform to stand by those who are speaking their truths, including WWE Smackdown Women’s and Women’s Tag Team Champion Bayley, WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, WWE Smackdown Tag Team Champions Big E and Kofi Kingston, and NXT North American Champion Keith Lee.

Professional wrestling isn’t going to go away, but this new evolution will help it to become a safer place for those that populate it in the future. People, both inside and outside of the industry, are stating clearly that there is no room in wrestling for abusers and predators and that’s something that should make every wrestling fan hopeful for the future of the sport.

Pokémon: The Isle of Armor Review

While it may be surprising to see DLC in a Pokémon game for the first time, Sword and Shield’s Expansion Pass is definitely preferable to its traditional model of following up the latest game with another full-price version just to deliver some new content and a few improvements. The Isle of Armor, the Expansion Pass’s first of two bundled DLC additions, provides an entertaining reason to revisit the Galar region with over 100 returning Pokemon (plus a few new ones) and an enjoyable new Wild Area. But this island getaway is otherwise pretty bare bones and disappointingly brief.

Like the free-roaming Wild Area in the main Sword and Shield campaign, The Isle of Armor’s is complete with an excess of untamed Pokémon wandering around, dozens of dens for Max Raid Battles, and plenty of items to find and collect. Without the usual Gym structure (or even linear Routes), this DLC’s main quest line instead has you running missions throughout its open space – it’s much more freeform than the usual Pokémon experience, which feels like a natural and not unwelcome progression after the first Wild Area showed how well an “open world” Pokémon could potentially work, even if the story here is too fleeting to really savor it.

While it may not be as big as the original Wild Area in overall acreage, The Isle of Armor more than makes up for it in its diversity and in how well it uses the space. You’ll find tangled forests filled with Tangela and oceans where Sharpedo’s pursue you with frightening speed. Even if it can all be seen in a few short hours, it’s undoubtedly an entertaining trek that does a great job of making the world feel alive and more fleshed out than the Wild Area from the base game.

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The Isle of Armor unfortunately doesn’t mark the return of the complete National Pokédex, but it does significantly expand the Pokémon available in Sword and Shield with more than 100 returning pocket monsters. It’s a great selection, including some sorely needed additions like Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and most of all: Lickilicky, which is obviously the best Pokémon ever conceived.

Quick Ball

Unfortunately, Isle of Armor doesn’t use its new, lovingly crafted area very effectively, as the DLC’s campaign amounts to just a few short missions that can be finished in a couple hours, most of which are uninspired fetch quests. You’ll run around looking for mushrooms and fighting off Slowpoke on a decidedly low stakes adventure that feels like a fairly by-the-numbers RPG side quest. There are certainly some highlights, like the part where you need to befriend and level up the brand new and pretty darn lovable Kubfu to unlock one of its two legendary evolutions. But it all feels very shallow with no real narrative holding it together, and Pokemon in the wild almost universally capping out at level 60 means anyone who has beaten the base game will be able to breeze through the whole thing like I did.

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It also doesn’t help that one of the DLC’s chief characters, your new rivals (Klara for Sword players, and Avery for Shield), are both incredibly annoying and written off largely as a punchline rather than anything resembling a real threat. The other two major characters, a dojo master named Mustard, and his wife Honey, are amusing, but don’t get enough time in the spotlight to really shine.

That said, Isle of Armor introduces a few new mechanics that do a lot to break the mold of Sword and Shield in positive ways. A welcome item called Max Soup allows you to Gigantimax your Pokémon even if they weren’t caught in a Max Raid Battle. A surprising new base-building mechanic lets you upgrade Mustard’s dojo by spending Watts, unlocking helpful new services and items. And of course, there are plenty of cool new cosmetics, like clothes and bicycle skins.

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Sadly, there isn’t a ton left to do once the campaign is over, aside from catching the island’s plentiful returning Pokémon – though you’ll now be able to do that with the Pokémon of your choice following you around the DLC areas, which is a nice cosmetic reward earned by progressing through the story. One of the main draws is Restricted Sparring, a challenging endgame mode that pits three of your Pokémon of the same type against five opposing trainers in a row (and then an endless onslaught of them after that) – it’s a creative new format, but is only appealing if you’re looking to earn BP for the Battle Tower. There’s also a boring side quest where you run around looking for 151 Digletts buried in the ground that’s nightmarishly tedious, and hardly worth the various Alolan versions of Pokémon you get as a reward.

New To Amazon Prime Video In July 2020: More Movies, TV Shows, And Originals

Coming to the streaming service Amazon Prime Video for the month of July are plenty of movies, TV shows, and even some original programming to keep you entertained. Check out everything new arriving in July 2020 on the service below, along with a few recommendations.

The majority of Amazon’s content drops on July 1. That day you can watch the horror movie The Eye, which is an American remake of the Chinese cult classic. Jessica Alba stars as a blind woman who gets an eye transplant and begins to see ghosts. While the American version wasn’t a huge hit, you can watch that before checking out The Eye 2. The followup film is directed by the Pang Brothers and is a story about a pregnant woman who gains the ability to see ghosts.

If you’re into a movie starring Ice Cube and Jennifer Lopez that features Jon Voight taking them hostage while trying to hunt and kill a ridiculously large snake, then you’ll probably want to check out Anaconda on July 1. While that is a very specific “want,” who doesn’t want to see Anaconda for the 100th time?

On July 24, comedian Jim Gaffigan has a new comedy special called “Pale Tourist.” During his global tour of the same name, Gaffigan took his experiences in other countries, learning about people’s cultures, and made that into stand-up sets specific to each country he visited. The two comedy specials that launch this day see Gaffigan in Spain and Canada.

Below, you’ll find everything coming to Amazon Prime Video in July. If you’re looking for more streaming news, check out everything coming to Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ for July.

Coming to Amazon Prime Video in July:

July 1

  • 52 Pick-Up (1986)
  • Ali (2001)
  • An Eye For An Eye (1966)
  • Anaconda (1997)
  • Big Fish (2003)
  • Bug (1975)
  • Buried (2010)
  • Cold War (2013)
  • Edge Of Darkness (2010)
  • Flashback (1990)
  • Hitch (2005)
  • Hollowman (2000)
  • Iron Eagle IV – On The Attack (1999)
  • Megamind (2010)
  • Midnight In Paris (2011)
  • Nick And Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008)
  • Panic Room (2002)
  • Phase IV (1974)
  • Pineapple Express (2008)
  • Rabbit Hole (2010)
  • Sliver (1993)
  • Spanglish (2004)
  • Starting Out In The Evening (2007)
  • The Bounty (1984)
  • The Devil’s Rejects (2005)
  • The Eye (2008)
  • The Eye 2 (2004)
  • The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)
  • The Inevitable Defeat Of Mister & Pete (2013)
  • Antiques Roadshow: Season 17 (PBS Living)
  • Arthur: Season 1 (PBS Kids)
  • Bates Around the World: Season 1 (UP Faith & Family)
  • Beyond the Pole: Season 1 (Urban Movie Channel)
  • Frankie Drake Mysteries: Season 1 (PBS Masterpiece)
  • Hidden: Season 1 (Acorn TV)
  • Instinto: Season 1 (Pantaya)
  • Lego City Adventures: Season 1
  • Lone Ranger: Season 1 (Best Westerns Ever)
  • Modus: Season 1 (PBS Masterpiece)
  • Public Enemy: Season 1 (Sundance Now)
  • Suits: Season 9
  • The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet: Season 1 (Best TV Ever)

July 3

  • Hanna: Season 2 – Amazon Original Series

July 6

  • The Fosters: Seasons 1-5

July 7

  • The Tourist (2010)

July 11

  • Vivarium (2020)

July 15

  • Shakuntala Devi: The Human Computer (2020)
  • The Weekend (2019)

July 17

  • Absentia: Season 3 – Amazon Original Series

July 19

  • Marianne & Leonard: Words Of Love (2019)

July 24

  • Radioactive (2019) – Amazon Original Movie
  • If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
  • Jim Gaffigan: Pale Tourist – Amazon Original Special

July 27

  • Good Deeds (2012)

July 29

  • Animal Kingdom: Season 4

Now Playing: Best Shows And Movies To Stream For June 2020 – Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, Disney+, Shudder

Insomniac Games Responds To Allegations Of Workplace Sexual Harassment

Insomniac Games has responded to allegations that it protected multiple “sexual predators” in response to a claim from a former employee. The Marvel’s Spider-Man developer tweeted that it had taken “numerous steps to address” the allegations.

“We were aware of the allegations made in a former employee’s tweets today and had taken numerous steps to address them. For legal and privacy reasons we will not respond to individual allegations about specific former employees,” the company wrote. “We are a workplace family that has actively promoted diversity, inclusion, representation and equality for our entire existence. We will continue to do so every single day.”

The response comes less than two hours after former Insomniac Games employee Sol Brennan, who worked there as a technical director between 2016 and 2020, alleged the company treated women poorly and protected three sexual abusers. Insomniac did not address Brennan directly in its response.

Brennan, who is now a senior technical artist at Unity, tweeted a long thread about their experience working at Insomniac.

“I have a list in the double digits of women who were harmed by the actions of this company – some so much so that they declined to speak about it to me at all,” Brennan tweeted. “Insomniac has throttled careers of great women, left them no option but to ‘resign’ and protected sexual predators.”

Brennan’s Twitter thread alleges that Edgar Vargas, a human resources coordinator who no longer works for Insomniac, had harassed them repeatedly and “abused so many others.” Brennan said that Vargas had made several inappropriate comments toward them and that he was eventually fired for dating an intern.

Multiple current and former Insomniac employees have come out in support of Brennan. Dahlia Hegab, a user experience researcher, wrote that she was “one of those women and I’m still suffering from my time there.” Xavier Coelho-Kostolny, a 3D character artist, wrote that all of what Brennan wrote is true and that “it sucks it has to be said.”

This story about Insomniac comes alongside a wave of testimonies from dozens of game developers (male, female, and non-binary) about abuse within the game industry. Brennan went on to say that they believe their career, along with the careers of several others, were “throttled” after speaking up about Vargas and other workplace issues.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Brennan wrote. “I have so many more incidents that broke me down over time. Last year was definitely the worst for it.”

Shiren The Wanderer 5 Coming To Nintendo Switch and PC With New Dungeons

The fifth entry in the Shiren the Wanderer retro RPG series, the Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate, is coming to Nintendo Switch and PC in 2020. The game was originally released exclusively on the PS Vita in North America in 2016.

Developer Spike Chunsoft announced that the port is enhanced with exclusive new dungeons. The game features retro-style graphics and roguelike gameplay. The original Shiren the Wanderer game was the sequel to the first Mystery Dungeon game, which has spawned a number of licensed spinoffs, including the Pokemon: Mystery Dungeon series.

The announcement came during the New Game+ Expo, where Western release dates for Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV and Ys IX: Monstrum Nox were also announced.

GameSpot has officially kicked off Play For All–a celebration of all things gaming. Join us as we bring you the summer’s hottest news, previews, interviews, features, and videos, as well as raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts and Black Lives Matter with the help of our friends from around the gaming world. Check out the Play For All schedule for more.

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Big Hades Update Out Now–The Final One Before The Game’s 1.0 Launch

Supergiant Games has released a new update for Hades and it’s one of the game’s largest to date. In both the full patch notes and trailer for the update, Supergiant reveals that this will be Hades’ final update in early access–there will be one more follow-up patch “to address any lingering issues” but the next full update will be the official launch of the game.

This latest update adds a boss fight, hidden forms for certain weapons, enemies, mini-bosses, boons, and new types of upgrades to Hades. It also implements new art and visual effects, such as updated character models and animations, as well as more story events to play through. You can see a lot of these additions in the update’s new trailer, which is embedded below.

The patch notes for this latest update are a doozy. We’ve listed out the full notes below for anyone looking to scroll through it all.

Supergiant hasn’t yet announced a release date for Hades v1.0, the official launch of the game. However, the developer has revealed that the game will launch in the latter half of 2020, so we can at least expect Hades to exit early access sometime in July through December.

Hades June 23 Update Patch Notes

Engine & Tech

  • Updated our code base for improved performance and compatibility. The game should now run on more PCs above the minimum system requirement, and run faster for most players.
  • Note: Please make sure to update your graphics drivers to the latest version to take advantage of these improvements! If you cannot start the game, or experience worsened performance relative to past versions, please reach out to us at discord.gg/Supergiant and we will work with you to get it resolved.

General Gameplay

  • Upgraded Chthonic Key rewards grant Fated Authority even while using Routine Inspection (Pact)
  • Hell Mode no longer forces you to play at escalating Heat levels
  • Slightly reduced base chance Olympians offering Duo Boons (now that there are many more of them)

Infernal Arms, Aspects, & Abilities

  • Heart-Seeking Bow (Rama Aspect): new! Seek Artemis to reveal it (unlock Guan Yu and Bow aspects first)
  • Shield of Chaos (Beowulf Aspect): new! Seek Chaos to reveal it (unlock Guan Yu and Shield aspects first)
  • Adamant Rail (L—— Aspect): new! Seek Zeus to reveal it (unlock Guan Yu and Rail aspects first)
  • Stygian Blade (Arthur Aspect): improved hit box on second swing in the Attack sequence
  • Eternal Spear (Guan Yu Aspect): slightly reduced Throw special width and damage

Boons & Blessings

  • Each Olympian now offers a new, alternate Cast Boon while you have Aspect of Beowulf (Shield)
  • Lightning Reflexes (Zeus): new! Dash just before being hit to counter-attack with a lightning bolt
  • Smoldering Air (Zeus x Aphrodite): new! Your God Gauge charges up automatically, but caps at 25%
  • Rip Current (Poseidon): new! Makes Poseidon’s Aid last longer and pull foes in
  • Hydraulic Might (Poseidon): new! Your Attack and Special are briefly stronger at the start of Encounters
  • Unshakable Mettle (Poseidon x Athena): new! You can’t be stunned, and resist damage from bosses
  • Curse of Drowning (Poseidon x Ares): new! Your Cast is a pulse that deals damage to foes around you
  • Parting Shot (Athena x Aphrodite): new! Your Cast deals backstab damage and gains related bonuses
  • Spent Spirit (Athena x Aphrodite): now from Athena x Dionysus, called Calculated Risk
  • Stubborn Roots (Athena x Demeter): new! While you have no Death Defiance, your health regenerates
  • Blood Frenzy (Ares): new! After using Death Defiance, deal more damage in that Encounter
  • Dire Misfortune (Ares): increased power level
  • Ares’ Aid: reduced duration; increased damage to compensate
  • Curse of Nausea (Ares x Dionysus): new! Your Hangover effects deal damage faster
  • Freezing Vortex (Ares x Demeter): new! Your Cast inflicts Chill, but is smaller and slower
  • Blown Kiss (Aphrodite): new! Your Cast shoots farther and is stronger against undamaged foes
  • Cold Embrace (Aphrodite x Demeter): new! Your Cast beam fires at your position, dealing more damage
  • Curse of Longing (Aphrodite x Ares): increased damage
  • Dual Shot (Artemis): now a Duo, called Mirage Shot (Poseidon x Artemis)
  • Support Fire (Artemis): reduced scaling from Poms
  • Fully Loaded (Artemis): reduced bonus Cast ammo; adjusted requirements for this to be offered
  • Splitting Headache (Artemis x Dionysus): new! Hangover-afflicted foes more likely to take Critical damage
  • Strong Drink (Dionysus): new! Using Fountains restores all your health and gives you bonus damage
  • Glacial Glare (Demeter): new! Your Cast fires for a longer duration and inflicts Chill
  • Frozen Touch (Demeter): new! after taking damage, damage and completely Chill your foe
  • Arctic Blast (Demeter): reduced effectiveness
  • Winter’s Harvest (Demeter): adjusted requirements for this to be offered
  • Quick Favor (Hermes): new! Your God Gauge slowly charges up automatically
  • Side Hustle (Hermes): new! Gain some money each time you enter a chamber
  • Rush Delivery (Hermes): new! Deal bonus damage based on any bonus move speed
  • Halting (Chaos): new! Your Dash has reduced range
  • Brilliance (Chaos): new! Any Gemstones you find are worth more
  • Assault (Chaos): new! Deal bonus damage striking undamaged foes
  • Ambush (Chaos): new! Deal bonus damage striking foes from behind
  • Ruin (Chaos): new! Traps deal bonus damage to foes

Daedalus Hammer Upgrades

  • Hoarding Slash (Blade): new! Your Attack deals more damage the more money you have
  • Snap Nova (Blade): new! You lunge forward when you use your Special; use again to lunge back
  • Greater Consecration (Blade – Arthur Aspect): new! Your Special aura is larger and makes foes slower
  • Concentrated Volley (Bow): new! Your Special deals bonus damage for each consecutive hit to a foe
  • Point-Blank Shot (Bow): Added back to the game; makes your Attack deal bonus damage to nearby foes
  • Repulse Shot (Bow – Rama Aspect): new! Your Attack creates a Blast Wave that knocks away nearby foes
  • Flaring Spin (Spear): new! While charging your Spin Attack, you pulse damage and cannot be stunned
  • Triple Jab (Spear): new! Your Attack strikes 3 times in a spread pattern
  • Winged Serpent (Spear – Guan Yu Aspect): new! Your Serpent Slash ability travels longer
  • World Smasher (Shield): cut from game
  • Empowering Flight (Shield): new! After your Special hits, your next 3 attacks deal bonus damage
  • Ferocious Guard (Shield): new! After blocking a foe, briefly gain bonus damage and move speed
  • Dashing Flight (Shield): new! While you Dash, your Throw special is faster and deals more damage
  • Unyielding Defense (Shield – Beowulf Aspect): new! After using your Cast, you briefly cannot be stunned
  • Kinetic Launcher (Fists): new! Your Cutter special becomes a charged ranged attack
  • Heavy Knuckle (Fists): new! Your Attack becomes a stronger, slower 3-hit sequence
  • Colossus Knuckle (Fists): new! You cannot be stunned while using your Attack or Special
  • Consecutive Fire (Rail): cut from game
  • Spread Fire (Rail): now has a penalty to max. ammo again; reduced damage and area of effect
  • Inescapable Blast (Rail): now also causes foes to take more damage; now called Targeting System
  • Seeking Fire (Rail): new! Your Attack seeks the nearest foe and deals bonus damage
  • Concentrated Fire (Rail): new! Successive shots against the same foe deal more damage
  • …Plus 4 new Daedalus Hammer Upgrades unique to the Rail’s new L—— Aspect

Foes & Encounters

  • Thanatos: increased rate of attack for his single-target Death Sentence
  • ‘Trial of the Gods’: increased frequency and tracking of Artemis attacks; increased frequency and quantity of Dionysus attacks
  • Wringer: new! This Tartarus foe grabs and briefly stuns you
  • Wretched Sneak: new! This Tartarus mini-boss is elusive and deadly
  • Doomstone: new! This Tartarus mini-boss is what Brimstones want to be when they grow up
  • Bloodless Slam-Dancers, Wave-Makers, and Burn-Flingers no longer appear as Tartarus mini-bosses
  • Megaera: ground blast attacks detonate slightly faster
  • The Fury Sisters: increased health and attack speed under Extreme Measures (Pact)
  • The Bloodless: improved leaping behavior for all varieties
  • Wave-Maker: reduced Elite health and armor
  • Bloodless Bone-Raker: new! This Asphodel foe attacks with consecutive swipes
  • Dracon: new! This Asphodel foe burrows and uses ranged attacks
  • Witches Circle: new! This Asphodel mini-boss encounter pits you against elite Spreaders
  • Gorgon: increased Elite armor and firing sequence
  • Skull-Crusher: slightly increased the duration the Elite version stays on the ground
  • Bone Hydra: reworked; the main head now has 4 new variants you may encounter instead of the original, each with their own attacks (based on what the smaller heads can do)
  • Elysian Spear Trap: now link their attacks whenever one is activated
  • The Exalted: increased damage for Brightswords, Greatshields, and Strongbows
  • The Minotaur: slightly reduced turn speed on Bull Rush attack; updated various other attacks
  • Theseus: reduced damage of explosive attack under Extreme Measures (Pact)
  • Fixed Styx Poison effects sometimes not clearing after an Encounter

Mirror of Night

  • Family Favorite: slightly reduced effectiveness; you now can see your current bonus from it in Boon Info
  • Olympian Legacy: moved to be the counterpart to Gods’ Pride; now called Gods’ Legacy; reduced the max. benefit this could provide (now that there are many more Duos; invested Darkness will be refunded)
  • Dark Regeneration: slightly reduced max. benefit

Keepsakes

  • Companion Antos ( ? ? ? ): new Legendary Keepsake! Summons ? ? ? to skewer your foes
  • Companion Rib (Skelly): summoned companion no longer auto-locked using Aim Assist
  • Shattered Shackle (Sisyphus): reworked; your basic moves are stronger while not empowered by Boons

Well of Charon & Other Items

  • Anvil of Fates: new! Removes one random Daedalus Hammer enchantment, then gives you two
  • Mystery Boon: new! Gives you a Boon from a random Olympian; costs less than a Boon
  • Pom Slice: new! Gives a random Boon •1 Lv.; costs less than Pom
  • Gaea’s Treasure: new! Provides some Gemstones.
  • Centaur Soul: new! Raises life total (without healing).
  • Price of Midas: new! Provides some money, in exchange for some life.
  • Chimaera Jerky: new! Your Special deals more damage.
  • Fateful Twist: new! You gain a random item from the Well of Charon.
  • Nemesis Crest: new! You deal more damage striking foes from behind.
  • Eris Bangle: new! You deal more damage to undamaged foes.
  • Nail of Talos: new! You deal more damage against armor.
  • Aether Net: new! You start Encounters with your God Gauge partly full.
  • Stygian Shard: new! Traps deal significantly more damage to your foes.
  • Skeletal Lure: new! Guarantee a Fishing Point at the next possible location
  • Night Spindle: new! Gain •1 use of your Chthonic Companion
  • Flame Wheels Release: new! Guarantee Flame Wheels will not appear
  • Kiss of Styx: now only offered if you are missing a Death Defiance charge
  • Charon sometimes sells Gemstones (only when he would have offered Darkness, Chthonic Keys, or Nectar)

Pact of Punishment

  • Routine Inspection: no longer prevents getting Fated Authority charges during an escape attempt
  • Forced Overtime: added foe-specific limitations in cases where this was particularly unfair…
  • Benefits Package: reduced how much bonus Armor could be provided by the Bruiser Perk

House Contractor

  • Added dozens of new jobs to order with your hard-earned Gemstones and Diamonds, such as…
  • Bat Cage, All-Seeing: survey the entire House with these specially-trained reconnaissance bats
  • Aquarium, Cubical: since all those river-denizens you’re procuring out there do need a place to live…
  • Sundial, Imported: surely this will settle the mystery of whether it is day or night at any given point…
  • Gallery Paintings, Landscapes, and Portraits: revamped gallery space with bigger, bolder images
  • Darker Thirst: speaking of hard-earned Gemstones, this new upgrade lets you hard-earn them faster
  • Downgraded the poor House Contractor’s work desk, even after all that (though you can upgrade it)

Fated List of Minor Prophecies

  • Divided by Death: new! Help settle a difficult matter between Achilles and the Fallen Warrior
  • The Preserver’s Avatar: new! Bring the Aspect of Rama to the surface
  • The Dragon’s Rival: new! Bring the Aspect of Beowulf to the surface
  • The Dawn Bringer: new! Bring the Aspect of L—— to the surface
  • Amusing Chaos: new! Vanquish the Final Boss bearing the Cosmic Egg
  • Sea-God’s Spite: new! Vanquish Theseus using Extreme Measures (Pact) for Poseidon
  • War-God’s Bloodlust: new! Slay how many foes for Ares?
  • Customer Loyalty: new! Purchase each of Charon’s goods
  • A Friendly Wager: new! Prevail in a certain battle twice without failing for Hermes
  • Updated requirements to fulfill several other Prophecies (won’t affect you if you’ve already fulfilled them)

Permanent Record & Security Log

  • The Security Log now shows your Mirror and Pact configuration per escape attempt

Level Design & Environments

  • Added new chambers to Tartarus, Asphodel, Elysium, and the Temple of Styx
  • Updated the layout of Charon’s shops to make room for a certain item that appears from time to time…
  • Other minor fixes and improvements to various chambers

Art & Visual FX

  • Updated main menu based on new Major Update
  • Added new portrait and character model for Charon
  • Added new portrait variant for the Fallen Warrior
  • Added new portrait variant for Zagreus
  • Added new character models for Achilles, Orpheus, Sisyphus, and Skelly
  • Added new animations for Achilles, Sisyphus, Hypnos, Nyx, and more
  • Updated Bone Hydra look and animations; each type of head is more distinct
  • Updated artwork and visual effects in various chambers
  • Updated visual presentation making contact with Olympians
  • Updated visual presentation initiating Trials of the Gods
  • Updated the Tartarus Overlook in the House Courtyard
  • Updated various other assets in the House of Hades, such as the Prince’s Wall-Scrolls
  • Added visual effects dashing from the Pool of Styx in the House of Hades
  • Added a unique chamber preview icon for the transitional chambers between regions
  • Added visual effect for the appearance of Duo and Legendary Boons
  • Added new look variations for some types of information panels (e.g. forging bonds with characters)
  • Updated visual effect for enhanced rewards
  • Updated Skelly’s animations using Companion Rib
  • Updated visual effects for equippable Infernal Arms in the Courtyard
  • Updated the look of the Mirror of Night object in the Prince’s Bedchambers
  • Updated the look of the Underworld Map
  • Updated the look of Chaos’ Boon
  • Updated the look of Inspect Points
  • Updated the look of selection indicator in some menu screens
  • Improved visual effects when striking armored foes
  • Improved some visual effects on the Fury Sisters
  • Improved presentation fulfilling Prophecies about bringing Legendary Aspects to the surface
  • Improved presentation buying out Sealed Documents from the House Contractor
  • Improved look of going through chamber exits in the Temple of Styx
  • Many other visual fixes and improvements

Menus & UI

  • Improved messaging and feedback in the Pause menu when choosing between Quit and Give Up
  • Updated some formatting on the Keepsake Screen
  • Some powers with range-specific bonuses show an indicator on their aim previews
  • Fixed Underworld Map showing mystery rewards after clearing the highest Heat level for rewards
  • Improved feedback on successful Backstab attacks
  • Updated feedback activating Ruthless Reflex (Mirror) (enhanced the visual, removed the text)
  • Added Info button on the Pact screen for a reminder about how it works
  • Updated presentation when new Boons and other powers are added to the sidebar
  • Updated some tooltips on the Mirror of Night
  • Added improved error messaging if auto-save fails for any reason
  • Other minor fixes, changes, and improvements

Music & SFX

  • Added a new music track for a certain new encounter…
  • Added many new sound effects to various contexts (such as the new foes and Legendary Aspects)
  • Updated sound effects for Theseus and The Minotaur
  • Updated sound effects for the Final Boss
  • Updated sound effects using the barges in Asphodel
  • Updated impact sounds on foes (so they are distinct from impact sounds on the player)
  • Updated interact sounds for each Olympian Boon and some other rewards
  • Updated some sound effects while using the Rod of Fishing
  • Updated audio presentation for Olympian Aid effects
  • Fixed some Asphodel obstacles missing impact sounds
  • Minor improvements to Eurydice song scripting after completing her subplot with Orpheus
  • Other minor changes, fixes, and mix improvements

Voice & Narrative

  • Added many new narrative events, some for nearly every character (with roughly 3,500 new voice lines!)
  • Extended Affinity Gauges for Achilles, Cerberus, Charon, Poseidon, Hypnos, Hermes, Athena, Ares, Dionysus, and the Fallen Warrior (you can give them more gifts)
  • Added Duo Boon interactions for all Olympian pairings that didn’t already have them
  • Added many, many new Zagreus voice lines to various contexts for additional variety
  • Added Codex entries for various new Perilous Foes and Artifacts, plus a new Fable
  • Added a number of new Inspect Points to new chambers and some House Contractor items
  • Updated dozens of older Zagreus voice lines for performance consistency
  • Updated Codex entries for Achilles and the Fallen Warrior
  • Added still another new Early Access Ending variant
  • Spurned Olympians will speak over the death presentation if you perish during a Trial of the Gods
  • Chaos will speak over the death presentation if you perish after taking damage from a curse
  • Added emote animations and other minor improvements to various narrative events
  • Updated requirements and other minor changes to various narrative events
  • Fixes and tuning to various contextual voice events

New Settings

  • Added Bright Cursor setting to Settings menu; it can make the mouse cursor easier to spot
  • Added VSync setting to Display menu; toggling can help improve performance in some cases

Miscellaneous

  • Updated Development Roadmap to reflect our plans for our next v1.0 Launch, slated for later this year
  • Added more translated text content in supported languages (translations are ongoing for newer content)
  • Cloud Saves now supported for the Epic Games Store version of the game
  • Added Community Translators to Credits (Thank you for all your efforts!!)
  • Added more Community Contributors to Credits (We really appreciate your support!!)
  • Reduced minimum system requirement to DirectX 10 (was DirectX 10.1)
  • After Thanatos encounters, he will sometimes teleport toward the chamber exit to get there faster
  • Thanatos now shows an invulnerable effect when struck
  • Reduced requirements to unlock Perilous Foes entries in the Codex
  • Infernal Trove pedestals should interact with projectile attacks more consistently
  • Sisyphus gives more Darkness
  • Added more contextual tips when learning to use the Rod of Fishing
  • The gameplay timer now stops during Thanatos encounters
  • You now can pet Cerberus without having to give him Nectar
  • The Keepsake Screen has unique messages for each character with whom you forge a bond
  • The crowd has more dynamic reactions in the final chamber in Elysium
  • The Head Chef in the House of Hades now cuts onions ceaselessly
  • You now can interact with the Featured House-Servant Wall in the Lounge; more characters eligible
  • You now can interact with the Motivational Wall-scrolls in the Administrative Chamber
  • You now can irritate caged shades in Tartarus
  • Tuned interact distances on some characters and House of Hades objects
  • Removed the shimmering halo on the portrait of Lord Hades (the Olympians can have it)
  • Shades in the House of Hades have more to say
  • •Improved presentation confronting the Tiny Vermin in the Temple of Styx
  • Improved presentation exiting the Administrative Chamber in the House of Hades
  • Updated flavor text on various screens
  • Updated boss nameplates in some encounters
  • Various text fixes, updates, and clarifications

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed Aphrodite’s Affinity Gauge sometimes not unlocking as intended
  • Fixed an issue where Black Out (Dionysus) would sometimes not apply its damage bonus
  • Fixed unintended interactions using Aspect of Hera with Auto Reload (Hermes)
  • Fixed an issue where Boon icons could remain stuck onscreen
  • Fixed incorrect icon for Exit Wounds (Artemis)
  • Fixed presentation issues with Boon upgrade feedback while using Rare Crop (Demeter)
  • Fixed an issue preventing situational Chthonic Companion Summon voice lines from playing
  • Fixed minor animation issues with Hypnos and Dusa
  • Many, many, many other minor fixes

Bug Additions

  • Hopefully not too many, thanks to our diligent Beta Testers!

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Trails Of Cold Steel 4 Pre-Order Guide: Release Date, Limited Edition, And Where To Buy

The next game in the Trails of Cold Steel saga is set to release in just a few months, and it will bring the popular JRPG sub-series to a close. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV will launch worldwide for PlayStation 4 on October 27, 2020, with Nintendo Switch and PC ports planned for 2021. The Cold Steel arc, which is part of the Trails series and The Legend of Heroes franchise, kicked off in 2015 (in the US) with the release of Trails of Cold Steel on PS3 and PS Vita, so Trails of Cold Steel IV will give fans a finale that’s been five years in the making. If you can’t wait to get your hands on the game, pre-orders for Trails of Cold Steel IV are live now, and there are a couple of editions with various pricing to consider.

Trails of Cold Steel IV’s story picks up two weeks after the battle at the end of Trails of Cold Steel III, as Juna, Kurt, and Altina awaken to realize Rean has been captured by Chancellor Osborne. Now led by Juna, Class VI sets off to rescue Rean and put an end to Osborne’s plans, which will bring about the end of the world, once and for all. The turn-based gameplay remains the same, although Trails of Cold Steel IV introduces new S-Craft techniques as well as powerful Lost Arts for each character in combat. The game also boasts the largest roster in the series’ history, with returning characters from the Trails in the Sky trilogy and the Crossbell arc.

If you’re ready to pre-order Trails of Cold Steel IV, check out the two editions available to pre-order now below. In the meantime, Trails of Cold Steel III is releasing on Nintendo Switch in just one week, and you can pre-order its physical Extracurricular edition now, which comes with some bonus collectibles.

Trails of Cold Steel IV's Frontline edition is available to pre-order for $60.
Trails of Cold Steel IV’s Frontline edition is available to pre-order for $60.

If you want a physical copy of Trails of Cold Steel IV, the Frontline edition is available for $60 and comes with a copy of the game, a soft-cover art booklet called The Black Records, a digital download of the soundtrack, and a reverse cover sheet. Both the PS4 and Nintendo Switch versions are up for pre-order, but keep in mind the Switch version won’t release until next year.

Pre-order for PS4:

Pre-order for Nintendo Switch:

Trails of Cold Steel IV's Limited edition costs $100, and it's sure to sell out soon.
Trails of Cold Steel IV’s Limited edition costs $100, and it’s sure to sell out soon.

The Trails of Cold Steel IV Limited edition is available exclusively from the NIS America store, and it’s selling out fast, so we recommend grabbing yours soon if interested. It’ll cost you $100 and includes a nice collection of physical goodies:

  • Trails of Cold Steel IV Frontline edition
  • Collector’s box
  • Official game soundtrack
  • The Black Records art book
  • “Ashen Awakener” steelbook
  • “Daybreak” cloth poster
  • Seven art cards

The edition is available for both PS4 and Nintendo Switch, but again, the Switch version won’t ship until next year. You can pre-order now below.

Pre-order for PS4:

Pre-order for Nintendo Switch:

Now Playing: The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Cold Steel 3 – Nintendo Switch Announcement Trailer

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First No More Heroes 3 Gameplay (Kind Of, Sort Of) Revealed During New Game Plus Expo

During the New Game+ Expo livestream, game director Goichi “Suda51” Suda showed off some brand-new gameplay footage of the Nintendo Switch exclusive No More Heroes 3. Unfortunately, getting a good look at the never-before-seen gameplay was a challenge, as Suda obscured the entire sequence.

While discussing the power of video games as an entertainment medium before getting to the NGPX announcements, the screen behind Suda began playing some No More Heroes 3 gameplay. It’s difficult to parse what was on screen, with Suda sitting directly in front of the player’s field of vision. We do see protagonist Travis Touchdown battling a boss, some sort of luminescent robot capable of controlling dimensions. Never once during the approximate two minutes of footage does Suda mention the No More Heroes 3 gameplay going on behind him.

You can check it out below, where Suda also admits that Super Mario Odyssey is still on his backlog.

No More Heroes 3 was revealed during an E3 2019 Nintendo Direct. Though the trailer didn’t show any gameplay, developer Grasshopper Manufacture confirmed that the game will hit Nintendo Switch sometime this year. No official release date or window has been provided as of yet and, aside from this blocked gameplay footage, Grasshopper has remained silent about No More Heroes 3.

GameSpot has officially kicked off Play For All–a celebration of all things gaming. Join us as we bring you the summer’s hottest news, previews, interviews, features, and videos, as well as raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts and Black Lives Matter with the help of our friends from around the gaming world. Check out the Play For All schedule for more.

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Call Of The Sea Is Subtle In How It Uses Next-Gen Power

Revealed during the May Xbox 20/20 showcase of upcoming Xbox Series X games, Call of the Sea is the debut title from Out of the Blue Games. When developing Call of the Sea, Out of the Blue Games co-founder Tatiana Delgado said that the team wanted to specifically “target the next gen” and designed the game to take advantage of the tech afforded by consoles like the Xbox Series X.

“We wanted to target the next gen,” Delgado told USgamer. “As soon as we saw what was possible, we wanted to do it because although we have a stylized, visual style, so it’s not realistic but we wanted to get as much as possible from the graphics side. And I think we can benefit a lot from the next-gen and, we’re kind of different for what you would expect from a next-gen game.”

Delgado added that Call of the Sea takes advantage of next-gen tech in subtle ways that players may not immediately notice–the sheer amount of assets the game manages to fit on-screen at a time, for instance, or the many layers to the lighting. These aren’t features that many players are typically looking at when watching trailers for next-gen games, but they do represent an aspect of the technological jump between console generations.

In response to Epic Games’ reveal of Unreal Engine 5, Delgado said that it “will save a lot of time on the pipelines” for future games.

Call of the Sea is scheduled to release for Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC in Holiday 2020. The game will be available through Xbox Game Pass.

Now Playing: Call Of The Sea Reveal Trailer | Inside Xbox

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