January 9, 20253 min readHeres Why Bad Sleep and Toxic Thoughts Go Hand-in-HandFindings reveal the memory-related brain processes that generate unwanted thoughts when people are sleep deprivedBy Rachel Nuwer edited by Gary Stix Rob Dobi/Getty ImagesImagine you are attending a friends housewarming party, andin front of everyoneyou spill a glass of red wine on their brand-new white couch. You are so mortified that every time you see this friend afterward, you immediately think of the couch mishap.Research has shown that how you react to that unwelcome recollection will depend on how much sleep you get. If youre well rested, your brain will be able to quickly suppress the negative memory. But if you are someone who is plagued by insomnia, then intrusive thoughts about what happenedand the unpleasant emotions attachedwill probably continue to bother you for some time.Now a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA provides insight into what, exactly, goes wrong in the sleep-deprived brain when such unwanted thoughts intrude. This could be an important piece of the puzzle in understanding why it is that people who are chronically sleep-deprived become at high risk of developing mental health problems, says Scott Cairney, an associate professor of psychology at the University of York in England and senior author of the findings.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Cairney and his colleagues showed in an earlier study that sleep deprivation impairs peoples ability to suppress unwanted thoughts. But the team wanted to take those behavioral observations one step further, he says. Whats actually going on under the hood, in the brain, when people are not getting enough sleep?Previous research has demonstrated that the retrieval of memories of past events involves the hippocampus and that of a different part of the brain, the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC), is responsible for suppressing that retrieval process. Cairney and his colleagues hypothesized that sleep deprivation impairs the rDLPFCs ability to slam the breaks on the retrieval processes, he says.To test this, the researchers recruited 85 students. First, the team trained them to associate images of neutral faces with specific scenes, some of which were negative, such as a car crash or a fight. They form a rich connection between the face and the scene, so when you present them with the face in isolation, their brains will automatically engage in a retrieval process, Cairney says.Next, the researchers divided the participants into two groups. One group was made to stay up all night while the other was allowed to sleep in beds in the lab. Participants in the latter group were monitored for how much time they spent in rapid-eye-movement (REM) and non-REM sleep.In the morning all of the participants were shown images of the faces they had been previously trained with, but this time, the participants had to either think about the memory they had been trained to associate with the face or to suppress it. Throughout this task, their brain activity was measured using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner.The results confirmed Cairney and his colleagues hunch. Compared with the participants who had slept, those who had stayed up all night had significantly diminished rDLPFC activity when they were supposed to be suppressing intrusive thoughts. Conversely, activity in their hippocampus was elevated, likely because the rDLPFC was not shutting down the retrieval process it was engaging in. This finding showed that sleep deprivation does not cause a general decline in brain activity, Cairney says, but rather seems to specifically affect certain parts of the brain that are involved in executive function.Out of the participants who had slept the night before, the researchers also found a significant positive correlation between the amount of time they spent in REM sleep and rDLPFC activity, specifically when they were engaging in the memory suppression task. Thats interesting because many disorders associated with debilitating intrusive thoughts, such as depression and PTSD, are also associated with disturbances in REM, Cairney says.The intriguing new study suggests a key role that REM sleep seems to play in maintaining adequate memory control, says Zara Bergstrm, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Kent in England, who was not involved in the work. She adds, however, that it will be necessary for future research to manipulate REM sleep directly to confirm whether it does have a causal role in controlling memories and thoughts.Maria Wimber, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Glasgow, who also was not involved in the research, adds that the new studys findings have real potential to inform therapeutic approaches.Interventions that enhance REM sleep could become part of the therapy for disorders that are characterized by intrusive memories, like post-traumatic stress disorder, she says. This type of response might also be attempted for acute traumaa possible preventive measure to ensure that toxic memories and flashbacks never emerge at all.

BioShock creator expected Irrational Games to continue after his departure, he says, blaming Take-Two for closure"The decision was made at a corporate level."Image credit: Irrational News by Ed Nightingale Deputy News Editor Published on Jan. 9, 2025 BioShock creator Ken Levine wanted developer Irrational Games to continue, and didn't expect publisher Take-Two to shut it down.In 2014 Levine announced he was "winding down" the studio to focus on a "different kind of game", meaning all but 15 Irrational employees were laid off.Now, in an interview with Edge Magazine (thanks GamesRadar), Levine has stated his intention was for Irrational to continue but the decision to close was "made at a corporate level".Judas - Story Trailer PS5 GamesWatch on YouTubeLevine discussed his time at Irrational following the release of BioShock Infinite and how this led to him parting ways with the studio."The closure of Irrational was complicated," he said. "I felt out of my depth in the role. You're this creative person, and all of a sudden, as your vision increases of what you want to do, you have to become a manager, in a way that you don't necessarily have any training or skill in. My mental health was a mess during Infinite. I was stressed out, a lot of personal things were going on in my life at the time, and then my parents both died. I just couldn't do it any more, and I didn't think I had the team's confidence."That's when he left, leaving the studio in the hands of Take-Two."So my intention was to go and say, 'Look, I just need to go start a new thing, and Irrational should continue'," he said. "That's why I didn't maintain the name Irrational. I thought they were going to continue. But it wasn't my company - I sold the company, so I worked for Take-Two, and the studio was theirs."The decision was made at a corporate level that they didn't think they should continue with the studio as a going concern. My feeling was that it probably would have made sense. Take-Two did a BioShock remaster - that would have been a good title for Irrational to get their head around, build a new creative director structure, and then build off of that once they had the confidence to do the next BioShock game. I don't think I was in any state to be a good leader for the team."Levine described trying to make the studio closure "the least painful layoff we could possibly do", but he didn't feel comfortable leading the team when his next project would have a long period of research and development. "The problem is - and you see this problem with big studios - what do you do with 300 people when you're going to have a multiple-year R&D project?" he said.Still, a "good chunk" of laid off developers returned to work on the yet-to-be-revealed next BioShock game.Levine, meanwhile, will this year release Judas with his new studio Ghost Story Games, which he previously described as being built from "narrative Lego".Levine also discussed with Edge the development of BioShock Infinite, which he pushed to make more action-oriented. That led to the Sky-Lines - something he would have developed further in a potential sequel."The problem was that the Sky-Lines were so expensive to build that we couldn't build enough space to support the feature," he said. "The team did a great job of bringing that feature to life - there was just not enough of it in the game for it to really land."If we had done a sequel to Infinite, I think I would have spent more time on that. That thing was built on Unreal Engine 3, which is not an outdoor engine. Sky-Lines were a lot of spit and chewing gum and prayers. Players would be surprised how much of games are put together with spit and chewing gum - even the best ones that have worked really well."Judas was last seen at Sony's PlayStation State of Play this time last year and is yet to receive a firm release date beyond 2025.

Devastating Los Angeles fires shut down Fallout season 2Production suspended as natural disaster spreads.Image credit: Amazon News by Tom Phillips Editor-in-Chief Published on Jan. 9, 2025 Disastrous fires burning across multiple districts of Los Angeles have shut down production across Hollywood, impacting the filming of Fallout season 2 and a raft of other projects.Five people have so far been confirmed to have died and more than 130,000 have been evacuated as the city's worst ever wildfires continue to spread.BBC News reported today that the famous Sunset Boulevard now lies "in ruins", as flames approach the city's iconic Hollywood sign.Last night, Variety reported on the impact of the fires on LA's production industry, with all major studios suspending work. Amazon's Fallout season 2 had been due to film within the Santa Clarita area this week.NBCUniversal, CBS, Disney and Warner Bros. have also shut down their studios, impacting the filming of other shows such as Hacks, Ted, Suits: LA, NCIS, Grey's Anatomy and the Jimmy Kimmel Live show.While in most cases there is no immediate threat to the studios themselves, the LA Fire Department has revoked all filming permits due to air quality being deemed dangerous to health, and the need to keep roads open for emergency vehicles. This week's disaster has prompted criticism of LA's mayor Karen Bass, who recent cut the city's fire department budget, and renewed calls for a greater focus on the impacts of climate change.Production on Fallout's second season began in November, and was due to resume this week after a filming break over Christmas. Fallout's first season was a huge hit when it aired last year, with more than 65 million viewers in its first 16 days - Amazon's second-biggest launch ever, behind The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. A week after its debut, Amazon quickly announced the series would return for more episodes.

Becoming Voss: Bringing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's incredibly punchable bad guy to life with Marios Gavrilis"I have the black belt in trash talk, not in karate."Image credit: Bethesda Interview by Victoria Kennedy News Reporter Published on Jan. 9, 2025 There are bad guys and then there are Bad Guys that you just can't wait to punch in the face. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's Emmerich Voss falls easily into that second category. He's a Nazi, and an especially vile one at that. Voss is so snide and so sure of himself in that greasy, smart arse kind of way. He plays on people's weaknesses and exploits them, allowing him to use (and abuse) others to his advantage. "Nothing is quite so easy to manipulate as an insecure male," he says at one point. And don't get me started on those gestures. Yes, Voss is a very punchable bad guy, and this is a sign of a job well done by Voss' actor, Marios Gavrilis.The Greek Gavrilis was born and raised in Germany, and along with acting and a spot of film producing, he has also been a mainstay on the voice-over and dubbing scene for 20 years. If you ever play Death Stranding in German, the voice you will hear coming from Sam Porter Bridges' lips, that's Gavrilis. He also dubbed Alexios in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Venom in Spider-Man 2 and Dani Rojas in Far Cry 6. As for his live-action work, he has starred in a rather brilliant short film based on social deduction game Among Us, to name but one.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. 9 Awesome Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Easter Eggs & Movie References. Watch on YouTubeWhen Gavrilis first auditioned for the role of Voss, he had no idea where things were heading. The project was shrouded in mystery; code names were used for both the title and its characters. "I never imagined it would be Indiana Jones," he tells me. "I did know though that it was a MachineGames title, and since my character was German, I thought it could be for the new Wolfenstein game." Voss' actor, Marios Gavrilis. | Image credit: Paul ZimmerThe scene Gavrilis was given for his audition was actually Voss' very first introduction in the Great Circle. "I thought 'wow, that's some brilliantly intense written character'. The writing in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, particularly in that scene, is straight up genius."He eventually found out he'd got the part at the end of 2021, and only then was he told the game was an Indiana Jones title, and he was going to be the main adversary to Troy Baker's Indy."I was flabbergasted, I couldn't believe it. Thank God I didn't know that I was auditioning for something that big. I would've probably screwed up the audition big time," Gavrilis says, adding from a psychological point, "it can be an advantage not knowing what you're going in for". This element of the unknown can leave an actor feeling "freer", and therefore allow them to "try out unconventional things" during an audition.For Gavrilis, this sense of freedom saw him put a rather interesting spin on his audition scene. For those unfamiliar with Voss' introduction, the scene in question sees the Nazi leader threatening corrupt Vatican resident Father Ventura by insinuating that, should the priest not comply with his wishes, he'd reveal Ventura's predilection for some very un-celibate kind of behaviour. And, to fully emphasise what exactly it was that Voss was threatening the priest with, Gavrilis used some rather suggestive gestures and facial expressions as well as his speech. "In other words: how do you tell someone you'll expose his love for giving blowjobs without breaking the age ranking and context of Indiana Jones," he says. "If I knew this was Indiana Jones, I would have probably played safe and would've just delivered the line less involved."However, this use of graphic gestures did the job (no pun intended), and they ultimately made it into the game's final cut. Image credit: Bethesda Image credit: Marios GavrilisBut, landing the part was only the beginning. Gavrilis still had to get ready to portray the Great Circle's reprehensible Nazi, now knowing full well the enormity of what was resting on his shoulders."Part of the preparation is, of course, the breakdown of the script and the psychological analysis of the character. There's the ideological part: Voss is not just a follower type of Nazi, he's in the SS, which makes him an offender by conviction, indoctrinated to the bone, totally soaked by the Nazi ideology. However, he has his very own agenda and objectives, and filtering them out was the most pivotal thing in the prep process. What is it that drives him, why is he the way he is?" Gavrilis explains.He always wanted to make sure he found the right voice for Voss, stating the character has a very "distinct" way of speaking. "Voss uses language as a torture tool to intimidate and humiliate his enemies, so I really leaned into arming him up with his greatest and most menacing of weapons - his style of talking." Image credit: BethesdaGavrilis continues: "Besides all the mindset work and behavioral patterns, I also had to find the right tone in terms of the IP. After all, this is an Indiana Jones game, so tonewise and aesthetically, it has to stay true to the realm of the Indiana Jones IP. Of course I rewatched all of the movies, especially Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, as our game chronologically is set between these two, and paid special attention to antagonists like Toht and Belloq. But I did want to add a bit of Klaus Kinski flavour to him in terms of intensity."To keep refining Voss, Gavrilis worked with acting coaches Bernard Hiller and Adrian Gaeta, whom he calls two of the best in the business. "I've been working with them for many years, and they know what kind of qualities of mine I had to bring to the table for Voss," he says. And of course, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's director Tom Keegan played a big role in shaping Voss."Tom Keegan is an absolute mastermind and his vision of Voss was on par with how I envisioned him. Tom knew exactly how to trigger the right approach with the directions he gave." Image credit: MachineGamesGavrilis understood that even though heinous, at the end of the day Voss is still human, and someone who has his own insecurities and emotions weighing on him. "No matter how much Voss is trying to hide all of that in his attempt for total superiority, he can't help it, ultimately it will shine through," Gavrilis reasons. "And as an actor, you have to make him human, otherwise he's just a soulless cartoonish figure. That's the challenge of playing a villain of his kind. There is a fine line between making him a believable and profoundly disturbing antagonist and making him an over-the-top cringy clown nobody takes seriously."But what is it that actually makes Voss such an enticing and standout baddie among other baddies out there? "I think it's his radical and unapologetic nature. He is truly driven. It's the constant switch on a razor's edge between deadpan seriousness and clownery. He has joker-like qualities, almost like a God level troll, a school bully who took shithousery to a whole different level, backing it up with true knowledge and skill," Gavrilis replies."However, he never acts 'clowny' for the sake of cheap entertainment. He uses his clownery to humiliate and degrade his opponents, sticking the finger into their wounds, adding some salt and pepper on top and then stirring everything up. He is so controlling and calculating, that when he does lose control, he's so furious that walls start to shake. I think for the audience, it's always entertaining when someone as untouchable and superior-feeling like Voss loses his shit." Image credit: Marios GavrilisThankfully Gavrilis revels in playing such a deplorable character. "Out of all the great feedback I was fortunate enough to receive, hearing that so many people have violent tendencies towards Voss is probably my favourite compliment," Gavrilis tells me. "I can't cherish acting enough for giving me the opportunity to embrace these kinds of characters and commit to them. Playing the baddies is fun. Period. And they're a great vehicle to express darkness we all carry inside of us just as much as light."So even though Voss is clearly not the character we should be siding with, Gavrilis didn't necessarily approach Voss as 'The Villain' in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. "In his own world, he's the hero of the story, the real Indiana Jones," Gavrilis says of Voss. "You have to fall in love with your character, promote his point of view with reckless abandon, no matter how much you may disagree with him deep down, otherwise you're just playing villainy, you never truly tap into the complexity of who the character really is."Ultimately, that's what acting is about. Don't play that guy, find what resonates with you about him and be that guy. And Voss, after all, is a deeply hurt and unloved soul making up in disastrous ways for his pain. I - thank God - cannot relate to the latter, but I - just like anyone - can for sure relate to having been hurt in life in one way or another. That's the essential matching element you're looking for as an actor to identify with your part."But while Gavrilis immersed himself in the role, he didn't go quite so far as to become a karate expert like Voss. "And thank goodness I didn't. Otherwise we would have never finished our game. I have the black belt in trash talk, not in karate," Gavrilis jokes.On that note, there was actually a discussion among the Great Circle team about how to pronounce 'karate' correctly, and it turns out I have been saying it wrong for 30 plus years. "We had a Japanese assistant director and she was the one telling us the correct way to pronounce it was to stress the last syllable," Gavrilis tells me. "So Voss, in his style, just added some salt and pepper to that, that's all." Image credit: BethesdaGavrilis also fondly remembers the time spent with his cast mates away from the camera, remarking on the chemistry they shared both on and off screen. He tells me about one particular evening with the late Tony Todd, who plays Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's formidable giant Locus. Todd passed away in November of last year, a month before the Great Circle came out.Gavrilis, who was the only member of the main cast to not have any major international credits to his name, recalls how much "love and support" Todd gave to him from the very beginning. On one of the actors' days off, Gavrilis and Todd decided to go to a club, but were turned away by the bouncers who took their tiredness as a sign of one too many drinks."Tony took it personally. He pulled out his 'Do you know who I am?'card, asking the bouncers if they had seen Candyman. Everyone started laughing," he tells me. In the end, however, the twosome decided to just go for drinks in their hotel. "We had a blast that evening. We - I - miss him deeply. I'm glad MachineGames dedicated the game to him."He was something else."I ask Gavrilis if there is a specific behind the scenes moment from the Great Circle that stands out, and he tells me about the time he was struck down with Covid, but as is often the way with these things, work had to continue. Of course, the team and Gavrilis weren't about to put others at risk of becoming ill, so he stayed put while everyone else made their way to the set. But what to do with Voss? He is, after all, a rather key player in the Great Circle's narrative. Thankfully, stunt man Nicklas Hansson saved the day and stepped in for Gavrilis."Meanwhile, I was at home in front of my laptop connected via Zoom with Stockholm and looking through a set camera onto what was going on," Gavrilis recalls. "I gave Niklas instructions on how I would like him to move and turn as Voss. I had a mic and I did the voice-over while Niklas was doing the physical part simultaneously." Everyone else on set, including the actors, continued on as normal, but with Voss' lines booming out of speakers "like some voice of God type of thing". Gavrilis laughs, "it was quite surreal".Surreal it may well have been, but it worked, and "Niklas nailed it" Gavrilis says. "That was the ending sequence of the game. When I was back in Sweden, we shot the part again only with my face being performance-captured. So what you see and hear in the last scene is my facial expressions and of course my voice, but it's Niklas body movement."As for what's next for Gavrilis now Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is out in the wild, he is looking forward to telling more stories across games and films. In the meantime, however, he is "very happy that the mother, or shall I say father of all adventure sagas, is back in gaming" once more. "It was about time," Gavrilis says.And I will tip my fedora to that.

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Contents hide The Call of Duty franchise has become a staple of gaming. Its annual release sells millions of copies and often tops the charts shortly after launch. While some instalments have astronomical budgets to ensure success, others dont have the additional funding to keep the momentum rolling throughout the cycle.Whether its Modern Warfare or Black Ops, Call of Duty continues to cement its position as one of the most popular first-person shooters on the market with each edition managing to raise the high bar set by its predecessor. With 2025 in full swing, a Call of Duty many consider to be the best of all has cracked the top 15 bestselling games of all time.Black Ops 3 breaks new recordsThe game that has managed to join some elite company is Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. Released in 2015 and developed by Treyarch, Black Ops 3 features everything ranging from wall-running to game-changing Specialist abilities that can turn the tide of a match in your favour.Since 2015, Black Ops 3 has gone on to sell a total of 43 million copies putting it 800,000 away from surpassing the total sales of Nintendos hugely successful Wii Fit. The third Black Ops game still has a way to overtake the likes of Mario Kart 8 and Minecraft which sits at the top of the list with 300 million copies sold since its 2011 launch.For many, Black Ops 3 is regarded as one of the most complete Call of Duty games despite stepping away from the boots-on-the-ground formula. The fluid movement mechanics combined with excellent multiplayer map design and an addicting Zombies mode kept casual and competitive fans coming back for more.Where are other CoDs?Right behind Black Ops 3 is the 2019 reboot of the Modern Warfare series developed by Infinity Ward. Selling 41 million copies since launch, the game bought about the launch of Warzone which continues to attract millions into the action.As interest in Call of Duty continues to peak and trough, fans will always head back to their favourites and for many, Black Ops 3 holds that place as the best Call of Duty ever made. Only time will tell if other entries in Activisions shooter series can join it towards the top of the charts.For more CoD intel, check out the best AMES 85 loadout along with the best controller settings to ensure your shots always hit the target. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3Platform(s):PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox OneGenre(s):Action, First Person, Shooter8VideoGamerRelated TopicsCall of Duty: Black Ops 3 Subscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereBungies Destiny 2 has been struggling as of late to keep players engaged. Following The Final Shape, player counts have been plummeting with no sign of improvement.Following the release of Revenant Act 3, the games latest content drop, fans have grown tired of Bungies storytelling as the long-running series continues to repeat the same familiar beats.Fans hate Destiny 2s repetitive storyAfter finishing the new Destiny 2 Revenant Act 3 content, fans took to various social medias to complain about the updates grind, new bugs and the overall story of the new content.Spoilers AheadOn the Destiny 2 subreddit, players expressed upset at Bungies writing for Revenant Act 3. Alongside Mithrax having his entire multi-year character development ripped from him in a single mission, players are tired of Bungies constant attempts to give characters a redemption arc.Eramis, a treacherous villain that has been a constant cause of suffering in Destiny, has now been given their own redemption arc. Despite fans despising the character, the story has crowbarred in a forced redemption that fans have not sat well with.I would be okay with redemption arcs if they actually put in the work to earn it, one fan explained after finishing the new content. Eramis has not shown an ounce of introspection or changed behavior.Not every character needs a f*****g redemption arc, one particularly upset fan said. Especially one so viscerally hated by almost the entire community the story feels like its been ripped from a sh***y anime with 30-50 word long titles.Eramis redemption has been a particular sore point for long-returning fans of the game. While fans fought the beast in Beyond Light, theyve also been waiting for a rematch to finally end them once and for all. Well, thats not happening.For more coverage on Bungies live service shooter, read about how Destiny 3 isnt happening or that the studio is allegedly going to charge for Marathon on release.Destiny 2Platform(s):Google Stadia, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Web, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/XGenre(s):Action, Adventure, First Person, Massively Multiplayer, Shooter8VideoGamerRelated TopicsDestiny 2 Subscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Contents hide Marvel Rivals has quickly established itself as the most popular hero shooter on the market, and its no surprise as the game is a lot of fun, along with the fact it features stylish and excellent portrayals of Earths mightiest superheroes. The release date and time countdown for when Marvel Rivals Season 1 will start is nearly over, and fans will soon be treated to the addition of a new mode, some more maps, and the debut of the Fantastic Four. There is a lot arriving with Season 1. There is a brand new battle pass full of rewards, and there are also buffs and nerfs for an assortment of heroes. In addition, NetEase are fixing an issue that has resulted in heroes being nerfed by FPS problems, and they are also delivering a solution for mouse acceleration issues. NetEases pre-season was a lot of fun, but Marvel Rivals Season 1 is adding a host of brilliant new content for players to enjoy. The release date and start time countdown is nearly over, and very soon we will all be able to play as the Fantastic Four in a new Doom Match mode. Marvel Rivals Season 1 release date The release date for Marvel Rivals Season 1 is January 10th. This has been confirmed by NetEase on the games official X account. As per the 2025 roadmap, each season will last about three months, so expect chapter 1 to finish around April to make way for chapter 2. When Season 1 starts, there will be the release of a new battle pass, and there will also be the release of new Twitch Drops to claim by simply watching streamers. When does Marvel Rivals Season 1 start? The release time for when Marvel Rivals Season 1 will start is 1AM PT/4AM ET/9AM GMT on January 10th. Again, this has been confirmed by NetEase on X. Its important to note that not all of the additional content will arrive on day one of the new season as it is split in two halves. The first half will receive two new maps, a new game mode, and the married item of the Invisible Woman and Mr. Fantastic, meanwhile, the second half will receive another map along with The Thing and the Human Torch. Marvel Rivals Season 1 release time US 1AM PT on Friday, January 10th 4AM ET on Friday, January 10th Marvel Rivals Season 1 start time UK 9AM GMT on Friday, January 10th Image credit: @MarvelRivals on XCountdown Below is a visual countdown to when the chapter will start: S1 new maps and modeThe new maps are as follows: Sanctum Sanctorum (first half)Empire of Eternal Night: Midtown (first half)Central Park (second half)Meanwhile, the new game mode for Marvel Rivals Season 1 is called Doom Match. This takes place on the Sanctum Sanctorum battlefield, and it is a free-for-all experience where 8-12 players earn points by knocking out enemies. Once the predetermined total amount of KOs is reached, the top 50% players will be announced as the winners. Fantastic Four With the Fantastic Four, Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman are both coming out at the start of Marvel Rivals Season 1, meanwhile, players will have to wait until the second half of the chapter for The Thing and the Human Torch to fly into action. Below are the classes and descriptions for all of the Fantastic Four members: Invisible Woman (Strategist):The Invisible Woman is more than just a founding member of the Fantastic Four. As a master of invisibility and force fields, Susan Storm has battled multiversal threats and supported her family through countless cosmic adventures.Mr. Fantastic (Duelist):Dr. Reed Richards, better known as Mister Fantastic, is the leader of the Fantastic Four and one of the greatest minds in the Multiverse. Whether uncovering the secrets of Chronovium or crafting the tools to restore fractured realities, his intellect and courage are an unmatched tool in the battle to reclaim New York from Dracula!Image credit: @MarvelRivals on XHuman Torch (Duelist): The younger brother of the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch is able to burst into flames and has been using his ability to burn Draculas legions.The Thing (Vanguard):The Pilot who flew the Fantastic Four on that that fateful space trip that gave them all superhuman powers, Ben Grimms exposure to cosmic rays gave him a rocky body and super strength that hes using to defend New York City from Dracula and Doctor Doom.Check out NetEases Season 1 Dev Vision below for more information about the chapter: For more Marvel Rivals, check out stats that reveal themost popular characters and who everyone hates.Marvel RivalsPlatform(s):macOS, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series XGenre(s):Fighting, ShooterRelated TopicsMarvel Rivals Subscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

Oilwell Basin Bros.Will your PC actually be able to run Monster Hunter Wilds? Watch some crisp 4K footage of Ajarakan and Rompopolo fights as you ponder that 5080 upgradeAs we approach the release of Monster Hunter Wilds, we're finally starting to see more of the game's zones and the monsters they hide.Image credit: VG247, Capcom, Nvidia News by Sherif Saed Contributing Editor Published on Jan. 9, 2025 We are a little over one month away from the highly-anticipated release of Monster Hunter Wilds. As is the case with most games when they near their release date, were starting to see more new things to get us excited about Wilds.The biggest draw for a Monster Hunter game is, of course, the monsters. Thanks to IGN, January is going to bring us fresh looks at so many of the handsome (and fearsome) buggers well be taking on in the full game.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. The January cover story kicks off with two crispy 4K videos showing fights against Ajarakan, and Rompopolo. The two of them dwell in the Oilwell Basin area of the game, which is a zone weve not seen in earlier footage.Its not clear whether gameplay was captured on PC or PS5/Pro, but the performance does appear smoother than last years beta. Still, considering how rough the beta ran, and the newly-announced GPUs from Nvidia and AMD, upgrading your PC for Wilds doesnt seem like the worst idea in the world.Ajarakan is the fire-loving, monkey bar enjoyer you may have seen in some of Wilds trailers. This video offers a deeper look at its nest, and some of the antics it gets up to when really challenged. The hunter here has a Sword and Shield.Ajarakan starts the fight covered in scales, and gradually sheds them to reveal his fiery nature. This is when things get more interesting, as its physical attacks get imbued with molten lava, and they become more aggressive.One of the arenas you can lure the monster into has a trap you can activate that, if you manage to time it right, it could deal some significant damage; sort of like a punch to the face. The hunter switches to the Bow partway through the fight, which actually comes in handy as the monster starts relying on projectiles more. To see this content please enable targeting cookies.The second video has the hunter going after Rompopolo, the wyvern with distinct pustules on its body. Rompopolo relies more on making the environment around you dangerous, as it appears to lack the power of the more physical monsters. Poison is clearly the prime element here.Expect to be moving around a lot as you wait for an opening, even if its a monster that looks squishy to trick you into thinking itll be an easy hunt. We start off with Sword and Shield again for this one, before switching to a Bowgun later into it.Since the two of them share the same environment, Ajarakan shows its face to duke it out with the Rompopolo, which is always fun to witness. The latter cant contend with the sheer power of the former, of course, so it decides to book it. To see this content please enable targeting cookies.In case you missed it, the Monster Hunter Wilds open beta will be returning for two more rounds in February. This next beta will contain all the content from the previous one, as well as at least one new monster. Unfortunately, the performance improvements and gameplay/animation tweaks made based on the first betas feedback will not be present in next months beta.Monster Hunter Wilds releases February 28 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

Interior InfiltratorI'm not saying Helldivers 2 players want indoor dungeon missions, but someone's just whipped up a 14 page long illustrated concept of what one might look likeYou know it's serious when Redditors start firing up MS Paint.Image credit: Arrowhead News by Mark Warren Senior Staff Writer Published on Jan. 9, 2025 The wishlist of things Helldivers 2 players want added to the game changes so often I really don't envy Arrowhead's position of having to keep up with and consider all of it. That said, sometimes players make things really easy for the studio - for example, by mocking up a full presentation showing what interior dungeon runs could look like.Maybe it's because they've had plenty of free time as the latest Illuminate-battling Major Order has wound down to a Super Earth victory, or maybe all of those edits of Chris Pratt as a Bile Titan have sparked their creative fires. Or maybe they just like the idea of going into a building and shooting some bots.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Regardless, you can't help but be a bit impressed by the work Helldivers 2 redditor UgsyIsMyUsername looks to have put into their mock-up of an automaton fort raid.In addition to the drawing itself not being bad, there are plenty of captions to guide you through what's happening, as well as ideas for things that could help set these missions apart from the established flock, such as you having to blow the front door open to get inside the base and stratagems not being summonable until your squad opens a hatch in the roof their pods can drop through. There'd also be a mini-boss fight before you wemt about destroying the fort, as you'd expect. "It took me longer than expected but here is, finally, my illustrated concept of an indoor mission," they wrote in their post, "I also based [it] myself on players' feedback from a previous post for certain details, so don't hesitate to tell me what you think personally."While there might well be wrinkles you might not immediately think of in terms of implememnting stuff like this, the concept and dungeon itself seem realistic and simple enough to be more than feasible - at least more so than the ability to swap your charactrer's head for a minigun someone was sarcastically asking for the other day.UgsyIsMyUsername's fellow players certainly seem to like the idea, so we'll have to see if any of the succeed in atacting the attention of Arrowhead's devs to take a look at the concept.These missions might not be in Helldivers 2 right now, but a dataminer did claim to have accidentally triggered some kind of Illuminate Aurora Borealis by messing around obelisks the other day, so we'll have to see if either pop up properly in-game down the line.

Bat-VerseBatman: The Brave and the Bold director Andy Muschietti shuts down rumors of Battinson joining the DCU, but plans might collide in another wayToo many Batmen, too little time.Image credit: DC Comics News by Fran Ruiz Contributor Published on Jan. 9, 2025 New year, new rumors about everything happening right now across a number of cinematic universes. One that's been attracting an especially large amount of attention is DC Studios' rebooted DCU continuity, which is properly kicking off this year with James Gunn's Superman after the animated series Creature Commandos soft-launched it in early December 2024. Of course, everyone is starting to wonder about its Batman and whether DC Studios might just 'recycle' Matt Reeves' critically acclaimed take on the character, but it may be time to let go of that idea.We'd just reported on Reeves' recent comments on the possibility of his Bruce Wayne and Gotham City becoming a crucial part of the DCU continuity sooner or later. To be honest, it seemed like he was just dodging a question he had no clear answer to from a business perspective, as he's just focused on getting the second movie (out of three planned entries) up and running in 2025. Now, Andy Muschietti, who helmed 2023's ill-fated The Flash and was invited to make the transition to the DCU as director of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, is chiming in.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. During the same Radio TU chat where he discussed his not-quite-dead plans for a Shadow of the Colossus adaptation, he was asked about this whole Batman situation of having an extremely successful crime saga shepherded by Matt Reeves on top of a new, less grounded take on the character and his surroundings happening with crossovers and more ambitious universe-building in mind. While some fans and certain voices in the press circles are insisting that's a possibility on the table (Gunn himself confirmed he at least considered it), Muschietti is clearly thinking about his upcoming flick as a separate, entirely different thing.You can watch the full interview here if you know Spanish, but we've translated the relevant bit below:As everyone knows, the Batman featured in The Brave and the Bold will belong to the new DC universe. It's quite obvious that Matt Reeves' Batman is not part of this new universe. However, DC and Warner Bros. are moving forward with the second part of Reeves' Batman series, which, as widely reported, is expected to release around 2027.This means the next Batman movie will take some time before it sees the light of day. Releasing two Batman films simultaneously would be counterproductive. What DC is doing is creating a strategy to ensure these two films don't conflict with each other.Regarding my involvement in the project, there are good intentions for now. They want to do the movie with me, and I want to do it as well. I'm eager to work on the film.Honestly, Muschietti sounds baffled here by the thought of mixing two completely different tones. Though Gunn has confirmed we'll be getting a bit of everything from the DCU (and there's already a stark contrast between Creature Commandos and what we've seen of Superman), it seems the intention is to double down on a colorful and openly comic book-y aesthetic for the universe overall. The Batman and The Penguin just aren't that even if they're respectfully working with Batman and Gotham City's myths and icons, and it seems counterproductive to limit the creative possibilities of two different artists (and their teams) just because you're afraid of audiences getting things mixed up as several iterations of Spider-Man are swinging around elsewhere.He's also right to point out the (business) challenge of releasing The Batman: Part II and Batman: The Brave and the Bold with enough space between each other. While people might be willing to accept another iteration of the character, we've seen in recent times that too much of a good and popular thing can be actually bad. Matt Reeves' second Batman movie is set to arrive on October 1, 2027, after yet another delay, so it could be a long time before we properly meet the DCU's Batman and his allies.