Allied society quests are one of Final Fantasy 14s more rewarding dailies. Formerly known as beast tribe quests or tribal quests, these quests involving helping out the other races of Eorzea by beating down baddies that might be giving them grief, or helping them rebuild an area using crafting and gathering.Below, we detail how allied society quests in FFXIV work, along with their rewards and how to unlock all of them, including the quests added in Dawntrail.Allied society quests in FFXIV, explainedAllied society quests are daily quests you can complete to earn reputation and specialized currency. There are more than a dozen different tribes in FFXIV and they all offer different quests and rewards. These are great dailies to do to earn chunks of EXP, as some tribes focus on combat, whereas others focus on crafting or gathering.You can accept a total of 12 allied society quests per day and each tribe will give you up to three quests per day. If you rank up with that tribe, theyll give you an additional three more to complete.For each quest you accept and turn in, youll get some reputation points with that tribe. After amassing a certain amount of points, youll rank up with that tribe, allowing you to complete another quest and access more rewards. You can check your reputation from your character screen. Youll need to use the currency you get from completing the quests to buy the rewards (like the aforementioned mounts and minions).Most of the quests are as simple as accepting the assignments, talking to an NPC, and then either taking out enemies, riding a mount to certain locations, crafting items out of given materials, or gathering certain things from nodes.Note that the tribes from A Realm Reborn have some gimmicks that later tribes do not. The combat tribes may require you to complete specific FATEs in the area to finish them. For Ixali crafting quests specifically, you need to have the given set of Ehcatl Wristgloves equipped while youre making their crafts.Once you hit bloodsworn rank with all the tribes per expansion, youll unlocked the combined intersocietal quests for that expansion. (This is with the exception of Shadowbringers tribes, which have no allied quests.) These are just regular story side quests (not dailies) and there are exclusive rewards like emotes locked them.Notable allied society quest rewards in FFXIVEach tribe has some keystone rewards behind it. For nearly maxing out your reputation with the tribe, youll unlock the ability to buy orchestrions, minions, and mounts. Later tribes even have emotes and framers kits as part of the rewards. That said, if youre a completionist who wants all of these types of collectables in the game, tribe quests are a must-do.All the notable collectable-type rewards for each tribe are as follows:Ixali: Wind-up Ixal minion, Direwolf mount, Wind-up Dezul Qualan minionAmaljaa: Smoulder orchestrion roll, Wind-up Amaljaa minion, Calvary Drake mount, Wind-up Founder minionSylphs: Flibbertigibbet orchestrion roll, Wind-up Sylph minion, Laurel Goobbue mount, Wind-up Violet minionKobolds: Wind-up Kobold minion, Bomb Palanquin mount, Wind-up Kobolder minionSahagins: Wind-up Sahagin minion, Calvary Elbst mount, Wind-up Sea Devil minionMoogles: Moogle Dance emote, Wind-up Dragonet minion, Cloud Mallow mount, Wind-up Ohl Deeh minionVanu Vanu: Coming Home orchestrion roll, Sundrop Dance emote, Wind-up Gundu Warrior minion, Wind-up Zundu Warrior minion, Sanuwa mountVath: Piece of Mind orchestrion roll, Wind-up Vath minion, Kongamato mount, Wind-up Gnath minionKojin: Indomitable orchestrion roll, Wind-up Kojin minion, Ritual Prayer emote, Striped Ray mount, Wind-up Redback minion, Zephyrous Zabuton minion, Kojin Framers KitAnanta: Wind-up Ananta minion, Charmed emote, Keepers of the Lock orchestrion roll, Marid mount, True Griffin mount, Ananta Framers Kit, Wind-up Qalyana minionNamazu: Attendee #777 minion, Yol Dance emote, Seven Hundred Seventy-Seven Whiskers orchestrion roll, Mikoshi mount, Namazu Framers KitPixies: Wind-up Pixie minion, Portly Porxie mount, The Gardens Gates orchestrion roll, Pixie Framers KitDwarves: Lalinator 5.H0 minion, Watts Anvil orchestrion roll, Rolling Tankard mount, Lali Hop emote, Dwarven Framers KitQitari: The Behelmeted Serpent of Ronka minion, Hopls Dropple orchestrion roll, Great Vessel of Ronka mount, The Behatted Serpent of Ronka minion, Qitari Framers KitArkasodara: Wind-up Arkasodara minion, Gajasura Card, Hippo Cart mount, Hippo Ridin orchestrion roll, Arkasodara Framers KitLoporrits: Findingway minion, Battle 1 from Final Fantasy IV orchestrion Roll, Moon-hopper mount, Ear Wiggle emote, Loporrit Framingway Kit, Dreamwalker orchestrion rollOmicrons: N-7000 Card, Lumini minion, Miw Miisv mount, Omicron Framers Kit, Cradle of Hope orchestrion rollPelupelu: Wind-up Pelupelu minion, Punutiy mount, Turali Travel Agency Framers Kit, The Travel Agency (Dawntrail) orchestrion roll, Pelupack fashion accessorySome tribes also have exclusive dye colors, furnishings, and glamour locked behind them, making all tribes pretty worthwhile to do. You can use some of the currencies to buy items you need to complete your Heavensward Anima relic weapon, too.Sometimes some of the tribe-exclusive rewards are used as rewards in Mogtome events between patches. If you ran some of these enough times and cannot stand to do them, dont fret, as you can wait for one of these events to let you grab a mount.Where to unlock all allied society quests in FFXIVBefore unlocking any allied society quests, youll need to complete the level 41 main scenario quest In Pursuit of the Past. Youll also need a combat, crafting, or gathering job of appropriate level, depending on which tribe youre trying to unlock.As usual, the quests to unlock this content will be marked with a blue quest marker with a plus sign on it, so you should keep your eyes out for those.Below, we list where to unlock all the allied society quests in FFXIV, along with any prerequisites you may need to complete before doing so.TribeTypeLevelUnlock questQuest NPCNPC locationOther requirementsAmaljaaCombat43Peace for ThanalanSwiftUldah Steps of Nald (8.4, 8.9)NoneSylphCombat42Seeking SolaceVorsaile HeuloixNew Gridania (9.7, 11.1)NoneKoboldCombat41Highway RobberyTrachraetLimsa Lominsa Upper Decks (12.7, 12.8)NoneSahaginCombat44They Came from the DeepRashaht RhikiLima Lominsa Upper Decks (13.1, 12.8)NoneIxaliCrafting1A Bad BladderScarletNew Gridania (9.9, 11.4)NoneVanu VanuCombat50Three Beaks to the WindSonu VanuThe Sea of Clouds (11.7, 14.8)Requires Heavensward expansion, A Difference of Opinion MSQ completedVathCombat50The Naming of VathVath StorytellerThe Dravanian Forelands (24, 19.7)Requires Heavensward expansion, Lord of the Hive MSQ completedMoogleCrafting50Tricks and StonesSeething StonemasonThe Churning Mists (27.2, 34.5)Requires Heavensward expansion, Into the Aery MSQ completed, Pebble for your Thoughts lengthy Moogle sidequest completedKojinCombat60Heaven-sentVexed VillagerThe Ruby Sea (6.8, 13.3)Requires Stormblood expansion, Tide Goes In, Imperials Go Out MSQ completedAnantaCombat60Brooding BroodmotherMrahz NunhThe Fringes (30.2, 25.7)Requires Stormblood expansion, The Rose Blooms Twice MSQ completedNamazuCrafting and gathering60One Size Fits AllSeigetsu The EnlightenedThe Azim Steppe (6.1, 23.3)Requires Stormblood expansion, Something Fishy This Way Comes MSQ completed, Courage the Cowardly Lupin Kurobana sidequests completed, Perchance to Hanami Gyorin sidequests completedPixieCombat70Manic Pixie Dream RealmPink PixieThe Crystarium (13.1, 15.3)Requires Shadowbringers expansion, The Wheel Turns MSQ completedQitariGathering70The Stewards of NoteConcerned MotherThe Raktika Greatwood (21, 27.6)Requires Shadowbringers expansion, Bearing with It MSQ completed, The Great Deciever and Stand on Ceremony sidequest chains completedDwarfCrafting70Its Dwarfin TimeAffable TownsdwarfKholusia (15.7, 30.3)Requires Shadowbringers expansion, Village of Woe and A Disagreeable Dwarf sidequest chains copmletedArkasodaraCombat80Hippos Born to RunKancanaThavnair (25.3, 31.2)Requires Endwalker expansion, Endwalker MSQ completed, Steppe Child and Whats in a Parent side quest chains completedOmicronGathering80The Caf at the End of the UniverseJammingwayUltima Thule (25.4, 26.3)Requires Endwalker expansion, Endwalker MSQ completed, Name That Way sidequest chain completedLoporritCrafting80Must Be Dreaming(way)DreamingwayOld Sharlayan (11.7, 10.9)Requires Endwalker expansion, Where no Loporrit Has Gone Before side quest completedPelupeluCombat90An Intrepid New EnterpriseBlue-garbed PeluTuliyollal (13.6, 12.9)Requires Dawntrail expansion, Dawntrail MSQ completedIf youre just starting out in the massive world ofFinal Fantasy 14, we have tons of guides to help you. We have abeginners guideto get you started, along with a guide detailing whichGrand Companyyou should join.If youre starting but are feeling overwhelmed, we have guides to help withpicking a joband a guide that explainshow long it may take to catch up to current content inFFXIV.We also have guides on side content, likeocean fishing,relic weapons, andIsland Sanctuary, for those who want to take a break from it all.

This feature was previously published ahead of Thelmas theatrical release. It has been updated for the films streaming release.Action movies used to be the domain of younger stars: All those gunfights, car chases, death-defying stunts, and nefarious-crime-thwartings take a lot of energy and flexibility, not to mention the ability to heal up afterward. But American action stars are simultaneously aging up and staying in the picture: Harrison Ford, now 82, made an Indiana Jones movie about his age. Tom Cruise is 62 and has a new Mission: Impossible movie on the way. Keanu Reeves keeps putting out John Wick movies. Even Bob Odenkirk got in on the action for his 60th birthday. But 2024s hilarious action-comedy Thelma, now on Hulu, pushes the trend to what must be its limit. Here, 94-year-old Oscar-nominated actress June Squibb picks up the action mantle.Thelma is the first feature film from director Josh Margolin. Its about a 92-year-old woman named Thelma who loses $10,000 to a scammer pretending to be her grandson. But instead of taking the scam lying down, she jumps on her scooter, recruits a friend, and sets off on a quest to take back her money.In an interview with Polygon, Margolin explained that the story is based on a real incident that happened to his own grandma though thankfully, in real life, she didnt actually send the money to her would-be scammers. That premise may sound familiar to action fans for other reasons, though: Margolin was very aware of the happy accident of his movie hitting theaters in close proximity to Jason Stathams The Beekeeper, which was also about a phone scammer getting a very different kind of comeuppance.It was so funny to see that trailer, Margolin says with a laugh. I was like, Oh my God, were a little bit like The Beekeeper. I definitely watched it, because I was like, I have to see this. And it was wild and crazy and fun. [] Im glad we can continue the grand tradition that The Beekeeper started.But while Thelma is significantly less violent than The Beekeeper, its even funnier and no less thrilling. For Margolin, one of the most important parts of the movie was translating the language of action filmmaking to his less-than-traditional cast, which also includes the late Richard Roundtree (Shaft) in a fantastic, fun performance. That means high-speed chases on scooters, fistfights at more manageable speeds, and high-tension heists with hearing aids.Im a big fan of action movies. I always have been, says Margolin. The idea [was] trying to tell the story of my grandma, and this ode to her and celebrate her grit and tenacity, [using] those tropes and ideas and shrinking them down to an everyday scope and scale, but treating them with real stakes.Margolin says he wanted to find a way to dramatize what he calls the everyday heroism of moving through the world as you get older and things get harder, and smaller things present more danger.Of course, slowed-down action scenes with older people in chases and fights could easily come off as parody or worse, poking fun at its terrific cast of older actors. But Margolin brilliantly walks the line of laughing with our characters rather than laughing at them. Theyre the stars of a true action movie here, not the butt of a joke.Its so easy for anything sending up those tropes or referencing them to feel like parody, and especially stuff with older characters, Margolin says. Something that me and my producers were very cognizant of protecting was the tone, and trying to make sure that all of the action, all of the tension, all of the fun was always born out of a sincere and earnest care for what was happening.We never wanted it to feel like it was punching down or poking fun. We wanted it to be funny in a way that felt like were along for the ride.Part of that earnestness also comes from Margolins own favorite action movies. He says he prefers an actioner that treats its stakes sincerely, isnt just winky and referential, but action thats fun and surprising and tense and just treats things with a certain sincerity. Obviously, the Mission: Impossible movies are a big influence on [the movie]. Watching Tom Cruise hurl himself at various moving objects for our entertainment is a source of inspiration for [our] ethos.Thelma watches a Mission: Impossible film during the movie, and her Tom Cruise inspiration is not just there in spirit, but in the text itself. After she gets scammed, seeing Cruises face on a magazine inspires Thelma to take justice into her own hands. But that kind of sincerity wouldnt work without Thelmas terrific and committed performances, particularly from Squibb and Roundtree. Both actors are terrifically funny, and Roundtrees charm gives the movie a tremendous amount of heart. For her part, Margolin says Squibb was adamant about owning the Tom Cruise mantle and doing as many stunts as she could herself.She did! Margolin laughs. And increasingly so as we went on, because we were pretty nervous and careful and conservative about all those things. With the help of our really awesome stunt team, as the shoot progressed and she got more comfortable with the scooter and things like getting onto the bed and rolling, we sort of developed a shorthand for what she was or wasnt game for. It was really cool. She used to be a dancer; she was doing Pilates pretty rigorously in the lead-up to the movie. Theres a lot of physical prowess to her as a performer, and it was really cool to see her tap into that, even at this moment in her life, and use that in the movie.Its rare that a summer action movie also happens to be one of the funniest and sweetest movies of the year, but Thelma manages to pull it off. So if youre impatient for Tom Cruises next movie, just remember that Thelma and June Squibb are here to carry the torch in his honor.Thelma is now streaming on Hulu and is available for rental or purchase on Amazon, Apple TV, and other digital platforms.

The best AS VAL loadout in Black Ops 6 is the perfect choice for anyone who wants to lie low and stay off the radar. This is because it comes with an integrated suppressor, and while the gun has other trade-offs to account for this and keep it balanced, it basically means you have six attachments.The AS VALs biggest drawback is its magazine size, because it only has 20 bullets before you need to reload. However, if you dedicate one attachment slot to improving that aspect, you can focus the rest of the build on managing the recoil and buffing the damage range, because this is a gun you want to play fairly slowly with, and will undoubtedly be in our best guns list before too long. It goes toe-to-toe with both the XM4 and AMES 85, two assault rifles near the top of the list right now.Heres the best AS VAL loadout in Black Ops 6, the best class to use alongside it, and how to unlock the gun.How to unlock the AS VAL in Black Ops 6To unlock the AS VAL in Black Ops 6, you must reach level 55. Thats right: The AS VAL is the very final gun youll unlock before reaching prestige in Black Ops 6, so youve got something of a grind in front of you if youve solely got your sights set on using it. Of course, if you do decide to prestige, youll lose access to the AS VAL because hitting that rank resets all of your unlocks. So to keep using it, be prepared to sit at level 55 for a while.Best AS VAL loadout in Black Ops 6Here is the best AS VAL loadout in Black Ops 6:Optic: Accu-Spot Ultra HoloBarrel: Suppressed Reinforced BarrelUnderbarrel: Vertical ForegripMagazine: Extended Mag IIFire Mods: Recoil SpringsFirst and foremost, the AS VAL isnt a gun you want to be running around and sliding all over the place with. It fires too slow for that sort of playstyle; instead, youll want to move tactically, pre-aiming round corners and using cover to your advantage. Its a great gun for Search & Destroy for this reason, although it can still be used in respawn modes if needed.The optical sight you choose is largely personal preference but weve found the Accu-Spot Ultra Holo to be the best, as it has more magnification than the red dot sights and youll be fighting mostly at mid-long range. Feel free to switch this out for something else, if youd rather, however the rest of the attachments are more crucial.All the barrel attachments here are suppressed thanks to the aforementioned in-built suppressor, and the Reinforced Barrel is by far the best choice as it buffs both the damage range and the bullet velocity. The latter isnt as important in multiplayer as opposed to Warzone because the distances youll be fighting at arent long enough for it to make a big difference, but the bonus is still helpful. Then the Vertical Foregrip is a huge help for reducing the horizontal recoil, because while the AS VAL isnt terrible for weapon control, its also not the best.As mentioned, the AS VAL has an incredibly small magazine by default with only 20 bullets in, so wed suggest equipping either the Extended Mag I or II. Weve gone for the latter because the cons arent too severe if youre playing slowly debuffs to the reload, aim down sight, and sprint to fire speeds but if you do find they hinder you too much, opt for the Extended Mag I. Finally, the Recoil Springs do what they say on the tin: buff the recoil control.Best AS VAL class in Black Ops 6Here is the best class to use with the AS VAL in Black Ops 6:Pistol: GrekhovaMelee: KnifeTactical: FlashbangLethal: FragField Upgrade: Spring MinePerk 1: GhostPerk 2: TrackerPerk 3: Cold-BloodedSpecialty: ReconWildcard: Perk GreedPerk 4: Tac MaskThe Grekhova is the best choice for your sidearm because its fully automatic and can be reliably switched to whenever you need to deal with enemies up close, while the Knife is nearly always the best melee choice. Then go for the Flashbang, which is by far the strongest tactical grenade in the game right now thanks to how long the blinding effect lasts for. As for a lethal option, you can never go wrong with the ol reliable Frag Grenade.In the Field Upgrade slot, opt for a Spring Mine. As youre playing slowly, you can use this to protect a path behind you or on the flank, or you can just drop it where enemies will least expect it.( However, if you find yourself dying to grenades often, switch this out for a Trophy System.)Go for the blue perks to enhance this stealth playstyle: Ghost protects you from enemy UAVs when moving, Tracker allows you to see enemy footprints and aiming at an enemy pings them automatically, while Cold-Blooded prevents you from being targeted by enemy scorestreaks. (This is more effective in respawn-based modes, though, so switch out for Vigilance if youre playing Search & Destroy.) Even though its been nerfed slightly, the Recon specialty that briefly gives you x-ray vision is still very strong.Finally, rounds out with the Perk Greed wildcard and the Tac Mask. Since youre not running a Trophy System, however, this can be switched out for Flak Jacket if youd prefer, or if you are running with a Trophy System, consider either Scavenger or Fast Hands in respawn modes.Elsewhere, we have multiplayer explainers on thebest guns,maps, andDouble XP, campaign guides forsafehouse puzzlesandsafe code locations, and theLiberty Falls vault codein Zombies.

Wizards of the Coast announced its new virtual tabletop, Maps, is entering public beta after a year of alpha testing. This new phase of Maps takes all of the virtual tabletops original features which includes rolling digital dice, character tokens, and integration of maps and monsters from a users D&D Beyond library and adds the ability for players to run combat encounters and track initiative directly in the virtual tabletop.However, there was no mention of Wizards of the Coasts shiniest new toy, Project Sigil, a 3D virtual map that is currently in closed beta. Sigil premiered at Gen Con earlier this year to mixed reviews in a live actual play starring Baldurs Gate 3 actors Samantha Bart and Neil Newbon alongside actual play titans Brennan Lee Mulligan, Aabria Iyengar, and Anjali Bhimani.Among those low-prep features are easy integration of player and enemy tokens, real-time encounter balancing based on the updated Dungeon Masters Guide, and a flexible initiative without interrupting the encounter. For bigger encounters or multi-stage dungeons, monsters can be hidden until the time is right, giving Dungeon Masters a tool to always up the drama (or take away some extra monsters if things arent looking good for the party).Over the last year, theres been a lot of buzz about Wizards push to make Dungeons & Dragons a digital-native game. In the wake of the COVID-19 lockdown and the ongoing pandemic, more people than ever are using virtual tools to play the worlds most famous tabletop role-playing game, with the D&D Beyond platform claiming over 10 million users during Hasbros initial acquisition of the digital toolset in April 2022.Parent company Hasbro has faced a number of challenges with D&D Beyond since shifting to the new version of D&Ds 5th edition ruleset, prompting some issues with the virtual integrations. Public backlash forced WotC to clarify and walk back some of its statements regarding the new editions backward compatibility, but this update seems to prioritize making playing the game easier, not harder.This Maps update, oddly enough, makes Wizards a powerful competitor in a digital landscape full to bursting with competing products, including popular solutions like Alchemy and Foundry. But it also puts it into direct competition with its own partners, including officially licensed VTTs like Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds. The advantage for harried game masters, of course, is that after having players roll up a character digitally, they can just hit a button in the web browser to seamlessly take the action out of the theater of the mind and into a 2D, visually immersive digital combat experience. According to the post on the D&D Beyond blog, the goal of Maps has always been to allow Dungeon Masters to prep less [and] play more.According to the D&D Beyond announcement, only Master Tier subscribers will be able to host game sessions in Maps, but all users with a free account and browser-based internet access can join a hosted game.

Walmart has several waves of Black Friday deals coming up, the first of which begins on Nov. 11, followed by two others happening Nov. 25 and Dec. 1. You can get three hours of early access to each of those deal waves through its website and through the Walmart app but only by being a Walmart Plus member. This will let you casually browse for the gifts that youre after without feeling like youre competing with shoppers to get the deals before they sell out. If that sounds like a luxury, Walmart is offering a big 50% discount on the membership until Dec. 2, reducing the cost to $49 for a year. In addition to granting you early access to deal events during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, there are Walmart Plus-exclusive deals youll have access to throughout the year. A membership also ensures free shipping, gas discounts, a Paramount Plus subscription, discounts at Burger King, and more.In case youre waiting until the last possible moment to grab a discounted subscription, Walmart spokesperson Gabby Ach confirmed to Polygon that those who wait to buy a Walmart Plus subscription until an early access deal period begins will still get instant access to those deals.

Arcanes secret sauce has always been its soundtrack. Theres no better example of this than one of the early scenes of season 2s first episode, as Caitlyn mourns the death of her mother. Rather than forcing grief-stricken dialogue to communicate how shes feeling, the show cuts to a completely unique animation style, with stylized black charcoal sketches draining the color from Caitlyns world.But to underscore Fortiches inventive animation the show needed a song thats as specifically tailored to Caitlyns emotional state as the visuals are, so the shows creative team turned to Freya Ridings to write a beautiful, haunting ballad to let us inside Caitlyns head. This kind of decision is all over Arcane and according to showrunner Christian Linke, it always will be.Ahead of the shows season 2 premiere, Polygon had the chance to sit down with Linke to talk about how he and the team work with artists to create the perfect songs, and why he feels like licensed music has no place in the series.Polygon: Arcane often uses original songs to communicate the feelings of its characters in ways that dialogue alone couldnt. Whats the process like of crafting those songs and finding the right artists for each moment?Christian Linke: Conceptually, it is just very important to me. I dont think Ill ever in my career work with licensed music and I think it just comes from a point of having been a musician. Its really hard to have a career in music. The fact that so many franchises with so much money just keep cutting checks for Led Zeppelin, Im like, Cool guys, Im sure they need it. Theres so many musicians that struggle to have a career. Its such a cutthroat world out there.So I love the fact that all we do is original music. We work with artists from the ground up, we collaborate and we give them and some of these artists that we work with, they dont need the platform, theyre already big, but others, its really great for them. It really gets the word out there for them. Thats really important to me, thats a principle that has held up from the beginning. It creates a lot of work, but thats also what makes it awesome.You start with a scene in an episode where they feel the thing youre trying to say, and then you just hunt for the right artist and thats where you need a good team. We have an amazing team [with] the Riot Music group, where I just say, I need an emotional song where its all about this and that, or I need a really loud song where its about the anger of this and that. And then they go, OK, they take that away and they think about artists and they come back to me with a list of artists that we then reach out to.Then do you sort of meet with the artist from there and give them an idea of what theyre looking for?Yeah, I brief them on, Heres what the moment is about. For example, when I worked with Mike Shinoda, it was something where I was like: This is about the legacy of Caitlyn, the feeling of what it means to be a member of this esteemed family thats been really important in Piltover, and the weight that comes with that. And thats when he wrote Heavy Is the Crown. And its something if you put the right thoughts in the artists head, then you end up getting these amazing pieces of music that you couldnt even have dreamed up yourself.What are you listening for when you get those samples that your team has sent you?I think the emotional connection, the lyrics kind of having a meaning. When the Sting song on season 1 begins and it goes, Im the monster you created, Im like, There it is. It just belongs and it sits down. It settles in the creative fashion where it just feels connected. And so thats a big part of it. Other than that, I think its just a piece of music that is fun and that feels like it says something. The obvious choice is sometimes necessary for a fight scene, but sometimes the real surprises I liked about season 1 is that we had very different genres. Our Love was such a different genre than you would expect from a show like Arcane. And we did the same thing again in season 2. Very, very different, very eclectic genres. But yeah, my job is mostly just making sure theres a clear emotional connection to the story.Is there any limiting factor to what kind of genre and what kind of music can be in Arcane and can feel like that?No. I mean, if anything, people may say that Ive taken it a bit too far. I like loud stuff, I like extreme stuff. I will say sometimes there are genres where it makes sense, but Im not at home in those genres and Im not always so confident in giving feedback and then I need to rely more on the team. Hip-hop: Im simply a terrible person with terrible taste in that regard. Guitar music: I know what to do. So we have a team thats a team of musicians, of composers that sometimes need to save my ass, lets be honest, in making sure we land a certain piece. So we have a very eclectic group and I think what made it work is that we have a lot of different tastes represented that they can jump in when necessary.The first three episodes of Arcane season 2 are now streaming on Netflix. New episode batches drop every Saturday.

Aaron Schimbergs fantastical dark comedy A Different Man is one of 2024s richest, strangest movies a film about a man who radically changes his appearance and his life, but is haunted by the success of someone who looks just like he used to. Its a perfect viewing companion for The Substance, another woozy, disturbing 2024 movie about a beautiful changeling battling a former version of herself. But Schimbergs take on the tale is funnier and more down to earth, built around believable performances and a situation steeped in reality as much as fantasy.Sebastian Stan (the MCUs Winter Soldier; Donald Trump in the 2024 movie The Apprentice) stars as Edward, an actor with significant facial tumors who lives in isolation until he starts to get to know his new neighbor Ingrid (The Worst Person in the World star Renate Reinsve). A radical new neurofibromatosis treatment gives him a new face, so he takes on a new identity and finds success in every aspect of his life except his relationship with Ingrid especially when a wildly popular, cheerfully charismatic man named Oswald (Under the Skins Adam Pearson), who looks exactly like Edward used to, enters their lives.Like so many doppelgnger movies (Dual, Enemy, The Double, and Cam immediately leap to mind), A Different Man finds horror in the idea of someone confronting a more successful version of himself who represents roads not traveled and choices not made. Unlike most of those movies, though, A Different Man is sharply funny, when it isnt tragic or terrifying. Polygon sat down with Stan and with previous filmmaking partners Pearson and Schimberg (who worked together on 2019s dramedy Chained for Life) at 2024s Fantastic Fest film festival to discuss how they found the right tone for the movie.[Ed. note: This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.]Polygon: So much of this movie is about seething and repressing a vast frustration around how the world works, and how people work. It all builds up to a pretty unexpected cathartic point at the end. Sebastian, how did you approach playing that breakdown?Sebastian Stan: Well, we do that all the time. We always repress things, all the time so [in a role like this], you just keep doing it more extensively.But I think there are so many things you read that try to explain things [in movies]. Theyre always overwritten. This happens usually on more of a bigger-budget film, where the worry is always that the audience isnt going to understand whats happening, so you need to make sure they get it. Im just so grateful we didnt have to deal with that kind of thinking and approach in this. Because rather than [explaining the ending] I think it is interpretation. People will relate to that moment or find things about it differently. You dont want to comment on that, to tell people how to feel about it.I will say that its interesting Edward and Oswald and Ingrid, they all sort of weirdly need each other, and they all are sort of these planets spinning around each other in a necessary way, whether there are all these other feelings there. It is a mix of emotions. Its not just one thing thats driving him at the end of the movie, its a slew of things. Theres probably an inner struggle between being in awe of these people, while at the same time being incredibly hateful and angry at these people.After the Fantastic Fest screening, you mentioned in a Q&A that you worked with Adam to discover how Edward would have experienced life, given his condition. You said Adam was very generous with his life experience. What did you learn from him that was important in playing Edward?Stan: Well, one of the things that my task was and Aaron brought this up in the rehearsal was to figure out [Edwards] backstory. Who was Edward? How did he get this apartment, how did he decide to be an actor? What happened to his mother? There were these things that are not in the script.So I was doing research and creating a backstory, and looking at things online, and speaking with people who, for instance, had dealt with weight issues and had lost weight drastically, and had an identity crisis as a result. And then just soaking up whatever I could that was online from anyone that was dealing with neurofibromatosis or any other ailments or disfigurements.A lot of those people were orphans. They were talking about being abandoned by their families. So there were things there. But with Adam, I actually had someone next to me who I could ask questions, about how he grew up, or what he had experienced simply just even on a playground.[To Adam] I think my biggest lesson was: You had a very strong support system in your family and in your mom, who from my understanding always said, Look, youre going to walk in this room with your head held high, no matter what happens. And a lot of people didnt have that.But at the same time, it didnt necessarily mean he didnt encounter the same slew of stereotypical responses from everybody around him. For me personally, [the important lesson] was perhaps understanding this ownership that Adam has over himself, in more ways, I think than I have about myself, or other people I know in the world have. Maybe also more so than Edward has.Adam, what was your side of that? What was important to you to see reflected in Edward or to see in this film?Adam Pearson: First of all, with regards to the conversations that me and Sebastian had, unless someone was going to be really and truly honest, there was no point in having them. It can be really easy to dilute it down and skip over the more visceral moments. So that wouldve been an incredibly counterproductive endeavor.And for me, a lot of it was just about trust. [To Stan] I can only give you so much information or equip you so far, and I need to take my hands off the range and trust that you know what youre doing at your end of things. And luckily, I got there really quickly.I think Sebastian has this warmth and integrity thats beyond his years, beyond what you see in other actors. And then theres the really great writing and understanding the subject area that Aaron has. I had no qualms or fears that this could go the other way, and become stereotypical or problematic. So yeah, you come in, you trust the material, you trust the people youre working with, and you come to everything with honesty, integrity, a clear head, and a full heart. And then you cant go wrong.Aaron, the tone of this movie is so complicated. There are so many things going on with the drama and the comedy. How did all three of you work to get to the tone you wanted?Aaron Schimberg: I agonize over the tone before I ever start writing. I dont agonize over how Im going to do it. I agonize over what its going to look like, and I agonize so much that I dont write. I procrastinate. And then eventually, when I cant take it any longer, Ill write a scene. And as soon as I start writing the scene, the tone lays itself out for me.I found this to be the truth, the way it is: Everything Ive written, it seems to come naturally. I think on one hand, I think every film I make, or project I undertake, I take something thats painful to me that I want to explore, and put under the microscope. Its coming from a place of trauma or whatever, not to overuse that word.And then I also have a distance from it, and a comic side, with it. I want to make it light, I dont want to make it dark. And these two things together create this tone, not to overanalyze it. And then I think the tone is sort of set in the script, but then when I bring everyone together, sometimes it tips a little more into tracking and sometimes it tips a little more into comedy. And Ive sort of designed it that way. And my only job is really to make sure that there are guardrails up so that it doesnt tip into one direction, or so that it doesnt become too heavy. And we make sure that we bring it back we put a comic moment into something dark. But I also just have to hand it to my collaborators, who are able to interpret this tone.I knew what Adam was capable of. I wrote the role for him. And I knew the first time talking to Sebastian that he understood this tone. So that just set my mind at ease. Sebastians performance is both tragic and comic. [I had] a general fear about it, because without this tonal balance, the whole thing pulls apart. But I dont know that Im so much controlling it, so much as Im protecting against it falling apart.That sounds a lot like what Adam said about dealing with impostor syndrome at the Q&A last night, about the only people who never get impostor syndrome are the impostors.Pearson: Yeah. Its just such a weird thing Ive been thinking about it a lot, because I come to everything with a certain degree of self-doubt and nervousness. And for years, it bothered me, like, You should be over this feeling by now. But then one of my friends pulled me aside and went, If that feeling ever leaves you, you are not in the right place. Because it means you dont care.A Different Man is now available for digital rental or purchase on Amazon, Apple TV, and other platforms.

Life is a funny thing. You know what else is funny? Video games. Crafting an enjoyable or edifying gaming experience is challenging enough. But creating a game that manages to be hilarious? Thats a feat of design and writing worthy of admiration.If you find yourself in need of a good hearty chuckle, weve got just the list for you. Weve pulled together a selection of the best video games that are actually funny. From amnesiac disaster cops to flying suitcases and more, here are 10 games (and series) with the best comedy writing the medium has to offer.Disco ElysiumWhere to play: Mac, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series XDisco Elysium is considered by many to be one of the best-written RPGs of the past decade, so its no surprise that its also considered one of the funniest. No matter how the player chooses to customize their starting stats, the protagonist of Disco Elysium is the living human embodiment of a train wreck, bumbling from one perversely embarrassing encounter to the next in his existential mission to not only uncover the culprit behind a murder, but settle on an ideological framework by which to judge that murder. More often than not, you cant stop your character from putting his whole foot (or worse) in his mouth. All you can do is try to roll with the punches and laugh your way through it. Toussaint EganHitmanWhere to play: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series XThe Homing Briefcasealone would be enough to earn the Hitman series spot on this list. But thats just one example of the many ways IO Interactives immersive assassination simulator allows players to toy with the games impressively crafted stages. Rather than attempting to make massive open-world environments, the games instead function more like the best city block simulators youve ever played, each with their own intricate series of patterns, pathways, and ridiculous characters. The games winking tone, silly weapons, and penchant for hijinks means every attempt at a level is a chance for something hilarious to happen. Pete VolkThe Monkey Island seriesWhere to play: Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox Series XStarting with The Secret of Monkey Island in 1990 and running all the way to Return to Monkey Island in 2022 (which landed at No. 16 on Polygons list of the top 50 best games of the year), this series has been a standard-bearer for comedy in point-and-click adventure games. Thats to the credit of Ron Gilbert, a master of puns and interactive story design, who headed up each game in the series. Very few games have made me laugh out loud while playing them, but all six Monkey Island games have. You do need to like puns, though. Maddy MyersOverboard!Where to play: Android, iOS, Mac, Nintendo Switch, Windows PCInOverboard!, you are not motivated by righteousness unless you think pushing your husband off a cruise ship because hes holding you back in life is righteous. This point-and-click murder mystery starts out with a grisly killing like any other, but in this colorful take, youre not trying to solve it youre trying to get away with it. It has to be funny by nature, otherwise itd be morally depraved, and the game succeeds there. The main character is sultry and witty, and you might find yourself commanding her to seduce the captain by complimenting his hat or smother a nasty old woman who knows too much. Whether you end up in jail or not, when each 20-minute playthrough ends, you can start over with your new information and a few new objectives in tow. Zo HannahPaper Mario: Color SplashWhere to play: Wii UNintendos writers like to cut loose when it comes to the humor and real-world references in the Paper Mario series. The entire franchise is varying degrees of funny, but the series may have peaked with 2016s Paper Mario: Color Splash for Wii U a game thats unfortunately still stuck on that platform.Paper Mario: Color Splash sends Mario to Prism Island, after the heroic plumber receives a letter in the mail which actually turns out to be a paper Toad who has been drained of its color, having met that fate thanks to paint-slurping, straw-wielding Shy Guys. At Prism Island, they meet Huey, a sentient can of paint who delivers much of the games jokes and meta-commentary. Color Splash is also packed with wise-cracking Toads this game has SO many Toads and Bowsers minions who riff on anything and everything. There are great paper-based sight gags, fourth-wall-breaking jabs at the Mario franchise, cleverly disguised gun-control jokes, and even jokes about the Watergate scandal. Some of the games real-world references may have even gotten a little too hot for Nintendos tastes.If you dont have a Wii U handy, hope that Nintendo sees fit to bring Color Splash forward to the Switch. But Switch owners have another great option in Paper Mario: The Origami King, which is also very funny just not as consistently funny as Color Splash. Michael McWhertorPortalWhere to play: Android, Linux, Mac, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, Windows PC, Xbox 360The first Portal is a standout for puzzle design, an irrepressible gem that remains on almost every critics personal best-of-all-time video game list for good reason. But the other reason its a standout is its dialogue. You play as Chell, a silent protagonist stuck in a maze-like series of puzzle rooms that turn out to be a testing center run by a sentient robot named GLaDOS. For whatever reason, this robot has been programmed to be a master shit-talker, and she will be making you chuckle even as you question what the hell is going on throughout every single puzzle room. She keeps up the shtick in Portal 2, but her jokes get a lot meaner and (in my opinion) less funny; the original Portal has the perfect balance. Maddy MyersThank Goodness Youre Here!Where to play: Mac, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PCDo you enjoy Monty Python,Fawlty Towers, orThat Mitchell and Webb Look? If yes, have I got the game for you. If no, consider this an introduction (or indoctrination) to the world of absurdist British humor. Developed by Coal Supper and published by Panic Inc. (the latter best known forUntitled Goose Game),Thank Goodness Youre Hereis a comedic adventure game about a small fellow running errands for the locals of Barnsworth, a fictional small town in Northern England. You interact with everything and I mean everything by punching, which proves to be an exceptionally effective strategy. The writing is brisk and cheeky, supported by an exceptional cast of actors that includesWhat We Do in the Shadowsstar Matt Berry. Chris PlanteThe Yakuza/Like a Dragon seriesWhere to watch: Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Wii U, Windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series XThink of the Yakuza series (recently rebranded Like a Dragon in Western markets) as a collision ofThe GodfatherandThe Simpsons. Each entry tells a life-or-death story of an ex-Yakuza member navigating the gray space between crime, law enforcement, and civilian life. But these dramatic narrative threads get entwined with hundreds of side characters and their comedic, heartfelt ambitions. Take for example the most recent release,Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.The protagonists desire to save Hawaii from a megalomaniacal cult leader gets put on ice as he helps a struggling musician rediscover his passion for environmentalist death metal. For nearly two decades, the games designers have chosen joy above all else, whether thats a parody of Pokmon in which you collect local perverts, an Animal Crossing clone set on an island of trash, or a boss battle in which the squad fends off construction vehicles with a collection of pristine office furniture. CPThere Is No Game: Wrong DimensionWhere to watch: Android, iOS, Mac, Nintendo Switch, Windows PCIm remiss to say anything about howThere Is No Game: Wrong Dimensionplays, because watching the confounding narrative unfold with each chapter is the joy in itself. It feels distinctly inspired by the point-and-click browser games of old likeWorlds Hardest Game, where the game itself is plotting against the player. This version is animated and aged up for the current moment, filled with decisions and puzzles thatll confuse you into putting the game down, but motivate you to pick it up again a few minutes later. This game is not fair, but it is supremely funny the perfect antidote to the current moment, whichalsofeels like the wrong dimension. ZHTrombone ChampWhere to play: Mac, Nintendo Switch, Windows PCTrombone Champ could have been a one-note joke, that note being the flatulent tooting of a trombone. The rhythm parody game could have effectively mocked the genre with nothing more than its out-of-tune, fart-adjacent impersonation of the instrument. An ironic selection of public domain hits like The Blue Danube and The Old Gray Mare would have sealed the deal as an instant hit on Twitch streams. But the more you play Trombone Champ, the funnier it gets, as you uncover bizarre Tromboner cards and inexplicable baboon-related deep lore. The community has made hundreds of custom tracks if you want to trombone your way through the fire and flames. But if thats all too much satire for you, its still ultimately a game about making fart sounds, and that will always be funny. Perfecto! Clayton Ashley

At the risk of being entirely unrelatable: You know that music they play at the spa? That synthy, spaced-out soundscape type of stuff that isnt exactly music, but isnt exactly not music? The sort of playlist you can find if you take a wrong turn from your favorite lo-fi playlist? Chord after relaxing chord, interspersed with birdsong, rain sounds, or crackling fire? Well, Europa is that, but in video game form at least when it comes to its gameplay.Europa, developed by Helder Pinto and Novadust Entertertainment, is a game mostly about gently floating through cel-shaded environments to soothing piano and electronic music. You play as Zee, a humanoid boy who uses a Zephyr backpack to fly through serene landscapes riddled with overgrown ruins and cutesy robots. In its opening hours, Europa feels like it ought to have been titled Beautiful Vista Simulator, as it shuttles you from overlook to stunning overlook, panning the camera out to show off the games painterly aesthetic and surprising scope. If you liked the opening of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Europa does that kind of epic zoom-out every 30 minutes or so. (Only a slight exaggeration.)Taken on vibes alone, Europa is a relaxing experience bordering on the meditative. Challenge is absent here. Many enemies can be disabled with a hug. Puzzles are perfunctory and quickly dispatched. You cannot die. If you are looking for a challenge, look elsewhere. Europa trades in difficulty for the joy of movement as the player explores the nooks and crannies of a gorgeous, if largely empty, world. Besides Zee, that world is populated only by assorted fauna (deer, rabbits, foxes) and an arks worth of robots. And its the latter population that introduces the games most obvious conflict: a sharp contrast between its aesthetic and its narrative.Theres no shortage of post-apocalyptic games. Europa, for all its chill trappings, is another entry in that genre. Humans have colonized Europa, one of Jupiters moons, transforming it with AI-produced terraformers into something inhabitable. But not all is well with the mission for a second home for humans. The game is narrated by an old man writing to his son, and you spend your time collecting the pages of his diary, reassembling the story of what happened before you set out on your Europan adventure a story, as it turns out, thats fairly dark. As the game progresses, it becomes clear that humanitys flaws came along with them to Europa, the terraformers having long ago decided to revolt against their creators, deeming humanity antithetical to their directive to create an ecologically sound environment. That conflict spills over into outright war, as humanity abandons the ground and takes to a refuge in the sky.Without spoiling anything, I will say that, by the conclusion of Europa, the game makes a definitive statement on the conflict between human life and the environment. Yet the questions posed by Europas story chiefly, should humanity be given a second chance at sustaining a planet if theyve failed and failed again to do anything but destroy wherever it is they call home? stand in contrast to the experience of playing the game, which is sublimely chill and, as Ive written, almost entirely devoid of conflict.In the brief three to four hours it takes to complete the game, you will encounter landscapes unbothered by industry or greed, reading page after page about how humans, even in our desperate flight from a ruined Earth, brought our warlike inclinations to what shouldve been a utopia. In its narrative, Europa explicitly asks the player to consider whether we, as humanity, deserve a Europa. My own answer, watching the clouds roll over verdant hills dotted with unbothered creatures both biological and technological, was, frankly, no. We had our shot. Let them have a go at it. Let someone else have a chance if weve wasted our first and second. Let the world reclaim the world and see if a newer, gentler order might arise.I dont think the developers would agree with me on this point, but I find it fascinating that the game allows for this reading. Europa has some drawbacks as a game: The camera can often fight you midflight, some sound effects still feel like placeholders, and the periodic deactivation of Zees ability to freely glide through the air (as a means of adding challenge) just doesnt work that well, as its no fun to be able to fly and then be told to walk. And, again, if you are looking for a challenge, seek greener pastures (though good luck finding greener pastures than Europas).Yet, while Europa is not a game I can recommend without some reservations, what I admire most about it is its unwillingness to square the circle of its gameplay and narrative dissonances. Having seen where the story lands, I can safely say the contrast is not unintentional on the part of the developers. And while I do find myself personally bristling at the more hopeful inclinations, I admire the fact that, to the end, Europa asks you to decide for yourself what you think of all this. Its a brave game that gives over such thematic decisions to its player rather than beating them over the head with a desired interpretation. Europa might be the spa music of post-apocalyptic games, but its relaxation asks a deeper question: Do we deserve a greener world? And, if not, how might we change ourselves so that we fit into that greener utopia of which weve dreamed so long?Europawas released Oct. 11 on Nintendo Switch and Windows PC. The author played on PC using a download code provided by Future Friends Games. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. You can findadditional information about Polygons ethics policy here.

Halloween may be over, but the hunt for great thrillers is always on. Netflix has quite a few excellent options this month, including an original movie from the end of October and a surprising movie you might not know about.Every month, we handpick a few of the best thrillers on Netflix that fit the current season. Sometimes they pair well with an upcoming release. Other titles might be new additions to the platform.This month weve got a Netflix new arrival, a horrifying dystopian movie from just a few years ago, and a very underappreciated gem that deserves a whole lot more attention. Editors pick: Woman of the HourDirector: Anna KendrickCast: Anna Kendrick, Daniel Zovatto, Tony Hale Anna Kendricks directorial debut chronicles the story of one of the most infamous serial killers in American history, his victims, and the women who against all odds managed to survive him. Kendrick stars as Sheryl Bradshaw, a struggling actress in late-70s Los Angeles who is coaxed into appearing as a contestant on a daytime dating show in hopes of it being her big break. Little does she know that one of the male contestants, Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto), is secretly responsible for the murders of numerous women for over more than a decade. Inspired by a true story, Woman of the Hour is a terrifying depiction of not only an inscrutable killer, but of the inadvertent complicity of a justice system that refuses to act until it is almost too late. Toussaint EganTake Shelter Director: Jeff Nichols Cast: Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Shea WhighamMichael Shannon is one of the greatest actors of his generation, and his performance in Take Shelter easily ranks as one of his most memorable and enduring roles to date. Set in rural suburban Ohio, Shannon stars as Curtis LaForche, a construction worker who is stricken with apocalyptic visions of an impending storm that will destroy everything in its wake. As Curtis descends deeper into his obsession, remodeling the storm shelter in his backyard and distancing himself from friends and family, his wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) grows concerned that his behavior might be linked to his familial history of mental illness. A breathtaking drama that probes the hazy divide between faith and superstition, as well as mental illness, masculinity, and the tenuous bond between families and their community, Take Shelter will have you questioning whats real and what isnt right up to its shocking conclusion. TEThe Platform Director: Galder Gaztelu-UrrutiaCast: Ivn Massagu, Zorion Eguileor, Antonia San JuanVerging on the absolute edge of simply being a horror movie, The Platform is among the grossest and grisliest of Netflixs thriller options. The movie takes place in a dystopian world in which prisoners are kept in a massive vertical tower with different levels. Everyone is fed via a platform that starts at the top filled with delicious food, then slowly floats to the other levels below, leaving only disgusting leftovers by the time it reaches the inmates kept in the lowest depths. Eventually, one inmate decides hes going to do something about only ever getting scraps and attempts to change the system.Look, theres really no way to escape this movies metaphor, and on that level, its both unsubtle and pretty ineffective. However, as a harrowing thriller about a man trying to break out of a horrifying prison, its quite a bit of fun and absolutely worth a watch. And if you have a good enough time with this film, you can always check out the sequel, which only came out last month. Austen Goslin

When Arcane season 2 picks up, mere moments after Jinxs bomb has decimated the Piltover council meeting, tragedy has already struck. Theres wreckage all around, bodies appearing among the rubble as the dust begins to clear. Even for a series as somber as Arcane, its desolation; as one character puts it, another cruelty or so later, its the sort of thing that lets you understand how easy it is to hate those that did this to you.That is an extremely complex emotion to unpack in any show, not least of which one released in the same week as a dour U.S. election. But in its first three episodes of season 2, Arcane proves itself up to the challenge, constantly wrestling with not just the hardships of life in Piltover and Zaun, but the scary ease with which resentful rage and violence comes closer and closer. Such leisurely destruction leaves the world at once messy and full of focus: whether its Vi left to figure out if theres any of her sister left in Jinx, or Cait roiling, grappling to figure out how much of her instincts are gut and how much are grief.That Arcane gets to illustrate so much of their struggle with its artful animation would feel like a cheat if the show wasnt so damn good with it. Everything from the memorial battle to Jinxs alleyway brawl looks impeccable, displaying a real ease at pulling in animation styles to naturally suit the mood, person, or situation. When we see Cait diving into the science behind the gray noxious gas, its set against a comic book style yet again illustrating how easy it is for her team to see everything they do as right.All the more fun that a montage like that can feel equally at home with Sevikas skirmish using her new, unpredictable Jinx arm. At times Arcane feels like its emulating sumptuous anime, classical art, or dexterous music videos; often, as when the second episode sets up Zauns power struggle, it feels like all those things at once. Thanks to the work of animation studio Fortiche, the visual language of Arcane can be anything, and go anywhere.And so the show dives in. The shock of last seasons cliffhanger hangs over everything that happens, and the threat that such calamity could be around any corner plumes through the narrative. Theres a real sense of scramble and melancholy throughout everyones storylines (who cant relate?). Although Jayces and Viktors evolving experiences with hextech might be more singularly focused than Mels attempts to hold Piltover together, they share the desperate want to fix everything and the gnawing fear that maybe its already too far gone (who cant relate). Even Jinx, always ready to play the villain to avoid facing her wounds, is more ready than ever for some release.In a lesser premiere, these struggles might feel distant, overshadowed by the tiny eternity we spent waiting for season 2. Instead, Arcane keeps it moving, artfully weaving in just enough context to pack a punch, letting the remarkable visuals speak for themselves.Theres an adage that has been cropping up around TV shows lately: Its a miracle if we get a season every year. Its a little anachronistic; never mind that there are some heavy-hitting examples working against this, either by running like clockwork a season or so ahead (Slow Horses) or just being network television functioning the way it always has (Abbott Elementary, 9-1-1, the list goes on). People are fed up at having to bide their time between seasons, with no set regularity or schedule. The wait, particularly with a streaming show, can feel interminable. But then a show like Arcane comes along, deliberately and methodically taking its time. And it finds itself released in a bit of serendipity, when it might provide some mirror to our own experiences.Media cant ever be purely an outlet; it interprets and spits out too much of what we feed into it. And even in times like these, when many are scared, stressed, and struggling, it doesnt serve us to simply turn away and blanket ourselves. Arcane, with its long-planned release, feels like a reminder of this in its first three episodes, thoughtful and nuanced as it traces a bunch of people endeavoring to improve their condition. Theres no way its long gestational period couldve predicted this exact moment, but it feels like one of many answers to it, another encouragement to channel pain into something considerate.A reminder that big ideas dont have to go down hard.In the final moments of episode 3 we see that Arcane is playing at something bigger this isnt a simple revenge story, nor is it a bleak world thats headed toward disaster. This may be a tragedy, but every single second of it will be a choice. Exactly where this lands, well just have to wait and see.It might not be easy, but if these first three episodes tell us anything, its that we should be wary of what is. Sometimes, things are worth the wait.The first three episodes of Arcane season 2 are now streaming on Netflix. The next act will drop on Nov. 16.

Marvel and Capcom have a rich history of collaboration dating back to The Punisher, a side-scrolling beat-em-up in the Final Fight style that was released in arcades in 1993. The companies would quickly team up again for a pair of 2D fighting games, X-Men: Children of the Atom and Marvel Super Heroes.Then the real crossover happened: Capcoms fighting game royalty and the superheroes and villains of Marvel Comics went head-to-head in X-Men vs. Street Fighter, a landmark fighting game that kicked off a decades-long series of Marvel vs. Capcom crossovers.Capcoms recently released collection of some of those early games, Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, reignited interest in the Marvel vs. Capcom series, which hasnt seen a new entry since 2017s coolly received Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite. The fourth main MvC game had its share of curious choices: Marvel vs. Capcom mainstays the X-Men didnt appear on the roster, and the game took a step back in complexity, going from teams of three to teams of two.With the Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection bringing MvC back into the conversation, talk of a new game in the crossover franchise has increased. Capcom producer Shuhei Matsumoto said the developers have big dreams and that there is an opportunity for a new Marvel vs Capcom game in an interview with Dexerto.What would a Marvel vs. Capcom 4* look like? Probably like some sort of course correction for the franchise, but the gameplay specifics are best left up to the fighting game experts at Capcom. But a few folks at Polygon have some strong ideas about who should be in a theoretical Marvel vs. Capcom 4, based on the franchises past and where Marvel and Capcoms respective franchises are headed.Here are our picks for our dream (but grounded in reality) Marvel vs. Capcom 4 cast.*[Ed. note: For the purposes of this article, we are ignoring Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite, just like the rest of the MvC audience.]The Capcom sideLets get this out of the way: Street Fighters Ryu and Chun-Li need to be in here. Theyve been in the Marvel vs. Capcom franchise since the beginning, and theyre the most famous faces of the Street Fighter franchise. And even though Darkstalkers is dead, everyone especially Capcom loves Morrigan. Shes a lock.From the non-fighting game side of Capcoms catalog, were betting that Mega Man, Devil May Crys Dante, and Ace Attorneys Phoenix Wright will be represented on the MvC4 roster. A hunter from Monster Hunter, Capcoms biggest franchise, is also a lock. And to represent the Resident Evil franchise, were picking Leon S. Kennedy. Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine have had their shot, so its time for Resident Evil 4s Leon.As for our other picks, were picking some familiar Capcom favorites and some newcomers who can help spice things up:Cammy from Street Fighter: The ever-popular Cammy hasnt had too much MvC representation, but she brings a fun, unique play style to the roster.Zangief from Street Fighter: You need a big guy, and if its not gonna be Mike Haggar, its gonna be Zangief.Frank West from Dead Rising: Sometimes you need a guy with a huge toolbox of stuff to fight with. Thats Frank West.Countess Alcina Dimitrescu (aka Lady D) from Resident Evil Village: Weve got a big guy, how about a big woman? Lady Ds got tons of gameplay potential.Ada Wong from Resident Evil: Look, Resident Evil is really popular, and Ada could be kind of the Spider-Man of the Capcom side, thanks to her spy gadgetry.Luke from Street Fighter: Yes, this rosters Street Fighter heavy, but Capcom seems to really want Luke to be the new face of the fighting game franchise.Arthur from Ghosts n Goblins: Arthurs arsenal practically assures him a place on the MvC4 roster.Captain Commando: The star of one of Capcoms coolest beat-em-ups, Captain Commando is just a cool superhero for the non-Marvel side.Finally, here are our long shot picks for who else we want to see from the Capcom side:Marisa from Street Fighter: Im biased here, because Marisa is my main in Street Fighter 6, but I love her character design and the way she throws hands. The Capcom roster has no shortage of characters who can throw hands, but Marisas hulking physicality and boxing skills give her a different approach than someone like Luke or Zangief. Pete VolkClaire Redfield from Resident Evil: Claires brother Chris or even Leon Kennedy seem more likely to be included, but if you ask me, Claire deserves her spot on the strength of having a slightly different backstory. Instead of having official military or police training, Claire presumably learned her way around munitions operations from her family members and thats about it. Shes an everywoman who threw herself into the zombie action because somebody had to. I love that about her. Maddy MyersRathalos from Monster Hunter: Monster Hunter is incredibly important for Capcom, but MvC4 should go further than just hunter representation. Lets get the monsters in here too, starting with Rathalos. If Abigail can appear in Street Fighter 5 and Galactus can be playable in Ultimate MvC3, why not? Michael McWhertorThe Marvel sideIf Marvel vs. Capcom 4 happens, it needs to atone for one of Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinites greatest sins. It needs to bring back the X-Men. Infinite was released at a time when, apparently, Marvel wanted to deprioritize the X-Men in favor of its then-hot MCU stars, the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy. But the X-Men are back, thanks to X-Men 97 and Deadpool & Wolverine. Thats why Wolverine, Magneto, and Storm need to return to the MvC roster. Oh, and Deadpool, too.The Marvel side also needs a few superhero mainstays, like Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Captain America. Which Spider-Man and which Captain America is up for debate, but some version of those classic heroes needs to be represented.On the villain side, Doctor Doom is not only an enduring Marvel villain and an MvC mainstay, hes at the heart of Marvel Studios future film plans. Doom is an easy lock.Here are our best guesses for who else will round out the Marvel side of the MvC4 roster.Venom: Venoms pretty popular, fills a Big Guy role for the Marvel side, and can do all kinds of fun shape-shifting.Mister Fantastic: Marvel Studios has a new cinematic franchise to launch, and who better than the Dhalsim/Shuma Gorath-like Reed Richards?The Thing: See above, plus we need someone to step in for the Hulk.Silver Surfer: Potentially overpowered, but cosmic powers and surfboard-based attacks feel like an incredibly cool combo.Shang-Chi: A straightforward brawler for the Marvel side with flashy magic powers, and the potential to summon a dragon?Doctor Strange: Mystical powers, teleportation portals, and illusions make Steve a pretty decent option for the Marvel side.Groot & Rocket: Pairing these two as one character would make for an interesting move set and visual approach, while paying tribute to two of the most popular characters of the MCUs previous era (while not cluttering the roster with too many). Groot slams while Rocket shoots? Sounds like a perfect combo to me.Phoenix: We need more X-Men (and more women) on the Marvel side, and Jeans always a fun pick.As for our Marvel deep cuts and oddities, heres who we want to see show up in MvC4.Howard the Duck: Hear me out. I have no real allegiance to Howard the Duck I havent read any of his material, nor have I seen his movie. But this is exactly the kind of wacky stunt I want MvC4 to pull off. Howard has nothing to promote, so his inclusion would be free of marketing concerns, and he would look absolutely ridiculous against many of the other people on the roster. I have but one request: He should also be the strongest character in the game. PVKamala Khan: Kamalas powers are easy to imagine in a fighting game (her original Dhalsim-meets-Mister Fantastic comic book powers, that is) so shes a great idea just from a fun to play standpoint. But this isnt just about that. Her comic book storylines are great, she had one of the best MCU television shows that not enough people watched, and she was the best part of The Marvels, which even fewer people watched. She was also the best part of Marvels Avengers, a game that almost no one played. Shes always the best part of whatever shes in, and she deserves to actually be seen. Maddy MyersShe-Hulk: Hulk, the Bruce Banner version, has been a mainstay of the Marvel vs. Capcom franchise from the beginning. Give the man a break! Since we already have the Thing on our dream roster as the big bruiser on the Marvel side, its She-Hulks time to shine. Shes strong, has a lot more personality than her cousin, and can break the fourth wall in fun ways (just like Deadpool). Put Jen in the game!! Michael McWhertor

In the (kinda) time-travel comedy My Old Ass, 18-year-old Elliott (Maisy Stella) trips on a ton of mushrooms and ends up face-to-face with her older self, played by Aubrey Plaza. The older Elliott has some words of wisdom for her younger self: mostly vague bits of advice about slowing down and enjoying more time with her family. Younger!Elliott listens, and finds that guidance useful.But older!Elliott gives herself one more specific warning: Dont fall in love with Chad (Percy Hynes White), the cute boy working at Elliotts family farm over the summer.Younger!Elliott disregarding this advice ends up becoming the movies most compelling theme and a thread that it shares with cinematic masterpiece Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. (Yes, for real.)[Ed. note: This post contains ending spoilers for My Old Ass and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.]At first, younger!Elliot is sure the Chad thing isnt going to be a problem, considering that previously, shes only been attracted to women. But after getting to know Chad, shes smitten, which makes her question her own identity. Still, older!Elliott is insistent: Dont fall in love with Chad! Younger!Elliott waits for the other shoe to drop, wondering whether Chad is secretly an asshole or something.Finally, she confronts her older self, who confesses that Chad is going to die young and break their heart.In this moment, writer-director Megan Park digs into her most interesting message. After hearing her older self rant about how deeply Chads death affected her, younger!Elliott replies with a No. She tells her older self that being young and dumb is a good thing, because if she let fear of the world change her life, she wouldnt be living at all. So shell take the heartbreak, because it comes with the opportunity to get to know and love someone deeply and with abandon.Some time-travel stories let older versions of characters try to advise or interfere with their younger selves, to help them dodge some traumatizing future. My Old Ass represents a twist on that idea: The older!Elliott learns something from the self-proclaimed young, dumb kid version of herself. And thats something we can take away, even without the time travel which is where the Mamma Mia of it all comes in.In the big, glittery finale of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, older and younger versions of the main characters all dance together in a big celebration. Here We Go Again isnt a time-travel movie at all, but it does cycle between flashbacks and the present day, painting the story of how free-spirited Donna Sheridan (Lily James) ended up with three potential baby-daddies over the course of one memorable summer. We see all the older characters back when they were young and dumb but also living with a certain admirable fearlessness.My Old Ass and Mamma Mia 2 end with the same message: Your younger self is part of you, and always will be. Even though there are things you mightve done differently in life, and certain outcomes youd want to shield yourself from, theres also wisdom to glean from that young and dumb self especially since that young self is the reason you are the way you are today.My Old Ass makes the lesson more concrete and tangible, with Elliott outright saying it to her older self. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again weaves it in subtly even if part of that subtlety is a dance party that brings the young and old versions of people together. That ending is a celebration of the past and present, without any explanation as to how its happening. But thats OK, because in a way, arent we all dancing with our younger selves?My Old Ass is streaming on Prime Video. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is streaming on Peacock.

Pokmon Go is having a Mankey Community Day event on Sunday, Nov. 10, from 2-5 p.m. in your local time.As expected with a Community Day event, Mankey will spawn in huge numbers with a high chance for it to appear shiny. There are also several other bonuses and perks, which weve list out below.How do I catch a shiny Mankey in Pokmon Go?As per old research by the now-defunct website The Silph Road (via Wayback Machine), Shiny rates on Community Days are about 1 in 24, which means that if you keep playing throughout the three-hour window, you should find quite a few shiny Pokmon.If youre short on time or Pok Balls, you can pop an Incense, then quickly tap each Mankey to check for shiny ones, running from any that arent shiny. Notably, any Mankey youve already tapped will face where your player is standing, so that should help identify which ones you may have already checked.What Community Day move does Mankeys evolution learn?If you evolve Mankey or Primape into Primeape or Annihilape from 2 p.m. until 10 p.m. in your local time, it will learn the charged move Rage Fist.Primeape has an unusual evolution requirement to evolve into Annihilape usually. However, for this Community Day, the usual method has been temporarily replaced with an easier method: set Primeape as your buddy and catch 20 fighting-type Pokmon. This will be active from 2-10 p.m. in your local time, so use this to take advantage and evolve those Mankey and Primeape.If you miss out on evolving it during this period, you will likely be able to evolve it during a Community Day weekend event in December to get Rage Fist. If you dont want to wait, you can use an Elite TM to get the move.How does Annihilape do in the Pokmon Go meta?Unfortunately as of this writing, we dont know the exact stats for Rage Fist. (Full disclosure: We prep these posts a few days ahead of time, as we dont typically work on weekends!) PvP-focused websites like PvPoke are predicting that Rage Fist will help out Annihilape and Primeape re-enter the meta after the nerfs that came in with the PvP shake-up earlier in the season.Rage Fist's stats won't be confirmed until release. As it stands, it should lift Annihilape back into the meta and make Primeape a dangerous sweeper.Primeape is the bigger sim hero, so realistically I'd say it's a notch above Machamp and Pangoro.https://t.co/HeHq3LjisS pic.twitter.com/Ljfc5Cl27G PvPoke.com (@pvpoke) November 7, 2024In terms of PvE content (raids and gyms), Annihilape sits in the top 20 of ghost-type attackers when you get rid of shadow Pokmon and Megas, but that doesnt mean much. Its outclassed by many more commonly found Pokmon: Gengar and Chandelure, as well as a plethora of Legendary Pokmon, like Lunala, Origin Forme Giratina, Darkrai, Mewtwo you get the picture. You can totally build and invest in an Annihilape if you want, but since it has no ghost-type fast move available, Rage Fist will likely not push it up the ladder compared to these long-standing meta picks.How do I make the most of Mankey Community Day?The following bonuses will be active during Mankey Community Day:Tripled XP for catching PokmonDoubled candy for catching PokmonDoubled chance for level 31+ trainers to get XL candy from catching PokmonIncense lasts three hoursLure Modules lasts three hoursMankey special photobombs when taking snapshotsOne additional special tradeStardust cost halved for tradingThat said, you should definitely pop a Lucky Egg and an Incense and try to nab some powerful Mankey.If you can Mega Evolve Heracross, Blaziken, Medicham, Lopunny, or Lucario, youll score additional Mankey Candy per catch.In addition to all this, Niantic is still running special four-star raids from 5-10 p.m., where if you clear the Primeape raid, Mankey will spawn in a 300-meter radius around the gym for 30 minutes. These raids cannot be done remotely. If the usual 2-5 p.m. spawn increase doesnt get you the Mankey you wanted, you can try raiding for another chance.

Final Fantasy 14s first post-Dawntrail patch is on the horizon, with maintenance going down for the game for about seven hours before patch 7.1 properly launches.Below, we explain when FFXIV Dawntrail maintenance ends and some of the things you can look forward to when the patch launches.What time does FFXIV maintenance end and servers come back online?Final Fantasy 14s maintenance ends on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at the following times:2 a.m. PSTfor the west coast of North America5 a.m. ESTfor the east coast of North America10 a.m. GMT for the U.K.11 a.m. CETfor western Europe/Paris7 p.m. JSTfor Japan/Tokyo9 p.m. AEDT for Australia/SydneyNote that maintenance does end before daily reset time, so you can likely squeeze in a set of the new Pelupelu allied society quests if youre quick (and awake that early).Whats new in FFXIV 7.1?Of course, theres also more main scenario quests, where we seem to continue to pick up the pieces after the events of Dawntrail. (We wont get into it for spoiler reasons, just in case you havent finished Dawntrail yet. You also probably shouldnt watch the trailer below, either.) With the new MSQ comes a new dungeon, Yuweyawata Field Station, and youll be able to take on the Extreme version of the third trial from the Dawntrail main story, too.A lot of patch 7.1s content will be spread out in coming weeks, so while this specific patch doesnt have the new Cloud of Darkness (Chaotic) raid or the new custom deliveries, theres still a good chunk of stuff to do in the patch, including the new Final Fantasy 11 crossover alliance raid, Echoes of Vanadiel. Theres also new allied society quests, where we can help out the Pelupelu in exchange for some sweet combat EXP.Theres also a ton of new features coming in, like the ability to change the interior design of your house, meaning you can finally get rid of those pesky columns and even change how your staircases look.

The ending of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods horror movie Heretic comes as a surprise: Its a silent, transcendent moment after a tense, dialogue-heavy story. (End spoilers ahead, as the headline suggests.) A seemingly benign man, Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), traps two young female Mormon missionaries in his house to test their faith and explain his own. He proclaims hes going to show them a miraculous resurrection, but his miracle turns out to be fakery and manipulation.Mr. Reed murders one of the missionaries, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) but late in the movie, she seems to miraculously resurrect long enough to kill him, saving her partner, Sister Paxton (Chloe East). The movie ends with Sister Paxton escaping the house, staggering through its grounds, and falling. In the penultimate shot, she sees a butterfly land on her hand, and regards it with wonder its a callback to a line earlier in the movie, where Paxton said that after death, shed like to be resurrected as a butterfly, and visit her loved ones.The implication is that shes seen the promised miracle after all, and that now, her partners spirit is visiting her in a new form. But the final shot of the movie shows the butterfly isnt there after all. What does it mean? Polygon asked writer-directors Bryan Woods and Scott Beck (A Quiet Place), who discussed their take on the ending, what they want people talking about after the movie, and how Joe Dirt helps explain it all.[Ed. note:This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.]Polygon: Im sure a lot of people will be trying to unpack and debate Heretics final moment. For me, it felt like a statement about faith and belief Sister Paxton believes Sister Barnes spirit is with her, and takes comfort from it, so it doesnt matter whether thats objectively true or not. Can you can speak to what you meant by the contrast between those final two shots?Scott Beck: Without giving our own direct feeling on the moment, what youre talking about, that its reflecting upon the statement of belief that is the sweet spot. We screened the movie a few times at AFI, and Fantastic Fest, and Toronto, and whats been really engaging for us is to hear many people have multiple interpretations of what that ending means, and how that intersects with their own sense of self, and their own sense of how they view the world.Sometimes, days later, we hear that theyve reflected upon it in a different way. And that, to us, is kind of the beauty of life not be stuck in stasis, or stuck in the certainty of This is the only way to view the world around me, or to view a relationship or non-relationship with faith, belief, disbelief. To keep your eyes and ears open and interact with the world in a way that is both reactionary and proactive, but youre always kind of being fluid in the way that you view the world.Bryan Woods: Its a very difficult thing to talk about, because we make the movie, we spend three years trying to put this conversation in a cinematic context, and were timid about coming in with our thoughts about what we were trying to say. Then it reduces that experience to a soundbite.Beck: Its an ending by design to leave it with the audience. Thats really it. The ambition is to deliver questions, and not to necessarily deliver an answer, because more than anything, this to us would be a take-home movie.Woods: I know that theres this feeling people get to the end and theyre kind of curious, are we coming out on belief or disbelief? Which is it? Which is maybe too binary for what were talking about. But one of the things were certainly discussing in the film is a critique of certainty, and a critique of in life, whether its religion or politics or even moviegoing, this feeling of, I know whats right, and youre wrong. We hate that, because that kills conversation, and then no dialogue exists.Our taste ranges from lowbrow movies to highbrow movies. Were all over the map. I love a good lowbrow, broad comedy like Joe Dirt, but if somebody came up to me and said, I know that Joe Dirt is the greatest movie of all time, I would be like, Youre terrifying me. Thats scary to me.Beck: But if they said its the worst movie of all time, I also would disagree with that, too!Woods: That would also be scary! So then you apply that to politics, and you apply that to discourse and religion, and therein lies one of the things were attempting to get out of this.Beck: I feel like the internet has made human beings seem dumb, but thats not the case. Were all very complex intellectual people that dont share 100% of the same views, and we cant all be lumped into one group. And thats what I feel like culture has cultivated right now. And thats a shame. And I hope theres a way to get over this hump of where we are currently as a society .Woods: And its hard, because of the digital aspect of social media. Were not present together as people. Were on screens, and were commenting, and it just dehumanizes the conversation. And thats part of the problem, I think as well.Whats the ideal way you want people to walk away from this movie? What do you want them to be talking about or thinking about?Beck: I hope theyre thinking about their own relationship to their ideologies. Whether it is coming from an atheist perspective or a perspective steeped in rich belief, I hope its a conversation, a conversation that echoes what Brian and I had over the last almost 30 years of friendship. Why have we come to the conclusions we came to? To us, the relationship with these great existential questions is ever-evolving.Thats the fun of life the mysteries of life, the pursuit of questioning what is around you, and how to be a good human being, and how to interact with the world through that lens. So we hope that there is a lot of introspection, that people can engage with it at that level.Woods: And talk about it. Were at an interesting point in culture certainly American culture, but I am sure theres a kind of global feeling about this too, where its hard to talk about things. The internet dramatizes sides. Youre either here or youre there, and fuck everybody else. When the reality is, were all probably somewhere on the spectrum.And the idea of being able to have a civil conversation about anything has almost completely disappeared. So one of our hopes was to dramatize a conversation about religion, a thing that is difficult, that youre almost not supposed to talk about dramatize it to the most extreme level, so that any conversation that follows the film will feel civil and cordial by comparison to the experience that hopefully the audience just had.And if we can translate a cinematic conversation to a conversation that people have at dinner after they see the film, for us, that would be the equivalent of a home run. That would be really special. Even if they just talk about religion for five minutes after seeing the movie, that would be a win as well.Heretic is in theaters now.

Just like the early phases of Marvel Cinematic Universe turned B- and C-list heroes into the biggest stars on the planet, the next chapter of the mega-franchise intends to pluck side characters from passable movies and iffy TV shows for a team-up movie with high potential. Marvel and Disney released a new extended trailer for Thunderbolts* on Saturday, after a debut at the emerging Brazil D23 convention, and it feels a bit like old times: chemistry, verve, and even a bit of color-graded polish we havent seen in an MCU movie since maybe ever? If Deadpool & Wolverine made every self-referential punchline imaginable to get Marvel through a down year, next Mays tentpole could actually revitalize the ongoing saga.Every character gets the spotlight in the new trailer, including Yelena Belova/White Widow (Florence Pugh), Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, U.S. Agent/John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost/Ava Starr (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster/Antonia Dreykov (Olga Kurylenko), and Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). Plus theres Bob (Lewis Pullman). though it remains unclear if hes friend or foe. Then theres Julia Louis-DreyfusValentina Allegra de Fontainein the Nick Fury slot, bringing the zings and jabs. The big shock is, despite most of the cast being pulled from Black Widow and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, ventures that remain a total blur for so many reasons, the cast brings the rapport. And Stan has really evolved into the all-star badass of the MCU, huh? He goes full Terminator in a clip from the movies big desert chase. Fun! Is it all just a well-cut trailer dropped at a time when a dash of old-school Marvel flavor goes a long way or will director Jake Schreier (Robot and Frank) deliver the goods? Well know when Thunderbolts* hits theaters on May 2, 2025.

Action-survival roguelike Vampire Survivors is already one of the best deals in gaming. For five bucks, you get an endlessly replayable time sink thats stuffed with unlockable characters, dozens of weapons to experiment with, and clever secrets to discover. The games most recent add-on, Ode to Castlevania, somehow manages to make the original offering feel anemic by comparison.Maybe thats a slight exaggeration, but Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania under-promises what it actually offers for an extra $3.99. This is more than just a love letter to three decades of Castlevania games; its an exhaustive homage to the very inspiration behind Vampire Survivors.Ode to Castlevania includes a massive new stage to explore, one thats vaguely Draculas Castle-shaped. Theres some inspiration from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night to its structure, as the map includes recreations of boss arenas and teleportation rooms that can zip you around its huge footprint. But exploring on foot is one of the best ways to appreciate what developer Poncle has built here with its tribute to the Metroidvania-style maps that repopularized the Castlevania series.Poncle advertised Ode to Castlevania with 20-plus new characters, including various Belmonts, Belnades, good ol Alucard, and plenty of series deep cuts. Without spoiling any surprises, 20-plus is hilariously underselling just how many new characters players can unlock and play with in the DLC.The action itself hasnt changed much. Veteran Vampire Survivors players will fall right into the games routine of dodging hordes of enemies while scrounging for XP and strategizing their randomized build. But Ode to Castlevania includes massive amounts of secrets, new weapons to equip (including eight new whips alone), and more than a few surprising variations on standard Vampire Survivors gameplay. Players will easily sink dozens of hours into the DLC to experience everything.Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania offers more than just more. Its something of a glow-up for the game too, as the enemy sprites borrowed from and inspired by the 2D Castlevania games are nicer than what Poncles offered in the past some of which felt like knock-off, legally distinct versions of graphic elements made by Konami. And for the Castlevania music enthusiast, virtually every memorable tune and theme from that series is represented here in some form.Ode to Castlevania is a fitting title for Poncles latest expansion for Vampire Survivors. Its clear that the love for the franchise that led to Vampire Survivors creation is on display here. With Ode to Castlevania, the games creators are now sharing that love with all of us.Vampire Survivors and Ode to Castlevania are available on Android, iOS, Mac, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X, giving nearly everyone the opportunity to enjoy a piece of Castlevania nostalgia.

Each week on Polygon, we round up the most notable new releases to streaming and VOD, highlighting the biggest and best new movies for you to watch at home.This week, Look Back, the critically acclaimed anime film based on Tatsuki Fujimotos manga of the same name, is finally available to stream on Prime Video. Thats not all, though; the time-travel comedy My Old Ass starring Aubrey Plaza also arrives on Prime Video this weekend alongside Poolman on Hulu, Black Cab on Shudder, and the Christmas rom-com Meet Me Next Christmas on Netflix. There are also several new releases available to rent or purchase on VOD, including A Different Man starring Sebastian Stan and Adam Pearson.Heres everything new thats available to watch this weekend!New on NetflixMeet Me Next ChristmasWhere to watch: Available to stream on NetflixGenre: Holiday rom-comRun time: 1h 45mDirector: Rusty CundieffCast: Christina Milian, Devale Ellis, Mitch GrassiThis holiday rom-com follows a woman who serendipitously met a handsome stranger in an airport one Christmas. After feeling the sparks, they decided to meet next year at a Pentatonix concert. Flash forward a year, and she cant get a ticket to the sold-out concert! So she hires a personalized concierge service to help her get a ticket. But of course the concierge is handsome and charming Who will she choose? Will she get to see Pentatonix live?New on HuluPoolmanWhere to watch: Available to stream on HuluGenre: Mystery comedyRun time: 1h 40mDirector: Chris PineCast: Chris Pine, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Danny DeVitoChris Pines directorial debut stars himself as Darren, a unflinchingly optimistic pool cleaner in Los Angeles whos also determined to make his community a better place la Erin Brockovich (though the local city council is increasingly annoyed by him). After being contacted by a beautiful and mysterious woman, Darren embarks on a quest to unearth corruption in the city.New on Prime VideoLook BackWhere to watch: Available to stream on Prime VideoGenre: Coming-of-age dramaRun time: 58mDirector: Kiyotaka OshiyamaCast: Yuumi Kawai, Mizuki YoshidaBased on the one-shot manga by Chainsaw Man author Tatsuki Fujimoto, Kiyotaka Oshiyamas coming-of-age anime drama centers on the life and friendship of Fujino (Yuumi Kawai) and Kyomoto (Mizuki Yoshida), two grade school classmates who bond over their shared love and passion for drawing manga. We added it to our list of the best animated features of the year, so you should definitely check it out.My Old AssWhere to watch: Available to stream on Prime VideoGenre: ComedyRun time: 1h 29mDirector: Megan ParkCast: Aubrey Plaza, Maisy Stella, Percy Hynes WhiteIn this time-wimey comedy, a teenage girl named Elliot (Maisy Stella) does alotof shrooms and somehow ends up in contact with her 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza). Her older self has lots of words of wisdom but one big warning: Dont fall in love with the cute boy working on her familys cranberry farm that summer. Stella and Plaza share a very easy and fun chemistry that makes their interactions a delight to watch. And the movie is especially poignant in the lessons that both versions of Elliot take from each other.From our review:Beyond the time-travel setup,My Old Asss most immediate hook is the leads and their easy rapport. This movie could have just been a collection of hijinks and jokes about touching your older selfs butt. But Park uses the timey-wimey elements to craft a story about those unheralded last moments, the ones we dont realize will be watersheds on the way to growing up. Younger Elliott is eager to leave everything behind and move on to her next great adventure, but older Elliott is able to offer some perspective. At the same time, older Elliott gets to savor her bygone youth and tap into the days of being a fearless teenager who could conquer the world.My Old Assis about growing up the joy, the pain, and those little moments that resonate with us far longer than we think they will and Park smartly pulls it off by drawing on Elliotts perspectives of both the past and the present.New on ShudderBlack CabWhere to watch: Available to stream on ShudderGenre: HorrorRun time: 1h 27mDirector: Bruce GoodisonCast: Nick Frost, Synnove Karlsen, Luke NorrisThis new horror movie, c0-written by Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead), stars Synnove Karlsen (Last Night in Soho) and Luke Norris (The Duchess) as a couple who hail a black cab after a night out with their friends. Things take a sinister turn when their driver (Frost) abducts them and drives them out to a deserted (and supposedly haunted) stretch of road. What horrors await them when they reach their final destination, and will they leave a good tip?New to rentA Different ManWhere to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and VuduGenre: Psychological thrillerRun time: 1h 52mDirector: Aaron SchimbergCast: Sebastian Stan, Adam Pearson, Renate ReinsveSebastian Stan (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) stars in A Different Man as Edward, an aspiring actor wracked with insecurity over his neurofibromatosis. After undergoing a radical medical procedure to transform his appearance, Edwards life appears to be looking up that is, until a man with neurofibromatosis named Oswald (Adam Pearson) comes into the picture. Will Edward be able to find peace with Oswald and his own past?In the SummersWhere to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and VuduGenre: DramaRun time: 1h 35mDirector: Alessandra LacorazzaCast: Ren Prez, Sasha Calle, Lio MehielThis drama follows a pair of siblings who live with their loving but emotionally unstable father during their yearly summer visits to his home in New Mexico. Told over the span of multiple years, In the Summers is a affecting portrait of a strained parent-child relationship.The OutrunWhere to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and VuduGenre: DramaRun time: 1h 58mDirector: Nora FingscheidtCast: Saoirse Ronan, Paapa Essiedu, Nabil ElouahabiSaoirse Ronan stars as a young woman, fresh out of rehab for alcoholism, who returns home to the distant Orkney Islands in Scotland as she figures out what to do with her life and struggles to connect with others. Eventually, she takes a job with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and finds comfort in biology and birdwatching.The Outrunwas originally a memoir of the same name by one of the movies screenwriters, Amy Liptrot, and premiered at this years Sundance Film Festival.

Some of my favorite moments with Rockstars Red Dead Redemption 2 involved striking out on the dusty plains, with nothing but a friendly horse to carry me and a package full of goods. Id listen to the gentle clip clop of my horses hooves and simply enjoy the atmosphere. Those quiet moments are lovely, but what if there was a much more dangerous alternative? What if every time I left Dutchs camp, I was assailed by horse-shaped missiles and out-of-control carriages? This is a question few gamers are brave enough to ask, but its truly a sight to behold.Streamer Blurbs created a mod that makes it so all wagons and horses travel at super sonic speeds. Its now a horror game. Blurbs posted a supercut of some moments on his X account, and its truly terrifying. Trying to get into town? Youre gonna get wrecked. Out on the steppes? Youre not safe; a carriage might careen past you at any moment. Navigating a crowded urban center like St. Denis seems utterly impossible. Its chaotic and ridiculous, in the style of comedian Tom Walkers playthrough of Grand Theft Auto 4 with an ultra-speed mod enabled.I modded RDR2 so that all wagons and horses travel at super sonic speeds.It's now a horror game. pic.twitter.com/C4bCod8sck Blurbs (@Blurbstv) November 7, 2024While Grand Theft Auto is potentially more dangerous, since the streets of Liberty City are narrow and crowded with cars, it looks like the austere historical setting of Red Dead Redemption can be just as risky. In a 12-minute video demonstrating the mod, Arthur is thrown into the sky, crushed beneath hooves, launched over the plains, and set on fire.The entire video has the feel of the opening hours of a horse apocalypse movie. Passersby slam into pillars, bodies are hurled up into the air, and the citizens of the west are in a constant state of terror and alarm. Personally, Id be pretty upset too if my horse had the power to fling me halfway across a whole city. There are also some wild physics mods that are triggered by a rowboat, and Blurbs is able to send his poor victims up in the air, flying in an infinite circle powered by a glitched rowboat. This video has some prime antics, and while I treasure the serene moments of quiet I find in Red Dead, its pretty fun to watch unbridled chaos unfold in Blurbs playthrough. Rockstar has built a big, gorgeous world just one that is perhaps best enjoyed at a stroll.

In Mario & Luigi: Brothership, the Mario Bros. journey to a location known as Lottacoins Island, a metropolitan destination where the business of Concordia gets done. The office buildings of Lottacoins Island are home to two security locks in the form of number block puzzles youll need to get past on Lottacoins Island.This Mario & Luigi: Brothership guide shows you the Lottacoins Island gate codes. Or, for those of you who are just looking for some hints, we also walk through how to solve both number block puzzles.Lottacoins Island Building 1F Unlock Gate Code for Upper FloorsIn the main building on Lottacoins Island, theres a set of stairs that lead to the upper floors but access to that area is blocked by a four-digit code. Youll need to input the correct code on four number blocks found in a room to the upper right of the main lobby. There are three clues that will help you deduce the unlock code.Your first clue can be learned from a receptionist in the main lobby. Speak to the pink character at the far left of the front desk, and theyll show you the following puzzling clue.There are two ways to interpret this clue. The potted plant has five leaves, and there are five tables in the lobby area with potted plants on them. Regardless of the intended meaning, they both point to the same number: 5.Your next clue(s) await you up the stairs on the right side of the lobby area. Before you head up there, speak to the blue Concordian next to the stairs, who will tell you about a clue on the work table in the communication room upstairs. Head into that room and youll see a glowing object and a funky looking monitor.Interacting with that monitor will bring up a message from a Zok Trooper, who offers a hint about two of the numbers needed to solve the puzzle:Second from the left: 3On far right: 7On the work table, youll find a piece of paper with the following clue sketched on it.This clue asks players to count the number of cabinet doors in the communication room there are six of them and the number of pen cups there are two and add that number. We get 8.Putting all those clues in order gives us the following solution: 5387Punch that in to the number blocks, hit the confirm block, and youre golden.Lottacoins Island Building 4F Code to free the prisonersTo free the Concordian office workers trapped in a jail cell on the fourth floor, youll need to track down four clues and figure out which numbers they correspond to. Here are the four clues:Clue No. 1 asks you to find two security cameras and figure out how many triangles those cameras are pointing at. Those cameras are on opposing walls in the same room where the number blocks are.In total, the number of triangles visible through the security cameras is six, giving us the first digit in the puzzle: 6.The second clue points to a series of potted plants in a hallway to the west of the security room on 4F. Interacting with the plants marked on the clue sheet reveals two hints: Less than 6, and Greater than 4, which is obviously 5.For the third clue, youll find another series of numbers pinned to an outdoor walkway on 3F.Taking those numbers (6491) and applying the math listed in the third clue sheet (6+4-9+1) gives us the third number: 2.The fourth clue takes us to a work room just west of the previously mentioned walkway. Theres another security camera in here, which is pointing at the following group of numbers. Using the fourth clues instruction, we find our final number: 9.Head back up to 4F and east to the security room, and input the solution 6529 to free the imprisoned office workers.

For the past 20 years, the identity of the woman behind EVA in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater has been a closely guarded secret. The actor credited with the role is Suzetta Miet, but that name is a pseudonym for a much more famous voiceover artist, a new video from Konami promoting the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 3 remake reveals.The third episode of the Metal Gear Solid Legacy Series, hosted by David Hayter, reveals that the actor behind EVA (aka Tatyana) in Snake Eater is Jodi Benson. Shes best known for her roles as Ariel in Disneys The Little Mermaid and Barbie in Pixars Toy Story franchise. Benson said in a discussion with Hayter and Lori Alan (the voice of the Boss) that the choice to go with a pseudonym for her role in Metal Gear Solid 3 was her decision, but one that was informed by the games voice acting director.Benson explained that because the various projects that I am affiliated with in my career are family-based, children-based, voice acting director Kris Zimmerman suggested that she go with a pseudonym.Our director, she sat down with me and shes was like, Maybe we need to change your name, Benson recalled. So she asked me, What was your dogs name growing up? and I said, Suzette Monet. So shes like, You know what? Lets build on that. How about Suzetta? How about instead of Monet, like the artist, well do Miet? and I was like, Sounds like a deal.Benson, Zimmerman, and the rest of the Metal Gear Solid 3 voice cast werent the only ones to know about Suzetta Miets alter ego. According to Benson, seven years ago, at a unnamed convention where we meet and greet with wonderful fans, someone slipped a copy of Snake Eater to her, apparently for Benson to sign. I said, Why are you bringing me that? she recalled. And he says, Because youre in it. And I said Do you know? Do you know my deep, dark secret? and he said, Yes! I said Shh keep it quiet.Bensons work as the voice of EVA will continue in Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. She and other members of the cast have recorded new lines for the still undated remake, which is bound for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.

Even going beyond the very expansive character creator, Dragon Age: The Veilguard includes a whole range of ways to role-play a gender-diverse character, especially when it comes to dialogue choices. Its a seamless integration that adds a layer of robustness to the role-playing experience, and one that the developers really wanted to add.We know how much it means to players that want to choose these options to feel seen and have that experience actually celebrate and reflect that joy they feel in their own authenticity, game director Corinne Busche explained to Polygon.While this is the first time you could make and role-play an explicitly trans character in a Dragon Age game, its not the first time a trans character has appeared in the franchise. Dragon Age: Inquisition had Krem, a mercenary in the Iron Bulls company who was also a trans man. It was pretty revolutionary at the time, though looking back there were some dialogue options relating to Krems gender that couldve been handled differently (theres an option to ask him if hes a woman, for instance).But in the 10 years since Inquisition, the conversation about gender identity and the representation of trans and nonbinary individuals in media has changed.The topic is complex, the language is complex, and its constantly evolving, said Busche. The way we think about and describe gender identity as a society has evolved since previous iterations of Dragon Age. Im very proud of what Inquisition had done with Krem, and yet today we might approach some elements of that a little differently. Especially as we think about the ideas of disclosure, how that belongs to the individual, those deep moments of introspection where you really get to examine: Who am I? What does this mean to me? What role does it play in my life?One of the early moments of The Veilguard involves Rook, the player character, in their private room, unpacking some personal items and reflecting on various aspects of themselves, like their class and faction. This also includes an opportunity for Rook, by way of an inner monologue, to comment on and establish their gender identity. Its a small interaction, but one that nicely colors in the character. But the game goes beyond that. Rook can also choose to discuss their gender with other characters, in scenes that range from offering advice to a companion figuring out their own identity to bringing it up to a potential romantic partner.My favorite moments on the topic are not just the moment of introspection and being able to say to yourself that youre trans or nonbinary, Busche elaborated. Its actually those disclosure moments that happen later on where you meet another character that you feel comfortable disclosing to, or you start developing a relationship with one of your companions and you want to disclose.Ultimately, what the developers really wanted was to make the experience personalized. Some players might want to play a trans or nonbinary Rook and not engage with the dialogue; others might want to openly discuss their gender identity with other characters. The important thing is that there is a choice for that in this game.Disclosure belongs to the individual, said Busche. So you might decide your character, your Rook, is trans, and you dont disclose. That belongs to you. And if you do, those moments are so relatable and feel so personal. I actually really love what it unlocks for us in terms of the depth of storytelling. Ill say Ive cried more than once.

When Nintendo announced its new music app last week, I excitedly downloaded it onto my phone. I thought I would finally be able to listen to the superlative score for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom without resorting to rips on YouTube.I was wrong. It wasnt there. Nor were the soundtracks to Tears of the Kingdom, or The Wind Waker, or A Link to the Past. No Super Mario World or Super Metroid. No F-Zero or Super Smash Bros., not to mention Xenoblade Chronicles, Rhythm Heaven, or WarioWare.In fact, Nintendo Music, which is available as part of the Nintendo Switch Online subscription, launched with only 23 soundtrack albums: eight Switch games and one or two from each of the companys earlier systems, excluding Wii U and 3DS. There are some all-time classic scores here, like Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but as launch catalogs go, its extremely limited. For an app so clearly modeled on the services that Nintendo has so far declined to publish its soundtracks to, like Spotify and Apple Music, its a strange choice.Those apps are structured to help users browse vast libraries of music and organize their listening within them, and Nintendo Music appears to be no different. The app is familiar and slick to use, its quite full-featured, and its well curated; you can download tracks, make your own playlists, or browse official playlists organized by theme, character, series, vibe, and more.But right now, if you use the app as you would any other music service, youll keep bumping up against the limitations of the catalog. The same songs and soundtracks keep cropping up. When Im in the mood to chill, there are only so many times I want to hear Phendrana Drifts from Metroid Prime or Aquatic Ambiance from Donkey Kong Country, as wonderful as they are. An official Mario playlist with nothing from Super Mario World or Super Mario 64 on it feels absurd.In the here and now, Nintendo Music feels hobbled. But literally as I write this I have just received a notification of a new soundtrack drop, for Donkey Kong Country 2. Ooh! Super Mario Bros. Wonder was added the day after launch, too. It seems Nintendo intends to add new music at a fairly decent clip. And each notification from the app is a little dopamine hit of curiosity, or excitement, or nostalgia.Could there be a method to Nintendos madness? I think so. Nintendos gonna Nintendo, and the content firehose approach of the streaming era where you drown your customer in content, and then let an algorithm sort through it for them was never going to be the Kyoto companys approach.Nintendo is far too deliberate and crafty for that. The company has always seen great value in curating its back catalog and in carefully meting out access to it. In the case of the music app, this strategy has led it into the slightly ridiculous position of attempting to create scarcity where there is none; you can find almost any Nintendo music you want on YouTube, and theres a bustling cottage industry of lo-fi covers of Nintendo songs on Spotify and elsewhere. Nintendo is often accused of being overzealous in its policing of its intellectual property, and this app could be seen as another example of that.On the other hand, Nintendo Music honors the work by giving each soundtrack its own moment. In the absence of many personal favorites, Ive enjoyed exploring the gentle, folksy jazz of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a score I wasnt previously familiar with. When Echoes of Wisdom finally does drop, the intensity of my listening pleasure will surely double. Delight, discovery, and surprise are much more possible than they would be in a single, giant library dump. You can have too much of a good thing, and a little focus goes a long way.Its such a quintessentially Nintendo approach. The app is full of them, both good and bad. Bad: the lack of credit for composers and musicians, sadly typical of a company that likes to present every work as if it has been birthed whole from an anonymous creative mothership. Good: the Extended feature, which lets you loop certain tracks for up to an hour, and the care and thought that has gone into the curation. The app is stuffed with clever, unique playlist ideas born of a deep understanding of the games, like the collected songs of Animal Crossings troubadour hound K.K. Slider, or a Zelda: Breath of the Wild playlist focusing solely on the overworld themes. Its funny that the app essentially curates the shuffle function by changing the track order of the official playlists every day, whether you like it or not. Thats randomization and customization the Nintendo way, which is: as Nintendo sees fit.Nintendo Music is contradictory, even conceptually silly and its current scope is frustrating. Yet, if it had been done any other way, it wouldnt feel like a Nintendo thing. I find that oddly reassuring.

Being lost in a dark and unfamiliar location is a common fear, and a great start to a horror game. Filling that place with weird, menacing monsters is even better. One horror game adds another novel twist to the formula: I have no idea what anyone is saying, and I have to piece this strange, foreign language together before Im viciously murdered. Welcome to Homicipher, a female-targeted language deciphering and exploration ADV based on the concept of romance with horror men. Ive never played anything like it.Homicipher starts out with a very simple premise: Im alone in a new place, Ive lost my bag, and Im in a rusted-out old hallway with flickering lights and a hunched, menacing figure called Mr. Crawling. I sprint away, only to be confronted by Mr. Hood, a Grim Reaper-style specter. Luckily, Mr. Hood is much nicer than his colleague, and we take part in a little impromptu language lesson. He teaches me a few basic words like me and you before I stumble onto the next hallway.Gameplay wise, Homicipher is super simple. I click down the paths I want to explore, hoping I dont get murdered. Im no Leon S. Kennedy or even a James Sunderland; if I approach a nasty monster in the dark, Im probably going to get murdered and sent back to the last checkpoint. I also have to make a solid attempt to communicate where I can. Its only through dialogue, context clues, and trust that I can begin to understand the blunt, coarse language of this new world.Every time Im exposed to a new word, I can open up my log and mark down a guess as to what it means. That log is saved, and the next time a phrase comes up in dialogue, my English note will be marked above it. At one point, I approached a red-lit door, and Mr. Crawling hissed a short phrase. Thanks to my hard linguistic studies, I knew exactly what he was saying: should not open door. Thanks for the tip, buddy thats one brutal murder I got to avoid!You may notice that Mr. Crawling started out as an antagonist, but he developed into being a protective figure of sorts. Homicipher plays with the visual novel tropes of monstrous, attractive men, but the language barrier makes things more complex and intriguing. Some of these strange figures are patient, taking the time to teach the protagonist a few key vocabulary words. Others are impatient; if I smile at the wrong point in the conversation, or refuse to take some advice, it can be a death sentence.This is ultimately a low-stress horror game, which I appreciate its scary, but in a chill sort of way. Every jump scare or death sequence resets back to an earlier stage of exploration, and I can regularly stop to check my conversation log and see if I can puzzle out any other vocabulary phrases. Its a very interesting trick that I havent seen a horror game attempt before, and it adds a whole new dimension to exploration that I really enjoyed. All the sexy monster boys are just a sinister bonus.Homicipher released on Steam on Nov. 1, and is available for $15.99.

Baby Steps. I havent stopped thinking about the literal walking simulator, as the devs describe the project, since it was first revealed by publisher Devolver Digital last June. All weve seen of Baby Steps between then and now are two additional videos driving home the difficult, physics-based gameplay and humorous story. As such, I cant help but wonder if Baby Steps is going to make the 2024 launch announced in the initial trailer and still listed on its Steam page today, a window you may have noticed is rapidly closing.Devolver, sadly, wasnt willing to provide any insight. After we reached out, a rep told Polygon they have no updates on Baby Steps at this time. Scanning the social media profiles of developers Bennett Foddy, Gabe Cuzzillo, and Maxi Boch all of whom previously collaborated on Ape Out, one of the best games of 2019 also provides little information on the state of the game. As far as I can tell, the last time anyone working on Baby Steps publicly discussed its release came near the tail end of a promo featuring Foddy and Cuzzillo uploaded by Devolver in December 2023.Cuzzillo: Baby Steps is coming out next year, we all hope.Foddy: 2024, probably.Cuzzillo: What a treatFoddy: if it happens then.Cuzzillo: Its probably well see.Foddy: Well see!Cuzzillo: Were hoping it happens then.Foddy: Dont make us tell a lie in this video. Thats not cool.Cuzzillo: No yeah.Foddy: 2025! What a treat!Cuzzillo: What a treat!Foddy: 202X!Cuzzillo: Its coming outFoddy: Its coming out in 202X.Cuzzillo: in one of the years after 2023.Foddy: Yeah, some year after then.Cuzzillo: Yeah! Its coming out in an upcoming year.Look, game development is hard. We hear it all the time from workers exhausted and exploited within an industry where its becoming progressively more difficult to build a long-lasting and fruitful career, and I believe them 100 percent. I only bring up the silence surrounding Baby Steps because the game has so much potential.Foddy, as you all probably know, is the brains behind physics-based projects like QWOP and Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy. He has a sharp mind for creating games that are both frustratingly difficult and impossible to put down. Cuzzillo, on the other hand, created in Ape Out a gratifyingly relentless beat-em-up driven by Bochs jazzy, procedural score and Foddys minimalist artwork. All three coming together to work on another game, especially one that hews closer to Foddys earlier work, is a reality almost too good for this sad, broken world.Baby Steps either gets quietly delayed, eliciting dejected but understanding sighs from me and a dozen other weirdos waiting to flop around in the mud as a onesie-wearing failson, or shadow drops sometime in the next two months. Either way, I fully expect the game to fix me, which is not at all unhealthy or depressing.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a game about building a team to fight ancient elven gods, but the more time I spend in Thedas, the more I realize that Id rather be chasing a different villain. Elgarnan and Ghilannain are two of the ancient elven pantheon known as the Evanuris, and theyre up to no good blighting villages, murdering innocents, and trying to restore their ancient empire. But I find that a total snooze compared to the games real villainous star: Johanna Hezenkoss, evil lich in progress and absolute queen.I should probably explain why Im not worried about the Evanuris, despite the fact that they represent a very real and urgent apocalypse. There are certainly things I like about their character design, as well as cool story-related moments. Ghilannain looks great; whether shes an unnervingly lithe figure, blinded by blight and grasping with too many limbs, or a giant face in the clouds, I love her design. And I also liked those creepy moments when Elgarnan whispers in protagonist Rooks mind, promising impossible gifts.Unfortunately, these moments are drowned out by the duos dialogue, which is pretty basic. The two of them bellow about drowning the world in blight, endless power, the futility of anyone trying to fight them, and their immortality. Its exactly what you would expect from a world-ending villain, and I found myself bored after the second encounter or so. Elgarnan in particular is a disappointment. Ghilannain is able to lean on her brilliant visual design and army of monsters; Elgarnans just a big guy in an impractical hat.Compare them to Johanna Hezenkoss, a woman who looks remarkably mundane in comparison. She wears the simple garb of the Mourn Watch, a pair of goggles, and a practical hairstyle. If it werent for the ghastly lantern at her side, you might mistake her for a simple lab assistant. Emmrich, one of the games best companions, asks you to hunt down Hezenkoss on his behalf. She gets the upper hand quite literally, by revealing that the partys Hand of Glory is actually her own severed appendage and banishes the party to the Fade.Thats a pretty strong start for a villain, but it gets better as you continue Emmrichs storyline. Eventually, you learn Hezenkoss is having a big fancy soire at her evil necromancer mansion. This is obviously suspicious, so the team goes to investigate, only to find that Hezenkoss has invited petty rivals, annoying nobles, and her other enemies so that she can sacrifice them all and inhabit the body of a giant golden skeleton monster. Its like The Menu, but for necromancy.I, for one, appreciate the goal of sacrificing a bunch of people you dislike so you can ascend to the immortal form of a giant skeleton. She reminds me of that Spider-Man meme where the hero is telling a pterodactyl scientist that he could cure cancer with his technology, and the pterodactyl man who happens to be riding a triceratops retorts that he doesnt want to cure cancer, he wants to turn people into dinosaurs.Hezenkoss and Elgarnan both want power, sure, but one of them is much more theatrical about it. I love a good mad scientist, and Hezenkoss pulls the role off with aplomb.I wont spoil the conclusion of her confrontation with Emmrich, but its one of The Veilguards strongest moments. Part of me yearns for an alternate history where The Veilguard had a much smaller scope and less urgent stakes. In this hypothetical alternative timeline, I think Johanna Hezenkoss deserves a promotion to main villain. Ive already forgotten about Elgarnan and his schemes, but Hezenkoss will live on in my heart a villain with ambition, goals, and the freedom to chew the scenery a little bit during her moment of triumph.

An update pushed to Blizzards internal servers the evening of November 5 indicates a remastered version of Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness may be waiting just over the horizon, Wowhead reports.The data, publicly viewable on automated Battle.net update logger Blizztrack, refers to an internal alpha and includes artwork and a logo.Blizzard has updated its game catalog with a new title: "Warcraft II: Remastered Internal Alpha." This update also adds initial background images and logos for the likely upcoming product.#Warcraft https://t.co/XxarQcQDQi pic.twitter.com/cB5CNdsSfn Wowhead (@Wowhead) November 5, 2024Its possible well hear official info about this project on November 13 during the Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct, which Blizzard has hinted will include some sort of surprise.Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness debuted on PC in 1995, continuing the story of its predecessor while adding new gameplay mechanics like aerial and naval warfare. Talks of a Warcraft 2 remake or remaster stretch back to at least 2017, and more recently, the original game and its Beyond the Dark Portal expansion were added to the Battle.net launcher on January 30, 2024.Blizzard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Star Wars: Unlimited card Boba Fett (Collecting the Bounty) is now suspended from play in the Premier format. The announcement of the change was made by lead designer Danny Schaefer in a blog post published Wednesday. He also called the card a development mistake. While Boba Fett is not being banned outright, it will have limited utility starting Nov. 8.If we knew back then what we know now, Schefer said, we never would have let him go to print with that combination of abilities, stats, and deploy cost.According to Schaefer, the Boba Fett card in question a leader card was included in the decks of 55% of winners in a recent competitive tournament. For a game with 54 different leader cards at time of publication, that represents a significant design issue. Schaefer writes that the decision to suspend the card was not taken lightly, but was preferred to alternate methods, including an outright ban or retirement, as is common in competitor Flesh and Blood.He is the most severe power level outlier and his power level issues are exacerbated because hes a leader, Schaefer writes. And hes correct: Every time players sit down at the table, they have their choice of leaders, which begin every game in play on the table. Leaders also set the tone for the entire rest of the deckLeaders carry special weight in this game because they define archetypes, because you have guaranteed access to them in every game, and because a deck can only ever have one leader, he writes. Boba Fetts combination of stats and ability have proven to be too far ahead [preventing] other midrange leaders [] from being viable in the metagame. Regardless of what specific card choices in these decks shift from set to set, it would likely remain optimal to have the Boba Fett leader at the helm.Star Wars: Unlimited launched in March 2024 to near universal critical acclaim. Reviewers, including here at Polygon, lauded developers at Fantasy Flight Games for the TCGs fast and powerful gameplay. Mashing up a beloved IP with a novel two-lane style of combat, with ground and space forces segregated to separate sides of the battlefield, remains a winning combination.Schaefer left the door open for Boba Fett (Collecting the Bounty) to return from suspension at a later date.News of the suspension comes during a period of transition for TCGs globally. Not only were more new, high-profile TCGs launched in 2023 and 2024 than in years past, 800-pound gorilla Magic: The Gathering is also making big changes in how often it reinforces its own unique narrative with its biggest fans. The Magic community was also recently sent reeling because of card bans, which lead to threats of violence, including death threats against volunteers.Polygon has reached out to Fantasy Flight for additional clarifications, and will update this story accordingly.

Pokmon Trading Card Game Pocket was released on Oct. 30, and already the games second in-game event is live. The event which appeared on the authors app around 1 a.m. EST Tuesday and which runs through Nov. 17 allows collectors to add a powerful Lapras ex and a handful of other new cards to their digital binders.Unlike the mobile games first event, which is still ongoing and offers a chance at pulling new cards by simply utilizing the Wonder Pick system, Pokmon TCG Pockets drop event is all about battling. Taking part in a limited series of solo battles against a CPU opponent that wields powerful Water-type decks gives players a wide array of random rewards, including special Promo Pack A Series Vol. 1 boosters, which hold one card each.Lapras ex, with its massive health pool and an attack that both deals big damage to opposing Pokmon and heals itself, is the obvious highlight of the promotional series. But players can also expect to snag useful Butterfree, Pikachu, Mankey, and Clefairy cards while chasing the big prize.The battles themselves are easy enough to complete with a basic deck and a little luck, even at the most difficult Expert level. Pokmon TCG Pocket does limit attempts with a slowly recharging stamina bar its a gacha-style game, after all but that bar only depletes if you win. This means you can throw together whatever Electric-type cards youve collected so far and try your luck without worrying about losing and wasting the opportunity before the event ends.The game, The Pokmon Companys latest entry in its hit monster-collecting franchise, has apparently been a huge commercial success, earning more than $12 million since launching on October 30. If Pokmon TCG Pocket continues adding cards at this pace, its not hard to imagine that success extending into the foreseeable future.

Once upon a time, there was a teenage girl, the bastion of innocence, who became enamored with a centuries-old bad boy with an eternal curse. Amid a tumultuous love triangle, quasi-real breakup, and a chapters-long fight over their surprise baby, they battled for their happily-ever-after and captured the hearts of millions of invested fans.This week on Polygon, were exploring how superheroes are dominating not just comics and movies, but all media, in a special issue called Superculture.This is the story of Sukunella, the fan-conjured crack ship between Disneys Cinderella and Sukuna, the King of Curses from the shonen anime series Jujutsu Kaisen. But I wouldnt blame you if you thought I was describing the toxic love story of Twilights Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, which shares more than a few fleshed-out parallels with the Sukunella lore thats all over TikTok.In videos chronicling flirty quarrels and ballroom dances, Sukunella shippers have created a compelling, albeit absurd, saga, with one artist even going as far as composing a breakup ballad.That level of dedication hints that the crossover is more than just a means to quick laughs. @soup_and_sasha This is not satire #cinderellaxsukuna Inspo: @ Queen Charlotte Soup Sukunella is one of the more vibrant and sprawling examples of a crack ship, the impulse to pair characters who might not otherwise romantically or sexually interact into bizarre-sounding relationships. Typically, these characters hail from different fandoms, universes, or IP, but the core premise is that they must have a near-zero chance of hooking up. The ethos? Unapologetic chaos.Superhero, Disney, and anime fandoms are often the harbingers of this cursed content. Sukunella exploded thanks to TikTok user cloudstrifesimp, who is also responsible for Elsa (Frozen) x Goj0 (JJK), Tiana (The Princess and the Frog) x Nanami (JJK), and Toji (JJK) x Buzz Lightyear (Toy Story). In August 2023, cloudstrifesimp posted a carousel of Sukuna spotting Cinderella at a ball and later eating her mouse, Gus. The lore now includes a love triangle between Prince Charming, Cinderella, and Sukuna. Later videos introduced their son Bagdemagus Ryomen, played by Bakugo from superhero shonen My Hero Academia.What? (I wished I could tell you, confesses cloudstrifesimp under a comment asking the same thing.) @localdeernamedbambi Soooooo its been a whileeee Hope everyones been well Im back Also this audio was requested so hope you enjoy #jjkxdisney #jjkxdisneyprincess #sukunella #sukunaryomen #cinderella #jjk #sukunaxcinderella #fyp #sukunsxcinderellaxprince original sound W What do these pairings offer that canon or normal fanfiction cannot? Primarily, shock value: There is something viscerally traumatizing about Winnie the Pooh moaning Youre making me rumbly in my tumbly while in Final Fantasy 7 villain Sephiroths arms. Alternatively, the tamer #MordeTwi pairing of My Little Ponys Twilight Sparkle and Regular Shows Mordecai, set to Airplanes by B.o.B. and Hayley Williams, appears to exist for us to throw up our hands and sigh, Why not? (My Little Pony: A New Generation storyboard artist Kaitrin Snodgrass declared in jest that the ship is canon, per Comic Book Review.)Other crack ships make (some) sense because of similar traits: villainy, powers, or aesthetics, to name a few. Tumblr blog A Crack Ship a Day, for one, cataloged the forbidden love between antagonists Waluigi and Dr. Doofenshmirtz. A user astutely analyzes: Their noses would block them kissing.Then theres timing. In the 2010s, the Marvel Cinematic Universe popularized crossovers with The Avengers and AO3 has amassed over 42,300 works about Steve Rogers x Tony Stark. Around the same time, animation fandoms kick-started Rise of the Brave Tangled Frozen Dragons (ROTBTFD), an ambitious Avengers-like crossover of (admittedly, all-white) heroes from five CGI movies, including Rise of the Guardians, Frozen, and more. It spawned Jack Frost x Elsa, a mega-famous crack ship that still persists as an internet favorite, but fic historians often overlook its spinoff: Secret of the Incredible Frozen Guardians, which emerged amid Pixars The Incredibles 2 announcement and birthed the Frozone (who is canonically married) x Elsa crack ship a nod to their powers.Corporations, too, have leaned into crack ships. As profit-seeking businesses, they capitalize on fan hype, but that doesnt necessarily detract from the impact. Take Archie Comics Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man crossover, which helped legitimize crack ships as a mainstream method of consumer engagement. Writer Ian Flynn joked on Kotaku that fans could look forward to [hot] Amy-on-Wily action, referring to the pink female anthropomorphic hedgehog and (old) Lord Wily from Mega Man. The artwork itself fueled the MegaSonic ship, which resulted in at least one comic where Megaman gave Sonic bedroom eyes, according to Tumblr. Archie Comics continued its crack pairing with Sonic Universe issue 72, whose cover featured a matchmaker that allowed readers to mix-and-match Sonic characters at their whim.The marketing potential of crack ships saw a milestone when Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Doom Eternal shared a release date of March 20, 2020. Folks at Bethesda quickly caught on to the Isabelle x Doomguy fan art that had swept the internet, with the official Doom Twitter account sharing its excitement over the Animal Crossing Nintendo Direct.will Isabelle be there DOOM (@DOOM) February 18, 2020In 2023, Amazons Good Omens went a step further and fully canonized fanmade crack ship Ineffable Bureaucracy, the genderqueer romance between archangel Gabriel and demon Beelzebub. Their kiss made waves in the fandom, which has shared #IneffableBureaucracy on TikTok more than 9 million times before and thereafter.But concluding that crack ships exist to solely follow or morph into trendy capital would be shortsighted. Yes, attention is currency, and posting something bonkers tends to lure more eyeballs than something genuine. However, crack ships offer a dynamic that balances insanity with sincerity. A Biden x Trump fanfic author explained it best when he told Slate: If Im looking into a policy Trump is saying hes going to implement and it starts to scare me, then I can just think of the funny things that I had him doing in my fan fiction.Folks have always used absurd humor as a coping mechanism for distress crack ships are no exception. Sukunella blew up when the JJK anime returned from hiatus in late August 2023 with the Shibuya Incident arc, a jarring tonal shift that ended with the slaughter of several protagonists. As TikTok user o2bread muses with their artwork, what if cinderella appeared in shibuya rn to save everyone, crack ships embody a form of dissociated commentary amid a bleak reality. @o2bread what if cinderella appeared in shibuya rn to save everyone #sukunaxcinderella original sound We must then recall the bleakest reality for JJK readers: the mass psychotic break post-chapter 236, in which Sukuna murdered the fan-favorite Gojo. Gojo shrines popped up internationally, with thousands of fans in denial and manifesting his resurrection. In light of Sukunas execution of the anime fandoms princess diana, then, why is #Sukunella adored to this day?Maybe, to some, Sukunella is not so much dissociation as it is catharsis. After all, Sukunas love for Cinderella makes the case for redemption, an I-can-change-him complex that relies on a Disney princesss innocence. Sure, a joke like the crack ship pinpoints the utter delusion that fans felt after Gojos demise, but its also an earnest reaction to the helplessness they suffered at the hands of an irredeemable canon antagonist.Did Ryan Reynolds feel similarly with the crack ship at the heart of Deadpool & Wolverine, the so-called cure to superhero fatigue? Between tanking box-office numbers in the United States and cooling reception to superhero multiverses, was Disney and Marvels most viable Hail Mary to churn out fuckable Wolverine popcorn buckets, throw an anal-fisting joke into a Bachelor Nation ad, and film a car scene that is likely the closest thing we will see to Marvel gay sex? Honestly, the pairings aim to mock the Disney overlords while actually extending the Marvel brand (Welcome to the MCU, by the way. Youre joining it at a bit of a low point, Deadpool tells Wolverine) struck me as corporates uninspired cannibalization of the chaotic spirit of fan-led crack ships. But $1.09 billion and countless #Poolverine tags later, I suppose we, in spite of ourselves, cant discount some sincerity behind Marvel Jesus.

True crime is in the middle of a sustained cultural moment. The simmer began back in 2014, when Serial burst onto the scene the first podcast to reach 5 million downloads. It rose to a new boil in 2020 and 2021, when viewers stuck in COVID quarantine at home found an escape in trying to solve real and fictional crime because they couldnt solve the pandemic. Its still one of the United States most popular genres especially among women, who make up the majority of true-crime book readers, and who are twice as likely as men to regularly tune in to true-crime podcasts. In a recent YouGov poll, 61% of American women (as compared to 52% of American men) said they watch true-crime content. All of which may help explain the ending of M. Night Shyamalans serial-killer thriller Trap, now streaming on Max.[Ed. note: This analysis contains major spoilers for M. Night Shyamalans Trap.]Research shows that many girls and women drawn to true-crime books, podcasts, documentaries, and late-night Googling find a productive catharsis in investigating how past predators have operated, and the aesthetic of educating themselves about real-world violence. In other words, consciously or unconsciously, true-crime aficionados feel like studying real-life stories might help them avoid becoming victims themselves.There is a sense of reclaiming power real, imagined, and social in consuming media that gives some degree of voice back to women permanently silenced by brutal acts. Enter Trap: Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan not only seems to understand this women-who-love-true-crime motivation, he actively caters to it.Ostensibly, Trap is centered around Cooper (Josh Hartnett), a serial-killer dad dubbed The Butcher because he hacks his victims into pieces. When Cooper takes his teen daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a pop concert, he discovers its an elaborate trap set by law enforcement to catch him. In its third act, though, Trap zigzags, shifting the point of view from Cooper to Lady Raven, a pop star played by Shyamalans real-life daughter (and real-life pop performer) Saleka Shyamalan, and then again to Coopers wife, Rachel (Alison Pill). A female profiler, Dr. Grant (Hayley Mills) sets the trap for Cooper, and Lady Raven and Rachel ultimately catch him.First, though, a whole lot of men give him a pass and let him get away, and thats worth discussing in light of who most consumes true-crime stories. When Cooper is trapped inside the concert venue, looking for holes in the security, his efforts are often aided by men who read his persona as a broad-shouldered, girl-dad firefighter, and assume the all-American best.In one early, comedic scene, a good-natured merch seller (Jonathan Langdon) gives Cooper the lowdown on the law enforcement trap, even revealing the security code that stadium workers were given to prove their bona fides to police. In another scene, Cooper casually hangs out with a group of cops during a mission briefing, even helping an armed-to-the-teeth cop find sugar for his coffee, all because they dont read him as a threat.Part of true crimes draw isnt just exploring why people (mostly men) commit murder and other violent crimes, but learning more about how theyre so often able to get away with it. The genre (usually unintentionally) thrives on the unevenness of the social privileges granted to some groups of people and not others, and on revealing how assumptions born of these inequalities can support patterns of violence. Shyamalan focuses on this dynamic in Trap, and makes a point of showcasing the protections Cooper has just by virtue of being a good-looking, sociable white man who knows how to wield a dad joke.While Trap has some of the elements of a true-crime story, and plays into them cleverly, the film is purely fictional entertainment, and Shyamalan uses that dynamic to play to a female audience. Many true-crime stories include a female victim whose only chance at justice is posthumous, but in Trap, the female characters are active participants in the murderers eventual downfall.Cooper tries to use Lady Raven to outrun the law, but she isnt a traditional damsel in distress; shes a professional superstar and an amateur justice-bringer, and shes ready to catch a killer. Later, after Cooper evades the police yet again, his own wife, Rachel, takes him down. When he returns to their suburban home to kill her, Rachel is waiting for him scared, but determined to get answers, putting her in the same category as the true-crime fans searching for an explanation for violence. The movie plays it slow, leaning on our cultural assumptions that this demure white lady is solely a victim (like so many other white ladies in true crime), rather than a courageous amateur detective risking her life so she can look her husband in the face and ask questions.In climactic, subtle succession, Lady Raven and Rachel use their respective strengths to take down a predator. And they do it without the kinds of masculine-coded traits e.g., physical strength or stoic reasoning that female characters usually need to win in Hollywood. Instead, in Trap, the feminine-coded wiles that fell Cooper pop star fannishness and baking are much more true-crime-fan adjacent.The subtle distinction is where this films true power lies. Cooper gets a villain lives to fight another day ending at the films finale, but the women in this world get to play out a kind of true-crime listener fantasy. The murderers cover is blown. He has lost his temper and his control of how people see him. He may leverage his privilege and resume his murderous career, but hell have a much harder time duping people and going undetected. In Trap, women dont have to rely on a podcaster to tell their story posthumously, or hunt for clues about criminality after its all too late. They dont just find and save the victim they learn more about what kind of man does this kind of thing, and they show they arent going to fall for it.Trap is now streaming on Max, and is available for rental or purchase on digital platforms.

After maxing out all your skills in Stardew Valley, youll unlock skill mastery via the Mastery Cave in the Cindersap Forest. Youll be able to improve your skills (farming, mining, foraging, fishing, and combat) even further with upgrades and item recipes thatll help any end-game Stardew player out a ton.Below, we explain how to unlock the Stardew Valleys Mastery Cave and skill mastery, what each mastery unlocks, as well as suggestions as to which one you should pick.How to unlock skill mastery and the Mastery Cave in Stardew ValleyIn order to unlock the Mastery Cave, youll need to reach rank 10 in each skill. Once you do, youll get a message that says You sense that a new way is open in the morning, if you hit max and didnt already enter the cave.The cave is in Cindersap Forest, toward the southeast side:Once everything is maxed out, youll start to accumulate Mastery Points instead of experience points. Think of it like overcapped experience points. Each mastery point you get from doing different tasks (fishing, fighting, harvesting crops, etc.) fills up one mastery bar. When the bar is full, you can then go to the Mastery Cave to learn a skill mastery. You can see how many you have on your skill menu. Skill masteries cost more as you unlock more. Heres the number of mastery points youll need for each unlock:1st skill mastery: 10,000 Mastery Points2nd skill mastery: 15,000 Mastery Points3rd skill mastery: 20,000 Mastery Points4th skill mastery: 25,000 Mastery Points5th skill mastery: 30,000 Mastery PointsThat means youll need a whopping 100,000 Mastery Points to get all five masteries, but dont worry. Since mastery points dont correlate to a specific skill, youll amass a ton quickly just from playing the game, allowing you to master all five skills.What do masteries do in Stardew Valley?Each skill has a respective mastery and mastering the skill unlocks a recipe or two and a new passive ability:Farming MasteryYoull unlock the Iridium Scythe, a tool that allows you to harvest crops with a swing of the scythe. Say goodbye to those days of individually harvesting each crop. Youll also get the recipe for the Statue of Blessings, which gives random buffs when you interact with it every day.The passive ability allows you to find golden animal crackers, which you can give to a farm animal to permanently double the output of any farm animal, except pigs.Mining MasteryYoull get two recipes: one for the Statue of the Dwarf King and one for the heavy furnace. The statue lets you choose two buffs from a list of five, including gaining extra ore, higher chances to find things like geodes, coal, and ladders, and the ability to be immune to bomb damage. The heavy furnace smelts multiple ores into bars at once, while saving you on ore.The passive ability allows you to get doubled gems from gem-filled rocks.Foraging MasteryForaging Mastery gives you two recipes: one for the mystic tree seed and one for the treasure totem. The mystic tree seed grows into a mystic tree that produces mystic syrup (needed to make treasure totems and blue grass starters). The treasure totem puts a ring of artifact dig spots around you when used.The passive ability allows you to find golden mystery boxes, which are fundamentally the same as regular boxes, though they can have auto-petters and golden animal crackers inside.Fishing MasteryYoull get the Advanced Iridium Rod, which allows you to attach two bobbers at once. Youll also get the recipe for challenge bait, which will net you three fish if you catch it perfectly.The passive ability allows you to fish up golden fishing treasure chests, which have more items than regular treasure chests.Combat MasteryYoull get two recipes: one for the anvil and one for the anvil and one for the mini-forge. The anvil lets you reroll the stats on your trinkets in exchange for three iridium bars. The mini-forge is an at-home version of the forge from the volcano dungeon.The passive ability allows you to equip trinkets.Whats the best skill mastery in Stardew Valley?Honestly, its kind of neither here nor there because you can get all five masteries. You should prioritize the ones that would affect your gameplay the most. If youre spending a ton of time fishing, then you should grab the fishing mastery first. If you love the Skull Caverns, definitely prioritize combat and mining. If youre struggling to flesh out your museum because of missing artifacts, foraging mastery will help you out.Ultimately the choice is up to you, as none of these masteries will make or break your game. If youve gotten this far, you are probably doing pretty well in the valley. (I personally picked the farming mastery because the scythe and golden animal crackers felt really useful for what I do in Stardew Valley, but mining and fishing were close second choices for me.)

Some Stardew Valley players on console or mobile are having performance issues after the 1.6 patch dropped on Monday. Eric ConcernedApe Barone is advising players to remove all hats from all pets to potentially fix the issue.PSA: if you are experiencing performance issues in Stardew Valley 1.6, remove all hats from pets, Barone wrote on X. We will address the problem as soon as possible.There's rumors of a strange rash affecting pets' ears in Zuzu City and we just want to make sure those ears can breath for a few days ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) November 5, 2024Stardew Valleys 1.6 update originally released for Windows PC in March, then for consoles and mobile on Monday adds the ability for players to put hats on their in-game pets. (Youve likely already had that ability in real-life.) Its one of many things added to the game with the bigger-than-expected 1.6 update, and very cute. Its a bummer that its potentially causing issues for console and mobile players, but Barone has a silly lore explanation that just makes sense: Theres rumors of a strange rash affecting pets ears in Zuzu City and we just want to make sure those ears can breath for a few days, Barone said in a response to an X user asking for a lore explainer.See? It just makes sense. So, folks, take hats off yours pets and let those ears breathe. Barone hasnt posted a timeline for the fix, but hes been addressing bugs consistently since yesterday; theres already a 1.6.10 bug fix patch that adjusted a few problems. One other issue Barone and the Stardew Valley team are working on is with opening barn doors on a chicken coop on the first day its placed; doing that makes the chickens disappear. Theres a lore explanation for that, too: There is a wild coyote on the farm, Barone wrote. Keeping the door closed on the first day will save the chickens.

Nintendo announced Tuesday that Nintendo Switch software will also be playable on the successor to Nintendo Switch, according to a post from Nintendos corporate X account. The post, attributed to Shuntaro Furukawa, president of Nintendo, also confirmed that Nintendo Switch Online will be offered on the new console.No mention was made of compatibility with Joy-Con controllers or other Switch hardware accessories, although this has previously been reported.The post said Nintendo announced the Switch 2s backward compatibility at its Corporate Management Policy Briefing, a semiannual investor meeting where the company reports its sales and roadmaps.The presentation, which is publicly available, also addresses whether players Nintendo Accounts will function on the new console: We believe that it is important for Nintendos future to make use of Nintendo Account and carry over the good relationship that we have built with the over 100 million annual playing users on Nintendo Switch to its successor. The report further clarifies that, in addition to being able to play Nintendo Switch software they currently own, consumers will be able to choose their next purchase from a broad selection of titles released for Nintendo Switch.According to an earlier leak, the Switch 2 reportedly has a card slot. However, the message doesnt confirm the new Switch will be able to play physical Switch games. The message from Nintendo says, Further information about the successor to Nintendo Switch, including its compatibility with Nintendo Switch, will be announced at a later date.This is Furukawa. At today's Corporate Management Policy Briefing, we announced that Nintendo Switch software will also be playable on the successor to Nintendo Switch. Nintendo Switch Online will be available on the successor to Nintendo Switch as well. Further information about IR (@NintendoCoLtd) November 6, 2024Backward compatibility was considered a make-or-break feature for the Switch 2. Although strongly rumored, there remained doubts that Nintendo would be able to pull it off if the new machines chip architecture was very different, or if third-party publishers objected. The Switch itself was not backward compatible with any previous Nintendo consoles, and Nintendo made a mint from Switch rereleases of earlier games, such as selling 63 million copies of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.But consumer expectations around backward compatibility have changed since Steam normalized the idea of a persistent digital library of games that works across multiple devices. In particular, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are both fully backward compatible with their predecessors something that could not be claimed for PS4 and Xbox One. In this landscape, a console without backward compatibility would have been a tough sell for Nintendo, especially considering that it has sold over 140 million Switches.Other notable revelations in Tuesdays presentation include the report that the Pikmin, Kirby, Metroid, and Xenoblade Chronicles franchises have seen dramatic sales growth on Nintendo Switch compared to sales for those series titles on the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS.Correction (Nov. 6): A previous version of this story indicated that Nintendo had announced backward-compatibility with Switch hardware as well as software. Although previously reported, hardware compatibility has not been confirmed by Nintendo.

FenHarel Altars are those wolf statue puzzles you might have seen in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Though fully optional, its worth tracking down as many FenHarel Altars as you can: Youll get an extra skill point for every statue you find.Thing is, each FenHarel Altar requires you to solve a little puzzle before getting its reward. Our Dragon Age: The Veilguard guide will show you where to find all FenHarel Altars and how to solve each of them.All FenHarel Altars in Dragon Age: The VeilguardAs you walk around areas in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, a wolf sign might appear below your minimap, indicating that a Fenharel statue is close by. Interacting with a FenHarel Altar in Dragon Age: The Veilguard starts a miniature treasure hunt.The Fenharel statue rotates, pointing to the direction where you are going to find the real prize: a wolf statuette that rewards you one skill point helpful no matter what class or specialization youre playing. Although the FenHarel Altar points toward the direction where you will find the statue, the ultimate location is not indicated on your map. You must take the direction as a reference and scrutinize every possible corner to get your extra skill point.After you activate the altar, if you get near the location its pointing to, you will be able to hear a wolf howling. There is always a spectral wolf at the solutions, which functions as a visual cue of where to go.There are 15 FenHarel Altars in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, strewn across six regions: Five statues in the CrossroadsTwo statues in the Rivain CoastTwo statues in Dock TownOne statue in TrevisoTwo statues in the Hossberg WetlandsThree statues in Arlathan ForestBelow, we go into detail of all FenHarel Altar locations, showing you exactly where each altar is located and where it ultimately points. Weve included images and map screenshots of both the FenHarel Altar and the location its directing you toward. You can use the table of contents below to navigate to a specific altar.Crossroads FenHarel Altar #1Right after you defeat the first champion during the Into the Crossroads quest, follow the path north. Activate the FenHarel Altar and it will turn northeast. Just walk a little bit ahead to find the spectral wolf.Crossroads FenHarel Altar #2Go south from the path indicated by the A Wardens Best Friend mission to find this FenHarel Altar. To find the solution, go through the entryway on the north, which will take you to a memory and start the Start the Disrupt and Conquer quest. Complete it to reach the location where the statue is.Crossroads FenHarel Altar #3By using the stairs behind where you find the first Fenharel Altar, keep going east until you find the next one. It will point west when activated. You find the statue on the first floor of a building with a zipline, beside a statue.Crossroads FenHarel Altar #4This FenHarel Altar is located on the north side of Elvhenans Haven. When you get to the location, use a ladder to reach it. To open the path to this area, you need the essence of the champion you find at the Tainted Woods area in Arlathan Forest. This time, you need to solve a quick puzzle involving some statues to make some bridges appear and make the path to the northern area where you will find the statuette.Crossroads FenHarel Altar #5To access the area where this altar is located, you need to use the essence of the champion you fight in Dock City to open the Gate of Lost Ages. Be prepared to fight some enemies and break a few crystals. Once activated, the statue will guide you toward the Northeast. Climb the ladder to the right of the altar and platform your way to the other side where the statuette is.Rivain Coast FenHarel Altar #1The sign for this FenHarel Altar pops a little bit after you start exploring the area. You can find it in the upper part of a building close to where you enter Rivain. You need to recruit Taash first, so you can use her companion ability to blow up the wall. Once activated, the statue turns southwest. You find the spirit on the beach, below the building.Rivain Coast FenHarel Altar #2This FenHarel Altar is located at the top of a mount in the Clifftop area. It will point north when you activate it. By using the waterfalls in this direction as a reference, you can find where the statuette is.Dock Town FenHarel Altar #1The FenHarel Altar is located in the Andrastes Watch area of the city. You can access this part of the map by starting the In Memoriam quest. The altar turns east when you activate it. Use the ramp that appeared right in front of the altar to access the bottom area where the statue is.Dock Town FenHarel Altar #2This specific altar is behind a door in The Seclusion area in the south part of Dock Town. By activating it, youll see the altar slightly moving toward the northeast. Now, use the key at the top of the stairs behind the altar to activate the mechanism near the door you entered and follow the bridge to find your prize.TrevisoFenHarel AltarThere is only one FenHarel Altar in Treviso, and you can find it east of the Crossroads Eluvian, in an area called Heart and Central. Upon activating it, the altar points to the north. Head forward and turn left once you find a small opening and you will see a giant ghost wolf trying to hide behind some boxes.Hossberg Wetlands FenHarel Altar #1On the east side of the Flooded Farmlands area, youll find the Hossberg Wetlands first FenHarel Altar. It will point toward the west when you activate it. Walk toward the other side of the area to find the spectral wolf above a shack.Hossberg Wetlands FenHarel Altar #2To find the next statue, you need to go Southwest of Hossbberg Wetlands to an area called Lost Village. After cleaning the path from blight, you can activate the altar, which will turn toward the South. Destroy the blight blocking your way to the left, jump to the other side and enter the next room to locate the spectral wolf.Arlathan Forest FenHarel Altar #1Located in the Mystical Tower area in Arlathan Forest, finding the solution for this FenHarel Altar requires some puzzle-solving. This time, the wolf altar will send you toward the northeast. Luckily, you wont have to go too far from where you are. Go back to the platforms you used to get to the altar and come down to find the statuette.Arlathan Forest FenHarel Altar #2The second statue is hidden behind a wall in the Tainted Woods area. Hit the red barrels above the building to break the wall and access the statue. It will point toward the south when you activate it. To find the statuette, get out of the room and walk a bit south to see the spectral wolf.Artlathan Forest FenHarel Altar #3You find this statue during the region quest Loyal Friends, which becomes available in Arlathan Forest after The Siege of Weisshaupt story mission. By activating the altar, you will see the statue rotate and point toward the northwest. Move to the next area to find the spectral wolf at the upper part of the ruins.For moreDragon Age: The Veilguardguides, see our Warden Vault and Lighthouse statues puzzle solution walkthroughs. Also see our explainers on valuables, how toromanceparty members and how tochange appearance, and a list of allapply and detonatecombos.

Humble is currently offering a stack of 81 short stories and novellas set in the cyberpunk-meets-fantasy world of Shadowrun for just $30. Breaking down what youll get, it comes with 39 anthologies published by Catalyst Game Labs alongside the sixth edition of the TTRPG. Youll also receive a comprehensive collection of Shadowrun Legends fiction thats 42 books deep, dating back to the inception of the franchise. The bundle features work from a mix of prolific sci-fi authors and game designers like Tom Dowd, Robert N. Charette, Michael A. Stackpole, Nyx Smith, Mel Odom, and more.However, if youd prefer to stick to just the newer novels, the 39 books inspired by the Sixth World are available as a separate $18 bundle.Shadowrun is a setting that blends high fantasy with high tech, offers a refreshing take on the Cyberpunk genre for anyone looking for a dystopian setting outside of Night City. If youve ever wanted to hack a corporate mainframe as an elf or wondered what a troll might do with an automatic weapon, give Shadowrun a shot.Humble always sends a portion of each bundle sale to benefit a nonprofit in this case, your purchase will support the Book Industry Charitable Foundation, an organization that coordinates charity programs to strengthen communities of independent booksellers. Just remember you can always use the Adjust Donation drop-down menu to fine-tune how much goes to the publisher, the charity, or Humble.

King Sugar Syrup, ruler of the Sweet Lands, is on his deathbed. Without him, the kingdom will fall to ruin. In his final days, he has called for a contest to find his successor: The one who can turn their designated land into a prosperous nation shall be given the throne. You, noble candy denizen, must work with local citizens to turn your realm from a simple sugar society into a fully fledged confectionary kingdom.This is the premise of Sweet Lands, an in-development board game by Japanese game studio Uchibacoya. Known for games like Aqua Garden and Ostia (which, like this project, were initially funded on Kickstarter) Uchibacoya has become a rising star among tabletop developers in Japan. And while it has had production difficulties in the past, all signs point to a much more mature approach this time out.Its most recent design, Sweet Lands blends the strategy-focused play of Euro-style board games with the artistic flair and innovative design the publisher has become known for since their launch in 2019. In less than a week, the campaign has vastly surpassed its initial goal of $10,000 earning more than $350,000 at time of publication showing the board game industrys enthusiasm for the growing movement of international game designers and the work they bring to the medium.Sweet Lands resource-management approach to its central gameplay expands past familiar games like The Settlers of Catan. Unlike Catan, the game incorporates not just the lands material goods but prioritizes collaboration with the people who live there. The Sweet Lands Kickstarter states the final product will have nearly 200 individually crafted Citizen Cards turning these theoretical candy people into flesh and blood er, chocolate and corn syrup people. The themes of monarchy, social responsibility, and industrialization (along with the picturesque pastoral illustration) brush up against Miyazaki-style aesthetic, without delving fully into the social commentary that would turn this relatively lighthearted board game into a full on critique of feudal power structures.Multiple victory conditions and 14 different character options, each with their own strengths and approaches to city-building, offer opportunities for a wide array of playstyles as would-be monarchs establish infrastructure, invest in industrializing technology, and collaborate with residents to become the most prosperous realm. These developments, represented by over 450 wooden tokens and standees, include Milk Carton Research Labs, Ice Cream Clocktowers, Brownie Buildings, Cheese Tents, and Cream Puff Houses.Though the initial funding level of the Sweet Lands campaign is a bit pricey with the lowest support tier starting around $89 these intricate, tactile components make it clear where those costs are going. For grown up Candy Land lovers, fans of Euro-style board games, or even Dimension 20 fans looking to live out their Crown of Candy fantasy, backing Sweet Lands campaign is an opportunity to get a complex, strategy-based game while supporting the rapidly-growing ecosystem of international designers.The Sweet Lands campaign runs through Wednesday, November 27.

As one of your first major decisions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, youll have to choose to help Minrathous or Treviso. The choice pops up immediately after returning to the Lighthouse with Darvin, your griffon-guarding companion, in tow. The rest of the crew meets you and tells you about a pair of dragons attacking Minrathous and Treviso, and youll have to save one city or the other.Our Dragon Age: The Veilguard guide will help you decide whether to help Minrathous or Treviso, along with some helpful advice.First, finish side quests before choosing Minrathous or TrevisoNot really a spoiler, but a dragon attack is kind of a big deal for a city, so things are going to get messed up. Among those things is any available side quests.If you have open side quests in whichever city you dont choose to save, theyll all automatically fail. Based on our testing, if you have companion quests for Neve or Lucanis, the one in the city you dont save will also automatically fail if you dont complete it.Load up a save from before A Wardens Best Friend, and go wrap up whatever you need to. The only exception, according to our testing, are the side quests involved with defeating a champion of the gods; those are higher-level quests, and remain available even after you complete On Deadly Wings.Should you help Minrathous or Treviso?Look, youre dooming one city to pretty extensive damage, so this is really a call about which faction you want to help the most, the Shadow Dragons or the Antivan Crows (and, by extension, Neve or Lucanis respectively).Theres a lot to consider here any outstanding side quests, your relationship with the faction, your relationship with the companion, and the weight on your conscience. Most of the dialogue, the big bad you run into (aside from the dragon), and even how the fight plays out are the same, though.This ultimately boils down to a choice between Neve and Lucanis. Whoever you dont pick will leave the Lighthouse and your party for a little while (until after you finish both The Dragon Slayer and Where the Dead Must Go).The change to the world is a little more obvious. While neither town will be outright destroyed, there will still be lasting effects.If you help Minrathous, the Shadow Dragons gain 150 faction strength while the Antivan Crows lose 250 faction strength.If you help Treviso, the Antivan Crows gain 150 faction strength while the Shadow Dragons lose 250 faction strength.Additionally, your contacts in either the Antivan Crows or the Shadow Dragons will take a hit and youll lose access to their merchant. Youll need to re-explore the city you dont save and unlock fast travel beacons again. Your enemies the Antaam and the Venatori also make moves and gain power in whatever town you dont help (which leads to new side quests).There is, however, a more lasting consequence to considerYour choice Hardens an allyWhoever you dont help is understandably upset (and appears to be extra upset if youve allied yourself with their respective faction during character creation). Youll lose them from your roster for a little while. More importantly, though, one skill will stop working and some of their other skills will become Hardened.For whoever you dont side with, either Neve or Lucanis will no longer be able to use their healing skill on your party (Replenish and Soothing Potion, respectively). If thats a skill you use a lot, its worth considering.At the same time, Hardening increases the strength of a handful of their skills. For Neve, its her cold damage against barriers and their cooldowns. For Lucanis, its his necrotic attacks against barriers.Hardening also means that building your relationship with that character like how you romance them progresses more slowly.For more Dragon Age: The Veilguard guides, heres how to romance party members and how to recruit all companions.

Amazon is offering a 50% discount on select titles for the Xbox, PlayStation, and the Nintendo Switch, including GOTY contenders Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 and Metaphor: ReFantazio. This deal follows Best Buys very similar offer that is now expired. And, good news: its available to everyone, not just Amazon Prime members. All you have to do is add two of the eligible games to your cart, and the least expensive title will get a 50% discount. Its a great way to get a jumpstart on holiday shopping, instead of waiting for Black Friday deals to come around later in November. Or, just utilize the deal to save on games youll play right now.The selection of eligible titles available as part of this sale is a bit limited, but weve found a few essential games worth making a part of your permanent collection.