Toxel made its global debut in Pokmon Go as part of November 2024s Into the Wild event.The Gen 8 electric- and poison-type baby has one evolution, Toxtricity, but with two different forms Amped Form and Low Key Form.On its debut, you couldnt catch Toxel nor Toxtricity in the wild, making it a harder Pokmon to seek out though both become easier with the arrival of Go Wild Area Global.Heres how to get Toxel in Pokmon Go during the Into the Wild event and how to evolve it into its different forms.How to get Toxel in Pokmon GoToxel released globally as part of the Into the Wild event. You can get one from hatching 10 km eggs obtained during the Into the Wild event and Go Wild Area Global event (Nov. 18-24)Despite there being paid research as part of the Into the Wild event, theres no guaranteed Toxel encounter. Something that can help is during the Go Wild Area Global event, ticket holders see walking distance halved giving you more chances to hatch eggs over the weekend.How to get Toxtricity in Pokmon GoThere are a few ways to get Toxtricity in Pokmon Go during the Into the Wild and Go Wild Area Global week of events:Evolving Toxel into Toxtricity, which requires a whopping 400 Toxel Candy. Completing Dynamax or Gigantamax Toxtricity Max Battles and catching them in the subsequent encounter.Completing Toxtricity raids and catching them in the subsequent encounter, with the chance of them having a Special Background.Complicating matters, however, is there are two forms to collectHow to get Toxtricity Amped Form or Low Key Form in Pokmon GoIn mainline Pokmon games, Toxel evolves into one of two Toxtricity forms based on its nature, but since Pokmon Go doesnt have natures, which form of Toxtricity youll get is random.To evolve Toxel into the Amped Form or Low Key Form of Toxtricity, youll just need to hope you get lucky and you roll the one you want.Alternatively, both forms are appearing in raids and Max Battles throughout Go Wild Area Global, so keep an eye on the version you dont have over the event weekend.In Max Battles, luckily, both forms Gigantamax just the same, so you dont have to worry too much getting both versions there.The forms also appear to be purely cosmetic when it comes to Pokmon Go, as the two have the same movesets and base stats.Can Toxel be shiny in Pokmon Go?Yep, at its initial launch, Toxel debuted fully with the ability to be shiny. As always, youll need to get super lucky to find one though!If you need help with other guides over the event weekend, we have explainers on Go Wild Area habitat spawns, mighty Pokmon, Go Safari Balls, Gigantamax Toxtricity, and for ticket holders, the An Accomplished Trainer choose a path choice.

Go Wild Area is the latest in a line of global events in Pokmon Go, following the likes of Go Tour in the spring and Go Fest in the summer.Themed around the idea of exploring the unknown, its ripe with new features, from the introduction of strong mighty Pokmon, a new Pok Ball type in the Go Safari Ball, and the debut of Gigantamax Toxtricity.This page explains when the Go Wild Area event begins in Pokmon Go, and some tips on how to prepare.Pokemon Go Wild Area start timeThe Pokmon Go Wild Area global event runs 10 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. local time on both Saturday, Nov. 23, and Sunday, Nov. 24. From there, habitat spawns will alternate every hour.A 10 a.m. start is par the course for the vast majority of Pokmon Go events, and gives you time to travel to your local group meet-up if youre playing with others in-person or a chance to prepare for the event, of which we have some recommendations for at the end of this guide.As for why there is an end time of 6:15 p.m. (as opposed to on the hour with previous global events), there will be more mighty Pokmon to close out the event. (Thanks to Leek Duck for confirming this.)The last 15 minutes of Pokmon Go Wild Area (6pm until 6:15pm) sees an increase in Mighty Pokmon spawns. Temper your expectations, mind, as in my experience the bump was modest at best. But it is noticeable! Matthew Reynolds (@mattreyn.games) 2024-11-23T18:45:10.655ZOnce the day is over, you can still play aspects of the event once it ends. Raids and themed Max Battles will likely spawn into the evening, and if they dont, you can always remote raid to players where the event is still going to continue battling, something which has been streamlined with the ability to more easily join raids remotely this week.How to prepare for Pokmon Go Wild GlobalPreparing for a global event is broadly a case of ensuring your have enough storage space and items at the ready to ensure you can play as unencumbered as possible, but theres also some things to prepare for specific for Go Wild Global too.Clear out your Pokmon and item Storage, and / or expand them. This always takes a bit of time, so make sure you have the wiggle room of a few hundred of each so arent constantly clearing out your inventory. And, if you were previously at max capacity, Niantic lifted the cap for each just this week.Get a Dynamax Drilbur (or three). Debuting last week as part of the Simply Groundbreaking event, evolution Excadrill is the perfect counter to both Dynamax and Gigantamax Toxtricitys poison- and electric-typing. Try and get some with good IVs itll be a useful long term investment then evolve (or use the one rewarded from the ticketed An Accomplished Trainer event), TM the best possible fast and charged moves (Mud Slap and Earthquake), and level up the Max Move to its highest. Depending on your team size, you might be able to get away with having one in your party but if you have the stardust and candy to hand, then coming with two or three will improve your chances further.Stock up on Max Particles. You can get 800 free each day from interacting with Power Spots and walking, and by reaching the maximum amount on the Friday, you can carry them over into the event weekend. If you forget to do this mind, dont fret ticket holders see the daily limit on collecting Max Particles quadruple to a massive 3,200 on both Saturday and Sunday.Get Adventure Effects ready. Origin Forme Palkia and Dialga can increase the spawn radius and your timers respectively with their Adventure Effects, so if you havent caught one with your desired move (theyre back in raids this week and through the weekend) then nows the time.Charge your devices, pack some water, and check the weather. The final tip, which is not in-game related, is to make sure youre personally ready for a busy weekend of play. Have you charged your power bank? Is your water bottle and / or coffee cup washed and packed? And do you need to bring a coat or brolly? We are in November after all!

Arcane has come to an end but the closing out of Vi, Jinx, Caitlyn, Jayce, and Viktors stories is more like a beginning than an ending. According to Riot Games, Fortiche, and Netflix, the shows finale didnt arrive because its getting canceled; rather, its because it was simply the end of this particular story. But its certainly not the end to animated collaborations between Riot Games and Fortiche set in the League of Legends universe. And while there hasnt been an official announcement of a new show just yet, there are plenty of new projects in the works.According to Arcane showrunner and co-creator Christian Linke, Fortiche and Riot are bouncing around ideas about all kinds of other projects in the League of Legends world that could provide the basis for a new animated series. We have over 160 champions in our game. Theres tons of them where Im like, I want to know their story, Linke said in an interview with Polygon. Now is the time, luckily, that we also can start thinking about that and dream big. So we have a slate of different projects were exploring, nothings in production yet, but were really building stories of all these different tonalities and they should be very different. They should not feel just like, OK, they should be their own style, their own tone. So thats the next step for us.But for Linke, the appeal of a new show isnt just getting to venture into a new corner of League lore, its also getting to explore an entirely different tone than that of Arcane. We havent done enough yet for the whimsical tone of League; Arcane is pretty dark, Link said. But theres a lot of fun characters. Theres the Lulus, the Teemos, the Amumus, the Poppies, the Tristans. What do we do for those? And I think I would definitely want to take things [in a new show] into the extremes, like the different genres. What are we going to do in horror? What are we going to do in more abstract, more artistic things? Thats the real power of animation. Youre not grounded by what reality is. So we should take advantage of that.Of course, when exactly well get to see Riot and Fortiche take jump into these new genre and settings remains a mystery. Arcane famously took nearly a decade to pull off, and while we likely wont have to wait that long for a new show, its still likely to be at least a few years before Netflix returns to Runeterra.

The great Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To is broadly known for his riveting gangster dramas, with operatic gun fights, tense drama, and conflicted characters. But To is a skilled filmmaker in many different genres, and one of my favorite films of his is the excellent romantic comedy Dont Go Breaking My Heart, which he co-directed with frequent collaborator Wai Ka-fai. Its one of the best love triangle movies ever, and its a perfect movie to get cozy and watch with someone you have a crush on this holiday season. And if you want to watch it, the clock is ticking: Its leaving Netflix Dec. 1, and theres currently no other way to watch it theres no way to rent or purchase it digitally, no other streaming service has it, and physical releases range from exorbitantly expensive to difficult to find.Starring three gorgeous and charming people (a great foundation for a romance), Dont Go Breaking My Heart follows Chi-yan (Gao Yuanyuan), a recently single financial analyst who finds her heart pulled between two competing suitors: a CEO (Louis Koo) who stood her up, and an architect (Daniel Wu) she helps get back on his feet after going through a rough time.Both men are charming and suave, but offer different attributes as prospective partners Koos CEO is more removed emotionally but offers financial stability, while Wus architect is full of romantic yearning, but hes still picking up the pieces of his life. Its understandable why the choice is difficult this isnt your typical one good option, one bad love triangle story (and To uses the background of a financial crisis to cleverly portray finding a life partner as an act of comparison shopping in the free market of dating). Individual viewers will have their own preference for which partner she chooses, but you could see her being content with either of them. They also end up working, at different times, in the building across from where Chi-yan works. That leads to one of Dont Go Breaking My Hearts most charming touches: The characters flirt by putting up sticky notes on the large glass windows of their buildings, making smiley faces and sending messages to each other. The glass windows are also a great opportunity for one of the age-old rom-com tropes: Mix-ups and miscommunications leading to hijinks.The movies frequently funny, too, with sight gags, laugh-out-loud dialogue, and physical comedy galore. Part His Girl Friday, part Playtime, and all fun, Dont Go Breaking My Heart is an excellent example of a generational director working at the height of his powers and absolutely nailing a genre.Dont Go Breaking My Heart is streaming on Netflix through Nov. 30.

Joining the likes of Metroid 2, Kirbys Dream Land, Links Awakening, and tons of other amazing Game Boy games, Nintendo Switch Onlines retro catalogue now includes another classic: Donkey Kong Land. Its nominally a Game Boy adaptation of Donkey Kong Country for the SNES, but the game actually has a slightly different story, changes to enemies, and some entire levels that arent in Country.Grab a vine and join the thrills in the Land of Kong. Donkey Kong Land is now available to play for #NintendoSwitchOnline members! #GameBoy pic.twitter.com/OBYq0Faoh4 Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) November 22, 2024The main reason why I love Donkey Kong Land and, while were here, Donkey Kong Land 2 and 3, which will probably be on Nintendo Switch Online soon at the rate these retro games are getting added is the way that the Donkey Kong Country soundtrack got adapted for the Game Boys sound chip. The rearrangements of these classic catchy songs are very impressive; you can get a taste of the sound in the trailer thats in Nintendos post on X announcing the games addition to Switch Online. No shade to the SNES but I simply prefer the Game Boys sound. I used to pause this game just to listen to specific tracks.The original Donkey Kong Country trilogy is also already on Nintendo Switch Online, by the way, so you can really dive deep into the DK catalogue if thats your thing. These games hold up quite well considering theyre from the 90s. Incidentally, the DK Rap may not hold up quite as well, but it has a 2024 remake that rules.

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, Smile 2, the sequel to the supernatural horror debut from director Parker Finn, leers its way onto VOD following its theatrical debut in September. If supernatural horror isnt your bag, why not give sci-fi horror a try? Alien: Romulus, Evil Dead director Fede lvarezs new installment in the venerable Alien franchise, slithers onto Hulu this week alongside the Nick Jonas-led comedy drama The Good Half and the historical drama Firebrand starring Alicia Vikander.Theres a whole lot more to choose from on streaming this weekend, including the historical survival drama Blitz on Apple TV Plus; The Piano Lesson starring John David Washington (Tenet); Shrek director Vicky Jensons latest animated adventure, Spellbound, on Netflix; Blink Twice on MGM Plus; and several other new releases.Heres everything new thats available to watch this weekend!New on NetflixThe Piano LessonWhere to watch: Available to stream on NetflixGenre: DramaRun time: 2h 5mDirector: Malcolm WashingtonCast: Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Ray FisherThe feature directorial debut by Malcolm Washington adapts August Wilsons play for the silver screen. Starring Malcolms brother John David, The Piano Lesson centers on the lives of Boy Willie Charles and his family living in post-Great Depression Pittsburgh. As the Charles family quarrels over the fate of a prized heirloom, a piano decorated with designs carved by an enslaved ancestor, the fight threatens to roil old resentments and inflame long-simmering tensions.JoyWhere to watch: Available to stream on NetflixGenre: Biographical dramaRun time: 1h 55mDirector: Ben TaylorCast: Bill Nighy, Thomasin McKenzie, James NortonJoytells the story of the first test-tube baby and the invention of in vitro fertilization, through the eyes of nurse Jean Purdy, scientist Robert Edwards, and surgeon Patrick Steptoe in the 1970s. The trio faces opposition, as religious zealots claim their work to be unnatural, but continue to persevere in the face of those odds. For decades, Purdys contributions to the development of IVF were largely forgotten, but in recent years shes been more and more recognized.SpellboundWhere to watch: Available to stream on NetflixGenre: Fantasy comedyRun time: 1h 49mDirector: Vicky JensonCast: Rachel Zegler, John Lithgow, Jenifer LewisA new animated musical from the director ofShrek,Spellboundis about a young princess who must break a spell thats transformed her parents into monsters and split her kingdom in two. Musical legend Alan Menken does the music for the movie, and with Rachel Zegler as the lead, the soundtrack is sure to soar. The movie was first calledSplit before it was changed toThe Unbreakable Spell, and after shifting between a few streaming services, it was finally renamed Spellbound.The Merry GentlemenWhere to watch: Available to stream on NetflixGenre: Musical rom-comRun time: 1h 27mDirector: Peter SullivanCast: Britt Robertson, Chad Michael Murray, Marla SokoloffMagic Mike meets a cozy Christmas movie in this new Netflix holiday flick. A dancer tries to save her familys performance venue by putting on a steamy all-male dance revue to raise money. She recruits some of the hot men around her small town and trains them in the art of hip thrusting and shirt tearing and also starts to fall for one of them. Will she save her parents venue just in time for Christmas? Given the genre, probably, but there will be more bare torsos than usual.New on HuluAlien: RomulusWhere to watch: Available to stream on HuluGenre: Sci-fi horrorRun time: 1h 59mDirector: Fede lvarezCast: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Isabela MercedSet 20 years after the events of Ridley ScottsAlien, Fede lvarezs sci-fi horror film follows three pairs of young siblings who attempt to scavenge through a derelict space station in a last-ditch effort to escape their indentured servitude to the Weyland-Yutani megacorporation. What they discover aboard the station, however, is not their salvation, but a horror beyond anything they couldve possibly imagined.From ourreview:Is it as good asAlienorAliens? is the obvious question franchise fans will ask when weighing whether to seeAlien: Romulus. lvarez and Sayagues seem to have been uncomfortably aware that this question was coming. They anticipated those five different answers about what Alien fans love from the previous films, and tried to split the difference between all of them and more. Like the Romulus and Remus stations, which serve as the films setting,Alien: Romulusis made up of roughly two parts: a haunted-house story in outer space laAlien, and a crowd-pleasing horror-action spectacle likeAliens. The former element is stronger than the latter in this case, and the imbalance is one of the reasonsAlien: Romulusfeels like a by-the-numbers retread of the franchise defining it, rather than the resuscitative breath it so desperately needs.The Good HalfWhere to watch: Available to stream on HuluGenre: Comedy dramaRun time: 1h 36mDirector: Robert SchwartzmanCast: Nick Jonas, Brittany Snow, David ArquetteThe Jonas Brothers very own Nick Jonas stars as an emotionally distant writer returning to Cleveland, Ohio, for his mothers funeral, after years of avoiding his complicated family. He forges some new relationships and confronts some old ones, and eventually must face his grief and family drama head on.The Good Halffirst premiered at the 2023 Tribeca film festival.FirebrandWhere to watch: Available to stream on HuluGenre:Historical dramaRun time:2h 1mDirector:Karim AnouzCast:Alicia Vikander, Jude Law, Eddie MarsanKing Henry VIII is remembered for many things, but hes probably most known for marrying six women in his lifetime, two of which he had executed. Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina) stars in this historical drama as Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII (Jude Law), who must fight for her survival when the kings behavior becomes more and more erratic and paranoid in the years preceding the end of his reign.New on MaxWatchmen: Chapter IWhere to watch: Available to stream on MaxGenre:Superhero dramaRun time:1h 23mDirector:Brandon ViettiCast:Troy Baker, Adrienne Barbeau, Corey BurtonWatchmenis back, this time as a multi-part animated film series! In an alternate 1985, a government-sponsored superhero has been inexplicably murdered. Determined to apprehend his killer, a costumed vigilante named Rorschach reunites with his estranged former colleagues and scours the criminal underworld of New York is his search for clues. What he uncovers is a conspiracy that threatens to endanger the entire world. Will he be able to track down the conspirators before its too late?New on Apple TV PlusBlitzWhere to watch: Available to stream on Apple TV PlusGenre: DramaRun time: 2hDirector: Steve McQueenCast: Saoirse Ronan, Elliott Heffernan, Harris DickinsonSaoirse Ronan (Lady Bird) stars in Steve McQueens historical drama as Rita, a young mother who sends her son George (Elliott Heffernan) to the English countryside to protect him from the impending attack on London by Nazi Germany. When Rita learns that George did not reach his destination, she embarks on a search to find him.Bread & RosesWhere to watch: Available to stream on Apple TV PlusGenre: DocumentaryRun time: 1h 30mDirector: Sahra ManiBread & Rosesis a documentary about women in Afghanistan living under the Taliban, following three women: Sharifa, a former government employee confined indoors; Zahra, a dentist who began to organize activists till she was captured and tortured; and Taranom, who has been exiled to Pakistan for her activism. The documentary premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim.New on MGM PlusBlink TwiceWhere to watch: Available to stream on MGM PlusGenre:Psychological thrillerRun time:1h 42mDirector:Zo KravitzCast:Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Christian SlaterZo Kravitzs directorial debut is a psychological thriller about a cocktail waitress named Frida (Naomi Ackie) who gets whisked away to a private island by a tech mogul for a lavish partying getaway. But Frida begins to notice that something strange is happening with the female guests. Fun fact: The films working title wasPussy Island, but the Motion Picture Association had an issue with that.New on MubiWitchesWhere to watch: Available to stream on Mubi USGenre: DocumentaryRun time: 1h 30mDirector: Elizabeth SankeyCast: Catherine Cho, Sophia Di Martino, David EmsonThis documentary chronicles the relationship between how witches have been characterized across the history of film, television, and culture and how we view women, motherhood, and mental health. Relying on her own robust knowledge and long-standing obsession with the films subject matter, Elizabeth Sankey draws on clips from The Wizard of Oz, Girl, Interrupted, Rosemarys Baby, and more to illustrate her argument about the connection between the history of witches and the historical vilification of women and their bodies.New to rentSmile 2Where to watch: Available to stream on MetrographGenre: Supernatural horrorRun time: 2h 7mDirector: Parker FinnCast: Kyle Gallner, Naomi Scott, Lukas GageParker Finn returns with a follow-up to his smash-hit horror debut, Smile. Picking up just a week after the events of the previous film, Smile 2 centers on Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), a famous pop star recovering from a tragic car accident. When a mysterious curse is inadvertently passed on to her, Skye struggles to retain her sanity as she fights against a parasitic supernatural entity that seeks to devour her from the inside out.From our review:Smiledodging the streaming abyss and finding box-office success felt like a miracle, butSmile 2is something even rarer: a horror sequel that outdoes its predecessor in every way. Rather than simply rehashing the original, Parker Finn pushes his clever premise to its logical extreme and builds some incredibly scary scenes to match. In fact, Finn endsSmile 2in a spot that feels like the perfect conclusion to the franchise and the perfect jumping-off point for the career of one of the most exciting horror directors of his generation.

My Fortnite locker, the name of the UI interface that contains all of my cosmetic items, has become the video game equivalent of a junk drawer. Rummage through my account, and youll find a backpack version of Ninken from Naruto lined up next to a rainbow gun wrap I got from the 2021 Pride collection. The game contains sub-menus for emotes, wraps, cars, instruments, and Lego kits. Its all too much, and to be frank, Im worried that recent changes in the Fortnite subscription service from Epic Games ignore a simple truth: Sometimes, less is more.On Wednesday, Epic Games announced a big change to Fortnite Crew, its monthly subscription service that awards players with the Battle Royale battle pass, V-bucks, and other perks. Starting on Dec. 1, Fortnite Crew subscribers will get content from the Music Pass and Lego Pass at no additional cost. So once the change goes live, players who subscribe to it will be able to progress and redeem cosmetics on the other games on the platform, like battle passes from Fortnite Festival and Lego Fortnite.On the surface, this looks extremely pro-consumer and in many ways, it is. Its essentially giving people more items for free. If I subscribe and I only want to play the Battle Royale mode, Ill still end up with a whole lot of other cosmetics from other games on Fortnite. In addition to that, Epic Games has also changed how the battle pass works, so leveling up one pass will unlock the items on another. This way, you dont need to grind each game individually if youre interested in earning cosmetics from other battle passes.It sounds great, but the announcement came with another notice: The standard price of the Battle Royale battle pass (outside of the Crew subscription) will be raised in price from 950 to 1,000 V-bucks.The price hike doesnt significantly change how much you pay in dollars. You can purchase 1,000 V-bucks for $8.99 from the in-game shop. Additionally, 50 V-bucks isnt exactly an exorbitant amount of currency, and it isnt even enough to buy a low-tier emote. However, if youre a regular player, that amount can add up, and even a paltry 50 V-bucks could make or break whether or not you are able to purchase a certain skin in the store on any given day. (Which matters, because who knows when your favorite cosmetic will return to the Fortnite shop, since it rotates items in and out!)For me, gradual price hikes like this only serve to enhance the value of the subscription service and allow players to justify springing for the full-on premium Fortnite subscription. Its almost like the modern video game equivalent of bundling cable or streaming services you might not want everything in there, but because all the individual parts are getting so expensive, it eventually makes financial sense.Whats more is that changes like this are catered toward how Epic Games wants its users to engage with its platform, rather than the actual way the majority of its players do. At time of publication, Lego Fornite has 24,600 active users, and Fortnite Festival has 8,500 players. In comparison, the unranked version of the Battle Royale mode has more than 542,000 players, and Zero Build has 344,800 players. Instead of improving the battle pass experience around these games, Epic Games has decided to raise the price and shove a bunch of unneeded items into the lockers of its Fortnite Crew subscribers.As a Battle Royale player, I dont want more junk. I want a transparent pricing system when it comes to cosmetic items. I want a consistent battle pass price. I want a locker and emote wheel that I can actually organize. I dont want to grind the battle pass leveling, and Id like the ability to buy old skins. So while the Fortnite Crew change might seem all right on the surface, it sure does feel like the company is throwing a whole lot of junk in my face.

Earlier this week, Trademark Films dropped a trailer for The Grim and The Dark: The Search for John Blanche. The new documentary starring, of all people, Napoleon Dynamite actor Jon Heder follows a descent into the grimdark culture of Warhammer and the artists, writers, and creators who thrive in it, according to the studios announcement.The film seems targeted both at Warhammer diehards and newcomers alike, as the trailer opens on Heder searching for the center of grimdark and everything gnarly, while the camera comically zooms out to reveal hes standing in front of a massive statue of a Space Marine. The films description implies Heders search began due to a chance encounter at a game store, but the admiration for the art of wargames comes through in the trailers cinematic composition and editing. Shots of miniatures and core texts are interspersed with interview clips and medieval architecture (rightfully) framing Warhammer and the culture around it as esoteric and arcane. Heders comedic ignorance of the hobby balances the, pardon the phrase, grimdark aesthetic, making the trailer feel like the final documentary will be accessible to even the most uninformed viewer.The trailer culminates with a directive for Heder: If you want to talk to the grandmaster, go find John. This, of course, refers to artist John Blanche, who is credited with defining the visual language of Warhammer during his 46-year long tenure at Games Workshop. Blanche famously retired in June of last year, making rare media appearances that can be found on his personal blog. The trailer ends with a dramatic sequence of Heder knocking on what one could assume to be Blanches front door, before quickly cutting to an over-the-shoulder shot of a man, ostensibly Blanche, taking off his glasses in preparation.The film is slated to be released in spring of 2025, according to the Trademark Films announcement. Pre-orders are available now for $12.

Fields of Mistria has a museum to fill up with collectables and youll be rewarded with furniture and money for doing so. The museum is broken up into four wings: archaeology, fish, flora, and insects. All of these collectables can be tracked in your in-game almanac and you can check the tooltip on each individual item to see if you have donated them to the museum already or not. Helpful!Below we list what you need to complete the museum in Fields of Mistria, though note its not able to be 100% completed as of the current early access release.Update (Nov. 20): Weve updated this guide with the new museum sections added in the first major update (patch 0.12).Fields of Mistria museum Archaeology WingThe Archaeology Wing focuses on digging up the circular dig spots you see in the ground with your shovel or a pickaxe. There are dig spots both in the mines and on the surface and different areas yield different rewards. Some of the Archaeology Wing items are also obtained via fishing and diving, though youll need to unlock a specific skill in the fishing and archeology skill tree to get these items.Below we list the different parts of the Archaeology Wing, as well as where you have to dig or what you have to unlock to find these items. Note that two sets are incomplete; the Metals of Mistria and Gems of Mistria sets cannot be completed, as two of the required items from each category are unavailable in the current early access.SetLocationItem 1Item 2Item 3Item 4Item 5Dig Site Material SetAnywhereClayPeatShard MassShardsSodPrehistoric Artifact SetThe BeachAmber Trapped InsectFossilized EggMeteoriteTiny Dinosaur SkeletonTrilobite FossilAncient Artifact SetThe Western RuinsAncient Crystal GobletAncient Gold CoinAncient Horn CircletAncient Royal ScepterAncient Stone LanternAlda Artifact SetSweetwater FarmAlda Bronze SwordAlda Clay PotAlda Feather PendantAlda Gem BraceletAlda Mural TabletCaldosian Artifact SetThe Eastern RoadCaldosian BreastplateCaldosian Drinking HornCaldosian Emperor BustCaldosian SwordStatuette of CaldarusAldarian Artifact SetThe NarrowsAldarian GauntletAldarian SwordAldarian War BannerFamily Crest PendantLost Crown of AldariaOopart Artifact SetAnywhere, requires Well Placed skillBlack TabletCompletely Wrong MapMuttering CubeUnknown Dragon StatuetteWeightless StoneAquatic Artifact SetFishing, requires Aquatic Antiquities skillCoin LumpGiant Fish ScaleRubber FishRusted Treasure ChestWater SphereSunken Artifact SetDiving, requires Sunken Secrets skillCriminal ConfessionMermaids CombRainbow SeaweedRock with a HoleRusted ShieldBuried Artifact SetMinesDiamond-backed MirrorFlint ArrowheadObsidian BladeShortcut ScrollStone HorseUpper Mines Artifact SetUpper Mines (Mines 1-19)Miners HelmetMiners PickaxeMiners RucksackMiners SlabTin LunchboxTide Cavern Artifact SetTide Caverns (Mines 21-39)Crab StatueDense WaterStarlight CoralStone ShellTidestoneDeep Earth Artifact SetDeep Earth (Mines 41-59)Earth-infused StoneFaceted Rock GemReally Round RockRock StatueSeriously Square StoneRitual Artifact SetRitual Chambers in the mines, requires Lost to History skillRitual BeadsRitual ChaliceRitual Incense BurnerRitual ScepterRitual TabletVintage Farm Tools SetThe farm, requires Former Farmers skillVintage BrushVintage Cow BellVintage HammerVintage SickleVintage Watering CanMetals of Mistria SetMinesPerfect Copper OreN/APerfect Iron OreN/APerfect Silver OreGems of Mistria SetMinesN/APerfect EmeraldN/APerfect RubyPerfect SapphireFields of Mistria museum Fish WingThe fish section of the museum is pretty straight forward, as each set is sorted by both its location and season. Note that to catch Legendary fish, youll need to have level 30 fishing with the Legendary skill.SetFish 1Fish 2Fish 3Fish 4Fish 5Multi-SeasonKoiPikePollockSmallmouth BassTroutSpring River Fish SetBluegillCarpChubPaddlefishWalleyeSpring Pond Fish SetAngel FishBarbBrown TroutCrucian CarpGoldfishSpring Ocean Fish SetAnchovyLobsterMackerelOcean SunfishShrimpSummer River Fish SetBreamLoachMinnowSweetfishTarponSummer Pond Fish SetBrown BullheadGiant KoiGolden ShinerLake ChubSaugerSummer Ocean Fish SetCharCrabDartGrouperStingrayFall River Fish SetGralingLampreyPerchRazorbackShadFall Pond Fish SetBluefishKillifishRainbow TroutStriped BassWhite PerchFall Ocean Fish SetButterfishHalibutMulletSaurySharkWinter River Fish SetBowfishDaceFreshwater EelHerringShadow BassWinter Pond Fish SetAlligator GarBurbotFlathead CatfishGiant TilapiaTilapiaWinter Ocean Fish SetHorse MackerelKing CrabOarfishSand LanceSea BassUpper Mines Fish SetCave EelCave SharkCave ShrimpRock GuppyStone LoachTide Caverns Fish SetArcherfishMini-Whale SharkSapphire BettaTransparent JellyfishWater Balloon FishDeep Earth Fish SetEarth EelEmerald Horned ChargerPebble MinnowRockbiterShardfinLegendary Fish SetCherry FishLeaf FishLightning FishSnow FishFields of Mistria museum Flora WingMost of the flora section of the museum needs to be grown on your farm or foraged. Each season requires you to grow four crops and one tree (though some of the seasonal fruit trees grow natively spread out around Mistria).Notably, the red toadstool item drops from the red mushroom enemies in the Upper Mines. Its not a foragable good that just sits there to be found.If the season ended and you missed an item, keep an eye out on Balors merchant cart, as he sells off-season items, though his stock is random.SetItem 1Item 2Item 3Item 4Item 5Spring Crop SetCabbageCherryPotatoStrawberryTurnipSpring Flower SetDaffodilDandelionLilacSnowdrop AnemoneTulipSpring Forage SetFennelFiddleheadMorel MushroomNettleWild LeekSummer Crop SetChili PepperCornCucumberTomatoWatermelonSummer Flower SetCatmintCosmosDaisyIrisMarigoldSummer Forage SetBasilDillOreganoSageThymeFall Crop SetAppleBroccoliCranberryPumpkinSweet PotatoFall Flower SetCelosiaChrysanthemumFog OrchidHeatherViolaFall Forage SetChestnutGarlicHorseradishMoon FruitRosemaryWinter Crop SetBeetCauliflowerDaikon RadishPomegranateSnow PeasWinter Flower SetCrocusFrost LilyJasminePoinsettiaSnapdragonWinter Forage SetBurdock RootHollyOyster MushroomPineshroomRose HipUpper Mines Forage SetNarrows MossRed ToadstoolShadow FlowerSweetrootUpper Mines MushroomTide Caverns Forage SetJade DulseMines MusselsSea GrapesTide LettuceUnderseaweedDeep Earth Forage SetCrystal BerriesCrystal RoseEarthshroomRockrootShale GrassFields of Mistria museum Insects WingWhile bugs do have seasonal and time requirements, theres no skill level associated with them, so you dont have to worry about unlocking something specific to find all the bugs. You will need to make sure youre looking in the right places at the right time, though.SetBug 1Bug 2Bug 3Bug 4Bug 5Multi-Season Insect SetAntBumbleebeeFuzzy MothHummingbird Hawk MothPraying MantisSpring Insect SetButterflyCaterpillarLadybugLuna MothRoly PolySummer Insect SetCicadaCricketDragonflyFireflySand BugFall Insect SetCicada NymphInchwormMonarch ButterflyTiger Swallowtail ButterflyWalking LeafWinter Insect SetBrightbulb MothCrystal CaterpillarFrost Flutter ButterflyWalking StickWinterpillarRare Insect SetJewel BeetleLightning DragonflyMagma BeetleMistmothOrchid MantisGrass Insect SetGrasshopperIcehopperLeafhopperPetalhopperStrawhopperBeach Insect SetBeach HopperHermit CrabRelic CrabSurf BeetleWaterbugLegendary Insect SetFairy BeeFlower Crown BeetleSnowball BeetleSpeedy SnailStrobe FireflyUpper Mines Insect SetCopper Nugget BeetleLantern MothMine CricketTunnel MillipedeWormTide Caverns Insect SetCoral MantisHermit SnailPuddle SpiderSea ScarabWaterflyDeep Earth Insect SetCrystal Wing MothCrystalline CricketDeep EarthwormGem Shard CaterpillarRock Roach

Genshin Impactis a free-to-play RPG on Windows PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, iOS, and Android. It takes the climbing and exploration fromThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildand mixes it with deep loot and progression systems.Weve organized our guide to help you navigate the free-to-play waters and make the most of your time withGenshin Impact.Our beginners guide focuses on stuff we wish we knew before starting Genshin Impact. It can be really easy to waste your time and currency when you dont know whats going on.If youre trying to get the most out of your game for free, our six free characters guide lets you know when you can expect each of the games free offerings to show up, and what you need to do to get them.Our guides will lead you through the most troubling puzzles and world quests around Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, Fontaine, and Natlan. We cover the niche sub-regions, like Enkanomiya and The Chasm as well.Just starting out8 beginners tips to know before starting Genshin ImpactGenshin Impact codes for November 2024Genshin Impacts Battle Pass (Gnostic Hymn), explainedHow to unlock free characters in Genshin ImpactHow Elemental Reactions and Resonance work in Genshin ImpactFree-to-play weaponsGenshin Impact guide: Inazuma weapon blueprint locationsWhere to find all the weapon blueprints in SumeruGenshin Impact Fontaine weapon blueprint locationsHow to get Natlan weapon blueprints in Genshin ImpactGenshin Impact guide: How to get The Catch Polearm weaponHow to get the End of the Line bow in Genshin ImpactWhere to findAll fishing spots in Genshin ImpactGenshin Impact Dragonspine stone tablet location guideWhere to find the Aranyaka Mysterious Clipboard buried chests in Genshin ImpactGenshin Impact Udumbara Pistil locationsGenshin Impact Fravashi Tree locationsHow to obtain Credit Coupons for Unfinished Comedy in Genshin ImpactWorld questsGenshin Impact guide: Time and the Wind quest solutionGenshin Impact guide: The Chi of Guyun quest walkthrough and solutionGenshin Impact guide: Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual world quest walkthroughGenshin Impact guide: Collection of Dragon and Snakes world quest book locationsGenshin Impact Aranyaka world quest guideHow to adventure with Aranara in Genshin Impacts Children of the Forest world questGenshin Impact In the Wake of Narcissus walkthroughComplete list of hidden Sumeru world quests in Genshin ImpactGenshin Impact Fontaine hidden reputation world quest listNatlan world quest list in Genshin Impact

Amid a continuing conversation about AIs presence in tabletop gaming, online marketplace itch.io announced that it will be requiring all creators on the site to disclose whether their projects contain AI-generated content. Itch.ios disclosure policy isnt an outright ban, but will make it easier fCEOor tabletop fans who oppose the controversial and ecologically damaging technology to avoid purchasing AI-generated content.According to the announcement from itch.io founder Leaf Corcoran, all asset creators on the platform will be required to classify the content they currently have uploaded onto the site. All products that do include AI-generated art will be tagged as such, while users who specifically mark their content as being human-made will receive a no-ai tag.There will be a grace period for creators to categorize their products, with a bulk tagging tool available for publishers who have a high number of products. Assets comprised of generative AI (even if modified afterwards) that are not tagged will no longer be eligible for indexing on our browse pages, Corcoran explained. In response to a comment, Corcoran also clarified that if users lie about the presence of AI-generated content in their products, or are seen to omit the disclosure tags, they wont be removed from the site, but will be removed from indexing on the discovery page, the major way new games are introduced to potential buyers.On the itchs quality guidelines page, the company stated the implementation of this policy was due to legal ambiguity around rights associated with Generative AI content. Content made from Generative AI systems like ChatGPT, DALL-E, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion are largely trained on datasets comprised of visual and text-based art without the consent of its original creators, which has been the subject of a number of legal disputes and lawsuits.This makes itch.io the latest online tabletop marketplace to impose a policy regarding AI disclosure. It follows similar requirements on platforms like DriveThruRPG, which created an AI-content filter in late October, and Roll20, which has an outright AI ban on its marketplace.

As players of the massively popular Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition adapt to the new-and-improved D&D 2024, theyve found many of their favorite subclasses left on the cutting room floor in the name of streamlined design. Polygon has sung the praises of this new update on multiple occasions, but even the most adaptable D&D player is hesitant to leave behind a precious character whose subclass didnt get an official update. Fear not, dear adventurer, as a team of third-party designers have crafted Subclasses Revivified.The supplement includes nearly 70 updated subclasses including 10 Cleric Domains, nine Wizard schools, six fighter subclasses, and more encapsulating every official subclass left out of the new Players Handbook. Rather than force players to abandon their PCs or reconstruct their character with builds that didnt quite fit, this 109-page text offers D&D fans the chance to revivify their 5e characters.Created by 14 independent tabletop designers whove worked extensively in making third-party D&D supplements, as well as games for companies like MCDM, Evil Hat, and Cubicle 7, Subclasses Revivified isnt just opportunistic shlock. In an interview with Destructoid, designer Sebastian Ye said project lead Adam Hancock encouraged [the design team] to innovate and to take the opportunity to address pain points with existing subclasses.Along with making these subclasses compatible with D&D 2024, the revisions add what the designers call quality of life updates. That includes starting all subclasses at third level, balancing power levels across classes, and developing the mechanics to be more in line with a subclass given theme. The language, formatting, and style of the text has also been updated, using 2024s new jargon, such as D20 Tests and Emanations.The pdf of Subclasses Revivified is currently available for $27.95 on DriveThruRPG, where it has already reached Silver Best Seller status. The first 40 pages are available for preview on the site, and discounted copies are available for those who cant afford the retail price.

The seven elements in Genshin Impact are important for battle, but knowing all of the combinations of Elemental Reaction and Resonance is a must for building powerful teams.Our guide explains all the Elemental Reactions and Resonance effects in Genshin Impact.Elemental ResonanceHaving two of the same element type on a party will activate Elemental Resonance, giving your team a special buff. The buffs are as follows:Fervent Flames (Pyro): Affected byCryofor 40% less time. Increases ATK by 25%.Enduring Rock (Geo): Increases shield strength by 15%. Additionally, characters protected by a shield will have the following special characteristics: DMG dealt increased by 15%, dealing DMG to enemies will decrease theirGeoRES by 20% for 15s.Sprawling Greenery (Dendro): Elemental Mastery increased by 50. After triggering Burning, Quicken, or Bloom reactions, all nearby party members gain 30 Elemental Mastery for 6s. After triggering Aggravate, Spread, Hyperbloom, or Burgeon reactions, all nearby party members gain 20 Elemental Mastery for 6s. The durations of the aforementioned effects will be counted independently.Impetuous Winds (Anemo): Decreases Stamina Consumption by 15%. Increases Movement SPD by 10%. Shortens Skill Cooldown (CD) by 5%.Shattering Ice (Cryo): Affected byElectrofor 40% less time. Increases CRIT Rate against enemies that are Frozen or affected byCryoby 15%.Soothing Waters (Hydro): Affected byPyrofor 40% less time. Increases max HP by 25%.High Voltage (Electro): Affected byHydrofor 40% less time. Superconduct, Overloaded, Electro-Charged, Quicken, Aggravate, or Hyperbloom have a 100% chance to generate an Electro Elemental Particle (CD: 5s).Protective Canopy (Any four unique elements): All Elemental RES +15%, Physical RES +15%.Youll likely want to take advantage of these bonuses. Tons of teams with main Pyro DPS will use Bennett or Xianglings Pyro affinity to get an ATK bonus, whereas Zhongli and Itto mains may rely more on the increased shield strength.Elemental ReactionsWhen two elements are applied to an enemy, they will typically react. Not every combination will have a reaction, but you should definitely be using the ones that are available to your advantage in combat. The reactions are as follows:Frozen (Cryo + Hydro): Frozen beings are rendered immobile, but also become rock-hard.Vaporize (Pyro + Hydro): The Pyro or Hydro attack that triggers Vaporize deals increased DMG.Electro-Charged (Electro + Hydro): Electro-Charged continuously deals Electro DMG until it wears off. Electricity intermittently arcs off of Electro-Charged beings, shocking Hydro-affected opponents nearby.Overloaded (Pyro + Electro): The resulting explosion deals AoE Pyro DMG, and tears effortlessly through otherwise sturdy objects.Superconduct (Cryo + Electro): Superconduct deals AoE Cryo DMG and significantly decreases Physical RES for the affected being.Burning (Pyro + Dendro): Continuously deals Pyro DMG until it wears off.Swirl (Anemo + Cryo/Electro/Hydro/Pyro): Swirl can deal elemental DMG, affect beings, and generate further Elemental Reactions.Melt (Cryo + Pyro): The Pyro or Cryo attack that triggers Melt deals increased DMG.Crystalize (Geo + Cryo/Electro/Hydro/Pyro): This type of elemental reaction can generate corresponding Elemental Shards and provide your character with various Elemental Shields.Bloom (Dendro + Hydro): Bloom causes Dendro Cores to fall off the enemy and onto the floor. When Dendro Cores are hit with Pyro, this causes Burgeon, which does AoE Dendro damage. When Dendro Cores are hit with Electro, the cores become homing Sprawling Shots. Cores left on the ground will explode and do AoE Dendro damage.Quicken (Dendro + Electro): When Quickened, Electro attacks activate Aggravate and do more damage. Further Dendro attacks to a Quickened enemy activate Spread, which increases Dendro damage to the enemy.

In Genshin Impact, youll start out with just a single character, the Traveler. But over time, youll work to build out your roster with more characters, each with their own unique abilities. You usually do this by making Wishes on the gacha banners, but if you want to Wish a lot, youll need to spend money. Luckily, there are a few free characters you can get to help kickstart your teams growth.Notably, three of the characters listed below (Amber, Kaeya, and Lisa) are all characters that are rarely featured in the gacha Wish banners. Getting constellations for these characters is extremely rare.Our Genshin Impact guide covers the free characters you can get, including some details about how to get them and how they play.The Traveler (Aether/Lumine) Anemo, Geo, Electro, Dendro, or Hydro sword-userWhen you first start Genshin Impact, youll get to choose between the male character (Aether) or the female character (Lumine). This character is commonly referred to as the Traveler and they are the protagonist of the game. You do not have to actively use them in your party, but they will star in most of the subsequent cutscenes.The Traveler starts as an Anemo character, but once you arrive in different regions, youll be able to unlock the respective elements for that region. Going to Liyue will unlock Geo abilities. going to Inazuma will unlock Electro abilities, going to Sumeru will unlock Dendro abilities, and going to Fontaine will unlock Hydro abilities. You can change the characters element by visiting a Statue of the Seven in the respective region.Note that as of writing this, the Traveler has no Pyro abilities, even though we have access to Natlan. The Travelers Pyro form is likely coming in a later patch.Amber Pyro bow-userAmber is the second character youll come across. Once you meet Paimon, follow the opening quest and youll bump into Amber very quickly. You cant really progress and explore without picking up Amber, so just follow the main story quests until you recruit her.Amber is known for being one of the weakest characters in the game, but her ability to fire off Pyro-infused arrows will help you solve tons of puzzles around Teyvat.Kaeya Cryo sword-userKaeya is the third character youll pick up. Shortly after you encounter Amber and enter Mondstadt, youll get a handful of quests. One of those quests, Crash Course, talks about meeting Kaeya at a temple. Follow the objective marker and meet him at the dungeon. After a short tutorial on how Kaeya and Cryo characters work, youll finish the quest and recruit Kaeya to your party.Just like Amber, Kaeya is not particularly strong, but his Cryo abilities will help you solve early puzzles. Additionally, his Glacial Waltz ability does have its uses in niche team compositions.Lisa Electro catalyst-userLisas acquisition method is very similar to Kaeya. Once you visit Mondstadt, youll get a quest called Sparks Amongst the Pages. Follow the quest marker to another temple, and go through it. As is the case in Crash Course, youll get a tutorial for Lisa, and then add her to your party once youre done.Just like the other two, Lisa is far from the best Electro character youll get, but youll definitely want her around to solve any Electro puzzles you see in the early game.Xiangling Pyro polearm-userOnce you hit Adventure Rank 20, youll unlock the Spiral Abyss. This is a kind of floor-based dungeon where youll take your squad through progressively harder floors, gaining some bonuses as you go. If you manage to clear Floor 3, Chamber 3 of the Spiral Abyss, youll get Xiangling for free.Xiangling is the best of the free characters, and she remains extremely relevant to the meta, as her Pyronado ability allows her to consistently keep up damage, even when shes not on the field. Alongside Bennett, another four-star character, she remains a staple in a ton of teams.Noelle Geo claymore-userNoelle is free in a technicality, as shes guaranteed from the beginners gacha wish banner. You could avoid wishing on that banner and not get the guaranteed Noelle from it, if you really wanted to.There are only five permanently-available Geo characters in the game outside of the Traveler, so Noelle is a good get, especially if you need to solve Geo based puzzles. You can also build her to swing big and hard if you wanted to.Collei Dendro bow-userJust like Xiangling, youll unlock Collei for free from just doing Spiral Abyss. Youll need to clear Floor 4, Chamber 3, so youll need to clear more than you needed to for Xiangling.Collei is a fine Dendro support, as she can apply Dendro well and help you solve Dendro puzzles in a pinch (especially if you dont have your Traveler attuned to the right element).Lynette Anemo sword-userLynette unlocks for free once you reach Adventure Rank 25 or higher, and she can be claimed from the usual event screen.Shes a great Anemo support who can be used the same way Kazuha or Sucrose can be; place her skills on the field to add big zones of area-of-effect swirl damage when combined with other elements.Other free characters through eventsOn occasion, some limited-time events will reward free characters (or Constellations, if you already have the character). So far, the flagship events have only rewarded four-star characters, but this can be useful if youre missing important, powerful characters like Xingqiu or Bennett.The characters available through these events normally reflect the region where the event is taking place. For example, a big event in Mondstadt may reward Barbara or Noelle, but an event in Liyue may reward Ningguang or Beidou. Either way, its worth paying attention to events to score some freebie characters.During the fourth anniversary event for the game, players were able to select a standard five-star character (Dehya, Keqing, Mona, Qiqi, Jean, Tighnari, or Diluc) for free. This is the only time the game has given away a five-star character, but we can likely expect something similar for future anniversary events.If youre looking for more to do in Genshin Impact, we have tons of guides to get you started. Our early Genshin Impact guides will list out beginners tips to get your started, how the characters elemental reactions work, and explain the battle pass to you.We have expansive guides on pesky Sumeru side content, like Udumbara Pistil locations and where the Aranyaka Mysterious Clipboard buried chests are. We have content for Natlan, too, explaining how to unlock the various Natlan world quests and how to make the Natlan craftable weapons.

Genshin Impact is an RPG gacha game that thrusts players into a huge open world. While there are guided quests to complete, players can easily find themselves lost, as the game is a lengthy labyrinth of character upgrade systems, side quests, and other content. The game has retained massive popularity since 2020 for a good reason, and if youre looking to start your journey into Teyvat, theres a lot to do.Our Genshin Impact beginners guide provides some tips that will help you successfully navigate the world of Teyvat, using the knowledge weve gained from our years of playing the game.Pick up everythingAs you walk around, youll notice sparkling environmental items just about everywhere. You have an inventory limit of 10,000, so just pick up everything you can. Flowers, food ingredients, and other items that might seem useless will be useful down the line to craft into various foods and power-ups for your characters.Flowers and some other ascension materials only respawn after a certain number of real life days, so you dont want to be in a situation where you have to wait real time to upgrade your characters. Youll be glad you dont have to go out of your way to find these items down the line.If you plan on going hard in exploration, keep tabs on what youve foundIf you love solving puzzles, cracking open chests, and nabbing collectables, then good news: Genshin is a great game for you. However, if youre looking to really grab everything, youll want to start keeping tabs on what youve found as soon as you start. We recommend using this unofficial fan-made interactive map to do so. (We like it because users can leave comments, often helping you figure out puzzle solutions or where items are, if youre feeling lost.)Take a minute to think about team buildingThere are multiple things you need to know when going into team building. For one, your team should usually involve one character who mainly focuses on dishing damage, two characters that help support that damage in some form, and one character that will help sustain your team with healing or shielding. Different characters fit into different roles and while you can get away with running whatever you want early on, harder content might end up stumping you if you dont have a proper team set up.The second thing you need to consider is their elemental resonance and reactions. Having more elements doesnt mean your team is necessarily better, as the elements interact with each other differently, and having two of any element on your team provides a unique buff. Mixing Cryo (ice) and Hydro (water) will freeze enemies, but mixing Cryo with Electro (electricity) will decrease the enemies physical damage resistance. Theres a lot here, so you can mix and match a ton of characters to create worthwhile effects.Dont forget to build your charactersAs you blast through the story, you might forget to level up your characters, their weapons, and their artifacts (equipment). Much more, characters do have specific weapons and artifact sets that work best on them, so if you have access to these, you should use them. Dont just slap whatever you picked up off the ground on them without giving the items some thought!That being said, it can be pretty hard to parse all the game jargon in the equipment descriptions, so we recommend using guides to help you sort out your character builds. Keqing Mains is our build site of choice, maintained by people who crunch the numbers and put in the time to recommend whats best.Your characters dont need to be built to 100% efficiency theres plenty of free-to-play options to equip your characters with, so dont fret too much about it.Co-op is your friend, especially earlier onThe domains you have to fight your way through to get artifacts and upgrade materials from can be hard early on, especially if you dont have these characters built and you need to clear these to build the characters, so it becomes a bit of bizarre ouroboros of a problem. Dont be afraid to hit that co-op button, which will match you with other players that can help carry you make it through these domains easily.Prioritize completing limited-time eventsUnlike its sibling games, Honkai: Star Rail and Zenless Zone Zero, once a Genshin Impact event ends, its gone. Even if it was a flagship event with lots of lore in the cutscenes its gone and theres no way to replay it. That being said, the limited-time rewards from these events are typically pretty good. Some events have dropped best-in-slot weapons for characters alongside its usual handful of Primogems and upgrade materials, so theyre worth doing. Some events will even give free four-star characters, helping you flesh out your roster, so youll definitely want to make sure to participate in these events before theyre gone forever.Plan your gacha pulling responsiblyIf you are staring at that new, shiny character in the gacha wish banner with glossy eyes, with nothing by a few thousand Primogems in your pocket, you should prepare for the worst. It will take at most, 180 wishes (28,800 Primogems) to bring a five-star character or weapon home, guaranteed. While you may get lucky and win your coin flips to win the right prize and win it early, you should always be prepared for the what if you dont get what you want.We recommend saving your Primos for the characters or weapons you really want. While we cannot outright tell you whether or not you should spend money in this game to help you get what you want, we will remind you that this is gambling, and things can snowball very quickly if youre not careful.Take your timeAt this point, Genshin Impact is a huge game and itll take hundreds of hours at this point to catch up to everything. There are side quests that can take a dozen hours to complete, thousands of collectables, and so much other optional side content, that itll make your head spin if youre rushing to just catch up. Set reasonable goals and pace yourself. Catching up fully in Genshin Impact is no easy feat, and if youre looking to do so, you dont want to burn yourself out.If youre looking for more to do in Genshin Impact, we have tons of guides to get you started. Our early Genshin Impact guides will list out the free characters you can get, how their elemental reactions work, and explain the battle pass to you.We have expansive guides on pesky Sumeru side content, like Udumbara Pistil locations and where the Aranyaka Mysterious Clipboard buried chests are. We have content for Natlan, too, explaining how to unlock the various Natlan world quests and how to make the Natlan craftable weapons.

Upon hitting Adventurer Rank 20, youll unlock Genshin Impacts Battle Pass. The Battle Pass uses a separate leveling system that requires you to complete simple daily and weekly quests.Our Genshin Impact Battle Pass guide explains how the Gnostic Hymn Battle Pass works and whether its worth buying.How the Genshin Impact battle pass worksEach quest you complete will reward a set amount of Battle Pass EXP, and it takes 1,000 BP EXP to go up one level. The quests will require you to do things like fight a Trounce Domain bosses three times or log in and do your daily four Commissions. Most active players will level up their Battle Pass just by playing normally, but you can only earn 10,000 BP EXP a week. The pass maxes out at 50 levels.Battle Passes typically stick around for about six weeks before they refresh with the launch of a patch.Sojourners Battle Pass (free) versus Gnostic Hymn Battle Pass (paid)There are two versions of the Battle Pass. The Sojourners Battle Pass is free and it gives rewards like Mora, Adventurers Experience, Mystic Enchantment Ores, or Sanctifying Unction (materials to give artifacts EXP), depending on which material you pick. Every 10 levels of the Sojourners Battle Pass, youll be rewarded with an Acquaint Fate.The Gnostic Hymn Battle Pass costs $9.99 and gives more Mora, Heros Wit, Mystic Enchantment Ores, or Sanctifying Essence, in addition to the items from the Sojourners Battle Pass. It also gives you a Sanctifying Elixir so you can make custom artifacts, as well as materials for upgrading talents (skills). Theres also a bounty box at level 30 that allows you to pick a four-star weapon from an exclusive set. Every 10 levels of the Gnostic Hymn Battle Pass, youll be rewarded with Intertwined Fates.For $19.99, you can buy the Gnostic Chorus. This is the same as the Gnostic Hymn Battle Pass, but instead of starting at level 1 of the Battle Pass, youll start on level 10. (If you buy it after youve leveled up your Sojourners Battle Pass, youll just add 10 levels to your existing level.) It also includes a special name-card style, furniture-blueprint, and five Fragile Resin (for recovering stamina). Gnostic Chorus is discounted if you already own Gnostic Hymn.Notably, every 10 levels, the Battle Pass gives Fates to use on gacha wishes. The free Battle Pass rewards Acquaint Fates and Gnostic Hymn rewards Intertwined Fates.Upgrading your Battle Pass to the Gnostic Hymn is only worth it if you complete it. We recommend not purchasing the upgrade until you hit rank 50, as youll get all the rewards retroactively anyway.Genshin Impact Battle Pass weaponsThe paid Battle Pass rewards a box called the BP Bounty, which allows you to pick one of the 10 following weapons:The Black Sword (sword)Serpent Spine (claymore)Solar Pearl (catalyst)The Viridescent Hunt (bow)Deathmatch (polearm)Wolf-Fang (sword)Talking Stick (claymore)Sacrificial Jade (catalyst)Scion of the Blazing Sun (bow)Ballad of the Fjords (polearm)Its hard to rank the weapons, but Serpent Spine and Wolf-Fang are commonly seen as the best and The Viridescent Hunt and Talking Stick are regarded as the worst of these weapons but you should just grab whatever you need from the BP Bounty that suits your characters needs.We recommend looking up individual build guides for your favorite characters on Keqing Mains and seeing what they recommend. For example, if youre a Kinich main, you may want to opt to build the Earth Shaker, a Natlan craftable weapon, over picking (or dishing out the $10 for) the Serpents Spine. However, if youre maining Arataki Itto and you dont have his dedicated five-star weapon, the Serpents Spine is his second best choice, making it a worthwhile pick.If youre looking for more to do in Genshin Impact, we have tons of guides to get you started. Our early Genshin Impact guides will provide beginners tips, list out the free characters you can get, and how their elemental reactions work.We have expansive guides on pesky Sumeru side content, like Udumbara Pistil locations and where the Aranyaka Mysterious Clipboard buried chests are. We have content for Natlan, too, explaining how to unlock the various Natlan world quests and how to make the Natlan craftable weapons.

Sony is looking to purchase Japanese media conglomerate Kadokawa, according to two anonymous sources who spoke with Reuters. This acquisition could have major implications across industries, as Kadokawa owns publishers in print media, anime, and gaming. It may create stronger international opportunities for tabletop designers impacted by potential U.S. tariffs and the EUs soon-to-be-implemented general product safety regulations. However, with a few years of big name acquisitions and mergers that have led to unprecedented layoffs across the gaming sector, and Kadokawas recent history of scandals of its own, its unclear what impact the potential purchase may have on the up-and-coming Japanese tabletop industry.The acquisition comes after the increasing popularity of analog gaming of all kinds in Japan. While tabletop might be only a fraction of what Kadokawa has to offer, according to a report by the Tokyo-based Yano Research institute, the Japanese domestic market for tabletop games and card games doubled from 54 billion yen (approximately $382 million) in 2018 to 115 billion yen ($814 million) in 2022, with that number only projected to increase in the years since. Tabletop games of Kadokawas intellectual properties like Dark Souls, Elden Ring, and Bloodborne each crowdfunded at least $3 million. These campaigns, run by Steamforged Games and CMON respectively, highlight the buying power of the international tabletop ecosystem especially when paired with popular IPs. This rapid growth also inspired Kadokawas recent acquisition of Arclight, one of the biggest players in Japans tabletop industry.Arclight, which launched in 1998, was initially created to organize the Japan Game Convention and has been publishing tabletop games since 1999. After opening its first retail store in 2003, it began importing international games and localizing them for a Japanese market. In 2010, Arclight took over management of the triannual Game Market, another large analog gaming convention, which had previously been operated by an all-volunteer team.In April 2024, Arclight announced it had been acquired by Kadokawa a company which, two years prior, saw its founders son step down as chairman after a bribery indictment connected to the Tokyo Olympics. In Kadokawas announcement, Arclight president and CEO Kosuke Fukumoto said for the analog games industry to continue its trajectory of growth, it is necessary to expand overseas and link with IP, and that Kadokawa had the capabilities to enable that growth. In the same announcement, Kadokawa chief publishing officer cited Kadokawas long history of publishing analog games, invoking their release of Sword World in 1989 and the Japanese tradition of light novels, which stem from early RPG replays. Kadokawa believed that the acquisition would have a minor impact on Arclight, and that its business operations will remain unchanged even after this share transfer.Two months later, Kadokawa was hit by a ransomware cyberattack that leaked a quarter of a million peoples data. The Russian-linked hacker collective BlackSuit claimed responsibility for the attack. With only seven months between the initial purchase and potential sale, mired down by the attack, its unclear how consistent those business operations can stay if Sony does follow through with this acquisition. From one perspective, the influx of capital and resources could be a boon to the nascent industry as it develops ties outside of the U.S.-dominated tabletop industry by focusing on developing popular IPs. From another, more cautious one, the secondary acquisition of Arclight by a major media conglomerate could conflict with the companys stated objectives. Rather than simply pursuing product sales and profits, a translated version of Arclights website says, we aim to expand our business performance by expanding human communication, and thereby contribute to the profits of not only our company but also society.

In Fields of Mistria, there are quite a few romanceable characters that you can woo by giving gifts to. Youll run into these characters in your day-to-day and those wanting to rush to that romance will need to know exactly what to give them.It should be noted that while there are romance candidates who will speak a bit flirtily to you, there is currently no dating or marriage in this early access stage of the game. Romance candidates have special cutscenes that unlock once you reach a certain number of hearts with them, but thats it for now. More cutscenes, dating, marriage, and even having children are all features planned for future updates.As of the patch 0.12.0 update, you can invite romance candidates to the Shooting Star Festival on Summer 28 if you have four or more hearts with them, but you cannot progress past having six hearts with them. (Note that in order to do this, youll need to complete the Beautification Project quest first.)Below we list out all of the available romance options in Fields of Mistria, as well as some of the easiest-to-get early-game items to give them to win them over. Note that our list is not a complete list of their liked and loved items, but rather a list of the items that you can obtain earlier than other items.Fields of Mistria marriage candidates and easy giftsAs of this writing, there are 10 romance candidates in Fields of Mistria, though more have been teased to be added later.AdelineAdeline is effectively the one in charge of Mistria, being the daughter of the barons of the town. Shes the one who sends you tasks to help restore the town.Early in the game, you can give her tulips (spring) and peaches (summer), to boost your relationship with her. You can forage tulips around the map and peaches grow on a tree in The Narrows.She loves peaches and cream, which is made from peaches (foraged during summer), milk, and sugar. (Her brother, Eiland, also likes peaches and cream, so stocking up on them would help for both of them!) She also loves coffee, which you can buy from Balors cart or the Sleeping Dragons Inn for 100 Tesserae, depending on their stock for the day. You can also buy it from Darcy during the Saturday Market.BalorBalor is a cunning traveling merchant who helps you ship out your items.Early on, you can give Balor rubies, which are found in the early floors of the mines (floors 1-19). He also likes sapphires, and emeralds, the other gems found in later floors.For a slightly more advanced gift, he also loves perfect versions of the above gemstones, like perfect rubies, perfect sapphires, and the like.CelineCeline is a gentle girl who studies plants and loves nature. Shes also the daughter of the general store owners.Celine likes flowers, making her one of the easiest characters to build a relationship with. She likes every flower you can forage, including lilacs, tulips, dandelions, and daisies which you should find tons of in spring and summer.She loves hydrangeas, which grow commonly during the summer on the Eastern Road map, east of Mistria.EilandEiland is the son of the towns barons, and hes more focused on archaeology than his sister. Hes often helping out at the museum.Unfortunately, Eiland is one of the harder marriage candidates to sway as he really only likes and loves cooked foods. He likes candied strawberries, which you can cook using strawberries (grown in the spring) and sugar. You can also buy them from Balors cart randomly for 250 Tesserae.Eiland loves strawberry shortcake, which doesnt unlock as a recipe until quite a bit later, but you can buy it from Balors cart and the Sleeping Dragon Inn randomly for 600 Tesserae each.HaydenHayden is your neighbor to the west of your farm who also owns a farm. He specializes in animal care and youll buy animals through him.All that said, Hayden likes most animal byproducts, including eggs, cow milk, butter, and cheese all items you can get pretty early on if you start ranching animals.Hayden loves the perfect versions of the above products, meaning that giving him gifts that he loves is a little bit harder, but once your animals start producing things like golden eggs and golden cow milk, you should be able to win over his heart easily. Once you start collecting shiny beads from caring from animals (requiring you to unlock the Currency of Care ranching skill), you can trade these beads to the chicken statue by Haydens house for a chance to get these golden items, which will help you get them much earlier than you would normally.JuniperJuniper is a sorceress who runs the bathhouse in mistria. She also helps you figure out some of the mysteries behind the towns magic (or lack thereof).She likes witchy things, like frogs and mushrooms. The easiest things to obtain to give to her are red toadstools, which can be obtained from killing the red mushroom enemies on the early floors of the mines (floors 1-19). She also likes monster powder, which also drop from mine enemies.On the flip side, Junipers loved items are a bit harder. The earliest recipe that you can cook up for her that she loves is moon fruit cake, which unlocks after you complete a request for Juniper in which she asks for moon fruit. Moon fruit is only foraged during fall, so stock up while you can. She also loves crystal roses, which are a foragable found in the deep earth section of the mines (floors 41-59).MarchMarch is a bit of a grumpy pants and hes the towns blacksmith. Youll see him and his older brother frequently around town.Hes yet another marriage candidate that is pretty simple to appease to he likes ores and ingots, which you should have plenty of if youve been in the mines. Any of the ores and ingots will work.He loves perfect ores, like perfect copper ore, so if you have extra, you can use those, too.ReinaReina is the daughter of the inn-owner and she helps her family run said inn. Shes the head chef at the inn and shes a bit of a foodie.Most of her likes involve food, but she does appreciate some of the more simple ingredients, like cheese, flour, rice, and sugar. That being said, youll need the mill unlocked to process milk, wheat, rice stalks, and sugar cane, respectively or you can buy sugar for 115 Tesserae from the general store.Reina is yet another candidate that mainly takes interest in food, so her loved items can be hard to obtain. The earliest recipe that you can get is cabbage slaw, which requires cabbage (grown in spring) and fennel (foraged in spring). She also loves breaded catfish, which isnt too bad to make once you unlock the recipe via the notice board quest.RyisRyis is a carpenter/woodworker who helps you build barns, expand your house, and any of that good stuff.His liked items are pretty simple and easy to obtain: wood, clay, and stone. If youve cleared out the debris on your farm even a little bit, you probably have lots of this stuff, so you should consider giving some to Ryis if you want to win his heart over.Most of Ryis loved items are golden versions of food and animal byproducts, but he also loves hard wood, which you can get from axing those huge stumps you see around Mistria (and on your farm). You will need at least a copper axe to cut these, though.ValenValen is the town doctor, who you actually wont see very often as long as youre playing it safe and going to bed by 2 a.m.Shes a bit harder to appease with her liked items. The easiest thing to give her is seaweed, which can be found by diving in the ocean on those dark bubbling spots that show up. She also likes dandelions, which can be foraged during the spring.Just like some of the others, her loved items are mostly cooked dishes. We recommend deep sea soup, which is made from three items you can find on the middling floors of the mines (floors 21-39): jade dulse, mines mussels, and underseaweed.

Teddiursa, the little bear Pokmon from Johto, can be found in the wild in Pokmon Go. Yes, Teddiursa can be shiny in Pokmon Go!While these Pokmon arent used in raids or gyms, Ursaring does see some PvP use, especially if its a shadow Ursaring. Ursaluna also has a tricky evolution requirement, where it needs to be evolved on the night of a full moon.What is the shiny rate for Teddiursa in Pokmon Go?As per old research by the now-defunct website The Silph Road (via Wayback Machine), the shiny rate for Pokmon on a regular day is approximately one in 500. Teddiursa is not a confirmed Pokmon that gets a permaboost (meaning that its a rare spawn and thus gets a boosted shiny rate).What can I do to attract more shiny Pokmon?Not much, unfortunately. It appears to be random chance. Shiny Pokmon catch rates are set by developer Niantic, and they are typically only boosted during special events like Community Days or Safari Zones, or in Legendary Raids. There are no consumable items that boost shiny Pokmon rates.Where can I find a list of available shiny Pokmon?LeekDuck keeps a list of currently available shiny Pokmon. Its a helpful visual guide that illustrates what all of the existing shiny Pokmon look like.For more tips, check out Polygons Pokmon Go guides.

Combee, the tiny bee Pokmon from Sinnoh, can be found in the wild in Pokmon Go. Yes, Combee can be shiny in Pokmon Go!Vespiquen doesnt see much use in PvP or raids. Notably, only female Combee can evolve into Vespiquen, so youll want to make sure yours has the red-orange diamond on its middle-most head before you get your hopes up about evolving it.What is the shiny rate for Combee in Pokmon Go?As per old research by the now-defunct website The Silph Road (via Wayback Machine), the shiny rate for Pokmon on a regular day is approximately one in 500. Combee is not a confirmed Pokmon that gets a permaboost (meaning that its a rare spawn and thus gets a boosted shiny rate).What can I do to attract more shiny Pokmon?Not much, unfortunately. It appears to be random chance. Shiny Pokmon catch rates are set by developer Niantic, and they are typically only boosted during special events like Community Days or Safari Zones, or in Legendary Raids. There are no consumable items that boost shiny Pokmon rates.Where can I find a list of available shiny Pokmon?LeekDuck keeps a list of currently available shiny Pokmon. Its a helpful visual guide that illustrates what all of the existing shiny Pokmon look like.For more tips, check out Polygons Pokmon Go guides.

The Return to Sanctuary event in Diablo 4 includes a host of different in-game occurrences, all of which start on Tuesday, Nov. 19, and last for different amounts of time.Below, well break down each of the major events coming to Diablo 4 for the rest of 2024, including a Spiritborn test period, the Red-Cloaked Horror, and the return of the Mothers Blessing XP buff.Eternal Character boostStarting Tuesday, Nov. 19, Diablo 4 is getting its first character boost feature, although it only applies to Eternal Realm (read: non-Seasonal) characters.Everyone who owns Diablo 4 can boost one character to level 50, select from three different sets of Legendary Items, instantly unlock all Altars of Lilith, and pick up a host of materials like Gold and Obols. Players who own the Vessel of Hatred expansion can boost a second character this way.While Blizzard refers to the Welcome Back Booster as a limited-time offering, there is no end date listed in their blog.Return of the Red-Cloaked Horror From Tuesday, Nov. 19, to Tuesday, Dec. 3, the Red-Cloaked Horror monster has a chance to spawn instead of a Hellborne in Helltide. It can also spawn randomly in dungeons and the Infernal Hordes mode.The Red-Cloaked Horror can drop a variety of rewards, including the event-exclusive Gideons Brew, which is a powerful Elixir that increases damage done, XP earned, and materials acquired for 30 minutes.Limited time Spiritborn trialFrom Tuesday, Nov. 19, to Monday, Dec. 2, players who dont own the Vessel of Hatred expansion can jump in and make a Spiritborn Diablo 4s sixth character class. While the trial will only be available to level up to level 25, character progress will carry over for those that eventually pick up the expansion.If this is your first time trying the class, see our best Spiritborn build guide.Mothers Blessing XP boostFrom Tuesday, Nov. 19, to Tuesday, Nov. 26, the Mothers Blessing XP and gold boost will return to Diablo 4. This boost is multiplicative, meaning it stacks with other XP increases like Elixirs, making leveling up characters and increasing their Paragon level much faster during this short window.

The Game Awards arent known for much in the way of shock and surprise, and so it proved with the 2024 nominees a fairly well-rounded list in which most of the years best-reviewed and best-loved games got some love.But there was one title very striking for its (almost) complete absence: Dragon Age: The Veilguard.The Game Awards voting jury snubbed BioWares latest game in a series of key categories where it would have been expected to compete. It secured just one nomination, for Innovation in Accessibility, which is decided by a specialist jury.This is a surprise; as a narrative-led blockbuster in a famous series with slick production values, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is exactly the kind of game that tends to do well at The Game Awards. Its predecessor, Dragon Age: Inquisition, won Game of the Year in TGAs inaugural year, 2014.Granted, the reception to The Veilguard has been mixed and with its Metacritic rating settling at 82, a nomination for Game of the Year seemed beyond its reach (even though that is one point higher than Black Myth: Wukong, which did make the cut).More tellingly, though, The Veilguard did not score nominations for Best Narrative or Best Performance, two areas where BioWare games tend to excel, and which are less review-dependent. It also missed out in Best Role-Playing Game. This was an exceptionally strong category this year: Three of the five nominees (Metaphor: ReFantazio, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree) also secured nominations for Game of the Year, and the other two (Dragons Dogma 2 and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth) are unconventionally excellent. Even so, failing to join this company is surely not the result that BioWare or publisher EA wanted after a decade of development.Were there any other snubs? Perhaps a few minor ones. It was a surprise not to see the much-loved EA Sports College Football 25 score a nomination in the Sports/Racing Game category, although this might be down to the broad international makeup of the jury. The Sim/Strategy Game category is missing two games with passionate fan bases and high review scores Satisfactory and Tactical Breach Wizards either of which might have taken the slot of the Age of Mythology remake, for example. But this was a strong category this year. Personally, I would have loved to see The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom nominated for its fabulous music.As ever, the intensely competitive indie categories cannot please everyone. But with 15 games nominated across Independent Game, Debut Indie Game, and Games for Impact, you have to dig down to some pretty deep cuts like Arco or 1000xResist before you find something to get upset about.Other surprises? I dont think anybody saw four nominations coming for Senuas Saga: Hellblade 2, a game that has all but disappeared from the discourse since its release in May. Four nominations including Game of the Year for DLC, in the form of Shadow of the Erdtree, is without precedent. Black Myth: Wukong breaking through in Game of the Year despite its comparatively weak critical reputation is definitely noteworthy, as are the five nominations for one-man-band card game Balatro.In the end, though, theres not much in this set of nominees to ruffle any feathers outside of BioWares offices, that is.

[Ed. note: This story contains spoilers for Arcane season 2 Act 2.]For eagle-eyed League of Legends fans, the reveal of Warwick in Act 2 of Arcane season 2 was a heartbreak we saw coming; too many things lined up just right between the disappearance of Powder and Vis father figure and the creation of the horrifying werewolf creature to be a coincidence. What we might not have seen coming, however, is just how incredibly Warwicks perspective would come across on screen. Then again, excellent animation in Arcane probably shouldnt come as a surprise anymore. Fortiche has been delivering impressive visuals from the very beginning, and Warwick is a great example of how the studio gets inside its characters heads.Showing how terrifying Warwick is would be one thing, but what makes Fortiches presentation of the character so effective is the way it shows us the world through his eyes. Whenever we see him chasing down his prey, the show shifts into a highly stylized vision of the world. Its played at a lower frame rate than normal, giving the whole thing a stilted, hazy, slow-motion effect, and the entire screen is tinted with a red glow that makes everything read like bloodied prey.It beautifully transports us inside the head of Warwick, a drug-fueled, mutated hunter in constant search of blood, but its also a tremendous way to show the pieces of Vander that are still left over. When Warwick spots Jinx or Vi, Vanders softness comes back; the world loses its red hue and for a moment, and hes a loving father again. We understand it perfectly because were seeing it through his eyes, a passenger to the perspective of the character.This idea of letting the audience inside a characters head is something that Fortiche has proven itself to be particularly adept at. In Arcane, the studio is constantly swapping in new and unique animation styles to communicate that its taking us out of the world of the show and into the world of a character. In the first season, this mostly crops up when Jinx starts hearing voices, with the faces of the friends she killed popping up behind her with sketches over their faces. All of this lets Fortiche flex its animation muscles, all while giving the audience a more intimate look at the characters interior lives than we could ever get from simple dialogue. Its a beautiful testament to the power of animation, and an incredible storytelling technique. But leave it to Fortiche to have been working toward something even more clever on top of the clearly beautiful art.In the second season, the studio ramps these ideas up even more, with moments like the first episodes black charcoal segment to show Caits grief. By the time we reach the conclusion of season 2s second act, Fortiche starts using its motif of unique animation as a way inside characters heads to show us how the characters entire perception of the world might be changing. Take Mel, for example. When we see her locked inside the Black Roses thorny prison, its clearly an unreal space. Were seeing her mind wrapped up in the horrifying psychological prison the organization is enveloping her in.Even more important is how Fortiche uses unique animation for Viktor. Plenty of movies and TV shows, both in live action and animation, have depicted characters ascending past regular humanity and growing disconnected from it, but few have given us the kind of perspective Arcane does on Viktors glorious evolution. Its easy to see the ways that Viktor is starting to disassociate from humanity but once we see how he perceives things now, its easy to see why. The brilliant bright lights, the constant presence of Skye in his ear and at his side, the way he sees straight through the appearance of people and creatures and machines and directly into their heart and head are equally beautiful and disorienting. Suddenly it becomes easy to see why someone who experiences the world like this enveloping cosmos might subtly lose his grasp on moment-to-moment human concerns.Each of these examples (just to name a few from the show so far) feels like a perfect display of the incredible way that Fortiche approaches animation with Arcane. Sure, animation as a medium allows Arcane to have a neat visual style, and provides a vehicle for excellent fight scenes. But it also lets the series pull viewers deeper into the emotional lives of its characters, exploring complicated points of view in a way thats more elegant than dialogue. Whether its a person ascending to machine-infused godhood or a werewolf on the hunt, Fortiche has proven that it can find the perfect animation style to let us into the head of any of its characters, and even more impressively, the studio manages to make every single one of these unique art styles fit within Arcanes beautiful world.

Good news for Diablo 4 players who picked up Vessel of Hatred: future seasons will have content exclusive to players who own the expansion, Diablo franchise boss Rod Fergusson told Polygon in an interview earlier this month. The goal, Fergusson said, is for expansion owners to continue to feel theyre getting value from their purchase beyond the current season.Typically, each season of Diablo 4 has been self-contained, so players can enjoy starting new characters (the games Seasonal Realm requires a fresh start) and power through the new seasonal content. Sometimes, a seasons content and features are shared with the games Eternal Realm, where non-seasonal characters and characters from previous seasons live.Fergusson, the general manager of the Diablo franchise, explained that Blizzard launched season 6 alongside Vessel of Hatred so players could start fresh with the expansions new Spiritborn class but then worried the expansion could feel too much like a single moment in time that future seasons might move beyond.Because we know that the beginning of a season is sort of a fresh starting point, we wanted to launch the expansion at the same time as the beginning of a season, Fergusson said. Thats why we launched at the beginning of season 6, so you could roll a Spiritborn as your new thing. So it can feel like a little bit like this expansion is just a single moment in time, and I just wanted to highlight that thats not the case. Were going to continue to develop features that will be, essentially, exclusive to Vessel of Hatred owners.Fergusson mentioned that Blizzard thinks of Diablo 4 as being divided into chapters, which are chunks of seasons in between major expansion releases. Season 1 to Vessel of Hatred was chapter one of Diablo 4, he said, and season 7 to the future is chapter two the future presumably being the games second expansion.As we continue chapter two, as a Vessel of Hatred owner, youll get access to other stuff in chapter two as part of your ownership, Fergusson said. So were going to continue to have [Vessel of Hatred] be valuable beyond season 6 as well.Fergusson didnt mention what these exclusive seasonal features might look like. Vessel of Hatred has plenty of elements that are ripe for modification and expansion, including customizable companions in the form of Mercenaries, new build customization options via Runewords, and new dungeon playstyles in Kurast Undercity and Dark Citadel.Blizzard is on a promotional push for Diablo 4 through the rest of November. The base game and Vessel of Hatred are currently on sale on Battle.net and Xbox, and starting Tuesday, Nov. 19, a selection of free-trial and character-boost options go live to tempt new and returning players to dive in.From that date, players can select one character on the Eternal Realm to boost to level 50 with a Welcome Back Booster. A boosted character can pick from three preset builds for that class, each of which comes with a full set of Legendary gear. All Altars of Lilith (stat-boosting collectables) are unlocked, and some currency and other useful items are thrown in. Vessel of Hatred owners can select two characters to boost to level 50.From Nov. 19 to Dec. 2, players who havent bought Vessel of Hatred yet can try the Spiritborn class for free up to level 25. Therell be a free trial for the base game over the same period, also capped at level 25.Fergusson said that the booster and free trials were motivated by a desire to show off the many changes and improvements to Diablo 4 over its first 18 months, including the game-changing itemization update in season 4, Loot Reborn, and the overhaul of character progression released alongside Vessel of Hatred.We were looking at ways of creating a boost for players to be able to say, Hey, welcome back, Eternal player. Maybe you havent played in a while. Lets get you cleaned up. Lets give you a shave and haircut here. [] So you dont have to do all the, I got to spend two hours just cleaning up before I can go and play, he said. In the last 18 months, so much has changed. But if youre an Eternal player who played the campaign and then stopped, you dont know. You havent felt this 18 months of evolution.

Few events in the Dune franchise are more critical to explaining its universe than the Butlerian Jihad, so it may be a surprise to learn that the fictional war still holds a lot of mystery for many Dune fans.Frank Herbert, who created the series, had a few vague explanations of the Jihad, but never fully explained it. Then, after Franks death in 1986,his son Brian took over the series and wrote a whole prequel series explaining the war in very different terms than his father. Picking over the pros and cons of each approach is the right of any Dune fan, but HBOs prequel series, Dune: Prophecy, doesnt have that kind of luxury. So instead it picks one version of the past and roots the whole universe in it.But to better understand the universe of Dune: Prophecy, its important to first understand the differences between Frank and Brians versions of the Jihad itself.While Frank didnt include too much explanation of the Butlerian Jihad in his novels, he does at one point feature God Emperor Leto II Atreides describing it as more an ideological movement than a war itself. According to Leto II, it was a moment when humanity began to feel the proliferation of technology and thinking machines essentially computers capable of better-than-human reasoning had stolen their humanity and made them subjects of the tools they created. In this moment of clarity, a wave of revolution rippled across humanity, leading to the destruction and outlawing of nearly every thinking machine in the universe, and even taking the species a step backward technologically, in order to regain their freedom of choice.This kind of metaphorical war on technology is a fascinating idea, and a fittingly unique and thorny one for Frank Herberts universe. Science fiction is full of universes that hinge on wars fought long ago (like the Clone Wars in the original Star Wars trilogy) but its rare that those wars take the form of a social movement rather than an armed conflict, especially given how it changed the way the whole universe functions.Brian Herbert, on the other hand, chronicled these years in the Dune universe across his numerous prequel novels much more traditionally. The very short version of his story is that its simply a big bad robot intelligence that threatens humanity.And to be fair, many of his works in the Dune universe have been based on notes and conversations with Frank while he was alive, so it isnt really clear where to draw the lines on his ideas versus his dads. But what we can say is that in Brians prequel novels, the Butlerian Jihad is a more straightforward, Terminator-style war between humans and complex machines that were hell-bent on destroying and/or enslaving humanity.This is the version of the Butlerian Jihad that Dune: Prophecy is working with, as we see in the opening moments of the premiere. Its less interesting and unique than Franks abstract war, but it is one thats much easier to follow and communicate for storytelling purposes. (And the show using Brians version of the story shouldnt be much of a surprise, considering that its technically an adaptation of one of Brians prequel trilogies, called Great Schools of Dune.) The Butlerian Jihad, in the world of Dune: Prophecy, is fresh in the minds of many of the great families, and still an open wound for some of them. The fact that it was a real fighting war, rather than an ideological one, allows viewers to still feel the huge toll it exacted on humanity. We can still see the evidence and remnants of those violent times in which entire houses rose and fell by virtue of their great (or terrible) deeds.Of course, just because Prophecy has made its version of the Butlerian Jihad clear doesnt mean the show is going to be full of easy answers. After just the first episode, we have plenty of questions left about who exactly Desmond Hart is and what his powers include, where the Bene Gesserit are in their sordid history of power games, and whose eyes it is that the sisters are seeing in their dreams. But whatever answers the show eventually reveals about those questions, at least we know what kind of robot war started all this chaos.

Anyone who has read any of the Dune books, or watched any of the Dune movies, or, heck, talked to anyone who has done either of those things will tell you: The world of Dune is complicated. This is a grand sci-fi universe, built on a few millennia of royal politicking, power plays, manipulation, and violence.So its no surprise that Dune: Prophecy has a lot of people to cover. Its the same universe, sure, and is loosely adapted from Brian Herberts Great Schools of Dune, a prequel trilogy to his fathers series. But Prophecy is set some 10,000 years and change ahead of when Paul Atreides lands on Arrakis, so theres a whole host of new characters and traditions to establish here. The family names will almost certainly be ones youre familiar with, but the circumstances of the houses will not be.In light of that, weve pulled together a primer on who to know from Dune: Prophecy and how they correlate to other characters across Dune.[Ed. note: The rest of this post contains spoilers for Dune: Prophecy season 1.]The Bene Gesserit SisterhoodIn the pilot of Prophecy we see the Sisterhood at a couple different times: Early on we see Valya Harkonnen (played then as Jessica Barden) as a sister, called to the bedside of the dying Mother Superior Raquella. In an effort to preserve the Bene Gesserit breeding program, which is just getting started at this point, Valya uses the Voice on fellow sister Dorotea (Camilla Marie Beeput) and makes her drive her own knife into her neck.Flash-forward to 30 years later, when the Sisterhood is thriving, and now-Mother Superior Valya (played in the present day by Emily Watson) is still committed to doing anything to preserve the Bene Gesserit vision of the universe. At her side is Reverend Mother Tula Harkonnen (Olivia Williams as the elder, Emma Canning as young Tula) and Reverend Mother Kasha (Jihae), who currently serves as the very trusted truthsayer to Emperor Corrino.Theres a collection of young sisters currently studying with the Bene Gesserit, but we dont know a ton about them quite yet. Some were raised by the Bene Gesserit, and others came when they were a little older (like Princess Ynez will); mostly whats important about them right now is Tula and Valya each have their favorites and maybe even a plan for each of them.House CorrinoYou might not know the name, but you certainly know the house: Corrino is still the ruling family during the period of Dune. So the full name of Christopher Walkens emperor character in Dune 2 is Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV. But here, 10,000 years before then, Corrinos Empire is at a very different place.Its headed up by Emperor Javicco (Mark Strong), who at this point is mostly concerned with how weak his position is (or could be perceived as) and is all set to marry off his daughter. Hes also pretty reliant on his personal truthsayer, Reverend Mother Kasha, much to the chagrin of his wife, Empress Natalya Arat (Jodhi May). She is concerned about the growing gulf between herself and her husband (saying the Empire was more stable when they were more of a unit), and cautions her daughter against drinking too much of the Bene Gesserit Kool-Aid.But the kids are all right: Constantine Corrino (Josh Heuston), Javiccos illegitimate son, isnt striving for the throne and is more than happy to handle some business on behalf of the family. Princess Ynez (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina) is doing all she can to prepare to be an effective empress: taking sword training, enlisting with the Bene Gesserit, and marrying a 9-year-old so she can have 10 years to herself.House HarkonnenThough Dune: Prophecys pilot doesnt get into specifics, we know this is a rocky period for the Harkonnens. After being branded traitors by the Atreides during the Butlerian Jihad (the books tell us its because the Atreides wanted to push an attack at the cost of human captives, while the Harkonnens wanted to hold back, and 100 or so years later all anyone can remember is that the Harkonnens deserted), the family has fallen out of favor. When we pick up with them, the Harkonnens have been banished to a remote, icy planet.Obviously two Harkonnens make it pretty far in the Bene Gesserit. But beyond that, the most important Harkonnen player is Harrow Harkonnen (Edward Davis). He doesnt make a ton of impressions at the princess wedding festivities! Mostly his personality for now can be winnowed down to: boring the emperor talking about the utilities of whale farming and a Harkonnen with hair.House AtreidesThere hasnt been much talk of House Atreides in the first episode of Prophecy. Theyre more or less restricted to Valyas voice-over, that history says it was an Atreides who led humans to victory over the thinking machines. She claims this was a history spun out of lies. But this opinion of hers clearly sets up the Atreides-Harkonnen feud going strong 10,000 years later.But there is an Atreides already among our cast of characters, though his house is certainly downplayed: Kieran Atreides (Chris Mason), the princesss swordmaster.Desmond HartDesmond Hart serves House Carrino but he seems to be holding back about something, at least per Kashas assessment about him. Oh, also, he burned a kid alive with only his mind. Seems like theres more to know about this stranger! Most notably: What are his true loyalties, and what game is he playing?

[Ed. note: This post contains spoilers for the end of Dune: Prophecy episode 1.]In our world, most Dune lore is known. While Dune, as a story, is rooted in picking apart the messy intricacies of propaganda and prophecy, we as readers and watchers of the Dune franchise more or less know what the world contains (give or take a new entry here or there).But then this motherfucker named Desmond Hart walks into Dune: Prophecy and everything changes.Desmond, played by Travis Fimmel, is a bit of an enigma in the world of Dune: Prophecy: Hes come from Arrakis, where he claims his crew was attacked by the emperors enemies in an effort to harm his standing. Hes invited to stay, although the emperors truthsayer knows hes lying she sees him on the spice-filled deserts of Arrakis staring down a giant sandworm, though we dont know much more about her vision. He saunters around the palace and, ultimately, burns a kid using only his mind. In our world, such pyrokinesis isnt a known element in Dunes mythos, making Desmond a very curious specimen indeed.Like all things Prophecy, its safe to say his telekinetic powers are an extension of the books lore, rather than something actually found in them. Which all sets up the biggest mysteries of Prophecy after just a single episode: Who is he, how did he get these powers, and how will his life find its place among the annals of history? With Dune coming 10,000 years after the events here, what might Desmond be here to introduce to the on-screen lore of the franchise?This early theres a few different ways we could take it so heres some of our best guesses as to what Desmond might be here to do (and, ultimately, what that might mean hes capable of).Hes the start of the SardaukarA desert-trained warrior who was not born into court life but whose experience and prowess earn the respect of those of higher rank, with a normal human person name? Maybe a little too normal?Thats your Duncan Idaho type, my friend. A character who began life as House Atreides swordmaster eventually became something of a mascot for wider Dune canon. No matter how many times Idaho dies, Brian Herbert keeps finding ways to bring him back and put him at the center of galactic concerns again (usually via cloning).Which is just to say: If youre doing a Dune story, you gotta have a Duncan Idaho. But what is Desmond Hart actually doing in this story? I havent a clue, but if I had to take a rip of the bong and guess something, it would be this:Dune: Prophecy has promised us the rise of the Bene Gesserit order, but there are plenty of other pillars of Dunes setting that are as yet unformed in its time period. And since the show is really leaning into the opposite of expectations rooting for the Harkonnens, making the Atreides kinda shifty what if instead Duncan Idaho befriending the Fremen, Desmond Hart winds up becoming a pivotal figure in the creation of the Emperors infamous Sardaukar army? Susana PoloHes the Kwisatz Haderach (sorta)Just one episode in, this show already seems very interested in providing the origin story for some of the most important tenets of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood. With that in mind, Im going to throw out a wild card thought on Desmond: Maybe hes the proto-Kwisatz Haderach.Not that hes the real thing, or even what the Bene Gesserit would eventually evolve the concept into, but rather that hes the first inkling the Sisterhood has that a male could gain magical powers from strange interactions with Shai-Hulud.Maybe whatever happens in Dune: Prophecy will lead the Bene Gesserit to decide that pursuing a Desmond Hart of their own, one thats been perfectly and selectively bred so that they could have maximum control over him, might be a mission worth pursuing. On top of that, maybe the idea of Desmond as a powerful supernatural force could help inspire the Sisterhood to create the Missionaria Protectiva, too, giving them the idea to plant the seeds of supernatural belief throughout the universe, including on Arrakis itself. Austen GoslinIts desert powerListen, my equations simple. Desmond Hart spent some crucial time on Arrakis. Arrakis, famously, is filled with desert. Deserts, famously, are hot. And so is whatever cursed fire magic Desmond used on that poor child. Desert is hot + fire is hot = Desmonds using desert power. Its just simple math. Pete Volk

Chasing down super rare cards is just one way to approach card collecting. Depending on their interests, players can focus on tracking down cards from a certain artist or period of time or build a collection around a single favorite Pokmon. As I play Pokmon Trading Card Game Pocket, Ive enjoyed building a collection by finding cards in languages other than English.TCG Pocket is a free-to-play mobile game where players assemble a digital collection of Pokmon cards. The game launched with a line of booster packs called Genetic Apex and at time of publication, there are 226 cards in the apps rolodex. Ive collected enough cards that I no longer pull new ones every time I open a pack. It can feel a bit repetitive, so switching things up and trying to collect the cards in other languages keeps things interesting.A cool detail about TCG Pocket is that the game makes it very easy to collect cards in different languages, such as Japanese, French, and German. I first started collecting by sending a friend request to any person I battled who used cards in another language. If my opponent plays the game in Japanese, then I can use Wonder Pick to collect a Japanese card from a pack they opened. This adds a fun dynamic to battling strangers online, because it has made me pay attention to the players who play in different languages and their cards.If you have another copy of the card in your collection in your designated language, you wont see your special language card in the lineup. However, you can still show it off in a binder. All you need to do is go to the corresponding card and put it in a binder, and the game will show the one you collected in the other language. So if you collected a French version of the trainer card Lt. Surge, which is translated to Major Bob, you can view the French text card of Major Bob in the binder.If the friending and Wonder Pick method is too slow for you, theres another way to broaden the linguistic horizons of your Pokmon cards. You can also just go into the games settings and switch the language of the app. If you change the game to Italian, then the cards you open will be in Italian; if you swap it to Spanish, then the cards you get will be in Spanish. I didnt bump into any limits on this. So if you wanted to go ham and, say, seek some super rare full-art cards in Japanese, there is nothing stopping you from taking that route. Just remember that the UI for your app will also be in your chosen language.All in all, its a cute touch even if you cant use the cards in battles (the deck builder translates them back to your designated language). I happen to have random cards from other languages in my own physical Pokmon TCG collection. Now, I can mimic that in TCG Pocket as well, and giggle at Major Bob in the process.

Now that the Deadpool movie rights are back in Marvel Studios hands and Deadpool has joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe (sorta, kinda, in an elliptical way), one fan is hoping for a specific hero crossover. Wt FXsDaniel Macarin, who was part of the VFX tech team on 2016s Deadpool and became the VFX supervisor on Deadpool 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine, is hoping to get his hands on Spider-Man. Or more specifically, Spider-Mans mask.A moment between Deadpool and Spider-Man it would be a dream. I think we could have a tremendous amount of fun with it, he told Polygon in an interview around the time of Deadpool & Wolverines release.That interview mostly focused on Wt FXs effects work on Wolverines mask and facial expressions in Deadpool & Wolverine, and on how Ryan Reynolds asked the company to turn Wolverines skeleton into a rotting mummy for the opening-credits combat sequence. But asked what other character he most wanted to work on, Macarin immediately brought up his Spider-Man fandom. Macarin thinks ILMs work on Spider-Mans masked facial expressions as of Captain America: Civil War were in part inspired by Wts Deadpool work. They did [the digital] work on Spider-Man, he said. I think a lot of that had to do with the influence of when we did it on Deadpool it gave them a bit of an opening of We can animate this. This is a personal feeling [I think they realized] that they could animate Spider-Mans mask, and people would still believe its Spider-Man. It gives the character something.But Macarin would like to push those expressions further. I think there is room to do more with it, he said. Some of the humor Tom Holland has, that he brings out in his character I really love it, and I feel we could definitely push in that mask.ILMs version of Spider-Man in Civil War was an entirely digital creation, but in the Deadpool movies, Wt is only making tiny tweaks to real footage of the actors in costume, manipulating faces in ways that make their emotions more obvious in the masks. (For instance, in Deadpool & Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds was adamant that he wanted the audience to be able to see his characters love for Dogpool written all over his masked face.) A very subtle difference: Left, the original shot from the set. Right, Wts expression tweak on DeadpoolChances are good that if Disney ever does put Spider-Man and Deadpool in the same movie, Macarin will be involved: Hes worked on a number of past Marvel Studios movies as a digital effects supervisor, includingThe Avengers,Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, andIron Man 3. And he has no intention of letting anyone else take over Deadpool for future movies.I was involved in the tech side [of 2016s Deadpool], not in the art side, he said. The guy in the office right next to me [right now] ran Deadpool 1. [But] because I understood the technology and Im a huge fan of the character, I took over on Deadpool 2, and Ive kind of kept it locked ever since, because I refuse to let it go.Deadpool & Wolverine is now streaming on Disney Plus, and is available for purchase on Amazon and other digital platforms.

Awards season approaches, but dont tell that to the year in movies theyve been on a hot streak all year long.There have been standout genre movies, early awards contenders, crowd-pleasing blockbuster fare, and everything in between so far this year. The last stretch of the year is going to be jam-packed with even more, and if what weve seen from 2024 so far is any indication, were in for more great times at the movies.Here at Polygon, we keep a running list of the years best movies, starting early and updating often, making a case for the films we think are worth your time. Well keep this list going throughout the year, so you can see what were watching and recommending and catch up on anything youve missed as new movies continue to roll out, before releasing our final list of the best movies of 2024 near the end of the year.The movies will be listed in reverse chronological order, so the newest releases will always show up first. Our latest update added 100 Yards, Smile 2, Azrael, The Substance, and Perfect Days.The best movies of 2024 so far100 YardsWhere to watch: Available for digital rental/purchase on Amazon and Apple TVOne of the most beautifully shot movies of the year also happens to be a riveting martial arts period piece with stunning, crisp choreography and a colorful cast of characters. 100 Yards follows two young men (Jacky Heung and Andy On) vying for control of a powerful wushu academy whose leader (ones father, the others mentor) has died. My personal No. 1 movie of the year, it is a must-watch for fans of martial arts films and historical dramas alike. Pete VolkSmile 2 Where to watch: In theatersSmile 2 is what every movie sequel should hope to be: bigger, better, and more entertaining than the original. While the first movie took its excellent premise of a killer curse that manifests itself as a smile and kept the whole thing small-scale and localized among a community, the sequel goes big as an international pop star, played fantastically by Naomi Scott, gets inflicted with the curse. Its the perfect logical conclusion to the original movies concept, right down to the fact that viewers know the curse passes itself on by having people witness gruesome deaths, a fact that hangs brilliantly over the movie until its very final moments. Austen GoslinAzrael Where to watch: ShudderA nearly wordless horror movie set long after the biblical rapture, Azrael is a wild, horrifying, and very gory thrill. While the production design is particularly impressive, Arzaels real secret weapon is the tremendous lead performance from Samara Weaving, who excels at communicating the horrors of this world without ever saying a word. AGThe SubstanceWhere to watch: MubiThe Substance is a horror movie about external misogyny burrowing into a woman, feeding and growing on her self-hatred, and then bursting back into the world more powerful and monstrous than before. Or! Its about age and how our older selves will inevitably foot the bill for our selfish, entitled, shortsighted younger selves. Unless! Its about how Hollywood is a joyless and self-righteous machine fixated on stories that say something, but what cinema needs most is an artistic return to the styles of Frank Henenlotter and early Peter Jackson. The best (and most divisive) thing about The Substance is its the years finest Rorschach test. Chris PlanteRebel RidgeWhere to watch: NetflixJeremy Saulniers latest movie aboutpeople navigating startling violencehas a twist that his beloved, gory thrillersBlue RuinandGreen Roomand his horror debut,Murder Party,cant match: NetflixsRebel Ridgeis about a Black military veteran dealing with overstepping white cops in a small Southern town, which gives the whole movie a shivery suggestion that for once, a Saulnier character knows how to handle himself in a fight, and is just picking his moment.The Underground Railroads Aaron Pierre stars as Terry, a quiet, polite ex-Marine whos just trying to bail his cousin out of jail when a group of corrupt local policemen (led by action vet Don Johnson at his most genially reptilian) assault him and take his money, claiming they suspect its the proceeds of a drug deal.Rebel Ridgeis in part a message movie about therank injustice of civil asset forfeiture policies, and in part a message movie about race and the growing problem ofwhite supremacy in policing. But its mostly a gripping thriller in the mold of 1982sFirst Blood, a consciously slow-burn, low-key action moviebased in physical realism and authenticity. Saulnier and Pierre ramp up the tension to unbearable levels, then pay it all off in a supremely satisfying way. Tasha RobinsonMy Old AssWhere to watch: In theatersThis quirky time-travel comedy follows a teenage girl who, after doing alotof shrooms, comes face-to-face with her adult self, who has a few choice bits of advice for her. Aubrey Plaza and Maisy Stella have a wonderful back-and-forth banter as two versions of the same person. ButMy Old Assisnt just a funny movie; its also a very poignant coming-of-age story, one thats a perfect snapshot of being on the cusp of adulthood right when everything changes. Petrana RadulovicTwilight of the Warriors: Walled InWhere to watch: Digital rental/purchase on Amazon, Apple TVMaster director Soi Cheang (SPL 2: A Time for Consequences) returns to the martial arts genre with this outstanding drama set within the confines of Kowloon Walled City in the final stretch of the citys existence. Twilight of the Warriors follows a refugee (Raymond Lam) on the run from a local crime boss (the legendary Sammo Hung) who flees to the Walled City and ends up embedded with another crime boss (the also legendary Louis Koo). As you would hope from a martial arts movie set within a cramped space like Kowloon Walled City, the action design is terrific. Cheang makes the most of the space, having characters move vertically and even diagonally through the citys tight alleyways, winding staircases, and rooftop eaves. But Twilight of the Warriors also delivers captivating, complicated character relationships and a compelling narrative that also serves as an allegory for the end of an era of Hong Kong action filmmaking. Pete VolkTrapWhere to watch: Digital rental/purchase on Amazon, Apple TVTrap is just about the most fun you can have with a new movie in 2024. It follows Josh Hartnett as a seemingly regular dad, valiantly taking his daughter to a mega pop stars sold-out concert. But it turns out the whole concert has been set up as a trap to capture a serial killer the cops think will be in attendance. The twist, which we cleverly learned about in the very first trailer for the movie, is that Hartnetts good-natured dad is that serial killer.As with most of M. Night Shyamalans movies, his brand of earnestness and utter lack of cynicism and vanity wont be for everyone. Trap is, in fact, a decidedly goofy movie at many points, and while that may sound like an insult, its an unambiguous compliment. Hartnetts performance as the Butcher is wonderful, full of gleeful menace as he puts on his regular guy persona and plays on peoples better nature to get away with lying to their faces.The movies best feature is how credibly it lets us feel in on the joke, like an inverse of Shyamalans signature twists. Trap takes the appeal of watching a movie with an eleventh-hour reveal, watching it over and over to see just how duplicitous the villain truly was, and stretches it out to feature length, all without losing the spark that makes that experience special. Austen GoslinKneecapWhere to watch: Digital rental/purchase on Amazon, Apple TVKneecap has a very simple premise that, after watching, youre almost certain to agree with: The world doesnt spend nearly enough time talking about Irish rap music. The movie tells a semi-fictionalized version of the origin story for the very real Irish-language hip-hop group Kneecap.The film follows the moments that led to the group forming, with a special focus on how rarely Irish is spoken in Ireland anymore, and ways that the groups music tries to correct that fact. The film nails the groups frustration over Irelands lack of native identity and perfectly shows the ways that it bursts out into their angry brand of infectiously catchy, pro-Ireland hip-hop.The group is made up of two high schoolers and their teacher, and the movie stars all three real-life members as their respective characters. The trio are all surprisingly great actors, given their underground musician origins, but what they really lend to the movie is a true sense of heart and energy, infusing the many musical performances with authenticity that traditional actors could never have managed. When the band hits a stage, no matter how tiny or gross the venue, the movie turns into pure electricity with the passion and rage of their performance showing through in every frame. AGLonglegsWhere to watch: Digital rental/purchase on Amazon, Apple TVIts rare that a horror movie about a satanic serial killer is also one of the funniest movies of the year, but thats exactly the trick Longlegs pulls off. The movie follows a young FBI agent named Lee Harker (Maika Monroe), who may or may not be psychic, as she chases down a serial killer (Nicolas Cage) who doesnt actually seem to ever come into contact with the families he murders.The mystery of the movie is enticing, but its not the kind of movie thats daring you to solve the crime at its center. Rather, Longlegs asks you to go along with its characters on their bizarre ride through hell. A ride, by the way, that passes through the territory of haunted dolls, possessed children, heavy metal, and quite a few appearances by Satan himself in physical form. And thats a ride thats well worth the price of admission.Longlegs may not be the scariest movie of the year, but it is big, bold, and fun in a way that few horror movies these days get to be. AGJanet PlanetWhere to watch: Digital rental/purchase on Amazon, Apple TVJanet Planetcaptures the specific aching feeling of being a lonely little girl during one melancholy summer in the 90s. 11 year-old Lacy (Zoey Ziegler) and her mother (the titular Janet, played by Julianne Nicholson) share a close but almost codependent relationship. The two of them spend a long summer together as three different people drift in and out of their lives, anchored by each other for better and for worse. PRThe BikeridersWhere to watch: PeacockWriter-director Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter,Midnight Special) adapted a classic book of photojournalism about 1960s biker clubs to make this wonderfully sturdy and old-fashioned (in a good way) gang melodrama. Its built around three proper movie-star performances from some of the hottest actors around: astupendously handsome Austin Butlergoing full James Dean inRebel Without a Cause, Jodie Comer going full Lorraine Bracco inGoodfellas(with a simply extraordinary Chicago accent), and Tom Hardy going full Tom Hardy. Its a movie of simple pleasures thunderous Harley-Davidsons, banging Shangri-Las needle drops, gorgeous actors looking cool that transcend clich to enter the realm of American myth. Oli WelshRobot DreamsWhere to watch: Digital rental/purchase on Apple TVDirector Pablo Bergerwas so dang moved by Sara Varons graphic novel Robot Dreams that he started an animation studio to make it into a movie. Told entirely without dialogue,Robot Dreamsis about a lonely dog who befriends a robot and the whirlwind summer they spend together before life forces them apart. The characters are evocative and the anthropomorphic world is very charming. But despite the humanized animals, this isnt a goofy, gag-filled movie;Robot Dreamsis actually an incredibly poignant and bittersweet film all about the meaningful friendships that we cant always take with us as life goes on. The last scenes hit like a gut punch, aching in the best sort of way. PRFuriosa: A Mad Max SagaWhere to watch: MaxWhere George Millers 2015 masterpieceMad Max: Fury Roadwas a metal ballad the kind that makes you feel like a god for all of its absurd 15-minute run time Furiosais the rest of the concept album.The prequel follows Imperator Furiosa (Alyla Browne and Anya Taylor-Joy) from kidnapping to kidnapping, beginning with warriors stealing her away and ending whereFury Roadbegins. Between, we get a moody, suspenseful story of a girl who must learn how to harness enormous rage against Chris Hemsworths Dementus, an equally threatening and pathetic villain.Its absurd to say about a Mad Max movie, butFuriosaisthinky. Miller shows, but he almost never tells a big difference fromFury Roads scrawl of WE ARE NOT THINGS. ButFuriosais notFury Road. This much you must accept for it to seem wondrous. Susana PoloHit ManWhere to watch: NetflixSubtlety is often profoundly overrated. Take for instance Hit Man, the excellent new movie from Richard Linklater, a romantic comedy thats mostly about whether or not people have the capacity to change. Another movie might make that a quiet, unspoken metaphor or a question that lingers around the edges of its characters psyches, but Hit Man makes the theme an essential part of every story beat, joke, and line of dialogue, making it not just one of the funniest movies of the year, but one of the most interesting and clever, too.Hit Man follows the mild-mannered and generally boring Gary (Glen Powell), a philosophy professor who moonlights by helping the cops catch people trying to hire hitmen. What starts as a purely technical gig, rigging cameras and setting up wires, quickly transforms into an obsession for Gary when hes asked to stand in for the fake hitman and realizes hes got a knack for it. Of course, he also enjoys the fact that it gives him a chance to don an entirely new face and personality. Posing as a hitman lets Gary escape Gary, even for just a few minutes, and its outstanding. Until, of course, he falls for a girl who only knows him as the dangerous assassin Ron.Garys philosophy teacher day job gives the movie a rare chance to address its questions of identity head-on. The script, co-written by Powell and Linklater, cleverly has Gary work through his own issues of self through his lectures, doing things like having his class discuss whether some people deserve to die thereby letting his would-be girlfriend off the hook for trying to have her husband killed. Its a gimmick that would lead another movie to utter disaster, but thanks to the charm of Powell, and the presentation of Linklater, Hit Man pulls it off beautifully, making the movie equal parts silly rom-com and insightful look at how people shape their personas as they move through the world. AGI Saw the TV GlowWhere to watch: Max, or for digital rental/purchase on Amazon, Apple TVI Saw the TV Glow might be one of the scariest movies ever made about the suburbs. The manicured lawns and beautiful houses of American towns have long been one of the greatest settings for horror movies, but few have ever succeeded at making them feel as alienating and empty as Jane Schoenbruns latest film.The movie follows Owen (Justice Smith), a teenager who feels like a self-conscious outsider in every situation, both socially and to himself, who meets Maddy (Bridgette Lundy-Paine) who introduces him to her favorite TV show: The Pink Opaque. The two bond over the show as their lives change around it, and the show slowly starts to seep more and more into their actual reality.I Saw the TV Glow is a movie about the ways that art changes and shapes us. The way a special TV show can come along at just the right moment to suddenly turn your life in a different direction. Its about the times that art can show us ourselves more clearly than any mirror, and how hard it can be to understand the gaps between the two. AGPropertyWhere to watch: Digital rental/purchase on Apple TV, VuduIn spite of strong, positive festival reviews and a Best Picture win at 2023s Fantastic Fest, Daniel Bandeiras terrifying directorial debut,Property,slipped straight onto digital services in May with little fanfare. But fans of tense, smart horror-thrillers shouldnt miss it. Malu Galli stars as Teresa, the wife of a rich Brazilian property owner whos winding down operations on his country estate. He plans to evict all the workers who maintain the property, tear down their homes, and build a hotel. At the same time, hes demanding they pay off the debts theyve incurred from living at subsistence-level wages, where any minor improvement to their lives or properties is considered a loan. When the workers revolt, Teresa winds up trapped in an armored car, stuck in a standoff with desperate people who cant afford to let her leave.PartPanic Room, part social drama, and part eat-the-rich movie,Propertyis cunningly engineered to keep the audiences sympathies shifting from scene to scene as both sides in the conflict fight for survival. Teresas fight to survive is simple, but her adversaries situation is much more complicated, and Bandeira lets the face-off unfold in layered, complicated ways while still keeping the action breathless and gripping. Its a real stunner, and it deserves much more attention than its gotten. TRThe Fall GuyWhere to watch: PeacockFew movies in 2024 are going to be as much fun as The Fall Guy.Somewhere between a rom-com and an action movie, The Fall Guy is about a stuntman (Ryan Gosling) coming back from an injury, and his ex-girlfriend (Emily Blunt) whos finally getting the chance to direct her first big feature film. But when production of the movie is threatened by the erratic movie star (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) going missing, the stunt guy has to become a real hero to save the day.The movie is big, silly, ridiculous, and very funny, but its best attribute is the gravity shifting charisma of its two stars. Gosling and Blunt are both tremendously charming in the movie, a winning couple that the movie makes it impossible not to root for, and who you cant help but want to be friends with.On top of that, the entire production is a love-letter to movies, and the stunt teams who make them possible. The movie is full of excellent car chases, ridiculous falls, and hilarious fights that all bring the kind of levity we dont get enough from blockbusters anymore. AGMars ExpressWhere to watch: Digital rental/purchase on Amazon, Apple TVJrmie Prins directorial feature debut is one of this years best animated movies: a neo-noir sci-fi mystery set in an extraplanetary society where humanity lives side by side with robots who serve at their every beck and call. Besides the films beautiful anime-inspired animation, Mars Express offers a tantalizing glimpse of a fully realized universe populated with complicated, tragic, and endlessly fascinating characters whose personal dramas are organically interwoven into the fabric of its futuristic storytelling and presentation. Its an animated film for and by adults; its mature in every sense of the word, and a visionary work from an eminently talented director. Toussaint EganChallengersWhere to watch: Prime Video, MGM Plus, or for digital rental/purchase on Amazon, Apple TVDirector Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name,Bones and All) and writer Justin Kuritzkes (yes, thePotion Sellerguy) bring a lot of intense energy to the sports drama / threesome dramaChallengers, whether Guadagnino is shooting a tennis match from the balls point of view or Kuritzkes is leaping back and forth in time, filling in gaps in the romantic and professional history of three former friends and tennis rivals, played by Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh OConnor. Billed as a steamy, sexy movie about three-ways, itssomething much better a movie that packs its sexual energy into a variety of different forms of rivalry and emotion, expertly woven together for maximum impact. Its designed to keep audiences guessing right up to the final shot, and to get deeply invested in the outcome, whether or not they care about tennis, or even about sports in general. TRChimeWhere to watch: Roadstead.ioChime is a horror movie about a sound that infects people like a virus. It worms its way into their brains until they hear it constantly, louder and louder, driving them toward random acts of horrific violence. And theres no way to know who has it. Its creepy enough as a premise to be intriguing, but throw in the fact that it was written and directed by Japanese horror legend Kiyoshi Kurosawa, and you have the recipe for one of the eeriest movies of the year.Kurosawas masterstroke in Chime is, in part, to never overtly play the infecting tone for the audience. There are a few creepy, unidentifiable sounds, alien and distinct and always effective. But every sound in the movie is heightened, blaring while the characters stand (often completely still), constantly threatening some tragedy or new horror. Its all horrifying in a way that feels completely unique to Chime, like Kurosawa invented a new kind of horror no one had heard before. AGCivil WarWhere to watch: Digital rental/purchase on Amazon, Apple TV, Max on Sept. 13Alex Garlands portrait oftwo war photographers in crisis, framed with a story about a country in crisis, has been one of the biggest conversation movies of 2024 love it or hate it, critics and moviegoers want to talk about it.Civil Warwas expressly intended to get people talking aboutAmerican politics and especially the importance of journalism, but on top of itssometimes subtle, sometimes blatant messages, its a mesmerizing character piece, anchored by a weary, emotional performance from Kirsten Dunst, and built aroundsubtle character momentsas much as immersive, intense combat sequences. Its also one of the years crispest films, with a visual brightness andvisual beautythat flies straight in the face of all the currentconventional wisdom about dark cinematography. The movie is an experience, and the post-movie conversations are, too. TRBaby Assassins 2Where to watch: Digital rental/purchase on Amazon, YouTubeThe first Baby Assassins was one of my very favorite movies of 2022, so its no surprise I loved the sequel. A fantastic mash-up of two unlikely genres assassin thriller and teen girl slice-of-life the Baby Assassins movies rely heavily on the outstanding star power of its leads (Saori Izawa and Akari Takaishi) and best-in-class fight choreography from Kensuke Sonomura.This time, the baby assassins are struggling to pay off some surprising debts incurred through their work while also being hunted by two up-and-coming assassins who want their jobs. That leads, of course, to some classic teenage hijinks and some banger fights, including the girls brawling in mascot costumes and a banger finale that rivals the first movies excellent ending. I would be perfectly content with 20 more of these movies. PVThe BeastWhere to watch: Criterion ChannelNocturamadirector Bertrand Bonello essentially makes three short films in three styles withThe Beast, a heady, thrilling science fiction movie that follows two people (played by La Seydoux and George MacKay) through three incarnations, where they grapple with their emotions and their tentative connection in radically different ways. Loosely inspired byHenry James 1903 short story The Beast in the Jungle,Bonello turns the idea of a character living in dread, anticipating some great disaster, into his ownCloud Atlas.Pulling a gorgeous period drama, a tense Brian De Palma-style stalker-thriller, and a post-apocalyptic-future story into conversation with each other, Bonello offers up apure science fiction experiencethats both technically impressive and emotionally absorbing. TRThe First OmenWhere to watch: HuluIts rare that any calendar year has a movie thats as scary, viscerally upsetting, and exceptionally well made as The First Omen. Its even more rare when that movie is technically a prequel to a five-decades old franchise, but here we are.This prequel to The Omen follows a young nun, Margaret, who gets transferred to a beautiful and seemingly peaceful convent, until she notices some strange behavior and an orphaned girl who everyone thinks is disturbed. But as she looks into whats wrong with the girl, Margaret finds a dark and sinister plot lurking just out of sight.While the movie is technically a prequel to The Omen, whats most interesting about director and co-writer Arkasha Stevesons approach is that she seems more inspired by the tone and moody style of 70s horror movies and thrillers than she does to The Omens universe itself. Stevenson takes this suitably creepy set-up and folds in both supernatural horror and mystery in equal measure, twisting the whole plot into one big conspiracy where each reveal is more horrifying than the last.The First Omen seems like a classic Hollywood misfire on paper. After all, why would we possibly need a prequel to The Omen? Who cares what Damiens mom was up to? But if it means a movie this good and this scary, Ill happily take a dozen more Omen prequels. AGDo Not Expect Too Much from the End of the WorldWhere to watch: Mubi, digital purchase on Amazon, Apple TVRadu Judes first full feature since 2021sBad Luck Banging or Loony Pornwill certainly try some viewers patience: Its 163 minutes of watching a harried, foul-mouthed production assistant, Angela (Ilinca Manolache) drive around Bucharest, alternating interviews for a factorys safety PSA with making sexist, sneering Andrew Tate-inspired TikToks. Jude alternates her story with scenes from the 1982 Romanian filmAngela Goes On, about a cab driver also making the rounds in Bucharest for work. The connection between the two Angelas and modern-Angelas online alter ego Bobita takes some time to surface, as the film approaches its point elliptically from several directions at once, including through cameos from the original stars ofAngela Goes On.But it all comes together in a long-take finale that plays out as what seems likely to be the years funniest, most brutal takedown of corporate malfeasance, the gig economy, and capitalism as a whole. The contrast between a film made at a corporations behest, to serve its criminal agenda, and Angelas freeform parodies of an influencer she hates is vivid and sly. And theres a rebellious, subversive joy in the way she and the PSAs subjects both try to tell their own truths in an oppressive environment where moneyed interests hold most of the cards. Its a difficult film compared to the slick corporate IP that dominates multiplexes, but that just makes itendlessly unpackable and discussable and more memorable than youd expect for such a slow-burn story. TRThe Animal KingdomWhere to watch: Hulu, or for digital rental/purchase on Amazon/Apple TVAs a mutation that turns people into human-animal hybrids starts to spread, a father and son search for the missing mother of the family, who has begun to transform herself.Featuring realistic creature designs that blend practical and digital effects, a rich father-son relationship anchored by strong leading performances, and a compelling overarching narrative metaphor welcoming all sorts of interpretations, The Animal Kingdom stands out in modern sci-fi. It fires on all cylinders to create one of the more powerful movies of the year, evoking a rich world populated by fascinating people.Part of the brilliance of The Animal Kingdom is the continued mundanity of human existence. Yes, everything we thought we knew about our species is being thrown into chaos, but theres still work to do and school to attend and new love and enduring love and all the other shades of the human (or human-animal hybrid) experience. Its in those moments that the true heart of the movie lies. PVLove Lies BleedingWhere to watch: Max, or for digital rental/purchase on Amazon, Apple TVAn adrenaline rush from start to finish, Love Lies Bleeding grabs you by the throat and never quite lets go. It follows Lou (Kristen Stewart), a reclusive gym manager with ties to the criminal underworld, who falls for aspiring bodybuilder Jackie (Katy OBrian). While they share a few blissful weeks of peace and happiness, eventually Lous toxic family pulls them into a dark web, which spirals into some disastrous consequences.Stewart and OBrian have an electric chemistry (not to mention some super steamy scenes), which makes their intense relationship simmer. Its a wild ride, but Lou and Jackie hold fast and strong together, even when pushed to their limits. PRDune: Part TwoWhere to watch: MaxIn 2021, Denis Villeneuves Dune felt like a promise. Whether you liked the movie or not, it came with an assurance that it was all in service of something better, more profound, and more epic to come. That kind of hype is hard to live up to, but with Dune: Part Two, Villeneuve exceeded even the wildest expectations.While the movie is an astoundingly beautiful action blockbuster in the vein of epics like The Lord of the Rings, its most important feature might be how adeptly it handles its source materials most complicated themes. Far from just being the standard chosen-one hero, the Paul Atreides of Dune: Part Two is tortured by the burden of prophecy and both dead-set on revenge and terrified of what it might cost to achieve it.Its a difficult line for a blockbuster to walk, but one Dune: Part Two pulls off with the perfect alchemy of terrific performances from movie stars and delicate direction by one of the best filmmakers working right now. AGHow to Have SexWhere to watch: Mubi, or for digital rental/purchase on Amazon/Apple TVThe title sounds raucous, but How to Have Sex is in fact a tender, heartfelt, and searchingly honest coming-of-age tale about Tara, a brassy, secretly self-conscious 16-year-old virgin on a wild party holiday with her friends. Its a quietly devastating movie about bad formative experiences, but also beautiful in its empathy and kindness, and funny, too.If you liked Aftersun, this is a must-see director Molly Manning Walker is part of an emerging, hugely talented generation of female British filmmakers that also includes Aftersuns Charlotte Wells. OWPerfect DaysWhere to watch: HuluAs Japan came out of COVID-19 lockdown, the billionaire founder of the parent company of Uniqlo invited New German Cinema icon Wim Wenders to Tokyo to look at the citys public toilets that blend public service with public art. Inspired, Wenders made Perfect Days, a gentle poem of a film about one of the citys janitors. Come for the killer soundtrack; stay for the years best final shot. CPThe Promised LandWhere to watch: Hulu, free with a library card on Hoopla, or for digital rental/purchase on Amazon, Apple, VuduThe Promised Land is a sturdy historical drama anchored by a powerful performance by the ever reliable Mads Mikkelsen.Mikkelsen plays the determined Ludvig Kahlen, a retired officer of the German army who has taken his pension to try and establish a homestead on a barren moor. When Kahlen starts to set up shop, he draws the attention of a powerful local landlord and magistrate, who sets out to ruin Kahlens efforts at any cost.When two hardheaded men clash, sparks fly and people die. And that makes for some stellar Scandinavian cinema. PVHundreds of BeaversWhere to watch: Fandor, free with ads on Tubi, and Pluto TV, free with a library card on Hoopla, or digital rental/purchase on Amazon and Apple TVI can sell a film nerd on Hundreds of Beavers with a seven-word elevator pitch: Looney Tunes by way of Guy Maddin.However, if youre a film viewer who doesnt traffic in Canadian arthouse obscurities, the pitch will take a bit more effort. Hundreds of Beavers garnered attention for reviving the slapstick silent film, if only for its 108 minute run time. But the black-and-white action comedy has gradually earned its reputation as a budding midnight movie thanks to its more modern flourishes.The story a trapper must collect enough pelts to survive, build, and eventually win love parodies video game quests. Its small cast would float comfortably in Adult Swims pool of lovable oddballs. And what writer/director Mike Cheslik does with a comparably cheap camera, some trashy beaver costumes, and a true talent with homespun special effects would make even the most ambitious YouTube editors jaw hit the floor.Unlike its modern cult contemporaries, like The Room and the films of Neil Breen, theres no irony here. Cheslik has made something genuinely special, an excellent film that reminds us just how funny early cinema could be and proves slapstick can still feel fresh a century later with a few timely tweaks. Chris PlanteMayhem!Where to watch: AMC Plus, Digital rental/purchase on Amazon, Apple, VuduThe hardest-hitting action movie of the year saw Gangs of London veterans Xavier Gens and Jude Poyer combine forces for the explosive revenge thriller Mayhem! (also known by its original title, Farang).Some people were mixed on this version of the revenge story (I loved it quite a bit), but everyone Ive talked to agrees the brutal and gory action is among the best of any movie this year, with motivated camera movements to punctuate the blows and fluid choreography executed terrifically by former national champion kickboxer Nassim Lyes. And it all culminates in one of the best elevator fight scenes in action movie history. PV

None of the characters in Arcane are having a good time right now, and Viktor might just be suffering the most.[Ed. note: This post contains major spoilers for the most recent episodes of Arcane.]OK, thats a bit of an exaggeration, since hes now been blessed with strange, magical, machine-based healing powers from the Hexcore and has created a peaceful commune in the heart of the Undercity.But ya boy is not looking healthy, now that his body is mostly machine and those bags under his eyes have gotten even worse and his hair is all raggedy. And mentally, he definitely feels like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders as he tries to heal every single person who shows up at his door. And emotionally, well, clearly theres lingering pain from his not-quite-a-breakup from his longtime research partner, Jayce.However even though Viktor is suffering, I gotta say hes really hot when hes miserable.Lets get this out of the way: what I think is hot in a fictional setting is NOT what I think is hot in real life, blah blah blah. Im not condoning becoming Hextech Jesus or being so tortured about the burden of evolution, humanity, and your place in it that you start a cult.I just simply think the more he suffers, the sexier he gets. It doesnt help that the first few scenes of Viktor this season were him basically naked, with nothing but a sheet draped around him. Yes, yes, he has a freaky robot body now, but hear me out: Im into that. Im also into his hair getting scragglier and longer and his general demeanor just becoming wearier and more tired.Hes hurting! But by god, he makes it look good.Ive always had a soft spot for Viktor, whos probably my favorite male character on the show. Hes the quieter juxtaposition to Jayces bravado, and has more baggage weighing on his slender shoulders in a way that makes his character super compelling to me personally. I like that he desperately wants to change the world, but hes continually shafted and running out of time.In this season, all of that is amplified. He has greater and grander power than ever before; but as weve learned, theres a cost to it. Still, hes resigned to his mission. He will help. No matter the cost. Its clearly taking a toll on him in every possible way, but man, if that drive and desperation aint sexy.Now, again: things arent looking so great. After, all this most recent batch of episodes did end with Viktor, uh, dead killed by Jayce, no less (how deliciously tragique!!!). But hey, the shows been going hard on the Jesus imagery with him (not to mention, hes a playable champion in League of Legends, so theres some precedent to him not dying entirely), so Im fairly confident that he will rise again. And Ill be there waiting and twirling my hair when he does.

Vessel of Hatred is the health potion that Diablo 4 needed to get back on its feet. The inaugural expansion for Blizzards action RPG launched Oct. 7 and introduced a host of new content and quality-of-life updates, including a new region, a new class, hirelings, a reworked leveling system, and more. If youve been on the fence about jumping into Diablo 4, Blizzard is currently discounting both the base game and the expansion for PC and Xbox through Dec. 3.The base version of Diablo 4 is free for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, but if you arent a member, you can currently purchase a copy from Xbox, or Battle.net for $29.99 (was $49.99). An expansion bundle containing both the base game and Vessel of Hatred is also on sale at Xbox and Battle.net for $45.49 (was $69.99).For existing owners of Diablo 4, Vessel of Hatred (just the expansion) is also on sale. The Standard Edition of Vessel of Hatred is on sale for $29.99 (was $39.99), while the Deluxe Edition is available for $44.99 (was $59.99), and the Ultimate Edition is discounted to $67.49 (was $89.99).The Deluxe Edition of Vessel of Hatred includes a Premium Battle Pass for one season in addition to an exclusive pet, a Spiritborn armor set, cosmetic item, and mount. The Ultimate Edition features everything included with the Deluxe version of the expansion, but youll also get 3,000 Platinum to spend on in-game cosmetics, an exclusive Town Portal cosmetic, an additional pet, and exclusive armor sets for every class.

Another month, another batch of exciting new releases in theaters to look forward to! Gladiator II, Wicked Part I, Moana 2, and more all slated to be released by the end of November. But what about a new sci-fi flick, or at the very least a good one to watch from the comfort of your own home? Dont worry: Weve got just the list of options for you to choose from!Every month, we pull together a list of the best sci-fi movies available to stream on Netflix. For this month, weve curated a trio of sci-fi films that each touch on the subject of deja vu in their own peculiar way. Weve got a neo-noir thriller starring Ethan Hawke (Moon Knight) and Sarah Snook (Succession), a legacy sequel to one of the most important sci-fi franchises of the early 2000s, and a so bad its good superhero movie starring Dakota Johnson.Lets take a look at what this month has to offer!Editors pick: PredestinationDirectors: Peter Spierig, Michael SpierigCast: Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook, Noah TaylorEthan Hawke stars opposite then-future Succession star Sarah Snook in this mind-bending sci-fi caper. Adapted from Robert A. Heinleins short story All You Zombies, Predestination stars Hawke as an agent of a clandestine organization on a mission to apprehend a notorious terrorist known as the Fizzle Bomber. As part of his mission, the agent is tasked with recruiting a forlorn writer (Snook) with an extraordinary life story.I cant go much further into the details of the story without risk of spoiling its many twists and turns, but what I can say is that Hawke and Snook deliver terrific performances as two lonely people brought together through truly extraordinary circumstances. If youre looking for an unconventional and deeply affecting sci-fi story with a compelling mystery and a provocative ending, Predestination is this months sci-fi movie to watch. Toussaint EganThe Matrix ResurrectionsDirector: Lana WachowskiCast: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen IIIn the almost three years since its release, The Matrix Resurrections has aged into one of the most interesting and incisive movies of the legacyquels era. It masterfully treads the line between engaging with the legacy of the original Matrix movies while also questioning the entire industry that could make it possible, or even necessary, to return to a franchise a decade after it ended. The movie dares to ask what kind of cultural stagnation studios might have tried to force us into that we havent developed new heroes in all this time.Of course, its also more than just its metaphors. And in keeping with Matrix series tradition, Resurrections is also just an absolutely kick-ass action movie. And for all the movies clever industry-wide criticisms, it is hard to argue with the pure cinematic joy of seeing Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss back on screen together. For the conflict of those two feelings alone, Resurrections is well worth your time now that its on Netflix. Austen GoslinMadame WebDirector: S. J. ClarksonCast: Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela MercedThis one is not so much a recommendation of a movie as it is a recommendation of an experience. Im certainly on the record of thinking Madame Web is a bad movie. But that doesnt mean theres no fun to be had with its particular brand of bad. That being said, you probably wont have a great time with the movie just watching it on your couch alone on a Saturday night. But if you can organize the right group of friends, the right refreshments, and the right attitude, Madame Web is a near perfect movie to throw on Netflix and make jokes about.If for some reason you want a more serious reason to watch this, then consider that maybe its plot will have some kind of relevance for the Kraven the Hunter, a movie thats supposedly coming out on Dec. 13. AG

Tetris is Tetris. Its basically perfect, and it always has been. This is abundantly clear when you load up the first playable game in the new interactive documentary and retro game compilation Tetris Forever: the original Tetris, as it was on the Electronika 60 computer that was already old-fashioned when Alexey Pajitnov wrote the game in Russia in 1984. The text is all in Cyrillic alphabet, the blocks are made out of brackets (the Electronika 60 had no graphics function at all), the only color is green, and the game lacks several design refinements, like the score multiplier for clearing multiple lines at once. And yet, as crude as it is, the game is as instantly and ferociously playable as it is intuitive, and as profoundly satisfying as any version of it since. It is a work of the purest genius.The chance to sample this epochal piece of software for yourself is the greatest privilege granted by Tetris Forever, which collects just a small handful of the dozens, maybe hundreds, of iterations of Pajitnovs game from the past four decades. The most powerful revelation contained in the collection is the instant, firsthand realization that almost everything that makes Tetris great was present in those early lines of code. After that, Tetris Forever developer Digital Eclipse has both everywhere and nowhere to go.Tetris Forever is the latest in Digital Eclipses Gold Master Series, a format that bundles expertly emulated classic games with reams of multimedia information presented in an interactive timeline: filmed interviews, archive video, documentation, artwork, photography, and more. Its officially the third entry in the series, after the single-title deep dive The Making of Karateka and the astonishingly comprehensive Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story (which is basically the real-life UFO 50), although the format was established in the developers excellent Atari 50.Tetris convoluted publishing history is a double-edged sword for Digital Eclipse. It makes for a compelling story, but it also makes assembling a definitive compilation of playable versions of the game an impossible task. Meanwhile, the story told by the versions that are included is that of successive talented game designers, Pajitnov included, searching in vain for a way to improve on perfection.The behind-the-scenes tale is the stuff of video game legend: A game conceived behind the Iron Curtain in the dying days of the Cold War becomes the subject of an intrigue-filled rights battle involving the USSR, Nintendo, shady British media barons, and a buccaneering entrepreneur called Henk Rogers. The story even has a happy ending, in which Rogers and Pajitnov form an unlikely bromance, consolidate the rights, and steward the games future while raking in cash for the rest of time.Its also a tale thats been told many, many times before in a classic work of business journalism, a sturdy BBC documentary, and a rather silly biopic, to name three. Still, the storys familiarity shouldnt take away from the material Digital Eclipse has assembled to tell it. Theres tons of interview time with Rogers and Pajitnov, as well as expert witness from a number of luminaries, including Tetris Effect designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi. Rogers spins a great yarn, and brings the big moments to life.What really distinguishes Tetris Forever from those more conventional takes on the Tetris story is its dedication to tracking the evolution of the game itself through countless editions on every imaginable platform. But, while all the key variations of Tetris are mentioned (and a few more besides), the publishing rights are so broadly scattered through history that there is no way for Digital Eclipse or even Rogers and Pajitnovs rights holder, The Tetris Company, which clearly collaborated closely on this release to include playable versions of many of them.Nintendo, as fiercely protective of its back catalog titles as ever, has not turned over the rights for any of its own Tetris variants to the project. This means that arguably the two definitive versions of Tetris the iconic Game Boy Tetris, which found the perfect match of form and function, and NES Tetris, which is still the gold standard in competitive Tetris play are not included. (The Game Boy game is available on Nintendo Switch Online, and the NES game is due to be added to the service this winter.) Segas classic arcade version is out, as are Arikas hardcore Tetris: The Grand Master games.And those are just the essentials. Its galling to have to pass over the brief mention of a fascinating curio like the Philips CD-i Tetris, with its spaced-out New Age vibes and impeccable 1992 screensaver aesthetic, without getting to see it in action, never mind play it. (For an authoritative and entertaining overview of some of the games omitted from Tetris Forever, I recommend the hour-long video by Digital Foundrys John Linneman that tours nearly 30 versions of the game.) In recent years, two of the most vital and interesting reinventions of the game have emerged Tetris 99 and Tetris Effect but, as current commercial titles, those are out of scope for this collection, too.What the game has instead is a collection composed mostly of the versions released by Rogers own Bullet Proof Software in Japan in the 1980s and 90s: the 1988 Famicom release (not to be confused with Nintendos NES game), the Tetris 2 + BomBliss series, and the cute versus game Tetris Battle Gaiden. There are a couple of relevant diversions from the Bullet Proof catalog, like the Famicom Go game that endeared Rogers to then-Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi, and Pajitnovs charming but rather weak-sauce follow-up Hatris.Theres worthwhile stuff in here. Battle Gaiden is still one of the best multiplayer renditions of Tetris, and BomBliss (by EarthBound designer Akihiko Miura) is one of the more successful attempts to elaborate on the game, which it does by introducing bombs that can be set off by completing lines. But the best any of these designs can hope to do is to limit how much they dilute the purity of Tetris. BomBliss is very good especially in its conundrum-like puzzle mode but even a variation as accomplished as this feels like a regular, run-of-the-mill puzzle game thats somehow tawdry and basic when placed next to the monolithic, flawless genius of its parent.Digital Eclipses own contribution is a new game, Tetris Time Warp, which has a fun gimmick: Every time the player clears 10 lines, a time-warp block drops, sending the player back to an earlier era of Tetris: the Electronika 60 version, a cheeky facsimile of Game Boy Tetris, a 16-bit BomBliss, and so on. Completing a timed challenge within the time warp awards a big points bonus before returning you to the modern era. Theres a decent, enjoyably chaotic multiplayer version of Time Warp that supports up to four players, too.Tetris definitely is forever. You cant blame Digital Eclipse for wanting to memorialize it, or Rogers and Pajitnov for taking yet another victory lap, this time in interactive form. Studying and celebrating this game will always be worthwhile.But Tetris is also too perfect to evolve over time, too big to contain in one compilation, and too pure to need explanation. Rotate, drop, click, repeat. Its all there in the first five seconds. The rest is just lines to clear. Tetris Forever was released Nov. 12 on Atari VCS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. The game was reviewed on Switch using a pre-release download code provided by Digital Eclipse. 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 find additional information about Polygons ethics policy here.

In the three years since the first season of Arcane, Id forgotten a lot of the little plot details what exactly was Shimmer? Why is hextech such a big deal? Whats up with Mels mom?But the brilliance of Arcane is that you actually dont need to remember all of the specific plot minutiae for it to work. Sure, theres a whole wide world, vaster than even just Piltover and Zaun. And yet, all of the grander themes and questions come right back down to Jinx and Vi. Even when Arcane starts to posit loftier questions (like Viktors whole hextech Jesus arc) or gets into specific political machinations of Piltover, Zaun, and the lands beyond, the sisters anchor the entire show.[Ed. note: This post contains spoilers for Arcane season 2.]Its especially evident in this last drop of episodes, which brings the sisters together and working for a common cause for the first time in years. After Jinx learns what happened to their adoptive father, she searches for her sister. Even though the last time they saw each other, Vi almost killed her (and Jinx was about to let her), Jinx knows that Vi is the only person who will understand whats going on and the only person that Vander might also recognize.Now that theyre pulled back together, were thoroughly and devastatingly reminded of what they lost when they were ripped apart. They patch up their relationship (as best as they can), united in trying to recover Vander from the beast hes been turned into. Theyre still hurt and haunted by their past, but as they linger in the peace of Viktors commune, theres a glimmer of hope for their future for the very first time. The gorgeous watercolor sequence through Vanders memory also solidifies the norm that once was, the close relationship that this family once had and maybe could have again.Through Vi and Jinx, we see how the greater conflict between Piltover and Zaun divided one family. Its a wound that goes deeper than the two sisters, going back to the fissure between Vander and Silco. But its Vi and Jinx who felt the aftereffects most concretely, having followed in the footsteps of their respective father figures for better and for worse. They represent two sides of the same blade, two different hands dealt, two different paths followed. Arcane deftly juggles a lot of plotlines, asking big questions about the shows world and society. But the reason all those threads work, all those themes hit so hard, is because every vein leads back to Vi and Jinx, the beating heart of the show the constant that holds hope and misfortune with equal opportunity .Notably, though, it seems like both of those paths are leading to tragedy. Theyre not alone: Jayce single-handedly ends Viktors hextech utopia here, and Mel is still stuck in Black Rose prison. But Vi and Jinxs story is tinged with the most agony, because of all the love thats still lingering between them. Vi has had the chance to kill Jinx and end it all, but she hesitated every time because thats still her baby sister. That love doesnt just go away. Its still fueling them, urging them to try again and repair the burnt bridges in order to desperately grasp at what once was. But that just heightens the stakes of the entire show; what happens if that love isnt enough?Keeping the focus on Vi and Jinx not only anchors the world so that the show never stretches too far beyond Piltover and Zaun, but it also keeps the tone and message consistent. It doesnt matter what exactly Shimmer is, why the Council is divided on hextech, or what exactly Piltover has against Zaun; what matters is that the decisions made by those in charge have devastating effects on the regular people. And Arcane illustrates this specifically with the two characters weve known since the beginning of the series, who share a special relationship, who were ripped apart and turned against each other by forces outside their reckoning. Its their relationship that defines the show even when it hurts.The first six episodes ofArcaneseason 2 are now streaming on Netflix. The final three drop on Nov. 23.

There are a lot of reasons to like Arcane, Netflixs animated series set in the world of League of Legends: the dazzling animation, the creative use of original music, the compelling relationships. But one of the more impressive things about the show to me is how restrained it is about throwing in references and Easter eggs to the source material.Unlike a lot of other IP-driven shows, Arcane isnt just a nonstop barrage of Hey, I recognize that! moments. That helps keep the shows emotional moments from feeling cheap, and it also makes the moments where the show does drop in a reference to the world of Runeterra stand out more. (Especially now that Arcane is also League canon and theres plenty of in-game tie-ins.)Here are the best moments weve spotted in season 2 so far. Any we missed? Drop the ones you saw in the comments.[Ed. note: This post understandably contains spoilers for Acts 1 and 2 of Arcane season 2 (or through the first six episodes). Proceed accordingly.]Act 2 (season 2 episodes 4-6):Warwicks WThe design of Warwick in Arcane is a very cool departure from his more classic werewolf depiction in-game, but there are still plenty of nods to his League appearance (like the chambers attached to his body that pump that green ooze into his system).For my money, the coolest Easter egg of the season also doubles as one of the coolest visual effects: the adaptation of Warwicks W ability, Blood Hunt. In League, Warwick can sense enemies low on health and moves quicker toward them, shown in the game by a trail of blood from Warwick to the enemy. Arcane cleverly brings this to life in the fourth episode in a sequence from Warwicks point of view, with a trail of blood in the air as he races through the city toward the captured Singed.Jinx calls Viktor by his in-game titleEach League champion has a title as well as a name: Jinx is the Loose Cannon, Ekko is the Boy Who Shattered Time, Jayce is the Defender of Tomorrow you get the picture. Viktors title is the Machine Herald, which Arcane nods to when Jinx refers to him as a machine herald outside his compound in Act 2.Viktor says the line!When you lock in Viktor in a League lobby, he says, Join the glorious evolution. So when Viktor said that line in Act 2, you know I was pointing at the screen like Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.Act 1 (season 2 episodes 1-3):Heimerdingers code phraseIn episode 2, when Heimderinger is breaking into his old lab (now Jayces) with Ekko, he uses a code phrase Ekko doesnt understand: The brambleback has left the jungle. In League of Legends, the brambleback, colloquially known as red buff due to the effect you get by killing it, is a neutral monster in the jungle that is generally a high priority for junglers to kill. A brambleback leaving the jungle? Now thats a rare sight.TeemoAlso in episode 2, just before Vi, Caitlyn, and the rest of Piltovers enforcers attack Jinxs lair, Jinx is cleaning up the place. The camera briefly lingers on a piece of art on the wall, which shows Teemo surrounded by a bunch of mushrooms with flashing lights. Teemo is one of Leagues most well-known champions hes one of the games foremost mascots, but also one of the most hated champions by players because of how dang annoying he is.Janna statueWhile underground chasing Jinx, Caitlyn and Vi encounter a statue of Janna, an elemental wind spirit who is another champion in League of Legends. Jinx taunts Vi with childhood stories their father figure Vander used to tell them about Janna, saving miners trapped underground with the air running thin: Wild, the kind of crap people get up to when you choke em out.The Black RoseToward the start of episode 3, Ambessa receives a visit from Amara, an influential member of Piltovers merchant guild. Amara uses mysterious magical powers to keep Ambessa and her muscle Rictus held still in an attempted assassination attempt. Rictus manages to break free, and Ambessa kills Amara, as a black rose disintegrates in the merchants hand and Ambessa warns Rictus that this means trouble. Which seems apt, given that Mel gets swallowed by Black Rose magic at the end of episode 3.In League of Legends lore, the Black Rose is a secret, Illuminati-type organization that operates out of Noxus, where Ambessa is from. There are a few champions associated with the Black Rose: the sorceress LeBlanc (who has voice-over that says The Black Rose shall bloom once more when you lock her in to play in League), the vampire Vladimir, the spider woman Elise, and the snake woman Cassiopeia.

Just like it did with the original Half-Life last year celebrating the seminal first-person shooters 25th anniversary with a major update, a documentary, and a 100% off sale Valve is celebrating the arguably even more influential Half-Life 2s 20th anniversary with, you guessed it, an update, a documentary, and a 100% off sale.Valve made the announcement, and detailed all of the changes, on a new website for the game. That update notably includes the usual mix of bug fixes and graphical improvements, a developers commentary track a practice that all Half-Life and Portal games following the release of Half-Life 2 benefited from as well as Steam platform level enhancements in the form of Steam Workshop support and the new Steam game recording.Every map in Half-Life 2 has been looked over by Valve level designers to fix longstanding bugs, restore content and features lost to time, and improve the quality of a few things like lightmap resolution and fog, Valve details on the site.Scroll way down for a much more exhaustive list of all of the changes. A larger enhancement to the game is the inclusion of Half-Life 2s episodic expansions, Episode 1 and Episode 2. Notably, and sadly, this does not include any confirmation of a conclusion in the form of the never-released Episode 3, though Valve does speak to its failure to deliver that ending in the two-hour documentary.We could have shipped it. It wouldnt have been that hard, Valves Gabe Newell says, sporting a new lewk while sending an entire generation of gamers into a dark spiral. My personal failure was being stumped. I couldnt figure out why Episode 3 was pushing anything forward.And, if you somehow havent somehow ended up with Half-Life 2 in your Steam library over the last 20 years, first congrats? That seems actually hard to do. Second, youll be glad to know its currently being offered, upgrades and all, for the low low price of $0.00 until November 18, just two days away. Add it to your library permanently by going here and clicking the green Download button, and will it to your grandkids.Speaking of downloads, Valves anniversary site also includes links to historical videos of the game, such as high-quality captures of previously unavailable E3 demos, as well as a host of new wallpapers and links to download or listen to the various soundtracks.

The premise of Dune: Prophecy, the latest sci-fi/fantasy lit juggernaut to hit the Max streaming service, is that its a show about the rise of the Bene Gesserit order. That is, the secretive sect of all-female psychic eugenicists, advisors, educators, and mistresses to the spacefaring noble houses out of the pages of Frank Herberts Dune, and the sprawling saga of novels that has spun out of it.Its easy to forget that were not looking at the Bene Gesserit as we know it Valya and Tula Harkonnen (Emily Watson and Olivia Williams) seem to have this Sisterhood pretty well organized already! After seizing power from those who opposed them, theyve been in charge for 30 years. Theyve got a prophecy to follow, operatives in every upstanding noble house, and a school for acolytes so well established that the emperors daughter is fighting to attend. Theyre even using traditional Bene Gesserit titles, like Reverend Mother and Mother Superior.But despite all that, its worth remembering just how much of what we know about the Bene Gesserit has not been invented or put into practice yet in the time of Dune: Prophecy. Because in a show set 10 millennia before the events of Dune, knowing how the Sisterhood will change as it evolves into the Bene Gesserit order gives us some hints at where showrunner Alison Schapker plans to take us, and at the meaty stew of classic sci-fi melodrama they have to dish out.And that list of signature Bene Gesserit characteristics starts with their signature superpower:The VoiceThough we see a young Valya (Jessica Barden) use a preternatural ability to command in Dune: Prophecys opening scenes, it seems like an ability that she alone has developed, in secret. In the era of Paul Atreides, the Voice is a core part of Bene Gesserit training, and their ability to force compliance through verbal commands is so well known that Baron Harkonnen has deaf guards specifically for capturing Jessica Atreides, known Bene Gesserit adept.Their eugenics plan and disdain for direct powerIn this premiere episode of Dune: Prophecy, Valya and Tula are agreed on their overall plan for the Sisterhood: to place a figurehead on the Imperial throne that their order controls. Any daughter of the ruling house Corrino would do, but Princess Ynez (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina) is their current candidate. She wants to attend the Sisterhoods school and learn the art of lie detection for herself, while Valya and Tula intend to manipulate her into unshakable loyalty to the order.And while the Bene Gesserit of Dunes era are after much the same goal (a Bene Gesserit-controlled figurehead on the Imperial throne) their methods couldnt be more different. Somewhere between now and when the Sisterhood becomes the true Bene Gesserit order, the organization abandons the idea of direct power through a Bene Gesserit monarch and takes on a much longer-term plan.Over several thousand years, the Bene Gesserit will seek to become the arbiters of all marriages, and therefore genetic bloodlines, in the galaxys noble houses, using that soft power to eugenically breed a psychic superbeing through which the Bene Gesserit can rule humanity in perpetuity.The Panoplia Propheticus and the actual prophecyValya and Tula are already grappling with the power of prophecy, and what truth, if any, can be derived from it and yet their current plan doesnt seem to have a whiff of religious manipulation about them. Over time, that will become another vital tool in the Bene Gesserit arsenal.In the thousands of years it takes for the Bene Gesserit eugenics plan to percolate, the order uses a widespread network of agents the Missionaria Protectiva to seed the religious prophecy of the coming messiah throughout the galaxys downtrodden, poor, and lowborn. Thanks to this secret mandate the Panoplia Propheticus Bene Gesserit adepts can find a haven on any world, from a manufactured cultural tradition of protecting and respecting witchy women. And, when the Bene Gesserit messiah, the Kwisatz Haderach, appears, humanity will be primed to follow him.From Dune, we know that the Bene Gesserit plan will eventually fail on its penultimate step: Paul Atreides, born a generation early, will take on the mantle of Kwisatz Haderach to get revenge on House Harkonnen and answer Fremen pleas for freedom. But the women who began the Bene Gesserit had every intention of keeping their messiah under the orders thumb.What does all this mean for Dune: Prophecy?Well, the shows premiere episode, The Hidden Hand, has already put the Voice on screen, waiting for Valya to share that superpower with the rest of the order. It also tells us that somewhere in here, leadership of the Sisterhood is going to change their minds about overtly seizing the Imperial throne Princess Ynez is not the organizations path to galactic domination. And, somewhere in the wings, is the Bene Gesserit realization that the power of religion to control the masses is too great to not be weaponized.Whether well get all of that in Dune: Prophecys first season, or if Alison Schapker and crew plan to parcel it out in later seasons, remains to be seen.

This coming Monday, the Game Awards 2024 will announce its list of nominees, selected from ballots submitted by video game publications, including a ballot from us here at Polygon. Today, Geoff Keighley and company have issued a clarification on nominees eligibility. Although previously, the rules did not explicitly forbid video game DLCs and expansions from nomination, some may have erroneously assumed that DLCs wouldnt be in contention for these awards.In the update posted today to the FAQ on The Game Awards website, theres a new question: Are DLCs, expansion packs and remakes/ remasters eligible? Heres the answer:The Game Awards aims to recognize the best creative and technical work each year, irrespective of the format of that contents release. Expansion packs, new game seasons, DLCs, remakes and remasters are eligible in all categories, if the jury deems the new creative and technical work to be worthy of a nomination. Factors such as the newness of the content and its price/value should be taken into consideration.The Game Awards: Expansion packs, new game seasons, DLCs, remakes and remasters are eligible in all categories, if the jury deems the new creative and technical work to be worthy of a nominationhttps://t.co/boXNubjiBP pic.twitter.com/lkfBsNe15Y Wario64 (@Wario64) November 16, 2024We arent sure whether or not Shadow of the Erdtree will get a GOTY nomination, nor other nominations previously, we might have predicted seeing Elden Ring in Best Ongoing Game (the place that the parent games for exceptional DLCs and expansions tend to get nominated, thereby serving as a way for those additions to be recognized). Now, it could end up anywhere. As for the DLC itself, we loved it.Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly suggested that voters for The Game Awards might not have been aware of this rule. According to a source at The Game Awards, voters were informed prior to submitting their ballots.

Fans of Critical Roles second campaign are in for a spicy treat. Penguin Random House announced it will publish the tabletop media empires newest novel, Tusk Love. The fictional smutty romance that started off as an inside joke on the popular actual play has taken on a new, very real, life thanks to their partnership with the traditional publishing house.Written by New York Times bestselling author Thea Guazon, Tusk Love builds on the recent resurgence of the Romantasy genre, alongside A Court of Thorns and Roses and Fourth Wing. While not set in the world of Exandria, Tusk Love has held a special place in the heart of many Critical Role fans, popping up throughout the adventures of the Mighty Nein and making a special appearance in the Legends of Vox Machina animated series. Romantic fans of the actual play pined as Laura Baileys tiefling character Jester Lavorre made allusions to the book while she pursued her romantic interest Fjord (played by Baileys real world husband Travis Willingham).According to the description on the Critical Role books page, the plot of the novel follows the beats one would expect from Jesters favorite romance. Jesters self-insert Guinevere is the daughter of an ambitious merchant (much like the character herself), determined by birth to marry into a noble house and live quietly as a lordlings obedient life. But she wants more. When her caravan is attacked by bandits, Guinevere is saved by the stoic Oskar (Jesters head canon Fjord fantasy), who thinks shes little more than a spoiled waif. The two must put aside their differences to survive the dangerous Amber Road, doing everything in their power to ignore their growing passion as they must choose between the lives that have been chosen for them, or the one they make for themselves.Tusk Love will be Critical Roles seventh book published in partnership with big-five publisher Penguin Random House. Their previous publications include prequel novels such as Kith and Kin by Marieke Nijkamp, The Nine Eyes of Lucien by Madelein Roux, and What Doesnt Break by Cassandra Khaw; along side the official Exquisite Exandria Cook Book, The World of Critical Role production guide, and Critical Role Mad Libs. Tusk Love is set to debut in July 2025, available for $30 wherever books are sold.