Donkey Kong will break new ground in his new Switch 2 game, Donkey Kong Bananza. I mean that literally, in the sense that the 3D action-adventure game is about destruction and digging into the hard earth with DKs meaty fists. But Bananza will also push the Donkey Kong series forward by putting pants on Nintendos iconic ape. Thats right, Donkey Kong is no longer just weirdly wearing a tie but otherwise completely naked; this Kong wears trousers (and suspenders).Do we have actor, producer, and ceramics enthusiast Seth Rogen to thank for this? Maybe.Rogen, who voiced Donkey Kong in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, previously said in a behind-the-scenes interview about his role, Its a fun character, its a fun world. I would be thrilled to see Donkey Kong go on more adventures. Maybe give him some pants this time.That movie has definitely had an impact on Donkey Kongs current design. But it is strange that Donkey Kong, who has famously not worn pants over the course of his career, is now just wearing britches out of nowhere. Other Kongs, like Funky Kong, Tiny Kong, and Lanky Kong, have worn pants, but DKs immediate family, including Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong, have been content Donald Ducking it for decades. So it clearly isnt a shame thing.Only rarely has DK worn anything below the waist, including what Id consider non-canonical appearances in games like Skylanders: SuperChargers, where he wore a full outfit. Otherwise, including at events like the Olympics, Kong keeps things banana out. (Of his pockets. Because he has no pants pockets to put bananas in.)Its clear from Donkey Kong Bananza screenshots that at a certain point in the game, Donkey Kong will acquire (or lose) the pants. So its not like Nintendo has suddenly found new modesty regarding DKs bare bottom, which will be presented with more realistic detail and seen directly from behind in Bananza (as opposed to side-on in the Donkey Kong Country games). The games trailer also shows many other apes wearing slacks, jeans, and bottoms, so maybe this is a new thing that primates in the Mario universe do.Weve asked Nintendo to shed some light on Donkey Kongs new pants-wearing habit, and will update when the company responds with answers to this mystery.But we may have to wait until July to fully understand the reasons behind Donkey Kongs new wardrobe. Donkey Kong Bananza will be released on Nintendo Switch 2 on July 17.

The best weapons in Assassins Creed Shadows give you the proper tools to smack all the nasty ronin and unfriendly bandits youll come across.As each legendary weapon has a unique gameplay perk not to mention the usually higher stats theyre typically more useful than lower-quality weapons. Together with the best armor in Assassins Creed Shadows, you can mix and match these perks to achieve the perfect loadout for your playstyle, whether you prefer to be a stealthy shinobi or sturdy samurai.Below, well show to the best weapons in Assassins Creed Shadows, broken down by the best weapons for Naoe and the best weapons for Yasuke.Update (April 2): Weve added additional legendary weapons to round out the list of best weapons.Best weapons for NaoeSome of the best shinobi weapons focus on Naoes specialty, stealth attacks, but its also important to improve her combat prowess when shes not hiding in the shadows. You might want to combine a stealthy weapon with a kusarigama to clear the field, or perhaps a katana thatll inflict damage over time. Here are the best weapons for Naoe.Bloodshade KatanaPerk: Affliction buildup is not lost over timeLocation: Izumi Settsu, on a ship west of OsakaWith an 18% default bleed buildup, the Bloodshade Katana bleeds your enemies in just six hits. Whereas any other weapon would require quick, consecutive slashes to avoid affliction loss, the Bloodshade Katana allows for complete freedom, as the bleed buildup is never lost. Besides being one of the best weapons in Assassins Creed Shadows, this katana is also one of the easiest to obtain in early game, but beware that its ridiculously easy to miss as its hidden in an unmarked spot on a ship west of Osaka.Yami No Kage KatanaPerk: Deal 100% damage to the attacker on deflectLocation: Clear Hiraiyama Fort in the Warfields, eastern HarimaThis legendary katana comes with a massive damage boost that works well with almost any other weapon, perk, or armor set as long as its not too focused on assassinations and tools. Of course, this weapon truly shines if youre good at deflecting damage (Naoes version of parrying), but you can grab it fairly early in the game, so theres plenty of time to practice.Violet Night KatanaPerk: Trigger poison on deflectLocation: Complete the Yuki Onna objective (The Yokai) in the mountains of northeastern OmiAnother legendary katana with a deflect-based effect, but this one applies poison whenever you deflect an attack. Whereas the previous katana has a higher direct damage potential, Violet Night works better for affliction builds. Its absolutely perfect in combination with the Bloodshades perk (no affliction loss) and the Noh Masterstroke Mask, which grants extra adrenaline upon affliction buildup or, in this case, on every deflection with the Violet Night.Yukimitsus Revenge TantoPerk: Afflicted enemies are vulnerable.Location: Complete the Ancient Tomb of Nanjo kofun in Yamashiro, southwest of KyotoThis legendary tanto is a must-have for players who use Naoes affliction damage. While it doesnt do anything for affliction buildup or affliction damage directly, it makes afflicted enemies vulnerable, which you can normally only do by parrying, dodging, and deflecting incoming attacks. Vulnerable enemies cant defend themselves, allowing you to land devastating blows before the vulnerable state ends. Just focus on fast affliction application, and this tanto will constantly trigger the vulnerable state.Call of the Void TantoPerk: Deals +30% damage to tagged enemiesLocation: Defeat the Godai of Void in a cave in the Daikichiji Temple, northern OmiIf you want a straightforward, reliable damage boost, this legendary tanto is perfect. All you need to do is tag an opponent, and you will an extra 30% damage with any attack type. Its a simple but powerful effect that combines well with almost any other perk. If theres a downside to the Call of the Void tanto, its probably the hiding skills of its previous owners: You must ride north through the temple (do not go left to the mountain peak) and youll eventually see the cave entrance with the legendary chest inside.Featherstorm KusarigamaPerk: Instantly charge posture attacks when hitting multiple enemiesLocation: Inside Kashiwabara Fortress, the northeastern part of Omi (not the main prize look for the chest in the northern part of the fortress)Close-quarters combat is usually more Yasukes thing, but whenever Naoe is forced into a face-to-face fight, the Featherstorm Kusarigama is her savior. This heavy-hitting weapon comes with a high-range posture attack that smashes all nearby enemies, making it perfect for fighting multiple opponents. Whats more, its perk instantly charges Naoes posture attack which may not seem that spectacular, but in the heat of battle, that one second can make all the difference between an unfortunate interruption and a devastating blow.Best weapons for YasukeIn Assassins Creed Shadows, samurai weapons range from massive clubs to sleek naginatas. While you could combine a heavy melee weapon with a lighter one, consider using one of Yasukes ranged weapons too; a well-aimed shot will certainly start the battle in your favor. Heres a list of the best weapons for Yasuke.Flowing Peace Long KatanaPerk: Removes 1 health segment after armor breakLocation: Pick up The Hunters of Kyonyo quest in Negoroji, Kii, then defeat their leader in Iseji TrailsDealing extra damage is always nice, and instantly depleting a full health segment upon armor break is certainly helpful against tougher enemies. However, what makes the Flowing Peace long katana particularly useful is its field-clearing potential. Weaker enemies only have a few health segments (if not just one), so as long as you build Yasuke with high armor damage stats and decent armor-breaking abilities, hell take them out in a second.Vengeful Foe NaginataPerk: Grants 35% bleed buildup on successful parryLocation: Complete The Tournament quest at the Ominesanji Temple in YamatoIf youre looking for quick bleed application, the Vengeful Foe is your friend. This legendary naginata makes it ridiculously easy to bleed enemies as you simply need to parry incoming attacks. Of course, 35% isnt enough to trigger instant bleed, but with a default bleed buildup of 18%, youre already halfway there. Its helpful to pair this weapon with the Crescent Strike active ability (and its first passive node), which applies another 35% bleed upon hit.Shade of Blight NaginataPerk: Grants +100% of an adrenaline chunk upon affliction triggerLocation: Complete the contract on The Messenger at the Kofukuji Temple (northern Yamato)Active combat abilities offer a massive advantage in battle, but you may not use them all that often, as they require lots of adrenaline. If youre wielding the Shade of Blight Naginata, though, that calculus becomes a thing of the past. Granting a full adrenaline chunk whenever you trigger an affliction, you just need to boost your affliction buildup to reap the benefits of extra damage and more ability usage. Whats more, the Shade of Blight already has 18% poison buildup by default.Rage of Red Mist KanaboPerk: Grants +100% of an Adrenaline chunk after armor breakLocation: Loot from the Grave of Buried Hopes, northern YamashiroAnother excellent weapon to regain adrenaline is the Rage of Red Mist. All you need to do is break the opponents armor by depleting the yellow bar above their HP no problem when youre handling a heavy kanabo. Yasuke has plenty of armor-destroying abilities too, which basically means you can use adrenaline to destroy the armor before instantly gaining it back. To top that off, this kanabo is relatively easy to obtain as it lies unguarded in one of the first regions.Boulder Fall KanaboPerk: Attacks cannot be interruptedLocation: Defeat the Katsuragi Agent in the Gokenin Manor in Katsuragi, western YamatoDoes this really need any explanation beyond your attacks cannot be interrupted? More than just an extremely destructive heavy weapon, the Boulder Fall is an unstoppable heavy weapon. The risk of interruptions used to be the sluggish kanabos main weakness, but this overpowered Yasuke weapon just eliminates that problem. If you aim to smack everyone and everything in your way, the Boulder Fall is for you.Venom Pillar KanaboPerk: Instantly charge posture attacks by alternating attack typesLocation: In the Kajimiya Cemetery, southwest of Sakamoto, Omi provinceRegardless of perks, the kanabo is one of the most powerful weapons in Assassins Creed Shadows. True, it can be a bit slow, but its blows have an incredibly high damage potential. If you wield the magnificent Venom Pillar Kanabo, you can trigger a light attack followed by a heavy attack (or vice versa), to perform an instantly-charged posture attack. This combo will quickly overpower even the toughest enemies, without allowing them to recover and interrupt your charged strike. Granted, Venom Pillar isnt as strong as the Boulder Fall, but you can grab it very early on (just find the chest it isnt guarded).Dynasty Ender TeppoPerk: Suppress firing noiseLocation: Inside Genbao Fort, northern part of WakasaTeppo rifles deal fantastic damage, but they have a few drawbacks: Theyre slow, they lack range, and, most importantly, theyre loud enough to alert an entire castle to your presence. Any teppo with a perk to negate those downsides is a welcome addition to your armory, but especially the Dynasty Ender, as it hardly makes any noise when fired. Instead of just an opening move, the teppo becomes Yasukes best stealth weapon, allowing you to fire it multiple times without detection.Dragons Wrath BowPerk: Instantly charge arrowsLocation: Defeat the Tsutsui Agent in Koriyama CastleThere are several perks you can use to boost Yasukes archery damage, but only one that improves the draw speed. The Dragons Wrath bow is extremely handy when youre playing a stealthy archer as you can kill all nearby enemies before they realize whats going on and quickly finish the job if one arrow per enemy isnt enough. Dragons Wrath is particularly unmissable, however, if you want to shoot enemies in open combat you simply wont have enough time to charge your shots without it.For more Assassins Creed Shadows guides, see our running lists of Lost Pages, Kuji-kiri, and armor locations. Or see our full Assassins Creed Shadows walkthrough, and our guides on how to get all companions and romance options.

A public poll to determine the most influential video game of all time, held by the U.K. screen arts academy BAFTA, has returned an extremely surprising (if not totally unworthy) result: Shenmue, Yu Suzukis wildly ambitious 1999 Sega Dreamcast game about one young mans search for justice (and capsule toys).Shenmue beat more routinely canonized classics like Doom, Super Mario Bros., Half-Life, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to claim the title. Those four games made up the rest of the top five. Minecraft came in sixth place, Tetris in 11th, Final Fantasy 7 in 17th, and Grand Theft Auto 3 placed a lowly 19th.Theres evidence that BAFTAs poll was subject to some brigading among passionate game fans; Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, a (by all accounts very good) role-playing game that has barely been out for two months, came in 7th place, just ahead of Super Mario 64. Still, theres no disputing the worthiness of most of the games in BAFTAs top 21, even if the order is a little idiosyncratic.Shenmue was a passion project for the Sega producer Suzuki, the creator of Out Run and Virtua Fighter. The most expensive game ever made at the time, its a boldly realistic take on the humdrum daily life of Ryo Hazuki, a teenage martial artist out to avenge his fathers murder in the 1980s. It features incredibly detailed environments, a day-and-night system, NPCs who obey their own schedules, dozens of minigames and quite a lot of just waiting around.Shenmue was certainly ahead of its time, although its debatable how influential it has been on other games certainly in comparison to something like GTA 3. Conceived as a multi-part epic, it was a commercial failure, and though Shenmue 2 came out in 2001, it would be 18 years before Suzuki got to continue his story in the crowd-funded Shenmue 3.Responding to the accolade in a statement, Suzuki said, I am deeply honoured and grateful that Shenmue has been selected as the Most Influential Video Game of All Time. At its inception, we set out to explore the question, How real can a game become?, aiming to portray a world and story unprecedented in scale and detail. This distinction serves as a powerful reminder that the challenge we embraced continues to resonate with and inspire so many people even today. It is truly the greatest of encouragement.Above all, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the fans around the world who have continued to love and support Shenmue. Your passion and encouragement have guided this journey every step of the way. And the story is not over yet, there is more to come! Thank you very much!BAFTAs poll was conducted as a prelude to the BAFTA Games Awards, which take place next week on April 8. In a similar poll last year, the public selected Tomb Raiders Lara Croft as the most iconic video games character of all time, ahead of Mario, Sonic, and Hitmans Agent 47.Heres the full ranking of the top 21 most influential video games of all time, according to BAFTAs poll:ShenmueDoom (1993)Super Mario Bros.Half-LifeThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of TimeMinecraftKingdom Come: Deliverance 2Super Mario 64Half-Life 2The SimsTetrisTomb RaiderPongMetal Gear SolidWorld of WarcraftBaldurs Gate 3Final Fantasy 7Dark SoulsGrand Theft Auto 3The Elder Scrolls 5: SkyrimGrand Theft Auto

Dropouts hit D&D actual play anthology series, Dimension 20, has covered a lot of ground over the course of its run. But with the premiere of its 25th season, Titan Takedown, the D20 crew has got something that may surprise even long-time fans: A post-credits segment.So if youre looking forward to the first episode of Titan Takedown this week, this is your warning: Dont close the player once the credits start rolling to watch Make Some Noise or Very Important People, stick around.And if youve already been there, done that, and watched the footage read on, because we asked Dimension 20 host Brennan Lee Mulligan how it all came together.[Ed. note: This piece contains spoilers for the post-credits scene of Titan Takedowns first episode.]When Polygon spoke to Mulligan, he said that the post-credits segment in which D20 veterans Brian Murphy and Ify Nwadiwe appear in costume and character as Greek mythology-themed wrestling commentators was all about giving Dropouts biggest wrestling buffs a chance to join in on this collaboration with the world of WWE.We had a ton of huge wrestling fans that are amongst the cast and crew, Mulligan told Polygon, and there were these ways to generate really fun additional content that would get fans excited, and also allow multiple hands to touch this project. I wanted [spoiler] involved, I wanted [spoiler] involved, I wanted [spoiler] involved. Were creating a bunch of really fun additional content for fans of the show. To celebrate the show and also ham up the world-building of these incredible Ancient Greek wrestler heroes, the world-building of the season. It was a joyful project that also got to expand the family of people working on the show.Mulligan understandably didnt want to spoil upcoming extras, so weve omitted the specifics of who all is involved, but suffice to say: Its not just Murphy and Nwadiwe whove gotten an invite to the party. Fans can expect more Dropout stars to drop in on Titan Takedown during the rest of its four-episode season.

Its a good thing that the Nintendo Switch 2 comes with a base 256 GB of internal storage eight times more than the original Switchs paltry 32 GB because some Nintendo Switch 2 games wont come on the cartridge at all; instead, so-called game-key cards will simply contain a key which you will use to download the game via the internet, according to a support page on Nintendos website.After its downloaded, you can play the game by inserting the game-key card into your system and starting it up like a standard physical game card, the page reads. Heres how that looks on the retail packaging:In some ways, this is a new spin on an old trick. Some Nintendo Switch games have been sold at retail, but the packaging simply included a code used to download the game to your account. To be fair, this hasnt been as common on Switch as it has been on competitive consoles, but nevertheless, for the people still committed to purchasing physical games, it riles. This is, in fact, the same tactic that Microsoft (in)famously unveiled alongside the Xbox One; of course, that was over a decade ago and consumer sentiment has changed. Were all Game Passing and PS Plus-ing our games, and maybe potentially feel some ownership over the digital goods were purchasing on Steam. Maybe.But Im one of those physical media people! First, Im scientifically old. I was born in the 1970s, my first job was at a video store (ask your parents), and I still have a large collection of video games (and video games consoles ). I understand that I am not the target demographic, in many ways. But also, until the Switch, the prospect of purchasing digital Nintendo games was foolish! If you lost your DS or 3DS on a bus a not-unheard-of scenario for a portable game console your digital purchases were gone. Here I am yelling about Nintendos shoddy online services in 2012 just before the launch of the Wii U, and again in 2017 just before the launch of the Switch.The good news: I dont need to write that same piece again! Nintendo has kinda figured this out. I still buy my Switch games in cartridge format, not because Im afraid of losing the Switch and, by extension, my entire library but because its easier to share games with friends and family, including people in my own household. But I also genuinely worry about what happens when companies and maybe, specifically here, Nintendo take their own game servers offline. Can I download what I bought? How do I play older games I care about? Microsoft has been working to address the unsatisfactory vibes of digital ownership, and I often point out that my Steam library persists even as so (so, so) many of the developers and publishers behind the games in my Steam library no longer do.So lets call this a sign of the times. We dont know how often Nintendo and its publishing partners will use this game-key card solution, and maybe in some cases its the right answer surely some games will simply be too large to fit on this storage device. Switch game carts capped out at 32 GB, while the coming-to-Switch 2 Cyberpunk 2077 install clips past 50 GB without the expansion pack. Even if it maybe makes sense, I dont have to like it.

On top of the improved graphical performance for the Switch 2 versions of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, there will be a suite of new features in the Nintendo Switch phone app, including an achievement system and, strangely, a voice navigation assistant.The new service inside the Switch app is called Zelda Notes. It only works for the Switch 2 versions, and is designed to provide a more streamlined gameplay experience, according to the overview trailer.The app has achievement-like medals you can earn for doing things like traveling long distances, defeating enemies, collecting rupees, and other metrics. Medals are tracked globally and you can view what other players have earned compared to yourself in the app, too.All I can say is that its a very Nintendo move to add achievements to only two Switch 2 games that exist solely on a service inside of an app. You could speculate on whether this means Nintendo is gearing up to finally make its own version of achievements in the year 2025, but we all know within ourselves that this is probably a weird one-off thing well never see again.Another major feature of Zelda Notes is voice navigation, which looks a lot like a GPS assistant that can tell you where to find things like Koroks, Skyview Towers, Shrines, and more. In the short demo, a player selects a map icon on their phone and the voice calls out directions to a Korok hidden under a rock in Tears of the Kingdom.To me, its an odd feature to include for two open-world games about the joys of exploring and discovering things. Theres no shame in using guides when youre stumped, but Im not sure these games would be as much fun if you spent the entire time being told where to go. It makes more sense to use it for finding something in a pinch or cleaning up what you missed. Honestly, Im having trouble trying to think of who Nintendo thinks this is for.One of the things you can use the navigation assistant to find are a bunch of new voice memories from Zelda, King Rauru, and Master Kohga. These short audio diaries are scattered around the world and let you hear the characters thoughts on locations and moments in Hyrules history. All the Zelda lore heads out there will have a new reason to boot up their old save files.The app also lets you share blueprints for your Tears of the Kingdom builds a feature that wouldve been nice two years ago as well as gift items to other players, edit screenshots, roll for small daily in-game bonuses, and get rewards for scanning amiibo.The Zelda Notes service will go live inside the Nintendo Switch app on June 5, the same day the Switch 2 launches, along with the upgraded versions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

Zelda, seen here in a 4K screenshot from the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.Nintendo confirmed back in November 2024, two months before the company even unveiled the Nintendo Switch 2, that the new console would be backward-compatible with games for the original Nintendo Switch. Now, after detailing the systems hardware and software in an hourlong Nintendo Direct presentation, the company has provided the first real specifics on the nature of Switch 2s backward compatibility.We now know that the Switch 2 will work with many Switch accessories including, most importantly, the original consoles Joy-Cons and Pro Controller as well as games. But as Nintendo has previously hinted, not every Switch game will be playable (or, at least, fully playable) on the Switch 2. Heres what weve learned so far.Will the Switch 2 be backward-compatible with physical and digital Switch games?Yes, Nintendo confirmed in its April 2 Nintendo Direct that the Switch 2 will support both physical and digital copies of Switch games. The size of the cartridge isnt changing; its just that Game Cards for the Switch 2 will be red, as opposed to the gray ones for the original Switch. (Theyll also have much faster data reading speeds than the old ones, said Tetsuya Sasaki, hardware design lead for the Switch 2, in the Nintendo Direct.)How will Switch 2 backward compatibility work?The Switch 2 doesnt contain any hardware from the original Switch, and Nintendo isnt relying on software emulation for backward compatibility, either. Instead, the companys solution falls somewhere in between a software emulator and hardware compatibility, said Switch 2 director Takuhiro Dohta in an Ask the Developer interview published by Nintendo. Sasaki explained, The process of converting game data for Switch to run on Switch 2 is performed on a real-time basis as the data is read in, which makes it sound similar to the way Proton gets Windows PC games to run on the Linux-based Steam Deck.This method allows for adding Switch 2 features, such as GameChat support, to Switch games played via backward compatibility. Dohta added, We believe there are many things we can do, such as making Switch games compatible with GameShare through free updates, as well as leveraging Switch 2s processing power to enable games to run in higher resolution and with a smoother frame rate.So the Switch 2 will run Switch games better?Nintendo has not indicated that the Switch 2 will provide across-the-board improvements to graphics or performance when running Switch games, although that will happen with some games. It appears that it will be up to developers and publishers to issue patches to deliver these upgrades.So far, Nintendo has detailed two different strategies for upgrading first-party Switch games. Select titles the list on the Nintendo website currently features a dozen will get free updates to improve playability on the Nintendo Switch 2 system. The games in question run the gamut from launch-year titles like Super Mario Odyssey to recent releases such as The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. In addition to performance improvements, these patches can add elements like support for Switch 2 features such as GameShare.The other upgrade route sounds like it will offer more significant additions and improvements to certain Switch games but this one will cost you money. Nintendo will sell what it calls an upgrade pack for these titles; the company hasnt yet said how much it will charge. A bundle of a game and its upgrade pack will be known as a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.At this point, the company has announced upgrade packs for six games: Kirby and the Forgotten Land, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Super Mario Party Jamboree, and the upcoming titles Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokmon Legends: Z-A (both of which are scheduled to launch in 2025).The details vary greatly depending on the game. For the new Pokmon game, all you get is improved performance with higher frame rate and resolution. Both of the Zelda upgrades will deliver that, along with faster load times, HDR, and support for the new Zelda Notes service. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will be playable on Switch 2 with mouse controls, thanks to the Joy-Con 2. And the upgrade packs for both Super Mario Party Jamboree and Kirby and the Forgotten Land will offer new content.Will the Switch 2 be backward-compatible with all Switch games?That would be a tall order, and the answer is no but the level of support, as seen on a page on the Nintendo website that details the Switch 2s backward-compatibility functionality, does seem impressive so far.Nintendo is currently working its way through the entire library of Switch games one by one, conducting limited testing with each game to see if it works on the Switch 2. It might not be that all Switch games run perfectly in time for the launch of Switch 2, but we will continue our efforts so that we can support as many Switch games as possible, said Switch 2 producer Kouichi Kawamoto in the Ask the Developer interview.Switch 2 backward compatibility support for first-party gamesNintendo says that as of April 1, it has tested 122 first-party Switch titles and found only one that doesnt work with the Switch 2 Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 04: VR Kit. That package came with a cardboard contraption that turned the Switch into a pair of virtual reality goggles, and the Switch 2 is a bigger device, so it simply cant fit into it.However, Nintendo Labo wont be completely dead on the Switch 2: Toy-Con 01, Toy-Con 02, and Toy-Con 03 will each work to some degree. Those three titles and six others can only be played on the Switch 2 using Joy-Cons from the original Switch, because they rely on something unique about those controllers. Some games, like WarioWare: Move It!, need the infrared camera in the right Joy-Con, which doesnt exist in the Joy-Con 2; others, like Ring Fit Adventure, use an accessory that the Joy-Con 2 cant fit into.Switch 2 backward compatibility support for third-party gamesBy Nintendos count, more than 15,000 third-party games have been released for the Switch. In the companys testing so far, it has found 141 titles that dont boot up at all on the Switch 2, including popular games such as Dead by Daylight, Doom Eternal, and Fortnite. (Thankfully, Fortnite appeared in the April 2 Nintendo Direct as a Switch 2 launch title, which takes care of that concern.) An additional 47 games are listed as playable with some in-game compatibility issues; these include Alan Wake Remastered, Fall Guys, and Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection.Its possible that those numbers will go up as Nintendo tests more games, but its also likely that some titles will come off these lists as the company works with third parties to address the compatibility issues.Will the Switch 2 work with Switch accessories like controllers?Yup! With a few exceptions, peripherals such as the Switchs Joy-Cons and Pro Controller will be compatible with the Switch 2. You can check Nintendos support site for a full list of Switch accessories to see whether the Switch 2 supports them.As far as the Joy-Cons go, note that because the Switch 2 uses a magnetic hookup for its Joy-Con 2 controllers rather than the sliding mechanism for the original Switch and its Joy-Cons it isnt possible to connect Switch Joy-Cons to the Switch 2; they can only be paired and used wirelessly. (That also means that you wont be able to charge the Joy-Cons unless you slide them back onto your Switch, or you have a Charging Grip or Charging Stand for that system lying around.)The Switch Pro Controller can be charged by plugging it into the Switch 2 dock or one of the systems two USB-C ports, but it must still be paired wirelessly in order to be used. In other words, a wired connection isnt supported with the Switch 2 as it is with the Switch.Can the Switch 2 be used with the original Switchs dock?No, unfortunately. While Nintendo made a point of saying in its April 2 Nintendo Direct presentation that the Switch and Switch 2 have the exact same depth theyre both 13.9 mm (0.55 in) thick the original Switchs dock is not compatible with the Switch 2. The issue could come down to physical differences in the bottom edge of the console that prevent it from sitting in the old dock.Can microSD cards be used to expand the Switch 2s storage?The Switch 2 features 256 GB of onboard storage, and it can be expanded only with microSD Express cards. This is a flash memory standard with significantly faster read and write speeds than the standard microSD cards that the original Switch supports.You can slot a microSD card from your original Switch into the Switch 2, but the only thing youll be able to do with it is view screenshots or videos captured in Switch games to the card.

Navigating the eShop on the Nintendo Switch is a trial. Not only does it chug when youre scrolling through games, its borderline impossible to find exactly what you want. Even new games are sometimes hard to find. And there are entire websites dedicated to doing the heavy lifting for you so you dont ever have to engage with it. Its a mess that hasnt been cleaned up for years.According to Nintendo developers in a recent official interview, Switch 2s updated eShop wont be as awful to use.Thanks to the systems performance capabilities, Nintendo eShop on Switch 2 has been improved and runs smoothly even when displaying a large number of games, Takuhiro Dohta, senior director of the entertainment, planning, and development department said.A new Game Finds for You feature on the eShop will highlight screenshots and videos of recommended games. Producer of the entertainment, planning, and development department Kouichi Kawamoto believes it will help you easily find something interesting without having to search every nook and cranny of the Nintendo eShop.Thats good news, because the eShop is currently overrun with clones of popular games, like Unpacking, and games using generative AI art with no clear disclaimers. Nintendo didnt specifically comment on this in the interview, but official curation could be a way around it.Other common issues with the eShops poor search results and wonky wishlist integration werent mentioned either. All we have is an extremely brief clip within the interview transcript showing what the new interface will look like, but its too short to get into the details of how everything will work.Nintendo didnt spend a lot of time talking about the eShop during the Switch 2 Direct today. Instead, the company focused on new games and new features. Lets just hope the eShop gets the upgrades its needed for so long, so discovering new games isnt such a pain.

Nintendo took an unusual approach to the past two decades of video game console wars. It stayed out of them. But with todays Nintendo Switch 2 info dump packed with big-name third-party games rarely seen on Nintendo hardware the House that Mario Built appears ready to rejoin the fray. Why now? Credit a collision of confidence, opportunity, and necessity.Sony and Microsoft have spent generations bloodying each other in a battle for the most extravagant visuals, courting favor with major publishers like Activision and Electronic Arts. Meanwhile, Nintendo swam in the opposite direction, favoring cheaper, less powerful machines that prioritized toy-like novelty over raw specs.The historic successes of both the Wii and the Switch obscure how risky this gamble has been. The slower hardware with a few, better-forgotten exceptions couldnt run the latest entries in gamings most popular franchises, including Madden, Call of Duty, and Grand Theft Auto. Survival hinged on Nintendos ability to produce multiple exclusive hits each year, with smaller indie titles filling the gaps.With the Switch, everything went Nintendos way by both design and good fortune. The publisher assembled arguably the greatest first-party lineup in history. Indie development exploded. And a new wave of beloved IP Minecraft, Fortnite, Roblox designed for smartphone-level specs meant that Nintendos hardware, unintentionally, could play some of the biggest games on the planet.And yet, today, Nintendos hourlong Switch 2 reveal stream featured an abundance of titles once rare on its systems. 2K Games showed off new entries in the WWE, Civilization, and Borderlands franchises. Other developers, like IO Interactive, pledged to bring hits once best experienced on Xbox or PlayStation, like Hitman and the upcoming Project 007. Square Enix showed the remakes of Final Fantasy 7, and EA appeared, committing EA Sports FC and Madden to the platform.Its possible that coming off the success of the Switch a far cry from Nintendos grim posture after the Wii U the gamemaker feels positioned to push into the third-party territory ceded to Sony and Microsoft, the latter of which seems to be clinging to its hardware business by its fingertips. After all, Nintendo has sold over 150 million Switch consoles more than the PS5 and Xbox Series X and S combined.Its also possible a mix of luck and industry trends will once again favor Nintendo. Sony and Microsofts reluctance to fully leave the PS4 and Xbox One era behind coupled with a generation raised on mobile gaming has trained AAA developers to build for underpowered hardware. The Switch 2 will still trail behind top-tier machines in horsepower, but that may no longer matter. Most major franchises simply dont demand cutting-edge specs.Both of those are likely a piece of the puzzle. But I believe Nintendos decision to release a more expensive and slightly more powerful device may have less to do with past console wars and more to do with its biggest threat in the present. In 2025, Valves Steam Deck does what the Switch doesnt: It lets players enjoy most AAA games any time, anywhere and offers many of the same indie titles at steep discounts. (That it also runs emulated games from every Nintendo console ever released surely isnt lost on the company either, as it continues its crackdown on third-party emulation.)If Nintendo once again ignores third parties and their graphical needs, it would find itself competing against a growing number of handhelds that offer more power and more games, often with better specs albeit higher prices.Inexplicably, Microsoft and Sony burned an entire hardware cycle without answering the Switchs key selling point: portability. It took a PC gaming marketplace with almost no hardware pedigree to offer legitimate competition. And Nintendo, with the Switch 2s higher price, greater power, and suite of PC-like social features, seems to be taking the threat seriously.Yes, Nintendo has reentered the modern console wars. Maybe, one day, Sony and Microsoft will too.

A paper from the Offenburg University in Germany shows new statistics about sexual harassment in Valorant and Overwatch, two popular online multiplayer shooters from Riot Games and Blizzard Entertainment. The results showed that sexual harassment and abusive comments are still an unfortunately common part of these games, with the authors suggesting a larger study should be carried out across a wider range of games. The paper, Sexual Harassment in Valorant and Overwatch Voice Chats, covers two studies. Polygon reviewed the study, which shows subjects encounter a regular stream of both toxic, profane insults and sexual harassment.Both games have professional esports scenes, and both encourage players to climb a competitive ladder, continually improving their own skills. The first study followed two female players, tracking their games played from home, and transcribing the voice chats throughout each match. The Overwatch player, known as Subject P1, played in the Platinum League, which puts her in approximately the top 37% of players skill-wise. Subject P2, who chose Valorant, was Silver 3, which places her in the top 33% of players. The second, longer-term study followed four subjects over the course of 30 matches each, for a total of 120.The study shows continual instances of sexual harassment encountered during online gaming. There were 82 cases of sexual harassment logged over 120 matches. Sexual comments and insults were found in 14.17% of matches. The subjects also encountered a regular stream of non-specific toxicity; 80.8% of 120 matches had profanity, and general verbal abuse occurred in 25.8% of matches. While sexual harassment is less common than general toxicity, it is consistent about one in every seven matches included a teammate sexually harassing a subject over voice chat.Valorant and Overwatch make for an interesting case study, as both developers have aimed to create broadly accessible FPS games, with a diverse cast of characters to choose from. The gameplay is accompanied by out-of-game cinematics and story material showing the lives of these characters, including a romantic relationship between queer characters Fuse and Killjoy. Overwatch is well known for cultivating a community interested in the lore side of the game, hosting a healthy fandom that creates cosplay, fanfiction, and fan art. However, Blizzard and Riot have yet to find a meaningful solution to this problem, and players are left to deal with the results.

As suggested by the initial Switch 2 reveal, the big launch game for Nintendos new system will be an all-new Mario Kart. Its called Mario Kart World and will launch alongside the console on June 5, Nintendo revealed during Wednesdays Switch 2 Direct. The game has a $79.99 price tag, although you can get Mario Kart World for less if you pre-order it as part of a Switch 2 bundle priced at $499.99.Mario Kart World is an open-world racing game in the style of Forza Horizon, in which fields of 24 racers compete across a huge map with different regions. It has many features associated with more realistic racing games, including a photo mode, dynamically changing weather conditions, and time-of-day that will affect the racing experience.Players will be able to go off-road and drive virtually everywhere in this world in a free-roam mode, while the drive from one race to another during a traditional Mario Kart four-course Grand Prix will be an integral part of the competition. Knockout Tour races are a new battle royale-style variant that see players racing from one side of the map to the other, getting knocked out at checkpoints as they go.The trailer showed off a wide variety of custom vehicles, including snowmobiles, jet skis, and karts adapted for actual flight not just gliding. On some levels, its possible to perform the Mario Kart equivalent of wall-running and grinding rails. The cast of characters encompassed all the Mario Kart favorites and a few wild cards (like a playable cow), and it seemed as though custom outfits will be a thing in Mario Kart World.Therell be more detailed about Mario Kart World in a dedicated Nintendo Direct on April 17.Nintendos focus on Mario Kart World at the launch of the Switch 2 is easy to explain: Its predecessor, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, has been a smash hit on the original Switch, selling an astonishing 67 million copies. Its the best-selling Switch game by a large margin. In fact, if you add sales of the original Wii U version to bring the total to almost 76 million, Mario Kart 8 is the fifth-best-selling game of all time. Its also, arguably, Nintendos biggest hit ever Wii Sports has shipped more copies, but that was bundled free with the Wii console in many territories. Mario Kart 8 was so successful that Nintendo kept adding to it throughout the Switchs lifespan, unleashing six waves of new courses and characters through the Booster Course pass.So its no surprise that Nintendo should peg Switch 2 marketing to a hugely popular series that both defined and dominated the kart racing genre, and that has been a perennial on every Nintendo system since Super Mario Kart debuted on the SNES in 1992. Mario Kart is one of the biggest games series in the world. Will Mario Kart World continue the trend?Update: This article has been updated to include Mario Kart Worlds price.

A big new Donkey Kong 3D platforming adventure is coming to Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo announced Wednesday during its Nintendo Direct showcase dedicated to the new console. Its called Donkey Kong Bananza, and it will send (fresh new look) Donkey Kong to heretofore unexplored, underground territories where hell smash, grab, and throw things at anyone who stands in his way.Donkey Kong Bananza will be released on July 17, about six weeks after the Nintendo Switch 2 launches in June, and itll cost $69.99.While Donkey Kong Bananza looks to be primarily a 3D adventure, a trailer for the Switch 2 game reveals it will apparently have some side-scrolling elements too, in the style of the Donkey Kong Country games. Donkey Kong Bananza will be DKs first fully 3D adventure since Donkey Kong 64; subsequent games have largely focused on classic side-scrolling action.Update: This story has been updated to include the games price.

Paramount Plus released a new teaser trailer for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 today, raising at least one big mystery right off the bat: Hey, wait a second, how did Pikes Enterprise get their hands on a holodeck?Invented by the writers of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the holodeck is a piece of Federation technology that did not appear in Strange New Worlds century-earlier time period. But with SNW being something like a greatest hits cover band of all of Trek, I can imagine that being unable to plumb the deep well of holodeck tropes that proliferated throughout Treks 1990s shows has been a real writers room handicap. I dont blame them for what is I presume a one-episode treat.Besides a holodeck murder mystery, the new teaser also shows off stories involving telephones on the Enterprise, a thrilling conclusion to last seasons Gorn-based cliffhanger, and some kind of Star Trek-aping retro futuristic aesthetic episode? And thats not to mention a whole slew of new guest stars, including Rhys Darby (Our Flag Means Death), Patton Oswalt (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire), and Uzo Aduba (The Residence).The teaser remains frustratingly mum on the subject of exactly when well get to see these new episodes, with no release date in sight. Still, the season is expected to premiere on Paramount Plus in 2025, and run for ten episodes. Strange New Worlds has already been greenlit for a fourth season as well.

Cour 2 of The Apothecary Diaries season 2 kicks off this week, and man, if the show continues last weeks momentum with its delicious romance, Im going to lose it. (In the best way.)[Ed. note: This post contains spoilers for this season of The Apothecary Diaries.]While most of The Apothecary Diaries is medical mystery meets court intrigue, the show also contains a fantastically intoxicating slow-burn romance between Maomao, the titular apothecary, and Jinshi, the beautiful eunuch with secrets who runs the administration in the rear palace, where the emperors concubines live. They have deliciously contrasting personalities: Jinshi is flirtatious and charming; Maomao is pragmatic and almost cold (except when it comes to gushing over rare medical ingredients). Through working together, theyve established a rapport and a bond, though Maomao insists on not deepening it, due to their respective stations.In the most recent episode, the pair almost kissed and not just an almost-kiss, but an almost-kiss where Jinshi flipped Maomao on her back and hiked her leg up over his waist, right after shed accidentally grabbed his dick. Thats a big step for any relationship, but particularly for these two, since he has been pretending to be a eunuch but is secretly not; the actionhad him all flustered and pink-cheeked and AHHHHHHHHHHHH! It was pretty damn steamy, and had me gnashing teeth.But Jinshi and Maomaos accidental romantic situations never go smoothly especially because Maomao usually deliberately goes out of her way to avoid them. In the moment right before, after Maomao had fallen on top of Jinshi, with her hand splayed on his penis, she simply decided not to acknowledge that he had one. After all, knowing he was secretly not a eunuch would make her life way more complicated than it already was. Instead, she insisted that she must be touching a somewhat large frog. (Apparently, fans are trying to figure out just how big that might be).Such is the contrast of Maomao and Jinshi, which swings from bickering and indifference to incredibly intimate and steamy moments in the blink of an eye. Its a thrilling roller coaster and I am so here for the ride. Even if its causing me emotional whiplash thats a bonus in my book.At this point in the show, Jinshi is at least aware that he has some affections for Maomao. Maybe the teasing started because she was completely immune to his beauty, but hes grown to respect her opinion and purposefully seeks her out, driven a little crazy when she ignores him. Shes likewise grown to respect him, and even though she finds some of his antics ridiculous, she generally trusts him. Still, for the most part, she remains utterly unimpressed by his flirtatious behavior. And the best part is a lot of it is on purpose.Maomao is so wickedly smart and can easily figure out the layers of court intrigue at play here if she wanted to. Thats the key factor. Maomao very much does not want to know anything thats above her pay grade. However, she keeps getting dragged into increasingly complicated situations that she does not want to deal with, thank you very much. And Jinshi has been hiding way more than his anatomy from her. These past two episodes, Jinshi has wanted to tell her the truth about his identity. She does not want to hear it at all. She wants to claim plausible deniability, to the point where shes willing to pretend his dick is a frog. Unstoppable force meets immovable object.The episode ended without much closure on both the romance and Jinshis big reveal, so Im particularly riled up and begging for more. The Apothecary Diaries has been so damn good about teasing along its bigger mysteries while answering smaller-stakes questions. The romance is structured the same way, a slow buildup that occasionally hikes up all that tension in a big moment, like an indirect kiss via fingertips or a daring rooftop rescue. Those already made me scream, but these past couple of episodes have really sent me into a tizzy. Unfortunately, while the rush is so, so sweet, Im left craving even more. Its frustrating; its perfect.Well see just how this romance progresses in the next half of the season and considering how the stakes are ramping up, I know Im definitely going to be keysmashing my live reactions.The Apothecary Diaries season 2 cour 2 starts on Thursday on Crunchyroll.

Weve been fascinated by the Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Cons mouse functionality ever since it was teased during the very first Switch 2 reveal, by way of a Joy-Con gliding around on a featureless black surface. At Wednesdays Switch 2 Nintendo Direct, we finally got more details about how the Joy-Con mouse works, and more importantly, the games that are going to make use of this feature.Multiple Switch 2 games will be implementing the mouse. Heres a list of all the games that will be enjoying some newfound mouse support:Super Mario Party JamboreeMetroid Prime 4: BeyondDrag x DriveHogwarts LegacyCivilization 7In the case of Mario Party Jamboree, the mouse wont work on the original Switch version. And if you own the original Switch 1 version of the game, youll need to buy an upgrade pack to get the game on your Switch 2. That version of the game will also make use of the chat and webcam features (courtesy of the Switch 2s new C button).

After months of speculation, Nintendo announced the Switch 2 console on Jan. 16 and that was about it. With close-ups of the new unit and a few shots of a (theoretical) new Mario Kart, Nintendo went the Nintendo route of meeting extreme demand by doing whatever the hell it wanted on whatever timetable it felt like. The reveal came with a promise: more news on April 2, 2025.The day has come. In whats promised to be an hour-long direct, Nintendo unveiled much, much, much more about its plans for Switch 2, which launches in June. To quote Mario: WAHOO! Heres what went down.DevelopingMario Kart WorldMario Kart 9 was teased during the Switch 2s initial reveal, but now its official: Mario Kart World is arriving for the consoles launch.This versions twist: the weather changes, off-roading is highly encouraged, and you keep on driving to the next course? Packing in 24 racers in each race makes this the most open-world of any Mario Kart, and theres the promise of tons of social multiplayer modes.GameChatGet ready for a revolutionary pitch: You can now communicate with friends and family while playing a game! The Switch 2 has a microphone built into the console itself, versus the controller, but Nintendo promises that even if your bro is blending a muscle shake in the same room, noise control tech makes it no problem to keep talking without a headset. Nintendo emphasized the use of parental controls in order to contrast itself to the Wild West of Discord.The big reveal? Turns out Switch 2s mysterious C button launches GameChat.Nintendo Switch 2 CameraNintendo is reinventing Zoom. While you can play your games and talk to your buds using GameChat, the new camera accessory arriving at launch can give your multiplayer a video-call-esque twist.Local play via GameShareWhile the Switch allowed for local play on one console using two Joy-Cons, the Switch 2s GameShare function will allow pals to to play each other in a local setting using a single shared game even if the friend doesnt own a copy.Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome TourAll the new technology packed into the Switch 2 excited the team at Nintendo so much, they decided to make an entire game that allows player to learn about and experiment with the various features. In Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, which feels like the Nintendo equivalent of Astros Playroom on Playstation 5, puts players in charge of a lil guy who goes around exploring a giant version of the console, as well as playing mini games that take advantage of the Joy-Cons motion controls and mouse capabilities.Motion and voice minigame upgrade for Super Mario Party JamboreeThere are three types of games playable on Switch 2: Switch 2 exclusives, Switch 1 backward compatible games, and Switch 2 edition games, which upgrade classic titles with console-specific enhancements. Super Mario Party Jamboree, for instance, will be re-released (but free to current owners) with new games like Bowser Live, which sees the king koopa doing karaoke? And the player sings? Lots of wacky stuff but its all possible with the Switch 2s more interactive capabilities. Enhanced Zelda gamesBreath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom will also receive enhanced editions, boasting upgraded graphics and a GPS-like Nintendo app integration that can direct you to hidden kooks. A Tears-specific add-on lets friends share Zonai device builds using QR codes on the Nintendo app.Drag and DriveOptimized for the Joy-Con motion control, this new game drops players into a wheelchair basketball match. Yes, Nintendo did a Murderball. The trailer shows of the unique moves needed to score and outpace your opponents.A buttload of third-party gamesElden Ring, Split Fiction, Hogwarts Legacy, Hades II, Street Fighter 6, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3+4, and Hitman: World of Assassination were among the many titles the Switch 2 will be up to the snuff to now support.Hyrule Warriors: Age of ImprisonmentThe Zelda is back for Switch 2, in the classic way Nintendos known for before tentpole Zelda releases. The next installment of Hyrule Warriors is a prequel to Tears of the Kingdom, and chronicles the Imprisoning War, which was detailed over cutscenes in the original game. Now you can play them! The game will launch this winter.GameCube games come to Nintendo Switch OnlineDreams can come true. Nintendo confirmed GameCube games will officially hit online platform when Switch 2 launches in June. And the company will release a brand new GameCube controller, complete with GameChat-friendly C button, for the full nostalgic feel.FromSoftwares The DuskbloodsWhile fans probably expected Elden Ring news, and prayed for more Bloodborne, but FromSoftware made a huge splash at the direct with something totally original. Full of Mythical beasties, razor-sharp weapons, swirling magic, and gothic architecture, its called the Duskbloods, and the direct promised much more information on the exclusive title before it launches in 2026.Kirby Air RidersKirby Air Riders is a sequel to GameCubes Kirby Air Ride, and finds the puffy hero zipping around on stars once again. Two racing games promised for Switch 2? Classic Nintendo. But the nostalgia is real for Kirby Air Riders, and the new game aims to faithfully reproduce its prismatic thrills.Donkey Kong BananzaThe redesigned Donkey Kong, who reverted to his more retro look after a reintroduction in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, is finally getting a new, standalone 3D platformer. DK will be smashing through an underground world dubbed Ingot Isle, and looks like a worthy successor to his earlier adventures. The game drops shortly after the Switch 2 launch, on July 17.

On this weeks episode of Daredevil: Born Again, Matt Murdock has a showdown with serial killer Muse. The masked murderer has been stalking the streets of New York City, using his victims blood to paint murals (just like in this one Criminal Minds episode OK, OK, Ill stop derailing).[Ed. note: This post contains spoilers for this weeks episode of Daredevil: Born Again.]As it turns out, Muse has a personal connection to Matt Murdock, even if neither of them realize. His real name is Bastian, and hes a regular patient of Heather Glenn, Matts girlfriend. Bastian has also decided that his next perfect victim is Heather, and his masterpiece wont be complete without her blood.It all seems strangely familiar (even beyond that Criminal Minds unsub).If Muse looks familiar, and if the acts of killing and violence hes partaking in also ring a bell, it might be because you watched Wednesday. Because actor Hunter Doohan played Tyler Galpin in Netflixs Addams Family series (spoilers for Wednesday ahead!) aka the cute barista who turned out to be a murderous, bloodthirsty creature called the Hyde.In Wednesday, he also develops an unhealthy attachment to his therapist and ends up killing her. However, as the Hyde, Tyler was being manipulated by Christina Riccis character in an attempt to wipe out all outcasts (thats getting into deep Wednesday lore that quite frankly hasnt been meaningfully addressed in the show). Unfortunately, hes not an artist but the other edgy teenage boy who Wednesday suspected did make some moody, broody art.I dont know what it is about Doohan that inspires people to cast him as an unlikely serial killer, but apparently theres just something about this man that screams murder. His career has been full of killer roles. He played a teenage boy involved in a hit-and-run in the Showtime series Your Honor. In Apple TV Plus Truth Be Told, he played the teenage version of a murderer albeit one who was wrongfully convicted.Maybe its the scrawny, reedy, plant-that-needs-sunlight look that he has going on. I mean this as a compliment. People (me) love brooding skinny white men. Pair that with the tousled curls and a handsome face that can go from Im in emotional pain :( to I am inflicting physical pain >:) in two seconds flat, and youve got the visual aesthetic of a killer.To paraphrase the great Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, If I had a nickel for every time Hunter Doohan played a serial killer with an obsession with his therapist, Id have two nickels. Which isnt a lot, but its weird that it happened twice.

Title Update 1 is the first major update to Monster Hunter Wilds, coming out this Thursday. This free patch will bring loads of new features to the game like the Grand Hub, the monster Mizutsune, and Arena Quests. According to the DLC roadmap, Monster Hunter Wilds has two updates in the works. The first one, The Title 1 Update, will be released later this week whereas the second is scheduled to release sometime this summer.This guide will tell you what time Title Update 1 releases in Monster Hunter Wilds in several timezones, as well as give additional information on what to expect from this update.What time does the Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update 1 release?According to Capcom, Title Update 1 be released in Monster Hunter Wilds on Thursday, April 3, for those on the west coast of North America.The official Monster Hunter Wilds stream did not give players a specific time that it will be released. However, we can get an idea of when the update will launch based on the scheduled server maintenance. A notification sent to players in the game via the Support Desk said that Monster Hunter Wilds will undergo scheduled maintenance starting April 3 to add Title Update 1 to the game.Because this scheduled server maintenance is tied to the upcoming update, its likely the patch will go live once its done. Based on the information we have, here is when the update will go live in your timezone:8 p.m. PDT on April 3 for the West Coast of North America 11 p.m. EDT on April 3 for the East Coast of North America4 a.m. BST on April 4 for the U.K.5 a.m. CEST on April 4 for Western Europe/Paris12 p.m. JST on April 4 for JapanOf course, server maintenance is never a given, so this is just an estimate from the developers and it might not work out this way. If there are any big changes that happen, we will update this article to include new information. What to expect from Title Update 1 in Monster Hunter WildsThe developers at Capcom have already given players a detailed breakdown of what to expect in the upcoming update. Based on the presentation shared on March 25, here is what you can expect from the Title Update 1.Mizutsune: a monster that looks like a sakura blossom-themed dragon. The mission to hunt Mizutsune unlocks at Hunter Rank 21 and unlocks gorgeous new armor sets for your hunter and palico.Arch-tempered Rey Dau: a type of creature stronger than temperedmonsters. It is for hunters HR 50 and above. This monster will unlock Rey Dau gamma and Felyne Rey Dau gamma armor sets.Zoh Shia: the final boss of the mainline quests, will be added to the game as a replayable fight. It is for hunters HR 50 and above. This monster also unlocks a new set of armor.The Grand Hub: a new spot that will allow you to interact with other players in new ways and includes minigames, like barrel bowling. This location unlocks for those HR 16 and above.The Festival of Accord: Blossomdance event: a seasonal in-game event. It will change the appearance of The Grand Hub and allow players to unlock special items. This event starts on April 23.Arena Quests: a mode that allows you to compete with other hunters to get the fastest completion time, will be added to the game.New NPC customization: Hunters will be able to edit Almas outfit.New paid and free cosmetic items: Hunters will get new gestures, accessories, and camp gear to unlock.

There was a time, long ago, when fantasy movies didnt look like Peter Jacksons Lord of the Rings trilogy. Thats not to say that theres anything wrong with those excellent movies, but theyve dominated our cultural idea of fantasy fiction for more than two decades now, and its important to remember that genres arent locked into just one aesthetic. So its a good thing that Netflix just added Conan the Destroyer, the second movie in the Conan series, a throwback and distinctly un-Tolkien version of fantasy that feels pulled directly from the pages of Heavy Metal magazine.While Netflix only has the second movie at the moment, its well worth catching up on both entries of Conans cinematic adventures. Conan the Barbarian tells the mythical story of the barbarian king, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose family is murdered in front of him by the raving snake-cult hordes of Thulsa Doom, played with exceptional menace by James Earl Jones. After years of surviving the fighting pits, and a few more years of adventuring, Conan finally takes his revenge on the cult that killed his family.Directed by John Milius, co-writer of Apocalypse Now and co-creator of HBOs Rome, Conan the Barbarians fantasy looks more Mad Max than Middle-earth. The whole thing is shot in the deserts and mountains of Spain, which gives the world a gorgeous arid look. Even the movies many castles, palaces, and lairs feel distinctly uncivilized. All of these details make the entire look of the film a perfect match for this violent tale.While the first movie is full of grittiness and gore, Destroyer is more of a kids adventure movie by comparison. It dispatches with most of the gore in favor of bigger monsters, bigger stars, and bigger muscles. But it remains an entertaining and vastly different version of fantasy to anything we see today.In Destroyer, Conan and his friend are tasked with delivering a young princess to a far-off priest to participate in an important religious ritual. Along the way, Conan gets some new companions, including two played by Grace Jones and Wilt Chamberlain. The party suffers betrayals and tricks, all while fighting their way across another gorgeous wasteland of a time long ago.Destroyer director Richard Fleischer cant quite match the beauty and strangeness of Milius wasteland, but the movies increase in budget is apparent from some of its fantastic sets. Rather than simply wandering the deserts as he did in the first movie, Destroyer puts Conan in lavish throne rooms and gives him an inventive fight inside a hall of mirrors that looks surprisingly incredible. Both Conan and the monster are reflected in a dozen different directions, making the sequence feel totally different from any other fight in the series. Meanwhile, the mirror room itself is decidedly unnatural, with the mirrors forming sharp and precise angles, giving it a stark contrast from the natural rocky hills and dirty stone palaces in the rest of the series.Decidedly of its 1980s era, the Conan series is full of violence thats more interested in brute strength than exceptional choreography. Swords are heavy and are used more for crude hacking than incisive clean cuts. While some of Conans friends might outsmart their enemies by using the element of surprise, Conans violence is direct. He wins not just because hes the best fighter, but because hes simply bigger and stronger than everyone else. It all feels exceptionally on theme: a perfect genre of combat to tell the myth of a barbarian king.But beyond all the action, and the gorgeous grit of these movies art design and set decoration, the glue that holds the Conan series together is the pure movie star excellence of Arnold Schwarzenegger.Part of what made Schwarzenegger such a tremendous star, particularly in these kinds of fantastical blockbusters, is the specificity of his vanity. All movie stars have vanity, of course, its part of what makes them sparkle, but while the vanity of some stars is something they guard carefully, Schwarzenegger flaunted his. Stars like The Rock have stipulated that their characters go through fights untouched, and are never forced to suffer defeat, guarding their tough-guy image with care. But no one in Hollywood has ever looked like Arnold, and he knew it. For Arnold, vanity was instead about finding the right ways to exhibit that fact, whether in victory or in defeat, and few movies do so as flagrantly or wonderfully as the Conan movies.Whether hes being tortured by Thulsa Dooms men, crushed by a serpent thats twice as big as he is, or being crucified and eaten by a carrion bird, Arnold is still unmistakably the most powerful and daunting person on screen. His sheer magnetism, screen presence, and massive physique guarantee that hes impossible to look away from. The Conan series, like all his best movies, knows perfectly how to take advantage of that fact. The movies get to build their drama by letting us watch Conan lose again and again, stacking the odds infinitely against him without ever needing to convince us hes going to win in the end; Arnolds square-jawed glower of determination accomplishes that all on its own. Every look and glance he makes deepens our understanding of his fury for vengeance and his stature as a hero, even when hes at his weakest.Its pure movie star shit, and the kind of performance that feels borderline impossible at this particular moment in Hollywood and most moments, to be honest. Its also the secret sauce: the perfect thing to elevate Conan from good to great, from a fantastical oddity to a movie that perfectly defines this entire heavy metal fantasy subgenre. Its true that we dont have movie stars at the moment who shine quite as brightly as Arnold in his prime, but its also true that actors now rarely get material as fun or well made as Conan these days either. Conan the Destroyer joining Netflix is the perfect excuse to take a trip back in time and catch up on two of the most kickass movies from a very different era of Hollywood.Conan the Barbarian is available to stream on Philo and AMC via Roku, and rentable on YouTube and Prime Video.Conan the Destroyer is available to stream on Netflix.

The official reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2 in January didnt wind up revealing much about Nintendos next-gen console. But on April 2 at 9 a.m. EDT, Nintendo is hosting a Nintendo Direct presentation dedicated to the Switch 2, during which the company is expected, at long last, to provide the details weve been waiting for which will hopefully include the price, release date, launch games, and more.To prepare for the Switch 2 Direct, check out our predictions, our biggest lingering questions, and how to watch the stream below. And once the presentation begins on Wednesday, you can follow along here to keep up with all the latest news, announcements, and reveals.All our predictions for the Switch 2 Nintendo DirectSwitch 2 Nintendo Direct: How to watch Nintendos next big revealThe big questions going into the Switch 2 reveal

Drawing from inspiration like The X-Files, Control, Call of Cthulhu, and other conspiracy-laden works of fiction, Delta Green is a TTRPG full of sleeper agents, secretive institutions, and otherworldly phenomena with a healthy dose of trauma sprinkled in for good measure. If this all sounds like a fun weekend, you can currently get everything you need to start playing Delta Green and over a dozen pieces of supplementary content for just $25 at Humble.This bundle includes PDF versions of the Delta Green: Agents Handbook, and Handlers Guide, as well as the Need to Know quickstart guide, and the Handlers Screen, which contains handy reference tables for whoever is running your game. Several of the rulebooks and other materials featured in this bundle are also included as modules for the Roll20 and Foundry Virtual Tabletop systems. Youll also get seven digital asset packs to create your own in-game handouts and other material to bring your original campaigns to life. Besides the rulebooks and other source material, this bundle also includes seven collections of short stories set in the world of Delta Green, which could be used to inspire the setting for your next campaign. As with other Humble bundles, a portion of each sale goes to benefit a nonprofit. In this case, part of your purchase will benefit Direct Relief, a foundation that provides disaster aid in resource-poor communities in the United States and across the world. You can use the Adjust Donation drop-down menu on the right side of the bundle page to adjust how the funds from your sale are distributed.

Jizo Statues are small unique collectibles in Assassins Creed Shadows which you need to find to complete Mayus quest as one of the romance options.When you find a Jizo statue, you can honor it by leaving a fruit as an offering. They can be found on the main roads all over the nine regions and, although you will find most of them naturally as you progress in Assassins Creed Shadows, youll need to visit less inviting corners of the map to spot some of them.In this Assassins Creed Shadows guide, well show you where to find all Jizo Statues and explain what you get for doing so.How to find Jizo Statues in Assassins Creed ShadowsJizo Statues are unique collectibles spread found in every region of Assassins Creed Shadows. There are a total of 69 Jizo Statues in the game and finding them is the most difficult part when it comes to completing this challenge.You will find all of the Jizo Statues on the roads in the regions in the game. If you passed by one and havent seen it, dont worry. An icon of a small statue appears when you get near them and it stays on the world map until you complete your offering. Once you find one, you just need to interact with it to trigger a short animation of you honoring the Jizo statue.Each Jizo Statue you find gives you 50 XP. Gaining a little bit of experience isnt the only reason for you to look for these statues though. Finding all of them is a mandatory step to complete the side mission Mayus Offerings, which unlocks one of Naoes romance routes.Below, see where to find all Jizo Statues in Assassins Creed Shadows, organized by region in the general order in which you go through them for the main story.Izumi Settsu Jizo Statue locationsThere are eight Jizo Statues in Izumi Settsu, and theyre mostly close to places you need to visit as you progress through the main story. To reach the ones on the east side of the region, you can follow the main road leaving from Katano. To find the one on the north, crossing the river, use the road which connects Eguchi Crossing and Tatsuki.Yamashiro Jizo Statue locationsThere are six Jizo Statues in Yamashiro. Although most of them are around Kyoto, there is one statue on the southeast side that might take you some time to reach. If youve already unlocked the Todaiji Kakurega in Yamato, you can take the road and head north from there. For the remaining ones, just look for the roads leaving Kyoto in the direction you need to go and you will find the statues.Omi Jizo Statue locationsOmi is a huge area and youll have to cover long distances to find its eleven Jizo Statues. Your first contact with the region is through the southern side. Using the Seta Bridge as a reference, you can travel using the main road toward the northwest or northeast side of the region, going around Lake Biwa. Nagahama is the best starting point to get the remaining four on the top part of the map.Iga Jizo Statue locationsThere are only three Jizo Statues in Iga, making it the quickest region to cover. The first ones are between Mibuno Vale and Ichinomiya. Its easier to start from the former, using the roads to go southwest. Next, follow the river south to find the Hinotani Shrine, where the last statue is.Yamato Jizo Statue locationsThe seven Jizo Statues located in Yamato are spread out all over this region. The one up to the north, you can reach by starting from Koriyama and taking the main road. Another tricky one to reach is the Jizo Statue on the east, next to the river. Depending on where youre in the game, you might have unlocked the Mitsue Kakurega, which saves you some time. Otherwise, youll need to start from Gose and try to enjoy the long trip.Wakasa Jizo Statue locationsWakasa is home to 10 Jizo Statues. Many of them are easily reached by taking the roads out of Obama. This is the best place to start even to reach the statue to the east in Kumagawa Juku. Now, for the northern portion of the map, there isnt much to be done. If you have already visited Sotomo Gate, you can save some time by taking the road south and west to find the other statues.Harima Jizo Statue locationsHarima is one of the last areas you explore during the main story, and you can find seven Jizo Statues in it. If youre just entering Harima from Izumi Settsu, we advise you to start on Senri Hills and head to The Warfield. From there, you have access to the roads that lead to four statues. To reach the remaining three statues on the left side of the map, you should use Himeji as a reference and start from there.Kii Jizo Statue locationsKii will force you to traverse long distances to honor its 10 Jizo Statues. Entering the area from Izumi Settsu, you have two options. You can either follow the coast or go south from Kawachi Heights. We suggest the latter since it puts you close to one of the more distant statues.Your next step should be following the coast. There is a road that covers all of it and can take you to the remaining statues. To reach the statue in Iseji Trails on the east side, you can take the Riverside Kakurega if you have access to it, or just ride your horse to get there.Tamba Jizo Statue locationsWith seven Kizo Statues to find in Tamba, you cant avoid exploring large portions of the region. Reaching the four statues on the bottom part of the map is easier if you start from Takeda. All the roads you need are connected to this area. Fukuchiyama is the main reference on the northern side. Teleport there and use its roads to reach the other three statues.For more Assassins Creed Shadows guides, see our running lists of Lost Pages, Kuji-kiri, and armor locations. Or see our full Assassins Creed Shadows walkthrough, and our guides on how to get all companions and romance options.

Every once in a while Games Workshop, the multi-billion-dollar monolith dubbed by at least one competitor as the most disruptive of all tabletop companies, does something surprisingly introspective. Sometimes its a comic book partnership that exposes the intrinsic frailty of its main characters. Other times its a surprisingly clear and firm stance against racism. This past weekend it was about putting characters on the table that should have been there from the beginning. For its troubles the British company was rewarded with a sell-out set online.The set in question is Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team Blood and Zeal, a collection of 19 new miniatures and some reprinted terrain. Designed for the skirmish miniatures game Kill Team, its an expansion set for existing players. But its also the rare instance of Games Workshop pulling back the curtain on its own universe and filling in some blanks.Human society in the world of 40K isnt just the product of a hyper-militarized totalitarian state, and that means its not all Space Marines and Martian cyborgs. Its also home to a powerful theocracy that venerates the Emperor of Mankind as a literal god. That means about half of the plastic folks inside the Blood and Zeal box are furious zealots, utterly corrupted by their belief in a false god, and who carry on their shoulders the fate and well-being of huge swathes of the civilian population in the 41st millennia. The other miniatures follow Chaos.The Ecclesiarchy, as the theocratic arm of the Empire has come to be known, is perhaps the single most insidious feature in the world of 40K. It worships a man who said explicitly please do not worship me to multiple people, many, many times. And yet the fiction is clear in detailing how some people in this world realized that there was power to be gained by creating the Cult of the Emperor a cult that is quite valuable as a tool of control, a bludgeon to beat the common folk into submission with. The Ecclesiarchy isnt the source of humanitys worst impulses, including but not limited to xenophobia, vigilante violence, and mob action. But its absolutely not working against it either. The violence and the fear that imbues every corner of the Imperium isnt a bug, its a feature. And now we have some miniatures to put a face to that fact.These are literally the most servile, most brain-rotted fanatics in the universe. Fitting, then, that they be bundled in a box with the forces of Chaos. Reading through the fiction that comes inside that box, its clear that there are billions more members of the Ecclesiarchy than there are Space Marines. There may actually be more religious extremists in this particular sector of the far-future galaxy than there are Imperial Guardsmen. And they all suck.At the same time, they are characterized as the social glue that literally holds the Imperium of Mankind together. Without their blood and zeal, without their devotion and their hatred, humanity would literally collapse in on itself and fall victim to the depredations of Chaos or the Tyranids, or the Orks, or any number of other factions that are dead set on deleting humankind from the map of the galaxy. So its important, in a way, that we finally have some faces to go with the names.And yet while Blood and Zeal fills a practical niche by fleshing out the universes storytelling and adding content for Kill Team, it also fills out a niche in the larger hobby as well. These are figures that should be visible in every aspect of tabletop 40K Kill Team, of course, but also Necromunda, the full-fat wargame Warhammer 40,000, and also tabletop role-playing games like Imperium Maledictum.I hate them. And Im also glad that they exist as physical objects. I recommend picking them up, if only so you can finally look them all in their beady little eyes.Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team Blood and Zeal is sold out online, but you can expect to find it available at your local game store beginning April 5. The product was reviewed using retail product provided by Games Workshop. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships, but not with Games Workshop. 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.

The Twisted Tree is a quest in Assassins Creed Shadows that youll pick up in Yamashiro. Its technically part of the lead-up to The Fool on the Shinbakufu Objectives board, but it gets its own assassination tracker once you start it.Youll meet a man named Ujimasa who can help you infiltrate Yamazaki Castle. First, though, youll have to deal with the Takahashi clan, a family of ronin causing problems around Kyoto.Our Assassins Creed Shadows guide will tell you how to find all members of The Twisted Tree for The Twisted Tree and tell you the rewards you get for each.How to start The Twisted Tree in Assassins Creed ShadowsTo start The Twisted Tree, you actually have to start a different quest first. Under The Fool on the Shinbakufu Objectives board, one of the quests is called, Inside Help. Thats your starting point.Inside Help will send you to Kiyomizudera Temple to the southwest of the Hills of Meeting (and southeast of Kyoto) in central Yamashiro to find a man named Ujimasa.Youll find him at the southern entrance to the temple, pretending to be a tour guide. Choose whichever of the waters you would like to drink (the choice isnt important) and hell tell you about the Takahashi clan, a family of rogue samurai harassing people in and around Kyoto. Hell also tell you where to start hunting them.Each member of The Twisted Tree has their own quest find them and another to assassinate them. Two of the Takahashi clan can be spared. Well walk you through all the quests and point out who you can spare below.How to find Takahashi clans locationsTheres a bit of work (and five side quests) to do so you can find the exact locations of the seven Takahashi members. Well get into more detail about each quest below, but at a glance, the quests are listed below, with corresponding locations on the map above:Help NeededGuard AssignmentsFamily DramaDropped IntelGuard DutyYoull start with Help Needed, a quest under Takahashi Taro. Youll find the merchant you need to talk to in central Kyoto, west of Nijo Palace and near an umbrella cart.Hes about a block west of the Nijo Palace viewpoint and is standing, as promised, next to some colorful umbrellas. Speak to Yamana Kihei and hell tell you about the Takahashi clan and its twisted (family) tree. This will also fill out your Objectives board, but the locations of each target will still be vague. Hell point you to the Takahashi family guard.Your next stop is part of Guard Assignments under Takahashi Jiro. Youre heading to eastern Kyoto, east of Honnoji Temple (and west of Honpoji Temple), and looking for someone near a sake crate cart.Youll find the guard along the main road just a little southeast of the Jesuit Residences. He doesnt talk much, but youll pick up the Family Guard Note from his corpse. The note mentions that the two youngest wont be interested in avenging their fathers death. Thatll come in handy later.Before we get to the stabbing, theres one more side quest to take on. This one is under Takahashi The Oni Shiro and is named Family Drama. Youre heading to north(east)ern Kyoto, at the north entrance to the Imperial Palace.Youll spot the guards just outside the gate. One will mention an incident near Nijo Palace and that he dropped a note containing a new patrol path (Takahanshi Jiros location) near the baths on the west side of town. Another side quest!The next side quest we need for preparations is also under Takahashi Shiro, this one aptly named, Dropped Intel. Youre heading to cental Kyoto, along the southwest corner of Nijo Palaces moat, and youre looking for a broken fan cart.As you ride along the moat, youll spot the smashed cart, a merchant crying nearby, and a guard standing there not doing anything helpful (quelle surprise!). You can ignore them, though, and just pick up the Outburst Area Note from behind the woman.The last (we promise) side quest is Guard Duty under Takahashi Jiro. This time, youre heading for the Furo of Kyoto (the bath) north of the Kano Painting School in central Kyoto. Its about two blocks to the northwest of where you are now.Youll find the New Patrol Route Note in the back room. Now, on to the stabbing part!Who should you spare in The Twisted Tree?If you check the Objectives board now that its completely filled in, youll find notes that Goro and Ichi-Hime will be free if their father dies, while the others will all avenge their fathers death. Thats your answer for who to spare dont kill the ones who wont want to kill you. Spare Goro and Ichi-Hime.Sparing them is as simple as just talking to them instead of stabbing them. If you do happen to kill them (you can just bump into some of them on the street before you pick up the quest), thats fine. The rewards are the same and it doesnt change the outcome of the quest.All Twisted Tree locations and rewardsOnce you complete all of the various side quests and information gathering, youll have the locations of all seven members of The Twisted Tree on your map. The locations wont be exact, so youll still have to look with the left trigger and watch for the blue dots.Takahashi Saburo and Taro location and reward Youll find Taro and Saburo just a couple blocks to the north of the Furo of Kyoto where you found the last note. Its pretty hard to take them out stealthily, so it could be a good time to play as Yasuke. Just try to get Taro first since he can call in reinforcements.Saburo will drop the Letter from Saburos Body, the Saburos Deference katana, and the Tools on Kill engraving.Taro drops the Letter from Taros Body, the Burden of Legacy long katana and the Critical Damage with Melee engraving.Takahashi Ichi-Hime location and rewardYoull find Ichi-Hime a bit to the south. Shes in the Umenomiya Taisha Shrine on (just outside of) the west side of town. (There are also a lot of cats there if youre looking to liven up your Hideout.) If you want to keep her alive, approach her and then hold the left trigger to look at her. Youll get a prompt to spare or kill her. Youll get the same rewards either way.Ichi-Hime drops the Ichi-Himes Letter quest item, the Daydreamers Grip bow, and the Adrenaline on Afflicted Enemies engraving.Inoshichi is the next to the south, but hes the clan patriarch. Since there are still two Takahashi out there who will swear vengence, its better to skip him for now.Takahashi Jiro location and rewardInstead, head to the Southern Kyoto Kakurega, and youll find Jiro just to the northeast, basically right outside the door.Jiro drops the Letter from Jiros Body, the Final Word of the Guardian teppo, and the Armor Damage on Multiple Enemies and Improved Assassinate engravings.Takahashi Shiro location and rewardUp in the north half of Kyoto, youll find Shiro in Nijo Palace. Hell be right in front of the tall building with the viewpoint on top. If you come in from the sides, theres a pole where you can get (the start of) an air assassination.Shiro drops the standard Letter from Shiros Body, the The Untamable One katana, and the Armor Piercing on Consecutive Kills engraving.Takahashi Goro location and rewardWhile youre in the north of Kyoto, head up to the Shokokuji Temple just a couple blocks northeast of the Northern Kyoto Kakurega. Youre looking for another of the Takahashi clan that you can save, Goro, there. Youll find him in the northwest corner of the ruins. When you spot him, hold the look trigger again to spare him (or kill him if thats more your speed).Goro gets you the Raijins Refusal teppo and the Damage after Headshot engraving. (His letter is a little to the south, just outside of the temple ruins walls.)Takahashi Inoshichi location and rewardWith the rest of the family handled, you can go take out Takahashi Inoshichi on the west side of town. Hes inside of an unnamed guarded area. Goros note (if you find it) mentions that theres a secret entrance to his fathers house a trapdoor accessible from the garden. Inoshici is pretty hearty, so a single assassination stab probably wont kill him. Try to take out all of his guards before you take him on so he doesnt get any backup.Killing Inoshichi gets you the Letter from Inoshicis Body, the Kitsunes Trickery amulet, and the Health for Samurai Mastery engraving.How to finish the Inside Help questWith all of that finally done, you can return to Ujimasa in Kiyomizudera Temple (to the east) to complete the quest you started way back at the beginning of all of this. Hell agree to help you take out The Fool and give you Yamazaki Castle Gate Key.For more Assassins Creed Shadows guides, see our running lists of Lost Pages, Kuji-kiri, and armor locations. Or see our full Assassins Creed Shadows walkthrough, and our guides on how to get all companions and romance options.

Its the dawn of the final day. On Wednesday, April 2, Nintendo promises to give its fans a closer look at Switch 2, the successor to its wildly popular portable-console hybrid. And while Nintendo is famously secretive and unpredictable, theres a lot we already know about Switch 2.Still, there are many unanswered questions about Switch 2, and Nintendos ability to keep information under wraps and preserve surprises means that what we think we know about the next-generation Switch likely pales in comparison to what this weeks 60-minute Nintendo Direct will reveal.That said, here are our best predictions for the impending Nintendo Direct thats all about Switch 2.Nintendo announces Switch 2 release date, price, and pre-ordersWith the Switch 2 expected to launch as early as June, Nintendo will likely reveal the release date, price, and when customers can pre-order the system. Based on what weve heard, Switch 2 pre-orders should go live at most retailers on April 9, giving Nintendo fans a window to consider their purchases and not have to scramble to pre-order one immediately after the Nintendo Direct. (In some territories, like Nintendos home base in Japan, the Direct wont conclude until late at night.)Switch 2, based on what weve heard, is expected to launch in the first half of June.We expect the price to be somewhere between $399 and $449. Nintendo may be waiting until the very last minute to decide price, which in this economy seems like a tough decision to make.Switch 2s C button mystery revealedNintendo not only added a brand-new button to the Switch 2 Joy-Cons, its been teasing that new C buttons functionality ahead of time on its recently launched Nintendo Today app. What the C button does is still a mystery for now, but all signs point to a new chat tool or community-focused feature.Well find out what the C button is for, officially, on Wednesday. But based on Nintendos increasing fascination with big multiplayer games, and last years Nintendo Switch Online: Playtest Program, which tested the boundaries of mass multiplayer functionality and gameplay on Nintendos servers, we expect some sort of big, Nintendo-controlled community feature or MMO-scale game to be shown and that would be a great opportunity to showcase the new C button functionality, if it is indeed chat- or community-focused.Switch 2 games, new and oldWere getting a new Mario Kart, thats for sure. But what else Nintendo has planned for Switch 2 is a big mystery. We expect at least one game to show off the Switch 2 Joy-Cons new mouse-control features and probably a new Super Mario game.Nintendo also has to give Switch owners a long list of reasons to upgrade to Switch 2, and the best way to do that is through compelling software. Mario Kart 9 would be a big deal, of course, but we expect Nintendo to show up with a teaser or announcement of at least one other big franchise, like Animal Crossing, Super Smash Bros., or Splatoon.But Nintendo will also likely showcase how well Switch games run on Switch 2. Maybe the best way to do that would be to show The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom running on Switch 2, at higher resolution and with better frame rates. First details on Switch 2 Edition versions of games will definitely be a talking point.Select third parties show upThird-party software publishers will likely open the floodgates of their back catalogs to bring games from PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X to a new console. But dont expect that flood of ports to be showcased at the Nintendo Direct. Instead, we anticipate that only a handful of major third-party publishers like Capcom, Sega, Microsoft, and Ubisoft will get some space during the Direct to show their support for Switch 2.Nintendo is reportedly being cautious about which third-party developers are getting Switch 2 development kits ahead of launch, but we expect that to change once details about the new system are in the wild.

The developers of Dress to Impress are running a short April Fools Day event that will allow players to get unique items like a flamethrower. The April Fools Day event in Dress to Impress will only be 24 hours. It started at 1 p.m. EDT/10 a.m. PDT on Tuesday, April 1, and will finish at 1 p.m. EDT/10 a.m. PDT on Wednesday, April 2. After that, you wont be able to access the special April Fools Day-related content. This guide contains all the April Fools Day codes for Dress to Impress and will show you how to complete the quest. All Dress to Impress April Fools Day codesThe developers of Dress to Impress have added two codes to unlock new items in the April Fools Day update. You can use one of them right away without doing the April Fools Day event, but you have to do a scavenger hunt to unlock the other. Here is the code that you can enter and redeem right away:BADDIE4LIFE a pair of stiletto heels that have bows on themHow to get a flamethrower code in Dress to Impress April Fools eventYou need to do a scavenger hunt to discover the flamethrower code in the Dress to Impress April Fools Day event. Each code (and the emoji locations to find each digit in your code) is unique to every player, so we cant give you a one-solution-fits-all guide. However, well explain how to discover your unique code.To start, you must play the normal version of the game (not the Style Showdown mode) and wait until intermission. Once your character is in the lobby, look directly at the leaderboard and you should see five emojis above it. In our game, we got a sparkle emoji, heart emoji, sparkle emoji, blue dress emoji, and sparkle emoji. Yours will be different.You must now walk around and look for the emojis listed you saw above your leaderboard. You can find themIn VIP (its free VIP for the duration of the event)The main dressing sectionThe intermission lobbyEach emoji looks like little clipart stickers that were layered on top of furniture and walls. Some are hidden in some tough-to-spot parts of each area, so make sure you look very carefully.Searching for the hidden emojis can get pretty annoying if youre being interrupted by fashion shows. Because of this, we suggest you enter Freeplay mode to search without the time limits of regular rounds (we were able to find our emojis in Freeplay mode). However, make sure you search your lobby as well since they can be hidden there.When you find an emoji, there will be a number next to it. The number you see corresponds to that emoji in your code. For example, our game showed the sparkle emoji with the number five, the heart emoji with the number three, and the dress emoji with the number two. Once you know which number goes with each emoji, you can deduce your code. Our original string of emojis listed above the leaderboard was sparkle, heart, sparkle, blue dress, and sparkle. When we swapped each emoji out for the number we saw next to it, we got the code 53525. Thats the code we entered to get our flamethrower. Once you figure out your code, enter it using the code redemption menu, and youll have a very fashionable flamethrower to accessorize with. All you need to do is equip it and use it by pressing 1 on your keyboard and youll be flamin hot in no time.

Pokmon Go is bringing back its battle pass system, called the Go Pass: April, though only to some random players. This originally had its debut during the Go Tour Unova event, and though it functions pretty similarly to the Unova pass, this new one has a few tweaks.If the pass is available to you, youll have from April 1 at 10 a.m. until May 6 at 10 a.m. in your local time to complete it.Below we explain how this early access-ish Pokmon Go Pass works, if its worth buying, and we detail some of the rewards that we can confirm.How does the new Pokmon Go Pass work?First, to reiterate, the Go Pass: April is currently only available as part of a test for some players. From what we can tell, this doesnt seem to be a regional thing people from the same regions have reported having different passes and some have the pass and some dont, via reports on The Silph Road.As for what it features, Niantic stated in their blog that some of the rewards may vary, as the company is testing different options. This includes different encounters, item rewards, and overall ranks. That said, tons of the information out there implies that there is a lot of variance between these different passes.And, as previously mentioned, it broadly works the same way as the Go Tour Unova Pass, with a few differences, though those vary depending on which version of the pass you got, including:Catching Pokmon may reward fewer points (depending on how many ranks your pass has).Hatching eggs may reward more points (depending on how many ranks your pass has).The daily point limit seems to vary from 100-300.Some people may have a pass with only 50 ranks, whereas others have 100 ranks.Some people have a weekly challenge that rewards more points.You will need to check your pass to see the details specific to you, if you have it.Pokmon Go Pass: April rewardsUnfortunately, because the passes vary from player to player, we cant give you a definitive list of the rewards you may have. You should be able to see the rewards for your track in-game on the events screen that Timed Research usually appears in.The only rewards that may be mysteries are the encounters which you can kind of figure out by using the nearby candy rewards. For example, if the nearby rewards give out Machop Candy, then the encounter will very likely be a Machop.You will get a Xerneas encounter for completing the pass (at rank 50 or 100, depending on which one you got) on the free track and a Lucky Trinket on the paid track.If you want more specific details, The Silph Road subreddit has seen people post the 50-rank track and the 100-rank track, though individual players have noted that some rewards do vary (such as some players having Pok Coins as rewards).Is the deluxe Go Pass worth buying?The deluxe version of the Go Pass costs $7.99. Is all this worth it? As usual, the actual, raw coin value of the items makes it worth it (no matter which pass version you got). The more of the pass you complete, the more itll be worth it.My personal opinion is that these rewards seem pretty lackluster. No Super Incubators, no additional Star Pieces, and a seemingly very random assortment of candy and encounters makes it pretty meh from me. You can see a total-tallied list of the premium rewards you have on your pass by opening the shop page for the deluxe pass and scrolling vertically through the list of loot provided. Most of the value here will rely on how you personally value the Lucky Trinket.Again, the Lucky Trinket has no direct value and its value weighs solely on how badly you want to force a Lucky Friend to do a Lucky Trade. If youre really desperate to maybe trade that recently-obtained Gigantamax Charizard to possibly yield better stats, it could be worth it but theres also no guarantee that youll get phenomenal IVs (though the minimum will be a 80% IV Pokmon). The Lucky Trinket itself also expires on May 11 at 11:59 p.m. in your local time, so make sure you use the trinket before then. You dont necessarily have to complete the trade by then, but you need to use the trinket.If youre worried about completing the pass, you can hold off on buying it until you complete it. As long as you buy the pass before May 8 at 10 a.m. in your local time, you will be able to claim any rewards you would have unlocked had you picked up the pass earlier.This is all to say that you control the money you spend. If you just like having daily goals and battle passes, theres nothing wrong with buying the deluxe version to get that!

A new post in the Nintendo Today app teases the potential functionality of that C button weve all been discussing for months with a very Mii-like sound effect as part of the countdown to Wednesdays Switch 2-focused Nintendo Direct.On the Nintendo Today App, Nintendo released a teaser for the mysterious C button Cartridge Games (@cartridgegames.bsky.social) 2025-04-01T15:20:11.494ZIf you live in a region where its already April 2, you may have seen a short Nintendo Today video specifically promoting the C button. Over the course of seven seconds, were shown a Joy-Con attached to a Nintendo Switch 2 before a quick zoom into the C button. A finger presses the button. The button makes a sound. The sound is a nonsensical mixture of an activation jingle and what sounds like a Mii speaking.Does this mean Miis are back? Maybe! And maybe its a sign Nintendo is launching a Miiverse-like social media platform a fan favorite feature from the Wii U and 3DS era that will be launched with the C button. Listen to the sound above about a million times and get back to us.When Nintendo first revealed the Switch 2 back in January, the new Joy-Cons showcased alongside the device featured a mysterious, unmarked button. Everyone almost immediately assumed this meant the C button was returning after it skipped multiple console generations, speculation that was awarded earlier this week thanks to another Nintendo Today post. Even so, weve remained in the dark as to what the C button actually does.Whether the C button opens a new Miiverse-style chatting app, allows for saving screenshots and video recordings, or just makes a funny noise and nothing else, were almost certain to learn more during tomorrows Switch 2 presentation. Stay tuned!

Scorpion, from the fighting game series Mortal Kombat, has entered Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 2 as a boss.Depending on where Scorpion spawns, he can be extremely difficult to fight as youll need to deal with the terrain and other incoming players. However, once you learn how to deal with his moves and the terrain, Scorpion becomes much easier to deal with.Heres where to find Scorpion and how to beat him in Fortnite.Where to find Scorpion in FortniteScorpion can spawn at one of three Mortal Kombat locations at the start of the match in Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 2. To find out where you can find Scorpion, open your map to find an icon of Scorpions face, which will mark where Scorpion will spawn.When you arrive at the location, interact with the Mortal Kombat-inscribed gong to spawn Scorpion.How to beat Scorpion in FortniteScorpion is a fairly difficult boss to beat, but not due to his own abilities. The locations that Scorpion can spawn in particularly The Pit can be quite deadly. Since Scorpion is a new boss, players are flocking to his spawn location to test their might.Before facing Scorpion (and other challengers), we recommend that you gather some weapons, ammo, and shields, and learn about some of Scorpions most troublesome moves:Scorpion brought his iconic spear to Fortnite, and will pull you in closer to him. If you get hit, make sure to immediately back away and keep your distance.Scorpion will leap into the area and disappear before slamming onto the ground. Once he leaps into the air, make sure to keep moving to avoid the slam as it will knock you back. This attack is especially dangerous on The Pit as youll fall to your death.If youre fighting on The Pit, we recommend that you try to move in a straight line parallel to the bridge. Its surprisingly easy to fall to your death!Scorpions other attacks arent as worrisome as long as you have a full set of shields. Try to keep your distance as much as possible Scorpion likes to punch, kick, and combo your health away. Similar to other Fortnite bosses, spray and pray while aiming at the head to deal more damage until you successfully take down Scorpion.Once defeated, Scorpion will drop the following rewards:First Blood MedallionMythic Scorpions Kombat KitEpic Collateral Damage Assault RifleChug Jug

In Psycho Patrol R, social media is a lot like cocaine. While doomscrolling isnt technically illegal in the games universe, it is punishable by lethal force when done in excess.The latest from Consumer Softproducts, the independent studio run by Finnish multimedia artist-designer Ville Kallio, Psycho Patrol R is a cyberpunk immersive sim shooter made up of extremes. Extreme violence, extreme aesthetics, extreme gameplay variety and open-world potential. Given all its moving parts, the fact that it coheres as well as it does feels exhilarating once you take the time to attune yourself to its quirks and peculiar rhythms. And while, as of this writing, the early access build of the game is currently unfinished, the moment-to-moment experience is already something to behold.Set in an alternate year 2000 in Pan-Europa, a conglomerate nation teetering on the brink of collapse, Psycho Patrol R is described by Kallio as a policing and punishment simulator. Players assume the role of a rookie officer of the European Federal Police, assigned to work in the organizations experimental new law enforcement unit known as Psycho Patrol. Your mission? Discipline, punish, and protect, in that order.Led by an enigmatic bureaucrat obsessed with the fringe theories of Viennese psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich, Psycho Patrols purpose is nothing short of de-Hitlerifying the EFP from the inside out. In addition to rehabilitating the organizations image, Psycho Patrols official mandate is combating psychohazards, malignant thought viruses caused by unhealthy hyperfixations elicited through social media usage or illicit psychoactive substances that, if left unchecked, can manifest into violent criminal behavior.If that sounds bizarre, it is. I havent even mentioned Bion, the friendly neuro-homunculus spawned by your latent psychosexual energy who sounds like Navi from Ocarina of Time; the interdepartmental drama between Psycho Patrol and the militant Anti-Cocaine Task Force, which still punishes cocaine usage in spite of its legality; or even the fact that you pilot a giant bipedal mech with chicken legs called a V-Stalker thats armed with interchangeable, high-caliber weapons. Oh, and dont forget the hexadecimal-based hacking system, or the in-game stock market thats reactive to the choices and outcomes of your missions, or the roving militias of involuntary celibates and random drive-by aggressors who will shoot you on sight. Its a mad, mad world, and you are but a tiny cog in the blood-slicked machinery of the state.As if Psycho Patrol R couldnt be any more explicit about its themes, the exterior of the EFP headquarters resembles two of the most infamous real-life examples of Italian fascist architecture: the Palace of Italian Civilization and the Palazzo Braschi, a neoclassical palace that was renovated into the headquarters of Mussolinis Italian Fascist Party in 1934. At nearly every juncture of my initial playthrough, I found myself asking two questions: Can the masters tools be used to dismantle the masters house (the answer: lol no), and just what kind of cop am I? The latter is yet to be determined, but given that the motto of the EFP is Circulation of blood is circulation of power, Im sure you can venture a guess as to where the players actions are meant to align on the political spectrum.Psycho Patrol R doesnt waste any time ingratiating you to its dizzying array of systems and subsystems. After choosing one of six character archetypes, each with their own unique stats, youre thrust into the bureaucratic maw of the EFP immediately as you spawn in your office with gun in hand. From there, youll spend most of your initial moments floundering through EFP headquarters, accidentally kicking through doors instead of opening them, yapping with your co-workers, and eventually making your way over to your bosss office in order to receive your first mission as a member of Psycho Patrol. To be fair, the game does include a handy quick start guide in your menu screen with a list of beginner tips and default control settings, which is a lot more than can be said of Kallios previous game, Cruelty Squad.When Cruelty Squad launched back in 2021, it hit with all the subtlety of a Molotov lobbed at the broadside of a police cruiser. Casting players in the role of an augmented assassin forced to carry out corporate liquidations at the behest of demonic CEOs, Cruelty Squad was unambiguously anticapitalistic in its conceit, satirizing the myopic death drive of corporate greed and the dehumanizing infrastructure of the gig economy. Combined with an abrasive, maximalist art style of bright, clashing textures and the leering, dead-eyed NPCs inspired by low-poly 3D games from the 90s, you had an experience that was honest to God unlike anything else released at that time. It was horrible; it was beautiful. People hated it and yet couldnt get enough of it, myself included.More than three years in the making, Psycho Patrol R builds on the success of its predecessor without feeling beholden to it. While they might appear similar at a glance, it doesnt take long for this new game to distinguish itself from Cruelty Squad. For instance, youre not playing an assassin in this game; youre playing a mid-level bureaucrat cop with a bipedal mech and an unofficial mandate to do what thou wilt within the whole of your authority. Put simply: You cant just shoot everyone on sight; you actually have to talk to people to round up information and make informed decisions as to when and where exactly you can shoot everyone on sight. Unlike Cruelty Squad, Psycho Patrol R leans wholesale into the open-ended design philosophy of immersive sim shooters, giving you multiple options aside from violence in achieving your objectives.Furthermore, the thematic priorities of Psycho Patrol R, while complementary to that games critique of capitalism, are not exactly the same. The primary concern of Kallios second game is not so much with capitalism as it is with the twilight of globalism, the threat of total information collapse, the end of all consensus reality, and the naked hypocrisy of law enforcement attempting to launder its reputation while practicing the same tactics of violence to uphold order.If you liked Cruelty Squad, or enjoy inventive immersive sims in general, youll likely enjoy and perhaps even grow to love Psycho Patrol R with time. However, bear in mind that even if you love Cruelty Squad, that doesnt necessarily mean that youll immediately be proficient at this game. You will die a lot. You will fail a lot. But what lies on the other side of all that failure and confusion is an unabashedly idiosyncratic game that, while unfinished, is already shaping up to be an experience thats more than the sum of its peculiar parts.Psycho Patrol R was released March 24 in early access on Windows PC. The game was reviewed on PC using a copy purchased by the author. 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.