Halo Season 2 hit a major high point with Episode 4 and the Battle of Reach - including some shocking character deaths. That left Halo Season 2 Episode 5, "Aleria" facing the daunting challenge of at least keeping the momentum going, even when all the fighting finally died down.

What we got was arguably one of the more balanced episodes of this Halo TV series yet - mix of some thrilling action, harrowing drama, and a lot of developments for an ensemble of characters that is quickly dwindling down to some key players. There was a lot packed into this episode - here's the full breakdown, scene by scene.

Halo Season 2 Episode 5 "Aleria" Recap (Spoilers)

Fight Or Die - There's no time for a single breath as Master Chief John-117 (Pablo Schreiber) regains consciousness in the midst of battle. Vannak has been killed in Chief's brutal duel with the Covenant Elite (we now confirm is the Arbiter), and Master Chief is rattled, to say the least. Chief's fellow Spartans Soren-066 (Bokeem Woodbine) and Riz-028 (Natasha Culzac) are holding the line against the advancing Covenant forces. Meanwhile, Dr. Catherine Halsey (Natascha McElhone) is traumatized by the death of her ex-husband Admiral Jacob Keyes (Danny Sapani) during the fight in Episode 4 Halsey tries to convey to Chief that all hope is not lost: the evacuation of Reach is happening as they fight, with numerous escape crafts taking off in the distance, beyond the exploded hangar bay they're fighting in. Chief gets back on his feet and grabs his gun - but everything goes silent until Soren foolishly calls out, asking if that's all the Covenant has for them. The answer is a hammer-swinging armored Covenant Brute, who crashes in through the ceiling and thrashes the unarmored Spartans. The group is only saved by the arrival of Soren's ship, with his wife Laera (Finnoa O'Shaughnessy) piloting and Kwan Ha (Yerin Ha) shooting a heavy canon that blows out the Brute's armor, killing the beast. Riz and Soren get Halsey and Master Chief onboard, while Kwan covers the extract with a barrage of minigun fire. Riz will not leave without Vannak's body and jumps into a fog of Covenant forces to retrieve her dead teammate's corpse. She heroically comes running back to the ship carrying Vannak, but takes a Covenant plasma blast to her lower back, while getting him on the ship. The group barely gets everyone onboard and take off as Reach is being annihilated. Chief looses consciousness while Halsey tries to stabilize him, suffering visions of the moment he was separated from Cortana and Makee's message to him on Sanctuary. It's revealed that Cortana was taken out of Master Chief and given to ONI director Admiral Margaret Parangosky (Shabana Azmi), who struck some yet-unknown deal with the AI entity. When Chief finally succumbs, he sees Riz being hooked up to an oxygen tank, her fate unknown.

[Opening Title and Credits Play]

Art Thou Still Blessed? - We find Makee (Charlie Murphy) on her ship viewing the ruins of Reach and conversing with Var 'Gatanai (Viktor Akerblom), the Elite warrior that has repeatedly dueled Master Chief and killed Vannak. Var is unhappy that Makee stopped him from killing Master Chief during his duel on Reach - just as she did on Sanctuary in the Season 2 premiere. The Arbiter accuses Makee of having sympathy for "The Demon" (Master Chief), saying that his nemesis' death is the only "higher purpose" he's interested in - not Makee's religious prophecies. The Arbiter is curious about what Cortana is, exactly - especially after Makee made a point to steal it from Reach. Makee craftily offers her death if she's deemed useless or traitorous to Var, and then plays down what Cortana is, calling it a repository of human knowledge. The Arbiter leaves her to play with her human tech, for the time being...

What Was I Made For? - Master Chief wakes up to see Riz laid out on a medical table, body broken and barely hanging on. Chief is attended to by Halsey, and he quickly turns angry with her, demanding to know what she truly made the Spartans for, and how she views them: As actual people, or just tools of war. Chief demands to know how Halsey sees Riz, and denies her the easy out of saying Spartans are "people," as Spartans don't have any personal lives or ties that would qualify them as "people" by any traditional definition. John nearly gets violent with Halsey, but she stands firm, commanding him to let her go. Master Chief's rage quickly turns to anguish over how the UNSC and ONI left him and Silver Team on Reach without armor or backup. Master Chief then finds out he's been unconscious for two days; Riz is in a coma, Kai is still MIA, and Reach has fallen. Chief is still badly hurt and feverish from his wounds and starts to spiral out over how he could have stopped the Fall of Reach if he'd had Cortana and his armor. After giving him a sedative, Halsey warns Chief that ONI left them for dead as part of a plan - and that they must stay in the shadows to survive. Chief wants to know how and why Halsey thinks they're a team now, before passing out.

Makee v. Cortana - Makee tries all kinds of arcane summoning to bring Cortana online - but Cortana (voice of Jen Taylor, body of Christina Bennington) appears, stating she needs no prompts, just the push of a button. Makee confirms that Cortana has been captured by Var 'Gatanai, "The Arbiter," of the Covenant (a name Halo fans have been waiting to hear since the show began). Makee wants to look into Master Chief's memories that Cortana recorded to find the information about the Halo ring she needs - but Cortana makes it clear that she cannot be coerced. Makee turns the tables on Cortana's defiance by taking the vulnerable stance that her own survival is dependent on producing something useful from Cortana - if Makee is not useful, then Cortana is not either, and they will both be doomed. Cortana takes herself offline, but it's clear Makee has made a point worth considering.

Survivors Club - Master Chief finally wakes up after three days of rest to find Soren, Laera and Kwan at his bedside. The group is landing on the mining planet Aleria to retrieve Soren's son Kessler, whom Kwan sent away for safekeeping while rescuing Laera on The Rubble and Soren on Reach. Soren and Laera head out to get their son; Kwan takes Master Chief to see Vannak, but Chief refuses to look at the body, coldly claiming an empty corpse is not the same as his friend. Riz is rushed into what passes for a surgeon's office on the planet, with Halsey overseeing the operation. Master Chief takes in the desolate barren lands of Aleria, while Soren, Laera, and Kwan go to a local merchant to investigate. Soren drops heavy coin for info, but the merchant doesn't quite believe that Soren and Laera are the loving parents they claim to be - hinting that children can become valuable commodities in a place like Aleria. Still, the merchant produces a record of recent arrivals, and Laera spots one entry that seems to match Kessler, giving them a real lead.

Spartans Don't Go to the Grave - Kwan approaches Master Chief about doing the duty of burying Vannak, but Chief refuses, saying Spartans don't get buried: when a Spartan becomes a Spartan, they leave their old life behind, meaning they are already dead, in a sense. Kwan is upset by this idea, saying she would give anything to have the chance to bury her own family. She conveys (without saying directly) that putting people in the ground isn't just a ritual to honor the dead - it allows the living to move on by symbolically leaving the dead behind, instead of carrying their ghosts with them.

Be Where I Am - Soren and Laera are riding a commuter truck across the Alerian wastelands, where Soren is trying to make conversation. Laera expresses her frustration with her husband's jovial nature, as they are supposed to be looking for their son, she is in torment, and he should be right there with her. Laera call out Soren for running from every perilous situation, starting with the Spartan program - and that right now, he's not properly processing the loss of Reach; the home and power they lost at the Rubble; or Kessler being missing. Laera moves to the other side of the truck bed and takes off her white-haired wig, tossing it over the side, while Soren twists on his wife's barbed words.

No Fight Left - Riz finally wakes up in the "hospital" center on Aleria. She sees Halsey at her bedside and recalls the memory of how she came out of her Spartan augmentation process to the same sight. She remembers that Halsey told her that only "1 out of 3" candidates survive, and she was one of them. Halsey breaks the hard news to Riz that her injuries have diminished her capabilities of being a Spartan, she'll "have to work harder." Riz looks out the window at her new surroundings, lost in thought and consideration.

Battle Scars - Kwan lugs Vannak's body to a clearing, complainingly asking the dead man why he was so big. She starts digging the hole for him, and the scene cuts to Riz, asleep under a blanket looking very much dead as well, with Halsey updating Master Chief that her injuries are debilitating, but that she's viable as a fighter. Chief and Halsey discuss what happened on Reach - and how Admiral Parangosky made the fall of the planet her statement that she is still the controlling power of the UNSC in this war. Kwan has a whole monologue with Vannak's corpse while trying to bury him, admitting that grieving all of Reach is impossible - as is mourning all the family and friends she's lost - so Vannak must become the vessel of all that grief. Mysterious robed figures carrying torches come out of the shadows of the night and approach Kwan. Chief recalls to Halsey that Parangosky was there when Cortana was taken out of him - something that Halsey thinks should be impossible for him to remember. Chief describes the hole that's been left since Cortana's been gone - and follows up a hint from Cortana to ask Halsey why he, specifically, was chosen to be a Spartan. Halsey will not let her mask slip even a bit, maintaining that John matched a genetic profile they created for an ideal Spartan candidte. Kwan and the robed figures are in a loud argument outside, so Master Chief intervenes; Kwan objects to the group taking Vannak's corpse away, but the religious figures claim that they just want to burn the body, as a proper send off. During the commotion, the sheet covering Vannak's corpse slips off; John is finally affected on a human level by seeing his friend dead and suddenly reverses course, acquiescing to Kwan that the religious group can "Put him in the sky" (i.e., cremation). Kwan explains to Chief that there is a difference between "death" and "loss," and that he is finally feeling the latter.

Little Human Trafficking - Soren and Laera are taken out to an old factory facility in a dark and snowy part of the wasteland. They find two women there armed with guns, who claim to be running the place to protect wayward children. The two girls insult Laera and Soren, claiming that the little boy who came to them looked abused - and the two "parents" are the ones responsible. Laera freaks out, but Soren carries her outside to cool off and heads back in to try a friendlier negotiation. While Soren talks to the women, Laera spots a little boy running in the shadows with a Spartan helmet on his head. She pursues the boy, thinking it's Kessler, only to find out that it's a different boy, who was given the helmet by Kessler, to make him feel brave when he was afraid. Soren leaves his negotiation claiming the women have agreed to let see Kessler - it's left ambiguous whether or not he did something brutally violent to the women running the facility to get his answer. It's a moot point: Laera confirms that Kessler never made it there, and they are back to square one.

Funeral for Friends - The funeral rights for Vannak are carried out by Master Chief, Kwan, the religious group, and Halsey, who leads the eulogy. Chief can only stand to listen to her talk for a moment about Vannak, the boy she first met, before stepping in to take over, eulogizing Vannak as more than the boy he began as; once Vannak became a Spartan, that was everything he was - and as a Spartan, he never truly dies, because his fight is not done. Master Chief pledges to become the weapon that carries out retribution for his lost friend, by killing the Arbiter, the Covenant, and the ONI leaders (Ackerson, Parangosky) that betrayed them. Chief sets Vannak's body ablaze and limps off into the darkness leaving the others to mourn. Halsey follows, calling out Chief for having more rage than an actual plan. Halsey finally confesses that she never "chose" John to be Master Chief, she discovered his unique potential after he made contact with one of the Halo keystones as a boy, and that connection made him the prized candidate for Spartan augmentation. She lobbies John to not go after ONI out of revenge and instead help humanity discover possible salvation through the Halo ring. Master Chief doesn't fear ONI killing him, as "I'm already dead" to them.

Grave Warning - Kwan is watching Vannak's body burn when she's pulled into a vision. The old woman/religious leader that Master Chief met on Sanctuary (and watched die there) appears to Kwan, claiming she is a speaker for all planets - including Kwan's lost home of Madrigal. The woman warns that the "monsters" are close and that Kwan has lost her path and purpose as the last of Ha family: to be a protector of life. Kwan recalls the memory from the Season 2 premiere ending of her in a cave on the Rubble, viewing cave paintings of a Flood Gravemind, and takes it as a warning that the parasitic species of the Halo Universe is about to be set loose. The vision ends, and Kwan is back at the funeral pyre, with only Riz noticing her freaked-out demeanor.

No Charity Here - Makee runs onto the bridge of the Arbiter's ship to confirm that they have been recalled to High Charity, the Covenant capital city/space station. Makee knows that the Covenant leaders The Hierarchs will kill them for failing to unlock the Halo and kill "The Demon" (Master Chief); however, the Arbiter's devotion makes him ready to face all consequences as punishment for his perceived failure. Makee lobbies Var to consider that the Hierarchs are false prophets - that she and the Arbiter are the true chosen ones of the prophecy of the Great Journey. Arbiter is about ready to strike Makee down, but Cortana intervenes by showing them both a projection of John's memory of Halo's surface. The Arbiter wants to know what vision he is seeing, and Makee uses the moment of confusion to inspire him with the idea that it is a divine vision, that he should heed. The ruse pays off: together, Makee and Cortana get the Arbiter to break ranks and take his ship out to find Halo - knowing that the Covenant will inevitably come to hunt them down.

New Riz, New Life - Riz finally gets on her feet and sees some locals on Aleria constructing a new building together. It looks like the kind of new life she can embrace.

New Negotiations - Laera returns to the merchant who first pointed them toward the settlement of wayward kids. Laera gets gloves, and wraps a large pipe in barbwire before recalling to the merchant the day she realized she would do any monstrous thing to protect her son. Laera emerges from the shop and tells Soren that she's discovered that the UNSC took Kessler. Like with Soren, it's left unanswered whether or not Laera used brutal violence to get her answers.

My Fight's Over - Master Chief tries to get Riz back on Soren's ship for the next part of their mission - but Riz states that she's staying on Aleria, and that her fight is over. Chief tries to use Vannak and Kai's memories to push his soldier, but Riz is serene and at peace with her decision. She stand to face Chief, only to let him know that her "revenge" is living a life - but Chief can't let go of his guilt and pain. Riz calmly confirms that pain is just a burden to either carry or be crushed by if you cannot know peace to balance it - and she wants that peace. Chief pleads that Riz is the only family he has left, but she's resolute. Halsey tries telling her she's no one now - but Riz smiles at that, and joins the local building the new structure, leaving her Spartan dog tags behind. Halsey and Master Chief join Soren, Laera, and Kwan on the ship, ready to depart.

New Kai, New War - A final scene takes us to "Onyx" and "Camp Currahee," where Col. James Ackerson (Joseph Morgan) is debuting Spartan Kai-125 (Kate Kennedy) as the new commander of his ONI-brand Spartan unit. Kai steps out of a facility door onto a massive military staging tarmac, at the head of her battalion of specialized soldiers and a fleet of UNSC Pelican and Condor aircraft lifting off for flight. "Winter Contingency" seems to be underway.

[End Credits Roll]

Halo Season 2 releases new episodes Thursdays on Paramount+.

The Pokemon Trading Card Game is fixing a visual issue that has haunted the game since its earliest days. Earlier this week, The Pokemon Company announced Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket, a new digital card app meant for experiencing the Pokemon Trading Card Game in a new format. The new card app will feature a mix of modern, classic, and brand new cards, along with updated visual elements. One such element is a new back for the digital Pokemon cards, which features a subtle but noticeable difference - namely, the Poke Ball on the back of the card opens the correct way.

On the back of Pokemon cards, fans may notice that the Poke Ball button is attached to the bottom half of the ball. However, in every physical recreation and Pokemon media, the button is attached to the top half of the ball. Although this was fixed on the back of Japanese Pokemon cards way back in 2001, the art has remained "wrong" on the back of international cards for 25 years.

The new cards featured in Pokemon Trading Card Game: Pocket uses a new card back design, which mimics the Japanese card back design and more importantly features a mechanically correct Poke Ball. Noted Twitter user TAHK0 was one of the first to spot the difference in a now-viral tweet (seen below).

THEY FINALLY FIXED IT https://t.co/CxH2wXICUj pic.twitter.com/LEHLg5HWpP

-- TAHK0 ? (@TAHK0) February 28, 2024

The new Pokemon Trading Card Game: Pocket game appears to focus more on collecting Pokemon cards, with new "immersive" cards that features expanded digital artwork. Players can open two card packs for free per day, with the ability to trade cards with other users. Players will be able to play the Pokemon Trading Card Game, using a streamlined ruleset. The new digital card app will be released later this year.

WWE 2K24's release is quickly approaching, and there are over 200 superstars to choose from on this year's roster. That's a rather massive number, but there are even more superstars and celebrities on the way courtesy of WWE 2K24's Season Pass DLC. The DLC will consist of 5 packs released from May to November, and the packs will add 25 new playable superstars to the mix. That includes two relatively new additions to the roster in CM Punk and Jade Cargill, though the season pass includes plenty of other fan-favorite superstars, legends, and even commentators. You can check out the entire rundown of the season pass DLC below.

Punk will be playable pretty soon, as he will be part of the ECW Punk Pack that will be released in May. Punk will join The Dudleys, Terry Funk, Sandman, and Paul Heyman (through a Manager Card), and that pack will be followed by the Post Malone & Friends Pack. This pack adds Malone to the game alongside The Headbangers, Sensational Sherri, and Honky Tonk Man.

There's still some mystery around the Pat McAfee Show Pack, which will include McAfee but will also feature playable co-hosts, though no details are shared on who they are. If it's McAfee, perhaps Michael Cole will be part of it, and Corey Graves also stands out as an option. We'll just have to wait and see.

One of the most anticipated packs will be the Global Superstars Pack hitting in August, which will feature several anticipated additions to the roster. That pack features Cargill, Nia Jax, Carlito, Kairi Sane, Lyra Valkyria, Michelle McCool, and Dragon Lee, completing several current rosters in the process.

The final pack is the WCW Pack, which will bring Diamond Dallas Page, The Iron Shiek, Mr. Perfect, Greta Muta, and Lex Luger to the game. This will go perfectly with the other WCW representation in the game, and you'll be able to really deck out your WCW My GM roster with these legendary superstars. You can find all of the details in the full DLC rundown below.

ECW Punk Pack - May 2024

• CM Punk
• Bubba Ray Dudley
• D-Von Dudley
• Sandman
• Terry Funk
• MyFACTION Content:
• ECW Paul Heyman Manager Card
• Superstar Cards

Post Malone & Friends Pack - June 2024

• Post Malone
• Sensational Sherri
• Mosh
• Thrasher
• Honky Tonk Man
• Jimmy Hart Manager
• MyFACTION Content

Pat McAfee Show Pack - July 2024

• Pat McAfee
• Playable co-hosts - stay tuned for more info
• MyFACTION Content
• Co-Host Manager Cards - stay tuned for more info

Global Superstars Pack - August 2024

• Jade Cargill
• Nia Jax
• Michelle McCool
• Carlito
• Kairi Sane
• Lyra Valkyria
• Dragon Lee
• MyFACTION Content

WCW Pack - November 2024

• Diamond Dallas Page
• The Iron Sheik
• Mr. Perfect
• Great Muta
• Lex Luger
• MyFACTION Content

Which roster addition are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments and you can also talk all things wrestling with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!

At long last, Dragon Ball FighterZ is slated to come to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in the coming day. All the way back in 2022, Bandai Namco announced that it was in the process of bringing its Dragon Ball fighting game to the latest PlayStation and Xbox platforms alongside rollback netcode. In the time since this reveal, news on this major update has been pretty quiet, which has led to lingering questions from those in the DBFZ community. Fortunately, this silence has now ended and will result in the impending release of the title on PS5 and Xbox Series X.

Detailed on Bandai Namco's website today, the publisher confirmed that the next-gen upgrade for Dragon Ball FighterZ on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S will release tomorrow, February 29. This patch will be available for free to all who already own DBFZ across PS4 and Xbox One platforms. Additionally, rollback netcode will also come to the game at last and will greatly improve its only functionality.

DRAGON BALL FighterZ releases 29th February (midnight local time) on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S with rollback netcode! #DBFZ pic.twitter.com/e7yWHn6sSH

-- Dragon Ball Games (@dragonballgames) February 28, 2024

"Rollback netcode is a technique that reduces the input lag and visual stuttering that often plague online matches in fighting games," Bandai explained of the new feature. "Unlike delay-based netcode, which waits for the synchronization of inputs between players, rollback netcode predicts the inputs and executes them immediately, then corrects any discrepancies later. This creates a smoother and more responsive gameplay that feels closer to offline play."

It's worth noting that rollback netcode will only be available for use in the new iterations of Dragon Ball FighterZ across PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The last-gen iterations of the title on PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch will instead continue using the original delay-based netcode system. Beyond this, crossplay is something that will not be featured between different platforms given the varying netcode options that are now going to be in use.

Are you going to be diving back into Dragon Ball FighterZ in the wake of this new update? And how do you feel about finally seeing rollback netcode implemented into the title? Let me know your own thoughts either down in the comments or reach out to me on social media at @MooreMan12.

Last year Steamforged announced that it had acquired the fan-favorite Street Masters board game and IP from Blacklist Games, and now Steamforged is bringing an updated version of the game along with a brand new expansion to Kickstarter. Street Masters: Champion Edition is described as the definitive edition and will include a massive amount of content depending on the tier you end up choosing, but there's also a great entry point tier that will get you started with a later standalone expansion. The game is themed after classic video game beat 'em ups, and includes over 50 fighters to choose from, arcade and story modes, and the option to play solo or co-op with friends. The campaign has already surpassed its goal and unlocked a host of stretch goals along the way, and you can check out the full campaign right here.

The New Challenger Pledge offers up the core experience for $139 and includes the Rise of the Kingdom Core Box, Legend of One expansion, Twin Tigers expansion, the Redemption Pack 1, and all stretch goals from the First Kickstarter. There's also the Aspirant Pledge, which is made for those looking for a streamlined entry point to the series. That tier is $69 and includes the Street Masters III: Tide of the Dragon standalone expansion, the Rumble Pack, and the New Challengers Pack in one box.

The Veteran Fighter Pledge is for those who just want all the new content and includes Street Masters IV: Lament of the Blood Moon, which is exclusive to this Kickstarter for $49. You also get all of the unlocked goals in this campaign included with it.

Finally, there's the Global Gladiator pledge for $357, which has everything from the Kickstarter and is described as the definitive experience. That includes the Rise of the Kingdom Core Box and its expansions, Street Masters II: Aftershock and its expansions and deluxe items, Street Masters III: Tide of the Dragon and its extra packs, and Street Masters IV: Lament of the Blood Moon. You can check out the full campaign right here, and you can find the official description of Street Masters: Champion Edition below.

"Remove one danger, and another will rise. Embark on the next chapter in the new expansion! The Kingdom has fallen, but peace did not last. A new threat is carving an empire in blood across Japan. To fight it, you must once again become...Street Masters.

Street Masters is BACK! Get ready for thrill-packed street-fighting action in Street Masters: Champion Edition - the definitive edition that wraps up all the good stuff from previous campaigns and debuts a BRAND NEW EXPANSION! Inspired by beat 'em up video games, Street Masters blends side-scrolling vibes with tactical, card-driven combat for exciting challenges, engaging fights, and hours of replayability in Arcade of Story mode. Ready? Fight! Designed by Adam & Brady Sadler (The Walking Dead: No Sanctuary, Warhammer Quest: The Adventure Card Game)."

Will you be checking out Street Masters: Champion Edition? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things gaming and tabletop with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!

New layoffs at video game publisher Electronic Arts have reportedly led to the cancellation of a game that could have been associated with Star Wars: The Mandalorian. Just a couple of weeks back, a high-profile new report asserted that developer Respawn Entertainment was in the process of working on a first-person shooter that would see players controlling a Mandalorian character. At the time, this news excited many Star Wars fans, but it seems as though EA has now chosen to kill the project.

Earlier this afternoon, EA announced that it would begin the process of laying off 670 employees, which equates to roughly 5% of the company. As a result of this move, EA said that it would be "moving away from [the] development of future licensed IP" that it didn't believe would be successful. At the time, it wasn't known exactly what this game in question would be, but subsequent reporting from IGN has since claimed that this canned project was Respawn's Star Wars shooter.

All the way back in January 2022, Respawn revealed that it would be embarking upon creating three Star Wars video games. One of these titles ended up becoming Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, which launched last year and was relatively successful for EA. The other two were then known to be a shooter and a strategy game, the latter of which was being created in tandem with developer Bit Reactor. While the Star Wars shooter is now scrapped, it's unknown if this strategy title is still happening.

As for the reason behind this delay, IGN reports that Electronic Arts is choosing to focus more on its own properties rather than those that it licenses from other companies. That being said, EA is still said to be keeping many projects alive that is working on with outside corporations. EA's previously announced Iron Man and Black Panther games, notably, are continuing work. Meanwhile, Respawn has already confirmed that it's going to be creating a third entry in the Star Wars Jedi series, which will surely become the studio's biggest focus moving forward.

KSI and Jake Paul have been squabbling verbally since at least 2018 when KSI challenged Paul and his brother Logan to fights following a match against Joe Weller. However, talks about an actual fight between the two have broken down several times throughout the last few years. Just last year, we saw Paul issue a $50 million challenge to KSI only for the British YouTuber to say that Paul "ain't got any hype anymore," essentially shutting down hopes about the fight. Fortunately for fans hoping to finally see it, things have appeared to swing back in the other direction, with KSI recently appearing to be open to the fight once again.

KSI vs. Jake Paul Might Be Back on for 2024

KSI VS JAKE PAUL THIS YEAR? ?

"KSI is back in the gym. He's made it very clear he wants Jake Paul this year." - Misfits promoter Kalle Sauerland today ?

(via @fredpdbeck) pic.twitter.com/ausE1FPHK0

-- Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) February 26, 2024

It's worth noting this could all be posturing from the two influencers. It certainly wouldn't be the first time both fighters talked a big game only for everything to go pear-shaped, leaving the can to be kicked down the road once again. However, with the noise coming from KSI's camp, it might be more likely than when things were coming from the other direction last year. Paul has seemed keen to make the fight happen recently, so if KSI is on board, it's definitely a possibility.

Either way, it's apparent that KSI is "back in the gym" and is looking to fight somebody. In addition to the Paul rumors, there have also been reports that KSI wants to fight soccer legend Wayne Rooney. Of course, Rooney might be more interested in getting back into a management position after recently getting sacked by Birmingham City. One way or the other, it looks like KSI isn't content to let his last moment in fighting be the sparring match he had against iShowSpeed to end 2023.

Who is Jake Paul's Next Fight?

While KSI doesn't have a fight currently on the cards for 2024, Jake Paul will be in action this weekend. Paul is going up against Ryan Bourland on a card that is headlined by Amanda Serrano and Nina Meinke's featherweight title bout. Bourland has much more in-ring experience than Paul as a former Gold Gloves Champion and National Junior Olympics boxer. That's been a trend for Paul in his last few fights. In his quest to build a case for an eventual title fight, he's been stepping away from big names to fight more legitimate boxers. Here's the full card for this weekend's fight:

• 126 lbs.: Amanda Serrano vs. Nina Meinke, 12 rounds for IBF, WBO, WBA, and IBO women's featherweight titles
• 200 lbs.: Jake Paul vs. Ryan Bourland, eight rounds
• 108 lbs.: Jonathan Gonzalez vs. Rene Santiago, 12 rounds for WBO light flyweight title
• 115 lbs.: Krystal Rosado vs. Gloria Munguilla, four rounds
• 126 lbs.: Javon Walton vs. Joshua Torres, four rounds
• 130 lbs.: Christopher Diaz vs. Headley Scott, 10 rounds
• 126 lbs.: Pedro Marquez vs. Brandon Valdez, eight rounds
• 147 lbs.: Elijah Flores vs. Alejandro Munera, six rounds
  

Madden NFL 24 has been out for a few months now and developer EA Sports has continued to update the roster, tweaking player ratings and introducing new X-Factor and Superstar abilities. These skills are incredibly powerful if you're able to activate them. If you know which players in Madden NFL 24 have them, you can not only take advantage of them but will know what other players might have equipped when you're playing online. Below, you'll find a breakdown of every single X-Factor and Superstar ability sorted by team, with a special section at the top listing the best X-Factors and Superstar abilities for Madden Ultimate Team.

Madden NFL 24 Best MUT X-Factors and Superstar Abilities

Depending on your team makeup, you might consider targeting different skills, but the list below should give you a good start. It covers several different positions and schemes, so make sure to target the ones that best suit your playstyle. Here are the abilities that tend to make the biggest impact in online play:

• Acrobat - OLB, MLB, CB, S
• Backfield Master - HB
• Deep Out Elite - WR, TE
• Double Or Nothing - DE, DT, OLB, MLB
• Edge Threat - DE, DT, OLB, MLB
• Edge Threat Elite - DE, DT, OLB
• Hot Route Master - QB
• Inside Shade - OLB, MLB, CB, S
• Medium Route KO - OLB, MLB, CB, S
• One Step Ahead - OLB, MLB, CB, S
• Pass Lead Elite - QB
• Route Apprentice - TE
• Route Technician - HB, WR, TE
• Set Feet Lead - QB
• Short In Elite - HB, FB, WR, TE
• Slot Apprentice - HB, WR, TE
• Slot-O-Matic - HB, WR, TE
• WR Apprentice - HB, WR

Arizona Cardinals

• SS Buddha Baker (Superstar)
• Unfakeable: Decreased chance to be faked out by ballcarrier moves.
• Mid Zone KO: Improved reactions and catch knockouts in mid zones.

Atlanta Falcons

• FS Jessie Bates III (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Shutdown: Tighter coverage and more INTs on contested catches. (X-Factor)
  • Acrobat: Diving catches & swats.
  • Pick Artist: Better catching and improved stamina on INT returns.
  • Deep In Zone KO: Improved reactions/knockouts in deep inside zones.
• RG Chris Lindstrom (Superstar)
  • Fool Me Once: Gains blocking resistance faster
  • Secure Protector: Stronger protection vs. quick block shed moves
• CB A.J. Terrell Jr. (Superstar)
  • Inside Shade: Faster reactions to receiver cuts inside the numbers.
  • Deep Route KO: Improved knockouts in man vs. deep routes.
  • Deep Out Zone KO: Improved reactions/knockouts in deep outside zones.
• HB Bijan Robinson (Superstar)
  • Juke Box: Grants steerable juke animations.
  • Energizer: Replenish stamina after successful skill moves.

Baltimore Ravens

• TE Mark Andrews (Superstar X-Factor)
  • YAC Em' Up: Increased chance to break the first post-catch tackle. (X-Factor)
  • TE Apprentice: Four additional hot routes when lined up at TE.
  • Mid In Elite: Improved catching on medium passes inside the numbers.
  • Matchup Nightmare: Better route running and catching vs. LBs.
• MLB Roquan Smith (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Reinforcement: Higher chance to defeat run blocks & disrupt catches. (X-Factor)
  • Deflator: More ballcarrier fatigue on non-conservative tackles.
  • Tackle Supreme: Decreased takeout chance & better conservative tackles.
  • Mid Zone KO: Improved reactions & catch knockouts in mid zones.
• QB Lamar Jackson (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Truzz: Can't fumble as a result of a tackle. (X-Factor)
  • Juke Box: Grants steerable juke animations.
  • Tight Out: Consistent catching from TEs who beat their coverage.
  • Fastbreak: improved blocking on designed QB runs.
• SS Kyle Hamilton (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Reinforcement: Higher chance to defeat run blocks & disrupt catches. (X-Factor)
  • Mid Zone KO: Improved reactions & catch knockouts in mid zones.
  • Flat Zone KO: Improved reactions & catch knockouts in flat zones.
• CB Marlon Humphrey (Superstar)
  • Short Route KO: Improved knockouts in man vs. short routes.
  • Deep Route KO: Improved knockouts in man vs. deep routes.
  • Inside Shade: Faster reactions to receiver cuts inside the numbers.
• K Justin Tucker (Superstar)
  • Zen Kicker: Slower kicking meter for all kicks over 45 yards.
  • Clutch Kicker: Immunity to the "ice the kicker" effect.
• LT Ronnie Stanley (Superstar)
  • Secure Protector: Stronger protection v quick block shed moves.
  • Edge Protector: Stronger pass protections vs. elite edge rushers.

Buffalo Bills

• WR Stefon Diggs (Superstar X-Factor)
  • RAC Em' Up: Wins RAC catches. (X-Factor)
  • Juke Box: Grants steerable juke animations.
  • Acrobat: Diving catches & swats.
  • Deep In Elite: Improved catching on deep passes inside the numbers.
• QB Josh Allen (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Bazooka: Max throwing distance increased. (X-Factor)
  • Fastbreak: Improved blocking on designed QB runs.
  • Pass Lead Elite: Increased throw power when leading bullet passes.
  • Dashing Deadeye: Perfect pass accuracy on the run up to 40 yards.
  • Anchored Extender: Higher chance to break the first sack by a blitzing DB.
• ROLB Matt Milano (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Reinforcement: Higher chance to defeat run blocks & disrupt catches. (X-Factor)
  • Out My Way: Dominant impact block wins vs. WRs, HBs, & TEs.
  • Demoralizer: Hit-sticking the ballcarrier wipes their zone progress.
• CB Tre'Davious White (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Shutdown: Tighter coverage & more INTs on contested catches. (X-Factor)
  • Pick Artist: Better catching & improved stamina on INT returns.
  • Acrobat: Diving catches & swats.
  • Deep Out Zone KO: Improved reactions/knockouts in deep outside zones.
• SS Jordan Poyer (Superstar)
  • Deep Out Zone KO: Improved reactions/knockouts in deep outside zones.
  • Mid Zone KO: Improved reactions & catch knockdowns in mid zones.
• FS Micah Hyde (Superstar)
  • Pick Artist: Better catching & improved stamina on INT returns.
  • Medium Route KO: Improved knockouts in man vs. medium routes.

Carolina Panthers

• LOLB Brian Burns (Superstar)
  • Speedster: Speed rush moves partially ignore blocker resistance.
  • Strip Specialist: Reduced tackle penalty while trying to strip the ball.

• RDE Derrick Brown (Superstar)
  • Swim Club: Swim/Club moves partially ignore blocker resistance.
  • Unpredictable: Shed wins are less likely to add to blocker resistance.

Chicago Bears

• WR D.J. Moore (Superstar)
  • Mid Out Elite: Improved catching on medium passes outside the numbers.
  • Short Out Elite: Improved catching on short passes outside the numbers.

Cincinnati Bengals

• QB Joe Burrow (Superstar)
  • Sideline Deadeye: Perfect pass accuracy on throws outside the numbers.
  • Fearless: Immune to defensive pressure while in the pocket.
  • Set Feet Lead: Increased THP when leading bullet passes with set feet.
• WR Ja'Marr Chase (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Double Me: Wins aggressive catches vs. single coverage. (X-Factor)
  • Runoff Elite: Grants more convincing runoffs.
  • Acrobat: Diving catches and swats.
  • Mid In Elite: Improved catching on medium pass inside the numbers.
  • Mid Out Elite: Improved catching on medium passes outside the numbers.

• RDE Trey Hendrickson (Superstar)
  • No Outsiders: Quicker run sheds against outside zone plays.
  • Edge Threat: Dominant pass rush moves from the edge.

Cleveland Browns

• RDE Myles Garret (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Unstoppable Force: Pass rush wins lead to quicker block shedding. (X-Factor)
  • Strip Specialist: Reduce tackle penalty while trying to strip the ball.
  • El Toro: Dominant bull rush wins from max pass rush points.
  • Edge Threat: Dominant pass rush moves from the edge.
• HB Nick Chubb (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Wrecking Ball: High success rate on trucks and stiff arms. (X-Factor)
  • Bruiser: More powerful truck & stiff arm animations.
  • Reach For It: Frequently gains additional yards while being tackled.
  • Balance Beam: Avoid stumbling as a ballcarrier.
• WR Amari Cooper (Superstar)
  • Route Technician: Quicker cuts while running routes.
  • Outside Apprentice: Four additional hot routes when lined up outside.
• RG Wyatt Teller (Superstar)
  • Post Up: Dominant when engaged in double-team blocks.
  • Nasty Streak: Dominant impact block wins against DBs & LBs.
• TE David Njoku (Superstar)
  • TE Apprentice: Four additional hot routes when lined up at TE.
  • Short In Elite: Improved catching on short passes inside the numbers.
• CB Denzel Ward (Superstar)
  • Acrobat: Diving catches & swats.
  • Deep Route KO: Improved knockouts in man vs. deep routes.
• LDE Za'Darius Smith (Superstar)
  • Out My Way: Dominant impact block wins vs. WRs, HBs, & TEs.
  • Mr. Big Stop: Start 3rd/4th down with half of your pass rush points.
  • Edge Threat Elite: Dominant edge rush moves & increased QB pressure.

Dallas Cowboys

• RDE Micah Parsons (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Unstoppable Force: Pash rush wins lead to quicker block shedding. (X-Factor)
  • Out My Way: Dominant impact block wins vs. WRs, HBs, & TEs.
  • Secure Tackler: Higher success rate on conservative tackles.
  • Edge Threat: Dominant pass rush moves from the edge.
• WR CeeDee Lamb (Superstar X-Factor)
  • YAC 'Em Up: Increased chance to break the first post-catch tackle (X-Factor).
  • Outside Apprentice: Four additional hot routes when lined up outside.
  • Mid Out Elite: Improved catching on medium passes outside the numbers.
  • Short Out Elite: Improved catching on short passes outside the numbers.
• LDE DeMarcus Lawerence (Superstar)
  • Instant Rebate: Successful block sheds grant a pass rush point.
  • No Outsiders: Quicker run sheds against outside zone plays.
  • Edge Threat: Dominant pass rush moves from the edge.

• RG Zack Martin (Superstar)
  • Post Up: Dominant when engaged in double-team blocks.
  • Screen Protector: Dominant impact block wins on screen plays.
• CB Stephon Gilmore (Superstar)
  • Acrobat: Diving catches & swats.
  • Pick Artist: Better catching & improved stamina on INT returns.
  • Flat Zone KO: Improved reactions & catch knockouts in flat zones.

• LT Tyron Smith (Superstar)
  • All Day: Better protection against frequent shed attempts.
  • Edge Protector: Stronger pass protection vs. elite edge rushers.
• CB Trevon Diggs (Superstar)
  • Pick Artist: Better catching & improved stamina on INT returns.
  • Acrobat: Diving catches & swats.
• QB Dak Prescott (Superstar)
  • Anchored Extender: Higher chance to break the first sack by a blitzing DB.
  • Gutsy Gambler: Immune to defensive pressure while on the run.
  • Inside Deadeye: Perfect pass accuracy on throws inside the numbers.
    

• CB Stephon Gilmore (Superstar)
  • Acrobat: Diving catches & swats.
  • Pick Artist: Better catching & improved stamina on INT returns.
  • Flat Zone KO: Improved reactions & catch knockouts in flat zone.

Denver Broncos

• CB Patrick Surtain III (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Shutdown: Tighter coverage & more INTs on contested catches. (X-Factor)
  • Tip Drill: Higher chance to catch tipped passes.
  • Outside Shade: Faster reactions to receiver cuts outside the numbers.
  • Short Route KO: Improved knockouts in man vs. short routes.
• FS Justin Simmons (Superstar)
  • Pick Artist: Better catching & improved stamina on INT returns.
  • Mid Zone KO: Improved reactions & catch knockouts in mid zones.

Detroit Lions

• WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Double Me: Wins aggressive catches vs. single coverage (X-Factor).
  • Acrobat: Diving catches & swats.
  • Short Out Elite: Improved catching on short passes outside the numbers.

• RT Penei Sewell (Superstar)
  • Natural Talent: Begin the game with blocker resistance.
  • Screen Protector: Dominant impact block wins on screen plays.
• C Frank Ragnow (Superstar)
  • Linchipin: Stronger blocking from all offensive linemen.
  • All Day: Better protection against frequent shed attempts.
• TE Sam Laporta (Superstar)
  • Mid In Elite: Improved catching on medium passes inside the numbers.
• RDE Aidan Hutchinson (Superstar)
  • B.O.G.O.: Grants a free pass rush move after spending a point.
  • Edge Threat: Dominant pass rush moves from the edge.

Green Bay Packers

• CB Jaire Alexander (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Shutdown: Tighter coverage & more INTs on contested catches. (X-Factor)
  • Acrobat: Diving catches & swats.
  • Short Route KO: Improved knockouts in man vs. short routes.
  • Outside shade: Faster reactions to receiver cuts outside the numbers.
• LT David Bakhtiari (Superstar)
  • All Day: Better protection against frequent shed attempts.
  • Edge Protector: Stronger pass protections vs. elite edge rushers.
• LOLB Rashan Gary (Superstar)
  • Swim Club: Swim/Club moves partially ignore blocker resistance.
  • No Outsiders: Quicker run sheds against outside zone plays.
• HB Aaron Jones (Superstar)
  • Juke Box: Grants steerable juke animations.
  • Reach For It: Frequently gains additional yards while being tackled.
• DT Kenny Clark (Superstar)
  • Unpredictable: Shed wins are less likely to add to blocker resistance.
  • Inside Stuff: Quicker run sheds against inside run plays.

Houston Texans

• LT Laremy Tunsil (Superstar)
  • Secure Protector: Stronger protection vs. quick block shed moves.
  • Screen Protector: Dominant impact block wins on screen plays.
• WR Nico Collins (Superstar)
  • Mid In Elite: Improved catching on medium passes inside the numbers.
  • Deep In Elite: Improved catching on deep passes inside the numbers.
• QB C.J. Stroud (Superstar)
  • Lofting Deadeye: Perfect pass accuracy on lob and touch throws.
  • Inside Deadeye: Perfect pass accuracy on throws inside the numbers.
  • Fearless: Immune to defensive pressure while in the pocket.

Indianapolis Colts

• DT Deforest Buckner (Superstar)
  • Inside Stuff: Quicker run sheds against inside run plays.
  • Under Pressure: Larger area of effect for QB pressure and disruption.
• LG Quenton Nelson (Superstar)
  • Puller Elite: Significantly increases effectiveness of pull blocks.
  • Nasty Streak: Dominant impact block wins against DBs & LBs.
• HB Jonathan Taylor (Superstar)
  • Arm Bar: More powerful stiff arm animations.
  • Juke Box: Grants steerable juke animations.
  • Goal Line Back: Stronger run blocking within 5 yards of the end zone.

Jacksonville Jaguars

• RG Brandon Scherff (Superstar)
  • Post Up: Dominant when engaged in double-team blocks.
  • Matador: Prevents dominant bull rush moves.
• QB Trevor Lawrence (Superstar)
  • Gunslinger: Grants faster passing speed.
  • Gutsy Gambler: immune to defensive pressure while on the run.

• LOLB Josh Allen (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Unstoppable Force: Pass rush wins lead to quicker block shedding (X-Factor).
  • Strip Specialist: Reduced tackle penalty while trying to strip the ball.
  • Unpredictable: Shed wins are less likely to add to blocker resistance.
  • Edge Threat: Dominant pass rush moves from the edge.

• TE Evan Engram (Superstar)
  • TE Apprentice: Four additional hot routes when lined up at TE.
  • Mid Out Elite: Improved catching on medium passes outside the numbers.
• HB Travis Etienne Jr. (Superstar)
  • Juke Box: Grants steerable juke animations.
  • Backfield Master: More hot routes & improved catching from the backfield.
• MLB Foyesade Oluokun (Superstar)
  • Tackle Supreme: Decreased takeout chance and better conservative tackles.
  • Flat Zone KO: Improved reactions and catch knockouts in flat zones.

Kansas City Chiefs

• QB Patrick Mahomes (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Bazooka: Max throwing distance increased. (X-Factor)
  • Hot Route Master: Four additional hot routes.
  • Dashing Deadeye: Perfect pass accuracy on the run up to 40 yards.
  • Red Zone Deadeye: Perfect pass accuracy while throwing in the red zone.
  • No-Look Deadeye: Perfect pass accuracy on cross-body throws up to 20 yards.
  • Pass Lead Elite: increased throw power when leading bullet passes.
• TE Travis Kelce (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Double Me: Wins aggressive catches vs. single coverage. (X-Factor)
  • Leap Frog: Prevents fumbles while hurdling.
  • 3rd Down Threat: Better 3rd down mid-range catching vs. single coverage.
  • Deep Out Elite: Improved catching on deep passes outside the numbers.
• C Creed Humphrey (Superstar)
  • Linchpin: Stronger blocking from all offensive linemen.
  • Natural Talent: Begin the game with blocker resistance.
• HB Isiah Pacheco (Superstar)
  • Juke Box: Grants steerable juke animations.
  • Balance Beam: Avoid stumbling as a ballcarrier.
• DT Chris Jones (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Momentum Shift: On field opponents have their zone progress wiped. (X-Factor)
  • El Toro: Dominant bull rush wins from max pass rush points.
  • Goal Line Stuff: Quicker sheds near the goal line.
  • Under Pressure: Larger area of effect for QB pressure and disruption.

Las Vegas Raiders

• WR Davante Adams (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Double Me: Wins aggressive catches vs. single coverage. (X-Factor)
  • Route Technician: Quicker outs while running routes.
  • Outside Apprentice: Four additional hot routes when lined up outside.
  • Acrobat: Diving catches & swats.
  • Red Zone Threat: Improved catching vs. single coverage in the red zone.
• HB Josh Jacobs (Superstar)
  • Backlash: More tackler fatigue on non-consecutive tackles.
  • Closer: Reduced zone objectives in the 2nd half.
  • Backfield Master: More hot routes & improved catching from the backfield.
• LOLB Maxx Crosby (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Relentless: Rush moves no longer cost points. (X-Factor)
  • Swim Club: Sim/Club moves partially ignore blocker resistance.
  • No Outsiders: Quicker run sheds against outside zone plays.
  • Edge Threat Elite: Dominant edge rush moves & increased QB pressure.

Los Angeles Chargers

• SS Derwin James Jr. (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Reinforcement: Higher chance to defeat run blocks & disrupt catches. (X-Factor)
  • Unfakeable: Decreased chance to be faked out by ballcarrier moves.
  • Lumberjack: Cut sticks guarantee tackle & add fumble chance.
  • Flat Zone KO: Improved reactions & catch knockouts in flat zones.
• LOLB Joey Bosa (Superstar)
  • Swim Club: Swim/Club moves partially ignore blocker resistance.
  • Edge Threat: Dominant pass rush moves from the edge.
• HB Austin Ekeler (Superstar)
  • Energizer: Replenish stamina after successful skill moves.
  • Goal Line Back: Stronger run blocking within 5 yards of the end zone.
  • Backfield Master: More hot routes & improved catching from the backfield.
• WR Keenan Allen (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Max Security: High success rate on possession catches. (X-Factor)
  • Outside Apprentice: Four additional hot routes when lined up outside.
  • Mid Out Elite: improved catching on medium passes outside the numbers.
  • Slot-O-Matic: better cuts & catching on short slot routes.
• WR Mike Williams (Superstar)
  • Outside Apprentice: Four additional hot routes when lined up outside.
  • Deep Out Elite: Improved catching on deep passes outside the numbers.
• QB Justin Herbert (Superstar)
  • Pass Lead Elite: Increased throw power when leading bullet passes.
  • Sideline Deadeye: Perfect pass accuracy on throws outside the numbers.
  • High Point Deadeye: Grants perfect accuracy on high throws under 20 yards.
• ROLB Khalil Mack (Superstar)
  • Strip Specialist: Reduced tackle penalty while trying to strip the ball.
  • No Outsiders: Quicker run sheds against outside zone plays.
  • Edge Threat: Dominant pass rush moves from the edge.

Los Angeles Rams

• RDE Aaron Donald (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Blitz: On field blockers have their resistance bars wiped. (X-Factor)
  • El Toro: Dominant bull rush wins from max pass rush points.
  • Inside Stuff: Quicker run sheds against inside run plays.
  • No Outsiders: Quicker run sheds against outside zone plays.
  • Under Pressure: Larger area of effect for QB pressure and disruption.
• WR Cooper Kupp (Superstar X-Factor)
  • RAC Em' Up: Wins RAC catches. (X-Factor)
  • Persistent: Harder to knock out of the zone.
  • Red Zone Threat: Improved catching vs. single coverage in the red zone.
  • Slot-O-Matic: Better cuts & catching on short slot routes.
  • Deep In Elite: Improved catching on deep passes inside the numbers.

• HB Kyren Williams (Superstar)
  • Bruiser: More powerful truck & stiff arm animations.
• WR Puka Nacua (Superstar)
  • Short Out Elite: Improved catching on short passes outside the numbers.
  • MId In Elite: Improved catching on medium passes inside the numbers.

Miami Dolphins

• WR Tyreek Hill (Superstar X-Factor)
  • RAC Em' Up: Wins RAC catches. (X-Factor)
  • Acrobat: Diving catches & swats.
  • Juke Box: Grants steerable juke animations.
  • Short Out Elite: Improved catching on short passes outside the numbers.
• CB Jalen Ramsey (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Bottleneck: Dominantly win man press attempts. (X-Factor)
  • Acrobat: Divinig catches & swats.
  • One Step Ahead: Faster reaction to receiver outs in man coverage.
  • Bench Press: Press wins fatigue the receiver.
• LT Terron Armstead (Superstar)
  • Secure Protector: Stronger protection vs. quick block shed moves.
  • Edge Protector: Stronger pass protection vs. elite edge rushers.
• WR Jaylen Waddle (Superstar)
  • Short In Elite: Improved catching on short passes inside the numbers.
  • Mid In Elite: Improved catching on medium passes inside the numbers.

• HB Raheem Mostert (Superstar)
  • Evasive: Grants steerable spin & juke animations.
  • Balance Beam: Avoid stumbling as a ballcarrier.
• QB Tua Tagovailoa (Superstar)
  • Fearless: Immune to defensive pressure while in the pocket.
  • Sideline Deadeye: Perfect pass accuracy on throws outside the numbers.

Minnesota Vikings

• WR Justin Jefferson (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Double Me: Wins aggressive catches vs. single coverage. (X-Factor)
  • Outside Apprentice: Four additional hot routes when lined up outside.
  • Route Technician: Quicker cuts while running routes.
  • Short In Elite: Improved catching on short passes inside the numbers.
  • Deep Out Elite: Improved catching on deep passes outside the numbers.
• SS Harrison Smith (Superstar)
  • Enforcer: Guaranteed tackle after hit-sticking ballcarriers.
  • Flat Zone KO: Improved reactions & catch knockouts in flat zones.
  • Deep in Zone KO: Improved reactions/knockouts in deep inside zones.
• LOLB Danielle Hunter (Superstar)
  • Reach Elite: Able to tackle/sack while engaged with blockers.
  • Speedster: Speed rush moves partially ignore blocker resistance.

• TE T.J. Hockenson (Superstar)
  • Mid In Elite: Improved catching on medium passes inside the numbers.
  • Short In Elite: Improved catching on short passes inside the numbers.

New England Patriots

• LOLB Matthew Judon (Superstar)
  • Demoralizer: Hit-sticking the ballcarrier wipes their zone progress.
  • Edge Threat: Dominant pass rush moves from the edge.

New Orleans Saints

• MLB Demario Davis (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Reinforcement: Higher chance to defeat run blocks & disrupt catches. (X-Factor)
  • Out My Way: Dominant impact block wins vs. WRs, HBs, & TEs.
  • Secure Tackler: Higher success rate of conservative tackles.
  • Outmatched: better catch knockouts against RBs.
• CB Marshon Lattimore (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Shutdown: Tighter coverage and more INTs on contested catches (X-Factor)
  • Bench Press: Press wins fatigue the receiver.
  • On the Ball: Grants improved reactions to runoffs.
  • Deep Out Zone Ko: Improved reactions/knockouts in deep outside zones.

New York Giants

• DT Dexter Lawrence II (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Blitz: On field blockers have their resistance bars wiped. (X-Factor)
  • El Toro: Dominant bull rush wins from max pass rush points.
  • Unpredictable: Shed wins are less likely to add to blocker resistance.
  • Inside Stuff: Quicker run sheds against inside run plays.
• HB Saquon Barkley (Superstar X-Factor)
  • First One Free: High fakeout rate on next juke, spin, or hurdle. (X-Factor)
  • Juke Box: Grants steerable juke animations.
  • Leap Frog: Prevents fumbles while hurdling.
  • Energizer: Replenish stamina after successful skill moves.

New York Jets

• CB Sauce Gardner (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Shutdown: Tighter coverage and more INTs on contested catches (X-Factor)
  • Acrobat: Diving catches & swats.
  • Inside Shade: Faster reactions to receiver cuts inside the numbers.
  • Deep Out Zone KO: Improved reactions/knockouts in deep outside zones.
• DT Quinnen Williams (Superstar)
  • El Toro: Dominant bull rush wins from max pass rush points.
  • Unpredictable: Shed wins are less likely to add to blocker resistance.
• QB Aaron Rodgers (Superstar)
  • Gunslinger: Grants faster passing speed.
  • Roaming Deadeye: Perfect pass accuracy while standing outside the pocket.
  • Pass Lead Elite: Increased throw power when leading bullet passes.
• HB Breece Hall (Superstar)
  • Evasive: Grants steerable spin & juke moves.
  • Backfield Master: More hot routes & improved catching from the backfield.

Philadelphia Eagles

• CB Darius Saly Jr. (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Shutdown: Tighter coverage & more INTs on contested catches. (X-Factor)
  • Acrobat: Diving catches & swats.
  • Deep Out KO: Improved knockouts in man va. deep routes.
  • Inside Shade: Faster reaction to receiver cuts inside the numbers.
• WR A.J. Brown (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Max Security: High success rate on possession catches. (X-Factor)
  • WR Apprentice: Four additional hot routes at any WR position.
  • Runoff Elite: Grants more convincing runoffs.
  • Short Out Elite: Improved catching on short passes outside the numbers.
• QB Jalen Hurts (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Run & Gun: Grants perfect passing while on the run. (X-Factor)
  • Juke Box: Grants steerable juke animations.
  • Gunslinger: Grants faster passing speed.
  • Fastbreak: Improved blocking on designed QB runs.
  • Anchored Extender: Higher chance to break the first sack by a blitzing DB.
• RT Lane Johnson (Superstar)
  • Fool Me Once: Gains blocking resistance faster.
  • Nasty Streak: Dominant impact block wins against DBs & LBs.
• C Jason Kelce (Superstar)
  • Natural Talent: Begin the game with blocker resistance.
  • Screen Protector: Dominant impact block wins on screen plays.
• LOLB Haason Reddick (Superstar)
  • Strip Specialist: Reduced tackle penalty while trying to strip the ball.
  • No Outsiders: Quicker run sheds against outside zone plays.
  • Edge Threat: Dominant pass rush moves from the edge.

• WR Devonta Smith (Superstar)
  • Runoff Elite: Grants more convincing runoffs.
  • Mid Out Elite: Improved catching on medium passes outside the numbers.

• HB D'Andre Swift (Superstar)
  • Balance Beam: Avoid stumbling as a ballcarrier.
  • Energizer: Replenish stamina after successful skill moves.

• DT Jalen Carter (Superstar)
  • Reach Elite: Able to tackle/sack while engaged with blockers.
  • Unpredictable: Shed wins are less likely to add to blocker resistance.

Pittsburgh Steelers

• LOLB T.J. Watt (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Unstoppable Force: Pass rush wins lead to quicker block shedding. (X-Factor)
  • Strip Specialist: Reduced tackle penalty while trying to strip the ball.
  • No Outsiders: Quicker run sheds against outside zone plays.
  • Edge Threat: Dominant pass rush moves from the edge.
• RDE Cameron Heyward (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Fearmonger: Chance to pressure the QB while engaged with a blocker. (X-Factor)
  • Unpredictable: Shed wins are less likely to add to blocker resistance.
  • El Toro: Dominant bull rush wins from max pass rush points.
  • Inside Stuff: Quicker run sheds against inside run plays.
• FS Minkah Fitzpatrick (Superstar)
  • Pick Artist: Better catching & improved stamina on INT returns.
  • Tip Drill: Higher chance to catch tipped passes.
  • Deep Out Zone KO: Improved reactions/knockouts in deep outside zones.

San Francisco 49ers

• RDE Nick Bosa (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Relentless: Rush moves no longer cost points. (X-Factor)
  • Extra Credit: Grants an additional max pass rush point.
  • Speedster: Speed rush moves partially ignore blocker resistance.
  • Edge Threat: Dominant pass rush moves from the edge.
• MLB Fred Warner (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Zone Hawk: More INTs in zone coverage. (X-Factor)
  • Lurker: Spectacular catch animations for lurking defenders.
  • Outmatched: Better catch knockouts against RBs.
  • Mid Zone KO: Improved reactions & catch knockouts in mid zones.
• TE George Kittle (Superstar X-Factor)
  • YAC Em' Up: Increased chance to break the first post-catch tackle. (X-Factor)
  • Route Apprentice: Four additional hot routes from any receiver position.
  • Short Out Elite: Improved catching on short passes outside the numbers.
  • Short In Elite: Improved catching on short passes inside the numbers.
• HB Christian McCaffery (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Ankle Breaker: High fakeout rate on skill moves following the catch. (X-Factor)
  • Evasive: Grants steerable spin & juke moves.
  • Leap Frog: Prevents fumbles while hurdling.
  • Playmaker: Immediate & precise reactions to playmaker inputs.
  • Backfield Master: More hout routes & improved catching from the backfield.
• WR Deebo Samuel (Superstar X-Factor)
  • YAC Em' Up: Increased chance to break the first post-catch tackle. (X-Factor)
  • Mid Out Elite: Improved catching on medium passes outside the numbers.
  • Slot-O-Matic: Better cuts & catching on short slot routes.
  • Mid In Elite: Improved catching on medium passes inside the numbers.
• LT Trent Williams (Superstar)
  • All Day: Better protection against frequent shed attempts.
  • Post Up: Dominant when engaged in double-team blocks.
  • Edge Protector: Stronger pass protections va. elite edge rushers.
  • Nasty Streak: Dominant impact block wins against DBs & LBs.

• WR Brandon Aiyuk (Superstar)
  • Mid In Elite: Improved catching on medium passes inside the numbers.
  • Deep In Elite: Improved catching on deep passes inside the numbers.

• LDE Chase Young (Superstar)
  • Speedster: Speed rush moves partially ignore blocker resistance.
  • Adrenaline Rush: Sacks restore all pass rush points.
  • No Outsiders: Quicker run sheds against outside zone plays.

• FB Kyle Juszczyk (Superstar)
  • Mid Out Elite: Improved catching on medium passes outside the numbers.
  • Matchup Nightmare: Better route running and catching vs. LBs.
• QB Brock Purdy (Superstar)
  • Gutsy Scrambler: Immune to defensive pressure while on the run.
  • Inside Deadeye: Perfect pass accuracy on throws inside the numbers.

Seattle Seahawks

• WR D.K. Metcalf (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Double Me: Wins aggressive catches vs. single coverage. (X-Factor)
  • Outside Apprentice: Four additional hot routes when lined up outside.
  • Deep Out Elite: Improved catching on deep passes outside the numbers.
  • Red Zone Threat: Improved catching vs. single coverage in the red zone.

• HB Kenneth Walker III (Superstar)
  • Arm Bar: More powerful stiff arm animations.
  • Matchup Nightmare: Better route running and catching vs. LBs.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• MLB Lavonte David (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Run Stuffer: Block shedding is more effective vs. run plays. (X-Factor)
  • Lurker: Spectacular catch animations for lurking defenders.
  • Deflator: More ballcarrier fatigue on non-conservative tackles.
  • Mid Zone KO: Improved reactions & catch knockouts in mid zones.
• WR Mike Evans (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Double Me: Wins aggressive catches vs. single coverage. (X-Factor)
  • Deep Ouot Elite: Improved catching on deep passes outside the numbers.
  • Mid In Elite: Improved catching on medium passes inside the numbers.
  • Red Zone Threat: Improved catching vs. single coverage in the red zone.
• LT Tristan Wirfs (Superstar)
  • Secure Protector: Stronger protection vs. quick block shed moves.
  • Natural Talent: Begin the game with blocker assistance.
• DT Vita Vea (Superstar)
  • El Toro: Dominant bull rush wins from max pass rush points.
  • B.O.G.O.: Grants a free pass rush move after spending a point.
• FS Antoine Winfield Jr. (Superstar)
  • Tip Drill: Higher chance to catch tipped passes.
  • Acrobat: Diving catches & swats.
• WR Chris Godwin (Superstar)
  • Slot-O-Matic: Better cuts & catching on short slot routes.
  • Mid In Elite: Improved catching on medium passes inside the numbers.

Tennessee Titans

• HB Derick Henry (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Freight Train: Increased chance to break the next tackle attempt. (X-Factor)
  • Arm Bar: More powerful stiff arm animations.
  • Tank: Breaks hit-stick tackles.
  • Backlash: More tackler fatigue on non-conservative tackles.
  • Closer: Reduced zone objectives in the 2nd half.

• RDE Jeffrey Simmons (Superstar)
  • El Toro: Dominant bull rush wins from max pass rush points.
  • Run Stopper: Shed attempts are free on run plays.

Washington Commanders

• WR Terry McLaurin (Superstar)
  • Outside Apprentice: Four additional hot routes when lined up outside.
  • Acrobat: Diving catches and swats.
  • Deep In Elite: Improved catching on deep passes inside the numbers.
• DT Jonathan Allen (Superstar X-Factor)
  • Momentum Shift: On field opponents have their zone progress wiped. (X-Factor)
  • Reach Elite: Able to tackle/sack while engaged with blockers.
  • Inside Stuff: Quicker run sheds against inside run plays.
  • Run Stopper: Shed attempts are free on run plays.

With Fallout TV series set to premiere on Prime Video on April 12th, now is a great time for fans to revisit the game series. You can do that and then some with the Bethesda Fallout S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Anthology Edition, which includes 7 classic games and some fun collectibles. One of these collectibles is an awesome mini nuke storage case that features and audible bomb sound.

The set also includes 7 perk card-inspired Vaultboy cards and PC game codes for Fallout 76, Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition, Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition, Fallout New Vegas: Ultimate Edition, Fallout Tactics, Fallout 2, and Fallout. Pre-orders for the set are available here on Amazon for $59.99 with a release date set for April 11th - one day before the show airs.

What Is the Fallout TV Show About?

Based on one of the greatest video game series of all time, Fallout is the story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there's almost nothing left to have. 200 years after the apocalypse, the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind -- and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird and highly violent universe waiting for them.

The Fallout series will star Ella Purnell, Walton Goggins, Aaron Moten, Mois?s Arias, Kyle MacLachlan, Sarita Choudhury, Michael Emerson, Leslie Uggams, Frances Turner, Dave Register, Zach Cherry, Johnny Pemberton, Rodrigo Luzzi, Annabel O'Hagan, and Xelia Mendes-Jones. The series comes from Kilter Films and executive producers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. Nolan directed the first three episodes. Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner serve as executive producers, writers, and co-showrunners. Athena Wickham of Kilter Films also executive produces, along with Todd Howard for Bethesda Game Studios and James Altman for Bethesda Softworks. Amazon MGM Studios and Kilter Films produce in association with Bethesda Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks.

Will There Be a Fallout 5?

There hasn't been a new Fallout game since 2015 and given Bethesda just released Starfield and is currently working on The Elder Scrolls 6, we likely shouldn't expect a new one anytime soon. However, Bethesda has put fans at ease by promising Fallout 5. It might not happen until the 2030s, but it will happen. If we're lucky, maybe Bethesda and Microsoft will work with another team to produce a spin-off game like Fallout: New Vegas to ensure the IP doesn't go close to 20 years without a brand new game.

During a conversation at CCXP, Fallout's co-showrunner Graham Wagner opened up about the TV adaptation and what it has been like to develop. Although stressing that he didn't want to share too much about the show and its story, Wagner said that those helming the project intentionally tried to distance it from the timelines seen in the Fallout games. To help with this, Wagner said that they tried to look at the show as Fallout 5 rather than a typical video game adaptation.

"We didn't start from a place of characters from the games. We set things after," Wagner said. "We kind of told ourselves, 'This is Fallout 5, this is just another installation, and we're starting with fresh snow.' But as things go on, things go on. So yeah, again, I am really desperate not to spoil stuff, leave it at that I guess."

The NFL season might be over, but the developers at Electronic Arts continue to churn out updates for Madden NFL 24. While most of the team is likely working hard on the next game in the long-running franchise, Title Update 9 was revealed earlier today. It gives fans a re-shuffling of X-Factors and brings Season 5 to Ultimate Team. With Madden NFL 25 likely to be revealed in the next few months, this might be the last major update we see, especially when it comes to X-Factors. Interestingly, no Kansas City Chiefs players were given new X-Factors with this update, despite winning the Super Bowl (as predicted by Madden NFL 24).

Instead, players have two linebackers hopping into the fray with Josh Allen (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Matt Milano (Buffalo Bills). Joining those two are CeeDee Lamb (Dallas Cowboys), Kyle Hamilton (Baltimore Ravens), and Amon-Ra St. Brown (Detroit Lions). Outside of the shuffling of X-Factors, Title Update 9 includes a substantial tuning update for the fatigue system. EA has reverted a previous change to the fatigue system, and players should now feel like their pass rushers won't be as tired as they were before the update. Madden NFL 24 is also bringing Season 5 to Ultimate Team with this update, which includes a new Field Pass featuring Derrick Henry as the ultimate reward.

Below, you'll find the full patch notes for Title Update 9. Madden NFL 24 is available now on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC platforms.

Madden NFL 24 Title Update 9 Patch Notes

Season 5 The Ultimates of #Madden24 is Here! ?

Learn More ? https://t.co/ugXP48nzCq pic.twitter.com/LQjnFqDmUk

-- Madden NFL 24 (@EAMaddenNFL) February 28, 2024

Welcome back to Gridiron Notes. This is where you can receive the most up-to-date information about any changes coming to our game. In today's Title Update we have an update for you regarding Fatigue affecting your players and the final X-Factor shuffle for the Madden 24 Season. Let's dive in and see what changes are in today's Title Update.

GRIDIRON NOTES

X-Factor Postseason Shuffle

NEW X-FACTORS

• CeeDee Lamb
  • X-Factor: Rac 'Em Up
• Josh Allen
  • X-Factor: Unstoppable Force
• Kyle Hamilton
  • X-Factor: Reinforcement
• Matt Milano
  • X-Factor: Reinforcement
• Amon-Ra St. Brown
  • X-Factor: Double Me

NEW SUPERSTARS

• Kyle Juszczyk
• Laremy Tunsil
• Nico Collins
• Chris Lindstrom
• Antoine Winfield Jr.
• Denzel Ward
• David Njoku
• Trey Hendrickson
• Evan Engram
• Travis Etienne Jr.
• Derrick Brown
• Creed Humphrey
• Isaiah Pacheco
• Frank Ragnow
• Penei Sewell
• Sam LaPorta
• Raheem Mostert
• Kyren Williams
• Breece Hall

DOWNGRADED X-FACTORS

• Von Miller
• Josh Jacobs
• Demarcus Lawrence
• Austin Ekeler
• Terry McLaurin

DOWNGRADED SUPERSTARS

• Cameron Jordan
• Kevin Byard
• Dallas Goedert
• Ryan Jensen
• Mekhi Becton
• Kyle Pitts
• Shaq Barrett
• Daniel Carlson
• Younghoe Koo
• Diontae Johnson
• Tony Pollard

GAMEPLAY

• Fatigue Tuning Update - We have now reverted the Fatigue changes where defenders would get a severe fatigue penalty when pass rushing and engaging in a block with a blocker that was significantly bigger than the defender.

DEV NOTE - Though the concept of this new fatigue penalty was something that was correct in premise, the application resulted in too many undesired artifacts that hindered the end user's playing experience. We do plan to revisit this in the future and possibly implement a more comprehensive version in an upcoming title.

MADDEN ULTIMATE TEAM

• Stability and Server Disconnection fixes.

SUPERSTAR MODE

• General Stability fixes

SEASON 5

Season 5 is here and so is a new Field Pass loaded with new rewards and player items to earn like T.J. Watt, Andrew Whitworth, Keyshawn Johnson, and Patrick Peterson! Let's take a look at these new player items that were revealed last night and will be available starting today.

The annual NFL Combine is coming and we are so excited to show you what is on the way! Be sure to tune into Good Morning Madden tomorrow morning at 10:30AM ET live on Twitch for a full reveal, but for now here is a special early teaser of some players items that will be revealed tomorrow.

Cowboys fans, did we have a surprise for you this week as well! We released some player items that for sure were exciting. While we're at it, let's take a look at who just arrived on Monday and also look at some of the fantastic Weekly Wildcard Player Items that will arrive today as well!

And that is a wrap! Thank you all so much for tuning in to the Gridiron Notes! Be sure to tune into Good Morning Madden on Twitch and MaddenNFLDirect for more updates and announcements.

- The Madden Team

Grand Theft Auto fans hoping to see the second GTA 6 trailer soon have been dealt some bad news. Last week, we reported on some speculation making the rounds within the GTA community. The speculation was based on the Spotify page of Anita Ward, which had been updated with a GTA 6 logo. More specifically, the 1979 hit Ring My Bell by Anita Ward had been updated with the GTA 6 logo as its accompanying image. This was obviously odd, and led to speculation it was going to be the song for the second trailer, which in turn would be revealed soon, or would be a radio song in the game. All of this speculation was for nothing though as it has been confirmed the change was made outside of the knowledge of Ward and her representatives.

"Ring My Bell will not be featured in the second trailer or radio station," reads the update. "All rumors and predictions about the song are unfounded this is the only official and correct explanation. The changes in the last three days have been outside our knowledge. We hope that the correct information will spread quickly. Announced to the public. Arrangement: the fact that there is no official agreement at the moment does not mean that there will not be in the future, but there are no official agreements or negotiations at the moment."

As you can see, the door is left slightly open, but now there is no reason to expect it to be opened and for the song to end up in the game. It's a classic song, so there is no reason it couldn't be in the game, but there is no reason to expect this to happen. And now we are going back to expecting to wait a while to see the second GTA 6 trailer, which probably won't arrive until late this year, assuming it is released this year to begin with.

For more Grand Theft Auto VI coverage -- including all of the latest GTA 6 news, all of the latest GTA 6 rumors and leaks, and all of the latest GTA 6 deals -- click here.

Larian Studios has revealed when players can expect the next update for Baldur's Gate 3 to drop. In recent weeks, Larian has been quite busy as it finally released Patch 6 for BG3 which brought with it a ton of sizable overhauls. Following the release of Patch 6, Larian has then started trying to resolve a number of new bugs and other issues that have come about in the wake of this new content coming to the RPG. Now, it's known when the next such hotfix of this type will be landing.

Announced on the official Baldur's Gate 3 X (or Twitter) account, Larian said that the next update for the title is set to launch at some point this week. This patch will be Hotfix #20 for BG3 and will look to make a change to Minthara where the character would occasionally stop following the party. Outside of this adjustment, Larian hasn't said what other tweaks will be coming with Hotfix #20, but more information should be unveiled soon enough.

"Our next hotfix is undergoing final testing, and we're aiming to release it this week," Larian said on social media today. "Among other fixes, Hotfix #20 solves an issue where Minthara would sometimes stop following the party in Act II and III. Keep up, minty. We'll update you all when it's ready for release!"

Beyond releasing new updates for Baldur's Gate 3, it's not known what else Larian might have in the cards. Given the success of the game since its launch last summer, it would seem logical for Larian to eventually release DLC or a sizable expansion. At the time of this writing, such add-on content hasn't been announced in any capacity although it continues to be requested from players in droves. Whether or not the coming months will bring with it the reveal of new content for BG3 remains to be seen. If nothing else, we'll be sure to share with you the patch notes for Hotfix #20 in Baldur's Gate 3 once they formally roll out.

Last week, EA Sports FC 24 brought the Fantasy FC promo back to Ultimate Team. It's an exciting promo for fans because the cards from Fantasy FC can be upgraded based on real-world performances. The first week of the promo is almost over, but the EA Sports FC 24 developers aren't finished yet. The latest leaks claim that a second week of the promo is coming later this week, which means a brand-new team full of modern players and Hero cards from soccer's long history. Below, you'll find a full list of the leaked players and the rumored release date for Fantasy FC Team 2 in EA Sports FC 24.

EAFC Fantasy FC Team 2 Leaked Players

?Dembele ?? is coming as FANTASY FC TEAM 2??

Stats are prediction ?

Make sure to follow @FutSheriff & @Criminal__x !#fc24 pic.twitter.com/TchEMGarki

-- Fut Sheriff (@FutSheriff) February 27, 2024

These leaks come from FUT Sheriff on Twitter. The account has built up a solid reputation in the EA Sports FC 24 community during the last few years. Of course, you'll still want to take these leaks with a hefty grain of salt. Sheriff, in particular, is generally solid but has had a few mishaps over the years, so don't assume anything. Here are the currently leaked players:

Fantasy FC Leaked Players

• Ousmane Dembele - PSG
• Federico Chiesa - Juventus
• Geyse - Manchester United
• Yan Couto - Girona
• Vivianne Miedema - Arsenal
• Fridolina Rolfo - Barcelona (SBC)
• Lieke Martins - PSG
• Ian Maatsen - Dortmund
• Georgia Stanway - Bayern Munich
• Luis Diaz - Liverpool

Fantasy FC Leaked Heroes

Below, you'll find the leaked Heroes. It's important to note that these players will match up with a club, but we've listed them based on the league their base version represents because that's how they will affect chemistry. If their club is leaked, we will add it below.

• Lucio - Bundesliga (Leverkusen)
• Wesley Sneijder - LaLiga (Real Madrid)
• Sonia Bompastor - Ligue 1 (Lyon)
• Javier Mascherano - LaLiga (Barcelona)
• Steve McMananman - Premier League (Liverpool)
• Yaya Toure - LaLiga (Barcelona)
• Tomas Brolin - Serie A (Parma)
• Ramires - Premier League (Chelsea)

How Do Fantasy FC Cards Upgrade in EA Sports FC 24?

Since this is the second week of the promo, we already know what it takes to upgrade cards. If you need a quick reminder, here's the breakdown of how cards can be upgraded:

Fantasy FC Attackers and Midfielders

• Player records one assist or goal in the next four games (+1 In-Form)
• Club wins two in the next four domestic l eague games (+1 In-Form)
• Player makes three appearances in the next four domestic league games (+1 In-Form)
• Club scores 11 goals in the next four domestic league games (+1 In-Form)

Fantasy FC Defenders

• Club records one clean sheet in the next four games (+1 In-Form)
• Club wins two in the next four domestic league games (+1 In-Form)
• Player makes three appearances in the next four domestic league games (+1 In-Form)
• Club scores 11 goals in the next four domestic league games (+1 In-Form)

Fantasy FC Heroes

• Club wins two games in the next four games (+1 In-Form)
• Club scores 11 goals in the next four games (+1 In-Form)

EA Sports FC 24 Fantasy FC Team 2 Leaked Start Date

The Fantasy FC Team 2 promo will likely start on March 1st at 1 p.m. ET. That's when the first Fantasy FC team leaves packs and generally when EA starts new promos in Ultimate Team. We should get confirmation from Electronic Arts soon letting us know exactly when the promo will start.

EA Sports FC 24 is available now on PlayStation, Switch, Xbox, and PC platforms.

Developer Remedy Entertainment has announced that it has purchased the franchise rights to Control from publisher 505 Games. Released back in 2019, Control was published by 505 Games who also happened to own the rights to the IP outright due to an agreement that had been struck with Remedy. Now, with Remedy itself working on Control 2 and a new multiplayer-focused spin-off codenamed Condor, the studio has chosen to buy Control as a way of better charting its own course in the future.

Announced in a statement on Remedy's website, the company revealed that it has purchased the Control property for EUR 17 million. This amount is based on the money that 505 Games has already given to Remedy for its work on Control 2 and Condor along with a "minor premium." As for the reason behind the move, Remedy attributed the success of Alan Wake 2 as a factor in why the studio is now able to buy Control and better put itself in a position to strike deals with other companies.

"This transaction will enable us to negotiate better deals for current and future Control games," Remedy said in a new release. "We can now weigh up the options between self-publishing and a new publishing partner for Condor and Control 2. At the same time, we are in a better negotiating position than before as Control is an established brand and Alan Wake 2 has been successful. We are confident that these factors combined will enable us to get the right partner, deal structure and risk-reward profile that benefit Remedy and are the best fit for the Control franchise. We will evaluate and negotiate with potential future partners over the coming months."

Remedy owning the rights to Control is likely a much bigger deal for the studio as it continues to build out the Remedy Connected Universe. First introduced with Control, Remedy began the process of folding in lore and characters from Alan Wake to create a larger world that houses all of its games. This was furthered that much more in Alan Wake 2, which contained a number of major references and callbacks to what was seen in Control. For Remedy to now own both of these franchises means that the studio should be able to continue building this universe in the future without having to get clearance from various publishers in the process.

Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if Remedy also attempts to buy the rights to Quantum Break and Max Payne. In addition to Control and Alan Wake, Quantum Break and Max Payne are the other two major properties that Remedy has worked with in the past, both of which were also alluded to in underhanded ways within Alan Wake 2. For the time being, Remedy continues to work on the Max Payne series with owner Rockstar Games, as remakes of both Max Payne and Max Payne 2 are currently in development.

Mortal Kombat 1 owners on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S have a new update to download today -- as of Wednesday, February 28 -- courtesy of a new patch from developer NetherRealm Studios. While we don't have any information about the file size of the update on any platform, we do have the patch notes of the update, which in turn reveal everything it does, big and small.

In addition to a host of game changes and improvements, specific Mortal Kombat characters have been tweaked as well. To this end, just about the entire roster has been adjusted, including characters in need of buffs and characters in need of nerfs, at least according to the game's online community.

Below, you can check out the entire patch notes for Mortal Kombat 1's update today on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X as they have been provided straight from the Chicago-based developer. Meanwhile, if you are wondering when the servers will go back online, we don't know. They are still offline with no exact word when they will be live again.

General Fixes & Adjustments

• Move list corrections & Localization fixes
• AI adjustments & improvements
• Improvements to Screen Reader functionality
• Added Peacemaker Roster Character
• Added Janet Cage Kameo Character (Available March 2024)
• Added UMK3 skins for Scorpion, Reptile, & Smoke and MK3 Skin for Sub-Zero
• Fixed several visual issues with brutalities
• Fixed visual issues with several projectiles after being reflected
• Fixed issue with cloth physics becoming active on frozen opponents during the in-game Fatal Blow attacks
• Match Timer now resumes immediately if a Fatal Blow misses or is blocked
• Added Kameo Form sound option to Accessibility Extra Audio Feedback Settings
• Fixed issue with Up Block vulnerability persisting after knockdown if some wakeup attacks were performed
• Fixed rare issue near arena corners that could result in excessively long delay before a turnaround occurs
• Using a Breaker while a Kameo Summon is being performed will now always put the Kameo on cooldown

Online

• Players can now manually link a game profile to a WB Friends Account
• Added Social Menu where players can add others to their WB Friend List & manage their WB Friend Account
• Added Krossplay support (PC, Xbox Series X/S, & PlayStation 5 versions) to Private Versus Matches
• Added Krossplay support (PC, Xbox Series X/S, & PlayStation 5 versions) to Ranked Kombat League & Kasual Versus matchmaking
• Fixed rare issue where UI & Announcer timing could be mismatched at round start in online matches
• Fixed rare issue where health could be slightly visually incorrect for a few frames after losing a round during some Fatal Blow cinematics
• Fixed online rollback issue with characters' visuals changing when blocking certain brutalities starting attacks while at low health
• Adjusted Match found sound when looking for a Kombat League match
• Fixed an online issue that caused framerate to drop when the opponent continuously pauses during the match.

Invasions

• Added in-game HUD indicators showing Invasion Character Level & Elemental Types for the player & their opponent
• Added in-game HUD indicators displaying Modifiers active during a match
• Significantly increased Fighter & Kameo Mastery XP base rewards per Encounter, which is no longer no longer repeatable and are no longer subject to diminishing returns if the opponent is a lower level
• Increased Fighter & Kameo Mastery XP & item rewards from Encounters in the Gateway Mesa
• Removed negative passive bonuses from some Relics
• Konsumables with Stat Bonuses are now rewarded in more areas
• Krowns can now be rewarded for defeating Major Enemies
• Relic & Talisman Buy & Sell prices are now affected by Level & Rarity
• Fixed end of round slow motion happening on certain attacks when there could be more opponents left to fight in the encounter
• Fixed rare situation where the opponent losing to time out while performing an armored move could cause an incorrect animation

Practice Mode

• Damage text in Practice mode when hitting an opponent with an air-only attack will now display AIR instead of UNBLOCKABLE
• Added ability to configure the following Fighter & Kameo specific mechanics under "Practice Settings"
• Ashrah
• Heaven / Hell Mode Debuffs
• Geras
• Countdown Charges
• General Shao
• Axe & Dark Energy
• Johnny Cage
• Hype & Wowing Out
• Kenshi
• Sento & Spirit
• Havik
• Link Active
• Nitara
• Blood Sacrifice
• Raiden
• Electric Charge
• Sindel
• Inspire Active
• Tanya
• Royal Guidance
• Quan Chi
• Zones
• Tremor
• Variation
• Khameleon
• Disguise

Character Specific Adjustments

• Main Fighters
• Ashrah
• Bleeding Blade (Down + Back Punch) now deals bonus damage & causes knockdown reaction when hitting an opponent's Kameo
• Baraka
• Fixed Chop Chop using same input regardless of Alternate Kontrols setting
• General Shao
• Fixed incorrect animation used when Kameo Fatality is performed while Axe is planted
• Fixed issue that could cause incorrect blood locations when komboing Jump Attacks into Basic Attacks
• Geras
• Fixed a rare issue that could cause Geras to not teleport after hitting a Main Fighter & Kameo with Inevitable at the same time
• Havik
• Skab Stab (Away + Back Punch, Back Punch, Throw) no longer allows the opponent to perform a Kameo Ambush Attack while in its hit reaction
• Fixed Enhanced Neoplasm having no sound effects when performed at very close distance to the opponent
• Fixed lingering visual with Enhanced Blood Bath if Disarmed And Dangerous (Fatal Blow) is used before activating Corpse Taunt
• Johnny Cage
• Fixed invulnerability to high attacks during the some of the recovery frames of Ball Buster while in Wowing Out hype state
• Kenshi
• Kameo Meter color is now blue when Ancestor is active
• Kenshi will now take 20 damage when Ancestor is hit by an attack
• Ancestor is now vulnerable to attacks while Kenshi is performing a throw attempt
• Fixed situation where hitting the Ancestor while in certain actions would cause two hitsparks to occur
• Kung Lao
• Fixed throw immunity during some recovery frames of Hat Toss
• Li Mei
• Enhanced Nova Blast's followup hits are no longer sometimes blockable when done at full screen against certain characters
• Liu Kang
• Fixed visual issue that could occur when Dragon's Breath is interrupted by Sub-Zero's Ice Klone
• Mileena
• Slightly adjusted Hit Region on Straight Sai & Enhanced Straight Sai
• Fixed issue with Feral Gashes (Front Punch, Back Punch, Throw) no longer allows the opponent to perform a Kameo Ambush Attack while in its hit reaction
• Fixed issue that could cause (Air) Enhanced Teleport Down & (Air) Homing Ball to not be possible while in the air from Khameleon's Fan Lift
• Fixed issue causing a misaligned teleport attack to occur if Enhanced Sai Toss connects with an opponent's kameo
• Fixed visual misalignment during "Maybe Next Time" brutality
• Nitara
• Fixed visual issue with Wings having improper animation after missing Fatal Blow
• Rain
• Rain God Waterball is no longer destroyed if Rain is hit after the projectile becomes active
• Fixed Ancient Trap interacting with some reflect moves
• Fixed issue that could cause (Air) Confluence Beam to not be possible while in the air from Khameleon's Fan Lift
• Reiko
• Fixed rare issue that could cause Reiko to switch sides with the opponent when performing The Soldier's Spearit (Fatal Blow) while close to the arena corner
• Fixed visual issue when Tactical Takedown is interrupted by Kameo Kung Lao's Away We Go
• Shang Tsung
• Fixed Bed of Spikes interacting with reflect moves
• Added visual effect to signify when Form Stealer damage boost has ended
• Fixed issue with Form Stealer cloth physics not functioning correctly in certain circumstances when returning to Shang Tsung form
• Sindel
• Kameo Meter color is now pink when Enhanced Queen's Kommand is active
• Using Snatched (Fatal Blow) while Enhanced Queen's Command is active no longer ends control over opponent's Kameo
• Fixed rare issue that could cause Sindel's Kameo to become unresponsive if some Fatal Blows were performed immediately after hitting an opponent's Kameo with Enhanced Queen's Command
• Stolen Kameos using Enhanced Queen's Kommand performing a buff move will no longer wait for the buff to expire before returning to their partner
• Smoke
• Fixed rare issue that could cause Smoke to become invisible for an extended period of time if he is interrupted during Everywhere (Back Punch, Front Punch, Back Punch) at specific timing
• Sub-Zero
• Fixed visual issue that could cause Ice Klones to appear in cinematics
• Tanya
• Spinning Splits Kick and (Air) Spinning Splits Kick can now hit the opponent's Kameo
• Heavenly Hand & Enhanced Heavenly Hand now continue to be active after hitting an opponent's Kameo
• Spinning Splits Kick & (Air) Spinning Splits Kick air hit reaction knocks down for 1 frame longer
• Fixed Cudgel Strike (Down + Back Punch) now deals bonus damage & causes knockdown reaction when hitting an opponent's Kameo
• Fixed rare situation with 100 Hands (Fatal Blow) not going into cinematic despite its attack connecting on opponent in certain circumstances with Kameo Goro
• Omni-Man
• Fixed issue with Spilled Kontents (Towards + Back Kick, Front Punch, Throw) no longer allows the opponent to perform a Kameo Ambush Attack while in its hit reaction
• Quan Chi
• New move Zone of Waste added. It creates a zone that drains meter from the opponent and if the opponent stands in it for an extended period Quan Chi will briefly gain armor
• Zone of Fear now lasts 2 seconds longer
• Field of Bones & Enhanced Field of Bones now activates the cage trap if the opponent blocks the attack
• Field of Bones & Enhanced Field of Bones now has an increased duration on the cage trap
• Adjusted victim region while duck blocking
• Fixed inconsistency between air and ground hit reactions for Zone of Power Enhanced Head Rush allowing the opponent to block followup attacks at certain distances
• Fixed Koccyx Krusher (Away + Front Kick, Back Kick, Back Punch) having improper animation and auto-correcting if performed as the opponent jumps over
• Fixed Sareena Jataaka's Kurse still triggering if it is only connecting with Field of Bones
• Fixed Skewer Strike tracking the opponent if the first hit connects with Field of Bones
• Fixed lingering visual effects if opponent is interrupted during the hit reaction of Enhanced Head Rush
• Fixed several unintended visual effects lingering during cinematics
• Fixed visual issue with skull projectiles lingering on screen if they are evaded by Omni-Man's Viltrumite Stance
• Fixed visual issue with lingering effects after hitting Field of Bones with Sub-Zero's Ice Klone Charge
• Fixed an issue which would allow opponent's Shujinko to use Zone of Power to buff their projectiles
• Fixed visual issue with Zone of Fear that could cause visual effects on the opponent to linger after they have exited the zone
• Kameo Fighters
• Darrius (Kameo)
• Fixed AI being unable to perform several followups to Tornado Kick
• Twister Kicks, Double Daegon Kick, Eat Dirt, & Heelturn Attacks are no longer affected by projectile Invulnerability
• Jax (Kameo)
• Kameo Meter color now changes when Ground Pound is active
• Adjusted AI behavior when it tries to avoid Ground Pound
• Kano (Kameo)
• Fixed visual issues with several Fighters' weapons during the Eye Laser and Forward Throw animations
• Kung Lao (Kameo)
• Fixed animation issue when the Spin is blocked at far ranges
• Motaro (Kameo)
• Fixed rare issue with Reflect which could cause some projectiles to still be reflected after it hits a main character
• Scorpion (Kameo)
• The main character will now pass through other characters when pulled by Get Over Here
• Fixed visual issue with Hell Blades brutality causing the victim to move in certain circumstances
• Shujinko (Kameo)
• When morphing into the opponent Shang Tsung's kameo and using the full Kameo Meter, Shujinko will return to his normal state
• Stolen Kitana Fan-Nado can now be directed close or far
• Fixed issue causing Kopy Kat & Mimic to increase the hype meter for Johnny Cage when used
• Fixed visual issues with using Reptile Invisibility and Stolen Acid Spit at the same time
• Sub-Zero (Kameo)
• Fixed rare issue with Arctic Armor not deactivating when hit by low attacks in certain circumstances
• Fixed lingering visual effects appearing after missing Fatal Blow
• Tremor (Kameo)
• Fixed issue with Tremor still being vulnerable to attacks after using Crystal Armor and disappearing
• Fixed Rolling Rock visual effects lingering after it collides with Sub-Zero's Ice Klone
• Khameleon (Kameo)
• HUD weapon icon will now pulse to indicate Disguise is about to change
• Slightly increased damage scaling on Glaive, Roll, & Fan Lift when used in a combo
• Fan Lift will now work on characters that have projectile immunity active
• Fixed Breaker being possible while Khameleon is on cooldown
• Using Khameleon Roll & Mileena Roll in the same combo will no longer cause alternate hit reaction
• Fixed visual issue that could cause weapons to appear incorrectly in Tower victory cinematic

Playtesters will be able to get their hands on Daggerheart, the eagerly anticipated fantasy RPG published by Critical Role's Darrington Press. Today, Darrington Press announced that it would launch an open beta playtest for Daggerheart on March 12th (which coincides with Critical Role's anniversary), with playtest material available on Daggerheart's webpage. Additionally, Critical Role announced plans to publish a final version of Daggerheart sometime in 2025.

Daggerheart was first announced last year as a new fantasy tabletop RPG, built around a new game system focused on two 12-sided dice. One 12-sided dice is the "Hope" die and the other is the "Fear" die, with players making checks by rolling both dice, adding them together and then determining whether the check was made with Hope or Fear based on which die has the higher number. A check made with Hope may result in a narrative bonus of some kind (even on a failed check), while a check with Fear could result in negative narrative consequences. An early version of the ruleset debuted at Gen Con, with attendees able to check out an early build of the game.

Additionally, character creation for Daggerheart utilizes a card system that allows for a modular creation with players choosing cards based on Ancestry, Community, Subclass, and Domain to choose various character options.

As part of the playtest, Demiplane will open a character creation tool on its new Daggerheart NEXUS page. Also, Critical Role will run a playtest session on its YouTube and Twitch channels on March 12th at 7 PM PT.

"I'm so excited for people to get a sneak peek into the game we're building," said Spenser Starke, lead game designer on Daggerheart and senior game designer at Darrington Press, in a press release announcing the open playtest. "It's been over a year of work behind the scenes and now we're ready to show you Daggerheart's current status. By opening this project up to the community while it's still in progress, we have the opportunity to build this game together. The Open Beta will give us insight into what people like, what they don't, and how to best support the players. Throughout the development process, we'll make changes and release new versions of the game based on the feedback we receive, which means you'll see the game take shape in real-time with us! I hope you have a great experience learning to play, and we can't wait to hear your thoughts."

Be sure to check out Daggerheart's website for additional details.

The classic HeroQuest board game was released in 1989 by Milton Bradley, earning a cult status in the years that followed. Now owned by Hasbro / Avalon Hill, a new version of the game made a triumphant return with a wildly successful Haslab croundfunding campaign and a retail release in 2021 that included Kellar's Keep and Return of the Witch Lord expansion packs. That was followed by The Frozen Horror expansion, a Rogue Heir of Elethorn character collection, The Mage of the Mirror expansion, the first new-to-retail expansion Rise of the Dread Moon, and Path of the Wandering Monk, Prophecy of Telor, and Spirit Queen's Torment expansions. Today the lineup grows even bigger with the highly anticipated, updated version of the Against the Ogre Horde Quest Pack.

The HeroQuest Against the Ogre Horde expansion is a re-release of the original with updated classic quests, 3 new quests, and tournament gameplay that ties it into the previously released Path of the Wandering Monk pack (details below). All-in-all, it includes 10 quests, 28 updated miniatures, 29 game cards, and 29 full-color cardboard tiles. Needless to say, this is a pretty exciting release. If you agree, you can reserve one for yourself here at Entertainment Earth for $44.99 (free US shipping on orders $79+) with a release date set for April. A listing for the expansion is currently live here on Amazon, but it was unavailable at the time of writing.

Details about the Prophecy of Telor and Spirit Queen's Torment Quest Packs can be found below followed by information on previous expansions. You can find them here on Amazon and here at Entertainment Earth priced at $33.99 each. Again, note that US shipping is currently free at Entertainment Earth on orders $79+.

HeroQuest Prophecy of Telor Quest Pack ($33.99): "Players traverse through 13 quests to reveal the secrets surrounding the Talisman of Lore and the prophecy of Telor. Though the wizard Melar vanished long ago, it is known that he had been experimenting with vile Dread magic-alas, in his disappearance, all that could be found was the Talisman of Lore. Playing as one of HeroQuest's brave heroes, players must enter the maze of Melar and put an end to whatever foul machinations are at play!"

HeroQuest Spirit Queen's Torment Quest Pack ($33.99), "Players embark on 14 thrilling quests. The elven sage Silvana, brilliant diviner and ally of Mentor, has been experiencing visions of spirits surrounding her beloved late apprentice, Nelath, a Spirit Talker slain by Zargon. Playing as one of HeroQuest's brave heroes, players must enter the Wyvern Keep and end whatever vile plot has disturbed Nelath's eternal slumber-before a fate worse than death befalls her."

HeroQuest Path of the Wandering Monk introduces male and female Monk hero options to the game with 2 miniatures, a scroll, and 7 game cards, including 4 double-sided ability cards with Elemental Style combat techniques based on the elements of Wind, Earth, Water, and Fire. The scroll also mentions The World's End Tournament seeking warriors to "heed the call & test your mettle for glory and gold". You can order Path of the Wandering Monk here on Amazon now for $14.99.

From the official description: "Know not the path, but the reason you walk it." Walk in the wise Monk hero's shoes and expand your HeroQuest adventure with the Path of the Wandering Monk figures! The graceful Monk hero is a student of unarmed combat techniques formed in reverence to the 4 elements. When you play as this hero, you lack the ability to use metal armor and shields, but you may wield daggers, crossbows, handaxes, shortswords, and staffs. This collector's edition item includes 2 highly detailed Monk figures with powers and skills not seen in HeroQuest characters. It also includes 7 game cards and a scroll."

As noted, the HeroQuest Rise of the Dread Moon Quest Pack was the first new-to-retail expansion since the game's return. It is available here on Amazon priced at $34.80 (23% off). The HeroQuest Rise of the Dread Moon expansion will take players on an all-new adventure that introduces new tactics for heroes to overcome. It also features brand new monster types with never-before-seen spells and abilities. It will conclude the Elethorn saga first experienced in The Mage of the Mirror Quest Pack.

From the official description:

"The dramatic story of treachery and unrest in the elven kingdom continues in this HeroQuest Rise of the Dread Moon expansion! As a brave knight, you're challenged to finally free Elethorn from the clutches of Zargon. Embark on dangerous quests, as you seek the aid of the Cadre of the Raven's Veil to help stop Zargon's forces of Dread from destroying the kingdom. Navigate through a dark labyrinth of waterways, an underground city, and more perilous locations. But be wary--for Zargon's forces grow ever stronger with the rise of the Dread Moon! Immerse yourself in the adventure with 10 daring quests, stunning artwork, 29 detailed miniatures, and full-color tiles. Requires HeroQuest Game System to play (sold separately)."

HeroQuest was a popular line of dungeon-crawling board games released in the 1980s. The game's core game system allowed a dungeon master to build their own dungeon, challenging players as they descended into a castle or dungeon to complete various quests. The quests were often part of an overarching story, and players could use the items they gained in quests on future expeditions. Hasbro stopped producing expansions for HeroQuest in 1992, although a video game based the board game came out in 1994. In September 2020, Hasbro obtained the trademark for HeroQuest (which was also used for an unrelated tabletop RPG) from Chaosium, paving the way for the game's official re-launch.

"In the Avalon Hill HeroQuest Game System Tabletop Board Game, heroes work together to complete epic quests, find treasures and defeat the forces of evil. This semi-cooperative board game has one player taking on the role of Zargon, the Game Master, while 4 mythical heroes - Barbarian, Dwarf, Elf, and Wizard--team up in their quest for adventure in a maze of monsters and eerie dark dungeons. Players can immerse themselves in the fantasy with the stunning artwork, and 65+ detailed miniatures. The game comes with 14 quests, and has limitless replayability because players can also build their own quests and create their own stories. Gather friends together for an exciting night of tabletop gameplay in an epic battle of good and evil. The game is for 2-5 players, ages 14 and up."

Like every March since the PlayStation console was released, March 2024 is set to treat PS5 gamers to a wide variety of games. However, while March 2024 is far from slow, it is perhaps not as jam packed full of major PS5 games as previous years. Those who prefer their games to have more of a Japanese flavor are going to be feasting in March though, with the likes of Rise of Ronin, Dragon's Dogma 2, Unicorn Overlord, and Hi-Fi Rush all being released on PS5 via Japanese studios. There are also a couple of popular sports franchises getting new releases in March as well.

It can be challenging to keep track of what is and isn't releasing any given month, which is why we have gone ahead and created the list below which features every PS5 release in March 2024 of consequence. With the PlayStation Store constantly flooded with shovelware you've never heard of and have no desire to find out why, the list below is not literally every PS5 game releasing in March 2024. March will be over by the time you finish reading that list. Rather, the list below is comprised of every PS5 game releasing next month that rises above this categorization.

March 1:

• Ufouria: The Saga 2

March 4:

• Biomorph

March 5:

• Expeditions: A MudRunner Game
• Mediterranea Inferno
• The Outlast Trials
• Bang-On Balls: Chronicles
  

March 7:

• As Dusk Falls
• Top Racer Collection
• ABRISS: Build to Destroy
  

March 8:

• Ancient Weapon Holly
• Unicorn Overlord
• WWE 2K24

March 12:

• Contra: Operation Galuga

March 13:

• Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story

March 14:

• Ib
• Macross Shooting Insight
• What the Golf?
• Highwater

March 18:

• Hi-Fi Rush

March 19:

• MLB The Show 24

March 20:

• Alone in the Dark

March 21:

• Krimson
• House Flipper 2
• Postal 4: No Regrets

March 22:

• Dragon's Dogma 2
• Rise of the R?nin

March 26:

• Planet Zoo
• South Park: Snow Day!

March 28:

• Mars 2120
• Open Roads
  
• Radirgy 2
  

March TBA:

• Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland
  
• Akka Arrh
• Richman 11
  

For all of our previous and extensive PlayStation 5 coverage -- including all of the latest PS5 news, all of the latest PS5 rumors and leaks, and all of the latest PS5 deals -- click here.

Sony has announced the lineup of free games across PS5 and PS4 that will be coming to PlayStation Plus for the month of March 2024. So far in 2024, PS Plus subscribers have been treated to some pretty strong freebies. In February, Square Enix added its new multiplayer title Foamstars to PS Plus the same day as its general release, which was a pretty great get for the service. Meanwhile, January's lineup was headlined by the acclaimed A Plague Tale: Innocence. Now, this strong streak on PlayStation Plus is set to continue in the coming month with the best lineup so far.

In total, Sony will be giving out four different titles on PS Plus in March 2024 that will become available next Tuesday, March 5. Per usual, three games for PS5 and PS4 will be handed out and include Sifu, Hello Neighbor 2, and EA Sports F1 23. In all likelihood, Sifu is the standout game of this bunch, especially for hardcore audiences. F1 23 is then a great addition as it's still less than a year old. Lastly, Hello Neighbor 2 is yet another highlight as it's a game that can be played by all ages.

Surprisingly, Sony is also handing out a fourth title in March 2024, which normally isn't something that happens. Rather than giving away a completely new game, though, Sony is making Destiny 2: The Witch Queen free to download. This expansion for Destiny 2 is widely considered the best one that Bungie has ever released in the game's life. As such, if you haven't played it for yourself yet, it's very much worth diving into prior to the release of Destiny 2: The Final Shape later this year.

You can learn more about all of these free games making their way to PlayStation Plus in March 2024 by checking out their descriptions and trailers below.

Sifu

"Whether you choose to play as a male or a female character, in Sifu, you will ponder that question on your path for revenge, hunting down your family's assassins. One against all, you have no allies, countless enemies, and a mysterious amulet to bring you back to life every time you die. Yet, be warned! Your secret weapon comes with a hefty price to pay: aging and its consequences."

Hello Neighbor 2

"Not everything is as it seems in Raven Brooks. Picking up directly after the events of the original game, the police show up at Mr Peterson's house -- where he had kids locked up in his basement.

As Quentin, an investigative journalist, you sneak into crime scenes and people's houses to find clues and evidence. It's up to you to piece this puzzle together. Building upon the formula of Hello Neighbor 1, you play in a larger open world with multiple houses inhabited by suspicious characters."

EA Sports F1 23

"Be the last to brake in EA SPORTS F1 23, the official video game of the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship. A new chapter in the thrilling 'Braking Point' story mode delivers high-speed drama and heated rivalries."

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen

"The Definitive Destiny Campaign. Delve into Savath?n's Throne World to uncover the mystery of how she and her Lucent Hive stole the Light. Learn the secrets to crafting new weapons, the new Glaive, and survive the truth within her web of lies.

A twisted wonderland of corruption and splendor, Savath?n's Throne World plays host to a fragile balance of power. From her palace to the swamp, all that she hides can be found here. Create custom weaponry with unique mod, shader, and stat combinations. Master the new Glaive weapon type and unleash powerful melee combos, projectile attacks, and a deployable energy shield."

One final update for Battlefield 2042 has gone live prior to the start of Season 7. In early March, the next season of BF2042 is finally slated to arrive and will bring with it a ton of new content that players will be able to experience in the months ahead. Prior to Season 7's launch, though, DICE has pushed out one last patch for Season 6 that ends this current phase of the multiplayer on a strong note.

Available to download now across Xbox, PlayStation, and PC, update version 6.4.0 for Battlefield 2042 brings some important changes. For starters, the game mode Control is now available to experience with this latest update having brought two new maps to the experience. Beyond this, DICE has also made some overhauls to BF2042's servers and has also retooled the HUD that appears while in helicopters. Per usual, there are also a fair number of bug fixes with this patch that should improve the overall game just a bit.

You can get a look at the full patch notes for this new Battlefield 2042 update at the bottom of the page. As for Season 7, DICE hasn't announced a specific launch date just yet, but we should learn more in the days ahead.

Battlefield 2042 Update 6.4.0 Patch Notes

Changelog

Arkangel Directive

Arkangel Directive is now underway. Utilise the Ascension satellite network, and experience the mode Control. Take and hold rotating objectives to upload tactical telemetry, collect the most telemetry to command the region, and earn Ascension Points to purchase vehicles.

Execute the Directive. Take Control.

Control is played as 24v24 across Reclaimed, Orbital, Valparaiso and Arica Harbor, with your goal being to collect telemetry data to upload to the Arkangel Satellite. Update 6.4 will include support for two additional maps in Breakaway and Discarded.

Persistent Servers Update

Season 6 has now come to a close and we are on our way towards Season 7. As we make our way to the new Season, we're improving how Persistent Servers function for Battlefield Portal.

Going forward, if Battlefield 2042 does not have an active Season, all Custom Experiences created within Battlefield Portal will now benefit from server persistence for two days, whereas previously this wasn't available.

During an active Season, if you are a Battle Pass owner you will still benefit from 7 days of Server Persistence. Allowing your server to remain active for a longer duration of time.

Improved Aircraft Gunner Directional HUD

With Update 6.4, we continue to expand upon the directional HUD features that were included in a previous Game Update. Taking onboard Player Feedback, you will now be able to see the direction of your Gunner with more clarity.

We have also included the ability to select between Default, Legacy, Both or Disable this HUD feature within the Options screen. This functionality is titled as 'Helicopter Gunner View'.

Default: Battlefield 2042's standard HUD with the weapon barrel showing the gunners direction.
Legacy: Inspired by previous titles. This shows the gunner's pitch and yaw, while using an animated triangle inside a larger rectangular box.
Both: Both of these elements will be visible at the same time, with one being placed above the other.

Helicopter Impact Point UI HUD

Similar to the improved options for the Gunner Directional HUD above, players will now be able to select between different Crosshair Indicators for their Impact Point Crosshair. You can now choose between a Cross, Plus, Circle or disable the crosshair within the Crosshair Options screen.

News Networks Coming Online

News channels from around the world are reporting the formation of [redacted]. Conflicting reports from various networks paint different pictures of the impact this Coalition will have on the future of our world. Stay tuned for the latest updates as the situation develops.

AI, Soldier and General Improvements

• Resolved an issue that resulted in some players experiencing a blackscreen on Breakthrough.
• The Penguins got their highlighter pens out and your chosen Custom Player Color will now apply to the Squad and Players Screen, as well as your Gadget Icon. Yay, colors!
• Resolved an issue where pressing the right click in quick succession on a weapon during the deploy screen would result in it selecting weapons underneath it within the list.
• Resolved an issue where the Medical Pouch is displaying an incorrect string of text as part of its Hardware Unlock criteria.
• The Scatter Grenade should now correctly track its progression.
• Fixed the EMP sound from playing incorrectly when you're ejected from a Mounted Vulcan that has been destroyed by the OV-P Recon Drone.
• The Codex has now been updated to allow for audio entries.
• Resolved an issue where the EBAA Wildcat was playing audio whilst not having a radio.
• Ammo and Medical Pouches are now resupplied from Angel's Loadout Crate.
• Fixed some scenarios where Dozer using a zipline while holding their shield would result in them not making it to the end of the zipline. Please stop skydiving Dozer, that's Sundance's job.
• Resolved an issue where the Squad Spectator Modifier would incorrectly have the Show Player Card and Deploy Button would be assigned to the same button.
• Resolved an issue where the VOIP channel doesn't automatically switch when getting removed from a party.

Vehicles

• A legacy option for the Gunner Direction HUD is now available.
• Options to choose between Standard, Legacy or both Gunner Directions are now available within the Options Screen.
• Added the ability to define the color and shape of the Impact Point Crosshair on Air Vehicles. You'll now be able to choose between a Cross, Plus, Circle or disable it.
• Updated missing vehicle icons.
• The Gunner Camera on Stealth Helicopters will no longer reset to a default position when entering the seat.

The latest update for Helldivers 2 has been released across PlayStation 5 and PC platforms. Since launching just a few weeks back, developer Arrowhead Studios has continued to release a litany of updates for its hit co-op shooter at a regular cadence. Now, that trend has resulted in another new patch that looks to rectify a number of problems that players across PlayStation and PC have been complaining about.

Downloadable at this very moment, Helldivers 2 update 1.000.13 is almost entirely dedicated to bug fixes. Arrowhead has tweaks certain in-game issues that have been resulting in crashes, missing text, and premium currency not appearing as they should. Additionally, the studio also outlined all of the other errors that it currently is aware of in Helldivers 2 and has promised to resolve these issues in a future update.

To get a look at everything that has been changed with this new update for Helldivers 2, you can find the extensive patch notes and other known issues attached below.

Helldivers 2 Update 1.000.13 Patch Notes

Fixes

• Improved: login speed and error messages on PS5
  
• Improved: support for AZERTY keyboards by allowing the Ship HUD shortcuts to be rebound
  
• Fixed: Super Credits not showing up after purchase or collection
  
• Fixed: Premium Warbond not being accessible after purchase
  
• Fixed: crash which could occur when a player changed their rank or title
  
• Fixed: missing text in HUD for Acquisitions and Social menus
  
• Fixed: crash which could occur while browsing missions.
  
• Fixed: unlimited stratagem use glitch which occurred after an AFK kick
  
• Fixed: missing equipment issues after an AFK kick
  
• Fixed: purple question marks appearing after an AFK kick
  

Known Issues

• New Personal Orders are not showing.
  
• Login rate limiting when many are logging in at the same time.
  
• Players can become disconnected during play.
  
• Rewards and other progress may be delayed or not attributed.
  
• Various UI issues may appear when the game interacts with servers.
  
• Pick-up of certain objects in-game may cause characters to freeze in place for an extended period of time.
  
• Some games would not be joinable by others for a short period of time during heavy load.
  
• Other unknown behaviors may occur.
  
• Japanese VO is missing from intro cutscene and Ship TV.
  
• Armor values for light/medium/heavy armor do not currently function as intended.

One of this month's biggest games -- which is out today -- is 30 percent off on Steam right now, but only for a very limited time. The launch deal comes the way of not Steam directly, but Gamesplanet, which has a "Flash" deal for the game on a timer that is running out. Not only that, but because there is a specific amount of Steam keys, it is also only available as supplies last. Meanwhile, the game is available on other platforms, but this deal is restricted to the Steam version of the game. Those on Steam Deck can skip this deal though as there is no information about Steam Deck compatibility on the game's page, suggesting it is either not compatible or at least not fully compatible.

As for the mystery game in question it is Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake from publisher 505 Games and developer Avantgarden SRL. To play the game right now, at launch, you need to fork over $19.99 on other platforms, $15.99 on Steam (thanks to its own 20 percent discount) or you can grab it on Gamesplanet for $13.99, which is the cheapest price point we've seen.

As the name suggests, the game is a remake of 2013 adventure game from Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, which was the freshmen effort of Josef Fares, the creator who would go on to found Hazelight Studios and ship A Way Out in 2018 and It Takes Two in 2021. How good is the remake? Well, on Metacritic it has an 85. Meanwhile, there are no Steam User Reviews available due to the fact it is releasing today.

"Guide two brothers on an epic fairy tale filled with discovery, loss, adventure, and mystery," reads an official blurb about the remake on Steam. "With their father suffering from a deadly illness, two brothers must bravely set out to find the "Water of Life," the one cure that can save him. With no option for failure the brothers must rely on each other using their individual skills to protect one another and overcome the obstacles ahead in this unforgettable journey."

For more Steam coverage -- including all of the latest Steam news, all of the latest Steam rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Steam deals like this one -- click here. Meanwhile, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think.

A new cooperative deckbuilding game set within the world of Pathfinder is coming soon. Catalyst Game Labs and Paizo have announced Runefire, a new card game based on Pathfinder. The game is described as a "narrative deckbuilding" game, where players choose an ancestry and class to form the basis of their character deck and then make their way through various adventures, leveling up, and adding additional equipment and feats as they do so. Initially - four classes will be included in the game, representing the quintessential classes of cleric, rogue, fighter, and wizard. The game will feature a unique story where the players' decisions impact future adventures. No release date has been announced for Runefire but more details are expected later this year.

Runefire is built off the same game engine used in the Crossfire and Dragonfire games set in the Shadowrun and Dungeons & Dragons universes respectively. Dragonfire was launched in 2017 and had eight full adventures plus several expansions that added new gear, classes, and races to the game over the course of several years. A key to both games is the cooperative nature of the card games, where players have to work together to clear threats and advance the storyline.

Paizo previously published two editions of the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, a card game that allowed players to run through modified versions of different Pathfinder adventures. The line had steady releases from 2013 until 2019, when a re-launch of the game using a modified ruleset failed to bring in new games. The Pathfinder Adventure Card Game officially ended in 2021.

"We are excited to see the rich world we've created in Golarion reach new fans through the incredible engine the team at Catalyst have built," said Mike Webb, VP of Sales and Marketing for Paizo in a press release announcing the game. "Whether you are a fan of Pathfinder looking for a new way to experience the world, or a fan of other games in Catalyst's system looking for a new setting, we think this is an outstanding combination."

Sony has released a new PS3 update, in 2024, that has made the PlayStation console better, though in what ways exactly, remains to be seen. Released in 2006, and discontinued in 2016, the PS3 is the worst-selling home PlayStation console to date, not including the PS5, which obviously has not run its entire race yet, but is on pace to easily the beat sales of the PS3. It is not the biggest hardware failure of PlayStation. That honor belongs either to the PlayStation VR 2 or perhaps the PS Vita. It was a down period for the PlayStation brand though, especially compared to the two consoles that sandwich it, which are the two high points for the brand so far.

Most PlayStation fans are not actively using their PS3. In fact, most probably have either sold it years ago or it is buried somewhere in closet or an attic. That said, next time you boot up the machine, even if you have been actively using it, expect to wait a for a new update to download. Yesterday, February 27, PS3 system software update 4.91 was randomly released. According to Sony, you will need a minimum of 200 MB of free space to download the update.

What does the update do? Well, like the console's previous update, we don't know, at least not precisely. The patch notes for the update or as follows: "This system software update improves system performance." So, we know the console has been improved, but in what ways exactly, and whether or not the changes are noticeable, we don't know.

It is quite possible dataminers will pick through the update and unearth some additional details, but don't count on it. If this does happen though, we will be sure to update the story accordingly. And of course, if Sony provides any more if its own details, we will do the same thing.

For more PlayStation coverage -- including all of the latest PlayStation news, all of the latest PlayStation rumors and leaks, and all of the latest PlayStation deals -- click here. Meanwhile, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think.

Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S fans have compared a new RPG out on the pair of Xbox consoles to some of the best games of all time. More specifically, they have compared the game to 2015's The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, as well as well as 2018's God of War and its 2022 follow-up, God of War: Ragnarok. This isn't to say it as good as these games, but rather that it evokes these games through narrative and gameplay. As for the mystery game in question, it's been flying under the radar since its release on February 13. That game is Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden from developer Don't Nod, the team best known for the Life is Strange series, as well as Vampyr and the recently released Jusant.

"If you're looking for a strong narrative driven action-adventure RPG, don't miss on Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden," reads a popular Reddit post over on the Xbox Series X Reddit page. "It's like The Witcher 3 in terms of story whole the gameplay is like God of War. So far enjoying it! Great world design, great characters and a very interesting plot. Visually it's also very nice."

If you are reading this and are on another platform, you don't need to rush out and get either an Xbox Series S or Xbox Series X to play this game. It is also available on PC and PS5. It is just that Xbox fans are the ones currently celebrating the game. That said, and for example, Steam users are also enjoying it, as evident by the fact it has a "Very Positive" rating thanks to 86 percent of 1,128 user reviews being positive.

If you decide to check out Banishers: Ghost of New Eden based on this recommendation, what you should expect is a game that is about 20 to 40 hours, depending on how much of the side content you engage with. However, completionists will need to set aside anywhere between 60 to 70 hours.

For more coverage on all things Xbox Series X and Xbox Series X -- including all of the latest Xbox news, all of the latest Xbox rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Xbox deals -- click here. Meanwhile, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think/

A new Star Wars game may have just been leaked by none other than Jar Jar Binks, aka Ahmed Best, the actor behind the fan-favorite character. Of course, the chance the game stars the side character are very slim, but Best has confirmed he is back in the motion capture studio working on a Star Wars game with Activision. And the part of this being Activision is key, because this rules out this being anything LEGO Star Wars related as that is handled by WB Games. In other words, this is seemingly a new project.

All of this speculation is a result of a recent Instagram post from Best, which shows him in motion capture gear within a motion capture studio. The post has the following caption: "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in." How does this connect the project to Activision? Well, there are the following hashtags as well: #mocap #starwars #jarjarbinks #activision #jedi #sithlord and #kelleranbeq.

There has been no announced Star Wars game from Activision, so this is a leak. That said, there is one possibility that could ruin the parade for Star Wars fans. It is possible this is Call of Duty: Warzone related. In other words, it is possible this is for a Jar Jar Binks Warzone skin. This would be exciting news for Call of Duty fans, but hardcore Star Wars fans may be less interested in thie outcome. If this is the plan though, it is likely for a larger crossover.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ahmed Best (@bestahmed)

Unfortunately, right now, all we have is speculation. There is clearly something here, but what should and shouldn't be made of this, we don't know. The inclusion of Activision could be a mistake for all we know. Whatever the case, if any implicated party comments on the post and the speculation it has created, we will be sure to update the story accordingly.

For more Star Wars coverage -- including all of the latest Star Wars news, all of the latest Star Wars rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Star Wars deals -- click here. Meanwhile, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think. What Star Wars game would you like to see? Something brand new or a new game from an existing brand?

A new Palworld update is live on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S platforms after previously releasing on PC earlier this week. Unfortunately, the new update -- officially titled patch v0.1.5.0 -- does not contain any new content or any major new feature. In this regard, the update is inconsequential. However, what it does come packing, just like it did on PC, are some fixes the patch notes describe as "major." There are also some balance changes with the aim of improving the game.

While we know everything the Palworld update on Xbox does, thanks to the patch notes, below, developer Pocket Pair has not provided any information about the file size on Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S. In other words, we have no information to offer about how long it may take to download the update. All we can note as insight is the fact that there is no new content and the patch notes aren't overly lengthy, which indicates a lighter file size, aka a quicker download.

PATCH NOTES

Major Fixes

• Implemented backup of save data on the world selection screen
• Resolved issue of unnecessary data accumulating in save data

Key Configuration

• Added fully supported keyboard key configuration

Guild

• Modified specification to allow guild members to be removed when not logged in

Player Issues

• Changed long-press operation during player tasks to allow continuous work by pressing the work button once (This is switchable in the options settings)
• Fixed issue where riding in prohibited hunting areas would not result in a crime
• Improved interaction accuracy with adjacent objects

Pals

• Changed specifications so that when a Pal is instructed to "attack aggressively," the Pal will attack enemies indiscriminately even if they are not in combat
• Corrected an issue to allow Pals of rank 1 or higher to be selected as concentrated material (higher-ranked Pals yield more points when concentrated)
• Fixed bug where if a large amount of experience points were gained and the level increased to 50 at once, Pals would not learn any active skills
• Mitigated an issue where using Mossanda's partner skill "Grenadier Panda" on a dungeon boss would cause the boss to get stuck in walls

Base Issues

• Fixed an issue where base Pals would get stuck on top of a logging site, etc.
• Added measures to prevent the issue where base Pals would wander around and get stuck at the border of the base area
• Fixed an issue where Pals at the base would get stuck repeatedly starting transportation tasks and the light bulbs icon would appear over and over again.
• Added measures to prevent the issue of base Pals getting stuck in the farm on a roof
• Fixed an issue where work Pals would get stuck in the summon space of Palbox when restarting the server on a dedicated server.
• Adjusted the default work priority of base Pals (Anubis will prioritize manual labour)
• Significantly relaxed building restrictions for stairs and triangular roofs
• Fixed an issue where sound would play in an infinite loop when Pals at the base used certain active skills.
• Specifications changed so that all changes in environmental temperature are added up (if you put 4 campfires next to each other, the surrounding area will have the temperature of a volcano)
• Implemented "relax" working style on the monitoring stand

Balance Adjustment

• Significantly strengthened mining power for Digtoise partner skills
• Fixed the abnormally high selling price of nails
• Significantly increased the number of police officers who appear when a crime is committed
• Added electric shock effect to Free Pal Alliance's crossbow
• Adjusted the flight distance of Sphere Launcher and Scatter Sphere Launcher.
• Increased the SAN value recovery amount of high-quality hot springs

Network Related

• Renovated the server lobby
• Search by server name] will now work
• Added the ability to view online players on a dedicated server. On community servers, this will only be displayed if the setting is enabled

Others

• Fixed the issue where Day 5 Memo was not placed
• You can now adjust the in-game brightness in the settings
• Fixed many minor bugs
• Corrected various incorrect text
• Improved measures against cheating

*We are currently working on an issue where auto-save fails on the Xbox and Xbox Game Pass versions. We expect that this will be resolved in an upcoming update.

For more Palworld -- including all of the latest Palworld news, all of the latest Palworld rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Palworld deals -- click here.

Last Epoch is yet another in a long line of wildly successful games to hit early access on Steam this year. Unlike the rest of the crowd, Last Epoch isn't a survival game. Instead, it's an action RPG firmly in the mold of Diablo or Path of Exile. The game from developer Eleventh Hour Games came out last week and was an immediate hit with its audience. That success has led the developer to focus on patching out many of the bugs and quality-of-life issues those players have noticed, but the team still has big plans for Last Epoch's early access period. Fortunately, Eleventh Hour has recently posted a full rundown of its plans for the future.

Last Epoch's Future Plans

? Mid-Week Update ?

It's been an incredible week since launch with so many Travelers joining us for 1.0. Judd Cobler, founder and game director for Last Epoch, talks a bit about launch and what's next.

? Read: https://t.co/cQ9LeF9O09#LastEpoch #ARPG pic.twitter.com/EqYKtKQW7q

-- Last Epoch (@LastEpoch) February 27, 2024

The developers started the new post by thanking the players for getting the game up to 265,000 concurrent over the past weekend, a milestone that only 38 other games in Steam's history have bested. In that same breath, they claim they've been making backend improvements to the servers to keep them online despite the influx of players. They also say that they're hard at work on new bug fixes and quality-of-life changes that will hopefully be out later this week.

Eleventh Hour is also acknowledging how "turbulent" the initial weekend was because of how big the playerbase was out of the gate. They plan to detail some of the things that happened and fixes they've instituted in a future post, so keep your eyes peeled if you want an inside look at exactly what happened and how they've addressed it.

Finally, the developer outlined what players should expect from Patch 1.1 in Last Epoch. In general, the team wants to expand end-game content to keep dedicated players engaged. More specifically, they "have plans to expand the monolith, bring great new itemization options, add more boss content, class and balance updates, campaign content, etc."

While Eleventh Hour didn't announce a release window for Patch 1.1., it did say that the patch is coming "in the not too distant future." It's set to be an exciting one because the team is hoping to introduce what it calls "pinnacle" fights. These are meant to be incredibly tough battles that will challenge even the most seasoned adventurers.

Last Epoch is available now on PC. If you're looking for an alternative to Diablo 4 while you wait for the next season to launch, it's worth checking out.

Wizards of the Coast is shaking things up on the battlefield. As eagle-eyed gamers were quick to notice when the first Magic: The Gathering "Bloomburrrow" spoilers surfaced over the weekend, "enters the battlefield" will no longer be a phrase used on most MTG cards. Instead, cards will simply say "enters," shortening the text that appears on the card. Magic: The Gathering designer Mark Rosewater confirmed the change on his blog, saying the verbiage will permanently change upon the release "Bloomburrow" later this summer.

"Starting with Bloomburrow, we are changing 'enters the battlefield' to 'enters' (and this will be applied retroactively in Oracle). Entering will be connected specifically with the battlefield, so cards can't, for example, 'enter the graveyard,'" Rosewater said in a Tumblr post.

so are we done with 'Enters the Battlefield?' pic.twitter.com/W4n9P931In

-- winnie! (@wildstwawberry) February 23, 2024

The game designer did confirm the original "enters the battfield" phrase will be used when necessary to help avoid confusion with players. "We will occasionally write out 'enters the battlefield' where we think we need it for clarity in a template," Rosewater added. "'Leaves the battlefield' is *not* being shortened to 'leaves' as we have used leave as a means to talk about cards leaving the graveyard, so it created ambiguity we didn't want."

The change is divisive with players, with some saying the change takes some of the themes out of the game. "Nah, I kinda hate this change. Enters the battlefield is cool and evocative. Enters is boring and lifeless," @DeclareAttacks tweeted.

@SaffronOlive added, "Enters the battlefield becoming just "enters" seems like a good change."

Magic: The Gathering's "Bloomburrow" set has a global release set for August 2nd. "Bloomburrow" prerelease kicks off at WPN Stores beginning July 26th. Before that, however, Magic: The Gathering "Outlaws of Thunder Junction" hits stores. The timeline for that release can be found below.

• Story Begins: March 18
• Debut and Previews Begin: March 26
• Card Image Gallery and Previews Complete: April 5
• MTG Arena Global Release: April 16
• Global Tabletop Release: April 19
• Prerelease Events: April 12-18
• Open House: April 19-21
• Commander Party: April 26 - May 2
• Store Championship: May 4-12
• Standard Showdown: April 19 - July 25

Helldivers 2's out-of-the-gate success was a welcome surprise for developer Arrowhead Game Studios, but it also meant that the team had trouble keeping the servers up and running during the launch period. At one point, the team even had to place a player cap to ensure that everyone who could get into the game would be able to play Helldivers 2 at an acceptable level. Those issues have mostly been ironed out, but the Helldivers 2 developer is still dealing with some of the complications that arose from the situation. Recently, the team shared in the official Helldivers 2 Discord that at least two of those issues have been addressed, and players should now have access to the Super Credits they were missing and be able to unlock new difficulty options.

Helldivers 2 Developers Announce Super Credits Fix

As mentioned, the news comes from the Helldivers 2 Discord. There, community and social media manager Katherine "Baskinator" Baskin said, "For players who were missing Super Credits, we have deployed a fix to our backend that should solve the issues. Please restart your game to ensure that it has taken effect."

In a later post, Baskin continued, "Good news! We have fixed the difficulty unlocking for a large portion of affected users, though perhaps some edge cases still remain."

If you're still having issues with either problem, your first step should be to restart your game and console of choice. That should fix any issues with missing Super Credits, but if you're still having problems unlocking difficulty options, you should consider contacting Helldivers 2's support because it sounds like your issue might be something the team is still working to iron out.

Either way, it's good to see Arrowhead delivering an update like this. It has been, understandably, frustrating for players trying to work their way through Helldivers 2 over the last few weeks. While everything is seemingly stable at this point, that doesn't make up for the missed Super Credits. Hopefully, this fix gets Helldivers 2 where it needs to be, and Arrowhead can move on to adding new content to the game.

What's Next For Helldivers 2?

We don't know exactly what Arrowhead is working on for Helldivers 2's next major content update, but we know it's coming. Remember, this is planned as a live service game, so we'll be getting new seasons and Warbonds for the foreseeable future. Recently, a Helldivers 2 player found a few potential hints in the game's backend files. This included references to the mechs that Arrowhead has been teasing and a hint about a returning faction from the original game.

Helldivers 2 is available now on PlayStation 5 and PC.

Late last night, Palworld developer Pocketpair dropped the next major update for the hit monster-catching survival game. The update included all kinds of fixes and improvements for the many Pals players have come to love, but it's one "unintentional" fix that has some players frustrated. However, it's not as simple as Pocketpair fixing something it shouldn't. In fact, the team has fixed this issue before only for players to find a workaround. We're talking, of course, about the bug that allowed players to capture Tower Bosses in Palworld and use them like you would a normal monster.

Palworld Boss-Catching Bug Fixed

As a result of various bugs that we fixed in the most recent patch, a bug that allowed players to capture the tower boss was unintentionally fixed.

We apologize for inadvertently fixing a bug.

-- Palworld (@Palworld_EN) February 27, 2024

As mentioned, this is a somewhat strange fix because Pocketpair actually took the ability to catch bosses out of the game in a previous update. When Palwolrld launched, players were able to catch all five Tower Bosses using a glitch involving a settlement guard. After that bug gained popularity, Pocketpair took it out of the game to make the Tower Bosses uncatchable again. But players are resilient and quickly figured out a new way to perform the glitch. With this update, that second method has also been axed from Palworld.

That's probably why the tweet announcing the fix was a little sarcastic from the developers. They know a chunk of the playerbase likes being able to catch the Tower Bosses, but it isn't something the team currently wants in the game. That's something that might come eventually, but for now, Pocketpair wants bosses to stay uncatchable. The cheeky "We apologize for inadvertently fixing a bug" line is likely aimed at any players upset by the change.

What's Next For Palworld?

Most players are still getting used to the new update; however, some are already looking ahead to what's next. After all, Pocketpair has big plans for Palworld, including PvP, raid bosses, and crossplay between Steam and Xbox. While Pocketpair hasn't given any indication about the order that those features are coming to Palworld over the coming months, it has dropped the first roadmap. Here's the roadmap as it currently stands:

Addressing Critical Issues

• Currently, numerous bugs have been identified, and we are prioritizing fixing those.
• Sometimes, the world date may experience rollbacks.
• The loading screen may persist when trying to load into worlds.
• ...and so on.

Improvements to Implement ASAP

• Key configuration improvements.
• Improvements to base Pal AI and pathing.

Planned Future Updates

• PvP
• Raid Bosses (End-Game Content)
• Pal Arena (PvP for Pals)
• Steam-Xbox Crossplay
• Various Xbox Feature Improvements
• Server Transfers and Migrations
• Improvements to the Building System
• New islands, Pals, Bosses, and Technologies.

Palworld is available now on Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A will bring back some familiar species, including plenty of Pokemon with ties to the Kalos region. The Pokemon Company announced a surprise new entry to the Pokemon franchise, Pokemon Legends: Z-A, which will send players back to the Kalos region first seen in Pokemon X and Y. Details about the new game are light, but a brief trailer showcased some of the Pokemon that will appear in the new Pokemon game. Most of the Pokemon seen in the trailer were either Pokemon that were originally seen in the Kalos region or have some kind of tie to Mega Evolution, which were also featured in Pokemon X and Y and was teased to make a comeback in Pokemon Legends: Z-A.

Assuming that Pokemon Legends: Z-A is around the same size as Pokemon Legends: Arceus, we could expect to see a smaller Pokemon roster than other Pokemon games. While both Pokemon Sword and Shield and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet had 400 native species in the base games, Pokemon Legends: Arceus had only 242 Pokemon species, and that includes several Legendary and Mythical Pokemon.

Here are all the Pokemon (and their evolutions or pre-evolutions) that appeared in the initial trailer for Pokemon Legends: Z-A:

• Ekans
• Arbok
• Pikachu
• Raichu
• Bellsprout
• Weepinbell
• Victrebel
• Onix
• Staryu
• Starmie
• Magikarp
• Gyarados
• Eevee
• Vaporeon
• Jolteon
• Flareon
• Dratini
• Dragonair
• Dragonite
• Pichu
• Espeon
• Umbreon
• Unown
• Steelix
• Barboach
• Whiscash
• Absol
• Hippopotas
• Hippowdon
• Leafeon
• Glaceon
• Sandile
• Krokorok
• Krookodile
• Emolga
• Fletchling
• Fletchinder
• Talonflame
• Litleo
• Pyroar
• Flabebe
• Floette
• Florges
• Skiddo
• Gogoat
• Honedge
• Doublade
• Aegislash
• Sylveon
• Hawlucha
• Klefki

While it was not pictured in the original trailer, the logo for Pokemon Legends: Z-A featured a pattern similar to Zygarde and it's almost certain that it, Xerneas, and Yveltal will all appear in the new game as well.

No release date has been announced for Pokemon Legends: Z-A, but it will come out in 2025 on the Nintendo Switch.

Ubisoft is said to be remaking not one, but two popular Assassin's Creed games from the past. In recent months, rumors and reports began asserting that a remake of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag was entering development within Ubisoft. This news came as a bit of a surprise given that Ubisoft has never previously remade any other Assassin's Creed installments and opted to jump to the fourth mainline entry in the franchise in its first effort on this front. Now, if new reporting is to be believed, it seems that Black Flag isn't the only Assassin's Creed game from yesteryear that could soon be returning.

According to Insider Gaming, Ubisoft is working on a litany of projects tied to Assassin's Creed which is plans to release "by the end of the decade." The two most notable titles that are being developed at the moment include Assassin's Creed: Codename Red and Assassin's Creed: Codename Hexe, both of which will be joining the new Assassin's Creed Infinity hub. Beyond this, two remakes in the franchise are also reportedly in development and will launch in the years to come. This report then claims that the Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag remake is internally codenamed "Obsidian" while the identity of the second remake isn't yet known.

Although it's not known which entry Ubisoft might be choosing to remake outside of Black Flag, there are two potential options that likely stand out above the rest. The first is the original Assassin's Creed, which launched originally all the way back in 2007. Compared to other entries in the series, Assassin's Creed has never been remastered in any capacity, which is quite a surprise. For Ubisoft to return to this initial installment wouldn't be much of a shock, especially given the continued popularity of the game.

The second option is then likely that of Assassin's Creed 2. The reason that Ubisoft would look to remake AC2 above any other entries is because this original sequel is arguably the most beloved game in the entire Assassin's Creed saga. Assassin's Creed 2 eventually paved the way for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and Assassin's Creed: Revelations, all of which told the complete story of Ezio Auditore. If Ubisoft did choose to remake Assassin's Creed 2, perhaps it could also fold in the stories from Brotherhood and Revelations to create one massive game. This is nothing more than pure speculation for the time being, though.

How do you feel about Ubisoft looking to remake multiple Assassin's Creed games? And which entry in addition to AC4: Black Flag would you like to see get the remake treatment? Let me know either down in the comments or reach out to me on social media at @MooreMan12.

Since releasing the first movie back in 2007, the Paranormal Activity franchise has released six more movies and branched out into comics and virtual reality. Today, the franchise announced plans to extend its reach even further with an upcoming video game from the team at DreadXP. We don't know many specifics about Paranormal Activity: Found Footage, but DreadXP did reveal the first teaser today, giving Found Footage a 2026 release window. We also learned that Paranormal Activity: Found Footage is coming from the team that gave horror fans The Mortuary Assistant. We'll have to wait for more information, but knowing Found Footage has that pedigree behind it has left fans excited.

Paranormal Activity: Found Footage Teaser Revealed

From @dsdigitaldev @paramountco, and DreadXP...

Paranormal Activity pic.twitter.com/4OxrXtdvBh

-- DreadXP Games (@DreadXPGames) February 27, 2024

Again, this teaser didn't reveal much. However, in an interview with Variety, Epic Pictures CEO and DreadXP producer Patrick Ewald said, "The films are steeped in rich lore and creative scares, and under the stewardship of creative director Brian Clarke, DreadXP's Paranormal Activity video game will honor those core tenets and offer horror fans one of our most terrifying games yet."

Clark also said, "f you thought The Mortuary Assistant was scary, we're taking what we learned during the development of that title and cranking it up with a more reactive and horrifying haunting system. It's going to be intense!"

Considering how much fans loved The Mortuary Assistant, that's high praise. That game used a procedurally generated story to keep things fresh for every player. By remembering the vignettes seen in one playthrough and mixing them in the next, the game kept fans on their toes with its scares. If the team can take what it learned by making that game and expand it within the Paranormal Activity world, it might have another hit on its hands.

Unfortunately, we probably won't be seeing much more out of the game anytime soon. With a 2026 release window, Paranormal Activity: Found Footage is at least two years away if development goes perfectly. We might not see it pop up until 2025, though development setbacks could push that back.

The good news for Paranormal Activity fans is that they will have an eighth movie to enjoy in the meantime. Paranormal Activity: The Other Side is scheduled to release on October 28th, 2023. After the last movie in the franchise, Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin, had success launching on Paramount+, it appears that the team hopes to continue that success while also bringing back elements from Paranormal Activity 3 and 4.

Sony seems quite pleased with its latest handheld, the PlayStation Portal. Released near the end of 2023, the Portal was pitched as an accessory for the PlayStation 5 that would be used solely for remote play purposes. Following the dismal performance of Sony's last dedicated handheld, the PlayStation Vita, some fans inferred that Sony might be releasing the Portal as a way of gauging interest in whether or new on-the-go platform might even be desired. And while it's still early, all signs point to the PS Portal being something that could shape the future of the PlayStation ecosystem.

In a conversation with Game File, PlayStation VP Hiromi Wakai opened up for the first time about how the PlayStation Portal has gone so far. While Wakai didn't share specific numbers when it comes to sales, they did say that the Portal has surpassed expectations that Sony had for it in terms of demand. As a result, it can be safely assumed that the platform is selling at a pretty high rate and may become an even larger part of PlayStation's strategy moving forward.

"Although we don't have any numbers to share, the demand has continued to exceed our expectations," Wakai said. "The production is running smoothly and we've been shipping more units consistently. We will continue to bring more units to the market, so please stay tuned."

Elsewhere in the interview, Wakai addressed the possibility of the PS Portal one day being used to play games natively rather than streaming solely from a PS5. Wakai declined to say anything definitive on the matter and said that Sony wouldn't be talking about future plans for the time being. Still, given the early popularity of the PlayStation Portal combined with the success of the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck, one would think that Sony might rethink its previous approach to the handheld market and could look to take a larger plunge in this space in the years ahead.

What do you think about the PlayStation Portal so far? And are you surprised that this new PS5 add-on has been such a hit with PlayStation fans? Be sure to let me know either down in the comments or reach out to me on social media at @MooreMan12.

A tabletop adaptation of Dying Light: The Board Game has launched on Kickstarter. Glass Cannon Unplugged has launched a new Kickstarter campaign for a 1-4 player tabletop version of Dying Light based on the popular zombie survival video game franchise. The new game puts players in the position of Runners, who explore the city of Villedor and try to avoid the various Infected haunting the city. In a twist on the zombie board game genre, Dying Light: The Board Game includes 3D terrain to help reflect the unique parkour style of the original video games and also incorporates the day/night cycle from the game. Other core gameplay mechanics include dice allocation and push-your-luck mechanics. As of press time, Dying Light: The Board Game has already passed $200,000 in pledges.

Originally released in 2015, Dying Light is a survival horror franchise in which zombies are slow and uncoordinated during the day, but become increasingly aggressive and dangerous at night. The franchise is also unique for incorporating parkour into its gameplay, with the player jumping from building to building and generally traversing the terrain using it. To date, Dying Light has had two main series games and one spin-off. A third game for the franchise has not been announced as of early 2024, although there was a seven year gap between the first and second games. Dying Light is developed by Techland, which is owned by Tencent.

The board game is being developed by Glass Cannon Unplugged, which has also developed board games based on Apex Legends and Frostpunk, as well as an upcoming board game based on Diablo.

Players can get a copy of Dying Light: The Board Game with a EUR60 pledge (about $66) and can obtain a deluxe edition that comes with more infected miniatures. Potential backers have until March 20th to back the campaign. You can check out additional details about the board game at their Kickstarter page.

Yuri Lowenthal, the actor behind Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Marvel's Spider-Man and Marvel's Spider-Man 2, has now revealed what he knows about a potential third entry in the series. It shouldn't come as much of a shock that Insomniac Games will likely look to create Marvel's Spider-Man 3 in the future. Not only did the conclusion of the most recent installment come with some pretty big cliffhangers, but the series continues to be one of the most profitable that PlayStation has in its lineup. Despite this, Lowenthal himself says that he still hasn't spoken with anyone at Insomniac about Spider-Man 3 and doesn't yet know where the studio will take the franchise next.

**Spoilers for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 are mentioned below.**

In a discussion with Variety, Lowenthal opened up about his own take on the ending of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and what it might mean for the future. Although the game's conclusion (and subsequent comments from Insomniac) suggests that Peter Parker might now be written out in favor of Miles Morales, Lowenthal is hesitant to believe that this will actually be the case. When it comes to Marvel's Spider-Man 3, specifically, Lowenthal also said he hasn't read a script of any sort for the next game as it's likely still being written.

"There have been some comments recently that were picked up to infer that Peter's out and Miles is in," Lowenthal said. "While I think that Peter would love to believe that he can just turn it off and not be Spider-Man anymore and live a completely normal life, I don't think that's what's going to happen now."

"I haven't read a script yet. They're probably still working on it," he went on to say about a new game. "But I don't think that's the last we're gonna see Peter. I think it's a cool place to leave it. It's a cool change for him. I think 100% he trusts Miles. Miles has really stepped up and he's like, 'Oh, maybe I can get a little break.'"

In the near term, Insomniac is likely more focused on finishing Marvel's Wolverine, which is set to be the next big release from the studio on PlayStation 5. Beyond this, Insomniac's plans for the next 10 years happened to leak in a massive data breach that came about at the end of 2023. Assuming that these plans don't change in the wake of layoffs that have today hit PlayStation, it's safe to say that Marvel's Spider-Man 3 will eventually see the light of day even though it hasn't yet been confirmed.

Last week, developer Electronic Arts dropped the Fantasy FC promo into EA Sports FC 24 Ultimate Team. This promo introduced several live cards into the mode, which can be upgraded based on real-world performances. As part of that content drop, EA Sports FC 24 brought new versions of Heroes to the game. If those cards get upgraded even further, they'll be very powerful, so EA has added a new Hero Evolution to EA Sports FC 24, allowing players to upgrade one of their Base Heroes relatively cheaply. Below, you'll find a full breakdown of the Base Hero Catch Up Evolution and a list of the best players to use it on in EA FC 24.

What is the EAFC 24 Base Hero Catch Up Evolution?

Unfortunately, this is a paid Evolution. You'll need to shell out either 125,000 Coins or 750 FP Points. That's disappointing news for anyone hoping to get a cheap upgrade, but you can get some nice cards out of this one. Here are the requirements you'll need to keep in mind:

• Max Overall: 88
• Max Jumping: 93
• Max Positioning: 92
• Max Stand Tackle: 91
• Position Must Not Be CDM
• Rarity: Heroes
• Max PlayStyles+: 1

Once you finish all of the Objectives, you'll earn +4 Shooting, +2 Passing, +6 Physical, +2 Overall, +2 Pace, +3 Dribbling, +2 Defending, and the Tiki Taka PlayStyle+.

The Best Players for the Base Hero Catch Up Evolution

There are some great options here, but keep in mind that many of them are going to require a significant Coin investment if you don't already own them. We would suggest you not run out and buy any of these players. If you have them in your club, consider using them, but otherwise, you can probably skip this one. Here's the list of the best options:

• Paulo Futre - LaLiga
• Wesley Sneijder - Serie A
• Saeed Al Owairan - ROSHN Saudi League
• Jay Jay Okocha - Premier League
• Carlos Tevez - Premier League

Futre is the clear winner here. His pace and dribbling both go above 95, meaning he's going to be an incredible player on the wing. Of course, you'd prefer to have his Fantasy FC card because it also has five-star Skill Moves. However, that card goes for nearly one million Coins on the market, making this a much cheaper option.

Sneijder is a solid option if you need an attacking midfielder. His passing is solid and that five-star Weak Foot will come in handy in front of the net. Okocha is very similar, but he brings a bit more pace and dribbling, trading the five-star Weak Foot for five-star Skills. Al Owairan becomes a great winger with blinding pace and solid dribbling. Finally, Tevez is a decent striker with this upgrade, though it is unfortunate that he only has a three-star Weak Foot.

EA Sports FC 24 is available now on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC platforms. The Base Hero Catch Up Evolution expires on March 12th.

The X-Men '97 animated series is finally on the way, and there are plenty of action figures out there to get fans hyped. However, if you want to go even further into the '90s nostalgia, Arcade1Up has you covered with the Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 X-Men '97 Edition cabinet. It comes with 8 classic Marvel fighting games along with online multiplayer, dual speakers, two player controls, a 17-inch display, and a light-up faux coin door for that extra touch of authenticity. There's even some pretty fantastic artwork on the cabinet itself.

Pre-orders for the X-Men '97 arcade cabinet are live here on Amazon priced at $499.99 with a release date set for April 25th (you won't be charged until it ships). That's not a bad price as far as Arcade1Up cabinets are concerned. Their original Marvel vs. Capcom 2 cabinet was priced at $600 for example. Odds are it will sell out, but restocks are expected, so keep tabs on that link for updates. The 8 Marvel games included in the cabinet are as follows:

• X-Men vs. Street Fighter
• Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems
• Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter
• X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse
• Marvel vs. Capcom 2
• X-Men: Children of the Atom
• Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes
• Marvel Super Heroes

When Does X-Men '97 Premiere?

The X-Men '97 series premieres on Disney+ on March 20th. X-Men '97 features the voices of original X-Men: The Animated Series cast members Cal Dodd, Lenore Zann, George Buza, Alison Sealy-Smith, Chris Potter, Catherine Disher, Adrian Hough, Alyson Court, and Christopher Britton. The X-Men team includes Wolverine (Dodd), Storm (Smith), Rogue (Zann), Beast (Buza), Cyclops (Ray Chase), Jean Grey (Jennifer Hale), Jubilee (Holly Chou), Bishop, and Morph.

"This is the first X-Men title produced by Marvel Studios," Brad Winderbaum, Marvel Studios' Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation, said when announcing X-Men '97. "What an amazing first step to reintroduce audiences to the X-Men with a look at one of the most pinnacle eras of the X-Men comics, which was the '90s."

Added Dana Vasquez-Eberhardt, VP of Animation at Marvel Studios, "As an animated show, the original X-Men was the forerunner to some amazing action series. Everyone that is making X-Men '97, top-down, is a fan. On this project, instinctually, we knew exactly what this is. To bring this series forward and pick up that baton, and not just keep running at the same pace, but to really elevate. That's the responsibility."

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are heading back to consoles and PCs again with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants announced this week. This new game scheduled to release on April 23rd isn't wholly new after all and is instead a new version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game released years ago by Raw Thrills. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants will come to the Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC platforms when it releases in April, and its development will be handled by Cradle Games and Raw Thrills.

If you never played the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game first released in arcades in 2017, the trailer below shows off a bit of what it'll look like, though it should look familiar to many other Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles you may have played due to its side-scrolling, beat-'em-up nature.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade Game Returns

While this new version of the game is indeed based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game, the arcade game in question was also inspired by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV series from 2012. As such, this game will feature the voices of Seth Green, Sean Astin, Rob Paulsen, Greg Cipes, IGN reported, with each of those voicing the Ninja Turtles during that show's run.

New stages and boss fights will be added in addition to what was already in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game, so there'll be more for returning players to check out. While Raw Thrills and Cradle Games are developing Wrath of the Mutants, it's being published by GameMill Entertainment, a publisher which has not put out a dedicated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game yet but has worked with several Nickelodeon properties by publishing games like Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway and Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 among others.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles themselves have been having a bit of a second wind when it comes to video games, too, with the Ninja Turtles getting their own games while also appearing in others. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 is one example of that where the Ninja Turtles returned as fighters, but other games like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge also went over extremely well with fans.

Moving forward, we know that the movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem will be getting a sequel in the form of a video game that doesn't yet have a release date. There's also a video game adaptation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin in the works from THQ Nordic. Fortnite also just recently played host to the Ninja Turtles once more as new crossover content was added to the game.

Pokemon Go is getting a crossover with Pokemon Horizons: The Series, featuring everyone's favorite Pikachu. Today, Pokemon Go announced a new crossover event celebrating the pending release of Pokemon Horizons: The Series in the US. On March 5th, Pokemon Go will launch the Pok?mon Horizons: The Series Celebration Event, which will include the debut of Charcadet and its evolved forms Armarouge and Ceruledge. Additionally, a Pikachu wearing a Captain Hat (matching the look of the anime series' Captain Pikachu) will also be available to catch. This Pikachu will have a new to Pokemon Go move - Volt Tackle, a move with 90 power that also lowers Defense when used in Trainer Battles.

Charcadet has two unique evolution conditions, both tied to Charcadet being a player's buddy Pokemon. Players can evolve Charcadet into Armarouge by having it as a Buddy while battling and defeating 30 Psychic-type Pokemon, and it can evolve into Ceruledge by defeating 30 Ghost-type Pokemon.

During the duration of the event, players will also be able to hatch Charcadet from 2 KM, 5 KM, and 10 KM eggs. After the event ends, Charcadet will hatch from 10 KM eggs only. Players can also encounter anime protagonists Liko and Roy via photobombs during the event as well.

Pokemon Horizons: The Series is a new Pokemon anime that notably does not start Ash Ketchum. The series focuses on Liko and Roy, two young trainers who join the Rising Volt Tacklers, a group of adventurers, as they both explore mysteries tied to inherited items. The new anime series has already debuted in Japan and the UK and is set to launch in the United States on Netflix on March 7th.

Street Fighter 6 has finally added fan-favorite fighter Ed to the hit fighting game, bringing the boxer and former Balrog prot?g? to the mix. With new a fighter comes a substantial new balance patch to adjust nearly every character in the game. If you're playing Street Fighter 6 at a high level, you'll want to dig into these new patch notes to understand which characters are going to give you the best chance to win. Early reports suggest that JP has been hit the hardest, but it might be too early to tell. It's also worth noting that developer Capcom says another, even larger update is coming soon, which will adjust every character in the game.

The team had three objectives in mind with this update. The first is to "improve characters that could not fully express their individual potential." To meet this objective, the team has targeted Jamie and Ryu to give them slight buffs and make them a bit more playable. Next, the team wanted to "improve techniques that were clearly difficult to use." Finally, Capcom wanted to "weaken elements that controlled an opponent's action too severely." For that, they adjusted things like Ken's throw because it was creating too much pressure.

Below, you'll find the full patch notes for the latest battle balance patch. Street Fighter 6 is available now on Playstation, Xbox, and PC platforms.

Street Fighter 6 Ed Balance Update Patch Notes

Patch notes for the battle balance changes can be found below.

? Read - https://t.co/csw3GJbqZw https://t.co/4xYCyYG2cq

-- Street Fighter (@StreetFighter) February 27, 2024

With this update we've added some balance adjustments to a few characters. These were made with the following objectives in mind. 1. Improve characters that could not fully express their individual potential. 2. Improve techniques that were clearly difficult to use. 3. Weaken elements that controlled an opponent's action too severely.

1. Improve characters that could not fully express their individual potential.

Most of these adjustments focused on Jamie and Ryu. Jamie is a character whose potential improves the higher his drink level gets, but there was a lot of work required to unlock that potential, and it was difficult for him to show what he was capable of. For this update, we looked to alleviate this issue by increasing the number of ways he can increase his drink level. While Ryu looks like a character that has been carefully balanced when viewed in a vacuum, he has very few elements to his gameplan that stick out, and in the "standard character" category, his individuality is a bit thin. To address this point, we've made adjustments so that it's easier to make use of his Hadoken, and increased the number of ways players can incorporate his Hashogeki into their gameplan.

2. Improve techniques that were clearly difficult to use.

We've improved techniques that were difficult to connect with in combos or were unreliable as anti-air techniques.

3. Weaken elements that controlled an opponent's action too severely.

We primarily looked at techniques that were very strong as defensive measures for characters. We felt that in the neutral and while on defense, there were some techniques that were low risk but yielded a high return. Therefore we've weakened those techniques that controlled an opponent's action too severely. Regarding Ken's throw, while this is an offensive attack, he winds up in an ideal situation no matter where he is, which creates too much pressure, particularly for characters that don't have any invincible attacks. In order to alleviate this situation, when his throw lands in the corner of the screen, we've made it so that he is in a slightly worse situation after the throw. We feel that the adjustments made during this update cover more area than previous battle adjustments, but we looked to even out the balance of the game without changing anything dramatically. This means that there are some characters that have absolutely no changes, and some characters that were only weakened, but we are looking at performing an overall balance adjustment in the future that will also affect characters not touched with this update. We appreciate your patience as we work towards that.

All Fighters

Modern Controls

Fixed an issue where if a player using Modern Controls would perform a special move using the SP button, scaling would not be applied to that special move if its activation overlapped with screen darkening from an opponent's Drive Rush.

Modern and Dynamic Controls

Added an option to allow for normal throws to be mapped to its own button under Control Settings. Please note that it will be automatically assigned to the LT Button as a default setting.

Armor

Fixed an issue where when an attack with super armor properties, like a Drive Impact, etc., is in the middle of a hit stop due to absorbing an attack, an attack with Armor Break properties would not cause an armor break in that situation.

Drive Rush

Fixed an issue where if both players performed a Drive Rush at the same time, one player's movement would be 1 frame slower.

Perfect Parry

Fixed an issue where under specific conditions, a Perfect Parry would occur even though the Drive Parry absorbed the attack after the 3rd frame of its start up.

Input Buffering

Fixed an issue with the input buffer, as the input buffer time for a reversal after blocking an attack should change depending on the block's recovery, but for Drive Reversals and some other attacks, it was not properly set.

LUKE

Crouching Medium Punch

1. 3 frames of recovery added when the attack misses. 2. The size of the feet hurtboxes between frames 6 - 24 has been expanded. 3. The size of the arm hurtbox from frame 19 onwards has been expanded.

Aerial Flash Knuckle

1. The landing recovery for when this move is performed at the peak of a jump and misses has been extended by 7 frames. 2. Changed the trajectory for when this move is performed at the peak of a jump and misses. 3. The size of the feet hurtboxes has been expanded from frame 16 until the end of the move. Note: No changes have been made to the charged version.

Vulcan Blast (SA1)

The size of the body hurtbox between frames 1 - 5 has been expanded.

JAMIE

Back Shaver (Forward Throw)

This forward throw has had a follow-up attack added that raises your Drink Level. Continue to hold down the throw input after the throw connects to perform the follow-up.

Breakin' (SA1)

1. The damage of the normal version has been changed from 2100 to 2200. 2. The damage of the follow-up version has been changed from 1750 to 1850. Note: The damage now matches the Drink Level 2 version of the move. 3. Pushback on hit is no longer applied when this move lands on an opponent in the corner. 4. Will now down an opponent for 5 frames longer than before.

The Devil's Song (SA2)

If the Drink Level has been raised prior to activation of this move, the Drink Level will now return to that value when the effect of this move ends.

Overdrive Tenshin

1. Fixed an issue where the collision pushbox on a knocked down opponent would disappear if there was no follow-up attack after the attack connects. 2. Fixed an issue where the opponent's knockdown time was shorter than normal version when Overdrive Tenshin is used in a combo but no follow-up attack is performed.

RYU

Overdrive Shoryuken

Changed the first hit's effect from a knockback to a blowback.

Solar Plexus Strike

The proximity block detection hitbox has been expanded to the edge of the attack's hitbox between frames 2 - 18. Note: If an opponent is inputting a direction away from you while in the proximity block detection hitbox area then they will block, rather than move away from you.

Light Hashogeki

1. Recovery on block has been adjusted from -4 frames to -3 frames. 2. The knockback on block has been decreased. 3. The knockback on block while in burnout has been increased. 4. The distance covered between the end of the active frames and the end of recovery has been decreased.

Medium Hashogeki

1. The attack hitbox has been expanded forward. 2. The projectile clash hitbox has been expanded forward.

Heavy Hashogeki

1. The attack hitbox has been expanded forward. 2. The projectile clash hitbox has been expanded forward. 3. The knockback on block has been decreased. 4. The distance covered between the end of the active frames and the end of recovery has been decreased.

Overdrive Hashogeki

1. The attack hitbox has been expanded forward. 2. The projectile clash hitbox has been expanded forward. 3. The knockback on block has been decreased. 4. The knockback on hit has been decreased.

Denjin Charge Hashogeki

1. The attack hitbox has been expanded forward. 2. The projectile clash hitbox has been expanded forward. 3. The knockback on block has been decreased. 4. The damage of the Overdrive version has been changed from 600 to 1000. 5. The distance covered between the end of the active frames and the end of recovery has been decreased.

Hadoken

The size of the hurtbox around the arms has been reduced.

Shinku Hadoken (SA1)

The size of the hurtbox around the arms has been reduced.

KEN

Standing Light Punch

1. The size of the arm hurtbox between frames 2 - 6 has been expanded. 2. The size of the arm hurtbox between frames 7 - 8 has been decreased.

Knee Strikes (Forward Throw)

Has been adjusted so that if this throw connects on an opponent in the corner some distance will be placed between the players after the throw finishes.

Overdrive Aerial Tatsumaki Senpu-kyaku

1. The landing recovery for when this attack misses has been extended by 7 frames. 2. The collision pushbox has been adjusted to make it more difficult for opponents to jump over this move.

ZANGIEF

Overdrive Double Lariat

1. Adjusted so that the second attack hits opponents not in the air 1 frame earlier. 2. Adjusted so that the second attack knocks down the opponent for an additional 1 frame if it hits when they are not in the air. 3. Adjusted the hit reaction to the first attack when it hits an opponent not in the air so that it is possible for SA3 to connect after. 4. Adjusted so that the first attack's blow back distance is reduced when hitting a mid-air opponent. 5. The distance traveled initially when the move is performed has been increased.

Aerial Russian Slam (SA1)

The hitbox has been expanded downward.

Cyclone Lariat (Super Art Level 2)

Extended the collision pushbox upwards while the screen is dark. Please note that due to the change to Overdrive Double Lariat's blowback effect, this should mitigate situations where it's difficult to perform combos.

CHUN-LI

The size of the hurtboxes around the arms and legs between frames 2 - 8 have been expanded.

Aerial Hundred Lightning Kicks

Now has an initial scaling value of 20%.

DEE JAY

Funky Slicer

1. The knockback on block has been decreased. 2. The size of the hurtbox after the active frames has been expanded.

DHALSIM

Yoga Teleport

Fixed an issue where certain inputs would cause Dhalsim's reappearance position to be different from normal.

Heavy Yoga Flame

Fixed an issue where if the attack landed as a Counter or Punish Counter, the 2nd hit of the attack would deal the same damage as a normal hit.

BLANKA

Modern Controls Lightning Beast (Super Art Level 2)

Fixed an issue where Blanka would perform Electric Thunder instead of Vertical Rolling attack when Super Art Level 2 is active or the player is charging down, and cancels a normal attack with down-back+SP Button.

Ground Shave Cannonball (Super Art Level 3/CA)

Fixed an issue where the attack's reach would extend forward more than usual when performed in specific situations.

MANON

En Haut

Adjusted so that this move has greater inertia when performed out of a Drive Rush.

?toile (Super Art Level 2)

1. The 1st and 2nd hit now have a blowback effect when hitting a mid-air opponent, and following attacks now connect easier on the opponent. 2. After the 2nd hit, if the 3rd attack does not connect, the opponent's knockdown period will be extended. With this change, even if the 3rd attack doesn't connect, it will be more difficult for opponents to counter attack Manon.

JP

Stribog (Modern Controls)

When JP's Embrace cannot be performed because one of his projectile is on-screen, pressing Back+SP Button in Modern Controls would cause nothing to be performed. To offset this, JP's Neutral+SP Button special move, Stribog, will be performed instead.

Standing Heavy Punch

1. The size of the foot hurtbox during the active frames has been expanded. 2. The size of the hurtbox for after the active frames has been expanded.

Crouching Heavy Punch

The invincibility to mid-air attacks that this move applied to the upper body has been removed.

Normal/Overdrive Amnesia

1. Adjusted the immediate scaling value from 15% to 60%. 2. Now has an initial scaling value of 50%. 3. Performing SA3 on a knocked back opponent will now cause the projectile generated from catching an opponent's attack with this move to detonate quicker. 4. After successfully catching an opponent's attack with this move, JP's SA gauge will now not increase until either the generated projectile is gone, or until the current combo ends. 5. The Drive Gauge increase for Drive Parrying or Perfect Parrying the Overdrive version of this move has been changed from 2500 x 2 to 5000 x 2. 6. Fixed an issue resulting in unintended behavior for the projectile when on the edge of the screen. 7. Fixed an issue where the projectile would not disappear when this move clashed with an opponent's SA.

Normal/Overdrive Departure

1. Now has an initial scaling value of 20%. 2. The Drive Gauge increase for Drive Parrying or Perfect Parrying the normal version of this move has been changed from 5000 to 7500. 3. The Drive Gauge increase for Drive Parrying or Perfect Parrying the Overdrive version of this move has been changed from 2500 x 2 to 3500 x 2.

RASHID

After Wall Jumps

Fixed an issue where performing certain techniques after a wall jump would not put Rashid into a Forced Knockdown state even after getting hit with an attack.

1. The size of the hurtbox around the arms between frames 2 - 8 has been expanded. 2. The size of the hurtbox around the arms between frames 9 - 11 has been decreased.

Overdrive Spinning Mixer

The third attack is now invincible to mid-air attacks until the end of its active frames.

Ysaar (Super Art Level 2)

Fixed an issue where the whirlwind wouldn't display as intended when lingering in its final stage.

A.K.I.

Standing Medium Punch

The number of active frames for this attack has been adjusted from 3 frames to 5 frames.

Crouching Light Punch

The attack hitbox has been expanded forward.

Overdrive Snake Step

Fixed an issue where the normal version of Snake Step would be performed instead of the Overdrive Version when inputting Back+AUTO+SP Button while A.K.I.'s Nightshade Pulse is on the screen.

Pokemon Sleep is introducing Legendary Pokemon to the app, starting at the end of next month. Today, Pokemon Sleep announced that it would be adding in Raikou as the first of three Legendary Pokemon coming to the app. Raikou will be available as part of a new Raikou Research event in which players collect samples of Raikou mane and exchange it for Raikou Incense, which attracts the Pokemon and allows players to research Raikou's various sleep styles. As part of the event, Electric-type helper Pokemon will be particularly effective, so players are recommended to raise their Electric-type Pokemon to help them get ready. Pokemon Sleep is also planning to add some rewards to help beginners to Pokemon Sleep participate in the Raikou event and befriend Raikou as well.

During the Pokemon Presents, Pokemon Sleep confirmed that Suicune and Entei would also be added in future events. These three mark the first Legendary Pokemon introduced to Pokemon Sleep since the app launched last summer.

Pokemon Sleep has slowly but surely added more events and new content over the course of the last several months, with one Pokemon or Pokemon line added about once per month. The app focuses on a person's sleep habits, with the app recording and measuring sleep either through a person's phone or the Pokemon Go Plus+ device, and then assigning a numerical score to it based on length and quality. Pokemon are attracted to a user's weekly research site based on a combination of a person's nightly sleep score and the power of a nearby Snorlax, who players feed throughout the week.

Pokemon also announced two new games - Pokemon Legends: Z-A, a new installment of the Pokemon Legends franchise set in Kalos, and Pokemon Trading Card Game: Pocket, a new mobile app focused on collecting digital Pokemon cards.

The set will also include a guidebook that teaches new practitioners how to use and interpret the cards. In other words, it's a lot like a Tarot deck, and exists outside of the game itself. It's intended for fans that are interested in going beyond the game with a deep (even spiritual) dive into the lore of MTG. We also expect that the artwork will be gorgeous, which will make it a great addition to any MTG collection.

If this sounds like like a journey that you want to take, pre-orders for the Magic: The Gathering Oracle Deck are live here on Amazon now priced at $22.49 (10% off) with a release date set fro May 21st. Note that you won't be charged until the deck ships, and if the discount increases between the time that you pre-order and the launch date, you'll automatically get the lower price.

From the official description: "From the team behind The Dungeons & Dragons Tarot Deck comes an officially licensed oracle deck comprising 52 all-new illustrations that celebrate the characters, creatures, and lore of the world's largest trading card game, Magic: The Gathering. Inspired by Theros, the plane where monsters prevail, mortals endure, and heroes ascend, this oracle deck features art of Jace, the Planeswalker; Hythonia, the legendary gorgon; and well-known creatures such as the Pegasus, Chimera, Sirens, and more.

With stunning illustrations, The Magic: The Gathering Oracle Deck also features a guidebook that introduces readers to the practice of oracle cards, including instructions on how to use and interpret the cards and descriptions of each card image. Both denizens of Theros and practitioners of oracle cards hold belief as a powerful tool that we can use to create our reality, and with this oracle deck you'll be invited to explore new realms of meaning."

A new game in PlayStation's iconic Twisted Metal series has reportedly been scrapped following layoffs at the gaming giant. For multiple years now, reports have claimed that PlayStation was in the process of looking to bring back Twisted Metal. This revival in the gaming space was seemingly made in tandem with Peacock's live-action adaptation of Twisted Metal, which debuted on the streaming platform last year. Now, it sounds as though this TV series is going to remain the only thing tied to the franchise that will be coming about in the foreseeable future.

According to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, Sony opted to end work on a new Twisted Metal game that has been in development at studio Firesprite in recent years. Firesprite is one of several PlayStation studios that were impacted by these new layoffs at Sony with others including Naughty Dog, Insomniac Games, and London Studio, which was shuttered entirely. This new Twisted Metal project was never formally revealed by PlayStation, but it is said that the game was more live-service in nature compared to previous installments.

Long before its development was scrapped, this new Twisted Metal reboot was met with a number of additional struggles. Back in 2022, the game was originally in the works at Lucid Games, the studio behind Destruction AllStars. For one reason or another, Sony ended up removing Lucid from the Twisted Metal project and then passed it off to Firesprite, which Sony acquired in 2021. After having worked on this new Twisted Metal title for the past two years, Sony then opted to today end the game's development as a whole rather than continue further.

Moving forward, it's hard to know what the future might hold for Twisted Metal. The last entry in the series that PlayStation released was 2012's Twisted Metal which came to PS3. Since that time, PlayStation has ported some of the older Twisted Metal games from PS1 to PS5 and PS4 to make them accessible on modern platforms. Beyond this, though, the only plans that are now known to be in the works with the Twisted Metal IP at large are tied to Season 2 of the Peacock series which is expected to arrive in 2025.

PlayStation should be announcing the free PlayStation Plus games for March 2024 very soon, but ahead of that official reveal, we may have already learned of one of the free PlayStation games that'll be given away next month. That game is Sifu, the kung fu brawler that'll just recently celebrated its two-year anniversary after first launching on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC platforms on February 8, 2022. Sifu will apparently be the headliner for the free PlayStation Plus games planned for March, but it's not yet known what the other two PS5 and PS4 games will be.

This PlayStation Plus leak comes from reputable insider billbil-kun who's pretty much always spot on with these sorts of leaks, particularly when they deal with PlayStation Plus games. The insider reported that Sifu will be available for all tiers of PlayStation Plus subscribers and that the giveaway should start on March 5th but had no knowledge as to what the other free PlayStation Plus games will look like.

Sifu Free for PlayStation Plus Subscribers

Given that Sifu was first a console exclusive on the PS4 and PS5 before it eventually came to the Nintendo Switch, it wouldn't be too surprising to see it given away as a PlayStation Plus perk around two years later. Developed by Sloclap, the game is entirely based around brawler-style combat with an emphasis put on age-based progression as the protagonist ages each time they die and are brought back to life again. Parries, special moves, and environmental combat are some of the features Sifu's combat system employs outside of hammering enemies with more basic attacks.

"Your enemies don't wait their turn, and they don't broadcast their intent," an overview of the combat system in Sifu explained. "Dodge, parry, strike, use combos and be like water making its way through captivating environments. Learn how to master your art, whether by fighting through the underbelly of a nightclub, scrambling through a refined gallery to avoid getting surrounded, or vertically navigating a towering office building."

Over the course of its post-launch development cycle, Sifu got a number of updates that cleaned up the game while also adding new content, too. Some of those updates added and expanded on new features like the Arena Mode, a players where Sifu players could go to text their combat skills through additional modifiers and challenges once they're looking for a new trial after beating the main story a few times over. Sifu got one final content update in September 2023 that dealt with the Arena Mode and more.

Sifu is available in both a Standard Edition and a Deluxe Edition, though according to the insider, it'll be the Standard Edition that's given away for PlayStation Plus subscribers in March for both the PS4 and PS5. PlayStation should share an official announcement soon confirming the news while also announcing what the other two free PlayStation Plus games will be.

Pokemon Day 2024 is here, and there will be plenty of exciting reveals for fans to celebrate. Naturally, there will also be deals, and one of the best offers happening this year includes discounts of up to 60% on a huge collection of apparel, accessories, and more. There are even some huge discounts to be had on coveted Pokemon Squishmallows.

These Pokemon Day 2024 sales are happening here at Hot Topic and here at BoxLunch until the end of the day today, February 27th. Below you'll find some direct links to standout items in the sale.

• Pokemon Squishmallows Deals / 20% - 40% off - See at Hot Topic
• Pokemon Trading Card Game Deals / 30% - 40% off - See at BoxLunch
• Pokemon Backpacks / 20%- 50% off - See at Hot Topic / BoxLunch
• Pokemon Hoodies and Sweaters / Up to 60% off - See at Hot Topic / BoxLunch
• Pokemon Tees - Up to 60% off / See at Hot Topic / BoxLunch
• Pokemon Pins - 60% off / See at BoxLunch

In other Pokemon Day deals, a huge sale on Pokemon plush and figure sets from Jazwares is happening today on Amazon. The collection includes figures in plush in numerous sizes with big discounts, and you can shop it all right here on Amazon while the sale lasts. Note that these deals are of the lightning variety, so they will disappear when 100% claimed or when the sale ends. We've picked out a handful of highlights from the sale below to get you started.

• Pok?mon Paldea First Partner Plush 3 Pack (43% off ) - See on Amazon
• Pokemon Battle Figure 8-Pack (21% off) - See on Amazon
• Pok?mon Fire and Water Battle Pack (27% off) - See on Amazon
• Pokemon 4.5-Inch Battle Figure 4 Pack (23% off) - See on Amazon
• Pokemon Paldea Battle Figure 4 Pack (13% off) - See on Amazon
• Pok?mon Battle Figure 2 Pack Blastoise & Charmander (13% off) - See on Amazon

What is Pokemon Day?

February 27th, 1996 was the day Pokemon Red and Green first released on the original Game Boy in Japan. That marked the official start of the franchise, and The Pokemon Company celebrates Pokemon Day as part of a yearly event. At this time, the lighting of the Empire State Building is the only announced event for Pokemon Day 2024, but we should expect to hear more over the next two weeks. Typically, The Pokemon Company releases a Pokemon Presents livestream on Pokemon Day, or in the days leading up to it. This is where The Pokemon Company typically makes new game announcements, while also providing updates on existing titles like Pokemon Unite, Pokemon Go, and Pokemon Masters EX. You can keep up with all of the latest Pokemon Day news right here.

Elden Ring is one of the biggest video game drops in recent years, and now the manga community is ready to embrace the hit title. After all, the team at Kadokawa has announced the launch of Elden Ring Become Lord. The web comic will go live on March 29th in Japan, and it will feature Hand Punch at the helm as artist.

Currently, Elden Ring Become Lord is slated to go live in Japan through Tatesc Comics. A limited number of print copies will also be published by Kadokawa. At this time, the publisher says the web comic will only be released in Japanese, but other translations could be in the work in the future.

As for the manga itself, Elden Ring Become Lord will feature a member of the Tarnished who dreams of becoming the next Elden Lord. So for those wanting more info on the series, you can read its official synopsis below:

"Adventurous tale of The Tarnished seeking to become the Elden Lord. The grand adventure of the action RPG ELDEN RING is now available in full-color comic. The story follows one of The Tarnished who, guided by blessings, reached the Lands Between and sets out on a journey to become the next Elden Lord. Along the way, the Tarnished encounters charming characters, explores various dungeons, battles mighty bosses, and more."

Of course, this is not the first time Elden Ring has been roped into the manga industry. Over a year ago, Elden Ring: The Road to Erdtree was released. The series has amassed nearly 40 chapters to date, and creator Nikiichi Tobita has experienced great success with the adaptation so far. Currently, the manga's first volume has been released in English, and you can find it on online stores like Amazon right now.

What do you think about this Elden Ring order? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

Pokemon fans are trying to determine whether or not Game Freak's upcoming title Pokemon Legends: Z-A will be coming to Nintendo Switch 2. To close today's Pokemon Presents showcase, a follow-up entry to Pokemon Legends: Arceus was announced to be releasing in 2025. For the time being, there are still far more questions than answers to be had with Pokemon Legends: Z-A, but some fans are already under the assumption that the game is bound for Nintendo's unannounced new console.

At the conclusion of the debut trailer for Pokemon Legends: Z-A, Game Freak said that the project would be "releasing simultaneously worldwide" in the coming year. Although Switch 2 clearly wasn't mentioned in this line, many immediately pointed to the "simultaneously" mention as an indication that Pokemon Legends: Z-A could come to both Switch and Switch 2 at the same time. In all likelihood, Game Freak only used this wording to make clear that Pokemon Legends would be released across all regions at once rather than slowly rolling out around the globe.

That being said, there's a good chance that Pokemon Legends: Z-A will come to Nintendo Switch 2 in one way or another. Previously, Game Freak and The Pokemon Company have remastered or ported Pokemon titles from the past to new Nintendo hardware when given the chance. As such, a similar thing could happen with Pokemon Legends: Z-A if it initially only launches for the base Switch. And if nothing else, the Switch 2 is reportedly going to feature backward compatibility with the original Switch, which means Pokemon Legends: Z-A could be playable on day one of the Switch 2's release in this manner.

Nintendo Switch 2 and Pokemon Legends: Z-A Release Dates

In recent weeks, rumors and reports have asserted that Nintendo recently delayed the launch of the Switch 2 internally from 2024 to early 2025. Specifically, certain reporting has asserted that March 2025 is the particular release month that Nintendo is now targeting for the Switch 2. If true, this would make quite a bit of sense given that the original Nintendo Switch also happened to arrive in March back in 2017.

As for the launch of Pokemon Legends: Z-A, there's a chance that the game could be released in the very early portion of next year. When looking at Pokemon Legends: Arceus, that entry was let loose in January of 2022, which suggests that Game Freak could be planning a similar window for Z-A. Additionally, The Pokemon Company itself has often used its "Pokemon Day" presentations to show off what games will be launching in the coming calendar year. With this in mind, there's a possibility that Pokemon Legends: Z-A could be available to play before Pokemon Day comes to pass again in 2025, which would seemingly put it on track to arrive ahead of the Switch 2.