Marvel Rivals Shows Off Loki Trailer Ahead Of Closed Alpha
NetEase Games, the publisher behind the upcoming hero shooter Marvel Rivals, has shared a video showcasing what the god of mischief, Loki, can do in an arena. In true Loki fashion, many of his moves will be based on confusing players as much as possible.
In this new trailer, we can see his efficient long-range attacks, but that’s not all he has up his sleeve. If players get too close to him, he can leave his body and move somewhere safe. He’ll also have the power to teleport to nearby areas, similar to Reaper’s ability in Overwatch 2. What’s most notable about Loki is that his ultimate move allows him to become another character, and in doing so, he gains all of their abilities.
Now Playing: Marvel Rivals – Official Loki Character Reveal Trailer | The King of Yggsgard
As of now, Marvel Rivals doesn’t have a release date, but it’ll be free-to-play when it launches on PC. However, those who want to try it soon can sign up for its alpha test, which is scheduled for next month in May. It is worth mentioning that the test will only be available for PC players, but they’ll be able to play various Marvel characters such as Black Panther, Spider-Man, Magneto, and Scarlet Witch.
It’s unclear whether or not the game will come to console when it’s fully released. However, PC players can wishlist the game on both Steam and the Epic Game Store.
Thandiwe Newton Cast In Wednesday Season 2 – Report
There’s another new face coming to Nevermore Academy. Variety is reporting that Thandiwe Newton has signed on to appear in Wednesday Season 2. No details were included about Newton’s character, who could be a friend or foe to Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday Addams.
Newton is an Emmy-winner for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama for her role as Maeve Millay on HBO’s Westworld. Her other television credits include Rogue, The Slap, Big Mouth, and Human Resources. Newton has also had starring or co-starring roles in Mission: Impossible 2, Crash, The Chronicles of Riddick, and Solo: A Star Wars Story.
So far, only two of the new cast members for Wednesday Season 2 have reportedly been revealed. Earlier this month, Variety also broke the story that Steve Buscemi was joining the cast, potentially as the new principal of Nevermore Academy. The previous principal, Larissa Weems (Gwendoline Christie), was murdered in the first season finale.
Story details for Wednesday Season 2 have yet to be revealed, but filming is expected to begin later this month in Ireland. Netflix hasn’t set a date for Wednesday Season 2, but a 2025 release seems likely.
Sea Of Thieves Season 12 Launches Next Week With New Weapons And Pets
Sea of Thieves Season 12 is scheduled to launch next week on April 30. Ahead of its launch, Rare decided to share some information on what changes players can expect in the upcoming season, including the use of throwing knives, new ways to board ships, and the ability to summon skeletons to help in a fight.
In a video shared on the official Sea of Thieves YouTube channel, the studio explained that an update on April 25 will allow players “to get straight into the new features” when Season 12 launches on April 30. Players who recently participated in the game’s closed beta for PS5 will have a few cosmetic rewards waiting for them when they jump into the game. These Dauntless Adventurer Sails are “an homage to the Vanguard Sails” Rare gave out to Xbox and PC beta players in 2017.
Rare also explained that servers are returning to allow for as many as six ships and 18 players per server following some updates that stabilized this part of the game.
From April 30 to May 7, players will also be able to earn new cosmetics via Twitch Drops. Those who participate will unlock the Sea Dog Tankard Pocket Watch, the Eastern Wind Sapphire Boots, and the Short Jacket. Of course, the Pirate Emporium will get a wave of new content, including new owl pets that players can unlock with real-world money on April 30. With the launch of Season 12, all this, plus new weapons like throwing knives and new tools (not rules), will be available.
It’s safe to say that PlayStation players are excited to travel the seas. As of late, it’s earned a spot on the PS5 best-seller charts.
Save Big On Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes On Launch Day
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes launched today, April 23, on consoles and PC. If you’re interested in picking up a copy on PC, you can save 20% on Steam keys at Fanatical. This special launch deal drops the price of the standard edition to $39.49 and the Digital Deluxe edition to $63.19. If you’re an Xbox or PC Game Pass subscriber, you already have access to the game. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can play the RPG on Xbox and PC. Nintendo Switch players can save 10% on digital copies for a limited time, too.
Developed by Rabbit and Bear Studios, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is a spiritual successor to the Suikoden series. Announced back in 2020, the project became one of the highest-grossing Kickstarter campaigns ever. Fast forward roughly four years and longtime fans of the cult-classic Suikoden series can finally play it.
Console players on PS5 and Xbox can pick up the standard or Digital Deluxe edition for $50 or $80, respectively. If you’re partial to physical editions, only PS5 and Nintendo Switch versions are being printed outside of Japan. The physical edition for PlayStation 5 is available now, whereas the Nintendo Switch version is up for preorder ahead of its May 21 launch.
Early reception has been largely positive for most platforms, with the PC version currently holding a MetaScore of 79 on GameSpot sister site Metacritic. The PS5 version is sitting at a 76, while the Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch versions only have a handful of recorded reviews at this time. The Xbox Series X version holds a respectable average of 72, but the Nintendo Switch port, based on initial reviews–it holds a 57 MetaScore–has some performance issues that will hopefully be ironed out with post-launch patches. There aren’t any reviews for the PS4 and Xbox One versions, so it’s unclear if performance issues from the Switch version also impact the last-gen Xbox and PlayStation.
With all that said, let’s take a look at where you can pick up the console version of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes below.
$50-$60
The physical edition is available to purchase for PS5 for $50 at multiple major retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. Alternatively, you can preorder the physical edition for Switch for $60 ahead of its release next month. The Xbox version does not have a physical edition in the US.
The digital standard edition on consoles is available for $50 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, and PS4. It’s sold as a cross-gen bundle by default, so you get the PS4 and PS5 or Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One editions with your purchase.
Meanwhile, the digital edition for Nintendo Switch is available for a 10% discount until May 8, which drops the price to $45. Yes, the digital version retails for $10 less–and $15 less for a limited time–than the physical edition.
$72-$80
The $80 Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes Digital Deluxe edition comes with the base game on your platform of choice and the following bonus content:
- Easy Journey Pack (contains six Healing items, two Revive item, and three Evacuation item)
- Season Pass (includes three bonus DLC story chapters releasing after launch, plus three downloadable wallpapers and two Headquarters Paint options)
- Digital Mini Artbook
- Digital Soundtrack
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes Digital Deluxe edition for console is available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Once again, the Digital Deluxe is cross-gen for PlayStation and Xbox platforms. And just like the standard edition, you can save 10% on the Switch eShop until May 8.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is developed by Rabbit & Bear Studios, which was founded by several members of the original Suikoden development team who wanted to continue the legacy of the beloved RPG series. As such, many of Eiyuden Chronicle’s gameplay and story elements will be familiar to Suikoden fans, such as the large cast of 100 party members to recruit, strategic turn-based battle system, and high fantasy setting rife with political conflict. It also features modernized touches like voice acting and a stylized presentation that mixes 2D sprites and high-quality 3D environments similar to Square Enix’s HD-2D style seen in games like Octopath Traveler and Live A Live.
Sadly, Yoshitaka Murayama, the creator of both Eiyuden Chronicle and Suikoden, passed away on February 6 at the age of 54.
Disclosure: GameSpot and Fanatical are both owned by Fandom.
Xbox-Branded Meta Quest VR Headset Is On The Way
While Sony has released two PlayStation VR headsets, Microsoft has stayed out of the wearable tech market when it comes to gaming (though it has the business-focused HoloLens 2). But now, the Xbox brand will appear on an upcoming Meta Quest VR headset.
Spotted by The Verge, Meta revealed the collaboration with Xbox as part of the VR company’s “next step toward our vision for a more open computing platform for the metaverse.” The partnership seems pretty straightforward, with Meta saying it’s developing “a limited-edition Meta Quest, inspired by Xbox.”
This isn’t the first time the two companies have worked together. Last year, Xbox Cloud Gaming arrived on Meta Quest 3, letting you play games like Halo Infinite on the VR headset. On Instagram, Meta Platforms founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg teased an Xbox edition of Meta Quest that came with an Xbox controller and Xbox Game Pass.
Meanwhile, other companies will apparently go further with their collaborations with Meta. For instance, ASUS is apparently “building an all-new performance gaming headset” with the Meta Horizon OS.
Meta Quest 3 launched last year and starts at $500 for the 128GB version of the headset. As for Microsoft, it does seem to be eyeing new hardware fronts in the future. Last month, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer talked about how an Xbox handheld was an intriguing idea.
Nintendo Switch Update Out Now, Here’s What It Does
The latest Nintendo Switch firmware update has arrived, but don’t expect anything too substantial in terms of improvements or new features.
This newest update, which brings the system up to version 18.0.1, fixes an issue pertaining to wireless access points. Specifically, these wireless access points could sometimes fail to be recognized when setting up a new wireless network, but that should be fixed now.
Now Playing: Nintendo Switch Online – More Rare Games Trailer
Anyone who cannot update to version 18.0.1 because of this issue should temporarily change their settings of their network to use WPA2 (AES), which will allow them to connect and download the update. After that, you can go back and revert to the earlier settings.
The update also includes “general system stability improvements.”
Social media user OatmealDome usually digs through the files of new updates and discovers unannounced changes or updates to Nintendo’s list of banned words, but this update doesn’t appear to have any. A previous update banned the Japanese word for testicles.
You can see the full patch notes for the Switch firmware update below.
Nintendo fans are looking forward to what’s coming next, and that includes a heavily rumored Switch successor. It remains officially unannounced, but key details have emerged. For more, check out GameSpot’s rundown of everything we know about the Switch 2.
Ver. 18.0.1 (Released April 22, 2024)
- Fixed an issue where some wireless access points cannot be found when setting up a new wireless network.
- If you’re unable to update to Version 18.0.1 because of the issue, temporarily change the security settings for your wireless network to use only “WPA2 (AES)” so you can connect wirelessly to download and install the system update.
- After updating to Version 18.0.1, restore your network’s security settings to its previous settings.
- General system stability improvements to enhance the user’s experience.
