Confirming earlier rumors, Platinum Games has now launched a Kickstarter campaign for The Wonderful 101 Remastered, a Switch port of the Wii U-exclusive with a funding goal of $50,000 until the campaign wraps on March 6. And in less than 30 minutes, the initial funding goal for the campaign was a success.In the time since launch, crowdfunding has pushed past the $500,000 milestone, which means the remaster is coming to Steam and PlayStation 4 alongside the Switch. This marks the first time The Wonderful 101 will be available on a non-Nintendo platforms.The next major funding milestone is one million dollars, at which point a time attack mode will be added to the game. This mode is described by Platinum Games as "a speedrunner's dream." Beyond that, a completely new side-scrolling 2D game called Luka's First Mission will be added to The Wonderful 101 Remastered.Pledge tiers range from ¥3,900 (roughly $36) for a digital version of the game, all the way up to ¥550,000 (roughly $5,000), which includes a ton of perks: apparel, merchandise like stickers and a soundtrack, and of course, getting blocked by the infamous blocker and Wonderful 101's director, Hideki Kamiya, on Twitter. If you've been dying to be blocked on Twitter by Kamiya himself, that starts with the ¥11,000 (roughly $100) tier.The Kickstarter campaign comes hot on the heels of a tease from earlier today by Platinum Games, with the launch of a mysterious Platinum 4 website. That page has since been updated to unveil that there are four projects being discussed soon, and Wonderful 101 Remastered is the first out the gate.Platinum Games' Atsushi Inaba and Hideki Kamiya talked about The Wonderful 101's Kickstarter campaign in an interview with GameSpot. The duo also discuss whether they'd consider reviving other games and how former Castlevania developer Koji Igarashi influenced their decision to seek out crowdfunding. Info from Gamespot.com

The Last of Us: Part II will reportedly carry an M for Mature rating in the United States. The game's website (via Dualshockers) shows the M rating from the ESRB, but the ratings group has yet to officially publish its rating for the game, so it may only be a placeholder.That being said, the rating is filled out with multiple content descriptors, so it does at least appear to be official-looking in nature. The content descriptors include: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, and Use of Drugs.That's all to be expected from what is looking like a very violent and intense game that is not recommended for children. No one should be surprised by this, as the first Last of Us was also a brutally violent game.The original Last of Us had a M rating as well, but there are some differences in the content descriptors. That game featured warnings for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, and Strong Language.The sequel, meanwhile, has all of those descriptors as well as Nudity and Sexual Content. For reference, ESRB defines Nudity as "graphic or prolonged depictions of nudity." Sexual Content is defined as "non-explicit depictions of sexual behavior, possibly including partial nudity," while "Sexual Themes" pertains to "references to sex or sexuality."The Last of Us: Part II is still months away from its release date in May, so it is possible that its ESRB rating will change. Again, the ESRB has not yet published its official rating for the game.The Last of Us: Part II launches on May 29 for PlayStation 4. Intriguingly, it was recently discovered that Naughty Dog is looking to hire a PC programmer. The Last of Us 2 News The Last Of Us Part 2 Job Listing Is Looking For A PC Programmer The Last Of Us Part 2: Release Date, Combat Changes, And Everything We Know So Far The Last Of Us Part 2 Pre-Orders Available: Collector's Edition, Ellie Edition, And More Info from Gamespot.com

The upcoming Nicolas Cage movie where the actor plays himself and gets mixed up with a drug kingpin and later becomes an informant for the CIA now has a release date. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent will hit theatres on March 19, 2021, film studio Lionsgate has confirmed, according to The Hollywood Reporter.That's the same date as the video game movie Tomb Raider 2 and the next Paranormal Activity sequel. The plot description for The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is completely absurd in the best way (we think).Cage plays a version of himself who is suffering through debt and a strained relationship with his daughter. He's also trying to get a role in a new Quentin Tarantino movie. To make some cash, Cage takes money from a Mexican billionaire for an appearance at his birthday party.Cage becomes friends with the billionaire, but then the CIA tells him that he's actually a drug cartel kingpin. Not only that, but this man kidnapped the daughter of a Mexican presidential nominee. The CIA then recruits Cage to become an informant.According to previous reports, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent will also contain references to famous Cage movies like Leaving Las Vegas (for which he won an Oscar), as well as Face-Off and Gone in 60 Seconds.Tom Gormican (Ghosted, That Awkward Moment) is reportedly set to direct off a script from Kevin Etten (Scrubs, Workaholics).Cage is getting paid big money for this new movie, as a report said he is expected to earn a payday in the range of what he was making for the National Treasure series and Con Air.Info from Gamespot.com

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare in-game charity campaign raising money for the Australian bushfire crisis has come to an end, and it brought in a lot of money. Activision has announced that the campaign raised more than $1.6 million through sales of the "Outback Relief Pack." The money will go to the charity Direct Relief. The group is already putting the money into action, as Activision said Direct Relief is providing emergency and health supplies across Australia."Call of Duty players around the world came together in support of this terrible tragedy. We're honored to help in this effort with the funds from the Outback Relief pack," Call of Duty executive Byron Beede said in a statement. "We thank everyone for their generosity, and we look forward to putting this donation into action."Direct Relief's Thomas Tighe said, "This was an astounding act of generosity on the part of Activision and the larger Call of Duty community, and we at Direct Relief are deeply grateful. Most importantly, the Call of Duty community's amazing support will translate directly into help for people in Australia."The Outback Relief Pack, which was sold throughout January, included a Bushranger operator skin, a koala charm, and the blueprints for the legendary "Big Game" sniper rifle. There is also a new sticker, gun art, operator quip, and finishing move, as well as a token to skip one tier in the Modern Warfare Battle Pass. It cost about $18 USD.The bushfire crisis is an ongoing concern in Australia. As of February 4, there were 62 bush and grass fires burning in New South Wales, 29 of which are not contained.Currently there are 62 bush and grass fires burning in NSW, 29 still to be contained. Easing conditions has seen all fires now at the Advice alert level. More than 1,500 firefighters will use favourable conditions to work on containment of a number of large fires today. #nswrfs pic.twitter.com/oSsJoQxUTz — NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) February 3, 2020 Info from Gamespot.com

The Super Bowl is over, and while many people will be talking about Missouri's Kansas City Chiefs beating California's San Francisco 49ers, the talk around the water cooler today will also be the commercials. This year, we saw ads that cost companies millions of dollars for 30-second spots as they tried their best to get our attention.Many times, these ads have a comedic slant, and sometimes, they're actually funny--and often, they fail miserably. Over the course of Super Bowl LIV, there were a ton of ads, but only a few of them were actually really funny. So we collected the best ones from the NFL game and have them for you below.If you want more from the big game, check out all the movie trailers revealed during the evening (those included new spots for Black Widow, No Time to Die, and more, plus Disney Plus's Marvel shows in the non-movie space) as well as all the Super Bowl commercials.CheetosWhen your hands are covered in Cheetos dust, you may not want to touch anyone or anything. MC Hammer pops up to sing the chorus from his hit song "U Can't Touch This."Avocados From MexicoEvery year, Avocados From Mexico puts out some hilarious commercials for the Super Bowl. This year, it spoofs the Home Shopping Network with accessories for your avocado.Rocket MortgageApparently, Jason Momoa isn't the man we all thought he was. Just watch the commercial for yourself, as it's easily one of the best of the evening.PringlesRicky & Morty make an appearance in this year's Pringles commercial, poking fun at the other Pringles commercials from the past year. Also, there are Pringles robots now.DoritosLil Nas X and Sam Elliot got into a dance-off during this Doritos commercial. Is there anything funnier than a horse with a sound system strapped to it? That's rhetorical because the answer is obviously "no."Disclosure: ViacomCBS is GameSpot's parent company. Info from Gamespot.com

The famous Broadway musical Hamilton is coming to theatres thanks to Disney. We're now learning more about how it all came to be, and it involves a lot of money.Multiple sites, including The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, and Variety, claim that Disney paid $75 million USD to acquire the rights to the Lin-Manuel Miranda movie. According to Deadline, this might be the highest-ever fee paid for a finished movie.Unlike the movie versions of Cats or Rent, the movie edition of Hamilton uses footage captured during live performances of the show in 2016, just two weeks before the original cast left. It will also make use of "live capture" techniques to blend theater and film elements.The Hamilton movie uses stage footage from three different live performances. There are also some "setup shots without an audience," Deadline reported. "All of the footage was used to create multiple angles, to ensure the cinematic nature of the event, without a bad seat in the house," the site said.According to the reports, Disney outbid other companies in acquiring the Hamilton movie rights, including Warner Bros. Tommy Kail directed both the stage play used in the film, and movie version of Hamilton.The Hamilton movie comes to theatres in North America on October 15, 2021. Release dates for other parts of the world have not been announced.The big-screen adaptation will bring back writer and star Miranda as Alexander Hamilton, Daveed Diggs in a dual role as Maarquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler, Leslie Odom, Jr. as Aaron Burr, Christopher Jackson as George Washington, Jonathan Groff as King George, Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton, and Jasmine Cephas Jones as Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds, Okieriete Onaodowan as Hercules Mulligan and James Madison, and Anthony Ramos as John Laurens and Philip Hamilton. Info from Gamespot.com

Indiana Jones 5 is on the way, with Harrison Ford set to reprise his role as the archaeologist-adventurer. The movie was recently delayed by an entire year, and now Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has provided an update on how it's coming along. She also confirmed a key detail about what kind of movie Indiana Jones 5 will be.Speaking to the BBC at the BAFTAs, Kennedy said the creative team is working on the script currently, and once that's done, filming can begin. She also confirmed that Indiana Jones 5--or whatever title Lucasfilm decides to give it--will be a "continuation" of the series instead of a reboot.Some people had wondered and speculated that Indiana Jones 5 would reboot the series with a new character taking on the title role, but that seemingly will not be the case."We're working away, getting the script where we want it to be, and then we'll be ready to go. Harrison Ford will be involved," Kennedy said. "It's not a reboot--it's a continuation."In September 2019, writer David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible) said the script for Indiana Jones 5 was coming together, but it was too soon to say if it'll stick."We're still trying. And I think we've got a good idea this time. We'll see," he said.Steven Spielberg, who directed all the previous Indiana Jones movies, is coming back to direct, with Ford returning as well to play the the iconic archaeologist. Indy's son Mutt, played by Shia LaBeouf in 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, will not return in the new movie.Kingdom of the Crystal Skull might not have enjoyed the best reviews, but it grossed more than $786 million worldwide to stand as the most successful Indiana Jones movie ever. Altogether, the series has brought in nearly $2 billion at the global box office across all four releases. Info from Gamespot.com

Apex Legends celebrates its first birthday with the start of Season 4: Assimilation on February 4. It's been quite the year for Respawn's battle royale--if you haven't played the game since it launched, you're in for quite the surprise if you decide to jump in now. So, as Apex Legends goes into its second year, let's look back at the year that was to see how the game has evolved.On February 4, 2019, Respawn revealed its new Titanfall game was not actually Titanfall 3 as many expected. Instead, we were getting a free-to-play battle royale that takes place within the Titanfall universe. It was called Apex Legends, a fun little nod to Titanfall's Blisk and his Apex Predators.And then Respawn did something rather bold--it said the game was now out. Just immediately ready to download on Xbox One, PS4, and PC. No fanfare. No year-long campaign of trailers and conference appearances. Just an announcement and release.The Beginning Of Year 1And that somehow worked. Apex Legends got one million players within eight hours and then skyrocketed to 2.5 million within the first day--very impressive for a game with almost zero marketing behind it at launch. On February 11, Respawn announced that Apex Legends had seen 25 million players within its first week with two million peak concurrent users.Like Titanfall 2, the shooting and movement mechanics were solid and the map was well-designed. Fans fell in love with the diverse cast of characters, as well as the welcome improvements Respawn made to the battle royale formula with a ping system and hero abilities. Like most games-as-a-service titles at launch, there were bugs to fix and balancing changes to implement, but Apex Legends offered enough content in those first few weeks to keep players coming back.Initially, Apex Legends' narrative was rather simple--the game told the stories surrounding the Apex Games, a blood sport created by a mysterious corporation called the Syndicate in the aftermath of the war between the Frontier Militia and the IMC. Those who participate in the games and regularly win are known as legends. Each legend joined in the Apex Games for their own reasons. IMC soldier Anita "Bangalore" Williams is hoping to earn enough cash to book passage out of Frontier space so she can see her family again, for example, while Ajay "Lifeline" Che is trying to right the wrongs of her war profiteering parents by raising money and awareness for humanitarian groups.On February 13, Respawn released an update that included limited-time Valentine's Day-themed cosmetics--our first hint that Apex Legends would hold in-game celebrations for certain holidays. A week later, on February 20, Apex Legends got its first new weapon: the HAVOC assaultrifle. These early content drops suggested Respawn would regularly update the game with new content, and fans began eagerly waiting for something more.A month after Apex Legends released, Respawn announced that the game had 50 million players and the developer released a video thanking its community. The video also jokingly poked fun at the Mozambique shotgun, which was the worst gun in Apex Legends at launch (by far, by like a noticeable margin). If anything, it seemed to imply that Respawn was hearing what its community had to say about Apex Legends' shortcomings and was working on the problems that fans were bringing up.But the novelty of the game began to wane around this time. Apex Legends still had no challenges or battle pass to speak of. There wasn't really anything to strive for, other than just getting better.Season 1: Wild FrontierApex Legends would finally get its first battle pass on March 19 with the start of Season 1: Wild Frontier. The first season added a new character too: Octavio "Octane" Silva. The backstory of the adrenaline junkie provided a nostalgic tie to Titanfall 2, when players would break the Gauntlet record by propelling themselves with grenades. His abilities weren't exactly game-changing, but Octane's playfully reckless (and full of wrecks) attitude towards life still makes him one of the most enjoyable add-ons to Apex Legends.Apex Legends still didn't have challenges though, and without them, it was very difficult to level up in the battle pass. In the following weeks, Respawn would go on to implement gameplay adjustments, like a new Fortified passive perk for Makoa Gibraltar and Alexander "Caustic" Nox, as well as bug fixes, but nothing substantial. Unless you were on PC, of course--Respawn used this time to put a serious dent in the efforts of cheaters that had been dominating the PC version of the game. Months would go by without additional content. This long dry spell would see some players drop the game (including me for a short time if I'm being honest).11 weeks after the start of Wild Frontier, Apex Legends finally got a major content update. June 4 saw the start of Wild Frontier's first and only limited-time event, Legendary Hunt. The event made it easier to level up in Wild Frontier's battle pass. Better yet, it provided a good reason to even buy the pass in the first place--battle pass owners could nab some sweet-looking legendary rewards during Legendary Hunt. It was the shot in the arm that Apex Legends needed, especially with Season 2 around the corner.But before Season 2 started, Respawn also began fleshing out Apex Legends' story. On June 8, Respawn released the first of its Stories from the Outlands, a collection of animated shorts. On June 12, the Apex Legends Twitter account made its first story-focused tweet, marking the point when the account would occasionally adopt the persona of a news anchor that existed within the Titanfall/Apex Legends universe. Small in-game map changes (like a misplaced laptop and the arrival of flyers) also started popping up, hinting at upcoming content that the community could discuss and theorize about.Season 2: Battle ChargeOn June 27, Respawn released the cinematic trailer for Apex Legends Season 2: Battle Charge, which confirmed a lot of the story and lore that fans had been speculating about--a mysterious hacker going by the callsign Crypto was taking an interest in the Apex Games and the flyers and Leviathans that had previously existed on the outskirts of the map were now invading the arena. Battle Charge began on July 2, implementing map changes and adding both new character Natalie "Wattson" Paquette and new light machine gun the L-STAR. Wattson was a game-changing addition to Apex Legends. The game's true first defender, Wattson possesses little in the way of offense when it comes to her abilities, but she can lock down a zone in a matter of seconds and outright negate the abilities of certain opponents.Battle Charge was a turning point for Apex Legends after the disappointing Wild Frontier. Not only did it finally deliver on daily and weekly challenges, it introduced a battle pass with worthwhile rewards. Ranked was also added as a permanent mode, and both in-game events and cinematic trailers further fleshed out Apex Legends' lore. August 13 saw the beginning of the Iron Crown Collection event (which included the long-requested Solo mode), Stories from the Outlands "Voidwalker" premiered on September 2, the Voidwalker event began on September 3 (which included a map change and the Armed and Dangerous mode), Stories from the Outlands "Forever Family" released on September 19, and the cinematic launch trailer for Season 3 came out on September 27. There was just more to do during Battle Charge in comparison to Wold Frontier, whether that was a new limited-time event to play, new story details to discuss, challenges to complete, or battle pass levels to earn.That said, Battle Charge wasn't all positive (heh, get it?). Iron Crown Collection marks one of the few times that Respawn encountered controversy over microtransactions. Like Legendary Hunt, Iron Crown Collection introduced new cosmetic skins, but these could only be unlocked through the purchase of special Apex Pack loot boxes, not challenges. Apex Packs offer randomized rewards, leading to fan outrage over there being no surefire way to get the couple of skins you wanted other than buying enough loot boxes to guarantee good luck (about $150 USD).Respawn admitted it had made a mistake by solely tying the Iron Crown Collection rewards to loot boxes and changed the event so that individual skins could be purchased. To balance this change against the risk vs. reward system of loot boxes, Respawn made the prices of individual items more expensive than individual Apex Packs--allowing players to spend a little more to get specific items or spend less and rely on luck. This seemed to satiate the playerbase, because the outrage mostly settled down after the change. Respawn would implement this system in every subsequent event that featured loot box rewards.Season 3: MeltdownBattle Charge was followed by Season 3: Meltdown, which introduced the long-teased Tae Joon "Crypto" Park as a playable character, added the Charge Rifle, and once again implemented challenges and a battle pass. However, instead of map changes, Apex Legends got a whole new map, World's Edge, that fundamentally altered how teams had to work together to win.The new World's Edge map emphasized movement more so than the original Kings Canyon. The most sure-fire way to find high-tier loot was to chase down the moving train or shoot down one of the flying cargo bots to find a key to a vault. Because of the map's larger size, you also had to typically account for traveling a longer distance when the ring began to shrink. It suddenly became much more important to have a character on your team who could quickly get your squad from one spot to another.Not every player liked the change, but World's Edge--and to a greater sense, all of Season 3--was an example of how Respawn was willing to experiment with Apex Legends' formula. For example, the Halloween-themed Fight or Fright showcased how Apex Legends might look with two maps at once. The Christmas-themed Holo-Day Bash introduced Apex Legends' first game mode that wasn't focused around the mechanics of a battle royale. And the roaring 20s-themed Grand Soirée Arcade saw seven modes rotated into the game, some of which offered very unique ways to play.During Season 3, Respawn also implemented changes that the community had been asking about for a while, such as a vastly higher level cap, new firing range, much needed nerfs for the Peacekeeper and Charge Rifle, and improved colorblind settings. Apex Legends' popularity continued to grow, reaching 70 million players.The End Of Year 1In the final weeks of Meltdown, Respawn subverted its audience's expectations in order to market Season 4: Assimilation. The developer didn't just reveal the new legend as it had in the first three seasons. Instead, Respawn announced one legend, used another to kill the first, and then teased a few more. The developer doubled-down on fleshing out Apex Legends' narrative and lore too, revealing it had actually been setting up several intriguing storylines for Year 2.Which brings us to the start of Season 4: Assimilation and the beginning of Year 2. A lot sure has changed with the battle royale, but what makes Apex Legends so fun--that chase to be number one--is still the same. It still remains to be seen what Respawn has in store for Apex Legends' second year, but if Year 1 is any indication, it's sure to be an eventful one. Info from Gamespot.com

In the southwesternmost corner of the overworld map sits a building that houses a slot machine. You've seen this sort of mild gambling den in any Zelda game; pull the lever, match three heart pieces and you win. Here, though, row upon row of slots are being played, their skeletal victims under permanent house arrest by the one-armed bandits. The building is, in fact, a bank. Betting on the slots requires you to purchase shares in various enterprises, all of which are owned by the bank that is manipulating the odds; the financial system is a casino and the capitalist always wins. This isn't your typical Zelda clone.Lenna's Inception is a top-down action-adventure that is--ahem--very heavily inspired by the Legend of Zelda. Mechanically it is extremely similar to Link's early adventures, but thematically and through a couple of mechanical surprises it finds its own voice. The result is a playful and inventive homage to a classic series of games that manages to distinguish itself from its inspirations.The setup immediately departs from Zelda tradition, with schoolteacher Lenna roped into saving the world after the prophesied hero--and clear Link analogue--succumbs to an unexpected demise in the tutorial dungeon. Elsewhere, an evil banker has imprisoned the prince of the land, archangels are signalling the end times, glitched-out pixels are spreading across the world, and somewhere a mysterious fridge is on the blink. This is weird Millennial Zelda, touched by creepypasta yet restrained enough to not go full internet meme.My opening paragraph was a little misleading. In my game the bank was to be found in the southwest corner, but in your game--or indeed my subsequent games--it may not be. Lenna's Inception generates its maps procedurally, shuffling the contents of its world to ensure a new route through the quest each time you start a new game and to allow players to share "seeds" of maps they particularly enjoyed. There's a daily challenge seed, too, further encouraging the sense of a shared experience.Experiments with the map generation revealed that it's not just the overworld being reconfigured. All but one of the dungeons you enter are unique to your playthrough, from the overall layout to the design of individual rooms, from the critical-path boss dungeons to the small secret lairs you might find hidden away behind a bush or a rock. Further still, the key items you collect along the way are shuffled to the extent that one playthrough might hand you the bomb item immediately while the next might make you wait for it until near the very end.In itself this doesn't necessarily have any bearing on the quality of the level design, though in general the suspicion is always that a compromise must have been made somewhere, that a procedural level could never be as good as one that was hand-crafted. The trade-off seems acceptable here: We forgo one painstakingly intricate design for the prospect of near-endless hopefully good variations. Certainly the overworld I played through (seed “ystreath” if you want to try it yourself) felt consistent and well-designed--no jarring sections that felt obviously untouched by a human hand. It had a mazelike quality that demanded exploration and was crammed with teases of just-out-of-reach areas I'd have to note to return to later and that in any other non-procedural game I'd credit to smart design.Dungeon design is mostly solid, with an emphasis on having the right item to allow you to bypass obstacles and finding the various coloured keys to open their respective doors. Save for the final dungeon, they all lack the light puzzle elements you would find in a typical Zelda dungeon, and are poorer for it. The last dungeon, however, takes full advantage of the environment-altering ability of a late-game item to push puzzle design to the fore. Perhaps not coincidentally, it's the only hand-crafted dungeon in the game. Where the procedural generation truly detracts is in the little side dungeons that throw you into a handful of random rooms, lock the doors until you've killed all the monsters, and then reward you with a health or weapon upgrade. They're not terrible in isolation, but they are all essentially the same and wear out their welcome long before you've acquired all the pick-ups they house.As you find new items--such as a spring that enables you to bounce over gaps or a cigarette lighter that lets you melt ice--you can unlock new regions of the map or return to previous areas to find secrets in classic Zelda fashion, a facet of the genre that is as inherently compelling here as it so often is, even if the execution is slightly off. The random order in which items are acquired does have a tendency to flatten out the experience. Some items have multiple uses, lending a degree of redundancy that diminishes the impact of obtaining a new piece of gear. Still, it's rewarding to nab a new ability and start mulling over all the possibilities, the new places you can now explore. It's a high that never diminishes.Perhaps as a consequence of the non-linear item progression, fighting regular enemies doesn't require you to use items other than your sword. They can be damaged by several of your items--the lighter sets things on fire and does useful damage over time while the bow, hammer, axe and bombs can all be effective--but there isn't a single enemy that, for example, must be staggered with the hammer before taking damage from your sword. With little variation it's sufficient to mash the attack button in order to survive any non-boss encounter.Bosses themselves are smartly designed even if they hew closely to the Zelda archetype. The rule of threes applies here, as each boss requires you to perform the same set of steps three times in order to beat it. And each one demands the use of a certain ability you've picked up, though the precise execution tends to not be telegraphed. Quite a few of the bosses had me puzzling things out for several attempts before the eureka moment hit and I knew exactly what I had to do. Fortunately in such instances, death isn't a hassle and you find yourself respawning in the chamber before the boss room.The procedural aspects of Lenna's Inception lay a solid foundation upon which to build. On top you'll find a handful of NPC quests to follow, some of which test your lateral thinking as you chuckle along with the mischievous sense of humour of the writing. Moments of oddness abound. I found what the game described as a "urine potion" before cheerfully informing me that I would have to drink it to discover what effect it had. My first follower companion was a chicken that would relentlessly peck enemies to death. My last was a librarian who could hurl books with pinpoint accuracy. At one point I donned a growth tunic and ran around as a giant Lenna until she couldn't fit through the door to escape the dungeon. Surprises like these are scattered throughout the entire game and are never less than a joy to discover. There's even an option to play the entire game with either 8-bit or 32-bit graphics.Lenna's Inception is a lighthearted Zelda-style adventure fuelled by levity and a taste for the bizarre. At its heart, though, it's a testament to the powers of procedural generation. On balance it gains more than it loses, delivering an endlessly rearrangeable, replayable quest that suffers only slightly from the lack of a guiding human touch.Info from Gamespot.com

Kingdom Hearts 3 Re:Mind's title doesn't lie. It's more of an addendum to Kingdom Hearts 3 than a meaningful addition. In some ways, it's fitting that a franchise as labyrinthine as Kingdom Hearts received such a strange expansion. Re:Mind is a brief but laborious retread of events we already experienced last year, dressed up with new details that only make the already maddeningly elaborate story all the more obtuse. The DLC also brings back Replica Data bosses, which provide a ridiculous challenge that requires inordinate level grinding. [Editor's note: This review contains spoilers for the ending boss and area in Kingdom Hearts 3.]Kingdom Hearts 3 ended with Sora going off on his own to search for Kairi. Re:Mind takes you on that quest in typical Kingdom Hearts fashion: neither simply nor cleanly. It runs synchronously with the events at the Keyblade Graveyard, meaning you actually have to replay the climax again from the Keyblade Graveyard maze all the way to the showdown with Xehanort. Though the explanation for how this is possible is very silly, Re:Mind is essentially a director's cut.As a reminder, the Keyblade Graveyard doesn't really feature any exploration. It's a series of boss fights separated by lengthy cutscenes. Luxord still hides behind a playing card taunting Sora, and cutscenes stop the action in similar spots. Some of the dialogue and cutscenes are reworked while others are new, but the biggest difference is the option to play as Riku, Roxas, Kairi, or Aqua in several fights. Unfortunately, playing as these characters actually makes the slick and stylish combat less fun. All of them feel like weaker versions of Sora with limited movesets, and it also doesn't help that the Keyblade Graveyard itself is the blandest world in Kingdom Hearts 3, devoid of the colorful and pleasant trappings of the Disney worlds that made the majority of original campaign hum.Even the new content that's spliced into the repeated events largely fails to make the journey worthwhile. Scala ad Caelum opens up to reveal a new section before you square off against Xehanort. Though the area is fairly big, it's desolate and exists only as a space to complete a rather banal fetch quest. It's filler content in a story filled with recycled fights. There's a fan service sequence that's actually pretty enjoyable, however. Without spoiling it, it's the type of scene that will make fans fondly remember the decades-long journey that brought us to this point. It's a brief event that doesn't make up for five hours of deja vu, but it still stands out.For die-hard fans, the Limit Cut Episode that unlocks after watching the same closing cutscene from the base game is the meat of the package. Those who played Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix will be familiar with the mode, which sees Sora in a computer simulation fighting data versions of Organization XIII members like Xigbar, Ansem, and Xehanort. It even features cameos from the long-lost Final Fantasy characters.Unfortunately, the barrier for entry is extraordinarily high, because Limit Cut bosses are exponentially more challenging than any of the fights in the base game. If you didn't grind near or all the way to the level 99 cap in the main campaign--and there was no need to--Limit Cut will probably feel like an insurmountable challenge. I'm still working my way through the bosses, and I seriously doubt that I'll ever actually beat them all. The ocean that exists between the difficulty of the base game and the data bosses is jarring.It's of course impossible to separate the DLC from the game it builds off of, and Kingdom Hearts 3's best moments came in the Disney and Pixar worlds--the individual stories of friendship and love and good conquering evil that could almost be appreciated as self-contained short stories. Re:Mind seeks to tell a very specific story, but along the way it becomes blindingly clear that Kingdom Hearts' strengths lie in its pieces and parts, not its convoluted sum that threads through and disrupts the franchise's magical moments.Even as a longtime fan of the series who adored Kingdom Hearts 3, it's hard to muster up any sort of enthusiasm for Re:Mind. What's more, Re:Mind made me understand Kingdom Hearts 3's story even less, which is a testament to how bonkers it really is. It's not all that surprising this happened; after all, it's Kingdom Hearts. Nevertheless, Re:Mind is an incredibly peculiar expansion that simultaneously falls flat and partially obscures the brilliance of Kingdom Hearts 3.Info from Gamespot.com

It's time to get the family back together. The first trailer for F9, the ninth installment in the Fast & Furious franchise --if you don't count Hobbs & Shaw--has arrived. The series, which has officially been branded The Fast Saga in a series of new character posters, is back with a vengeance. And along with the usual faces--Vin Diesel as Dom, Michelle Rodriguez as Letty, and the rest of the crew--being back, WWE Superstar John Cena has also joined the cast for the latest adventure.As the trailer opens, we see Dom has essentially retired and is living with his son and Letty on a farm. The retirement ends, though, when a mysterious figure played by new franchise addition John Cena arrives. He is revealed as none other than Jakob, Dom's long lost brother. Cipher (Charlize Theron) has enlisted him to help her kill Dom and the usual insanity follows.However, the twist is a major return. Justice for Han has finally come as the character appears, even though fans and Dom's family were led to believe he died in Fast & Furious 6. "It's good to be home," Sung Kang, the actor who plays Han, said during a concert to promote the trailer drop. How is Han alive? Where has he been? We'll have to wait and see.If you happened to notice one prominent member of the family missing, that's because Luke Hobbs (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) isn't involved in this particular film. After Johnson's character starred with Jason Statham in the spin-off Hobbs & Shaw, it's unclear as to whether he'll be back in the main franchise anytime soon. That said, if you can't have Johnson in your movie, Cena's not a bad replacement.Among those returning for the film is Jordana Brewster, who is making her first appearance in the franchise since Furious 7, the final installment to feature Paul Walker. Following Walker's death, his character was written out of the franchise, as was Brewster's, who plays his wife and Dom's sister, Mia. It remains to be seen F9 will handle the absence of Bryan (Walker), given his wife is back in the fold.F9 races into theaters on May 22.Disclosure: ViacomCBS is GameSpot's parent company.Info from Gamespot.com

The return of Han to the Fast & Furious series might be the weekend's most surprising action franchise comeback--but it's not the only one. Production starts this year on Mission Impossible 7 and 8, and writer/director Christopher McQuarrie has revealed that Eugene Kittridge, played by actor Henry Czerny, is coming back to the franchise after 24 years.McQuarrie confirmed the news with a Twitter post, which simply read: "There is no escaping the past...#MI7MI8." Czerny previously appeared as Kittridge in the first Mission: Impossible, which was released way back in 1996. Kittridge was the head of the Impossible Mission Force, who falsely believed that Tom Cruise's character Ethan Hunt was an enemy mole, and attempted to flush him out, a plan which led to Hunt's entire team getting wiped out. Kittridge has not appeared in any of the subsequent sequels, but it looks like Hunt will get to take care of unfinished business in the next movie. Check McQuarrie's post out below:There is no escaping the past...#MI7MI8 pic.twitter.com/FwZCsAlnqE — Christopher McQuarrie (@chrismcquarrie) February 1, 2020McQuarrie is set to write and direct both Mission Impossible 7 and 8, which will be shot back-to-back and released in July 2021 and August 2022 respectively. Cruise will be joined by regular co-stars Rebecca Ferguson and Simon Pegg, with Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, and Shea Whigham all joining the series for the first time.In an interview with Empire, McQuarrie admitted that making two movie simultaneously was a daunting prospect. "I pitched the idea of making two movies, and now I have to justify why it's two movies," he said. "You've got to earn that. You've got to make something that swallows the last three movies whole. I'm freaked out now. We've talked ourselves into something. Holy s***."Before we see more of Ethan Hunt, Cruise will reprise another iconic role this summer--Top Gun's Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. The long-awaited sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, hits theaters in June. Check out the latest trailer, and GameSpot's guide to everything we know so far about Top Gun: Maverick.Info from Gamespot.com

The next live-action Dinsey movie is a month away from coming to theaters. Earlier in the week, fans got a sneak peek with a new Mulan teaser, and during Super Bowl LIV, the final trailer for Mulan aired.While only the 30-second spot aired right before the kickoff of the big game, the full trailer was released online. Coming in at over two minutes, the trailer certainly packs a punch, and you can check it out below.The film stars Liu Yifei (The Forbidden Kingdom) as the titular character, and Mulan features Donnie Yen (Ip Man), Jet Li (The One), and Li Gong (Memoirs of a Geisha) It's directed by Niki Caro.There are a few more live-action remakes coming from Dinsey. The 101 Dalmatians spin-off Cruella--which stars Emma Stone--will be arriving on May 2021. Also in the works are The Little Mermaid, Pinocchio, Peter Pan, Bambi, and a sequel to The Jungle Book. At this time, there is no release date for those films.For more from the Super Bowl, check out all the commercials from the big game, as well as every trailer that aired. Mulan comes to theaters on March 27.Info from Gamespot.com

When millions of people across the country are watching the same TV network for one major event, movie studios are going to take not and drop trailers for upcoming movies and TV shows. And the NFL's Super Bowl is the event. Throughout the evening of February 2, there were trailers for a Marvel movie--along with the upcoming Disney+ TV shows---horror flicks, and high-adrenaline action films.We expect the Super Bowl will deliver plenty more movie trailers to get hyped about and, here, we'll be collecting them together for your viewing convenience. Keep an eye on this page, as we'll be adding new trailers as they appear during the broadcast, so this is your go-to place for seeing it all.A Quiet Place 2While John Krasinski's A Quiet Place follow-up didn't get a new trailer during the big game, there was a TV spot during the pre-game. In the video, we catch a glimpse of what the beginning of the invasion looked like. And director Krasinski reprised his role as Lee Abbott, before he and his family were sentenced to silence in the post-apocalyptic world.MulanWhile a 30-second spot aired prior to kickoff, the full final trailer for Mulan was released online. The new video doesn't give a lot more insight into the movie--with what we've already seen in the previous trailers--but there are some really cool action sequences there.F9While last Friday's F9 trailer was amazing--primarily because Han is alive again--there was a quick, 30-second spot during the NFL game. The video featured some of the ridiculous action sequences we already saw in the trailer before, including the car swinging from a rope.Top Gun: MaverickIt's the highway to the danger zone in the latest Top Gun spot. If you love videos of Tom Cruise's face while he's flying a plane, this video is for you.Black WidowBlack Widow didn't get a full trailer for the Super Bowl, but there was a new 30-second spot with a few cool moments in it, like David Harbour screaming for some reason. Additionally, there were a couple new shots of Taskmaster.Minions 2Find out more about the world of the Minions with a sequel to the 2015 movie with the subtitle "The Rise of Gru." There is a full trailer for the upcoming movie coming on February 5.No Time To DieThis may be the last time we see Daniel Craig as James Bond, so let's take him in while we can. The Super Bowl spot for No Time To Die has a lot of action packed into a 30-second spot.HuntersIt may not be a movie, but the upcoming Amazon Prime Video original Hunters released a full trailer during the game.MCU Shows On Disney+In what ended up being a huge surprise, Disney+ aired a brief commercial for upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe TV shows coming to the streaming service. We saw clips from WandaVision, Loki, and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.Disclosure: ViacomCBS is GameSpot's parent company. Info from Gamespot.com

BB-8 and his evil doppelganger BB-9E are coming to Star Wars Battlefront II this month. The update bringing the two droids has been delayed from its original January 31 date, and it will now arrive on February 3 for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One game. The two droids have now been detailed extensively on the game's forums, so we know what to expect from them.BB-8BB-8, the famous droid from the recent new Star Wars trilogy, is defined by his speed--not only can he move very quickly, but the droid captures Command Posts at twice the rate of other characters. He can roll even faster with his Rolling Charge attack, which lets roll zoom straight forward into opponents. His Shock Prod attack lets him deal electrical damage to enemies. BB-8 can also use his "Resistance Backing" ability to reveal enemy locations (while also increasing the damage they will take), and he can use his Cable Spin ability to hit enemies around him using three tow cables.Here's the complete list of other abilities, functions, emotes, and poses for BB-8.Passive AbilitiesTechnical SupportBB-8 will count as two units when capturing a Command Post, and activating an objective device is much faster.Swift ReactionBB-8 increases the cooldown speed of nearby friendly character’s abilities.Health on KillUpon defeating an opponent, BB-8 will receive some health back.Movement TypeDodgeQuick Dodge to the sideJumpA quick impulse jump that is slightly higher than blaster heroesSpeedSimilar to a Force user in terms of sprinting speedFlashlightAbility to turn on and off a flashlightStar CardsSelf RepairsBB-8’s maximum health regeneration is increased.Spared BatteriesEvery trooper defeated or 200 damage to villains increases Shock Prod damage.Shielded RollBB-8 takes less damage while using Rolling Charge.HeadfirstBB-8 deals more damage when hitting an enemy with Rolling Charge.SpinnerWhen hitting multiple enemies with Cable Spin, the next cooldown of the ability is reduced.WhirlwindBoth the damage and area of effect of Cable Spin is increased.UncoverEnemies revealed by Resistance Backing will take extra damage from attacks.Trusty DroidWhen BB-8 defeats an opponent that was revealed by Resistance Backing, he will heal nearby friendly characters.Roll TogetherThe increased cooldown speed of BB-8 is improved.Victory PosesSidedThumbs UpWired ParadeCables OutEmotesExcitedThumbs UpTwistAngry BeepsBB-9EBB-9E, the evil version of BB-8, will also come equipped with his own Shock Prod. He can also emit a smokescreen, which will shield him while also revealing all enemies in the surrounding area for a limited time. His Charge Up attack lets him emit a pulse that allows all friendly units nearby to fire their guns without needing to worry about them overheating for a while, and also reduces the recharge time of abilities for anyone in the vicinity. BB-9E can also use Shock Spin, which pushes and damages all nearby enemies, and overheats the blasters of enemies caught within the wider range of its radius.Here's everything else you can enjoy with BB-9E once the update hits.Passive AbilitiesTechnical SupportBB-9E will count as two units when capturing a Command Post and activating an objective device is much faster.Bacta SupportBB-9E periodically regenerates the main health of friendly characters around him.Health on KillUpon defeating an opponent, BB-9E will receive some health back.Movement TypeBB-9E is faster than most and can traverse the battlefront at great speeds.DodgeQuick Dodge to the side.JumpA quick impulse jump that is slightly higher than blaster heroes.SpeedSimilar to a Force user in terms of sprinting speed.FlashlightAbility to turn on and off a flashlight.Star CardsFull ReconstructionBB-9E’s maximum health regeneration is increased.Linked SystemsEvery 200 health healed to friendly characters reduces the shock prod stun cooldown.Hearty ExhaustThe radius of smoke screen is increased.I See YouEnemies revealed by Smoke Screen will be revealed for longer.Faster, Faster!If shock spin hits enough targets, its damage will be doubled for the remaining time.Spin me RoundEnemies hit by Shock Spin will be pushed further away, but its cooldown is increased.Swift PowerThe cooldown of Charge Up is reduced.SuperchargedThe radius of Charge Up is increased.Potent BactaThe radius of Bacta Support is bigger, but the cooldown between heals is also increased.Victory PosesShocking VictoryIncognitoVigilantBowEmotesSuspiciousAlarmBackfireSpiralThere's a huge range of additional tweaks and changes coming along with this update, too. It's worth reading the full post to get everything, but here are the main new features and quality of life improvements that have been highlighted.Two new Heroes, BB-8 for the Resistance and BB-9E for the First Order, are now available.Supremacy and Instant Action are now available on new Planets (Takodana, Jakku, Ajan Kloss).Added new Capital Ship interior maps, the MC85 Star Cruiser and the Resurgent-class Star Destroyer, as part of the Supremacy game mode on the new planets.Hero Showdown is now available on Ajan Kloss.New emotes have been added for Finn (Thumbs Up) and Kylo Ren (Showdown), unlockable via milestones.Added era selection to Supremacy, including the option for matchmaking into any game.Droideka units are added as AI players on Co-Op and Instant Action.All of these updates will be available in the BB update on February 3.Info from Gamespot.com