The latest patch for Cuphead, Update 1.2, is live--adding several quality-of-life improvements to the game, such as the choice to play as either Cuphead or Mugman in the solo campaign. However, the update added something far more interesting: secret boss battles.An exact number of secret bosses hasn't been confirmed, but YouTuber ProsafiaGaming has already found three. The first can be found in Isle One's The Root Pack, the second in Isle Two's Djimmi the Great, and the third in Isle Three's Sally Stageplay. To access each secret boss, you'll need to perform certain actions during specific moments in the aforementioned boss battles.In The Root Pack, play as normal until the giant onion appears. Don't attack him at all and eventually he'll disappear. During the final phase of the fight with the giant carrot, an angry radish will pop up instead.For Djimmi the Great, just battle your way through the boss any way you please until you reach the third phase (where he scans you). Transform into the smallest airplane form at the end of the third phase and instead of a normal-sized Cuppet joining the fray in the next round, a mini version will show up to do battle instead.Sally Stageplay hides a rather morbid secret boss. During her boss battle, ignore Sally and parry the floating hearts she kisses at you. Then jump on the angel platform on your left and remain there until you hear a cracking sound. Now do the same thing but on the angel platform to the right. You'll know you've got it when the ceiling comes crashing down and kills Sally's husband to be. Continue as normal and Sally's dead husband will rise from the grave to join his beloved in battle during the second-to-last phase.Peter Brown updated our Cuphead review to reflect the new Switch version of the game, writing, "[Cuphead is] beautiful to look at, and with a pitch-perfect soundtrack, it flawlessly captures the era its developers so clearly revere. It's also an intense action game that pulls no punches. It could benefit from a few tweaks, and two-player co-op doesn't feel like the valuable addition you might imagine, but Cuphead remains a rare, unique game that truly stands out."Info from Gamespot.com

How do you wrap up a movie as big as Infinity War--hell, a franchise as expansive as the Marvel Cinematic Universe? How do you tie up the loose ends, close the time loops, and fulfill the character arcs of almost two dozen movies and over a decade of storytelling? According to co-directors Joe and Anthony Russo, they knew what they were getting themselves into with this whole thing--they wanted this ultimate conflict to be so complex and desperate that they'd be challenged to envision a way forward. And they definitely created that challenge.The question now is whether that challenge paid off. And the answer, like the challenge itself, is complicated.Avengers: Endgame absolutely works as a blockbuster movie experience. If you're at all invested in the plight the remaining Avengers face after the events leading up to and including Infinity War, you will feel satisfied with this movie. The much-discussed three-hour runtime is no joke, but almost every minute of it is used well, barring some extended gag scenes that probably could have been left for the Blu-ray. Endgame manages to tie the entire MCU up with a beautiful, emotional, gut-wrenching, hopeful conclusion, which is an undeniable achievement.But it also frequently loses the thread, especially as the remaining Avengers break into distinct teams and embark on their own separate missions in an extremely complex series of plots and sub-plots to defeat Thanos once and for all. Part of the problem is that simply defeating him isn't enough--understandably, they want to undo what he did, as well. And their methods for doing so create infinite potential for plot holes, hand-waving, and rules that seem to get established in one scene and broken in the next. In other words, the Russos and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely wrote themselves into a corner, and writing themselves out of it became maybe more complex than any movie--even one that's three hours long--could have possibly supported.The clips that have been released leading up to Endgame's release take place almost entirely within the first few scenes of the movie. Eventually, the Avengers split and head off in very different directions, and the teams that form aren't the most obvious pairings. A huge chunk of the movie--most of the middle, in fact--feels itself like a bizarro take on the original Avengers formula, one where cosmic Marvel intercepted with Earth Marvel much earlier, where Don Cheadle and a daughter of Thanos team up and blast off into space together.It's so fun. There are a ton of twists and turns, and at every stage Endgame will turn your expectations upside-down. Characters you thought would live will die, and characters you never expected to see again will reappear where and when you least anticipate it. This really is the movie where everything from the MCU comes together all at once--Infinity War felt stuffed to the brim at times, but it has absolutely nothing on the bursting mess that is Endgame. Even diehard MCU fans will struggle to recognize every random side character who makes a cameo, every one-liner that's actually a callback to a callback from a movie from years ago, and every other reference that seems familiar but you just can't quite place it because, come on, there are more than 20 of these movies and it's been a decade. Infinity War was the cliffhanger of the MCU, and Endgame is its cathartic climax. There's a battle that rivals Infinity War's final clash, but with even more characters. It feels less personal as a result--there are fewer epic hero moments like Thor's grand, crackling entrance into the Wakanda battle in Infinity War, and there are characters who have led their own movies who get one or two lines in this entire thing--or none at all. It was impressive how Infinity War felt like every character got some time in the spotlight, but Endgame doesn't try to replicate that. This movie is about the core Avengers, and the background characters and supporting cast around them are just that.Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark kicked the MCU off with the original Iron Man, and in many ways he's the main character of this movie as well. The actor has come to completely embody Iron Man, and Endgame totally does him justice. Chris Evans' Captain America is arguably just as important, and he has quite an arc in this film. I won't spoil anything about Bruce Banner except to say his situation has changed a lot since the last time we saw him, and Mark Ruffalo's performance in this movie isn't marred by any distracting floating head CG like in Infinity War's final fight. Scarlett Johansson has always brought a lot of warmth to the role of Natasha, a character who should by rights be a stone cold killer, and Black Widow is arguably the team's beating heart. And as anyone who saw the trailers anticipated, Clint undergoes a significant transformation, although honestly the movie could have spent even more time on that.Even with all the ground Endgame has to cover, it also has time for plenty of smaller, emotional moments--arguably too many, as it's easy to view the movie with a clinical eye and imagine all the scenes here and there that could have been surgically cut to make it leaner. The events of Infinity War truly screwed the world up, and scenes like seeing Captain America leading a survivors' support group emphasize the trauma. Some of these characters have changed a lot by the time we catch up with them--you'll be surprised by Thor's arc here.But most of all Endgame is a love letter to the entire MCU--the whole thing. It's messy and confusing, and there's going to be a lot of discussion about whether the ending even makes sense--it basically breaks the rules set up throughout the entire movie leading up to it. But holy hell is it an emotional, fulfilling ride. I have no doubt we're going to spend the coming weeks picking and pulling it apart until we've over-analyzed every single aspect imaginable. But right now, in the aftermath, Avengers Endgame feels like a win.The GoodThe BadThe chemistry among all these charactersBreaks its own rules several timesCreative team-ups feel freshPlot winds up feeling messyMultiple genuinely surprising twistsDubious logic at multiple points, including the endingClever gags and great overall sense of humor Doesn't shy away from story's darker aspects Feels like both a love letter to and an ending for the MCU Info from Gamespot.com

Mortal Kombat 11 released today for PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, and while standard editions for a big title like this usually sit at $60 for weeks before dropping, the PS4 version of NetherRealm's new fighting game is already discounted at Amazon (even Anthem lasted five days before dropping in price).Amazon's algorithm works in mysterious ways, and it's possible the site is price-matching a random deal somewhere else on the internet, but regardless of the reason, you might as well save yourself $5 if you were planning to pick up Mortal Kombat 11 for PS4 today. If you're a Prime member, you'll get free two-day shipping on this title as usual.BUY MORTAL KOMBAT 11 FOR PS4 -- $55 »If you want to buy the game for Xbox One or Switch, an alternative deal may be of interest to you. Over at Target, you'll get a free $10 gift card if you buy the standard or premium edition of Mortal Kombat 11 for Xbox One, Switch, or PS4. Whether you pick up the game in-store or have it shipped to you, the gift card will ship separately. So while you can't use the gift card on this order, you'll save $10 on another purchase at Target--and the site regularly has deals on games, consoles, and accessories that are worth checking out. Plus, you'll also get free two-day shipping on orders over $35.BUY MORTAL KOMBAT 11 AT TARGET AND GET A $10 GIFT CARD »Mortal Kombat 11 - Standard Edition for PS4 -- $60 »Mortal Kombat 11 - Premium Edition for PS4 -- $100 »Mortal Kombat 11 - Standard Edition for Xbox One -- $60 »Mortal Kombat 11 - Premium Edition for Xbox One -- $100 »Mortal Kombat 11 - Standard Edition for Nintendo Switch -- $60 »The game received an 8/10 in GameSpot's Mortal Kombat 11 review. "MK11 isn't just a sequel for series fans and Netherrealm devotees, it's a gateway into the realm of fighting games for anyone who has a passing interest in watching ruthless warriors beat each other silly," wrote Edmond Tran. "Streamlined mechanics keep the act of fighting furiously exciting no matter what your skill level, and comprehensive tutorials encourage you to dig into the nitty-gritty. There's a diverse roster of interesting characters and playstyles, and the story mode is an entertaining romp."Info from Gamespot.com

The new video game World War Z is inspired in part by the 2013 Brad Pitt movie of the same name. Despite the film being about six years ago, the new game is selling very well. Developer Saber Interactive and publisher Focus Home Interactive announced today that the co-op shooter has reached more than 1 million copies sold in its first week since launching on April 16 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.Saber CEO Matthew Karch said the studio is "humbled and thrilled" by the game's "immense success." He specifically called out the PC edition as doing especially well. Released as an Epic Store exclusive, the game sold 250,000 copies on PC alone and that success was due in part to the "tremendous support" Epic gave Saber, Karch said."Moving forward, we'll continue to expand the game and its community with new improvements, stability updates, and bonus gameplay content, beginning very soon with a special new mission for the Tokyo episode," Karch said.World War Z runs on Saber's own "Swarm Engine," which is capable of rendering "hundreds" of zombies on screen at once. In the game you play as one of six difference classes in four-player co-op missions set in places like New York, Jerusalem, Moscow, and Tokyo. In addition to fighting against zombies, World War Z features multiplayer support for team-based PvP.World War Z is a budget-priced game, coming in at $40 USD on PS4 and Xbox One, and $35 USD on PC. It's only available digitally. Info from Gamespot.com

Avengers: Endgame brings together story threads that have been building and developing over the last 21 Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. That's a whole lot of stuff for the movie to wrap up--some 11 years' worth--and it's going to take a while (you can read our spoiler-free review to get a sense of the movie's success). Endgame clocks in at three hours long, and while it's a pretty brisk movie in terms of pacing, plenty of us will still need a bathroom break in the middle.The trouble is finding the right time to abscond to the restroom. A lot happens in Endgame, with a great deal of setup taking place as the remaining Avengers prepare for a rematch with Thanos. Luckily, we've seen the movie and have identified a few moments where you'll suffer the least story damage if you have to get up.Now, be warned: We don't actually recommend you head to the bathroom if you can avoid it. Endgame is super dense and there's a lot of important stuff all over the place, and you're going to miss some of it. But if you have to make a sacrifice, these are the times to do it. No spoilers!Pee Break No. 1Your first potential wee comes during about act 2, after the team returns to the Avengers compound. Again, we're trying to stay as vague as possible here, but when you hear the phrase "Test no. 1" with the characters preparing to do a bunch of science stuff, you're pretty safe. You'll miss a couple of fun jokes, but nothing in this moment is essential to what happens afterward.Pee Break No. 2Sometime later in the second act, you'll get another shot if you act quickly. This one comes when the Avengers start leaving for their "missions" that have been teased in the trailers. Watch for Nebula and co. reaching their destination in space; you'll be able to slip away during some jokey discussions that don't advance the plot beyond what you already know is happening. The same is true of Thor's arrival at his destination in the same stretch.Pee Break No. 3If you're really desperate, you can run for the bathroom during the final act, but this is when all the big action is starting to really pop off, as one might expect. Amidst the superhero antics, you'll get a chance when things calm down for a moment. When you see a portal open followed by a...let's say recognizable line from Captain America, you'll be able to slip away during the ensuing action scene--but only if you really, really have to go. It's a desperate time for a desperate measure.Info from Gamespot.com

The Tolkien Estate, which manages the Lord of the Rings author's works, has come out with a statement that seeks to distance itself from Fox's new movie starring Nicholas Hoult. The estate released a statement this week where it said it does not "endorse it or its content in any way," according to The Guardian.The estate further noted that it "wish[es] to make clear that they did not approve of, authorise, or participate in the making of this film," adding that "they do not endorse it or its content in any way."A representative for the estate told The Guardian that issuing this statement is not the first step in pursuing legal action, but instead to let viewers know what the estate's position is.The new movie, which is called Tolkien, tells the story of the author's upbringing, including his time at school, his bond with Edith Bratt, and his time serving in World War I as a backdrop to how these experiences shaped his acclaimed fantasy novels.Here is the full statement, as obtained by io9."The family of JRR Tolkien and the Tolkien Estate are aware of the Fox Searchlight motion picture entitled Tolkien that is due for release in May 2019. The family and the Estate wish to make clear that they did not approve of, authorise, or participate in the making of this film. They do not endorse it or its content in any way."Tolkien's son, Christopher Tolkien, told French newspaper Le Monde in 2012 that "the commercialisation [of Tolkien's work] has reduced the aesthetic and philosophical impact of the creation to nothing."The estate has been involved in various lawsuits over the years related to Lord of the Rings properties, leading some to believe no more officially endorsed films or shows based on Tolkien or his creations would happen. But in 2018, Amazon and the Tolkien estate announced an agreement to make a Lord of the Rings TV show. Amazon reportedly paid $250 million for the rights alone to do so.Tolkien hits theatres on May 10. It's directed by Dome Karukoski (Heart of Finland), based on script from David Gleeson and Stephen Beresford.Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road, X-Men series) plays the adult Tolkien, while Lily Collins (To The Bone, Stuck In Love) plays Tolkien's wife, Edith Bratt.Middle-earth Enterprises, which is the rights-owner of Tolkien's work, continues to reach new deals. Just this year, it was announced that Daedalic Entertainment is making a Lord of the Rings game about Gollum. Additionally, Electronic Arts remains a Lord of the Rings licensee, as does WB Games and Lord of the Rings Online developer Standing Stone Games. Info from Gamespot.com

Marvel's hugely anticipated superhero film Avengers: Endgame is finally in theaters (at least in some parts of the world), and as such, reviews have started to show up online.You can see a rundown of Avengers: Endgame review excerpts below, while more information on the film's critical reception can be found on GameSpot sister site Metacritic. In addition to GameSpot, the excerpts include those from our sister sites CNET and ComicBook.Endgame is a direct sequel to last year's Infinity War, which ended in dramatic fashion with the evil Thanos wiping out half of the galaxy's population with the snap of his fingers. Among the dead are a number of Avengers, so fans have been eagerly waiting to see what happens next.The movie is expected to make a lot of money during its opening weekend. In fact, some projections are saying the film will enjoy the best start in the history of cinema.Avengers: EndgameDirected By: Joe and Anthony RussoWritten By: Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeelyStarring: Robert Downey Jr, Brie Larson, Scarlett Johansson, Karen Gillan, Tessa Thompson, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Josh Brolin, Tom Holland, Paul Rudd, Bradley Cooper, Elizabeth Olsen,, Dave Bautista, Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Chadwick Boseman, Michael Douglas, Don Cheadle.Runtime: 181 minutesRelease Date: April 26 (United States)GameSpot"Holy hell is it an emotional, fulfilling ride. I have no doubt we're going to spend the coming weeks picking and pulling it apart until we've over-analyzed every single aspect imaginable. But right now, in the aftermath, Avengers Endgame feels like a win. -- Michael Rougeau [Full review]CNET"Every single action sequence here deserves to be seen on the largest screen possible. In Infinity War, the Russos demonstrated their ability to take action from Earth to space and back, and each of Endgame's locations provides plenty of epic clashes and gorgeous vistas to relish. Even the more basic settings, like the Avengers' headquarters somewhere in upstate New York, get made over into expansive settings." -- Mike Sorrentino [Full review]ComicBook"The final movie in Marvel's Infinity Saga is a masterpiece. It's an absolute spectacle which needs to be watched on the biggest screen possible. It's a love letter to fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In fact, I'd argue that Avengers: Endgame is the film event of our lifetime and lives up to every bit of global hype it has garnered. It is setting a new standard and raising the bar for event films and likely will not be matched in this generation of filmmaking." -- Brandon Davis [Full review]Slant Magazine "Every serious narrative beat is ultimately undercut by pro-forma storytelling (the emotional beats never linger, as the characters are always race-race-racing to the next big plot point), or by faux-improvised humor, with ringmaster Tony 'Iron Man' Stark (Robert Downey Jr., so clearly ready to be done with this universe) leading the sardonic-tongued charge." -- Keith Uhlich [Full review]The Globe And Mail "Even if I could muster the strength to defy studio marching orders on plot details, there is no point. There is little in Endgame that is worth spoiling, given how its core is spoiled rotten to begin with." -- Barry Hertz [Full review]Empire "A victory lap that moonwalks through the best part of the MCU back catalogue and emphasises emotion as much as action, this is an intensely satisfying piece of blockbuster filmmaking." -- Helen O'Hara [Full review]The Associated Press"Generous in humor, spirit, and sentimentality, Anthony and Joe Russo's Endgame is a surprisingly full feast of blockbuster-making that, through some time-traveling magic, looks back nostalgically at Marvel’s decade of world domination. This is the Marvel machine working at high gear, in full control of its myth-making powers and uncovering more emotion in its fictional cosmos than ever before." -- Jake Coyle [Full review]The Wrap "Yes, there are some moments when the lengthy running time makes itself known, and yes, this is a corporate product even more so than most of the stand-alone MCU movies. But if you like what that product is about, the laughs and tears here feel genuine. The Marvel movies are by no means over, but Avengers: Endgame does offer rare moments of catharsis in an ongoing serialized saga." -- Alonso Duralde [Full review]Info from Gamespot.com

It's easy to be immediately charmed by SteamWorld Quest's colorful fantasy world and the band of merry heroes you'll journey across it with. Their plight is simple and straightforward, making its adventure of confronting evil and its tightening grip on the kingdom around you palatable without feeling overbearing. Underneath this whimsical veneer, however, is a daunting strategy game, one which uses its clever take on turn-based card combat to create a wickedly complex system of decision-making opportunities. But it's also one that is designed intelligently enough to make each part easy to learn and engage with.With regard to gameplay, SteamWorld Quest bears no resemblance to the rest of the games in the series. This is first and foremost a turn-based strategy game, with a light sprinkling of role-playing thrown into the mix in the form of character classes to differentiate each of your five potential party members. Each character features a variety of moves that deal different types of damage and inflict status effects on foes. Fire attacks will deal additional damage to enemies that deal frost, electrical attacks will have the chance to stun enemies for several turns, and poison will inflict recurring damage over time. It's easy to pick up and play, which helps SteamWorld Quest get you right into its combat without strenuous onboarding.The act of deciding what moves to enact in combat is a bit more complex, though. It's governed by a deck of 24 cards, made up by your party of three who can bring eight cards each. In battle, new cards are drawn with each turn, while your deck resets automatically once depleted. Cards that represent the most basic moves in your repertoire cost nothing to play and in turn reward you with cogs once placed on the field. These cogs act as a currency that you spend to play more powerful cards--ones that inflict greater damage, target multiple enemies, or buff your party with helpful attributes--making you consider when to hold back and when to go all in.The process of constructing a deck that works cohesively is as engaging as combat itself. You can combine multiple character-specific cards in powerful ways; for example, simply playing all three of one character's cards in a turn will play a bonus fourth move automatically, which itself is governed by the weapon you choose to equip on the character in question. Some cards will perform better when used as a follow-up to a specific character's card, boosting damage or adding a bonus effect. Your effectiveness in combat then is not just about the decks you construct, but all the ways in which you use the hands dealt to you efficiently. All these options can initially feel overwhelming, but the restriction to just eight cards per character condenses your options down to a level that balances its complexity without sacrificing its potential depth.Combat is accentuated by delicately detailed character models that do a great job of retaining the signature SteamWorld look while also slickly adapting to the new high-fantasy setting. The vibrant coloring on each main character is also aptly used to inform you of what type of abilities they bring to the table. The red-hot knight's armor of Armilly alludes to her ferocious fire-based attacks, while the yellow and rose-petal adorned gown of a mysterious samurai flows with each of his fast-striking electrical attacks. Being able to tell this information at a glance is helpful, and on top of that, each design looks great.Stylistic and impressively detailed effects also help each combat encounter feel intense, despite having a turn-based rhythm. Blistering fireballs explode in a blaze of red and orange glory on impact, and electrifying lightning attacks bounce furiously between foes while engulfing them in static. Some moves have repeated effects, layering damage numbers and sprites atop one another furiously until the attack has ended. These often resulted in the frame rate dropping to a complete crawl at times, however, and it was most prominent when the Switch was running in docked mode. It's infrequent enough to not hinder gameplay, but it is an eyesore when it does crop up.That's a shame, because SteamWorld Quest looks delightful both inside and outside of combat, sucking you into its steampunk-inspired medieval world. The bold outline that each character bears helps them stick out from the hand-drawn backdrops you explore, but none of those backdrops go unnoticed, either. Gorgeous and brightly coloured forests contrast dark and gloomy castles whose hallways are sparsely lit with auburn lanterns. Your adventure also moves you along from one intriguing setting to the next, letting you take in the sights of an abandoned sorcery school before whisking you away to snow-capped mountains with billowing winds. Each chapter of SteamWorld Quest gives you something new to look at, and it's always a rewarding transition.With so many combat options to play around with and captivating backdrops to accompany them, it's disappointing that SteamWorld Quest struggles to find a balance in its difficulty. Each chapter--broken up into small areas filled with either small treasure to collect or groups of enemies to fight--features increasingly varied foes to test your decks against. Despite their changing movesets and elemental defences, most regular enouncters feel too easy, rarely forcing you to consider strategic changes to your constructed decks or active party members. At a point I was simply making changes for the sake of curiosity and not necessity. This can trick you into a false sense of security, encouraging you to focus on only a subset of cards available to each character. This becomes problematic when SteamWorld Quest suddenly introduces daunting and demanding combat scenarios, while giving you few avenues to rectify poor past choices.These encounters are predominantly made up of SteamWorld Quest's nightmarish boss battles. They are far more challenging than the foes that litter the areas around them, acting as unfair skill checks that ask you to understand your abilities in ways you're not required to elsewhere. Since you can only store a single saved game at a time, it's impossible to go back a handful of hours and better prepare your party, either, locking you into the decisions you've made and forcing you to rapidly rotate though your available options until a combination (hopefully) works. It's frustrating, too, because most of these bosses can feel like they break the rules of combat that all other enemies conform to. They can consistently pull off powerful moves one after the other without the same strict resource requirements you're confined to, bombarding you with damage you can't wrestle with effectively. Given that most of these encounters can be prolonged bouts, it's hard to work up the motivation to try again after a loss.The process of constructing a deck that works cohesively is as engaging as combat itself.Outside of its frequent and occasionally rigorous combat encounters, SteamWorld Quest plays it safe. Its narrative is framed as a story being told to characters you might be familiar with from other SteamWorld games, giving it a subtle attachment to the rest of the series. It is a simple, sometimes juvenile tale of a band of misfits coming together and vanquishing an uncomplex force of evil. It retains the same tongue-in-cheek wit of past SteamWorld games, with chuckle-worthy one-liners thrown in throughout. It keeps the narrative light and humorous, even as it eventually explores the purpose of heroes in an age where no one seems to care about society one way or the other. Although SteamWorld Quest falls short of ever saying something meaningful, it does leave the door open for even more tales in the future.It's difficult to ignore Steamworld Quest's missteps, especially when it transforms itself from a delightful romp through a light-hearted medieval kingdom into a grueling test against unfair enemies. Despite most encounters not pushing you to play with new party configurations, building a powerful deck of moves is still rewarding when you see your clever experiments play out. Quest gives you a lot of complex combinations to play around with while also keeping things approachable enough to not feel daunting. Its uneven difficulty saps some enjoyment out of the otherwise whimsical journey through this new and gorgeous kingdom, but it's still one that is admirably accessible while deep enough to be engaging throughout its 20-hour adventure. Info from Gamespot.com

Fortnite appears to be teasing its upcoming season, with strange happenings in the world. This time it's a series of runes near Loot Lake, and the community is already scrambling to unlock their mysteries.Fans on the Fortnite subreddit have been swapping information about the "Loot Lake Rune Event" in a dedicated thread. There appear to be two runes spotted so far--one in Fatal Fields and one in Paradise Palms. The runes are moving, however, and seem to be changing directions. That could signify that they're drawing a pattern, similar to past events with moving objects. Meanwhile, a strange vault has appeared at the bottom of Loot Lake, reports PC Gamer. That appears to correspond with the rune movements.Update: Over the weekend, one of the runes slotted into place into the vault at the bottom of Loot Lake. The vault appears to have several slots where more runes could go, so chances are once they all take their places the next phase of the world event will occur.Fortnite Season 8 began on February 28, and seasons usually last 10 weeks. That means we have about two more weeks until the start of the next season, so now is the right time for Epic to begin laying the groundwork for it. Fortnite has been known to launch massive in-world events, usually with puzzles or big events for players to participate in, to both generate excitement and hint at the direction for the upcoming season.That also means you only have a few weeks left to finish your challenges. If you need a hand with those, make sure to check out our challenge guide and Jigsaw pieces guide. The latest jigsaw puzzle formed a strange alien image, which could also be a clue of things to come.Info from Gamespot.com

It's an eventful week for Destiny 2 players as Bungie has kicked off a new event to celebrate the arrival of spring: the Revelry. That brings with it the opportunity to earn a new Exotic--the Arbalest Exotic linear fusion rifle--but for those who simply want to buy their way to a new gun or piece of armor, Xur is currently here with a refreshed slate of items. The weekend is over, but Xur sticks around until the weekly reset on Tuesday, making this your last chance to pick out an item from this current lineup. Here's what Exotics he has and where to find him.Head to the EDZ on Earth to find Xur--he's in the Winding Cove area. When you land, head north toward the wall of the area, and climb up to the crashed Fallen dropship to find Xur hanging out on the cliffside. Xur is selling the Wardcliff Coil Exotic rocket launcher this week, which fires a mess of arc rockets with every pull of the trigger. It recently got nerfed by Update 2.2.1, so Wardcliff Coil won't melt bosses quite as effectively as it did for a while there, but it's still a super strong Power weapon, especially in the Crucible.Xur's armor haul this week starts with Raiden Flux for Hunters, a chest armor that powers up your Arc Staff Super attack. When you can rapidly make attacks with the staff, Raiden Flux increases the Super's duration and increases the damage it does, making it great for crowd control in places like the Verdant Forest. For Titans, there's Hallowfire Heart, which speeds up the recharge of your Solar abilities, especially when your Super is fully charged up. Warlocks are the lucky ones this week: they get Lunafaction Boots, the only Forsaken Exotic in Xur's bag. The boots cause your rifts to automatically reload allies' weapons, and Empowering Rifts make weapons more effective over longer ranges. Just don't equip them when you're using Whisper of the Worm, since Lunafaction's reload perk negates Whisper's ammo-generating perk.Here are all the Exotics Xur offers this week and what they'll cost you:Wardcliff Coil (Exotic rocket launcher) -- 29 Legendary ShardsHallowfire Heart (Exotic Titan chest armor) -- 23 Legendary ShardsRaiden Flux (Exotic Hunter chest armor) -- 23 Legendary ShardsLunafaction Boots (Exotic Warlock leg armor) -- 23 Legendary ShardsYou can also purchase a Fated Engram from Xur, if his inventory doesn't interest you. Fated Engrams can now dish out Exotics from the Forsaken expansion, as well as the Year One group. Grabbing one of the engrams gives you a random Exotic that you don't already have, provided you can afford it. Fated Engrams will run you 97 Legendary Shards, and you can only get one per account each week. Xur also offers the Five of Swords challenge card for free, which allows you to add difficulty modifiers that increase your score in Nightfall runs.Finally, Xur brings another Invitation of the Nine weekly bounty. It gives you a Powerful gear drop when you complete it, as well as a bit of story about the Nine and the Drifter, and a new Lore entry. As usual, you'll have to clear out a mess of enemies of various types, and complete a Strike. You can kill the enemies anywhere in the solar system, though. Info from Gamespot.com

If you missed the chance to catch a Shiny Meltan in Pokemon Go back when it first appeared this past February, you're in luck. Niantic is bringing the Meltan event back beginning this Wednesday, April 24, which means players around the world will soon have another opportunity to capture the Shiny form of the Mythical Hex Nut Pokemon. But you'll need to act quickly, as it'll only be around for a limited time.Unlike other Pokemon, Meltan will only appear in Pokemon Go if you've opened the Mystery Box, an item you get in the mobile game after you've transferred a Gen 1 Pokemon to Let's Go Pikachu or Eevee on Nintendo Switch. Typically, the Mystery Box will close after 30 minutes, and you'll need to wait seven days before opening it again; during the Meltan event, however, you'll be able to re-open it after three days, allowing you to find Meltan much quicker than usual.You'll also have a chance of encountering a Shiny Meltan each time you open the Mystery Box. You can tell the Shiny variant apart by its darker head and blue tail. If you manage to catch a Shiny Meltan and evolve it into Melmetal, it'll retain its Shiny coloration. However, you'll only be able to find Shiny Meltan until May 5, so you'll want to act fast if you're hoping to get one. You can read more on how to catch the Mythical Pokemon in our Meltan and Melmetal guide.Meltan isn't the only Shiny Pokemon appearing in Pokemon Go soon. To celebrate the inaugural Safari Zone event in Singapore, the rare Gen 2 Pokemon Shuckle will be appearing around the world from April 20-21. During that time, players will also have their first chance to find Shiny Shuckle. Shiny Latios is also available as part of a special Raid event, which is set to end on April 22.Not long after the Meltan event ends, Niantic will be holding Pokemon Go's next Community Day. That event is scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 19, and this time around the featured Pokemon will be Torchic, one of the three starters from Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. You'll also be able to earn triple the usual amount of Stardust for every Pokemon you catch during May's Community Day.Info from Gamespot.com

Though the games are mostly about wailing on other players and taking them out with gory, brutal fatalities, the Mortal Kombat series is steeped in lore. After 10 main games and a few spin-offs, the story has become pretty intricate and convoluted--there are the various realms, the different gods, a bunch of character backstories, and plots filled with sorcerers, spells, zombies, and even time travel.With Mortal Kombat 11 quickly approaching, we've dug back through the stories of the Mortal Kombat games to bring you up to speed on everything you need to know--and, honestly, probably some things you don't. It's all about Raiden trying to save Earth and prevent the end of all reality, and long-time baddie Shao Kahn basically mucking that up. But there are a huge number of evil players, and they're all likely to be relevant once again in Mortal Kombat 11, which promises more time-bending weirdness.Here's the entire story of the Mortal Kombat series thanks in large part to the Mortal Kombat Fandom wiki and a few handy YouTube videos, from the first release in 1992, all the way through the following 27 years.Before The GamesFirst and foremost, it's important to understand how the world of Mortal Kombat is laid out. There are special, powerful Elder Gods, who preside over multiple distinct dimensions known as the realms, and a bunch of lesser gods who hang around those various realms, with their own agendas--usually to protect places and people from the scarier folks of other realms.The major realms are Earthrealm (Earth as we know it, more or less), Outworld (a conquest-happy barbarian wasteland), Edenia (a beautiful magical paradise), and the Netherrealm (Hell). There are more but they vary in size and importance, but if they exist, Outworld wants to dominate them. In Mortal Kombat, that doesn't just mean sending occupiers to another dimension to take over; when a realm is conquered by another, they literally merge together, mixing their landscapes.The Elder Gods figured they should regulate all this realm-merging nonsense somehow. They created the Mortal Kombat tournament, in which, once a generation, champions from competing realms would face off. If one realm beats another realm 10 times in a row, the victor wins the right to take over the loser.Outworld wasn't just warring with other realms; it was creating an empire. For centuries, Outworld was ruled by Onaga, who was obsessed with taking over as many other realms as he could. Onaga was particularly scary because he could raise the dead, making his army effectively invincible. He and his followers were also noodling on a way to make him invincible.Onaga eventually was betrayed by his lieutenant, Shao Kahn, with the backing of the Elder Gods. Shao Kahn took over the role of ruler and protector of Outworld, but like Onaga, his lust for power got the better of him. Shao Kahn took on his own campaign of conquest, with the help of Shang Tsung, his sorcerer minion. His primary target: Edenia.Meanwhile, On EarthSeparate of all the scary Outworld stuff were the events going down on Earth. One of the Elder Gods, Shinnok, decided he wanted to take over Earthrealm and make everyone worship him and be all-powerful. Shinnok was more than a regular god thanks to his special amulet, which was linked to his powers and allowed him to travel between the realms without the Elder Gods being able to stop him.Luckily, Earth had Raiden, the god of thunder, who wasn't an Elder God but powerful nonetheless. He battled Shinnok in an intense war that lasted millennia, caused the extinction of the dinosaurs and toppled civilizations, and even tore holes between realities. A race of dinosaur-descended folks (e.g. Reptile) came through those tears, and while most were wiped out with the extinction, some made it to the realm of Zaterra.Raiden eventually defeated Shinnok, snagged his magic amulet, and imprisoned him into the Netherrealm for all eternity. For untold centuries, Shinnok was tortured and stuck in Hell, which was a pretty good result for Raiden.Shao Kahn Comes For EarthWhen Shao Kahn took Edenia, he next turned his attention to Earthrealm, which apparently is, like, the best one. In Edenia, he killed the realm's king and took its queen, Sindel, for his own. At Sindel's urging, Kahn spared the princess, Kitana; instead of killing her, he raised her to be a skilled assassin and member of his guard.Sindel might have been conquered, but she wasn't done fighting. She commited suicide in order to create a magic ward on Earth, which prevented Shao Kahn from stepping foot in the realm, which made it a lot harder for him to conquer.Shao Kahn sent Shang Tsung to kick off the Mortal Kombat tournament on Earth. Raiden had prepared for this, though, and created an order of Shaolin monks dedicated to seeking out the best fighters on Earth every generation to fight in the tournament. The Great Kung Lao won the tournament, and Earthrealm was safe.Shang Tsung had a trick this time, though. He brought the four-armed Goro to serve as Outworld's champion, and the monstrous fighter promptly kicked the Great Kung Lao's ass and killed him. The plan worked beautifully, and despite Raiden and Earthrealm's best efforts, Outworld won the next eight tournaments. One more, and they'd be able to invade and merge Earthrealm with Outworld.Shinnok's Not DoneBut wait! Shinnok is still a thing. After being tortured in the Netherrealm for a quarter of forever, Shinnok met Quan Chi, a sorcerer wandering around the realm. The pair made a deal: Quan Chi would help Shinnok in exchange for being his right-hand man and gaining the power to rule with him. They teamed up and eventually took over the Netherrealm. But even being King of Hell kind of sucks, on account of it's still Hell, so Shinnok and Quan Chi started working on getting out and back to Earth.On Earth, Quan Chi hired the Lin Kuei to find a map that would eventually lead to where Raiden had hidden Shinnok's amulet, which is what's depicted in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero. Quan Chi also hired the Lin Kuei's rivals, the Shirai Ryu, for the same job to increase its chances of success. Sub-Zero, the ninja sent by the Lin Kuei, was successful in finding the map, and in the process killed Scorpion, from the Shirai Ryu. Quan Chi repaid the Lin Kuei by wiping out the Shirai Ryu, and when Sub-Zero tracked down the amulet, Quan Chi stole it and took it back to the Netherrealm. That was when Raiden decided to clue Sub-Zero in on what was happening, and the ninja went to the Netherrealm to undo the mess he'd created.Sub-Zero defeated Quan Chi and got the amulet back before Shinnok could use it to escape the Netherrealm. He returned the amulet to Raiden, and then allowed Shang Tsung to hire him to fight in the next Mortal Kombat tournament--although he had secret orders from the Lin Kuei to assassinate the sorcerer.Finally, The Original Mortal Kombat GamesThat brings us (oh my god, finally) to the original Mortal Kombat. Shang Tsung had orchestrated the tournament yet again, Outworld was one victory away from taking over Earth, and Goro was ready to wallop all challengers. But Shang Tsung didn't bank on Raiden and his new flock of champs, including Sonya Blade, Johnny Cage, and Liu Kang (or on Sub-Zero, sent to kill Shang Tsung, or Scorpion, resurrected by Quan Chi and driven by revenge against Sub-Zero). Liu Kang went on to defeat Goro and Shang Tsung to win the tournament. Meanwhile, Scorpion killed Sub-Zero, whose soul went to the Netherrealm and became Noob Saibot.In Mortal Kombat II, Shang Tsung tried doubling down in repentance for his failure. He and Shao Kahn sent forces led by Baraka to attack the Shaolin monks, baiting Earth's fighters to Outworld for another tournament to get around the usual rules of Mortal Kombat. The idea was that if Earth won the Outworld tournament, Outworld would stop bothering them altogether--but if Outworld won, it would count as the tenth victory and allow Outworld to take over Earthrealm. It was a dumb gamble, but the Earth fighters were all upset, so they decided to go for it.Luckily, Liu Kang defeated Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn to win the tournament, again. He and Kung Lao headed off to restart the Shaolin monk order that would stand ready to defend Earthrealm. Meanwhile, Sub-Zero's brother (now bearing the name Sub-Zero) showed up in the tournament with his bud Smoke in an attempt to find out what happened to the original Sub-Zero. They were also fleeing the Lin Kuei, who had started turning their clansmen into cyborg ninjas--namely, Sektor and Cyrax. Sub-Zero and Smoke were apparently in line for the conversion and bailed on the clan instead, an act equivalent to treason, which was why the two cyborgs began hunting them. Sub-Zero got away, but Smoke was captured and got the robot treatment.Oh, and Kitana switched sides, realizing that Shao Kahn was a jerkbag and that her sister, Mileena, was not her sister at all, but some monster clone person created by Shang Tsung.In Mortal Kombat III, Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn's other shadow priests managed to resurrect Sindel and brainwashed her into being evil and loyal to Shao Kahn. That broke the ward over Earthrealm, and it also gave Shao Kahn the ability to cross into the realm to go after Sindel for some reason. Apparently, this is a significant loophole that allowed him to skip doing a bunch of stupid tournaments and just invade Earthrealm outright.Raiden gathered a bunch of Earth heroes to fight Shao Kahn, again, and again, Liu Kang beat him, this time liberating Edenia in the process of saving Earthrealm. Kitana managed to save Sindel, Johnny Cage was killed by Motaro, Kung Lao almost killed Baraka but didn't, then was supposedly killed by Shao Kahn. Anyway, Earth was saved.Another Invasion ThoughOn to Mortal Kombat 4. With Shao Kahn defeated, Quan Chi and Shinnok were ready to execute their plan and attack Earthrealm and the heavens, where the Elder Gods live. With the help of Noob Saibot and the Edenia traitor Tanya, Shinnok escaped to Edenia to wage his war, kidnapping Sindel and Kitana in the process. Mostly, Shinnok was very mad everyone let him rot in Hell for like a million years, and was out for vengeance on everyone, but specifically Raiden. His ultimate plan was to corrupt the Jinsei, the sort of life force of Earthrealm, to gain even more power.As usual, though, nobody planned for Liu Kang, who beat Shinnok and sent him back into the Netherrealm. Meanwhile, Quan Chi revealed himself as the guy who orchestrated all the events of Mortal Kombat Mythologies and who killed Scorpion's clan and family, just as he was attempting to banish Scorpion back to the Netherrealm. Enraged, Scorpion grabbed Quan Chi and dragged him back to Hell along with him, wrapping things up pretty nicely for everyone who was not Scorpion.Crucially, though, we learned that when Quan Chi took Shinnok's amulet from Sub-Zero way back in Mortal Kombat Mythologies, he switched it out for a fake. That meant the one Raiden took back to Earthrealm was, in fact, the copy. Quan Chi still had the real one.Quan Chi And Shang Tsung Team UpThe deadly alliance of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance is one between Quan Chi and Shang Tsung. Quan Chi used Shinnok's amulet to escape the Netherrealm, and at some point, he found out about Onaga's unbeatable mummified army. He approached Shang Tsung about filling those soldiers with souls--which Shang Tsung routinely steals from people, it's kind of his whole deal--so they could use them to take over all the realms. They started enacting their plan by taking out key opposition. They headed to Outworld and took down Shao Kahn, then went to Earthrealm and killed Liu Kang. (It turned out that Shao Kahn, in fact, faked his own death, hoping to see how things shook out as he worked to regain the Outworld throne.)Despite his best efforts in rallying a bunch of heroes to his cause, this time, Raiden wasn't able to turn back the bad guys. In Mortal Kombat: Deception, we found out that Raiden and a band of top fighters, including Kung Lao, Sub-Zero, Sonya, Jax, and Kitana, challenged Quan Chi and Shang Tsung at Shang Tsung's palace, but were ultimately defeated, with all the mortals getting killed (except for Sub-Zero, who wound up elsewhere). Raiden tried to stop the deadly alliance on his own but couldn't handle it. In the final moments, Quan Chi and Shang Tsung turned on each other for control of Shinnok's amulet, with Quan Chi emerging victorious. But hold that thought for a second...The Deception In Mortal Kombat: DeceptionThe Konquest mode of Mortal Kombat: Deception sets up the events of that game, ranging back 41 years before the battle between Raiden, Shang Tsung, and Quan Chi. A warrior named Shujinko was visited by Damashi, who claimed to be an emissary of the Elder Gods. Damashi put Shujinko on a quest to collect special artifacts, the Kamidogu, from each of the realms and gather them together. Shujinko was deceived, however--decades later when he completed the task, he discovered Damashi was actually Onaga, with the Kamidogu allowing him to be reborn into the world once again.Onaga's plan: get Shinnok's amulet; control everything. So Onaga showed up at Shang Tsung's palace to get the amulet and his invincible army at the start of Mortal Kombat: Deception's main story. Quan Chi briefly teamed with Shang Tsung and Raiden against their common foe, but they were beaten. Raiden tried to sacrifice himself using all his god powers to blow up the whole place, but Onaga emerged pretty much unhurt. Onaga claimed the amulet, and Raiden eventually reconstituted, but came back as a red-eyed, corrupted, villainous version of the god.Onaga resurrected the other Earthrealm warriors to fight for him. Mileena disguised herself as Kitana (deception again!) to lead the Edenia forces against Onaga, and the Elder Gods saved Scorpion, who Shang Tsung and Quan Chi had seemingly destroyed in their "Soulnado" (yes, it's a tornado of souls), to be their champion. The ghost of Liu Kang and the telekinetic ninja Ermac also managed to unbrainwash all the resurrected Earthrealm warriors, and they stood against Onaga, too.In the end, it was Shujinko who stopped Onaga. He did a thing where he summoned all the power of the other warriors, and used it to destroy Onaga's Kamidogu. That weakened Onaga, which allowed Nightwolf to do a magic thing to chuck him into the Netherrealm.Mortal Kombat Causes The End Of The WorldsNow it's Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. The rise of Onaga brought out all the bad guys everywhere and banded them together under one banner. All the warriors on the good side were converging to defeat them.This is actually all part of a prophecy made centuries earlier by Delia, the wife of Edenia's protector-god, Argus, according to the Mortal Kombat Fandom wiki. She foresaw a battle in which all the super-strong Mortal Kombat warriors fought each other until they destroyed all the realms with their power. To stop it, she and Argus enacted a plan: zap the warriors' powers. They created Blaze, a fire elemental that would draw all the warriors to the right place, because whoever beat it would get insane power. Then they put their two sons, Daegon and Tavin into stasis, with the idea that when the armageddon battle came, they'd get woken up and go on a quest to defeat Blaze, get its power, and either kill all the warriors or magically remove their powers. Shinnok messed that up, waking up their son Daegon centuries too soon. He turned super evil, and spent the years preparing to kill his brother, Taven, so he could get Blaze's power, which would turn one of the two brothers into a god.Taven awoke and completed his quest, then managed to defeat Daegon. But Taven failed to stop the warriors and defeat Blaze, like he was supposed to in order to ward off armageddon. Instead, it was the worst possible person who wound up on top with Blaze's power: Shao Kahn. All the other warriors were killed in the process and by Shao Kahn. The apocalypse had not been canceled, in fact, and now the realms would be dominated by an unstoppable Shao Kahn.Except, that is, for one last thing. Raiden, defeated and dying, used some kind of magic amulet to send a message through time to his younger self to try to prevent the apocalypse. The young Raiden realized he had to prevent the future, but he only had one clue to work with. Those were old Raiden's final words: "He must win!"Mortal Kombat: Groundhog DaySo now we're back to the beginning (sort of), but it's the 2011 Mortal Kombat (or Mortal Kombat 9), which used time travel to reboot the series timeline and covers a new version of the events of Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II, and Mortal Kombat III. Raiden knew something bad is coming, but didn't have much information. Not knowing what the message meant, Raiden assumed it referred to Liu Kang defeating Shang Tsung in the first tournament.The events of Mortal Kombat mostly played out the way they did in the first timeline, but with Raiden trying to make some changes for the better. He convinced Scorpion not to kill Sub-Zero, for instance, but Quan Chi showed up during their battle and manipulated Scorpion into murdering Sub-Zero anyway, creating Noob Saibot. Raiden stopped things from going too wrong, like when he talked Cyrax out of killing Johnny Cage, and eventually Liu Kang won the Mortal Kombat tournament like the first time. But Raiden's magic amulet, the one he used to send the message back in time, cracked a little--telling him that Raiden hadn't stopped the bad future from happening.Next up are the events of Mortal Kombat II, which saw the heroes heading to Outland for Shao Kahn's tournament. Raiden tried to change some things again, guessing that "He must win" meant Kung Lao in the second tournament, rather than the always-winning Liu Kang. But Shao Kahn wound up killing Kung Lao, and Liu Kang won anyway. When Raiden tried to save Smoke from getting turned into a cyborg ninja, the Lin Kuei captured and converted the younger Sub-Zero instead. More cracks in the amulet.Mortal Kombat III came next with Shao Kahn launching his invasion of Earthrealm. Again, Raiden tried to make some changes to alter the future, but continued to suck at it. He saved Johnny Cage's life and Sub-Zero was reprogrammed by the Earthrealm fighters to give him back his free will. But Shao Kahn killed Shang Tsung and used his power to strengthen the brainwashed Sindel--and she, in turn, killed a bunch of humanity's best fighters.Desperate for the answer, Raiden went to the Netherrealm to ask for Quan Chi's help--but got turned down. But his conversation with Quan Chi did finally help Raiden figure out what "He must win" meant, which has probably been obvious all along. "He" in this case is Shao Kahn. Liu Kang constantly defeated Shao Kahn in the original timeline but was never able to kill him, which allowed Shao Kahn to keep hanging around until he finally brought about armageddon. If Earthrealm lost and Outworld merged with it, the Elder Gods would be forced to step in.And step in they did. Shao Kahn won his invasion but broke the rules of Mortal Kombat. The Elder Gods powered up Raiden and he fought Shao Kahn, defeating him and blowing him apart once and for all. Everyone was saved, except Liu Kang--Raiden accidentally killed him when he disagreed with the plan to let Shao Kahn win.As it turned out, though, this was all part of Quan Chi and Shinnok's plan, somehow. That might not, uh, make sense, but this was all about bringing Shinnok back to take over. Thanks to Raiden being terrible at time travel, most of the best fighters on the good side were now dead, and Shinnok would be able to take over a whole lot easier.Shinnok Comes BackFinally, we're coming to Mortal Kombat X. Shinnok and Quan Chi made their play, backed by undead versions of the warriors that had died in Mortal Kombat 9. It turned out, though, that Johnny Cage, who replaced Liu Kang as Earth's best fighter, was a member of a long line of warriors created by the gods. His special powers kicked in to allow him to defeat Shinnok and imprison him in his amulet. Quan Chi tried to kill Johnny and resurrect him as a member of his undead forces, but Raiden used all his godly powers to fight the move--and the interaction of their powers not only saved Johnny, it restored the other undead folks in the room to their human forms.Quan Chi got away, but Shinnok was defeated and everybody got to chill out. Sub-Zero and Scorpion remade their clans and finally buried their hatchet, while Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade had a daughter together, and Jax had a daughter of his own. Twenty-five years later, Kano managed to get hold of Shinnok's amulet and sell it to Mileena, causing the next generation of fighters to go hunting for it.The Earthrealm fighters had an uneasy alliance with Kotal Kahn, the new leader of Outworld, who sent is lieutenant D'Vorah to help them find Mileena. When they did, Kotal Kahn kept the amulet--but didn't know that D'Vorah was actually working with Quan Chi to get it. The Earthrealmers worked together to find and capture Quan Chi, but Scorpion and his clan showed up to get his vengeance on the man who caused the deaths of his family. Scorpion killed Quan Chi, but not before D'Vorah delivered the amulet and he used it to release Shinnok.Back once more, Shinnok was able to corrupt the Jinsei, the Earthrealm's mystical life force, with his evil magic, just like he planned the first time. That gave him intense powers and turned him into a demon--but Johnny and Sonya's daughter Cassie Cage fought Shinnok and defeated him, thanks to Johnny's special warrior bloodline. Raiden sacrificed himself to purify the Jinsei and save the world. Unfortunately, Raiden came out corrupted again. Now he's back to being sort of evil Raiden, with Shinnok's amulet and Shinnok's severed head--still living, thanks to him being a god.More Time Travel In Mortal Kombat 11We don't know too much about the story of Mortal Kombat 11, but comments from Ed Boon suggest that time travel is coming back in a big way. It seems we'll be seeing another time rewind at the hands of Kronika, the Keeper of Time. The new villain was apparently pretty happy with the way history had turned out, and didn't appreciate Raiden's meddling with the plan and rewriting history, as is apparent from the game's story trailer.This won't just be another return to the beginning of the story, though. Apparently, Kronika is causing the various timelines are going to "fold" together, with past events merging with present ones, and characters will run into themselves from the past and future. Perhaps most notably, that means Shao Kahn is back, and various forces of Earthrealm and Outworld are going to need to band together to defeat him and stop Kronika and her time-bending plans. Info from Gamespot.com

2018's God of War has received widespread critical acclaim. Among its many achievements is the way it brought nuance to Kratos, a character that many would argue had simply served as an avatar for rage and bloodthirsty fury up until that point. In the PS4 pseudo-reboot, Kratos takes on the responsibility of fatherhood and, in doing so, is forced to make decisions that put his son, Atreus, before himself. Spoilers for God of War follow.One such moment sees him return to using the Blades of Chaos, the iconic weapons from previous games that he used to carve a bloody path through the pantheon of Greek gods as part of a crusade for vengeance. The extended scene during which he travels home to dredge up a past he hoped would remain buried is powerful for what it represents, but it almost was left out of the game due to technical and design challenges. In the first episode of GameSpot's new show Audio Logs, God of War director Cory Barlog discusses the issues that developer Sony Santa Monica faced when bringing the Blades of Chaos to the new God of War, which swapped the isometric and side-on view of the classic series for a more cinematic, behind-the-shoulder viewpoint."The payoff that we actually got [the Blades of Chaos] right, that was always in question. We didn't do the blades until probably the last year [of development]," he explained. "We worked on the [Leviathan] axe for so long that there was a possibility that the blades were going to have to get cut because they were just taking so long to get online that everybody said, ‘Look, it took three and a half to four years to do the axe, you're never going to be able to do the blades in time.'"So we had a good year of animated chain moves that were just like, ‘That doesn't feel right, that doesn't work.' And with this new camera angle where you have the camera behind [Kratos] it's very different … You don't get the same visual as when you have a side view of Kratos shooting the chain blades out. Seeing it from an isometric view, seeing it from a side view, you get a better view of the line of action. We really had to figure out how to take the old moves and make them work much better in this camera angle."Barlog goes on to explain that, while the Blades of Chaos are a nice nod to longtime fans of the God of War series, they also serve a crucial narrative purpose. After all, Sony Santa Monica's original vision for the game wasn't one that cast aside Kratos's brutal history and the questionable morals of his previous actions, but one that embraced them to show his evolution as a person."So much of the game was built on this revelation, this realization from Kratos that the blades were something he was going to have to return to. They were something he wanted to get rid of, but would have to go back to them, he'd have to put them on, and he'd do that for his son. That was part of his growth."That growth, and the part that the Blades of Chaos played in presenting it, made God of War one of the standout games of the year. GameSpot's God of War review awarded it a 9/10, with critic Peter Brown saying its biggest surprise was "how mature its storytelling has become."He continued: "Like Kratos, God of War recalls the past while acknowledging the need to improve. Everything new it does is for the better, and everything it holds onto benefits as a result. Kratos is no longer a predictable brute. God of War is no longer an old-fashioned action series. With this reboot, it confidently walks a new path that will hopefully lead to more exciting adventures to come."God of War was also one of GameSpot's 10 Best Games of 2018: "Regardless of what we all expected from Sony's muscle-bound badass, God of War is simply a great video game driven by a bold directorial vision and top-tier execution from a team that clearly knows how to knock it out of the park," we said.Episode one of Audio Logs is available now on YouTube and in it Barlog walks through the sequence in its entirety, breaking down the different cinematic flourishes and design techniques Sony Santa Monica used to bring the moment to life and make sure it lands with players in a way that is memorable.He also delves into the characterization of Kratos and the inner turmoil he faced when coming to the decision that he’d need to return to the Blades of Chaos to help his son, Atreus. There are a variety of small touches that even those that have played through the game numerous times will no doubt have missed, and--perhaps more interestingly--insight into the previous versions of the scene that had to be tweaked and altered to because of the realities of game development. Make sure to watch the episode.Audio Logs is a weekly show where the people behind the games we love tell the stories of how they're made, exploring the trials, tribulations, successes, and failures that come with development. Subscribe to GameSpot on YouTube to see more. Info from Gamespot.com

One of the more serious reunions of Game of Thrones Season 8 has been the one between Arya and Gendry. When they met up again at Winterfell in the premiere episode of the season, they hadn't seen each other in years. Not only was it nice for the two friends to find each other again, but it helped rekindle an item that has long been on fans' wishlists: a romantic relationship between Arya and Gendry.Arya hasn't made a lot of friends over the years. Most of her relationships have been of the revenge-fueled kind, as she's hunted down the various people who have wronged her and the Stark family. Occasionally, though, Arya makes friends, like she did with Hot Pie and Gendry, two of the kids she fled King's Landing with way back in Season 2. Gendry, in particular, was really important to Arya--and losing him in Season 3 was part of what drove her to become the super-assassin we see in the show in Season 8.Gendry and Arya got very close during their time on the run together. When Gendry decided to join the Brotherhood Without Banners in Season 3, they had an especially emotional moment, with Arya begging him to come with her back to Winterfell. Gendry told Arya he had no family left, to which Arya replied, "I could be your family." Though it wasn't meant to be at the time, it was clear the two youngsters felt a lot for each other. And there was that moment when Arya caught Gendry with his shirt off and definitely felt some serious ... effects.Fans have been "shipping" Arya and Gendry ever since. That's the internet term for when a fandom imagines and talks about a romantic relationship between favorite characters. Arya and Gendry haven't seen each other since Season 3, though. When they were separated, back when they were with the Brotherhood Without Banners, Gendry got sold to the Red Witch Melisandre and carried off to Dragonstone, and Arya was spirited off by the Hound before making her way across the Narrow Sea to Braavos. Gendry escaped Dragonstone to avoid being made a sacrifice for his Baratheon blood, but the two have been apart literally for years.That long separation hasn't done much to reduce how much fans hope to see them together, with plenty of fanfiction written that brings the two characters together. They even have their own hashtag: #Gendrya, one which got a jumpstart in the Season 8 premiere.It's worth noting, however, that this isn't really a thing in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire books on which Game of Thrones is based. Arya and Gendry were younger when last they saw each other--around 9 and 14, respectively. They were separated when Gendry joined the Brotherhood Without Banners, and Beric Dondarrion made Gendry a knight. He was last seen in the fourth book, A Feast for Crows, at the Inn at the Crossroads, where he saved Brienne of Tarth's life.And for fans who haven't been thinking about #Gendrya for several seasons, the hookup in this episode might have felt a touch weird. That's because Arya is the youngest living Stark, and viewers pretty much watched her grow up on the show--so a sex scene might be a bit jarring. Arya is 18 at this point in the show, though, and while we don't know Gendry's exact age, the books put him at five years older than she is, so 23. In real life, Arya actress Maisie Williams is 22, while Gendry actor Joe Dempsey is 31.It's been almost seven years since fans started dreaming of the angriest Stark finding some happiness in a relationship with the bastard blacksmith who just wants a family, and now it's finally happened. If they stick it out, their relationship fulfills an ambition that dates back all the way to Season 1 and Ned Stark talking with his pal King Robert Baratheon: the linking of the Stark and Baratheon houses.The second episode of Season 8 also paid off another major fan ship, but maybe not quite in the way fans hoped. That's the longstanding relationship between Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth, both of whom have influenced each other for the better during their long, fraught, and originally antagonistic relationship.Brienne first met Jaime back in Season 3, when Catelyn Stark charged her with returning him to King's Landing in return for the release of her daughters, Sansa and Arya Stark (she didn't know Arya had already escaped King's Landing and was on various adventures elsewhere). Though Jaime was relentlessly insulting, his time with Brienne and her intense sense of honor had a serious effect on him--especially after she saved his life on more than one occasion.Jaime turned Brienne from hating him when they shared an intimate moment in a bathtub and he explained how he got his Kingslayer nickname: he stabbed the Mad King Aerys Targaryen in the back because the king was planning to blow up King's Landing using wildfire, killing everyone, loyalist and rebel alike. Brienne came to understand Jaime, while Jaime found the better part of himself because of Brienne's example and her dedication to her cause.Both have warm feelings for each other, but unfortunately, Jaime is forever dedicated to Cersei no matter what happens--a fact he has lamented being unable to change about himself. But back in King's Landing in Season 4, Cersei called out Brienne for being in love with Jaime, and many fans have definitely been hoping something more might come of the pair's feelings.Episode 2 doesn't have a hookup between Brienne and Jaime, like Arya and Gendry get, but it does have what feels like the culmination of the arc of their relationship: an abiding mutual respect. That comes when Jaime uses his status as an anointed knight to give Brienne a knighthood. It's a huge deal--Brienne is getting everything she ever wanted in that scene, and the fact that Jaime is the one who takes it upon himself to finally give her what she's earned shows how much they mean to each other.Too bad all these intense moments of love and friendship are coming under not-great circumstances, though--Arya and Gendry might have finally elevated their relationship and Jaime and Brienne might have a complete kinship, only just in time for any or all of them to get murdered by invading White Walkers.We've got plenty more Game of Thrones coverage this week, and every week. Check out our review of Episode 2 (and one of the premiere episode). Here's a quick rundown of what Arya might have asked Gendry to make, the meaning behind the crossbow Qyburn gave to Bronn in Episode 1, and a theory about Cersei's pregnancy. We've also got plenty of speculation and theories and a look at all the Easter eggs in the premiere episode and all its parallels to Season 1.Info from Gamespot.com

We've seen a lot characters reunited in the first two episodes of Season 8 of Game of Thrones, but there was one you might have missed in the season's second episode, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. This one didn't get its own scene like a lot of the others, though--instead, it took place off-screen and largely in the background.That reunion is the one between Jon Snow and his direwolf Ghost--but nobody made a big deal of it, and you might have missed it if you blinked at the wrong moment.Ghost pops up briefly in the episode as Jon and the rest of the fighters at Winterfell are preparing for the attack of the army of the dead. You can spot him in the background while Jon, Samwell, and Dolorous Edd are discussing the coming White Walker invasion, and what Sam is going to do during the battle. Unlike major reunions between characters like Arya and Gendry, Sansa and Theon, or Jon and Bran, Ghost returned to the show with very little fanfare, especially for someone who's been gone for a long, long time.In fact, it's been more than a season since Ghost was on the show. Last we saw him was at Castle Black in Season 6. Ghost helped guard Jon's body after he was murdered by his Night's Watch brothers in the Season 5 finale, but we haven't seen much of him since then. The assumption was that he was hanging around Winterfell, since that's where Jon headed after Melisandre resurrected him, but Ghost didn't take part in the Battle of the Bastards. The fact that Jon didn't have a moment with Ghost adds to the assumption that the direwolf has been around as far as the story is concerned, just off-screen.The absence of the direwolves from the show is less a story consideration and more a practical one. The creators of Game of Thrones have discussed the fact that the direwolves are a very expensive addition to the show, in terms of special effects budget and work. The show usually has to choose between dragons or other special effects and the direwolves, and the wolves tend to get the axe, story-wise.Ghost is not the only direwolf still in circulation, either: in Season 7, Arya Stark's former direwolf, Nymeria, found Arya in the woods as she was traveling to Winterfell. It was a very brief meeting between the former companions, and Nymeria headed back into the woods with her pack of wolves soon afterward. It may well be that we've seen the last of her, and Nymeria will get to live out her days being the North's queen of wolves.But Ghost's return probably hints that we'll be seeing more of him, at least in the third episode of the season, which promises to include the huge and involved Battle of Winterfell. And it really wouldn't be that surprising to see Nymeria show up again, as well, since we know the Starks and their direwolves have an intimate, occasionally magical connection. Hopefully the next time we see Ghost, he has a more important role in the scene than just filling in the background.We've got plenty more Game of Thrones coverage this and every week. Check out our review of Episode 2 (and one of the premiere episode), and get a look at how the show just fulfilled two major fan character ships. Here's a quick rundown of what Arya might have asked Gendry to make, the meaning behind the crossbow Qyburn gave to Bronn in Episode 1, and a theory about Cersei's pregnancy. We've also got plenty of speculation and theories and a look at all the Easter eggs in the premiere episode and all its parallels to Season 1.Info from Gamespot.com