Disney Lorcana isn’t slowing down anytime soon. The Disney animation-themed trading card game from Ravensburger just saw the release of its second set, Rise of the Floodborn. Even though we know the gaming company is releasing new cards quarterly, it’s still hard to believe it’s already time to learn about Disney Lorcana‘s third set. Yet here we are. The third installment is called Disney Lorcana: Into the Inklands. The 200+ card set introduces a new type of card, new Disney characters, Lorcana lore, and more.

I love the adventurous look of the Into the Inklands logo. The name is a clue to the new type of cards, too: location cards. These will feature Disney story settings and offer players special abilities and interactions. Settings include Motonui from Moana and the Jolly Roger from Peter Pan. Some locations give bonuses when characters visit them, while other location cards provide benefits just by being in play.

Additionally, Lorcana‘s third set will debut new in-game mini-stories and expand featured characters. This comes through narrative on the cards as stories unfold through quotes and descriptive text. Ravensburger says this will allow players to discover even more links between cards.

As for those new characters, Into the Inklands will have several. The installment brings Pluto, Perdita from 101 Dalmatians, Scrooge McDuck from DuckTales, Kit Cloudkicker from TaleSpin, and Jim Hawkins and the RLS Legacy crew from Treasure Planet. That’s a hefty dose of ’90s Disney nostalgia, and we’re here for it.

The Lorcana lore continues in Into the Inklands, too. A synopsis states:

The Disney Lorcana TCG set Into the Inklands continues the story of the Illumineers who were mysteriously transported to the realm of Lorcana (The First Chapter). After accidentally unleashing a flood of mixed ink (Rise of the Floodborn) that scattered precious lore throughout the realm, Illumineers are now tasked with finding the lore and returning it to the Hall of Lorcana. However, their quest may be more treacherous than they realize, as an ominous shadow storm has been spotted gathering at the edges of Lorcana, adding urgency and mystery to the path ahead.

The Into the Inklands release will include the following items:

• Amber and Emerald Starter Deck ($16.99)
• Sapphire and Ruby Starter Deck ($16.99)
• Booster packs ($5.99)
• Illumineers Trove ($49.99)
• Gift Set ($29.99)
• Play accessories: Card Sleeves, Deck Boxes, Card Portfolios, and Playmats

Disney Lorcana: Into the Inklands will first release at local game stores on February 23, 2024. Mass market retailers will get the third set on March 8, 2024. Hopefully the inventory issues that have plagued Lorcana so far will smooth out with Into the Inklands.

The post DISNEY LORCANA’s Next Set, INTO THE INKLANDS, Adds New Card Type and DUCKTALES appeared first on Nerdist.

Rockstar Games announced a trailer reveal event for Grand Theft Auto VI, the next installment in the Grand Theft Auto series, for December 5. However, someone on X leaked it a day early. Given that, Rockstar let go of its December 5 launch. The game publisher officially released the GTA VI trailer a day early, saying simply, “Our trailer has leaked so please watch the real thing on YouTube.” The GTA VI trailer confirms two important things. Grand Theft Auto will return to Vice City, and GTA VI will arrive in 2025. Watch the sun-soaked, alligator-filled action here:

Vice City appeared back in the fourth entry in the Grand Theft Auto series. Based on Miami, that story followed a mobster and how he gained power with a criminal empire. GTA VI‘s main character is Lucia. It’s the game series’ first female protagonist in its 20+ year history. The trailer starts with Lucia in prison, but later she’s out and doing crime. It seems she’s pulling someone else into her crimes, saying they need to be a team and stick together.

“Grand Theft Auto VI continues our efforts to push the limits of what’s possible in highly immersive, story-driven open-world experiences,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games said in a release. “We’re thrilled to be able to share this new vision with players everywhere.”

We’re sure it’s going to work out fine. We won’t worry about it too much. Instead, we’ll just be excited that new Grand Theft Auto is finally on the way after a 10-year break.

The post Rockstar Reveals the First Trailer for GRAND THEFT AUTO VI appeared first on Nerdist.

The time has come for Lucy to leave Vault 33 and see what has transpired since an apocalypse left Los Angeles in tatters. While Vault Dwellers don’t live in the lap of luxury, they have enjoyed a sheltered existence compared to those who’ve tried to survive in the wasteland. We’ll see how the Vault Dweller Lucy does when she leaves her home in Prime Video’s Fallout TV series adaptation. We recently saw first-look images for Fallout, and now it’s time for the first trailer. It has plenty of nods to the video game and hints at the mutated dangers lurking around every corner. The footage even shows Walton Goggins’ face instead of his Ghoul form.

Prime Video shared the trailer at the fan and comic book convention CCXP. Series stars Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, and Walton Goggins appeared alongside executive producer and director Jonathan Nolan, executive producer and co-showrunner Graham Wagner and discussed the series. As the trailer demonstrates, the Fallout TV series is going to have the same tone as the game. That means things are a little tongue-in-cheek—like Dog snacking on flash. The music in the trailer is reminiscent of the game, too.

Fallout’s synopsis states:

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

The Fallout TV series will premiere on Prime Video on April 12, 2024.

The post First FALLOUT TV Series Trailer Shows the Dangers of the Wasteland appeared first on Nerdist.

From tantalizing The Last of Us season two teases to incredibly orange Cheez-It nail polishes, here are some of our favorite pop-culture news odds & ends from this week.

• Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu Reveals First-Look Images and Release Date
• Iman Vellani Reveals Kamala Khan Will Be “Frodo” of Marvel Zombies, Returns to Voice Character and Pen New Comic
• The Last of Us Season 2 Will Feature Content From Lost Levels
• Chris Pine Feels Confident a Dungeons & Dragons 2 Movie Will Happen
• Cheez-It Nail Polish Is coming!
• Hazbin Hotel Sets Release Date
• Twilight Director Would Cast Jenna Ortega and Jacob Elordi as Leads in Movie Today
• Margot Robbie Reveals No Barbie Sequel Is Heading Our Way
• You Can Now Watch the Halo Live-Action Series Free on YouTube

Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu Reveals First-Look Images and Release Date

Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu has been brewing for a while. But we finally have our first looks at the movie and a release date. Nosferatu will officially release on December 25, 2024. That’s one delicious Christmas gift for goths. The vampiric tale stars Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney, and Willem Dafoe.

Learn more about the influence of the original Nosferatu with our article, here.

Iman Vellani Reveals Kamala Khan Will Be “Frodo” of Marvel Zombies, Returns to Voice Character and Pen New Comic

Iman Vellani has emerged as one of the MCU’s truest heroes. So we couldn’t be more thrilled that she’ll soon be back to voice Ms. Marvel in the Disney+ series Marvel Zombies. In an interview with The Direct Vellani reveals, “We’ve done the whole thing. It was amazing. It was so much fun. And I love—there are a lot of cool characters in the ‘Marvel Zombies‘ show. And Kamala is kind of the center of the show. They described it to me, it’s like, ‘She’s basically the Frodo of the story.’ And I was like, ‘That’s amazing.'” It’s what Ms. Marvel deserves.

Vellani will also be back to pen another Ms. Marvel comic. She and co-writer Sabir Pirzada will write the Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace series, a follow-up to Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant. According to GamesRadar, the pair will be joined by artist Scott Godlewski. The series is set to release in March.

The Last of Us Season 2 Will Feature Content From “Lost Levels“

If you’re looking for hints about The Last of Us season two than look no further than the remastered “Lost Levels.” These Lost Levels are playable sequences that were cut from The Last of Us Part II. But they’ll be back in the remastered version of the game that is releasing on January 19, 2024. And Neil Druckmann is teasing that they hold some insights for the HBO series. He notes to Entertainment Weekly, “As a tease, I will say there is at least one element from a cut level that is planned [for] the show… I say that with the caveat that we haven’t started filming the show yet, and all things are subject to change based on what we ultimately feel will be best for the show.”

The Last of Us Part II Remastered and its mysterious Lost Levels will be available to pre-order on December 5.

The Last of Us season two is already off to an ominous start.

Chris Pine Feels Confident a Dungeons & Dragons 2 Movie Will Happen

Although it was bad news for Star Trek 4, Chris Pine recently gave a positive update about the future of the Dungeons & Dragons movie franchise. He shared the following with GamesRadar about a potential Dungeons & Dragons 2, “I’ve heard some rumors about it… But I don’t know anything yet. But I feel pretty confident that it may happen.” He also added that he’d be “absolutely” happy to return to the universe. And we too would be absolutely happy to see it happen. Roll for Dungeons & Dragons 2.

Unfortunately, Chris Pine wasn’t so optimistic about Star Trek 4.

Cheez-It Nail Polish Is coming!

Enough said, no? Cheez-It and Nails Inc. Polish are collaborating on two cheesy colors, “Orange You Feelin’ the Cheeziest” and “Flexin’ in the Red Zone.” And who doesn’t want their nails to look like a little cheesy? This polish, perfect for mani/cheddiz, will be available for pre-order on Dec. 29 at CheezIt.com.

Hazbin Hotel Sets Release Date

Who doesn’t want an animated musical series about the princess of Hell trying to rehabilitate demons? Hazbin Hotel is created by Vivienne Medrano and is based on “her popular animated pilot released on YouTube in 2019.” Additionally a release shares, “The series blends adult humor, unforgettable characters, and catchy musical numbers creating a wholly original and unique world.” It certainly looks good in its preview. And now it has a release date. Hazbin Hotel will release on January 19, 2024. The series stars Erika Henningsen, Stephanie Beatriz, Alex Brightman, Keith David, Kimiko Glenn, Blake Roman, Amir Talai, Christian Borle, and Joel Perez. And it will feature exciting guest stars such as Darren Criss (Saint Peter), Jeremy Jordan (Lucifer Morningstar), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Carmilla Carmine), Patina Miller (Sera), and Jessica Vosk (Lute).

We can’t wait to check in to this hotel.

Twilight Director Would Cast Jenna Ortega and Jacob Elordi as Leads in Movie Today

Twilight just wouldn’t be Twilight without the incredible performances of Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. But who doesn’t love a fan-cast for today’s day and age? Speaking to the Watch-a-long podcast, Twilight‘s director Catherine Hardwicke shared her picks for Bella and Edward, should a reboot of the series happen. Her selections? Jenna Ortega and Jacob Elordi. We accept these choices. Ortega could definitely help give Twilight a more horror-focused lean and Elordi really does give off strong vampire vibes.

There is a Twilight series brewing, after all…

Margot Robbie Reveals No Barbie Sequel Is Heading Our Way

Alas, it’s unlikely we’ll say “Hi, Barbie 2.” But that’s most likely for the best. Not everything needs a sequel. Of course, this could all change in a moment, especially since Barbie was so immensely popular. But for now, Margot Robbie shares, “I think we put everything into this one. We didn’t build it to be a trilogy or something… Greta put everything into this movie, so I can’t imagine what would be next.”

We bet Warner Bros. could… But we’ll cross our fingers Barbie gets to stand on her own.

Barbie is now available to stream at home.

You Can Now Watch the Halo Live-Action Series Free on YouTube

In case you’ve been waiting for a sign to watch the live-action adaptation of Halo, here it is. The Halo series is now available on YouTube in its entirety via Paramount+’s official channel. And it’s totally free. So now nothing is stopping you from watching Pablo Schreiber’s hunky Master Chief in all his sci-fi/action glory. We know we’re pressing play.

You can find the Halo playlist here.

We’re also getting a live-action series adaptation of Fallout.

The post NOSFERATU Shares Release Date, Chris Pine Optimistic About DUNGEONS & DRAGONS 2, and Other News Odds & Ends appeared first on Nerdist.

Disney Lorcana: The First Chapter is a new trading card game that gives us a fresh outlet to play with our favorite Disney characters and create epic crossovers. Would Maleficent and Cruella de Vil be friends or foes? Could Stitch endear himself to the likes of Captain Hook? And would Robin Hood and Elsa make a good team? Those are the six characters that make up the first set of Disney Lorcana trading cards. The game was announced at the D23 Expo, but it launched in August 2023, with new sets releasing four times a year. So far, the second set, Disney Lorcana: Rise of the Floodborn, has officially released. The second set of trading cards shows off more original Disney artwork than any other product, and from what we’ve seen so far, the cards are all beautiful. Additionally, for anyone in need, a reprint of Disney Lorcana: The First Chapter will also be released this December.

Here’s everything you need to know about the game, including details of its cards, app, rules, and more. You can also check out our review of Disney Lorcana for an in-depth look at the game from a player’s perspective.

Jump to: Disney Lorcana Cards // Disney Lorcana TCG Companion App // Disney Lorcana Story // Disney Lorcana Rules // Disney Lorcana Release Dates, Availability, and More

Disney Lorcana Character Cards

Disney Lorcana is a partnership with puzzle and game maker Ravensburger, who has lots of other great Disney content. Fans at last year’s D23 Expo were able to buy an exclusive first-edition pack of the cards. They also got their hands on an exclusive Mickey Mouse card called “Brave Little Tailor” that isn’t part of the set. The other characters have their own unique abilities. Captain Hook is listed as a forceful duelist and has a sword for a hand. Maleficent appears in her dragon form in the Disney Lorcana trading cards, while Cruella de Vil’s strongest quality is “miserable as usual.” I wonder how that presents itself in gameplay. There’s also Elsa the Snow Queen, Robin Hood, the unrivaled archer, and Stitch as a rock star.  Certainly an interesting lineup.

Click To View Gallery

More Disney Lorcana Cards: From Maleficent to Olaf

It seems like more or less every Disney character will find their way onto a Disney Lorcana card. Here are a few more looks at what’s to come. The “Dragon Fire” Lorcana card, for example, features Disney’s Maleficent in her dragon form, “breathing cursed green fire.” Use of this card will allow players to “banish [a] chosen character.”

We also glimpsed a new Disney Lorcana card that brings a cheerful face to the gaming table, Olaf. Warm hugs for all! Disney’s Jumba Jookiba and Princess Aurora joined the ranks of Disney Lorcana as well. And even accessories are coming onboard. A new type of card, an item card, features the “Magic Mirror.” Very mysterious.

Click To View Gallery

Recently, Nerdist went behind the scenes with Ravensburger creative director Shane Hartley, who shared more about how the game was conceived. And, of course, we got to see the magical art of four new Disney Lorcana cards.

Disney Lorcana Launches Trading Card Game Companion App

These cards are just a taste of what the full game will hold. Already, we’re a little overwhelmed by the sheer amount and artistry of all the Disney Lorcana cards that exist. But this trading card game wants keeping track of all its cards to be a breeze—and that includes both the ones you own and the ones you want. The official Disney Lorcana Trading Card Game Companion app is here to help all users keep magic high and chaos low.

A release shares:

The Disney Lorcana TCG Companion app features a complete card catalog, which can be used by players to keep track of cards in their collection as well as “wish list” cards they hope to add to their deck. TCG rookies and experts alike will also appreciate the app’s deckbuilding feature, which allows them to create and manage their own custom deck right from their phone. Other highlights of the app include easily accessible how-to-play information and videos, a lore points counter tool and the latest news updates from Disney Lorcana TCG.

The Disney Lorcna app is free to download and is available on the Google Play and Apple App Stores.

The TCG’s Story

Disney Lorcana recently released more about its lore. It’s official story shares:

Welcome to the Great Illuminary, the center of a magical realm called Lorcana… The Illuminary summoned you here because of your powerful imagination… Nearby, a unique tool catches your eye. It’s an inkcaster, and when you pick it up, it feels both exciting and familiar. Instinctively, you hold it high above the open book. Magical ink pulsing with energy flows through the mechanism and combines with the light from a story star on a page of the lorebook in front of you, creating an image of a Disney character. With the power of your inkcaster, the image rises off the page. This is a glimmer, a new version of the character that only exists in this world. As an Illumineer, you can create glimmers of characters and items to add to the lore of Lorcana—a treasure that must be preserved and protected at all costs. 

Soon, other Illumineers across the globe will be called to the aid of Lorcana. You’ll summon glimmers to quest with you as you search for missing lore in a race against time. Only together can you protect this wondrous realm from threats. 

Will you answer the call?

Disney Lorcana’s Rules

We finally have a better understanding of Disney Lorcana‘s rules and gameplay. According to a release, here’s how the trading card game works:

Players become “Illumineers” and wield magic ink to summon a team of Disney characters known as “glimmers,” who appear in both familiar and reimagined forms. In Disney Lorcana, players embark on a search for lost lore with their teams of glimmers. They’ll play characters, actions, and items from their hand and choose whether to “quest” for lore with their glimmers or challenge their opponents. The first player to collect 20 lore wins.

Additionally, Disney Lorcana‘s quick start rules note, “Disney Lorcana is a strategy card game where each player makes their own deck before the game starts, and the decks aren’t mixed together. You can play with one of the available ready-to-play decks, make changes to one of those decks, or build a deck that’s entirely your own! In a game like this, cards can allow you to do things that aren’t normally a part of every turn. If a card’s text ever contradicts the game rules, follow what the card says.”

That all sounds simple enough, but we have a feeling actually playing might get a bit more complicated. Thankfully, the game’s official website has a dedicated “How to Play” page with video guides to walk you through playing your most magical game. These will help you to understand how to generate ink, what different cards you can have in your deck, what abilities each has, and more. And hopefully, the game will leave you singing just a little bit.

Disney Lorcana‘s Release Date and More

Finally, all that Disney knowledge rattling around our brains will win us more than just trivia contests! Disney Lorcana launched “at local game stores” on August 18. And has now been released via mass retailers, as of September 1. To keep up with exceptionally high demand, more Disney Lorcana booster pack product will be sent to North American stores in October. Disney Lorcana: The First Chapter will also be reprinted and, according to Comicbook.com, will release on December 22, 2023 at 12 AM PT/3 AM ET on ShopDisney.com’s Disney Lorcana page.

The article shares that “It is expected to include most (if not all) of the products, including starter decks boosters, the gift set, and maybe even the The Illumneer’s Trove.” Meanwhile, certain products, such as Starter Decks and Booster, can be pre-ordered now at various retailers such as Hot Topic and BoxLunch.

Meanwhile, the second set of cards Disney Lorcana: Rise of the Floodborn released on November 17 in specialty/hobby stores and on December 1 for the mass market.

Country Availability and Language Options

The game originally released in United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Luxembourg. And it comes in English, French, and German. But now, Disney Lorcana will also be released in an additional 10 countries: Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Mexico. This expansion will occur “with the release of the third set in early 2024.” The game will also come in Italian as of its third set release.

Decks and Other Merchandise

Players will be able to purchase starter decks of 60 cards in “two of the six ‘inks’ — Amber and Amethyst, Emerald and Ruby, or Steel and Sapphire.” These decks will come with two foil cards of the characters on their boxes and also include a booster pack (12 random cards, including one foil card and one card of varying rareness) and game tokens. More robust sets will also be available for purchase. Additionally, “themed playmats, card sleeves, deck boxes, and card portfolios featuring Disney Lorcana art will be available at launch.”

Ravensburger has many other licensed products from properties like Despicable Me and Minions. There are Star Wars puzzles and an Alien board game. Plus, some less obvious partnerships, like a card game for Taco Bell. 

Originally published on September 9, 2022. Original reporting by Melissa Miller.

The post DISNEY LORCANA Trading Card Game: Cards, Story, Rules, and More appeared first on Nerdist.

Pokémon fans have long imagined what Pokémon would look like if they existed in our world. And that only makes sense because it’s a fascinating thought. The world of Pokémon is a fantastical one, certainly, but it has just enough realism embedded into it that it inspires viewers to try to bring some science into it. Realistic Pokémon reimaginations have come in many excellent forms. Still, the latest one, a series of “wildlife” videos starring various Pokémon in their natural habitats, is one of the most delightful yet. These short videos take on the form of a David Attenborough-style documentary and are titled PokéNational Geographic. Not only is this series gorgeously animated, but these Pokémon x National Geographic videos are also truly hilarious. Let’s take a look.

These PokéNational Geographic come from creator Elious Entertainment. A note on each video in the series notes, “Our wonderful Professor Ginkgo has curated lots of information on individual Pokémon that is then read by our very own Michael Michaelson.” And we have to give all the kudos to Michaelson. The National Geographic-like scripts compile information from Pokémon‘s Pokédex. The Pokédex is, of course, known for containing some outlandish details about the Pokémon it tracks. But the reading of the incisive insights really takes it over the top. Something about the dry, objective tone crushing Magikarp into absolute pieces registers as absolute hilarity.

Poor Magikarp. We love all of these Pokémon/National Geographic videos, but the Magikarp one is so deliciously vicious and yet so gorgeously realistic that it may be our favorite. But in all seriousness, Elious Entertainment weaves an incredible animation together. Seeing the Pokémon appear so embedded in their environments, for instance, Magikarp being obscured by deep water, is a neat thing. These National Geographic shorts take the idea of realistic Pokémon and give it depth and dimension. We give PokéNational Geographic a standing ovation.

We also very much appreciate the touch of lore added into the world. It’s all about attention to detail, after all. Could National Geographic’s latest correspondent be a distant cousin of Pokémon‘s Professor Oak? We must know more about Professor Ginkgo and how he fits into the world. But we suppose for that we’ll have to wait for the camera to turn around.

Hopefully, we’ll see more PokéNational Geographic videos surface shortly. After all, we can never have enough realistic Pokémon in our lives. Our vote would be to visit the skies with Dragonite, or to witness an Eevee transforming in the wild. But we’ll be happy with whatever wanders in the frame. Nature cannot be controlled, after all.

In the meanwhile, you can take a look at the full series of the National Geographic x Pokémon shorts by visiting this playlist. We know we’ll be rewatching for a while.

The post POKÉMON Meets National Geographic in Incredibly Realistic Short Videos appeared first on Nerdist.

Most mobile games are fun time wasters but lack the true appeal of a real video game. But now, Netflix is looking to change all of that with its Netflix Games offering. Netflix Games takes the concept of the Netflix we know, hosting content on its streaming platform so it can be watched more widely, and applies it to video games. Additionally, Netflix promises no ads, no extra fees, and no in-app purchases in its mobile games. And we can all agree those are the worst parts of the mobile game genre. Soon, it seems like we’ll even be able to play Netflix Games on our TV screens and PCs. Netflix has shared it wants the games to be “playable on every Netflix device that you have.” And apparently, code from the Netflix app seems to confirm.

Basically, for those who need a more convenient way to play some familiar titles, Netflix has you covered. Let’s take a look at which real video games get the mobile treatment via Netflix Games.

The Grand Theft Auto Trilogy

Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City, and San Andreas from the Grand Theft Auto Series are coming to Netflix Games on December 14. And these are some of the biggest games yet to join the platform. Netflix shares that these games will specifically arrive on mobile interfaces. It’s pretty exciting stuff. According to Netflix, the popular games will be available to play via the App Store, Google Play, and through the Netflix mobile app. You can pre-register for the games today.

Hades

Fan favorite video game Hades (also known as the Hades game) is heading to Netflix Games next year. At least, the rogue-like game will be available on iOS. Unfortunately, Hades will not come to Netflix Games users on Android. Still, this is a pretty exciting piece of news. Its arrival on Netflix Games will open up Hades to a whole new audience of players.

A release shares:

In this action role-playing game, you have one mission: get out of Hell alive. You’ll play as Zagreus, the son of Hades, as you attempt to escape the Underworld with the help of various Olympic deities. In Hades, you’ll fight to escape the regions of Tartarus, Asphodel, Elysium, and the Temple of Styx before facing the God of the Underworld himself in a final battle. Can you hack and slash your way out of the depths of Hell, or will you be doomed to the dungeons forever? From Supergiant Games, the hugely successful Hades will be available exclusively on iOS via Netflix starting next year. 

Slayaway Camp 2: Netflix & Kill

Netflix and kill? That sounds like a horror movie in the making. But it’s actually the latest entry into Netflix Game’s catalog.

This puzzle game is actually a sequel to a 2016 game called Slayaway Camp which was released on Steam, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Both games see you play as Skullface, a kind of adorable but deranged slasher. The official description shares, “In this sequel, you’re Skullface, a killer stuck inside a retro horror movie catalog — solve puzzles, stalk victims and get stabby.”

TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge recently released as a full-blown video game that paid homage to the retro Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games of the late ’80s and early ’90s. But for those who’d rather play on their phone, Netflix has converted Shredder’s Revenge into a mobile game you can play on the move. All the fun callbacks, retro goodness, and Ninja Turtle-ness stay intact, but no console is required. Cowabunga!

Tomb Raider Reloaded

Although this game isn’t a direct Netflix recreation of an existing video game, it does share some similarities to the games Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider: Anniversary. In it, you play as Lara Croft, who encounters the mysterious Natla and gets tempted by adventure. This entry into Netflix Games promises “a wide variety of puzzles and face off against different enemies and bosses — both new and familiar to the Tomb Raider series — including bloodthirsty wolves, poisonous snakes, fearsome golems and magical elemental creatures!” Sounds like some good adventure on the horizon.

Valiant Hearts: Coming Home

Valiant Hearts: The Great War is a puzzle adventure game developed for consoles. This popular World War I set game can now be played on mobile courtesy of Netflix Games. Happy the Valient Hearts: Coming Home mobile game retains the graphic novel style of the original and the characters at the heart of its story. The mobile version promises a story every bit as compelling and beautiful as the first.

Twelve Minutes

Twelve Minutes is originally a Steam game with a seriously loaded cast. James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley, and Willem Dafoe lend their voices to this interactive thriller. The game revolves around a man trapped in a terrifying time loop that is fated to go on and on unless he/you uses his foreknowledge to break the cycle. Netflix’s rendition of Twelve Minutes replaces the click-and-drag gameplay of the desktop version with a similar “tap and drag” system, and it retains all of the voice talents to boot. Not to mention, the trailer for this mobile version definitely has us at the edges of our seats.

Dust & Neon

Dust & Neon, a Nintendo Switch game also on Steam, has arrived on Netflix Games. This game takes place in “a futuristic Wild West, where robots have rejected their life of servitude, and taken over the planet, turning it into a not-so-enjoyable place for humans.” And it’s up to you to fight robot oppression… Which you can now do on your phone. Netflix Games promises that this mobile game will have every bit as much futuristic, gunslinging, cyborg vs. robot shooter action as its Switch predecessor.

How to Download and Play Netflix Games

Ready to explore these mobile versions of real video games for yourself? If you have Netflix, you’re almost there. To access the games, first, download the Netflix mobile app itself. Then, in the app store, you can look up all these different games. Once you download them, as you would any app, they’ll appear in the “Netflix Games” section in the overall Netflix app. You can also start in the Netflix app itself, go to the games sections, and look up different games from there.

In addition to versions of full games, Netflix has other original mobile games; a few are even based on its different properties, like Stranger Things and Wednesday. As far as mobile gaming goes, Netflix seems like a pretty good bet. So go forth and crush some small-screen challenges.

Originally published on February 22, 2023.

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Disney Lorcana’s second set, Rise of the Floodborn, has been out in the wild for almost two weeks now. The starter decks we reviewed brought depth to the game. Now that I’ve purchased boosters and built a new deck, I’m putting the bounce mechanics that shined the Amethyst and Steel starter deck to use. With the release of new Lorcana decks and booster packs comes additional products from Ravensburger. They sent Nerdist a copy of the Rise of the Floodborn: Illumineer’s Trove and the Disney Lorcana: Disney100 Edition for review. The Illumineer’s Trove shines, but the Disney100 Edition could use a little more oomph.

Rise of the Floodborn: Illumineer’s Trove

The Illumineer’s Trove, which was also available for The First Chapter, is now themed for Rise of the Floodborn. It comes with a collection storage box, two deck storage boxes, eight booster packs, 15 damage tokens, and a player’s guide. The MSRP for the Illumineer’s Trove is $49.99. Eight booster packs alone have a MSRP of $47.92, so it’s already a pretty good value just for the boosters.

While the damage tokens are only slightly nicer than the starter deck ones and the two deck storage boxes are flimsy and not super functional, the collection storage box and player’s guide more than make up for it. The collection storage box is sturdy and with plenty of room to hold your extra cards. It comes with dividers help you keep things straight. The player’s guide is full of Disney Lorcana lore and includes the card catalog so you can mark which cards you have. It also highlights some of the Rise of the Floodborn cards’ abilities. I use the Lorcana app to inventory my collection, but it’s incredibly satisfying to check boxes and mark the cards I have. If they sold a book like this separately for each set, I would absolutely collect them all.

Disney Lorcana: Disney100 Edition

This special edition celebrates Disney’s 100th anniversary. It comes with six cards from The First Chapter and Rise of the Floodborn that feature alternate artwork from Disney animators. The art has a snazzy finish and features the animator’s signature. Additionally, the set has four Rise of the Floodborn booster packs. MSRP for Disney Lorcana: Disney100 Edition is $49.99.

The artwork is flawless. If you’re a Disney animation nerd, having unique Genie art signed by Eric Goldberg is pretty special. All the art is gorgeous and the satin holographic foil finish adds a nice sparkle. I really appreciate that the artwork is the unique part, not the card’s abilities or other stats. The cards include:

• Mickey Mouse – Friendly Face – Mark Henn
• Elsa – Gloves Off – Brittney Lee
• Genie – Powers Unleashed – Eric Goldberg
• Stitch – Abomination – Alex Kupershmidt
• Maleficent – Uninvited – Lorelay Bové
• Maui – Demigod – Bill Schwab

Disney Lorcana: Disney100 Edition‘s packaging and presentation, however, aren’t as premium as I would hope for an item designed for collectors. The box is far too large for four booster packs and the bundle of Disney cards. I actually thought I received an empty box at first, but the cards are sealed in the bottom. That part is good; it prevents them from shaking around in the box. But the special Disney animator cards come wrapped in a somewhat flimsy wax paper-like sealed package. As a result of this packaging, all of the special cards have a noticeable curve. I can probably flatten them with heavy books on top, but I find it weird that the booster pack cards are in better shape than the Disney animator cards.

Both the Illumineer’s Trove and Disney100 Edition have been available at local game stores since November 17, though stock has fluctuated. They’ll both be available at mass market retailers on December 1.

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It’s getting closer to the time to come out of the vault. Prime Video’s TV series adaptation of Fallout will premiere next year, bringing the post-nuclear wasteland of the popular video game to television. The series from executive producers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy and Kilter Films will tell a story set hundreds of years after the apocalypse. Those who weathered the storm in fallout shelters are returning to the world. And that means, things are going to get interesting. The first images from the Fallout TV series show the stark difference between the Vault Dwellers and those on the outside. We see Walton Goggins’ The Ghoul, Kyle MacLachlan’s Overseer Hank, power armor suits, and more.

We would not want to meet The Ghoul. Goggins’ character “survives the wasteland as a Bounty Hunter. He is pragmatic, ruthless, and hides a mysterious past.” In the game, ghouls are around the wasteland. Intense radiation has transformed their skin and given them longer lifespans—all at a cost.

The world of Fallout is not a gentle one. As the series synopsis states:

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

Additional first-look photos show some of that world, revealing Ella Purnell’s Lucy, Aaron Moten’s Maximus, and MacLachlan’s Hank.

Click To View Gallery

We still have a while to wait until Fallout‘s release on April 12, 2024, but these images are helping to get us through. Here’s hoping we get a trailer soon.

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“They were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think If they should.” Those were the immortal words of Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) in the classic blockbuster Jurassic Park. Well, we would usually agree with the good doctor, except in this case. Because Wizards of the Coast making Jurassic Park-themed Magic: The Gathering cards? We’re of the opinion if you can make them, then you totally should. Because the newly revealed Jurassic Park cards, part of their Universes Beyond crossovers, are pretty darn cool. They’ll be a part of The Lost Caverns Of Ixalan, revealed at the 2023 Las Vegas MagicCon. You can check out images of the new cards below:

Click To View Gallery

Among the cards included within the Lost Caverns Of Ixalan packs are ones featuring characters and creatures from the beloved ’90s film and its many sequels. These arrive just in time for the Steven Spielberg classic’s 30th anniversary. At a MagicCon panel, Wizards revealed three new cards from the Jurassic Park line, together with a new “stamped” variant with the Jurassic World logo embossed over the card. The three revealed cards were Dr. Ian Malcom/Chaotician, listed as a “Legendary Creature.” (We agree, he’s a pretty legendary creature). Then there’s the Indominus Rex/Alpha from Jurassic World, and a “Welcome To…/Jurassic Park” double-sided Saga card.

These Jurassic Park/Jurassic World cards are the beginning of an overall partnership between Wizards of the Coast and NBC Universal. Does this mean we’ve got Fast & Furious and Minions cards coming our way too? Who knows, who ever saw these Jurassic Park cards coming? Stranger things have happened. You can learn more about The Lost Caverns of Ixalan and the Jurassic Park Magic cards in the video below.

The Lost Caverns Of Ixalan launched on November 17, with the Jurassic World cards contained in booster packs, collectors booster packs, and bundles.

Secret Lair x Jurassic World: Dr. Ian Malcolm Collection

As if that wasn’t enough Jurassic World fun, Dr. Ian Malcolm is also getting his very own collection as part of Secret Lair’s Secretversary 2023. Yes, this collection is all Dr. Malcolm all the time. The description for the set shares, “Dr. Ian Malcolm is here to sweep you off your feet and slip into your collection. Whether the magnetic mathematician is scolding a megalomaniacal millionaire, recovering from a dinosaur attack, or slowly dripping water on your hand while explaining the intricacies of entropy, he’s got charisma to spare. And with art like this, chaos has never been so beautiful.”

Click To View Gallery

This Secret Drop Jurassic World collection features four Magic cards and an egg token all reimagined to feature Dr. Ian Malcom. They are as follows:

• 1x Laboratory Maniac as “Chaotic Chaotician”
• 1x Tasha’s Hideous Laughter as “Malcolm’s Mercurial Mirth”
• 1x Tasigur, the Golden Fang as “Ian, Convalescent Charmer”
• 1x Atla Palani, Nest Tender as “Dr. Ian Malcolm”
• 1x Egg token

We can’t wait to see what other kinds of Jurassic World mayhem Magic: The Gathering will dream up next.

Originally published on September 22, 2023.

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Tiffany & Co.’s new collaboration with Pokémon gives a whole new meaning to the idea of “shiny Pokémon.” Sure, we all love a shiny version of our favorite Pokémon. Maybe they’re pink and not blue this time, or maybe they have a cool new look. But Tiffany’s shiny Pikachu (and friends) take things to a much different level, a diamond, silver, and gold level. And we’re not just talking about the game versions here. We’re talking about Tiffany Pokémon necklaces that collectively cost nearly $20,000 and individually are a pretty penny as well. In case you have a little bit of spare cash lying around to catch ’em all, Tiffany’s Pokémon collection is now open. But like the best rare catches and events, it will only be here for a short time and its timer is already ticking down. Let’s take a closer look at these wild Pokémon jewelry creations.

The Tiffany & Arsham Studio & Pokémon Capsule Collection

The full name of this collection is actually The Tiffany & Arsham Studio & Pokémon Capsule Collection. The Pokéjewels come courtesy of contemporary artist, Daniel Arsham. They actually have a pretty cool vision behind them. A release shares that the Tiffany x Pokémon collection is “designed in Arsham’s ‘Future Relics’ aesthetic, where he reimagines everyday objects as archaeological discoveries from an imagined future. The collection is inspired by Arsham’s exhibition in Japan, A Ripple in Time, which features a variety of Pokémon works of art meant to evoke the passage of time.” That’s quite a story for these jewels to tell.

What Is Available to Buy in This Collection?

The jewelry collection highlights six Pokémon: Pikachu, Charmander, Squirtle, Jigglypuff, Cubone, and Mew. We feel this makes for an interesting array of choices—Cubone especially doesn’t always feature as a series mascot. But he sure looks nice in silver and diamond. Mew, hands down, would be my choice to feature if I got to wear expensive Pokémon jewelry from Tiffany & Co.

In all, the Tiffany & Arsham Studio & Pokémon Capsule Collection features three styles of jewelry. A release notes, “There are pendants with one Pokémon each and a station necklace with six Pokémon, all crafted in oxidized sterling silver with diamond accents. Additionally, a Pikachu pendant in 18k yellow gold with diamonds is offered in a small size.” Excitingly, if you venture to get the 18k Yellow Gold with Diamonds Pikachu pendant (the most expensive available item), then you will also receive a Poké Ball in Tiffany Blue.

What Does The Tiffany Pikachu Pendant and Other Pokémon Jewelry Cost?

Click To View Gallery

Honestly, Tiffany should just sell their Poké Balls individually. If there’s one thing we know, it’s that folks love a collectible Poké Ball. And that way, there might actually be an affordable item in the line-up. As it stands, here’s what everything costs in this Tiffany x Pokémon collaboration. The Pikachu pendant in gold costs $9,190. The individual silver and diamond pendants cost $1,290 each. And the necklace with the full set of Tiffany Pokémon pendants cost $7,190.

Hopefully, being a Pokémon Master pays… Otherwise, we’ll just stick to the normal kinds of shiny Pokémon for now. This Pokémon jewelry collection is now on sale at Tiffany & Co.’s website. We don’t know if these rare catches will return a second time.

The post $20,000 POKÉMON x Tiffany Jewelry Collab Reveals Very Shiny Pokémon appeared first on Nerdist.

It’s always a wild ride in the world of entertainment. This week, Nerdist had the pleasure of speaking to The Marvels‘ Iman Vellani, we saw some potential Fantastic Four casting news, and we got our first good look at Madame Web. But that’s not all that took place.

Here are some of our favorite pop-culture news odds & ends from this week.

This Week’s Odds & Ends in News

Jump to:

• Harley Quinn Renewed for Season Five on Max
• Yes, Frozen 4 Is in the Works Even Though Frozen 3 Has Not Released Yet
• Completed Coyote vs. Acme Movie Canceled and then Uncanceled By Warner Bros.
• It’s Ranch Time: Ranch Popcorn Arrives at AMC, and a Double-Headed Ranch Bottle Can Soon Be Yours
• Welcome to Wrexham Renewed for Season Three
• Blumhouse’s Imaginary Brings Us a Killer Teddy Bear
• Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection Will Launch on Digital
• Critical Role Prequel Novel for Bells Hells Campaign to Release in 2024
• Dr Pepper Reveals Spicy New Flavor, Dr Pepper Hot Take
• Central Perk Coffeehouse, a Modern Take on Friends Location, Now Open in Boston

Harley Quinn Renewed for Season Five on Max

A show renewal, especially on Max, is cause for great celebration these days. And we’re definitely cheering on Harley Quinn, which will receive a season five on Max. Five seasons is no easy feat for any series, but this fabulously queer show definitely deserves them. As a release from Max shares, Harley Quinn is full of “hilarious, heartwarming, and deranged stories with our lovable group of DC misfits.”

Harley Quinn is also heading to the Joker sequel, Folie á Deux

Yes, Frozen 4 Is in the Works Even Though Frozen 3 Has Not Released Yet

“Let it go, let it go!” These lyrics made Frozen‘s Elsa famous. But it seems like Disney is certainly not ready to let go of Frozen, Anna, or Elsa. Although Frozen 3 has not even begun to become a reality, it turns out Frozen 4 is already in the works. Per Variety, Disney’s CEO recently shared, “Frozen 3 is in the works, and there might be a Frozen 4 in the works too… [Director] Jenn Lee, who created the original Frozen and Frozen 2, is hard at work with her team at Disney animation on not one but actually two stories.”

Remember when Disney sequels went direct to VHS?

In the meantime, check out our review of Disney’s latest animated film.

Completed Coyote vs. Acme Movie Canceled and then Uncanceled By Warner Bros. Discovery

It’s a messy time in the entertainment industry. Fully completed movies and series are being unceremoniously canceled for tax break purposes, and that should be illegal, literally. The latest finished movie to almost get canceled is Coyote vs. Acme, starring Will Forte, John Cena, and Lana Condor. Warner Bros. Discovery even announced its cancellation but was met with great public outcry from fans and creators alike. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the studio has since reversed course and will now allow director Dave Green to try to sell the movie instead. Potential buyers include Amazon. It’s still not a great situation, but it’s better.

Unfortunately, more and more streamers are canceling finished products. But happily, some of them, like The Spiderwick Chronicles, are getting saved.

It’s Ranch Time: Ranch Popcorn Arrives at AMC, and a Double-Headed Ranch Bottle Can Soon Be Yours

‘Tis the season, it turns out, for ranch. First up, Hidden Valley Ranch is bringing ranch dressing to AMC theaters with a brand-new Hidden Valley Ranch gourmet popcorn flavor. A release shares this movie theater treat will offer the “right balance of tangy Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning with AMC’s perfectly popped popcorn.” Yum! Hidden Valley Ranch movie theater popcorn is now available at select AMC theaters.

Additionally, for the top ranch aficionados, Hidden Valley Ranch has created “Double Ranch, the ranchiest ranch yet. Double the herbs. Double the spices. Double the flavor. Double the bottles.” You have our attention.

This double-headed Ranch bottle will “be available nationwide through a Snapchat lens on Saturday, November 18, while supplies last. The custom Snapchat lens will recognize any “X” that users come across, prompting the Double Ranch bottle to appear on the screen and providing a Swipe Up feature to purchase.” 222 bottles of this double-headed ranch monster will be available.

This isn’t the weirdest ranch has gotten; it once turned into a diamond ring.

Welcome to Wrexham Renewed for Season Three

Our favorite feel-good docuseries will return once again. Welcome to Wrexham has been renewed for a third season by FX, and it will arrive in spring 2024. That means Rob McElhenney, Ryan Reynolds, and the Wrexham AFC team will all be back for more football fun before we know it. We expect season three will make us cry and then laugh, and we can’t wait. In the meantime, we’ll enjoy watching back through Welcome to Wrexham‘s now-completed first couple of seasons.

If you haven’t yet, check out all the fun of Welcome to Wrexham season two.

Blumhouse’s Imaginary Brings Us a Killer Teddy Bear

Obviously, one thing missing from our lives is a new horror movie about a killer teddy bear. So thank god that Blumhouse’s Imaginary trailer is here to bring us what we need. This movie offers a dark take on the notion of imaginary friends.

You don’t want to cross these angry spirits, and you certainly don’t want to ever leave them behind. Or else, they’ll possess stuffed animals and come for you. Better watch out for how you treat your teddy bears.

We don’t know how this movie will turn out yet, but these are our favorite final scenes from horror movies.

Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection Will Launch on Digital

Want to relive the magic of a whole trove of classing Jurassic Park video games? Well, you’re in luck because a collection of them is launching on digital on November 22.

A release shares, “The 8-and 16-bit era of Jurassic Park games has returned. This nostalgic release includes a lineup of classic titles and adds new features, including save states for each game, new in-game maps, and various quality-of-life fixes that bring these titles into the modern era of gaming.”

The Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection includes seven games that were originally released across NES, Game Boy, SNES, and the SEGA Genesis:

• Jurassic Park (NES)
• Jurassic Park (SNES)
• Jurassic Park (Game Boy)
• Jurassic Park (Genesis)
• Jurassic Park: The Chaos Continues (SNES)
• Jurassic Park: The Chaos Continues (Game Boy)
• Jurassic Park: Rampage Edition (Genesis)

You can pre-order the collection now.

Did you know dinosaurs may have been cuddly?

Critical Role Prequel Novel for Bells Hells Campaign to Release in 2024

Critical Role‘s current campaign Bells Hells is getting a prequel novel titled Critical Role: Bells Hells—What Doesn’t Break. This new book will “[chronicle] the unexplored years before fan-favorite character Laudna joins up with the crew of Bells Hells, following her departure from Whitestone and her solo adventures on the road toward Jrusar.” Sounds like it will be an epic adventure! This Critical Role novel will be written by Cassandra Khaw and release on July 24, 2024.

Experience more Bells Hells with this animated opening sequence from the campaign.

Dr Pepper Reveals Spicy New Flavor Dr Pepper Hot Take

Get ready for a spicy new flavor of Dr Pepper, Dr Pepper Hot Take. A release shares, “Dr Pepper has harnessed the bold and blistering flavor of spicy peppers to create the limited-edition flavor. It’s the iconic Dr Pepper taste fans know and love, but with a zesty, fiery kick.” That’s hot. The flavor is available exclusively through “Pepper Perks” and can either be won in a game of scratch-and-win or purchased for 3,000 points. We must admit, we feel very curious about it.

You think that’s hot? Check out this IRL lightsaber.

Central Perk Coffeehouse, a Modern Take on Friends Location, Now Open in Boston

Our favorite Friends location is coming to life with a modern twist. Central Perk Coffeehouse opened in Boston on November 14. According to People, the “2,600-square-foot venue, a collaboration between Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment and CenPer, is filled with Friends-inspired memorabilia and subtle nods to the show’s characters and plot lines. And of course, it features an oversized orange couch. There are also coffee cup sleeves featuring iconic quotes from each of the six Friends.”

This location will be permanent. On its opening day, the cafe honored the late Matthew Perry.

We’ll never forget Chandler Bing or his impact on the TV world.

The post FROZEN 4 In the Works, COYOTE VS. ACME Uncanceled, and More News Odds & Ends appeared first on Nerdist.

When Disney Lorcana: The First Chapter arrived over the summer, I followed the Ravensburger game inspired by Disney animation into the trading card rabbit hole. I learned about deck-building, the perils of booster packs and boxes (when I could track them down), and the value of buying single cards. I joined a weekly Lorcana league at a local game store and enjoyed seeing how quickly a community formed around the game. After a few months of perfecting my decks and preferred ink combinations with The First Chapter, it’s all changing with Disney Lorcana: Rise of the Floodborn. The second set’s starter decks bring additional features that, while friendly to beginners, bring depth and fresh challenges to the game.

Ravensburger sent Nerdist one of each starter deck for review purposes. The starter decks have 60 cards each and are designed for immediate play. Both feature different ink combinations than The First Chapter’s starter decks. Additionally, both decks include some cards from the first release. Though they might not have any of the set’s most powerful cards, the starter decks are a well-rounded representation of Rise of the Floodborn. Both have stunning art of Disney characters and hint at the mysterious flood of ink that transformed some of the characters.

Rise of the Floodborn Amethyst and Steel Starter Deck

Called the Might and Magic deck, the Rise of the Floodborn Amethyst and Steel Starter Deck is all about transformation. This deck features several Merlin and Madam Mim transformation cards from their wizard’s duel in The Sword in the Stone. Besides being excited to see the characters from the 1963 film, the Amethyst ink cards come with effects for when the characters enter play and when they leave play. This can mean gaining lore, drawing a card, peeking at the top card of your deck, or returning a card to your hand.

With the Steel ink, you have cards that represent the best of the ink’s traits. That means bodyguards, damage dealers, and solid lore values. The Amethyst cards in this deck thrive with Steel at their back. Though I’m already imagining some modifications I would make with Steel cards from The First Chapter.

A huge selling point of this deck is Resist. After several months playing The First Chapter, it’s going to take me a while to incorporate Resist and to remember its value. This new keyword brings the ability for a character to resist damage. We’ve seen all kinds of modifications to strength values, but not to damage. If you’re playing Lorcana for the first time with Floodborn, use this to your advantage. If you’ve been playing Lorcana, I’d get this deck just to practice using this ability. It has the potential to be a gamechanger.

Play this deck if you’re bold enough to banish your own cards or return them to your hand. (Reader: I am not bold enough. I want to hang on to my cards as long as possible and quest with them).

Rise of the Floodborn Sapphire and Amber Starter Deck

The Rise of the Floodborn Sapphire and Amber Starter Deck focuses on teamwork. It is, in fact, the Tactical Teamwork deck. That’s largely because of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The Seven Dwarfs play off each other, lending Support and abilities triggered upon banishment. They can build up lore and get very quest-y very quickly. Additionally this deck brings in more items (perfect for Tamatoa item deck builders) and adds new faces like Winnie the Pooh and Judy Hopps.

While the Sapphire in this starter deck doesn’t load the inkwell as quickly as Sapphire cards in The First Chapter, it delivers on items and being ink fodder. It also helpfully brings in a character capable of challenging Evasive opponents for only two ink (Cruella de Vil, Fashionable Cruiser). Sapphire has intriguing items, too.

That said, Amber is what shines in this deck. I found myself inking Sapphire cards over and over to get Amber cards in play. I was initially skeptical about the sheer number of Seven Dwarfs cards, thinking I would get tired of seeing them, let alone playing them. They seem to rule the deck. But I quickly became a fan. Using the Seven Dwarfs to their full potential will take more finesse but even in a handful of games, they proved beneficial for challenging the opponent and also for questing. This deck’s features make it easy to get characters with high lore value out on the board and make your opponent go on the defensive. It can go from low lore to high lore quickly to make a comeback, too.

Play this deck if you like to rely on a quest-heavy strategy. (Hi, it’s me).

Overall, the Rise of the Floodborn starter decks complement the existing game’s meta while introducing new possibilities. It delivers on expanding Lorcana’s story while bringing fresh characters and gorgeous new art.

Disney Lorcana: The Rise of the Floodborn will release first at local game stores on November 17. Mass market retailers follow on December 1. Get more information at the official Lorcana website.

Featured Image: Ravensburger

The post DISNEY LORCANA: RISE OF THE FLOODBORN Starter Decks Bring More Depth to the Game appeared first on Nerdist.

Sometimes the perfect holiday gift is an item you’ve been eyeing all year. Other times the perfect holiday gift is an actual holiday-themed item. If you’re looking for the former this season we already have you covered whether you’re a pop culture lover or a tabletop enthusiast. But if you’re on the lookout for the latter, we’re also here to help. We’ve put together a massive list of great seasonal merchandise celebrating our favorite TV shows, films, video games, and more. From advent calendars and home goods, to comfort wear and ornaments, to so much more, we have plenty of present options for every wish list this December.

Advent Calendars – Elf: The Official Advent Calendar ($29.99)

We’re living in the golden age of advent calendars. They aren’t merely daily chocolate delivery systems anymore. You can now get just about any kind, offering whatever kind of treats you like. Those many options include advent calendars inspired by pop culture favorites, including this obviously perfect Elf option from Insight Editions. All month long you can open up gifts like stickers, tin buttons, key chains, Christmas decorations, and more based on the Will Ferrell holiday classic.

Looking for more pop culture advent calendars?

• Sonic the Hedgehog Advent Calendar ($49.99)
• National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation Advent Calendar ($49.99)
• The Office Funko Advent Calendar ($59.95)
• Jurassic World 30th Anniversary Holiday Advent Calendar Mini Figure Set ($32.99)
• Stranger Things 4 Advent Calendar ($48.99)

Glassware – Joy Jolt Star Wars Ugly Christmas Sweater Glasses Set ($29.95)

Joy Jolt’s Disney and Star Wars collections have enough fantastic items for fans of the Mouse House and galaxy far, far away that you could knock off most of your 2023 gift shopping list at the site. But if you’re looking for a Christmas-specific set of glasses you’ll want Joy Jolt’s delightful Star Wars Ugly Christmas Sweater collection. These four glasses are fun, practical, and, despite their inspiration, strangely stylish. They would even make Palpatine smile on Christmas morning.

Looking for more pop culture holiday glassware?

• Batman: The Animated Series Joker Christmas Pint Glass ($12.99) – Yeah, we’re using this glass, based on one of the show’s best episodes, year round.
• Saturday Night Live Schweddy Ball White Mug ($12.95) – As the kids say, “If you know, you know.” And anyone who does will love this mug celebrating a truly iconic SNL sketch.

Ornaments – Rick and Morty Ornaments ($19.99)

What duo says “Christmas” more than Rick and Morty? Uh… literally any other pair? I mean, there’s probably some couple in the infinite multiverse who captures the holiday spirit less, but who cares! We want to decorate our tree with television’s most absurd cartoons, and this double Hallmark set will let us do just that. If we’re celebrating TV and Christmas at the same time this is :burp: how we’re going to squanch it. The fact they’ll both look terrified of our tree makes it even better.

Looking for more pop culture holiday ornaments?

• Elf: Buddy The Elf Singing Ornament ($9.99)
• Roy Kent Ted Lasso Christmas Ceramic Ornament ($9.95)
• Dungeons & Dragons: Forged Monstrous Merrymakers Mimic Ornaments($36.99)
• Squid Game – Dalgona Candy Ornament Set ($35)
• Magic the Gathering 3-Piece Christmas Ornament Set ($12)
• Hand Painted “Eye Of Sauron” Lord of the Rings Ornaments ($12/15)
• Nicolas “Picolas” Cage Christmas Ornament ($14.99) – Please please please click this link to see this pickle-themed option. We love it oh so much.

Ugly Holiday Sweaters – Loki: The Christmas Variant Ugly Christmas Sweater ($59.99)

Merchoid has so many fantastic pop culture Christmas sweaters to choose from it’s almost impossible to settle on just one. It’s a massive collection covering film, TV, literature, video games, and more. So we opted for a piece of clothing that truly captures what’s great about all of them. The MCU’s Loki is now the God of Stories. He’s responsible for every reality, which means he’s responsible for every ugly Christmas sweater. Talk about a glorious holiday purpose.

Looking for more pop culture ugly holiday sweaters?

• House Of The Dragon Holiday Sweater ($51.95)
• The Lord Of The Rings Ugly Christmas Sweater ($39.95)
• Ted Lasso Ugly Christmas Sweater ($34.95 – $37.95)
• Doug Nickelodeon Ugly Christmas Sweater ($54)
• Fallout Gary Ugly Christmas Sweater ($54)
• Rugrats Tommy Pickles Maccababy Holiday Sweater ($59.90)
• Stranger Things Hellfire Club Ugly Christmas Sweater ($48)

Home Goods and Decor – Lenox “Grinchmas” Collection

You could easily put together an entire holiday-themed gift guide made up entirely of Lenox’s pop culture options. The company offers ornaments, frames, decorations, kitchenware, and more from The Peanuts, Star Wars, and Disney. But our Christmas movie-loving hearts are partial to Lenox’s The Grinch Who Stole Christmas “Grinchmas” collection. From mugs, plates, salt and pepper shakers, trays, mugs, and more, you can turn your home into a big celebration of the holiday’s iconic green villain-turned-softy

Looking for more pop culture holiday home goods and decor?

• Nintendo Super Mario Super Star Light-Up Tree Topper ($35.99) – Mamma mia! What a perfect pop culture tree topper!
• Marvel’s The Incredible Hulk Nutcracker ($64.99) – This is an amazing decoration and not a functioning nutcracker, but that’s for the best. We don’t want our nuts crushed, not smashed.
• Mickey Mouse Hanukkah Salad Plate Set ($44.99) – You’ll want to use these elegant plates more than eight nights a year.
• Star Trek: The Next Generation “Make It Snow” Pillow ($32.95) – Make this charming gift so for the Captain Picard fan in your life.

Comfort Wear – Pokémon Holiday Long John Pajama Set ($25-$39)

Some families like to wear matching clothes in their holiday photos. It’s a playful way to celebrate Christmas, and you can do that while also celebrating your favorite game with Hanna Andersson’s Pokémon long john collection. Thanks to the color of a Poké ball they don’t even look out of place as holiday-themed comfort ware. And there are PJs for everyone in your herd, no matter their age or size.

Looking for more pop culture holiday comfort wear ideas?

• Star Wars Han Solo “Han In Hanukkah” Sweatshirt ($44.90) – Needless to say this Han Solo Hanukkah sweatshirt is “not too shabby.”
• Elf Crocs ($64.99/$74.99) – Young or old, wearing Elf-themed Crocs on Christmas morning sounds so perfect it makes us think Santa is real. (And that we know him.)
• Studio Ghibli My Neighbor Totoro Forest Spirits Holiday Sweater ($59.90) – Why wasn’t this Box Lunch My Neighbor Totoro exclusive included in our ugly sweater section? Because it’s gorgeous!

Toys – LEGO Ideas Home Alone McAllister House Set ($299.99)

We’ve been obsessed with LEGO’s Home Alone McAllister House set since it was merely a LEGO Ideas submission, but can you blame us? The most expensive item on our list is a toy, a collectible, and a Christmas decoration all in one. It’s everything you could want from a holiday-themed item, one that celebrates so many things we love. And any time we can honor a holiday classic while also having some fun we will

Looking for more pop culture holiday toys?

• Star Wars The Black Series Holiday Figures ($27.99 each) – Every year Hasbro brings Christmas to the galaxy far, far away and every year we love every holiday-themed collectible.
• Mickey Mouse and Friends Disney Parks Holiday Train Set ($141.99) – Another toy that also doubles as Christmas decor? Oh boy!

Pet Toys – BARK Season’s Treatings Advent Calendar for Dogs ($49.99)

Advent calendars aren’t just for humans any more than Christmas gifts are. And since we know you’re definitely going to get your pup some presents this year, we had to highlight BARK’s holiday box for dogs. It will let you give your very good furry best friend something every day for 24 days. This Costco-exclusive dog advent calendar box comes with eight Christmas-themes toys and sixteen treats from their

Looking for more pop culture pet holiday gift ideas?

• ZippyPaws Holiday Burrow – Reindeer Pen ($16.99) – We won’t say how cute we think this little Rudolph toy is, but you can probably guess.
• Frisco Holiday 8 Days of Hanukkah Cardboard Calendar with Toys for Cats ($19.99) – Did you really think we’d forget about cats? Zero chance. We love them almost as much as we fear their wrath.

Board Games – Asmodee’s The Nightmare Before Christmas ($35)

It was another big year for Asmodee, one of our favorite tabletop publishers. You can easily fill up all the space below the board game fan in your life’s tree this holiday season with award-winning games like Challengers!, Unlock!, Star Wars: Shatterpoint, Marvel D.A.G.G.E.R., and more. But if you’re looking for a Christmas-themed game option this December we suggest Asmodee’s new The Nightmare Before Christmas card game, which lets you play as your favorite characters from the film

Looking for more holiday-themed board games?

• Betrayal at House on the Hill with Betrayal Evil Reigns in the Wynter’s Pale the Yuletide Tale Expansion ($21.99 for Expansion) – We know, this is not a board game you expected to see for a Christmas guide. But this horror classic from Avalon Hill is ready for December thanks to an all-new spooky Yuletide expansion.
• A Christmas Karen ($9.99) – If you want something light for your extended family to play this Christmas, Asmodee also has a game perfect for everyone except your actual Aunt Karen.

The post A Holiday-Themed Gift Guide for Film, TV, and Video Game Fans appeared first on Nerdist.

From The Marvels‘ release to Loki season two’s finale, it’s been a big week in big names. But a whole lot of other important and interesting news has been brewing as well. And we don’t want you to miss out on things like upcoming movie announcements, cool merch, epic trailers, and other generally fun internet shenanigans.

Here are some of our favorite pop-culture news odds & ends from this week.

This Week’s Odds & Ends in News

Jump to:

• Here are the Movie and TV Productions Heading Back to Work
• RSVLTS Invites You to Stylishly Celebrate the Holidays with Marvel
• A New Original Peanuts Movie Is on the Way
• Check Out the Trailer for Netflix’s Epic Heist Movie Lift, Starring Kevin Hart
• Stranger Things Returns to Dead by Daylight
• The Marvels‘ Goose Takes Over Las Vegas’ Sphere and Offers You Soothing ASMR YouTube Video
• Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster Will Release Exactly 29 Years After Its Original Version
• Make Your Food Taste Like Beer with Blue Moon Spices
• TV News: The Bear Renewed for Season 3, OFMD Season 3 Updates, Prison Break spinoff Series in Development

Here are the Movie and TV Productions Heading Back to Work

Since the studios have finally agreed to offer fair deals to their writers and actors, productions on our favorite shows and movies can now resume. Huzzah! According to Deadline, these productions are wasting no time in getting back to work and will be heading back to work as soon as this week. As far as movies go, Deadpool 3, Gladiator 2, Beetlejuice 2, and Venom 3 are all off to the races. In TV show land, meanwhile, the first to return to set and other production areas include Netflix’s Stranger Things, Max’s The Penguin and Welcome To Derry, and Prime Video’s The Boys.

Get ready for The Boys by checking out what Gen V set up for season four.

RSVLTS Invites You to Stylishly Celebrate the Holidays with Marvel

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‘Tis the season! And we’re excited to celebrate in many different ways, including dressing up in nerdy holiday style. To help us out, one of our favorite brands RSVLTS has shared a new line of Marvel holiday shirts. We know from experience that RSVLTS shirts are top-notch, and now that they’ve gone festive, how can we resist? Celebrate with a “Heroic Holiday” button-up (also in a short-sleeve version), or get ready to belt out your favorite Christmas song while wearing a “Spider-Man Is Coming to Town” shirt. Both options fulfill all your geeky and Christmas dreams. Gingerbread Groot and Spidey-Santa, yes, please.

For more cool merch from RSVLTS, check out their recent Star Wars collection.

A New Original Peanuts Movie Is on the Way

Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the gang are taking over the big city in a brand-new, original Peanuts feature coming to Apple TV+. According to a release, this Peanuts movie will be a “new family film [that] will see the Peanuts gang go on an epic adventure to the Big City, learning the true meaning of friendship, while meeting some surprising new friends along the way.” Sounds like another heartwarming adventure. The CG-animated movie is slated to begin production in 2024.

In the meanwhile, celebrate Thanksgiving with Charlie Brown.

Check Out the Trailer for Netflix’s Epic Heist Movie Lift, Starring Kevin Hart

It’s time for the ultimate heist—one that takes place 40,000 feet in the air. Netflix’s latest action-packed movie Lift promises a ton of action, but also a lot of laughs if its trailer is anything to go by. We’re totally hooked. Not to mention, Lift is rocking an amazing cast. To pull off the ultimate job, Kevin Hart teams with Loki‘s Gugu Mbatha-Raw as well as Vincent D’Onofrio, Úrsula Corberó, Billy Magnussen, Viveik Kalra, Yun Jee Kim, and Sam Worthington. We could think of no better team and can’t wait to see more of this movie as soon as we can.

A synopsis shares, “An international heist crew, led by Cyrus Whitaker (Kevin Hart), race to lift $500 million in gold from a passenger plane at 40,000 feet.” Lift releases on Netflix on January 12, 2024.

Netflix is on fire lately—we can’t get enough of the trailer for its Avatar: The Last Airbender series.

Stranger Things Returns to Dead by Daylight

Get ready, survivors, Stranger Things has returned to the world of Dead by Daylight. The beloved Netflix show had a DLC on Dead by Daylight before, but it was removed due to licensing issues. Thankfully, Steve, Nancy, and the Demogorgon are all back in the world, alongside a Hawkins lab map. A release from Netflix shares, “The Stranger Things Chapter for Dead by Daylight is returning!

Starting today, players can once again hunt and be hunted in the Underground Complex Map from Hawkins National Laboratory as The Demogorgon, Nancy Wheeler, and Steve Harrington.

All Stranger Things cosmetics are also coming back to the in-game store, including iconic looks like the Scoops Ahoy Outfit for Steve.”

Scoops Ahoy Steve? Say no more.

If you want more Stranger Things fun, check out these cute sets from Fisher-Price’s Little People collection.

Goose Takes Over Las Vegas’ Sphere and Offers You Soothing ASMR YouTube Video

It’s a big week for Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau, but also for everyone’s favorite Flerken, Goose. This cat-shaped alien is making the most of it by taking over the Las Vegas sphere and YouTube. First, enjoy a super-sized Goose glowing over the Vegas strip.

Then, tune in for eight hours of cat/Flerken ASMR. It’s the only way to really live.

The Marvels movie has landed. Here’s our review:

Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster Will Release Exactly 29 Years After Its Original Version

Everything that’s old is new again. And sometimes it’s new again exactly 29 years after it was first new. A remaster for the first-ever Star Wars shooter game Star Wars: Dark Forces has been in the works for a little while, but we finally know when it will be released. This classic turned modern Star Wars game will arrive on February 28, 2024, exactly 29 years to the day after its original release. 1995 is back, baby. According to GameSpot, “The new remaster will support up to 4K resolutions and 120FPS on PC and all consoles except Nintendo Switch. The game will offer modern controller features like rumble and motion controls, as well as trophy and achievement support on PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam.”

If you want to catch up on Star Wars during the holidays, here are some essential The Clone Wars arcs and episodes you can explore.

Make Your Food Taste Like Beer with Blue Moon Spices

No, seriously. Blue Moon wants you to have some deliciously beer-tasting dishes this holiday season. To that end, they’ve released two Blue Moon spices, one sweet and one savory, to help enhance your holiday meals. We at Nerdist got to taste these seasonings, and they do genuinely taste like Blue Moon beer. It’s uncanny.

A release shares more, noting:

Blue Moon Thanksgiving Seasonings are crafted to capture the bright essence of Blue Moon, creating a sweet and savory balance to enhance your Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving meal. The signature seasonings, sold in a 2-pack, include: 

Blue Moon Zesty Seasoning: Flavor inspired by Blue Moon, adding savory notes of coriander, zesty bursts of citrus saltiness, and a subtle hint of hops, perfect for turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and more. 

Blue Moon Pie Pint Seasoning: Flavor captures the sweetest notes of Blue Moon, with bursting hints of orange citrus and coriander, it’s the perfect seasoning to add to your Pie Pint or to create your own BlueMoon-inspired pie filling. 

You can get your Blue Moon seasonings at BlueMoonSeasonings.com and try them for yourself. You can also snag a four-pack of Blue Moon Pie Pints, which are genuinely amazing.

You don’t want pie without ice cream, do you? Scoops Ahoy! Stranger Things ice cream is now available at Walmart.

TV News: The Bear Renewed for Season 3, OFMD Season 3 Updates, Prison Break spinoff Series in Development

We saw a whole smattering of TV news this week. Firstly, The Bear was renewed for season three by FX, and we could not be more excited.

Secondly, Our Flag Means Death season three got a small update at an HBO press event. Decider‘s Meghan O’Keefe shared, “The one thing I will tweet out from this Max 2024 Slate Preview I’m at is Casey Bloys was just asked about #OFMD S3 and said it’s too soon to say. They’re looking at how it performs in a longer window. Says it’s a ‘great show,’ figuring out if a greenlight ‘makes sense.'” Not quite the news fans wished to hear, but at least it’s an updated.

Finally, a Prison Break spinoff series is in the works because what can rise again will rise again. According to Deadline, Hulu is working with Elgin James on a show set in the Prison Break universe. The show is not expected to follow Michael Scofield, Lincoln Burrows, or any of their cadre. We’ll stay tuned to learn more.

If you haven’t explored Our Flag Means Death yet, it’s worth a watch.

The post These Productions Are Back, Marvel Holiday Shirts, a New PEANUTS Movie, and More News Odds & Ends appeared first on Nerdist.

Disney Lorcana shifted the world of trading card games (TCGs) with its release in August. Ravensburger’s first TCG celebrates all things Disney animation with thoughtful cards and gorgeous art—not to mention Lorcana‘s overall story. That story is expanding with the game’s second release, Disney Lorcana: Rise of the Floodborn. The upcoming set of cards builds upon The First Chapter. It brings in characters from other stories, new items, and of course, more songs. Today, Nerdist can exclusively reveal five Rise of the Floodborn song cards: Painting the Roses Red, Go the Distance, You Can Fly!, Let the Storm Rage On, and Strength of a Raging Fire. Those of you who favor a “Steelsong” deck are going to be pleased.

Disney Lorcana co-designer and game design manager for Ravensburger North America Steve Warner tells Nerdist choosing the song is a combined effort between the narrative and game design teams. The narrative team writes the story and selects which franchises to highlight for each set. Then, the game design team selects which songs to include based on that information.

Warner explains, “We usually create song designs from either a ‘bottom-up’ or ‘top-down’ approach. ‘Bottom-up’ is when we start with a mechanic that we want to bring into the game and then find the best song name or lyric from those highlighted stories to name it. ‘Top-down’ is sort of the opposite, where the songs or lyrics inspire the mechanics and cards we create.”

Click To View Gallery

The biggest factor in deciding the part of the song to use or its ink color is asking if it makes sense. “I’m not just talking about the song, or the lyrics used to name the card, but also things like whether the scene of the movie or its overall mood matches the mechanic or how it fits into the current set,” Warner says. “We also consider things like what franchise the song is from and even if we’ve done other cards from that song.”

For Rise of the Floodborn specifically, Warner says the Strength of a Raging Fire song card was an ah-ha moment for them. “We were rewatching Mulan for research and the moment we saw the iconic training scene from ‘I’ll Make a Man Out of You,’ we knew exactly what we wanted the card to do.”

We can’t wait to play (and, let’s be real, sing) these new song cards when the second set arrives. Disney Lorcana: The Rise of the Floodborn will release first at local game stores on November 17. Mass market retailers follow on December 1. Get more information at the official website.

The post We Reveal 5 DISNEY LORCANA: RISE OF THE FLOODBORN Song Cards appeared first on Nerdist.

Shock of shocks! Hot on the heels of The Super Mario Bros. Movie making—conservatively speaking—a s**t-zillion dollars earlier this year, it seemed only reasonable for Nintendo to keep that ball a-rolling. However, while an animated Mario movie was a sure bet, the next project might prove a bit trickier. In Japan on Wednesday, Nintendo announced it will develop a live-action film of The Legend of Zelda, arguably the game manufacturer’s second most important property. The franchise began in 1986 and has continued to this very year with Tears of the Kingdom.

The news is very scant at the moment. Nintendo’s Representative Director, Shigeru Miyamoto, will produce the movie alongside Avi Arad’s Arad Productions. Arad’s name should be familiar to our readers, having executive produced all of the Spider-Man films, many of the X-Men films, and a number of other Marvel properties. Nintendo will co-finance the movie with Sony Pictures Entertainment, with Sony handling worldwide theatrical distribution. The press release also points out Nintendo will put up “more than 50%” of the money for the movie, assuring they retain the most creative input.

The release also mentions director Wes Ball, of The Maze Runner movies and the upcoming Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, will direct. However, no word yet on a writer, cast, or any of the other fun stuff.

Over the years, many Zelda films and TV series, both live-action and animation, have been in development. None have managed to make their way much beyond that point. This, however, feels a bit different. Nintendo is in its own driver’s seat and coming off a monster global hit movie. The big question is which of the many Zelda games will be the basis of the film, or if it’ll end up as a totally separate story that doesn’t remake or contradict any previous game. The Legend of Zelda game timeline is one of the most complex in gaming, so probably they’d be smart not to mess with that.

And as long as we don’t get a Link saying “Well excuuuuuuuse me, Princess,” we should be in good shape.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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We all love an excellent mashup video. Now YouTuber RwanLink has taken The Legend of Zelda, and created an animated teaser showing what it would be like if Link came to life in the style of Studio Ghibli. This short teaser was created with Unreal Engine 5, the latest engine created by Epic Games. RwanLink recreated Ocarina of Time, which many believe to be the franchise’s most popular installment. In fact, Ocarina of Time turns 25 this year, so what better way to honor the game? You can watch the full 4K teaser for Zelda Ocarina of Time X Ghibli: Castle Town below:

Of course, this video is just a teaser. RwanLink has revealed they will release another, longer trailer on November 21. Then, their full Zelda Ocarina of Time X Ghibli: Castle Town video will drop on December 25th. That will be a true Christmas present for Zelda and Studio Ghibli fans. The full video will showcase over 30 characters in total. This is not the first fan video RwanLink has created based on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in Unreal Engine 5. So far, the artist has recreated Goron City, Kokiri Forest, and Zora’s Domain.

All those other videos from RwanLink look incredible, and will blow you away with their detail. However, mashing up The Legend of Zelda with the Studio Ghibli aesthetic really took it all to the next level. This is not the only remake of Ocarina of Time going around these days, especially with the 25th anniversary this year. But it certainly seems like the best one, as it truly captures the look and feel of a Hayao Miyazaki production. Hopefully, this is a harbinger of a real Nintendo and Studio Ghibli collaboration at some point. Yes, it’s unlikely, but this trailer proves it sure would be cool.

The post Amazing Fan Video Gives THE LEGEND OF ZELDA a Studio Ghibli Makeover appeared first on Nerdist.

If you’re lucky enough to have a tabletop gamer to buy for this holiday season, we’ve found the perfect presents for them—including the most popular new games, incredible gifts for Dungeon Masters and Dungeon & Dragons players, and even a game designed to get you outside to literally touch grass.

And if you’re the tabletop gamer? Give someone one of these picks from our Holiday Gift Guide and you’ll immediately have someone to play with! Win-win.

The Deck of Many Things

The Deck of Many Things is a D&D magic item so legendary that most Dungeon Masters shudder when they hear its name. (Or they cackle, which is much worse.) Just in time for the holiday season, The Deck of Many Things is now available as a gorgeous gift set with updated rules, a 66-card deck (which includes the 22 classic cards), its own supplement guide for incorporating the reimagined deck into your game, and more.

Dungeon Masters will love its ability to create adventures on the fly complete with traps and puzzles; D&D players will find new character backgrounds, spells, and star-signs inside. ($99.99, available digitally on November 14 with the physical copy release date TBD)

Disney Lorcana

Lorcana is a Disney-themed trading card game that’s taking the tabletop by storm! While the first starter sets quickly sold out, more are on the way to stores everywhere. Rise of the Floodborn, the second chapter of the game, is due out in December.

In Lorcana, players take the role of Illumineers and use character and item cards to collect 20 lore and win the game. This trading card game is easier to learn than most, but still encourages thought-out strategy and card collecting. And have you seen some of the art? Pick this up for the Disney or TCG fan in your life, and be sure to grab a starter pack for yourself while you’re at it. (2 players, Ages 8+, $5.99-$49.99)

Linkee

Part trivia, part lateral thinking, and part party game, Linkee is the perfect gift for the social butterfly in your life. (It also has two-player rules if your gift recipient prefers to cocoon at home.) Each Linkee card features four short trivia questions. Players remember the trivia answers as they’re revealed, and once they see the connection between them, they shout, “Linkee!” The first team to successfully find the common link for the answers wins the card.

Work together as a team to find the connection and earn bragging rights for eternity. Well, maybe until the next game night. (2+ players, Ages 12+, $8.45)

Magic: The Gathering – Doctor Who

All we really have to say is “Doctor Who Magic cards” and you’ll know immediately who to give this to for the holidays. But, if you need a little more info, we have you covered. The new official “Universes Beyond” set features gorgeous art of 13 Doctors and their companions. These cards with Doctor Who-themed mechanics are now available to join the Magic lineup.

Choose your gift recipient’s favorite Doctor to find the perfect 100 card Magic: The Gathering – Doctor Who Commander Deck, and allons-y! (2 players, Ages 13+, $59.99)

Nine Arches

Nine Arches might be designed like a tabletop card game, but it’s intended to take you and your friends and family away from the table. The game includes a 54-card deck similar to tarot cards that are used to choose your next adventure. Cards feature activities like “dance party,” “caravan,” and “ghost.” With the drawn cards and input from each player, the group adventure’s is talked out. Will you do the activities all at once? One at a time? It’s up to you and the group. Then you’re all off on a real-life journey based on the prompts on the cards!

If your recipient is the type who appreciates experiences instead of plain gifts, you’ll wow them with this one. (1-5 players, Ages 13+, $34.99)

Potion Pack – Cantrip Candles

Whether your lucky gift recipient is a fan of tabletop role-playing games or video game RPGs like Baldur’s Gate 3, this three-candle set from Cantrip Candles will be met with delight when it’s unwrapped. The Potion Pack comes as a lovely gift set of 10 ounce soy wax candles in decorated glass containers.

The Health Potion, Stamina Potion, and Magicka Potion candles are sure to heal and reenergize any weary adventurers (or office workers) who lights them. And how can you pass up the opportunity to give someone a container labeled “Dragon’s Blood”? ($80.00)

The Practically Complete Guide to Dragons

Do you remember being a kid and re-reading your favorite book so many times you had every page memorized? This is your chance to give the youngest Dungeons & Dragons or fantasy fan in your life that same experience!

The Practically Complete Guide to Dragons is exactly what it says on the cover: an imaginative, in-depth look at the dragons that populate the D&D setting of Dragonlance. Written in-character by the kender Sindri Suncatcher, this guide to dragons is packed with personality—along with, you guessed it, lots of dragons. Dragon facts, dragon stories, dragon lair maps, it’s all here. Your lucky gift recipient will spend hours staring at the gorgeous art alone. ($39.95)

Sea Salt & Paper

The stocking stuffer-sized card game Sea Salt & Paper is a delightful set collecting game with a dash of luck to keep things exciting. Collect and play pairs of cards to score points and use their effects to earn even more points. If the player thinks they have enough points in hand, they can call for the end of the round or give everyone one last chance to try to beat them for bonus points. Reach the necessary number of victory points to win the game!

Not only does each card feature charming and original origami art, Sea Salt & Paper includes bold icons so that colorblind players aren’t excluded from the fun. (2-4 players, Ages 8+, $14.95)

Pop Culture Monopoly

Looking to ease someone on your shopping list into tabletop games with a tried-and-true title? Monopoly has been a favorite for ages, and these days you have a plethora of Monopoly versions to choose from. It seems like every pop culture franchise you can imagine has its own edition. Maybe Ted Lasso Monopoly (2-6 players, Ages 8+, $49.95) or Curbed Your Enthusiasm Monopoly (2-6 players, $49.95) is right for someone in your life.

Kelly Knox is a pop culture writer and the author of Star Wars Conversation Cards, Be More Obi-Wan, and the upcoming Star Wars Dad Jokes. You can still find her on Twitter at @kelly_knox.

The post Holiday Gift Guide 2023 – For the Tabletop Gamer appeared first on Nerdist.

Whenever the prospect of a new video game movie adaptation materializes, we usually run the gamut from “Oh hey, cool” to “Oh, but probably it won’t be good” pretty fast. We’ve got years and years of movies like Assassins Creed, Doom, and Street Fighter tempering those expectations. Though we’ve also had the likes of Pokémon: Detective Pikachu and Sonic the Hedgehog to perk us up a bit. (Also, sidebar, the original Silent Hill movie is actually quite good.) But nothing has given us as much cautious optimism as the following: a Ghost of Tsushima movie is in the works from John Wick series director Chad Stahelski. And happily, its showing signs of life.

Sony

In 2021, Deadline reported that Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions are developing the film based on the massive 2020 bestselling game from Sucker Punch Studios. Roundly considered the final big game of the PlayStation 4 generation, it has sold millions of copies. The story follows samurai Jin Sakai as he must thwart an invasion by the vicious Mongol army in the 13th century. In the course of the story, Jin puts his code of honor to the test as he engages in stealth and terror techniques to overtake the invaders. That right there is a pretty John Wicky character arc.

Since the initial announcement, we haven’t seen much movement from the Ghost of Tsushima movie. But recently, Chad Stahelski gave a fairly promising update to ScreenRant. He shared:

We have a script, we’re very close to getting our s–t together on that, as well. Development is always tricky, it’s studios, it’s strikes, and availabilities, and scouting. You have to will things into existence. I think the two things that I am closest and most interested in are Highlander and Ghost of Tsushima. Both amazing, amazing properties, the story of Ghost is, also, one of my favorite properties of all time.

Sony

Of any recent video game, Ghost of Tsushima already feels very cinematic. The massive open world allows players to traverse a damn near real-size map of the actual Tsushima Island. Massive open vistas and scenic mountains fill the screen. In fact, there’s a specific “Kurosawa Mode” which makes the player feel like you’re playing a movie by the legendary director Akira Kurosawa.

This is all to say that there’s a lot to make one think a movie adaptation could be amazing. Story and character-driven; fast-paced and visceral action; gorgeous period setting and landscape; plus you get to pet foxes, which better be in the movie or so help us. We already were keen to see Ghost of Tsushima turn into a TV series, a la The Last of Us‘ recent adaptation, but I guess a movie will be okay too.

In hiring Chad Stahelski to direct, Sony is ensuring some of the most bone-crunching, arterial-blood-spraying action one could hope for. It could do for samurai movies what the John Wick series did for gunplay. This might also hopefully be the rare instance in which people who played the characters in the game will reprise their roles for the film. The performance capture is so good, there’s really no mistaking any of the cast.

Ghost of Tsushima is born of the partnership between Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions. We hope we’ll get to see it come fully to life.

Originally published on March 25, 2021.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Twitter!

The post GHOST OF TSUSHIMA Movie Is Still Coming From JOHN WICK Director appeared first on Nerdist.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 took the world by storm upon release, and like any good Marvel narrative worth its salt, it’s chock full of teasers for the future and many Easter eggs. If you weren’t excited about the idea of a third Spider-Man game from Insomniac for PlayStation 5 before, you will be after all of these hints of what’s to come. Let’s break down those Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 post-credits teases and cameo appearances.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Hints at Doc Ock’s Return and the Green Goblin

In the mid-credits scene of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, we witness the return of Doc Ock himself, Dr. Otto Octavius (William Salyers), the first game’s Big Bad. After the Venom symbiote is removed from Harry Osborn, his father, Norman, appears, blaming both Spider-Men for hurting his son. Afterward, Norman arrives at the supervillain prison called the Raft, hoping to learn the Spider-Men’s identities from Dr. Octopus. But Doc Ock keeps his secrets and tells Norman, “We all have to experience loss.” When Norman Osborn sees that Otto Octavius has been writing something in a journal, he asks “What are you writing?” to which Dr. Octavius answers ominously, “The final chapter.”

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, The game’s co-creator Bryan Intihar, said of the Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 mid-credits scene, “I can tell you that scene, in some way, has always been the plan since day one. We knew that the second game would end with that kind of scene.” As for the appearance of Spider-Man’s biggest nemesis of all, the Green Goblin, it’s been teased since the first game, where we saw Norman’s pumpkin bombs and prototype mask. But the Green Goblin persona has yet to appear in the Marvel’s Spider-Man games. “We’ve literally discussed Green Goblin at every game,” Intihar says. “If you bring him in, it’s kind of like Venom. There are very, very big expectations. So, you want to make sure if you’re going to do it, you’re going to deliver on it.” If Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 is indeed the grand finale, expect to hear a familiar cackle.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Introduces the Spider Heroine Silk

The second Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 post-credits scene introduces yet another popular arachnid hero to the mix. As we learned throughout the game, Miles Morales’ mom, Rio Morales (Jacqueline Pinol), mentions that she’s begun dating again after her husband’s death. In the final Marvel Spider-Man 2 post-credits scene, we learn who that someone is. Rio introduces her new beau Albert Moon to Miles. But also tagging along is Albert’s daughter Cindy Moon, who waves in the background.

As Marvel Comics fans know, Cindy Moon is a superhero herself, known as Silk. The very same spider that bit Peter Parker also bit her on that field trip. She kept her powers secret until adulthood, unlike Peter. But the introduction of Silk adds another member of the Spidey family to Marvel’s Spider-Man game’s universe. Even though the team considered adding in Spider-Gwen, the game’s co-creator Jacinda Chew said, “Cindy Moon is a character that has so much possibility because she’s not as well known. We were like, ‘Let’s just do something different.'”

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Hints at Spider-Man 2099

Also, the game looks to connect to the wildly popular Spider-Verse films. This should come as no surprise, as the Insomniac Spider-Man appeared in Across the Spider-Verse. In one of the game’s side missions, we see Peter and Miles try to round up some rogue Spider-bots. Miles’ buddy and tech expert Ganke (Griffin Puatu) sends you to an alleyway where a portal opens up. A portal in the familiar hexagonal style of Multiverse travels from the Spider-Verse films. Here is where we see the character of the assassin Delilah, who in the comics has fought Spidey. After examining the Spider-bot, she remarks, “If Miguel comes looking for these, tell him, ‘Finders keepers.'” This Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Miguel mention can only allude to Miguel O’Hara, better known as Spider-Man 2099. Hey, it’s not just the MCU that’s “all connected.”

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Features a Mini Firefly Reunion

Oh, and blink and you miss it, but the game had a small Firefly reunion. Actors Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk play two dudes wearing cat mascot suits and Spider-Man masks christened Bodega Cats in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. These two have an argument outside a bodega. Both Fillion and Tudyk came in for the relatively small roles just because they are huge fans of the Marvel’s Spider-Man game franchise. And the two, who are both no strangers to voice-over acting, recorded their Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 cameos in one weekend.

With all these teases and reveals, including the ones mentioned above and some others teasing Carnage and Chameleon, here’s hoping that a Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 game from Insomniac isn’t too many years away.

The post Here Are the MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2 Post-Credit Reveals and Easter Egg Cameos appeared first on Nerdist.

A lot has happened in the world of entertainment this week. Prime Video’s Gen V is really setting up season four of The Boys, Loki season two is making big moves with franchise level implications, and Disney released Chris Pine’s villain song. But that’s not all that’s gone down.

Here are some of our favorite pop-culture news odds & ends that you don’t want to miss.

This Week’s Odds & Ends in News:

• EA Motive’s Iron Man Game Gets Much-Anticipated Updates
• Magic: The Gathering‘s The Lord of the Rings Collection Expands with Four New Scene Boxes
• NYC Transit App Becomes Pokémon Go of Rats and Informs You About the Rattiness of a Station
• Get Up to Some Mischief with BoxLunch’s Loki Collection
• Disneyland Resort Announces Pixar Place Hotel, the First Fully Pixar-Themed US Hotel
• Goldfish Elf Maple Syrup Flavored Grahams Are Swimming in for the Holidays
• Lost and Avatar: The Last Airbender Concerts Coming Soon
• Buy a Tiny Elf Home on Zillow
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Actor Wants Spidey-Pool in a Future Game

EA Motive’s Iron Man Game Gets Much-Anticipated Updates

Last September, Marvel Entertainment and EA’s Motive Studios announced they were teaming up for a brand new Iron Man game. This “all-new single-player, third-person, action-adventure” will “feature an original narrative that taps into the rich history of Iron Man, channeling the complexity, charisma, and creative genius of Tony Stark and enabling players to feel what it’s like to truly play as Iron Man.”

We haven’t heard too much about it since, but recently, the game received a few exciting updates. First, EA Motive shared that while the game was still in early pre-production, it had selected Unreal Engine 5 as its game engine. Additionally, a Community Council of Iron Man and Marvel fans has been selected to offer feedback on the game’s creation. And finally, Marvel Comics’ own Ryan North has joined the Iron Man game’s writing team, bringing his passion and expertise to the table. All of that sounds incredibly promising.

For more fun Avengers adventures, check out the trailer for LEGO Marvel Avengers: Code Red.

Magic: The Gathering‘s The Lord of the Rings Collection Expands with Four New Scene Boxes

Magic: The Gathering‘s The Lord of the Rings collection is really something spectacular. And now, its gorgeous offerings continue to expand with four special Tales of Middle-Earth Scene Boxes. These special sets offer fans and collectors “6 foil Borderless cards with art that combine to showcase one of the most epic scenes from The Lord of the Rings” as well as “6 Art Cards featuring the same art without any game text obscuring the view” and three booster packs which contain 12 cards each, “including 1–4 cards of rarity Rare or higher.”

The four scenes depicted in these special The Lord of the Rings Magic card box sets are Gandalf in Pelennor Fields, The Might of Galadriel, Flight of the Witch-King, and Aragorn at Helm’s Deep. Each set costs around $41, or all four are available for purchase for $144. All of these incredible box sets go on sale on November 3. We first saw these on GameSpot.

To explore more about Magic: The Gathering‘s The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth set, check out our deep dive into the set, here.

NYC Transit App Becomes Pokémon Go of Rats and Informs You About the Rattiness of a Station

Catching a glimpse of a rat in NYC is kind of like playing Pokémon Go in real life, right? To help the vision along, an app called Transit, which we first saw on Kotaku, is helping to detect rat-levels across NYC’s many different subway stops. Transit shares, “We enlisted thousands of rodent spotters across the five boroughs to rank the rattiest stations.” And in the end, Transit created the “NYC Subway Rat Detector.” Rats, it turns out, are everywhere, but in some places more than others. Those who actually download the Transit app can get updated reports on the state of their favorite station and check-in regularly on the rat situation. No word yet on what happens if you throw a Poké Ball in the direction of an NYC rat… But we’ll have to suggest that you don’t.

Did you know that rats can play video games too? Take a look at these rats playing Doom II.

Get Up to Some Mischief with BoxLunch’s Loki Collection

Ready to embrace some extra mischief in your life? BoxLunch’s Loki collection is here to help you celebrate Loki, Sylvie, Mobius, Miss Minutes, and the TVA. Even though Loki and co. are probably going to bring down some multiversal mayhem on us all, it doesn’t mean we can’t look stylish while they do. And what could we possibly need more in our lives than an Alligator Loki plush? Ask yourselves.

Click To View Gallery

The full BoxLunch Loki collection is available here.

To catch up with Loki season two check out our latest write-up.

Disneyland Resort Announces Pixar Place Hotel, the First Fully Pixar-Themed US Hotel

Disneyland + Pixar + fully-themed hotel? Sounds like a match made in heaven to us. We honestly can’t believe the United States didn’t have a full Pixar hotel already, but we guess it didn’t. Disneyland Resort recently announced the Pixar Place Hotel, which will give you an excellent new place to stay while celebrating all things Pixar.

Click To View Gallery

A release shares, “Pixar Place Hotel will evoke the inspiration and humor that goes into every Pixar film, while celebrating the artistic process. Showcasing early sketches to finished design, the art and decor will highlight vibrant Pixar stories, revealing some never-before-seen artwork.” From the iconic Pixar Lamp to The Incredibles to Toy Story 3 and beyond this new hotel will have it all. It will even include a Finding Nemo pool complete with “Crush’s Surfin’ Slide, a 186-foot-long water slide inspired by the coolest sea turtle in the ocean.” That’s cool, dude. You can check out more facets and concepts for Pixar Place above.

As if that’s not enough, a Haunted Mansion bar is coming to Disney’s next cruise ship.

Goldfish Elf Maple Syrup Flavored Grahams Are Swimming in for the Holidays

Celebrate this holiday season with something sweet, Buddy the Elf style. In honor of Elf and everyone’s favorite elf, Goldfish is putting on their holiday best and offering us some maple syrup-flavored snacks. The official description of these treats notes, “MAPLE SYRUP FLAVORED GRAHAMS: Inspired by syrup – one of elves’ four main food groups. Enjoy delicious flavors of sweet brown sugar and butter, with the taste of caramel and vanilla. Inspired by Buddy the Elf!” Count us in. We also plan to greatly enjoy the different shapes these treats come in, which include Buddy’s hat, a maple syrup jar, and, of course, the traditional goldfish.

Elf turns 20 this year, and we couldn’t think of a finer way to welcome Buddy and the gang into double digits.

Need something else sweet in your life? Stranger Things‘ Scoops Ahoy ice cream is now available at Walmart.

Lost and Avatar: The Last Airbender Concerts Coming Soon

In need of some fun geeky outings to attend? Well, two iconic franchises are about to bring you fun in concert form. Avatar: The Last Airbender and Lost are both promising concerts that will transport you.

The official website for Avatar: The Last Airbender in Concert shares, “Immerse yourself in an over two-hour show with a live orchestra bringing the show’s iconic musical score to life, in perfect harmony with highlights and favorite moments from the series. Taiko and erhu will share the spotlight with violins and clarinets, while the series’ most beloved scenes play out on screen, bringing viewers into the Avatar world to experience the series’ most memorable moments with Aang, Katara, Toph, Sokka, Zuko and more.”

Four dates have been announced across Europe and the United States. Hopefully more will follow.

Meanwhile, Lost‘s Michael Giacchino offers us a concert poster and little else. We guess it’s the Lost way to be mysterious. We do know we’ll see this Dharma Initiative concert in 2024.

If you need more Avatar: The Last Airbender in your life, check out everything we know about the live-action series.

Buy a Tiny Elf Home on Zillow

Okay, so you can’t actually buy a tiny elf home on Zillow. But who doesn’t love a miniature? And if you get in contact with your elf realtor, you might just take home this little house and $10,000 courtesy of Icelandic Provisions Skyr. All you have to do is make an offering… probably not of your soul. But watch out, the fae folk are tricky. Just keep in mind that heating is wool sweaters, this home has been available for 1,000 years, and the price per square foot is a quarter leg of lamb. Can we please get Netflix on Selling Fairyland, stat?

For more fairies and mythology, check out the Ahsoka series connecton to folklore and myth.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Actor Wants Spidey-Pool in a Future Game

Let’s face it, the people love to see Spider-Man and Deadpool interacting together in a relationship affectionately known as Spidey-Pool. Maybe someday the stars will align, and we’ll even get to see them on the big screen. But another excellent option would be for Spider-Man and Deadpool to meet up in Marvel’s Spider-Man games series.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 recently released to much praise and love. We bet a Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 will become a reality sooner rather than later. But what will it entail? Well, Peter Parker/Spider-Man’s actor Yuri Lowenthal has an idea. He’d like Peter Parker and Deadpool to meet up.

Speaking to ComicBook.com, Lowenthal shared:

I mean, there are so many ways they could go with a third game. I’m assuming, at this point nobody’s had me sign a contract for a third game, but I’m assuming there will be a third game… Look, here’s something I’ve been pitching for a long time, and I don’t know if they’re going to do it, but I love the Spidey-Pool relationship. I love Deadpool and Spider-Man. As much as I talk about Moon Knight in this universe, and Bryan Intihar is tired of me talking about that, I’ve been hard-pitching, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if Nolan North and I got to play in that?” And so I would love to see that. I’d love to see Deadpool and Spidey in this. Is it going to happen? Probably not. Do they listen to me? Mostly not. But that is a relationship I would love to see explored in games.

It would, indeed, be great.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 also has its very own artbook. Check out our write-up, here.

The post IRON MAN Game Gets Update, ELF Maple Goldfish Are Here, and More News Odds & Ends appeared first on Nerdist.

The post-credits scene has become a staple of the theatrical experience in our modern age. Almost every movie leaves a treat for fans to find after they think the film has come to a close. Five Nights at Freddy’s does deliver the traditional cherry-on-top with a brief post-credits scene that will make you jump. But it also offers a spin on the traditional bonus. For those who are truly in it to win it, at the very, very, very end of its credits, Five Nights at Freddy’s plays an audio track of distorted letters that seem to spell some words. They’re honestly very hard to make out in the theater, but they’re actually the most important tease of all. Let’s dive into the Five Night’s at Freddy’s post-credits scene, the movie’s mysterious letters, and what it all could mean.

What Do the Letters at the End of Five Nights at Freddy’s Credits Spell Out?

The audio at the very end of Five Nights at Freddy’s credits spells out the following letters, “C-O-M-E-F-I-N-D-M-E” or “Come find me.” It’s an ominous message, or a hopeful one. Of course, throughout Five Nights at Freddy’s, main character Mike Schmidt searches for clues about his brother Garrett’s disappearance. Could the message be directly from Garrett, who is either a ghost or potentially still alive? It’s an option that feels viable since it seems unlikely that after all that searching and obsession, Garrett has no further role to play. We wouldn’t be surprised if these credits letters and words set up Garrett to return in a potential Five Nights at Freddy’s sequel.

Alternatively, the evil William Afton is now trapped at Freddy’s—could he be calling out to someone to come looking for him? The distorted letters certainly don’t sound friendly. Slash Film speculates that the credits letters allude to a cut-scene from the Five Nights at Freddy‘s “Sister Location” game where Mike tells William Afton, “I’m going to come find you. I’m going to come find you.” If that’s the case, the post-credits letters could be pointing us to Circus Baby’s Pizza World, Freddy Fazbear’s sister location. We did see the Circus Baby animatronic feature prominently throughout the movie as the imagined animatronic home for Mike’s sister Abby. It could make sense for this setting to appear in a sequel. But who is then delivering the message in the credits? Perhaps Garrett is housed at Circus Baby’s Pizza World.

Ultimately, the one thing we can say for sure is that the message of “Come find me” in the Five Nights at Freddy’s credits letter is definitely there to set up a sequel.

The Five Nights at Freddy’s Credit Letters Are an Easter Egg

The meaning of the Five Nights at Freddy‘s post-credit letters and the words they spell aside, the presence of the letters themselves makes for a fun Easter egg. In Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, when a player is killed by the animatronics, they can be taken to one of several Death Minigames. In most of these games, a voice spells out words in a similar fashion to what occurs in Five Nights at Freddy‘s credits. The distorted audio at the end of the movie is a fun way to incorporate a part of the games into this new cinematic version of the universe.

How to Hear the Five Nights at Freddy’s Credit Letters

For those wanting to hear the Five Nights at Freddy’s letters read out for themselves, here’s when they appear. The distorted voice spelling out the letters comes at the very, very, very end of the credits; we’re talking the very last seconds when there isn’t anything on screen. As a warning, they can be very hard to make out, even in a silent theater.

Five Nights at Freddy’s Post-Credit Scene Features Balloon Boy

Although the audio that plays at the very end of the Five Nights at Freddy‘s credits is much more interesting, the movie does also have a more traditional post-credits scene.

Shortly after the credits begin to roll, Five Nights at Freddy’s also offers a very short post or mid-credits scene. This scene brings back YouTuber CoryxKenshin, who makes a very funny cameo in the movie as a taxi driver. Unfortunately, he gets all the weird rides. And this time, the taxi driver has picked up Balloon Boy, who wants to give the audience one more jump scare. Ballon Boy, who appears throughout the movie, is actually a character that first appears in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 and returns in Five Nights at Freddy’s 3, and Ultimate Custom Night. This post-credits scene doesn’t tell us too much, but it reminds us that the cinematic Five Nights at Freddy‘s universe is pulling from across games and remixing their stories.

The post What Do the Letters at the End of FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S Credits Spell and Mean? appeared first on Nerdist.

You know the whole “days without incident” meme? Keep that in mind, but instead replace it with the days without poorly done video game adaptations. Over the last few years, it seems, Hollywood and its filmmakers finally broke through. From the Max series The Last of Us becoming a hit and garnering awards consideration, the astounding Netflix animated series Arcane seemingly coming out of nowhere, and even to two of gaming’s most iconic mascots—the plumber lad and the super fast blue dude—gaming fans have seen some of their dreams realized. 

Unfortunately, you have to set the days without incident number back to zero, as Five Nights at Freddy’s is a throwback to the old days— without the “Good Ole’” part. It’s from the time when video game adaptations were of the same stenchful quality as a rotten banana rather than the delightful cornucopia we’ve seen of late.

The film, based on the mega-popular 2014 horror game franchise, has a fairly straightforward premise. We follow Mike Schmidt (played by Josh Hutcherson), a juvenile delinquent bouncing from job to job in order to provide for his younger sister Abby (played by Piper Rubio). After being ousted from his latest gig, he’s forced to take a position as a nighttime security guard at an abandoned family-centered entertainment joint, Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. Naturally, things aren’t as they seem. The animatronics are not only alive in some way, but alive in the murderous way. 

It’s a simple premise for a horror-thriller flick. However, the first issue that arises from Five Nights at Freddy’s is its insistence on not being just that: simple. The first third of the film is decent enough, with plenty of mystery surrounding exactly what’s going on. It has a couple of decent, albeit cliche, scares to accompany it. At first, Freddy’s feels giant. Mike’s loneliness heightens its intricacies. By the time the first third ends, it’s as if the film’s greatest strengths run out of juice. It’s possible to forgive films of this genre for having absurd premises or developments, but Five Nights at Freddy’s gives you so many so quickly that this haunted house comes to feels more like a haunted closet.

The video game series is cluttered with lore, sure, but it’s a shame the movie followed those footsteps of convoluted exposition so obediently. This rears its head not just in Freddy’s as a location, but in some of its characters. We mainly see that with Vanessa (played by Elizabeth Lail), a local police officer Mike becomes acquainted with. On top of the performance being overly mellow and the animatronics somehow feeling more animated than her, the character feels confusing and nonsensical. It’s almost as if no one told her what her character’s arc was until the final day of shooting. 

The rest of the main performances, however, slightly redeem the film. Hutcherson’s character isn’t particularly compelling or tonally consistent. Still, he does a decent enough job selling some of the anxiety and fears that inhabit nearly every waking moment of his day. Rubio, on the other hand, does offer some wholesomeness. He delivers on the kind of humor that only kids could possibly pull off. And Matthew Lillard, a fan-favorite of the horror genre, is entertaining enough whenever he gets something to do. Unfortunately that doesn’t happen all that often.

Five Nights at Freddy’s seemingly tries to be a sort of starter horror movie for the generation that grew up on the games. Again, the first third of the film does show promise—and even some decent enough kills for the slasher-enthusiasts that may attend, even if they’re fairly predictable. And, most importantly—and perhaps most importantly for merchandising reasons—the animatronics that the game made so iconic look quite amazing, especially in action. There’s something here, to be sure, but it’s bogged down by everything else that transpires over the course of the last hour. Considering the movie is only around 90 minutes long, that’s a huge problem.

The haunted house from the animated Haunted House film feels more fleshed out than the lore and story beats here. Even if you’re able to forgive the many cliches, you’ll find yourself surprisingly bored the longer things go on, as if the film already let loose its bag of tricks. 

Five Nights at Freddy’s, just like the abandoned center it focuses so heavily on, feels like a chasm of broken down leftovers. Long forgotten toys and entertainment of yesteryear, you’d think, could be a vehicle for nostalgia to take hold. Instead, it’s trapped in itself. Perhaps somewhere buried underneath the rubble was a great idea, but what actually made it to the surface is anything but.

Five Nights at Freddy’s ⭐ (1.5 of 5)

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Who is the rootinest, tootinest, shootinest, hootinest cowboy around? Sheriff Woody. And don’t you f***ing forget it.

Yeah, we know, that’s not a lyric from “Woody’s Roundup.” It’s not exactly a tagline that has ever applied to the leader of Andy’s toys, either. And it’s definitely not one we expect to see on any posters for Toy Story 5. But it’s the one Woody deserves for starring in a ridiculous new fan mashup. This crossover video sends Pixar’s iconic plaything into Red Dead Redemption 2, and the result is some delightful Old West silliness.

YouTube user eli_handle_b․wav combined the magic of Pixar’s animated world with the violent video game realm of Rockstar Studios to create something that has no business being this good. This shoot ’em up edit (which we first learned about at Boing Boing) sees Woody as a sometimes fearsome, sometimes cowardly gunslinger willing to do what it takes to survive a hostile environment. Whether robbing a train with John Marston, playing dead when a grizzly bear shows up, or throwing down with another ruffian, Woody doesn’t look out of place in the open-world adventure game.

Minus the part where he totally does. He still is just a toy after all. There’s only so much Sheriff Woody can do to blend into normal surroundings. That’s exactly why this video works so well.

We don’t need a character who looks like Woody if he existed in Red Dead Redemption 2. He’d be just another character for us to deal with during our trails. But a giant talking toy who sometimes looks like his limbs are made of jelly? Now that’s a memorable figure we want to meet at a random brothel or tavern.

We do not expect to see Woody at any place like that in Toy Story 5, but after watching this video Pixar might agree with us that it sure is fun to see him do just that.

The post TOY STORY’s Woody Goes to the Old West of RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2 in Mashup Video appeared first on Nerdist.

The Halloween 2023 episode of Critical Role brought joy to the hearts of many fans, as it featured a brand new title sequence. Fans were surprised to see the Bells Hells adventuring party, now rendered in stunning animation. We learned (via Comic Book Resources) that the new title sequence paid homage in different ways to each of the character’s backstories, and had shout-outs to current campaigns. You can watch the full title sequence for the Halloween episode of Critical Role below. After the title sequence ends, you can see the Critical Role cast actually react to seeing it for the first time.

In this year’s Halloween episode, the Critical Role cast wore costumes based on the Lord of the Rings characters. In the actual episode, we witnessed the Bells Hells return to Whitestone. There, they crossed paths with several iconic Vox Machina characters. The special animated credits came courtesy of Kamille Areopagita, Kevin Areopagita, Mark Adams, and Peggy Shi. Critical Role’s Mighty Nein campaign also showcased a fan-favorite animated intro. And ever since, Critical Role fans have wanted to see the Bells Hells get some animated love too. And now, their wish has come true.

This latest version of Campaign 3’s opening title sequence is the third one overall. And so far, every version has had the theme song “It’s Thursday Night,” sung by the cast, in some form. One version of Campaign 3’s opening introduction had the cast dressing up as explorers. Versions without all the fantasy trappings. Meanwhile, another had Bells Hells rotoscoped in watercolor style. We highly doubt the Halloween episode of Critical Role is the last time we’ll see an animated opening sequence. The Bells Hells will return in both their animated and live-action character forms on Thursdays in November at 7 PT, on Twitch and YouTube.

The post Bells Hells Get Animated in New CRITICAL ROLE Animated Intro appeared first on Nerdist.

Nick Fury assembled an impressive Avengers squad to protect the MCU. However, that version of Earth’s mightiest heroes is just one of an infinite number of super teams spread out across the multiverse. A few others are surely better, and a lot more are likely worse, but one stands out because of how it was built. And by that, we mean it’s built from little plastic bricks. Now those heroes are getting their very own special at Disney+, LEGO Marvel Avengers: Code Red.

The film’s new Easter egg-filled trailer puts together an incredible lineup with a special member. It will have Marvel fans wondering when they’ll get to see such an X-citing unit in live-action.

The Collector is back! The LEGO Variant of the character is looking to add Marvel’s Avengers to his vast library of intergalactic goods. That’s a big problem on its own, but one they can manage. It’s a far bigger issue that will lead to the superheroes asking for help. Here’s the synopsis for LEGO Marvel Avengers: Code Red from Disney:

The Avengers gather to celebrate their latest victory, but their celebration is quickly interrupted by the mysterious disappearance of Black Widow’s father, Red Guardian. As the Avengers investigate, they discover that Red Guardian isn’t the only one missing when they meet a dangerous new foe quite unlike anything they’ve ever encountered before.

That new foe is Red Phantom. He’s why LEGO Thor, Iron Man, Black Widow, two Captain Americas, the Incredible Hulk, and the Black Panther will reach out to a “quirky” Marvel counterpart. And oh, is he quirky. The LEGO Avengers will turn to a grumpy, self-healing, hot dog-loving Marvel legend who has yet to appear in the MCU: Wolverine.

Sorry Hulk, we know you really don’t want to deal with “that guy,” but he does have special skills. And also knives in his hands. Indestructible hand knives are always helpful, especially against plastic. Plus, with Wolverine joining the LEGO Avengers, it might push his MCU Variant to get in on the action sooner rather than later. We really want to see that happen. Wolverine makes every team better in every universe.

LEGO Marvel Avengers: Code Red stars: Laura Bailey, Trevor Devall, Steve Blum, Will Friedle, James Mathis III, Liam O’Brien, Laura Post, Bumper Robinson, Roger Craig Smith, Fred Tatasciore, Travis Willingham, Mick Wingert. It debuts on Disney+ on Friday, October 27. 2023.

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Lately, it feels like every major franchise is getting the Magic card treatment. Magic: The Gathering has collaborated with The Lord of the Rings, Jurassic Park, Doctor Who, Fallout, and more to bring fans cards that speak to their favorite fictional worlds via their Universes Beyond arm. But now, it feels like the biggest collaboration yet has just been announced. Marvel and Magic: The Gathering will come together to bring Marvel’s greatest heroes, worlds, and more into the world of Magic cards. And although we don’t have any official card art, or really any details yet, we feel the excitement already.

A release shares that this Marvel and Magic collaboration is a “multi-year, multi-set deal.” So fans can look forward to many Marvel Magic cards in the future. The release further notes, “The first tentpole Magic set based on Marvel’s fan-favorite characters and epic stories will appear globally in 2025, with additional all-new exciting sets for multi-generational fans to collect and play.”

2025 feels like a long way off, but we guess there is a lot of Marvel to distill down into one set. We can already imagine the “Captain America’s Shield” card in our mind’s eye. But we hope there will be some deep cuts and Easter eggs we didn’t see coming in this upcoming Marvel Magic card sit. One thing is for sure, though, this collaboration will be beautiful. If Magic: The Gathering’s The Lord of the Rings cards were anything to judge by, then these Marvel sets will totally floor us. We can’t wait to see our favorite heroes reimagined in this whole new way.

“Trading cards have always been a part of Marvel’s DNA, so this collaboration takes that experience to a whole new level,” Dan Buckley, President of Marvel Comics and Franchise noted about this team-up. “With the depth that our storytelling and characters bring to the table, we can’t wait for fans to see how the Marvel Universe translates seamlessly into gameplay within these Magic: The Gathering products and sets for years to come.”

And so, the multiverse expands. There’s no official release date for the Marvel Magic card sets, but we’re sure we’ll get more looks and news about the collaboration way before 2025.

The post Marvel and MAGIC: THE GATHERING Announce Collab Cards Coming 2025 appeared first on Nerdist.

Yet another fan-favorite video game series is making the transition to television. Fallout is heading to Prime Video with Westworld‘s Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy executive producing the show. Their pitch for the Fallout TV series based on the successful post-apocalyptic franchise received a straight-to-series order from the streaming service. And now its cast is coming together. Ella Purnell, who recently starred in Yellowjackets, will lead the series and act alongside, among others, Walton Goggins and Kyle MacLachlan. Most recently, Prime Video released a first look at the Fallout series, as well as a release window for when we can expect the show to air.

Fallout TV Series Announces Release Date

We’ve known for a little while that the Prime Video Fallout series would release in 2024. But now, we’re thrilled to know exactly when we’ll get to see the show. To celebrate “the 26th anniversary of Fallout Day, an annual celebration of all things dedicated to the award-winning and best-selling video game franchise,” Prime Video treated us to a release day announcement alongside the launch of its Fallout social media accounts. Fallout will release on April 12, 2024. Thanks to this Pip-Boy for sharing the news.

Prime Video’s Fallout Series Will Take Place in LA

A recent release date window announcement signaled that the Fallout show would take place in Los Angeles/Hollywood, a location the series has never before gone in the games. And now a further release from Prime Video confirms this, noting, “Set in the future post-apocalyptic Los Angeles and world of Fallout, the series is an original story based on Fallout that will be part of the canon of the games.”

We’ll be curious to see how this version of the apocalypse takes shape in the city of dreams and angels. Our first clue that the Prime Video’s Fallout series would take place in the canon world of the games was that it had been assigned an official Vault number. The Fallout series will circle Vault 33. Since the Fallout games haven’t visited Vault 33, this allows the show to fit into the canon events already set for the world but still create its own story.

Our First Look at the Fallout Series

Some time ago, Prime Video shared a first-look tease for the Fallout series. The first look doesn’t reveal too much, just a glimpse at Fallout‘s Vault 33. But we’re excited to know the show is coming along. In the Fallout, ghouls “are mutated humans or animals affected by the phenomenon of ghoulification… Despite their zombie-like appearance, the flesh of ghouls is not actually rotten… They have greatly extended overall lifespans and are immune to (and sometimes even healed by) background radiation and/or nuclear fallout.” So we expect to see a lot of that in the show. We wonder how ghouls will stack up against The Last of Us‘ clickers and bloaters when they arrive. We suspect they will all give us nightmares.

More About the Fallout Series

Nolan and Joy’s Kilter Films is producing the Fallout series under the pair’s Amazon overall deal. They produce together with Bethesda Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks. In a statement, Joy and Nolan said, “Fallout is one of the greatest game series of all time. Each chapter of this insanely imaginative story has cost us countless hours we could have spent with family and friends. So we’re incredibly excited to partner with Todd Howard and the rest of the brilliant lunatics at Bethesda to bring this massive, subversive, and darkly funny universe to life with Amazon Studios.”

Nolan and Joy serve as executive producers on the show. Jonathan Nolan will also direct the first three episodes of the series. Meanwhile, Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner are executive producers and co-showrunners of the Fallout series. 

When the initial announcement dropped in mid-2020, Amazon Studios released a short teaser video, which you can watch below:

Prime Video Fallout‘s Cast

In addition to Ella Purnell, Walton Goggins, and Kyle MacLachlan, Aaron Moten, Moisés Arias, and Xelia Mendes-Jones have also joined the cast of the Fallout series. Sarita Choudhury, Michael Emerson, Leslie Uggams, Frances Turner, Dave Register, Zach Cherry, Johnny Pemberton, Rodrigo Luzzi, Annabel O’Hagan, and Xelia Mendes-Jones will also star. Their roles are currently under wraps.

More About the Games

The post-nuclear apocalypse games have been best-sellers since their debut in 1997. The Fallout franchise has expanded to include 10 games since then. The game’s world is based on a harsh future. Post World War II, Americans hoped for a future rooted in nuclear energy. They had a utopian vision of a better world. However, that results in a full on nuclear war in 2077. The Great War that wrecks the United States provides the setting for Fallout world. Players travel through a total wasteland. Although the games are mostly serious in tone, they also have their share of ironic humor.

Rumors of a Fallout television adaptation have circulated for a long time, so we’re glad to finally see it in action. There have been many video game series adaptations released recently, and we can’t wait to see how this one turns out.

Originally published on July 2, 2020.

The post FALLOUT TV Series Sets Official Prime Video Release Date appeared first on Nerdist.

Usually it’s a bad thing when new characters turn your favorite fantasy world into a dystopian wasteland. This is not one of those times. In fact, this is one of the very rare occasions when that will be a good thing. Magic: The Gathering has announced its latest crossover will bring a beloved post-apocalyptic video game world to tabletops. The trading card game is partnering with Fallout for a big S.P.E.C.I.A.L. new collection.

Load up your Pip-Boy with plenty of mana (you figure out how!) because Magic: The Gathering – Fallout is coming next year. When it arrives it won’t show up with just a few fun cards like some other Magic: The Gathering collaborations, either. This is a considerable union of two very popular games. Here’s how Wizards of the Coast describes its upcoming Fallout collection:

Magic: The Gathering – Fallout celebrates elements of all Fallout games since 1997 and represents the first “modern view” of some of the classic Fallout games, including updates to characters and settings from Fallout and Fallout 2. We hope to pay homage to Fallout‘s high-energy, high-action, post-nuclear RPG roots. Whether you join the side of some of Fallout‘s most infamous characters or choose to play as a Vault survivor fighting gangs of raiders, super-mutants, irradiated monsters, and pre-war robots, life in the wastes won’t be easy!

The Fallout collection will feature four Commander decks, each with its own theme. That will include the Dogmeat-centered Scrappy Survivors deck, Mutant Menace, Hail, Caesar, and Science! They’ll be sold individually and as a bundle.

They’ll be supplemented by Collector Boosters with Booster Fun. Collector Boosters will come in both traditional foil and surge foil cards. They’ll also be where fans can find non-foil, full-art basic lands that depict five “isometric environments like those seen in the classic Fallout games.” And Magic: The Gathering – Fallout Collector Boosters will see the return of extended-art cards in non-foil, traditional foil, and surge foil.

As if all of that wasn’t enough, the collection will also include cards for Bobbleheads, which are getting the “serialized treatment.” That will include seven cards with serialization on 500 copies each. They’ll look too good for a wasteland, too. These cards are getting the double rainbow foil treatment.

In addition to providing an early look at many cards in the set, Magic: The Gathering also went deep with a video on what fans can expect.

Magic: The Gathering – Fallout won’t be available until March 8, 2024. However, you can already pre-order your decks and Boosters now.

While you wait we recommend playing both Magic: The Gathering and Fallout as much as you can. Preferably at the same time. That way it won’t be jarring to realize it’s a good thing your favorite fantasy world has become a post-nuclear dystopia.

The post MAGIC: THE GATHERING – FALLOUT Collection Brings a Wasteland World to Tabletop appeared first on Nerdist.

It’s been another full week in the entertainment world. Netflix has raised prices again, but it also revealed some amazing looks from its Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action series. We learned that Gargoyles may turn into a Disney+ series from some excellent horror-oriented minds. Not to mention, Rick and Morty revealed its new lead voice actors. But in among the rest, some other pretty cool things happened.

Here are some of our favorite pop-culture news odds & ends that you don’t want to miss reading about.

This Week’s Odds & Ends in News:

Jump to:

• Omni-Man Will Be First Downloadable Character for Mortal Kombat 1
• Pokémon Go‘s New Party Play Offers Collaborative Gameplay and Team-Ups
• Infinity Paws Comic Brings Together All Your Favorite Marvel Pets
• Knives Out 3 Has a Premise and a Setting
• The Afterparty Has Been Canceled by Apple TV+
• Saturday Night Live Takes on Barbie‘s “I’m Just Ken” with “I’m Just Pete” Parody
• MastersFX’s Monster Museum and FX Studio Opens in Vancouver
• A New Dragon Ball series Dragon Ball: Daima Is on the Way
• LEGO Brings Your Worst Nightmares to Life in Horror Posters for Halloween
• Immersive X-Men Event, The Uncanny Experience, Wants You to Enroll in Professor X’s Institute for Gifted Youngsters

Omni-Man Will Be First Downloadable Character for Mortal Kombat 1

Much to the delight of the franchise’s fans, Mortal Kombat 1 recently released into the world. And it served as a reboot for the series as a whole. The game promised to deliver “a new era of the iconic franchise with a new fighting system, game modes, and fatalities.” And so far, so good. But, of course, these days, nothing ever stops at its first release. Via the mechanism of Kombat Pass, a purchasable add-on to the game, new characters will join the Mortal Kombat 1 fun. And first up is Invincible’s Omni-Man.

In Mortal Kombat 1, Omni-Man will offer fans of both Invincible‘s comics and its TV show something to get excited about. And, as a bonus treat, Mortal Kombat 1‘s Omni-Man will be voiced by J.K. Simmons. If these trailers are anything to go by, Omni-Man is definitely not pulling ANY punches. And he’s bringing a whole lot of blood with him. Omni-Man will arrive in the game in November 9, 2023.

GameSpot shares that in addition to Omni-Man, five more new characters will join Mortal Kombat 1 via Kombat Pass. They include Quan Chi (arriving in winter 2023/2024), Peacemaker (arriving in Winter 2023/2024), Ermac (arriving in spring 2024), Homelander (arriving in spring 2024), and Takeda (arriving in summer 2024).

Get nostalgic with Mortal Kombat 1‘s recreation of a 1993 TV commercial.

Pokémon Go‘s New Party Play Offers Collaborative Gameplay and Team-Ups

Trainers, get ready to team up because soon you won’t have to go it alone anymore while playing Pokémon Go. Pokémon Go has offered fans many fun adventures, but it has always been more of a solitary game. You can occasionally get together with a member of your team to take over a gym, but that’s about it. Normally, you can play next to someone, but not necessarily play with them. But that’s all about to change thanks to Pokémon Go‘s new feature Party Play.

With Party Play, which we first saw via Polygon, Pokémon Go players level 15 and above can “adventure and complete challenges together, all in one shared in-game experience.” As a party, players can engage in “spinning PokéStops, battling in raids, catching Pokémon, and more” and do so together. The experience will appear on every player’s screen. If you raid with your party, you’ll also get Party Power which “doubles the damage of your next Charged Attack and charges with every Fast Attack.” Sounds likes a great time to us. You can learn more about how to organize a party and the mechanics of Party Play, in Niantic’s official blog post about Party Play.

For information on Pokémon‘s latest collaboration with The Van Gogh Museum check out our post here.

Infinity Paws Comic Brings Together All Your Favorite Marvel Pets

Who doesn’t love superpowered heroic animals? I can’t think of a single person. And that’s probably why Marvel Comics is bringing together our favorite Marvel Pets in an Infinity Comic series titled Infinity Paws. Infinity Paws will assemble an all-star that includes Jeff the Land Shark, Carol Danvers’ alien feline friend Chewie (named after Star Wars‘ Chewbacca), Alligator Loki, Lucky the Pizza Dog, and more. We know we’d feel safe in their paws. The adorable series will release in spring 2024 on Marvel Unlimited, Marvel’s digital subscription service. Infinity Paws is “written by seasoned Infinity Comic creator Jason Loo… and superstar artist and colorist Nao Fuji.”

“MARVEL MEOW fans will be in for a treat! Or treats,” shares Loo via a release from Marvel. “Because we have almost all of your favorite Marvel pets in this giant crossover, from the furry ones to the scaly ones. And I couldn’t be more pleased to be joined by the delightfully talented Nao Fuji illustrating this series!”

We guess we’d better have some treats ready for all of the hardworking heroes who are about to see some action.

To enjoy more Marvel animals, learn more about Frog Thor’s deleted scene from Loki

Knives Out 3 Has a Premise and a Setting

Our favorite mystery movie franchise finally has a bit of an update. Yes. Rian Johnson has shared that Knives Out 3 has a premise AND a setting. Is that exciting or what?

In full, Johnson noted to The Wrap, “It’s coming along. I obviously couldn’t work during the strike, and now that it’s over, I’m diving in full force, and so it’s coming along. I’ve got the premise, I’ve got the setting, I’ve got what the movie is in my head. It’s just a matter of writing the damn thing.”

We can’t begin to speculate what the premise or the setting of the next Knives Out movie will be… but we are happy to hear that Benoit Blanc’s next outing is well underway.

Still pondering the end of Knives Out 2? We break it down.

Jump to:

• Pokémon Go‘s New Party Play Offers Collaborative Gameplay and Team-Ups
• Infinity Paws Comic Brings Together All Your Favorite Marvel Pets
• Omni-Man Will Be First Downloadable Character for Mortal Kombat 1
• Knives Out 3 Has a Premise and a Setting
• The Afterparty Has Been Canceled by Apple TV+
• Saturday Night Live Takes on Barbie‘s “I’m Just Ken” with “I’m Just Pete” Parody
• MastersFX’s Monster Museum and FX Studio Opens in Vancouver
• A New Dragon Ball series Dragon Ball: Daima Is on the Way
• LEGO Brings Your Worst Nightmares to Life in Horror Posters for Halloween
• Immersive X-Men Event, The Uncanny Experience, Wants You to Enroll in Professor X’s Institute for Gifted Youngsters

The Afterparty Has Been Canceled by Apple TV+

Sadly though, not all mysteries are getting great news. Apple TV+ recently canceled its part-murder mystery, part-comedy series The Afterparty after two seasons. The Afterparty, from creator Chris Miller, told a different story in each of its two seasons but had some of the cast reprise their roles. It featured names like Tiffany Haddish, Zoë Chao, Sam Richardson, John Cho, Paul Walter Hauser, Ken Jeong, and more. Of course, uniquely, each episode took on a different genre of storytelling, depending on its point of view character. From taking on a Jane Austen romance to campy horror, The Afterparty really flexed its storytelling muscles.

We’ll be sad to hear we won’t see another chapter of this unique show on our screens.

The Afterparty gave us some good moments to look back on. Check out this hilarious antic.

Saturday Night Live Takes on Barbie‘s “I’m Just Ken” with “I’m Just Pete” Parody

Wait for it… Wait for it… There it is. Barbie’s hit power-ballad “I’m Just Ken” is now officially stuck in your head. But get ready for a whole new rendition to take over your life. “I’m Just Ken” is obviously ripe for parody. And we aren’t surprised that Saturday Night Live saw their chance and took it. In “I’m Just Pete,” Pete Davidson takes us through a day in the life. To give you a taste, some of the lyrics to “I’m Just Pete” are as follows, “I’m just Pete. Anyone else, I’d be a three. But I guess I’m hot for dudes in comedy.”

We expect this won’t be the last “I’m Just Ken” parody we encounter, but it sure is a good one.

There was a lot to love about Barbie. Here’s what we thought of the movie.

MastersFX’s Monster Museum and FX Studio Opens in Vancouver

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Looking for something fun to do with your October? How about checking out some truly eerie works of FX mastery. MastersFX recently opened a Monster Museum and FX Studio in Vancouver, and it looks like it is well worth haunting.

A release shares:

The MastersFX team has created a Monster Museum, which is presenting “Forty Years of Monster-Making.” The experience offers visitors an interactive exhibit that takes them through parts of MFX’s actual working monster shop, showing-off their various techniques, and letting visitors operate the animatronics and take selfies with actual screen-used monsters.

Occupying the museum are an assortment of aliens, demons, devils, fairies, harpies, vampires, beasts, corpses, cadavers, robots, sasquatches, mummies, werewolves, zombies and more. These exhibits of “FX Art” have been personally curated by multi-Emmy Award-winner, Todd Masters.

The museum, now open on weekends during October, also demonstrates advancements that the MFX team has made within the field of special effects – aspects of which they call “Neo-Practical Effects.” The museum contains over 80 creatures and FX used in making shows on which MFX has contributed their special form of art, including: Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, Fringe, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Sonic the Hedgehog, Yellowjackets; Stargate; Six Feet Under; Star Trek: First Contact and Predator. Even current projects are represented: It Lives Inside, Monster High, and The Fall of the House of Usher, to name a few.

What an incredibly fun-sounding time! The museum is located at 4185 Dawson Street in Burnaby, BC, in Canada. You can buy tickets here.

‘Tis the season to embrace Halloween. Here’s how these iconic slashers match up with the signs of the zodiac.

• Pokémon Go‘s New Party Play Offers Collaborative Gameplay and Team-Ups
• Infinity Paws Comic Brings Together All Your Favorite Marvel Pets
• Omni-Man Will Be First Downloadable Character for Mortal Kombat 1
• Knives Out 3 Has a Premise and a Setting
• The Afterparty Has Been Canceled by Apple TV+
• Saturday Night Live Takes on Barbie‘s “I’m Just Ken” with “I’m Just Pete” Parody
• MastersFX’s Monster Museum and FX Studio Opens in Vancouver
• A New Dragon Ball series Dragon Ball: Daima Is on the Way
• LEGO Brings Your Worst Nightmares to Life in Horror Posters for Halloween
• Immersive X-Men Event, The Uncanny Experience, Wants You to Enroll in Professor X’s Institute for Gifted Youngsters

A New Dragon Ball series Dragon Ball: Daima Is on the Way

It’s almost time for Dragon Ball‘s 40th anniversary. And it looks like we’ll celebrate with a brand new Dragon Ball series Dragon Ball: Daima. While not much is known about this upcoming Dragon Ball show yet, Toei Animation did release a teaser trailer for Daima. The trailer, which we first saw on IGN, hints at a brand-new story for the franchise. Its description shares that the new Dragon Ball: Daima series is “Drawn by the original creator, Akira Toriyama” and features “a story never told in Dragon Ball.”

In the Dragon Ball: Daima trailer, we see Goku transforming into a de-aged version of himself after an encounter with Shenron. De-aged versions of Vegeta, Bulma, Chi Chi, Pamput, Krillin, Piccolo, and Shin also appear to tease us. We feel like we’re about to see one adorable Dragon Ball story unfold.

Dragon Ball: Daima will release in fall 2024.

Need more anime in your life? Netflix is bringing a Yu Yu Hakusho live-action adaptation to our screens soon.

LEGO Brings Your Worst Nightmares to Life in Horror Posters for Halloween

Uh oh… Did you just drop a piece of your LEGO build mid-construction… only to step on it with your bare feet three weeks after you had to improvise with a block that didn’t match in color? Yep. We’ve all been there. And LEGO is capturing these true terrors in a set of LEGO horror posters just in time for Halloween. Whichever LEGO vision torments you in your nightmares, LEGO’s Building Nightmares posters are ready for you. And we’re kind of obsessed with this collection.

But you have to be a true LEGO fan to get your claws on these. The LEGO Building Nightmares horror posters are available as LEGO Insider rewards. You can redeem 1,750 points to unlock one poster. Don’t delay, though; according to DesignTaxi, there are only 5,400 copies available per poster type.

And good luck finding that piece in the carpet.

We overcame every one of these horrors when putting together LEGO’s incredible Rivendell set.

Immersive X-Men Event, The Uncanny Experience, Wants You to Enroll in Professor X’s Institute for Gifted Youngsters

The Uncanny Experience, an immersive X-Men event that takes you into Professor Xavier’s Institute for Gifted Youngsters, is back for its “sophomore year” (a.k.a, its second annual event).

A release shares:

The Uncanny Experience is an immersive event that transforms the historic Minneapolis Club into Xavier’s Institute – the home of the X-Men in comics, film, and cartoons.  The inaugural event saw ticket holders attending classes on mutant culture, exploring the campus with rooms decorated like Wolverine’s bedroom, unraveling clues in the Mystery in the Mansion quest, being initiated into the Hellfire Club, and singing karaoke alongside Dazzler.  2024 attendees can expect much of the same with even more surprises in store.

Honestly, how amazing does that sound? Immersive events can go either way, but it’s always a good sign when they come back for round two. Additionally, the event even has some pretty cool guests. The official description for The Uncanny Experience notes, “Legendary comics writer Chris Claremont returns to The Uncanny Experience where he will continue to lead discussions on X-Men History and be available for autographs, remarks, and more.  Alison Sealy-Smith and George Buza, who voice Storm and Beast in X-Men: The Animated Series and returning to the franchise with X-Men ’97, were also announced to be Special Guest attendees.”

On a practical level, this immersive X-Men experience takes place in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It will run from September 28-29, 2024. Pre-sale tickets for Newsletter Subscribers are available now and the general public will be able to purchase them beginning on October 20.

Do you have what it takes to enroll? Read about the best X-Men teams ever and then decide.

The post POKÉMON GO Reveals Collaborative Play, New DRAGON BALL Series Announced and More News Odds & Ends appeared first on Nerdist.

Like many fandoms, The Walking Dead family disagrees on pretty much everything. But one thing we largely agree on is that the show’s first few seasons were absolutely fantastic. Many of the decisions that Rick and his survival comrades made in those early years of the apocalypse set the foundation for so many story arcs and pivotal moments. And, even though the flagship series is over, fans love to give The Walking Dead the “What If?” treatment. What if Shane actually killed Rick in that field? What if Daryl never saved Carol at the farm? It is always fun to think about the possibilities, but now we can make them happen. The Walking Dead: Destinies is a new The Walking Dead video game that allows players to rewrite the show’s history and relive some epic moments with original characters.

We can see the conceit in action in The Walking Dead: Destinies trailer below. 

AMC and GameMill Entertainment are teaming up to make this new The Walking Dead game happen. The Walking Dead: Destinies covers seasons one through four, which includes the farm, prison, and Terminus arcs in the Atlanta area. The storyline can go many different ways depending on the player’s choices for The Walking Dead‘s most famous characters like Rick Grimes and Daryl Dixon. If a player dares, they can change the fates of folks like Shane Walsh and see how that decision affects the future. It is probably not the best choice considering Shane’s obsession with Lori and Carl. This is a super cool concept considering most of The Walking Dead’s popular games are about characters who don’t exist in the show, like Clementine. 

The Walking Dead: Destinies’ trailer back some unforgettable memories in game-form, especially with its voiceover. We can hear Rick giving his infamous speech following the fall of the farm. Gotta love when he tells people that they can either let him lead or figure life out on their own. (It is lovingly known by many fans as the Ricktatorship speech.) We also see locations that are long gone, like the prison and downtown Atlanta. And yes, there’s some blood and gore because it is a The Walking Dead game. Players will have to manage their resources and fight for their survival. The clip notes that this is a work in progress, so we will have to wait for the final graphics.

A new Walking Dead game with original characters like Rick that lets you change the show’s storylines sounds like a great time. The Walking Dead: Destinies will get a digital release on November 17 with a physical release following in December. It will be available for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox and cost $50. The game is available for preorder today.

Originally published on August 17, 2023.

The post New THE WALKING DEAD: DESTINIES Video Game Lets Players Rewrite Show’s Early Seasons appeared first on Nerdist.

Few things were as awesome in the ’90s as the animated Gargoyles. Disney’s attempt at a dark action series to rival Batman: The Animated Series was a dark fantasy epic with a mix of sorcery and science. It’s one of the coolest cartoons ever. And like everything cool in the ’90s, it spawned a video game. The 1995 Gargoyles game was late in the life of the Sega Genesis and as such was one of the best looking, most robust games on the platform.

Hot on the heels of news of a new live-action version, Disney Games has released Gargoyles Remastered, a gussied-up version of the beloved game. We received a review code for the game from Disney Games on the PlayStation 4. It’s never looked better, but it’s still just as hard and fast-paced as it was nearly three decades ago.

Disney Games and Empty Clip Studios have given the original game a very impressive facelift. As great as the Sega game was back in the day, the sprites were very dark and weren’t quite the look or the aesthetic of the cartoon. This version has remedied that. Goliath is a vibrant purple, the backgrounds truly pop, levels show tons of detail. They’ve also cleaned up the music and made a few quality of life changes—like a rewind function—but other than that, it’s still the same game, for better and worse.

Gargoyles spans five levels and puts players in control of Goliath, the leader of the titular creatures. The game roughly covers the story of the show’s five-part opening. The first two levels put Goliath against Viking invaders attacking the Scottish Castle Wyvern. After that the action heads to modern day NYC where Goliath fights robots on buildings, a speeding train, and in a laboratory. Eventually you get to square off against Xanatos and his Steel Clan robots, and finally evil gargoyle Demona. All of this serves a greater quest to destroy the Eye of Odin, which threatens all life.

The levels all require Goliath to climb walls, or smash through them, to fight enemies and avoid environmental hazards. Goliath can jump and double-jump (flap, because of wings), slash with claws, and flip enemies. The controls are straight forward. Easy to pick up but tough to master, the game’s primary challenge comes from platforming and puzzle solving. You have to figure out which walls to break to get health power-ups or to find the critical path. Sometimes you have to break a floor or grab a thing to open a secret passage. Like a lot of games of the era, the difficulty comes from timing and reflexes more than fighting.

And that’s what I mean when I say it’s the same game, for better or worse. When you’re firing on all cylinders, landing jumps, finding the right path, you can beat the game in less than 30 minutes. Unlike the original, this remaster offers several difficulty levels, giving Goliath more lives and taking less damage per hit. The rewind function is also clutch when you totally biff a jump or fall off a wall. These elements make for a more forgiving playthrough, but if you don’t vibe with the timing, it can be very frustrating. Sense memory for games like this needs to take over. Luckily it’s a short playthrough, but even on easy don’t expect to go in with your Elden Ring or Resident Evil 4 skills and fly through it.

Gargoyles Remastered is a beautiful update to a classic side-scroller. The art and music are superb, and for those who want the old-school experience, you can flip to the 16-bit visuals without even pausing. It’s a fun game that evokes the cartoon better than just about any game of the era. But definitely make sure you’re in a ’90s platforming state of mind or you’re likely to roar louder than Goliath.

Gargoyles Remastered is available for download on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Steam beginning October 19, 2023.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

The post GARGOYLES REMASTERED Brings Back the Platforming Action of the ’90s Video Game appeared first on Nerdist.

One of the best parts of roleplaying games is sinking into the storytelling and letting loose with friends. And one of the more challenging parts of roleplaying games is finding a consistent game master who will do all the work and preparation to create the space for storytelling. Enter Sharkbomb Studios’ The Mending Circle. This gentle-sounding roleplaying game doesn’t require a game master or extensive prep. Made for exactly three players, The Mending Circle takes the group on a journey of healing.

The Mending Circle‘s designer Martin Nerurkar started working on the game when he was recovering from burnout. It took time for Nerurkar to finish the first edition, released digitally. Now he’s back with the second edition, a cozy and wholesome roleplaying game in which the players come together as a coven of three witches sent to help someone in need. The Mending Circle‘s full synopsis is as follows:

In The Mending Circle you tell healing stories together.
At their heart is always one or more of the Torn: someone in a state of pain or anxiety and in need of support. Most likely they are scared, poor, isolated or marginalized in some way that makes it difficult for them to access help themselves. This pain does not come from a physical ache but rather from a metaphorical, emotional wound. If it persists it often leads to more suffering radiating outwards.
But this Wound catches the attention of three witches that set out to help. Using your magical charms you will help and guide the process of healing. As a first step the Torn needs to reach a state of relative safety and stability. Only after this is achieved can they confront the source of their pain and gain awareness. Finally, they have to make a new meaning for themselves to move forward.

The game features a D6 system, quick start scenarios, and a 130+ page sourcebook. Given the vulnerable nature of the game, you’ll likely want to play with people you already know and feel comfortable being open with.

The Mending Circle is available to back on Kickstarter now.

The post THE MENDING CIRCLE Is a Witchy RPG About Hope and Healing appeared first on Nerdist.

The Spider-Verse has shown “anyone can wear the mask.” It’s a beautiful sentiment, but let’s face it, the odds a radioactive spider grants us super arachnid powers is probably close to zero. (Yes, “probably.” We refuse to give up all hope.) That doesn’t mean we can’t experience what it’s like to be a friendly neighborhood hero, though. We can be a beloved webbed-slinger in video games, and the next chance we’ll have to do that will expand our horizon—and our wardrobe. Three new trailers for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 reveal a ton of drama and many foes, a full closet worth of incredible Spidey-suits, and an even bigger map to explore.

Villans Are Everywhere in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Slightly Spoilery Launch Trailer

It’s almost time for the web-slinging to begin. And in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 launch trailer, we’re thankful for our team of Spidey heroes because there sure will be many villains for them to fight. Beware, though, this new trailer is slightly spoilery.

Kraven, Lizard, and Venom all take a starring role in this upcoming game, and we can see their full strength in Spider-Man 2‘s latest look. But we also get a couple of surprises. The nefarious Spider-Man villain Sandman appears in this trailer, and he is absolutely terrifying (and enormous). Not to mention we see Mister Negative fighting Miles. Any spider-donning hero in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 better watch out.

A synopsis released with the trailer shares:

Spider-Men, Peter Parker and Miles Morales, return for an exciting new adventure in the critically acclaimed Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise for the PS5 console. Nine months after the events of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, we find Miles still enlisting Peter’s help, but when the mysterious symbiote appears, Peter and Miles’ relationships are put to the test. Peter begins to change as he gains symbiote powers, and Miles, Mary Jane, Harry, and the rest of the friend group must help Peter while also facing the impending threats from a cast of new villains like Kraven, Lizard, Sandman, and Venom!

We can hardly wait.

MANY New Spider-Man Suits Are on the Horizon

The second new trailer from Insomniac Games and PlayStation for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 highlight the game’s Digital Deluxe edition. This promo features the many, many, many suits players can opt to use in the game, which will see “Peter Parker and Miles Morales face the ultimate test of strength inside and outside the mask as they fight to save the city, each other and the ones they love, from the monstrous Venom and the dangerous new symbiote threat.”

The game will include the following options for Spidey-ware:

• 5 unique Miles Morales suits
• EnC0ded Suit design by Kris Anka
• Biomechanical Suit design by Jerad Marantz
• Tokusatsu Suit design by Julia Blattman
• Agimat Suit design by Anthony Francisco
• Red Spectre Suit design by Sweeney Boo
• 5 unique Peter Parker suits o Aurantia Suit design by Raf Grassetti
• Apunkalyptic Suit design by Jerad Marantz
• Tactical Suit design by Joel Mandish
• Stone Monkey design by Victoria Ying
• 25th Century Suit design by Anthony Francisco

Pre-ordering Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will also get a few more suits. Those who buy it ahead of its October 20 release will nab an Arachknight Suit for Peter with three color variants and a Shadow-Spider Suit for Miles that also comes with three color variants. Pre-orders will get an early unlock Web Grabber gadget.

Is that…too many suits? No, no, that’s not a thing. We truly need all the suits. Especially since we’ll have even more places to show them off.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Reveals Expanded NYC Gameplay Map

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2‘s last new trailer, narrated by Insomniac Games’ Senior Creative Director Bryan Intihar, shows the expanded map players will encounter in the game.

Peter and Miles’ open-world adventures will let them go to their respective home burrows, Queens and Brooklyn. Those long-overdue additions to Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will double the original release’s New York City’s map. And how will you traverse so much ground fast enough to save the day? With new web wings that will help each Spider-Man zip through the air.

These new Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 trailers provide even more insights into the new aspects players will find in the game. But the most important one remains the same. It will let us wear the mask. Many, many, many versions of the mask.

Originally published on September 15, 2023.

The post Launch Trailer for MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2 Reveals More Villains, Venom, and Lots of Drama appeared first on Nerdist.

Few games are as anticipated as Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, which arrives on October 20. Expectations are high. This game follows up the incredibly well-received Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and also features the Venom symbiote. Now, for fans who want a peek behind the curtain, Dark Horse Books, Marvel Games, and Insomniac Games are teaming up to present The Art of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.

The Art of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, regular and deluxe editions will arrive on shelves at the same time. These new artbooks celebrate the fan-favorite game, and give Spidey aficionados a behind-the-scenes look at its development. You can check out the cover art of The Art of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and read the book’s official synopsis below:

Peter Parker and Miles Morales return for an exciting new adventure in the critically acclaimed Marvel’s Spider-Man video game saga. As the inimitable web-heads swing, jump, and glide across Marvel’s New York, iconic villains threaten to destroy their lives, their city, and the ones they love. Now readers can explore the creation of this dynamic new entry in the Marvel’s Spider-Man video game series—from unforgettable characters, extraordinary equipment, breathtaking locales, thrilling storyboards, and more—all accompanied by insightful commentary from the game’s creative team!

The Art of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 regular and deluxe edition arrive in bookstores on April 16, 2024. They arrive next in comic book shops on April 17, 2024. Both are 232 pages long. The Deluxe Edition edition features an exclusive cover, a decorative slipcase, and a folio enclosing a gallery-quality print. The standard edition is now available to pre-order at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and your local comic shop and bookstore for $49.99. Meanwhile, The Art of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Deluxe Edition is also available to pre-order at the same retailers for $99.99. 

The post MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2 Gets Its Very Own Art of Book appeared first on Nerdist.

October is always full of excitement. This week, Netflix released The Fall of the House of Usher and gifted us with some truly gory deaths, McDonald’s revealed its latest Boo Buckets to the world, and A24’s The Iron Claw shared its trailer to the world. But that’s not all that took place. Plenty of other exciting happenings revealed themselves, and we wouldn’t want them to get lost in the shuffle.

Here are some of our favorite pop-culture news odds & ends that you don’t want to miss reading about.

This Week’s Odds & Ends in News

Jump to:

• New Digimon Adventure 02 Movie Heads to Theaters
• One Piece‘s Showrunner Reveals He’s Writing Doctor Kureha for Jamie Lee Curtis and Other Season Two Teases
• Ian McKellen Told Patrick Stewart NOT to Do Star Trek
• Ghostface Is Here to Cause Halloween Mayhem in Youtooz Line
• Netflix Has Renewed Castlevania: Nocturne for Season Two (But Canceled Vikings: Valhalla)
• Girl Scouts Have Discontinued Popular 2022 Flavor, Raspberry Rally
• Go Camping with Pokémon in Adorable New Live-Action Hybrid Series
• D&D Beyond Wants to Make Gameplay Easier with Maps Tool
• Mickey and Friends Celebrate Avengers and X-Men‘s 60th Anniversary with Disney What If? Variant Covers
• Gaming Highlights: Slimmer PS5 Coming for the Holidays, Logitech Shares Cool Star Wars Gear

New Digimon Adventure 02 Movie Heads to Theaters

Feeling nostalgic for Saturday morning cartoons of yore? Us too. That’s why we were excited to hear about a new Digimon Adventure 02 movie coming soon to theaters. A release shares more about Digimon Adventure 02 The Beginning:

This November the DigiDestined are back in theaters with a brand new movie.  Toei Animation and Fathom Events revealed today details for the U.S. theatrical release of “Digimon Adventure 02 The Beginning” as a two-day event on November 8 & 9. It is present day and the chosen children from “Digimon Adventure 02” have returned with all new adventures — but now they’re 20 year old young adults! 

If Kari, T.K., and Ken are among some of your favorite Digimon characters ever, like they are mine, then you’re in luck. You can snag tickets from Fathom Events. The film will screen in both the English dub (November 8) and in Japanese with English subtitles (November 9). Additionally, “the first 50 guests to arrive at each night’s screening will receive a complimentary Digimon Card Game Tamer Party Pack -THE BEGINNING- ver. 2.0, which includes 3 out of 14 possible cards from the new Digimon Card Game deck commemorating the film (first come, first served). Lucky recipients will be among the first fans in the U.S. to own these new “Digimon Adventure 02 The Beginning” themed cards before they are released to the general public in December.”

Sounds like some throwback fun to us. A synopsis for the new Digimon movie further shares:

It’s 2012, and ten years have passed since the adventure in the Digital World. Daisuke Motomiya is now twenty, and he and the rest of the DigiDestined seem to be changing bit by bit in terms of appearance and lifestyle. Then one day, a giant Digitama suddenly appears in the sky over Tokyo Tower. Daisuke and the others encounter a mysterious young man named Lui Ohwada, who informs them that he’s the first ever DigiDestined in the world…

For even more nostalgia, check out our Power Rangers throwback, here:

One Piece‘s Showrunner Reveals He’s Writing Doctor Kureha for Jamie Lee Curtis and Other Season Two Teases

Netflix’s One Piece defied the anime adaptation curse to become a much-beloved piece of the long-running franchise. Happily, Netflix green-lit season two of the show, and with the conclusion of the WGA strike, we can now hear more about it. Speaking to Deadline, One Piece co-showrunner Matt Owens discussed one of the most eagerly anticipated season two castings. For a while now, buzz has been circulating about Jamie Lee Curtis joining the live-action One Piece adaptation as Doctor Kureha. And it turns out, it’s more than just buzz.

Owens notes, “Doctor Kureha, very luckily, is a character who is coming up in our story, and is someone who is perfect for Jamie Lee Curtis.” And further adds, “After she won her Oscar, the writers’ room sent her a figure of Doctor Kureha with a nice note that said, ‘Congratulations on your statue, here’s another one to put next to it. Hope to speak to you soon.’ When she reposted that, it got a lot of fan interest, and I commented on it. We’re trying to manifest it.” Of course, with the current SAG-AFTRA strike still in play, no official casting can be confirmed. However, Owens shares of the writers’ room, “We’re writing for her — we really, really want her to come and play with us in Season 2.” Fingers crossed!

In a Reddit AMA, Owens further noted that he’d love to see live-action spinoffs, especially on starring a Young Mihawk, that One Piece’s Lougetown arc remains upcoming in the live-action, and that he can’t wait to adapt Law and Carrot.

Learn how to watch One Piece without filler episodes, here:

Ian McKellen Told Patrick Stewart NOT to Do Star Trek

In a different timeline on the multiverse, beloved actor Sir Ian McKellen almost destroyed the universe. Well, not exactly, but he may have convinced Sir Patrick Stewart not to go forward with Star Trek, thus denying us Stewart’s rendition of Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

Patrick Stewart’s memoir, Making It So, has given us many fun and fascinating tidbits about the actor’s journey. But recently, via Insider, we learned Ian McKellen urged Patrick Stewart not to sign on to Star Trek. Stewart reveals in his book, “When I told him I was going to sign the contract, he almost bodily prevented me from doing so… ‘No!’ he said. ‘No, you must not do that. You must not. You have too much important theater work to do. You can’t throw that away to do TV. You can’t. No!'”

It was an impassioned plea, but Stewart followed his gut. He writes, “There are few people, particularly with regard to acting, whose counsel I trust more than Ian’s… But this time, I had to tell him that I felt theater would return to my life whenever I was ready for it, whereas an offer of the lead role in an American TV series might never come again.”

Happily, Stewart says, “Ian has acknowledged that he was wrong and I was right… More than once, in fact – primarily because I like making him say those words.” What a delightful friendship and conclusion to this tale.

Check out more stories from Patrick Stewart’s memoir, here:

Ghostface Is Here to Cause Halloween Mayhem in Youtooz Line

You scream, I scream, we all scream for Ghostface. Who doesn’t love the ever-changing masked menace? As we wait for Scream 7, and whatever new kills and frights it will bring, you can take Ghostface home for yourself. On Friday the 13th, Youtooz will release three, dare we say, adorable Ghostfaces that we can add to our collections. They are classic Ghostface, Aged Ghostface, an Entertainment Earth Exclusive, and Glow in the Dark Ghostface, also an Entertainment Earth Exclusive.

You can check out the full Ghostface collection on Youtooz’s website.

Enjoy other Youtooz shenanigans, here:

Netflix Has Renewed Castlevania: Nocturne for Season Two (But Canceled Vikings: Valhalla)

Fans of Netflix’s gorgeous Castlevania series and its spinoffs can rejoice. Netflix has renewed Castlevania: Nocturne for another season. The Castlevania series follows Richter Belmont, weaving “a never before seen origin story” for the Belmont descendent and tells the tale of vampires in the French Revolution.

Its beautiful first season is now available to stream on Netflix. And we can’t wait to see what exquisitely intense tales Castlevania: Nocturne season two will reveal.

Sadly, it’s not all good news for spinoffs. Netflix has canceled Vikings: Valhalla after three seasons. Vikings: Valhalla existed as a sequel series to History’s much-watched drama Vikings, and fans will be sad to see it go. The third and now final season of Vikings: Valhalla, however, has not yet aired. The Vikings spinoff will arrive on Netflix in 2024. Hopefully, the season will bring the show to a fulfilling close.

Catch up with season one of Castlevania: Nocturne, here:

Jump to:

• One Piece‘s Showrunner Reveals He’s Writing Doctor Kureha for Jamie Lee Curtis and Other Season Two Teases
• Ian McKellen Told Patrick Stewart NOT to Do Star Trek
• Ghostface Is Here to Cause Halloween Mayhem in Youtooz Line
• Netflix Has Renewed Castlevania: Nocturne for Season Two (But Canceled Vikings: Valhalla)
• Girl Scouts Have Discontinued Popular 2022 Flavor, Raspberry Rally
• Go Camping with Pokémon in Adorable New Live-Action Hybrid Series
• D&D Beyond Wants to Make Gameplay Easier with Maps Tool
• Mickey and Friends Celebrate Avengers and X-Men‘s 60th Anniversary with Disney What If? Variant Covers
• New Digimon Adventure 02 Movie Heads to Theaters
• Gaming Highlights: Slimmer PS5 Coming for the Holidays, Logitech Shares Cool Star Wars Gear

Girl Scouts Have Discontinued Popular 2022 Flavor, Raspberry Rally

Cancellations are really everywhere. As if it weren’t enough that TV shows get canceled, now the Girl Scouts are canceling cookie flavors. We learned via Food & Wine that the Girl Scouts of the USA announced that they have discontinued 2022’s hit flavor Rasberry Rally. Rasberry Rally, a chocolate-coated Raspberry cookie, became an instant hit. The cookies sold out almost everywhere. I personally never got to try one. And now it seems they will not return. A Girl Scout representative offered the following statement, “Last year, Raspberry Rally cookies were introduced as part of a pilot online-only sales strategy… While Raspberry Rally was extremely popular last year, we are taking a pause this season to prioritize supplying our classic varieties.”

We guess Thin Mints couldn’t take the competition. But happily, many Girl Scouts cookies will return to us shortly. The next season of cookie-selling begins in January.

Learn how else you can enjoy Girl Scout Cookies, here:

Go Camping with Pokémon in Adorable New Live-Action Hybrid Series

Need something soothing for your soul? How about a live-action/CGI hybrid web series starring Pokémon nomming on delicious-looking desserts as they prepare to go camping? In all honesty, we have no notes. We could watch this Pokémon series all day. Camping with Pokémon will run for three episodes, but that doesn’t feel like nearly enough.

Next, we hope to see Pokémon telling scary stories around their Charmeleon campfire; maybe they can be joined by some ghost Pokémon for the occasion. And we also hope one day we can go camping with Pokémon ourselves.

We also want to give an honorable mention to Pokémon‘s Dream Plush collection. Could anything be cuter than soft, napping Pokémon plushes?

Indulge in more adorable Pokémon fun, here:

D&D Beyond Wants to Make Gameplay Easier with Maps Tool

Playing Dungeons and Dragons can feel intimidating. After all, there’s a lot to plot and execute in order to create an amazing campaign. But D&D Beyond has introduced a new tool that aims to help simplify gameplay prep and get players going.

D&D Beyond shares:

Prep less, play more. That’s our guiding star for Maps, the latest tool for D&D Beyond. Whether you play online or in person, we want Maps to offer a quick and easy way for DMs to connect with players and launch their adventures on D&D Beyond. 

With Maps, you can pull official maps and monster tokens from your D&D Beyond digital library to play with. You can also upload your own maps, drop in player tokens, and apply a fog of war. When you’re ready to play, you can invite players who have a free or upgraded D&D Beyond account into the shared play space. The Game Log will help you keep track of dice rolls on the fly. 

The Maps tool is still on the first step of its journey. So stay tuned for more updates.

You can now introduce Baldur’s Gate 3 characters into your D&D campaign. Check out our article about it, here:

Mickey and Friends Celebrate Avengers and X-Men‘s 60th Anniversary with Disney What If? Variant Covers

We love a good crossover, especially one that involves our favorite franchises. In celebration of the 60^th anniversary of two all-star Marvel teams, the Avengers and the X-Men, Marvel Comics will release 12 Disney100 Variant Covers that bring Disney and Marvel even closer together. These fun Disney What If? covers will see “Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and more take over milestone moments in both Avengers and X-Men history.” That’s what we call iconic. This “monthly variant cover program [adorn] select issues of Amazing Spider-Man.” The covers will also be available in black and white.

Click To View Gallery

A release further shares, “The first trio of covers kicks things off in the Silver Age with a spin on the Avengers and X-Men’s very first appearances in Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s original Avengers #1 and X-Men #1 from 1963. Both homages also feature Peg Leg Pete as the group’s respective archenemies–Loki and Magneto! Then, Mickey and friends assemble for a turning point for the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Avengers #16, which saw Captain America lead a brand-new Avengers roster that included new recruits like Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver!” That Peg Leg Pete is always causing trouble.

To get your hands on these Disney What If? variant covers, check in with your local comic shop or keep an eye on Marvel’s website. The first three covers will go on sale on January 3, February 14, and March 6, 2023.

Learn more about the Avengers and X-Men’s Marvel Comics anniversary, here:

Gaming Highlights: Slimmer PS5 Coming for the Holidays, Logitech Shares Cool Star Wars Gear

The PS5 is getting a whole new look for the holidays, kind of. It doesn’t look that much different to me, but it is slimmer. According to PlayStation’s official blog, the PS5 has “been reduced in volume by more than 30%, and weight by 18% and 24% compared to the previous models.” That does feel significant, even if it doesn’t necessarily look it. This new PS5 model also comes with “an attachable Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Drive and a 1TB SSD for more internal storage.” Nice. The updated PS5 will completely replace older models over time. Its rollout begins in November. In the US, a PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive is projected to cost $499.99, while a PS5 Digital Edition will cost 449.99 USD.

Meanwhile, Logitech G wants you to game in style with a new gaming mouse and mouse pads that celebrate Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi. We especially love the mouse, which, among other excellent utilities, offers “custom Millennium Falcon-inspired thruster animations and graphics with 8-LED full-spectrum RGB lighting.” Plus, it just looks really cool. And it really ought to because it will cost you $159.99. Steep, but fabulous.

The Battle of Endor and Darth Vader editions of the Logitech G840 XL Cloth Gaming Mouse Pad will only set you back $49.99 each.

Game in style, we must!

Check out more on PlayStation’s latest updates, here:

The post ONE PIECE Eyes Jamie Lee Curtis, Girl Scouts Discontinue Cookie Flavor, and More News Odds & Ends appeared first on Nerdist.

There’s a lot happening in the entertainment world. The first season of Ahsoka came to a close, the second season of Loki is just beginning, and all kinds of cool creations have made their way into the world. But amidst all of that, there are some other fun (and some not-so-fun) things you should probably know about.

Here are some of our favorite pop-culture news odds & ends from this week.

This Week’s Odds & Ends in News:

• Animal Crossing and LEGO Announce Collaboration
• James Gunn Confirms Peacemaker Season Two Is in His DCU, Currently Writing Season
• Hayao Miyazaki Is Already Working on his Next “Final Movie”
• The Barbie Movie Releases on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD on October 17
• Discovery+ Announces First Price Hike, Raises Cost of Ad-Free Tier
• $400 Pokémon Trading Card Game Classic Collection Comes with Foil Original Starters
• The Boys‘ Spinoff Gen V Creates Its Own In-World Social Network, “V”
• One Piece‘s Monkey D. Luffy Will Become a Float in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
• Dunkin’ Donuts Releases Inflatable Spider Donut Decoration

Animal Crossing and LEGO Announce Collaboration

Get ready to tend to your LEGO garden! Nintendo has officially teased a collaboration between Animal Crossing and LEGO. Both playing Animal Crossing and building LEGO masterpieces are two extremely calming activities, so we can only imagine how much fun they’ll be when they combine. Rumors of a collaboration have been floating for some time, and we can’t wait to see which official sets we’ll receive.

For more soothing LEGO builds, check out the latest LEGO Ideas set.

James Gunn Confirms Peacemaker Season Two Is in His DCU, Currently Writing Season

Rejoice, Peacemaker fans, Peacemaker season two is not only in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe, but it is actively being written. A little while ago, Gunn noted Peacemaker season two would be his next project after Superman: Legacy. This news, of course, heavily implied that Peacemaker season two would be in the new DC Universe, but it’s always nice to hear some confirmation. In response to a fan question on Threads that read, “Will season 2 of Peacemaker take place in the new DCU/ new continuity?” Gunn replied, “Yes and Yes.” We saw this news via IGN.

Additionally, James Gunn revealed he is currently writing season two of Peacemaker and he’s “having so much fun.” We can’t wait to hear more about the future of the series.

To see what else is in store for James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe, check out our article, here:

Hayao Miyazaki Is Already Working on his Next Movie Despite “Final Movie” Buzz

Soon, Hayao Miyazaki’s latest “final movie,” The Boy and the Heron, will release in the United States. This movie was greatly touted as the last work by the animation genius. However, Hayao Miyazaki has announced many “final movies” before. So we were not very surprised to read that The Boy and the Heron would most likely not hold the title of the last Miyazaki movie.

French publication Libération recently spoke to Studio Ghibli President Toshio Suzuki. And Suzuki said, “He’s constantly thinking about his next project. I can’t stop him, in fact, I’ve given up. Suzuki adds, “He started talking about a new project, so I’m not stopping him. As long as he’s working, I won’t be able to retire.”

This fits in with news that came from the Toronto International Film Festival. Studio Ghibli executive Junichi Nishioka noted to the CBC, “Other people say that this might be his last film, but he doesn’t feel that way at all… He is currently working on ideas for a new film. He comes into his office every day and does that. This time, he’s not going to announce his retirement at all. He’s continuing working just as he has always done.”

To this, we say, bring on the next Miyazaki movie.

You can watch the trailer for Studio Ghibli’s latest movie, The Boy and the Heron, here:

The Barbie Movie Releases on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD on October 17

It is time to say “Hi, Barbie!” once again. After an incredible theatrical run this summer, Barbie headed over to streaming to continue her reign of excellence. But now, she’s driving on back to the physical world. Life in plastic is fantastic! And also life in Blue-ray and DVD. The Barbie movie will release for purchase on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on October 17. Alongside the movie, purchases of Barbie on physical media will see some special features, six featurettes to be exact. Plus, the 4K UHD, Blu-ray case is so pink and sparkly; how could anyone resist?

To learn more about we thought of the Barbie movie, check out our review, here:

Discovery+ Announces First Price Hike and Raises Cost of Ad-Free Tier, Netflix Rumored to Also See Price Increase

No streaming service is safe right now. From price hikes to ad-tiers to password-sharing crackdowns, streaming is becoming more costly and less welcoming than it used to be. The latest to throw their hat into the fray is Discovery+. Discovery+ recently announced its first price increase ever, focusing on its ad-free tier. In a change that became immediately effective, Discovery+ announced that in the United States, “the price of a new Discovery+ ad-free monthly subscription in the U.S. will increase from $6.99 to $8.99 plus applicable taxes. The ad-lite subscription will not change and remains $4.99/month.” Meanwhile, “Existing subscribers will see their monthly rate increase on their next billing cycle on or after November 2.” As always, the streamer frames the price increase as necessary for continued quality programming.

Elsewhere, The Wall Street Journal reports Netflix is also considering a price hike for its ad-free tier. Seems like basically every streamer wants to push subscribers to ads… Or have them pay the price. Good luck to all subscribers out there.

For more on the latest streamer shenanigans, check out what Disney+ is doing.

$400 Pokemon Trading Card Game Classic Collection Comes with Foil Original Starters

Pokémon Trainers of a certain age will soon be able to get a second chance at owning certain cards they coveted as a child. A brand new Pokémon set titled the Pokémon Trading Card Game Classic collection is on sale, and for $400, it will bring all your Pokémon dreams to life. This collector’s item, which we first saw on GameSpot, includes three 60-card Pokémon decks, comes in snazzy packaging, and promises the three original Pokémon starter cards in foil form. You may not get all the hours you spent hunting for a shiny Charizard back, but you will get the satisfaction of finally having the creature in hand. The Pokémon Trading Card Game Classic collection also features a two-player game board, toolbox case with randomizer, and more.

For even more Pokémon adventures, learn more about the upcoming Pokémon live-action series:

The Boys‘ Spinoff Gen V Creates Its Own In-World Social Network, “V”

Can’t get enough of The Boys‘ spinoff, Gen V? Well, you’re in luck because Gen V and Prime Video have teamed up with gaming browser Opera GX to create a Gen V in-universe social network called V. Obviously, this is a bit of a play on Twitter’s new name—and that’s The Boys‘ universe for you.

A release shares:

Super-powered by Opera GX, V is the new social media arm of the fictional Vought International. V allows users to get to know the supes featured in Gen V, and interact with in-world profiles of their favorite members of The Seven, including characters from The Boys such as Homelander, A-Train, and dozens of other official characters from Gen V and The Boys.

V users can also explore the official in-world  Godolkin University, and catch up with some of its most popular students. Users will be able to keep up with Godolkin University’s latest student rankings as students battle for the top position and the opportunity to join The Seven, as well as access an array of exclusive Gen V content.

V will be continuously updated with new content throughout the season, echoing the hum of a real-world social network.

Sounds like a super fun way to get the most of your Gen V viewing experience. You can learn how to log-on to V, here.

Gen V is now available to watch. Check out our guide to all the new Supes and their powers, here:

One Piece‘s Monkey D. Luffy Will Become a Float in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

You know him, you love him, and now you’ll see him float in a parade. One Piece‘s Monkey D. Luffy is the latest nerdy character to become a balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. On November 23, Luffy will set sail on his latest, biggest adventure yet, down the streets of New York City. The One Piece Monkey D. Luffy balloon will be 43-feet long, 39-feet wide and 50-feet tall. We bet this balloon Luffy eats A LOT. And while he won’t have his typical crew with him, we’re told “he will be led the entire way by his own pirate crew of skilled marchers—all honorary Straw Hats for the day.” We bet they’ll wear straw hats, too, and that’s honestly delightful. It’s truly what Luffy deserves.

It’s been a big year for One Piece as the series made the leap into live-action. Check out why we thought the series was truly successful.

Dunkin’ Donuts Releases Inflatable Spider Donut Decoration

 It’s October, the best month. There are many ways to decorate for the season, but Dunkin’ Donuts wants you to consider a new unique piece of Halloween fun. The coffee chain recently released an inflatable version of their iconic spider donut. No, you can’t eat it, but if this is your favorite Halloween treat, why not take it home?

As the description for the Dunkin’ inflatable spider donut aptly shares, “For everyone that’s ever said “Man, my yard could really use a 6-foot-tall, lit up Inflatable Spider Donut to turn my Halloween decor game up a notch,” this is for you*. 

*It’s also for everyone that’s never said that, too.”

Cheers to that! This fun inflatable is available at the Dunkin’ Shop for $99. Happy pumpkin spice season!

Dunkin’ recently released a line of hard iced coffees and teas. Check out what we know about Dunkin’ Spiked, here.

The post ANIMAL CROSSING Comes to LEGO, Streaming Price Hikes, and More News Odds & Ends appeared first on Nerdist.

In Assassin’s Creed Mirage, you will transform from cunning street thief into a Master Assassin. But how easy would that be in real life? To find out, Nerdist sent Erika Ishii and Yoshi Sudarso to Assassin Academy. Their instructor, Travis Wong, will teach them the fine arts of Movement, Stealth, and Combat before giving them the ultimate challenge to prove they have what it takes to join the Hidden Ones!

This video is presented by Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Prepare to journey back in time to 9th century Baghdad and become a Master Assassin when Assassin’s Creed Mirage comes to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, EPIC, PC, and Amazon Luna on October 5th!

Learn more about Assassin’s Creed Mirage: https://bit.ly/3LCWGbD

#AssassinsCreed #AssassinsCreedMirage #Games #VideoGames #Ubisoft #Sponsored

The post Learning ASSASSIN CREED MIRAGE Skills in Real Life! | Assassin Academy appeared first on Nerdist.

When you’re swinging through the skyline of New York City and running on the side of buildings, you probably need some amazing footwear. Well, as Stan Lee was fond of saying, you’re in luck, True Believers! Via Marvel, we’ve learned Adidas is joining forces with Sony Interactive Entertainment, Marvel, and Insomniac Games to create the Adidas Peter Parker Advanced Suit and Venom collection, featured in the latest installment of Marvel’s franchise video game series, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, which arrives October 20 for the PlayStation 5 console. You can check out an image gallery of the new shoes below.

Click To View Gallery

This new collection showcases Peter Parker’s Advanced Suit, right as the Venom symbiote overtakes it. The Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 collection includes a large selection of Spidey-inspired footwear and apparel. These include Ultraboost J and Ultra 4D sneakers, the Adizero 12.0 football cleat, sweatshirts, and even compression tights. Adidas made this collection to appeal to both gamers and athletes, and of course, everyone who is both. Also, look out for some Adidas-branded products featured in-game. The regular folks on the ground in New York mainly wear these, but maybe you’ll see a super person or two wearing them as well.

This is not the first time there’s been an Adidas collaboration with the Spider-Man and Sony brands. Back in 2020, at the time of the release of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Adidas came out with a special red and black pair of Superstar shoes in honor of the game. But this new Venomized shoe is just that much cooler. When you wear them, make sure you let everyone know you did not, in fact, step in black tar. The Peter Parker Advanced Suit and Venom collection will be available to purchase from October 20 via the Adidas app, online, in stores, and in selected retailers.

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Sixty years of time and space travel, 15 Doctors (plus a few more), and hundreds of episodes have all led to this. The culmination of everything Doctor Who has been about since 1963. I only slightly jest, but it is pretty rad that fans of perennial deck building game Magic: The Gathering can now enjoy it in terms of their favorite sci-fi show (probably). As part of MTG‘s Universes Beyond imprint, which also recently announced Jurassic Park Magic cards, the various Time Lord incarnations, and their companions and villains are now playable cards. These Doctor Who Magic cards look pretty damn gorgeous, have to say.

Available for preorder October 13, Magic: The Gathering‘s Doctor Who line will have four separate, 100-card decks. Each will have 50 unique cards with brand new original Who artwork. The Blast from the Past Magic card set will feature all of the classic series Doctors and companions. Timey Wimey will have Doctors Nine, Ten, and Eleven. Meanwhile, the Paradox Power Doctor Who Magic card set will have the Twelfth and Thirteenth Doctors. And Masters of Evil will, of course, have all the baddies you could hope for. As part of WeeklyMTG on YouTube, the Magic team revealed a number of new Doctor Who cards and their abilities. Check out some of them in our gallery below, and watch the whole livestream on their channel.

Click To View Gallery

I’m not a Magic: The Gathering player personally, but I definitely am a Doctor Who fan. These cards are absolutely gorgeous, and I might just have to pick some up just to have them. Plus, it’s beyond awesome that the game calls the Doctors “Legendary Creatures.” Too right, MTG. Too right.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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Unsheathe your hidden blades and prepare for some parkour because Assassin’s Creed Mirage is nearly here! The brand new launch trailer is jam-packed full of assassination action, series easter eggs, and clues about what to expect from this epic adventure in the heart of 9th century Baghdad. Join Dan Casey as he takes a leap of faith into the latest trailer to break down everything you might have missed before you play Assassin’s Creed Mirage

This video is presented by Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Prepare to journey back in time to 9th century Baghdad and become a Master Assassin when Assassin’s Creed Mirage comes to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, EPIC, PC, and Amazon Luna on October 5th!

Learn more about Assassin’s Creed Mirage: https://bit.ly/3RCadEu

#AssassinsCreed #AssassinsCreedMirage #Games #VideoGames #Ubisoft #Sponsored

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The world of Dungeons & Dragons is impossibly rich. And that’s before everyone comes to the table and builds on it with their imaginations. The tabletop roleplaying game has continued to evolve with every edition. Dungeons & Dragons‘ fifth edition debuted in 2014, and in recent years, the game’s success has ballooned. A new book, Lore & Legends: A Visual Celebration of the Fifth Edition of the World’s Greatest Roleplaying Game by Michael Witwer, Kyle Newman, Jon Peterson, and Sam Witwer, delves into the art and history of D&D‘s Fifth Edition. We have an exclusive look at early character sketches featured in this Dungeons & Dragons book.

This spread of sketches shows off some of Dungeons & Dragons‘ most iconic dangers. We have a look at the deadly gelatinous cube from Conceptopolis (which also made an appearance in the recent Dungeons & Dragons movie). Below the cube are hook horror concepts from Cory Trego-Erdner. Then there’s a glimpse of a fresh owlbear look from artist Brynn Metheney. But my absolute favorite sketch on this page is the wereshark. That expression! Those teeth! Dungeons & Dragons rules.

The Lore & Legends synopsis is as follows:

When the reimagined fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons debuted in the summer of 2014, the game was on the brink of obsolescence. But within a few short years, D&D found greater success than it had ever enjoyed before, even surpassing its 1980s golden age. How did an analog game nearly a half century old become a star in a digital world? For the first time, Lore & Legends reveals the incredible ongoing story of Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition from the perspective of the designers, artists, and players who bring it to life. This comprehensive visual guide illuminates contemporary D&D—its development, evolution, cultural relevance, and popularity—through exclusive interviews and more than 900 pieces of artwork, photography, and advertising curated and analyzed by the authors of the bestselling and Hugo Award–nominated Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana.

Lore & Legends: A Visual Celebration of the Fifth Edition of the World’s Greatest Roleplaying Game arrives on shelves on October 3. And if you can wait until November 28, you can get a special edition of the book. This edition comes with an adventure map, a custom d20, and even a pull-out drawer that doubles as a dice tray. Get all the details on the Lore & Legends special edition here.

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Assassin’s Creed is going back to its roots in Assassin’s Creed Mirage! Celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Assassin’s Creed Mirage takes you back to 9th century Baghdad in a thrilling coming of age story that takes you from cunning street thief to Master Assassin. But why does the protagonist seem so familiar? Where does this game fit into the series’ canon? And why is this time period so important? We’ve got you covered with a deep dive into everything you need to know about Assassin’s Creed Mirage before you play!

This video is presented by Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Prepare to journey back in time to 9th century Baghdad and become a Master Assassin when Assassin’s Creed Mirage comes to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, EPIC, PC, and Amazon Luna on October 5th!

Learn more about Assassin’s Creed Mirage: https://bit.ly/46pmos5

#AssassinsCreed #AssassinsCreedMirage #Games #VideoGames #Ubisoft #Sponsored

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We were glad to hear that The Writers Guild of America finally made headway in achieving a fair deal with the AMPTP. The studios’ refusal to grant writers the protections and compensations they deserve continued to extend the strike, but recently a tentative agreement was reached. Of course, the SAG-AFTRA strike has not yet reached such a point, so union negotiations continue in Hollywood. And now, another strike could be on the table. On September 25, SAG-AFTRA’s members voted to authorize a video game strike. In fact, the vote was overwhelmingly in favor of a video game strike. 98.32% of those who voted, over 34,000 people, agreed to strike authorization.

Are SAG-AFTRA’s Members Now on a Video Game Strike?

Despite this majority vote, SAG-AFTRA’s members are not officially on strike against video game work. Instead, this authorization allows them to go on strike should negotiations fail. In total, “34,687 members cast ballots, representing a voting percentage of 27.47% of eligible voters.”

What Does the Video Game Strike Authorization Mean?

A release from SAG-AFTRA shares more details about the current situation between SAG-AFTRA members and the video game industry. It notes:

The strike authorization does not mean the union is calling a strike. SAG-AFTRA has been in Interactive Media Agreement negotiations with signatory video game companies (Activision Productions Inc, Blindlight LLC, Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Epic Games, Take 2 Productions Inc., VoiceWorks Productions Inc., and WB Games Inc.) since October 2022. Throughout the negotiations, the companies have refused to offer acceptable terms on some of the issues most critical to our members, including wages that keep up with inflation, protections around exploitative uses of artificial intelligence, and basic safety precautions. 

SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland also shares, “After five rounds of bargaining, it has become abundantly clear that the video game companies aren’t willing to meaningfully engage on the critical issues: compensation undercut by inflation, unregulated use of AI and safety… I remain hopeful that we will be able to reach an agreement that meets members’ needs, but our members are done being exploited, and if these corporations aren’t willing to offer a fair deal, our next stop will be the picket lines.” 

What’s Next for This Strike?

The next negotiations with the major video game companies were slated for September 26, 27, and 28. However, they did not achieve any resolution. A release from SAG-AFTRA and Video Game Employers Statement on Interactive Media Agreement, notes:

SAG-AFTRA and video game employers concluded scheduled negotiations for the Interactive Media Agreement. No deal was reached and the current agreement will remain in effect while the parties make final efforts to reach a deal. 

The hope is the authorization of the video game strike will help negotiations to proceed more favorably. However, “if employers fail to protect and uphold the basic working conditions of [SAG-AFTRA] members, then “strike authorization vote permits the National Board to declare a strike.” There is no word yet on a date a strike might be declared if companies cannot work toward their employees. However, it sounds as though both parties are reaching “final efforts.”

As with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes against the AMPTP, this potential strike is borne from the needs of hardworking people to survive and live. Hopefully, the video game companies can prevent the strike by respecting those that help them to thrive. You can read more about how to help striking workers here. Additionally, more information about the video game strike will become available here.

Originally published on September 26, 2023.

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It’s been an exciting week to say the least. The WGA strike happily came to an end, Pokémon announced its full Van Gogh Museum collaboration, and we even got to see a very exciting familiar face on Ahsoka. But in the mix with all that, there were some other exciting annoucements and releases that might have gotten lost in the shuffle. But never fear, we’re ready to catch you up on it all.

Here are some of our favorite pop-culture news odds & ends that you don’t want to miss reading about.

This Week’s Odds & Ends in News:

• A Reboot of The Office Is Reportedly in the Works From Greg Daniels
• Newest The Lord of the Rings Release Will Be a Cozy Game Featuring Hobbits and the Shire
• Get Ready for the Holidays with LEGO’s Marvel Avengers Advent Calendar
• A Rick & Morty Movie Could Be Heading Our Way
• Enjoy Magic: The Gathering Themed Pancakes a IHOP
• Spirit Halloween Movie Coming to Stream on Shudder
• Skittles Littles Invites You to Taste a Mini Rainbow

A Reboot of The Office Is Reportedly in the Works From Greg Daniels

That’s right folks, it might be time to head back to work… Or whatever it is they do in The Office. According to The Wrap, The Office series co-creator Greg Daniels is reportedly working on a reboot of the show’s US version. This news is still tenuous for now. It comes from Puck News‘ Matthew Belloni. As the WGA strike came to a close, Belloni shared in his newsletter, “We’re also about to see a firehose of announcements of projects and castings that have been held back for fear of bad optics or violating guild rules. Greg Daniels is set to do a reboot of ‘The Office,’ for instance.”

Of course, we’ve seen conversations surrounding a reboot or spinoff of The Office before. In fact, Parks and Recreation started life as a spinoff of The Office. In this age of media, everything old can become new again. And The Office remains an immensely popular show. So if Greg Daniels really was helming a The Office reboot, it would not surprise us. But we would be equally unsurprised if it did not come to pass. Only time will tell.

Check out news of the latest remake of The Office, here:

Newest The Lord of the Rings Release Will Be a Cozy Game Featuring Hobbits and the Shire

Ready for some truly exciting news for fall? A new The Lord of the Rings video game is coming our way and this one will be a cozy outing dedicated to Hobbits and the Shire. Honestly, we could not imagine a better idea to make into reality. We don’t know too much about the game yet, but a teaser trailer for Tales of the Shire sets up with just the right vibes.

Your cosy Hobbit life awaits in Tales of the Shire, a heart-warming new The Lord of the Rings™ game by Wētā Workshop and Private Division. Coming 2024. pic.twitter.com/CvDnRXyMQN

— talesoftheshire (@talesoftheshire) September 21, 2023

A little watercolor, a little humming, and a few leaves blowing in the wind, you say? That’s a real mood right there. The only explanation we get so far notes, “Your cosy Hobbit life awaits in Tales of the Shire, a heart-warming new The Lord of the Ring game by Wētā Workshop and Private Division. Coming 2024.” In the video, we do see references to the Green Dragon, Ivy Bush, and Bywater. But those are about our only clues.

Wētā Workshop, of course, is known for its gorgeous creations and work on The Lord of the Rings movies. We’re hoping for the best and expecting the best with Tales of the Shire.

Check out some gorgeous The Lord of the Rings collectible items, here:

Get Ready for the Holidays with LEGO’s Marvel Avengers Advent Calendar

If you’re like us, you don’t really want to get ready for the holidays yet. It feels early. But nevertheless, the holiday season is incoming whether we like it or not. But least it’s bringing with it some excellent gifting ideas. High on our list is this LEGO Marvel Avengers Advent Calendar. Whether this is your first LEGO Marvel Advent calendar or your hundredth, opening 24 days of superhero surprises make for a lot of fun.

This year the calendar will bring you LEGO Minifigures of your favorite Avengers like Okoye, Doctor Strange, Captain America, Spider-Man, Wong, Iron Man, and Black Widow alongside mini builds and accessories. Additionally, “Buildable play experiences include a Quinjet, jetpack, ice hockey kit, the Hydra Train and lots more items inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe.” Basically, you get to create a LEGO Avengers winter wonderland. And what could be better than that? We especially love Okoye playing a game of hockey.

The LEGO Marvel Avengers Advent Calander is available now and costs $44.99.

For more LEGO Marvel fun, check out this advanced Captain America shield set, here:

A Rick and Morty Movie Could Be Heading Our Way

Rick and Morty season season seven premieres in October. But a recent profile with creator Dan Harmon by The Hollywood Reporter indicates even more Rick and Morty could be on the way in movie form. The publication notes “Pre-strike, Harmon even had a serious conversation with executives at Warner Bros. about a Rick and Morty feature. He says they were all aligned on a kind of ‘“’super episode’”’ conceit, the way that Matt Stone and Trey Parker approached the South Park movie years ago. He has plenty more percolating in development, too, including a musical and a multicam.”

Whether these Rick and Morty movie conversations return post-strike remains to be seen. But it feels like one way or another, we’ll get a whole lot more Rick and Morty on our screens sooner rather than later. A “super episode” seems to only make sense.

Check out Rick and Morty‘s full season seven trailer, here:

Enjoy Magic: The Gathering Themed Pancakes a IHOP

Need more Magic: The Gathering in your life? How about in pancake form? Well, if so, you’re in luck. IHOP and Magic: The Gathering are collaborating on a Magic-themed menu that will be available for a limited time. In addition to being able to redeem IHOP loyalty points for Magic: The Gathering Arena in-game rewards, “Guests can also order from a custom Magic: The Gathering Arena menu featuring five specially themed pancakes at participating IHOPs.”

Here’s what the menu consists of:

• Ajani’s Purr-fect Pancakes: Original Buttermilk – classic original buttermilk keeping the Multiverse at peace. 
• Jace’s Illusion-Berry Pancakes: Double Blueberry – double blueberry pancakes conjured specially for magic lovers. 
• Liliana’s Chocolate Corruption Pancakes: Chocolate Chocolate Chip, Chocolate pancakes – chocolate chips & chocolate syrup – irresistible for mere mortals. 
• Chandra’s Pyroblast Pancakes: Strawberry Banana – a delicious combination of banana-filled pancakes topped with fiery red strawberries, more bananas & strawberry syrup. Consume with haste. 
• Vivien’s Heroic Protein Pancakes: Protein Power – protein-packed pancakes that are in tune with nature & in tune with your stomach.

Sounds magical to us!

Check out Magic: The Gathering‘s latest cool collaboration cards, here:

Spirit Halloween Movie Coming to Stream on Shudder

Remember the Spirit Halloween movie? Maybe you do, probably you don’t. But if you want to watch your favorite Halloween store transform into a horror movie you can now do so at any time. The Spirit Halloween movie will start streaming on Shudder beginning on October 2. This movie might not be what you call good, but it could be what you call a good time. Not to mention, according to Variety, it was shot in abandoned Toys R Us location in Georgia.

Relive the magic of the Spirit Halloween movie’s trailer, here:

Skittles Littles Invites You to Taste a Mini Rainbow

Admit it! Things are better when they’re teeny tiny. Just look at mini M&Ms! Well, Skittles wants to get into the fun now with Skittles Littles. These small candies are exactly what they sound like, Skittles but shrunk down to cute-size. We love it. A release shares, “Bursting with the five iconic fruity flavors of SKITTLES fans love, now in a tiny and more poppable form, SKITTLES Littles make it even easier to enjoy SKITTLES on-the-go.”

We can’t wait to taste the tiny rainbow. Skittles Littles are available now in stores and online.

If you’re looking for more adorable treats, take a look at this Girl Scout Cookie collaboration with Skippy P.B. Bites

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‘Tis the season for many things—pumpkin spice lattes, apple picking, and… video game adaptations. Yes, more than ever, our favorite games are turning into series for our viewing pleasure. Next up, the popular video game Devil May Cry is heading to Netflix in the form of an anime series. In this current gaming adaptation age, we bet the results are better than ever. Although we don’t yet have a release date for this anime, Netflix did share a teaser trailer for the series. Here’s what we know about the Devil May Cry series heading to Netflix.

Devil May Cry Series Announcement Teaser Trailer

Conversations about the Devil May Cry animated series have been circulating since 2021. So we feel glad to finally see it coming to fruition. Netflix’s teaser for Devil May Cry doesn’t show us too much about what we can expect from the anime show. But it does set the tone just right. The quick scenes of action and the hard rock music certainly have us ready to dive into an episode. And the animation looks incredibly good.

 The only character we see in the Devil May Cry teaser is Dante. He’s got his red jacket, his guns, his white hair, and he’s ready to go. But in earlier conversations, creator and showrunner of the series Adi Shankar confirmed we’d see other familiar Devil May Cry characters. He noted, “I can confirm that Vergil is in it, as well as Lady, and of course Dante as well.” We can’t wait to see how these characters transform for the show.

The Anime Series Synopsis

Netflix also shared a logline for the Devil May Cry series; it notes:

In this animated adaptation of the popular Capcom game, sinister forces are at play to open the portal between the human and demon realms. In the middle of it all is Dante, an orphaned demon-hunter-for-hire, unaware that the fate of both worlds hangs around his neck.

We do love a sinister force. And an orphaned demon-hunter-for-hire. Dante certainly does not seem aware the fate of multiple worlds is on his shoulders in the teaser clip, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens when he does.

Devil May Cry‘s Release Date, Episode Count, and More

Right now, Devil May Cry does not have an official Netflix release date. All we know is that it’s “coming soon.” However, we do know that the series will be eight episodes long. Adi Shankar, as mentioned, is the showrunner and creator. Alex Larsen is the writer on the show. The series comes from Netflix, Capcom, and Studio MIR, so we know it is in good hands.

Shankar noted, “I’m honored that Netflix and Capcom have entrusted me to shepherd the Devil May Cry franchise. Alex Larsen and I love these characters; we are part of the fandom, and vow to surpass the exceptionally high bar we set for ourselves.”

Hopefully, we will know more about when Devil May Cry will be released and get to see more of its characters before too long.

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Honestly, this D&D game just had to happen. It was too good of an opportunity to miss. Baldur’s Gate 3 has taken the gaming world by storm, and, of course, it owes a lot of its gameplay mechanics to Dungeons & Dragons. The characters can even officially join any Dungeons & Dragons campaign. So it only made sense for there to be a major Dungeons & Dragons game celebrating Baldur’s Gate 3. And what better way to do it than to gather the voice actors of Baldur’s Gate 3‘s major characters around the table? High Rollers DnD made these dreams come true. And you can come along for the ride. Below is the full Dungeons & Dragons game played by the voice actors who give life to Baldur’s Gate 3‘s Origin characters.

The Baldur’s Gate 3 voice cast sat down for a real game of Dungeons & Dragons. That means nearly five hours of gameplay for us to watch. But for Baldur’s Game 3 fans, it’s a huge treat… Especially if you’re really in love with whoever it is you are romancing. There are hours of content in Baldur’s Gate 3, and probably some scenes you haven’t even discovered yet. But can there really ever be enough of your fav to go around?

The description for this special D&D one-shot gives the short version of what you can expect from these hours of dice rolling. It notes, “All 6 Origin Characters from Baldur’s Gate 3 join High Rollers to play a game of D&D for the first time EVER! When Tav gets hit by a powerful spell it’s up to Astarion, Gale, Karlach, Shadowheart, Wyll, and Lae’zell to gear up and save the day!”

We’re sure they’ll save the day. Although, many things will go awry as they always do both in Dungeons & Dragons and in Baldur’s Gate 3. In all honesty, we’d really like to see more of our fictional favs extending their canons in Dungeons & Dragons games… But for now, Baldur’s Gate 3 is the perfect place to start.

Featured Image: High Rollers DnD

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Cyberpunk 2077 has had quite a journey since its initial release. At first, it disappointed players more than it wowed. But slowly, the game has gotten itself closer to where gamers hoped it would go initially. The new trailer for Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, the upcoming expansion for the game, certainly looks promising. If nothing else, the new Cyberpunk 2077 addition features Idris Elba. It’s hard to complain about that. But beyond that, the graphics look good, the gameplay looks exciting, and hopefully, Phantom Liberty will turn a new page for Cyberpunk 2077. Check out the official trailer and the special Idris Elba-focused one below.

Idris Elba plays a major character in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, “sleeper agent Solomon Reed.” But also, he performs the song played in the background of the trailer. That’s true multi-talent.

The Cyberpunk 2077 expansion trailers also offer a synopsis of the expansion, allowing us to understand more about what we can expect from the game. It shares:

Phantom Liberty is an upcoming spy-thriller expansion for Cyberpunk 2077. Return as cyber-enhanced mercenary V and embark on a high-stakes mission of espionage and intrigue to save the NUSA President. In the dangerous district of Dogtown, you must forge alliances within a web of shattered loyalties and sinister political machinations. Do you have what it takes to survive?

A release further notes that players will take the role of V, “a cyber-enhanced mercenary for hire who is pulled into the world of spies and political intrigue, joined by sleeper agent Solomon Reed who is played by Idris Elba.” Well, at least we’ll have Elba as our companion in a dangerous world.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty will release on September 26. It will be available to play on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. You can now pre-order your copy. Good luck surviving to you. And good luck to Cyberpunk 2077; hopefully, Phantom Liberty has what it takes.

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Final Fantasy XIV is already a hugely popular multiplayer online game, and now it’s headed to the table. Square Enix has announced the Final Fantasy XIV tabletop roleplaying set for next spring. They’re gearing this transition to tabletop roleplaying towards RPG newcomers with a comprehensive starter set that has everything you could need to run a game or explore the world of Eorzea as an adventurous player.

The Final Fantasy XIV TTRPG Starter Set comes with a player book, a gamemaster book that has three ready-to-go premade scenarios, premade character sheets, custom dice, an encounter map, and more. You can see many of the elements in the below image. The prewritten scenarios connect to Final Fantasy XIV‘s main story to make you feel even more a part of the world. Square Enix recommends five players, though as few as three could join the gaming party.

With four character sheets—for Warrior, White Mage, Dragoon, and Black Mage—already available, jumping in should be straightforward. The play system isn’t clear, though. The Starter Set‘s custom dice are six d20s and 10 d6s, so the system is likely a custom one.

The Final Fantasy XIV TTRPG Starter Set releases next May and costs $59.99. You can place a pre-order now.

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