A new tease of a game with “sinister red light” may be hinting that Control will be heading to Xbox Game Pass in Decmber 2020.
Category: News
Uri Gellar to Allow Nintendo to Use Kadabra on Pokemon Cards Again
After nearly 20 years, illusionist and magician Uri Geller is giving Nintendo permission to once again use Kadabra on Pokemon cards.
5 Hidden Gem Games You Missed In 2020
In a year defined by ample hardships, video games have been a routine escape for many of us. Luckily, we saw the release of several incredible games, including Hades, The Last of Us Part II, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and much more. However, with so many sizable game releases, some of the year’s most interesting experiences likely flew under your radar.
Without further ado, here are 5 hidden gem games you missed in 2020.
Risk of Rain 2
Risk of Rain 2 is a roguelike third-person shooter wherein teams of up to 4 travel from dimension to dimension to explore space and time. Players slowly build up their stats and abilities each run by obliterating waves of alien enemies and subsequently collecting randomized loot.
Thanks to the abundant offerings of its item system, Risk of Rain 2 facilitates a power fantasy that would be considered broken in other games. I’ve spent many hours chasing after new characters, secrets, and broken builds, like unlocking a sextuple jump or curating an arsenal of task-rabbit drones to do my bidding.
Risk of Rain 2 doesn’t shy away from the bizarre — it embraces it — and has managed to become one of my favorite co-op experiences because of it.
Townscaper
Oskar Stalberg, the developer behind 2018’s experimental strategy game, Bad North, recently released a relaxing city-building tool called Townscaper. In the words of its creator, Townscaper is “more of a toy than a game.” Players utilize a simple toolset, which consists of a 15-tone color palette and a grid, to design and build a quaint, colorful seaside town. By clicking along the playspace’s grid, structures and pathways can be generated and stacked on top of one another to create beautiful hamlets atop the water.
You can focus less on logistics and more on expressing your creativity because buildings automatically scale and morph with every new addition or subtraction. Townscaper makes the act of creating feel satisfying, too. New housing additions plop into place like jello, accompanied by delightful clicks and pops of sound that make it irresistible to not continue stacking blocks on top of one another.
Bloodroots
Bloodroots tells the simple tale of a left-for-dead frontiersman, Mr. Wolf, who’s determined to track down his killer in search of revenge. Developed by Paper Cult, this indie action game has found a home amidst fans of the gory, one-shot-one-kill gameplay formula that was popularized by Hotline Miami. I’d compare the game’s visual identity to the minimalist stylings of classic cartoons like Samurai Jack, with bold shapes and colors that not only keep the game readable but help to make its exaggerated animations pop off the screen.
Bloodroots demands perfection, a fact that is reinforced by the dozens of deaths you’ll face when attempting to craft the best route through any given level. Set in the sprawling Weird West, the game’s spotlight feature is that everything in the world can be used as a weapon. Not only does Bloodroots scatter more obvious objects like swords and pitchforks around its world, but the game’s war chest is full of out-of-the-box weaponry like a wheelbarrow or carrot. The game is a treat to play and is a great on-the-go experience for the Nintendo Switch.
If you’re interested in seeing more Bloodroots, check out our review.
Among Trees
Among Trees is a serene, survival sandbox game set amidst a vibrant landscape that stands out thanks to its gorgeous sights and sounds. Soaked in the ambient notes of post-rock, the game’s original soundtrack is reminiscent of bands like Explosions in the Sky, which only helps to further welcome players into its cozy setting.
While Among Trees is easy-going, it’s not without purpose. The game embraces the best part of the survival genre, presenting players with small problems that are solved by gradual increases of efficiency. You’ll need to explore the game’s quaint fjord and harvest materials from its fauna and wildlife to slowly build up a log cabin, which in turn unlocks new crafting recipes that fuel
your efforts in exploration.
Among Trees presents an intoxicating loop of exploration and crafting, and I’d highly recommend it if you’re in search of a relaxing experience. The game can be played in Early Access on the Epic Games Store and has consistently received content updates since its launch earlier this year.
Monster Train
Monster Train is a deck-building roguelike set atop a roaring locomotive that’s surging through the depths of hell. While the game surely owes a lot to 2017’s Slay the Spire, Monster Train’s card play feels distinct thanks to deck factions, champion abilities, and the fact the game’s battles occur on a three-story train. If you’re in search of an experience that’s full of depth and strategic variety, Monster Train is the ticket.
Read our full review, wherein we describe Monster Train as a “pleasant, mind-blowingly addictive exercise that’s well worth your time, especially if you’re a fan of roguelikes, card games, and deck-building fare.”
Astro’s Playroom Is A True Next-Gen Experience
On the PlayStation 5, you can swing around a lovingly recreated New York City as Spider-Man, zipping around at 60 frames-per-second or in 4K resolution. You can listen to the explosions in Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War surround you in 3D audio. You can marvel at the way giant AAA games load in a matter of two or three seconds, wondering how you ever dealt with load times in the past, disgusted by the mere thought.
Also, you can put this cute little robot named Astro in a spaceship, and when you do that, you have to zip him in there. Here’s the best part, though: When you zip him up, the DualSense controller that comes with the PS5 rumbles, and it feels like a real zipper! That’s next-gen gaming, baby. That’s the reason I spent $500 on this big ugly box in the middle of a pandemic and financial crisis.
But seriously: Of all the games I’ve played on the PlayStation 5, Astro’s Playroom (review) is the only one that truly feels like a next-gen experience. This is partly because it’s the only game I’ve played so far that’s not also on the PlayStation 4 (I haven’t had time for Demon’s Souls, sorry). Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Call of Duty look pretty, and they load very fast, but they don’t make extensive use of the PS5’s new features. But in Astro … that zipper, man.
Multiple times a day I zip my pants up and down. It is, without question, one of the most unremarkable things I do in a 24-hour period – unless I get something caught in there, in which case, it’s pretty memorable. But to feel my controller rumble in such a way that I can feel a zipper opening and closing, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt in a video game before. I’ve never lived in a time where controller rumble wasn’t a thing, but this feels new and unique. Even if it is just mimicking something as mundane as zipping your pants.
I love the little details in games. When the lips of a character move accurately to the words spoken on screen, I eat that up. When a character’s clothes have a visible thread count, I go ballistic. The other day I watched a video that showed Miles Morales’ suit visibly flapping in the wind and I could’ve sworn I’d time-traveled to the year 3020.
In a way, caring about these tiny details is a little silly. I can see lips move alongside words by talking to literally anyone in real life; I can look at my own shirt and see the threads that hold it together. To prove this point, while writing this, I am zipping my pants up and down, feeling each tooth of the zipper with my actual human hands. I love these things in games, though, because they make our fantasy computer worlds feel more real. They allow us to be more immersed because each tiny detail more closely resembles our own world. The PlayStation 6 is going to shoot pheromones out of the controller, and I’m going to be able to finally smell Kratos’ musk. You best believe I’m going to be more immersed than I was in those archaic, non-scented games.
Astro’s Playroom is designed with a couple of key objectives in mind. Firstly, it’s a celebration of 25 years of PlayStation. It is effectively a big fun advertisement for the box you already bought. It’s also a showcase for the DualSense controller and the new haptic feedback and rumble technology therein. Does feeling the sand between my palms or rain on my hands add anything to the game? Probably not. Is it really cool? Of course. I didn’t need to feel a zipper in Astro’s Playroom, but it’s really cool. That’s what next-gen gaming is all about: new, interesting, and cool stuff that these big new boxes can do.
Astro’s Playroom is fundamentally designed around the rumble of the DualSense, so each in-game texture has a unique rumble and feels completely new to the types of gaming experiences I’m used to. Higher framerates, faster loading, better resolution, all this stuff is cool, but it’s not new. If anything, consoles are just catching up to where PCs have been for years. But you show me one damn Dell, HP, or Alienware that can accurately model the hand-feel of a zipper. You can’t! This is truly something new, and I appreciate it for that. Sure, the other games of the launch lineup are doing things with the controller, but I never got a good sense of what was different in Miles Morales and I am weirded out by more accurate triggers in Call of Duty, which make my headshots feel more lifelike. Astro is constantly throwing new feelings at you. For the one or two hours I played that game, nothing in my hands ever felt the same.
If you ask me, much like the touchpad on the PlayStation 4 (which I am genuinely shocked makes a return on the PS5) or Nintendo’s own rumble tech with the Switch, I imagine this is going to be something really awesome the PlayStation 5 can do that developers may never dedicate the time and resources to fully support. At the end of this generation, I suspect Astro’s Playroom will stand among only a few games that made the most of what the DualSense can do. And that’s fine. Doing anything in game development is expensive from a labor and cost perspective, and if it isn’t absolutely crucial to the experience – which I really don’t think cooler rumble is going to be in every case – it might not make the cut. But for now, compared to the other games you can play on the PlayStation 5, Astro’s Playroom stands out as the only one that provides something that wasn’t possible before.
Persona 5 Royal Makes The Long Replay Worth It
In a year filled to the brim with tragedy, never-ending stress, and political unrest, Persona 5 Royal defined my summer staycation in the best possible way. Last week, Royal was nominated in the Best Role-Playing category at The Game Awards, and rightfully so – though I wish it had been considered for other commendations as well. This isn’t a mere expansion of the original 2017 game. Among a bevy of substantial updates, Royal makes noticeable tweaks to Persona 5’s gameplay loop, introduces new cast members to the central narrative, and offers more areas to explore in Tokyo and the cognitive world. All these features combine to create a contemporary JRPG unlike any other. The 100-plus hours it takes to reach Royal’s closing credits may seem like a dauting commitment – especially for people who played the original Persona 5 – but this expanded vision for the game is less about the final destination and more about the journey itself. With that in mind, here are some reasons for why Persona 5 Royal never overstays its welcome.
More Persona
Royal has never-before-seen personas to spice up fights in the original palaces and the new ones. The game not only adds a plethora of extra collectible deities to the compendium, it also implements combination changes to the Velvet Room’s fusion mechanic. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t spend large pockets of time researching the different persona mash-ups to complete Caroline and Justine’s confidante quests. Thankfully, Royal’s new personas haven’t merely been sectioned to the final palaces and Mementos floors (they do appear more frequently in those areas, though). Royal also amplifies party member awakenings and their respective ultimate personas, but I’ll leave those awesome transformations up to your imagination. Trust me, just go play the game!
More Characters
Persona 5 already had a lot of interesting characters, and finding that healthy balance between confidante leveling, completing Mementos side quests, and partaking in just about every other extracurricular activity or plot objective was always difficult yet rewarding. Aside from revitalizing Goro Akechi with extra confidante levels and gaining more insight into his motivations, Royal throws three unique characters into the mix: Kasumi Yoshizawa, ace athlete/model student by day and skilled persona-user by night; Dr. Takuto Maruki, a school counselor that attempts to help the Phantom Thieves come to terms with built-up traumas; and Jose, Mementos’ resident child oddity. Not only do these characters have their own complex goals that you can interact with and ultimately influence, but they are also integral components to Royal’s extensive story. I won’t spoil anything major for those of you who have yet to play the game, but the main narrative’s most compelling and ambitious twists and turns happen because of these three characters.
More Locations
Persona 5’s Tokyo is a densely populated hub filled with varying residential districts, downtown eateries, and malls. But at night, the city comes alive, flush with buzzing neon signs and rooftop spotlights. Royal’s Kichijoji is just as enticing as the original locations. Kichijoji is the perfect spot for hanging out with friends. Players can play darts and billiards at the Penguin Bar, go to the nearby jazz club to increase the stats of invited party members, or pray at the Old Temple for an SP increase. There are also Kichijoji-specific restaurants and consumables that can be purchased for attribute-boosting effects. Additionally, palaces have been expanded to include more areas to explore. Mementos’ newest levels only appear during endgame sequences, but the shadows you encounter and recruit are worth the extra hours you’ll be spending to complete the compendium (if that sort of grind interests you).
More Style
The Persona series is known for its flair and flashiness. This not only translates to the art style (e.g. the backdrops and character sprites), but is also engrained in the soundtrack, U.I., and combat. Royal’s many components are as stylish as the name indicates. Persona 5’s soundtrack was laden with catchy guitar riffs, groovy basslines, and jazz-inspired melodies. New songs continue to pull from a myriad of funky genres and serve as perfect inserts (and sometimes even replacements to great battle themes like “Last Surprise”). “Our Light,” a personal favorite track, not only encapsulates the game’s central themes of self-worth and eternal bonds, but also juxtaposes Persona 5’s upbeat score with slower, reflective piano chords and operatic crescendos.
I’d be remiss to not mention the incredible Showtime Attacks. Each unlockable team-up move confirms just how badass the Phantom Thieves are and emerge as the most satisfying way to cut down grunts and bosses in your path.
I loved https://www.gameinformer.com/games/persona_5/b/playstation4/archive/201…; target=”_blank”>Persona 5 when it released in 2017 – it served as the video game backdrop to my last semester in undergrad. Persona 5 Royal was the perfect excuse to dive back into that unforgettable world and somehow revitalized an experience that I was sure couldn’t be topped. Yes, Royal adds hours of content to the base game, but it remains the definitive JRPG of the last generation.
Five Fun Games You Can Play In 15-Minute Chunks
My average gaming sessions are probably between two and four hours. The lower number for competitive play and the higher for everything else. In between these sizable time commitments, I like to throw in what I call palate cleansers; games that are every bit as rewarding, yet don’t demand as much time. Over the course of 2020, these “diversions” range from roguelikes to simulations, some possibly landing in my Top 10 list for Best Games of the Year.
Each one of these titles allows you to make meaningful progress in just 10 to 20 minutes. For years, I would bring out my phone whenever I have a short window of free time on my hands, but I now find myself diving into various games, depending where I am at. If I’m on the go or am lying in bed, I usually have my Switch handy. If I’m home, I’ll boot up my Xbox or PlayStation. Yes, I am still hopelessly addicted to my phone (and love Clash Royale and Pokemon Go for short game sessions), but have thoroughly enjoyed using it less to focus on other games that released this year. Here’s what I’m currently playing in short bursts:
Hades
Last year, my roguelike obsession was Dead Cells. That satisfying itch has been replaced by Hades, one of the prettiest, most rewarding, and enjoyable games I’ve played all year. I put in a session or two each night on my Switch – each bringing progress that will hopefully help me in my next run. This has become the game I play before drifting off to sleep.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
I haven’t played it much lately, but when the pandemic hit earlier in the year, my virtual home away from home was my happy place. I was hooked on filling out the aquarium and museum with fish and dinosaurs. There’s a chance I’ll go back to check out the winter update, but without new things to track down, I doubt I’ll stay for long. Regardless, this is a great game for short sessions.
Bloodroots
Frantic fun and demanding of perfection, Bloodroots serves up a symphony of combos and casualties, and is unlike anything else out there. I didn’t think I would go back to this game after completing it, but it has a charm that stuck with me, and, well, there’s just something satisfying about using a carrot as a sword. Each run lasts for 30 seconds to a minute.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 & 2
It’s so great having Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater back to fill my “just one more run” needs. Most of my sessions consist of me trying the same combo lines to see how big of a score I can chain together. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 & 2 is a wonderful throwback, and gives you plenty of adrenaline-filled excitement in just three to four minutes.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time
Another dose of nostalgia comes from Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, my favorite platformer of the year. In 15 to 20 minutes, a few levels can be completed, or, if you are on the harder levels toward the end of the game, you can die 15 to 20 times and walk away determined to do better next time. It’s challenging, but also immensely satisfying and fun.
One Dev Played Over 175 Hours Of Cyberpunk 2077 And Still Hasn’t Beaten It
CD Projekt RED has been sharing a lot about Cyberpunk 2077, especially since the game has seen several notable delays. From the open world of Night City to the dangerous outlands seen outside of those neon borders, CDPR’s newest game looks to be massive. While we don’t know how much time it will take to complete Cyberpunk 2077, we do have a better idea of its scope because one dev has tanked in over 175 hours and still hasn’t run the credits.
Łukasz Babiel is a QA lead on Cyberpunk 2077 and he took to Twitter to provide his own take on the “how it started vs. how it’s going” meme that continues to trend:
How it started How it’s going pic.twitter.com/b4JL6bIVBf
— Łukasz Babiel (@pjpkowski) November 21, 2020
He also confirmed that this isn’t even a full playthrough trying to 100% the game.
While he is QA, the “not trying to 100% the game” kind of negates the every nook and cranny approach, but it’s still important to note that it was previously confirmed that the main quest line would be shorter than the main story of The Witcher III. That being said, there are a ton of side quests.
In our most recent hands-on time with the game, it took about four hours to get to the beginning credits of the adventure. Four hours. Some are even saying it took them up to six, and that’s just the starting point for this game.
The Witcher franchise, another game that this studio helmed, was also massive with the DLC for The Witcher III outscaling that of Witcher 2 as a whole. The team has also stated numerous times that there is “so much more” than what has been shared, with undisclosed new locations, main characters, and branching narratives.
Pair that with the fact that Cyberpunk 2077 has so much replayability potential, we’re going to go ahead and go out on a limb and say that for those that vibe with CDPR’s latest title, they’re going to be investing some serious time in the venture.
Games of this scale are always a hit or miss with gamers. Some love a ride that seemingly never ends, while others feel that this scope can be overwhelming. What do you think? Are games of this size too much of a good thing, or do you wish this was more common with the $60 price tag? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below!
The Divine Comedy Of Immortals Fenyx Rising
A powerful titan of legend has launched a massive assault on the Greek gods of mythology, severing them from their essence, smashing open cracks to the underworld, and infesting Earth with corrupted beings from the afterlife. A setup like this isn’t uncommon in the world of video games, but when it comes to comedy, a dark premise such as this isn’t the first thing you might think of. However, that’s exactly the direction Ubisoft Quebec went with Immortals Fenyx Rising.
While the inspiration drawn from games like the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Studio Ghibli films like Howl’s Moving Castle is evident in the gameplay and visual style, it was a different genre of film that dictated the tone Ubisoft Quebec employs with Immortals Fenyx Rising. “I felt like a lot of video games are incredibly dark, and I had missed this feeling from childhood that movies like the Princess Bride or Naked Gun or Airplane had given me; I felt like, ‘Why can’t a video game have that kind of tone?'” says narrative director Jeffrey Yohalem. “It got tipped in that direction by the fact that Greek mythology is actually full of comedy. Unlike our religion today, which is seen as a moral compass where everything is very serious and is how you should act if you were a perfect person or a perfect deity. For the Greeks, their mythology was like their soap opera or their reality television, where you’re seeing people who are just like us making mistakes and you’re learning from the things in the stories that result in tragedy.”
Immortals Fenyx Rising attempts to balance awesome action, epic stakes, and well-timed humor
According to cinematic team lead Michelle Plourde, the team’s desire to make a humorous game started during the development of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. “What we learned from Odyssey was that we really enjoyed making funny, lighthearted types of stories in games,” she says. “We took what we learned from Odyssey and where that kind of shined through and we transferred that into Fenyx Rising, but instead of making that where you see instances of the story being funny at some points, we tried to make it so it’s a comedy instead of this type of serious game.”
The entirety of Immortals Fenyx Rising is narrated by Zeus and Prometheus. To say these two have a complicated relationship would be an understatement: When the titans and gods clashed for the first time, Prometheus was one of the few titans who sided with the gods, so the two are basically old war buddies as well as cousins. However, the relationship soured when Prometheus fell in love with humanity and stole fire from Olympus to give to the humans. To punish Prometheus for this betrayal, Zeus chained him to the side of a mountain and has an eagle peck out his liver every day before it regenerates every night. However, the Typhon crisis made them realize they need each other, so Prometheus weaves a tale of Fenyx, a mortal who will save the gods from the doom they are facing.
While Prometheus is the driving force of the narrative, Zeus chimes in with jokes. However, he can also serve as an unreliable narrator, sometimes going as far as hijacking the story because he’s bored by what Prometheus is saying. In one instance, when Fenyx dives into the first Vault of Tartaros, Zeus is certain it would be deadly for a mortal, so he cues a fake credits scroll where either he or Prometheus is listed in every role. A bit later, the first boss battle occurs because Zeus is bored and decides it’s a good time for Fenyx to fight a Cyclops.
The unreliable narrator mechanic was a way to shake up the storytelling of Immortals Fenyx Rising while also adding some humor into the mix. “We thought it added flare!” says Plourde. “We have these feuding family members, so why not make use of them and have what they’re saying come to life on screen since they are telling a story? Why not make use of it as a kind of gameplay/narrative tool? It’s a tool to have them bicker and be different. Obviously, Zeus can take over control of the story because he’s present with Prometheus, so why not?”
The humor isn’t limited to just Zeus and Prometheus. In fact, as you rescue the defeated gods and reunite them, the Hall of the Gods starts to come to life, and you should expect some lively conversations once the gods see their old peers. “The Hall of the Gods becomes kind of like a beach house in a reality show,” game director Scott Phillips says. “As you free the gods, you’re adding voices to that cacophony and they’re all interacting with each other. They have this huge backstory and some of them love each other and some of them hate each other.”
Over the early moments of the game, players can expect references to airplane turbulence and a joke about shoes when Fenyx encounters Nike, the goddess of victory. The game may take place in ancient Greece, but Ubisoft Quebec didn’t shy away from some winks at the player in the 21st century. “The line was almost only drawn where a joke would age badly, as in people 30 years from now wouldn’t get the joke,” Yohalem says. “The turbulence joke, anyone who knows what an airplane is would understand that joke. That was the line: to create timeless, modern humor.”
Immortals Fenyx Rising launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, Stadia, and PC on December 3. Our coverage hub is nearly complete, so be sure to click the banner below to learn all about Immortals Fenyx Rising prior to its launch!
Meet League Of Legends’ New Champion, Rell, And Her Horrifically Violent History
Meet Rell, the latest Champion to make her way into League of Legends from Riot Games. One thing is for sure is that she’s no dainty princess.
Rell, also known as the Iron Maiden, has a horrific backstory that proves her resistance. According to Riot Games, she is “the product of brutal experimentation at the hands of the Black Rose. Rell is a defiant, living weapon determined to topple Noxus. Her childhood was one of misery and horror, enduring unspeaking procedures to perfect and weaponize her magical control over metal until she staged a violent escape, killing many of her captors in the process.
“Now branded as a criminal, Rell attacks Noxian soldiers on sight as she searches for survivors of her old “academy,” defending the meek while delivering violent death to her former overseers.”
But who is Rell in terms of League of Legends? She’s a new Support character with connections to LeBlanc and Samira. Hailing from Noxus, the powers behind her capture have labeled her as a dangerous criminal. Even the Trifarion Legion is worried about her should she come after them.
Did we mention that she’s also only 16 years old?
A story bred for vengeance and justice, Rell is an incredibly interesting addition to the growing Champion roster, but what does she bring to the table play-wise?
While a Support character, Rell is incredibly powerful (which is nothing new for Support) and she is built to lead. Check out her abilities set below to catch a glimpse at how she plays:
Click image thumbnails to view larger version
Passive – Break the Mold
Rell attacks very slowly but temporarily steals a portion of her target’s Armor and Magic
Resist dealing bonus damage based on the amount stolen. Additionally, Rell can siphon resistances from multiple different foes to grow extremely tanky.
Q – Shattering Strike
Rell stabs forward with her lance, breaking any shields and damaging all enemies hit (damage decreases after the first target). If Rell has an ally bound with E – Attract and Repel, she and that ally recover health for each champion hit by this ability.
W1 – Ferromancy: Crash Down
(Can only cast while mounted) Rell leaps into the sky and transforms her mount into heavy armor, gaining a huge shield that lasts until destroyed or remounting. Upon landing, she knocks up all enemies around her. Rell can cast E – Attract and Repel and R – Magnet Storm during the transformation.
Rell has increased durability, low movement speed, and a movement speed cap while in armored form. After the transformation, this ability changes to Ferromancy: Mount Up.
W2 – Ferromancy: Mount Up
(Can only cast while in armored form) Rell rushes forward and transforms her armor into a mount, gaining a burst of movement speed. During her next attack, she charges her target to deal bonus damage and flip them over her shoulder.
Rell has increased movement speed while mounted. After the transformation, this ability changes to Ferromancy: Crash Down.
E – Attract and Repel
Rell magnetically binds a piece of her armor to a target allied champion, granting them bonus Armor and Magic Resist while nearby.
Rell can recast this spell to break the bind and stun all enemies around and between her and her bound ally.
R – Magnet Storm
Rell erupts in magnetic fury, yanking nearby enemies toward her. She then creates a gravitational field around her, pulling nearby enemies in for a few seconds. The field doesn’t interrupt her enemies’ other actions.
“We really loved the idea of creating a tanky support. It’d been a long time since we’d made one—Braum was actually the last,” says senior concept artist Justin “Riot Earp” Albers. “But unlike Braum, we wanted her to have a darker past and personality. I explored a few different options, but everyone was really attached to the metal bending concept. After we landed on that, we just had to decide where Rell came from.”
“The Black Rose, who run Noxus’ clandestine operations, are interested in some horrible things to further the empire’s expansion and power,” explains narrative lead Jared “Carnival Knights” Rosen. “Demon calling, Void magic, resurrecting and controlling dead gods… A little of this, a little of that. And one of the things this group of crappy 1000-year-old aristocrats have discovered is sigil magic, which has the ability to rip the magic out of living things and then forcibly put it into someone else.”
With each foe taken down, she grows stronger. Rell is the “ultimate weapon,” something that the devs had a lot of fun with. “The magic from the other kids is placed into Rell with the sigil magic, which empowers her own latent powers,” explains Riot Earp. “But the process is incredibly painful, for both Rell and the other students. I focused a lot on adding the sigils to her arms—especially the one that holds her lance—to make sure it’s clear when playing her. I wanted the pain that she underwent to be clear to players, so they understood her past.”
“I wanted to make Rell the tankiest tank the world has ever seen. I had this idea of a heavily armored character who sunders the ground she walks on, making the earth beneath her collapse from her might,” says game designer Stash “Riot Stashu” Chelluck. “Unfortunately that’s hard to display in League, and I still needed to make sure she thematically felt like she was manipulating metal. I was looking for neat ways to map her ferromantic powers into her gameplay, to really make her feel powerful and hard hitting without feeling like a mage.”
With such a twisted backstory, the reason behind her mount is actually a little more light-hearted. The first thing I thought of when I heard Rell was a teenager and had a mount was a coin-operated horse ride—like the ones outside of grocery stores,” recalls davehelsby. “I’ve seen teenagers ride them a lot. And it’s so interesting because you see a person on the cusp of being an adult, but there’s still a bit of kid in them. I just feel like that made sense for Rell. She has a lot of adult responsibilities on her shoulders, but she’s still a kid, and she deserves a little fun.”
Rell will be joining the League of Legends roster as the newest Champion with patch 10.25.
Marvel Taps Bob’s Burgers Writers For Deadpool 3
The Deadpool movie legacy continues as Marvel Studios and Ryan Reynolds taps the Molyneaux sisters from Bob’s Burgers fame for Deadpool 3.
Ryan Reynolds is set to reprise his role as the sarcastic anti-hero with Wendy and Lizzie Molyneaux (who served as writers and executive producers for Bob’s Burgers) onset to write the latest movie. As reported by Deadline, meetings with the team have been ongoing all month with Reynolds listening to pitches from writers of all visions. According to the site, Reynolds immediately fell in love with what the Molyneaux sisters brought to Deadpool’s story, and the match made in Marvel heaven is officially a “go” to move onto the next step.
Deadpool 3 is currently in early development but hiring the writing team, especially of this caliber, is the biggest first step when prepping for onsite production. What’s also worth noting is that this marks the first movie that will have both Ryan Reynolds and his team working side-by-side with Marvel Studios, including the beloved Kevin Feige.
According to the site, Deadpool 3 is looking to continue on the legacy of being R-rated with a new director at the helm with David Leitch. According to the report, Leitch’s involvement isn’t confirmed, but the interest is there and negotiations have started.
We don’t know anything about the premise of Deadpool 3 at this time, but given the success of the first two films and the revamped team? It looks like the third movie could carry on that hilarity in the best way possible for Marvel fans.
Are you excited to see that Deadpool 3 is moving forward despite Fox/Disney merger concerns? What are you hoping the production team does next for the Deadpool franchise as a whole? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below!
[Source: Deadline]