Nintendo Marks Kirby’s 30th Anniversary Year

2022 marks the 30th anniversary of Nintendo’s iconic Kirby series, with Kirby’s Dream Land having released for the Game Boy in Japan on April 27, 1992. While the actual anniversary is still a few months off, Nintendo has acknowledged the anniversary year by releasing a free wallpaper for fans and promising more is still to come.

It’s the 30th anniversary of the Kirby series! 🎉
Download a special wallpaper from our website and stay tuned for news regarding #Kirby30 activities coming soon.
Get your wallpaper here: https://t.co/wxW73Ew1EG https://t.co/nAacQKxTiv

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) January 12, 2022

The anniversary wallpaper features a collection of different Kirbys, spanning 30 years of Kirby titles. For now, Nintendo hasn’t announced any of its other plans for the 30th anniversary, though it has promised that we can expect news on forthcoming events and activities soon.

The next Kirby title, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, will release on the Nintendo Switch on March 25, about a month before the franchise celebrates its 30th birthday. The new Kirby game, a 3D platformer that has players exploring a “mysterious world”, received a new trailer this week, showing off new levels, abilities, and a two-player co-op feature.

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Diablo 2: Resurrected’s PTR Is Live Now For Testing

Last November, Blizzard announced that going forward Diablo 2: Resurrected would be treated more like a live service game, including the implementation of a Public Test Realm or PTR to stress test updates before they’re sent live. The PTR is now live, with Blizzard encouraging as many players as possible to help with stress testing.

While the PTR is intended to eventually be used to test the game’s upcoming 2.4 update, which will include the introduction of the competitive Ladder Play mode, only a small server and database update is live now for testing. The initial PTR patch notes include only a single update that reads “character saves are now saved on the regional database, rather than the global database, alleviating database stress and mitigating server stability issues.”

The #Diablo2Resurrected Database/Server Update PTR is now live.

📈 Jump in to help stress test today starting @ 3pm PST
⚔️ Enter the fight with level 99 characters

📜 Read more: https://t.co/r0eITnZfg8 pic.twitter.com/TRSMi3HQ7j

— Diablo (@Diablo) January 12, 2022

Players will be able to jump straight into play on the PTR with level 99 characters, with the test realm open to every player who owns the game. Blizzard included the following instructions to access the PTR:

To acquire access to the PTR, open your Battle.net launcher application and select the Diablo II: Resurrected tab. Above the “Play” button and under the “Game Version” text, select the dropdown menu and click “Public Test Realm.” Now you’ll be able to download and install the test version of the game. Once finished, simply select “Play” to launch the PTR. As normal updates are automatically downloaded by the Battle.net launcher application, so too is the PTR.

As well as these instructions, Blizzard has included a section informing players of the most useful way for them to help test the PTR. These developer notes encourage people to “play and log in and out A LOT,” adding that “it would be helpful if players could creator characters of different types (Hardcore, Classic, etc.)”

Since the PTR launched, Blizzard has already made a small change to the test environment, having pushed a small update that includes tokens players can use to respec the characters they use on the PTR. The developers added that the gear equipped on characters right now isn’t intended to be specific to the meta, and is “more from a QA environment,” though changes will be made to the gear in time for the 2.4 update in the PTR.

Diablo II: Resurrected PTR Schedule:

👾 1/12 – Database/Server Update PTR
⚔️ Coming Soon – 2.4 PTR

— Diablo (@Diablo) January 11, 2022

While the upcoming update is clearly big in Blizzard’s plans for Diablo 2: Resurrected, Blizzard doesn’t currently have a release schedule for update 2.4, either in the PTR or the live game.

The update has arrived amidst ongoing fallout from various lawsuits and investigations into alleged sexual harassment and discrimination at Activision Blizzard.

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Monster Hunter Rise: How To Play Ghosts ‘N Goblins Crossover

Monster Hunter Rise is out now on PC almost a year after it initially launched on the Nintendo Switch. With 4K support, high-resolution textures, and improved performance, it’s an impressive port of one of 2021 best games. The PC version also comes with all of the post-launch content released thus far, including a Ghosts ‘n Goblins crossover that sees you don the armor of protagonist Arthur.

The Ghosts ‘n Goblins collaboration adds a new Event Quest that rewards you with the materials you need to forge the Arthur Layered Armor. Here’s how to access the unique quest and craft the iconic armor of the Silver Knight.

First of all, you’ll want to travel to the Steelworks area in the village hub and talk to Senri the Mailman. Select “Add-on Content” and collect the “Knight in Shattered Armor” Event Quest from the list to add it to your quest board. You can also select “Collect All” to grab all of the DLC that’s currently available if you haven’t already done so.

From here, you’ll want to head over to the Gathering Hub and speak to Minoto the Quest Maiden. Select “Event Quests” and you’ll find the Knight in Shattered Armor quest under the “High Rank” section. This is a 6* High Rank quest and you’ll need to be at least Hunter Rank 4 to access it.

The quest takes you to the Lava Caverns and tasks you with defeating three different monsters: a Basarios, Rathalos, and Volvidon. Equipping a weapon that deals water element damage is advantageous since all three monsters are weak to water. You can also set the quest as a Join Request Hunt so other players can join and help you complete take down all three within the 50-minute time limit.

Completing the quest rewards you with Broken Knight Armor–a crafting material that’s required to forge the Arthur Layered Armor set. You need four in total so you might have to complete the Event Quest a couple of times to earn enough. You also need eight points of Basarios+ materials, but if you don’t already have enough this is relatively easy to get by defeating the monster again.

Once you have all of the requisite materials, head over to the Smithy and you’ll be able to forge the complete Arthur Layered Armor set. Aside from looking like the Ghosts ‘n Goblins protagonist, this set also transforms the kunai into Arthur’s Lance and gives you unique jump and quest completion animations.

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Monster Hunter Rise: How To Play Monster Hunter Stories 2 Crossover

Monster Hunter Rise has finally launched on PC, bringing with it both visual and performance improvements over the original Switch version. The PC release also includes all of the post-launch content released thus far, as numerous crossovers with other Capcom properties are available to play right out of the box. One of those is a collaboration with 2021’s other Monster Hunter game: Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin. Here’s how to access the Event Quest associated with this crossover and craft the Tsukino Costume Layered Armor for your Palico.

Head to the Steelworks area in Monster Hunter Rise’s village hub and speak to Senri the Mailman to pick up the quest. Select “Add-on Content” and collect the “Bird Wyverns of Ruin?” Event Quest from the list to add it to your quest board, or press “Collect All” to grab all of the DLC that’s currently available.

Next, go to the Gathering Hub and talk to Minoto the Quest Maiden. Select “Event Quests” and the Bird Wyverns of Ruin quest can be found under the “Low Rank” section. This is a 1* Low Rank quest so you can complete it right at the beginning of the game without too much fuss.

Your task is to defeat a Great Baggi, Great Izuchi, and Kulu-Ya-Ku in the Arena. Taking a weapon that deals thunder damage will allow you to dish out more punishment than usual to all three monsters, but equipping a weapon with no elemental affinity is still more than enough to get the job done. You can also set the quest as a Join Request Hunt to let other players join in and help you overcome the three monsters.

Upon completion of the quest, you’ll be rewarded with Disguise Device. This crafting material is required to forge the Tsukino Costume Layered Armor for your Palico. You need four in total so might have to repeat the Event Quest again to earn enough. You also need two Izuchi scrap, so trade any Great Izuchi materials you have with the Buddy Smith to pick up the scrap you need.

Once you have all of the materials you can head over to the Buddy Smith and forge the Tsukino Costume Layered Armor.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Call Of Duty: Vanguard Zombies How To Complete The Prologue Easter Egg

Call of Duty Season 1 Reloaded is live in Vanguard, bringing a new location, objective, and feature to the Zombies map Der Anfang. Treyarch also included an optional story prologue that can be completed to learn more about where the narrative is headed for Season 2. Here we walk you through completing this storyline Easter egg.

How to complete Der Anfang’s prologue quest

Gain access to Von List’s office

First, you’ll need to progress through at least two objectives in order to gain access to Von List’s office, which is the new area added to Der Anfang with Season 1 Reloaded. The first objective you’ll need to clear from the hub is the north-facing portal in the Fountain Square, and doing this will open up the Panzer Column East section of Stalingrad. Inside the Store location is the new portal objective needed to unlock Von List’s office.

The Store location of Panzer Column East

Complete this second portal objective to clear the pathway. Then, you will be free to head up the staircase and explore the new area. Treyarch calls this Von List’s office, but it’s labeled on the map as Command Post. Here you’ll find the portal for the new Shi No Numa Void survival objective.

Von List’s office/Command Post portal

Note: I did choose to clear a third objective to unlock access to the Fiendish Fortitude “Juggernog” health perk fountain before attempting the survival rounds of Shi No Numa. This isn’t required for the quest and surviving isn’t too difficult, but I wanted to ensure I could outlast the hordes in such a small space. There won’t be any perk fountains inside Shi No Numa, so grab whatever perks you want before entering the portal. If you’re new to Vanguard Zombies, we have a complete perk guide to help to locate them all.

Survive in Shi No Numa

Head into the Void portal and survive for three rounds to complete the objective. Then, you’ll want to go back through the portal to return to Stalingrad. During this time spent warping back through the portal, you’ll get a cutscene with dialogue featuring Kortifex, one of the main antagonists of Vanguard Zombies.

Talk to Krafft

When you finally return back to Stalingrad, Professor Kraftt says he wants to speak to you. Head back up the staircase leading to Von List’s office. Look on your right as you reach the top level of the staircase, you’ll see a glowing red X marked on a door. Here you’ll get dialogue from Professor Krafft, who is trapped behind the door with a spell from the Tomb of Rituals. He asks you to collect the missing pages from the spell book, but it doesn’t look like this part of the quest can be completed yet.

The spelled door

Talk to Norticus

Exit out of the office area to trigger dialogue from Norticus. He directs you to the Apartments area to speak with him. You’ll need to complete the portal objective to unlock this area of the map. Once you have access, head up to the top floor of the Apartments. Look for the room with the candlelight and the two skeletons sitting in chairs. There will be a stone tablet on the floor that you can interact with to receive story dialogue from Norticus and the other Dark Aether entities that have teamed up with you and Professor Krafft to stop Kortifex and Von List.

Apartments room with stone tablet

Return to Krafft

After finishing the dialogue in the Apartments, Krafft will ask you to return to him. Return back to Von List’s office, and turn around as soon as you reach the top of the first level of the staircase. You’ll see a new green portal has spawned, and more dialogue will confirm this portal belongs to another Dark Aether entity being enlisted to help in the fight.

Green portal

The green portal can’t be accessed, and there doesn’t seem to be a way to collect the missing pages of the Tomb of Rituals. Spawning the new portal seems to be as far as players can get with the story quest for now. More steps may be unlocked later in the season, but this is likely just meant to be a story teaser for both the main Easter egg quest and the arrival of the new Dark Aether entity that were announced by Treyarch for Season 2.

For now, you can collect additional intel for Vanguard Zombies ongoing storyline by collecting intel found around the map. Here is our complete guide for intel locations in Der Anfang.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

PUBG Mobile Version 1.8 Update: Spider-Man Swings Into The Action

We’re beginning to think Spider-Man truly has No Way Home, as the webslinger is confirmed to be making another cameo, this time in PUBG Mobile as part of its Version 1.8 update.

Spidey will be appearing in the mobile battle royale from January 12 to February 14, with the update rolling out gradually to all users. The unique Spider-Man mode will let players team with the Marvel superhero as he battles monsters that pop up across the map. Special Spider-Man themed awards can be gained by helping the hero with the monsters, including a Web Shooter that can slow opponents down and a Spiderweb Ball–essentially a grenade of web shots.

Find your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man swinging by on Jan 12th.
Our collaboration will feature a light show at night at specific locations! ✨
Grand Street and Lafayette Street, Manhattan
85 Washington Square, NYU Flags, Manhattan#PUBGMOBILE #SPIDERMAN pic.twitter.com/d31fv1YKUr

— PUBG MOBILE (@PUBGMOBILE) January 12, 2022

The Spider-Man mode is one major part of the PUBG Mobile Version 1.8 update, another being the introduction of a new map called Aftermath. This mode takes place on a version of the Livik map decimated by both bombs and volcanos, and also features new gameplay mechanics like ziplines and Recall Towers that can bring fallen teammates back to the battle. The update also includes multiple bug fixes and smaller adjustments; the full list of changes coming in version 1.8 is below.

Spider-Man: No Way Home is the latest limited-time partnership between PUBG Mobile and an upcoming movie or TV show, joining Godzilla vs. Kong and Arcane: A League of Legends Story. This is not the webslinger’s only battle royale experience, however, as he is included in the Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 1 battle pass running from now until early March.

PUBG Mobile Version 1.8 Update Notes

AfterMath

New Classic Mode Map

Go to Unranked – Classic Mode and select AfterMath to enter.

Unique Gameplay

Bombs and volcanic eruptions have transformed the terrain of the small island of Livik. Many years later, the survivors intensify their training in order to face new threats in the future.With the advancement of science and technology, all firearms have been modified to have an AC Core Module, which makes them easier to aim and control. At the same time, the new scope makes it easier to aim with the crosshair. We hope these changes will make shooting fun at all times in the game.Reduced the size of the urban area & the density of the Playzone in the new map to make it easier to discover enemies.Characters are equipped with Tactical Glasses by default, which shows players the damage dealt by firearms.Added a new interactive zipline to make it easier to move to the next Playzone.Added a recall system that gives all players 1 chance to return to the battlefield. Find the Recall Tower and recall your teammates!

Mode Selection Improvements

Separation of Unranked and Ranked Modes (BETA)

To provide our many players with a diverse range of gaming experiences, we have separated unranked and ranked modes, and updated the mode entrances to simplify the displayed content, improve controls, and make them more intuitive and convenient. Come and play a match with your friends now!Ranked Modes: The modes in this category give rating points. Some of the available modes are Classic Mode – Erangel, Livik, and Sanhok.Unranked Modes: The modes in this category do not give rating points. Some of the available modes are: Classic Mode: AfterMath, Erangel, Livik, Sanhok, and other mapsArena Modes: Santorini, Training, Team Deathmatch, Team Gun Game, and other Arena modesOther modes: Player vs AI, Metro Royale, Quick Match, Arcade Mode – War and other casual game modes, Payload 2.0, and other EvoGround modesFeature Improvements: Removed the Drop Tactics feature. Classic Mode no longer supports multiple selections.Location Improvements: Removed Mode Records and only retained the mode location. Enhanced visual performance.Screen Improvements: Updated the mode selection screen to simplify its content, improve controls, make the screen more concise, and make controls more convenient.

Classic Mode Improvements

New Supply Shop

Added a Supply Shop. Pick up currency from all over the battlefield, search for the shop on the battlefield, and purchase supplies and tactical items in the shop to arm yourself and win the final victory! Valid Maps: Erangel – Ranked Mode – Classic, Unranked Mode – Class, Ranked Mode – Spider-ManLivik – Ranked Mode – Classic, Unranked Mode – Class, Ranked Mode – Spider-ManAfterMath

New Recall Mechanic

All players have 1 chance to return to the battlefield. Find the Recall Tower and recall your teammates! Valid Maps: Erangel – Ranked Mode – Spider-ManLivik – Ranked Mode – Spider-ManAfterMath

Basic Mechanics Improvements

Added a feature that allows players to continue swimming in a near-death state, but their swimming speed will be reduced.Added the Hit Marker feature: After this is enabled, whenever a player or a teammate hits an enemy, a marker is automatically generated where they are hit.Added a map marker feature that can be used during the jump phase. When this is enabled, tapping the map during the jump phase will place a mark there directly and make a pillar of light appear at the location.Added an auto-jump feature. After this is enabled, players will automatically jump in the direction of a marker that has been placed on the map.

Firearm Balancing

MG3: Modified the default shooting mode to 660 RPM; Recoil: +10%.M16A4: Added a tracer effect to bullets; Recoil: -10%.MK47: Added a tracer effect to bullets; Recoil: -10%.

Firearm Mechanism Adjustment

Fixed an issue that caused a random deviation in the firearm shooting direction and center of the crosshair, and an issue that caused a slight difference in the scattering value of firearms, when shooting without scoping in under different screen resolutions.

Returning Modes

Metro Royale: Reunion will be back for a limited time from January 24, 02:00 (UTC +0). Adjusted the entry criteria to Lv. 10. Players must link to a social network account to enter Metro Royale.Payload 2.0 will be back from January 26, 02:00 (UTC +0) and will remain available.

React Survival to be shut down

We will shut down React Survival mode at 23:59 (UTC +0) on January 10, 2022.

Basic Security Content

Merit System

We have completely overhauled the Merit system to create a better gaming environment. We have improved the Merit rules to safeguard a good gaming environment, and to reward players who have maintained high Merit for a long time with High Merit Player Rewards.We have comprehensively improved the detection rules for violations to make punishment more severe for malicious actions.Added the Merit System screen on the Profile page. This can be used to view the Merit rules, changes to the Merit score in the last month, and players’ current Merit and the corresponding effects.

Secure Matchmaking Separation

To maintain a fair competitive environment, all players who are suspected of cheating will be placed under safety observation for a more comprehensive security inspection: Players can only play Solo Classic Mode TPP.Players will not receive any earnings from matches, trigger achievement rules, or be included in rankings.Players can’t join teams, rooms, or tournaments, or use other game features like spectating.

Report Feature Improvements

Added a new report feature that can be used in matches.Players can use the in-match pop-up window to quickly and conveniently report players who harm or eliminate them in matches.Added a report feature to the Career Stats screen to report players who eliminated you.

Game Interfaces Improvements

Lobby screen improvements

Moved the Cheer Park location to Mode Selection.Moved the Brother in Arms location to the Team-up Lobby.Moved the subscription location to Purchases.Improved the locations of monetized events and activity events.Made more layout improvements in the bottom-right corner.

Event Center Updates

Moved activity events to the Event Center!Updated the Event Center screen to display events with better visual performance!

PUBG Mobile Music

Merged the Lobby BGM with the Music Box. Players can now freely set the Lobby BGM! Migrated the original BGM content to PUBG MOBILE MUSIC.The music in PUBG MOBILE MUSIC can also be played in the main lobby.

IP Themed Game Modes

Spider-Man

From January 12, 02:00 (UTC +0) to February 14, 23:59 (UTC +0), toggle on the themed mode when selecting Classic Mode, and set the map to Erangel – Spider-Man™From January 15, 02:00 (UTC +0) to February 14, 23:59 (UTC +0), toggle on the themed mode when selecting Classic Mode, and set the map to Livik – Spider-Man™Unique Gameplay Spider-Man has encountered mysterious monsters after arriving at Erangel. Fight alongside Spider-Man and defeat the boss to get advanced supplies, the new Web Shooter and Spiderweb Ball, to try out Spider-Man’s abilities. Find Spider Crates on Erangel and open them to get basic supplies, as well as a chance to get Spider-Man items. Challenge the Boss: Find Mylta Power and fight alongside Spider-Man!Web Shooter: Players will be able to shoot spider webs after getting the Web Shooter. Spider webs slow down players they hit.Spiderweb Ball: When the Spiderweb Ball is thrown at the ground, it releases many spiderwebs in an area that slows the movement of other players moving through it.

New Season

New Cycle Season: Cycle 2 Season 4 (January 18, 02:00 (UTC +0) to March 21, 23:59 (UTC +0))

New Season Rewards: Upgraded rewards to make them Legendary quality and added a new set of resources: C2S4 Glasses, C2S4 Set, CS24 Parachute, C2S4 – MK14, C2S4 Mask, C2S4 Cover.Cycle Memories: New Jujutsu Kaisen-themed story missions. Collect Sukuna Fingers to unlock commemorative titles.Cycle Rewards: New Cycle Season rewards. Collect the Diamond/Crown/Ace Badges in the same Cycle to get high-quality supplies for free.- More Challenge Points are gained from matches and can be obtained through other ways to rank up faster.- We have added team range restrictions in ranked Classic Mode. Players from Bronze tier to Platinum tier can team up with each other. Players who are at Diamond tier or higher can only team up with players within 2 major tiers of themselves.- Added a point synchronization system that synchronizes the rating points of players at the Diamond tier or lower, increasing their rating points in other modes to match their highest tier mode.

New Royale Pass

Royale Pass Month 7: Royale Guard (January 18, 02:00 (UTC +0) to February 17, 23:59 (UTC +0))

Come and get the Desert Warrior Set! The themed M16A4, DP28, UZI, and 2-Seat Motorcycle finishes are now available!New system to lighten the load on players: Players will have a point limit that increases every week, and there will also be more missions for players to complete.Removed RP game time: Removed separate RP game time requirements and merged the points that were given out as rewards to new challenge missions.Elite mission rewards and friend bonus mission rewards do not use up the point limit.

Other Updates and Improvements

Graphic quality improvements: Enhanced HDR water surface material effects in Erangel.Improved the Daily Missions screen and the rewards.Improved the display of information when picking up items.Improved the accuracy of audio markers on the mini-map.Lowered the requirements to place a chicken dinner statue so that it is easier to place the statue after winning.Added a throwable consumables toggle for players to enable or disable the feature.When a player only has 1 consumable or throwable, the expand button above it is hidden by default.Fixed an issue that caused teammates’ markers to overlap when they were on the plane.Added shortcut buttons for new features that can take players to the new settings quickly.Improved interactions on the Settings screen.Improved the graphic effects of the pick-up screen and the custom layout interface.Improved the layout order and naming of tabs in the settings.

Bugfix

In-match issues

Fixed issue where there were no footsteps when carrying a wounded player.Fixed effect display errors for some weapons.Fixed display error for roads in Livik urban areas when graphics were set to smooth.In Metro Royale, fixed issue where the Open Crate button sometimes did not disappear.In Metro Royale, fixed black door glitch.In Metro Royale, fixed issue where Talent would sometimes fail to activate.

Lobby issues

Fixed issue where players using certain tablet models were unable to open the Purchase page when tapping a Lucky Airdrop.Fixed issue where Voice volume could not be adjusted on the Settings page.Fixed issue where viewing highlights and friend statuses could cause the screen to go black.

Other issues

Fixed issue that made it impossible to hide the matchmaking details popup window.Fixed Maid Set and Mutation Mask display issue.Fixed issue where the Adore bubble emotes could not be displayed in the Cheer Park.Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond And Shining Pearl Offer Limited-Time Easter Egg For Original Games’ Fans

When Nintendo called the Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl faithful remakes, they weren’t kidding. The recent remakes of the 2006 series are chock-full of nostalgia–perhaps even to their detriment–but one of the best things about keeping so much of the original games intact in these new enhanced editions is the inclusion of a pretty heartwarming Easter egg.

Fans of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl will be delighted to know Snowpoint City’s “diamond dust” has returned. A nod to director and composer Junichi Masuda, the sparkling snowfall appears each year on January 12 to celebrate the beloved Pokemon creator’s birthday–and offers some pretty great perks for players.

According to Serebii.net, players can expect a boost to their encounter rate as well as a reduction to hatch length.

Today is January 12th and is one of the days you’ll see Diamond Dust in Snowpoint City in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl.
In addition to that, it’s one of the days you get both an encounter and a hatch rate boost: https://t.co/chnnU4GEcB pic.twitter.com/ipHY0FGE4m

— Joe Merrick (@JoeMerrick) January 12, 2022

For those already looking forward to the next step in their Pokemon journey, the newest entry in the Pokemon series, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, is just over two weeks away. A drastic departure from the usual Pokemon formula, the open-world adventure game gives off some major Breath of the Wild vibes and could mark a turning point for the 25-year-old franchise.

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Snag A Free 128GB MicroSD Card With A Nintendo Switch Online Membership

Nintendo Switch Online memberships are cheap compared to PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live (sans the Expansion Pack, of course), but a new offer is making the service even more enticing. If you purchase a 12-month Nintendo Switch Online Family Membership through either Amazon or GameStop, you’ll get a free 128GB memory card — which typically carries a price tag of $30.

Games on Switch don’t take up as much space as their cousins on next-gen consoles or PC, so 128GB should be enough storage for most users. The card included in this new deal is an officially licensed Nintendo product that’s manufactured by SanDisk, so you can sleep easy knowing it won’t fail or corrupt any of your precious saved data.

Switch Online is a great deal on its own, as you’ll gain instant access to a gigantic roster of classic NES and SNES titles — including Metroid, Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, and The Legend of Zelda. Beyond games, you’ll also get to use voice chat for online games, the ability to save data to the cloud, and special offers on Nintendo gear.

The Switch Online + SanDisk memory card deal is live at both Amazon and GameStop, so be sure to swing by and check it out while it lasts. Keep in mind that this membership doesn’t come with the Switch Online Expansion Pack, which unlocks N64 and Sega Genesis games as well as Animal Crossing’s massive Happy Home Paradise expansion. You can upgrade to the family version with the Expansion Pack for $30 after snagging this deal.

Read MoreGameSpot – Game News

Mars Remains Enigmatic As Ever Leading Up To Destiny 2 The Witch Queen

Destiny 2 players will revisit Mars with The Witch Queen expansion–despite the fact that the planet was removed from the game with the Beyond Light expansion. Rumors about Mars returning to Destiny 2 began when the first The Witch Queen trailer showed Ikora glaring at her evidence board of photos, maps, and alchemic signs while surrounded by red terrain. Fans later noticed a Destiny 1 Mars map on her board which is easier to see from Bungie’s teaser clips that gave a closer look at the board. The Game Awards live-action trailer explained that we revisit Mars for the first mission and meet the Light-bearing Savathun. It seems similar to how we ventured to Phobos, a moon of Mars, at the start of Destiny 1’s expansion, The Taken King.

We’ve dug into what we’ve seen of The Witch Queen and the lore of Mars to run down every lingering lore thread and story tidbit that you might need to know about heading into the expansion.

In the lore of Destiny, Mars has been a beacon for the Light and Darkness for centuries, but the live-action trailer creates more puzzling connections between the two. Firstly, I noticed the out-of-place crop field on Mars within a boundary that reminded me of the dark Taken splotches, which have a bright outline. Remembering that I’ve seen this crop field before, I looked up The Witch Queen’s Collector’s Edition and found that the photo of the Martian crop field is there as well. It seems like whatever is happening within the boundary is not from the present day–and if that’s the case, then this is most likely an image from the Golden Age on Mars.

Taken splotch on the left comparing the Mars crop field section from live-action The Witch Queen trailer

In Year 1 of Destiny 1, a pre-Golden Age opening cinematic showed three astronauts during the Ares One mission witness the Traveler in person for the first time while it was terraforming Mars, making it another habitable world of the solar system. Habitable conditions led to colonies, including agriculture. A Golden Age agriculture container in the wreckage of the Nessus colony ship proves that crops were a part of colonizing. Like Mercury, Mars could’ve been a completely different place when it was first terraformed. Even some Destiny concept art shows a different type of Mars during early exploration, including an area that looks like a swamp.

An old postcard from the Martian city named Freehold illustrated it as one of humanity’s great achievements: a home away from home in Meridian Bay. But then the Darkness came and swept the Bay under the red dunes and led the solar system into the Dark Age. A sparrow ride through The Buried City, the remains of Freehold, revealed historic signage of Clovis Bray, Daito, and the Off World Transit (OWT) railway. With the absence of Earthlings, extraterrestrial enemies grew their presence on Mars with their Vex structures and Cabal zones.

The Vex created a gateway with the Darkness using portals to the Black Garden. In the lore piece Legend: The Black Garden, a Guardian named Pujari tells their vision of the Garden. “The Traveler moved across the face of the iron world. It opened the earth and stitched shut the sky. It made life possible. In these things there is always symmetry. Do you understand? This is not the beginning but it is the reason.” Pujari is referring to Mars as the iron world and signifying its mysterious relation to the Black Garden.

A Ghost scan in The Cistern on Nessus says, “A Conflux that’s directly connected to Mars. The Vex there are having a heck of a time with the Red Legion, it seems like. ‘Garden gate gone. Bay lost. Bastion fallen.’ Huh.” The Vex lost their strongholds on Mars while fighting Red Legion forces during the Red War in Destiny 2. It might be why we see Red Legion Psions and Cabal ships aggressively attack Savathun’s Dreadnaught-looking ship in the live-action trailer.

Destiny 2’s Warmind expansion took us to the icy caps of Hellas Basin, where something ancient lurked beneath Mars. Warsats crashing into the planet freed the banished son of Oryx named Nokris and the Hive God Xol–both were trapped under the Martian glaciers by the AI Warmind called Rasputin, whose core sat at BrayTech Futurescape. Ana Bray called Rasputin the most powerful weapon in the entire solar system so Xol sought to destroy the AI while Nokris commanded his Hive. Yet, we don’t exactly know what attracted them to Mars.

Season of Arrivals on Mars

A lore piece from Season of Arrivals may give a clue. During one mission, Ana Bray thanks the Guardian after you return an item to her called Helsom’s Journal. In real life, Matt Helsom worked with Vicarious Visions and Bungie as senior environment artist and passed away in 2020. In the game, Helsom was a Golden Age xenoarchaeologist. Bungie’s tribute to the artist through Ana Bray contains an interesting phrase about Mars. “He believed there were instances of contact between extrasolar species and humanity, long before the Traveler.” Evidence from the Shadowkeep lore book Revelations proves that Darkness existed in our solar system pre-Collapse, hidden beneath our Moon’s surface.

With the arrival of the Black Fleet, it was time to say goodbye to Mars and Rasputin, for now. In the view from Braytech Futurescape sat a gargantuan Pyramid ship. Season of Arrivals was about the new Tree of Silver Wings within the terraformed Cradle known as Last Eden on Jupiter’s moon, Io. Ikora told our Guardian during the Red War that the Cradle and Io still had remnants of the Light since it was the last place the Traveler touched. Savathun interacted with Guardians for the first time during this season when she brought us into her Ascendant Court–preventing us from seeking the Pyramid ship’s gift, the Seed of Silver Wings. It seemed like it was a different seed than the one from the Forsaken expansion where we received a Seed of Light through trees that grew from the Traveler’s Light pulses on Io. This is relevant to the upcoming expansion because a perplexing scene in the live-action trailer showed a Cradle on Mars.

Tree of Silver Wings on Io

In the Tenebrous Tunnels mission on Mars, our Ghost says, “This rail system was endless. It connected colonies, dig sites. I’m even detecting a line that runs all the way up to the Cradle at the North Pole.” However, this may conflict with the fact that Clovis Bray’s research facility on Mars is also called the Cradle of Invention. Knowing that the Pyramid ship was viewable from BrayTech Futurescape, both of these Cradles might be near one another. The Exotic Titan armor called Ruin Wings from Destiny’s Dark Below expansion says, “In the Garden grows a tree of silver wings. The leaves are ruin, the bark disaster. Of the seeds we do not speak.” This may indicate that there are more seeds out there in other Cradles.

Myelin Games tackled many of the clues about the Cradle on Mars in their video covering the trailer and its themes. A cryptic Chartres-inspired labyrinth design seen recurringly related to the Light or the Darkness was shown at the center of the Cradle. I also noticed this symbol on The Singular Exegete lore book that had the labyrinth design inside Eris Morn’s symbol and on the Psychometer Replica that holds the Hive Ghost shell in The Witch Queen Collector’s Edition. Myelin also pointed out that Savathun’s ship sits above the Martian Cradle like the Pyramid ships on Io in Season of Arrivals and how Savathun could have taken the Pyramid ship from Mars and placed it inside her Throne World. Removing a Pyramid ship could also free Mars from the anomaly that has hidden it, which would explain why we can reach the planet in The Witch Queen.

The labyrinth design on The Singular Exegete lore book

Mars, Io, Titan, and Mercury were taken by the Black Fleet by the end of the Season of Arrivals. A lore book called Captain’s Log from the Season of the Chosen’s Presage mission mentioned that in place of Mars lies an anomaly. In Presage, we discover that Cabal Emperor Calus was onboard the Glykon ship with his crew, heading to the anomaly. He was using the Crown of Sorrow, created by Savathun, to run experiments on the Scorn by merging minds as a way to communicate with The Entity, the intelligence that seems to be behind the powers of the Darkness. Interestingly, a scan from Presage reads, “It recounts a descent into the anomaly…Gravitational oscillations broke and reformed the Glykon many times over. It is as if every permutation of the ship’s existence collided in one space.” The Glykon was rearranged after contact with the anomaly, which suggests that the same thing could happen with Mars. We could be seeing various parts of Mars’s existence becoming mushed into one.

In Season of the Lost, a conversation between Lord Saladin and Valus Or’ohk in the Peacebond lore tells us that there are Hive tombships near the Mars anomaly. Although the conversation turns towards Xivu Arath, those ships may be Savathun’s preparations for her next trick at the end of the Season.

Even though we know Mars is returning, we don’t know where the first mission is set or if we’ll get more of Mars after that mission. However, we do know that Savathun’s Throne World will be an explorable destination with many secrets.

Destiny 2 The Witch Queen launches on February 22.

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Monster Hunter Rise: How To Play The Sonic The Hedgehog Crossover

Monster Hunter Rise is finally out on PC after initially debuting on the Nintendo Switch in 2021. Aside from adding new graphical options and improving the game’s performance, the PC version of Capcom’s latest monster-slaying hit also features all of the free post-launch content released up until version 3.6.1, including crossovers with Sonic the Hedgehog.

The Sonic the Hedgehog collaboration adds two new Event Quests that let you unlock Sonic-themed Layered Armor for your Hunter, Palico, and Palamute. Here’s how to access the special quests and deck yourself out in the blue hedgehog’s iconic garb.

First, you’ll need to head to the Steelworks area in Monster Hunter Rise’s village hub and talk to Senri the Mailman. Select “Add-on Content” and collect the “Gotta Hoard Fast!” and “Super Shady Look-alike” Event Quests to add both of the Sonic-themed missions to your quest board. Alternatively, you can also just press “Collect All” to grab all of the DLC that’s currently available.

Once you’ve done this, head to the Gathering Hub and speak to Minoto the Quest Maiden. The “Gotta Hoard Fast!” Event Quest is the best one to start with since it’s a simple quest you can complete right at the beginning of the game.

This quest tasks you with collecting 200 of Sonic’s golden rings in a race against the clock, with different rankings doling out various rewards depending on how quickly you can grab all 200. By finishing in under three minutes, you’ll achieve an S-rank and unlock Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles figurines that you can proudly display in your Hunter’s house. Just hop onto your Palamute’s back as soon as the event begins to get around the area as quickly as possible. You can even make this a Join Request Hunt so other players can join and help you collect all of the rings much faster.

Simply completing the Event Quest will also grant you the Buddy Rings that are required to forge the Sonic Layered Armor for your Palico, and the Canyne Tails Armor for your Palamute, alongside some Fur Scrap and zenny. The easiest way to attain Fur Scrap is by selecting an Expedition Quest from one of the two Quest Maidens. Travel to either Shrine Ruins or Flooded Forest and you can slay a few Bullfango to get their Bullfango Pelts. You can then swap this with the Buddy Smith in the village’s Steelworks area for Fur Scrap.

The “Super Shady Look-alike” Event Quest is significantly harder, so you’ll want to complete as many hunts as you can until you’re ready to tackle a 7* High Rank quest. Once again, making this a Join Request Hunt will alleviate some of the difficulty by letting other players join and help out. By defeating the fearsome Nargacuga, you’ll earn some Hunter Rings for your trouble, which can then be used to forge the Sonic Layered Armor for your Hunter. You’ll also need Nargacuga+ Monster Parts to craft the armor set, so you’ll need to re-run either this quest or another Nargacuga hunt multiple times to nab all of the parts required.

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