Month: April 2019

Mortal Kombat 11 received some criticism for its in-game economy and grind, but NetherRealm has started to address those progression issues with a series of patches. As part of the make-good effort, the studio has also bundled the latest patch with a thank you gift, awarding a big dose of currency to players.

The bundle includes 500,000 Koins, 500 Hearts, 1,000 Souls, and 1,000 Time Crystals. Time Crystals are the premium currency, and so the amount here equals about $10–enough for two of the premium skins. The rest of the currency types are used in the Krypt, to unlock various rewards. It’s only available on PC and PS4 so far, with Xbox One and Switch incoming.

You’ll have to claim the reward through your notifications area. Make sure you claim it by May 6, 2019 at 6 AM PT.

That injection of kash came alongside a big update for MK11. It fixes several exploits and makes changes to matchmaking, but the bigger adjustment for the player grind will be that it’s softened the edges for the Towers of Time. The patch notes say it adjusts the AI difficulty curve for the Towers, tweaked elements like health reductions in high-level Towers or Koin rewards, and adjusted some daily modifiers. All of that seems aimed at making a smoother ramp for players to enjoy the Towers, which were a common criticism among reviews and early player impressions.

“Streamlined mechanics keep the act of fighting furiously exciting no matter what your skill level, and comprehensive tutorials encourage you to dig into the nitty-gritty,” Edmond Tran said in GameSpot’s review-in-progress. “There’s a diverse roster of interesting characters and playstyles, and the story mode is an entertaining romp. The unfulfilling approaches to the game’s dynamic single-player content and progression may feel like they’ve totally whiffed (at least at this early stage), but Mortal Kombat 11 hits where it matters.”

Woody and Buzz aren’t the only famous movie dolls returning to the big screen this summer. The long-awaited Pixar sequel Toy Story 4 hits theaters on June 21, and it will be joined that day by the horror reboot Child’s Play, featuring iconic killer doll Chucky. A new Child’s Play poster has now been released to mark the movies’ shared release date.

The poster shows Chucky as he walks away from another scene of slaughter. Unfortunately his victim seems to be poor Woody, the cowboy star of the Toy Story movies. Check it out below, as tweeted by IMDB:

Child’s Play stars Aubrey Plaza (Legion), Brian Tyree Henry (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), and Gabriel Bateman (Light’s Out), plus Mark Hamill as the voice of Chucky. It’s directed by Lars Klevberg, who has also helmed the upcoming horror movie Polaroid. The second trailer for Child’s Play was recently released, and you can also check out our ranking of every movie in the Child’s Play series.

In a recent interview with Nightmarish Conjurings, Klevberg talked about the new movie’s twist–Chucky can now control electronic devices. “I think that every good horror movie connects to its generation,” he said. “Right now, we all trust devices like Alexa to control all the electronics in our homes and to help organize our life. But what if that device took on a human form and could walk around? Then it would be something completely different and our film is just taking that concept to another level.”

Confusingly for fans, there’s also an unconnected Child’s Play TV show being developed for SyFy, simply titled Chucky. It’s produced by series creator Don Mancini, and follows on from the 2017 movie The Cult of Chucky.

Origin Forme Giratina may no longer be available in Pokemon Go, but some new Legendaries have taken its place in the hit mobile game. The Lake trio from Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum–Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie–have begun appearing around the world–and this time, you won’t need to battle them in Raids.

Unlike most of the other Legendaries to appear in Pokemon Go, Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie aren’t available as Raid bosses; rather, the Legendaries are spawning in the wild like typical Pokemon. However, as befits their status, the Pokemon are quite rare, so the odds of running into one are fairly low.

Moreover, it appears that each Pokemon is currently only available in a specific part of the world. According to Serebii, it seems Azelf is only appearing in America; Mesprit is available in Europe; and Uxie is currently spawning in Japan. Just as in the mainline games, the Legendaries are also reportedly appearing near bodies of water.

It’s unclear how long the new Pokemon will appear in Go, but Legendaries typically hang around for approximately a month before Niantic cycles them out for new Pokemon. With the reports that each one is only available in a certain area, it seems likely that the Legendaries will swap regions before they leave the game entirely.

Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie aren’t the only Legendaries currently available in Pokemon Go. Groudon has also returned to the game for a limited-time as one of the game’s Earth Day bonuses. On top of that, Ground-type Pokemon are spawning more frequently than normal, and Shiny Diglett is appearing for the first time. However, these Earth Day bonuses will only be live until May 2.

Shiny Meltan is also appearing once again Pokemon Go until May 5; be sure to check out our guide on how to catch one while it’s still available. Meanwhile, Pokemon Go’s next Community Day is scheduled for Sunday, May 19. The featured Pokemon this month will be Torchic, the Fire-type starter from Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire.

Despite how surreal the idea of a live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movie may seem, it is, in fact, happening and inevitable. If the numerous cast confirmations haven’t been enough to convince you that we will soon live in a world where a blue hedgehog that runs fast will inhabit the same space as real human beings, the newly released trailer certainly will.

The trailer, which you can watch above, gives us a nice overview of the story. As you might expect, it’s a familiar tale of Sonic going up against Robotnik, who is up to no good in San Francisco. This time, though, the bad doctor appears to be affiliated with the military G-men investigating what’s up with the blue hedgehog. He’s also surprisingly sassy for an evil doctor, and the end of the trailer teases a more familiar look for him.

Although Sonic will be brought to life via CGI, the beloved character is being voiced in the movie by Ben Schwartz, who is a seasoned voice actor having appeared as Dewey Duck in the new Duck Tales Show and Rutabaga Rabitowitz in Bojack Horseman.

Dr. Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik, meanwhile, is being played by Jim Carrey. In the games, he’s portrayed as a mad scientist, an archetype that Carrey has played numerous times across his illustrious career. In an interview, Carrey said that that the Sonic movie will appeal to families, but will also have an edge to it. “I made sure that there are some winks and nods, and edgy things that are still acceptable to both age groups,” he explained.

James Marsden, who is known for his recent work in HBO’s Westworld, will also be in the film as a state trooper who catches onto Sonic’s super speed. The new trailer shows him forming a buddy relationship with the speedster and getting into hijinks.

The Sonic movie is being directed by Jeff Fowler (Gopher Broke), with Deadpooldirector Tim Miller producing. It is set for release on November 19, 2019; it was originally expected to premiere in 2018 before being delayed.