Category: games

We’ve seen a number of Destiny 2 maintenance periods take the game’s servers offline since its release. Today will see maintenance occur once again, but according to Bungie, it shouldn’t impact your ability to play the game.

Server maintenance begins at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET / 4 PM BST today, October 11 (2 AM AEDT on October 12). It’s set to run for six hours, ending at 2 PM PT, but “no downtime is expected,” Bungie says. As part of this process, Bungie will roll out a new update, hotfix 1.0.3.2.

Given the version number, this is likely to be a bug-fix patch rather than one that introduces any major new feature. Specific details about what it does have not yet been revealed, but we’ll report back as soon as the patch notes are released. We don’t know exactly when to expect those, but Bungie says the hotfix itself should be available at around 8:15 AM PT.

It’s possible the patch is related to the upcoming Prestige Leviathan Raid. This harder version of the Raid was set to launch on October 10, only for it to be delayed until next week due to an exploit that allowed players to make encounters easier than intended. The Prestige Raid now launches on October 18.

In the meantime, players do have the first-ever Iron Banner and a new map to occupy their time. The limited-time Crucible mode works differently than Iron Banner in the original Destiny, but you can nonetheless get your hands on all sorts of new rewards. You can check out all of the Iron Banner weapons, armor, and gear in our gallery.

Splatoon 2 has continued to evolve since its launch this summer, and now it’s changed once again. The Nintendo Switch shooter has been updated to version 1.4.0, and the latest patch brings with it a bunch of bug fixes, as well as some balance tweaks.

For example, the Charger weapon can now maintain a charged up shot if you swim into ink and then transform back into human form. The Roller has also been adjusted, and the knock-back distance has been reduced when you hit a player while you’re lacking ink or when the Roller is in mid-air. Lots of weapons and abilities have received various damage balance buffs and nerfs–check them all out in the patch notes at the bottom of this article, via Nintendo.

This Splatoon 2 update comes as part of an ongoing round of Nintendo Switch online maintenance. Service will continue to waver throughout the week. Thankfully, the new windows of downtime avoid both the recent European Splatoon 2 toilet roll Splatfest and the upcoming North American Halloween Splatfest.

Nintendo continues to support its first-party titles on Switch: Splatoon 2 added a new weapon and map just the other day, and Arms appears to be getting a new character as part of an upcoming update.

Splatoon 2 Update 1.4.0 Patch Notes

Changes To Player Ranks

• Previously when going down in rank while rank S+1 or higher, players could drop to S+0 all at once. This drop is now limited to a maximum of five ranks levels.
• In conjunction with the above change, maintaining current rank from S+0 to S+49 will now require the rank meter to stay at least 50% full (was previously 40%).

Changes To Salmon Run

• Fixed an issue causing certain combinations of main and special weapons to not appear, though they had been among the four supplied for that session of Salmon Run.
• Fixed an issue causing players in life preserver form positioned near the edge of a stage to fall through the stage when super jumping to the starting point or to the Grizzco ship at the end of a wave.
• Fixed an issue when hunting for a Goldie, causing its size and the location of the Golden Eggs it drops when defeated to appear differently to different players.
• Fixed an issue allowing a Flyfish’s missle launcher to be destroyed when hit with a bomb just as it closed, although the bomb hadn’t gone inside.
• Fixed an issue causing players swimming on walls to take damage continuously when attacked by a Chum, Smallfry, or Cohock.
• Fixed an issue preventing ink from a Slosher from reviving allied players in life preserver form at point-blank range.
• Fixed an issue that gave both pieces of gear the same randomly assigned gear abilities when receiving the current and previous month’s Limited-Time Bonus gear simultaneously.

Changes To Spectator Mode

• Fixed an issue causing incorrect animations to play when objects other than players, such as Inkrails or Splash Walls were damaged while viewing a particular player’s perspective.
• The sound effect that plays when taking damage during regular play now also plays when viewing that player’s perspective in spectator mode.

Other Changes

• Fixed issues while creating posts in which 1)lines drawn outside of the frame and then back into the frame failed to properly appear and 2)the “undo” function failed to work properly.
• Fixed an issue when testing weapons in which coming into contact with one of the targets immediately after performing a vertical swing with a roller failed to deal contact damage.
• Fixed an issue when testing weapons in which coming into contact with one of the targets continuously with a Brella-type weapon incorrectly only damaged the target once.
• Fixed an issue occurring when exceeding the number of displayable League Battle results caused recent results to not be displayed instead of the oldest results.
• Updating to Ver.1.4.0 will disable wireless matchmaking for local multiplayer with players using Ver.1.3.0

Changes To Multiplayer

• Fixed an issue where, under the following conditions, players would only receive the benefit of Ink Resistance Up when stacking it to maximum effect.
• Moving while shooting a weapon in the Shooter category.
• Moving while shooting a weapon in the Dualie category.
• Moving while preparing to throw a bomb or sub weapon.
• When storing a charged shot with a Charger, swimming into enemy ink and being returned to kid form now allows you to maintain the charge you had stored.
• Fixed an issue preventing players using a Charger from shooting when pressing ZR again after releasing the button once a stored charged shot had expired.
• Decreased the knock back distance when coming into contact with a roller that has run out of ink or is in mid-air.
• Fixed an issue causing the aiming reticule to display outside the center of the screen when moving the camera and using a Roller or Brella-type weapon.
• Fixed an issue causing Brellas to shoot in an off-center direction when shooting them while moving the camera.
• Fixed an issue causing a discrepancy in movement speed while trying to shoot a Brella-type weapon with no ink remaining, as opposed to shooting a Brella with ink in the ink tank.
• Fixed an issue causing Slosher-type weapons to shoot ink from a higher position than they appeared to.
• Fixed an issue occasionally allowing opposing players standing behind a Splash Wall to be splatted when a bomb hit the edge of the wall.
• Fixed an issue causing Curling Bombs to lose speed inappropriately when thrown on sloping surfaces.
• Fixed an issue causing bombs not to ink the floor when exploding at the very edge of a stage.
• Fixed an issue causing the predicted range of the sub weapon to incorrectly display when readying an Ink Storm special while also equipped with either a Point Sensor or Toxic Mist sub weapon.
• Fixed an issue causing the inking effect of an Ink Storm special to occur unnaturally when the storm intersected with a roof or other similar object in a stage.
• Bubbles from the Bubble Blower that burst after the end of a match will no longer ink the stage.
• Fixed an issue causing movement speed while firing the Bubble Blower to vary depending on which main weapon was equipped.
• In Rainmaker mode, equipping weapons such as the E-liter 4K and Dynamo Roller will no longer lower movement and swim speed while holding the Rainmaker.
• Fixed an issue in Rainmaker Mode in which splatting a player holding the Rainmaker while they were jumping caused the Rainmaker to reappear not in its fixed location, but where the player had started their jump.
• Fixed an issue in The Reef causing Suction Bombs and other objects thrown onto the area around the central bridge to sink inside it.
• Fixed an issue in Inkblot Art Academy causing players readying a Roller or Brella at specific locations in the stage to fall through it.
• Fixed an issue in Moray Towers causing players who fell off the stage near its center to fall faster than in other stages.
• Fixed an issue in Manta Maria allowing players to enter into certain pillars in the stage.
• Fixed an issue applying to the Drop Roller in which players returning to their starting point after using the Inkjet special were unable to roll when going into squid form just before landing.

Weapon Adjustments

Weapon	Adjustment
Splash-o-matic	• Increased firing range by roughly 6%. • Increased the amount of ink splattered by each shot making it easier to ink the ground.
.52 Gal	・Increased firing range by roughly 6% while not changing the range at which each shot deals more than 50 damage.
N-ZAP ’85	・Changed to match the faster movement speed and swim speed when not shooting of weapons like the Sploosh-o-matic and Splattershot Jr. • Increased movement speed while shooting by roughly 5%. • Made it easier to ink the area around your feet.
Splattershot Pro Forge Splattershot Pro	・Increased shot speed by roughly 67%, while not changing shot range. • Decreased weapon sway when shooting on the ground by roughly 10%. • Decreased weapon sway when shooting right after a jump by roughly 40%. • Increased movement speed while shooting by roughly 10%. • Increased radius of ink splatter caused by each shot by roughly 2%.
.96 Gal	・Increased damage of each shot from 52 to 62. • Decreased weapon sway when shooting on the ground by roughly 8%. • Decreased weapon sway when shooting right after a jump by roughly 40%.
H-3 Nozzlenose	・Increased shot speed by roughly 25%, while not changing shot range. • Decreased duration of weapon sway after jumping by 5/60 of a second. • Decreased time required for weapon sway to end once it begins ending by 15/60 of a second. • Made it easier to ink the area around your feet.
Clash Blaster	・Increased radius of shot explosion by roughly 14%. • Increased amount of ink coverage delivered by exploding shots.
Carbon Roller	・When inking ground continuously by holding ZR, player will now reach maximum movement speed one second faster. • Made it easier to ink the ground in front of you when using a horizontal swing. • Increased damage dealt to opposing Ballers with either a vertical or horizontal swing by roughly 40%.
Splat Roller Krak-On Splat Roller Hero Roller Replica	・Increased width of ink path when using ZR to ink the ground continuously and moving at maximum speed by roughly 8%. • Made it easier to ink the ground in front of you when using a horizontal swing. • Increased damage dealt to opposing Ballers with either a vertical or horizontal swing by roughly 40%.
Dynamo Roller	・Increased width of ink path when using ZR to ink the ground continuously and moving at maximum speed by roughly 13%. • Slightly increased the width of ink coverage when using a horizontal swing from a location higher than the surrounding area. • Increased damage dealt to opposing Ballers with either a vertical or horizontal swing by roughly 60%.
Flingza Roller	・Increased movement speed when the roller is being swung overhead. ・ Made it easier to ink the ground in front of you when using a horizontal swing. • Increased range of ink flung by a horizontal swing by roughly 17%. • Increased range at which maximum damage is dealt by a horizontal swing by 25%. • Increased damage dealt to opposing Ballers with either a vertical or horizontal swing by roughly 40%.
Inkbrush	・Enemy ink will no longer have a negative effect when moving through it while holding ZR to ink the ground continuously. • Increased damage dealt to opposing Ballers when flinging ink by roughly 40%.
Octobrush Herobrush Replica	・Increased damage dealt to opposing Ballers when flinging ink by roughly 40%
Classic Squiffer	・Increased damage dealt to opposing Ballers when flinging ink by roughly 30%
Splat Charger Firefin Splat Charger Hero Charger Replica	・Increased damage dealt to opposing Ballers when flinging ink by roughly 30%.
Splatterscope Firefin Splatterscope	・Increased damage dealt to opposing Ballers when flinging ink by roughly 30%.
E-liter 4K	・Increased radius of ink coverage when shots hit a wall by roughly 33%. • Increased damage dealt to opposing Ballers when flinging ink by roughly 30%.
E-liter 4K Scope	・Increased radius of ink coverage when shots hit a wall by roughly 33%. • Increased damage dealt to opposing Ballers when flinging ink by roughly 30%.
Bamboozler 14 Mk I	・Increased movement speed while charging by roughly 50%. • Increased damage dealt to opposing Ballers when flinging ink by roughly 30%.
Goo Tuber	・Charged shots can now be stored when not at maximum charge. • Decreased time between releasing a stored charge shot and shooting by 5/60 of a second. • Increased damage dealt by fully charged shots from 160 to 180. • Increased damage dealt to opposing Ballers when flinging ink by roughly 30%.
Mini Splatling	・Increased damage dealt from 28 to 32. • Increased movement speed while charging by roughly 17% • Increased movement speed while firing by roughly 14%.
Dapple Dualies Splat Dualies Enperry Splat Dualies Hero Dualie Replicas	・Decreased duration of down time after performing a dodge roll by 8/60 of a second.
Dualie Squelchers	・Increased radius of shot ink coverage by roughly 9%. • Decreased duration of down time after performing a dodge roll by 8/60 of a second. • Player now able to move after performing a dodge roll, but before they can perform their next action.
Splat Brella Hero Brella Replica	・Decreased time required to begin opening the umbrella by 8/60 of a second. • After beginning to open the umbrella, decreased time required for it to open completely by 10/60 of a second. • Increased movement speed while the umbrella is open by roughly 38%. • While keeping the maximum damage of one shot burst at 90, increased the damage delivered by each shot that lands from 15 to 18. • Decreased damage done to the umbrella by Shooters (excluding Blasters), Splatlings, and Dualies by roughly 30%. • The umbrella will no longer be destroyed immediately after coming into contact with a Baller. • Increased damage dealt to opposing Ballers when shooting ink by roughly 30%.
Tenta Brella	・Decreased time required to return to standard movement speed after moving while shooting by 10/60 of a second. • Increased damage delivered by each shot that lands from 15 to 17.5. • Increased maximum damage dealt by a shot burst from 120 to 122.5. • Decreased damage done to the umbrella by Shooters (excluding Blasters), Splatlings, and Dualies by roughly 30%. • The umbrella will no longer be destroyed immediately after coming into contact with a Baller. • Increased damage dealt to opposing Ballers when shooting ink by roughly 30%.
Aerospray MG Aerospray RG	・Decreased radius of point of shot contact by roughly 10%. • Decreased radius of shot ink coverage by roughly 8%. • Decreased rate at which shots ink the ground by roughly 13%.
Sloshing Machine	・Decreased radius of ink coverage when the center of a shot hits the ground by roughly 20%

Special Weapon Adjustments

Weapon	Adjustment
Tenta Missiles	・Increased damage dealt to opposing Ballers when shooting ink by roughly 50%.
Sting Ray	・Opponents behind stage objects will be revealed when the Sting Ray’s beam is roughly 23% further away from them than it was previously. • Increased damage dealt to opposing Ballers when shooting ink by roughly 100%.
Inkjet	・Increased damage dealt to opposing Ballers by direct hits or shot splash damage by roughly 100%.
Curling-Bomb Launcher	・Increased distance Curling Bombs travel without being charged by roughly 50%.
Ink Storm	・Increased damage dealt to opposing Ballers by the storm by roughly 150%.
Bubble Blower	・Increased damage dealt to the bubbles by allied players by roughly 20%, making them easier to burst. • Decreased time to switch back to main weapon after creating three bubbles by 20/60 of a second. • Increased damage dealt to opposing Ballers by roughly 100%.
Baller	・Increased damage dealt to opposing Ballers by bursting bubbles by roughly 150%. • Made movement of the Baller easier to hear for surrounding players. • Decreased the radius of minimum damage (55 damage) dealt by the explosion of the Baller by roughly 14% when Special Power Up isn’t being used. ※ Due to changes in gear ability balancing, this radius will be the same as it was previously when the maximum amount of Special Power Up is being used.

Gear Ability Adjustments

Gear Ability	Adjustment
Ink Saver (Main)	・The following weapons will now gain a noticeable Ink Saver benefit, even when the ability isn’t stacked in multiple slots. Maximizing the amount of Ink Saver gear ability will have the same effect. – Splattershot Pro – Forge Splattershot Pro – Luna Blaster – H-3 Nozzlenose – Dynamo Roller – E-liter 4K – E-liter 4K Scope – Tenta Brella
Run Speed Up	・Increased movement speed when using this gear ability and shooting a Splatling by roughly 20%.
Special Power Up	・Increased the size of the targeting icon when using Special Power Up by roughly 67%. • For Ink Armor, Special Power Up now also decreases the time required to protect players with armor after activation • For the Inkjet, Special Power Up now also increases the shot explosion radius. In exchange, the additional Inkjet duration afforded by Special Power Up has been decreased by roughly 50%. • For the Baller, Special Power Up now also increases the radius in which the Baller will deal minimum damage (55) when it explodes. Considered alongside the changes to the Baller itself, when using the maximum amount of Special Power Up, this radius is the same as it was previously. • For the Ink Storm, an issue was fixed in which using Sub Power Up extended the range this special could be thrown. Instead, Special Power Up now also correctly extends the throw range of the Ink Storm special.
Quick Super Jump	・Even when the ability isn’t stacked in multiple slots, the charge time before performing a super jump will be noticeably reduced. ※Maximizing the amount of Quick Super Jump gear ability will have the same effect. ※Total time from selecting jump destination until landing there remains unchanged..
Sub Power Up	・For Ink Mines, Sub Power Up now also increases the duration of time opponents remain marked. • For Sprinklers, Sub Power Up increases the duration of time the Sprinkler sprays ink at maximum power by roughly 150%. • For the Point Sensor, Sub Power Up now also increases the duration of time opponents remain marked. • For the Squid Beakon, Sub Power Up increases the effect of reducing super jump time by roughly 50%.
Cold-Blooded	・Increased the duration of protection against being marked by 20%. • Cold-Blooded now also increases the area in which the player is immune to the revealing effects of Thermal Ink, Haunt, and the Sting Ray.
Opening Gambit	・During its active period, Opening Gambit now also grants the effects of the Ink Resistance Up gear ability.
Last-Ditch Effort	・During its active period, the effect of Last-Ditch Effort is now multiplied by 2.4 times the number of times it is equipped as a main gear ability (was previously multiplied by 1.8).
Haunt	・Opponents behind stage objects will be revealed when the Haunt’s effective range is roughly 23% further away from them than it was previously.
Thermal Ink	・Opponents behind stage objects will be revealed when the Thermal Ink’s effective range is roughly 23% further away from them than it was previously.
Respawn Punisher	・Increased the reduction of a defeated opponent’s special gauge when they respawn from 5% to 15%. • Increased the reduction of the user’s special gauge when respawning from 7.5% to 22.5%.
Drop Roller	・Removed the period of immobility immediately after using Drop Roller.

Special Gauge Filling Points Adjustments

Weapon	Adjustment
Aerospray MG	170 > 160
Slosher Hero Slosher Replica	190 > 180
Mini Splatling	190 > 180
Splat Dualies Hero Dualie Replicas	190 > 180
Enperry Splat Dualies	200 > 180
Splattershot Hero Shot Replica	180 > 190
.52 Gal	180 > 190
L-3 Nozzlenose	170 > 180
Sloshing Machine	170 > 190
Splat Brella Hero Brella Replica	160 > 180

The Predator is the much-anticipated reboot of the classic ’80s sci-fi action movie, and it’s due for release in August next year. A few on-set images emerged while the movie was in production, but there has been very little news about the film since then.

However, the first promotional art has now been revealed. A poster was spotted on Fox’s display stand at the Brand Licensing Europe Expo in London, and while it doesn’t exactly give much away, it does seem to support the rumors that the movie might have a suburban setting. Check it out below, via Instagram user Dirtees:

The Predator was originally set to arrive in March, but will now hit theaters on August 3. It’s directed by Shane Black, who previously made Iron Man 3 and last year’s comedy thriller The Nice Guys. It stars Boyd Holbrook (Narcos, Logan), Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight), Keegan-Michael Key (Keanu, Key & Peele), Sterling K. Brown (The People v. OJ Simpson), Olivia Munn (X-Men: Apocalypse), and Jacob Tremblay (Room).

Last year Black explained that The Predator would have a much larger scale than the previous films in the franchise. “I think the first one was great, and it was contained, and it was a perfect little gem for what it was,” he said. “I think there’s an expansion that needs to take place, and also just a love for that era, that movie, and the mythology of the Predator.

“I think that they came to me knowing pretty much that… they said, basically, if I wanted to make Predator but treat it like it was Iron Man 3 instead of just another little movie. I said, ‘Let’s really do it right this time.'”

Bethesda has released a new trailer for The Evil Within 2 that, in its own words, features some of the “unspeakable horrors” main character Sebastian Castellanos will face in the game. Admittedly, the trailer is full of some really gnarly sights, including a little girl that seems to have been flayed.

That little girl is key to the story of The Evil Within 2 and Sebastian’s overall goal. “Sebastian’s mission is personal,” Bethesda explains. “He’s searching for his daughter Lily, who he thought he had lost many years ago, and it’s now a race against time as the world crumbles around him. Sebastian must rescue Lily before everything falls apart and they are both lost in STEM.”

For those that might need a refresher, STEM is a strange world that can be manipulated by certain individuals within it. Usually, these individuals are inclined towards the gruesome and macabre, which is why everything is real gross in there.

“The real horror may be the human monsters trapped inside, with the twisted photographer Stefano and the ‘righteous’ priest Theodore both intent on warping the weakened system to their will,” Bethesda continues.

The Evil Within 2’s release date is Friday the 13th and it will be available for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. Shinji Mikami, who directed the first game and is producer on the sequel, has said he is interested in porting the game to Nintendo Switch. Bethesda is already working on Switch ports of Skyrim, Doom, and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus.

Bethesda has also announced a new charity campaign themed around The Evil Within 2. Titled “The Good Within,” the fundraising campaign is raising money on CrowdRise to support the American Red Cross’s disaster and humanitarian relief efforts globally.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds continues to grow, toppling milestone after milestone. It’s left Dota 2–and everything else on Steam–in the dust in terms of players, and today it became the first game ever to top 2 million concurrent players on the platform.

Steam’s stats page highlights both the current number of players online in a game at any time, as well as its daily peak. Since it first surpassed Dota 2 back in August, PUBG has gone on to break the all-time Steam record for concurrent players. 2 million looked likely recently, and now that record now stands at 2,016,498, as of this writing–though you can probably assume that won’t last for long. The figure has increased several times just in the course of this story being written. According to SteamDB‘s unofficial figures, PUBG sales stand at about 15.6 million copies.

Despite being an Early Access game, PUBG has enjoyed unprecedented success since its launch earlier this year. A full release is slated for sometime later this year, as is an Xbox One version. We may also see PUBG eventually end up on PS4, although no official announcements have been made on that front as of yet. Microsoft has described the game as a “console launch exclusive,” suggesting it could eventually come to other platforms. Perhaps in light of the game’s popularity on PC, Microsoft is reportedly working to extend PUBG’s Xbox One exclusivity period.

If you’re a newcomer to the competitive shooter, check out our PUBG beginner’s tips and the 15 things we we wish we knew before we started PUBG. More seasoned players can check out advanced tips and tricks in our PUBG expert guide.

Rockstar Games has announced all the new content, deals, and special events happening in GTA V‘s multiplayer mode, Grand Theft Auto Online, this week. The centrepiece of the new content is the Buckingham Pyro airplane. It’s equipped with twin machine guns, and you can upgrade it extensively with things like liveries, armour, and missiles.

In terms of deals, the Fort Zancudo Hangar 3499 property is 25 percent off, as is the Thomson Scrapyard Bunker. Additionally, Bunker renovation options are 25 percent off. All of these offers are good through October 16.

A handful of vehicles are also 25 percent off, including Ultralight, Rocket Voltic, Lampadati Tropos Rallye, and the armoured Kuruma. Additionally, upgrades from Benny’s are 25 percent off.

This week’s GTA Online premium race and time trial schedule has also been announced. This week’s premium race is the stunt race Raton, and it’s locked to Super. The time trial event this week is Raton Canyon. As always, the top three finishers in premium races get GTA$, while everyone receives triple RP no matter how they finished. For the time trial, beating the par time will reward you with GTA$ and RP.

Go to the Rockstar Newswire to see a full rundown of what’s new in GTA Online this week.

Rockstar has also announced a big new update for GTA Online coming this fall that will introduce Transform races, which changes your vehicle’s class depending on what terrain a particular takes the form of. You can read more about the fall update here.

Nintendo has released a new live-action trailer for Super Mario Odyssey, though its more of a music video for the game’s theme, titled “Jump Up, Super Star!” The video, which you can watch above, features the portly plumber running through the streets of New Donk City, singing, dancing, and making mischief with its denizens.

A few observations: As has been pointed out before, Mario is really short; he exists in a world where people play Mario games; he can apparently commit acts of vandalism with impunity; and finally, that song is very, very catchy. Thankfully, Nintendo has made the song available to download for free on the Super Mario Odyssey website.

Nintendo notes that the download will only be around until January 2018, and “it is not possible to download directly to an iOS device.” You’ll need to download the track to a computer and then transfer it over, if you want to hear it on the go.

Super Mario Odyssey’s release date has been confirmed as October 27. Nintendo has also announced a Super Mario Odyssey Switch bundle that comes with a system, a copy of the game, red Joy-Cons, and a Switch carrying case with special markings on it.

For more about how it’s shaping up, check out most recent impressions of the game. A new trailer recently broadcast during a Nintendo Direct showcased Mario shirtless (which you’ll see in the slides ahead)–and people had a lot to say about that.

Legendary horror filmmaker John Carpenter has revealed that the new Halloween reboot will ignore all the sequels.

In an interview with Stereogum (via Entertainment Weekly) Carpenter has explained why Jamie Lee Curtis’s character Laurie Strode will appear in the film after being killed by Michael Myers in Halloween: Resurrection.

Carpenter explains that the reboot is “almost an alternative reality” in that “

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The Star Trek Podcast: From spore drives to Klingons snacking on Starfleet Captains, this week’s episode is unlike anything we’ve seen in Trek before.

Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.

The Flash is coming off its most uneven season to date. Even if Season 3 did pick up considerably towards the end, the show still has a lot to prove as Season 4 gets underway. “The Flash Reborn” had two core tasks set before it. First, it needed to make good on the dramatic Season 3 cliffhanger and take advantage of a Barry Allen-less status quo. Second, it needed to make good on the promise that Season 4 will be a more lighthearted return to form following the relative darkness of Season 3. Unfortunately, this episode only succeeded in one of those tasks.

For the second year in a row, the series has failed to capitalize on what should have been a huge, status quo-shattering twist. The Season 2 finale set the stage for a full-blown adaptation of the Flashpoint comic book storyline, only for Season 3 to quickly and (mostly) painlessly restore the old timeline after one episode. Season 3 ended with Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen walking off into the Speed Force and leaving Keiynan Lonsdale’s Wally West and the rest of team Flash to carry on in his absence. But once again, rather than really dig into that dramatic upheaval, the show focused more on putting the pieces back in place and restoring a more familiar status quo.

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