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When Monster Hunter Rise releases on March 26 for the Nintendo Switch, it will be the first game in the series with a Japan-inspired theme in more than a decade.

Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, the 2010 PSP title that never made it to the West, is the only other Monster Hunter title with a Japan-inspired setting. It’s no coincidence that both games were directed by the same person, Yasunori Ichinose.

“Personally, I’ve always been fond of Japanese settings. Since quite some time has passed since Portable 3rd, with Rise it felt like the right timing to reintroduce a Japanese themed world, with other Asian influences as well,” Ichinose tells IGN.

When asked if there are any connections between Portable 3rd and Rise, Ichinose hints at an interesting link between the village hubs of each game.

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See Monster Hunter Portable 3rd’s Japanese-inspired Yukumo Village in the video above. 

While Rise’s Kamura Village is a completely new location, Portable 3rd’s Yukumo Village has also appeared in Monster Hunter Generations and Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, and has been mentioned in other titles such as Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate as well, which makes it a familiar location for Western fans of the series, too.

“While the geographical location of Kamura Village and the maps you will be exploring is never explicitly mentioned in the game, you might notice some aspects that indicate that it could be close to Yukumo Village,” Ichinose says.

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See how Monster Hunter Rise’s monsters were inspired by Japanese folklore in the slideshow above

Interestingly, one of the least Asian-looking maps actually shows the closest connection. Ichinose says that Flooded Forest – a map with temple ruins that feel more inspired by South American culture – could indicate a geographical relation to Yukumo Village.

“Portable 3rd had a map with the same name, so players might notice that Yukumo Village could be a nearby location.”

Yukumo Village is famous for its hot springs, and Ichinose recalls developing Portable 3rd while dreaming of soaking in one. For Kamura Village, they couldn’t repeat the same setting, which is why the team decided to go for a village inspired by ninja culture instead.

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“While there’s no stealth gameplay involved, you could say that the Wirebug – which allows you to swing around and wall-run – shares similarities with ninja-like action,” he explains. “Thanks to manga and other works of fiction, ninja have become a popular icon in the West as well, and we thought it would be an interesting source of inspiration.”

But while a hot spring resort and a ninja community are drastically different settings, further hints can be found that suggest a close relation, both culturally and geographically.

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“While it’s not mentioned in the game, Kamura Village uses the same alphabet as can be seen in Yukumo Village, which shows that they share cultural similarities and are likely not too far away from each other,” Ichinose says.

Judging by the way Ichinose phrases these comments, it doesn’t seem likely that Yukumo Village makes an actual appearance or even that it will be mentioned in the game, but hints like these might be enough for some interesting fan theories.

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Monster Hunter Rise will be released on Nintendo Switch on March 26. For more on Monster Hunter Rise, be sure to check out our Somnacanth Quest gameplay video, an in-depth interview with director Yasunori Ichinose and exclusively revealed concept art. Stay tuned for more exclusive Monster Hunter Rise exclusive content on IGN FIRST throughout February.

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Esra Krabbe is an editor at IGN Japan. He did not write this article while soaking in a hot spring.

 

The latest movie in the Paranormal Activity series has been announced. This will be the seventh film in the hugely successful found footage horror franchise, and it’s set to arrive in 2022.

The series kicked off in 2009 with Paranormal Activity. The film was directed by Oren Peli, a software developer with no prior filmmaking experience, who had a great idea that was relatively easy to execute and set about making it in his own home. The movie focused on a young couple who experience strange, scary noises in their house, so set up video cameras to record overnight to find out what is causing them. It was shot in 2007 and took two years to reach theaters, but was a huge success when it finally did, with audiences flocking to see this scary and intense found footage experience. The tiny $15,000 production budget and $193 million worldwide gross helped make it one of one of the most profitable films of all time.

A sequel quickly followed, and soon Paranormal Activity had become an entire franchise. To date there have been six movies, and while budgets have grown a little, they have all proved highly successful. None of the films have deviated far from the formula–Paranormal Activity 3 was a prequel, the fifth movie, 2014’s Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, introduced a cult aspect, and there is a vague connected mythology that has developed across the series. But for the most part the films have just attempted to replicate what made the first film so popular, with varying degrees of success. There was even a Japanese spin-off titled Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo Night, which was released in 2010.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Though the PlayStation 5’s time in the spotlight has only just begun, there are already plenty of great games for the next-gen platform. From launch titles that showed off the power and innovation of the new Sony console to beloved favorites from last generation reborn with technical improvements, the PS5 is building an impressive library out of the gate. With the price of some games increasing this generation, making an informed decision about your game purchases is all the more important to your wallet. To help you enjoy the best of what the PS5 has to offer right now, we’ve rounded up the best PS5 games so far. We’ll continue to update this list as more games are released for PS5.

As you’ll notice, not every game on this list was developed specifically for PS5. Only Demon’s Souls and Astro’s Playroom are PS5 exclusives, and a bunch of the titles we chose originally appeared on PS4. For the purposes of this list, we’ve included native PS5 games as well as top-notch PS4 games that received noticeable overhauls via next-gen upgrades.

For more game recommendations, make sure to check out our guides to the best PS4 games, best Nintendo Switch games, and best Xbox One games.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

DC Comics is expanding on two of the most iconic superhero movie universes of all time in 2021. Today the publisher announced Superman ’78 and Batman ’89, which chronicle the further adventures of Christopher Reeve’s Superman and Michael Keaton’s Batman.

Both titles are similar to DC’s previous Batman ’66 and Wonder Woman ’77 comics, in that they’re both digital-first titles set in these cinematic universes and featuring the likenesses of the actors involved.

Fittingly, Batman ’89 is drawn by Dial H artist Joe Quinones, who famously pitched DC on a potential Batman ’89 comic several years ago. DC didn’t approve the pitch at the time, though Quinones posted art on his website giving fans a taste of what he envisioned for the series. Now those plans are coming to fruition, and Quinones is even collaborating with Batman screenwriter Sam Hamm on the new series.

Batman ’89 looks to be ignoring both Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, instead presenting an alternate continuation of Batman Returns more in line with director Tim Burton’s vision. The series will not only pay off on Returns’ final shot by bringing back Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman, it’ll also revive abandoned Batman Returns plot threads by introducing “a new Robin” (presumably Marlon Wayans’  Dick Grayson) and showing the Billy Dee Williams version of Harvey Dent becoming Two-Face.

Update: Quinones has posted some Batman ’89 concept art on his Twitter account, giving fans a better idea of the new characters appearing in the series. Detective Harvey Bullock will be making his debut, along with a new version of the Joker modeled after the late musician Prince and what looks to be the Dee Dees from Batman Beyond. Batman himself will sport a redesigned Batsuit that combines the classic 1989 suit with elements of Batman: The Animated Series. We’ll also see a civilian costume for Bruce inspired by the Bruce Wayne action figure from Kenner’s Batman Returns line.

This concept art also shows Bruce with graying temples, suggesting the book is set years after the events of Batman Returns but before Bruce has grown too old to continue his war on crime.

Superman ’78, meanwhile, is a collaboration between Hawkman writer Robert Venditti and Batman ’66 artist Wilfredo Torres. This series is set fairly early in the Man of Steel’s costumed career, before Lois Lane uncovers Clark’s secret. Superman ’78 explores how the citizens of Metropolis come to grips with the discovery that a man can fly. It’s unknown whether the series will introduce new takes on familiar Superman villains.

Both Batman ’89 and Superman ’78 will run for 12 digital chapters. The first six chapters of both series will launch on July 27, with new chapters following once a week for the next six weeks. Print issues collecting two chapters each will be published between August and October 2021, with hardcover collections to follow in October for Batman ’89 and November for Superman ’78.

The timing of the Batman ’89 announcement is intriguing, given that Keaton is reportedly preparing to reprise the Batman role in the upcoming Flash movie. Could this series help fill in some of the missing gaps in the Batman ’89 timeline? Assuming the book is successful, we can only hope DC will announce a follow-up project that more directly sets the stage for the older Bruce Wayne of The Flash.

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For more on the world of Batman ’89, find out why we think Keaton is still the best live-action Batman after more than 30 years.

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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

If you weren’t able to score a deal on an OLED TV for Black Friday, you have another chance today. Amazon is offering the best price on the 55″ (most popular) model thanks to a $50 instant coupon. The PS5 Pulse 3D headset is also still available on Amazon, although the ship date is getting pushed farther and farther back. These deals and more below.

55″ LG CX 4K OLED Smart TV for $1349.99

Get this TV for the same price that we saw on Black Friday. This is one of the very best TVs you can get in terms of image quality; in fact, CES has showed us that its closest competitor (Micro LED) won’t be at a reasonable price point in the near future. LG OLED TVs have gone through several generations and it’s a well oiled beast compared to the newer releases from Sony or Vizio. It also supports HDMI 2.1, perfect for hooking up your RTX 30 series PC or your PlayStation 5 console. I’ve been using my LG CX OLED as a computer monitor and I absolutely love it.

• Get it on Amazon for $1349.99

The Best Daily Deals for February 16

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More Video Game Deals

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Eric Song is IGN’s deal curator and spends roughly 1/4 of his income on stuff he posts. Check out his latest Daily Deals Article and subscribe to his IGN Deals Newsletter.

The Razer Huntsman is among the best gaming keyboard options out there, but depending on the model you want, it can be quite expensive. However, the smaller versions are quite affordable, and right now, you can get the Razer Huntsman Mini gaming keyboard for $100, down from its regular price of $120. That might not seem like much of a discount, but this is the first markdown we’ve seen for the 60% keyboard. It’s unclear how long this deal will be available for.

The Huntsman Mini is also customizable with Razer’s Synapse software. This includes creating and mapping macros as well as tweaking its Chroma RGB lighting. One thing to note about the Huntsman Mini is that it doesn’t feature function keys or dedicated media buttons. You’ll have to use the Fn key in tandem with specific keys to utilize those actions–these secondary inputs are printed on the bottom of each keycap.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Pokemon Go‘s next Community Day is set for March 6, developer Niantic has announced. The featured Pokemon for this event will be Fletchling, and there will be a new Special Research story and various other in-game bonuses.

Throughout March’s Community Day, Fletchling will appear in the wild much more frequently than usual, giving you more chances to catch it and stock up on Fletchling Candy. You’ll also have your first chance to catch a Shiny Fletchling during the event.

As usual, you’ll also be able to get a special event-exclusive move during March’s Community Day. If you can evolve Fletchinder–Fletchling’s evolved form–into Talonflame up to two hours after the event ends, it’ll automatically know the Fire-type attack Incinerate.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Civilization 6 will be getting its next free community update on February 25 at 11 AM PT/ 2 PM ET/ 7 PM GMT.

Each of these community updates brings a new feature along with it. For February, we’re getting the Barbarian Clans game mode. Playing this way will completely change how you’re used to interacting with the Barbarians in Civ 6. Instead of the standard kill-or-be-killed setup, this mode introduces six Barbarian clans that can be found living on or near different map conditions, with each specializing in a different unit type. Each turn, the Barbarians will accumulate progress towards becoming a city-state; it’s your call if you want to help or hinder them in that endeavor.

Destroying a clan will wipe it off the map completely, while choosing to raid one will allow you to earn gold and decrease some of that clan’s progress. To stop clans from attacking your cities, you can bribe them or hire them to add their strongest unit to your army. Barbarian clans can also abduct your units, and you’ll need to pay a ransom to get them back. To really get your Machiavelli on, you can Incite different clans by paying them to attack other enemy cities for you. Exchanging gold in this way will also allow a barbarian clan to gain progress towards becoming a city-state.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Marvel Comics has revealed a new Star Wars crossover set in the period in between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Dubbed War of the Bounty Hunters, this Boba Fett-centric storyline will address one of the biggest unanswered questions about this era in the Star Wars timeline.

This crossover kicks off in May 2021 with a prelude issue called Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters Alpha #1, from writer Charles Soule (Star Wars) and artist Steve McNiven (Civil War). From there, the story will continue both in the form of a five issue War of the Bounty Hunters miniseries (written by Soule and drawn by Star Wars: Thrawn’s Luke Ross) and in the pages of Marvel’s four Episode V-era comics – Star Wars, Star Wars: Darth Vader, Star Wars: Bounty Hunters and Star Wars: Doctor Aphra.

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War of the Bounty Hunters aims to address the question of why it took so long for Luke, Leia and Lando to rescue the frozen Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt. After all, there’s about a year of time separating the latter two movies in the original trilogy. As we’ll learn, Boba Fett didn’t immediately make his way to Jabba’s Palace. Fett will now find himself the most hunted target in the galaxy as the Rebel Alliance, the Black Sun criminal organization and even his fellow bounty hunters do everything in their power to steal his prize bounty.

“The main story that we’re dealing with is a Boba Fett-focused crime epic, that involves Boba Fett going up against some of the heaviest hitters in the galaxy. It’s Jabba the Hutt. It’s Black Sun. It’s Darth Vader. And a bunch of others — factions and so on — that I think will be really interesting for the fans,” Soule told Star Wars.com. “It’s basically Boba Fett, by himself, against all of these people.”

This is certainly interesting timing for a Boba Fett story, given the character’s recent, long-awaited return in The Mandalorian: Season 2 and the new details revealed about his family history and connection to Mandalore. Will War of the Bounty Hunters build on those reveals and showcase a more sympathetic approach to this formerly enigmatic villain?

Interestingly, Marvel previously teased this crossover with the following image, which could suggest Fett will be donning a shiny black costume and spear during this ordeal:

Whatever happens, Soule makes it clear the crossover is designed to lay the groundwork for even bigger things to come for the franchise.

“War of the Bounty Hunters is a story about Boba Fett doing his thing, but it builds into something much bigger, and that’s what the best comic crossovers and big stories do. They tell a great story in and of themselves, but they’re also the start of something, and they open a lot of new doors,” Soule continued. “And this story will absolutely do that.”

This is just the latest example of Marvel’s current Star Wars lineup filling in some major gaps in the Star Wars timeline or addressing key plot holes. For example, the core Star Wars series has revealed how Luke recovered his X-Wing from Cloud City and introduced Luke’s Kenner-inspired yellow lightsaber, while Darth Vader has forged an important link to The Rise of Skywalker.

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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.