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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s QuakeCon event will take place as an online event. Bethesda has announced “QuakeCon At Home,” which is described as a global online event celebrating the company’s games and revealing new stuff. The in-person QuakeCon was canceled in March.

QuakeCon at Home will take place August 7-9. Viewers can expect livestreams, tournaments, charity fundraising, and “a few fun secrets.”

QuakeCon, which has been running since the ’90s, was scheduled to take place from August 6-9 in Texas this year. Like other gaming shows, it was canceled due to the global pandemic.

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Biomutant, the third-person action game initially revealed in 2017, hasn’t been show much recently, with out last real look at the game dating back to Gamescom 2018. But in an extended gameplay trailer for the game, its initial charm hasn’t faded, and we get a look at its vibrant open world.

There’s a lot going on in the nine-minute trailer below. You get to see the game’s action again, spread across various weapons. Combat is centered on switching up between ranged gunplay and close-quarters melee action, with quick dashes and slow-motion dodges making it look very fast and exciting.

Biomutant is home to numerous monstrous foes you’ll need to fight, spread out in a world that looks as large as it is colorful. In one highlight you see the player-character scampering up a mountain before leaping off and using a back-mounted glider to soar across the map. It’s reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in a way, but it’s unclear yet how large this space really is.

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Steam Summer Sale 2020: The Best Games To Grab On Sale

It’s that time of year again when Steam users can save big bucks on PC games: Steam Summer Sale 2020 launched today, June 25, and will run for two weeks until July 9. As always, literally thousands of games are seeing major markdowns in the Steam sale, spanning nearly every genre, from action-adventure and first-person shooter to horror and visual novel. You’ll find deals on AAA games like Rainbow Six Siege, Grand Theft Auto V, Borderlands 3, and Red Dead Redemption 2 included alongside indie hits like Disco Elysium, A Plague Tale: Innocence, and Outer Wilds. Steam Summer Sale is always a great time to grab any games that have been sitting in your wishlist, but it’s also a nice opportunity to discover new games to keep you busy this summer.

This year’s Steam Summer Sale features a summer road trip theme and lets you earn trading cards as you shop, which can then be crafted into the Summer Road Trip Badge. On top of that, you’ll get $5 off any purchase of $30 or more, and you can claim a free sticker each day of the sale. Steam also launched a new Points Shop that’ll be live year-round, letting you earn points as you shop. Those points can then be spent on special items or to give rewards to certain user reviews.

To help you find new games actually worth your money in this year’s Steam Summer Sale, we’ve selected some of the best Steam games currently on sale that we wholeheartedly recommend. Here are GameSpot’s picks for Steam Summer Sale 2020.

A Plague Tale: Innocence

$15.29 / £13.59 / $20.38 AUD (66% off)

A Plague Tale: Innocence flew under the radar for many people in 2019, but this debut game from Asobo Studio ended up being one of GameSpot’s best games of the year and one of my personal favorites as well. This action-adventure game is set in 14th-century France during a Bubonic plague that has set hordes of ravenous rats loose upon the land. After an attack on their family estate, a young woman named Amicia and her little brother Hugo go on the run from Inquisition soldiers, who are after them for mysterious reasons. The game is largely focused on stealth and strategy, as you must navigate both soldiers and rats while also protecting Hugo, and Amicia can use both her sling and various types of alchemy to attack and create diversions.

The game’s story is also compelling and memorable, and at its heart is the developing relationship between Amicia and Hugo, who have not spent much time together prior to the events of the game. Another plus: The game is relatively short and will take you around 10 to 12 hours to complete its story. For me, A Plague Tale was worth it at full price, but for only $15.29, this incredible adventure is a steal. — Jenae Sitzes, lead commerce editor

Doom Eternal

$30 / £25 / $50 AUD (50% off)

The latest entry in the Doom series doubles down on what made 2016’s Doom great. Doom Eternal provides you with new means of getting around, allowing you to more smoothly traverse combat arenas as hellacious demons give chase. Combat has new wrinkles thrown in as you not only need to keep moving, but do so while evaluating the threats around you (in order to target weaknesses with specific weapons) and your current needs (as there are particular ways of obtaining more health, armor, and ammo). It’s an intense, thrilling experience, and it looks particularly excellent on a high-end PC. But do yourself a favor and play on a harder difficulty setting with tutorials disabled. — Chris Pereira, engagement editor

Half-Life: Alyx

$45 / £34.86 / $63.71 AUD (25% off)

There are quite a few great games you can play on VR headsets, but Half-Life: Alyx is one that really makes the case for games designed exclusively with VR in mind. Grabbing and throwing objects with the new Gravity Gloves feels fantastic, and trying to stay quiet so a blind, unstoppable monster doesn’t hear you makes you naturally hesitant to even close a cupboard door. Exploring City 17 feels incredible through a headset, from the moment you see a Strider towering above the city’s rooftops in the first few minutes of the game to the moment you begin a mind-bending trek near the end I won’t spoil here. Alyx quickly becomes an essential part of the Half-Life universe, even if you think you know how it all ends. — Suriel Vazquez, associate editor

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

$8 / £6.79 / 11.98 AUD (60% off)

More than four years after its release, Rainbow Six Siege remains one of the best tactical shooters on the market. Ubisoft has refined the 5v5 multiplayer format with each passing year, introducing new operators, each of which has its own unique playstyle. It’s a game of offense and defense, with one team working to attack an objective and the other tasked with stopping them. Given the sheer number of variables in play, matches are routinely unpredictable, which makes for constantly enthralling action. The gunplay is sublime, and the maps are expertly designed. Siege is still incredibly popular today, so it’s definitely not too late to jump in. There’s a huge emphasis on teamwork and strategy, so it’s beneficial if you play with your buddies. It also has the rare distinction of earning a 10/10 in our 2020 Rainbow Siege review. — Steven Petite, associate editor

Outer Wilds

$16.65 / £13 / $23.97 AUD (33% off)

After starting out as a student project and undergoing development for over seven years, Outer Wilds was a surprise hit no one saw coming. Another one of our best games of 2019, Outer Wilds is an open-world space mystery about a solar system stuck in a 22-minute time loop. As the newest member of Outer Wilds Ventures, you’ll set off to explore the hand-crafted solar system and will slowly uncover secrets left behind by a highly advanced civilization that suddenly disappeared. It’s best to go in knowing as little as possible about Outer Wilds, and while the ship controls take a little getting used to at the beginning, the investment is worth it. Outer Wilds is quite simply one of the best games I’ve ever played. — Jenae Sitzes, lead commerce editor

Resident Evil 2

$20 / £17.49 / $27.47 AUD (50% off)

As far as remakes go, Resident Evil 2 sets a standard for quality. Capcom’s revival of the 1998 survival horror icon is more than a gorgeous visual update–it brings the classic but dated gameplay into the modern era to make RE2 easier and more enjoyable to play. The game also finds great ways to freshen up the original’s story, making changes to things like Mr. X’s presence throughout the game. Locations are reworked, scares are moved to new places, and in general, Capcom perfectly balances the expectations of returning players with finding ways to surprise fans and newcomers alike. Resident Evil 2 is exactly what a remake of a classic should be like, and you absolutely shouldn’t miss it. — Phil Hornshaw, editor

Disco Elysium

$30 / £26.24 / $42.71 AUD (25% off)

Disco Elysium eschews the fantasy trappings, combat-oriented encounters, and easy morality that underpin a lot of RPGs and instead lets you tell a story that truly feels your own. As an alcoholic detective hitting rock-bottom just as he’s assigned a major murder case, you explore a city block in the middle of a conflicted territory recovering from a political revolution. The conversations you have with various denizens around Revachol have you re-litigating the city’s tumultuous past, putting together a dance club in the middle of a church, and delivering heartbreaking news to unsuspecting families as you come to terms with who you were before your last bender. It’s a long journey with twists that flip from pensive to laugh-out-loud funny to solemn on a dime while somehow telling a consistent, powerful story along the way–something I can’t say about many other games. — Suriel Vazquez, associate editor

Tabletop Simulator

$9 / £7.49 / $14.47 AUD (50% off)

The coronavirus pandemic has forced many people to spend much more time indoors and distance themselves from friends and family, so finding ways to stay connected while apart has become crucial. One of my favorite ways to hang out with friends virtually has been Tabletop Simulator, an indie game that lets you play digital versions of board games in a player-driven physics sandbox. The game comes with classics like chess, poker, and dominoes included, but the real draw is the massive collection of free player-created board games and card games available in the Tabletop Simulator workshop. Here, people have recreated some of the best board games around, including Pandemic Legacy, Gloomhaven, and Root.

Obviously, some of these creations are more polished than others, but the larger games tend to work really well; in fact, I was shocked how well complex games like Root worked within Tabletop Simulator. Some publishers have also published official DLC for Tabletop Simulator, so there’s no shortage of content available to try out. If you’re a board game fan like me and can’t always get friends together in person to play, Tabletop Simulator is worth every penny. — Jenae Sitzes, lead commerce editor

Helldivers

$10 / £8 / $14.47 AUD (50% off)

At first glance, it’s easy to think of Helldivers as just another isometric twin-stick shooter, but spend just a few minutes with it and you’ll see it’s one of the best co-op games in recent memory. This is a game where multiplayer is essential–the inclusion of friendly fire may sound frustrating, but it forces you to stay aware of your teammates at all times. It also leads to hilarious situations where reviving a player or calling in additional weaponry can result in a teammate’s death when a drop pod lands on their head and crushes them. With a variety of weapons to unlock and an over-the-top, Starship Troopers-style storyline, it’s really a great experience–just make sure you’ve got some friends along for the ride. — Chris Pereira, engagement editor

Red Dead Redemption 2

$48 / £44 / 71.96 AUD (20% off)

Red Dead Redemption 2 is arguably the most photorealistic game this generation, especially on PC, where it has the potential to look even better. Rockstar’s sweeping western serves as a prequel to the beloved 2010 hit. Despite lofty expectations, Red Dead 2 delivered in a big way when it launched on consoles in 2018. The PC port released last year, which explains the relatively moderate discount here.

That said, Red Dead 2 has two compelling components: a wonderfully written campaign starring outlaw Arthur Morgan and the do-as-you-please online multiplayer mode Red Dead Online. The former is a lengthy, nuanced adventure filled with interesting and varied missions, characters, and fantastic acting performances. The latter is an ever-evolving mode with cooperative and competitive games that lets you decide how to spend your time in the lavish open world. Out of all of Rockstar’s great games, Red Dead Redemption 2 is my favorite. — Steven Petite, associate editor

Jackbox Party Pack 3

$16.24 / £12.34 / $23.36 AUD (35% off)

It’s hard to find a series that’s more immediately accessible than the Jackbox games. These party games, which you can play with others online or in-person through your PC or phone, have you responding to all kinds of outlandish prompts, drawing your own (often lewd) pictures to show off and working together to accomplish a common goal. The entire series is on sale for cheap, but Jackbox Party Pack 3 is the one to play, since it’s the best collection of games overall. Quiplash 2 lets you answer a bunch of weird questions with even weirder answers and then pick the funniest ones. Meanwhile, Tee K.O. has you separately drawing pictures and coming up with taglines, then putting together a shirt based on the pictures and tags you randomly get from the group. — Suriel Vazquez, associate editor

Dragon Quest Builders 2

$36 / £30 / $53.97 AUD (40% off)

Combining the whimsical world, characters, and storytelling of the Dragon Quest series with free-form block building, Dragon Quest Builders 2 is a fantastic game for people who love building but feel the need to have set goals. Featuring a full-length story mode across a variety of landscapes, the game makes every building and structure feel purposeful. Combine that with a personal island where you and up to three friends can build your own creations with the materials and recipes gathered during your adventure, and the game encourages endless creation. Dragon Quest Builders 2 goes beyond combining two genres and elevates the best parts of both. — James Carr, editorial intern

Hollow Knight

$7.49 / £5.49 / $8.75 AUD (50% off)

There’s a lot to love about Hollow Knight–it captures the fleeting moments of loneliness with a beautifully melancholic soundtrack, crafts a fascinating lore, and challenges you with the twisting catacombs and enjoyable boss battles that all the best Metroidvania games are known for. But Hollow Knight is my favorite Metroidvania, largely for two reasons.

First, I think Hollow Knight manages to implement an interesting variation of souls-like mechanics by tying your magic meter to the same pool of energy that you use to heal. So instead of carefully weighing when to melee attack, dodge, or defend like in most souls-like games, you weigh when to range attack, dodge, or heal–encouraging a different but just as enjoyably tense risk vs. reward combat loop. And second, Hollow Knight has one of my favorite in-game map features. The process of finding new areas, discovering a basic map, journeying to crudely drawn landmarks on the map to see what they are, and pencilling in the tunnels and paths you eventually uncover all contribute to that sensation that you’re an explorer. — Jordan Ramée, associate editor

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

$39 / £32.43 / $58.46 AUD (35% off)

From Software has a great track record of defying expectations in its action-RPGs, and with Sekiro, it breaks a number of its own conventions to great effect. For one, Sekiro isn’t much of an RPG–if you get your butt kicked by a boss, you can’t grind out levels or change class builds to get around it. That might sound frightening at first, but every boss, mini-boss, and mob encounter is designed meticulously around your character’s skill set and tools, which means there isn’t an obstacle you can’t overcome when you encounter it. That hones the game down to what From Software does best; delivering heart-pounding fights that feel tough but fair. The intricate, interlocking world of Sengoku-era Japan is also as beautiful and fantastical as it is deadly, making Sekiro one of, if not the, best From games to date. — Suriel Vazquez, associate editor

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

$6 / £7.49 / $9.68 AUD (70% off)

Although it’s a bit of a disappointing final entry in the series from a narrative standpoint, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is still the most diverse and creative stealth game around, even five years after its release. The sheer number of options at your disposal when trying to subdue enemy soldiers is staggering, and the wide-open spaces of Afghanistan and Africa let you approach settlements from any angle (you can even skip certain boss fights if you’re stealthy enough). Building up your base, unlocking more weapons and gear, and going back to previous missions to S-rank them is an enticing loop, and you can easily pour hours into MGSV just poking around at how all of its systems work. — Suriel Vazquez, associate editor

Resident Evil 7

$9.89 / £6.59 / $13.18 AUD (67% off)

The next installment in the Resident Evil series is on its way next year with Resident Evil Village, which makes this a great time to revisit Resident Evil 7. The series’ first mainline entry to feature a first-person perspective uses it to excellent effect as you explore a decrepit mansion and face off against the horrifically mutated family within. RE7 does similar work to the recent Resident Evil remakes in updating the underlying survival horror formula of the franchise while still capturing the frightening atmosphere that has made the series so enduring for so many years. If the reveal of Resident Evil VIII has you excited, this is a great chance to check out its predecessor and get yourself caught up on the story of Ethan Winters and Chris Redfield. — Phil Hornshaw, editor

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun

$6 / £7.49 / $9.68 AUD (85% off)

If you’re not old enough to remember the cult-classic Commandos series on PC, then get ready to be introduced to the brilliant subgenre of isometric tactical-stealth. A relic of the past, this genre didn’t really sustain past the mid-2000s, but thanks to developer Mimimi Games, it still lives on in its work on Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. If you’re a fan of strategy and stealth, then you’ll find a lot to sink your teeth into. Set in Japan during the Edo period, you command a misfit squad of saboteur specialists, utilizing each of their distinct abilities to complete missions across hostile enemy territory.

Since you’re often controlling a team of three to four people, who are up against a massive army of sentries and patrols, Shadow Tactics is brutal and reliant on trial-and-error. However, that’s part of the magic of the game’s steep difficulty. Each member of your squad has exactly what you need to overcome any hurdle, but it’s up to you to put it all together and elegantly solve the puzzle. All the while, Shadow Tactics rewards your inclinations to experiment and execute on myriad strategic possibilities.

There’s such a huge emphasis on real-time strategic problem-solving that you’ll likely find yourself deliberating in between sessions how to get past the current brick wall you’re continually throwing yourself against. If you love stealth games and have always wished they were more challenging, then Shadow Tactics is for you. — Matt Espineli, features editor

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

$24 / £19.31 / $34.83 AUD (40% off)

Coming from one of the creators of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a spiritual successor to the game that popularized the fan-favorite Metroidvania sub-genre. I have fond memories of Symphony of the Night, and with the lack of Castlevania games in recent years, Bloodstained scratched that same itch of gaining new skills to take down some extravagant bosses. Playing as Miriam, a shardbinder who can capture the souls of slain enemies, you’ll explore a massive castle that slowly reveals hidden dungeons and valuable loot to collect, which leads to some exciting adventures in the depths of the monster-filled labyrinth. It sticks very closely to its influences while managing to flesh out an identity of its own, making it a fun Metroidvania game that nails what made Symphony of the Night so special while also offering a fun action game in its own right. — Alessandro Fillari, editor

Titanfall 2

$9.89 / £8.24 / 13.18 AUD (67% off)

Let’s get this out of the way: You shouldn’t buy Titanfall 2 for its multiplayer–not because it isn’t great, but because the server is pretty much a ghost town now. While that is very sad indeed, the good news here is that Titanfall 2 has one of the best campaigns in first-person shooter history.

The campaign tells a rather charming story of a new Pilot and his beloved Titan (read: mech), and you might wind up caring more about your Titan than the other people in the game. Because of Titanfall’s inherently cool mechanics such as parkour and the ability to pilot your Titan, Titanfall 2’s levels have a level of playfulness that you rarely see in first-person shooters. Fast-paced gunfights and a multitude of platforming sequences add up to create a campaign that never falters. Titanfall 2 is also home to arguably the best mission in FPS history, which utilizes time travel in a way you probably won’t expect. The campaign is more than worth the price of admission alone. I’d argue you don’t even have to be a big fan of first-person shooters to enjoy what it has to offer. — Steven Petite, associate editor

Dead Cells

$15 / £12.08 / $21.79 AUD (40% off)

As one of GameSpot’s top picks for 2018 Game of the Year, Motion Twin’s fantastic action-RPG Dead Cells impressed many with its focus on fast runs through increasingly challenging dungeons filled with deadly traps and monsters. It was a stellar mix of classic roguelike gameplay with a sense of exploration and freedom of movement found within a Metroidvania game. While a new run can start at a decent pace, giving you a sense of confidence for what’s to come, things can quickly turn south once you reach a new dungeon with its own set of monsters, all of which are more aggressive and intelligent than the ones that came before.

Every time I go in for a new run, I manage to find a unique combination of weapons and traps that pair well together, making for a fresh and unpredictable game every time. Even two years later, I still return to Dead Cells often, and I’m impressed with how much this game has to offer on each run through the dungeon. — Alessandro Fillari, editor

Slay the Spire

$12.49 / £9.74 / 17.97 AUD (50% off)

If you’ve ever wanted to get into deck-building games but felt like the learning curve was too steep, Slay the Spire might be just what you’re looking for. As a single-player deck-builder, Slay the Spire takes away the sometimes daunting competitive nature of the genre and reinvents it as a role-playing roguelike. You can choose between four heroes, each of which has their own unique decks that significantly alter the gameplay.

On your journey up the spire, you’ll square off against a wide variety of monsters with the help of your cards, which have a mix of attack, defend, and status properties. You also earn rewards and new cards to add to your deck for future runs, which contributes to Slay the Spire’s “just one more try” mantra. It’s a difficult game that is meant to be played over and over until you perfect your strategy and clear the spire. Thankfully, each run is different, so even if you manage to finish the game with all four characters, there’s still incentive to play again for a different experience. — Steven Petite, associate editor

Tekken 7

$10 / £8.05 / $14.51 AUD (75% off)

The Tekken series was one of the earliest 3D fighters to release in the 90s, and it’s been a fixture in the fighting game scene ever since. The latest game in the series, Tekken 7, represents the series at peak performance. Featuring a stunning roster of fighters, including long-time favorites like Kazuya, Heihachi, King, and Yoshimitsu, Tekken 7 also includes the guest appearance of Street Fighter’s Akuma–who manages to fit right at home in the King of Iron Fist tournament.

Tekken 7 also has the most extensive set of DLC fighters in the series, including some original fighters like Leroy Smith, and other guests like FFXV’s Noctis and Fatal Fury’s Geese Howard. With the fighting mechanics in top form and an extensive suite of unlockables to fight, Tekken 7 is not only a fantastic entry in the series but one of the best 3D fighting games today. — Alessandro Fillari, editor

While summer is kicking into high gear, you may want to spend your evenings inside, enjoying the air conditioning while you watch some horror movies on Shudder. AMC’s streaming service has a lot coming in the upcoming month, and here is what’s arriving and a few recommendations.

One of the freakiest movies coming out is Impetigore, which arrives to Shudder on July 23. The movie follows a woman who finds out she may inherit a home in her ancestral village. When she visits the village she was born in, she finds the community needs to remove a curse that’s plagued them for years, and they can only do so by killing her. You can check out the trailer for the film below.

On July 1, all three Sleepaway Camp movies arrive. A cult classic ’80s series, the film series follows bad campers being executed by a murderer at camp. Yes, it does sound exactly like Friday the 13th, but Sleepaway Camp has its own flavor–even if all the movies are pretty much the same–as the killer is someone you wouldn’t expect.

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It’s been almost 25 years since Mortal Kombat: Annihilation arrived in theaters, all but flat out murdering the potential film franchise with a movie that makes very little sense, is filled with bad visual effects, and looks like it was made as quickly and cheaply as possible. And yet, still, it’s a ridiculously fun movie to watch (and mock).

After looking back on the first Mortal Kombat movie, we couldn’t help but take a look at the sequel one more time and see what we could pick out. From the onslaught of recastings to the long list of characters from the game that show up for roughly one scene and are then never heard from again, there’s so much about this movie we should talk about and giggle over.

So come along as we head back to 1997 and test our might by finding all the best Easter eggs, references, and little fun facts you probably missed when you watched Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. At the very least, it should help you pass some time until the live-action movie reboot arrives.

1. The song is back

How else could you start a sequel to the Mortal Kombat movie than with the iconic techno theme song from the original? Test your might!

2. Fatality

No, the world fatality isn’t uttered during this movie, even though Shang Tsung said it in the first. However, the movie’s subtitle, Annihilation, is displayed in a similar manner to how fatality is in the games. Is that intentional? Who knows?

3. Previously on Mortal Kombat

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation was released a mere two years after the original. Still, the film opens up by recapping the events of the first one. The only reason this makes sense is if you focus on how ridiculous Annihilation was and how far it strays from the first movie. Without that recap, you might assume this is a poorly made reboot.

What’s more, the recap is very careful to include no footage of Sonya Blade and Johnny Cage. Why, you ask? Well…

4. Something’s different about them

Oh look, entirely different people are playing Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade. In the first movie, Linden Ashby played Cage, while Bridgette Wilson starred as Blade. In the sequel, however, Sandra Hess plays Sonya, while Chris Conrad appears as Johnny. Don’t get used to new Johnny, though. He’s quickly killed off.

5. Even you, Raiden?

That’s not the only recasting. Christopher Lambert didn’t return for the second movie to reprise his role as Raiden. Instead, James Remar (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) takes over the part.

6. Meet the new kids

Annihilation managed to somehow pack in far more game characters than the first movie, and it starts right from the beginning when we are introduced to Shao Khan’s henchmen. The two monstrous-looking ones, Sheeva and Motaro, were first introduced in the game Mortal Kombat 3. The ninjas, Rain and Ermac, first appeared in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.

Of the four, Rain is the first to die. He’s killed by Kahn after failing to kill Kabal and Stryker–two more characters from the games. They’re only mentioned, though. Neither character is seen.

7. And their leader

Shao Kahn was first introduced in Mortal Kombat II and briefly appeared at the end of the original movie. He was credited as the Emperor and voiced by Frank Welker, the iconic voice actor behind Megatron in Transformers. In the second movie, he’s played by Brian Thompson, whose first movie role was as a street punk in The Terminator.

8. Cool, more badly-costumed villains

The costumes in this movie range from just fine to terrible. Queen Sindel’s is one of the terrible ones. This character, who is technically the resurrected corpse of Kitana’s mother, first popped up in Mortal Kombat 3.

9. Shadow Charge

One of the very first things we see Shao Khan do in the film is one of his moves from the Mortal Kombat II game–the Shadow Charge. It’s essentially a super-powered shoulder tackle.

10. He’s not the only one with special moves

Annihilation is stuffed to the gills with signature moves from the games, whether it’s Johnny Cage’s flying kick, Sonya Blade’s kiss of death, or any number of fireballs thrown.

11. Traveling by hamster ball

This isn’t a nod to the games, it’s just bizarre. The quickest way to travel is by using a superpowered hamster ball that travels through the earth’s core.

12. Shao Khan’s daddy issues

Early on we’re introduced to the man behind Shao Khan, pulling the strings. It’s his father Shinnok. His first game appearance was in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero. The idea that he is the father of Shao Kahn and Raiden was created for the film.

13. Smoke

In the film, Smoke appears in his robotic form from Mortal Kombat 3. He first appeared as a hidden character in Mortal Kombat II with a look similar to Scorpion and Sub-Zero.

14. He’s back, kind of

Speaking of Sub-Zero, he’s back! Not really, though, as Sub-Zero was killed by Liu Kang in the first film. Instead, this is Sub-Zero’s younger brother who has taken on his mantle. The original Sub-Zero unmaked in Mortal Kombat 3, revealing a scar over his eye similar to the one seen in the movie.

15. Where you’ve seen him before

While this is the first time this version of Sub-Zero is seen in the movies, the actor isn’t new to the franchise. He played Reptile in the original Mortal Kombat movie.

16. Get over here

Of Course, Scorpion’s here. And of course, he’s uttering his iconic phrase. Unlike in the first MK movie, though, both Scorpion and Sub-Zero make only brief appearances in this film.

17. Jax

Jax, on the other hand, is a major character in Annihilation. It’s certainly an upgrade from the first movie, in which he briefly appears–played by another actor–assisting Sonya Blade in a raid on Kano’s club.

18. Another actor was originally cast as Jax–in both movies

While two different actors played Kano in these movies, neither was the first choice. Instead, it was actor Michael Jai White that was signed on to play the character in each movie, before he dropped out for other projects.

There is a happy ending for this story, though, as White ultimately played Jax in the Mortal Kombat: Rebirth short film and Mortal Kombat: Legacy web series.

19. Cyrax

Unlike Smoke, Cyrax only has a robotic form. The character was first introduced in Mortal Kombat 3 as one of a trio of cybernetic ninjas. The third is Sektor, who does not appear in the movie.

20. Nightwolf

Nightwolf is another Mortal Kombat 3 character that makes a small appearance in the film. He taught Liu Kang how to access his animality power, which we’ll talk about later.

21. Jade

Jade first appeared as an unplayable character in Mortal Kombat II. Interestingly, in her backstory, she was a childhood friend of Kitana.

22. Mileena

Like Kitana, Mileena first appeared in Mortal Kombat II. It’s revealed in the games that she’s actually a clone of Kitana, though Annihilation doesn’t make that connection. Instead, since she appears so briefly, Sonya merely mistakes her for Kitana before they fight.

23. This is mortal

Raiden sacrifices his immortality to help save his warriors. How does the movie show that? By giving him a haircut, of course.

24. A Saurian gang

A trio of Reptile-like ninjas appear in the Outworld to attack Lie Kang and his friends. Their species is known as the Saurian and they appear throughout Mortal Kombat lore. In the movie they are credited as Raptors.

25. The amazing disappearing ninja

While a trio of Saurians are shown at first, when it comes time for Raiden to fight them, one has disappeared. Where did the third go? We’ll never know.

26. Baraka

Yes, the Baraka mask worn in these scenes looks silly, gross, and not as intimidating as the character in the game. Still, it’s exciting that this character is in the movie at all. Baraka first appeared in Mortal Kombat II and there are several of the creature shown in the film.

27. Another Liu Kang

In Liu Kang’s fight with Baraka, Robin Shou was barely present due to a tight filming schedule. Instead, it was his double Tony Jaa doing the battling.

28. Give Baraka a hand

When Baraka is sent to his death in the same fiery pit Rain was thrown into earlier in the movie, a hand can be seen coming up to help cushion his fall. They didn’t even bother trying to digitally remove it.

29. Sheeva was supposed to have a bigger role

In the first movie, Goro was a major antagonist and the right-hand man of Shang Tsung. In the sequel, though, Sheeva–a similar creature to Goro, but female–has almost no screentime and a very minor role. That wasn’t always the case, though.

Marjean Holden, who played the character in the film, said in an interview that originally Sheeva had more to do–including fight scenes. “Here was a character, that was one of the most popular in the video game–at least that’s what I was told–and they killed her without even so much as a fight! Something I was not happy about at all,” she explained. “That was one of the reasons I wanted to do the roll, was for the sheer fact that there were really great fights in the movie for this character, and they all got cut out.”

30. American Gladiators battling to the death

Surprisingly, two of the stars of this movie were formerly on American Gladiators. Deron McBee, who played Motaro, appeared on the show as the gladiator Malibu. Lynn Williams, who starred as Jax, was a Gladiator named Sabre. Their time on the show didn’t overlap.

31. Finish him

While we don’t get anybody yelling “Fatality” in this movie, Shinnok does utter the iconic phrase, “Finish him.” He says it to his son Shao Kahn, instructing him to kill his other son Raiden.

32. Jax reverts to his old self

At the beginning of Annihilation, we’re introduced to Jax after he’s had cybernetic enhancements added to his arms to make him stronger. By the end of the film, though, he recognizes the strength he already possesses and removes his robot arms cases. That leaves him in the state in which he’s first introduced in Mortal Kombat II.

33. An animality attempt

After learning how to harness his animality power, Liu Jang transforms into a massive dragon in the final fight of Annihilation, much like he does in Mortal Kombat II.

34. Mortal Kombat 4 was almost part of the plot

There were reportedly scenes shot for the film that worked in the mythology of Mortal Kombat 4. However, they were ultimately dropped.

35. A different title overseas

While Americans know the film as Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, that’s not its only name. In France, the film was billed as Mortal Kombat: Destruction Finale, while in Italy it was called Mortal Kombat: Distruzione Totale.

36. This movie had a surprising impact on the Resident Evil franchise

How is Mortal Kombat: Annihilation responsible for the Resident Evil movie franchise? Paul WS Anderson, who directed the first Mortal Kombat film, has gone on the record as saying he regrets choosing to make the cosmic horror film Event Horizon over MK Annihilation in 1997. That regret caused him to stick with the Resident Evil film series as writer on all six movies and director of four of them.

“It’s one of the reasons why on a go-forward basis, when I became involved with Resident Evil, I felt if I’m going to do another one of these adaptations, this time I’m going to stay with it. I’m going to really stay with the franchise and shepherd it,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “Ironically, me not doing Mortal Kombat II is kind of the reason I’ve ended up doing Resident Evil one, two, three, four, five, six…”

37. The actor behind Darth Maul made his debut in this movie

Darth Maul in a Mortal Kombat movie? Sort of. Ray Park, who played the iconic Sith Lord in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, made his first on-screen appearance in Annihilation. What’s more, he played two roles. He appeared as one of the Saurians, as well as one of the Barakas.

38. Noob Saibot

When Ermac splots in two during his fight with Sonya Blade, one half becomes Noob Saibot, who was introduced as a hidden character in the first Mortal Kombat game. The character, itself, is a bit of an Easter egg as the name Noob Saibot is simple the creator’s names–Ed Boon and John Tobias–spelled backward.

Torchlight 3’s final location, Echonok, will be added to the Steam Early Access version of the game on June 30.

Echonok makes up the third and final act of Torchlight 3, and its addition will add story content, new environments, new dungeons, new enemies, new bosses and Echonok-specific loot.

You can check out gameplay footage of the new area in our interview with director Max Schaefer below:

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Echonok will see players attempting to put an end to the game’s Netherim invasion once and for all, travelling to Mount Echonok to defeat Veriss, who holds the means of permanently merging the human and Netherim worlds. Getting there will take the adventurers through the home of the Voltura, a race of bird-machine hybrids that really aren’t happy to see you there.

Torchlight 3 is in Early Access on Steam this year, and is aiming for a full release on PC, PS4 and Xbox One this year.

There’s more to see from today’s IGN Expo, and we’re running the Summer of Gaming throughout June – here’s the Summer of Gaming full schedule. All month, we’re supporting some incredibly important causes – the World Health Organisation and The Bail Project – if you are able, help us support them too at donate.ign.com.

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Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

 

Getting dragged to the gulag after an intense gunfight in Call of Duty: Warzone is both demoralizing and invigorating. You just lost all your loot, but you’ve been given a second chance to get back to the action. It turns out that some players want to recreate that feeling in other games, too.

Redditor u/leonejedi built his own version of the gulag in his Minecraft survival server. He set it as his spawn point, so whenever he’s killed by a mob, he’d get sent to the grimy prison basement just like he would in Warzone.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

After previously announcing its intention to reopen Disneyland and Disney California Adventure on July 17, the Disney company has revealed that date is being pushed back. A new date has not been decided on yet.

Disney announced the relayed reopening in a press release, writing, “The State of California has now indicated that it will not issue theme park reopening guidelines until sometime after July 4. Given the time required for us to bring thousands of cast members back to work and restart our business, we have no choice but to delay the reopening of our theme parks and resort hotels until we receive approval from government officials. Once we have a clearer understanding of when guidelines will be released, we expect to be able to communicate a reopening date.”

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Updated 6/25 with new Marvel’s Avenger story and gameplay details.

The Marvel’s Avengers game is set to launch in just a few months and fans of the Marvel Universe will soon be able to play as one of six playable heroes confirmed for it. Set five years after the events of A-Day, Marvel’s Avengers follows Kamala Khan as she assembles a team to help her tackle a new threat. With a beta confirmed for later this year and the release date drawing near, now is a great time to catch up on what we know about Crystal Dynamic’s Marvel’s Avengers so far.

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Marvel’s Avengers Release Date

The Marvel’s Avengers release date is September 4, 2020 and will arrive on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia. Crystal Dynamics initially planned for a May 2020 release but elected to push back the date so developers could finish “fine-tuning and polishing the game.”

Marvel’s Avengers has been teased by Square Enix since 2017 and was officially revealed at E3 2019. Those who preorder the game will get access to the beta and some other cool rewards. Check out our Marvel’s Avengers preorder guide for more information.

Marvel’s Avengers Story

Marvel’s Avengers takes place five years after the cinematic trailer that was shown during E3 2019, where the Avengers are blamed for a tragedy involving Terrigen mists (a mutagen that transforms its victims into Inhumans) that struck the San Francisco Bay Area. After the event, dubbed “A-Day”, superheroes are outlawed and the Avengers are officially disbanded.

One of the victims of the Terrigen mists includes the co-founder of Advanced Idea Mechanics (or A.I.M.) George Tarleton, who eventually transforms into the game’s main supervillain, MODOK. Utilizing the lingering resentment against the Avengers after A-Day to imprison Inhumans and “find a cure”, Tarleton begins secretly using their powers to form an Adaptoid robot army with the goal of eliminating all superpowered peoples from the Earth.

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A teenager named Kamala Khan (also known as Ms. Marvel) is another victim of the Terrigen mist who discovers her powers during a fight. She later finds evidence that reveals the true nature behind A.I.M.’s Inhuman “research” as well as the truth about Captain America’s death, and brings the information to Bruce Banner who then informs Tony Stark.

Eventually, the Avengers are forced to reassemble to confront the threat.

Marvel’s Avengers Gameplay

Marvel’s Avengers can be played as a single-player game or as an online co-op game where you can team up with three other players. There are also two types of missions in the game, Hero and Warzone missions.

Hero missions are single-player only and part of the main campaign according to Crystal Dynamics’ Studio Creative Head, Noah Hughes.

Warzone missions, on the other hand, are less story focused and allow players to play as any Avenger they like, either by themselves or with friends. When playing co-op, heroes can work together to perform Team Finisher moves.

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Crystal Dynamics is focusing on player choice as far as Marvel’s Avengers gameplay is concerned, allowing each hero’s gear, skills, and outfits to be customized. We spoke with the developers to find out more about customizing hero moves in Marvel’s Avengers and lead combat designer Vince Napoli told us, “All the support abilities also have a primary function for the main character as well.”

For example, Thor has an ability that strikes enemies with lightning but also strikes each Avenger, giving them a lightning shield and making them invincible for 12 seconds.

These abilities can also be customized to suit specific needs. Napoli explained, “You can change the way that the god mode sort of works for Thor and you can turn him into a sort of a beacon of health where he’ll sort of channel health to nearby characters for the duration of his god mode.”

As players progress through the game, they’ll be able to upgrade gear to make their heroes more powerful, similar to games like Destiny or Borderlands. However, gear upgrades will not be visible on a hero’s suit, but will instead be “part of or underneath your suit” according to senior producer Rose Hunt.

“We thought [players] would rather have the visuals that we’re pulling from the comic books or the original suits that we’re making up, rather than have a bunch of attachments on the outside of it making them look not as cool,” said Hunt. “When you scale up or when you level up gear, there’s definitely going to be some different visuals for VFX. Generally, it’s going to feel like a celebration. It’s also going to have probably some different animations at different times.”

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As far as game length goes, Crystal Dynamics hasn’t released an official statement on Marvel’s Avengers playtime. However, senior brand director Rich Briggs suggested to Comicbook that quickly going through the main story might take around 10-12 hours, but a more in-depth playthrough could last up to 30 hours.

In a clarifying statement to IGN, a Crystal Dynamics representative indicated the studio intends to support the game for “multiple years” with DLC and post-launch content. Further, Crystal Dynamics is calling Marvel Avengers the largest game in the history of its studio.

IGN was able to go hands-on with it at Gamescom 2019, so be sure to check out our Marvel’s Avengers first impressions, if you’re interested. Additionally, we’ve rounded up a list of over 38 new details about the game.

Marvel’s Avengers Characters

There are currently six heroes confirmed for Marvel’s Avengers. You can see a list of all the characters below.

• Iron Man
• Thor
• Black Widow
• Captain America
• Hulk
• Kamala Khan

At the 2019 New York City Comic Con, Kamala Khan was introduced as the sixth playable character to join the elite squad of heroes.

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It was also revealed that Kamala Khan’s Ms. Marvel will be the main protagonist of Marvel’s Avengers. Rose Hunt, Marvel’s Avengers senior producer told IGN that the team decided to focus on Ms. Marvel in part due to her lack of history in the Marvel universe, allowing the studio more freedom when crafting her story for the game.

“Another advantage of her is that she doesn’t have 80 years of history, like Captain America or some of the other Avengers,” said Hunt. “And that allows us to actually tell more of an original story with her, because her story has just begun, and we can build on that in very interesting ways.”

Some fans were disappointed to see Hawkeye left off the list, after all, he is one of the core Avengers. While he hasn’t been officially revealed at the time of writing, Marvel Games’ Creative Director Bill Rosemann is telling fans to “stay tuned, true believer,” suggesting Hawkeye may be joining the lineup at a later date.

Various trailers and gameplay reveals have also indicated that Abomination and Taskmaster will show up in the game as villains. While there is little to no public information on these character’s roles in the game, Taskmaster will be one of the villains in the upcoming Black Widow movie, which has been delayed due to the coronavirus.

Game footage has also revealed that A.I.M. will be the main mastermind group behind the conspiracy uncovered by Kamala Khan. This group first appeared in Marvel comics in the 1960s and has since appeared in a variety of movies, shows, and even games. For more, check out our deep dive into the history of A.I.M.

MODOK is confirmed to be the main supervillain in Marvel’s Avengers.

In addition to all this, Square Enix has announced that there will be characters added to the game post-launch, which will be free for all players. Be sure to check out our list of heroes we want to see added in the DLC.

Marvel’s Avengers Beta

The Marvel’s Avengers beta will be available to everyone who preorders the game. At the time of writing, the beta release date hasn’t been announced yet and Square Enix is telling fans that more information will be provided at a later date. Additionally, those who preorder a copy on the PS4 will get access to the beta first.

Anyone who preorders the Deluxe or Earth’s Mightiest editions (any platform) of Marvel’s Avengers will get access to the game on September 1, three days before its launch. However, preordering any edition of the Marvel’s Avengers will grant you beta access when it becomes available.

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Andrew Smith is a freelance contributor with IGN and is super excited to play Marvel’s Avengers in September! Follow him on Twitter @_andrewtsmith.