Anthem’s previously-announced demo will launch on February 1, developer BioWare has revealed during today’s Anthem PAX West 2018 panel.

Arriving on February 1 will put the demo exactly three weeks ahead of the game’s full release, and thus, the demo will be a complete demo of the final product, not simply a beta test shrouded as a demo.

Details on the nature of the demo – such as its length – haven’t been revealed, but it will presumably be of the game’s opening hours. Or maybe not. Who knows. Concrete details should arrive closer to February though.

In the build-up to said demo, BioWare plans on holding beta tests, though this won’t be as open as the demo. Details on said tests will be provided as they draw closer.

The demo will release on each of the game’s platforms – PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One – however, in order to gain access you will need to either pre-order a copy of the game or be subscribed to EA Access/Origin Access Premier. In other words, if you aren’t subscribed to EA’s games service or don’t want to pre-order, you won’t be seeing Anthem three weeks before launch.

To accompany the release date announcement of the demo, BioWare also revealed a brand-new trailer focused on the game’s story, its innovative storytelling techniques, and its shared, dynamic world.

Anthem is poised to release on February 22 via the PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One.

For all the recent news and media on the game, check out our previous coverage of the title by clicking here. Or if it’s simply more information about Anthem and its premise you’re after, then here’s a brief overview:

“In Anthem, up to four friends can unravel the world’s mysteries and take on its most fearsome challenges together. Shared danger means shared glory, and successful Freelancers will all be richly rewarded for successful exploits. Throughout their adventure, players can outfit their Freelancers with powerful Javelin exosuits, each of which are equipped with unique weapons and abilities. Players can also customize their Javelin with gear they earn and craft throughout the adventure, and leave a lasting mark on the world.”

An unofficial Pokemon guidebook is being crowdfunded on Kickstarter that takes a look at the original 151 Pokemon designs and the inspirations behind them.

Author Noah Shepherd combined backgrounds in biology and graphic design to create On the Origin: Kanto Edition, the Kickstarter project that’s seen here. An analysis of the original Generation I, all 151 Pokemon get double-page spreads that break down the creatures’ designs with explanations for the real-world organisms and effects that influenced them. An example of these pages, seen below, takes a look at Drowzee while the accompanying page further down gives the backstory on the Pokemon.

Drowzee Pokemon On the Origin
(Photo: Noah Shepherd)

Speaking to ComicBook.com, Shepherd said that his inspirations for the project were rooted in Pokemon Go and an encounter with a Wailmer.

“The idea came about when I was playing Pokémon Go whilst walking home from work along the river Thames,” he said. “A Wailmer encounter reminded me of the time that a real whale swum up the river, and in typical biologist fashion I started thinking about the type of whale that Wailmer is based on.”

That led to the creation of an Instagram page where Pokemon Go players shared images of Pokemon which Shepherd would then analyze from a biological perspective. From there, Shepherd took the idea and decided to put it into a physical form by starting the Kickstarter project for On the Origin: Kanto Edition.

Tracking towards the fully-funded goal of $19,441, the book project has currently raised $13,337 with one week to go at the time this is being published. Shepherd has a variety of pledge packages ranging from “Take a Chansey” to “Doduo Hardcovers,” the latter being one that grants backers two copies of the hardcover edition of the book. Several different pledge options are available through the Kickstarter page that offer PDF, softcover, and hardcover versions of the book among other incentives.

Drowzee Pokemon Backstory On the Origin
(Photo: Noah Shepherd)

Within the next week, Shepherd also added that he plans on adding stretch goals to the project to supplement the physical books with more features.

“One example stretch goal is a cover sleeve for the hardcover book,” he told us. The sleeve will display a map with an illustration of every Kanto Pokemon’s backstory located where it originates!”

When asked if the Kanto Edition could lead to other Pokemon guides that featured later generations, Shepherd told us that he’s focused on the Kanto Edition right now but added that analyzing other Generations with more guides is a dream of his.

The Kickstarter project for On the Origin: Kanto Edition currently has 266 backers and is scheduled to end on September 9.

Today, retailer Best Buy announced that new demo events for upcoming Nintendo Switch exclusive, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, will be coming to select stores starting next week.

Details on the actual content of the demo are unknown, but we do know the special event will last all the way until October 7 and hit multiple stores across the country, offering up a chance to virtually every hardcore Super Smash Bros. fan to get their hands on the game prior to its launch later this year.

Best Buy has also teased that special prizes will be handed out at the event, though unsurprisingly it didn’t provide any details on said prizes.

Anyway, here’s a rundown of every location the demo event will hit:

New York

Best Buy Upper West Side
1880 Broadway
New York, NY 10023

Saturday, September 8: 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
Sunday, September 9: 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

San Francisco Bay Area

Best Buy San Jose
181 Curtner Ave.
San Jose, CA 95125

Saturday, September 8: 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
Sunday, September 9: 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Chicago

Best Buy Bucktown
2100 N. Elston Ave.
Chicago, IL 60614

Saturday, September 15: 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
Sunday, September 16: 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Los Angeles

Best Buy Torrance
3675 Pacific Coast Highway
Torrance, CA 90505

Saturday, September 15: 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
Sunday, September 16: 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Minneapolis

Best Buy Richfield
1000 West 78th St
Richfield, MN 55423

Saturday, September 22: 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
Sunday, September 23: 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Dallas

Best Buy Park Lane
9378 N. Central Expressway
Dallas, TX 75231

Saturday, September 22: 10 a.m.–7 p.m
Sunday, September 23: 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Atlanta

Best Buy Buckhead
2537 Piedmont Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30324

Saturday, September 29: 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
Sunday, September 30: 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Denver

Best Buy Colorado Blvd.
4100 E Mexico Ave.
Suite A
Denver, CO 80222

Saturday, September 29: 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
Sunday, September 30: 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Miami

Best Buy Hialeah
4001 W 20th Ave.
Hialeah, FL 33012

Saturday, October 6: 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
Sunday, October 7: 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Seattle

Best Buy Bellevue
457 120th Ave. NE
Bellevue, WA 98005

Saturday, October 6: 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
Sunday, October 7: 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

You can find more information about the demo events here.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is scheduled to release on December 4 via the Nintendo Switch. For more news, media, and information on the game, be sure to check out our previous coverage of the title by clicking here.

Source: Nintendo Everything

February of next year can’t come soon enough for BioWare fans anxiously awaiting to try out the studio’s latest IP, Anthem. A big staple in BioWare games in the past such as the Dragon Age and Mass Effect series is that beautiful stories crafted in a way that throws the player all in. These branching narratives is what BioWare is known for but Anthem is shaking things up in more way than one. Luckily for those wanting to enjoy the online aspects but don’t have a steady group of friends to enjoy the co-op option, BioWare has confirmed that matchmaking will be available at launch for all content.

Much of the story can be done solo but there are certain in-game events available to earn higher level gear that does require four people. For those that don’t have a squad, matchmaking will be available so no one has to miss out on any part of the game. This is also applicable to generic quests and other undisclosed content options as well.

The confirmation comes from the developer team during the PAX West Anthem story as the team dove deep into the most asked questions they get from fans. We learned about character customization and how choices will matter, we learned more about the characters and how the story will progress – basically, a lot of those multiplayer fears have been sated thanks to the open transparency from the Executive producer and the rest of the BioWare Anthem team.

As a huge BioWare fan myself (shamefully admits I’m on playthrough 29 of the original Mass Effect trilogy), this does make me feel better about the upcoming game. Though I was impressed with my own hands-on time with the online title, it’s still hard not to feel the loss of the earlier Andromeda controversy. Luckily, it seems EA is giving BioWare the freedom they need to get this right – and for that, we thank them.

Interested in learning even more about the game? You can check out our Anthem community hub right here for all of our previous coverage regarding the latest venture for BioWare.

You can follow the author of this story over on Twitter @DirtyEffinHippy.

One of the all-time classic tactical role-playing games, Valkyria Chronicles, is coming to Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo eShop on October 16, priced at $19.99 USD.

Further, players who purchase Valkyria Chronicles 4 on the Nintendo Switch digitally will be offered a 25 percent discount when purchasing Valkyria Chronicles.

For those that don’t know: Valkyria Chronicles Remastered is a remaster of the 2008 hit and critically acclaimed game that kicked off one of the most beloved tactical RPG series, which not only saw multiple different releases, but even spawned an anime.

Valkryia Chronicles Remastered is currently available for PlayStation 4. It will hit Nintendo Switch, in Japan, on September 27, and the west on October 16. You can read more about the game below:

Set in a fictitious continent reminiscent of the 1930s, Valkyria Chronicles depicts Europa, divided and ruled by two super powers: the Empire and the Federation. The Empire has set its sights on invading the principality Gallia, which shares its borders with the two superpowers, in an attempt to secure an invaluable natural resource, Ragnite. Within this struggle a hero named Welkin, and his fellow soldiers of the Gallian Militia, ‘Squad 7’ are fighting back against the invasion and the Empire’s attempts to unify the continent under its power.

During the ensuing war, Squad 7 discovers that the Empire possesses a secret weapon, known as the “Valkyrur” – an ancient race with special powers thought to exist only in legends. With this new discovery, the fate of Gallia’s ability to defeat the Empire and save the lives of the Gallian citizens…

“CANVAS” graphics engine: A unique engine that produces breath taking images that look like watercolour paintings in motion.
“BLiTZ” tactical battle system: Experience strategic maneuvering of units combined with conventional RPG gameplay, all layered on top of the moment to moment action afforded by real-time controls as players command each squad member and tank in battle.
Epic storyline: Players will immerse themselves in the epic struggle for freedom, as the fate of the world lies in the hands of Welkin and the members of the 7th platoon.
Customisation: Over 100 customisable characters allow players to create a variety of platoons to suit each battle’s needs.
Beautifully rendered battlefields: Players explore 30 different environments, using unique terrain features to gain advantages in battle.

Fortnite just got a whole lot more groovy with tonight’s store update, which has added a brand-new set of gear, dubbed Flower Power.

Headlining the store update and Flower Power gear is two new outfits that find themselves dropping onto an island from a bus to murder people following a bad trip during day three of Woodstock. Accompanying the two new outfits is also a new tie-dye glider and an equally trippy harvesting tool.

The new outfits — dubbed “Far Out Man” and “Dreamflower” — are of Epic (purple) rarity, meaning they will cost a healthy 1,500 V-Bucks, each. Meanwhile, the new “Tie-Dye Flyer” glider and “Drumbeat” harvesting tool are Rare (blue) and Uncommon (green) rarity, respectively. The former costs 800 V-Bucks, while the latter comes in at 500.

In other words, if you want to channel your inner peace llama by obtaining the whole set, you will need to feed the corporate man 4,300 V-Bucks.

Speaking of Llamas, the new Llama Bell emote is back, so if you made the mistake of missing it the first time, don’t make the same mistake again.

Below, you can check out the new items, as well as every other item available in tonight’s store update:

By Saturday Fortnite store update standards, I must say this is a pretty good one, at least if you appreciate the new items, which I do. Unlike many outfits and items this season and last season, the Flower Power set reminds me of early Fortnite, which was less flashy, less clean, and more basic and silly.

Fortnite is available for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, Xbox One, and mobile devices. For more news, media, and information on the game, be sure to check out our previous coverage of the title that covers it extensively by clicking here.

As always, hit the comments section and let us know your thoughts and hot-takes. Planning on picking up any of these new items? I know I am, much to the displeasure of my wallet and good conscious. Curse you, Fortnite.

Minecraft, despite having been out for almost a decade now, continues to prove that the creatively driven title has a lot of life left it. The community is strong and never ceases to amaze with their amazing creations in-game. From epic crossovers, to just incredible innovation – the sky is the limit for these block creators and this recent Reddit post proves just that.

The building mechanics in this game are really limitless. For those that bypass the Survival mode and go right into the Creative one, it is a nice outlet for letting that inner artist shine. With the easy to use building mechanics and the incredibly soothing soundtrack, it’s really no wonder that so many still tank an impressive amount of hours into this game.

Posts like this always make me incredibly happy because you can just imagine the level of pride the creators are feeling with it. I can’t even seem to build a one-level house with four solid walls, so seeing entire realities coming to life is absolutely astounding to me.

Now that the “Build It Together” update is live, it’s even easier to create entire worlds. Excited to squad up with friends and family? Here’s what you can experience together with this expansive update:

“Explore randomly generated worlds and build amazing things from the simplest of homes to the grandest of castles. Play in creative mode with unlimited resources or mine deep into the world in survival mode, crafting weapons and armor to fend off the dangerous mobs.”

Minecraft Marketplace
For the first time, skins, textures, and worlds designed by the community are available in the store. Buy once and enjoy across Xbox, Windows 10 and mobile devices!* (and soon, the Switch)
Endless exploration
Create and explore your very own world where the only limit is what you can imagine.
Build almost anything
Crafting has never been faster, easier or more fun!
Co-op play
Play with up to four players in split screen for free, or invite hundreds of friends to a massive gameplay server or your own private Realm!

Minefaire: The Ultimate Minecraft Experience event is coming to the Schaumburg Convention Center Saturday, Sept. 8 and Sunday, Sept. 9.

Between 12,000 to 15,000 attendees are expected to attend the event involving one of the most popular video games.

Minefaire is the brain child of two fathers who realized they needed to bridge the gap between children who love Minecraft, and parents who may not fully understand the game and its educational aspects.

“Minecraft was the ‘go-to’ activity for my four kids before dinner, and I realized how much the game was teaching them about topics like agriculture, history, geology and architecture — all without their feeling like they were being ‘taught,'” says Minefaire Co-Founder Gabe Young. “Kids at Minefaire get to grab their parents by the hand and say, ‘Look what I’m doing.’ As parents, we then have the chance to better understand our children and guide them.”

Minecraft is a virtual game where you build new worlds, block by block, by mining the resources you find and crafting them into structures that might include staircases, mazes and amusement parks. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to Minefaire.com.

Minecraft is a worldwide sensation which has sold millions upon millions of copies to date. The game is available on everything from desktops to mobile phones. A few years ago, Microsoft purchased the game from its creators and has since greatly expanded its scope. However, when it comes to games, the company has always struggled in the Japanese market. With Minecraft though, it seems like that’s changing.

According to a report in Nintendo Life, Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition sold 25,948 copies last week. So far, it’s sold over 212,170 units to date. Minecraft on Nintendo Switch beat games like Splatoon 2 and Mario Tennis Aces.

A few weeks ago, Minecraft on Nintendo Switch was updated to the “Bedrock” edition. This allows players to access a lot of new features and play with gamers on other platforms like Xbox One and Windows 10. If you already bought the old version on Nintendo Switch, you can download it for free. Sony still doesn’t support cross-play so the Bedrock version isn’t available on PlayStation 4.

Hopefully Microsoft’s success with Minecraft will result in more visibility for the company in the country. If you look at console sales figures, the Xbox One only sells a dozen or so units each week. Maybe if there were more Microsoft experiences like Minecraft that appealed to Japanese gamers, it would be a boost for the company’s console ambitions.

Director and co-writer Rob McElhenney is no longer working on Warner Bros.’s film adaptation of “Minecraft,” according to The Wrap.

The “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” star was picked to direct the film in 2015, but now it’s not happening, he recently told The Wrap. Warner reportedly asked the writer/director duo of Adam and Aaron Nee to write a new script. “Wonder Woman” scribe Jason Fuchs wrote the previous draft with McElhenney. The Nee brothers are best known for “The Last Romantic” (2006) and “Band of Robbers” (2015). They’re also directing the upcoming “Masters of the Universe” film.

McElhenney is the second director to leave the project. Originally, “Night at the Museum” director Shawn Levy and writers Kieran Mulroney and Michele Mulroney were brought in to work on the film, but they left in 2014 after reportedly presenting new ideas to the studio that didn’t mesh with what Mojang was looking for. Levy is now supposedly working on the upcoming “Uncharted” film starring Tom Holland as a young Nathan Drake.

The “Minecraft” film’s release date will be pushed back because of the shakeup, The Wrap reports. It was originally scheduled to come out on May 24, 2019.

“Minecraft” is a sandbox building game created by Markus Persson and later developed by Swedish developer Mojang. It launched in 2011 and is now the second best-selling video game of all time behind “Tetris,” with over 144 million copies sold across multiple platforms. Persson sold Mojang and “Minecraft” to Microsoft in 2014 for $2.5 billion.

Steve Carell is expected to star in the movie. Warner Bros. acquired the film rights to the franchise from Mojang. Roy Lee is producing it through his Vertigo Entertainment production company with Jill Messick.

Building a great franchise, one block at a time

The first time I picked up the controller to play Minecraft I immediately wanted to set it down again. I was visiting my brother’s family and it was my nephew’s game du jour. Minecraft had never looked that appealing to me up to then, but I wanted the spend as much quality time with my nephew as I could. It’s like when I visit my parents and sit through five hours of Wahlburgers.

It only took about 20 minutes for him to notice I wasn’t having any fun. While he was off constructing a voxel McMansion with incredible deft and speed, I was still trying to figure out how to build a house that’d keep me safe overnight. Spoiler alert: I wasn’t able to. After my second time dying, we finally switched over Injustice, a game I could actually hold my own at because I’m super cheap with Batgirl.

Minecraft just never crossed my radar until then and after that moment I resided myself to the fact I’d probably never get into the genre. And that was absolutely true until Dragon Quest Builders walked into my life.

The game was announced in what would be a lull for franchise fans in the West. After a particularly bountiful Wii/DS era, the Dragon Quest well dried up at the beginning of our current generation. We didn’t get X, we didn’t get any of the new Dragon Quest Monsters titles, and that Theatrhythm title never made it to our shores. We did get Dragon Quest Heroes, but neither it nor its sequel really did anything for me beyond showing me how frickin’ gorgeous a Musou game can look.

I first experienced Dragon Quest Builders on my Vita with its demo. Going into it, I didn’t expect much more than Minecraft with a Dragon Quest dressing. I didn’t anticipate the thoughtfully created worlds, the amusing characters, the stunning look of everything, or the gameplay loop of quick missions that only take a few minutes to complete but eat up hours of your time when a case of “just one more mission” starts to kick in. I destroyed that demo and ate up a fine chunk of the final release when I finally had the money to pick it up.

This is how Minecraft clicked for me. The open-ended nature of the title is clearly enough for many, many people, but I couldn’t get into it without a little direction. I do know how to make my own fun in games, yes, and I enjoyed watching videos of the cat fountain as much as the next, but something about a lack of clear goals and progress were a barrier for me.

Dragon Quest Builders annihilated that barrier. Across all four chapters of the game, I transformed from a man who couldn’t see the fun in just assembling a crappy looking house to a guy who just had to create an entire village to perfection. Make that several villages. DQB got me excited about large-scale landscaping and city planning in ways I hadn’t been since SimCity 2000, but in a more personal manner. The absolute joy I found in crafting an entire town and castle allowed me to find the fun in regular Minecraft when I downloaded in on the 3DS and other games that use the formula, such as Harvest Moon: Skytree Village.

For as much time as I put into Builders on my Vita, I’ve doubled it on the Switch. The port is perfection and as of this writing, it stands as the title I’ve put the most time into on the console. My experience rebuilding Alefgard has not only captivated me into falling for a new spin-off of a franchise I adore, but of an entire genre I once thought beyond my appreciation. It’s funny how one exceptionally made game can do that to a person. I look forward to Dragon Quest Builders 2 and any other franchise looking to branch out into new, do-it-yourself worlds.

Microsoft announced this morning it’s bringing Minecraft: Education Edition to the iPad for the first time. The game, which first launched to the public in late 2016, has been previously available in schools on Windows 10 devices and on macOS. The iPad software will roll out to schools starting in September, the company says.

If the school is licensed through Microsoft 365 for Education (A3 or A5), teachers will already have access to Minecraft: Education Edition and may be able to download it onto iPads when it launches. However, the school administrator will need to assign the available licenses to the teachers who want to use it, in that case.

For schools without a license, there are volume licensing agreements available through the Microsoft Store for Education and other resellers. Schools pay for the software on an annual subscription basis, but are able to try it out for free for up to 25 teacher logins, and 10 student logins.

Designed for use in the classroom, Minecraft: Education Edition offers teachers a number of resources that help them to incorporate the software into their curriculum. These include lesson plans and courses, plus access to an online community, mentorship, and technical support. The resources are available through the Minecraft: Education Edition website, as before.

The iPad version of the app will include the “Update Aquatic,” which allows school children to create stories, experiment with chemistry, and document their learning via the camera and portfolio features. Other lessons in Minecraft: Education Edition can teach subjects like STEM, history, language, art, and more.

When Microsoft bought the game company, it was already being used in over 7,000 classrooms across 40 countries worldwide, even without Minecraft’s official involvement. Today, Microsoft says the software has been licensed by 35 million teachers and students across 115 countries.

“Minecraft: Education Edition on iPad unlocks new and intuitive ways of collaborating and sharing and has revolutionized the way our students and teachers explore curriculum and projects,” explained Kyriakos Koursaris, Head of Education Technology for PaRK International School, in a statement about the launch. “The features allow for deep and meaningful learning, and the values it promotes, from inclusivity to 21 century skills, empower everyone to use technology with extraordinary results,” Koursaris said.

In addition to the iPad launch, Microsoft said it’s bringing one of Minecraft: Education Edition’s resource packs to the consumer version for Windows 10 and Xbox.

These players can now use the Chemistry Resource Pack that will introduce elements and items that are craftable using chemistry features. With this installed, players create elements and combine them into compounds, build a periodic table and combine materials using chemistry to create new items like helium balloons, sparklers, latex, and underwater torches, Microsoft says.

To use this, parents will need to go to the “Create New World” option in the game, and toggle on “Education” under the “Cheats” menu.

Following a successful 2017, Minecraft has remained the most downloaded game on the Nintendo Switch in Japan for the first half of 2018.

The retail version simply titled “Minecraft” launched on June 21 as the Bedrock Edition update to the game, and in one month has managed to overtake the rest of the Switch’s packaged and download version library, including Kirby Star Allies, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Splatoon 2, and Mario Tennis Aces (in 2nd through 5th place, respectively).

Minecraft is also at the top of download-only software in a different incarnation. Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition was the download-only version of the game that was discontinued when the Bedrock Edition launched last month, though players who already owned the older version of the game were given the update for free. Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition was at the top of the download-only software chart for Japan in 2018 so far. It was followed by, in order, Human Fall Flat, Stardew Valley, Overcooked – Special Edition, and Arcade Archives vs. Super Mario Bros.

Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition was also the most downloaded digital-only game in Japan for the entirety of 2017. Stardew Valley took the top spot globally, with Minecraft: Nitnendo Switch Edition in second place.

The Minecraft movie will no longer hit its May 2019 premiere date, The Wrap reports, since director and co-writer Rob McElhenny has left the project.

McElhenny told The Wrap he had left the movie. The site reported that Aaron and Adam Nee (who are also working on the Masters of the Universe adaptation) are now aboard to write a new script and direct the movie. That tosses out McElhenny’s script, written with Jason Fuchs (Wonder Woman).

The Nees make it three directors for Minecraft since the project’s inception. Shawn Levy, the original director, left in 2014 over creative differences with Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. set the May day for Minecraft in mid-2016. Steve Carell has been rumored to be voicing the lead role (also named Steve) but that has not been confirmed.

A new set of skins are available in Minecraft with the Super Cute Texture Pack available now through the game’s marketplace.

The new skin pack that’s found here through the game’s marketplace is made by the Minecraft team, so you won’t have to worry about any quality concerns when purchasing the Super Cute Texture Pack. An announcement for the texture pack that was shared yesterday referred to it as Minecraft’s “cutest makeover ever” and previewed some of what’s included in it.

“Yes, our talented artists have ‘cuted up’ (scientific term) Minecraft to shockingly adorable new levels,” Minecraft’s Tom Stone wrote in the announcement article. “Rosy-cheeked Creepers! Cakes with faces! Rainbows, smiles everywhere and joy pouring out of every pixel! Even the zombies look cuter than ever as they munch on your brains. D’awwwww!”

There’s no trailer out for the new Minecraft skin pack, but the images above and below should give you an idea of what all of the game’s various mobs will look like once you buy and enable the pack. A close-up image shared through the announcement post shows a more detailed look at the Creeper mentioned above along with other mobs that come with the pack’s 15 different player skins.

“The Super Cute Texture pack is available now in the Minecraft Marketplace,” the announcement continued. “It’s got bouncing bunnies, ultra-adorable unicorns, brilliant bumblebees and, er, burgers? Yes, burgers! Even the squid will make you Squeee! This texture pack comes with 15 skins to make your game cuter than ever.”

This new texture pack costs 660 Minecraft Coins, the game’s currency that allows players to buy different items from the marketplace. This equals out to roughly $5, a typical price for the texture packs that change the game’s world and the way that players look with the packs’ various skins.

Developer Wonderstruck has announced that its interplanetary sandbox MMO Boundless will be heading to PlayStation 4 and PC on September 11th.

Boundless, which is being published by Square Enix, has been in Steam early access since 2014 (where it was initially called Oort Online), and looks to play out something like an intergalactic, massively multiplayer Minecraft.

Boundless’ universe is procedurally generated and explorers can hop between planets simply by building portals. It’s pitched as a largely open-ended experience, so once you’ve found a planet you like, you can pretty much set your own objectives. As Wonderstruck puts it, there are “settlements to be built, trades to be made, and creatures to hunt […] You can be a mighty warrior, a wealthy merchant, or maybe an expert builder.”

Whatever project players settle on, Boundless can be played solo or collaboratively – with a small group of friends or even an entire community. And if the more sedate pleasures of building and trading aren’t getting the blood pumping, “meteorite hunts” offer the chance for organised groups to battle waves of dangerous enemies. “These will scale up and multiply according to the number of players in the area,” explains Wonderstruck, “and the ensuing battles provide plenty of spoils – they’re not for the faint of heart.”

Wonderstruck says that Boundless’ September launch on PC and PS4 is “just the beginning”, and the likes of new creatures, weapons, and materials are expected in future updates.

One Piece is one of the most popular shonen series out there, and it’s because series creator Eiichiro Oda seemingly has an endless well of ideas that flow together effortlessly. But it hilariously turns out that Oda really doesn’t plan every intricate detail.

Oda recently revealed some of the story bits he made up on the fly, and although they weren’t planned in advance each of these elements made huge waves in the story regardless.

There are major examples of such last minute, but monumental decisions such as Oda’s decision to turn Lucci of CP9 into a villain, Shanks appearing toward the end of the Battle at Marineford, Viv being a princess of Alabasta, Ace being Gol D. Roger’s son, and Doflamingo and Corazon being related by blood.

Each of these last minute decisions carry major weight in the series, and some are still being felt as Oda thought that some of the Supernovas introduced as part of the Worst Generation along with Luffy and Zoro have made it so far into the New World. Oda suspected he’d focus more on other characters by this point as well.

One major element that should get fans’ attention is the quick decision to focus more attention on Trafalgar D. Law. Oda originally thought Eustass Kidd would be more important, but recent events in the manga would suggest even more attention for Law is coming in the future.

This all goes to show that while Oda has a plan, he’s not adverse to changing certain story beats or elements to deliver a more entertaining story in the end. It’s why his is one of the richest worlds in all of manga and anime.

If you’re interested in the series, One Piece is currently in the middle of the “Whole Cake Island” arc and can be found streaming on Crunchyroll and Funimation. Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece first began serialization in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump in 1997. It has since been collected into over 80 volumes, and has been a critical and commercial success worldwide with many of the volumes breaking printing records in Japan.

The manga has even set a Guinness World Record for the most copies published for the same comic book by a single author, and is the best selling manga series worldwide with over 430 million copies sold. Eiichiro Oda revealed some news about One Piece’s future in a recent interview as well.

Stating that he was about 80 percent done with the manga at this point with the Wano arc, fans are worried that the series may be coming to an end sooner than they thought. But it wouldn’t be wrong to infer that the ending will most likely still be years away given how much of the world there is to explore.

The Walking Dead’s 18-month time jump in Season Nine means more unseen time will have passed in the series than ever before, but time will also pass quicker with swifter plot progression during the new season, says Maggie actress Lauren Cohan.

“I was excited, because the time can go very [slow] — we can spend a couple seasons in a really short space of time, as people know, and this season it’s like [boom],” Cohan told BUILD.

Time can pass slowly on The Walking Dead: roughly three and a half weeks passed between seasons Seven and Eight, putting just 25 days of distance between the murders of Abraham and Glenn in the Season Seven premiere and Negan’s defeat and capture in the Season Eight finale.

In Season Nine, “We go suddenly… a couple of years later,” Cohan said. Maggie has since given birth to her child, baby Hershel, and the Hilltop is thriving after building itself up on plans handed down by benefactor Georgie (Jayne Atkinson).

“There’s a bunch of psychological advancement for everybody, too. I mean, it’s just like having the baby and how we’ve had to change as people, and definitely how Maggie has to change in her leadership position,” Cohan said. “And it’s good. I mean, this is a huge, huge, like, cannonball blast of a season. It’s really, really, really big and we’re excited.”

Showrunner Angela Kang confirmed the 18-month time jump on Talking Dead’s Walking Dead Season Nine preview special. The new season draws inspiration from the comic book series’ “A New Beginning” arc, which leapt over two years into the future following the defeat of the Saviors and ousted Sanctuary leader Negan.

Enough time will have passed that “there’s a fun Western vibe that has emerged,” Kang told EW. “We are going into a period where a lot of the things that we’ve seen in previous seasons have broken down, so they’ve got these horses and carriages that are being drawn around instead of cars. Things are lit with oil lamps. People are using different kinds of weaponry. There’s a real grittiness to it that I think will be fun and fresh for the viewers.”

“There’s [a big moment] in every episode that we’ve shot so far, honestly,” executive producer Gale Anne Hurd teased during San Diego Comic-Con.

Two of the bigger moments this season will come in the ways The Walking Dead navigates the loss of Maggie and Rick Grimes, as Cohan and leading man Andrew Lincoln are poised to exit the series before the midway point in Season Nine.

“I’m in the first six episodes of the show, and then a lot happens in the sixth episode of the show,” Cohan told People. “But the possibilities for how Maggie remains in the story and re-enters the story… are multitudinous.”

The Walking Dead returns with its ninth season Sunday, October 7 on AMC.

Marvel Studios has learned to keep a tight clamp on Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo’s mouth because he’s almost guaranteed to drop major spoilers. Case in point: Avengers: Infinity War star Don Cheadle was on Jimmy Kimmel, where he confirmed that Mark Ruffalo had indeed spoiled Infinity War’s big twist ending before the film hit theaters.

As you can see in the clip above, Cheadle and Kimmel looked back at a segment from Jimmy Kimmel Live earlier in the summer, where Cheadle and Ruffalo were promoting Infinity War’s release. During that segment, Ruffalo had “teasingly” spoiled the end of Infinity War by saying that “everyone” died at the end of it. However, when Cheadle and Kimmel looked back at the tape, it was clear that Ruffalo had let the actual ending to film slip.

“Well if you listen very closely, he actually started to say the absolute truth, and then had to try to say ‘everybody’ after he almost said ‘half.’ It was like, ‘You just messed the whole thing up!'” Cheadle says.

Despite Ruffalo’s big faux pas, Cheadle says that there was no big fallout from Marvel — at least, “Not exactly.” The actor states that Ruffalo is not only done doing press tours for Marvel movies, but done doing any press for any movie, as he could look Marvel Cinematic Universe secrets. It sounds like he’s joking when he says it — at least we think he is…

Ruffalo dodged a major bullet (maybe literally?) by having most press outlets run the story from the angle of him “jokingly” spoiling the end of Infinity War, with Cheadle seemingly in on the gag. A lot of fans thought Ruffalo was totally self-aware of his own image as a Chatty Kathy, and was playing that up for humor, but apparently, he really is just that aloof. According to the other Infinity War cast members, Spider-Man actor Tom Holland is Ruffalo’s protege when it comes to letting the spoilers fly.

Needles to say, don’t expect to see much of Ruffalo during the Avengers 4 press tour next spring.

Avengers: Infinity War is now available as a digital download and on Blu-ray and DVD. Ant-Man and the Wasp is now playing in theaters. Upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universemovies include Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019; Avengers 4 on May 3, 2019; Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5th, 2019; and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.

After launching on other platforms first, Minecraft’s Update Aquatic is now available for the game’s Java players.

While those with the Windows 10 version of the game were already enjoying the underwater features of the update, the other half of the PC players had to wait a bit longer. The update adds various form of marine life, the potential for some exceptional underwater structures, and more features, and as of this week, it’s out for all players on the PC platform.

With the Java edition now released, the Update Aquatic is out for just about every platform that Minecraft is available on. The PlayStation 4 playerbase, however, still doesn’t have the Update Aquatic content with no timeframe shared of when it might be released.

To see some of what’s new in Update Aquatic, you can read up on general changes and the new blocks below, but the full Java notes can be seen here.

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General

All undead mobs now sink
Changed underwater visibility
Your vision will gradually increase the longer you’re underwater
Overhauled world generation
Overhauled command parser
Added new world type “Buffet”
Allows you to create worlds with a unique biome
More features will come to the Buffet world type in later updates
Added a bunch of new sounds
Added three new pieces of music
Added underwater ambience sounds
Added a swimming animation
Press your sprint key underwater to start swimming
Added data packs
Allows you to edit recipes, tags, loot tables, functions, and advancements
Added new advancements
Some blocks can now be waterlogged
Use a water bucket on a block to surround it with water
Added an “Optimize World” button (singleplayer -> edit world -> optimize world), which upgrades an entire world from older version to the latest version in one go

Blocks

Added blue ice
Found in icebergs
Added coral blocks
Added coral fans
Added coral
Added conduit
Combine 1 heart of the sea together with 8 nautilus shells to create the conduit
Makes your life underwater a lot easier
Added dried kelp block
Combine 9 dried kelp to create a kelp block
Added kelp and seagrass
Normal pumpkins no longer have a face
Added carved pumpkin
Use a shear on a pumpkin to carve it
Added sea pickles
Added bubble columns
Use either magma blocks or soul sand to create a bubble column
Added wood block
Combine 4 logs of any type to create a wood block
Added stripped wood
Right click with an axe on either logs or wood to create stripped wood
Added prismarine stairs and slabs
Added variantes for all 6 types of woods for pressure plates, trapdoors and buttons
Added turtle eggs
Be sure to protect them from hostile mobs