Steam

GearGrit is about as Jak 2 as you can get without digging out your PS2View the full article

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt marks its 10th anniversary in May, and CD Projekt Red has teased fans, saying it wants to “celebrate together” with them. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt continues to be a landmark in the gaming industry even a decade later, and CD Projekt seems to be cooking something up for the occasion. View the full article

In every Fortnite season, there are always many hidden features around the map. One of the most common ones is vaults, which are caverns stacked with lots of loot. In Chapter Six, season three, there are a couple of secret vaults you can find. These hidden stashes are some of the best spots to land around the island since they contain a plethora of chests and loot for you to grab. They're decently tricky to find, though, so here are all secret vault locations in Fortnite Chapter Six, season three. Table of contentsSecret vaults in Fortnite Star Wars Galactic BattleSecret vault at eAT-eAT in FortniteSecret vault at Canyon Crossing in FortniteSecret vaults in Fortnite Star Wars Galactic Battle Screenshot by Destructoid. Remix by Destructoid There are two hidden vaults you can find around the island in Fortnite: One is near the north end of the Landmark location eAT-eAT, slightly south of Brutal Boxcars.One is slightly east of Canyon Crossing near a massive waterfall. Accessing both of these special locations requires a bit of effort and careful searching, so here's a complete breakdown of everything you need to do to unlock each one. Secret vault at eAT-eAT in Fortnite One secret vault is hidden behind some rocks near the north end of eAT-eAT. The rock wall blocking it cannot be broken using a Pickaxe, so instead, you need to hotwire and use the massive cannon on top of the fallen AT-AT nearby. This location is a Landmark rather than a main POI, so it's not one of the many locations named on the map. It's a bit tricky to find because of this, so start at Brutal Boxcars and head slightly south into the snowy mountains. This restaurant is tucked away in a nook in the mountains. Screenshot by Destructoid There are a few fallen AT-ATs around this area, but only one of them can be used to access the hidden vault. Walk over to the west end of this location and climb up on top of the AT-AT you find there. Head north across it until you find a cannon you can interact with. Interact with the cannon to hotwire it and shoot a massive blast at the cavern near the north end of eAT-eAT, then hop off and proceed north to enter the vault. Secret vault at Canyon Crossing in Fortnite You can find a hidden vault slightly east of Canyon Crossing, situated on a small cliff overlooking a river right by a massive waterfall. This vault blends in with the environment quite well, so it's pretty tough to find unless you know it's there. To enter the secret vault, head down to the small cliff near Canyon Crossing. You can use the zipline to get down to the right spot. Once you're at the cliff, equip your Pickaxe and start swinging to break the rock wall. Head inside to grab your loot. Screenshot by Destructoid. Remix by Destructoid More vaults may be added as the season progresses and fresh updates are released, since the official Galactic Battle patch notes have a lot of plans in store for the island. We'll add any additional vaults that become available here. If you're seeking more Star Wars fun, you may want to learn how to find and use TIE Fighters, what Alignment is, how to discover and complete story quests, and all weapons in Chapter Six, season three. The post All secret vault locations in Fortnite Chapter 6, season 3 appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

The 90+ Mixed Icons Player Pick SBC is now available in EA FC 25 Ultimate Team, and it guarantees you a legendary card for your squad. This is the latest version of the Icon Casino SBC, and the rewards have never been better. Cards rated 90 or above are included in the pool of rewards, but it's important to check out all of them before you invest your fodder. Complete list of EA FC 25 90+ Mixed Icons Player Pick SBC The new casino challenge has five types of Icon cards on offer. All five types are part of older promos, so this challenge is a great shot at obtaining them in exchange for your fodder. TOTY Fabio Cannavaro CB 91Ronald Koeman CB 91Aya Miyama LM 92Roberto Carlos LB 92Thierry Henry ST 93Cafu RB 93Ferenc Puskas ST 94Eusebio ST 95***** ST 95 Future Stars Alessandro Nesta CB 90Frank Lampard CM 90Xabi Alonso CDM 90Alan Shearer ST 91Bobby Moore CB 91Lotta Schelin ST 91Rio Ferdinand CB 92Emilio Butragueno ST 92Lev Yashin GK 93Samuel Eto’o ST 94Bobby Charlton ST 94Garrincha RW 94Johann Cruyff CAM 96 Grassroot Greats Roy Keane CM 90Didier Drogba ST 92Ian Wright ST 93Foudy CM 93Franck Ribery LM 93Roberto Baggio CAM 94Diego Maradona CAM 96 FUT Birthday Emmanuel Petit CM 91Marco van Basten ST 92Gary Lineker ST 92Pichon ST 92Sol Campbell CB 93David Beckham CM 94Patrick Vieira CM 94Kenny Dalglish ST 94Ronaldinho LW 95 UEFA Dreamchasers Macel Desaily CB 92Claude Makelele CDM 92Edwin van der Sar GK 93Lilian Thuram RB 94Rivaldo LW 94Xavi CM 94Raul ST 94Kaka CAM 94Birgit Prinz ST 94 This SBC requires you to submit one 88-rated squad and two 89-rated squads. It's not the cheapest SBC to complete, but there's a good chance to obtain a high-rated icon. You'll be able to pick between three cards, and the one you choose will be added to your squad. Worth it if you have gaps to fill in your current lineup, I'd say. The post All EA FC 25 90+ Mixed Icons Player Pick SBC rewards appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Rarity is power in Fortnite. Although there are some exceptions, you'll almost always have an easier time defeating your foes with a Mythic weapon than a common or uncommon variant. Fortnite's Star Wars Galactic Battle season is no exception, with several powerful Mythic items up for grabs. The challenging part is obtaining these Mythic items. Some are easier to find than others, and it's difficult to claim more than one or two during a match. Other players often take them, eliminating anyone who stands in their way. Here's every Mythic weapon location in Fortnite Chapter 6, Season 3. All Mythic weapon locations in Fortnite Star Wars Galactic Battle Screenshot by Destructoid Fortnite's Star Wars Galactic Battle season has seven Mythic weapons to find. Below is a complete list of every weapon, their spawn locations, and the steps you need to take to acquire them: WeaponLocationHow to obtainSith Apprentice Lightsaber (Darth Sidious)Training Rift GatesTalk to Darth Sidious' hologram at any Sith (Red) Training Rift Gate that appears during your Fortnite matches. These gates initially spawn after the first storm circle and disappear after a player interacts with them.Jedi Padawan LightsaberTraining Rift GatesTalk to Rey's hologram at any Jedi (Blue) Training Rift Gate that appears during your Fortnite matches. Sith Apprentice Lightsaber (Darth Vader)Vader Samurai's SolitudeTravel to Vader Samurai's Solitude and defeat Darth Vader, the POI's boss during Chapter 6, Season 3. Defeating him will spawn a portal and turn him passive, letting you talk to him to receive his Lightsaber.Captain Phasma's F-11D BlasterFirst Order BaseTravel to the First Order Base and defeat Captain Phasma, the POI's boss. Defeating her will drop her F-11D Blaster and the Phasma's Blaster Medallion.Enhanced DL-44 Blaster PistolShogun's ArenaTravel to Loot Island, known during Chapter 6 as Shogun's Arena, and defeat Shogun X. Enhanced A280-CFE Blaster RifleTrainsHop onto a train during your Fortnite matches and open its heist chest. After about 10 seconds, the rifle will appear alongside other helpful item drops.IQA-11 Marksman Blaster RifleNorthwest of Rolling Blossoms FarmTalk to General Grievous and give him a Jedi Padawan or Sith Apprentice Lightsaber. We'll continue updating this list as more Mythic weapons appear. Fortnite Chapter 6, Season 3 features several Lightsabers and Blaster guns for you to claim from Training Rift Gates and boss drops. You can also obtain Mythic items from players using them, but you're not guaranteed to encounter this during every round. Your best bet is to focus on a couple of Mythics at a time and reach their locations early in your match in case another player decides to contest the spot and claim the drop for themselves. Other drops like extra gear and boss Medallions are a bonus. Train heists, in particular, are a great way to get shield potions and other guns, while Captain Phasma and Shogun X drop Medallions. Darth Vader doesn't have a Medallion and instead gives you his Lightsaber featuring a unique Saber Throw ability. The post All Mythic weapons in Fortnite Chapter 6, Season 3 and how to find them appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Ifa is a 4-star Anemo unit in Genshin Impact that excels as an on-field Anemo driver in Electro-Charged teams. Furthermore, he is a decent healer and is good for exploration because of his Nightsoul’s Blessing ability. Luckily, Ifa is very F2P-friendly, and building him is pretty easy since he mostly needs Elemental Mastery. You can find the best artifacts, weapons, and teams for the Saurian doctor in this article. Table of contentsBest Ifa build guide in Genshin ImpactBest artifacts for IfaBest weapons for IfaIfa’s talent prioritiesBest teams for IfaBest Ifa build guide in Genshin ImpactBest artifacts for IfaViridescent Venerer Screenshot by Destructoid A full 4-pc set of Viridescent Venerer is the best artifact option for Ifa in Genshin Impact. This set will give him an Anemo DMG bonus and increase his Swirl DMG while also letting him shred the enemy’s Elemental Resistance. Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City Screenshot by Destructoid Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City is also a good option for Ifa since he can enter the Nightsoul’s Blessing state to trigger all the effects on the 4-pc set. You can use this artifact to use him as a sub-DPS unit. Gilded Dreams and Wanderer’s Troupe Screenshot by Destructoid You can also use a combo set of Gilded Dreams and Wanderer’s Troupe since both provide Elemental Mastery bonuses from their 2-pc sets. You can prioritize the following main stats and sub-stats while farming artifacts for Ifa: SandsElemental Mastery or Energy RechargeGobletElemental MasteryCircletElemental MasterySub-statsEnergy Recharge, EM, ATK%, ATK The stats will remain the same for all artifact sets. Best weapons for IfaSunny Morning Sleep-In Image via HoYoverse Sunny Morning Sleep-In is the best weapon for Ifa in Genshin Impact since it provides a ton of Elemental Mastery bonuses from both its second stat and passive effects. However, it is Mizuki’s limited signature weapon, and she is a standard banner character, so it is not the most accessible Catalyst. A Thousand Floating Dreams Screenshot by Destructoid A Thousand Floating Dreams is another great 5-star weapon option for Ifa. It also provides a decent amount of Elemental Mastery from its second stat. Furthermore, A Thousand Floating Dreams’ passive increases the wielder’s Elemental Mastery or Elemental DMG bonus depending on the party member’s Elemental Type. Sacrificial Fragments Screenshot by Destrucoid If you don’t have a good 5-star option, you can use Sacrificial Fragments. It provides a lot of Elemental Mastery bonus from the second stat. Sacrificial Fragments is a 4-star weapon that can be obtained from any banner in the game. Mappa Mare Mappa Mare is the best F2P weapon you can give Ifa in Genshin Impact, as it is a decent EM stat stick. It is a craftable weapon, so you can easily obtain it if you have the materials. Ifa’s talent priorities You can level up Ifa’s talents in the following order: Elemental Skill = Elemental Burst > Normal Attack Ifa’s Elemental Skill and Burst level-up order is interchangeable depending on how you want to play him. If you want him as a Burst DPS unit, then go for his Burst first; otherwise, upgrade his Skill. As for his Normal Attack talent, you can ignore it. Best teams for Ifa Image via HoYoverse Listed below are some of the best teams for Ifa in Genshin Impact: Ifa + Ororon + Furina + NahidaIfa + Ororon + Dendro Traveler + XingqiuIfa + Ororon + Fischl + XingqiuIfa + Mavuika + Xilonen + Furina You’re also free to use 4-star units if you don’t have 5-star units, such as Pyro Traveler in Mavuika’s place. There will be a notable drop in the overall damage output, but they should still work. The post Best Ifa build guide in Genshin Impact – Artifacts, weapons, and best teams appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Weird and chaotic—but the good kind. Revenge of the Savage Planet crashes into your world with unapologetic oddness. But it's the good kind of weird that makes you think, "What just happened?" before you dive back in for more sci-fi co-op adventure madness. This is the second time this year I've reviewed a debut game from a studio (Blue Prince being the other). Raccoon Logic Studios Inc. It's been a while since I've played a game that focuses so much on comedic value, offering a nice change of pace from all the high-challenge titles I've been tackling lately. This time, I'm laughing instead of sighing through stressful battles. Cosmic Chaos: What did I get myself into? In Revenge of the Savage Planet, you play an employee of Kindred Aerospace, heading to a new planet to explore its wonders. But while you're off in space, the greedy corporate giant Alta Interglobal swoops in and takes over. No biggie, though; you've got to roll with the punches and help with the company's not-all-bad mission to colonize space. Everything's going smoothly until, surprise, your ship gets wrecked, and Alta Interglobal fires you for good measure. But hey, it could be worse. You've still got the perks of finding lost gear and the comforts of your personal habitat. And now, with nothing left to lose, it's time to plot your revenge and get back at Alta Interglobal. Image via Raccoon Logic Studios Inc. Despite being laid off, you'll get a ton of information from the Alta Interglobal video messages, with voice lines that make you feel like you've joined and escaped a cult. Interestingly, these videos mix real-life actors with the game's world. While this approach could feel out of place or like a lazy way to avoid animating characters, I honestly didn't mind it. You don't have time to question the use of real-life humans because the videos are so odd that the thought won't cross your mind. Plus, if it weren't for these videos, I don't think I would've been hooked right away. They startled me so much that I immediately started questioning what I'd gotten myself into. When I first touched down on the new homeworld, I was genuinely impressed by the colorful, lively environment. Sure, it's a little fuzzy around the edges sometimes, but it feels like exploring a tropical paradise—if that paradise were packed with creatures that want you dead. And that's just the beginning. More planets are waiting to be discovered, each weirder than the last. Guiding you through it all is your robotic companion, Eko, who has so much personality that it makes you wonder how they're even a robot. They'll mock your choices, crack jokes about your misfortunes, and occasionally talk just a bit too much. Thankfully, if Eko starts to wear out its welcome, there's a handy little feature that lets you dial down the chatter or silence it completely if you've had enough sass for the day. Screenshot by Destructoid As I was tracking down lost gear, the character's walking mechanics caught my attention. It's like watching a cartoon come to life—think Scooby-Doo gang vibes, running around with exaggerated flailing, especially when stepping in goo. It adds this animated charm that's hard not to love. As you dash and stumble through the world, you'll encounter creatures that are just as odd. Some may look cute and fluffy, but don't be fooled; the most adorable ones are often the most vicious. And if you decide to kick one? Well, prepare for a gross explosion of guts filled with materials. I guess you have to get your resources somehow. Casual exploration to absolute mayhem Combat isn't always front and center. The game keeps things pretty chill for the most part, as long as you don't wander too close to the local creatures. But when a horde suddenly rushes you all at once, the calm flies right out the window. That's where co-op shines, whether you're teaming up online or sharing a couch with a friend. There's a special kind of thrill in coordinating attacks, backing each other up, and turning chaos into high-fives. It's all doable solo, but it feels way more exciting with a partner in crime. Getting into wild shenanigans together just makes the whole experience hit harder. At its core, Revenge of the Savage Planet is all about collecting materials and crafting upgrades through a 3D Printer. The gadgets you create remind me of Ratchet and Clank, with a wide range of weaponry like plasma guns, water blasters, and even a whip. Each has a purpose, and using the right one at the right time is key. Slimey enemy? Splash it with water. Hardshell baddie? Whip it into shape. I love it when games give enemies specific weaknesses. Mindless shooting gets old fast, but here, your brain stays in the game. Exploring the vast planets is a blast, whether flying solo or teaming up with a friend. I loved scanning the environment, revealing enemy weaknesses, or learning the purpose of strange resources. Sometimes, what you scan doesn't help you, but the hilariously random descriptions make it worth it. I appreciate it when a game doesn't take itself too seriously and puts in fun tidbits just for a good laugh. Become the next hit space decorator One of the last things I loved about Revenge of the Savage Planet is how much you can personalize everything. Not only can you customize your suit, but you can also design your entire habitat—and the build items aren't just your standard kitchen, bathroom, or basic rooms. Oh no, you get quirky stuff that matches the game's hilarious vibe, like a Hug Machine or even a High Five Machine. It made decorating so much more fun, especially when you also throw in the creature-collecting habitat. On top of that, your house has a TV that runs some of the weirdest ads I've ever seen. They're bizarre, but I couldn't stop watching them. Screenshot by Destructoid If you're looking for one of the wackiest space adventures around—think High on Life but a bit more PG-13—Revenge of the Savage Planet should be next on your list. With its strange creatures, offbeat humor, and colorful worlds, it offers a unique blend of chaos and charm that's hard to forget. While going solo still brings plenty of laughs and surprises, playing in co-op takes the experience to another level. Sharing the madness with a friend makes the exploration feel less lonely and way more entertaining. After all, space is weird… but it's a lot more fun when someone's there to get slimed (or killed) with you. Everyone can join in on the fun on May 8, including crossplay and split-screen options on PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X|S. The post Revenge of the Savage Planet Review: A whimsical sci-fi co-op adventure that’s light years of fun appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

A federal judge has ruled that a copyright infringement case over Destiny 2 must proceed, despite Bungie's motion to have it dismissed. Copyright lawsuits are often complicated, as the lines between inspiration, parallel thinking, and actual infringement are not always clear, but the Bungie case is particularly tricky. In addition to the usual complexities, the contentious Content Vault portion of Destiny 2 makes it difficult to provide evidence. View the full article

The infamous Tart Tycoon skin is rumored to be returning to Fortnite as part of the game's upcoming relaunch on iOS. After years of legal battles, Epic Games' Fortnite is set to return to the iOS App Store this month, a huge development for the free-to-play battle royale game. The Tart Tycoon skin will reportedly come alongside Fortnite's Tart Tycoon Cup, a tournament players can take part in, marking a new, yet familiar chapter for the game. View the full article

Arc Raiders has been enjoying a positive second Technical Test session and, to celebrate, Embark Studios has released a new infographic with plenty of interesting reveals. Even though Embark is a newer studio, it has seemingly found its stride with the unique multiplayer shooter The Finals, as well as the upcoming extraction shooter known as Arc Raiders. View the full article

Most quests in Oblivion Remastered require you to stumble upon them one way or another. You have to ******* someone to get access to the Dark Brotherhood, for instance, and you need to join the Thieves Guild or Mages Guild if you want access to their questlines. In Skingrad, one of the provinces' major cities, you'll run across an especially sinister quest full of intrigue... Read more.View the full article

Revenge of the Savage Planet review: "An underrated sci-fi platformer gets a beautiful third-person sequel, but I'm left cold by shallow busywork and an over-reliance on toilet humor"View the full article

The new Elden Ring Nightreignoverview trailer released just a few days ago, and with the full release coming up at the end of the month, we finally got to see a glimpse into some gameplay elements that weren't present in the network test earlier this year. Aside from the customizable costumes, new biomes and enemies, and other exciting features, what sparks my interest most are the unique backgrounds of each Nightfarer and their associated origin quests. View the full article

Jackbox Games has announced Suspectives, a wacky ******* mystery game that's launching in late 2025. Suspectives will arrive as part of The Jackbox Party Pack 11. View the full article

Genshin Impact has officially revealed the lineup for the first half of Version 5.6, confirming that Navia and Escoffier will be accompanied by Layla, Ororon, and Ifa. While Version 5.6 centers around the Traveler's return to Mondstadt, the Flagship Event takes place in Fontaine – featuring beloved characters like Navia and Furina interacting with the cast of Natlan for the first time. Among the tourists, Genshin Impact players can expect to see Kinich, Ifa, and Ororon, who will be swept up in a storyline that also brings Neuvillette and Wriothesley back to the spotlight. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

"It's great to see a resurgence of that kind of game"View the full article

Junkyard Space Agency is an upcoming co-op space agency simulator that the developer said is like a "scrappier, multiplayer version" of Kerbal Space Program. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Steam has a seriously good bundle of story-rich games available for a limited time, as part of the LudoNarraCon festival. You'll need to be quick on this one to save a whole lot of money and get some fab games. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

A major day for Stellaris as the Stellaris: BioGenesis expansion has released, and the huge free overhaul patch 4.0 "Phoenix" has arrived. If you've been away a while, it looks like a great time to jump back in. This is probably one of the biggest updates to the game since release back in 2016. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Quite a big release for the open source evolution sim Thrive, with some major new features being added to the latest release of this scientific survival game. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Stellaris: Biogenesis is the kickoff to the ninth DLC season of Paradox Development Studio’s venerable 4X strategy behemoth. As the name suggests, the focus is on biology and adaptation. Specifically, Biogenesis opens new pathways for players to customize their species, fleets, and ascension paths — and even experience life as a living planet. Stellaris: Biogenesis introduces three new Origins. The first, Starlit Citadel, starts players with a powerful, highly defensible megastructure in a system that includes a portal to a mysterious new realm. The new deepspace megastructure opens up fresh strategies for controlling and exploiting hyperlane chokepoints. The Wilderness Origin eliminates the boundaries between species and planet. Players enter the galaxy as a mutualistic intelligence in the form of a sapient world. Wilderness has a distinct play style that relies on food for interstellar travel and a new resource called biomass for planetary domination. Functionally,... Read more View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Fancy a challenge? no brake no gain is an upcoming arcade precision-driving game where skill outshines speed. The developer just recently released the first demo. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

In a world where we've had Chicken Police and Blacksad: Under the Skin and Duck Detective: The Secret Salami, the idea of playing an anthropomorphic animal who solves noirish crimes has stopped seeming all that strange. So the fact that The Shadow Syndicate has you play a private detective in a version of 1933 Brooklyn where all the people are dogs and cats and birds and frogs isn't that strange. What is strange is that you play a dog detective with a magical Sacrifice Ring that gives you supernatural abilities... Read more.View the full article

New episodes of season 2 of The Last of Us are premiering on HBO every Sunday night, and Ars' Kyle Orland (who's played the games) and Andrew Cunningham (who hasn't) will be talking about them here after they air. While these recaps don't delve into every single plot point of the episode, there are obviously heavy spoilers contained within, so go watch the episode first if you want to go in fresh. Kyle: We start this episode from the perspective of a band of highly armed FEDRA agents in 2018 Seattle, shooting the ***** in a transport that somehow still has usable gasoline. Maybe it's just the political moment we're in, but I was not quite emotionally prepared for these militarized characters in my post-apocalyptic escape show to start casually using "voters" as an ironic signifier for regular people. "LOL, like we'd ever let them vote, amirite?" Andrew: We've spent so little time with FEDRA—the post-collapse remnant of what had once been the US government—since the very opening episodes of the show that you can forget exactly why nearly every other individual and organization in the show's world hates it and wants nothing to do with it. But here's a reminder for us: casual cruelty, performed by ignorant fascists. Of course as soon as you see and hear Jeffrey Wright, you know he's going to be A Guy (he's an HBO alum from Boardwalk Empire and Westworld, among many, many other film, TV, vocal, and stage performances). He just as casually betrays and blows up the transport full of jumped-up FEDRA jarheads, which is a clear prestige TV storytelling signifier. Here is a Man With A Code, but also a Man To Be Feared. Kyle: Yeah, Isaac's backstory was only broadly hinted at in the games, so getting to see this big "Who This Character Is" moment in the show was pretty effective. What I found less effective was Ellie playing a very able A-Ha cover when she discovers the abandoned guitar room. In the game it serves as a welcome change of pace from a lot of frenetic action, and a good excuse for an endearing guitar-playing mini-game. Here it felt like it just kind of dragged on, with a lot of awkward dwelling on close-ups of Dina's creepily enamored face. I'll.... be..... gone..... in a day or... twooooooooo. Credit: Warner Bros. Discovery Andrew: You know what, though, I do appreciate that the show at least made an effort to explain why this 30-year-old guitar was still in pristine condition. I don't instantly buy that the silica gel packets (which Ellie, wisely, does not eat) in the guitar case would have lasted for that long, but at least she didn't pull a mossy guitar straight off the wall and start tuning it up. Those strings are gonna corrode! That neck is gonna warp! I do also think the show (and the game, I guess, picking up your context clues) got away with picking one of the goofiest songs they possibly could that would still read as "soulful and emotionally resonant" when played solo on acoustic guitar. But I suppose that's always been the power of that particular instrument. Kyle: Both the game and the show have leaned heavily on the '80s nostalgia that Joel passed on to Ellie, and as a child of the '80s, I'll be damned if I said it doesn't work on me on that level.Andrew: It's also, for what it's worth, exactly what a beginner-to-intermediate guitar player is going to know how to do. If I find a guitar during an apocalypse, all people are going to be able to get out of me are mid-2000s radio singles with easy chord progressions. It's too bad that society didn't last long enough in this reality to produce "Boulevard of Broken Dreams." Kyle: Not to cut short "Guitar Talk," but the show cuts it off with a creepy scene of Isaac talking about high-end cookware to an initially unseen companion on the floor. The resulting scene of torture is, for my money, way worse than most anything we're exposed to in the games—and these are games that are not exactly squeamish about showing scenes of torture and extreme violence! Felt to me like they're taking advantage of HBO's reputation for graphic content just because they could, here... Andrew: Definitely gratuitous! But not totally without storytelling utility. I do think, if you're setting Isaac up to be a mid-season miniboss on the road to the Dramatic Confrontation with Abby, that you've got to make it especially clear that he is capable of really ****** things. Sure, killing a truckful of guys is ALSO bad, but they were guys that we as viewers are all supposed to hate. Torturing a defenseless man reinforces the perception of him as someone that Ellie and Dina do not want to meet, especially now that they've popped a couple of his guys. Because Ellie and Dina have unwittingly wandered into the middle of a Seattle civil war of sorts, between Isaac and his militarized WLF members and the face-cutting cultists we briefly met in the middle of last episode. And while the WLF types do seem to have the cult outgunned, we are told here that WLF members are slowly defecting to the cult (rather than the other way around). Welcome back to "Jeffrey Wright discusses cookware." I'm Jeffrey Wright. Today on program, we have a very special guest... Credit: Warner Bros. Discovery Kyle: I will say I appreciated the surprisingly cogent history of the "chicken and egg games" beef between the two factions, as discussed between torturer and torture victim. Definitely a memorable bit of world-building. But then we're quickly back to the kind of infected attack scene that now seems practically contractually obligated to happen at least once an episode. At this point, I think these kinds of massive setpiece zombie battles would work better as a light seasoning than a thick sauce that just gets dumped on us almost every week. Andrew: People in and from Seattle seem to have a unique gift for kicking up otherwise dormant swarms of infected! I know we'll get back to it eventually, but I was more intrigued by the first episode's reveal of more strategic infected that seemed to be retaining more of their human traits than I am by these screaming mindless hordes. Here, I think the tension is also ratcheted up artificially by Ellie's weird escape strategy, which is to lead the two of them through a series of dead ends and ****-de-sacs before finally, barely, getting away. But like you said, gotta have zombies on the zombie show! And it does finally make the "Dina finds out that Ellie is immune" shoe drop, though Dina doesn't seem ready to think through any of the other implications of that reveal just yet. She has her own stuff going on! Kyle: Yes, I've had to resist my inclination to do the remote equivalent of nudging you in the ribs to see if you had picked up on the potential "morning sickness" explanation of Dina's frequent vomiting (which was hidden decently amid the "vomiting because of seeing horrifying gore" explanation). Andrew: It does explain a couple of things! It does seem like a bit of a narrative shortcut to make Ellie extremely invested in Dina and whether she lives or dies, and given this show I am worried that this zygote is only going to be used to create more trauma for Ellie, rather than giving us a nuanced look at parenting during an apocalypse. But it is sweet to see how enthusiastically and immediately Ellie gets invested. A question for you, while spoiling as little as you can: Are we still mostly just adapting the game at this point? You'd mentioned getting more Isaac backstory (sometimes the show expands on backstories well and sometimes it doesn't), and some things have happened a bit out of order. But my impression is that we haven't gotten a full departure a la the Nick Offerman episode from last season yet. How do we keep getting into these messes? Credit: Warner Bros. Discovery Kyle: At this point it's kind of like a jazz riff on what happens in the game, with some bits copied note for note, some remixed and thrown into entirely different temporal locations, and some fresh new improv thrown in for good measure. I'm definitely not a "the game is canon and you must interpret it literally" type of person, but the loose treatment is giving me a bit of whiplash. The reveal of Dina's pregnancy, for instance, is not greeted with nearly as much immediate joy in the games. That said, the moment of joy Ellie and Dina do share here feels transplanted (in tone if nothing else) from an earlier game scene that the show had mostly skipped thus far. It's like free association, man. Dig it! The show also spends an inordinate amount of time discussing how pregnancy tests work in the post-apocalypse, which for me pushed past world-building and into overexplaining. It's OK to just let stuff be sometimes, y'know? Andrew: It's jazz, man. It's about the zombies you don't kill. However it's been rearranged, I can still tell I'm watching a video game adaptation, because there are stealth kills and because important information is conveyed via messages and logos scrawled in blood on the walls. But I am still enjoying myself, and doing slightly less minute-to-minute missing of Joel than I did last episode. Slightly. The episode ends with Ellie and Dina hearing the name of someone who has the same name as someone who knew Abby over a WLF walkie-talkie they nabbed, which gives them their next objective marker for Abby Quest. But they've got to cross an active war zone to get where they're going (though I couldn't tell from that distance whether we're meant to be able to tell exactly who is fighting who at the moment). Guess I'll have to wait and see! Kyle: Personally, I'm hoping we see the moment where the newly out-and-proud ********* Dina finally realizes "what's the deal with all the rainbows." Show your post-apocalyptic pride, girl! Read full article Comments View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

A Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel infographic shows the decks played by the ten highest-ranking players for the game's April 2025 season, including some of the TCG's most dominant strategies. The massively popular online card game from Konami features a wide variety of different decks and strategies for players to try out, with over ten thousand cards from the physical game available. Konami regularly brings an assortment of new cards to the game as well, introducing new Selection Packs each month. However, some strategies have seen more success than others when climbing the game's Ranked ladder. View the full article