The character portrayals in the first season already sparked a little bit of controversy from fans, especially since Ramsey wasn’t exactly what most fans had in mind for Ellie, and it looks like that trend will continue with season 2. For starters, there are already comments that Ellie’s new arm tattoo placement isn’t accurate to the game, and neither is her bob and tied back hair.

While I’m not exactly particular about the look of the character — it’s near impossible to make a real-life actor look exactly like a video game character after all — I’ll admit the tattoo placement is a little jarring. It’s important to remember that the reason why Ellie got a huge arm tattoo in the first place (aside from looking badass as hell) is that she needed to cover up the bite mark on her arm.

While Joel and Tommy are already aware of her immunity to the cordyceps virus, no one else is, and it’s important to get that plot device right at least.

Still, it’s exciting to see the actors back on set for season 2, especially since The Last of Us Part II takes the story in some pretty fun (and very controversial) directions going forward. We already relived the whole “Was Joel wrong?” discourse with the season 1 finale, and I’m especially looking forward to the dumpster fire that will surely be the season 2 (or 3) finale discourse.

HBO’s The Last of Us season 2 doesn’t have a release date just yet, but be sure to keep it locked to The Escapist for more information and updates on the show, including my diss on the adaptation after having watched Fallout.

New Destiny 2 Echoes Act 2 Information Revealed

The main purpose of the livestream was to let players known about new content releasing in Echoes Act 2. The most substantial new addition is the new Battleground activities. Like previous Battlegrounds, these are three new PVE missions that are similar to Strikes but more enemy dense. The first two activities will be available from the release of Echoes Act 2 on June 17, with the third releasing one week later.

During the stream, Senior Activity Designer Ryan Harris stated that these new Battlegrounds will have more specially curated content than we are used to, such as new art and level layouts. Harris also teased three unique bosses and a teleporting Wyvern variant.

We also saw two new weapons that will be available in Echoes Act 2. Aberrant Action (pictured below) is a Solar Rocket Sidearm with some perk combinations that are ideal for Solar builds and unique aim-down-sights animations. Corrasion is an Arc Pulse Rifle, and the second Pulse Rifle with the Heavy Burst weapon frame. Corrasion will be able to roll Frenzy and Voltshot weapon perks. The legacy shotgun Perfect Paradox will also be available with a new Origin Perk.

The Echoes Seasonal Artifact will receive a new row of perks with Act 2. Senior Designer Chris Proctor stated that the focus of these perks are sniper rifles and Solar Damage. This will give players an additional option in each column of the current Artifact. These include an anti-barrier sniper mod, a mod that allows snipers to Scorch targets on precision hit, and a mod that makes Solar ignitions more powerful. This will make the already strong Hunter build with Celestial Nighthawk and Still Hunt even more deadly.

New Solstice Armor Sets

On top of the Echoes Act 2 reveals, concept art for this year’s Solstice event armor were revealed. The theme for this year’s armor is exploration, which can be seen in the-aviator inspired jackets on all the new armor sets, the navigation equipment, and the compass-y motifs.

Changes to Destiny 2’s Act Structure

Since the conclusion of Echoes Act 1, there has been some confusion and critique of the episode system. The most common complaint is that three weeks of narrative per six-week Act is not enough. As a response to these complaints, Bungie is making all narrative content available from the start of each act, starting with Episode 2. This means players will be able to play an Act’s story missions either all at once or at intervals of their own choosing.

Once you create your character, you’ll be given the choice to select a server. But if you chose to put your character on PvE but suddenly feel the deep desire to kill your fellow players, you’re out of luck. Once you’ve created a character with your account, you’re stuck with that character in that server.

This can have some upsetting complications, especially if you opt to play solo on a server instead. Some scenarios, which are seasonal events, are wholly PvP-focused. Which means you’ll be missing one of the best parts of an update. Likewise, if you find that PvE scenarios are a little too tough or even lonely without a group of randoms, you’re also out of luck. The same can be said if your friends opted for a different server, leaving you stranded with the Eldritch monstrosities.

Fortunately, this is a known bug. And I do emphasize bug. On the Discord, an announcement stated the following:

“This is important:

Be aware to choose your server!

Due to some tech issues, you can only create one character, and you can NOT delete your character. This means if you chose the wrong server, you can not switch to any other servers with your current account.”

 We can expect a fix, likely sooner rather than later, considering how much of an impact this will have on the social dynamics of the game. And Starry Studios has made it very clear that they want to bolster the community feeling of the game and even made Enternaland for you to hang out with your friends whenever you want.

But until that fix lands, be sure to select your server carefully. The only way for you to get around it is to literally make a brand new account and start fresh. And that might mean losing out on your pre-registration rewards, Twitch, and beta rewards. I recommend selecting “All Scenarios” or “Manibus” to get the most out of this early season.

Once Human is available to play now.

The game was just launched earlier in June, and developer/publisher Hamster Games is behind it. As of July 8, the game reached an all-time 16,970 player peak within just two days, according to Stream Charts. Reviews for the game seem to be mixed for now, but the charts are registering a good 1,090.5 in average daily players in the last 30 days. 

You may be asking yourself: What do you get besides seeing the hamster shake after a random number of clicks? Well, the number of clicks available is unlimited. So, you could technically keep on clicking forever. And as per its Steam site, you can “Droop different hamsters for your Steam inventory every 90 minutes.”

Related: How to Fix Steam Wishlist Not Loading

If you’re wondering if you have to pay, don’t worry. It is a free-to-play, idle-clicking game. But if, for some reason, you want to change the look of your hamster itself, you can. There are four different types of hamsters to choose from: Devil Hamster, Lover Hamster, Kebamster, and hEmpTuhR. Each one costs just a little over 20 cents.

If you’d rather stick to Banana, the original version is also still available for download on Stream. You can play Hamster online on your PC by downloading and installing Stream from their website. You will also be able to access a Discord Community Channel for updates on the game and other general updates from Hamster Games. 

And if you’re looking for another fruit to click on, you can always check out Tapple, another free-to-play idle clicker, if that’s your thing – which it is because we’re all guilty of stress-clicking from time to time. Regardless of the fruit, know there are some good (and absurd) options out there. Here’s to clicking!

Until Dawn’s Original Cinematic Inspirations Are The Shining and Psycho

David F. Sandberg, director of Shazam! and Annabelle: Creation, will direct the Until Dawn movie. Screenwriter Gary Dauberman, known for his horror work on It, The Nun, and Anabelle, will also partake in the project. But what about the original game’s horror influences? What inspired the original storyline?

 The 2015 version of the Until Dawn game came with behind-the-scenes footage. The creators discussed the cast, production design, musical score, and more. But the idea behind a group of teens in a cabin far up in the mountains didn’t come out of nowhere. 

The storyline was written by filmmaker and writer Graham Reznick along with Larry Fessenden (filmmaker and owner of Glass Eye Pix). Both had already worked together on several projects; Graham had worked with Ti West on sound production and Larry on different indie horror films. 

“The production design for Until Dawn started with the great teen horror script that sets the characters in a Canadian winter mountain lodge. Being a contemporary setting with visual clues derived from classic films of that genre. Such as Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ and Stanley Kubrick’s ‘Shining’,” Lee Robinson, Production Designer of Until Dawn stated in the footage.

Both The Shining and Psycho plots take place in pretty deserted places. In The Shining, Jack Nicholson’s character takes his family to a resort high up in the Colorado mountains. As the plot gets thicker and more snow begins to fall, he goes crazier, and it becomes clear there’s no way Nicholson and his family are coming out of the Overlook Hotel untouched.

As for Psycho, it’s clear this isn’t a Bates Motel, but there’s an underlying feeling that something unwelcoming is lurking. And it’s only a matter of time before one of the characters goes insane.

In Until Dawn’s case, the story unfolds at one of the characters’ ski lodges in Canada. As one of them puts it, “for their annual Blackwood winter getaway.” The premise is similar: it’s freezing outside, and characters are bound to stay inside and fight their fatal destiny. This makes the characters more vulnerable to their surroundings in their quest to survive.

Of course, these aren’t the game’s only cinematic references. Other horror classics that resemble the game’s plot are Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead and the original Friday the 13th saga. On a side note, actress Hayden Panettiere, who plays final girl Samantha “Sam” Giddings, also played Kirby Reeds in Scream 4. 

The movie adaptation of Until Dawn is set to release later in 2024. 

The trailer opens with a series of flashbacks, revealing that this is indeed a sequel to the first film, though, interestingly, those flashbacks don’t have much of Russell Crowe’s Maximus character. The new film takes place long after the original, with a grown-up Lucius (Paul Mescal) fighting in the arena. Much like his father, Lucius is living a peaceful farm life when General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) invades his home under the command of some really evil emperors. It looks like the nuance of Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus is going right out the window with these guys, and instead, the complex villain role will be handed off to Pascal’s character.

It also looks like there were plenty of prolific battles in the Colosseum, including a sea battle. That may seem ridiculous, but the Romans could actually flood the Coloseum and have ship battles on it. Things are definitely getting cranked up to the extreme this time around, judging from not just that battle but the one with the rhino as well. All of this plays out as Macinus (Denzel Washington) uses Lucius to ignite his own revolution, though his reasons seem less virtuous than Proximo’s in the original film.

Related: House of the Dragon: What Potion Does Grand Maester Orwyle Give Alicent Hightower?

The highly anticipated film also stars Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Rory McCann, Lee Charles, Lior Raz, and Derek Jacobi. It is directed by Scott from a screenplay by David Scarpa based on a story by Scarpa and Peter Craig.

Gladiator II will hit theaters on November 22, 2024.

In a video entitled “It’s Been Awhile,” Riegel opened up about the harrowing tonsil cancer diagnosis and treatment that has kept him away from the Critical Role table. You can watch the video below.

From Ashley Johnson’s work on Blindspot to Bells Hells’ party split, a combination of internal and external factors have contributed to absent stretches from core Critical Role cast members throughout the show’s tenure. While the prolonged period between the death of Riegel’s beloved Fresh Cut Grass and his show-stopping entrance as Braius Doomseed certainly caused some rumblings in the Critter community, Riegel’s absence was ultimately no one’s business but his own. However, Riegel chose to lift the curtain as a means to raise awareness of the preventative measures that can be taken against oropharyngeal carcinoma and to thank those who helped him during his battle and ongoing recovery.

Riegel disclosed that he underwent surgery to remove his tonsil and a portion of his tongue and soft pallet, which meant he had to relearn how to speak and swallow. The role player did not solely disclose these details to explain the slight slurring in his speech noticed by fans after Critical Role’s recent live episode, but more so to emphasize the importance of seeking out a Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. “When I was younger there was no such thing as an HPV vaccine,” Riegel spoke on the widespread virus that can develop into oropharyngeal carcinoma, “So, the big takeaway is, go ask your doctor about that vaccine please.”

After surgery, Riegel endured six weeks of radiation treatment. Though the actor candidly disclosed that both the surgery and radiation treatment “sucked”, he expressed the utmost gratitude and reverence for Dr. Jill Mazza, Dr. Uttam Sinha, Dr. Adam Garsa, Dr. Tamashiro, Dr. Jan, and all the medical professionals who helped with his diagnosis and recovery. Friends and family likewise played a crucial role in aiding Riegel throughout this ordeal, though the Critical Role cast member explained that he still has “many more months before I will be 100%”.

July’s Critical Role: Downfall will continue to grant Riegel a break to focus on his health and recovery, with Critters sending along copious well wishes to the actor and his family in the wake of Monday’s announcement.

Back when Disney+’s MCU television shows were still fresh and exciting, WandaVision kicked everything off with a show that gave us one of the MCU’s best villains, Agatha Harkness. Played perfectly by Kathryn Hahn, the character became quite the hit, and Marvel Studios jumped on board to do something more with Hahn, announcing Agatha All Along a few years ago (though it was called something different). It’s taken a while, but we now have our first look at the series, which will see Agatha team up with some other witches to get her powers back after Wanda defeated her and trapped her.

Related: Deadpool & Wolverine Teaser Features a Long-Awaited Mutant Battle

Pivoting Agatha into an anti-hero shouldn’t be too hard as Hahn has enough charm to make anything work, but it definitely looks like this story will play into both the dark side of Agatha’s character and Hahn’s comedic ability. That seems to be in full force as she’s knocked out of the pocket reality that Wanda trapped her in by Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza), which is probably an easier feat given the conclusion of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Once free, she goes on a quest to retrieve her powers, partnering with a collection of characters played by Joe Locke, Patti LuPone, Sasheer Zamata, Ali Ahn, Debra Jo Rupp, and Miles Gutierrez-Riley. Emma Caulfield Ford is also returning from WandaVision.

Agatha All Along will drop its first two episodes on September 18 and air weekly after that.

Cities: Skylines 2‘s PC release was a little rocky, to say the least. This city management sequel was plagued by performance and stability issues, which, at one point, were being put down to NPCs’ teeth.

Colossal Order apologized and went all out to fix the game, but its reviews are still sitting at Mixed on Steam, compared to the original’s Very Positive. And now, it seems like those same stability and performance issues are dragging Cities: Skylines 2‘s console port down.

Related: Capcom Abandons Its Newest Live-Service Game After Less Than a Year

“Unfortunately, we have not yet met the stability and performance targets we set for the console release. Without a Release Candidate (RC), we are now unable to meet an October release window,” reads a statement posted to publisher Paradox Interactive’s forum.

The game was set for an October 2024 release on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, but Colossal and Paradox are unable to confirm a new release window, effectively delaying the game indefinitely. They’re planning on having a new release candidate in August, but there’s no guarantee that’ll be up to scratch either.

While Colossal hasn’t said anything to this effect, one factor could be that Cities: Skylines 2 will also have to run satisfactorily on the Xbox Series S, which is significantly less powerful than the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5.

“We are committed to keeping you informed throughout this development process, even if the updates aren’t always what we’d like,” Colossal’s message read. So, while Cities: Skylines 2 will probably arrive on console eventually, don’t hold your breath.

The work of Steins Alter Productions, this fan-made anime received its first teaser trailer, and it looks impressive. In this almost minute-long clip, we see some of the most iconic characters from Elden Ring lore including Maliketh the Black Blade, Radagon, Mohg, and more. It is worth noting that this is still development footage, so expect it to be more polished once the production is done.

The finished product won’t be a complete series, but it is intended to be an impressive five-minute short showing the potential this franchise has in anime form. Once it is finished the anime will be released via the studio’s YouTube channel. Right now, the plan is for this short to arrive in the Fall, but no exact date has been set.

So far the work of Steins Alter Productions looks like it’s coming along nicely and we’re more than excited to see the finished product.

On the official front, there’s been no word of any movies or series for Elden Ring in development, but there is interest from the studio themselves. If FromSoftware is ever going to green-light an Elden Ring TV production now’s the time to do it, and who knows, perhaps the interest in this fan-made anime will fuel the fire that eventually gets us an official full-length show.

For now, fans who want to experience the Elden Ring story will have to stick to testing their luck in-game, and with Shadow of the Erdtree live, there’s been no better time to do it. You can purchase the DLC on console and PC devices right now.

The Junji Ito x Sanrio special collaboration will appear exclusively in Parco locations in Tokyo from August 23 to September 9, this year, before moving to Osaka from September 27 to October 14. So, if you have plans to see the leaves change color, why not swing over to Parco and pick up some merchandise?

The goods for sale are strangely pastel and innocent, despite the collaboration. Though there are only three characters from Junji Ito’s series on display. The first is naturally the self-healing and replicating Tomie, who’s most prominently featured with Sanrio mascot Hello Kitty. Though she’s also paired up with Pompompurin and My Melody and is wearing their iconic head gear. Whether that’s a red bow, a beret, or a bunny-eared bonnet.

The next two characters are the spirits of the intersection from the four volume manga Lovesickness Dead. That includes both Pretty Intersection Boy in Black, who gets a cameo with Lloromannic Berry, while Pretty Intersection Boy in White gets Cinnamoroll. Sorry, Cherry!

The pop-up up features all sorts of merchandise, including holographic stickers, keychains, coasters, tote bags, and t-shirts. I can almost guarantee that the tee featuring Tomie with Hello Kitt’s bow will sell out first. $30 USD is almost a steal!

Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that this pop up will make its way out of the country. Which is a shame, because the images are pretty iconic. The only thing I’d change is a little more spiral iconography and maybe a shark on metal legs terrorizing the Sanrio family. Fortunately, if you’re craving that Uzumaki touch, there’s an anime coming soon, too.

For more information on the event, check out Asobi Factory’s website here.   

Pokemon GO celebrated the game’s eighth anniversary on July 6 by posting an official celebratory illustration. Fans immediately noticed one impossible-to-miss detail — a massive Wartortle, whose large size and overhead purple clouds indicate its appearance as a Dynamax Pokemon.

Fans quickly took the image to mean that we will soon see the Dynamax mechanic, which originally featured as a unique and showy way to temporarily buff Pokemon in 2019’s Sword & Shield games, make its way to Pokemon GO. After a year of wishing for new, exciting additions to the game and frustration with the Rediscover GO avatar updates, players are hopeful.

But not too hopeful, as one player reminds fans, “keep in mind: mimikyu was in the artwork 3 (?) years ago and still isn’t released so keep your expectations low lol.”

Indeed, the anniversary artwork for past Pokemon GO milestones has been a mixed bag of teased features, some of which eventually came to the game and some which turned out to be apparent false promises. Another fan remembers seeing Mega Mewtwo in a previous year’s image, which is one of the few Mega Evolutions still not available in the game. However, others are quick to respond that many features teased in the anniversary artwork have eventually come to the game — even if it took a few years.

More Galar Content on the Way for Pokemon GO?

In addition to the apparent Dynamax tease, there are a few more hints we might finally get more Galar content in Pokemon GO. Close inspection of the art reveals a couple of the Sword & Shield Galar starters, including Grookey and Scorbunny, hanging out in the background. These are highly anticipated additions to Pokemon GO, with many players asking why we have the Paldean Gen 9 starters but still no Gen 8 starters in the game.

Thus far, Niantic has not made any official announcements about future plans for Pokemon GO other than the teases in this artwork. Instead, their blog post about celebrating eight years looks back on a few “favorite features” from the past year. The list includes the addition of Routes and Party Play, two functions that have received a mixed reaction from fans.

If the reaction to a mere suggestion of Dynamax mechanics is any indication, this would be a welcome change for Pokemon GO … if indeed it’s part of the future roadmap for the mobile game.

Pokémon GO is available on iOS and Android.