Dark Pictures Anthology Headlines Humble’s Horror Bundle
Halloween may be over but that doesn’t mean that you have to stop enjoying everything scary. For those who love a good thrill, Humble Bundle has a great deal going, letting you snag seven horror games for only twenty bucks. Available until November 12, the collection’s headlining title has to be the entire Dark Pictures Anthology thus far, which will treat you to a handful of horror stories pulled right out of classic B movies.
For the unfamiliar, The Dark Pictures Anthology is an ongoing series developed by Supermassive Games, the team best known for PlayStation’s cult classic Until Dawn. Like that 2015 title, The Dark Pictures Anthology seeks to capture the feeling of a horror movie that you can play. In each of the anthology’s titles (of which there are currently four), you’ll be responsible for deciding the fate of each cast member. What makes these experiences so enjoyable are the permutations the story can take depending on your mood. Sure, you could save everybody and let them live happily ever after, but it’s a bit more fun to see just how much mayhem you can cause, even if it means letting the killer take out the entire cast. Choosing your own style also makes the Dark Pictures games perfect to play with a group of friends.
Because the Dark Pictures games are an anthology, you can pick up any of the four titles first. Each one has its own horror vibe to fit the mood you’re in. For my money, the best of the four is 2021’s House of Ashes, which leans into Lovecraftian cosmic horror in a claustrophobic cave setting out of 2005’s horror flick The Descent. The third title in the series, it’s clearly the one on which Supermassive hit its stride, both in narrative and gameplay. The roughly six-hour experience never lets up, constantly putting pressure on you and the cast. It also has a great star in Ashley Tisdale (of High School Musical fame), and she turns in a pretty fantastic horror performance.
In addition to the rest of the Dark Pictures games, the Humble Bundle will also net you Little Nightmares, its expansion, and Little Nightmares 2. For $20 that’s a pretty great belated Halloween treat.
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Mario Kart Racers Look Awesome As McDonald’s Happy Meal Toys
As a grown adult, you likely don’t make a habit of ordering off the kid’s menu. I bet the only thing that could change that is a unique collab with a rare toy or collectible up for grabs. It’s that time again, as McDonald’s is partnering with Nintendo for the Mario Kart x Happy Meal collab. (Add that to the list of non-Switch 2 Nintendo announcements.) This collab is present at all McDonald’s locations throughout the United States, but it’s unclear whether other markets will receive the same promotion.
While these exclusive toys are technically meant for children, precisely ages three and up, we know plenty of people who’ll be ordering a Mario Kart-themed Happy Meal are those who grew up facing their siblings head-to-head in the game. Hey, I’m not judging. I want that Toad Kart!
In total, there are ten limited-edition Mario Kart x Happy Meal collab toys to acquire, including:
- Mario Kart
- Peach Kart
- Luigi Kart
- Toadette Kart
- Donkey Kong Kart
- Gold Mario Kart
- Toad Kart
- Yoshi Kart
- Bowser Kart
- Pink Gold Peach Kart
Each Mario Kart toy comes in an exclusive box. The front features the usual Nintendo marketing, and the side features the iconic McDonald’s smile commonly found on the Happy Meal.
Of course, every Happy Meal is different, and you may receive the same toy multiple times. You can ask to buy one of the toys separately, although many locations don’t go for that tactic and may outright deny you. Most require a meal purchase.
This promotion is specifically for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which launched on the Nintendo Switch on April 28, 2017. It’s an old version of the racing game, and many people feel it’s quite tricky, but it gives us hope that Nintendo is gearing up for another release within the franchise.
Click or scroll for a look at each toy and its box.
Over The Garden Wall Is Still Perfect Ten Years Later
It has now been almost ten years since Over the Garden Wall first aired on Cartoon Network. The show will officially cross that threshold over the weekend, but that doesn’t mean we can’t preemptively celebrate one of the network’s crowning achievements and most enduring projects. But Over the Garden Wall is more than just a great show led by a great cast (Elijah Wood! Melanie Lynskey!! Christopher Lloyd!!!) with great messages for audiences of all ages: it is also perhaps the single greatest thing you can watch during the fall, and embodies everything I love about the season.
Over the Garden Wall emerged from a deeply weird time in Cartoon Network’s history. I mean that quite literally, because the network was led at the time by some of the strangest shows it has ever boasted from some of the most singularly unique creators of the late aughts and early 2010s. Shows like Adventure Time and Regular Show dominated the airwaves and minds of the network’s viewers, and Over the Garden Wall’s creator, Patrick McHale, even worked on the former in a significant capacity. Cartoon Network became a home for weirdos and screwballs, and despite my fondness for the stuff I grew up with, this was probably its most refreshing era.
The show follows brothers Wirt and Greg who, after wandering through the woods to get home on Halloween, find themselves in a strange world called the Unknown. In it, all kinds of animals can speak, including a bluebird named Beatrice, and all manner of weird towns and creatures exist alongside people like you and I. Everyone is dressed like they’re out of the 1800s, and the series seems to lift from Americana artwork and folk music. It also cribs heavily from folklore, which lends the Unknown a sense of otherworldly and magical history despite the otherwise short runtime of the show, which clocks in at 120 minutes in total. In one episode, Wirt and Greg are taking a riverboat with a bunch of talking and singing frogs, and in another, they’re rescuing a girl seemingly enslaved by a witch. There’s a haunted mansion, a haunting Woodsman, and an unseen Beast that stalks the woods at night. It’s a strange show, and utterly delightful.
When I think of the strange and the unknown, my mind first flashes to autumn. That first autumnal chill is utterly magical, and after months of being beat down by the heat, it’s like an otherworldly gift. It’s cold and sharp, but also strangely comforting, and I’d say that Over the Garden Wall is, too. The fall also feels like this deeply transformative time. Growing up, it’s when the new school year begins, ushering in new people and experiences that could profoundly change you. As sure as the leaves change color and fall off of trees, fall invites you to transform with it, and that’s as frightening and strange a prospect as any. Over the Garden Wall is acutely tuned into those notions and anxieties.
Wirt and Greg have completely different impressions of their time in the Unknown. Wirt treats the autumnal wonderland as a threat to his existence, and fights it every chance he gets. Greg, on the other hand, perhaps blessed by the obliviousness of childhood, welcomes it and its oddities. He adopts a frog which bears many names over the course of the show, and befriends the locals at every opportunity. Similarly, Wirt begins the show as a bit of a reluctant older brother to Greg, perhaps due to the fact that they are actually half-siblings with different parents. He doesn’t lack care or empathy for his younger brother, but he certainly puts a wall between them which comes down as the series progresses. Greg, meanwhile, looks up to and admires Wirt, like younger siblings are wont to do, regardless of circumstance. Over time, Wirt begins to open himself up to the world and the possibility of change with the bravery that his little brother does, and if that ain’t a fairytale ending, what is?
Maybe that’s the thing about Over the Garden Wall actually: it feels like one of our few modern fairy tales. And much like the fairy tales we grew up with, there’s a little something for everybody who gives the show a chance. Over the Garden Wall, like a lot of Cartoon Network’s programming at the time—as well as some series that would follow it, like Infinity Train—is obviously aimed at kids, but it has no problem appealing to older audiences too. I first watched it as a young adult, and it’s only grown more precious to me with every journey back into the Unknown. The impact of the show is so profound that I just saw a Wirt on Halloween, ten years after it first aired, and the cast of that show remain regulars around this time of year.
Over the Garden Wall may begin on Halloween, but the journey that Wirt and Greg take may as well span the entirety of the fall season. So if you’re looking for something bite-sized, endlessly charming, comforting, and great for people of all ages, I cannot recommend it nearly enough. It’s been ten years already, and it truly hasn’t lost a bit of its luster. It may just be timeless.
Godzilla Minus One Director Announces He’s Making Another One
The team behind the best Godzilla movie in years is going to make another one. Takashi Yamazaki, who wrote, directed, and oversaw the VFX for Godzilla Minus One, revealed today in a brief video teaser that his team has been greenlit to work on a second Godzilla.
“Hello everyone, I have wonderful news,” Yamazaki said in a new vlog shared online on Friday. “I’ll be directing a new Godzilla film. Please stay tuned.” The message was short and sweet from a filmmaker who previously demonstrated his penchant for direct and economical storytelling on a global stage with his 2023 monster classic.
While there’s no word on a title, premise, or release date, the news is enough to get fans excited after Godzilla Minus One proved there’s still plenty of gas left in the Kaiju tank. Its sparring yet excellent special effects combined with a humorous but tragic plot snagged it an Oscar earlier this year and tons of acclaim from other storied directors like Steven Spielberg.
The Japanese language movie grossed over $100 million on a $10 million budget. And while Yamazaki has been making movies for decades, the next Godzilla could end up being his biggest budget production yet. Whether that becomes purely additive or risks diluting the team’s creative vision will be the big test.
Godzilla Minus One tells an origin story of the giant lizard that takes place shortly after World War II as Japan recovers from a devastating bombing campaign that included two nuclear strikes. The citizens navigate post-war politics and personal trauma to defeat the monster, only for it to secretly begin reconstituting itself beneath the ocean waves. Whether Yamazaki’s movie ends up being a direct sequel or just another riff on the long-standing premise, it’s going to be one to watch out for.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Best Builds: The C9
If you’ve already dived in, you’ll likely know how frantic multiplayer is in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. As with each iteration of the franchise, where the competitive scene favors speed and tenacity over careful planning and precision, the more lead you can sling at an opponent, the better. With that in mind, the best C9 build in Black Ops 6 aims to enhance your firing rate, improve hip-fire accuracy, and boost momentum to keep you at the forefront of your team.
In this C9 build guide, we’ll focus on the best attachments for the submachine gun, the most viable Perks, and the appropriate Wildcard to enhance the build and play-style. We’ll also offer a few tips on using the close-quarters weapon effectively.
Dead Space And More Are A Bargain During EA’s Halloween Sale
Even with Halloween now in the past, it feels like almost every game under the sun is on some kind of sale for the holiday. Storefronts like Steam, GOG, and PlayStation all have big sales running right now that you can take advantage of. Not to be outdone, EA has joined the club, offering its own bounty of treats in a Steam sale that extends the spooky season fun until November 11.
As this is the Electronic Arts Halloween sale, and you are probably in the mood for something scary, there is no better place to start than 2023’s Dead Space. A top-to-bottom remake of the 2008 modern horror masterpiece that is essentially Resident Evil 4 but in space this time, Dead Space still stands as one of the scariest games you can play. The remake modernizes the horrifying setting of the seemingly abandoned space ship The USG Ishimura to great effect, making the atmosphere even spookier than it was in the original. Dismembering enemies with your plasma cutter remains a satisfying way to take down the zombie-like necromorphs, even if it doesn’t make them any less terrifying to look at. If you like it, the rest of the series is on sale too!
Of course there are plenty of games offering something other than Dead Space’s scares to get as well. Here are some highlights to look out for during the EA Halloween sale.
- Dead Space (2023) – $17.99 (was $59.99)
- Dead Space (2008) – $7.99 (was $19.99)
- Dead Space 2 – $3.99 (was $19.99)
- Dead Space 3 – $3.99 (was $19.99)
- Titanfall 2 – $4.79 (was $29.99)
- Burnout Paradise Remastered – $3.99 (was $19.99)
- Mass Effect Legendary Edition – $8.99 (was $59.99)
- It Takes Two – $13.99 (was $39.99)
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order – $7.99 (was $39.99)
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor – $24.99 (was $69.99)
- Mirror’s Edge – $4.99 (was $19.99)
If you’re over the Halloween mood, then might I suggest diving into Mass Effect Legendary Edition? This collection of the first three games in the series is a bargain for less than ten bucks and will give you one of the best epics in gaming, full of wonderful characters. Sure, everybody else is currently enjoying BioWare’s latest release, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, but you can’t really compete with three games for such a low price.
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How To Perform Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero’s Special Throws
It should come as no surprise that Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is chock-full of easter eggs and fun references. A few of the more subtle examples can be found in the scant special throws available—these feature more cinematic animations and potentially different combo extensions, but just like the special finishers, there aren’t many compared to the roster size.
Another similarity to the finishers is that these are almost a hidden inclusion, their only mention in Whis’ Stamp Book. Having to be on the main menu to piece together which characters can pull off a unique throw is a drag, especially when there are ten total to keep track of. Our guide will break down how to perform them all and what makes them different from a fighter’s typical grab.
How to Trigger Special Throws
All it takes to trigger a unique throw is to have one particular fighter grab a specific target. It’s distinct enough that just using any version of a character might not cut it. Goku has three opponents he can perform a special throw against, but each one requires him to be in a certain form from a particular era.
Aside from some launching an opponent differently, these don’t feature any major gameplay differences. While there are some subtle advantages, they’re mainly meant to be fun references to iconic moments and fights us fans love.
Order Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO: Amazon | Best Buy | Humble Bundle
The Veilguard’s Most Important Quest Is Missable
Dragon Age: The Veilguard has a ton of side quests throughout its multiple hub worlds, but one stands apart as probably the most important in the game, if not the entirety of BioWare’s fantasy RPG series. If you’re concerned about spoilers, don’t worry, we won’t get into them here. This is just a PSA to everyone playing the game that if you want to see some of the most important story and character work in The Veilguard, you should seek out Solas’ memories in The Crossroads.
These questlines are twofold: First, you’ll find short quests that depict playable flashbacks to the original elven rebellion led by Solas eons before the events of The Veilguard, then you’ll have a debrief about them with your team. Solas, the Inquisition party member who turned out to be the elven god of lies, has existed throughout large swaths of Dragon Age history, and to learn about his history is to understand the past of the fantasy world of Thedas. Each of these quests will end with you collecting a wolf statue to bring back to your home base. Once there, you can view an artistic depiction of one of Solas’ regrets from his time among the elven pantheon. These include some of the biggest lore drops BioWare has ever put in a Dragon Age game, and fundamentally change our understanding of this world.
You can find these memories early on, but there’s a point in the main story quests when a character will give you one of the wolf statues that puts the questline in your journal, complete with waypoints to guide you to where you need to go. Some will require you to fight mini-bosses in and out of The Crossroads, but they are worth the effort. Not only do they provide some of the best story reveals in all of The Veilguard, they’re also required to unlock the game’s secret ending, among other changes to the endgame worth seeking out.
For more on The Veilguard, check out Kotaku’s review.
Game Of Thrones Movie Is Reportedly In Early Development
Once upon a time, there was talk of HBO’s hit Game of Thrones series concluding with a trilogy of movies instead of its ultimately ill-fated eighth season. It sounds like Warner Bros. is now revisiting the prospect of some kind of film adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s books, even if the project is still in the earliest stages of development.
According to Hollywood Reporter, the studio is making at least one Game of Thrones movie, though the project doesn’t yet have a script, director, or cast associated with it. These “concepts of a plan” for a theatrical adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire might soon break free of its existing HBO prestige TV enclosure, something the company had resisted in the past.
While we don’t have any idea what such a movie would focus on, from entirely new events to existing portions of Martin’s world that haven’t yet been adapted to TV, it seems unlikely a project would be able to rival the previous success of Game of Thrones without involving that cast and characters in some way. Maybe it’s not unthinkable that we might get a complete do-over of the show’s much-maligned ending, something fans have long speculated about.
Any movie would also be coming out alongside a full suite of new Game of Thrones TV, from House of the Dragon season three and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to a host of other spin-offs and animated adaptations. Not all of Warner’s grand plans for the fantasy IP have come to fruition, however. A direct sequel with Kit Harington reprising his role as Jon Snow was infamously abandoned, seemingly over a lack of strong ideas for where to take the character after the as-of-yet unfinished conclusion of Martin’s books.
The Hollywood Reporter points out that a new era of post-merger Warner Bros. seems much more comfortable with major franchises seamlessly hopping between streaming and the big screen. The Harry Potter movies are currently being remade as a TV series, and The Batman has already spawned a very successful spin-off in The Penguin. It’s not hard to see Game of Thrones going in the opposite direction five years after the conclusion of the original show.
Wicked Early Critic Reviews Point Toward A Magical Masterpiece
Wicked, a big-screen adaptation of the famous theater production that regularly makes waves throughout New York City, is finally coming to theaters this November. From the few early critic previews of the film floating around, we know that anyone even remotely interested in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, or the theater production in general, will find themselves in for a treat. They’re calling it a “masterpiece” and a “marvel.”
Wicked tells the story of Elphaba, known as the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the Good Witch, in their earliest days as college students at Shiz University in the Land of Oz. With her unusual green skin and lack of understanding regarding her unique powers, Elphaba becomes the target of hostilities. However, an unlikely friendship between Elphaba and Glinda forms before the two encounter a crossroads that will alter their destinies and change the landscape of Oz forever.
Over on IMDB, Wicked is slowly dropping in popularity, though it’s still in the top 50 upcoming releases, making it a top choice for the fall season. On Rotten Tomatoes, it’s too early to tell. No official critic or fan reviews are available, leaving the film’s rating unavailable.
From director Jon M Chu (Crazy Rich Asians and In The Heights) and starring Cynthia Erivo (Bad Times at the El Royale), Ariana Grande (Don’t Look Up), and Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic World Dominion), Wicked officially hits theaters on Friday, November 22. It’s a musical fantasy adventure with a runtime of two hours and 40 minutes, making it somewhat challenging for those with young children who can’t sit still in the theater.
Whether you’ll have a kid with you or not, some early previews of Wicked indicate childlike wonder awaits at the theater:
Variety, Katcy Stephan:
“I was ‘pessimistical’ going in, but…WICKED is a masterpiece. Ariana Grande makes Glinda sparkle: she milks every moment with gusto, humor and hair flips. Jon M. Chu added so much new life to the story that I can see why it needed to be 2 parts! Well worth the 20-year wait.”
Vanity Fair, Chris Murphy:
“I have seen the Wicked movie not once not twice but three separate times now and believe me when i say it is a complete and utter slay you will be gagged beyond belief. Everything you think the film looks like from your cracked iphones is wrong. Cynthia and Ari truly are impeccable.”
We Live Entertainment, Scott Menzel:
“Wicked is a cinematic spectacle that serves as one of the very best big screen adaptations of a Broadway musical ever. Jon M. Chu perfectly captures the magic of the Broadway show while adding in some of his own unique flourishes to the source material. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo completely knock it out of the park as Elphaba and Galinda. Jonathan Bailey is also quite phenomenal in the film. Wicked lives up to the hype and often succeeds it. Oh, and there is one scene that fans of the Broadway show are going to absolutely lose their minds over. Wicked is hands down one of the year’s best films.”
WBAL-TV, Lauren Veneziani:
“One of the most perfect musical adaptions to ever exist. 💚💗 #WickedMovie exceeded my expectations. Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande are a match made in cinematic musical heaven, one dance scene in particular had me so emotional. Wow. Can’t wait to see it again! It’s the Shiz!!”
The Wrap, Drew Taylor:
“#Wicked is solid — sumptuously realized, occasionally quite moving (both leads are amazing). But it also falls into some of the traps of the Disney live-action remakes that diminishes its power — overlong, noisy, over-designed. Overall I liked it a lot and can’t wait for part 2🧹.”
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