On Twitch, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins was once huge with Fortnite. But now the big hype around the game is over, his friends no longer want to play with him, and the streamer is ready for something new.
What problem does Ninja have? In a stream, the former Twitch superstar Ninja recently explained that he would like to just play offstream with his friends. Apart from his “Final Fantasy” guys, with whom he has a private server, no one seems to be playing with him.
Start video
Through Fortnite to the largest streamer on Twitch – Who is Ninja and what is he doing today?
Ninja just wants to play Valorant with the “guys”
Who are these friends? Ninja is talking about Dennis and Tim, presumably referring to the streamers Dennis “Cloakzy” Lepore and Timothy “TimTheTatman” Betar. Both were part of the big Fortnite hype in 2018, and their channels’ partly rapid growth is likely largely thanks to joint streams with Ninja.
In countless videos, Ninja, Cloakzy, and TimTheTatman play with other big names of the time, like DrLupo or Tfue. However, this apparently looks different in private: As Ninja revealed, he does not play with his friends off-camera. He just wants to play Valorant with his guys.
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Ninja confirms that this is not about the cliché of aging gamers who suddenly have to deal with adult responsibilities and have a family. On the contrary: His friends all have a lot of free time and still play – just not with him.
The problem: No one seems to be playing the same game. TimTheTatman plays WoW privately, but Ninja does not. Cloakzy would play Valorant and League, but “leaves him hanging more often than any other person,” says the streamer.
In the upcoming update of Genshin Impact, there will be some new features. The developer HoYoverse has now introduced their next character, and it has been well received by players.
This trailer showcases gameplay in the new region Natlan for the first time:
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Genshin Impact: Trailer shows gameplay for Natlan
New cat lady amazes players
Who is the new character? This is the cat lady Xilonen. Whether she is a 5-star character is not known; however, it seems likely since HoYoverse has always launched a new update along with a 5-star character.
Nothing has been published yet about Xilonen’s weapon type and playstyle, but some information has been revealed about her background story: Xilonen is a blacksmith known for her ability to create powerful weapons.
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How did the player community react to this? Generally, players showed impressive reactions in their early responses.
A user on X writes: “I’m afraid we’re not worthy of her.” Another user on X has given up the thought of not spending money in Genshin Impact: “She’s a leopard?! I won’t be F2P anymore.”
Another user elevates Xilonen on X.com: “She will definitely be the new meta queen.”
Genshin Impact continues to be one of the most popular online RPGs. This is also due to the fact that the game is completely free to play. However, the chances of pulling a strong character increase if you invest real money. You can unlock some characters for free.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The latest expansion of World of Warcraft has launched. To celebrate the launch of The War Within, there is a whole series of promotions where you can earn additional rewards – such as mounts or pets. Especially the Twitch Drops are a popular way to simply get something cool “on the side”.
Currently, there are two rewards, but only one is completely free.
Start video
WoW: The War Within – Forces Within
Active Twitch Drops for WoW: The War Within
At present, there are two active Twitch Drops that you can earn.
Twitch Drop: Mount Ghastly Charger (“Ghastly Charger”)
The undead horse will surely look good in your collection.
Requirements: Watch a participating stream for a total of 4 hours. This reward is free.
Reward: You will receive the “Ghastly Charger” as a permanent mount in World of Warcraft. It is a transparent, undead horse that you might already know from the dungeon Karazhan.
Period: August 27, 2024 – September 19, 2024
Support a Streamer: Battle Pet Watcher of the Huntress (“Watcher of the Huntress”)
For the watchdog, you must put down real money.
Requirements: Purchase at least 2 subscriptions of any tier on Twitch while streaming World of Warcraft on the channel. This incurs costs! It is not a classic Twitch Drop.
Reward: The battle pet “Watcher of the Huntress,” which comes in creepy jade green and can accompany you on all adventures in the future.
Period: August 27, 2024 – September 26, 2024
How Twitch Drops Work in World of Warcraft
What are Twitch Drops? “Drops” are special rewards added to your account when you spend a certain amount of time on the streaming platform watching content from a game.
What do you need for Drops? To receive Drops, a few requirements must be met, which can be quickly achieved:
You need a registered Twitch account.
Your Twitch account must be linked to your Battle.net account in the settings. This can be done on the official Battle.net page.
After that, you are ready to earn the Drops.
Which streamers provide Drops? Most streamers who have Drops enabled indicate this in their channel description. Just make sure they have “World of Warcraft” set as the category.
You can check the current progress of your Drops on Twitch. Simply click on your profile icon in the upper right corner and then select “Drops & Rewards.” If you have already made progress, it will be displayed here. Once the progress reaches 100%, you can claim your reward.
You do not have to watch the time continuously, and you can also pause or switch channels in between.
Please note that some time may pass between claiming the reward and the actual unlocking in the game. This can sometimes take up to 24 hours, depending on the load.
Do you have to watch actively? No, that is not necessary. Your progress for the Twitch Drop runs even if you mute or minimize the corresponding stream. It is purely about the time your Twitch account spends with a WoW stream open.
So, if you prefer to quest and enjoy the world, you don’t have to pay attention to the stream and can completely minimize it. However, if you don’t place much value on quests and story, you might learn a few new tips about the game or simply be entertained in the streams.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In a contest, participants could win one of 2 Lego sets based on Final Fantasy VII. The build is gigantic and has now been sold for a horrendous sum at an auction.
What is this Lego set? In January 2023, fans were able to vote in a poll by Square Enix on which scene from Final Fantasy VII should be released as a Lego set. The majority of the votes went to the sequence where the protagonist Cloud falls through the roof of a church in Sector 5 and meets Aerith there.
The set was enormous. When fully assembled, it reached a height of 1.05 meters and was about 74 cm wide. In a post by X user nhamaguc, you can see how gigantic the set is:
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The majority of the set consists of the meter-high church, which is lined with stained glass windows. Inside the church, there are some pillars and a wooden floor. In the roof structure, there is the hole from which Cloud fell.
On the floor, the flower bed where Cloud landed softly can be seen. Additionally, we see Cloud and Aerith as figures made out of Lego bricks that do not have their own heads with printed faces. The building blocks have also been glued together so they cannot be taken apart.
Final Fantasy VII is being released as a reissue. The second part came out this year:
Start video
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Launch Trailer
Lego sets based on Final Fantasy VII are extremely rare and expensive
Where can you get it? Square Enix only produced 2 copies. The two sets were raffled off in a contest where fans had to share and like the original tweet and follow Square Enix on X. So it is no longer possible to get the two sets – unless one of the two owners wants to sell them.
And that’s exactly what one of the two winners of the raffle decided to do. He offered his Lego set at auction, which took place from August 23 to 24, 2024. In the following TikTok video, you can see the prized piece:
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At the end of the auction, the Lego set was indeed sold. The price was 11,190 euros. To whom the lucky bidder belongs is unknown.
Lego is continually releasing more sets that feature collaborations with well-known video games. For example, in October 2024, the Deku Tree from The Legend of Zelda is coming out (via GamePro) and there has already been a Lego set for Horizon.
Accordingly, it is within the realm of possibility that Square Enix decides to commission a Final Fantasy VII set in the future that makes it to store shelves. Incidentally, it also works the other way around: There are also video game series that incorporate Lego into their games: The latest LEGO game for PS5 impresses even those who don’t like LEGO with its trailer
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
MMORPGs shape the memories of many people. But for some, the love for online role-playing games is so great that it changes their lives. This is now told by a 30-year-old man: He had lived for 6 years as a monk in a temple in Wales. But the call of OldSchool Runescape (Steam) was apparently too strong.
This is what the man says: In a YouTube video “I stopped being a monk to play RuneScape,” explains the now 30-year-old, who is known in the MMORPG as Ben Xi:
He discovered RuneScape for the first time at the age of 11 and dedicated “his entire childhood” to the game
He spent the last 6 years of his life as a Hare Krishna monk in a temple in Wales
He has now left this temple to gain more freedom, which he also spends in Oldschool RuneScape
Start video
5 old MMORPGs that are still actively played
“No one quits RuneScape”
This is what he says about the MMORPG: Ben Xi says that RuneScape is “deeply rooted in his being,” and it is hard to break away from it. No one completely quits the MMORPG. It becomes a part of one’s self.
For the 30-year-old, spirituality and video games are not mutually exclusive. But to be spiritual, one does not have to meditate all day; one can also devote oneself to “one’s nature. “
He then explains what he learned during his years as a monk. The philosophy of his faith says that spirituality and attending to one’s duties and obligations do not exclude each other.
As an example, he recounts that a great warrior came to Krishna and asked whether it wouldn’t be better to give up his life as a warrior and go into the forest to meditate with the yogis. But Krishna called him a fool for such ideas. He must follow his nature. In the forest, he would only disturb the yogis by pushing them into military order.
Just as it is the nature of the warrior to be a warrior, Ben Xi apparently sees his nature in playing RuneScape.
RuneScape is the ideal MMORPG to do something else on the side
Why RuneScape in particular? For him, RuneScape is the ideal MMORPG because it has simple and relaxed gameplay. It is ideal for watching a video with a lot of text contributions or listening to a podcast at the same time.
Because RuneScape requires only half the player’s attention – so he can still work on himself or deal with being a monk at the same time. Thus, he combines spirituality with his own natural way.
He describes how his day looked as a monk: He got up at 3:30 in the morning, devoted much of the day to meditation, prayer, and the study of ancient yogi texts. When you live like this for years, it becomes second nature.
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For some trainers of Pokémon GO, there is now compensation for the GO Fest 2024. We will explain who is eligible and how to make the most of it.
Who receives the compensation? During the big GO Fest 2024, there was an opportunity on the first day of the event to challenge various Ultra Beasts in raids. There was also a chance that such a monster would receive a special background.
However, there were issues for trainers who challenged Ultra Beasts via remote raids. After the GO Fest, Niantic announced compensation for these trainers. And this compensation has now been unlocked.
Start video
Pokémon GO: New teaser shows something ‘big’
Compensation not yet redeemable
What kind of compensation is this? If you challenged Ultra Beasts via remote raid on the first day of the GO Fest 2024, you will receive a free limited research titled “Ultra Beast Encounter”.
Here you will receive the Ultra Beasts you challenged via remote raid. You don’t have to complete tasks but can directly redeem the rewards, where you will get another encounter with the respective Ultra Beasts.
You will receive the number of monsters that you would have obtained at the GO Fest with the special background.
The monsters you receive in the research have the background that was supposed to be available at the GO Fest.
How long can the compensation be claimed? You have until December 31, 2025, to redeem the rewards from the limited research and secure the Ultra Beasts.
This is what the background looks like
Why should I not redeem the rewards yet? If you want to get the most out of this compensation, you should wait before redeeming.
If you claim the rewards at an event where the number of candies for Pokémon is increased, you can receive double the number of candies for your Ultra Beasts. Additionally, there are also events where the chance for XL candies is increased.
The Community Day with Robball, which takes place on August 31, 2024, is an example of such an event. Here, both bonuses are active, making it especially worthwhile for you to redeem the monsters.
If you also trigger a suitable Mega Evolution, you can not only receive an additional candy but also further increase the likelihood of XL candies.
What do you think about this compensation? Did you participate in remote raids at GO Fest and receive the research? Feel free to share your experience in the comments. If you want to know what the remaining days of the month have in store, take a look at the events in August 2024 in Pokémon GO.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
On August 27, 2024, early access for Star Wars Outlaws began. Since the review embargo lifted just before, a flood of tests reveals what the open-world adventure has to offer for the Star Wars franchise. MeinMMO summarizes the strengths and weaknesses for you.
What do I need to know about Star Wars Outlaws? The new game by developer Massive Entertainment (The Division) and publisher Ubisoft is an action-adventure with an open world that tells a story set between the events of “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi.”
You assume the role of the outlaw Kay Vess, who together with her companion Nix wants to build a new life in freedom. In doing so, she becomes one of the most wanted criminals in the galaxy and finds herself on several vast planets, where she encounters some of the most notorious syndicates and cartels in the Star Wars universe.
Colleague Dimitry Halley from GameStar rates it an 84 and is surprised by how much fun the new Star Wars adventure is, even though the individual gameplay areas often turn out to be merely solid to decent. The varied rhythm, the great main characters, and the elaborately staged single-player missions stand out.
GameStar editor-in-chief Heiko Klinge also emphasizes that Outlaws is more than just the sum of its parts. Although the game does not shine as a cover shooter, a space shooter, or a stealth experience, it is simply fun to play as a “seasoned smuggler” in the Star Wars universe.
Dennis Michel, the main tester from GamePro, gives it an 85 and underscores this in his conclusion: Kay and especially Nix’s debut is successful, even though Star Wars Outlaws squanders some potential and cannot raise the bar for AAA adventures.
On the well-known review aggregator Metacritic, just over 110 reviews have been submitted so far, which average slightly lower than those of GameStar and GamePro.
Star Wars Outlaws on Xbox Series – currently 21 ratings for an average score of 78
Star Wars Outlaws on PlayStation 5 – currently 62 ratings for an average score of 77
Star Wars Outlaws on PC – currently 28 ratings for an average score of 78
The ratings range from 95 to 30. The two lowest ratings come from gamersrd.com (rating: 30) and eurogamer.net (rating: 40). Chris Tapsell from Eurogamer writes in his conclusion:
It lacks the intricate, open stealth of an Arkham game, the systemic options of Dishonored, or the sharp, unrelentingly satisfying speed of taking out enemies in Assassin’s Creed. It lacks the linear polish and charisma of Uncharted. It lacks the fluidity of animations when jumping on yellow edges in Horizon or the sheer joy of turning platforming into a standalone game, as in Star Wars Jedi.
And, somewhat nightmarishly for Ubisoft Massive, who could not have known this when they engaged with it, Outlaws decides to tell a Star Wars rogue story in a world post the Andor series, which has already done so with such sensitivity, humanity, and precision that Kay’s non-events driven by cameos unfortunately fall light-years behind.
You see: The judgments on Star Wars Outlaws vary widely. Most tests land – as the average reveals – at about 80 out of 100 points. If you want to make your own opinion, we recommend the Ubisoft+ premium subscription, which at just under 18 euros is significantly cheaper than the prices for the paid versions of the game.
Since the campaign is not too huge at about 30 hours, you should be able to complete Star Wars Outlaws within the month. And maybe there is enough time to also check out other relatively new Ubisoft titles like Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, or Assassin’s Creed: Mirage. By the way: Star Wars Outlaws is causing trouble before release.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Monster Hunter Wilds will have various biomes, similar to its predecessors, where we encounter monsters that have adapted to the environment. However, a specific area that existed in earlier parts of the series and is associated with a specific feature will be missing in the latest game. A former Monster Hunter developer explains why this is the case.
What will be missing? In an interview with MeinMMO, Yuya Tokuda, the director of Monster Hunter Wilds, confirmed that there will be no underwater battles. When asked by editor-in-chief Leya Jankowski, the development team burst into laughter, as underwater battles are a very specific topic in the community.
In Monster Hunter Tri and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, there were battles that took place in water. However, this type of battle was not popular among all players. Fans summarize well in the Reddit forum what they disliked about underwater battles:
Movements became much slower in the water, making it difficult to time attacks
Some weapon types became useless, as their range was too short or their moveset was drastically altered
Visibility was obscured by the water
You can see what these battles looked like in the following YouTube video by WhiteKhakis:
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However, there are also advocates like user Lepruk, who could appreciate the underwater battles. For him, it mainly depends on whether players played Monster Hunter 3 on the Nintendo 3DS or the Wii U. The battles were reportedly fantastic on the Wii U.
But in any case, there will be no battles in Monster Hunter Wilds. A developer who was involved in creating the underwater battles now provides a plausible reason.
This is what the battles look like in Monster Hunter Wilds instead:
Start video
gamescom 2024: Monster Hunter Wilds delights with monster action
No underwater battles in Monster Hunter Wilds
What is the reason? On X, Kojima spoke out. He was a developer at Capcom until 2019 and worked on many parts of the Monster Hunter series, including Monster Hunter Tri and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.
He reveals that developing underwater levels would be like developing a separate game, given that there are already ground battles. The underwater battles would be “challenging, really very challenging” to develop.
It would be a big challenge to create the animations, hit detection, and behavior underwater.
The difficulty of development will be one reason why Capcom is no longer considering incorporating underwater battles into Monster Hunter Wilds. However, it may be possible that such battles could make a comeback in future installments of the series someday.
Fast & Furious is an action franchise that has evolved from fairly grounded car racing to big action stories. Behind the scenes, the franchise has faced some issues. Even the latest installment had to contend with problems. However, one actress continued filming.
What is Fast & Furious 10 about? In the fifth installment of the series, Dom Toretto’s crew fought against a Brazilian drug lord. However, he had a son who had been planning his revenge against Dom and his family for 12 years. In part 10, he executes this plan.
Much of the series no longer has anything to do with the car races of the earlier parts. The series now feels more like a spy action movie. Critics are no longer fans, but regular viewers still feel entertained. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a critic score of 56%, but a user score of 84%.
As is typical for the series, there were again significant issues behind the scenes for the film. However, Charlize Theron was not deterred.
What were the problems with the 10th installment? Justin Lin is a veteran of the film series. He first directed the third installment Tokyo Drift. He also directed parts 4, 5, 6, and 9. Justin Lin was set to return for Fast & Furious 10. However, during production, Lin announced that he was leaving the project. As Deadline reported at the time, it was due to “creative differences” according to insiders.
The project was reportedly without a director for a week, but an actress did not let that stop her. Charlize Theron filmed an action scene without direction. Michelle Rodriguez shared this in an interview with Vanity Fair.
We did it. We were there, we didn’t need a [director], let’s do this. Second assistant director, come on. We kept the train rolling until Louie came in and took over. And she’s an absolute professional, with sharp elbows, her work ethic is outstanding.
Michelle Rodriguez about Charlize Theron
As a successor to Lin, French director Louis Leterrier took over. Previously, he directed the first Now You See Me and the first two Transporter films. The film was then released in 2023.
The series has always had problems. This is not the first incident that has occurred behind the scenes of Fast & Furious. A famous feud also occurred between Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel. Johnson joined the franchise with part 5.
During part 8, he publicly spoke out against Diesel. The two would provoke each other in interviews, their own series, or on social media. Johnson suddenly did not appear in part 9, but received a spin-off with Jason Statham in Hobbs and Shaw. Ultimately, it seems they reconciled, as Johnson returned in Fast & Furious 10. Many franchises have issues behind the scenes, including Blade: The disastrous production of Blade: Trinity resulted in one of the worst Marvel movies of all time
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In a new video, Marco from Nerdkultur analyzes the last episode of Season 2 of House of the Dragon. This time, it’s about Rhaenyra.
Who is Marco Risch? Since 2015, Marco Risch has been working on his YouTube channel Nerdkultur covering news, analyses, reviews, and interviews about current movies, series, or games.
In addition, he meets weekly with his colleague Yves Arievich and chats about pop cultural topics like Star Wars, Marvel, and DC in the Podcast Nerd & Kultur .
Both the YouTube channel and the podcast are part of the Webedia network, which also includes MeinMMO.
In his new video, Marco analyzes the last episode of Season 2 of House of the Dragon and shows the journey that many characters have taken:
Start video
Nerd culture: Analysis of House of the Dragon Season 2
The characters have changed
Marco explains how Ulf now sits at the table with his other relatives. Like in a real family, Ulf is the uncle who offends everyone – in this case, Jace. It shows a new ruling order, which can also be seen in Rhaena Targaryen.
She is compared to Aemond and the issue of how Targaryens perceive family members who cannot bond with dragons. Rhaenyra also does justice to her name. The Cruel wants to stage a new massacre after her last one.
Aegon has spent the entire season discovering himself and figuring out who he really wants to be. Ultimately, however, there is nothing left for him. He has no power anymore, and his own brother wants to kill him. Marco compares Aegon here to Theon. He too was abandoned by his family and was forever scarred.
Marco notes that the fundamental starting situation in the season has remained unchanged, but the characters have changed significantly.
Daemon’s visions and their significance for the future
Throughout the entire season, Daemon has been plagued by nightmares. His story blurs the line between reality and vision, as seen in the last episode. He sees a Green Man. The Order of the Green Men watches over the place where Daemon’s death was predicted.
In the scenes with Daemon, a connection is made to Game of Thrones. He sees his descendant. He no longer just sees the events that are currently unfolding but also those that will happen in the future. However, Marco points out that these are merely Daemon’s interpretations.
At the end of his video, Marco refocuses on Rhaenyra and Alicent Targaryen. Both meet again, this time in reversed roles. The war that is coming is unstoppable – unless Alicent betrays her sons.
At the end, Marco describes the final montage. It shows everything that was also loved about Game of Thrones: power plays, mysteries, and the houses. Season 2 ends with episode 8. Those who missed the final analysis should check it out here: The Dragon Seeds explained: Season 2, Episode 7 of House of the Dragon
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Pokémon GO, the next Spotlight Hour is waiting for you. With it comes Magnemite and an XP bonus.
What kind of event is this? The Spotlight Hour is an event that occurs every week. There, a Pokémon will appear in very high numbers for 60 minutes.
Additionally, there is a bonus that is active during the event.
During the next Spotlight Hour, Magnemite will be waiting for you. The Pokémon from the 1st generation has the types Electric and Steel. It can evolve into Magneton and then into Magnezone.
Start video
Pokémon GO: New teaser shows something ‘big’
Spotlight Hour on August 27 – Start and Bonuses
When does the Spotlight Hour start? As usual, the Spotlight Hour starts at 6:00 PM. 60 minutes later, at 7:00 PM, it will end again.
What bonuses are active? During the next Spotlight Hour, there will be an experience points bonus waiting for you. If you evolve the event Pokémon, you will receive double the amount of experience points.
Can you catch a Shiny Magnemite? Yes, you can encounter the Shiny variant of Magnemite as well. The chance is not increased, but due to the high number of Magnemite spawns, you will have several opportunities.
Is the Spotlight Hour worth it? If you evolve Magnemite into its final form, Magnezone, you will get a strong Electric attacker for raids. Both the regular and the Shadow variant of the Pokémon are on the list of the best attackers in Pokémon GO.
In the Battle League, however, Magnemite and its evolutions may perform less well. For that, you should rather rely on other monsters.
If you have collected many Pokémon that you want to evolve, you can make optimal use of the event to earn some extra experience points during the evolutions. By using Lucky Eggs, you can further increase the experience points.
What do you think about this Spotlight Hour? Are you interested in Magnemite? Or the bonus? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments and discuss with other trainers here. If you want to know which events are happening in August 2024 in Pokémon GO, we have the right overview for you.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
From August 16 to 18, the Pokémon World Championships 2024 took place in Honolulu, Hawaii. The grand finale of the event was the closing ceremony, where the head of Pokémon personally revealed many news.We summarize all the newinformation for you.
What were the announcements? The main hall of the Hawai’i Convention Centers was packed. Anyone who attended the World Championships that weekend wanted to witness the conclusion of the three-day event.
For this occasion, Tsunekazu Ishihara himself, the president and CEO of The Pokémon Company, was on site.
On the suitably themed stage – complete with palm trees and a waterfall – he presented 6 new trailers.
[toc]
You can get a glimpse of the event in the video:
Start video
The Pokémon World Championships 2024 in Hawaii
Pokémon UNITE
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A new app for the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Pocket, is coming soon. There was a new trailer as well as a first look at the card Mewtwo ex.
It is a so-called Immersion Card. These cards are supposed to allow for deeper engagement with the card illustration in the app.
Additionally, the release date for the app was announced. Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket will be released on October 30, 2024, and pre-registrations are already possible (in the App Store for Apple or Play Store for Android).
Pokémon Trading Card Game
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The second video is a bit cryptic. It teases “something big.” Many suspect it might be the already much-discussed Dynamax phenomenon. You can learn more details here with us on MeinMMO.
Of course, there will also be Pokémon World Championships again in the coming years. The video announced the dates and especially the locations of the upcoming two WMs:
August 15 to 17, 2025: Anaheim (California)
August 28 to 30, 2026: San Francisco (California)
Both locations are already proven for Pokémon World Championships. The Pokémon World Championships were held in Anaheim in 2006 and 2017, and in San Francisco in 2016.
Even though the fans on site celebrated the numerous announcements, some were also a bit disappointed. Many were especially hoping for news about the upcoming “Pokémon Legends: Z-A.” This new title is supposed to be released next year for the Switch. It has also sparked discussions among Pokémon GO players: Pokémon GO: Trainers rejoice over Legends Z-A, hoping for 2 cool features
MeinMMO was present at the Pokémon World Championships 2024 as a press representative. The costs for entry, travel, and accommodation were covered by the organizers.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A world without Spider-Man is almost unimaginable today. But almost, the superhero didn’t exist.
Nowadays, Spider-Man is indispensable in the comic world, but also in the movie and gaming world. Peter Parker’s alter ego is perhaps the most popular Marvel hero of all time.
But while the teenager with the spider powers is probably known to everyone today, the first idea of the superhero was not well-received at all.
Stan Lee often told this during his lifetime in various interviews. One such example can be seen here, from a keynote at the University of California (via YouTube).
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Stan Lee invented Spider-Man, and the boss didn’t like him at all
This is how Spider-Man was created: As Stan Lee recounted, his publisher told him to come up with a new superhero. The main thing was the superpower – and when the comic artist saw a fly stuck to the wall, he thought: That could work.
Now he needed a name and after Fly-Man and Mosquito-Man, he landed on ‘Spider-Man’. Then he took an unusual route: Not only was his hero Peter Parker a teenager, which was very unusual at the time. He also had a whole series of everyday problems, like homework, trouble at school with classmates, financial difficulties, and, of course, the death of Uncle Ben and the situation at home.
This was to make Spider-Man a relatable hero, someone people could identify with. And with that, Stan Lee went to his boss.
This was the reaction: Stan Lee’s boss called the hero the “worst idea he had ever heard of.” Furthermore, people would hate spiders, which is why the name was not a good idea, and teenagers in the superhero world were at most sidekicks.
And regarding the personal Parker problems, the boss supposedly said, according to Stan Lee: “Stan, do you know what a superhero is?”
Accordingly, the idea was off the table for the time being.
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Action-packed trailer for the superhero movie “Spider-Man 2”
So something finally came of Spider-Man
Stan Lee simply couldn’t let the idea die. Therefore, he included it in the last issue of “Amazing Fantasy” – a magazine that wasn’t selling and was set to die. Because there, as Lee said, no one cared what was inside.
Thus, Stan Lee wrote the first Spider-Man story – the one with the spider bite, the wrestling match, the unpaid wages, and the gangster who was supposed to kill Uncle Ben – for Amazing Fantasy 15, and Spidey was also featured on the now legendary cover.
Because: The issue sold incredibly well. Stan Lee had basically forgotten the magazine, but the publisher who initially rejected Spider-Man came into his office and said, “Stan! Do you remember the character we thought was great? Spider-Man? We need to make a series out of this.”
Thus, Spider-Man got his own magazine – and would over the years become a success story. Stan Lee created many other iconic characters during his lifetime that are now deeply embedded in pop culture. However, there were also a few characters that you might not be so aware of. One such example is the Impossible Man – read about it here.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The long wait is finally over for everyone, as the 10th expansion of World of Warcraft is officially live now. “The War Within” is now accessible to all who purchased the Base or Heroic Edition of the new add-on.
Since midnight, these players have been storming into Khaz Algar, questing on the island of Thorn, or uncovering the secrets of Healing Falls.
Just a few days earlier, the unofficial release took place, which was quite controversial within the community.
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WoW: The War Within – Forces Within
What’s in the new add-on? In terms of content, the new expansion appears quite traditional and provides what one would expect from a WoW add-on:
4 new large areas
10 new levels
Hero talents as a new feature
War Crew makes many things account-wide
Additionally, there are well-known contents like new dungeons, raids, reputation factions, and of course a lot of collectible toys, mounts, and battle pets.
This was the controversy: That Blizzard provides the launch of a World of Warcraft expansion with early access for anyone who pays an additional €40 and buys the Epic Edition had already sparked significant discussion beforehand. The player base was divided into those who saw this as a nice bonus for the Epic Edition and those who perceived an unfair advantage regarding farmable resources.
Whether the impact on the economy is as significant as some feared will likely be revealed in the coming days, but even now the market seems quite saturated with the new resources.
What changes now? With the official launch, players from the early access can also look forward to it, as heroic dungeons are now available and thus offer a bit more challenge. Here, the bosses already have some new abilities, and the enemies can withstand significantly more than before. However, before it comes to the “real” endgame with Mythic+, raids, and challenging depths, a few weeks will still pass. The first season of The War Within will only start with the maintenance work on September 11, 2024 – so in 14 days.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The conflict over Black Myth: Wukong continues to escalate. Now, the Twitch streamer Asmongold has targeted a freelancer from the gaming magazine IGN who was involved in a critical article on Game Science in November 2023. A tweet with 79 views has a video with 860,000 views in response. This is poisoning the atmosphere and making controversial discussions impossible, believes MeinMMO author Schuhmann.
The authors of the article were accused of maliciously mistranslating a statement from the head of Game Science to make him look like a weird pervert.
For months, this article has been described as a “hit piece” by Twitch streamer Asmongold, repeatedly criticizing the authors of the article, the US edition of IGN, and gaming journalism in general.
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Career and life of Asmongold in 3 minutes – What makes him special?
Black Myth: Wukong becomes a political issue
This is the new level of escalation: The conflict has flared up again in recent weeks because Black Myth: Wukong is such a big success on Steam – especially among Chinese players.
The controversial and currently influential game developer Mark Kern argues that the success of Black Myth: Wukong proves that “western gaming studios” hate their audience, while Asian developers love it. This resonates with a culture war in the USA that is directed against “allegedly woke” companies that pay too much attention to “DEI,” meaning diversity and equality.
Translator of the critical IGN article speaks out in tiny tweet
Note: The translator uses the pronouns they/them.
In the course of this conflict, the author of the article spoke out in a forum and came under fire again. Their translator has now expressed support on X and wrote in a post:
Do not play Black Myth: Wukong. If you must, then pirate it. If you like it, I don’t want to know. Fuck Game Science and all the assholes doing this to one of my favorite people in the gaming industry.
The post was shared by an online magazine and had a total of 79 views at that time.
Editor’s note: The translator’s X account has since been set to private.
Asmongold exposes translator in video with 868,078 views
The streamer Asmongold addressed this tweet in a video “IGN Finally Goes Mask off” on the evening of August 25. The video reached 868,078 views after just 10 hours (via YouTube).
Here, Asmongold also showed a post by the translator from January 21, in which he says that white gamers, when they get angry, just shout loudly, and then the world gives in to them. He hates white people so much because of their privilege. He clarifies that this is not directed at individuals but against “white privilege”.
In the video, Asmongold effectively puts the translator in the crosshairs and says:
I don’t think you should harass him. Obviously, harassment is bad. But publicly disagreeing with someone, publicly calling him out on the internet – that’s absolutely and damn okay. That’s called public discourse, and if you have a problem with that, delete your account.
Asmongold irresponsibly wields his reach
This is the bottom line: That Asmongold targets a journalist with such tiny public reach and publicly shames him is like an elephant stepping on a peanut.
The problematic aspect here is the generalizing portrayal in the title:
A tweet from a freelancer becomes “IGN takes the mask off.”
This tendency of such large influencers like Asmongold to use their reach like a cannon aimed at people who hold different, even provocative opinions leads to an atmosphere where no controversial discussion is possible out of fear of being targeted by influencers who use their reach so irresponsibly.
While he may say, “Harassment is not okay” – with such a large reach and his audience, Asmongold knows exactly what kind of flood of toxic comments such videos will provoke. The translator’s Twitter account is now protected.
A game like Black Myth: Wukong gets pushed to the background in such a discussion and serves only as a vehicle to conduct a completely different discussion that guarantees enormous reach and thus also financial profit, especially in the politically charged USA: The success of Black Myth: Wukong on Steam is celebrated by the wrong people
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
With only 660 concurrent players on Steam, the hero shooter Concord is a flop for Sony. But even worse than the low player numbers is the ridicule the project is facing. In particular, the characters are described as ugly – with Overwatch 2 and Valorant, the €40 title also faces strong free-to-play competition. The flop could jeopardize Sony’s big MMO plans that aimed to build on the success of Destiny.
What kind of game is this?
Concord is a hero shooter that was released for PS5 and on Steam on August 23. It currently costs €40 and has received quite decent reviews with 72% positive ratings on Steam. However, with only 2.87 out of 5 stars, the shooter performs rather poorly in the PS5 store.
The shooter was harshly criticized for the design of the characters back in June.
On Steam, Concord is now a total flop, peaking at just 660 players. In the last 24 hours, there were at most 395 players online. For a “AAA game,” this is a catastrophe.
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Sony shows first gameplay of the new PvP shooter Concord
The origins of Concord lie in a bad year for Destiny
It’s not known for sure, but probably this is why longtime Bungie head Harold Ryan had to leave. The now also highly controversial Pete Parsons took over.
Harold Ryan left Bungie in 2016 and founded the company that later produced Concord.
Concord was supposed to be a forerunner of Sony’s new strategy
This was Sony’s plan: Sony’s plan was to develop 10 new “live-service games” by March 2026 with exactly such teams and acquisitions, which were set to be released for PS5 and PC. Concord was to become one of 10 “original AAA multiplayer games.”
To realize this plan and ensure more expertise in live-service games, Sony also acquired Bungie. But the plan to release 10 new live-service games now seems to be facing a setback.
It fits into Asmongold’s current narrative that studios that purposely focus on diversity are unsuccessful and develop contrary to the wishes of the players.
Asmongold reads a scathing tweet: “Concord has more pronouns than players.”
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What’s behind this: Apart from the character design, the “Battleborn/Evolve” phenomenon strikes Concord. A game that clearly looks like a free-to-play game and competes against free-to-play rivals is sold for €40, and hardly anyone sees the point in paying for such a game when established games like Overwatch 2 or Valorant can be played for free.
Battleborn (2016) and Evolve (2015) are considered the biggest flops in modern gaming, with many units produced that ended up as shelf warmers.
Crusader Kings 3 is one of the best strategy games on Steam, says MeinMMO author Schuhmann. He has already spent 1,368 hours with the game, and soon it will be quite a few more. Because the game is getting a new exciting feature – perhaps the best in 20 years.
What is this new feature? The Crusader Kings strategy series has existed since 2004. As a player, you control the fate of a dynasty in the Middle Ages. What is sometimes mocked as an incest simulator, has been an excellent story generator for fans of strategy games and history for 20 years.
Until now, your fate was always directly tied to the land you ruled.
As a minimum requirement to be a playable character in Crusader Kings 3, you had to own at least one county. You could rise from your small county, such as in Ireland, to duke, king, or even emperor. But you always needed the land.
Now this is changing for the first time in the history of the series: With the DLC “Road to Power” on September 24, landless adventurers will appear in Crusader Kings. This opens up new possibilities.
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Crusader Kings 3: Trailer
You will soon be able to play Crusader Kings 3 as a mercenary leader or explorer
This is how extensive the new feature will be: After two blog posts, it can already be said that the “landless adventurers” will probably become one of the most significant features in the history of Crusader Kings – representing the biggest change in many years.
It is a sophisticated system where players lead a landless hero who gathers men around him and can pursue various careers:
He can act as a mercenary leader
or become an explorer and travel the world
he can prove himself as a scholar
he can be a wanderer and forge his own path
he will become a bandit and robber
he works as a legitimist and represents the kings and their interests
He will have to distribute a variety of roles in camp and can set goals for himself, whether he wants to travel the world, accumulate wealth, or rise to become a king himself.
Paradox promises that all of this will be worth it and will give you a starting advantage for your own country.
This is what makes the system special: In Crusader Kings 3, it will be possible to rise from adventurer to noble, but also to switch back;
As an adventurer, it is possible to acquire land and then continue playing as a settled lord.
However, if your hero dies, you can continue playing as a landless descendant and become an adventurer to create your own gameplay experience.
Crusader Kings 3 is facing a great year
That’s why I’m looking forward to the DLC: Crusader Kings 3 is my clear favorite game on Steam. The new idea turns it even more into a role-playing game and gives the game even more freedom – adding further significance to the new option of traveling freely on the map.
After a rather weak year with Legends, the plague, and a rather mediocre Iran DLC, 2024 looks set to be one of the biggest years for the franchise ever. The idea of playing a strategy game without land, I have only seen in some parts of “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” – it’s truly a great idea for a great game and transforms Crusader Kings 3 even more into a sandbox and a role-playing game.
Many others are especially looking forward to the Byzantine DLC in “Road to Power”; traditionally, the Eastern Roman Empire is one of the most popular scenarios. This is not so much my thing – but the “landless adventurers” sound like a fantastic power fantasy.
Landless heroes like El Cid, Robin Hood, Rollo, or William Wallace are conceivable
I am sure the landless adventurers will bring new exciting scenarios, as you can follow in the footsteps of famous, landless heroes from history, who have only been hard to reflect in Crusader Kings, such as Rollo d’Normandie from the series “Vikings” (featured image), who has only appeared as a supporting character in CK3 so far, or the Spanish national hero El Cid. Maybe Crusader Kings 3 will also give us an Easter egg like Robin Hood or William Wallace from Braveheart.
What else can you look forward to? After “Road to Power” on September 24, Crusader Kings will receive one last DLC for 2024: “Wandering Nobles” – this will likely further develop the adventurous aspect of the game presented here.
What does all of this cost? The base game currently costs €50.
The DLC for Chapter 3, which includes a total of 4 DLCs, including Roads to Power, costs an additional €44.
A complete package with 11 items hits with €143 on Steam pretty hard.
In Black Myth Wukong, there are various hidden bosses that you can find, and four of them belong to the Loong family of dragons. We will show you how to find these tough opponents.
Who are the Loongs? They are the ancient Chinese dragons. In Black Myth Wukong, you will encounter them, but they will not be friendly. They hide in various chapters but can be challenged.
However, do not think that the Loongs are easy prey. They all differ in their fighting style and appearance and can give you a hard time. Note that they are only optional bosses and are not necessary for completing the game. However, if you are looking for a challenge, you should fight them. We will show you how to find them.
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Black Myth: Wukong – How to find the secret boss in Chapter 1
Location of the Loong Scales
How do I find the Loongs? To find the Loongs, you need the important item “Loong Scale” which you can find in the second chapter. Travel to the altar “Despair Valley” and head towards the arena where you fight the First Prince of the Flowing Sands.
Once he is defeated, you will see a wall with a mural full of little carved Buddhas on a rock wall in the arena. Now use your spirit “Wandering Shadow” on it to create a crack in the wall. Enter the crack.
The light blue arrow shows you the Buddha wall
You will see a golden chest and a mural. Open the chest, and the scales will belong to you. With these scales, you can now enter secret locations of the Loong where these dragons hide. We will now show you where you can find the Loongs chronologically.
Location: Red Loong
Where can I find the Red Loong? The Red Loong hides in Chapter 1 in the Black Wind Mountain. Travel to the altar “Outside the Forest” in the Wolf Forest. Now walk into the forest and always keep left until you see a river and a waterfall that has two Buddha statues nearby.
Go to the waterfall and interact with it
Interact with the waterfall so that it disappears. Once the waterfall is gone, you can slip into a gap to reach the “Loong Claw Grove” where the Red Loong awaits you.
Location: Black Loong
Where can I find the Black Loong? The Black Loong hides in Chapter 2 in the Yellow Wind Ridge. Travel to the altar “Stone Rest Plain” at the Terror Cliff. Once there, you need to keep right until you find a staircase leading up – you can’t miss it from the altar.
You will now see a sand fall that you can interact with. The sand fall will disappear, and you will be able to open a huge gate.
The sand fall hides a huge passage
Once you have opened the gate, you will be taken to the location “Cave of the Hidden Loong”. Here the Black Loong resides, waiting to be defeated by you.
Location: Cyan Loong
Where can I find the Cyan Loong? The Cyan Loong hides in Chapter 3 in the New West. Travel to the altar “Turtle Island” at the Bitter Lake. Once you arrive, turn right and walk straight until you reach the cliff and then jump down towards a statue.
This Long is a statue
A small cutscene will appear where the Cyan Loong will awaken. Now he will fight against you.
Location: Yellow Loong
Where can I find the Yellow Loong? The Yellow Loong can be found in Chapter 4 in the Spider Web Cave. Travel to the altar “Relief of the Fallen Loong” in the Spider Web Cave. Once you arrive, you need to walk up the stairs, and you will see the Yellow Loong immediately.
The last Loong is the most difficult of all
This is the last secret Loong that you can find in Black Myth Wukong.
Is it worth searching for the Loongs? Definitely. When you defeat them, you will receive rare materials to craft various staffs. The probably most powerful staff of the Loong collection is the Golden Loong Staff.
If you charge your heavy attack in the pillar stance and activate it with 3-4 focus points, a Loong will be summoned at the impact site that will strike the opponent with thunder. More about another hidden boss can be found here: Black Myth Wukong: Chapter 1 has a secret boss – Here’s how to find him
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A user has his mobile phone repaired while on vacation. However, the employees of the repair shop exploit a mistake he made and steal several thousand euros.
A user didn’t want to do without his mobile phone while on vacation, so he went to a repair shop to have his device repaired in a store in Tenerife.
However, the employees of the repair shop took advantage of a mistake made by the customer: he had not locked his mobile phone. For this reason, the employees of the shop then had access to the owner’s apps and important data.
In the workshop, they accessed his online banking and transferred 5,000 euros to a foreign account. The victim reported it to the Guardia Civil, a Spanish police unit, and according to colleagues from Applesfera.com, it was easy to find the fraudsters.
Learn more exciting things about mobile phones here:
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What does the N symbol on your phone mean?
What happens next? The Guardia Civil arrested two people: one of them was the employee of the establishment, and the other was the person who received the transfer of 5,000 euros. Both are already in custody of the investigating court of the city of Arona.
The investigations are still ongoing, and not all details have been disclosed for the protection of both the victim and the perpetrators. What is known is that one person gave their mobile phone for repair in a workshop and later discovered that 5,000 euros were missing from their account.
How to prevent a similar scam: With a few simple tricks, you can prevent employees from emptying your bank account during repair.
Never share your password for your Apple ID or the unlock code for your mobile phone or iPhone.
If you have your mobile phone repaired by a shop and the employee needs access, they should always do it together with you.
It is normal to disable Find My iPhone. This is necessary to perform the Apple diagnosis and exchange parts.
Check the reviews of the shop and don’t just look at the prices. A shop that has thousands of good reviews will not want to ruin its reputation with a scam.
If you want to be completely sure, log out of all important apps, such as banking or insurance apps, to protect important data or prevent accesses.
In Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, players will primarily gather in the new multiplayer mode, and the new trailer from Activision already shows you what you can look forward to. We will show you the details.
What was that for a trailer? The developers of Black Ops 6 uploaded a trailer on YouTube on August 26, 2024, at 4 PM German time. This trailer was the reveal trailer in which Activision unveiled new insights into the multiplayer of Black Ops 6.
The focus was mainly on short clips from the battlefield as well as the new features that players can look forward to at release.
You can find the trailer here, with everything you can expect from the multiplayer of Black Ops 6:
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 shows its new multiplayer in the trailer
16 new maps, gunsmith, old prestige system, and more
What was shown in the trailer? The trailer features action-packed combat scenes, highlighting especially the new Omni-Movement. Players can dodge in all directions and even avoid thrown projectiles like tomahawks.
In addition to the movement, there will once again be a gunsmith that allows you to customize your weapons and attach various accessories. From drum magazines, grips to gas grenade launchers, everything is possible to prepare you for battle.
But you no longer have to wander defenselessly in open terrain. You can now grab enemies from behind and use them as human shields. This way, you are protected and can fire from cover while remaining mobile.
For the long-term players among you, there is also good news: the prestige system returns to its roots and allows you to grind up to prestige master again. What rewards you will receive then is not known, but you will likely have to grind ranks of weapons again to unlock them.
Last but not least, there is talk of 16 new multiplayer maps that you can explore. We could not find any old remasters from past titles, so you can assume that these are indeed entirely new maps.
