Free2Play MMO fully focuses on PvE, now new on Steam: Gifts something special to all players

On March 25, 2024, the MMO game Palia was released on the Steam platform, surprising the gaming community with a special promotion. All players who log in within the next month will receive an exclusive item as a gift.

Palia was released in an open beta on August 10, 2023 and quickly attracted a large player base. After all, it distinguishes itself from other MMOs through its free-to-play model and complete avoidance of combat mechanics. Instead, Palia focuses on cozy exploration, farming, and building activities.

On December 14, 2023, the player realm expanded even further. The MMO became available on the Nintendo Switch as well. But that wasn’t the end of the journey for Palia.

Since March 25, 2024, precisely at 7 PM, a new chapter opened for Palia as the game finally became available on the gaming platform Steam.

Here you can learn more about the game:

Start video
Cozy-MMORPG Palia starts in open beta and has plenty of addictive potential

All important information at a glance

In light of the new release of Palia on Steam, many players now have some important questions. Here are the answers to the most common concerns:

Is there cross-play?

Yes. Whether you want to play on PC, Steam, or the Nintendo Switch – Palia supports cross-play. You can easily play with your friends across different platforms.

Can I link my old Palia account with Steam?

Yes. You do not have to start over. By linking your old Palia account with Steam, you can seamlessly continue from your previous game saves without losing progress.

Why should I continue playing on Steam now?

Well, besides the convenience of the Steam platform, there is also a very special offer: All players who log in and play within the first 30 days after the release on Steam will receive a giant Froggert plush toy as an exclusive gift. And yes, it is really huge! After this period, the plush toy will no longer be available.

More story, new temple, and new housing components

Palia also brings a live update, the Spring Update, with its release on Steam. Here are the biggest innovations at a glance:

  • Temple of Roots: A new location with exciting quests and rewarding rewards, including the coveted Galdur Seed Maker.
  • Blooming Flora: Insects now drop seeds that you can collect and plant to create a blooming flora.
  • New Decoration: With the “Spring Fever” and “Gluten-Free” decoration sets, you can customize your gaming environment even more.
  • Controller Remapping: You now have the option to adjust your controller layout to your personal preferences.
  • Saying I Do: For the romantic players among you, there are new outfits specifically designed for weddings to celebrate this special moment properly.

At the start of Palia, the player Berry baked cakes with friends – and in large quantities. An impressive number of 1,023 of these delicious treats is said to have caused the game to crash eventually. You can read more about it here: In the new MMO Palia, testers destroy the game by baking too many cakes

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Steam

A huge gaming company allegedly copies the Steam hit Palworld multiple times

The Chinese tech giant Tencent is the second largest gaming company in the world. According to new reports, Tencent has now aimed to replicate the successful Steam hit Palworld by Pocketpair. To achieve this, they want to use the successful formula of the game as a basis for their own games. The Chinese company aimed to minimize risk and has assigned several studios to the project. The subsidiaries are supposed to compete against each other to develop a better game than Palworld.

What is Tencent?

  • With about 25 billion US dollars in revenue, Tencent is number 2 in global gaming, ahead of Microsoft Gaming, but behind Sony, which now generates about 1 billion US dollars more per year. This was different in the past, but Tencent has lost ground in recent years.
  • Tencent is a Chinese mega-corporation that is said to have good relationships with the government. In China, the publisher owns numerous studios and is particularly successful in the domestic market with mobile games.
  • However, globally, Tencent is known for investing in or even acquiring many successful gaming companies that develop core games. They own Riot Games (LoL) and Funcom (Dune, Conan Exiles). But they also hold stakes in Epic Games, Ubisoft, Krafton, FromSoftware, and many other companies.
Start video
The developers of Palworld showcase the 1st raid

Tencent has been struggling lately and needs new hits

This is the situation: The economic site Bloomberg reports that the publisher is now trying to replicate the success of Palworld after their own games were not as successful as they had to admit.

On February 1, 2024, we reported on MeinMMO how dissatisfied Tencent was with the current market situation:

  • Tencent recently missed hits in Asia such as Genshin Impact (miHoYo) and Eggy Party (NetEase)
  • Its own games did not perform as well as in all the preceding years
  • The boss of Tencent urged the company not to rest on its laurels but to push forward again

In the meantime, it was thought that Tencent wanted to acquire the license for Dungeons and Dragons from Hasbro and have Larian, in which they hold shares, develop more games like Baldur’s Gate 3. This, however, was decisively denied.

Several studios are supposed to develop games like Palworld in competition with each other

This is Tencent’s plan: Tencent has allegedly tasked two studios, Timi and Lightspeed, with developing video games that can compete with Palworld. Specifically, these are supposed to be games that combine pets with “stylized violence.”

It seems that the Chinese have identified “cute little creatures and violence” as the core recipe of Palworld.

Reportedly, Tencent plans to develop several projects in the genre in competition with each other in the hope that better games than Palworld will emerge this way.

This way, their mobile hit “Honor of Kings” was created, a sort of “Mobile LoL.” They distribute the game in China through their own social media apps, and it is huge. In 2018, we reported on MeinMMO that 108 million women play it alone.

This is what’s behind it: Ironically, a game designer warned in January 2024 about just such a situation.

A former Nintendo developer expressed concerns that Palworld could serve as a template for future successful games. This is because Palworld itself already draws inspiration from established games in many parts:

Former Nintendo developer explains the problem of Palworld for gaming and calls out Asmongold

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. gamesradar

Developers of Helldivers 2 say lightning weapons are broken and you should not use them right now

The developers of Helldivers 2 warn against using weapons that shoot lightning. There is a problem with the bow launcher and the Tesla tower.

Update, March 26: Today, the developers of Helldivers 2 released a patch that fixed the issue with the Tesla weapons. You can now use them again without any problems.
Here is our news about it: With patch 1.000.104, you have the freedom of choice again – The Arc weapons are repaired

What is the problem with the weapons? In Helldivers 2, players have been experiencing game freezes and crashes for several days. Already on March 20, the developers announced that they were aware of the issue and were working on a solution.

In a new statement on the official Discord server of Helldivers 2, community manager “Baskinator” wrote that the electric weapons of the Over-Earth are responsible for the game freezes.

The development team is now working on a solution. The corresponding patch is expected to be released early next week. Until then, the developers advise against using the electric weapons.

Which weapons are we talking about? The developers listed three electric weapons that may cause the problem.

  • the Tesla tower – this is a turret that fires lightning in a certain radius and can also fry brave Helldivers without the right armor
  • the ARC-3 bow launcher – this is a support weapon that shoots lightning that can also jump to multiple enemies.
  • ARC-12 blitzer – a shotgun that fires multiple lightning bolts simultaneously and was introduced with the recent war bond “On the Edge of a Knife”

In the trailer for the war bond “On the Edge of a Knife”, you can briefly see the new shotgun ARC-12 blitzer in action:

Start video
Helldivers 2 shows the new war bond ‘On the Edge of the Knife’ in a trailer

The bow launcher is one of the strongest support weapons

Are these weapons even relevant? Yes, especially the ARC-3 bow launcher is currently considered one of the strongest support weapons in the game and can even eliminate charges and acid titans. If you want to compile the best loadout of Helldivers 2, you inevitably have to consider the bow launcher.

The Tesla tower is also really strong and fries bugs in masses. You don’t have to do anything else but call it in, as it functions like a normal turret. Unfortunately, the tower does not distinguish between friend and foe, and you should approach it either lying down or with armor that resists electricity.

The ARC-12 blitzer is very deadly, but still not as strong as other primary weapons, as it has a very low rate of fire. The blitzer is thus subject to the new laser rifle, the LAS-16 Sickle, which continues to top the tier list of the best weapons in Helldivers 2.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. GamesRadar

The MMORPG from the creators of Warframe shows a new trailer, exciting fans with gameplay

Soulframe will be the new MMORPG from the creators of Warframe. After half a year, there is finally a new trailer that also shows a bit of gameplay.

What kind of game is this? Soulframe is a new MMORPG currently under development by Digital Extremes, the makers of Warframe. When and on which platforms the game is set to be released is not known at this time.

However, we know that Soulframe will be a free-to-play game focusing on an open world and procedurally generated instances. This fantasy world is said to revolve around a conflict between nature and technology.

The gameplay is expected to be a hybrid between co-op and action MMORPG. However, the combat system cannot be compared to Warframe.

Start video
Soulframe finally got a new trailer after half a year

What does the trailer show? The trailer shows some new scenes from the pre-alpha gameplay. Here we get a little mix of stealth and action gameplay. However, the trailer really only shows clips in just under a minute. On December 30, 2023, there was already a full 75 minutes of gameplay to see on Twitch.

Nevertheless, future players are always excited about the little gameplay snippets that can be seen from Soulframe. They especially seem to enjoy being able to accompany the development journey again and again.

“With every post, every update, and every new conversation on Discord, Soulframe evolves so much more, which is just incredible,” writes a user in their comment under the trailer (via YouTube). “I feel honored to see how this game grows, and we all appreciate the work you put into this game.”

The latest trailer also sheds a bit more light on the content of the story that awaits you in Soulframe. Various regions of the island of Midrath, different creatures, and magical items are shown.

We have even more gameplay for you here: One of the most exciting new action MMOs in development excites with 30 minutes of fresh gameplay

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Has Pokémon GO forgotten a popular event for the first time? Trainers find: ‘This is a disappointment’

Some trainers in Pokémon GO are wondering about the absence of a typical event. Was the event possibly forgotten?

What kind of event is it about? In recent years, there has always been a suitable event related to Easter or spring during the Easter period in Pokémon GO. For example, there were Pokémon with accessories in the form of flower crowns and cherry blossoms or bonuses that affected the hatching of eggs.

This year, while the Rocket takeover is taking place over Easter in Pokémon GO, no event with an Easter connection has been announced yet in Pokémon GO. Parts of the community are disappointed about this, as these events are particularly well-received.

Start video
Pokémon GO: This is what the new season ‘World full of Wonders’ looks like in the trailer

This has always been a nice event for me.

What does the community say about this? On Reddit, there are some comments on the topic. While some trainers report that they are disappointed about the lack of an announcement for an Easter event, there is also hope that a corresponding event will still come. One trainer also has a suspicion about why the event might be missing.

Some of the comments from the community include:

  • There are no announcements, but it is not ruled out that we will get something after all, writes a trainer
  • This is a disappointment. I had hoped for flower Haspiror as always, this has always been a nice event for me, is another comment
  • I always look forward to Haspiror at Easter, it’s so surprising that they decided to completely ignore Easter, writes another trainer on Reddit
  • Maybe they didn’t realize how early it is in the year and just forgot, speculates another commentator

It remains to be seen whether there will be a spontaneous Easter event after all or whether the Rocket takeover will be the only event over Easter.

What do you think about this? Are you also disappointed and would you have liked an Easter event? What was your highlight in the Easter events of recent years? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments. If you want to know what is coming up next month, take a look at our overview of the events in April 2024 in Pokémon GO.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Netflix: The creators of 3 Body Problem explain how the spectacular ship scene was created

The new Netflix series “3 Body Problem” is the adaptation of a Chinese novel. The creators of the series faced the challenge of adapting a particularly difficult scene from the novel: In the “boat scene”, a ship traveling through the Panama Canal is cut apart by nanofibers. It slices through all aboard, thousands of people. The developers imagined the scene like a cake on a serving cart.

The text contains spoilers for episode 5 of 3 Body Problem.

This is the ship scene: We already talked about the boat scene on MeinMMO on March 25, which reminded us of the opening scene of the horror movie “Ghost Ship”:

  • The “ship scene” is the central scene of episode 5 and is likely the scene that will stick in the minds of most viewers of “3 Body Problem”. It is visually and dramatically an impressive scene.
  • A ship travels through the Panama Canal and is dismantled by tightly stretched, invisible nanofibers. The nanofibers come from scientist Auggie, one of the main characters of the series. The sinister government man Wade (cover image) is leading the operation.
  • The all-cutting effect of the nanofibers and how they slowly, but relentlessly cut through the boat and the passengers are impressively portrayed.

The scene builds up further and further: While the deadly fibers silently cut through the boat, many victims do not realize the danger they are in. But even the few who see the disaster coming are doomed to helplessness.

The scene becomes particularly powerful because not only is there an oil billionaire and his assistants on the boat, but also children, who share the same fate as the intended targets of the operation.

Start video
Final Trailer for the Netflix series 3 Body Problem

More terrifying than in the book

This is what the creators say: David Benioff, known as the creator of Game of Thrones, told journalists in a discussion about the scene:

“We wanted to show it, we didn’t want to skirt around it. I think that seeing something on the screen is more terrifying than in the book. You read these descriptions, but you don’t see the blood. You don’t see children running away. You don’t see children’s backpacks being ripped in half.”

3body-problem
The oil billionaire is not a nasty Bond villain with a mustache, but sees himself on the side of good.

What most readers remember

Executive producer Alexander Woo explains how intricate it was to capture the scene as it is seen in episode 5. The filmmakers saw it as their duty to do justice to the source material and show at least what the readers envisioned in their minds:

“Even in the novels, it is described very clearly. For most readers, it is what they remember the most: the task was for us to achieve or even surpass what the readers imagined. We want to give them everything that the scene implies: just the logistics probably cost us more hours of blood and sweat per frame than any other sequence in the show.”

Where was it filmed? The actual Panama Canal was not used for filming. According to the creators, it was impossible after the Ever Given incident at the Suez Canal.

Ultimately, they filmed at an Olympic rowing venue outside of London and made the scene “somewhat more tropical” in post-production.

Like a cake on a serving cart

This is how the creators envisioned the scene: Steffen Fangmeier, VFX supervisor, has an interesting comparison for the scene:

“Imagine you have a large cake that is being cut into all the different layers, on a serving cart, and you are pushing the cart. When it hits the wall, that is the moment when the layers begin to fall apart. The point of resistance stops the forward momentum and all the pieces suddenly realize: ‘Oh, I am still moving forward because I am no longer actually connected to anything.’

And that’s how we clarified it visually: The top layer goes first and thus relieves pressure from the lower layers and everything starts to slide.”

It’s nice to cut into bodies

How bloody should the scene be? This was an important topic for the creators of 3 Body Problem. Fangmeier says:

It’s nice to cut into bodies. Maybe just below the head. It got a bit gruesome, but not too much. It wasn’t too explicit – [not] like in Kill Bill 2. I still remember the scene: all arms are cut off. Blood is spraying. It got really graphic. And we definitely did not want that.

3body-problem.-ship
The Judgement Day.

The good guys kill thousands of people

What was dramaturgically important to the developers? The creators of the new Netflix series say it was important to show the emotional impact of the attack on “Judgement Day”, because ultimately it is “the good guys” here killing thousands of people. Therefore, it was significant to show the viewers what is happening: that thousands are being sliced apart.

For the scene to have the necessary dramatic effect, the impact on the main characters had to be shown:

“It was important to see Auggie’s reaction to what her technology, which she developed for good, has now done. We had to see Raj, who signed up for something without knowing what it was, and we had to see Wade, who I think was quite satisfied with what was happening.”

More about the ship scene from 3 Body Problem and its impacts:

The new hit series on Netflix makes the best opening scene of a horror film even better

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. polygon
  2. gamespot

Dragon Ball Super reveals what a bad grandpa Son-Goku is – He doesn’t even remember Pan’s name

Son Goku has had two children throughout Dragon Ball – Son Gohan and Son Goten. Gohan is now so old in Dragon Ball Super that he has started his own family – yet Goku cannot remember having a granddaughter.

How could he forget his granddaughter? In the new manga chapter of Dragon Ball Super, Son Goku, Vegeta, Son Gohan, Trunks, Son Goten, and Broly train together. After an exciting battle, the group teleports to Piccolo.

Son Goku asks if the Namekian would like to join in for a fight as well. However, Piccolo mentions that he has to pick up Pan from kindergarten. Goku then seriously asks who Pan is.

You can check out the scene in the following YouTube video by 6wrld:

Recommended editorial content

At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.

I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy.
Link to the YouTube content

This shocks not only Son Gohan but also Vegeta. Goku is a “total disgrace” for forgetting his own granddaughter. This is extremely embarrassing for Son Goku, and he tries to make it seem as if he had remembered her all along.

However, there is a reason why Son Goku cannot remember his granddaughter. The two have not met very often so far. Only with the anime Dragon Ball GT, which is not officially part of the Dragon Ball story, do they get to know each other better.

Pan will probably not make an appearance in Dragon Ball Daima:

Start video
In Dragon Ball DAIMA, Son Goku and his friends shrink

Son Goku has rarely seen Pan

Why can’t he remember? Son Goku has not taken care of his granddaughter as well as he probably should have. Pan was mainly raised by her parents Son Gohan and Videl, but also by her other grandfather Mr. Satan. Piccolo also played an important part in Pan’s upbringing.

Goku has missed a large part of her growing up. One situation in which Pan could see her grandfather was the fight with Botamo. There is also a scene in the Copy-Vegeta saga where Son Goku takes care of his granddaughter Pan. But apart from that, Goku was mostly busy with training or saving the universe.

How does Pan react to Son Goku? In Dragon Ball Super, Pan has already seen her grandfather, but Pan was still a baby at that time. She probably could not remember her grandfather that well. Son Gohan had to explain to his daughter who Son Goku is.

She then rushes towards her grandfather and attacks him with a kick. The two smile at each other and get along wonderfully right away: Son Gohan cannot even stop them from starting a flying race.

Goku’s second son, Son Goten, has also not seen his father very often. He was already in the afterlife at the time of his birth: Dragon Ball: Son of Son Goku looks exactly like him and there is a specific reason for that

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

The mind behind some of the best role-playing games says: ‘Perhaps the gaming industry deserves to die’

The Canadian video game developer David Gaider is the narrative mind behind some of the best role-playing games of all time. He worked for 17 years at BioWare on modern classics such as Baldur’s Gate 2, Neverwinter Nights, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. His most notable work is probably the development of the “Dragon Age” universe. Now he is speaking out clearly about the gaming industry in 2024.

How good are the games Gaider has made?  Gaider is the author of some of the best role-playing games of all time:

  • It started with Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn  – which reached 95 percent on Metacritic in 2000
  • The Star Wars epic “Knights of the Old Republic” (2003) stands at 94 percent on Metacritic
  • Dragon’s Age Origins (2009) received at least 91 percent

He was also responsible for the story of Anthem, but left BioWare in January 2016. Afterwards, the story of the “Everyone is Iron Man” online game was rebooted.

Perhaps not Gaider’s favorite game, but still an important game for many readers of MeinMMO – Anthem:

Start video
Anthem shows the four different combat suits in the launch trailer

Overtime, 1,000 hours of gameplay, and photorealistic graphics

What he says: In an interview, he spoke with PC Gamer about the difficult state of the gaming industry for developers. Many nominally successful companies reported in recent months that they had to lay off hundreds, sometimes even thousands of employees. Some smaller studios even closed their doors completely.

Gaider believes that the current way of doing things does not have to go on forever. However, the current path leads to disaster:

“There is a fear circulating: If we do not push for all this overtime and do not make any AAA games with 200 million dollar budgets and photorealistic graphics and 1,000 hours of gameplay, then we have to start doing that now and make everyone work themselves to death, and that’s how you make video games.

And if that’s really true, then maybe the industry deserves to die. But I don’t think it has to be that way.”

How can it be better? Gaider says that at his new studio Summerfall, they have a 4-day work week and a schedule that is realistic and does not require one to lie to their superiors.

In such an environment, you have people who love their work, and who do not feel like they are just resources to be tapped.

Is he succeeding with that? Gaider’s game “Stray Gods” has a 94 percent positive review rate on Steam, but it was released in August 2023 and, like so many games, was overwhelmed by the “1,000 hours of gameplay” behemoth Baldur’s Gate 3. Currently, it only has about 30 players on Steam.

But Gaider seems to be enjoying his new work.

BioWare has an Anthem trauma

What’s behind this: Gaider has experienced the fate of many developers at BioWare:

  • He was an extremely successful single-player game developer for more than a decade and had built a reputation as an expert.
  • But then the team had to develop an elaborate “service game” because games like GTA Online or Destiny are the dream of every publisher, as they bring in steady money.
  • As we know today, the chaotic work on Anthem made many BioWare employees sick and depressed, and the game simply was not finished.

One can understand why Gaider longs for other working models.

YouTuber Maurice Weber criticizes exactly this type of “service games”:

Recommended editorial content

At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.

I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy.
Link to the YouTube content

What is seen as the reason for the crisis in gaming? Experts see various causes for the crisis:

  • A changed economic climate – due to rising interest rates, money has become more expensive. As a result, it has become extremely difficult to finance new games.
  • Gaming studios grew too rapidly during the pandemic and now need to downsize.
  • Huge games like Baldur’s Gate 3 have captivated players for months, causing everything that was released during that time to flop.
  • The continuously rising demands for games and consequently ever more expensive production – yet the revenues do not grow with it.

More about the terrible work on Anthem back then: An insider report on Anthem casts a dark light on BioWare

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Bill Murray was so disappointed with Ghostbusters 2 that he didn’t want to make a 3rd part

Bill Murray has been the face of Ghostbusters, starring in the first two parts. However, the second part was also the reason why there was never a third one, even though it was successful.

Ghostbusters 2 was released in 1989 and cost about 25 million dollars. According to Box Office Mojo, the sequel grossed over 215 million dollars worldwide. This made the film a huge success for Columbia Pictures.

However, despite the success, there was no third installment in the series. Aside from TV series, the next part of the franchise only came in 2016 in the form of a reboot. After that, two new parts were released, in which Murray appeared as a cameo. You can currently see the latest installment in theaters. However, he never wanted to make a third part himself, as he revealed in an interview.

You can watch the trailer for Frozen Empire here:

Start video
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Trailer

What the hell is that?

In an interview with Collider, Bill Murray also spoke about Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters 2. Even during Ghostbusters 2, Bill Murray said he was somewhat reluctant to participate. He thought that the sequel was made just for the money. However, when the crew from the first part got back together, he had an incredible amount of fun.

We were really funny together. They are a few really wonderful, really funny guys and gals. Sigourney and Annie Potts are truly spectacular women and damn funny.

Bill Murray about the team at Ghostbusters 2 (via. Collider.com)

The story idea that was pitched to the team was said to be really good, which is why the entire team was on board for the second part. However, when the work on Ghostbusters 2 began, according to the interview, it was no longer the original idea. The team was lured to the set with false pretenses, only to find out that the actual idea was no longer there. At the first meeting, Murray is said to have reacted with What the devil is that? What is that thing?

Although the shoot was said to be incredibly fun again, it was mainly due to the other actors and the crew. This explains why Bill Murray, despite the success of the second part, was not involved in any third part, especially since he was not excited about the second part.

In this interview, the actor also talks about the cameos in the later Ghostbusters films and that he did it mainly because of the actors. He found the actresses of the reboot incredibly funny during the shoot. He also praises the legacy sequel from 2021 for its ideas and its proximity to the first film.

Bill Murray has starred in many comedies. One of them made it onto this list: He could be her father: 7 movie pairs with enormous age differences

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Collider
  2. 3DJuegos

FC 24: Some players have an overly high rating – Here EA has distributed gifts

In FC 24, the 15th anniversary of the Ultimate Team mode is currently being celebrated. However, when looking at the real performances of some gold cards, one will notice that EA was quite generous with the ratings in FC 24. We take a look at players who have not been able to justify their ratings so far.

What is it about? The overall ratings and how they come about are a big topic especially before the start and at the beginning of a new FIFA/Ea FC installment. Controversies often arise that some players are considered too weak or too strong.

After half a year of EA FC 24 and after more than half of the season has been played, one can say that some stars in the game are performing better than on the real football pitch. In some cases, this was already evident before the season started.

We present to you 4 players where one may question why they even have such a good rating.

4 Players Whose Performance and Rating Do Not Match

What criteria did we look at? We examined the real statistics of players from the previous season of 22/23 and the current season 23/24 to identify any trends. We relied on the assessments and analyses from Sofascore. These include data from almost all players in most leagues and competitions, providing a good overview.

We limited our selection to cards that have received at least an 84 rating. Exceptions were players who could not participate in games due to injuries and suspensions.

Péter Gulácsi (84) – RB Leipzig

EA FC 24 Gulacsi Gold card

The Hungarian was for years the undisputed number 1 in Leipzig’s goal and always a reliable support. He was among the top 3 goalkeepers in the Bundesliga for a long time. Tragically, Gulácsi tore his cruciate ligament in October 2022 and only made his comeback between the posts in 2024.

However, since his injury, things have been anything but smooth for the goalkeeper. A statistic clearly demonstrates this. According to Sofascore, he has a negative score in the prevented goals metric (-0.56), meaning he concedes even more goals than he should save. In comparison: Oliver Baumann (TSG Hoffenheim), the top-rated goalkeeper in the Bundesliga and a strong candidate for a spot in the Team of the Season, has an impressive score of 5.38 in this area.

As part of a reveal, we made an initial Team of the Season prediction for the Bundesliga. Here you can read the article.

Even before Gulácsi’s cruciate ligament tear, a negative trend was emerging in the Bundesliga. Before his injury, he managed only 0.56 prevented goals per game. If Gulácsi does not improve here, his next card in the next Ultimate Team could see a reduction of at least 2 or 3 rating points.

Marcos Acuña (85) – FC Sevilla

EA FC 24 Acuna Gold card

The left-back is having a forgettable season with his team. The perennial Europa League winners are only in 16th place in their domestic league and need to be careful not to drop further. They also exited the Champions League without a single win. This must have disappointed many owners of Acuña’s Road-To-The-Knockouts card.

The downturn in form is also linked to the weak performances of the usually reliable left-back.

The Argentine has only had one goal contribution in 14 games in La Liga this season. Too little for a full-back in what is supposed to be a top team. With him in the lineup, FC Sevilla always conceded at least one goal. In the past, it was his indiscipline that prevented him from achieving even better performances (3 red cards in 22/23), but this season he has been repeatedly set back by several injuries.

Acuña and his teammates could see significant downgrades in FC 25. Since he has an overall rating of 85, the highest among all FC Sevilla players, his correction downwards could be the most severe.

Ciro Immobile (85) – Lazio Rome (Latium in FC 24)

EA FC 24 Immobile Gold card

In recent years, the rating of the Italian striker has consistently declined. After having a rating of 87 in FIFA 22, it was corrected downwards by one point in the next two installments. In FC 24, Immobile’s rating is only 85, and this season is clearly showing that even this rating might be too high.

Immobile was unable to perform up to the strong performances of previous years in the 22/23 season, where he scored at least 20 goals each season. He only achieved 12 goals and 5 assists. It seems likely that the Italian will fall below this negative value this season. In 25 games so far, Immobile has managed only 6 goals and 1 assist.

The most significant issue: Immobile falls below his expected goals value, as according to statistics (8.37), he should have already scored at least two more goals. In comparison, top striker Lautaro Martínez from Inter exceeds his expected goals by more than 8 goals (23 goals with 14.93 expected).

The aging goal scorer may have been lucky to even receive an 85 card in FC 24. His numbers suggest that this might be the last strong card for Immobile.

He might face the same fate that has befallen other players in FC 24: 5 old favorites that are too poor for your team this year

Marco Verratti (86) – Al-Arabi/Qatar (only available at Paris Saint-Germain in FC 24)

EA FC 24 Verratti Gold card

For a long time, Verratti was considered one of the most important pillars at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and in the Italian national team. In September 2023, he switched to Al-Arabi in Qatar after disagreements with his new coach at PSG and can no longer measure himself against the best players.

However, even before his transfer, Verratti played his worst season since player ratings were introduced (15/16) with an average score of 7.02 on Sofascore. In his last two appearances for the national team (March 2023), Verratti could not really convince and has not been called up since his last appearance over a year ago.

In FC 24, you can still buy Verratti as a PSG player. His card dates back to the beginning of the season. As of now, he cannot be obtained from packs anymore, as the Qatari league is not present in the game. Given his commitment to Al-Arabi, the 86 version is likely to be Verratti’s last strong card.

We have now reached the end of our list. In conclusion, we are interested in your opinion. Are you satisfied with our small selection? Are there players you think EA has overestimated and who do not deserve their rating? Please let us know in the comments.

Finally, we have a recommendation for you: I tested the most popular special card in Ultimate Team and now know why it is so widely played

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Fortnite: Servers are online – All patch notes and leaks for update 29.10

In Fortnite the servers are back online. What patch notes the new update 29.10 has brought, you will find out in our overview.

Patch Notes for Update 29.10

A new vehicle in Rocket Racing

In Fortnite there is a new vehicle that players can secure. The Deus Ex Masamune. The package comes with 13 paint jobs and 6 stickers. We do not know how much the package costs yet.

fortnite-masamune

Three new vehicles in LEGO Fortnite

In LEGO Fortnite you will now be able to build three vehicles. With them, you can explore your surrounding landscape better. The following vehicles are known:

  • The Quad
    • Unlocks when you add an energy cell to your inventory
  • The Offroader
    • Unlocks when you add wooden sticks to your inventory
  • The Truck
    • Unlocks when you add frost pine to your inventory

Each vehicle offers its strengths that you can use on your travels. The Quad is designed for fast travel. The Offroader is worthwhile for transporting people, and the Truck can carry many items to make it easier for you to loot.

To power the vehicles, you need to produce fuel. This is done with the compost container that you can set up in your camp. This allows you to produce biomass, which you can then convert into energy cells using glass.

Additionally, you can tune your vehicles with a wrench. You learn the recipe for this when you add a wooden stick to your inventory.

Important improvements, adjustments, and bug fixes

GAMEPLAY

  • New “Smart Relocation” function: Moves all similar items to a storage location or retrieves them from there.
  • It is now visually easier to see if your constructions are taking damage.
    • In connection with the new vehicle building features, some durability values have been adjusted. When a component breaks, it is recommended to use resources with a higher frequency to reinforce your constructions.
  • Items can now be dropped individually when a stack is picked up.
  • Water areas with fish can now be found at new (and still run-down) docks that are located in lakes and rivers.
  • Improvements have been made to constructions so that they remain stable when entering and exiting caves.
  • Stability bugs of constructions that cover great distances in the game world have been fixed.

OTHER

  • The emote “Grumpy” will be updated in LEGO Fortnite to show the complete intended animation.

Skins receive styles in LEGO Fortnite

The following skins from Fortnite have received new styles:

  • Z.I.E.L.
  • Music Recaller
  • Chatter Brawler
  • Ani Konda
  • Archetype
  • Asmodeus
  • Astrea
  • Autumn Queen
  • Azuki
  • Baba Yaga
  • Bestikor
  • Bone Wasp
  • Bunny Hop
  • Plush Brawler
  • Championship Jonesy
  • Chloe Kim
  • Combat Tech Jules
  • Copper Wasp
  • Corrupted Insight
  • Secretive Cobalt
  • Krustina
  • 1RR3-8
  • Delirium
  • Dream Flower
  • Master Lamp
  • Dynamic Silence
  • Elite Attacker Sephira
  • Elmira
  • Fire Runner
  • Fish Skull
  • Flytrap
  • The Foundation
  • Freestyler
  • Gia
  • Fluff
  • Hackosaurus
  • Heartbreak Ranger
  • High Voltage
  • Hopper
  • Hotwire
  • Scarlet Joni
  • Koi Warrior Zero
  • Kurohomura
  • Kymera
  • Lil’ Split
  • Lama Bro
  • Mecha Pop
  • Mecha Strike Commander
  • Mecha Strike Navigator
  • Eileen
  • Menace
  • Metal Agent
  • Fresh Bomber
  • Miss Bunny Penny
  • Mizuki
  • Moonwalker
  • Mystania
  • Dark Bunny
  • Oblivion
  • Original Renegade
  • Party Winner
  • Party Star
  • Caterpillar Recruit
  • Pizza Pajama
  • The Prisoner
  • Pulse
  • Long Ear Marauder
  • Rally Raider
  • Rift Strider Drift
  • Roast Master
  • Rust Master
  • Safari
  • Saura
  • Sgt. Winter
  • Shade
  • Shadow Bird
  • Shogun
  • Sgt. Brutzel
  • Breath of Fresh Aurum
  • Blowhard
  • Snow Shooter
  • Spy Seeker Siren
  • Storm Racer
  • Hug Horror
  • Stella
  • Summer Drift
  • Swamp Stomper
  • Tiger
  • Forerunner Banshee
  • Versa
  • The Visitor
  • Volpez
  • Webster
  • Wendell
  • Bunny Hop
  • Overflyer
  • Wreck Raider
  • Yee-haw!
  • Yuki
  • Zadie

Tuesday, 26.03.2024

11:20 AM

We end the live ticker and will now provide you with all the patch notes that Epic Games has released. If further disruptions occur, we will inform you. Have fun!

10:56 AM

The servers of Fortnite are active again. We will now provide you with the patch notes for today’s update. So stay tuned!

10:36 AM

When will the Fortnite servers be back online?

This cannot be easily answered yet. Since it is a larger update, the servers could be activated again in the next half hour or only around noon between 11 AM and 1 PM. We will keep you updated.

In the meantime, you can check out all the new skins from the update:

Recommended editorial content

At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.

I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy.
Link to the YouTube content

10:01 AM

If you want to log in, we have to disappoint you. The servers are still unreachable.

09:51 AM

Fortnite has planned a teaser for the upcoming Avatar crossover:

Recommended editorial content

At this point you will find external content from Twitter that complements the article.

I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy.
Link to the Twitter content

09:39 AM

Leakers reveal further leaks about the new skins and styles:

Recommended editorial content

At this point you will find external content from Twitter that complements the article.

I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy.
Link to the Twitter content
Recommended editorial content

At this point you will find external content from Twitter that complements the article.

I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy.
Link to the Twitter content
Recommended editorial content

At this point you will find external content from Twitter that complements the article.

I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy.
Link to the Twitter content

09:27 AM

More weapons are expected to be released. Including water bending and the Deagle:

Recommended editorial content

At this point you will find external content from Twitter that complements the article.

I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy.
Link to the Twitter content

09:26 AM

Once you have downloaded the update, you still cannot log in. The server down is still ongoing.

09:21 AM

It is said that the limited Kratos bundle will return, according to Shiina, the leaker:

https://twitter.com/ShiinaBR/status/1772537955262849389

09:19 AM

Fortnite is delivering many new skins with the big patch. The following are known from leaks:

Recommended editorial content

At this point you will find external content from Twitter that complements the article.

I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy.
Link to the Twitter content
Recommended editorial content

At this point you will find external content from Twitter that complements the article.

I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy.
Link to the Twitter content
Recommended editorial content

At this point you will find external content from Twitter that complements the article.

I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy.
Link to the Twitter content

09:07 AM

The update is available for download and is 7,940 GB on the PS5.

09:05 AM

The servers are now deactivated and the server down is in full swing. Soon the update should be available for download. If that is the case, we will reveal the latest leaks to you.

08:39 AM

Good morning! The servers have already disabled player search and soon the complete server down will also start. We will then provide you with important information like leaks and the current server status.

What is happening today in Fortnite? Epic Games is shutting down the servers of Chapter 5 Season 2 to upload a new update. It is a larger update with many new features for LEGO Fortnite.

If you missed the trailer for Chapter 5 Season 2, here is the video:

Start video
Fortnite Battle Royale Chapter 5 Season 2: Myths & Mortals showcases battles with gods

Fortnite: Server Down – When and how long will they be offline?

This is the downtime in the morning: According to Epic Games, the servers are expected to be shut down at 9:00 AM German time. Matchmaking is already disabled 30 minutes prior, so you will not be able to search for new rounds from 8:30 AM onwards.

Recommended editorial content

At this point you will find external content from Twitter that complements the article.

I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy.
Link to the Twitter content

When can you play again? This is a larger update. It is likely that Epic Games could restart the servers at 12:00 PM or not until 1:00 PM. This is not confirmed.

When will the patch notes come? Epic Games usually publishes a short list of patch notes on their site after the update. If that happens, we will briefly and clearly list them for you here.

What contents could appear with update 29.10?

Epic Games reveals hardly any new information about upcoming content before a new update. This time, it is a smaller patch that has already been described by leakers (via x.com). You can expect the following adjustments:

  • New cosmetic items
  • Items for Avatar Korra and mythical weapons
  • Mythical Drum Weapon from Midas
  • Battle Pass Super Styles
  • New shop tabs
  • New Nike collaboration
  • New Crew Pack
  • and more!

If you are looking for something to read in the meantime, we have the appropriate story for you about Fortnite: Fortnite: 21-Year-Old escapes long ban – Twitch allegedly confused stuffed animal with dog

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. fortnite.com

Bethesda says: The Elder Scrolls 6 is playable and the developers are already having fun playing it

The popular Elder Scrolls series from Bethesda is celebrating its 30th anniversary. On this occasion, Bethesda released a short retrospective of the series, and finally, there was a brief update on The Elder Scrolls 6.

The The Elder Scrolls series is one of the largest and most beloved RPGs of all time. To properly celebrate this anniversary, Bethesda published a message on X reflecting on the long history. In the message, new details about the Skyrim successor The Elder Scrolls 6 were revealed.

Start video
How does it continue after Starfield with The Elder Scrolls 6? – This is what GameStar Talk is discussing

Bethesda provides an update on The Elder Scrolls 6

What’s new about TES 6? Since the announcement of TES 6 at E3 in June 2018 with a brief teaser, not much has happened, as Bethesda has been occupied with the space RPG Starfield in recent years. The head of Starfield, Fallout, and The Elder Scrolls, Todd Howard, admitted that the way The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced was not the best idea.

But now there is finally a little news that ignites the excitement of Skyrim fans: The next chapter is in development and is apparently already being played by the developers.

Developers are already playing with joy and excitement

Here’s what Bethesda says:

Last but not least: Yes, we are working on the next chapter – The Elder Scrolls 6. […] Even now, as we return to Tamriel and play the early versions, it fills us with the same joy, excitement, and sense of adventure.

Bethesda on X

So there are already playable versions of The Elder Scrolls 6. According to statements from Bethesda, the next Elder Scrolls could again take place on the vast continent of Tamriel – just like Skyrim, Morrowind, and Oblivion.

What else was said? Bethesda thanked the loyal fans in the message for contributing to the series’ growth and survival over the years. It’s amazing to see how much the series has grown and how much it still means to everyone, and we owe it all to our player community.

Here you can see the post celebrating the 30th anniversary of The Elder Scrolls on X:

Recommended editorial content

At this point you will find external content from Twitter that complements the article.

I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy.
Link to the Twitter content

When is the release? There is currently no official release date for The Elder Scrolls 6. The game is expected to be released no earlier than 2026, on the following platforms: PC and Xbox. Xbox head Phil Spencer hinted that a release in 2028 or later is likely.

What else is known: The game is not expected to come to PS5.

Player buys all food in Skyrim for 20,000 gold: Feeds everything at once – ends badly

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Player buys AMD graphics card, accidentally gets better model – Responds correctly, reports error to seller

A player wanted to upgrade his gaming system and bought a used RX 6800XT. However, he received a different GPU instead.

A user explained that he wanted to buy an RX 6800 XT. Another player was offering it for about 350 euros. After picking up the graphics card from the seller, he found out that the seller had packed a better model in the box instead. For in the box was an RX 6900 XT.

The user explained on reddit that the seller must have confused the two models and that he would now feel uncomfortable keeping the GPU without addressing it:

My only guess is that when he took the pictures of the two graphics cards, he put the RX 6900 XT in the box of the RX 6800XT. I feel a little guilty and wonder if I should swap it back.

How did it turn out? The user explained that he contacted the seller and told him about the problem. He now wants to pay him the difference for the better graphics card in order to get rid of his guilty feelings:

I will just contact him and ask for the bank account details, as it was a long drive… while I was there, he also offered me the rx 6900 xt for 650 dollars, so I will ask if I can just transfer 100 dollars to his account.

Community appreciates the buyer’s honesty

The honesty of the player receives much praise. Such behavior seems to have become uncommon. The user himself explained that others would probably have taken advantage of his mistake and would never have thought to report the error to the seller.

Especially, when it comes to incorrect shipments from Amazon, users often show little understanding for returning items to Amazon. Many buyers then argue that a company like Amazon has enough money anyways and that it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things if they keep that one RAM bar or that one graphics card. However, many also seem to not want to understand that this amounts to outright fraud.

Honesty can pay off: A German also received 5 graphics cards too many and reported the mistake and was rewarded by the seller for his behavior. It can therefore be worth reporting a mistake directly instead of hiding it.

Another player also recently reported a mistake. This user received a box of RAM from Amazon. He reported the error and subsequently received a response from the seller. How the situation turned out is detailed on MeinMMO:

What happened to the user who accidentally received a box of RAM from Amazon and reported the mistake?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

With a trick, you can summon one of the strongest allies from Helldivers 2 and you don’t need any extra equipment

In Helldivers 2 there are many different stratagems that are supposed to assist the Helldivers in their fight against underestimation. However, one of the strongest allies in the game has to be summoned in a different way.

Which ally are we talking about? An ally that many do not know about is the pickup shuttle “Pelikan 1”. It can actually fight very well and with a trick, it takes out your enemies not only for a short time upon landing, but as a powerful flying ally.

How do you call the shuttle? The “Pelikan 1” spaceship arrives when you request a pickup at the end of a mission. When the spaceship comes and lands, it takes out some enemies on the landing area.

But the spaceship can also hover over the pickup location and take out your opponents from a great distance if you follow a trick.

Did you miss the new war bond? Then we have the right trailer for you:

Start video
Helldivers 2 shows the new war bond ‘On the Edge of the Knife’ in a trailer

How Pelikan 1 becomes a strong ally

How does the trick work? The trick begins after you have summoned the shuttle. Instead of waiting at the position where the shuttle arrives, you move as far away from it as possible. But only far enough that the pickup is not canceled.

When Pelikan 1 begins its landing approach, you run out of the zone as if you were canceling the pickup.

Instead of Pelikan 1 landing to pick you up, the spaceship hovers in the air and announces that the Helldivers are not at the pickup location and starts fighting the enemies.

In this way, the range of the spaceship’s weapons is indeed very far. Helldivers could even potentially use the spaceship to assist in any side missions. 

This trick has also made its way to Reddit. In a video, the user Beginning-Judge-3419 shows how the trick works.

Recommended editorial content

At this point you will find external content from Reddit that complements the article.

I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy.
Link to the Reddit content

How does the community react? The community is celebrating the clip on Reddit and wishes for Pelikan 1 to be a standard support asset that can be called for assistance. Pelikan 1 can also take damage, as seen in the video, which could indicate that the spaceship might actually be a support option at some point.

Sir_Daxus writes: “Good man and apparently a damn good shot. The brother lands these shots from a moving helicopter at about 300 m distance.”

woodenblinds has a wish: “Give me a side shooter position that I can mount to open fire while sitting on the pod, and the rest of the team still runs in the twilight.”

Although you cannot pack Pelikan 1 into your loadout and call it on command, with the trick you might still succeed in some side missions. If you prefer to take on the enemies without air support from Pelikan 1, then check this out: Helldivers 2: Best Loadout – The strongest setup to survive even as a solo player

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

WoW: An item from Classic is still so rare today that most players have never seen it

A player has discovered the Corrupted Ashbringer in World of Warcraft, led by a Blood Elf. The item has not been available in the game since 2008 – a rarity that only a few can truly appreciate today.

What kind of item is this?

  • The Corrupted Ashbringer is a two-handed sword that was dropped in the original version of Naxxramas back in Vanilla. It is among the rarest items in World of Warcraft.
  • The sword drops from the Four Horsemen with a low probability. The weapon belongs to Highlord Mograine. Those who wield it occasionally hear whispers from its owner. Additionally, some allied NPCs suddenly become hostile, and enemies friendly.
  • Originally, the Ashbringer was a holy weapon of the Paladins, corrupted by the unholy power of the Scourge and Mograine’s resurrection. Tirion Fordring later restored the holy Ashbringer.

Why is the Ashbringer so rare? Naxxramas was the last raid in Vanilla WoW and opened in June 2006. Back then, you had to complete a quest and farm reputation just to enter the necropolis.

However, most players never saw the original Naxxramas from the inside – or at least never completed it. There are several reasons for this:

  • Naxxramas was the last and hardest raid of Vanilla, so good equipment was essential.
  • Back then, you needed 40 players just to enter the raid – with the appropriate weapons and armor. Only a small fraction of players were even that far.
  • Only about half a year later, on December 5, 2006, Patch 2.01 was released and with it the next expansion, The Burning Crusade, which went live in January 2007.
Recommended editorial content

At this point you will find external content from Reddit that complements the article.

I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy.
Link to the Reddit content

With Patch 3.0.2 in October 2008, the Corrupted Ashbringer was entirely removed from the loot. This patch marked the beginning of Wrath of the Lich King, and Naxxramas moved to Northrend with a new rider – Mograine disappeared.

Even the best players in the world had only a few months to get through the raid. In comparison: Ahn’Qiraj, the direct predecessor raid, was cleared for the first time after about 4 months.

Naxxramas was a whole level harder, and the Four Horsemen, where the Ashbringer drops, were among the more challenging fights. The mechanics there require several tanks and excellent coordination; otherwise, a wipe is imminent.

WoW also has some particularly rare mounts:

Start video
6 of the rarest mounts in WoW – Do you own them?

“I love seeing those people”

A user on Reddit has now seen the Corrupted Ashbringer “in real life” for the first time ever. Exciting enough for a post with hundreds of upvotes and comments – and some sad stories.

With the release of WoW Classic in 2019, Naxxramas was also reopened. Those who couldn’t obtain the Ashbringer in 2006 got a new chance here. One user recounts:

[Ashbringer] dropped in 2019 during one of our last Naxx runs ever. I won it. But we had this Ret Paladin who was so deeply embedded in the guild, and the Corrupted Ashbringer was his biggest dream. So I gave him the thing. The homie was ecstatic.

And stopped a week later.

By the way, the Corrupted Ashbringer was later brought back into the game, as a hidden artifact skin for the Ashbringer for Paladins in Legion. However, this new version looks newer and quite different. The “original” can now only be obtained in Classic Era, nowhere else.

Many players who currently wield the original Corrupted Ashbringer have likely since quit. One user states: It’s always great to see people with special achievements in the game. The Ashbringer, Ati’esh, or the title Scarab Lord: “We can never have that, but it’s cool to have such awe-inspiring things in the game.”

Despite the legends surrounding the Ashbringer, it is not the rarest item from Vanilla back then. The truly greatest rarity is quite different and rather unknown: The rarest item in WoW Classic is so rare that you probably don’t recognize it

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Reddit
  2. WoWPedia

Gimli’s actor did not believe in the success of The Lord of the Rings, was already planning his exit

The actor John Rhys-Davies played the role of the dwarf Gimli in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. With his grumpy mood, he provided funny quotes. Especially his rivalry with Legolas is likely to be remembered by many fans. In a podcast, he honors his role and rants that he actually wasn’t very excited about The Lord of the Rings. He didn’t even believe in the success of the trilogy.

Why did he not believe in the success? According to Rhys-Davies, director Peter Jackson had no idea what it meant to make a big movie. At that time, he himself had around 30 years of acting experience and cited Shogun as a positive example of what a good series could look like.

Other well-known roles of Rhys-Davies included:

  • Sallah in Indiana Jones – Raiders of the Lost Ark
  • General Leonid Pushkin in James Bond 007 – The Living Daylights
  • Professor Maximilian Arturo in Sliders – The Gateway to Another Dimension

He thought that the first part of the “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy would be a flop. Thus, he didn’t see the other two parts in theaters but rather as direct video releases.

You can watch the humorous interview in the following YouTube video from Inside Of You Clips:

Recommended editorial content

At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.

I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy.
Link to the YouTube content

Gimli actually wanted a completely different role

Why did he rant so much? Actually, Rhys-Davies wanted to play a completely different role. He had hoped to take on the role of Denethor. But the role was given to John Noble, and Rhys-Davies was offered the role of Gimli.

And the actor was not at all excited about that:

  • In this role, he would have to spend 5-6 hours in makeup to look like a dwarf. His agent tried to reassure him that it would only take an hour.
  • He would have to spend three years in New Zealand since a complete trilogy was planned.
  • Two people would have been upset if he hadn’t accepted the role. His agent said that Rhys-Davies had to play Gimli to further build his good reputation. His son argued that the stories of The Lord of the Rings could be found in every bookstore worldwide and that his father had to participate.

Rhys-Davies tells this with such a grumpy undertone that a fan in the comments of the YouTube video writes that he would be the perfect angry dwarf. It is also funny that a man who is 1.85 m tall was chosen for the role of a dwarf.

How did he plan his exit? Rhys-Davies ultimately agreed because he wanted to see if his prejudices were justified. At that time, he had already come up with a plan B for his exit. After a while, he wanted to approach the director to ask him to return to his homeland.

As an excuse, the actor wanted to use his sick wife and family. This way, he wouldn’t have to be away from his family for too long.

Currently, fans of The Lord of the Rings can look forward to the second season of Rings of Power: The Lord of the Rings: The second season of “Rings of Power” is supposed to be dirtier and darker than the first

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

One Piece: Luffy has become even stronger and reminds of Tom and Jerry

In the current manga chapter of One Piece, a battle is raging between Luffy and the World Government. In order to stand against his strong opponents, Luffy shows what Gear 5 can do, and it seems there are no limits.

Who is Luffy currently fighting?

Luffy’s opponents are more dangerous than anything seen before. That’s why he is finally showing what Gear 5 can do, and it seems that the Devil Fruit is continuously evolving.

You can see the opening for the current arc here:

Start video
One Piece – The 26th Opening for the Egghead Island Arc has been released

Things are heating up on Egghead Island. The Five Elders have appeared and are trying to stop Luffy, Vegapunk, and company with their Devil Fruits, which turn them into mythological monsters. A Buster Call has also been activated, and chaos reigns. At least the giants have appeared to help Luffy.

Meanwhile, Luffy is fighting against the Elders, using his fruit in interesting ways. In one panel, Luffy takes a tree and transforms it, along with its color and shape, into a huge baseball bat.

We also see the typical Gear 5 expressions with bulging eyes. His abilities are reminiscent of cartoon fights, such as in Tom and Jerry. What is interesting here is exactly what his ability can do.

There has been talk in the series about awakened Devil Fruits. These are said to be able to manipulate their surroundings with their ability. But with Luffy, it goes further; he can do more than just turn the surroundings into rubber. The Rubber Man can manipulate reality, transform objects, and essentially do anything he can imagine.

It is now known that Luffy does not have the Rubber Fruit, but the Nika Fruit. The sun god Nika is a symbol of freedom in the One Piece world. Therefore, one can assume that Luffy’s abilities are even limitless and that he has the freedom to do whatever he wants.

And this is just the beginning. Luffy has not had this form for long, so one can be curious about what else Luffy can manipulate with his ability. He will need this power, as according to his own statement, the Five Elders are immortal. In Pirate Warriors 4, one can now also play as Gear 5 Luffy, but he is not the strongest character: One Piece Pirate Warriors 4: Developers reveal who the strongest character in the game is – It is neither Shanks nor Luffy.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

The Nintendo Switch gets a new update – What’s in the new version 18.0.0

Nintendo has released version 18.0.0 for the Nintendo Switch. Read our patch notes and important changes.

Nintendo has recently released a new update. After the update, the Switch firmware should now be at version 18.0.0. Despite the version number, the update does not bring much, and the improvements are limited.

New language and a new sleep mode for the Switch

What changes are there? The most important new feature is an additional option for the sleep mode settings, which relates to the automatic sleep mode when playing on the television. You can find the official patch notes right below (via mynintendonews.com):

Nintendo Switch patch notes for 18.0.0:

  • “15 minutes” has been added as an option for “Automatic Sleep Mode when Playing on the Television” in the sleep mode settings.
  • Korean has been added as a supported language for the “Nintendo Switch Parental Controls” introduction video.
  • General improvements to system stability to enhance the user experience.

Were there any other changes? No, aside from the three mentioned points, there were no significant changes in the Nintendo Switch.

How do I start the update? Go to system settings and select the “Console” option. Here, select “System Update” to begin the update process. Your console will now check for a new system update. If a new system update is available, it will be downloaded automatically. Finally, your console will restart.

If you have purchased a Switch or are starting it for the first time, the Switch takes over many settings. But in addition to the basic settings, there are also a few more tips and hints that you should keep in mind.

11 tips and settings for the Nintendo Switch that you should definitely know

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

After the changes on Twitch, Papaplatte fears for his status: ‘What I was afraid of has happened’

The Twitch streamer Papaplatte recently shared his fears regarding changes to his streaming concepts and his current position during a stream.

What makes Papaplatte so successful? Papaplatte is undoubtedly one of the biggest Twitch streamers in Germany. His latest triumph was at this year’s Stream Awards, where he won a total of ten awards. However, his overwhelming victory has also sparked controversies.

Some other well-known creators have expressed their views on this debate. Among them was Niekbeats, who reminded everyone how Papaplatte helped a viewer win one million euros on the TV show hosted by Joko and Klaas. He also referred to Papaplatte’s exciting duel with the renowned streamer xQc at the Reddit event r/Place. Niek emphasized that Papaplatte deserves every award due to his outstanding performances and commitment.

This view was shared not only by Niekbeats but also by some other influential Twitch colleagues. Over the weekend, Dan Clancy, the CEO of Twitch, had a conversation with Matthew “Mizkif” Rinaudo.

Mizkif expressed his admiration for Papaplatte and admitted that he often visits his streams for inspiration because Papaplatte truly has great ideas. Additionally, he praised the loyal community of the German streamer.

Learn more about xQc, with whom Papaplatte has streamed together several times:

Start video
From Overwatch professional to number 1 on Twitch to 100 million $ – Who is xQc?

However, this success brings new fears

What is Papaplatte afraid of? In a recent stream where he spoke with the well-known streamer BastiGHG, Papaplatte decided to share his deepest fears openly.

He explained that he currently sees himself as the biggest streamer in Germany, without wanting to sound arrogant. However, this very position has brought him new fears – the fear of losing that position again.

Papaplatte reflected on this statement and recognized that his numerical ranking in the leaderboard shouldn’t actually matter. Whether he is in 1st place, 2nd place, or another position, in his opinion, shouldn’t be the most important thing. Nevertheless, he admitted that the fear of not being at the top anymore had unconsciously been ingrained in his thinking.

The origin of the fear of losing his position

Where does this fear come from? In recent weeks, Papaplatte has made some changes to his content and his presentation. However, these changes have stressed him out a lot because he fears that they could jeopardize his position as a leading streamer. Interestingly, he emphasized that he is not concerned with comparing himself to others.

Rather, another fact disturbs him. He described how his content and events currently work smoothly and how he is omnipresent on platforms like TikTok. The fear that this successful phase could come to an end amplifies his worries about losing his position as a top streamer.

“This is the biggest change I’ve made”

What exactly has he changed? One of the most significant changes that Papaplatte has made in recent weeks concerns the length and timing of his streams. Papaplatte mentioned that the most drastic change is that he has stepped back. “This is the biggest change I’ve made: just going online whenever I want,” he explained.

By now allowing himself the freedom to stream when it suits him best, he can, for example, rest adequately and approach the stream more relaxed. The length of his streams has also reduced compared to earlier times.

Why did he change that? Papaplatte further explained that the current streaming meta has fundamentally changed. It is no longer necessary to stream for days on end for 16 hours at a time to be successful. Instead, success nowadays mainly comes from platforms like TikTok and YouTube. If these platforms perform well, often just four hours of streaming are enough to maintain a strong bond with his community.

Recommended editorial content

At this point you will find external content from TikTok that complements the article.

I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy.
Link to the TikTok content

How well is the change being received? Despite the drastic reduction in his streaming times, this has had no negative impact on his earnings. On the contrary, on some days his donations were even double what they were before.

He emphasized that his primary concern is not money, but rather the quality of his content and entertaining his viewers. He takes the number of his subscriptions as an indicator, which would show how entertaining a stream is.

This assessment was confirmed by BastiGHG, who added that the streams are now more compact and filled with more content, instead of dragging on like “stretched chewing gum”.

In 2021, Papaplatte, together with Trymacs, set the viewer record on Twitch in a gigantic event focused on old Pokémon cards. You can read more about it here: 356,000 fans watched Trymacs & Papaplatte on Twitch – Was that the viewer record?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Dragon’s Dogma 2: Important improvements are coming, annoying construction sites remain – This is what the players say

The Capcom developers have revealed which issues are to be resolved with the first updates of Dragon’s Dogma 2. While important points are on the list of fixes, there are still numerous additional requests from the community.

What has Capcom announced? The developers of Dragon’s Dogma 2 have revealed which improvements the first updates of the RPG will bring.

Updates for all platforms

  • There will be an option that allows you to start a new game even if there is already a saved game.
  • In the Vassal Guilds, the purchasable number of the item Art of Metamorphosis, with which you can change the appearance of characters afterwards, will be increased to 99.
  • The quest that provides you with your first home will be made available earlier in the game – to give you a quicker alternative for saving and resting.
  • Diverse text display errors will be fixed.
  • Diverse bugs will be fixed.

No bugs, just dragons – in the launch trailer of Dragon’s Dogma 2:

Start video
For the launch, Dragon’s Dogma 2 will receive a final trailer

Updates for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series

  • You will receive an option to enable or disable motion blur.
  • You will receive an option to enable or disable ray tracing.
  • You will receive an option to set the frame rate to variable or a maximum of 30 frames per second.

Updates for Steam

  • The quality will be improved when you enable DLSS Super Resolution.
  • A bug will be fixed that caused models to be displayed in low quality under certain settings.

This can only be the beginning

What does the community say about the announcement? The developers at Capcom emphasize that further updates will follow, for example, to optimize the game’s performance. However, the wishlist from the community is still significantly longer (via X).

  • Diverse players wish for the option to hide the helmet – this is currently not possible.
  • At the top of the list are also more save slots to be able to play multiple characters in parallel without mods.
  • In several posts, fans of the RPG wonder why improving performance is not the top priority on all platforms.
  • There are also smaller wishes, like a backpack that can be strapped on in addition to the cape – to slightly increase the carrying capacity and improve immersion in the process.
  • Lastly, it is criticized that Capcom continues to rely on the copy protection software Denuvo despite the criticism – which has a rather poor reputation among many players.

What improvement requests are at the top of your list? Which issues does Capcom need to address promptly? Or are you satisfied with the current state of Dragon’s Dogma 2? Let us know in the comments!

By the way, did you know? The vassals in Dragon’s Dogma 2 gossip like real people and tell other players your secrets.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. X (Twitter)