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If Not Eddie Brock, Who Is Venom in Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2?

Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2 game made a brief appearance at Summer Game Fest 2023, where we learned two important details about the long-awaited sequel. It’s hitting stores in October, and the version of Venom featured in the game isn’t Eddie Brock. In fact, Insomniac is setting out to introduce a version of Venom very different from what fans have seen before in the comics, shows and movies.

But if Venom isn’t Eddie Brock, then who is bonded to the symbiote this time around? What possibilities are there that don’t follow the same path as Venom stories of the past? Let’s break down a few theories and potential options based on the direction of the Insomniac series so far.

Harry Osborn

At this point in Insomniac’s Spider-Man series, all signs point to Peter Parker’s childhood friend Harry Osborn becoming the Venom of this universe. One of the quest lines in the first game establishes that Harry has become terminally ill with Oshtoran Syndrome, the same disease that killed his mother. Harry’s father, the former mayor Norman Osborn, has devoted his wealth and resources to finding a cure. That includes attempting to harness the power of Devil’s Breath.

Both the previous games include post-credits scenes hinting that the disgraced Norman has now turned to the Venom symbiote for the answer to save his son. Spider-Man ends with a scene of Norman approaching Harry’s stasis tank and interacting with a black tendril. Miles Morales: Spider-Man features a similar scene where Harry awakens and Norman orders a reluctant Dr. Curt Connors to unlock Harry’s stasis tube.

The implication certainly seems to be that Harry will become Venom in Spider-Man 2. Perhaps the game is leaning more on Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man comics, which depict the black costume as a medical device gone amok rather than an alien symbiote. If the game is anything like those comics, then Harry has been driven mad by his bond with this powerful suit, forcing Peter and Miles to team up against New York’s latest supervillain.

It is worth pointing out that the idea of Harry becoming Venom isn’t completely new. The animated series Ultimate Spider-Man also depicted Harry as Venom’s host in its early seasons. If Insomniac is trying to truly differentiate this Venom from previous incarnations, that could rule out Harry. Still, if the symbiote shoe fits…

Norman Osborn

Insomniac’s Spider-Man universe features a version of Peter Parker who’s been active as Spidey for a number of years. However, in all that time he’s never faced off with arguably his greatest foe – Green Goblin. Up until the end of the first game, Norman Osborn is still a respected businessman and politician, and he clearly hasn’t succumbed to madness and become the Green Goblin yet.

Maybe that’s because Norman is destined for a slightly different fate in the Insomniac universe. What if he becomes Venom himself? Maybe Spider-Man 2 is combining two of the greatest Spidey villains into one.

If this is the direction the game is headed, then perhaps Norman is finally given that final push into insanity by the death of his son. Perhaps the Venom suit fails to keep Harry alive, or maybe he dies during the time Peter is bonded with the suit. At that point, Norman might turn it into a weapon to take out his grief and rage on the two Spider-Men. That’s certainly one way to establish a personal grudge between Venom and Spidey.

Peter Parker or Miles Morales

One way to completely subvert fan expectations in Spider-Man 2 would be to make Peter or Miles become Venom themselves. As it is, we know Peter will wear the symbiote costume for at least part of the game, and it brings out his anger and aggression in the process. Traditionally, Peter is able to break free from the symbiote’s influence and reject the suit before it consumes him, leaving its next host to become Venom instead. But what if this universe avoids that trend by having Peter fail to overcome the suit’s corruptive influence?

Another possibility is that Peter rejects the suit at a key point in the game, causing it to choose Miles instead. Perhaps the suit preys on Miles’ inner pain and anguish over losing his father and the other tragedies he’s endured in the previous two games. We’re getting a taste of Peter’s dark side in the footage revealed so far. What about Miles?

The main problem with this theory is that making Peter or Miles into Venom removes one of the core selling points of the game – the idea that you take control of both Spider-Men. Would players accept being limited to one or the other at a certain point in the story mode? On the other hand, it would be very interesting if Spider-Man 2 gives players a choice in which hero falls and becomes Venom, allowing for two completely different outcomes and two different endings.

Ganke Lee

Spider-Man: Miles Morales focuses a lot on the bond between Miles and his BFF/superhero assistant Ganke. Ganke is there throughout the game to provide some much-needed banter, long-distance tech support and useful advice. He’s a character you can’t help but love. So what better way to turn the screws on players than by turning Ganke into Venom?

Based on the footage we’ve seen so far, it seems that Ganke will initially start out by serving a similar role in the new game. But who’s to say that won’t change over time? Once Peter rejects the symbiote, maybe it finds a home with Miles’ best friend. We’ve seen in the past how Peter struggles and sometimes fails to prevent his life as Spider-Man from bringing harm to those he loves. Transforming Ganke into Venom is a way of bringing the true cost of Spider-Man home for Miles.

Mary Jane Watson

The Insomniac games have made a concerted effort to veer in a very different direction where Mary Jane Watson is concerned. Unlike the comics, this MJ isn’t a supermodel or damsel in distress, but a crusading reporter who often willingly throws herself in harm’s way. But where the games do stick to the source material is in depicting MJ as someone Peter cares for very deeply, even if his superhero lifestyle drives a wedge between them.

Spider-Man 2 could easily throw players for a loop by having Mary Jane be the one who transforms into Venom. Granted, the artwork revealed at Summer Game Fest seems to depict a male villain, but who’s to say a woman couldn’t be lurking beneath all those muscles and tendrils? It would be a way of throwing another tragic wrench in the works of Peter and MJ’s relationship without simply killing her off, Gwen Stacy-style.

Kraven

Alongside Venom and Lizard, we know Kraven the Hunter will be one of the main villains of Spider-Man 2. As the recent cinematic trailer reveals, Kraven has grown bored hunting others in his private jungle retreat. He craves a real hunt, and he’s found it in the various costumed superheroes and metahumans of New York City.

But while Kraven is clearly a dangerous opponent, it’s fair to wonder if he really has what it takes to stand against two united Spider-Men. He’s a character with little in the way of super-powers himself, just mystical potions and a real knack for stalking his prey.

Fans are wondering how the game’s Kraven storyline will ultimately intersect with the Venom storyline. What if Kraven and Venom turn out to be one and the same? The idea is that Kraven is soundly defeated in his attempt to take down the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Men, causing him to resort to desperate measures and bond with the Venom symbiote. At that point, he absorbs his enemy’s power into himself and becomes a true threat to Peter and Miles. Maybe this version of Venom is the ultimate hunter.

For more on Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, find out about the game’s preorder bonuses and how much bigger the sequel’s world map will be.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Greyhill Incident Review

Like a low-budget, fan-made sequel to a classic movie, Greyhill Incident eagerly incorporates all the worst parts of the genuine article, neglects all of the best parts, and has nothing original to say of its own. This lifeless horror game is so barebones that it manages to make something as exciting as an alien invasion feel more like a visit from the in-laws, with all of the same wasted time and low-stakes hiding under beds. With a story and voice performances that are laughably bad, stealth gameplay that’s determined to disrespect your time as much as possible, bland environments, and all manner of weird bugs gunking up an already unenjoyable sequence of chores, Greyhill Incident offers very few reasons to recommend it. Even when it’s so bad it comes dangerously close to being hilarious, no amount of chuckling or facepalms can save this dud of a game.

Greyhill Incident attempts to tell a classic alien invasion story, putting you in the conspiratorial, government-hating boots of Ryan: a single father who wields a baseball bat and is always extremely angry about everything. Our emotionally unstable protagonist springs into action when small gray aliens invade his rural town and begin abducting the population…but he does this by roaming around collecting tin foil as protection and helping his even more paranoid neighbors free themselves from the safes they’ve locked themselves inside.

The story that follows is meandering and utter nonsense, and has you completing an unbroken chain of silly errands around town that have only vague objectives like “find Rachel.” They offer no waypoints of any kind, leaving you to wander until you find the door key or a gas tank you need to progress. There’s nothing surprising or funny, just chores. All that drudgery concludes with a complete non-ending just three hours later, which feels like it should be the end of the first act, not the whole story. At least it graciously concludes this misadventure, which paradoxically lasts way too long and is also far too short.

The dialogue is, without question, some of the most gobsmackingly painful stuff it has ever been my displeasure to listen to. I simply cannot, under any circumstances, be convinced it was not primarily written and performed by an AI chat bot – and not one of the good ones, either. Stilted delivery sounds like it’s being read off a cue card by someone sentenced to do so as a bizarre form of court-mandated community service, and the result is woefully cringe-inducing. Lines like, “I know how to shoot because of the Vietnam War,” and, “Dad, we need to get out of this cursed place, I hate this neighborhood hole” will likely live rent-free in my head until my twilight years. It’s truly harrowing stuff.

The dialogue is so bad I thought it might be intentional at times.

In fact, the dialogue and the overall janky vibe of Greyhill Incident are so appallingly bad that at times I considered if it might’ve been intentional – an ironically made “horror” game intended to amuse. But even if it is, the occasional amusingly awful voice acting or bad joke sandwiched in between much longer stretches of terrible gameplay doesn’t do much to positively impact one’s enjoyment, regardless of whether it’s viewed as comedy or horror. And even if it were trying to be funny, and at least some of the time I believe it is, the jokes largely fall flat aside from the infrequent shocked guffaw when something so incredibly stupid happens it becomes impossible not to react. That said, those occasions were legitimately some of Greyhill Incident’s best moments, even if they don’t come close to being at all worth the squeeze.

The real tragedy of Greyhill Incident, though, is in what it asks you to do: walk around extremely slowly and hide from unintimidating gray aliens armed with toy guns for its entire duration. This is a stealth game seemingly determined to prove that stealth mechanics aren’t fun, with some of the most unconscionable design decisions I’ve seen in a long time. Chief among those failures is how slow you move while crouching or walking, which draws even the smallest tasks out for far too long. Crouching is necessary to avoid the attention of the aliens that move to abduct you on sight, but even if you could get away with sprinting through each area, you still have a stamina meter that takes absolute eons to restore itself, evidently meant to serve as a punishment to those who fail at stealth.

The actual stealth mechanics to aid you in not getting groped to death are almost nonexistent: you can hide in trash cans and cars as you find them in the world, and… that’s literally the end of the list. Hiding, as is often the case in stealth games, is not particularly fun on its own, and you should expect to spend interminable minutes on end doing literally nothing other than peering out of an outhouse as you wait for your slow-moving pursuers to pass by. Crouching in bushes or taking to the cover of dark does nothing to conceal you; aliens see right through it – maybe they have super-vision, but Greyhill Incident doesn’t gasp that easy opportunity to write out its failures. You don’t have any bricks or bottles to throw, or any other ways to distract the enemy; in fact, there are no ways to spice up stealth even a little. You just keep your distance, crouch, and don’t turn on your very loud, hand-cranked flashlight – which of course makes that item entirely pointless. That’s all there is to it, and it’s exactly as dull as it sounds.

Let’s talk about the aliens that hunt you, because they are perhaps the least interesting horror monsters ever created. They’re small, gray, dim, and make cartoon noises as if to accentuate their non-threatening nature. Don’t get me wrong: they can kill you. In fact, they got me good a fair number of times during my playthrough. When they see you, they speed-walk toward you and grab you, giving you just a few seconds to break free before the screen fades to black and you’re informed you’ve been abducted – it’s just that none of that is scary, only aggravating. They look silly, can be easily fought off and escaped, and they curl up on the ground like complete wussies when you smack them with a baseball bat. (Not that I would do much better after being smacked with a baseball bat, but I am a mere human who is not trying to terrorize anyone.) If I were actively trying to make inoffensive enemies that scared absolutely no one, I’d be hard-pressed to come up with something that tops these sorry goobers.

Aliens are laughable once you realize how easy it is to kill them.

The aliens become even more laughable once you realize just how easy it is to just straight-up kill them. You won’t find much ammo for your revolver in Greyhill (which is one of the most unrealistic parts of the setting, since it’s supposed to be a rural American town rife with Old Glory and tractors), but you only need two bullets to kill any alien that’s bothering you so that’s okay. If you’re out of ammo, though, swatting enemies with your baseball bat stuns them long enough to give you a chance to escape, and doing so enough times kills them. It’s still usually less trouble to sneak past them, but armed with the knowledge that they’re basically just stubby gray losers makes the whole experience even more low-stakes.

Finally, there’s the bugs – and boy oh boy does Greyhill Incident have some doozies. First, there’s performance issues, which to be fair weren’t all that common, but when they did hit were really bad. One time the framerate dropped to unendurable levels until I quit and relaunched. Sometimes parts of objects in the world just disappear, like one area where the top of a fireplace popped out of existence to create the appearance of a homemade people-smoker. The biggest one, though, is that voice lines constantly overlap; in fact, I feel like my character had more instances where he’d talk over his own dialogue than times where he didn’t. Listening to one line of terrible dialogue is bad enough as it is, but two terrible lines of dialogue at the same time is where I draw the line, good sir!

Sonic Superstars Developers Explain Why They’re Finally Abandoning Green Hill Zone

For the past few years, the Sonic franchise has had a Green Hill Zone problem. The opening level to 1991’s original Sonic the Hedgehog is certainly iconic, but it seemed like the Blue Blur was returning to Green Hill just as often as Star Wars revisits Tatooine.

Sonic fans played through levels set in Green Hill Zone in 2011’s Sonic Generations, Sonic Forces and Sonic Mania in 2017, and last year in Sonic Origins and Sonic Frontiers. But in Sonic Superstars — Sega’s newly-announced sidescrolling Sonic game with 3D graphics and four-player co-op — the series is finally speeding away from the classic levels we’ve seen time and time again. In an interview with IGN, Sonic series producer Takashi Iizuka said Sonic Superstars will be full of fresh locations.

“In Sonic Mania, Green Hill Zone changed up a little bit,” Iizuka said through an interpreter. “And even Sonic Origins, we did have Green Hill as part of Sonic the Hedgehog. But what we wanted to do with Sonic Superstars is really create something new and go in there and create these brand new islands that you get to explore as Sonic… We wanted to take Sonic to [the] brand new North Star Islands and have Sonic run around in this new environment. So we wanted to make brand new places for Sonic to go in this new title.”

That’s right — no Green Hill, no Chemical Plant, no levels you’ve seen in prior 2D Sonic games. That being said, Sonic Superstars is set to return to Sonic’s foundation from a gameplay perspective. Sega’s announcement of Sonic Superstars said Sonic’s movements, physics, and controls will feel familiar to longtime fans, and Iizuka also explained how Superstars is a return to the classics.

We wanted to make brand new places for Sonic to go in this new title

“One of the things we wanted to do is make sure we really had the roots of that classic gameplay solid. And I’m sure the classic gameplay, you’re playing as Sonic, you jump, you go into a ball and you attack the enemies. The very first thing the team did was went and replicated that classic gameplay down very precisely. So when you’re playing Sonic Superstars, you’re going through the core classic Sonic game loop. You’re running, you’re jumping, you’re getting into a ball, you’re defeating enemies and you’re continuing forward.”

But you won’t only get to play as Sonic. Sonic Superstars introduces four-player local co-op into the mix, where players can choose between Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose. The additional characters retain the unique actions you’d expect from the series: Tails can fly, Knuckles can glide and climb, and Amy can use her hammer.

The classic approach will also carry over to the story presentation in Sonic Superstars. Iizuka said there won’t be voiceover or a lot of text in the story. Instead — in classic Genesis fashion — the story will unfold simply by watching characters move around and interact with each other in between levels.

Of course, the biggest difference you’ll immediately notice between Sonic Superstars and the 16-bit originals is the graphics. Sonic Superstars uses a 3D aesthetic, which we’ve previously seen in the Classic Sonic sections of games like Sonic Generations and Sonic Forces. But now a whole game is being built around this style, which Iizuka said will bring new gameplay opportunities.

“It is that 2D classic Sonic game, but because we’re using 3D models to create the world and the characters. We’re able to do things inside of that 2D gameplay formula that we couldn’t have done before. So sometimes it’s going to be sending the character back further into the world. Maybe it’s going to be turning the character, spinning the character in a way that we couldn’t really do with the classic look and the pixel art. Or it could be a boss battle that we’re going to have in this kind of 3D space. There’s all these things we can do because we have 3D models, even though we have a 2D game style and a game format, we’re able to play around and do things that the classic Genesis and Game Gear titles couldn’t do.”

Sonic Superstars is coming to PlayStation 5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC this Fall.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over seven years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Final Fantasy 16: A Closer Look at Hunt Battles – IGN First

While Final Fantasy XVI has a linear structure for the most part, there are also four vast areas that the player can freely explore. In these areas lurk tough enemies, called Notorious Marks. As they are side content, engaging in battle against them is completely optional. However, players who do slay them can receive precious rewards.

Each of these enemies has a rank, which indicates its strength. Of course, the higher the rank, the better the rewards. Notorious Marks can be found by naturally exploring the game’s open areas, but you can also learn their location through the Hunt Board, which protagonist Clive can access in the hideaway area.

In our exclusive video, you can see two different Notorious Mark battles. Grimalkin is a level 32 monster of rank C that is somewhat reminiscent of a hyena or leopard. Before you get to fight it, you will have to take care of a pack of Wild Nakks that seem to be functioning as its henchmen. Grimalkin charges at you with its fierce claws, but while its attacks are powerful, its motions aren’t easy to read. As long as you manage to dodge and counterattack at the right time, Grimalkin shouldn’t be too difficult to defeat.

As long as you manage to dodge and counterattack at the right time, Grimalkin shouldn’t be too difficult to defeat.

The same cannot be said for Atlas, the second Notorious Mark in our video. Atlas is a level 45 S-ranked enemy that looks similar to an Iron Giant, one of Final Fantasy’s most iconic enemies. It wields a sword with a long reach and fires projectiles that target the player from above. A long-reach attack in which Atlas swings its sword sideways while shooting a beam is particularly powerful and difficult to avoid. In the video, the player is using the Titanic Block Eikonic Ability while fighting in close combat, but will they be able to defeat it?

Final Fantasy XVI releases for PlayStation 5 on June 22. Be sure to check out our exclusive boss battle gameplay of Liquid Flame (see above), a commentary video on the game’s Eikonic Abilities straight from the devs, and gameplay from two of the game’s dungeons.

Access-Ability Summer Showcase Spotlights Sniper Elite 5, Bossgame: The Final Boss Is My Heart, and More

The first annual Access-Ability Summer Showcase just aired, unveiling varying accessibility options and design practices across 15 upcoming and current titles. Created by accessibility consultant Laura Kate Dale, the showcase is the first of its kind dedicated exclusively to the disabled experience.

Games like Bossgame: The Final Boss Is My Heart, Sniper Elite 5, Upheaval, and BLINNK and the Vacuum of Space are just some of the exciting and accessible examples that we’ll explore here.

Boss Rushes and Romance

Bossgame: The Final Boss Is My Heart (watch the segment here), developed by Lily Valeen explores the relationship between “two broke girlfriends who hunt devils to pay their rent.” Beyond rhythm-based gameplay, the story revolves around building the relationship between Sophie and Anna, as well as explore the mysteries behind Mammon City.

For disabled players, settings like “Automatic Block,” “Invincibility,” and the capability to alter Player Attack Damage and Energy Recovery reduce reaction times and energy levels for physically and cognitively disabled players. Further, the options do not diminish the overall story or themes. Disabled individuals can still fully build relationships with Sophie and Anna.

Bossgame: The Final Boss Is My Heart is currently available on Android and iOS and will launch on PC this month.

Sniping Nazis Is as Accessible as Ever

Karl Fairburne returns for the fifth installment of Sniper Elite (watch the segment here), developed by Rebellion. This entry tasks Fairburne with learning more about Project Kraken while doing what he does best – snipe nazis.

Sniper Elite 5 is the most accessible entry in the series, with options to customize subtitle size, color, and opacity. Physically disabled players can alter controls, activate aim assist, and even turn off friendly fire and change difficulties. Rebellion has even implemented new settings since its release, like automatic traversal, movement, and toggles for crucial mechanics like aiming. The developer encourages feedback from the disabled community across varying channels like Discord and social media.

Sniper Elite 5 is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC

Accessible Text Adventures in Upheaval

Developed by Alex Leone, Upheaval (watch the segment here) is described as a text-based, open-world adventure game where players must gather magical artifacts in 30 game days to stop an evil magician.

Accessibility was crucial during the development stages of Upheaval, with design practices like turn-based gameplay ensuring disabled players can rest between actions. Couple that with exclusive mouse or keyboard gameplay, and physically disabled players aren’t forced to use specific inputs. For blind/low vision individuals, Upheaval enables screen reader support, as well as complete text-to-speech descriptions of graphics necessary to the story.

Upheaval will be available on PC.

VR Space Accessibility

BLINNK and the Vacuum of Space (watch the segment here) tasks individuals with, well, vacuuming in space! Developed by Changingday, you are expected to clean the messes of aliens and capture creatures with your Vacuumizer 5000.

BLINNK and the Vacuum of Space is intrinsically designed to be a relaxing, stress-free experience. This game was intentionally created to provide autistic players with as few barriers as possible. From no time limits, no capability to fail, the option to skip tasks, or even replay missions. There’s even a design that allows players to press a button on their smart watch to seamlessly leave and reenter the game if they become overstimulated.

BLINNK and the Vacuum of Space is available now on PC.

Destiny 2: Where Is Xur Today? Location and Exotic Items for June 9-13

The anthropomorphic coupon, Xûr, is now live in Destiny 2 for the weekend until next week’s reset. If you’re looking to get your some shiny new Exotic armor or weapons for your Guardian, look no further.

Each week, Xûr has a random assortment of Exotic armor, one for each Guardian class, as well as a random Exotic Weapon and an Exotic Engram available for purchase. In addition to his Exotic wares, he’s got a random collection of Legendary weapons and armor to deck out your Guardians.

We’ve rounded up all the info on Xûr for the week including where to find Xûr, which Exotic weapons and armor are available, as well as which Legendary weapons you should pick up, either for PvE or PvP.

Where Is Xûr Today?

Xûr’s location today can be found at Watcher’s Grave on Nessus on June 9 through June 13. To reach him, travel to the landing point at Watcher’s Grave. When you arrive, make for the red moss-covered tree straight ahead. Climb up the roots and you’ll find Xûr waiting at the top to sell you exotic items and legendary weapons.

What Is Xûr Selling This Weekend?

Exotic Engram

Graviton Lance – Exotic Pulse Rifle

Orpheus Rig – Exotic Hunter Leg Armor

  • 13 Mobility
  • 10 Resilience
  • 10 Recovery
  • 9 Discipline
  • 12 Intellect
  • 9 Strength
  • Total: 63

Crest of Alpha Lupi – Exotic Titan Chest Armor

  • 16 Mobility
  • 11 Resilience
  • 7 Recovery
  • 20 Discipline
  • 6 Intellect
  • 7 Strength
  • Total: 67

Claws of Ahamkara – Exotic Warlock Gauntlets

  • 10 Mobility
  • 12 Resilience
  • 13 Recovery
  • 9 Discipline
  • 7 Intellect
  • 14 Strength
  • Total: 65

Titans and Warlocks have some decently high stat totals this week, though the Titan chestpiece has woefully high Mobility that makes it pretty much a bust. Warlock is similarly underwhelmin with a pretty poor (and not at all spiky) distribution.

Exotic Weapons

Hawkmoon – Exotic Hand Cannon

  • Paracausal Shot
  • Fluted Barrel
  • Alloy Magazine
  • Killing Wind
  • Combat Grip

Dead Man’s Tale – Exotic Scout Rifle

  • Cranial Spike
  • Smallbore
  • Lightmag
  • Fourth Time’s The Charm
  • Hand-Laid Stock

Hawkmoon has a fairly mid roll this week, and Dead Man Tale’s is actively pretty bad, so I’d say it’s a pretty easy “wait and see” unless you really need one for some reason.

Legendary Weapons

Gnawing Hunger – Auto Rifle

  • Arrowhead Brake/Full Bore
  • Accurized Rounds/Steady Rounds
  • Zen Moment
  • Rampage
  • Stability Masterwork

Cartesian Coordinate – Fusion Rifle

  • Clean Shot IS/Red Dot Micro
  • Accelerated Coils/Enhanced Battery
  • Under Pressure
  • Swashbuckler
  • Reload Speed Masterwork

Threaded Needle – Linear Fusion Rifle

  • Extended Barrel/Full Bore
  • Enhanced Battery/Liquid Coils
  • Rangefinder
  • Demolitionist
  • Reload Speed Masterwork

Cold Denial – Pulse Rifle

  • Extended Barrel/Full Bore
  • Armor-Piercing Rounds/Ricochet Rounds
  • Zen Moment
  • Sympathetic Arsenal
  • Range Masterwork

Tears of Contrition – Scout Rifle

  • Extended Barrel/Smallbore
  • Accurized Rounds/Tactical Mag
  • Triple Tap
  • Mulligan
  • Extrovert
  • Handling Masterwork

Seventh Seraph CQC-12 – Shotgun

  • Smoothbore/Full Choke
  • Appended Mag/Tactical Mag
  • Lead From Gold
  • Shield Disorient
  • Reload Speed Masterwork

Brass Attacks – Sidearm

  • Full Bore/Polygonal Rifling
  • Extended Mag/Flared Magwell
  • Surplus
  • Wellspring
  • Reload Speed Masterwork

My top picks this week are Gnawing Hunger with a delicious Zen Moment and Rampage combo (not very original, but you can’t argue with the classics), and Tears of Contrition with Triple Tap and Mulligan, for those among you who enjoy a good scout rifle.

Warlock Legendary Armor

For Warlocks, Xûr is selling the Kairos Function set which include:

Kairos Function Gloves

  • 12 Mobility
  • 14 Resilience
  • 7 Recovery
  • 16 Discipline
  • 6 Intellect
  • 10 Strength
  • Total: 65

Kairos Function Chest Armor

  • 14 Mobility
  • 6 Resilience
  • 12 Recovery
  • 2 Discipline
  • 14 Intellect
  • 17 Strength
  • Total: 65

Kairos Function Helmet

  • 16 Mobility
  • 6 Resilience
  • 12 Recovery
  • 15 Discipline
  • 7 Intellect
  • 10 Strength
  • Total: 66

Kairos Function Leg Armor

  • 18 Mobility
  • 6 Resilience
  • 7 Recovery
  • 16 Discipline
  • 10 Intellect
  • 6 Strength
  • Total: 63

Kairos Function Bond

Warlocks have some nice high-stat rolls this week, but unfortunately they won’t be of much use to you unless you’re one of those fancy Warlocks who enjoys building into Mobility. Otherwise, the distributions make these otherwise high stat rolls not super useful.

Titan Legendary Armor

For Titans, Xûr is selling the Kairos Function set which include:

Kairos Function Gauntlets

  • 20 Mobility
  • 6 Resilience
  • 6 Recovery
  • 7 Discipline
  • 14 Intellect
  • 10 Strength
  • Total: 63

Kairos Function Chest Armor

  • 2 Mobility
  • 6 Resilience
  • 25 Recovery
  • 19 Discipline
  • 2 Intellect
  • 12 Strength
  • Total: 66

Kairos Function Helmet

  • 2 Mobility
  • 6 Resilience
  • 25 Recovery
  • 20 Discipline
  • 12 Intellect
  • 2 Strength
  • Total: 67

Kairos Function Leg Armor

  • 6 Mobility
  • 10 Resilience
  • 16 Recovery
  • 6 Discipline
  • 16 Intellect
  • 12 Strength
  • Total: 66

Kairos Function Mark

My word — this might be some of the best Titan armor Xur has ever brought! Not one, but TWO high-stat pieces with the lowest Mobility possible. The only issue is that Resilience isn’t focused on in either piece, but I will absolutely take the W without complaint.

Hunter Legendary Armor

For Hunters, Xûr is selling the Kairos Function set which include:

Kairos Function Grips

  • 6 Mobility
  • 10 Resilience
  • 16 Recovery
  • 15 Discipline
  • 6 Intellect
  • 10 Strength
  • Total: 63

Kairos Function Chest Armor

  • 10 Mobility
  • 12 Resilience
  • 11 Recovery
  • 6 Discipline
  • 22 Intellect
  • 6 Strength
  • Total: 67

Kairos Function Helmet

  • 6 Mobility
  • 6 Resilience
  • 20 Recovery
  • 14 Discipline
  • 2 Intellect
  • 14 Strength
  • Total: 62

Kairos Function Leg Armor

  • 6 Mobility
  • 20 Resilience
  • 6 Recovery
  • 6 Discipline
  • 7 Intellect
  • 18 Strength
  • Total: 63

Kairos Function Cloak

Hunters have one pretty great roll this week with the chest armor, which are high stat, and have spiky Intellect. Not too shabby!

That’s a wrap on Xûr for this week, Guardians! Have you tried out Destiny 2’s new Dungeon yet? Let us know in the comments! You might also want to check out the raid guide we put together to guide guardians through Lightfall’s endgame activity.

Travis Northup is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @TieGuyTravis and read his games coverage here.

10 Hardest Shrines Stumping Players In Tears of the Kingdom

We’ve got guides and locations for all 152 Shrines in Tears of the Kingdom, and it was a long haul for our experts to get here. We noticed along the way that some shrines are getting a lot more attention than others: These may be “early game” shrines, being somewhat near to Lookout Landing and Hyrule Castle, but they are either annoying, puzzling, or just not meant for novice players. Below are the most searched-for Shrines that have people stumped: And how to beat them.

Mayachin Shrine: The Baseball One

(A Fixed Device) Mayachin Shrine is probably the most hated shrine in TOTK. Mayachin Shrine is located in Central Hyrule so you might come across it on your way to the nearby Hyrule Field Skyview Tower. Inside you’ll find a rolling ball, an unmarked switch, and a Zonai device you’ve probably never seen before — a stake that can be placed anywhere. It’s hard to know you even need to make a baseball bat here, harder to get the timing, but really hard to figure out the bonus puzzle for a chest.

Orochium Shrine: The One Where You Need to Get Hit By Lasers

(Courage to Fall) Most Shrines teach you things, but Orochium Shrine throws all that out. Have you been avoiding lasers? In this shrine, you need to run right into them to fall through the floor to a secret chamber (the subtitle of the shrine is “Courage to Fall;” get it?). To make things worse, the end of the shrine seems like an easy glide down to the exit – just don’t forget the sphere you need to bring with you, like everyone we know did.

Tenmaten Shrine: The One That’s Right Below You… Somewhere

There are several shrines below the ground in caves, but Tenmaten Shrine one is technically in a well. Whether you used our interactive map to get there or had your Shrine Sensor beeping like mad, the well entrance is an unexpected twist: And oh yeah, there are two wells, and one leads to a grate where you can just peek at the shrine on the other side. Grrr.

Tadarok Shrine: The One With the Metal, Wood, and Ice Cubes

(Fire and Water) Tadarok Shrine is your unofficial stint as a materials scientist: Not only do you have to rescue cubes from destruction, but you need to eventually stack them in a really clever way to get to the shrine exit. Furthermore, a lot of players are stumped by Ascension puzzles, and this is pretty near the starting area, and actually in the starting area of the previous game, on the Great Plateau. It’s also in a cave that is a bit confusing to reach!

Makasura Shrine: This One Is Flipping Tough

(An Upright Device) If you wander east towards West Necluda you will likely come across Makasura shrine in Kakariko Village. Inside you’ll find a Zonai device that wants to stay upright when you activate it. Attach it to a platform and that tendency to go upright serves as a catapult. But it’s really not apparent that that’s what’s going on in this Shrine, so people get hung up here – and especially on how to get the chest with the Fairy Tonic inside.

Ishodag Shrine: You Won’t Be a Fan

(A Windy Device) Ishodag Shrine’s puzzles aren’t that tough once you’ve attached fans to all manner of things over dozens of hours of gameplay, but if you stumble across it on your first trip to Rito Village as part of the main storyline, then you might not be ready for the… creativity of its puzzles. Attaching a fan to a platform to reveal a chest on the underside is especially tricky.

Jiukoum Shrine: The One With a Gap in the Tracks

(Built for Rails) Jukoum Shrine is a total stumper for many: You are left to construct a device that travels on a series of rails with fan power. The final rail set has a gap in it like some monstrous Tony Hawk level and to clear it you need to build the perfect M-shaped device.

Mayaumekis Shrine – The One With A Switch You Don’t Know About

(Downward Force) You do a LOT of bouncing and floating in Mayaumekis Shrine in the Hebra Sky, and since these concepts are drilled into you mostly in events following the discovery of this shrine, it can be super confusing to realize how much you can get done by bouncing and floating. And you have to hit a switch through some bars, which just has some players totally reeling.

Kyokugon Shrine: The One You Can’t Find on The Great Plateau

(Alignment of the Circles) If you were to walk due south from Lookout Landing just to check in on The Great Plateau, and you have some inkling that there’s a shrine nearby (or you have your have your shrine detector equipped and its going crazy), you would naturally begin by looking for a cave near the Forest of Spirits. But that would be futile, since, while Kyokugan Shrine is in a cave, it’s in one at the base of The Great Plateau, not up top. And its covered in boulders. And the Shrine has a really confusing puzzle with four spheres and a ton of holes to put them in. Hint: Look up!

The Proving Grounds Shrines – The Ones Where You Are Naked

Depending on which direction you go at the start of TOTK, you might come across Sifumin Shrine (Proving Grounds: Flow), Mayachideg Shrine (Proving Grounds: The Hunt), Eutoum Shrine (Proving Grounds: Infiltration) with oh, five, maybe six hearts. That’s bad, since everything BUT your health and stamina is stripped away at the start of these shrines. Sure, all the speedrunners love this challenge, but it’s probably best for most players to come back with 8 or so hearts so you don’t get one-shotted by an electric arrow from behind, forcing you to start completely over. But, if you must prove yourself, as the challenge suggests, we’ve got guides to cheese the enemies.

Shrines aren’t the only place people get stuck. Here are the most popular guides our experts have created for Tears of the Kingdom, beginning with a most exciting TOP SECRET SECTION:

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: 7 Major Details From the New Trailer

Almost an entire year after we last saw Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, we’ve finally got a brand new trailer for the second chapter in the remake trilogy. The big closing number for Summer Game Fest gave us a huge look at the story, gameplay, and locations from beyond the walls of Midgar, and there’s plenty for fans to recognise alongside some unexpected surprises.

We’ve studied the entire trailer and compared its scenes against the original game, and these are the seven major details that you need to know.

Tifa and the Nibelheim Incident

Let’s start at the end with the trailer’s big finale. We see the classic scene of young Tifa approaching Sephiroth in the Nibelheim reactor, where she tries to kill him in vengeance for her father’s murder and the burning of the town. Just like in the original, Sephiroth cuts Tifa down. New for this Rebirth trailer, though, is Sephiroth’s voice over: “You know that I killed her, so who is she?”

This links back to the first trailer for Rebirth, which featured a fraught conversation between Cloud and Tifa. “I saw you lying there, I figured it was too late,” said Cloud, in reference to the original scene where he found Tifa’s body in the reactor on his way to confront Sephiroth. “What are you implying, that I died? That I’m some kind of imposter?” asked Tifa.

So, is Tifa actually dead? Possibly. We know that the remake trilogy is all about changing the original story, and that would be a fun twist considering that we’re all expecting Cloud to be the imposter. However, it seems more likely that this is a tactic from Sephiroth to manipulate Cloud and make him distrustful of his comrades. Sephiroth will eventually force Cloud to hand over the Black Materia, so perhaps this sowing of doubt is all in aid of weakening him ahead of that big moment.

Did Avalanche fail?

The trailer opens on the surprising image of Shinra guards loading the unconscious – or perhaps even dead? – bodies of Avalanche into helicopters. A huge chunk of Midgar, stretching across sectors zero, one, and two, lies in flaming ruins around them, and the initial impression is that the team has once again been captured by Shinra. But we know that the group escaped Midgar at the end of FF7 Remake, so what gives? Well, we can see that only Barret, Tifa, Red XIII, and Aerith have been captured. Where is Cloud? This scene could well be from the new timeline established at the end of Remake, where Zack survived his battle with Shinra. With Zack alive, it may be that Cloud never joined Barret’s team, and without Cloud the group may well have failed to stop Sephiroth at the end of the game. It seems likely that the Zack timeline will play a significant role in FF7 Rebirth, and this is our first hint at that.

A Big New World

We know that Cloud and the group definitely escape Midgar because the majority of this trailer shows them traveling across a world with much more variety than that seen within the walls of the steel city. Fans of the original will recognise many places in this trailer; there’s Bugenhagen’s planetarium at Cosmo Canyon, the Mythril Mine, the Cargo Ship, the inn at Kalm, and the Nibelheim Reactor. There’s also shots of what appears to be the mako pipeline that runs up to Mount Corel, and what could well be the Northern Crater with its many glowing rocks and stalactites. We’ll also be paying a visit to Junon, and you can see the Highwind airship moored above the town’s iconic cannon.

Before all that, though, we’ll be stopping by the chocobo farm, as teased in the post-credits of Remake’s Intermission DLC.

Chocobo Riding

Speaking of chocobos, we’ll be able to use them as mounts this time around. Now we’re outside of Midgar we’ll be exploring what look like much, much larger scale environments, and so the added speed of a chocobo will come in handy. The HUD command seen in the bottom of one of the clips makes it look like we can call upon them at any time while in the more open regions. While riding them, the contextual chocobo HUD also shows that the big birds can ‘scent’ and ‘scour’, suggesting that they can be used for scouting. Perhaps there’s a treasure hunting system, or some kind of bounty tracking side activity? The big question, of course, is will there be chocobo breeding? Please, Square, don’t make us go through all that tedium again…

Cloud’s Mystery History

Early in the trailer we hear Tifa ask Aerith “What’s Cloud been doing these past five years? Where has he been? […] This is going to sound crazy, but as far as I know Cloud was never in Nibelheim five years ago.”

In the final hours of Remake we were given the first indication that Cloud isn’t who he thinks he is when a soldier in the Shinra building recognised him. It looks like Rebirth will further explore Cloud’s fractured memory and expand upon Tifa’s perspective. We know from the original game that Cloud was at Nibelheim five years ago, but Tifa didn’t recognise him because he was a Shinra guard wearing a helmet, not the SOLDIER he thinks he was. What wasn’t in the original game, however, was the scene in which Cloud appears as a robed Sephiroth clone taking part in the Jenova Reunion ritual. Could this be Cloud’s fate in the new timeline where Zack survives?

New Characters and New Moves

This trailer finally confirms that, after being just a guest party member in FF7 Remake, Red XIII will be a fully playable character in Rebirth. He’s joined by Yuffie, who returns from the Intermission DLC, to create a full party of six. There’s still no sign of Cait Sith, Cid, or Vincent, so let’s hope they’ll be revealed later rather than held back for the third game.

While the fantastic combat from Remake remains, we can see it’s had a few tweaks since we last saw it. Combos moves from the DLC have now been fully integrated into the system, and we can see several flashy attacks such as this one where Aerith creates a magical dome that Tifa punches down through. There’s also a new icon on the battle HUD – a series of five horizontal bars – but it’s not yet clear what new system they are linked to.

Old and Fresh Enemies

We may be missing Cait Sith, Cid, and Vincent, but there are some other fun (and less fun) familiar faces in this trailer. We meet the remake version of Elena, the youngest member of the Turks, in what is clearly the encounter from the Mythril Mine. And, later on, we see the grotesque form of Jenova Birth, which now seems to hang from the ceiling of the Cargo Ship like some kind of cancerous barnacle.

As with the first game in the remake trilogy, we’ll also be seeing a range of new bosses. Here we see Barret and Red XIII fighting some form of giant rock golem, potentially down in the Mythril Mine. The lack of Cloud in this fight suggests that there will be story sequences in which the party splits up and travels separate paths, too.

And those are the seven major details that you need to know from the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth trailer. Did you spot any other cool details? Let us know about them in the comments. For more, check out the full FF7 Rebirth trailer and the news that it’ll be delivered on two discs for the physical version.

Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Features Editor.

IGN UK Podcast 700: Geoff’s Big Night

A big number for the podcast and a big week for gaming. Mat and Matt welcome a newcomer to the show, IGN UK’s News Editor Wesley to chat about why The X Files is the best TV show ever made, all the big reveals from Summer Game Fest and how much we’re loving Street Fighter 6.

Let us know what you think by dropping us an email: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com.

IGN UK Podcast 700: Geoff’s Big Night

Street Fighter 6 Most-Popular Character List Includes a Few Surprises

It’s early days for Street Fighter 6 but fans are already working out character popularity with interesting results.

Redditor geco_420 created a handy character popularity chart based on Capcom ID registration from the official Street Fighter 6 website, and it provides a snapshot of Street Fighter 6 online play as of June 8.

So, who comes out on top? Ken has the biggest piece of the pie, beating out close friend and fellow projectile specialist Ryu.

In third is Cammy, an already popular Street Fighter character boosted in Street Fighter 6 by a new, superb design.

The heavy-hitting Marisa and Manon are fourth and fifth respectively, which is a strong showing for brand new characters. Typically, new characters aren’t the most popular at the launch of Street Fighter games, although Juri, who made her debut in Street Fighter 4, was an instant hit.

Grappler Zangief is in at sixth (he’s particularly strong in Street Fighter 6). Luke, in at seven, potentially benefits from being the default character for newcomers. Newcomer Jamie is eighth.

Surprises include Dee Jay, usually one of Street Fighter’s weaker characters, at nine, and Guile, one of Street Fighter’s most famous and strongest characters so low at 16.

Chun-Li is also surprisingly low, given her popularity within the Street Fighter fanbase, but she’s a little trickier to play in this game than in previous entries, so perhaps she will climb the popularity ladder in the months to come as players get to grips with her kit. Poor old Dhalsim is in last place, despite experts considering the stretchy-limbed zoner strong in Street Fighter 6.

Street Fighter 6’s most-popular characters list will of course shift over the years, with Capcom expected to issue balance changes in response to what it sees online. It will be interesting to see what Capcom does first in this regard; Street Fighter 6 antagonist and frustrating keep-away specialist JP is already considered extremely powerful in the right hands, but as we can see from the data isn’t the most popular character.

If you’re wondering which character’s for you, IGN has a Street Fighter 6 character guide, as well as individual character guides to hand.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. Send news tips to wesley_yinpoole@ign.com.