Risk of Rain 2 hit Steam yesterday, and people have already figured out how to unlock all the characters in a very cheeky way. Now, all the characters have their little challenges to unlock them, but while the rest of us were working hard, someone out there was working smart. This appears to be a legacy issue from the original Risk of Rain, which was a pretty well-documented way to unlock things in the game. If the developers haven't closed the loophole between that game and this one, perhaps this isn't something they have an issue with?

Unlock All Characters Cheat

First things first, make sure you are not running Risk of Rain 2. Now, navigate to the Steam folder in your program files. From there, go to User Data. There should only be one folder in here, that corresponds to your User ID. Click on it, then go to folder 632360. Now go into the Remote folder and then the User Profiles folder. In here should be a single XML document. Back this up by creating a copy of it on your Desktop, just in case anything goes wrong.

Now, open the XML file using Notepad, then scroll all the way to the bottom. Once you have already played the game and unlocked an item, it should be straightforward to see where the Unlocks are recorded. You will see lines of code that start with .

Now, what you want to do is copy one of the below lines of code in for each character you don't yet have unlocked. In this instance, "Toolbot" is for MUL-T, and "Mage" is for the Artificer.

• Characters.Huntress
• Characters.Engineer
• Characters.Mercenary
• Characters.Mage
• Characters.Toolbot
• Characters.Loader
• Characters.Treebot
• Characters.Croco

As long as you insert the lines of code between the last line, and , everything should work just fine.

Now, save the file, start up the game, and the characters should be unlocked for you. Obviously, this is not what the developers intended, and the usual caveats about cheating being bad manners apply. 

Every two weeks, Warframe is visited by Baro Ki'Teer, the Void Trader. Baro sells extremely rare items that are of interest to all Tenno in the game. For many of these items, Baro is the only source, so it is a good idea always to make sure you are ready to buy some of the things he has on offer.

Baro will have a different inventory each week, comprised of Prime Mods, cosmetics, rare mods, and even some vital mission items. Once a year, during TennoCon, people with tickets to the event, including the digital ticket, will be able to purchase any of Baro's items. 

Where to Find Baro Ki'Teer

Baro will appear every two weeks, on one of the game's Relays. In the run-up to his arrival, you will be able to see a small icon on the Star Chart that shows you which Relay he is heading for, and upon arrival, all Tenno will receive a message letting them know that Baro is open for business. To trade with him, open the Star Chart and click on the relevant Relay, then head to the main concourse area when you arrive.

How to Trade with Baro Ki'Teer

Run up to Baro and interact with him, and a menu of items that he has for sale will appear. Each item will have a cost in both Credits and Ducats. Credits are earned by playing the game, while Ducats are obtained by opening Void Relics, and selling any items you don't need at the Ducat Kiosks near to where to find Baro. 

For many players, the most important items to buy will be Primed Mods. These extremely powerful mods will replace the standard versions that you will have been using and will offer much greater benefits. 

After that, the items you buy are up to you, but it is certainly worth checking in with Baro every two weeks to see which items he has available. 

Sometimes a quote in any media will stick with you. It could be something profound that has a strong effect on you, or a catchy line to repeat in occasionally in regular conversations. There are plenty of classic novels that are filled with beautiful words that paint a picture in the reader’s heads. Good dialogue in the film is often supported by sharp writing and powerful performances from actors.

With that said, good dialogue can be harder to come by in video games because, more often or not, people will remember the gameplay rather than what is being said in a game. Don’t get the wrong impression; there are plenty of video games with great stories and amazing pieces of dialogue. Look no further than modern open-world games like Witcher 3 to get your daily dose of snappy quotes.

But in the end, what people are going to remember from a game is, well, the gameplay. Nonetheless, the dialogue has been the unsung hero of video games for a long time, even before video games began having complex narratives. Even before when games like Final Fantasy VII and Metal Gear Solid showed the world that games can have engaging stories, there has always been memorable dialogue in video games.

Where would the world be without icon lines like "It’s dangerous to go alone,” or “Are you a boy or a girl”? They are simple pieces of dialogue that don’t add much yet still have a significant impact on the gaming culture.

So it is time to celebrate these unsung heroes by listing the most memorable quotes in video games.

10 Best Video Game Quotes of All Time

"It’s dangerous to go alone, take this!" - The Legend of Zelda

This line above birthed a franchise. The original Legend of Zelda begins in the middle of nowhere, with no context. In the nearest cave, there is an older man, who says the beautiful piece of writing above and gives you a sword. The quote isn’t extraordinary as it is, yet at the same time, it means everything. It’s the beginning of what will end up becoming one of the biggest video game franchises in the world. Many gamers recognize the quote above, and it has endured to this day.

“Get Over Here!” and “Hadouken” - Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter

If you were around during the golden age of arcades, then these two phrases should be music to your ears. When arcades were the hottest thing ever, two fighting games stood on top as king of the arcades. Those two games were Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter II. Kids would line up to have a chance to play these games. Each game had its mascot character say a catchphrase when they make their signature move. Mortal Kombat’s Scorpion will yell out “Get Over Here” every time he shoots his spear, whereas Street Fighter’s Ryu will scream “Hadouken” every time he shoots his iconic energy ball. These are the quotes from the age of arcades and are deservedly some of the best quotes in all of the video games.

“What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets.” - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

This seemingly awkward piece of dialogue above comes from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, but fun fact, this quote originates from the works of a classical French novelist. Clyde Mandelin on Legends of Localization discovered that the piece of dialogue above is a direct quotation from the works of André Malraux. The localization team probably wanted to add some elegance to the conversation, yet did not realize that the context of the dialogue makes it more clumsy than anything. Add in some pretty awful voice acting, and the whole thing comes off as sloppy. In spite of that, though, it's own awkwardness that makes the quote so memorable.

"Thank you Mario! But our Princess is in another castle!" - Super Mario Bros.

This quote is one of the most famous in gaming and not necessarily for the right reasons. Imagine this scenario; you are Mario, who just defeated Bowser. You continue walking right and expect to see a beautiful Princess waiting for you. Instead, you are greeted by an ugly Toad, who looks more like a phallic metaphor than an actual toad. They tell you their Princess is in another tower, and you want to strangle that little piece of fungus. Now you’ll have to do that whole thing again. And after you beat Bowser still, you get the same thing. And the same thing happens again, and again, and again.

"Hey! Listen!" - Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Speaking of useless things you want to strangle, there is Navi from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Navi is a little blue ball of annoyance with wings; she is supposed to be an angelic fairy. However, there isn’t any innocent about her, as all she does is say, “Hey! Listen!” regularly to remind you how to play the game because she thinks players are complete idiots. Every time you hear her pleas, you want to swat her away like a fly. Navi is more like a fly than a fairy. Fairies in the Zelda universe can heal you from death; Navi never does that for you ever. Also, flies are very vital to our ecosystem, meaning Navi is more useless than a fly.

"Are you a boy or a girl?" - Pokémon series

The quote is a pretty simple question that the Pokémon series asks the player at the beginning of every game since Crystal. The quote serves more of a mechanical purpose rather than a real piece of dialogue. It is through this question that the player can determine the gender of the trainer they will be playing in the game. The quote, strangely enough, has become part of the gaming culture, possibly due to how blasé it is presented within the context of the games. Oddly, every professor in the mainline games will ask you about your gender in such a direct manner. It is hard to determine it is progressive or not since the games aren’t presuming any one person’s gender. Though at the same time, it is almost comically upfront with its way of approaching the subject manner.

“You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?” - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Majora’s Mask is one of the most atmospheric games in the entire Zelda franchise, and the Happy Mask Salesman is one of the key reasons for it. The Salesman is one of the more deeply upsetting characters in the Legend of Zelda series, and he is in the same game with the Skull Kid. His creepy smile and unusual stance are very off-putting, and he has a pretty scary laugh. The first thing he says to Link when he enters Terminus is the above quote, which is very foreboding. The line is repeated if the player doesn’t travel back in time before the end of the third day. The quote is full of symbolism and can be interpreted in a variety of different ways. Majora’s Mask is often theorized to be about death, and the Salesman is a metaphor for the grim reaper, ready to take souls away to the afterlife. Whatever it means, the quote has remained trapped in gamers' minds in the years since the game’s release.

“Even after everything you've done, I would have saved you.” - Batman: Arkham City

Batman: Arkham Cityis one of the best superhero games out there. It centers on the relationship between Batman and the Joker, culminating in the game’s ending. Joker needs a cure that Batman holds, or he’ll perish from disease. When Batman seems hesitant to hand the cure over to the Joker, the Joker attacks Batman, forcing the latter to drop the cure.

The cure shatters once it hits the floor, dooming the Joker. As Joker succumbs to his disease, Batman sends his foe off with one little revelation. Despite everything, Batman would have given him the cure. The Joker than laughs at what he perceives as Batman’s joke, recognizing the irony of his demise; if the Joker didn’t attack Batman in the end, and made him drop the cure, he would have been spared. The Joker then dies, and his body is carried away by Batman, the only way their relationship could end.

All of GLaDOS Quotes - Portal& Portal 2

Probably a cheat, but who cares, GLaDOS has some of the funniest quotes in all of the video games. GLaDOS is artificial intelligence and the main antagonist in the first Portal game. Condescending and mean spirited, GLaDOS talks like a typical virtual assistant akin to Siri. However, she says things in a very polite way, always mocking the player’s intelligence and appearance. She acts like the protagonist’s superior and does everything in its power to demean them. Almost every one of GLaDOS quotes is laugh-out-loud funny; her arrogant personality contrasts with her toneless delivery. She makes the Portal games worth playing over and over again, to hear her great voice-work.

“Would You Kindly?” - BioShock

The original BioShock was a legitimate game-changer when it first came out. The first BioShock took place in an underwater city called Rapture. The game triumphs through its use of atmosphere, solid gameplay, and witty dialogue. There are plenty of quotes in this game that are worthy of being on this list. However, for our money, the infamous “Would you kindly” revelation is our personal favorite from the game.

It is revealed in the half-way point of the game that the main character you’ve been controlling this whole time has been under mind control since the beginning of the game. It turns out that the character Atlas, who was helping you through the radio, has been using the phrase “Would you kindly” to force the player avatar to do what they wanted. In turns out that the protagonist was programmed to follow any command if that phrase precedes it.

It was a twist hidden in plain sight, and we, the players, weren’t aware of it. By nature, we are a slave to what video games want us to do. Video games only have the illusion of free will, like every path we take in a game is already determined by a series of numbers and probability. As we played BioShock, we thought we are doing things we had no other choice. The only way we can progress through the game is to follow Atlas’ instruction. But in reality, we were tricked into believing we had free will, and everything was a manipulation. It is one of the biggest shocks in video games, and it rightfully deserves to be one of the best quotes in video games.

Challenges are time-based tasks you need to complete to earn stars and badges in Mario Kart Tour. You have a limited time to complete them, and you need to meet a particular set of requirements.

There's a challenge for you to complete a race earning 9,000 points or more by the end of it with a driver who is wearing gloves. 

You have a select amount of choices to pick from for your diver.

• Daisy
• Daisy (Holiday Cheer)
• Dry Bones
• Luigi
• Mario
• Mario (Musician)
• Mario (Hakama)
• Mario (Santa)
• Peach
• Peachette
• Pink Gold Peach
• Pauline (Party Time)
• Toad (Pit Crew)
• Wario
• Waluigi
• Waluigi (Bus Driver)

You have plenty of options to go through to use for a driver to complete this challenge. With the wide variety, you'll need to focus on finding your driver's favored course. By repeatedly going through your chosen driver's favored course, you'll be able to pick up the most items and start with the most points before the race begins.

When you're driving through the race, you'll need to do plenty of things to successfully rack up points.

• Having a higher driver, vehicle, or glider level
• Hitting other drivers with items while playing
• Collecting coins
• Hitting a drift to get a boost
• Preforming a jump boost
• Finishing at a higher placement, such as first

You want to build up the highest combo while you're driving. You can do this by activating your driver's Frenzy Mode, which you can do by hitting the item boxes and successfully matching all three choices. When Frenzy Mode is active, you want to repeatedly tap your phone to use as many items and hit as many enemy drivers in front of you on the course.

Additionally, making sure you're drifting and landing those jumps, which rack up points throughout your ride. You may need to revisit a course to try and reach 9,000, so don't expect to achieve this score on your first try.

The Crucible is back in Destiny 2, and it's a battleground where Guardians hone their skills in combat. It's also a competitive PvP experience where you can complete bounties and put your weapons to the test against other Guardians.

Control

In Control, there are three flags on the map you and your team need to capture. The more flags you hold, the more points you get with each kill. Once the score limit is reached, or time is up, the game is over.

Both teams start on one side of the map near one of the flags. Most players default to grabbing this point immediately, but you can also choose to rush toward flag B or go straight to the enemy's side. You can decide how you want to play, but you need to remember to take out enemies the entire time to also score points.

Elimination

You and two other party members are facing off against another team in a skirmish-like match. The first team to kill the other team wins the round, and the first to win five rounds takes the game. You can revive your teammates, but you'll need to be careful to get them back up because you'll expose yourself. You'll need to stick close to your teammates and communicate with them to ensure you stick together, revive one another, and stay on top of the enemy team.

Rumble

It's a free-for-all deathmatch where you're solely relying on yourself and your skills to help see you through until the end. You cannot enter this game mode with other players in your party, so make sure you're ready to play by yourself. You'll need to have quick wits about you to survive and make it to the top. Everyone is out to take you down.

Showdown

Straight up team deathmatch. You have to take out an enemy team made up four other players. Every kill you get for your team scores you a point, but you can prevent the enemy from getting the point by reviving an ally. You want to score 10 points to win a round. You and your team must complete multiple rounds to win.

You'll receive a notification if an opponent on the enemy team was revived, removing a point for your side.

Supremacy

Supremacy gameplay focuses on you taking out an opponent and then picking up the crest they drop. You want to pick up as many crests as you can to score points. If you see a friendly Guardian fall, you can pick up their crest to prevent the enemy from scoring a point.

Kills are essential in this game mode because they give you a point, but picking up the enemy crest grants you another. Make sure you're picking these up, and friendly ones, to win the game.

Survival

This game mode features a three-versus-three gameplay mode where each team starts with four respawn points. You and your teammates have to eliminate all of the enemies respawn, also ensuring yours remain on your side. When all of the tokens go away, you cannot respawn, and the same goes for your enemies. When all the players on a team with no more tokens are eliminated, those left standing win.

Seasonal events are one of the most anticipated things for the communities of many games, and a large part of that is the often-creative new skins that come out.

Where many events (especially Halloween) usually provide more intimidating or frightening cosmetic options, winter skins tend to have a more whimsical tone (with the occasional outlier, of course). They are some of our favorites, and many are great to see year round, where some other events' offerings might not be.

Here are a five of our favorites.

Overwatch: Sugar Plum Fairy Mercy

​One of the more flamboyant skins on the list, this one appeals to us where many similar skins might feel a bit much. This is one of the great ones that even works year round as a tasteful fae-themed outfit. Some people complain about the yellow wings clashing with the cooler colors, but we think that criticism is blown a bit out of proportion.

Rainbow Six: Siege: Huntress

Most of Siege's skins are mere recolors, with the exceptions of events and Elite skins; this is one of the latter. Frost is, to be fair, already a "winter themed" character, being an Asian-Canadian character kitted out in winter camo. This skin changes things up a bit, removing her mask in favor of an intimidating glare and tight braids, plus some extra fur lining. Unfortunately, this is one of those skins that makes the game harder (it makes her traps more visible to players, making them even less likely to get a kill), but it still looks nice.

Fortnite: Glimmer

While it skirts the edges of copyright infringement, there's no denying this skin looks quite nice, and captures the essence of everybody's favorite snow queen very well. While not quite one we'd wear year round, the overall design of this one is great, and could actually work as a more generic "warrior queen" outfit with a simple recolor. Or, you could just let it go until next winter.

League of Legends: Snow Man Yi

Whether or not you can handle the blood pressure increase that comes with League, it doesn't mean you can't appreciate its skins. Riot deserves real props for making a snowman look intimidating (no mean feat). Who knew snowmen worked so well with a vague Wushu aesthetic?

Overwatch: Sigma Winter Skin

So far untitled, this sneak peek of Overwatch's 2019 Winter Wonderland is a good first impression. This is a very intimidating Sigma skin, doing a 180 on his base scientific aesthetic to a mad necromancer appeal, being definitely reminiscent of Warcraft's Lich King Arthas (sans helmet). Say what you will about Overwatch (we certainly have), but their character designs are excellent, and they go way out there when designing the higher-end cosmetics, while still retaining the silhouettes of their characters perfectly.

Guardians in Destiny 2 have been drowning in Legendary Shards ever since the game was released. Bungie’s most recent update has added several different ways for Guardians to spend them. Instead of filling up your inventory and getting all dusty, you can now purchase Vanguard or Crucible Boons from Commander Zavala and Lord Shaxx, respectively.

What are Boons?

There are two types of Boons: Vanguard and Crucible. They are consumable items you use during Strikes or Crucible matches. Commander Zavala sells the Boon of the Vanguard for 10 Legendary Shards, and Lord Shaxx sells the Boon of the Crucible for 25 Legendary Shards. Each player may only use a single consumable per activity, but other players may also use theirs during the same match. You can receive a maximum of four gifts per activity.

How to use Boons

Upon use, a Gift Giver effect becomes active in your inventory. You will know if others in your activity use Boons because you will receive a Gift Receiver effect.

Gifts From Boons

After an activity you have the Gift Receiver effect, you will receive a Gift of Vanguard Tokens or a Gift of Crucible Tokens. These are consumable items that turn into packages of tokens, which you can redeem for reputation or to purchase items from Commander Zavala or Lord Shaxx.

Legendary Gleaming Boons

Tess Everis of Eververse sells a legendary version of these boons for Bright Dust. You can purchase the Gleaming Boon of the Vanguard for 150, and the Gleaming Boon of the Crucible goes for 500. These items function the same as the other versions, but they reward players with a pack of Eververse shaders.

Now you know everything there is to know about Boons in Destiny 2. Be sure to be a nice Guardian and share those gifts with others.

Move over Baby Yoda, the internet has fallen in love with a new infant.

In a recent TV trailer for the upcoming live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movie, we get our first glimpse of Baby Sonic. This trailer aired only on Japanese television, and it is unknown if an English version will release.

The trailer shows the usual scene of Sonic running on an alien planet that looks akin to that Green Hill Zone in the Sonic video games Then, as the camera moves closer to Sonic, we're treated to a small, baby-like version of Sonic.

We then see Baby Sonic handing a sunflower to someone off-screen, suggesting that Sonic isn’t alone in his alien world.

The reveal of Baby Sonic comes on the heels of America's current obsession with Baby Yoda, from The Mandalorian, which takes place in the Star Wars universe.

With Baby Sonic unleashed, many will draw comparisons between him and Baby Yoda, with debates centered on who is cuter. See the official promo image from the Japanese Twitter account for the movie, and decide for yourself.

ソニックが日本発のキャラクターであることから、特別に日本で全宇宙最速デビューを飾ることとなった #ベビーソニック🌻

超音速で走り抜けるクールな大人気キャラクターの子供時代とは⁉️

はじめて描かれるストーリー
3.27（金）公開をお楽しみに💨#映画ソニックpic.twitter.com/lWTpYieku8

— 『ソニック・ザ・ムービー』公式 (@Sonic_MovieJP) December 26, 2019

The live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movie will release Feb. 14, 2020, by Paramount Pictures.

Kadokawa Games is in talks with a company to develop a PlayStation 5 game, as revealed by President Yoshimi Yasuda.

Yasuda talked about the negotiations in an interview with Twinfinite. He didn't share details about who this company is, but revealed that the development team behind God Wars was requested to work on a PS5 game.

The talks are said to be "still undergoing," so this is very early in the process. Still, Kadokawa Games is "very eager to move forward with that project," and it is likely to happen next year when next-generation consoles will start coming to retailers.

The details are rather sparse on this, but God Wars is a tactical RPG, and the team behind it is very specialized in that kind of gameplay. It looks unlikely that their first PlayStation 5 title is going to offer something different from their roots right at the beginning of the next-gen.

Kadokawa Games features multiple development teams, like those working on the Metal Max franchise, and it is ramping up its efforts focused on the next generation of consoles. The chances are that it signs more agreements with external publishers to do more out of that.

The only PS5 game that has been formally announced thus far is Godfall, a looter brawler from the makers of Duelyst Counterplay Games and Gearbox Publishing, which was revealed at The Game Awards. A very popular battle royale is also rumored to be in the making for Sony's next-gen console.

Yuuki Matsuzawa, a Lead Concept Artist at Luminous Productions, has revealed that the creation of the next game from the makers of Final Fantasy XV will still take "a lot of time."

The studio, which was initially helmed by Hajime Tabata, is working on "a brand new IP". According to the details revealed in an interview with Famitsu (via DualShockers), this process is "different compared to what we've done until now." This is the core reason why it is taking so much to reveal some details about the project.

"There’s not much we can tell you for now," Matsuzawa said. "We decided on certain elements of the game, but other elements are still under consideration. People like me, who are at the top of the development process are very busy."

The Lead Concept Artist added that the game is going to be "a brand new IP, so some things about it are different compared to what we’ve done until now. Meaning it’s a project difficult to work on and takes a lot of time."

Former studio head Hajime Tabata left in November 2018, when the team was focusing on Final Fantasy XV DLC that was scrapped to make room for a new title. Only one of those additional pieces of content, Episode Ardyn, saw the light of day, while the other three and modding tools were canceled.

The current head Takeshi Aramaki, who was appointed in December last year, revealed that Luminous Productions is now working on a new intellectual property that aims at appealing a worldwide audience. This game is set to be released on PS5 and Xbox Series X.

As part of the Winterfest challenges, you will need to deal damage to an opponent with a lump of coal in Fortnite. The first step involves finding some of this goal. There are two sources for this item, Presents, and Ice Boxes. Presents can be found by searching chests in the game, then using the Present. If you are lucky, it will contain some coal. 

Ice Boxes can be found all over the map, and if you search them, you might be lucky enough to find some coal in one. You can find the locations of various Ice Boxes marked on the map above. Run up to them and search them, and you should be able to find some coal. 

Damaging an opponent is a simple matter of throwing the coal at them, like a grenade. It only does twenty damage, so don't expect to kill them. It's also hard to hit people with, so you might want to try and be sneaky and hit someone as they are standing still when searching a chest, or checking some loot. 

Coal will drop in stacks of five, so you will be able to try and hit people a few times before you are forced to shoot them. Even if you do need to kill someone after missing with coal, you can pick it up again afterward. 

Coal also has another use, which makes it very beneficial. You can throw coal into a Campfire to automatically stoke it, which will release a nice burst of healing warmth that will heal you to full health. 

This one might take a little patience to complete, but you have until the end of Winterfest on Jan. 7 to get it done.

The map is covered in snow, blizzards keep happening, and Winterfest continues. This is just how it is in Fortnite.

As part of the many challenges in Winterfest, you will need to find and search two Ice Boxes. Doing so will get you more of the great free loot that has been given out as part of Winterfest. So far, the loot has included skins, wraps, Back Bling, Gliders, and music. So who knows what the reward for this challenge will be. Well, we do, and it will be the Snowflake Banner.  

On the map above, you will see the locations of several Ice Boxes. All you need to do is get to them and search them. They can contain weapons, items, and even lumps of coal. You only need to search two of them, which is pretty easy to do in a single match if you plan accordingly. 

Dropping in at Holly Hedges is the best place if you want to wrap them both up in the same match. Just hit the one to the west of Holly Hedges, then hurry on over to the Weeping Woods, or down towards Slurpy Swamp, and grab the other one. 

That's it for this challenge, search two Ice Boxes, and you are done. If you can't get it done today, don't worry, you have until Jan. 7 to wrap up any of the Winterfest Challenges that you still need to do. There are more challenges on the way, so be sure to check back for more helpful guides.

Yet another Winterfest Challenge in Fortnite is to search ammo boxes at the Workshop, Shiver Inn, and Ice Throne. At the moment, we can only show you where two of these are, as the Ice Throne has yet to arrive in the game. 

Shiver Inn

You will find the Shiver Inn to the southeast of Lazy Lake, in a flat area just before the hills. This is a big building, and it is hard to miss. It's a hotel made entirely out of ice and contains lots of Frozen Loot, chests, ammo boxes, and lots of items just lying around. It will be jam-packed with this challenge but is big enough to have some exciting and frantic gunfights play out. 

Workshop

The Workshop can be found to the southeast of Holly Hedge. Once again, you will find plenty of ammo boxes here, along with a bench to upgrade weapons, if you survive long enough. 

The Ice Throne

The Ice Throne has yet to arrive in the game but might have something to do with all these blizzards that keep happening. We have no idea where it might show up, but that island in the middle of the map looks ripe for a fresh Ice Throne. As soon as it arrives in the game, we will update this guide with the location.

Remember, for this challenge you can search ammo boxes at any of the areas, and you only need to get two in total. As such, you should be able to finish it up very quickly. 

Breeding in Temtem allows you to get a new Temtem without the need to catch them. Offspring can have a variety of aspects that make up their parent Temtem, such as traits, techniques, and single values. This allows you to potentially create a unique Temtem that you could not catch in the wild.

Temtems and Fertility

All Temtems have a fertility value that dictates how many eggs they can produce, and how much they can breed. This limits the amount of breeding that any singular Temtem can do. Producing offspring will result in the loss of one fertility level. When the level drops to zero, it cannot be regained, and the Temtem can no longer breed.

To breed two Temtem, they need to share a type. If one or both of the Temtem have two types, then only one of the types needs to be compatible. When you have two Temtem of the same type, you can go to a Breeding Center and leave the Temtem there to begin the breeding process. 

It can take 30 minutes real-time for the pair to produce the egg, then up to 45 minutes for the egg to hatch, once it is removed from the breeding terminal. 

The offspring will inherit the following from the parent Temtem:

• Fertility - the lower fertility value, minus 1. 
• Techniques - the offspring can learn techniques from the parent Temtem that it would otherwise have to level up to know.
• Traits - traits are randomly chosen, but it is possible to force a trait with particular items. 
• Single Values - single values have a 40% chance of being the higher value of the parents, a 40% chance of being the average, and a 20% chance of being lower.
• Luma - normally, the chance of a Temtem being a Luma is the same as it would be in the wild, but this is multiplied x10 if a parent is Luma, and x100 if both parents are Luma. 

Say what you will about mobile games, but they’re a key part smartphone ownership. In most of modern society, our smartphones are a lifeline. Odds are, everyone has a couple games on their phones, even if they’re not the best platforms for it. (At least, not yet.)

Mobile gaming has expanded since the days of Bejeweled and Snake. From augmented reality games to RPGs or shooters with impressive graphics, mobile gaming is more than just a way to kill some time. Big companies don’t release mobile games as frequently as they do console or PC games, but when they do, they’re worthy of the title.

Here are some of the best mobile games released this year.

Runners Up:

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite

An augmented reality game from Niantic, the giant behind Pokemon Go, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is what longtime Harry Potter fans have only dreamt of for years. It was announced in 2017, sparking excitement for fans of the series. The game was released in June 2019. 

The game brings magic to the muggle world, where the player is encouraged to walk to locations where magical phenomenon have occurred and quickly dispel it. Successfully banishing a monster or magical entity will reward the player with a stamp.

The game fell short with its stamp collecting motif, and the lack of customizations found in Niantic’s other games. Still, it maintains a promising player base of loyal Harry Potter fans.

Dr. Mario World

Perhaps mobile gaming isn’t that far past Bejeweled. Dr. Mario World's main premise revolves around clearing levels by connecting groups of three or more. There’s a bit more to the plot of Dr. Mario World than similar games, and each doctor has their own unique ability.

Characters have to be unlocked and are hidden behind paywalls or random luck, which makes the game a little frustrating for players don’t want to pay for features. Dr. Mario World also offers a competitive online mode where players compete to see who can clear a level fastest. 

Mario Kart Tour

Mario Kart Tour is the second Mario brand mobile game released this year. If you thought motion controls were bad, wait until you discover touch based controls!

The game is very enjoyable, as all Mario Kart games are. The deep test of friendship they provide between is a time-honored tradition. Mario Kart Tour follows the same basic premise: race, improve your kart, race some more, compete against others in a hair-ripping experience. 

The controls are the biggest hurdle in the game. Once you master them, the game is a delightful ride around the tracks. As with Dr. Mario World, there are tasks and unlocks that players can earn, providing access to better kart upgrades and different characters.

Pokemon Masters

Another Pokemon game to come to the mobile world, this time from Nintendo directly instead of Niantic. Pokemon Masters is an unusual game, where players team up with NPCs from the Pokemon universe to battle. Joining forces with other masters will improve your team and abilities.

Like the world of Detective Pikachu, NPCs in Pokemon Masters have one partner Pokemon that helps them in battle. Your default beginning Pokemon is the electric mouse mascot—you know the one. You progress by facing others in battle and befriending them. It's a fun experience, but not quite enough to make it our game of the year.

Best Mobile Game of the Year

Call of Duty: Mobile

Call of Duty doesn’t sound like a franchise that belongs on a mobile platform, as the first person shooter usually draws in competitive players. With an established name like Call of Duty, putting it on mobile is designed to appeal to the more casual, on-the-go gamers.

While the game calls for precision and accuracy, the mobile version manages to merge quality mechanics and aim into an enjoyable mobile first person shooter experience.

Mobile games are an enjoyable way to drop in and experience a game, kill time, or enjoy it as a hobby. As more developers expand to mobile platforms, the quality and frequency of mobile games will increase. This year, though, it was Call of Duty: Mobile that stood out among the rest.

For more of our Year in Review 2019 series, head to our hub page.

For those of you hoping to see a re-release of Bandai Namco’s classic Xenosaga games, there’s some bad news.

Katsuhiro Harada, who serves as producer of the Tekken fighting series, recently provided some input when a fan inquired about the long-lost PS2 games. Instant Mayhem asked about a potential Xenosaga HD collection for modern consoles, and Harada revealed a surprise response. Unfortunately, it’s not exactly the one fans expected to hear.

“This actually progressed to the remaster's plan, but failed in a profitable market analysis,” Harada said. Specific details weren’t provided, but it sounds like Bandai Namco didn’t see the series making enough money back to cover developmental and promotional costs.

“Sorry guys,” Harada continued. “This plan will be difficult to resurface…”

These die-hard fans had asked about the original Xenosaga games making a comeback following the success of the Xenoblade Chronicles series. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has been a huge success on the Nintendo Switch; and a Definitive Version of the original Chronicles is set to arrive on the platform in 2020. (Monolith Soft is the development team for both series.)

Harada later explained that “we always analyze the global market,” so the research wasn’t limited to just one market, like the U.S. or Japan.

That doesn’t mean Bandai Namco is turning a cold shoulder to its classic franchises, though. The company filed a series of trademarks back in September suggesting that dormant franchises such as Klonoa, Splatterhouse, and others could return. Nothing has been made official yet, however.

Xenosaga’s original games remain available on PlayStation 2. Just make sure to bring a lot of cash, as the later entries in the series aren’t on the cheap side.

This year saw some massive releases on every platform, from entries in long-running series like Pokemon Sword and Shield to original games like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. In between those headline titles, though, 2019 was also an excellent year for indie games. 

Produced without the budget or the expectations of blockbuster titles, the year’s best indie games had more freedom to experiment with gameplay and stories in a way that's rarely, if ever, seen in major studio releases. Though they aren’t as well known as the latest editions or mega-hit franchises, some even broke through to become certified pop culture phenomena.

While there will always be more great indie games that slip through the cracks than anyone can even keep track of, here are five of the best indie games of 2019.

Runners Up:

Untitled Goose Game

If this list were ranking games based on popularity, Untitled Goose Game would almost certainly come out on top. Some close followers of the indie development scene had an eye on this game for a while, but for everyone else, it seemed to come out of nowhere, to sudden spectacular success.

Untitled Goose Game goes against the grain in almost every way. Instead of letting players live out power fantasies and save the world, it gives them a small number of simple actions and tasks them with little more than being a nuisance in the form of a flapping, honking, chaos-causing goose. Untitled Goose Game’s clean art style and great sense of humor make it almost as much fun to watch as it is to play, which might be part of why gifs of the game in action took the internet by storm in the weeks after its release. 

Outer Wilds

Space exploration games often set players loose in an overwhelmingly large playground with more to do than most could finish in a lifetime. Outer Wilds takes the opposite approach, sticking to a relatively small cluster of planets just a few minutes apart, but fills them to the brim with intricate puzzles, clever worldbuilding, and a fascinating mystery at the center that keeps players pushing forward.

In Outer Wilds, the universe resets itself every 22 minutes, leaving players precious little time to explore, figure out what’s going on, and maybe even find a way to stop it. Outer Wilds gives very little help to players, putting their wits, skill, and patience all to the test, but it’s full of unforgettable moments for those who push through.

Eliza

Developer Zachtronics is known for crafting mechanically complex engineering puzzles, but its latest game strips away all notions of skill and difficulty to keep the focus solely on its story. Eliza is a visual novel about automation, the gig economy, mental health, and human connection, and that’s just the beginning.

With beautiful character portraits and superb voice acting, Eliza tells the story of Evelyn Ishino-Aubrey, a woman who works as a “proxy” for high-tech counseling app, serving as the human face for its AI brain in therapy sessions. It’s a fascinating story that uses limited player agency to its advantage, bringing players closer to Evelyn and forcing them to decide for themselves whether it’s about the next great leap in mental health or the precursor to disaster.

Disco Elysium

Disco Elysium is a game that makes players dig through garbage, poke at decomposing bodies, seek help from racists and fascists, and be humiliated by their shortcomings at every turn, and it’s still one of the most compelling RPGs to come out in a very long time. Taking on the role of a burnt-out detective so hungover he can’t remember his own name, players are charged with solving a murder in the fictional city of Revachol, despite not being able to trust anyone they meet, including their own character. 

Disco Elysium’s most defining feature, and the one that will likely be ripped off and remixed for years to come, is its unique skill system, which turns the player character’s thoughts and personality traits into not only skills but also voices in his head. Logic, intuition, and physical prowess are as much liabilities as the are assets in Disco Elysium, as every skill has its own agenda and its own limited view of the world. Their disagreements might get the player into trouble, but even failures are wildly entertaining thanks to the game’s stellar writing, which is equally adept at tackling the suffocating squalor of Revachol and the occasional glimpses of breathtaking beauty that are buried there.

Best Indie Game of the Year:

Anodyne 2: Return to Dust

Anodyne 2: Return to Dust combines a genuine love of old-school video games with an experimental structure to create one of the most wildly inventive, unpredictable games ever. As Nova the Nano Cleaner, players switch between exploration in a 3D overworld, reminiscent of a Sega Saturn game, and Zelda-inspired 2D action as they shrink down to fight the noxious Dust that’s infecting people’s bodies and minds across the world. This odd story manages to be funny and self-aware at one moment, then earnest and heartfelt at the next, and somehow still hold together.

Both the 3D and 2D components of Anodyne 2 are a joy to play, perfectly capturing the feeling of two different eras of gaming, but it’s only after the first few hours of what seems like a simple game that Anodyne 2 really starts to crack open and reveal that there’s a lot more going on inside than it seems. To give too many concrete details away would be to spoil the element of surprise that’s one of the game’s biggest strengths. Suffice it to say that after a certain point in the story, Anodyne 2 unwinds into a parade of narrative and gameplay experiments, none of which are possible to predict beforehand. Sometimes it takes a left turn that fundamentally alters everything that’s come before; sometimes it just flat-out becomes a different game for a while. All the while, it’s commenting on itself and on video games as a concept, but never letting its comments devolve into lazy winks and nods.

Anodyne 2 may not have the cutting-edge graphics or spellbinding simulation of blockbuster titles, but that’s part of what makes it so great. It tops this list because it shows how much territory there is left to explore in games that big publishers aren’t even considering. While it may look like a love letter to gaming’s past, Anodyne 2 is full of reasons to be excited about its future.

For more of our Year in Review 2019 series, head to our hub page.

With the PlayStation 5 coming in late 2020, it’s only a matter of time before fans see what it looks like. But while we wait, a new patent suggests what might be in store for its future controller design — possibly the DualShock 5.

Polygon posted first details on the controller, along with an image taken from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), where the patent was filed earlier this week on Dec. 26. It suggests that the next DualShock could get extra functionality.

At first glance, the new controller has the same build as the DualShock 4. That would make sense, since PlayStation 4 owners are quite pleased with how it performs. (Also a huge leap forward over the DualShock 3 and its stubborn triggers.) But there are additional buttons on the back of the controller. These look like they could be programmable, a feature we’ve seen on other third-party PS4 controllers, including ones made by Astro Gaming (the C40 TR) and SCUF Gaming.

That’s not to say this design is final. The buttons might relocate somewhere else on the controller once everything is set, based on the patent’s notes.

One interesting thing to point out is Polygon said the controller layout shows a micro-USB port up top. This is what the DualShock 4 currently uses to connect with the PlayStation 4. It’s rumored that the PlayStation 5 controller will utilize a USB-C port, which means this patent might be showing a redesign of the current model instead. 

Sony has noted that it’s looking to improve the DualShock 4’s functionality, based on a new back button attachment set to arrive on store shelves early next year.

We’ll see what Sony has in store in the months ahead, as a PlayStation 5 presentation is likely to happen sometime in 2020.

A new entry in the Yo-kai Watch franchise has been announced, and it's apparently going in a different direction than previous titles in the series.

Entries in the Yo-kai series are typically role-playing video games, with heavy emphasis on encountering and befriending creatures called Yo-kai. In the mainline games, players usually have control of six Yo-kai during a fight, and they control all them with an in-game function called the spin-wheel.

The games are developed and published by game studio Level-5. The president and CEO of Level-5, Akihiro Hino, today posted a screenshot of a new Yo-kai Watch game that is currently being developed.

テレビアニメ妖怪学園Yいかがでしたか！これを見た後に映画に行くと大惨事になりそうですがwそれはそれで大いに楽しめると思います！そして開発中のゲーム画面を少々。妖怪学園は妖怪ウォッチはとはまた違うタイプのシステムになります！お楽しみに！ pic.twitter.com/7OtI3AeU2P

— 日野晃博 (@AkihiroHino) December 27, 2019

A loose translation of the tweet, provided by Twitter's embedded translation function using Google Translate, says: "How was TV anime Yokai Gakuen Y! Going to a movie after watching this is going to be a catastrophe, but I think it's a lot of fun! And a little game screen under development. Yokai Gakuen is a different type of system from Yokai Watch! looking forward to!"

According to an article from Gematsu, the new game is going to be based on the new anime series Yo-kai Watch Jam: Yo-kai Academy Y – Encounter with N. This new anime is a continuation of the movie, Yo-kai Academy Y – Can a Cat be a Hero. The new anime takes place in the Y-Academy, where the protagonists must solve the many different mysteries surrounding the school.

This new game is supposed to be different from the mainline games in the franchise. Based on Hino’s tweet, the new game is going to use a new type of system. This possibly hints that this upcoming game will have a unique gameplay function from past entries, and have new features.

Yo-kai Watch is a multi-media franchise that has several spin-offs, animes, and merchandise. The series became a big hit Japan, becoming a legit rival towards the Pokémon franchise over the years. The most recent entry in the series, Yo-kai Watch 4, was released on the Nintendo Switch in Japan on Jun. 20, 2019.

A Redditor discovered a cool reward for completing the Battle Pass in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare– players earn a snazzy animated emblem for fulfilling all the tiers in the pass.

The season 1 Battle Pass for Modern Warfare includes many new features that fans can use. The pass consists of several new weapons, a new Operator skin called Mara, and a hundred new tiers of content.

To progress through the tiers, players will need to play through the game and earn XP, as well as complete challenges. There’s a Battle Pass XP that players can check to see if they are any closer to the content they are looking for. The Activision Blog notes that the one hundred Officer Ranks and the one hundred Battle Pass tiers are separate, however.

Reddit user Damo240sx discovered that completing all one hundred tiers in the battle pass will give players an animated emblem. He shares a video of the emblem on this forum. The image of the emblem is the same as the logo for the season 1 Battle Pass. The animation shows a skeleton with a black hood holding up a sword above its heads while its cloak blows in the wind. Its jaws move up and down, and red and blue are flashing behind it. The words Chemical Division can be read from the outline of the emblem, and a Roman numeral number 1 is below the skeleton.

The emblem makes you wonder if it is worth going through all the different tiers in the Battle Pass. For many fans, it is probably worth it since getting something is certainly better than getting nothing. Also, look at it – it looks cool as heck.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare owners can get the Battle Pass for 1k of Call of Duty points.