Drax’s final ride comes in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.Image: Marvel Studios
Ten years ago, when James Gunn cast former professional wrestler Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, some were skeptical. Sure, this dude was a charismatic wrestler, but could he act? Oh, how that has changed, now that Bautista’s breakout Marvel Studios role has propelled him into a diverse, impressive acting career. Though the character is a fan favorite, the actor reveals that he never wanted Drax to be his signature role and that he’ll officially be leaving it behind this May when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 his theaters.
“I’m so grateful for Drax. I love him,” Bautista told GQ magazine. “But there’s a relief [that it’s over]. It wasn’t all pleasant. It was hard playing that role. The makeup process was beating me down. And I just don’t know if I want Drax to be my legacy—it’s a silly performance, and I want to do more dramatic stuff.”
So, there are a few things to unpack here and we’ll start with what we know. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 writer/director James Gunn confirmed on his Instagram Stories that, yes, the upcoming film will be the final time Bautista plays Drax. Does that mean Drax will be recast (which Bautista himself said he’s cool with)? Does he die? Does he just go off and leave the Guardians? Those answers will come in a few months. But, for now, we at least know where these feelings are coming from.
As for Bautista’s relief at leaving it behind, you almost understand that too. While Drax is a big, boisterous character, matching Bautista’s physical stature, those aren’t the types of characters he’s most interested in playing. For example, in the GQ profile, he talks about just wanting to work more and more with director Denis Villeneuve, who cast Bautista in small roles in both Blade Runner 2049 and Dune (though the role is significantly expanded in this year’s Dune: Part Two). “If I could be a number one [on the callsheet] with Denis, I would do it for fucking free,” the actor said. “I think that’s how I could find out how good I could be. He brings out the best in me. He sees me in a different light, sees the performer that I want to be. That might be how I solve the puzzle.”
He’s also worked with the likes of Sam Mendes, Zack Snyder, Rian Johnson, and, later this year, M. Night Shyamalan. He’s not afraid to take a smaller role, as long as it means working with someone great. And while Gunn is certainly great, after three full films, a Holiday Special, and several other Marvel cameos, you understand how a performer like that is ready to leave it behind and try something new.
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What do you think happens to Drax in Guardians 3? Let us know below.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
While competitive players continue to plumb Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s strategic depth and tease out its tactical wrinkles, one creature has gotten a shocking amount of playtime over the last month: Murkrow. The unevolved flying dark type isn’t a heavy hitter and its stats are absolute trash, but it does have a unique advantage over every other Pokémon in the game that’s sent it straight to the top of the competitive charts.
Browse social media, hang out on the Smogon message boards, or climb the ranked ladder and you won’t be able to escape Murkrow. The tiny black bird first introduced in Pokémon Gold and Silver is finally back in the spotlight, and former Pokémon World Champion Wolfe “WolfeyVGC” Glick explained the reasons why in a recent TikTok:
The first is Tailwind, a move the Gen 2 bird has had from the jump, but which is supremely important in the current landscape, providing all other Pokémon on the team bonus speed for four turns. The second is Prankster, a passive ability that lets Murkow’s non-damage-dealing moves, like Tailwind, take increased turn priority during battles, thus allowing it to strike first. In Scarlet and Violet’s Gen 9, Murkrow is the only Pokémon who has both, guaranteeing a match-defining speed boost on turn one.
But why Murkrow and not its evolved form of Honchkrow? Well, Murkrow’s evolved form loses Prankster in exchange for the damage-oriented passive ability Moxie, ruining the whole strategy. Plus, players can mitigate some of Murkrow’s drawbacks by equipping the held item Eviolite which boosts the normal and special defense of Pokémon who aren’t fully evolved.
“Don’t get me wrong, the combination of Prankster is really good but it isn’t the only reason that Murkrow is popular,” WolfeyVGC added in his recent TikTok. “Murkrow also gets the attack Haze which removes all stat changes from the battlefield. This is relevant because one of the most powerful new Pokémon added is Dondozo who has a way to boost all of its stats by 2.” Haze completely nullifies that, making Murkrow a perfect counter to Dondozo in addition to being a major utility pick for boosting the rest of your team.
That’s been enough to make Murkrow the second most picked Pokémon in competitive play for December, just one percentage point behind all-star crypto coin mascot Gholdengo. As WolfeyVGC wrote in a Twitter thread a couple of weeks ago, Gholdengo’s dual ghost/steel type make it a great defensive pick, while special ability Make it Rain does a ton of damage.
The Swords-Dance-wielding Garchomp and Bulk Up defensive tank Annihilape are also top contenders, as is Hydreigon who can finally use the new games’ Terastalization mechanic to mitigate its traditional 4X weakness to Fairy-type moves. The mushroom bug Amoonguss, meanwhile, has been tearing things up thanks to Rage Powder which forces opponents to target it rather than buff themselves.
Prepare to be frozen in place once more.Screenshot: Blizzard
Overwatch 2’s various reworks and balance changes have fundamentally altered several characters from their original forms, and that shift means a lot of mechanics that were once key to the original game no longer exist in the sequel. This came as part of a larger change in the game to remove or alter crowd control abilities like Cassidy’s Flashbang and Brigitte’s Shield Bash which make the game altogether faster and more frantic.
The changes include removing Mei’s original ability to freeze her enemies in place with her primary fire (though her ultimate still has the freezing effect for those caught in it), which has been replaced by a slowdown effect. If you were feeling nostalgic for one of the most frustrating mechanics Overwatch had back in the day, Blizzard has put out a new mode for its returning Winter Wonderland holiday event that entirely centers around stopping players in their tracks. If you miss that part of her kit as a Mei main, I get it. If you miss it as someone who was once on the receiving end of her endothermic blaster, I have to ask, “who hurt you?”
Freezethaw Elimination is part of Overwatch 2’s 2022 Winter Wonderland event, which is running up until January 4. The arcade mode is what Blizzard describes as the hero shooter’s version of freeze tag, where your team’s goal is to freeze all your enemies by eliminating them, then they’re left to helplessly watch from their icy prison until thawed by a teammate. The new mode launches alongside returning Winter Wonderland modes Mei’s Snowball Offensive and Mei’s Yeti Hunt, and it really brings home that Mei and her icy disposition will, by default, always be the star of Overwatch’s annual winter event. Unless she gets removed from the game, again.
D.Va’s holiday cosmetics will be available through Twitch drops.Screenshot: Blizzard
As with all Overwatch events, the 2022 Winter Wonderland event includes themed cosmetics, such as a new Ice Queen skin for Brigitte and an Ice Angel skin for Echo alongside the smaller stuff like weapon charms and sprays. Some of these, including the Brigitte skin, are unlockable through playing Winter Wonderland modes and completing event challenges.
All of this is happening as a prelude for some holiday-themed D.Va cosmetics that will be unlockable by watching Overwatch 2 Twitch streams from December 25 to January 4. This includes a Festive victory pose, which has D.Va’s mech adorned with Christmas lights, and the Sleighing skin, which has both the hero and her mech dressed up for the holidays. Hopefully these Twitch drops don’t fall prey to the same troubles previous events have had, as some players were reporting not having unlocked promised in-game cosmetics after watching Overwatch League streams last month.
Overwatch 2 is in the midst of its second season, which added Ramattra, a new tank hero who’s the leader of Null Sector, one of the antagonistic forces in the game’s upcoming PvE mode set to launch next year. Ramattra is the second unlockable new hero in Overwatch 2 after Kiriko at launch, who was made part of the battle pass, much to the chagrin of long-time players who got heroes for free in the first game. After this pushback, Blizzard made Ramattra slightly easier to unlock on the free battle pass. Still not much happening regarding feedback on its monetization and battle pass grind, though.
Prepare to level up at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2023 with the opening of Super Nintendo World on February 17. The video game-inspired land finally makes its United States debut after the opening of the first Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan back in 2021, and in advance of the release ofThe Super Mario Bros. Movie.
The West Coast version will include immersive, state of the art experiences like the Mario Kart:Bowser’s Challenge attraction and interactive gameplay throughout the Mushroom Kingdom, with a wearable Power-Up Band that will bring to life iconic game moments in the real world.
Watch the official first look at the land in this preview released by Universal!
We’re excited to race to the finish-line and grab a bite to eat at the Toadstool Cafe, filled with themed dining options that are hopefully just as cute as the Japan offerings, though we have questions about the mushroom on mushroom crime that is the Super Mushroom soup. Then, of course, there’s shopping at the 1-UP Factory retail store filled with plushes, wearable casual cosplay, and retro Nintendo merch.
Here are the official descriptions for what to expect when Super Nintendo World opens:
Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge: This all-new, technologically advanced ride, inspired by the popular Mario Kart™ video game series, will seamlessly fuse cutting-edge augmented reality (AR) with projection mapping technology and actual set pieces along a moving ride track. Set against a multi-sensory backdrop of color, sound, and movement, guests will be seated in stadium-style, four-seat vehicles as they navigate familiar courses through the creative use and integration of head mounted AR goggles. This unique feature is a key point of differentiation that distinguishes this ride from other theme park attractions.
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The premise of “Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge” is simple but equally inspiring and challenging, appealing to guests of all ages regardless of gaming experience. As part of Team Mario, guests will steer through underwater courses and courses in the clouds to compete for the Golden Cup while collecting coins to defeat Team Bowser and win. “Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge” raises the stakes for guests as an intriguing and repeatable ride with a variety of outcomes.
Mount Beanpole: This towering landmark sits at the heart of the land and also serves as the entry queue for “Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge.”
Bowser’s Castle: Adorned with a breathtaking sculpture of a large and powerful Bowser, this structure serves as a key centerpiece of the land, home to Super Nintendo World’s signature ride, “Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge.” As guests navigate the winding corridors and pass through the hall of medallions and trophies of the ominous castle towards the “Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge” ride, they will learn more about Bowser’s calculated plans to defeat Team Mario for the coveted Golden Cup.
Power-Up Band: These wearable, state-of-the-art wristbands sync with Universal Studios Hollywood’s free downloadable app to level-up the guest experience within the land and enhance its many interactive elements. These include, but are not limited to, keeping individual and team scores, collecting digital coins, and obtaining keys after winning challenges throughout the land. Power-Up Bands will also invite guests to enjoy extra-special interactions with Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach. They will come in six design options with character themes and will be available for purchase both within the land and at Super Nintendo World retail shops located in the theme park and on CityWalk.
Interactive Gameplay: Within the land, guests will become fully engulfed in an engaging world of real-life gameplay, including punching blocks to collect digital coins and a variety of interactives. They will discover a new dimension of Super Nintendo World via the interactive binoculars employing augmented reality technology positioned within the land. Guests can beat the four Key Challenges and collect keys from Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Piranha Plant, and Thwomp interactive activities to ultimately allow access to the culminating boss battle with Bowser Jr. These energetic, familiar, and fun interactive games will further enhance the entire kinetic experience within the land and immerse guests into the unique world of Super Mario.
Toadstool Cafe: The land’s signature restaurant Toadstool Cafe will serve a gourmet menu perfected by Chef Toad where he will greet guests upon entry. Menu items prepared fresh daily include Toadstool Cheesy Garlic Knots, Super Mushroom Soup, Piranha Plant Caprese, Mario Bacon Cheeseburger, Luigi Pesto Chicken Burger, Question Block Tiramisu, and Princess Peach Cupcake.
Illustration: Universal Studios Hollywood
Super Nintendo World opens February 17 at Universal Studios Hollywood.
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Wherever you’ve fallen in your Pokémon journey in the month since Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were released—either sticking to the grind or protesting some of the year’s most flagrant bugs—you’re still under the shadow of a 24-year-old refrain: gotta catch ‘em all. Though Scarlet and Violet marketing has featured legendaries Koraidon and Miraidon most prominently (likely by virtue of both these serpentine creatures turning into Harley-Davidson bikes upon request), the games actually have six total legendary Pokémon combined. I’ll tell you how to catch ‘em all, every last one of ‘em.
Koraidon
Scarlet players will receive Koraidon naturally as they progress through the game’s core story, and the legendary will be able to start providing transportation at the end of the tutorial. But to unleash Koraidon’s full potential—different types of movement like dashing and gliding—you’ll have to progress through Scarlet’s Path of Legends storyline and defeat the five Titans. Finishing the complete main story allows you to battle Koraidon, too.
But you can also pick up another Koraidon upon completing the game by heading down to Zero Gate and entering the Great Crater of Paldea. Koraidon will be standing on an iridescent cliff outside of Lab Zero, waiting to be caught.
Miraidon
Everything about Koraidon applies to Miraidon, but for Violet players instead. Violet and Scarlet players can also trade exclusive legendaries if they want both in one game, which might incentivize finishing the game and grabbing that double.
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Chi-Yu
Dark/Fire-type guppy Chi-Yu is one of the “Ruinous Quartet,” a group of legendary Paldea Pokémon that represent hatred, fear, and envy. They are cute though, despite their malevolence.
Chi-Yu is floating around North Province (Area Two), in a cave locked behind a glowing blue shrine, or the Firescourge Shrine. Your history teacher Ms. Raifort will mark this shrine and the other three on your map if you talk to her.
You can open Firescourge by plucking all eight blue Ominous Stakes from the ground, which immediately crumble when you interact with them. You’ll hear the legendary cry out once you crush the final stake, the chains on their prison unleashed.
Once you get rid of the blue stakes and reach Chi-Yu, you can fight for it. The legendary will be at level 60, as will be the rest of the Ruinous Quartet, and you should look out for its Beads of Ruin ability, which decreases your fighting Pokémons’ Special Defense by 25 percent.
Chien-Pao
Ruinous sabertooth Chien-Pao is locked in the yellow-lit Icerend Shrine, in West Province (Area One). You can release the frowning Dark/Ice-type by removing all yellow Ominous Stakes. Chien-Pao can use Sword of Ruin, an ability that decreases Defense by 25 percent.
Ting-Lu
Red-eyed Ting-Lu is a stony Dark/Ground-type, sealed behind the green Groundblight Shrine on the Socarrat Trail. You know the drill—get rid of the green Ominous Stakes to get to this Ruinous Pokémon. It can perform Vessel of Ruin, which decreases your Pokémons’ Special Attack by 25%.
Wo-Chien
Closing out the Quartet is Cousin Itt’s nephew Wo-Chien, a Dark/Grass-type obscured by browning leaves. It’s bolted behind the purple Grasswither Shrine in South Province, which you can open by destroying all purple Ominous Stakes. It’s able to use Tablets of Ruin, draining your Pokémons’ Attack by 25%.
In October, gaming history YouTube channel DidYouKnowGaming reported on a failed 2004 pitch for a Zelda tactics game on the Nintendo DS called Heroes of Hyrule. Two months later, the Mario maker has now used a copyright strike to erase the video from the internet. The channel, which has made hundreds of videos about Nintendo games and their history, says it’s the first time the company has ever responded with a takedown notice.
“Nintendo has removed our Heroes of Hyrule video from YouTube,” DidYouKnowGaming tweeted late Wednesday night. “This was a journalistic video documenting a game that Retro Studios pitched to Nintendo nearly 20 years ago. This is an attempt by a large corporation to silence whatever journalism they don’t like, and a slap in the face for video game history preservation.”
The original video by contributor Dr. Lava documented the Metroid Prime developer’s decades-old pitch for a Zelda game that sounded a lot like Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. A turn-based strategy game with puzzle-solving mechanics, it focused on children reading a history book about the defeat of Ganon, and then playing through those historical battles. The children would find new pages and magical objects in their time that would then affect battles that took place in the book.
DidYouKnowGaming’s report was sourced to the original 22-page pitch document for the game, as well as an interview with the Retro programmer who had crafted it, Paul Tozour. While there was no game to share early build footage from, it did include some illustrations from the document (Kotaku included one in our previous coverage of the video and has not yet received any legal complaints). In addition to describing what the game might have been, the video also told of the studio’s burnout from Metroid Prime 2 at the time, and some staff members’ desires to take a stab at a different type of project.
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The above is one of the sample illustrations from the Heroes of Hyrule pitch document that DidYouKnowGaming used in its video. Screenshot: Retro Studios / DidYouKnowGaming
It was a perfect example of the type of qualityYouTubegaming journalism channel DidYouKnowGaming has become known for, and of how easily fascinating moments in the medium’s history can be lost without people putting in the time and effort to document them. But apparently, the fact that the pitch was from nearly 20 years ago and ultimately unsuccessful didn’t prevent the notoriouslylitigious Nintendo from treating it like a highly sensitive trade secret.
“The Heroes of Hyrule video was created using the same process and video editing style used for most other videos on the channel,” DidYouKnowGaming told Kotaku in an email. “What sets the video apart is that it’s one of the few videos on the channel that documents a piece of Nintendo history that was first uncovered and reported on by us.”
The group believes the coverage of the pitch falls under fair use protection, and stands by its original reporting. “We had heard from several sources during the video’s production that Nintendo were becoming upset with the amount of former Nintendo employees that were willing to talk about and share material from unreleased games, failed pitches and other canceled projects,” the channel said. “This did not deter us and will not deter us from documenting video game history.”
While the Switch manufacturer has become infamous for YouTube copyright striking everything from free fan mods toold video game soundtracks, this appears to have taken the knee-jerk pettiness to an entirely new level. “This is Nintendo trying to bully and silence independent historical researchers doing completely above board work,” tweeted Liam Robertson, who did not work on the Heroes of Hyrule video but has been a contributor to DidYouKnowGaming in the past. “They should not get to pick and choose what is said about them on YouTube.”
Nintendo and YouTube did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Correction 12/8/22 10:54 a.m. ET: A previous version of this article said the video was created by channel creator Shane Gill.
James Gunn (with Chris Pratt and Dave Bautista) on the set of the Guardians Holiday Special.Image: Marvel Studios
It’s fitting that James Gunn just released a holiday special because he’s currently the bright star at the center of the superhero movie world. Not only did Gunn just release The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special ahead of next year’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but he’s also the new co-head of DC Films, currently working out how to compete with Marvel across all media.
If those types of things interest you—and if you’re reading this, they probably do—Gunn’s Twitter is a must-follow. He’s one of a very, very small handful of powerful geek creatives who still actively engages on the platform, and this past weekend Gunn was in full force, answering fans’ burning questions about the Guardians and even teasing some larger generalizations about the future of DC.
Starting with Guardians, Gunn did his best to clear up one of the bigger questions surrounding the special, which is when and how did the Guardians of the Galaxy buy Knowhere, the huge celestial skull where the Collector resided in the first film. “Although the Guardians are sometimes heroes, they work as mercenaries & it brings in a fair amount of money,” Gunn tweeted. “So after Thanos attacked Knowhere they bought it from the Collector. It was a burnt out husk & they’ve been rebuilding it.” On Knowhere, we see the Guardians are now friends with Cosmo, the dog briefly seen in the Collector’s collection in the original Guardians. Gunn confirmed Cosmo hadn’t left, and met the Guardians on the planet.
In terms of timelines between the Holiday Special and the Guardians’ last appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder, Gunn was a little less clear. “I’m not sure how it works out in the timeline (these things aren’t discussed) but in my mind they were only with Thor a few weeks,” he said. He was clear though on why Peter Quill is less OK going back to Earth than he is other places. “Because when we’re 8 years old we process trauma much, much differently than we do when we’re 38,” Gunn tweeted.
There also seemed to be many, many questions about the new Groot, which Gunn has lovingly dubbed “Swole Groot.” In his mind, this is not the same Groot we saw in the first film who lovingly sacrificed himself for his team. And with a new life and experiences, that explains why his body has developed differently. “I think it’s explicit in the movies,” Gunn tweeted. “As Baby Groot was explicitly a baby without the knowledge of OG Groot. But now that Groot’s body is developing differently it’s more obvious.”
Answering questions about the practicality of the special, Gunn confirmed what was, and wasn’t real, in terms of shooting locations. “Knowhere was mostly practical with some extensions & the spaceship (& Hollywood Blvd) were all practical,” he said.
Just a bevy of Marvel information. Since it’s much newer in Gunn’s career, his openness about the future of DC Film was certainly less specific, but no less exciting. “The DCU will be connected across film and TV (and animation),” Gunn said, kind of wrapping up a slew of tweets where he said there would be 2D and 3D animation, that some of the animations would tie into the world of the movies and TV (while others won’t), future video games will tie into the larger DC Universe, he expects to write and direct some DC projects in the future, and while there is communication between film and comics, he is only involved with the films.
Finally, while Gunn is honest that he’s only been at DC a few weeks and plans are in place, he expects at least some news to be out about his and co-chair Peter Safran’s plans well before next year’s San Diego Comic-Con. But in the meantime, he’s got to finish and promote Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which will tie up not just the story of the Guardians, but Gunn’s at Marvel too.
What’s the main takeaway here? Well, follow James Gunn on Twitter for one. And two, everyone please keep being nice to him so he doesn’t leave. Because it’s incredible to have someone with such influence be so accessible.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water.
Boy, here are some God of War Ragnarök tips. And yes, it’s very good and delivers a satisfying conclusion for this new era of the franchise.
02:39
The Week In Games: Gold Rings And Ragnarök
Monday 6:24PM
So, knowing that and after all the hype, you are likely excited to just jump right in and get going with Kratos and friends. But before you start playing Ragnarök, here are some tips to consider from me, someone who has played over 40 hours of it. And don’t worry, there are no major spoilers below.
You Can Pause Cutscenes
A simple tip, but good to know because some of the cutscenes in Ragnarök are very long. You might need a bathroom break!
Set “Swipe Up” To Quickly See Where To Go
The PS5 and PS4 controllers have touchpads. While these are used by most games as little more than giant buttons, God of War lets you assign certain actions to swipes. Personally, setting it to point the camera in the direction of my current objective was the only useful action I found in the game. Technically, you can do the same thing with a button press, but this is quicker and easier.
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Screenshot: Santa Monica Studio / Sony / Kotaku
Pre-Ice Your Axe Before Fights
One of the first things you learn about is the ability to “charge” up your Levithan axe with ice, and it’s a great thing to do for the rest of the game. Anytime you get a chance to hold triangle to “ice up” your axe, do it! You’ll do more damage and gain access to special attacks. Later on, grab the upgrade that lets you ice up your axe while sprinting, too.
Save Health Drops For Later
During fights, an enemy will sometimes drop a health pick up. While you might be tempted to smash these right away to refill your HP, hold on! Leaving them around can save you during ambushes or bigger fights. Wait to pop these when you either know the area is completely clear or you are very, very low on health and need the boost. Early on, your HP will be low so managing these drops effectively can help you survive tough encounters.
Try Out The Dwarf Armor Set, Nidavellir
Not too far into the game, you’ll encounter a side quest involving mining rigs and the dwarves. Take a detour and finish up this questline as it will give you the materials needed to create the Nidavellir set of armor. This armor has a great bonus, whenever you execute a stunned enemy using R3, the armor provides a burst of health. Very useful in the early game!
Don’t Forget To Block And Counter
It’s easy to focus only on swinging your cool axe and chain blades because they’re so cool and make enemies go “SPLAT” or “BOOM” when used correctly. But wait! Don’t forget to block and dodge. Later enemies and harder bosses will demand you block and dodge attacks, so start practicing early on. (And remember, you can’t block attacks that are marked by red circles!)
Screenshot: Santa Monica Studio / Sony / Kotaku
Use Atreus To Locate Missing Enemies
Sometimes you might kill what you think is the last enemy, but the combat music keeps playing and you can’t access any loot. This isn’t a bug, but instead, there’s likely a lone enemy hanging around somewhere. A quick way to find it is to press square and use Atreus’ bow attack to find it as he will fire the bow in the direction of the baddie.
Get Aggressive Skills For Atreus
Speaking of Atreus, when upgrading his skills, focus on the ones that make him more aggressive and give him more ways to stun, damage, and counter enemies. This will make him far more useful in fights.
Take Advantage Of The Blades Grapple When You Unlock It
Early on, you’ll be able to unlock an ability for your Blades of Chaos called “Hyperion Grapple.” Once unlocked, aim your blades at an enemy and hold R1. Kratos will zip across the battlefield and slam into the bad guy or monster via the blades chains. This will deal a lot of stun damage, which is useful as it will often let you execute the enemy.
You can even buff it to do more stun damage, making it a very powerful move to take down big enemies or clean out tiny ones as it has no cooldown.
Need To Stun Something? Punch It!
While your axe and blades are amazing and very powerful, don’t forget that Kratos has some beefy fists that can be useful in a fight. That’s because his fists do more stun damage, filling up that stun meter below enemies HP bar.
In fact, some enemies, like the armor-covered Travelers, are better to punch than slash, because once stunned you are able to rip off their armor and make them more vulnerable to other attacks. Fast and annoying creatures can also be stunned and put in their place with Dad of War’s fists of fury.
Screenshot: Santa Monica Studio / Sony / Kotaku
Love The Spear. Worship The Spear. Upgrade It Too!
Fairly late in the game, you will gain access to a new weapon: a magical spear. I won’t spoil how you get it or why, but it’s very cool and useful. What makes this spear powerful is that you can throw magical copies of it forever, giving Kratos a powerful ranged weapon. And the spears can impale enemies, which Kratos can later make explode when you hold triangle. All of this is good and you should try to upgrade it ASAP once you unlock it.
Those Air Vents You See? Ignore Them Until You Get The Spear
The spear isn’t just a great weapon, it helps solve later-game puzzles, too! All those small air vents you see in the various realms? Those can’t be used until you get the spear. Come back with it to solve those puzzles.
Same Goes For The Glowing Yellow Cracks
Yeah, those need the spear, too.
Keep An Eye Out For Chests
They can be hidden in many places and are very important. Each of these will give you more resources and hacksilver, letting you upgrade all your god killin’ gear. Keep a special eye out for Nornir chests which are dark blue and locked behind runes. You’ll need to solve a little puzzle to open these, but they award health and rage upgrades!
Sell Armor And Weapons You Don’t Use
Having more hacksilver and crafting resources is useful early on as you start the game with basically nothing. So, feel free to sell any armor or weapons you find that you don’t want. And don’t worry, if in a few hours you feel like you made a mistake, you can always re-craft that stuff later.
But trust me, you’ll quickly find a few pieces of gear you love, and everything else can and should be sold to help boost the stuff you are actually using.
Oh, And Sell All The Artifacts, Too
After you find books or other collectibles, you can sell them to blacksmiths. And you don’t get punished for doing so. In fact, the game even tells you this at one point. So sell that stuff too!
Screenshot: Santa Monica Studio / Sony / Kotaku
Make Sure To Use Your XP To Get New Skills
In all the chaos of killing and looting, you might forget to take a moment to level up your skills and unlock new ones. So, make a habit of always checking your skills whenever you see a blacksmith, beat a boss, or after a cutscene. These happen frequently enough that you shouldn’t go too long without upgrading Kratos.
Also, Upgrade Your Rune Attacks And Abilities
There’s a lot of shit to upgrade in this game. (In fact, there’s probably too much stuff to tinker with, really.) Another thing to upgrade are your weapons, which can each be equipped with two runes. Upgrading these runes can improve the already powerful special attacks in some great ways.
Oh, Also, Also Upgrade Your Skills Once You’ve Completed The Associated Challenge
Wait, there’s more shit to upgrade. Over the course of the game, you’ll complete challenges that connect to different skills. Once you’ve fully completed all levels of a challenge, you are able to upgrade that associated skill. For example, the fantastic Hyperion Pull ability I mentioned earlier can be tweaked, after you’ve used it enough times, to do even more stun damage.
Pick One Or Two Stats You Care About And Focus On That
Okay, so all that upgrading and armor management and skill tweaking might seem messy and hard to follow. And it sort of is! But luckily, you can also mostly ignore it all and just pick out two stats you care most about.
So if, like me, you just want to do lots of damage and have tons of health, just focus on gear that increases your vitality and strength. I did this and made it easily to the end of the game as a god-killin’ machine.
Screenshot: Santa Monica Studio / Sony / Kotaku
Use Hex Arrows To Freeze Things Without The Axe Being Embedded
See something that you need frozen? Throw your axe at it. Simple. But what if there are two things? Well don’t forget you can have companions fire hex arrows at something, like a large gear connected to a door, and when you freeze that, the gear will remain frozen even after you recall the axe. This will let you freeze two different things at once!
On PS5? Play At 120 FPS If Your TV Allows It
If you are lucky enough to own a PS5, then take advantage of Ragnarök’s suite of visual options. Specifically, if you have a TV setup that allows it, play the game at 120fps. Seriously. It’s amazing and makes me unable to go back to 60fps or…shudders…30fps.
To turn on 120fps, hop into the visual settings and select “Performance Mode” and then turn on “High Frame Rate Mode.” Voila! You too can kill gods at a silky smooth 120 frames per second.
You Can Keep Playing Once The Credits Roll (And You Should)
I won’t spoil how God of War does this, what it means for the story or how it works with the other characters in the game. But yes, you can keep playing and finish up side quests you didn’t complete before wrapping up the main story.
And you should keep playing once the game “ends” because there are some fun moments and conversations to be found out there once all is said and done.
Gotham Knights came out a week ago and I’ve found it exceedingly difficult to find anything to love about the open-world loot brawler. Red Hood’s snickerdoodle recipe, maybe? The latest Batman game borrows from a ton of other, mostly better rivals, and struggles to craft a clear identity in the process. Kotaku’s Levi Winslow also spent the last week trying to save Gotham city from feuding gangs and supervillains, and the two of us sat down to try and hash out what the game does well, what it does poorly, and all the ways it left us confused.
Levi Winslow: Ok. So, like, I feel Gotham Knights is a bifurcated game, something that has two separate identities living within itself. First, there’s the narrative action-adventure stuff where you’re solving crimes, meeting the villains, beating up goons before getting a cutscene taking you back to The Belfry. That is a solid gameplay loop. Then you hit the open world. I don’t dislike it, There’s some enjoyment in grapple-hook-jumping from one rooftop to another, but the RNG RPG-ness of it, the Diablo-like nature to the unnecessary loot grind, makes for some of the most tedious parts of the whole game. What do you think? How do you feel about the linear narrative juxtaposed with the open-world grind?
Ethan Gach: I’m incredibly underwhelmed by both so far. Everything just fits together so awkwardly, and I mean everything. The individual scripted cutscenes? Great. Love ’em. Completely fine. But everything else, going room-to-room in a story mission, crime-to-crime in the open world, and even enemy-to-enemy during the big brawls, all just feels rough and uneven and not good. Like you could describe the back-of-the-box bullet points of this game, and I’d go, sure, that sounds fine. It’s not the new Arkham I want, but I love the Batman comics, I love the universe, lets go jump off some rooftops and solve some mysteries. And yet almost nothing in this game feels actually good to do in my opinion.
Screenshot: Warner Bros. Games / Kotaku
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Levi: Can’t argue with you there. The gameplay is especially clunky and imprecise. I don’t mind the combat. It isn’t as smooth as Marvel’s Spider-Man or as impactful as the Arkham games, but it definitely carries more weight and feels way better than Marvel’s Avengers, which is the closest comparison I could give. Like you said, something about it all just feels off and awkward. I really can’t stand the stealth and how sticky and slippery the characters are. You wanna open this chest after busting some skulls, but you gotta stand in this exact spot to trigger the contextual button input. Deviate from it just a little bit, like barely even a centimeter, and the prompt will disappear. Or you’re perched on this ledge to scope the area, looking for some stealth takedowns but, whoops, you accidentally flicked the left stick forward and now your vigilante has just jumped off and lands in front of the enemies you were trying to stealth. It’s frustrating.
Ethan: Yeah I basically haven’t even bothered with stealth for that reason, especially because the rest of the incentives feel like they are pushing me toward just complete chaos. Who have you been playing as? I’ve rotated every mission, but so far I think Red Hood is my favorite, mostly because he feels the most substantial and least slippery. Batgirl is a close second.
Levi: Lol, I’m just a perfectionist who wants to complete all the challenges. So when it’s like “Perfect whatever number stealth takedowns,” I’m like, “Bet.” But yeah I started with Nightwing, then switched to Batgirl, who’s been my main ever since. She’s just so OP, it’s insane. I’ve heard Red Hood is pretty good so I’m gonna have to give him a try. What do you think of Robin? Considering how frustrating stealth is, I couldn’t imagine playing him because of how stealth-focused he is. His bo staff’s looks cool.
Screenshot: Warner Bros. Games / Kotaku
Ethan: There are too many big enemies and dudes that will come at you from off-screen, to the point that I just didn’t want to bother with Robin after the first time I tried him. I also really don’t like Gotham Knights’ version of the character. I’m a huge fan of The Animated Series’ take on Tim Drake, and this feels more like a weird cross between Spider-Man’s Peter Parker and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s Cal Kestis, if that makes any sense.
I also don’t really feel any compulsion to grind, which is weird, but I think mostly stems from just how diffuse everything is. There are not nearly enough villains in this world to beat up to sustain an entire upgrade and crafting loop.
Levi: Very that, both on Robin’s timidity and the unsatisfying number of villains in the open world. Gotham here truly feels lifeless. Sure, there are citizens wandering the streets and GCPD patrolling their headquarters (or getting bullied by some dudes), but there’s no energy to the city. I know I compared Gotham Knights to Marvel’s Avengers—which I admittedly did like for a hot minute—but I can’t help but wanna play Marvel’s Spider-Man every time I’m protecting Gotham. There’s something about the bland color palette and the sameness of the districts that strips Gotham of its character.
Ethan: I think the city itself looks cool, and I like the way they tried to play off the four heroes’ iconic color palettes with the neon lights and how steam and fog hang on the skyline. But I also kept thinking of Spider-Man, mostly because I was always frustrated I couldn’t chain the grappling hook together like I was web slinging.
Screenshot: Warner Bros. Games / Kotaku
I think a large part of that is how much space you have to cover because of how scattered the actual things for you to do are. I would have preferred a much smaller but denser section of the city than having to hopscotch around all the dead space. Usually, open-world games thrive on constantly finding things on the way to your objective that distract, intrigue, and send you down an entirely separate rabbit hole. Here it really does feel like moonlighting as an Uber driver in the worst-paved metropolis in the world.
Levi: Yeah, like, there really isn’t a whole lot to do in this world. And what’s available to do is incredibly repetitive: Go here, beat up some guys, check out a clue, escape before GCPD shows up, rinse and repeat. Don’t get me wrong, I’m having fun dominating dudes as Batgirl. But the fun isn’t as satisfying as in other, better superhero action games that have come out recently.
Ethan: I also feel like the game is in a very weird place tonally. Batman’s family is left to figure out what their relationships are without him to orient them, but they are all pretty unfazed by the actual fact that he’s dead. And despite the dramatic premise, things get off to a very slow start. I will say I prefer aspects of Gotham Knights’ gameplay to Marvel’s Avengers’—whose combat felt indistinct and very much in the licensed game bucket—but the way the latter was shot felt like a much better approximation of the feel of the MCU than Gotham Knights is for the DCU.
Screenshot: Warner Bros. Games / Kotaku
As a Destiny guy who loves a mindless gameloop I can sink into at the end of the day, I thought I was primed to see the glass half full in Gotham Knights, but that’s just not what’s happened.
Levi: Same. I really wanted a mindless loop that offered solid gameplay with an intriguing story, and Gotham Knights misses the landing. There are good elements here, don’t get it twisted. The combat is fine, serviceable actually. And the sometimes tender, sometimes tense moments between characters during cutscenes is captivating. But the actual meat and potatoes of the game, the core gameplay loop, just isn’t as satisfying as I was hoping. I’ll finish it, though. I’ve completed Nightwing’s Knighthood challenges to get his Mechanical Glider, so I gotta do the same for Batgirl. And I wanna play some co-op to see just how untethered the experience is, but I can’t imagine thinking too much about Gotham once I finished the story. It isn’t sticking in the same way Marvel’s Spider-Man did.
Maybe that’s an unfair comparison, but truly, in my head canon, Gotham Knights is somewhere between Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Avengers. It’s fine, but I don’t know if that’s necessarily a good spot to be in.
Screenshot: Warner Bros. Games / Kotaku
Ethan: I’m still only about halfway through the game, but feeling much less generous. It’s an indecisive mix of a bunch of games without any one solid thing to hold onto. The co-op that I’ve tried so far is very decent overall, and I think certainly sets a kind of standard for games like Far Cry—which have traditionally struggled with multiplayer that feels consistent and rewarding—to aim for.
But man, every aspect of the Batman mythos recreated here feels like it’s done better elsewhere. Maybe when the four-player mode comes out it’ll be closer to the 3D brawler it should have been. At this point I almost wish it were a live-service game. At least then there might be a shot at a better 2.0 version a year from now.
Levi: Right? Gotham Knights certainly feels like it could’ve been a live-service game. I’m hoping that four-play co-op mode Hero Assault extends to the open-world stuff too. There are four heroes. This game should be chaotic as hell, kinda like that underground Harley Quinn mission with that punk rendition of “Livin’ La Vida Loca.” That, so far, has been the most memorable part of the whole game.
WB Games president David Haddad announced on Rocksteady’s website today that the video game developer’s co-founders, Sefton Hill and Jamie Walker, are leaving the studio at the end of 2022. Rocksteady, which created the Batman: Arkham series, is set to release its anticipated pseudo-spin-off, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, in 2023.
“With Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League nearly finished, they have both decided to leave Rocksteady at the end of 2022 and will begin a new adventure in gaming,” Haddad writes in the announcement. “We have the utmost respect and gratitude for Jamie and Sefton and wish them all the best in their new endeavor, and like many fans, we look forward to what they do next.”
Haddad did not share details of “what they do next,” but Hill and Walker—who founded Rocksteady in 2004—could well be looking to do it all over again. They were still an active part of the studio, with Hill most recently acted as Suicide Squad’s game director. Stepping up in their place are director of production Nathan Burlow, who Haddad calls an “original founding member,” promoted to studio director, and Darius Sadeghian, who will become studio product director.
“Nathan and Darius are extremely talented executives and they are passionate about continuing the high-quality game development of Rocksteady for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and all future games,” Haddad wrote.
Read More:Gotham Knights Sounds Like A Big Disappointment
About their sudden departure, Hill and Walker wrote in the announcement that, “From the day we founded the company in 2004 all the way to today, Rocksteady has been our life and soul. It has given us the opportunity to do what we love most: make great games with exceptionally talented people.”
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Hill and Walker emphasized the community at Rocksteady, saying that “there is something extra special about Rocksteady that goes beyond the games we make, and everyone who works here feels it.”
“We want to thank the team for their hard work and everything they bring to make this such a great place to be,” the pair continued. “Now with Suicide Squad in safe hands, and the team here stronger than ever, it’s time to hand over the reins, and for us to start a new adventure together in games.”
Earlier this fall, Suicide Squad writer Kim MacAskill passed on a lifetime achievement award from from nonprofit Women in Games, saying that event sponsors Rocksteady and Warner Bros. Interactive need to “take accountability.”
“You can throw your name on every diversity event going,” she said, “but unless you take accountability, it means nothing and I see you.”
In 2020, Rocksteady responded to a report by The Guardian detailing sexual harassment in its workplace, saying, “All formal complaints were thoroughly investigated, addressed appropriately and a number of serious measures were taken in response to the issues that were surfaced, including discipline or termination of staff.”