Posted by: xSicKxBot - 09-18-2018, 03:35 AM - Forum: Lounge
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The Prices Of Pokemon Cards Are Making It Tough To Play
I lay restlessly in bed a few nights ago thinking about something I presume many people who have just turned 30 think about: Pokemon cards. I wasn't counting Mareep to lull myself into a slumber, nor was I dreaming of sliding down the freakishly long neck of an Alolan Exeggutor (not tonight, at least). No, I was thinking about how bloody expensive the Pokemon Trading Card Game is, and this made me unreasonably upset at roughly 1 in the morning.
For a lot of people, the Pokemon Trading Card Game is something they remember fondly from school. Opening booster packs of 10 randomised cards, comparing shinies with mates, and making ill-advised trading decisions based on the playground economics of each card's perceived worth. But for many, including myself, it's so much more than that. It's one of the best online and offline card games on the market, with the added bonus of fuzzy nostalgia in pocket-sized monster form.
A few years ago I got back into Pokemon cards. It was oddly fulfilling about being able to spend adult money on something I could rarely afford as a scruffy 11-year-old in secondary school. I quickly started playing and competing, thanks to the support of my local Pokemon League and the friendly bunch of players who turned up each Saturday morning. Building decks and taking my best Pokemon cards into an intense one-on-one battle was far more exciting than anything I had experienced in the video games. I was hooked.
Something you learn about very quickly in the world of Pokemon cards is the meta. Certain decks of 60 cards are just better than others, so if you want to be competitive you need to have one of those decks. It seems simple, but herein lies the inherent problem with The Pokemon Trading Card Game: the best decks have the best cards, and the best cards are often rare (or even ultra rare), which makes pulling them randomly from booster packs extremely unlikely and uneconomical. So unless you're funded by Team Rocket or you can convince someone to trade their very good cards for your not-so-good ones, the next logical step is to find someone selling the cards you need on eBay or through a collectible card seller online. But of course the rare, powerful cards are in high demand and have a premium price tag attached to them.
What I'm describing will of course sound familiar to anyone who has played any trading or collectible card game. To a certain extent it's just the nature of the beast, but other card games offer alternatives to you hemorrhaging cash just to keep up with the meta. Magic the Gathering, for example, widely supports multiple formats for veterans and newcomers on any budget, with limited formats like Draft and Sealed levelling the playing field, and a much larger player base to support this. Hearthstone, the popular online collectible card game from Blizzard, lets you break down unwanted cards so you can craft those you need. Pokemon, on the other hand, is effectively pay or lose.
In 2012 a card called Darkrai-EX came along, at the height of my love and obsession for Pokemon cards. The deck winning all the local tournaments had four of these cards, and it was available as part of the Dark Explorers expansion, so obviously I needed it. I decided to take the plunge and drop £80 on a box of 36 Dark Explorers booster packs. After feverishly unwrapping them in what was, to be fair, a pretty cathartic pack-cracking binge, I couldn't believe what had happened: after all that money spent, I hadn't pulled a single Darkrai-EX, and I needed four. The card was selling for £40 a pop on eBay, so that was it. I packed it all in and I headed for the greener pastures of the "Living Card Games" by Fantasy Flight Games, which did away with randomised boosters and offered a more constructed experience with games like Android: Netrunner and A Game of Thrones: The Card Game.
This brings us back to me, years later, an adult, laying in bed thinking about Pokemon cards. The 2018 Pokemon World Championships have just taken place in Nashville, Tennessee. There, the best TCG players in the world get together and put their decks to the ultimate test. First place takes home a massive $25,000, so the pressure is on to pick the right deck and pilot it to victory. Of course, I'm playing Pokemon cards again. Nothing has since matched the gameplay experience for me so I couldn't stay away for long, but this time I'm determined to do it on a budget. I jump out of bed, switch on my computer, and begin to pore over the winning deck lists fresh from Nashville to see if I could afford any of them.
In the Masters Division a Zoroark / Garbodor deck carved a path to a first place victory. I looked up how much it would cost to buy these cards online and, at the time of writing, this deck would cost a whopping £237.40 ($305) to build. Second place went to a Malamar deck, another staple in the format, which carries a price tag of £145.52 ($187). In at third was a Zygarde / Lycanroc deck to the tune of £168.70 ($217), and finishing in fourth we have a deck using the recently released Rayquaza-GX from the Celestial Storm expansion. This one would cost £213.40 ($274) to build with cards purchased from online sellers, and as it happens similar Rayquaza decks also filled in three more spots in the top 10 at 5th, 7th and 10th.
You can see the picture I'm painting here, but at this point I want to stress that merely owning an expensive meta deck doesn't guarantee victory. It takes a lot of skill, and hundreds if not thousands of hours of practice to play at the level seen at the Pokemon World Championships. To reduce the game simply to the cost of a deck would be a discredit to the incredibly talented, passionate, dedicated, kind, and friendly people who make up the TCG community.
The problem I'm facing, though, is that decks like Zoroark make up a huge percentage of what is currently played not just on the world stage but in local tournaments too. Zoroark decks alone made up nearly 30% of competitive play in the last season, so it's hard to ignore the fact that expensive decks do win games, whether that's at the highest level in tournaments, or friendly local games. Nearly every competitive deck includes multiple copies of the meta staple Tapu Lele-GX, which currently costs about £30 ($38) for one copy.
It's no surprise, then, that pack-opening videos are so popular on YouTube, with people (likely a lot of young children) living vicariously through those who can afford to buy endless booster packs and share the treasures within for the viewer at home. There's even an eight hour long video where an eye-watering $24,000 worth of Pokemon Sun & Moon boosters are opened up for over one million viewers.
At this point it seems to be widely accepted that this is just the cost of playing Pokemon cards. If you don't have the cash to front for the best cards, then you won't have the best chance when it comes to competing. Apply this to video games and the equivalent might be having to pay for better weapons in Call of Duty or Overwatch putting character abilities in loot boxes. There is already a lot of controversy surrounding loot boxes and "pay to win" content in video games as it is, but trading card game manufacturers aren't held to the same level of scrutiny.
So what's the solution? Am I doomed to weak budget decks or playing with printed proxies? Surely there is a way to lower the entry price for a competitive deck below £200, and below £100 or even £50 while we're at it. After all, one deck won't last you long, with new expansions releasing every few months and an ever-changing meta that sees new cards and strategies appearing like wild Zubat in a dark cave.
Booster packs will never go away, they have been a part of the Pokemon Trading Card Game since the beginning, and to be fair a lot of people do love them. But for the competitive scene, I want competitive cards to be more accessible with cheaper reprints for those not able to fork out hundreds. Granted there have been some already, and the must-have Tapu Lele-GX will be included in an upcoming boxset--but at $50 and well after the card initially hit the metagame in May 2017, it's too little too late. Theme Decks are often a starting point for new players, so it's good to see recent releases include a handful of staple uncommon cards to help kickstart a competitive collection, but there's room for improvement. I would like to see The Pokemon Company make these cards easier to get ahold of and make powerful GX cards more frequent in booster packs, rather than the measly four or five you might be lucky enough to get in a full box of 36 boosters at the moment.
This will surely lead to a healthier meta, happier players, and more of them at that. I love the Pokemon Trading Card Game, but the thought of not being able to play because of my budget is literally keeping me up at night. I have a full time job and I can't keep up with the cost of Pokemon cards.
In my mind Richard Garfield, creator of Magic: The Gathering has the best mentality when it comes to cards, their availability, and their pricing structure: "I wanted to see the cards collectible in the sense of stamps, where you go to the post office and buy some stamps you don't expect them to be immediately worth $10 when you spent $2, but over time, they can be special."
How to install more wallpaper packs on Fedora Workstation
Every release, the Fedora Design team creates a new default wallpaper for Fedora. In addition to the default wallpaper, the Fedora repositories also contain a set of extra Supplemental Wallpapers for each release. These older wallpapers are not installed by default, but are easily installed from the Fedora Repositories. If you have just set up a fresh install of Fedora, and want to expand your choices for your desktop wallpaper, the older Fedora wallpapers are a great choice.
This post lists out the older wallpapers available in the Fedora repositories, and how to install them on your current Fedora install. On Fedora Workstation, after you have installed your desired pack, they will show up in the Wallpapers tab in the Background chooser in the Settings.
Note: If you are using a desktop environment other than the default for Fedora Workstation (GNOME), there are also packages tailored to some of the more popular alternative desktops. In most of the examples below, simply change
gnome
in the dnf install line to
kde
or
mate
or
xfce
when installing the package.
Fedora 28 Wallpapers
Fedora 28 Default Wallpaper
To install the Fedora 28 default wallpaper, use the following command in the Terminal:
sudo dnf install f28-backgrounds-gnome
Fedora 28 Supplemental Wallpapers
To install the Fedora 28 supplementary wallpapers, use the following command in the Terminal:
sudo dnf install f28-backgrounds-extras-gnome
Fedora 27 Wallpaper
To install the Fedora 27 default wallpaper, use the following command in the Terminal:
sudo dnf install f27-backgrounds-gnome
Fedora 26 Wallpapers
Fedora 26 Default Wallpaper
To install the Fedora 26 default wallpaper, use the following command in the Terminal:
sudo dnf install f26-backgrounds-gnome
Fedora 26 Supplemental Wallpapers
To install the Fedora 26 supplementary wallpapers, use the following command in the Terminal:
sudo dnf install f26-backgrounds-extras-gnome
Fedora 25 Wallpapers
Fedora 25 Default Wallpaper
To install the Fedora 25 default wallpaper, use the following command in the Terminal:
sudo dnf install f25-backgrounds-gnome
Fedora 25 Supplemental Wallpapers
To install the Fedora 25 supplementary wallpapers, use the following command in the Terminal:
sudo dnf install f25-backgrounds-extras-gnome
Fedora 24 Wallpapers
Fedora 24 Default Wallpaper
To install the Fedora 24 default wallpaper, use the following command in the Terminal:
sudo dnf install f24-backgrounds-gnome
Fedora 24 Supplemental Wallpapers
To install the Fedora 24 supplementary wallpapers, use the following command in the Terminal:
sudo dnf install f24-backgrounds-extras-gnome
Fedora 23 Wallpapers
Fedora 23 Default Wallpaper
To install the Fedora 23 default wallpaper, use the following command in the Terminal:
sudo dnf install f23-backgrounds-gnome
Fedora 23 Supplemental Wallpapers
To install the Fedora 23 supplementary wallpapers, use the following command in the Terminal:
sudo dnf install f23-backgrounds-extras-gnome
Fedora 22 Wallpapers
Fedora 22 Default Wallpaper
To install the Fedora 22 default wallpaper, use the following command in the Terminal:
sudo dnf install f22-backgrounds-gnome
Fedora 22 Supplemental Wallpapers
To install the Fedora 22 supplementary wallpapers, use the following command in the Terminal:
sudo dnf install f22-backgrounds-extras-gnome
Fedora 21 Wallpapers
Fedora 21 Default Wallpaper
To install the Fedora 21 default wallpaper, use the following command in the Terminal:
sudo dnf install f21-backgrounds-gnome
Fedora 21 Supplemental Wallpapers
To install the Fedora 21 supplementary wallpapers, use the following command in the Terminal:
sudo dnf install f21-backgrounds-extras-gnome
Fedora 20 Wallpapers
Fedora 20 Default Wallpaper
To install the Fedora 20 default wallpaper, use the following command in the Terminal:
sudo dnf install heisenbug-backgrounds-gnome
Fedora 20 Supplemental Wallpapers
To install the Fedora 20 supplementary wallpapers, use the following command in the Terminal:
To install the Fedora 17 default wallpaper, use the following command in the Terminal:
sudo dnf install beefy-miracle-backgrounds-gnome
Fedora 16 Wallpapers
Fedora 16 Default Wallpaper
To install the Fedora 16 default wallpaper, use the following command in the Terminal:
sudo dnf install verne-backgrounds-gnome
Fedora 16 Supplemental Wallpapers
To install the Fedora 16 supplementary wallpapers, use the following command in the Terminal:
sudo dnf install verne-backgrounds-extras-gnome
Fedora 15 Wallpapers
Fedora 15 Default Wallpaper
The default wallpaper for Fedora 15 was a remix of the default GNOME wallpaper at the time. To install the Fedora 15 default wallpaper, use the following command in the Terminal:
Fedora 15 also shipped with an alternate wallpaper, that was used by default on non-GNOME spins. To get this wallpaper, use the following command in the Terminal:
sudo dnf install lovelock-backgrounds-gnome
Fedora 14 Wallpapers
Fedora 14 Default Wallpaper
To install the Fedora 14 default wallpaper, use the following command in the Terminal:
sudo dnf install laughlin-backgrounds-gnome
Fedora 14 Supplemental Wallpapers
To install the Fedora 14 supplementary wallpapers, use the following command in the Terminal:
Transference is a psychological thriller and the first game collaboration between SpectreVision and Ubisoft. Bridging the gap between movies and games, we invite you to lose yourself in the destructive tale of a man's obsession as you explore his digitally recreated memories. Experience the limits of techno-psychology, and escape a maze-like puzzle concealing a corrupted truth. Get projected into the digital consciousness of troubled case subjects and maybe you will influence their fate.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 09-18-2018, 12:56 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Nintendo requires online subscription to purchase Switch NES controller
Nintendo announced that it plans to release a duo of wireless Switch controllers modeled after the gamepad for the original NES, but the way the company plans to sell those controllers is somewhat unusual.
The NES controllers go up for sale in December, but would-be purchasers will be limited to only one set of controllers and will need to have a Nintendo Account with a paid Nintendo Switch Online subscription to make the purchase.
It’s not unusual for console-makers to offer certain sales or features to those that sign up for online subscriptions, but tying hardware goodies to paid accounts is a notably unusual move.
The Nintendo Switch Online subscription service goes live on September 18 and, in addition to granting Switch owners access to the NES controllers, opens up the use of cloud saves for the duration of the subscription, offers a playable library of classic Nintendo titles, and is required for online multiplayer on the system.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 09-18-2018, 12:56 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Don’t Miss: The strange, unresolved conflict in Animal Crossing
While some are learning about the peculiar pleasure of Animal Crossing thanks to the series’ latest release on Nintendo 3DS, the game has long charmed and puzzled players and critics. In this excerpt from his 2007 book Persuasive Games, Ian Bogost discusses the game’s first edition (released for the GameCube in 2002) in relation to his theory of “procedural rhetoric,” the act of expressing ideas through rules. While some details have changed over the years, Animal Crossing’s overall themes remain constant: the strange, unresolved conflict between consumption and naturalism.
The Nintendo GameCube videogame Animal Crossing is an “animal village simulator.” Players move into a town filled with cartoonish animal characters and buy a house, then work, trade, and personalize their microenvionment. The game offers a series of innocuous, even mundane activities like bug catching, gardening, and wallpaper designing; like The Sims, Animal Crossing’s primary metaphors are social interaction and household customization.
Although the GameCube supports simultaneous play with up to four players, Animal Crossing only allows one player at a time. The game can store up to four player profiles in one shared town, and human players can interact with friends or family members who play the game, but only indirectly, by leaving notes or gifts, completing tasks, or even planting flowers or trees. Furthermore, Animal Crossing binds the game world to the real world, synchronizing its date and time to the console clock. Time passes in real time in Animal Crossing—it gets dark at night, snows in the winter, and the animals go trick-or-treating on Halloween. Since game time is linked to real time, a player can conceptualize the game as a part of his daily life rather than a split out of it.
This binding of the real world to the game world creates opportunities for families or friends to collaborate in a way that might be impossible in a simultaneous multiplayer game. Since the whole family shares a single GameCube, the game’s persistent state facilitates natural collaboration between family members with different schedules. For example, a child might find a fossil during the afternoon, then mail it to her father’s character in the game. At bedtime, she could let Dad know that she needs to have it analyzed at the central museum so she can take it to the local gallery the next day. As critics Kurt Squire and Henry Jenkins wrote of the game, “Families (of all types) live increasingly disjointed lives, but the whole family can play Animal Crossing even if they can rarely all sit down to dinner together.”
One of the most challenging projects in the game is paying off the mortgage on one’s house. Animal Crossing allows players to upgrade their homes, but doing so requires paying off a large note the player must take out to start the game in the first place. Then the player must pay renovation mortgages for even larger sums. While the game mercifully omits some of the more punitive intricacies of long-term debt, such as compounding interest, improving one’s home does require consistent work in the game world. Catching fish, hunting for fossils, finding insects, and doing jobs for other townsfolk all produce income that can be used to pay off mortgage debt—or to buy carpets, furniture, and objects to decorate one’s house.
Animal Crossing deploys a procedural rhetoric about the repetition of mundane work as a consequence of contemporary material property ideals. When my (then) five-year-old began playing the game seriously, he quickly recognized the dilemma he faced. On the one hand, he wanted to spend the money he had earned from collecting fruit and bugs on new furniture, carpets, and shirts. On the other hand, he wanted to pay off his house so he could get a bigger one like mine. Then, once he did amass enough savings to pay off his mortgage, the local shopkeeper and real estate tycoon Tom Nook offered to expand his house. While it is possible to refrain from upgrading, Nook, an unassuming raccoon, continues to offer renovations as frequently as the player visits his store. My son began to realize the trap he was in: the more material possessions he took on, the more space he needed, and the more debt he had to take on to provide that space. And the additional space just fueled more material acquisitions, continuing the cycle.
Meet the Van der Linde Gang from Red Dead Redemption 2
Yesterday, the team at Rockstar revealed further details on the Van der Linde Gang, a group of outlaws, renegades and misfits, bonded together under the charismatic and idealistic Dutch van der Linde.
Dutch Van der Linde: The leader of a sizeable gang of outlaws and misfits. Idealistic, anarchic, charismatic, well-read, well-lived, but possibly starting to unravel under the pressures of the encroaching modern world.
Arthur Morgan: Dutch’s most dependable and capable enforcer since he was a boy, the outlaw life is all Arthur has ever known. Sharp, cool-headed, and ruthless, but with his own sense of honor. A man who gets the job done.
John Marston: Once an orphaned street kid taken under Dutch’s wing at the age of twelve, John has always had to live by his wits. Shrewd, fearless and strong-willed, he and Arthur are Dutch’s proudest protégés.
Sadie Adler: A widow who is hellbent on taking revenge upon those who killed her husband. Relentless and afraid of nothing and no one. The wrong woman to cross, but very loyal to those she loves.
Micah Bell: A career criminal and hitman. Wild and unpredictable but he lives for the action.
Charles Smith: A relatively recent recruit to the gang, Charles is quiet and reserved but extremely competent in everything he does and virtually unbeatable in a fight. A decent, honest man who also happens to be deadly.
Javier Escuella: A notorious bounty hunter and Mexican revolutionary. Javier immediately had a strong connection to Dutch’s ideals. Very committed, passionate and loyal.
7.19c: == * Blade Mail: Cooldown increased from 20 to 25 * Blade Mail: Bonus armor reduced from 6 to 5
* Clinkz: Base strength reduced by 2 * Clinkz: Searing Arrows manacost increased from 10 to 12 * Clinkz: Level 20 Talent reduced from +20 Health Regen to +16 * Clinkz: Level 25 Talent reduced from +4s Strafe Duration to +3s
* Crystal Maiden: Arcane Aura allied mana regen reduced from 0.8/1.0/1.2/1.4 to 0.7/0.9/1.1/1.3
* Dark Willow: Brambles total damage reduced from 140/180/220/260 to 125/150/175/200 * Dark Willow: Shadow Realm cooldown increased from 30/24/18/12 to 32/26/20/14 * Dark Willow: Cursed Crown stun duration reduced from 2/2.5/3/3.5 to 1.75/2.25/2.75/3.25 * Dark Willow: Bedlam damage reduced from 60/120/180 to 60/110/160
* Earthshaker: Root now disables his Scepter ability
* Enchantress: Strength rescaled from 19 + 1.3 to 16 + 1.5 * Enchantress: Base movement speed reduced from 325 to 320 * Enchantress: Base intelligence reduced by 2
* Grimstroke: Ink Swell no longer makes the target immune to attacks * Grimstroke: Ink Swell no longer silences and disarms the target * Grimstroke: Soulbind duration increased from 4/6/8 to 6/8/10
* Phantom Lancer: Agility gain reduced from 2.8 to 2.6
* Phoenix: Level 15 Talent reduced from +50 Fire Spirits DPS to +40
* Silencer: Last Word damage rescaled from 150/200/250/300 to 120/180/240/300 * Silencer: Arcane Curse manacost increased from 105/115/125/135 to 125/130/135/140 * Silencer: Global Silence manacost increased from 250/375/500 to 300/450/600
* Spectre: Desolate radius increased from 375 to 500 * Spectre: Dispersion rescaled from 10/14/18/22% to 7/12/17/22% * Spectre: Haunt manacost increased from 150 to 150/200/250 * Spectre: Level 10 Talent changed from +15 Desolate Damage to +4 All Stats * Spectre: Level 15 Talent changed from +8 All Stats to +15 Desolate Damage * Spectre: Level 25 Talent reduced from +8% Dispersion to +6%
* Storm Spirit: Static Remnant damage reduced from 140/180/220/260 to 120/160/200/240
* Ursa: Fury Swipes damage per attack reduced from 15/20/25/30 to 12/18/24/30 * Ursa: Earthshock damage reduced from 90/140/190/240 to 50/100/150/200 * Ursa: Enrage damage multiplier rescaled from 1.5/1.75/2.0 to 1.4/1.7/2.0
* Vengeful Spirit: Movement speed reduced by 5 * Vengeful Spirit: Magic Missile projectile speed reduced from 1250 to 900
* Weaver: Base intelligence reduced by 2 * Weaver: The Swarm cooldown increased from 35/30/25/20 to 44/36/28/20 * Weaver: Time Lapse cooldown increased from 60/50/40 to 70/55/40 * Weaver: Level 10 Talent changed from +20 Mana Break to +7 Strength * Weaver: Level 15 Talent changed from +12 Strength to +20 Mana Break
* Wraith King: Wraithfire Blast stun duration rescaled from 2 to 1.1/1.4/1.7/2.0 * Wraith King: Wraithfire Blast base damage rescaled from 50/100/150/200 to 100 * Wraith King: Wraithfire Blast DPS rescaled from 20/35/50/65 to 10/30/50/70 * Wraith King: Vampiric Aura is now a melee only ability
* Zeus: Strength gain reduced from 2.3 to 2.1 * Zeus: Level 25 Talent reduced from +170 Arc Lightning damage to +155
Sure, we've known about Captain Marvel's imminent arrival in the MCU for a while now, but if you're anything like us, the whole thing didn't start feeling real until very recently. With our first official look at Carol and her crew of cohorts, both alien and human alike, we've finally been able to nail down and definitely confirm a number of rumored roles and character appearances that have been swirling around the internet for what feels like forever.
We've also got more info on the plot than ever before. In case you need a refresher, it goes like this. Carol Danvers is a human who, in the comics (and we can assume in the movie as well) had her genes spliced with the genes of the superpowered alien race, the Kree, which in turn gave her an incredible array of superpowers. Now, according to Entertainment Weekly's cover story, Captain Marvel will be picking up with this process (or whatever the live-action adaptation of it winds up being) already over and done with. Carol's already left Earth, embraced her newfound Kree heritage, and has been training with the Kree military outfit known as the Starforce under an "enigmatic commander" played by Jude Law. In all likelihood, Law will be playing the Kree hero, Captain Mar-Vell, but we'll get to that in a second.
EW reported that the movie will pick up with Carol returning to Earth only to find herself beset upon by another alien society, this time in the form of the Skrulls, a race of powerful shapeshifters known to infiltrate and destabilize planets by impersonating their inhabitants.
Oh, right, and all of this is set in the 1990s, an almost entirely unexplored era of the MCU, home to only a small handful of flashbacks and oblique on-screen references which leaves plenty of room for Carol to work. We also know that we're going to be seeing the 1990s version of SHIELD (complete with a digitally de-aged, two-eyed Samuel L. Jackson), meaning there's a pretty strong chance for whatever happens in Captain Marvel to dramatically and forever alter the way we see the MCU in the modern day. Expect a lot of dot-connecting and circling back to all those little moments in the last ten years worth of movies that are about to be put in an entirely new light.
Now that we've got some more information (and some official confirmation), here is the list of exactly who is playing who in Captain Marvel, which has a release date of March 8, 2019.
Brie Larson -- Carol "Captain Marvel" Danvers
An airforce pilot turned superhero, Carol has spent some time away from Earth as a member of the Kree military unit the Starforce. As the most powerful superhero in the Marvel Universe, Carol represents the ultimate bridge between cosmic and terrestrial--and she's returning to earth to prove it as she faces off against a secret Skrull invasion in the 1990s. You might recognize Larson from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and Room.
Jude Law -- "Enigmatic Kree Commander" (Mar-Vell? Yon-Rogg?)
We have yet to officially confirm just who Law's character actually is, but it's long been assumed he would be playing Mar-Vell, a Kree soldier who wound up with a soft spot for Earth after he was eventually exiled from his homeworld. Alternatively, Law could be playing Yon-Rogg, a Kree zealot and commander in the military. Law has previously appeared in big budget franchises like Sherlock Holmes and The Young Pope.
Ben Mendelsohn -- Talos
Previously, it had been assumed Mendelsohn joined the cast as Yon-Rogg, but EW's first look has confirmed his role as Talos, a powerful Skrull commander and leader of the invasion on Earth. Mendelsohn recently appeared in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Ready Player One.
Lee Pace -- Ronan the Accuser
We've actually met Pace's Ronan before, back in Guardians of the Galaxy where he was working with Thanos to hunt down the Infinity Stones. Now we're going to see him in a brand new light, hopefully stripped of his genocidal urges, working as a Kree judge. Pace is reprising the role, but you'll also recognize him from the TV show Halt and Catch Fire.
Gemma Chan -- Minn-Erva
A Kree geneticist and member of the Starforce who became obsessed with modifying and purifying the Kree genetic code, Minn-Erva wanted desperately to advance her race by any means necessary, even if it meant crossing some serious ethical lines. Chan recently appeared in Crazy Rich Asians.
Samuel L. Jackson -- Nick Fury
You don't have to be an MCU fan to know exactly who Nick Fury is anymore--he's been a part of this whole thing from the very start. Finally making a major return after his post-credits-only appearance in Avengers: Infinity War, Jackson will be digitally de-aged to look like his 1990s self for this movie.
Clark Gregg -- Phil Coulson
One of the breakaway fan favorites of the MCU, Coulson hasn't actually been in the big screen universe for a while now, having made the transition to the small screen Agents of SHIELD TV show. That's about to change, however, with Coulson set to pop in, digitally de-aged like Jackson, to work in 1990s SHIELD.
Lashana Lynch -- Maria Rambeau
Rumors of Lynch's role have been swirling since her casting announcement with most fans assuming she would be playing Monica Rambeau, another woman to hold the superhero codename Captain Marvel for a time. It turns out this was partially correct--Lynch will actually be playing Maria, Monica's mother, who uses the air force call sign "Photon," another one of Monica's heroic code names. Lynch can be found in the TV shows Still Star-Crossed and Bulletproof.
A mix of deep gameplay and rich historical flavor, Aggressors: Ancient Rome lets you relive history as the ruler of one of the mighty civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean. Choose one of twenty available factions and conquer the world.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey PC System Requirements And Recommended Specs Detailed
Assassin's Creed Odyssey's release date is now just under a month away now. With launch approaching, Ubisoft has finally shared the list of specifications to get it to look and play its best on PC--as well as what you'll need at a bare minimum.
Come October 5, you'll be able to set out on a Greek odyssey of your own as Kasandra or Alexios, but to make sure that odyssey of yours is running at peak performance, you'll want to make sure you've got a setup that can handle your epic, Spartan journey. Especially since Assassin's Creed Odyssey on PC isn't just a port of the console games.
For those with PCs that aren't quite up to date with 4K just yet, you won't have to fear. Assassin's Creed Odyssey can be played in as low as 720p, but it's recommended you're playing on a setup that can handle 1080p.
Because it's not a port of the console games, PC versions of Assassin's Creed Odyssey will have two special settings that you won't find on the console versions. Each set of recommendations in this list says the game will run at 30 FPS--but that's not entirely set in stone. In the PC versions of the game, you'll have access to a set of tools to play with graphics settings, and a toggle option to uncap the framerate.
Minimum Requirements
OS: Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (64-bit versions only)
Video: AMD Vega 64, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (8GB VRAM with Shader Model 5.0)
Memory: 16GB RAM
Resolution: 4K
Targeted framerate: 30 FPS
Video Preset: High
Storage: 46GB available hard drive space
DirectX: DirectX June 2010 Redistributable
Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card with latest drivers
Assassin's Creed Odyssey is out on PC, Xbox One, and PS4 on October 5. For more coverage on this latest iteration of the Assasin's Creed universe, head on over to our Assassin's Creed Odyssey hub.
