Star News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

Stranger Things season 5 will be bigger and bolder than ever before, according to series producer Shawn Levy. The director, who is also helming Deadpool 3, shared the insight in the latest issue of Total Film magazine, which hits shelves on September 14. 

Less than a month ago, NetEase announced the foundation of T-Minus Zero, its newest triple-A Western studio helmed by industry veterans like Studio Head Rich Vogel (who led development on Ultima Online, Star Wars Galaxies, and Star Wars: The Old Republic), Game Director Mark Tucker (credited for his work on Crimson Alliance, Doom, and Fallout 76), Art Director Jeff Dobson (who worked on Star Wars: The Old Republic, Dragon Age Inquisition, and Mass Effect Andromeda), and VP of Operations & Production Scott Malone (credited on Doom, The Elder Scrolls Online, and Fallout 76).

The Internet has gone absolutely cuckoo for One Piece's Buggy the Clown, with thirst TikTok's using clips from the Netflix live-action adaptation amassing tens of millions of views. The clown pirate, who serves as one of the several antagonists in both the anime and live-action versions of One Piece, is played by none other than Jeff Ward. Before becoming the East Blue's resident Flashy Fool, Ward joined the Agents of Shield.

Rival Stars Horse Racing developer PikPok has introduced an enchanting cat adoption simulation game called My Cat Club, which is now accessible worldwide through the App Store and Google Play Store. In My Cat Club, gamers have the opportunity to adopt endearing and distinctive feline companions, construct their ideal homes, and capture photos to expand their in-game social media presence as their cats evolve from kittens to full-grown adult cats.

Bethesda’s leviathan space adventure Starfield is out in the wild, and players are busy exploring the countless planets and stars that populate the sprawling RPG. To mark its release, IGN is taking you on an orbital tour of Starfield's digital solar system, featuring every major planet around Earth's star, with a few of the choicest moons thrown in along the way.

Bethesda Game Studios is not necessarily well regarded for its expertise at digital gunplay, but after Starfield, that very well may change. Numerous critics, including here at Polygon, have praised its combat. Personally, I’ve found that its weapons feel weighty, fairly precise, and satisfyingly potent. It’s a big improvement from the Fallout series’ collection of feathery pop-guns.

After finishing your first playthrough of Starfield, you can choose to leave your previous life behind and start anew with all the knowledge and experience you gained, but almost nothing else. Unlike other New Game Plus modes, here you start off at essentially zero with just a ship and your wits. No credits, no weapons, aid items, nothing. That makes the first few things you do even more important, as they will set the tone for the rest of your new playthrough. In this guide, we’ll discuss the five most valuable things to accomplish when you start NG+ in Starfield.

Given that Destiny 2‘s Raids are its pinnacle-level content, featuring both mechanical and statistical difficulties, it is fairly self-evident that Raid bosses, too, ought to be equally impressive in more ways than not. Challenging, imposing, and memorable, Raid bosses are supposed to serve as the final obstacle to loot and other assorted goodies, but is that always the case? Or have some Raid bosses become overhyped Strike targets rather than top-end world-ending threats?

New images have appeared online purporting to show a prototype RTX 3090 Super graphics card (via Videocardz), and honestly, I think it's gorgeous. I am very much a fan of the design of Nvidia's last two generations of Founders Edition cards—though I do still find the sheer scale of the RTX 3090, RTX 4090, and RTX 4080 absolutely ludicrous—but I think I would be even more down for this all-black design.

One of my favorite Starfield features is its wildly robust ship designer. We've already seen how amazing and ridiculous some of these user-created ships can be, from classic Star Wars starships to a fully operational Normandy from Mass Effect.  As an F1 fan, though, this one is my favorite so far.

Electronic Arts has published a list of the top-rated EA Sports FC 24 players.

EA has published its Ultimate Team top ratings for the upcoming EA Sports FC 24, which mixes male and female players for the first time.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has several sweet moments between Kata and Bode that we'll never see.

Scream writer Kevin Williamson has come out in support of Neve Campbell following her exit from the franchise – and said how keen he is for her to reprise the role of Sidney Prescott in the upcoming seventh installment.

It’s a new era for EA Sports’ football games, with the long-running FIFA series no more. EA FC 24, due out later in September, is EA Sports’ first non-FIFA game, and with it comes a fresh assessment of the real-life footballers whose virtual counterparts star in the game.

I like a good Star Destroyer or X-Wing as much as the next guy, and while there've been great renditions of them in Starfield's ship builder—some which we've highlighted already—I'm endlessly curious about which obscure rust buckets people love enough to recreate.

We're thrilled to announce the return of GamesBeat Next, hosted in San Francisco this October, where we will explore the theme of «Playing the Edge.» Apply to speak here and learn more about sponsorship opportunities here. At the event, we will also announce 25 top game startups as the 2024 Game Changers. Apply or nominate today!

Nintendo is easily the most legendary video game developer and publisher in gaming history because of how long it has lasted and the quality of titles it produces. However, when it comes to adaptations outside of video games, that’s when the company hits speedbumps. But with a certain animated film starring Mario hitting a billion dollars at the box office this year, many wonder if the company has hit upon something that works. We know they’re working with Illumination to make another animated film. We just don’t know what. But now, a new rumor says they’re also working on a live-action Legend Of Zelda film.

If you're playing Starfield on an AMD graphics card, there's a good chance you've missed one of the most glaring bugs in the game, because you just won't have seen anything. The AMD-sponsored Bethesda game simply doesn't render a local star from any planet without an atmosphere on an AMD card.

PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium games for September will be NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139..., Star Ocean The Divine Force, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Sid Meier's Civilization VI, Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 and Unpacking.

Some of the games set to be added to the PlayStation Plus Game Catalogue in September have been revealed via a reliable leaker.

Starfield looks increasingly like a Star Wars game with each passing fan interaction. The latest is a work-in-progress Starfield mod that turns the police into stormtroopers, and it's already a treat. 

Starfield modders are having their fun with Bethesda’s space role-playing game, making some weird and wonderful concoctions as well as some really useful, quality-of-life improvements. Now, modders are turning their attention to Star Wars.

South Indian films in recent years have been among the top earners at the box office. Films like Bahubali, Pushpa, RRR, and most recently, Jailer, have shattered box office records while awing the audience. Jailer recently made its OTT debut much to the cheer of Rajinikanth fans who couldn't watch the film in theaters. Now, another film is set to arrive on OTT platforms as the release date of Chiranjeevi starrer film Bhola Shankar has been revealed.

Xbox’s head of gaming says The Elder Scrolls 6’s exclusivity still hasn’t been decided.

A new Ahsoka theory might have cracked how Grand Admiral Thrawn will be making his return thanks to a key detail from Star Wars Rebels. 

Modders have already been getting busy in Starfield, rolling out both useful changes, and things that are just a bit of fun. One such fun mod has replaced all of the United Colonies’ guards in New Atlantis with Stormtroopers, which is something I think we can all say we saw coming. 

Starfield has you spending plenty of time in your spaceships, so it’s worth investing some time into making them as capable as possible. Some players have grown quite attached to their ships, and it’s not a surprise, as the game gives you the freedom to customize them as you please. If you’re sufficiently ambitious and have the imagination for it, some incredibly impressive ships can be made, including the Imperial Star Destroyer from Star Wars.

Allow me to groggily welcome you to another working week of cheap gaming deals. Chalk that up to me spending way too many hours space-jockeying through Starfield. Through this hyperspace hangover, I've still found you some notable bargains on some other future stars worth visiting. Namely, Assassin's Creed Mirage, Mortal Kombat 1, CoD MW3, and more.

The Rugby World Cup kicked off in Paris last night, so watching rugby is sure to dominate most of my weekend in the absence of Formula 1. Of course, there’s also the Payday 3 open beta, which I might try to find the time to dabble with. What have you got planned for this sunny weekend?

Reddit users have discovered a new bug in Starfield where the game won't render entire stars when running on an AMD Radeon GPU.

In an interview with Famitsu, Starfield lead and Bethesda frontman Todd Howard stated that the game's mod support «will be available next year» (obtained via machine translation), which likely refers to Starfield's equivalent to the Creation Kit modding tools for Skyrim and Fallout 4.

New Atlantis needs a new kind of crime fighting force, one that specializes in telling people «Halt!» a lot while complaining about how hard it is to see out of their helmets. Soldiers who shoot first, and aren't able to ask questions later because they miss all their shots and their Sith overlords force choke them out for failure. That's right, modder kboykboy on the Starfield Nexus has turned the United Colonies' security force into Star Wars Stormtroopers.

Mortal Kombat 1 fans aren't too impressed with Johnny Cage's unique Jean-Claude Van Damme skin and have already made edits to it that make him more closely resemble the actor.

Starfield is a critical and commercial success, with millions of players now searching the Settled Systems for adventure and mischief. That doesn't mean it's perfect though, as every game has its irritating flaws that can build up and slightly tar an otherwise perfect time. Starfield is no exception, as even the players that love the game the most have been sharing their biggest gripes that they hope Bethesda or modders will fix in the future.

BGMI Redeem Codes for September 10: In BGMI, there are a dozen assault rifles, but not all of them are great for battle. To win in this popular game, you need the right guns. Assault rifles are a favorite, but picking the best one from the 12 available is key to staying ahead.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration – or NASA, as it's more commonly known – wants to know why the millions of us obsessed with Starfield haven't applied to «be a NASA intern» yet.

By Brandon Widder, a senior editor overseeing deals, gift guides, and commerce. He spent six years spearheading buying guides and consumer tech coverage at Digital Trends.

By Jay Peters, a news editor who writes about technology, video games, and virtual worlds. He’s submitted several accepted emoji proposals to the Unicode Consortium.

Tartaglia was the first 5-Star limited event Hydro character in Genshin Impact. Even with the introduction of Fontaine, he remains a popular character. His Constellation, Monoceros Caeli, even has a large plushie that is absolutely worth the money. By far, Tartaglia has the most unique playstyle. His Elemental Skill allows you to shift between Bow and Sword, essentially allowing you to play with two Weapon styles in one character.

Happy September, Polygon readers!

Star Wars fans were always inevitably going to recreate their favourite spaceships in Starfield, but one player has taken things a step further and built an entire Star Destroyer in-game that’s so big, you’ll need a 21-page guide to make it yourself.

Getting around in Starfield isn’t quite as easy as you might expect, and there is quite a few menus and restriction players will need to consider when making a quick trip or jumping to a whole other galaxy.

Here he is, then – Jean-Claude Van Damme as Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat 1. Despite the Belgian actor famously playing Guile in the live action Street Fighter movie, Cage has always been inspired by the Hollywood star, and he’ll finally feature as the character in the reboot’s Premium Edition, which includes access to the first Kombat Pack.

Indie RPG Sea of Stars has continued to sell well since developer Sabotage revealed it's shifted 100,000 copies, to the point where it's already beaten the studio's sales expectations for the entire year. The game has now sold over 250,000 units despite being available on PS Plus Extra and Xbox Game Pass. It'll be full price on PC and Nintendo Switch, or you could still opt to pay the £28.99 / $34.99 on PS5, PS4.

Mortal Kombat 1’s entire character roster leaked overnight, but NetherRealm Studios has turned the attention back to its own announcement cadence. It’s confirmed that Nitara will return to the series for the first time in almost 20 years – and not only that, she’ll be played by Transformers star, Megan Fox.

The galaxy is a vast place, but finding unique outfits is surprisingly difficult in Starfield. You’ll find bulky spacesuits and plenty of futuristic casual wear while exploring the major settlements of the stars, but finding something truly unique requires searching every corner of space. To help you discover some of the best (and weirdest) outfits in the game, we’ve put together a list of locations and looks for you to peruse. There’s a screenshot of each outfit with a short description where to find it. Open the images for each armor to see the stats.

Sabotage Studio unearths a time capsule in this incredible retro-style RPG.

Until September 17, 2023, Pokémon Scarlet & Violet players can challenge the 7-Star Psychic Tera Type Mewtwo. Needless to say, this is a special event compared to past 7-Star raids. Players are highly encouraged to live out their Pokémon: The First Movie dreams by redeeming Mystery Gift Mew and challenging Mewtwo with the best Mew you can build.

Happy Friday, Polygon readers!

Everything comes full circle as Jean-Claude Van Damme prepares to join the lineup of Mortal Kombat 1. The inspiration for Johnny Cage is now a skin for the character, and he’s on display in a new trailer. Van Damme provided his likeness and voice for the skin, which lets him fire off quips with the klassic kast. 

The Mortal Kombat character Johnny Cage is very heavily inspired by real-world action star Jean-Claude Van Damme, to the extent that Cage's original appearance is basically a direct lift from the seminal JCVD flick Bloodsport. It took more than 30 years, but now the Mortal Kombat universe finally has the real deal: The Muscles from Brussels will be available as an optional skin for Johnny Cage in the upcoming Mortal Kombat 1.

The Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS) Championship 2023 is well underway, and onto Day 3 today. Teams have stepped up their game as they move into the elimination rounds, as have attendees looking to score some elusive plushies that have become the star of the merch stands.

Romance stories come in all forms, spinning a narrative around charming or chaotic get-togethers. As with any genre, romance stories have plenty of tropes that often pop up. Even when it isn’t the focus, weaving in romantic pursuits is common in most forms of media.

If you were a kid who grew up around the turn of the millennium, chances are your initial introduction to horror was through one of three ways: Reading R. L. Stine’s Goosebumps children’s books and watching the television series that aired on Fox Kids, watching Are You Afraid of the Dark? on Nickelodeon, or staying up late to watch episodes of Tales from the Crypt on HBO.

Last week, we asked you harness the power of the sun and moon and share moments from Sea of Stars using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: 

With Ahsoka currently taking a deep dive into the powers of the Force, it's a good time to look back at a previous Star Wars adventure. Obi-Wan Kenobi is a new six-issue miniseries from writer Jody Houser and artist Salvador Larocca that retells last year's epic Disney Plus series.

It turns out Starfield has a hidden feature to help you chart your way across the galaxy — and not many players know about it. 

The covers of the upcoming issue of Total Film have been revealed, and they’re pretty sweet: Wonka, starring Timothée Chalamet as young chocolatier Willy, is in the shop window. The issue goes on sale on Thursday, September 14, and subscribers will be receiving their copies shortly.

Starfield, Bethesda’s latest sci-fi RPG, was finally released this week after nearly a decade of development. That game puts players in the role of the newest recruit of Constellation, an organization of space explorers in 2330 who embark on a mission to uncover the mysteries of the universe.

Netflix’s live-action One Piece has given fans of the manga and anime plenty to debate, but one objectively true fact is that the casting is aces. There’s no disputing this, I’m sorry. It’s hard to imagine anyone but Iñaki Godoy being more capable of doing everything a Monkey D. Luffy needs to do. Mackenyu has the kind of emo glower that makes every dang move look cool (including holding a sword in his teeth). The rest of the Straw Hat Pirates all bring their cartoonish counterparts down to Earth enough that they’re not just believable, but alive. People are even simping for dirtbag Buggy — this is what casting directors call success.

Just as in Fallout 4, you can make your own bases in Bethesda's latest RPG. The Starfield outposts play an important role in the game, and we're here to help you learn how and where to build them.

We’re less than two months away from the release of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on PlayStation 5, and we’ve been slowly learning more and more about Insomniac Games’ sequel. Now, the company has released several character posters highlighting Kraven, Lizard, Venom, our Spider-Men, and more, giving us our best look yet at a few of them. 

It’s official — Starfield had Bethesda’s biggest-ever game launch. Having racked up over six million players as of yesterday (Thursday, September 7), the space-exploration RPG has soared past the launches of Skyrim and Fallout 4.

Starfield is finally out for everyone after an early access launch on September 1 with a premium price tag (or Xbox Game Pass upgrade) and on September 6 for everyone else. Starfield has already become Bethesda Game Studios’ biggest launch ever, beating previous releases like Fallout 76, Fallout 4, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. 

The first look at Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 is here – and the once loveable bear is back to cause more carnage. 

As another week draws to a close, we're back with some more streaming recommendations. From brand new releases to opportunities to catch up on cinema releases at home, there's something for everyone here. 

Paradox have announced that Star Trek: Infinite is coming out on October 12th. Infinite’s previous trailers already made it look like a "Stellaris in a different version of space" affair - which is by no means an unfavourable comparison - and the latest footage shows off more grand strategy shenanigans. Planet management. Lotsa menus. Expanding factions, sometimes peacefully if you prefer a clear conscience.

Starfield's shipbuilders have gotten out of hand as one player painstakingly replicated Thomas the Tank Engine without using mods. 

A Starfield player has provided an essential tip that I can't believe I didn't realize sooner.

As of this morning, Starfield has officially become Bethesda Game Studios' biggest launch of all time, with over 6 million players across Xbox and PC.

Starfield officially launched out of early access on Wednesday, and so far, it seems to be the most bug-free game Bethesda has released.

If you're after some legendary loot early on, you'll want to know how to get the Starfield Mantis quest.

Resident space cowboys the Freestar Collective offer up all the western tropes you can shake a stick at, and for those looking to live the galactic gunslinger life, we have Starfield’s Freestar Collective explained with how to join, all the quests listed and rewards you’ll get.

By now, you will have heard that Starfield is not on Xbox One — but did you know that’s not entirely true? Thanks to Game Pass Ultimate, you can play the game on your previous-gen Xbox with the magic of the cloud.

Baldur’s Gate 3 launched on PlayStation 5 this week following its PC release in August, and the tech experts at Digital Foundry have delivered their verdict.

The 4X grand strategy game Star Trek: Infinite will release for PC and Mac on 12th October 2023, Paradox and developer Nimble Giant Entertainment have announced.

Squishmallows are a very big deal right now. So big that a number of companies are hopping on the bandwagon so famous characters from video games and movies can be given the squishmallow treatment. Pokemon might well be the most sought-after squishmallows right now, but Sonic ones are hard to come by too. Good news on that front as the Sonic the Hedgehog squishmallow is back in stock on Amazon, but you're going to need to channel your inner hedgehog and go fast.