• Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Might Tease Pokémon Legends: Arceus…With a Myth

    Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are, largely, very faithful remakes of the original Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. But one somewhat-hidden bit of additional content might very well be teasing some lore for Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

    If you recall the Canalave Library from the original games, it's full of books that relate to the myths and legends of the Sinnoh region. There are a number of tales referencing legendary Pokémon like Arceus, Uxie, Mesprit, Azelf, Giratina, Palkia, Dialga, and others. There are even a few strange stories that seem to confirm people, at least at one point, ate Pokémon, and another that implies Pokémon were once indistinguishable from humans.

    For the most part, all of these texts are recreated in their original translations again in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, aside from one line in the "Sinnoh Myth" tale that appears to have been adjusted for clarity. However, there's an entirely new tale hidden on the second floor of the library that wasn't there in the original games.

    Entitled "The Sea's Legend," the flavor text states that the book "was only recently discovered and its ancient letters were decoded." It reads as follows:

    Once upon a time in the East Sea, there was a Pokémon known as the prince. A brave human asked Pokémon living in the sea to let them see the prince. Mantyke, Buizel, and a Quilfish with huge spikes acknowledged the human's bravery and joined them. Together, they set off in a boat over the sunset-streaked sea, sailing through the ocean gate stretched over the waves. News of this reached the ears of the prince, who went to meet the brave little party at the Seaside Hollow.

    The story ends abruptly there, but it's entirely possible that this strange story — which does not appear to link to anything specific in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl — is teasing something about Pokémon Legends: Arceus. For one, there's no known location in the Pokémon games thus far called the Seaside Hollow, nor does it seem to correspond to anything currently in Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl.

    As for the "prince," it's possible this could refer to Manaphy, who in the film Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea is known as the "prince of the sea." The plot of the film involves the heroes returning a Manaphy egg to a Sea Temple, where an item called the Sea Crown is kept. Typically, anime plots don't cross over much into the main games (Pokémon Yellow aside) but this could at least hint at who this mysterious "prince" might be. While Manaphy does appear in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, it's only as a Mystery Gift and without any plot tied to it or secret locations.

    It's also worth noting that the review embargo for Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl explicitly forbade mentioning any of the contents of the books in the Canalave Library. Given that this is the only significant change to the books from the originals, it seems that this new book was at least an important enough addition or spoiler that Game Freak wanted to keep under wraps ahead of release.

    We won't know exactly what this refers to until Pokémon Legends: Arceus drops next year on January 28, though we've already heard a number of tidbits about its new "noble" Pokémon, its Monster Hunter-like world, and some creepy looking "found footage" style teases. In the meantime, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are still worthy remakes for their faithful recreation of Sinnoh and a time when Pokémon was a bit more challenging.

    Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

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    PlayStation Sued By Former IT Analyst Alleging Gender Discrimination

    A former IT security analyst at Sony PlayStation has filed a lawsuit against the company on Monday, alleging gender discrimination and wrongful termination after speaking up "about discrimination against females" at the company.

    Bloomberg reports that the former IT security analyst, named Emma Majo, is seeking to expand her lawsuit into a class action on behalf of women who've worked at Sony PlayStation in recent years.

    The lawsuit charges that Sony "tolerates and cultivates a work environment that discriminates against female employees, including female employees and those who identify as female."

    Majo also says that Sony discriminates against females and female-identifying employees in terms of compensation, promotions, and "subjects them to a work culture predominated by men." Majo similarly alleges that she was passed over for multiple promotions, was ignored by her manager, and that her employment was terminated after she submitted a gender bias complaint to Sony.

    Adding to the mystery, the lawsuit claims that Majo received a letter stating that a certain department of Sony was being eliminated, and thus Majo's employment was being terminated, but Majo was not a member of that department.

    The lawsuit was filed with California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), which submitted a similar lawsuit against Activion-Blizzard earlier this year.

    Representatives from PlayStation did not immediately respond to IGN's request for a comment on the lawsuit.

    The lawsuit joins the growing list of gender discrimination controversies and legal battles facing video game companies big and small, including Activision-Blizzard and its longtime CEO Bobby Kotick, Riot Games, and indie studios like Gone Home developer Fullbright.

    You can read the full lawsuit here.

    Joseph Knoop is a reporter/producer for IGN.

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    Keanu Reeves: ‘It Would Be An Honor’ To Join the MCU

    The Marvel Cinematic Universe is no stranger to gobbling up major Hollywood talent for its growing cast of heroes, and Keanu Reeves certainly seems willing to join the MCU in the future, according to new comments from the star of The Matrix and John Wick series.

    "It would be an honor [to join the MCU]," Reeves told Esquire in a new interview. "There's some really amazing directors, and visionaries, and they're doing something no one's ever really done. It's special in that sense in terms of the scale, the ambition, the production. So it'd be cool to be a part of that."

    It's not just speculative chit-chat, either. Back in 2019, as Reeves was enjoying a second renaissance with the release of John Wick 3: Parabellum, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said that Marvel had been talking to Reeves "for almost every film we make."

    “I don’t know when, if, or ever he’ll join the MCU, but we very much want to figure out the right way to do it," Feige said. Feige reportedly drew a comparison between Reeves and Jake Gyllenhaal, who was approached for several Marvel roles before ultimately signing on to play Mysterio in the second Tom Holland Spider-Man film.

    In the meantime, you can catch Keanu Reeves in the upcoming DC League of Super Pets, where he plays a currently unknown role. You can check out the brand new trailer above.

    You can also check out which Hollywood actors will be joining Reeves in John Wick: Chapter 4.

    Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/super pet for IGN.

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    Halo TV Series: The Entire Cast of the Live-Action Adaptation (So Far)

    Paramount Plus' live-action Halo TV Series has continued to fill out its cast, with several more stars reporting for duty alongside Pablo Schreiber's Master Chief.

    Halo: The Series will focus on the 26th-century war between the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) and the alien forces of the Covenant. Production on the series began in Budapest in 2019 but the COVID-19 pandemic caused disruptions. Cameras started rolling again in late 2020, with the series now scheduled to release on Paramount+ in 2022.

    Otto Bathurst is onboard to direct and produce the live-action series, bringing many of the game's beloved characters to life. Kyle Killen and Steven Kane are both credited as showrunners on the first season's nine episode order, however, neither will be continuing with the show if it happens to be picked up for a second season.

    Keep reading for a rundown of who's appearing in the Halo TV series — and don't forget to bookmark the page, as we'll be updating this article with all-new casting announcements.

    Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief

    Pablo Schreiber has boarded the Halo TV series to portray lead male protagonist Master Chief, aka Earth's most advanced warrior in the 26th century and the only hope of salvation for a civilization pushed to the brink of destruction by the Covenant — an unstoppable alliance of alien worlds committed to the destruction of humanity.

    Schreiber is best known for his roles on The Wire, American Gods, and Orange Is the New Black, proving he's capable of wearing many hats when it comes to his character portrayals, and now he will be sporting the iconic helmet from the Halo video game franchise. The first image of Schreiber's Chief is said to have shown him wearing authentic-looking armor.

    Danny Sapani as Jacob Keyes

    Another series mainstay was found in Danny Sapani who signed on to play Captain Jacob Keyes in the upcoming adaptation. His character is described as being a dedicated military man, a war hero and a caring father, though he finds that working alongside his daughter and his ex-wife can usually be a cause of conflict rather than comfort.

    Olive Gray as Miranda Keyes

    Meanwhile, Olive Gray was cast to play Jacob's daughter Dr. Miranda Keyes, with the friction between the pair set to be explored in the new series. Miranda is a brilliant UNSC Commander who is dedicated to understanding the technology, language and culture of the Covenant, but she'll have to learn to navigate the politics of the UNSC to get what she wants.

    Charlie Murphy as Makee

    Peaky Blinders actress Charlie Murphy also joined the cast as a brand new character named Makee. Makee is an orphaned human raised by the Covenant to hate her own people. She is said to be a different character from the video games' Mahkee, who made her debut in Halo 5: Guardians and is the first female Sangheili person in the series.

    Yerin Ha as Quan Ah

    Newcomer Yerin Ha will also be portraying an original character in the Halo universe, as she steps forward to play Quan Ah, a shrewd, audacious 16-year-old from the Outer Colonies who meets Master Chief at a fateful time for them both. The budding actress celebrated her breakthrough role on the series in a Facebook post that announced the casting news.

    Jen Taylor as Cortana

    Jen Taylor, the voice of Cortana in the mainline Halo games, will reprise her role as the "smart" AI for the upcoming TV series. Taylor was enlisted to replace actress Natascha McElhone after she was forced to bow out of the role due to scheduling difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, though McElhone will remain onboard as Cortana's creator.

    Cortana made her appearance in the original Halo as the AI for Master Chief, with Taylor voicing the beloved character in Halo: Combat Evolved and its sequels, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 4, and Halo 5: Guardians. She also makes a brief appearance in the prequel Halo: Reach, as well as voicing Microsoft's virtual assistant of the same name on Windows devices.

    Natascha McElhone as Catherine Halsey

    Californication star Natascha McElhone will continue in the role of Dr. Catherine Halsey, a key scientific adviser of the Office of Naval Intelligence who is highly respected for her work as the brilliant, conflicted and inscrutable creator of the Spartan supersoldiers and Cortana, the most advanced AI in human history, and potentially the key to the survival of the human race.

    Bokeem Woodbine as Soren-066

    After receiving critical acclaim for his role in the second season of the FX series Fargo, Bokeem Woodbine will take on a new role playing Soren-066 in the Halo series. He will embody the morally complex privateer at the fringes of human civilization whose fate will bring him into conflict with his former military masters and his old friend, the Master Chief.

    Shabana Azmi as Admiral Margaret Parangosky

    Veteran actress Shabana Azmi will portray Admiral Margaret Parangosky, the head of the UNSC's Office of Naval Intelligence. According to her character's Halopedia page, Parangosky is known to be very powerful and deadly. In fact, Dr. Halsey is the only person who has ever crossed her and lived, which may make for an interesting on-screen dynamic.

    Bentley Kalu, Natasha Culzac and Kate Kennedy as three new Spartan characters

    The forthcoming TV adaptation is also set to introduce three new characters to the Halo universe. Bentley Kalu, best known for his roles in Avengers: Age of Ultron and American Assassin, will play Spartan Vannak-134, a cybernetically augmented supersoldier conscripted at childhood who serves as the defacto deputy to the Master Chief.

    Natasha Culzac, who landed a guest role playing Toruviel on Netflix's The Witcher, will take her place in the Spartan gang. She will portray Riz-028, a focused, professional and deadly, cybernetically enhanced killing machine, while Catastrophe's Kate Kennedy takes on the role of Spartan Kai-125, an all-new courageous, curious and deadly Spartan supersoldier.

    Keep checking back here for all the latest casting updates for the Halo TV series.

    Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

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    A Chrono Cross Remaster Is Reportedly On the Way

    Remember that "big remake" PlayStation was reportedly going to announce around this coming Christmas? Good news, JRPG fans: it might be beloved Square Enix classic Chrono Cross.

    According Xbox Era's Nick Baker on a recent podcast, the reported "big remake" mentioned by folk singer Éabha McMahon on an Irish radio station back in October is indeed a remaster of the sequel/spin-off to Chrono Trigger from the original PlayStation era, and what's more, Baker's sources tell him that it will be "multi-platform" as opposed to PlayStation exclusive.

    Notably, a Chrono Cross Remaster was also among the numerous titles listed in Nvidia's GeForce Now game leak back in September. Though that list has thus far been hit-or-miss as to accuracy and Nvidia has claimed the titles were "speculative," some of the games in that leak have turned out to be real, like the GTA Trilogy Remaster.

    Chrono Cross itself is a beloved classic that IGN adored when it first released way back in 2000, though it's gotten mixed reception due to the strange space it occupies as a sort of alternative universe spin-off of Chrono Trigger rather than a direct sequel. Unlike its predecessor, though, Chrono Cross hasn't received any love via ports or new content on other platforms, meaning the only legitimate way to play it anymore is to own an original PlayStation or PS2 and have a physical copy of the game.

    And while there have been plenty of whispers over the years of a Chrono sequel, none have yet emerged. For now, if you want to enjoy something like the Chrono games, you'll have to turn to projects made by some of the same team members, such as mobile games Another Eden or Fantasian.

    Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

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