One of the most-requested Pokemon is making their debut in Pokemon Go today, and it's not an April Fool's Day prank. Mimikyu has finally come to Pokemon Go, and dedicated players will be able to add them to their lineup starting today. The decision to debut the character on April 1 may be an unusual choice, but Mimikyu's silhouettes are already appearing in the game.

Pokemon Go's Spotlight Hour--which starts tonight at 6pm local time--will feature multiple Mimikyu spawns, as well as Pikachu appearances. But if you can't play during that time, Mimikyu will still spawn for players in addition to appearing in random task rewards.

Mimikyu won't be the only creature debuting Pokemon Go this month. Silicobra and shiny Toedscool are both slated to arrive as part of April's Pokemon Go events. Players will also have the opportunity to catch some Pokemon that are dressed in wild costumes in Fashion Raid Day, which will take place on April 4.

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The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is now in cinemas, and while it's expected to be a commercial hit, it's not doing so well on the critical front currently. Early reviews for the sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie have gone live, and on GameSpot's sister site Metacritic, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie currently holds a "generally unfavorable" metascore of 37. That's even lower than 2022's Mario movie (46) and just two points better than the 1993 live-action Super Mario Bros. movie, but there's more to this story than just simple digits.

Generally, gaming websites are offering more positive reviews, ranging from a 6/10 at IGN to 8.5/10 at Game Informer. The general consensus is that The Super Mario Galaxy Movie looks great, has plenty of Easter eggs for fans, and its story isn't going to win any Academy Awards. Most importantly, it's clearly designed for its target market of kids while adults can enjoy spotting all the references to decades of Mario history.

Film industry and news sites like Variety, The Wrap, and SlashFilm have delivered scathing reviews so far, describing it as hollow and lacking in any cinematic substance. In one brutal review, The Times scored the movie a 0/10 and called it a "torturous" slog. And that's fair, because reviews are opinion pieces after all. The Super Mario Bros. Movie also had plenty of detractors when it first hit cinemas, but it does have a positive user review score of 8.1 and a global box office gross of over $1.2 billion, so those negative reviews didn't dampen the enthusiasm for it.

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PlayStation has revealed this month's batch of free games for PlayStation Plus subscribers. All PS Plus members will be able to claim a trio of freebies starting April 7: Lords of the Fallen, Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, and Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream. If you haven't claimed March's PlayStation Plus free games yet, make sure to do so before next Tuesday, April 7.

Lords of the Fallen sees players embark on a quest as one the legendary Dark Crusaders, warriors sworn to stop a demonic tyrant from plunging the world into darkness. The 2023 game features all the hallmarks of the souls-like genre, from intimidating enemies to risk-and-reward gameplay, but the brutal checkpoint system, confusing level design, and bosses that took forever to kill made it a tough game to recommend to fans of the genre.

If you're feeling like taking a trip back to the '90s, you can check out Tomb Raider I-III Remastered. This trilogy of classic Lara Croft adventures contains all expansions and secret levels, as well as an option to switch between the upgraded graphics and the original polygons instantly. A new Challenge Mode was also added, and it's a great option for revisiting the janky games ahead of the upcoming Tomb Raider remake for PC and console.

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Mortal Shell 2 developer Cold Symmetry has shown off the first gameplay trailer for the upcoming souls-like, and unsurprisingly, the sequel isn't straying from the foundation established in the original 2020 game. The deep-dive video shows off three playable Shells--Tiel the Acolyte, Eredrim the Venerable, and Proxima the Broodseeker--as they explore the dangerous world around them.

Each Shell offers a different approach to combat, with all the action now taking place in the cold and marshy patches of Fallgrim. Unlike the more confined spaces of its predecessor, Mortal Shell 2 goes all in on an open-world environment, which is naturally populated by dark and bloodthirsty monsters. The world is also designed to be deliberately compact, as Cold Symmetry says that it wants to respect a player's time.

Just like the first game, the dormant forms of forgotten warriors are scattered throughout the game, and once a Shell has been discovered, it can be awakened and possessed to unlock new abilities. Billed as a standalone sequel, Cold Symmetry says that no familiarity with the first Mortal Shell game is required to play Mortal Shell 2 to its fullest, and Fallgrim will have more than 60 dungeons to explore.

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While PS5 console prices are rising on April 2, there's a unique PS5 accessory that's actually getting a price cut. Right now, you'll find the popular dbrand Darkplates 2.0 with a 50% discount. That means you can customize your rig for as little as $40 (was $80), though add-on content like lightstrips and additional skins are also quite cheap. An end date for the sale isn't being advertised by dbrand, so be sure to check out the savings while you can

Dbrand Darkplates 2.0$40 (was $80)

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Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto has said there are "only so many people" that Nintendo can reach through games, so the company wants to expand its presence in other areas to help draw in more people. This is an approach best exemplified lately with Nintendo's further expansion into the world of film with The Super Mario Bros. Movie in 2023 and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (out now).

Speaking to Polygon, Miyamoto said Mario as a character has "always evolved alongside the evolution of digital media," and that's no different today as Nintendo brings him to movies.

"As we approach Mario and developing Mario games, I start to feel like there's only so many people that we can reach through Nintendo's systems and consoles. And so now with things like digital streaming and the expanse and the reach of what the technology allows now, I feel like that's a great way to get Mario involved too, and really be able to evolve alongside with digital media," he said. "So going from being able to have a touchpoint with Nintendo only through Nintendo consoles, we want to expand."

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Crimson Desert is the hottest game around right now, selling over 4 million copies worldwide and breaking its own concurrent player records since its March 19 release. While everyone appears to be loving it, some are still finding it quite frustrating and unwieldy, particularly when dealing with the stuff you loot and carry in Pywell.

Inventory management has been a sore spot for developer Pearl Abyss' open-world action-adventure game. Critics dragged inventory management for its tedium, with reviewer Richard Wakeling calling it "aggravating" and a "prickly source of frustration" in GameSpot's 7/10 Crimson Desert review. The South Korean studio has somewhat addressed the issues surrounding fiddling with your stuff by introducing more inventory slots in a March 29 update, but the headaches are still pounding all over the game's official subreddit.

Players took to the Crimson Desert subreddit to air out even more of their grievances with Pearl Abyss' inventory management system. The hottest post right now, created on March 30, is a discussion about how "key" items--typically something purple in your bag, such as those Deluxe Edition bonuses--shouldn't take up any inventory space. They don't add any weight to Kliff, and they don't technically impede the now 240 available slots in your inventory. But while they don't fill up your inventory in the same way a bug or a flower or a sword might, these "key" items--bounty notices, quest items, treasure maps, etc.--do sit in your inventory, cannot be discarded, and contribute to the overall clutter you'll accumulate as you explore the world of Pywell.

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Ubisoft's The Division 3 is moving ahead without executive producer Julian Gerighty, who recently left the company to join EA to work on the Battlefield franchise. At the time, Ubisoft told fans they needn't worry about The Division 3 losing him, and now senior producer Fredrik Brönjemark has echoed that sentiment, saying the roadmap for The Division 3 had been "planned and secured for some time already."

"Julian's departure isn't a distraction. We're happy for him and obviously sad to see him go. He was a friend. But as far as The Division 3 goes, we have our future and our roadmap that is already secure, and we know exactly where we are going and exactly what we want to do," Brönjemark told GI.biz.

The Division 2 creative director Yannick Banchereau went on to say he has "zero doubt" that The Division will remain popular for at least another decade.

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Fortnite never had a serious tone, but the game's battle royale modes will be a lot sillier during a 24-hour April Fools' Day update.

The game's v40.10 patch temporarily adds a suite of madcap modifications to unranked battle royale and Blitz matches, giving every player an enlarged head and the ability to ride teammates' shoulders. Llamas are also rideable, and players can literally turn their fingers into guns. As an added comedic effect, fall damage has been disabled, and landing will produce a cartoony splat sound effect.

All of these are also in effect in Unranked Reload, except for the big heads.

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Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian Studios is working on a new Divinity game currently, and now the company's CEO has provided an update on how it's progressing.

Swen Vincke said on social media that a recent development at the office helped him feel like Divinity was "coming alive."

"I realized I was having a good dev day when Adam--our writing director--started discussing the game with me," Vincke said. "He just spent a week running through various permutations of one particular situation, tweaking the words, and had plenty of ideas. The things he said made sense but it wasn't that which struck me. He often has good ideas. Instead, it was the energy level he was at."

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Pokemon Go's Memories in Motion season continues in April with a new slew of events and activities to look forward to over the next few weeks. Kicking things off is a Fashion Raid Day, which will give players another chance to catch some fancy costume-wearing Pokemon, while Riolu is returning for an encore Hatch Day on April 18.

This month also sees the arrival of a few new Pokemon, including Silicobra and shiny Toedscool, both of which are set to debut during this year's Sustainability Week. The Paldean Pokemon Tinkatink is also stepping into the spotlight during April's Community Day, and some fan-favorite legendaries and Mega Pokemon are returning to Raids.

There are plenty of other activities lined up for this month. You can read more about all of April's biggest Pokemon Go events below.

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The Super Mario Galaxy Movie hits theaters this week, and by current estimates, it's going to be another blockbuster. One of its biggest surprises, the appearance of StarFox's Fox McCloud, was revealed last week, and it looks like that might be the tip of the cameo iceberg (which we're not going to spoil here). Currently, fans are wondering if McCloud's appearance is teeing up an eventual Avengers-style Smash Bros. crossover movie for the big screen. Nintendo's answer? It's not that simple.

In a new interview, Nintendo and film producer Illumination explained that they're tackling one movie at a time, and that there aren't any plans for a shared cinematic universe…yet.

"I don't think you'll have a situation [where] all Nintendo characters would be joining [together in one film]," Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto said to Polygon. Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri added that the collaboration between Nintendo resulted in several discussions, including "fun" ways to drop characters from other game franchises in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

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Speed Racer (4K Blu-ray)

$31 | Releases May 19

Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Walmart

Almost two decades after it first raced into theaters, the live-action adaptation of Speed Racer is finally getting a 4K Blu-ray release. Directed by The Matrix creators Lana and Lilly Wachowski, preorders are now open at Amazon and Walmart, and priced at $31 ahead of its release on May 19.

Speed Racer (4K Blu-ray)

$31 | Releases May 19

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Pokemon Pokopia includes a Mystery Gift feature, and this allows you to get free items to use in-game. These secret gifts are often only available for a limited time, but this guide will provide you with all of the current codes available to redeem in Pokemon Pokopia, so be sure to bookmark it and check back regularly. We'll be actively updating this page as more codes are added.

Make sure to check out our complete Pokopia guides hub including how to time travel, build all habitats, and more.

All Pokopia Mystery Gifts and rewards

All Mystery Gift items are redeemed at a Pokemon Center PC by either entering a code or obtaining via the internet. Here are all of the currently active Pokopia Mystery Gift codes and their rewards:

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Fortnite OG Season 8 begins on Wednesday, April 1, ushering in a pirate invasion on the throwback island, and bringing back the fan-favorite Avengers: Endgame limited-time mode that hasn't been available in seven years--this is not an April. Fools' joke. And, of course, we've also got a new OG pass that includes three new remix skins based on old exclusive skins from the Season 8 battle pass.

The Season 8 OG pass includes remixes of the lizard ninja Hybrid, the cursed pirate Blackheart, and the regular human being Luxe. Unlocking the pass for 1,000 V-Bucks or through Fortnite Crew instantly unlocks Synthesis, the new version of Hybrid--we haven't yet seen if this one has a lizard style as well, but it's a safe bet that it does. If this pass works like the previous OG passes, it should include two main styles for each of the skins, as well as a full suite of matching cosmetics.

Avengers: Endgame returns to Fortnite

In the Endgame limited-time mode, which starts up on April 3, players are sorted into two teams of 16 players each, with one team representing the Avengers, and the other being Thanos' Chitauri. The Chitauri must scour the island for all six Infinity Stones, each of which powers up whichever player is Thanos, and the Avengers have to stop them. The Chitauri, as a team, are able to respawn 150 times, and the Avengers have unlimited respawns until the Chitauri get all the stones. It's essentially a themed version of the defunct core Fortnite mode Team Rumble.

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The Flashpoint update for Arc Raiders really has a love for Stella Montis, with multiple quests sending you there to fend off Shredders and find items to bring back to Speranza. One such quest is Last Entry, which tasks you with finding some clues on this very dangerous map, then extracting an important document from the Seed Vault.

Since you'll need to extract with the documentation you find in the Seed Vault, it's a good idea to bring along an augment with a safe pocket. This will ensure this precious item isn't lost if you die before extracting.

When you're ready to get started on Last Entry, read on.

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The controversial paid mod marketplace recently added to The Sims 4 is apparently exceeding Electronic Arts' expectations, according to a new report from Sims Community. It cited an anonymous "insider" who evidently also leaked accurate details about The Sims 4's Marketplace and Maker Program before it was revealed to the public.

It's not clear exactly what EA's financial goals for The Sims 4 Marketplace are, and the source didn't provide a specific number, but said that the paid mod marketplace "has so far exceeded EA’s expectations," adding, "We don’t know what [those expectations] were, though."

Earlier this month, details about a single-player The Sims title currently called Project X were leaked. It appears that Project X will feature individual neighborhoods that players must pay to unlock. According to Sims Community's source, EA has seen the player response online and might be rethinking things.

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The hardest quests in Arc Raiders tend to be the ones that require you to complete a variety of steps during a single visit to a map. When that map is Stella Montis, things can be even trickier. That's the case with the Furtive Meetings quest from Shani, which tasks you with uncovering meeting spots around Stella Montis--or as we like to call it: Shredder Central.

You have to complete every step of Furtive Meetings in a single visit before extracting with a specific item. Because of this, we really think you should bring along an augment that provides a safe pocket, as it would be devastating to have to redo the entire quest because you died at the end and lost the item.

When you're ready to head into Stella Montis to complete Furtive Meetings, read on.

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The Fragmented Logs quest in Arc Raiders sends you to Stella Montis, which is arguably the game's most dangerous map. You'll have to visit multiple locations there, making this a potentially risky trip, so you'll want to be prepared.

Also, you'll need to bring in an Electrical Component for this quest. These can be crafted in Speranza using just a few Plastic Parts and Rubber Parts, so getting your hands on one shouldn't be a problem. If you want to be extra careful, bring an augment with a safe pocket to keep the Electrical Component in while exploring.

When you're ready to set off on the Fragmented Logs quest, follow the steps below.

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One of the most frustrating aspects of modern PC gaming is how long you can be stuck waiting for a new game to finish compiling its shaders the first time you boot it up. The second most frustrating is having to do that each time you update you graphics card drivers. Nvidia is hoping its new Nvidia App features might make that a thing of the past.

Included in an update that introduces new features for the RTX 50-series of GPUs, Nvidia has introduced a beta version of what it's calling Auto Shader Compilation. With this enabled, the Nvidia App will dynamically determine when your PC is idle before kicking off shader compilations for your installed games in the background, potentially freeing you from having to wait for the step to complete the next time you actually want to play.

You're able to set how much space on your drive can be allocated to storing a cache of shader compiles, with more spacing allowing for more pre-compilations to stand at the ready for your most-played games. You can also roughly specify when the process is allowed to kick in, which you should be careful with since shader compilation can be quite CPU-intensive, so having it going while trying to do something else important on your PC at the same time isn't advisable. Auto Shader Compilation is disabled by default, but you can start utilizing it with the latest version of the Nvidia App.

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