July 2024

Over the weekend at San Diego Comic Con, Marvel made some pretty big announcements for the future of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The biggest ones are that the next two Avengers movies will be directed by the Russo brothers. They previously did the last two Avengers movies, Infinity War and Endgame. A few years ago it was announced that Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars would be the next ones, with Jonathan Majors playing Kang the Conqueror. Majors played multiple instances of Kang in Ant-Man and Loki, but had some legal troubles that lead to his firing. Since then, people wondered if he would be recast or if they would drop the Kang storyline all together. There were some rumors suggesting Majors had it in his contract that he is the only person who would be allowed to play Kang. Now we have some idea of what Marvel’s plans actually are. Joe and Anthony Russo will be directing Avengers Doomsday and Avengers Secret Wars.

The second and probably bigger announcement that was made, is that Robert Downey Jr. will be coming back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He won’t be playing Iron Man though, instead he will be playing Doctor Doom. There is no word yet on if this will be a Tony Stark variant or if he will be playing Victor Von Doom. The only clue we got was that Robert Downey Jr. said on stage as well on his Instagram post “new mask, same task”. What does this mean? It could be a hint that Doctor Doom and Iron Man have the same goal, protect their worlds.

Robert Downey Jr said “new mask, same task” after being revealed

So far, Doctor Doom has appeared in every Fantastic Four movie made, first by Julian McMahon and then by Toby Kebbell. Robert Downey Jr. almost played Doctor Doom before being beat out for the role by Julian McMahon previously.

The first Fantastic Four movie made by Marvel Studios titled The Fantastic Four: The First Steps has just started production. It will star Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards AKA Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm AKA The Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm AKA Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm AKA The Thing. The movies will be set in a 1960s New York City that is in a different universe than the main MCU. Robert Downey Jr.’s Victor Von Doom could come from that universe. We already know that variants may or may not look identical, as we saw Benedict Cumberbatch as multiple versions of Stephen Strange, but also saw John Krasinski as a different Reed Richards in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. If Robert Downey Jr. does not appear in The First Steps, then it will be the first Fantastic Four movie without a Doctor Victor Von Doom.

The Fantastic Four comic first debuted in November 1961 written by Stan Lee and with artwork by Jack Kirby (no relation to Vanessa Kirby). The original Secret Wars comic was written in the 1980s by Jim Shooter and the art was done by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton. As far as I can tell, there is no Doomsday comic series or event by Marvel, however since Doomsday is another word for the last day of the world and in Doctor Stange in the Multiverse of madness, Strange was told that he helped cause an incursion to occur, the two could very well be related. Perhaps in Avengers Doomsday earth-616 and the Fantastic Four’s earth are about to collide. Doomsday could be the last days of the worlds and Doom doing anything in his power to save it, hence Robert Downey Jr’s “new mask, same task” line, since Iron Man sacrificed himself to save his universe in Avengers Endgame.

No matter what happens, this is probably some of the most exciting news I heard come of San Diego Comic Con. Avengers Doomsday comes out on May 1, 2026 and Avengers Secret Wars comes out over a year later on May 7, 2027. What do you think, are you excited about the next Avengers movies? How do you feel about the directors or actor announcement? Was something else announced that has you hyped up? Let us know!

Dead by Daylight has become a staple in the horror genre. With their own original killers as well as the licensed ones in the game, it can feel like playing a horror movie. Like many franchises, people love to see team ups. Freddy vs Jason, Alien vs Predator, these movies bring together franchises and can serve as fan service. When it comes to Dead by Daylight, that kind of fan service always felt like it was lacking since the killers were pretty isolated. Yes, you could have Laurie Strode face off against Leatherface or Freddy Krueger, but honestly the killers are the stars of the franchises and they were always separated in their own trials. At least they were until last week. Last week, Dead by Daylight finally released their highly anticipated limited time 2v8 game mode. In it 8 survivors face off against 8 killers. While all survivors are available, only 5 killers are able to be chosen. There’s also only 5 maps that you can be sent to. This is only the first iteration of this mode and Behaviour Interactive has said that in the future it would return with more maps and killer options and that it may eventually become a permanent game mode.

Gameplay Differences

Survivors

The survivor objective is the same, do generators and get out, but there’s a number of differences in this mode. First off, you need to do 8 generators instead of just the 5. 13 generators in total will spawn on the maps as well. When you complete all 8 generators, it powers 3 doors instead of just 2. Killers don’t need to take you to a hook, instead they just stomp on you and you’re put in a cage. You have 3 cage states, just like hooks. If a killer gets too close to a cage, you’re then transported somewhere else on the map. Unlike being hooked, you cannot try and pull yourself off out of a cage. Another change is that when there are two survivors left, 3 hatches will spawn. On each map there are 20 chests for you to get items from, which is good as you can’t bring in any items.

Items aren’t the only thing you won’t be able to bring in when playing the 2v8 mode, there are no perks in this mode. At least not in the traditional sense anyway. There are 4 classes that you can choose from: escapist, guide, medic, and scout. Each class has separate abilities. You use 3 standard perk slots with each class. The fourth perk slot is reserved for a self heal that is usable after 2 cage states (basically the same as last hook).

Killers

Trapper, Wraith, Hillbilly, Nurse, and Huntress are the 5 killers that are playable during this mode. Admittedly I have not played killer as of yet, but I am having so much fun as survivor, I don’t feel as though I am missing out on much. Killers an queue up with each other, but there can not have 2 of the same killers in a match. Killers don’t have perks either and some of their limitations are not there, such as Trappers and other killers cannot be caught in bear traps. Killers have one unique perk to them and one perk that is unique to them, but is a team perk, for example when a Trapper sets a bear trap, he and the other killer gain 150% haste.

Back to the Fog

Personally, I didn’t play Dead by Daylight for a while. I did check out some of the other limited time modifiers that Behaviour put into the game, but it still felt the same to me. I love a good horror game, I played a lot of DBD in the past, but it didn’t feel new or refreshed, even with the modifiers. This 2v8 mode feels good, it feels like the game has some new life. I really hope that it becomes permanent. Between this mode, other modifiers, plus the new cross progression features, I could see me playing more Dead by Daylight than I have in a while. Who knows, maybe I will play enough that I will want to unlock the survivors that I am missing, though Lara Croft is pretty tempting already.

It sucks that cross progression doesn’t unlock the same Achievements I unlocked on Steam in the Windows and Xbox Series X/S editions of the game, but it is nice that I have all the characters and perks that I paid for on the Windows Store edition, so now I can play and get reward points for them.

Have you tried out the new 2v8 game mode? What changes would you like to see made to it? What modes would you want to see added in the future? Do you think this is just the beginning and we might see something like a 4v16?

Microsoft has announced that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will be coming to Game Pass starting on July 24, 2024. That’s right, starting tomorrow, you can enjoy Modern Warfare 3 on Game Pass for console, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Ultimate.

After I posted about other Activision Blizzard King (ABK) games coming to Game Pass in August, rumors popped up saying that the latest Call of Duty would be hitting the service later this month. Those rumors turned out to be true, which has me excited. I personally haven’t played a COD since Black Ops 4 I think and even then I am pretty sure I just played Warzone, so I am excited to jump in on this one and try out the multiplayer. When and if the other games hit the service, I might play through the story modes too.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is the second ABK game to be announced for the service. In March, Diablo 4 came to the service. It’s anticipated, that like Diablo 4, COD will require you to have Battle.net installed on your PC to play the game.

If the other rumors are true about more ABK games coming to the service soon, then that is a welcome addition, especially after Microsoft announced a price increase for the service as well as a new tier last week. Any added value to the service is a welcome addition.

Earlier today, I asked ChatGPT to summarize LepsLair.com. This was my prompt: Can you summarize the content of the posts at lepslair.com into a 500-word blog post?

LepsLair is a multifaceted website that offers a wide range of content primarily focused on gaming, programming, and personal insights from its creator, known as leprakhauns. The site caters to a diverse audience with interests in video games, coding tutorials, and fan communities.

Gaming Insights and Reviews

LepsLair features detailed reviews and discussions about various video games. One such game is “A Little to the Left,” a puzzle game where players organize household items, often disrupted by a mischievous cat. This game is available on multiple platforms, including Windows, MacOS, and consoles like Nintendo Switch and Xbox? (LepsLair)?? (LepsLair)?. The site also explores gaming rumors, such as the potential addition of Ubisoft+ Classics to Xbox Game Pass. This would include older Ubisoft games, enhancing the value of the subscription service for gamers? (LepsLair)?.

Programming Tutorials

LepsLair is a valuable resource for budding programmers. The site offers tutorials on fundamental programming concepts, enabling learners to grasp the basics that are transferable across different programming languages. Topics covered include the basics of JavaScript, PHP, and C++, providing step-by-step instructions and practical examples. For instance, a tutorial on using PHP’s CURL function demonstrates how to fetch and display content from other websites, an essential skill for web developers? (LepsLair)?.

Personal Blog and Community

LepsLair also serves as a personal blog where leprakhauns shares insights and experiences. Topics range from dealing with ADHD to thoughts on popular culture, such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The blog section provides a glimpse into the personal interests and life of the creator, fostering a sense of community among readers. Additionally, the site features fan listings for comics and musicians, offering a platform for fans to connect and share their passion? (LepsLair)?.

Conclusion

LepsLair stands out as a comprehensive platform that combines gaming reviews, programming tutorials, and personal blogging. It caters to a wide audience, from gamers looking for the latest news and reviews to aspiring programmers seeking foundational knowledge. With its blend of informative and personal content, LepsLair creates a unique and engaging online space for its readers. Whether you are a gamer, a coder, or someone looking to connect with like-minded individuals, LepsLair has something to offer.

I’d say this is pretty accurate actually. I know AI isn’t always that great, but in this case I think it did a pretty decent job.

I use ChatGPT for work occasionally. Mainly when I am stuck with WordPress functions and especially with regular expressions. No matter how many times I need to use them, both seem to always confuse me.

Do you use ChatGPT for your job at all?

It’s already been confirmed that Call of Duty Black Ops 6 will be arriving day 1 on Game Pass on October 24, 2024. What about the other games though? Well after a claim by eXtas1s on eXputer forums and Windows Central who backed up the claim, we will start getting Activision Blizzard games in August. This is after Diablo IV came to the service months ago.

According to the report, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, which is a remaster of the original three Crash Bandicoot games, will be the next one on the service. EXtas1s also reports that Tony Hawk 1+2 Remake and Spyro Reignited Trilogy will also be coming very soon as well. They won’t say if that will be in August or in the following months though. While these are all great games, there’s no word or even rumor about when the Call of Duty games will end up on the service, though I imagine they would want to put them there before the launch of the latest one in October. Being able to play all the Back Ops games up until that point would be great, especially for me who missed a few of them and never touched the campaigns.

I am excited more for Tony Hawk as I loved those games growing up and never picked up the remake. Spyro and Crash Bandicoot I played a little bit, but never did all those games, so it could be fun to get into when they drop on the service as well. I am surprised at how slow these games are coming… I thought we would have had most games on the service by now. I understand they don’t want to drop everything at once, but I didn’t expect almost a year after closing the deal that there would only be one game on it.

Either way, I am excited for the games whenever they come, what is your favorite Activision Blizzard King game that you are hoping to see come to Game Pass?