WEEKLY TRENDING NEWS – 06/08/2023

By Nikola Hristov

Welcome back, everybody! In this weekly roundup of all the trending news from the past seven days we have compiled everything that's important for you to stay up to date! What exactly is happening in the online space, and what can you expect from your beloved franchises in the future? Well, let's find out right now!

1. Project L reveals new character and playable demo

The highly anticipated fighting game set in the League of Legends universe is on the horizon - with a playable demo being announced for EVO 2023. For players attending the event, they'll be able to get a feel for how the game actually plays, while also having a selection of 4 playable characters - the originally announced Darius and Ahri, Ekko and now Yasuo, the master swordsman. All of these characters look like a blast to play and incorporate their abilities from LOL very well, even stuff like the wind wall blocking projectiles. This is a very exciting release for many of us - as Riot have proven in the past that they can easily succeed in other genres of games, outside of what League offers. With fast paced 1v1, 2v2 and even 1v2 combat, as well as the lore of Runeterra, this is absolutely a release to be excited about.

2. Mortal Kombat 1 introduces Geras and new Liu Kang fatality

Coming later this September, the fighting game world will be shaken once again by the next entry in the MK franchise. In the latest trailer called Sands of Time we appropriately see Geras, who played a major part in Kronika's forces in MK11, sporting a new design, but a familiar moveset. He was always a bulky, hard-hitting force to be reckoned with, and it seems they're keeping that theme here. On top of that, we're also introduced to a new Fire God Liu Kang fatality - where he creates a black hole and spaghettifies his enemy - probably one of his best ever! Ed Boon has also teased a new character on twitter, but we currently have no idea who he's referring to.

3. Assassin's Creed Mirage length revealed

After the quite frankly exhausting and needlessly long Odyssey and especially Valhalla, Ubisoft thankfully announced that Mirage will be about one third of the length of the last few games. This is great news, as the viking adventure often felt bloated and frustrating to go through - and it seems like they're trying to avoid that this time. With much more focus on the narrative and the story of an actual Assassin, this adventure set in Baghdad is looking more promising each day as we get closer to its October release date.

4. FromSoftware's main composer Yuka Kitamura leaves after 12 years

Everyone has heard of the Souls-Borne-Sekiro-Elden Ring games and just how difficult they are to complete. However, an often underrated aspect of them is the music - most of which is composed by Yuka Kitamura - who gave us some of the best boss themes of all time, such as For the Dark Soul, Darkeater Midir and Malenia, Blade of Miquella. Most of these bosses wouldn't have been as memorable as they are without their incredible soundtracks - so thank you for everything, Yuka Kitamura, and may you find happiness in whatever you compose next!  

5. Jujutsu Kaisen characters coming to Fortnite

In a never-ending quest to keep on adding more and more collaborations in the game, Epic Games have announced yet another anime special update - this time focusing on the sorcerers from Jujutsu High. After many other japanese shows such as Naruto and Dragon Ball got their spotlight, it's now time for Yuji, Gojo, Megumi and Nobara to take over - as the four main characters are all getting added to the popular battle royale. It looks like Fortnite isn't slowing down at all, as it keeps introducing new content again and again. If you're a fan of these characters, I'd recommend giving the game a try again after all these years. It's much more different than what it once was and it keeps getting better and more polished.

6. The Last of Us bootleg clone finally leaves Nintendo eShop

This is a very funny one. In a very poor attempt at plagiarizing the characters from the original franchise, The Last Hope: Dead Zone Survival is being removed from the Switch shop. A lot of YouTubers, such as MoistCr1tikal made a video showcasing the game and just how poorly made it was. Honestly, this might have been the worst game ever made, and I'm not even joking. Not just because of how garbage it was, but also because it copied a beloved franchise and still managed to suck. Thankfully, due to Sony's actions, this slap in the face to the gaming community is off the field, never to return again.

7. Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse delayed indefinitely

One of 2023's most incredible movies was the sequel to Miles Morales' 2018 adventure: Across the Spider-Verse. Sony truly managed to show the animation industry what they're capable of and how to make an amazing experience for both kids and grown-ups. Originally, Across and Beyond were supposed to be a single movie, but sometime during development they decided to split it all in half. This resulted in a 2023 release date for Across and a year later in 2024 - for Beyond. However, due to the strikes and I suppose the overworking of the staff, work hasn't even fully begun on the third installment in the franchise. The voice actors and animators are too busy going on strikes to actually work - thus delaying Beyond the Spider-Verse indefinitely. If I had to guess, right now, even 2026 is an optimistic date.

8. Loki Season 2 shows even more multiverse shenanigans

Unlike the very recent Marvel shows, namely Secret Invasion and She-Hulk, that are largely disliked by most of the viewers who saw them, Loki was one of the few Disney+ series which were very interesting. What made the show good is that unlike the others, it didn't have a predictable finale - and boy, what a finale it was! Introducing one of the most dangerous villains, who is the future Thanos of the MCU: Kang the Conqueror. In the new trailer, we see Loki and Mobius return, as well as Ke Huy Quan's character, called OB. We can also notice many different variants of Loki himself, including Sylvie, a giant Miss Minutes, and of course - Kang himself. It's interesting to see where the second season is going to take this show - especially its main character and main villain.

9. Andrzej Sapkowski's new installment in the Witcher Books franchise is official

Us Witcher fans haven't been eating good lately. With a disappointing third season, an even more disappointing future of the Netflix series and the next Witcher game at least a few years away, there's not much to look forward to anytime soon. However, the Polish author who created the universe in the first place has finally come out and said that he's writing another book. It has been teased in the past, but never was something definitive. It's unclear when this book will take place, as the main saga of Geralt already had a kind-of definitive conclusion in the books and of course the game trilogy. It's possible it goes back in time just like 2013's Season of Storms. Well, there's only one way to find out - but we'll probably have to wait for it just as much as the next CD Projekt Red game.

10. Mark Margolis, best known for Hector Salamanca has passed away at 83

I wanted to leave this one for last for obvious reasons. Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are some of the best shows on television, period. And they absolutely changed my life and introduced me to a higher tier of storytelling and movie-making. A large part of that is owed to the actors, including Mr. Margolis. Hector may not have been the main villain in either of the shows, but he was always a thrill to watch, as the sadistic and arrogant old man. He does however play a central part in BB Season 4's ending and he does it brilliantly. We honor people like him because of how special they made their characters and how they made us remember them. The legacy of a good actor is never forgotten. Descansa en paz, tío.

Well, that's about everything for this week's news! Stay tuned for more gaming reviews and articles regarding all your favorite franchises right here, on One Up Gaming.

Written by: Nikola Hristov