Walking Dead Cast Bring Back ‘Stay in the House, Carl’ Meme for Coronavirus Safety

The Walking Dead actors for Carl and Lori, Chandler Riggs and Sarah Wayne Callies, have brought back the classic “CORAL” meme for a good cause.

Callies uploaded a video to her Twitter feed where she calls out those who aren’t practicing social distancing in the coronavirus pandemic. She says she has “a message” for them.

“I got a message for everyone choosing not to practice social distancing right now,” Callies said. “Stay in the house, Carl! You know what happens when you don’t.”

Her on-screen son, Riggs, responded to the tweet with “LOL” before quote-tweeting it with a message of his own. Clearly, he loves that this meme is still alive and well:

The actors are referencing the Carl memes that were so rampant on social media during the early seasons of The Walking Dead. Carl, the young son of Callies’ Lori and Andrew Lincoln’s Rick, had a tendency to get himself into trouble, thus causing his father — played by the British Lincoln doing his best Southern accent — to shout after him in a way that more often than not sounded like he was saying “Coral.” The infamous meme “Stay in the house, Carl” was even made into a t-shirt that can be bought on Amazon.

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The Walking Dead is currently airing its 10th season on AMC. IGN reviewed the last episode positively by praising the twists that keep the series fresh. The show has already been renewed for season 11.

As medical experts have advised social distancing as a key preventative measure to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, IGN has rounded up links to donate to charity and tips on how to stay safe.

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Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN.

John Boyega Shows Off Awesome Naruto Birthday Cake

John Boyega, known to many as Finn from the Star Wars sequel trilogy, is celebrating his birthday in style with a Naruto themed cake.

Boyega shared a video of his birthday celebration on Twitter, a beaming smile on the noted anime-enthusiast’s face as he showed off the multi-tiered Naruto cake.

john boyega naruto cake

The cake features the colors and iconography of Naruto himself — an orange, black, white and gray base topped with a smaller cake wrapped in his signature headband and a poof of yellow icing on top to evoke his blonde hair.

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naruto

Boyega celebrated his 28th birthday on March 17 and seems to be making the most it, despite having to spend it in quarantine.

The Star Wars actor made headlines a few months ago for accidentally losing the script to The Rise of Skywalker, which wound up getting sold on eBay for $84. Boyega said he “got a call from every official” at Disney, but in the end, everything worked out okay.

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With former Disney CEO Bob Iger announcing that the franchise would take a brief break from making movies after the Skywalker saga, it appears that The Rise of Skywalker will be the last Star Wars film for a while. However, there are still a lot of Star Wars TV shows planned for the coming months.

While we wait for those, Disney has announced that the digital version of The Rise of Skywalker will be available a few days early, so those stuck at home can enjoy it. Further, the powerful mouse has also announced that Frozen 2 will be coming to Disney+ three months early.

While you’re enjoying these films, be sure to check out some easy tips to avoid spreading COVID-19 to others.

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Andrew Smith is a freelance contributor with IGN. Follow him on Twitter @_andrewtsmith.

Deals: $10 Price Drop on Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Amazon

Animal Crossing and Doom Eternal are both out Friday. You still have a chance to preorder it now and save some money. The Baby Yoda Animatronic Edition is also back up for preorder at both Walmart and Amazon. Finally, the crazy Alienware laptop deal that expired a few weeks ago is back! This is likely the only time you can score an Alienware RTX 2070 equipped laptop with a 4K OLED display for under $1600.

Out Friday: Preorder Animal Crossing for Switch, Save $10 on Amazon

We’ve published our review of Animal Crossing: New Horizons and not suprisingly, this game is “Amazing”. Amazon just dropped the price of preorder by $10. That beats Best Buy’s $10 back in reward credit. You’ll need a MyBestBuy membership to get this free credit, but it’s free to sign up. If you liked Stardew Valley, this one should be right up your alley.

Preorder the Star Wars Baby Yoda Animatronic Edition at Amazon or Walmart

This toy launched yesterday and has been insanely popular. It’s already sold out at many places including Amazon. This cute mascot from The Mandalorian features over 25 sound and motion combinations, including happy and excited, giggles and babbles, tired and sleeping, and Force effects sounds. Motorized movement includes a head that moves up and down, ears that move back and forth, eyes that open and close, and more.

Out Friday: Preorder Doom Eternal and Save $10

Guess what? The other game that’s out this Friday also scored an “Amazing” 9/10 at IGN. Doom Eternal has been a hugely anticipated release and you can save $10 when you preorder it. If you’ve watched any of the gameplay trailers you already know this game is going to pretty amazing. Preorder it and you’ll also receive a digital copy of Doom 64.

Alienware m15 15″ 1080p 144Hz Intel Core i7-9750H RTX 2070 Laptop with Dual 512GB SSD for $1399

Use code “AW950OFF”

This is one of the best prices we’ve seen for an RTX 2070 equipped laptop, regardless of brand. The Alienware m15 is the newly designed 15″ laptop and weighs only 4.8 pounds, which is remarkable given its payload. We reviewed the m15 and highly recommend it. It’s easily one of the best laptops you can get in terms of build quality and under-the-hood power.

Super Upgrade: Alienware m15 15″ 4K Ultra HD 3840×2160 OLED 1ms Intel Core i7-9750H RTX 2070 Gaming Laptop with Dual 512GB SSD for $1599

Use code “AW950OFF”

Upgrade to a very rare and very awesome 4K Ultra HD 3840×2160 display for only $200. We reviewed a very similar OLED equipped model less than a year ago (with inferior specs) with a price tag of $2800 and we LOVED it. This deal won’t stick around.

Get 2 Months of Kindle Unlimited for Free

Make your life stuck at home (and for many of you, with kids) a lot easier. Kindle Unlimited is a great way to keep yourself at home and still get access to a virtual library of over 1 million Kindle eBooks and over 20,000 digital comics This deal is typically for new subscribers only, but there have been reports that it has worked for people who have previously subscribed for Kindle Unlimited but are not current members. Check out this very awesome Harry Potter “Kindle in Motion” book with animated art, free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription.

65-Inch Vizio P659-G1 4K HDR QLED Smart HDTV with Bonus $300 Dell eGift Card for $999.99

We reviewed this TV last year and awarded it an “Amazing” 9.3/10. The Vizio Quantum P-series is a higher end model over the M-series and a good choice for real image quality enthusiasts. Like the M-series Quantum it features full HDR support, a full-array LED backlight, and has SmartCast Smart TV functionality, but that’s where the similarities end. This TV boasts 200 local dimming zones, 1,100 nits of brightness, and a 240Hz refresh rate, perfect for sports, gaming, and anything else with fast movement.

55-Inch LG OLED55C9 4K OLED Smart HDTV with Bonus $150 Dell eGift Card for $1497

In terms of picture quality, the LG C9 OLED TV is the best OLED TV on the market. There is an LG E9 model that is “higher end”, but the screen and processor are identical (the main difference is that the E9 has a better sound system). If you aren’t satisfied with “just” getting an OLED and want the “best” OLED, the C9 is your ticket.

Xbox One X (Factory Refurbished) for $229.99

This is the lowest price we’ve ever seen for an Xbox One X gaming console from a reputable vendor. Note that this is a Microsoft refurbished item, which means that it still comes with a 90-day warranty. Microsoft refurbished items generally look brand new and come in its original packaging. Since you’re getting it from Walmart (and not a marketplace vendor), it’s easy enough to return to your local store if you have any problems with the unit.

Sign up for a Free 30-Day ComiXology Unlimited Trial

ComiXology is Amazon’s digital comic platform and is the largest digital retailer of American comics. The site hosts 20,000 digital comics, graphic novels, and manga from DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, and more. Here’s your chance to access all of it, totally free, for 30 days. If you’re an avid comic reader, you might want to consider continuing on afterwards, since it’s only $5.99/month. You can even sign in with your Amazon account.

Out 4/10: Preorder Final Fantasy VII Remake for PS4, Get $10 in Best Buy Credit

Our preview is up, but I’d suggest you give the demo a whirl and make your own opinion first. After all, it’s free. The game is out in just over a month and Best Buy is the only place you can preorder it with cash back. You’ll need a MyBestBuy membership, which is free to sign up.

Out 3/31: Preorder Persona 5 Royal Steelbook Launch Edition for PS4, Get $10 Best Buy Gift Card

If you thought Persona 5 couldn’t get any better, guess again. One of the best (if not the best) RPGs to grace the PlayStation 4 console is receiving the royal treatment in 2020. Persona 5: Royal Edition introduces a new character, the ability of customize your Thieves’ Den, and new story lines with new cutscenes and new endings. The Steelbook Launch edition throws in a snazzy metal case at no additional cost.

Out 4/3: Preorder Resident Evil 3 and Save $10

Resident Evil 3 has dropped $10 to $49.94. For those of you who have already preordered the game from Amazon, your price is automatically adjusted to the lower one. Resident Evil 2 was a remake done right, and we expect RE3 to receive the same treatment. RE3 completes the Raccoon City arc, and this time you’re playing as the iconic Jill Valentine.

Nintendo Switch Video Game Deals:

PS4 Video Game Deals:

Xbox One Video Game Deals:

PC Video Game Deals:

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Eric Song is IGN’s deal curator and spends 25% of his pay on stuff he posts.

How to Watch Movies with Friends Online Through Netflix Party

If you’re looking for ways to connect with your friends without leaving the comfort of your couch, a handy Google Chrome extension called Netflix Party is making it easy to watch movies online together.

Netflix Party isn’t anything new — it’s been around for years — but it feels more relevant now more than ever. By installing the extension to your Google Chrome web browser, you and your friends can stream a Netflix show or movie together at the same time.

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Once everyone has the extension installed, one person needs to start the viewing party. That person will pick a movie or show on Netflix and then click the NP extension button to the right of the address bar at the top of the browser. With the party started, the person running everything can send the unique URL to all of their friends and just like that, everyone’s singing along to Toss a Coin to Your Witcher with Jaskier, watching the latest season of Netflix’s Castlevania, or binging whatever else strikes your fancy.

Once everyone’s in the movie or show’s stream, a chat box on the right side of the screen can be used to talk (or at least type) with fellow party members – basically, Netflix Party lets you talk to your friends during a movie without anyone actually having to talk during the movie. The person who started the party can either choose to limit control so that only they have the ability to pause, rewind or fast-forward, or this can be shared among every member of the group. When you exit the movie, the party will automatically end.

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While you can’t watch them on Netflix Party, you can now rent new movies like The Invisible Man, The Hunt, and Emma online and on-demand after Universal opted to distribute its recent releases digitally following the temporary closure of movie theaters across the globe. Sony’s Bloodshot will be available online from March 24. If you’re wondering how to stay safe or find ways to help others during the coronavirus outbreak check out our resource guide.

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Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Phantasy Star Online 2 Open Beta Is Now Live On Xbox One

It’s been eight years since the trailer for the Western Edition of Phantasy Star Online 2 dropped, but it seems like the free-to-play multiplayer action RPG will finally be coming to the west.

The open beta will have complete English translations and localized text of all three years of content from Japan. As well as being the most up to date version of the game, including all quality of life updates, the game will include all current content releases up to this point. This includes all four races and nine classes available in the Japanese client. The Xbox One X version of the game will also be able to run PS2O at 4K with expanded user interface display size.

For those of you who participated in the closed beta test and still have it installed, the update to the live beta is only 2GB. Without the closed beta test client or app, the download is available from the Xbox One Store directly, instead of through the Xbox Insider Hub.

Phantasy Star Online open beta is currently, well, open. Sign up to the open beta on the Microsoft Store and start downloading now. Let’s hope the wait has been worth it.

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Octopath Traveler Celebrates 2 Million Sales With A Big Discount

Octopath Traveler, which first released for the Switch in July 2018, has been a huge seller for Square Enix. The game’s official Japanese Twitter account has today announced that the game has sold 2 million copies across Nintendo Switch and PC, alongside a new piece of art celebrating the game’s success.

To celebrate, Octopath Traveler will be discounted by 50% on both Switch and PC until April 3. The game, which retails for $60, now costs $30 on the Nintendo Eshop and Steam for a limited time.

Octopath Traveler is due to receive a mobile prequel this year–at least in Japan. Square Enix has also said that more games like it are likely to release in the future.

Octopath Traveler received an 8/10 in GameSpot’s review, and Peter Brown praised it for its retro charms. “The promise of new jobs, exciting boss fights, and powerful gear will inspire you to poke around every corner, and there are no shortage of discoveries to strive for,” he said. “And all the while, you’re treated to one of the most interesting and effective re-imaginings of a retro aesthetic around.”

If you’re after more discounted RPGs on Switch, there are also discounts running on Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest.

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See Tom Brady In A Tampa Bay Jersey In New Madden 20 Video

NFL superstar Tom Brady was drafted by the New England Patriots in 2000, and he went on to play 20 seasons with that one team alone. That’s changing for the upcoming NFL season, as Brady has quit the Patriots and is expected to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a cool $30 million per year.

The deal has yet to officially go through, but the folks at EA Sports have released a mock-up video showing Brady in a Bucs jersey in Madden NFL 20. For Patriots fans, this is a jarring video to watch–and not just because the video pauses for what feels like too long on Brady’s teeth. If the deal goes through, we can expect to see the real Brady in a Bucs jersey before too long, but for now, this will have to do.

In his impressive Hall of Fame career, Brady has won 219 regular season games, in addition to 30 wins in the playoffs. He’s won six Super Bowl rings, and he’s been named NFL MVP three times.

Brady was on the cover of Madden NFL 18, one year after his former Patriots teammate Rob Gronkowski (who is now hosting WrestelMania 36) graced the cover of Madden NFL 17.

In other news about NFL video games, EA Sports is getting a competitor for the first time in a while. Rival 2K Sports recently announced it reached a deal with the professional sports league to make non-simulation NFL games. EA Sports will continue to make its simulation-based NFL games, and 2K Sports will step in with other, unspecified titles, beginning in the calendar year 2021.

Now Playing: Madden NFL 20 – 19 Minutes Of Career Mode Gameplay

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Untitled Goose Game Wins Another Game Of The Year Award

Untitled Goose Game has won another Game of the Year award. The whimsical game in which you play a grumpy, mischievous goose has won the overall Game of the Year award at Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony, following its GOTY win at the D.I.C.E Awards in February.

Untitled Goose Game was developed by Australian studio House House. After launching on PC and Switch in September, the game came to Xbox One and PS4 in December. A line of Untitled Goose Game clothing was also released in the wake of the game’s viral success.

House House said on Twitter in response to the win, “This is such an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime honour.”

Remedy’s Control also won big at the Game Developers Choice Awards, taking home awards for Best Technology, Best Audio, and Best Visual Art. Another big winner was Disco Elysium, which won Best Narrative and Best Debut for developer ZA/UM. The Best Mobile Game award went to the wonderfully wacky golf game, What the Golf?

In addition to honoring some of 2019’s best games, the Game Developers Choice Awards gave out the Ambassador Award to Kate Edwards. The award is given to someone who helps video games “advance to a better place through advocacy and action.” Edwards was the head of the International Game Developers Association, before moving on from that post to become the Global Game Jam executive director.

Another award, the Pioneer Award, was given to Roberta Williams. Williams is known for her breakthrough work in the graphic adventure genre, and specifically for creating King’s Quest and Mystery House. She co-founded the company Sierra On-Line.

The Game Developers Choice Awards were slated to take place at the end of the Game Developers Conference, but the awards ceremony shifted to an online show after the main event was postponed.

“We are so happy to continue to honor the creative work of the finest game designers in the world by hosting the Game Developers Choice Awards online this year,” GDC manager Katie Stern said in a statement. “Games can help us connect, they can inspire us to create, and sometimes they help us to escape. There is perhaps no better time for us to appreciate what games mean to us than in trying times like these.”

Game Developers Choice Awards Winners:

Game of the Year

Untitled Goose Game (House House/Panic)

Best Audio

Control (Remedy Entertainment/505 Games)

Best Debut

ZA/UM (Disco Elysium)

Best Design

Baba is You (Hempuli)

Best Mobile Game

What the Golf? (Triband/The Label Limited)

Innovation Award

Baba is You (Hempuli)

Best Narrative

Disco Elysium (ZA/UM)

Best Technology

Control (Remedy Entertainment/505 Games)

Best Visual Art

Control (Remedy Entertainment/505 Games)

Best VR/AR Game

Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series (ILMxLAB & Oculus Studios/Disney)

Audience Award

Sky: Children of the Light (thatgamecompany)

Pioneer Award

Roberta Williams

Ambassador Award

Kate Edwards

Now Playing: Acting Like A Jerk In Untitled Goose Game

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Funimation Has Delayed Dub Releases So Employees Can Work From Home

The coronavirus is now affecting the anime industry, with Funimation being the latest company to close their offices and have employees working from home.

Over on the Funimation blog there is a much longer explanation on why this decision was made. The safety and health of the employees has been deemed more important than getting out the dubs on time, but Funimation will still strive to deliver as best they can during this epidemic while keeping their employees safe.

“The safety of our Funimation family is our highest priority right now, so we’re adjusting our dub-production schedule to allow everyone to work from home,” the post reads. “This means there will be delays in some of our dubbed series in the coming weeks, but subs are still on schedule!”The post explains how this will impact the Funimation SimulDub production and release schedule, while has allowed the studio to release dubs at the same time as the subbed release. “(We) have temporarily paused SimulDub production for the remainder of the current and upcoming seasons. We’ll let you know if and when that changes.”

This means that the following simultaneous dubbed releases will be delayed:

March 18, 2020

March 19, 2020

  • Hatena Illusion, starting with Episode 8

  • Infinite Dendrogram, starting with Episode 8

  • Nekopara, starting with Episode 9

  • Smile Down the Runway, starting with Episode 9

  • Toilet-bound Hanako-kun, starting with Episode 9

March 20, 2020

  • Asteroid in Love, starting with Episode 5

  • Case File nº221: Kabukicho, starting with Episode 21

  • Darwin’s Game, starting with Episode 9

March 21, 2020

March 22, 2020

  • Black Clover, starting with Episode 124

  • ID: INVADED, starting with Episode 13

March 24, 2020

April 3, 2020

While the dubs will be delayed, subs will still be released on time and on schedule, so you can still get your weekly hit of anime. For anime recommendations, check out our favorite anime releases of 2019.

Now Playing: 8 Must-See Anime To Watch For Winter 2020

Gabe Newell Thinks We’re Nearing An Extinction Level Event For Entertainment

Valve president Gabe Newell recently opened up about returning to the Half-Life universe after so many years and how technology will continue to shape the future of the company.

In an interview with IGN, Newell makes a comparison to The Matrix, the 1999 sci-fi thriller, and just how close we are to some of the technology in terms of computing. He is of course referring to the technical side of how the Matrix works as a form of VR, not the robots enslaving humanity as a giant super computer.

“We’re way closer to the Matrix than people realize,” Newell says. “It’s not gonna be The Matrix. The Matrix is a movie and it misses all the interesting, technical subtleties and just how weird the post-brain computer interface world is gonna be. It’s gonna have a huge impact on the kinds of experiences that we can create for people.”

Newell believes a brain-AI interface will be revolutionary for the gaming industry. While he is excited to see how fans react to Half-Life: Alyx, he is actually more excited to reach the next level of technology and see just what can be done. Going forward, VR is going to be on a completely different level with a brain-AI interface, Newell believes reading your brain’s motor and visual cortexes will be realistically possible, something on the tier of the Nerve Gear from Sword Online, may actually be possible.

Valve will be delving into this, with Newell keen to learn just what the limitations of the next level of technology will be. He compared the next stage of technology to an “extinction level event” for every form of current entertainment. Companies that are not thinking about the next steps of evolution are going to be left behind in a big way, Newell thinks.

“It’s an extinction level event for every entertainment form that’s not thinking about this. […] If you’re in the entertainment business and you’re not thinking about this, you’re going to be thinkingabout it a lot more in the future,” he said.

According to Newell, making Half-Life: Alyx is an example of Valve thinking about the future, taking the next step in an old franchise into VR is a large jump for the series, but it makes sense when you see just what Valve is doing. Depending on how Alyx goes will affect the next few years of development at Valve, according to Newell

Check back with us for our thoughts on Half-Life: Alyx and our full review come March 23.

Now Playing: Half-Life: Alyx – Official Gameplay Video 1

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