He may be a creature of the night, but it turns out that Morbius was inspired by Pokémon.

During an interview with IGN, director Daniel Espinosa revealed that he found inspiration for his take on the living vampire in an unlikely place – Pokémon.

“I have a daughter who is six years old, and she was really getting into Pokémon,” he explained. “And you know, I’ve watched Pokémon over the years. But I really adore how they use light and colors to express those powers.”

“When you watch Morbius he always has this trail of purple in the comic books and that normally is just lines that are made with a pencil,” he added. “But I thought maybe if we can take that kind of Pokémon-esque idea and translate that over to the psychedelic experience, I could create a new version of how to express powers.”

You can certainly see glimpses of this in the recent Morbius trailer. However, it’s even more evident when it comes to the film’s action scenes. Here, the distinctive flash of purple highlights Morbius as he careens through the night sky above New York City.

A scene from another trailer of Morbius flying through a subway tunnel with the distinctive orange trail of a prison jumpsuit adds a flash of color to his enveloping, smokey visage. The only thing missing is a pokéball opening behind him.

It’s certainly a very distinctive look, and a unique way to envisage the living vampire’s powers from the comic books. Along with Morbius’ beast-like fighting style, the Pokémon parallels are obvious.

“The fighting style of Morbius is very predatory and beast-like,” said stunt double, Greg Townley “The way he moves sometimes is catlike, wild, and quite feral in the moment. He's not comfortable in his own body, because he is used to being quite frail, not being able to do these things. Now he's got this overwhelming power, which he doesn't know how to control. He doesn't know how to deal with it yet.”

Check out our guide to Morbius to find out more about the living vampire, and why not take a look at some of the Morbius easter eggs we’ve seen in the trailers so far.

Morbius stars Jared Leto as Dr. Michael Morbius alongside Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal, and Tyres Gibson.

Daniel Espinosa directed the film based on a screenplay by Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Eight new courses are releasing in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe today, part of the paid DLC called the Booster Course Pass that was announced during last month's Nintendo Direct.

The Booster Course Pass costs $24.99 as a standalone purchase, but Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscribers will get it as part of their premium membership. The 48 courses aren't all coming out at once, though. Instead, Nintendo is dropping them in six waves.

The first eight courses comprising Wave 1 have been revealed on Nintendo's official website. They include the following

• Paris Promenade (Mario Kart Tour)
• Toad Circuit (Mario Kart 3DS)
• Choco Mountain (Mario Kart 64)
• Coconut Mall (Mario Kart Wii)
• Tokyo Blur (Mario Kart Tour)
• Shroom Ridge (Mario Kart DS)
• Sky Garden (Mario Kart Advance)
• Ninja Hideaway (Mario Kart Tour)

Eight courses are planned to be released in each wave, all of which will be delivered to Booster Course Pass owners by the end of 2023. The first wave, available today at around 7pm ET in North America, includes courses like Wii's Coconut Mall, N64's Choco Mountain, and Tour's Tokyo Blur.

Mario Kart 8 was named the best-selling racing game in US history in April 2021. The combined sales of the original Wii U Mario Kart 8 and Nintendo Switch's Mario Kart 8 Deluxe pushed the game past the previous record holder, Mario Kart Wii. Recent reports suggest Mario Kart 9 is in "active development," though for now it seems Nintendo is still focused on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Miranda Sanchez is the executive editor of guides at IGN and a member of Podcast Unlocked. She's a big fan of stationery and fountain pens. You can sometimes find her on Twitter.

A Daredevil reboot is reportedly set to enter production, and will apparently be a Disney+ MCU series.

The latest issue of Production Weekly – which provides listings of pre-production or in-production projects for film professionals – includes a section for a show simply referred to as 'Daredevil Reboot'.

The show is listed as a Disney+ series currently in development, with head of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige, and Chris Gary (Marvel's Behind the Mask) mentioned as producers. No timing is given for when the show would begin production, however, nor which actors would be involved.

The listing also includes a synopsis for the show, but this appears to be based on descriptions of the original Daredevil Netflix series.

We already knew that Charlie Cox will be returning to play Matt Murdock/Daredevil in the MCU, but it hasn't been clear in what kind of project the character would appear

One major question is what kind of reboot this would be, should it become a finished project. Matt Murdock's cameo appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home didn't give much away, but did show a character who looked and acted extremely similarly to the Daredevil we saw on Netflix.

With that in mind, this could be more of a reboot in the sense of firmly tying the show into the current Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, with the multiverse now firmly in play, it's possible this could be a more drastic reboot, altering the character's backstory in some way.

Separately, it feels as though there's a strong possibility the character will appear in the Echo spin-off series, which will focus on Alaqua Cox's take on the deaf superhero and, seemingly, her relationship to longtime Daredevil nemesis Kingpin.

Daredevil has been huge request from MCU fans since the Netflix shows were cancelled, and Disney hasn't just added the original series to its streaming service, but promised there's more Daredevil to come. Charlie Cox would prefer for the character's projects to remain R-rated, and the fact that Disney hasn't censored any of the Netflix shows is a good early sign.

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

A Daredevil reboot is reportedly set to enter production, and will apparently be a Disney+ MCU series.

The latest issue of Production Weekly – which provides listings of pre-production or in-production projects for film professionals – includes a section for a show simply referred to as 'Daredevil Reboot'.

The show is listed as a Disney+ series currently in development, with head of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige, and Chris Gary (Marvel's Behind the Mask) mentioned as producers. No timing is given for when the show would begin production, however, nor which actors would be involved.

The listing also includes a synopsis for the show, but this appears to be based on descriptions of the original Daredevil Netflix series.

We already knew that Charlie Cox will be returning to play Matt Murdock/Daredevil in the MCU, but it hasn't been clear in what kind of project the character would appear

One major question is what kind of reboot this would be, should it become a finished project. Matt Murdock's cameo appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home didn't give much away, but did show a character who looked and acted extremely similarly to the Daredevil we saw on Netflix.

With that in mind, this could be more of a reboot in the sense of firmly tying the show into the current Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, with the multiverse now firmly in play, it's possible this could be a more drastic reboot, altering the character's backstory in some way.

Separately, it feels as though there's a strong possibility the character will appear in the Echo spin-off series, which will focus on Alaqua Cox's take on the deaf superhero and, seemingly, her relationship to longtime Daredevil nemesis Kingpin.

Daredevil has been huge request from MCU fans since the Netflix shows were cancelled, and Disney hasn't just added the original series to its streaming service, but promised there's more Daredevil to come. Charlie Cox would prefer for the character's projects to remain R-rated, and the fact that Disney hasn't censored any of the Netflix shows is a good early sign.

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Blizzard today announced the first full Hearthstone expansion for 2022 - Voyage to the Sunken City. This set of 135 new cards will be available on April 12 in NA and April 13 in ANZ, and will take players deep underwater to the ancient city of Zin-Azshari, once the ancient capital of the Night Elves, before being submerged during the cataclysm. Hearthstone players can expect a typically colourful take on this well-known piece of World of Warcraft lore, and mechanically, the set introduces two keywords: Dredge and Colossal, as well as formalising a brand new minion type: Naga. Let's quickly go through the new inclusions.

Dredge lets players look at the bottom three cards of their deck, and choose one to raise to the top. This keyword will obviously work well if players have sent a "Sunken Sweeper" card down there already, or a Rogue opponent has banished a critical minion to the bottom of your deck. This keyword lets you bring key tools back into the light.

Creatures with Colossal, meanwhile, are kind of like a minion with a main body, but also appendages that take up additional space on the board. A creature with Colossal +1 has one other part that is summoned alongside the main body, while Colossal +2 summons two appendages (both the same). And on it goes until you reach Xhilag of the Abyss (below)! The different parts are designed to synergise with one another, creating small tactical packages for players to experiment with.

Fianlly, the new minion type, Naga, also comes with its own mechanic. These vengeful creatures are spell-focused minions that often give bonuses for playing spells while they're in your hand.

Not only do the cards that have been revealed so far look like they'll shake things up, but they won't be alone in doing so. The release of Voyage to the Sunken City will coincide with the end of the Year of the Gryphon, which means Ashes of Outland, Scholomance Academy and Madness at the Darkmoon Faire will all be leaving the Standard format. This will leave a new - and yet to be announced - core set (which is free to use for all players, incidentally), as well as 2021's sets - Forged in the Barrens, United in Stormwind, Fractured in Alterac Valley - and, of course, Voyage to the Sunken City, as the card pool kicking off the new face of Standard Hearthstone in 2022.

Pre-purchase bundles for Voyage to the Sunken City are now available, and keep your eye on IGN tomorrow for our exclusive Voyage to the Sunken City card reveal.

Cam Shea has worked at IGN since before the before times, and has played more Breath of the Wild than just about any other game. When he's not playing games he's mixing records.

Blizzard today announced the first full Hearthstone expansion for 2022 - Voyage to the Sunken City. This set of 135 new cards will be available on April 12 in NA and April 13 in ANZ, and will take players deep underwater to the ancient city of Zin-Azshari, once the ancient capital of the Night Elves, before being submerged during the cataclysm. Hearthstone players can expect a typically colourful take on this well-known piece of World of Warcraft lore, and mechanically, the set introduces two keywords: Dredge and Colossal, as well as formalising a brand new minion type: Naga. Let's quickly go through the new inclusions.

Dredge lets players look at the bottom three cards of their deck, and choose one to raise to the top. This keyword will obviously work well if players have sent a "Sunken Sweeper" card down there already, or a Rogue opponent has banished a critical minion to the bottom of your deck. This keyword lets you bring key tools back into the light.

Creatures with Colossal, meanwhile, are kind of like a minion with a main body, but also appendages that take up additional space on the board. A creature with Colossal +1 has one other part that is summoned alongside the main body, while Colossal +2 summons two appendages (both the same). And on it goes until you reach Xhilag of the Abyss (below)! The different parts are designed to synergise with one another, creating small tactical packages for players to experiment with.

Fianlly, the new minion type, Naga, also comes with its own mechanic. These vengeful creatures are spell-focused minions that often give bonuses for playing spells while they're in your hand.

Not only do the cards that have been revealed so far look like they'll shake things up, but they won't be alone in doing so. The release of Voyage to the Sunken City will coincide with the end of the Year of the Gryphon, which means Ashes of Outland, Scholomance Academy and Madness at the Darkmoon Faire will all be leaving the Standard format. This will leave a new - and yet to be announced - core set (which is free to use for all players, incidentally), as well as 2021's sets - Forged in the Barrens, United in Stormwind, Fractured in Alterac Valley - and, of course, Voyage to the Sunken City, as the card pool kicking off the new face of Standard Hearthstone in 2022.

Pre-purchase bundles for Voyage to the Sunken City are now available, and keep your eye on IGN tomorrow for our exclusive Voyage to the Sunken City card reveal.

Cam Shea has worked at IGN since before the before times, and has played more Breath of the Wild than just about any other game. When he's not playing games he's mixing records.

AMD announced two new technologies as part of its software lineup on Thursday: FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) 2.0 and Radeon Super Resolution (RSR), which aim to get more mileage out of GPUs in a "work smarter, not harder" approach.

AMD notes that FSR 2.0 will offer better image quality than FSR 1.0 in all four of its modes (Ultra Quality, Quality, Balanced, and Performance). FSR 2.0 promises to deliver higher frame rates over its original iteration and compete more closely with DLSS 2.0. Whereas DLSS 2.0 uses machine learning, AMD's solution optimizes anti-aliasing based on temporal data.

FidelityFX Super Resolution is AMD's supersampling tech which was released last June as a competitor to Nvidia's Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS). Unlike DLSS, which only works on Nvidia RTX GPUs, FSR is open-sourced and compatible with AMD and Nvidia graphics cards.

Alongside FSR 2.0, AMD also announced Radeon Super Resolution, which the tech giant says "takes all the goodness" offered in FidelityFX Super Resolution and put it into a driver. This means that it will allow you to activate features on FSR across a variety of games that do not already have native support, offering an extra boost in performance. However, support for RSR only comes with AMD's Radeon RX 5000 GPUs.

FSR 2.0 currently does not have a release date, though AMD could share more information on a release window next Wednesday at GDC. While Radeon Super Resolution is available today as part of the new AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition driver.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Netflix’s live-action Resident Evil series is on its way soon, unleashing the T-virus on July 14.

Resident Evil introduces Jade Wesker, a survivor whose surname should be familiar to fans of the video games. Here’s the show’s official synopsis:

“Year 2036 – 14 years after a deadly virus caused a global apocalypse, Jade Wesker fights for survival in a world overrun by the blood-thirsty infected and insane creatures. In this absolute carnage, Jade is haunted by her past in New Raccoon City, by her father’s chilling connections to the Umbrella Corporation but mostly by what happened to her sister, Billie.”

The core Resident Evil cast was revealed back in 2021, and we know Lance Reddick will be playing long-time Resident Evil character, Albert Wesker. Jade and Billie are the daughters of Albert, and will seemingly be the show's key characters.

Along with the Resident Evil release date, Netflix has also released three new teaser posters (below), and they might just give us a better idea of what the show will be about.

A new logo and a hint of the T-virus (which turns people into zombies, causing the show's apocalypse) are enough to get Resident Evil fans salivating… but it’s the third image that really piques our interest.

Debuting a pill called ‘Joy’ it looks as though the nefarious Umbrella Corporation has been working on a new line of medication. The pill itself is covered in blood – always a good sign that things haven’t exactly worked out. But even the pill’s name itself could be a hint. A new anti-depressant, perhaps?

How that ties into the T-virus and Umbrella’s other schemes remains to be seen. And we have no idea which timeline in which we’ll see Joy make its debut...

A previous announcement from Netflix confirmed that we’ll see the story pan out across two different timelines – Jade and Billie’s childhoods, as well as decades after the viral outbreak of the T-virus.

“In the first timeline, fourteen-year-old sisters Jade and Billie Wesker are moved to New Raccoon City – a manufactured, corporate town, forced on them right as adolescence is in full swing. But the more time they spend there, the more they come to realize that the town is more than it seems, and their father may be concealing dark secrets. Secrets that could destroy the world.”

The second timeline comes after the global apocalypse…

“There are less than fifteen million people left on Earth. And more than six billion monsters – people and animals infected with the T-virus. Jade, now thirty, struggles to survive in this New World, while the secrets from her past - about her sister, her father, and herself - continue to haunt her."

Resident Evil stars Lance Reddick as Albert Wesker alongside Ella Balinska, Tamara Smart, Siena Agudong, Adeline Rudolph, Paola Nuñez, Ahad Raza Mir, Connor Gossatti, and Turlough Convery.

Andrew Dabb is on board as showrunner, writing the eight-episode series alongside Mary Leah Sutton.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Super Fantasy Zone, Alien Soldier, and Light Crusader have been added to the Sega Genesis library of Nintendo Switch Online.

The games are available now for any users who have a Switch Online membership and its Expansion Pass, which adds access to N64 and Sega Genesis games.

Super Fantasy Zone is a shooter where players fight against the evil Dark Menon as they seek to avenge their father. IGN said a 2008 Virtual Console re-release was great, "as the game is both fun to play and fun to look at. Great music, great colour, great control."

Alien Soldier puts you in the shoes of, you guessed it, an alien soldier, who must defeat 25 bosses in this side scrolling action game. In an 8/10 Virtual Console review, IGN said "Alien Soldier is a long-lost piece of Treasure's action gaming legacy. It's got the fast-firing, high-energy, overly-explosive intensity that fans of the company have come to expect."

The third and final new Genesis game, Light Crusader, was given a 6/10 Virtual Console review by IGN. This action RPG "isn't lacking depth, and it's certainly home to a fair and playable isometric adventure," but it's just "a little bland overall".

There are now 23 Sega Genesis titles included in the Switch Online Expansion Pass, including classics such as Altered Beast, Castlevania: Bloodlines, and Golden Axe.

F-Zero X was added to its N64 collection earlier this month, joining The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask and 11 other N64 games available on the platform.

The Expansion Pass also grants access to DLC for Nintendo titles including Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Happy Home Paradise and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Pass, which doubles the number of tracks eventually available in the game from 48 to 96.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

In a move that is just a bit surprising, Disney Plus is now streaming the full slate of Netflix Marvel shows including Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and more. But despite the mature content in these shows, Disney doesn’t appear to have censored or changed anything for the Disney Plus release.

IGN did an exhaustive comparison between the various Defenders shows from when they streamed on Netflix to how they appear on Disney Plus, and we found that Disney didn’t remove anything from these shows.

In a line-item comparison across 382 episodes and 10 seasons, IGN tracked all of the instances of violent or sexually suggestive moments from the Defenders shows on Netflix to how they appear on Disney Plus and found that nothing has been removed.

This includes the Luke Cage Jessica Jones sex scene in the premiere for Jessica Jones, the many instances of violence in Daredevil, or the dialogue in Luke Cage. According to our research, everything remains unchanged and uncensored.

Disney Plus, at least in North America, is known for sticking to a PG-13 rating for its content, with more mature content going to Hulu, another Disney-owned streaming service. But the Defenders shows appear to be an exception.

Disney did however add a new age-gate to Disney Plus asking users if they wish to access the full library that includes mature content, or opt for a more protected library that doesn’t show some of the new mature shows.

It should also be noted that outside of North America, Disney Plus is host to a variety of shows and movies geared towards older audiences thanks to regional licensing agreements and deals.

Will this pave the way for movies like Logan and Deadpool to appear on Disney Plus? It’s too early to say, but certainly adding unedited versions of the Netflix Marvel series does open up Disney’s family-friendly streaming service to more options for some users.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Additional reporting and research by Laura Sirikul