A pop-up store selling exclusive merchandise themed around the Konami Code has opened at the Akihabara Container in Tokyo’s Akihabara district.

The Konami Code – a combination of button presses that unlocked special goodies in various Konami games from the 1980s onwards – was first used in Gradius in 1986. By entering up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, players could unlock a more powerful ship to play with. The hidden command went on to be used in Gradius II and other Konami titles.

The pop-up shop sells various exclusive items based on classic Konami titles such as Gradius, Goemon, Snatcher and Tokimeki Memorial. The full lineup can be seen in the gallery below or on the official website.

In addition, the store features a photo spot with a massive wall panel of Chichibinta Rika from the Parodius series, where visitors are invited to pose for selfies.

Konami has even released a theme song based on the Konami Code, produced by Japanese artist TOMOSUKE, sung by meiyo, and illustrated by Kaneko Shake. The video for the song, which features lyrics in Japanese extolling the virtues of the button command in detail, is available on Konami’s Japanese YouTube account.

Konami has come under fire in recent years for moving away from game development following the departure of Hideo Kojima, but that hasn't stopped the publisher from cashing in on its various classic properties. In September, Konami released the Castlevania Advance Collection, which contains several Game Boy Advance games as well as Dracula X for the Super NES.

The Konami Code 35th anniversary celebration began on October 28 and will continue to November 16. If you're able to make it to Japan in that time and you have even a little love for classic games, it's worth a visit for the nostalgia hit alone.

Ryuichi Kataoka is a writer for IGN Japan

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl aren't out until next week, but the long-awaited remakes have already leaked owing to the retail copies being released early. This is nothing new for The Pokémon Company, which has been forced to deal with multiple leaks over the past few years. From the huge Pokémon Sword and Shield backlash to this new Diamond and Pearl leak, it's safe to say the Pokémon series has a noticeable problem keeping information under wraps.

Reported over the weekend by VGC, a Reddit user posted that they'd gotten a North American copy of the upcoming Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. The post has since been removed, but pictures and videos of the games have been floating around on Twitter.

Leaks for Upcoming Pokémon Switch Games

The Gen 4 remakes were initially revealed back in February. However, just days before the official announcement, leaker Centro Pokemon said fans would soon get the "big news they've been waiting for", along with pictures of Dialga and Palkia from Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. The leak turned out to be true, as Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl were unveiled shortly after.

In the same presentation back in February, Pokémon: Legends Arceus was also revealed. However, the morning of the presentation, the game leaked, with clips of the trailer floating around Twitter, along with descriptions of the game.

The Pokémon Sword and Shield Saga

Even further back, Pokémon games have had the tendency to leak, both leading up to their release and their announcements.

The most well-known example is 2019's Pokémon Sword and Shield, which suffered from a handful of leaks leading up to release, followed by a lengthy legal pursuit. Months before release, a leak surfaced that ended up containing many true elements of the final games, including Team Yell, the rival's names, regional evolutions, and more.

Then, the firestorm started in early November 2019, just before the games were set to come out. A list of Sword and Shield leaks detailed the Galar region Pokédex, Gigantamax forms, Galarian forms, and more. We already knew that select Pokémon from previous generations would not return to Sword and Shield, but these leaks further fueled the fire of the "Dexit" outrage and backlash on social media.

Shortly after release, lawyers for The Pokémon Company began searching for the Sword and Shield leakers. The lawyers said the leaks caused The Pokémon Company "irreparable injury" in their ability to market the game. Later on, The Pokémon Company began a lawsuit against the leakers. Finally, in February of 2020, Nintendo cut ties with a game publication after one if its reviewers leaked images of Sword and Shield. All said and done, the Sword and Shield incident was one of the biggest leaks of 2019.

More Switch and 3DS Pokémon Leaks

Even further back, Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee leaked just ahead of their official reveal at E3 2018, while 2016's Pokémon Sun and Moon dealt with leaks leading up to launch, as the version exclusives surfaced just a week ahead of release.

As is usually the case, not all of the leaks have turned out to be true. Shortly after Sun and Moon's release, it was rumored that Pokémon Stars would be coming to Nintendo Switch, a third version of the Alolan adventure. However, it turned out to be Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon on 3DS, as the first Pokémon game the Switch got was Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee. A trademark for Pokémon Delta Emerald also surfaced, but it also never came to be.

And now, potentially due to all of the repeated instances of leaked Pokémon games, Nintendo has become notorious for strict review copy distribution and complex embargo restrictions. Even with their best efforts to shut down the leaks, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have become another example of information becoming public before it was supposed to.

Fans are already reacting to the leaks, with some complaining about what they've seen so far, while others are poking fun at the idea of spoilers for a remake of a 15-year-old game. Still, it won't be long until Pokémon fans can try the remakes out for themselves, as Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl launch next Friday,

While you wait for the official release, check out our Pokémon Brilliant Diamond preview, where we call the remakes the "old-school Pokémon games we've been missing."

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl aren't out until next week, but the long-awaited remakes have already leaked owing to the retail copies being released early. This is nothing new for The Pokémon Company, which has been forced to deal with multiple leaks over the past few years. From the huge Pokémon Sword and Shield backlash to this new Diamond and Pearl leak, it's safe to say the Pokémon series has a noticeable problem keeping information under wraps.

Reported over the weekend by VGC, a Reddit user posted that they'd gotten a North American copy of the upcoming Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. The post has since been removed, but pictures and videos of the games have been floating around on Twitter.

Leaks for Upcoming Pokémon Switch Games

The Gen 4 remakes were initially revealed back in February. However, just days before the official announcement, leaker Centro Pokemon said fans would soon get the "big news they've been waiting for", along with pictures of Dialga and Palkia from Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. The leak turned out to be true, as Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl were unveiled shortly after.

In the same presentation back in February, Pokémon: Legends Arceus was also revealed. However, the morning of the presentation, the game leaked, with clips of the trailer floating around Twitter, along with descriptions of the game.

The Pokémon Sword and Shield Saga

Even further back, Pokémon games have had the tendency to leak, both leading up to their release and their announcements.

The most well-known example is 2019's Pokémon Sword and Shield, which suffered from a handful of leaks leading up to release, followed by a lengthy legal pursuit. Months before release, a leak surfaced that ended up containing many true elements of the final games, including Team Yell, the rival's names, regional evolutions, and more.

Then, the firestorm started in early November 2019, just before the games were set to come out. A list of Sword and Shield leaks detailed the Galar region Pokédex, Gigantamax forms, Galarian forms, and more. We already knew that select Pokémon from previous generations would not return to Sword and Shield, but these leaks further fueled the fire of the "Dexit" outrage and backlash on social media.

Shortly after release, lawyers for The Pokémon Company began searching for the Sword and Shield leakers. The lawyers said the leaks caused The Pokémon Company "irreparable injury" in their ability to market the game. Later on, The Pokémon Company began a lawsuit against the leakers. Finally, in February of 2020, Nintendo cut ties with a game publication after one if its reviewers leaked images of Sword and Shield. All said and done, the Sword and Shield incident was one of the biggest leaks of 2019.

More Switch and 3DS Pokémon Leaks

Even further back, Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee leaked just ahead of their official reveal at E3 2018, while 2016's Pokémon Sun and Moon dealt with leaks leading up to launch, as the version exclusives surfaced just a week ahead of release.

As is usually the case, not all of the leaks have turned out to be true. Shortly after Sun and Moon's release, it was rumored that Pokémon Stars would be coming to Nintendo Switch, a third version of the Alolan adventure. However, it turned out to be Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon on 3DS, as the first Pokémon game the Switch got was Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee. A trademark for Pokémon Delta Emerald also surfaced, but it also never came to be.

And now, potentially due to all of the repeated instances of leaked Pokémon games, Nintendo has become notorious for strict review copy distribution and complex embargo restrictions. Even with their best efforts to shut down the leaks, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have become another example of information becoming public before it was supposed to.

Fans are already reacting to the leaks, with some complaining about what they've seen so far, while others are poking fun at the idea of spoilers for a remake of a 15-year-old game. Still, it won't be long until Pokémon fans can try the remakes out for themselves, as Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl launch next Friday,

While you wait for the official release, check out our Pokémon Brilliant Diamond preview, where we call the remakes the "old-school Pokémon games we've been missing."

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Back 4 Blood is going to get a bunch of new features starting in December and into 2022. These include heavily-requested features like a new co-op mode, new difficulty level, and even an offline mode.

Turtle Rock has announced that this month the team will focus on various quality of life improvements and bug fixes. The biggest feature coming in December is an offline solo mode with campaign progression. This was a much-requested feature since playing Back 4 Blood requires an internet connection, even when playing solo.

Also in December, there will be new supply lines and cards as well as a new Ridden practice area, card type, and holiday seasonal event.

In 2022, there will be even more content such as a new difficulty level, new co-op mode, melee updates, and additional quality of life improvements, as well as both new player and corruption cards.

Back 4 Blood's first story expansion, Tunnels of Terror will also launch in 2022. It's part of the game's Annual Pass and introduces new playable characters and Ridden types. The pass comes with new weapons, cards, skins, and a new activity type. Expansions 2 and 3 are scheduled to launch later in 2022.

IGN's Back 4 Blood review praised the co-op horror shooter saying, "Between its stellar card augmentations, excellent campaign, and jovial tone that creeps into every facet of its design, Back 4 Blood puts some exciting new spins on a familiar genre."

Cleaners, the future is lookin' bright! Here's a roadmap of what's to come for Fort Hope. #Back4Blood pic.twitter.com/IHCvGqZXO0

— Back 4 Blood (@back4blood) November 8, 2021

Check out how to unlock characters and cosmetics in Back 4 Blood as well as how to create an overpowered melee build in the game.

George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @yinyangfooey

Back 4 Blood is going to get a bunch of new features starting in December and into 2022. These include heavily-requested features like a new co-op mode, new difficulty level, and even an offline mode.

Turtle Rock has announced that this month the team will focus on various quality of life improvements and bug fixes. The biggest feature coming in December is an offline solo mode with campaign progression. This was a much-requested feature since playing Back 4 Blood requires an internet connection, even when playing solo.

Also in December, there will be new supply lines and cards as well as a new Ridden practice area, card type, and holiday seasonal event.

In 2022, there will be even more content such as a new difficulty level, new co-op mode, melee updates, and additional quality of life improvements, as well as both new player and corruption cards.

Back 4 Blood's first story expansion, Tunnels of Terror will also launch in 2022. It's part of the game's Annual Pass and introduces new playable characters and Ridden types. The pass comes with new weapons, cards, skins, and a new activity type. Expansions 2 and 3 are scheduled to launch later in 2022.

IGN's Back 4 Blood review praised the co-op horror shooter saying, "Between its stellar card augmentations, excellent campaign, and jovial tone that creeps into every facet of its design, Back 4 Blood puts some exciting new spins on a familiar genre."

Cleaners, the future is lookin' bright! Here's a roadmap of what's to come for Fort Hope. #Back4Blood pic.twitter.com/IHCvGqZXO0

— Back 4 Blood (@back4blood) November 8, 2021

Check out how to unlock characters and cosmetics in Back 4 Blood as well as how to create an overpowered melee build in the game.

George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @yinyangfooey

The second half of Dune will begin filming in summer 2022, a year before it's set to premiere in 2023 exclusively on theaters.

Dune: Part Two will start filming on July 18, 2022, a producer for the film has said, according to The Film Stage reporter Josh Encinias (via SlashFilm). Encinias heard the filming date when he attended a special screening and Q&A session hosted by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation this past Saturday in Los Angeles.

Dune grossed $41 million in its opening weekend, setting a pandemic record for Warner Bros. That's also considering that Dune was simultaneously released on HBO Max for no extra cost. As of November 8, Dune has grossed almost $84 million domestically and $246,500,000 internationally according to BoxOfficeMojo.

Dune: Part Two has an official release date of October 20, 2023, exclusively in theaters. Villeneuve is set to return as director. Dune was set up as a multi-part series, and Part One ends with Paul and mother Jessica Atreides finally linking up with the Fremen, setting up an obvious next installment.

Encinias also reported that director Denis Villeneuve said there is no extended cut of the film, and that the only version of the film is what made it to theaters and HBO Max. And in a much more strange bit of trivia, the guttural roars of Dune's iconic sandworms were made by the supervising sound editor Mark Mangini putting a small mic down his throat and making noises. Movie magic, y'all.

The script for Dune: Part Two is still in the works, though, according to an earlier comment from Villeneuve. Composer Hans Zimmer, however, has already made about 90 minutes of new music for Part Two to help Villeneuve as he writers.

You can read more about what to expect in Dune: Part Two here, including which characters may return, new characters that will likely be introduced, and even romantic entanglements for primary characters.

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.

The second half of Dune will begin filming in summer 2022, a year before it's set to premiere in 2023 exclusively on theaters.

Dune: Part Two will start filming on July 18, 2022, a producer for the film has said, according to The Film Stage reporter Josh Encinias (via SlashFilm). Encinias heard the filming date when he attended a special screening and Q&A session hosted by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation this past Saturday in Los Angeles.

Dune grossed $41 million in its opening weekend, setting a pandemic record for Warner Bros. That's also considering that Dune was simultaneously released on HBO Max for no extra cost. As of November 8, Dune has grossed almost $84 million domestically and $246,500,000 internationally according to BoxOfficeMojo.

Dune: Part Two has an official release date of October 20, 2023, exclusively in theaters. Villeneuve is set to return as director. Dune was set up as a multi-part series, and Part One ends with Paul and mother Jessica Atreides finally linking up with the Fremen, setting up an obvious next installment.

Encinias also reported that director Denis Villeneuve said there is no extended cut of the film, and that the only version of the film is what made it to theaters and HBO Max. And in a much more strange bit of trivia, the guttural roars of Dune's iconic sandworms were made by the supervising sound editor Mark Mangini putting a small mic down his throat and making noises. Movie magic, y'all.

The script for Dune: Part Two is still in the works, though, according to an earlier comment from Villeneuve. Composer Hans Zimmer, however, has already made about 90 minutes of new music for Part Two to help Villeneuve as he writers.

You can read more about what to expect in Dune: Part Two here, including which characters may return, new characters that will likely be introduced, and even romantic entanglements for primary characters.

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.

Halloween director David Gordon Green says the next film in his trilogy will be a love letter to franchise creator John Carpenter.

Speaking on the Empire Spoiler Special Podcast and covered by Indiewire, director David Gordon Green promised that his Halloween trilogy will culminate with a tribute to the horror franchise's creator John Carpenter. Green explained that Halloween Ends, which will release exclusively in theaters on Oct. 14, 2022, will be very different from Halloween Kills.

“There’s not a lot of games in it, there’s not a lot of wittiness and retro joy,” Green said, according to Indiewire. “It’s kind of a coming-of-age film, and it’s a very different tone. And that’s what excited me about it, is to have the three chapters that I’ve been involved in be very different from each other. They are all there to honor Carpenter, but aren’t necessary just emulating him.”

Green said he sent Carpenter a draft of the script for Halloween Ends and asked if it was too similar to Christine, the director's 1983 adaptation of Stephen King's novel by the same name which follows a teenager who buys a car that seems to have an evil influence over him.

"For ‘Halloween Ends,’ it’s just a love of Carpenter, you know," Gordon said, according to Indiewire. "It’s more than just, ‘Hey, here’s a character and a community that you’ve created.’ It’s, ‘Here’s an appreciation of your legendary body of work.'”

Green rebooted the Halloween horror franchise in 2018. Rather than untangle the various sequels, Green's Halloween trilogy is set directly after the events of the first film and builds out a new continuity from there. The trilogy is set to conclude with next year's Halloween Ends.

While you're waiting for the next chapter, check out IGN's Halloween Kils review and Green's explanation of the ending of Halloween Kills.

Samantha Nelson is an IGN freelance writer. Find her on Twitter at samanthanelson1.

Halloween director David Gordon Green says the next film in his trilogy will be a love letter to franchise creator John Carpenter.

Speaking on the Empire Spoiler Special Podcast and covered by Indiewire, director David Gordon Green promised that his Halloween trilogy will culminate with a tribute to the horror franchise's creator John Carpenter. Green explained that Halloween Ends, which will release exclusively in theaters on Oct. 14, 2022, will be very different from Halloween Kills.

“There’s not a lot of games in it, there’s not a lot of wittiness and retro joy,” Green said, according to Indiewire. “It’s kind of a coming-of-age film, and it’s a very different tone. And that’s what excited me about it, is to have the three chapters that I’ve been involved in be very different from each other. They are all there to honor Carpenter, but aren’t necessary just emulating him.”

Green said he sent Carpenter a draft of the script for Halloween Ends and asked if it was too similar to Christine, the director's 1983 adaptation of Stephen King's novel by the same name which follows a teenager who buys a car that seems to have an evil influence over him.

"For ‘Halloween Ends,’ it’s just a love of Carpenter, you know," Gordon said, according to Indiewire. "It’s more than just, ‘Hey, here’s a character and a community that you’ve created.’ It’s, ‘Here’s an appreciation of your legendary body of work.'”

Green rebooted the Halloween horror franchise in 2018. Rather than untangle the various sequels, Green's Halloween trilogy is set directly after the events of the first film and builds out a new continuity from there. The trilogy is set to conclude with next year's Halloween Ends.

While you're waiting for the next chapter, check out IGN's Halloween Kils review and Green's explanation of the ending of Halloween Kills.

Samantha Nelson is an IGN freelance writer. Find her on Twitter at samanthanelson1.

Epic has removed the Travis Scott "Out West" dance emote from Fortnite following the rap star's deadly Astroworld concert in Houston, Texas, which killed 8 people.

Epic went so far as to temporarily disable the Fortnite item shop's Daily section, which rotates skins and other cosmetics and emotes on a regular basis. It's believed that Scott's emote was meant to be included in the latest update.

The official Fortnite Status Twitter account later confirmed the Daily section's removal but did not mention Scott or his emote by name.

It’s known that the "Daily" section of the Item Shop has been disabled. This is intentional and the "Daily" section will return with the next Item Shop refresh. pic.twitter.com/rc6Kqh7qoW

— Fortnite Status (@FortniteStatus) November 8, 2021

A spokesperson for Epic Games declined to comment when emailed by IGN.

Scott's Astroworld is a music festival that took place on November 5 in Houston's NRG Park. On Friday, the first day of the event, a crowd surged toward the front of the stage where Scott was performing. At least eight people have been killed, with many more injured, according to CNN. Victims ranged in age from 14 to 27, with one victim's age currently unknown. At least 25 people were transported to the hospital. The total number of attendees reportedly neared 50,000.

Scott quickly became the subject of intense criticism as the event and aftermath unfolded. The event continued for approximately 30 minutes after a mass casualty declaration was made, according to Yahoo News. It's currently unclear how aware Scott was of what was happening in the crowd watching his performance.

Footage from the event, collected by The Washington Post, was shared on social media. One video showed a woman climbing a camera operator's platform to beg for help and another video shows concertgoers towards the back of the crowd chanting "stop the show."

Scott briefly stopped his performance at 9:42 PM when he noticed a person in the crowd had passed out. Scott can be heard directing attention to the passed-out person and asking the crowd to move away from them. Video from the event shows what appears to be security guards in reflective jackets arriving at the spot.

The second day of the show scheduled for November 6 was later canceled, and Scott released a statement saying he was "absolutely devastated" by the events of the day before.

Scott was previously the star of Fortnite's first major concert event in April 2020, where the rap star was digitally recreated into a towering avatar who danced around the Fortnite Battle Royale map and transported players into space. The event signaled the start of Epic's push towards greater marketing collaborations and public events, and some might say also showed the promise of Epic's plans for its own "metaverse."

The in-game event was watched by 12.3 million people, according to Epic. Epic released two skins based on Scott's Astro Jack persona, plus additional cosmetics, including the "Out West" emote. Fortnite has since held a similar event for pop star Ariana Grande.

It's currently unclear if Epic plans to remove any additional content related to Scott or the Astroworld brand.

(Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images)

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.