God of War: Ragnarok is out now, and as players journey through the Nine Realms of Yggdrasil, they're uncovering plenty of interesting secrets and pieces of God of War lore. But one of the most interesting easter eggs in God of War: Ragnarok isn't God of War-related at all — it's a series of references to a number of completely different games.

Warning: Minor God of War spoilers about an in-game collectible follow below the video. Read at your own risk!

God of War: Ragnarok includes a set of collectibles called Kvasir's Poems. There are 14 of them total hidden all across the game, and each one is a reference to a different game that was at least at one point a PlayStation exclusive. Players have found poems that are references to Horizon: Zero Dawn, MLB the Show, Death Stranding, Uncharted, and more.

The content of the poems isn't the only reference, though reading through them, it's pretty obvious what they're about. They also all have humorous names that are rough synonyms for the titles of said games; so, "The Sunrise of Nothingness," "Large Society Ground Orb, The Performance," "Afterlife Abandonment," and "Upon Pursuring a Place Not Marked on a Map." The poem reference to Journey is, delightfully, just "Trip."

We'll let you find them all on your own, but here's an example to give you an idea of how they're structured:

If you'd rather not chase them down yourself, we're currently working on guides not just to all 14 poems, but to all of God of War: Ragnarok's hidden secrets. We've also got this handy dandy visual guide to the poems specifically:

And you can find help for every aspect of the game, including a walkthrough, in our God of War: Ragnarok Wiki Guide.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

God of War: Ragnarok is out now, and as players journey through the Nine Realms of Yggdrasil, they're uncovering plenty of interesting secrets and pieces of God of War lore. But one of the most interesting easter eggs in God of War: Ragnarok isn't God of War-related at all — it's a series of references to a number of completely different games.

Warning: Minor God of War spoilers about an in-game collectible follow below the video. Read at your own risk!

God of War: Ragnarok includes a set of collectibles called Kvasir's Poems. There are 14 of them total hidden all across the game, and each one is a reference to a different game that was at least at one point a PlayStation exclusive. Players have found poems that are references to Horizon: Zero Dawn, MLB the Show, Death Stranding, Uncharted, and more.

The content of the poems isn't the only reference, though reading through them, it's pretty obvious what they're about. They also all have humorous names that are rough synonyms for the titles of said games; so, "The Sunrise of Nothingness," "Large Society Ground Orb, The Performance," "Afterlife Abandonment," and "Upon Pursuring a Place Not Marked on a Map." The poem reference to Journey is, delightfully, just "Trip."

We'll let you find them all on your own, but here's an example to give you an idea of how they're structured:

If you'd rather not chase them down yourself, we're currently working on guides not just to all 14 poems, but to all of God of War: Ragnarok's hidden secrets. We've also got this handy dandy visual guide to the poems specifically:

And you can find help for every aspect of the game, including a walkthrough, in our God of War: Ragnarok Wiki Guide.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Nope director Jordan Peele is bringing his unique brand of horror to podcasting.

According to Variety, the filmmaker’s production company Monkeypaw Productions is launching a new podcast series on Spotify called Quiet Part Loud.

“I’m always looking for new ways to explore and innovate in genre storytelling,” said Peele. “The potential in audio was tremendously appealing: By stripping horror of all its visuals, you can focus on just conjuring dread and unease in your listener’s ears on this intimate and visceral level. I wanted us to make the scariest podcast of all time.”

The series will launch exclusively on Spotify on November 15 as 12 short-form episodes which will be available simultaneously. It will also include appearances from Tracy Letts, Arian Moayed, Christina Hendricks, and Taran Killam.

Quiet Part Loud tells the story of Rick Egan (Tracy Letts) – a right-wing radio host who loses his platform in the wake of 9/11 for spreading xenophobic rumors involving a group of missing Muslim teenagers.

Eight years later, Egan is struggling for work on the convention circuit, when a mysterious woman (Anna Hendricks) reveals that one of the missing teens has resurfaced. Egan then embarks on a lone crusade for vindication, making a Faustian bargain with a demonic entity known as “The Blank”.

Producers say that the podcast presents “a haunting parable and an unflinching examination of the current state of fear and divisiveness in America” and that it “explores the roots of our conspiracy-obsessed culture where disinformation now runs rampant.”

Quiet Part Loud is written by Mac Rogers and Clay McLeod Chapman, and directed by Mimi O’Donnell. Geoff Foster, Amy McLeish, and Katie Pastore produced the podcast, with Peele, Win Rosenfeld, and O’Donnell as executive producers.

Want to read more about Jordan Peele? Check out what we know about a Nope sequel or spin-off as well as what Nope is really about.

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

Nope director Jordan Peele is bringing his unique brand of horror to podcasting.

According to Variety, the filmmaker’s production company Monkeypaw Productions is launching a new podcast series on Spotify called Quiet Part Loud.

“I’m always looking for new ways to explore and innovate in genre storytelling,” said Peele. “The potential in audio was tremendously appealing: By stripping horror of all its visuals, you can focus on just conjuring dread and unease in your listener’s ears on this intimate and visceral level. I wanted us to make the scariest podcast of all time.”

The series will launch exclusively on Spotify on November 15 as 12 short-form episodes which will be available simultaneously. It will also include appearances from Tracy Letts, Arian Moayed, Christina Hendricks, and Taran Killam.

Quiet Part Loud tells the story of Rick Egan (Tracy Letts) – a right-wing radio host who loses his platform in the wake of 9/11 for spreading xenophobic rumors involving a group of missing Muslim teenagers.

Eight years later, Egan is struggling for work on the convention circuit, when a mysterious woman (Anna Hendricks) reveals that one of the missing teens has resurfaced. Egan then embarks on a lone crusade for vindication, making a Faustian bargain with a demonic entity known as “The Blank”.

Producers say that the podcast presents “a haunting parable and an unflinching examination of the current state of fear and divisiveness in America” and that it “explores the roots of our conspiracy-obsessed culture where disinformation now runs rampant.”

Quiet Part Loud is written by Mac Rogers and Clay McLeod Chapman, and directed by Mimi O’Donnell. Geoff Foster, Amy McLeish, and Katie Pastore produced the podcast, with Peele, Win Rosenfeld, and O’Donnell as executive producers.

Want to read more about Jordan Peele? Check out what we know about a Nope sequel or spin-off as well as what Nope is really about.

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

It's been nothing but good news recently for fans of The Sandman. Fresh off the long-awaited confirmation that Netflix's live-action series is getting more episodes, DC has revealed its upcoming plans for the Sandman Universe imprint in 2023.

The Sandman Universe line returned earlier this year with the debut of James Tynion and Lisandro Estherren's The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country, a miniseries focused on the reborn Corinthian. That story is now on hiatus following the release of issue #6 in September, but DC has revealed that Tynion and Estherren are working on two follow-up series, both of which are also six issues in length. The first of those, The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country - The Glass House, will launch on April 4, 2023.

“I’m thrilled to announce that Nightmare Country’s follow-up miniseries, The Glass House, is coming early in 2023,” said Tynion in a statement. “The Corinthian is going to be making his way to Silicon Valley, where he will go head-to-head with Angels, Demons, and a breed of creature far more terrifying than anything he's faced before—Venture Capitalists. Lisandro and I are excited to continue this nightmare tour through modern America and can't wait for you all to see what we've got in store for you."

DC will also be releasing the collected edition of Nightmare Country Vol. 1 on April 4. The book will be released simultaneously in softcover and hardcover forms. The latter version will also include an art print of Jenny Frison's highly coveted variant cover for The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country #1, featuring a striking rendition of Death holding The Corinthian's skull.

In the meantime, the Sandman Universe line will be pivoting in a different direction with the upcoming miniseries The Sadman Universe: The Dead Boy Detectives (which debuts on December 27, 2022). Written by Pornsak Pichetshote (The Good Asian) and drawn by James Stokoe (Orc Stain), the series is the latest DC book to revolve around the titular boarding school ghosts introduced in the original Sandman comic. The series will also intertwine with Nightmare Country as it focuses on the witch Thessaly.

“The brilliance of The Sandman is how seamlessly it fits different genres, histories, and folklores together,” said Pichetshote. “Despite Thessaly the witch being a big player in James and Lisandro’s Nightmare Country, Dead Boy Detectives can still progress her story while telling this very personal horror tale about Thai ghosts in Los Angeles—in events that will go on and feed directly back into Nightmare Country. Doing that—the best parts of shared universe storytelling while telling boundary-pushing, yet still intimate, stories—it's such a testament to the genius of The Sandman Universe.”

Finally, DC has brought legendary painter and Final Fantasy concept artist Yoshitaka Amano back into the fold for a pair of beautiful variant covers. Amano's variant covers for The Sandman Universe: Dead Boy Detectives #1 and The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country - Glass House #1 connect to form a single montage image. Amano previously worked on 1999's The Sandman: The Dream Hunters, an illustrated novella which was later adapted into comic book format by P. Craig Russell.

If you need more Sandman goodness to fill the wait until December, check out IGN's full breakdown of Season 1's ending and learn how you can continue the storyline of the Netflix series in the comics.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

It's been nothing but good news recently for fans of The Sandman. Fresh off the long-awaited confirmation that Netflix's live-action series is getting more episodes, DC has revealed its upcoming plans for the Sandman Universe imprint in 2023.

The Sandman Universe line returned earlier this year with the debut of James Tynion and Lisandro Estherren's The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country, a miniseries focused on the reborn Corinthian. That story is now on hiatus following the release of issue #6 in September, but DC has revealed that Tynion and Estherren are working on two follow-up series, both of which are also six issues in length. The first of those, The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country - The Glass House, will launch on April 4, 2023.

“I’m thrilled to announce that Nightmare Country’s follow-up miniseries, The Glass House, is coming early in 2023,” said Tynion in a statement. “The Corinthian is going to be making his way to Silicon Valley, where he will go head-to-head with Angels, Demons, and a breed of creature far more terrifying than anything he's faced before—Venture Capitalists. Lisandro and I are excited to continue this nightmare tour through modern America and can't wait for you all to see what we've got in store for you."

DC will also be releasing the collected edition of Nightmare Country Vol. 1 on April 4. The book will be released simultaneously in softcover and hardcover forms. The latter version will also include an art print of Jenny Frison's highly coveted variant cover for The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country #1, featuring a striking rendition of Death holding The Corinthian's skull.

In the meantime, the Sandman Universe line will be pivoting in a different direction with the upcoming miniseries The Sadman Universe: The Dead Boy Detectives (which debuts on December 27, 2022). Written by Pornsak Pichetshote (The Good Asian) and drawn by James Stokoe (Orc Stain), the series is the latest DC book to revolve around the titular boarding school ghosts introduced in the original Sandman comic. The series will also intertwine with Nightmare Country as it focuses on the witch Thessaly.

“The brilliance of The Sandman is how seamlessly it fits different genres, histories, and folklores together,” said Pichetshote. “Despite Thessaly the witch being a big player in James and Lisandro’s Nightmare Country, Dead Boy Detectives can still progress her story while telling this very personal horror tale about Thai ghosts in Los Angeles—in events that will go on and feed directly back into Nightmare Country. Doing that—the best parts of shared universe storytelling while telling boundary-pushing, yet still intimate, stories—it's such a testament to the genius of The Sandman Universe.”

Finally, DC has brought legendary painter and Final Fantasy concept artist Yoshitaka Amano back into the fold for a pair of beautiful variant covers. Amano's variant covers for The Sandman Universe: Dead Boy Detectives #1 and The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country - Glass House #1 connect to form a single montage image. Amano previously worked on 1999's The Sandman: The Dream Hunters, an illustrated novella which was later adapted into comic book format by P. Craig Russell.

If you need more Sandman goodness to fill the wait until December, check out IGN's full breakdown of Season 1's ending and learn how you can continue the storyline of the Netflix series in the comics.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Did we see everything we expected from the Black Panther sequel? How did Black Panther: Wakanda Forever go about paying tribute to Chadwick Boseman? With Namor finally joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, how did we feel about his debut? All of these answers and more will be discussed at the below stream on IGN, so be sure to tune into our Spoilercast on Monday, November 14th!

As one of the most stand-out superhero films ever made, Marvel’s Black Panther quickly became an action-packed yet emotional crowd-pleaser that touched the hearts of many; Since the original’s release back in February of 2018, the long-awaited sequel was reworked following the death of Chadwick Boseman,although it was confirmed the original screenplay for Black Panther 2 was always going to be about grief. That said, the series moves forward despite the devastating challenge of carrying on the legacy that is Boseman’s T’Challa.

What to Expect:

Now that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever film is coming out (on Nov 11th), dive into some of the biggest moments from the movie with us including some exciting, surprise reveals. From Namor’s grand debut to the most talked about Black Panther fan theories, we’ll discuss it all; breaking down how this all ties into the future of the MCU.

TL;DR:

In this special 1-hour Black Panther stream, we’ll discuss big themes from the newly released movie, including:

• Our thoughts on Namor's MCU debut and how the film paid tribute to Chadwick Boseman
• Who the new Black Panther is and how the film stacks up with the rest of Phase 4

How to Watch the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Spoilercast Stream

Watch the 1-hour Spoilercast stream on Monday, November 14th on any of the below channels:

When: 11am PT, Monday, 11/14

Where:

• IGN.com (homepage)
• IGN's Twitch Channel
• IGN’s Youtube Channel
• IGN's Facebook Channel
• IGN’s Twitter
• IGN's iOS App
• IGN's Android App
• IGN's PlayStation 4 App
• IGN's Xbox One App
• Roku
• IGN App for Android TV
• IGN for Amazon Fire TV
• Apple TV
• IGN 1 on Samsung TV Plus
• Pluto TV
• Plex Live TV

For more on the Black Panther sequel, see our Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Review and catch up on everything you need to know about the Black Panther story so far and the biggest characters; from Namor to RiRi Williams. Long live the king.

NASA has successfully flown an inflatable heat shield down through Earth’s atmosphere, in a technology demonstration that could one day help safely land spacecraft on the surface of Mars and beyond.

Since the advent of human spaceflight, scientists and engineers have grappled with the inherent dangers of atmospheric re-entry. Without sufficient protection, the extreme aerodynamic forces and friction-induced heat triggered by a spacecraft striking the atmosphere at high speeds would inevitably tear it apart in a fiery display.

In order to make an atmospheric descent safe, NASA and its partners would need to figure out a system of heatproofing their spacecraft, and allowing them to survive long enough for aerodynamic drag to slow the spacecraft to a safe velocity to deploy parachutes.

To this end, engineers developed a series of protective coatings – often made from metallic materials or ceramic tiles – that, once attached to the bottom of a spacecraft, were designed to absorb the otherwise devastating temperatures experienced during re-entry.

This approach has remained largely unchanged up to the modern day and has been proven to work well as a thermal defense against the dense particulate soup of Earth’s atmosphere.

However, a significant down side to the conventional heat shield is that they are incredibly inflexible, and can only ever be as large as the protective rocket fairing that surrounds them. This makes them an unattractive option for scientists planning a future crewed mission to Mars.

Go #LOFTID! See our inflatable heat shield @NASA_Technology test separate from its @ulalaunch Centaur upper stage rocket. Watch live through splashdown: https://t.co/BgScjbdJW6

How LOFTID might help land future astronauts on Mars: https://t.co/eDRGA9TbKf pic.twitter.com/1y9Tf34KtJ

— NASA (@NASA) November 10, 2022

The atmosphere of the Red Planet is significantly less dense than that of the Earth, and because of this a larger surface area is needed to slow a spacecraft down in time to perform a safe landing. Developing such a heat shield is a critical step to making humanity a multi-planetary species.

To this end, NASA and its partners have been working on an inflatable cone-shaped heat shield that could be launched in a compact configuration, and later expanded in space to provide a massive surface area with which to attract atmospheric drag. The first orbital demonstration of the tech has been imaginatively named the Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator, or LOFTID for short.

The LOFTID prototype is made up of a series of connected inflatable tubes that, on the atmosphere-facing side, are covered in a heat-resistant skin of woven ceramic fabric.

On November 10 at 4:49 a.m. ET, NASA launched the aeroshell into the frigid space environment atop an Atlas V rocket for its first orbital test - a literal trial by fire. During ascent, the deflated heat shield was stacked neatly beneath a state-of-the-art weather satellite en route to a high polar orbit.

Roughly an hour and ten minutes into the mission – with the weather satellite safely detached and on its way – NASA scientists gave the command for LOFTID to power up and inflate.

The process, which took around 10 minutes, saw the tightly packed 4 ft-wide inflatable expand to an impressive 20 ft in diameter. Soon after completing an orbital lap of Earth, LOFTID detached from the upper stage of the launch vehicle and began its perilous descent through the atmosphere while travelling at over 18,000 mph.

Incredibly, the aeroshell was able to survive the 2,600-degree Fahrenheit temperature of re-entry, and decelerate to safely deploy parachutes before splashing down hundreds of miles off the coast of Hawaii.

With the technology a proven success, NASA could look to use it in future missions to land humans on Mars, and explore distant worlds including Venus and the Saturnian moon Titan.

Check out IGN’s science page for more updates from the weird and wonderful world of science.

Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer

Rainn Wilson is now Rainnfall Heat Wave Extreme Winter Wilson.

The Office star unofficially changed his name to raise awareness for climate change ahead of the COP 27 summit happening in Egypt this week, where world leaders will work on solutions to a range of environmental issues.

"You see, what happens in the Arctic doesn't stay in the Arctic. As the polar caps melt, it drives up risks throughout the world, including extreme weather events that affect all of us," Wilson said.

Join me @ @ArcticBasecamp in bringing attention to the melting issue. We need world leaders to take action at COP 27!
The Arctic is melting at Millions of Liters per second, yet this problem can’t seem to make a name for itself, so we’ll make a name for it.
Go to link in bio ⬆️ pic.twitter.com/TgEG84fOmQ

— RainnWilson (@rainnwilson) November 9, 2022

Wilson launched the awareness campaign with Arctic Basecamp, a team of scientists working to educate world leaders and powerful figures on the dangers of climate change. Wilson is a board member.

But the existential threat to humanity and the planet couldn't be contained in just a single name. The actor has created at least four different variations.

In his video on social media, the actor announced that his name was Rainnfall Heat Wave Rising Sea Levels and We Have To Do Something About It Now Wilson. On his Instagram, Wilson is going by Rainnfall Heat Wave Extreme Winter Wilson. On his fancy writing paper, he's known as Acid Rainn Kills Trees Wilson. And he's Rainn Freakish Flooding Wilson on the Arctic Basecamp website.

Wilson encouraged others to change their names as well and suggested a few for the biggest stars in show business, including Cardi the Arctic B Melting, Amy Poehler Bears Are Endangered, and Leonardo Di-Polar Ice Caprio Are Melting.

"We need world leaders at COP27 to take notice and take action. The Arctic is melting at millions of litres per second, yet this problem can’t seem to make a name for itself, so it’s up to us to make a name for it," he wrote on Instagram.

Head to Arctic Risk Name Generator to become an Arctic risk name changer.

Michelle Terrible Tornados Jalbert is a social coordinator and contributing freelancer for IGN.

Winter is coming… and so is the first official Game of Thrones fan convention, featuring special guests, panel discussions, autograph signing sessions, and a whole lot more.

The latest news from King's Landing dropped on Thursday when it was revealed that House of the Dragon would be swooping into the Los Angeles Convention Center for the Game of Thrones fan convention on December 9-11, with Paddy Considine, Steve Toussaint, and Matthew Needham joining the list of guest attendees at the event.

News from King's Landing.

Paddy Considine, Steve Toussaint, and Matthew Needham will be at the #GoTConvention. #HOTD series co-creator Ryan Condal will also join for a virtual appearance. Tickets now available: https://t.co/EkEADKhC3U pic.twitter.com/cI4G2LmxFh

— Game of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) November 10, 2022

House of the Dragon co-creator and executive producer Ryan Condal will also be making a virtual appearance live from London where he is currently working on Season 2 of the epic fantasy drama. He will be joining convention hosts Jason Concepcion and Greta Johnsen to reflect on the first season of the show, which is out on Blu-ray on December 20.

Other highlights at the event include a live taping of The Official Game of Thrones Podcast: House of the Dragon podcast, a workshop with David J. Peterson about the Dothraki and High Valyrian languages, a panel with the developers of the Game of Thrones: Conquest mobile game, as well as props and set pieces, competitions, and exclusive merchandise.

Fans will also have the chance to get up close and personal with various cast members through meet and greets, autograph signings, and photo ops. The star-studded guest line-up features several Game of Thrones stars, including Alfie Allen, Kit Harington, Kristofer Hivju, Kristian Nairn, Daniel Portman, Gemma Whelan, and Isaac Hempstead Wright.

The Game of Thrones convention comes hot on the heels of HBO's House of the Dragon. After the first season wrapped, IGN noted that the spinoff series had managed to forge "its own identity and established itself as a worthy prequel to Game of Thrones" — thanks to its "strong writing, wildly overqualified cast, and veritable flock of dragons."

Tickets are now on sale for the Game of Thrones fan convention. Single-day general admission tickets are $65 per day, while other ticket types and packages are more expensive.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.