Rainbow Six Siege's largest update yet, Operation Blood Orchid, drops tomorrow. From new Operators to improvements in the game's lighting system, this update may not change the way the game is played, but it is a massive overhaul to how the title appears.
We got a good look at Blood Orchid last week with the release of the update's full patch notes. Today's trailer gives us yet another look at the update's new characters, Special Duties Unit Operators Ying and Lesion, as well as the new Theme Park map, and the new candela device and gu mines. This update also includes Poland Special Forces GROM operator Ela Bosak from the previously canceled Poland expansion; she is not shown in the trailer.
This massive update will close out Operation Health and other major improvements to the game at this time. Thankfully, even with as much as this update is fixing, it only uses up a relatively small amount of storage. The larger end is on PC with Ultra HD at 42 GB; without Ultra HD, it goes down to 26 GB. PS4 and Xbox One will only have 15 GB updates.
Operation Blood Orchid's map and updates are available to all, but the three new characters, Ying, Ela, and Lesion, will be exclusive to season pass holders for one week. After that week, the three can be obtained with renown or R6 credits.
As an unabashed fan of Twin Peaks, I never seriously believed the series would return. It had been too long, and it was a show too weird, to imagine it could come back, even amidst a flurry of remakes and reboots. That never stopped me from imagining a third season, but those daydreams never came with any belief that I would be proven right or wrong. I was floored to learn the series would indeed make a comeback after about 25 years--appropriately enough, given the prophetic, "I'll see you again in 25 years," line of Laura Palmer's from the original series. Twin Peaks: The Return has ended up being radically different from anything I imagined. And yet, despite subverting my every expectation, it's turned out to be one of the best seasons of television I've ever seen, providing surprises at what feels like every turn. [Spoilers ahead.]
When The Return's massive cast list was announced, it was unclear how the show could support it. We'd be getting 18 full hours, sure, but the town of Twin Peaks is only so big. One of the many ways in which The Return has surprised is how much time has been spent outside of Twin Peaks. Co-creators David Lynch and Mark Frost have expertly expanded on the show's mythology, broadening a show that had been about nothing but a small town in Washington to primarily focus on storylines in New York, North Dakota, and Las Vegas.
Vegas proved to be especially notable. The Return didn't feature the proper reappearance of protagonist Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) until Part 16, a bold move in light of expectations that this season would give us the long (long!)-awaited return of a fan-favorite character. Instead, we had Dougie Jones, the tulpa within which Cooper found himself trapped for much of the season. Dougie and the entire Vegas storyline by all rights should have been a source of frustration for viewers. It not only went on much longer than most anticipated, but it also stood in the way of Cooper's return--though Dougie certainly did his best to make up for Cooper's absence with his passion for coffee and cherry pie.
It's a testament to Lynch and Frost's writing--and persistence--that the Vegas storyline was among the season's many highlights. Nowhere else did The Return as effectively nail that distinctive Twin Peaks mix of mystery, drama, and comedy. A common theme in Lynch's work is an exploration of the dark side of what otherwise appears to be a normal, wholesome town (think Blue Velvet or the original Twin Peaks). Like so much else this season, Vegas defied expectations. While it does indeed feature the inevitable dark underbelly of a place associated with greed and debauchery, what's surprising is how we also see the inverse of that. Loan sharks are after Dougie and his family, yet they are not the villainous figures you'd think, as Janey-E (Naomi Watts) is able to intimidate them easily enough. Insurance salesman Anthony Sinclair (Tom Sizemore) is involved in shady dealings, conspiring to commit fraud and murder but is reduced to tears by Dougie when it comes to poisoning him. The Mitchum brothers show themselves to be violent, murderous individuals, and yet, as Cooper says, they turn out to have hearts of gold--best summed up when Bradley (Jim Belushi) adorably says of Candie to his brother, "We fire her, she has no place to go." (That Lynch made me not only like the scenes starring Jim Belushi, but actively look forward to them, is perhaps his greatest feat this season.)
MacLachlan puts on not one but three terrific performances. His doppelganger version of Cooper, Mr. C, was menacing and disturbing, believably portraying him as someone hell-bent on achieving his goal while also being willing to screw around with a gang leader in an arm-wrestling match. When the good Cooper reappears, there's no sign that it's been 25 years since MacLachlan last played him. He's able to instantly recapture the character's quirky speech cadence with his request for sandwiches before hitting us with his triumphant, "I am the FBI."
But it was MacLachlan's work as Dougie Jones that was most impressive. Despite being unable to speak beyond repeating the occasional word spoken to him, MacLachlan is able to carry scenes that often comprise nothing more than his blank stares. Naomi Watts as his wife, Janey-E, also deserves a great deal of credit, essentially having to act with what amounts to a mannequin. She goes on quite the emotional rollercoaster over the season, having to deal with her husband's infidelity, gambling problem, gambling winnings, attempted murder, coma, and indefinite departure (just as things were looking up). After such an exhausting journey, it was pleasant to see Lynch provide us with the closure of the Jones family being reunited.
Being a work of Lynch, there was no shortage of his trademark quirky (and often inexplicable) tangential scenes in The Return. After the gun goes off outside of the Double R Diner, there's the screaming woman with a seemingly possessed child who vomits all over the car (a sequence that is somehow simultaneously disturbing, confounding, and hilarious). Candie is always out of it. Everything involving Dr. Amp. Shelly's boyfriend, the drug dealer Red, is seemingly an amateur magician in his spare time. We get a scene where a man literally sweeps up at a bar for roughly 150 seconds. Best of all was Michael Cera's cameo as Wally Brando, the son of Andy and Lucy, whose sole appearance was perfection. None of this, or the many other examples littered through these 18 hours, serve any real plot function. And yet, little by little, these Lynchian moments contribute to the mood that help to distinguish Lynch's episodes of Twin Peaks from those in Season 2 that he was not involved with. (The weirdness was not by any means relegated to side stories: Part 17 featured a showdown between a floating orb representing the main antagonist and a man whose glove turns him into a superhero of sorts. Yeah.)
For as funny as The Return could be--and it could be downright hilarious while also telling you everything you needed to know about a character--it was also capable of emotional devastation. Diane (Laura Dern) recollecting her rape at the hands of who she thought was her friend was chilling. In numerous other moments, Lynch and Frost were frequently exploring mortality, from Harry Truman's struggles with illness (used as a cover for actor Michael Ontkean not coming back) to Frank Truman's patience with his wife's outbursts (revealed later to be due to the suicide of their son). On a meta level, they also played with our real-world knowledge that actress Catherine Coulson, who plays Margaret Lanterman (the Log Lady), had passed away from cancer in 2015, further amplifying scenes that showed her as a sickly old woman.
The Return's structure was a curious thing. Lynch warned us that he viewed this as an 18-hour movie, but that's a notion that Hollywood often likes to throw out with little meaning. In this case, it does feel accurate. While almost always feeling like Twin Peaks, there was often little consistency from one part to the next in terms of story or structure. Not that it stopped anyone from speculating, but there was legitimately no telling what the next part would hold--you couldn't even count on seeing any single character in a given week. (Never was that more apparent than in Part 8, easily the most bizarre hour in Twin Peaks history.) The inconsistency also served to incite the sense of dread that the show so adeptly summons in viewers; you can never count on a reprieve from the frightening, tense scenes, as Lynch is unafraid to give a scene the time it needs to truly invoke the emotion it aspires to.
That all brings us to Sunday's two-part finale. Oh, that finale. If you found yourself shocked, as I was at first, it's really our own fault--we should have seen this coming. Lynch and Frost were famously pressured into revealing Laura Palmer's killer back in Season 2 by ABC; had they not been, the mystery might have lingered for longer (if not forever). Season 2's cliffhanger ending may not have been their intended conclusion to the series--ABC canceled the show at that point--but Lynch didn't go out of his way to neatly tie things up when given the chance with the subsequent movie, Fire Walk With Me. It should be no surprise that The Return leaves many things unresolved.
More shocking was the sight of Laura Palmer, apparently alive, and now stuck with Cooper in Twin Peaks--or some version of it, perhaps having sacrificed their lives to alter the events of the series to this point. The characters' fates, much like the secret Laura whispers to Cooper in the Red Room, is unknowable but sure to be the source of speculation for another 25 years.
(Throughout these two episodes, it was hard not to smirk as the characters' reactions reflected those of the audience, acknowledging both our excitement and our befuddlement. Andy and Lucy look positively giddy to see Cooper, just as we are. Following a crazy scene, Bobby asks, "What's going on around here?" And Cooper fittingly tells a confused Laura, "It's difficult to explain.")
The Return leaves us with so many unanswered questions even beyond those involving Cooper and Laura: Is Audrey in a mental institution, or some part of the Black Lodge? What was with that bug/frog thing that crawled into the girl's mouth all the way back in Part 8? Why has Phillip Jeffries become a giant teapot? Who is Judy? Did the Detectives Fusco go to Sunday dinner with their mother? And seriously, what's with the possessed girl vomiting in that car? Some questions could be addressed in co-writer Mark Frost's next book, coming out in October, or in some future Blu-ray special feature. But lingering questions are par for the course with Twin Peaks; anything else just wouldn't feel right.
I don't expect to see Twin Peaks on television again. Despite being a boon for Showtime's streaming service, broadcast ratings were poor, and the show remains too niche to imagine another network providing David Lynch with the type of resources he'd likely require if he felt compelled to continue (please prove me wrong, Netflix!).
Before it aired, I imagined this season would provide us with 18 more hours with one of my all-time favorite fictional characters in Dale Cooper--it is, after all, called The Return. To think we got less than three would seem like a guaranteed recipe for disappointment. But much in the same way that the original Twin Peaks--a bizarre, supernatural, soap opera-inspired mystery show about a high school girl's murder--delivered something I never could have thought to ask for, The Return filled a void that I did not know existed. Just as with the conclusion of the original series (and Fire Walk With Me), there will be days, weeks, months, and likely years of speculating, interpreting, and theorizing in the wake of The Return. And in that way, we are the ones who have truly returned to Twin Peaks.
Full disclosure: Twin Peaks: The Return aired on Showtime, a subsidiary of GameSpot parent company CBS.
September is upon us, meaning it's almost time for a new selection of free games from Sony as part of PlayStation Plus. That also means August's free games will not be available free of charge for much longer: today marks the last chance for PS Plus subscribers to add six games to their library for free.
These aren't the only freebies available to Plus members right now--That's You! remains to be available for no charge for the rest of September, after going free earlier this summer.
Over the past few weeks, Rocky star and action icon Sylvester Stallone has been teasing fans about his return to the ring for a sequel to 2015's hit spinoff Creed. The latest hint comes via an Instagram post that shows Stallone and star Michael B. Jordan, that suggests that Creed 2 will start production in 2018.
This latest post follows rumors in July that fellow action star Dolph Lundgren will reprise his role as Russian heavyweight Ivan Drago, last seen in 1985's Rocky IV. At that time Stallone posted a series vintage shots of Lundgren from the set of Rocky IV, each one tagged with 'CREED 2.' Lundgren himself largely confirmed this news last month when he posted a training video, with the caption, "Getting ready for something big! #creed 2."
A post shared by Sly Stallone (@officialslystallone) on
However, it is unknown if Creed director Ryan Coogler will return to helm the sequel. Following the success of Creed, Coogler and Jordan reunited for the Marvel movie Black Panther, which is set for release in February 2018. Coogler also co-wrote Creed; however, Stallone posted in July that he had finished the script for the sequel himself.
Stallone won a Golden Globe for his performance as the aging Rocky Balboa in Creed, as well as receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The movie made $173.6 million at the worldwide box office.
The animated show Star Wars Rebels has proven to be a very welcome addition to the Star Wars universe, and the final season premieres next month. A new trailer for Rebels Season 4 has been released--check it out below:
There's a lot in the trailer, but what's most fascinating is the number of elements that tie the season into last year's movie Rogue One. There's references to Director Krennic and Stardust--the Death Star's code name--plus an appearance from the movie's iconic Death Troopers and Saw Gerrera, played by Forest Whittaker.
At Star Wars Celebration in April, Rebels creator Dave Filoni explained that it was his decision to end the show with Season 4. "I firmly believe that each generation needs to have their own piece of Star Wars," he said. "I feel like this show, for a lot of kids growing up with it, is as much a part of Star Wars as any of the movies. I feel, creatively, that I can make this story about these characters the most meaningful that it can be by arcing it to where I need it to get to at the end of this season."
Filoni also made reference to the fact the last animated Star Wars show he worked on, The Clone Wars, continued for six seasons, before getting abruptly cancelled in 2014. "I can say I know what it's like when I don't get to end a series," he said. "What happens when you don't end a series is you end up making t-shirts and you have to prolong, and it wasn't as fun. But believe me, this show--by no means--represents an end to anything we're doing in animation."
Season 4 of Star Wars Rebels premieres on October 16, 2017.
Recently, we learned that a new Joker origin movie is in the works with legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese involved as a producer. Now, a new report has more exciting and interesting news about the film in the area of potential casting.
Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Oscar winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio is being eyed to play the Joker. No offer has been made to DiCaprio, so this is not a done deal by any stretch; THR also reports that Scorsese's deal is not finalised.
It sounds like a longshot for DiCaprio to come aboard, but it's an exciting prospect to think about regardless. "The chances of landing DiCaprio could be slim to none. But the attempt in itself sends a signal to talent that Warners wants to hire serious filmmakers to make serious films," THR reported.
Scorsese and DiCaprio have worked together on many big-name movies including The Departed, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, and The Wolf of Wall Street. The new Joker movie is to be directed by The Hangover's Todd Phillips.
Jared Leto played the Joker in Suicide Squad and will reprise the role in its sequel, as well as a spinoff movie, but he won't play the role in the new origin film. Sources told THR that Leto made his unhappiness known to his CAA agents about the possibility of there being two Jokers.
The untitled Joker spinoff will be a "gritty and grounded hard-boiled crime film set in the early '80s Gotham City." Interestingly, WB is reportedly setting up the film not as a DC movie but rather like one of Scorsese's '80s-set movies like Raging Bull or Taxi Driver.
Phillips is writing the script alongside 8 Mile's Scott Silver. No release date has been set, and overall it still sounds like very early days.
Would you like to see DiCaprio play the Joker? Let us know in the comments below!
Mario + Rabbids isn't the only new release, however. The week ending September 2 also saw the new PS4 version of Everybody's Golf debut at No.6, and Yakuza Kiwami start at No.8, and between those Ark: Survival Evolved is finally out of early access and its long-awaited physical release manages a No.7 debut.
The latest Uncharted adventure launched two weeks ago to critical acclaim. Our critic, Peter Brown, said the game "presents an opportunity to show the series from new perspectives," and grows into a "more nuanced, clever experience, ranking among the best in the series." Read more in our full Uncharted: Lost Legacy review.
Mario + Rabbids, meanwhile, came out last week, and was similarly praised by critics. Our reviewer, Edmond Tran, said the strategy title "exudes off-beat optimism that never dissolves" and is a "a consistent delight." For more, check out our Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle review.
You can read the full top 10 sales chart below, courtesy of Chart-Track. Note this table does not include digital sales data, and so should not be considered representative of all UK game sales.
For a long time now, Microsoft has said the Xbox One will add support for keyboard and mouse...eventually. Now, Xbox director Mike Ybarra has confirmed that this is still coming, and in fact, we might hear about the first supported titles quite soon. Speaking at a PAX West panel this weekend, Ybarra said keyboard and mouse support is "definitely coming," adding that he's aware of the concerns people have about keyboard and mouse users having the upper hand against people using a controller.
"We have to be very smart in how we do that. We'll leave it a lot up to developer choice," Ybarra said (via WindowsCentral). "A lot of people tweet me and say, 'You can't do this because of fairness,' and we understand that. We run two platforms; the Windows platform and the Xbox platform."
When keyboard and mouse support is added to Xbox, Ybarra said Microsoft will "coach" developers about best practices. One example he provided is for a game to allow players to decide who they want to play against based on controller/keyboard and mouse setup.
"If you have a competitive game, people probably are going to want the choice to say I'll play with other keyboard and mouse people or I'll play only with controller people, or that I'll play with any of those," he said. "So you'll see our first games supporting keyboard and mouse soon; I can't announce what that is, but soon. And then based on developer interest, they'll choose to do keyboard and mouse going forward, or not."
If you're looking for a new Xbox One S, Microsoft has rolled out a pretty solid offer through its own Microsoft Store. For as little as $250, you can get a new console and up to three free games, and it works on pre-orders too.
As for the second free game, the freebies are limited to a pool of Ubisoft games such as The Division, The Crew 2, Just Dance 2016, Hasbro Family Fun Pack, and Watch Dogs. These might not be the newest, but free is free, and in the case of The Division, Ubisoft continues to support the third-person shooter with meaningful new updates.
Some of the other build-your-own Xbox One S bundles include those systems that come with games like Forza Horizon 3, Battlefield 1, Gears of War 4, Halo Wars 2, and Minecraft, among others. Go to Microsoft's Xbox site to see all the available offers.
Microsoft's new Xbox One X console goes on sale in November. Priced at $500 US, it's the most powerful console in history, surpassing the power of the PS4 Pro.
LawBreakers, the new shooter from Gears of War designer Cliff Bleszinski, is getting some substantial-sounding updates. The game's official Twitter account has posted a preview of the game's post-launch roadmap for new content and features. It shows that players can expect new maps, features, another class, and more in the time ahead.
The new maps are called Namsan and Gateway, and you can see teaser images for them in the tweet below. The new feature is Skirmishes, while a ranked mode called Boss Leagues is also on the way. A new class is coming as well (you can see the silhouette but that's all), along with "rapid fire updates" in the future as well.
2017 Content Roadmap for LawBreakers revealed next week. Preview of Roadmap revealed right now. pic.twitter.com/GHLCxwuzKO
The new content is scheduled to be released in the order it's shown in the image, though given the fluid and changing nature of game development, things could change.
All of this content, as well as whatever else comes in the future, is free for people who bought LawBreakers. New stash-drop items are also free for all players.
LawBreakers is available now on PC and PlayStation 4. GameSpot's LawBreakers review scored the $30 multiplayer shooter an 8/10. "Its fresh anti-gravity mechanics transcends its first-glance novel appeal and creates limitless combat situations that will be new and inviting to many shooter fans," review Miguel Concepcion said.
Settlers of Catan, the hugely popular board game, is coming to virtual reality. VR strategy game developer Experiment 7 has announced Catan VR, an "optimised" version of the classic board game that allows people to play in a "fresh fully immersive format."
There are only high-level details available right now. But the game's official website (via Kotaku) says players can take on others from "around the world" or against "Catan personalities." There will be "beautiful in-game environments and cross-play functionality."
Fans may be happy to know Catan VR is being made with the support of Catan creator Klaus Teuber and his son, Benjamin.
Catan VR will launch later this year for Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR, with support for other platforms to come later.
With NBA 2K18's release coming up soon, some new details about the pro basketball's features on Nintendo Switch have been revealed. According to US Gamer, the Switch edition will be "feature complete and identical" to the PlayStation 4 (and presumably Xbox One) versions.
This means NBA 2K18 on Switch will offer MyGM team-management, MyLeague, MyCareer, and Story mode, just as the other versions do.
Perhaps more intriguing is word that NBA 2K18 for Switch will have Amiibo support of some kind. We don't yet know how this will work, but presumably it'll let you tap a figure onto the console to unlock ... something in the game. Are NBA 2K Amiibo figures coming, maybe one for cover star Kyrie Irving? We don't know, but that would be pretty cool. Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.
NBA 2K18's cover is sort ruined. Kyrie Irving, announced for the cover when he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers, has been traded to the Boston Celtics. 2K will offer a cover with Irving in a Celtics jersey at a later date.
In addition to Switch, PS4, and Xbox One, NBA 2K18 is coming to PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.
[UPDATE] In addition to the docked footage, we captured 11 minutes of Skyrim for Switch in handheld mode. You can check out that video above.
The original story is below.
New footage from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's Nintendo Switch version has come online, showing off the RPG running in docked mode.
The way the footage is shown is not ideal, given it's shot over the shoulder, but it's one of the most in-depth looks at the game we've seen so far. What you'll see is a lot of environments and battle scenes, along with Skyrim's Amiibo functionality. Check out GameXplain's video below (via Kotaku).
As announced previously, scanning some Zelda Amiibo figures will unlock the Master Sword, Hylian Shield, and Champion's Tunic in Skyrim.
A port of 2011's hugely popular RPG, Skyrim for Switch makes use of the console's motion controls, letting you use the Joy-Cons to shoot your bow and pick locks. Additionally, Skyrim's three expansions--Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn--are included with the Switch version.
Skyrim for Switch is scheduled to launch later this year, though a specific release date has not yet been announced. Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.
Box office estimates for the weekend have come in--and they aren't great. According to Entertainment Weekly, the four-day box office haul for the Labor Day weekend in North America will come in at $95.5 million. That would be the lowest Labor Day weekend box office total since 1998. Worth noting, too, is that this was the first Labor Day weekend in around 25 years that there wasn't a major new release in theatres.
The total summer box office haul for 2017 stands to amount to around $3.8 billion, a massive figure, but the lowest since 2006. As EW explains, there were some big movies--Wonder Woman and Spider-Man: Homecoming among them--but also some under-performers like like King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Valerian, and Baywatch.
The top-performing movie at the US box office this weekend was again The Hitman's Bodyguard, which took in an estimated $10.3 million, pushing its total domestic tally to $55 million. It's the only movie this summer to stay on top for three straight weeks.
Rounding out the top five were Annabelle: Creation ($7.3 million), Wind River ($5.9 million), Leap! ($4.9 million), and Logan Lucky ($4.4 million).
The ultimate battle of sides is on next weekend for Japanese Splatoon fans. McDonalds has partnered with Splatoon 2 for a Splatfest to ask which is better--McDonald's fries or chicken nuggets?
The Japanese Splatoon page revealed the theme for the Splatfest on September 9 to 10, asking which of the two is the better side with a McDonald's burger. Unfortunately for us on the opposite side of the world, this showdown doesn't seem to be coming to the West as chicken nuggets aren't available as a side here.
フェスの開催が告げられた。 お題は「ご一緒にいかがですか？ マックフライポテト vs チキンマックナゲット」。 日本マクドナルド様のご協力でお送りする。 ハンバーガーのサイドメニュー対決、どちらになさいますか？ 期間は9月9日（土）15:00～9月10日（日）15:00。 pic.twitter.com/OYgxi3Vsrd
If you are one of the lucky fans based in Japan, make sure to hop online at 3 PM JST on September 9 to fight for your crown. As always, you'll only have 24 hours to stake your claim and represent your side. The team with the most votes or victories wins. Us American nuggie fans are counting on you, now.
The results from the latest Splatfest in the US and Europe are finally in. Flight took home a 2-to-1 victory this weekend, just barely taking the cake for the best superpower with 55 percent winning in team matches and 52 percent winning in solo. The next Western Splatfest theme has not yet been announced.
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