A new image gives us our first good look at Zachary Levi's costume in the upcoming Shazam film. In it, we see Levi's Shazam in full superheroic costume enjoying a soda with his buddy, Freddy Freeman, outside a convenience store.
Entertainment Weekly debuted the image and offered some insights from director David Sandberg on getting the look right. "I wanted to keep the shorter cape as a throwback to the original because that's something that sets him apart from Superman or Batman," he said. "It makes him feel a bit more Golden Age superhero, which is the vibe I'm going for."
For those unfamiliar, Shazam is literally just a big kid. He's the superhero alter-ego of the young boy Billy Batson, making him an iconic golden age example of the boyish fantasies that comic books were built around. Levi will have to display a playfulness that matches the part, which may give some lightheartedness to the DC Cinematic Universe, often criticized for being too dark. This image shows one such moment, as Billy spends time with his best friend.
This is the first view of the full costume we've gotten, though Levi previously showed off a banner of his character from the torso up. He was enjoying a soft drink in that picture too. Shazam is set to release on April 5, 2019.
With the announcement that HBO ordered a pilot for a Game of Thrones prequel series in June, many fans have been cautiously optimistic that the prequel will help ease the inevitable mourning period following the end of the hit series. HBO only officially ordered a pilot, but now that the studio has confirmed a start date and location to film, it's starting to feel more real.
Belfast Telegraph reports that filming will begin in October in Belfast, Northern Ireland through The Paint Hall studio, which handled most of the filming for Game Of Thrones in Ireland.
Jane Goldman wrote the pilot and has been tapped as the showrunner for the series; you may know her from her work writing the Kingsman films as well as Kick-Ass and Stardust. The spinoff will follow the progression from the Age of Heroes into the Long Night, which takes place roughly ten thousand years before the events in the original show.
George RR Martin, writer of books and producer of shows, revealed that the working title of the show is The Long Night. He also provided some details about the process, and potential other spin offs, when he wrote in a blog post, "None of the characters or actors from Game of Thrones will appear in the new show. All of the successor shows we've been developing have been prequels, as I have mentioned before. This one really puts the PRE in prequel, since it is set not ninety years before Game of Thrones (like Dunk & Egg), or a few hundred years, but rather ten thousand years."
The final season of Game of Thrones will air next summer. Fingers crossed that the shooting for the spin-off pilot goes well and the show is good enough to fill the void that Game of Thrones is sure to leave.
Destiny has gone a long time without a new faction to test your abilities. The Taken were introduced via DLC, but even they were reused enemy types--albeit with a cool blue glow. Then Destiny 2 came without introducing a new faction at all, but the upcoming expansion Destiny 2: Forsaken will correct that.
The Scorn are a group of mutated Fallen enemies, which does give them the look of re-skinned enemies like the Taken. But according to a Game Informer cover story, their attack patterns are distinct. These fearsome foes are built around aggression unlike any other enemies so far.
A perfect example comes in the Screeb, a mutation similar to Thralls. They run at full-sprint towards you at all times, attempting to explode when they get close. Raiders are the foot soldier of the Scorn, equipped with void buzzsaws and teleporters to move around the battlefield. Ravagers carry flaming weapons that do a high degree of damage, but destroying the weapon will backfire and burn them. Chieftains are akin to Fallen Captains, while Mongrels are the size of Hive Ogres. Finally, Lurkers are huge shielded brutes.
Destiny 2: Forsaken kicks off with the death of the popular character Cayde-6, leading the Guardians back to the Reef to fend off the latest threat. The DLC will also introduce a new Gambit mode, a hybrid of PvP and PvE. The expansion will launch September 4, and Bungie has a bevy of purchase options with different bonuses and gear. Check out our pre-order guide for more information.
Heads up, deal hunters: a new sale on Xbox One and Xbox 360 games is live on the Microsoft Store. You can find the full list here, but we've sorted through the offers and selected some of the best deals on the best games below. Note that some of the deals are only good for Xbox Live Gold subscribers, while others are available to everyone. The sale ends July 16, so don't put off buying any games you've had your eye on.
If you like board games but don't like keeping track of all those cards, dice, and plastic pieces, you're in luck. This week, Ubisoft has dropped prices on a number of its digital versions of Hasbro games. You can pick up Battleship or Risk for $6 / £5, or Monopoly Deal for $2 / £2. The first two are more or less straight renditions of the board games. Monopoly Deal is a fast-paced card game version of Monopoly, which is great for anyone who falls asleep playing the board game.
In anticipation of Mega Man 11 coming this fall, you can scoop up the entire core series for cheap on Xbox One. Mega Man Legacy Collection contains games 1-6 and is on sale for $6 / £5. Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 has games 7-10; it's on sale for $12 / £7.
A handful of other noteworthy games are on sale, including the gorgeous RPG Child of Light for $5 / £4, the recently-released Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet for $42 / £35, and the horror game Zombi for $6 / £5. And if anyone tells you games are a waste of time, you can pick up Rocksmith 2014 Edition - Remastered for $16 / £16 and actually learn how to play guitar. That'll show them.
For more deals on Xbox One and Xbox 360 games, check here.
Whether you prefer your movies on 4K Blu-ray, DVD, or digital, you'll be able to watch the blockbuster Marvel movie Avengers: Infinity War from the comfort of your own home soon. The digital edition lands on July 31, while the physical versions release two weeks later, on August 14.
Both versions come packed with extras, from deleted scenes and commentary tracks to behind-the-scenes clips that show how a movie of this magnitude is made. The digital version comes with an additional 30-minute Marvel director round-table discussion.
Here's the full list of bonus features:
Strange Alchemy (5:08)--Share the thrill of characters from across the MCU meeting for the first time--and discover why some were teamed up together.
The Mad Titan (6:34)--Explore the MCU's biggest, baddest villain, his trail of influence through the stories, and the existential threat he represents.
Beyond the Battle: Titan (9:36)--Dive into the climactic struggle on Thanos' ruined world, including the epic stunts and VFX, to uncover the source of its power.
Beyond the Battle: Wakanda (10:58)--Go behind the scenes to find out how the filmmakers pulled off the most massive and challenging battle Marvel had ever attempted.
Deleted and Extended Scenes (10:07)
Happy Knows Best (1:23)--Tony and Pepper spar over the details of their upcoming wedding--until a hassled Happy Hogan pulls up with an urgent request.
Hunt for the Mind Stone (1:24)--On a darkened street, Wanda Maximoff and the wounded Vision attempt to hide from Thanos' brutal allies.
The Guardians Get Their Groove Back (3:20)--As Peter Quill and Drax quarrel over their failed mission to Knowhere, Mantis interrupts with news.
A Father's Choice (4:00)--Thanos confronts Gamora with a vision from her past—and with lying to him about the Soul Stone.
Gag Reel (2:05)--Watch your favorite superheroes make super gaffes in this lighthearted collection of on-set antics.
Audio Commentary (approx. 149 min.) by Anthony and Joe Russo, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely
Now the only question is where you want to buy the movie. Here are your options.
Avengers: Infinity War Digital Edition
If you want to own it as early as possible, here's where you can pre-order the digital version of the Avengers: Infinity War.
You might have to wait two extra weeks, but if you like your movies in physical form, it's worth it. This version comes with a Blu-ray disc, plus a digital copy of the movie.
Avengers: Infinity War 4K Cinematic Universe Edition
This version of the movie also comes with a standard Blu-ray version, as well as a digital copy. In addition to the ones linked below, Best Buy has an exclusive steelbook edition of this version for $35. Target has an exclusive version that comes with a 40-page gallery book for $40, or one that comes with a red Iron Man Funko Pop for $42.
Don't have a Blu-ray player? No problem, get yourself a copy of the movie on DVD. Just note that, unlike the other physical versions, it doesn't come with a digital copy.
Good news for deal hunters: Sony is running a massive Mid-Year Sale on the US PlayStation Store, with discounts on over 800 items between now and July 17. That's a seriously big sale, significantly larger than most weekly PlayStation Store sales. So if you're looking to save money on digital PS4, PS3, PS Vita, and PSVR games, now's the time to do it. And if you're a PS Plus member, you get a bonus 10% off. Let's take a look at some of the biggest and best games that are on sale right now. [Update: In addition to what's available through the Mid-Year Sale, we've also gotten some additional PSN discounts, including a nice $20 offer on GTA V.]
To kick things off, you can grab last year's Egypt-set Assassin's Creed Origins for $36 ($30 with PS Plus). For the same price, you can get Diablo III: Eternal Collection, which comes with all the expansions that acclaimed dungeon crawler has gotten since release. Or you can kick it in the apocalypse with Fallout 4 for $18 ($15).
If you're looking for games that cost less than lunch, you can find plenty of them during the sale as well. The Zelda-like game Darksiders: Warmastered Edition is down to $6 ($2). The side-scrolling shooter Sine Mora EX is the same price. And if you haven't saved (or killed) a group of teenagers in Until Dawn yet, you can add it to your collection for $6 ($5).
Those are some of our picks for the best games in the PlayStation Store's Mid-Year Sale. You can find more below, or you can scroll through the whole big sale here.
It's a good time to stop by the local GameStop or head to the website, because between now and July 15 the retailer is running its annual summer sale. This year you can find lots of good deals on games, consoles, and accessories for PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The main difference between this sale and GameStop's regular weekly sale is quantity. A lot more games are on sale now than usual, even if the sale prices are about the same as you'd find any other week. At any rate, let's dive in and see what kind of money we can save during this year's GameStop summer sale.
On the hardware side, if you buy a 1TB Xbox One console, you'll get a $50 GameStop gift card for free. The green and gray Xbox One wireless controller is available for 20% off, bringing it down to $52. PS4 owners can grab a gold or magma red DualShock 4 controller for $55, saving $10 in the process.
All in all, there's a lot of deals during GameStop's summer sale, so you're sure to find something worth playing, no matter which platform you prefer. We have more of our picks below, but you can find the full sale here.
As it so often does, Twitch is offering another batch of free in-game goodies to Amazon Prime members, this time for Epic's popular shooter Fortnite, which has now kicked off Season 4 of Battle Royale. Right now, those with a Prime account will be able to claim the Fortnite Twitch Prime Pack, which includes cosmetics and other items for both Battle Royale and Save the World modes.
The Twitch Prime Pack is redeemable on all platforms--PC, PS4, and Xbox One--and comes with two exclusive gliders and outfits for Battle Royale: the Havoc Outfit and Back Bling, plus the Sub Commander Outfit and Slipstream Glider. Additionally, users will receive four exclusive Twitch chat emoji and two heroes for Save the World: Havoc and Sub Commando Jonesy. You can take a look at some of the freebies below. [Update: As an added bonus, Prime members also now receive a special pickaxe for free as well, and there's a second Twitch Prime pack for Fortnite to claim.]
Twitch Prime regularly offers free items and games for Amazon Prime members, so anyone who's a subscriber to the premium service is able to take advantage of this offer. To grab the Fortnite Twitch Prime Pack, simply click on the Prime Loot icon at the top of Twitch's homepage or visit Epic's official website for more details about how to claim the free items.
The Twitch Prime Pack isn't the only freebie that Fortnite players can get right now. PS Plus subscribers can also download the PlayStation Plus Celebration Pack on PS4, which includes an exclusive glider and outfit. You can grab the pack here. Meanwhile, the next set of free games for Twitch Prime members is available.
If you're looking to escape the heat, or you prefer streaming to barbecues, it looks like July is your month. Netflix is making moves this month, releasing originals, bringing back some old movies, and giving the boot to more than a few long-timers--here's everything that's new to stream on the service.
All kinds of titles are coming throughout this month, and a lot of them are classics or just kind of old like Jurassic Park (one and three), Her, Get Smart, Bo Burnham's What, Happy Gilmore, Kevin Hart's Let Me Explain, and Interview With A Vampire.
Orange Is The New Black, Blue Bloods, Madam Secretary, and Shameless are among the TV shows getting new seasons added to Netflix as well as several original series like Jerry Seinfeld's Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.
Sadly, a lot of favorites are leaving Netflix this July so get to your devices ASAP because you might not be able to see these ones for a while. Some notables include all five Bring It On movies, all four Lethal Weapon movies, V for Vendetta, Tropic Thunder, and Breakfast At Tiffany's. Many of the month's removals are already gone as of July 1, but you still have some time for certain others.
If you'd like to know about everything arriving and leaving Netflix in July, check out the list below. We've also got a roundup of some of the best new additions to watch in the video above.
Arriving on Netflix July 2018
July 1
Blue Bloods: Season 8
Bo Burnham: what.
Chocolat
Deceived
Finding Neverland
Get Smart
Happy Gilmore
Hawaii Five-O: Season 8
Interview with the Vampire
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park III
Madam Secretary: Season 4
Menace II Society
NCIS: Season 15
Pandorum
Penelope
Queens of Comedy: Season 2
Rica, Famosa, Latina: Seasons 1-4
Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
Spanglish
Stealth
Swordfish
The Boondock Saints
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
The Princess Diaries
The Voices
Traitor
Troy
Van Helsing
We Own the Night
We the Marines
What We Started
July 2
Dance Academy: The Comeback
Good Witch: Season 4
Romina
The Sinner: Season 1
July 3
The Comedy Lineup - Netflix Original
July 5
Blue Valentine
July 6
Anne with an E: Season 2- Netflix Original
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: New 2018: Freshly Brewed- Netflix Original
First Team: Juventus: Part B- Netflix Original
Free Rein: Season 2- Netflix Original
Inside the World's Toughest Prisons: Season 2- Netflix Original
Sacred Games- Netflix Original
Samantha!- Netflix Original
Somebody Feed Phil: The Second Course-Netflix Original
The Fosters: Season 5 New Episodes
The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter- Netflix Original Film
The Skin of The Wolf- Netflix Original Film
White Fang- Netflix Original Film
July 7
Scream 4
July 9
Lockup: Extended Stay: Collection 1
July 10
Drug Lords: Season 2 - Netflix Original
July 12
Gone Baby Gone
July 13
How It Ends- Netflix Original Film
Jim Jefferies: This Is Me Now- Netflix Original
Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain
Sugar Rush- Netflix Original
The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants- Netflix Original
July 15
Bonusfamiljen: Season 2- Netflix Original
Going for Gold
The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale: Part 2- Netflix Original
July 20
Amazing Interiors- Netflix Original
Dark Tourist- Netflix Original
Deep Undercover: Collection 3
Duck Duck Goose- Netflix Original Film
Father of the Year- Netflix Original Film
Fix It and Finish It: Collection 3
Home: Adventures with Tip & Oh: Season 4- Netflix Original
Jimmy: The True Story of a True Idiot- Netflix Original
Last Chance U: EMCC & Life After- Netflix Original
Last Chance U: INDY: Part 1- NEtflix Original
Luna Petunia: Return to Amazia: Season 2- Netflix Original
July 22
An Education
Bolt
July 24
The Warning- Netflix Original Film
Iliza Shlesinger: Elder Millennial- Netflix Original
July 27
Cupcake & Dino - General Services- Netflix Original
Extinction-Netflix Original
Orange Is the New Black: Season 6-Netflix Original
Roman Empire: Reign of Blood: Master of Rome- Netflix Original
The Bleeding Edge- Netflix Original
The Worst Witch: Season 2- Netflix Original
Welcome to the Family- Netflix Original
July 28
Shameless: Season 8
The Company Men
July 29
Her
Sofia the First: Season 4
July 30
A Very Secret Service: Season 2-Netflix Original
July 31
Terrace House: Opening New Doors: Part 3- Netflix Original
No Man's Sky has a huge new update on the horizon, coinciding with its release on Xbox One, and now publisher Hello Games has a released a new video highlighting all the features that have been added since its initial release on PS4 and PC. The list is substantial, including many tweaks and additions that completely alter how the game is played.
When No Man's Sky first came out, initial reaction was lacklustre. The space exploration game boasted over 18 quintillion planets, each one generated by an algorithm and populated with plant and animal life, and your quest is to explore them on your (loosely defined) mission to reach the center of the galaxy.
"No matter how many solar systems you jump to or planets you explore on the 'direct' path to the center of the galaxy, you'll grow tired of repetitive NPC interactions and the planets' implied-but-shallow variety, and you'll lose interest in new ships--and perhaps the journey altogether," wrote Peter Brown in GameSpot's No Man Sky review. In August 2017, we revisited No Man's Sky when its update, Atlas Rises (which introduced story mode), was released. At that time, Justin Clark found that the game was a more robust, welcoming, and accessible experience than before.
All the new additions across expansions, and the new video itself, are no doubt to attract more players to the game's now expanded gameplay (which promises to grow even further). Check out the new video above along with Hello Games' breakdown of all the biggest additions to the game, since release.
A regenerated universe--Star systems now have their own wealth, economy, and conflict levels
Stargates--Stargates allow you to quick travel to any plant
New biomes--New biomes and terrain revisions mean more variety of planets to explore
Exocrafts--Three exocraft types, each with their own strengths, enable advanced planetary exploration
New game modes--The game now has four different gameplay modes:
Normal mode: Standard conditions and difficulty
Survival mode: More hazards, conflict, and fewer resources
Permadeath mode: The same as survival mode, but dying once results in game over
Creative mode: Unlimited health, resources, and no building costs
Base building--Allows you to colonize home plants, create biome-specific crops, and hire alien recruits
Story and missions--30-hour story mode exploring the origin of the universe, and the ability to take on extra missions from alien lifeforms
Terrain manipulation--You can now create complex colonies and shape the terrain around you
Challenging space combat--Tweaked AI means more challenging battles, along with new weapons and bounties
Interstellar freighters--Purchase, customize, and use a freighter as a mobile base
The Xbox One version of No Man's Sky releases on July 24 (July 27 in Europe), and will include all of the updates that have been released in the game so far including smaller patches. A new update, called Next, will be rolling out on all platforms on the same day, and multiplayer will be coming to the game in the same frame.
Far Cry 5 will launch its next round of DLC, this time taking a journey to Mars, next week. The "Lost On Mars" adventure will hit PC, PS4, and Xbox One on July 17. You can buy it standalone for $10, or with the $30 Season Pass. Needless to say, you won't be in Montana anymore.
Instead, Lost on Mars sees the bumble-headed Hurk and Nick Rye head to the red planet to stop an invasion of Earth. You join your two good buddies to take on the alien threat with a host of new equipment, including the Blaster of Disaster, Hellfire, and Morphinator, all of which probably do exactly what they sound like. You can also traverse the planet with Space Jets.
The DLC will also add Mars assets to Far Cry Arcade, allowing you to make and play sci-fi maps. The DLC will unlock some new weapons for use in Hope County as well, in case you really want to show a bunch of cultists who's boss with weapons like the Obliteratorrrr, Taser Phazer Annihilazer, Nerve Reaper, and Grape Popper.
One more DLC adventure, Dead Living Zombies, is set to release next month. Those both join the first expansion content, a Vietnam-themed mission that similarly had you stranded in an unfamiliar locale. GameSpot's Far Cry 5 review praised its gunplay and beautiful open world, despite some major narrative hang-ups and some sub-par story missions.
Season 4 of Fortnite: Battle Royale is nearing its end, but Season 5 will follow immediately after. The phenomenally popular battle royale game kicks off its new season very soon, and developer Epic Games has confirmed details of when a new update (and accompanying downtime) will happen, as well as a bit of what to expect on Thursday.
Epic has been teasing that some big changes are in store for the title--although the studio has shared very few concrete details about those will be, leaving players to speculate what the future. It doesn't tell us much, but Epic has revealed the first teaser images for Season 5, which you can see below--the first shows what appears to be a kitsune mask with a rift or crack in front of it, while the other shows a nordic, God of War-esque axe with the same crack.
Still, while there are still many questions surrounding Season 5 of Fortnite: Battle Royale, there are a few things we can expect, such as a new Battle Pass and rewards (skins!) to unlock--not to mention some potential map changes in the aftermath of the recent rocket launch. With Season 5 quickly approaching, we've rounded up everything we know about the new season below, from when it starts to why rifts have begun forming around the island and more. Be sure to check back for further updates as more details and leaks emerge in the run up to the new season; already, we've seen a real-world aspect to all of this pop up, as well as the appearance of new, anachronistic items around the map.
When Does Season 5 Start?
Season 5 is just hours away. Epic confirmed on Reddit that Season 5 of Fortnite: Battle Royale will kick off on Thursday, July 12--immediately after Season 4 concludes. Before it starts, though, we'll get some server downtime on all platforms (PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and iOS) that begins at 1 AM PT / 4 AM ET / 9 AM BST / 6 PM AET. This will be followed by a new update that will be larger in size than the average patch, so Epic suggests you verify your auto-download settings if you're eager to jump in as soon as possible. Patch notes will be released once servers are back online and the update is live.
Will There Be a New Battle Pass?
Yes. As before, Epic will offer a Battle Pass for Season 5 of Fortnite: Battle Royale. While the developer has yet to reveal any details about the new Battle Pass, including how much it will cost, each previous Battle Pass could be purchased for 950 V-Bucks (Fortnite's in-game currency). V-Bucks, in turn, can be bought with either real money or earned by reaching certain reward tiers of the Battle Pass (or through playing Fortnite's paid Save the World mode).
The Battle Pass gives players access to additional content, such as new skins, emotes, and other rewards. These can be unlocked by completing weekly challenges and leveling the Battle Pass up. Epic hasn't revealed how many reward tiers will be available with the Season 5 Battle Pass, although Season 4's featured 100 tiers--30 more than the previous Battle Pass. If Epic's previous estimations still hold true, it should take between 75-100 hours of play time to unlock all of the Battle Pass's rewards. Players can also purchase tiers to level the Battle Pass up faster.
What's New With Season 5's Map?
Epic has been characteristically silent about what new elements it plans to introduce to Fortnite: Battle Royale in Season 5, although the developer has been laying the groundwork for some major changes for the game in the run up to the new season. The most notable sign that something big is afoot is the recent rocket launch; after various warning signals began popping up in the game, the mysterious rocket in the Evil Lair finally took off on June 30, causing a giant rift to appear in the sky over the island.
Since the launch, the nature of the rift has remained a mystery, and more have begun cropping up in various areas around the map. In the days that followed the event, additional rifts have appeared at Lonely Lodge, Retail Row, Tomato Town, and other locations. Moreover, the rifts seem to be growing in size and consuming nearby objects; the rift at Lonely Lodge, for instance, was barely visible when it first materialized, but it has since expanded and even swallowed up the sign outside the building.
Just what these strange rifts mean for the future of Fortnite remain to be seen, but as was the case in the lead up to Season 4, they presumably herald some sort of big, impending change for the landscape. Prior to the start of Season 4, a comet suddenly appeared in the sky over the island. The comet remained in the air for several weeks until it eventually crashed into Dusty Depot at the start of Season 4, transforming it into Dusty Divot and introducing some brand-new elements to the map, such as gravity-defying Hop Rocks.
Season 5 may feature either a time-travel or Wild West theme; new objects have begun appearing around the map. That includes a stagecoach that popped up out of nowhere. It's anyone's guess as to what could be next, but we have some ideas for new Fortnite maps.
What New Season 5 Skins And Cosmetics Have Leaked?
Each season of Fortnite: Battle Royale brings an assortment of new items to unlock, and we can expect Epic to continue that trend by introducing a slew of new skins, emotes, and other cosmetic rewards to earn through the aforementioned Season 5 Battle Pass. The developer has yet to formally reveal any of the new items coming next season, although we've gotten a glimpse at some new contrails on the way to the game. The Fortnite: Battle Royale Leaks Twitter account has discovered several new trails in the game's code, including ones called Stars & Stripes, Glitchin', and Ice. These will presumably be available through the Season 5 Battle Pass.
Are Fortnite Objects Showing Up in Real Life?
It seems that way. Greasy Grove's Durr Burger is among the things to be sucked out of Fortnite's world by a rift, only for it to appear in the middle of a desert in California. That in turn led to a phone number players could call, and that's led to the discovery of coordinates for... Greasy Grove. It all remains very mysterious, but Epic is clearly going all-out with its teases for whatever is happening next in the game.
What's Going On With Playground Mode?
Like other limited-time modes in Fortnite, the sandbox-style Playground mode won't be available to play in Battle Royale for long. After finally arriving in the game recently following a series of delays, Epic has confirmed the mode is scheduled to leave the rotation on the same day that Season 5 begins: July 12. However, the developer says that it will use the feedback it gathered from players to further refine Playground mode and bring it back to the game in the future, although it hasn't revealed when that will be.
How Long Do I Have to Finish Season 4 Challenges?
Not much longer now. All of Season 4's weekly challenges will be available until the start of the new season on July 12, giving you only a few more days to level your Season 4 Battle Pass up and unlock any remaining rewards you've yet to earn.
Epic rolled out 10 weeks' worth of challenges throughout Season 4, the final set of which arrived on July 5. Each batch of challenges consists of seven different tasks for players to complete while playing Fortnite: Battle Royale, which can run the gamut from eliminating other players to opening a certain number of chests or following a series of cryptic clues to a specific location. Completing all of the challenges in a given week unlocks a corresponding Blockbuster challenge, while reaching certain level miletones unlocks a Carbide challenge and reward. You can see how to complete the latest set of tasks in our Week 10 challenges guide.
Despite the fact they're rolled out weekly, you have until the end of the season to complete any of the challenges. Doing so will level your Battle Pass and unlock rewards. There are a huge assortment to earn in Season 4, including sprays, loading screens, gliders, and the coveted Omega skin; you can see them all in our gallery of Season 4 Battle Pass rewards. If you need help clearing any remaining challenges, be sure to consult GameSpot's complete Season 4 challenges guide. If you're in a big hurry, we also have a guide detailing which challenges to do first and how to level up quickly.
What About Save the World Mode?
Like Battle Royale, Fortnite's Save the World mode is also set to receive some significant new content following the game's 5.0 update. Shortly after the update rolls out, Epic will kick off the first act of the Canny Valley campaign, which will take players "through the arid parts of the Fortnite world, with many new and unique places to explore."
According to Epic, the Canny Valley campaign will resolve many lingering questions about Dr. Vinderman and other characters. The developer says it will also re-introduce the Challenge the Horde mode with the 5.0 update, and this time it will feature reworked combat, mini-bosses, and new rewards. Save the World remains in paid early access, although it will eventually be playable for free to everyone, as with Battle Royale.
Over the past few years, Netflix has greatly increased its anime library. This includes slightly older series like Death Note as well as newer ones like One-Punch Man, and many of them were popular before coming to Netflix. But there are also Netflix Original anime, which are licensed by and exclusive to the streaming platform. Recent hits include Aggretsuko and Devilman Crybaby, and the catalog continues to grow.
Traditional anime fans are often sticklers when it comes to what can be called "anime." This is especially true with shows like Netflix's Castlevania and the upcoming Cannon Busters, which aren't made entirely by Japanese creators and, to some fans, fall into a hard-to-define gray area. During Anime Expo 2018, we spoke to several Netflix anime creators about what qualifies as anime, how anime is evolving, and more.
Featured in this interview are Castlevania producer Adi Shankar, Cannon Busters showrunner and longtime animator LeSean Thomas (whose previous work includes The Boondocks and The Legend of Korra), renowned Japanese director Shinji Higuchi (whose new series, Dragon Pilot, is coming to Netflix on September 21), and director of anime at Netflix John Derderian. Be sure to read our roundup of Netflix's latest anime announcements for more details on the upcoming series. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
I want to start off with something you [LeSean Thomas] said on Twitter very recently about defining anime. I think anime fans are very big on defining what is and what is not anime, and with series like Castlevania and Cannon Busters, that's something certain people get testy about. What does "anime" mean to you as a creator and with Netflix in particular?
LeSean Thomas: I mean I think that's a fascinating question, and it's almost always the case with Americans or Westerners asking other Americans or Westerners what anime is and what it isn't. I have yet to see, at all, anyone asking a Japanese animation director or creator or producer...what anime is, because then that would sort of be counterproductive to their argument of what they believe anime is because of the lens in which they're viewing anime as a descriptor, from a Western point of view. So usually anime is associated with the belief that the animation is only from Japanese creators and Japanese people, all animated by Japanese animators.
It can't be identified as anime as they view it as a Western descriptor unless that's the case. If there's an American creator working with Japanese animators, then this vocal minority that we're already talking about don't view it as anime. So these are arbitrary rules, created to sort of control...or protect, if you will, this sort of identity that they attach to the bodies of works. I mean, it's been a topic of discussion for the last few years with me and other people. I would sort of deflect the question towards [Shinji Higuchi] to see what he would think about that question.
These are arbitrary rules, created to sort of control...or protect, if you will, this sort of identity that [fans] attach to bodies of works.
Shinji Higuchi: It's very difficult to answer. If I'd only worked on anime, I'd probably have a lot more concrete vision about that...When it comes to working on animation, I'm kind of on the [fringes]. So now that I'm producing animation, there's a certain theory to creating anime, but I'm creating this animation [Dragon Pilot] on the assumption, like, how much of that theory I can break.
The protagonist is not the definition of "kawaii" at all. The character, or the protagonist--there tend to be a certain personalities that comes with [that] you expect from the anime characters, but we want to take another look at what it should be when we develop the characters for the show.
[...]
John Derderian: [At Netflix], we're trying to enable vision, and it kinda touches on your question [about] people that love anime. Someone on my team that always talks about anime as a "tribe" of people with passion and deep love, reference points, a catalog. You can talk to LeSean for an hour about every reference he has. There's such a love, and [Thomas and Adi Shankar] are a part of that "tribe" of anime and so they can step to the table and make the best anime there is. They can step to the table and contribute to that conversation and that evolution of anime.
But to be clear, Netflix is doing a ton of more traditional, manga- and light novel-based anime and we will continue to do a ton of that. We've invested heavily in Japan, into partnering with the the studios in Japan to basically enable an art form that has been--especially 2D animation, which has been struggling and kind of disappearing a bit. We think it's one of the greatest art forms on earth and we wanna continue to support it, and the home of anime is Japan.
There also seems to be a group of people that are highly attached to simulcast anime rather than the Netflix style of releasing a whole season at once. Like with Little Witch Academia--a lot of people were really upset about having to wait for that show.[Editor's note: Little Witch Academia was released on US Netflix as a full season after the Japanese broadcast had concluded.] Is simulcasting something you consider at Netflix?
Derderian: I mean for us, the challenge with the simulcast window is none of the rest of Netflix is on that window. So it creates little bit of a challenge for us--and we have tried it and we'll probably experiment around it--but overall we'd rather invest and get the best subs and dubs we can get. Let people experience it how they want to, whether they want the dub experience or the subtitle experience, but it does take a couple of months [to produce].
The best [solution] is we're doing a lot of original anime, and in that there is no waiting anywhere. They'll launch in Japan and the US at the same time with all the complements of language assets. We want to invite a lot of people into anime, so dubs are often way to do that, but we also wanna give someone who loves the Japanese voice actors to listen to them and understand that.
Is it a different process working on a typical episode-by-episode TV schedule versus the Netflix-style full-season package?
Higuchi: I really don't have too much experience delivering [a show in package form] except for a standalone movie. So when we create a series that is broadcast episode by episode by episode, we always have to think about how we can keep the audience captured, wanting to know what's next. So we want to keep their interest for a week or so.
So when we produce [a show episode by episode] we can use the user's imagination. So when users finish watching the show, they can kind of use their imaginations about the stories they just watched...That one week [gap] can be utilized very effectively. So when the episode is done, you have [to wait] one week, and then another episode airs...But if we're going to do [in the Netflix style] we won't be able to use that particular method.
When we create a series that is broadcast episode by episode by episode, we always have to think about how we can keep the audience captured, wanting to know what's next.
Thomas: I guess essentially you would associate it with watching a box set of a series that you haven't seen yet. You sit down and you watch them all at once. So what we're doing is we're comparing experiences. I don't think it has any impact on whether the show is good or not, right? ...We are talking about a new form of information sharing, and content consumption weekly is largely rooted by advertising bias and advertisers being able to maintain the draw of a season so that they [can] continue to generate money to sell product. With a packaged deal, it's kinda like buying DVD box sets. So for me, you're getting the same results, you're just getting it over a stretch of time...I guess what we're saying is, "Which one is better? Which one do you prefer?" And I think that it's up to the individual.
Adi Shankar: It's allowing new types of creators and new types of information to get out there globally. It's no mystery why people are abandoning movie theaters, because there's no room for experimentation, you're locked into a format. You're locked into a time length, right? If I describe my day, and you describe your day, and we have the same five seconds to tell that story, it's gonna sound kind of similar. But all of a sudden, if you're like, "Well, can you describe your day with nuance over 10 hours?" All of a sudden, that same story, even if we have the exact same story, we're gonna tell it differently. The beats are gonna move, right? So, it's not even experimentation, it's creating the blueprint for the way stories are going to be told going forward.
Fortnite Season 5 is on the way, and that means another big patch is incoming soon. The servers will go down for an indefinite amount of time, and once the staging is all finished the Season 5 changes will finally be revealed.
According to a tweet from Epic Games, the server downtime will begin tomorrow, July 12 at 4 AM ET / 1 AM PT / 8 AM GMT. In a linked Reddit thread, the team also notes that this patch will be larger than normal, and recommends checking to make sure your auto-update settings are on. Plus, be prepared for possible slow download speeds, and save any content you want from your existing replays.
Epic has been dropping hints in the lead-up to the Season 5 launch. Rifts that appeared after a missile launch have been transporting objects in and out of the game world. That includes foreign historical objects popping up out of thin air inside Fortnite, and some Fortnite objects showing up in the real world.
Those clues have led to suspicion that this season will have some kind of time-travel or history theme, which seems supported by Epic's choices of teaser images. You can check out everything we know so far while we not-so-patiently await to see what's in store this time around.
If you own a PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, or PS Vita, you can save money on hundreds of games right now. Sony is running a massive mid-year sale on the PlayStation Store, with discounts on games like Fallout 4 ($18), Diablo III: Eternal Collection ($36), and Assassin's Creed Origins ($36). Sweetening the deal even more is that PlayStation Plus members get an extra 10% off the sale prices. The ongoing sale runs through July 17, and you might think that's all the discounts you'll get this week. You'd be wrong, though not by much. A small handful of other games have gotten discounts on the PlayStation Store, so let's dive in.
Grand Theft Auto V has been one of the best-selling games each year since its initial launch in 2013. It's hard to imagine anyone who could possibly be interested not having already bought it. But seeing as it was the best-selling game in June 2018 on the PSN in the US, that's apparently not the case. If you haven't added this massive blockbuster game to your collection, you can grab it this week on PS4 for the all-time low price of $20.
Other new discounts on the PlayStation Store include Dead Cells, a Metroid-style roguelike that's coming to PS4 on August 7. It's been getting lots of positive buzz during its early access period on PC, so it may be worth pre-ordering for $20 instead of its regular price of $25 once it launches.
PSVR owners can pick up Eagle Flight and Werewolves Within for $20 each this week, and Resident Evil fans may want to grab Umbrella Corps while it's available for the same price. Finally, party people can grab a pile of multiplayer mini-games with the Jackbox Party Quadpack, on sale for $42.
If this week's new deals seem paltry, just hop over Sony's massive mid-year sale for big savings on hundreds of other games.
Toei Animation has revealed more details about the previously announced 20th Dragon Ball anime movie. Called Dragon Ball Super: Broly, it is coming to Japanese theaters on December 14. Toei's English-language Twitter account tweeted the news, though the official website is mostly in Japanese and does not contain information about a Western release.
Dragon Ball Super: Broly focuses on Broly, the Legendary Super Saiyan featured in several other Dragon Ball movies. As was previously announced, the new film will explore the Saiyan race and is written by series creator Akira Toriyama. In a comment on the Dragon Ball Super: Broly website, Toriyama gives more information about the new movie.
"Naturally you'll get to see fierce combat, but also, the paths of destiny that lead to an encounter between Goku, Vegeta, and Broly," Toriyama writes. "It also involves the Frieza Force and the history of the Saiyans, which end up having a major connection to everything. The story content turns out to be very large-scale and dramatic."
Though there are currently no details about a Western theatrical release for Dragon Ball Super: Broly, it's likely that Funimation will license the movie in the US. The last two Dragon Ball movies, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of the Gods andDragon Ball Z: Resurrection F, released in Japan in 2013 and 2015, respectively; Battle of the Gods came to US theaters in 2014, while Resurrection F released in the US a few months after it debuted in Japan.
Dragon Ball Super is the newest Dragon Ball anime series. It began in 2015 and recently ended; the early episodes cover the events of Battle of the Gods and Resurrection F. If you're looking to stream the series ahead of the new movie, see our feature on how to watch Dragon Ball.
When Terminator 2: Judgement Day returned to theaters in 2017 with a 3D re-release, it was refreshing to see how much the film still held up, even though the technology used to make movies has so drastically changed. However, there are a few things that stand out as looking rather dated.
One of those moments is when viewers see things from the Terminator's (Arnold Schwarzenegger) point of view. The user interface of the T-800 looked rather simple, old, and very red. With a sequel to Terminator 2 heading to theaters in 2019, though, the team at visual effects studio Territory partnered with Adobe to give Arnold's robot character a new view of the world.
Territory Studio, the team whose recent visual effects work was featured in Avengers: Infinity War and Blade Runner 2049, put the Adobe XD user experience design software to the test and managed to created a reimagined heads-up display for the T-800 that visually seems a lot more believable when watching the film in 2018.
"The biggest challenge we faced in the project is taking such an iconic screen and building out something that is as complex as the technology that we know and making it feel a part of the Terminator canon," Territory Studio motion designer Brandon Mata says.
While it remains to be seen what the T-800's UI will look like in the next Terminator film--or if viewers will see anything from his point of view--what Territory and Adobe have come up with is exciting to see. The user interfaces of computers don't look quite like they did in 1981 anymore and given that the T-800 is from the future, perhaps it's time to start thinking with the future in mind. After all, every computer needs an upgrade at some point.
Whatever the case, it's interesting to look back and see just how wrong the world was about what the future would look like. Whether it's Demolition Man thinking cursing would be outlawed and Taco Bell would be the last restaurant standing after the so-called "franchise wars" or movies like Terminator 2 having very simple ideas about the technology that was to come, clearly those making the guesses were way off.
That's okay, though. Thanks to unofficial upgrades like this and the actual Demolition Man themed Taco Bell coming to San Diego Comic-Con, fans of these movies are getting the best of both worlds.
Epic Games' next major launch in Fortnite: Battle Royale is right around the corner, as Season 5's release date is approaching later this week. The new season starts on July 12, which is also the cut-off date for Season 4 and its challenges. That means if you bought Season 4's Battle Pass and haven't already completed all of its many objectives--maybe you're a newer player on Nintendo Switch--you have extremely limited time to get them done and earn this season's skins and rewards before they disappear. Here are some tips on which challenges to tackle first and how to maximize the time you have left.
In choosing what challenges to do with your limited time, it's best to account for how long they take, how difficult they are, and what the rewards are. You receive five Battle Stars for completing most challenges, or 10 for those that Epic labels as "Hard." Some are legitimately tough; winning a match might be something that's completely unreasonable for you, so it's one that you're best off skipping. But despite being referred to as Hard, certain challenges are actually quite easy and fast to complete, provided you're willing to resort to using a guide. Considering you're reading this and have precious few hours left, you probably count yourself in that group. And if you're not, you may want to have a look at what skins and cosmetics are only up for grabs until the end of the season; don't rank up enough, and you can kiss them goodbye.
Priority One: Treasure Maps and Search Between
Among the recurring challenges Epic offers are ones that ask you to search between vaguely described objects and ones that have you follow a treasure map. The "search between" ones can be difficult if you don't play a lot or pay little attention to the map, but they simply involve going to a specific point and collecting a floating Battle Star. That means you can simply look at a map and parachute down to that point at the start of a match and almost guarantee yourself a quick and easy 10 Battle Stars.
Likewise, the treasure maps may sound daunting, but they aren't with a guide. While you're free to go to the location that's named--Haunted Hills, Pleasant Park, and so on--that's merely busywork if you have a guide. Those maps give you some hint of where to head on the island, and as with the "search between" challenges, you can just look up a map, see where you ultimately have to go, and head there at the very beginning of a match. It's as quick as these challenges get, they're worth 10 Battle Stars each, and you should be able to consistently get them done before anyone is able to kill you.
All 10 weeks in Season 4 had one of these two challenge types. You can check our guides through the links below for a map and instructions on how to reach each location.
While they may not yield 10 Battle Stars like the aforementioned challenges, there are a number of others that can be accomplished quickly and easily in a single life. For instance, you can consume seven Hop Rocks, which are a new type of item added at the start of Season 4 that lets you temporarily jump higher. These are found in a variety of locations, but landing at Dusty Divot at the start of a match will provide you with an abundance of Hop Rocks to consume; just wander the perimeter of the base set up there and you'll the find purple rocks all over the place. This has the benefit of taking care of another object that asks you to consume Hop Rocks, Apples, or Mushrooms, which are all fairly new consumable items found around the map.
One objective that requires more than a single match to complete but is worth considering as you do these others is Week 10's skydive through floating rings. You'll need to go through 20 total, and you can reasonably go through three each time you drop. As you make your way to Dusty Divot (or wherever you're headed), consider pulling your glider and hitting some rings on the journey from the battle bus.
Week 2: Consume Hop Rocks (7) -- 5 Battle Stars
Week 7: Consume Hop Rocks, Apples, or Mushrooms (2) -- 5 Battle Stars
Having taken care of the quicker objectives, there are some that aren't necessarily difficult, but they do involve some legwork. You can score goals on pitches, search hungry gnomes, search rubber duckies, and so on. These don't require completion during a single match, which is good news, because they're generally scattered around the map. As such, your best bet for maximizing your time is to drop in, knock one part of the challenge out, and then focus on something else.
Whereas those things are always found in fixed locations, vending machines and shopping carts are not. Vending machines tend to spawn in certain locations, so if you gather up enough materials, you can head to one of those and buy an item to get credit for using it (you'll need to do so three times). And if you spot a shopping cart, just grab hold of it for a moment to knock out that challenge. You can check out maps and tips for these through the links below.
Also Consider: Stack Your Objectives And Gather Your Friends
All of the above challenges are your best bets for quickly leveling up your Battle Pass. Once you've done those, there are still plenty of others to level you up even further and get the most desirable rewards. To do so efficiently, take a close look at what challenges you have available and see which ones overlap. You can work on pistol eliminations and dealing damage to opponents with pistols at the same time, for instance. And if you can do so at one of the locations where you're specifically asked to get eliminations, all the better. Alternatively, head somewhere you need to open chests (remember to check attics) and then rack up some kills to take care of chest, damage, and elimination challenges at the same time.
Additionally, if you've got any friends who play, now is the time to party up. One of the Starter challenges anyone can do (Battle Pass or not) involves playing 10 matches with friends; that only requires you to join a match together. Provided you can get three friends to join in, you can head to the building near Loot Lake to dance and raise the disco ball--something that might be difficult to do in a public game otherwise.
Fortnite Season 5 is just around the corner, and Epic has been steadily hinting at a historical or time travel theme this time around. Those clues are slowly getting more explicit, and the latest teaser image appears to be at it again--perhaps even showing an upcoming piece of equipment in the process.
The teaser image dropped on Twitter shows a stylized axe similar to Viking and Scandinavian hatchets. We can probably expect to see the axe make an appearance in Fortnite proper, perhaps as part of the Season 5 Battle Pass, which should be full of new cosmetic rewards. The same image appeared in today's in-game updates menu, with the phrase "Worlds Collide." That would seem to tie in with everything we've seen happening in the past few weeks.
For days, Fortnite has been home to strange time-bending shenanigans. After a missile launch appeared to open rifts in the map, strange historical objects have been phasing into existence. The effect goes both ways, too, as some items that have disappeared from the Fortnite map have popped up in unexpected places in the real world. Or sometimes, llamas. All of that has led to speculation of a time-travel theme for Season 5, which this latest tease seems to imply as well. The objects popping up in-game don't seem to match the time period, so this all stands to reason.
Fortnite Season 5 is scheduled to begin on Thursday, July 12, at 1 AM PDT / 4 AM EDT / 9 AM BST / 6 PM AET, so you have precious little time left to finish the Season 4 challenges. You can also take that time to finish your fan film for a screening and a bunch of V-Bucks.
Microsoft has rolled out some more backwards compatible games for Xbox One. As Major Nelson revealed on Twitter, another pair Xbox 360 titles are now playable on the current-gen console: the fantasy strategy game Overlord and its sequel, Overlord II.
Unlike most typical fantasy games, both Overlord and its follow-up cast players in the role of the villain, rather than the hero. The titles were praised for their unique RPG and real-time strategy elements on their initial release, with players commanding an army of impish minions to rebuild their dark kingdom. You can read more about each game in our original Overlord review and Overlord II review.
If you still own a physical copy of Overlord or Overlord II, you can simply insert the disc into your Xbox One and begin playing. Likewise, if you've previously purchased either game digitally, it will automatically appear in the Ready to Download section of Xbox One's My Games and Apps menu. Both titles are also available to download from the Microsoft Store for US $10 / £9 / AU $14.95 each.
Microsoft has been rolling out a steady stream of new backwards compatible games for Xbox One since the feature was first introduced back in 2015. More than 400 Xbox 360 games are now backwards compatible with the console, including Assassin's Creed Liberation HD and Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, both of which were added last week.
In addition to Xbox 360 games, Microsoft has recently added some original Xbox titles to the BC library. You can see everything that's available in our full list of backwards compatibility games. For recommendations on what classic titles are worth playing, be sure to check out our gallery of the best Xbox One backwards compatible games.
Nearly six years since he last sat behind the wheel, Sega's iconic hedgehog returns to the driver's seat in a brand-new kart racer, Team Sonic Racing. Developed by Sumo Digital, the same studio behind the acclaimed Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed and its predecessor, Team Sonic Racing looks and feels similar to previous installments in the series, but it also makes some dramatic changes that set it apart from other Sonic racing games.
The most apparent difference between Team Sonic Racing and past titles is its roster. Whereas both Transformed and the original Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing featured characters drawn from Sega's vast stable of franchises, including Shenmue's Ryo (who humorously raced in a forklift), Team Sonic Racing pares the roster down to racers taken strictly from the Sonic universe. Sega says this was a decision made to focus on crafting a pure Sonic racing game, and Sumo's previous expertise made it the perfect studio to handle the project. But while the lack of playable characters from other franchises is disappointing, Sega teases that Team Sonic Racing will still feature a wide selection of characters, including some who may not have appeared in a Sonic game in a long time.
Moreover, Team Sonic Racing eschews one of its predecessor's most distinctive features: vehicle transformations. Unlike in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, karts no longer change into a boat or a plane during the course of a race depending upon the terrain. Instead, Sumo says that players will be able to customize their vehicles before a race using a variety of unlockable parts, allowing them to tailor the karts' appearance and performance.
The biggest difference between Team Sonic Racing and its predecessors, however, is its focus on teamwork. While most racing games are, by their very nature, solo affairs, with each racer vying to be the first to cross the finish line, Team Sonic Racing's primary modes have players competing as teams of three. Players will be able to make a team out of any combination of characters, but in the demo we played, the teams were divided up according to their alliance; Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles were always paired together, while Shadow always teamed with Rouge and E-123 Omega, much like they did in Sonic Heroes. This similarity isn't coincidental; Sumo says it used Sonic Heroes as a reference for Team Sonic Racing's team mechanic, and it underpins every element in the new racer.
As in a typical racing game, each member of the team still competes individually, but their cumulative score at the end of the race will determine which team is the winner, much like Mario Kart 8's team races. On top of contributing toward the same score, players are able to work together with their teammates in a number of ways during a race, such as by giving each other items. This is particularly handy when one member of the team is lagging behind, as another can aid them by offering an item to potentially reverse their fortunes. Additionally, the leading member of the team will leave behind a trail on the racetrack, which will provide a speed boost to other team members who follow it.
Working cooperatively also feeds into the Ultimate meter, a shared gauge that gradually fills up as players perform different team actions during the course of the race, such as transferring item boxes to each other or taking down rival racers. Once the meter is full, it can be triggered to unleash a temporary boost of invincibility, allowing for some dramatic comebacks. This, too, depends largely upon cooperation between teammates; while any player can activate the Team Ultimate, it is more effective if all three members use it simultaneously. Its duration can also be extended by spinning out rival players, adding another element of cooperation and strategy to races.
This heavy emphasis on teamwork changes the dynamic of racing, as players need to consider not only their own standing during a race, but also their teammates'. Moreover, it affords players who don't normally perform well in a typical racing game the chance to contribute toward the team's success in other ways beyond trying to place in first. In addition to four-player local and 12-player online support, Team Sonic Racing will allow players to compete together using a mixture of the two options, which Sumo says is the ideal way to play the game.
Beyond its cooperative game modes, Team Sonic Racing also boasts a campaign in the form of Team Adventure mode. We didn't get a chance to try this out during our hands-on time with the game, but according to Sumo, Team Adventure will feature "light storytelling" that will introduce each of the game's characters and explain the reason why everyone is racing.
Despite trading many of the elements that made Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed such a beloved kart racer, Team Sonic Racing retains the look and feel of Sumo's previous Sonic racers, and its new focus on teamwork and cooperation is a promising hook that seems like it'll be especially well-suited for couch co-op. Sega hasn't announced a release date yet for Team Sonic Racing, but the game is slated to arrive for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC sometime this winter.
Does a regular old wrestling match do nothing for you? Do you want something more extreme, like superstars flying off of ladders, smashing each other with kendo sticks, and powerslams onto thumbtacks? Well, you're in luck--minus the thumbtacks--as WWE's most hardcore PPV of the year, Extreme Rules, comes to the WWE Network on Sunday, July 15.
This year's over-the-top PPV will take place at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and those going to the event or watching from the comfort of their homes will be in store for a night of hard hits and unconventional items being used as weapons. For those not attending the live event, Extreme Rules begins at 7 PM ET/4 PM PT with a Kickoff Show starting one hour prior. Normally, one match takes place during the Kickoff, but as of this writing, nothing has been announced.
For the first time in a while, there's actually a few fun tag team matches happening at a major WWE event. Daniel Bryan and Kane reunited recently on Smackdown, and now, they have a chance to win the Smackdown Tag Championships from The Bludgeon Brothers. Additionally, it's brother (Bray Wyatt) against brother (Bo Dallas) as the champions The Deleters of Worlds take on The B Team (The "B" stands for "Best") for the Raw Tag Championships. There are seven championships on the line that evening, and the only major title that won't be defended is the Universal Championship--because Brock Lesnar never defends it. At the time of this writing, there are eleven matches on the card. More than likely, this is in the finalized card.
Strangely enough, as of this writing, there is only one Extreme Rules match for the PPV, and that's for the Raw Women's Championship. As of this writing, a Tables Match has been added, but there are no more Extreme Rules matches.
Extreme Rules Match Card:
The New Day vs. SAnitY (Tables Match on KICKOFF SHOW)
Braun Strowman vs Kevin Owens (Steel Cage Match)
Roman Reigns vs. Bobby Lashley
Finn Bálor vs. "Constable" Baron Corbin
Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Seth Rollins (30-Minute Iron Man match for the Intercontinental Championship)
The Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs. Team Hell No (For the Smackdown Tag Championship)
Deleters of Worlds (c) vs. The B-Team (For the Raw Tag Championship)
Carmella (c) vs. Asuka (For the Smackdown Women's Championship with James Ellsworth suspended above the ring in a Shark Cage))
Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Nia Jax (Extreme Rules match for the Raw Women's Championship)
Jeff Hardy (c) vs Shinsuke Nakamura (For the United States Championship)
AJ Styles (c) vs. Rusev (For the WWE Championship)
Make sure to come back to GameSpot on Sunday, July 15 for live coverage of WWE's Extreme Rules. For now, check out our predictions for the event.
Amazon is going all out in July to drum up excitement for Prime Day, its annual sales event that sees tons of products across all categories get temporary price drops. Prime Day 2018 is a 36-hour event that kicks off July 16 at 12 PM PT (3 PM ET / 12 PM BT) and runs through July 17. While we don't know exactly what items Amazon will put on sale during Prime Day, the company has already begun offering up free PC games for anyone who links their Amazon Prime and Twitch accounts. All told, 21 free games are available throughout July. The only catch? You have to be an Amazon Prime member to take advantage of the deals. Thankfully, there are some loopholes.
The free games for Prime members in July include Tacoma, Brutal Legend, Hue, and a whole lot more rolling out each day between now and Prime Day. You can find the full list here. And if you stick with your Prime membership after July, you'll continue to get a bundle of free games each month through Twitch--much like PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold.
If you haven't been a Prime member in the past 12 months, you can sign up here to start a one-month free trial (students get six months for free). That will get you all the free games from Twitch that are available between now and Prime Day. The games are yours to keep forever, even if you cancel your Prime membership before your first payment is due.
Let's say you've been a Prime member in the past 12 months, so the free trial doesn't apply to you. Don't worry, you don't have to drop $120 on a one-year membership to get your free games and take part in the Prime Day sales. Instead, you can subscribe for a month for $13 and take advantage of the deals. Then, if you want to cancel your membership before you're charged for a second month, you can.
Amazon Prime members get more than just free games from Twitch. The service also includes free two-day shipping on over 100 million products, access to Prime Video, Prime Music, and select free Kindle ebooks each month. If you shop at Amazon regularly or play PC games, it's probably worth the money.
The ending of Avengers: Infinity War is pretty emotionally brutal, but we didn't behold the full scope of the unspeakable horror. Marvel film head Kevin Feige recently confirmed that it's actually even worse than what was depicted on-screen. Spoilers follow.
The Marvel blockbuster ends with the villainous Thanos successfully acquiring the Infinity Stones and slotting them into his magic glove, only to fulfill his deranged mission: ending half of all life with a snap of his fingers to leave the universe's resources more accessible for those left alive. We get to see this manifest among our heroes, as several of them crumble into dust. What we didn't see are half of the puppies and kittens crumbling too.
Feige confirmed the mass slaughter to Birth Movies Death. In response to a question about whether half of the animals died as well--citing dogs and ants, specifically--Feige replied: "Yes! Yes. All life."
Depending on how strictly we're to take "all life," that would include plants as well, which would undermine Thanos' entire plan to solve resource scarcity. Plus killing half the animals will mean sudden shortages of other food sources, but they don't call him the Mad Titan for his well-reasoned plans.
Despite this obvious oversight, Thanos has gathered a fan following. The subreddit r/thanosdidnothingwrong recently engaged in a wild stunt, mass-banning half of its users and turning them into virtual carbon dust. It did this with the blessing of Thanos actor Josh Brolin, though, so at least it's all on-the-level.
Bandai Namco has detailed a patch for Dark Souls Remastered that is intended to improve security and address cheating in the game's online multiplayer mode. The patch is set to launch on July 11 (exact times below) and game servers will be offline during the maintenance time. However, offline play won't be impacted.
Along with the crackdown on cheaters, the new patch will also tweak gameplay to stamp out a few bugs, including one where The Four Kings to not properly appear in The Abyss. Beyond that there's some changes to ensure in-game messages from other players are properly displayed and the correct number of Estus Flasks are shown when you use a Black Separation Crystal. Take a look at the full patch notes below, courtesy of Bandai Namco.
Server Maintenance Times
Playstation 4
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC): 01:00 - 03:00
Japanese Standard Time (JST): 10:00 - 12:00
Central European Standard Time (CEST): 03:00 - 05:00
Pacific Daylight Time (Maintenance begins on July 10 in the PDT time zone) (PDT): 18:00 - 20:00
Xbox One
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC): 01:00 - 07:00
Japanese Standard Time (JST): 10:00 - 16:00
Central European Standard Time (CEST): 03:00 - 09:00
Pacific Daylight Time (Maintenance begins on July 10 in the PDT time zone) (PDT): 18:00 - 00:00
Steam/PC
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC): 08:00 - 10:00
Japanese Standard Time (JST): 17:00 - 19:00
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Patch Notes
All Platforms
Fixed a bug in which The Four Kings are not displayed properly in The Abyss.
Fixed a bug in which the ending comes up in Kiln of the first flame without defeating the boss when you do specific moves before the boss area.
Fixed a bug in which player's clear data is erroneous when the application is finished on specific conditions after defeating Gwyn, Lord of Cinder.
Fixed a bug in which messages are not displayed to other players on asynchronous online.
Fixed a bug in which session matching stops during online mode when the player fails to join the session where blocked players are playing.
Fixed a bug in which the number of Estus Flask possessions is not displayed properly when you return by Black Separation Crystal.
Improved the security against cheating during online multiplayer.
Playstation 4
Fixed a bug in which the application cannot be launched.
Playstation 4 and Steam/PC
Fixed a bug in which players become invisible during online multiplayer.
Xbox One
Fixed a bug in which after players reset their stats and create a new profile, the new profile still features the reset stats.
In GameSpot's original Dark Souls review Kevin VanOrd awarded the game a 9.5/10, praising its "gorgeous and frightening world, amazing bosses, and superb combat."
He continued: "Dark Souls requires intense focus. This isn't a lighthearted romp in a bright and colorful fantasy world; it's a methodical journey into the frightening unknown. And that's what makes it so riveting. Some games try to scare you with bump-in-the-night shocks and far-off howls, but Dark Souls doesn't require such predictable methods of terror. Its terrors emanate from its very core, each step bringing you closer to another inevitable death. How amazing that such a terrible place could be so inviting. The game's world is so memorable, and its action so thrilling, that it might invade your thoughts even when you aren't playing, silently urging you to escape the real world and return to this far more treacherous one. Dark Souls doesn't just surpass other dungeon crawlers; it skewers them with a razor-sharp halberd and leaves behind their soulless corpses."
One of the game's biggest downsides, the inconsistent frame rate, is has been alleviated somewhat in the remaster, making it the best version of the game to play. If you'd like to see what the game can look like at its worst, there's a Dark Souls episode of Potato Mode in which Joey and Jean-Luc fiddle around with the game's settings to force it to look as bad as possible.
Code Vein, the Bandai Namco title that is affectionately referred to as "anime Dark Souls" has been delayed into 2019. The game was originally set to release on September 28, 2018, but, according to its publisher, extra time is being spent to "ensure that the final product delivers on the expectations set amongst media and fans."
"Code Vein has received an enormous amount of positive feedback from eager fans who have received hands-on time with in-development versions of the game over the past nine months,," said Eric Hartness, vice president of Bandai Namco America's marketing.
"Armed with knowledge of how well the game has already been received, we made the decision to postpone the release of Code Vein to further refine its gameplay in an effort to exceed the expectations fans already have of the title. It was a difficult decision to make, but we feel it is the correct one."
Bandai Namco did not provide a more specific release date, other than "2019."
In Code Vein, players take control of a Revenant who exists in a world "full of vicious enemies and monstrous bosses." One of the key gameplay mechanics is extracting blood from enemies to boost your own abilities.
"Players can change their form to increase their strength, weaken enemies, and utilize new weapon abilities with overpowered attacks," Bandai Namco previously explained. "Utilizing the vast array of weaponry along with each character's Gift, players can adapt and strategize to a variety of battle conditions that suit their play styles."
On July 9, Bandai Namco released a couple of Code Vein character trailers which provided more information the game's overall story. Code Vein will be available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Capcom's celebrated RPG Monster Hunter World is finally coming to PC in August, and now the publisher has shared some further details about it, including its PC specs.
In addition to the specs (you can see the Minimum and Recommended specs below), Capcom announced some of the game's Advanced Graphics Settings. You'll be able to tinker with things like foliage sway, subsurface scattering, water reflection, and dynamic range. What's more, there is keybinding support. Check out the images embedded in this post to get a closer look at what will be available in the PC edition of Monster Hunter World.
Monster Hunter World launched for PS4 and Xbox One in January. It has been a resounding commercial success for Capcom, setting a new launch record for the series and becoming the publisher's best-selling game ever. The game also received a positive reception from critics. GameSpot awarded it an 8/10 in our Monster Hunter World review and called it "a meaningful evolution for the series at large."
The game comes to PC through Steam on August 9. If you pre-purchase Monster Hunter World on Steam, you get a pair of bonus items: the Origin armor set and the Fair Wind Charm. In addition to the standard version, the game will also be available in a Digital Deluxe edition, which contains the same assortment of customization items found in the console equivalent. This includes a set of Samurai armor, three gestures (Zen, Ninja Star, and Sumo Slap), two sticker sets, and a new face paint and hairstyle option.
You can watch a trailer for Monster Hunter World's PC edition in the embed above.
A new Joker origin story movie starring Joaquin Phoenix in the title role is officially happening, with production to begin this September, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The story will reportedly be an "exploration of a man disregarded by society [that] is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale."
The Hangover director Todd Phillips, who co-wrote the script, is directing. The Warner Bros. movie reportedly has a budget of only around $55 million, which is well below what other Warner Bros. superhero and villain movies have cost to produce. According to THR, the film is "meant to be darker and more experimental in tone and content (at least as experimental as a studio can be with established brands such as DC), which is described as being akin to a crime drama."
No official release date has been set, but THR claims the film could be in theaters by late 2019. Shooting reportedly starts in September in New York.
Phoenix is a veteran and accomplished actor. He earned three Oscar nominations, for Gladiator, Walk the Line, and The Master, though he has yet to win. The actor's name has been attached to the Joker for many months now, but today marks the first official confirmation that the movie is happening.
While Phoenix has yet to star in a comic book movie, he's been close before. Before Benedict Cumberbatch was cast, the actor was in talks to star in Doctor Strange. He also passed on the role of Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Additionally, this will be the first comic book film for Phillips, who previously directed the Hangover franchise, War Dogs, and 2003's Old School.
We may be only in the middle of 2018, but there's already an exciting roster of games releasing in 2019. Highly-anticipated games like Anthem, Days Gone, and Kingdom Hearts III make up only a small number of what's ahead. And that's not to mention the all the big games recently revealed at E3, like Resident Evil 2 Remake, Gears 5, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which we can't wait to get our hands on. To help you keep track of all the games coming out next year, we've compiled a list of all the noteworthy release dates for the biggest ones confirmed to come out in 2019 so far.
More dates are sure to be confirmed as the year goes on, so be sure to check back often as we update this article with new additions or potential changes. But if you're looking for this year's release dates, you can also reference our feature on the game release dates of 2018.
Below you can find a list of the biggest games that don't have explicit release dates but are confirmed to release sometime in 2019. We'll be moving each of these games into the release date sections above as soon as official dates are announced.
After several years of waiting, Capcom has finally debuted its remake of classic survival-horror game Resident Evil 2. If you only watched its E3 2018 reveal trailer, chances are you have some questions regarding how it plays and how faithful it is to the 1998 original. There are still plenty of details that we don't know, but Capcom has at least offered some clarity on its most curious changes.
To ensure you're kept up to date on everything there is to know about Resident Evil 2 remake, we've compiled all the information we have on the game so far: how it came to be, why its camera is from the third-person over-the-shoulder perspective, and more.
While not explicitly titled "Resident Evil 2 Remake," the game is in fact a total remake of the classic survival-horror game, and not a remastered version of the PS1 original with touched-up graphics--much in the same vein as 2002's Resident Evil remake. You once again control rookie cop Leon Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield, who must escape Raccoon City after its citizens are transformed into zombies by a virus two months after the events of the first Resident Evil.
The project came to be after Capcom producer Yoshiaki "H" Hirabayashi took to Facebook on July 30, 2015 to ask the Resident Evil community if they'd be interested in a remake. The request was met with enthusiastic support, which prompted Hirabayashi to pitch the idea to his boss sometime later. The result of the pitch meeting was confirmed the following August when the game was formally announced by Hirabayashi in a special message to fans.
How It Plays
The Resident Evil 2 remake plays from a third-person over-the-shoulder perspective, similar to Resident Evil 4. If you're worried this deviates too far from the original's fixed-camera system, don't let this get you down: the remake still emphasizes survival-horror above all else. You're not given the same amount of power that the more action-oriented games in the series offer you.
The new aiming style feels like a modernized version of the aiming from classic Resident Evil games that allows you to move and pick out where you want your shots to land.
This manifests itself in combat. When you aim, the cardinal markers on your reticle slowly move until they're closed in on the center, allowing you to fire a more precise shot. But when you move, the reticle resets and takes time to close in again. Shots take time to line up and you need to stand still to get them just right; you can't instantly fire from the hip and expect to hit your target. It's a small change, but it completely alters your sense of control. The new aiming style feels like a modernized version of the aiming from classic Resident Evil games that allows you to move and pick out where you want your shots to land.
Progression also remains largely the same as the original Resident Evil 2. You're still solving puzzles, tracking down keys, gathering resources, and putting them back into item boxes for later use. But there's more freedom to explore and discover secrets at your own pace and in varying orders--which is a welcome change of pace from the more constricted adventure game-like progression of the original. You're constantly investigating new pathways and gaining new items that might help you open up the way to your objective.
In the same way Resident Evil 7 felt like a classic Resident Evil game played from the first-person perspective, the Resident Evil 2 remake feels the same--but from an over-the-shoulder perspective.
Why The Third-Person Camera Perspective?
As stated, Resident Evil 2 remake will play from a third-person over-the-shoulder view. Hirabayashi told GameSpot that he and his team chose the perspective because they wanted the experience of playing the game to be "intimately terrifying in nature, to [have] up-close and personal zombie encounters that you can only get with that kind of view." He commented further that the perspective was also chosen to open up new possibilities for the series' classic puzzle-solving.
Based on our time spent playing the game at E3 2018, the third-person perspective plays well with the labyrinthian corridors of the police department, making exploration feel unsettling and claustrophobic. We're curious how it'll be effectively used in the latter portions of the game.
How Faithfully Does It Recreate The Original?
Currently, all we have to go in terms of judging the game's faithfulness is the Racoon City Police Department--the primary location of the first playable demo at E3. The remake appears to closely recreate many of the area's iconic rooms and corridors, while adding in new details to give it a more modern flair. Some rooms have been slightly rearranged, but the overall structure of the police station remains largely the same--at least from the first floor. Some areas are much darker than in the original too, forcing Leon to brandish a flashlight in order to safely navigate the environment. Also, there are no longer any loading screen doors, so say goodbye to your old-school escape techniques, zombies will now follow you from room to room whether you like it or not.
Leon is still the rookie cop with a heart of gold that we all remember, yet his naivety and sense of honor is reframed and more subtly reflected in his line delivery. Commanding officer Marvin Branagh appears to be a more substantial character who still warns Leon of the dangers ahead, but who seems to have a larger presence, remaining in the main hall after gifting you with a survival knife (and not a keycard).
Story events seem to be remixed as well. The beats we've seen so far are incredibly similar, with Leon reaching the police station, but the story progresses slightly differently. For example, you're forced to explore the Eastern side of the police station first before encountering Marvin, instead of meeting up with him first to unlock the doors to both the Western and Eastern sections.
How Will The Leon/Claire Campaigns Work?
One of the most unique aspects of the original Resident Evil 2 was how it separated its campaign; you had the option to start the game as either Leon or Claire. And depending on who you finished the campaign with, you could then start a new one from the other character's perspective. This closely tied into the Zapping System, where each of the two playable characters are confronted with different storylines and puzzles depending on the order you choose to play their scenarios. You had the option of starting the "A" scenario with either of the two protagonists and then completing their subsequent "B" scenario, resulting in a total of four different scenarios.
It appears that the remake won't use the Zapping System, but will instead offer a total of two completely separate campaigns starring Leon and Claire. It's unclear if your actions in either of the two campaigns will impact the other.
Any Other Fancy New Features?
Similar to Resident Evil remake, whenever you're grabbed, you can instantly stab a zombie to push them away and avoid damage. Interestingly, your knife will remain in the body of the zombie until you pick it back up. We're curious what would happen if you left the knife in the zombie and carried on, as there also seem to be puzzles that involve using your knife. Are you forced to backtrack and retrieve it? Or are there multiple combat knives you can find? Time will tell.
As you explore the RPD, you'll get your hands on wooden boards that you can use to barricade doors and windows from zombies and other bioweapon threats. If the absence of loading screen doors hurts your sense of safety, then these new wooden boards can serve as a decent--albeit temporary--replacement.
Lastly, a gunpowder crafting mechanic is present, which allows you to create much-needed ammo from scratch. If it's anything like past games, you'll likely be relying on it to create the fancier ammo types needed to swiftly take down strong opponents.
What's The Release Date?
Resident Evil 2 remake will release on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on January 25, 2019. That's not too far away, but gosh doesn't it just feel like an eternity?
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