Editor's note: The review contains spoilers for The Walking Dead: A New Frontier. Throughout Telltale's The Walking Dead, we have seen what living in a zombified hellscape can do to people. The one perpetual ray of hope was in Clementine, the little girl whose soul you've been trying to protect since the first hour of the first season, and the character you control in Telltale's latest chapter. She was one of the depressingly few children left, now forced to grow up in a hostile world of zombies, desperate survivors, treacherous backcountry, deathtrap cities, and, above all, rampant, indiscriminate, ignoble death. We've seen, in New Frontier, what this world does to her. It has robbed the music from her voice. She carried the tragedies she has endured like a ball and chain wrapped around her neck.
It's worth mentioning that sad, storied history to understand just how strangely heartening it is that The Walking Dead's final season kicks off on a note of… well, hope is a strong word. Acceptance may be closer to the truth. Having known so little else of the world before, Clementine having pushed past her broken, bloody adolescence into early adulthood with her sanity intact may be the greatest blessing Telltale could've possibly given her character.
Without a doubt, much of that likely comes down to necessity. While we never see the how of it all, when Done Running begins it is at least six or seven years after the events of A New Frontier and Clementine has found A.J., the ersatz adopted son who was taken away by her authoritarian caretakers in Richmond, Virginia. The episode starts with Clementine behind the wheel of a muscle car, racing through the backroads with A.J. in the backseat. If we didn't know that walkers could be literally anywhere, it could just be a young mother and their son on a road trip to see family. There are smiles, Clementine jokes around with toys to make A.J. laugh in the face of his hunger, and the trials of figuring out the next move or where the next meal is coming are treated as facts of life rather than crushing burden. Life among the walkers is now a simple truth, and both Clem and A.J. have grown into people who have adjusted accordingly.
The same can be said of Telltale itself, which has also evolved the long-stagnant gameplay of the series. The camera is now fully controllable in action sequences, over Clementine's shoulder. QTEs are still a core element of gameplay, but you can now face walkers more proactively, walking up and choosing whether to go for a stab to the head directly or target its kneecaps before destroying the head. Walkers that get too close still need to be fought off by spamming an action button, but extra care has to be taken now--if more than one walker catches Clem off guard, it's game over. Later in the episode, environmental traps can be triggered, which help give Clementine a little more breathing room. While not a problem on PC, there is a little bit of confusion when going from the third-person camera to having to use the classic cursor for certain segments on consoles, and not being able to separately adjust how the camera and cursor control is a missed opportunity. Still, the complaints about Telltale's games being little more than Dragon's Lair with branching dialogue have been somewhat muted.
The art style and the graphics have seen a similar once-over, stepping ever-so-slightly away from trying to be a 1:1 translation of the original Walking Dead comics. Character models are handled as usual, save for the updated lighting system introduced in The Walking Dead Collection. However, much of the background details take on a rougher, more abstract nature that grants a beautiful, lurid contrast to the sharper character models in the daytime, and makes the horrors that visit at night even harder to see in the distance. A cellar sequence late in the episode may be one of the most legitimately effective pure horror sequences in the entire series due to lighting that obscure whether a walker is on the other side of the room or literally right behind you.
It's such a rarity that the responsibilities of motherhood are treated with care and respect in a video game, and the stakes are sky high when so much of Clementine's motherhood revolves around how to best avoid or deal out death.
The game still plays to Telltale's greatest strength, which is branching storytelling. The tables have been turned somewhat, however most of Done Running isn't necessarily about furthering the plot, or creating tense scraps for Clementine to shoot her way out of, but sheer exploration and observation in a unique scenario we've never seen in the series. After an encounter with a group of Walkers goes sideways on Clementine and A.J., they convalesce at Ericson Academy, a long-forgotten, isolated, boarding school where the adults are either dead or have abandoned their young charges. Clementine is surrounded, for the first time, by well-written, fully-fleshed out children and teenagers. A couple of them had lives before the walkers, but most don't. There is no old world for them to miss, as many were too young when the dead started turning to mourn having parents at all.
Much of the dialogue, then, is focused less on deciding how Clementine will survive going forward, but seeing exactly how other kids have adjusted in this insanity and deciding how much she wants to join them. How you've played Clementine in the past may determine how much distance you want to put between Clem and this community. Everyone knows what happens to tight-knit groups in this world, and while the kids may have some measure of grace about "the same thing that always happens" happening to one of their own, it begs the question of how much you want to get invested. One of the big moments of the episode is meeting the leader, Marlon, and his big burly, walker-mauling pit bull named Rosie. Series veterans will remember very, very well what happened the last time Clementine met a dog, and the memory of that horror is all over her face when Rosie appears. Choosing to get over that fear goaded by Marlon's assertions that she's a sweetheart of a dog when there aren't walkers around may very well be one half of the Rosetta Stone to how you should play Clementine for the episode.
The other half, however, is A.J., and it's in him that much of the tension of the episode and, you can guess, the season will come from. Much of the series thus far has been about you playing caretaker and benefactor over Clementine's soul, keeping her sane throughout unfathomable terror. A.J., on the other hand, is not only younger than Clementine was when this all started, but hasn't had nearly as much exposure to people as she did at the same age. And like every young child, A.J. is an information sponge for the world around him.
One of the first prompts you get in game states "A.J. is always listening.". It's true. A.J. sees every action Clementine takes, takes everything she tells him as gospel, and generally follows her lead. So much of his life has been just the two of them; however, many of the lessons come back to literally bite them (or, rather, vice versa). Once they arrive at Ericson, A.J. instinctively attacks people who try sneaking up behind him, bites people who approach him the wrong way, and tends to scrounge for materials, not caring whether they belong to someone else. One of the big decisions of the episode is whether to allow him to sleep on the floor their first night, with A.J. explaining that it would help him hide from walkers, and he could help protect Clementine better from a place of safety. It's a little heartbreaking, and yet, it's up to you whether that sad fact of his existence is worth breaking knowing that it might come in handy later. A much bigger, more lethal lesson is imparted early on that could majorly turn around on you in the last moments of the episode if you play it a certain way. It's such a rarity that the responsibilities of motherhood are treated with care and respect in a video game, and the stakes are sky high when so much of Clementine's motherhood revolves around how to best avoid or deal out death.
The full scope and breadth of The Walking Dead: The Final Season has yet to be laid out, though perhaps the best hint can be found in the game's fancy, HBO-esque title sequence, showing Clementine and A.J. walking into Ericson, but also showing a silhouetted dead walker rotting away in the front yard, being overtaken by ivy, and, eventually, sprouting a yellow flower. Beautiful things are possible in the new world and the new ways to play that Telltale has laid out in Done Running. But something ugly and horrifying is likely to happen first, and it is going to be captivating to watch.
One more survivor of Avengers: Infinity War has been confirmed. In a brief new video, Thor's roommate Darryl wishes the god of thunder a happy birthday and updates him on what he's been up to since Thanos came to earth. Spoilers for Infinity War follow.
Darryl was originally featured in a series of shorts alongside Thor (Chris Hemsworth) to explain why the powerful demi-god was missing-in-action during Captain America: Civil War. He was apparently trying to live out a normal life, taking up in an Australian apartment with an average guy. The resulting odd couple made for some hilarious misadventures, but his fate was in question in light of Thanos' magical finger-snap wiping out half the population of the universe.
Fear not, though, Darryl fans. In a new short, Darryl is alive and well and wishing his buddy Thor a happy belated birthday. (Actor Chris Hemsworth's birthday is August 11, and Darryl's video was released on August 12). And though he survived, many of his fellow office workers didn't, so now he has to work on Sundays.
It's a lighthearted way to deal with a movie that was shockingly dark, having ended with half of the universe--including many of our own heroes like Spider-Man and Black Panther--being wiped out in an instant. The movie had its share of funny moments, including some that were cut out, but it certainly ended on a dour note. Help is on the way, but we'll have to wait until next April to see how it all resolves.
A convergence of sales is happening on the PlayStation Store this week. Sony has its regular weekly sale going on, plus a Totally Digital sale on download-only games. And to top it off, Ubisoft is running a publisher sale of its own. Taken all together, anyone on the lookout for PS4 game deals has plenty of options to choose from this week. As indicated below, PlayStation Plus subscribers get an extra discount on certain games. Let's dig in.
In the Ubisoft sale, just about every recent PS4 game from the publisher is available at a discount. Among them, you can get the racing game The Crew 2 for $48 ($42 with PS Plus). It lets you cruise across the US, switching between automobiles, boats, and planes on the fly. The all-American shooter Far Cry 5 is down to $42 ($35) this week. And a trio of Tom Clancy games gets a substantial discount as well, with The Division landing at $20 ($15), Ghost Recon: Wildlands at $26 ($20), and Rainbow Six Siege at $25 ($20).
It's worth noting that for most of these Ubisoft games, you can get nice deals on their bundles and special editions as well. So if you want packages that contain any of those games along with all of their DLC, you can see if they're in the full list here.
On the indie side of the sale, you can pick up the creepy puzzle platformer Inside for $8 ($6) or its predecessor Limbo for $4 ($3). The tough-as-nails platformer N++ is available for half off at $7.50 (no additional PS Plus discount on that one), and the rogue-lite action platformer Rogue Legacy is on sale for $7 ($5).
Many more games are on sale on the PlayStation Store between now and August 21, some of which you can find listed below. For even more, you can visit the PlayStation Store to find the complete list.
Award-winning game developer The Chinese Room has been acquired by the Sumo Group. Founded by Dan Pinchbeck and Jessica Curry, The Chinese Room is best known for making narrative-driven indie titles like Everybody's Gone to the Rapture and Dear Esther, but the team also created games like Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs.
The Chinese Room is the fifth studio to join the Sumo Group under the Sumo Digital umbrella. Sumo Digital is currently developing Crackdown 3 for Microsoft, having previously worked on other Xbox exclusives such as the Forza Horizon franchise and Xbox Fitness.
Curry wished to remain independent and is leaving the studio to pursue other work as a composer, but Pinchbeck is staying on as The Chinese Room's new creative director. Sumo Group CEO Carl Cavers said, "I am really pleased that Dan has chosen to join Sumo Group. We believe Dan's renowned creative abilities will add real value to Sumo Group. The Chinese Room has an outstanding reputation and its acquisition will enhance and extend Sumo Digital's capabilities."
Pinchbeck is also excited about the acquisition, saying, "I'm thrilled to be joining Sumo Digital, a network of studios I've a huge amount of respect for. Sumo will provide the support and experience I'm looking for to take The Chinese Room to the next level. Our aim is to build on the reputation I'm proud to have earned, to create a truly world-class studio delivering bold, imaginative new games. We're already working on some really fantastic new concepts, alongside discussions with partners about some of the games we already have in the pipeline. The future for the studio is incredibly exciting and being part of the Sumo family is absolutely central to that."
It's almost time for Summerslam, the biggest WWE PPV of the season. It will be taking place Sunday, August 19 on the WWE Network. For the fourth year in a row, the event will be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Most of WWE's championship titles will be up for grabs for the major event, including Roman Reigns taking on Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship.
Summerslam's main card will start at 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT. In the past couple of years, the bigger WWE events, like Summerslam and Wrestlemania, have had longer Kickoff Shows, which are two hours long, so expect this Kickoff to start at 5 PM ET / 2 PM PT. As of this writing, WWE's scheduling for August 19 is not available, so we don't know for sure.
If you're interested in watching the event, but don't have the WWE Network, you can sign up for one month for free and cancel at any time without any contractual obligations. That means you can watch Summerslam for free and cancel right afterwards. However, if you like the service, it'll cost you $10 a month to continue using it. The WWE Network is available on gaming consoles, iOS, Android, Roku, Smart TVs, and more.
As of this writing, there are already eleven matches on the card, and there could possibly be more added, included a match for the Raw Tag Team Championship. If it happens, it will be announced the Monday before the event.
Aside from Reigns taking on Lesnar for the Universal Championship for the umpteenth time, there are some continuations of solid storylines as well as new rivalries that have some legs. Jeff Hardy will get his rematch against Shinsuke Nakamura for the United States Championship, and hopefully, Hardy learns to wear a cup to protect himself from low blows. Additionally, Ronda Rousey will get a chance to win the Raw Women's Championship from Alexa Bliss. Hopefully, if Rousey ends up winning, she will be a fighting champion and not absent like a certain champion on the men's roster has been for the past couple of years. The card is already pretty filled out, and we're still a couple weeks away from the show.
Summerslam match card:
Rusev & Lana vs. Andrade "Cien" Almas & Zelina Vega [KICKOFF MATCH]
The B-Team vs. The Revival [KICKOFF MATCH] (For the Raw Tag Team Championship)
Cedric Alexander (c) vs. Drew Gulak (For the Cruiserweight Championship)
Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Jeff Hardy (For the United States Championship)
Carmella (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch (For the Smackdown Women's Championship)
Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz
Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Seth Rollins (For the Intercontinental Championship)
Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens
The Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs. The New Day (For the Smackdown Tag Team Championship)
Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin
Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Ronda Rousey (For the Raw Women's Championship)
AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe (For the WWE Championship)
Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns (For the Universal Championship)
Make sure to come back to GameSpot on Sunday, August 19 for live coverage of the event. Don't expect the demon from Hell, Kane, to be involved in this PPV in anyway though. He's currently transitioning into his new role as mayor.
Activision has announced the first beta session for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's Blackout mode. As was the case with this month's private multiplayer beta, the first Blackout test will be reserved exclusively for PS4 players and is scheduled to kick off on September 10.
Blackout is Black Ops 4's take on battle royale. Aside from a brief glimpse in the game's latest trailer, however, Activision hasn't shared many details about the mode yet. Likewise, the publisher didn't provide much information as to what the Blackout beta will entail, but the official Call of Duty Twitter account revealed that players will have three different options to play the mode: solos, duos, and quads.
To get access to the Blackout beta, you'll need to pre-order a copy of Black Ops 4. While the first session will only be available on PS4, Activision will host additional beta sessions for other platforms at a later date. Xbox One owners will likewise need to pre-order the game to participate in the Blackout beta, but PC players will be able to jump in even without reserving the title.
Black Ops 4's Blackout mode was first announced at E3 this past June. Developer Treyarch says it features the largest map the studio has ever created--approximately 1,500 times larger than Nuketown. The developer also revealed the mode draws heavily from previous Black Ops games and features ground, air, and sea vehicles--although last we heard, Treyarch was still undecided on Blackout's player count.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 releases for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on October 12. In addition to Blackout, the game will launch with an expanded Zombies mode. However, it won't feature a traditional single-player campaign; instead, players will be able to undertake a series of solo missions that focus on each of Specialist character.
As expected, the Summerslam card is not finalized. There have been a couple of additions and one change--thus far--the week leading up to the PPV. If the rumors are true, there will be even more changes coming soon. Because of this, the predictions for the matches may change based on the final match card.
Coming to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York--for a fourth year in a row--on Sunday, August 19, is WWE's yearly event, Summerslam. This year's PPV will be huge as the card is already stacked, including many championship matches. However, with this many matches already on the card, it's going to be one long show.
Summerslam begins at 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT on the WWE Network. The programming schedule for August 19 has been released, and the Kickoff Show will start two hours prior. Just like the the past couple of years, Summerslam's Kickoff has been two hours long. So if you plan on catching the entire event, make sure to tune in at 5 PM ET / 2 PM PT, as the Kickoff Show tends to have a couple matches on the program. As of this writing, there are 12 matches at 2018's Summerslam, and there's a possibility one more will be added.
If you're looking to watch Summerslam, but don't have the WWE Network, you can sign up for free for a month right now. After the trial subscription is up, the service costs $10 a month. However, there is no obligation to continue using the WWE Network after the trial.
While there are a lot of matches on the Summerslam card, one of the most notable is Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz. While you could say this rivalry dates back to 2010, when Miz was the mentor to Bryan on the first version of the TV series NXT, things really heated up back in August of 2016 when Miz went off on Bryan on an episode of Talking Smack. At the time, Bryan wasn't cleared to wrestle, but now he is, and this is the first time these two have faced each other in the ring in years. This is easily the best match build on the card.
Additionally, many titles are on the line, including the WWE Universal Championship, which Brock Lesnar still has in his possession. He'll be facing Roman Reigns yet again, and this may be the time Lesnar finally loses the title, but we've been wrong on countless occasions before.
Summerslam match card:
Rusev & Lana vs. Andrade "Cien" Almas & Zelina Vega (Kickoff Match)
The B-Team (c) vs. The Revival (Kickoff Show)
Cedric Alexander (c) vs. Drew Gulak (For the Cruiserweight Championship)
Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Jeff Hardy (For the United States Championship)
Carmella (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch (For the Smackdown Women's Championship)
Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz
Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Seth Rollins (For the Intercontinental Championship)
Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens
The Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs. The New Day (For the Smackdown Tag Team Championship)
Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin
Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Ronda Rousey (For the Raw Women's Championship)
AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe (For the WWE Championship)
Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns (For the Universal Championship)
Come back to GameSpot on Sunday, August 19 for live coverage of Summerslam.
Rusev & Lana vs. Andrade "Cien" Almas & Zelina Vega (Kickoff Match)
This feels like a perfect Kickoff match for Summerslam. Rusev vs. Andrade Almas--on its own merit--would be a really great PPV match, and the addition of Zelina Vega and Lana is fine. We'll get to see how these women have evolved as wrestlers a bit more. Regardless, this does feel like a push for Almas and Vega, since Rusev and Lana couldn't be more over right now. Because of that, I'm thinking Almas and Vega will get the win.
Our prediction: Almas and Vega win
The B-Team (c) vs. The Revival (Kickoff Show)
(For the Raw Tag Team Champions)
Raw's tag team division is lackluster right now, to say the least. And The Revival should be the team that, well, revives it. However, this is a Kickoff show match on an extremely bloated card. A title change here doesn't make sense. As much as I personally enjoy both of these tag teams, I want to see The Revival win it, but Summerslam is not going to be where this title changes hands.
Our prediction: The B-Team wins
Cedric Alexander (c) vs. Drew Gulak
(For the Cruiserweight Championship)
I miss the days where Drew Gulak would come out and mention he had a Powerpoint Presentation, and we'd all laugh at his antics. Now, he's a serious wrestleman and has a shot at winning 205 Live's Cruiserweight Championship from the delightful Cedric Alexander. While Gulak was a dynamite comedic heel, he's evolved into something new and improved, and this seems like the time for him to start a championship run.
Our prediction: Gulak wins
Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin
Why am I enjoying this rivalry so much? It's pretty much just another story where a big guy thinks he can beat up a small guy because there's a size difference. It's a pretty standard story, but what I'm finding so appealing about it is that both of these men are pulling it off. Although this feud has been going on for a bit already, I'd like to see it continue past Summerslam, which means Balor needs the win, so he can use his "Constable" powers to make Balor's life hell, post-PPV.
Our prediction: Balor wins
The Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs. The New Day
(For the Smackdown Tag Team Championship)
While I'm a fan of both these teams, I have lukewarm feelings towards this match. New Day and Bludgeon Brothers have a history with each other, like when they almost murdered Xavier Woods, so there's some heat behind the match. I see New Day squeaking out a win with all of these men being locked in a giant cage for Hell in a Cell in a rematch next month.
Our prediction: The Bludgeon Brothers
Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens
(For the Money in the Bank contract)
On the flip side of the "big vs. small" storylines, here is one featuring two of Raw's most interesting characters that's falling flat for me. Because Strowman's Money in the Bank contract being on the line is a bit of a curveball, this leads me to believe that Owens will win, even though it feels like Strowman should come out on top. Regardless of who wins though, they will be cashing in that contract at the end of the night.
Our prediction: Owens wins
Secondary prediction: The winner will cash in later in the evening.
Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Seth Rollins
(For the Intercontinental Championship)
Dean Ambrose returning to Raw changes everything about this match. Sure, both Ambrose and Ziggler's buddy Drew McIntyre will be on the sidelines, but that should make this more of a fair fight. There is a large part of me that would love to see Ambrose turn on Rollins at Summerslam, just to see if Rollins can overcome these huge odds, but I don't see that happening. That being said, Rollins will come out as Intercontinental Champion.
New prediction: Rollins wins
Original prediction below.
While the finish for their Ironman match at Extreme Rules was lackluster, this rivalry has been straight fire. It has showcased some phenomenal in-ring action the past couple of months. I could watch Ziggler and Rollins fight forever. However, Ziggler as champion, with Drew McIntyre protecting him, is working well on television, so I'm thinking Ziggler will win again with the help of his friend/monstrous bodyguard. Hopefully, this will lead to a triple threat between all three men at Hell in a Cell.
Our prediction: Ziggler wins
Elias Plays A Song
You know what Summerslam needs? Elias playing a song for everyone at the Barclays Center. Nothing could possibly go wrong! Elias is playing an actual show at the Gramercy Theatre the night before, so this will be his encore. Because of the growing rivalry between Bobby Lashley and Elias, I'm sure Lashley will interrupt Elias' beautiful song.
Our prediction: Bobby Lashley ends the show early
Carmella (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch
(For the Smackdown Women's Championship)
Can anyone stop Carmella's reign of terror over the women's division on Smackdown? I hope not, but Summerslam could be the place where it happens. She'll have to defend her championship against both Becky Lynch and Carmella in a triple threat match. While Lynch and Charlotte are friends, they'll have to put their feelings aside for the battle, which could play into Carmella's hands. However, if you've been following these predictions the past year, you know I'm a Lynch supporter, so as always, I'm giving her the win. I truly hope I'm not wrong again.
Our prediction: Lynch wins
Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Jeff Hardy
(For the United States Championship)
Nakamura and Hardy's rivalry continues into Summerslam, and maybe this time Hardy wears a cup as his opponent loves hitting people below the belt. This is Nakamura's time to shine as a champion, and the United States Championship is the perfect fit for him right now. I don't see him losing the title or this match.
Our prediction: Nakamura wins
Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz
Out of every match on the Summerslam card, this is the one I am looking forward to the most. Daniel Bryan and Miz have a longstanding feud, dating back to Bryan's first appearance during the NXT reality show days. Now that Bryan can wrestle again, this will be the first time in years the two men have faced each other in the ring. This rivalry won't and can't end here though. It could honestly go either way, but personally, I like the idea more of Miz winning here by despicable means and Bryan demanding a fair rematch in order to prove he's better in the ring.
Our prediction: The Miz wins
Come back to GameSpot on Tuesday, August 14 for an interview with Bryan about his history with The Miz.
Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Ronda Rousey
(For the Raw Women's Championship)
When it comes to this match, I guess the biggest question about it would be "Is it Ronda Rousey's time?" She's had a few televised matches and a couple more house show matches, but that doesn't mean she or the fans are ready for her to carry the title. While undoubtably Rousey will someday be the Raw Women's Champion, I don't think Summerslam will be where her journey begins.
Our prediction: Bliss wins but there will be a rematch
AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe
(For the WWE Championship)
At least someone in the men's division is defending their main event title regularly. With AJ Styles as champion, Smackdown viewers are treated to dream match after dream match. Sure, most of matches already happened in NJPW, ROH, and TNA, but it's new to the WWE audience. And while I may be predicting one too many title changes for Summerslam, I want to see these guys battle more than once, and more importantly, I want to see Joe as champion, even if that means dethroning Styles, who is doing a phenomenal job--pun intended.
Our prediction: Samoa Joe wins
Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns
(For the Universal Championship)
For the past couple of years, I feel like a broken record saying, "This is when Reigns will win the Championship, and Brock will leave, never to return." Sadly, every single time, Lesnar comes out on top, and we're stuck with a Universal Champion that rarely defends his title or shows up on TV. As a WWE fan, it is frustrating because the majority of us want to see the title around someone else's waist.
However, Lesnar really does seem on the outs with the company, and I truly think--like the mark that I am--that this will be it for him. However, he's still going to beat Reigns, mainly to pull a fast one on the audience and get them enraged, and then it'll be Owens (or Strowman if my previous prediction is wrong) who cashes in the Money in the Bank contract at the end of the match to beat Lesnar for the title.
Our prediction: Lesnar wins
Secondary prediction: The MITB contract is cashed in and Lesnar loses the title, finally.
It's that time of year again, when Universal Studios theme parks around the world gear up for the spookiest time of year. Every Halloween, the theme parks present haunted mazes and scare zones based on some of the scariest movie and TV franchises in an effort to terrify those who dare enter Halloween Horror Nights.
Thankfully, 2018's version of the annual event is no different. While there are a handful of original maze concepts and scare zones, especially at Universal Studios Orlando, there are also some very exciting movie and TV show adaptations being presented. If you're wondering about the difference in mazes and scare zones, the former is a walkthrough experience meant to guide you through a particular story, while the latter are themed areas within the parks where monsters and ghouls are on the loose.
In past years, a wide variety of modern and classic franchises have been brought to life, including The Shining, American Horror Story, The Cabin in the Woods, Resident Evil, Freddy vs. Jason, and The Exorcist. This year, there are eight different properties being adapted, promising a creepy and fun time with some of the most recognizable titles in horror, including the first-ever Stranger Things maze, which will be seen at multiple parks. And if you're a true completist, it's important to note that no two mazes are identical. Each park has it's own creative team, meaning Orlando's Stranger Things maze will be quite different from the one in Hollywood.
Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights kicks off at the Universal parks in Hollywood and Orlando on September 14 and runs through November 3. Singapore's take on the event launches on September 27 and ends on October 31.
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
Location: Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Orlando
Type of haunt: Maze
Trick 'r Treat
Location: Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Orlando
At San Diego Comic-Con last month, Star Trek: Discovery showrunner Alex Kurzman confirmed that Mr. Spock is set to appear in the upcoming second season of the show. It has now been confirmed by Variety that the iconic Vulcan will be played by Ethan Peck.
Peck is the third actor to play Spock, following Leonard Nimoy in the original '60s series and Star Trek movies throughout the 1980s, and Zachary Quinto, who played the character in the recent reboot films. Peck has appeared in a wide variety of TV shows over the years, including Gossip Girl, 10 Things I Hate About You, That '70s Show, and Madame Secretary. Discovery is set a decade before the original series, and the main character played by Sonequa Martin-Green, Michael Burnham, is Spock's foster sister.
In a statement, Kurzman spoke about the decision to cast Peck in the role. "Through 52 years of television and film, a parallel universe and a mirror universe, Mr. Spock remains the only member of the original bridge crew to span every era of Star Trek," he said. "The great Leonard Nimoy, then the brilliant Zachary Quinto, brought incomparable humanity to a character forever torn between logic and emotion.
"We searched for months for an actor who would, like them, bring his own interpretation to the role. An actor who would, like them, effortlessly embody Spock's greatest qualities, beyond obvious logic: empathy, intuition, compassion, confusion, and yearning. Ethan Peck walked into the room inhabiting all of these qualities, aware of his daunting responsibility to Leonard, Zack, and the fans, and ready to confront the challenge in the service of protecting and expanding on Spock's legacy. In that spirit, we're thrilled to welcome him to the family."
Spock isn't the only classic Trek character set to appear in the next season of Discovery. In April, it was announced that Inhumans star Anson Mount will play Captain Christopher Pike, the predecessor of James T. Kirk at the helm of the USS Enterprise. The arrival of Pike was first teased in the Season 1 finale when the USS Discovery came face-to-face with the famous Star Trek vessel.
The first trailer for Discovery Season 2 was revealed at SDCC, and the show will premiere in January 2019. Ahead of that there will be four short films called "Short Treks" that will begin releasing from September. Each of these films will be 10-15 minutes in length, and focus on specific characters. Characters such as Sylvia Tilly, Harry Mudd, and Saru will be featured in them.
In related news, it was recently announced that Star Trek: The Next Generation star Patrick Stewart will reprise the role of Jean-Luc Picard in another upcoming series. The show will "tells the story of the next chapter in Picard's life," and, like Discovery, will air on CBS All Access. However, the next Star Trek movie is in doubt, following the reports of a pay dispute between the studio and stars Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth.
A movie based on Naughty Dog's Uncharted games has been in the works for many years, but it seems that it's getting close actually happening. Following last year's news that Spider-Man star Tom Holland will play a young Nathan Drake, we have an update from director Shawn Levy.
Levy is also a producer of Stranger Things and in an interview about that Netflix hit, was asked about the status of other upcoming projects, including the Uncharted movie. "As of right now, the closest to the starting line is Uncharted in that it's a massive title," he told The Playlist. "We now have a very good script and we have our star in Tom Holland. That is now subject to schedule and additional casting. But I would say as of right now, that seems to be the most near horizon. And it's a movie I'm very excited about."
Levy was announced as director of the Uncharted film back in October 2016, while Holland has been attached since May last year. More recently, Naughty Dog's creative lead Neil Druckmann spoke about the decision to hire Levy, and what fans could expect from the movie. He stated that Levy really "gets it" and "understands where we're at," and that the film wouldn't be a direct adaptation of any of the four main Uncharted games.
"We used to just be excited--oh my god, movies are looking at us," he explained. "There could be an Uncharted movie on the screen, and then as more time passes on, we're not excited by a direct adaptation of the story we told, because we feel we've already told that story very well cinematically, so I don't know what else you could bring to it."
In related news, an Uncharted fan film was released last month, with Nathan Fillion as Drake. The Firefly star has been suggested as a potential Drake by fans for years, but with the movie clearly opting for a much younger version of the character, this short film at least gives us a chance to see what Fillion can deliver in the role.
Amazon is running some fantastic video game deals. Better yet, many of the discounts are on Nintendo Switch games that don't go on sale very often, so if you have a Switch it's definitely worth looking at these deals to see if you want to add any of the games to your collection. But seeing as Amazon doesn't have regular weekly sales, it's anyone's guess how long the discounts will last.
Let's start with the heavy-hitters. Anyone who hasn't picked up Super Mario Odyssey or The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild can do so now for $45 each. As you probably know, those are must-own games for anyone with a Switch, and now they're 25% off. Nintendo games are famous for staying full price long after release, so this is a great time to get them.
Normally $40, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is on sale for $35. It may be another Wii U re-release on Switch, but that doesn't lessen this puzzle game's charm and low-key brilliance. You play as the titular character (who can't even jump) as you try to unlock the secrets of increasingly complicated levels. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Mario Tennis Aces are also $45 each. Hack-and-slash fans can pick up Fire Emblem Warriors for just $36.
In non-Switch news, the PS4 exclusive God of War is also down to $45. It's one of the best games of the year, and now's a good time to play it before the avalanche of fall PS4 games begins. You can also grab the recent action-RPG Vampyr for $40.
There's not much in the way of Xbox One games on sale on Amazon, but you can check out the big weekly sale on the Microsoft Store.
Microsoft has added another pair of Xbox 360 games to Xbox One's growing backwards compatible library. Ahead of the release of Shadow of the Tomb Raider next month, players can now revisit two of Lara Croft's last-gen adventures on Xbox One: Tomb Raider Legend and Tomb Raider Anniversary.
Originally released in 2006, Tomb Raider Legend was Crystal Dynamics' first attempt to reboot the series. This installment sees Lara Croft on a quest to find an ancient relic tied to her mother's death, which ultimately takes her on a world-spanning adventure to recover fragments of a magical sword. We called the game "a good return to the roots of the series" in our original Tomb Raider Legend review and awarded it a 7.8/10.
Tomb Raider Anniversary, meanwhile, originally arrived the following year, in 2007. It's a remake of the original Tomb Raider, using the continuity and engine established by Legend to reimagine the PS1 classic. "Nothing in Tomb Raider Anniversary has been regurgitated verbatim--everything is bigger and better," we observed in our original Tomb Raider Anniversary review. "The environments are larger and more detailed, while existing puzzles have been elaborated upon, often to an incredible degree."
If you still own a physical copy of either title, you can pop the disc into your Xbox One, which will initiate a download and allow you to play on the console. Alternately, if you've previously purchased either game digitally, it'll appear automatically in the Ready to Download section of the My Games and Apps menu. Both games are also discounted as part of this week's sale in the Microsoft Store.
Since Xbox One's backwards compatibility feature was first introduced in 2015, the console has amassed an impressive library of BC games. More than 400 Xbox 360 titles are playable on the current-gen console, as are more than 30 original Xbox games. You can see everything that's available in our full list of backwards compatible games. You can also find recommendations for which ones to play in our best Xbox One backwards compatible games gallery.
Content warning: Disturbing depictions of alcohol/drug abuse, sexual abuse, and violence ahead.
There's plenty of ways to address public concerns about personal safety, drugs, child abuse, and risky behavior. You can teach it in the classroom. You can build public health centers. You can allocate money to non-profit organizations. Or, you can take to the airwaves, and do your best to scare the bejesus out of people.
A well-made PSA is like a miniature horror film. It opens with a deceptively normal setting. But then, there's an intrusive plot element, followed by a grotesque visual. And usually, the PSA concludes with a last-minute twist. Sometimes, public service announcements are inadvertently hilarious. But done properly, they linger in people's minds.
Here are the 15 creepiest public service announcements ever made. These are not PSAs of the "This is your brain on drugs" or the "I learned it from you!" variety. Those are cute by comparison. These are the stuff of nightmares. And if you feel unsettled, that's precisely the point.
And if you remember any other PSAs from your childhood that kept you up at night, let us know in the comments.
15. A Smokey Surprise
It's not clear how creepy this 1973 Ad Council PSA was originally intended to be. But the whole thing feels wrong. It was unsettling enough that Joanna Cassidy was purring sexily about fire safety. But when Smokey the Bear reveals that he's wearing a Joanna Cassidy costume and gives a baritone chuckle? It reaches another level of disturbing.
14. What About Her?
The Montana Meth Project released a wave of visceral, disturbing PSAs in the early '00s, designed to combat the growing meth epidemic in the state. And although critics are split on the PSAs' overall effectiveness, they spread to several other states on the strength of their gut impact. This particular one, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu (Babel, The Revenant), gets its point across with heavy implications of heinous acts.
13. And This Is What I Said
Here's one more from the Montana Meth Project. It's directed by cinematographer Wally Pfister (Memento, The Dark Knight, Inception), and it takes an interesting turn. Rather than focusing on the pain and suffering of the addicts, it turns a critical eye on the bystanders around them. The Montana Meth Project ads could fill an entire list by themselves; if you want to see more--a whole bunch of them are directed by Darren Arrofonsky--you can check out this archive.
12. Living With It
Here's a disturbing ad from the UK road safety group Think! It challenges its audience to put themselves in the shoes of the driver instead of the victim. The most disturbing shots are the out-of-focus ones. No matter what this man does for the rest of his life, his deeds will continue to haunt him, even from afar.
11. The Burden
Casa do Menor is a Christian-based organization that aids neglected and abused children in Brazil. Their ad shines a light on the burden that many traumatized children carry, often unbeknownst to the people around them. It's extremely graphic, heartbreaking, and above all, devastatingly effective.
10. What Do You Hear?
This radio ad, from German child abuse prevention organization Hansel and Gretel, is the worst bait-and-switch imaginable. It encourages the listener's participation and complicity, and then it drops what might be most disturbing possible question into the mix. It'll make you disgusted and angry, all at the same time.
9. Monsters
Finnish organization Fragile Childhood focuses its effort on parental alcohol abuse. This ad, released in 2012, subverts beloved childhood icons like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny to show the frightening effect that an alcoholic parent can have on his or her children. The child actors deserve praise for their non-verbal emotiveness, especially the little boy in the car seat at the very end.
8. Snorting Your Brain
If you can't handle the sight of blood, you might want to give this ad a hard pass. This PSA has a Requiem for a Dream feel to it--appropriate, since that film is a massive anti-drug PSA itself. It was produced by The New Zealand Society on Alcohol and Drug Dependence (NSAD), and what it lacks in psychological horror, it makes up for by being gross.
7. Were You Paying Attention?
The Sandy Hook shooting was one of the most tragic school massacres in American history. Twenty elementary school children and six adults lost their lives. And an organization founded by the survivors' families, Sandy Hook Promise, released this video, encouraging the public to be aware of red flags and warning signs. It incriminates the viewer for his or her complacency, making its message even more disturbing and effective.
6. The Diving Board
Here's a classic 1989 PSA from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. There's no bells and whistles, and no high concept. It's just a girl, a diving board, and the empty pool that she's diving into, headfirst. Sometimes, the bluntest metaphors are the most effective ones.
5. The Faster You Go
This PSA, which cautions against speeding, employs an old-as-time film trick: It freezes the movie moments before the terrible collision. But somehow, it works; the voiceover has something to do with it. This is just one line of the script: "If he'd stopped here, the last thing Sally will ever hear wouldn't be the sound of her own neck breaking." This was one of many ads produced by the New Zealand Transport Agency, which clearly doesn't pull its punches.
4. David Lynch Directs a PSA
David Lynch is notorious for directing psychologically disturbing thrillers that leave his audience both confused and creeped out. A sense of rot and disease permeates his best work. So of course, he's an ideal candidate to direct a PSA. He may be the only filmmaker who could direct an ad about littering, and make it this unsettling.
3. A Terrible "Accident"
To promote employee safety, the Canadian Workplace Safety & Insurance Board created a slew of ads that depicted attractive people getting into horrible, disfiguring accidents. Or, if you believe the ads, there are no real "accidents"; there's just a neglectful management team that doesn't give a damn. The woman's screaming, which lasts long after the PSA fades to black, is particularly striking.
2. The Most Disgusting PSA In History
This PSA by German agency Dunkelziffer is one of the best ever made. It charts how sexual abuse and trauma can follow a person for his or her entire life. And it does so with the grossest visual metaphor possible: a skin-colored, hair-covered, phallic appendage that curls itself around its victim and makes a disgusting, slimy sound when it moves. Watch it, and take a shower immediately afterwards.
1. The Spirit of Dark and Lonely Water
This PSA is one of the few ads that rises to the level of art. "Lonely Water" was produced by the British Central Office of Information, and it's one of the most famous PSAs of all time. It was conceived to decrease the number of child drowning accidents in the UK.
And for at least a few young children who watched the ad in 1973, it was extremely effective. Writing for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis claims he was so terrified by the film, that he became afraid of water in addition to riverbanks. Better safe than sorry.
Patrick Soderlund, EA's chief design officer, is one of its most recognizable executives; from taking the stage at E3 to bearing the brunt of the company's recent lootbox controversy, he has been a major public face for one of the world's largest gaming companies. Now, EA has announced Soderlund is leaving the company and "will begin a new chapter later this year."
Soderlund was formerly the head of DICE, until EA acquired the company in 2006. He has played a key role in developing the Battlefield and Star Wars Battlefront franchises, and is credited with helping spearhead the Frostbite engine, which continues to be used by many of EA's games. "From his early vision for Frostbite, which has now become a cornerstone for our technology strategy, to being a champion for Players First experiences, Patrick has always ensured we put creative at the center of everything we do," said CEO Andrew Wilson in a note announcing Soderlund's departure.
"He has also been unwavering in his commitment to building our pipeline of amazing new games to come, and his fingerprints will be on the experiences that we bring to players well into the future."
The move comes just before Battlefield V releases, a franchise no doubt close to Soderlund's heart, and after a year of controversy surrounding Star Wars Battlefront II. When the game released in November 2017, there was a considerable backlash to the game's lootboxes and progression system, with many accusing EA of making it 'pay-to-win.' Soderlund spoke openly about the controversy after the company pulled in-game transactions altogether, saying EA learned a lesson it wouldn't forget. The game failed to meet sales targets, and Star Wars Battlefront II later reintroduced loot boxes, but for cosmetic items only.
Soderlund leaving will prompt some internal shakeup in the company, as well. "A few teams will move within our organization with this change. The SEED team led by Johan Andersson will join our studios group to continue driving advanced design and innovation at the leading edge of games," said WIlson.
"We're deepening our focus on user experience, and welcoming Jason Wozencroft to our studios to lead a strong, unified UX approach for our games and services. And with new games and content playing a vital role in our networked future, the EA Originals and EA Partners teams led by Rob Letts will join our Strategic Growth group." Wilson also highlighted the company's focus on its subscriptions services, saying EA is pushing forward to offer access to "more great games and content through our industry-leading subscription services."
There's no word yet as to what we'll see next from Patrick Soderlund as he takes on this "new chapter" later this year.
Dead Cells is already a critical hit, and some eagle-eyed fans have noticed a handful of Easter eggs that pay homage to several other recent games. The pixel-art backgrounds contain framed artwork with several iconic characters and items from around the industry.
As spotted by Twitter user Third Editions, the portraits on the wall show 2B and 9S from Nier Automata, the undead from Dark Souls, the sword from Transistor, and the face of Hollow Knight. These portraits are scattered around, so there may be even more portraits yet to be uncovered.
Dead Cells was developed by a small indie team, and some of its influences, from games like Dark Souls, are readily apparent. It's run-based, which means that you'll die frequently as you learn enemy patterns and slowly build up permanent boosts. These inclusions could be a way of acknowledging those influences, or simply a hat-tip to fellow developers the team respects.
Dead Cells has received an aggregate score of 92 on GameSpot sister site Metacritic. In GameSpot's Dead Cells review, Daniel Starkey said, "Dead Cells is a phenomenal effort to blend together some very disparate genres into a tight, cohesive whole. It's one of the better examples of how to remix ideas without losing their individual strengths."
Recent Articles:
You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website.
No comments:
Post a Comment