With rumours swirling about a new Star Wars spinoff focused on Obi-Wan Kenobi, actor Ewan McGregor--who played the character in Episodes 1-3--has again spoken up to say he'd be up for it. Appearing on The View, McGregor said he "would totally do it," but as of yet, he says he knows nothing about any such project happening.
"Yes, I would totally do it," he said (via IGN). "There's no plans as such to do it, as far as I know. I would be happy to do it. I think there must be a good story to tell, as they're doing spinoffs."
McGregor said it would be interesting for a movie to tell Obi-Wan's story between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Intriguingly, that's the timeline that emerged in a recent report.
It's entirely possible that Disney is moving forward with an Obi-Wan Kenobi movie--a rumour said it will begin production in 2019--and that McGregor won't play the lead role. Disney has not made any official announcements about an Obi-Wan movie.
The first character-specific Star Wars spinoff, Solo, told the origin story of Han Solo. That movie was a commercial disappointment, leading some to believe that Disney might be less enthusiastic about making more. However, that doesn't appear to be the case. There are rumours about standalone films for Lando Calrissian and Boba Fett as well. Logan director James Mangold may be directing the Boba Fett movie.
YouTube has removed an ad for the new Conjuring movie, The Nun, because it was too scary and it violated the company's policies. The six-second ad shows a volume sign decreasing until it reaches mute, and then the nun appears as part of a horrific jump-scare.
The ad violates YouTube's "shocking content policy," and it's now been removed. "We value diversity and respect for others, and we strive to avoid offending or shocking users with ads, websites, or apps that are inappropriate for our ad network," YouTube said.
Appreciate you bringing this to our attention! This ad violates our shocking content policy and it's no longer running as an ad. More info here: https://t.co/dOUocjUevh
YouTube's "shocking content policy" warns that the company may take action against content that is "violent or shocking." Under this umbrella are "promotions that are likely to shock or scare," and the ad is surely shocking and scary. You can watch it here if you dare.
TheNun, which is the fifth instalment in the Conjuring series,opens on September 7. It stars Taissa Farmiga, Demian Bichir, and Jonas Bloquet. Directed by Corin Hardy (The Hallow), The Nun is produced by Conjuring director James Wan and was written Gary Dauberman (It).
Here is the official plot description: "When a young nun at a cloistered abbey in Romania takes her own life, a priest with a haunted past and a novitiate on the threshold of her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate. Together they uncover the order's unholy secret. Risking not only their lives but their faith and their very souls, they confront a malevolent force in the form of the same demonic nun that first terrorized audiences in The Conjuring 2, as the abbey becomes a horrific battleground between the living and the damned."
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 the start of Gamescom on August 21, some of which you can find listed below. For even more, you can visit the PlayStation Store to find the complete list.
After the amazing gaming year that was 2017, many wondered how well 2018 would turn out. Fortunately for everyone, it has been great. The first half of the year has yielded a wealth of fantastic games, and there's more on the horizon. Upcoming games for the rest of this 2018 include slew of hotly anticipated new games, like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Red Dead Redemption 2, Spider-Man, and a whole lot more. To help you keep track of all the games coming out and what has already released, we've compiled a list of all the noteworthy release dates for the biggest ones confirmed to come out in 2018 so far.
Game release dates change all the time and new ones arrive every month. Be sure to bookmark this page, as we'll be updating this article with more release dates or any potential changes to any of the dates below. And if you're eager to figure out the release dates from games next year, you can also reference our feature on the game release dates of 2019.
Below you can find a list of the biggest games that don't have explicit release dates but are confirmed to release sometime this year. There are also games listed that we expect to launch in 2018. We'll be moving each of these games into the release date sections above as soon as official dates are announced.
Fortnite's 5.21 update is now available across all platforms, introducing yet another new weapon to the game--the Heavy Sniper--and making a handful of bug fixes to both Battle Royale and Save the World. On top of that, the patch marks the start of two new limited-time modes: Soaring 50s and the returning Sniper Shootout.
Soaring 50s is the latest iteration of the popular 50v50 mode, albeit with an "extra emphasis on mobility." As before, players are divided into two teams of 50. Loot, ammo, and resource levels are the same as in previous versions of the mode, but this time, players will have a greater chance of coming across Launch Pads, Boost Pads, and Impulse Grenades. Players will also be able to redeploy their gliders when falling from more than 10 meters.
Sniper Shootout, meanwhile, plays largely the same as previous iterations of the mode. The only weapons players will happen upon here are sniper rifles, and the spawn rate of floor loot has been reduced by 50%. This time around, the Scoped Assault Rifle has been removed, with the newly added Heavy Sniper in its stead. You can read more about each new LTM in the patch notes below and on Epic's official website.
The aforementioned Heavy Sniper is the latest weapon introduced in Battle Royale. This particular gun can be found in Epic and Legendary variants from floor loot, chests, Vending Machines, and supply drops, and it deals heavy damage to structures. Epic has also resolved an issue with grenades that prevented their damage from being counted toward last week's grenade challenge.
Save the World mode, on the other hand, adds a new hero as part of the 5.21 update: Thora, who will be available from the Event Store beginning 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET on August 15. Epic has also introduced a new weekly Horde Challenge and resolved a handful of bugs in the mode.
Fortnite 5.21 Patch Notes
Limited Time Mode: Soaring 50s: This mode is a twist on the traditional 50 vs 50 mode, featuring an extra emphasis on mobility. Gliders can be re-deployed when falling from large heights. Additional Impulse Grenades, Bounce Pads, and Launch Pads will be spawned throughout the map. Jump in and soar to new heights!
Mode Details
50v50 loot, ammo and resource levels
When in mid-air and greater than 10m up, press Jump to deploy your glider
Added Impulse Grenades to chests at double the standard spawn rate
Added Impulse Grenades to floor loot
Decreased Spike Trap spawn chances
Increased Launch Pad & Bounce Pad spawn chances
Profile Stats (K/D & Wins) are not tracked in this mode.
Limited Time Mode: Sniper Shootout: In this limited time mode, players will do battle using sniper rifles. May the best aim win!
What's New?
Scoped Assault Rifles have been removed.
The Heavy Sniper Rifle has been added.
Mode Details
Only weapon drops are Sniper Rifles.
Floor Loot spawns reduced by 50%.
Profile Stats (K/D & Wins) are tracked in this mode.
The nominees for Gamescom 2018's video game awards have been unveiled. The winners of each award will be decided by a panel of journalists and YouTubers and announced on August 21, the first day of the convention. Gamescom continues through August 25.
No more than three games can be nominated for each category. The 16 awards are for Best Action Game, Best Add-on/DLC, Best Casual Game, Best Family Game, Best Puzzle/Skill Game, Best Racing Game, Best Role-Playing Game, Best Simulation Game, Best Social/Online Game, Best Sports Game, Best Strategy Game, Best Sony PlayStation 4 Console Game, Best Microsoft Xbox One Console Game, Best Nintendo Switch Console Game, Best PC Game, and Best Mobile Game.
We've reached the halfway point of August, which means Xbox Live Gold subscribers have two new games to download for free. The Xbox One freebie you can grab is For Honor, available now through September 15. The Xbox 360 game--which is also playable on Xbox One--is Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, available for free until August 31.
But if you hurry, you can still grab the two games that are going away today: Dead Space 3 and Death Squared. Both of those will go back to full price by the end of August 15.
As for the new games, For Honor is an online brawler from Ubisoft. It pits three factions of warriors against one another: knights, samurai, and vikings. Each faction is divided into classes, and each class has its own abilities and fighting style. GameSpot's For Honor review praised the game's deep fighting mechanics for keeping the experience interesting. It's set to receive a big free update this fall that includes an ambitious new castle siege mode.
Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two is a platformer that finds the mouse mascot bringing new life to a wasteland by using a magical paintbrush. Unfortunately, this game didn't fare quite so well in our review: "It's simply not worth suffering through hours of punishing game design to discover the occasional moments of nostalgic joy. Sadly, The Power of Two is another failed attempt at revitalizing Mickey's career." Maybe kids will get some fun out of it?
Also available for free for Xbox Live Gold subscribers right now is the 2014 racing game Forza Horizon 2. It's available until the end of the month.
Games With Gold August 2018
Xbox One
Forza Horizon 2 (August 1-31)
For Honor (August 16-September 15)
Xbox 360
Dead Space 3 (August 1-15)
Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (August 16-31)
Only a couple years after Fallout 4's release, Bethesda surprised fans by officially announcing Fallout 76, the next entry in its beloved post-apocalyptic RPG franchise. The new game was revealed in a trailer after a series of teases, and Bethesda discussed it in more detail at E3 2018 and more recently at QuakeCon 2018. While there's still so much we do not yet know about Bethesda's upcoming game, the company has offered some clarity on Fallout 76's most curious features and additions to the Fallout formula.
To ensure you're kept up to date on everything there is to know about Fallout 76, we've compiled all the information we have on the game so far: the platforms it's on, its online functionality, its anti-griefing features, and where the game falls in the series' timeline.
Fallout 76 is a prequel to all of the previous Fallout games. Set in 2102, you play an inhabitant of Vault 76 who emerges from the shelter 25 years after the bombs fell on America. Your task is simple: explore what remains of post-apocalyptic America and rebuild civilization.
Longtime fans will likely recognize Vault 76; although it's not a place we've visited before, this isn't the series' first mention of it. Both Fallout 3 and 4 reference it and, according to the Fallout Wikia, this West Virginia-based vault was occupied by 500 of of America's best and brightest minds. Unlike the more grotesque experimental vaults in the Fallout universe, Vault 76 is a control vault intended to be opened 20 or so years after a nuclear war. But if the Vault was supposed to open 20 years after the bombs fell, why have 25 years gone by? The story likely has a few surprises in store.
Fallout 76 uses the Creation Engine, the same engine used to make Fallout 4, but it will purportedly feature much more graphical detail than its predecessor. Game director Todd Howard has said that Fallout 76 has new rendering and lighting technology, which allows for "16 times" the detail.
Who's Developing It?
Bethesda Game Studios, the Maryland-based developer responsible for the Elder Scrolls series and both Fallout 3 and Fallout 4, is at work on the game. In addition, Bethesda Game Studios Austin--formerly BattleCry Studios--assisted in fine-tuning the Creation Engine to support multiplayer functionality.
Is It An Online Survival Game?
Fallout 76 is a much different sort of game from its predecessors. It's "entirely online," but don't worry, you'll be able to play it solo too. According to Bethesda, the idea to take this approach to open-world survival came four years ago, when it started to work on building a multiplayer Fallout experience. Howard described the game's approach to survival as "softcore," which means death doesn't equal loss of progression.
You can form a party with up to three other players. You won't be able to manage your placement in servers when you login, as you'll automatically be inserted into a session with others upon booting up the game. Of course, you also have the option simply join alongside your friends and play together.
Howard commented that Fallout 76 will have dedicated servers that will support the game "now and for years to come." At launch, there will only be public servers, but Bethesda plans to introduce private servers that will allow players to invite friends to play in order to prevent undesirable behavior.
Some classic mechanics from past games will be changing to accommodate the shift to online play. For example, V.A.T.S has been reconfigured to work in real time, while still allowing players to target specific enemy body parts. But this time around, it has been updated to be more of a tool that allows you to spot out dangers in the environment.
How Big Is The World?
According to Howard, Fallout 76's world is four times the size of Fallout 4. There are six different regions to explore, and each has its own unique style, risks, and rewards. Confirmed areas include the West Virginia State Capitol, The Greenbrier, Woodburn Circle, New River Gorge Bridge, and Camden Park. Contained within each area is a variety of new creatures to encounter, some of which are based on West Virginian folklore.
What Can You Do?
Like previous games, players will spend the majority of their time exploring and completing quests. However, Fallout 76 will not feature any human non-player characters, as all surviving humans will be controlled by active players. Instead, the game will use combination of robot NPCs, collectible recordings, and environmental storytelling in order to give players what they need to piece together quests and the story at large.
Given the game's premise of rebuilding the world, there will be base-building elements similar to Fallout 4. You will be able to set up a bases anywhere using an item called the Construction and Assembly Mobile Platform, or CAMP. These can be placed down in the world and allow you to construct an impromptu camp. At E3, we got to see the player laying down walls and decorating the base with pool tables, toilets, and other household objects. As the "mobile platform" part of the name implies, your CAMP can also be picked up and relocated, allowing you to move your base anywhere in the world.
While you can help build the world, you can also destroy it. If you have the necessary nuclear launch codes, it's actually possible to access a missile silo to fire a nuke at any point on the map. Doing so irradiates the chosen area, but it also allows for the opportunity to discover rare weapons, gear, and items. Be wary; nuking an area also causes more powerful enemies to show up, making it more difficult to survive. But don't be discouraged by this, the CAMP blueprint system makes it easy for players to quickly rebuild their homes, and if they're privy to an incoming threat, they can pack their things and move to a new location.
As an online experience, player choice is said to be incredibly important, going as far as giving players the freedom to choose who are the heroes and who are the villains. Early footage showcased multiple players engaging in combat and participating in friendly activities, which seems to indicate that players have the freedom to choose their paths in the world of Fallout 76.
How Does Character Creation And Progression Work?
You'll have similar character creation tools as Fallout 4. However, you're free to change your appearance at any point. In addition, you can also utilize the game's new photo mode during the creation process to better see how your character looks, as well as snap some shots you can share on social media.
The SPECIAL system returns and it's a bit different. Like previous games, SPECIAL encompasses the following stats: Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, Luck. You're given one point to put into any of those stats every time you level up. The first thing you do when you emerge from the vault is pick a SPECIAL and then you pick a perk in that particular SPECIAL. Essentially, every SPECIAL is a pool of points for your perks.
But unlike previous games, perks are now cards you can equip and unlock as you rank up in a given SPECIAL; though, you're free to swap cards out at any time if you want to alter your build. Each SPECIAL characteristic you develop has a perk card cap of 15. These perk cards can be enhanced further from one to five points to increase their power.
You can obtain additional perk cards via Perk Card Packs (four random cards), which you earn every two levels initially (1-10), and then every 5 after that. You can also pick one perk card per level, usually from your SPECIAL choice. There are hundreds of Perks cards you can unlock, so naturally SPECIAL ranks cap out after a while (you gain a rank up in a SPECIAL each time you level up). At level 50, you'll stop increasing SPECIAL ranks, but you'll still get card packs.
How Does PvP Work?
When you shoot someone you do a little bit of damage, which can be equated to lightly slapping them in order to challenge them to a duel. In response to this, the other player can choose to ignore or engage. If they engage in a battle with you, they'll start to take full damage. The one who is killed in this consenting PvP match has the option to seek revenge. Doing so gives that person the opportunity to get double the rewards granted they're successful.
If you'd rather choose to ignore a PvP match, there's no way to escape being killed--despite the small damage dealt to you during the initiation phases. However, if you are killed by a player under these circumstances, that player becomes a Wanted Murderer and will receive no rewards from having killed you.
A Wanted Murderer is marked on the map as a red star and a bounty is placed on their head. Players looking to cash in on this bounty aren't visible on the Murderer's map. If the murderer is killed, the money from that bounty is taken out their stock.
In order to give players time to properly acclimate to how Fallout 76 plays, PvP won't be available to players until level five. And if you perish from any PvP encounter, the only thing you'll lose is the junk you've been collecting, which can be reclaimed after death if not already picked up by other players. You can always store junk in stashes found around the world, so as to safeguard a portion of your stock. Armor and weapons are retained in your inventory after death.
Any Voice Chat?
It's possible to chat with your teammates and even strangers you discover out in the world. It's area-based so your ability to hear other plays will vary. But if you want nothing to do with strangers, it's possible to mute their voices entirely.
When's the Beta?
Falout 76's beta will be available exclusively to those who preorder the game. Bethesda said that it will begin selecting participants from the pool of pre-orders in early October. The plan is to start small and expand over time. Xbox One owners have a slight leg up on the beta compared to other platforms. For more details, you can check out Bethesda's Fallout 76 FAQ for more details on how to redeem your code.
Release Date
Fallout 76 is being developed for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and is currently scheduled to be released on November 14. Unfortunately, there's no word about a Nintendo Switch release, which didn't seem out of the question after the Skyrim re-release made it to that platform.
When MoviePass announced in August 2017 that it was changing its business model to a monthly subscription that cost $9.95 and allowed users to see a movie every day, the floodgates were officially open. Since then, the concept of movie ticket subscription services has become the norm for those that like to routinely head to theaters, and MoviePass has since radically changed its offerings. Update: This story has been updated to reflect MoviePass's new plan options.
As you'd expect, with interest in the idea surging, competition has presented itself. MoviePass isn't the only subscription service in the game anymore--and it might not even be the best, either. To find out which subscription service offers the best value, GameSpot put MoviePass, Sinemia, and AMC's Stubs A-List to the test. Here's what you need to know about each one and why it might be the right choice for you. But bear in mind that MoviePass has been facing some financial difficulties, even resulting in tickets being unavailable at times.
MoviePass
The service that started it all. MoviePass was the first to offer a massive number of movie tickets for a low monthly price and has made quite a name for itself in the process. In recent months, though, the company has faced a mountain of changes in its terms as it attempts to be profitable while only charging $10 a month.
What Works
Initially, MoviePass offered the chance to see one movie a day for its $10 monthly price tag. However, the company has now changed its plan to offer a maximum of three tickets each month for the same price. Additionally, MoviePass offers in-app ticket purchases from select theaters, which is a nice perk.
What Doesn't Work
The theaters that offer in-app ticket purchases are rare. The only other option is to check into the theater when you arrive and buy your ticket on the spot. All tickets must be purchased the day of the screening, so you can't plan ahead too far. Another wrinkle is that premium formats (3D, IMAX, etc.) are not available with the service at this point.
Additionally, MoviePass strictly limits the ability to purchase tickets to movies it deems "in demand." However, the company hasn't revealed how it will determine what is in demand. If you enjoy seeing movies in the first week or two of release, MoviePass might be very difficult to use.
The biggest knock against MoviePass, though, is the service itself. The terms of the subscription keep changing. Over the last year, this service has not only begun restricting you from seeing a movie a second time but is also requiring users to submit photos of their ticket stubs and is tinkering with temporarily locking specific movies in certain locations. When attempting to buy a ticket to a screening of Red Sparrow back in March, the title was simply blocked out on the app. When I tweeted MoviePass to ask why, it quickly responded, "As we continue to enhance our service for everyone, certain inventory may not be available at all times." Of course, there was no warning that this would be happening.
Not all of these new rules have stuck, as the company constantly changes course in an effort to stay afloat. What's more, many users who believed they'd canceled their subscriptions were surprised to find themselves charged for yet another month of service. It makes for a very confusing user experience and one that the company's customer service isn't great at addressing.
AMC Stubs A-List
The newest player on the block is AMC's response to MoviePass. The world's largest movie theater chain has integrated a subscription service to its loyalty points system. AMC Stubs A-List offers three tickets each week for the monthly price of $19.95.
What Works
The most exciting thing about A-List is it's all contained within the AMC Theaters app--it's where you find the movies, buy the tickets, and have them scanned at the theater. With that in mind, it's also linked to your Stubs account. As a member, you get access to Stubs Premium, which allows you to collect points from concession purchases that earn you rewards.
The nicest perk of A-List, though, is access to premium formats. Not only can you watch movies repeatedly, but you have access to IMAX, 3D, Dolby, and AMC Prime screenings. There are no restrictions.
What Doesn't Work
The big problem with A-List is it only works at AMC theaters. While it is the world's largest theater chain, that doesn't mean everybody lives near one. If there's not an AMC in your neighborhood, you're out of luck.
Of course, there's also the fact that you're paying twice as much as MoviePass for less than half of the movies. However, this should only concern you if you know you'll be seeing more than three movies each week.
Sinemia
Sinemia is seemingly a dark horse that came out of nowhere. However, it's been around since 2014 with offerings in the UK, Canada, Turkey, and Australia. It made its presence known in the US market in May with four different pricing options:
$4.99 per month for 1 standard movie ticket
$6.99 per month for 2 standard movie tickets
$9.99 per month for 2 of any movie ticket (3D, 4D, IMAX)
$14.99 per month for 3 of any movie ticket (3D, 4D, IMAX)
What Works
The best thing about Sinemia is it allows you to purchase tickets to just about any movie theater. Those locked out on MoviePass typically aren't in Sinemia and it also works for the AMC theaters found in A-List. There are also a variety of plans to meet your moviegoing needs, provided you don't head to the theater multiple times each week.
For fans of premium format films, the top two plan options give access to IMAX, 3D, 4DX, and practically any other upcharge option a theater might offer--and it's all included in your monthly price.
What Doesn't Work
The biggest issue with Sinemia is the app itself. In trying to simplify the design, it's become a bit confusing. Want to buy a ticket to an upcoming film? Head to the planning tab. From there, though, you'll have to switch over to the Fandango app to find a theater and showtime.
After manually entering the information into the Sinemia app, a temporary credit card number will be unlocked that you can then transfer back over to the Fandango app--or Atom Tickets or MovieTickets.com--to purchase there. It can make for a difficult process.
There also doesn't seem to be a simple way within the app to find out how many tickets you have left. These are all problems that could be addressed in a redesign. Still, given that you're paying up to $15 each month for three tickets, it could make the hassle more than it's worth.
The Bottom Line
Truthfully, two of these subscriptions has some merit. Sinemia offers the least tickets, but access to premium theaters and formats. AMC Stubs A-List offers a middle-of-the-road number of tickets for the highest price, but with surprisingly few restrictions outside of only being available at AMC theaters. Then there's MoviePass. With its most recent changes, lowering the number of tickets you get and restricting what you have access to see, there's very little about the service that helps it come even close to the other two plans.
In the end, though, there is a clear winner. While it may be the newest on the scene, AMC Stubs A-List is exactly what I'm looking for when it comes to a movie ticket subscription. Everything is housed within the app, it's really easy to use, and IMAX, 3D, and other premium formats are offered--what's not to love?
That said, if you don't live near an AMC theater but still want to see new movies every month, Sinemia may be your best bet. It may not be the best-designed app, but it allows you to easily treat yourself to IMAX and 3D screenings.
Disclosure: Sinemia provided GameSpot with a trial subscription to evaluate the service for this story.
MoviePass users who have canceled their memberships may want to double-check on the status of that cancelation. Users are reportedly being opted back into their subscriptions after agreeing to a new set of terms and conditions.
According to Vox, users who cancel their MoviePass subscription but then tap the "I Accept" button when they launch the app will have their account renewed. This effectively nullifies the cancellation request, and MoviePass doesn't inform you that your account has been reinstated. Only in the follow-up email after tapping "I Accept" does MoviePass spell this out, writing, "If you had previously requested cancellation prior to opting-in, your opt-in to the new plan will take priority and your account will not be canceled." And unfortunately, this isn't the first instance of cancelations gone awry. Previously, some users had reported being charged even after canceling their accounts.
On MoviePass' new plan updates page, the company details what this new subscription is that's taking priority over an account cancellation request. Beginning on August 15, the new MoviePass subscription--whether the user intended to opt-in or not--will allow them to see up to three standard movies for $9.95 a month, with a $2 to $5 discount on additional tickets purchased within the billing cycle. This is a drastic change from the unlimited movies MoviePass first offered. And if the user is on the $7.95 capped plan, they'll be prompted to opt-in to MoviePass' new $9.95 plan--or cancel their account.
In addition to MoviePass' new subscription model, the company has revealed that Peak Pricing and Ticket Verification will be suspended under this new plan, but subscribers may still be subject to ticket verification until they opt-in.
MoviePass has run into quite a few problems recently. From not allowing subscribers to seeMission Impossible: Fallout to running out of money to inflating prices for big movies--Peak Pricing, as it's called--the company can't seem to catch a break. And this debacle will only make matters worse. All of this has caused the stock price of its parent company, Helios and Matheson Analytics, to drop, currently trading at only 5.3 cents per share.
Although Disney's firing of writer/director James Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 was fast and sudden, most of the movie's cast took their time in responding to the controversy. Dave Bautista was quick to condemn the decision, but his co-stars waited more than a week to issue a joint-statement on the matter, in which they offered Gunn their support. Now Chris Pratt, who plays lead character Peter Quill in the Marvel series, has spoken further about Gunn's dismissal.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Pratt said that the situation was "complicated." Gunn was fired after old tweets that saw the director joking about topics such as pedophilia and rape resurfaced online.
"It's not an easy time," Pratt said. "We all love James and he's a good friend of ours, but we also really love playing the Guardians of the Galaxy. It's a complicated situation for everybody. And you know, we just want to move forward and do what's right and be the best people we can be."
Pratt went on to discuss last month's Comic-Con, at which he kept an unsurprisingly low profile. "I love going to Comic-Con but I ended up not doing a lot of interviews around that time just because it was so shocking," he said. "All I know is we put a lot of time, thought, and effort into the statement that we released about it. And I think we all kind of want that statement to be essentially what we have to say about it. And we were pretty clear and honest about how we feel."
Pratt's comments follow rumors last week that Disney and Marvel have had unofficial conversations about rehiring Gunn back for the third Guardians movie. Sources for Deadline stated that "the Marvel contingent is trying to persuade Disney to explore a compromise that might bring Gunn back." While the movie has never officially been given a release date, it was reportedly set to start production in February 2019 ahead of a 2020 release.
In contrast to Pratt's more measured comments, Bautista has been far more outspoken about Gunn's exit. In a recent interview, he stated that he did not want be involved with Vol.3 if the studio didn't use Gunn's script. "Where I'm at right now is that if [Marvel] don't use that script, then I'm going to ask them to release me from my contract," he said. "Cut me out or recast me. I'd be doing James a disservice if I didn't."
If you haven't picked up a Nintendo Switch yet, a new bundle offers a pretty good deal to get you started. The Walmart-exclusive set includes the console along with Mario Tennis Aces and 1-2-Switch for $360. Since both games are still regularly priced at $60, the bundle essentially includes one for free.
Mario Tennis Aces is a pretty well-regarded arcade tennis game, despite some initial balance issues that have since been addressed. In GameSpot's Mario Tennis Aces review, Justin Clark wrote, "I still crave the satisfying thwack from a Power Shot, mentally replay matches and imagine how I might do things differently given a bit more focus and know-how. Mario Tennis Aces does what this series has done best, and for the most part, improves what it's rarely gotten right prior."
1-2-Switch received a more middling reception. As a Switch launch game, it seemed mostly a tool to show off the new tech with a variety of somewhat inventive but short mini-games. It was among the top-selling Switch games so far, but the lack of depth meant the games didn't have much longevity.
Each Wednesday, GameStop refreshes its list of deals and puts out a new weekly ad. This week's ad is live, so we're here to break down all the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch games, hardware, and accessories you can save money on between now and August 21.
Let's start with hardware. Buy a new Xbox One, and you get an Xbox One game of your choice (up to $60) for free. And if you're ready to upgrade to an Xbox One X, you can get some bonus cash by trading in another current-gen system. Between now and August 28, you'll get $300 for trading in a PS4 Pro; $250 for PS4, Switch, or Xbox One S; and $200 for an original Xbox One.
You might think the 3DS hardware family is dead now that Nintendo has another handheld-capable device on the market. But with games like Etrian Odyssey Nexus and a Bowser's Inside Story port announced for 2019, you're not entirely correct. If you're in the market for a New Nintendo 2DS XL, you can save $20 this week, bringing the price down to $130.
You'll also get an extra $5 added to the trade value of any PS4, Xbox One, or Nintendo Switch game if you put it toward a pre-order. Wondering what to pre-order? Check out our list of the top pre-order guides.
You can find more game deals in the list below, or check out GameStop's full ad.
Epic Games has released a new Fortnite update for PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch, and mobile, bringing a new weapon and gameplay modes to the Battle Royale, and freshening up the challenges for Save The World modes. Patch 5.21 launched on August 15 at 1 AM PT / 4 AM ET / 8 AM BST and, unlike the majority of updates, there's was no downtime before its arrival.
The biggest addition to Battle Royale is that of the Heavy Sniper Rifle, the name of which is fairly self-explanatory. It deals serious damage, particularly to structures, but that comes at the expense of a long reload time. It's available in Epic and Legendary versions, and the bullets it fires drop less than those of other snipers.
Also new are two Limited Time Modes: Soaring 50s and Sniper Shootout. The former is described as a "twist" on the traditional 50v50 experience that places more of a focus on mobility by allowing Gliders to be re-deployed and also adding more Bounce Pads around the map. Sniper Shootout, meanwhile, is pretty much what the name suggests, with players doing battle using sniper rifles. One difference from the previous iteration is that the Heavy Sniper Rifle has taken the place of the Scoped Assault Rifle.
For Save the World there's a new set of weekly Horde Challenges and another hero joining. Take a look at the Fortnite update 5.21 patch notes below, courtesy of Epic Games.
Battle Royale
Limited Time Mode: Soaring 50s: Summary This mode is a twist on the traditional 50 vs 50 mode, featuring an extra emphasis on mobility. Gliders can be re-deployed when falling from large heights. Additional Impulse Grenades, Bounce Pads, and Launch Pads will be spawned throughout the map. Jump in and soar to new heights!
Mode Details
50v50 loot, ammo and resource levels
When in mid-air and greater than 10m up, press Jump to deploy your glider
Added Impulse Grenades to chests at double the standard spawn rate
Added Impulse Grenades to floor loot
Decreased Spike Trap spawn chances
Increased Launch Pad & Bounce Pad spawn chances
Profile Stats (K/D & Wins) are not tracked in this mode.
Limited Time Mode: Sniper Shootout: In this limited time mode, players will do battle using sniper rifles. May the best aim win!
What's New?
Scoped Assault Rifles have been removed.
The Heavy Sniper Rifle has been added.
Mode Details
Only weapon drops are Sniper Rifles.
Floor Loot spawns reduced by 50%.
Profile Stats (K/D & Wins) are tracked in this mode.
Weapons + Items
Heavy Sniper added
Available in Epic and Legendary variants.
Can be found from floor loot, chests, Supply Drops, and Vending Machines.
Each shot delivers devastating damage at the cost of a long reload.
Deals 150/157 damage to players.
These large rounds deal increased damage (1050/1100) to buildings.
Projectiles fired from the Heavy Sniper have less bullet drop in comparison to other Snipers.
Minigun
Minigun headshot multiplier has been reduced from 2.5 to 1.5.
Bug Fixes
Grenades now properly grant progress for the Week 5 Challenge: "Deal damage to players with a Clinger, Stink Bomb, or Grenade."
Art + Animation
Cloth physics have been fixed and will now appear properly.
Save The World
Missions + Systems
Weekly Horde Challenge - Bullet Proof Husks
Features bulletproof enemies that must be defeated with melee weapons, traps, or Hero abilities.
One time completion Quest Reward
1500 Gold
Repeatable quest reward
75 Tickets
Removed the Power Rating restrictions on Challenge the Horde missions.
These restrictions were blocking some players from accessing the Weekly Challenge Missions even though their Power Level was at the necessary level.
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue where the modifier between Challenge the Horde missions wasn't appearing between waves.
The Constructor Leadership quest will no longer fail to advance when purchasing the skill tree node.
Atlas activation has been fixed in multi-gate Fight the Storm missions.
Track completion now advances the mission properly in Level 28 Deliver the Bomb.
Survivors and quest items no longer appear as orange boxes in the world.
Heroes
New Constructor Machinist: Thora added to the Event Store.
Available Wednesday, August 15th at 8pm ET.
Gameplay
Bug Fixes
• Fixed an issue that could cause Rocket Launchers to take up a large portion of the screen.
Fortnite is now available to download on Android devices, but it's not as easy to get as you'd think. We've got a walkthrough on how to download Fortnite on Android to guide you through the process. On August 15, a selection of outfits were also added to the game, you can see all the new Fortnite skins here and figure out if anything tickles your fancy. For those still doing the challenges for Season 5, take a look at the list below to find guides on all of them.
Netflix will be updated with more TV series and movies throughout this week. This Friday, eight new Netflix originals are being added to the streaming service, just in time to unwind for the weekend.
The 100 Season 5 is a notable addition arriving on August 15. The fifth season continues The CW's post-apocalyptic science fiction drama of a group of teenaged criminals who are forced out of the space station they've lived in their entire lives to survive on Earth--a planet they've never known--to test whether the planet can once again support life. Seasons 1-4 are already on Netflix if you're looking to catch up on the show before the Season 6 premier in 2019.
Also on August 15, Netflix is getting the adorable comedy Adventures in Public School. This Canadian film tells the story of a socially awkward outcast who's been homeschooled by his overprotective mom his entire life. However, when he falls in love with a popular girl at the nearby state school, he decides to leave his sheltered life behind and enroll. The film is directed by Kyle Rideout, who's appeared as an actor in television series like DC's Legends of Tomorrow and Supernatural, and voiced characters in movies like The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Warcraft.
Among the eight new Netflix Originals, you'll definitely want to keep your eye on Disenchantment. Created by Matt Groening--who previously made both The Simpsons and Futurama--the animated series is a medieval fantasy about a rebellious princess and her adventures with an elf and her personal demon.
The rest of the series and movies being added to Netflix this week are outlined below. If you missed out on what came to Netflix last week, or just want to look ahead, read our complete list of everything arriving on the streaming service in August.
New Arrivals On Netflix August 12-18
August 13
Alexander: The Ultimate Cut
Splash and Bubbles: Season 2
The Nut Job
August 15
Adventures in Public School
Hostiles
The 100: Season 5
August 16
Evan Almighty
Wish I Was Here
August 17
Disenchantment-- Netflix Original
Magic for Humans-- Netflix Original
Pinky Malinky--Netflix Original
Spirit Riding Free: Season 6-- Netflix Original
Stay Here-- Netflix Original
The Motive-- Netflix Original Film
To All The Boys I've Loved Before-- Netflix Original Film
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.
If you're in the market for a new Xbox One controller, Microsoft has announced a couple of nice-looking new color options you'll be able to get your hands on soon. The publisher unveiled the new special edition Phantom Black controller and the Grey/Blue controller, both of which are slated to hit stores next month.
The Phantom Black gamepad is the pricier of the two, retailing for $70 USD. It launches around the world on September 11 and features a translucent matte black shell that fades into a "metallic champagne gold." The controller also boasts black buttons and thumbsticks with a champagne gold D-pad.
The Grey/Blue controller, meanwhile, will be available in the US and Canada beginning September 25, with a worldwide release following on October 9. It runs for $65 and, as its name implies, features a grey design that's accented by a light blue back and thumbstick bases. You can take a look at images of the controller below.
Both the Phantom Black and Grey/Blue controllers are available for pre-order from the Microsoft Store. You can order the former here and the latter here. Both are also wireless and come with the all of the other standard features found on modern Xbox One controllers, including a 3.5mm stereo jack, Bluetooth, and textured grip. In some regions, the controllers will also come with free 14-day trials for Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold.
If neither of those colors appeals to you, Microsoft recently announced that the special edition Armed Forces controller is returning due to "popular demand." The camo-colored gamepad retails for $70 and, in the US, is available exclusively from Walmart and the Microsoft Store. The company also recently released a nice-looking Sport White Xbox One controller that likewise runs for $70.
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.
Arkane Studios rose to prominence with the release of Dishonored, a unique first-person stealth-action game renowned for its immersive world and flexible gameplay. Since then, the series has become one of the most acclaimed of the modern generation, but according to one of the studio's developers, it could be a while before we see a new installment.
Speaking to VG247, Arkane lead designer Ricardo Bare revealed that the Dishonored series is on a break for the moment. "I can't say definitively what might happen down the road, anything could happen, but [Dishonored] is resting for now," he said.
The latest Dishonored title was 2017's Death of the Outsider, a smaller standalone adventure set several months after Dishonored 2 that wrapped up the series' storyline. But while a new Dishonored game may not be in the pipeline for the foreseeable future, that doesn't mean the studio is moving away from that game's style of immersive worlds and emergent gameplay.
"The things that are important to us as a studio are coherent, deep world building and environmental storytelling--we're always going to craft spaces that you feel like you're visiting, whether it's Dunwall or Talos 1," Bare said. "It's just as important a character as the player or the people you meet. Then it's improvisational gameplay--giving players a bunch of cool abilities and tools, then saying, 'You figure it out, you be creative, you own the experience.'"
Bare didn't share any details as to what the studio is working on next, but he did suggest that multiplayer could play a role. "Being able to incorporate more online sharing or multiplayer type stuff, we totally might do that," he said. He also teased that future Arkane titles may not necessarily be in first-person, as most of the studio's games have been.
In addition to Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, Arkane released the first-person horror shooter Prey in 2017. The game recently received a new DLC expansion called Mooncrash. Arkane is also releasing an asymmetric, hide-and-seek mode for the game called Typhon Hunter later this year.
During Funimation's Otakon 2018 industry panel, the company announced the home release dates for several anime. Anime fans can expect 12 new home releases this November.
Funimation announced the release of Angel Links the complete series, Black Clover Season 1 Part 2, Kino's Journey -the Beautiful World- the Animated Series the complete series, Starblazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Part 2, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie - Knockin' on Heaven's Door Steelbook Edition, ReLIFE Final Arc OVAs, One Piece Collection 23, A Sister's All You Need. the complete series, Blood Blockade Battlefront & Beyond the complete series, Garo -Vanishing Line- Part 1, Tales of the Abyss the complete series, and King's Game the complete series.
Angel Links is a 1999 series about a 16-year-old girl who takes over the family business of defending outer space trading companies from pirates. It had a home release before, but its license expired following Bandai Entertainment's closure in 2012. Funimation picked up the title in 2013, and now, the series is once again up for sale. Black Clover is a 2017 anime about a boy who's born without magical powers in a world of wizards but still aspires to be crowned the Wizard King. Kino's Journey -the Beautiful World- the Animated Series is a 2017 series about a young traveller who journeys across the world with a talking motorcycle.
Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199 is the 2013 remake of the 1974 Space Battleship Yamato, a science fiction space opera. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie - Knockin' on Heaven's Door continues the critically acclaimed story from 1998's Cowboy Bebop. Releasing in 2001, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie is already out on DVD, but Funimation is releasing a version with a fancy steelbook case. As the name implies, ReLIFE Final Arc is the last story arc from the 2013 ReLIFE anime, a series about a 27-year-old man who participates in a scientific experiment that allows him to relive his high school life all over again.
1999's One Piece is one of those anime series that seem like its never going to end, encompassing one of the longest, but most engrossing, stories about a young man's quest to be the next Pirate King. Airing in 2017, A Sister's All You Need. is a slice-of-life comedy following a young novelist with a sister complex and his assortment of friends who are just as strange as he is. The 2018 follow-up to Blood Blockade Battlefront, Blood Blockade Battlefront & Beyond revolves around the detective organization known as Libra who use their supernatural gifts to combat the monsters that stalk their city.
Garo -Vanishing Line- is a 2017 series about a group of knights who hunt down monsters called Horrors. Tales of the Abyss is the 2008 anime based off of the 2006 PS2 game of the same name. The story follows a young swordsman who must escape a religious organization that wants to use him to fulfill an ancient prophecy. King's Game is a horrifying 2017 series, taking inspiration from the cell phone visual novel of the same name. It follows a high school class that is forced to play "the game," where failing to follow the orders they each receive as text messages from a mysteries stranger--regardless of what they are--results in death. The class tries to fulfill the orders, which range from completing a marathon to forced sexual intercourse, to different levels of success, all while trying to discover the king's identity and a way out of the game.
The full details of Funimation's home release schedule is outlined below.
Funimation Home Release Schedule
Angel Links - The Complete Series
Available on DVD and Digital
Street date: 11/06/18
Black Clover - Season One Part Two
Episodes 11-19
Available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital
Includes Yuno acrylic keychain
Street date: 11/06/18
Kino's Journey -the Beautiful World- the Animated Series - The Complete Series
Available on Blu-ray and Digital
Street date: 11/06/18
Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199 - Part 2
Episodes 14-26
Available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital
Fits inside the Star Blazers 2199 - Part 1 Limited Edition box
Street date: 11/06/18
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie - Knockin' on Heaven's Door SteelBook Edition
In theaters this summer for a special limited release on August 15-16
First ever Cowboy Bebop SteelBook release in the U.S.
Available on Blu-ray
Street date: 11/13/18
ReLIFE Final Arc - OVAs
A collection of four OVAs
Available on Blu-ray and DVD
Street date: 11/13/18
One Piece - Collection 23
Episodes 541-563
Available on DVD
Street date: 11/13/18
A Sister's All You Need. - The Complete Series
Available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital
Street date: 11/13/18
Blood Blockade Battlefront & Beyond - The Complete Season
Available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital
Street date: 11/20/18
Garo -Vanishing Line- - Part One
Available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital
Street date: 11/20/18
Tales of the Abyss - The Complete Series
First time on Blu-ray; available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital
The classic first-person shooter series TimeSplitters is under new ownership. THQ Nordic has announced its subsidiary, Koch Media, has acquired the IP, along with the rights to the cult favorite sci-fi shooter Second Sight.
Despite its long inactivity, the TimeSplitters series was a fixture of the PS2/Xbox/GameCube era. It was developed by Free Radical, a studio founded by many Rare veterans who worked on GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark. The series' final installment to date, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect, released in 2005, after which point Free Radical was acquired by Crytek and became Crytek UK. Deep Silver, another subsidiary of THQ Nordic, acquired the developer in 2014 and it became Deep Silver Dambuster Studios.
"We are hugely excited to have acquired TimeSplitters," said Koch Media CEO Klemens Kundratitz. "The original games gave fans a massive content offer and provided a pure and genuinely fun arcade shooter experience. We have many fans of the TimeSplitters series among our own staff who are passionate about creating a product that will thrill today's gaming audience."
THQ Nordic hasn't formally announced a new installment in the series, although the acquisition and Kundratitz's statement certainly signals some plans to revitalize the dormant FPS. A fourth TimeSplitters game was announced back in 2007, although it was never officially revealed, and Crytek confirmed back in 2012 that the game was not in development. Despite that, the developers behind the series say it is still commonly requested by fans, and the developers themselves still have "a lot of love" for it.
Koch's acquisitions also point to some plans to resurrect Second Sight. Likewise developed by Free Radical, the game was released in 2004 and mixed stealth and psychic abilities with first-person shooting. Koch says "[f]orthcoming Second Site products will also be published by Deep Silver" and teases that more details on the future of both IPs will be announced "in due course."
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.
There's less than a month to go until Marvel's Spider-Man, the latest action game in the iconic franchise, hits PS4, and now we're getting a look at the full gameplay trailer. In the video above, we see Spider-Man swinging through the city, smashing through windows, dodging explosions, and of course, fighting his many, many enemies.
The trailer shows off some of Peter Parker's more incredible aerial feats, like attempting to stop a helicopter from crashing and facing off against foes on rooftops high in the sky. Early impressions of gameplay, like those from our own GameSpot crew's playthrough, are very positive: web slinging and parkour feel as great as they look, and so does a combat system that's easy to pick up but also complex enough to reward experimentation.
This latest Spider-Man will take the classic character's story in an original direction, not based on an existing comic, film, or game. You play as both Peter Parker and his superhero alter-ego, and must defend New York City from a super villain threat. Gameplay takes place in an open-world setting, and you will also have the opportunity to play as MJ. In this game, she is an investigative journalist, and in at least one mission you switch back and forth between her and Peter to successfully take out a big time crime boss. Read more about GameSpot's early MJ gameplay impressions.
Marvel's Spider-Man releases exclusively for PS4 on September 7. There are several options to buy, complete with pre-order bonuses including a Spidey Suit Pack and extra Skill Points (which allow you to unlock abilities from the start of the game like active finishers, web grab, or faster web swinging). There is a Standard Edition, a Digital Deluxe Edition, and a Collector's Edition, each one with more goodies inside. If you want to go all out, there's also a whole Spider-Man-themed PS4 Pro setup with 1TB of space. Check out our full roundup of ordering options, and watch GameSpot's full Spider-Man GamePlay impressions.
The release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is fast approaching, and while it doesn't have a traditional campaign, it does have two Zombies storylines. At launch, the fan-favorite mode will have both the returning Aether story, which consists of the Blood of the Dead map, and the new Chaos story, which spans the Titanic-themed Voyage of Despair map and the Roman Gladiator-themed IX map.
We recently spoke to Treyarch's senior executive producer Jason Blundell and lead writer Craig Houston about Black Ops 4's take on Zombies, how writing for the mode works, and the most bizarre things that made it into the games. The two have been working together for 17 years and, as they put it, have a very particular brand of British and Scottish humor. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Is there a connection between the Chaos storyline and the previous Zombies story?
Jason Blundell: I can absolutely confirm that the Chaos story is in no way connected to the Aether story.
Craig Houston: Other than sharing space.
JB: Well, they do share a connection there. They are on the same disc. Yep, that's true.
Are there Easter eggs in Blood of the Dead that fans can look forward to?
CH: Lots. I think the thing we started talking about was, over these last 10 years the Aether story involving Richtofen, Dempsey, Takeo, and Nikolai has been a very involved, time-traveling, multidimensional thing of craziness that has a beginning, middle, and end. But we left a lot of very deliberate gaps so that we could revisit, and Blood of the Dead is definitely one of those. It's nice to see the speculation in the community about exactly where it sits in our chronology. All will be revealed. But in terms of Easter eggs, it's gonna change people's understanding of some of the things we have seen and perceived so far.
JB: In the article, can you put a little star next to the bit where Craig says, "All will be revealed," and it says, "Jason says, 'Not really.'"
CH: Lots will be revealed.
JB: Yes. Some things will be revealed.
CH: A thing will be revealed.
JB: With Easter eggs, it's like the Easter Bunny just ran around Alcatraz throwing things around.
CH: Which is true of everything we're doing in Black Ops 4. We're trying to return to a lot of old-school Easter eggs in terms of audio logs and things like that, rather than just giving people impossible-to-solve ciphers so Jason can show off his brain.
JB: That's a very good point. Let me do the serious answer to that. [laughs] As we got to the end of Black Ops 3, especially toward the end of the Aether story, we had to make Easter eggs more and more difficult to kind of slow down or control the drip of information to the community. So we started to utilize a lot more ciphers, because that would slow it down. You have to do math problem solving and so forth. Going into the new stages with the Chaos story, we eventually took our mentality back to the beginning of Aether where it was more about pressing X on things, or reading things that we had on textures, or stuff we'd hide in the world. So those stories have different mentalities now. You'll see a lot more "traditional" ways of hiding stuff for the players. But the thing about the Blood of the Dead is, you know there's a couple of ciphers around for the fans who enjoy that part of it.
Do you guys, and does the team in general, feel pressure for Zombies and for making some really fantastic Zombies storylines considering that Black Ops 4 doesn't have a traditional campaign?
CH: The pressure's always been there, on Zombies, as it's grown. Because it took off so early on, as the little bonus map in World at War. You know, with every iteration, we just really tried to push it further and further, both gameplay-wise and narrative and everything. So, given that the love for that kind of feels natural, we're just doing it even more so this time.
A lot more writing goes into the Zombies stuff than in writing something like World at War.
[...] I think in narrative terms, as well, to be perfectly honest--a lot more writing goes into the Zombies stuff than in writing something like World at War. Because in a linear campaign, characters don't talk as much as they do in those kinds of modes as they do in Zombies, because Zombies is constantly evolving and constantly changing. You need lines dialogue for people who've gotten very good at the game and are getting headshots from 20 meters, and you need lines of dialogue for people like me and Jason [who] need help.
So the sheer volume of dialogue, which is not just on the player characters but is also in Easter eggs, that ends up being a pretty massive chunk of work. The world building and planning for the mythologies that we're exploring is really quite significant.
JB: And Craig and I both have that campaign background. In terms of the level of engagement, and the kind of narrative exploration, we actually scaled up our narrative team for the Zombie work.
CH: I've got a good one: Zombies is a world that you can live in, not just pass through. [laughs] You know what I mean. Campaigns are often a one-and-done thing.
JB: Yeah. Zombies is more of a state of mind than a methodology. Is that what you're saying, Craig?
CH: No, I wasn't.
JB: I know. Thank you.
Is the writers' room always this bantery?
CH: Well, whenever Jason and I get together, it is. But when I'm working with other writers I try to be a bit more serious and encourage them to write, not just make jokes.
JB: We're just putting on a show for you. We're actually very serious, boring individuals.
CH: In all fairness, though, I think we do have--well maybe it's a British thing, but our disagreements are usually solved through ridicule. Jason suggests an idea, and if I don't like it I go straight to ridicule. "Oh, you think that's a good idea, do you? Think that up in the shower, did you? Oh, it writes itself, doesn't it, Jason?"
What is the weirdest thing you thought up that still made it into Zombies?
CH: Thousands? I mean the fact that you've got a golden spork in Mob of the Dead.
The golden spork.
JB: Oh yeah, the golden spork was good. The idea of a, what, 1960? When was the spork invented? I don't know.
CH: I don't know.
JB: Kind of a utilitarian utensil. The combination of a spoon and a fork. It just blows me away. Still to this day it seems like a greater achievement than the moon landing.
CH: Yeah, and there's so many. I don't think there's a bar where anything is too silly. I mean, Richtofen cut out Maxis's brain and put it in a drone. And then flew it into a dimensional portal. So if you can do that kind of thing...
JB: That's like a normal day at work.
JB: [pauses] I dunno. All of them, really. I always say, when it comes to Zombies development--not only the way we work with the team but also how we direct it as well--which is that it has to feel like the inmates are running the asylum. It's gotta feel like a mode where--and I say this [hoping for] forgiveness here with Activision on the line--like they've not got any control over us and it's a bunch of madmen making a mode. So I think that speaks to people in a certain way. And that's the spirit we keep on going, that kind of rock-and-roll attitude. That kind of, "Yeah we're not really going to listen to what the official advice should be for this, but this is the way it is."
What are the WWE rumors rumbling along the internet? What are industry insiders or that random crazy person on Twitter saying? It's time, once again, to take a look at what could happen at WWE's next PPV. Where are you going to be on Sunday, August 19? Will you be out in the sun, enjoying a beverage by the beach or will you be inside all day watching a WWE PPV? If you're a wrestling fan, chances are you'll be watching Summerslam on the WWE Network.
For the fourth year in a row, the WWE event will be taking place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The show will start at 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT with a Kickoff Show starting two hours prior on the WWE Network. This year's event is going to be jam-packed, as there are 12 matches already on the card, and there's a good possibility--if the rumors are correct--there will be even more, which will really screw up our predictions.
And there are plenty of rumors about the show, including the fact that the current card isn't the final card. Here are the Summerslam rumors from industry insiders, but keep in mind that these are just rumors and not confirmations. We'll keep you updated with any more rumors as the week continues.
Longest PPV Ever
This will be one of the longest PPV of the year. Currently, on the WWE Network, the service has 6.5 hours blocked off for Summerslam and the Kickoff show. It could easily run longer than that though, especially if WWE keeps adding matches to the card. Earlier this year, Wrestlemania 34 came in at a little more than 7 hours in total.
Walk With Elias
Although it hasn't been booked yet, you can expect to see a last minute booking of Elias vs. Bobby Lashley, most likely on the Kickoff Show. WWE has been building to a match between the two for weeks and the Kickoff is the only place it fits.
UPDATE 8/14/18: Elias now has a spot on the Summerslam card where he will perform. We expect Lashley to interrupt.
Asuka Didn't Quit
Asuka might be added to the triple threat match for the Smackdown Women's Championship. There have been rumors that she quit the company recently, but those have been put to rest as she'll appear on Smackdown on August 14. (via Slicewrestling)
Return Of The Lunatic Fringe?
Could Dean Ambrose return at Summerslam? He's been on the injured list for quite some time, but he's apparently coming back to WWE sometime soon, possibly just in time for Summerslam. That could mean Seth Rollins could have someone by his side while fighting off Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre. (via PWInsider)
UPDATE 8/14/18: Amborse returned on the August 13 episode of Raw and is back by Seth Rollins' side.
Spicing Up The IC Title Match
Apparently, the only potential match change being mentioned by name right now is Rollins vs. Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship. Could McIntyre and maybe even Ambrose be added to this bout? (via WrestleVotes)
UPDATE 8/14/18: In WWE's promotional images for Summerslam, both Drew McIntyre and Dean Ambrose appear. More than likely, both men will just be in their friends' corners for the match.
More Changes Coming To The Card
Because fans have said the summer event lacks excitement, there is a plan to change the card a bit leading up to Summerlsam. Multiple matches will be affected. (via Cagesideseats)
Daniel Bryan Isn't Going Anywhere
There has been a lot of talk about whether Daniel Bryan will renew his contract with WWE in September. However, with Daniel Bryan being the focus of 2K's next WWE game, it seems likely that Bryan will be working with the company for at least another year.
In GameSpot's interview, Bryan said, "I just don't want things that aren't creatively fulfilling, so I don't care what you do, as long it doesn't put me in this mental funk, where I just feel like, "Oh man, I can't believe I have to do this today." But anything other than that, usually I'm just happy to be back wrestling."
While talking to Bryan, his face lit up while talking about in-ring wrestling and being cleared by doctors in WWE. And he and Miz may not see eye-to-eye on a lot of things in ring or out, but he seems very happy with his current feud with him.
Brock Lesnar's Secret Meeting
This is a rumor no one is excited for. According to Barnburner's Fired Up podcast (via Ringside News), there is a chance Brock Lesnar will stay with WWE. According to the episode, Sunday afternoon, before Summerslam begins, Lesnar will have a meeting with head executives at WWE. While no one truly knows what the meeting is about, Joe Peisich on the episode believes there's a chance he could be working for both WWE and the UFC. Does that mean there's also a chance he could retain the title?
Make sure to come back to GameSpot on Sunday, August 19 for live coverage of Summerslam.
EA's Madden franchise is one of the most commercially successful series in the history of video games. The publisher announced today that the franchise has now sold more than 130 million copies of Madden games since the franchise debuted back in 1988. The sales milestone comes after the release of Madden NFL 19, which enjoyed a "strong opening weekend," EA said in a press release. EA did not provide a specific unit sales figure for Madden NFL 19, nor did it say how sales compared to Madden NFL 18.
The Madden franchise stood at 99 million copies sold back in 2013 before the release of Madden NFL 25 (which is the special name EA gave to Madden NFL 14).
EA also specified that Madden games for mobile devices have now passed 73 million installs. The latest game, Madden NFL Overdrive, launches on August 15.
"It's incredible how many people have enjoyed Madden NFL over the years, and the impact it's had on not only teaching the sport of football, but growing the love of it as well," EA Sports executive Cam Weber said in a statement. "Every year Madden NFL is the game that kicks off our season of EA Sports games, and it continues to be one of the titans of the game industry."
EA's next big sports game releases are NHL 19 (September 14) and FIFA 19 (September 25). For more on Madden NFL 19, check out GameSpot's review.
There's a pretty decent chance you've been hearing the name Kate Kane more lately than you ever have before. With Ruby Rose announced to be playing her in the CW's upcoming Arrow-verse crossover--and potentially in her own spin-off series--Kate and her costumed alter ego have been thrust into the spotlight like never before, leaving more than a few fans blinking in surprise. She's one of the most prominent LGBTQ superheroes in the DC Universe but also one of the most niche, thanks to her slightly confusing, multifaceted origins.
First things first: No, Batwoman is not just a new name for Batgirl, and Kate Kane is not just a new Barbara Gordon. They are two completely different characters who actually don't have a ton to do with one another, save for their Bat-connections and home base in Gotham City. And before you ask, no, there tragically isn't a secret "Batboy" to compliment Batman and balance things out. Robin will just have to do.
The concept of Batwoman actually dates back to the mid-'50s, with a character called Kathy Kane, who, despite the similar name and codename, was actually not Kate Kane, but a totally separate person--kind of. The division between Kathy and Kate Kane gets a bit murky through DC's numerous continuity reboots and realignments, but for the sake of clarity, it's generally just best to consider Kathy and Kate as two different people, even though that's not always technically true.
Kate Kane--the Kate Kane that will be showing up on the CW next season--wasn't introduced until the 2006 series "52," a weekly comic that explored the immediate aftermath of a massive, continuity-altering event called Infinite Crisis. In the wake of the Crisis, the major DC ongoing stories all experienced a one year time skip (called, appropriately, "One Year Later") where heroes like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman all took a step back from their duties to refocus and reorient themselves. 52 was the story of what happened with that year-long gap and generally involved elevating C- and D-listers like Booster Gold, allowing new characters to take on classic mantles like The Question, or introducing new faces like Kate.
photo: Brad Triffitt
Let's start with a little Gotham City history. The Kane family was a well respected and highly regarded name in Gotham's upper echelons, related to the Waynes by marriage--Martha, Bruce's mother, was a Kane, making Bruce and Kate cousins. The Kanes made their fortune in Kane Chemicals and were said to own basically whatever parts of Gotham the Waynes hadn't already gotten their hands on. While Kate's father, Jacob, was a high ranking military officer, her mother, Gabi, stayed home to raise both Kate and her twin sister, Beth.
Unfortunately, tragedy disrupted what would have been a normal, upper-class childhood. One night when Kate was just a young girl and Jacob was away on work, Gabi, Kate, and Beth were caught in a hostage crisis at a Gotham restaurant. Despite her father's best efforts to martial the appropriate response, Kate was the only one to make it out alive.
Kate grew up to follow closely in her father's footsteps, attending West Point and rising through the ranks with surprising determination and speed. However, when it was revealed that she had been fostering a secret lesbian relationship with one of her fellow students, she was asked to disavow her sexuality or be expelled. She chose expulsion. Jacob supported her choice, however, and facilitated her return to Gotham, where she could finish out her schooling at a normal college. Kate did her best to stay on track but promptly wound up caught in a directionless spiral of partying and rebellion through most of her late teens and early-20s as she grappled with her identity and her past.
It wasn't until she was forced to use her latent military training to thwart an attempted mugging--a moment that brought her face-to-face with Batman for the first time--that she actually began considering stepping into the vigilante lifestyle. She started relatively small, stealing military gear and tech from her father's collections to go out at night, but was promptly caught. Rather than trying to stop her, however, Jacob intervened to insist Kate travel and receive proper training from his military contacts, sending her on a two-year long journey around the world to learn the skills and discipline that would keep her alive.
Upon her return, Jacob presented Kate with a bat suit he had designed and crafted for her, making her transformation into Batwoman complete. She began her new crime-fighting career by reconnecting with an old flame: Officer Renee Montoya, who she had had a romantic relationship with growing up, and who had recently begun training as a vigilante in her own right under the mentorship of The Question. Together, Batwoman and Montoya (later Batwoman and the new Question) worked to defend Gotham in Batman's absence.
Kate is distinct from the rest of the Batfamily thanks to her military background. She's much more formal in her discipline, making her considerably less reliant on a team than she is on her own skill and training. In some incarnations, her father often acts as her Alfred-style advisor, helping her with developing equipment, maintaining her cover, patching her wounds and so on. However, where Alfred generally tries to ease Bruce away from the crime-fighting life when and if he can, Jacob continually puts pressure on Kate to become the best vigilante she can be, sometimes putting her in danger, or undermining her, in the process. This frequently puts Kate in uncomfortable positions with trying to balance her "work" and personal lives while avoiding disappointing her father.
Kate's relationship with the Batfamily at large is frequently pretty distant, though gaining her fellow vigilante's respect has never been an issue. Prior to the continuity reset of Flashpoint, Kate worked with various heroes both in and outside of Gotham. During the New 52, she was given her first solo ongoing series. Now, in the Rebirth era, she's been brought closer to the Batfamily fold than ever in the ongoing Detective Comics series where she's been tasked by Bruce to help train the next generation of Gotham's crime fighters.
With no other official Bat-people to speak of on the CW, the version of Kate we're likely to see Ruby Rose bring to life on the screen is probably going to borrow from a variety of sources. It's likely that her connection to Bruce will be downplayed--the Kanes will likely not be related to the Waynes in this universe, though there is a (pretty small chance) chance as Bruce Wayne has been mentioned on Arrow. Instead, we'll probably see something more focused on the relationship she shares with her father, her military training, and her on-again-off-again struggles with maintaining healthy romantic and personal relationships. If we're lucky, we'll even get to see Renee Montoya join the mix as well.
WWE's Summerslam 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 13 matches on the card, two of which are on the Kickoff Show. There shouldn't be any more added at this point.
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.
As is often the case on the deals side of the video game world, it's a good time to be a PC gamer. Right now you can head over to Steam and download Insurgency for free. It's only free until August 15, but if you grab the game before it goes back to full price, you can keep it and play it forever.
Originally released in 2014, Insurgency is an online first-person shooter that aims for realism. It doesn't give you a map or a radar to keep track of your location or where enemies are. Death comes fast, as players can only take one or two bullets before going down. You don't even get on-screen crosshairs aside from the metal on your gun when you look down-sights.
A class system helps you and your teammates create a well-rounded squad. The battles are 16 vs. 16, and because you're so vulnerable on your own, success usually hinges on teamwork. According to GameSpot's 7/10 Insurgency review, the stripped-down nature of the game makes battles feel more intense, because you have to pay more attention to your surroundings.
From the review: "Intense tactical encounters filled with firefights and flying bodies prove thrilling enough to make it easy to look beyond Insurgency's less impressive visual design. The team dynamic and unique squad system inject something different into the mix too, offering match after match of absorbing cooperative killing that proves good looks aren't everything."
The reason for the game giveaway is to help promote the sequel, Insurgency: Sandstorm, which releases on September 18. If you own the original Insurgency (which you do by downloading it for free now), you get a 10% discount for the sequel. Pre-ordering gets you an additional 10% off, bringing the price from $30 down to $24.
Insurgency was a PC-only game, but Insurgency: Sandstorm will also come to PS4 and Xbox One.
Microsoft's Xbox Live Gold subscribers get free games each month, but they don't all become available at the same time. Some games go free at the start of the month, while others become available at the halfway point. It's now the 15th of August, which means it's your your last chance to grab two free Xbox games.
The free games in question are the Xbox 360 game Dead Space 3 and the Xbox One game Death Squared. As always, the Xbox 360 titles in the Games With Gold program are backwards compatible and playable on Xbox One. Time is running out to secure your copy of both games, so hurry and grab them if you haven't yet.
Dead Space 3 is a horror game about navigating through a hostile sci-fi setting while using weapons to saw limbs off the aliens who are stalking you. For the first time in the series, you can play all the way through Dead Space 3 with a co-op partner. Death Squared is also a co-op game. It's a colorful puzzle game that can be played alone or with up to four players.
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