If you're in need of new shows and movies to stream this week, Netflix is ready. The streaming service is adding quite a bit of content for the week, including your first taste of 2018 Winter Olympics programming.
While the Olympics don't kick off until February 9, NBC is debuting a two-part special, 2018 Olympic Winter Games Preview: Meet Team USA & Go for the Gold. The specials--which are available now--will only be streaming for a limited time, getting removed from Netflix at the conclusion of the games. In them, you'll get to know the athletes on Team USA and their stories leading into the Olympics.
If the winter games aren't something you're interested in, though, there's still plenty to watch on Netflix. New seasons of Friday Night Tykes, Grace and Frankie, and Trolls: The Beat Goes On all arrive this week, along with movies like Dallas Buyers Club and Wild Hogs.
It's been a quiet period for new additions to the Xbox One's backwards compatibility library. Following a number of additions in November, Microsoft's BC team took a break for the holidays, leaving us without any new titles for several weeks. Now, the first new releases of the year have arrived, with several more Xbox 360 games now being playable on Xbox One.
There are three new arrivals in all. The most noteworthy of the bunch is Far Cry 2, the excellent open-world first-person shooter. It's joined by another shooter, Sniper Elite V2, and racing game Driver: San Francisco, which is the most recent entry in the Driver series.
All three are now playable on Xbox One. If you own a physical disc, you can simply pop that into the system to begin playing. Digital copies can be found in the Ready to Download area of the My Games and Apps section on the console, or you can buy the games directly through the Xbox Store. As it happens, Far Cry 2 is among the Xbox games on sale this week.
Nearly 150 games were added to the backwards compatibility list last year, including the first original Xbox games. Those are not expected to be added as frequently as Xbox 360 games; the next batch is due out sometime this spring. There's no set schedule for new Xbox 360 games, but in the past we've typically seen additions come no more than a week apart. For a look at what's already playable, check out our list of all the Xbox One backwards compatible games.
Adult Swim's newest animated series Hot Streets has quite a history from its inception, and it's entirely possible it wouldn't exist without Rick and Morty creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland. It's a story that stretched back to 2005 for Brian Wysol, who is now showing his series to the world.
"Around 2005, I was living in Orange County and had been working property management and I really hated that job," he remembers in a look at the history of Hot Streets, which you can see first below. "I could buy equipment where you could make your own cartoon. So I spent all the money that I had."
It's then that he found Channel 101--the web-based short film competition created by Harmon and Rob Schrab. "Channel 101 is a monthly contest where anybody in the world can enter a five-minute fake TV pilot that then gets screened in front of an audience," JD Ryznar, a voice on Hot Streets, explains. "They then vote for their favorites and the five favorites get to come back and make another episode."
One of those voting was none other than Roiland, who became a fan of Wysol's. "So I would see his stuff monthly or at least hope to see it monthly because I was always such a big fan," he says. Of course, not everyone was a fan and some of his animated shorts did not win over the majority of the audience. It did not deter Wysol, though. "This guy doesn't give a f*** at all," Roiland jokes. "It's amazing."
So amazing that when the time was right, Wysol decided to pitch an animated series to Adult Swim with Roiland on board as one of the voices. As with his reception at Channel 101 events, though, the pitch session with the network was not going well, at first. Then Roiland stepped in.
"I literally had [Adult Swim senior executive vice president Mike] Lazzo watch like three or four of his shorts and he was like, 'Alright, greenlit to series,'" Roiland remembers. Looking back on the journey, Wysol himself can't believe how far he's come. "I went from making a cartoon by myself in my apartment to having a team of amazingly talented professional animators," he says. "It was exciting to be able to escape my old job and to make cartoons, which is my dream."
Hot Streets airs Sunday nights at midnight on Adult Swim.
By Anonymous on Jan 16, 2018 11:21 pm This week New Monarchy, Dead Orbit, and Future War Cult battle it out again to see which faction is the best in Destiny 2.
You may have seen Sega teasing a new game recently, and now the company has revealed its upcoming title. It's a spiritual successor to Theme Hospital called Two Point Hospital, and it's coming to PC in "late 2018."
The game is being made by a new UK company called Two Point Studios, formed by some of the ex-developers of Theme Park, Black & White, and Fable. Together, Sega and Two Point say the game will come "packed with the humor, charm, and replayability fans of the genre have come to expect," the former of which is evident in the first trailer--take a look at that above.
"We're delighted to finally announce the fruits of our partnership with Two Point Studios and reveal Two Point Hospital to the world," said Sega Europe's VP of publishing, John Clark. "We're committed to finding and working with the best new studios, ones that fit with Sega's ethos to deliver new IP with strong franchise potential. Two Point Studios' vision for Two Point Hospital and their ambitions for it fit perfectly with that notion and we look forward to releasing their game later this year."
Theme Hospital launched back in 1997, itself a spiritual successor to Theme Park. The games spawned a series of management sims that included Theme Aquarium, Sim Theme Park (Theme Park World in Europe and Australia), and SimCoaster (Theme Park Inc in Europe). However, the latter was the final game released by the series' developer, Bullfrog, after the company was acquired by and merged into EA.
The variety of historical settings of Assassin's Creed games has always been one of the highlights of the series, as it's fascinating to explore a dynamic, living recreation of Victorian England or Ancient Egypt. Previously, however, if you simply wanted to explore the cities and environments of the games, you still had to put up with some combat and storyline.
Today, Ubisoft announced the release date and price for a new mode, called Discovery Tour, for Assassin's Creed Origins that allows players to learn more about Ancient Egypt without the pressure of questlines or combat. It's designed specifically as an educational experience, and it'll let you see the entire world at your own pace.
There are two main components to Discovery Tour. First, the mode opens up the entire world to free-roaming, and quests and combat are turned off. This way, players can simply wander through the cities, villages, and deserts to see what Ancient Egypt might have been like.
Secondly, Ubisoft will also add daily guided tours to the game to provide players with a way to gain specific knowledge of Egyptian society and history. These tours will be curated by historians and Egypt experts.
Discovery Tour will be available as a free update to anyone who owns Assassin's Creed Origins on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on February 20. In addition, it'll be available as a standalone download for $20 only on PC.
In other news, Ubisoft announced that the first piece of DLC is coming to Assassin's Creed Origins on January 23. Called The Hidden Ones, it adds a new region, storyline, weapons, and more. In addition, a new patch was released today that improves the behavior of tamed animals and allows you to sell back outfits, among other things.
Microsoft has rolled out a new batch of game discounts for Xbox One and Xbox 360. A big selection of titles are on sale for both platforms this week, and you don't need an Xbox Live Gold subscription to take advantage of most of them.
As per usual, the bulk of this week's deals are available on Xbox One, but only a handful of discounts are reserved for Xbox Live Gold members. Those with Gold can pick up the ever-popular Grand Theft Auto V for $30 / £27.50, while an assortment of microtransaction bundles for the game are also on sale for Gold subscribers. Additionally, Halo 5: Guardians Digital Deluxe Edition is $30 / £21, L.A. Noire is $30 / £26.24, Slender: The Arrival is $2 / £1.60, Defunct is $10.49 / £8.74, and Feral Fury is $2.50 / £2.
On Xbox 360, Gold members can get Red Dead Redemption for $9 / £7.49, which is also playable on Xbox One thanks to backwards compatibility. Additionally, the game's Undead Nightmare expansion is available for $5 / £3.37. All 360 owners, meanwhile, can find discounts on various Far Cry titles and DLC, including Far Cry 4 ($12 / £4), Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon ($6 / £4), and Far Cry 2 ($6 / £2.69), which was just added to Xbox One's backwards compatible library.
The above deals will only be available until 3 AM PT / 6 AM ET on January 23, giving you a week to take advantage of them. You can find the full list of this week's Xbox game discounts on Major Nelson's blog.
With the new season of The Handmaid's Tale comes a vastly expanding world for the Hulu series. The show stretch beyond Gilead to the Colonies where exiled handmaids escape to and the funeral for a handmaiden--both settings that were revealed in the first photos for the new season.
Now, though, much more about the season is becoming clear. In the first-look trailer for the episodes, it's clear that a resistance against Gilead is growing and at the heart of it is Offred (Elisabeth Moss). "There is more than one way to resist," Moss told reports at the Television Critics Association winter press tour. "There is resistance within her, and that is a big part of this season."
Moss also says motherhood is a major theme for the season, as Offred--whose real name was revealed to be June--comes to terms with her pregnancy and the possibility of bringing a child into such a troubled time. "It's a wonderful thing to have a baby but she's potentially having it in this world," Moss admits.
Beyond Offred, though, there is even more to the season. Executive producer Warren Littlefield reveals Hulu increased the budget of the series for Season 2, which allows them to build out the world even more. The second episode, for instance, will visit the Colonies described by Margaret Atwood in her original novel.
That new area will first be explored in the second episode of the new season. To help tell that story, creator and executive producer Bruce Miller reveals that Oscar-winning actress Marisa Tomei, most recently seen in Spider-Man: Homecoming, will guest star on the series. Littlefield tells GameSpot she will appear only in this one episode. Her role will be that of a commander's wife in the Colonies, according to Miller.
The second season of The Handmaid's Tale premieres on April 25 on Hulu. You can stream all of Season 1 now.
Speaking at the ACE Comic-Con, McFarlane explained that his movie would be very different from other recent R-rated comic book adaptations. "It's funny in Hollywood, if you say you want to do an R-rated movie, they go like 'Oh like Deadpool and like Logan?'" he said, via The Playlist. "For me, no. Deadpool, to me, was a PG-13 action movie. It just had some naked butts and a couple f-bombs. Other than that, I thought it was the same PG-13 formula.
"I'm talking R. I'm talking that there will not be a lot of fun, there will not be any stupid lines in it. I never like my hero to make a joke right when the jeopardy was at its highest. I felt that if my hero wasn't afraid right now, why should I be? I want my heroes to go 'S**t, what do I do now?'"
In an interview last year, McFarlane was asked how confident he was about his ability to direct the movie, which will be his debut. "I didn't used to draw comic books and I drew comic books and I won awards," he said, via Deadline. "I don't know how to read music and I have a Grammy Award. I'm spending my own money so who cares if it doesn't work out? It's a $10 million budget movie, and [a studio] would just get a 22-year-old punk director. I just want to be the old punk directing it."
The Spawn comic book was first published in 1992 and was massively popular, with the first issue selling 1.7 million copies. However, the 1997 film adaptation received a negative critical reception and underperformed commercially.
In a recent interview on Chris Jericho's podcast, Rusev recalled a genie gimmick that Dusty Rhodes pitched him during training. Had the American Dream gotten his way, Rusev would have materialized in the ring after his manager rubbed a magical lamp. Rhodes even had Rusev cut genie promos for three weeks in preparation for the role.
Sometimes an awful gimmick actually makes it to television, and the poor wrestler has to go out there and do his or her best--like when Mike Halac debuted as Mantaur, a man-beast who would moo at his opponents; or when Harry Del Rios debuted as Phantasio, a magician with Dollar Store magic tricks.
It's funny to watch today. But it was no laughing matter to the performer. Gimmicks like these could destroy a promising career if they didn't work.
Thankfully, many WWE wrestlers had the skill, charisma, and sheer luck to overcome their early, awful gimmicks. They would then go on to become the beloved, iconic Superstars we know today. Here are some notable examples.
7. When The Rock Was Rocky Maivia
When The Rock first debuted, he had the body and the bloodlines for success, but he didn't have the right attitude. He called himself Rocky Maivia, after his father Rocky Johnson, and after his grandfather "High Chief" Peter Maivia. Rocky Maivia was a smiling, optimistic babyface, and the commentators took pains to play up his third generation roots. But because he debuted during the Attitude Era, the fans did not embrace this earnest, bright-eyed schtick.
And eventually, the writers decided to roll with the hate instead of fight it. They turned Rocky Maivia heel by teaming him with the Nation of Domination. The Rock, as he now called himself, started developing the trash-talking jock persona that would make him famous. When he turned face, fans were now ready to love him, and there were no more "Die Rocky Die!" chants for the People's Champion.
6. When Dolph Ziggler Was Nicky The Cheerleader
Before there was NXT, there was Ohio Valley Wrestling--a Kentucky indie promotion which served as a development pipeline for WWE talent. Among the WWE talent who worked their way through OVW in in the early 00's were John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, Shelton Benjamin, Batista, and Dolph Ziggler. And according to OVW promoter and co-owner Jim Cornette, Ziggler was a natural with all the talents necessary for a main event title run.
So what did McMahon do with this prodigy, who had been earmarked for runaway success? He stuck him in a stable of male cheerleaders called The Spirit Squad. Dolph Ziggler was Nicky, and today, he is the only stable member who's still under contract with WWE. He was forced to face his past last year, when The Miz invited Kenny and Mikey onto SmackDown and staged an impromptu reunion.
5. When Al Snow was Leif Cassidy
The original Rockers were one of WWE's most popular tag teams. But the duo split for good after Shawn Michaels hurled Marty Jannetty through Brutus Beefcake's barber shop window. In 1996, WWE tried to recapture the old magic by forming The New Rockers. It was comprised of Jannetty and newcomer Leif Cassidy (David Cassidy + Leif Garrett--get it?). But this was not The Rockers of old; WWE booked The New Rockers as a couple of irritating chuckleheads who behaved like they were from the 1970's. Jannetty left the company due to the creative direction. Cassidy was released soon afterwards.
It was then, however, that Cassidy got hired by ECW. And there, he became Al Snow, an unhinged lunatic who talked to a female mannequin head. When he returned to WWE in 1998, the Attitude Era was in full swing, and Snow fit right in with the company's Hardcore division.
4. When JBL Was Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw
When JBL debuted on WWE television in 1996, he was Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw. Like wrestling legend Stan Hansen, he was a hard hitting Texan, and he dressed the part too--fringe jacket and cowboy hat included. He even carried around a "brand," which he used to mark the opponents he defeated. This was an acceptable midcard gimmick, but it was also typical and stale.
Bradshaw played a variety of hard drinking, hard hitting Texan roughnecks over the next several years. But in 2004, Bradshaw finally made his gimmick original by playing an outsized version of himself. He referred to himself as JBL (Jonathan Bradshaw Layfield), and rather than playing a working class good ol' boy, he dressed up in a suit with a cowboy hat. He reigned as WWE champion for close to 300 days.
3. When Bray Wyatt Was Husky Harris
Like The Rock, Bray Wyatt is another man with the right bloodlines. His grandfather was Blackjack Mulligan and his father was Mike Rotunda, better known to WWE fans as Irwin R. Schyster (I.R.S.). But Wyatt did not have the physique of his elders, and when he debuted on NXT, he was known as Husky Harris. He took part in the Nexus invasion on Raw, but didn't make any waves.
Harris was almost fired. But Triple H intervened, and a year later, Harris re-debuted as Bray Wyatt, a silver-tongued backwoods cult leader. It was this gimmick that rocketed him to the main roster, where he became both a tag team champion and a WWE champion. Currently, Wyatt is involved in a high profile feud with "Awoken" Matt Hardy, which will hopefully push both men to greater heights.
2. When "Stone Cold" Steve Austin Was The Ringmaster
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin is such a natural at playing the blue collar redneck character he's famous for, that it's hard to imagine him as anyone else. But when he first debuted in WWE, he was The Ringmaster, the crown jewel of Ted Dibiase's Million Dollar Corporation stable. The Ringmaster was booked as a cold, emotionless ring prodigy, who had "mastered" every possible way to beat his opponent senseless.
Austin hated the gimmick. He dropped the "Ringmaster" moniker and came up with the "Stone Cold" Steve Austin character--a beer drinking, take-no-prisoners heel. He put forth the image of a rugged individual rather than a follower of Dibiase. And when Austin won King of the Ring (1996), he cut his "Austin 3:16 promo on Jake "The Snake" Roberts, which would define him for decades to come.
1. When Kane Was Dr. Isaac Yankem, D.D.S.
Vince McMahon is a hands-on boss, and the company reflects his eccentricities. For example, because McMahon hated the dentist as a kid, he wanted an evil wrestling dentist character, who would come to the ring serenaded by the sound of a drill.
The narrative build to debuting this evil dentist was ridiculous, even by WWE standards. After losing a "Kiss My Foot" match to Bret Hart, Jerry "The King" Lawler had to go to the dentist to get his mouth cleaned. And so, Dr. Isaac Yankem D.D.S., played by Glenn Jacobs, debuted as Lawler's personal dentist at SummerSlam, where he fought (and lost) to Bret Hart via disqualification.
Fortunately, WWE saw Jacobs' potential despite the dead-end gimmick. Two years later, Jacobs was repackaged as Kane, the psychologically damaged brother of The Undertaker, and the rest is history.
It's a big day for Destiny 2, with the first Faction Rally of Season 2 kicking off. Before that happens, though, a new hotfix is set to arrive, the launch of which coincides with maintenance. Servers for the game are offline as Bungie prepares to launch the new update. Here are the details on how long it will take and when the game will come back online.
As announced last week, this maintenance period will follow the standard pattern for Destiny 2. The process began at 8 AM PT meaning no one can now sign into the game. At 9 AM PT, everyone who was already online will be booted offline. Maintenance is expected to run until 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET / 8 PM GMT (7 AM AET on Wednesday, January 17), by which time you should be able to download and install the new hotfix. Specific timing could always change, but we'll update this story with any word from Bungie.
Patch notes for the hotfix have not been shared, but it deals primarily with unlocking seasonal content for all owners of the game. Previously, Bungie intended to lock things like Faction Rallies to those who owned the latest DLC, but anger from fans caused the developer to reverse that decision. The Faction Rally planned for December was canceled and will now launch today with new gear.
Battlefront II's 1.1 update is headlined by a couple of pieces of new content. Specifically, the patch adds a version of the planet Crait built for Blast mode. In addition, Iden Versio's TIE Fighter has been added as a playable Hero ship in multiplayer. Its special abilities include Afterburner, which gives it a burst of speed; Laser Barrage, a rapid-fire and high-damage barrage; and dual Proton Torpedoes.
There's also a suite of Star Cards added alongside the new ship that provide perks and bonuses. For example, one decreases Afterburner cooldown time, and another increases Proton Torpedo damage. You can see the full list of abilities and Star Cards below.
Additionally, the patch rebalances some Hero and class-specific stats; a few weapons have been tweaked, too. Alongside general bug fixing and performance improvements, the update specifically fixes problems with the Officer's Recharge Command and Finn's Big Deal abilities. Check out the full patch notes below.
In other Battlefront II news, the game was recently nominated for two DICE awards. It's up for Outstanding Achievement in Character and Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design.
Patch Notes
New Content
Blast on Crait Map
Iden Versio's TIE/In fighter
Afterburner--Gives the starfighter a temporary speed boost and breaks enemy missile lock. The Afterburner can be cancelled after a short time
Laser Barrage--Charges up a rapid fire barrage which deals high damage
Dual Proton Torpedoes--Fires two proton torpedoes which track the locked target and deal high damage
Inferno Leader--For the duration of Inferno Leader, all enemies within a radius are revealed to allied players. These enemies receive increased damage from all sources
TIE Fighter Star Cards:
Engine Heat Dissipator--Decreases the Afterburner cooldown
Monster Hunter fans in the United States won't have to resort to importing if they want their PlayStation 4 to herald their love of the series. The new special-edition version of the PS4 Pro is officially coming to the US, Canada, and Europe alongside a new standalone version of the white PS4 Pro system in the former two countries.
Dubbed the Rathalos edition, the Monster Hunter World-themed console features the likeness of the Rathalos enemy on the top of the console in a subtle grey, along with red highlights. The top of the system also features the game's logo in gold, while the front is adorned with gold symbols. The system comes with a special red World controller, a physical copy of World, and some digital content. That includes a dynamic PS4 theme and two in-game bonuses: the Origin armor set and Fair Wind charm.
This package is priced at $450/£380, which is actually a slight discount if you were planning to pick up both a PS4 Pro and World. (The game features visual and performance enhancements when played on a PS4 Pro or Xbox One X.) However, if you're interested, you'll only be able to pick it up at one retailer in the US, as it's a GameStop exclusive. Sony notes on the PlayStation Blog that quantities will be "very limited" when it launches on January 26, the same day as the game itself. There's no word on an AU release yet.
Alternatively, those in the market for a PS4 Pro will soon be able to pick up the Glacier White version of the system, which had been previously bundled with Destiny 2. Like the Rathalos bundle, this will be a GameStop exclusive in the US, where it will be available for the standard $400 later this month. In Canada, it will only be available through EB Games for $500 CAD. The color was already available in Europe.
Grand Theft Auto V's latest multiplayer update is out now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and, as usual, it adds a new car and multiplayer mode. In addition, there are some sales on in-game items and new bonuses.
This week's featured vehicle is the Grotti GT500, a sleek sports car that has a bit of a classic, muscle-car look to it. "Contemplate how stunningly attractive this car makes you look," its promo poster declares.
The new multiplayer mode, meanwhile, is an Adversary mode called Air Quota. Up to four teams and 16 players face off and transform through a series of aircraft, from helicopters to jets to jetpacks. Air Quota awards Double GTA$ and RP from now until January 22.
There's a handful of good discounts on in-game upgrades and items, too. This week features sales on Facility upgrades, including styles, graphics, and a security room upgrade (all 25% off). The Buckingham Pyro and HVY Nightshark vehicles are also 25% off.
Finally, this week's Premium Stunt Race is Plummet, which is locked to Supers. The featured Time Trial is Tongva Valley. As always, the top three finishers in the Stunt Race will get extra GTA$ while everyone will earn Triple RP. If you beat the par time in the Time Trial, you'll get bonus GTA$ and RP.
AMC's zombie drama The Walking Dead is changing showrunners. It has been reported that Scott Gimple will leave the role he has occupied since 2013, and will be replaced by Angela Kang, who has previously worked on the show as a writer.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gimple will now serve as chief content officer for the Walking Dead media franchise, which also includes the spin-off show Fear the Walking Dead, as well as "gaming and future brand extensions on a variety of platforms." Kang has worked on the show since 2011, and has written over 20 episodes. She will take over at the start of Season 9, which is expected to premiere in the fall.
This change of personnel comes at a time of falling ratings for The Walking Dead. The 7.9 million broadcast viewers of the mid-season finale last month was the lowest number since Season 2's in 2011. This is in comparison to the 10.58 million viewers that watched the mid-season of Season 7 in 2016, and nearly half of what the equivalent episode achieved for Season 5 in 2014.
Last month, producer David Alpert defended the show in light of its decline in viewers. He explained that looking at the figures for the show's live broadcast was misleading as to how popular it really is. "I don't think in any way the brand has lost its relevance in general," he said. "I think we're just seeing a decline in urgency across all media to consume something at a specific time. I still get people coming up to me at conventions talking about, they're in the middle of season six. They can't believe what's going on."
This week New Monarchy, Dead Orbit, and Future War Cult battle it out again to see which faction is the best in Destiny 2.
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