EA is set to finally reveal Battlefield V this week, and until then the publisher is staying quiet. So quiet, in fact, that it issued a new teaser with four seconds of footage just to tell you to keep quiet. And even then, the only visual moment we get is a brief close-up of a face shushing the viewer.
It's certainly not much to go on, but it's more of an official glimpse than we'd had previously. The brevity certainly hasn't stopped fans from speculating based on the sights and sounds.
Battlefield V will have its official reveal on Wednesday, May 23 at 1 PM PT / 4PM ET / 9 PM BST (2 PM AET). The stream will be hosted by comedian Trevor Noah, and it will feature the development team outlining its vision for the game. These will be the first official details we see, other than confirmation that a Battlefield game was coming this fall.
Unofficially, though, we've heard quite a bit about Battlefield V. Leaked reports confirmed the title before EA announced it, and those same leaks indicted this one would take place in World War 2. That would be the first time the series returned to that war since Battlefield 1943, and a notable similarity to last year's Call of Duty: WW2. Whatever it is, it will be featured at the EA Play event in June.
It's that time again, when a new set of video game deals swoops in to replace the old one at Best Buy. You can find the weekly ad here and the full list of games on sale here, but we've picked out some of the highlights below.
This is normally the part where I'd mention the Gamers Club Unlocked program, but Best Buy has unceremoniously shut it down. If you already have a subscription, you'll still get the benefits until it runs out, but no new customers can join. It's a bummer. That said, current GCU members can knock 20% off the prices of games below.
In light of GCU going the way of the dodo, Best Buy has introduced a new program that offers $10 in rewards for anyone who pre-orders select games. Among those games are Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and Super Smash Bros. for Switch. So if you pre-order those, you'll get $10 to spend on something else at Best Buy.
UPDATE: Fox is willing to shell out a ton of money in order to get the TV rights for WWE's Tuesday night programming, Smackdown Live. According to sources at THR, the new deal, which is nearing completion, will be for five years and cost Fox over $1 billion dollars--coming in at $205 million annually--for the right to broadcast Smackdown. Fox is reportedly committed to promoting Smackdown across its other programming, which could have crossover appeal, specifically sporting events like the MLB and NFL.
Additionally, the Tuesday night show could be moving nights. According to The Wrap, Fox's plan is to move Smackdown to Friday nights. At this time, there has been no comment from either WWE or Fox about this news. The original story follows.
WWE's TV rights have been under renegotiation this past year, with the sports entertainment giant Raw in discussions to resign with NBCUniversal, which owns the USA Network. However, WWE's Tuesday night programming, Smackdown Live, has reportedly found a new home at Fox.
According to sources at ESPN, Fox made a large offer to WWE in order to get the rights to air Smackdown. As of this writing, there are no specifics to the deal, aside from the fact that it will begin in October 2019.
While many have speculated that if Fox picked up Smackdown, it would air on its sports network FS1, according to ESPN's Darren Rovell, that is not the case. Smackdown will air on Fox. This move will only strengthen the WWE brand in the long run.
If true, both Raw and Smackdown will feel even more separated from each other, which could contribute to a rivalry between brands. Additionally, Smackdown, which doesn't pull in as many viewers as Raw, could find a whole new audience on Fox, even pulling in brand-new WWE fans, as it is a major broadcast network. WWE will be reaching a larger audience and has a better chance of getting the attention of random channel surfers.
In the past, WWE programming has been on other networks, aside from USA. Smackdown appeared on MyNetwork TV, UPN, CW, and Syfy network, and Raw had a five year run on TNN--which later became Spike TV. So splitting the brands between networks isn't a new thing; however, this is the first time in the company's history that both shows will be airing live while on different networks.
The upcoming action sequel John Wick: Chapter 3 is currently in production, and last week the first teaser was released to celebrate its arrival in a year's time. Keanu Reeves is obviously returning as the reluctant assassin, and now various members of the supporting cast have been revealed by the movie's official Twitter account.
Three of the announcements will be no surprise to fans of the previous two movies. Ian McShane, Lance Reddick, and Laurence Fishburne are set to reprise their roles as Winston, Charon, and the Bowery King respectively. McShane and Reddick have been in the series since 2014's John Wick, while Fishburne joined for John Wick: Chapter 2 in 2017.
There are also five new names in the cast. Halle Berry (Catwoman, X-Men) will play a character called Sofia, with Asia Kate Dillon (Orange is the New Black) as The Adjudicator, Mark Dacascos (Cradle 2 the Grave) as Zero, Jason Mantzoukas (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Good Place) as Tick Tock Man, and Angelica Huston (Isle of Dogs) as The Director. We don't know exactly who these new characters are, but let's face it, they all have seriously cool names.
John Wick: Chapter 3 is directed by Chad Stahelski, who helmed Chapter 2 and co-directed the first movie. Last year, Stahelski spoke about his plans for John Wick: Chapter 3. "We want, not so much to go bigger on the third one, but to show you more of the intricacies of the world," he said. "I feel like there are all these different subtleties that I skipped over in part 2, that I'd like to go back to [with part 3] and show you the inner workings of different parts of New York."
Development of the long-rumored John Wick TV spin-off The Continental was also confirmed by Starz in January. The channel's president Chris Albrecht said that the show will "include the thunderous fight sequences and intensely staged shootouts between professional assassins and their targets that fans have come to expect in the John Wick movie franchise as well as introducing some new, darkly compelling characters who inhabit this underground world." The Continental does not yet have a premiere date.
Are you ready to binge? Netflix has what you're looking for this week, thanks to a flurry of new additions that range from movies and comedy specials, to originals and new seasons of TV.
The streaming service's most notable arrival this week is none other than Season 1b of The Toys That Made Us, the documentary series about some of the most beloved toy lines of all time. After putting the spotlight on the histories of Barbie, He-Man, GI Joe, and Star Wars toys in late 2017, there are four more episodes debuting on May 25. The new installments will look at LEGO, Transformers, Hello Kitty, and Star Trek toys.
Additionally, the second season of Shooter premieres on Netflix this week. Among the originals being added are Terrace House: Opening New Doors: Part 2, Trolhunters: Part 3, and comedy specials from Tig Notaro and Steve Martin.
You can take a look at everything Netflix is adding this week below. Then make sure to check out everything coming and going from the service this month, as well as the offerings from Hulu and Amazon Prime Video.
May 20
Some Kind of Beautiful
May 21
Señora Acero: Season 4
May 22
Mob Psycho 100: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
Shooter: Season 2
Terrace House: Opening New Doors: Part 2 (Netflix Original)
Tig Notaro: Happy To Be Here (Netflix Original)
May 23
Explained (Netflix Original)
May 24
Fauda: Season 2 (Netflix Original)
Survivors Guide to Prison
May 25
Ibiza (Netflix Original)
Steve Martin and Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life (Netflix Original)
The Toys That Made Us: Season 2 (Netflix Original)
By Anonymous on May 21, 2018 11:05 pm Ubisoft showed what Operation Para Bellum is bringing to Rainbow Six Siege on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, while Resident Evil 7 is coming Nintendo Switch in Japan.
By Anonymous on May 21, 2018 11:00 pm Join Jean Luc and Erick as they try to get through some of Dark Souls remastered a few days before the actual release.
A variety of new Pokemon will soon begin appearing in Pokemon Go. Developer Niantic announced that Alolan forms of classic Gen 1 monsters are on the way to the popular mobile game, and they'll begin popping up around the world just in time for summer.
"Whether your forecast calls for rain or shine, we're celebrating all around the world by introducing some special Pokemon from the tropical Alola region to Pokemon Go," Niantic said on the official Pokemon Go website. "Get ready for some of the Pokemon originally discovered in the Kanto region to appear in their Alolan forms!"
Niantic hasn't announced when players can expect the Alolan forms to debut in Pokemon Go, but the developer says they'll begin appearing in the game "in the coming weeks." Along with the announcement, the developer shared a new promotional image featuring silhouettes of the Alolan Pokemon, which you can take a look at below.
Alolan forms were first introduced in the series' seventh generation installments, Pokemon Sun and Moon. They are region-specific variants of certain Kanto Pokemon, which sport a much different appearance and elemental type when encountered in the tropical Alola region. 18 Gen 1 Pokemon have Alolan forms; you can see the full list of them, along with their new types, below.
Rattata (Dark/Normal)
Raticate (Dark/Normal)
Raichu (Electric/Psychic)
Sandshrew (Ice/Steel)
Sandslash (Ice/Steel)
Vulpix (Ice)
Ninetales (Ice/Fairy)
Diglett (Ground/Steel)
Dugtrio (Ground/Steel)
Meowth (Dark)
Persian (Dark)
Geodude (Rock/Electric)
Graveler (Rock/Electric)
Golem (Rock/Electric)
Grimer (Poison/Dark)
Muk (Poison/Dark)
Exeggutor (Grass/Dragon)
Marowak (Fire/Ghost)
Up until now, Pokemon Go has only featured monsters taken from the first three generations of the series, meaning that some Gen 7 Pokemon will be arriving before Gen 4 monsters have even been introduced in the game. Niantic hasn't said if any of the new Pokemon from Sun and Moon will likewise begin appearing in Go soon.
On top of the upcoming Alolan forms, Pokemon Go players around the world have a number of real-world events to look forward to this summer as part of Niantic's Summer Tour 2018. That begins next month with a Safari Zone event in Germany, with the second annual Pokemon Go Fest in Chicago following in July. Niantic will also host a special Safari Zone event in Yokosuka later this summer.
While Marvel's plans beyond next May's still-untitled fourth Avengers movie are largely unknown, we do know that the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming will arrive a couple of months later. Tom Holland will return as Spidey, and it has now been reported that Jake Gyllenhaal is in talks to play the movie's villain.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gyllenhaal is in negotiations to appear as the classic Marvel supervillain Mysterio. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, and is closely associated with Spider-Man, first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #13 back in 1964. He has also appeared as a major villain in Daredevil comics.
Gyllenhaal is best known for roles in movies such as Donnie Darko, Prisoners, Brokeback Mountain, and Nightcrawler. Although the Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel will be his first superhero movie, there were rumors last year that he was being lined to take over the role of Batman from Ben Affleck in the DC universe. However, he subsequently denied this was the case. Gyllenhaal was also close to being cast in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2 back in 2004, after star Tobey Maguire attempted to negotiate a higher salary for himself.
Spider-Man: Homecoming 2 hits theaters on July 5, 2019, with Jon Watts returning as director. Although no further casting or plot details are known, last year Marvel boss Kevin Feige did talk about how the movie will kickstart the next phase of the MCU after Avengers 4.
"So much happens in [the third and fourth Avengers movies], as you can imagine, and so much is affected by it, that we felt what better person to hold your hand and lead you into the next incarnation of the MCU, in a grounded, realistic manner, than Peter Parker?" Feige said. "So, coming out two months after Untitled Avengers, [that's what] much of what the next Spider-Man film will be about."
After two closed betas and releases in other regions, Dragon Ball Legends is now officially available for Android users in the US and Europe. Developer Bandai Namco says other regions will be getting the game soon, too, and an iOS launch isn't far off either.
Dragon Ball Legends follows a familiar format for DB fans, with a few key alterations to make it mobile friendly. Legends is a 3v3 fighting game, much like the hit console/PC game Dragon Ball FighterZ. You'll get the chance to play as your favorite characters; Goku, Frieza, Piccolo, Nappa, Vegeta, and Pan are all playable. There's also entirely new characters, designed by Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama, and you'll be able to try them out in three game modes: Story Mode, Event Mode, and Multiplayer.
Legends features a card-based interface to make it easy to play on mobile devices. Players perform different attacks by tapping on cards on the bottom of the screen, allowing you unleash combos by using multiple cards. Bandai Namco has also released the minimum system requirements for Android users: players will need a device with at least 1.6 GB of RAM, and you'll be able to tweak graphics settings to ensure optimal game performance.
While Android owners are getting their chance to play Legends first, iPhone and iPad owners won't have to wait long, according to Bandai Namco. It has promised an iOS release this summer, with its latest tweet saying it's coming "soon." Check out some Android gameplay of the game in the video above, and follow GameSpot's coverage of Dragon Ball Legends for the latest on future releases.
As promised, Ubisoft pulled back the curtain on Rainbow Six Siege's next big update, Operation Para Bellum, during the Siege Pro League Finals this past weekend. The update rolls out for PS4, Xbox One, and PC this June and will kick off the second season of Year 3 with two new Operators, an additional map, and a variety of other changes in what Ubisoft calls "one of the largest content updates yet" for the tactical shooter.
Headlining Operation Para Bellum are two new Italian Operators, Alibi and Maestro. While both were unveiled in the weeks leading up to the Pro League Finals, Ubisoft provided a much closer look at the new Defenders during the tournament. Alibi is able to distract opponents by deploying holographic decoys of herself. Maestro, meanwhile, can lay down a bulletproof turret that can see through smoke and fire laser-powered rounds.
Arriving alongside the two Operators is a new map called Villa, a luxurious mansion set in the Italian countryside. The Villa is owned by the Vinciguerra, a "dangerous crime family" notorious for smuggling. "Players will arrive at Villa during a key moment: Vinciguerras are burning documents and transporting their holdings before the big raid. But they've got wind of Operation Para Bellum and fled, leaving everything in disarray with vital information ready for the taking," Ubisoft says.
In addition to the new content, Operation Para Bellum will make a number of gameplay and balance tweaks. Among them, existing Operators will receive some speed adjustments, while Echo in particular will get a second Yokai drone along with a buff. The Clubhouse map is likewise being buffed, and Ubisoft is introducing a new Pick & Ban system, which has players trying to counter their opponent's choices by banning certain Operators from play.
Before the Operation Para Bellum update arrives in the live game, PC players will have a chance to try on the Rainbow Six Siege test server beginning May 22. However, Ubisoft notes that "a consistent gameplay experience is not guaranteed on the Test Server." We recently got a chance to go hands-on with the new Operators; you can watch us play several matches of Siege with Alibi and Maestro on Villa. You can also hear our thoughts on Operation Para Bellum and the new content it brings to Rainbow Six Siege.
By Anonymous on May 21, 2018 08:30 pm We finally make it to Shogun World, but not everything is as it seems. Join Tamoor and Lucy as they dissect the similarities between the parks, fawn over the badass Musashi, and run through the official Bernarnold timeline. Beware, spoilers!
The Splinter Cell series has been dormant for quite some time now. Ubisoft has done little with its signature stealth-action game franchise for half a decade, but there have been enough shreds of potential information to think a new Splinter Cell game might finally be happening. With Metal Gear Solid in a weird place after Hideo Kojima's departure from Konami, the time is certainly right. Here's what we know about the status of Splinter Cell, as well as what we'd hope to see at E3 2018 if Ubisoft does decide to surprise us.
What We Know So Far
Being unannounced, we can't say we know anything for sure about a new Splinter Cell game. The franchise's most recent entry was 2013's Splinter Cell: Blacklist, and there's been no official word on what might come next. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot did provide fans with some hope last year when he participated in a Reddit AMA. Asked about the series, he said, "Splinter Cell is a brand we talk about a lot. It's also personally one of my favorite series. We don't have anything specific to share at the moment but teams are working on different things, so stay tuned for more."
He then shared a bit more in a subsequent Ubisoft blog post that made it even clearer that a new Splinter Cell is more a question of when than if. "We are receiving lots of sketches and proposals around the brand, and we're going to pick one up," he said. "I think you will be able to see something, but you will have to wait for that."
Most recently, there was Ghost Recon Wildlands. Out of the blue, Ubisoft launched a Splinter Cell-themed update for the open-world action game, even including a mission where you encounter Splinter Cell protagonist Sam Fisher. Notably, he was voiced by Michael Ironside, the longtime Fisher voice actor who was replaced for Blacklist. It seemed a bit odd to bring back Ironside for what was ultimately a minor appearance, unless that was meant to tease what's to come. Indeed, the conclusion of his story in Wildlands sets up the possible plot for a new Splinter Cell, as Fisher is notified that a nuclear weapon has been lost or stolen.
What's Confirmed For E3?
As noted above, a new Splinter Cell hasn't even been announced; as such, there's nothing confirmed for E3. That said, a recent Walmart leak saw numerous unannounced games listed on the retailer's Canadian website, including something simply called "Splinter Cell." Another of these was Rage 2, and Bethesda has seemingly tried to capitalize on the buzz rather than deny it as you'd expect. That's not to say there's any truth to that listing or any other, but it's possible the Splinter Cell listing was something that was only intended to go up after E3.
What We Hope To See At E3
Mere confirmation that a new Splinter Cell game is in development would be a great way to cap off Ubisoft's E3 press conference, but let's think bigger. If Ubisoft properly reveals the game, the first thing we'd love to see is a renewed focus on stealth. Blacklist is a terrific game, and its action was very good. But with Metal Gear at least temporarily moving away from stealth, Ubisoft has an opportunity to fill that void and establish Splinter Cell as the preeminent stealth-action franchise. It could even look to draw on the open-world elements of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, even if it maintains its more distinct mission structure (maybe something along the lines of Dishonored?).
However missions are structured, the game will ideally provide replayability. Hitman did an incredible job of offering numerous different approaches and different challenges to tackle within each of its levels. Splinter Cell could use something similar, as well as different consequences depending on how you decide to approach a given situation.
Michael Ironside's return is also all but mandatory. It was hard for many fans to come to grips with his absence in Blacklist, but after he came back for an appearance in Wildlands, it would be both frustrating and disappointing if he weren't back as Fisher for an actual game. It's the sort of detail that Ubisoft could have decided to share for a post-E3 reveal, but after Wildlands, we want to know right away if Ironside is truly back.
Another name fans are familiar with that should make a comeback: Amon Tobin. The composer of the excellent Chaos Theory soundtrack brought a distinct techno-thriller flavor to that game that we want back.
And while single-player is generally the focus of Splinter Cell, we want multiplayer to return as well. That means both co-op support and the return of Spies vs. Mercs, the unique, asymmetric PvP multiplayer mode. Ubisoft has increasingly shifted its efforts toward extended post-launch support of games; part of that could come in the form of a Hitman-inspired, replay-friendly campaign. But it could also use its learnings from Rainbow Six Siege--with its varied Operators and gadgets, as well as destructible environments--to make something truly exciting on the multiplayer side.
By Anonymous on May 21, 2018 07:47 pm The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset is available in early access now on PC and Mac, coming to PS4 and Xbox One June 5, 2018.
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Ubisoft showed what Operation Para Bellum is bringing to Rainbow Six Siege on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, while Resident Evil 7 is coming Nintendo Switch in Japan.
Join Jean Luc and Erick as they try to get through some of Dark Souls remastered a few days before the actual release.
We finally make it to Shogun World, but not everything is as it seems. Join Tamoor and Lucy as they dissect the similarities between the parks, fawn over the badass Musashi, and run through the official Bernarnold timeline. Beware, spoilers!
This week is home to heavy hitters like Dark Souls Remastered, State of Decay 2, and Detroit: Become Human.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset is available in early access now on PC and Mac, coming to PS4 and Xbox One June 5, 2018.
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