By Chris Reed on Aug 18, 2018 12:10 am
Now that the week is well underway, it's a good time to take stock of the video game discounts that are live and handpick the best of the bunch. We've got all the best deals on fantastic games for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC in the pages ahead. What sales are we picking from? We've scrounged through some of the best deals available this week at retailers like Best Buy, Amazon, and GameStop, as well as on digital storefronts like the Microsoft Store and the PlayStation Store. We've got big discounts on games like Mario Tennis Aces, God of War, and GTA 5. If you're looking for something else, Sony has also launched another big PSN sale that will run for more than a week. Then again, some of us don't have to pay for select games at all. If you're a PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold subscriber, you can get August's batch of free games on the applicable systems. PS Plus members can pick up games like Mafia III, Dead by Daylight on PS4 and Bound by Flame and Serious Sam 3 BFE on PS3. Xbox Live Gold members owners can grab Forza Horizon 2, For Honor, and Disney Epic Mickey 2. And if you have an Amazon Prime account, don't forget to grab your seven free PC games from Twitch this month, either. We have to pay for the rest of the games we want this week, so let's get to the goods. Here are the week's best deals on games across all platforms. Some links to supporting retailers are automatically made into affiliate links, and GameSpot may receive a small share of those sales.
Mario Tennis Aces (Switch)
Help Mario and his cohorts smack the dust off of all the tennis balls in the Mushroom Kingdom in this recent Switch release, on sale for 25% off.
God of War (PS4)
A more mature Kratos visits the realms of Norse mythology in this action game. But don't worry, he still eviscerates plenty of enemies, be they mortal, beast, or god.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Zombies Chronicles Edition (Xbox One)
With Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 landing October 12, now is a good time to pick up its predecessor. The Zombies Chronicles edition comes with the base game and includes eight remastered maps from Zombies modes in previous games.
Star Wars Battlefront II (PS4 and Xbox One)
After a spotty launch last year, this game has improved greatly in the months since. If you were reluctant to pick it up before, maybe these sale prices will push you over the edge. Just make sure it's not into a Sarlacc pit. - Star Wars Battlefront II (digital) -- $9 (with Xbox Live Gold) -- Xbox One
- Star Wars Battlefront II (physical) -- $25 -- PS4 | Xbox One
Grand Theft Auto V (PS4 and Xbox One)
With nearly 100 million units of sold, it's a surprise anyone has yet to purchase this blockbuster. Even so, it was the number 3 best-selling game of June and PS4's top-selling game last month. Maybe this deal will help move even more copies.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)
Nintendo rarely puts its first-party games on sale, but right now anyone with a Switch who hasn't visited Hyrule can do so for $15 less than usual.
Tekken 7 (PS4)
Anyone looking for a fighting game that's mechanically complex enough to keep you coming back for a long time can pick up this one for just $20 on PS4.
Jackbox Party Bundle (PC)
For the next two weeks, PC gamers can pick up a Humble Bundle containing 10 Jackbox and You Don't Know Jack games for just $12. Not bad if you have people over and are looking for something to do.
The Crew 2 (PS4)
Ubisoft's latest cross-country racing game lets you change your vehicle from a car to a boat to a plane with the press of a button. What's not to like about that? PlayStation Plus members get a bonus discount on this one.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)
Sure, it originally launched on Wii U, but this version of Nintendo's latest racing combat game comes with all the DLC, improved graphics, and new content (including a battle mode that isn't terrible). Pick it up this week for 25% off.
By Mat Elfring on Aug 17, 2018 11:57 pm
I'm not going to pretend there's "a fine line between kid's movies and adult's movies." Typically, it's an impenetrable wall. You're not bringing your two-year-old to see Pulp Fiction, and I'm not going to watch The Wiggles Movie on my own--today. However, there are a few exceptions that float in this movieland purgatory. Primarily, the '80s is a good place to find examples of movies that were made for--or seemed like they were made for--kids that are either too dark or too scary for its audience in the 2010s. While I loved Fred Savage's Little Monsters as a kid, Boy's true face still haunts my nightmares as a man in my mid-30s. Additionally, there are more contemporary movies that--on the surface--have elements you'd only see in kids movies, like puppets, cartoon characters, or superheroes. The content, however, is not good for younger viewers. With The Happytime Murders--a movie about puppets murdering each other, doing drugs, having sexual relations, etc-- coming to theaters on August 24, we're taking a look at movies from the past that were either marketed to children or contain kid's movie elements that totally aren't for younger viewers.
Team America (2004)
During an uber-patriotic time in the United States, South Park's Matt Stone and Trey Parker made this satirical film about US military mixed with G.I. Joe, which featured only puppets. The movie had the look and feel of the classic children's show The Thunderbirds, but the movie was obviously not for children. Aside from the violence and language, one thing that wouldn't play well to younger viewers is the sex scene, which features the puppets in very positions of coitus.
Cool World (1992)
In 1988, Disney mixed live action and animation for the detective story Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Four years later, Cool World came out, which attempted the same mixture of mediums. However, unlike Roger Rabbit, this movie was not for kids. Sure, its predecessor had an overly-sexualized character named Jessica Rabbit, but a big part of Cool World's story revolved around the plotpoint of a live action character having sex with a cartoon character. While the movie was rated PG-13, its sexual overtones were too much for kids.
Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988)
During the '80s, I thought this was a good idea to watch when I rented it from the video store. This was a time when there were a few movies with horror elements that kids could watch, like The Monster Squad. I figured it had clowns, science fiction elements, and I remember the trailer not being threatening at all. However, the 7-year-old Mat Elfring was not ready for this movie, and I still gets shivers when thinking about being trapped in cotton candy.
Bad News Bears (1976)
For it's time, the PG movie following a baseball coach of a team of foul-mouthed little leaguers was harmless. However, more than likely, this exact movie would earn an R rating today. You can't get away with what these kids say in a 2018 film, let alone the drinking and smoking in the movie. Even when the movie was remade in 2005, it felt watered-down compared to the original, to earn a PG-13 rating. For the nasty language, which includes some racial slurs, this movie does not play well to children.
Garbage Pail Kids: The Movie (1987)
Whoever thought making a movie based on trading cards, which was a parody of a kids toys, was a good idea was an idiot. The once very hard to find Garbage Pail Kids movie got a Blu-ray release a few years back, but that doesn't mean you should pick it up. Around the 20 minute mark, one of the kids pees his pants, one eats an eyeball--out of a lunchbox filled with them--one has snot all over her hand, and one threatens to stab a child with a switchblade. Also, there's one that vomits and one that farts a bunch. It's way too much gross out stuff for one movie. Worse yet, there's a musical number around 35 minutes in where the Garbage Pail Kids sing, "We can do anything by working with each other." I don't know what's worse.
Sausage Party (2016)
We're all well aware now that Sausage Party is not for kids, but do yourself a favor and watch the first 55 seconds of this trailer. It's totally presented like a fun movie for all ages to enjoy. Sure, the rest of the trailer is the exact opposite, but if you tuned out for the latter half, you'd totally think this is a kids movie. Sausage Party contains enough sexual innuendo and violence--even though the violence is directed to food--to warrant an R rating. Also, according to fellow GameSpot Universe writer, Chris Hayner, there were plenty of kids in the theater when he saw Sausage Party, and a few stayed until the end.
Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)
DC Entertainment has put out a slew of Batman animated movies and series, and all of them are kid-friendly. The Killing Joke is not the case. It's violent, dark, and there's the whole "Batman and Batgirl have sex on a roof" thing that happens early on in the movie. Brave and the Bold this is not.
Robocop (1987)
It may seem silly to you that Robocop is on this list considering how horrifically violent it is, but a year after its release, Robocop got its own toy line and animated series. Many adult action and sci-fi movie eventually became marketed to '80s kids, with Aliens and Predator also being prime examples. As a little kid during this time, after I played with my Robocop toys and watched the terrible cartoon, all I wanted to do was see the movie. And I was not ready for it.
The Witches (1990)
As a writer, Roald Dahl has created some classic works including The BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Witches. Dahl's work could, at times, have horrific elements in the stories, but all-in-all, they were still children's books. The big screen adaptation of The Witches, though, was pretty terrifying. Seeing the story of witches at a convention, taking off their wigs and revealing their true selves was just a bit too much for younger viewers.
Gremlins (1984)
Much like Killer Klowns from Outer Space, it seemed like Gremlins was marketed to kids. The mid-80s movie was presented by Steven Spielberg--who two years prior made E.T.--this was a movie before PG-13 was a rating from the MPAA. While Gremlins still holds up as an amazing movie, it is really not for kids. There are plenty of scares and the gremlins themselves will gives children (or me back in 1986) nightmares.
Bebe's Kids (1992)
On its surface, the animated adventures of a man bringing his girlfriend's rambunctious kids to a theme park seems like a solid film for children. However, the PG-13 rated Bebe's Kids is just a tad too adult for kids. There's nothing here that will horrify children, like melting monsters--which is totally a repeating theme in the '80s and '90s--but there's some "lax morals" throughout the movie and some naughty language. Also, there's a robotic Richard Nixon, Sure, why not?
By Kevin Wong on Aug 17, 2018 11:46 pm
If you're a wrestling fan, the WWE Network is a must. It's $9.99 a month, and for that price, you get every new WWE PPV and a glut of original content--mostly behind-the scenes interviews and feature documentaries. You get an archive of nearly every past WWE pay-per-view and every episode of Raw, Smackdown, and NXT. And you also get hours of archival footage from the old territory promotions, WCW, ECW, and more. The WWE Network is nothing if not sprawling; there's no other repository of wrestling content like it. But even so, there are some things that are missing. Some of it just needs patience; it takes time and resources to rewatch and digitize these tapes, many of them decades old, before uploading them online. But the Network debuted back in 2014, and some of this stuff should have been uploaded by now. And some of it may never see the light of day. Here are 12 things you can't find on the WWE Network, along with our guesses as to whether we'll ever be able to find them. If you liked this, check out our gallery on awful WWE fans. You can also read our predictions for WWE Summerslam, which airs live on the WWE Network on Sunday, August 19.
12. Episodes of WWF Superstars
Chances of Seeing It One Day: 50/50 For a kid growing up in the early '90s, WWF Superstars (1986-2001) was a Saturday morning staple. It was a TV show where new talent took on enhancement talent in one-sided fights, as a way getting them over as legitimate threats. A match between two full-timers was rare. And because stakes were so low, guys like the Brooklyn Brawler and Barry Horowitz (think Glass Joe) would actually look competitive. They still didn't win though. WWF Superstars has nostalgic value but unfortunately, not a whole lot of historic value. And that means it's low on WWE's upload priority list, though the company almost certainly possess the tapes.
11. Plenty of Great Entrance Music
Chances of Seeing It One Day: Close to zero Hillbilly Jim, whom WWE recently inducted into its Hall of Fame, had one of the catchiest entrance themes. It's called "Don't Go Messin' With a Country Boy," and you can listen to it here. But if you tune into any of his matches or any of the Godwinn tag matches (Jim was the Godwinns' manager), you'll hear a stock banjo track instead. "Country Boy," along with many other themes, is a casualty of music copyright laws. The track was not produced in-house, and thus, it was overdubbed with a different track to save on royalty costs. This happens pretty often. The same thing happened to Sandman's ECW theme: Metallica's "Enter Sandman." For early Chris Jericho matches, WWE dubbed over Saliva's "King of My World" and replaced it with "Break The Walls." Lots of special entrances have been dubbed over as well. The Undertaker's entrance at Wrestlemania 27, which used Johnny Cash's "Ain't No Grave," has been altered to use his "Phenom" theme. Salt-n-Pepa played Lawrence Taylor to the ring by singing "Whatta Man" at Wrestlemania XI; that's dubbed over too. And speaking of which...
10. Plenty of Live Musical Performances
Chances of Seeing It One Day: Close to zero Several live musical performances from WWE events are missing too, probably due to the same copyright issues. You can still see Salt-N-Pepa in the Wrestlemania XI footage, but you can't hear them perform. If you're a Juggalo, you'll be disappointed to learn that the Insane Clown Posse's performance was removed from Summerslam (1998). Most disappointingly, The Rock's acoustic guitar concerts, from March and April 2003, have both been edited from their respective Raw episodes. On the upside (depending on your perspective), Kid Rock's mini-concert at Wrestlemania 25 is still there, intact, in all its glory.
9. A Decent Search Function
Chances of Seeing It One Day: Possible The WWE Network has a terrible search function; there's all this content but no way to view it in an organized manner. Say, for example, you search for Batista. It'll pull up all his appearances, but they'll be out of chronological order with no option to filter or sort them. His appearances on Raw, Smackdown, and PPVs are all jammed together. The WWE also made Chris Benoit unsearchable. And although that's understandable, considering the heinous crime that he committed, it approaches a level of ridiculousness with the episode and match descriptions. For example, his match at Wrestlemania XX, during which he won the World Heavyweight Championship, is listed as "World Heavyweight Championship Match" with no mention of Triple H or Shawn Michaels, who were his opponents. The best way to watch what you want is to use Google and then go to the desired match directly. That completely sidesteps the search function, which is currently more trouble than it's worth.
8. More Episodes of OVW/FCW
Chances of Seeing It One Day: Likely OVW and FCW were the predecessors to NXT: developmental territories meant to train and hone the skills of WWE's future superstars.The first wave of OVW graduates was legendary: John Cena, Batista, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, Dolph Ziggler, Shelton Benjamin, and others. So it's disappointing that we can't watch any of their awkward growing pains on the Network. But it took awhile to get all the NXT footage uploaded. So hopefully, now that that's finished, WWE can start uploading OVW/FCW content and recognizing its historical importance. We'd love to see Batista as the Demon of the Deep. And we'd love to see Cena as The Prototype, before he was the squeaky clean role model he is today.
7. Episodes of Stampede Wrestling
Chances of Seeing It One Day: Slim The galling thing about Stampede Wrestling, the Canadian Hart-run promotion that included Bret Hart, Owen Hart, the recently passed Jim Neidhart, and the British Bulldog, is that it used to be on the WWE Network; the company had begun uploading its episodes in 2015. But then, Bret Hart contacted WWE and informed them that he owned the rights to all footage of himself. WWE pulled everything, only a few days after putting it up. And since the episodes haven't gone up in the three years since then, it's seems likely that things will stay this way. If Bret wanted to make a deal, he would have done so by now.
6. A Wraparound Scroll Function On Consoles
Chances of Seeing It One Day: Possible This isn't a major problem; it's more of a pet peeve. But the console app for the WWE Network needs some work. Currently, the only way to scroll through the PPVs and programming on the PS4 is from left to right. So, if you want to watch one of the Wrestlemanias (W), you have to click through every alphabetical PPV, starting with Armageddon (A). This would be less of a pain if you could go left from "A," loop around, and end up at the end of the alphabet, but the App doesn't provide that option. And considering that the Big Four PPVs--Survivor Series (S), Royal Rumble (R), Wrestlemania (W), and Summerslam (S)--all occur at the end of the alphabet, it becomes irritating to constantly click through this entire list. There should be a better way.
5. The "McMahon" DVD
Chances of Seeing It One Day: Unlikely In 2008, WWE released a self-congratulatory DVD entitled McMahon, which gave a personal, yet highly sanitized biography of the McMahon family and Vince K. McMahon's rise to power and infamy in sports entertainment. The first disc is a documentary, with exclusive interviews with the McMahon family and members of his inner circle. The second disc is a collection of Mr. McMahon matches, mostly from the Attitude Era, when his evil boss character was at its peak. At the time, it was criticized for its defensive posturing over hot button issues, such as territorial disputes from the old days, the high-profile steroid scandal, and the XFL. Today, it's been largely forgotten and is nowhere to be found on the Network. Perhaps, Vince decided that defending against a scandal made him look more culpable than ignoring or repressing it entirely. Or maybe it's Stephanie and Shane McMahon talking about their dad's proposed incest storyline that doesn't sit well with WWE.
4. That Ultimate Warrior Hatchet Job
Chances of Seeing It One Day: Close to zero For years, the Ultimate Warrior was on the outs with WWE. And during this time, Vince McMahon produced an in-house documentary titled, The Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior. It was, in short, a one-sided slam piece;everyone from Hulk Hogan to Ric Flair to Vince McMahon himself discussed how mentally unbalanced, petty, and untalented Warrior was. But Warrior would later reconcile with the company. Then he died, mere days after accepting an induction into the WWE Hall of Fame. Since then, WWE has tried to bury this negative documentary, even creating a newer, complimentary documentary in its place. But assuming that his widow, Dana Warrior, doesn't have a falling out with the company, the original documentary is never coming back.
3. Lots and Lots of Compilation DVDs and Video Cassettes
Chances of Seeing It One Day: Likely There's a metric ton of compilation tapes that are missing from the Network. Back in the day, WWE released these with regularity through Coliseum Videos, with titles like Bloopers, Bleeps, and Bodyslams. And later, after Coliseum Videos became WWE Home Video, WWE continued to release themed tapes often focused on a single superstar. WWE is uploading them slowly--the latest Coliseum uploads arrived this past July. Aside from bumper footage by Gorilla Monsoon, lots of this footage can be found piecemeal on the Network; you can make your own personal mixtape of favorite matches and moments. But if you want to relive watching the VHS tape that you wore out 10-year-old, you might have to wait awhile longer.
2. The Chris Benoit Tribute Show
Chances of Seeing It One Day: Never WWE learned that Chris Benoit and his family died on a Monday, hours before Raw went live. And the company decided, without yet knowing all the facts, to cancel Raw and air a three-hour tribute to Benoit in its the place. When WWE finally found out (right around the time the show was wrapping up) that Benoit had perpetrated the deaths, they began erasing Benoit from the company's institutional memory. And this tribute was forgotten. But there are still some recordings online, and the show is a fascinating cultural artifact if you take the time to hunt for it. Several superstars, including Edge, CM Punk, and Chavo Guerrero, shared their fond memories of Benoit. William Regal, on the other hand, seemed to sense something was amiss, and he deferred his praise to a later date. We'll never see this on the Network. And that's probably for the best.
1. The Over The Edge (1999) PPV (Unedited)
Chances of Seeing It One Day: Never It's the most infamous WWE PPV of all time; Owen Hart died during the Over The Edge (1999) live broadcast from a failed stunt, during which he fell into the ring from the top of the arena. WWE made the controversial decision to continue the PPV in spite of it. To be clear, there is a version of this PPV on the Network. But it is heavily edited from its original state; there is no mention of Owen Hart at all, during the entire broadcast. The only acknowledgement of him is a still shot before the PPV, stating that he died during its taping. On the original, unedited live feed, there were several segments where Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler updated the viewers on Owen's condition, finally announcing his death near the end of the show. Several wrestlers also mention him in their pre-match promos. We'll never see this on the Network; it would be ghoulish to profit from such a horrible tragedy. But if you do manage to find a bootleg copy of the unedited, original broadcast online, you'll see, very vividly what Owen meant to everyone who worked alongside him.
By Kallie Plagge on Aug 17, 2018 10:41 pm
Be Prepared
Dead Cells is now officially out, and if you've been playing, you know how challenging it can be. The roguelike-Metroidvania hybrid's randomized elements make each run tense, while permanent upgrades put more pressure on you in the long run. Whether you're just starting or have hit a boss-shaped roadblock, knowing what to do next can be tricky. Luckily, we've got you covered. In this guide, we've rounded up the best tips we wish we'd known before we started Dead Cells. Learn from our mistakes (and our successes), including how not to invest your cells and how to reforge your weapons for the best effect. We won't spoil big secrets here, of course, since the joy of discovery is one of the best things about Dead Cells. For more, be sure to read our Dead Cells review. You can also watch our video about why Dead Cells is an instant classic and one of our favorite games of 2018, or, if you just want to see some gameplay, you can check out our livestream of the mid-game. Got any other great Dead Cells tips? Let us know in the comments below!
Take Your Time
While you might feel like you need to rush your way through levels--and there is an incentive to do that, but we'll get to that in a bit--careful exploration will take you far. On an individual run, making sure you collect all the Scrolls of Power in each level will maximize your HP, attack damage, and any mutation bonuses going forward. As far as your overall upgrades go, seeking out blueprints, hidden areas, and powerful enemies will help you progress and open up new levels for you to take on.
Don't Unlock Too Many Weapons
As you collect blueprints, you'll be able to use cells to unlock weapons, skills, and mutations. When you unlock a weapon (melee, ranged, or shield) or skill (grenades, traps, and so on), it'll enter the rotation of items you might find on your run. If you unlock too many, especially low-level weapons and things you don't like using, you might have trouble getting your favorites. A safe bet while you're still figuring things out is to invest cells in mutations, since they aren't randomized, and permanent upgrades like the Health Flask. And whatever you do, don't unlock the Spartan Sandals.
You Don't Have To Spend All Your Cells
Speaking of which... In between each level, you'll find the Collector, who will exchange your cells for upgrades and weapon unlocks. If you try to leave his room without spending all your cells, you'll be told that the door won't open until you do. But that's a lie! You can roll, shoot, or smash your way through the door in two hits and leave with your cells in hand. This way, you can bank the cells you earned in the early levels until you beat a boss--there's a special Legendary Forge only available after boss fights where you can unlock permanent upgrades that increase your chances of finding higher-quality items. Just remember to talk to the Collector to turn in any blueprints you've found.
Always Be Rolling
Enemy attacks are punishing in Dead Cells, but each foe has its attack tells. Zombies will groan before launching themselves at you, for example, while Undead Archers will pull back on their bows before firing an arrow. Know when to dodge roll, and do it often--you'll avoid taking a lot of damage this way, especially if you're not using a shield.
Smash Doors Open And Land With A Stomp
It's loud, but crashing your way through Dead Cells' levels has its benefits. Instead of opening a door normally, roll through it or hit it open with one of your weapons--enemies on the other side will take damage and become stunned if they're close enough. You can also stun and damage enemies by stomping on them from above (just tap the jump/drop button/key a second time to do it). Landing with a thud will also prevent you from being stunned yourself, which can happen if you fall from too high up. Just know where you're landing, or else you might impale yourself on some spikes.
Speedrunning Unlocks Bonus Rooms
While it's generally good to be patient and cautious when playing Dead Cells, there's an incentive to move quickly if you're confident. At the beginning of each area after the first one, you'll come across doors that look like hourglasses. If you reach the door within a certain amount of time--two minutes for the first door, eight for the second, and so on--you'll gain access to a room filled with cells, gold, and other goodies. It's a great option if you got some lucky drops and feel comfortable leaving some parts of a level unexplored, or if you are looking to farm cells for upgrades.
Defeat Special Elites To Get Runes
As you play Dead Cells, you will come across powerful Elite enemies. Most of the time, killing these enemies will net you an amulet with special bonuses (among other rewards). But if you're in the right area, you might find an entire room dedicated to an Elite--you'll know it because you'll get locked in as the fight starts. Defeating this Elite will get you a rune, which unlocks an ability that carries over between runs and allows you to access new areas.
Tactics Builds Are Great
At the beginning, you start each run in Dead Cells with a sword. This can change with upgrades, but it also establishes that swords are central to a good loadout. But this isn't the case! You can have a lot of success with a tactics-focused build that includes two ranged weapons or a ranged weapon and a shield. These also go well with one of our favorite skill combos: the Wolf Trap and the Sinew Slicer. Trap enemies, drop a damage-dealing Sinew Slicer, and fire at them from afar to keep yourself safe and take out multiple enemies at once (and it's also great for boss fights).
Don't Underestimate Shields
Although you might want to do a bunch of damage, shields can be pretty useful. Even if you don't want to parry, the shields absorb a percent of the damage enemies deal. They can also give you some invulnerability briefly after you get hit, which helps as well. Parrying is a bit harder to master, as it's not passive, but it's also very helpful; you can send bombs back at enemies, and some shields even deal damage or stun enemies with a successful parry!
Make The Most Of Reforging
After you beat the Concierge for the first time, you'll unlock the ability to reforge weapons in between areas. This allows you to upgrade them as well as re-roll their effects, which is especially useful with more powerful and legendary weapons. You might have a high-DPS weapon that inflicts damage on you when you use it, for example, which is obviously not desirable (though the actual DPS of the weapon is). With reforging, you can roll for something better without throwing the weapon away! You can also try to coordinate your items' effects; for example, if you have an Ice Bow, you can try to reforge your other items so they cause more damage to frozen enemies.
By Mat Elfring on Aug 17, 2018 05:46 pm
There are a lot of rumors surrounding WWE's upcoming PPV, Summerslam, which mainly revolving around the card being changed up to the actual event. Because of this, the predictions for the matches may change slightly based on the final match card, so keep checking back leading up to Sunday, August 19 when WWE's Summerslam airs. However, as of this writing, it doesn't seem Coming to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York--for a fourth year in a row--is WWE's yearly event, Summerslam. This year's PPV will be huge as the card is already stacked, including many championship matches. However, with this many matches already on the card, it's going to be one long show. Summerslam begins at 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT on the WWE Network. The programming schedule for August 19 has been released, and the Kickoff Show will start two hours prior. Just like the the past couple of years, Summerslam's Kickoff has been two hours long. So if you plan on catching the entire event, make sure to tune in at 5 PM ET / 2 PM PT, as the Kickoff Show tends to have a couple matches on the program. As of this writing, there are 13 matches at 2018's Summerslam, and there's a possibility one more will be added. If you're looking to watch Summerslam, but don't have the WWE Network, you can sign up for free for a month right now. After the trial subscription is up, the service costs $10 a month. However, there is no obligation to continue using the WWE Network after the trial. While there are a lot of matches on the Summerslam card, one of the most notable is Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz. While you could say this rivalry dates back to 2010, when Miz was the mentor to Bryan on the first version of the TV series NXT, things really heated up back in August of 2016 when Miz went off on Bryan on an episode of Talking Smack. At the time, Bryan wasn't cleared to wrestle, but now he is, and this is the first time these two have faced each other in the ring in years. This is easily the best match build on the card. Additionally, many titles are on the line, including the WWE Universal Championship, which Brock Lesnar still has in his possession. He'll be facing Roman Reigns yet again, and this may be the time Lesnar finally loses the title, but we've been wrong on countless occasions before. Summerslam match card: - Rusev & Lana vs. Andrade "Cien" Almas & Zelina Vega (Kickoff Match)
- The B-Team (c) vs. The Revival (Kickoff Show)
- Cedric Alexander (c) vs. Drew Gulak (For the Cruiserweight Championship)
- Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Jeff Hardy (For the United States Championship)
- Carmella (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch (For the Smackdown Women's Championship)
- Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz
- Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Seth Rollins (For the Intercontinental Championship)
- Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens
- The Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs. The New Day (For the Smackdown Tag Team Championship)
- Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin
- Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Ronda Rousey (For the Raw Women's Championship)
- AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe (For the WWE Championship)
- Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns (For the Universal Championship)
Come back to GameSpot on Sunday, August 19 for live coverage of Summerslam.
Rusev & Lana vs. Andrade "Cien" Almas & Zelina Vega (Kickoff Match)
This feels like a perfect Kickoff match for Summerslam. Rusev vs. Andrade Almas--on its own merit--would be a really great PPV match, and the addition of Zelina Vega and Lana is fine. We'll get to see how these women have evolved as wrestlers a bit more. Regardless, this does feel like a push for Almas and Vega, since Rusev and Lana couldn't be more over right now. Because of that, I'm thinking Almas and Vega will get the win. Our prediction: Almas and Vega win
The B-Team (c) vs. The Revival (Kickoff Show)
(For the Raw Tag Team Champions) Raw's tag team division is lackluster right now, to say the least. And The Revival should be the team that, well, revives it. However, this is a Kickoff show match on an extremely bloated card. A title change here doesn't make sense. As much as I personally enjoy both of these tag teams, I want to see The Revival win it, but Summerslam is not going to be where this title changes hands. Our prediction: The B-Team wins
Cedric Alexander (c) vs. Drew Gulak (Kickoff Show)
(For the Cruiserweight Championship) I miss the days where Drew Gulak would come out and mention he had a Powerpoint Presentation, and we'd all laugh at his antics. Now, he's a serious wrestleman and has a shot at winning 205 Live's Cruiserweight Championship from the delightful Cedric Alexander. While Gulak was a dynamite comedic heel, he's evolved into something new and improved, and this seems like the time for him to start a championship run. Our prediction: Gulak wins
Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin
Why am I enjoying this rivalry so much? It's pretty much just another story where a big guy thinks he can beat up a small guy because there's a size difference. It's a pretty standard story, but what I'm finding so appealing about it is that both of these men are pulling it off. Although this feud has been going on for a bit already, I'd like to see it continue past Summerslam, which means Balor needs the win, so he can use his "Constable" powers to make Balor's life hell, post-PPV. Our prediction: Balor wins
The Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs. The New Day
(For the Smackdown Tag Team Championship) While I'm a fan of both these teams, I have lukewarm feelings towards this match. New Day and Bludgeon Brothers have a history with each other, like when they almost murdered Xavier Woods, so there's some heat behind the match. I see New Day squeaking out a win with all of these men being locked in a giant cage for Hell in a Cell in a rematch next month. Our prediction: The Bludgeon Brothers
Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens
(For the Money in the Bank contract) On the flip side of the "big vs. small" storylines, here is one featuring two of Raw's most interesting characters that's falling flat for me. Because Strowman's Money in the Bank contract being on the line is a bit of a curveball, this leads me to believe that Owens will win, even though it feels like Strowman should come out on top. Regardless of who wins though, they will be cashing in that contract at the end of the night. Our prediction: Owens wins Secondary prediction: The winner will cash in later in the evening.
Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Seth Rollins
(For the Intercontinental Championship) Dean Ambrose returning to Raw changes everything about this match. Sure, both Ambrose and Ziggler's buddy Drew McIntyre will be on the sidelines, but that should make this more of a fair fight. There is a large part of me that would love to see Ambrose turn on Rollins at Summerslam, just to see if Rollins can overcome these huge odds, but I don't see that happening. That being said, Rollins will come out as Intercontinental Champion. New prediction: Rollins wins Original prediction below. While the finish for their Ironman match at Extreme Rules was lackluster, this rivalry has been straight fire. It has showcased some phenomenal in-ring action the past couple of months. I could watch Ziggler and Rollins fight forever. However, Ziggler as champion, with Drew McIntyre protecting him, is working well on television, so I'm thinking Ziggler will win again with the help of his friend/monstrous bodyguard. Hopefully, this will lead to a triple threat between all three men at Hell in a Cell. Our prediction: Ziggler wins
Elias Plays A Song
You know what Summerslam needs? Elias playing a song for everyone at the Barclays Center. Nothing could possibly go wrong! Elias is playing an actual show at the Gramercy Theatre the night before, so this will be his encore. Because of the growing rivalry between Bobby Lashley and Elias, I'm sure Lashley will interrupt Elias' beautiful song. Our prediction: Bobby Lashley ends the show early
Carmella (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch
(For the Smackdown Women's Championship) Can anyone stop Carmella's reign of terror over the women's division on Smackdown? I hope not, but Summerslam could be the place where it happens. She'll have to defend her championship against both Becky Lynch and Carmella in a triple threat match. While Lynch and Charlotte are friends, they'll have to put their feelings aside for the battle, which could play into Carmella's hands. However, if you've been following these predictions the past year, you know I'm a Lynch supporter, so as always, I'm giving her the win. I truly hope I'm not wrong again. Our prediction: Lynch wins
Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Jeff Hardy
(For the United States Championship) Nakamura and Hardy's rivalry continues into Summerslam, and maybe this time Hardy wears a cup as his opponent loves hitting people below the belt. This is Nakamura's time to shine as a champion, and the United States Championship is the perfect fit for him right now. I don't see him losing the title or this match. Our prediction: Nakamura wins
Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz
Out of every match on the Summerslam card, this is the one I am looking forward to the most. Daniel Bryan and Miz have a longstanding feud, dating back to Bryan's first appearance during the NXT reality show days. Now that Bryan can wrestle again, this will be the first time in years the two men have faced each other in the ring. This rivalry won't and can't end here though. It could honestly go either way, but personally, I like the idea more of Miz winning here by despicable means and Bryan demanding a fair rematch in order to prove he's better in the ring. Our prediction: The Miz wins Come back to GameSpot on Tuesday, August 14 for an interview with Bryan about his history with The Miz.
Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Ronda Rousey
(For the Raw Women's Championship) When it comes to this match, I guess the biggest question about it would be "Is it Ronda Rousey's time?" She's had a few televised matches and a couple more house show matches, but that doesn't mean she or the fans are ready for her to carry the title. While undoubtably Rousey will someday be the Raw Women's Champion, I don't think Summerslam will be where her journey begins. Our prediction: Bliss wins but there will be a rematch
AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe
(For the WWE Championship) At least someone in the men's division is defending their main event title regularly. With AJ Styles as champion, Smackdown viewers are treated to dream match after dream match. Sure, most of matches already happened in NJPW, ROH, and TNA, but it's new to the WWE audience. And while I may be predicting one too many title changes for Summerslam, I want to see these guys battle more than once, and more importantly, I want to see Joe as champion, even if that means dethroning Styles, who is doing a phenomenal job--pun intended. Our prediction: Samoa Joe wins
Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns
(For the Universal Championship) For the past couple of years, I feel like a broken record saying, "This is when Reigns will win the Championship, and Brock will leave, never to return." Sadly, every single time, Lesnar comes out on top, and we're stuck with a Universal Champion that rarely defends his title or shows up on TV. As a WWE fan, it is frustrating because the majority of us want to see the title around someone else's waist. However, Lesnar really does seem on the outs with the company, and I truly think--like the mark that I am--that this will be it for him. However, he's still going to beat Reigns, mainly to pull a fast one on the audience and get them enraged, and then it'll be Owens (or Strowman if my previous prediction is wrong) who cashes in the Money in the Bank contract at the end of the match to beat Lesnar for the title. Our prediction: Lesnar wins Secondary prediction: The MITB contract is cashed in and Lesnar loses the title, finally.
By Kevin Wong on Aug 17, 2018 05:18 pm
Whenever a city hosts a major cultural event, it becomes an economic boon for the entire area. People fly in from all over the world. Hotels are booked. Restaurants are reserved. And everyone with an affiliation or connection to the major event hosts satellite events to capitalize on the public interest. For years, this has been the case for Wrestlemania. It's no longer a single event; it's a full weekend of activities. Wrestlers host autograph signings. Commentators hold live Q&A sessions. Indie promotions book shows in smaller, nearby arenas. WWE hosts community events around town to further visibility. Starting in 2015, when Summerslam moved from the Staples Center in LA to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, WWE has made efforts to turn this single, major pay-per-view into a Wrestlemania-esque weekend of fun activities. And if you're in the New York area--even if you can't find last-minute tickets for NXT Takeover or the big show--there's still plenty of other things to do. Here's everything happening this WWE Summerslam weekend. Check out the full Summerslam match card and our latest event predictions. And be sure to check Gamespot Universe this Sunday starting at 5:00 PM ET. We'll have live coverage of every match.
10. Amazon Treasure Truck
Where: MCU Park, Brooklyn, NY When: Friday, August 17, 11:00 AM ET According to AJ Styles, Amazon's famed, elusive Treasure Truck will be in MCU Park on Friday. Exclusive action figures, along with other discounts, will be available. Kevin Owens and Big E have been announced as special guests, starting at 2:00 PM ET.
9. Numerous WWE Meet and Greets
Where: 40/40 Club, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY When: Multiple times (see below) Instead of bothering the WWE Superstars in their hotel lobby or in the baggage claim of the airport, you should go see them at a Meet and Greet instead. Below are the major Meet and Greets at the 40/40 Club in the Barclays Center on Friday and Saturday. This site has an updated list of other Meet and Greets in the Tri-State area. Friday, August 17 - 1:00 PM ET: AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan
- 3:30 PM ET: Alexa Bliss, Bella Twins, Samoa Joe
- 7:30 PM ET: Triple H & Stephanie McMahon
Saturday, August 18 - 10:00 AM ET: Kurt Angle & Paige, Braun Strowman
- 12:30 PM ET: Finn Bálor, Seth Rollins
- 3:00 PM ET: Roman Reigns, The Miz & Maryse
8. House of Glory: High Intensity 7
Where: Amazura, Queens, NY When: Friday, August 17, 7:00 PM ET If you get into town early and want to take in some independent wrestling, you can go to House of Glory's High Intensity 7 event. Indie stars Low-Ki and Sami Callihan will be there, and former WWE Superstars Austin Aries and Real1 (Enzo Amore) will both make appearances.
7. GCW Presents: Janela's Lost in NY
Where: Melrose Ballroom, Long Island City, NY When: Friday, August 17, 8:00 PM ETThe other independent show that you might want to check out is Janela's Lost In New York, presented by GCW. The main event is indie star Joey Janela vs. former WWE Superstar Hakushi (Remember him? The White Angel with the tattoos all over his body?). Also scheduled to be there are legitimate tough guys Meng/Haku and Hart family member Teddy Hart.
6. DZ & Friends
Where: Caroline's, New York, NY When: Friday, August 17, 11:59 PM ET Dolph Ziggler is a comedian, and he'll be at Caroline's in Times Square on Friday at midnight. Also scheduled are Zack Ryder, Tyler Breeze, Renee Young, and Charly Caruso. We're not sure what they're planning to do, but if you're a fan of the Show Off, you can pay a cover charge plus a 2-drink minimum to see them do it.
5. WWE Presents: Walk With Elias [CANCELED]
Where: Gramercy Theatre, New York, NY When: Saturday, August 18, 5:00 PM ET In a perfect example of art imitating life, Elias will be playing a concert at the Gramercy Theatre on Saturday evening. He already has a trending album on Spotify; it'll be interesting to see how this next step of his musical career pans out. Is he going to play a legitimate set, with cover songs and original material? Or is he just going to play a few chords and spend the entire time insulting the audience? These are relatively uncharted waters for WWE, which makes this interesting. Update: Elias tweeted, "WWE Management insisted I postpone my solo concert this Saturday in New York City, however they have given me the opportunity to perform that concert live at Summer Slam." PWInsider believes the show was canceled because of low ticket sales.
4. WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 4
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY When: Saturday, August 18, 7:00 PM ET As a general rule of thumb, the Brooklyn editions of NXT Takeover are especially good shows with especially good cards. This year looks to be no different. Among the highlights: Tommaso Ciampa (c) will take on Johnny Gargano in Last Man Standing Match for the NXT Championship; Shayna Baszler (c) will face Kairi Sane for the NXT Women's Championship; and Adam Cole (c) will square off against Ricochet for the NXT North American Championship.
3. WWE Summerslam
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY When: Sunday, August 19, 7:00 PM ET The biggest party of the summer has a particularly early start time on the WWE Network; the official start time is 7:00 PM ET, but the pre-show begins at 5:00 PM ET and includes three kickoff matches. Check out this link to see the full match card and all of our predictions.
2. WWE Raw
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY When: Sunday, August 20, 8 PM ET Sometimes, if we're lucky, the best thing about Summerslam are the Raw and Smackdown directly after the PPV. This is where we see the fallout from whatever big twists happened the night before. Things that will definitely be followed up on during Raw: Dean Ambrose's return, Paul Heyman's proposed deal with Roman Reigns last week, and the status of Braun Strowman's Money in the Bank briefcase.
1. WWE Smackdown
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY When: Sunday, August 21, 8 PM ET At Summerslam, AJ Styles will fight longtime rival Samoa Joe for the WWE Championship. And it's entirely possible that Joe will walk into the following Smackdown as WWE Champion. OddsShark currently has Styles as a favorite, though not by a blowout. Smackdown will also address the results of the Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz match. Whatever happens on Sunday, that feud is far from over.
Recent Articles:
| 
No comments:
Post a Comment