New York Comic-Con has almost come to an end, but Sunday offered up a few more panels for TV series, movies, and more. The YouTube Premium series Cobra Kai, held a panel to discuss what's coming down the line for Season 2 of the series.
On the stage, stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, and screenwriters Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg discussed the first season of the series, while in the midst of shooting Season 2. They also revealed that there is a whole new--yet familiar set--coming to Season 2. A clip was shown at the event, and Heald provided setup for it. In it, the younger members of the cast give a tour of the Miyagi Dojo, a major set piece for the second season. Viewers saw Miyagi's garden at the end of Season 1, and now Mr. Miyagi's old home has been turned into a dojo. Obviously, this set piece will be the place where LaRusso trains his new students. It is completely empty inside, but the backyard is a place of serenity and peace, featuring trees, green grass, and a pond with water feature.
We learned that the next season Cobra Kai will debut sometime in the summer of 2019, and it will consist--like Season 1--of 10 episodes. However, the runtime for those episodes may be a bit longer, as Hurwitz explained the show "will be digging deeper on everybody." Season 2 will expand a bit more on the younger generation we saw in the first season, but it will continue to have the same balance between the kids, Johnny, and Daniel.
Going into this new season, the writing team had a good idea of where they wanted to take the story. "We have multiple seasons planned out," explained Heald, who also stated they had so much planned for different character arcs for Season 1 that they simply couldn't pack it in. However, this show isn't just trying to rekindle the love of Karate Kid with those who grew up with it. "It was important that a newer generation falls in love with this the same way we did," Hurwitz stated.
There were plenty of questions for the cast and creators, particularly revolving around whether or not Daniel and Johnny will be fighting in Season 2. There wasn't a direct answer, but it did seem like both men would be involved in fight sequences in the next season, but it wasn't clear if it will be against each other.
Find out more about Season 2 of Cobra Kai when it hits YouTube Premium next spring.
The final stand to save Gotham City has begun. The fifth and final season of Gotham won't premiere until 2019, but the cast and executive producer John Stephens took part in their final New York Comic Con panel to give the first look at the new episodes and share some news about what this show's version of the "No Man's Land" comic book story arc will look like.
That arc will include a new character played by Shane West, who was previously announced for the series. Stephens finally confirmed that West will play Bane, pulled directly from the comics. In fact, there will be one showdown between Bane and Alfred that will see the butler's back get broken.
In a short sizzle reel that included new footage, the future of Gotham looked bleak. After Jeremiah (Cameron Monaghan) blew up the bridges to the city, essentially cutting off the outside world, Gotham has descended into something resembling The Purge--except, it's everyday life.
In the new Gotham, the city has been divided up into pieces controlled by various villains, with a small green zone right in the center of town that Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) and the GCPD are keeping safe. The Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) has taken over City Hall, Poison Ivy (Peyton List) ruling Central Park, and the Riddler (Cory Michael Smith) making the Gotham Public Library his own domain.
Additionally, Penguin has naturally found a way to make himself a vital piece of Gotham's underworld. He's essentially a war profiteer, controlling the city's ammunition. If anyone wants bullets, they're forced to go to him. Barbara (Erin Richards), meanwhile, has enforced a man-free zone of Gotham and will suffer a major loss early in the season. Our guess is it's Tabitha (Jessica Lucas) that will bite the bullet, propelling Babs on one final tear through Gotham City.
As for Selina (Camren Bicondova), who was shot and potentially paralyzed in the Season 4 finale, the new episodes will find her suicidal as she copes with her injuries. "We find her in a place where we've never seen her before," Bicondova said. "We find her in a place of despair… The Selina we've known for the past four seasons goes completely out the window."
With so much bad happening on Gotham--including even more new villains, like a Harley Quinn-esque girlfriend for Jeremiah--the need for a Batman continues to grow and fans are finally going to get that. Mazouz confirmed during the panel that, "Bruce is going to become Batman," in the final season. Of course, you're going to have to wait for that as it won't be happening until late in the season. More specifically, it'll be in the series finale when the series jumped 10 years into the future.
As for when Gotham will premiere, a date was not announced. However, the final ten episodes will air sometime in early 2019 on Fox.
The cast and crew of Daredevil Season 3 took over the Hulu Main Stage at New York Comic-Con to share some brand info about just where the Devil of Hell's Kitchen is headed--and more importantly--who he's going to be up against.
Wilson Bethal's role in this season has been one of "the worst kept secrets in Marvel history," executive producer Jeff Loeb laughed. Officially, he's playing FBI Agent #2, also known as "Dex," but fans put two-and-two together some time ago and guessed a Bullseye reveal was fast approaching. Still, despite the very loud whisperings, Daredevil's cast and crew were under strict orders to never confirm nor deny any major reveal. "We were so crazy about it we even took the dart board out of the writer's room," said showrunner Erik Oleson, "just in case someone accidentally took a picture and someone on the internet thought it was a clue."
But now the cat is officially out of the bag, care of the NYCC panel and this brand-new trailer. Bethel was able to say out loud for the first time that he was "extremely honored to tell the story of how Benjamin Poindexter becomes Bullseye," which immediately prompted Daredevil himself, Charlie Cox, to jump out of his seat on stage and draw the target logo on Bethel's forehead.
The panel gave some clues as to just how this incarnation of Bullseye would come to life, linking his evolution from troubled FBI agent to the plot involving Wilson Fisk's return and eventual parole. Bethel and Vincent D'onofrio (Fisk) touched upon their supportive offescreen relationship while speaking to their characters toxic one on screen. "It's the beginning of a very weird relationship," Bethel said.
The footage shown during the panel insinuated a troubled history for Poindexter that Fisk will be manipulating to his advantage, whispering that no one else understands him. It's worthwhile to note that in the comics, Benjamin Poindexter is actually just an alias used by Bullseye who has never officially been given a civilian alter ego--so this season really has an open runway as far as its story is concerned.
Daredevil Season 3 lands on Netflix on October 12.
Sony's Venom may not technically be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but that didn't stop it from borrowing some pages of the MCU playbook. With its double post credits sequences, it paved the way for a surprising reveal, a sequel, and some hype for another Spider-adjacent movie entirely. So technically there is a Spider-Man reference in Venom? Does this count? Obvious spoilers ahead--please consider yourself warned!
The first and most consequential of Venom's credits stingers features a rather abrupt jump to Eddie being escorted into a supermax prison by a guard, apparently on assignment for his newly resumed journalistic career. The actual angle of the piece and the outlet that commissioned it are never revealed, but that doesn't stop the guard from running down a list of intimidating Silence of the Lambs style rules Eddie has to follow upon conducting his interview, as if he's Clarice Starling about to meet Hannibal Lecter for the first time. Venom itself stays hidden and mostly quiet as Eddie approaches the cell, and we see a man painting the word "welcome" in blood on the walls of his cage, which happens to be a lone box in the middle of an otherwise empty room. He's the only prisoner kept here, we can assume for the safety of the other inmates.
As the camera focuses on his face, he's revealed to be played by Woody Harrelson, sitting in a white jumpsuit, done up with an almost cartoonish red wig. He never formally introduces himself but begins to speak as Eddie approaches, warning that when he "gets out of here, there's going to be carnage" before the scene cuts to black.
Though he's never formally named, it's pretty obvious that Harrelson is set to play Cletus Kasady in whatever Venom sequel might be in the works, the serial killing mass murderer who eventually comes into possession of his very own symbiote named--wait for it--Carnage.
In the comics, Carnage is actually one of the Venom symbiote's many offspring, created during a brief stint in which Eddie was incarcerated and kept in a cell next to Kasady, where it eventually bonded to him without Eddie's knowledge. Thanks to Kasady's major homicidal streak and psychopathic tendencies, and some comic book science involving the symbiote bonding to Kasady's blood directly (don't worry about it), Carnage became a massive and powerful threat almost immediately.
Physically, Carnage looks similar to Venom, except it's blood red in color and tends to fight with a bunch of gooey tentacle-like appendages in addition to its standard issue symbiote shape-shifting and brute strength. Unlike Brock, however, Kasady was never interested in trying to reign in Carnage's murderous, cannibalistic side, meaning Carnage basically just gets to cut a swath of destruction and terror wherever it wants, whenever it wants.
We can't be sure based on this scene alone just how the Carnage symbiote will come into play or how Kasady will bond with it. The movie universe hasn't dealt with the symbiotes reproducing so far, so it's likely that the family connection between the two will be changed. And given that Brock himself isn't actively incarcerated, there will probably be some other way for Kasady to come in contact with his symbiote--a rogue Life Foundation experiment, maybe? Some sort of Riot fragment that survived the crash? Alternatively, there's a slight possibility that the movie will posit Kasady already having Carnage inside him (hence the high security prison set up and the "there will be carnage" line) with the intent of building out that backstory somewhere down the line. Really anything is possible at this point.
In an interview with GameSpot, Venom director Ruben Fleischer elaborated on the scene and the casting choice of Woody Harrelson, with whom he has worked in the past.
"We tried at the end of our movie to lay the groundwork for a potential sequel, or a further story. And there's a character that's beloved by all Venom fans that does not appear in the body of our film that I think fans will be really excited to see," Fleischer said. "I found somebody who I have a relationship with and love working with. And I love all the characters that he's played. So to imagine him being an iconic adversary to Venom in the future is really exciting."
The only thing we can be sure of is that, should Venom be greenlit for a part two, Carnage fans will definitely have something to write home about.
Enter Spider-Man
Venom's second post credits segment was actually, technically, not a post credits scene at all, but a promotional clip for an entirely different movie: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which is set for release this December. Heralded by a bright "Meanwhile, in another universe" title card, the clip featured the animated Miles Morales running from an unknown, masked enemy wearing a makeshift spider-style costume before winding up at the grave of the late Peter Parker.
He's then met by a very much alive Peter Parker, who he accidentally knocks out, prompting a Weekend At Bernie's style series of mishaps around New York in which Miles drags the very unconscious Peter around the city. The clip was previously showcased in part at San Diego Comic-Con this year.
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse has no direct connection with either Venom or the MCU that we know of yet, and even if it did, it certainly doesn't impact the significance of this particular clip. Instead it's set to build its own multiverse populated by some fan favorite Spider-Man comics characters, hence the "Spider-Verse" title. So, no real hidden meanings or major clues for the future of Sony's superhero line on this one, just a little teaser for another movie headed to theaters this winter.
During New York Comic-Con, Fox gave fans an early look at the 2019 movie Dark Phoenix, the newest installment of the X-Men franchise. In the 14 minutes of footage shown, the audience got to see the moment that changed Jean Grey from an everyday member of the X-Men to what will eventually become Dark Phoenix.
Warning: There are spoilers for the 2019 film ahead.
During the footage which was shown at a Fox Showcase at an AMC theater, the X-Men are on a mission to go into space in the Blackbird to save some stranded astronauts in a faulty space shuttle. Mystique leads a team consisting of Jean Grey, Cyclops, Storm, Beast, and Quicksilver, and very quickly, the team realizes it is a race against the clock as what looks like either a cosmic cloud or slow-moving solar flare is headed to the shuttle, and it will burn up everyone inside.
The team goes to work, each with their own objective. Cyclops blasts the ship to stop it from spinning, Storm uses her powers to create ice to patch up holes in the ship, and Nightcrawler takes Quicksilver and Jean into the ship, where Jean uses her powers to try and hold it together. Nightcrawler and Quicksilver save everyone but they couldn't get back to Jean, who is being hit with the space fire.
Meanwhile, another branch of this flare is headed towards the Blackbird, and Jean uses her powers to pull it towards herself. She's engulfed in this cosmic fire, and it seemingly kills her. After the unidentified cosmic force dissipates, Nightcrawler brings her back to the ship, and eventually, she wakes up, but there is an orange glow in her eyes. Something has changed inside her, but at this time, the viewer isn't sure just what.
Obviously, it's going to take a bit more than that for Jean to completely transform into the Dark Phoenix, but this scene was the start of it all. As we gathered from the second trailer, Jean goes on a search to fix whatever has happened to her, after Professor X and Beast can't figure it out. This will eventually lead her to Genosha, where she finds Magneto. From there, we're not entirely sure where the film leads, but you can find out for yourself when Dark Phoenix comes to theaters on June 7, 2019.
Make sure to check out our impressions of the footage Fox showed during New York Comic-Con for Dark Phoenix.
Fox made a trip to New York Comic-Con, and like most studios hosting a panel, those in attendance got to check out exclusive clips for its upcoming movies. At an AMC theater outside of Madison Square Garden, con-goers got to watch a continuous scene from Dark Phoenix, where the X-Men have to leave Earth.
While viewers weren't told specifically when the scene takes place within the context of the movie, it was pretty clear it happens early on. The X-Men--Beast, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, Storm and Quicksilver, led by Mystique--take the Blackbird into space in order to save some stranded astronauts in the Space Shuttle Endeavour, which was active in the real world from 1992-2011. During the rescue mission, something goes awry and Jean almost dies. However, everyone survives and both the astronauts and X-Men are welcomed back to Earth as heroes.
Viewers were warned that the effects weren't finalized and neither was the sound, but it didn't really matter. It still looked pretty great for an early look. The most exciting parts of the scene were seeing everyone work together as a team, primarily both Quicksilver and Nightcrawler, two characters that have grown into a larger role in the newest X-Men film. There's something wonderfully satisfying about seeing Nightcrawler "bamf" in space or watching Quicksilver work from his perspective where everyone else is in slow motion comparatively. The scene hits on the things we loved about previous film in a nice, little showcase.
It was a basic sequence that was layered with a whole lot more to add to the event plot twists that we've seen in the trailer. There is tension growing between Professor X and, well, everyone else. Xavier wants a world where the X-Men are celebrated as heroes, not hated and hunted. That means the X-Men have to go on missions to save the common man, and sometimes, these missions are called in from the President on an "X-Phone." Yes, a phone with a giant "X" on it. However, Mystique has a problem with this, thinking it's just stroking Xavier's ego, as Jean's life was almost lost in space.
Xavier means well, but you can start seeing a rift in the group, which is a nice addition to this movie, as they're not just up against "the biggest supervillain threat they've ever faced." Yes, there will more than likely be some of that coming by way of Dark Phoenix, but at least that isn't the only real problem this team has to face.
However fun the scene may have seemed, there is still some skepticism about the entirety of the film, as the last film in the series, X-Men Apocalypse, was heavier on the pop and flash rather than telling a compelling and interesting story. It's hard to constantly try and raise the bar when every movie almost ends with the villain destroying the planet. And that could likely happen with Dark Phoenix, but the layering of the team splitting up as well as the villain being someone on the team could very well ground this film a bit more and tug at the emotional heartstrings of the audience.
We'll find out more about Dark Phoenix in upcoming months before its theatrical release on June 7, 2019.
Super Show-Down, WWE's Australian PPV has come to a close, but you can check out all the final results below. The Melbourne Cricket Ground held the event, which aired on the WWE Network at 7 PM AET, 2 AM PT, 5 AM ET, and 10 AM BST.
The Australian event will have 10 matches over the course of the evening, four of which will be title matches. The main event of the evening will be none other than The Undertaker vs. Triple H, who have had a longstanding rivalry over the course of 20 years in the company. Additionally, Charlotte will get a rematch against Becky Lynch for the Smackdown Women's Championship and Ronda Rousey joins the Bella Twins to take on the Riott Squad.
There is no Kickoff Show for the event, so the 5 AM ET start time is when the main card will begin. Check out the match card below, as well as the start times for different time zones.
The matches may not happen in the order listed. In case you're not caught up, don't worry; we put the final results in spoiler blocks.
Super Show-Down Match Card
Cedric Alexander (c) vs. Buddy Murphy (Cruiserweight Championship)
Asuka & Naomi vs. The IIconics
The New Day (c) vs. The Bar (Smackdown Tag Team Championship)
Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz
John Cena & Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens & Elias
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Charlotte Flair (Smackdown Women's Championship)
Ronda Rousey & The Bella Twins vs. The Riott Squad
AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe (WWE Championship)
The Shield vs. Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler, & Drew McIntyre
The Undertaker vs. Triple H
Super Show-Down Start Times
7 PM AET
10 AM BST
5 AM ET
4 AM C
2 AM PT
Main Card
The New Day (c) vs. The Bar (Smackdown Tag Team Championship)
New Day wins by pin at 9:38
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Charlotte Flair (Smackdown Women's Championship)
Charlotte wins by DQ at 10:36. Becky Lynch retains the title.
John Cena & Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens & Elias
Cena pins Elias at 10:02.
Asuka & Naomi vs. The IIconics
IIconics win by pin at 5:39.
AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe (WWE Championship)
AJ Styles wins by submission at 23:42.
Ronda Rousey & The Bella Twins vs. The Riott Squad
Rousey submits Logan and Morgan at 9:58.
Cedric Alexander (c) vs. Buddy Murphy (Cruiserweight Championship)
Buddy Murphy wins by pin at 10:33.
The Shield vs. Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler, & Drew McIntyre
Ambrose pins Ziggler at 19:35.
Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz (Winner faces WWE Champion)
A new trailer for Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery made its debut during New York Comic-Con 2018 and it was packed full of action and a few surprises too. The trailer begins with voice over from Captain Christopher Pike--played by Anson Mount--who has taken over the Discovery following the events of the first season. "Starfleet is a promise," he says. "I give my life for you, you give your life for me. Nobody gets left behind." [Warning] This story contains a small spoiler for Season 1 of Star Trek: Discovery.
That mantra will no doubt be put to the test, as the rest of the trailer is crammed with scenes of the Discovery and its crew embarking on dangerous missions. The overall mission seems to be to find the source and intent of seven signals that have mysteriously appeared across the galaxy. However, on top of that there's the matter of Spock, who is in need of Discovery's help. The Vulcan genius has had a vision of something he calls "The Red Angel" and, for unknown reasons, main character Michael Burnham has also seen this vision. What it all means remains to be seen.
If all that wasn't enough, Michelle Yeoh also makes an appearance, though it's not clear if this is Emperor Georgiou from the first season or an entirely new character. She certainly doesn't look like the Emperor, and in fact it looks like an alien is masquerading as her, which will no doubt lead to some mischief aboard the ship.
The remainder of the trailer is made up of quick cuts between the aforementioned action set-pieces, before eventually settling on a character being escorted through Discovery's halls on a gurney. This character turns out to be young Spock, who is rocking some sweet beard and floppy hair look. Spock seems to have made sense of his visions, and understands where they'll take him. You can check out the trailer for yourself above.
CBS previously announced that Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 will premiere in January 2019 and will be available to watch on CBS All Access for those in the US, CraveTV in Canada, and Netflix in other territories. In the lead up to its launch there will be four short films called "Short Treks" and the first, which is available now, focused on Sylvia Tilly, Discovery's theoretical engineer. Each of these films will be 10-15 minutes in length, and future episodes are expected to be about Harry Mudd and Saru, among others.
The premiere episode of Star Trek: DiscoverySeason 2 is directed by Alex Kurtzman. During San Diego Comic-Con it was confirmed that Kurtzman has signed a new five-year deal with CBS Television Studios to release several new Star Trek projects. "CBS has also allowed us the great pleasure of reintroducing the world of Star Trek to audiences new and old," he said about the deal. "We are very excited to keep working alongside them to expand that world." One of these new projects will see Patrick Stewart reprising his role as Jean-Luc Picard.
After debuting in November 2017, the Hulu original series Future Man is ready to return and, somehow, get even weirder the second time around. The cast and creative crew of the series came to New York Comic Con 2018 to give fans the first look at the new season, including the world premiere of the first new episode of the show.
Rather quickly, it becomes apparent that the future Josh Futterman (Josh Hutcherson) thought he saved in Season 1 is somehow even worse off. Now he's expected to once again save the world with little more skills than being good at video games. Now, though, Futterman has the experience to actually change the timeline… maybe. In the meantime, he will urinate on himself, be constantly humiliated, and simply attempt not to die in horrible ways.
After the Season 2 premiere episode was shown, the first trailer for the new episodes was revealed, giving even more of an idea of what's to come. In the new and terrible future, Wolf (Derek Wilson) is married to five people as they raise a child together--which is played as being completely normal in whatever version of reality they've ended up in--while Tiger's (Eliza Coupe) status as a biotic, which was revealed in the Season 1 finale, is going to cause quite a strain on the team. Fans will also be introduced to other Tiger biotics with a variety of personalities, which should prove very entertaining. Additionally, Coupe said in the panel that "my voice is different," when it comes to the alternate Tigers, including one that is rather high-pitched.
The main drive of the new season sees the future divided between two groups, one of which wants to relocate half of the future's population to Mars. The other group, meanwhile, simply wants to be left alone. As this is all happening, a group called the Pointed Circle is plotting some kind of attack, which uses Futterman in some kind of key way that will definitely kill him. Unsurprisingly, he's on the run because of this.
As for the weird stuff that made Future Man Season 1 so interesting, there's plenty of that to come. Futterman's gigantic penis will make another appearance, while Coupe detailed one particularly bizarre scene she shot for the new episodes. "I have sex to completion with a brain, with my hands," she said. "That was fun to do."
There are also a number of new characters coming to the show, several of which have yet to be revealed. However, the trailer shows the arrival of someone named Susan, played by Future Man executive producer Seth Rogen.
In keeping with series tradition, Devil May Cry 5 features a wide array of stylish, over-the-top weapons with which to dismantle the hordes of the underworld, and now we've gotten our first look at another brand-new one. During a Devil May Cry 5 panel we attended at New York Comic-Con, Capcom revealed the Faust Hat, a new type of weapon that Dante will be able to wield in the game.
The company has yet to release footage of the Faust Hat, but it looks like a stylish cowboy hat with eyes. When you equip it, you'll also don a scarf similar to the one worn by Faust in Devil May Cry 4. This scarf is made out of Red Orbs, and its length is determined by the amount you currently have.
Capcom says the Faust Hat was designed to present a risk/reward dynamic. Wearing it allows you to fire Red Orbs at enemies from your hands. You'll also be able to throw the hat itself; if you manage to dispatch a foe with it, you'll receive a substantial amount of Red Orbs back. However, throwing the hat at an enemy also "marks" it with its own hat, and if they attack you in return, you'll lose more Red Orbs.
Capcom also showed off a number of returning weapons during the panel, many of which feature some new abilities this time around. Among them is the Cerberus, which can transform between ice nunchucks, a fiery bo staff, and a lightning-imbued sansetsukon.
Devil May Cry 5 launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on March 8, 2019. The game will release in standard and Deluxe editions, the latter of which comes with a handful of bonus digital content, including alternate costumes and several exclusive weapons. You can read more about each in our Devil May Cry 5 pre-order guide.
Latios and Latias aren't the only Legendary Pokemon players can pick up for free this month. To celebrate the release of the newest Pokemon TCG expansion, Dragon Majesty, The Pokemon Company has announced it is giving away a free Poipole in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon--but as usual, the way to claim it will vary by region. [Update: The Shiny Poipole distribution is scheduled to end this week, on October 7, making this your last chance to claim a download code for one if you still haven't.]
Originally unveiled under the codename UB Adhesive, Poipole is one of the new Ultra Beasts introduced in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, meaning you'll need to own one of those two versions to receive it. What makes this particular Poipole special is that it's a Shiny; unlike most of the ones you're likely to encounter in the game, this one is white and gold rather than the usual purple.
In the US, the Shiny Poipole will be given away as a download code at GameStop stores from September 17 - October 7. In the UK, players will be able to pick up a code for the Pokemon at Smyths stores from September 17 - October 15. Poipole will be distributed throughout the rest of Europe in the September Pokemon Trainer Club newsletter.
Unlike most of the other Legendary Pokemon given away this year, this Poipole comes at level 40 and isn't carrying any held items. It also knows the moves Venom Drench, Nasty Plot, Poison Jab, and Dragon Pulse. It needs to know the latter move and level up in order to evolve into the Poison/Dragon Pokemon Naganadel.
The aforementioned Latios and Latias are September's free gifts as part of the ongoing Year of Legendary Pokemon promotion. The pair are claimable in any seventh-generation Pokemon game, although the one you receive will depend on which version you own. You can read how to get them here. You can also see the other freebies available now in our roundup of all the free Pokemon for Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.
There are many reasons why Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is regarded as a classic. The allure of secret passages and new equipment draws you into a haunted castle filled with odd creatures and dangerous traps. All of it beautifully designed, not to mention backed by an eclectic soundtrack to suit the castle's many moods. You delve into this adventure as the silver-haired Alucard, the sympathetic son of a notorious supernatural villain, with graceful moves and a cool demeanor befitting of a vampiric heartthrob. Each of these pieces neatly click together, forming what many consider to be one of the best video games ever made. Symphony of the Night is the rare game that seems to get everything right, because even when it stumbles in gloriously cheesy ways, our accumulated goodwill turns would-be mockery into celebration.
Konami, apparently, doesn't see things the same way. Its upcoming release of Symphony of the Night on PS4 (as part of the Castlevania Requiem collection) is based on the retooled PSP release that was buried within Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles. This version, while still excellent in most respects, tries to improve upon the original PlayStation release (which is also mostly intact on Xbox 360), but in the process eliminates one of the most memorable moments of the entire game.
I'm referring, of course, to the meme-ified exchange between Richter Belmont and Dracula during the prologue.
Richter: Die, monster! You don't belong in this world!
Dracula: It was not by my hand that I'm once again given flesh. I was called here by humans who wish to pay me tribute.
Richter: "Tribute"?! You steal men's souls, and make them your slaves!
Dracula: Perhaps the same could be said of all religions.
Richter: Your words are as empty as your soul! Mankind ill needs a savior such as you!
Dracula: What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets! But enough talk! Have at you!
It's campy, over the top, and incredibly memorable. Who among us hasn't been tempted to rhetorically question the essence of humanity, fling a glass of wine across the room, and declare the answer we all know in our hearts to be true? Dracula may have sounded ridiculous, but let's be honest: he's not wrong.
The PSP version, and the upcoming PS4 port, use new voice actors and a new script, with Richter and Dracula's iconic lines rewritten to the following.
Richter: Dracula. Die now, and leave this world! You'll never belong here!
Dracula: Oh but this world invited me. Your own kind called me forth with praise and tribute.
Richter: Tribute? You're a thief. You steal men's souls, their freedom...
Dracula: Freedom is always sacrificed to faith, good hunter. Or are you truly here by choice?
Richter: All I'm here for is you. To hell with your heresy! You're nothing but a blight on mankind.
Dracula: Ha! Mankind. A cesspit of hatred and lies. Fight for them, then, and die for their sins!
In the age of Twitter, where the original discussion has been glorified and given a life of its own, the decision to base the re-release on the altered version of Symphony of the Night feels like an odd one. Granted, this is a small piece of a much bigger puzzle; the game is far from ruined. Its reputation, however, is definitely challenged.
When polled, 1,780 respondents on Twitter weighed in on the matter: 33% don't care about the fact that the PSP version is being used, 26% feel that their excitement for the re-release is slightly diminished, and 41% of voters consider it to be a deal breaker.
For as much as I dislike the decision to use the PSP version of Symphony of the Night, I'm not going to pass up the chance to have a fresh copy on a modern console--assuming its emulation is technically sound. I may not, however, be able to shake the little voice in my head reminding me that it's not the definitive version of the game.
Where do you fall on the matter? Am I a crazed fan whose picked a frivolous hill to die on? Let us know in the comments below!
It was 1991 when TV audiences were first introduced to Cory Matthews (Ben Savage), his family, and his group of friends on Boy Meets World. Yet, somehow, the show--which is now streaming on Hulu--remains as socially relevant as ever, while new audiences of teenagers find it and use it as a coping mechanism for a number of problems the younger generation faces.
That's something the cast of the show is very aware of, and something they took time to speak about during a 25th-anniversary reunion panel at New York Comic Con 2018. Savage was joined by co-stars Danielle Fishel (Topanga) and Will Friedle (Eric) to chat with fans and reminisce about their time on the show--and its spin-off Girl Meets World--when the moderator asked about how it is the show still resonates today, even if the '90s fashion doesn't.
"Michael Jacobs, who was our showrunner and is responsible for 99.9% of the show ideas, if not 100% of the show ideas, he's just very socially-minded himself," Fishel explained. "He's got a lot of opinions, and he's got a lot of beliefs about things that he's staunch on."
It just so happens that a lot of those opinions and beliefs are about speaking to younger people about the ideas they face daily, even if the show wasn't always trying to do that. "I wouldn't necessarily say they were orchestrated, but they are things he knows are universal subject matters--no matter the time period, he knows you are going to watch them," she continued. "Even though it was a kids' show, he wrote a show where kids weren't being talked down to. So you really learned a lot in every episode... I think it'll probably be relevant 20 years from now."
Savage added that the cast took the subject matter of the show very seriously. "The actors were so passionate about their characters," he said. "If you're spending 7 years on a series--and now we've been with these characters for 25 years--you become very protective of your character. Especially when we went into Girl Meets World, we had grown up with these characters."
Of course, Friedle made sure to point out how convenient it was that a lot of the issues explored on the show all seemed to happen to one character--Shawn Hunter (Ryder Strong). "I think Michael also liked to find socially relevant issues and then have them happen to Shawn for a half hour," he joked. "Shawn joined a cult, Shawn drinking, Dad-dying Shawn."
Unfortunately, Strong couldn't be there to defend his character's controversial teenage years, but it was clear that even 25 years later this cast still cherishes the work they did. And while there may not be any new episodes of TV set in the Boy Meets World universe airing right now, the messages put forth by the 158 episodes of the original series--and the 72 installments of Girl Meets World--aren't going to be any less relevant in the years to come.
Overwatch's Halloween Terror is coming back next week, and Blizzard has been teasing some of the cool new spooky-themed skins we can expect when the update hits. First it showed Doomfist as a Swamp Monster, and now it's Moira's turn. In a tweet, the company showed off the Legendary skin Banshee Moira. [Update] Blizzard has also shown off the new Enchanted Armor Halloween skin for Pharah. As the name suggest, it's everyone's favorite rocket queen in magically (or demonically) animated knight's armor. Check it out below.
That's the spirit. BOO-P your enemies as ENCHANTED ARMOR PHARAH (Legendary)! Overwatch Halloween Terror begins Oct 9! pic.twitter.com/BB53w57yeV
So far, the skin reveals have been for relatively recent characters, which makes sense given that the original cast has had plenty of time to build up an impressive collection of scary skins over the last two Halloween Terror events. If this trend continues we may see new looks for Brigitte and Wrecking Ball on the way, since both of them are new to the Halloween festivities.
An ominous portent. Haunt down your enemies as BANSHEE MOIRA (Legendary)! Overwatch Halloween Terror begins Oct 9! pic.twitter.com/wqVYQHd64P
Halloween Terror will begin on October 9 and run through October 31. The company is keeping its exact plans under (mummy) wraps for the time being, but we know that it will bring about the usual cache of new skins to collect or purchase with credits. Blizzard usually puts old skins from the prior years' events on sale as well.
The annual event will also continue the story of Junkenstein's Revenge, a special PvE mode. In 2016 you were The Alchemist (Ana), the Gunslinger (McCree), the Archer (Hanzo), and the Soldier (Solder 76). In 2017 the story continued with The Countess (Widowmaker), the Swordsman (Genji), the Monk (Zenyatta), and the Viking (Torbjorn). The announcement included a poem that may give clues as to how the story will continue this year.
The cast of the new Hellboy movie and the character's original creator took the main stage at New York Comic Con 2018 to debut the world's first trailer from the upcoming reboot.
The new Hellboy footage showed off actor David Harbour's new portrayal of the character, with voiceover warning of a "forever war." The trailer begins with Hellboy getting out of the back of a police van and immediately getting shot in the arm--by a cop. "Hey, I'm on your side!" he shouts, immediately setting the humorous tone. At the entrance to what is presumably the BPRD's new secret headquarters, he gets asked for his ID. "Are you serious?" he asks.
Based on the trailer, the new Hellboy looks like something of a mix between an origin story and one that picks up in the middle of the character's saga. "Does it do anything special?" he's asked, referring to his "strong right arm." "Yeah," Hellboy replies. "It smashes things real good."
The trailer ends on the note that he's "mankind's best and only hope," followed by the iconic visual of Hellboy with his flaming crown and sword--alluding to Hellboy's true name, "Anung Un Rama," which translates to "and upon his brow is set a crown of flame."
Hellboy creator Mike Mignola said during the panel preceding the footage that the movie will draw from his most epic Hellboy storyline. "It's such a long, complicated thing, how this stuff comes about, but it's the biggest Hellboy storyline I ever came up with," he said. "The movie does move a bunch of pieces around, but the movie's almost entirely made of pieces of the story Wild Hunt and the books that are bookending it. And then there are bits and pieces of other Hellboy stories that are laced through it...when you have 25 years worth of material, and everyone's saying 'I want to use this' and 'I want to use that,' that's the fun bit, trying to string all those things together and make it work."
Mignola also shared his original vision for Hellboy: "All I ever wanted to do was draw monsters. I finally realized the only way I would get to draw monsters--just monsters--would be to make up my own monster thing."
He said he's always skeptical when the prospect of a new Hellboy movie arises. "I never believe any of this stuff is ever going to happen," he said, adding that he thought the story the series' producers wanted to tackle this time was "a strange place to start." But "we don't want to just redo what we've done before," he said.
David Harbour is taking the role over in this version of Hellboy from Ron Perlman, who played the protagonist in the first two Hellboy live action movies. Mignola said his wife had remarked that Harbour would make a good Hellboy while she and Mignola watched Stranger Things. "Two weeks later I got a call from the producer saying, 'What would you think of David Harbour playing Hellboy?'" Mignola said. "Shout out to my wife for recognizing."
Harbour said he began reading Hellboy comics in his 20s as "an artsy kid in the East Village." He said he's thrilled that Hellboy is using practical effects over CGI, taking a good-natured dig at Marvel by mentioning Infinity War villain Thanos, who was a mostly CGI character portrayed by Josh Brolin. The crowd ate it up, with a loud, collective "Ohhh!" and cries of "shots fired!" "I love Avengers Infinity War!" Harbour later clarified, ensuring it was all taken in good fun.
Other actors took the stage as well. Sasha Lane, who plays Alice Monaghan, said her character "ain't no damsel in distress"--she's a "badass." "She's kidnapped by fairies and talks to dead people, like, f*** with me," she said.
Daniel Dae Kim, who plays Ben Daimio, joked that he originally auditioned for Lane's role, but admitted he took his role after a friend dropped out from the project. He said he's happy when Asian actors are represented in this type of movie.
Milla Jovovich, who plays a character called "Nimue the Blood Queen," even sent a video message from South Africa, where she's shooting her next film. "The script portrays [the Blood Queen] as the villain, which I highly resent," she said. "I mean, she's only trying to be friends with Hellboy, right David? Nah, just kidding, she's trying to kill everyone and everything around her!"
Ultimately, Harbour described exactly how his version of the character Hellboy will be different from Perlman's. "My approach was a little bit more down and dirty, or something, and even a little bit more--my Hellboy feels a little younger, like, he's got hair, which is a big thing," Harbour said. "But he's also got a little more inner turmoil, a little more strife with Bruttenholm, and a little more lost with his place in the universe. And I'm just bringing more of what I bring.
"In that way it just has a completely different feel," he continued. "And in that way, you know, I can enjoy both, and I hope that you can as well, because to me this character deserves a life, and it deserves more movies. I love this character, and I want to see this character grow and change, and also I want to get down to the core of Mike's stuff, which to me is really horror in a certain way--even an existential horror in a certain way--and I think that we achieved some of that in this, while also having a lot of fun."
Hellboy is scheduled to hit theaters April 12, 2019.
The Peter Parker of Insomniac's Spider-Man video game is heading to the Marvel Universe proper, care of a Spider-Man mega crossover event: Spider-Geddon.
Spider-Geddon is building on the concept of the Spider-Verse, a "multiverse" of Spider-Man continuities. It's looking to use the concept to bridge gaps between entire mediums by bringing "every Spider-Man character ever," said Spider-Man group editor Nick Lowe during the Spider-Man comics panel at New York Comic Con, "every Spider-Man, every Spider-Woman, every Spider-Animal. Everything." Everything, including Spider-Men that have never been in the comics before. Insomniac's unique take on Peter Parker, complete with his game-specific "velocity" costume, will be included among the Spider-Men called to action for the fight.
And this is more than just a cameo--PS4 Pete's inclusion is part of his ongoing story in his home universe. During a special video presentation at the panel, writer Christos Gage and Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski explained that Spider-Geddon will be officially taking place for PS4 Pete after the events of the video game, and be part of his continuity.
Spider-Geddon isn't just a one-off event. It's the sequel to 2014's Edge of the Spider-Verse event, which actually introduced the "Spider-Verse" concept--the concept that just so happens to be paving the way for this year's Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. For the uninitiated, Into The Spider-Verse is an animated feature film set to debut the big screen versions of all sorts of different Spider-people like Spider-Ham, a cartoon pig with Spider-powers and Peni Parker, a young girl with a Spider-powered mech suit all by delving deep into the spider infested multiverse of the comics and beyond.
What PS4 Peter Parker's inclusion in Spider-Geddon might mean for future downloadable content or adaptations of Insomniac's unique take on the Spider-Man mythos remains to be seen--but fans who enjoyed their time web slinging around New York City in their living room might want to keep an eye on this one. Who knows what stories could be teased out, or which members of the comics-based Spider-Verse may end up making their video game debut?
Continued cross pollination of Spider-properties may be more likely than you think. Christos Gage, who is co-writing the Spider-Geddon event alongside Dan Slott just so happened to be one of the writers on Insomniac's game. The seeds may already be sown.
Spider-Geddon #1 hits shelves on Wednesday, October 10.
WWE's next PPV is almost here, and it's headed down under for one that will be very early for North American fans. The wrestling company is based out of the US but is a global brand, so from time to time it will travel overseas for live events. Of late, these international shows have been positioned as major PPVs, starting with The Greatest Royal Rumble back in April. Tomorrow, on Saturday, October 6, WWE is headed to Australia for the Super Show-Down, and it is one packed card. But if you're in North America, prepare to set your alarm earlier than you'd probably care for.
Taking place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia, Super Show-Down will air on the WWE Network at 10 AM BST / 5 AM ET / 2 AM PT. For once, WWE fans in the UK will have a PPV not airing extremely late in the evening.
If you don't have the WWE Network but are interested in watching the show, you can sign up for one month free. This promotion is only available to new subscribers, but you're under no obligation to continue using the service. You can cancel anytime, so technically, you can watch Super Show-Down for free. If you choose to continue using the WWE Network, it costs $10 a month, but you get to livestream all WWE PPVs throughout the year, as well as classic PPVs, TV replays, and original series.
So what can you look forward to at Super Show-Down? Well, for the first time in forever, Roman Reigns isn't the main event. However, Undertaker vs. Triple H is, so that's something different. The match is billed as "last time ever," most likely because Undertaker is getting up there in age and isn't as great in the ring as he used to be.
In addition to that, there are nine more matches on the card, four of which are title matches. However, Ronda Rousey and the Raw Women's Championship are nowhere to be found on the card. But there's still time for another match to be added. Check out everything booked, so far, below.
Super Show-Down Match Card:
Cedric Alexander (c) vs. Buddy Murphy (Cruiserweight Championship)
Asuka & Naomi vs. The IIconics
The New Day (c) vs. The Bar (Smackdown Tag Team Championship)
Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz
John Cena & Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens & Elias
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Charlotte Flair (Smackdown Women's Championship)
Ronda Rousey & The Bella Twins vs. The Riott Squad
AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe (WWE Championship)
The Shield vs. Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler, & Drew McIntyre
The Undertaker vs. Triple H
Super Show-Down Start Times
7 PM AET
10 AM BST
5 AM ET
4AM C
2 AM PT
Make sure to come back to GameSpot on the morning of Saturday, October 6 for coverage of the PPV. And next week, we'll have predictions as well as interviews with WWE superstars about the event.
The fall 2018 anime season has officially begun. As of this week, a bunch of new series and movies have begun airing on Netflix, Amazon, Crunchyroll, Funimation, and HiDive. With all the new anime, we've outlined what we think you need to add to your watch list.
Bloom Into You is a must watch. This love story between two high school girls also addresses the pressures of living with low self-worth and the struggles of understanding asexual love. Despite the heaviness of the story's drama, there are both brief snippets of hilarity and quiet moments of internal resilience that draw you into the changing dynamic between the second-year student council president who can't escape her dead sister's shadow and the young first-year who dreams of falling in love but doesn't feel the emotions that love stories say a young girl should. Bloom Into You is debuting exclusively on HiDive (in both Japanese and English dub) and premiers on October 5. This fall, HiDive is also airing episodes of the English dub of Princess Principal, one of the best anime from 2017.
You should also add Crunchyroll's Goblin Slayer to your queue--especially if you're a fan of Dark Souls. Goblin Slayer is a dark fantasy about an inexperienced priestess, called Priestess, who's saved by a male adventurer named Goblin Slayer after her entire party is gruesomely butchered in front of her. Goblin Slayer is a bloody story that repeatedly offers up scenes where its characters are left with eyes full of despair, but the show is not without its charm. The series begins airing on October 6.
Other anime to look out for are That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime and SSSS Gridman. The former launched on October 1, with the original Japanese version on Crunchyroll and the English dub on Funimation. The latter comes out on Funimation on October 6. Slime is an isekai--a story where a normal person is transported to another world--that's about pretty much exactly what the name implies, and Studio Trigger's Gridman is an anime remake of Gridman the Hyper Agent, a series about three kids creating a video game superhero. Golden Kamuy and Netflix's Castlevania also return with second seasons this fall, the former on October 8 and the latter on October 26.
The full list of anime series and movies that have been confirmed to premier this fall on Amazon, Crunchyroll, Funimation, HiDive, and Netflix are listed below. We'll update the list if additional titles are announced.
Fall 2018 Anime Release Date Schedule (U.S.)
Amazon
October 5
Boarding School Juliet
So Many Colors In The Future What A Wonderful World
October 11
Le Cirque de Karakuri
Crunchyroll
October 1
That Time I Go Reincarnated as a Slime
October 3
RErideD: Derrida, who leaps through time
October 4
Zombieland Saga
October 5
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Part 5: Golden Wind
October 6
Goblin Slayer
Radiant
Sword Art Online: Alicization
October 7
Ulysses: Jeanne d'Arc and the Alchemist Knight
October 8
Golden Kamuy (Season 2)
October 12
Senran Kagura Shinovi Master
Funimation
October 1
Space Battleship Tiramisu Zwei (Season 2)
That Time I Go Reincarnated as a Slime
October 6
Ace Attorney (Season 2)
SSSS Gridman
October 8
Golden Kamuy (Season 2)
October 9
Tokyo Ghoul:re (Season 2)
HiDive
October 1
The Girl in Twilight
October 5
Bloom Into You
October 7
Release The Spyce
Netflix
October 3
Violet Evergarden: Special
October 15
The Seven Deadly Sins: Revival of The Commandments
October 26
Castlevania (Season 2)
October 30
Fate/EXTRA Last Encore: Illustrias Geocentrism Theory
Only a couple years after Fallout 4's release, Bethesda surprised fans by officially announcing Fallout 76, the next entry in its beloved post-apocalyptic RPG franchise. The new game was revealed in a trailer after a series of teases, and Bethesda discussed it in more detail at E3 2018 and more recently at QuakeCon 2018. While there's still so much we do not yet know about Bethesda's upcoming game, the company has offered some clarity on Fallout 76's most curious features and additions to the Fallout formula.
To ensure you're kept up to date on everything there is to know about Fallout 76, we've compiled all the information we have on the game so far: the platforms it's on, its online functionality, its anti-griefing features, and where the game falls in the series' timeline.
Fallout 76 is a prequel to all of the previous Fallout games. Set in 2102, you play an inhabitant of Vault 76 who emerges from the shelter 25 years after the bombs fell on America. Your task is simple: explore what remains of post-apocalyptic America and rebuild civilization.
Longtime fans will likely recognize Vault 76; although it's not a place we've visited before, this isn't the series' first mention of it. Both Fallout 3 and 4 reference it and, according to the Fallout Wikia, this West Virginia-based vault was occupied by 500 of of America's best and brightest minds. Unlike the more grotesque experimental vaults in the Fallout universe, Vault 76 is a control vault intended to be opened 20 or so years after a nuclear war. But if the Vault was supposed to open 20 years after the bombs fell, why have 25 years gone by? The story likely has a few surprises in store.
Fallout 76 uses the Creation Engine, the same engine used to make Fallout 4, but it will purportedly feature much more graphical detail than its predecessor. Game director Todd Howard has said that Fallout 76 has new rendering and lighting technology, which allows for "16 times" the detail.
Who's Developing It?
Bethesda Game Studios, the Maryland-based developer responsible for the Elder Scrolls series and both Fallout 3 and Fallout 4, is at work on the game. In addition, Bethesda Game Studios Austin--formerly BattleCry Studios--assisted in fine-tuning the Creation Engine to support multiplayer functionality.
Is It An Online Survival Game?
Fallout 76 is a much different sort of game from its predecessors. It's "entirely online," but don't worry, you'll be able to play it solo too. According to Bethesda, the idea to take this approach to open-world survival came four years ago, when it started to work on building a multiplayer Fallout experience. Howard described the game's approach to survival as "softcore," which means death doesn't equal loss of progression.
You can form a party with up to three other players. You won't be able to manage your placement in servers when you login, as you'll automatically be inserted into a session with others upon booting up the game. Of course, you also have the option simply join alongside your friends and play together.
Howard commented that Fallout 76 will have dedicated servers that will support the game "now and for years to come." At launch, there will only be public servers, but Bethesda plans to introduce private servers that will allow players to invite friends to play in order to prevent undesirable behavior.
Some classic mechanics from past games will be changing to accommodate the shift to online play. For example, V.A.T.S has been reconfigured to work in real time, while still allowing players to target specific enemy body parts. But this time around, it has been updated to be more of a tool that allows you to spot out dangers in the environment.
How Big Is The World?
According to Howard, Fallout 76's world is four times the size of Fallout 4. There are six different regions to explore, and each has its own unique style, risks, and rewards. Confirmed areas include the West Virginia State Capitol, The Greenbrier, Woodburn Circle, New River Gorge Bridge, and Camden Park. Contained within each area is a variety of new creatures to encounter, some of which are based on West Virginian folklore.
What Can You Do?
Like previous games, players will spend the majority of their time exploring and completing quests. However, Fallout 76 will not feature any human non-player characters, as all surviving humans will be controlled by active players. Instead, the game will use combination of robot NPCs, collectible recordings, and environmental storytelling in order to give players what they need to piece together quests and the story at large.
Given the game's premise of rebuilding the world, there will be base-building elements similar to Fallout 4. You will be able to set up a bases anywhere using an item called the Construction and Assembly Mobile Platform, or CAMP. These can be placed down in the world and allow you to construct an impromptu camp. At E3, we got to see the player laying down walls and decorating the base with pool tables, toilets, and other household objects. As the "mobile platform" part of the name implies, your CAMP can also be picked up and relocated, allowing you to move your base anywhere in the world.
While you can help build the world, you can also destroy it. If you have the necessary nuclear launch codes, it's actually possible to access a missile silo to fire a nuke at any point on the map. Doing so irradiates the chosen area, but it also allows for the opportunity to discover rare weapons, gear, and items. Be wary; nuking an area also causes more powerful enemies to show up, making it more difficult to survive. But don't be discouraged by this, the CAMP blueprint system makes it easy for players to quickly rebuild their homes, and if they're privy to an incoming threat, they can pack their things and move to a new location.
As an online experience, player choice is said to be incredibly important, going as far as giving players the freedom to choose who are the heroes and who are the villains. Early footage showcased multiple players engaging in combat and participating in friendly activities, which seems to indicate that players have the freedom to choose their paths in the world of Fallout 76.
How Does Character Creation And Progression Work?
You'll have similar character creation tools as Fallout 4. However, you're free to change your appearance at any point. In addition, you can also utilize the game's new photo mode during the creation process to better see how your character looks, as well as snap some shots you can share on social media.
The SPECIAL system returns and it's a bit different. Like previous games, SPECIAL encompasses the following stats: Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, Luck. You're given one point to put into any of those stats every time you level up. The first thing you do when you emerge from the vault is pick a SPECIAL and then you pick a perk in that particular SPECIAL. Essentially, every SPECIAL is a pool of points for your perks.
But unlike previous games, perks are now cards you can equip and unlock as you rank up in a given SPECIAL; though, you're free to swap cards out at any time if you want to alter your build. Each SPECIAL characteristic you develop has a perk card cap of 15. These perk cards can be enhanced further from one to five points to increase their power.
You can obtain additional perk cards via Perk Card Packs (four random cards), which you earn every two levels initially (1-10), and then every 5 after that. You can also pick one perk card per level, usually from your SPECIAL choice. There are hundreds of Perks cards you can unlock, so naturally SPECIAL ranks cap out after a while (you gain a rank up in a SPECIAL each time you level up). At level 50, you'll stop increasing SPECIAL ranks, but you'll still get card packs.
How Does PvP Work?
When you shoot someone you do a little bit of damage, which can be equated to lightly slapping them in order to challenge them to a duel. In response to this, the other player can choose to ignore or engage. If they engage in a battle with you, they'll start to take full damage. The one who is killed in this consenting PvP match has the option to seek revenge. Doing so gives that person the opportunity to get double the rewards granted they're successful.
If you'd rather choose to ignore a PvP match, there's no way to escape being killed--despite the small damage dealt to you during the initiation phases. However, if you are killed by a player under these circumstances, that player becomes a Wanted Murderer and will receive no rewards from having killed you.
A Wanted Murderer is marked on the map as a red star and a bounty is placed on their head. Players looking to cash in on this bounty aren't visible on the Murderer's map. If the murderer is killed, the money from that bounty is taken out their stock.
In order to give players time to properly acclimate to how Fallout 76 plays, PvP won't be available to players until level five. And if you perish from any PvP encounter, the only thing you'll lose is the junk you've been collecting, which can be reclaimed after death if not already picked up by other players. You can always store junk in stashes found around the world, so as to safeguard a portion of your stock. Armor and weapons are retained in your inventory after death.
Any Voice Chat?
It's possible to chat with your teammates and even strangers you discover out in the world. It's area-based so your ability to hear other plays will vary. But if you want nothing to do with strangers, it's possible to mute their voices entirely.
When's the Beta?
Fallout 76's beta will be available exclusively to those who preorder the game. Bethesda said that it will begin selecting participants from the pool of pre-orders on October 23 on Xbox One first. The plan is to start small and expand over time with PS4 and PC to follow on October 30. For more details, you can check out Bethesda's Fallout 76 FAQ for more details on how to redeem your code.
Release Date
Fallout 76 is being developed for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and is currently scheduled to be released on November 14. Unfortunately, there's no word about a Nintendo Switch release, which didn't seem out of the question after the Skyrim re-release made it to that platform.
The live action Netflix adaptation of Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba's original graphic novel series Umbrella Academy has been given an official release date: February 12, 2019.
A "twisted, dysfunctional" take on superheroes, Umbrella Academy centers around the lives of six individuals, part of a group of mysterious kids, part of a group of 43 kids, all born on the same day at the same time of apparently immaculate conception. Each of the children had some sort of superpower, but only seven of them were adopted by a mysterious and wealthy benefactor named Sir Reginald Hargreeves seventeen years later. Hargreeves founds "the Umbrella Academy" where he plans to train and support his new superpowered children.
Fans at New York Comic Con were treated to an exclusive first look trailer showcasing the show's unique and surreal tone. Set to a plucky, instrumental cover of The Turtles' "So Happy Together," the trailer was a collection of clips that established the world of the show with a voice over about the birth of the 43 children, their adoption, and the founding of the Academy. With the world building out of the way, the trailer began hopping around to brief clips of each character in action, building tension after the apparent death of Hargreeves.
The show will kick off in 1989 with the birth of the kids, a setting that's actually unique to the show. The bulk of the graphic novel is set in 1977, in an alternate timeline where John F. Kennedy was never assassinated. Details about the plot and other liberties the show may take are still vague. However, actor Aiden Gallagher (No. 00.06 'The Boy'), a fan of the original books, offered assurance, "I think we do a good job of honoring the comic, but we've got some surprises for you."
Umbrella Academy stars Ellen Page (Vanya Hargreeves aka The White Violin), Tom Hopper (Luther Hargreeves aka Spaceboy), David Castañeda (Diego Hargreeves aka The Kraken), Emmy Raver-Lampman (Allison Hargreeves aka The Rumor), Robert Sheehan (Klaus Hargreeves aka The Seance), Aiden Gallagher (The Boy), Mary J. Blige (Cha-Cha), and Cameron Britton (Hazel).
Bungie has announced that Last Wish, the Raid included in the Forsaken expansion for Destiny 2, will not be getting additional difficulties. Several past Destiny Raids got a Prestige mode after they launched, which made everything much harder.
In a blog post, Bungie wrote, "We wanted to create an experience that offered the truest forms of every encounter from day one, and offered some of the most powerful rewards in the game to anyone who could succeed." This coincides with Bungie's decision to transform the Iron Banner and make the mode more akin to "an arms race." It makes the mode more challenging from the get go, but it pushes low Power level characters to grow stronger.
That's not to say that Raid updates for Forsaken are done. In the same blog post, Bungie further teased a new Raid lair for Black Armory, which is scheduled for this December. If you happen to have an Annual Pass for Destiny 2, you'll be hearing more information about the next lair "real soon."
Bungie has two updates scheduled for Destiny 2 this October. The first starts the Festival of the Lost, a special event we don't know much about. The second one, coming October 30, will hopefully make it easier to earn the Exotic hand cannon Malfeasance. The spawn rate for the Ascendant Primeval Servitor will be increased, and you need an item to drop from them in order to start the quest needed to acquire the gun.
We're giving away 25 Virtual Tickets to BlizzCon 2018 (scroll down to enter below)! The Virtual Ticket is a $50 USD value that unlocks hours of exclusive video programming from Blizzard, including livestreams of everything happening at BlizzCon, from the history-making moments at Opening Ceremony to panels, community events, cosplay contests, and epic closing acts.
The BlizzCon Virtual Ticket also comes with commemorative in-game items for every Blizzard franchise. Blizzard has already released in-game items for ticket holders such as a legendary skin for Sombra in Overwatch. Future items for Diablo III, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm®, StarCraft® II, and World of Warcraft® will be released as they become available between now and BlizzCon.
BlizzCon takes place this November 2-3, but the celebration is already underway with exclusive video content premiering every week at www.blizzcon.com.
To enter for a chance to win a BlizzCon 2018 Virtual Ticket, scroll down below. No purchase necessary. Twenty-five (25) winners will be chosen when the competition ends October 21, 2018, at 11:59PM PT.
While SyFy's new show Nightflyers shares the same creator as the behemoth that is HBO's Game of Thrones, beard enthusiast and lapsed author George RR Martin is really where the similarities between the two shows begin and end. While Game of Thrones trades in fantasy spectacle and high stakes soap opera intrigue, Nightflyers aims directly for horror, and from what we saw at the world premiere screening of the show's first episode during New York Comic Con this week, it looks like it's dipping into the best of both classic and recent sci-fi horror films in its attempt to deliver on its scary premise.
That premise stems from a novella written by GRR Martin in the early 1980s. The year is 2093, and humanity is in trouble. Although settlements seems to have been made within the solar system (or at least on the Moon, according to a quick scene we glimpsed in the pilot episode), Earth desperately needs new resources. On the edge of the solar system, humans detect an alien vessel, but all attempts to communicate with it have been met with silence so far.
Enter the Nightflyer, a huge ship which serves as home for hundreds of crew, and its latest mission: to escort a group of scientists to the alien vessel, who then plan to use a human telepath as a last-ditch attempt to establish a dialogue with the aliens that may hold the key to humanity's survival. Of course, things go awry from the moment the Nightflyer leaves Earth's orbit.
If you think that set-up sounds reminiscent of other trapped-on-a-ship-in-deep-space films like Event Horizon or Sunshine, then you'd be right on the money. Nightflyers, at least from its first episode, looks like it's happy to emulate the best space thrillers of the last 50 years, using familiar tropes and even specific visual imagery to elicit deep reactions. Claustrophobic metal corridors that suddenly become empty and menacing as a character walks through? Nightflyers has it. Creepy hallucinations that set the entire crew on edge? Check? Strange children who may or may not be dead suddenly appearing out of nowhere? For sure. There's even a direct visual nod to one of the most famous jogging scenes in sci-fi history included in this first episode (I'll let you guess which one).
That's not to say, however, that Nightflyers is all reference and no substance. There's enough tension and intrigue in this pilot to make it seem like the 10-episode run of the show will be a worthwhile watch, and there are plenty of mysteries (both with characters and plot) that will leave you wanting to know more. Just why does the ship's captain Roy Eris only ever appear as a hologram? Why does he have cameras installed all over the ship? What is the ultimate goal of lead scientist Karl D'Branin, and why is he keeping secrets from the crew entrusted to transport him to his ultimate goal?
But Nightflyers' best moments in this first episode stem from how the show treats human telepaths. People with psychic abilities in the world of Nightflyers are treated like extremely dangerous criminals, sedated for most of their waking hours and tucked away in remote locations lest they cause havoc on the population. So of course, the fact that one of the strongest telepaths ever is being brought on board sets tensions within the entire crew high, and the show milks it thanks to the creepy performance of actor Sam Strike as the telepath Thale. Thale is being set up as an extremely powerful and perhaps malicious character, although the mysterious events on the Nightflyer may not all be his doing.
Bungie has announced two big planned updates for Destiny 2. One of the them, Update 2.0.5, is designed to patch any issues brought up through player feedback, including a concern that the spawn rate for the Ascendent Primeval Servitor--an enemy necessary for earning the Exotic hand cannon Malfeasance--is too low.
In a blog post, Bungie wrote, "During week three of the curse cycle, also known as a full-curse week, the Ascendant Primeval Servitor will have almost the same chance to spawn as any other Primeval. We will also be increasing the chance for the boss to spawn during lesser-curse weeks, but it will still be lower than during a full-curse week."
In order to earn Malfeasance, you need to acquire the Seething Heart quest that is only possible to attain through killing an Ascendant Primeval Servitor in Gambit. The increased spawn rate of the boss enemy should make that process easier and faster. However, Bungie adds that this change comes with some drawbacks.
"For full transparency, since the Ascendant Primeval Servitor spawn rate will increase significantly when these changes are released, we are tweaking how ship and Sparrow rewards drop from the boss," Bungie wrote, "Vanity items are no longer guaranteed drops for subsequent boss kills after you earn the quest, instead the vanity items will now only have a chance to drop."
Destiny 2 Update 2.0.5 is scheduled to come out on October 30. The game is available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.
Fortnite is getting spooky through the newly launched Season 6 with its Darkness Rises theme, but it looks like it will be adding some special Halloween-themed cosmetics as well. A new set of skins, back bling, gliders, and pickaxes have been leaked, giving a look at what's presumably to come at some point during October.
From the Twitter account FNBRLeaks come our first looks at the skins Hay Man (Male) and Straw Ops (Female); Hay Nest and Birdhovel back bling; Dark Glyph and Field Wraith gliders; and Thunder Crash and Harvester pickaxes. Plus, it provides a look at the new T-Pose, which goes especially well with the Hay Man skin. You can see them all in the tweets below.
So far Epic hasn't announced any special Halloween events, so we're not sure yet just how you'll earn these new cosmetic items--they could be sold like any others or tied to specific challenges, like the birthday event items released this summer. Whatever the case, these join a whole host of new Season 6 skins, which include some monster-themed ones like the Dire Wolf. That one changes as you level up, becoming more and more like a werewolf.
If you need some help earning this season's skins, check out our challenge guide. Or you can prepare to dance the night away in an upcoming limited-time mode. It'll be a graveyard smash. In the meantime, you can check out the new 6.01 update--it add a new type of trap for Battle Royale alongside a handful of other things. Alternatively, we've got a look at Fortnite Halloween costumes, which are sure to be all the rage this year.
New Outfits! Name: Straw Ops (Female) Desc: The harvest grows near Name: Hay Man (Male) Desc: Scare. Those. Crows Rarities: Epic pic.twitter.com/RwdR7lCJ83
— Fortnite: Battle Royale Leaks 🎃 (@FNBRLeaks) October 3, 2018
New Backblings! Name: Hay Nest (Male) Desc: Hatch a plan Name: Birdhovel Desc: Keep your enemies close Rarity: Epic pic.twitter.com/wou4rkZAFj
— Fortnite: Battle Royale Leaks 🎃 (@FNBRLeaks) October 3, 2018
New Gliders! Name: Dark Glyph (Dark Bomber Glider) Desc: Indecipherable Name: Field Wraith (Scarecrow) Desc: Don't just scare crows, give them nightmares pic.twitter.com/2RXa88pypz
— Fortnite: Battle Royale Leaks 🎃 (@FNBRLeaks) October 3, 2018
Bungie has announced a number of Destiny 2 updates on the way, but the one thing that's the same as always is the mysterious merchant Xur. He's back once again to peddle his wares, which include the usual assortment of Exotic gear. Here's what he's selling this weekend, as well as where to find him.
This week, Xur continues his pattern of appearing in his same old locations. You'll find him right now on Io, in the Giant's Scar region. Spawn in at the landing zone, hop on your Sparrow, and make your way forward through an overpass. Head left in the wide-open area with the large drill and then jump up the small hill on the left of this area. You'll find Xur hiding out in a cave, as you can see in the map below.
On the item side, he has a standard assortment of gear: one Exotic weapon and one Exotic piece of armor for each class, as well as the expensive Fated Engram (which guarantees you a Year One Exotic you don't already own). The weapon is Skyburner's Oath, a scout rifle that fires explosive slugs. There have been complaints about scout rifle damage in PvE, but that's set to change with an update this month.
For armor, Hunters get the Young Ahamkara's Spine gauntlets, which improve Tripmines when you deal damage with abilities. Warlocks get the Skull of Dire Ahamkara helmet, which gives you Super energy when you get kills with Nova Bomb. And Titans get the Helm of Saint-14 helmet, which causes Ward of Dawn to blind enemies and grant an overshield to friendlies. The full lineup and prices follow below.
Young Ahamkara's Grasp (Exotic Hunter gauntlets) -- 23 Legendary Shards
Skull of Dire Ahamkara (Exotic Warlock helmet) -- 23 Legendary Shards
Helm of Saint-14 (Exotic Titan helmet) -- 23 Legendary Shards
You'll be able to pick up these items between now and the weekly reset on Tuesday, October 9. One week later, Festival of the Lost will debut alongside a new patch, version 2.0.4.
Sony's Venom might have the best opening weekend of any movie that's come out in October. The current record is held by 2014's Gravity, which debuted to $55.7 million.
According to Deadline, Venom is currently looking at an opening weekend of $65 million. The movie might make even more money--closer to $70 million--but with both a UFC fight and the MLB playoffs on, the movie is going up against some serious competition. A Star Is Born looks to be coming in second place with an opening weekend of $41 million. Both Smallfoot and Night School--going into their second weekends--are currently grappling over third place, with both earning about $13.5 million.
Venom has already earned the highest Thursday night preview in October, earning $10 million in its first night. That's a whole $2 million above the last movie to hold the title, 2011's Paranormal Activity 3, and over double what A Star Is Born made in it's Thursday night preview--which was about $4.55 million. Normally, these numbers would imply Venom is on its way to being a top-tier superhero movie--as its Thursday night preview outpaces both Ant-Man ($6.4 million), Doctor Strange ($9.4 million), and several other hero films--but its Rotten Tomato score is so low that it might ward off potential viewers.
Venom is a reimagining of Eddie Brock and the symbiote's meeting, where Peter Parker was never a part of the equation. Eddie, played by Tom Hardy, is an investigative journalist who accidentally stumbles into bonding with an alien symbiote, who's voiced by Tom Hardy, that comes with its own personality and a useful collection of super-human abilities. Eddie tells the symbiote it can stay, but only if the two aim their violent impulses towards the criminal element, leading the two to become the anti-hero known as Venom.
In our Venom review, Michael Rougeau wrote, "Venom has all the ingredients of a decent superhero movie--10 or 15 years ago. With spotty CGI, poorly drawn characters, tonal inconsistency including forced 'edginess' and awkward humor, sidelined female characters, and even cringeworthy licensed musical cues, it feels like a relic from the distant, pre-Marvel Cinematic Universe past. That may in part be attributed to the fact that it's been in production in one form or another since at least 2008. But its problems go way past simply being 'old school,' and ultimately, Venom lacks the charm, clarity, and ambition superhero fans have come to expect."
Mattel's live-action Barbie movie has had some trouble in the past few years, with losing its then-lead actress Amy Schumer (Trainwreck, Snatched) and suffering a host of other setbacks before ultimately being tabled in 2017. Now, it seems Mattel has revived the project, and reports are that Oscar-nominated actress Margot Robbie (Suicide Squad, I, Tonya) is set to star in the film.
According to Variety, Robbie will also produce the film under LuckyChap Entertainment, a production company she founded in 2014. Though she'll be producing and starring in the film, Barbie hasn't found a home yet. It was previously set up by Sony Pictures, but Mattel took the rights to the IP back after Sony missed its opportunity. There were also reports that Warner Bros. was attached, but substantial details have yet to be revealed.
It was first announced in December 2016 that Schumer was in "early talks" to play the lead role in Mattel's live-action adaptation. While unofficial at the time, the project's original writer, Hilary Winston (My Name is Earl, The Lego Ninjago Movie), suggested she wrote the role for Schumer. Schumer subsequently dropped the project due to scheduling conflicts.
Variety states that the story is along the lines of Enchanted and Big, in that the main character finds herself kicked out of Barbieland and thrust into the real world. With Robbie now set to star in the film, it's unclear if the project will stick to the original script.
It was expected to open in Summer 2018, but the date has been pushed. Reports now say that Barbie is slated for a May 8, 2020 release date.
A trailer for American Gods season 2 dropped during the show's New York Comic-Con 2018 panel. Afterwards, members of the series' cast and the executive producer came out to discuss further details about the show.
The new trailer showcases many of the gods from the show--both the old and the new--including Odin in his true form and gods we haven't seen before. There's also a brief shot of the massive carousel at the House on the Rock, where Shadow stands in awe of something Odin shows him. The trailer revealed that Season 2 will begin in 2019, but no specification was provided beyond that.
Season 2 will pick up literally hours after Season 1's finale at the House on the Rock. Laura and Mad Sweeney will go off on their own journey partway through the season while the rest of the characters handle their own issues. "Things get worse for everybody in traumatic ways," said executive producer Neil Gaiman.
The events of Season 2 will negatively influence the characters as well. "Laura is kind of an awful person," said Emily Browning, the actress who portrays the character. "These gods are absolutely human in their needs and their wants," added Yetedi Badaki, who plays Bilquis the goddess of love.
American Gods is based on the 2001 novel of the same name, which is also written by Neil Gaiman. It tells the story of Shadow Moon, an ex-convict who finds out his wife dies in a car accident while pleasuring her husband's best friend. He's approached by a con man, who calls himself Mr. Wednesday, with a job offering to work as a personal body guard. After accepting the job, Shadow discovers Mr. Wednesday is secretly Odin, one of the old gods who are dying out as people begin to worship the new gods of the Internet, media, and modern forms of transportation.
When American Gods returns for Season 2, Media will either be cut from the show or played by a different actor as Gillian Anderson, who plays the god , has left the show and will not return. Season 2 will also feature a brand new set of writers.
Those attending the Mortal Engines panel at the Hulu Theater at New York's Madison Square Garden were in for a huge treat on Friday afternoon. Before the cast and minds behind the upcoming December movie came out to talk to the audience, moderator Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings, War of the Planet of the Apes) announced they'd be watching the first 30 minutes of the film. Don't worry, this is spoiler-free.
Mortal Engines takes place in the far future where modern technology as we know it has been destroyed and morphed into a steampunk-like world, where giant, moving cities traverse through Europe looking for other cities to eat, in order to use the eaten city's structures to power their gigantic machines to continue the hunt.
The story and world--based on the novel of the same name by Philip Reeve--is bonkers, to say the least. The viewer is thrusted into this very different universe where the rules of our world barely apply. It's doesn't have an exceptionally high concept, but at first glance, everything is pretty confusing. Luckily, the world, its rules, and just what happened to the Earth more than 500 years earlier are incredibly fascinating and something ultimately more interesting than the character's stories. The digital effects looks good from what the audience saw. Nothing was muddled or hard to read on the big screen. When you see a giant city that eats other cities, the effects and design makes sense and comes off looking great.
Where the opening act of this movie shines is in the fact that it feels like you're watching a classic fantasy/sci-fi adventure film from the '80s. The mobile towns and cities and overall feeling of this world are reminiscent of something Terry Gilliam would have come up with, like Time Bandits or "The Crimson Permanent Assurance." While Mortal Engines takes itself a bit more serious than Gilliam's work, it does have that odd world-building sensibility where the viewer simply has to accept what's happening with the hopes of things being explained later on. For some viewers, this may be a tad tough to swallow, but immersing yourself into this world sooner rather than later is a better way to go.
However, the most jarring part of the opening scenes isn't the gigantic city of London travelling at what looks like to be 100 miles per hour, preparing to eat a small town, it's jumping from that high action sequence to meet the cast of characters. We're introduced to Thaddeus Valentine (Hugo Weaving) who is the main antagonist of the film and seemingly in charge of London, trying to shape the world in his image. In the books, he's the Head Historian. There is also his daughter, Katherine (Leila George), young historian Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan), and the vengeful Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar). There is a lot being tossed at the audience in the first half and hour through world-building, history of the world, and characters and their development. It's borderline sensory-overload, but it's still fun.
We're still a few months off from Mortal Engines, as it won't hit theaters until December 14. However, the movie looks promising, even if it doesn't seem to have mass appeal, those much more apt to check out something with a heavy fantasy/sci-fi bend. It feels like watching something from your childhood, something with a great sense of adventure and wonderment, caked around a traditional "get the bad guy in power" story. Just make sure to prepare yourself for a concept that is a bit out there.
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